Aug 09, 2013

Nigeria’s widest circulating newspaper

Sultan urges peace at Sallah •Tambuwal, others too

NEWS

Page 2

News New leaders‘ll emerge, says Tinubu P2 Sports Moses ‘ready’ for new season P24 Business Delta to fix pipelines with N100m P11 www.thenationonlineng.net

VOL. 8, NO. 2571 FRIDAY, AUGUST 9, 2013

TR UTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM TRUTH

N150.00

PAGES INSIDE •ABC of the 2011 rape video erroneously tagged Abia Rape Video •SEE25-27

•Muslim faithful praying at the Ikeja praying ground during the Eid-fitri celebration. SEE ALSO PAGES 8 & 9

Mbu remains Rivers police chief, says IG

Nigeria won’t break up, says Jonathan

P

From Augustine Ehikioya, Abuja and Rosemary Nwisi, Port Harcourt

I

NSPECTOR-GENERAL of Police Mohammed Abubakar yesterday dashed the hope of those expecting a change in the leadership of the police in Rivers State.

Controversial Police Commissioner Mbu Joseph Mbu will remain in office, Abubakar said.

Continued on page 2

PHOTO: OLUSEGUN RAPHEAL

•Mbu

RESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan yesterday assured that Nigeria will not break-up.

To him, the country’s diversity is a great strength yet to be tapped.

Dr. Jonathan faulted a Report in the United States which predicted Nigeria’s break-up

From Augustine Ehikioya, Abuja

before 2015.

The President spoke when a delegation of the Muslim Umma in government paid him a Sallah homage.

Vice President Namadi Sambo led the delegation, which included Chief of Defence Staff

Admiral Ola Saheed Ibrahim, Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Chairman Ahmadu Ali, Minister of State for Finance Yerima Ngama and National Planning CommisContinued on page 2

Eid prayers: Boko Haram suspects riot in prison

‘No preferential treatment’ Sect burnt 800 classrooms, says governor

A •Shekau

RIOT broke out in Kuje Medium Security Prison yesterday.

Detained Boko Haram members and other Muslim suspects were protesting the refusal of prison authorities to allow them go out to observe

From Yusuf Alli, Abuja

Eid-el Fitr prayers.

A Boko Haram convict was alleged to have fainted during the fracas in the prison.

The aggrieved Boko Haram members and other Muslim suspects al-

leged that the three Lebanese suspects linked to Hezbollah in Lebanon were allowed to observe the Eid-el Fitr prayers, it was learnt.

But the prison authorities maintained that all Muslim detainees were disallowed from going for non-oblig-

atory Sallah prayers.

A top prison official said the Prison Service does not have the capacity to give such a waiver to Boko Haram and Hezbollah suspects because it could lead to an ambush at Continued on page 2

2

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 9, 2013

NEWS Nigeria won’t break up, says Jonathan Continued from page 1

sion Chiarman Shamsudeen Usman.

•President Goodluck Jonathan (right) receiving a gift from a Muslim delegation that paid him a Sallah homage at the Presidential Villa, Abuja yesterday. Presenting him the gift are Vice President Namadi Sambo (third left), Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Bala Mohammed and Minister of State (FCT) Olajumoke Akinjide PHOTO AKIN OLADOKUN

Sultan urges clerics to fear God •Tambuwal, Abdulsalami, IBB urge peace

M

USLIMS in Nigeria joined yesterday their counterparts around the world to celebrate Eid- elFitri – the ceremony that marks the end of Islam’s holy month of Ramadan.

Leaders urged peace as a sign of the season as they prayed.

The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, urged Islamic and Christian clerics to preach with the fear of God. The Sultan, who is the head of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) in his Sallah message, said the clergy should fear Allah and live above their own selfish interests while preaching to their followers.

“They should avoid provocative statements that could lead to the breach of the peace and lead to violence in the country.

“They should also know that staying attuned to the religious teachings is the only way that bring mutual respect and love, which eventually lead to the desired peace in the nation,’’ he

New leaders‘ll emerge soon, says Tinubu

A

NATIONAL leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, yesterday predicted the emergence of new leaders in Nigeria.

The former Lagos State governor urged Nigerians to pray fervently that “the predictions of doom, hardship, political instability and religious intolerance will not come to fruition”.

Tinubu, who is recuperating from a successful surgery, in his Sallah message released by his Media Office, wished all Muslims Eid mubarak and happy Sallah celebrations.

Tinubu urged Muslims not to stop praying and fasting for Nigeria because Ramadan is over. He warned that “danger lies ahead for Nigeria”.

“As our country continues its search for an equisaid.

The monarch explained that it was not right for a non-Muslim to interfere in the affairs of Muslims and Islam or to impose his views on the religion he did not profess.

Alhaji Abubakar praised the Federal Government for constituting the committee on the security challenges in the North.

He said those calling for the scrapping of the committee were enemies of peace and were “unpatriotic’’. He urged Nigerians to support the committee to accomplish its job.

librium-politically, economically and in terms of religious harmony - men of God and their followers must never stop to offer prayers.

The Ramadan period was another opportunity for Muslims to pay penitence, but most importantly, pray for the peace and progress of Nigeria. Nigeria needs prayers but also good leaders.”

Tinubu urged Nigerians “to work for the good of the nation and prayed that very soon, leaders with vision, vigour and vibrant capacity will be voted into office to lead Nigeria onto the right path”. Nigeria, he says, “is not a broken case. It is redeemable and only the people can make this change happen by voting right and wisely”.

“It is a known fact that no peace could be achieved except through constructive dialogue.

“On our part, we are satisfied with the work of this committee and we are ready to give it all necessary support to succeed,’’ he promised.

The Sultan also called on leaders at all levels to fear Allah by not betraying the trust placed on them in leading their subjects.

“The precarious situation of the nation is only due to bad governance and neglect of divine injunctions.

“Most of the leaders are busy amassing wealth and forgetting their subjects they are meant to serve,” he said.

He praised Sokoto State Governor Aliyu Wamakko for transforming the state in all aspects of human lives.

House of Representatives Speaker Aminu Tambuwal urged Nigerians to promote attributes that unite the country.

He said laying emphasis on seemingly divisive tendencies among the various ethnic and religious groups could only unContinued on page 59

Others on the team are: Chief Imam of Abuja National Mosque Musa Mohammed, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Bala Mohammed, FCT Minister of State Olajumoke Akinjide, Senator Andy Uba, Senator Philip Ajuda and former Minister of Sports Ismaila Sambawa.

The President congratulated Muslims for successfully observing the Ramadan and urged them to continue to pray for peace in Nigeria and the world.

He noted that fasting is no easy task as he said he participated in the 30 days fasting every year in solidarity with Muslims.

Jonathan said: “For us, we cannot imagine a Nigeria without Muslims and Christians; you can call it another name, but not Nigeria. So it is a blessing that this is one country that you have significant population of Muslims and Christians and this religious diversity will enhance our development because we can go around in the world, wherever we go, we are accepted. That helps us in so many ways.

“We are not even exploiting our diversity because of the myopic views about situations.

Christians and Muslims are

any prayer ground.

According to sources, the riot broke out following agitation by detained Boko Haram and Muslim suspects that their fundamental right to freedom of worship was being denied.

It was learnt that the aggrieved inmates had relied on rumours that the three Lebanese being detained over Hezbollah arms cell were permitted to observe the Eid prayers.

A source, who spoke in confidence, said: “ The inmates, led by some Boko Haram detainees, insisted on their right to freedom of worship since they have not been convicted.

They alleged that the law presumes them innocent until found guilty.

“But the prison management was hesitant. Later, rumours went round that the three Lebanese suspects allegedly linked to Hezbollah cell were given a waiver to observe the Eid prayers.

“The Boko Haram detainees and other Muslim inmates became embittered over what they considered as favoritism, leading to tension and riot.

“The riot started from the single cell before it spread to others. Those aggrieved broke

B

Continued on page 59

Mbu remains Rivers police chief Continued from page 1

He told reporters at the State House in Abuja, after joining other Muslims in government to pay homage to President Goodluck Jonathan, that a professional police officer is not a politician who could be drawn into politics.

He said Mbu had been charged to be a professional police officer, providing safety and security for Rivers State.

Said the police chief: “The situation is okay. We are not politicians; we cannot be brought into the politics of this country. Professional police officers are supposed to do what they are supposed to do to protect lives and property and that is why we remain where we are and we charge the commissioner of police to be a professional police officer, providing safety and security for the good people and development of Rivers State.”

The Senate and the House of

Eid prayers: Boko Haram suspects riot in prison

Continued from page 1

brothers and sisters and we must live together. Those who are predicting that this country will separate based on our frontlines as at the time of amalgamation by 2015, they will know that these predictions will not be true.

“Today is a unique day, and I urge our Muslim brothers and sisters that they should continue to pray for peace, not just in Nigeria but all over the world. If you watch television these days, more than 60 per cent of the time is spent on showing crises all over the world and for the world to move ahead and for Nigeria to move ahead, for us to develop first and foremost, there must be peace and security. Nobody will come and invest in an environment where you are not sure of your workers and investment.

“As a nation, for our children to get where we want them to be, we must create a very peaceful environment for them so that they can develop mentally and be focused and use their brains in a manner that will bring economic changes to us.

“In Nigeria, we are very religious people and we believe in Almighty God and as we continue to pray to that God, God will see us through. Yes, there are some few challenges now, but surely Allah will see us through.”

Dr. Jonathan went on: “Let me

Representatives have passed resolutions directing the IG to redeployed Mbu from Rivers State.

The IGP said he would not run a corrupt police service.

He spoke on insinuations in some quarters that the dismissal of the police officer caught receiving bribe in Lagos State was too harsh.

He vowed not to condone corruption, saying the police would adopt various strategies to discourage corruption.

“You can see that we are ITcompliant; we know what is happening on You Tube; we know what is happening all over the world. And because we believe that we have to do what is right, we warn our officers and men; sometimes we set them up to ensure that we get them in the act.

And so whoever is caught in the act is dismissed.

“There is a process that is goContinued on page 59

‘Boko Haram destroyed 800 classrooms in four years’

ORNO State Governor Kashim Shettima yesterday said Boko Haram insurgents have destroyed over 800 public primary and secondary school classrooms since 2009.

He also said the Joint Task Force (JTF) and the people have collaborated to restore peace to the state.

Shettima spoke at a Sallah lunch at the Government House after a colourful durbar at the Ramat Square.

According to a statement by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Communications, Alhaji Isa Gusau, the Durbar was the first since 2009 when the Boko Haram insurgency began.

The Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Abubakar Garbai Elkanemi, suspended the traditional Sallah in 2009 for fear of attacks.

With the lunch after the durbar, the governor celebrated the return of peace.

He praised the tremendous efforts of the JTF and the vigilante youths, popularly known as “Civilian JTF” for sustaining relative peace which led to smooth and celebration of the Eid-El Fitr sallah.

The statement quoted the governor as saying : “Since the inception of the crisis, cell windows, destroyed electricity cables and shattered water pipes.

“The prison officials did their best to curtail the situation. The inmates started pouring water on them. They ran away from the mob to prevent any violent clash.

From Yusuf Alli, Abuja

the Boko Haram insurgents have killed hundreds of residents and destroyed property worth hundreds of millions of naira which include over 800 public secondary and primary school classrooms, set ablaze in different communities across the State.”

He expressed optimism that “with the gallant efforts of the JTF, vigilante youths and patriotic citizens, Borno State is now witnessing peace.

“Although the state has encountered serious damage, we, as government, will not be deterred by the activities of terrorists as we will soon renovate and rehabilitate all the public structures destroyed by Boko Haram sects in the state, even as we will continue to support security agencies with our scarce resources in the fight against terrorism. “ We, as government, will never forget the effort of the JTF, Civilian JTF, the media and, of course, all loving people of Borno for their untiring support, prayers and concern on how to end terrorists activities in our dear state and the country in general.

“It is the collective efforts and support

“But they succeeded in quelling the riot and normalcy has been restored to the prison yard.”

Another source said the Boko Haram members and some Muslim suspects were angry because of alleged double standard of prison officials for the

we received from all and sundry that led to the successful and peaceful celebration of the Sallah and we urge everybody to continue to pray for the sustenance of peace in our state and country, Nigeria”.

The statement added: “The sallah lunch hosted by the governor was graced by security chiefs, government officials, journalists, political associates and party members, amongst others.

“For the first time since 2009, traditional sallah durbar (horse parade) was held amidst fanfare at the Shehu’s palace yesterday in Maiduguri, Borno State.

“Governor Kashim Shettima was in attendance as special guest of honour and it was the first time a sallah durbar was held since he became Governor of Borno State in May, 2011.

“At the resumed durbar yesterday, traditional rulers were on colourful horse parade to the admiration of Governor Shettima, the Shehu and other dignitaries while residents cheered in high spirits.

“Many residents have since started returning to the deserted homes and shops in areas worse affected by the crisis”, the statement said.

Lebanese suspects.

“The Lebanese suspects are being given preferential treatment to go to mosque, walk around, watch TV and play badminton among others.

“The Boko Haram detainees are saying that the double standard may affect the ongoing di-

alogue with the Federal Government,” the source said.

The Comptroller of Prison Mr. Yusuf Kazali arrived at the yard at about 1.14pm.

A prison official said: “There was no way we could have allowed the inmates to go to any Eid ground because we do not

•Shettima

have the capacity to manage all the Muslim suspects , especially Boko Haram members who would have mobilised their colleagues to invade wherever we take them to.

Continued on page 59

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

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 9, 2013

3

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 9, 2013

4

NEWS

Oil majors’

•From left: Mr. Bruno Carrilho of Mckinsey and Company; National Planning Minister Dr. Shamsudeen Usman; Director- General, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Ms. Aruma Oteh and Minister of State for Finance Dr. Yerima Ngama, during SEC's infrastructure roundtable session in Lagos.

PHOTO:ADEOLA SOLOMON

From oil theft to gangsterism and political uncertainty, oil giants face all kinds of challenges in Nigeria. But despite these challenges, they are not bailing out.

Instead, they are working their ways around the uncertainties, reports Reuters

A

•From left: Imo State Deputy Governor Eze Madumere; Manager, Government Relations, Etisalat Nigeria Mohammed Suleh-Yusuf; Deputy Director, Network DeploymentAdekunle Durojaiye and Head, Sales Support & Operations Victor Nwaobia during Etisalat’s donation to security agencies in Imo State...yesterday.

•From right: Managing Director/ Country Chair, Shell Mr. Mutiu Sunmonu, General Manager, Communications Mr. Phillip Mshebila and Media Manager Tony Okonedo during the "Let's Go Advertising for Nigeria’ news conference in Lagos.

PHOTO:ADEOLA SOLOMON

•Rear Admiral Joseph Aikhomu (left), the captain of the NNS THUNDER, Navy Captain Clement Egbinta Atebi (right) and other officers before NNS Thunder departed for Australia ...on Wednesday.

WAVE of planned sales of onshore Nigerian assets by oil majors has prompted speculation that they are finally leaving the Niger Delta because of oil theft, gangsterism and political uncertainty.

In reality, though, foreign firms such as Royal Dutch Shell, Chevron, Eni and Total are here to stay, industry sources say.

The majors are likely to sell only small blocks that are not worth their while — those assets worst affected by theft and sabotage or fields that risk expropriation in a government push to promote local ownership.

Meanwhile, the large oil producing blocks, huge gas deposits, key pipelines and the export terminals that control the passage of onshore oil to international markets will most likely stay in their hands — enabling them to retain infrastructure for which they can charge rent to other users.

Complaints by oil majors that Nigeria has done little to combat oil theft or end uncertainty over changes to the fiscal regime by passing the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) are genuine, but they won’t drive the firms away from the country.

“Nigeria’s ‘difficult’ operating environment, security concerns and the non-passage of the PIB all provide useful cover for what may essentially be a portfolio optimisation process,” said Razia Khan, Head of Africa Research at Standard Chartered.

The global shale oil and gas boom means there are more exploration opportunities, so it makes financial sense to keep only the most profitable businesses in Nigeria, like gas for LNG export, and expand deep offshore where there is no oil theft.

If anything, they will use their grievances as leverage in negotiations with government over licenses and taxes.

Oil theft headaches Nigeria’s oil production, which fluctuates between 2-2.5 million barrels per day (bpd), is unlikely to be hugely affected by any oil block sales in the short-term and could get an uplift in the future if smaller local companies work harder to exploit reserves or can better stem insecurity with local communities.

Tycoons Tony Elumelu and Wale Tinubu, the Oando CEO, both of them negotiating to buy oil blocks off majors, told Reuters in recent interviews they thought it would be easier for Nigerian companies with a better understanding of local issues to manage often fraught community relations.

But ending oil theft, officially estimated at 250,000 bpd, is a massive undertaking. It is often associated with criminal gangs who tap crude from pipelines for local refining, but most stolen crude leaves the country in large tankers, which could not happen without the complicity of top of-

•Chevron MD Andrew Fawthrop

ficials.

Shell, the largest producer in Nigeria, said last week it took a $700 million hit from theft and other issues in Nigeria with its share of output falling to 158,000 bpd in the second quarter, down from 260,000 bpd in 2012.

Shell CEO Peter Voser nevertheless told Reuters this month the company was not seeking to leave Nigeria. (reut.rs/1co5HOm) Eni said it had lost 30,000 bpd of output in the first half of the year due to theft and CEO Paolo Scaroni said the company was “reviewing its position” in Nigeria.

Total declined to comment on its plans.

Shell, which has already sold eight blocks in the Niger Delta for around $1.8 billion since 2010, announced it will sell more fields amounting to 80,000-100,000 bpd, although it is not clear if this level of output is yet being produced.

Chevron is also selling five shallow water blocks, but would not comment further on its plans for Nigeria, while fellow U.S. firm ConocoPhillips is selling its Nigerian businesses to Oando for about $1.79 billion.

Political uncertainties Theft may not be the only reason for selling down. The PIB, although still in a political deadlock that has lasted five years, could change the terms for foreign companies in Nigeria and will promote local ownership of onshore blocks.

Shell, Chevron, Eni and Total have been in failed negotiations with the Nigerian government for several years to renew expired licences on many onshore and shallow water blocks.

“Perhaps they would rather sell licences while they still can rather than having to relinquish them for nothing,” said Antony Goldman, head of Africa-focused PM Consulting.

Yet Shell recently announced it would spend $3.9 billion on a gas project and a reconstruction of a better protected Trans Niger pipeline, one of the country’s most important crude oil routes and often hit by outages caused by theft or sabotage.

That suggests it still sees value working onshore in Nigeria.

Shell may even buy one of Chevron’s blocks, two sources told Reuters, which would provide the perfect route from one of Nigeria’s largest gas fields to its LNG export terminal.

Nigeria holds the world’s ninth largest gas reserves, most of which are untapped. Energy majors are increasingly moving towards gas production instead of oil in the Niger

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 9, 2013

5

NEWS

game plans against uncertainties ‘ The divestment is a positive step for all the major players involved ... (it) will have a positive knockon impact on production longer-term

•ENI COO Claudio Descalzi

Delta.

Majors such as Shell will likely keep large pipelines and export ter-

•Shell MD Mutiu Sunmonu

minals, so even if local firms are getting the oil out of the ground, where the risks of insecurity are highest, the

majors can make a cut from taking oil to international markets.

“Oil majors want to keep control

‘

of this infrastructure as it means they will have a large degree of control of onshore assets and derive revenue

from transportation,” said Kayode Akindele, partner at Lagos-based investment firm 46 Parallels.

There is no guarantee that deals on assets that majors do want to sell can be easily or quickly completed — Nigeria has one of the world’s slowest oil contract approval times, experts say.

Some of Shell’s previous divestments took years to negotiate. Buyers will also be wary of the state oil company’s production arm NPDC taking over the operating rights — as it has on previous Shell field sales where the private buyers were expecting to operate them.

Yet for the all the pitfalls, Nigeria will be keen to close the deals, which please the political elite and public alike.

“The divestment is a positive step for all the major players involved ... (it) will have a positive knock-on impact on production longer-term,” said Martin Kelly, Wood Mackenzie’s Lead Analyst for SubSaharan Africa Upstream Research.

“But ... in order to make a noticeable difference other challenges need to be addressed — like the PIB and security.”

Agriculture…the future Nigeria is avoiding

I

N the 1960s, before it turned to oil, Nigeria was one of the most promising agricultural producers in the world. Between 1962 and 1968, export crops were the country’s main foreign exchange earner. The country was number one globally in palm oil exports, well ahead of Malaysia and Indonesia, and exported 47 percent of all groundnuts, putting it ahead of the US and Argentina.

But its status as an agricultural powerhouse has declined, and steeply.

While Nigeria once provided 18 percent of the global production of cocoa, second in the world in the 1960s, that figure is now down to 8 percent. And while the country produces 65 percent of tomatoes in West Africa, it is now the largest importer of tomato paste.

Nigeria’s minister for agriculture, Akinwumi Adesina, reels off these statistics with regret as he discusses the country’s deteriorating agriculture sector. “Nigeria is known for nothing else than oil, and it is so sad, because we never used to have oil – all we used to have was agriculture,” he says.

Nigeria’s oil has come at the detriment of the agriculture sector, he claims, “and that is why we had a rising poverty situation. We were having growth but without robust growth able to impact millions of people because it is not connecting to agriculture.”

That might explain why Nigeria’s economic statistics are so puzzling.

While the country has been posting high growth figures, and makes it into Goldman Sachs’ ‘Next 11’ emerging markets group, absolute poverty is rising, with almost 100 million people living on less than a $1.25 a day. The National Bureau of Statistics says 60.9 percent of Nigerians in 2010 were living in absolute poverty, up from 54.7 percent in 2004.

But it is not just oil that has hollowed out the agriculture sector, with knockon effects on poverty rates. Restrictive trade policies also had an effect, especially in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Tariff increases, a rise in import licenses and duties, and export bans and tariffs – as well as a centralisation of marketing of agricultural produce through the formation of crop-specific commodity boards – all created a lumbering, inefficient private sector, as well as opening up many opportunities for corruption. Today, Nigeria has transitioned from being a self-suffi-

Between 1962 and 1968, export crops were the country’s main foreign exchange earner. The country was number one globally in palm oil exports, well ahead of Malaysia and Indonesia, and exported 47 percent of all groundnuts, putting it ahead of the US and Argentina. Discovery of oil changed all that, but it is a past the country must return to, writes Forbes cient country in food to being a net importer, spending $11bn on imports of rice, fish and sugar. “It just makes absolutely no sense to me at all,” says Mr Adesina. “My job is to change that.”

Not everything is in the minister’s hands, of course. Climate change poses a threat to Nigerian agriculture – the World Bank recently predicted an up to 30 percent drop in the country’s crop output due to erratic rainfall and higher temperatures. But when it comes to achievable changes, Mr Adesina seems well placed to act on what lies within reach, combining an encyclopaedic knowledge of his country’s agriculture sector with a clear strategic vision.

While ministers’ portfolio’s are often fast-changing, giving them limited time to develop expertise in any given sector, Mr Adesina has a strong background as vice president of policy and partnerships at the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (Agra), and a decade at the Rockefeller Foundation. He was appointed by UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon as one of 17 global leaders to spearhead the Millennium Development Goals. His energy is palpable, and he looks well positioned to engineer a major turnaround in Nigerian agriculture.

The change needed, he says, requires a shift in mindset. “We were not looking at agriculture through the right lens. We were looking at agriculture as a developmental activity, like a social sector in which you manage poor people in rural areas. But agriculture is not a social sector. Agriculture is a business. Seed is a business, fertiliser is a business, storage, value added, logistics and transport – it is all about business.”

He wants to change the sector’s image, putting it at the forefront of national development. “Agriculture is the future of Nigeria. And agriculture that is modernised, that is productive, that is competitive. We must be a global player,” he says.

Nigeria’s respected finance minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, speaks posi-

•Dr. Adesina

tively about Mr Adesina’s reforms to date – especially in cleaning up the corrupt fertiliser industry. Now, rather than directly participating in the delivery system for fertiliser, the government leaves that to the private sector and only provides the subsidy. This change has tackled 40 years of corruption, and ended it – Mr Adesina claims – in 90 days.

Ms Okonjo-Iweala says it has been easier to work with Mr Adesina than previous ministers. “It is not only about doling out subsidies which do not reach farmers,” she says. “That was frustrating for me the first time [I was finance minister]. Now he came and cleaned up the fertiliser issues.”

Nigeria is now seeking to add 20m metric tonnes to the domestic food supply by 2015 and to create 3.5 million jobs through agriculture. This requires more sophisticated thinking about the value addition of individual crops – cassava being but one example.

“We are the largest producer of cassava in the world, at 40m metric tonnes, but I want us to become the largest processor of cassava as well,” Mr Adesina claims. “We can focus on using cassava for starch, dry cassava chips for export to China, cassava flour to replace some of the wheat flour that we are importing. So we are restructuring the space for the private sector to add value to every single thing.”

Finance is the critical catalyst to growth, and in Nigeria it has proven hard to link the two. “You find that only 2 percent of all bank lending in Nigeria goes into agriculture – a sector that is 40 percent of GDP and 70 percent of employment. The reason was because banks could not find the money trail in the agriculture sector,” Mr Adesina says.

That is beginning to change, with banks starting to look again at the opportunities offered by agriculture – which in part follows the reforms implemented by Mr Adesina’s administration to root out corruption and improve efficiency. Last year, his ministry developed a facility with the Central Bank of Nigeria – helped by donor assistance from the UK, German and US development agencies – called Nirsal, an agribusiness initiative that provides risk management, financing, trading, and strategic solutions.

The $50m facility, which leverages $3.5bn, reduces the risk of agricultural lending by providing credit risk guarantees and brokerage services to buyers and sellers of agricultural commodities, including structured buyer forums. It also, selectively, buys on its own account to bring stability to markets. In addition, Nirsal offers advice designed to connect suppliers with downstream buyers.

This is part of a market-smart initiative, rather than a heavy handed intervention in the sector. “With banks you cannot beg them to lend because they are taking care of their people’s money, so you create the value and they see the value and lend,” he says.

While banks have often had a high perceived risk of lending to agricul-

ture, the terms can be competitive if the sector functions well. Mr Adesina worked directly with the managing directors and chief risk officers of Nigeria’s banks in order to tackle what he saw as a misperception of risk, at least if the sector’s flaws – including inefficiencies and corruption – could be cleaned up. “What we have shown the banks is that agriculture gives as high and competitive a rate of return as other sectors if structured properly.

But for banks to lend, we had to fix the agricultural value chain. Now the banks are all exploding on agriculture in Nigeria.”

The percentage of lending by banks to the sector was just 1 percent in 2010 – now it is 4 percent, with a target of 10 percent. Last year, banks embarked on lending to seed companies for the first time in Nigeria. “We did an assessment at the end of the season,” recalls Mr Adesina. “The central bank governor asked the banks how much money did you lose lending to these guys last year? All the banks said zero percent.

This year we expect the banks to lend $400m to seed companies alone. The reason their losses are zero is because we have changed the way we structure our agriculture sector.” The best performing stocks in the Nigerian Stock Exchange are now not banks, but agricultural companies.

Crucially, it is institutional reform – rather than simply heavier public spending – which can best unleash financing in the sector. “I do not think that throwing money at anything solves problems. It is all about policy reforms, creating incentives, getting the private sector in there, getting financial markets behind agriculture.

Our goal is to become an agriculturally industrialised economy. Nigeria should be like Brazil, as far as I am concerned,” says Mr Adesina.

“Of course you need public financing of critical things like infrastructure, roads, and irrigation facilities – those are public goods that governments are obviously spending money on. But the greatest way is through the private sector.”

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 9, 2013

6

C ITYBEATS Foundation holds rights’ training E

By Jude Isiguzo

THIRTY-eight businessmen have graduated from a three-month intensive training on human rights in Lagos State. The programme, which was in two batches, was organised by the Crime Victims Foundation, a non-governmental body.

Twenty-one electrical appliances' dealers based on Lagos Island and 17 from Ebute-Metta area of the metropolis were trained. Their graduation ceremony was held at the Inspectors Mess, Obalende Police Barracks.

The foundation's Programme Officer, Ene Sarah Unobe, a lawyer, said: "Our office is looking forward to training more business men and women. The course is open to everybody, including people in corporate organisations. They need to understand basic human rights so their rights will not be infringed upon. The foundation builds bridges between the public and lawenforcement officers. We are training police personnel in Lagos State and we urge the public to enjoy the training."

The Divisional Police Officer, Adeniji-Adele Police Station, Lagos Island, Monday Agbonnika, a Chief Superintendent (CSP), praised the organisers of the programme.

The President, Lagos Island Electricity Dealers Association, Chief James Anuma, encouraged other businessmen to partake of the training in future.

Bamigbetan for breakfast talk THE Men Missionary Union of the New Jerusalem City Church, Ejigbo, Lagos, will tomorrow host the Chairman of Ejigbo Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Mr Kehinde Bamigbetan, during its monthly breakfast meeting.

Bamigbetan, according to Union's president, Mr Andrew Okungbowa, will speak on "Christianity and politics - a personal reflection." He added that members from affiliate churches of Maranatha Baptist Association, Ejigbo will grace the occasion.

"It will hold at 113/115, IkotunEgbe Road, by Omolad Filling Station at Ori-Oke Bus Stop, Ejigbo," he added.

VERYONE around was startled when they recounted their escapades before their reign in the underworld was forced to a halt by the police.

Twenty-four-year-old Moses Adelawo, son of a landlord in Ajao Estate, Lagos; Felix Sunday, alias K-Money, and Abbey Yinusa, who claimed that the former lured him into raping girls, are members of a dreaded gang. So is Ike Leke, 26, aka Bombom. They were arrested on Wednesday.

Their gang, led by Abiodun Ogunjobi, aka Godogodo, terrorised the Southwest before it was smashed last Sunday by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Lagos State Police Command.

Leke, 26, told The Nation on Wednesday that he enjoyed raping daughters of their victims.

His reason: Some ladies who advised him to take to armed robbery abandoned him when police declared him wanted after an operation in Lagos.

"Women who lured me into crime abandoned me when I most needed them. They even ran away with my money, thinking that I would die. For that, I developed deep hatred for them," he said, adding: "I smoke Indian hemp and this also contributed to my misbehaviour. I did not use condom because I was not afraid of HIV/AIDS." Explaining how they recently operated at the Ajao Estate before their arrest, Moses said: "I was the one who supplied the information about the warehouse we robbed. I once worked in the warehouse. I used to join my gang members in house-to-house operations. I was outside the warehouse one day when I was called inside to join others in off-loading cartons of assorted handsets.

When I entered, I saw my colleagues counting money in millions. I alerted members of my gang who invited Godogodo to join us. They came in two Range Rover jeeps (Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs)."

Recalling his arrest, Moses said: "My wife gave birth to a baby girl and I slaughtered a cow to celebrate her naming, but unknown to me, the scorpions (SARS operatives) were after me over the warehouse robbery."

Describing Godogodo, he said:

Gunmen kill Army Captain in Port Harcourt

A

MAN simply identified as Mr Joseph was yesterday assassinated by yet unknown gunmen. He was said to have been trailed to the Psychiatric Hospital Road, Rumuola, Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital, where he was shot dead.

It was gathered that the assassins were on the victim's trail from Aba Road to where he was killed at Rumuola. He drove himself in his Toyota Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV).

When The Nation visited the scene of the incident, residents were still in shock, wondering what the victim could have done to warrant his gruesome killing.

An eyewitness, Chibueze Kosidi, said: "The four gunmen came with a Toyota Camry car.

When the victim noticed them, he tried to speed off, but the traffic snarl along the Psychiatric Hospital Road trapped him. He tried to escape, but the available space was too narrow for fast turning.

"When the gunmen noticed that he could not go anywhere, they came down from their vehicle and ordered him to step out. He

From Precious Dikewoha, Port Harcourt

refused their order; that was why they shot him twice in his head before destroying a side of his vehicle to confirm if he was dead.

"The gunmen immediately took off, as they shot into the air to scare people away. Nobody could go near the vehicle until one lady came and rushed him to an unknown hospital where he was latter confirmed dead."

A source said the victim was pleading with them and shouting for help inside his car in Ikwerre dialect, adding that he might be an Ikwerre indigene.

Police Public Relation Officer (PPRO) Mrs Angela Agabe, confirmed the incident. She, however, said: "The matter is still under investigation, but the deceased was not a business man.

He was an Army Captain."

The Army Public Relations Officer, Maj. Michael Etete said he was yet to confirm the incident and pleaded to call back as soon as he got the detail of the issue, but he never called until the press time.

CITYBEATS LINE: 07059022999

•Sunday

• Leke

Why we raped victims, by robbery suspects ‘Everybody feared him (Godogodo). He is so deadly to the extent that he would fire a human being with AK47 rifle as if he was killing a fowl.

He killed policemen mercilessly’

By Ebele Boniface "None of us had the courage to look him in the face. Everybody feared him. He is so deadly to the extent that he would fire a human being with AK47 rifle as if he was killing a fowl. He killed policemen mercilessly."

A soldier, identified as Awa, denied the claim by Uche, another suspect, that he had been supplying the gang with uniforms, saying that it was Obasi, also a soldier, that supplied the uniforms to a late member of the gang, whose name he gave as Joseph.

Yinusa said he was forced to par-

ticipate in raping victims' daughters, adding: "If you didn't join them in that act, they might suspect you and even kill you. So, I did what they did to avoid such a suspicion. At times, I would pretend to do it, tuck back my organ into my pant and dress up."

Urogbo, Delta State-born Sunday said Godogodo led the Oro, Kwara State operation that rocked the whole state recently. He said two gangs carried out the robbery.

He said: "I am a commercial bus driver. I used to ply Okokomaiko to Oyingbo. We were more than 12 boys who participated in Oro bank robbery in January this year. We operated at Union Bank and First Bank because both are opposite each other. Paul, one of us invited Godogodo because he was feared by people and policemen. That fateful day at about 5pm when the banks had closed doors, Paul called and when we got there, we started shooting. About eight of us carried AK47 rifles with loaded magazines.

"The shooting made people to run for dear lives. When we reached the bank, we used dynamite to blow open its door and carted away money, both in naira and dollars. We got over N10 mil-

lion. The operation lasted only five minutes. Besides the Oro robbery, I participated in the operation along Ijebu-Ode-Shagamu Road. I drove the first motor while Godogodo drove the second.

"It was Godogodo who opened fire on the bullion van and forced its escorts to run away. He later blocked the bullion van. I don't know how many millions of naira we got there, but I was given N120,000."

Corroborating Sunday, Godogodo said: "Yes, I participated in the Oro robbery, but some of my people are worse than me. I prefer house-to-house robbery to bank operations. I robbed where I had correct information that there was big money. I could clear anybody off my way to get the money. But my members also killed policemen."

Godogodo, who said he did not take delight in robbing the poor, said: "Big men are selfish. When Paul and others approached me, I did not hesitate because I wanted to teach rich people some lessons.

I don't rob poor people; rather, I help them. I have a fish pond in Ikorodu where I employ people and my tenants live free of charge."

Man loses wife after triplets' birth

A

MAN, whose wife died 24 hours after she was delivered of triplets, has cried out for assistance to help him nurse the babies.

The jobless widower, Imafidon Samuel, said he had two children before his late wife was delivered of the babies.

Imafidon said his late wife, Anthonia, was certified hale and hearty after delivery, but developed complications the next day.

All efforts to make her live failed.

"I named the babies, Peter, Paul and Gift. I know they are God's blessings to me, but things are very difficult now because I am jobless. I spend over N16,600 weekly on their milk. I raise the money from friends and well-meaning Nigerians. Taking care of the children has not been easy for me. My parents are old and it is my elder sister that left her business to help

• Imafidon with the babies ... yesterday From Osagie Otabor, Benin me take care of the children," he said.

The traditional ruler of Benin Kingdom, Omo N'Oba N'Edo

Erediauwa and his wife, Queen Omoye Esther, it was learnt, have donated an undisclosed amount of money towards the upkeep of the babies. Now, they look up to Nigerians for more assistance.

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 9, 2013

7

NEWS

Air Force gets new logistics officer

By Precious Igbonwelundu

T

HE Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has appointed Air Vice Marshall (AVM) Monday Morgan as the new Air Officer Commanding (AOC) for the headquarters, Logistics Command.

Before the appointment, Morgan was the Senior Air Staff, Tactical Air Command, Makurdi, Benue State.

A seasoned fighter pilot, the new AOC is an Idoma in Benue State. He replaced AVM Aminu Adamu.

At a handing over ceremony at the Conference Room of the Logistics Headquarters, Morgan promise to operate an open-door policy for the smooth running of the command.

He said: “Like a typical pilot style, I will be accessible and my door will be open to everybody. I, therefore, solicit the support of all personnel in taking the command to greater heights.”

He described his predecessor as a great achiever and a role model.

Morgan also thanked the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Alex Badeh, for his new position.

Doctor, lawyer held for alleged links with Boko Haram A

DOCTOR and a lawyer are being held by military authorities for their alleged links with Boko Haram insurgents.

Our correspondent learnt that the doctor was aboard a pick-up van plying one of the volatile routes in Borno State with some suspected Boko Haram insurgents.

He and other occupants of the vehicle reportedly fled and abandoned the vehicle at a military checkpoint mounted by members of the Joint Task Force (JTF) when soldiers accosted them.

A military source told our correspondent that when the JTF officials searched the vehicle, a cache of arms and ammunition was found concealed in strategic places.

Several hours later, the doctor, whose name the authorities declined to release, allegedly returned to retrieve his laptop and other documents, which he had reportedly abandoned in the van.

During interrogation by the JTF men, the doctor was said to have revealed his

From Gbade Ogunwale, Assistant Editor, Abuja

identity, saying he worked with one of the affiliates of the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Asked if he realised the implication of the company he was travelling with and the arms and ammunition stocked in the vehicle, the doctor reportedly claimed to be working in line with a WHO mandate.

He was thus arrested and is undergoing investigation.

The JTF team, after storming one of the Boko Haram training camps in the heart of Sambisa Forest in Borno State, reportedly discovered an abandoned makeshift clinic where injured members of the sect were apparently being treated.

Items found in the abandoned clinic included needles, syringes, medications, surgical equipment and other medical accessories.

It was, however, learnt that the authorities have not established a link between the detained doctor and the running of the clinic.

The lawyer was said to have been arrested in Potiskum, Yobe State, for “openly propagating the ideology of the Boko Haram sect and always rising to defend the sect members whenever they are arrested”.

He was reportedly arrested after issuing several threats against the military authorities for arresting the sect members.

The lawyer, whose names were also not given, was said to have vowed that the authorities would pay dearly for arresting him, even when he was in detention.

Two days after his alleged threat, the Government Secondary School, in nearby Mamudo, was attacked by suspected insurgents. Several people were killed in the at-

tack.

It was learnt that the locals had testified some of the attackers, who were allegedly boasting on their way back from the bloody mission that they had avenged the arrest of their backer by the JTF. The Director of Defence Information, Brig.-Gen. Chris Olukolade, confirmed both arrests but declined further comments.

He said: “Yes, I can confirm the two cases to you. But I am not ready to comment on them because investigations are still ongoing.”

Addressing some reporters yesterday, Olukolade, explained the reasons for the delay in trying the suspects arrested in connection with the Boko Haram activities.

According to him, most of the judges and lawyers in the three states, where the Federal Government had imposed emergency rule, have been avoiding taking up cases associated with Boko Haram suspects, apparently for fear of being attacked by the group.

NDLEA congratulates MBGN

By Kelvin Osa-Okunbor

T

HE National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has congratulated the reigning Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria (MBGN), Miss Anna Ebiere Banner, on her trip to Jakarta, Indonesia, for the forthcoming Miss World beauty pageant.

The beauty queen, who visited the agency’s headquarters in Ikoyi, Lagos, was accompanied by the Principal Manager Human Resources of Silverbird Group, Emmanuel Amadi, and Rights Acquisition Manager, Silverbird, Patricia Ndubuisi.

The agency congratulated her for winning this year’s crown and wished her success at the global beauty pageant.

The message of the NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive, Ahmadu Giade, was conveyed by the Head of Public Affairs, Mr. Ofoyeju Mitchell.

He said: “On behalf of the management, I welcome you to the agency’s headquarters.

This crown is well deserved and I congratulate you for being the best by winning the 2013 beauty context. I wish you flying colours at the Miss World beauty pageant. I am optimistic that you will fly the country’s flag high above others and ultimately make us proud.”

A

•Undertakers bearing the remains of Apostle Timothy Oluwole Obadare’s remains for the lying-in-state at the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos...yesterday INSET: Rev. Sam Ogedengbe, Special Adviser to Lagos State Governor on Religious Affairs, delivering Governor Babatunde Fashola’s address at the ceremony...yesteday

Southwest regional integration commendable, says Maduekwe N

IGERIA’S Ambassador to Canada, Ojo Maduekwe, has hailed the efforts of governors in the Southwest at fostering regional integration and development in the area.

He said the development was compatible with the ideals of federalism and should, therefore, be encouraged.

Maduekwe spoke at the launch of the Canada chapter of Afenifere Renewal Group (ARG-Canada).

The event also featured the

From Augustine Ehikioya, Abuja

maiden edition of the Southwest Investment Conference of ARG-Canada.

The organisers - Dr Lateef Adewoye, Dr A. G. Ahmed, Dr Sola Womiloju, Ezekiel Fasheyiku and Olanrewaju Rasheed - led by the Coordinator of ARG-Canada, Mr. Bayo Aregbesola, a Manager at Natural Resources, Cana-

da, in assembling a cast of distinguished speakers and guests.

The theme of the event was: Investment Opportunities in Southwestern States of Nigeria.

Among the distinguished speakers at the conference were Nigerian High Commissioner to Canada, Ojo Maduekwe; Ekiti State House of Assembly Speaker Albert

Group hails INEC for registering APC

POLITICAL pressure group, the Mainland Independent Group (MIG), has hailed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for registering the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Its Chairman, Kayode Aransiola; Co-ordinator, Ibrahim Alao Megida and Women Leader, Alhaja Folashade Morenikeji, praised the relentless efforts of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu in “ensuring the birth of APC, despite stiff opposition from interest groups”.

In a statement in Lagos, the group noted that “the path to the successful registration of APC was rough” but “we are

delighted that the commitment of Asiwaju Tinubu and the progressive team to the emancipation of the oppressed aided the emergence of APC”.

The statement added: “We have watched developments in the past years that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been in power and concluded that there was need for a change of guard, which the APC epitomises.

“Nigerians believe that a two-party system would guarantee healthy competition, deepen our democracy and ensure the emancipation of the poor.”

Adewale Omirin, who represented Governor Kayode Fayemi; Mr Ayo Afolabi, ARG National SecretaryGeneral, who represented Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesole;, Mr Kunle Famoriyo, ARG National Publicity Secretary; Mr Tokunbo Ajasin, who represented ARG National; and Prof Nour El Kadri of Ottawa University, who represented Jim Karygiannis of the Canadian Parliament.

The ceremony was anchored by Penguin Prize for African Writing laureate, Prof Pius Adesanmi of Carleton University. Also present were representatives of Egbe Isokan Yoruba, Ottawa; Ekiti Kete in Canada; Nigerian Professional Business Network, Ottawa and ARG-USA. Maduekwe listed the benefits of regional economic integration, being pursued by Southwest state governments on the basis of DAWN – Development Agenda for Western Nigeria.

Lagos validates draft policy on climate change A DRAFT policy to provide an integrated, harmonised and multi-sectoral framework for responding to climate change action plan is being formulated to combat climate change in Lagos State.

The Commissioner for the Environment, Mr Tunji Bello, broke the news at the opening ceremony of a three-day workshop organised by the ministry in collaboration with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

He said: “As you all know, Lagos has a volatile ecosystem and vast coastline, which informed the need to address the issue of climate change seriously.”

The commissioner noted that the state government’s approach to climate was guided by two considerations.

The first is the need to be pragmatic and sustainable, bearing in mind the costs and the trade-offs involved to adopt policies that balance the economic growth and environmental sustainability.

The second is the imperative of collective action at the local and global levels.

Bello said: “The workshop will provide better ways of improving existing prorammes on climate change, such as tree planting, international climate change summits, climate change clubs in schools, sectoral seminars, improved waste management and improved transportation system, among others.”

He added that the workshop brought together policy makers, civil societies, the academia, environmental experts, the private sector’s henchmen, international organisations and the media, from around the country to fine-tune the policy document to become a world-class document.

The commissioner said the document would receive the speedy approval of the State Executive Council (Exco).

He stressed the essence of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and the media in raising public awareness on climate change.

Kalu condoles with Sun man FORMER Abia State governor, Dr. Orji Kalu, has commiserated with Mr. Femi Adesina, the Deputy Managing Director of Sun Publishing Limited, publishers of Sun titles, on the death of his mother.

In a condolence message by his Special Adviser, Oyekunle Oyewumi, the former governor, who is also the Chairman of Sun Publishing Limited, noted that Adesina’s personality speaks volume of the training he received from his mother.

Kalu said: “She was a devoted Christian, who accommodated all and sundry without discrimination.

“Mama Adesina in her life time contributed selflessly to her community.

“There is no doubt that she would be sorely missed by her family and community.”

Kalu urged the family of the deceased to take solace in the fact that she left behind responsible children to uphold her legacies.

He prayed God to grant Mama Adesina eternal rest.

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 9, 2013

8

NEWS

T

Long queues at MMIA

HE domestic wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, yesterday witnessed long queues of passengers travelling out of the city for the Eid-el-Fitri celebration.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that all the counters of the airlines witnessed queues as passengers scrambled to buy tickets.

NAN also reports that the General Aviation Terminal of the airport was crowded with passengers waiting to board planes.

An employee of IRS Airlines, who spoke in confidence, confirmed that there was an increase in the number of passengers travelling to Abuja and Kano.

He said: “As I speak with you now, all our flights are fully booked. I have just finished doing some bookings.

For tomorrow, all the afternoon and evening schedules have been fully booked.

There is a great rush for seats.

This is a good period for us.”

He said the increase in passenger traffic was not unexpected since most of the people were Muslims.

A DANA Airlines attendant, who simply gave his name as Matthew, said more

passengers were likely to travel later in the day.

He said all the seats on flights to Abuja and Kano had been fully booked, adding that the airlines might be forced to increase flights to the two cities during the festive period.

The attendant, however, noted that the long queues of passengers had not affected fares.

An Abuja-bound passenger, Mr Idris Danladi, said he was travelling with his family to celebrate the Sallah with other members of his extended family in Kano.

Danladi said: “This is one opportunity to express love to other members of my family resident in Kano.”

Alhaja Fatimat Sadiq, who was travelling to Kaduna, said the holiday would not be complete if she spent it without seeing her parents in Zaria.

“This is the time my children and I are free to celebrate with my parents. I have my business at Ikoyi, Lagos, and find it difficult to leave the place during regular working days,” she said.

NAN reports that the air fare from Lagos to Abuja varied: DANA, Arik and Chachangi charged N15,500, N27,000 and N14,000.

Ajimobi felicitates with Muslims

T

HE Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi has congratulated Muslims on the successful completion of the month-long Ramadan fasting.

He prayed Almighty Allah to accept their supplications as acts of Ibadah (worship).

In a Sallah message through his Special Adviser on Media, Dr. Festus Adedayo, the governor urged Muslims to imbibe the teachings of Prophet Muhammed on the essence of Ramadan fasting.

Ajimobi said: “Since Ramadan fasting symbolises the period of spiritual rejuvenation, it is expected that our Muslim brothers and sisters will continue to move closer to Allah, even after the Eid-elFitri celebrations.”

The governor also admonished the faithful to use the Sallah celebration to pray for peace, unity and the economic emancipation of Oyo State and Nigeria.

He said: “Our leaders in all the tiers of government in Ni-

geria also deserve to be assisted with prayers so that they can lead us aright and move the country forward in all ramifications.”

The governor hailed Oyo State residents for their spirit of oneness as well as their peaceful co-existence.

He urged them to continue imbibing the same spirit of mutual respect for one another so that his administration would have ample time to concentrate on repositioning the state.

Ajimobi said: “It is only in a peaceful atmosphere, devoid of tension and general insecurity, that our economy can thrive and Nigeria can attain its pride of place in the comity of nations.”

The governor restated his administration’s commitment to the ongoing socioeconomic transformation and the infrastructural revolution in the state, adding that it would restore the lost pace-setting status of Oyo State.

Insecurity, Bayero’s ill-health hinder Sallah celebration in Kano

T

HIS year’s Eid-el-Fitri was celebrated in Kano yesterday without the usual Durbar.

The horse-riding spectacle usually characterises festivities in the ancient city.

But the insecurity challenge in the state made the Durbar display a risky pastime yesterday.

The Sallah in Kano, our reporter noted, was without the usual fanfare.

The Wambai Kano, who is also the senior counsellor in the Emirate, Alhaji Abbas Sanusi, told reporters that some traditional activities marking the end of the Ramadan fast and the Eid-el-Fitri celebrations would not be observed because of insecurity and the poor health of the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero.

The senior counsellor, however, advised district heads in the 44 local government areas to observe a low-key celebration in their domains.

From Kolade Adeyemi, Kano

The Wambai Kano also directed the district heads to converge on the Emir’s palace on the third day of eid for the normal Sallah homage to Governor Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso at the Government House.

He also urged the government not to relent in its efforts to rid Nigeria of the polio virus.

In a Sallah message on behalf of Dr Bayero, who is out of the country on medical reasons, Wambai Kano also called on residents in the state to assist security agencies with relevant information in their effort to fight insurgency and criminal activities.

Also, the Chief Imam, Prof.

Sani Zahradeen, advised Nigerians to be more tolerant, united and peace-loving, regardless of their cultural, religious and political affiliations.

EID-EL-FITRI CELEBRATIONS

•From left: Speaker, Bauchi State House of Assembly, Yahya Miya; Deputy Governor Sagir Saleh; Emir of Bauchi, Alhaji Rilwanu Adamu; Wazirin Bauchi, Alhaji Bello Kirfi; Galadiman Bauchi, Alhaji Ibrahim Jahun and other Muslims, during the Eid-el-Fitri prayer in Bauchi... yesterday.

PHOTO:NAN

Jonathan: Nigeria without Muslims, Christians is unthinkable P RESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan yesterday congratulated Muslims on the successful completion of the Ramadan fast.

The President said the nation would have no meaning without Muslims and Christians co-existing.

Jonathan spoke at the Presidential Villa in Abuja when he hosted a delegation, led by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Senator Bala Mohammed.

Jonathan restated his determination to reposition the country.

From Grace Obike, Abuja

According to a statement in Abuja by the Office of the Minister, the President said: “It is not an easy thing to forgo food for 24 hours. I congratulate you. A Nigeria without Christians and Muslims would not be called Nigeria but another name. Let me assure you that our team will do its best to reposition this country.”

He noted that the nation’s

diversity enhances growth, adding: “We are not even exploring it. Christians and Muslims are brothers; so, we must live together. Let’s continue to pray for peace, not just in Nigeria but also all over the world. For Nigeria to move forward, there must be peace.”

Jonathan assured of his administration’s readiness to reposition the country, despite sundry challenges.

“By Allah’s grace, we will

overcome,” he said.

Bala hailed FCT residents for their confidence in his administration.

“Our message is that of gratitude and appreciation to the people. They have been very wonderful. They have shown that they have confidence in us and we are committed to making things work. We will make sure that we will not let them down,” the minister said.

Amosun, Imam: Don’t abandon Ramadan virtues O GUN STATE Governor Ibikunle Amosun and the Chief Imam of Egbaland, Alhaji Liadi Orunsolu, yesterday urged Muslims not to return to the vices they had jettisoned during the Ramadan.

They said Muslims need to allow the spiritual teachings, prayers and blessings of the fasting period to continue to manifest in their daily lives.

Amosun and Orunsolu, in their separate Sallah messages to Muslims yesterday at the Lantoro prayer ground, Abeokuta, said there would be abundant blessings from Allah when His servants obey His commands.

From Ernest Nwokolo, Abeokuta

The governor urged Muslims to obey the teachings of Prophet Mohammad, adding that obedience always attracts immense rewards from Almighty Allah.

According to him, Muslims are to follow in the footsteps of Prophet Ibrahim, who received immeasurable blessings from Allah through unalloyed obedience to His command.

He added: “The fear of God, discipline, study of the holy Qur’an, alms-giving, compassion, tolerance and fulfilment

of civic obligations, exhibited by the faithful during the holy month, were deeply inspiring.”

The governor advised Muslims to continue in the same spirit.

Amosun assured that his administration would continue to put smile on the faces of the residents through the provision of basic amenities for the comfort of all.

The Chief Imam said part of the teachings of the Ramadan include honesty, love to the less-privileged in the society, alms-giving and constant prayers to Almighty Allah.

Orunsolu also urged Muslims to shun corruption and other vices that are opposed to the will of Allah.

The Muslim cleric advised the faithful to love and care for the needy and the underprivileged in the society.

The Chief Imam of Yobe Mosque, Ustaz Hudu Mohammed, urged Muslims to respect their leaders.

He also advised the leaders to lead by example to avoid disloyalty, which injustice creates.

Mohammed noted that only a just, fair and equitable society can prosper in the face of Allah.

Our correspondent reports that several worshippers could not get their two-rakaat prayers because they were delayed for several minutes

for security checks before getting to the mosque.

The orphans from YETIM Care Foundation recited Quar’anic verses and prayed for peace in the state and the country.

Aliyu urged the residents to be patient with the soldiers, who he said risk their lives for the people to have peace.

“I thank God that last Sallah, we did not witness this kind of turnout. But today, security has improved in the state. I must say that it is the commitment of the Joint Task Force (JTF).”

•Amosun at the prayer ground... yesterday

Yobe deputy governor celebrates with orphans

Y

OBE State Deputy Governor Abubakar Aliyu yesterday celebrated the Eid-el-Fitri with the orphans of YETIM Care Foundation.

The event was held at WAWA Hall in Damaturu, the state capital.

Aliyu advised political and religious leaders as well as tehir followers to retrace their steps to Allah for a better society.

The deputy governor regretted that the love neighbours used to shared during festive days, including Sallah, has vanished from the state.

He called for the restoration of such love among Muslims and non-Muslims.

Aliyu also urged the people to use the Sallah period for sober reflection, instead of allowing the day to pass as any other day.

He said: “There are so many lessons Muslims should draw from this celebration. We

From Duku JOEL, Damaturu

need to reflect more on this day instead of just eating and drinking as we do on any other day.

“If we miss out on the importance of fasting, which has brought us to this day, then we are missing out completely on the rewards that come with it.”

Thousands of Muslim faithful gathered at the Yobe Central Mosque for the Eid-el-Fitri prayers.

F

Kalu calls for rededication to service ORMER Abia State Governor Orji Kalu has congratulated Muslims on the successful completion of this year’s Ramadan

fast.

In a goodwill message by his Special Adviser, Alhaji Oyekunle Oyewumi, the former governor said: “I join our Muslim brothers and sisters in celebrating yet another Eid-el-Fitri.

“It is my prayer that the God Almighty will grant you the blessings associated with the just

concluded holy month.”

Kalu noted that the festive season should be seen as a period for restrained and sober reflections as well as rededication to the cause of Allah and humanity.

“The teachings and lessons of the holy month should be upheld and made to reflect in our daily lives,” he said.

Kalu hailed Muslims for their commitment and steadfastness in completing the fasting period.

THE NATION FRIDAY AUGUST 9, 2013

9

NEWS

EID-EL-FITRI CELEBRATION

•Vice President Namadi Sambo (third left); Minister of National Planning Shamsudeen Usman (left); his Federal Capital Territory (FCT) counterpart, Senator Bala Mohammed (second left); Minister of State for Finance, Dr. Yerima Lawal Ngama; Chief of Defence Staff, Admiral Ola Sa’ad Ibrahim and Inspector-General of Police Mohammed Dikko Abubakar at the Eid-El Fitri celebration in Abuja...yesterday.

•Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola (second right); Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Olanipekun (right); Asiwaju Musulumi of Yorubaland, Alhaji Babatunde Badmus (third right); Senator Bayo Salami and leader of All Progressive Congress (APC) in Osun, Alhaji Fatai Diekola, at Osogbo Central Eid Ground, Oke-Baale

•The Chief Imam of Police College Mosque, Kaduna, Alhaji Khalid Wada (left) delivering a sermon during the Eid-el-fitr in Kaduna.

•Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola (middle); Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu (second right), former Minister of Works, Alhaji Femi Okunnu (right); Chief Olaseni Sasi (left) and Fashola’s son Demola at the Obalende Ground

•Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun (middle); Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure Olamilekan Adegbite (left), Secretary-General, Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, Ogun State Information and Strategy Commissioner Yusuph Olaniyonu (right) and Deputy Chief of Staff Alhaji Shuaib in Abeokuta Eid Ground

•Interim National Publicity Secretary, All Progressive Congress (APC), Alhaji Lai Mohammed (left), Vice President, NASFAT Abdulahi Mohammed; member, Elders Council, Alhaji Lateef Lawal and Alhaji Biyi Bamgbose at Ikeja, Lagos ground

•Abia State Governor Theodore Orji (left) and Chief Imam of Umuahia Alhaji Aliyu Ukariwo

•Alhaji Gbolahan Alebiosu (left); Tajudeen Olugbele, Alhaji Taiwo; Alhaji Hakeem Olugbele and Bayo Adeola.

•Chief Imam of Lagos Sheikh Garba Akinola Ibrahim (right) and Alfa Agba Gbajabiamila

•Adamawa State Governor Murtala Nyako (right); Wazirin Adamawa, Alhaji Hassan Adamu (left) and Lamido of Adamawa, Alhaji Muhammadu Barkindo in Yola PHOTOS: ISAAC AYODELE, OMOSEHIN MOSES AND AKIN OLADOKUN

10

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 9, 2013

NEWS

T

Ogun APC mourns

HE All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ogun State has commiserated with Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola on the death of his father, Pa Ibrahim Ademola Fashola.

It described the late Pa Fashola as an epitome of service and industry, whose exemplary life rub off on his son, widely acknowledged as a dynamic governor, who has performed creditably.

A statement by the Publicity Secretary of the APC in Ogun State, Mr. Sola Lawal, reads: "The filial

closeness of father and son is an attestation that the personality of the deceased was and still remains the foundation upon which the executive doggedness and competence of the Lagos governor are built.

"No doubt, Pa Fashola lived a fulfilled life by having a son like Governor Fashola, whose emergence as the chief executive of Lagos State has brought smiles to the faces of millions of people through the implementation of citizen-oriented programmes."

‘APC better alternative to PDP’

A

From Tayo Johnson, Ibadan

N All Progressives Congress (APC) House of Assembly aspirant in Iseyin/Itesiwaju Constituency of Oyo State, Mr. Adeniyi Adeagbo, has described the decision of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register the party as a move to salvage Nigeria's crumbling democracy.

He spoke in his hometown, Otu in Oyo State, when delivering his Eid-l-Fitri message to Muslims.

Adeagbo urged the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to start packing its load as "APC will bring an end to its inept leadership style that has ruined the country”.

Aromolaran condoles with NUJ

T

HE paramount ruler of Ijesaland, Owa Obokun, Oba Adekunle Aromolaran, has commiserated with the leadership and members of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) on the death of three members in an accident.

The monarch regretted that the deceased were cut down in their prime and in the course of their profes-

sional duty to their fatherland.

Oba Aromolaran, in whose domain the accident occurred, sympathised with the families of the late journalists and urged them to seek solace in God, who has authority over life and death.

He also enjoined travellers to certify the condition of their vehicles before embarking on journeys.

•Ekiti State Governor Dr. Kayode Fayemi and his deputy, Prof. Modupe Adelabu, (middle, front row), flanked by the first set of ‘Six Fayemi Scholars', as part of his support for education and human capital development during their presentation at the Lady Jibowu Hall, Ado-Ekiti...yesterday.

Fayemi backs Yoruba as language of instruction

E

KITI State Governor Dr. Kayode Fayemi has supported the call for the use of Yoruba as “a medium of instruction” in Southwest schools.

The governor spoke yesterday in Akure at the first international conference to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the death of a foremost indigenous novelist

From Sulaiman Salawudeen, Ado-Ekiti

and a fairy tale raconteur, Daniel Fagunwa.

At the event were Ondo State Governor Dr Olusegun Mimiko; Prof. Wole Soyinka, who gave a keynote address; foremost linguist, Emeritus Prof. Ayo Bamgbose; Prof.

Niyi Osundare; the ViceChancellor of Adekunle Ajasin University, Prof Femi Mimiko; Prof Olu Obafemi; and others.

Fayemi said experiments have shown that students, who study in their mother tongue, are better equipped than those taught through a “second language”.

He said that was why the promotion of Yoruba language and culture was one

T

of the "cardinal elements of the regional integration agenda of the Southwest."

Said he: "We must admit that everyday, Fagunwa's image continues to loom and challenge us as a people. His works continue to remind us that our language is complete and that the Yoruba language must not be left to rot away."

Fayemi went on: “The survival of a people's language and culture remains key to their future because it is the pathway to self-actualisation and real advancement."

Hailing the late Fagunwa for "planting the Yoruba language deep into the subconsciousness of generations of the Yoruba", he said the novelist's promotion of traditional knowledge had

been justified globally, with the United Nations setting aside a day for indigenous people across the world in 1994.

He said that the late Fagunwa's writings did not only promote culture, but also brought into greater visibility the philosophy and world view of the Yoruba race, adding: "His books have demonstrated that the Yoruba language is not inferior to any language."

The Chairman of the occasion and Orangun of Oke Ila, Oba Adedokun Abolarin, said the late Fagunwa's books showed his brilliance and talents.

According to him, they are useful in legal proceedings on criminal cases.

Akeredolu, wife console Fashola

HE governorship candidate of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in last year's general election in Ondo State, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN) and his wife, Betty, have consoled Governor Babatunde Fashola on the death of his father, Pa Ibrahim Ademola Fashola.

They said in a statement: "We have received the sad news of the transition of Papa Ademola Fashola to eternal life. We join other wellmeaning Nigerians in extending our heartfelt condolences to our brother

and friend the Governor of Lagos State Babatunde Raji Fashola, his amiable wife, Bimbo and children in particular, and the entire members of the Fashola clan in Lagos and elsewhere.

"Granted that death is a necessary end, some passages are phenomenal in that they leave indelible footprints on the sands of time. Any father, who was able to invest in the education of his children to the point of giving the country well-trained children, must be adjudged a great asset indeed.

"The father of a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and other

professionals was a successful man. The man who fathered Babatunde Fashola was an exceptional man. Being the father of the man, who has raised the bar of quintessential performance in governance is worthy of acknowledgement and celebration.

"Governor Fashola is a veritable mirror showcasing the quality of his family values.

"We pray that Almighty Allah will grant Papa the eternal rest that he deserves and the necessary assistance on his journey to Aljana Firdaus."

UNILAG V-C commiserates with governor

T

HE management team of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), led by the Vice-Chancellor (VC), Prof Rahamon A. Bello, has visited Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola, following the death of his father, Pa Ibrahim Ademola Fashola.

The V-C, on behalf of members of the university community, commiserated with the governor and the Fashola family.

He said the governor's leadership skills were a reflection of the late Pa Fashola, who lived a simple

life.

"It is on record that Pa Fashola was a man wellloved by the high and the low because of his humility, kindness and warm nature.

These attributes are also the qualities that our amiable governor displays and which the University of Lagos has benefited from, especially in recent years. We pray that the good legacies left behind by this great man will continue to wax stronger", Prof.

Bello said.

Governor Fashola thanked the V-C and his delegation for visiting him and his fam-

ily, instead of sending a condolence letter.

Prof. Bello was accompanied by the Deputy ViceChancellor (Academics & Research), Prof. Babajide Alo; Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Management Services), Prof. Duro Oni; Registrar, Dr. (Mrs.) Taiwo Ipaye; Bursar, Mr. Lateef Odekunle; Director, Academic Planning, Prof. Toyin Ogundipe; Deputy Chief Security Officer, Lt. Col. Edward Ladoye (Rtd); Protocol Officer, Mr. Bode Olanitori; and Assistant Registrar (Information), Mr. Wale Olasunmade.

BUSINESS

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 9, 2013

THE NATION

E-mail:- bussiness@thenationonlineng.net

Repair of damaged pipelines may cost N100m

‘OPEC to reduce exports by 740,000bpd’

By Simeon Ebulu with agency report

From Shola O’Neil,

T

Port Harcourt

HE Pipelines and Product Marketing Company (PPMC) would require about N100million to fix damages to the strategic System 2C and other pipelines sabotaged by vandals in Delta State.

The pipeline conveys crude oil from oil facilities in the creeks of the state to the Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company (WRPC).

Over 20 spots attacked by the vandals costing N50million have been repaired, The Nation has learnt.

Illegal bunkerers and refiners operating in the area were blamed for the destructions.

A PPMC source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said several more spots were detected during repairs. “The magnitude of vandalism on the facilities is astounding,” our source added.

It was gathered that 42 huge underground reservoirs, over 100 surface storage tanks, 400 drums of refined products, among other items used for the illicit trades, were recovered from the areas.

Meanwhile, a Joint Task Force source in Warri, said that eight suspects arrested during a raid at the worst affected parts in Kokologbene Community were handed over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) official after preliminary investigations.

“The suspects were arrested at the scene and after interrogation we found that they had something to do with the massive cases of illegal bunkering in the area,” the source added.

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

• Petroleunm Minister, Mrs Alison-Madueke

T

HE Organisation of Pe troleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) will cut shipments by the most since December as refiners in

the U.S. and Europe conduct seasonal maintenance, tanker-tracker, Oil Movements, said.

The group, which supplies about 40 per cent of the world’s oil, will cut exports by 740,000 barrels a day, or three per cent, to about 23.7 million barrels a day in the four weeks to August 24 from the period to July 27, the Researcher said yesterday in an e-mailed report.

The figures exclude two of OPEC’s 12 members, Angola and Ecuador.

“There is a fall under way and it’s a serious one,” Roy Mason, the company’s founder said yesterday by phone from Halifax, England.

He continued: “In the crude market, the summer is over.

What’s going down very visibly is westbound sailings from the Gulf.”

Refiners typically trim imports at the start of the third quarter while performing maintenance, as summer demand for gasoline and diesel ebb. Brent crude declined for a fifth day on the ICE Futures Europe exchange in London, trading 0.9 per cent lower at $106.46 a barrel.

Middle Eastern shipments will drop by four per cent to about 17.4 million barrels a day to August 24, compared with about 18.1 million in the month to July 27, according to Oil Movements. That figure includes non-OPEC nations, Oman and Yemen.

Crude on board tankers will decline 3.6 per cent to

483.9 million barrels, data from Oil Movements showed. The Researcher calculates volumes by tallying tanker bookings, and excludes crude held on vessels for storage.

OPEC’s members are Algeria, Angola, Ecuador, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Venezuela. It will next meet in Vienna on December 4.

Meanwhile, offers for the Nigerian benchmark grade slid lower yesterday as a dearth of buying interest created a supply overhang for September, despite supply problems for rival Libyan grades.

Traders said less than 10 Nigerian cargoes remain unsold for the September programme, with three of

them reported to be Qua Iboe cargoes.

“It may ease a bit more as some barrels are still available. It seems the buyers are in hiding,” said a West African oil trader. Still, traders said ongoing supply disruptions in Libya would likely limit losses.

Libyan production is set to drop further as workers at the country’s Arabian Gulf Oil Company plan to reduce output progressively in protest over management changes and the company’s structure.

Other Nigerian grades were selling more swiftly and two cargoes were placed as part of an Indian buy tender for October loading.

Traders said there was still a handful of Angolan cargoes available for September.

Fed Govt targets north for wheat • Sets 2015 for reduction of imports by half

T

• From left: Managing Director/CEO, Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc, Abdulahi Sule; Minister of Trade and Investment, Olusegun Aganga and Executive Director, Engineering and Operations, Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc, Mr Maryoud Elsunni, during the visit of the Minister to Dangote Sugar Refinery in Apapa, Lagos.

We lost only $250m in Nigeria, says Shell

O

IL giant Shell has ad mitted that the im pact of operating environment in Nigeria was not responsible for the company’s $700 million revenue loss in the second quarter of the year.

The clarification, which was made yesterday by a spokesperson of Shell Nigeria, Precious Okolobo, in an email statement.

He said the bulk of the loss resulted from impact of weakening Australian dollars on deferred tax liability.

He said only $250 million

of the total $700 million loss was due to operational challenges in Nigeria, including crude oil theft and blockage of Nigeria Natural Liquefied Gas (NLNG).

He said: “We wish to correct some wrongful interpretation of aspects of Shell Group earnings in Q2, as announced on August 1, by our Chief Executive Officer, Peter Voser.

“It was disclosed that Q2 Current Cost of Supplies (CCS) earnings, excluding identified items were reduced by around $700 mil-

lion. Of the amount, $250 million was due to operational challenges in Nigeria, including crude oil theft and blockade of Nigeria LNG.” The rest of the figure, $450 million, was caused by the impact of the weakening Australian dollar on a deferred tax liability, he said.

Okolobo continued: “At no time did Peter Voser refer to Nigerian production outages costing it $700 million in the second quarter, as some media organisations have wrongly reported.”

This is coming after the Ni-

gerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), challenged Shell Group over claims that it lost $700 million in Q2 to operating environment in Nigeria.

“With regard to claims by Shell that it lost $700million by the second quarter of 2013 to crude oil theft and other disruptions in Nigeria, NNPC posits that the loss claims are not localised to Nigeria as reported,” its Acting Group General Manager, Public Affairs, Tumini Green, said in a statement on Tuesday.

PPPRA to NEITI: Desist from confusing the public

T

HE Petroleum Prod ucts Pricing Regula tory Agency (PPPRA) has asked the Nigerian Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (NEITI) to desist from confusing the public on its audit report.

The report had directed the PPPRA to remit N4.423 billion, arising from overrecovery, to the Federation

Account.

Over-recovery applies when the landing cost of products based on import parity principle is below the approved PPPRA ex-depot benchmark. Marketers pay over-recovery into Petroleum Subsidy Fund (PSF) account at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

Defending its audit re-

port, the Executive Secretary of the PPPRA, Reginald Stanley, said: “NEITI appeared to have embarked on a wild-goose chase, instead of addressing the issues at stake.”

He further said contrary to NEITI’s report, there was no time the report was ‘signedoff’ by the PPPRA management, and challenged NEITI

to make public, a copy of the ‘sign-off’ to prove its claim.

He continued: “We challenge NEITI to tell Nigerians where the N4.423 billion it claims was warehoused. If NEITI is, indeed, desirous of efficiently in doing its job, we challenge it to go and consult the records at the CBN, where the PSF account is domiciled.”

HE discovery of two improved varieties of wheat is expected to position Nigeria well in local wheat production, sufficient to reduce national wheat import by half in 2015, the Executive Director, Lake Chad Research Institute (LCRI), Dr. Oluwasina Gbenga Olabanji has said.

He spoke at the presentation of wheat bread to the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina in Abuja.

He said these varieties, due to be released in 2014, are capable of producing an “average yield of fivesix tons per hectare.”

He said the varieties, namely Norman Borlaug and Reyne 28, are expected to make Nigeria to be self sufficient in wheat production as it expands its land holdings allocated to the product, and would boost the economy of the north.

T he r ea l i t y of t he i m proved varieties, Dr. Olabanji noted, “was achieved through collaboration with CIMMYT in Mexico and ICARDA, in Tunisia.

He said a lot has been achieved on the genetic improvement of wheat in Nigeria, adding that as at 1976, the average yield was 1.2 tons per hectare, but with the launching of the wheat transformation agenda by the Minister, “we have been able to develop some improved varieties that can give us an average yield of five-six tons per hectare.”

He said by 2015, the quantity of wheat imported into Nigeria would be reduced by half. This is to be achieved through aggressive production in 10 states of the north, he said.

12

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 9, 2013

BUSINESS NEWS

Revive coal industry, Committee urges govt

T

HE Committee on Coal to Power Project set up by the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development has called for the revitalisation of coal industry.

It said such a step would afford the mineral various uses, especially for power generation to meet the yearnings of the masses.

The Chairman, Ministerial Committee on Coal to Power Project and the Director-General, Mining Cadastre Office, Mohammed Amate, said the body also recommended the need to carry out further geosciences work to generate more data on the available coal resource in the country, which would make them attractive to prospective investors and enhance the development of the coal resource for power generation and other uses.

He said the committee observed that the coal to power initiative being adopted by the present ad-

From John Ofikhenua, Abuja

ministration seems to be the simplest, most economical and sustainable option for the country.

He said the committee also proposed a two-prong programme aimed at accelerating the exploitation of Nigeria’s coal resource for power generation which includes:Committed efforts for the development of the privatised/ concessioned coal blocks(Low Hanging Fruits)i.e Ogboyega I and II and Okaba coal blocks; and development of other identified coal resource blocks with little or no geosciences data.

The chairman expressed optimism that if the observations and recommendations proffered in their report were considered and fully implemented, Nigeria would meet the objective of achieving the security of energy within the short-

est period of time.

The Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Musa Mohammed Sada, expressed happiness at the commitment of the Ministerial Committee and their ability to submit a report on schedule.

The minister reiterated the Federal Government’s desire to generate up to 30 per cent of electricity from coal fired power plants to meet the power requirements of the country.

He noted that the committee was set up to ensure information relating to coal locations are harnessed and “to know the level of information we have on them and what level of information we require“.

Sada also noted that the type and quality of coal resource in Nigeria is of power producing type which is widely acknowledged, adding that about two private investors had indicated interests in taking up

some of the coal locations in the country.

He disclosed that a special mining retreat, which would be chaired

by President Goodluck Jonathan, would hold this month, noting that coal-to-power project would be the focal point of discussion at the event.

The minister identified power as one of the critical infrastructural requirements of mining , saying: “Unless we solve the power problem, we can hardly make progress in any other sector of the economy.”

He expressed his ministry’s determination to collaborate with other relevant ministries, departments and agencies of the government in ensuring that the project was achieved.

The minister thanked the committee for doing a good and assured them that the report would serve as a springboard for the ministry to

• Sada

move forward.

Earlier in his opening remarks, the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mr Linus Awute, said the committee was inaugurated to assess how far the ministry had gone and what needed to be done to transmit the concept of coal-topower into reality.

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 9, 2013

13

14

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 9, 2013

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 9, 2013

15

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 9, 2013

16

NEWS PROF ROPO SEKONI’S 70TH BIRTHDAY/BOOK LAUNCH •BIRTHDAY BOY: Prof Ropo Sekoni (second left) being assisted by his wife Banke; Osun State Commissioner for Lands, Muyiwa Ige (left); Parakoyi of Ibadanland, Chief Bode Akindele (middle); Gen Alani Akinrinade (second right) and former Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Dele Alake to cut his 70th birthday cake and the presentation of his book in Lagos.

•Chairman, Editorial Board of The Nation, Sam Omasteye & Mrs. Esther Adesemoye

•Ambassador Dapo Fafowora (left) & Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu

•Chief Olu Faleye

•Chief Amos Akingba

•Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi & former Ekiti State Governor Niyi Adebayo.

•Members of The Nation Editorial Board –– Deputy Chair Tunji Adegboyega (left); Mr. Olakunle Abimbola and Mr. Steve Osuji

•Prof. Oladeji Ojo(left); Prof. Ladepo Adamolekun & wife Jumoke

•Book reviewer Dr. Bola Fasehun

•Industralist Chief Bode Akindele & wives Labisi (left) Atema (right).

PHOTOS: ADEJO DAVID

DEMAND

ADMONITION

Stakeholders seek more wards, constituencies

Sultan cautions elders on security

Lagos

48

Sokoto

FRIDAY, AUGUST 9, 2013

Anambra distributes new cassava variety Anambra

18

Page 17

Email: news_extra@yahoo.com

D •Dr Uduaghan

47

ASSISTANCE

Delta strengthens security

ELTA State is boosting its security apparatus with ballistic vests and ceramic helmets.

The Emmanuel Uduaghan administration has ordered about 2,500 pieces of ballistic vests and 2,000 pieces of ballistic ceramic helmets.

The ballistic vests and helmets, according to sources, will help in lifting the morale of security personnel in combating crime in the

state.

Speaking on the security situation in the state, Commissioner for Information Chike Ogeah said: “As we speak, security in Delta State is at optimum level with the environment very clement for business and individuals to operate. Time was when kidnapping and other violent crimes got quite disturbing.

But His Excellency, Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, embarked on a concerted programme to improve security.”

On what it cost the state government to achieve the optimum level of security, Ogeah said, “We cannot readily put a figure on the cost of providing security in the state as it is an exercise that keeps rolling. Besides, I think it is more wholesome to imagine the absence of a secure environment for businesses to thrive. The government is prepared to commit requisite resources to the provision of security in the state. The real cost of security, for me, is the cost of ab-

sence of security for people to live safely”.

Like many states in the country, the Delta State government has been helping to boost the capability and confidence of security personnel.

Earlier in the year, Governor Uduaghan, under the Delta State Government Special Security Patrol initiative handed over 30 Toyota Hilux vans to the police The initiative was part of measures to ensure that violent crimes like kidnapping and armed robbery were reduced to •Continued on Page 46

I

T was an uncommon public effort in an otherwise private affair. Rather than sip choice wine at some glitzy hotel with the rich and powerful, he chose the weak and needy in the society.

Senator Olufemi Lanlehin, representing Oyo South Senatorial District, knew exactly how he wanted to celebrate his 60th birthday.

To him it was an opportunity to thank God by cheering up people with scanty comforts and hope. It made much sense to him to lift up the spirits of motherless children and people with physical challenges. And his preferred company relished every moment of it.

It all happened in Ibadan, the ancient capital of Oyo State.

The small hall where the birthday feast was celebrated was beautifully decorated hours before the event . The’ birthday boy’ was accompanied by his wife and a few friends and politicians who came to wish him well and share in the joy of the day.

Other guests were physicallychallenged children from the Ibadan Home for the Handicapped, members of the Ibadan Home for the Deaf, and infants from the Motherless Babies Home, Elizabelth Road, Orita Mefa, Ibadan.

Most of the happy guests were on wheelchairs, assisted by their guides, while others who could not stand on their legs were carried to the venue.

One remarkable feature about these physically challenged guests was the sheer determination and courage to face their lot in life.

Master Abiodun, one of the physically-challenged persons, said they were happy because God has remembered them for good by sending the lawmaker to visit them.

The elated guests also organised special birthday programme to make the event a memorable one.

Special songs and dance were rendered by the handicapped children as their own little gift to the celebrant.

Miss Aderonke Adisa , one of the handicapped children, said: “I am very happy to be part of this celebration. I thank the lawmaker for his decision to celebrate his birthday with us. This is very rare for a man like this to celebrate with the

•Lanlehin with one of the motherless babies

Relief for needy kids

Senator Lanlehin helps the motherless, physically challenged From Oseheye Okwuofu, Ibadan

less-privileged. It shows that we still have hope; our situation is not hopeless. May God continue to be with him.”

Earlier, the lawmaker had visited the Motherless Babies Home, Elizabelth Road, Orita Mefa, the

Ibadan Home for the Deaf, off Polythenic Road, and the Home for the Handicapped, Ijokodo, Ibadan where he donated various items worth millions of naira to the homes.

Among the items donated were mattresses, bags of rice, bags of beans, gallons of vegetable oil, beaverages, packs of baby foods, clothes, pillows and cash for the up-

keep of the children in the homes.

At the Motherless Babies Home, Senator Lanlehin also promised to be sending the sum of N100,000 to the home every month aside from the items donated.

The highlight of the event was a luncheon organised by the lawmaker for the children these homes at the Home for the handicapped,

Ijokodo, Ibadan.

Speaking at the luncheon party, Senator Lanlehin expressed gratitude to God for His mercies and grace on his life. On why he decided to shun the usual way of celebrating birthdays with the rich in the society, the lawmaker said: •Continued on Page 46

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 9, 2013

18

Kano establishes 20 micro-finance banks

T •Governor Kwankwaso

WENTY out of the 37 newly established micro-finance banks (MFBs) in Kano State have begun operation.

Alhaji Rabi’u Ibrahim, the Managing Consultant of MFBs in Kano State, disclosed this in an interview with journalists in Kano.

He said that the remaining 17 banks would soon start operation as soon as the construction of their business premises was completed.

“Prior to the establishment of the 37 micro-finance banks, there were eight existing micro-finance banks in the state.

Poultry farmers seek CBN loan

P

OULTRY farmers in Umuahia,Abia State,have appealed to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to release funds for the second batch of the N1 billion agricultural loan to farmers.

The farmers’ request formed part of their resolutions at the August monthly meeting in Umuahia.

Operating under the aegis of the Umuahia Chapter of the Poultry Farmers Association of Nigeria, the farmers stated that more than 70 per cent of poultry farmers in the state did not benefit from the first batch.

The Federal Government approved N1 billion for each state of the federation.

The farmers thanked the federal and state governments for the loan which, according to them, brought great relief to those who benefited from it.

They expressed the hope that others, who could not benefit from the first batch of the

A

Abia loan, would have the opportunity to benefit from the second batch.

They also expressed the confidence that the loan’s beneficiaries would not default in its repayment “in order to ensure that it goes round among all interested farmers.’’

The farmers, however, urged the Abia government to designate a free trade zone exclusively for the sale of poultry products, in line with the practice in other neighbouring states in the South- East geopolitical zone.

They stressed that the current glut in the poultry business, especially eggs, could be effectively tackled “if we have a special market, where every prospective buyer will come to buy either chicken or eggs.’’

Philanthropist boosts education

PHILANTROPIST,Dr Michelle McCollin, has donated teaching and learning materials worth N500,000 to pupils and teachers of Olubi Memorial Primary School,Elekuro,Ibadan and Olokun Asorodayo Primary School,Iseyin,all in Oyo State. Dr McCollin is an associate professor from the University of Slippery Rock United States of America.

The materials include; exercise books, text book, pencils, biro, wild babies, inquiry action, pocket calculators, jotters, erasers, index cards, pencils, chalk, colour pencils, machine sharpners, rulers, removable boards, long and short English vowel charts, job charts, tempo maker and other valuable materials.

This is the second time the professor would visit the schools with such items this year to demonstrate her generosity and concern for the pupils.

Michelle who handed over the materials to teachers in the school also gave reading eye glasses to the staff of the schools to improve their efficiency at work.

She urged Nigerians to understand that they are the government and not wait for any government to help them before they assist their neighbours, saying that is the only way the nation can move forward.

She said learning becomes difficult and frustrating when there are no teaching aids.

She maintained that she was a teacher for over 27 years and therefore understands the needs to help Africans because of her connection with the black race, having done similarthing in Ghana and Nigeria in the past.

“So, with the new 37 micro-finance banks, the number of the banks has risen to 45 in the state,’’ he said.

Ibrahim said that the establishment of the banks in the state would bridge the existing gaps in micro-finance banking in the country.

He noted that Lagos State had over 200 micro-finance banks, while Imo had over 100 MFBs. “A total of 444 workers have so far been recruited to work in the 37 new micro-finance banks in the state.

“We recruited a minimum number of 12 staff for each of the 37 banks, from the managing directors down to messengers and cleaners,’’ he said.

Ibrahim noted that most of the recruited staff had already received training organised by a financial institution in the state.

The 37 newly established micro-finance banks were inaugurated on January 8 by Malam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

G

Sultan cautions elders on insecurity T

•From left: Chairman, Iba Local Council Development Area, Princess Ramota Adedayo Adeyeri-Oseni; Vice Chairman, Hon. Isiaka Yahya and the council’s chairman of All Progressives Congress, Alhaji Adesoji Ladipo, at the launch of the new party in the council.

Anambra distributes new cassava variety

OVERNOR Peter Obi has flagged off the distribution of high pro-vitamin “A” yellow cassava cuttings to farmers. A press statement by Obi’s media aide Valentine Obienyem stated that the governor kicked off the exercise at the ADP premises, Awka.

He also presented a brand new utility vehicle and 21 computer machines to enhance implementation of the programme.

Obi said the vehicles should be solely used

From Odogwu Emeka Odogwu, Nnewi

for the execution of the project while the computers were for monitoring and evaluation of the outcome of the new cassava variety across the state.

He assured that the state government would provide all logistics to ensure success of the programme as cassava had multi values including being raw material for beer.

The governor stated that agriculture had

By Jeremiah Oke

In her words; “ There is need for us to understand the fact that we are the government.

We also need to see government as an entity, we need to assist them because they cannot do it all alone. As a teacher that has been practising for over 27 years, I understand the pains and the plight of the pupils when they are learning under a terrible condition.

Replying, the Head Teacher of Olubi Memorial Primary School,MrsAyodele Oyewole, said the challenges of the school the poverty level of some of the parents to the extent that they cannot afford to buy writing materials for their wards. The situation has however changed since the regular donation commenced.

• Dr. McCollin (third right) in a group photograph with the head teacher of Olubi Memorial Primary School, Mrs. Ayodele Oyewole and other teachers during the presentation of the items.

fundamental role in turning around the state and national economies with huge employment potential. He assured that the state was now on course for sustainable development and made clear that no future administration could take the people for granted again.

A representative of the development partner, Dr. Paul Ilona said Governor Obi had demonstrated more commitment to development of agriculture than any other government in the country and had continued to provide all necessary logistics to boost farming. Ilona explained that the new cassava variety was not only for food security but also for promotion of health by supplementing nutritional intake of the people and assured that the state would receive more supply.

The Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development,Mr.Ndubisi Menakaya,said the intervention became necessary to solve the increased rate of micronutrients deficiency among children under five years and pregnant women which he noted had risen to about 30 percent.

Menakaya urged the farmers to take advantage of the programme to reap its huge benefits.

Briefly

Revival THE New God’s Glory Ministry (Centre of New Glory) will conclude its threeday revival programme today. The programme started on August 7.

The programme which has My Time Has Come (AKOKA MI TO) as theme.

The Venue is 1, Apostle Famuyiwa Street by Iyaniwura Hospital, beside Mowe Market, Ogun State.

Speaking on the programme, the host, Pastor Ezekiel Oladele, said the programme is set apart for salvation, healing, deliverance and breakthrough.

Church holds convention • From left: The Commissioner for Rural Development Mr Correlius Ojelai, the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Mr Olatunde Agoro, Oriba Community Development Association Chairman, Mr Waheed Bello and Baale of Oriba, Alhaji Nurudeen Olowolaiyemo, during the inspection tour of the on-going water project at Oriba, in Epe Local Government Area.

Rotary donates to police, community

T

HE Rotary Club of Ikorodu Metropolitan has donated a 10 kva generator to the Area N Police Command, Ijede a suburb of Lagos.This is in fulfilment of its cardinal objective of making life better for the rural populace while serving humanity.

The donation, according to the president of the club, Rotarian Kamaldeen Adedeji is to boost the morale of the police and make their working environment conducive to effective discharge of their duties effectively.

The club also donated pipe borne water to the Bagidan community area of Ijede, Ikorodu.

“It gladdens my heart because it is one thing to serve and another to see that your dreams come to true. We thank God for making today a reality, we have given the Area N police command a 10 kva generator for the betterment of their performance, we decided to give them the generator because when we visited the police station, it was very appalling; we felt that for somebody doing the kind of their job, a job of securing the lives of people, they need a conducive environment for them to be able to work effectively,” he said.

Receiving the Rotarians was the Area N Police Commander, Mr A O Markus who said he was grateful to the club for extending a hand of fellowship to them.

He promised that his command would extend its vigilante programme in the area as a

47

By Amidu Arije

way of showing appreciation for the donations.

“It is a wonderful thing they have done for us, we are so happy about it, we are impressed and encouraged and we are going to do wonderful job around the Area N Command, we are going to show appreciation by our performances,” he said.

He said the condition in his office before the donation was not conducive as it was stuffy and because of the epileptic power supply in the area, but now a new life has just been introduced with the generating set from Rotary.

The delegation was led by the District Governor of Rotary International Club District 911 Nigeria, Rotarian Olugbemiga Olowu.

In his words, he promised that the club would continue to do everything possible to help the police perform its functions effectively and ensure peace continue to reign in the area and Lagos State at large.

“We must all work together to ensure peace and security in our areas, we will continue to work with the security forces to ensure that our lives are save,” he said.

Given reason for his visit to the Ikorodu club, Olowu said it is a routine thing they do every year to access the various clubs’ performance level.

THE Apostolic Faith Churches, West and Central Africa have begun their annual convention for this year.

The camp meeting, which has been scheduled to hold from from 4th-25th August at the church’s Convention ground, Faith City, Igbesa in Ogun State is themed: The Fruitfulness of the Righteous.

In attendance are delegates from SerraLeone, Cameroon, Mali, Burkina-Faso and other African countries, including Asia, Europe and the United States.

HE Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, has warned Nigerians against fanning the embers of insecurity and violence in the country.

The Sultan gave the warning when he hosted a 20-man delegation of the Kaduna-based Peace Revival and Reconciliation Foundation of Nigeria at a fast-breaking dinner.

Abubakar noted that in time of crisis, the sons and daughters of the down-trodden Nigerians were always the victims of violence and mayhem.

“These poor and vulnerable youths get killed or maimed while their colleagues in the wealthy and elitist families are often sent abroad for studies.

“This is another form of injustice against the weak, indigent youths and it must be urgently stopped,” he added.

Speaking on 2015, the Sultan stressed the need to pray for the country’s leaders “who will take us out of our present predicaments as a nation’’.

He said traditional rulers are not politicians but,” fathers and leaders in the political

Sokoto

field...who would continue to pray for Nigeria and her leaders to lead the nation to the promised land.”

Abubakar praised members of the foundation, dedicated to peace building in the north and Nigeria generally, for doing a very patriotic job.

“This is a group of youths from Islam and Christianity who are doing what the elders are supposed to be doing for the country to have peace, unity, security, stability, cohesion and understanding among all Nigerians,” he added.

The monarch urged the youth not to allow themselves to be used by some selfish leaders as “preys”.

The leader of the delegation, Mr Solomon Dalong, a lawyer and human rights activist, said the problems currently facing Nigeria were

•Sultan Abubakar III artificial.

“These problems like insecurity, corruption and poverty, among others were not created by God. “We had lived peacefully with each other before and the situation now is unacceptable,” he added.

Group seeks end to HIV/AIDS stigma, discrimination

O

VER 500 church leaders from different denominations gathered for Lagos state’s first inter-denominational Christian Summit on HIV and AIDS stigma and discrimination eradication at the Comforter Cathedral in Ikorodu.

The summit was organised by Hope for HIV and AIDS International in collaboration with the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Ikorodu Division and the Fellowship of Christian Midwives. The church leaders developed strategies to achieve zero HIV– related stigma and discrimination among faith leaders in Lagos.

The Special Adviser to Governor Fashola on Christian Affairs, Rev (Dr) Sam Ogedemgbe who represented the government at the summit urged Christian leaders in the state to join government in its efforts at eradicating the disease.

He advised residents to confirm their HIV status by visiting any of the HIV Counselling and Testing centres (HCT). For those whose status are negative, he said they should strive to maintain the status while those who may test positive should avail themselves of the services provided by the state agency for the control of AIDS. The Programme Coordinators of World Association for Christian Communication in the United Kingdom and Canada: Sara Speicher and Sarah Macharia said the partnership with the Christian leaders and other religious leaders is to train them in the art of

By Uyoatta Eshiet

effective communication and counselling so that they will be able to give correct information about HIV and help persuade their followers against discrimination and

stigmatisation.

Speicher said the project covers only 10 local government areas selected for the pilot scheme to ensure quality while hoping that support will come from

Fashola upgrades maternity to mini-hospital

A

S part of his administration’s efforts to make life better for the people, Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) of Lagos has upgraded the Ajara Maternity Centre to mini-hospital.

While inaugurating the mini-hospital, Governor Fashola said that Badagry is the third beneficiary among the 20 local government areas and 37 local council development areas. He promised to always give support to the mini-hospital.

He said: “With this upgrade, there is no need for people to go to the Badagry General Hospital because almost all the facilities needed are here. It will also help in reducing the number of patients who patronise the general hospital.

The chairman, Badagry Local Government Area, Hon. Husitode Moses Dosu said that his administration was committed to the provision of dividends of democracy to the people. These, he said, were in the areas of infrastructural, educational, health and eco-

By Emmanuel Udodinma

nomic developments.

Dosu further revealed that the Ajara Maternity which is being upgraded to mini-hospital started in the early 50s as a dispensary and later dispensary maternity.

He, therefore, thanked the governor for upgrading the maternity, even as he appealed for the provision of other necessary equipment for the facility to operate optimally.

Among the dignitaries that attended the official inauguration were the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Hon. Aderemi Kuye, Commissioner for Rural Development, Hon. Cornelius Ojelabi, Special Adviser to the governor on Rural Development, Hon. Tunde Hunpe, Special Adviser to the governor on Health, Dr. Olusola Adesina Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris, and Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Hon. Olushola Senapon Oworu, among others.

‘Strengthen security’ A group of professionals, known as Conference of Benue Journalists (CBJ), has called on the Federal Government to address the security challenges facing Benue and Nasarawa states.

Its Chairman, Mr Emmanuel Iffer, said in a statement that it had become necessary to strengthen security in the rural areas of the states.

The statement urged the government to act fast so as to stem the increasing insecurity situation in Benue and Nasarawa states.

“We urge the Federal Government to quickly do all that is necessary in checking the growing security challenges facing the people of the states, especially those in the rural areas,” it said.

•Alhaji Yisa(fourth left),Council Manager Mrs. Sanyaolu A.L(third left) and others members of staff

Council organises workshop for staff

I

•Members of the cultural group of Excel School Ejigbo, Lagos, during the valedictory

N a bid to make staff of Eti-Osa East Local Council Development Area (L.C.D.A.) be more productive and efficient the council has organised a two-day workshop for its staff.

Speaking at the workshop, the chairman Eti-Osa East L.C.D.A, Alhaji Owolabi Yisa said the workshop was organised to ensure that all staff take their job seriously.

He appealed to members of staff to desist from the act of receiving gifts or other forms of inducement from contractors and customers as this is against staff code of conduct. He emphasised that any staff caught in the acts will be dealt with according to the rules and regulations of service. He also promised that the training will be a yearly event.

He reeled off some of the projects which

the council has completed to include block of classrooms at Okun Mopo and Olomu Primary School, Public Health Centre at Owode Langbasan, Sand Filling and Grading of Roads among others.

The Council Manager, Mrs. Sanyaolu A.L advised the staff to take the workshop seriously in order to improve themselves.

One of the facilitators who spoke on “Office Management and Personal Effectiveness” Mr. Oyetayo Popoola said the staff should embrace excellence and not mediocrity. He also advised the workers to develop themselves through reading.

Speaking on behalf of other members of staff, Mr. Tijani Olatunji thanked the chairman and management staff for organising the workshop.

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 9, 2013

19

COMMENTARY FROM OTHER LANDS

EDITORIALS

State power abused •Why did the police allow the anti-Amaechi protests only to clamp down on the pro-Amaechi one?

P

EACEFUL rallies are an integral part of democracy. But when the police, under the nebulous concept of preventing a breakdown of law and order disallows such protests, it lays itself and the government bare to allegation of abuse of state power. That was the scenario on July 30 when the police put Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, and its environs under siege by deploying surveillance helicopters, armoured personnel carriers (APCs) and patrol vehicles all in the bid to stop the planned Defending Democracy Rally organised by a coalition of activists.

The Niger Delta Civil Society Coalition (NDCSC) chairman, Anyakwee Nsirimovu, and other members of the coalition who planned the rally said they had earlier written to the police commissioner, Mr Mbu Joseph Mbu, to provide minimal security for the rally. However, rather than provide security, the police besieged the Isaac Boro Park which the activists had indicated as venue of the rally as early as 6 a.m. with battle-ready, riot and regular policemen, backed by APCs, and sealed off the park.

It was around 9 a.m. that the police realised that they had been sold a dummy and that the rally was actually going to take place at the Liberation Stadium. They rushed to the place with two APCs and many patrol vans, sealed off the stadium main gate and dispersed the invited activists and members of the coalition from the nine states of the Niger Delta, who had gathered at the stadium. Also, policemen were deployed in Port Harcourt In-

ternational Airport, Omagwa, apparently to prevent pro-democracy and human rights activists invited from other parts of the country from getting to the rally venue.

The police did not stop at sealing off the venue of the rally; they also made some passers-by to frog-jump, having been mistaken for members of the coalition. We consider this an anathema to democratic ethos. In the first place, they ought not prevent people from embarking on peaceful rallies. The best they are expected to do is to ensure that hoodlums do not hijack the rally.

For the umpteenth time, we want to say that the state police commissioner has not hidden his bias against one of the parties in the Rivers State crisis. The evidence in this instance is that the same Mr Mbu who only a few weeks back allowed Niger Delta militants to protest on the streets of Port Harcourt over the same issues that the activists wanted to stage their rally now deployed his men to intimidate the members of the civil society coalition and other law-abiding citizens, ostensibly to prevent a breakdown of law and order.

We however commend the organisers for mobilising and addressing the press at a multi-purpose hall close to the stadium even after the police had dispersed them from the place. We are happy that they were able to outsmart the police by changing the venue. The attempt was a triumph of the Nigerian spirit.

We are all familiar with the crisis rocking the state; the latest being the impunity by five legislators who wanted to ‘impeach’ the speaker of the state house of

assembly with 32 members, when it was clear they lacked the requisite figure to do that.

Many well-meaning Nigerians have condemned the serial acts of illegality going on in the state and asked the presidency that is ever denying involvement in the matter to call its goons there to order. What is, therefore, bad in activists wanting to add their voice to the strident calls for a return of sanity to the state?

The country’s constitution guarantees freedom of expression, assembly and association and nothing should take that away from Nigerians. Again, we want the state police command to understand the implications of its partiality in the Rivers crisis. A police force that is in dire need of funds should not waste scarce state resources on a show of force designed to stop legitimate protest.

‘Many well-meaning Nigerians have condemned the serial acts of illegality going on in the state and asked the presidency that is ever denying involvement in the matter to call its goons there to order. What is, therefore, bad in activists wanting to add their voice to the strident calls for a return of sanity to the state?’

At the crossroads again

•Purported reelection of Mugabe portends dire consequences for a once promising Zimbabwe

T

HIRTY-three years after he was first elected the Chief Executive of Zimbabwe, Mr. Robert Mugabe, at 89, has reinstalled himself in power despite stiff opposition and allegations of widespread poll irregularities. Mugabe who, in 2008, plunged the country into unprecedented post-election crisis, was so determined to repeat the “feat” that the manipulation of the process started during the registration of voters.

Consequently, at the poll, many voters, especially in the urban centres reputed to be strongholds of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), were prevented from performing their civic duty.

It is shocking that, almost a nonagenarian, Mugabe could still so desperately crave power, despite his appalling record in office. Under him, the Zimbabwean economy has collapsed, with inflation at an all-time high and the local currency

‘The Zimbabwe election saga is a sad reminder of the state of affairs in Africa. When the AU continues to send men like Nigeria’s Olusegun Obasanjo to monitor elections in other countries despite his own record of mindless poll rigging, it gives the impression that the future of the continent remains bleak. The comments of observers on the 2003 and 2007 general elections in Nigeria, depicted as the worst in the country’s history, ought to have disqualified the former President from performing such a sensitive role’

worth nothing. Poverty is ravaging the country and starvation is the lot of majority of the citizens. Political intolerance in a land ruled by the ex-Marxist is one of the worst in the world and genuine democratic rule has been stoutly resisted by veterans of the anti-colonial struggle fiercely loyal to the President-for-Life.

While the President and his loyalists claim to have won the last presidential election by a landslide, with the election commission declaring that 61 per cent of the electorate expressed preference for continuation of Mugabe in office, domestic and foreign observers have expressed reservations about the process. The Zimbabwe Election Support Network, a group that deployed about 7,000 local monitors, said about one million voters were disenfranchised, and thus dismissed the poll as neither free nor fair.

Foreign observers from the European Union, United Kingdom and the United States expressed concerns about the method adopted by the election commission and security agencies. This might have received some credibility as a member of the nine-man commission, Mikhululi Nyathi, resigned just before the result was announced.

Even the African Union and the Southern African Development Commission’s (SADC) observers who were diplomatic in expressing their reservations found it difficult to endorse the result as being a product of a fair process. The AU said it was free and credible, “with incidents that could have been avoided”, while the SADC said polling was “free and credible”, but was quick to add that it had chosen to reserve judgement on its fairness.

We condemn the charade that has gone for an election in a country with a bright

future that the whole of Africa rose to support in the struggle for independence. We hold that man is free only when he has the full right to determine who runs his affairs.

It is not surprising that Morgan Tsvangirai of the MDC who was Mugabe’s major opponent at the poll has rejected the results. He has indicated his readiness to challenge it in court and warned that no one should expect any power-sharing arrangement this time. It is shameful that more than five years after the last general election that resulted in widespread violence and threatened the corporate existence of the country, Mugabe and his men could be so brazen in manipulating the electoral process. The 2008 presidential poll admitted that MDC was a major political force in the country and allocated 48 per cent of the votes to it while Mugabe’s ZANU could only manage 43 per cent in the first round; the MDC, this time, is credited with only 34 per cent of the votes.

The Zimbabwe election saga is a sad reminder of the state of affairs in Africa.

When the AU continues to send men like Nigeria’s Olusegun Obasanjo to monitor elections in other countries despite his own record of mindless poll rigging, it gives the impression that the future of the continent remains bleak. The comments of observers on the 2003 and 2007 general elections in Nigeria, depicted as the worst in the country’s history, ought to have disqualified the former President from performing such a sensitive role.

Mugabe, at 89, should realise that the life cycle of a man is indeed short and he has no right to compromise the future of succeeding generations of Zimbabweans.

Bangladesh Takes Aim at Grameen Bank

T

HE government of Bangladesh is considering nationalizing and breaking up the widely admired Grameen Bank, which pioneered the business of lending small amounts of money to poor women who want to start and grow businesses. Lawmakers should reject these destructive ideas and stop meddling in the affairs of this important financial institution, which serves 8.4 million rural women.

In the last two years, the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has waged a destructive campaign against Grameen and its founder, Muhammad Yunus, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006. Her actions appear to be retaliation for Mr. Yunus’s announcement in 2007 that he would seek public office, even though he never went through with his plans.

In 2011, her aides forced Mr. Yunus out of his job as managing director of the bank by arguing that he was older than a mandatory retirement age of 60, even though bank regulators had previously allowed him to stay in the job after he crossed that threshold. Since then, the government has started an investigation into the bank and is now planning to take over Grameen — a majority of whose shares are owned by its borrowers — and break it up into 19 regional lenders.

Although the microcredit model created by Mr. Yunus in the 1970s has lost some of its luster in recent years because of controversial practices by some lenders other than Grameen, the approach remains a vital tool for reducing poverty. It has helped millions of poor women start and sustain small businesses around the world and especially in Bangladesh, according to the World Bank.

Turning Grameen into an arm of the state would jeopardize the bank’s core mission by subjecting it to destabilizing political interference. And breaking it up would make its operations less efficient while eliminating it as an influential national organization that might challenge government policies.

A government-appointed commission studying Grameen Bank is expected to produce a report next week that recommends three different proposals, one of which would nationalize and break up the bank, according to local news reports. Some political analysts say that Prime Minister Hasina might not act on those recommendations until after the country votes for a new government at the end of the year to avoid giving the bank’s many borrowers and employees a reason to campaign and vote against her.

Regardless of when the prime minister makes her decision, she has provided no compelling reason to dismantle one of the most promising credit movements to have benefited millions of women in her country.

– New York Times

TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief Victor Ifijeh • Editor Gbenga Omotoso •Chairman, Editorial Board Sam Omatseye •General Editor Kunle Fagbemi •Editor, Online Lekan Otufodunrin •Managing Editor Northern Operation Yusuf Alli •Managing Editor Waheed Odusile

• Executive Director (Finance & Administration) Ade Odunewu

•Deputy Editor Lawal Ogienagbon

•Advert Manager Robinson Osirike

• Gen. Manager (Training and Development) Soji Omotunde •Chief Internal Auditor Toke Folorunsho •Senior Manager (sales) Akeem Shoge

•Deputy Editor (News) •IT Manager Adeniyi Adesina Bolarinwa Meekness •Deputy Editor (Nation’s Capital) Yomi Odunuga •Press Manager •Group Political Editor Udensi Chikaodi Emmanuel Oladesu •Dep. Business Editor Simeon Ebulu •Sport Editor Ade Ojeikere •Editorial Page Editor Sanya Oni

•Manager, Corporate Marketing Hameed Odejayi • Manager (Admin) Folake Adeoye

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 9, 2013

20

CARTOON & LETTERS

S

IR: The slogan of Anambra State is the Light of the Nation. The slogan aptly fits the state and captures its essence and what it represents. It is the homestate of late Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, foremost Nigerian nationalist.

Mary Onyali-Omagbemi, the former African sprints queen of the track hails from the state. John Mikel Obi, mid-field maestro and the engine room of the Super-Eagles, is native of Anambra. The rollcall of iconic figures who come from Anambra state won’t be complete without mentioning the eagle on the Iroko, Chinua Achebe, the indisputable father of modern Africa literature.

It is time for politicking and the election of a new governor. So far, more than 30 politicians have indicated interest to contest the next Anambra governorship election.

S

EDITOR’S MAIL BAG

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

Anambra guber: The odds against Ekwunife Each of these politicians is with qualities that can tilt the race in his or her favour. In the Anambra politics, intrigue, religion, political clout and money are factors that will determine the next occupant of the government house, Awka.

Among those running for the governorship post are Professor Chukwuma Soludo, former CBN governor; Ifeanyi Uba, oil magnate; Uche Ekwunife, a serving lawmaker in the National Assembly

and others.

APC will use the Anambra election to test its popularity and solidify its roots and foundation. Dr. Chris Ngige will likely carry the flag of APC in the epic battle.

Male chauvinism reigns supreme in Anambra State. Are the people ready to have a female governor now? Onitsha based traders are wont to say that a lady whose urine does not flow in a jet straight line will not rule over them.

More so, Anambrarians are chiefly Christians. Christianity and Igbo culture subordinate women behind men. Among those who will urge Ekwunife to shelve her political ambition are women. They will copiously quote the Bible passages and pepper them with Igbo proverbs to prove that a woman should not contest for a political post with men. These are attitudes and sentiments, which Ekwunife will battle in order to win the APGA ticket and

lanthropist in my view in recent times. My reminiscence is motivated by the current image of Dr. Reuben Abati, who for a long time was a fierce anti-government critic, but now a government apologist.

To me, and possibly to most of those who used to read his column in those days, Abati is like nightmare. The past and present of Abati are two diametrically opposed images! But, he is not fierce any more, because he is now on the defensive

side; having to defend President Jonathan’s indefensible policies and actions, including reneging on promises, e.g. not to run for a second term as President, increasing fuel price rather than retrieving the stolen wealth and blocking loopholes.

My more serious concern is the utterances of those we expect to lead us out of the woods; unguarded statements that help the likes of Abati to speak triumphantly, insult-

ing our collective intelligence. Imagine such statements as “Jonathan is not to blame for the crisis rocking the Nigeria’s Governors’ Forum”.

Why say “Jonathan is not to blame for the crisis rocking the Nigeria’s Governors’ Forum”, when he left nobody in doubt that he didn’t want Amaechi, and has embraced the loser, Jang?

• Pius Oyeniran Abioje, Ph. D, University of Ilorin.

Kwaji relied on section 173 of the Constitution of Nigeria, 1999 to recognize that the 12.5 percent and 15 percent salary increase granted to workers in 2003 and 2007 respectively and the 23 percent increase granted to the military in 2008 should be applied pari passu with pension. The total percentage increase which was 50.5 percent was accordingly added to military pension in 2010 with the payment of the resultant arrears. The “idle” civilian pensioners now got better understanding of the message of George Orwell’s Animal Farm as their pensions remain unadjusted even after the hullabaloo and riot over the controversial petroleum products price increase in January 2012 and the enactment of a new

minimum wage by the National Assembly thereafter.

Your Excellencies, at the peak of the Roman empire, fervent admirers of Rome volunteered to sacrifice their lives at the Roman forum (market place) to save Rome in accordance with injunctions of the oracle. In exhibition of patriotism and love for their country, they proudly exchanged cheers with the by-standers at the scene of the supreme sacrifice.

As Nigerians look forward to the centenary of nationhood, what will be the basis for the pensioners and their relations with growing feeling of disenchantment go out there at the Eagle Square and stadia across the nation to cheer? What is the encouragement to the pensioners and

Still on Abati’s metamorphosis

IR: Read Chief Afe Babalola’s column in the Tribune, and you will find that he remains the same old man, always saying, “Welcome, my Lord”, not only to Judges, as a seasoned lawyer and long-standing Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, but also to whoever wields the sceptre in government.

Afe belongs to the ideological school which teaches you don’t say a ruler is not ruling well, but praise him/her and advise by way of embellishment.

By always showing reverence to whoever is in power, Afe has made a lot of fortune as a fierce lawyer to reckon-with. While Chief Gani Fawehinmi (of blessed memory) was always suing erring rulers, Afe and the late Chief Rotimi Williams, always defended. That was basically why Gani earned “SAM” (Senior Advocate of the Masses) long before earning “SAN”, for which he was as qualified as anybody that qualified; he was as fierce as anybody that was fierce. But, imagine the success of someone swimming against the current!

That notwithstanding, Gani was highly blessed with patronage, and was always there for both the able and the unable who had a legal grievance to settle with the powers that be. (I congratulate Afe also, because he is known to be a phi-

S

the governorship election.

But, let us work on the assumption that securing the APGA ticket will be a cake-walk for her. Can Honourable Ekwunife defeat the governorship candidates of APC, PDP and Labour party in the governorship contest? Some people opined that APGA died with Chief Emeka Ojukwu. Late Ojukwu commanded huge followership during his life-time. He used his charisma to sway people to his side. Governor Obi rode on the coat tail of Ojukwu’s popularity to win the governorship election. Now, APGA has emerged from a bitter judicial fight between Obi and Chief Victor Umeh, the national chairman of the party. So, can APGA governorship representative beat APC, PDP and Labour Party flag bearers in the governorship election?

More so, the presidency would like to add Anambra to the list of PDP states in preparation for the presidential poll in 2015. Anambra PDP is fractured by quarrels, intrigues and betrayals. Can Anambra PDP bury their political differences, unite, and present a formidable and consensus governorship candidate? Only then can the party thwart the efforts of APGA flag-bearer and derail the APC’s march to victory.

These are hurdles that Ekwunife must clamber over.

• Chiedu Uche Okoye.

Uruowulu-Obosi, Anambra State.

SOS to President and governors

IR: I wish to appeal to President Goodluck Jonathan, and the governors of the 36 states. Your Excellencies, in the first place, I wish to commend the effort of governors like Peter Obi of Anambra State who pay monthly pensions regularly since assumption of office.

This appeal is for Your Excellencies to administer the old pension in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution rather than abandon the civilian pensioners in the lurch through failure to adjust the old pension.

Military pensioners suffered the same fate until Brig-Gen. Bitrus Kwaji was appointed chairman of Military Pension Board. General

their children to rise and obey the call by Nigeria?

A nation that cannot fulfill mutual agreements with its citizens and where 20 percent of our common resources is spent annually by the leadership to combat crimes and lawlessness but would resort to selective application of the provision of the supreme law of the nation which they swore to uphold.

Your Excellencies, the prevalence of inertia in the conduct of human affairs with timescale does not augur well for the future of society.

Please help to build a nation where no man is oppressed.

• Chukwuma Nwene Obunagu Village, Ndikelionwu, Anambra State.

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 9, 2013 16

21

COMMENTS

To sound like a broken chord...

T

HERE is a patience of the wild that holds motionless for endless hours, the police constable at an illicit checkpoint, the kidnapper in his lair, the assassin in his ambuscade and the public officer on his perch – this patience belongs primarily to the predator while it hunts its prey.

Today however, a terrifying thing has happened; of the ubiquitous prey, a more frightening ogre has evolved: the contemporary Nigerian youth. And by his emergence, we suffer a throwback to the most terrifying of humanity’s savage past. His emergence portends a physical and mental conundrum of sort; the consequence is seen and felt all about us.

Oftentimes, it manifests in uncontrollable spasms that have seen us bury our best and elevate our worst in abject negation of the cycle of the universe and morality. But who needs morals in a nation where fair is foul and foul is fair?

Today, the Nigerian youth live through each day hardly contemplating or criticizing their living conditions. They find themselves born into dehumanizing squalor or somewhat indecent circumstances

and they accept such sordidness as their fate – thus they exhibit no conscious effort to better their lot.

Almost as impulsively as the beasts of the wild, they seek the satisfaction of the needs of the moment, without much forethought that by sufficient endeavour, they just might improve their living conditions.

However, a certain percentage of the nation’s youth guided by personal ambition; consciously strive in thought and will, to attain more privileged status that remains the exclusive preserve of more fortunate members of the society. But these very few hardly worry to secure for all, the advantages which they seek for themselves. This explains the number of self-seeking and treacherous ‘human rights activists,’ ‘women’s rights activists,’ journalists and columnists parading our streets.

Very few men are indeed capable of that kind of love that drives martyrs to persistently rebel against glaring social evils in the interest of less fortunate members of the society. But there exists a few however, that are truly bothered by the impoverishment of their

‘No man; be he a distinguished columnist, lawyer, soldier, or public officer in any office can command the tides of history. The few that appear to have done so–the Napoleon’s, Caesar’s, Hitler’s–were really nothing more than the most capable at making it appear that they command the tides, when in fact they were simply skimming along with them’

I

T was a stinker, just as it was heart-rending, when Edo State government during a town hall meeting last week, opened a can of worms on the goings-on in the state primary schools. The picture was one of widespread, acrossthe-board falsification of ages among primary school teachers in the state. Part of the bizarre revelation was that 789 out of 1,379 teachers obtained their primary school leaving certificates before the age of 8 or 9.

Incredible – you say? That unfortunately was what the audit of the state primary schools undertaken by the Information Communication Technology Agency, under the instruction of Governor Adams Oshiomhole revealed! Thanks to the agency, the exercise confirmed the moral degeneracy by those charged with preparing our kids for the future. So bad was the situation that the duo of the Comrade Governor and the ICT Managing Director, Mrs. Olayemi Keri would lament that the society has degenerated to a point that our forefathers could never have imagined.

The story of the rot in the teaching cadre reminds of the analogy of the baker of bread who wanted everyone in the society dead; all he needed to do was to add a pinch of a deadly substance to the flower and the deed is done. This time, the catastrophe is even more unimaginable given that we are dealing with teachers who have the responsibility to mould the future of our young ones.

The statistics of the rot is certainly as interesting as it is revealing. Only 1,287 teachers representing 9% out of 14,484 teachers have proper and accurate records in the system. The rest 91% have various forms of discrepancies in their records.

Another 1,379 teachers representing 11.5% claim that they obtained their primary school certificates after they had been employed as teachers. In fact, some obtained their primary school certificates not more than two years ago, from the school in which they were employed as teachers!

Indeed, merely going by what the records suggest, some of the teachers may have gone to Teachers’ Training College or obtained National Certificate of Education (NCE) before they went to primary school. The governor also gave out statistics

‘Merely going by what the records suggest, some of the teachers may have gone to Teachers’ Training College or obtained National Certificate of Education (NCE) before they went to primary school’

fellow citizens regardless of any jeopardy it might attract to them personally.

These few, driven by compassion tirelessly seek, first in thought and then in action, for some way of escape; some new system of society by which life may become richer and devoid of escapable evils that mars the present. But surprisingly, such men oftentimes fail to win the support of the very victims of the injustices they wish to fight.

More unfortunate sections of the Nigerian youth are hopelessly ignorant, apathetic from excess of toil and disillusionment, apprehensive through the imminent danger of chastisement by the holders of power, and morally defective owing to the loss of self-respect resulting from their degradation. To excite among such youth any conscious quest to improve the status quo proves basically a hopeless task, as antecedents of such efforts have proven.

Hence despite our claims to modernity, higher education, sophistication and relative rise in the standard of comfort among the youth and wage-earners in the country, the Nigerian society or youth to be precise, have failed woefully to achieve better living conditions and a better society even in the throes of rising demand for more radical intervention and reconstruction of the social order.

It is no surprise however that the nation’s youth has persistently proved a dismal failure. And the reasons are hardly far-fetched: the Nigerian youth has a problem with differentiating between appropriate and inappropriate political behaviour. That is why the nation’s democratic experiment like any other system of governance practicable by us was doomed from the start.

What exactly has democracy offered? A 4-1-9 progressive plan that booms circumspectly like it had been doctored as part of a cold-war era propagandist scheme? But de-

spite our self-righteousness and persistent cynicism with the current order, we really cannot explore a more worthy alternative than what we have now. The average Nigerian can’t bear to be led by a truly honest, visionary and accountable leadership. That explains why we opted for the incumbent leadership.

It’s the way we are programmed to live. I’d say we possess an overwhelming and oft-convincing inclination to self-destruct, thus our lack of a coherent and defensible political ideology essential to the evolution of a progressive leadership and state.

The average Nigerian is no more electable than the leadership he endures yet he loves to speak truth to power even as he functions simultaneously to smother his own voice in the riotous gabble of his exultation of the same ruling class whose eradication he claims to pursue. No matter who is elected, the demographic and economic realities of Nigeria will persist, and there is a very limited range of politically-viable solutions for dealing with them.

No man; be he a distinguished columnist, lawyer, soldier, or public officer in any office can command the tides of history. The few that appear to have done so–the Napoleon’s, Caesar’s, Hitler’s– were really nothing more than the most capable at making it appear that they command the tides, when in fact they were simply skimming along with them.

There is an urgent need for the Nigerian youth to consciously evolve in thought and will, in pursuit of a more balanced social order. Such conscious evolution can only be achieved by a re-orientation in scholarship and purification of thought and action.

The foundations of scholarship and knowledge must be clinically reconstructed to guarantee more progressive responses to internal problems of work and wages, fami-

lies and homes, of morals and the true value of life. These problems must be resolvable by an average youth by reason of his constitution and exposure. This informs a greater need for study and thought and an appeal to the rich experience of past and current mistakes in the journey towards the avoidance and reduction to the barest minimum of future foibles.

The answer to Nigeria’s widening income and social gap – which has so far manifested in preventable crises and persistent state of insecurity – is to found an educational process geared to steer successfully, the commonplace trains of thought away from the dilettante and the fool stereotype.

It’s about time poor, struggling members of the nation’s working class learned to scorn the maxim that holds that if their stomachs be full, it matters little about their brains; the paths to stable peace and security winds between honest toil and dignified manhood. That proverbial better society that we seek calls for the guidance of skilled thinkers, the loving, reverent comradeship between the low income earners and ambitious middle class emancipated by training and culture.

Such human elements would no doubt be conscious of the fact that not even the sustenance of oil subsidy, higher wages and a fairer economic system could protect its members from the usual handicaps and monstrosity constituted by the incumbent and predatory ruling class.

Hence they would be able to understand that such social enterprise and gesture towards change must be mooted and achieved by the youth themselves in further substantiation of their capacities to assimilate the culture and common sense of modern civilization, and to pass it on, to some extent at least, to posterity.

• To be continued…

Oshiomhole’s town hall meeting: Matters arising

By Eric Onivefu

on the teachers-student ratio in all the local governments as 30 students per teacher, a figure that is much lower than the UNESCO recommendation on student-teacher ratio, suggesting that there are more teachers in the state primary schools than needed.

And like the governor would also observe at the town hall event, monies arising from the exit of teachers by way of voluntary resignation, death, and otherwise simply vanished without trace!

We can therefore understand the governor’s exasperation when he avers that “It would not be helpful to the cause of education and our resolve to deliver quality education to our pupils if we do not deal with this issue decisively”.

No doubt, there were some positives from the audit. For instance, it showed that there are more female teachers than male teachers in the state. On this, the governor would observe: “in some cases, we have more female pupils in schools than male and that is very encouraging, because some states, are still battling with how to get their female children to school, but that is not the case in Edo.” He attributed this to the number of steps taken to restore confidence and integrity into the public schools system – the result of which is the steady increase in enrolment in public Junior Secondary Schools in the state.

Speaking on why the town hall meeting on education became necessary, the governor explained that it was to find a solution to the problems. He told the gathering: “a school with all the necessary infrastructure without qualified teachers is like an empty hall. The solution to this problem, I may not know, but I am sure, before the end of this all important meeting, the solution would come. But, before knowing the solution, there is need to understand the severity of the problems”, since according to him, “The future of our children lies in sound educational foundation. Edo State government can not afford to leave the future and training of our children in the hands of incompetent teachers”.

He also made the point repeatedly that the government was open to suggestions on the way forward just as he reaffirmed his determination to put in place a mechanism to check corruption, bribery and malpractices in the recruitment of

teachers, particularly by the state Post Primary Education Board (PPEB).

According to Walter Scott, “The best part of man’s education is that which he gives to himself”. Often times, columnists, critics and commentators in the country have tended to focus most of their attention on the leadership problems bedevilling the nation, leaving out the sector that determines what entire generations become to fend for itself. It is no longer news that the nation’s standard of education has nosedived, worse than anybody can possibly imagine if the investigation by Edo State government is anything to go by.

As it is, the fight to restore dignity and respect to our primary, secondary and tertiary institutions should not be viewed as one man’s fight, but, it should be viewed as a fight thrown at all men of goodwill in the nation. If we allow the flame that was handed down to us by our founding fathers to quench in our hands, posterity will never be kind to us!

Though, Oshiomhole has allayed teachers’ fear of possible mass sack, he stated that he needed to get all stakeholders alerted on the issue so as to find a lasting solution to the malaise.

If I understood Oshiomhole correctly, he is simply saying that the primary school system, which is the foundation of learning, needs a turnaround, not cosmetic, but in real sense, a complete change – a real transformation.

‘He also made the point repeatedly that the government was open to suggestions on the way forward just as he reaffirmed his determination to put in place a mechanism to check corruption, bribery and malpractices in the recruitment of teachers, particularly by the state Post Primary Education Board (PPEB)’

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 9, 2013

22

COMMENTS

R

AMADAN being the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar had come and gone. Around the globe, this holy month seems to have changed nothing about the image of scandals that Islamic extremists have inflicted on our esteemed religion of peace. It takes strong will and serious faith in Almighty Allah before one can publicly proclaim his Islamic beliefs especially during visits to the western and other developed countries of the world. Due to incessant bombings, killings and other acts of violence by Islamic perverts around the world, most people from other religions now see the motto of Islam as a religion of peace in a metaphorical sense.

The barbaric acts of unscrupulous people who hide under the cloak of Islam to make the world insecure for most of us to live in are wreaking serious havoc on the religion and the way reasonable adherents are mostly perceived in the public domain. Their inhuman activities have become a soil on the image of Islam. For instance, at the entry points of the United States of America, France, United Kingdom and other countries, the sight of passports with Muslim names, especially from certain countries of the world, evokes suspicion and palpable fears of violence. To immigration officials at such entry points, every Muslim, until proved otherwise, is a potential Al’Qaeda or Boko Haram- both organisations ruinous Islamic sects of global acclaim.

The situation is admissibly becoming unbearable to all men of honour and reason from whatever parts and of whatever beliefs. Many Muslims with common sense and decorum are daily witnessing avoidable embarrassing situations. Even at the moment, most Muslim children drop their Islamic names for non-religious others given to them by their parents.

Sometime ago when two black British youths of Nigerian origin and Christian background killed a British soldier hiding under their new found Islamic religion, a niece of mine, Ameerah Lawal, in a British primary school, complained to her mum about the irreverent way her classmates looked at her anytime the injurious acts of those Islamic perverts came up for discussions in class. Her mum, who is my sister, merely told her to ignore such cynical looks since she was a Muslim with no violent inclination.

Ameerah’s mum, Risikat Omotunde Lawal told her to always be a proud Muslim and a

T

HERE is always a special up-welling of patriotic zeal each time one encounters the hallowed deep green logo of the Glo brand. It is especially so across the borders say in Cotonu or Accra. One often lapses into the reverie of what might not have been had the Glo dream been extirpated. As this authentic and pioneering Nigerian brand rounds off a decade of GSM telephony in Nigeria and on the West Coast of Africa, one cannot help but be lured into a tribute to what has come to epitomize the typical Nigerian dream.

Thereabouts August 29, 2003, Globacom Limited, an offshoot of the Mike Adenuga Group rolled out the Glo brand of mobile services. One still remembers the bold and almost inimitable launch show held at the freshly wrought Golden Gate Restaurant in Ikoyi, Lagos. The show featured Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka (WS) and juju music king, Sunny Ade. It was a sublime evening to be remembered for the delicate expression of culture, (Yoruba culture especially), intellectualism and a digital new horizon.

One framed an especial image of WS seated on stage, behind a microphone with a pyrotechnic of lightning effects in the background. One also still remembers Sunny Ade cashing in on one of his old classic tunes, ‘365 is my number’, which he adapted to the moment to become ‘0805 is my number’. It was a product launch that became a cause célèbre in itself.

If that memorable Glo launch sent a chill down the spine of competition, it also must have revealed to all interested parties, a fresh new insight into the persona of Adenuga, the one his friends and associates call the bull. It indeed requires the grit, the derring-do and the blood-thirstiness of a raging bull to have to first snatch the GSM licence and second, to sustain the new business for a decade in a peculiar Nigerian environment. The shenanigan over acquiring

‘We urge the Glo team to continue to strive to build an institution that will conquer the world (yeah, rule your world) and last till eternity – that must be their binding credo’

07011117777

Ameerah’s burden

•Ameerah

positive pride to that religion of peace and the world around her. The promising girl, a British born, no doubt, has been my pride and that of her parents in her academic pursuits and conducts within and outside her school. At under 10 years of age, it is unfathomable that Ameerah is getting embarrassed by the stupid conducts of some new converts and even old Islamic fundamentalists. What my little niece witnessed in that British school is being daily witnessed by several others in Britain and other countries of the world. She once told me she was a proud Muslim and l encouraged her to always walk tall among her peers. The sky is Insha Allah and definitely, her limit.

Ameerah’s plight, being obviously faced by other children and adults that bear Islamic names across the world, should not be a deter-

rent to the promotion of good Islamic causes.

After all, it is not only in Islam that vices exist.

It does in other religions too. There exist many horrific Christians and pagans but the global height to which some unscrupulous Muslims have taken violence is not only inimical but condemnable. Not even the avowed dislikes for western imperialism, evil and exploitations of lesser nations/citizens can be justifications for this large-scale religious extremism that is being inflicted on humanity. While those with prejudiced mindsets against Muslims should not be wholly blamed, Muslims that are peaceful and reasonable deserve to be treated with respect by believers of other religions and governments of these countries.

Perhaps, the time has come to call on those who are giving Islam a bad name, especially in the spirit of the just concluded Ramadan, to sheathe their swords. They should realise that Ramadan is by nature a time of sacrifice. And that fasting during Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam. If truly we fast in the way that Allah (SWT) likes and wants, then He will forgive all our sins. It was during this just concluded month, centuries ago, that Almighty Allah revealed the divine message in the Holy Quran to our Prophet (PBUH).

History has also affirmed that Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) was fasting when he received the first revelation. Thus, fasting during Ramadan is a spiritual effort aimed at preparing the hearts of true believers for the words of Allah. If indeed Ramadan is a period of fasting, reflection, devotion, generosity and sacrifice, can those engaging in cruelties under

EXPRESSO STEVE OSUJI

SMS 08111526725, email:steve.osuji@yahoo.com

In the Glo of an original Nigerian

• Mike Adenuga the licence is too detailed and complicated to recount here but suffice to say that Globacom was perhaps the only indigenous firm that bade in 2001 but the gormless government of the day denied it the licence preferring two foreign firms. Two years lapsed; two years of pleading, cajoling and perhaps horse-trading before there was a change of mind by the gods of that era. Two years of huge grounds lost to competition, of missed opportunities, of haemorrhaging through cost of funds, of dreams dangerously deferred and psychological aggravations.

It is a tribute to Adenuga’s tenacity and vision that his flame was not quenched by the Nigerian factor which was obviously at play at that time. Obviously driven by forces unknown to the rest of us, he eventually got hold of the licence and launched his Glo brand of gsm service into a Nigerian market that had been assailed for two years by two

South African brands – MTN and Econet; multinationals that had played the global system of mobile telephone service field for years in countries across Africa. Adenuga was undaunted, he took the multinationals on head long unsettling the market by crashing prices and unleashing new initiatives.

In only a short while, Globacom made aggressive in-roads into Nigeria’s hinterland and soon, Glo became the network of choice for Nigerians.

Today, glo has become an international brand hoisting Nigeria’s flag in Benin Republic, Ghana and perhaps Cote D’Ivoire.

Today, Glo is a multinational in its own right; today it is a great Nigerian story, it is a metaphor for the immense untapped potentialities and capabilities of Nigeria and Nigerians. Glo is a testimony that from the ashes of a-once-upon-a-time NITEL can yet emerge a multinational global telecommunications empire that is purely Nigerian.

But for Globacom, there may never have been an authentic Nigerian gsm firm operating in the virgin and highly lucrative Nigerian market. More important, Glo may well be the first original global brand of true Nigerian origin. Along with Dangote, Zenith, GTBank, Access and Transcorp, Nigerian businessmen have in the last decade shown their mettle to the world.

On its 10th anniversary, every Nigerian must take pride in and salute Mike Adenuga and the Globacom family. Now that the national telecoms backbone (NITEL) is moribund, the entire telecoms data of Nigerians would have been solely in the hands of for-

the guise of Islam tell the world if wickedness to fellow humans is generosity and sacrifice to humanity? Can it be proved that the feelings and lessons experienced during the just ended holy month are of any importance to them? If not, the true goal and test of Ramadan, as proffered by the Almighty Allah, to mankind, would have been lost.

All of us who are good Muslims, different from the criminals giving the religion a bad name, must earnestly realise that Ramadan, being a very special time for Muslims, comes with gratifying spiritual feelings, renewal and lessons that we should allow to stay with us throughout our lifetime. The increased good habits and comportment, charity, brotherliness, strength of mind and sense of responsibility displayed during Ramadan must not cease among all Muslims. In the Qur’an, Islam’s holy book, Muslims are commanded to fast so that they may “learn self-restraint” (Qur’an 2:183). The restraint and devotion should be targeted more against bad habits and conducts. That, to yours sincerely, should be the true goal and test of Ramadan and of good Islamic fraternity and brotherliness.

We all look up to Almighty Allah to accept our fasting; to guide us all to the straight path and for Him to forgive our sins. We look up to Allah to increase our blessings during and after this Ramadan; and also throughout our years. Again, for those who give Islam a bad name: Are they not taking for granted the mercy, forgiveness and peace of the Almighty Allah by their conducts? As for me and Ameerah, we remain peacefully proud Muslims with strong aversion for anything that could taint Islam. Millions of other Muslims around the world belong to this category too.

‘The barbaric acts of unscrupulous people who hide under the cloak of Islam to make the world insecure for most of us to live in are wreaking serious havoc on the religion and the way reasonable adherents are mostly perceived in the public domain.’ eign firms if we hadn’t Glo; how foreboding. We urge the Glo team to continue to strive to build an institution that will conquer the world (yeah, rule your world) and last till eternity – that must be their binding credo.

Ben Nwabueze’s book of life

It is actually the book of his life; a life a little over four scores. Professor Benjamin Obiefuna Nwabueze (SAN) can be said to be peerless in Nigeria today as far as intellectual endeavor and output go. He has just released a combo of a biography – a two-volume 719-page story of his life. The book, titled: “Ben Nwabueze: His Life, Works and Times – An Autobiography” was released in Lagos recently. It is indeed the story of the rich life of a man who is not only prodigious in learning and knowledge but also in putting all these into a wonderful legacy of books. If you sought a truly learned man, Professor Nwanbueze is in a class apart and if you do not own any of his bulky collection of about 30 books, then you are probably not learned. Especially so if you are a lawyer and you have not read his land and constitutional law books then you must have studied in South Sandwich Trench, wherever that may be.

He is among the last of Nigeria’s grandee generation – extremely sound of mind, deep in learning and culture. His life is a book that is worth reading having been everywhere, seen everything and perhaps done most things. He is a lawyer, a university teacher, businessman, boardroom player, public administrator, patriot and author.

Much sought after in his hay days, he had done scholastic and legalistic duties in over a dozen countries of the world and helped in drafting constitution in another half a dozen countries. About 30 years ago, he was an honoree of the Nigerian National Merit Award (NNOM).

Only one person is fit to tell the story of this grand old man from Atani, Ogbaru LGA of Anambra State and that is him. His autobiography may fittingly be described as a book of life.

NOTE: Readers of this column seeking to get a copy of Gen. Alabi-Isama’s Biafra war memoir, “Tragedy of Victory” which was reviewed here a few weeks ago may call 08115131881.

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 9, 2013

23

FRIDAY, AUGUST 9, 2013

I N S I D E

Jonathan must stop his Makossa dance, says Obahiagbon

After the storm, top banker steps in as Akwa Ibom SSG

Family battles Amnesty Office over death of trainee in Poland

•PAGE 26 - 27 •Obahiagbon

Pages 25

Website: http://www.thenationonlineng.com

•PAGE 37

•PAGE 28 •Ezebiri

•Emmanuel

‘Woman in rape video is my wife’ After months of investigations, Southsouth Regional Editor SHOLA O’NEIL and ROSEMARY NWISI reveal the missing links in the 2011 rape video erroneously tagged ‘Abia rape video’. They unravel the victim’s identity, the Rivers State scene of the crime and how the victim was infected with HIV, which claimed the life of the child she was carrying.

O

N a rainy Sunday afternoon in June, Obite, Etche Local Government Area of Rivers State wore an innocent look. Nothing gave it away as the scene where four men gang-raped a pregnant wife of their relative and indigene of the community.

Driving through the tranquil town on that soggy Sunday, it was hard to picture it as the setting for the sordid rape that travelled through and repulsed the world in 2011 and became erroneously known as ‘Abia rape’.

Mr Stanley Sunday (not his real name), husband of the victim, said Obite was where the crime took place. The police think so too.

Pointing to a nondescript bungalow in one of the suburbs, Mr. S (as he preferred to be known in this report) told Niger Delta Report in an emotion-laden voice: “That is where they raped my wife”.

The hapless woman was pregnant with a child, whose fate was sadly sealed by the rape.

Mr S refused to speak with us inside his house - a bungalow on the outskirts of the village - because of fear that we could be attacked by the rapists and ‘their sponsor’.

“We must talk quickly and you leave; I do not want to put your lives in danger,” he said.

When reports of the rape first surfaced on the internet in August 2011, it was said to have occurred at the Abia State University (ABSU). The rapists were thought to be students of ABSU. Governor Theodore Orji and his wife Mercy lent their voices to the gale of condemnation, with ABSU denying that”there was no such inglorious act and ugly incident in the institution.”

Mr. S said: “Some of the rapists did not even finish their secondary education; none of them is a student of the institution.”

‘

When I saw it (video), I listened to what the woman was saying but it was her voice that struck me. I was shocked; I said within myself ‘am I dreaming?’ The woman in the video had my wife’s voice, face and the hair style?

The heartbroken man hinted of conspiracy between some powerful persons in the community, including a member of his extended family, and the rapists.

“They know what they did; the activities they and their boss are engaged in,” he added.

He said his wife told him that there were eight men in the room when she was molested.

“Four of them raped her, while the other four acted as bouncers, guard and commanders.”

Kept in the dark Our checks revealed that the distraught husband found out about the sordid affair late. He had also lost a son to HIV/AIDS infection, which his wife is believed to have contacted from the rapists.

Attempts by our reporter to speak with the victim met brick walls. At her family’s home in Nazi, Owerri, where she moved in with her parents, we were told she had relocated to the village, ostensibly because of the stigma from the incident.

Her sibling, who was contacted on telephone, became suspicious and hung as soon as we told him we were trying to reach his sister.

Over one year after he found out, Mr S could not completely conceal

‘

the hurt and betrayal in his voice when he spoke.

He said he found out about the rape of his wife through his colleagues. He was working offshore when his colleagues started discussing the “evils going on in the society.

They said I should see what evil people are doing. I was not interested until they started talking about a sad one that happened in Abia State.

They said university students raped their colleague, videoed and posted it on the internet. I said they must be cultists to have done such things.

“When they started narrating it, I got interested and asked to see the video. When I saw it (video), I listened to what the woman was saying but it was her voice that struck me. I was shocked; I said within myself ‘am I dreaming?’ The woman in the video had my wife’s voice, face and the hair style?

“I couldn’t contain myself; I asked my colleague to transfer the video to my mobile phone. I did not tell him why I wanted the video, but I wanted to compare it with her (wife’s) photo I have on my laptop computer back at home.”

After some time, he got time-off from work in an offshore location •Continued on page 27

•The couple at the dedication of their late baby

•PROTEST IN OGONI OVER UNEP REPORTP38•DICKSON SEEKS UN’S INTERVENTION TO COMBAT FLOODP40

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 9, 2013

26

NIGER DELTA REPORT

Jonathan must stop his Makossa dance, Patrick Obahiagbon, a former member representing Oredo Federal Constituency of Edo State in the National Assembly in 2007, is Chief of Staff to Governor Adams Oshiomhole. He speaks with OSEMWENGIE BEN OGBEMUDIA on Rivers State crisis and others.

T

HE feud between G o v e r n o r Amaechi of Rivers and Jonathan What are Amaechi’s political transgressions? That he regularly gives vent to the collective decisions of his brother governors? That he nurses vice presidential ambition which he has even denied? That he habilimented himself with a perfume of recusancy and not decumbency when he suspected a foul play on the oil wells that he insists belong to Rivers State? That he hobnobs with progressive governors?

That he insists on the deepening of the practice of our unitary federalism? That he insists on the exercise of his inalienable right to re-contest as Chairman of the Governors Forum? Is this why the apparatchik and coercive apparatus of state, sustained by tax payers money has been arrayed against him? I see in this malodorous script the

hands of Esau though the voice of Jacob and this is certainly an eschewable sociopolitical asphyxia cascading into a Frankenstein monster that does not dignify the Presidency and this Makossa dance must stop forthwith.

As a lawyer, the NBA general election is just around the corner, will you advocate for Mid-West Bar to lead the NBA this time as president?

What is the big deal about the genealogical fons et origo of where the President of the Nigerian Bar Association comes from? What to me is more of the moment is an NBA President that can dialectically interrogate the political class by providing a bulwark of virile and utilitarian leadership. The Nigerian Bar Association should and must be a strategic social force for revolutionary change and that is the more reason the process of the emergence of its leadership must not be subordinated

to parochial, atavistic, astigmatic and putrescently parapoistic sentiments. We all saw the difference it made when Chief Bola Ajibola and Alao Aka Bashorun led the Nigerian Bar. As a matter of fact, the next NBA general election should be a clarion call for the Nigerian Bar to extricate itself from the gangrenous clutches of Presidential trappings. These, for me, are the real issues.

The CJN is also taking steps to clean up the judiciary. What is your take on it?

No doubt at all that the Chief Justice of Nigeria has begun to intrepidly walk the talk by demonstrably showcasing her salubrious fingers in cleansing the judiciary of its odoriferous Augean stables. Recall that when she took her oath of office inside the hallowed chamber of Aso Rock on July 16, last year, she said inter alia: “I will do my best to tackle cor-

‘

Mark my words and you can quote me on this.

The state of emergency that carries along with it increased military presence in three northern states of Nigeria would be in the long run a deprecable sciamachy

‘

•Obahiagbon

ruption in the judiciary by leading by example and hope that others will follow” and since her assumption of office, some judges who have been adjudged guilty of malversation have been committed to judicial sepulcher. She still has a long walk and she should be under no illusion that her audacious efforts would be resisted by retrograde forces of primitive accumulation as we have lugubriously wit-

nessed in the case of the suspended Justice Talba. If she remains well focused and consistent in her logic, she can be rest assured of the strategic support of the progressive community.

The military action in the three states where emergency rule was declared, do you think the action will solve the insurgent?

Mark my words and you can quote me on this. The state of emergency that carries

along with it increased military presence in three northern states of Nigeria would be in the long run a deprecable sciamachy. Students of history and historiography would not find it difficult to predict a recrudescence after a lull of the extant military kamikaze. It’s like an apple of Hesperides which is attractive on its face value but would amount to quixotically tilting at the security windmills at the end of the day.

report from a Haematology Laboratory Request form dated August 5, 2011, (a copy is in Niger Delta Report’s possession), showed that the mother and child tested positive to HIV antibodies. The father’s result was negative.

The result struck a blow that shook the young marriage to its foundation.

The child was barely two months old and had just be dedicated at a Pentecostal church with fanfare and an elaborate celebration party in mid-June 2011.

Before the incident, Mr S was surprised when the doctors asked for his blood sample for a routine test.

“I told them that it was my child that was ill and not me.

But they insisted and I had to

allow them even though I didn’t know why.”

After the test, top management staff of the hospital (names withheld) invited the couple to a meeting where they broke the sad news to them. “They told me I am a lucky man; my wife and son had HIV but I don’t have. I was surprised. I didn’t know what to say. I asked ‘what is the luck in that when my wife and child were infected?’”

The hospital declined comment when contacted. An official politely cited the sensitive nature of the diagnosis and doctor/patient secrecy oath, stressing that the hospital should not be mentioned in this report.

A medical source, who spoke on condition of ano-

nymity, confirmed the report.

It was gathered that the revelation rocked the foundation of the couple’s marriage with both family members getting involved in the effort to solve the mystery. Mrs S was accused of infidelity and almost sent packing when the child died two months later.

Yet, she refused to disclose the source of her anguish until her husband confronted her with the video.

‘Woman in rape video is my wife’ •Continued from page 25 and went home to confront his wife and his worst nightmare.

He said the woman initially denied she was the woman in the video before he pressured her into confessing.

Obite’s indigenes, who asked not to be named, said the husband was so angry that he summoned a family meeting and threatened to divorce his wife, if she did not open up.

“It was then that the woman narrated that she was going to visit her husband’s relative when she was lured into the house by the suspects, some of whom are her husband’s relatives,” said a source.

Confirming this, Mr S said: “She said she hid it from me because of the threat to her life, my own life and those of our family members.”

More intriguing, according to our checks, was that most of the man’s relatives in the town reportedly knew about it before he was aware. More perplexing, Mr S said, was that one of his relatives, a very influential member of the community, was fingered as the godfather of the boys, who raped his wife.

“I didn’t know what she was going through, what had happened to my wife. She was living with me and cooking for me while living this hor-

•Orji and wife: Condemned the rape ror and fear that they would kill her if she told me or go to the police.

“The worst aspect of the case is that they infected her with the deadly disease (HIV).

When this incident happened, my wife was pregnant (about two months).”

Yet his feeling of sorrow and empathy failed to save the marriage. Although he would not confirm or deny report that he was separated from his wife, yet he said he had not seen her for over two months when we met him in Obite.

“She is living with her parents in Owerri. I do call her and we talk once in a while. I even took her to TB Joshua’s church in Lagos when we were finding solution to the case (her infection).”

HIV Infection Our investigations revealed that the husband’s anger was fuelled by a tragedy that earlier struck the couple in 2011 when their six-month-old son - the first child of the marriage - died of complications resulting from a mysterious HIV infection.

He said: “The child was taken to a children’s clinic located in GRA Phase 1, Port Harcourt after he fell ill with cough, about two months after his birth. He was coughing without stopping and we had to take the child to the specialist hospital.”

At the hospital, the child and mother were diagnosed with the deadly Human Immune Virus (HIV). The blood

More intrigues It was while the couple was managing the crisis resulting from the child’s death that Mr. S stumbled on the rape video and possible answer to mystery of the HIV infection.

If his wife was cowed by the threat, the angry husband was

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 9, 2013

27

NIGER DELTA REPORT Female politicians to write Patience Jonathan on Rivers’ crisis

, says Obahiagbon ‘

Students of history and historiography would not find it difficult to predict a recrudescence after a lull of the extant military kamikaze. It’s like an apple of Hesperides which is attractive on its face value but would amount to quixotically tilting at the security windmills at the end of the day.

The phenomenon of Boko Haramism preceded the assumption of office of President Jonathan but it did not take on a sanguinary toga, until what was perceived rightly or wrongly as a megalomaniacal usurpation of the presidential mandate of our northern brothers. That is why for me a political solution is the ultimate Aladin lamp out of the phantasmagorical gridlock. I must urge that whilst the military blitzkriegism lasts, our

‘

military must respect the rules of engagement and ensure that the lives of innocent Nigerians in that part of the country are not wasted.

Edo State PDP has raised a lot of issues against the government of Oshiomhole in the area of his age, Airport road, SUBEB and that contractors had abandoned site for lack of government’s inability to pay.

Let me say that there are no issues here to respond to. Ca-

sual visitors to Edo State would bear eloquent testimony to the fact that Edo State still remains a huge working construction site daily in progress. As for SUBEB, I do think that Mr Governor should be eulogised for his sense of commitment to Edo state when his eagle eyes discovered some irregularities and refused to paper over it as a family affair. I can also say authoritatively that the Airport road remains one of his testimonials as a political miracle worker and man of redoubtable vision.

The matter of his age is over flogged but it behoves of me to remind the world again that it was Mr Governor himself who decided to set the records straight without promptings from anybody. Let me use this opportunity to call on all Edo sons and daughters wherever they are domicile(and this include members of the opposition political parties to continuously pray to the Great Grand Architect of the Universe for the good health and long life of the governor for his selfless duties to our state. Edo State is truly work in progress and it’s my pleasure to be part of this irreversible history occasioned by Comrade Adams Oshiomole and I say cheers to him as he continuously basks in the euphoria of his 61st birthday.

•Ms Tamuno speaking while other female elected offcials listened.

E

LECTED female local government officials and lawmakers in Rivers State will write the wife of President Goodluck Jonathan, Patience, on the political crisis in the state.

The Elected Female Local Government Executives and Legislators Forum said the First Lady should be an ambassador of peace.

The leader and spokesperson of the forum, Ms. Maureen Tamuno, who spoke in Port Harcourt, said: “We want to use this medium to tell her that she should preach peace and unite the country. It is these women seated here who moved from door-to-door to mobilise the two million votes her husband got from Rivers State during the 2011 general elections.”

Ms Tamuno, who is also the Chairman of Ogu/Bolo Local Government Area, where Mrs. Jonathan hails from, added: “These women here own the grassroots. I went in helicopter to 19 local governments with Dame Judith Amaechi, wife of the governor to mobilise votes for the president.”

The elected politicians also called for “the immediate transfer of Commissioner of Police Mbu Joseph Mbu as resolved by the National Assembly” adding that peace would return to

‘ One thing that is certain in this whole issue is that the incident is not a crime against the victim and her family; it is a crime, humiliation against the state, Federal Government and I want the ministry of justice to know this •Godwin: No comment unfazed and determined to bring the harbingers of his misfortune to justice. He immediately dragged his wife to the Rivers State Police Command’s Criminal Investigation Department. The case was assigned to an inspector of police identified as Mr. Eneje.

The victim was taken in by the police for interrogation after which she identified three suspects as part of the gang.

A fourth suspect narrowly escaped and was still at large at the time of this report.

The suspects are: Uchenna Ukulor, Chizoba Nwosu, Nwazuo Nmezi and one person at large.

Mr S said as soon as the suspects were arrested, some prominent members of the

community met and decided that he withdrew the case from the police and let bygone be bygone. When he refused, he said he was banished from the community.

However, it was gathered that weeks after the police began investigation, Mr S lost his job. He claimed that he was victimised because of his insistence on bringing his wife’s abusers to justice. He said some members of the society boasted after he lost his job that”let’s see how he is going to pursue the case now”.

He added: “Since I came to the knowledge of the incident and began the move to prosecute the suspects, my life has been under threat; the suspects are after me, their sponsor (names withheld), is after me.

‘

They have been making frantic efforts to eliminate me.”

He said the threats were so serious that he and his wife had to temporarily relocate to the Police Headquarters during the investigations.

Attempts to scuttle the case Although scores of persons were either arrested or interrogated over the incident, the trial has dragged on for over a year amid reports of attempts to bribe the police and other agencies involved in the prosecution.

Police Inspector Eneje, who investigated the matter, refused to comment on reports that he was offered inducement to ‘close the case’. He said the police had concluded its investigation and arrested

suspects who were charged to Magistrate’s Court 9, Port Harcourt.

Records obtained from the court indicated that the case file was transferred to the Department of Public Prosecution (DPP) for advice last year after the court declined jurisdiction on the ground that it was not competent to try the suspects.

At the DPP office, a source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the prosecution was delayed when certain key evidence disappeared from the file.

Our source said: “The photographs and other exhibits needed to prosecute the case disappeared but I think efforts are being made to retrieve them now.”

From Clarice Azuatalam, Port Harcourt

the state and democracy would thrive immediately after his transfer.

On the continued detention of the House Leader, Chidi Llyod, the women condemned “the way he is being treated like a common criminal, which he is not”.

The forum also condemned the botched attempt by five of the 32 lawmakers of the Assembly to impeach Speaker Otelemaba Dan-Amachree.

They also flayed a statement credited to the Chief Edwin Clark-led Elders of Southsouth Assembly, saying that it was wrong for the elders to be “criticising our performing governor as such does not reflect the wishes of the people of the region because Elder Clark is expected to be a father to all”.

They appealed to Jonathan, the Senate, the House of Representatives and elders to bring peace to the state.

On Amaechi, they said: “He has returned Port Harcourt back to its Garden City status as all public utilities in the metropolis which enemies of the state dishonestly appropriated have all been recovered and transformed to international standards.”

Solicitor-General of the State and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice, Rufus Godwin, who was contacted, referred us to the chief registrar, insisting that he could not speak on the case without the charge sheet number.

‘Rapists’ on the loose Nevertheless, while the case winds painfully through prosecution, the suspects, Ukulor, Nwosu and Nmezi, have returned to their normal lives, much to the angst of Mr S, his distraught wife and members of the human rights community.

It was gathered that the suspects were granted bail in late last year.

Mr S, who said the release of the suspects, has further heightened fear over his safety, said: “We don’t even know the position of the matter now; since last year we were told that the DPP advice was being awaited. The suspects are walking freely everywhere; even one of them just got wedded about two months ago.”

He said his family has been let down by the government, which allowed the case to drag on until it is almost forgotten.

He said: “Well, one thing I believe is that the crime, humiliation was not committed only against me, they did it to Nigeria, Nigerians in general and women all over the world in particular.”

The Director of Programmes, Centre for Environment, Human Rights Development (CEHRD), Steve Obodoekwe, agreed that the crime was against humanity, not just the family involved.

He expressed dissatisfaction with Ministry of Justice’s handling of the case, adding: “It is not one of such cases that should be swept under the carpet; it is unfortunate to hear

that the matter is as good as dead.

“Right now, we learnt that the suspects earlier arraigned in a Magistrate’s Court in connection with the crime are no longer in custody, even when the DPP’s advice is yet being expected and the matter not yet before any High Court either in the state or country.

This is, indeed, very appalling.”

He called for the conduct of a probe on how the suspects ‘escaped’ from custody.

Obodoekwe said: “They should be rearrested and detained, charged to court and tried accordingly. We are also recommending that those that let them off the hooks should be equally fished out and given the same treatment as the criminals.

“This is because, we are in Nigeria, and obviously nothing goes for nothing in this country. Those that released them from custody must have done deals with them, and so should be given even worse treatment than the suspects.

“A serious matter like ‘gang rape’ is what we are talking about here, you arrested some suspects took them to the Magistrate’s Court which we know have no powers to try capital offences. Now we are hearing that they are moving freely everywhere like free persons. It is unheard of; it is evil.

“One thing that is certain in this whole issue is that the incident is not a crime against the victim and her family; it is a crime, humiliation against the state, Federal Government and I want the ministry of justice to know this.”

It is uncertain when the family will get justice, but what is sure is that the last has not been heard of this gang rape, even though the video has been pulled from the internet.

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 9, 2013

28

NIGER DELTA REPORT

Family battles Amnesty Office over death of trainee in Poland

A

FEW hours before his death, relatives of Deck Cadet Godwin Ezebiri said he chatted with a sibling on Facebook. Mr. Pax Ezebiri said during the chat on Wednesday, June 5, Godwin asked for his account details to enable him remit money to Nigeria.

The young cadet was in Panama, South America aboard a vessel, M/V Green Guatemala, owned by Green Reefer, a Polish company. He was one of the beneficiaries of the Federal Government’s amnesty training programme and was on industrial training when he died on June 6.

A copy of the draft statement on his death signed by the master of the vessel, L. Sapelevics, indicated that prior to his death, the 27-year-old indicated his aversion to continuing as a seaman.

Sapelevics said after a fellow amnesty trainee signed off, the late Ezebiri decided he wanted out and kept asking about the next port and the possibility of him leaving.

“During our discussion Ezebiri told me that he most probably will change his opinion about seaman’s life and seaman...He said that he wants to back to home at next port due to that he tired and difficult to him stay long time aboard (sic).”

The document indicated that the late Ezebiri met with the captain and asked for news about the next port and was determined to sign off.

“At 20:20lt on 06th of June 2013, we received inform (sic) from deck cadet G. Ezebiri that he filling (sic) badly.

At 20:22 lt I started to call Boyd Steamship agency for calling doctor/ambulance.

“At 20:45 lt Deck Cadet G. Ezebiri died. We tried to resuscitate but without success,” the statement concluded.

The management of Green Reefer later communicated his death to the Amnesty Office, which through an official, Mr. Brown Aroloye, communicated his next of kin, identified as Oloye.

“Curiously, after the contact was made, the company started dealing directly with us (family) without going through the amnesty office. We felt this was not right because our brother left Nigeria under the banner of the amnesty office and we felt that they should talk to us through the office,” Pax said.

Unimpressed with the turn of event, the family contacted the law firm of Larry Ovwromoh & Associates, which wrote a letter dated July 12 to the Amnesty Office.

The letter regretted that the office “failed, refused and neglected” to inform the family of Ezebri’s death and raised questions about the cause of his death; Amnesty Office’s handling of the events afterwards and the conduct of autopsy without the family’s knowledge and consent.

It expressed shock that the Amnesty Office “is so detached in respect of this death and is yet to officially inform our clients and ascertain the cause of

The death of an amnesty trainee in Panama while on industrial training aboard a Polish ship has opened a floodgate of controversy that has pitted the family against the Amnesty Office over the handling of his death and conduct of an autopsy.

SHOLA O’NEIL reports

•The late Ezebiri

death.”

They demanded that the inquest be revisited, adding: “It is only after a satisfactory explanation and elimination of any foul play in the cause of death that the family will be in any position to receive the body of their late brother.”

Besides, our reporter gathered that the family raised questions over discrepancy in the time of death contained in Sapelevics statement and that in the inquest conducted by Dr Omar Zapata of the Legal Medicine and Forensic Science Institute, Colon.

“By the said coroner’s inquest, Ezebiri died of natural causes but curiously the time of death contradicts the statement made by the master of MV Green Guatemala, L. Sapelevics.”

The former put time of death at 10:45pm, while the latter’s was 20:45 (8:45pm).

Mr. Daniel Alabrah, media aide to Special Adviser on Amnesty to the President, who was contacted by our reporter, confirmed the death of Ezebri, adding that the office was saddened by it.

Lawmaker lifts farmers with rice seedlings

T

HE Senator representing Northern Senatorial District of Cross River State, Prof Ben Ayade, brought smiles to the faces of farmers in his constituency by supplying them high yielding rice seedlings.

The Faro 44 high yield rice specie, which was brought to his constituency office in Ogoja, was distributed to about 3, 000 farmers in the five local government areas that make up the senatorial district and shared to the 64 wards in the district.

The lawmaker said the rice was given to all constituents, irrespective of their party affiliations.

Mr. Ochikry Idagabo, who spoke on behalf of the lawmaker, said: “Senator Ayade represents the entire northern senatorial district and

From Nicholas Kalu, Calabar

not PDP members only so the rice was given to everyone who is a rice farmer because the objective is to empower the people.

“Prof Ayade comes from a farming background, and do not forget, he is a good farmer himself so he knows the needs of the people and rice is the cash crop which the average farmer can sell and use to send his children to school.”

The beneficiaries were elated.

“We have not seen anything like this before; we are really happy that he can do this for us. This rice given to us will go a long way in solving our rice seedlings need. I have been looking for this faro 44 and nobody is willing to give me. Now I have it free,” one of the beneficiaries said.

•The late Ezebiri (centre) with friends in Poland

“We are very sad about this because having spent money to train him and others it is expected that they would return home and contribute to the development of the Niger Delta. This is very painful to us because every trainee is a member of our family,” Alabrah added.

He confirmed that a new autopsy is to be conducted in Nigeria to satisfy the family’s demand for a new process.

War of words

Nevertheless, our independent investigation revealed that from the discussions between the family and Green Reefer before the body was brought to Nigeria on July 12, the company had made a number of verbal commitments to the family, especially towards the burial.

“They promised to provide money to purchase a piece of land, fence it, build a tomb for Godwin as well as repatriate money and his belonging to us,” a younger sibling of the deceased seaman told our reporter.

However, the family source said when the Amnesty Officer took over

the discussion, it only offered the company “N500,000 burial support and money for ambulance” and offered to conduct a fresh autopsy in Lagos.

Consequently, the family protested to the company and cited legal roadblock in the plan to bury the deceased without recourse to existing law, particularly as it affects the involvement of NIMASA. Thereafter, Green Reefers consulted Marine Mutual Service Limited in Lagos to look at the issues raised by the Ezebiris. John Biakinogho of MMSL then wrote to Mr. Brown Aroloye of the Amnesty Office highlighting the hurdle to a fresh autopsy. The letter dated affirmed that the company was not willing to contravene local laws.

The letter elicited a stern riposte from Aroloye who expressed shock about Biakinogho’s sudden realisation of his “duties and responsibilities concerning the death”.

“Perhaps you are not aware when the autopsy was conducted on the late Ezebiri in Panama and you did not invoke any act or law. You did not even care to know who receives the

body when it arrives (sic) Nigeria and where it was deposited thereafter.

Perhaps you need to take custody of the corpse so you can execute your investigation appropriately.”

Mr Osteen Igbapike, a lawyer from Larry Ovwromoh & Associate confirmed the impasse. He said the merchant shipping act provides for a seafarer office in charge of engagement of seafarers and issues regarding such incidents as the cadet’s death.

He said only the consular office of Poland (home company of Green Reefers) in Nigeria and the Seafarers Office are responsible for termination benefit and welfare of the deceased.

“If the records of his engagement are not available, then the seafarers office is criminally liable and can go to jail for this death. The two have not been part of this process so far and it shows that something is amiss,” he added.

The body has remained at the morgue. A source in the Amnesty Office blamed the development on a member of the deceased family who “wants to make something for himself”.

45 ex-militants graduate in Akwa Ibom ORTY-five repentant militants trained in Disaster Management and Industrial Safety through the Amnesty Office have graduated from the Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN) in Oron, Akwa Ibom State.

Addressing the graduating students, the Rector of the Academy, Joshua Okpo, urged the ex-militants to be good ambassador of the Academy.

Okpo also warned the former warlords to desist from any act that could jeopardise the stability of the country.

He said, “Those of you here today are extremely lucky and I think you are aware that out there, there are so many of your colleagues still waiting for this kind of opportunity.

“So, as you are going into the world, you should shun any act of criminality, such as bunkering, kidnapping and restiveness and be useful to yourself, the community and the country at large.

“A school like Maritime Academy is intended to mould your character. The training you have acquired should portray you as civilised citizens so that you can earn a decent living.”

Okpo assured the amnesty office of the academy’s pre-

F

From Kazeem Ibrahym, Uyo

paredness to continue to support the Federal Government in the training of the ex-militants, and called for more support, especially in the area of student accommodation.

He thanked President Goodluck Jonathan for his magnanimity and the coordinator of the programme for the opportunity given the ex-militants who, he noted, were well behaved throughout the duration of the training.

In his goodwill message, the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta, Kingsley Kuku, who was represented by Tawari Kester, said the Federal Government has so far trained over 10,000 ex-militants to ensure that life returned to the Niger Delta.

He said the Transformation Agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan focuses on the holistic empowerment of youths to make them self reliant and contribute their quota to the progress of the country.

Kuku, who praised the rector for advancing the progress of the ex-militants through the training, warned the youth to stop restiveness in the region and channel their energy on things that will benefit them, the nation and their families.

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 9, 2013

29

PEOPLE THE NATION

A FIVE-PAGE SECTION ON SOCIETY

It was a time to thank God when Ohueze Chukwujinka Onueze Joe (OCJ) Okocha, former Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) president, turned 60 on July 29. He pulled dignitaries, including Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi and Minister of State (Education) Nyesom Wike to the event held in Port Harcourt and his Rukpawurosi hometown. JOHN AUSTIN UNACHUKWU and ROSEMARY NWISI report.

•Okocha (SAN) assisted by his wife Ifeoma and children to cut the cake

Diamonds are forever

• Ex-NBA president OCJ Okocha clocks 60

O

NLY a man of his calibre could pull such a crowd to such a place. It is not Abuja; it is not Lagos, which many especially those in his class, consider as second home, if not home. It is Rukpakurosi. Did you say where is that? It is in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State and it is the hometown of Onueze Chukwujinka Joe (OCJ) Okocha, a former president of Nigerian Bar Association (NBA).

OCJ as he is fondly called turned 60 on July 29, and he pulled a crowd to the celebration of this milestone both in Port Harcourt, the state capital and in his hometown. Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi and his loyalists attended the Church service in Port Harcourt. Amaechi's arch political foe Nyesom Wike, the Minister of State for Education; and his team were in Rukpakurosi for

the reception. Rukpakurosi is in Obio/Akpor local government which Wike once chaired before he became Amaechi’s Chief of Staff and now a minister.

Family members, relations, colleagues, politicians and well-wishers came to share the joy of the day with OCJ. The thanksgiving service was held at Emmanuel Anglican Church, Okoro-nu-Odo Deanery, in Port Harcourt.

Amaechi led members of the state executive council, members of the state and National Assemblies, including Senator Magnus Abe, Dakuku Peterside, a member of the House of Representatives and others, to the service.

The Administrator of Emmanuel Anglican Church, the Revd Canon Wisdom Ihunwo praised the celebrator for his gesture to the church and presented a Samsung double re-

•Governor Amaechi

•Wike

frigerator to him.

Revd Ihunwo noted that OCJ recognised and appreciates the goodness of God in his life and enjoined others to emulate him.

“We are bound to worship and give praises to God. When you don’t want to believe that God did anything for you, you will believe you did everything by yourself,” he said.

At OCJ’s expansive mansion, Oni’s Court in Rukpakurosi, guests were treated to nice time.

The event enlivened the sleepy community.

Before the construction of what is today

known as Air Force/Eliozu roads and flyover bridges by the administration of Dr Peter Odili, the community was embedded in a thick forest, with no access road and little development.

Strangers hardly resided there, except farmers and fishermen. But, today, Rukpakurosi community has become a hot spot that has caught the attention of residents and developers.

Everywhere in Oni’s Court was filled with •Continued on page 30

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 9, 2013

30

SOCEITY

Diamonds are forever •Continued from page 29

canopies.

OCJ’s children Owhonda, Wobasi, Nneda, Akubueze and his wife, Ifeoma eulogised him.

Everyone at the event also had one good thing or the other to say about the celebrator.

Congratulating OCJ at the church service, Amaechi said: “I pray we get there because the way poverty is causing riot in Nigeria, I hear that life expectancy is 47 years for women and 45 years for men. So you must be lucky; we must thank God for getting you there. I just want to wish the great OCJ happy birthday, and to say that at 60 you must get very close to God now, because in life, I don’t know how true it is, but as a Christian I believe that all of us will give account of how we lived here on earth.”

There were special treatment for guests; many were entertained in the celebrator’s sitting room. Assorted food and drinks, fruits, and ice-cream were served.

Former Secretary, NBA Port Harcourt branch and Secretary of Eastern Bar Forum (EBF) Sosipreye Long-Williams said: “OCJ is our leader in the state. He was the 19th president of NBA, he is my mentor; he brought me into NBA politics and into law practice, we are very happy to be here as we lived to see this day. He is one of the best we have in the legal profession.”

Chairman, NBA Port Harcourt Branch, Lawrence Oko-Jaja said: “OCJ is the leader of the Bar in the state. That is why we have all gathered here to celebrate him.

“You can see the multitude of persons that

have gathered here today is a testimony of how he has touched many lives.

“We are happy for him, and we wish that God will grant him many more years so that he will continue to be useful to not only the legal profession and Rivers State, but to Nigeria as a whole.”

A lawyer with Manuchim Chambers (OCJ’s law office), Bright Owoh, described OCJ as a wonderful person to work with.

“Every one of us in Manuchim Chambers is happy today to join the people to cheer and congratulate our boss. I have been with him for six years, he is a disciplinarian. That is the first thing anyone that works with him should know and understand.

“He is of the school of thought that discipline is key to success. And you must stay focused. These are the two key roads to success I have learnt from him and also see him live by them,” he said.

The celebrator thanked guests for making the day a happy one for him.

Okocha said: “What I am celebrating today is God’s kindness to me. I had health failure that was tending to stroke. God delivered me from it and many of you supported me, especially the governor who virtually under wrote the medical bill of the London hospital.

“I thank God for Amaechi’s commissioners, they have been very supportive, they all say I am their senior brother but when I go to ask them to give me contract, they don’t give me. They will say no, you’re not a contractor, nobody will mess you up,” he said.

•From left: Chairman, Modant Marine Ltd Olorogun Moses Taiga; Amaojusenibo Jumbo and the celebrator’s mother Mrs Helen Okocha

•NBA President Okey Wali (SAN) and Ifedayo Adedipe (SAN)

•Uche Seckudus (left) and Hon Kobani Kenneth

•Former chairman, NBA Port Harcourt branch Mr Chinwe Aguma and his wife, Nancy

80TH BIRTHDAY OF MOTHER OF NIGERIAN AMBASSADOR TO AUSTRALIA MADAM ARIOLA OLUKANNI IN LAGOS

•The birthday ‘girl’ Madam Ariola Adelphine Olukanmi

•Ogun State Deputy Governor Prince Segun Adesegun (left) and Ambassador Ayo Olukanni

•Pastor Ituah Ighodalo (left) and Mr Ladi Cole

•Mrs Yemisi Olukanni

•Dr Newton Jibunoh PHOTOS: BUKUNMI AKINBEHINJE

31

SHOPPING THE NATION

FRIDAY, AUGUST 9, 2013

e-mail: toniaitose@yahoo.com

07035302326

Website:- http://www.thenationonlineng.net

Shopping@thenationonlineng.net

The cash-less payment system is gaining grounds in Nigeria, especially among merchants. It makes business transactions easy and eliminates the rigours and danger of carrying cash for deposits and withdrawals. But most retailers are yet to embrace the laudable initiative. TONIA ‘DIYAN reports.

U

CHENA Agu is an auto spare part dealer at the Alaba International Market in Lagos. He heard of the cash-less policy late last year. Until two months ago, he had not fully come to terms with the initiative.

Is he ready to accept e-payment cards or any other means of payment other than cash for his business? This, he was asked on Monday.

He said: “Nobody wants to risk his/her life by carrying cash. But, how many understand what cash-less policy is actually about?

“We struggle everyday to make ends meet.

As a trader, if I don’t leave my house for the shop, I can’t feed. Now, we are asked to accept cards instead of cash when electricity and other infrastructure are not working?”

To him, if market men and women were to express their views on the policy, majority of them would have said the same thing. It then goes to show that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and other stakeholders saddled with implementing this policy still have to do more in terms of awareness.

A lot of people still need to be educated if success is to be achieved with the policy.

Retailers who are pessimistic about the whole idea of a cash-less economy, it was learnt, still have ample reasons to hold on to their conventional ways, not because the policy is not good, but because the promoters are giving room for doubts on its workability.

But to a few other retailers, it is no more news that Nigeria has joined the league of countries embracing electronic payment system. Neither is it news that the pilot phase of the scheme took off in Lagos a year ago.

Some people now shop with e-payment solutions to enable them keep within the CBN daily cash limits and avoid paying for transacting businesses among other benefits.

If you own a shop, store, mall, plaza or offer goods and services for sale, by now, observers believe that you must practise the cash-less policy.

In addition, it is believed that if you are selling high-value items that cost N50,000 between N100,000 and above, you should consider epayment as your customers may prefer it to carrying such huge amount of money.

Some shops in Ikeja, Lekki, Apapa, Victoria Island, Ikoyi are making use of the payment systems. They simply authorise payment after a purchase is made, and the value of what is bought is electronically transferred to the retailer’s bank accounts or e-wallets as the case may be; it is as easy as that.

The country manager, West Africa MasterCard, Mrs Omokehinde Ojomuyide, describes the process as creating a world beyond cash where cash-less transactions will assist in improving the lives of consumers and remove the risks associated with carrying, using and handling cash.

“If stores imbibe cash-less payment, using any of the payment solutions, it will assist the country’s drive for a cash-less society. The advantage of the internet era is that people can buy and sell items of all sorts through the website. For instance, transactions such as payment of utility bills, school fees, hotel bookings, house rent as well as many others can take place through a mobile phone.

“Also, customers can make payments that run into millions via funds transfer from a retailers account or via electronic transfer using

•Payment system now

e-payment … still alien to shops, stores

•e-Payment solutions

the shopper’s payment card on any of the electronic channels provided by a merchant.”

Other benefits of e-payment solutions apart from its ability to eliminate cash handling risks and loss through human error, are fast and convenient means of processing transactions, reduction in robbery. Increase in people’s access to banking services beyond normal banking working hours.

The Nation Shopping spoke with some merchants to find out which of the payment system they use or intend to use.

Mr Kenneth Maduka sells tyres; he is aware of the policy but nobody has explained to him how it will benefit his business or how he is going to make use of PoS terminal or cards for his business. Will he accept card payment for transaction? “Why not, if I am made to understand the terms and conditions involved and my account officer advices me to,” he said.

“It is not a bad idea if the system will reduce the incidence of armed robberies and will ensure easy transaction. But for this to work, the need for serious education of the market people cannot be over emphasised.”

For Mrs Ihianacho Rosemary, a lubricants dealer at Alaba International market, Ojo, her attraction would be if POS terminals are made affordable and available to every retailer.

“Even if you are going to pay me with card, what about the machine I am going to use to get the money? Has anybody told me about the

•Payment system before

machine and how I am going to get it? I have not been given the machine, so how can I process the card?” she queried.

“Not only does the government need to sensitise people, there is also the need to make the machine available for everybody before the card can now be used.”

Concerning how she feels about the cash-less policy, she said: “The awareness should be very intense; I think there should be enough advertisement and public announcement, especially at the grass root.”

Talking about the ATM, she has a bank account but has never used an ATM machine because she does not trust it. The more reason she has to keep away from ATM was the unsavoury comments she has about bank workers colluding with fraudsters to defraud people through ATM. “I was in a bank recently where two people were accusing the bank official that they did not withdraw money and that a certain amount was withdrawn from their account, the other person said the card got stocked up in the machine and before he retrieved his card certain amount was deducted from his account.

So, whenever I hear these things I simply keep off from the ATM, if I have only N1,000 in my purse, I limit my expenses to that till the next day when I open my shop and sell,” she explained.

If the concerns of the market men and women and majority of the people who constitute the informal sector of the economy are anything to

go by, then the ones expressed by people in the know of the whole cashless idea and who really understand how it works, is of greater concern. For instance, the Managing Director of the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company, (NSPMC), Mr. Emmanuel Ehidiamhen Okoyomon, in a television interview expressed his concern about the current state of ATM machine operations in Nigeria.

He cited his own personal experience noting that he once booked for an online ticket and was debited three times for the same transaction.

“I had to shuttle between the concerned bank, the airline and Interswitch for over three months before my money could be remitted into my account. What happens if the money was not remitted, who bears the cost? The bank, Interswitch, the Airline or I?, he queried.”

For him, it is regrettable that the ATM, which is the plank upon which the cashless policy stands, is not popular with the Nigerian banking public as many have dumped their ATM cards long time ago. “A lot of people are afraid of fraud and some of them cannot be blamed because they have had very bad experiences, thus, they would not be keen to use e-payment, and rather would have their cash under their pillow,” he said. He noted that the issues of PoS, infrastructure, customer enlightenment and security, among others, ought to have been addressed before the implementation. He therefore called for proper enlightenment through a sustained media campaign as well as moral persuasion.

The National Sales Manager, Friesland Campina WAMPCO, Mr. Alex Unuadjefe, while describing the policy as a good initiative that would reduce the risk associated with carrying cash and reduce the risk of robberies, however noted that many of the people he works with who do transactions of up to N300,000 to N1 million worth of goods daily are not fully informed about the policy. “Who is the policy meant for? Is it for us discuss on the issues that border on the cash-lite or cashless policy in the economy and still go back to our homes, fold our arms and do nothing or is it for us to take this message to the relevant people?, he queried.

He also wondered why only Lagos State was chosen by the CBN as an experimental ground for the policy, while there were other commercial cities like Kano where huge sums of money roll in and out on daily basis.

According to a review of the cash less policy, major challenges facing its implementation includes, concern over a POS terminal charge; fear of the likely over loading of the payment network; low level of awareness; worry over possible insecurity of the system; resistance to change by the public, inadequate preparation by the authorities, especially the banks, as well poor IT connectivity and the lack of adequate IT infrastructure in Nigeria.

To solve these problems, the review states that the CBN should first audit the state of infrastructure, including connectivity and power that are available in the city, and certify that full implementation of this initiative will not disrupt trading activities in the commercial hub.

•Payment system before

•Continued on page 32

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 9, 2013

32

SHOPPING

Sanity returns to Onitsha Market

F

AKE and adulterated drugs in Onitsha market are being checked. Thanks to Governor Peter Obi and Mr Ugochukwu Nwosu, chairman of Onitsha Drug Market, for sanitising the market. Their efforts were commended by the Bridge-Head Elders Forum.

The Chairman of the forum, Chief Martins Osuigwe, gave the commendation during a courtesy visit by his executive to Nwosu on Monday.

“We sincerely thank Governor Peter Obi and Chief Ikechukwu Orizu, Chairman of Bridge-Head Markets, for appointing the purposeful caretaker committee led by you; the market and the committee have been up and doing.

“Within one month, your administration has tracked down and apprehended three

From Odogwu Emeka Odogwu, Onitsha

notorious drug fakers in Onitsha Drug Market.

According to Osuigwe, drug fakers have been driven out of the market due to the fervent pursuit of total cleansing in the market. He urged the chairman to concentrate more on other progressive activities that would further uplift the status of Onitsha Drug Market.

He also praised Chief Okwudili Ezenwankwo, president-general of Amalgamated Market Traders’ Association of Anambra State (AMATAS) for ensuring cleanliness and constant waste disposal in markets in Anambra, especially in Onitsha.

“We are grateful and overjoyed for the peace that exists

in the market; while as elders, we are giving our maximum support and co-operation to you and the Ezenwakwo-led leadership of Anambra traders.

“It is on record that the Ezenwankwo leadership has conducted over 55 democratic elections in different markets in Anambra.

“On our own part; we would make sure traders in the market comply in paying all necessary levies and fees in line with the Anambra Integrated Development Strategy (ANIDS),’’ he said.

In a related development, the forum also praised Mr Ugochukwu Ezeani, Chairman of Onitsha South LGA as well as Chief Robert Okonkwo, Commissioner for Commerce and Industry for repositioning markets and giving traders hope in the state.

•Ketu market closed for prayers

Why Eke Awka Market, Nnewi was shut

T

•Chicken Republic Ilupeju, under renovation

PHOTO: DADA ALADELOKUN

e-payment … still alien to shops, stores •Continued from page 31

On the low level of awareness, they recommended that the CBN and the banks should mount intensive public awareness campaigns for a prolonged period.

The message to the CBN and the

government is the same: Let there bepropersensitization;takethemessage to the right people; improve infrastructure and put adequate security measures in place to win people’s confidence in the system.

These, indeed, are the reality on ground and a serious challenge for the banking regulator to do more

than it is doing, if it intends to succeed with this policy. As it stands, all these are not in place, and where they are, it is obvious that they are not enough. There is no doubt that there are enormous challenges on the way to going cashless for the country. A lot still need to be done in terms of awareness, or to put it in the right perspective, education, because many people are aware but do not really understand what it means. For such people, education is needed rather than awareness.

When people are travelling, the foreign currency is not necessary because money will be transferred electronically. In cashless society, there is no forgery of currency and people get the exact value for their products, rather than down valuing.

PHOTO: TONIA ‘DIYAN

HE Anambra State government last month shut down Eke Awka Market over the refusal of traders to pay their taxes allegedly worth more than N10 million.

Mr Robert Okonkwo, the Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, led policemen and vigilante men to the market and shut it. He said the traders, especially the women, had ‘blatantly’ refused to pay their taxes.

According to him, each shop occupier was expected to pay N3,000 per annum, but he regretted that less than 1,000 traders had paid their tax of the official number of about 4,000 shop occupiers.

“This is just pure disobedience of the law. We have been here at the Eke-Awka Market at least 10 times, to dialogue with traders. We talked with all of them, including the women. We pleaded and educated them on the need to pay their taxes.

Till date they have been fighting the government.

You can’t fight the government on tax. If we actually assess each of the traders, none will pay less than N50,000. We called it a minimum tax of N3, 000 per annum, yet they have refused to cooperate, forgetting that tax is the reason government has been able to provide social amenities for people and the general good look of the

From Odogwu Emeka Odogwu, Onitsha

market and its environs.”

He said the traditional ruler of Awka, Igwe Gibson Nwosu, the state House of Assembly and some prominent indigenes of the state had waded into the matter, urging the traders to pay their taxes.

On his part, the Chairman of the state Internal Revenue Services, Mr Nwanne Ejikeme, said the government was taking further steps to try defaulters in court.

“Eventually all these defaulters will be taken to court and they must pay, if they don’t pay they go to prison.

That is what the law says.

“Every person living in Anambra state whether is a man or a woman, and refuses to pay taxes to government is an enemy of the state. Before now, we know how Ziks Avenue use be before this government came to place. It is better than what it used to be, therefore, people must contribute their own little quota as taxes towards this and it is not a plea.”

The Chairman of the market, Mr Jude Agunmadu, said all efforts by the executive to dialogue with the traders were futile. According to him, only about 500 traders had paid their taxes.

“They even fought our task force members in an attempt

to ensure payment of taxes.

The government gave the traders more than two months to comply but they refused.”

The state assembly during its plenary urged the state government to reconsider its stand on the closure of the market.

The members noted that the N3,000 tax payment was double taxation having subjected the traders to various levies to the tune of N9,600 per annum, which they said, was separate from N2,000 electricity levy.

They, however, urged the House Committee on Commerce and Industry to proffer a solution to the matter.

Traders from the market, mostly women in their hundreds, staged a peaceful protest on the popular Ziks Avenue to the Aroma Junction and to Governor’s Office.

They later went to the House of Assembly and other places.

They were addressed by the Secretary to the State Government, Osaeloka Obaze but were not pacified.

Ater few days the Anambra State government reopened the market, ending the logjam.

Ejikeme said the government decided to re-open the market after reaching an agreement with the leadership of the traders that only those who had paid the tax would be allowed to continue their businesses.

La Châsse: The story of a great French wine

L

A Châsse Côtes du Rhône Prestige Red and White wines are imported, marketed and distributed by TEO Limited. It has become a household name and popular in some hotels and restaurants, such as The Ibis Hotel, Pearl Court Hotel, House J Hotel, Milano Italiano Restaurant, Lagos Lawn Tennis Club, Moderate Club and many more. It is unarguably the ‘Best Affordable Côtes du Rhône’ in Nigeria.

Some of the reasons for La Châsse success are its unique moulded crested bottle design, quality of the wine and unique finishing with great grape varietals.

Its delicious, fruity and elegant style and ageing, especially as it is not aged in oak, give it an edge over its peers. A The brand is a typical French wine which repre-

By Tonia ‘Diyan

sents all that is good about the land with the most renowned tradition of fine winemaking. What has made La Châsse a favourite among wine connoisseurs around the world is its classic values. La Châsse refers to a chest used to store the treasures of the Pontiffs who lived in Avignon, on the banks of the River Rhône, during the 14th Century.

The secret of its success is really no mystery. The most important thing is what goes into the bottle! The producers of this wine strive to create a range of Rhône Valley and varietal wines in a fruity and silky style, for enjoyable and relaxed drinking. They are especially good when enjoyed with food, as with all great French wines. La Châsse is a benchmark for value and consistent qual-

ity.

The name is rooted deep in local history, in the 14th Century (1309 to 1378 to be precise) a succession of seven Pontiffs resided in Avignon, close to the beautiful village of Gigondas, home to Maison Gabriel Meffre – makers of La Châsse. It was a time of conflict and discord when the French kings had considerable influence over the Papacy, something that was resented by other rulers across Europe. Treasures of the Avignon Pontifs were stored in a reliquary. This historic chest is referred to in french as a “Châsse”, hence the name La Châsse was chosen by Rhône Valley producer Gabriel Meffre, as a tribute to the rich and unique history of the region.

Maison Gabriel Meffre launched La Châsse in the early 90s. At that stage, the

wines were AOC Côtes du Rhône with the flagship “Réserve” soon becoming a leading French wine brand in international markets, such as the UK, the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark. In 2004, a range of popular varietal Vin de Pays d’Oc wines were launched and since then the La Châsse family has grown to include premium Rhône whites and reds as well as an elegant and delicious sparkling wine.

La Châsse is instantly recognisable thanks to its unique bottle which proudly displays the moulded crest bearing the Latin words “Solis Terraeque Vinum Fructus”, meaning literally “the sun, the earth, the wine, and the fruit”.

The brand has been awarded many times in competitions and, best of all, enjoyed and treasured by connoisseurs around world.

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 9, 2013

33

COMMENTARY

“I

NDEED, only Allah knows the Hour (of silence); He sends down the rain and knows what is contained in the wombs (of prospective mothers). No soul knows what it will earn tomorrow; no soul knows in what land it will die or be buried. Indeed, Allah alone is allKnowing and all-Acquainted”.

Q. 31:34.

It was like an earthquake last Friday evening when the electronic waves throbbed with the news of a road accident, somewhere in Osun State. And its immediate effect forced Nigeria’s tree of pen profession to tremble through its tap root. The victims of the accident, according to the toll figure, were 13 in all. Three of them instantly became lifeless while the remaining 10 were hurriedly driven to various hospitals as unwilling patients. They are all married with children but since they never envisaged an accident, they could not have told their families not to expect them back. The fortuitous news of their accident simply mirrored the fang of destiny and precipitated untold agony across the land.

This was followed by lamentations and wailings which only presented the semblance of medicine applied to the corps of a lifeless body. The rest is a story not meant for today.

FEMI ABBAS ON Femabbas@yahoo.com 08122697498,

A fateful journey

Irony of life If life is said to have an irony, this disturbing accident is a typical example. Or how can one explain the situation of a journey that took 13 prominent journalists from Lagos to Abuja (a distance of over 600 kilometres) and back in their own private bus only to crash almost at the point of breasting the tape? What is more ironic about it is that the area in Osu, near Ilesa where the accident occurred is one of the best parts of that long road. To what else then could such an accident be attributed other than destiny? Such accident did not occur between Abaji and Lokoja where the road was undulating. It did not occur between Lokoja and Okene where the road is amazingly dotted by potholes like a farm of mushroom in its galaxy. It did not occur between Okene and Owo where drivers are often forced to meander left and right like forest forager. It did not occur between Owo and Akure where recklessness of commercial drivers is incomparable. It rather saw the travellers to a point where the dual carriage road is straight and smooth. If the accident had occurred at any of the above mentioned distances, some people would have put the blame on its roughness. But here we are. Upon what or who do we put the blame?

Natural demarcation The demarcation between life and death is like the diaphragm between the thoracic and abdominal cavities. It takes only the grace of Allah for that diaphragm to sustain the natural but mysterious demarcation that keeps man intact until the otherwise happens.

Death, like birth, is a divinely scheduled program in the life of man. It is a phenomenon specially shrouded in mystery. The circumstances that precede death are beyond the predictions or permutations of man. They cannot be foretold except by sheer deception. Every soothsayer will die with his soothsaying and no atom of the world will feel his exit. Kings die as much as slaves. Masters die as much as servants. And all together will lie helplessly beneath the earth without distinction.

Because of its invisibility death is known only to the living as no dead person ever knows what has happened to him even as he cruises ahead in his dreamlike sojourn to an unknown destination.

The painful lamentations that follow the death of a person by his relatives and associates can never remedy that natural occurrence. Times and places may be different, but we shall all join the train of death one day.

Parable of coffin From the very first day of man’s conception in the mother’s womb, a parable has occurred in his life. That parable is of a coffin. When a child is perfectly pearled in the womb of a mother, it hardly occurs to anybody that what we generally call pregnancy is a coffin in which the child lives all alone

•The wreckage of the bus

to enjoy the naturally provided facilities.

While there, he knows neither the source of those facilities nor his next destination. But when he is eventually delivered into the world he feels ejected from the home of pleasure and cries out profusely in protest. Yet, it is that cry that gives assurances and comfort to those who usher him into the world.

Yes, the world, in the eyes of sheer mortal beings, is quite large. But it remains a coffin for everybody as its large size is only to enable it to accommodate as many humans as possible which a woman’s woman cannot contain. Even as small as the womb of a mother is it sometimes accommodates two or three or four or even more children to confirm the concept of coffin in which man lives.

Just as twins or triplets or quintets are born on the same day and into the same hands so do people randomly die in singles or doubles or multiples sometimes at the same hour and at the same place even if they never knew one another. We only ignorantly move about in our individual coffins of life and behave as if the pendulum of death has nothing to do with us. And when the unexpected occurs the remembrance of whence we emanated or wither we are bound is completely lost on us.

The entire planet called the earth is nothing but one big graveyard in which billions, even trillions of people had been buried through the millennia. There is no single piece of land (even one foot) on earth that has not served as a grave in which skeletons of humans have been buried. Yet the same earth keeps beckoning to us in drones, indicating that she still has space in abundance for those whose time is up for transiting from life to death. And as we had no say in the choice of the mothers who piloted us into this world so we have no say in the choice of that portion of the earth that will pilot us into the hereafter.

Our world is a transit along the unknown journey that transforms us from the living to dead. The choice of place and time of where death will occur are determined only by the Supreme Being who created us and will ask us for the account of our existence on this earth.

Experience Were an unborn baby to have a choice on whether or not to exit from its mother’s womb it would have preferred to stay put. But if the baby did not exit from its mother’s womb, how would it enjoy the pleasurable bounties of this world? This is the scenario which Nigeria’s first President, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, gave a deep thought in the introduction to his autobiography (My Odyssey) when he wrote thus: “Man comes into the world and while he lives, he embarks upon a series of activities absorbing experience which enables him to formulate a philosophy of life and to chart his causes of action; but then, he dies; nevertheless, his biography remains a

guide for those of the living who may need guidance either as a warning on the vanity of human wishes or as an example or both....”.

Incidentally, Dr. Azikiwe was a journalist.

Inseparable web Death is the inseparable web of life from which no man can escape. The time, the place and the mode are the factors that make it a mysterious phenomenon.

Whenever we are inside or outside our residences we must be conscious that we are in a coffin. Whenever we are in a vehicle, in an aircraft, in a ship or a train, we must not forget that we are in a coffin. If that coffin has not been closed on us it is only because the time is not yet ripe for death to lay its icy hand on us. There is no armour against death.

That is why the Almighty Allah says in the Qur’an thus: “Say, verily, the death from which you are fleeing is bound to overtake you and then you will be brought back unto Him who knows all that is beyond the reach of human perception as well as all that cannot be witnessed by a creatures’ senses or mind, whereupon He will make you truly understand all that you were brought to do in life”. Q. 62: 8

Destiny Let no true believer ascribe the death of a person to another person. Death is only ascribable to destiny. The time to come into the world and exit from it is destined only by the Almighty Allah the Creator and Sustainer of all things. In Islam, the Angel of death is called ‘Asrail’. That Angel does not work by whim. Its operation is in tandem with divinely appointed times. And if we were not consulted before coming into the world how can we expect to be consulted before exiting from it? The Angel of death has no respect for age, wealth or position. The activities or plans of man are not his concern. What matters to him is the duty which he is divinely assigned to carry out and when it is time to do that, he goes ahead to do it without looking back. In Islam, there is no untimely death and there is nothing like reincarnation. The difference between reincarnation and resurrection is that while the earlier is satanic the latter is divine.

As mortal beings we always find reasons for occurrences in our lives. And that shows the limit of our faith. Those of us who are still alive are neither wiser nor closer to God than those who died. The fact is just that our own coffins have not yet been closed up. When it is time for that, nobody can stop it. Once again, Nigeria has been afflicted by a calamity which no one can reverse or remedy. Inna Lillah wa inna ilayhi rajiu’n. We are surely from God and to Him we shall all return.

Among the prominent religious groups that commiserated with the victims’ fami-

lies and associates are the Nigerian Supreme Council For Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) and the Muslim Ummah of the Southwest Nigeria (MUSWEN). Their messages signed by Professor Ishaq Olanrewaju Oloyede and Professor D. O. S. Noibi are as follows respectively:

Commiseration and prayer The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) under the leadership of its President General and Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence, Dr. Muhammad Sa‘ad Abubakar III, received with deep grief and sorrow, the news of a road accident in Osun State which reportedly claimed the lives of three national officers of Nigerian Union of Journalists ( NUJ).

About ten other journalists were said to have been seriously wounded in the unfortunate accident on their way back to Lagos from Abuja where they had attended a national conference of the pen profession. Coming at this precarious time of our national life, such a disturbing incident only amounts to additional agony for the entire country especially with daily reports of callous killings in some parts of Nigeria by heartless terrorists.

It is a pity that such youthful professional men and a woman could lose their lives fortuitously in that manner during their dedicated service to the nation. The irony of life in this case is that destiny cannot be evaded by any human being despite any level of carefulness.

While commiserating with the families of the deceased and the national leadership of NUJ as well as other related bodies in the profession including the League of Editors and the various employers of those involved in the accident, we pray the Almighty God to repose the souls of the victims in eternal bliss and grant their families the fortitude with which to bear the agony.

We also invoke the mercy of the Almighty God to ensure a speedy recovery for those who were wounded in the accident and protect the lives of the teeming other Nigerian journalists in the course of their professional duties. Meanwhile, we call on the federal and State governments to make adequate provisions for all the agencies in charge of road safety in the country to enable them carry out their duty in safeguarding the roads against accidents. All efforts must be on deck to ensure the safety of our roads and the lives of those who are plying them.

MUSWEN condoles Sad news is like a whirlwind which has neither a scheduled time nor place. Its overwhelming effect on man can hardly be measured in terms of agony or sorrow. Or how else can we describe the road accident of last Friday near Ilesha, Osun State, in which three journalists lost their lives while ten others were said to be seriously injured?

For such youthful professionals who had travelled from Abuja on their way back to Lagos, after a national conference, to suddenly become victims of death at that spot could only have involved the fateful hand of destiny. And by our belief as Muslims, destiny is a phenomenal incident that hardly responds to remedy except by the grace of Allah.

Our agony arising from this sad incident can neither be fully expressed in a press statement of this length nor roll back the hands of destiny. But as human beings, we can only commiserate with the families of the victims as well as the national leadership of the Nigerian Union of Journalists and the Guild of Editors who are most touched by this unfortunate incident.

It is our fervent prayer that the Almighty God should grant the immediate families of the deceased ones the fortitude with which to bear the agony and provide for them in life that they may not suffer from the agony of this disturbing occurrence retrospectively in future.

We also pray for speedy recovery of those who were injured in the accident and need intensive health care just as we praise the prompt actions of some State governments, groups and individuals who quickly rallied round the injured ones to ensure their survival. But we also implore all and sundry to intensify such efforts in order to avert further deaths through this calamitous incident.

Finally, we pray for continuous safety of all other journalists in the country as well as professionals in other fields who often face hazards in the performance of their service.

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 9, 2013

34

S OCEITY

‘She is my missing rib’ O

GUDU GRA in Lagos is a serene estate peopled by men of class. It is home to the rich and powerful. A stone throw from the popular Ojota Bus stop, Ogudu can also be easily connected through the Third Mainland Bridge, which is to its left. Last Saturday, the estate was agog when Nigeria's former ambassador to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Aminu Wisdom gave out his daughter, Chioma Benedicta in marriage to a United States (US)-based nurse, Clement Chijioke Onyi.

Getting to Ogudu that day was not easy because of the heavy traffic but friends and family members of the Wisdoms and Onyias endured it all.

Politicians and business moguls were there in large numbers to witness the beginning of a new life between Chioma Benedicta and Clement Onyia.

The estate shuttle drivers made brisk business ferrying some guests from the gates to the Recreation Centre, venue of the occasion.

Officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and the Police camped around the venue.

The FRSC men ensured that cars were properly parked on both sides of the road leading to the venue; the police concentrated on orderliness and decorum.

Women in George wrappers of various colours and styles and men in their typical Edo and Igbo native attires added colour to the ceremony. The Edo and Igbo cultures were on display as it was a traditional marriage.

There were about three traditional dance troupes, among which were the Atilogwu dancers from Enugu State. They entertained guests with their acrobatic dance steps and held the audience spell bound by climbing on one another.

A stage was set like a typical village setting with stereotype mats, brooms and calabashes. The groom wore a senator attire. The bride was dressed in george wrappers and a shiny blouse to match. Before them, stood their two layered cake with a replica of beads and a jar of overflowing palm wine made of icing beside it. On it, were kolanuts. It looked more like a carving than a cake.

After the cutting of the cake, the couple were presented with gifts to start their new home.

On the band stand was the Suga Band. The band dished classic old songs mixed with contemporary music to satisfy the elederly and the young.

The groom, Clement, a nurse in the United States, spoke to The Nation on how he met his wife and events that led their union.

“I heard about her from a cousin I was staying in the US with. So during my visit to Nigeria in 2008, I went to pay her a visit and she attended to me at the gate. There, we met and started talking. Having found that we shared a lot in common, it was very easy to talk.

“The spirit is right. The moment I saw her, I didn’t have any doubt that she is the one. Everything felt right. She indeed is my missing rib,” he said.

Chioma, who is running her Mas-

Former Nigerian Principal Representative to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) for the Implementation of Early Warning from 2007-2012, Aminu Wisdom, gave out his daughter, Chioma Benedicta, a graduate of Accountancy, in marriage to a United States-based nurse, Clement Chijoke Onyia, in Lagos last Saturday.

NNEKA NWANERI reports.

•The couple Chioma and Clement

•Bride’s parents: Ambassador Aminu and his wife, Stella

•Groom’s parents: Nze Marcus Oynema and his wife, Lolo Ann

•From left: Hon Kayode Amusan; Chief Ade Fadahunsi and Mr Fayose

•Chief Dokpesi and his wife, Mojisola

•Keshi (left) and Shuaibu

•Senator Ogunlewe

ters in Business Administration (MBA) programme in Glasgow Caledonian University, United Kingdom, also reiterated what her beau said.

“I met him here in my house. I suppose he heard about me and came to Nigeria and we met at the

gate and started from there. We started our affair five years ago. We dated, broke up due to some communication breakdown, and got back together again. The challenge was due to communication break down so we rectified it, vowed to

know ourselves better and here we are today,” Chioma said.

In attendance were: former Minister for Works Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe; former Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose; chairman of AIT and Daar Communications Chief

•Mevilit Bilici PHOTOS: ADEJO DAVID

Raymond Dokpesi; Super Eagles Coach Stephen Keshi and his predecessor Shuaibu Amodu and widow of the late Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) John Haruna, Olayinka.

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 9, 2013

35

S OCIETY COMMUNICATE YOUR IDEAS

Members of the prestigious Lagos Lawn Tennis Club in Onikan, Lagos, were guests at a dinner organised by the House of TEO, the authorised distributor of Lanson Champagne in Nigeria. AMIDU ARIJE was there.

Sipping the ‘Queen’s wine’ A

NYONE who visited the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club (LLTC) that Friday would think it was the venue of the Wimbledon semi final clash between Andy Murray and Jerzy Janowics.

Members were there in their numbers to watch game.

Large screen televisions were hung at strategic places.

There were mixed reactions at the beginning of the game when Janowics was leading.

All exclaimed: “This guy will beat Murray”.

But the tide turned when Murray kicked back shots from the distance to level with Janowics. Another mood set in. The hope of Murray winning the game was raised among the spectators. They cheered and applauded when Murray took the lead.

The point that saw Murray through to the final left everyone happy and excited. “I know Janowics cannot beat Murray,” one of them exclaimed. ‘But Janowics played tough to defeat Murray; he tried,’ others said.

The match was the hallmark of a dinner organised by the House of TEO, the authorised distributor of Lanson Champagne in Nigeria, for members and associates of the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club.

Before the dinner started, the gathering paid keen attention to the game as they exchanged pleasantries.

After the match, members converged on the hall.

Some appeared in native attires, others in English. The CEO of House of TEO, Chief Tunde Onakoya was in shirt and a pair of trousers with a hat.

The arrival of the club’s president, Mr Sam Egbuchunam, enlivened the gathering. He was dressed in a shirt and a pair of trousers, a hat and matching shoes.

Once he settled down, the programme began with the opening prayer.

Egbuchunam was invited called to make his speech.

He described the club as the best in Nigeria. Egbuchunam said the colonial masters that created the club did it for business and leisure.

“This place is a Vatican of a sort; I give kudos to the colonial masters for their sporting insight - leaving a place like this in the best location on Lagos Island; though they did not do it because they like us, they did it for their own convenience,” he said.

When Onakoya came to the podium for his speech, all

Seminar

T

HE National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN)and Global Oge Ventures will start a seminar tagged: Certificate programme in Professional Beading and Wire Works on Sunday at NOUN’s special study centre, Apapa, Lagos.

The seminar will feature knitting, weaving and beading.

Interest Your Audience

L

•From left: Egbuchunam; Onokoya and Adams Adejumo

•Prince Jare (left) and Dele Olateru-Olagbegi

•From left: Arch. Dayo Adepoju; Hon Gbolahan Funsho and Capt Yemisi Alan

stood to applaud and cheer him in.

He thanked them for their time and patronage. He recounted the story of Lagos Lawn Tennis Club and how his company has been promoting tennis.

Onakoya said Lanson Champagne was the official drink of the Wimbledon.

He described the day as eventful.

“We are lucky the weather is clement; we enjoin you to feel relaxed and enjoy yourself. Lanson Champagne was established over 20 years

ago,” he said.

Onakoya said Lanson Champagne was the official drink of the Queen of England.

“If you take Lanson Champagne you are drinking with the Queen,” he said.

Giving reason for his company’s choice of the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club for the dinner, he said it was the best tennis club in the country.

“It is our pleasure to be here; we have been here before and we will still be here. We could have been anywhere but we have been told that this is the

WHAT AND WHERE

Convention

T

annual HE 61 st convention of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), which was themed ‘Jesus’ will be concluded on Sunday at the redemption camp arena, Km 46 Lagos –Ibadan Expressway.

Leading the ministration will be Pastor Enoch Adeboye and other anointed ministers of God.

best lawn tennis club in the country,” he said.

Mr Demola Balogun, House of TEO media officer, said Lanson Champagne was a classic drink for all ages.

He stressed that it is the champagne of the world’s number three sport – Lawn tennis.

After his speech, all went for supper. It was a buffet.

They ate to their heart’s content.

The comedians on ground entertained them before they took to the dance floor till the light faded.

Remembrance

HE 10th year remembrance and thanksgiving service of the late Festus Ojo Faleye-Adewunmi, father of The Nation Newspaper photographer Mr Dayo Adewunmi begins today with a social programme and entertainment of guests at their Shagari Village in Akure, Ondo State. Events continue tomorrow with a thanksgiving at The Cathedral Church of St. David, Ijomu, Akure, Ondo State.

T

Obsequies

T

HE burial of the late Mr Labourd Uku holds today in his family compound at Uku Square, Warri, Delta State. Interment follows at his residence in Egbujule Street by Angel Park, Warri, Delta State.

•COMPILED BY BUKUNMI OGUNDARE

AST time, we started exploring the exciting world of entertaining speech. Entertaining speech is the least formal of the types of speeches we have. This, however, does not mean that it requires less work, or that it is AMODU LANRE OLAOLU less important. In places ( Ph.D) sospeak2lanre@yahoo.com. where entertaining speech is 07034737394 needed, any other type of speech may not be appropriate. Entertaining speech is one that the audience is supposed to listen to without any care in the world. Today, we shall be examining how you can make your speeches entertaining.

I watched a programme on TV recently; a comedian was trying so hard to make the audience laugh. Each time the camera showed the audience, I saw faces of people who were getting ready to laugh. There was this anticipation on their faces, as though they were waiting for the funny part of the gist.

Unfortunately, by the time the comedian was done and he left the stage, the people were still waiting to laugh. You have to understand something very important about entertaining speeches; they place a great responsibility on the speaker. If you speak to your audience without any intention of being funny, you may see them laughing so hard that you wonder when you became a comedian! But if you make the “mistake” of showing to them that you are trying to make them laugh, you had better be real good! The difference between the two scenarios is that in the former, you never made any claim, so, your listeners are not critical of you; you kind of catch them off guard. In the latter, however, you have directly or indirectly claimed to be funny, and they want you to prove it; so, they don’t laugh easy. If you have proved overtime to be funny, however, the mere sight of you may throw people into a fit of laughter. Now, let’s consider some things you need to do to make your speech entertaining.

•Don’t make obvious effort: try as much as possible not to make obvious effort to make your audience laugh. If you watch very funny and entertaining people closely, you will discover that one of your attractions to them is their “carefree” attitude towards what they are saying. They seem so casual that they may not even laugh at what they are saying while others are tumbling over with laughter. Sometimes, laughing at your own jokes can be in bad taste; let your audience do the laughing. If, for instance, you are asked to address some business partners at a luncheon organized by your company, you have to be entertaining and still be dignified. As much as you don’t want to give a serious speech, you still should joke about things that are related to your shared interests. Everyone knows you are not a comedian, so, they don’t expect you to be extremely funny, but you should be able to interest them while keeping your business dignity in mind.

•Focus on the human angle of any story: what exactly is funny and what is not? Well, that depends on three things; the subject, the speaker and the audience. One thing is sure, however, no matter who is listening, and no matter what the subject is, focusing on human limitations or extremities will most likely elicit laughter. Imagine that you are invited to address some college students during their graduation party, one way to easily make them enjoy themselves (while still learning something) is to create funny scenarios of extremely lazy students and extremely studious students. As you joke about their habits, you may start to hear the students calling out the names of some of their friends they feel belong to one category or the other.

When this happens, you will find them laughing because they can relate to what you are saying.

•You can create humour out of your personal experiences: more often than not, this technique works. Your listeners want to laugh at someone, but not at themselves; so, they are ready to laugh at you as you relate your funny or strange experiences.

Imagine being asked to talk to a group of young entrepreneurs about your success in business during a special dinner organized in your honour; a nice and entertaining topic may be “My Experimental years!” In the speech, you may humour your small beginning, your desperation, your failed attempts at starting different businesses, the mistakes you made and how you finally succeeded. Not only will this type of speech entertain your listeners, it will also enlighten and motivate them.

•You can focus on shared experiences: another way to interest your audience is to humour experiences that are common to everybody. For instance, you may entertain your colleagues at a staff get-together by sharing funny experiences of some incidences at work. You may joke about a time you were locked in the office’s washroom and you feared not being discovered till the next day because you left your phone on your desk. Everyone who knew of the event, or who had similar experience due to the faulty door would laugh with you. The watch word here is that you should avoid making jokes at the expense of others.

Remember that you are trying to entertain and not to offend.

There are several other ways to entertain your audience. But like I strongly believe, one of the best ways to learn is to watch people present. Understudy anyone you find interesting and you will discover several ways to interest your audience.

Dr. Amodu teaches at the Department of Mass Communication, Covenant University, Ogun State.

36

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 9, 2013

SOCIETY Anambra State Governor Peter Obi celebrated his 52nd birthday at the Government House, Awka. It was a low-key event. ODOGWU EMEKA ODOGWU reports.

A governor’s day of joy P

ENULTIMATE Friday, Anambra State Governor Peter Obi celebrated his 52nd birthday.

As at 7am, he was in a meeting before his wife, Margaret and children Amaka and Eloka set the birthday ball rolling with few invited guests.

Obi arrived for mass in the Governor’s lodge chapel at 8.15 am.

The guests could have shouted happy birthday but for the presence of some men of God led by Bishop Paulinus Ezeokafor, Catholic Bishop of Awka who presided over the mass. He was assisted by the Chaplain of the Governor’s lodge, Rev. Fr. Jonas Benson Okoye. Other reverend fathers in attendance included Rev Father Fabian Obi, the govenor’s immediate younger brother.

The mass was attended by Deputy Governor Emeka Sibeudu, Secretary to the State Government (SSG) Oseloka Obaze, All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) chieftains including Mr Maxi Okwu, commissioners and Advisers and a friend of the governor, Chief Okey Ezeibe, among others.

Obaze performed the toast and supervised the cutting of cake.

The dress code was not special. Obi appeared in his normal senator wear, with his wife dazzling everybody with her usual style and panache.

The celebrator was amazed at the ceremony because he had ordered that there should be no celebration.

But it was a quiet one. Mrs Obi was happy as she danced gracefully with her smiling husband and children.

The first family indeed savoured the moment as people enjoyed the delicacies provided.

The Chaplain of the Governor’s lodge, Rev. Fr. Jonas Benson Okoye praised the governor for living a disciplined life and always working toward excellence in all facets of life.

He noted the governor’s courage and political will in correcting the mistakes of the past and laying a foundation for sustainable development.

Most Rev. Ezeokafor, in his homily, appealed to the people of Anambra to pray God to give the state somebody better than Obi after he leaves office.

He insisted that Obi’s successor must be somebody who will continue and even surpass Obi’s impressive records.

The Commissioner for Housing, Mr Patrick Obi described the Governor as a role model who has touched many lives and set a standard others.

His Youth and Sports counterpart Dr. Edozie Aroh said the governor is exemplary in his con-

•Governor Obi (second right) assisted by his wife, Margaret and children, Amaka (right) and Eloka (left) to cut the cake

duct.

The Vice-Chancellor, Anambra State University, Prof. Fidelis

with opportunity for everybody.

Okafor, said Obi had excelled.

Responding, the celebrator re- Obi said prudent and judicious use peated his call for collective efforts of resources was necessary to build to building a progressive society nation posterity will be proud of.

They waited for 25years for a child. When eventually God answered them, He gave them a set of triplets. The joy of oil and gas guru Lawrence Ezeh and his wife, Lina, knew no bound on the arrival of these bundles of joy. They dedicated the babies at the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Kings Palace GRA in Port Harcourt. BUKUNMI OGUNDARE writes.

Bundles of joy T

HEY were praying for one. And for 25 years, their prayer was “God bless us with a child.” When God’s time came, He blessed them with a set of triplets. Last Sunday, family members and friends joined Lawrence Ezeh and his wife, Lina, to dedicate the babies at The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) Kings Palace GRA, Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.

The dedication of Prince Emmanuel Ebubechukwu, Princess Christiana Onyekachi and Prince Lawrence Uchechukwu also served as opportunity for their parents to thank God. Ezeh, a prince of Mburubu Kingdom, in Nkanu East Local Government Area of Enugu State, is a politician and oil/gas guru.

The service was officiated by Pastor Edmond Osahon and Pastor Soji Oni. The church service, graced by a mammoth crowd, was followed by a colourful and well attended reception at the Grace Events Place, Evo Road in GRA, Port Harcourt.

An elated Ezeh said he and his wife were

grateful to God for finding them worthy of the children.

“The triplets are perfect and wonderful gifts from the Lord; they represent an amazing blessing to us, they are lovable, delightful and adorable and I must confess we are enjoying every moment of their existence,” he said.

He urged parents to always dedicate their children as it is scriptural and an opportunity for parents to publicly commit themselves to the Godly rearing of their child.

To the proud princess, the joy of motherhood has outweighed the challenges.

“We are looking forward to seeing them grow into men and a woman who will inspire their generation and dedicate their lives to the cause of God by His grace,” she said.

At the event were: the paramount ruler of Mburubu kingdom, Igwe E.M.O Ezeh; paramount ruler of Imeoha Nkerefi Enugu Luke Ogbuta; Hon John Anichukwu; President General of Egi Peoples’ Assembly and Chairman of the Rivers State SURE-P programme Chief Oris Onyiri, among other high profile dignitaries.

•Prince and Princess Ezeh with their triplets

FUNERAL •The Falore siblings with their spouses at the funeral of Chief Michael Olatunde Falore at Ilesa, Osun State

FUNERAL

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 9, 2013

37

NIGER DELTA REPORT

A banker as Akwa Ibom SSG Last Wednesday, Akwa Ibom State Governor Godswill swore a former banker into office as Secretary to the State Government, amid excitement

T

AKE off the hat from one of them; you will think they were biological brothers. That was how striking the resemblance of former Akwa Ibom State Secretary to State government (SSG) Mr. Umana Okon Umanah, to his successor, Mr. Udom Gabriel Emmanuel ,was, as they sat side by side during Emmanuel’s swearing in Wednesday last week.

Emmanuel, who wore a hat, was resplendent in his native Akwa Ibom attire, looking different from those years as a player in the financial corporate world where suits are the hallmarks. Umanah wore a suit.

As early as 8am, invited guests to the event, had trooped into the Government House Banquet Hall, venue for the ceremony.The guests mostly women who turned out in their UyaiIban AkwaIbom uniform and bankers who came to celebrate one of their own, outnumbered the men and political class in the state at the event.

Before Governor GodswillAkpabio, Deputy Governor Valerie Ebe and Emmanuel arrived the venue, Umanah had first made a quiet entry in company of former military Governor Air Commodore Idongesit Nkanga (rtd), Senator Anietie Okon and Senator Emmanuel Ibok-Essien.

A short while after Umanah arrived, wife of the governor, Ekaette , entered making straight for the ‘gallery’ where she exchanged banters with guests.

Mrs. Akpabio sat with the crowd talking

•Akpabio (left) swearing-in Emmanuel (standing).

to anyone who “dared” to go and meet her.

She only went up to the high table when the governor arrived.

After the national anthem, Emmanuel was presented to the guests by the Special Assistant to the Governor on Public Affairs, Oliver Udokpo, who also doubles as the official compere at state functions. In a brief citation, Udokpo descried Emmanuel as a whiz kid, a strategist and an icon.

Thunderous applauses interrupted Udokpo’s presentation. Emmanuel was thereafter called up to be sworn in as the SSG after taking the oath of allegiance and oath of office.

Akpabio said he was happy Emmanuel “decided to heed the call of service in his fatherland and come to join us in building a new AkwaIbom State”.

He acknowledged the contributions of Umanah to his administration and his dedication to service “at the different stations

in which he patriotically served the state in a long illustrious career which began in the civil service and culminated in his appointment as the Secretary to the State Government in 2007.”

It was an emotional moment for Akpabio as he took photographs with Emmanuel and Umanah, whom, he said, was not just a friend but a brother, who served his government with great zeal and commitment.

Speaking after the event, some guests said they were excited at the change. Obong Godwin Udo said only a competent and experienced person like Emmanuel was good enough to replace Umana whose mark in the government had been exceptional. To Idorenyin Umoh, a former banker, Emmanuel’s appointment is an added value for the Akpabio government. For Joy Enoh, a woman leader, Akpabio “has once again showed that he means well for the State by bringing in an experienced technocrat to take

over from another experienced technocrat in the dying days of his regime, especially at this time that nothing should distract the holder of that office from making sure the Governor exits the scene with honour in 2015” Emmanuel, a former Executive Director of Zenith Bank and a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, had served as a non-executive director of the African Finance Corporation.

The ceremony was attended by Chief Judge Justice Idongesit Ntem Isua; the Deputy Speaker of the House of Assembly, Udo Kierian Akpan; Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Paul Ekpo; the party secretary, Sir Ibanga Akpabio; a delegation from Emmanuel’s Church, the Qua Iboe Church in Surulere, Lagos; Commissioners, Special Advisers; local government chairmen and PDP stalwarts.

‘The Southsouth needs to have common voice’ Chairman of the Southsouth Consolidated Forum, Mr Dick K. Harry, in this interview with NICHOLAS KALU, speaks on the need for the people of the region to attract attention for economic empowerment and development by speaking in a common voice.

•Eradiri

W

HAT do you mean by the saying the Southsouth has no voice?

The south has no voice because it does not have a collective voice. Other groups have voice, when they come together, they speak with one voice. And that has always been why they are benefitting. And the Southsouth is just an individual or some groups that would just get up and say something and those things are not to the general good of the region. For instance now,

we have Ijaw National Congress, we have MOSOP and others. If any of these groups is speaking, they are speaking based on their own tribe. A tree cannot make a forest. We must come together and say yes we agree to speak with one voice. So how do we start building? We begin from the grassroots. To get the consent the grassroots to say yes, what you are doing we love it and would want to be part of it. We must have a voice. We must speak with one voice and that is why we began this building.

What is your impression of state of development of the south-south?

The state of development in the southsouth is zero. When you come to the SouthSouth, because we don’t have a voice, even when we have all the resources in our own control, we are less developed. If you go from Edo to Delta to Bayelsa to Rivers to Akwa Ibom and Cross River, you can agree with me that the Southsouth has been neglected for a very long time. And these are the things that have been built by the old leaders of this country. Because we don’t have a voice, the Federal Government has neglected this region.

But a son of the Southsouth is in the saddle now?

A tree cannot make a forest. There are challenges where he is coming from because

they see him as a minority. They see him as people who don’t have one voice. All what is happening is because of the challenges he is facing because of where he is coming from.

Like the challenges facing the Rivers State government, it’s all political with different political interests. And like I have been saying, because we lack one voice, we allow strangers, people who are not from the region to speak for us. How can you cry more than the bereaved? As far as we are concerned the people of the Southsouth - the problem of Rivers State is not what people are saying.

This is the handiwork of people who feel that they can benefit from the government, they want to do divide and rule. I want to make this clear to Nigerians and the sons and daughters of the Southsouth. Nobody seems to love us more than we love ourselves.

Nobody feels he can show us love now than we do to ourselves. Why are outsiders looking as if they are interested in our own issue? It is because they want to do divide and rule. They want us to fight among ourselves. The same politics they have been playing all these years that is the same politics they are still playing up till now.

Let us end all these political crisis. It will not benefit our region anything. If Rivers suffers, Bayelsa suffers. If Bayelsa suffers, Delta suffers and so on. We should all come

back home as one body and one united body.

Let us not mind all the distraction from people who feel they love us. They love us now because our son is there. They want to use us to fight against our own son because they are already fighting him. So, they want us also to begin the fight at home. I want to advise that if you love the Southsouth, do everything that will bring peace and unity to the people of the region. Don’t do anything that will cause breach of peace in the region?

There has been an outcry by Nigerians, even from the Southsouth that the President has performed below expectations, particularly for the region.

People who say he has not performed are the same people who want to put factionalise the Southsouth. Yes, because you can see what is happening - divide and rule. He is suffering because of where he is coming from because there is no common voice. They will team up to give him trouble. He seems not to have people to stand behind him and back him up from his own place. So, he will try to make sure he does everything over there to please them and in so doing his people are suffering and they will still use us from the Southsouth to fight him. If a man is going for a war and his household is fighting him, how can the man succeed? We need to be united and give him our support to succeed.

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 9, 2013

38

NIGER DELTA REPORT

•Akpobari addresing the protesters

•The protesters

Ogoni, NGOs protest non-implementation of T

HE anger, bitterness and frustration in Ogoni land was palpable last weekend as thousands of Ogoni elders, youths, women and children trooped to the streets of Bori, the capital of the Ogoni kingdom in Rivers State to protest the non-implementation of United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report by the Federal Government.

The protest was led by the Social Action, Ogoni Solidarity Forum (OSF) and Friends of the Earth Nigeria (FoEN).

Placards with various inscriptions and posters of the late Ogoni environmental activist, Ken Saro-Wiwa were everywhere. Some the placard read: ‘Ogoni Still Waiting for Justice’, ‘UNEP Report Ogoni

From Precious Dikewoha, Port Harcourt

Still Waiting For Implementation’, ‘Our Environment Has Been Poisoned’, Ogoni Demands State of Emergency in Environment and Health’, ‘We Are Dying’, etc.

The peaceful protest almost turned violent when six protesters were arrested by the police for allegedly ordering the closure of shops and coercing traders in the area to participate in the protest. But, the traders who spoke with our reporter said they decided to lock up their shops in solidarity with the struggle.

What would have been a bloody confrontation between the protesters and police was

averted by the intervention of Comrade Celestine Akpobari, the leader of Ogoni Solidarity Movement, who facilitated the release of those arrested.

Addressing the protesters, Akpobari, who is also the leader of Social Action, accused the Federal Government of insensitivity and playing politics with the suffering of Ogoni people. He said the patience of the Ogoni people is almost exhausted.

He threatened fresh legal action against the Federal Government for doing nothing with fund meant for the cleaning of Ogoni environment and to also stop Shell from selling off their assets in Ogoni land.

“We have not seen anything

relating with UNEP report in Ogoni land, the people are suffering, the water, crops, air and the entire environment has been poisoned. Nothing is working in Ogoni, because of the destruction of our land by the evil Shell, which is now secretly selling all its assets.

That is why we are going to court next week to stop Shell from selling their assets because whoever buys them is buying Shell’s liability.”

He further warned the Federal Government against using money meant for the cleaning of Ogoni environment to other Niger Delta environments, stressing that it may result to armed struggle.

“Ken Saro Wiwa agitated

for nonviolent struggle; our generation has also started nonviolent struggle, but the next generation of Ogoni may not apply nonviolent struggle, but declaration of war.

“We have decided not to carry arms but we should not be forced to do so. It would have been better that we are carrying arms, so that we could have a handshake with the President like Asari Dokubo, Ateke and the rest of Niger Delta militants who are now being awarded millions of contract.

“Ogoni have decided to be peaceful in this agitation. Since inception of democracy no Ogoni man has became Governor, Speaker in their own

state. What have we done, are we not part of this country.

Today the report of UNEP has exonerated Ken Saro Wiwa struggle and our struggle that our environment has been polluted, now instead of the Federal Government to do something about our plight they are playing politics with our lives.”

One of the protesters, John Kenabari said people in Ogoni communities are burying one loved one after the other due to the negative impact of pollution on the health of the people and various health challenges in the region.

Kenabari said “We cannot fetch water from our stream or fish from the river. The women are no longer going to

Seven Akwa Ibom medical students get scholarship

S

EVEN Akwa Ibom State indigenes studying Medicine and Surgery in various universities have been awarded year 2013 Isabella Medical Scholars Fund (IMSF) scholarship.

The students, who are from Ukanafun, Ikot Ekpene and Essien Udim Local Government Areas, smiled home with N250, 000 each in recognition of their outstanding performance.

The yearly IMSF scholarship award is used to honour of late Dr. Isabella Samuel Inyang, the co-founder of the foundation and the wife of a retired Director with Oil giant Shell Nigeria.

Speaking during the presentation of cheque to the deserving students, the Chairman, the Samuel and Isabella Foundation, Samuel

From Kazeem Ibrahym, Uyo

Inyang said the awardees were the best and brightest undergraduates similar to what Isabella was in her time.

Inyang said: “For us in the foundation, this occasion is another milestone to actualise one of our programmes and thereby continue to immortalise a great Lady and Co-founder of the Foundation, Dr. Isabella Samuel Inyang.

“She believed in the very moving words of the anthem “Passing the Torch” of Queen’s College, Lagos, her alma mater. She had always wanted to pass on “the thoughts, the skills, the learning...brightly burning... such that not even death can make it dim.

“We see these awardees as pillars of their generation

•Beneficiaries with their parents and members of the Board of Trustees, (BOT) of the Fund and the assurance of our Nation for a brighter future. We salute their academic prowess. We urge you to persevere to end of your studies so that you may be able to

offer the highest standard of service in medical field anywhere in the world.”

In her remarks, the State Commissioner for Education Prof. (Mrs.) Atim Antai

urged the beneficiaries of the award to make maximum use of the opportunity and work hard to justify the award.

Prof. (Mrs.) Antai ex-

plained that apart from the initiatives from private individuals, state government is also giving medical students in various universities grants of N200, 000 each per session.

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 9, 2013

39

NIGER DELTA REPORT

•Dame Lawrence-Nemi (sitting in the middle) with the Rivers State chapter Executives of the association

Old students to honour Amaechi, Nemi-Lawrence

R

UNEP report the farm because everything has been polluted and destroyed. But as God wants it, we are not the one that asked the United Nation to investigate our environment and after their assessment and investigation we were vindicated.

Now, the major problem is the Federal Government after two years of the released of this report has done nothing in Ogoni land.”

Dr. Godwin Uyi Ojo, Executive Director ERA/FoEN, said it should not take the Federal Government forever to implement the UNEP report on Ogoniland, if it is sincere.

He said ERA has demanded that the Nigerian government demonstrates its commitment

to implementing the recommendations of the UNEP report by compelling Shell to clean up its mess in Ogoniland.

“The UNEP findings released on August 4, 2011 showed hydrocarbon pollution in surface water throughout the creeks of Ogoniland and up to 8cm in groundwater that feed drinking wells.

Soils were found to have been polluted with hydrocarbons up to a depth of five metres in 49 observed sites, while benzene, a known cancer-causing chemical was found in drinking water at a level 900 times above World Health Organisation (WHO) acceptable levels.”

•Sir Samuel Inyang (right) congratulating Miss Eriti James Okorie shortly after presenting her a cheque of N250,000

Her words: “The Ministry of Education is proud of the awardees who were products of our public secondary schools and beneficiaries of the free and compulsory edu-

cation programme. It is my wish that other students will emulate the high academic performance of these awardees.”

IVERS State Governor Rotimi Amaechi and his Education Commissioner, Dame Alice NemiLawrence, have been nominated for honours by the Old Students Association of the Federal Government College, Okigwe in Abia State.

The association said the award was in recognition of their tremendous achievements in the education sector.

The Rivers State chapter of the association made the revelation during a courtesy visit to Nemi-Lawrence in Port Harcourt.

Its chairman, Pastor John Soberekon, said Amaechi would be conferred with “National Unity and Excellence in Education” award.

Mrs. Nemi-Lawrence will be honoured with the “Pragmatic Steps in Actualising the Governor’s Vision in Education.”

He said the formal conferment would be made later in the year at the National Convention to be held in Port

From Clarice Azuatalam, Port Harcourt

Harcourt.

Soberekon said the national convention of the association would attract many old students of the college from within and outside the country, including the Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, Prof.

Chidi Odinkalu.

He said the association has been following with keen interest the good works that Rivers state government is doing under Amaechi, which is giving quality education to the people.

Listing out the government’s achievements in education, he said that they include the infrastructural development of schools in the state which are being rebuilt with good lawns, green and serene environment and stateof-the-art equipment.

Soberekon praised the government for the “massive recruitment of over 13,000 teachers at a time” and the

award of scholarships to Rivers state indigenes and other Nigerians resident in the state to study either in Nigeria or abroad.

The association also expressed delight that Port Harcourt has been made a Literary World Capital and for the reading culture and the literary quizzes that have been taking place in the Garden City saying it is “a direct development from all these efforts.”

While lauding the NemiLawrence for “driving and pivoting this vision”, they also solicited the assistance of the government in the hosting of their national convention.

Responding, the commissioner recalled the rot that pervaded the education sector in the state before Amaechi came on board saying that the “condition of schools were such that you could not even send your dog to those kind of schools.”

Mrs. Nemi-Lawrence said that based on expert advice

from the World Bank, the government declared a state of emergency in the education sector and brought down the schools to build new ones “that can last for another 50 years for the people of Rivers state.”

She said the governor’s vision in the education sector was to adopt a gradual process whereby “you do the infrastructure; after infrastructure, we are doing the teacher training; from teacher training, we set up some institutions because by the time he leaves office, he must also put an institution in place, otherwise, everything you have done will crumble.”

The commissioner said government was at the stage of recruiting teachers, adding that even though the governor’s vision of building 750 schools is yet to be completed but “anybody who has done 300 schools completed and 250 functioning in September, that person should be given accolade”.

‘I’ll build bridge of trust in Delta’

A

N Urhobo political activist and governorship aspirant, Daniel Idonor, has promised to build a bridge of trust among all the interest groups in Delta State, if elected in 2015.

Idonor, a former President of the Student Union Government (SUG) of the University of Jos, promised to promote unity.

A journalist, who covered Aso Rock for several years and rose to become the Chairman of the State House Press Corps, he said he would be able to show what real governance is.

He said: “As a member of the ruling People’s Democratic Party and someone who is always in touch with the people, I will be willing to offer myself to the service of my people to overcome the various challenges of development staring them in the face.”

He said the indices of underdevelopment become more pronounced in a state, such as Delta located in the most difficult terrain and underdeveloped region of Nigeria.

He said the various challenges, such as lack of social amenities and infrastructures, insecurity, power, flood, erosion, environments, urban renewal among others, would be a thing of the past, if he becomes the governor.

While commending the

From Bukola Amusan, Abuja

Delta Beyond Oil initiative of the Uduaghan administration, he said more efforts should be channelled towards partnering with the private sector to revive ailing industries and setting up new agrobased and import substitution industries.

Idonor said: “I know that the vast human and natural resources that abound in the State still remain untapped, a good chunk of our food needs, especially plantain, cassava, fish etc can be sourced from the vast land, long coast line, many rivers and the huge population that exist in the rural areas of the state.

“My town, Orere, for example has the capacity to produce up to five per cent percent of the total food needs of the state but due to lack of storage facilities and access to market many of the agricultural produce including cassava, groundnut, yams, plantain /banana, palm oil and kernels, seafood, fruits and vegetable are wasted away dailY. “There are also challenges that border on increasing the access of the teeming population especially in the rural areas to education and health care, all these I intend to tackle if given the mandate.”

He said Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan has

good developmental agenda capable of taking the State on the path of economic recovery and industrialisation in place, adding that he would consolidate on his achievements rather than embarking on new projects.

He said with what the governor is doing, Delta would be the only state in Nigeria with two international airports at Asaba and Osubi near Warri.

Idonor said: “The Warri industrial park, the Delta Beyond Oil initiatives to mention but a few are all good developmental programmes by the current administration.

“I will build on the current efforts of the government, there is the urgent need to open up the entire state in terms of infrastructural development; make every community accessible by motorable road and water, this will curb rural-urban drift that has over the years over-stretch existing infrastructures in the urban areas.”

He announced that he would soon unveil “The Bridge Movement” a sociopolitical platform through which he hopes to achieve his political aspirations; and urged Deltans and Nigerians to support the project.

Idonor said his bright chance in 2015 is not on godfather, but on the belief the people will support him to

•Idonor achieve his mandate.

His words: “I know the means of achieving it will come from them by God’s grace. I believe that it is possible to apply the Obama model in Nigeria where the high and the low contribute to the overall success of the candidate as long as you get the acts right.

“My interest and strength in Delta politics is based on the fact that I represent the bridge between the weak and strong, the rich and the poor, the low and mighty, the rural and urban dwellers, the organised private sector (OPS) and public sector, the governments at both the state and federal levels, and the masses. I also represent the bridge between the Urhobos and the Itsekiris, Aniomas, Ijaws and Isokos. And above all, I represent the bridge between Deltans and nonDeltans.”

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 9, 2013

40

NIGER DELTA REPORT

T

HE 18-storey five-star Tower Hotel project has remained a subject of controversy in Bayelsa State. Little was known about the project till President Goodluck Jonathan stirred the hornets’ nest in a build-up to the February 2012 governorship election that produced Governor Seriake Dickson.

During the grand finale of the Peoples Democratic Party’s rally at the Samson Siasia’s Sports Complex, Yenagoa, the President revealed that issues surrounding the then abandoned facility fuelled the bad blood between him and Timipre Sylva, his successor as governor.

He insisted that Sylva’s abandonment of the project was part of the reason he frustrated Sylva’s second term bid.

He said: “Everybody knows that in our society, we need development. I was second in command to Alamieyeseigha. One thing I remember is the Tower Hotel. It was not my dream but it was conceptualised under the Alamieyeseigha administration.

“He discussed with the contractors. It was supposed to be a fivestar hotel and it would attract people from all over the world. But now, it is a monument of disgrace.”

But, Sylvia fired back that he built the hotel to the 18th floor, where it has remained. He also took a swipe at Jonathan, who, he said, was benefiting from a building project financed by Gitto Construction Ltd. Jonathan, as Bayelsa governor, awarded the project to Gitto. It later turned out that the Italian firm built and donated the controversial church building to the president in his home town.

The structure was designed to be the tallest building in the state and a hotel of aesthetic beauty and excellence that would promote the state’s tourism potential.

It was conceived to be a facility of choice for international conferences and high-profile visitors.

Jonathan in his ephemeral reign as the governor of the state began the construction of the edifice..

Niger Delta Report gathered that the facility was initially designed as a 14-storey building with 120 rooms and 2,500 capacity auditorium.

But Jonathan reportedly left the project on a second floor after he became the Vice-President for his successor, Sylva who redesigned it and made it 18 storeys. The former

Bayelsa’s Tower Hotel of controversies From Mike Odiegwu, Yenagoa

governor continued with the project until it got to the expected level. Surprisingly, the project was forsaken at the 18th floor.

For over four years, contractors withdrew from the site. The gigantic structure centrally located between the Bayelsa Palm Road and the Melford Okilo Expressway became an eyesore. Vegetation took over the site. The abandoned building became a home for gangsters, a haven for notorious criminals, the marijuana smokers and a refuge for destitute.

While some referred to it as a wasting asset, others said it was a white elephant project. There was no end in sight to the completion date. There was, however, an allegation that the project became a pipe to siphon public funds.

For instance, Niger Delta Report found that it was one of the projects used by Sylva to secure a N50 billion loan from the capital market in December 2009. The report of the Financial Management Review Committee, which indicted Sylva for financial rascality, showed that the cost of the project was N13.9 billion.

The report of the committee, which was chaired by the former Managing Director, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Timi Alaibe, also showed that the project was rated 26 per cent completion when the bond was obtained. The report further said part of the bond (N3.6 billion) was earmarked to be used for the completion of the project in June 2011.

But in June 2011, the project remained in its abandoned state. The committee in its report observed: “It is pertinent to state that most of the projects highlighted were long abandoned projects and they remain abandoned even after the refinancing.

However, Sylva in one of his tirades with the President gave a reason why the project was abandoned. He blamed it on the contractors.

A statement by his Media Adviser, Doifie Ola said: “Sylva wishes to clarify that the hotel was at the second floor when he took over from Dr. Jonathan as governor. It

•The controversial hotel

is now at its 18th floor, as the whole world can see.

“Sylva agrees that the job has been delayed, but explains that the

reason it has been delayed is because the contractor, whom Dr. Jonathan himself chose and awarded the contract to, asked for

a variation of N5 billion.”

But, it seems that the dust raised by the construction of the hotel has not settled. Critics have observed that one year after Dickson took over the administration of the state, the project remained the way he inherited it. Some have also started using the condition of the project to create disaffection between Dickson and Jonathan.

Dickson has, however, insisted that he was committed to the project. In March 2013, the governor presented a cheque of N4 billion to a contracting firm, Sedogi Nigeria Limited to complete the hotel.

The contract agreement indicated that the project would be completed within 18 months.

The governor told the firm: “The N4 billion is to enable you remobilise to site. We have engaged world class consultants from South Africa, who have the experience and expertise in the development of tourism facilities.

“They will work with you and with the support of the government, we believe that by the grace of God, the project will be successfully executed.”

Also, the Managing Director, Bayelsa State Hotels and Tourism Development Company Ltd. Dr. Kelvin Bribena, said the delay in completing the project was to ensure best practice.

He explained that the consultants engaged by the government were yet to arrive and hold meetings with the contractor.

He added that the government was also shopping for a known hotel operator that would manage the facility after its completion. According to him, the consultant and the contractor must meet to agree on sensitive areas for sustainability of the project benefits.

“There is no form of politics in the delay of the tower hotel. Government wants to make hotels in Bayelsa another main attraction to tourist so that we can project our potential to people outside the state.

“The government’s focus is on wealth creation through the tourism sub-sector. We need to have a proper consultant and a known household hotel operator in Nigeria that will manage the facility.”

Dickson seeks UNs’ intervention to combat flood B ‘ AYELSA State government and victims of the 2012 flood disaster are waiting for the intervention of the United Nations Organisation (UNO), donor agencies and philanthropic individuals.

The devastation caused by the floods had overwhelmed the Governor Seriake Dickson administration compelling it to depend on interventionist agencies and individuals.

It was found that critical infrastructure, especially roads destroyed by the disaster, are yet to be reconstructed with many roads and bridges that caved in remaining impassable one year after. Even some sections of the road that leads to Otuoke, President Goodluck Jonathan’s home town in Ogbia Local Government Area are still begging for reconstruction.

The Imiringi road is thoroughly devastated without any meaningful work to reconstruct it.

But the representatives of the United Nations had in June visited the state and promised to provide technical assistance in rebuilding damaged infrastructures.

United Nations Under-SecretaryGeneral for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Valerie Amos, who was on a two-day working visit, inspected some of the affected areas.

From Mike Odiegwu, Yenagoa

She said: “I am here in Bayelsa to see for myself the impact of the devastating flood of last year. I have had the opportunity to talk to the ordinary people and the Post Flood Management and Response Committee on the efforts made in the provision of food, shelter and other relief materials.

“There are lessons to be learnt and we would like to work with the state government and federal authorities to support and partner in strengthening preparedness and look at ways in which we can assist with technical support.”

But one month after the visit, the Chairman of the post-flood committee, Chief Francis Duokpola, said the state was eagerly waiting for the UN to redeem its promise.

He said the committee was at the verge of designing a technical report on the disaster to enable it source funds from other interventionist agencies and individuals.

Doukpala said the committee had been ameliorating the plight of the victims by supplying then with relief materials.

He, however, regretted that some persons, especially community leaders, were bent on sabotaging the efforts of the committee.

It is safer and better to prevent the floods than going into a higher ground. But it is left for the communities to choose between local shore protection or higher grounds

•Dickson He said at least five leaders of communities were in trouble for selling bags of cement donated to victims by the committee.

Leaders of the community were said to have sold the bags of cement, instead of distributing them to victims in their localities.

The Chairmen of the Community

‘

Development Committees were said to have been fingered in the alleged scam.

“The suspects will face prosecution after investigations,”Doukpala said.

He said the defaulting communities were from Ogbia, Ekeremor and Southern Ijaw local government areas.

He said after investigations, the

indicted community leaders would be prosecuted, describing the action as against the terms of reference of the committee.

He said the arguments by the CDC chairmen of the affected communities that they sold the cement to cater for other pressing needs in their respective communities were not tenable.

“It is unfortunate that some communities sold their bags of cement.

We will identify the CDC chairmen and prosecute them. We are not taking the matter lying low”, he said.

He said the committee had so far distributed 107,000 bags of cement to the communities which were ravaged by the floods.

He said the committee intended to send 130,000 bags of cement to 13,000 communities adding that the state was expecting the intervention of the United Nations after the visit of the UN Under-Secretary.

“We are making arrangement to either build shore protection or higher grounds to prevent the looming floods,” he said.

He added: “It is safer and better to prevent the floods than going into a higher ground. But it is left for the communities to choose between local shore protection or higher grounds”.

42

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 9, 2013

43

POLITICS

FRIDAY, AUGUST 9, 2013

THE NATION

E-mail:- politics@thenationonlineng.net

In 2015, two main political parties-the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC)-will contest for federal power. Group Political EMMANUEL OLADESU and Assistant Editor LEKE SALAUDEEN examine the prospects of a two-party system, following the merger of opposition progressive parties.

P

ROGRESSIVES have broken the jinx of botched alliances. Following the merger of like-minded opposition parties, the stage is set for a hot contest between the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC). The two parties will test their strength in Anambra State on November 16 at the governorship election. Next year, they will also bid for power in the governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun states.

Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) chieftains will fight on the platform of the APC, which is now perceived as the progressive mega party. Although other mushroom political parties, including the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Accord Party (AP) and Labour Party (LP), will present candidates for the elections, observers contend that Nigeria may be on the way to a two-party system.

In 2015, the country may mirror the clash of two dominant parties. This will be similar to the British and American practice of two party parliamentary and presidential democracy. In both the United Kingdom and Unites States, which pride themselves as two party states, there are also smaller political parties which fight for power and relevance at the local levels. However, only the Democratic Party and Republican Party have always won presidential elections in the US and won the majority seats in the Congress and Senate. Although other parties, including the Green Party and Tea party always contest, they are largely perceived as fringe parties. Also, in Britain, only the Conservative Party and Labour Party have always been wining the majority of seats in the House of Commons. The third party, the Liberal Party, is mustering efforts to be more relevant. Other smaller parties exist, but as defenders of special interests and identities in the country.

The advantage of the two party system is that it strategically narrows down political choice and gives opportunities for exploring better and credible alternative platforms during the periodic elections. Also, opposition usually wax stronger. The result, analysts point out, is good governance.

However, this experience has eluded Nigeria since independence, although its politics and transient alliance have always predisposed it to two party system. The alliances or accords are never concretised.

History has shown that many opposition leaders usually back their moves with hypocritical commitment. Thus, when concerted efforts were made by opposition leaders to forge an alliance, it was short-lived. Instead, it has been relatively easier for the opposition to team up temporarily with the ruling parties for pecuniary political gains. For example, many were surprised in 1960 when the National Council of Nigerian Citizens (NCNC), led by Dr Nnamidi Azikiwe, forged an alliance with the Balewa’s Northern Peoples Congress (NPC), instead of the Action Group (AG), which was closer to its ideological leaning.

When the alliance broke down in 1964, prominent National Council of Nigerian Citizens (NCNC) ministers in the Balewa Government refused to leave the government. Later, the AG, NCNC and some smaller parties came together in an alliance for the purpose of the 1964 federal elections. But there was no strong leader to wield them together. The AG leader, the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, was in prison and many believed that the NCNC leader, Dr Michael Okpara, lacked the leadership capability to move the alliance forward. The onslaught by the NPC was unbearable. Former Western Regional Minister Chief Ehinafe Babatola, who reflected on the United Progressive Grand Alliance (UPGA) politics, recalled that there was division within the alliance over plans for the 1964 federal elections and 1965 regional. While a section called for the aggressive pursuit of victory, others who feared the NNA’s suppressive machinery, canvassed the boycott of the polls. Both camps went ahead with their antagonistic strategies.

Thirteen years after the first military rule in 1979, the Nigeria Peoples Party (NPP), which was an incarnate of the banned NCNC led by Zik, teamed up with the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) in an uneasy accord, following the

•Akande

•Tukur

Is Nigeria heading for two-party system?

12 two-third controversy. When the relationship broke down in 1981, the NPP ministers held on to their portfolios in the Federal Executive Council (FCE). Some even defected from NPP to NPN. However, two party system was foisted on the country by former President Ibrahim Babangida, who established the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and National Republican Convention (NRC), in line wirth the recommendation of the Political Bureau headed

by Dr Sam Cookey. The military also imposed the manifestos on the two parties. Although the result was a two party system with ambiguity because the parties did not evolve from the people. In that aborted Third republic, there was no defection of politicians from either of the parties. There was streamlining, making it easier for the electorate to make a clear choice between the progressive and conservative platforms. Both SDP and NRC were

proscribed by another military head of State, the late Gen. Sani Abacha.

In 1998, the military government actually proposed the two party system. The two parties were the PDP and APP. However, Chief Bola Ige, owing to irreconcilable differences, pulled his group out of the APP to form the Alliance for Democracy (AD). The Head of State, Gen. Abulsalami Abubakar objected to the birth of the third party after the closure of registration of parties. But he was advised by the Chief of General Staff, Admiral Mike Akhigbe, who had served as the governor of Ondo and Lagos States, to avoid a situation whereby the Southwest would boycott the transition programme, thereby discrediting the process. The pulling out of the AD out of the APP was later admitted as a mistake by the progressives. When reality dawned on them that they could not beat the PDP at the presidential poll, AD chieftains evolved an agreement with their counterparts

‘Two party system will liberate the country from political imprisonment that the PDP had subjected them to in the past 14 years.

With a formidable opposition like the APC , there is the assurance that power can be wrestled from the ruling PDP, whose stock in trade are misrule and reckless display of power’

in the APP to field a joint presidential candidate in 1999. Chief Olu Falae from the AD emerged as the candidate and the APP chieftain, Alhaji Umaru Shinkafi, was his running mate. Nevertheless, they lost their deposit at the poll.

After the election, APP and AD did not resolve to fuse together. Instead, the PDP and APP formed a controversial Government of National Unity (GNU). The chairman of the APP, Senator Mahmud Waziri, later abandoned his party when he was appointed as a Special Adviser by former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

In 2003, the National Chairman of Alliance for Democracy (AD), Alhaji Ahmed Abudulkadir, was rewarded by Obasanjo with the position of Special Adviser on Manufacturing, following the inexplicable cooperation between selected AD leaders and PDP federal government. In 2011, ANPP led by the late Edwin Ume-Ezeoke, isolated itself and teamed up with the PDP to form an inexplicable Government of National Unity. The terms baffled Nigerians. The party also became polarised.

Since 2007, when the country witnessed the worst elections, opposition groups have been holding discussions on the possibility of an alliance. But the Southwest, which was perceived as the main pilot in the venture, has been politically divided. Opposition figures outside the zone were in regular contacts with a faction of the displaced entrenched establishment, which had regrouped as the Democratic Peoples Alliance (DPA), following the eclipse of the AD. But the old men lacked mobilisation prowess like their old colleagues, who were in the AC N, the widely accepted party in the zone.

The alliance talks supported by the men of the old order later hit the rocks. From its ashes rose the two parties, MPPP, led by Shita-Bey, and another mega party sponsored by Prof Pat Utomi, Chiefs Olu Falae, Ayo Adebanjo and Olaniwun Ajayi. Although former governor of Lagos State, Alhaji Lateef Jakande, also tried to bring some groups together for the purpose of rallying progressives for a better defense, the effort did not see the light of the day.

Shortly before the 2007 polls, progressive politicians in the PDP and AD came together to form the Action Congress of Nigeria. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar ran for the presidential election on the platform. But after the election, which he lost to the late President Yar’Adua, he and his group returned to the PDP. In 2011, ACN and CPC were involved in another alliance talks, which later collapsed. ACN blamed the CPC chieftains for not making up their minds. But last year, ACN, CPC, ANPP and a section of APGA discovered an opportunity in 2015. The options, to them, were also plausible; mergers, accord, alliances and fusion.

Initially, sone CPC and ANPP objected, but reason later prevailed. Buhari faced personal hurdles within his former party, the ANPP, and his present camp. While the CPC chairman and former Information Minister, Prince Tony Momoh, and former Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Mallam Nasir el-Rufai were enthusiastic, other compatriots were reluctant.

Some ANPP leaders said that they could not work with Buhari. It is a carry-over of the deepseated crisis in the ANPP, which led to the General’s exit from the party.

In 1964, 1979, 1999, 2007 and 2011, collaborations among oppositional parties failed. Proposed alliance, fusion and accord crumbled. But it has now succeeded. Will it bear the envisaged fruits?

Currently, the PDP controls 23 states, ACN governs six states, ANPP controls three states, CPC and APGA govern one state each. Though the PDP rules in 23 states, the party is troubled by internal squabbles, which fuel suspicion that many of its governors may defect to the opposition, ahead of 2015. If this happens, APC may be at par with the PDP, in terms of electoral strength.

APC chieftain Asiwaju Bola Tinubu said: “The confirmation of the registration of the party

by INEC signal-led the commencement of a new phase in the struggle to bring true democratic change to Nigeria. This is not just a merger.

This is the first ever merger in the history of Nigeria and represents a paradigm shift in the politics of our country. Together, we must own •Continued on page 44

44

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 9, 2013

POLITICS Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Board of Trustees (BoT) member Prince Benjamin Apugo spoke with Correspondent OKODILI NDIDI on the prospect of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the threat it poses to the ruling party.

‘APC leaders are men of strong character and integrity’

W

HAT is your reaction to the registration of the APC? Well, you people always ask me questions that are not difficult for me to answer. That is why I am answering this. You see, I have always loved the APC when it was not even registered. Now that it is registered, I love it more. Remember that I am one of the founders of the PDP and a member of the Board of Trustees. It has been very difficult for us to assess our party because there are is strong opposition. Now that the opposition is here, I am very happy. I am very happy that the APC is registered. I know the people there and I know their character. Most of them are of strong character like me.

That is why I love the APC. People who can tell the country the truth without minding whose ox is gored.

There was a time the PDP said they were going to rule the country for the next 50 years. Now, with the emergence of the APC, do you think that position is still tenable?

You see, there is nothing wrong in the assumption. People even call themselves Jesus Christ. I am not saying the PDP is not going to rule but if it must rule let it be by the vote of the people. It is the party that respects the rule of law and the aspiration of the people and does the right thing that the people will want.

Do you think that the emergence of the APC will give Nigerians the alternative platform?

Now I don’t even know who to call the opposition because, as at today, three political parties have merged together. I cannot call them opposition. I will call them a political party, PDP is a political, they are a political party. And every party will fight to win. Fight is not physical fighting; they will fight by talking to the people, addressing the people, respecting the will of the people, respecting the rule of law. It is the party that does so that Nigerians will always follow; people like us will always belong to. It is not a group that will only want you to run around the villa and blackmail people to get one thing or the other which I cannot do. I contested for the National Chairmanship of the PDP. I am a member of Board of Trustees, one of the founders. I was the one that mounted the PDP flag in Yenagoa, Bayelsa state. I did not only mount the PDP flag in Bayelsa, I funded the party in Bayelsa State. I

don’t know Bayelsa before, they came and begged me and I followed them to go and help, but today, we are nothing because we don’t run round the villa. Then, you are talking about Abia.I helped to make Theodore Orji, governor when he was in the PPA. I brought him into, PDP. I presented him to the party at the stadium in Umuahia. So, all these things are nothing for the PDP. It is only when you go round and start blackmailing people to look for one contract or the other. I can never do that. I have my integrity and I will continue to protect that.

Some members of your party have said that the APC is not a threat, but you seem to sing a different song.

You are excited that the APC will give Nigerians the liberty to choose between two alternatives. Why is your view different from others?

I’ve said it earlier that I know the people who are there. Do I have to mention their names? I know the people who are there. And sincerely speaking, from what I know about some of them who are there, they are people of integrity. That is why my views are different from others.

And the APC is indeed a threat. Let me be very blunt. Let’s not deceive ourselves. If it is for Nigerians to vote, the APC is a huge threat to PDP. There has been this age-long agitation for Igbo Presidency and people are thinking that, with the coming of the APC, the zone will have a broader platform to actualise that ambition. Do you think that is possible?

You know, the issue there is that we don’t have to deceive ourselves.

Look, before you sit down in a place that you have gone to, you have to look at the face of the person that you have gone to his house before you sit down. We, the Igbo, should do everything possible to keep ourselves together, to love ourselves before we start looking for a seat where we are. We are human beings quite alright. We are qualified to be all these things, more than qualified,

• Apugo

but we should get back our friends; we should get back our allies. We should forget selfishness. A governor will get to office; it will become his kingdom. A governor who was a beggar before goes to office and he becomes the all and all, forgetting that he will come out of the office one day and he will go back to that position that God has created him, no matter the amount of money he has made. So, let’s forget about deceiving ourselves now. I always support the President coming from the North. I always say that this time, I said it earlier, even in PDP, where we were, I always say that the Presidency, as at that time, was for the North going by our zoning arrangement. But it was not done. We didn’t know that some of the Northerners went behind and signed an agreement with the President. So, we were betrayed. Yes, because all of us like me, I stood firm that it was the turn of the North. I did not know who the North was going to bring in PDP. So, when it was time for the primaries, I voted for the North. I voted completely for the North. So,

today, from the look of things, if I am asked to vote again in the PDP primaries, which I am truly qualified, I will vote for a Northern President in the primaries. Then, after the North, the Igbos will come in. That is, if we continue to do zoning. But if there is no zoning let the best man win.

In the Southeast, it is only the Imo State governor that is in the APC. What does it portend for the zone?

Well, you don’t put much emphasis on the governors. You will look at the people. When the time comes, and it is voting, it is the people that will vote. Some governors, when they came out they tried to contest for the Senate, they lost. So, let us not be talking about governors, but the people. What are the people looking for? Are the people not looking for development? What we are talking about is development. Why I am particularly happy with APC is that I have seen where their governors performed. Their governors perform like some of the PDP governors. APC look after their people, they create jobs, which is my interest.

As one of the leaders of PDP, the party has been riddled with a lot of crises. Going by your experience, what advise do you have for the APC? All the members of the APC are politicians. No, they cannot afford to have crisis because they know that crisis destroys a party. Crisis is part of the problems we have in PDP where you will bring in a governor who is a total stranger, you make him, a governor he becomes the leader of the party, then you who brought him will not even know your ward chairman because you don’t go to the governor, to look for one business or the other or blackmailing others. It can never be done in the APC. You have your respect.

The governor can continue developing the place but your respect is there.

You don’t need him to give you respect, before he develops the place, he develops the place and he gives

‘So, today, from the look of things, if I am asked to vote again in the PDP primaries, which I am truly qualified, I will vote for a Northern President in the primaries. Then, after the North, the Igbos will come in. That is, if we continue to do zoning. But if there is no zoning let the best man win’

Is Nigeria heading for two-party system?

•Continued from page 43

it. As Nigerians, we see history unfold before our eyes and we must rise up to answer the call of history to liberate our people.”

Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN) described the two- party system as the best option for Nigeria. He said that there is nothing wrong with two-party system, particularly in Nigeria, where the ruling PDP considers power as its birth right because other parties are not strong to capture power at the centre.

He said the coming together of some opposition parties has changed political structure of the country. Nigerians can now boast of two formidable political parties and Nigerians can now make a choice, he added.

“There is nothing wrong with two party system. It guarantees stability in the polity and as well makes it easier for power to shift from one party to another and from one region to the other.

“With APC coming on board as a national party, the abuse of power and the excesses of PDP would be reduced since the party is aware that the electorate have alternative in the next poll.

“Two party system will liberate the country from political imprisonment that the PDP had subjected them to in the past 14 years. With a formidable opposition like the APC , there is the assurance that power can be wrestled from the ruling PDP, whose stock in trade are misrule and reckless display of power.

The envisaged two party system is not legislated, but it has evolved over time as it was the case in countries like Australia, New Zealand and Britain where two parties are dominant in their political system.

But Chief Niyi Akintola (SAN) says no to two party system in Nigeria.

Against the background that the country is a multiethnic and multicultural society, he argued that Nigeria must embrace multi-party system.

Akintola said that, given the fact that Nigeria is a country of many nationalities and, which is yet to get over the problem of ethnicity, it should not narrow the political space to two parties.

He said those that are dissatisfied with the leadership and programmes of both the PDP and APC can find a common ground in another party.

The lawyer suggested that Nigeria

you the respect, the development is first, the respect comes after.

What do you think the President can win election on 2015?

I wouldn’t answer that question because I am not in his cabinet, or in his team. It is only people that are with him that should be able to know whether he has a second chance or not.

I am not there. Only those around him will know. I cannot tell you whether he has a second chance even though we are in the same party.

Recently, Senator Arthur Nzeribe said the Southeast has nothing to show for the support they gave to President Jonathan. Do you agree with that assertion?

I agree with him completely.

What and what do you think the President should have done for this zone to commensurate with the support given to him?

Look, I cannot blame Jonathan. I am blaming the so-called ministers that are from this zone. I cannot blame him; he is not from here. Let us not be calling somebody who has not done anything against you. The ministers are from here. We have the so-called Minister of Labour, doesn’t he know that there is no airport in Abia? We have the Finance Minister; doesn’t she know that there is no stadium in Abia?

Or doesn’t she know that we don’t have airport in Abia? Why don’t they come down to Abia and drive round and see whether they won’t see for themselves that we need these things.? We need infrastructure. We need employment for our people. We need roads. We need water. We need light. So, why should we levy all these things on Jonathan? Bayelsa is being developed; it’s his home. I cannot hold Jonathan responsible for all that because he gave you equal ministerial positions that he gave to those who are developing their area. You have governors who are developing their areas. Look, let me tell you what you want me to say.

The zone, you call it zone in quote, what is the project they have in common. Southeast zone, do they have a bank? Southeast zone, do they have any corporation like the O’odua Investment or the Arewa? The governors, do they have any single project that makes them one? Why are they deceiving themselves; they don’t have.

So, they are only one when they go to Abuja to lobby for one thing or the other for themselves. The Yoruba have the O’odua Investment. They have their bank.

should have three or five political parties. He called on the electoral commission to do away with the mushroom parties. He said most of the mush room parties existing on paper are not serious adding that they collect grants from INEC and collect money from the winning party and share offices with them.

“Most of the opposition parties are regional based. They should merge and form a formidable party, as some did to form the All Progressive Congress (APC).

Examples of two party state The United States of America: “The presidential power has always been alternated between the Democratic and Republican parties otherwise known as “current major parties. It is not a two-party system legislated by the Congress. Instead, the two parties evolved overtime, not over night, given that there are still in existence such parties as Constitution Party, Reform Party, Reform Party and Liberian Party.

In the United Kingdom, the last par-

•Asiwaju Tinubu

liamentary elections threw up the Liberal Democrats as the coalition partner with the Conservative Party (the Tories), the first coalition government since 1945, decades after Labour and the Tories have shared political dominance in the country.

Yet, there are others in existence such as the Plaid (Wales), SNP (Scotland), United Kingdom Independence Party, Green Party and British National Party.

• Buhari

In Spain, two major parties emerged which have strong influence and tend to elect most of the candidates, but a multitude of lesser parties exist with varying degrees of influence, and sometimes, these lesser parties are able to elect officials, who participate in the legislature. A report in the Christian Science Monitor, for example, suggested that Spain was moving towards a greater two party system, while acknowledging that the country has many small parties.

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 9, 2013

45

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 9, 2013

46

Relief for needy kids •Continued from Page 17 “There is more joy in sharing with the poor, remembering the downtrodden, the motherless, and the physically challenged persons in the society.

“Our dream of Nigeria is that of a growing country that would be able to cater for its citizens irrespective of their challenges.The rich in this country are enjoying themselves and are having the best in this country.

“The rich don’t need the rich. The poor are the people for whom everyday is a challenge.Those who are privileged have cornered the resources for themselves. As we speak, over 90 per cent of the resources are wasted by the rich and kept in foreign accounts. The wealthy in this land drink and eat lavishly. The rich must obviously change their ways.

The vulnerable and the less-privileged should be catered for.

“The political class and the civil servants must get their acts together or else there would be problem in this country. The leaders, politicians and the civil servants should see how we can go back to the days when things were done right before the citizens themselves take power into their hands. What happened in Egypt showed that power belongs to the people. It is the people that matter.

The people in turn should not sell their right.”

Praising the lawmaker for his decision to celebrate with the less privilege, the President of an Ibadanbased socio-cultural group, Egbe Omo Ibadan Parapo, Alhaji Tope Animasaun described Senator Lanlehin as a politician with unri-

T

HE youth wing of the All Progressives Congress Party (APC) in the Southeast has appealed to the leadership of the party to insist on a free and fair ballot in the forthcoming primaries of the party at which it will select a governorship candidate for the November 17 governorship election in Anambra State.

The Anambra State acting Leader of All Progressives Youth Forum, Comrade Unegbu Ozoemena warned that imposition of candidates in the governorship election will derail the feat the party is already recording and will affect its chances of winningn the election.

Unegbu, who spoke after a meeting of the zone in Awka, said the youths will resist any plan to impose a candidate, stating that democracy should be allowed to

valled passion for the welfare of the masses. Animasaun said that Lanlehin’s decision to mark his landmark 60th birthday anniversary with the less privileged would go down in the history as a rare demonstration of humility, passion and love for the masses by a political office holder.

“On attainment of a landmark birthday like 60 years by any senior public office holder, one would have expected flamboyant celebrations with men of high and mighty but a distinguished Senator, this time, chose to honour motherless babies; physically challenged children and the downtrodden. This singular gesture indicates hope for poor Nigerians who have been oppressed for too long.

“We had noted with delight the plead made by the same Sen. Lanlehin that friends and wellwishers should lend a hand to the orphanages, homes for the handicapped and so on instead of spending fortunes on congratulatory advert placement on radio, television and print media to mark his 60th birthday. It is heartwarming to note that this was heeded with the celebrant leading by example,” Animasaun said.

While congratulating the lawmaker, he called on other privileged individuals particularly political office holders and wealthy individuals to emulate the gesture of Senator Olufemi Lanlehin by identifying more with the poor and less privileged members of the society in their private and public endeavours.

In her remarks, daughter to the founders, Ibadan Home for the Deaf, Mrs. Temitope Omilabu, urged the

•Lanlehin with officials of Home for the Deaf wealthy and those in positions of authority to always remember the less privileged in the country.

Also, the Principal of the Ibadan School for the Handicapped, Mrs. Titilayo Oyedun commended the kind gesture of the lawmaker for remembering the less privilege in the society our midst .She said” it seems to be the most happiest mo-

ment in the lives of these handicapped children because God remembered them for good. People have been trying for this school.

But, Brigadier David Jembewon was the last to donate this much for these children”.

The celebrant’s wife, officials of the homes and some of the physically challenged persons assisted

the lawmaker in cutting the 60th birthday cake with a loud applause.

Different kinds of food ranging from jollof rice, pounded yam with assorted soup, amala and ewedu soup, as well as soft drinks were served at the event to the delight of the guests who wished the ”birthday boy” good health and many more fruitful years on the planet earth.

Youths seek credible polls in Anambra From Odogwu Emeka Odogwu, Nnewi

play its role in Anambra State.

He said the meeting was attended by the zonal coordinators, state caucus and local government representatives of all the five states of the Southeast comprising Ebonyi, Enugu, Anambra, Imo and Abia states.

Unegbu explained that the reason for the formation of the youth forum is to have a large spread of youths mobilisation in wards, communities, which will be part of the decision-making body of the party.

He, however, appealed to APC

stakeholders to create an enabling environment for choosing the right candidate at the primaries.

“APC believes in internal democracy and we want internal democracy to play its role in choosing our candidate; we are totally against any form of imposition at the detriment of the party members,” he said.

Unegbu also reminded the party faithful of the need to choose a marketable candidate who will be accessible at all times.

“We need a candidate who is accessible. All the aspirants in our party are okay and can deliver but we need a new person who will have the interest of the youths at

heart and it is not what we will do in a hurry; we need to cool down and fish out such a candidate through free and fair primaries and not by appointment or imposition.

We cannot tolerate that this person has done this or that or he is a serving or former senator. If APC makes the right choice in the primaries, there will be no more APGA [All People’s Grand Alliance]”.

Also responding, the Acting National Secretary of All Progressives Youth Forum (APYF) Mr. Ausca Uchenna Obi, averred that the principle of democracy

Delta strengthens security •Continued from Page 17

•Chairman, Ikeja Local Government Area, Hon Wale Odunlami (second left); Council Manager, Mrs T. F. Godo (second right) and Head, Education, Dr Mrs K. T. Adefowokan on the environmental sanitation day

stated that people should be allowed to choose their candidates.

“Their can’t be any imposition unless if it is on consensus but the law says credible primaries.”

In their separate speeches, the Enugu State chairman of APYF, Mr Titus Nnamani and his Enugu East Senatorial zone colleague, Comr.

Michael Nnamani stressed that the emergence of APC has answered the yearnings of Nigerians but regretted that some political parties elect old people as youth leaders in their various political parties, an action they said has crippled youth development in the country.

the barest minimum.

Handing over the vehicles to the police, Uduaghan noted that the rate of kidnapping was coming down in the state and promised to continue to intensify efforts towards providing adequate security in the state.

He said he would provide a safe haven for investors and guarantee peace and security so that prospective investors would operate in a conducive atmosphere.

The Governor said the present effort was to beef up security and sustain the success already recorded in the state especially the reduction in kidnapping.

He explained that the vehicles have been assigned to different routes across the state to ensure that all areas in the state were adequately monitored and secured.

His words: “We are doing this to guarantee peace and security and to ensure that crime rate is drastically reduced. We will increase our effort in the provision of logistics for security operatives to enable them cope with the challenges in

crime prevention”.

He commended Local Government Chairmen in the state for supporting the efforts of the State Government especially for assisting security operatives to maintain peace and security.

The Governor also commended security operatives in the state for their efforts in reducing crime especially kidnapping which he said had reduced significantly.

Receiving the vehicles, the State Commissioner of Police, Ikechukwu Aduba, warned criminals to turn a new leaf and become law abiding citizens because his men would get them if they failed to heed his warning.

He commended Governor Uduaghan for providing the vehicles and assured that the vehicles would be properly utilized to combat crime.

His words: “We will chase away criminals from the state. I warn criminals to leave the state because if they fail to we will get them anywhere they are hiding. I restate that there will be no hiding place for them”.

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 9, 2013

48

Stakeholders seek more wards, constituencies

T

HE Lagos State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dr Adekunle Ogunmola has said that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is poised to make the 2015 general elections better than that of 2011, even as he said that Lagos may have more wards and constituencies if INEC criteria for such are met.

Dr Ogunmola stated this during a stakeholders’ meeting the commission held for residents of AmuwoOdofin Local Government Area and Oriade Local Council Development Area held at the INEC office in FESTAC Town Lagos.

Soliciting for continued support to the commission in order to make the electoral process more meaningful, he disclosed that INEC has adopted a system of getting everybody involved in the electoral process.

He maintained that the essence of the stakeholders’ meeting was to make every Nigerian contribute to the success of the electoral process in the country.

He further said that INEC had rolled out a strategic plan covering 2012 to 2016 which aims at ensuring that INEC becomes one of the election management bodies in the

•Dr Ogunmola

H

OW do you reduce the high cost of housing and make it easier for financially weak persons to build their own houses?

Axion Global Engineering Ltd has stepped in to address the matter.

The firm, a subsidiary of Axion Canada, unveiled a number of civil engineering products based on new technology in the construction industry.

By Chinaka Okoro

world.

“Towards this end, we’ve lined up series of activities that would ensure that 2015 elections are better than 2011 elections. We want to embark on continuous voter’s registration which will start in September. The continuous voter’s registration will be different from 2011 voter’s registration in two aspects.

“The 2011 registration exercise was held within two weeks. This time round, we are not going to give a specific time frame. Once we start, it will continue for a long time to stop just few weeks before the elections.

“Again, we are not going to have the registration in all the polling units. We will have designated registration centres within each local government. The essence is to register our children that have matured into voting age. We also want to capture in our database those who were not able to register for the 2011 elections.

Those who successfully registered in 2011 need not register again because what they need is the permanent voter’s card from INEC,” he said.

He therefore advised the electorate to ensure that they go to the polling booths with their own cards to avoid embarrassment during the voting process.

Responding to requests for creation of more polling units by the chairman of Amuwo-Odofin Local Government Area Hon. Ayodele A. Adewale, and Hon. Adio Olatunji Sekoni, the INEC Commissioner assured that more polling units would be created.

He said: “We know since 2011 election that there was need for creation of more polling units in the two area councils. This time round, as against creation of satellite polling units during the 2011 elections, we are going to create permanent polling units. We are more than convinced that there is need for creation of more polling units.

“Our people will go out to the field

•Participants at the event to determine which areas met the criteria for creation of extra polling units. I assure you that the election of 2015 will witness more polling units for Lagosians.

“The commission is reviewing the number of constituencies in the country. There are 360 senatorial districts in all the states of the federation. The constituencies that are operating now were created in 1996 by the military.

Based on this, a review of the constituencies is long overdue. So, INEC wants to embark on constituency delineation.”

He, however, noted that the constraint INEC is experiencing is the constitutional provision that each state of the federation must have three constituencies; adding that as the figures were well spelt out in the constitution, INEC might find it somewhat taxing to go beyond the stipulated figures.

Dr Ogunmola said what the electoral body would do is to seek an amendment of that particular section of the constitution, a memorandum

to that effect, he said, INEC is planning to present to the National Assembly.

He noted that if INEC succeeds in getting approval from the National Assembly for that particular section of the constitution to be amended, it would be easier for it to carry out its function of constituency review and delineation.

Admitting that there are glaring cases of inequality in some of the constituencies in terms of population and representation, Dr Ogunmola said Alimosho Local Government Area is a clear case of under-representation of its people at the National Assembly.

Dr Ogunmola said: “The 2006 population figure puts Alimosho Local Government Area at above 1.2 million and it has only one federal constituency. One person is representing 1.2 million people in the Federal House of Representatives.

“There are other local governments in Lagos State and other states that have population of about100, 000 and

Firm eases shelter challenges The company’s managing director, Okey Eze, speaking at Bolton White Hotel, Abuja, venue of the event, said Axion products would help mitigate of cost of building and construction in the country. This is, according to him, because less ce-

ment would be used after adding the product to the mortar mixture. This is for Axion Tuffcrete powder/polymer and oxide, which appears to be the flagship product of the company though there are many other products for different purposes in the

•Vice Chairman, Somolu Local Government Area, Lagos, Hon. Abiodun Orekoya, representative of the chairman, planting a tree in the council

building industry. It is a waterproof and fireproof product that is used as additive to cement.

The managing director said when using cement for concrete, one only needs to apply 20 percent of Axion tuffcrete powder and use 20 percent of the already diluted Axion polymer liquid for concrete mixture. This reduces the need for cement by about 50 to 60 percent, he said.

He said it eliminates cracks on the walls that one sees in some buildings. Eze said most times, cracks are caused by the soil on which the building is erected.

In addition, he said another way this technology reduces the cost of building is that it makes tiling and screening unnecessary for anyone who cannot afford such luxury.

He said the product comes in different colour variants, a reason why it is possible to have coloured POP and at the same time have POP outside rather than inside the building because of it waterproof nature.

Continuing, he said, Axion Tuffcrete is not affected by oil or fuel spillage. As a result of this it can be used to repair damaged conventional concrete and will adhere to it without the need for sny additional additives. Eze said this means that Axion lasts longer than conventional concrete.

The product, Eze further said, is durable, has more load bearing capacity and comes in powder or liquid variants piand withstands extreme and harsh weather conditions.

On pricing, he said 50kg of the

they have one representative each. I believe that the people here are being short-changed. This is why we want to carry out constituency delineation.”

Earlier in their addresses, the chairman of Alimosho Local Government Area, Hon. Ayodele A. Adewale and one-time chairman of Oriade Local Council Development Area, Hon. Adio Olatunji Sekoni had demanded creation of more local government areas, wards and federal constituencies in Lagos State.

Some of the dignitaries that attended the stakeholders’ meeting were the Administrative Secretary of INEC in Lagos State, Mr Isaac Itagboje, chairman Oriade Local Council Development Area, Hon. Ibrahim Babatunde Sanusi, member representing Amuwo-Odofin State Constituency 1 in the Lagos State House of Assembly Hon. Sultan Adeniji, Oriade council chairman of ACN Hon. Moshood Badmus, Head, Public Affairs and Protocol of INEC, Mr Femi Akinbuyi and the Alamuwo of Kuje-Amuwo, Oba Olayemi among others.

One way the new technology reduces the cost of building is that it makes tiling and screening unnecessary for anyone who cannot afford such luxury product was N1,500, adding that it is available in smaller measures as low as 10kg.

Another product unveiled at the occasion was Axion bitumen booster refiner, which Eze said is a unique product that combines the ability to increase the volume of bitumen by as much as 40%, even as it stabilises and improves the elasticity of this all important product used in road construction and rehabilitation.

He said it offers the widest heat range, tested to allow asphalt mixes to withstand temperatures as low as -28C and as high as +72C. For those in the road construction industry this is a much needed relief considering that scarcity of bitumen makes it difficult if not impossible for construction companies to go ahead with or complete projects.

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 9, 2013

49

50

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 9, 2013

AGRO-BUSINESS

Govt urged to embrace commodity exchange D

IRECTOR, African Region, Cassava Adding Value for Africa (C:AVA), Dr Kola Adebayo, has urged the government to embrace commodity exchange to ensure food security.

Adebayo said a functional commodity exchange would give farmers access to real-time pricing information, improved profits and productivity.

He said it would also reduce market segmentation and boost export quality.

With an exchange, he said there would be stabilisation of domestic supply chains, which will support the efforts of agro-processors and exporters, diminishing concerns

Stories by Daniel Essiet

about once rampant contract default.

According to him, a commodity exchange would allow farmers to have access to markets regularly , improve price discovery in the marketplace, as farmers will be able to know the prices of all commodities in different areas.

This, he noted, would improve the transparency and efficiency of market dealings.

He said an exchange can facilitate title transfer, market transparency, and price discovery.

According to him, transaction costs are reduced because coordination through a centralised ex-

change can reduce costs associated with identifying market outlets, physically inspecting product quality, and finding buyers or sellers.

By reducing transactions costs and enhancing the flow of information, he added that an exchange can improve returns to market agents while reducing short-term price variability.

Adebayo said farmers could cover the price risk of the produce by entering into a contract which would lock-in the price of the farmer’s produce.

He said the contract prices give an advance forecast of the likely prices at a future point in time..

He said the exchange could be a useful input for the farmer in deciding the cropping pattern.

Adebayo said the facility would also help depositors sell their commodities n when market conditions and prices were favourable.

According to him, it would eliminate the issue of delayed payments to farmers and enable processors (millers) to focus on their milling functions while they pro-

cure grain through the exchange.

It will help improve quality and grading of crops .

He said the exchange would allow exporters to enter into commitment for delivery at a future point in time and any increase in the price of the underlying commodity in the intervening period could impact on their margins.

For the exchange to succeed, he said there must be adequate physical infrastructure, flow of information and adequate legal and financial institutions. .

Firms train cashew farmers

A

WASHINGTON, United States-based poverty eradicating organisation, TechnoServe, in collaboration with OLAM Nigeria, has launched a programme aimed at empowering cashew farmers.

A statement by OLAM’s Head, Corporate and Government Relations Ade Adefeko said the programme which took place at Ayangba, in Kogi State, was expected to impact positively on 6,000 farmers; 3,000 are women The cashew farmers were drawn from Oyo, Kogi and Kwara states which are known for their high level of cashew production. The training was made possible through a grant from the Walmart Foundation.

The expected impact would be in form of adoption of good agronomic practices and improved methods for harvest and post harvest handling of raw cashew nuts among others.

Cashew production accounts for more than a third of household income in Kogi State , according to an independent research conducted by TechnoServe.

TechnoServe estimates the new farming practices would translate into an estimated 20 percent increase in yields and improved quality of cashew nut production The production estimate are for targeted households in the three Nigerian key cashew producing states.

“Cashew farming is one of the most economically important crops

From Bisi Oladele, Ibadan in West Africa, yet its potential have not yet been fully realized,” said Shakti Pal, Regional Cashew Expert for TechnoServe.

“In Nigeria alone an estimated 125,000 households are engaged in cashew farming, but they lack the knowledge to improve their yields and maximise their incomes.

“Through this programme these farmers will have access to the training needed to improve the quality of their products and in turn the quality of their lives, “ Pal said.

TechnoServe is a Washington, DCbased non-governmental organisation working to end poverty through business solutions.

The organisation collaborated with Olam so that through the programme, 25 trainers from 25 villages throughout Kogi, Kwara and Oyo states received comprehensive training on relevant topics Trainers also learnt how to tap into the collective power of farmer groups to link up directly with Olam, a leading global buyer and processor of agricultural products.

The release stated that the trainers would pass on the knowledge and expertise to other farmers in their states.

Olam operates Nigeria’s largest cashew processing plant in Ilorin, Kwara State.

The Cashew Farmer Training initiative is one of several that TechnoServe operates in Nigeria, apart from a regional programme working to raise the yields and incomes of the nation’s

280 die of blood infections in UK yearly

A

PPROXIMATELY 280 people are dying yearly in the UK from blood infections caused by a highly antibiotic-resistant E. coli superbug, acquired from chicken.

According to a new study, poultry-associated ESBL E. coli infections in the UK result in an additional 12,500 days in hospital for treatment with antibiotics of last resort and throughout the EU as a whole, 8,502 cases of blood-poisoning and 1,519 deaths every year specifically linked to chicken production.

ESBL (extended spectrum beta lactamase) E. coli have become an increasing problem on farms and in human medicine over the last decade. The resistance is caused by modern antibiotics known as third and fourth generation cephalosporins. These are used in both farming and in hospitals making it difficult to work out how much of the problem arises from each sector.

In the first study of its kind, an international team of scientists used a Dutch genetic fingerprinting study to estimate the proportion of ESBL E.coli blood-poisoning infections and deaths in hu-

mans resulting from the use of a third-generation cephalosporin in chicken production.

According to their analysis, chicken production is responsible for 1,580 cases of ESBL E. coli blood poisoning every year in the UK. These are serious infections requiring hospitalisation but can no longer be treated with the hospital antibiotics of choice, modern cephalosporins, because of prior use of similar antibiotics on farms.

The scientists say: “The number of avoidable deaths and the costs of health care potentially caused by third-generation cephalosporin use in food animals is staggering’.

The study recommends that urgent worldwide action is taken to limit the use of these antibiotics in all food animals. The Soil Association has been calling for this since 2006.

Soil Association Policy Adviser, Richard Young, said; “This is the first detailed estimate to emerge of the human-health consequences from the use of antibiotics in European agriculture. It indicates that large numbers of people die of resistant infections due to the overreliance on antibiotics in intensive livestock farming.”

• Obi presenting cassava bread produced by the institute. With him is the Director-General,Dr Gloria Elemo

T

FIIRO develops 25 cassava- based products

HE Federal Institute of Industrial Research Oshodi (FIIRO) has developed 25 cassava-based products which have the potential of generating foreign exchange Chairman of FIIRO board Dr Alex Obi said this in Lagos.

He listed some of the products to include garri, fufu, lafun, chips, sweeteners, pellets and starch.

According to him, cassava is used in many products such as foods, confectionery, sweeteners, glues, plywood, textiles, paper, biodegradable products, monosodium glutamate, drugs.

He said composite Flour Research work in FIIRO culminated in the first production of 10 per cent cassava/ wheat bread which was presented to the Federal Executive Council, under the administration of President Shehu

Shagari GCFR in 1982.

But of the crop’s many uses,he said it is in the production of bread flour that it could prove more useful as the industry relies on imported wheat for the bakery industry.

According to him,cassava has the potential to significant contribute to wealth creation and reduction of poverty among farming families. tHe said cassava had many uses,adding that the institute has processed the commodity for use in the manufacture of bakery products,such as biscuits, which have been sold locally..

FIIRO, he said, was developing food processing machines that are economically and , environmentally sustainable.

Obi said the institute was plan-

ning a technology week, to showcase the progress they have made on the road to agricultural transformation to stakeholders.

To move the economy forward, the board chairman said the institute was determined to work with private investors and businesses who continue to produce most of nation’s food and other crops. To deliver these benefits, he said, required increased investment in research and development.

He said the institute would gather public-and private-sector leaders to collaborate and was optimistic that the ultimate result will be a more food secure future.

He said the institute wants to strengthen the connection between farmers and consumers and support the local food systems.

Trade in land investments on the rise

A

GAINST the backdrop of growing population, higher incomes, urbanisation, changing diets and consumption of agricultural commodities, the trade in land for farming is rising.

Speaking with The Nation, the Chairman, Southsouth Chamber of Commerce, Dr Hyke Ochia, said interest in food production was pushing land ownership away from small farmers into the portfolios of international food companies and investors.

According to him, agricultural investment will grow ‘very significantly and the nation’s natural resources are conducive to huge output.

Rising food prices ,he noted, has created incentives for largescale land acquisitions.

According to him, growing investment in agric land provides a stark snapshot of how agribusiness has been expanding .

He said longer outlook for crop and livestock products due to production growth and stronger demand was increasing earning for producers.

For this reason, he said more investors are coming to the agrifood sector because the outlook was bright with strong demand, expanding trade and high prices.

He said agric was going to play a key role in the nation’s remarkable progress in expanding production and improving domestic food security.

According to him, high food prices are an incentive to in-

• Ochia

crease production.

He said Nigeria has the bigger opportunities to help solve food and nutrition challenges.

TH

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 9, 2013

51

AGRO-BUSINESS

Tomato growers seek high tariff to check T ‘cheap’ imports OMATO Processors Association of Nigeria (TPAN) has canvessed high tariff to end the importation of cheap, imported tinned tomatoes.

The group is demanding 100 per cent increase in duty of all imported tomato products.

In a statement, the association said cheap imports were causing serious damage to the tomato industry.

The association said ‘’dumping’’, when countries flood the market with below-cost products, was causing ‘’irreversible damage’’ to the industry.

According to the association, imports are coming in and replacing the highest-value tomatoes

Stories by Daniel Essiet

produced locally. It said the importation of adulterated tomato sauce in the name of tomato paste was giving stakeholders concern.

“The trend has further been heightened by the challenge of improper categorisation of the different types of tomato content imported to Nigeria. The tools and techniques required to properly qualify before certifying these products are not being used.

“Hence, imported tomato sold in Nigeria is more than 50 per cent

Boom for cocoyam farmers

T

HE Cocoyam Rebirth Programme started by the Osun State government last year is a blessing to growers.

The Chairman of Cocoyam Growers Association in Ijesa Zone, Mr Michael Afolabi, said in an interview in Ikeji-Arakeji that about 900 growers across the state were trained on cocoyam production/ management.

This, he noted, has boosted the cultivation of the crop. He said: “The government’s directive that cocoyam should be included in the diet of its schools’ Feeding programme tagged ‘O Meal’ helped in improving the income of the growers.’’

He appealed to research institutions to work on new breeds of cocoyam that would produce more cornmeal of high quality.

The state government had earmarked over N7 million for the rebirth programme, especially the

pink variety.

To renew interest in its production and consumption, the government added the consumption of cocoyam in its Schools Feeding Programme.

The development had affected the price of the commodity which hitherto was regarded as staple for low income earners in spite of its delicacy.

A survey conducted at Atakumosa and Oluode markets in Ilesa and Osogbo showed that a basket of white cocoyam, which sold for N2,200 in the past, goes for N3,500.

Similarly, a basket of pink cocoyam, popularly called “Kokopupa“ is now sold for N5,000 as against the old price of N3,000.

A trader, Alhaja Abiola Olasunkanmi, told NAN at Atakunmosa in Ilesa, that both varieties of cocoyam were not easy to get in rural markets.

Farmers to train as agro-dealers

T

HE Ondo State Federated Fadama Community Association (FCA) has appealed to the Fadama III national office to help train farmers as agro-dealers.

Its Chairman, Mr Akin Olotu, said in Akure, the state capital, when Fadama III National Programme Coordinator, Mr Tayo Adewunmi, led a Technical Assistance Mission’s team to his office, that the association oversees all Fadama community groups in the state.

He said it had also opened an account in a bank and forwarded its work plan to the Fadama central programme unit in Abuja.

Olotu said the association had proposed to set up a fish processing unit, lamenting that it has, however, been constrained.

T

He observed that the fish processing unit would help to empower some members of the association.

“We have been to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and we have met the requirements.

We hope that by the end of this year, we will commence fish processing,’’ Olotu said.

He said the association had also acquired 102 hectares of land for the planting of cassava and rice.

Adewunmi noted that Fadama would be willing to assist the association.

Adewunmi, represented by Mrs Bukky Adetoro, the Fadama III National Environmental Specialist, said the FCA was a welcomed development.

AATF targets farmers for cassava mechanisation

HE Africa Agriculture Technology Foundation (AATF) is to introduce cassava mechanisation and agro-processing to more than one million farmers in Nigeria.

The scheme, which aims to accelerate cassava harvesting and processing, is to help more than 10 million people across the continent.

AATF Executive Director Denis Kyetere said: “AATF works towards food security and poverty reduction in sub-Saharan Africa and its structure and operations draw upon the best practices and resources of the public and private sectors. It also contributes to capacity building in Africa by engaging African institutions in the execution of tasks that contribute to the Foundation’s mission.”

Kyetere added that the foundation also aims to tackle areas such as the impact of climate change on agriculture, pest management, soil

management, nutrient enhancement in foods, improved breeding methods and mechanisation.

In addition, the AATF assists Africa’s smallholder farmers by confronting specific problems threatening most food crops such as bananas, cowpea, peanuts, maize and rice.

Kyetere, who said the foundation hopes to reach out to 300 farmers in Nigeria this year, said: “We already have 100 ha of cassava in Kwara State and we are going to complete the value chain from planting to the selling of the product.

Our intervention is easy and very attractive in the sense that planting of cassava that usually takes farmers four hours or more will only take us 45 minutes, with application of fertiliser at the same time. This I hope will attract many people, especially youths, to embrace farming, which will in turn reduce the challenge of unemployment in the sub-region.”

cheaper than what it is being sold in their countries of origin. This is a big question that manufacturers and regulatory authorities must an swer. For example, a 210g of supposed 100 per cent tomato paste of 285 brix is sold at between 1.1 euro and 1.8 euro in Europe while the same content is sold in Nigeria at N80.”

The association said Nigeria had been become a dumping ground for fake and low quality Asian tomato paste.

“The international standard is 28 percent brix for canning and between 34 and 36 percent brix for drumming. Majority of tomato

paste imported however doesn’t exceed 26 per cent brix, resulting in watery paste. haul in tomato paste treated with food colour additives to achieve the deep red colour.

The government, in the last 10 years, it said, had stepped up investments in the agricultural value chain with the tomato industry benefitting in excess of N20 billion, adding that there has been a sharp increase in tomato importation in excess of 10 per cent annually.

These gain, it said, has been affected by sharp practices by tomato traders and manufacturers from

Asia, who produce low quality tomato.

The association said Nigeria possessed the potential to lead the world in fresh tomato production, adding that when the three big processing plants (Dangote, Vegefresh and Savannah) begin production, their aggregate output would meet domestic and export demands.

TPAN urged the government to provide an enabling environment for the key local processing companies to utilise their capacity by giving them three to five years moratorious before liberalising the market.

Among other things ,the association asked the government to increase duty on all imported tomato products to 100 per cent.

• Children planting rice at FADAMA Mada in Bauchi

T

HE International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) has organised a sensitisation programme for farmers in Idologun, Ogun State, on the dangers of Banana Bunchy Top Disease (BBTD).

A team of researchers from the institute said educating farmers on the prevention of the disease became imperative because of its adverse effect on farmers’ income.

IITA’s Head of Germplasm Health Unit Dr Lava Kumar said educating farmers would also help to forestall the spread of the disease.

“The disease, which is caused by a virus, BBTD, is a serious threat to survival of banana in other regions of Africa and it is spread through an insect.

“Symptoms on infected banana include dwarfing of the plant, narrow leaves, chlorosis of leaf margins and

How to check banana disease discontinuous dark-green streaks on leaves.

“The leaves of affected plants become progressively smaller and stand more erect giving the plant a bunchy appearance. Plants infected early in their growth do not produce fruits, resulting in total loss of yields.

The spread of the disease into new areas can initially remain undetected, complicating timely eradication and prevention of new outbreaks.

“Once the disease is present in a region, it is extremely difficult to eradicate.

“If no preventive measures are put in place immediately, the disease will devastate banana farms and put to jeopardy the livelihoods of millions of farmers.

“Urgent management actions are

required to prevent further spread and help farmers in the affected areas to identify infected plants and eradicate them,” he said.

Kumar added that Nigeria produces 2.7 million tonnes of bananas, making the crop one of the most important staple in the country.

The expert, however, said the best way to control the spread and eradicate the disease is to uproot banana trees in any affected area.

“Once all the trees have been uprooted, the farmers must be patient for at least a year before planting a new set of banana. We can always help in the provision of the crop.

“Farmers must seriously watch out for all these signs and take necessary measures once it has been discovered in any farm or region,” he added.

2,000 to benefit from potato value chain devt

T

WO thousand farmers are expected to benefit from the African Development Bank (AfDB)-supported Fadama II Potato Value Chain Development programme in Plateau State, Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources Steven Barko has said.

Barko said the farmers would receive inputs, financial and technical aid to enhance production capacity.

He said the value chain initiative also hoped to attract investors in processing, storage, packaging and marketing of potato for maximum benefit.

He said the choice of Plateau was because of its outstanding performance at the just-concluded AfDBsupported Fadama II project in the country. Plateau excelled in project implementation.

“Under the Fadama II programme which ended on June 30, six states —

Kwara, Kogi, Jigawa, Borno, Katsina, and Plateau — participated with Plateau emerging the best performer.

“As a result of Plateau’s excellent performance, the National Fadama Coordination Office had entered into discussions with the AfDB to support the development of the Irish potato value chain in the state for two more years.

“The two years extension of the project in the state is to examine how best potatoes produced in Plateau could be processed, packaged, preserved, marketed and exported to other countries.’’

The commissioner added that under the arrangement, the Plateau Government would inject N81 million in the project as counterpart fund.

The money, he said, would soon be ready for the programme to fully take off.

He, therefore, urged potato farmers to enhance their production capacity as the problem of post-harvest

losses due to glut and the lack of market had already been taken care of.

According to him, Plateau, currently the largest producer of Irish potato in the country, has a lot of potential with 67 per cent rate of return on investment.

“With seven high yielding variety of export quality potato being cultivated on more than 571,060 hectares, the state is producing 90 per cent of the potato in Nigeria.

“I can assure you that we are already working with a lot of international investors who would be coming here to mop up our excess produce,“ he emphasised.

He said that potato farmers in the state would be able to make more profit if the arrangement was successful.

He added that such development would also improve their standard of living and make it much easier for them to train their children and build or buy houses as well.

52

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 9, 2013

THE NATION FRIDAY AUGUST 9 , 2013

53

NEWS

Court stops Ondo from interfering with deceased’s property A N Akure High Court, presided over by Justice O. A. Adegbehingbe, has barred the Office of the Administrator- General of Ondo State from interfering with the administration of the estate of a man, who died intestate but has a next of kin, who can administer his property.

The court gave the order when it delivered judgment in a suit brought by an Akure lawyer/ activist, Mr. Titiloye Charles, on behalf of the children of Dr. Olufunke Akindele Kuforiji, a deceased civil servant, against the Ondo State Government Office of the AdministratorGeneral and the Probate Registrar of the High Court,

From Damisi Ojo,Akure

Akure.

The late Kuforiji’s estate and gratuity were taken over by the Office of Administrator- General of Ondo State without the consent and authority of the children and family of the deceased, who had applied for the issuance of a letter of administration by the Probate Registrar of the High Court.

The Administrator- General Office, a department of the Ministry of Justice in Ondo State, argued that it is a policy of the government

that estates of deceased civil servants should be taken over after their deaths by the Administrator- General Office to facilitate the payment of gratuities to the deceased’s family.

Mr. Titiloye said: “In furtherance of this policy, 12 per cent of income accruable and N150,000 are deductible from the estate of the deceased.”

He, however, objected to interference by government in the estates of the deceased, who are represented by the next of kin.

The lawyer urged the court

not to allow deduction from the estate as it is illegal.

Delivering judgment, Justice Adegbehingbe warned the Administrator- General to adhere to the law setting up his office, which did not contemplate its meddling in the affairs of the estates of citizens, who have relations and next of kin.

He held that there was no such government policy that allowed the office to take over the estates represented by next of kin of the deceased.

The court revoked the letters of administration granted in favour of the gov-

ernment by the Probate Registrar of the High Court and ordered that the money accruable to the late Kuforiji’s estate be paid to the beneficiaries without any deduction.

The judgment resolved the interference by the government in the administration of the estates of the deceased, which has resulted in prolonged litigation to the disadvantage of the beneficiaries.

It was alleged that the dependents of the deceased civil servants were often shortchanged due to the deductions from their entitlements payable through the Office of the AdministratorGeneral.

Commissioner raises fund for Gospel artiste

O

YO State Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr. Peter Odetomi, is spearheading the fifth year remembrance and fundraiser for the family of the late gospel artiste, Evangelist Bayo Adegboyega, aka Atayero, who died in 2008.

A statement from the Remi Odetomi Music and Foundation for the Lessprivileged yesterday said the gesture became necessary to assist the family of the deceased.

As part of efforts to raise fund for the family, Odetomi said he would release a gospel album tomorrow in Ogbomoso under the Remi Odetomi Foundation, adding that a chunk of proceeds from the launch would be presented to the family of the late musician.

He said Oyo State Governor Senator Abiola Ajimobi would be the special guest of honour and his wife, Chief Florence Ajimobi, would be the guest of honour. The album is titled, Se rere fun wa.

Ocean surge threatens fun seekers

By Precious Igbonwelundu

E

NVIRONMENTALISTS yesterday warned the public and fun seekers against the ongoing ocean surge at Kuramo, Oniru and Bar beaches in Lagos.

The warning followed the turbulent tide of the ocean, which many feared might result in flooding.

Although residents and eyewitnesses have blamed the perceived disaster on the Eko Atlantic City, experts were of the view that the surge was as a result of climate change.

Debunking claims that the ocean surge snowballed into flooding on the Lekki axis of the state, the spokesman of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Southwest zone, Ibrahim Farinloye, said only turbulence was experienced.

Ajimobi, Aregbesola hailed A GROUP, the Amalgamation of Citizens Concerned with Development of Education in Yoruba Land (ACCDEY), has hailed Governors Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State and Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State for inaugurating a first class Governing Council for the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso.

A statement signed on behalf of the group by Aaron Olajiire Adewuni and Muhib Gbolagunte, Chairman and Secretary-General, described members of the council, headed by erudite Professor of Animal Science and two times Vice- Chancellor of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Prof. Wale Omole, as qualified for the task of repositioning LAUTECH for the purpose for which it was established.

ACCDEY said among others that the individuals making up the eighth governing council have what it takes both academically and administratively, to govern any university in any part of the world.

Yero condoles with Fashola From Tony Akowe, Kaduna

•The Chairman of Mushin Local Government, Mr Olatunde Adepitan (middle), at the launch of All Progressives Congress (APC) in the local government.

A

APC, Akeredolu get support

PRESSURE group in Ondo State yesterday reiterated its support for the governorship candidate of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in last year’s general election, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN), to secure justice at the Supreme Court.

It also pledged its determination to ensure that the state comes into the mainstream of the progressives government in the Southwest.

A

From Damisi Ojo, Akure

The Coordinator of the group in Akure South Local Government, Mr. Idowu Otetubi, in a statement issued after inauguration in the 11 wards of Akure South Local Government, expressed the need for members and supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to be steadfast and ready to wrest power from the Labour Party (LP) administration.

The group rejoiced with the indigenes on the birth of APC and urged the coalition to work hard on membership drive by capitalising on the failures of the present administration.

It said: “We are imploring our supporters to join the APC whenever the registration of members begins.

“We salute the doggedness of Akeredolu and the lawmaker representing Akure North/South Federal Con-

stituency in the House of Representatives, Ifedayo Abegunde (aka Abena), in fighting for the emancipation of the indigenes from penury and oppression.”

The group lamented that the state was passing through tribulation because of the challenges in the areas of infrastructures, healthcare delivery, education, economy and others, stressing that APC is the only solution.

Female corps member drowns in Ondo

YOUTH corps member, Miss Okorocha, has drowned at Igbokoda in Ondo State.

The incident occurred on Tuesday. The deceased and seven other passengers boarded a speed boat at Ilepete, en route to Igbokoda.

The speed boat was said to have caught fire and capsized in the middle of a river and the eight passengers fell into the river.

A source told The Nation that it took the marine policemen and other security agents, who came for rescue mission, several hours before seven of the passengers were rescued.

The source said they were, however, unable to rescue

From Damisi Ojo, Akure

the corps member, who had already drowned before they arrived.

The eyewitness said after 24 hours of searching, the rescue team only brought out the body of the deceased.

Police spokesman Mr. Wole Ogodo, who confirmed the incident, said the corps member died because she was not rescued in time and also because she did not know how to swim.

Ogodo said her body had been deposited at the mortuary in a hospital in Okitipupa.

“She was heading for Igbokoda from the place she was serving in the riverine

area. The speed boat that conveyed them caught fire on motion. I think they were eight on board. She was the only one that died because she was not rescued in time.

She didn’t know how to swim. It is unfortunate,”the police spokesman said.

Ogodo added that immediate the boat caught fire,

Miss Okorocha, out of fear, jumped into the river, making it difficult for the local swimmers and the police rescue team to locate her in time.

Efforts to speak with the state Coordinator of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) on the incident were unsuccessful.

Church band celebrates 40th anniversary

T

HE 40TH anniversary of Daniel Band C&S Movement Church, Surulere, Sub-headquarters (Ayo ni o), Lagos, has started.

According to a statement by the church, there would be a quiz competition and awards tomorrow. A vigil will hold on August 16, lecture/launch of a magazine on August 24 and thanksgiving the following day.

KADUNA State Governor Mukthar Ramalan Yero yesterday sent a condolence message to Lagos State Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola on the death of his father, Pa Ademola Fashola.

The Director General, Media and Publicity to the Governor, Ahmed Maiyaki, said in a statement that Yero enjoined Governor Fashola and the family to take consolation that the late Pa Fashola lived a fulfilled life worthy of emulation.

‘Immortalise your father’ From Dele Anofi, Abuja

SENATOR Ahmed Sani Yerima (ANPP, Zamfara) has said the only way to immortalise Pa Ademola Fashola is for Governor Babatunde Fashola to reposition Lagos State.

Yerima, commiserating with the Governor on the death of his father, said the incident was not only a great personal loss to the governor’s immediate family, but the people of Lagos State and the country in general.

Catholic group honours Okoya-Thomas, others A CATHOLIC group, the Archdiocesan Council of Apostleship of Prayers League of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, has honoured Chief Molade Okoya-Thomas and three others, Real Admiral A. Ajomu, Mrs. Joan Agha and Sir Paul Uhebagawi Nebolisa, at its 91st anniversary.

At the event, the Spiritual Director of the society, Chaplin Monsignor Gabriel Osu, gave a brief history of how the society was established by its Principal, the late Rev. Fr. Xavier Guatrtrelet, a Jesuit Priest, in 1844.

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 9, 2013

54

EQUITIES NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 7-08-13

SEC approves APR’s acquisition of UAC Registrars

T

HE Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has given final approval to the acquisition of UAC Registrars Limited by African Prudential Registrars (APR) Plc. Regulatory filing obtained on Wednesday indicated that SEC gave its “no objection” clearance for the completion of the acquisition, thus completing the acquisition process.

APR, the first and only listed share registration company on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), acquired 100 per cent equity stake in UAC Registrars, a member of the UAC of Nigeria (UACN) Group.

There are indications that APR will merge the operations of UAC Registrars with its operations and subsequently wind off the acquired company without liquidation.

UACN, Nigeria’s largest conglomerate, has been divesting from some businesses while simultaneously acquiring new businesses as it seeks to build focus on around highmargin businesses.

UAC N recently said it was finalizing working agreements with new strategic investor in its restaurant business. It had restructured its

By Taofik Salako

two remaining divisionsMDS Logistics and UAC Restaurants – into limited liability companies. It subsequently entered into a strategic partnership with Imperial Mobility BV under which the South African international logistics company bought 49 per cent of UACN’s 100 per cent equity in MDS Logistics.

Chairman, UAC of Nigeria (UACN) Plc, Senator Udoma Udoma, who confirmed the ongoing arrangements with new strategic investor, said the board of the conglomerate was reviewing terms of agreement with the potential strategic investor in the UAC Restaurants Limited.

Although Udoma did not disclose the details of the agreements, some analysts said the strategic investment may also take the hue of the agreement on MDS Logistics, giving the conglomerate the opportunity to maintain control while allowing for equity injection to fuel growth.

Udoma said UACN’s spree of acquisitions and strategic partnerships are in line with

the conglomerate’s strategic objective of building a portfolio of brands and businesses with strong growth potentials in the Nigerian economy.

He said the conglomerate expects to conclude other strategic partnership initiatives in the course of the year.

According to him, the conglomerate would over the next three years focus on consolidating its holding company architecture, which is aimed at delivering empowered and capable subsidiaries, to assure sustained shareholder value enhancement.

The conglomerate has also advanced discussions with potential new equity investor in its real estate subsidiary, UACN Property Development Company (UPDC) Plc. UACN holds the controlling 46 per cent equity stake in UPDC while other sundry Nigerian shareholders hold 54 per cent.

The equity investor would be expected to provide UPDC with new amenable funds to reduce its financial leverage and finance its business growth plan. With the downtrend at the primary segment of the capital market, UPDC has relied largely on debt issues to support its business expansion programme.

This has built up substantial financial leverage, with attendant negative impact on overall business performance.

NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 7-08-13

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 9, 2013

55

MONEY LINK

Inflation rate to hit 8.7% Stories by Collins Nweze

•Rewane

T

HE National Headline inflation is expected to increase to 8.77 per cent in July from 8.4 per cent recorded in June, Managing Director, Financial Derivative Company (FDC), Bismark Rewane, has said.

The figure indicated a 0.37 per cent increase from June’s figure. He said slow movement in the base period prices was largely responsible for the rise in inflation.

The FDC boss explained in a report

the inflation figure is in line with its Lagos urban inflation survey which shows an increase in consumer prices from 10.81 per cent in June to 11.57 per cent in July.

He said that FDC Lagos urban inflation survey in July showed that consumers paid slightly higher for some goods and services compared to June. Urban consumer prices increased 0.76 per cent for the second consecutive month in July to 11.57 per cent from June’s 10.81 per cent due to increased planting activities and supply shortfalls.

He said the increased prices were mainly on food items while the cost of most non-food items remained flat. “Food prices rose by 0.91 per cent to 13.07 per cent in July from 12.16 per cent in June. Notable changes in the index are evident in the higher prices of guinea corn, yam

and cereals. Overall, nonfood prices rose by 0.14 per cent to 8.71 per cent from the previous month as the cost of air travel increased due to frequent travel in the summer season, and higher price of some building materials due to increased construction,” he said.

Also, imported inflation rose due to the depreciation of the naira in July which led to an increase in the cost of imported goods and manufacturers’ cost of operation.

However, the average interbank offered rate declined by 120 basis points to 11.2 per cent in July from 12.4 per cent in June due to excess liquidity in the system. As expected, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN’s) tight monetary policy stance was maintained at the July Monetary Policy Committee meeting with a 12 per cent benchmark interest rate, 30 per cent liquidity ratio, one per cent net open position and 12 per cent

Cash reserve ratio (CRR) on private sector deposits.

However, the MPC increased the CRR on public sector deposits from 12 per cent to 50 per cent. This further strengthens the contractionary monetary policy that has been in effect since October 2011 when the MPR was raised by 275bps to 12 per cent.

“In our opinion, the 50 per cent CRR on public sector funds is expected to tighten liquidity, thereby creating a funding gap which would result in a three to four per cent spike

Diamond Bank partners group on financial inclusion

D

IAMOND Bank Plc is collaborating with Women’s World Banking to map out strategies that would advance financial inclusion in the country.

In a statement, the bank’s Executive Director, Uzoma Dozie said the lender is committed to empowering its customers. “We are also interested in ensuring that the unbanked and under-banked segments of the society are reached,” he said.

Mary Ellen Iskenderian, president and CEO of Women’s World Banking said it is exciting to add Nigeria to the 28 developing countries where the organisation works in providing access to finance to low-income women. “We work around the world with financial institutions who see the financial and social value in delivering products for Low Income people, particularly women. Diamond Bank with its strong human resources and technological capabilities is an excellent partner to help us reach the population who are unbanked and under-

World Bank, WTO to develop joint database

T

HE World Bank and the World Trade Organisation (WTO) have agreed to jointly develop and maintain a database on trade in services. In a statement, both firms said the focus area remains increasingly important and yet, only little information is publicly available.

The joint database covers various sectors in more than 100 countries, such as financial, transportation, tourism, retail, telecommunications, and business services, including law and accounting.

It said the data are presented in four modules covering: members’ commitments under the WTO’s General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS); commitments on trade in services in regional trade

agreements; members’ applied measures affecting trade in services; and services statistics. The first version of the database has just been launched, as part of the WTO’s Integrated Trade Intelligence Portal (ITIP) Services portal.

“Policy makers, researchers, trade negotiators, and the general public can access the database for free.

Policy transparency is a public good and a shared objective of both institutions. The World Bank makes trade data publicly available under the Open Data Initiative, as does the WTO with the I-TIP,” it said.

Transparency is particularly important in the dynamic area of trade in services because the regulatory framework is complex and little information is publicly available.

Cross-border trade in services makes up one-fifth of all world trade, even without considering international transactions through foreign affiliates and the temporary movement of people.

It said this WTO-World Bank arrangement exploits synergies between both institutions. “Among other things, the joint database combines WTO data, including those on legal commitments, trade policy reviews (TPRs) or trade monitoring reports with World Bank data on applied policies from the Services Trade Restrictions Database, which went public last year. Both institutions will work hard to make sure the joint database stays up to date and expands to cover more sectors and countries,” the statement said.

Amount N

Rate %

M/Date

3-Year 5-Year 5-Year

35m 35m 35m

11.039 12.23 13.19

19-05-2014 18-05-2016 19-05-2016

WHOLESALE DUTCH AUCTION SYSTEM Amount Offered ($) 350m 350m 350m

MANAGED FUNDS Initial Quotation Price N8250.00 N1000.00

NIDF NESF

OBB Rate Call Rate

Current Market 5495.33 N552.20

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 7-08-13

SYMBOL CHAMPION BETAGLAS UNITYBNK ACADEMY NPFMCRFBK REDSTAREX JBERGER EVANSMED COURTVILLE MAYBAKER

O/PRICE 13.31 11.99 0.52 1.78 0.88 4.45 72.00 4.50 0.84 2.52

C/PRICE 14.64 13.18 0.57 1.95 0.96 4.80 77.40 4.80 0.89 2.67

EXHANGE RATE 6-03-12 Currency

INTERBANK RATES 7.9-10% 10-11%

CHANGE 1.33 1.19 0.05 0.17 0.08 0.35 5.40 0.30 0.05 0.15

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

JOSBREW VONO TRANSEXPR UPL WEMABANK UBN WAPIC UBA ROYALEX CADBURY

O/PRICE 0.90 0.76 0.81 4.59 1.20 12.50 0.74 8.85 0.56 53.90

C/PRICE 0.81 0.69 0.74 4.20 1.10 11.58 0.70 8.43 0.54 52.19

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 0.09 0.07 0.07 0.39 0.10 0.92 0.04 0.42 0.02 1.71

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 7-08-13

SYMBOL

banked,” she said.

Iskenderian also noted that since women in developing countries were usually responsible for managing household budgets, gaining access to a safe means of saving money is often a critical step out of the cycle of poverty for the whole family.

Women’s World Banking is the global non-profit devoted to giving more low-income women access to the financial tools and resources essential to their security and prosperity. For more than 35 years Women’s World Banking has worked with financial institutions to show them the benefit of investing in women as clients, and as leaders.

“We are pleased with the BETA Savings Proposition from Diamond Bank, particularly the concept of the ‘BETA Friends’. The simplicity of the communication and ease of access of the customers to the bank go a long way in ensuring that market women are provided with the vital financial services they need to empower them and their families,” Iskenderian said.

DATA BANK

FGN BONDS Tenor

in interest rates. In the medium term, interest rates are expected to return to the plus or minus 200 basis points band of the benchmark rate,” he said.

Rewane said the exchange rate environment experienced high volatility in July due to insufficient supply and increased demand for dollar.

Since the last MPC meeting in May, the naira depreciated by 2.11 per cent to N161.8 to a dollar at the inter-bank market, despite the central bank forex sales of $6.5 billion at the biweekly auctions to support it.

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 1.18 1.16 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 FRIDAY, AUGUST 9, 2013

THE NATION FRIDAY AUGUST 9, 2013

57

NEWS

NNS Thunder leaves Calabar

N

IGERIAN Navy Ship NNS Thunder yesterday departed Calabar, the Cross River State capital, for Australia to participate in the Royal Australian Navy’s International Fleet Review (IFR), slated for October 3 to October 11 in Sydney.

The ship, which left from the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) jetty in Calabar, is expected back in December.

The Flag Officer Commanding the Eastern Naval Command in Calabar, Rear Admiral Joe Aikhomu, told the crew yesterday that the voyage would also serve as a diplomatic programme as they are expected to visit several countries.

He urged the crew, which comprises of 45 officers and 170 ratings to be of good

From Nicholas Kalu, Calabar

behaviour, to portray the country in good light.

He said the trip would also serve as a training programme for the men.

Aikhomu thanked President Goodluck Jonathan for granting the ship approval to participate in the review.

NNS Thunder is expected to make outbound port calls at Luanda, Cape Town, Port Louis, Freemantle, Hobart Tasmania and Sydney and on the in-bound leg visit Melbourne, Albany, Port Des Galet, Durban, Walvis Bay and Pointe Noire.

The ship arrived in Calabar on July 25 to take part in the Regional Maritime Awareness Capability Conference (RMAC), from July 29 to 31.

•The ship at the port...yesterday

Attacked corps member to T be flown abroad HE National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member, Miss Folakemi Akinbode, who was attacked by hoodlums in Bayelsa State, may be flown abroad for treatment.

The 26-year old, who hails from Ondo State, had her right hand chopped off by bandits.

The hoodlums accosted the Madonna University Nursing graduate on her way home from the Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital, Okolobiri, where she was serving.

She was said to have regained consciousness at the teaching hospital a day after the incident, and was transferred to the Federal Medical Centre.

But there is an arrangement to fly her abroad for advanced treatment.

It was learnt that the foreign medical trip is being facilitated by an activist and presidential aspirant in the forthcoming Ijaw Youth Council’s election, Udens Eradiri.

Eradiri, it was gathered, visited the recovering corps member, donated N100,000 for her treatment and promised to procure her visa.

The aspirant was said to have visited the host commu-

•Police arrest two From Mike Odiegwu, Yenagoa

nity of the corps member and held a meeting with the monarch and youths.

In a telephone interview, the IYC aspirant said he was discussing with the government to finalise the trip.

He described the incident as barbaric and one of the challenges of development.

“I am not doing this because I am an aspirant. I am an Ijaw youth and this incident that happened in Ijaw land is embarrassing.

“Youth corps members are national assets that must be respected and protected and I call on well-meaning Bayelsans to identify with the pains the corps member is going through. We are working on her passport and talking with the government to fly her abroad.”

It was learnt that two persons had been arrested by the police in connection with the incident.

Ebi Jatto and Weriye Aluwa

•How she was waylaid

were said to have been arrested while attempting to sell a mobile phone they allegedly snatched from the corps member.

They were said to have confessed to the crime, claiming they attacked the corps member because she refused to give them money.

The Special Adviser on Security Matters to the Governor, Benard Kennebai, confirmed that the hoodlums were arrested by the operatives of the state security outfit, Operation Doo-Akpo.

Kennebai, in a statement, explained the circumstances that led to the incident.

He said: “The hoodlums, earlier in the day under pretence went to the Niger Delta Teaching Hospital, Okolobiri to donate blood.

“However, after being attended to by the victim, they were paid an undisclosed amount by the hospital management through Akinbode.

“After effecting the payment, the hoodlums, (not cultists as reported) waylaid

the corps member and attacked her with machete and cudgels.

“Disturbed by the incident, the State Special Security Task Force swung into action and its efforts paid off with the arrest of the perpetrators, Weri Malua and Ebi West Jato, while the operatives are trailing the others.”

He said the suspects were arrested, following a tip-off.

Kennebai added: “The Special Task Force, around 1:30pm, received a call at the State Government’s Security Coordination Centre, which eventually led to the arrest of the two in Gbarain, Yenagoa Local Government Area.

“Members of our team raided the area and arrested Weri and Ebi with a machete and two phones- a Blackberry and Nokia belonging to the corps member.

“Weri and Ebi have been handed over to the Police for further interrogation while the police are on the trail of other suspects.”

PDP faults Oshiomhole on audit

T

HE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State has faulted the State Government’s summons of 1,300 primary school teachers, who are to appear before a committee for that verification of their certificates.

It said the screening of school certificates should be extended to political office holders and civil servants.

PDP State Chairman Dan

From Osagie Otabor, Benin

Orbih, in a statement, described the teachers’ certificate audit as “discriminatory, punitive, vexatious and a witch-hunt because they demanded the implementation of the Teachers Salary Scale (TSA).”

Orbih noted that for the certificate audit to gain credibility, it must involve

all government functionaries.

He said: “Our party also suggests that an independent body of dons should screen these certificates as only an educated body will be able to tell the authenticity or otherwise of such documents.

“Edo PDP totally rejects Governor Adams Oshiomhole’s victimisation of primary school teachers.”

A

From Augustine Ehikioya, Abuja and Nwanosike Onu, Awka

A

HEAD of the Anambra State governorship election scheduled for November 16, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has fixed its primaries for governorship aspirants for Au-

gust 24.

The State Chairman, Kenneth Emeakayi, who spoke with reporters yesterday in Awka, said the local government primaries will take place on August 12.

Emeakayi added that the governorship aspirants will address party members today at the Dr Alex Ekwueme Square in Awka.

He said: “We are still screening the aspirants, 15 have bought their nomination forms and returned.

“Some people are alleging that the party has a consensus candidate but I am telling you right now that there is nothing like that.

Everybody must go to the field to face the members.”

The Chairman said the party has no room for any form of manipulation, adding that the contestants had given their commitment to the national leadership.

“This issue of consensus has denied the party its share of progress. Anybody who knows he is popular in the eyes and minds of the electorate should go to the field; the proposed primaries will be free and fair.

“Those who are contesting the November 16 governorship election will come to Ekwueme Square and address party members. This party has suffered a lot and we are not going to continue like that,” he said.

A Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship aspirant in the November 16 election in Anambra State, Senator Andy Uba, yesterday said he would win the election.

He spoke with State House correspondents at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, saying that PDP lost in 2010 to the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) because the house was divided.

Uba said he was not bothered with the present scenario where many aspirants are interested in the election.

He said: “PDP did not lose in Anambra State in 2007, the court only told PDP to wait until APGA finishes. In 2010, we lost to APGA because we did not put our house in order but this time, we are all together and am sure definitely we will win the state.

“I have won it before in 2007 and I have been elected senator twice. I believe I’m the frontrunner and I believe I will win. After the primaries, we will all agree and sign the form that says that whoever emerges from the primaries, we will support, we don’t have any other way than to support PDP.”

Why we want Ibori released, by kinsmen •Oshiomhole

Business confidence in Africa rising, says report

FRICA has been named the most business-confident region in the world, according to the Global Economic Conditions Survey (GECS).

GECS, a product of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) and the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA), is “the largest quarterly economic survey of accountants in the world.”

The results for the second quarter showed that the Sub-Saharan Africa region had managed to cope with the inflation and volatile flow of funds which challenged policy makers last year.

The report said 32 per cent of respondents from Africa’s business community are now reporting a loss of confidence, down from 40 per cent early this year; while 41 per cent reported confidence gains, up seven per cent from the previous quarter.

It said perceptions of the economic recovery in general have shot up, with 60 per cent reporting an optimistic outlook, up

Anambra PDP fixes governorship primaries for Aug 24 •I’ll win, says Andy Uba

By Joseph Jibueze

from 51 per cent.

Senior Economic Analyst at ACCA and editor of the GEC Survey Emmanouil Schizas said: “Globally, this is not a recovery for everyone, but for significant parts of the world it looks like the real thing.

“If this new found dynamism persists beyond a couple of quarters it could build its own momentum independent of monetary policy. And looking at Africa, it has reclaimed its place as the most confident of the major world economic regions.

“Despite continued positive news about the global and national economies, the GECS business confidence index has only just about inched in the right direction. After a surge in business confidence in Q1 which was perhaps a little premature, confidence levels are now in line with fundamentals.

A

From Shola O’Neil, Port Harcourt

SSOCIATES of convicted former Delta State Governor James Ibori have justified their call for his release from a London prison, where he is serving a 13-year jail term for corruption and money laundering.

The call heightened at the weekend when his associates, kinsmen and politicians stormed Oghara to mark his 55th birthday.

An activist, Ayirimi Emami, who was among hundreds of supporters who besieged Oghara in Ethiope West Local Government Area last weekend, said the embattled former governor did more to develop the state than his predecessors.

He reaffirmed his stance that Ibori’s fate was more political, stressing that his infrastructural and human capital developments are visible across the state.

Emami, who is chairman of Itsekiri Regional Development Council, said the incarceration of the former governor has failed to reduce his popularity, stressing that “despite being in prison, if Ibori happens to contest election now he will win because he is a man of the people”.

Speaking in the same vein, Simon Otobo, Ibori’s kinsman, stated that the Urhobo people, who contributed to Ibori’s travails are regretting their actions.

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 9, 2013

58

NEWS

Mechanic dies in Aba tanker explosion

Elechi sacks Environment Commissioner From Ogochukwu Anioke, Abakaliki

E

R

ESIDENTS of Ogbor Hill in Aba, Abia State were yesterday mourning a roadside tricycle mechanic, who was killed when a tanker with registration number ABIA XD 971 SSM exploded on Umuoba Road.

It was gathered that the explosion also injured other road users, destroyed Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) high tension cables and some vehicles.

The tricycle mechanic was identified as Kelechi John, an indigene of Osusu, Obingwa Local Government.

An eyewitness, who gave her name as Chidinma, said the incident occurred when a roadside welder, identified as

•The wreckage of the tricycle From Sunny Nwankwo, Aba

Ifeanyi, was mending a damaged portion of the petroleum tanker, which suddenly caught fire.

She said: “As people rushed to put out the fire, the tanker exploded, causing its rear cover to fly in various directions.

“People who know the

T

HE once-busy secretariat of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Imo State is now a shadow of itself. The workers, members of the dissolved State Executive as well as politicians have abandoned the facility, following the controversial suspension of Governor Rochas Okorocha from the party.

The secretariat is on Okigwe Road by IMSU Junction. Its usual market-like atmosphere is quiet which suggests that most party members are not happy with Okorocha’s suspension.

Although the party’s flag, which adorns the expansive compound, still flies in full mast, the branded buses, which were parked, waiting for distribution to local government chairmen, have disappeared.

A source, who pleaded for anonymity, told our reporter that the buses were withdrawn and may be rebranded with the All Progressives Congress (APC) logo.

He said: “Okorocha was the major financier of APGA in the state and with his suspension APGA is finished in the state.

“As if that was not enough, the Victor Umeh-led faction also dissolved the party’s State Working Committee. Most members, who were set for APC, will gladly abandon APGA for the new party.”

A member of the state exco said: “We are not perturbed by the party’s decision because wherever our governor is going that is where we will also be. But that decision marked the death of APGA in Imo State.”

But a source within the Government House said: “We should not overheat the polity because the governor was only suspended and not dismissed.

“We’re certain that his sacrifices would be appreciated soon and every other person will have a rethink. So we are calling for caution in our actions and use of words.”

ing the danger, dissuaded the welder from doing the job.

“The welder, who initially appeared to have heeded the advice of his neighbours, however, came early in the morning when others had not come out, and started the work.

“Before you could say anything, the tanker caught fire.

The welder immediatelyran away.”

When our correspondent visited the scene, policemen from the Aba Area Command and Azuka Police Station were assisting the victims.

The remains of the mechanic had been deposited at the morgue of a private hospital.

Crisis in Okija over control of vigilance

APGA secretariat deserted in Imo From Okodili Ndidi, Owerri

•The wreckage of the tanker

driver said he had earlier taken the truck to a company at Alaoji, near Aba, and he was billed N50,000 for the work.

“Feeling that the price was high; the driver came to the welder at the popular 7UP Junction on Ogbor Hill. He agreed to do the work for N5, 000.

But people around, know-

A

•Two vehicles burnt •Two town unions emerge

BATTLE of supremacy between two community unions has created tension in Okija, Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State.

Okija Development Union and Okija Progressive Union have been quarelling over who controls the community and the security vehicles donated by Governor Peter Obi. Two security vehicles were allegedly burnt at Okija Junction on the Onitsha\ Owerri highway by a group

From Odogwu Emeka Odogwu, Nnewi

of youths.

The community has accused the Special Adviser to Governor Peter Obi on Chieftaincy Matters, Godfrey Moutolu, of fuelling the crisis.

It claimed the government recognises Okija Progressive Union instead of the elected officials in Okija Development Union.

An eyewitness, Obinna Adigwe from Ubahumonum

Okija, claimed he saw a group of youths at Okija junction.

But, he could not confirm who burnt the vehicles.

Another eyewitness, Chika Nwanoro from Umuhu village, said the youths blocked the Onitsha/Owerri road for hours.

Muotolu said the government has told the unions to resolve their differences.

He said the court recognised the Okija Development Union.

The special adviser said

the court mandated that if the Okija Progressive Union was not satisfied with the judgment, it could appeal.

Muotolu said a lawyer simply identified as Ahize, who is of Okija Development Union, was given the security vehicles with N1.3 million.

He was to useN100,000 for vehicle maintenance and pay of the salaries of vigilance operatives with the balance.

Ther special adviser urged elders to control the situation, asking them not to incite youths to take the law in their hands.

BONYI State Governor Martin Elechi has sacked the Commissioner for Environment, Paul Okorie.

A statement by the Commissioner for Information and State Orientation, Emmanuel Chike Onwe, said Okorie, a former commissioner for Works and Transport, was sacked for engaging in acts inconsistent with his mandate.

The statement directed him to hand over all government documents and property in his possession to the ministry’s Permanent Secretary.

The statement reads: “Governor Martin Elechi has directed that the Commissioner for Environment, Paul Okorie, vacates his office with immediate effect.

“This directive, which was issued during the State Executive Council meeting, came as a result of acts inconsistent with his mandate as a commissioner.

“Consequently, Okorie should hand over all government documents and property in his possession to the Permanent Secretary in the ministry.”

Succour for rural women From Okodili Ndidi, Owerri

T

HREE hundred women and petty traders are to benefit from Governor Rochas Okorocha’s special poverty alleviation, to start soon across the 27 local governments.

The programme is facilitated by the State Bureau for Poverty Alleviation, in conjunction with Harmony Microfinance Bank Limited.

The Bureau’s Director of Administration (Finance), Nwosu Ndu Phillips, said the idea was conceived to give the downtrodden an opportunity to access interest-free loan.

He said the first set of beneficiaries would be identified by the monarchs of their communities. They will be given N100,000, to be paid back within 11 months.

“Nomination forms are available at N1,000 at some specific banks,” Phillips said.

Anambra tackles flood in Awka

A

•Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola (middle), his wife Dame Abimbola (third right); the widow,Cecelia Omolara (third left); Mrs. Arinola Fuwe (second right); Yinka Fashola (right); Yemisi Fashola (second left) and Mrs. Bintu Tinubu (left), at the third day fidau for Pa Ibrahim Ademola Fashola in Surulere, Lagos... yesterday.

PHOTO: OMOSEHIN MOSES.

S

The hotelier we know, by ex-employees

OME employees of Onitsha businessman Bonaventure Mokwe have spoken about the happy-golucky man they know.

Mokwe is the owner of the Upper Class Hotels, Onitsha, where two fresh human heads and some arms were discovered. The hotel was demolished on the orders of Governor Peter Obi. Those who spoke included ex-managers of the hotel, Obinna Ezenwa andTitus Nwachukwu Okoye; a tenant,

From Odogwu Emeka Odogwu, Onitsha

Nnamdi Onyema, as well as a receptionist, Mrs. Chinwe Okechukwu.

Ezenwa said: “Yes, I know Chief Mokwe as my former boss and he is still my boss. He is a simple man and has no secret, hence any worker can hold the keys to his office.”

On whether Mokwe was into criminal activities, Ezenwa shouted:”No! No! Stop saying

such things about my boss. I am speaking to you because I know the man is a good man and a blessing to many homes.

“My conviction is that he was framed up. He was set up and he got trapped in their net.”

Onyema said:”I’m his tenant and they demolished my shop. I know him as a man without problem, who goes about his business without troubling others.”

Praising his boss, Okoye said: “The day I heard this I

wept. I was there for five years as the hotel manager and there was never a time something like that happened. I can’t believe my ears and I see it as a frame-up or blackmail.”

Mrs. Okechukwu said: “Mokwe is not evil. I was there for eight years and there was nothing like that. I left there because I got married last year.

“He was open and had no secrets while I was there. He is not capable of hurting a fly but you can’t cheat him or play smart with him.”

NAMBRA State Government has begun channellisation of water on the Arthur Eze Avenue, Awka and environs.

Governor Peter Obi said the drainage systems in the area would be linked to Iyi-Agu Drain for proper discharge of water to protect roads and the environment.

The governor said the work included opening blocked drains and building of another culvert on the Arthur Eze Avenue.

He said the intervention would help to check persistent devastation of the Arthur Eze Avenue and the UNIZIK temporary site junction axis of the Awka-Enugu Dual Carriage Way. The government is to embark on massive erosion control projects across the state. Obi spoke while inspecting the ongoing erosion control project at the New Judiciary Complex, Awka.

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 9, 2013

59

NEWS Sultan urges clerics to fear God Continued from page 2

dermine the country’s unity of the country.

In an Eid-el-fitri celebration message, Tambuwal urged leaders at all levels to close ranks and work for the unity and progress of the nation.

He said the devotion and sacrifices made by Muslims in the last 30 days should be replicated every day, adding that the month-long period of self-restraint should serve as reminder of our commitment to our fatherland and humanity.

“The same way we all remembered the less fortunate and those afflicted by poverty and disease during Ramadan, I implore us to carry over those attributes to our engagements after Ramadan. Only by so doing can we truly say we have imbibed the teachings of the holy month into our every day lives,” the Speaker stated.

In Minna, the Niger State capital, former military leaders Generals Ibrahim Babangida and Abdulsalami Abubakar were among the Muslim faithful, who worshipped at the

main Eid prayer ground.

Security was tight as Acting Niger State Governor Ahmed Ibeto led some members of the state executive council to the prayer ground.

The 10 minutes rakat prayer, was led by the Chief Imam of Minna, Sheikh Ibrahim Fari. It started by 10.02 am.

Speaking after the prayer, Gen. Abdulsalami urged Nigerians to imbibe the lesson of the Ramadan by living peacefully with one another, maintaining that meaningful progress and development can only be achieved in an environment of peace.

The Emir of Minna, Alhaji Umar Faruk, stressed the need for peaceful co-existence among all the people in the emirate, owing to its importance to the progress and general development in the area.

In Enugu, the Chief Imam of 82 Div., Col. Mustapha Garuba, called on Nigerians to always embrace peace in all their dealings.

“All religions scriptures, either Muslim or Christian, preach peace. Therefore, Nigerians

should adhere to it and put aside selfish interests,’’ Garuba said.

The Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero, called on the people to continue to pray for the sustenance of peace and stability in the state and the country.

Bayero told Muslims at his palace after the Eid-el-Fitri prayer at the Central Mosque, Kano, that no society could develop in an atmosphere of rancor and uncertainty.

Represented by Wamban Kano, Alhaji Abbas Sanusi, the emir warned the people, particularly Kano residents, to desist from indiscriminate building of structures on waterways to avoid floods.

Sheikh Ali Ukiwo, a cleric and an Imam in Umuahia, enjoined Nigerians to support President Goodluck Jonathan to ensure the realisation of the transformation agenda.

In a sermon at the state Library worship ground, Ukiwo said: “As you celebrate, I urge you all to imbibe the tenets of oneness, love and mutual cooperation in building a greater

Nigeria.’’

Yobe State Deputy Governor Abubakar Aliyu urged Muslims to maintain the religious and moral lessons of the Ramadan fasting to promote peace.

Aliyu noted that the efficacy of prayers in stemming insecurity, saying: “We must not relent in prayers because the efforts of security operatives combined with our prayers have brought relative peace in the state.’’

The deputy governor urged the public to continue assisting the security agents with information as part of their contributions to sustaining peace.

The Emir of Dutse, Alhaji Nuhu Sunusi, prayed for peace and mutual co-existence among the people in the country.

In his goodwill message to mark the Eid-el-Fitri celebration in Dutse, he advised Muslims to consider the fasting as a period of repentance and sober reflections.

The emir also enjoined Muslims to live peacefully with one another, irrespective of religious or ethnic differences.

Mbu remains Rivers police chief, says IG

Continued from page 2

ing on. If the man, against who corruption has taken place, is willing and ready to come and give evidence in court, the culprit will be charged to court,” Abubakar said.

On the claim that the decision to dismiss the policeman was harsh, he said: “For somebody who is corrupt, I will not run a corrupt police service.

“We shall continue to pray and I want to use the opportunity to thank Nigerians for their support, for their cooperation, for their partnership in fighting crime and criminality in this

country. And equally, to thank our officers and men of the Nigerian Police and other security agencies for these collaboration and partnership, we want to thank the media for their support in the fight against criminality.”

Rivers State House of Assembly Leader Chidi Lloyd has been re-admitted in the hospital following his release from custody.

Lloyd, representing Emouha constituency was held by the Police following the free-for-all that took place on the floor of the House of Assembly on July 9.

He was first admitted after the fracas.

His lawyers Emenike Ebete and

Emmanuel John, confirmed his admission in the hospital in a telephone interview yesterday.

According to the lawyers, the embattled House leader was moved to an undisclosed hospital in Port Harcourt for medical attention.

“Lloyd is doing fine in an undisclosed hospital. He was released from prison yesterday (Wednesday), and was moved straight to the hospital and he is doing well.”

The three-time lawmaker is being tried for allegedly hitting his colleague Micheal Chinda on the head with a fake mace smuggled into the legislative chambers

by the five anti-Amaechi lawmakers.

He was slammed with six-count charge of conspiracy to murder, attempted murder, intention to cause grievous harm, assault occasioning harm, causing grievous harm, and malicious damage (of government property).

He pleaded not guilty to the charge and was granted bail by Justice Latan Nyordee of a State High court in Port Harcourt, the state capital, with the sum of N10 million, and three sureties in like sum.

The House leader met his bail conditions same day and left the Port Harcourt Federal prisons.

‘Nigeria won’t break up’ Continued from page 2

congratulate all our Muslim brothers and sisters from Nigeria and indeed all over the world for going through this tempting period, in this month of Ramadan in the Holy month that the Qur’an was revealed to human.

Sometimes when you are not involved in fasting you will think it is an easy thing to go through.

“My trousers are just pulling out from my waist. So you should know that it is not easy to forego food for a reasonable time within 24 hours of the day.

“For you to have gone through this spiritual exercise, it is worth congratulations. So I congratulate you. Let me use this opportunity once again to reassure Nigerians, including Muslim brothers and sisters, that the VP and myself and our entire team will do our best to reposition the country.”

Sambo thanked the President for being a father and a good leader.

He urged Nigerians to continue to support President Jonathan and the administration.

He told the President: “We are here to pay homage and to thank you for what you have been doing for Nigeria. The month of Ramadan is a holy month. The Imam during the sermon reminded us that whoever fasted throughout, that God will forgive sins and accept all our prayers.

We prayed for peace, for God to grant you good health and wisdom and the grace to transform Nigeria to a better country.

“We appreciate your fatherly nature, you have been a teacher.

You have been a father and good leader. We continue to pray that the transformation agenda, which is already showing effect in this country, especially in the area of power supply, transport.

Today we have railways in this country after over 40 years. I call on all Nigerians to continue to support Mr. President and this administration.”

Boko Haram suspects riot in prison Continued from page 2

“We have done our best to guarantee their freedom of worship because this leverage has been assisting in the reformatory process.

“We suspected that there was much to their persistent desire to go to a Eid ground.”

On preferential treatment for Lebanese suspects, the source said: “This is a blatant lie; we do not discriminate at all. We have been fair in treating everyone equally.

“I think some inmates are desperate to give, the dog a bad name. If you ask all those who have passed through Kuje Prison, you will know that we have been diligent and fair to all.

“We started having challenges in this prison since suspected terrorists of MEND, Boko Haram or Hezbollah and their financiers/accomplices are now being remanded in Kuje by the court.”

One of the counsel to the Lebanese suspects said: “ We have heard of the riot but it has nothing to do with our clients. All Muslim suspects protested.

That was the brief given to us by prison authorities.

“They cannot talk of preferential treatment at all when the Lebanese were always taken to court in chains by prison authorities. Other suspects are not being dehumanised like that. All the businesses of the Lebanese have also been shut down.”

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 9, 2013

60

FOREIGN NEWS

A

Suicide bomber kills 38 in Pakistan

SUICIDE bombing at a funeral for a policeman in south-western Pakistan has killed at least 38 people including a senior police officer, police say.

They say that the blast in Quetta, capital of Balochistan, also wounded at least 50 people.

Quetta police chief Mir Zubair Mehmood told the AP news agency that the bomber detonated his explosives just before the funeral service was about to start.

No-one has claimed responsibility for the attack.

However suspicion is likely to fall on the Taliban who have in the past carried out numer-

•Over 50 injured

ous suicide bombings in Balochistan.

Correspondents say the latest bombing marks the culmination of a bloody Ramadan in Pakistan, with more than 90 people killed in at least 11 attacks during the month.

Deputy Inspector General of police Fayaz Sumbal, one of the most senior officers in Quetta, was among those killed, police say. Witnesses said there were horrific scenes in the aftermath of the attack, with evidence of the carnage still visible several hours afterwards The police force in

Quetta has been devastated by the blast, which once again raised questions about the ability of the security forces to protect themselves. Caps, footwear and personal belongings of those killed by the bomber remained uncollected at the scene of the attack Thursday’s violence in the latest in a series of bloody attacks in Balochistan, a province plagued by separatist, sectarian and Taliban violence They told the AP news agency that Mr Sumbal spotted the suicide bomber before he detonated his explosives

and asked police officers quickly to search him. As officers began to question the bomber, he blew himself up.

The BBC’s Charles Haviland in Islamabad say that heavy security in Quetta, believed to be the hiding place of Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Omar, was not enough to prevent the bomber from striking.

The incident was captured live by some television channels which were covering the funeral. Most of those killed and wounded were policemen.

The funeral was for a police-

man who was shot and killed as he travelled through Quetta earlier on Thursday with his children, who were both injured.

Policeman Mohammad Hafiz told the AFP news agency of his horror after the bomber - wearing a jacket packed with ball bearings and shrapnel - detonated his device.

“I was inside the mosque and we were lining up for the funeral prayers when a big blast took place,” he said.

“I came out and saw injured and dead bodies lying on the ground.

“I have no words to explain what I’ve seen. It was horrible.”

Morsi’s wife speaks at rally

T

HE wife of Egypt’s ousted President Mohammed Morsi has addressed thousands of his supporters at a protest camp in Cairo, where she vowed: “He is coming back, God willing.”Naglaa Mahmoud made her first appearance Thursday since the July 3 military coup, which followed mass rallies demanding her husband’s removal from office. He’s been held incommunicado since then.Speaking on a makeshift stage, she delivered what she described as “good news,” saying, “We are victorious” and Egypt “is Islamic.”The protest camp is the site of one of two sit-ins by Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood group and its allies. Protesters demand Morsi’s reinstatement.

The interim government has said it will clear the sit-ins and that nearly two weeks of foreign diplomatic efforts to peacefully resolve the standoff have failed.

Syria denies Assad ‘convoy attack’

S

YRIA’S information minister has denied rebel claims that they attacked President Bashar alAssad’s convoy.

Reports that rockets hit his motorcade were “dreams and illusions”, Omran Zoabi told Syrian state TV. Rebels said they fired mortars at his convoy as it headed towards the Anas bin Malek mosque in the Malki area, where the president has a residence.

Pictures showed Mr Assad unharmed at a prayer service at a Damascus mosque to mark the end of Ramadan.

Earlier, Islam Alloush of the militant Liwa al-Islam Brigade, told Reuters news agency the president’s motorcade was hit as it drove to the mosque in the Syrian capital.

However it is not clear if the reported blasts in the district were connected to the presidential visit. President Assad drove his own car to the mosque, Mr Zoabi told state TV. In his third public appearance in little more than a week, the president was seen alongside Syria’s grand mufti, for Eid al-Fitr prayers, which are usually held an hour or two after sunrise. In previous years, Mr Assad has been seen attending them early in the morning. The pictures aired on state TV carried a “live” caption only momentarily

Flights resume after Nairobi airport fire SOME international flights have landed at Nairobi’s international airport a day after fire gutted the arrivals hall, causing serious disruption.

A plane from London was the first to land at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport at 06:30 local time (03:30 GMT), Kenyan airport authorities said.

Other planes from Bangkok and Kilimanjaro also arrived.

The cause of the fire is not yet known. Kenyan authorities say no serious injuries were reported.

The Nairobi airport is a regional hub serving more than 16,000 passengers daily and its closure caused widespread disruption.

The fire took about four hours to bring under control, by which time the arrivals hall had been gutted.

The Kenya Airport Authority told the BBC that Kenya Airways flights were arriving and taking off “now at more or less normal operations”.

Burma marks 25th anniversary of uprising

•Thousands of Central American migrants ride trains, known as la bestia, or the beast, during their long journey north PHOTO: GETTY through Mexico to reach the United States.

A

Wanted mafia boss arrested in London

MAFIA boss has been arrested in London after nearly two decades years on the run, police have said.

Domenico Rancadore, 64, was wanted by Italian authorities over his links with Cosa Nostra.

He was the head of a crime family involved in extortion, racketeering and drug trafficking, according to Italian police.

He was sentenced in his absence to seven years in prison for crimes in Italy between 1987 and 1995.

The Met Police arrested him on Wednesday evening at at a residential address in Manor Waye, Uxbridge, under a European Arrest Warrant which was issued in January 2012.

He will appear before Westminster magistrates later.

The Italian Interior Ministry said he had run a travel agency in London and had led a comfortable life.

In a statement, it said: “Several co-operating witnesses have

referred to him as a leading member of the Palermo Mafia ‘family’, with a senior managerial role in the Caccamo ‘commandment’.

“In particular, in the 1990s, he played the role of chief of the Cosa Nostra in Trabia, Palermo.

“The operation is the result of the important relationship of international police co-operation ensured through Interpol.”

A 76-year-old neighbour, who lives in Manor Waye, said she knew Rancadore as Marc Skinner and his family had lived in the road for several years.

“I know him very well and he’s one of the best neighbours you could ever have,” she said.

“They have been here for years. I’ve seen the children grow up with my children. I don’t know the ins and outs of this, but they are the nicest people that you could wish to meet.”

Two British women attacked with acid in Zanzibar

T

WO British women have had acid thrown in their faces on Zanzibar, police on the east African island say.

Katie Gee and Kirstie Trup, both 18 and from London, were working as volunteer teachers on the island.

In a statement, Kent-based ito-i Travel said the women had now been released from hospital.

The Foreign Office said it was “concerned to hear of an attack on two British nationals” and was “providing consular assistance”.

Police said two men on a moped threw the acid at the women, splashing their faces, chests and hands as they walked through the streets of Stone Town, the old part of the island’s capital Zanzibar City, which is a Unesco world heritage site.

The two women were volunteers for the charity Art in Tanzania, having booked through the company i-to-i Travel.

He added: “We have been

operating as NGO some 10 years and this is the first serious incident.”

Another of Art In Tanzania’s representatives on Zanzibar said the two women had been volunteering with the organisation for just over two weeks. He said they had been

on their way to dinner when they were attacked.

In a statement, i-to-i Travel said: “All our efforts remain focussed on ensuring they are supported whilst assisting them and their relatives with the arrangements for their return home.”

However, most islanders depend on tourism for their livelihoods and are happy to see tourists and there is little antagonism towards them, she says.

Tanzania’s minister of information, tourism, culture and sports, Said Ali Mbarouk, condemned the attack.

PUBLIC commemorations are taking place in Burma to mark the 25th anniversary of the uprisings which launched the country’s pro-democracy movement.

It is the first time the anniversary has been openly commemorated in Rangoon.

Hundreds of thousands took part in the protests, which began on 8 August 1988.

But six weeks later at least 3,000 protesters were dead, thousands more were jailed and the military was firmly back in control.

During the 1988 protests, Aung San Suu Kyi emerged as the leader of the pro-democracy movement in Burma, also known as Myanmar.

Ms Suu Kyi, who is now the opposition leader, was expected to give a speech as part of the commemorations.

Photo exhibitions and performances in mock prison cells have been organised to depict events during the uprising and the crackdown that followed.

Yesterday, a small group of activists marched through Rangoon and laid wreaths to honour those who died in the protests, ignoring police orders that they stop.

Mandela marks two months in hospital

•Mandela

C

RITICALLY ill former South African president Nelson Mandela marked two months in hospital yesterday, as his compatriots extended their national

vigil.

The anti-apartheid hero was rushed to the Pretoria Mediclinic Heart Hospital on June 8 with a recurring lung infection. His condition is still said to be “critical but stable”.

But the last two months have seen a series of scares for the Nobel Peace Prize laureate and for the country where he is considered a living saint.

Yesterday, a steady stream of pedestrians passed the hospital gates, which have been plastered with posters, handpainted signs and notes wishing the 95-year-old well.

Nearby a line of white satellite vans, some parked there

for 62 days — since Mandela fell ill — are stationed on the road. A white police truck guarded the entrance, while police officers continued to search cars entering and leaving the hospital.

On the eve of the sorrowtinged anniversary church leaders led prayers in front of the hospital, urging South Africans to rally together.

“God is using Madiba, and his extended illness, to present to us a great challenge to unite behind the values that he represents,” Pretoria bishop Joe Seoka said, using Mandela’s clan name.

Across the country there

was an outpouring of charitable deeds, with many people offering 67 minutes of service for the 67 years he was in public service.

But despite recent upbeat assessments, there appears little sign of a much-wishedfor discharge from hospital.

Last month US network CBS reported, citing unnamed sources, that Mandela underwent a surgical procedure to unblock a dialysis tube.

It also said that he had two scares, once when he failed to respond to his medications and on another occasion when his life support machine showed him in distress.

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 9, 2013

61

62

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 9, 2013

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 9, 2013

63

FRIDAY, AUGUST 9, 2013

TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM

“T

HE president is right. Nigerian leaders should stop playing ethnic politics. Yes, we started as a nation of nations. But we accepted even if reluctantly the imposition of one-nation status and we have lived together as such for almost a hundred years. Damn it, we are celebrating our centennial next year. So what’s wrong with our people? When will they stop speaking in tongues and embrace WAZOBIA?” “Welcome, Mr. WAZOBIA and Mr. President’s comrade-in-arms. But I have two questions for you. First, are you aware of the philosophical jargon “Ought implies can?” You must, since you are a philosopher. Second, and this is for you as a surrogate of the president in this matter: Did Mr. President look in the mirror?”

Opalaba will never stop shocking me. Even when I was certain that I knew my good friend and would vouch for him, he had always surprised me. This time, I had simply presented a case for President Jonathan’s latest insight thinking that it was something Opalaba shared in view of his claim to a cosmopolitan lifestyle.

“Ought implies can? Yes, of course; but what has it got to do with this matter? I asked my friend. To suggest that I ought to do something implies or presupposes or assumes that I can do it. So you may not insist on an ethical obligation for me to jump over a 12ft fence because I simply cannot. How is that related to the presidential injunction to fellow Nigerians to stop playing ethnic politics? Do you imply that Nigerians cannot but play ethnic politics?”

“Yes, and I stand by that claim, obviously to your disappointment because you and Mr. President are idealists. But I don’t trust you.

Indeed, I see a tongue-in-cheek scenario when anyone makes that kind of claim, knowing fully well in my mind that behind every such claim there is an agenda.Surely, the President and his aides have always come up with his image as father of the nation. And a father has to bring all of his children together. But the same aides don’t shy away from throwing jingoistic bombshell when it suits them. Hence my second question: Does the President look in the mirror? Does he realize that the pest that assails the vegetable of unity is inside?”

Opalaba concludes.

“Prove it!” I challenged my friend.

“Of course, you would feign ignorance as if you don’t follow the news. When Ijaw militants vowed to end Nigeria as we know it unless Mr. President is allowed a second term, where were you? When elder statesman Edwin Clark claimed Goodluck as his son and challenged the North, where were you? And for the sake of everything that is decent and honorable, where was the Presidency? Did you

RIPPLES CUSTOMERS OWE PHCN, IKEJA N3.17B –News

N3.17b...I bet that’s EXPENSIVE BLACKOUT

TODAY IN THE NATION ‘The barbaric acts of unscrupulous people who hide under the cloak of Islam to make the world insecure for most of us to live in are wreaking serious havoc on the religion and the way reasonable adherents are mostly perceived in the public domain.’

VOL.8 NO.2,572

C OMMENT & D EB ATE EBA

SEGUN GBADEGESIN gbadegesin@thenationonlineng.net

Ethnicising politics

•Dr Jonathan

hear a rebuke?

“Sure, I followed those exchanges,” I answered Opalaba.” But as you also know, there is no smoke without fire. And Ijaw militants or elder statesmen didn’t start the raucous atmosphere that ensued. They were reacting to the demeaning nature of contemporary Nigerian politics, one that appears to favor majority. And you are also aware that as it is in national politics, so it is in state and local politics. Minorities feel marginalized. In the case of the south-south, they are asserting their right to have one of their own at the center in recognition of their status as stakeholders in the Nigerian project. Is there something wrong with that? I asked my friend.

“Nothing is wrong. Indeed, you just made my point because as I would go on to show, it is also natural.

“There are two important elements of ethnic identity, especially in the context of postcolonial African states. First is the natural tendency for language, especially mother tongue, to unite and divide. We had an opportunity at the dawn of independence to use our mother tongues to unite through the auspices of a language policy that would have ensured that from elementary to secondary school, Nigerian languages were compulsory. We

T

HE virulent witch destined to perdition would give birth to even more female children. This nifty speak of our fathers captures the state of the ruling PDP today. We thought they reveled only in kakistocratic tendencies but they have revealed that they also love a dash of recidivism in their repast.

We may then safely conclude that the fellows at the Peoples Democratic Party have elected to hurtle down the road of no return willynilly. The recent drafting of the old war horse, Alhaji Umaru Dikko into the party’s ceaseless affrays is a pointer. He has been appointed chairman of the National Disciplinary Committee (NDC) of the PDP. What will these people do next, you must be pondering? The PDP hierarchy seems to derive an especial pleasure in teasing and taunting Nigerians as they huff and puff through what has become a most onerous task of managing even there own affairs. And we ask: if you can’t run your party, how can you deign to be governing a country? The other day, it was a certain school drop out, certificate and age forger, Salisu Buhari who was exhumed from his well-deserved state of obscurity and hoisted on the governing council of one of the country’s better regarded tertiary institutions, the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN). Why would any group of people inflict such injury on itself? If you thought self-annihilation does not manifest

‘What is particularly troubling to me in the case of President Jonathan is how he failed to exploit the national goodwill that he enjoyed at the beginning of his term. First, it was the will of the nation that he assumed office as Acting President.’ chose not to. We not only embraced English as our national language, we also encourage the study of other foreign languages. Yet mother tongues remain the only mode of communication in our local communities and states, uniting speakers and separating them from non-speakers. We cannot avoid ethnic politics as long as we embrace linguistic diversity.

“Second, while we embraced the so-called world religions and abandoned traditional religions for good, we have also managed in our own ways to ethnicize Islam and Christianity. So we speak falsely of Christian South and Islamic North and this is what has entered our political attitude. A national candidate from the North is expected to be a Muslim while his or her counterpart from the South is expected to be a Christian. This stereotypical attitude to politics has been with us for as long as the beginning of the republic and we deem it natural. Where then is the urge to jettison ethnic politics?”

Opalaba went on.

“What is particularly troubling to me in the case of President Jonathan is how he failed to exploit the national goodwill that he enjoyed at the beginning of his term. First, it was the will of the nation that he assumed office as Acting President. Those that are now

HARDBALL

Torture by re-validation in cruder form, wait for this.

Alhaji Umaru Dikko was the face of Nigeria’s Second Republic’s ruling house, the National Party of Nigeria, (NPN) and that face was shaped like the medusa. Dikko was the champion, the kingpin and fixer of that atavistic era. He was the steel hand in the gloves, the repugnant enforcer and the bogeyman in a Republic manned by a supine and flagellating president. Though he was merely a minister (of Transport), he happened to be a power wonk who noticed a large vent in the nation’s power equation and simply occupied it. Dikko soon became the soul and spirit of the bumbling NPN (not unlike today’s PDP) and he was more regarded and feared more than the president, Shehu Shagari, a modest and selfeffacing gentleman. Such was the story that at the peak of his power, both the party, NPN and even the country was virtually run through the orbit (or office if you like,) of Alhaji Umaru Dikko.

Because he controlled the thought, the purse and much of the contracts of that shambolic era, he was not the most loved man in the land. When the military finally moved in to

MOBOLAJI SANUSI

vilified as ethnic jingoists were the fighters that rallied on his behalf. They were nationalists at that time. There was a national outrage when it appeared that he was not going to get the nomination of his party on account of a zoning formula. And when he finally got the ticket, he appeared to have a nationwide mandate, though rigging took place in a number of states. What this showed was that in spite of the tendency to ethnicize, Nigerians were willing to look, not at the sound of the tongue, but at the content of the character.

And the question is, how has that victory been managed?

“When the same voters complained of leadership vacuum in the matter of dealing with insecurity and unemployment, what has been the response? Now that there is palpable dissatisfaction with the state of the nation, our people are accused of playing ethnic politics.

And you want me to go along with that judgment?”

“Minority parties in the National Assembly showed tremendous courage and sound judgment when they voted for House Officers on the basis, not of their ethnic origin, but of their conscience prompted by their judgment about who can better do the job. The Nigerian Governors’ Forum voted to reelect their Chairman on the basis of their judgment of his performance and the fact that they did not appreciate external influence on the affairs of the forum. Where was ethnic politics in that event? It would appear that those external forces that expected the Northern Governors to vote as a block deserved the accusation of ethnic politics, and there were good indications that they were acting on behalf of the Presidency. So can the kettle really justifiably demean the blackness of the pot?”

“I would go further,” Opalaba continued. I am tired of being preached to about national unity. Politics is about interests. John Locke got it right better than your favorite political philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau. We come to the political table with our various interests. Those interests don’t get left behind as we enter the doors of the state or national assembly. Otherwise, we would not be treated to rancorous debates about “what my people deserve.” Birds of the same political feather flock together in pursuit of their interests. Against our idealistic tendency to castigate and criminalize ethnicity, we must be aware of its behind-the-scene appeal as it colors deliberations which are supposedly in the national interest. Ethnic politics is not the enemy; deceptive embrace of national politics is.”

Thus Opalaba ended his unsolicited lecture.

And as God Old Cicero would say: Oro pesi je.”

•For comments, send SMS to 08111813080

•Hardball is not the opinion of the columnist featured above help themselves and also to relieve NPN (and Nigeria) of their misery, Dikko was their prime target. But in the way of cowards, which he turned out to be, he escaped to Britain to bask in the cusps of a free, egalitarian and ordered society which he was too dim to engender in his homeland. Just as bullies are the worst cowards, despoilers are innately vagabonds. The military regime under General Mohammadu Buhari would not let him go scot free, he was required to come clear the heap of crap he left in his homeland, he would be crated like toxic cargo for export to the 3rd World but was saved at the port of exit by eagle-eyed British Customs officers. What inglorious history Dikko would have earned had Buhari pulled off that patriotically gungho expedition.

It was not to be. The humgruffin got away lucky, he never answered; he never gave account of the blight he brought upon our generation. He was soon to be pardoned; he sneaked back into the country and has known better to stay quiet and silent for quite a while now. It is not even known if he carries the card of any party. Now this: the PDP has dredged up this relic of our sad past to head its disciplinary body! Is there a more sadistic way to scrape an old wound and to visit pain on a people; is there a worse punishment to a people’s battered psyche than to inflict torture by revalidation?

Published and printed by Vintage Press Limited. Corporate Office: 27B Fatai Atere Way, Matori, Lagos. P.M.B. 1025,Oshodi, Lagos. Telephone: Switch Board: 01-8168361.

Editor Daily:01-8962807, Marketing: 01-8155547 . Abuja Office: Plot 5, Nanka Close AMAC Commercial Complex, Wuse Zone 3, Abuja. Tel: 07028105302. Port Harcourt Office: 12/14, Njemanze Street, Mile 1, Diobu, PH. 08023595790. WEBSITE: www.thenationonlineng.net E-mail: info@thenationonlineng.net Editor: GBENGA OMOTOSO