The Nation Aug 27, 2013

Nigeria’s widest circulating newspaper

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VOL. 8, NO. 2589 TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2013

TR UTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM TRUTH

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Jonathan sacks minister amid intrigues

M

INISTER of Youth Development Inuwa AbdulKadir got the boot yesterday. He was sacked while on a trip to Calabar, the Cross River State capital.

A statement by the Special Assistant (Media), Sam Nwaobasi, on behalf of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation

From Yusuf Alli and Augustine Ehikioya, Abuja

(SGF), Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, that announced the termination of the minister’s appointment, titled: “Termination of the Appointment of the Honourable Minister of Youth Development”, reads: “His Excellency Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR, President and Commander –in-

Chief of the Armed Forces, Federal Republic of Nigeria, has relieved Inuwa Abdulkadir Esq of his appointment as Honourable Minister of Youth Development with effect from the 26th of August, 2013.

“The former Minister is to hand over to the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Youth Development.

“Mr. President expresses appreciation to the former minister for the time he put in the services of the nation and wishes him success in his future endeavours.”

There were indications that the minister was booted out of the cabinet for four reasons, including his “deep-rooted” loyalty to the Speaker of the Continued on page 2

PDP expels Amaechi’s SSG, 14 commissioners, others Chief of Staff: action illegal

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Mum: stowaway teenager always dreamt of air travel

F

From Bisi Olaniyi, Port Harcourt

HE crisis in the Rivers Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) deepened yesterday, ahead of Saturday’s mini convention of the ruling party.

The party’s state executive expelled 18 associates of Governor Rotimi Amaechi, who has been suspended by the party.

Amaechi and President Goodluck Jonathan have been at loggerheads, with Minister of State for Education Nyesom Wike leading the anti-Amaechi group in the Rivers PDP. Among those expelled is the immediate past Deputy National Chairman, Chief Sam Sam Jaja.

They were expelled for “failure” to appear before the Osinakachukwu Ideozu-led Committee on Performance Assessment of Political Office Holders, elected and appointed, on the ticket of the PDP in Rivers State, which was set up by party Chairman Felix Obuah.

Also expelled are: Secretary to the State Government (SSG) George Feyii; Chief of Staff, Government House, Chief Tony Okocha and the Administrator of the Greater Port Harcourt City Development Authority (GPHCDA), Mrs. Aleruchi Cookey-Gam. The expelled commissioners are Victor Giadom (Works), Augustine Wokocha (Power), Worgu Boms (Attorney-General and Continued on page 2

•Mrs. Ohikhena...yesterday

OR Daniel Ohikhena, a Junior Secondary School (JSS) One pupil in Benin, the Edo State capital, his dream was to travel by air. He did it in a sensational way on Sunday.

Daniel hid in the tyre compartment of an Arik Air flight from Benin to Lagos.

He never told anyone about his passion to be on a plane, not even his mother.

His only confidant was his younger brother who he always told that he would one day travel abroad on an aircraft.

Last Saturday, Daniel attempted to realise his dream: he sneaked away from home to the Benin Airport. Undetected, the teenager got to the Arik plane. He grabbed one of the aircraft’s tyres, held on to it for the duration of the flight, apparently less than an hour.

Like the Biblical Daniel, who escaped the lions’ fangs when he was thrown into their den, Daniel Ohikhuna survived the flight to the

From Osagie Otabor and Osemwengie Ben Ogbemudia, Benin

Murtala Muhammed Airport in Ikeja, Lagos.

It was not until he was caught in Lagos under the Continued on page 2

•Daniel

Suntai writes House: I’m ready to begin work STORY ON PAGE 2

•Suntai

Nyako sheds ‘tears of joy’ I’m loyal, says deputy governor

•CATHOLIC PRIEST FOUND DEAD IN EDO P56 •NBA REMOVES NINE FROM LIST P53

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THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2013

NEWS

• Members of Anioma Traditional Rulers and Elders from Delta State with President Goodluck Jonathan (fifth left) and Vice President Namadi Sambo (seventh left) during the visit of the Anioma PHOTO AKIN OLADOKUN Traditional Rulers and Elders at the Presidential Villa Abuja...yesterday.

I

Suntai writes House: I’m ready to begin work

T was an emotional scene.

Adamawa State Governor Murtala Nyako was all tears yesterday as he visited Governor Danbaba Danfulani Suntai at the Government House, Jalingo.

It was tears of joy, he told The Nation.

Suntai spent 10 months in Germany and United States, treating the injuries he sustained when a plane he piloted crashed near Yola, Adamawa State on October 25, last year. He wrote to the House yesterday, saying he was set to resume work.

Nyako, the first caller since Suntai’s return on Sunday from the Hospital Rehabilitation Centre and Home, New York, United States, spent over an hour with his counterpart in his inner sitting room.

The duo sat on one chair.

Suntai was wearing an ashcolour suit with a blue-black shirt. Nyako was clad in a white agbada and a black cap.

He prayed for Suntai to recover fully.

As Nyako prayed, Suntai bowed his head, responding– in a low voice: “Amen, amen”.

Prayers over, Suntai clapped his hands and smiled.

When Nyako shook Suntai’s hand, telling him he was about to leave, the tears began to drop.

The Taraba governor looked smarter yesterday. He also walked without assistance – unlike when he arrived in Abuja on Sunday, aided to walk from the plane onto the tarmac.

He wore a stress-free face and was more relaxed. He did not wince, as he did on Sunday.

Speaking with the wife of the Taraba Governor, Hajiya Hauwa Suntai, in the main sitting room, Nyako described him as his brother and not only a colleague.

“What affects him affects me too. I pray he recovers speedily so that he can continue with the work, where he stopped,” he said.

Suntai’s wife expressed appreciation for Nyako’s show of love.

She recalled that the Adamawa governor conveyed Suntai to the Yola Hospital and to Abuja the following day before he was flown abroad for treatment when the accident occured.

Addressing reporters, Nyako said: “You saw me sheding tears of joy”.

“I am very happy; I can now go back to my state (Adamawa) and tell my people.

“I wish him (Suntai) a very quick recovery. Governor Suntai and I have a lot of struggles and grounds to cover”; when he recovers, we shall ensure that justice prevails and democracy is being developed in our dear states.”

Nyako recalled when Taraba and Adamawa were carved out of the defunct Gongola State in 1991, stressing that Taraba and Adamawa are one.

The Adamawa governor left the Government House, Jalingo at 12:00p.m.

Acting governor of Taraba

Nigeria(NYCN); and the slow pace of reforming the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).

The ex-minister was caught unawares by his sack. He was away in Calabar, the Cross River State capital.

Following the news of his sack, Abdulkadir asked his aides to clear his desk.

As at 7pm, the aides were still at the ministry, trying to pack his personal effects.

A top source, who spoke in confidence, said: “Although no explanation was given for AbdulKadir’s sack by the President, we suspected that it was borne out of politics.

“For some time, the ex-min-

ister had been warned about his closeness to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, but he said if he is going to be the last man standing with the Speaker, he would do so.

“He said he had been Tambuwal’s friend from childhood and he could not abandon him now.

“Also, we are all aware of the strain in the relationship between Governor Aliyu Wammako and President Goodluck Jonathan, with the G-5 mission to salvage the nation’s democracy. The ex-minister is a product of Tambuwal-Wammako political alliance.

“The removal of AbdulKadir might pave the way for the emergence of a pro-Jonathan minister from Sokoto State.

Another source attributed the ex-minister’s sack to alleged “lack of depth of his mandate”.

“The recent evaluation of ministers showed that he has not come to terms with the demand of Youth Development.

“As a matter of fact, his fellow ministers used to joke with AbdulKadir that he is a minister of youth who is not a youth.

He has not initiated any landmark policy to assist the youth.”

A third source attributed the

From Fanen Ihyongo, Jalingo

Continued on page 58

Jonathan sacks minister amid intrigues

Continued from page 1

House of Representatives, Alhaji Aminu Waziri Tambuwal and Governor Aliyu Wammako, who is seen as anti-Presidency.

It was, however, learnt that the minister had told some forces in the Presidency that he could not abandon Tambuwal, his childhood friend.

He was quoted as saying: “I can’t abandon Tambuwal because we have come a long way.”

Other factors advanced for the sack of the minister were alleged lack of depth of the portfolio; the crisis in the National Youth Council of

Continued on page 58

Mum: stowaway teenager always dreamt of air travel Continued from page 1

Arik aircraft that the stowaway realised the risk he had taken.

Following his arrest and his story in the news, security agencies went to Benin for his parents. They got his mother, Mrs Evelyn Ohikhena.

She was quizzed yesterday at the Benin office of the Directorate of Security Services (DSS).

Mrs Ohikhena addressed reporters yesterday after her interrogation.

She said her sister, who lives in Germany, informed her about Daniel’s adventure.

The mother of four, who lives at 6, Ehigiegba Street, off Goodwin Street in Benin, said she was still confused and in shock over the incident.

She said: “When we started looking for him, his nineyear-old younger brother told me that anytime they were watching movies, Daniel always said he would take an aircraft to travel abroad. The boy asked me to check for Daniel at the airport. I did not believe him.

“I left home on Friday to pass the night at my elder sister’s home. When I came back the following morning, my daughter told me that he and Daniel had an argument on Friday night. She said she did not find him around the following morning.”

Mrs Ohikhena debunked the insinuation that the boy might have made his dangerous journey following an illtreatment meted out to him at home.

She said: “I did not maltreat him. I don’t even joke with my children’s education; I give them the best education.

Everybody knows me. Ask of me at Oba Market (in Benin).

The only thing that bothers me now is how my daughter will go to school, a Federal Government college.”

Giving an insight into the teenager’s life, Mrs Ohikhena said: “Daniel does not have friends. He hardly leaves home. I don’t know where he was going in Lagos; we don’t have any relative in Lagos. I have never been to the airport. But I cannot deny the fact that he might have been to the airport when he was attending a private school, but I’m not aware of when this happened.

“When I heard the news, I did not know what to do or say. I was very weak. Several people asked me to calm down. My only joy now is that he is alive; that is my happiness. I want the government to help me. I did not send him. I’m innocent.”

DSS Director Bakori Tukur said the security agency invited the mother for questioning and not to arrest her since her son was already in custody.

PDP expels Amaechi’s SSG, Chief of Staff, 14 commissioners What PDP Constitution says Continued from page 1

Commissioner for Justice), Joe Poroma (Social Welfare and Rehabilitation), Ezemonye Ezekiel Amadi (Lands and Survey), Fred Igwe (Sports), Emmanuel Chinda (Agriculture), Joeba West (Women Affairs), Patricia Simon Hart (Water Resources and Rural Development), Okey Amadi (Energy), Charles Okaye (Chieftaincy Affairs), Dr. Nnabuihe Imegwu (Culture and Tourism), Ibim Semenitari (Information and Communications) and Samuel Eyiba (Local Government).

The Rivers PDP also alleged a plot by the governor to scuttle the party’s August 31 special national convention in Abuja through a court injunction.

Okocha, however, said the Obuah-led PDP had no power to expel him and other associates of Amaechi. He described

A

RTICLE 21.4 of the PDP Constitution states: “The Working Committee at any level of the party may after preliminary hearings, suspend a member from the party for a period not exceeding one month during which period the member so suspended shall not lose his or her right to contest any election but shall be referred to the appropriate Disciplinary as untrue, the allegation that the governor was planning to scuttle the party’s national convention.

Sources said the decision was to prevent the expelled persons from attending Saturday’s special national convention.

But Obuah told reporters in Port Harcourt that the 18 Amaechi associates were expelled for failing to submit themselves before the party’s performance evaluation com-

Committee”.

Article 21. 5 states: “Where an allegation is made against a member of the party, the Disciplinary Committee shall inform the member in writing of the allegations made against him or her and the place and time of hearing the case against him or her”.

Article 21.6 reads: “A member who appears before the Disciplinary Com-

mittee.

The Rivers PDP chairman noted that the party, acting on the recommendations of its disciplinary and the performance evaluation committee, decided to punish the 18 to serve as a deterrent to others.

Obuah said: “The refusal of the 18 affected persons to send in written reports of their stewardship, if they were not chanced to put up appearance, despite the well-publicised sitting arrangements of the com-

mittee shall be given the opportunity to present his or her case orally or in writing either in person or through a counsel of his or her choice and shall be allowed to call witnesses. A decision taken against a member who has not been informed of the charges against him or her or has not been given any opportunity of defending himself or herself shall be null and void”.

mittee is considered as an affront, insubordination and lack of respect for constituted authority.

“The committee duly notified all concerned and was willing to accept any written report from such persons where necessary but did not receive any supervening circumstance that made it impossible for any of them to honour the invitation.

“We had no choice but to show them the way out of the

party, because we cannot continue to operate in this disorderly manner, being a serious and disciplined political party.”

The chairman also said the PDP members who did not appear before the committee escaped the sanction because they reached both the party’s leadership and the committee, but most importantly, sent in documentation of their perforContinued on page 58

•Amaechi

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THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2013

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THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2013

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NEWS

•Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment Olusegun Aganga (second right), Ogun State Commissioner for Commerce and Industry Bimbo Ashiru (second left), General Manager, Operations, Bank of Industry (BoI) Joseph Babatunde (left), and Managing Director, Memmcol Nigeria, Lucas Scaraffiotti, during the minister's visit to the company in Ibafo, Ogun State... at the weekend.

•Managing Director of Access Bank Plc Aigboje AigImoukhuede (left) and Director, Public Affairs, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Tony Ojobo at the just-ended All Nigerian Editors Conference in Asaba, Delta State.

• From left: Senior Manager, Business Risk Management, MTN Nigeria, Wasiu Ibrahim; Progressive Segment Manager, Aminu Sani; Senior Manager, Consumer Marketing Saidat Lawal-Mohammed and Manager, Pricing, Shuaibu Abubakar at the MTN promo to pick 17 Muslims for the Hajj in Saudi Arabia.

PHOTO: NNEKA NWANERI

•Sales Manager, Ten-Ten Group of Companies, Abdul Rasheed Olansile (centre), receiving the key of a van from the General Manager, Orange Drugs Limited, Earnest Ezenna during a promo for distributor s in Lagos. With them is the Sales and Marketing Coordinator, Orange Drugs Limited, Ifeanyi Okafor.

PHOTOS: OLUSEGUN RAPHEAL

A long The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), at the weekend, added freight haulage to its passenger services bouquet. But, despite the billions of naira already spent to resuscitate the railway system, there is still a long walk to modern rail system, reports YINKA ADERIBIGBE

T

HE screech was deafening.

The train was ending a 30hour journey from Kano to Lagos. Passengers, fatigued from the long hours of travel, crawled out from the yellow, green and white carriages.

The snail-like walk was not unconnected to the fact that they just travelled 1,126km (700 miles) at an average speed of less than 50km an hour and had to stop on many an occasion to address one challenge or the other.

But, the low fare, which is about N2,000, encouraged many to endure and enjoy the pain.

The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has the arduous task of making the rail lines work well to aid the economy, among other reasons.

About a month ago, the NRC launched the third Lagos-KanoLagos intercity passenger train service with fanfare. At the ceremony, the Corporation’s Board Chairman, Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje, urged Nigerians to be patient with the Federal Government so as to deliver a modern train service.

The flag-off increases the number of passenger train services on the Lagos-Kano-Lagos line to thrice a week, and has pushed weekly passenger carriage to 5,500 from 3, 500.

The freight services will begin on Thursday.

For Baraje, the train service, the third since the corporation resumed passenger transport on December 21, last year, following the completion of the rehabilitation on the 1026km West line, known as the Lagos-Kano track route, a year earlier, is enough assurance that the Goodluck Jonathan administration is committed to making train service the backbone of mass transportation.

The Presidency directed the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) Office to invest in the rehabilitation of the West Line.

SURE-P is also spearheading the rehabilitation of the Eastern Line on which, NRC sources claimed, work has reached an advanced stage. The Eastern Line, which is known as the Lagos-Enugu-Port Harcourt axis, will be inaugurated before December and services are expected to begin on the route almost immediately.

Baraje said the railway had not only returned to the tracks, but grown its services to include the Lagos-IlorinLagos (thrice weekly), Lagos Mass Transit Train Services, which offers 16 shuttles, and carry no fewer than 20,000 passengers daily between Iddo/Apapa and Agbado/Ijoko and the Kaduna City Mass Transit Train shuttle.

While Nigerians admit that there has been appreciable improvement in the NRC’s services, critics, however,

•The Lagos-Kano coach

said the slow pace of the train service remains a major drawback and an impediment to its return as a favoured alternative means of transportation.

They held that the lengthy hours spent inside the train on the LagosKano route is a distraction to the emerging middle class, the business class and the youths.

A transportation expert, Mr. Timothy Anakuru, said: “I do not see any business executive or any youth with an eye on the value of time, who would decide to be holed up inside the train for upwards of 18 hours just because he wanted a cheaper means of transportation between Lagos and Kano,” Anakuru, who said he used to commute with the train between Jos and Zaria when he was growing up in the early 70s, said the NRC must find a solution to the poor turn-around time.

He said: “I have no doubt in my mind that even the NRC’s Board or its chairman would not risk going back to the North via Kano by train, despite their trumpeted return to the tracks. Can the NRC afford to put President Jonathan or even the Minister of Transportation, Senator Idris Umar, on the Lagos-Kano train? They will never do such a thing because they know the value of time to these leaders, yet, the grassroots commuters are offered the short end of the stick in a you-do-not-have-an-option manner.”

Another expert, Mr. Ayoade Boade, said it was sad Nigeria allowed the NRC to go to rot. He wondered what new thing today’s leaders were adding to the NRC that could make the desired changes come.

An old-time train user, Mr Joseph Andrew, said: “The railway corporation has become like the tiger that cannot change its paws. This is because the NRC needs a huge budget for it to become something we can be proud of and I do not see any such commitment coming from the Federal Government. The tracks remains the same old narrow thing and the coaches being put to use are the same derelict carcasses that were worn and would have been consigned to the museum in some other climes. Yet, this is after spending billions of naira.

The NRC management needs to do more to convince Nigerians that they mean business beyond mere refurbishing and repainting of worn out coaches.”

However, Baraje said despite the slow pace, the Federal Government was in a hurry to bring Nigeria upto-date in train transportation.

He said: “It is not possible for something that has gone into coma for over 30 years to come back on stream all at once overnight. The truth is that

THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2013

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NEWS

walk to modern rail system ‘

We are determined to make rail transport more constant, reliable and convenient. In order to meet such targets, we realise we cannot do it alone, we have decided to invite experts to assist us drive the process. We want to shorten to 20 years the journey that took some developed countries 200 years.

‘

Nigerians should be patient with NRC, says Baraje Nigeria Railway Corporation’s Board Chairman Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje spoke with YINKA ADERIBIGBE on the corporation’s challenges.

H

OW would you assess the railways corporation’s recovery journey so far?

I will say it has been very encouraging for so many reasons; first, when this Lagos-Kano-Lagos train service started last year, it was Nigerians first experience after the railways had run down for over 30 years. So, when we started on December 21, 2012, we were received with skepticism, but early this year, the service was increased to two, and now we are taking off with the third. Let me say this, all these transformations are being carried out with engines and wagons that were refurbished by our local engineers and men.

We are yet to deploy any new engines

and wagons because those ones are still being manufactured. When those we have placed order for arrive, we will be able to enhance our services. Maybe then, we will be able to increase the Lagos-Kano-Lagos service to a daily shuttle. By that time too, the commuting public will be better aware of the resurgence of the Nigerian railways, and we would then be able to meet demand.

How do you intend to finance the various NRC projects going on simultaneously?

In order to meet such targets, we realise we cannot do it alone, we have decided to invite experts to assist us drive the process. We want to shorten

government does not have such huge funds.

“We are currently rehabilitating

our old single track lines and upon the completion of that, we began to run the equally refurbished locomotive

to 20 years the journey that took some developed countries 200 years. That is why we are revamping the single rail system and taking on the standard gauge and the fast track gauge at the same time. engines and coaches. It is instructive that the NRC has been running using the old engines and coaches,

Kaduna-Minna service, which moves about 3, 500 passengers weekly; and the twice per week Kano-Nguru train service, which moves 1,000 passengers and 20 tonnes of luggage and parcels per week.

Sijuwade said the corporation has refurbished about 350 wagons and 120 coaches, while it procured 20 oil tank wagons last year, with an order for an additional 20 oil tank wagons to be delivered later this year to beef up its capacity to haul oil from Lagos to Kano and other parts of the country.

Sijuwade listed as on-going the Port Harcourt-Makurdi line, the MakurdiKuru line, and the upgrading of the Eastern line which is now designed to be fixed with modern signalling and telecommunications system.

Others are the Zaria-Kaura Namoda and the Kuru-Maiduguri line, adding that most of these routes face similar challenges of human obstruction, among others.

He said the standard gauge, one of the modernisation programmes of the corporation has taken off and has reached 70 per cent completion in the Ajaokuta-Itakpe-Warri line, while the Abuja-Kaduna line is about 40 per cent complete. The construction of the Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge line has been awarded while feasibility studies are still on-going to identify new lines and prepare same for contract award.

He said the Federal Government would amend with the NRC Act to remove it from the exclusive list.

The corporation, he said, is going with the Public Private Partnership (PPP) in the funding of the rail sector.

Under the arrangement, the private sector will be encouraged to be players in the train service delivery.

He said: “By 2014, we expect that all the legal bottlenecks to the involvement of the private sector operators would have been removed and we would begin to see the injection of fresh funds from operators who would be interested to improve services along with the best global practices and this is expected to have exponential growth on the patronage of train services by Nigerians.”

Why Sovereign National C onference can’t work now, by Mark

NBA: Constitution amendment incomplete without referendum

S

From Joseph Jibueze, Calabar

T

HE Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has said any amendment of the Constitution without a referendum is incomplete.

It said the amendment should be an ongoing exercise, and that the process should be initiated through a bill.

NBA said some institutions should be constitutionally insulated from executive interference.

Such institutions, NBA said, include the courts, the police, the electoral umpire, the accountantgeneral, the central bank, human rights commission, among others.

NBA President Okey Wali (SAN) spoke at the association’s Annual General Conference in Calabar, Cross River State.

Wali said a good Constitution should be measured against the standards of inclusivity (whether owned by the people to ensure credibility), validity (through referendum) and transparency.

“The only way to achieve a people’s Constitution is through a referendum,” Wali said.

On governance and rule of law, NBA said impunity and executive lawlessness must give way to law and order, which is essential for

•Baraje

which were put back in shape by our team of local engineers. This was the first phase and we are happy to report to Nigerians that that phase is working well.

“From this, we intend to go the next phase, which is the modernisation stage of our services.

Under this, we are going to put in place the standard gauge and about 14 routes have already been identified where the standard gauge could be constructed. Simultaneously, we would move into providing the fast trains but these are contingent on a more stable power supply and other variables that are beyond the boundary of the NRC. “We shall soon take delivery of new engines and coaches and when this happen later in the year, we would be able to cover more ground and enhance our carrying capacity.”

Minister of Transportation Alhaji Idris Umar, while inaugurating the freight services from the from the IMPL terminal at Apapa to the Inland Cargo Terminals in Kaduna and Kano, said the corporation would take delivery of no fewer than 200 locomotive wagons before December.

Umar, represented by Baraje at the event, said the inauguration of four new 1800 HP locomotives and two telescopic cranes at Apapa was to further underscore government’s investment in the sector.

He said the corporation was better equipped to respond to emergencies with the two new 100 tonnes railway cranes and the four HP powered locomotive engines, which has the speed capacity of 100 kmph.

NRC’s Managing Director Prince Adeseyi Sijuwade said never again would the NRC slip backwards to the era of total neglect.

According to him, the scope of the corporation’s operations have increased to include 16 Lagos intra city train service per day, moving about 16,000 passengers daily, 10 Kaduna intra city service moving about 10, 000 passengers daily, Offa-KanoOffa service once a week, which moves about 2, 000 passengers weekly; the thrice per week Minna-

•Wali

good governance.

One method of doing so, the association said, is incorporation of independent national institutions vital to democratic consolidation in the Constitution.

Wali said: “There should be solid guarantees that make them independent and free from interference, funding, tenure, etc. The NBA suggests adoption of Chapter 9 of the Constitution of South Africa titled: ‘Institutions Consolidating Democracy.”

Former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Mohammed Alfa Belgore, described the presidential system of government as wasteful.

ENATE President David Mark has urged proponents of sovereign national conference to forget it.

He spoke at the 53rd Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in Calabar, Cross River State.

Mark, represented by Senate Leader Victor Ndoma-Egba (SAN), said it was it was not feasible, until the section on Constitution amendment is reviewed.

He said: “The 1999 Constitution (as amended) made provisions for its alteration. It did not make provisions for any new constitution.

“It is in answer to the clamour for a new constitution by vocal sections of the polity that an amendment to make provisions for how a new constitution can come about is being contemplated.

“In making these calls, suggestions for the process of making a new constitution have been made. These range from a constitutional conference to a ‘Sovereign’ National Conference.

“The National Assembly recognises the right of Nigerians to aggregate, assemble or meet in any legitimate form or manner to discuss the affairs of their country and indeed encourages such fora as it is a constitutional right.

“A mark of such encouragement is the elaborate public hearings that have become part of our constitutional amendment process.

“We, however, have difficulties with the calls by certain sections of the polity for a ‘Sovereign’ National Conference.

“The 1999 Constitution (as amended) with all its imperfections, including its debatable origin, remains our grundnorm, our supreme law from which all other laws derive and expresses our sovereignty.

“It creates all the powers, institutions and authorities of the State to which we have all submitted. We have challenged its provisions in courts of law established by it and obeyed the decisions of these courts. We have therefore ratified the constitution by our conduct. The 1999 constitution (as amended) is a reality.

From Joseph Jibueze, Calabar

“Consequently, where will the ‘Sovereign National Conference’ be deriving its sovereignty from, and under what framework? How will the conference be convoked and by whom and under what terms? I have been confronted by the argument that sovereignty derives from and belongs to the people. This is certainly beyond argument.

“How then do we get the people to confer sovereignty on such a conference? There are intractable issues to be addressed by the agitations for the ‘Sovereign National Conference’ and that is why I subscribe to the proposal for an amendment to the 1999 Constitution to provide for the making of a new Constitution.”

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubukar and House of Representatives Speaker Aminu Tambuwal also spoke on the state of the nation at the event.

Tambuwal said Nigeria faces serious challenges of nationhood, adding that despite being blessed with intellectual and material resources, the gap between the rich and the poor continue to widen.

“In the face of stupendous wealth, resources and potentials with which we could build a united nation of prosperous people we are indirectly but gradually building two nations in one: a nation of prosperity and affluence on the one hand and another nation of poverty and squalor on the other, yet our desire and expectation is nation building,” he said.

“We are, no doubt, a people divinely gifted with intellect and wisdom, but the receiver of a gift is at liberty to apply it in the manner he chooses.

“When we look around us and behold how bountifully we are blessed as a nation, we cannot help asking the question: Is it in our stars?”

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar decried what he called a consistent and progressive marginalisation of the vast majority of Nigerians.

The discrimination, he said, is as a result of policies which encourage “inequitable interpersonal and inter-regional distribution of opportunities.”

THE NATION TUESDAY AUGUST 27, 2013

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NEWS Minister advises travellers to get new yellow cards

H

EALTH Minister Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu yesterday urged travellers, who were still using the old yellow card to replace them with the new encoded cards.

Prof Chukwu told reporters in Abuja that foreign countries have been informed not to recognise the old card by October 1.

He said: “We are giving new cards now; please don’t accept any old card as a fresh person, if you get immunised today.

“If you are vaccinated against yellow fever, demand for the yellow card, the new one. Now the question will be what about those people who are vaccinated for whom their immunisation is still current?

“If you even bring it to the Ministry of Health today, go to the Department of Public Health, it will be replaced. If their marking tells us you bought it, if you bought it, we will vaccinate you, all the process is N1,000 only.”

First Lady condoles with activist’s family

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From Augustine Ehikioya, Abuja

HE First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, at the weekend, visited Ifako/Ijaiye Local Government Area of Lagos State to commiserate with the family of the late Mrs. Abigael Adisa, the Coordinator of Women for Change and Development Initiative (WCDI), in Ifako/Ijaiye Local Government Area of Lagos State.

The late Mrs Adisa died in an auto accident on her way to Lagos after attending a programme organised by the National Council of Women Societies (NCWS). It was held at the Eagle Square in Abuja, with the theme: Celebration of Nigerian Women for Peace and Empowerment.

A statement yesterday by the Office of the First Lady reads: “Offering words of comfort to the relatives of the deceased, the First Lady assured them that she would not leave the family on their own during their trying period.

“Dame Patience also said officials and members of the Women for Change and Development Initiative and the National Council of Women Societies would continue to call on them and offer their support.

“The First Lady described the late Mrs. Adisa as a dynamic and dedicated woman leader whose sterling qualities were highly valued and would be greatly missed.

“While praying for the soul of the deceased, Dame Jonathan also prayed that the Almighty would comfort members of the immediate and extended families and give them the fortitude to bear the loss.”

Boko Haram kills three in Borno community’s attack T HREE people were killed and eight others injured at the weekend when suspected Boko Haram members attacked residents of Bama Local Government Area of Borno State.

The insurgents reportedly stormed some homes of the residents, using knives and machetes on their victims, instead of the usual guns, apparently to evade security operatives and youth vigilantes, called “Civilian JTF”.

The youths have been hunting down the insurgents for some time.

Bama is a transit town of about 67 kilometres from Maiduguri, the state capital.

It is believed to be one of the strongholds of the insurgents in the state.

The area has witnessed series of coordinated attacks which have resulted in massive loss of life and property.

•Eight injured •NEMA registers 4,000 IDPs

From Isma’il Alfa Abdulrahim, Maiduguri

A security source told our reporters that the insurgents resorted to using knives to slit their victims’ throats.

This, it was learnt, is a quiet way to kill their victims without using the gun, which makes loud noise and attract security agencies and the young vigilantes.

The security agencies assured the residents that they would soon end insurgency in the state.

A resident in Bama, who spoke in confidence, told our reporter that the remains of the three victims have been buried in the town. The injured are

receiving treatment at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH).

A nurse at the UMTH confirmed the incident.

She said the eight injured victims were responding to treatment.

Police spokesman, Gideon Jubrin, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) and his counterpart for the military Joint Task Force (JTF), Lt.-Col. Sagir Musa, could not be reached for comments because of the suspension of telecommunications services and the state of emergency in the state.

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said it has registered over 4,000 internally displaced persons

(IDPs) following last week’s attack on Dumba village, near Baga, Borno State.

A statement by the NEMA’s Information Officer for the Northeast, Mallam Abdulkadir Ibrahim, said the IDPs were registered in Baga.

The statement explained that those registered are mostly fishermen and farmers from Dumba village in Kukawa Local Government Area.

The area was attacked by the insurgents on August 20.

Ibrahim said the Zonal Coordinator of the agency, Alhaji Muhammed Kanar, led the team to register the IDPs at the Central Primary School in Baga.

Man, 18, defiles 11-year-old girl From Osagie Otabor, Benin

An Area Customary Court, sitting at Ikpoba-Okha, Edo State, has remanded an 18-year-old man, Kingsley Ofem, in prison custody for allegedly abducting and defiling an 11-year-old girl.

The suspect was said to have kept the girl for 29 days.

The prosecutor, Victor Ehiorobo, told the court that Ofem committed the offence on July 21 at Upper Sokponba Road.

He said the suspect deflowered the girl.

President of the court, Princess Esther Eweka, ordered that Ofem be remanded in custody after the prosecutor objected to his bail condition.

The case was adjourned till September 5 for hearing.

•Nigerian Naval Ship (NNS) Thunder on its way to Australia for a training of officers... yesterday

Aspirant petitions Jonathan, others

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From Adekunle Jimoh, Ilorin

NATIONAL youth leader aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the forthcoming national convention of the party, Alhaji Mohammed M. AlHassan, has accused the North central executive committee of the convention’s planning committee of using unconstitutional zoning arrangement.

Al-Hassan, in a petition to President Goodluck Jonathan; the PDP National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur; Senate President David Mark; Board of Trustees (BOT) Chairman, Chief Tony Anenih and 10 other PDP national executives of the party, alleged that the action of the North Central committee was in contravention of the party’s principle.

The aggrieved aspirant said PDP leaders in the zone met last week and reaffirmed the unconstitutional zoning arrangement they adopted at the last convention.

The three positions zoned to the Northcentral, according to him, are: the National Legal Adviser, to Plateau State; the National Youth Leader, to Niger State and the Deputy National Women Leader, to Benue State.

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Makarfi to old politicians: prepare to vacate leadership positions

ORMER Kaduna State Governor Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi has urged the older generation of Nigerian leaders to begin a voluntary hands-off of leadership positions to the succeeding generation.

The former governor said the old leaders should guide the younger generation to mount the leadership positions.

The senator representing Kaduna North at the National

Editors urge govt to diversify economy

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HE Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) has urged the Federal Government to begin a sustained diversification of the nation’s economy to free it from further dependence on oil and gas.

The call was contained in a seven-point communiqué by the NGE Secretary, Isaac Ighure, at the end of a fourday conference held in Asaba, the Delta State capital, from August 21 to August 24.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the 9th All Nigerian Editors’ Conference with the theme, Nigeria Beyond Oil: Role of the Editor, was chaired by a former Ogun State governor, Chief Olusegun Osoba.

The guild suggested that agriculture, tourism and other non-oil sources should be “intensively explored to avert the catastrophic consequences of a future without oil”.

The statement said financial institutions and funding agencies should provide increased funding to non-oil sectors, especially agriculture, small and medium enterprises and manufacturing.

“It is imperative for Nigeria to embark on deliberate and sustained diversification of its economy, weaning itself from dependence on oil and gas as a major revenue earner.

“There should be an integrated approach to diver-

sification of the economy by involving all sectors, curbing corruption and wastage, and improving governance to ensure the survival of the country beyond oil.”

The editors also advised the government to improve infrastructure, particularly in the power sector, transportation and telecommunications.

They stressed the need for the country to add value to oil and gas resources through the production of by-products for local consumption and export.

On security, the communiqué appealed to the three tiers of government to collaborate with the people to ensure security of lives and property.

From Tony Akowe, Kaduna

Assembly noted that when leaders get stuck to their various seats, they stifle growth.

Makarfi spoke at a dinner organised by his political associates to mark his 57th birthday in Kaduna.

The former governor gave notice that he would begin a gradual withdrawal from leadership positions from 2016 when he will be 60 to give way to younger ones.

He said: “When I look around the world, especially the developed nations, I see that leadership is seamlessly being transferred to a new generation; that is, in its forties and, in a few other cases, early fifties. But here the story seems to be disturbingly different.

“I believe that by the time I

am 60 in 2016, my peers and I should have evolved a succession system that sees us begin to gradually disengage and give way to those who now look up to us. A system in which we get stuck to our various seats till tomorrow or beyond, even when we have been around since yesterday, in my opinion, is stifling our growth. This is because the dynamism that now rules the world requires leaders of the time who are in tune with the times.

“I am by no means advocating that the older generation is losing its value.

What I am saying is that they are more valuable where and when they gradually and voluntarily hands off leadership to succeeding generation in a deliberate and

seamless manner such that the new leadership will be availed the opportunity of being guided by their various experiences.

“My concern is that unlike in other places, we seem to ignore the fact that leadership transition is a process that should begin from day one with the training and preparing of potential successors. This is because since nature abhors vacuum, we must know that prepared or not, we must be succeeded one way or the other.

“It is, therefore, my view that it is in the interest of the society and even our own enlightened self-interest to ensure that those who eventually take over from us are properly and adequately prepared and trained.”

Police arrest 300 suspected criminals in Benue

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HE Benue State Police Command said yesterday it arrested over 300 suspected criminals in the last three months.

Police Commissioner Adams Audu said the arrests were made between June and August, three months of his assumption of duty.

Audu told reporters in Makurdi, the state capital, that the arrests followed the efforts by the command to

secure the life and property of the residents.

He said those arrested include suspected cultists, armed robbers and a maker of a suspected maker of an improvised explosive device (IED).

Audu expressed joy on the existing cordial relationship between the police and other security agencies in the state.

He attributed the success

story of the command to the synergy among the various security agencies.

The police chief hailed members of vigilance groups and community leaders for supporting the command in arresting the suspected criminals.

He said: “We are doing this with the help of the vigilance groups, who are members of the community.

THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2013

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NEWS Fake recruitment forms on sale From Franca Ochigbo, Abuja

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HE Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Alhaji Bukar Goni Aji, has denied setting up any task force for the recruitment of officers into the federal civil service.

In a statement by the Director of Communication, Tope Ajakaiye, the Head of Service said his attention has been drawn to the activities of a group of people operating illegally as a Federal Civil Service Recruitment Task Force, claimed to have been set up by his office, and selling fake recruitment forms to applicants.

“Alhaji Aji wants the public to be aware that the responsibility for the recruitment of officers into the Federal Civil Service is that of the Federal Civil Service Commission and that the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation plays no role in the process.

“I would like the public to know that the government has been advertising vacant positions and the application process in Nigerian newspapers.”

He advised applicants to always get appropriate information on recruitment from the commission’s office in Abuja or through its website and avoid dealing with fraudsters when seeking employment into the federal civil service.

NLC urges Jonathan to call Health Minister to order

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OLLOWING the industrial crisis rocking the health sector, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) yesterday urged President Goodluck Jonathan to call the Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, to order.

In a statement: “Call the minister to order,” the NLC President, Comrade Abdulwahed Omar, said: “The congress is saddened by the fact that for most of his tenure, Prof. Chukwu has been embroiled in intra-sector disputes, instead of growing the sector. I urge President Jonathan to call the Minister of Health to order before he does incalculable harm in the health sector.”

Omar said the congress has watched with concern, the spate of violations of collective agreements by the Federal Government leading to avoidable industrial crisis.

He said the latest being that of the health sector by the Minister of Health, who has flagrantly observed in the breach not only an agreement reached with the Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU), but the ruling of the National Industrial Court (NIC), leading to the ongoing strike in the health sector.

NMA withdraws from health workers’ strike

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HE Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has dissociated itself from the nationwide strike of the Joint Health Workers’ Union (JOSEHU) barely four days after the commencement of the industrial action.

The Chairman of Gombe State chapter of the NMA, Dr. Jauro Degri, announced the association’s withdrawal at a news briefing in Gombe.

He said the public should not panic because of the industrial action.

Dr. Degri assured that medical doctors are on ground at the Federal Medical Centre in Gombe to render services to patients.

“All outpatient clinics are going on as exFrom John Ofikhenua, Abuja

According to him, the NLC was dismayed that the minister did not only violate, dishonour and abandon a ruling by a competent court as the NIC, but also repudiated an earlier agreement with the unions that both parties would be bound by the outcome of the court ruling, and was in the forefront of taking the case to court through the Minister of Labour.

Describing the minister’s action as an invitation to chaos, NLC said: “One of the hallmarks of any democracy is

By Vincent Ohonbamu, Gombe

pected. Specialist services are also going on as usual. The hospital will continue to render emergency services,” he said.

Dr. Degri said whatever services the health facility cannot render following the ongoing strike “we can always advise and direct patients to where they can be attended to.”

“We appeal to the public not to panic, as doctors are working round the clock to ensure that our people do not suffer as a result of the strike,” he said.

JOSEHU declared the strike four days ago over some demands it has with the Federal Ministry of Health.

respect for the rule of law.

Violation of this time-honoured value constitutes not only a breach of trust, but also an invitation to anarchy.”

It added: “It is all the more worrying when this violation is done by a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, who ought not only to hold out himself as the Chief Physician of the country, but also a key ambassador of the Jonathan administration.

“The breaches of agreement are the genesis of the dispute.”

NLC advised the minister to stop playing politics with

the health of Nigerians, especially the poor, who do not have the wherewithal or access to slush funds to patronise private hospitals and go for routine foreign check-ups.

The statement also noted that : “Rather than embark on a campaign of calumny against the unions and a laborious appeal process with dire health and industrial consequences to the country, Congress advises the Minister to immediately toe the path of honour by recognising the court judgment and implementing the demands of the unions, which include the fol-

Minister denies hoarding funds

Belgore urges govt to resolve ASUU strike

From Olugbenga Adanikin, Abuja

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From Adekunle Jimoh, Ilorin

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CHIEFTAIN of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara State, Mr. Mohammed Dele Belgore (SAN), has urged the Federal Government to fulfil the pledges made to university teachers in the 2009 Agreement signed by both parties.

“As a citizen of this country and a politician, who shares the view that the Nigerian child, irrespective of his background, should have access to quality education, I align with the calls on the government to fulfil its promise made to the teachers in the agreement signed in 2009,” Belgore said in a statement yesterday by his media aide, Rafiu Ajakaye.

Belgore, the governorship candidate of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Kwara State in the 2011 general elections, said the future is bleak unless the country is committed to educating children.

The statement reads: “It is sad that the government is issuing subtle threats to the lecturers to go back to the lecture rooms when it cannot say with verifiable facts that the teachers are making unreasonable demands. This is an agreement signed by both parties.

It is unacceptable for either party to renege on it. Indeed, if the government must renegotiate the demands of the lecturers, it should first admit its shameful failure to honour a gentleman agreement. It is frustrating when the government now said it cannot meet the demands of the teachers four years after it pledged to meet such demands!

“Nothing should take precedence over strengthening public education because the future is bleak for any nation with poor, non-competitive human capital.”

lowing: “Those earlier appointed as health consultants would continue to enjoy the status with all benefits and the withdrawal of their letters of appointment is irregular, null and void. They should immediately be returned to their hitherto status with full pay arrears.

“That skipping of CONHESS 10 is legal and the purported circular by the Ministry of Health and the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation stopping it is illegal, null, void and of no effect whatsoever. Members of the unions, who were adversely affected by the minister’s decision, should be appropriately placed with accrued arrears from the date they were reverted paid to them.

“That negotiations should commence towards the review of shift duty, call duty allowances and other allowances.

“We commend the prompt intervention of the Minister of Labour, which would have brought about the desired industrial harmony, but for the arrogant and uncompromising attitude of the Minister of Health. He did not only abort a meeting called last week by the Minister of Labour for both parties to hold discussions, but also offered no regrets for his conspicuous absence.”

•From left: Comrade Raji Rasheed, Chairman, Movement for Democracy Change; Comrade Olanrewaju Suraju, Chairman, Civil Society Network Against Corruption (CSNAC); and Comrade Debo Adeniran, Chairman, Coalition Against Corruption Leaders (CACOL), at a media briefing on the return of Taraba State Governor Suntai Danbaba, held at Hayes Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos... yesterday.

PHOTO: RAHMAN SANUSI

Terrorists’ attacks affect cost of governance, says Adoke T HE Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mr. Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN), yesterday said terrorists’ attacks have been affecting the cost of governance.

He also said the interventions of the courts have saved the nation’s democracy and constitutional evolution.

He, however, warned politicians against abuse of freedom of expression to incite violence in the country.

Adoke made the submissions in an address at the 2013 Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) at the International Conference Centre in Calabar.

In the address, which was released to reporters in Abuja, the AGF urged Nigerians to support the transformation agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan.

He said: “In Nigeria, the challenges of nationhood are more pronounced in the areas of security, fostering of national unity and democratic consolidation.

FROM Yusuf Alli, Managing Editor, Northern Operation

“The threat of global terrorism, hitherto considered an alien phenomenon, has unfortunately found a place in our nation.

“Media reports of terrorists’ attacks on innocent citizens, members of the armed forces and police and our critical infrastructure have continued to weigh heavily on the cost of governance and the ability of the citizenry to carry out their social and economic activities with grave consequences for the nation.

“In its determined effort to combat the insurgency; government has had to impose a state of emergency on three states in the Northeast geopolitical zone, (Adamawa, Borno and Yobe).”

The AGF also said the interventions of the courts have saved the nation’s democracy and constitutional evolution.

He said: “There is no doubt that any society, which desires to bring about social justice and development, will ultimately address the functionality and centrality of law. In my respectful view, social justice and a developmental perspective to the nation’s legal system require that the rule of law must be sacrosanct.

“This fundamental concept entails that rights (including economic rights) are protected and that arbitrary powers of the state are curbed by the prescription of rules and codes that regulate and sanction.

“By the same token, in a constitutional democracy like Nigeria, the rule of law connotes not only that the judiciary is independent, but also that judicial orders and judgments of courts are obeyed and enforced. This is more so when only the courts of law are mandated to state with finality the position of the law as it governs the affairs of the

society and the nation.

“Amidst the controversies that attend political rivalries and contests within and outside political parties; in the course of evolving sustainable constitutional principles for our democracy and in the face of security challenges, the courts have dispensed justice according to the law and our constitutional evolution has benefited immensely from their interventions.

“As we prepare to celebrate 100 years of nationhood, we must continue to have faith in the ability of the law to regulate our conduct both in public and private spheres and serve as a mechanism for resolving disputes.”

The minister cautioned politicians against inflammatory remarks, which could lead to violence nationwide.

Adoke added: “Democracy and liberalism that it engenders in the political space have also brought about its own challenges, especially to the unity and corporate existence of our nation.

HE Environment Minister, Mrs. Hadiza Ibrahim Mailafia, has denied the allegations levelled against the ministry that it allegedly hoarded the funds meant to address environmental challenges.

The funds, according to a report, were made available by international donor agencies to assist the Federal Government’s environment programme, especially within a specific time frame.

But the minister described the claim as false.

She explained that such funds are not domiciled within the ministry and it does not directly decide on its release.

National Mirror gets new Editor

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R. BOLAJI Tunji was yesterday appointed the Editor of National Mirror. His appointment is with immediate effect. Before his appointment, he was Editor, Sunday Mirror.

A 1990 graduate of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, Tunji, a former teacher, began his journalism career with The Guardian in 1993.

He joined Daily Independent as Deputy News Editor in September 2001. He had a meteoric rise in the company as he was promoted three times within a year, first as Deputy Editor, Politics, Deputy Editor, News before he was elevated to the position of Editor, Breaking News, the rested evening newspaper in the company’s stable.

He had a stint with Daily Times as Deputy Editor. He was Editor of Saturday Comet and Editor of The Nation on Saturday for four years before he was appointed in 2010 as the pioneer Editor of the Sunday Mirror.

Tunji is married and has children.

THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2013

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NEWS WASSCE: Ogun discovers 3,571 illegal enrolment From Ernest Nwokolo, Abeokuta

THE Ogun State government has discovered that 3,571 external candidates were registered for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) in the last three years.

The administrative panel investigating the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology said this yesterday while submitting its report to the Head of Service, Mrs. Modupe Adekunle.

The panel’s Chairman, Alhaji Abdul-Fatai Opebiyi, said the fraud cost the government, which has been paying the WASSCE fee of pupils, N31,608,876.

Opebiyi said it was discovered that money was illegally collected by certain officers of the ministry.

The panel was set up following a petition alleging fraudulent activities on the payment of WASSCE fees.

It recommended sanctions for the indicted officers and suggested ways to prevent a recurrence.

Mrs. Adekunle hailed the panel members for doing a good job, saying their recommendations would be looked into.

‘We must save Southwest PDP from liars’ A CHIEFTAIN of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State, Prince Buruji Kashamu, has urged the Presidency and the party’s national leadership to save the PDP from dying in the Southwest.

Kashamu, in a statement yesterday, said recent events in the Southwest PDP could kill it.

He said: “I must confess that I never knew my worth until some of our leaders went all the way to Abuja to lie against me and fabricate all sorts of stories about the state of the party in the zone.

“I am not contesting with anybody for the leadership of the PDP in the Southwest.

It is an indisputable fact that the only leader we have in Yoruba land is ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo.

“All others, including my humble self, are his footsoldiers. I am a comfortable entrepreneur with multiple verifiable sources of income. Since my intervention in our great party in 2009, I have spent my personal resources to keep the party together in my home state of Ogun and the zone without asking for anything in return. “ Kashamu said it was wrong of some people in the zone to institute a legal action against the party’s zonal congress, describing it as “working straight to answer”.

He said: “We are grateful to the Almighty Allah that many a time we have been underrated by our detractors, but He has continued to bring victory our way, just as He did again when some aggrieved members of our party contrived a case against the conduct of the proposed zonal congress. “

•Some policemen keeping the peace in the town...yesterday.

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Three injured in Iyin-Ekiti violence

HREE people were yesterday injured in a violence in Iyin-Ekiti.

Mr. Ola Fatokun was shot in the hand, Mr. Rasaki Bello in the stomach and Mr. Ige Adeola in the back.

It was learnt that there was a clash between supporters of Governor Kayode Fayemi and Mr. Opeyemi Bamidele of the House of Representatives in the town on Friday during a funeral.

Around 6am yesterday, policemen stormed the town and arrested about seven people over the clash.

This led to a protest in which three people were shot.

A resident, who pleaded

•Seven suspects arrested From Sulaiman Salawudeen, Ado-Ekiti

for anonymity, said: “Most of us were still sleeping when the police came to arrest some residents. Their offences were not immediately known but we later gathered that it was related to the clash between supporters of the governor and Bamidele’s.

“Around 6am, policemen entered the streets, firing tear gas and sending people running out of their homes. People were made to weep for no just cause.

All these led to a protest in which they shot three persons. Happily, none of them died. They were taken to the State Teaching Hospital.”

The injured were said to be “in a stable condition and responding to treatment” when The Nation visited them at the hospital.

The protesters made bonfires on the road leading to Ado-Ekiti, shutting it down for nearly six hours.

Motorists were forced to take alternative routes.

Police spokesman Victor Babayemi said: “We gathered that some people were

shot but we do not know what caused their injuries.

“The police only attempted to halt the protest. It is not possible for us to fold our arms and watch people take the law into their hands.”

One of the governor’s aides, Mr. Deji Adesokan, said the government had nothing to do with the protest. He said: “The disruption of the protest and the arrest of some people must have been ordered by the Commissioner of Police, Sotonye Wakama.”

In a statement, Bamidele’s spokesman, Mr. Ahmed Salami, alleged that Adesokan and APC State Chairman

Osun seals OAUTHC over unpaid taxes

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HE Osun State Internal Revenue Service has sealed the Administrative Complex of the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital Complex (OAUTHC), Ile-Ife, over unpaid Pay-As-YouEarn (PAYE) taxes running into over N3.1 billion.

The government was granted an order to seal the complex by an Osogbo High Court after the expiration of a seven-day ultimatum given to the hospital’s management to pay up.

It was learnt that OAU-

From Adesoji Adeniyi, Osogbo

THC has not remitted taxes deducted from its staff to the state in six years, from 2006 to 2011.

The Chief Medical Director (CMD), Prof. Sanya Adejuyigbe, and other management staff could not access their offices yesterday when The Nation visited the hospital.

Workers, including the CMD, were seen in groups discussing the matter.

Prof. Adejuyigbe said: “Since the new tax regime was introduced in 2005, the

‘We urge the government to give us more time to reconcile the old tax rate with the new deduction. We cannot afford to pay the outstanding once’ management is yet to implement it. We are using the old tax rate for our workers.

Many of the staff affected by the development have retired from service. The new contributory pension

scheme makes the unpaid tax to be bogus.

“We urge the government to give us more time to reconcile the old tax rate with the new deduction. We cannot afford to pay the outstanding once. We should be allowed to spread the payment over eight years. All what we generate cannot settle the outstanding amount. The money is not available. We are hoping to put in place a tax committee to open up dialogue with the government and resolve the matter.”

Ekiti deputy governor advocates eye cancer research

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KITI State Deputy Governor Prof. Modupe Adelabu has urged specialists to research the cause of eye cancer in children.

She spoke at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital (EKSUTH) in AdoEkiti, the state capital, during a visit to two children, Daniel Popoola (2) and Kolade Abegunde (4), who have tumours growing on their right eyes.

The children are being treated at the instance of the deputy governor. Urging their parents to cheer up and hope for the best, Mrs. Adelabu urged Prof. Foluso Owoeye and Dr. Omotoye Olusola – the consultant ophthalmologists treating the children, to give the research a thought.

Health Commissioner Prof. Olusola Fasuba said the government would set up a radiotherapy unit in the hospital.

Fasuba said: “By October ending, the radiotherapy unit would be functioning in this teaching hospital.”

He said one of the children would be referred to the Uni-

•Radiotherapy unit for EKSUTH versity College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, for radiotherapy.

The commissioner said: “Surgery has been performed on the eye of one of the kids while the other is undergoing chemotherapy.

By the time we are through

with that, he would go for radiotherapy at Ibadan.

“We are going to have such a facility here very soon and it is going to be the best in Southwest Nigeria. We have a consortium from England and they are bringing it down to the state.”

Expressing concern over rising cancerous tumours in children, he urged parents, whose children are affected, to bring them for treatment.

He said: “There are many people experiencing this challenge, but they are hiding in their homes. I urge them to come to EKSUTH before it is too late.”

•Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi (left) presenting a plaque to the General Overseer of the Foursquare Gospel Church in Nigeria, Rev. Felix Meduoye, at the Government House in AdoEkiti...at the weekend.

Chief Jide Awe were instrumental to Friday’s clash and the arrest of his supporters.

He said: “We urge the Inspector-General of Police and the Director of the State Security Service to ensure the security of life and property.

We urge them to probe this utter disregard for public peace, the violence meted out on a peaceful town and bring the perpetrators to book.

“We urge the governor to speak up and call his aides to order, as his claim of being a progressive democrat and peace-loving individual is being undermined and brought to question by them.

“I reiterate that Bamidele is in next year’s governorship race and we are determined by the grace of God to run a decent, issue-based, people-friendly and scientific campaign that would show that we have the maturity, experience, courage, divine favour and strength of character needed to rally stakeholders together to move Ekiti forward.”

Ondo voids monarch’s ‘installation’ From Damisi Ojo, Akure

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HE Ondo State government has declared the purported installation of Chief Bosede Bamidele as the Obalogun of Igoba in Akure North Local Government Area illegal.

The Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Mr. Bamiduro Dada, said Oba Samuel Jayeoba remains the Obalogun.

He said Bamidele’s installation last week did not follow due process and warned stakeholders against disrupting the peace in the community.

A few weeks ago, some kingmakers purportedly removed Jayeoba for alleged misconduct and installed Bamidele.

The Council Chairman, Mr. Olu Aderuku, said Bamidele’s appointment was null and void.

After a meeting with the commissioner, Aderuku said: “The government’s position is that nobody has been removed or installed as the Obalogun. The intervention is to avoid bloodshed in the community.”

Oba Jayeoba hailed the government for its intervention, stressing that no development could take place in an atmosphere of discord.

He pledged to reconcile aggrieved parties to facilitate progress in the community.

THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2013

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NEWS

•Aregbesola (fourth right); his deputy, Mrs Titi Laoye-Tomori (fifth left); Chief of Staff to the Governor Mr. Gboyega Oyetola (fourth left); Commissioner for Agriculture Wale Adedoyin (second right); Acting State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Elder Lowo Adebiyi (left) with the youths...yesterday.

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Why I’m sending youths to Germany, by Aregbesola

SUN State Governor Rauf Aregbesola has explained why he is sending some youths to Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, for advanced training in agriculture and food production.

He said after the training, the youths would help the state move from subsistence to mechanised farming.

Aregbesola spoke yesterday in Osogbo, the state capital, at

From Adesoji Adeniyi, Osogbo

a send-off ceremony for the youths.

He said his administration was determined to provide enough food for local consumption and exportation.

The governor said the administration had been providing infrastructure and support for farmers, such as improved

seedlings, fertiliser, fumigants and cleared farmlands.

He said the government was liaising with reputable local and international partners, such as the Institute for Agricultural Research and Training (IAR&T) and the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, for technical assistance.

Aregbesola said: “Our efforts

Suspended lawmaker sues Ondo Assembly T

HE lawmaker representing Ose Constituency in Ondo State, Mrs. Fola Olasehinde, has sued the House of Assembly for suspending her.

She filed the case at an Akure High Court through her counsel, Falana and Falana’s Chambers.

Mrs. Olasehinde, a chieftain of the Labour Party (LP), was suspended on June 19 for allegedly leaving fetish objects in her former apartment.

She denied the allegation, saying her suspension was politically motivated.

A committee, headed by Mr. Olotu Fatai, was constituted by the House to look into the allegation and submit its report within two weeks of the suspension, but the Assembly has been silent

From Damisi Ojo, Akure

on the issue.

Following the Assembly’s alleged failure to respond to calls for her recall, the lawyer approached the court.

Mrs. Olasehinde prayed the court to determine: “Whether the Assembly is competent to investigate the allegation against her, considering Section 2 of the Assembly’s Code of Conduct.

“Whether her indefinite suspension is not a violation of Section 36 of the Nigerian Constitution and Article 7 of the African Charter on Human and People’s right.

“Whether she is not entitled to be reinstated as a member of the Assembly and re-

ceive her outstanding salary, committee and constituency allowance since June 19 and the restoration of her official car, driver, water and power supply in her official quarters.

“Whether if these questions are answered in the affirmative, she is not entitled to general and exemplary damages.”

Mrs. Olasehinde said she was not given a fair hearing before her suspension, stressing that the development has deprived her constituents representation in the Assembly.

She urged the court to grant all the reliefs sought in the interest of justice.

A community leader in Ose Constituency described Mrs. Olasehinde’s suspension as “humiliating”, adding that she was committed to the success of the LP in the last governorship election.

APC’ll win in 2015 if..., says Islamic scholar From Tayo Johnson, Ibadan

•Ominiwe

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HE All Progressives Congress (APC) “will have a successful outing in the 2015 general elections, if it is sincere with the people”.

An Islamic scholar, Alhaji Saka Ominiwe, spoke yesterday with reporters at his IwoOlodo home in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

He said: “I received a revelation in 2012 when I went to Mecca that a merger party would be formed and it would take over power. But members should not put their

ambition above the party’s interest, if they want the party to progress.”

Ominiwe, who is an educationist at the Education Legacy College, Ibadan, urged APC members to be united.

He said: “I believe APC will make life bearable for the people. In 2015, APC will take over the government at the Villa and through fairness, sincerity and hard work.

“The hallmark of any administration must be sincerity and the fear of Allah. If any party or leader lacks this, they cannot achieve anything. If any leader wants to make a change, he/she needs to be sincere.”

Ominiwe said Nigeria can become a business hub as Du-

bai, if it operates “an opendoor policy”.

He said former Osun State Governor Bisi Akande operated an open-door policy and his “monumental achievements” speak for him till date.

The scholar said: “Baba Akande was a sincere administrator, who allowed justice to operate. Look at all our politicians today; they can travel abroad five times in a month and spend money on irrelevant things, but they cannot spend money on the education and employment of our youths.”

Declaring his desire to become active in politics, Ominiwe said: “We need sincere people in politics and I am waiting to see if I can join the APC or any good party or I become an independent candidate.”

are geared towards taking farming from the subsistence level to the modern/commercial level, because that is the level at which farming is really worth it as a profession.

“To realise this goal, it is needful to add value to our agricultural practice by applying advanced knowledge in science and technology. We have adopted a multi-pronged approach to achieving this objective.

“On one hand, we are providing the necessary infrastructure and supporting our farmers with input. This re-

quires supplying them with input, such as improved seedlings, fertilisers and fumigants, among others; giving them hundreds of thousands of hectares of already prepared farmlands; reviving old farm settlements that were the hub of agricultural miracles in the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s era; opening up rural areas through aggressive road construction and rehabilitation to facilitate easy accessibility and movement of goods from farms to markets; and the linking of farm produce from Osun to the huge

market in Lagos via the Lagos-Osun Rail Logistics System.”

Mr. Olumide Ojo, who spoke for the trainees, thanked the governor for giving them such a privilege and pledged not to disappoint the state.

The trainees will undergo a four-week course on modern agriculture and food crop production techniques at an agricultural training school in Germany.

After this, the trainees would be attached to 11 large-scale cooperative farmers in SaxonyAnhalt for eight weeks.

THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2013

10

CITYBEATS

CITYBEATS LINE: 08023247888

Strange ailment threatens boy's life H E was born a twin and showed signs that he and his twin brother would bring joy and glory to his family. Unfortunately, while his other half is gradually living that dream, his condition has brought anguish, no thanks to a strange ailment.

That is the ordeal of fouryear-old Kehinde Abdulraheem Yusuf, whose journey into a world of agony started like a joke - with mere fever.

His father, Mr Isiaka Yusuf, told The Nation: "My twins were born like all normal children on September 19, 2009 at the Iseyin General Hospital, Iseyin, Oyo State.

Six months into their lives, Kehinde developed fever and he was treated at the Ado-

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By Yinka Aderibigbe

Awaye General Hospital by Dr Olabode, who also owns Holyland Hospital along Peller Road, Iseyin.

"Two weeks after his treatment, we observed that whenever we sat him down, he would fall and his head would swell up. That was the beginning of the tribulation that has taken us to 11 different hospitals and traditional homes.

We have spent fortunes and sold all our properties.

"It was Dr Awojobi of Awojobi Clinic, Eruwa, Oyo State, who finally told us Kehinde was suffering from hydrocephalus, a condition

occasioned by swollen head.

He finally referred us to the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, in 2011, where another search for a solution to his health challenge began."

Yusuf, who now lives at 30, Adebayo Street Ijegun, a Lagos suburb, said he now takes the boy to the UCH for treatment every month.

Unfortunately, rather than abating, Kehinde's ailment worsened, prompting the consultants handling his case to prescribe surgical operations. The operation did not solve the problem, hence the need for another operation, according to doctors.

"My worry now is how to get the second operation done. I was told that Kehinde must undergo the operation within the next three weeks lest he develops other complications," Yusuf added.

As a self-employed person, he is financially incapacitated and cannot afford the N175, 000 cost of the operation.

"Now, my son can neither sit nor walk due to his unusually big head and doctors insist on the second operation.

That is why we are begging for help. Kehinde is now a mere skeleton."

Yusuf said he could be reached on 08033883542, while donations, according to him, could be sent into a First Bank account Number:2011889070, under the name, Isiaka A. Yusuf.

• Kehinde

LASAA's initiative excites stakeholders

UTDOOR advertising giant, Spot on Media caused a pleasant stir last Saturday. It was at the activation of a Digital Water Screen at the Lagoon Front, near the popular Fish Market under the new bridge linking the Law School with Falomo on Lagos Island.

Traffic was brought to a crawl as motorists, pedestrians and commuters jostled to catch a glimpse of the wonder of digital water advertising. It was reputed to be the first of its kind in Africa.

The spectators were amused at the pictures and logos of corporate bodies being pro-

By Dada Aladelokun, Assistant Editor

jected on water jet which serves as the canvas. It was said to be another format for outdoor advertising which provides a unique canvas for a variety of projected media like digital video projection, laser graphics and large format slide projection. It offers a good blend of art and technology with a natural canvas.

Some representatives of corporate organisations who passed by at the time, gleefully inquired about the possibilities of placing their companies' adverts on the

platform.

The Business Development Manager of LASAA, Mr Siraj Bello, who represented the company's Managing Director, Mr George Kayode Noah, said the company would carry out the project on the acres of water space in the metropolis, and at nightfall.

The Managing Director of Spot on Media, Mr Sesan Ogunro, said his company would turn the venue of the live activation to a garden park, adding that the development was another trail blazer for the state.

He said: "With this launch, Lagos has joined cities like

New York where Nike launched its Melo 8 Campaign at the Hudson River, Toronto Halifax during the Nissan Altima product launch and Dubai global village to mention a few, where digital wa-

ter advertising is delivering remarkable value to brands."

Present at the event included representatives of Forte, First Bank and Pepsi among others.

The project, which is being

handled in partnership with Spot on Media, it was learnt, is part of LASAA's efforts at developing a signage and outdoor advertisement master plan for the street-scape of Lagos.

•L-R: Bello, Ogunro and Head of Commercial, LCC, Charles Imevbore ... on Saturday

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Rotary Club lifts hospital

S part of its humanitarian efforts at reducing infant mortality rate in the country, the Rotary Club of Omole Golden, District 9110, has donated an incubator and two phototherapy machines to the Ifako-Ijaiye General Hospital in Lagos.

The donation was made during the visit of the District Governor, Mr Oluwagbemiga Olowu, to the club.

Speaking at the hospital during the donation, Olowu said maternal care and safe child birth constitute the key focus of the club for the current Rotary Year. He added

By Oyeyemi GbengaMustapha

that the Rotary, as a humanitarian organisation, places a great premium on human life, hence its efforts at saving lives.

"Globally, the Rotary Club focuses on impacting positively on the society. In this District, we are operating based on this vision. As a humanitarian organisation, we will leave no stone unturned to ensure that lives are saved.

That is the reason we are here this afternoon to actualise that belief," he said.

•L-R: Olowu, Mrs Sodeinde and Owolabi ... at the event MUSTAPHA

The club's president, Mr Kayode Owolabi, assured the hospital's management of its continued support, while he promised that the hospital would receive a minimum of two more incubators and phototherapy machines from the club before the end of the year.

The hospital's Medical Director, Mrs Ibironke Sodeinde, said Rotary Club had contributed immensely to the development of the hospital since its establishment seven years ago. She praised the club profusely for the donation and promised to make a judicious use of the equipment.

PHOTO: OYEYEMI GBENGA-

BUSINESS

THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2013

THE NATION

E-mail:- bussiness@thenationonlineng.net

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

Naira flat as oil firms sell $107m

Fed Govt, SON others launch ‘zero tolerance for substandard products’

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AIRA yesterday, closed broadly flat against the dollar on the interbank market as two multinational oil firms sold about $107 million to some lenders.

Bloomberg report said the unit ended flat at N161.48 to the greenback on the interbank, after weakening to 162 naira during intraday trade. It closed at N161.45 on Friday.

Traders said the local unit of Exxon Mobil sold $72.2 million, while Italian oil firm Eni’s Nigerian unit sold $35 million.

Strong demand for the dollar has continued to mount pressure on the naira despite measures by the central bank to tighten liquidity in the banking system to curb speculation and prop up the local currency.

At a forex auction held yesterday, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) sold $300 million at N155.76 to the dollar compared with $290.5 million it sold the same rate at Wednesday’s auction. Dealers say the naira may ease to the N162 mark against the greenback this week unless more oil firms sell the hard currency as part of their month-end dollar sale.

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 -N12.1 trillion JSE -Z5.112trillion NYSE -$10.84 trillion LSE -£61.67 trillion RATES Inflation -8.4% 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 $46.9b FOREX CFA -0.2958 EUR -206.9 £ -242.1 $ -156 ¥ -1.9179 SDR -238 RIYAL -40.472

By Okwy Iroegbu-Chikezie,

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sure that all the power generated would be available and also to point out the funding gaps, assuring that the government was prepared to address the issues raised.

He said the governent is satisfied that there was significant compliance of all the proffered bidders who bought the power generating and distribution companies, adding that most of the preferred bidders have paid up.

“We believe that this is very good for the country, we are celebrating that, the entire nation is agog with it, the International Community is amazed that this miracle could happen in Nigeria,” he said, adding that no county in Africa has taken the quantum leap to do the entire generation and distribution company utilities like that in one fell swoop.

He said even though the

country has recorded substantial stability in the provision of power, there are still challenges, especially in vandalism of power delivery infrastructure He assured that with the progress recorded so far in the privatisation of the power sector, there is great expectation that it would record more success than the telecoms companies.

Meanwhile, Jonathan has assuered that with the sale of Nigeria’s power generation and distribution companies, Nigerians will soon begin to enjoy the positive benefits of the privatisation of the sector.

He spoke at a closed door meeting with a delegation of the Anioma Peoples’ Congress led by the Asagba of Asaba, Prof. Chike Edozien at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Jonathan, according to a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, confirmed that all successful bidders for the power generation and distribution companies had completed the payments required for the sales process.

Kale, said that the tentative figures of the rebased GDP will be released in December upon completion of the nine scheduled surveys, while the final figures would be announced next year at the end of the two major censuses planned as part of the rebasing exercise He restated the strategic importance of the project to national development, and canvassed stakeholders’ support for the exercise as an option for the realisation of the broad policy objectives of the Transformation Agenda, as well as those of the broader Vision 20:2020.

Kale, who spoke elaborately on various initiatives by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) to improve

the quality of the Nigerian statistical system, described the GDP rebasing project as coming at an auspicious time after over 23 years of the last exercise, designed to help in updating Nigeria’s GDP in a way that would reflect the accurate value added of the production of goods and services in all sectors.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) Senior Country Representative in Nigeria, Scott Rogers, said the effort to rebase the GDP, would help Nigeria’s efforts being targeted at using reliable and timely statistical data as economic tool for effective planning, and implementing of governments’ policies at na-

tional and sub-national levels.

Commending the NBS for the initiative, the IMF chief was optimistic that the successful completion of the exercise would improve Nigeria’s ratings in terms of her economic capacity and opportunities.

• From left: Company Secretary/Legal Adviser Wema Bank Wole Ajimisinmi; Chairman Adeyinka Asekun; Managing Director Segun Oloketuyi and Executive Director Nurudeen Fagbenro at the bank's Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Lagos.

PHOTO: ABIODUN WILLIAMS

$1.6b for power transmission facilities coming A

BOUT $1.6 billion has been designated for the expansion of power transmission facilities in the country, the Minister of Power, Prof.

Chinedu Nebo, has said.

Nebo disclosed that the fund is made up of loans expected from the World Bank, African Development Bank, Euro Bond Issue and the Chinese Exim Bank.

The Minister, who spoke at the State House yesterday after the meeting of the Presidential Action Committee on Power (PACP), chaired

by President Goodluck Jonathan, said the forum addressed issues bordering on expanding the transmission network, so as to ensure that there is adequate willing capacity to all the power generating plants for the benefit of Nigerians.

He said: “The Government is adequately prepared, everybody is excited at what has just happened, that we had such a significant compliance of all the proffered bidders who bought the GENCOS and the DISCOS as you can very well tell, most of them have paid up and most people thought it was never go-

• ‘Nigerians to feel impact of power sector privatisation soon’

From Augustine Ehikioya, Abuja

ing to happen,” adding that what was considered impossible has become a reality and that Nigeria is gong from a public sector dominated power sector to a private sector driven power sector.

“We believe that this is very good for the country, we are celebrating that, the entire nation is agog with it, the International Community is amazed that this miracle could happen in Nigeria and we are so happy that everybody sees that it was a fragile situation because no country in Africa has taken the quantum leap to do the entire generation and distribution company utilities like that in one fell swoop.”

Nebo said the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) briefed the PACP on the things to be done to en-

Asst. Editor

HE Federal Govern ment has drawn the at tention of the public to the implications of substandard products on the economy.

The Minister of State for Industry, Trade & Investment, Dr. Samuel Ortom, said the loss in human and material form should be of great concern to all.

He spoke at a forum organised by Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) in collaboration with the Lagos State Government, and others in Lagos on Sandcrete Block.

He regretted that in spite of improvement in technology advances, the nation in recent times, has witnessed building failures.

He said: “Worthy of note is that most of the collapsed buildings are either recently built, or still under construction which underscores the fact that the nation has a lot to do in quality assurance, both in production processes and the application of relevant specifications in applicable standards.”

He sa i d t he M i ni st r y launched the campaign to sanitise the building sector from the stage of material manufacturing to its application in building production.

He confirmed programmes put in place by SON to promote the manufacturure and distribution of quality products in Nigeria, such as the Mandatory Conformity Assessment Programme (MANCAP) for all local goods.

Ortom said operators in the Sandcrete Block moulding sector, will not be allowed to operate in all the states unless they adhere to the provisions of MANCAP programme and certification.

GDP rebasing’ll boost economy, says minister

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TAKEHOLDERS in volved in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) rebasing exercise must ensure that the figures they get at the end of the exercise are the true reflection of the economy, the Minister/Deputy Chairman, National Planning Commission (NPC), Dr Shamsuddeen Usman, has said.

Usman, who gave the advice during a two-day Sensitisation Workshop on Nigeria’s GDP Rebasing Exercise in Abuja, noted that this was the only way to ensure sustainable economic development.

He said the GDP measures the value of the total economic output at a particular period of time, and

From Gbenga Omokhunu, Abuja

remains the single most universally accepted measure of economic output for international comparison.

He maintained that the attainment of the nation’s Vision 20:2020, is dependent on the availability of reliable GDP estimates.

He said: “It is critically important that the nation’s GDP estimates are accurate as possible, adequately capturing historical changes and developments over time, appropriately depicting the present realities and sufficient enough to serve as basis for future projections.”

The Statistician-General of the Federation, Dr. Yemi

• Usman

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THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2013

NEWS

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Minister, TCN board meet today

HE inaugural meeting of the newly reconsti tuted board of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) with the Minister of Power has been scheduled for today. It was initiated by the Minister, Prof. Chinedu Nebo.

Although the Chief Press Secretary in the Ministry, Timothy Oyedeji could not disclose the agenda of the meeting yesterday, it learnt that it would focus on how to improve the power transmission network.

President Goodluck Jonathan last Friday approved a new management for the Management of Nigerian staff for the Tranmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).

The reconstitution, according to the ministry’s state-

From John Ofikhenua and Chioma Onyia, Abuja

ment, is in line with the Presidency’s effort to re-position the power sector, and in particular, to strengthen the TCN. The statement noted that the appointees are to work with the Manitoba Management staff on alternate basis.

The appointees include: Dr. Abubakar Tambuwal Atiku, Deputy Managing Director, Mr. Sunny Iroche, Director, Finance and Accounts, Mrs. Halima Aliyu, Director, Human Resources and Corporate Services, Engr. Transmission Service Provider, M.M. Gumel, Director System Operations, Mrs. Veronica Osuhor, Director Market Operations, Allen Biakpara, Director In-

formation/Communication Technology, Fatima Lawan, General Manager, Legal Services/Company Secretary and Mrs. Segun Olagunju, General Manager, Public Affairs.

Kande Daniel added that President Jonathan has also approved the re-constitution of the Supervisory Board of the TCN. She said: “The Chairman of the 17-member Board is Haman Tukur, while the Vice Chairman is Akinsola Akinfemiwa. Other members are: Garba Sanusi, Rep. of Ministry of Power, Prof.

Peter Akpor, Rep of Attorney General of the Federation, Mrs. L. Shuaibu, Rep of Hon. Minister of Finance, Okwudili Ikejiani, Representing the Minister of Petroleum, Mike Uzoigwe,

Rep. of Gencos, and O.C. Akamnonu, Rep. of Discos.

Others are Dr. Sam Egwu, Jonathan I. Adole, Prof.

Aako Ugbage, Dr. Ferguson Tobins, Representative of the Manufacturers’ Association of Nigeria, Managing Director, TCN, ED, Systems Operation (TCN) and Two Representatives of State Governors.

“Furthermore, the President has approved the constitution of a Transitional Advisory Support Group comprising some erstwhile management staff of the TCN and the Niger Delta Power Holding Company.

Members of the Group are: Engr.

Jonathan Ndiagwalukwe (Chairman), Engr. Dennis Ukwueze, Mr. B.T Danmagaji, Engr. John Ayodele and Mr. I Apuye.”

NIMC partners ALGON on NIN enrolment in rural areas

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HE National Identity Management Com mission (NIMC) has solicited the support of the Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON) to establish enrolment centres in the 774 local governments for effective grassroots National Identity Number (NIN) registration.

NIMC Director-General Chris Onyemenam made the call during the first Local Government Areas (LGAs) Summit on the National Identity Management System (NIMS) yesterday in Abuja.

He said NIMC will soon set up the centres and kick off local government NIN enrolment.

According to Onyemenam, “NIMC is calling for collaboration and partnership of the ALGON because there is need to upgrade the nation’s database and records, if we don’t do this we can never have up to date national identity management system.”

He added that if the country has “no way of telling the identity of an individual and affirming that identity, we will not be able to collect government revenues properly both at Federal, State and

From Franca Ochigbo, Abuja

local government levels and we would not be able to wage a good war against crime and criminal activities especially those that are related with identity of an individual.”

He said “the journey of carrying out massive local government NIN enrolment can only be a success with the effective and collaborative cooperation of Local Government Chairmen in partnership with NIMC. Chief Nwabueze, who is the leader of the delegation said, the summit has been grouped into three zones with Abuja to cover the Northeast, Northwest; Lagos to cover Southwest and while Asaba will cover Southsouth.

The arrangement, he said, is to allow the summit cover the zones and eliminate challenges that might come up if chairmen gather in one hall for such a meeting.

“It is good that NIMC took this bold step, knowing that using ALGON will record good success in NIN registration,” he said.

Lagos to drive development through science, technology

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HE Lagos State gov ernment has restated its commitment to developing the state’s economy by paying special attention not only to the application of science and technology solutions to govern the state, but also encourage science and technology-related courses by students.

Speaking yesterday at the kick-off of the fourth edition of the Lagos State Science and Technology Camp at State Model College Ugbonla, in Epe Division, of the state, Commissioner for Science and Technology, Adebiyi Mabadeje, said no nation can develop without making science and technology a prority.

Represented by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mrs Nike Animashaun, he said: ‘’The serene and conducive Model College environment was chosen as venue to ensure that nothing distracts the carefully selected students, resource persons, teachers and participants from achieving the major goal of sharpening the intellect and whetting the appetite of the students to continually thirst for careers in science and technology-related careers.’’

Three hundred select pupils from the state’s public secondary schools are taking part in the exercise.

The Commissioner said that since the global economy depends on a nation’s level of scientific, engineering and technological attainment and not on naturally occurring finite resources, the ministry and the state cannot afford to lag behind or fail in its responsibilities of bequeathing a lasting legacy of building a generation of future leaders, ready to match a globally competitive 21st century.

“The five-day camp is expected to come up with new approaches to imparting and

By Lucas Ajanaku

exposing the students to latest,functional and most relevant innovation, science and technology skills and knowledge, in view of the constantly changing dynamics in the sector,’’ the commissioner said.

He urged the pupils to make the best use of the opportunities the camp will offer to develop their innate talents through exposure to different forms of academic and intellectual challenges that they may later face.

The Commissioner said that, as part of the commitment of the state government to provide functional education that will equip the students with requisite skills and entrepreneurial spirit, it approved the increase of the camping period from three to five days.

This, he said, was aimed at strengthening Science, Technological, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education in the state’s schools.

Some of the programmes lined up for the students are Star Gazing, Intrpoduction to Astronomy and Space Science, Scinence Encounter, Debates, Interactive sessions on Chemistry and Biology.

• Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN)

THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2013

13

PROPERTY/ENVIRONMENT

Activists seek clean-up of Ogoni by SPDC

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HE United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP’s) assessment of Ogoniland and the Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) have called on the Federal Government to compel Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) to clean up its mess in Ogoniland.

In a statement, they said it was unacceptable that two years after the assessment, the Federal Government, has not impressed it on Shell to take responsibility for its action.

UNEP’s findings released earlier in the month, showed hydrocarbon pollution in surface water in the creeks of Ogoniland, and up to eight centimetres in groundwater supplying drinking wells.

Soils were found to have been polluted with hydrocarbons of up to five metres depth in 49 observed sites; benzene, a known cancer-causing chemical, was found in drinking water at a level 900 times above the World Health Organisation (WHO) acceptable levels.

ERA/FoEN Executive Director Godwin Ojo said: “The issues in the UNEP report are

Stories by Seyi Odewale

about the devastation of the ecosystems, waterbodies, livelihoods, and how Shell’s oil extraction activities have impoverished the Ogonis, and sentencing them to slow deaths.

“Sadly, the Nigerian government and Shell are still promoting cosmetic approaches to the remediation measures recommended by UNEP. These measures seem clearly focused on guaranteeing Shell does not take responsibility for its mess in Ogoniland. Shell, clean up your mess because a day of reckoning is at hand.”

Ojo desinbed as “hasty”, the setting up of a Hydrocarbon Pollution Restoration Project (HYPREP), saying it did not address the key demands the report recommended on the eve of the first anniversary, last year. This, he said, lent credence to the belief between Ogonis and the environment community that government is trying to divert attention from the real issues.

“Sadly, the government has taken side with Shell rather than with the people and the protection of the environment.

We are unequivocal that the HYPREP and on-going illegal activities by Shell in Ogoniland do not in any way represent the UNEP recommendations.

“HYPREP should either be scrapped or made a unit in the National Oil Spills Detection and Remediation Agency (NOSDRA) which should be statutorily responsible for the clean-up of Ogoniland, rather than the administrative status of HYPREP under the control of the Minister for Petroleum,” he said.

Ojo listed the group’s demands to include the release of the $1 billion Ogoni Environmental Restoration Fund by the Federal Government and Shell, with NOSDRA as the supervising agency for its deployment and use.

Shell, he said, should start the decommissioning of its abandoned facilities in Ogoniland, embark on the clean up of all impacted sites to ensure remediation, restoration and compensation.

The bodies insisted on the immediate setting up of a $100 billion Niger Delta Restoration Fund for the clean-up of the Niger Delta impacted by oil activities.

•A housing project by the Lagos State government under construction

Ogun to build new city centre

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GUN State Government and a Malaysian consulting firm, Urbanisma, are collaborating to build the Abeokuta City Centre, which an official says would be the first of its kind in the country and sub-Saharan Africa.

Housing Commissioner, Daniel Adejobi, said the centre would attract local and foreign investors, adding that various business units, such as shopping malls, hotels and relaxation centres would be situated under separate buildings.

“The plan will be a 60-storey building, and the project will

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be handled by professionals in such a way that the outcome would attract indigenes abroad to come home, as this would increase the standard of living of the people,” Adejobi said.

He described the proposed project as a centre within an ancient city.

In a related development, the Director-General/Special Adviser to the Governor on Land Matters, Wale Oshinowo, said the government would no longer fold its arms and watch speculators take over its land, adding that plans are under-

way to reclaim all illegally acquired properties.

Oshinowo, who was inspecting government land within the Ilo-Awela-Onipanu axis of Ado- Odo/Ota Local Government Area, expressed surprise.

That the properties were encroached upon, saying no effort would be spared at recovering them.

A statement by the Information Officer in the Land Bureau, Toluwalope Kowo, said Oshinowo warned the speculators, to stop their illegal acts or face the consequences of their action.

UK firm holds fair Nov. 25

UNITED Kingdom-based company, ACE Event Management, will exhibit its products at the West Africa Building and Construction fair Abuja from November 25 to 27.

The event will include seminars on water and sanitation and building, and construction.

It said the exhibition was successful last year, adding that the firm counts on the support of Federal Ministries, Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria (REDAN), Nigeria Water & Sanitation Association and the Nigerian

Society of Engineers (NSE).

In a statement the firm said: “The Water Africa and West Africa Building and Construction exhibition showcases machinery, tools and techniques for the housing and infrastructure construction sector. It aims to help those providing civil engineering and housing projects in West Africa to see new materials and machinery for use in construction and talk to experts on how best to use them.

“On the water and sanitation side, the exhibition and seminars offer an opportunity for

companies to again put their products and services before purchasers from states and local governments, industry, agriculture, NGOs and other key players from the West Africa region.

“A good number of the exhibitors at these exhibitions are often new to the West African market and will be looking for local partners to help them sell and distribute their products and services here. There is great potential for business to be done at both shows and exciting new products and services to be seen and discussed,” it said.

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COMMENTARY EDITORIALS

FROM OTHER LANDS

Is it true?

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•Petroleum minister accused of spending N2bn on private jets in two years. This is weighty; EFCC should clear the air

F the report that a Minister of the Federal Republic spent a staggering N2billion on private jet rentals in two years is true, then, it merely confirms the pervasive profligacy in government. According to the Crusader For Good Governance, a non-governmental organisation that blew the whistle, the petroleum minister, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke, spent the amount on her numerous overseas trips in the last two years. The NGO, in a petition sent to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), alleged, among others, that the minister rejected a commercial flight when President Goodluck Jonathan visited China a few months ago and instead paid $300,000 to go to the Asian country.

According to the petitioners, “her frequent trips to meetings of the Organisation of Oil Producing and Exporting Coun-

‘Without doubt, these are weighty allegations; nonetheless, we want to see them merely as that – allegations – until proven otherwise ... The EFCC therefore owes Nigerians an obligation to say whether it had received the petition or not. If it had, it should so tell the people and as well let them into what it is doing about it. This is not the kind of issue that should be allowed to gather dust in shelves or be swept under the carpet’

tries, OPEC, in Vienna, Austria, have been through private jets.” “The same happened during Mr. President’s trip to South Africa; she also travelled in a private jet at the cost of $300,000.00.” She was accused of spending the same amount on her trip to South Africa when the president also went there. In the petition, the minister was said to have travelled in a private jet to Dubai during the last Easter Break with members of her family at the cost of $300,000.00, even as the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) was alleged to be maintaining a private jet, Challenger 850 Visa Jet at $500,000.00 monthly for the minister.

Perhaps the most ridiculous of the allegations, according to the petitioner, is that “Worse of all, even when Mr. President is travelling and the use of Presidential jet is guaranteed, the Minister of Petroleum never makes use of such cost-saving measures”.

We find all these incredible against the usual impression given by the government that the country cannot afford certain essentials due to paucity of funds.

For instance, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has been on strike for almost two months, thereby grounding academic and other activities on our university campuses.

We are concerned like most other Nigerians, especially if this kind of frivolous spending could be going on in government. Before the ASUU strike, lecturers in the polytechnics were also on strike for months. There are so many other things

begging for attention in the country that the government has not done, always pleading poverty. Schools are in a shambles; healthcare has deteriorated as many Nigerians, especially those with the means travel out for medical check-up, the transportation sector is in chaos for the same reason. The state of infrastructure generally is nothing to write home about. Yet, we see financial recklessness in governments while the vast majority of Nigerians live in abject poverty.

From the petition signed by Okechukwu Obiora, the petitioners appeared to have done some spadework on the matter as they claimed that the relevant agencies in the aviation sector, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) all confirmed that the minister has never flown commercial aircraft in the last two years. All the agencies are government owned; it therefore should not be difficult for the commission to get the necessary information from them.

Without doubt, these are weighty allegations; nonetheless, we want to see them merely as that – allegations – until proven otherwise. But then, this is a matter that Nigerians are interested in, and justifiably so. The EFCC therefore owes Nigerians an obligation to say whether it had received the petition or not. If it had, it should so tell the people and as well let them into what it is doing about it. This is not the kind of issue that should be allowed to gather dust in shelves or be swept under the carpet.

Plateau SURE-P funds •The state govt should be more responsive to legislative scrutiny

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HE Subsidy Reinvestment Programme (SURE-P) allocations to Plateau State have become a subject of legislative scrutiny, a thing the executive arm of the government is not comfortable with. Yet, the state government deliberately kept an anxious public in the dark over the safety of and what use to deploy the funds. The state house of assembly finally bowed to public pressure when it beamed its klieg light into the matter, to ascertain what has happened to the over N5billion said to be SURE-P accruals to the state from January 2012 till date.

The public, through the assembly, sought to ascertain whether or not the money had been misappropriated by the government, since nothing concrete points otherwise. The 17 local government councils in the state that ought to benefit from the funds have nothing on ground to show that they did. The programme, unfortunately, has not taken off at all in the state, over a year and half after the introduction of SURE-P by President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration in the aftermath of the January 2012 nationwide fuel subsidy protests that nearly paralysed the country.

The eight-man ad-hoc committee set up by the speaker of the house of assembly, John Clark Dabwan, and chaired by Dalyop Mancha has concluded investigation into the matter and submitted its interim report to the assembly. What is rather disgusting is the rigid posture of members of the executive arm that were invited to appear before the committee.

It is sad that officials of the state reluc-

tantly appeared before the committee and more contemptuous is the fact that most of them refused to give bank details of the state’s SURE-P funds. Also, the federal, zonal and state coordinators of SUREP shunned the committee’s summons.

The state government should refrain from acts that could project it as denigrating another arm of government. It is certain that it cannot pretend not to be aware of the uncooperative and disdainful attitudes of some of its officials, especially the accountant-general of the state, among others, that were duly summoned by the assembly. The lawmakers are accountable to the people and not to Governor Jonah Jang. And the people have the right to compel the assembly to look into whatever they feel is going wrong in the state. This should be done without executive intimidation.

Despite these deliberate official hiccups, we consider as commendable the fact that the committee was able to unravel some facts. For instance, it was revealed that the state has been receiving N218 million monthly since January 2012 as its share of the SURE-P funds from the Federal Government, which reportedly has amounted to over N3 billion. Also, the state government has reportedly been receiving N146 million monthly on behalf of its 17 local governments for the same period, and which has equally accumulated to over N2 billion. This could not have been achieved if this constitutional oversight had not been carried out.

However, we condemn the assembly’s subsequent apologetic posturing before the executive by denying the probe and

calling it mere investigation. Are the members afraid of the governor? What should be paramount is the interest of the people that has been served in this regard.

Whatever squabbling from whatever quarters is sheer bunkum. The Plateau State assembly and others across the country must insist that it is illegal for any governor to treat public funds as his personal wealth. And that it is necessary to let them know that public funds in all circumstances must be appropriated by the state houses of assembly. The SURE-P funds should not be treated as a People’s Democratic Party (PDP) ‘family affair’.

Much as we have our reservations about the programme, it is important to say that its results must be apparent for all to see and feel, more so when public funds have been disbursed.

‘The state government should refrain from acts that could project it as denigrating another arm of government. It is certain that it cannot pretend not to be aware of the uncooperative and disdainful attitudes of some of its officials, especially the accountant-general of the state, among others, that were duly summoned by the assembly ... And the people have the right to compel the assembly to look into whatever they feel is going wrong in the state.’

Enforcing a ‘red line’ in Syria – If new reports of a government chemical weapons attack are confirmed, the U.S. must act.

AST August, even as he resisted the notion of U.S. military intervention in Syria, President Obama said that “a red line for us is we start seeing a whole bunch of chemical weapons moving around or being utilized. That would change my calculus.” If new reports of the use of nerve gas to massacre hundreds of Syrian civilians are confirmed, Obama must make good on that warning to punish the government and protect its population.

People around the world have been horrified by online images of bodies shrouded in white sheets — victims, Syrian opposition groups claim, of an attack Wednesday by the government of President Bashar Assad in a suburb of Damascus. The government denies using chemical weapons, and Russia, Assad’s enabler on the U.N. Security Council, predictably dismissed the claims of a nerve-agent attack as a “premeditated provocation.”

The initial reaction of the United States has been to demand that U.N. weapons inspectors already in Syria be allowed to visit the scene of the alleged attack and gather information. The U.S. intelligence community is also looking into the allegations. Those are prudent first steps. But if the reports are confirmed by the U.N. inspectors or otherwise, this atrocity should be met with measured military action.

We say that even though we share Obama’s aversion to military intervention in Syria, which would be a more complicated and dangerous proposition than the air campaign that led to the overthrow of Libya’s Moammar Kadafi in 2011. The administration’s caution has reflected not only an admirable reluctance to ensnare the United States in another foreign war but also a concern that the Syrian opposition remains too volatile and divided to be trusted.

The administration didn’t abandon its essentially cautious policy even after it determined in June that the Assad government had used small amounts of the nerve agent sarin against its opponents. But if chemical weapons are now being used on a major scale against civilians, the U.S. must act — ideally in concert with other nations. On Thursday, France’s foreign minister suggested that the international community should respond with “force” short of the deployment of troops if the allegations are confirmed. A nofly zone coupled with airstrikes is an obvious option.

For almost a century there has been an international consensus that chemical weapons are beyond the pale because of their cruelty and potential for widespread loss of life. That understanding was reflected in Obama’s comments about a “red line.” The Syrian government must not be allowed to cross that line with impunity.

– Los Angeles Times

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TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief Victor Ifijeh

• Editor Gbenga Omotoso •Chairman, Editorial Board Sam Omatseye •General Editor Adekunle Ade-Adeleye •Editor, Online Lekan Otufodunrin •Managing Editor Northern Operation Yusuf Alli •Managing Editor Waheed Odusile

• Executive Director (Finance & Administration) Ade Odunewu

•Deputy Editor Lawal Ogienagbon

•Advert Manager Robinson Osirike

•Deputy Editor (News) Adeniyi Adesina

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

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

THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2013

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CARTOON & LETTERS

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IR: Circumstances surrounding the health situation of Governor Danbaba Suntai, of Taraba State Nigeria have been deliberately shrouded in secrecy in the last 10 months after an air crash that left him hospitalized in the United States. I thank God that Suntai is still alive today. It could have been worse.

But impunity, hide and seek game, greed, lies, deceit, dishonesty, breach of contract etc have been the hallmark of the leadership in Taraba. Associates of Suntai including his wife have been deceiving Nigerians and the people of Taraba State for 10 months now and this must be stopped. The Suntai I saw on TV on Sunday cannot continue to remain governor of Taraba State until he gets back his health.

I am not a lawyer but the 1999 constitution 191 (1) gave five grounds under which a deputy can become a governor. These are on the ground of death, resignation, impeachment, permanent incapacity or removal of Governor from office for any other reason in accordance with section 188 or 189 of the constitution. The Deputy Governor could become a governor if the state executive council decided to give effect to section 189 of the 1999 Constitution as amended. That section says the governor or deputy governor of a state shall cease to hold office if by a resolution passed by two-thirds majority of all members of the executive council of the state (i.e. the body of commissioners of the Government of the State) it is declared that the governor or deputy governors is incapable of discharging the functions of his office. This declaration has to, however, be verified by a medical panel of five (one of who must be the personal physician of the holder of the office concerned) to be appointed by the Speaker of the State House of Assembly.

EDITOR’S MAIL BAG

the man’s recovery plans and Taraba State House of Assembly must do its work. The Deputy GovSEND TYPEWRITTEN, DOUBLE SPACED AND SIGNED CONTRIBUTIONS, LETTERS AND REJOINDERS OF ernor of Taraba is now going NOT MORE THAN 800 WORDS TO THE EDITOR, THE NATION, 27B, FATAI ATERE ROAD, MATORI, LAGOS. through what President GEJ went E-mail: views@thenationonlineng.net through in the hands of Yar’Adua’s men. They have kept the man in the dark for fear of losing power.

Let the law makers of Taraba State raise a team of five compeThe arrival of governor Suntai at world that all is not well suggests cause to undergo a surgical opera- tent medical doctors to honestly Abuja Airport spoke volumes the way we are. Because of greed tion few years back. What did he ascertain the true state of the govabout the state of the governor’s we have all become a slave to pubdo? He signed off his office as the ernor’s health and have the courhealth. His looks suggest that he is lic office. I guess some people are President of the United States, age and the political will to do far from recovering. His eyes are feeding on the governor’s predicawent into the hospital for the opsomething else and it tells a bigment. I guess that billions would eration. After a successful opera- what needs to be done in the overger story that all is not well with have been stolen using his name tion and recovery he took back his all interest of the entire people of him and his fake signatures. This is a office. This is what civilized peo- Taraba State.

Let no one play politics with this The carriage of his handlers sugshame! But we have seen it before ple do. gests a despicable desperation to in the days of late President Governor Suntai’s case has be- man’s health and life. remain in power by all means. The Yar’Adua of the blessed memory. come an embarrassment to Nige•Joe Igbokwe idea of bringing a sick man home The late former president of rians and democracy. Handlers of even when it is obvious to the United States, Ronald Reagan had governor Suntai have mismanaged Lagos

Suntai: Impunity, greed killing Nigeria

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Okupe’s attack on G5 governors

IR: Where does one begin, is it his incessant reactions to every bit of constructive criticism of the present administration or his clear lack of understanding of the political platform that gave him one small opportunity to have been unfortunately appointed as Senior Special Assistant to the President?

Let me quickly consider very recent developments credited to Doyin Okupe, the presidential assistant. His rage on whoever supported Governor Amaechi’s re-election as chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum is very fresh in our memories. He is in the class of the uneducated who believe that the number 16 is greater and larger than the number 19. He is an assistant in the presidency that needs the like of late Chike Obi, the mathematician to teach him the rudiments of arithmetic.

Does one need to be told that the

flurry of his responses to every spate of condemnation of the presidency’s wilful acceptance and its latent provision of funds to open a new Governors Forum Secretariat in Abuja with taxpayers’ money for an organization that is not backed by law or supported by the principles of appropriation by the National Assembly?

Even if Dr. Okupe does not believe in democracy which pitifully places a cup of garri on his table today, he should be conversant with simple Mathematics at least enough for him to know that David Jang’s 16 votes cannot make him superintend over 19 votes cast by honest, intelligent and great men even with his presidential handshake.

Medically, when a man suffers from the disease known as tantrum, it means the man has reached the unfortunate stage of “uncontrollable rage or temper” over anything

less than his expectations.

In this direction, any matter that is not perceived to be favourable to Okupe is deemed to be very offensive and must be angrily reacted to without fear or favour. After all, he is the most senior of assistants in the line of duty to his paymaster.

Is it wrong in democracy for four governors to visit their chairman?

Can they not travel to Port Harcourt at will to see how their leader is faring? Are they indigenes of Rivers State for Okupe to suspect they went to campaign for Amaechi? Did they reveal to him that their mission was to forcefully make Amaechi take over the president’s seat?

Then why was he calling them names?

A man who has never proffered any solution to any Nigerian problem but enjoys criticizing those who have enough experience going by history to affect situations as they occur gives him sleepless

nights. If a man has nothing to say at a particular moment in the history of his time, he should learn to keep his mouth shut.

Again, these governors visited President Obasanjo; Okupe saw nothing wrong with the visit to Ogun State, but when they visited Generals’ Babangida and Abdulsalami in Niger State, it became an offence. Patriots who left their busy schedules in search of solutions to new and emerging threats to our democracy caused by undue silence of the presidency over a state’s sensitive matter that could lead to a national challenge have now become his latest target.

He said there was no cause for alarm is River State in spite of all the breaches of the constitution by a few constitutionally illiterate legislators.

This TANTRUM must be urgently cured.

• Emmanuel Musa Minna, Niger State

THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2013

COMMENTS

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OMEWHAT, former President by narcissistic conceit. Ben Olusegun Obasanjo figures Gbulie, another combatant, himself some incarnation of Chief though on the Biafran side, Obafemi Awolowo – the one who must hinted as much in an interview sneeze and the republic must catch a cold.

The Nation published on August The huge difference is that while Awo 25 walked the walk before talking the talk, Even if Alabi-Isama had an Obasanjo talks the talk without walking axe to grind with Obasanjo – in the walk. his book, Alabi-Isama accused Awo, it was, who on his yearly medical both Obasanjo and Gen. Olakunle sojourn abroad, on the defunct British Theophilus Danjuma of easing lordbeek1@gmail.com, 08054504169 (Sms only, please) Abimbola Caledonian Airways, would release his him out of the army – Nasir Elannual state-of-the-nation bazooka, that Rufai bears no such burden. elicited so much heat and tirade, from Yet, Obasanjo’s profiling in the sitting government and its luckless El-Rufai’s The Accidental Public officials, who felt obliged to respond to Servant, particularly the former Awo’s blazing fire of cold stats with a president’s comical denial of makes, when it insists on rolling itself! fusillade of vulgar abuse. his failed third term project and the ultra-corrupt suborning That is the long and short of Obasanjo’s pastime of public One of the most celebrated of such dog fights was Awo’s by a sitting president, of Nigeria’s Business Royalty to “donate” policy interventions, the latest of which was his Ibadan heroics alert that the economy, under Second Republic President, to a presidential library swindle, is anything but flattering. of pontificating on failed younger leaders! That itself was a Alhaji Shehu Shagari, was heading for the rocks. Stung, Prof.

And like some daemon that must sear its victim long after it grand irony: for the megaphone blaring out that condemnation Emmanuel Edozien, celebrated former professor of had exited the scene, the best Obasanjo could bequeath a country was the ultimate in failed leaderships across generations! But development and international economics at the University that has given him all, aside from his irritating leadership then, self-nailing is one of Obasanjo’s divine gifts! of Ibadan and President Shagari’s chief economic adviser, with sermonising, is presidential paralysis: Umaru Musa Yar’ Adua, After some self-serving books, a pretence to scholarship and Chief Adisa Akinloye, the ruling National Party of Nigeria a goodly soul clobbered by bad health, was virtually dead on intellectualism, and a “three-term” presidency (one as jackboot (NPN) national chairman, went for Awo’s jugular, in a fierce, arrival; and the famously uncritical Goodluck Jonathan, head of state, and two as elected – if controversial – civilian two-man pincer attack. finding out the hard way that it takes more than good luck, president), Obasanjo remains very much part of, hardly any But when the passion of sentimental battle cooled, the and a conspiratorial pan-Nigeria mandate of Southern Nigeria solution to, the problem he periodically rails against. His government ate crow. A few months later, the Shagari and the Middle Belt, to have a stellar presidency. motive is to clutch at relevance at all cost. government went to Parliament, tail between two hind legs, But that, at the national level. In his native South West, all Indeed, analysing Obasanjo through what he says of others clutching an economic stabilisation bill, to pad an economy in Obasanjo inspired was a reactionary “mainstream”, with a in his books, and what others say of him in theirs, is a rich free fall. garrison command and electoral banditry in tow, that sapped experience.

That confirmed Awo’s earlier warning. That showed the the people as it bloated the greedy and corrupt clientIn Not My Will, he talked down on Gen. Yakubu Gowon, his futility of hysteria against well reasoned alerts. That reinforced reactionaries. It was rolling back, for eons, Awo’s proud legacy. war-time commander-in-chief, as some ungrateful and the Awo mystique.

But to Obasanjo, that is fine. In the absence of near-zero duplicitous coup plotter, on account of unproven allegations Since his public policy activism started during that same legacy in real terms, contrived presidential Lilliput, just to on the Bukar Sukar Dimka coup.

Second Republic, Obasanjo had always coveted such Awo-like make Obasanjo the Gulliver of his unsung era, is fair game.

Yet, Gen. Gowon probably has in his fingernail more honour, mystique. But tragically, he has always lacked Awo-like work If Jesus the Christ had the divine mandate to die so that nobility, grace and charity than Obasanjo would ever have in ethic, or personal morality, the such that declared when his humanity might live, Obasanjo’s narcissistic mandate, it would his whole being, even if he lived a million years! contemporaries were carousing with women of easy virtue, appear, is for his country to die so that he might live! That, of In the same book, he talked down on Awo, saying what Awo he, Awo, was punishing his mind, searching for solutions to course, is the sum-up of his empty grandstanding on leadership, hankered after all his life, he got on a virtual platter of gold.

Nigeria’s problems. when it is clear that, on that topic, he is a brilliant failure, That was gloating on his first coming as military head of state.

That explains why, even from the grave, Awo sounds wilfully un-confessed but proven.

Yet, even after his second coming of two presidencies, and a credible, plausible and rigorous: thanks to his numerous books Of course, Obasanjo would remain great as long as Nigeria clatter of books to articulate his thoughts, Awo, dead since that have addressed and proffered sane solutions to some, if is chained to the current Lilliputian level. But the moment it 1987, still towers, like Gulliver in Lilliput, above the living not most, of Nigeria’s perennial problems. breaks free – and it must – Obasanjo would embrace his fate in midget still hustling for attention in his hoary years, when he But a living Obasanjo, beyond his false piety, often sounds the dustbin of history. had every opportunity – but blew it – to make his mark, and like the human equivalent of a grating drum – grating because If Nigeria must attain its manifest destiny, the present make it good. it is empty; and is wilfully deaf to the irritating sounds it generation of leaders must shun Obasanjo and his empty In My Command, his Civil War account, Obasanjo demonised rhetoric. especially the formidable “Black Scorpion”, “While Awo walked the walk everybody, Instead, they must push for a super structure, not super Benjamin Adekunle of the Third Marine Commando fame. super structure that manages the best of geniuses but before talking the talk, Obasanjo But Brig-Gen. Godwin Alabi-Isama, a brain box in the war’s humans: curtails the worst of villains that strays into governance.

Atlantic theatre has shown, in his own account, The Tragedy of talks the talk without walking the Victory, with maps, pictures and devastating logic, that Such a system would end the era of unrepentant super-failures like Obasanjo, who run their mouth because of the strange Obasanjo’s Command was just a tad less than grand fiction, driven walk” conceit that they boast worse failures as successors.

epublican ipples

Again, Sege talks the talk

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OWER-starved citizenry ought to be forgiven if they barely paid any heed to what was supposed to be a milestone in the quest for steady electricity supply.

Blame it on reform-fatigue, the deadline for payment for the preferred bidders of the generating (GENCOs) and distribution companies (DISCOs) closed Wednesday last week without the typical bang that one would have expected. Save for the few sighs here and there, it may well have sneaked on us like the proverbial thief in the night.

Not that it was entirely shorn of some drama though.

Some 96 hours before the Wednesday deadline, there were in fact apprehensions about the preferred bidders being able to cough out the balance to make good their bid.

There were equally reports about outstanding sticking points between the government and the powerful electricity workers union on the issue of severance packages; indeed, there were hints, at some point, that the preferred bidders had served notice on the federal government that the final payment will be kept in abeyance until all outstanding liabilities were cleared.

And all of these were going on in the context of the latest rumble in the banking sector: the apex bank’s socalled sterilisation of 50 percent public sector deposits with immediate, direct impact in the tightening of liquidity in the economy.

Of course, if it seems any attestation that Nigeria is a place where miracles happen, the historic process designed to usher in the regime of liberalisation of the power sector sailed almost flawlessly and without serious hiccups. It was too good to be true. By close of work on Wednesday, nine out of the 10 bidders for distribution companies (Discos) had paid in full; it also emerged that four preferred bidders for generating companies (Gencos) had also perfected payments to assume ownership of the entities. Only two fell by the wayside. CMEC/EUAFRIC Energy JV, the preferred bidder for Sapele Power Plc which reportedly made a “substantial” payment; Interstate Electric Limited, the preferred bidder for Enugu Distribution Company, failed to make any payment aside the initial 25 percent by due date.

The exercise therefore can claim to be an unqualified success. However, the issue of whether the intractable power crisis is finally over just by mere coming to pass of the milestone event is one that Nigerians would have to wait to answer in the coming months. I do not think however that anyone should be in doubt as to the historic import of what happened. Aside heralding a new beginning for the sector, it also promises a new paradigm for doing business. Taken together with the foundation laid by the Power Sector Reform Act 2005 and the Power Sec-

Policy Sanya Oni sanyaoni@yahoo.co.uk 08051101841

PHCN: The day after tor Roadmap of August 2010, there is absolutely no longer any question about the stage being set for turning the power sector around. Perhaps, what is left is the debate on what the change of ownership portends in the short, near or even the long term; no longer at issue is the need to dismantle the inept, irredeemably corrupt and dysfunctional utility firm and its the antiquated business models and architecture.

While we celebrate the overdue interment of the Power Holdings Company of Nigeria (PHCN) and its bundle of bad rubbish, I need to enter a caveat though that the development alone is neither the magic wand nor the cureall pill that the sector requires to get out of the bind. What it does is offer a new basis, or, if you like, direction to salvage a sector that has been held down by the twin forces of monopoly and corruption.

In any case, no one disagrees that a dime of public funds sunk into the old behemoth is anything but money down the drain. After nearly eight years of reform odyssey and a capital spend in excess of $16 billion from the public till, we may have, as ex-President Obasanjo once touted, earned ourselves a global record in power expenditure; we have also arrived at a point where it has since become an embarrassing understatement to state that the deliverables come far short on expectations.

This is why the import of the tectonic shift in the power sector should not be understated. First, it means that those vanishing billions we hear at budget defence sessions can, at least theoretically, be put to other uses. It also means better prospects of investment and hence value delivery in the long run – something that most Nigerians

would readily affirm as alien.

Agreed, all of the above may not sufficiently address the question of what the future holds in store. First, I don’t that anyone should be mistaken about the changes as merely about substituting the tyranny and the crass inefficiency of the erstwhile government monopoly for the potentially exploitative antics of a compulsively-obsessive market operator. Both of course represent the different sides of the same coin of bad business practices that denies the consumer the value for his money’s worth.

Going forward, the development must go with the understanding of what the requirements are under the transition period, and what is clearly a long journey to a liberalised power sector driven by the ethos of competition and fair market prices. The milestone at this stage needs to be understood for what it is: a transitional one. Parcelling the erstwhile behemoth among disparate players does not itself qualify for competition. Far from it; the suggestion that the development marks the dawn of competition smirks of a misuse of the word. The nation’s expectation of revamped, robust, efficient, cost-driven, and well-regulated electricity market is still a long way ahead.

Finally, I must say that things can only get better; however, how well things turn out would largely depend on the role of the regulator – the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC). For much of what is clearly an uncharted course, NERC has done admirably well at least in terms of setting out the ground rules for the players and also in generally keeping faith with the entire reform programme.

But then, that is not nearly a fifth of the job NERC needs to undertake; or is it?

‘I don’t that anyone should be mistaken about the changes as merely about substituting the tyranny and the crass inefficiency of the erstwhile government monopoly for the potentially exploitative antics of a compulsively-obsessive market operator.

Both of course represent the different sides of the same coin of bad business practices that denies the consumer the value for his money’s worth’

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T the Barber’s shop at the weekend a young man, about my son’s age, was scraping what was left of the hair on my head amidst continuing ‘desert encroachment’ when he suddenly stopped, cleared his throat and said; ‘sir, may I ask you a question?’ Sure, I said, wondering what he had on mind.

As you never can tell with the younger ones nowadays, my mind in the next few seconds before his question wandered far and near for a clue as to what he wanted to find out from me. But before my mind wandered too far, his young voice interrupted and asked; ‘sir, is it good to have higher (tertiary) education?’

Immediately he said this I knew the young man is troubled. Ordinarily at his age (18/19) he should be in school instead of ‘barbing’ away his time to earn a living, but there he was, working as a barber. Why you may want to ask.

Yes he is indigent; he’s been battling WAEC for his GCE ‘O’ Level for about two years now and decided to take a sabbatical so to speak from WAEC exams for at least a year to work and earn some money before attempting his GCE again and later JAMB, but he is confused and doesn’t really know whether that route is the best for his future.

His worries are many, chiefly among which is the growing number of unemployed graduates out there, with little or no prospect of either securing a job or creating one for themselves. He wants to go to the university to study for a degree in civil engineering and become a ‘building contractor’ (using his own words), but he is afraid that he might end up with no job after struggling through university, as most of the unemployed graduates out there, and wants an assurance from me that tomorrow would be better and that he should go to the university.

Though I tried my best to allay his fears of how bad Nigeria’s tomorrow could be with the way things are going in this country especially with youth unemployment, he didn’t look convinced that tomorrow would be better, President Goodluck Jonathan’s so called transformation agenda notwithstanding.

I thought of how many of our youths, like him, are afraid of the future and what

I

N the comity of minority groups in Nigeria, Bayelsa can be considered the least of them. Whereas it is the only homogenous Ijaw state – the home base of all Ijaw people and the epicentre of Ijaw civilization and culture, yet it is the least in terms of land mass and population. The entire state covering the land, vegetation, creeks, rivers and ocean is 21,110 km2 (8,150 sq mi). Going by the last census, the population is put at 1,998,349.

The state was carved in 1996 out of the old Rivers State and is thus one of the newest states of the Nigerian federation.

This is the state where crude oil was first discovered in Nigeria in commercial quantity. In fact it is on record that Bayelsa has one of the largest crude oil and natural gas deposits in the whole country. Aside from its natural endowments, Bayelsa also enjoys the rare privilege of producing the first President to emerge from a minority ethnic group.

The discovery of oil in Oloibiri in 1956, according to Wikipedia, ended almost 50 years of unsuccessful oil exploration in the country by various companies. Indeed, the discovery launched Nigeria into global reckoning as a major oil-producing nation, considering the fact that over 5,000 barrels were pumped per day from the swampy oilfield of OML 29, measuring about 13.75 square kilometres.

No doubt, the enormous wealth that came from the discovery of oil, ultimately accounted for the substantial investment in infrastructure by the then federal government

‘At a time like this when our nation’s unity is under severe threat, we must be able to draw a clear line between rendering service and playing politics. We should all take pride to work for the unity and development of our country and by so doing stand together to resist those exploiting our diversity to harp on those things that easily pull us apart’

The Barber boy it holds for them. My mind quickly went to the ongoing strike by university lecturers and how ASUU and the Federal Government are toying with the lives and future of these young Nigerians forced to stay at home and be idle because they could not agree on how to fund tertiary education in the country.

It is this kind of idleness and hopelessness about the future that drive some of our youths to either go into crime or run out of the country in search of a better tomorrow elsewhere.

As I was talking to this young man, I remembered what I just read in the Sunday papers, few hours before, about a certain young boy, a teenager who hid in the tyre compartment of a Lagos bound Arik Air aircraft from Benin, the Edo State capital.

The boy, Daniel Ihekina, wanted to fly away, or better put, stowaway to what he believes would be a better future than whatever he was experiencing back home in Benin.

I am sure Lagos wasn’t his intended destination as he could have hipped a ride in the back of one of those trucks that bring goods to Lagos from the inter land daily instead of risking his life flying into Nigeria’s commercial capital in the belly of an aircraft. He probably thought that flight was headed for Europe or America where ‘they pick the Dollar or Euro on the street’ and the ‘roads are paved with gold.’ That seem to be the thinking of most of these young Nigerians, faced with a bleak future at home, who seek greener pastures outside Nigeria, even in place like Libya (albeit Ghadafi’s Libya) of all places.

Some of them have lost their lives while

attempting to cross the Libyan desert enroute Europe via Italy. Some are marooned somewhere in North Africa unable to cross to Europe and left with no money return home. Some, having sold all their belongings and investments or caused their families to sell all they have to fund their illfated and illegal trip are too ashamed to return home empty handed and have turned to either destitute or prostitutes (if they are females) to earn a living where ever they are holed up. Yet the stories of these unfortunate Nigerians have not deterred some of our youths from running away from the hopelessness at home.

But is the situation so bad? The answer could be yes and no as one could argue convincingly on both sides. But suffice to say that Nigeria needs a sort of Marshall Plan for her youths in order to secure our future, a better future as a people and a nation. It wasn’t like this in the past, we are told, as the future was rosy for our youths then. They had everything laid out for them; good education; well paid jobs (they were spoilt with choices); and the right atmosphere to build a good family with African values. Can we say this about Nigeria of today? No. Why? It is easy to blame our stars for this but the blame really is in us. We have had bad leaders over the years, who have squandered all the goodwill and riches of the land to now impoverish us. When our elders remind us that it wasn’t like this before, they are quick to point at when Nigeria had to rely on revenue from agriculture to fund our development. They talk of the eras of cocoa in the west, groundnut in the north and palm oil in the east. They

Bayelsa’s gifts to Nigeria

By Daniel Iworiso-Markson in building the capital cities of Lagos and Abuja. It is, however, sad to note that the developments were done at the expense of the land from whose womb the wealth came. The oil wells in Oloibiri have since dried up. The land and its inhabitants lie desolate. The community is a shadow of itself, stripped of all its virtues and today it has become a clear metaphor. What a shame!

In shame we have forged on as a people, carrying with us the deep scars of injustice, neglect and deprivation even as we take solace in the divine intervention that miraculously brought about the emergence of a President from among us.

We also take solace in the contributions of our heroes to the Nigerian state, sons of the soil, whose giant strides have brought great honour and pride to our nation at different times and space. Today, we pay glowing tributes to men like Prof. Lawrence B. Ekpebu, from Okoloba, a once picturesque village in Bayelsa, now ravaged by the harsh consequence of exploitation of oil in the Niger Delta. From a destitute background where there was hardly opportunity to attend primary school, he went on to become the first African to bag a Harvard degree, graduating with Honours in Government with specialization in International Law and Relations.

He won one of Harvard’s most coveted prizes for graduating seniors, the Francis H. Burr (1909) Prize Scholarship and broke an all- time record as the only black person to ever achieve this feat in the history of Harvard till date. Indeed, his achievement prompted the institution to grant scholarships to not just Nigerians but Africans and the Caribbeans.

As a result, the scheme produced additional 200 professors from Nigeria alone and several others across the African continent among whom are Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi, Kalu Idika Kalu and His Excellency, President Quattara of Cote Ivoire. Prof. Ekpebu went on to bag Masters from Princeton University and later PhD from Harvard.

There is also Ernest Sissei Ikoli of blessed

memory (1893–1960), a nationalist and pioneering journalist, a native of Sangana, Akassa, in Brass Local Government Area of present day Bayelsa State. Ernest Ikoli was very prominent in pre-Independence Nigerian politics and remains the first man from present day Bayelsa State to have made as much significant foray into national politics.

As a journalist, he was the first editor of the famous Daily Times in Lagos in its formative era in 1926 and as a politician, he was the President of the Nigerian Youth Movement.

In 1942, Ikoli even represented Lagos in the Legislative Council. Another significant first by all standards in the history of Nigerian politics!

Many will remember Melford Obiene Okilo, (November 30, 1933 – July 5, 2008), a proud Ijaw politician of Ogbia extraction from Emakalakala in Bayelsa State. He had a long and distinguished career as a politician from pre-Independence Nigeria, but his career as a politician gained tremendous prominence in post- independence times until his untimely demise in 2008. He was a Member of Parliament from 1956 to 1964 and minister in the First Republic. He was Governor of old Rivers State between 1979 and 1983 during the Second Republic and Senator representing Bayelsa East between 1999 and 2003.

Only recently, the nation had cause to mourn the painful demise of General Andrew OwoyeAzazi, who died in an ill-fated helicopter crash last year. He had a distinguished military career and was arguably one of the finest in the history of the Nigerian Military, who rose to the pinnacle of the force. A Chief of Army Staff and later Chief of Defence Staff, Azazi, a native of Peretorugbene in Ekeremor LGA, Bayelsa State, was appointed National Security Adviser by President Goodluck Jonathan on October 4, 2010 and died on December 15, 2012.

We also remember with fondness the great Major Isaac Jasper Adaka Boro (September 10, 1938 – May 9, 1968), better known as “Boro”, was a celebrated Niger Delta nationalist and Nigerian Civil War hero. He was one of the pioneers of minority rights activ-

are right as then we were cutting our coats according to our cloth and things were running smoothly.

But all of a sudden, oil money came and we became super rich without necessarily working hard for it. As stupid as they were, our leaders encouraged us to abandon agriculture for the petrol-dollar. It is a long story between then and now, but regrettably today, that oil money is at the root of all our problems and troubles You can give your own interpretation to it, but the truth is that greater troubles lie ahead in the next few decades when this oil will either no longer be in greater demand or would have dried up and we would be left with nothing if we don’t plan now for Nigeria beyond oil.

Nigeria beyond oil: The role of the Editor was the theme of the recently concluded All Nigerian Editors Conference in Asaba, Delta state. From the presentations made by the invited guests who included some state governors and ministers, it does appear that our leaders are ready to wean Nigeria’s economy from over dependence on oil revenue and seriously planning a resuscitation of agriculture which has the capacity to create millions of self sustaining jobs for our teeming army of unemployed, especially our youths.

If this can be seen through successfully in the next few years and a solid foundation laid for a multi product economy, may be the future would not look all that bleak for the likes of the Barber boy and Daniel Ihekina.

‘It wasn’t like this in the past, we are told, as the future was rosy for our youths then. They had everything laid out for them; good education; well paid jobs (they were spoilt with choices); and the right atmosphere to build a good family with African values. Can we say this about Nigeria of today? No. Why?’ ism in Nigeria and perhaps the very first to take up arms against the Nigerian State to agitate for the rights of the oil producing minorities of South- south. His legacies remain true to us even to this day.

What’s the idea behind the reeling out of the profiles of these proud Ijaw sons of Bayelsa extraction? It is to draw attention to the fact that we have as a people over the years, in spite of the negative classification and distorted perceptive lenses, have done more perhaps more than most people will readily want to admit, to project the ideals of a united and egalitarian Nigeria. Undeniably, Bayelsa State is a blessing to the nation.

It is in keeping with these ideals and to further push the frontiers of our collective interest as a nation, irrespective of the fault lines upon which our so- called unity in diversity was etched, that another great Bayelsan, the Governor of Bayelsa State, Henry Seriake Dickson chose to serve as chairman of the PDP National Reconciliation Committee.

Those who criticized his appointment did not take long to realise that the man they presumed was inexperienced and “infantile” to chair the reconciliation committee was the brain behind the negotiation that ensured the suit stopping the party’s convention slated for August 31 was withdrawn. It also didn’t take long to prove to the skeptics and cynics that Governor Dickson’s persuasive and consensus building skills, not just as politician, but as a brilliant lawyer with years of outstanding records of achievements at the bar ensured that peace was restored to the feuding parties in PDP Ekiti and Anambra states.

At a time like this when our nation’s unity is under severe threat, we must be able to draw a clear line between rendering service and playing politics. We should all take pride to work for the unity and development of our country and by so doing stand together to resist those exploiting our diversity to harp on those things that easily pull us apart. We must emulate the personalities whose remarkable profiles, who at different times rose beyond pettiness as gallant patriots and gave their all to render service to the nation by embracing and envisioning an all-inclusive approach to achieve national cohesion and unity.

• Iworiso-Markson sent this piece from Yenagoa.

INSIDE

TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2013

Website: http://www.thenationonlineng.com

Page 25

FCT assures residents of jobs - Page 26

Kuje community asks for amenities

‘Abuja residents won’t pay more hospital bills’

- Page 27

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Is Shekau really dead?

- Page 28

T is a relief, thanks to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Senator Bala Mohammed.

He took a good look at the a proposal for an upward review of charges on the existing services in hospitals in the capital city and said “no”. The people should not pay more, he ruled.

Giving reason for turning down the proposal, he said that the idea was not in tandem with the transformation agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.

This was one of the decisions reached during the FCT Executive Meeting at the Banquet Hall, FCT Minister’s Official Residence Gwarinpa I District Abuja.

The minister, however, stated that new minimal charges would only be allowed in the case of new services introduced in the hospitals such as CT scan.

He further explained that in order to enhance the world-class healthcare services being rendered to the residents of the FCT, the FCT Executive Council has approved minimal charges on the new services in the hospitals.

According to him, some of the new services include intensive care unit (ICU) N15, 000 per day;

From Gbenga Omokhunu

hemodialysis with vascular accessN14, 000 per session and hemodialysis without vascular access-N19, 000 per session.

He said: “Other new laboratory services including Hbe surface antigen test and H-Pylori test, will go for N2, 600 an N2, 000 respectively.”

The minister revealed that for the new radiology services like trans vaginal scan (TVS)-N2,500; CT intravenous urography (IVU)N60,000; CT angiography- N70,000; trans rectal scan- N2,000; CT scan (Abdomen) - N40,000; CT scan (brain) N30,000; echocardiographyN10,000.

Senator Mohammed insisted that the FCT Administration, as a government, has a responsibility to the people dwelling in the Federal Capital Territory and would continue to do that for their utmost benefit.

The Executive Council warned that “all other charges for services currently being provided in hospitals in the FCT must not be increased in whatever way either directly or indirectly, as this administration is, more than ever, prepared to serve the people.”

On the proposed review of the scope of the free antenatal care services in the FCT hospitals, the Council directed that the status quo ante

All other charges for services currently being provided in hospitals in the FCT must not be increased in whatever way either directly or indirectly, as this administration is, more than ever, prepared to serve the people

should remain.

It further directed that if there were shortcomings in funding the laudable programme, efforts would be made to augment any shortfall through SURE-P and other sources for the needed funds.

The minister expressed the FCT’s commitment to continue in the provision of free antenatal services as initially conceived, even as he said that it would expand the package to all the nook and cranny of the Federal Capital Territory.

He emphasised that the peopleoriented programme has been conceived to enhance healthcare delivery in the Federal Capital Territory; especially to the indigent people.

Meanwhile, the Executive Council has set up two different committees headed by the FCT Chief of Staff and the General Counsel/ Secretary of Legal Services Secretariat, Alhaji Mohammed Yau Gital and Mr. Ima Okpongete respectively.

The two committees are expected to look into the memos on the autonomy for the Abuja Central Medical Stores as well as the establishment/collection of entertainment and event centre fees in the FCT.

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20-man volunteer team from the United States is currently in Abuja for a two- week free medical service for Abuja residents.

Dr Ijeoma Nduka Nwosu, CEO, E Jays Charity, a nonprofit organisation based in New York who led the team to Kubwa General Hospital as the first port of call, said the multidisciplinary group had visited other Nigerian states during its nine-year sojourn in the country.

She said they will conduct general surgery, appendectomy and treat fibroids among others, for people who cannot afford to pay for their services.

Alice Massa, an occupational therapist on the team, said she will coordinate rehabilitation services for children with birth defects and difficulty in eating, standing or dressing themselves.

She added that the team will also handle neurological cases and older patients with diseases that come with age and generally rehabilitate them so that they can function normally where they live.

She also said that local health staff will be engaged in the services offered so as to share experience and impart knowledge.

The FCT Secretary of Health, Demola Onakomaiya who received the team said surgical, medical and therapeutic cases will be handled by the visiting team.

Chief Medical Officer, Kubwa General Hospital, Dr. Ahmed Danfulani, said it is a good thing that the team is visiting to deal with chronic illnesses.

He called on residents to take advantage of the opportunity, adding that he’ll make the visi-

Task force shuts 14 fake medicine stores

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HE Federal Capital Territory, FCT taskforce on counterfeit and fake drugs has sealed off 14 illegal medicine stores in Karu and Jikwoyi area of the FCT.

• From left: Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission, Prof. Julius Okojie; Minister of Education, Prof. Ruqayyatu Rufa'i and representative of the Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Education, Hon Jerry Alagboso, at the launch and dissemination of the labour market observation report.

US volunteer team gives free medicare From Gbenga Omokhunu

tors’ stay a successful one.

Also, an emergency pediatric unit (EPU) and doctors’ quarters have been inaugurated at the Kubwa General Hospital.

Secretary, Human and Health Services Secretariat, Dr. Ademola Onakomaiya, who performed the commissioning, the third in a series, said it has

From Bukola Amusan

The FCT Director of Pharmaceutical Services, Murna Kazzah who led the raid team said most of the pharmacies affected were operating illegally.

She added that some of them were operating with expired license while some were selling drugs to the public without the relevant doctor’s prescription.

Mrs Kazzah said the committee will not rest until such stores are sent out of the FCT.

been a two-year success story despite the challenges of lack of capacity and funds.

He said the paediatric unit at Kubwa hospital will ensure speedy delivery of health services to children and added that

The team will conduct general surgery, appendectomy and treat fibroids among others, for people who cannot afford to pay for their services She said a seven-member task force led by her has been constituted to monitor and stop the distribution of fake drugs in the Abuja communities.

Secretary to the Task Force Pharm Halima S.K. RamonYususf said fake drugs include drugs with no active ingredients such as “chalk tablets standing in for paracetamol or Semovita and starch in capsule, drugs with insufficient active ingredients such as 20 percent instead of 95-

105 percent, drugs without full name and address of manufacturers, drugs with ingredients different from what is stated on the label, expired drugs re-labeled with the intention of extending their shelf life, drugs not registered by NAFDAC and clone drugs.”

She added that the effect of fake drugs were worse than the combined scourge of malaria, HIV/ AIDS and armed robbery put together because fake drugs kill enmasse, pointing out that they damage vital organs like liver and

there is an intensive care unit, a dialysis centre, CT scan and mammography machines in various FCT hospitals.

The secretary said the officers’ quarters will accommodate interns to be recommended for training by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria.

He said FCTA provides quality healthcare service to all and sundry in the nation’s capital and will sustain such.

kidneys.

She said in 1991 for example, reported cases from the UCH Ibadan and JUTH Jos shows that fake Paracetamol syrup killed 109 children in one day and advised consumers to protect themselves and their families from the harmful effects of using fake drugs.

She urged those with expired licenses to come forward and revalidate their licenses after which their pharmacies will be re-opened.

The effect of fake drugs were worse than the combined scourge of malaria, HIV/ AIDS and armed robbery put together because fake drugs kill en-masse, pointing out that they damage vital organs like liver and kidneys

Free hypertension screening for residents

T • From left: President, Public Interest Lawyers eague, Mr Abdul Mahmud; Executive Director, Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, Mr Auwal Musa and Chairman, Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Dr Sam Amadi, during NERC meeting with civil societies.

HE Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has embarked on free hypertension screening for the staff and residents of Kuje Area Council.

The Medical Personnel with the Public Health Department of the FCT Administration, Dr. Adeyemi Olubunmi, told newsmen that the hypertension screening exercise was being conducted in Kuje in order to commemorate the World

From Gbenga Omokhunu

Health Day which took place on April 7, 2013.

She called on the residents to always go for hypertension check-up in order to know their status, as, according to her, hypertension is a silent killer.

She advised that “Nigerians should eat healthy food with plenty fruit, roughage and vegetable. They should also avoid excessive use of salt.”

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INISTER of State for the Federal Capital Territory, Oloye Olajumoke Akinjide, has assured residents of the territory that the FCT Administration was committed to wealth creation and employment generation.

She stated this at the inauguration of the pottery crank wheel at the pottery centre in Giri community of Gwagwalada Area Council.

Akinjide, who was represented by her Special Assistant on Area Councils, Alhaji Ibraheem Aminu Ibraheem, said the support of the FCT Administration for employment generation, poverty alleviation, business growth and wealth creation was consistent with the aspiration of the Federal Government to create employment for the growing youth population.

“The FCT Administration is dedicated to ensuring the provision of

FCT assures residents of jobs From Gbenga Omokhunu and Bukola Amusan

an enabling environment for business growth in the territory for the benefit of the people; especially the residents of communities.

“It is expected that the introduction and popularisation of the pottery crank wheel would facilitate the resuscitation of cottage pottery production, attract new entrants, create jobs and eradicate poverty among the residents of the territory,” she said.

The minister noted that the crank wheel was a mechanical device that would replace the drudgery and laborious process of traditional molding and forming techniques.

“The pottery wheel enables the

pottery to quickly form, in minutes, shapes which would otherwise have taken days to produce.

“The provision of this modern equipment to the Giri pottery producers is imperative in order to

create the enabling physical environment to encourage members of the co-operative group to operate under conditions that will generate ultimate productivity,” she noted.

It is expected that the introduction and popularisation of the pottery crank wheel would facilitate the resuscitation of cottage pottery production, attract new entrants, create jobs and eradicate poverty among the residents of the territory

•Olajumoke Akinjide

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HE Development Control Department of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) has begun the demolition of structures on rail line in Kubwa and Bwari area of the FCT. The demolition exercise which lasted for about five hours last week affected the structures built along the proposed light rail lines.

Affected residents said although they had earlier been notified, the demolition was sudden as it took them unawares.

They also accused the government of what they described as ‘selective’ demolition, saying some houses along the rail lines were spared during the exercise.

A woman, whose house was affected by the demolition close to the Court of Appeal Quarters, in Byazhin area of Kubwa, bemoaned the inhuman approach of the officials, saying that she lost property worth millions of naira to the exercise.

“We pleaded with them to give us at least 10 minutes to remove our belongings but they refused. If they had agreed we wouldn’t have lost all these properties,” lamented the woman, who craved anonymity.

Another resident, an owner of a three- bedroom flat, who gave his name as Mustapha, said he was not around when the bulldozers stormed the area.

“I was away when they came, and when I arrived, my building was already down with none of my properties recovered,” he lamented.

He said although some of them were compensated, but the amount is so meagre that it cannot afford a

•Demolished

Bulldozers pull down structures on rail line From Bukola Amusan

land, not to talk of the structure.

When our reporter visited the area, the affected persons were busy retrieving the remaining items, with the assistance of some brick-

layers and friends.

Scavengers also took advantage of the opportunity to loot people’s property.

The director, FCT Development

Control Department, Yahaya Yusuf, said those affected were duly compensated and given enough notice to move out their things, adding that the time given to them had since elapsed before the date of the demolition.

On the allegation of selective demolition of houses, the director said those houses that were spared are yet to be compensated and would also be pulled down after due compensation.

Govt assures on Abuja-Kaduna railway

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• From left: Director, Finance and Accounts, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Mr Jones Afolabi; President, Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Mr Mustapha Shehu; Acting Managing Director of NAN, Otunba Jide Adebayo and Director, ICT, Mr Jehosaphat Ugwu, during the visit of the NSE President to NAN headquarters NAN-PHOTO

HE Federal Government has said the August 2014 target date for the completion of the Idu-Kaduna railway would be met.

According to the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P), the major obstacles of compensation, rights of way, security and flooding confronting the modernisation of the standard gauge rail project have been adequately addressed.

The programme said its interventions in railway sector that have cost N32b so far are meant to bolster economic activities between the hinterland and urban centers across the country.

Chairman, Railway sub-Committee, Chike Okogwu, while speaking with reporters in Abuja noted that the the entire team, comprising the officials of Federal Ministry of Transport, SURE-P and the contractors have been proactive about the project.

He said: “The 2014 completion date is very feasible because we are deploying its modern tech only to execute the project as seen during

From Dele Anofi

flag-off. With that, the contractor is delivery two-kilometers of rail lines daily.

“The only major challenge we have is the stretch between kilometre 16 and 20 because it has to do with residential areas along Kubwa. If I may say, it is not even the entire four kilometers but just about 300 to 400 meters stretch.

“We have to sort that out as well as the issue of right of way and we have gone far with that, even the contractor is working beyond that to forestall undue delay by working from Jere end towards Kubwa so that by the time they get to Kubwa, the compensation issue might have been resolved”.

Mokelu, who reiterated government’s confidence in the contractor handling the project, cited instances where about 10 workers including expatriates of the company were kidnapped and killed, “It took a while to convince the contractor to go back to site but we have resolved that now,” he said .

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ABUJA REVIEW

Kuje community asks for amenities ESIDENTS of Chukuku community in Kuje Area Council of the FCT have called on the Federal Capital Territory Administration and chairman, Kuje Area Council Hon. Ishaku Shaban Tete, to expedite action on the provision of the needed amenities for the area.

Speaking on behalf of Mallam Jibril Sarki, the district head of Chibiri, Mr. Isiaku Sarki and Mr. Usman Biko (youth leader) said Chukuku community lacks some of the amenities.

According to them, the rapid increase in population of the community necessitates the demand.

They further appealed to the area council to provide the amenities such as transformers to boost electricity supply, pipe borne water, good roads, more boreholes, electricity poles, fencing of the clinic, a police post and fencing of the primary school which they said are in lack in the area. They also requested for a secondary school to reduce the burden of their children trecking to long distance before getting to their various schools.

“One of the community’s burning issues is that, some people do come with allocation papers; claiming ownership of the lands some of which they believe are fake. Some time when we

R

•Kuje From Gbenga Omokhunu

resisted, they go and never come back again. We have written several letters to the council through our lawyer in respect to this matter but all our efforts were futile. We are appealing to the council to demarcate government layout and community lands to avoid further harassment from such individuals.

“Two or three years back, the FCT Minister of State, Oloye Olajumoke Akinjide was on a

familiarisation visit to Chukuku community. During her visit, she promised to connect Chukuku with Usman Dam after inspecting our ‘River Usuma,’ so that our community could be supplied with pipe borne water. Surprisingly, nothing has been done about it. We want to know why frying of akara (beans cake) the popular snacks made with beans is prohibited in their village?”

But the district head of Chibiri Mr. Isiaku Sarki and Mr. Usman Biko who were

mandated to speak on behalf of the village head declined comment on the matter.

However, the Chief’s secretary Mr. Mohammed Etsugbaza hinted that “the ban on akara, (kuese) began from the beginning of their forefathers Etsu Bayedaza, Etsu Faji and Etsu Demo who were brothers.

“They believed that frying of akara will give opportunity to witchcraft to torment people in the night and they later died in the process. So our parents too continued with that belief up

NEMA, FRSC partner on disaster management

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HE Federal Capital Territory Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is set to partner with the FCT Sector Command of the Federal Road Safety Corps to tackle disaster in the country’s capital city.

The FEMA Director-General, Mallam Abbas Idris revealed this in Abuja when he visited the FCT Sector Command of the FRSC. The areas of collaboration, according to the Director-General,

From Bukola Amusan

will include information sharing, evacuation of victims in disaster situation and training of its personnel.

He said plans had been concluded with the United Nations International Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF) to organise training for its staff in Kaduna later in the year, with a view to acquainting them with the newly

established agency to carry out the task ahead.

The FCT Sector Commander, Mr. Joshua Fanola, praised the FCT Administration for setting up emergency outfit to tackle disaster situations.

Fanola explained that, in view of recent happenings across the country, the issue of disaster management should not be left in the hands of one agency, stressing that synergy among relevant

agencies should be encouraged.

He said: “ Human and natural changes in recent times have made it imperative for government to set up more emergency outfits.

“It is very clear that one single agency cannot tackle the issue of disaster management in this country.”

He commended the FCT Administration for coming up with this noble emergency outfit.

till now.”

According to him, Bayedaza, Faji and Demo, who were brothers and Demo their most senior, moved down from the old Chukuku to new Chukuku because of fettered land. Their main occupation was farming; they eat from their farm crops and sell some.

When asked to elaborate further on the akara issue, Mr. Etsugbaza said he was too young to speak more on the matter on behalf of his elders.

He harped on preventive measures, noting that prevention rather than control should be the hallmark of disaster management.

The Sector Commander equally urged the FCT emergency agency to embark on aggressive enlightenment campaign and monitoring of disaster-prone areas in the territory, saying “it is only by enlightenment that the people will know the right thing to do.”

While canvassing for three digits toll-free line for the agency, he pledged the support of his command to FCT Emergency Management Agency to tackle any emergency situation in the territory.

Plans have been concluded with the United Nations International Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF) to organise training for its staff in Kaduna later in the year with a view to acquainting them with the newly established agency to carry out the task ahead •FRSC personnel at a crash scene

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TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2013

‘

One weakness of the fight against unlawful killing and police brutality is that victims’ families are usually poor and lack the finance to follow through cases given the several artificial impediments put along their way by the Police itself. People of means rarely fall victims of extrajudicial killing and police brutality. These people pay the police if they are stopped or arrested. They can also afford to hire a lawyer.

’

E-mail:- law@thenationonlineng.net

See page 34

INSIDE: Group seeks Ozekhome’s release

-Page 31

‘Executive, legislature quarrel over budget is uncalled for’

•Students protesting force an early resolution of the crisis.

-Page 32

Lawyers condemn Rivers Acting Chief Judge’s appointment

Four years ago, the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) signed an agreement covering virtually all facets of university education. Till today, the agreement has not been implemented the pact. ASUU is on strike to get the government, which has offered N100billion for infrastructure development and N30billion for payment of allowances, to implement the pact. The offer, ASUU says, is mere “tokenism,” . The strike continues. PRECIOUS IGBONWELUNDU reports

Resolving Fed Govt-ASUU feud OR years, the government and university teachers met. The thrust of the meeting was to find a solution to the problem of university education. The teachers complained that universities are underfunded; that they are no longer known for researches and that the academic staff are not well paid.

In 2009, the government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities

F

-Page 33

(ASUU) reached an agreement.

But since then, the government has refused to implement the agreement, leading to strikes almost yearly. The union is on another strike, which enters its 57th day today. The strike may yet linger because of the government’s stand. On August 13, the Coordinating Minister of the Economy and Minister of

Finance, Dr. Ngozi OkonjoIweala said government could not pay the N87billion extra allowance being demanded by ASUU. Her reason: “The government has no resources to meet the demand.”

Last week, the government reversed itself and offered the teachers N30 billion. ASUU swiftly rejected the offer and

•Continued on page 30

Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) President Okey Wali (SAN) has so far spent one year in office. He was elected for a tenure of two years. This week, NBA is holding its Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Calabar, Cross River State. In this interview with Legal Editor JOHN AUSTIN UNACHKWU, Wali speaks about the meeting and related issues

‘Extrajudicial killing and police brutality: The way out?’

Our anti-quack plan, by NBA chief

W

HAT is your advice for lawyers attending this conference?

I welcome lawyers to Calabar. I urge them to enjoy the town. The conference has been carefully planned for. It started with the opening on yesterday, the plenary, the showcase today, then the break out sessions and all that. So, I advise them that while enjoying all the benefits that Calabar offers, they should find time to attend the ssessions.

-Page 34

‘Legality of death penalty’

-Page 36

withdreaw from further talks with the government which it accused of “insincerity”. Does it mean that there is no way out of the government -ASUU debacle?

Why did it take government four years to realise that ASUU’s demand on allowances cannot be implemented? What next after

•Wali

What is the conference offering?

I urge everybody to attend the various sessions holding in different locations in Calabar. As soon as they get their conference bags, they should look at their brochure and find out the sessions that will hold. The topics that will hold and pick their areas of interest and attend them so that all the time and money and time that was put into the organisation and planning of the conference will not be a waste.

What informed your choice of topic for the conference?

Well, we chose the topic, Law, leadership and challenges of nationhood in the 21st century Nigeria. It is all about the country; every society has its history, experiences. It is also built on a set of laws, leadership is also built on the laws governing a given society. It is really how our laws affected us, how have our leaders complied with our laws, how the leadership is applying those laws to help our country. It is an appraisal of how it has helped us and looking at the future where they should lead us to. So, that is why we choose that theme; it is very central. You know, our philosophy is to provide a platform for people to rub minds on all these issues and at the end of the day, the communiqué will be made available to the government and to all arms • Continued on page 30

THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2013

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LAW COVER CONT’D

Resolving Fed Govt-ASUU feud •Continued from page 29

the government’s offer of N100 billion for infrastructural development and N30 billion for earned allowances ASUU maintains that the being raised were same issues it has canvassed since the 80s and 90s but were never implemented by the government. It insists that unless there are improvements in funding, condition of service and academic freedom universities are doomed.

Terms of the 2009 pact After meeting for three years (2006-2009), the re-negotiation committee that had representatives of the government, ASUU and the Nigerian Universities Commission, NUC, on October 21, 2009, voluntarily signed a pact with the terms and conditions binding on the parties.

The agreement, which was entered into at the instance of the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, after he decried the state of the universities, was conceived in the context of making the varsities respond effectively to the challenges of a knowledgedriven economy.

To achieve this, parties agreed that there was need to critically look into the condition of service of academic staff; funding of universities; and university autonomy/academic freedom, as well as other matters. In all, nine issues were raised and agreed upon by the parties. Under the condition of service, a new salary structure for academics in the universities was approved; set of earned allowances (PG supervision, teaching practice/industrial supervision/field trip, honoraria for external/internal examiners, PG study grants, responsibility and excess workload allowances etc) for entitled academic staff per annum; and non-salary conditions of service (fringe benefits, vehicle/car refurbishing loan, housing loan, research and other leaves, injury pension and staff schools) were agreed on.

•Isa

•Jonathan

Others included pension for university academic staff and compulsory retirement age of 70 for professors; formation of the Nigerian Universities Pension Management Company (NUPEMCO) and modalities for the operation of the National Health Insurance Scheme in the universities; funding that will inject N1.5183 trillion between 2009 and 2011 into federal universities.

On the sources of funds, both budgetary and non-budgetary sources, were recommended. It was agreed that a minimum of 26 per cent of the annual budget of federal and state governments be allocated to education, which shall be progressively reviewed in line with Vision 20:2020, with at least 50 per cent of the 26 per cent channelled to the universities. It was also recommended that education be put on the ‘first charge’ by the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission, while the Federal Government should appropriate and provide assistance to both states that own universities and those who do not but need such assistance in the area of higher education in accordance with Section 164(1) of the 1999 Constitution, among others.

The parties further agreed on the restructuring of the governance and leadership structure in the universities; the need to

amend the NUC Act of 2004, the Education (National Minimum Standards and Establishment of Institution) Act, 2004, as well as the Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board, JAMB Act of 2004.

To ensure the implementation of the agreement, priority areas; reinstatement of the University of Ilorin 49 lecturers that were sacked; machinery for implementation monitoring; effective date; and periodic reviews were stated.

It was agreed that the agreement took effective from July 1, 2009 save for the retirement age of professors, which was set at January 1, same year.

While waiting on the government to keep its part of the bargain, the union between 2009 and 2011 had issued communiqué after each National Executive Committee meeting to draw attention to government’s failure to implement the essential components of the agreement other than salary and warned of an impending crisis.

To drive home their point, the body on September 26, 2011 embarked on a two-week warning strike, which forced the government to call the union for a meeting, where the MoU of January 24, last year was eventually signed and parties agreed that discus•Continued on page 31

She is not my wife, man tells court

A

FTER 15 years of cohabit ing, Mr Afolabi Adeloye has told a Lagos Customary Court B, Ipaja, that he was “mere friend” with his wife, Bukola Adeloye.

Mrs. Adeloye, 41, approached the court for dissolution of their union because of assault and maltreatment by her husband.

She prayed the court to grant her access to her belongings and to m order Adeloye to return her N879, 000 in his care.

“He beats, threatens and refuses to take care of me. Whenever he is drunk, he accuses me of going to hotels to sleep with men,” she alleged.

The woman told the court that they met in 1998 and started liv-

By Samuel Akintan

ing together same year, but no dowry was paid on her.

Afolabi said his “wife’s” claims were untrue, he accepted there was no marriage because no dowry.

He further told the court that he was no longer interested in her because she abandoned him when he was sick.

“I only slapped her once and that was a day she returned home late despite my forewarnings.

“She did not take care of me while I was sick and I have returned all the money borrowed. I agree to the dissolution of the union as there is no more love between us,” he said.

The court adjourned the case till September 2 for judgment.

Court restrains Lagos over planned demolition

J

USTICE Josephine Oyefeso of an Ikeja High Court has restrained the Lagos State government and the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LSBCA) from demolishing some buildings at Ologunfe/ Boundary in Shasha, Akowonjo area of Lagos.

Justice Oyefeso was ruling in a suit filed by the Shasha/ Akowonjo Landlords and Residents Association against the the state government and others.

The judge ordered parties in the matter to maintain status quo pending the determination of the substantive suit.

The association challenged the decision of the state government over what they described as an attempt to forcefully demolish their houses and other structures and takeover their land and convert it to a market.

Joined as co-defendants in the suit are the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice and the LSBCA. The association, represented by Chief Sule Owolabi, Mr Arogundade Dare, Mr Stephen Atie and Mr Toba Oduwaiye, had prayed the court to declare that the land which is the subject matter of the suit is the bonafide property of the claimants and free from any government acquisition.

The claimants had asked the court for a perpetual injunction restraining the defendants whether

By Adebisi Onanuga

by themselves, agents, servants or privies from demolishing the buildings, structures and from disturbing the claimants possession of the said land.

At the hearing of the matter, the claimants, through their counsel, Chief Adekunle Funmilayo said officials of the agency had been coming to the area to terrorise the landlords, threatening to demolish if they refused to leave.

They claimed that the agency issued the threats despite that there was a case pending in court.

But counsel to the state government, J. Kasali, a Senior State Counsel, informed the court that there was a communication break-down between the landlords and the state.

He said the Building Control Agency will not embark on any action that will contravene the laws of the state.

Justice Oyefeso in her short ruling, ordered both parties to maintain status quo pending the determination of the suit in court.

The case was thereafter adjourned to September 25, this year for continuation of hearing. In their statement of claims, the Landlords had stated that the land which is situated at Boundary Road/Ologunfe Bus Stop, Shasha, Akowonjo, consisting of about 30 buildings, originally belonged to Akinlawon Olaife Royal family who settled there from time immemorial.

Our anti-quack plan, by NBA chief •Continued from page 29

of government and the public so that it will aid us into a better future.

What are the highlights of the conference?

There are many interesting aspects of the conference; one of the highpoints will be the opening ceremony; we also expect the showcase to be very interesting. But there is something that we have introduced this year that has not been there before.

What is that?

This is the idea of having a plenary this morning and we have chosen a very topical issue on regulating the profession for that morning, so we expect everybody to be there. There are other important issues that will come up that morning during the plenary; for instance, we expect the Stamp and Seal Committee that was just inaugurated to brief us on how far they have gone and the way forward. It is a very critical policy for moving forward in our profession. We have had problems with quacks and all of that so we think that that will be a welcome development. We want ev-

erybody to attend that plenary so that we hear from everybody before we move forward. The annual Bar Dinner is there and of the AGM on Thursday. Those are the highlights of the conference plus other programmes from the different fora that will come up in Calabar during the conference week.

During your campaigns, you enunciated a 10-point agenda to move the association forward.

Twelve months after, would you say you have actualised them or part of them?

Well, our 10-point agenda covered quite a spectrum of activities of the Bar, from the professionalisation of the secretariat to capacity building for branches, for lawyers, human rights programmes, criminal justice reforms, anti-corruption, legislative advocacy and all that. You can see that we have done quite a lot with these programmes and, of course, you know that the first thing we did was to reorganise the secretariat and get it more functional into four directorates of Bar services, finance and admin, programmes, conferences and events. So people know their boundaries; no one crosses to an-

other person’s area of operations.

If there is a programme going on, its programme officer, the conferences department will have to take care of logistics. The Bar Services is working so well; you can see that for the first time, we are going to have a stand by office to sell items of the association. They have ties; they have neck ties for the ladies and so on. And they also have better relationships with the branches, with the establishment of the Bar Services Directorate, so that is for the secretariat.

What of capacity building for members?

We have organised several seminars and conferences over the period by the Sections, including the Section on Business Law (SBL) Section on Legal Practice (SLP) Young Lawyers Forum, Criminal Justice Reform Committee, and the Anti-Corruption Commission.

And on branch capacity building, we have had to meet regularly with the branches and socialise with them. We hold meetings with the branch chairmen quarterly and what we do at that meeting is to hear from branch chairmen, rub minds with them advise them on the way the branches should go.

In fact, as we got to Calabar, we

had a workshop with them last Saturday before we got to the National Executive Committee (NEC) last Sunday.

Of course, you are aware that we are building the NBA House, a 10storey building to give us a greater space and capacity to run a professionalised NBA. There is also Legislative Advocacy. We have furnished and equipped the office space at the National Assembly to make us available within the precinct of the National Assembly. That office gets the bills that are coming up and informs the secretariat. We call up the officers or committee chairmen that are concerned and make our input and contributions.We don’t necessarily wait for committees of National Assembly to come to the office to call us; we have people working within the National Assembly to help make sure that the laws that are passed are in keeping with the times. So, a lot of these other activities we have also dealt with.

What of human rights?

The Human Rights Institute has been reinvigorated; thankfully, the Presiding Justice of the Court of Appeal, Lagos Division is chairing it and they are doing a

very good job. They are also here in Calabar. The Human Rights Committee that the First-Vice President chairs had a very successful zonal conference in Ibadan; the criminal Justice Committee had one in Minna, Niger State.

Generally, it has been a very busy year for us.

There is this rumour that the contractor handling the NBA building project is not registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) ?

Well, I don’t think that is correct.

Though we don’t have to react to all rumours, I know that this is not correct. I didn’t hire the contractor; he was hired by the committee headed by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN); an experienced SAN and the Alternate chairman of the committee is a former General Secretary of the association.

We have such people as the former Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice of Ekiti State and top Bar leaders in that committee and I know that they put up a very competitive process in picking people for the job. Even though I was not a member of the committee, I called them and asked them, they told me that they had all the registration documents of the committee. Because when you put your bid, that is part of what you must include and they are all there.

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LAW & SOCIETY Group seeks Ozekhome’s release

T

HE Lagos State chapter of Weppa Wanno of Edo State has called for the release of Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), kidnapped by gunmen last Friday.

In a statement, the group’s President, Chief Jacob Egietseme Idinye, described the incident as painful, adding that the development is also an indication that the country lacks adequate security.

It said: “We received with shock, the news of the kidnap of Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN) on the Benin–Auchi Road.

Though Chief Ozekhome is a Nigerian, like others who have been previously kidnapped in all parts of the country, this incident was least expected when the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, the body of lawyers are converging on Cross River for their conference.

“To us in Weppa Wanno, the lawyer is so important to us as well as other Nigerians who have benefited from his struggles to liberate us from yolks of oppression during the military era and now.’’

The group went on: “The incidence as callous as it is,

A

•Ozekhome

By Adebisi Onanuga

shows that this is one kidnap too many in our country and also this expressed the poor state of security in our country. It also highlights the reason why this ‘ugly trade’ be tackled by the government to save our country from this dangerous trend.

“We are appealing to the kidnappers to kindly consider that Chief Ozekhome has a family that rely on him, and by extension the country as a whole. I also appeal to them not to harm him in anyway so that he can re-unite with his family.”

Court urged to restrain AG, commissioner, others over stool

MEMBER of the Kimise branch of the Ikuporosi chieftaincy family of Ilasamaja, a Lagos suburb, Mudashiru Idowu Dauda has asked a Lagos High Court to restrain the Attorney-General, Lagos State and the Commissioner for Chieftaincy Affairs from installing one Fatai Salau Aberejo as the Baale of the Ilasamaja community.

Joined as defendants in the suit are the Joint Chieftaincy Committee, Oshodi/Isolo and Ejigbo Local Government and four others.

The claimant in suit No-ID/ 667/2013 is asking the court for a declaration that the activities of the defendants violated section 23 (1) (2) (and (d) of the Obas and Chiefs of Lagos State Law 2002.

He therefore urged the court to invoke Section 23(1) of the Obas and Chiefs and set aside all the processes leading to the making of the first defendant (Aberejo) as Baale of Ilasamaja community.

The claimant in his 80pragraph statement of claim filed by his lawyer, Matti Olalekan averred that he was nominated

By Joseph Jibueze

by the Ikuporosi chieftaincy family as candidate to fill the vacancy stool of Baaleship position in Ilasamaja community.

The claimant added that the stool of the Baaleship of Ilasamaja is exclusively for the four branches namely; Kimise, Ikujeniya, Olaosi and Akinsowon.

He alleged that the five former Baales of Ilasamaja have been within the Akinsowon branch alone while the 6th Baale did not relate to the original four branches of the chieftaincy family.

The claimant who traced his family lineage from one Dauda Gbadamosi claimed that the first defendant and his relations are monopolizing the chieftaincy stool, which rightfully belonged to the four ruling houses.

He further averred that in order to prevent other recognised family from benefiting from the Baaleship stool, the Fabiyi family allegedly shifted the stool to an independent family not related to the Ikuporosi family.

The claimant further alleged that one Chief Mojeed Jimoh Aje who was installed as Baale from 1982

to 2004 was not a member of the Ikuporosi chieftaincy family and did not relate to the original four branches of the chieftaincy family.

He further stated that there was no existing registered law that regulates the nomination, selection and appointment of Baaleship in the community except the state Chiefs Laws and the existing norms and customs.

The claimant added that having held several family meetings, the entire four ruling houses unanimously accepted his nomination before his family presented his name to the consenting authority, Osodi/ Isolo Local Government Joint Chieftaincy Committee.

The claimant stated that although his family presented him as candidate to the stool, the Chieftaincy Committee allegedly refused to accept his candidature.

Consequently, he urged the court to order a perpetual injunction restraining the consenting authority from recognising the first defendant as Baale pending the determination of the suit.

Resolving Fed Govt-ASUU feud •Continued from page 30

sions on the implementation of the agreement shall be concluded by November 2011, but the government again reneged.

Again, the government in the MoU agreed to meet funding requirement for revitalising universities; Federal Government’s assistance to state universities; progressive increase of annual budgetary allocation to education to 26 per cent between 2009 and 2020; earned academic allowances; transfer of landed properties to universities; budget monitoring committee, and setting up of research and development units by companies operating in Nigeria, among others.

What went wrong?

According to ASUU’s President, Dr. Nasir Isa, after the union had worked for an agreement that will transform the education sector, it realised that the government was insincere. ‘‘The government developed cold feet after signing the agreement. ASUU had to embark on warning strikes and an indefinite one to get the government to commence implementation of the agreement with only the salary component. ‘‘Virtually all other components that are indispensable for repositioning the universities so as to be internationally competitive were neglected. On the basis of the salary component alone, Nigeria cannot attain a globally competitiveness system; neither can the universities conduct research to produce knowledge for propelling the country to advanced science, technology, knowledge-based economy and improve quality of life for the citizenry,’’ he said.

Of the 10 items agreed by both parties in the MoU, the government in the past 16 months has only fulfilled the reinstatement of the Governing Councils of universities and the compulsory retirement age of 70 for professors Although ASUU waited till 2011 to embark on series of strikes after the agreement, Isa recalled that ‘‘it took 50 letters, a series of

warning strikes, a total and indefinite strike and over 200 meetings to get the government to renegotiate the 2001 agreement’’.

Isa said the union has lost confidence in the government, especially since it has taken the Federal Goverment since 2009 to implement the decisive provisions of the voluntary agreement, which was due for renegotiation in June last year. The confidence between ASUU and the government, he insisted, has reached a crisis point, adding that the union will not bulged unless the government fully implements the 2009 agreement.

However, the Federal Government through the Labour and Productivity Minister, Emeka wogu, had said it cannot meet ASUU’s demands and wants a renegotiation to amend contentious issues in the pact.

He had stated that the 2009 agreement was entered into by ‘another administration’, hence, making it difficult for the Goodluck Jonathan’s government to succumb to its terms.

Wogu had insisted that since the agreement predates the current administration, there was need for a renegotiation as the terms of the agreement were problematic even to the Yar’Adua’s administration. ”What we are doing now will be long standing if ASUU will give us the opportunity to continue with these negotiations that have been on-going. We made an offer to ASUU it was not acceptable to them. So the right thing for everybody to do is to come back to the negotiation table.”

Implications of the strike The continuous strike and the near nonchalance of the government have reignited the call for the amendment of chapter two of the constitution to make socioeconomic rights justiceable. Some observers believe that the incessant ASUU strikes have little or no effect on government officials and politicians, most of whom either have their wards in choice universities across the world or good private universities.

Also, these students who have been forced back home and are

mostly idle may be pushed by untold hardship to crimes, thereby becoming a threat to the peace and stability of their communities.

Although the ASUU/FGN 2009 agreement is binding on the parties and can be presented before an industry court or court of competent jurisdiction if a party feels cheated, the union has refused to explore that option.

ASUU according to the chairman, University of Lagos, UNILAG chapter, Dr. Karo Ogbinaka, had explored legal options when the union took the University of Ilorin sacked lecturers’ case up to the Supreme Court and got judgment. ‘‘After so many years, the matter got to the Supreme Court and the judgment favoured ASUU because the school was ordered to reinstate the lecturers. But till date, the Federal Government has not compelled the school to obey the court ruling. As a trade Union ASUU has her legitimate right to embark on strike action as provided in labour laws. Again, the Federal Government can challenge the agreement in Court if it feels it is contentious rather than ASUU. ‘‘The Union will wait till a time the Federal Government is ready for qualitative university education. Government also has an option to sack all lecturers as Gowon did in the past, or the FG can as well remove budgetary provisions for education,’’ he said.

Another lecturer from University of Lagos, who does not want to be named, said ASUU was mindful of government’s influence on the judiciary as well as the snail pace of court proceedings.

He said: ‘‘Yes, we have an option to go to court but are not utilising it because, firstly, if we are to go to court, it will be the industry court and the first thing the court will tell us is to resume work while the matter drags on. You never can tell the number of years it will take for the matter to be concluded. ‘‘We know parents are worried and want their children back to school. My children and those of most lecturers are also at home.

Parents should look beyond their children graduating in the short-

est possible time but consider the quality of education they receive. ‘‘Most of the facilities, including hostels we have in UNILAG were donated by private individuals or corporate bodies. What has the government done? Lecturers go to teach with their own material and equipment, those who do not have will just go to the

•Obayuwana

classroom and theorise. Is that what we call education?’’ he queried.

The way forward In as much as citizens cannot drag the government to court for the enforcement of their rights to qualitative education, they have constitutional backing to engage in nonviolent protest to demand such rights.

To former Attorney-General and Commissioner of Justice, Edo State, Dr. Osagie Obayuwana, the agreement though binding, was beyond a contract, the breech of which can simply force a party to court for enforcement or one that is subject to the scriptures of the Trade Dispute Act. ‘‘Nigeria is our own, it is ours to transform. The questions are why not now and why not start with education which is all important? ‘‘The constitution recognises the right to protest in favour of good governance, non-violently, which is what ASUU is doing by withdrawing its services. More groups I believe should add their voices and support ASUU rather than appeal to the union to have a rethink because it will mean telling them to love Nigeria less. ‘‘If the agreement between ASUU and the government, which took so much effort to be drawn and signed was intended to be implemented, one would have expected that since 2009, various budgetary allocations would have been made

to address aspects of the agreement incrementally ‘‘To reduce the issues to allowances as some public officials have done is to cheapen the call for a fundamental change in attitude to matters most important to national redemption,’’ he said.

Obayuwana noted that important as the issue of earned allowances are, the more fundamental issues raised by the union relates to job satisfaction, as those who chose to work as lecturers did so in order to contribute to the much needed manpower development for the country. ‘‘Other aspects of the agreement relates to environment like research facilities, lecture halls and conditions under which students, who are the immediate beneficiaries of services rendered by the lecturers live and learn. Having to do with hungry students, who live in overcrowded hostels, who cannot for lack of water, take their bath before coming to receive lectures in poorly lit, overcrowded and dilapidated halls while standing. ‘‘The ASUU strike is thus, a crying out in anguish by committed patriots because the situation in the education sector certainly does not need to be like this. It does not require rocket science or any form of wizardry to address the issues raised. All that is needed is the will and commitment on the part of government,’’ Obayuwana added.

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LAW PERSONALITY The Founder/Senior Pastor of Grace Assemblyin Lagos Pastor Olufemi Paul studied law at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) in Osun State. Ile Ife . He practised law at Bently Edu and Co. Law Firm.

He also worked as Principal Partner with Orotope-Paul and Co, among others. In an interview with Judicial Correspondents, he spoke on some national issues. ADEBISI ONANUGA was there.

‘Executive, legislature quarrel over budget is uncalled for’ T

HE executive and legislative arms of government have always been at daggers drawn over the budget. What is your advice for the government to avoid a reoccurrence?

I am using the family as an example of the nation. For many of us, we know that when issues that are important are on the table, we expect our parents and to go into their room and discuss the matter particularly when it affects the welfare of the family and the children. Very serious matters are not what you start throwing all over the place, like the children going back to school, like provision of food in the kitchen, these are not something that you discuss in the open. Rather, these are issues that require you to go into your room, discuss and then you come out with a proposal. So, I think the presidency and the Senate arguing about budgetary things, more or less in the public is worrisome.

There has to be a certain level of dialogue that is not exactly necessarily in the open, because there are fundamental needs to be met.

Without the budget, the country doesn’t run.

So, what is the way out?

I think because of the welfare of the whole nation, all that the businessmen will tell you is that business is not good because government is the biggest spender, yet there is no money around. So, for that reason there is mass suffering and the economy is not moving. There has to be a take-a-

little, give-a-little to get the nation moving. And generally when there is an issue of disagreement, if both parties are willing to trade off a little bit of their positions, you find out it is more easier to find a middle line that will actually take care of the bigger picture, which is the well-being of the people in the nation. That is what I really recommend between the leadership of the executive and the legislative arms of government. Dialogue are not necessarily to be done in the open but you look at the greater cause of moving the nation forward and the people, not being static and let that drive the agreement that is necessary to move the nation forward.

There was outrage when the president urged the governors to sign the death penalty in order to decongest the prisons. Where does the church stand on this?

You have to realise that I am a man of God and the law of God is superior to the law of man. Every human law that we have evolves from the word of God. And that is very true, every human law derives from the living oracles of the word of God, whether the law of Moses, ten commandments etc.

The question now is, when did we get capital punishment? But the law of God sanctifies human life.

Nobody is really allowed to take human life, except in times of war and that is really a different thing entirely. I will say that from the word of God, you cannot justify capital punishment. A life you

cannot create, you cannot destroy.

The value of a human life is immeasurable. I can tell you for sure that life imprisonment is okay but I struggle honestly with capital punishment. If the governors don’t want to sign, I am sure you know the reason why they don’t want to do that. They struggle with taking the responsibility to have somebody executed and I am sure a lot of us here if you are governor, and you can avoid signing the warrant, you will avoid it.

It doesn’t mean somebody who kills somebody else, that that person should be killed. The question again is, who wants to kill that person? If they give you a gun and say kill this man because he has killed somebody, you will struggle to do that except maybe when your passion is very high. When you think about it and also I think also for the reason that there could be miscarriage of justice, there is no way to change the fact, if you kill somebody for an offence and evidence now show later on and you now find the real killer, yet somebody had been killed for an offence he knows nothing about. That doesn’t leave room for any correction. I think the church will struggle with capital punishment.

The church, in spite of its proliferation, has been accused of misplaced priority by preaching prosperity instead of morals, thereby encouraging corruption.

Do you agree?

It is an honest question though

one that will make all of us feel really uncomfortable. But it has been said that Nigeria is the nation with the most churches in the world and yet corruption continues to grow. We have a question we have to address. I can’t tell you I have all the answers but I •Paul agree that if churches are increasing, corruption should be reducing and the moral values should be increasing. I think that perhaps the church should preach and teach more about values not necessarily for prosperity because if you have prosperity and you have no values, it is not really worth it. I think the churches will need to go back to some fundamentals, by that I am not saying every church is not doing that. A lot of churches are doing that but I think that maybe we should do a lot more in that regards.

What is your take on same sex marriage and the decision of the Senate to ban it?

The Bible tells us that towards the end, men will be lovers of themselves, they will be heartless, reckless, they will be haters of good, and they will be disobedient to parents, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God. Again the Bible says it will be very bad towards the end. So some of things we are seeing today are actually prophetic and not the fault of the church. Things are going to get worse and worse till the day of the Lord and there is definitely nothing the church can

do to change that. It is a definite mark of the end. For instance, you have to also thank the church that Nigeria is one of the largest nations of the world standing against same sex marriage. Every other nation that we say that their corruption is less than us, they actually shut down churches that will not marry people of same sex.

So, in that regard, we still have fundamental values that we are not celebrating homosexuality in the churches. It happens all over the place so you can’t just measure the state of the nation in terms of financials corruption.

There is also moral decadence and for me, I wonder maybe that is one of the reasons why Britain is taking a shot at Nigeria with this entire 3,000 pounds sterling visa bond.

They have promised to come against Nigeria for outlawing same sex marriage and immediately they are telling us that if you want to come to England, you have to deposit 3,000 pounds and withdrawing all kinds of support from Nigeria. So, in a way I think that puts Nigeria ahead of the rest of the world at least in that regard.

Lawyers appeal for Ozekhome’s release

By Adebisi Onanuga and Precious Igbonwelundu

•Ozekhome

R

EACTIONS have continued to trail the kidnap of an ac tivist lawyer Chief Mike Ozekhome(SAN). He was kidnapped on the Benin-Auchi Road by an armed gang over the weekend.

The human rights activist was seized by an armed gang about 3pm at Ehor near Ekpoma in Edo State and his kidnappers are yet to make any contact with his family members. Neither is his where about known 72 hours after his abduction.

Ozekhome’s kidnap is one of the many cases of prominent lawyers or their spouses that have recently become the target of kidnappers.

It would be recalled that the kidnap of members of the legal profession started when one of the sons of a serving Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Olabode Rhodes-Vivour was kidnapped. It

was alleged that about N25million ransom was paid before he was released.

Few months after, the wife of the judge, Adedoyin was kidnapped in Benin. It is not clear how much was paid as ransom before she and her daughter and driver were released.

However, Ozekhome’s case is coming barely three months after that of Adedoyin Rhodes-Vivour.

Edo State Police Command Spokesman, Moses Eguavoen who confirmed the incident, reports revealed that the kidnappers who abducted Ozekhome and his driver, killed four police officers in a shoot out. He said some of the suspected kidnappers escaped with bullet wounds.

Since last Friday, lawyers have been reacting to the development, calling for the release of the activist.

Lagos lawyer Femi Falana (SAN), who expressed surprise on the kidnap, called for the immediate release of Ozekhome. He said it was a reflection of the socio-economic imbalance in the country.

He challenged the government to address the socio-economic implications of unemployment in the country Expressing shock over the incident, a lawyer, Festus Keyamo pleaded with the kidnappers to set Mr Ozekhome free.

In a statement, Keyamo de-

scribed the kidnap as one too many, adding that the development has drawn attention to the poor state of security and highlighted the state of joblessness among youths in our country.

A non-governmental organisation based in Abuja Public Interest Lawyers League (PILL) Nigeria also condemned the kidnap, stating that Ozekhome’s abduction was as a result of the growing insecurity in Edo and Nigeria.

In a statement by its President, Abdul Mamhud, PILL described Ozekhome as a “suave, outspoken Lagos lawyer whose contributions to constitutional and public laws are well too known” and urged the kidnappers to free him immediately.

Ozekhome’s kinsmen, Afenmai Youth Coalition, said it was regrettable that he was kidnapped after struggling over the years for good governance, equality, justice and accountability in governance.

They said: “He has fought for the poor and has fought for the rich.

He has defended the defenceless and has offered probono legal services to the disadvantaged in the society.”

Chairman, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ikeja branch, Mr Onyekachi Ubani, said: “It is very appalling; both low and high profile individuals are being kidnapped across the country. It shows that there is a problem.”

Chief Adeniyi Akintola (SAN) described the situation as unac-

ceptable.

“A situation where innocent, hard working and law-abiding Nigerians are regularly kidnapped for ransom is absolutely unacceptable. Government must work hard to improve on the situation,” he said.

The high level of crime, he said, was a reminder to the rich that they could not enjoy their wealth in a desert of poverty and want, adding that it was high time the government changed a policy that declared economic growth without development and mass prosperity.

He appealed to Ozekhome’s kidnappers to release him without delay, adding that the lawyer has a track record of human rights activism aimed at protecting the vulnerable in the society. He said it was ironic that the same Ozekhome would fall victim of kidnapping.

Akintola said governments must tackle youth unemployment, adding that it breeds crimes, such as armed robbery and kidnapping.

Mr Adetokunbo Mumuni, Executive Director, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Projects, said Ozekhome’s abduction was a reflection of the security situation in the country.

He said: “Until socio-economic injustices are tackled, we may continue to have these security challenges. Kidnapping is now rampant because of the limited opportunities available to Nigerians due to poverty and unemployment.”

Another human rights activist,

Fred Agbaje, said it was regrettable that Edo had become a hotbed of high profile kidnappings.

The wife of Supreme Court Justice Bode Rhodes Vivour and his daughter were also kidnapped in Edo State.

Agbaje urged governments to ensure that citizens had access to adequate welfare packages in line with the social contract theory in governance.

Second Republic Minister of Justice Chief Richard Akinjide (SAN) and former Kwara State governorshipcandidate, Mohammed Dele Belgore (SAN), also lamented the kidnapping.

Akinjide described the situation as unfortunate and appealed to Ozekhome’s abductors to release him immediately.

He said: “It is really an unfortunate situation. I am appealing to those involved that he should be released immediately and in good condition.

“I pray for his safe release and good health.”

To Belgore, Ozekhome’s abduction is “sad and regrettable” especially because he has dedicated his practice fighting for the down-trodden and the oppressed.

“It is an indication of failure of government to provide security for life and property of Nigerians.

It just could happen to anyone.

“This shows we are near a state of anarchy because most of these kidnappers go without being arrested.”

33

THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2013

LAW AND SOCIETY

Lawyers condemn Rivers Acting Chief Judge’s appointment

A

CTIVIST lawyer Mr Bamidele Aturu has described the ap pointment of the President of the Customary Court of Appeal, Justice Peter Agumagu, as the Chief Judge of Rivers State a breach of the constitution.

In a statement in Lagos, Aturu said the appointment rankles, adding that it is a desecration of constitutional provisions.

“The legal truth that admits of no sophistry is that section 271(4) of the Constitution clearly permits the Governor of Rivers State to appoint only the most senior judge of the High Court to act whenever the office of the Chief Judge is vacant or if the person holding the office is for any reason unable to perform the functions of the office.

“Pupils of nursery schools do not need help to see or know that unless you are a current judge of the High Court you cannot be made the Chief Judge of a State in Nigeria as the law stands today,” he said.

The activist pointed out that the attempt by government to justify what he termed “illegal appointment” of the President of the Customary Court of Appeal on the ground that he was originally appointed a high court judge almost borders on the irresponsible.

“Unless a person is on the nominal roll as a High Court judge, he or she does not come within section 271 (4) of the Constitution and so cannot be appointed.

“If appointed the appointment in my view is null and void and with the greatest respect indefensible”, he argued.

To butress his argument that the action of the government was wrong, Aturu drew attention to section 281(4) of the Constitution that provides that the most senior Judge of the customary court of Appeal should be appointed to act for the President of the Court of Appeal in the event of vacancy.

He said: “If the Constitution had intended that the most judicial officer be appointed as acting Chief Judge or Acting President of the Customary Court of Appeal in both cases it would simply have said so”, adding: “Express mention of one thing is the exclusion of the others in law”.

The constitutional lawyer counselled the government to reverse the appointment described as an illwind.

“Those who like to present themselves as champions of the rule of law should avoid taking any step that would expose them as being convenient advocates of the rule of law,” he added.

Also a former chairman, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Port Harcourt branch, Emmanuel Aguma, has de-

•Agumagu

scribed the appointment of Justice Peter Aguma as Chief Judge of Rivers State as a Greek gift.

He said was it was wrong, illegal and unconstitutional.

He said the 1999 Constitution makes it absolutely clear that when the office of the Chief Judge is vacant and the appointment of a substantive Chief Judge has not been confirmed in consonance with the provisions of Section 271(1), the governor shall appoint the most senior Judge of the High Court as the acting Chief Judge.

Aguma contended that the argument of the Rivers State Government justifying the appointment though brilliant, was misleading and unconvincing.

“Had the governor and his Chief of Staff been the only ones making this contention I would not have bothered at all.

“I am, however, intellectually pained and distressed that such a contention can also be made by the Attorney-General of Rivers State who is the official leader of the Bar and is, in my opinion, a distinguished legal practitioner and a leader at the Port Harcourt Bar. “First, the words of Section 271(4) of the 1999 Constitution are restrictive, clear and unequivocal. The appointment of the acting Chief Judge must be made, from the rank of Judges of the High Court.

“The President of the Customary Court of Appeal is not a Judge of the High Court but of the Customary Court of Appeal, which he heads as President. He, therefore, is not the most senior Judge of the High Court even if he is the most senior Judge in the Rivers State Judiciary by date of appointment.

“Secondly, section 281(4) of the 1999 Constitution makes a similar provision with regard to the appointment of the acting President of the Customary Court of Appeal restricting it to the most senior Judge of the Customary Court of Appeal, which no Judge of the High Court is.

“Nothing in the constitutional provisions for the establishment and appointment of Judges of both the High Court and the Customary Court of Appeal, including the Chief Judge of the High Court and the President of the Customary Court of Appeal make provision for the much-bandied word, to wit, secondment,”he said.

According to Aguma, Sections 271(1) and (2) and 281(1) and (2) of the 1999 Constitution are very clear on this issue of appointments with regards to the High Court and the Customary Court of Appeal.

“The fallacy in the secondment theory is further illustrated by the qualification required of Judges of the High Court vis-à-vis their brothers in the Customary Court of Appeal as spe-

cifically provided for by Sections 271(3) and 281(3) of the 1999 Constitution respectively. “Section 271(3) of the 1999 Constitution makes it mandatory that you must be a legal practitioner to be a Judge of the High Court.

“However, by the provisions of section 281(3) (b) of the 1999 Constitution, once the National Judicial Council is satisfied that a person has considerable knowledge of and experience in the practice of customary law, he or she can be appointed a Judge of the Customary Court of Appeal regardless of the fact that he or she is not a legal practitioner.

“It is therefore my reasoned contention that the High Court of a State and Customary Court of Appeal of a State are distinct and separate Courts even though they are part and parcel of the Judiciary of a State. Their judges are different. Beyond being constituent parts of the Judiciary of a state headed by the Chief Judge of the State, nothing connects both courts.

We are supported in this contention by the Federal Court of Appeal’s decision in Ado v Dije (1984) 5 NCLR 260,” he said.

Aguma said the principles of the 1979 Constitution with regard to the distinct and separate nature of the Sharia Court of Appeal/Customary Court of Appeal vis-à-vis the High Court of a State are retained in the 1999 Constitution.

“Thirdly, from the date the President of the Rivers State Customary Court of Appeal transited from a Judge of the High Court of Rivers State to become a Judge of the Rivers State Customary Court of Appeal and its President by subscribing to his Oath of Allegiance and Judicial Oath, he ceased to be a Judge of the High Court of Rivers State.

“This is the fulcrum of the decision of Supreme Court in Ogbunyiya v Okudo (1979) 3 LRN page 318. It is, therefore, fallacious and intellectually dishonest in order to defend the indefensible to pretend that the President of the Rivers State Customary Court of Appeal still clung unto his toga of a High Court Judge simply because he was first appointed into that Court as a Judge before being appointed as the President of the Rivers State Customary Court of Appeal.

“So, much reference has been made by the Honourable Attorney General of Rivers State to the Rivers State Customary Court of Appeal Law Cap 41 Laws of Rivers State of Nigeria (LRSN) 1999 in justification of this indefensible act. Protagonists of this obscenity have cited Section 9 of the said Law to justify their perfidy.

“It is my contention that there is nothing in the said section that contradicts the clear and unambiguous provisions of Sections 271(4) and 281(4) of the 1999 Constitution. Even if there is, then section 9 of the Rivers State Customary Court of Appeal Law is to the extent of the inconsistency null and void. That is the purport of Section 1(3) of the 1999 Constitution.

“Judicial authorities on this provision of the Constitution and in support of my contention are legion. The Rivers State Customary Court of Appeal Law, and/or any other law enacted by the Rivers State House of Assembly to derogate from the provisions of section 271(4) of the Constitution are, therefore, of no moment in this constitutional issue.

“It is only the Constitution of the country which established both courts and prescribed the qualification of their members and their jurisdiction, that could make a Judge of one court sit in another; but regretfully, no such provision exist in the present constitution.

“Ordinarily, it should not bother me whom the Governor appoints as the Acting Chief Judge of Rivers State, however, in the peculiar circumstance of this appointment, I am bothered.”

LAW AND PUBLIC POWER

with gabriel AMALU email:gabrielamalu1@yahoo.com

Who will take over in Anambra?

T

HE Anambra State political firmament is getting clearer, with the emergence of gladiators for the November 16 governorship elections, when the successor to Governor Peter Obi, will be elected. lready, the newest bride in town, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has chosen Senator Chris Ngige (Onwa) to fly her flag; while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is stymied in confusion, with the emergence of two candidates, Senator Andy Uba and Tony Nwoye both laying claiming to the same ticket. The ruling All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) appears to be working to answer as Peter Obi is alleged to be cloning a former Fidelity Bank official to fly the party’s flag. One Mr Ifeanyi Ubah is also working to clinch the ticket of the Labour Party.

For now, the biggest casualty of the party’s primaries is the former Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Prof Chukwuma Soludo, who was shut out of the APGA context. Poor Soludo, poor APGA. The urbane professor of economics, university lecturer and former central bank chief has been taught the elementary lessons of Anambra State politics.There, it is big money, lack of scrupulous and ruthlessness. Indeed in Anambra, no god is too sacred to be profaned. Now Soludo will appreciate the enormous exertion the late President Yar’Adua went through to get him to fly the flag of the PDP in the 2010 elections; in a clustered field of moneybags and reckless aspirants. Prof may have bought the dummy that the presidential intervention was because of his professional competence.

I guess he will realise that the presidential intervention was to give him a soft landing; when the late president decided that despite the noisy promotion of a second term for Soludo, the preeminent banker will not serve the interests that brought Yar’Adua to power. Considering his cocky nature, Prof Soludo would have boasted that he got the PDP ticket on merit in 2010, and this time around he was also hoping to hop into APGA to reenact the same bulldozing streak that saw a late entrant Soludo emerge as the candidate of PDP. Poor fellow, this time around before he realised what was happening he had been stripped of a couple of millions to enable him participate in the primaries, only to be disqualified from the context. His experience was a classical case of obtaining by false pretence, which is referred to as 419, in the Nigerian parlance.

The loss suffered by Soludo is also a loss for APGA. Now whoever emerges from APGA will need a miracle to march the likes of Senator Ngige and Andy Uba of the APC and PDP. His disqualification is also a loss for Ndi-anambra. For no doubt Soludo showed a streak of professional competences as Governor of CBN and all things being equal, should have been a competent manager of the state. But his maneuvres also showed a large dose of his famed cockiness. For after losing the elections to Governor Peter Obi in 2010, he abandoned his political followers if there were any, and only sought to maintain political relevance by throwing barbs at the Federal Government. Now that an election is around the corner, he props up, and defects to APGA, believing that his personal razzmatazz could railroad the party to adopt him as their candidate.

Unless the court strangely agrees to come to Soludo’s aid, all his efforts may have been washed away, at least for the next election.

That potentially lives Uba and Ngige as the major gladiators for the November elections. I have been wandering whether the recent rapprochement between former President Obasanjo and President Jonathan on one side and Obasanjo and the PDP on the other hand, is not borne out of the former’s desire to help make smooth the process for his godson Uba. After all, the best known credential of Senator Uba is that he was the senior special assistant to President Obasanjo on Domestic Affairs. Now that portfolio has been praised and derided depending on the interest of the commentator.

On his part Ngige, who came to power as the governor in 2003 on the platform of PDP wasted no time to show the stuff he was made of. According to a very informed public commentator from Anambra, it was Ngige who set the standard for governance in the state, particularly in road construction. He argued that it was that standard that spurred Obi when he recovered his stolen mandate from the PDP henchmen who sponsored Ngige. True, while I was working as a consultant to a Bank in Anambra between 2003 and 2004, I drove through some of those silk-like roads that he constructed, as I crisscrossed the towns. While Ngige may be the pivot, there is no doubt that Obi further raised the bar of governance in the state.

Now the question is, who takes over from Governor Obi to continue these stellar performances of the past 11 years? One possible way out is for APGA to collaborate with APC to support the candidature of Ngige. Interestingly, some months back, I had forewarned Obi on this page that his political deference to President Jonathan was going to harm the interests of APGA, particularly as he dueled with his party chairman, Chief Victor Umeh.

Regrettably while that grave disagreement has been amicably resolved, the party appears emotionally sapped going into the next election. With a wounded spirit and an unknown candidate flying the flag of APGA, it may be an uphill task for the party to retain the state in November.

THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2013

34

LAW & SOCIETY Killings of innocent and defenceless persons are a common occurence these days. In most cases the police that are the alleged perpetrators are left unpunished. Activist IKECHUKWU IKEJI writes on the way out

‘Extrajudicial killing and police brutality: The way out?’

O

UR landlord’s son was killed by the police several years ago and they put a gun in his hand and called him an armed robber. The family spent years trying to exonerate their son instead of pursuing the guilty policemen.

A lot of paraded people are innocent.”

This is the story of a friend of mine while commenting on the prevalence of extrajudicial killings in Nigeria. I am sure that there are hundreds, if not thousands, of this sort of story in the mouth of Nigerians.

This writer had the opportunity, Wednesday, August 21, this year on Channels TV, to comment on the killing, same day, of an okada rider in Ikorodu, Lagos by a trigger happy policeman.

Needless to say, this event is a reflection of the tendency by the Nigerian Police to disregard the value of human life. Extra judicial killing in Nigeria is part of the psyche of Nigerians and the authorities seem to be doing nothing about it. Human life in Nigeria has become chicken life that can be taken without remorse.

Extra judicial killing simply means the murder of a suspected criminal usually by a governmental agency without trial in a law court. The peculiarity of the situation is the impunity with which it is done. One was perplexed by the reaction of the Lagos Commissioner of Police (CP) Umar Manko to the shooting of the okada rider in Ikorodu, Lagos. Instead of expressing or showing remorse at the loss of innocent life, the CP chose to warn that the Traffic Law in Lagos was still in force. His face showed anything but remorse for the loss of innocent life.

Examples abound of extrajudicial killings in Nigeria. Nigeria lost Dele Udoh, an athlete to extra judicial killing in the mid-80s. Recently, the Police killed some students of the University of Uyo and in the process of going to investigate the matter, about 5 members of the executive of National Association of Nigerian Students died in a ghastly motor accident. We remember the Apo 6 who were gruesomely murdered in Abuja and the trial is headed nowhere presently.

On September 20, last year, 36-yearold Ugochukwu Ozuah, was shot and killed unlawfully, according to eyewitnesses, by a policeman five days after his wedding along the Gbagada Expressway in Lagos after dropping off a classmate at the junction. The escalation of the violence in the north of Nigeria perpetrated by boko haram today is linked with the extra judicial killing of the leader of the group, Mohammed Yusuf. An innocent boy was murdered by a DPO during the last fuel subsidy riots. In February 25, 2013 there was an alleged gruesome murder of two students and grievous injury on four other students of Nasarawa State University by soldiers and policemen. Sometimes, where fellow citizens commit the extrajudicial killing, the Police stand by and watch with silent acquiescence as we saw in the Aluu four killing in Port Harcourt.

From available statistics, the Nigerian Police alone had killed 7,108 persons in four years as at December 2012. Of the victims, 2,500 were detained suspects.

People are labelled falsely as armed robbers, post mortem results are falsified, people disappear in police custody without explanation and victims’ families are faced with extortions without results. In most cases, there is no investigation into the deaths in custody, extrajudicial executions or enforced disappearances.

Usually, the police hierarchy would prolong ‘investigation’ and allow public attention to shift. At best, the affected police officer would be transferred, making it difficult to locate him/her in the system, and in the end, the investigating agencies would often give up.

In my view, there is need for an external independent body to take over the investigation and prosecution of extrajudicial killings. The Police Service Commission, PSC, which is constitutionally

•IGP, Muhammed Abubakar

•Ikeji

empowered to investigate and discipline any Police officer found wanting, is bereft of ideas. When matters are reported to it, it still refers the same matter to the same Police for investigation.

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) is also empowered to take up issues that border on breach of human rights but it is a government agency and is overwhelmed by the influence of the government depriving it of the will to pursue cases against the government.

What we need is an independent body made up civil society groups, the nucleus of which should be made up of lawyers, to take up all cases of extrajudicial killing or police brutality from investigation to prosecution.

It is time the government addressed this menace frontally and this should start from the leadership showing political will and reducing its own impunity as an example. Extrajudicial killing is a breach of Section 33 of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria as amended entitling victims to the remedy of damages.

For purposes of elaboration, Section 33 of the Constitution provides as follows: (1) Every person has a right to life, and no one shall be deprived intentionally of his life, save in execution of the sentence of a court in respect of a criminal offence of which he has been found guilty in Nigeria.

(2) A person shall not be regarded as having been deprived of his life in contravention of this section, if he dies as a result of the use, to such extent and in such circumstances as are permitted by law, of such force as is reasonably necessary (a) for the defence of any person from unlawful violence or for the defence of property: (b) in order to effect a lawful arrest or to prevent the escape of a person lawfully detained; or (c) for the purpose of suppressing a riot, insurrection or mutiny.

The defence of the murderous Police officers has always been Section 33 (2) (b) since they claim that they kill in order to effect lawful arrest or to prevent the escape of a person lawfully detained. Can it be said that the force of using a gun with life ammunition is reasonably necessary to effect a lawful arrest of an unarmed man?The answer is a clear NO. The requirement for forceful arrest is commensurate and reasonable force. The is absolutely no way the use of gun can qualify as use of reasonable force especially where the victims is unarmed. In any case, most of the killings always result from mere arguments.

The Police officer is angered by the temerity of the victim to argue with him or her. The situation is the same with those killed in custody. Armed robbers

are killed at will in order to save time and money in prosecution.

Nothing justifies the use of firearms.

Internationally, the use of firearms to effect arrest is frowned at seriously. The United Nations Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials make clear that firearms cannot be used unless certain additional requirements are met, including as a preliminary matter that there exists a grave or imminent threat of death or serious injury. Principle 9 of the United Nations Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms states: “Law enforcement officials shall not use firearms against persons except in selfdefence or defence of others against the imminent threat of death or serious injury, to prevent the perpetration of a particularly serious crime involving grave threat to life, to arrest a person presenting such a danger and resisting their authority, or to prevent his or her escape, and only when less extreme means are insufficient to achieve these objectives. In any event, intentional lethal use of firearms may only be made when strictly unavoidable in order to protect life.”

This is an acceptable method of controlling excessive use of firearms in arrests. Nothing stops Nigeria from adopting this provision and domesticating it as further qualification to Section 33 (2) (b) of the Nigerian Constitution. In point of fact, it is recommended that Section 33 (2) (b) of the Nigerian Constitution be amended to adopt the international position as envisaged by the UN Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials and the UN Principles on the Effective Prevention and Investigation of Extra-legal, Arbitrary and Summary Executions.

Another cover for extrajudicial killing is Force Order 237, which authorizes the use of firearms if a policeman cannot “by any other means, arrest or re-arrest any person, who is suspected or already has been convicted of an offence punishable by death or at least seven years imprisonment.”

This provision should immediately be repealed as being against the basic tenets of human rights and given the uncontrolled manner in which the Police are using firearms to kill innocent people with impunity and without punishment. The UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions expressed his concerns about Police Force Order 237 in his report in January 2006, saying that the said Order 237 practically provides the police carte blanche to shoot and kill at will.

Again, there is need to review the Police Act (1990), which describes the function, structure and operation of the Ni-

gerian Police.The Act was originally drafted in 1943, and was last reviewed in 1967. A bill for its amendment has been with the National Assembly since 2004 and it does not appear that the National Assembly has any plans to get it passed.

The Nigerian Police is a failure as far as training of its workforce is concerned.

Its training institutions have been described as concentration camps. The recent Channels TV report on the Police College, Ikeja, Lagos said it all.

According to a report by Amnesty International, after a recruitment freeze between 1991 and 1999, a yearly admittance policy of up to 40,000 was in force between 2000 and 2005 and the training institutions, with capacity for 14,000 recruits per year, could not handle the vast numbers. A Presidential Committee had reported in 2006 that this sudden explosion, as a result of the mass recruitment exercise, turned the colleges more into concentration camps than training institutions. Two years later, the same Presidential Committee noted the effects of the recruitment wave on the police and reported that the nation was therefore saddled with a very large number of unqualified, under-trained and ill-equipped officers and men many of whose suitability to wear the respected uniform of the Force is in doubt ... the police are today stuck with this undesirable workforce.

One weakness to the fight against unlawful killing and police brutality is that victims’ families are usually poor and lack the finance to follow through cases given the several artificial impediments put along their way by the Police itself. People of means rarely fall victims of extrajudicial killing and police brutality. These people pay the police if they are stopped or arrested. They can also afford to hire a lawyer.

Another weakness to the fight is the failure of the judicial process. Several times, the courts have attempted to award damages against the government for unlawful killing or extrajudicial killing but there is hardly any report that the government has ever obeyed the court orders as to compensation and damages. Examples abound. The Federal High Court recently awarded monetary damages of N137 billion against the Federal Government for the brutal infringements of the fundamental rights of Odi people of Bayelsa State. Before then, the court had ordered the payment of N42 billion to the people of Zaki Biam in Benue State, who were similarly brutalised by armed troops on the illegal orders of President Olusegun Obasanjo. None of these awards have been reported to have been obeyed by the government and so the impunity continues.

The sooner our courts start awarding compensation to victims and follow up with implementation, the better for us all. Point is, in spite of numerous such awards, hardly would you see a single award being obeyed by the Police and government. This is another aspect of the impunity.

The government must stand up to its responsibility of protecting the life of its citizens in accordance with the Constitution.

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions has reiterated the importance of investigations by stating that it is the obligation of Governments to carry out exhaustive and impartial investigations into allegations of violations of the right to life, to identify, bring to justice and punish the perpetrators, to grant compensation to the victims or their families and to take effective measures to avoid future recurrence of such violations.” Nigeria is no exception to this universal principle.

Something has to be done, urgently and proactively. You never know whose turn it will be tomorrow.

•Ikeji is Lead advocate, Constitutional Rights Advocacy Initiative (CRAI).

35

THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2013

NATIONAL BAR

Be upright, judge urges colleagues

F

ORMER Chief Judge of Riv ers State, Justice Iche N. Ndu, has urged his colleagues to remain upright and focused in the discharge of the duties.

He spoke during a valedictory in his honour at the Rivers State High Court.

He said: “Remain upright, focused on your job no matter whose ox is gored. See that we walk circumspect, redeeming the time.

“Injunction is not meant to let the applicant spring up a surprise on the defendant, the essence of exparte application is where there is no time to serve the other party but in court, serve him the process and fix a date for the hearing of the motion on notice.”

He also said there is a growing trend of impunity in the country and the court should do justice.

Justice Ndu said judges must do their jobs well by exhibiting judicial activism.

According to him, judges in other jurisdictions have through judicial activism widened the scope of locus standi.

In his address, the President of Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Okey Wali (SAN) said: “We also thank God that you are going on retirement in apparent very good health, looking so strong, fit and charming, as ever. It is a shame that you cannot practise as a lawyer because of the unfortunate law that banned you from practising after serving as a judge of the Superior Court. That to my mind, is an issue that should be revisited in the ongoing Constitutional amendment. I saw in a national daily newspaper this morning that a retired High Court Judge in Kebbi State had retired to teaching in the primary school, though he is said to be doing this out of his passion for teaching, as he had been a teacher before becoming a lawyer.”

Stories by John Austin Unachukwu

He continued: “As President of the Nigerian Bar Association, occasions like this, are forums to express the views of the Bar on issues of national importance.

“Corruption is a major cause of poverty around the world. It occurs at all levels of the society, from local and national governments, civil society, judiciary, large and small businesses, military and other services and so on. Like the great Chinua Achebe said in his book, The Trouble with Nigeria. I quote: “Nigerians are corrupt because the system they live under today makes corruption easy and profitable. They will cease to be corrupt when corruption is made difficult and unattractive.”

He added: “One of the pillars of democracy is transparency; knowing what goes on in society and being able to make informed decisions to improve participation and also check unaccountability.

“Globally, the role of the judiciary can never be under-rated but unfortunately, corruption has taken its toll on our dear nation and I dare say our judiciary.

“Judicial corruption is not only about gratification, any judgment that is a product of any other consideration, not the law and the facts of a case, is judicial corruption.

“The worst kind of corruption is judicial corruption. It is the specie that signals final decay. It is the genus that suggests societal suicide. Only the judiciary occupies a priestly office. The judiciary is entrusted with the near-divine office of deciding life and death, of adjudicating- finally- controversies and disputes among constituents of society, including the other estates of the realm. For those other estates, corruption is a crime, for the judiciary, corruption is a sin; corruption is abomination- it is class suicide.”

•From left: Justice Ndu, his wife Dame Ngozi and President, Rivers State Costomary Court of Appeal, Justice Peter N. C. Aguma

•Chief Judge of Anambra State, Justice P. C. Umeadi (left) and Chief Judge of Enugu State, Justice I. A. Umezulike

•Life Bencher and Minister of State for Youth Development, Mr Inuwa Abdulkair (left) and Wali

Rivers Acting CJ: SANs yet to speak, says Okocha

F

ORMER President of Nigerian Bar Association, NBA Chief O.C.J. Okocha (SAN) has denied that Senior Advocates of Nigeria in Rivers State, are in support of the appointment of Justice Peter Agumagu as acting Chief Judge of Rivers State.

In a statement, Okocha said: “My attention has been drawn to a false and misleading story published in the media, whereby, it was alleged that the Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria supports the appointment of Justice Agumagu as the acting Chief Judge of Rivers State. The story was credited to Granville Abibo (SAN), a lawyer based in Port Harcourt.

“While the matter of the said appointment of Justice Agumagu is a matter under the purview of the National Judicial Council, it is important for me, as Chairman of the Port Harcourt Chapter of the Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria, to state as follows that we did not visit or pay any courtesy call on Justice Agumagu, and neither did the Body issue a

statement to the effect that it supports the said appointment of Justice Agumagu as acting Chief Judge of Rivers State.”

He continued: “The Port Harcourt Chapter of the Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria has a membership of nearly 20 and none of them, except Granville Abibo, was present at the said visit or courtesy call.

Granville Abibo is the most junior of all the Senior Advocates of Nigeria in Port Harcourt, and was admitted to the Rank of Senior Advocate just about a year ago. He does not have, and has never had, any authority or mandate to speak for the Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria, and he is aware and ought to be aware of that incontrovertible fact.

“The National Chairman of the Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria is Chief Richard Akinjide (SAN), and the National Secretary is Seyi Sowemimo (SAN). To the best of my knowledge, information and belief, neither of them has issued any statement on the matter of the appointment of Justice Agumagu as acting Chief Judge of Rivers State.”

•Former General Secretary NBA, Ibrahim Eddy Mark; Sekibo and Minister of State for Education, Nyesom Wike

• From left: Lucius Nwosu (SAN), Dejo Lamikara (SAN) and Chief Kola Babalola (SAN)

THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2013

36

BAR DISCOURSE Is it legal to apply death penalty on convicts? Yes, argues a lawyer Mr Iwilade Akintayo in this piece which is a reaction to an article titled: ‘Illegality of death penalty’ by Mr Femi Falana (SAN)

‘Legality of death penalty’ I

N an article titled: “Illegality of death penalty”, eminent Se nior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr Femi Falana, made authoritative legal submissions in reaction to the reported ‘directive’, of Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan, which called on governors to sign death warrants of condemned persons. The respected human rights advocate’s views were published in The PUNCH of Monday, July 1, this year. His views were also reported in several other print and electronic media- including online platforms.

This piece identifies some assumptions that underpinned the respectable Advocate’s submissions. Accordingly, it contends, with utmost respect, that the resulting arguments proceeded from a misapprehension of the stark position of the Nigerian Constitution on the legality of the death penalty. The said article also misconceived the proper context of the President’s alleged ‘directive’.

Alternatively, we argue for the legality of the death penalty and call for deeper circumspection in the deployment of rhetoric advocating its hasty and merely imitative abolition in Nigeria. Such circumspection is highly imperative, particularly in proven cases of premeditated, first degree and gruesome murders.

As mentioned, and in my view, the assumptions that seem to underpin the arguments and conclusions as contained in the respectable Senior Advocate’s piece include: (a) that the death penalty is illegal in Nigeria (and this assumption is apparent from the article’s title- i.e “Illegality of Death Penalty”), (b.) that the President has ‘directed’ the execution of all death row inmates across Nigeria without regard to their yetto-be exhausted Appeal processes pending against their convictions, (c.) that Nigeria is bound to honour and enforce the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 62/149 of 2007 purporting to place a moratorium on the implementation of the death penalty in member states, (d.) that ‘inordinate’ delays in the execution of death row inmates amounts to dehumanization and thus, robs the State of the powers to carry out such executions, etc.

In the first place, the foundation for the legality of the death penalty in Nigeria is as provided under Section 33(1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended). For clarity, that Section provides that; “Every person has a right to life, and no one shall be deprived intentionally of his life, save in execution of the sentence of a court in respect of a criminal offence of which he has been found guilty in Nigeria”. Clearly therefore, while the inalienability of the right to life is unambiguously emphasized by the Constitution, a legitimate ground for derogation is provided for in the same Constitution. Accordingly, when Statutes prescribe the death penalty for certain classes of crimes and so long as such Statutes derive their legitimacy from, and are not inconsistent with the Constitution, they are legally valid and enforceable. However, the ethical and jurisprudential questions, on what crimes should or should not attract the death penalty, are a fundamentally different matter altogether, and same is mentioned later in this piece. What must be

continually noted is that the constitutional validity of the death penalty in Nigeria has been severally affirmed by the superior Courts up to the Supreme Court.

It is common knowledge that the Supreme Court in particular have severally, either affirmed or quashed death sentences imposed by lower Courts, in several cases.

Indeed, to this day, neither the Supreme Court nor the Constitution have declared the death penalty as being unconstitutional, and to that extent, it cannot be validly described as illegal in Nigeria.

As for the President’s alleged ‘directive’, there is no thoroughly objective interpretation of the President’s alleged words, as widely reported in the media, that will definitively conclude that those words amounted to an order that death row convicts be denied of their rights to exhaustive and conclusive appeals- or even clemency, in deserving cases. The President’s alleged direct words, as even quoted in the piece under review, were that, “in the case of capital punishment, the governors will sign. Even governors find it difficult to sign. I have been telling the governors that they must sign because that is the law”. Clearly, these words demonstrated an appreciation by the President that the death penalty cannot be pronounced and executed, except in accordance with the Law. And what is the Law if not as stated in the quoted Section 33(1) of the Constitution, and other Laws validly deriving legitimacy from the said Constitution, including extant legal principles relating to rights of exhaustive appeal, etc? Of course, the Law mentioned

by Mr. President must also include the decided Nigerian authorities cited in the Learned Silk’s submissions under review, including Nasiru Bello v. Attorney-General of Oyo State (1986) 5 NWLR (pt.

45) 828, (1986) 2 N.S.C.C 1257, where the Supreme Court reiterated the pre-conditions that must mandatorily precede a valid execution of a convicted prisoner.

The Supreme Court said, and no one can reasonably disagree, that, “the execution of a convicted prisoner is the last act, in a series of acts beginning from his arrest; his trial and conviction, his appeals, and even after the appeals, the Governor of a State still has to consider the Report of the trial judge sent pursuant to the Criminal Procedure Law and finally, the report of the Committee for the Prerogative of Mercy. It is after all these have been exhausted that the Appellant goes under the hangman’s noose or (as in the instant case) faces the firing squad.”

So, it is not in dispute that the stated pre-conditions must be thoroughly in place before any governor can even contemplate signing a death warrant. Clearly, the President’s statement does not contradict this legally valid procedure, as affirmed by the Supreme Court, making justification for the rhetoric against it difficult to locate. If anything, the President’s needlessly criticised

statement affirmed commitment to the rule of Law by usage of the phrase, ‘it is the law’. It means governors should sign death warrants in accordance, but never in violation or avoidance of the sweet or if you wish, ‘bitter’ dictates of the law. The admonition to follow the law cannot be objectively construed as an invitation to arbitrariness.

Flowing from the above, the cases of Nemi v. Attorney-General of Lagos State (1996) 6 NWLR 42 @55, wherein the Court of Appeal held that; ‘a convict on death row is entitled to challenge torture, inhuman or degrading treatment arising from a prolonged delay in executing him” and Ogugu v. The State (1994) 9 NWLR (pt. 366) 1 @ 47, where the Supreme Court held that; “The executive and judicial authorities must accept responsibility of ensuring that execution follows as swiftly as practicable after sentence, allowing reasonable time to appeal and consideration of reprieve”; rather than diminish, actually strengthen Mr. President’s widely reported view.

This is because by ‘directing’ Governors to sign death warrants in accordance with the Law (of course after appeals have been exhausted), the President has merely, but very rightly, nudged State Governors to their constitutional responsibilities to prevent a situation where convicts are subjected to “torture, inhuman or degrading treatment arising from a prolonged delay in executing them”. Indeed, the President’s ‘directive’, having not been shown to be a call for arbitrariness, is in line with the Learned Senior Advocate’s submission that, “it is indisputable that the execution of a condemned person ought to be carried out as swiftly as possible after sentence of death has been passed and confirmed by the Governor”. And without much ado, that appears to be the simple point the President was also making.

The case of Kigula & Others v.

The Attorney-General (2005) AHRLR 197 (up cc 2005) page 197 at 221, where the Supreme Court of Uganda directed the respondent to commute death sentences passed on the appellants to life imprisonment on the ground that “the inordinate delay in carrying out the death sentence after it has been confirmed by the highest appellate court is inconsistent with articles 24 and 44(1) of the Constitution”, is absolutely not binding on any Court in Nigeria. At best, it can only be cited for persuasive and academic effect as our Courts will have to determine the appropriateness of such jurisprudence, in the peculiar case of Nigeria where citizens fall daily to gruesome crimes in an atmosphere of mendacious and arrogant impunity. The unreported decision in James Ajulu & Ors. v. AttorneyGeneral of Lagos State, Suit No: ID/76M/2008, also does not support any inference that the death

•Iwilade

penalty is illegal. What it raises is the question of the methods and the timing for the carrying out of such executions. But of course, it is desirable to await the Supreme Court’s definitive pronouncement on all the many issues being weaved around the blanket death penalty abolition debates.

Similarly, the much-talked about United Nations General Assembly Resolution 62/149 and 63/148 of 2007, purporting to place a moratorium on the implementation of the death penalty, is not legally binding on Nigeria. It also cannot be elevated to the status of Law in Nigeria except its details are enacted into Law by Nigeria’s valid legislative authorities. Even if Nigeria entered into a Treaty to that effect, such Treaty will possess no force of Law until domesticated and passed into Law in accordance with Section 12 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

Section 12(1) provides: “No treaty between the Federation and any other country shall have the force of law except to the extent to which any such treaty has been enacted into law by the National Assembly.”

Moving forward, the arguments against the death penalty are well- known. One of the most famous is that it is doubtful whether it has served as a deterrent for similar crimes, especially homicide. But deterrence or not, it is a moral obligation of the state to give specific justice to victims of heinous crimes.

It is important for Nigeria to engage in a lot of circumspection in deciding whether to abolish the death penalty or not. Abolition of death penalty for many classes of crimes is very much desirable. But abolition is certainly untenable in proved cases of premeditated, first degree murder or callous decapitations, such as rape resulting in death, or permanent life threatening and irreparable deformities, occasioned by the perpetrators to their victims.

The tendency to uncritical and

‘The first responsibility of the state, where any murder takes place, is to ensure restitution, and direct justice, for the victim. To do otherwise is to deny the dignity of victims while also mocking the memory of law abiding citizens who get felled by perpetrators that now turn round to demand what they gruesomely took away from their victims. While convicted perpetrators of gruesome killings have all shades of opinions advocating for them, one wonders who, in the ‘human rights community’, speaks for the many victims of these perpetrators’ killings’

often merely imitative adoption, of practices unsuited to our circumstances, should not be imported to a question as important as ensuring appropriate restitution for the many unsung and forgotten victims of heinous crimes. What one finds befuddling is that so much rhetoric is reserved for the safety and humanity of the perpetrators of even dastardly murders, while very scanty regard is given to the memory of the real victims left to prematurely decompose in lonely graves far into eternity. This assertion holds true since in the blanket debate for abolition, little attempt is made, if any, to separate crimes of premeditated first degree murder or callous decapitations, in which the imposition of death penalty continues to be both legally and morally justified, from other categories, in which other forms of sentences are preferable.

The first consideration for the imposition of death penalty should be restitution for victims of the crime and not deterrence or other fanciful notions.

Unfortunately, the abolition debate is increasingly prioritising the protection and survival of the convicted perpetrators of gruesome crimes while largely betraying a befuddling indifference towards the plight of the victims of even very dastardly murders.

The first responsibility of the state, where any murder takes place, is to ensure restitution, and direct justice, for the victim.

To do otherwise is to deny the dignity of victims while also mocking the memory of law abiding citizens who get felled by perpetrators that now turn round to demand what they gruesomely took away from their victims. While convicted perpetrators of gruesome killings have all shades of opinions advocating for them, one wonders who, in the ‘human rights community’, speaks for the many victims of these perpetrators’ killings.

Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole obviously gets the point and, under such introspective leader, victims of gruesome killings, even though they die, will be glad the state remembered their dignity and acknowledged their irreparable loss.

Mr Akintayo can be reached on iwilord@yahoo.co.uk

THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2013

37

LAW REPORT

‘Courts can formulate issues for parties where justice demands’ In the Supreme Court of Nigeria Date: April 19, 2013 SC. 135/2004, 2013(4) LEDLR-16 Before their Lordships CHRISTOPHER MITCHELL CHUKWUMA ENEH IBRAHIM TANKO MUHAMMAD SULEIMAN GALADIMA NWALI SYLVESTER NGWUTA STANLEY SHENKO ALAGOA BETWEEN ALHAJI RASAKI ABIOLA EKUNOLA

APPELLANT

AND CENTRAL BANK OF NIGERIA

RESPONDENTS

ALHAJI SAIDU MOHAMMED (Director of Personnel, CBN) SUPREME COURT OF NIGERIA

•Continued from last week

F

INALLY on this question I agree with the court below that notwithstanding having formulated the two issues suo motu and deciding them that the appellant’s claim all the same, has not been dismissed after striking out the second respondent from the suit as the trial court has gone on to consider whether or not the appellant has discharged the burden of proof to entitle him to his claim and thereby nullify his dismissal on the ground that the second defendant has not been clothed with the power to act on behalf of the 1st respondent (as its alter ego) in the processes taken in his dismissal and so to arrive at the inevitable conclusion that his dismissal from the employ of the 1st respondent is otherwise wrongful. I resolve this issue against the appellant.

And being the only issue in the appeal I would have at this stage dismissed the appeal but there are other considerations in the matter. In the result the findings of the lower court as contained in its judgment are approved and the judgment is hereby affirmed by this court.

The truth of this matter as between the appellant and the 1st respondent is that their employment relationship has subsisted at all material times as a relationship of master/servant created as per by Exhibit ‘A” i.e. the contract of employment into which has been incorporated the provisions of exhibit ‘D’ - again, that is the staff manual of the Central Bank of Nigeria which contains the collective agreements as incorporated into the individual contracts of employment of the 1st respondent’s employees. This is so based on the facts and evidence before the court. Both documents constitute the basis for determining the contractual relationship and the conditions of the appellant’s employment with the first respondent here. It is common ground and as rightly found by the two lower courts that the nature of the appellant’s employment does not savour of statutory flavour. In other words, it is entirely founded on Common Law. The necessary implication arising from the parties’ contractual relationship in this matter if I may emphasise is one founded on the common Law and like all genera contracts is determinable by ei-

ther side as provided in the documents exhibits ‘A’ and ‘D’ for breaches of any fundamental conditions as stipulated therein.

One basic principle of master and servant relationship is that an employer can summarily dismiss/terminate the employment of his servant for gross misconduct. In the instant matter the 1st respondent reserves that power vis-a-vis the appellant as provided as per Clause 6(4) and (5) of Exhibit ‘D’. Following the query Exhibit ‘E’ issued to the appellant on an allegation of fraud which has arisen from failing to maintain proper account records of the distribution of diesel to other locations of the 1st respondents’ points of business activities and has resulted in a heavy financial loss by which the 1st respondent has incurred huge financial deficits. The appellant has answered the query as per Exhibit ‘F’. He has in consequence of his answers appeared before the Central Disciplinary Committee by which it has been established in effect of the appellant having been given an opportunity to exculpate himself from the allegations of fraud. The appellant as I have also found has not been denied a fair hearing in the process of his dismissal upon the charge of gross misconduct leveled against him. I must observe that having dismissed all the grounds of appeal herein the court is obliged to reach these conclusions based on the findings and conclusions of the two lower courts which now stand before this court unchallenged. In other words, he has rightly been dismissed as per Exhibit ‘G’. The appellant’s case of wrongful dismissal has no leg on which to stand to contest it.

Having in this judgment discountenanced the denial of fair hearing in all its concomitants as raised by the appellant herein thus this matter falls to be considered on whether as per the Exhibits and evidence on the record as accepted by the lower courts the appellant has been properly dismissed from his employment upon his gross misconduct - my answer is in the affirmative. Where his dismissal is founded on the allegation of gross misconduct the appellant is not entitled to any notice or salary in lieu of notice as clearly provided in Exhibits ‘A’ and ‘D’.

And it would be wrong in law to make any awards to him in these

regards.

It is trite that an employer as the first respondent here is obliged to follow the right procedure in summarily dismissing his employee, in this case the appellant. The question then is whether his employment on a charge of gross misconduct has been determined as provided in exhibits ‘A’ and ‘D’ in this matter, which have laid down the procedure to be followed in doing so. By giving the appellant a query as per Exhibit ‘E’ and followed by the appellant’s answer exhibit ‘F’ and the convening of various Disciplinary Committees to look into the answer as per exhibit ‘F vis-a-vis the allegation of fraud, speak for themselves of having abided with the procedure laid down by exhibit ‘D’ for dismissing an employee. The appellant cannot be heard to complain as he has gotten all he is entitled to under a master/servant relationship at common law.

Once exhibit ‘G’ has been served on the appellant dismissing the appellant on grounds of gross misconduct he stands effectively dismissed as per the said exhibit and whether or not the dismissal is wrongful to entitle him to damages is the question for this court to resolve in this matter as reinstating him is out of the question.

The position is that the two lower courts have not been persuaded that the dismissal of the appellant is wrongful and they are right.

There is therefore a concurrent finding on the question.

The appellant has challenged the dismissal as being wrongful; this cannot be so on the peculiar facts of this case; it is clearly found that the appellant has grossly misconducted himself and has gotten what his gross misconduct deserves that is a summary dismissal.

His dismissal even though without notice or any payment of salary in lieu of notice is not wrongful and cannot therefore in the circumstances constitute a breach of the conditions of his contract of employment.

In this respect, I agree and uphold the decisions of the two lower courts that there is no merit in the appellant’s claim and that it should be dismissed. I hereby dismiss this appeal as most unmeritorious. Having taken into account all the surrounding circumstances in this matter I make no order as to costs. Parties to bear their costs.

Appeal dismissed IBRAHIM TANKO MUHAMMAD, JSC: I have read before now, the judgment of my learned brother ChukwumaEneh, JSC. I am in agreement with his reasoning and conclusion which I adopt as mine. The Preliminary objection succeeds.

The appeal is hereby struck out. I abide by all consequential orders made in the lead judgment.

SULEIMAN GALADIMA, JSC: I have been obliged with a copy of the draft Judgment of my learned brother CHUKWUMA-ENEH JSC, just delivered. He is thorough in exposing the relevant facts of this case. He has equally dealt with the main issue leading to his reasoning and conclusion dismissing the appeal for being unmeritorious. I concur.

However, I have a word or two on the preliminary objection raised by the Respondents as to the competence of the Appeal.

This being a threshold issue it ought to be dealt with first. On 21/12/2011, the Respondents filed Notice of Preliminary Objection to the hearing of this

appeal praying the court to strike out grounds Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, and 11 as well as issues formulated thereon, as being incompetent. lt is contended that these grounds are of mixed law and facts or facts simplicita for which no leave has been obtained, as required by S. 233(3) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, (as amended).

Before now I have noted that no grounds have been distilled from 12 to 17 of the grounds of Appeal.They serve no purpose in this appeal and are accordingly struck out. In the lead Judgment, my learned brother in this appeal has set out Grounds 1 - 11 of the Appellant’s Grounds of Appeal with their particulars. I have carefully read through them.

With exception of Ground 7 all other grounds without any doubt are grounds of mixed law and facts or facts simplicita. These grounds all complain essentially about failure of all the Justices of the Court of Appeal to properly appraise or evaluate or assess the evidence on the record leading them to arrive at the wrong conclusion. On the authority of Ogbechie & Anor V. Onochie & Ors (1986) 2 NWLR (Pt. 23) 484, where the grounds of appeal are of mixed law and facts or facts simplicita for which no leave of either the Court of Appeal or the Supreme Court has been obtained, are incompetent and the Supreme Court has no jurisdiction to entertain same.

The Appellant has contended that Ground 8 comes within S. 233(2) of the said Constitution, that is, this being ground complaining that there was error of law. The complaint in the said Ground of Appeal is not about the denial of fair hearing by the trial court but

about the denial of fair hearing before the Disciplinary Committee of the first Respondent (Central Bank of Nigeria) and the failure of the court to properly evaluate the evidence on the record to find as a fact that there was such a denial. It is thus a complaint about a decision touching on the contravention of S. 36(1) of the 1999 Constitution (supra).

Ground 8 has not arisen from a decision of the court below as to whether any of the provisions of Cap. (iv) of the Constitution has been breached or contravened, same cannot be brought as of right. Ground 8 being of mixed law and facts or facts simplicita does not fall under Cap. (iv) of the Constitution. At best it is mixed law and fact for which leave is required.

Parties are ad idem that Ground 7 of the ground of appeal which complains about the decision of the Court of Appeal in respect of the complaint of a denial of fair hearing, is a ground of law. Even on this, there is a concurrent finding of fact of the two lower courts to the effect that Appellant’s claim is devoid of merit.

This Court, as a practice will refuse to interfere with such concurrent findings of the two courts, unless, the Appellant shows that the findings are perverse. Since the Appellant did not demonstrate that the findings of the two lower courts are perverse, he cannot succeed.

For this little contribution and for detailed and fuller reasoning in the lead Judgment, I too, have to strike out all the grounds of appeal and the issues formulated from them. Appeal on ground 7 is lacking in merit, it is dismissed.

•To be continued next week

LEGAL JOKES Q: What’s the difference between a jellyfish and a lawyer?

A: One’s a spineless, poisonous blob. The other is a form of sea life.

Q: What’s the difference between a lawyer and a leech?

A: After you die, a leech stops sucking your blood.

A man woke up in a hospital bed and called for his doctor. He asked “Give it to me straight. How long have I got?” The physician replied that he doubted that his patient would survive the night. The man then said “Call for my lawyer.”

When the lawyer arrived, the man asked for his physician to stand on one side of the bed, while the lawyer stood on the other. The man then laid back and closed his eyes. When he remained silent for several minutes, the physician asked what he had in mind. The man replied “Jesus died with a thief on either side, and I thought I’d check out the same way.”

Q: What’s the difference between a lawyer and God? A: God doesn’t think he’s a lawyer.

Q: How are an apple and a lawyer alike?

A: They both look good hanging from a tree.

A prominent young attorney was on his way to court to begin arguments on a complex lawsuit when he suddenly found himself at the Gates of Heaven. St. Peter started to escort him inside, when he began to protest that his untimely death had to be some sort of mistake. “I’m much too young to die! I’m only 35!” St. Peter agreed that 35 did seem to be a bit young to be entering the pearly

gates, and agreed to check on his case. When St. Peter returned, he told the attorney, “I’m afraid that the mistake must be yours, my son. We verified your age on the basis of the number of hours you’ve billed to your clients, and you’re at least 108.”

Q: What are lawyers good for?

A: They make used car salesmen look good.

Q: What do dinosaurs and decent lawyers have in common?

A: They’re both extinct.

A man walked into a curio shop and began to browse. He was attracted to a brass rat on a shelf behind the counter. He asked the shopkeeper for a price, and was told to make an offer. Presently they agreed on a price, and the brass rat changed hands. The shopkeeper warned the customer as he took the money, “This sale is final. If you leave the shop with the brass rat, I won’t take it back under any circumstances.” The customer agreed and left with the rat.

As he walked home, he noticed that a live rat came scurrying out of an alley and began to follow him. Soon there were more, all following him and milling about his feet. The man began to run, but the rats kept up, and more joined the procession. After a few minutes, thousands of rats were chasing after the man. The man ran frantically for the river, and threw the brass rat into the water. The live rats followed the brass rat, and soon all had drowned. The man returned to the curio shop, and on seeing him enter, the shopkeeper shouted, “I told you, the sale was final! You cannot return the brass rat!” The customer replied, “That’s no problem. I just wondered if you had a brass lawyer in stock.”

THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2013

38

LAW & SOCIETY Many have argued against the parade of suspects, but the law enforcement agencies continue to indulge in the act. In this piece a Lagos lawyer NONSO NGONADI examines the legal implication of parading a Bishop in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, by the police for allegedly sexually assaulting a minors

In this article a lawyer FRANK AGBEDO writes on the ‘evils’ of abortion and homosexuality

Revisiting abortion, homosexuality

‘Police should stop public T parade of suspects’ T

HE recent public parade of a Bishop in Port Harcourt by the police for allegedly assaulting a minor brings to the fore the many instances of abuse of fundamental human rights by the police.

As reported by the newspapers, the Bishop, while being paraded by the police, reportedly admitted to the press that he actually had carnal knowledge of the 15year-old, but blamed it on the devil and the Bishop in whose church he had been ministering as a guest pastor when the incident took place.

The Bishop’s version of events that led to the alleged sexual incident was that he had been invited as a guest minister by a Bishop with whom he had had running battles over who should head the Communion of Bishops in Rivers State. During counselling session, a young girl walked in for deliverance and while he was casting out her demons, she began to take off her clothes and in the Bishop’s own words, “before I realised what was happening I found myself on top of her and had carnal knowledge of her”.

According to the Bishop, the girl started laughing at him soon after the act and asked him if he was angry with himself after observing his sullen countenance.

Again in the Bishop’s own words, “I was so angry and annoyed that I called some of my pastors and made a confession that I did not know what was happening”.

About a month later, the girl’s father called the Bishop to say his daughter was pregnant. The father procured abortion for his daughter while the Bishop footed the bills. However, the police are now alleging rape and on the basis of which they decided to parade the Bishop before the press and the public.

Like I said earlier, Nigeria is a country of absurdities a country where anything can happen and do in fact happen on a daily basis.

As a result, its people have longed ceased to be shocked, their sensitivity having been continuously buffeted by one absurdity or the other, each one dwarfing the one before it in grotesque details.

The fact that there has been no official condemnation or denunciation of this primitive practice of parading , or more appropriately, trying criminal suspects in the press before their day in court lend credence to the above assertion.

Without underplaying the enormity of the depth of infamy into which this bishop has sunk by his moral failure, the decision of the Police to parade him before the public was clearly born out of nothing but a desire to humiliate him and ultimately prejudice his trial.

Clearly, the constitution of Nigeria presumes as innocent a man accused of an offence until he is proved guilty by a competent court of jurisdiction. Nowhere in our statutes can a provision be found empowering the police or any other law enforcement

agency to first humiliate a suspect, thoroughly shame and disgrace him before passing him over to a law court for his trial.

The only instance where the police are allowed by law to parade a suspect is where there is need for the identification of the suspect by a witness who claims to have seen the suspect commit the alleged offence. In this case, the suspect is lined up amidst other people while the witness attempts to point him out from the crowd.

This is called identification parade and it does not take place before the press.

Parading suspected criminals in the media is already convicting the person in the court of public opinion. There is no way you can ensure that a person has a free and fair trial if you have already given the public a bad impression about the person.

This illegality takes place so often that some members of the public have come to accept it as the norm and the media make it look like it is legal. But no, it is illegal and a clear violation of the suspect’s fundamental rights both under the Nigerian Constitution and the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights.

One is at a loss to fathom what kind of justice a suspect can possibly hope to get in the trial court after he has been paraded by the police as a criminal, his face shown on the television, in the newspapers and, in this age of social media, on the internet. One is tempted to say thankfully we do not practice jury system in Nigeria otherwise one can imagine the difficulty in choosing a panel of jury from a public who have already been made to view the suspect as guilty. However, when we consider that our judges also read newspapers, watch TV and surf the internet, our gratitude suffers something of an eclipse.

There is no doubt that the single most important reason while the police engage in this practice is for publicity to call attention to itself and make the public believe that it is actually fighting crime.

But it is a poor approach in winning back the confidence of the public that has long lost faith in the ability of the Nigerian police to protect it in the face of the current, unprecedented upsurge in scale of violent crimes across the land.

And for this publicity, the police are willing to do anything to get it including parading animals and toddlers as robbery or criminal suspects. In 2009, the entire nation was bewildered and

• Nonso

for some of us who can still be shocked by the events in this country embarrassed when the Nigeria police, Kwara State Command, paraded a goat as an arm robbery suspect. The goat suspect was detained over an alleged attempt to steal a Mazda car.

As if that was not bizarre enough, the recent parading of a two month old baby by the police in Abeokuta has left not a few Nigerians in shock. Newspaper reports have it that the police in Abeokuta paraded a two-month old baby, his mother and his fifteen-year old brother over an alleged robbery committed by their father. The family was arrested after the suspect fled his home on arrival of the Police.

The nation was so shocked that a non-governmental organisation the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria called for the officers involved in this show of shame and abuse of the rights of the toddler to be thoroughly disciplined. If the authorities are willing to demonstrate for once that they listen to the Nigerians people, the officers who are involved in these despicable practices ought to be severely punished.

In the end, this calls for an overhaul of the Police Force and re-orientation and re-training of its officers and men in line with the code of modern policing and international best practices. It can never be said enough that the parading of a Bishop by the Police was a most egregious form of violation of his fundamental human rights, namely his right to dignity and presumption of innocence as provided in the Nigerian Constitution.

‘One is at a loss to fathom what kind of justice a suspect can possibly hope to get in the trial court after he has been paraded by the police as a criminal, his face shown on the television, in the newspapers and, in this age of social media, on the internet. One is tempted to say thankfully we do not practice jury system in Nigeria otherwise one can imagine the difficulty in choosing a panel of jury from a public who have already been made to view the suspect as guilty’

HE euphoria that heralded the recent birth and unveiling of the royal baby in Britain, a country that prides itself as one of the leading bastions of same sex marriage and abortion rights, calls to question the integrity and strength of their convictions and fidelity to the pro-choice and gay rights advocacy, which negates the primary purpose of marriage: the raising of children and the perpetuation of the human race.

Tributes, dripping with love, came in torrents from all corners of the globe, as world leaders and royal fans, expressed their best wishes to the royal couple, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, on the birth of the royal baby, said to be the third in line to the British throne.

On this glorious day, the American President, Barrack Obama, gleefully wrote: “On the joyous occasion of the birth of their first child, we wish them all the happiness and blessings parenthood brings. The child enters the world at a time of promise and opportunity for our two nations.”

The British Prime Minister, David Cameron, also wrote: “I am delighted for the Duke and Duchess now; their son has been born. The whole country will celebrate. They will make wonderful parents.”

Similar messages came from other world leaders, mostly those opposed to the banning of same sex marriage and the imposition of strong legislations against abortion.

Is it not, therefore, the summit of paradox and contradiction for the same countries that legally permit same sex marriage and the termination of pregnancies, both of which operate as enemies of child birth and natural family life, to also at the same time, roll out the drums in celebration of a new life born into a natural family of a man and woman, whether of blue blood or not. What a great irony.

The Nigerian parliament in a rare display of patriotism, had acted in consonance with the wishes of the vast majority of our citizens, when it boldly refused to succumb to external pressures from the international community, particularly, America and Great Britain, to pass the bill criminalising same- sex marriage in Nigeria.

This bill titled: “Same Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Bill, 2011” was endorsed to the consternation and discomfiture of the western powers, who were bent on frustrating its passage, in furtherance of their global agenda towards the legalisation of abortion and homosexuality. Note that a similar bill was earlier approved by the Federal Executive Council sometime in 2007 and presented to the National Assembly for debate at that time but could not sail through the two Chambers, until the advent of the present bill.

The final endorsement of this bill, first by the senate in November last year and later by the House of Representatives, in May this year, was completely shorn of any lobbying or political partisanship usually prevalent in the legislature, as both arms rose up in unison and with one voice, to defend our African identity by the overwhelming and unanimous passage of the bill, soon to be accented to

by President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, before coming into operation.

Even the sponsored but halfhearted demonstrations, in opposition of the bill by a few gay association members, during the public hearings on the bill, did not deter the national assembly from enacting the bill into law, drawing huge support from all strata of the Nigerian society, particularly the leaders of both the Christian and Islamic religions in the country, all vehemently opposed to ho-

mosexual practices, believed to be foreign to our African culture and traditions, in all its ramifications.

Under the new law, persons who enter into a same sex marriage contract, or civil union commit an offence and are each liable on conviction to a term of 14 years in prison. Also, any person who registers, operates or participates in gay clubs, societies and organisations or directly or indirectly makes public show of same sex amorous relationship in Nigeria, commits an offence and shall each be liable on conviction to a term of 10 years in prison.

While western nations now gravitate towards availing LGBT’s and same sex couples equal legal rights, as heterosexual couples, happily, more African countries, bent on preserving their identity, are rather tightening enactments against homosexuality to chagrin and disgust of those patronising nations.

The passage of the anti-same-sex marriage bill in Nigeria, brings to 39 African countries that have so far passed the anti gay marriage laws.

Expectedly, this had attracted much umbrage from western countries which threatened to cut funding for our various AIDS and HIV control programmes, as well as other strategic interventions, if the President signs the bill into law.

However, the passage of the bill not withstanding, unnatural carnal knowledge, including homosexuality, lesbianism and bestiality, has always been illegal and, therefore, a criminal offence under our criminal code, applicable in both the Southern and Northern Nigeria. And even in some states in the North that have adopted the Sharia Law, punishment for this offence is death by stoning. Although in the South and under the secular criminal laws of the North, the maximum punishment for same-sex amorous activity is 14 years’ imprisonment.

Specifically, Section 214 of the criminal code provides: “Any person who (a) has carnal knowledge of any person against the order, or (c) permits a male person to have carnal knowledge of him or her against the order of nature, is guilty of felony is liable for imprisonment for 14 years.”

Equally as egregious is the case of abortion, which directly gnaws at the whole essence of life as the ultimate measure of all creation. In its stark reality, shorn of legalese, abortion, a derivative of the latin word aboriri, meaning, to “perish” simply refers to the termination of pregnancy by the forced or induced expulsion or removal of an unborn child from the womb any time between conception and before delivery.

Life begins at conception. A child is the product of natural evolution of the fetus or embryo, without which there is no life. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, “In the normal course of nature the living embryo carries on its work of, self-evolution within the maternal womb, deriving its nourishment from the placenta through the vital cord, till, on reaching maturity.

Abortion is a fatal termination of this process.”

Since the legalisation of abortion in many countries (excluding Nigeria), over 54 million unborn children have been killed, more than some country’s population and which translates to one baby every 20 seconds and with Britain alone accounting for more than 550 abortions daily. A scary statistics but true.

Abortions like homosexuality destroys the family by endangering the prospects of new births who are supposed to be bound together by the natural bond of marriage between a man and a woman, as every child needs a natural family for nurture, guidance and development of his or her personality.

THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2013

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ABUJA REVIEW NEWS

•From left: First Lady Dame Patience Jonathan, President Goodluck Jonathan, former First Lady, Lady Victoria Aguiyi Ironsi and Bishop Margaret Idahosa of the Church of God Mission during the presentation of ICON Award to the President at a dinner in honour of committed promoters of women empowerment at the International Conference Centre in Abuja.

•From left: Minister of Finance Prof. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala; Special Adviser to the President on Performance, Monitoring and Evaluation, Prof. Sylvester Monye; Director-General, Budget Office, Bright Okogwu and CBN Deputy Governor, Tunde Lemo during Economic Management Team Meeting at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

T

HE Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Ms. Ammal Pepple, has called for the support of states Assembly on the implementation of the reviewed National Building Code in states and the grassroots level.

She said effective implementation of the revised code would address issues of incessant building collapse in the country.

The minister said apart from other building hazards, the code is expected to check professional negligence and sharp practices among experts in the industry. Pepple spoke at a Stakeholders Validation Workshop on the Revised National Building Code in Abuja.

She said: “In this regard, I fervently hope that the 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory Administration FCTA, will ensure that the national building code is adopted by the executive arm of government, as a regulatory tool in their spheres of influence and enacted by their respective legislatures as part of their jurisdictional code.”

The building code is a requirement aimed at institutionalising minimum acceptable level of safety standards in building construction. Its maiden edition was published in 2006, with a man-

•From left: Chairman, Senate Committee on Police Affairs, Senator Paulinus Igwe Nwagu greeting the Vice President Namadi Sambo. With them are Minister of Police Affairs, • Navy Capt. Caleb Olubolade(second left) and Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar during the inauguration of Force CID Building Complex in Abuja.

• President Gooluck Jonathan (right), bidding farewell to the outgoing Ambassador of Czech Republic to Nigeria, Mr Jaroslav Siro, during his visit to the Presidential Villa in Abuja

Minister seeks support on building code Stories by Olugbenga Adanikin

date for its review in every three years.

Pepple, who solicited for support from regulatory agencies and professional bodies such as Surveyors Council of Nigeria (SURCON), Council of Registered Builders of Nigeria (CORBON) among others, advocated for partnership from other relevant stakeholders.

“I am optimistic that after this validation exercise, the adoption of the revised building code and its dissemination to the public as well as good implementation by all stakeholders will help deal with perennial problems in the human settlements sector.

“They include intermittent but deadly fire hazards, rising occurrences of building collapse, rampant use of substandard materials in building construction, flooding endemic as well as unhealthy construction practices,” she said.

The Chairman, National Building Code Advisory Committee, Arc. M.J Faworaja described the outcome of the review as a collective effort from interna-

tional agencies, regulatory bodies as well as professional organisations.

He stressed on the consequences on an ineffective

and non-operational building code as it affects the sector.

According to him, the review addressed lapses noticed in the first edition

with certain re-alignment and in-depth additional inputs to adequately take care of the nation’s peculiar national challenge.

“There is need for a collective effort to ensure the implementation of this document to address the national embarrassment occasioned by the increasing cases of building failures…and takeover of the industry by quacks,” Faworaja added.

Presidency votes N25b to develop 250 local govts

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HE Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) Office of the Presidency has disclosed plans to commit about N25 billion to support development programmes in 250 local councils in the country.

The fund, which is part of efforts to fast track attainment of the MDGs will be disbursed under the Conditional Grant Scheme (CGS) of the office.

Speaking at a training workshop for the 2013 CGS to Local Government proposal writing in Abuja, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on MDGs, Dr. Precious Gbeneol, said the councils will be funded to the tune of N100million each to be counterpart funded by the state governments.

Gbeneol restated that the initiative would include a scale-up from the current 148 local councils to 250.

She said: “We are increas-

ing our funding, in 2011 we took 113 local governments and we gave N11.3b to them and the local government counter funded. In 2012, we increased to 148 local governments, taking four local governments per each state.

“In 2013, we are increasing to 250 local governments. That is the essence of the technical workshop today. N100m per each lo-

cal government, the states government will counterpart fund of another N100m.

While we give the local governors totally N25b, the states government will also put in N25b. Each state has six local governments, so each state is bringing in N600m, the Federal Government is putting in N600m in that particular state. This year we are giving out N25b, last year we gave out N14.8b,

The scale-up is to bring remarkable development to the people through the provision of essential basic services such as water, healthcare services, education and poverty reduction

in 2011, 11.3b.”

According to her, the scale-up was to bring remarkable development to the people through the provision of essential basic services such as water, healthcare services, education and poverty reduction.

The CGS channels debt relief gains (DRGs) to states and local government areas (LGAs) in a bid to address the nation’s most pressing developmental needs.

States and local councils apply competitively for grants from the CGS, which is dedicated to supporting sectoral initiatives to help attain the MDGs. Under the scheme, states and LGAs are required to provide matching counterpart funds for project securing funding under the CGS. Benefiting LGAs are entitled to N100 million annually which are counterpart funded by the states.

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THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2013

ABUJA REVIEW

I

T was clear back in May that the president was really determined to halt the rampage of Boko Haram, the nation’s deadliest enemy yet.

After many innocent souls were, again, sent to their early graves despite the Amnesty committee put in place three weeks earlier to dialogue with the deadly sects, President Goodluck Jonathan cut short his trip to South Africa on May 9 and shelved outright his scheduled state visit to Namibia.

Jonathan went further by ordering the movement of more troops to the North and declared a state of emergency in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states on May 14.

Over three months since the declaration, it has been claimed that great achievements have been recorded even though there were allegations of human rights abuses in some quarters.

Minister of State for Defence, Erelu Obada had reeled out the achievements to include halting the threat to Nigeria’s unity and protecting its territorial integrity, dislodging the terrorists, recovering arms and ammunition, mobilising the civil populace for input to intelligence gathering, and generation of international understanding and appreciation of Nigeria’s peculiar security situations.

To consolidate on its achievements and continue the fight against terrorists in the three troubled states, the Jonathan’s administration decided to create a new army division, BOYONA, headed by a Major-General, to take over from the Joint Military Task Force (JTF) on August

Is Shekau really dead?

From the Villa

By Augustine Ehikioya

19.

The Nigerian Airforce Strike Group based in Yola, Adamawa State, is also being

boosted with more fighter, patrol aircraft and helicopter gunships under the Tactical Air Command to provide air cover

Area council trains FCT youths

T

HE Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has boasted that, of the six area councils in the FCT, AMAC has done more in empowering its people.

This information was provided by the chairman of the Abuja

From Grace Obike Municipal Area Council (AMAC) Hon. Micah Jiba during an interview.

He stated that the area council which recently trained about 120 youths on how to produce recharge cards and purchased the machines for them before sending them

away, also pays about 400 youths the sum of N10,000 for the SURE-P programme. To take care of the aspect of sanitation and some of the youths are also being trained as tailors.

Hon. Jiba explained that the people would love to improve on agriculture and produce more but

• From left: Representative of the ICPC Chairman, Prof. Olu Aina; Special Adviser to the President on ethics and values, Dr Sarah Jubril and Managing Director, Triple 'a' Microfinance Bank, Abuja, Dr Dan Ogun, at the third national transparency summit of heads of institutions of higer learning.

over the Northeast.

But before the JTF handed over to the new division, it claimed that the Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau was likely killed from gunshots wounds sustained during an attack.

For Nigerians to be happy and be able to sleep with their two eyes closed, especially those leaving in that region, it will go a long way if they can really get evidence to show that the leaders and members of the deadly sects have either been arrested or killed in battle.

Collaboration with the neighboring countries should now be fully exploited to arrest

members of the sect who have fled to those countries.

To put a final stop to the terrorists’ activities in the country, the issue should also go beyond hunting down the terrorists’ leaders, members and their sponsors.

The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) and other relevant government agencies should take concrete steps, irrespective of the ECOWAS protocol on free movements, to firm up the Nigerian border.

Terrorists, criminals and illegal arms and ammunition should not be allowed to find their way into the country, under whatsoever guise.

cannot always afford to purchase the fertiliser, pesticides, grains etc needed so the area council provides it for them, which enables them produce more.

He said that one of the farmers recently suggested that the other area councils should emulate the Abuja Municipal Area Council, which is trying to turn the people into commercial farmers and not just for them to keep producing for their consumption alone.

Jiba insisted that his administration is moved by the motto: “jirgin talakawa” meaning train for the masses because he tries to take all the people along in whatever he does.

When asked how he felt on the senate’s rejection of the bill on local government autonomy especially since the area councils in the FCT already posses an autonomy and collects its money without any form of deduction, he said.

“It is only an envious person that appreciates enjoying alone, it is when people do not understand, that they will want things to happen to them alone and not want others to also benefit.

“It should be collective,” he explained. ”we are not happy, we the area council chairman here in

the FCT that we get our allocations directly from the source and other local governments in the country are unable to.

“We want everything to be in uniform; the issue of rejecting the bill should not come into play because even the president himself comes from a village and so does everyone else. If they say that their are three tiers of government, is the local government not part of it? They need to start from the local government, to states and then the national level.”

Hon. Jiba also said that, “Most of the challenges that the country faces is not at the state or national level but in the villages and communities where people are looking for water to drink and our job is to help alleviate their poverty. So the national assembly needs to review the issue of the local government autonomy.”

In the aspect of the health insurance scheme that was introduced by the FCT administration to all the communities in the FCT, Hon. Jiba says that, it has successfully reached areas in yanga and kwusayi where people have been suffering from malaria.

We want everything to be in uniform; the issue of rejecting the bill should not come into play because even the president himself comes from a village and so does everyone else

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THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2013

POLITICS

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TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2013

THE NATION

E-mail:- politics@thenationonlineng.net

A

BEOKUTA, the Ogun State capital, was in festive mood last Monday. It was the launching of the newly registered mega party, the All Progressives Congress (APC). Even for first time visitors, signs that an important event was taking place in the rock city abound.

From the countless buses, which were flamboyantly decorated with large posters of the party to the unusually heavy traffic, necessitating and endless hooting of car horns, heading for the Ake Palace Ground, venue of the event.

By 10 am, amidst shouts of APC — Change!!!, all adjourning streets to the venue were completely taken over by party loyalists. The venue itself was already filled. Security men had a hectic time controlling the crowd made up of men, women, youths, students, different groups of artisans in their uniforms, and in particular, market women who were so distinctly adorned in the colour of the party, were all there.

Large and imposing posters, proclaiming “mission to rebuild continues” and signed by different groups and individuals, hang strategically all over the venue.

There was so much music, which electrified the venue. Shouts of ‘change!!!’ accompanied with thousands of broom waving hands, filled the crowd with sheer excitement. On the stage, fuji maestro Alhaji Wasiu Ayinde led Adewale Ayuba and Sefiu Alao to dish out the type of politically slanted music that suited the mood of the moment, thrilling the mammoth crowd. Comedian, Fadeyi Oloro provided endless hilarious displays.

Chieftains of the defunct three parties from the local government areas the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), which merged to form the APC, were visibly happy as they hugged one another in a show of unity and solidarity.

Governor Ibikunle Amosun made what could be described as a triumphant entry into the venue at about 1.30 pm, riding in an open roof jeep, accompanied by his wife and other party chieftains. Wasiu Ayinde spiced up the moment with a peculiar note for the Governor, whose trade mark cap - ‘fila gogoro’ was the point of reference. It took security operatives more efforts to clear the way for him to get to the platform, as he waved his broom and acknowledged cheers from the throng of supporters. Once on the platform, party chieftains who had arrived before, took time to greet him amidst dancing and singing.

They include the Deputy Governor Chief Segun Adesegun, Speaker of the Ogun State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Suraj Adekanbi, Senator Olabiyi Durojaiye, Senator Iyabo Anisulowo, the Iyalode of Egba, Chief Alaba Lawson, former Speaker, Hon Tunji Egbetokun, members of the state executive and some lawmakers from the state assembly, and of course the former three chairmen of the defunct parties Hon Sunday Sowunmi of the defunct ANPP, Alhaji Tajudeen Olaitan Bello of the defunct ACN and Hon Kunle Mudasiru of the defunct CPC. There was also the former Youths and Sports Commissioner, Fatai Sowemimo, among many others.

As the session of greeting and waving ends, the National Anthem was played. It was followed immediately by the much loved Ogun State Anthem – Omo Ogun Ise Ya and opening prayers in both Christian and Islamic ways were offered to signify the commencement of the

A huge crowd of party supporters witnessed the launch of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

Assistant Editor AUGUSTINE AVWODE reports.

• Governor Ibikunle Amosun party chieftains, hoisting the APC flag.

APC’s day in Abeokuta

day’s business.

One after another, representatives of the merging parties gave resounding goodwill messages . They spoke of the determination of the APC to reposition the country and give the people hope. They canvassed unity and togetherness amongst party loyalists and support for the administration of the Governor Amosun.

While congratulating the party loyalists, Otunba Wasiu Olalekan of the defunct ANPP emphasised the fact that the three parties no longer exist but in their place, the APC has emerged in the state. He likened the new party to the Biblical Noah’s Ark, saying the APC was here to provide safety, security and succour for Nigerians.

“Let me congratulate all of us for this good development. There is unity in strength and that is why we are here today under one platform instead of three different parties. Our former parties no longer exist. They are gone. There is no more ACN, there is no more ANPP and there is no more CPC. What we have today is APC. “We are lucky to be in the Ark of Noah. This party is the Noah’s Ark of our time. Tell others to come in because it has the capacity to provide safety, security, and succor for all Nigerians. The party is open to all. But let us be united. There is strength in unity. We are here to

stay and give this country a new direction. Once more, let me congratulate you for being part of this history making process today in our state. God bless APC”, he said.

Another chieftain of the APC, Hon Rasaq Muse described the registration of the APC as the beginning of change in the country. He declared that the APC is the party to beat in subsequent elections in the country and called on the supporters of the party to enforce the change they so much desire by voting the party at all levels.

“The wind of change has begun.

The registration of this party is the beginning of the change that the country so direly need. It is here, and it is the party to beat. Please, go out and enforce the change by voting APC. The party will continue to win in Ogun, the Southwest and the country as a whole. Tell others to join, and always support the administration of our able and performing governor, so that he can continue to deliver the dividends of democracy for all of us in Ogun State”.

When it was time for Governor Amosun to address the gathering; the crowd went wild, singing his praises, chanting the slogan of the party, with the different groups trying frantically to out do one another. After several minutes, relative calm was restored for the governor to begin his address. Behind him stood, in solidarity, an array of

party chieftains, supporters and dignitaries. With a big bunch of broom in his hand, the symbol of the APC, Governor Amosun led the people in shouting the slogan of the party.

“APC”, to which the people responded with a thunderous “change.”

This went on for several minutes before he settled down for his address.

He announced to the cheering crowd the goodwill and felicitations from APC’s Interim National Chairman Chief Bisi Akande, national leaders of the party Gen Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) and Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and all other leaders of the party in the state.

He told the mammoth crowd that APC is the new mega party in town. he emphasised its national spread across the country from North to South, East to West. He stressed that the party was formed to give the country good governance and that the APC is determined to change the fortune of Nigerians for better.

Governor Amosun taunted those who had written off the merger plan as an impossible adventure by strange bedfellows. He declared that God loves Nigerians and that the registration of the APC was part of His answer to their prayers for a change.

“APC is the party for Nigerians. It is all over the country. If you come to the Southwest, it is here, if you go to the Southsouth it is there; in the Southeast, you will find us there. If you go to the Northwest, Northcentral and the Northeast, we are there. We are

‘We are here to give Nigerians good government. The APC is everything that is good. It will provide security of lives and property, it will provide stable energy, it will provide employment for all of us. It will ensure qualitative education for all and ensure that good healthcare is available to all’

right across the country. We are here to give Nigerians good government. The APC is everything that is good. It will provide security of lives and property, it will provide stable energy, it will provide employment for all of us. It will ensure qualitative education for all and ensure that good healthcare is available to all.

“That is why we are saying that we must be united always. Don’t make the mistake, there is no longer ACN or ANPP or CPC, what we have now is APC. Our opponents and enemies are ashamed now.

They said we won’t be able to agree on the name, we did, they said we won’t be able to agree on the logo, we did. They said we are not going to be able to come up with an interim executive, we did. Today the party is registered. We will always agree for the benefit of Nigeria and Nigerians.

“APC is a wonderful party. It is the party for good governance and the party with the solutions to Nigeria’s problems. We will achieve this through unity of purpose as demonstrated by our great leaders, who sank their personal views for the larger interest of Nigeria and her people. We are here to stay and to serve Nigerians and make Nigeria the country of our dream”, he said.

And with that, the curtain was drawn in Ogun State on the three former parties. In a symbolic gesture, which emphasized the end of the three parties, all their flags were wrapped with a bigger APC flag and taken away. And almost instantaneously, Governor Amosun led other top party chieftans of the APC to hoist the flag of the new party right there at the Ake Palace Ground, amidst fanfare and jubilation.

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POLITICS

‘APC is vehicle for change’ E

DO State Governor Adams Oshiomhole has described the All Progressive Congress (APC) as a vehicle for social change.

He said that the leaders of the party will use their ingenuity to effect social change in the country.

He spoke at the meeting of the party in Abuja last week. Oshiomhole said those opposed to the formation of the party resorted to blackmail by saying that it is not different from the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

He the leaders of the party had demonstrated commendable courage at different times. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), he said, enthrenched the culture of discipline in Nigeria, with the introduction of the War Against Indiscipline (WAI).

He also recalled that, when former President Olusegun Obasanjo withdrew the security aides of former Lagos State Governor, Bola Tinubu, he still ruled the state successfully.

Oshiomhole said the former Borno State Governor, Ali Modu Sheriff, stood against all odds to sweep away the ruling party from the state.

He also said that the former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, laid the foundation, which now makes the commission a dreaded organisation.

Governor Oshiomhole claimed that he has effected a huge political change by defeating the acclaimed political godfather of the state.

“I have mentioned only these few names just to remind Nigerians that we have within the APC family tested and trusted materials, which is the main difference between us and other people.

“But, let me also mention that when we talk about change, we want to change from a nation that relies on import to a nation that wants to produce; from a nation that sees the youths as a burden, to a nation that sees the youths as valued assets. We want to bring value to the quality of our human capital, rather than sheer number of our population.”

Oshiomhole said that, since the people own the power, APC must be connected to them.

“Allow me to congratulate the leaders of the three parties. And of course, the elders of the three parties that have come to form the APC and as well as my brother, who brought the authentic APC.

From John Ofikhenua and Chioma Onyia, Abuja

“ To use the word change, as a slogan, means it is something that has been properly thought over and carefully chosen. Therefore, you must go around for you to properly educate and sensitise our people. There have been all kinds of write-ups and analysis .

“We are different from others, if we are not different, we will have no reason to ask for change. They asked, who are our leaders and why should we be trusted? And I think, for all of you, who have come from different areas of the 774 local government areas, you have a message for them. From the ANPP, we have Modu Sheriff, we have Yerima . And for those with memory, you know that it requires courage, energy, conviction and vision for Yerima to be able to uproot certain forces in Zamfara; for him to assume the governorship of that state at a time when PDP badly wanted to take over Zamfara State.

“So, can we question the capacity of Yerima to drive change from that part of the country?

Modu has lectured us that his life is synonymous with opposition.

He has demonstrated that he doesn’t want to go with the wind in the areas of what he believes in. It takes courage, honour and conviction to choose to be different, even if that means to be isolated. Is that not a demonstration of character?

Oshimhole described Buhari as a man who made remarkable inpression in Nigerian during the short period he led the country.

According to him, Buhari has demonstarted what it means to lead by example.

“We have here a man who is respected, acknowledged appreciated across the 36 states of the Federation, a former Head of State, who showed that it is not how many months you rule, but what difference you make in power. Gen Muhammed Buhari demonstrated that Nigeria’s case is not hopeless; that when the leader is disciplined, the people will follow.

“Under six months, Nigeria under Buhari learnt how to queue, how to behave and how to respect the rights of the poor. So, you can see some coordinated attempts to demonise some of our most outstanding leaders with enormous electoral value. Therefore, when

• Ezeemo

A

NAMBRA State All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship aspirant refuted the claim that he had stepped down for Senator Chris Ngige, who is also running for the governorship on the same platform.

He said that he looked forward

to the shadow poll, where the aspirants will test their popularity before the party delegates.

Ezeemo spoke with reporters in Lagos on the activities of the party, especially the preparations for the November 16 election.

He said: ‘’ I have not stepped down for anybody and will never do that. I have always believed in free and fair contest where the best candidate will emerge. I want to state unequivocally that I am still in the race for Anambra governorship under the platform of All Progressives Congress; a party I and other well meaning Anambra people worked hard to build”.

“The rumour making the rounds that Chris Ngige has emerged was the flag bearer of the All Progressives Congress in the November 16 Anambra election is baseless and unfounded.”

He added: “Those who do not

Chief Owolabi Salis is aspiring to become the National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He spoke with reporters in Lagos on his plans for the party. MUSA ODOSHIMOKHE reports.

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• Oshiomhole

you go back and they ask the question, you must ask them to remember the General for the difference that he made”.

On Tinubu, who was unavoidably absent at the Abuja meeting, Oshiomhole said, in him, the party has a good fighter for the cause he believes in. “This morning, we are not privileged to have Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu here. We must remind ourselves that in Tinubu, we have a fighter.

A man, who stood against a General and defeated him with bare hands. They were determined to take over Lagos. They changed the commissioner of police, INEC, electoral officers and they withdrew his ADC and yet, he defeated them in the battle for political supremacy. He used the power of the energy, creativity and the doggedness of a man to defeat those who were armed with armoured vehicles. In him, we have a fighter that we can depend on for change.”

He said he had to mention a few names in the APC to tell the world that in the APC, there are leaders who have been tested and trusted. “ I only mentioned these few names, just to remind Nigerians that we have within the family of APC, tested and trusted materials to make the difference between us and other people.

‘I’m still in race for Anambra governor’

By Emmanuel Oladesu

‘Reconcilation in PDP possible’

want to go to the polls to test their popularity and want to take power through the backdoor are clearly scared of my pedigree. I challenge them to the contest before Anambra people who have the ultimate right and final say on who governs them”.

Ezeemo called for internal democracy in the APC, stressing that it is critical to its survival. He added: ‘’I have a very firm belief that free and fair primaries for the purpose of electing a flagbearer for our great party, All Progressives Congress, in the forth coming Anambra governorship elections will make our party stronger,” he said.

The politician also advised APC leaders to always hold consultations with stakeholders before taking decisions on salient party matters.

He said:”I stand for free, fair and credible primaries. No more, no less.”

HY are you running for the post of the National Secretary of the PDP? I have been in the race previously, but was asked to step down for Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola. Three of us ran for the post then; Oyinlola and Dapo Sarumi and myself. Now that the position is vacant again, I felt I should present myself for the position. I have this plan to advance the interest of the less privileged in Nigeria. Being the National Secretary of the PDP, it will be a very good platform for me to realiSe this dream.

Your party is plagued by internal crises. How would you bring about peace in the beleaguared party?

It is not only the PDP that is battling internal crises. There are other parties that are equally facing internal wrangling. That of the PDP is pronounced because we are in government. The big names in this country are in the PDP. So, facing such challenges is not unusual. For PDP to face what is happening now is not unexpected because of the diverse interests in it. And when you are competing, it is either you take positive or negative steps. Some people have taken positive steps to outsmart other persons and some have found themselves taking negative steps.

Some PDP governors are against the second term ambition of President Goodluck Jonathan...

Their going around may not work eventually. I can assure you that they will end up supporting President Jonathan for a second term, if he decides to run. You have to understand the position of the President and Commander- in-Chief, which is two people in one person. If he decides to use his power, I don’t believe they cannot contend with him, but he has conducted himself as a gentleman;

someone who will not give you problems. He is the kind of man who will not create problems were there should be no problem. Now let’s look at it, this is how they are going to support Jonathan. I have done the calculation myself in the sense that he is going to win again.

This is drawn from the fact that we have six zones in the country, in the Southsouth, he will win, Southeast where we have APGA, they are going to support Jonathan, that means six plus five equals eleven. So, we need 19 states for Jonathan to emerge and are you telling me that Jonathan is not going to get nine states from the others zones?

And again, it depends on who is the candidate of APC. APC don’t have the personality that can defeat the PDP. If it is Hon. Aminu Tanbuwal the they are looking up to, I can assure you that Tanbuwal will not make that mistake of joining APC because the PDP has the formation, the people and capacity to win elections at any time.

What is the way forward in the PDP? The fact that we have gone through all this in the PDP is a big opportunity for the party to put its house in order.

You can see the efforts being made by the party to come together and build a united front. Everybody is talking about peace and reconciliation and so, at the end of the day, the reconciliation that will bring lasting peace to the party will take place. Then, let me also add that initially, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo was annoyed with President Goodluck Jonathan because of the issue of Boko Haram. Chief Obasanjo wants the unity of Nigeria and I think they have overcome that challenge because of the bold action the President took in his move to curb the Boko Haram insurgency. Obasanjo and General Ibrahim Babangida want peace and unity of Nigeria but Boko Haram was leading us to division in the country.

And I can assure you that everything will be resolved in favour of the President.

What is your reaction to the registration of the APC? APC has come on board. It is good for the politics of Nigeria and, as far as the Southwest is concerned, particularly, Lagos, it a welcome development. For Lagos PDP, we have good and outstanding politicians. And given that Lagos is very important and crucial in Nigeria, being the former capital and the commercial nerve centre of the country. But unfortunately, the PDP is yet to have the opportunity to rule Lagos State. If we have such opportunity, I want to say Lagos State will impact on other states in the country.

• Salis

Kudos for Okorocha

A

By Musa Odoshimokhe

GROUP in the All Progressives Congress (APC), Lagos State, has expressed satisfaction with the way Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha led the Igbo to the APC. The chairman of of the group, Mr. James Opara, said Okorocha’s decision is clearly in favour of the progressive elements across the country.

“He believes in the progress of Nigeria and took this bold decision because we need to get to mainstream politics,” he said. Opara said the governor is a detribali sed patriot, whose concern for Nigeria is legendary.

“Many enter into minor parties because they feel that the big parties will not their views. So, the merger of these entities to form a bigger bloc is the most welcome development.”

Opara thanked the leaders of the APC for their vision and foresight. “Nigerians will remain grateful, in particular to General Mohammadu Buhari and Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, who have come together to save Nigeria from stealing, killing and destruction.”

He said that Nigeria has been held down by regional politics and it was high time the country came together to confront the monster, which was unleashed on the nation.

“All the attendant conflicts, insecurity and displeasure are evidence that the country was disintegrating and was in dire need of a government that will save the country, this is what the APC will offer.”

He called on members to support Okorocha, saying that the suspension placed on him by the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) was done in bad faith because the governor has lived up to expectation,- in terms of the delivery of the dividends of democracy.

He maintained that Ndigbo will put its weight behind APC because it is the only feasible platform to get to mainstream politics.

HEALTH

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THE NATION

E-mail:- health@thenationonlineng.net

Experts raise the alarm over rising E kidney failure cases XPERTS have raised the alarm over the rise in number of those with kidney failure worldwide.

The number have risen from 1.5 million to three million, they said at a forum in Lagos organized

by St Nicholas Hospital in collaboration with the Chief Moses Adekoyejo Majekodunmi Foundation (MAMF).

The experts include Minister of Health, Prof.

Onyebuchi Chukwu; eminent urologist and Transplant Surgeon at Fortis Hospital, Bangalore, India, Dr. Mohan Keshavamurthy; Consultant Nephrologist and Medical Director, Ibadan Hypertension Clinic, Prof emeritus Oladipo Akinkugbe; Provost, College of Medicine, University of Lagos (CMUL), Prof. Folashade Ogunsola; Vice Chancellor, Lagos State University (LASU), Prof. John Obafunwa; Lagos State Commissioner of Health Dr. Jide Idris; Ogun State Commissioner of Health Dr. Olaokun Soyinka.

They called for regular public enlightenment sessions on chronic kidneydisease (CKD) and end stage renal disease (ESRD), adding that the government should improve the socio-economic status of Nigerians; ensure good sanitation and literacy; enact an Organ Transplant Act; establish a National Renal Registry and Kidney Transplant Programme; expand the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to accommodate patients with kidney failure; develop a data bank for disease donour transplant and subsidise costs of immunosuppressive drugs.

The experts said people get CKD and ESRD because of the increase in abuse and indiscriminate use of herbal concoctions, bleaching creams and soaps, alcohol, hard drugs and smoking, adding that most people living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), were in the low socioeconomic status (Gross Domestic Product - GDP)

Stories by Oyeyemi Gbenga-Mustapha

of the country.

In a paper titled: Renal Transplantation at St Nicholas Hospital, the journey so far, Dr Ebun Bamgboye, Head, Dialysis/Transplant Unit of the hospital, said the number were 'just spiraling.'

He said: “In 1990, we probably had fewer than half a million people on dialysis, by 2000, the number had increased to 1.5 million. Currently, we know that close to three million people with different forms of CKD and ESRD are all around the world. Unfortunately, those in developing world, particularly sub-Saharan Africa, are not coping well unlike in North America and Europe where they are able to cope with over 1,000 patients per a million. The number of patients in Africa that are benefitting from therapy are less than 50 per million and this is not because we don’t have patients with CKD. Bamgboye added: “We know that there is a clear association between your GDP per capita and the number of patients you are able to provide care for. If you look carefully, you will also see that it reflects on your life expectancy, which has gone up to about 52 years in Nigeria.”

He cited reasons for the prevalence of the disease in Nigeria, saying: “We know that race, ethnicity and genetics have roles to play. You know that CKD tends to be two to three times more common in men than women. You know that the older you get, the greater the likelihood that something will go wrong with your kidneys.

“We also recognise that there is spiral increase in patients with diabetes. It is estimated that very

soon, we would have doubled the number of diabetics in the world and the number in Nigeria, which incidentally was only about two per cent is now in Lagos; it is estimated that about eight per cent of our population are diabetic. Also, hypertension, obesity are increasing; we have all become urbanised, and no one wants to live in the villages again.”

He added: “In developed parts of the world where studies have been done, it has been shown that when you compare people from Africa with those from other ethnicgroups, you find out that the black race for some reasons is more predisposed to CKD than any other.

“Hypertension is twice as likely to cause a stroke in black men, twice as likely to end up with a heart failure and four times more likely to end up with kidney failure. In the United States where blacks are only about 15 per cent of the population, they constitute almost 60 per cent of patients on dialysis in that country.”

To avoid CKD, Akinkugbe said: “We must go a step further on the economics of health.

Hippocrates has taught us. The complexity of kidney transplantation is a global thing. It is not just incumbent in Nigeria. In more advanced countries you still find the problem. Since, we began transplantation, we have done less than 200. The implication is that if we look at the etiology of CKD that is the cause, the three major causes chronic glomerulonephritis, hypertension and diabetes. If you look at the etiopathogenesis, what are the causes? We will probably be saving thousands of lives. Etiopathogenesis is the cause and

• From left: Former President, Paediatrician Association of Nigeria (PAN) Dr Dorothy Esangbedo; President, Prof Adebiyi Olowu; GMD, Emzor Pharmaceuticals Dr Stella Okoli and Senior Paediatrician Consultant Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH), Zaria, Prof Okala William at a meeting on protection against Polio Meningitis by Emzor in Lagos.

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NAFDAC arrests fake importers of drugs

HE National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has arrested importers of counterfeit medicines and other regulated products.

Briefing reporters in Lagos, NAFDAC Director-General Dr Paul Orhii said the counterfeit medicines and other such regulated products have serious health implications which can lead to death, serious health hazards and security risk to the environment.

Those arrested include Ndubuisi of OkeArin Market, Lagos, for illegal importation of packaging materials; Anthony in

Sabon Gari, Kano for importing fake drugs and Okeke for importing large consignment of packaging materials for Vaseline products.

Orhii said: “Also, a clearing agent was arrested for attempting to clear 40 packages of fake Tramadol capsules. Chidinnma from Onitsha and one Chioma (surname unknown) were arrested for importing fake Postinor 2 tablets. Aaron was arrested for importing illegal packaging materials for carrot white miracle serum.

“One Chimezie was arrested for importing two large packages of aluminium caps

for wine at the Nigeria Handling Company (NAHCO). Also arrested was Mr Adewale Alaka for illegal importation of packaging materials for bioclaire lightening body cream at NAHCO; One Oke was arrested for importing one large consignment of packaging material for Royal Stallion rice.”

He said Clifford imported various unregistered pharmaceutical products which were intercepted at NAHCO. Orhii said a firm in Okota, Lagos imported fake caustic soda while another importer yet-to-be identified had his consignment from China intercepted at NAHCO.

development of a disease or abnormal condition. ”Glomerulonephritis is a very expensive form of disease to treat and its management, treatment affordability is beyond the generality of the population in the developing world not just in Nigeria.

Therefore, what should we do? One must begin seriously to look at etiopathogenesis and I think this is where the Foundations become relevant because if you combine end stage management of kidney disease and transplant to looking at what actually causes it, why is the incidence so high in this part of the world compared to the black race.’’

He added: “There must be a reason and to that reason I charge the foundation to perhaps devote sometime on this. Maybe by awarding research grants, you can break new grounds that will lead to the solution to the ethiopathogenesis. Then you would have solved the problem not only for Nigeria, but to the rest of the developing world. That is the challenge I will like to throw at researchers, which will make the totality of the efforts more effective. I think we should focus more attention on the beginning rather than the end of these conditions.”

‘Self-breast scrutiny can prevent cancer’

T

O prevent cancer, young women have been advised to embrace early breast self-examination.

Giving this advice, the Director, Initiative for Peacebuilding and Social Change, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), Mrs Otinu Gbarada, said: “These young ladies are most at risk population and such intervention would go a long way in addressing late presentation. At least, once a girl is able to identify and open up to her parents on detection of a lump in her breast, a whole lot can be prevented.”

She spoke at a forum by her group for pupils of Government Technical College, Agidingbi, Ikeja, Lagos.

She said: “BSE is a comfortable way of getting to know your breasts. Every woman needs to understand that her breast functions beyond aesthetic/breast feeding purpose because it deserves as much care and observation given to any other part of the body.

“I am not excluding any woman, but any lady above 40 should attend routine breast screening and do mammography. They should educate a daughter, a girlfriend, family or loved one to be breast aware so as to prevent or survive breast cancer.

“Hence females are enjoined to carry out selfexamination on their breasts, including entire breast, armpit and collar bone region and report any changes or observation to your doctor without delay.”

Mrs Gbarada said cases of breast cancer detected early want lead to high survival rates.

“Screening is meant to discover cancers at an early stage when they are so small to cause any damage. BSE or breast awareness can go a long way in preventing advanced breast cancer when done regularly and carefully,” she said.

She added that “Lumps that are different from breast tissue, lump in the armpit/collar bone, change in skin appearances such as redness, warmth, orange peel appearances; brownish or bloody discharge from nipple, constant pain in armpit or breast, change in size or nipple should be taken serious.”

She encouraged also women to go for cervical cancer screening.

“Cervical cancer is preventable. It is caused

by Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), but preventable through screening and treatment by vaccination, especially women who show positive signs of pre-cancerous changes on their cervix before it turns into cancer. Screening is one of the best defences against cervical cancer because research has shown that many of those who develop it have never been screened,” she said.

Executive Director Gbenga Gbarada said HIV/AIDS: “But if you have persistent fever; white coating on tongue; prolonged diarrheoa/stooling; enlarged gland in neck, groin or armpits, persistent cough, skin infections and unexplained weight loss of up to 10 per cent body weight, you need to screen for HIV. These symptoms do not necessarily mean you are HIV positive, but an anti body test should be done to ascertain your status.”

By In

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ENERGY THE NATION

E-mail:- energy@thenationonlineng.net

Egbin now generates 220MW

•Minister of Petroleum Resources Mrs Allison-Madueke

•Nwapa

•NNPC Group Managing Director , Andrew Yakubu

‘Nigeria incurs huge cost on imported oil equipment’ N

IGERIA is spending a fortune on the importation of oil and gas equipment because of the poor state of local market. At an energy forum in Lagos last week, participants said the country spends billions of dollars on the importation.

Among the participants are Executive Secretary, Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, Ernest Nwapa, the Managing Director, the National Petroleum Development Company(NPDC) Mr Victor Briggs and former Director, Department of Petroleum Resources, Tony Chukwueke.

Nwapa said efforts were now geared towards domesticating manufacturing of these equipment.

He said there were equipment that could be manufactured locally, adding that the government and operators were planning to ensure such facilities are produced in Nigeria. The need to keep a higher percentage of the yearly oil spend within, he said, was imperative to move the country forward, adding that the country would realise a lot of money from production of vessels, pipe and others.

He said the pilot project of a pipe mill would soon be launched, adding that the idea will help in encouraging local expertise, provide jobs, and save the country a lot of money.

Nwapa said: “We are working with the operators to establish pipe mills for the carriage of crude.

Projects worth billions of dollars are going on across the country.

We want to see a revamp of the dockyards and subsequent construction of oil vessels. Indigenous marine vessel operators include Aero Marine, Britannia, Vigeo and others. We want to see an expansion of local segment of the oil and industry in the next few years.

“We want to see a situation whereby rigs and fabricated yards are owned by Nigerians, and not foreign oil services companies. We should get our people owing these assets for growth. We are trying to increase what we are doing in terms of facilities and human resources deployed to the sector.

That is the fundamental thing the Board is doing. Nigeria has been

Stories by Akinola Ajibade

buying ideas and equipment, a development that has resulted in capital flight and loss of opportunities to employers locally.

Nwapa said the nation was moving towards entrenching the Nigerian Content Perspective in the industry, saying the Board has engaged the managing directors of International Oil Companies (IOCs) on the issue. “We are training people holistically, Thereafter, we attach them to a company to demonstrate what they have taught,” he said.

Nwapa said the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) has resulted in a change in the mindset of operators, suppliers and vendors, stressing that they have a local content benchmark in what they are doing in the industry.

Briggs said the PIB was having a spillover effect on other sectors, noting that many organisations were introducing local content policies.

He said hitherto, indigenous oil production accounted for less than ten per cent of the upstream operations, but added that local producers have increased their output to over 30 per cent.

“Local producers produce lower quantities of oil because there is shortage of blocks. There is an aspect of PIB that make provision for increase in the production of indigenous companies. When the bill is passed, there would be blocks for operators to work with.

The bill ensures that idle blocks are made productive. We are

looking at a tax regime of between 55 per cent and 57 per cent for small operators, as against 88 per cent tax rate imposed on them.

There is provision for tax holidays as well, explaining that based on this, small firms would be able to play well and grow their businesses.

He lamented the government inability to get enough oil royalties, stressing that things would change when the bill is passed. He said there are lots of gas export projects compared to domestic gas market, adding that PIB will remove cross- subsidisation of gas market and its attendant inefficiency.

“There is an aspect of PIB that is devoted to strengthening of the domestic market.The bill will galvanise the interest of the stakeholders when passed into law,” he said.

Chukwueke urged the government to improve oil production for growth, saying no crude oil producer would like the price to crash because of the benefits derived from it.

He advised the government to put in place measures that would improve production, arguing that the development will help the country absorb volatilities in the market.

“The reason oil price has not fallen to $6 per barrel is because countries are not ready to crash for the sake of their economies. They need high price of crude. If Nigeria does not do something now, when the price is crashed, the impact will be on the country, “ he said.

‘We want to see a situation whereby rigs and fabricated yards are owned by Nigerians, and not foreign oil services companies.

We should get our people owing these assets for growth. We are trying to increase what we are doing in terms of facilities and human resources deployed to the sector’

THE Egbin Thermal Station in Lagos is now adding 220 megawatts (MW) to the national grid following the repair of its faulty sixth turbine unit (T06) The power plant, which has installed capacity of 1,320Mw, had suffered setback for some years because of ageing parts and paucity of funds to upgrade the facility. It was generating about 700MW, before it collapsed.

The Chief Executive Officer of the power plant, Mike Uzoigwe, said: “The power would be restored in a short while, due to its new ‘black-starting’ mechanism. Before now, system collapse takes power plants in Nigeria about five days to restore electricity, but the black-starting technology would make it possible within hours.

Uzoigwe said the power plant would be operating at full capacity soon, after about seven years of partial operation. It was build about 30 years ago to operate on six turbine units at 220MW each, until 2006, when the unit six exploded due to some water tube challenges.

He said the contract to fix the unit was awarded to the Original Equipment Manufacturer(OEM)- Hitachi of Japan, adding that the company had spent so much money to secure some parts of the plant, but between 2011 and last year, it ordered and replaced all the cannibalised spares and also awarded contract for the final repairs at approximately N1 billion.

“Unit six job will last for 90 days after which the unit should be handed over completely and ready for operation. Works effectively started on July 1, this year and still going on. This will lay to rest the rumours that money meant for ST-06 repairs was diverted some times in the past,” he said.

He explained that the delay in starting the job was because it did not get the nod of the Bureau for Public Procurement (BPP) early enough to award the contract due to their exhaustive procedure of making sure the contract price was right.

“We have started anyway and it is hoped we will deliver on time. We are in the interim discovering everyday some other parts we need to replace. This will cost some more money andwe will soon take it up with the minister of power to source for more funds,” he said.

Uzoigwe welcomed the privatisation, adding that although the taking over of the assets would soon happen, the management have a philosophy of continuation with all what it is suppose to be doing until the day the new investors take over.

The Nation visit to the plant showed that serious works were ongoing; the experts handling different parts of the turbine, ready to be fixed up any moment. Some of the new parts were seen strategically laid around the affected turbine.

Uzoigwe said repair of damaged boiler was awarded to KEPCO at $17,950 million and 100 per cent completed; Dry storage awarded to Igodi at N9.8 million, emergency repairs of generator rotor and BFP motor rotors awarded to Maurubeni at $6,791 million; replacement of damaged reheater outlet coils and comprehensive inspection of reheater inlet coils was awarded to KEPCO at $4,943 million and N74,615 million; supply of new AVR cubicle for thyristor excitation system was awarded to Marubeni at 117,926 million Yen and reapir of LP turbine rotor journals awarded to G.E at $1,524 million among the list of 11 projects, are all 100 per cent completed, except for the supply of cannibalised items which were at 80 per cent completion.

Residents oppose plans to install electricity poles in estate

By Ambrose Nnaji

RESIDENTS of an estate in Arepo, Ogun State, have opposed the proposed in installation of high tension poles in the area.

The Journalists’ Estate Residents’ Development Association (JERDA) said the plan was inimical to environmental, urban and physical planning laws of the state.

In a petition to the Chief Executive Officer, Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company, PHCN Zonal Headquarters, Alausa Ikeja, the residents said the action was also against the mandatory set back for high tension cables going through residential areas as stipulated in the state’s building plan regulations.

They said the minimum setback for power lines shall not be less than 11Kv or 8 metres, 33Kv or 10 metres, 132kv or 15 metres, and 330kv or 50 metres, arguing that the erection of high tension wire in front of the houses would subject the occupants to untold health hazards, including exposure to high level radiation which may cause cancer, infertility due to discharges from high tension wire, electrocution, lung and respiratory related ailments associated with high tension cable installation.

From preliminary investigation, the initial approval for the project was nowhere near the journalists’ estate. But the contractor handling the project had decided to cut cost and opted for an easy way out by running the cable through a side street adding that such move would bring about environmental hazard not only to the residents but to the entire community The residents have therefore appealed to the executive officer to use his good office stop the project and call the contractor handling the project to order by doing the needful, to avoid a breakdown of law and order “We appeal to you to halt the execution of this project and direct the contractor to explore alternative routes outside populated areas in view of perceived health and safety hazards to residents. We request that a proper Environmental Impact Assessment of this project be demanded from the developer and the contractor.”

Sambo, others for conference VICE President Namadi Sambo and the Chief Executive officer, Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) Dr Sam Amadi will address participants at the WorldStage Power Conference taking place in Lagos on September 24.

The theme of the conference is: Moving electricity power sector forward.

Amadi is scheduled to present a paper, Power sector liberalisation and regulatory challenges.

According to the President, WorldStage, Mr Segun Adeleye, the conference is coming on the heels of the decision of the 13 consortia to meet the deadline for the payment of their 75 per cent before they can take over the assets of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN).

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NEWS

•From left: Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF)Anyim Pius Anyim; Enugu State Governor Sullivan Chime; Aviation Minister Ms Stella Oduah; Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu; Abia State Governor Theodore Orji and Anambra State Governor Peter Obi waving to the crowd on the stair of the Ethopian Airline, which began international flight from Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu...at the weekend.

•Lagos State Deputy Governor Mrs. Adejoke Orelope-Adefulure (right) inaugurating Ibis Hotel, Ikeja financed by Skye Bank Plc. With her (from left) are Executive Director,Corporate Banking, Skye Bank Plc Timothy Oguntayo; Chairman/CEO, HDV Nig Ltd Olufemi Okenla and his wife Dupe.

PHOTOS DAYO ADEWUNMI

•L-R: Mr Bola Sofola, Conference Producer, Mrs Rooma Meetoo, Mayor, Municipal Council of Quatre-Bornes,Mauritius, AG. Chief Executive,R.manna,Municipal Council of Quatre-bornes, Mauritius, Dr Joe Okei- Odumakin Summit Chairperson and Mr. Mario Desire Bienvenu, Mayor, Municipal Council of Curepipe, Mauritius.

•From left: External Communications Officer of FCMB Michael George; South Western Zonal Head of FCMB Emmanuel Egbetade receiving an award on behalf of Founder of FCMB Otunba Subomi Balogun from Editor-in-Chief, Fortune and Class Magazine Niyi Akinsiju.

• Lagos State Commissioner for Finance Mr. Ayo Gbeleyi (fourth left) greeting the Managing Director/CEO UBA Trustees Mrs Oluwatoyin Sanni (second right) during the Fourth Annual General Meeting of the Lagos State N50billion Fixed Rate Bond Programme (series 1) 2009/2014 by Lagos State Government Ministry of Finance Debt Management Office in Lagos. With them are Accountant-General Mr David Sunmoni (right), Permanent Secretary, Debt Mangement Office Mrs Olabowale Ademola (third left); Mrs Seyi Williams (second left) and Auditor-General Mrs Funmilayo Deyile.

PHOTO: OMOSEHIN MOSES

•Olota of Ota, Oba Moshood Oyede (left), presenting a certificate to Senator Akin Odunsi during the conferment of a chieftancy title as the Maiyegun of Ota on the senator representing Ogun West Senatorial District in Ota, Ogun State... at the weekend.

•From left: Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Nigeria Railways Corporation (NRC) Adesoji Sijuwade; Chairman, NRC Board Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje; and Area Comptroller Nigeria Custom Apapa, Comptroller Charles Edike during the flag-off of Lagos-Kano container traffic and commissioning of 4 Nos New CNR 1800HP Locomotives with CAT 3412 Engine and 2 Nos 100Tons Telescopic Railway Cranes, held at APM Terminals, Apapa Wharf, Lagos…at the weekend.

• From left: Director, Labouratory Service, National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Ms Stella Denloye, NAFDAC Director-General Dr. Paul Orhil, Ms. Ludovica Chizzoni of the Internatioinal Trade Centre and former Project Coordinator, Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF) Mrs. Omowunmi Osibo at a training to enhance the export of sheanut, butter and sesame seeds from Nigeria in Lagos...at the weekend.

PHOTO: ABIODUN WILLIAMS •Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Legislative Compliance Moruf Akinderu-Fatai (left) and an official of Eco Bank Mr Jamiu Badru during the funeral of Alhaja Sidikat Akinderu in Lagos.

PHOTO: SOLOMON ADEOLA

•From left: Winner of 2012 7Up HBS Scholarship award Olujimi Williams, recipient of the 2013 7Up HBS Scholarship Mayowa Kujoro, Head of Marketing, Seven-Up Bottling Company Plc Mr. Norden Thurston and winner 2011 7Up HBS Scholarship award/first graduate of the programme Misan Rewane at the unveiling ceremony of the third winner of the 7Up Harvard Business School Scholarship Award in Lagos.

THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2013

53

NEWS

Nwoye named Anambra PDP candidate

T

HE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has announced Tony Nwoye as the party’s candidate for the November 16 governorship election in Anambra State.

The National Chairman, Bamanga Tukur, aid Nwoye was elected at the primaries held on Saturday by the Ken Emeakayi-led faction.

The announcement was based on a report on the result submitted to the party’s leadership by Katsina State

From Gbade Ogunwale, Assistant Editor, Abuja

Governor Ibrahim Shema.

Shema was the chairman of a five-man congress committee set up the PDP to conduct the primaries.

According to the report, Nwoye scored 498 votes to beat Nicholas Ukachukwu, who scored 357 votes. Alex Obiogolu was said to have come third with 13 votes.

The report said 14 aspirants participated in the con-

gress in which 916 delegates voted.

However, a parallel congress conducted by the Ejike Oguebego faction declared Andy Uba as the party’s candidate for the same election.

The Oguebego faction is recognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Thanking the Shema committee, Tukur said Nwoye’s election was sacrosanct and that Anambra PDP had spoken.

He added that the PDP does not have any anointed candidate and that Nwoye emerged through a free, fair and transparent process.

However, stakeholders in the party are worried about the crisis that marred the primaries. While the congress that produced Uba was conducted by the authentic chairman of the troubled chapter, the accredited delegates participated in the factional congress that produced Nwoye.

‘Orji’s legacies’ll endure in Abia’

A

Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) Maxi Okwu yesterday said the faction will field a candidate for the November 16 governorship election in Anambra State.

Okwu said considering the performance of Governor Peter Obi ,APGA would win the election.

Okwu pledged to fight on until he recovers the party’s leadership from “illegal occupants.”

The APGA factional chairman spoke after a church service in Nkpokolo Achi in Oji-River Local Government Area of Enugu State, to mark his late father’s 90th birthday.

He said: “I pray fervently that APGA wins on November 16, which is the late Nnamdi Azikiwe’s birthday, because if we don’t win

owned radio, which announced the list.

The details, which were still sketchy, had the name of former Commissioner for Information, Chinedu Offor.

He is now the new deputy Chief of Staff.

Offor, who confirmed his new appointment, directed our reporter to listen to radio announcement to get the full list.

Nine lawyers de-robed

N

From Nicholas Kalu, Calabar

INE lawyers have been de-robed by the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) for professional misconduct, president of the association, Okey Wali (SAN) has

‘Stop using youths as thugs’

W

From Odogwu Emeka Odogwu, Onitsha

IFE of Anambra State Governor Mrs. Margret Peter Obi yesterday warned parents against allowing their children to be used as thugs during the

election.

She advised mothers against allowing their children to be used as thugs by politicians.

Mrs. Obi spoke yesterday at the annual women empowerment programme visit to communities in Achalla Awka North Local Government Area.

The Commissioner for Women Affairs, Lady Henrietta Agbata, advised the women to use everything given to them judiciously.

Ebonyi to build N200m pipe factory •Anambra State Governor Peter Obi (left) and former Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Osaeloka Obaze waiting to vote at the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) primaries ... yesterday

Another baby factory discovered in Imo

W

OMEN from Umuguma in Owerri West Local Government Area of Imo State yesterday uncovered a baby factory in the area.

This followed a search conducted as part of activities to mark this year’s August meeting.

A teenage girand the owner of the “factory”, Chukwudima Chinedu, were arrested.

They have been handed over to the police.

Over 1,000 women, decked in

From Okodili Ndidi, Owerri

black, marched on the Government House, saying the “baby factory” has been in the community for the last three years.

The women’s leader, Mrs. Rose Ozoemena, described the sale of babies as an abomination.

She said the purpose of the protest was to appeal to Governor Rochas Okorocha to close the factory.

Addressing the women on behalf of the government, the Sole

APGA faction to field candidate in ACTIONAL National APGA winner. But I will Anambra the Chairman of the All win.

F

I

From Okodili Ndidi, Owerri

said.

Presenting a mid-term score card at the opening of the 53rd Annual General Conference of the NBA held in Calabar yesterday, he said the affected lawyers were tried and found guilty by NBA’s Legal Practitioner’s Disciplinary Committee.

Wali said the names of the affected lawyers have been struck off the roll of practicing lawyers in Nigeria “for varying levels of professional misconduct.”

From Sunny Nwankwo, Aba

LAWYER, Okey Ogbonna, has said Governor Theodore Orji’s legacies will endure in Abia State.

In an interview on the 22nd anniversary of the state’s creation, Ogbonna said the governor has placed the state on a sound footing.

“Governor Orji’s legacies will endure. He has taken Abia to the next level of development. His vision transcends all sectors.

When you consider the state of development in Abia before he took over in 2007, Abia was nowhere in the area of development.

“He built the International Conference Centre, secretariat, High Court complexes in Aba and Umuahia, restoration of master plan of Aba, dialysis and ophthalmology centres, new health centres and housing estates. So many youths and women have been empowered.

“The governor has revamped the agricultural sector with his liberation farms and the resuscitation of the palm and rubber estates as well as the distribution of improved seedling and fertilisers to farmers.

“Orji has blazed the trail by embarking on massive rehabilitation of roads in Aba and Umuahia.”

Ogbonna, who was a former Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, said the governor has lived up to the ideals of the founding fathers.”

Okorocha appoints aides

MO State Governor Rochas Okorocha has appointed special assistants and other personal aides.

The appointment which jolted his supporters and some former political appointees, was contained in a statement by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof.

Anthony Anwuka.

The document, which was hidden from reporters, was however given to the state

From Chris Oji, Enugu

Anambra, we are in danger here in Enugu State.

“I need Anambra to win Enugu, so I am prepared to do everything possible for us to win, but the way they are going about it, there is danger.

“We are going to field our own candidate, so whichever faction wins, it is the court that will decide the authentic candidate.

“It is the party that people vote for - remember Celestine Omehia versus Rotimi Amaechi in Rivers State.”

He said: “We are picking our own candidate and whoever wins eventually becomes APGA winner.

“If Victor Umeh wins, Umeh’s candidate becomes

“Governor Peter Obi has done well in Anambra State.

Obi has restored sanity in Anambra State, and whether you like him or not, that is the fact.

“He has created standards, which is attributable to APGA and our victory in the forthcoming election.”

When asked if Prof.

Chukwuma Soludo’s disqualification would affect the party’s chances, Okwu said, “Soludo or no Soludo, APGA will win Anambra election.”

He noted that his decision to approach a court in Abuja was to ensure that selfish people were not allowed to destroy the party.

He said: "I am a lawyer with 36 years experience; the case is strong and it is a matter of documentary evidence.”

Administrator of the Council, Nelson Ifeanyichukwu, praised the women for their concern.

Police spokesman Mrs. Joy Elemoko confirmed the arrest of the owner of the baby factory, who she said has been assisting the police with their investigation.

O

T

HE Ebonyi State government is to build a N200million pipe factory to produce pipes for reticulation from its two-mega water schemes.

Commissioner for Information and State Orientation Chike Onwe said the factory would reduce the cost of the ongoing water reticulation project to all the local governments.

“The government incurred heavy costs to import the pipes used for the reticulation. The factory’s construction would reduce costs by 60 per cent and it

From Ogochukwu Anioke, Abakaliki

would also generate employment and make the state a leading pipe factory.

“The 52km distance from Oferekpe water scheme to Abakaliki alone cost the state N9.3billion. Now imagine the cost of reticulating the whole state of about 590km,”he said.

Onwe said the state has identified a major raw material source in Bayelsa State where an agreement will be reached with it to supply the raw materials.

Imo students endorse APC

VER 500 students at the weekend in Owerri, the Imo State capital, endorsed the All Progressives Congress (APC), noting that the progressives will turn Nigeria around to achieve its potential greatness.

The students, under the aegis of APC Students Support Group, said they are dumping the Peoples Democratic

From Okodili Ndidi, Owerri

Party (PDP) for APC. At a meeting of the Southeast APC Students Support Group, the former Chairman of the PDP Students’ Roundtable, Ugochukwu Chinedum, said 14 years of PDP rule has not improved the lives of the people.

He said: “We have watched and followed developments in APC. We discovered that

it is on course with the agenda to rescue Nigeria from its present sorry state.

“We believe that if Nigeria must be better, we must also show that by our action. We are happy with the initiatives of the leadership of APC Students Support Group (APCSSG) led by Imo State Youth Ambassador, Godstime Chukwubuikem Samuel and his team.”

THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2013

54

EQUITIES NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 26-08-13

T

HE Nigerian stock market opened this week on a cautious note as investors sought to balance concerns over continued depreciation and undervaluation of several stocks. While widespread open market orders depressed most stocks, investors held back volume of shares and traded below recent average.

Average year-to-date return at the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) yesterday dropped by 0.14 per cent to 30.09 per cent with two in every three price changes ending on the downside. The highest turnover volume was however about 18.7 million shares, relatively lower than the average upper band in recent weeks.

Aggregate market capitalisation of all equities on the NSE dwindled to N11.568 trillion from its opening value of N11.584 trillion, raising concerns that the market might be heading for another largely bearish week. Average return at the NSE had dropped by 1.11 per cent last week.

The All Share Index (ASI), the common index that tracks all quoted equities, also slipped by 0.14 per cent from 36,577.28 points to

Stock market opens on cautious note

By Taofik Salako

36,526.76 points.

Widespread price losses overwhelmed substantial gain made by highly influential Dangote Cement, the most capitalised stock at the stock market. Dangote Cement topped the gainers with a gain of N2 to close at N190 per share.

However, losses by several large and mid-cap stocks including Nigerian Breweries, market’s second most capitalised stock; UAC of Nigeria (UACN), Union Bank of Nigeria and United Bank for Africa (UBA) orchestrated the negative market position.

Champion Breweries topped the losers’ list with a loss of N1.74 to close at N15.68. Union Bank and Portland Paints and Products followed with a loss of 55 kobo each to close at N10 and N5.01. The trio of Nigerian Breweries, UACN Property Development Company and UACN lost 50 kobo each to close at N167, N16.20 and N58.50 respectively.

Livestock Feeds dropped by 26 kobo to close at N3.65.

Access Bank declined by 25 kobo to close at N10.70.

UBA lost 21 kobo to close at N7.33 while National Salt Company of Nigeria slipped by 20 kobo to close at N11.20 per share.

Total turnover stood at 158.04 million shares valued at N2.38 billion in 4,830 deals. Transnational Corporation of Nigeria (Transcorp) Plc remained the most active stock with a turnover of 18.66 million shares valued at N24.36 million in 137 deals. Transcorp was the most active stock last week with about 11.45 per cent of aggregate turnover during the week. UBA was the second most active stock with a turnover of 13.15 million shares valued at N98.11 million in 353 deals. Fidelity Bank placed third with a turnover of 13.09 million shares worth N36.05 million in 92 deals.

On the positive side, Okomu Oil Palm recorded a gain of N1.49 to close at N46.49. Eterna followed with addition of 27 kobo to close at N3.02. University Press added 20 kobo to close at N4.30. Jos International Breweries rose by 18 kobo to close at N2.01 while RT Briscoe gained 13 kobo to close at N1.50 per share.

NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 27-08-13

THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2013

55

MONEY LINK

CBN seeks improved manpower devt in banks

T

HE Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has called on banks and other financial institutions to improve the quality of manpower within their workforce.

CBN Deputy Governor, Financial System Stability, Kingsley Moghalu who disclosed this at the weekend said the next phase of reforms in the banking profession will focus on enhancing the quality of banks and manpower.

He said the CBN is also leading the reform process as it is also enhancing the quality of its workforce. “So a few months ago, we issued a competency framework for the banking industry to make sure that for certain groups of professionals and duties in the bank, people have the

•Moghalu, Balogun, others are CIBN Fellows Stories by Collins Nweze

right qualification. This will ensure that we have the right workforce in place,” he said.

Mogahlu and six other chief executive officers of banks were during the investiture, conferred with Fellowship of the CIBN. Other awardees are the Group Managing Director, First City Monument Bank Plc, Ladi Balogun; Group Managing Director, Union Bank of Nigeria Plc, Emeka Emuwa; the Managing Director, Wema Bank Plc, Segun Oloketuyi; the Managing Director, Standard

Chartered Bank Limited, Bola Adesola; the Managing Director, Stanbic IBTC Holding Plc, Sola David-Borha and the Managing Director, Ecobank Nigeria Limited, Jubril Aku. Moghalu said the award is the highest honour of the banking profession in Nigeria and in many other countries of the world. “For me, it is a very significant professional honour. Of course, I will do my very best to continue to support the CIBN to make sure that their founding purposes are advanced in the banking industry of this country,” he said.

Keystone Bank declares N2.8b PBT

K

EYSTONE Bank Limited has posted a Profit-Before-Tax (PBT) of N2.8 billion for the year ended December 31, 2012. In a statement, the bank said the result is a major leap from a loss of N7.9billion it recorded in five months ended December 31, 2011.

Also, the Total Comprehensive Income of the lender rose by 157 per cent, from a loss of N13.79 billion to N7.81

billion, while customers’ deposits increased from N282.75 billion to N297.54 billion during the review period.

Similarly, gross earnings rose by 105 per cent, from N23.9 billion to N49 billion, while total assets grew by seven per cent, from N361.48 billion to N388.23 billion.

The Managing Director of the bank, Philip Ikeazor said the management of the bank decided since

August 2011 to improve its customer service, create robust Information Technology (IT), e-banking platforms, return the lender to profitability and grow its market share.

The Keystone Bank boss also stated that the bank will continue to harness the skills of its human capital and cutting edge banking technology to provide premium banking services to corporate and retail customers.

Firm inaugurates salary advance for employees

L

OVONUS Microfinance Bank Limited has launched salary advance scheme for employees of small to medium size companies to ease financial difficulties often faced before the monthly remuneration is due for payment by the employer.

The scheme provides salary advance or instant loan to the employee, with a flexible repayment plan of one to three months, Usman

Onoja, chief executive of the Lagosbased microfinance bank (MfB) said.

He pointed out that to ensure the convenience of the employee, the salary advance is processed within 48 hours from the application or documentation, with delivery almost immediately stressing that interest rate on the product is negotiable.

To further deepen its customer service, the microfinance bank

launched three new products recently, branded lovflex, lovflexplus and lovflexpremium. According to Onoja, lovflex is targeted at micro traders in need of N5,000 to N30,000, stressing that interest rate on the facility was cut to seven percent per month for a maximum four months tenure while the repayment plan could be by daily or weekly contributions.

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

Emerging market stocks rise

M

OST emerging-market stocks advanced, led by industrial and technology companies, amid speculation China’s economy is stabilizing.

Bloomberg said Indonesia’s rupiah retreated to the weakest level in more than four years.

Credit Suisse Group AG and Deutsche Bank AG increased their economic forecasts for China in the past week as data from manufacturing to exports indicated the world’s second-biggest economy is strengthening after a two-quarter slowdown.

The nation will speed up infrastructure construction for new major projects in the west of the country this year, according to a statement posted to the National Development and Reform Commission’s website.

“The transition in the type of growth, from construction and industrial to more domestic demand, is a pretty massive shift, and I’m amazed China is beginning to pull that off,” said Doug Ramsey, the Minneapolis-based chief investment officer of Leuthold Group

NIDF NESF

OBB Rate Call Rate

Current Market 5495.33 N552.20

Amount Offered ($) 350m 350m

Price Loss 2754.67 447.80

PRIMARY MARKET AUCTION (T-BILLS) Tenor 91-Day 182-Day 1-Year

Amount 30m 46.7m 50m

Rate % 10.96 9.62 12.34

Date 28-04-2012 “ 14-04-2012

GAINERS AS AT 26-08-13

SYMBOL JOSBREW ETERNA RTBRISCOE ABCTRANS COSTAIN UPL AFRIPRUD OKOMUOIL CORNERST UNITYBNK

O/PRICE 1.83 2.75 1.37 0.74 1.23 4.10 1.90 45.00 0.50 0.54

C/PRICE 2.01 3.02 1.50 0.81 1.30 4.30 1.98 46.49 0.51 0.55

350m EXHANGE RATE 6-03-12 Currency

INTERBANK RATES 7.9-10% 10-11%

CHANGE 0.18 0.27 0.13 0.07 0.07 0.20 0.08 1.49 0.01 0.01

Year Start Offer

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

Current Before

Current After

147.6000 239.4810 212.4997

149.7100 244.0123 207.9023

150.7100 245.6422 209.2910

-2.11 -2.57 -1.51

149.7450

154.0000

154.3000

-3.04

152.0000

153.0000

155.5000

-2.30

153.0000

154.0000

156.0000

-1.96

UTC CHAMPION PORTPAINT INTENEGINS NPFMCRFBK MANSARD LIVESTOCK IKEJAHOTEL IHS UBN

O/PRICE 0.80 17.42 5.56 1.49 0.81 2.32 3.91 0.86 2.55 10.55

C/PRICE 0.72 15.68 5.01 1.35 0.75 2.15 3.65 0.81 2.41 10.00

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%

NIBOR Tenor 7 Days 30 Days 60 Days 150 Days

Amount Sold ($) 150m 138m

Exchange Rate (N) 155.2 155.8

2-7-12 27-6-12

113m

113m

155.7

22-6-12

NSE CAP Index

27-10-11 N6.5236tr 20,607.37

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

Date

28-10-11 N6.617tr 20,903.16

% Change -1.44% -1.44%

MEMORANDUM QUOTATIONS Name

CHANGE 0.08 1.74 0.55 0.14 0.06 0.17 0.26 0.05 0.14 0.55

Amount Demanded ($) 150m 138m

CAPITAL MARKET INDEX

CUV Start %

LOSERS AS AT 26-08-13

SYMBOL

LLC, whose firm oversees $1.7 billion. “Just given the values that have been created, I think emerging-market stocks are going to be winners in the next market upcycle,” he said.

The gauge of developing nations is trading at 10 times estimated earnings, below the valuation of developed markets of 13.7. The iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Index exchange-traded fund dropped 0.4 percent to $38.49. The Chicago Board Options Exchange Emerging Markets ETF Volatility Index, a measure of options prices on the fund and expectations of price swings, jumped 5.1 percent to 24.42.

Investors also watched economic data in the U.S. to gauge whether a report showing durable-goods orders fell in July would delay stimulus cuts. The benchmark measure for emerging markets has plunged 11 percent since May 22, when the Federal Reserve signaled its assetbuying program could be trimmed if the economy showed a sustained recovery.

WHOLESALE DUTCH AUCTION SYSTEM

MANAGED FUNDS Initial Quotation Price N8250.00 N1000.00

•Moghalu

the investiture was in recognition of the awardees’ commitment to professional responsibilities and valuable contributions to the industry and the economy in general.

DATA BANK

FGN BONDS Tenor

Balogun said FCMB will continue to train its staff to ensure that they have the competencies and scale to serve. “We will continue to recruit hundreds of Nigerians every year and train them and hopefully lead by example so that they can also learn by doing and watching. I enjoin all banking professionals to uphold ethical standards to make our customers very proud and happy,” he said.

CIBN President, Segun Aina said

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 157.46 155.73 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. 1,808.48 1,794.68 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

THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2013

56

NEWS 6,000 hectares for cassava in Delta

D

ELTA State is leading the drive to boost cassava production for export.

Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan has allocated 25 hectares for the establishment of a processing plant in Abraka and an additional 6,000 hectares for the development of commercial cassava farms to supply the plant.

The Certificates of Occupancy (C of O) for the two locations have been issued to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture by the Delta State Government to the admiration of Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, the Minister of Agriculture, who said Delta remains the only state to have provided land for the plant with additional land for commercial cultivation.

The minister said 18 large-scale cassava processing plants, each with 72,000 metric tonnes processing capacity, are to be established in parts of the country under the programme aimed at making an in-road in the global cassava market.

He hailed Governor Uduaghan for his efforts at revolutionising agriculture, noting that by allocating land for the cassava project, he has laid a foundation for the state to emerge as the cassava basket for the country.

Port Harcourt kingship dispute continues

W

From Precious Dikewoha, Port Harcourt

ORRIED by the controversial crowning of two contenders for the throne of Eze Apara Rebisi, also known as the monarch of Port Harcourt, another contender, Eze Emeka Anyagbulem, has returned to court over the disputed kingship.

Speaking with The Nation yesterday in Port Harcourt, Anyagbulem said there could not be two kings for one stool, adding that the action of the duo, who were crowned as king, amounted to contempt of court as there was a subsisting suit challenging such actions.

Said he: “Besides that there can’t be two kings for one throne, it is untenable that while a suit (NO PHC/1818/2013) is pending, two persons, namely Prince Victor Woluchem and Uche Isaac Elikwu of Oro-Olozu lineage, crowned themselves as EzeEpara Rebisi and Paramount Ruler of Port Harcourt.

Cross River SIEC bars APC from council poll

T

From Nicholas Kalu, Calabar

HE decision of the Cross River State Independent Electoral Commission (CROSIEC) to disqualify the All Progressives Congress (APC) from contesting the September 21 local government election has been met with a stiff opposition.

A chieftain of the APC in the state, Hilliard Eta, described the decision as “a ridiculous act, which has further questioned the independence of the electoral umpire.”

According to him, the decision of CROSIEC depicts “the romance of the electoral body with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)-led government upon which the decision was hatched.”

The Chairman of the State Independent Electoral Commission( CROSIEC), Sir Patrick Otu, said last weekend during a meeting with the registered political parties in the state that the APC is not qualified to field candidates for the September 21 local government poll since it was not up to 90 days old after its registration.

Otu also said the commission took the decision after considering the legal implications concerning the new mega party and in order not to run foul of the law.

“The Electoral Law stipulates that if parties merge, the new party can only stand election after 90 days.”

“The commission cannot postpone the election because of a newly-registered party. By September 21 when the local government elections will take place, the stipulated 90 days period would not have been met by APC in the state. Therefore, no candidate can be fielded to run on the platform of APC,” he said.

•From left: Dr. Henry C. Lee, Prof. Babajide Alo, DVC, Academic and Research, University of Lagos, CP Tunde Ogunsakin, Commissioner of Police incharge of Special Fraud Unit, representing Sir Mike Okiro, Chairman, Police Service Commission, at a five-day Forensic Workshop, organised by the University of Lagos in conjunction with NEBRASKA Institute of Forensic Sciences, USA and INQABA BIOTEC, South Africa.

Kidnappers abduct five workers in Bayelsa

U

NKNOWN gunmen have abducted five company workers in Opuama Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.

The gunmen, who operated on a speedboat, were said to have snatched their victims in early Friday and took them to an unknown place.

The victims are workers of Beks Nigeria Ltd and M. Sidom Ltd. It was learnt that the companies were engaged by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to carry out shore protection and reclamation on Opuama wa-

•Demand N30m ransom •Gunmen attack SPDC employees From Mike Odiegwu, Yenagoa

terways.

The abductors were said to have asked the companies to pay N6 million ransom on each of the victims.

But a security source only identified three of the victims.

He gave their names as Anukuru Godwin, Samuel Edeh and Jackson Ibani.

The development, it was learnt, forced the companies to vacate the dredging sites.

The source, who pleaded for anonymity, because he is authorised to speak on the matter, said the gunmen were yet to state their demands.

He said: “The kidnappers caused panic in the area. They have contacted the companies, but are yet to state their terms.

We are monitoring the situation.”

It was also gathered that a speedboat conveying workers of the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) was attacked on Bonny Island,

Rivers State, at the weekend.

The workers were reportedly attacked at Cawthorne Channel on their way to carry out repairs on SPDC facilities.

The source said: “The attack came from unknown pirates. The victims were maintenance workers of the SPDC. No casualty was recorded. Security agencies posted to the area contained the attackers.”

Police spokesman Alex Akhigbe said he heard about the incident but was yet to get details.

“I am still making efforts to reach the District Police Officer (DPO) in the area,” he said.

Catholic priest found dead in his apartment

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CATHOLIC priest, Rev. Fr. Peter Ayala, was on Sunday morning found dead in his apartment inside the St. Thomas Mores’ Catholic Church, Sobe in Owan West Local Government Area of Edo State.

A rifle and a spanner were found beside him.

The priest, who was to conduct the morning mass at 7am, was reportedly cleaning his double-barrelled gun inside his apartment on the church premises, when the gun went off and killed him.

The Nation learnt that the incident occurred before the priest dressed up for the mass. Wor-

By Ozolua Uhakheme, and Osemwengie Ben Ogbemudia, Benin City

shippers had gathered for the service.

The early morning service was put on hold following the death of the priest, who was posted to the parish last October. Later, Rev. Fr. Anelu James of the Eme-Ora Parish came in to conduct the holy mass. Also at the mission house was the Bishop of Auchi Diocese, the Most Rev. (Dr.) G.G. Dunia. The remains of the priest were taken to the morgue in Auchi.

The incident threw the church into confusion.

Rev. Dunia conducted an investigation with the security agents and confirmed that the priest died when the rifle he was cleaning went off.

Residents of Sobe were still mourning the priest yesterday.

Edo State police spokesman Moses Eguavoen said the command was yet to get the details of what transpired before the priest’s death.

A source said as the police were carrying out preliminary investigations into the circumstances of the death, Rev. Dunia was expected to meet the other priests in the diocese yesterday on the funeral.

Amaechi vows to rescue abducted lecturer

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IVERS State Governor Chibuike Amaechi has assured students of the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Port Harcourt that one of their lecturers, who was abducted two weeks ago, will be rescued soon.

Addressing the protesting students of the school, who came to the Government House, Port Harcourt at the weekend, Amaechi said security agencies had begun efforts to rescue her from captivity.

Speaking through his Com-

From Clarice Azuatalam, Port Harcourt

missioner for Health, Dr. Sampson Parker, the governor lamented that the abduction of the lecturer, Beauty Frank Daminabo, was capable of instilling fear into the students.

He pleaded for their understanding.

Said he: “When you start kidnapping the few lecturers they have, who will take care of them?”

The Principal of the School

of Nursing, Rumueme, Port Harcourt, Florence Manda, told reporters that “this is not the first time the school will experience such an ugly incident,” as one of the students died early this year in the hands of her abductors.

Manda said: “The first victim died in the hands of her abductors following a slow response by the authorities. Now another one is about to happen.

We want the government to help us intensify efforts to locate her and release her.”

Female lawyers fault acting Rivers CJ’s appointment

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HE International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) has faulted the decision by Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State to appoint the President of the state’s Customary Court of Appeal, Justice P. N.C. Agumagu, as the acting Chief Judge.

The group said in a statement yesterday that the appointment amounted to “a flagrant breach of Section 271(4)

From Eric Ikhilae, Abuja

of the 1999 Constitution.”

It said the appropriate person for the position is Justice Daisy Okocha, who had been recommended by the National Judicial Council (NJC) for the appointment.

FIDA also faulted the argument by the state’s AttorneyGeneral, Worgu Boms, that

Justice Agumagu is the oldest serving judge in Rivers State, going by the date of his appointment.

The group urged the governor to “in the interest of justice and fair play”, be guided by the provisions of Section 271(4) of the Constitution and appoint an acting Chief Judge in accordance with the constitutional provisions.

The deceased was ordained a priest in 1997 at the Diocese of Benin City. He moved to the Auchi Diocese 10 years ago.

The source said the late Rev. Fr. Ayala might have used the rifle for hunting the previous day (Saturday).

Majority Leader solicits support for Ajimobi From Tayo Johnson, Ibadan

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HE Majority Leader in the Oyo State House of Assembly, Mr. Akande Oyeniran, has urged the people of the Oluyole Constituency to support Governor Abiola Ajimobi’s re-election in 2015.

He said this is the only way the developmental programmes embarked upon by the Ajimobi administration would be sustained.

Mr. Oyeniran spoke yesterday in a message to his constituents following the mega rally held at the Mapo Hall to launch the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.

Oyeniran, who represents Oluyole Constituency, said the launch of the APC marked a turning point in the political history and future of Nigeria.

He stressed that the merger of the parties has confirmed that the future of Nigeria is back in the hands of the progressives.

The Majority Leader said in the past two years, Senator Ajimobi has touched the lives of the indigenes in terms of developmental projects, adding that he and the people of his constituency were happy to be associated with his administration.

THE NATION TUESDAY AUGUST 27, 2013

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NEWS

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‘Tanker drivers protest ex-chair’s ‘influence’ •‘Protesters are bad losers

18 killed in Benue villages

IGHTEEN people were killed at the weekend by suspected militia in Ukum Local Government Area of Benue State.

Addressing reporters in Makurdi, Police Commissioner Adams Audu said it was too earlier to know the motive behind the killings.

He, however, said the po-

From Uja Emmanuel, Makurdi

lice had begun investigation into the incident.

The police chief declined to speak further on the matter.

An eyewitness, Terkaa Gusah, told our reporter that the militia stormed

Angbaaye village and shot five people to death before heading to Agena in the same local government, where they shot more people.

The Chairman of the local government, Mr Teryima Nguher, told our reporter that he had not received the

details of the attacks.

He referred our reporter to the Divisional Police Officers (DPO) at Ukum and Katsina Ala Local Government Areas.

The DPO for Ukum Local Government said only the police commissioner can comment on the killings.

NSGF seeks sale of 49% equity in NNDC

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HE Northern States’ Governors’ Forum (NSGF) yesterday advised the New Nigerian Development Company (NNDC) to sell 49 per cent of its equity to the public.

Its Chairman and Niger State Governor Babangida Aliyu, on behalf of his colleagues, spoke at the opening of a three-day management retreat for the company’s workers in Kaduna.

Aliyu noted that the poor performance of the NNDC necessitated the sale of some of its investments, such as the Arewa Hotels.

He said: “You may, therefore, find it expedient to work out the investment portfolios of each state and issue certificate appropriately, while at the same time proposed a private placement of about 49 per cent for the consideration and approval of the governors.”

The governors’ chairman noted that the company must refocus and improve on its performance to survive.

“We should be concerned that after 56 years of operations, the NNDC is performing epileptically when similar companies in other parts of the country have grown into gigantic business conglomerates.

“We must encourage and support the company to

make private equity investments in Northern-based enterprises,” Aliyu said.

According to him, such a step would attract capable individuals with a view to recapitalising same and realising revenue from divestments.

He said it would also enable NNDC “take strategic investment positions in public quoted companies whose operations are of economic relevance to the North”.

Aliyu also urged the company to invest in “the untapped potential inherent in the northern region, particularly in agriculture, education, mining and infrastructure”.

He advised the company to strengthen its human capital development programmes to enable it compete and negotiate favourably with international businesses and communities.

The NSGF chairman urged the participants to use the training as an avenue to brainstorm and ensure that the company’s five-year strategic plan bears fruit.

Also, Kaduna State Governor Mukhtar Yero stressed the need for collaboration with the state for economic development and capacity building.

Yero was represented by his deputy, Amb. Nuhu Bajoga.

‘The governor noted the challenges that have bedevilled the company, such as pursuance of non-profitable projects, lack of viable plan to guide activities and other management oriented problems’ The governor noted the challenges that had bedevilled the company, such as “pursuance of non-profitable projects, lack of viable plan to guide activities and other management oriented problems”.

Yero was optimistic that the NNDC’s five-year strategic plan would aid its restructuring and enhance the economy of the region.

The Group Managing Director of NNDC, Dr Ahmed Muhammed said the retreat would enable participants to assess long term business assumptions and conduct tra-

•Aliyu

ditional SWOT analysis.

He said the participants would also discuss issues on monitoring and evaluation of the plan.

The Chairman, Board of Directors of the company, Prof. Halidu Abubakar, advised northern governors to ensure strict and regular monitoring of the implementation of the proposed strategic plan.

Also, Mr Philips Folunsho, the Chairman of the Nigeria Economic Summit Group (NESG), said there was need for the company’s management to imbibe positive attitudinal changes to achieve its set goals.

He advised the company to summon a collective northern economic summit to enable it adopt new strategies to achieve its goals and improve its investments.

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From Uja Emmanuel, Makurdi

USINESS activities at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) depot in Makurdi, the Benue State capital, were grounded yesterday, following a protest by members of the Petrol Tanker Drivers (PTD).

They were protesting what they called the overbearing influence of their former Chairman Musa Plato.

The protesters alleged that Plato could not account for the N18 million generated during his eight-year tenure, adding that he allegedly sold the only tanker the union was using to convey fuel from depots.

But in a telephone chat with our reporter, Plato denied the allegations.

He said the protesters were bad losers.

The former union leader said there was an election in May in which his opponents lost. He alleged that this was the basis of their protest According to him, the allegations of selling the fuel tanker for N18 million is false.

As earlier as 7am, the protesters took over the PTD office, opposite the NNPC Makurdi depot on the Makurdi-Enugu Road.

They barricaded the road, making it impossible for motorists to pass through for some time.

The protesters also prevented officials of the union from going into their offices.

They sang solidarity songs and carried placards, some of which reads: “PTD is not a one-man show”; “we need quarterly report” and “Musa Plato, leave PTD alone”.

The protester vowed to disallow the union officials from getting to their offices until the national secretariat of the PTD intervened.

At press time, the protesters were still at the main entrance to PTD office. This forced those who wanted to transact businesses at the depot to retreat.

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Akume congratulates Sultan Abubakar at 57

ENATE Minority Leader George Akume has congratulated the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, on his 57th birthday.

The monarch clocked 57 at the weekend.

In a statement yesterday, Akume said: “I write with great pleasure on behalf of my family and the good people of Benue Northwest Senatorial District to felicitate with you on the anniversary of your birthday.

“As you attain 57, your life has been very eventful in diverse ways because God has given you the grace to be of service and to shape events locally and abroad as you have contributed immensely to the development of religion, peace and democracy in Nigeria and beyond.

“My family and I are indeed proud to associate with Your Eminence, as you celebrate. We pray that God continues to use you for further service to your nation and humanity, especially in the area of tolerance among the different religious groups in Nigeria, and to grant you many more years in prosperity and sturdy health.”

Your Sexual Health & You: Novelty Tips, Questions & Answers

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y wife and I have been trying to have children now for over three years with no luck. It is very painful and my wife is depressed. All she talks about is pregnancy and it is beginning to affect me. I notice that my sperm is small in quantity when I ejaculate and I think this might be the problem. Do you have anything that can increase it? Ejide Dear Ejide, any issue regarding fertility is best referred to fertility specialists. This will help determine the exact cause of your barrenness. From the way you sound, I doubt if you have consulted a doctor about this so I suggest you do that as soon as you can. Here are a few things you need to know though. Semen quantity and sperm quality are not the same thing. When you say that your sperm is small when you ejaculate, you are referring to your semen quantity because sperm cells are microscopic and cannot be seen by the naked eye. Now if your semen is small in volume when you ejaculate, it does not mean that your sperm count is low. Sperm count refers to the number of sperm cells contained in one millilitre of semen. If it is more than 15 million sperm cells per millilitre of semen, then your sperm count is said be normal. If it is below 15 million, it is said to be low. Low sperm count is what is known as Oligozoospermia while low semen volume is Hypospermia.

They are two different things.

Now every once in a while, we get emails form couples who cannot have children and we suggest that they start taking ReproAid supplement to aid fertility. ReproAid for men improves sperm count and motility. But for increase in semen volume, we recommend supplements such as Max Load and Explosion. So bear this in mind as you go to see your doctor. It always helps if a person has a little grasp of what is happening to him or her – Uche I have been reading about the new supplements MaXtremeZen 2000 and Power Zen Gold and everything they do. My erection is fine and I have no problem with

my performance. My only issue is penis size. I am small and I want a bigger penis. Do I still need Power Zen or MaXtremeZen 2000? Thanks Jason Hello Jason, if penis enlargement is all you are interested in, then you can go for Extenze Plus or Max Size supplement.

All these two do is to enlarge the penis. But MaXtremeZen 2000 and Power Zen Gold are a brand of super supplements that go further to solve the five main problems that men complain about which are weak erection, premature ejaculation, low semen quantity/thickness, small penis size and lack of performance energy. So if you don’t need all that fire power, then just go for Max Size or Extenze Plus – Uche I love you guys. Your educational write ups have really helped my marriage. Please I am interested in unusual sex toys. We want to take it to the next level -Mike Thanks Mike. If by unusual sex toys, you are referring to whips, hand cuffs and things like that, yes we carry a few of those too. Currently we have the Deluxe Fantasy Door Swing, Position Master with Handcuffs, Deluxe Ball Gag with Dildo and Sex Mischief Red & Black Stripe Flogger. These are new and there are others too – Uche Hello sir, my husband bought Power Zen Gold from you people and has been performing like an Olympic champion.

Me I want something for myself too – Grace Dear Grace, you didn’t mention what you need it for. But if all you want is increased sexual enjoyment/performance, then get the Spanish Fly Mints. It is an arousal supplement that helps women get horny and desire intercourse – Uche That’s it for today. Adults in need of these treatments/novelties can call 07086754515 or 08051924159 or any other number here to order or they can order online at www.zeevirtualmedia.com. Zee Virtual Media delivers to you wherever you are in Nigeria. For enquiries, send your emails to custserv@zeevirtualmedia.com - Uche Edochie, MD, Zee Virtual Media.

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NEWS

THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2013

Obiano, Nwoye, Ngige to battle for Anambra governor

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HE stage is set for the epic battle for the Anambra State governorship seat, with the emergence of candidates of the three major political parties.

Yesterday, Chief Willie Obiano emerged winner in the primaries conducted by the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Awka, the state capital.

APGA is the ruling party in the state with Governor Peter Obi elected on its ticket.

Obiano was a Deputy Director of Fidelity Bank PLC. He hails from Anambra East council in the Anambra North Senatorial Zone of the state. APGA had stated that it zoned the governorship position to Anambra north.

Obiano got 817 votes out of the possible 1,076 according to the Chairman of the electoral Panel, Chief Martin Agbaso. House of Representatives member Mrs Uche Ekwunife got 150 votes to place second.

Chief Patrick Obianwu also from Anambra north, stepped down for Obiano,

saying his move would keep the dream of the zone producing the next governor alive.

The remaining six aspirants and their votes are: Chief Paul Odenigbo (49 votes), Emeka Nwogbo (22 votes) John Nwosu (18 votes) Mr. John Emeka whose withdrawal was turned down for his absence, scored one vote.

Sixteen votes were voided.

Also yesterday, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Chairman Bamanga Tukur announced Tony Nwoye as its governorship candidate.

Nwoye emerged on Saturday from the primaries conducted by the national secretariat -recognised Chief Ken Emekayi Group while Senator Andy Uba was elected as the candidate by the factional congress conducted by court and Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)-recognised chairman of the State PDP, Chief Ejike Oguebego.

Although the All Progressives Congress (APC) con-

gress is slated for Monday, but following a consensus arrangement announced last week, Senator Chris Ngige has been picked as the candidate of the APC. The Monday APC congress will only serve as the coronation of his candidacy.

Obi told his party members not to relent in their support as APGA was determined to retain the state. ‘’For the past 11 years, I’ve being a member of APGA and I have always told people to believe in APGA. Obi said “The forthcoming election is a serious one for APGA because we are going into the election with Philosophy of existentialism. For us to exist we must win that election but we must be together. In the next few days we will bring everybody together. We cannot win a medal if we are not together. This state is APGA state and we remain APGA state.

Obi assured that the party members that all party members would work together to achieve victory.

PDP expels Amaechi’s SSG, CoS, 14 commissioners Continued from page 2

mances, which he said the committee accepted as satisfactory.

The Chief of Staff, however, said: “The PDP does not have such powers to expel me or any member of the state executive council. The matter involving Felix Obuah’s executive is in court. So, it is subjudice.

“We challenge them to publish the names of the eight commissioners who they said wrote to them, why they could not attend the invitation of the so-called performance evaluation committee and which yardstick.

“What they are planning is to use fake delegates to the sub-convention of the PDP that is coming up this weekend. The thing to ask is, why is PDP fighting PDP? A house divided against itself cannot stand. The whole thing looks

like people who are ignorant.

“The matter is in court and we are not perturbed. Who are those they said they wrote letters inviting them to appear before a committee? Let them also show us the letters they claimed to have sent out.

“We all know that the PDP in the state has two factions: the original one led by Chief Godspower Ake and Felix Obuah’s.”

Okocha also stated that those alleging that Amaechi and some prominent Nigerians were floating a new political party must be soothsayers.

The chief of staff stressed Amaechi had said he is still a member of the PDP, but declared that if he is suffocated in PDP, he would leave.

On the claim by Rivers PDP that Amaechi and the Rivers Chief Judge, Justice Peter Agumagu, were plotting to get a court injunction to prevent

the state’s delegates from attending the convention and to stop the convention in Abuja from holding, Okocha noted that anybody who knew Amaechi would confirm that he would never engage in “a fight of fools”.

Okocha went on: “There is no plan by Governor Amaechi to seek a court injunction to stop the PDP’s convention.

Why it is that the party is trying to reduce the number of the state’s delegates, when others are thinking of increasing.

“We expect the party to act wisely by respecting the matter in the Appeal Court.”

The Obuah-led PDP also stated that it had uncovered a “subterranean move” by Amaechi and the newly-appointed Acting Chief Judge of Rivers state, Justice Peter Agumagu, to prevent the state’s delegates from participating in the convention.

Suntai writes House: I’m ready to begin work Continued from page 2

State Garba Umar yesterday said he was happy over his boss’s return.

He briefed reporters in his office in Jalingo.

Umar appreciated the turnout and urged Taraba people to “sustain the unity and cooperation”.

“I am very happy for the successful homecoming of my boss, the Executive Governor of Taraba State, His Excellency Danbaba Suntai.

“I appreciate the unity, cooperation and the way everyone turned out. I want to urge Taraba people to sustain this unity and cooperation.

The House of Assembly may hold a plenary on Suntai’s

•Suntai (right) with Nyako...yesterday

homecoming today, it was learnt.

Suntai has communicated the House in writing about his return.

The Speaker, Haruna Tsok-

wa, held a meeting with the acting governor in the latter’s office yesterday evening.

The speaker declined to speak to reporters after the meeting.

Jonathan sacks minister amid intrigues “Worried by the crisis trail- and that it was a charade suContinued from page 2

sack to the recent dissolution of the Executive Council of the National Youth Council of Nigeria(NYCN) without consultations with the President.

“The NYCN President, Mr. Yakubu Shendam, was alleged to be a former Personal Assistant to the PDP National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, and a card-carrying member of the party.

ing NYCN elections in May in Makurdi, the Minister dissolved the council. There were fears that the ex-Minister acted contrary to the plan of the Federal Government to use NYCN to seek the support of youths in 2015.

“A former President of NYCN, Mr. Olawale Ajani, who contested with Shendam, had claimed that there was no election at the Benue congress,

perintended by the ex-minister.

Olawale said: “The honourable minister continued to persuade me to jettison the election for his candidate claimed to have come from the Presidency. He said that he had been mandated by the Presidency to deliver Yakubu Shemdan, a personal assistant to the PDP chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur.”

THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2013

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THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2013

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FOREIGN NEWS

Karzai visits Pakistan, solicits for cooperation

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•President Kazai of Afghanistan with Pakistan PM Nawaz Sherif... yesterday

China: Bo Xilai trial ends in ‘no leniency’ call P ROSECUTORS said no leniency should be shown as the trial of former top Chinese politician Bo Xilai ended.

Mr Bo’s crimes were serious and he had not shown remorse, the prosecution said, so leniency was not called for.

Bo Xilai, meanwhile, continued to deny charges against him and said his police chief tried to defect because he was in love with his wife, Gu Kailai.

The former Communist Party chief in the mega-city of Chongqing denies bribery, corruption and abuse of power.

Few doubt that Bo Xilai faces a lengthy prison sentence.

China’s communist leaders have been in charge of the trial from start to finish.

However whether they intended to or not, the party

The five-day trial adjourned after closing statements, with the verdict expected “at a date to be decided”.

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took a serious risk when deciding to place the charismatic Mr Bo in the spotlight for five days. No other leader, even China’s charming President Xi Jinping, has spent that much time in front of the Chinese people.

His closing argument on the final day of the trial, in which he expressed hope for the future of the Chinese judicial system and thanked the kind people of Shandong for hosting the trial, felt more like an election speech than a mea culpa.

On Sunday, the former high-flier launched a scathing attack on Wang Lijun, his former police chief whose flight to the US consulate in February 2012 led to a fresh investigation into the death of British businessman Neil Heywood.

Mr Bo’s wife, Gu Kailai, has since been convicted of the murder of Mr Heywood, and the abuse of power charge against Mr Bo relates to his role in attempting to conceal her crime, the court has heard.

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This is China’s most politically charged trial in decades.

Mr Bo had been seen as a candidate for the highest levels of office until his fall from grace. He is widely expected to be found guilty.

When court resumed at 08:30 (00:30GMT) yesterday, the prosecution made its closing statement.

“The defendant’s crimes are extremely grave, and he also refuses to admit guilt,” an official transcript read. “As such, the circumstances do not call for a lenient punishment but a severe one, in accordance with the law.”

Mr Bo then gave a statement to the court in which, according to the official transcript, he blamed Wang’s flight to the US consulate on the fact that he had been in love with Gu Kailai and feared Mr Bo’s reaction.

On Sunday the 64-year-old characterised Wang Lijun’s testimony as “full of lies and fraud”.

Two years ago Bo Xilai was seen as a candidate for promotion to the Politburo Standing Committee, China’s top decision-making body.

FGHAN President Hamid Karzai has urged Pakistan “to facilitate peace talks” between his country and the Taliban during a visit to Islamabad.

He said the Pakistani government could provide opportunities for talks between the Afghan High Peace Council and the militants.

Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said that he wanted to help regional efforts to stabilise Afghanistan.

Mr Karzai has extended his stay to allow talks with Pakistan to continue.

The BBC’s Charles Haviland in Islamabad says that his decision is a surprise development as the president seeks Mr Sharif’s help in bringing the Afghan Taliban to the negotiating table.

Officials say that the fact that Mr Karzai’s talks in Islamabad will continue on Tuesday - when he will meet Mr Sharif again - indicates that so far they have gone well and that the two sides have something concrete to talk about.

In their public statements after their talks, both Mr Sharif and Mr Karzai mentioned the problem of militant violence - although Mr Karzai focused much more on it.

Lack of security was the main concern for both neighbouring countries, the president said.

Three times in his brief speech Mr Karzai said that a joint fight against militancy was needed and that he pinned “great hopes” on the re-elected Mr Sharif, who came back to power in June.

Afghanistan believes that Taliban safe havens in Pakistan are the main cause of increased violence in the country.

Mr Karzai said that he wanted the Pakistani government to play a mediating role with the Taliban, with whom Pakistan has a high degree of influence.

Speaking after the talks, he said that the two countries discussed the “joint fight against extremism and reconciliation and peace-building in Afghanistan with the expectation that the government of Pakistan will facilitate and [provide] help... to the peace process”.

“We hope that with this on top of our agenda we can move forward in bringing stability and peace to both countries,” the president said.

For his part the Pakistani prime minister said that Pakistan would extend all possible facilities for peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban.

“I assured President Karzai that we will continue to extend all possible facilitation to the international community’s efforts for the realisation of this noble goal,” he said.

“Pakistan will also help reinforce regional efforts in support of [the] stabilisation of Afghanistan.”

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said the Afghan peace and reconciliation process must be “Afghan-owned and Afghanled” He said Pakistan wanted a neighbour that was “peaceful, stable and united” and that the peace process had to be “inclusive, Afghan-owned and Afghan-led”.

The Taliban refuse to talk with Mr Karzai, dismissing him as a US puppet.

He is particularly eager for Taliban’s second-in-command, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar who was arrested in Karachi in 2010, to be freed.

Mr Karzai’s visit came after an attempt to kick start peace talks in the Qatari capital of Doha foundered in June.

Syria: UN convoy shot at by snipers

NIPERS opened fire yesterday at a U.N. convoy carrying a team investigating the alleged use of chemical weapons outside of Damascus, a U.N. spokesman said. The Syrian government accused rebel forces of firing at the team, while the opposition said a pro-government militia was behind the attack.

Activists said the inspectors eventually arrived in Moadamiyeh, a western sub-

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urb of the capital and one of the areas where last week’s attack allegedly occurred.

They said the team members spent three hours at a makeshift hospital, meeting with doctors and taking samples from victims before they headed back to Damascus.

The United States has said that there is little doubt President Bashar Assad’s regime was responsible for the Aug. 21 attack in the capital’s suburbs. Activists say the action killed hundreds; the group Doctors Without Borders put the death toll at 355 people. Assad has denied launching a chemical attack.

Monday’s shooting came as support for an international military response was mounting if it is confirmed

that Assad’s troops used chemical weapons. France, Britain, Israel and some U.S. congressmen have said such a response against the Syrian regime should be an option.

Russia, meanwhile, said Western nations calling for military action have no proof the Syrian government was behind any chemical attacks.

News of the sniper incident came only a few hours after an Associated Press photographer saw the team members wearing body armor leave their hotel in Damascus in seven SUVs and head to the site of the alleged attack.

The photographer said U.N. disarmament chief Angela Kane saw them off

as they left but did not go with them.

The Syrian government said its forces provided security for the team until they reached a position controlled by the rebels, where the government claimed the sniper attack occurred.

Martin Nesirky, spokesman for U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, said one of the U.N. vehicles was “deliberately shot at multiple times” Monday in the buffer zone area between rebel- and government-controlled territory, adding that the team was safe.

Nesirky said the car was “no longer serviceable” after the shooting, forcing the team to return to a government checkpoint to replace the vehicle.

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TODAY IN THE NATION

TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2013 TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM

VOL. 8

NO.2,583

‘While Awo walked the walk before talking the talk, Obasanjo talks the talk without walking the walk’

COMMENT & DEB ATE EBA

T

HE wholesale review of the 1999 Constitution that the National Assembly is currently undertaking, with not a little help from the Presidency, was from the outset a dubious venture.

That document was drafted in haste and wreathed in secrecy so encompassing that not even President Olusegun Obasanjo who swore to protect and defend it and abide by it had seen it at the time he took office. After going through it, the late Gani Fawehinmi warned that it was strewn with booby traps, and that the framers did not take into account Nigeria’s altered political environment and the yearnings of the people.

Its defects soon became clear even to those who stood to profit the most from them. Piecemeal amendment followed piecemeal amendment, but defects kept surfacing. Instead of abandoning that strategy and calling for a new Constitution, to be prepared by a Constituent Assembly and ratified by sovereign people of Nigeria in a referendum, President Jonathan Goodluck and the National Assembly settled for a trainload of amendments — as many as 75 at one point, 54 at the last count – in an exercise they now call a constitutional review.

A Constitution that requires 54 amendments in one fell swoop is a constitution crying to be re-written altogether. But they will hear none of it. They are pressing ahead with this untidy strategy, armed with the self-serving and threadbare claim that the sovereignty of the Nigerian state inheres in them, and that since there cannot be two sovereigns in the same political space, a Sovereign National Conference or a Constituent Assembly has no place in the present scheme of things.

They conveniently forget that they were elected to make laws for the governance of Nigeria, not to rewrite a new Constitution through the back door. Nor are they mindful that, even with all its imperfections, the 1999 Constitution declares unambiguously that sovereignty belongs to the people, and that the government derives its authority from the people.

In any case, what kind of constitutional review is it in which the protagonists gather a more or less rented crowd in one city in each federal constituency for several hours in one day, presents them with a “template” of 54 proposed amendments, ask them to vote for or against each with nary a debate, and then celebrate the outcome as a triumph for popular consultation, the kind of which has never been witnessed in the history of constitution-making in Nigeria?

RIPPLES 15 FIRMS TAKE OVER UNBUNDLED PHCN FIRMS–NEWS

...and who takes over the WORKERS? I mean the LIABILITIES

OLATUNJI DARE

AT HOME ABROAD olatunji.dare@thenationonlineng.net

Not a task for the self-serving

•National Assembly complex

The whole thing is a sham, and a prologue to future political grief.

That much is clear from what happened the other day when the National Assembly set out to amend the law governing nationality. It botched the effort spectacularly and ended up, according to many persons learned in the law, actually endorsing child marriage.

Senate President David Mark has said that the Senate was “tricked” into voting for a law upholding that atrocious practice. He deserves full mark for candour. But his candour raises many troubling questions.

On how many other issues or occasions has the Senate or the House of Representatives been “tricked” into enacting one law or another? Where is the expertise, the mastery,

in a legislative body that can be so easily swindled? Where is the judgment?

Today, nobody can say with certitude where the law actually stands on child marriage. If the Senate vote is not revisited, it will probably take a ruling of the Supreme Court to clear the air, all because legislators arrogated to themselves the task of rewriting the Constitution through the backdoor – a task for which they are ill-equipped.

The on-going constitutional review, as its protagonists have chosen disingenuously to call it, is misbegotten. It was conceived in bad faith. The way it is being carried out will not win plaudits for transparency, political sagacity, or competence.

There is yet one more development that makes it clear that on-going review does not belong in the province of the National Assembly. That is the issue of local government “autonomy”.

The House of Representatives voted for amendment that would make local councils autonomous, but the Senate voted against.

“Autonomy,” whether in political science or praxis, or in the sociology of the professions, is a beguiling term. But what does it really mean? What does it mean in the context of the proposal before the National Assembly?

The local government is probably the first layer of government citizens encounter, and the layer they encounter most frequently. When effective and efficient, it touches the lives of the residents in fundamental ways, improving their quality of life. Even in dysfunction, it still has consequences, deleterious ones to be sure, for the residents.

How it is to be organised and structured, what powers it will exercise, and what status it will enjoy: these matters are far too

HARDBALL

N

IGERIA’S lawmakers had long mastered the fine art of farming out a chunk of the national treasury for their personal well-being which deservedly earned them the singular ‘honour’ as the most money guzzling legislature in the world. But before The Economist comes up with yet another survey on the most corrupt executive cabinet in modern time, Hardball would want to put it on record that the Goodluck Jonathan administration will have no rival in this regard either. The reason is that corruption in this era now co-habits with impunity giving forth a wanton and licentious result.

Over one week ago, a national newspaper had run a front page story about a female minister in President Jonathan’s cabinet who travels by chartered jets and who has run up a bill of over N2 billion in the last two years.

The story itself emanated from a civil society group, Crusaders for Good Governance, CGG, which had deposited a petition at the office the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, exactly two weeks ago. Even though the details of the petition are gross and highly unsettling, not a word has come forth from the Presidency, the EFCC or even the minister in question. Mum has been the word from all the concerned quarters, perhaps in the full knowledge that Nigerians are not only inured to the bad ways of their leaders,

When corruption meets impunity but that they also have a very shot attention span and will soon forget about this one too.

That may be so but the report is grievous and damaging: to this Presidency, to the minister and to the image and essence of Nigeria. According to the co-ordinator of CGG, some of the allegations include, one: that a parastatal maintains a private jet, Challenger 850 Visa Jet, at $500,000 per month for the minister; two: that every trip she makes abroad she does with a chartered jet at the cost of $300,000 per trip. Even in trips with the president, this minister would rather cruise a private jet instead of flying in the presidential jet. They cited some of the presidential trips to include those to China and South Africa. Three: during the last Easter break, the minister was said to have also flown her family to Dubai in a chartered private jet as the cost of $300,000.

As a proof to its allegations, CGG directed the EFCC chairman to verify its claims through the records of aviation regulatory bodies like the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN; the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, NAMA; and the

OLAKUNLE ABIMBOLA

important to leave to the determination of a legislature whose members always have their eyes on the main political chance.

They belong, instead, to the people – the people who will be most affected by the policies and programmes of the local government, the people as sovereign exercising constituent powers. The people have neither surrendered nor delegated those powers to a body elected to make laws for the governance of Nigeria.

What the National Assembly is doing in the name of a constitutional review is therefore a usurpation, and a self-serving one at that. Constitution-making is not a task for the self-serving.

To return to the issue of “autonomy”: In a polity that is supposedly a federation but is in many significant respects centrally administered, what will this so-called autonomy consist in? How will local government councils enjoy autonomy when the states enjoy no such thing?

Those advancing the case for local government autonomy probably have in mind a situation in which local government councils will receive their financial allocations directly from the Centre and disburse the funds as they like, without any interference from state governments. They reject the present practice, whereby state governors can dissolve elected councils at will, for political reasons.

If this is what the “autonomy” they are canvassing consists in, there is much to be said for it. But why save it for local councils and deny it to state governments?

What is the meaning of “autonomy’ in a setting in which a state governor is vested with responsibility as “chief security officer” of the state, but the police commissioner is appointed by, and takes his orders from, the Centre and actually operates at cross-purposes with the elected governor as in Rivers State, to cite the most recent example of this practice?

Only a comprehensive overhauling of the Constitution – an overhauling that takes into full account present realities and the yearnings of the people – can make for a more harmonious union. The task of preparing such a Constitution, warranted by the preface “We, the people”, belongs to a Constituent Assembly or a Sovereign National Conference.

The on-going constitution review, it is necessary to insist, is a costly sham. Its protagonists are sowing the seeds of future grief.

•For comments, send SMS to 08111813080

•Hardball is not the opinion of the columnist featured above Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA. There are numerous other allegations against this minister but these few are mindblowing enough. In most other countries of the world, such a minister would have been suspended promptly while a public inquiry would have been empanelled to investigate the allegations. But condoning corruption and shielding corrupt officials has become the hallmark of the Jonathan administration to the ruin of his administration and the utter dismay of the international community.

There are over a dozen examples to prove that the president is quite comfortable with unbridled corruption going on in and around his cabinet. First the EFCC was defanged at the outset of this administration by strapping it to Office of the AttorneyGeneral and Minister for Justice who himself seems not only quite cozy with, and unperturbed by financial malfeasance around him but has clearly lost any sense of umbrage and moral sufferance towards official corruption. In over half a dozen cases, officials of multinational companies doing business in Nigeria have recently been tried and convicted in the U.S and France for offences committed in Nigeria. But their partners in crime in Nigeria have all been shielded. And when corrupt activities go on for years unchecked, impunity sets in. It is a damaged society in which government officials assault the treasury in this manner.

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