Aug 29, 2013

Nigeria’s widest circulating newspaper

Al-Qaeda: Nigerian to face trial in U.S. NEWS Page 6

•Court okays suspect’s extradition

Lagos explains Lekki Road takeover NEWS Page 8

•‘People’s interest paramount’ www.thenationonlineng.net

VOL. 8, NO. 2590 THURSDAY, AUGUST 29, 2013

TR UTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM TRUTH

N150.00

Goldman Sachs, others to manage Sovereign Wealth Fund

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•Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala

HE Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) has appointed Goldman Sachs, Credit Suisse and UBS as asset managers for its Stabilisation Fund.

A statement from the NSIA quoted Mr. Uche Orji, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Author-

From Nduka Chiejina, Abuja

ity, as stating that “UBS was selected to manage the US Treasury Bond portfolio and that Goldman Sachs and Credit Suisse were selected to manage the investment grade US corporate bond portfolio.”

The initial Benchmark is a blend of 25 per cent Barclays 1-3 year US Treasury Bonds and 75 per cent Barclays 1-3 year US Corporate Bond Index.

The Stabilisation Fund, the statement noted, is intended to act as a buffer against short-term macro- economic

instability. As such, “the Fund’s assets will be invested conservatively, with capital preservation in nominal terms being of primary importance.”

Given the short- term nature of the Fund’s potential liabilities, the Fund, the NSIA said, is restricted to in-

vesting in investment grade sovereign and corporate fixed income assets.

Orji said the selection of the three foreign banks “follows a comprehensive process of review and evaluation of world class candidates for this mandate”.

Continued on page 2

•FED GOVT APPROVES N290M FOR TEST ON THIRD MAINLAND BRIDGE

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Suntai sacks SSG, Chief of Staff, commissioners Governor thanks all in broadcast after meeting with Assembly members

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ARABA State Governor Danbaba Suntai spoke last night to the people of the state — his first since he arrived from a 10-month overseas medical trip.

He praised them for their prayers which, he said, enabled him to recover fast.

The governor’s address was broadcast on the Tara-

versary. The state turned 22 on Monday. ba Television (TTV) during the Suntai also urged the people 7pm news. It was short. to continue to live in peace.

Suntai, who had earlier disHe said: “I congratulate you solved the executive council, on our 22 years anniversary as wore a sky blue suit with a a state. We are indeed a great striped shirt. He had no tie. state and we shall become Suntai sat reading greater. from a script. He conSEE ALSO “I thank you all for gratulated the people your support on the state’s anni- PAGES 4&5 throughout my moFrom Fanen Ihyongo, Jalingo

Security intercepts plot to disrupt PDP convention

ment of crisis. Thank you for your love, patience and understanding.”

There was jubilation on the streets of Jalingo after the governor spoke on television.

People were singing and dancing as music blared from loud speakers. Suntai’s campaign poster when he sought reelection in 2011 were being waved by some excited sup-

porters.

The governor reportedly inaugurated the newly appointed Secretary to the State Government (SSG) and the Chief of Staff.

Chief Press Secretary to the Governor Hassan Majjiyawa said the leadership of the House of Assembly also met with the governor last night.

Speaker Haruna Tsokwa

could not be reached for comments, but Mijinyawa said the Speaker said their conversation with Suntai was “meaningful”.

Tsokwa had earlier said that the House leaders were prevented from seeing the governor.

Suntai’s arrival and “return to work” has sparked Continued on page 2

REMEMBERING MARTIN LUTHER KING’S ADDRESS

•‘Inciting’ posters, pamphlets seized •Screening of candidates tomorrow

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ARELY four days to the Special National Convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), security agents have intercepted a plot by some aggrieved members to disrupt the convention.

Besides, the agents have uncovered some “inciting” posters and pamphlets.

Two suspects were being quizzed yesterday on the alleged plot.

The suspects were said to belong to a new pressure group in the party, PDP Peace and Justice Movement.

According to a source, the agencies are probing alleged plans to mobilise 10,000 protesters to the Eagle Square, Abuja to draw attention to some issues causing crises in the party.

It was learnt that the ag-

From Yusuf Alli and Gbade Ogunwale, Abuja

grieved members were planning to demand power shift to the North in 2015.

Some of the inscriptions on the posters read: “Gentlemen always stick to agreement”; “Agreement is agreement”; “Power should go to the North in 2015”; “Injustice anywhere is a threat everywhere”; and “Let’s support peace and justice”.

The source claimed that one of the inciting pamphlets is signed by Mallam Abdullahi Maibirgi, who is the National Co-ordinator for the group.

The pamphlet said: ”PDP Peace and Justice Movement demands peace in our highly cherished party. For peace to exist, there must be justice .... (and) justice in this context means granting the North the

Continued on page 2

•United States President Barack Obama talks with Yolanda Renee King while her father Martin Luther King III (right) and mother Arndrea Waters (second right) watch after speaking at the Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall in Washington…yesterday

•SPORTS P24 •EDUCATION P25 •N/HEALTH P45 •E-BUSINESS P47 •POLITICS P49

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THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 29, 2013

NEWS Plot to disrupt PDP convention uncovered Continued from page 1

•Senate President David Mark (middle) with officials and junior golfers at the 6th IBB Junior Golf Championship in Abuja…yesterday

Court orders PDP to accept Uba as Anambra candidate •Tukur gives certificate to Nwoye •Southeast PDP backs Nwoye

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HERE was a twist yesterday to the candidacy of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the November 16 Anambra State governorship election.

A Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt ordered the PDP and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise the candidate elected by the Ejike Oguebego-led faction of Anambra State PDP. Senator Andy Uba won the primary.

But Tony Nwoye won the primary conducted by the Ken Emekeyi-led faction of the party.

Both congresses were held last Saturday in Awka.

PDP Chairman Bamaga Tukur yesterday gave the certificate of return to Nwoye as the party’s flag bearer.

Senator Andy Uba told the court presided over by Justice H.A. Nganjiwa that the primaries that produced him as the candidate followed the laid down procedures. Joined in the suit as defendants are the PDP

By Emmanuel Oladesu, Gbade Ogunwale, Abuja and Chris Oji, Enugu

national leadership and INEC. The suit was filed before last weekend’s primaries. Oguebego, the state secretary of the PDP, Chief Gilbergt Okoye, and the Legal Adviser, Chucks Okoye sued for themselves and on behalf of the State Executive Committee of the PDP. Justice Nganjiwa ordered that the result of the primaries conducted by the Ejike Oguebegoled executive, where Uba emerged as the candidate, should be upheld, pending the hearing and determination of the suit by the applicants.

He said the PDP and INEC should accept the results that emerged from the wards and state congress, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice or hearing and determination of the motion to set aside the interim order.

The judge said: “The first and second defendants are to forthwith comply with the order of this honourable court made on the 26th of August, 2013.”

Prior to the ruling, the court gave an exparte order restraining both the INEC and PDP from dealing with the Ken Emeakayi faction, pending the hearing of the main application. The court adjourned the matter till tomorrow.

However, at the meeting of the PDP National Working Committee (NWC) in Abuja, Tukur pronounced Nwoye the winner of the primaries and governorship candidate, following the report of Katsina State Governor Ibrahim Shema, his Gombe counterpart, Ibrahim Dankwambo, and Senate Leader Victor Ndoma-Egba, who monitored the primaries.

Nwoye was yesterday presented with a certificate of return by the national chairman.

The presentation came just as the Uba brothers, Andy and Chris, shunned the summon extended to them by the leadership of the PDP. Also summoned alongside the Uba brothers were Chief Benji Udeozor and Mrs. Tonia Nwankwo. They were ordered to appear before the party’s lead-

ership at 10am yesterday. None of them honoured the invitation.

They were summoned to explain their roles in the conduct of the August 24 parallel primary election through which Andy Uba emerged as PDP candidate.

Shortly after collecting his certificate, Nwoye told reporters that he remained the authentic candidate of the party.

The Southeast zone also insisted that Nwoye is the party’s candidate.

The zone’s position was made known during its Zonal Executive Committee meeting in Enugu yesterday.

Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, Governors of Ebonyi and Abia states Chief Martin Elechi and Theodore Orji, House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Emeka Ihedioha, Senator Hope Uzodinma and former PDP National Chairman Vincent Ogbulafor, among others, attended.

The Southeast PDP Publicity Secretary, Ali Odefa, who read the communique at the end of the meeting, said the zoning arContinued on page 60

PHOTO: NAN

party’s presidential ticket for the 2015 presidential election. ”PDP Peace and Justice Movement hereby throws its full weight behind the Save Democracy campaign being mounted by some PDP governors and urge all party faithful to support this patriotic effort. The campaign is aimed at sanitzsing PDP of its cankerworm and stabilising our growing democracy in the country. With these initiatives, these governors have proved themselves as great democrats, patriots, visionary leaders, loyal and faithful party members.”

Security agencies are interacting with some members of the group.

SAN to Jonathan: call Taraba deputy governor to order

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ENOWNED Constitutional Lawyer Sebastine Hon (SAN) has urged President Goodluck Jonathan to call the Taraba Deputy Governor, Alhaji Garba Umar, to order, for rejecting the changes made by Governor Danbaba Suntai, saying the attitude amounts to a rebellion and gross breach of the Constitution.

He spoke to The Nation yesterday in reaction to the ongoing crisis in Taraba following Governor Danbaba Suntai’s resumption of duty.

The Constitutional lawyer noted that it would amount to “contempt of the Constitution” to still be calling Umar

From Fanen Ihyongo, Jalingo

acting governor “because the substantive governor is back on his seat”.

Hon said: “There cannot be two captains in one ship; it will sink. So, the action of the deputy governor of Taraba State countering the changes made

by Governor Suntai amounts to a rebellion and gross breach of the constitution, which is impeachable.”

“I call on President Goodluck Jonathan to immediately call Umar to order”, he said, adding: “No governor worth his salt will condone this type of behavior. The constitution also does not condone it.”

Goldman Sachs, others to manage fund Continued from page 1

The appointment of three leading global investment banks he added was to assist with the management of the Stabilization Fund – “drawing on the particular expertise of each to match our in-

vestment management requirements.”

The three investment banks he said “will help us achieve the economic policy objectives set for NSIA and attain the highest standards of financial stewardship to which NSIA aspires.”

Suntai sacks SSG, Chief of Staff, commissioners Continued from page 1

some confusion.

The governor’s return, besides dividing the House of Assembly, has also disunited the state.

Suntai dissolved the State Executive Council yesterday. He appointed a new Secretary to the State Government and Chief of Staff.

But the House of Assembly began to collect signatures to remove the governor. Speaker Haruna Tsogwa said Suntai is yet to resume from his 10-month medical leave because he has not addressed the House.

But House Majority Leader Joseph Albasu said having transmitted a letter to the House following his arrival of Sunday, Suntai had resumed.

The House is said to be divided over the situation. There are 24 members, 22 of them of the PDP. The remaining two are of the All Progressives Congress (APC), having been elected on the ticket of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC).

Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice Timothy Kataps, accused the Speaker of misinterpreting the Constitution. “Misinterpreting the law, as the Taraba Speaker is doing is capable of causing discord to our people who may not have access to the Constitution and may not know the correct position of the law,” he said.

Kataps said Suntai had indeed

Falana petitions Attorney- General, Taraba Speaker

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CTIVIST-LAWYER Femi Falana (SAN) yesterday said a “political cabal” has hijacked governance in Taraba State.

He alleged that Governor Danbaba Suntai could not have written the letter sent to the House of Assembly on his readiness to resume official duties.

Falana said he had petitioned the Attorney-General of the Federation, Mohammed Adoke (SAN), the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar and House Speaker Haruna Tsokwa, urging them to investigate and make public the true state of Suntai’s health.

Falana said his petition to Adoke was based on the Freedom of Information Act. He spoke to reporters after making a presentation at the Military Law Forum of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) at its Annual General Conference in Calabar, Cross River State.

On why he wrote the petitions, Falana said: “Unfortunately, another political cabal has emerged in Taraba State to cause confusion and to deny the ailing governor the opportunity to have himself fully treated.

returned to work. He spoke to reporters shortly before the dissolution of the executive after which he emerged as the SSG. His words: “I am clarifying the issue because civil society organisations have written me to speak on the true position of the law. Section 190(2) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended states: In the event that the gov-

By Joseph Jibueze, Calabar

“He’s been brought back to the country to achieve certain selfish political interests that have further endangered the health of the governor.

“He’s not in a position, from the information at my disposal, to write a letter, to compose a letter, to sign a letter and to send the letter to the House of Assembly of Taraba State.

“Hence, I’ve sent a petition to the Inspector-General of Police to investigate the circumstances surrounding the writing of that letter.

“I have also sent another one to the Speaker of the Taraba State House of Assembly to set up a committee to investigate the health situation of the governor.

“Based on information that the Presidency or the Federal Government has information on the true state of health of the governor, I have sent a petition to the Attorney-General of the Federation under the Freedom of Information Act to make available to me and to the Nigerian people the state of health of the governor so that the citizens of Taraba State can be properly governed in line with the Constitution.”

ernor is unable or fails to transmit the written declaration mentioned in subsection 1 of this section within 21days, the House of Assembly shall, by resolution made by simple majority of the votes of the House, mandate the deputy governor to perform the functions of the office of the governor as acting governor, until the governor transmits a letter to the speaker that he is now available to resume his function as

Falana said if Suntai was healthy enough to resume his duties, he should have met with his deputy and the Speaker for a full briefing on how the state fared in his absence.

“It is very dangerous for us that this culture of impunity has continued unchecked,” he said, adding: “If the governor has recovered, and is prepared to resume his duties since Sunday, he should have appeared in his office, attending to his files; he should have allowed the deputy governor to brief him on how he has run the state since he has been away.

“He should have met with the speaker to find out what the House has done, but to keep him away from all the relevant officials and agencies of state is not acceptable.

“And for some people to be running the show, and signing a letter purportedly signed by the governor should not be tolerated in any decent society, having regard to what this country went through when the late President Umaru Yar’Adua was similarly brought back to the country.

“It was the same way the then Vice-President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, was shield-

governor.

“Now, on October 25, last year, His Excellency Governor Danbaba Suntai had this unfortunate air crash. That took him

Continued on page 60

away to various hospitals in the country and abroad. But, of course, we are also aware that in that circumstance, the governor wouldn’t have transmitted

CORRECTION The ongoing Offshore Patrol Vessel Africa Conference is organized by the Nigerian Navy, contrary to the indication in the headline of our story on the conference published yesterday.

•Suntai

a letter to the House within the 21 days. But on the 19th day of the 21days, we advised the House professionally on what the constitution says. And we commend the House of Assembly, as of then, because on the 20th day they empowered and mandated the deputy governor to assume office as the acting Continued on page 60

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THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 29, 2013

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THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 29, 2013

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NEWS

Taraba...

•Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi (second right) inaugurating waste bins donated by Oyo State Officials Wives Association (OYSWA) in Ibadan...yesterday. With him are his wife Florence (right), Chairman, Caretaker Committee, Oluyole Local Government Area Mr Ayodeji Abass-Aleshiloye (left); Chairman, Chairmen of Local Government Caretaker Committees in Oyo State Mr Yekini Popoola second (left).

Taraba State Governor Danbaba Suntai last night addressed the people in a television and radio broadcast. Has he succeeded in ending the crisis, whose endmany had thought unpredictable?

Assistant Editor AUGUSTINE AVWODE

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•Senator Oluremi Tinubu (second right) presenting a refrigerator to Mrs Sherifat Alesinloye, one of the beneficiaries of the Lagos Island East Local Council Development Area Empowerment and Poverty Alleviation programme in Lagos...yesterday.

With them is the council chairman, Comrade Kamal Salau-Bashua.

PHOTO: TAJUDEEN ADEBANJO

• From left: Marketing Manager, Star, Nigerian Breweries Plc Mr. Tokunbo Adodo, Marketing Director Mr. Walter Drenth and Corporate, Media & Brand PR Manager Mr. Edem Vindah at a news conference on "STAR WIN & PROMO" at the Company's Corporate Office in Iganmu, Lagos...yesterday.

PHOTO: ISAAC JIMOH AYODELE.

• From left: Chairman, National Association of Industrial Pharmacists of Nigeria Dr. Lolu Ojo, former Pro-Chacellor and Chairman of Council, Caleb University, Lagos Prof. Fola Tayo, President, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) Olumide Akintayo and Dean, Faculty of Pharmacy, Obafemi Awolowo University at the launch of the N2 million research grant to faculties of PHOTO: ABIODUN WILLIAMS Pharmacy by the association in Lagos... yesterday.

ARABA State Governor Danbaba Suntai last night addressed the people on the Traba Television. It was his first since his arrival last Sunday from the the United States, where he spent months receiving treatments for injuries sustained in a plane crash.

Before he made his broadcast, the state was on the edge. Some events earlier yesterday also added to teh confusion.

Suntai yesterday morning sacked the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) and all commissioners.

Yet, the sacked SSG said he was still in charge. Also, the deputy governor, Garba Umar, insisted he was still the Acting Governor. The leadership of the House also spoke about the possibility of getting Suntai to give way for Umar. It was just drama galore in Jalingo yesterday. The broadcast changed everything and his supporters took to the streets jubilating.

The tension before the broadcast was not unconnected with the fact that three days after his return, he had not been seen in public, making many feel he is not fit to rule and was just being egged on to assume the reins of power.

For Nigerians, the sense of déjà vu has been overwhelming. It happened before in the case of the late President Umaru Yar’Adua when associates of the late President, literally ruled Nigeria by proxy in the 2009/ 2010 saga, claiming they were receiving instructions from the former President until the Senate graciously applied the Doctrine of Necessity. It allowed the then Vice President Goodluck Jonathan became the Acting President.

The bone of contention is whether Suntai, who was helped out of the plane on Sunday and who was driven off without speaking to anyone, is not fit enough to resume work immediately.

Suntai, in a letter to the House of Assembly, less than 24 hours after his return, sought to resume duty. The letter caused a division in the House of Assembly. While the Majority Leader, Joseph Albasu, claimed that the House had given him the go ahead to resume, a section of the lawmakers questioned the veracity of the signature appended on the letter.

Those who claimed that the letter lacked authenticity demanded the appearance of the governor in the House.

Speaker Haruna Tsokwa declared that Umar remains in office as Acting Governor. He said the lawmakers were not allowed to see Suntai when they visited him.

He said: “As elected representatives of our people we will be failing

•IN THE BEGIN NING: Suntai’s BEGINN baptism as a pilot

in our duty to the electorate and to God Almighty, if we allow this development to continue. Our request is very simple. We want our dear governor to resist the temptation of those who want to use him to achieve their selfish interest and come out and address the people of our dear state through their elected representatives.”

Events moved on to the fast lane, yesterday with Suntai’s dissolution of the executive council and appointment of a new SSG and Chief of Staff to the Governor.

Public perception / suspicion The public perception of the governor remains that of a man who is yet to fully recover. Besides, coming soon after the Yar’Adua saga, Nigerians are more than keen to see if there is any difference between the narrative that is going on now in Taraba and that of the Yar’Adua/ Jonathan episode. Nothing illustrated their suspicion than the picture of a man being helped by aides, down the gangway of the plane and not allowed to brief eager journalists, and his inability to fully acknowledge and return the cheers by the crowd. All these established in peoples’s minds that he is not fully fit.

On Sunday, moments after Suntai’s arrival, a pro-democracy group, Committee for the Defence of Democracy and the Rights of the People, issued a statement, warning against a situation where the state would be manipulated by people who are power hungry, leveraging on the state of health condition of Governor Suntai. In the statement titled “Enough of political chicanery in Taraba State”, the Executive Director, Amitolu Shittu, described the development in the state as a thing of concern to progressive elements in the country.

“The trend of events in Taraba State in past few months has been of tremendous concern to all progressive elements in Taraba in particular and Nigeria as a whole. Since the unfortunate plane crash involving the Governor of the State, Suntai Danbaba, the executive administration of the State has been a toy in the hands of a cabal, who believes that the fate of the state and its residents must be theirs”.

The group called for a discussion of the health condition of the governor. “We call on all progressive elements across the country to demand

THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 29, 2013

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NEWS

now that Suntai has spoken

•THE CRASH: The carcass of the jet flown by Suntai

•TEN MONTHS LA TER: Suntai being helped out of the LATER: plane on his return last Sunday on arrival in Abuja

‘Suntai should be allowed to take a dignified exit from power’ MARY WILSON, a public affairs commentator and medical doctor in the United States, in this piece, argues that Taraba State Governor Danbaba Suntai deserves his rest outside of power.

O greater disservice could have been done to Governor Danbaba Suntai than the poorly choreographed, C-rated movie of his return to work than what we saw at the weekend. First, let me commend the wife for a job well done. She must have been through emotional hell and back on account of the man’s air accident and of course the touch-and-go health crisis for a while. From Jalingo to Abuja to Germany and then the USA, Mrs Suntai ought to be commended. Any woman, who has been through the hell of caring for a terminally or critically ill spouse, will be able to identify with this woman. The emotional toll is beyond description. The fear, the uncertainty, the trauma of watching one’s husband slip in and out of coma is not what anyone should trivialise. I am sure Mrs Turai Yar’ Adua knows what I am talking about.

It throws a woman into grief, fear of the unknown, pain of loss. Stages of grief are not what any sane or normal human being wants to deal with. I went through it five years ago when my husband was in stage 4 of congenital heart failure. I got stuck in stage 2, stage of denial. Even when I knew that we were counting down, when ejection fraction was less than 20 per cent, I still refused to accept it was over. I tried to play God. I was not willing to accept the inevitable. And guess what, I practise medicine in the best part of the world. It was just human!

So, in a way, I empathise with Mrs Suntai. However, that is where it ends. I was not and still not the spouse of a high profile public official, so when my spouse finally slipped away while I was not looking, I calmly walked away without playing Hercules. In my case, I walked into the Emergency room with a heart rate of more than 180/min. I ended up in ICU a few days later. I was inconsolable. I was afraid of being alone. I was distraught beyond words.

So, when I saw pictures of Suntai as he de-planed in Abuja, I knew someone was being mischievous, insane and indecent. The pictures of him as he alighted from the plane did more damage to him than whatever they meant to achieve.

For four years, I was a trauma person. I cared for those boys from the fields of Iraq and Afghanistan, and those demons were awakened as I saw Suntai. His gaze into space, his look of a deer in a headlight, showed a man who was struggling with post-traumatic brain injury (PTBI) The fact that he needed two to three people to coordinate his gait was a damning evidence against him, evidence that he was not ready to be a state chief executive.

So, what is Post TBI? They are symptoms patients experience for weeks, months, years at times; post traumatic brain injury is secondary to brain injury.

Simple. Some of these symptoms may have manifested, others will present over the years. Post-TBI causes a variety of symptoms beginning with cognitive deficiency as we saw in Suntai in Abuja. His handler was obviously whispering to him, as he de-planed, trying to re- orient him as to where he was. The man was definitely not cognizant of his location. He stared into space, he looked surprised, and he had the look of a deer in a headlight. He was wondering where he was. He exhibited cognitive deficit. Indeed, if compelled to do more, he would not have been able to do so. Indeed, his wave was something that must have been practised severally while in rehab in preparation for the charade that they put up in Abuja. These people could not go lower than that even if they tried.

PTBI will present with sudden irritability, mood swings, sudden outburst of

speech, sometimes inappropriate, memory loss, disjointed speech. Hopefully, this man, who is obviously not part of this caper, will not be subjected to public humiliation while his handlers are trying to prove a sick macabre point. He will be thoroughly embarrassed in public and will make him slide into deeper depression which is one of the signs of PTBI. Mood swing, fatigue, seizure, incontinence of bladder and bowel is not uncommon in PTBI. Seizure, both grand and petit may present. Perceptual motor disorder, somatosensory disorder is not uncommon in PTBI patients. No matter how we may want to slice it, this man has no capacity to occupy the office of governor any longer. His pictures on arrival in Nigeria totally nailed him.

Unfortunately, there is no established cure for PTBI. There are treatments to alleviate some of the effects of PTBI. Because they are not able to articulate their own needs or symptoms, medicine has a tough time managing them sometimes. PTBI patients suffer confusion, they are tongue tied as Suntai is presenting. Because, the public does not have access to his medical profile, we can only safe guess that he is in the sub acute stage of his TBI. His neurologic presentation, gait, albeit unsteady and ocular motor presentation amongst other things, are the parameters used for putting him in the sub acute stage of PTBI. Because of his extended hospital stay, it is obvious he suffered severe closed diffuse axonal injury. Symptomatology associated with such injuries was what we saw on his return drama to Nigeria. Needed rest, isolation from his welcoming crowd, close gait and speech monitoring indicated ataxia,(movement disorder) speech disorder ( fluent and non fluent) which his handlers were trying to hide, Aphasia which he no doubt suffers will certainly prevent him from addressing his State House of Assembly and was why he did not address the press nor take questions from them at the airport. I feel like screaming stop this mess at his handlers.

The way it is, this man is being manipulated. He is like a puppet on a string manipulated by evil puppeteers. The right thing to do is to leave him alone to conclude or rather continue with his medical therapy. He has made history as a governor and until the end of the world, his name will be in our history books as being the governor of Taraba State at one time. There is no need forcing this unwilling, unconscious horse to the stream. Being alert with poor neuro score is not enough criterion to manage a state as the chief executive.

Hopefully, that will register with Prof. Jerry Gana. Suntai has no capacity or capability to rule a state anymore. It is painful, it is difficult, but it is the truth.

His handlers and the evil people in the PDP can deny it all they like, but that is the truth.

It has nothing to do with politics. It does not matter who rules the state.

What matters is probity. We have obviously not learnt anything from the Yar’ Adua debacle. It is only in Nigeria where people are free to be off shore governors and presidents. The crude nature with which we lust for power is beyond human comprehension. Power belongs to God alone, and it is given to people to hold in sacred trust. Nothing more. But because access to power translates to grand scale theft of public funds in Nigeria, it becomes a do-or-die affair.

Suntai should be allowed to take a dignified exit from power for his sake, that of his family and most of all Taraba State.

the immediate public disclosure of the state of health of Suntai Danbaba.

We demand that the Governor be allowed to address a press conference to assure the residents of Taraba State who elected him that he is fit to continue in the discharge of their affairs”.

Constitutional lawyer, Chief Fred Agbaje told The Nation in a telephone

hand, his state of mental fitness.

“Tarabans are to blame for the present political uncertainty that is brewing in the state. It is a great thing and we thank God for the safe return of the governor from treatment abroad but at the point when he arrived, what stops them from asking the governor to address

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interview yesterday that Nigerians had gone through this road before and that just like it was resolved in public interest, so will this festering crisis in the Northeast state, end.

Agbaje threw his weight behind the Speaker’s position, demanding that the governor be allowed to address the lawmakers so as to ascertain, first

them. In fact, it is a moral obligation on the part of the governor. Here he is, the state has borne the bill for his treatment, the tax payers in the state have borne the bill, so it behoves him to just go straight to the state radio or television to give a statewide broadcast, thanking the people for their goodwill and thanking the

deputy or acting governor, whichever way you look at it. After that, he can now tell them that he will be resuming tomorrow, or that he will need more time to rest. Seeing him on TV alone, more prayers would be offered for him.

“But in a situation where there are palpable doubts about the fitness of the governor, his mental alertness is suspect and you are transmitting a letter to the House, Nigerians are not fools for God’s sake. Let us face it, nothing stops him from resting for as long as he wants, but in a situation where you do things in a manner that makes it look like you are desperate, people will react in desperate manner to it, too.

“As it is now, the State House of Assembly owes the people of the state and Nigeria the duty to ensure that the true state of the health of the governor is ascertained. That is the only thing that will lessen the political tension that is building up in the state just now. If the Speaker activates that section of the Constitution, whatever the result, will be legally binding on all”.

Also speaking with The Nation, Political Scientist and public affairs analyst, Mallam Moyo Jaji, said: “Keeping the governor incommunicado will not help his cause nor that of his aides.

“It is under this cloudy and deceptive atmosphere that one finds it insulting to our collective intelligence that the Taraba House of Assembly, had allegedly, given the governor a clean bill of health to continue as the governor . This is the same governor, I watched being helped by aides to alight from the chartered flight that brought him from the United States of America.”

What the constitution says If Agbaje’s suggestion is taken, the following will take place.

The 1999 Constitution (as amended) provides in Section 189: (1) The Governor or Deputy Governor of a State shall cease to hold office if: (a) By a resolution passed by twothirds majority of all members of the executive council of the state, it is declared that the Governor or Deputy Governor is incapable of discharging the functions of his office. As at the time of writing this report, the state executive council had been dissolved

by Suntai. This may not be applicable, if it is taken that the exco remains dissolved. (b) The declaration in paragraph (a) of this subsection is verified, after such medical examination as may be necessary by a medical panel established under subsection (4) of this section in its report to the Speaker of the House of Assembly (2) Where the panel certifies in its report that in its opinion the Governor or Deputy Governor is suffering from such infirmity of body or mind as renders him permanently incapable of discharging the functions of his office, a notice thereof signed by the Speaker of the House of Assembly shall be published in the Official Gazette of the Government of the State.

(3) The Governor or Deputy Governor shall cease to hold office as from the date of publication of the notice of the medical report pursuant to subsection (2) of this section.

(4) The medical panel to which this section relates shall be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Assembly of the state, and shall comprise five medical practitioners in Nigeria With Suntai’s broadcast last night, is everything settled? From all indications, the resolution of the matter, as it is now, rests with the House.

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THE NATION THURSDAY AUGUST 29, 2013

NEWS Tinubu won’t dump Amosun, says NCP chieftain

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FORMER governorship candidate of the National Conscience Party (NCP) in Ogun State, Ogbeni Lanre Banjo, has denied a report that former Lagos State governor,Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has dumped Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun.

In a statement yesterday, Banjo said: “My attention has been drawn to an article, titled: Tinubu, Osoba dump Governor Amosun, published by an online news site. I am surprised that the site could run such an unfounded story without proper verification. However, it is incumbent upon me as a prominent citizen of Ogun State, who is vigilant and familiar with online news, to respond to this type of misinformation.

“I was with Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu for two days in Maryland, the United States (U.S), where he is recuperating well from his recent knee surgery. We spoke extensively about national politics, in general, and Ogun State under the leadership of Senator Ibikunle Amosun, specifically. He made it clear to me that his interest is the stability and progress of Ogun State and that the government of Ibikunle Amosun signposts that progress.

“The understanding I got is that Tinubu will not be part of any conspiracy to destroy what has been achieved politically in Ogun State. Going by my discussions with him a few days ago and from what I heard from him, I know where he stands on this matter. There is no contest.

The governor is working for the people and the state is progressing. To insinuate that Tinubu has dumped Amosun is unfounded and stretching it too far.

“From our discussion, I can authoritatively state that Asiwaju rates the performance of the governor high. Consequently, he will not be an accessory to unjustifiably deny a performing governor a ticket for the second time.

“The website further reported that “Tinubu bought the suggestion to dump Amosu and therefore mitigate the party’s losses in the Southwest, after the recently concluded local government elections in Ogun State, adjudged as a sham election by observers.” It is corrosively ridiculous to report that Asiwaju bought a suggestion that he was never in the market for.

“While I can’t speak for Aremo Osoba or anyone for that matter, but going by my discussions with former Governor Tinubu a few days ago and from what I heard from him, I know where he stands on this matter. I also know that Aremo Osoba has the interest of the people of Ogun at heart and will not do anything to truncate the current progress being made.”

Al-Qaeda: Nigerian suspect to face trial in U.S

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NIGERIAN suspect, Lawal Olaniyi Babafemi, is expected to face trial in the United States for allegedly supporting a designated foreign terrorist organisation, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).

The 33-year old suspect was allegedly given about $9,000 by AQAP leadership to recruit other English speakers from Nigeria to join the terrorist group.

Charges were preferred against Babafemi yesterday by the U.S Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Loretta E. Lynch; the Acting Assistant AttorneyGeneral, National Security Division, John Carlin and the Assistant Director-inCharge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), New York Field Office, George Venizelos.

A statement by the Information Office, Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria, said Babafemi is also known as “Abdullah” and “Ayatollah Mustapha”.

The embassy said the suspect would soon be ex-

Court okays suspect’s extradition to U.S

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FEDERAL High Court in Abuja has granted the Federal Government’s request to extradite to the United States (U.S) a Nigerian, Lawal Olaniyi Babafemi, suspected to be a member of the terrorist organisation, al-Qaeda.

In a ruling yesterday, Justice Ahmed Mohammed granted the application filed by the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and argued by Mr Muslim Hassan, the Head, Central Authority Unit, Federal Ministry of Justice.

The AGF explained that the application followed a request by the U.S. authorities through its Embassy in Nigeria.

Justice Mohammed ordered that Babafemi, also known as “Abdullah” and “Ayatollah Mustapher”, be sent to the U.S. within 15 days. He is to remain in the custody of the State Security Service (SSS) until his extradition.

Justice Mohammed said: “The respondent, Lawal Olaniyi Babafemi (aka Abdullah Ayatollah Mustapher), is not contesting these proceedings, which are meant to extradite him From Yusuf Alli, Abuja

tradited from Nigeria to the U.S for trial.

The statement said: “An indictment was unsealed yesterday in the Federal Court in Brooklyn, New York, charging a Nigerian

From Eric Ikhilae, Abuja

to the United States of America.

“The respondent’s solicitor only urged the court to take into account the fact that the respondent has been in the custody of the SSS for over 24 months and that the respondent has cooperated with the local authorities in Nigeria.

“Since there is no form of any objection by the respondent, Lawal Olaniyi Babafemi (aka Abdullah Ayatollah Mustapher), to the application for his extradition, this court is satisfied that the application by the Attorney-General for the extradition of the respondent to the United States of America is proper and in accordance with the Extradition Act 2004.

“An order is hereby made that the respondent in this case, Lawal Olaniyi Babafemi (aka Abdullah Ayatollah) be extradited to the United States of America to face the indictment against him.”

citizen with providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organisation, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (“AQAP”), and using highpowered firearms in furtherance of that crime.

“The United States is cur-

rently seeking the extradition of the defendant, Lawal Olaniyi Babafemi, also known as “Abdullah” and “Ayatollah Mustapha,” from Nigeria.

“At the request of the United States, the Nigerian government thereafter

From left: Senate President David Mark; former Minister of Science and Technology, Maj.-Gen. Sam Momah and Chairman, Senate Committee on Police Affairs, Paulinus Igwenwagu, during a remembrance church service for the late Rev. Jerome Bello at St. Mulumba Chaplaincy, Apo, Abuja...yesterday

Senators don’t earn jumbo pay, says Ndoma-Egba

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HE highest paid senator does not earn more than N900,000 monthly basic salary, Senate Leader Victor Ndoma-Egba (SAN) has said.

The senator said claims that lawmakers earn ‘jumbo’ salaries were not true, adding that he once earned N25,000 per month in the Senate.

He said contrary to the figures peddled in the media, only five per cent of the national budget goes to the National Assembly.

The lawyer wondered why Nigerians were not asking questions about how the remaining 95 per cent is

From Joseph Jibueze, Calabar

utilised, adding that they are only being distracted from the real issues.

Ndoma-Egba was responding to a presentation by Prof Nsongurua Udombana, at a programme organised by the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Section on Public Interest and Development Law (SPIDEL) at the union’s ongoing Annual General Conference in Calabar, the Cross River State capital.

Udombana, a professor of International Law, in a paper titled: Justice in Public Interest,

said corruption has eaten up the country, while the hard work of the many is being lost to the selfish desires of a few.

He criticised the National Assembly’s salary structure, which he said was among the highest in the world.

According to him, as at 2009, a senator in Nigeria earned N240 million (about $1.7 million) in salaries and allowances, while his United States’ (U.S) counterpart earned $174,000 and his United Kingdom’s (U.K.) counterpart earned about $100,000 annually.

But Ndoma-Egba said the tales about jumbo pay were

more fictitious than real.

“When I got to the Senate in 2003, my salary in the first three months was N25,000. I can tell you here that the highest paid senator in Nigeria earns not more than N900,000!

“In the figure released recently, I am supposed to earn the same salary as a Supreme Court Justice and a minister, but their salaries are not called ‘jumbo pay’,” he said.

Udombana, however, said the “jumbo pay” earned by lawmakers was unfair.

According to him, corruption has become a counterforce to creativity with the dire consequences on the nation.

commenced extradition proceedings against the defendant in July 2013.

“The charges were announced by E. Lynch, Carlin, and Venizelos.

“United States Attorney Lynch acknowledged the continued cooperation and assistance of the government of Nigeria in terrorism matters affecting both nations.

“According to court documents, between approximately January 2010 and August 2011, the defendant travelled twice from Nigeria to Yemen to meet and train with leaders of AQAP, the Yemen-based branch of al-Qaeda.

“Babafemi assisted in AQAP’s English language media operations, which include the publication of the magazine, Inspire.

“At the direction of the now-deceased senior AQAP commander Anwar alAulaqi, Babafemi was provided by AQAP leadership with the equivalent of almost $9,000 in cash to recruit other English-Speakers from Nigeria to join that group.

“While in Yemen, Babafemi also received weapons training from AQAP.”

Glo’s X-Factor winner to emerge Sept . 17 THE search for Africa’s first X-Factor singer will end on September 17 when the winner of Globacom’s N24 million prize money and Sony Music’s recording contract will be announced at a high-profile event in Lagos.

X-Factor is the world’s biggest singing reality TV show. It berthed in Africa for the first time on the shores of Nigeria, courtesy of Globacom.

The cash prize is considered the biggest offered by any singing reality show in Africa. The Sony Music recording deal is the first express commitment to a recording contract for the winner of a singing reality show by a major recording label.

In a statement yesterday in Lagos, Globacom said the grand finale would be attended by high-profile personalities, including corporate executives and the crème of Nigeria’s entertainment industry.

The company added that top Nigerian and international musicians would perform at the event.

The Glo X-Factor show reached a high point on July 23 when the “Top 9” contestants were unveiled.

Presidency explains why Youth Minister was sacked

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HE Presidency yesterday explained that the former Youth DevelopmentMinister Inuwa Abdulkadir was sacked for poor handling of the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) elections.

Abdulkadir was sacked on Monday.

A statement yesterday by the Special Adviser to the

From Augustine Ehikioya, Abuja

President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, denied the allegation that President Goodluck Jonathan had a preferred candidate in the youth council election.

The Presidency stressed that Abdulkadir’s appointment was not terminated because of his alleged closeness to a par-

ticular governor or some governors.

The statement reads: “In point of fact, it was Abdulkadir’s regrettable deviation from this presidential commitment in the management of the NYCN elections that led to the decision to relieve him of his appointment as Minister of Youth Development.

“President Jonathan was very displeased with the mishandling of the NYCN elections in Makurdi (Benue State) and Minna (Niger State) by the Ministry of Youth Development, which resulted in the unfortunate fractionalisation of the youth council.

“The President found the ministry’s failure to provide

appropriate leadership towards open and transparent youth council elections unacceptable.”

It added: “We have noted with regret the several false speculations in the media yesterday on the reason for the termination of the appointment of the former minister of Youth Development by President Jonathan.”

THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 29, 2013

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NEWS Cybercrime bill for National Assembly

Health workers’ strike: Fed Govt to implement Industrial Court verdict

From Augustine Ehikioya, Abuja

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HE Federal Executive Council (FEC) yesterday approved the contents of the Cybercrime Bill, 2013 for transmission to the National Assembly for consideration and passage.

The Minister of Information, Labaran Maku while briefing State House correspondents, said the bill would assist in detecting cyber crimes and stating penalties for offenders.

He said: “The Minister of Justice brought a memo to seek council’s approval for the contents of the Cybercrime Bill, 2013 and its transmission to the National Assembly for enactment into law.

“Cybercrimes are species of cross-border crimes perpetrated in time and space from any geographical spot in the world. The core objective of the Cybercrime Bill, 2013 is to prove an effective, unified and comprehensive legal, regulatory and institutional framework for the prohibition, prevention, detection, prosecution and punishment of cybercrimes in Nigeria; promote cyber security and ensure the protection of critical national information infrastructure.”

Maku went on: “This bill stipulates what we should do as a nation to ensure safety in our cyber space, to reduce cyber crimes for which Nigeria has suffered a lot. A number of crimes including the use of cyberspace and Internet to commit terrorist acts, which we have seen in recent times in our country.

“It states out how these crimes could be detected and lay out clearly the offences and what could be done when people willingly violate our cyberspace and commit crimes against our citizens and also endanger the security and safety of Nigeria.”

Monarchs beg for Ozekhome’s release From Osagie Otabor, Benin

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RADITIONAL rulers in Edo North have appealed to the abductors of activist lawyer Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), to release him unconditionally.

The victim hails from the senatorial district.

The traditional rulers spoke after a meeting at the palace of the Otaru of Auchi, Alieru Momoh.

They appealed to the kidnappers to release Ozekhome for God’s sake and not harm him.

The Otaru, who spoke on behalf of the traditional rulers, said no evil deed has been traced to Ozekhome.

He said: “Those who are holding our son should search their conscience. He is an outstanding and an outspoken lawyer. Religion has told us not to do evil because there is a reward for any evil doer. The kidnappers should do what is just and let him go.

“Insecurity is everywhere.

The Federal Government should sit up and address the security challenges.”

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HE Federal Government has agreed to implement the decisions of the Industrial Court on the dispute between it and health workers.

The workers, under the umbrella body of the Joint Health Sector Union (JUHESU) embarked on a strike following the expiration of the 21-day ultimatum issued to the government to implement the court verdict.

The strike was called off after an agreement with the government on Tuesday night.

Minister of Health Prof.

Onyebuchi Chukwu, told reporters in Abuja yesterday that government conceded to

From Vincent Ikuomola and Nike Adebowale, Abuja

the health workers’demands to implementing the agreement.

He, however, said government would still pursue its appeal against the court’s judgment.

Chukwu said the unethical behaviour of health workers at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka Teaching Hospital would be investigated.

The health workers, according to him, tampered with the power supply to the emergency unit of the hospital, describing the action as unacceptable.

The minister, who briefed reporters shortly before going for the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, said at the Tuesday meeting, the parties used “the opportunity to look at the implementation of some of the things we have earlier agreed on. One of the things that government had earlier granted them was that boards would be reconstituted for some teaching hospitals and other specialist hospitals.

“Many of these have been done, only very few parastatals, particularly the regulatory bodies, have not been reconstituted. But virtually all the teaching hos-

pitals, their boards are being reconstituted, all the federal medical centres and all the psychiatric hospitals.

“So even before the strike, government was already addressing it and I assure you that in the next two weeks, this will be properly addressed. “This is part of the agreement that needs to be quickly addressed.

“The other issue has to do with the recently-announced chairmanship of the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria. The allegation is that the person who was appointed as chairman is not a nurse.

“Although the law does not specify that a nurse be

appointed, I think as a Minister of Health and going by precedent, by tradition and going by fairness and equity, since we have eligible nurses who can be chairman of Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria. These are some of the errors that can sometimes happen along the line. I believe that government will amend where necessary.”

On retirement age, the minister said: “This can be treated administratively and the Head of Civil Service will handle it. They have given commitment to go into the process and working towards this. Of course, these things have to go through due process, but the anchor for that is correctly with the civil service of the federation.”

He added: “Already, the National Income Salaries and Wages Commission has become a process for job evaluation for the whole public service.”

He appealed “to the workers generally to allow the National Income Salaries and Wages Commission to do their job.”

2015: Mark urges politicians to put God first From Onyedi Ojiabor, Assistant Editor and Sanni Onogu, Abuja

•The Commandant, Training and Doctrine Command (Tradoc), Maj.-Gen. Shehu Usman Abdulkadir (right), making a presentation to the Governor of Niger State, Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, during his visit to the governor at the Government House, Minna.

FEC okays N290m for Third Mainland Bridge

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HE Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku, yesterday said the Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved N290.7million for a comprehensive test on the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos.

Speaking with State House correspondents at the end of the FEC meeting in Abuja, he said the Council took the decision based on a memo by the Federal Ministry of Works.

Maku said the job done on the bridge last year was to address specific problems identified on the road, adding that the vote was to carry out a comprehensive test on the road to detect any possible need for repairs.

He said: “The Minister of Works tabled a memorandum to seek approval for the comprehensive underwater inspection, assessment of pilings, river bed bathymetric survey, profiling and echometric test on the Third Mainland Bridge.

“The bridge is a vital artery

From Augustine Ehikioya, Abuja

on the Federal Highways network connecting Lagos Mainland to the Island. Following reports of oscillation and excessive vibrations of the bridge under traffic load, investigations and tests were carried out by experts on the bridge in 2008 and the reports indicated that the bridge was structurally sound, but re-

quired the replacement of damaged expansion joints and bearings.

“The ministry decided that Advanced Integrity Assessment including echometric (sonic pulse) tests on piles was inevitable to authenticate the findings of the Nigerian Submarine Divers Limited (NSD).

“In order to save the bridge from extensive deteriorating condition, council approved

the award of contract for the consultancy services for the comprehensive underwater inspection, assessment of pilings, river bed bathymetric survey, profiling and echometric test on the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos State in favour of Messrs ICECON (Nigeria) Limited in the sum of N290, 745, 000 only with a completion period of two months.”

‘500,000 Nigerians afflicted yearly with cancer’

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MERICAN Cancer Surgeon, Dr. Bert Petersen, yesterday said 500,000 Nigerians contract cancer yearly.

Petersen, a Breast Cancer Specialist, said of that number, barely 15 per cent of the patients survived the deadly disease because of the poor awareness, late detection and treatment of the ailments by sufferers.

He said it had been established that cancer, whatever

From Ernest Nwokolo, Abeokuta

the kind, afflicts Blacks three times more irrespective of their place of residence, than people of other races. The manner the body system of Blacks metabolise, testosterone (for men) and oestrogen(for women), accounts for why they are more susceptible to the disease.

Fielding questions from reporters in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, during a news

briefing addressed by the Ogun State Ministry of Health, Petersen, who is the Chairman of the Global Cancer Partners (GCP), USA, said the cancer control body would partner the Governor Ibikunle Amosun administration to establish a state of the art Cancer Institute in Ogun State.

According to him, early detection, education, prevention and early treatment remained what could guarantee cure and survival from the disease.

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ENATE President David Mark yesterday urged politicians to put God first as the 2015 general elections draw near.

Mark, according to a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Paul Mumeh, in Abuja, spoke at a church service to mark the oneyear remembrance of the pioneer priest of the St. Mulumba Catholic Chaplaincy, Apo, the late Rev. Fr. Jerome Bello.

He said death was a necessary end that must come when it shall, but man is always scared of it, adding: “What is paramount is for man to live a righteous life and be prepared for it.”

The Senate President went on: “Therefore, whatever we do as humans, we must be conscious that we must one day die and after death, judgment, when all mortals will give account of their stewardship.

“Our politics is again gathering momentum and people are already joining the fray. All of us, politicians, must realise that we must put God first in all we do. That is the only way we can succeed. Whatever we do, let it be to the glory of God and service to humanity.”

Group kicks against expulsion of ex-PDP’s deputy national chairman

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HE expulsion of the former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Sam Jaja, has been described as “injustice” by a group.

The Interity Group, a pressure body within PDP, said it would reject the expulsion by the Felix Obuah-led PDP in Rivers State.

Speaking in Abuja yesterday, the National Coordinator of the group, Mr.

From Dele Anofi, Abuja

Akaimo Bernard, said a national officer of the party could not have been expelled in the state on the eve of the party’s national convention.

He said: “This expulsion can not be justified in any way. How can you say you have expelled a national officer from a party on the eve of the national convention?

“We are against this. It is unjustifi-

able and unacceptable to us. The Obuah-led PDP in Rivers State did not follow due process. They did not even bring him to power, so they have no moral justification to expel him from the party.”

The group advised the Chairman of the Special Convention Committee to disregard the candidate of the Obuah faction, saying to act otherwise would have aided the Obuah faction to suc-

ceed in tarnishing the image of Jaja as well as impact negatively on the nation’s democracy.

“We demand that the so-called consensus candidate as proposed by the Obuah-led PDP be removed as he did not represent the interest of the Southsouth people.

“A situation where officials of the PDP can give credence to questionable characters is not acceptable to us,” he added.

THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 29, 2013

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NEWS 12 Ogun PDP chieftains join APC From Ernest Nwokolo, Abeokuta

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WELVE former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chairmanship candidates in Ogun State yesterday defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Their spokesman, Mr. Olusola Enitan (Ewekoro Local Government), told reporters in Abeokuta, the state capital, that they would work for the APC’s success in the 2015 general elections.

Princess Adenike OsiboOyewobi (Obafemi Owode), Chief Dare Gbolahan (Abeokuta South) and Olarenwaju Oyefeso (Ikenne) were at the press briefing.

He said they joined APC because of the performance of the Governor Ibikunle Amosun administration.

Enitan said they had formed a pressure group, called Frontiers Movement, to mobilise support for Amosun’s re-election and the success of the APC in 2015.

He said the group’s action was informed by the massive road construction and rehabilitation, educational advancement and reformation of the health sector, among others.

Enitan said: “Amosun is playing the politics of physical development and not moneysharing. He is sincere about infrastructural development. His achievements are huge. If that kind of person gets in the second time, he will do more. We urge all men of goodwill in Ogun to support and vote for the progressive APC government.”

preaches Lagos explains decision to acquire Bishop good governance LCC’s concession rights R T Lawyer doubts govt’s motive From Bode Durojaiye, Oyo

HE Lagos State Government yesterday explained its move to acquire the concession rights and toll revenue benefits held by the Lekki Concession Company (LCC), the concessionaire of the EtiOsa/Lekki/Epe Expressway.

It said it was to ensure that the toll paid by motorists is not increased indiscriminately.

Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning Ben Akabueze spoke on Tuesday while presenting the governor’s supplementary budget proposal to the House of Assembly.

He said the government had the interest of residents at heart, adding that the concessionaire had proposed a 20 per cent increase of the toll rate.

Akabueze said supplementation of the 2013 budget was to acquire 100 per cent concession of the Eti-Osa/ Lekki/Epe Expressway and bring it under the government’s full control.

He said: “As a people-focused government, we are honest and humble enough to look at the choices we have made and have decided to buy-back the road.

When we do, we will be able to determine the tolling rate and number of tolling points, among others.

“The current concessionaire has proposed a 20 per cent increase of the toll collected on the road, but with

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AGOS lawyer Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa has said the Lagos State government’s reason for terminating the concession contract on the Lekki-Ajah road is suspicious.

Adegboruwa sued the government and the Lekki Concession Company (LCC) over toll on the road.

In a statement yesterday, he urged the House of Assembly to set up a judicial commission of enquiry to probe the project, particularly “the loans collected, the scope of the project, the reason for the abandonment of the road construction and the amount of money collected from motorists since September 18, 2011”.

Adegboruwa said: “Unless this is just a political gimmick aimed at 2015, the government should take concrete steps to re-award the road contract to a competent contractor and free our people from the collective slavery and extortion of profit makers.

“We demand to know the details of the concession and the so-called take over of LCC by the government. After that, the tolling should

By Miriam Ekene-Okoro

us taking over, we will have control over it.”

Commissioner for Finance Ayo Gbeleyi said the government would pay N15 billion as buy-out fund, N6.8 billion to service the debts of the tolling company and N3.5 billion for third party liability.

Gbeleyi said so far, N32 billion had been spent on the road, with the government

From Eric Ikhilae, Abuja

be cancelled and the toll plazas dismantled to give free access to motorists.

“Road infrastructure is a statuary responsibility of the government and it should never be the subject of any concession to private individuals and profiteers.

“It is for these reasons that I cannot yet withdraw my cases in court against LCC and the government. As much as the reported cancellation of the contract may seem as a commendable action, it appears there is more to this issue than meets the eye.

“I believe the House of Assembly is on a journey of deception. Why wait this long, after LCC had almost milked the people dry?

This matter goes beyond the surface revocation of the concession. The major issue is that the road concession was a fraud perpetrated against the people.

“Till now, the construction of a 49-kilometre road to Epe has not extended up to Ajah, leaving people to contend with unending traffic gridlock every day, paralysing business and movement.”

paying N5 billion in 2008.

He said: “The original concessioning agreement is supposed to last for 30 years, from November, 2008, to November, 2030, but with our proposal, the Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) will be maintained, with the government owning it 100 per cent.

Governor Babatunde Fashola said the government deemed it fit to restructure its borrowing plan since the

Varsities need proper funding, says KITI State Deputy Governor Prof. Modupe Ekiti deputy governor Adelabu has urged the

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•Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola (left) presenting a gift to the former Dean, Faculty of Arts, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Prof. Dipo Salami, at the Government House, Osogbo...on Monday. With them are the Head of Service, Mr. Sunday Owoeye, and Commissioner for Home Affairs, Tourism and Culture Sikiru Ayedun.

Federal Government to fund universities adequately.

She said this would ensure the production of quality graduates.

Lamenting that graduates of Nigerian universitieswereunemployable in the local and international markets, Mrs. Adelabu said “our higher institutions have become shadows of their glorious past”.

She spoke with reporters in Ado- Ekiti, the state capital, on the ongoing strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU). Mrs. Adelabu said it was shameful that the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, which has been ranked the best in the country, occupies the eighth po-

Stop playing politics with the people, says Senator Tinubu S ENATOR Oluremi Tinubu (Lagos Central District) has urged the Federal Government and the National Assembly to stop playing politics with people’s lives.

She wondered why the 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) created by the Lagos State government were yet to be enlisted as fullfledged local governments.

Speaking with reporters at an empowerment programme organised by the Lagos Island East Local Council Development Area, Senator Tinubu said: “We are trying our best at the National Assembly to ensure that the LCDAs become local governments, but we are

N30 billion World Bank DPO II was no longer feasible.

He said: “In effect, we will need to issue N87.5 billion bonds this year, instead of the N35 billion earlier envisaged, to cover the shortfall in Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) and the delay in the disbursement of DPO II, to be able to finance the acquisition of the concession rights and take control of the toll regime for the benefit of our citizens.”

ETIRED Archbishop of the Methodist Church of Nigeria Rev. Ayo Ladigbolu has urged religious leaders to tell political office holders the truth and stop singing their praises.

He said clerics should stand up against money politics and preach respect for the rule of law and accountability.

Rev. Ladigbolu spoke with reporters at the World Sango Festival in Oyo town. He said: “It is disheartening to see our politicians living extravagant lifestyles as they continue to swim in an ocean of ill-gotten wealth at the detriment of the impoverished populace. Our political culture remains crude, since it is conducted like warfare. Political parties have no control over their members. In most cases, party manifestos are meaningless to voters.”

The cleric said many Nigerians join politics as an insurance against poverty and victimisation, adding that parties have become a springboard to power, money and fame.

He lamented Africa’s problems of unemployment, poverty, prevalence of HIV/ AIDS, electoral crisis, urban population explosion and poor infrastructure, saying: “The level of moral decadence and the prevalence of gambling and lotteries, drunkenness, armed robbery, embezzlement of public funds, indolence, drug pushing and addiction ravaging the society today are alarming.”

By Tajudeen Adebanjo

a minority as the opposition.

That is why we speak up whenever we have the opportunity to do so.

“We have to realise that states have the power to create local governments and they should be recognised, especially when we look at the population and past elections.

Look at the number of local governments in Kano, the number of registered voters in Lagos exceed the population there.

“We should stop playing politics with the lives of the people and put our resources

where they are supposed to be, irrespective of party affiliation.

We need to do what is right for our country.”

Lamenting that the priorities of Nigerians are misplaced, Mrs. Tinubu said: “We are wealthy people. You will know this by the way we share food at parties. We are not a poor nation, but we are a country with misplaced priorities.”

On autonomy for councils, she asked whether Nigerians were ready for autonomy at that level.

The senator said: “When you say autonomy, it depends.

Have you been to other states?

What is the quality of their

chairmen? Nigeria has a long way to go before we start asking for autonomy. Autonomy is good; I am for it, but are we ready?”

She praised council chairmen in the state for delivering the dividends of democracy, despite the meagre allocation from the Federation Account.

Mrs. Tinubu said: “Lagos State council chairmen do not have a choice but to work. We have a lot of educated people who will speak up, if they are not performing. Mind you, the 57 local governments and LCDAs are spending the resources meant for only 20 local governments. With the little they are given, they are trying their best to make life better for the people.

sition in Africa.

She urged stakeholders to return to the drawing board and come up with a lasting solution to the recurring issue of varsity under-funding.

The deputy governor said: “I am sure it will end very soon. It cannot go on like this. More so, our universities are no more competitive.

Our graduates are unemployable because the universities are shadows of themselves. Instructional materials are no more there; the environment is no more conducive and the varsities are under-funded. We cannot go on like this.

“OAU, which has been ranked No. 1 in Nigeria, is No. 8 in Africa. This is disturbing. There was a time when Nigerian universities ranked among the best internationally. I think it is better for the Federal Government and ASUU to settle the mat-

ter once and for all, so that we will not have to revisit the funding of varsities and some other issues again.”

On allegations that the lecturers were pursuing their personal agenda, she said: “I do not think ASUU is concerned for selfish reasons.

They are trying to protect the future of the children they are training, so that they would be able to compete with others in the market when they graduate.

“We will continue to wallow in poverty if our gradu ates are unemployable. We cannot go on like this. Research has shown that Nigerian graduates are unemployable, except those who have very rich parents, who can send them to schools abroad or to private institutions. We want our public institutions to be well funded, so that teaching and learning can take place.”

Sanitation in Lagos

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HE Lagos State monthly environmental sanitation will hold on Saturday with its attendant restriction of movement from 7am to 10am.

Commissioner for the Environment Tunji Bello urged Lagosians to clean their environment, including drains/ canals, during the exercise.

He said: “We are now in the August break, a period of less rainfall. Lagosians should take advantage of this break to clear their drains. To reduce flooding, the ministry has intensified cleaning and maintenance across the state.”

Bello warned residents against dumping refuse in drains and building on the waterways.

He warned interstate transporters to comply with the movement restriction, adding that passengers, drivers and owners of any vehicle that violates the law would be dealt with.

THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 29, 2013

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NEWS Edun calls for unity as Ikoyi/Obalende APC holds inaugural meeting

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HE All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ikoyi/Obalende Local Council Development Area (LCDA) of Lagos State held its inaugural meeting on Tuesday at the St. Georges Boys’ and Girls’ School.

Addressing a crowd at the carnival-like gathering, the party’s leader in the area, Mr. Olawale Edun, urged members to be united, adding that politics is a game of numbers.

Edun said for change to be effected in any society, an alternative must be put in place.

He said the APC represents the alternative and needs people in their numbers to make up its membership.

Edun said: “This is a fantastic gathering. As we wait for the order from above on when registration into the APC will begin, we must continue to gather people together in our LCDA. “We are here to meet and encourage one another that change will come, as well as remind ourselves of the importance of the upcoming registration that will be followed by the congress.

“As you can see, it is a carnival-like gathering. This is how we want politics to be played; in a comfortable environment where people can express themselves

By Innocent Amomoh

freely.

“The more the merrier.

Politics is a game of numbers and if we want change, we have to come out in numbers. I congratulate you all for coming out in your numbers to grace this gathering.”

He said the merger that produced the APC was not out of place and would lead to stronger political contests.

Edun said: “Normally, after so many years, there will be time for change.

Even if a party is doing well, people will want to see what the other party can do.

A viable alternative will make democracy stronger.”

T

•Edun flanked by the Chairman of the defunct All Nigerian People’s Party (ANPP), Alhaji Yusuf Abubakar (left), and Welfare Officer of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Lagos, Alhaja Williams...on Tuesday. PHOTO: INNOCENT AMOMOH

Oyo donates N30m to families of deceased traders

HE Oyo State government yesterday donated N30 million to the families of the traders, who were killed in Borno State by suspected members of the Boko Haram sect.

It also reopened the Bodija Market in Ibadan, the state capital.

The market was closed last Friday following a clash between Yoruba and Hausa traders.

Addressing the traders yes-

•Ajimobi re-opens Bodija market terday, Governor Abiola Ajimobi described the fight as uncalled for and urged them to see one another as members of one family.

He said it was not out of place for the traders to disagree but they must learn to

settle their differences peacefully.

Ajimobi said: “From what I have seen here, I believe the camaraderie is still there.

There are no people in this world that do not fight once in a while, but it is important to reconcile and work together.

“We cannot prevent people from fighting, but we can minimise the likelihood of it happening through regular consultations, meetings and reconciliation. I have decided that once in a quarter, we will go round and meet with the joint committee of mar-

ket leaders.”

He said the N30 million donation was to cushion the effects of the traders’ death on their families.

Ajimobi said: “We cannot pay for people’s lives but we can cushion the effects of their departure by helping their families.”

He said his administration would assist the traders, who lost their property in the clash.

Expressing dissatisfaction with the state of the market, the governor said it would be rehabilitated in conjunction with Ibadan North Local Government.

He said: “Bodija Market is regarded as the largest market in the Southwest. It is a market that is strategically, financially, commercially and economically important and we must give it the necessary support.

“Because we are a tradersfriendly government, we have decided to fix the market and provide facilities, such as water, toilets and other conveniences. We will build the roads and give traders loans under a cooperative arrangement.”

Representatives of the traders thanked the governor for his prompt intervention to restore peace to the market.

They pledged to cooperate with the government and work together in peace.

They hailed security operatives for maintaining law and order during the clash.

Court summons RCC over land dispute J USTICE Mufutau Adegbola of the Oyo State High Court yesterday granted a writ of summons to Chief Areoye Oyebola in a land tussle between the former commissioner and the Osanyindina family.

Oyebola bought 100 acres of land in Onitupuru on the Lagos/Ibadan Expressway from the Osanyindina family in Ibadan in 2003 for N4 million. It was learnt that the family re-sold the land to the Road Construction Company (RCC) last July.

Oyebola sued the family and the construction company. The family was represented by Baale Aba Nla Chief Lamidi Oladipo, Tiamiyu Oladipo, Gbolagun Oladipo and Chief Adeleke Makinde, the Baale Oloku-

From Tayo Johnson, Ibadan

ta.

Oyebola prayed the court to grant him “an order restraining the defendants and their agents from further trespassing on the land and allowing him to deal with them in whatever way if they do pending the determination of the suit.”

Speaking with The Nation after the hearing, Oyebola’s counsel, Biodun Amole said: “Oyebola bought the 100acre of land in 2003. The family executed a deed of conveyance in Oyebola’s favour, duly signed by its accredited representatives.

Ten years later, they purportedly resold it to RCC.

“The law says that if you want to serve someone who is not within the jurisdiction of the court, you must obtain leave of the court to serve the company. That is what we achieved today because RCC headquarters is in Abuja. Until they come to the court, we do not know if the company has any claim to the land in dispute.”

On his losses, Oyebola said: “I planted maringer trees and quick-yielding species of plantain on the land, but they destroyed them. The company needs the rock on the land and has started blasting it. It has taken possession of the land, but I know justice will prevail.”

Aregbesola urges youths to be change agents

O

SUN State Governor Rauf Aregbesola has urged youths to be change agents.

He spoke through the Commissioner for Regional Integration and Special Duties, Mr. Ajibola Basiru, at a workshop organised by the Omoluabi Empowerment Initiative in collaboration with the Ola Oni

Ftom Adesoji Adeniyi, Osogbo

Centre for Social Research in Osogbo, the state capital.

Urging youths to take their destiny in their hands, Aregbesola said all eyes are on the younger generation to correct many of the ills of the past years.

He warned youths against allowing them-

selves to be used as tools of destruction, adding that his administration is determined to educate and empower them.

A senior lecturer in the Political Science Department of the Lagos State University (LASU), Dr. Akhaine Odion Slyvester, urged youths to shun acts that can tarnish the country’s image.

THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 29 2013

10

CITYBEATS

Ekiti community meets

I

NDIGENES of Ikere-Ekiti in Lagos and other parts of Nigeria, under the umbrella of Ikere Development Forum (IDF), will gather on Saturday to deliberate on the progress and development of the ancient town.

The meeting will hold at the Solab Hotel & Suites, Amore Street, Ikeja.

In a statement, one of the conveners, Mr Tope Orolu, said: ''Apart from adopting the minutes of the last interactive session held earlier this year, the meeting will receive the reports of the various committees set up to come up with development blue-prints and recommendations for the holistic development of the town and its people, especially youths. It will also set up implementation committee for IDF's planned World Summit slated for Ikere in December.''

A prominent son of the town and founding Managing Director

of Devcom Merchant Bank, Mr. Femi Ekundayo, who was also past President of Chartered Institute of Bankers (CIB) and Institute of Directors (IoD) will deliver a keynote address.

Former Group Managing Director of Royal Exchange Assurance Plc, Mr James Olatunde Ayo, will preside over the event.

Other indigenes of the town expected include: Prominent medical practitioner, Dr. Kola Adeyina; former President, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN); Professor Dele Olowokudejo; Commissioner of Police, Special Fraud Unit (SFU), Mr Tunde Ogunsakin; former Group Managing Director of Wema Bank Plc, Mr Adebisi Omoyeni; Brig Gen. Dapo Adebayo, Acting Commandant, Nigeria Army Education Corps; Engr Femi Ayodele, Princess Adebisi Oguneye and many others.

CITYBEATS LINE: 08023247888

Young Shall Grow Motors’ owner escapes death S

USPECTED assassins struck in FESTAC Town, Lagos Tuesday night, shooting the owner of a popular transport company, Young Shall Grow Motors, Chief Vincent Obianodo.

The gunmen, The Nation learnt, opened fire on his vehicle around 10pm on 4th Avenue Road in the town.

A police Corporal, Ngozi Chijoke of the Patrol and Guards (PG), Lagos State Command, who was with him in his vehicle, was shot dead.

Obianodo’s driver was also killed.

Two of the gunmen were killed by some policemen who were on patrol during a shootout.

Other members of the gang, police sources said, escaped with wounds in a Highlander Sports

•Policeman, driver, two ‘assassins’ killed

By Jude Isiguzo

Utility Vehicle (SUV), which was riddled with bullets.

It was gathered that Obianodo sustained bullet wounds in one of his hands, which he used to block his chest against the hail of bullets.

Sources said he was rushed to an undisclosed hospital.

Police spokesperson Ngozi Braide, a Deputy Superintendent (DSP), who confirmed the incident, said: "His vehicle was double-crossed in a lonely area around 22 Road in FESTAC and the assailants opened fire and killed his driver. Some policemen who were on patrol heard the sound of the gunshots and moved to the scene.

There was a serious exchange of gunfire and two of the suspects were killed.

"Their Highlander operational SUV was perforated with bullets,

• Obianodo

while the other suspects who escaped in it sustained bullet injuries.

One AK49 and AK47 rifles with 400 live ammunition and 10 fully loaded magazines were recovered from the suspects. We lost one of our men too."

She said investigations had begun in a bid to arrest the fleeing suspects.

Braide urged the public and hospitals to report to the police any information about the Highlander SUV or the suspects.

Robbers kill night guard in Lagos

A

NIGHT guard, Ahmed Lawal, has been killed by unknown gunmen on Banji Lawal Street in Bariga, a Lagos suburb.

His killers were suspected to be members of a six-man robbery gang that had been terrorising the area.

The late Lawal's colleague, Segun Olawaiye, who witnessed the incident, said: ''We had just closed for the day and we were leaving for our homes when we suddenly saw six boys coming towards our direction.

"As if they knew we were the security men, one of them brought out a gun and shot at us; bullets hit Ahmed.

People in the area who were on their way to work ran for cover. It was just 5.30am. The gunmen shot severally into the air and escaped. We called for help."

"When our supervisors came, we took Ahmed to the

By Jude Isiguzo

General Hospital, Gbagada.

He was bleeding profusely in the head and other areas where bullets hit him. Unfortunately, the hospital refused to accept him because doctors were on strike. We also took him to the General Hospital, Somolu. Before we could get to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), he had died,'' Olawaiye added.

The slain 30-year old guard, a native of Imodi-Imosan in Ogun State, according to sources at the Bariga Police Station, was a member of the Oodua People's Congress (OPC).

He was said to have been employed as a night guard by the residents of Banji Lawal, but lived at 13, Onasanya Street, off Buraimoh Alli Street, Bariga.

His remains, The Nation learnt, have been taken to Imodi-Mosan for burial.

New CDCs berth in Ogun

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O fast-track development in their domains, three new Community Development Councils (CDCs) have been inaugurated in Ogun State.

They are those of Magboro/ Arepo, Mowe and Ibafo, which used to be under the Ofada CDC. Their inauguration and presentation of certificates, which held at the headquarters of Obafemi Owode Local Government, was attended by traditional rulers, captains of industry and other stakeholders within the area.

The Protem Chairman, Mowe Area Community Development Committee (MADC), Pastor Jeremiah Williams, said: "By the time we shall be three years in existence, we would have got a new CDC from Mowe. We shall arrange

for credible election that will allow people of integrity to occupy our executive offices to bring even development to the people."

He urged the leadership of the Ogun State Ministry of Community Development and Co-operative "to make sure we feel their impact in all our CDAs no matter how small" The outgoing Chairman, Ofada Area CDC, Mr Jimi Olusanya, said the committee carved out of Owode Area CDC in 2010, recorded some achievements in terms of development, relationship among the communities and the government.

"We provided electricity transformers by ourselves in the most parts of our areas. Each CDA under us is doing one or two projects to develop their areas," he said.

THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 29, 2013

11

BUSINESS THE NATION

E-mail:- bussiness@thenationonlineng.net

Govt approves N290m for Third Mainland Bridge test From Augustine Ehikioya, Abuja

T

HE Minister of Infor mation Labaran Maku yesterday disclosed that the Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved N290, 745, 000 for a comprehensive test of the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos.

Speaking with State House correspondents at the end of the meeting in Abuja, he said the Council took the decision based on a memo by the Federal Ministry of Works.

He said: “The Minister of Works tabled a memorandum to seek approval for the comprehensive underwater inspection, assessment of pilings, river bed bathymetric survey, profiling and echometric test on Third Mainland Bridge.

“The bridge is a vital artery on the Federal Highways network connecting Lagos mainland to the island. Following reports of oscillation and excessive vibrations of the bridge under traffic load, investigations and tests were carried out by experts on the bridge in 2008 and the reports indicated that the bridge was structurally sound but required the replacement of damaged expansion joints and bearings.”

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

Handover of PHCN assets begins next week T HE Federal Govern ment will next week begin the handover of Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) assets to their new owners.

Minister of Power, Prof.

Chinedu Nebo made this known yesterday at a forum organised by the Operator of the Nigerian Electricity Market (ONEM) in Abuja.

He said: “We congratulate our brothers and sisters who have galvanised to invest in the power assets; this is an example of the Nigerian resilience. We hope to sign off protocols to handover the assets to the new owners next week. This shows that the Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) is going in for a big explosion.”

Represented by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Ambassador Godknows Igali, he said he was delighted by the level of progress made in the electric power privatisation programme.

He noted the Federal Government has proved wrong the western critics and insti-

• 70% severance package paid

From John Ofikhenua, Abuja

tutions that cast doubt in the conclusion of the payment of the 75 per cent for the distribution and generation companies.

He said the completion of the payments shamed pessimists.

According to him, most western countries and institutions had, prior to the payment of the bid amounts in the ongoing privatisation, noted that the country may not achieve the expected outcomes.

Nebo said the forum was organised by the Market Operator (MO) to kick off the registration of licensed participants in NESI. He said: “Recent events in the power sector have shown that Nigeria has the resilience to do the right things. Let me tell you that we have been meeting with western coun-

tries and they have continually expressed fears that the preferred bidders will not meet up with the payment for their acquired assets.

“They said nobody out of the preferred bidders will be able to pay for the power assets, but now that has been proved wrong because the bidders have paid and it has been successful all the way.”

He also noted that the western critics said the PHCN labour issues as one of the likely obstacles that may derail the privatisation, adding that the government has so far paid about 70 per cent of the severance benefits to PHCN workers.

“The big issue of labour also threatened the privatisation and they pointed at it but as at today, we have paid off at least 70 per cent of the workers of PHCN. We have paid off the severance components and will within next week start paying

for the RSA (retirement savings account) components.”

Executive Director, Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), an MO, Mr Evarestus Mogbo said the registration of participants in NESI was part of the rules.

He explained that the MO has been mandated to, among others, register and maintain and prepare reports to certify trading points for metering.

He said: “This is a formal registration of the market participants. It is a crucial stage in the sector and this registration process commences from this time; all licensed market participants can commence the registration.

There are a number of conditions precedent required of the MO before the declaration of the transitional stage of the market.

“These include adequate metering of the trading points, provision of meter information register, development of market settlement software, preparation of market procedures and preparation of market registration/agreement formats as well as registration of NERC licensed market participants.”

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 Treasury Bills

-8.4% -7.08%

Maximum lending -22.42% Prime lending -15.87% Savings rate 91-day NTB

-2% -15%

Time Deposit MPR

-5.49% -12%

Foreign Reserve $46.9b FOREX CFA EUR

-0.2958 -206.9

£ $

-242.1 -156

¥ SDR

-1.9179 -238

RIYAL

-40.472

Chevron withdraws from OKLNG project

By Emeka Ugwuanyi

C

HEVRON Nigeria Limited (CNL) has withdrawn its participation from the Olokola Liquefied Natural Gas (OKLNG) project, its official has said.

In a statement confirming its exit, the General Manager, Policy, Government and Public Affairs, Deji Haastrup, said: “efforts over the last eight years to mature the project have not resulted in a Final Investment Decision,” adding that its withdrawal from the project effective July 31, 2013, also puts paid to its 22.74 per cent equity holding.

The statement quoted the Chairman, Managing Director of CNL as saying that the business decision to withdraw from OKLNG is based on a review of “our investment portfolio, the lack of progress on the project and a reprioritisation of resources to focus on growing domestic gas supply.”

The OKLNG project company was formed in 2007 by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), British Gas (BG), Chevron and Shell. BG withdrew from the project in June, 2012, while Shell withdrew from the project in July 2013.

NNPC was duly informed of Chevron’s decision to withdraw and the divestment process is being managed in accordance with the provisions of the shareholders’ agreement governing the project, the statement, added.

AMCON takes over Capital Oil

By Akinola Ajibade • From right: Managing Director, Med-View Airline Alhaji Muneer Bankole; Senior First Officer, Ademulegun Adebayo Jonathan; Head, Flight Operations, Capt. Wale Oke; Head, Engineering Lookman Animashaun; Capt. Ndubisi Ekwempu during the arrival of the airline’s Boeing 737-500 from France, at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja, Lagos ... on Tuesday.

PHOTO: ISAAC JIMOH AYODELE

Spend excess crude fund on electricity, TCN chair urges T HE Chairman, Transition Company of Nigeria (TCN) Hamman Tukur yesterday urged President Goodluck Jonathan to spend the excess crude fund to develop the power sector for the benefit of the citizenry.

He advised the Federal Government to vote $2 from each barrel of crude daily for the upgrade of the power sector.

He spoke during the inaugural meeting of the reconstituted supervisory board of the TCN in Abuja.

Nebo had earlier addressed the board and asked Tukur to give a goodwill message.

According to Tukur, other countries spend their excess crude fund on infrastructural development, adding that Nigeria should borrow a leaf from them.

Tukur, who said he was confident in the availability of sufficient fund for the development of the sector,

From John Ofikhenua, Abuja

hinged his claim on his experience as the chairman of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMFAC), where he designed the country’s revenue sharing formula for 10 years.

He said: “If every year we fix our budget benchmark of crude oil, for example, $80, $85, if you sell that crude oil for $100, you have a difference of $20. In other countries, it is that difference they use to develop their infrastructure. All we demand is $2 from every barrel per day. It is not going to affect the budget of the federation.

“We hope we will get the necessary support from the Minister of Power and the Minister of State to move the power sector towards development.

Honestly, in Nigeria we have 160million people. We have to

move on from the Presidency, the executive arm of government to move Nigeria to where it belongs.

“We designed the sharing formula for this country for 10 years so that dollar is there, take it. How much did you give to PTF and development was quite visible . Please take $2 from this fund. Use your difference in benchmark to develop the power sector and in the next couple of years development will be there for you.”

Earlier, the minister said the Federal Government was aware of the significant financing required to transform the national grid.

He noted that President Jonathan has shown exemplary political will in the prosecuting the power sector agenda.

According to Nebo, “the Federal Government has so far secured alternative fund-

ing sources for TCN which include the African Develoment Bank, Niger Delta Power Holding Company, the Eurobond and most recently Sellers’ Credit from Original Equipment Manufacturers.”

He assured the stakeholders that the Federal Government is committed to supporting TCN to secure funding for prudent investments in the transmission infrastrure.

The minister told the TCN board that “in order to entrench institutional continuity, the Deputy Managing Director shall be in attendance at all meetings. In the same manner, Nigerian counterparts to Manitoba Hydro International staff shall work together in a collaborative manner for the good of the organisation”.

He asked the board to key into the electricity initiative under which major load meters would benefit from 18 to 24 hours of power supply.

T

HE Assets Manage ment Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) has taken over Capital Oil and Gas Limited in line with its mandate to recover the toxic assets of banks and further help in strengthing the industry.

Capital Oil is one of the organisations that is exposed to banking facilities following a stress test carried out by the Central Bank of Nigeria(CBN) in 2009.

AMCON, said the development followed a resolution reached and subsequently adopted as terms of settlement in a suit number FHC/ ABJ/CS/714/2012 filed at the Federal High Court.

It said one of the key conditions of the settlment, permits it to take over the executive management of the company for a period of two years, stressing that the takeover was necessary to ensure seamless operations of the company, drive and improve its operation.

Meanwhile, Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah, the Chief Executive Officer, has relinqusihed his role as the CEO to pave way for the emergence of a substantive Managing Director that would be appointed by AMCON in the future.

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COMMENTARY FROM OTHER LANDS

EDITORIALS

Beyond a sack •What Nigerians want is a wholesale revamp of government machinery, not just removal of a minister

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HY was Youth Development Minister Inuwa Abdulkadir relieved of his appointment by President Goodluck Jonathan? This remains a puzzle as the statement by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation conveying the decision failed to advance reasons for the measure. There has therefore been a myriad of reasons unofficially advanced for the action.

The minister is said to have been shoved out because he reportedly aligned with Governor Aliyu Wamakko and House of Representatives Speaker Aminu Tambuwal, who are believed to be working against the political interest of the President. But, government sources have been quoted by newspapers as suggesting that the decision was forced on the President by the failure of Abdulkadir to take firm charge of his ministry and meet performance targets set for ministers.

The argument that politics informed the removal has gained ground and appears more credible since the Jonathan administration is not known to be driven by an urge to sack non-performing ministers.

Since the ministers were made to sign performance bonds last year, how many have been removed or queried for performing below par? Despite the controversy generated last year on the involvement of the petroleum ministry in the sleaze that seized the oil sector, the minister, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, still sits pretty in office. Not even the recent allegations of recklessness and extravagance have attracted an official query, let alone a sack. Neither the minister nor her boss has offered any explanation for al-

legedly burning public fund for personal fancy and pleasure as in the charge that she spent about two billion Naira to charter jets in two years.

No one can query the right of the President to choose whom to work with as ministers and heads of ministries and other agencies of government. However, we are convinced that the constitution assumes that in doing that, he would take into consideration the philosophy of the administration and the general good of the citizenry. The power to fire his appointees is also predicated on the belief that some may not measure up to expected standards. But, when such powers are exercised whimsically in a way that could injure the health of the nation, the alarm must be raised.

The President owes the country an explanation on why he gave the boots to Abdulkadir. If he has infracted the law, then he deserves to be brought to justice.

If the President also decides, on political ground, to part ways with any of his appointees, the reason should be advertised such that the aide is not necessarily brought to disrepute.

The speculation is rife again that the President could be effecting a reshuffle of his executive council soon. It is disturbing that the exercise of such presidential powers in the past neither brought quality to governance nor served as check on those kept on board. The current team lacks lustre such that, more than half way through its tenure, the government is yet to produce that spark that could mobilise the people for national development. The duties of a President include coming up

with a vision, dreaming heights to attain and setting goals for all. The President, as the Chief Executive of the Federation, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and Father of the Nation has failed in discharging these responsibilities.

Probe panels and commissions of enquiry set up have been used merely to buy time; nothing has been done to rejig government machinery. Dr. Jonathan and his team should note that section 14 of the constitution ought to inform all actions of the Federal Government. All motion without movement or progress can only lead to stagnation and earn the country a place in the ranks of failed or failing states.

‘The argument that politics informed the removal has gained ground and appears more credible since the Jonathan administration is not known to be driven by an urge to sack non-performing ministers. Since the ministers were made to sign performance bonds last year, how many have been removed or queried for performing below par? Despite the controversy generated last year on the involvement of the petroleum ministry in the sleaze that seized the oil sector, the minister, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, still sits pretty in office’

WASSCE fraud

•Punishment must await Ogun State government officials who carted away examination fees

B

ASED on a tip-off, the Ogun State government set up a panel of inquiry to investigate allegations of fraud said to be going on in the state ministry of education, science and technology. By the time the panel submitted its report on Tuesday, it discovered, to its chagrin, that the state government had been fleeced to the tune of about N231million. The drain pipe, according to the panel, was the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) fees which the state government pays for final year secondary school students in its public schools, as part of its free education policy. About 3,571 “external candidates” were said to have been

‘We do not know what the panel recommended as sanctions against the affected officials, but it is clear that the allegations are serious. Therefore, the suspects must not be treated with kid gloves. The state government should get them prosecuted to serve as a deterrent to others in the state and elsewhere. Corruption has festered in the country because it is hardly punished. The earlier the appropriate message is passed across to people with itchy palms, the better for the country’

fraudulently added to the list of the legitimate beneficiaries by the school principals and their collaborators in the ministry. The WASSCE fraud cost the state government about N31,608,876 which the perpetrators were alleged to have collected after the government had paid the total amount.

This is stunning considering the fact that Ogun State is not particularly buoyant and one would have expected that public officials would join the government in judiciously managing the scarce resources. It is particularly sad that this is happening in a ministry of education and in collaboration with teachers who are supposed to be exemplars of morality and integrity to the students they are supposed to teach. As they say, “if gold rusts, what would iron do?”

Years back, the society looked on to teachers as the compass through which they had direction on anything noble; the teaching profession itself was then seen as conservative and the concept of the ‘village headmaster’ still resounds nostalgically in the hearts of those who knew what the profession was like then.

This fraudulent practice is not peculiar to Ogun State. Early in the year, the Osun State government suspended the Principal of Community High School, Eripa, Mr. T. A. Afolabi, along with some teachers, for allegedly ‘smuggling’ the names of six candidates into the school’s Senior Secondary School certificate examination list. The inference from all these is that it is probably a pervasive practice in places where the state governments have taken the burden of paying for the examinations off the par-

ents. Of course, taking the WASSCE fee off the parents is not done in isolation; it is only part of the measures taken by the respective governments to encourage parents to send their wards to school and also ensure that no one is denied education on account of their parents’ inability to pay one fee or the other. This is a kind gesture that should be commended.

It is unfortunate that some Nigerians would want to make a mess of such laudable actions taken by governments to ameliorate the sufferings of citizens. In the Ogun State incident alone, the state government was said to have lost a colossal N231million over a three-year period to the WASSCE fee fraudsters in its ministry of education, science and technology, as well as through various sums of money found to have been held illegally by certain officials of the ministry. We know that this is only a reflection of the deep-seated corruption in the country.

We can only imagine what the government could have done with the N231million!

We do not know what the panel recommended as sanctions against the affected officials, but it is clear that the allegations are serious. Therefore, the suspects must not be treated with kid gloves. The state government should get them prosecuted to serve as a deterrent to others in the state and elsewhere. Corruption has festered in the country because it is hardly punished. The earlier the appropriate message is passed across to people with itchy palms, the better for the country.

Responding to Syrian Atrocities

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HERE is little doubt now that President Obama is planning some kind of military response to what the administration says without equivocation was a chemical weapons attack by the Syrian government that killed hundreds of civilians. On Monday, Secretary of State John Kerry began forcefully making the case for action.

Speaking at the State Department, Mr. Kerry said the attack “defies any code of morality” and should “shock the conscience of the world.” He said this “indiscriminate slaughter of civilians, the killing of women and children and innocent bystanders” was a “moral obscenity,” “inexcusable,” and “undeniable,” despite efforts by President Bashar al-Assad and his enablers in Russia to blame rebel forces.

“Make no mistake,” Mr. Kerry added, “President Obama believes there must be accountability for those who would use the world’s most heinous weapons against the world’s most vulnerable people.” Administration officials said Mr. Obama had still not made a firm decision on how to react, but it would be highly unlikely — if not irresponsible — for him to authorize Mr. Kerry to speak in such sweeping terms and then do nothing.

Mr. Obama put his credibility on the line when he declared last August that Mr. Assad’s use of chemical weapons would constitute a “red line” that would compel an American response. After the first attacks, earlier this year, killed between 100 and 150 people, the administration promised weapons for the rebels but delayed in delivering them.

This time the use of chemicals was more brazen and the casualties were much greater, suggesting that Mr. Assad did not take Mr. Obama seriously. Presidents should not make a habit of drawing red lines in public, but if they do, they had best follow through. Many countries (including Iran, which Mr. Obama has often said won’t be permitted to have a nuclear weapon) will be watching.

Using chemical arms is considered a war crime and banned under international treaties, including the Chemical Weapons Convention, the Geneva Protocol and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. Even so, if he decides to use military force, Mr. Obama will have to show that he has exhausted diplomatic options and present a defensible legal justification, and that is not a simple matter. Ideally, the United States would muster a United Nations Security Council resolution to authorize military action. But Russia and China, which have veto power, have long protected Mr. Assad from punishment there and show no inclination to change. It is hard to believe that they would defend his use of chemical weapons, but there is no guarantee that they would not.

Mr. Obama may instead bypass the U.N. and, as in the case of the 1999 NATO air war in Kosovo, assemble an ad hoc international coalition to support military action that would provide legitimacy, if not strict legal justification, for intervening to protect Syrian civilians.

American officials are discussing the possibility that states like Turkey and Jordan may make a collective self-defense argument because they could be victims of Syrian chemical weapons.

If Mr. Obama does forgo the U.N., he will need strong endorsements from the Arab League and the European Union, and more countries than just Turkey, Britain and France should join the effort. And if he does proceed with military action, it should be carefully targeted at Syrian air assets and military units involved in chemical weapons use. This, too, will not be easy, but the aim is to punish Mr. Assad for slaughtering his people with chemical arms, not to be drawn into another civil war.

A political agreement is still the best solution to this deadly conflict, and every effort must be made to find one. President Obama has resisted demands that he intervene militarily and in force. Though Mr. Assad’s use of chemical weapons surely requires a response of some kind, the arguments against deep American involvement remain as compelling as ever.

– New York Times

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THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 29, 2013

18

CARTOON & LETTERS

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IR: I write in respect of the article ‘ Letter to the Igbo Nation by a Friend ‘ written under the pen name Gbogun Gboro and published on page 21 of The Nation of Thursday , August 27 with a view to setting the records straight as regards certain inaccurate sweeping assertions that encouraged ethnic/group labeling as well as maybe passive association of the Ndigbo with the vice of falsehood by Gbogun Gboro.

I believe that it is out of character for a columnist of a reputable medium like The Nation to label an ethnic stock ( Ndigbo ) and therefore propagate falsehood because of an intellectual disagreement on a part of Igbo/African History. The expected course of action by Gbogun Gboro is to make such discrepancy subject to debate within the academic circles or the Historical Society of Nigeria for resolution of such competing worldviews.

I make bold to say it is the voice of Jacob but the hand of Esau - such

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Re: ‘ Letter to the Igbo Nation by a Friend ‘ that Gbogun Gboro has been influenced by the fallout of the media or internet war going on between two failed reactionary politicians with respect to the relocation/deportation of 14 or 72 (depending on which side of the divide you are) persons of Ibo origin to the South-east. I do not need to be a person of superior academic station to Gbogun Gboro to know which side he has taken, not minding the pretentious niceties of admonishing Ndigbo. He zeroed in on the fact that one of the failed reactionary politicians made a statement that Lagos is a no man’s land which is inaccurate as no rea-

sonable person will say that Lagos has no indigenous people from the colonial times.

However it seems strange to me that Gbogun Gboro with his solid background and indisputable scholarship in history could not caution the other promoter of Lagos interest (who kept quiet when his master seized LG funds due to Lagos from the Federation Account ) when he called the Ndigbos collectively unlearned and reeled out phantom statistics supposedly showing that his own ethnic stock has an educational advantage over the Ibos by virtue of Yorubas being the first Nigeria nationality to

produce graduates. Since Gbogun Gboro is the guardian of pure African history, why did he not inform this politician that he should eschew falsehood as the first Nigerian Professor in history is an Ibo-man, Prof Kenneth Dike (who went on to become the first V.C of iconic U.I ) and that the Ndigbo have no educational deficit or gap with the Yorubas. Whatever gap has been closed down by the mid-1960s.

Why did he fail to inform him that currently Imo State produces the highest number of graduates yearly and Anambra State has the

Ngige’s emergence, step in right direction

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IR: As the euphoria that greeted the registration of the All Progressives Congress (APC) wanes, it’s time the party got down to business; and there’s indeed great work to be done. While wellmeaning Nigerians look up to the party and indeed wish her success, cynics and particularly reactionaries can only pray and hope that she meets with disaster. The first major test for the APC will come in the forthcoming governorship election in Anambra State.

Anambra is one state that has way too many political heavyweights (including those in politics for service and others mostly for personal aggrandisement) perhaps for its own good. This explains the rancour that often accompanies elections in the state and their very keenly contested nature. The November 16 gubernatorial election will not be any different. Already politicians are jostling for the various parties’ tickets.

There were quite a number of formidable candidates in the Anambra APC, but of the lot, two stood out.

They included Senators Chris Ngige and Annie Okonkwo. These tested and eminently qualified senators have all it takes to go all the way and win the election. But the question was: who will bear the party’s flag? Will the two mighty Irokos from the same senatorial zone battle it out in a primary? This was one question that agitated me and perhaps the party’s leadership.

One of the hallmarks of a great soul is the ability and even readiness to place common good above personal good, the willingness to sacrifice for the progress of one’s

society, organisation etc. Senator Okonkwo demonstrated these noble traits and more when he not only let Ngige have the APC’s gubernatorial ticket without a fight but also vowed to put in all effort towards ensuring victory for the party come November 16. This is a clear demonstration of political maturity and points to a man fit and indeed destined for high office in the near future. It would be nice if the other equally credible APC candidates demonstrate the same maturity and queue behind Senator Ngige.

The emergence of the immensely popular Ngige is indeed a step in the right direction. His track record as a grass root politician who has the interest of the masses at heart speaks for him. His candidacy places the APC in pole position in the Anambra gubernatorial race.

The other parties will no doubt throw up formidable candidates, but who among them can beat Ngige in a free and fair contest? I sincerely don’t see any.

• Nnoli Aba, Abia State.

Chidiebere

highest performance score in Unity College exams nationwide (and by virtue of that highest cut-off mark for admission)?

The major attraction of Lagos right now is her property value and it is left for Gbogun Gboro to conclude whether demography and property investment by Ndigbo has had a salutary contribution towards that or not. Furthermore having bandied his christian credentials by virtue of being involved in the affairs of the church, if he says that any other group apart from the Yoruba has contributed to the building of Lagos more than the Ndigbos - then I leave him to his conscience.

Columnists are expected to shun stereotype or group labeling. Permit me to say that from my inferior academic station, there is no way I can generalise what the other politician said about the Ibo being collectively unlearned as being a Yoruba opinion rather than an individual one from a relevanceseeking politician. Gbogun Gboro is not expected to behave less.

The impression being given by Gbogun Gboro that phantom falsehood will hinder Ibos prospects in Nigeria is nothing more than an inaccurate deduction. The fact is that all enterprising nationalities with the Nigerian nation-state have no prospect in a unitary and centralised Nigeria and the struggle to restructure the polity is what The Nation is propounding via the constellation of progressive columnists and Gbogun Gboro should not be an exception.

• Ejike Sanchez Enugu

Suntai and Taraba youths IR: Who and where are these so called “Taraba Youths” reported as protesting and demanding, that Governor Danbaba Suntai of Taraba State address the people publicly if he is applying to the Taraba House of Assembly to resume duty?

The so-called youths should cast their minds back, compare and con-

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trast the difference between the coming home of late president Yar’adua and Governor Suntai. You would agree with me that the coming of the governor was transparent. He arrived alive in view of all Nigerians and waved to all his wellwishers.

Apart from that, the acting governor of the state and the Governor of

Adamawa State were given free access to visit and discuss with him, unlike Yar’adua whom even his Vice-President, Senate President and those at helm of his affairs were not aware of his coming, or allowed to visit him. In order words Yar’adua was brought home under suspicious circumstances and other Nigerians and religious bodies were silent just

to allow peace prevail in the country.

Though I am not from Taraba, my sincere advice to the so-called youths is to stop bringing religious sentiments into Taraba State politics so that the sleeping dog will lie. they should also not take the tiger by the tail.

• Oboyi Simon Abbattoir Road, Jos.

THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 29, 2013

19

COMMENTS

A recent trip to Ghana – 2

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HE Republic of Ghana is a thriving democracy under its current young President, Dr. John Dramani Mahama who is an intellectual in his own right. What I find extremely interesting about modern Ghana is that the country is run by the young people who are mostly in their 30s, 40s and 50s; the kind of people who will be pushed aside in Nigeria. The simplicity of the Ghanaian leadership is overwhelming. In my recent visit to Ghana, one of the Senior Protocol Officers in the Presidency who was in charge was a young lady in her 30s who was simply dressed in Ankara fabric sewn into a gown and I immediately imagined what a senior protocol lady in Nigeria would have been wearing. The minister of state for tertiary education was a young member of parliament most likely in his late 30s or early 40s. The Ghanaian constitution enjoins on the President to appoint substantial members of his cabinet from parliament. This is something those reviewing our constitution should look into.

I personally like the South African model where the President is also the leader of his party in parliament so that he can channel his policies towards enactment into Acts of Parliament. There is so much to learn from Ghana that probably writing a book about it is what would be required. For example, there is no dichotomy between the cities and the rural areas. City houses are not vastly different from what you find in the rural areas and electricity is available everywhere. Hence, rural-urban migration is severely mitigated.

The most glaring disparity between Nigeria and Ghana is the whole question of monuments and legacies. There are no monuments in Nigeria of the past; the houses of our past leaders are treated as ordinary abodes rather than national monuments. The Premier’s lodge in Ibadan I believe has been sold to an individual or turned into a high court. The Premier’s lodge in Kaduna, the so-called Arewa House is some kind of archive whilst the Prime Minister’s lodge in Lagos is now an army officer’s mess.

The federal parliament and the original federal secretariat and its successor in Lagos have been abandoned, burglarised and vandalised and are now inhabited by rodents. We have not even been able to build the mausoleum for Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe in spite of millions set aside for it and the graves of our leaders are taken care of by their families. But when you go to Accra, Nkrumah’s graveyard and that of his wife are tourists’ attractions. There is a museum for his books, his clothing and even the bed he used in Lincoln University as a student. If it is not too late, may I suggest that there is a need to build in Abuja monuments to our heroes as well as a country home somewhere in the woods or hills of Abuja for our President to escape to for reflection so that he does not spend eternity in Aso Rock totally isolated from reality? Nigeria is much richer than Ghana in resources and wealth but much poorer in management and vision. I am pas-

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HORTLY before Taraba State Governor Danbaba Danfulani Suntai returned to the country on Sunday after a 10 - month sojourn abroad, this paper had an encounter with him. It was a lucky meeting between him and our reporter, Joke Kujenya, at the Sea View Hospital Rehabilitation Centre and Home on Staten Island, New York, United States. They saw eye to - eye but could not talk to each other because Joke was there ‘unofficially’, that was how they put it, and so could not walk up to the governor for a chat.

Despite that, the description of what she saw last Saturday following her chance encounter with the governor before he was brought home painted enough picture of his state of health. Her report, which was published on page three of The Nation on Sunday, reads in part : ‘’While waiting, I did a quick look around. And there, he was. I got locked in eye contact with the man himself, Governor Danbaba Suntai!

He sat on a wheelchair in Room 503 beside his bed laid in white with three pillows well set aside each one. ‘’The name tag on his room read : Dan Fulani. He wore a red T-shirt on an off - white pair of trousers.

He also wore a grey coloured sneaker to complete the outfit...But, he did not utter a word to the reporter neither did he move his body. He only raised his head on the same spot. On impulse, he looked up and saw the reporter.

Then he locked his eyes on the reporter squeezing his face probably for a recollection. This lasted for over 10 minutes...After a while, he looked away and bowed his head’’ The foregoing shows that no matter what some people may be saying, Suntai still needs care and serious care at that. We thank God that he is getting better, but he should be allowed to fully recover before being rushed home over unnecessary fears that he may be impeached as governor to pave the way for his deputy, Garba Umar, to step in as the countdown to the 2015 elections

sionate about the two countries, Nigeria is my home, my daughter is married to a Ghanaian hence, Ghana is my daughter’s home.

There is little sense of nationalism in Nigeria and our flag does not attract the kind of attention and sense of patriotism that the Ghanaian flag enjoys. Yet you cannot build a nation without symbols and monuments. We just do not have rallying points and heroes around which we can build the sense of pride which a developing country needs. When I visited New Delhi, I was taken to Jawaharlal Nehru’s home and showed his house and his bed on his last days on earth and the simplicity was simply overwhelming. In Accra at the Nkrumah Gardens, the Cadillac car he used as President is preserved compared to the vandalization of Murtala Muhammad’s car deposited for ‘safe’ keeping in the National Museum in Lagos.

Whenever I pass by Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s personal house in Ibadan and see crates of Coca-Cola in front of it, I feel a sense of loss about how the place could be turned into a tourist attraction. There is so much that is missing in our lives and it is not really a question of money or budgetary allocation. What seems to be the problem with us is that we simply have no sense of vision and mission and our sense of who we are is befuddled by our current problems many of which are self-imposed.

Perhaps the problem of Nigeria is the official lack of the sense of history. I use the word ‘official’ advisedly because the ordinary man on the street has a sense of history and he can easily connect with the past. This is why the caliphate for example is still a strong force that connects the past with the present among the Hausa-Fulani. The institutions of the Ooni and the Alaafin are potent rallying points in Yoruba land and any politician who denigrates these institutions, does so it at his own peril.

Even among acephalous societies of the Igbo, the Ibibio and other Nigerians who until recently did not have centralised institutions of monarchies, their sense of history is no less important and individuals can relate to this sense of history. But at the official level where for reasons best known to government, history has been yanked out of primary and secondary school syllabi apparently on the advice of Americans who came here in the seventies and advised our government to introduce what they call “social studies” in place of history. This is something they do not do in their own country where American history with its theme of their manifest destiny is drummed into the ears of young people so that they could feel they are a special people and almost a chosen generation. But we who need this sense of nationalism because our nation is in a state of ebullition were wrongly advised and probably deliberately made to operate in an historical and cultural void. Unlike Ghana, which has a sense of purpose under Nkrumah and would brook no inter-

ference in the educational system of their people, we have been made to go through a system of disconnect between the present and the past; the consequence of which is the total absence of the sense of history in our national life.

After 53 years, we have no monuments Jide to point to for the Osuntokun coming generation and to take tourists to while visiting our country. There are no national symbols of our sovereignty, of our history, of our unity. We think the numbers of cars and trucks on our roads and the variety of foreign restaurants and eateries and the innumerable generators and other manifestation of our dependency on Western culture are signs of modernity. We leave the exhibition of our 2000 year old civilisation in Nok, Ife, Benin, and Igbo Ukwu in the hands of oil companies in various metropolitan centres of the world happily without any condescension on their part. This should have been the duty of our government to showcase our past to the rest of the world but our leaders are more interested in feathering their own nest and looting the treasury and building mansions which their children will not be able to maintain and which would have to be turned to museums in the future. Perhaps it is not too late to make amends and I sincerely hope that when our leaders visit other parts of the world including Ghana, they would learn the lesson of building monuments for the future. Life is not about material well-being alone, there are things that appeal to the spirit. A nation could be developed physically but be spiritually poor. A city like Abuja for example may be beautiful but it has no soul and it is incumbent on planners to try and infuse soul into such a city. This is why Abuja is deserted at weekends and people flee to places like Lagos, Kano in spite of the fact that they are not as developed as Abuja. As a nation, we need to be thinking of the future and of our children and grand children and the legacies we would leave behind. This is why civilised countries spend huge amount of money on museums, art galleries, libraries, national monuments which are what will endure and not whatever money we have in bank vaults.

There we go again begins. That he survived a plane crash is enough reason for him and his family to thank God. The cases of many others were not as serious as his and yet they died. I believe that God preserved Suntai’s life because he still needs him, but it may not be in the capacity of a governor.

This is the bitter truth his loyalists don’t want to hear. Unfortunately, his wife is on their side.

Suntai should let the will of God prevail in his life instead of allowing people, who don’t mean well for him to push him around for their own political interest. This is the problem with our politicians. They can play politics with anything, including human life. The signs all point to the fact that Suntai is not in full control of his mental senses. Just a look at him as he was being carried out of the plane that brought him home on Sunday was enough to tell any sane person that the governor still needs to be under close medical watch.

Why then did his wife , Hajia Hauwa, friends and political associates rush him home in such a critical condition? The answer is simple; they want to manipulate him for their own political gains. I am particularly pained that Suntai’s wife could be a party to the manipulation of her husband. Does she truly love the man? Does she have her family’s interest at heart? It is true that women love power, but a woman must know where to draw the line when the life of her husband is involved. Will Hauwa be happy if something untoward happens to her husband in this bitter contest for power now playing out in Taraba?

She doesn’t need to travel far to see what happened to people in similar circumstance not too long ago. I am sorry to use the Yar ‘Adua case as an analogy, but I am forced to do so in order to bring home to Mrs Suntai the danger she is playing with

in allowing her husband to be used as a pawn on the political chess board of some people. What else does she want after being wife of a governor for six years before the unfortunate plane crash in which her husband sustained the injuries he is nursing? Instead of being thankful to God that she still has her husband to hold on to, she wants to carry her sacrifice beyond the mosque by dabbling into politics.

I hope she will not end up burning her fingers. Today, Taraba is facing a crisis of leadership because of her husband’s sudden appearance on the scene, despite not being mentally alert to discharge the obligations of his office. What will Suntai lose if if his deputy continues to run the state while he continues to attend to his health? Is being governor more important to him than becoming hale and hearty first? Is it not the person that is alive that can think of holding political office, whether president, governor or whatever? t this point, everything lies in the hands of Mrs Suntai.

She can change things by putting a stop to this political shenanigan. What will it profit her if she acquires all the political power in Taraba, but loses her husband? She should not be part of the political statement that her husband is strong, healthy and raring to return to work being mouthed by people like former Information Minister Prof Jerry Gana and one time publicist of the defunct National Republican Convention (NRC) John Dara. What should concern her now is the wellbeing of her husband if she wants him to be father of her children till the couple grow old together.

Unfotunately, Mrs Suntai is becoming too much involved in the political undercurrent of her husband’s illness instead of nursing

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him back to good health. Though, I was not there, but I believe that the doctors would have told her that ‘’madam, please ensure that your husband takes his drugs regularly and rests well until he returns here for examination’’. Can Suntai have that rest if he returns to work now when we know that the job of a governor demands a lot of rigour no matter how backward that state may be?

If there is nothing to hide about the health of her husband, Mrs Suntai will not be shielding him from members of the House of Assembly, who have oversight functions over him. Those who say he is fit to return to work or who assisted him in writing to the lawmakers that he was ready to resume should bury their heads in shame.

They should remember the damage they did to the country during the Yar ‘Adua saga. They should not make us to travel that road again.

Suntai’s life should be more precious to us all than him being a puppet governor.

Let Ozekhome go Every day our country keeps sinking deeper into a morass. People leave their homes without knowing whether they will return safely.

We live each day as if it is going to be the last because of the fear of the unknown, When we leave home and return safely, we do thanksgiving. We live in fear in this country today; the fear of Boko Haram, the fear of kidnappers, the fear of ritual killers, the fear of night marauders and the fear of rapists. Of the lot, the fear of kidnappers makes our

Lawal Ogienagbon lawal.ogienagbon@thenationonlineng.net SMS ONLY: 08099400204

hair stand on our head because we don’t know where and when they will strike.

The kidnappers’ latest victim is Mike Ozekhome (SAN), who was kidnapped on the Benin - Auchi road last Friday. Since his abduction, we have not heard from his kidnappers to know what they want. Is it money? Is it that he should drop a case that he is handling? Is it that he should stop his activism? Rather than answer these questions, the kidnappers are keeping us in suspense. If only his kidnappers know Ozek baba, that is how some of us call him, they won’t have snatched him. Unknown to them, they have abducted a man they should have befriended. They may have a reason for their action, but they got the wrong person Ozekhome’s place is not the kidnappers’ den. Nobody’s place is the kidnappers’ den any way. So, I appeal to the kidnappers today to let Ozekhome go. They should let him return home to his family unhurt.

Ozek baba, I am praying for your safe return.

‘What will it profit Mrs Suntai if she acquires all the political power in Taraba, but loses her husband?’

THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 29, 2013

20

COMMENTS

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HE All Progressives Congress recently unfolded an eight-point cardinal programme that covers electricity generation, war against corruption, food security, integrated transport network and free education. Others are devolution of power, accelerated economic growth and affordable health care. While the party has tried to assure Nigerian that the programme will transform Nigeria, the ruling PDP has through its National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh said that the APC eight point programme, which offered nothing new was “a very poor imitation and a bland parody of PDP manifesto.”

And echoing similar sentiment, Dr Doyin Okupe, says “It is a plagiarized version of the PDP manifesto and it lacks vision”.

It is difficult to disagree with the two misinformation merchants though their claim in itself is an admission of failure by PDP that in 1999, promised through Obasanjo, its leading star, to provide stable electricity within two years, embark on agricultural revolution, end massive importation of foreign goods as well as fight corruption, some of the issues the rival ACP now says it intends to tackle. After eight years of Obasanjo roadmap, Yar’Adua’s seven-point agenda and President Jonathan’s own transformation agenda that has run for over two years, outside PDP and its leading light, the verdict today is that we are worse off than we were in 1999.

What the APC eight-point agenda has offered the electorate therefore is only a choice between PDP’s 14 years of failed promises and APC’s hope based on the credibility and the past records of its chief promoters, Buhari and Tinubu. The party wants the electorate to be guided in 2015 by the record of Buhari who ensured during his short term in office, the nation not only stopped importation of wheat, our problem became how to store locally produced grains; the nation not only creatively ensured we did not waste billions on importation of refined fuel, but was exporting refined fuel; and of course the record of the defunct ACN governors from Lagos to Edo who have set standard of performance yet to be matched by those PDP governors who collect from the federation account in one month what some of the opposition governors collect in 12 months.

But I think Nigerians want more. The APC eight-point programme like the PDP 14 years recycled agenda, are routine responsibilities of government that do not require the intervention of angels or men with special talents.

They remain intractable because of the greed

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APC manifesto: Nigerians want miracles of PDP leaders who chose to serve themselves rather than fulfil their obligation to Nigerians. This is not just the views of a critique of PDP’s inept management of the nations affairs, it is also that of the various probe bodies set up by the government itself as well as that of the judiciary that at different periods indicted nearly all the past PDP chairmen, past Senate presidents, past Speakers of the Lower House, ex-governors some of whom have served jailed terms at home for financial malfeasance or abroad for money laundering.

An army of frustrated unemployed youths driven into the embrace of Nigeria’s prosperity prophets by PDP 14 years of uninspiring leadership have grown to become miracle seekers. They therefore want nothing less than miracles from APC. Their expectations are legitimate. The challenge of what appears impossible task, which often come through dreaming dreams, is what after all make political parties relevant to their societies. Political parties in the US, Britain, Japan and China modernized their societies by dreaming dreams.

Nearer home, we have the example of the western Nigeria under Obafemi Awolowo in the 1950s. When the AG launched its freed education programme, others that could not dream dreams dismissed it with a wave of hand. In fact NCNC went a step further to undermine it through campaign of misinformation which resulted in AG’s loss of federal election in 1952. The success of free education became a testimony that those who dared to dream often perform miracles. More mira-

OR a dream that did not have replica in its massiveness, it was natural that it would give birth to its own biblical Thomases. From licence cancellation to political intimidation, cheap propaganda to attempts at tar-brushing the architect of the dream, Globacom Nigeria Limited took off from the stage of conception and like raw gold that was wrought from the hot fire of the smithy, Mike Adenuga has moulded his dream of a telecom empire for Nigeria and Africa into an impressionable reality.

That raw dream of 10 years ago is one of the few showcases the Nigerian holds aloft as an example of his belonging to the global family of thinkers; that he too belongs to the league of world thinking icons and visionaries who modulate mustard seeds of ideas and watch them grow into massive Iroko trees.

It was an audacity to dream.

But those who were diametrically opposed to the Globacom dream could not be said to have done anything unusual. They belong to a family of the world’s pessimism which was always sarcastic to and disdainful of inventions and revolutions. Take for instance the invention in geography that was later known to be the Copernican revolution. Two hundred years before Nicolaus Copernicus’ book entitled De revolutionibus orbium coelestium (On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres), published in 1543, the world was ruled by Ptolemy’s view of the heavens, which postulated that the earth was at the centre of the galaxy.

The Copernican Revolution, which became the starting point of the 16 th-century scientific revolution, however held a heliocentric model which submits that the Sun was at the centre of the Solar System. In essence, Copernicus changed the way the world reasoned.

Globacom has lived to the billing as the Copernican dream of the Nigerian telecom industry. Take for instance its Per Second Billing revolution. Before the revolution, the industry had been inundated by societal angst against the widelyperceived unfavourable disposition of its foreign competitors which were diametrically opposed to the possibility of the PSB before 2007. The Nigerian public bickered on why callers had to pay N50 flat rate per minute, even if the call lasted for only one second. But like a matador and a revolutionary that it is, Globacom broke the frontiers of pessimism and introduced the billing platform at launch on August 29, 2003. It coasted home with the laurel of being the first operator to launch on this platform. It was a revolution that other networks had to tag along with reluctantly.

More phenomenal was the issue of General Radio Packet Services (GPRS)., Globacom again made history when, in 2004, it earned the laurel of becoming the first network in Nigeria to launch the GPRS. The revolution, enabled by the 2.5G technology, is a platform which guarantees high speed data transmission and multimedia messaging services, among other benefits. It also provides ancillary services, like other value added services which were unavailable on the 2G technology

cles followed. The Awo-led AG awarded more foreign scholarships to youths of the defunct Western State in their first year in office than the total number of scholarship the departing colonial masters awarded to the whole of Nigeria in the preceding three years.

Nigerian miracle seekers, assaulted by PDP’s celebration of generating 2500MW in 14 years after frittering away of over US$20 billion want dreamers who will generate 40,000MW in four years, repair our refineries in six months, insist we eat our own local rice in one year, stop importation of used tyres from Ghana, South Africa and Europe in three months by giving bailouts to Michelin and Dunlop to relocate from Ghana back to Nigeria.

Beyond the yearning of Nigerians for dreamers, APC eight-point agenda whose originality is being violently contested by PDP can hardly be attained within the present system that has sustained PDP anarchy and rape of our nation for 14 years. This is why one finds it curious that restructuring is conspicuously missing in the APC agenda. This omission cannot be attributed to differences in ideological orientation of the merging political parties. Restructuring formed the major platform of Buhari’s quest for the presidency in 2011. Of course restructuring and regional integration are experiments that have started to yield dividends in the states controlled by the defunct ACN. They can be best achieved within a restructured Nigerian federalism. The six power blocks that emerged after the 2011 election

which bear semblance to Alex Ekwueme ‘s recommended six geo-political zones as the building block for a federal arrangement that will reflect our cultural and ethnic diversity can become the platform for APC dream of a restructured Nigeria. The current 36 state structure with 774 arbitrarily created LGAs have become channels for the depletion of resources desperately needed for developmental efforts.

For instance the current six states of the South-west do not need more than a governor and perhaps six deputy governors to coordinate the activities of LGA which should be the responsibility of the zones/regions instead of depending on father Christmas from Abuja whose interest is in patronage not for development, but for destabilization of states as it is now evident in the sponsored crisis in Rivers and Adamawa.

And at alleged N50m monthly allocation for security to a governor, the six state governors take away N300m in a month or N3.6billion in a year, or N14.4billion in four years, enough to make the South-west self-sufficient in rice production or turn the South-west to a major exporter of ‘ofada and Igbimo’ rice. Savings from just the rationalization of governors alone can perform the same miracle with cotton in the North-east now made ungovernable by jobless religious fundamentalists, groundnut in North-west palm oil in Southsouth and South east.

Of course it will be a miracle to restructure a nation where ‘Nigerian army of anything is possible’ created states for their wives and local government for their media assistants; where the obsession of the young and the old in their 70s who had served as ministers and senators is to become governors of their unviable states; where governors of insolvent states that cannot pay salaries of teachers fly private jets and ride in armoured vehicles; where state representatives at the centre are the highest paid lawmakers in the world; where hardly literate local government councillors are better remunerated than university professors and where ministerial appointments like oil block allocation are shared on the basis of state representation.

But then beyond mobilization for elective political office or ensuring actual takeover of power, what political parties are in the main called upon to perform, are miracles. And only parties that dream dreams succeed in this endeavour. APC must note that traumatized Nigerians who have lost hope in all politicians, military and the current ruling class, are impatient. They don’t want more of the same. They want dreamers. They want miracles.

A decade of Glo

By Monday Osasere deployed by other operators in the industry prior to 2004.

Aware of its pedigree as a long distance runner in the race to change the face of telecommunication in Nigeria, Globacom again launched the N1 SIM promotion as its own contribution towards marking the country’s 44th independence anniversary.

Before then, SIM packs ran into multiple of thousands of naira which alienated a number of potential subscribers. Immediately it dropped its Prepaid Classic SIM card price, not only did it come across to the people as the only network that was peoplefriendly, it came across again as a barrier breaker.

In the area of innovation, Globacom has always held the ace.

It has led in the adoption of new technology and value added services that have pointed the way forward in the industry. In this wise, it launched its network on a 2.5G GPRS platform, leaving other networks under the 2G network.

The BlackBerry, which has become a household phenomenon in Nigeria, was also pioneered in the nation’s telecom sector

by Globacom and it took other operators at least one year after to copy the initiative. An integrated wireless, handheld device, which supports push button e-mail, mobile telephone, text messaging, web browsing and other wireless information services, Blackberry has become one of the revolutions of the first-rate telecom industry.

Globacom also scored another plus by being a telecom company that broke the tradition of a consortium in building a submarine cable network. Hitherto, this consortium pooled up resources to create the cable for the enhancement of their connectivity and bandwidth capacity. However, by singlehandedly providing the high capacity Glo 1 optic fibre cable, Globacom brought direct connectivity between West Africa, the UK and the rest of the world. The 9,800 km long cable provides huge bandwidth capacity on its 2-fibre pair system.

The outcome of this is robust connectivity for voice, data and video and it has the potential to connect 16 West African countries through the branching units to the rest of the world.

Some of the countries like Nigeria and Ghana are already benefiting from the Glo 1 revolution.

Perhaps the most phenomenal in the list of Globacom’s interventions is its social support to numerous social strata in Nigeria. There is hardly a state in Nigeria which has not felt the Midas-touch of Globacom. Like a public-spirited woman spreading its bevy of goodies, virtually all nooks and crannies of Nigeria have felt the Public Sector initiative of Globacom through the provision of Public Telephone Operator facilities and training for young men and women. It has also partnered with the National Poverty Eradication Programme (NAPEP),

Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and Shell Petroleum Development Commission among numerous others, to support private, corporate and state initiatives to cage the monster which unemployment had become in Nigeria.

Through iconic sponsorships like Glo CAF Awards, the national teams, the Nigerian Premier League, the football supporters club, Manchester United, Live broadcast of EPL matches, Glo Lagos International Half Marathon, the Glo Golf Tour, the Glo Soccer Academy, Globacom has taken the lead in connecting the people to their passions.

Aware that several Nigerians walk the streets pregnant with talents that most times became rotten and dry within them, Globacom made the showcase of talents its centrepiece.

For instance, the world’s number one music singing talent reality TV show, “X Factor”, in March this year landed in Africa for the first time. The show which is still on-going is spiced with eye-popping candies like the ultimate winner going home with a princely sum of $150,000 (N24million), the biggest among music reality TV shows in the continent.

Again in 2005, Globacom began a talent-hunt and entertainment spectacle called Campus storm, where it advertises its appreciation to Nigerian universities and the youth as a whole for the unalloyed support and patronage of the network. In the process, it also creates an evening of fun and laughter through which the students drown the pressure of classroom works, thereby easing academic stress. This programme has been lauded round the campuses of Nigerian universities as it has also become a hub of discovering upcoming artistes and is an opportunity for them to advertise their talents to the world.

Perhaps as an underscore of its pan-Africanism, the company is also in pursuit of a vision to become the largest and most successful telecommunications company in Africa. It rolled out services in some West African countries. On June 5, 2008, Globacom began operations in the Republic of Benin. It instantly became the favourite of subscribers and Glo Mobile Benin ramped up about 800,000 subscribers within 10 months of operation. Its sister pan-African intervention, Glo Mobile Ghana, which began business on April 29, 2012, also hit the one million subscribers mark in three months. It has also extended its telecom tentacles to having licences in Senegal, Cote d’Ivoire and Gambia.

In 10 years, Globacom’s operations can be likened to the advent of a revolution. It has bested every imaginable telecom operations in Nigeria and has stimulated a new era of telephony in the country. Let’s toast to the health and further growth of our own Copernican Revolution in telecommunication in Nigeria!

•Osasere, a telecommunication analyst, lives in Benin, Edo State.

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THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 29, 2013

COMMENTS

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INCE the Independence Decade, the 1960s, political instability has been the common experience of our Sub-Saharan African countries. Most of the news from our region has usually been of mindless interethnic rivalries, schemes of ethnic domination and resistance, rigged and violently disputed elections, successive military coups, complex mixtures of ethnic and religious turbulence, bloody inter-ethnic and religious conflicts, mass killings, pogroms, genocide, military establishments disintegrating into mutually hostile bands that seek nothing less than the extermination of one another, wellarmed and riotous rebel groups and commandos on the rampage, adolescents abducted from their homes into the jungle where they are taught and drugged to kill and die, huge populations of raped and brutalized mothers and abandoned children, displaced hordes fleeing to nowhere and thousands dying and perishing on the move, civil wars that crest again and again in cataclysmic waves, the world’s largest and most barbarously dehumanizing refugee camps where deprivation, hunger and death reign supreme over the shattered lives of countless thousands.

We Black Africans constitute just about 15% of the world’s population, but our sub-continent consumes over 75% of the international peace-keeping efforts on planet earth.

What then are the fundamental causes of the instability? The root cause is that our subcontinent is home to mostly very small nationalities. Of our probably 5,000 ethnic nations, only about 20 are about five million or more in population. Of the rest, most have populations of only a few hundreds of thousands, or even just tens of thousands. No other continent is as minutely fragmented, ethnically, as Black Africa. This creates a big problem for any effort at creating sizeable modern countries. Even if we ourselves had created our countries at the beginning of the 20th century, we would have had serious difficulties doing it.

Partly fortunately, and partly unfortunately, imperial agents of the various European countries came and created our modern countries.

I say fortunately, because, at least, they did the tough job of wading through our small nationalities and creating some sort of countries for us; and unfortunately, because, in their arrogance of power and their disorderly rivalries, they created very many countries that are essentially unworkable or unsustainable.

Why Nigeria is unstable Their first failing was that, in their competition and their cultural arrogance, they did not care at all about the nationalities that existed.

All over our sub-continent, they created boundaries that split up many nationalities.

For instance, the large Yoruba nation, with a homeland spreading from today’s Kogi State all the way westwards into modern Togo, was split roughly into three. The Hausa and Fulani with a large homeland spreading from what is now Northern Nigeria into much of the Republic of Niger were also split up. The Somali nation was split into four – with parts in Somalia, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Kenya. The cumulative result is that many boundaries in Sub-Saharan Africa today are simply meaningless, and many are causes of serious trouble and conflicts.

Secondly, in their internal organization and management of each country, they also did a whole lot of wrongs – all of which, together, now plague our countries with inter-ethnic and other conflicts. In most countries, they ignored the obvious boundaries, and created provinces, regions, and districts, whose boundaries are seriously problematic. In many countries, they pursued policies of divide-andrule. In some countries, they even deliberately instigated and encouraged a tradition of hostility between nationalities. In the years following the end of the Second World War in 1945, as the European countries found that they would have to give up their African empires, they proceeded in many countries to engineer constitutional and political arrangements that were designed to protect their own interests after independence while creating serious problems for the countries they were giving independence. Such deliberate engineering of future instability and conflicts were common, but the most prominent example is Nigeria, Black Africa’s most populous country.

The British were determined to leave one of the nationalities of Nigeria in control of Nigeria – a nationality that they believed would be best disposed to protect British interests after independence. They believed that the best candidate was the Hausa-Fulani of Northern Nigeria. So, they created constitutional arrangements that more or less made the Hausa-Fulani the new imperial rulers of

Nigeria. They created a Nigerian federation of three regions, with the Northern Region commanding more population in the federation (according to the official censuses) than the other two regions – eastern and western regions – together. This translated to the fact that, at independence, the Northern Region had 174 members in the House of Representatives, and the Eastern and Western Regions, plus the Lagos Federal Territory, had a total 138. That put the Northern Region in control.

All efforts made by various Nigerian individuals and groups to change this dangerous constitutional arrangement were rejected by the British.

The worst outcome of this situation is that, as Nigeria entered into independence, the rulers of the Northern Region were in a position to feel that Nigeria was an empire bequeathed to them by the British. Many prominent Hausa-Fulani citizens still feel that way today. All the distortion of the Nigeria federation since independence, the relentless accumulation of power and resources in the hands of the Federal Government, the impotence of the states of the federation, a lot of our conflicts and even civil war, much of the cause of terrible poverty in our country, and the growing probability now that our country may break up – all are products of the dangerously structured federation that we started with at independence. The present condition of things cannot continue.

We have only two peaceful options. Option One is to restructure the Nigerian federation in a sane and sensible manner, so that our country may become a land of stability, progress and prosperity. The natural units of Nigeria are our nationalities. A rational federal structure in our type of country must be based on our nationalities. What that means is that, in structuring our federation, we will pay due respect to our nationalities large or small. No nationality shall be split up between states. In detail, the large nationalities (Hausa-Fulani, Yoruba and Igbo) shall each form a state. Then the geographically contiguous of the small nationalities will agree among them to form states. Then, we will readjust the allocation of powers and responsibilities in our federation in such a way that the Federal Government will be divested of

Gbogun gboro some of the bloated powers which it now enjoys, and the state governments will become stronger and better able to advance progress and prosperity in their states. A return to the constitutional arrangements that we had at independence will do.

Option Two is unpalatable; it is that if we are absolutely unwilling to adopt Option One, we should dissolve Nigeria in an orderly manner – so as to enable each of our nationalities to make better arrangements for their future in the world. In any case, if we do not adopt either Option One or Two soon, Option Three is very likely to force itself upon us – namely, some sort of violent break-up. We can save our country from coming to Option Two or Three if we choose to. But will we choose to?

‘The natural units of Nigeria are our nationalities.

A rational federal structure in our type of country must be based on our nationalities. What that means is that, in structuring our federation, we will pay due respect to our nationalities large or small’

To be honest, I think we failed (William Folorunsho) Kumuyi when he was so serious about Bible Study – Primate Joseph Abiodun Adetiloye (1929 2012)

Deeper Life Bible Church: 40 years after

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new distinctive and radical face of evangelism. He did this mainly through two approaches. First, in his preaching, he rejected the formalism he met on the ground. Secondly, he added simplicity, humility and a practicality of the Gospel. Those 15 who started with him perceived a fresh liberating breath and spread the news of the man in Flat 2.

Pastor Philip Oluwi, now among the pillars of DLBC, says: “I was anxious to have a deeper knowledge of God. All along I wasn’t satisfied with what I was receiving from the churches. A friend told me about the Deeper Life Bible Study…so in January 1975, we went together to Flat 2. After the Bible Study that night, I knew I had arrived at where I really wanted to be.”

That same year, membership of the Bible study Group had jumped to over 1500, emboldening Kumuyi to organize the first Deeper Life Retreat in December 1975.

DLBC has over the years brushed aside criticisms to emerge a focused church. Flat 2 has given way to sprawling worldwide headquarters at Gbagada, Lagos, Nigeria, costing some N3billion.

The recent years have seen DLBC beckon on internet technology to support the spread of the gospel. Many have criticized Deeper Life for its use of the TV system and internet for transmitting its programs especially the Monday Bible Study saying Kumuyi is backpedalling on his alleged hostility to members watching TV or owning a TV set at home.

I do not think Pastor Kumuyi ever sweepingly denounced the TV as evil on its own.

But he has warned of the danger of watching its programmes indiscriminately. I still have in my possession the recording of a 1999 TV interview where he spoke of his position on the matter.

If Pastor Kumuyi has given so much to Deeper Life Bible Church, it would be inconceivable and a run against healthy relation-

OD planted Deeper Life Bible Church and asked William Folorunsho Kumuyi to tend it. Very much like the Edenic story: God organized a garden and put Adam in charge.

The young evangelist and Mathematics lecturer at University of Lagos (Unilag) insisted that God sent him to deliver nothing but the face value of the Bible he held as his authority.

Few people took him seriously.

God broke the deadlock in August 1973 when Kumuyi, still teaching, started a Bible Study Group in his official Flat 2 residence at Unilag. The 15-member team met every Monday under the leadership of Kumuyi. Here, he sowed the seed of what God has turned into a huge church straddling all of Nigeria and reaching outwards across Africa and to several dozens of nations all over Planet Earth.

What he taught principally on Day One – holiness without which no man shall see the Lord, consistent Christian living with moment-by-moment victory over temptation and sin, opposition to worldliness, absolute trust in God’s promises in the Bible no matter the spiritual or physical challenges, humility (inward and outward), the infallibility of the Bible – is still what Deeper Life Bible Church stands for four decades after it broke into existence.

Kumuyi stormed the scene at age 32 with a

‘The church has helped the people conquer evil habits like prostitution, gangsterism, drug abuse, alcoholism, corruption, spousal infidelity, embezzlement, juvenile delinquency, workplace misdemeanours etc.’

By Banji Ojewale

ships that his brothers and sisters in the church have not in return given him some treasured heritage. They have offered him the dominant grey hair that is his trademark now. For me, the white strands constitute an adumbration of the crown waiting for him hereafter by the Mercy of God. Long before Nigeria arrived at the present impasse, DLBC had set forth a way of escape from the doom. Kumuyi declared: “When we started the Bible Study, for me it was strange – women wearing slacks and using jewellery and lipstick. So I would teach them that a bornagain Christian sister does not dress that way.

Being born-again affects everything that you do in life. Then you have seen the lifestyle in Nigeria: the bribery, corruption, unpunctuality, falsifying accounts (when you get to a place of work at 8am, you write that you got there at 7:30am). Now the only way to correct all these things was to say ‘If you say you are a Christian, indicate the exact time you get to the office…If you get there at 9, put 9. If you resume at 9 and you put 8, you are lying and a Christian should not lie’ that way the lives of the people became changed…if you were cheating your employers before you will restore…At the bus-stop or anywhere people in Nigeria normally wouldn’t queue but just push…But we would teach our own members that if you say you are a Christian, take your place, do unto others as you want them to do unto you. Somebody got there before you therefore queue up.”

This is the pith of the spiritual revolution DLBC brought.

The church has helped the people conquer evil habits like prostitution, gangsterism, drug abuse, alcoholism, corruption, spousal infidelity, embezzlement, juvenile delinquency, workplace misdemeanours etc.

Implacable atheist and social critic, late Dr. Tai Solarin, whose Mayflower School Kumuyi attended visited the evangelist and applauded him for his steadfast stand on morality and exemplary leadership as a pastor.

DLBC has been unrelenting in its drive for building sound doctrine and a life of righteousness in its members despite a series of severe setbacks.

Pastor Kumuyi still preaches in his now familiar style of deliberately delivering a concatenation of alliterations. He is such a delight to listen to or watch that most times you are in quandary what to concentrate on: the alliteration or the message!

In his book, Discourse, Politics and the 1993 Presidential Election Campaigns in Nigeria, Dr. Tunde Opeibi submits that that the use of alliteration is a powerful “stylistic device” of language.

It is impossible for such a pastor and his flock not to engender a web of myths as it is with all great men and institutions. A sister in the church said Pastor Kumuyi is Jesus Christ who has come back and that he is only pretending to be man! Another has surmised that Pastor Kumuyi was there when God was writing the Bible!

To bring Kumuyi closer to his brothers and sisters, DLBC has lately begun a programme (every third weekend of the month) where the pastor delivers multiple breakthrough sermons from Saturday evening through Sunday morning. It’s a menu of miracles. I believe this programme, combining at a go all what DLBC has stood for in 40 years – personal conviction of salvation, inward and outward holiness, revival, a heavenly focus, divine healing and provision – presages a future driven by the foundation of the past. What does this mean? Simply, it says that while Deeper Life may have undertaken some tactical concessions it has not and does not plan to yield strategic ground.

Pastor Kumuyi himself has considered the matter. He once told a Ghanaian journalist: “…In Deeper Life we do have a united voice…After I leave, the way Deeper Life is…it will stand. And even if I were not there, things would still go on. That’s the way the Lord has built us.”

• Ojewale is a writer in Ota, Ogun State,

THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 29, 2013

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INDUSTRY

N100b textile bailout fund fails to lift industry The textile industry was once a thriving sector, producing at over 63 per cent of installed capacity and meeting the demands of the country and those in the West African sub-region. At its peak, it had 175 functional mills that employed over 800,000 workers. Today, the story is abysmally different. Only 25 mills are working with 24,000 workers. To reverse the trend, the Federal Government injected N100 billion into the sector, under a Textile and Garment Development Fund to assist primary producers, textile manufacturers and other operators. However, the future of the industry is as bleak as that of yesteryears OKWY IROEGBU-CHIKEZIE reports.

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T a time, the textile industry was considered the easiest place to get a job. It was the sector that employed the most with about 800,000 workers.

Realising the sector’s place in job creation, the Federal Government in 2009 proposed a N70billion lifeline for it. The amount was later raised to N100billion.

The N100billion Textile and Garment Development Intervention fund raised hope of the sector’s revival. The late President Musa Yar’Adua, who announced the scheme in 2009, described it as the most comprehensive for reviving a sector that was once the second highest employer after the government.

A fundamental feature of the scheme was that it covered the cotton and garment production value chain, which had not been accorded attention and yet was the most lucrative segment of the chain.

Justifying the scheme, the government noted that in the 1980s, the sector generated turnovers of about $9 billion from 175 mills, employing more than 700,000 and accounting for 25 per cent of manufacturing value-addition.

It regretted that by 2008, the country barely had 24 mills, employing no fewer than 25,000 workers, and accounting for about five per cent of manufacturing value-addition.

It said based on its assessment and those of leading firms in the industry and some development partners, the cotton, textile and garment industry stands out as a potential growth area of the economy that could propel the country towards achieving the Vision 20:2020 and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The expectations that greeted the intervention fund, evaporated almost immediately the scheme took-off. A motley of challenges still dug the sector, erazing the gains recorded under the scheme.

Stiff competition remains the order of the day. Although fabrics dot the markets and high-brow shops, none of them is of local extraction. They are all imported stuffs. Most of the local manufacturers have gone under due to unhealthy operating environment occasioned by poor infrastructure, multiple levies and multiplicity of regulatory agencies. The few in-

digenous manufacturing companies exist only in name.

The hope of restoring the job potential in the sector remains a pipe dream, while the economy remains a feedstock for foreign firms, thus creating jobs for other nations who find the market a veritable ground for the dumpming of their of products.

Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment Dr. Samuel Ortom told The Nation that the government is committed to the revival of the sector, saying that was what led to the setting up of a committee to take a fresh look at the textile sector. He said the committee would soon present its findings to the Economic Management Team and the Federal Executive Council (FEC).

He said: “The sector has the capacity to provide four million jobs. We have met with all stakeholders in the sector, including the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs). Our target is to produce high quality locally manufactured textiles and discourage the importation of cheap and substandard textiles.”

He said it is part of the government industrial revolution plan of the administration where ailing industries are revived and new ones established.

Ortom said part of the bigger picture is the provision of infrastructure, such as the on going road construction across the nation, electricity and the modernisation of the railways.

He said his ministry is running a campaign on the patronage of made-in – indigenous goods, especially textiles, exemplified with most of the cabinet ministers wearing it on public outings. He said the government has also improved on its rating and ease of doing

• Inside of Asaba Textile Company in Delta State.

business from 127 and 137 in 2011 to 115 and 131.

Ortom said as a result of deliberate government’s policy, over 17 million medium and small scale industries, employing 34 million people are thriving. He underscored Federal Government’s commitment to boost the textile industry by also encouraging local cotton farmers and the petrochemical industries.

Stakeholders, who spoke to The Nation, argued that as good as the bailout might be, the failure of the Ministry to provide evidence of how the massive fund infusion has so far aided the recovery of the industry raises serious doubts about the government’s strategy, to date.

The Central Bank of Nigeria said the Federal Government dished out bailout worth N500 billion in 2010 to the manufacturing sector, including the textile sub-sector, but that no appreciable result has been recorded so far by operators, igniting doubts if indeed the funds injected into the sector got to those who need it most.

The Director-General, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) Muda Yusuf said the problem of the industry is a reflection of the problem of the industrial sector.

He said: “The manufacturing sector has very serious issues of competitiveness arising from the high cost of production arising from the challenge of poor power generation, logistics and funding. These three principal factors have made the textile industry uncompetitive.

We are in a global world and if your cost of production is about 50 per cent higher than the cost of production elsewhere, then your chances of survival will be very limited.”

Yusuf said the various government interventions on the sector, such as the textile intervention fund worth billions of naira and campaigns for people to wear made- in- Nigeria textile but unfortunately because of the competitiveness problem, the local in-

dustry cannot cope.

He said there is a huge market for African fabrics, but almost 80 per cent, or more are smuggled into this country from the neighbouring countries, so that is the tragedy of the industry and the lesson is that when you have such problems, it is not enough to throw money at these problems like the kind of intervention fund that the government has thrown in.

He noted that the fundamental issue is that the sector itself has to be competitive which can only be achieved by removing obstacles to competitiveness. He frowned at the high cost of diesel and the epileptic power situation which is ‘killing local industries.

He said: “The other tragedy is that many of the textile firms are also running on obsolete technology which cannot meet the enterprise.”

On the implications of the high cost of production in the sector, he maintained that it has become cheaper for people to smuggle textile or even import from China or other Asian countries, adding that almost 80 per cent of the African fabric in the markets are smuggled and this a major tragedy of the economy.

The irony of the nation, he said, was that it has a large domestic market with very weak domestic production capacity.

According to him, most of what we consume locally are not produced by us because of our taste for imported products and weak government policies and agencies in addition to our porous borders that support smuggling.

He said: “What is happening with the manufacturing industries is happening with the downstream sector too. Almost 100 per cent of the fuel that we consume is imported yet we are an oil producing country; it is a major tragedy.

The opportunities are there for jobs to be created but because we don’t have what it takes to produce competitively. We are not in a position to take advantage of the op-

• Ortom

portunities that the economy provides for our people. ‘’Nigerians are very enterprising given the right environment we can do a lot to transform this economy. But the environment has not been very conducive and that is why we have this kind of challenge that we have that the whole economy has been flooded with foreign products.’’

He argued that when the citizens have issues with their pockets, the first thing they think about is what they can afford not what they like; so we have a situation where that is the general mind-set making it possible for people to bring in cheap things that sell fast, he added. He urged government to patronise locally produced textiles.

He said: “For instance if we have a situation where there is a legislation that uniforms of men of the Armed Forces, Police, Immigration, the Prison Service, the Custom, Quarantine, the Civil Defence Corps, nurses and doctors and who wear uniforms in this country will be made from locally produced textile materials; that alone will be enough to keep our textile industry busy throughout the year.’’

Reduce regulatory agencies, Promasidor boss urges govt

T

HE Federal Government has been urged to reduce the number of regulatory agencies in the manufacturing sector.

The Managing Director of Promasidor, Chief Keith Richards who made the call in Lagos, said the increased number of the agencies has negative implications in the operating environment.

He listed some of the agencies to include the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), National

Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Lagos State Environment Protection Agency (LASEPA), among others.

On the Promasidor Quill Awards 2013/2014 for journalists, he said his company is committed to growing the awards as a professional platform rewarding for outstanding journalists.

He said: “These awards seek to remind journalists of the importance of their role in society and to

the society, the need to encourage professionalism and appreciate outstanding work. As a company, we have taken this step to reward excellent news reportage that informs, educate and responsibly shape public perception on topical issues and industry activities.”

He said in its first outing last year, winners in the various categories received state-of–the–art tools for the trade and a week certificate course at the prestigious

School of Media and Communication at the Pan Atlantic University, Lekki, Lagos to further equip them.

Richards said the categories for awards for the year are education reporter of the year, best report on nutrition, best CSR & sustainability reporter of the year, brand advocate of the year, photo story of the year, best report on children and future reporter of the year.

THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 29, 2013

23

25

THE NATION

EDUCATION

THURSDAY, AUGUST 29, 2013

INSIDE

176-room hostels for varsities, polys

Registration for the November/December West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for private candidates closed last week. The cost of the exam is scary for many candidates and their parents.

“I intend to build a sustainability mechanism into our projects and programmes and ensure that they serve our target beneficiaries.”

-Page 26

UBEC underscores Special Education in states

STATES have been urged to complement efforts of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) on Special Education...

-Page 39

CAMPUS LIFE •A 10-page section on campus news, people etc

A family’s long wait for justice

IT was 3:30pm on August 25, 2011. Stephen Enyinnaya Nwosu, a 2010 Batch ‘C’ Corps member serving in Gombi, Adamawa State, had just returned from a Community Development Service (CDS) meeting. He needed some money. Accompanied by his friend, he went to an Automated Teller Machine (ATM) to get the cash.

-Page 29

•Candidates writing Nov/Dec WASSCE in a Lagos Centre

Fee hike blues for candidates •Low enrolment likely as N19,000 fee seems too high

A

T N9,000, the registration fee for the November/ December 2013 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for private candidates (popularly known as GCE) is steep for many.

Yet, that is the cost of registration during the regular period stipulated by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), which ended on July 31. Late registration for the examination, which opened on August 1, and ended on August 20, attracted additional N10,000 penalty, bringing the total cost of registration to N19,000.

The cost is borne by the parents of some candidates who can afford it. Others save towards buying the access PIN with which to complete the registration online. They can only save if they have jobs, which many do not.

Sixteen-year old Damilola Akanni is one of the candidates finding it difficult to pay for the exam he lost his father. Year after year, he has been saving towards writing the examination. But he has not been able to achieve his dream because

By Kofoworola Belo-Osagie, Adegunle Olugbamila, Medinat Kanabe, Eniola Osidein, Oziegbe Okoeki, Clarice Azuatalam, Port-Harcourt; From Nicholas Kalu, Calabar; Leke Akeredolu, Akure; Adesoji Adeniyi, Osogbo; Sunny Nwankwo, Aba; Sulaiman Olaide, Ekiti; Odogwu Emeka Odogwu, Nnewi; Tony Akowe, Kaduna; and Ugochukwu Ugoji-Eke, Umuahia of the pittance he makes from his ‘pure’ water business in Akure, the Ondo State Capital. The registration fee was N6,850 last year.

"With my Pure Water business, I have been saving some money in order to pay for the form. But with this development, I may need to

‘

suspend the plan for now. Since my father's death, my mother and I have been struggling to care for other children he left behind.

Though I dropped out from school few months after he died, my target is to work harder and become great in life. WAEC should change its

It is a difficult task for my own family to eat since my husband lost his job.

Sometimes, the children are forced to go to school on empty stomach because we don't have enough money to care for their needs. Our plan was to get the WAEC form for two of the children. But, with this, there is no way we can cope

’

mind because of people like us," he said.

Parents are also not finding it easy raising money for the examination.

Those with more than one children planning to take the examination, said they could not sponsor all of them at once.

Mrs. Bambo Akinloye, a trader in Akure, said she was planning to get the form for two of her children but was forced to pay for only one.

"It is a difficult task for my own family to eat since my husband lost his job. Sometimes, the children are forced to go to school on empty stomach because we don't have enough money to care for their needs. Our plan was to get the WAEC form for two of the children.

But, with this, there is no way we can cope," she said.

Mr Anietie Ibah, another parent residing in Calabar, the Cross River State Capital, said he changed plans to register his daughter, Sarah, for the examination next year because the price was beyond what he had planned for.

•Continued on page 26

THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 29, 2013

26

EDUCATION Since its creation, the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has been changing the face of the Southsouth. It has touched virtually every aspect of life in the region. The education sector is not left out. Tertiary institutions in the nine Niger Delta States are to get an ultra-modern 176-room hostel each under its intervention programme, report SAMSON UNAMKA.

18 varsities, polys get 176-room hostels

“I

INTEND to build a sustainability mechanism into our projects and programmes and ensure that they serve our target beneficiaries." These were the words of Dr. Christy Atako, the acting Managing Director of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) during her inspection of some projects being undertaken by the commission.

Dr Atako is determined to leave her mark in office. Immediately after she took over from the former Managing Director, Dr. Christian Oboh, she hit the ground running, because according to her, "we have a very short time to properly reposition the commission and change the negative perception of people about us."

"One of the reasons the commission was established is to impact on the lives of the people of the Niger Delta. We are to ensure that we bring development to the grassroots, to those who do not have the opportunity to access the government directly. But why it appears the people are not very happy with NDDC is probably because we have not been able to showcase what we have done, and NDDC has done quite a lot,” she said.

During her visit to the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT), in Rivers State, she gave the contractor handling the institution's hostel project six weeks to complete the job.

“One thing I always advise our contractors is that they should tell us the truth. There is no point giving us the impression that they will finish a job at a particular time and when we go there on the promised date the work is not done," she said.

The project supervisor, Mr. Nkem Nwaribe, promised to rectify some of the defects pointed out by Dr Atako, adding that the hostel would be ready in four weeks.

Her next stop was the Federal •Continued from page 25 "About N10,000 to register for this exam for my daughter, I don't have.

She would wait a little," he said.

Operators of computer coaching centres that assist candidates with registration and preparation for the examination said they recorded low patronage this year because of the fee hike.

Checks in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State Capital, showed that a centre called, Must Make It Educational Centre in Mgbuoba area of Port Harcourt has closed down for lack of patronage.

The Success Coaching Centre, a popular centre in Akure, also recorded low patronage this year.

When our correspondent visited, the ever-busy centre only had a few candidates.

Its coordinator, Mr Biodun Badmus, said many parents could not afford the new fees which they complained was outrageous.

The challenge of raising funds to register for the examination is not new. Even when the registration fee was less than N9,000, many families could not afford it. As a result, some lawmakers in the states and assemblies have been sponsoring candidates for the examination as part of their constituency projects for years.

Deputy Whip of the Lagos State House of Assembly Hon. Rotimi Abiru said he had been give free forms yearly to candidates in his Somolu II Constituency in the last six years. He said no fewer than 400 youths have benefited from the

University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO), in Imo State, where she was not impressed with the finishing of the institution’s hostel project. She frowned at what she called the poor finishing and warned the contractor to stick to NDDC specifications or face sanctions.

The site manager, Mr Henry Onuoha, apologised and promised to make amends. The 176-room proto-type hostels are being built in 18 universities and polytechnics in the nine Niger Delta states.

Dr Atako said NDDC's concern was the delivery of projects that would make the people of the region happy. “We want to enforce strict adherence to standards and project specifications. We will not tolerate contractors doing shoddy jobs,” she said.

At the Izombe-Agwa-Obokofia Road, also in Imo State, she was told that the Imo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (ISOPADEC) had taken over the execution of some parts of the project.

She welcomed the development, saying partnership with the agency is okay. "We are not competing with any organisation. We should be complementing one another. It does not matter whether it is NDDC or ISOPADEC that is executing this project. What matters is developing the Niger Delta," she said.

In Bayelsa Sate, the NDDC boss inspected projects in Otuoke in Ogbia Local Government Area, the homestead of President Goodluck Jonathan. NDDC's contribution to the rapid transformation of Otuoke is obvious. There are roads, street lights, water projects, among others, everywhere. One of the star projects inspected by Dr. Atako was the 44chalet “corpers’ lodge” built for members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) undertaking their primary assignment in the town. The complex, which has been

• Dr. Atako (third left) and other NDDC officials during the inspection of DELSU hostel.

‘One of the reasons the commission was established is to impact on the lives of the people of the Niger Delta. We are to ensure that we bring development to the grassroots’ completed and fully fitted with airconditioners, water heaters and other conveniences, is expected to house at least 88 corps members every year.

Taking the NDDC boss round the lodge, the Director, Bayelsa State office of the commission, Dr. Princewill Ekanem, said the facility was customised to meet the needs of young men and women undertaking the one-year mandatory service. He said the complex, in addition to the chalets, has one large conference room and an Information Communication Technology (ICT) Centre.

Dr. Atako expressed satisfaction with the job done and praised the contractor for working within the scheduled time for the project's completion. She said the NDDC was in the process of identifying completed projects that would be

inaugurated in the coming weeks to correct the impression that it was not doing enough to develop the Niger Delta.

A representative of the corps members, Mr. Michael Abisha, praised the NDDC for the project, which he said would go a long way in helping them to serve well. He appealed to the NDDC to add sports facilities to the complex to enhance its value.

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

According to Mr Onduku Abraham of the NDDC Project Monitoring Service, the roads traverse the new layout of the campus and would provide access for staff and students.

The roads, he said, were being built on a swampy terrain and were expected to be completed in 72

weeks.

The project engineer, Boma Israel Amakuru, pledged that the roads would be completed on schedule and according to specifications.

“We don't have any problem with the surrounding communities and the NDDC has so far funded us adequately,” he said.

In Delta State, Dr. Atako inspected five completed projects executed by the NDDC at the Delta State University (DELSU), Abraka campus.

They comprised a 176-room modern hostel, two large lecture halls, a business education centre and staff offices.

She said the commission's intervention in the education sector was holistic as it did not end with providing physical infrastructure.

"We have been giving post-graduate scholarships as well as partnering with relevant institutions to raise the quality of education in the Niger Delta," she said.

DELSU Registrar Mr. Ejiro Oghene Udgor said the university lacked words to express its appreciation to NDDC for providing critical infrastructure for the institution, noting that lack of facilities often led to students' unrest in universities.

WASSCE: Fee hike blues for candidates gesture so far. He described the gesture as "another way of empowering indigent but brilliant youths who cannot afford the forms."

The lawmaker representing EtiOsa II Constituency in the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Gbolahan Yishawu, said he had also given free forms to about 300 candidates in the past four years.

"As representatives of the people we owe it a duty to assist them to enable them acquire the necessary education especially when so many of them are from poor homes whose parents can't afford the cost of purchasing forms," he said.

Hon. Bimbo Daramola, who represents Ekiti North Federal Constituency I in the House of Representatives, also has a similar initiative, which he said is to assist his constituents.

"As a representative of the people, you must be sufficiently aware of their need and accommodate them as much as you can reasonably

afford," he said.

Apart from the cost, which was increased from N7,500 last year, some of those interviewed claimed that the registration duration did not favour candidates as it was shorter this year by two months.

Mr. Obelle O. Obelle, who runs a remedial class in Aba, Abia State, described the short duration as an administrative incompetence of the examination body.

He wondered why WAEC would want candidates to register for the examination within one month instead of the normal three months.

He said cost was not a factor for low registration as people still registered for the exam normally.

He said: "Nov/Dec WASSCE is an exam for people who are already working. The issue of parents not being able to register their children for the exam should be ruled out. It is not SSCE. Any person that wants to write GCE (Nov/Dec WASSCE) must have budgeted for it.

"What people are crying out for is

the time for the registration. But one thing people like doing is registering at the 11th hour. People will never show interest or seriousness until the dying minute.

"But how can they (WAEC) say that registration that was supposed to last for three months will now last for one month? WAEC knows what they are doing. At my centre, people are still registering and nobody has ever complained about the current N9,300."

Badmus also refused to link the poor turn out of students at his centre to the hike in fees.

"The number of students coming to my centre has been low for sometime now because they now prefer to patronise "Miracle Centres" to pass easily rather than concentrating on their studies. I don't believe the increase in WAEC fees is the cause of low turnout, but because some of the students paid more than what the WAEC demanded for to their illegal

‘Nov/Dec WASSCE is an exam for people who are already working. The issue of parents not being able to register their children for the exam should be ruled out.

It is not SSCE. Any person that wants to write GCE (Nov/Dec WASSCE) must have budgeted for it’

centres. Some paid N50,000 to N100,000," he said.

Tony Andoni registers candidates for the examination on the premises of the University of Calabar.

According to him, he has not noticed any appreciable difference in the number of students that registered this year as against previous years.

"The students have just been coming in as usual. I would say they are not as much as last year, but the difference is not so much. The candidates who come to register have however been complaining that the money is so much. The other alternative which is NECO external is about the same price range otherwise I am sure many would have left this one for it. Maybe if they are shifting the closing date it is so that they can make more money," Andoni said.

Another operator who registers candidates at the gate of the WAEC office in Calabar, simply called Victor, said he charged N10,500. He also said there was no appreciable drop in the number of candidates.

Mr Fidelis Atsu takes extramural classes at the Government Secondary School along Atu in Calabar. He said despite the high cost of the examination he has not seen any decline in the number of candidates he is teaching.

However, the story changed when the late registration window •Continued on page 28

27

THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 29, 2013

EDUCATION

I

F its plans falls through, LearnAfrica Plc, a foremost publishing and learning resources outfit, hopes to persuade more affluent Nigerians to redirect their God-given resources to equip libraries in low-income schools.

To this end, the firm, through its corporate social responsibility (CSO) arm, LearnAfrica Foundation, has launched the Support-ALibrary initiative, through which it hopes to encourage more Nigerians and corporate organisations to donate books to their alma maters or libraries of public schools in their domains or anywhere nationwide.

Speaking at the launch at the LearnAfrica headquarters on Oba Akran Avenue, Lagos, Wednesday last week, team leader of the foundation, Mrs Yetunde Aina, said through the initiative, LearnAfrica hopes to contribute its quota to improving the reading culture of Nigerian youths.

Revealing the inspiration behind the project, Mrs Yetunde Aina, identified the deplorable state of public schools and their libraries as two key factors, adding that Support-A-Library will help restore the glory of schools and public libraries in Nigeria.

Under the new initiative, interested individuals or bodies can, buy discounted book bundles from across basic, secondary and tertiary levels as well as general-interested books from N50,000 up to N200,000.

She said: “Many of our public schools today and their libraries are in shambles. Many of them are virtually empty or stocked with outdated books. LearnAfrica believes vibrant libraries and infrastructure are very key factors in improving our libraries.”

Mrs Aina who noted that many

M

Varsity promotes 290 workers

• Mr Ayedun;, Mrs Aina and Mr Nwankwo at the flag off

LearnAfrica launches Support-A-Library

By Adegunle Olugbamila

public libraries nationwide have become mere “reading rooms”, and cannot satisfy the appetite of talented Nigerians youths who are hungry to read.

While calling on well-meaning Nigerians to key into the project, she said it is puzzling that many Nigerian children have not read books outside textbooks supplied by the government.

LearnAfrica’s Head of Marketing, Mr Allwell Nwankwo, said interested individuals or groups within or outside the country can participate online through its website,

www.supportalibrary.org.

He said beside the joy of contributing to humanity, donors would be acknowledged and included in the website's Hall of Fame.

"The school or libraries you made the books donations too will not forget. Your name will also appear in the Hall of Fame section of the website unless you instruct us not to do so. But most importantly, you will have the joy of of having made a difference to someone's life by giving them access to learning resources they otherwise wouldn't have access to," he said.

The Managing Director, LearnAfrica, Mr Segun Oladipo

said the firm will deliver the books, regardless of the volumes requested, to any location in Nigeria.

Oladipo who was represented by the Publishing Director of the firm and member of the foundation’s Board of Trustees, Mr Gbola Ayedun, said LearnAfrica would not only 'ship' the books down to any location, but will also be interested in working with recipients on how such books can be utilised through different creative means to get children more excited about books.

Oladipo said the initiative which has already being endorsed by the Nigerian Library Association.

MultiChoice, South Africa groom female students

ULTICHOICE Nigeria has exposed 20 female undergraduates of the University of Lagos to its business environment and operations through the Take a girl student to work initiative.

The initiative, conceived by the South African Consulate General in Lagos to hold yearly, is a day when young female students across institutions of learning in Nigeria are exposed to the realities of the workplace.

They get the opportunity to spend a day at work by visiting corporate offices, government departments, and many other businesses in Lagos during which they interact with professionals on the field so as to give the learners a true picture of the work environment and expose her to different career options available in the market place.

Addressing the 20 participants, all final year students, at the company’s premises in Lagos, Head of Public Relations Multi Choice Nigeria, Mr Segun Fayose said: “The initiative is coming against the background that over a long period of time, the girl-child has been disadvantaged in comparison to the male child. So the initiative is an attempt to strike a balance to make the girls catch up with the boys in the corporate world.

“So this project is to expose you to what happens in the corporate world immediately after your National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) because all of you here are final year students."

Praising the initiative, one of the

T

UNILORIN FILE

HE consultancy outfit of Babcock University, Ilishan Remo, Ogun State, Babcock Consulting is holding a two-day Maritime Management Course.

The exercise, which holds at the university premises and ends tomorrow, is in collaboration with the Nigeria Merchant Navy Officers and Water Transport Senior Staff Association.

MEMBERS of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities (NASU), University of Ilorin Chapter, have praised the ViceChancellor, Prof AbdulGaniyu Ambali for the recent promotion of 290 members of the union in one fell swoop.

The junior workers, who had earlier held a special general meeting, burst into praise songs as the VC, accompanied by some principal officers, entered the university's main auditorium where they had gathered.

Of the 290 beneficiaries, 96 moved up from CONTISS 05 to CONTISS 06, while 35 were also promoted from CONTISS 04 to CONTISS 05.

Also, a total of 126 workers were promoted from CONTISS 03 to CONTISS 04 while 31 moved from CONTISS 02 to CONTISS 03 and two moved from CONTISS 01 to CONTISS 02.

UNILORIN, UCC renew partnership The Vice-Chancellors of UNILORIN and Cape Coast, Prof Ambali and Prof. D. D. Kuupole, have expressed their interest in sustaining the partnerships between the two universities.

The vice-chancellors spoke at the closing of the third joint conference of the two universities at the Centre for Continuous Education Conference Room, UCC. The duo said the partnership would grow stronger during their tenures. The ceremony was chaired by the Pro-Vice-Chancellor, UCC, Prof. J. N. Buah.

Ambali appreciated the commitment put into the organisation of the conference, saying that UNILORIN would reciprocate UCC's hospitality in 2015.

On his part, Kuupole noted that Nigeria and Ghana share a lot in common.

In his remarks, Prof Olu Atteh of UNILORIN expressed gratitude to the two vice-chancellors for the support they gave the International Organising Committee to discharge its assignment.

The high point of the occasion were the presentation of reports and communiqué by conference rapporteurs and presentation of conference certificates to dignitaries.

Poly understudies IGR system

• Mr. Martin Mabutho, General Manager, Marketing and Sales, MultiChoice Nigeria, addressing the girls at the event

By Sampson Unamka and Jane Chijioke

participants Nduku Ngozi an Accounting student, said she now knows how a business environment operates.

“What we usually learn in class is more of theory than practical. For me, coming here has really exposed me to the situation and happenings in the business firm.”

Another student, Obiageli Ndu -

Walter of the Cell Biology and Genetics department, said she has learnt to be confident.

“We were taught entrepreneurial skills, and to be confident for you to excel in that business. This initiative is really an eye opener. It dawned on me that certificate is not enough; and that you need to build yourself skillfully to suit the environment around you,” she said.

Abiola Adesanya, a Zoology stu-

dent, urged Multichoice to sponsor an education programme in their school which will benefit students.

“A career forum can be of help in my school where ideas will be shared and students impacted with knowledge. This initiative has also shown me that for you to face challenges you need to be strong, stand out even when critics try to pull you down.”

Babcock varsity trains naval officers According to Alalade Matthew, the National President of Nigeria Merchant Navy Officers and Water Transport Senior Staff Association, the course is for merchant mariners including, ship officers, marine pilots, deck officers and managers in the maritime and offshore Indus-

tries. He added that organisations having shipping departmentd can also nominate their workers for the course.

A statement by the Chief Executive Officer of Babcock Consulting, Prof Dayo Alao said, Babcock University will issue participants in-

ternationally-recognised certificates at the end of the course.

He said the Law and Security School of Babcock University is the inspiration behind the training that will be declared open by the Vice Chancellor of Babcock, Prof Kayode Makinde.

THE Delta State Polytechnic, Ogwashi-Ukwu, Delta State, has shown interest to understudy the UNILORIN's Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) system.

The institution's Rector, Dr Edna Nneka Mogekwu, who made this known when she led a team of the polytechnic's management to the university, explained that the polytechnic is a young institution that needs to learn from a model like UNILORIN. She said the polytechnic has been surviving on meagre resources, hence the need to increase its IGR. Mogekwu said that the Obi of Ogwashi-Ukwu in Delta State, Prof Chukwuma Okonjo who is also the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council of the university, has spoken so well of the UNILORIN and also facilitated the visit by the polytechnic management.

Welcoming the polytechnic team, the UNILORIN VC, Prof Ambali, attributed the university’s success to his predecessors.

He also promised to hand over to his successor a better university than what he met.

28

THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 29, 2013

EDUCATION FEDPOFFA FILE

Praises for service THE management of the Federal Polytechnic, Offa (FEDPOFFA) has been praised for providing necessary support for quality service delivery and compliance with SERVICOM Charters.

Deputy Director, Personnel Management Department and NODAL Officer of SERVICOM Unit of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) Prince Oyetunji Josiah gave this commendation at a meeting with the Management when he led an inspection team to the Polytechnic.

Oyetunji expressed satisfaction with the methods applied by the FEDPOFFA SERVICOM Unit in addressing complaints of workers and students.

He said they came to this conclusion after interacting with students and some workers.

The FEDPOFFA Rector, Dr Mufutau Olatinwo said the polytechnic is complying strictly with the SERVICOM Charters because of the benefits of doing so.

He promised that the institution will continue to ensure quality service delivery in all departments and units.

Girls Guide targets two million girls by 2020 T HE World Association of Girls Guides and Girls Scouts (WAGGGS) is targeting two million members by 2020, its Chairman, African Region, Helinorod Rakotomalala has said.

She spoke at the 10th African Region Conference of WAGGGS, Ikeja in Lagos. It has as theme: “African Young Women: Soaring towards Excellence". She said the group wants to make sure that the girls grow in quantity and quality.

In her keynote address, the Chairman African Union Commission, Dr Nkosazana Clarice Dlamini Zuma praised the Girl Guides and Girls Scouts and hoped the African Region of the association would meet its target adding that the AU would support WAGGS to groom them properly.

She said: "As a Union and

By Medinat Kanabe

Member States of the African Union, as adults and parents of this continent, we know our responsibility in this regard, which is to ensure that you are educated, that your basic needs are met, that you have opportunities to participate in the economy, to express yourself freely and that the rights of girls and young women, are known, protected and defended. I have heard what your priorities are: ending violence, ending child trafficking. We heard you and we will work with you on these issues, and I heard your request to be an Observer and we should work on a Memorandum of Understanding to give this effect."

She said it is the reason the African Union adopted the African Youth Charter in Banjul, in 2006.

She urged the girls to be involved in agriculture so they can help the continent feed its citizens.

"With 60 per cent of unused land in the world, you are the next generation that must get involved in agriculture so that Africa can feed itself and the world. Young Africans, especially young women must therefore learn the business of farming, agricultural sciences, the food processing sectors, marketing and logistics, in order to build and grow our agrobusinesses and sectors,” she added.

Zuma also said their generation must be the engine for African integration, peace and prosperity.

Hinting that by 2025, one quarter of the world's young women and men under 25 years will be

WITED to support girls IN future, the Women in Technical Education and Development (WITED) expects to counsel more girls to take to technical education.

Chairman of the FEDPOFFA branch of the association, Mrs Idowu Alawaye, said the group will achieve its aim of getting more female students involved by organising activities that would stimulate the interest of female students in technical education.

She added that the association has organised seminars and skills acquisition workshops such as soap making, Kampala dyeing, juice making, snacks and cake making among others in addition to offering guidance and counselling services.

"The association is also involved in carrying out research to ascertain the level of involvement of females in science and technical education, and also collaborate with key stakeholders to package motivational schemes for females who excel in science and technical education programmes," she said.

African, she said they are not only blessed with a youthful population, but also have abandoned natural resources, land; forests and marine resources, fossil and renewable energy as well as mineral resources.

"The African Union therefore has great expectations of the role you should play in helping to shape the future of the continent," she noted.

Rivers pupils off to Turkey

T

Centre plans expo THE FEDPOFFA entrepreneurship centre has identified some projects it will implement in collaboration with relevant academic and nonacademic departments to properly groom the entrepreneurial skills of students.

The Director of the Centre Mr Kamaldeen Arowomole, also spoke of plans to organise an Entrepreneurship Week which will provide a platform for students and departments to showcase their products.

Some of the projects to be on display include block making, automobile diagnostic and Management Centre as well as agro allied industrial products.

He said the centre has intimated the Management through the Rector of its intention to use part of the polytechnic land at the Main Campus to plant various fruits and crops from the agro allied productions.

Mr Arowomole also disclosed that the unit is planning to help the Polytechnic generate income and organise sponsorship for some of entrepreneurship products.

•Dr Zuma

• From left: National Secretary, Baptist Academy Old Students Association (BAOSA), Mr Adeniyi Thompson, presenting a prize to Adesina Gbadamosi, immediate past Senior Prefect of the school during the 2013 valedictory service.

Fee hike blues for candidates •Continued from page 26

opened, with additional charge of N10, 000, bringing the amount to about N20,000. Andoni said within the late entry period which closed on August 20, he registerd just one candidate.

Mr Olukayo Akinwunmi, the Director of Guarantee Success Academy in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State Capital, said majority of the students who had been attending tutorial classes suddenly stopped because of their inability to meet up with the over 100 per cent penalty attached to late registration.

He said it was not the first time that people were crying out against such acts and nothing significant was done.

Cordelia Ngwu , a computer operator who registers candidates in Nnewi, Anambra State, said the extension did not help many to register.

"I did not register up to five people since the increment. The extension is useless as far as I am concerned because the price is too high. Many students cannot afford it," she said.

Mr Bolaji Busola, Director of Higher Ground Tutorial College in Lagos believes the late registration fee is in order.

"The fee attached to late registration of students for the examination is not outrageous considering the efforts it would involve incorporating them, given the closeness of the examination."

It is normal and should be expected. I don't believe the fee increment is abnormal or condemnable. Those who could not register at the normal charge of N9,500 should expect to pay the

additional charge of N10,000, making N19,500.

"Consider those who just found out that they were unable to make their papers in the last WAEC/GCE results just released. Without that extension, it means they would have to wait a whole year before having an opportunity to write the papers again. So, the extension will serve as a hope to them", he said.

Many people fault WAEC for closing the normal registration window before announcing the results of the May/June 2013 WASSCE. They said the closure denied many candidates who did not make the requisite number of credits in the examination an opportunity to register for the November/ December version because they could not afford the late registration fees.

Chibuzor Nwogu, who runs a coaching centre in the Sabo Tasha area of Kaduna, said enrolment was poor this year. He said he usually had close to 100 candidates annually in his centre for extra lessons. But this year, he did not register more than five because of the short registration period.

"Usually, WAEC allows a time frame of at least one week from the day when they release the result for internal exams so that candidates who did not make it will register. But, this year, they increased the fees even before the release of the result for the internal exams and now candidates are required to pay as much as N19,300 to register for the exam.

"You will agree with me that people don't have that kind of money to spend at this time; and

so, it has affected the registration and has also affected us. I can tell you that at the moment, I am running my centre at a loss because we have to keep the place going even though the number of students is not encouraging," he said.

The limitation in the number of centres where the exam is to be taken may also have reduced interest in it by students. It was gathered that centres in private schools were eliminated from the list this year by the council which approved only government schools. One coaching centre operator, who refused to give his name, said: "You can’t believe that there are only four centres in Kaduna South and they are all government schools. In the past, we have centres in private schools and, in most cases, these centres attract more candidates. But this time around, there are no such centres; so students are reluctant to come and register.”

Responding to claims that WAEC did not give enough time for normal registration, the Head of the Public Affairs Section, Nigerian National office, Mr Yusuf Ari, said candidates were given four months to register. He also said the examination is not more expensive than other public examinations.

He said: “The registration period commenced about five months ago. The last extension of the registration period ended on August 20. When you compare what WAEC charges for its exams with what other examining bodies charge, you will see that what WAEC charges is very reasonable indeed.”

HE three pupils that will represent Nigeria in the Eurasian Schools Debating Competition (ESDC) have travelled to Turkey for the event.

The ESDC is an annual open English-Language debating tournament for high school teams representing various countries and schools. ESDC is open to national and school teams alike, depending on team cap.

The competition is billed to hold from August 27 to September 3, in Istanbul.

Rivers State was nominated to represent Nigeria by the President's School Debate Programme for their excellent performances at the Inter School debate competition.

The three pupils from public schools in state are: Konya Faith from Government Girls Secondary School, Oromenike, Owaji-Ino Richard from Model Girls Secondary School Rumueme and Cornerstone Jeremiah Udeme from Community Secondary School Amadi-Ama, Port Harcourt.

Owaji-Ino will speak on 'Those charged with the disclosing classified information to mount a defence of whistleblower in the public interest'; Jeremiah will speak "IOC should not allow countries with bad human rights record to host the Olympics"; while Faith will speak on "Giving power to a government of experts rather Politicians in time of crisis".

AUN to launch smart lLibrary

T

HE American University of Nigeria (AUN), Yola, will unveil its new smart library soon, which will give users access on their smart phones.

The Library Director, Amed Demirhan, said the is leading the movement toward digital libraries around the world.

He said: "Since the Library was established in 2005, AUN has greatly expanded its services for the university community and pushed forward its goal of developing an elearning strategy.

“In 2012, we decided to change the library's traditional focus to the elibrary. This year we are focusing on becoming a 'mobile' library.

This includes the use of more mobile applications and better use of space, including the arrangement and shape of the library's furniture.

For example, all the following pieces of equipment have been replaced by a smart phone: scanner, desktop computer, laptop, photocopy machine, and telephone.

“This is providing a new level of efficiency and effectiveness. It saves money, is more environmentally friendly, consumes less electricity, and takes up less space.”

29

Fight over lovers’ spot Morocco

All work and no play...

Page 31

Page 34

*CAMPUSES *NEWS *PEOPLE *KUDOS& KNOCKS *GRANTS

CAMPUS LIFE

THE NATION

0805-450-3104 email: campusbeat@yahoo.com THURSDAY, AUGUST 29, 2013

Website:- http://www.thenationonlineng.net

email:- campuslife@thenationonlineng.net

A family’s long wait for justice Two years after Stephen Enyinnaya Nwosu, a Corps member, was killed in Gombi in Adamawa State, allegedly by soldiers who mistook him for a Boko Haram member, his parents are yet to come to terms with his death. At a memorial service for him last Sunday, the family alleged that it had been neglected by the government and the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC). GERALD NWOKOCHA writes.

I

T was 3:30pm on August 25, 2011. Stephen Enyinnaya Nwosu, a 2010 Batch ‘C’ Corps member serving in Gombi, Adamawa State, had just returned from a Community Development Service (CDS) meeting. He needed some money. Accompanied by his friend, he went to an Automated Teller Machine (ATM) to get the cash.

As he tried to get the cash, some soldiers in a van with the inscription, Operation Tsaro, a security task force in the state, pounced on him, accussing him of being a member of Boko Haram – the dreaded Islamist fundamentalist sect whose activities have led to the death of thousands.

He denied the claim and told the soldiers he was a Corps member. But, before he could show them his identity card, they had descended on him, beating him to a pulp. He was dragged on the floor to Shengere Junction in Gombi, where he was allegedly killed by the security operatives. Stephen’s body was riddled with bullets.

Later in the day, his body and those of two others were paraded before reporters by men of the 23 Armoured Brigade, Gibson Jalo Cantonment in Yola as criminals. According to the soldiers, the victims were members of Boko Haram that attacked a bank and killed 16 people, including six policemen and one soldier, in Gombi the previous day.

•Stephen’s colleagues carrying his remains during the funeral in 2011

‘The three-man delegation of the NYSC sent to Adamawa State to investigate how Stephen was killed has yet to come back to us with its report. We have been so neglected by the government and the NYSC authorities’ His parents protested, saying their son was brought up as a Catholic and could not have joined Boko Haram. The late Stephen was a member of the Nigerian Federation of Catholic Youth and President of the Catholic Corpers Association in Adamawa State.

A friend, who was with the late Stephen when he was attacked, said: “It was about 3:30pm; we

went to withdraw money from an ATM. Unknown to us, Boko Haram members had robbed the bank earlier that day. Some soldiers laid ambush for the robbers. Suddenly, Bishop as the late Stephen was fondly called because of his strong Christian belief, was accosted by men of Operation Tsaro and shot in the leg.

“When he screamed, people started to run. I

ran away too. The soldiers swooped on him and began to drag him along with them. None of us was wearing NYSC uniform as we had been warned not to put on the uniform always because of possible attack from Boko Haram. He was dragged on the floor to Shengere Junction, where he was told to lie down and got shot by the soldiers.”

His bereaved parents are still mourning. During the second memorial service held for him last Sunday at the Sacred Heart Parish in Umunkpeyi, Isiala Ngwa South Local Government, Abia State, they said they had been abandoned to their fate. They said no government or Army official had visited them to inform them of their son’s death.

They said some National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) officials, who promised to get to the •Continued on page 30

•NANS gives Fed Govt seven-day ultimatum on ASUU strike-P32•Anambra community lauds poly on ICT -P33

THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 29, 2013

30

CAMPUS LIFE

The Pushing emerging gay Out with revolution (1)

M

OHANDAS Karamchand Gandhi otherwise known as Mahatma Gandhi, was the preeminent leader of Indian nationalism. He employed non-violent civil disobedience as a strategy that eventually led India to independence. This strategy inspired movements for non-violence, civil rights, and freedom across the world, including the civil rights movement in the United States led by the late Martin Luther King Jnr. In one of his writings, he outlined what he termed “Seven social sins”: politics without principles, wealth without work, pleasure without conscience, knowledge without character, commerce without morality, science without humanity, and worship without sacrifice.

I doubt if anyone will have issues with what he outlined. However, for the purpose of my piece today, I would like to direct attention to “knowledge without character” for very obvious reasons. I got an anonymous call three weeks ago from a student who obviously knew my late wife, Ngozi Agbo – the late pioneer Editor of Campuslife - very well. What he revealed shocked me and opened a can of worm. The caller wanted to seek my advice on the best way to tell his parents that he is gay!

He revealed that as a medical student, he’s about to conclude his housemanship and very soon his parents may start nursing the idea that he needs to get married and settle down. “Yes, I intend getting married someday, but not to a woman as I’ve never been moved sexually by any woman all my life”, he said on phone and wanted the best approach to take. I inquired at what point he knew he was gay; he said he couldn’t pinpoint the exact time, but he got to know when he was with women. “I discovered this when my girlfriend stood naked in front of me when I was 19 years old and I never felt any sexual urge; we had been going out for two years before then.

She dressed up hurriedly and left after calling me a weak man”.

Agbo Agbo 08116759750 (SMS only)

•aagboa@gmail.com

At that point, he thought it had to do with his upbringing since he came from a very disciplined home, but he later discovered that he was attracted to men and actually started having “an affair” with one of his course mates. That has been on for four years now.

“We are very happy with our relationship and we intend to be together someday, but how do I break the news to my parents”? I inquired if he knew that his action could earn him a jail sentence if found. “I just want to live a normal, quiet life with my friend” was his reply.

As our discussion progressed, I got angry and had to vent my anger through words I cannot repeat here when he went through intimate details on how being with his partner makes him happy, I asked why couldn’t he simply choose a wife from the array of beautiful girls we have in Nigeria and live a normal life rather than be gay. His calm reply rattled me: “Sir, I called you because I knew your late wife and all she stood for and through your writing I know you must share the same values with her. Yes, she may be angry with me, but she will say it in a way that we would be able to reason together”. It was at this moment that I realised that this is a young man who really needs help. I apologised for my outburst and suddenly went soft on him.

His main burden is that his parents gave him the best life can offer and he will be betraying that trust and long term commitment if he revealed that he is gay. At the same time, he said he does not want to live a double life. I was caught off guard and didn’t know what advice to give to him on how to break the news to his parents because I found it difficult to comprehend. It was then that he dropped the clincher, part

scribed it as a clear and present danger that just needs time to mature. Another, a Sociologist, predicted that in the next five to 10 years Nigerians will start discussing it openly. “You have a youth population that is almost 70 per cent, most of them are exposed to the internet, they see the trend of debates elsewhere, and some are even gay while others are aspiring. So why would we not be discussing it openly in the next five years?”

And only last week I even shocked myself when I went to the Palms shopping mall in Lekki, Lagos. Armed with copies of The Nation for identity, I laid siege to the cinema where I guessed I might see people coming out in groups. The first group of young girls I encountered said: “we don’t trust journalists” to keep their mouths shut. The second group of young men later gave me audience when I said I wasn’t interested in their names or where they came from, but to just ascertain if the gay phenomenon calls for concern in Nigeria.

After buying them drinks I went straight to business. Do they know gay people on campuses or in their neighbourhoods? Of course they know some gay people with one of them asking me, “What’s the big deal?” about it as “it is everywhere”. His nonchalant remark almost threw me off balance as I tried to remain unruffled. One of his colleagues took it up from there asserting that it is youthful exuberance that leads some students to try out anything that’s in vogue and in the process they get hooked. Five of the six that sat with me that day said I should be concerned about the gay issue because “it is spreading fast”.

I eventually got audience with a group of young ladies after three trials and they opened another vista to the whole issue. One of them said she was raised in a very strict home and never really had close contact with men – she went to an all-girls’ secondary school and only recently graduated from a religious based university. While in school, she started experimenting with “sex toys”, such as vibrators, which was quite rampant in the hostels. “We experimented with sex toys because we feel it is not sinful, after all we do not go out to sleep with men”. Does she still use sex toys. She just smiled and left the answer hanging in the air. Do they know any lesbian around? They all exchanged glances and said they coud not answer my question.

‘Life is not a bed of roses’

A family’s long wait for justice •Continued from page 29

root of the matter during a visit to them, were yet to come back with their findings.

The family took their case to God in finding Stepehn’s killers. “The NYSC and indeed the government officials, who came to console us, promised to ensure justice for our late son. But up till now, nobody, not even the Army, has visited us to know how we are faring. They have all turned their back on us,” the father said.

The death of Stephen has made the family to lose everything, Celestine, the deceased brother said.

He said the presence of his late brother’s friends and classmates at the memorial service had a devastating effect on the family.

“For each day that passes by, it is agony for our parents because Stephen was so much loved. Our father would bring out Stephen’s pictures and start thinking. He would sit to look at the pictures one after the other and cry as if the incident happened yesterday. That shows how precious my brother was to our parents.

“The three-man delegation of the NYSC sent to Adamawa State to investigate how Stephen was killed has yet to come back to us with its report.

We have been so neglected by the government and the NYSC authorities,” Celestine said.

He added that the family’s effort to ensure justice for the late Stephen through the Amnesty International

of which I used as my headline today: “Nobody will be able to stop the emerging gay revolution that is about to happen in Nigeria”. I asked why he made such a sweeping statement. “Sir, you can go and find out yourself” was his reply. At the point, the phone went dead and since he concealed his number, there was no way I could call back.

I reflected deeply for almost a week after the call: was it a prank call and should we be concerned about the issue in Nigeria? Prior to the call, I had been monitoring issues concerning gay rights with keen interest, especially when Barack Obama, David Cameron and other western leaders openly endorsed it. Their stance is in contrast with that of Russia. Only recently, the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, signed into law a bill banning the “propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations to minors”, on June 30.

Any observer who followed the backlash that accompanied the bill globally would also know that gay rights are some of the most hotly contested issues in the world today. Pope Francis was quoted as saying: “If a person is gay and seeks the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge that person?... these persons must never be marginalised and they must be integrated into society.” I will go into much detail about the religious dimension next week.

Now back to the home front. I took the challenge my anonymous caller threw at me after waiting for him to call back. I called up a couple of our campus correspondents to help me carry out a clandestine investigation to ascertain the veracity of gay lifestyle on campuses – some of them are still in school despite the ASUU strike - About 80 per cent of the verbal reports I got revealed that being gay is nothing strange on some campuses these days; one even described it as a “lifestyle” involving both sexes, but far worse among females. While we – ASUU, SSANU, NASU, ASUP and all of us - are busy fighting the government to improve infrastructure and arrest the decay in the education sector, we somehow left the social flank wide open. While increased funding can make a whole lot of difference, can money change an individual’s sexual orientation?

That’s food for thought.

I took the challenge a step further by engaging some lecturers. One of them de-

•The late Stephen

to make the Federal Government to investigate the incident is yet to materialise.

Celestine said the late Stephen empowered many students of his alma mater. “He would give them money to start small-scale agricultural business. Today, these students rain curses on the killers of their benefactor,” he said.

The remains of the late Stephen, who graduated from Animal Science at the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture in Umudike, Abia State, were buried on September 22, 2011 in Umukpenyi, Nvosi in Isiala Ngwa South Local Government Area amid tight security by a combined team of the State Security Service (SSS), army and police.

About six feet tall and brawny, the late Stephen won the macho contest during the Batch “C” 2010 orientation in Adamawa. The family appealed to the NYSC and the government to reopen the case and examine the circumstances that led to their son’s death.

Justin Eledu, a 300-Level Biochemistry student of the University of Ibadan (UI), is perhaps the best rapper on the campus. The artiste with the stage name “Juse” has five tracks to his credit and has featured in the works of popular artistes, such as DPrince of Mavin in Man for the Night, which enjoys airplay on the radio. He speaks with ADEBISI ADENIJI (300-Level Communication and Language Arts) on what influences his kind of music.

W

HAT influences your kind of music?

Basically, it is everything I see each day; things that happen to me and others around me.

My style of music can be said to be based on true life story movie because I sing on what happens to people in everyday life.

How has the journey been so far?

It has been a mixture of good and bad, rough and tough but I thank God I am coping. Nobody wants to listen to a new artiste except the popular ones. But since I started featuring on my campus, my path has been paved with roses. I hope it continues and gets better.

Who makes up your fan base on the campus?

My fans are mostly girls. They are just wonderful people. The kind of love and support I get from them give me hope that I have a very bright future in music. The boys are wonderful too; they got my back.

Do you agree with the notion that

social life in UI is weak?

It depends on how we are looking at it. But then, there are aspects that the management needs to look into. It can’t be academic all the time.

Students need to socialise and make friends. This is the best way to prevent violence.

How has it been combining music with your study?

It has not been easy but God has been helpful. He is my strength. I am coping in both ways.

How many tracks have you released so far?

I have five songs to my credit. The first is titled The takeover and I did the song back in my 100-Level days.

It got a lot of acceptance from students. My second song is Ibon, which took me beyond campus and brought me to limelight. Up till now, the song is still being played in clubs such as Options 24/7, Club GQ and Kokodome among others.

Other songs I did include Erekere, Juse d boss and Letter to my bro.

•Justin

I have also featured in so many songs of artistes such as DPrince of Mavin. In a couple of weeks, I will be releasing more songs.

Do you intend to go into full-time music after graduation?

Yes, that is my ambition.

Do you have high and low moment in your music career?

I don’t have any. I take everything the way they come. No time to think about what I did not achieve as an artiste.

What is your philosophy of life?

Life is not always a bed of roses, prepare for the worst but hope for the best.

What is your advice for upcoming artistes?

I will say that they should be themselves and take their music to places.

They must not wait to be spoon-fed.

If you think you can sit in one spot and wait for someone to recognise you and take you to places, it won’t work. The magic is: make efforts to promote yourself and this will attract promoters to discover you.

THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 29, 2013

31

CAMPUS LIFE The management and students of the Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto (UDUS) are on the war path over the restriction of movement around Morocco, a students’ rendezvous on the campus. Is the management right to give the order? IBRAHIM JATTO (400-Level Biology Education) asks?

Fight over lovers’ spot Morocco

L

IKE in other higher institutions, the Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto (UDUS) has its own peculiar terms used by students. On the campus, terms such as “DV”, “Infinity”, “Ice Cream”, “Berlin Wall”, “Bush” and “Nfa” among others, are not new to students.

But, of all the terminologies, the word “Morocco” is the most popular. A first time visitor to the school would be inundated with the word as soon as he approaches the school gate. But then, Morocco is a name of a country in North Africa. In UDUS, the name means another thing.

Morocco is commonly used to refer to the areas around female hostels - both the I Block and Nana Asmau Hall of Residence – where male and female students meet to discuss. During the day, the area is a classroom of sorts, where students engage in extramural tutorial. In the night, Morocco assumes the image of a motel; it is the perfect rendezvous for lovers to meet.

No student knows how Morocco came about, but some alumni said the area may have been the meet-

ing point of students since the institution was established.

Lately, Morocco has been a subject of controversy between the management and students. The authorities are concerned over the students’ activities around the Halls of Residence occupied by female students beyond 10pm.

The management was said to have been disturbed by the “declining morals” amongst students, who engage in erotic discussion and acts around the dim-lit area at night. The university is dissatisfied with the “illicit affairs” going on around Morocco.

To restrict movement and stop the “illicit affairs”, the management is enforcing a regulation prohibiting male students from walking under shelterbelt around the female halls as soon as it is 10pm.

Since the unveiling of the rule, it has been a tug of war between the security personnel who are called “Baba Blue” and students. As soon as it is 10pm, the security men, who dress in blue uniform, are dispatched around the area to chase students and visitors away.

But some students feel the

•Students discussing at Morocco spot

management’s action is misguided, saying people that regularly visit the area are adult. Others expressed support for the move.

Aliyu Abdulsamad, a student of Faculty of Sciences, said Morocco provided the students an avenue to interact, wondering why the area was being portrayed in bad light. “The management should understand the fact that we are mature people and as such, we need the freedom to interact as undergraduates,” he said.

Abiodun Adewunmi of the same faculty describes Morocco as a free land for students to meet and discuss after academic hours. She said: “I think from whatever angle you choose to look at it, Morocco is a normal place where students need to

interact as human and there should not be a restriction. If the management feels something bad is happening in the area at night, it should do something logical rather than sending the security men to molest students.”

Habeeb Zubair, a final year student, said such a place is found in all campuses, wondering why Morocco is brewing a controversy on the campus. “Morocco exists in virtually in all tertiary institutions but with different names. The management needs to be more open in dealing with the issue because it is not all the students that visit the area that engage in bad thing,” he posited.

However, Sanni Bako Mafara, a student of the Faculty of Education

and Extension Services, supported the move by the management to stop meeting of students beyond 10pm around Morocco. He said: “I think the authorities got it right to restrict movement around Morocco after 10pm. One needs to visit the place and see how female students misbehave with men at night; a lot of shameful acts are committed in the name of freedom.”

Daniel Phillips, a student of Pharmaceutical Sciences, said: “I support the management’s resolve to ban movement around Morocco after 10pm. It is true that university students are adult but I believe absolute freedom corrupts. But the security men should be trained on how to handle offenders.”

On August 2, members of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), who were returning from an event in Abuja, were involved in an accident on the Ibadan-Ilesa highway. Three of them died instantly. OLUWAFEMI OGUNJOBI (400Level Language Arts, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife) writes that student-writers are still mourning the loss of these professionals.

D

EATH, it is said, gives no warning and hurts loved ones when it strikes. This fact became poignant when three members of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) died in an auto crash 27 days ago.

On August 2, the union was thrown into mourning when Olatunde Oluwanike of Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), Ibadan; Adolphus Okonkwo of Voice of Nigeria (VoN) and a former Secretary of the Lagos State Council, and Kafayat Odunsi of Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) died in the crash on Ibadan-Ilesa road.

Other journalists in the ill-fated NUJ bus were still receiving treatment at the time of this report.

They were returning from Abuja after an official engagement.

A deluge of tributes trailed the death of the journalists, with President Goodluck Jonathan leading the pack of sympathisers. Students, writers and press organisations on campuses are still mourning the dead journalists. While expressing their sympathy to the bereaved families and the NUJ, the students called for effective insurance policy for journalists that die in active service.

“The death of these promising journalists is a great loss to the journalism profession in Nigeria.

We know how important their activities were to this nation and their death has left a void in the profession. They will be greatly missed,” the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) said in a statement.

Members of the Association of

Campus Journalists (ACJ), Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, chapter, received the news of the journalists’ death with pain. The statement by the leadership of the association reads: “Our members are grieved about the loss of our beloved role models in the field. We can imagine how painful it is at this time to lose three strong and vibrant members of the fourth estate. With this loss, we stress the need for insurance policy that will be of utmost benefits to media practitioners. We condole with the NUJ and families of the deceased.”

A student-writer, Adebayo Caleb, 400-Level Law, OAU described the death as a tragedy. He said: “There is no doubt that this country has witnessed a tragedy with the death of these professionals. This single incident has depleted the newsrooms and robbed us of able hands promoting the freedom and truth. May their gentle souls rest in peace.”

For the families of dead journalists not to be devastated by the sudden death of their sons and daughters, Isaac Mensah believes that there should be an effective insurance package for the press men. The Medical Laboratory Science graduate of the University of Calabar (UNICAL) called for establishment of national insurance scheme for journalists who die in active service.

“I commiserate with the bereaved families as the death of their loved ones came at a time when their intellectual prowess and service were needed to engender national development. The

•The late Odunsi

•The late Adolphus

Mourning the NUJ Three accident tells a lot about the state of roads in the country. Any responsible government should be moved by the death of these patriots to ensure that roads are safe for the use of the citizens,” Hammed Hamzat, 300-Level Educational Management, University of Ibadan (UI), said.

Philip Okorodudu, 500-Level Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering, Delta State University (DELSU), said: “The situation is quite pathetic because it occurred at a time when journalists

who are concerned about the level of rot in our national life and the precarious state of the nation.

Their death is not only a loss to their families but also to the nation.”

Damilola Olayemi, a Mass Communication graduate of Redeemer’s University, is of the opinion that the nation is passing through hard times. “There has been no time Nigeria is faced with gory story of death of its precious citizens that the present. How could such promising journalists

just perish on the road? Government should bear it in mind that the press shall always defend the truth, freedom and justice. The death is irreplaceable,” she said.

‘The death of these journalists is an irreplaceable loss especially to aspiring journalists who could have tapped from their wealth of experience and knowledge. I must confess, the departure of the professionals is a huge blow to all journalists and the nation at large,” Taiwo Adebulu, a graduate of OAU said.

David Osu, 400-Level Urban and Regional Planning, Federal University of Technology, Minna (FUT MINNA) described the death of the journalists as devastating.

He said: “This is happening at a time when the nation is in dire need of fearless men who will challenge the polity and dimensions of governance with true journalism. We will miss them but their spirits are not dead.”

Dhikru Akinola, 400-Level Political Science, OAU, said: “As a student-writer, I know how stressful and tasking it is to be a journalist. The death of these journalists should be a nudge for government at all levels to put in place good insurance policy that will mitigate the effect of death on the families of journalists that die in service.”

“I condole with the family of the deceased. It is a loss for us all; a loss of giants who bore the greatest burden in nation building. It is a time to reflect once more on the nature of our roads. Government should live up to expectations and do something about those death traps,” Emmanuel Eca, a student of UNICAL, added.

THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 29, 2013

32

CAMPUS LIFE Mass Comm Dept gets exco

T

•NANS officials and students after the press conference...last week

L

NANS gives Fed Govt seven-day ultimatum on ASUU strike

AGOS State chapter of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), has given the Federal Government seven days to end the ongoing Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strike.

The students gave the ultimatum at a press conference held at International Press Centre in Ogba, Lagos.

NANS Chairman, Lagos chapter, Yakub Eleto, said: “The consequences of the ASUU’s industrial action have been dire for Nigerian students. We know that there would be no development in the face of instability in the

From Wale Bakare

LAGOS education sector. Government must save our education system from collapse.”

The group said the federal Government should not toy with the future of students, saying their plight must be put into consideration.

Yakubu warned that the association would mobilise students against the President Goodluick Jonathan-led administration should it fail to end the strike and restore the glory of Nigeria’s education system in seven day.

The students’ body also called fo a state of emergency in the sector.

The association urged managements of higher institutions to reinstate proscribed students’ union.

The statement reads: “We demand reduction of tuition fees in Ekiti State University (EKSU) and Lagos State University (LASU). The increment is not sustainable in an economy being distorted by the policies of International Monetary Fund (IMF) which is not interested in the development of Third World countries. If the strike is not called off in the next seven days, we shall embark on massive nationwide protests.”

HE Association of Mass communication Students (AMCOS),Wolex Polytechnic chapter, has inaugurated its new leaders.

Oluwatosin Dopemu is the president. Others include Ayomidipupo Dawodu,vice president; Oluwatoyin Odumosu,General secretary; Grace Okorie, Director of Socials; Esther Asuquo, Director of Sports; Abioudun Morounfolu, Public Relations Officer and Oluwagbamila Oyagbohun as Studio Manager.

The Head of Department, Bamidele Olufemi, urged students to remain steadfast in their academic pursuit and hardworking. He advised the new leaders to serve the students and avoid selfish ambitions.

In her acceptance remark,

Rotaract teaches pupils oral hygiene

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HE Rotaract Club Imo State University, Owerri (IMSU) has organised a disease prevention seminar for pupils.

The programme tagged Ensuring healthy living through hand and mouth wash was part of efforts at achieving a disease-free community.

President of the group, Nwokeogu Desmond, led the club to Owaelu Central School in Uratta.

The pupils were taken through practical hygiene sessions.

Headmistress of the school, Mrs.

From Ekene Ahaneku

IMSU Ezinne Ibegbulem, said: “this is something we have not seen before; having university students teach pupils on hygiene and basic health tips. They have learnt a lot from your program and I will keep on praying for you.”

Vice-Chairman, Parent Teachers Association (PTA), Nze Ajero , said: “I am happy for what these students have done here today. I pray that God

continues to bless you for this gesture.” Obiechefu Victory, a primary five pupil said: “Today we have been taught how to brush our teeth and how to take care of our body. We want to appreciate members of the Rotary Club and our teachers for making today possible.”

Another pupil, Anyasodor Ujunwa, said: “I feel so happy. I will tell my friends to be brushing their teeth twice in a day for them to be healthy.”

From Tomiwa Bello

WOLEX Oluwatosin promised to build on the success of the outgoing administration and urged members to support his tenure.

Students beg for HOD’s return

S

TUDENTS of the Department of Mass Communication, Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo (RUGIPO), Ondo State, have pleaded for the reinstatement of their former head of department, Mr Olaniyan Abubakar.

They made the plea when they visited the Dean of Faculty of Information and General Studies, Folusho Alabi.

They described Abubakri as mentor who has inspired many of the students of the institution. The student explained that Abubakri protected them from the exploitation of lecturers.

The Dean told the students that Abubakri was not removed but was given another responsibility in the school.

He said: “In the tradition of this institution, the position of HOD lasts for a term of two years and it is renewable. Abubakri has served four years in that capacity.”

However, Abubakri described his removal as a right step in the right direction. He said allowing anyone to occupy the position for a long time would create a situation where the occupant may be overbearing, a development which he said may slow down the progress of higher institution.

He said: “As far as I am concerned, the management has been so good to me such that when my term expires, I

T •A member of the club washing a pupil’s mouth during the seminar.

•Oluwatosin

From Richard Adura-Ilesanmi

RUGIPO am given another appointment to head the department of Foundation and Extramural Studies. I have accepted my transfer in good faith.”

Students have expressed displeasure over the development. Oloniju Ayodeji, an HND 1 student said: “It is too bad because it hurts me. We protested on Friday but the Dean brainwashed many of us. It is indeed a sad moment for us.”

Another student, Abolusesan Shadrack, said he welcomed the development since it was management’s decision.

•Abubakri

Community gets free medical service

HE Jesus Overcomers Believers Mission (JOBM) has rendered free medical services to residents of Oluku, a community in Benin City.

The programme was organised in collaboration with Christian Medical and Dental Association Students (CMDAS) and Nigeria Fellowship of Christian Pharmacy Students (NFCPS) of the University of Benin.

When CAMPUSLIFE visited the church premises, adults and children trooped in droves to benefit from the free medical examination.

A 400 level student of Medicine, Uwaifo Rex, gave a health talk. He advised beneficiaries to cultivate the habit of undergoing regular medical check-up adding than a doctor’s advice is more important than personal medication. He told them to sleep under mosquito net, clear bushes around them, having their own needles for manicure and pedicure.

From Eddy Uwoghiren

UNIBEN The beneficiaries took part in fasting blood sugar test, urinalysis test, genotype, packed cell volume, HIV 1 and 2 screening, blood pressure assessment amongst others. Medical experts were on ground to render free medical counseling to persons and drugs were freely distributed.

Head of the church, Pastor Joshua Ehi-ojade, thanked members of the community for availing themselves for the check-up. He said the event was part of the church’s annual mission week which aims at reaching out to the needy.

A woman, who identified herself as Loveth Ediae, said she was impressed with the quality of services rendered.

She thanked the church and students for the gesture. A 500 level student of Medicine, Guobadia Aisosa, commended the church for the partnership.

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•Exterior view of the computer centre

•Nwankwo (left) handing over keys to the centre to Prof Onu.

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HE Nawfija community in Orumba North Local Government Area of Anambra State has praised the management of the Federal Polytechnic in Oko, for the development of Information Communication Technology (ICT) in the institution.

The community’s monarch, Chief Clifford Okeke, gave the commendation when the management team led by the Rector, Prof Godwin Onu, visited the community to assess an ICT centre donated to the institution by a member of the

Anambra community lauds poly on ICT •Legislator donates computer lab

From Anthonia Anochilionye

OKO POLY House of Representatives, Chief Ben Nwankwo.

Chief Nwankwo said the centre would help to train and empower young people from the Orumba Federal Constituency with relevant ICT skills.

He said: “Today’s world is computer-based. This project is a constructive engagement of the youth population. It will reduce unemployment and insecurity. So I enjoin Orumba youths to take advantage of the centre and empower themselves.”

Prof Godwin Onu thanked the legislator for the initiative and

Registrar tasks colleagues on hard work

Nigerian blogger shortlisted for UN Award

A

NIGERIAN blogger, Dr. Biodun Awosusi , has been nominated for United Nations

award.

Awosusi’s “MDGs in Africa” was selected among 422 others from 147 countries to clinch the nomination, which also earns him a ticket to attend the 2013 World Summit Youth Award (WSYA) in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

MDGs in Africa blog is one of 60 shortlisted for the sixth edition of the annual competition. The first round of evaluation lasted for three weeks with 27 experts judging the entries.

The six categories of the WSYA include Fight Poverty, Hunger and Disease, Education For All, Power to Women, Create Your Culture, Gogreen and Pursue Truth.

The WSYA is a network for young people under age 30, using the Internet, mobile phones and other digital media to pursue the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The MDGs were set in 2000 by the United Nations to prompt member states to fight pov-

U

From Oluwafemi Ogunjobi

OAU erty, hunger, disease, inequalities, lack of education and environmental degradation.

Awosusi’s blog was selected in the “Pursue Truth” category.

Reacting to the news, Awosusi, a Medicine and Surgery graduate of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, said his blog was a powerful advocacy tool providing quality information and success stories of the MDGs in Africa.

He said: “It is a useful database with summary report on the progress being made by African countries and development partners including Bill Gates Foundation towards eradicating poverty and hunger, improved access to quality education, female empowerment and reducing the burden of HIV/ AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis.”

He said winning the WSYA award would contribute immensely to the

•Dr. Biodun

realisation of his vision to create number one information centre on development in Africa even after the MDGs deadline in 2015.

“This will be useful for young advocates and other stakeholders to monitor progress and demand implementation of sustainable projects from their government,” he added.

Darko Bozhinoski, who won the award in 2012 said: “The WSYA is like a bridge between creative young people and experienced people in various fields.”

UI students win prizes

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TUDENTS of University of Ibadan (UI), shone recently at the Nigerian Championship of Public Speaking (NCPS) held at the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Orientation Camp in Abuja. The students carted away laurels at the final of the competition.

Team Bellatores (UI) consisting of Tijani Olumayowa, Onele Petercole, Oredola Ibrahim and Awojulugbe Oluwaseyi won the first prize. In the same vein, Team Wits (UI) made up of Onele Seun, Adedoyin Paul, Adeleke Oluwakemi and Peter Dare won the second prize.

Onele Peter-Cole, 200-level, Law, told CAMPUSLIFE that the competition is keenly contested. Participants could not hold their joy when Olumayowa Ayobami was crowned best speaker at the competition while Adeleke Kemi

promised that the polytechnic will put the centre into productive use.

He added that: “The centre will be useful not only to the polytechnic, but also to the Orumba community.

Today’s world is driven by ICT and it is important that we train our young people to enrich themselves and take advantage of the opportunities offered by ICT.”

NIVERSITY administrators have been urged to take their responsibilities seriously and become agents of development to their institutions.

The Registrar, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) Mr Dotun Awoyemi gave the charge during the inaugural meeting of administrative officers of the Faculty of Arts in the Boardroom of the university.

A statement by the Public Relations Officer of the institution, Mr Abiodun Olanrewaju, said Awoyemi was expected to reinvigorate the adminis-

T

From Hammed Hamzat

UI emerged second best speaker.

Olumayowa dedicated his victory to his team mates and University of Ibadan.

A 500 level students of Law, Onele Seun, was elected as vicepresident of the Alumni Association of Nigerian Championship of Public Speaking. A student who spoke to CAMPUSLIFE said the awards demonstrated the excellence of students of the university.

From Dhikru Akinola

UI trative procedures of the varsity in line with global best practices. The statement reads: “This registry shall make us to encourage and enforce digital literacy and build up a digital citizenship among administrators, using the university intranet for the exchange of correspondence and communication.”

He urged the university administrators to uphold ethical values in the discharge of their responsibilities.

Mr Awoyemi charged the staff to move OAU towards a paperless administration with greater efficiency. He promised to adopt global measures in dispute resolution, urging members of staff to cooperate with him in order to realise the objectives of the institution.

College elects leaders

HE Television Production Students Association ( TEPSA) and Television Journalism Students Association ( TEJOSA) have elected their leaders. The election was held at main auditorium of the institution’s auditorium.

Staff Adviser of Television Production students Mr Umar Angibi advised the students embrace good ethics in their relationships.

Solomon Rango emerged President.

Others include Ayobami Adeyemi, Vice-president; James Boman Kazah, Secretary General; Lawrence Dana, Assitant Secretary General; James Kofa, Public Relations Officer 1; Hassan Abdullahi, Public Relations Officer 2, Jerry Chijioke Mbuko, Auditor General; Bala Anna, Treasurer; Yunusa Umar, Financial Secretary; Ekene Madu, Director of Socials; Dare Ojo, Assitant Director of Socials; Pius

Hostel gets mini market •Tijani (right) being presented with the prize.

Onu disclosed that the polytechnic has started computer-based examinations, adding that the move has saved the institution time and money, reduced examination malpractices and corruption among lecturers.

The monarch noted that the centre will keep the youths busy and reduce crime in the area. He urged the polytechnic to extend the development to the community’s ICT centre.

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RESPITE came the way of students of the University of Calabar (UNICAL) last week when management opened the muchawaited Malabo Market in the hostel.

The project was initiated three years ago.

Business operators on the campus have relocated to the new market site.

Students who spoke to CAMPUSLIFE expressed mixed feeling over the

From Suleiman Dutse

TV COLLEGE Emmanuel, Director of Sports; and Panmun Ephraim, Assitant Director of Sports.

For Television Journalism students, Gabriel Lombin was elected President.

Others are Chidibere Ogochuchukwu, Vice-president; Samuel Mark, Secretary General; Akase Laadi, Assitant Secretary General; Joy Eneyamire, Director of Socials; Stephanie Lando, Financial Secretary; Winnie Joseph, Director of Sports; George Victor, Assitant Director of Sport; Mercy Noro, Public Relations Officer 1; Zakiyah Usman Public Relations Officer 2, Noah Moses Tizhe, Auditor-General and Rukaya Folashade.

A 100-Level student of Television Journalism, Amina Sani, described the election as challenging.

From Sam Ibok

UNICAL development.

Speaking to CAMPUSLIFE, a 300 level student of Medical Laboratory Science who pleaded anonymity said the distance from his hostel to the market was too far. He said: “The development is a disadvantage to me considering the distance.”

The SUG Director of Welfare, Ekpo Etete, said the project was aimed at making life easy for students on campus.

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All work and no play...

Management of the Federal Polytechnic in Oko, Anambra State has announced the beginning of the second semester shortly after the end of the first semester, catching many students unaware.

EMEKA ONWUDINJO (ND II Mass Communication) reports.

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ANY of the students were still thinking of resting after writing their first semester examination. But that was not to be as the school announced the beginning of the second semester immediately.

The action caught students of Federal Polytechnic in Oko (OKO POLY), Anambra State, unaware.

The students, who are yet to recover from the stress of the just-concluded examination, are surprised that there is no holiday for them. Although no reason was given by the management for the immediate start of another se-

•OKO POLY gate

mester, it may not be unconnected with the disruption of the academic calendar during the 87-day strike by the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnic (ASUP). The strike was suspended a few weeks ago.

The management’s action did not go down well with some students, who wondered why they were not given a break to relieve the first semester stress.

When CAMPUSLIFE visited the campus last week, activities have

picked as students were seen rushing to copy the new timetable; final year students were making efforts to complete their projects.

Despite some students complaints, lectures have begun on the three campuses of the polytechnic.

For Chidinma Nwafor, ND II Mass Communication, the first semester was challenging. “The three months of industrial action embarked on by ASUP disrupted our academic calendar. When the

strike was suspended, we could not complete some of our practical works before the exams. But I believe with this resumption of the second semester without giving a break will enable us restructure our academic calendar affected by the strike.”

Chidinma, who said she was not caught unaware by the resumption, urged the Federal Government to seek permanent solution to ASUP strike by meeting up the

demands of the lecturers.

Another student, Uchenna Ejeri, described the resumption as earthquake, saying the semester would be a hectic for the students.

Unoma Onwudinujo, ND II Public Administration, saw the semester as opportunity for management and students to overcome the distractions precipitated by the industrial action.

“The major challenge is how to overcome the distraction of the previous semester and how to prevent its re-occurrence,” she said.

The role of medical students and experts in missionary health was the heart of discussion at the conference of medical students held last week in Edo State. EDDY OGBEMUDIA (100-Level Medicine, University of Benin) reports.

F

OR three days last week, medical students from tertiary institutions in the southern part of the country gathered in Edo State to address the challenges of missionary work by health practitioners.

The event, organised by the Christian Medical and Dental Association Students (CMDAS) in collaboration with the Institute of Medical Mission (IMM), a foundational training for students in health-related disciplines in higher institutions in Nigeria, was held at the Nosakhare Model Education Centre (NOMEC) in Benin City, Edo State. Participants were from institutions, including Ambrose Alli University Teaching Hospital (AAUTH), University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH) and Delta State University Teaching Hospital (DELSUTH).

Others were Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital (OAUTH), Ladoke Akintola University Teaching Hospital (LTH), Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital (OOUTH) and the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH).

In his opening speech, titled My mission call: Going or sending? Deji Adekunle, said doctors embarked on the exercise because some nations had abandoned God for vanities.

Dr Gbenga Oluwasemire from Family Medicine Department, UITH, spoke on Spiritual discipline. He urged participants to observe their quiet time and cultivate Bible studies. The event also featured sessions on vocation and calling, mentorship, history of medical missions in Nigeria, among others.

•Some of the medical students after the mission

Dr Goddy Iyalohme, a clinical pharmacologist at AAUTH, shared his experience in rural hospitals. He tasked the participants on integrity, urging them to develop relevant skills and avoid the use of hard drugs.

Delegates went to Uniario community in Ovia North East Local Government Area of Edo State. A community leader, Mr Monday Edegbe, commended the students for the visit. He spoke on the history, prevailing health conditions in the community.

Edegbe advised the students to be hardworking and God-fearing in order to bring transformation to

A missionary journey the health sector. At the Primary Health Centre, Evboneka, the medical personnel on duty, Mrs M. Igiogbe, highlighted some of the

challenges facing the centre, such as water scarcity, lack of electricity and inadequate manpower.

Villagers, who spoke to

‘Through this programme, I met missionaries that have gone to the field.

Now, I know that it is rewarding to combine medicine with missions. The returns are fulfilling’

CAMPUSLIFE, urged participants to relay their findings to government agencies for immediate attention. During a session marking the close of the event, Dr Olawole Olanode, who spoke on Running a private missionary hospital, advised the participants to pursue training with vigour financial and statistical records.

Isioma Nwokolo, a delegate from DELSUTH described the event as enriching. “Through this programme, I met missionaries that have gone to the field. Now, I know that it is rewarding to combine medicine with missions. The returns are fulfilling,” she said.

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Eradicating terrorism in Nigeria

HE casualties are not only those who are dead, they are well out of it. They are not those who are wounded; though they await their burial by installment. They are not those who have lost family members or property.

It is hard to grope for a touch that some may not know is not there. But that touch is possible only if we try our best to eradicate terrorism. The effects of terrorism in the contemporary world cannot be underestimated.

Every country, whether developed or not, suffers from one form of terrorism or the other.

The difference being that the effects are varied. As recent studies shows, terror acts are easily mitigated in the technologically advanced nations and tend to be potent in the poor countries.

Terrorism, in its denotative meaning, is the act of causing fear. In a political sense, it is the violence or threat of violence carried out for political reason. In

“P

UBLIC interest is what men would choose if they saw clearly, thought rationally, acted disinterestedly and benevolently” Walter Lippman, 1955.

On behalf of the teeming and highly esteemed students of Nigeria’s public universities, I hereby passionately appeal both the Federal Government under the leadership of Dr Goodluck Jonathan, himself an academic, and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to, in the spirit of patriotism and for the purpose rescuing our precious but promising educational sector, reach a compromise that will bring an end to the indefinite strike em-

T

the old ages, terror was associated with visitations from powerful gods, who had control over life and death in an utmost indiscriminate manner. But as mankind became more sophisticated, some individuals perpetuate the act of terrorism through the manipulation of events and expectations.

In contemporary society, terrorism could occur in the form of bombing of aircrafts, parks or government offices by terrorists.

These heartless individuals do not consider if the victims of their cruel action are innocent or not.

A typical example of terrorist attacks is the bombing of the World Trade Centre in New York on September 11, 2001. Boko Haram activities in the northern part of Nigeria are no less a terror act against defenseless people.

According to Samuel Zumue, “the contemporary Nigerian society is engulfed by terrible acts of terrorism, which occurs in the form of kidnapping by the terror-

ists of the Niger Delta, or in the form of bombings which is the common practice of the Boko Haram of the North.”

This act of terrorism has made living a hell of an experience as a consequence of the proclamation of emergency rule in Bornu, Yobe and Adamawa states causing untold hardship on the citizens, who are suffering all kinds of restriction in their places of birth. Even food items are not allowed to be transported to the villages.

In the past, terror has been the basis of tyranny. Over time, political leaders have adopted terror as a weapon to acquire political power. In Nazi Germany, the humanity experienced a crude use of terror, which led to the death of millions of people in the Second World War. Ditto for the Soviet during the reign of Joseph Stalin.

Terrorism, in a few cases, is also influenced by religious and ethnic variables, coupled with official corruption and neglect of the masses. The most pervasive

Plea to govt, ASUU barked upon by lecturers since July 1.

There is no gainsaying the fact that the strike has disrupted and crippled academic activities in our schools.

And universities, which are the citadel of learning and upholders of the society’s ideals, should not be allowed to suffer this unfortunate ordeal.

It is often said that no nation can rise above the level of its education system, doing this would logically mean that the future of the nation is in jeopardy. This is not what this

HE nation was terrified. The women were dazed; and for the girl-child, confusion remained the word. How could a lawmaker elected by people propose that a girl of 13 should be in her “husband” house?

Initially, I decided not to write anything on the issue, but I realised that some battles are better fought by wielding spears and arrows of words. I don’t want to sit on the fence. I want to be counted among the people that lend voice to condemn the propose legislation. Therefore, this is an open letter to all concerned.

To our dear lawmakers, The people have always known that you go to work so that you can retire with fat bank accounts and not for our interest as you may claim. And so, for a long time, we have mocked your antics and let you get away with your useless displays of wealth, but this time, beware! We will not tolerate your excesses again.

We pardon the possession of your souls by an unknown force. We agree that it was the work of the devil that the opinion was mention for consideration in the National Assembly, but you all must be careful in passing the bill because we will reward you with more punishment.

To pro-infant marriage supporters: If I were to ask after your sisters and female relatives, I would be beating a dead horse dead. Perhaps you don’t know your action could sentence the girl-child with probably the best common entrance result to life imprisonment with no chance of a parole.

Clap for yourselves. If you have lost your morality in the haystack of religion, why don’t you come over here and be properly re-orientated.

I think the best decision each of you could make at this point is take 10 or more of your children and marry them to one another’s children. I am sure life would be simpler for you. No need to ruin other people’s lives because you’ve got a perverted sense

administration should allow to happen because education is one of the areas claimed to receive the most urgent attention by the Mr. President’s Transformation Agenda.

ASUU too should consider the future of Nigeria’s education sector in which they have so much invested both intellectual and material resources. They should make do with what the government has released so far and channel their other demands in a way that will not affect the educational values we claim to have left.

amongst these prerequisites are official corruption and state neglect of the people.

It is crucial that we ask ourselves what needs to be done to eradicate this pervading malaise, which is at the verge of devouring the world. What strategies are to be adopted in order to combat this arch enemy that has turned our society into rubble? Our answer to these questions is found in the slogan: “it begins with you.”

We must learn the need to respect the view of one another as regards our various views. For, it is only when we are able to tolerate the attitudes of one another that we would be taking our first step to eradicating this societal problem.

Another strategy that has proved to be effective is the identification of various sources of funding of these terror groups to asphyxiate them. It has been said that some countries support international terrorism through a network of charitable and humanitar-

of enjoyment.

To our parents: I wish to say the development should not be a bother to you as I trust you to do what is right. But we know now that everyone has a different definition of right. The lawmakers want to have their say, but you should have yours too.

If you think that giving out nation-builders to nation-destroyers will bring peace or provide the money you so desperately seek, you must be mistaken.

To our pro-infant marriage supporters among the youths: Your reaction to the issue was the most shocking to me. You think promotion of this bill would be the best thing to happen since Kito sandals and sliced bread. Well I hate to burst your bubble but we intend to keep our sisters from you and your fathers, we will hide

Temitope, 200-Level English, UNILAG

We therefore entreat both parties to kindly consider the nation and students first before any other consideration in a bid to insulate the education sector from this unending impasse. We look forward to a speedy and amicable resolution of the thorny issues so that the students can go back to our various campuses for the smooth continuation of our educational pursuits.

This is what we want from the government and ASUU. Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and God save Nigeria’s educational system.

Abubakar, Speaker of Students’ Union, ABU Zaria

She is a child, not a bride

By Jennifer Aduro

By Temitope Ojedele ian organisations, criminal enterprises, illicit and unregulated banking systems and the personal incomes from individual militant.

If these are checked in Nigeria as well, the spate of wanton killing and senseless kidnapping would be reduced if not stopped.

them if need be. Now, while that may seem amusing (I imagine you are rolling on the floor in laughter now), but don’t push us!

You cannot imagine the damage that can be done by an elephant tied since infant on the day it realises it can break the chain.

Therefore, the fear of a scorned girl-child should be the beginning of wisdom for you.

To all who think silence is best: Remember evil doesn’t simply flourish, it does so when no one speaks up for what is right.

Straddling the fence may seem like a genius idea now, but sooner or later you’ll be forced to choose. We all know how brutal force can be.

To the strength of the nation, the proud feminists! I commend your outcry to this balderdash. Now the people of Nigeria know we can no longer be kicked around.

The strength of a woman does not lie in the power she’s given. It lies in her knowledge that she’s a woman; no need to tell her all that comes with it. We are naturally created to deal with pain and as such, no other pain outside the one given to us by our creator can be inflicted on us. Our strength lies in our number. While it seems like impossibility now, remember Rosa Parks and stand firm or should I say sit firm.

To our mothers, the first ladies and women in power, especially lawmakers: I want to believe you were absent from work or deep in slumber when the bill was debated in the National Assembly. In any case, you’re forgiven. But now, you need to get back to work and make sure the proposed bill is kicked out along with its promoter(s) before you lay a shaky foundation for those who will come after your children.

To the little girls with a future no bill can dim: Your innocence is the very reason you’re being punished. Some people have

By Abubakar Aliyu Rafindadi

lost their innocence and are so upset at being unable to regain it, that they have decided to compromise yours. Stand as strong as you know how to. Your self-will is one thing that cannot be taken away from you.

We will not stop fighting until we are sure you can come out of hiding.

To our little mothers: Yours is a path we can’t change, but be assured that your daughters’ future is one that will be radically different from your past. Keep them close and let them know the horridness you have gone through so that they can stand resolved and resolute not to go through the same path. Give them the encouragement they need to be well-formed and informed adults, so that they can be a balm in your time of pain.

To the young unmarried girls that think “this is it”: We can only hope that you see what is really right before it is too late because there’s nothing we can do after that.

A word is enough, but let us hope you are wise.

To our lawyers, activists and those who will not sleep until a girl-child is free: Thank you for your unwavering support and activities to stop this atrocious bill. We are standing by you and standing strong till the end. Thank you for saying no to modern day slavery.

To all those fuming with rage and unhappiness: I am sorry, not for saying what I said. I am sorry that my speaking the truth has closed up your air ways and now you’re seething. Be reminded that as at the time I wrote this, a bill to revoke my freedom and have an opinion had not been passed. I am exercising my rights as a Nigerian. I have not infringed on any of your rights. Don’t try to infringe on mine and that includes my right to have sound education and be married whenever I like.

Jennifer, 200-Level Medical Rehabilitation, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife

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For the love of country

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ORAL depravity in Nigeria has been said to be alarming. The youths, unluckily, are victims. But there can be change if individuals take steps to confront the problem.

This was the submission last week at the inauguration of Riverside Neighbourhood Network (RNN), a non-governmental organisation.

RNN is a faith-based not-forprofit interest group which seeks to develop young people for the task of nation building and promote healthy values in the society.

In his message to the youths at the event titled: The effect of moral sentiment on today’s youths, Pastor John Abayomi, a guest, said it was shocking that despite the exposure, knowledge and finesse of the present generation, the youths are deficient of sound moral virtues. He urged them to shun unruly behaviours and embrace hard work, honesty and mutual love.

He said: ‘’God is calling every Nigerian youth through this platform

From Gilbert Alasa

LAGOS to rally round and redeem themselves from the moral degeneration in our society today.’’

One of the resource persons, Opeoluwa Oshinsanya, said he was excited with the vision of the network. He said: “In today’s Nigeria, we need this kind of fresh air, the needed leadership. We need a new atmosphere in this country where young men and women will be empowered to effect the change we need. I am happy that these young people are rising to the occasion.”

In an interview with our correspondent, initiator of the project, John Adeyemi, said he was inspired to start the project as a result of his unpalatable experiences as a youth. ‘’I was moved to start this project because I have seen poverty in its ugly garb. I grew up in Orile, an impoverished suburb in Lagos. I observed we have a lot of talented youths there who simply waste away because of lack of

Dept gets HOD

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HE Department of Educational Management of the University of Ibadan (UI) has appointed Dr Femi Akinwunmi as its head.

At his valedictory, the former head of department, Dr Benedict Emunemu, described Dr Akinwunmi as a good and seasoned administrator.

Dr Akinwunmi assured staff and students that he would work hard to make the department a centre of excellence in teaching and research. He called for cooperation among staff and students to achieve a successful ad-

•The NGO’s officials after their inauguration

proper education and guidance.

Here, life is a jungle where virtues can be easily jettisoned for survival.So,Riverside

Neigbourhood Network comes in handy to engage these people productively,” he said.

A participant, Yomi Idowu,

told CAMPUSLIFE that he was endeared to be part of the group due to the leadership qualities of the convener.

From Hammed Hamzat

UI ministration.

President, Educational Management Students’ Association (EMSA), John Ajayi, told CAMPUSLIFE that the appointment of Dr Akinwunmi was a blessing to the department. He urged students to support the new administration.

Dr Akinwunmi is an academic whose research centres on educational administration.

He had his first degree and Masters in Education and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) in Personnel Administration from the department.

On and Off Campus By Solomon Izekor 08061522600 •Moses

•Haliru

Students slam govt over strike

S

TUDENTS of Nasarawa State University (NSU) in Keffi have expressed concern over the government’s unwillingness to honour the 2009 agreement with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

A 300-Level student of Political Science, Moses Ndung, blamed the Federal Government for the ongoing ASUU strike.

He said: “I think it is morally wrong for the government to have reneged on its promise.

No amount of investment in education is too much. The government should play their part of the bargain so that Nigerian students can return to their classrooms. “ For Faruk Tanko, 100-Level English, the Federal Government seems to be inconsiderate of the plight of students. She said: “I am a fresher in this institution and it’s been a catalogue of crisis for us here since January. Earlier in the year, there was a protest, which led to the temporary closure of the university. Later, ASUU downed their tools and we were sent home.

Now, it is another tale of industrial action. This is unbecoming of a so-called transformational administration. it is a bad precedent for us as new students. Education is a right that the government owes all of us as citizens and I wonder why they are paying lip services to it. We are tired of continue staying at home, they should meet ASUU demands to guarantee our

We are for peace, says union

T

HE Students Union Government (SUG) of the Federal Polytechnic, Offa (Offa Poly) has debunked the allegation that the union was sponsored by political parties to disrupt council elections in the state.

The Public Relations Officer of the union, Johnson Eleko, said the allegation was false.

He said: “We want to clarify the wrong impression of some politicians that we have been paid to cause crisis in the coming council elections. On no circumstances will Offa Poly stu-

•Faruk From Kamaludeen Abubakar and Muhammad Sani Makama

NSUK resumption.”

A final year student of Economics Education, Haliru Yusha’u, said: “ASUU has been patient enough. The 26 per cent budgetary allocation to education as directed by UNESCO is a sin qua non if we must make progress in education. I am appealing to the Federal Government to have a rethink and meet the demands of the striking lecturers.”

From Akinola Oluyi

OFFA POLY dents be used as political thugs to disrupt the forthcoming Offa local government elections.

What we want is the restoration of properties that were destroyed during the last crisis in the institution. The state government has refused to listen to our plea since the incidence occurred.”

President of the union, Hameed Omuiyadun, said the union will continue to peaceful.

He added: “We are law-abiding citizens of the state. We shall never engage in activities that would destroy the peace of the state, especially the coming elections. We have no intention to create chaos.”

THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 29, 2013

37

CAMPUS LIFE The essence of mentoring and research to the production of quality students and lecturers, who will in turn impact the society, were the focus of a workshop for tertiary education workers in Dubai last week. KOFOWOROLA BELO-OSAGIE reports on the changes institutions must make.

• Prof Bandele, Mrs Olatunji, Prof Olusanya (DVC-Tai Solarin University), Mrs Ajoke Ogunsan (MD/CEO Executive Trainers), Prof Obono, Dr Julius Faniran (Registrar, Osun State University) and Dr Ogunsan at the training

How mentoring, research assist students, lecturers

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HE failure of many Nigerian tertiary institutions to initiate policies to guide mentoring and research activities is doing more harm than good, say two academics who are seeking reforms in the two areas.

Prof Samuel Bandele and Prof Oka Obono explored the challenges and opportunities in these two areas of need at a five-day workshop organised by the Executive Trainers Ltd at the London Suites Hotel, Dubai last week.

Addressing participants drawn from universities, polytechnics and colleges of education at the workshop, Bandele and Obono underscored the importance of mentoring and quality research culture to the growth of tertiary institutions and identified lack of policies and negative practices that retard progress.

In discussing the topic: "Effective Academic Mentoring of 21st Century Students", Bandele, a professor of measurements and evaluation at the Ekiti State University (EKSU), AdoEkiti, said the freedom associated with tertiary level education, especially in public schools, necessitates an over-arching policy that ensures students are properly mentored to succeed.

He argued that the subsisting practice of leaving mentoring to teaching members of staff cannot help all students succeed because not all will be mentored positively. He added that many lecturers need to be mentored themselves by older professors before they can adequately guide students.

"Mentoring is so important. It involves guiding, tutoring, influencing.

If the institution does not take mentoring in a holistic manner, you may think mentoring is going on, when it is not. It could be indoctrination, or immorality," he said.

With an institution-wide mentoring policy involving both teaching and non-teaching staff in place in schools, Bandele said the principles and practices of mentoring would be well defined and students will achieve greater academic success.

"There must be an over-arching policy that will make everyone to be accountable for the success of all students," he said.

Bandele challenged the participants

I

to return to their schools with a proposal for the establishment of mentoring units that would involve the management, teaching and nonteaching cadres. He expects that they would include ingredients of good mentoring practices they learnt during the workshop.

Treating the topic: “Measuring and Managing Research Performance in Tertiary Institutions”, Prof Obono discussed the research process, the centrality of research to human and national development, and how to measure research performance using internationally-accepted benchmarks.

Obono, a professor of sociology from the University of Ibadan, said many students and academics in Nigerian tertiary institutions have problems conducting research because they erroneously treat the activity as a means to an end. While students deem it crucial to succeeding in their final year project, lecturers pursue research to earn promotions.

On the contrary, Obono, said research should be perceived and taught as a systematic critical thinking and problem solving skill that will benefit students for life.

"Research is not only central to science; it is also the cornerstone of the society. Our students think they are being taught about research methods to help them write their final project whereas research should be taught as a life-long skill.

"If we want to assess the performance of lecturers, we can collect their CV every year as required by the NUC and you plot a graph, you will find that when the promotion year approaches, they are productive.

The frequency and number of publications are high. Once they are promoted, their productivity

drops," he said.

Obono faulted the tertiary education system for not having a national standard for assessing scholarly work.

He said the assessment of research output by academics should not be based on the number of publications but their impact. He also said such impact can be measured by how well recognised their works are in international journals, and how much they are cited by other scholars.

While Nigerian academics have faulted the criteria used for the Webometric World rankings of universities by the Cybermetrics Lab of Spain because it is based on web visibility, Obono said even if ranked using the Bibliometric index (number of times cited by other scholars) Nigerian academics and institutions will still be ranked low because of poor quality work, or good work published in unrecognised journals.

To remedy this, Obono recommended that there should be a nationally-acceptable standard for measuring research performance in tertiary institutions, and urged Nigerian academics to publish in international journals.

“Scholars are told to publish in international journals because they have widespread circulation so more scholars in their field have access to their work and will cite them more.

We must move from quantity of publications to quality which is measured by the citation index,” he said.

He urged institutions to, as a matter of urgency, update their websites and encourage academics to upload scholarly works online. He also advised they subscribe to SCOPU, which has the world's largest database of scholarly works online.

In interviews with The Nation, par-

‘Scholars are told to publish in international journals because they have widespread circulation so more scholars in their field have access to their work and will cite them more. We must move from quantity of publications to quality which is measured by the citation index’

ticipants described the workshop as timely and expository. Deputy ViceChancellor, Tai Solarin University of Education, Ijagun, Ogun State, said tertiary institutions must address the apathy for research.

"Many times, we have researches published in journals packed on our shelves, and yet the country is not moving forward. Like you rightly said, all the things we enjoy are products of research. While we have a sort of apathy to research, the import of research cannot be overemphasised. By the time we all go back and we make our proposals and they are implemented, it will lead to the development of our institutions, development of families, and the development of the nation, then we will have a proper approach to research."

On mentoring, Hajiya Halimatu Muhammad, Deputy Provost, Federal College of Education, Katsina, said as a teacher-training her institution, her college would find the suggestions useful to prepare the students for their future roles in the classroom.

Similarly, the Registrar of The Polytechnic Ibadan, Ms Omotomilola Olatunji, said the workshop helped her better understand the import of all workers being involved in mentoring students.

"Before this workshop, I thought mentoring was just the responsibility of parents and teachers. But now I can see that even from the Rector, we should all be involved," she said.

Explaining how research would help his institution, the Librarian of the Maritime Academy, Oron, Mr Effiong Emmanuel Okon, said he would propose a step-down workshop for academics to appreciate the importance of research.

"All lecturers whether young or old who supervise students should attend this kind of training. As I go back, I will share this with my Rector and if he buys the idea, then we will organise this kind of workshop for teachers," he said.

Explaining why Executive Trainers Ltd focused on research and mentoring at the workshop, its chairman, Dr Ayo Ogunsan said it was to remind academics and administrators of the purpose the tertiary institutions were established in the first place - to train students, and to affect community through research.

Corps producing schools to upgrade ICT platform

NSTITUTIONS of higher learning whose graduates are mobilised for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme have been charged to update their Information Communications Technology facilities (ICT) to synchronise with the NYSC ICT mobilization process.

This was part of the eight-point resolutions made at the 2013 Batch

From Bukola Amusan, Abuja

'C' Pre-mobilization Workshop.

It was also resolved that the corps producing Institutions (CPIs) should train officers in ICT and assign them to manage the mobilization procedure in their institutions to enhance error-free submission of data.

The participants at the workshop, which had the theme: "Appraising

NYSC Mobilization Strategies for better Service Delivery", also want the CPIs to clearly explain JAMB regularization and administrative fees charged their graduates to avoid creating impression that the charges are from the NYSC. During the workshop, the CPIs thanked the NYSC management for accepting to mobilise graduates in excess of their approved admission

quota in the 2013 Batch 'B' mobilization exercise, and appealed for an extension to 2014 to enable them clear all the backlog.

Participants also agreed that the NYSC management should fulfil an earlier promise to convene a meeting of heads of CPIs with regulatory agencies to enable them resolve challenges facing the mobilization process.

FUWUKARI FILE

Four professors appointed THE Vice-Chancellor, Federal University Wukari (FUWUKARI), Taraba State, Prof Geoffrey Okogbaa has confirmed the promotion of four lecturers to the rank of professors.

The confirmation was made known at a Senate meeting of the university held at the senate chambers, Central Administration Building.

The newly promoted dons are: Dr. Mathew Aremu, Head, Chemical Science Department; Dr. Halima Buhari Sekula, Dean, Faculty of Humanities, Management and Social Sciences; Dr. Francisca Ogwueleka, Head, Computer Science Department and Dr. Victor Okaogo, Head of Department, History and Diplomatic studies.

The Vice-Chancellor said they were promoted after careful assessment. He congratulated the newly promoted professors and charged them to justify the new status conferred on them.

Meanwhile, the VC has approved the appointment of Prof Ngozi Odiaka as the dean, faculty of agriculture and life sciences.

NUC team unimpressed A SIX-MAN inspection team from the National Universities Commission (NUC), Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) and Federal Ministry of Education has expressed dismay at the slow pace of work on projects at the FUWUKARI. The team which visited the university recently to evaluate the progress of five on-going projects, were unimpressed that the job was still at the excavation stage despite that the contractors were mobilised and given 30 weeks to deliver.

The five projects include two faculty buildings handled by Sageto construction Nig. Ltd; ICT building by G-Tech Construction Nig. Ltd; and the library by Santro Nig. Ltd. Mr Samuel Akani, the team leader, said that the contractors did not show any level of preparedness and commitment as their work could not justify the 15 per cent mobilization released to them by the Federal government.

He said the essence of preliminary funding is to enable the contractors create access roads, sink boreholes and build site offices none, of which had been done.

VC eulogises late Security chief THE FUWUKARI Vice-Chancellor, Prof Okogbaa has spoken of plans to employ a member of the late Coordinator of Security and Safety Service, of FUWUKARI, Retired Brigadier General Ene Eyo who died May 31 at 59.

Speaking at the funeral service of the late coordinator at his country home in Obong Itam, Itu Atam Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State last week, Okogbaa said the employment is to appreciate the family for the excellent services rendered by their father in his life time.

"Federal University Wukari is proposing to employ an immediate member of the Eyo family into our fold, not as a replacement, but as a way to say thank you for giving him to us for a while," he said.

Okogbaa described Eyo as a fearless, courageous and outspoken individual, who cannot be easily forgotten because of his friendliness, nobility and humility.

"We are grieved because as a man with tremendous experience, we need him more than Heaven does," Okogbaa said regretting his death.

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THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 29, 2013

39

EDUCATION

UBEC urges states to step up effort on Special Education •As commission disburses N215.63 billion Matching grant in 8 years

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TATES have been urged to complement efforts of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) on Special Education.

The Acting Executive Secretary UBEC Prof Charles Onocha spoke at the commission's Ninth quarterly meeting with chairmen of State Universal Basic Education Boards (SUBEB) in Minna, Niger State.

Onocha implored states to establish more Special Education schools, release more funds and create Special Education units in mainstream schools, among others.

He said: "States should complement the efforts of the Federal Government by creating more access to basic education for children with special needs. This can be achieved through increased funding, advocacy/sensitisation, creating Special Education units/schools as well as adopting the inclusive education initiative where all children learn in the same school environment.

A situation where a state has only one or two schools for special needs children cannot create adequate access. The inclusive initiative has to be adopted if the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and Edu-

By Adegunle Olugbamila

cation for All (EFA) goals are to be achieved."

On Almajiri Education Programme (AEP) by the Federal Government, Onocha said the Almajiris who are over nine million not attending school, pose a threat to the realisation of EFA and MDGs. He added that with the AEP, they would be integrated into the UBEC programme, which involves 25 states. He added that the Federal Government has mandated the Commission to start recruitment of teachers.

Out of the 25 states, Onocha said six have been penciled for advocacy visits by the Commission's National Implementation Committee to interact with their governors; and also for capacity building of school proprietors and teachers.

He stressed that in the implementation of the AEP, states are expected, to: "adopt and replicate the programme, including the construction of Almajiri model schools; recruit and deploy teachers to those schools; integrate Alarammas/ Mallams/Proprietors into the Programme; and adopt appropri-

•Cross section of participants at the summit. Inset: Dr Onocha

ate mechanisms for the enrolment of Almajiri into the schools.

Other conditions include to: "provide school uniforms for the enrolled pupils; include feeding as a retention strategy; maintain the infrastructural facilities and ensure the sustainability of the school."

Highlighting some strides taken by the commission since April this year, Onocha said UBEC has between 2005 and June 12, received N215.63 billion as matching grants and disbursed N172.04 billion to

• From left: Executive Director Human Resources, Seven-Up Bottling Company Plc., Mr. Femi Mokikan; Recipient of 7Up HBS Scholarship, Mayowa Kuyoro and Head of Marketing, Mr Norden Thurston at the event.

26-year old wins 7UP Harvard scholarship

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ISS Mayowa Kuyoro, 26, will soon jet out for her Masters at the Harvard Business School (HBS), United States.

Miss Kuyoro was unveiled as winner of the 7Up HBS Scholarship for this year at a briefing in Sheraton Hotel Ikeja, Lagos.

The initiative started as part of the company's Golden Jubilee anniversary two years ago, With her achievement, Miss Kuyoro has joined two previous winners: Miss Misan Rewane and Mr. Olujimi Williams.

Miss Kuyoro thanked Seven-Up for helping her realise her dream of acquiring a world-class education.

Kuyoro from Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State, is a graduate of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering from University of Warwick United Kingdom. At the moment, she works in Nigeria.

Addressing reporters, the elated recipient promised that upon graduation, she would use her skills to help small businesses grow through training.

Kuyoro told the audience she was contemplating floating a non-governmental organisation that would

By Sampson Unamka

support young graduates and entrepreneurs with appropriate tools or even capital to run their own businesses.

The Executive Director, Human Resources, Seven-Up Bottling Company Plc, Mr. Femi Mokikan, said the country would benefit from young, energetic Nigerians who are capable of transformational leadership by virtue of their education and exposure.

“One of the problems in this country is leadership. We want to fill the gap by training young Nigerians in Harvard where they can acquire leadership skills to save our country from future leadership problems,” said Mokikan.

Mr Mokikan listed some of the criteria for the scholarship to include: a valid admission letter from Harvard Business School, residency in Nigeria, relevant post-graduation self-application proposal to contribute to national development and the critical needs criterion - financial need to fund the scholarship.

Misan Rewane, the first recipient of the scholarship, graduated this year. In line with the objective of the scheme, she has established the

West Africa Vocational Education (WAVE) to train 25,000 young Nigerians and other West Africans yearly.

the states and FCT, which he put at 79.78 per cent access.

According to him, the Federal Government Statutory Allocation of UBE Matching Grants to each state and FCT is 1,030,797,297.30 based on the 2013 Appropriation Act. He, however, said the allocation may change subject to the approval by the National Assembly on the amendment to the Appropriation ACT as requested by President Goodluck Jonathan.

He implored each SUBEB to be proactive by preparing Action Plans and sourcing for the requisite counterpart funds based on the Matching Grant, adding that the outcome of the proposed amendment, would be communicated to them, as appropriate.

He said the commission in the interim has received N11411,974,455.88 per state (including FCT) as provisional allocation which covers the first quarter and part of second quarter of the current year.

L

He therefore enjoined states to make available their counterpart funds and meet other conditions to access the allocation.

In his breakdown of access and utilization of Special Education Fund (SEF) between 2009 and 2012, he said 13 states accessed the fund in 2012; 24 states, including the FCT in 2011; 32 states and FCT in 2010 as well as 34 states and FCT in 2009.

Onocha said Bayelsa, Cross River, Enugu, and Kaduna defaulted in accessing the fund in 2010, while only Bayelsa and Enugu defaulted in the year 2009.

Onocha said the commission has disbursed the 2012 SEF to 81 private providers in 27 states and the FCT. On Teacher Professional Development (TPD) programme, Onocha said the commission mounted various programmes through training institutions selected by the SUBEBs. He said each state received N140 million from the commission for the exercise, which was executed in 32 states including the FCT.

Lawmaker awards bursaries

EADER, House of Representative Hon Mulika AkandeAdeola has given out bursary awards to 150 students in the Ogbomosho North/South/Orire Federal Constituency of Oyo State.

At the celebration of her sixth anniversary in office at Ogbomosho Recreation club, Ogbomosho, Oyo State, the students, drawn from various tertiary institutions in the state were presented with N10,000 each as part of efforts to support their education.

Mrs Akande-Adeola said she embarked on the scheme because education is vital to national development.

From Tayo Johnson, Ibadan

The lawmaker noted that the problem of financing education in Nigeria was serious as most parents and guardians have limited funds to carry out that responsibility.

She, however, hoped the gesture would assist the beneficiaries in addressing part of their financial constraints.

She also disclosed that over 500 widows and the aged have benefited from her empowerment programmes as part of measures to enhance the welfare of their families.

• Former Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly, Abayomi Kiyomi (left), presenting one of the free WASSCE (external) forms to a beneficiary, Muhammed Kareem (2nd left) during the presentation to 200 indigent students of Amuwo Odofin local government, at the council’s headquarters Festac town. With them are: council’s Executive Chairman, Comrade Ayodele Adewale (2nd right) and permanent secretary, Primary Health Care Board, Dr. Oguntimehin.

THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 29, 2013

40

EDUCATION EDUTALK

with

Schools should really exist for students

T

HE relationship between teaching and research and the influence of both on community development became clearer to me at a workshop I attended for school administrators Kofoworola and academics last week.

One of the facilitators, Prof Samuel Bandele, did an excellent job of explaining how many more Kofosagie@yahoo.com students will succeed if institutions 08054503077 (SMS only) formulate mentoring policies to monitor their progress. It made me understand how mentoring can help tertiary institutions adequately fulfil their teaching mandate.

That schools exist primarily to train students is an incontrovertible fact. Unfortunately, this does not always seem to be the case in our universities, polytechnics and colleges of education. Students do not seem to be the centre of focus. They are forgotten in the web of administrative inconsistencies and poor student-worker relationships that exist in many schools.

Institutions have more to lose if they do not evolve policies and institute practices that help their students succeed. The workshop got me thinking about many obnoxious practices in our schools. During registration, students sometimes have to queue to submit one document or the other to various departments. It is not uncommon for them to get to these offices and be kept waiting by officers who are not on seat, or who totally ignore them to engage in activities as mundane as gossip. These workers do not offer explanations or apologies for the actions they take or think they owe the students any. In worse situations, they even totally ignore or scream at them (students) if they are not in a good mood. Yet, the reason various cadre of workers are employed to work in tertiary institutions is directly or indirectly related to teaching students.

If this problem were restricted to infrequent contacts students have with administrative staff only, it would not be worrisome. However, lecturer-student relationships suffer from the same malaise. Some lecturers are so hard that their students are afraid to ask questions in class or seek clarifications. Some are not just approachable; they even instill fear in the students by threatening them with poor grades.

Such practices are archaic. Institutions that want to rank among the best in the world should be concerned about how well their students perform. While it is true that at tertiary level, students should be independent and enjoy a reasonable degree of freedom as adults, they will achieve more if institutions have deliberate policies that guide students' performance. From covering convocations for many years, I have noticed that the greater percentage of students graduate with average performance. A few make the coveted First Class grades, whiel the largest groups in the result categories are usually divided between the Second Upper (Upper Credit) and Second Class Lower (Lower Credit) grades. And most times, the number of students that graduate with Second Class Lower grades are more. However, there is really no big deal to making good grades than hard work and commitment. That means that if students would only work harder, many more would succeed. That is an important reason why mentoring should be an important part of a school's student-management policy.

There are many of us today who wish we had had somebody who gave us the push and guidance we needed to succeed. We have seen how that little push would have made a whole world of difference in how we turned out. Youthful exuberance makes students lose focus.

However, the counsel of a mentor can help them stay on track. If students are mentored in school, they are likely to turn out better and can benefit society better.

The second facilitator for the workshop also did a fantastic job in describing the research landscape in Nigerian tertiary institutions. I will focus on that on another day because I found a lot of truth in the decay he said exist in our institutions.

In choosing the focus of the workshop, Dr Ayo Ogunsan, chairman of Executive Trainers Ltd, the firm that organised the training said the thought behind the topic was to remind institutions of their core responsibilities.

"I want to bring back to the fore the reason why institutions are in business so they can go back and re-design their teaching modules and work on their administrative processes so their students can succeed," he said when I interviewed him. This is an issue that should concern every institution and they should seek to make amends.

Belo-Osagie

• Managing Director Brandeis Limited, Mr. Femi Ashiwaju (left) and Mr Kolade conducting the Commissioner round the college

Nigeria ripe for international schools

•Thames Valley College offers N.09m scholarships to brilliant pupils

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ITH the global village concept gaining more grounds as a result of technological advancements, an educationist, Mr Tunde Kolade, says Nigeria has to notch up the ability to begin providing international education for its people within the country.

Kolade, who has taught in many ivy-league private schools in Lagos, including Grange and Greensprings, said in an interview that such international education is now necessary because the world has become a global stage and competition for the best jobs is no longer local.

"When Shell wants to recruit, it opens up the vacancies to the international job market. People will apply from various countries for the job, because it requires international skills. If you have the skills, you can work anywhere," he said.

The educationist-cum accountant, added that meeting this need for international education requires schools that boast of requisite modern classroom, laboratory and ICT

A

By Kofoworola Belo-Osagie

facilities as well as well-trained teachers who can deliver a robust international curriculum and guidance that provide the pupils with skills they need.

Kolade said such schools should increasingly become available in Nigeria to reduce the need for parents to send their wards abroad. To this end, he said Thames Valley College, Sagamu, has been established to meet such needs.

A member of the school's Governing Board, Kolade said the school, which opens in September, will groom pupils that will not be lacking in all the domains of learning.

"It is common with the upper class to send their wards to foreign countries. We must develop our own people to function in Nigeria and abroad. We want to benchmark with international standards. International education should provide you with the skills to live and succeed anywhere in the world. We made up our minds that it is possible to do this in Nigeria," he said.

Though it will cost an average of N3,200 a day to provide pupils for this kind of education in the kind of environment that Thames Valley College provides, Kolade said the school will offer tuition-free scholarships to brilliant pupils worth up to N900,000 per session.

He added that while the fullboarding school would admit many brilliant pupils, it would also accept average pupils it can groom for excellence.

"We are not looking for A students; we want to produce A students," he said.

The Ogun State Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Mr Segun Odubela who visited to see the school's facilities, praised its promoters for keying into the government's vision to provide quality education for its citizens.

Odubela was conducted round the 64 classrooms, 50-seater amphitheatres, workshops, laboratories, hostels, dining hall, staff quarters, and sports complex and other facilities on the 21-acre school premises.

Club gives school library facelift

S part of its community development programmes, Viva L'amour Lion Club District 404B Ikeja has refurbished and donated books to the library of Adeniyi Jones Primary School, Ikeja, Lagos.

At the inauguration and donation of the books, the President of the club, Gertrude Akhimien, said the initiative is in compliance with the club's community development objective.

She said: "It is the tradition of the club to carry out an activity that would be of benefit to their community on a monthly basis.

"As the president of Ikeja Viva L'amour Lion Club, the club mandated me to go round the community and look for a project that will

be of benefit to the community in which I serve.

"Having gone round, I found out that Adeniyi Jones Primary School need a functional library and the club decided not only to donate books which was the initial plan, but to also refurbish the School Library."

She said the club sourced for fund to rehabilitate the library through membership donations and from public-spirited individuals and organsations, while the books were sourced from Learn Africa Publishing Company.

Akhimien thanked the Management of the Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) for its technical assistance in ensuring that the refurbishment was done in

line with acceptable standard.

The SUBEB Chairman, Mrs. Gbolahan Khadijat Daodu, represented by Mr Lateef Oduntan, Director of Projects thanked the club for their gift, especially to the pupils of the school.

She said the singular act has added impetus to the academic lives of the lucky children as the books are veritable research materials for them. She enjoined the pupils and the management of the school to use the library well.

The Head teacher of the school Mrs. Victoria Ajayi was full of gratitude to God Almighty, SUBEB and the club for the donation. She pledged to ensure judicious use of the renovated library and the donated books.

‘Make nursery education compulsory’

A

N educationist and board member of the Rivers State Universal Basic Education Board (RSUBEB), Mr Ugochukwu Worluh, has urged the Federal Government to make nursery education compulsory.

Speaking after attending an educational summit in Finland, Worluh said the Finnish have the best graduates in the world because they ensure their citizens get a solid foundation. If made compulsory, Worluh said nursery education could reduce crime, especially among the lessprivileged children who do not have

From Precious Dikewoha, Port Harcourt

access to quality pre-school education.

Mr. Lucky said: "I want the Federal Government to emulate what the wife of the Rivers State Governor Dame Judith Amaechi is doing. She has a pet project on kindergarten education; it was not financed by the government but it is the best project in the world because of its importance in the future of this country.

“The rich send their children to the best nursery schools in the world before allowing them to be admitted

into primary school. What of the children of the poor? Yet many have not recognised the efforts of the wife of the governor in establishing kindergarten schools in all the local Government areas in the state.”

He added: “The best way to fight crime in our society is to toe the line of Judith Amaechi to give our children the best education as a social capital development which Rivers State children are enjoying today.

Government at all levels must declare compulsory kindergarten education if in future, we must sleep with our two eyes closed.”

‘There are many of us today who wish we had had somebody who gave us the push and guidance we needed to succeed. We have seen how that little push would have made a whole world of difference in how we turned out. Youthful exuberance makes students lose focus. However, the counsel of a mentor can help them stay on track. If students are mentored in school, they are likely to turn out better and can benefit society better’

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THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 29, 2013

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THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 29, 2013

THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 29, 2013

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NATURAL HEALTH

Treatment of breast cancer in Alternative Medicine (3) Free radical damage

Being the third part in the serialisation of the text of a presentation by FEMI KUSA at the maiden seminar of the College of Integrative Medicineheld at the Water Parks, Toyin Street, Lagos, on August 1 and 2, 2013.

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HE college was founded to train members of the National Integrative Medicine Practitioners As sociation (NIMPA). In the first part published on August 8, two promising case studies provided the grounds for hope that herbs and nutritional supplements, used alone or as an adjunct in orthodox cancer therapies, can bring about a cancer cure. In one of these cases, stage iv colon cancer which had spread to the liver, lung and kidney shrank by 25 per cent within two months of the introduction of alternative medicine therapies to conventional therapy.

In the second case, breast cancer shrank significantly.

Last Thursday, August 15, featured the loss of oxygen in the body as a possible cause of cancer, some common causes of deoxygenating and some ways and means of oxygenating the blood, including the use of oxygen tablets or capsules. This week, the column explores gene and cell damage as potential cause of cancer.

Cell damage during cell division There are about 100 trillion cells in the average adult human body. All of them except those of the brain and perhapsthe nerves are constantly dividing to reproduce themselves before they die off. One hundred trillion cells is written as 100,000,000,000,000.Each cell is probably replaced hundreds of thousands of times in one's lifetime.

In one single day, as many as 40 billion (40,000,000,000) cells may be replaced. In the course of these replacements, mistakes may occur in the splitting of the DNA (Deoxyribonucleic Acid), which is the blueprint or code of each cell to be reproduced. Recently, the media reported the birth of a baby without the brain in the skull. This means the skull is hollow.Obviously, the gene for the brain was missing in the baby printers will easily understand what is happening. Printers print from plates fastened to a press by pressing paper over them. If a printer has an order for 200,000 copies, the plate may wear after 100,000 copies.

Any printing done after this number may not be clear or it may blur. So, the plate has to be replaced. In respect of cell reproduction in the body, sometimes it is a gene that is missing. The cells produced in such error are not normal cells, and, therefore, lose communication links with the body and do not get information or instruction from the brain about the rate at which they should divide, hence the abnormal rate of division. If we grant to Mother Nature, as agent of the Creator of all things the honour of perfection, we would recognise that the possibility of this aberration, through the foibles of souls maturing in these bodies, would have been foreseen, and antidote for it would have been provided for in the Creation Plan. This abnormality arose in the first place out of dietary and other misconducts. If we dig deep down into any event which suggests imperfection in the work of Mother Nature, we would discover that man is the architectof it.In the far sighted nature of Mother.Nature, every cell is equipped with a gene called the P.53Gene which kills off a cell which has stepped out of tune with the rhythm of the body. This gene, located on the DNA, is called the "suicide gene."

Why these genes fail to pull the trigger on the cancer cell?

Another relevant question in cancer therapy is: why do the 30 billion or so immune cells, including the NATURAL KILLER (NK) cells not catch and destroy thesedeadly cells? If they failed, why did the liver, as the chief detoxifying or purifying organ in the body, let them pass?

OME studies have associated these failures to the loss of energy within the cells. Many factors such as Vitamins, co-factors,minerals and enzymes are inseparable from energy production in the cell. But Co-enzyme Q10 (CoQ10) would appear somewhat more significant, going by some studies, and I would like to emphasise it in this presentation.

Dr. Folkers, one of the most outstanding CoQ10 researchers for decades, ran the first CoQ10 research on the value of this compound in breast cancer management, and some doctors carried out the experiment with 32 women in a Copenhagen Clinic. The woman had advanced, high risk breast cancer which had spread to the lymph mode. They had gone through chemotherapy, radiation therapy and surgery to no avail. Researcher Dr. Foikers and his two medical doctor colleagues placed the women on a wide range of vitamins, minerals, and CoQ10 to see if these would help. The CoQ10 dosage was 90mg daily.

And, sure enough, six of the 32 women survived beyond two years, although, by convention, the condition of their cancer dictated that they die before then.

Their tumors had shrunken significantly.

In 1993, one of these women unilaterally increased

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her CoQ10 dosage from 90mg to 390mg a day. By the following month, the cancer was completely gone.

Another woman who followed her footsteps by increasing her own CoQ10 dosage to 300mg daily also witnessed complete remission of the cancer. Their doctors reported these surprising developments in the following statement: "The tumor was no longer palpable and in the following month, a mammogram examination diagnosed disappearance of Her tumor.

After that, another woman in the group also increased her dosage, this time to 300mg. her tumor soon disappeared. A clinical examination revealed no presence of the prior residual tumor nor of distant metastases, This study has been reported to be significant in at least two respects. First, the quantum of chemotherapy, toxic to cells and depressant to the immune system, may have constituted an overwhlming harmer to CoQ10 energising the dormant suicide genes of the cancer cells to destroy those cells. It may, also have deprived the liver of energy to detoxify the blood and, by extension, the cells. The cells, of course, include the immune cells, expecially the NK cells.

ECONDLY, an increased CoQ10 dosage reveals the capacity of this compound to energise the system back to health. In other words, the cells did not have enough CoQ10 in their pre-cancerous state. Even when CoQ10 was given at going daily, the usage may have been eaten up by chemo or radiation. For CoQ10 is an antioxidant and may have been donating itself to free radicals of the chemo and radiation.

Further, CoQ10 research in this area has shown that the compound stimulatesimmunoglobin production and increases the CD4 to CD8 ratio in humans. These effects are immune-boosting and suggest the relationship between cellular energy and protection against tumour growth and cancer development. More research has shown as well linkages between low plasma levels of CoQ10 and the onset or progression of breast cancer.

Coq10 is used in all therapies, not just for cancer.

Originally, it was given to people with heart problems. The heart is one of the richest sources of CoQ10, understandably because it is a hardworking organ which requires lots of energy to move blood round the body. It has helped many causes of palpitation of heart muscles, especially when taken with Hawthorn berries and Magnesium, and congestive heart failure. People with low ejection fraction also benefit from CoQ 10 therapy. Ejection fraction is the quantum of blood which one chamber of the heart pumps into another. Doctors worry if less then 50 per cent is pushed out. Congestive heart failure is a condition in which the heart is enlarged and weak, pushes blood to the lungs for oxygenation but is too weak to pump it out. In elderly people, the lungs may becomes so congested with blood that they begin to cough as an attempt by the lungs to rid themselves of this burden.

Sometimes the coughing may persist for years and fail to respond to cough medicine and antibiotics which doctors give to clear infection which follows congestion. By improving the hearts energy with the use of CoQ10, congestive heart failure is often well resolved.

Ubiquinone or Ubiquinol Two forms of CoQ10 are available, namely ubiqui (noneandubiqui(nol). Ubiquinol is the more effective and is more expensive. Some smart producers sell ubiquinone as ubiquinol to sweep the market at cheaper prices. It is always important in the CoQ10 market to buy only trusted brands.

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e-mail: femi.kusa@yahoo.com or olufemikusa@yahoo.com

Free radicals are atoms or molecules without paired electrons in the outermost shell of their electrons. They are unstable, highly reactive and destructive. They steal electrons from the cells to stabilise themselves, thereby damaging these cells. In this process, holes are literally drilled into the cell membranes. This makes the cell to leak, like a car tyre tube punctured by a nail. Hundreds of thousands of free radical hits may occur on a cell in one day. The cell spends a great deal of time and energy sealing the leaks and healing its injury, with hardly any energy left for other work to safeguard its existence. In the end, it ages prematurely, may become mutated and carcerous or dies. Imagine a car tyre tube punctured many times over with its leaks sealed many times over. Soon, it becomes useless, unsafe to drive on. We cannot escape from free radical threat. We only need protection against it. Free radicals are produced by the body as waste products of its metabolism. From the outside, they come into the body with food, air and water. The body produces them when the immune system fights diseases.Diseases germs launch them against immune cells. Many of our natural foods, fruits and herbs have antioxidant and properties and protect us against free radicals. A new body of research, about which I may speak later, an antidotes to free radicals, suggests we also get free radicals from the atmosphere. Antioxidants, as negative charges, are said to come from the earth. Thus, the earth exhibits a natural balance between free radicals and antioxidants If we do not "earth"the free radical as positive charges we are receiving from the atmosphere, as we earth them with lightening or thunder catcher protection for houses, we will have lots of free radicals sooner than later. Earthling these charges naturally is achieved by walking barefoot on dew covered grass especially, says this new body of research. In the wisdom of Mother Nature Free Radicals are destroyed by antioxidants. The body produces three primary antioxidants, namely: • Glutathione • Superoxide Dismutage (SOD),and • Catalase HESE enzymes complexes are made from certain substances which may sometimes or often run short in the body biochemistry and cause a deficiency of these basic antioxidants. These foundation materials include zinc, selenium and manganese. In addition, antioxidants are available also in the form of Vitamins A,C and E. As the entire body has a general antioxidant defence system, specific organs have antioxidants specific to them even when these antioxidants have wider applications. The fat soluble vitamins A and E, for example, are found largely in fatty organs of the body such as the breast, the eyes and the brain. Alpha Lipoic Acid, another popular antioxidant, in fat and water soluble and,so,(NAC) operates in both media.

N- Acetyl Cystane, yet another antioxidant, is used alongside another antioxidant because of its tendency to generate free radicals. Antioxidants do not destroy free radicals directly. They interface between free radicals and the cells, donating themselves. In other words, free radicals steal electrons from antioxidants and, so have no need to steal from the cells. The scenario is like a war front where soldiers form a human shield around their general against enemy fire. A reverse graphic situation may look like an unprotected house invaded every day by armed robbers.

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Cancer is defeatable On August 31, CANCER DEFEATED, foundedin 2006, will start a convention in mexico to show doctors and other interested people, many cancer survivors who usedAlternative Medicines, the doctors and clinics who treated them, as well as natural foods and herbs which these cancer survivors employed in their fight for survival.

Many AMERICAN AND European doctors who have been achieving positive results with Alternative Medicine protocols that Mainstream medicine oppose in their countries find their ways to a more tolerant Mexico.

Some Nigerian readers of this column are attending the convention. An interesting part of the convention is a tour of the Alternative Medicine- using orthodox medicine clinics in Mexico where what are termedcancer survival miracles have taken place.

Dr. Oz, a leading figure in nutritional medicine, and Dr. William W. Li, M.D., president and medical director of the ANGIOGENESIS FOUNDATION,will very likely speak on ANGIOGENESIS and ANTIANGIOGENES in the battle against cancer, which many doctors in Nigeria do not give sufficient attention.Angiogenesis is the process by which blood vessels feed the cells. Cancer cells hijack angiogenesis to feed themselves. Some anti-cancer food supplements, such as Shark cartilage, prevent cancer cells from hijacking angiogenesis in a counter process called antiangiogenesis. They say, from their studies that the right kinds of foods play a great role in antiangiogenesis.The block cancer cells from feeding on the blood, surround them, shrunk them and cause their death. I will address this convention in a later column.

This page is being rerun due to popular demand Tel: 08116759749, 08034004247, 07025077303

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THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 29, 2013

NYAKO SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT AND INTERGRATION FORUM CONTRADICTIONS FROM THE CHIEF OF AIR STAFF

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ecently the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshall Alex Sabundu Bade organized an elaborate ceremony in his home village of Vimtim in Mubi North Local Government of Adarnawa State. The event attracted thousands of guests from across the Country. However, one important point to note is that the event went by peacefully without any ugly incident taking place. What this celebration proves is that Adamawa State is indeed, peaceful and that the State of Emergency imposed on Adarnawa State is purely political and a travesty of justice.

Yet not only is the Chief of Air Staff one of the promoters of the State of Emergency in the State, but also one of those justifying its imposition. In an apparent contradiction to what was witnessed, the Military top brass used the opportunity of an interaction with the media during the ceremony to further justify the existence of a State of Emergency in the State.

We have always known that Air Marshall Alex Bade is part of the cabal that advanced the process of the imposition of a politically motivated State of Emergency on Adamawa State. However, it is unfortunate that after more than 90 days of inflicting hardships on the people, he could come, wine, dine and make merriment, yet openly supporting our misery. This is really sad. Would he have celebrated so openly and lavishly if his home were located in Barna, Buniyadi, Mallarn Fatori or other parts of Borno and Yobe States? Would he have celebrated if his hometown had witnessed the kind of bloodbath in those two States? Another unfortunate contradiction from the Chief of Air Staff is his inability to distinguish between criminality and insurgency.

Hear him, ”If anybody tells you there is no illegality in Adamawa they are telling lies. We raided the Farang Forest. They attacked Madagali, Mubi, Ganye, Maiha, Song, and Mayo-Belwa Local Government areas, we don’t want them to come to the State Capital. Adamawa is a natural haven for anybody running from Borno and Yobe States” (see DailyTrust of Tuesday 20th August, 2013) This is the clearest testimony to the fact that the Chief of Air Staff and some unnamed persons who are part of the ‘we’ in his statement are responsible for the imposition of a State of Emergency in the State.

They are not concerned about what hardships they inflict on the people. A closer examination of the reasons adduced by the Chief of Air Staff further proves the bankruptcy of their knowledge of both Adamawa State and the security situation in the country.

First and foremost the attacks recounted by the Military Chief are essentially criminal in nature rather than insurgencies. Situations where Banks and Bureau de Change are raided means only one thing, a motive to steal money. That is criminal. A situation where Prisons and Police posts are raided to release only convicted criminals are equally criminal. These are the incidents the Chief of Air Staff was referring to. If activities of criminal elements are the criteria used for declaring a State of Emergency, then the whole country should be under a State of Emergency because there are more criminal activities of monumental nature taking place in other States than the ones in Adamawa State such as Kano, Kaduna, Nasarawa, Sokoto, Zamfara or even Southern States like Bayelsa, Anambra and Ogun. Another statement that betrays the ignorance of the Chief of Air Staff is the one which says Adamawa is a haven for those fleeing Borno and Y obe States. A glaring falsehood in the statement is the fact that Adamawa has no land boarder at all with Y obe State. On that account Jigawa, Gombe and Bauchi states would have been under Emergency rule as well. Borno also shares common boarders with Gombe and Bauchi States.

What we are saying is that all the reasons adduced by the patrons of Emergency rule in Adamawa State have so far fallen flat on the face of reason. The raid conducted on the Farang Forest did not yield any arrest to justify the Chief’s dream position against Adamawa State Emergency rule.

Unlike the spectacle in Sambisa Forest in Borno State, Adamawa presented no evidence of any insurgent hide-out or activity. Anyway we believe that there is no greater justification of falsehood in the imposition of a State of Emergency in Adamawa State than the elaborate ceremonies hosted by the Chief of Air Staff in Vimtim Mubi North Local Government Area. Why is the Chief of Air Staff fretting over the Governor’s negative reaction to the State of Emergency? Which responsible Governor will applaud you for inflicting hardships and sufferings without any justification on the very people that elected him to office? We are aware that the code name of the operation in the three states is BOYONA.

their own people.

We are aware that their initial gameplan was to illegally use the State of Emergency to remove the Governors of the affected states. But for the vigilance of the National Assembly they would surely have succeeded. For them the interest and well being of the people do not and should not matter. And to prove their lack of care or concern, the Chief of Air Staff went ahead to host an elaborate and extravagant ceremony in his village to show that he has “arrived”. Check the pictures used in the Advert and help me ask this question; What is a uniformed man doing among politicians? Do we need any proof that the man has now become a politician in uniform? But Nigerians with good memories know the dangers involved in the incursions of uniformed Military men in Politics. And a man with a mindset to topple an elected Governor in his state cannot be trusted to professionally subordinate the service to civilian political control. The Commander-in-Chief should equally take note of this. But if his interest in politics is genuine, he is indeed welcome to retire and join his political friends in real politicking. And if his interest is to fight for the welfare and interest of the people he should be assured that Governor Murtala Nyako is a willing partner.

But then there are real issues which should be addressed. One of them concerns reflecting on the genuine hardships of the people and not celebrating in the time of their travails. But that ceremony too has a lot of questions and contradictions. One of the banes of our ruling elite is that we tend to flagrantly display our wealth in the face of our poverty stricken people without decency or decorum. Most times we show little or no concern for the limits placed by law or morality. Often times in assessing the activities and excesses of our ruling elite we tend to shout very loud in condemning political office holders but ignore other holders of public trust. Until the scandal involving the Pension fund became public, little or no attention was paid to people in the main stream public service. When they organize ceremonies they display excessive extravagance. Some of the expenses come from their earnings, but majority definitely come from other sources.

The weekend of 16th to 18th August, 2013 saw intense activity in Mubi Adamawa State that borders on extreme extravagance of monumental dimensions. Within that period, the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Alex Sabundu Bade treated the people to the most bizarre waste of resources in the name of an event that is hard to fathom or understand. Fortieth 40th day prayers for a departed mother was the event. The idea of a 40th day prayer is in itself a misnomer within the confines of the core doctrines of the major religions in Nigeria. Even where it is held, it is purely a spiritual activity. But then that was the event for which thousands of people converged in Vimtim to wine and dine.

Some of us are really asking questions. If the State of Emergency imposed on Adamawa State is justified, why organize such an elaborate merry-making event when we are in a sober situation? Where did the huge resources expended during the ceremony come from? Who paid for the fueling and other expenses involved in the countless trips undertaken by Military Helicopters and Jets during the period?

Answers to these questions will help us in situating the event within its proper context. The celebrant as one of the patrons of that Emergency rule should know that like Nero, he really fiddled while Rome was on fire. These are the kind of misplacement of priorities and wastage of funds that Baba Mai Mangoro questions. Perhaps that is what made them brand him their enemy number one.

On a final note, we understand that in the sponsored advert by a faceless group that goes by the name Jonathan-Sambo Success Group, Governor Murtala Nyako was referred to as a (Courageous) fighter. If people are asked to choose between courage, compromise and cowardice, every sane, sensible and rational being will choose courage. The Courageous are always called fighters because they are the only ones capable of fighting for Justice and equity. As for the compromised, anything goes for them either right or wrong. The worst sets of people are the cowards because they are spineless and just float with the tide. For them and their kind, the world would have remained the same. It is always the courageous that stand alone in the maddening crowd and it is to them we give credit for all the major progress in the world. His Excellency Governor Murtala Nyako, Baba Mai Mangoro rightfully falls into this category.

SIGNED:

These acronym stands for Borno, Yobe and Nasarawa. The State of Emergency was declared the week of a very unfortunate occurrence in Nasarawa State. Hence no one expected Adamawa State to be included in the States affected. However, while the patriotic leaders of Nasarawa State lobbied to save their people the attendant hardships associated with the enforcement of the State of Emergency, our own whose pictures are included in paid advert on page 15 of Leadership Newspaper of 22nd August, 2013 are proud to inflict hardships on

Albaji Yahya H.

(Chairman)

Yabya Musa Hong

(Coordinator)

For and behalf of Nyako Social Development and Integration Forum Tel: 08055334721

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THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 29, 2013

e-Business

Govt resolves NCC/NESREA rift over base station T HE Federal Government has resolved the rift between the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) over base transmission stations (BTS).

While NESREA was established as a parastatal of the Federal Ministry of Environment, Housing and Urban Development and charged with enforcing environmental laws, guidelines, policies, standards and regulations, the NCC was created in 2003 as an independent body to regulate the telecoms sector.

In the past, NESREA shut some BTS, which NCC re-opened, raising questions about the coexistence of both agencies.

Minister of Communications Technology Mrs Omobola Johnson said at the weekend during the National Council on Communication Technology meeting in Akure, the

Stories by Lucas Ajanaku

Ondo State capital, that her ministry and the Ministry of Environment had aligned NESREA and NCC regulations on BTS. “Working with the Ministry of Environment, we have finally been able to align the NESREA and NCC regulations on base stations. We are working to remove any bottlenecks to the speedy rollout of infrastructure. We have collaborated with the Federal Ministry of Works to streamline and standardise the processes and pricing of Right-ofWay (RoW) on Federal Highways across the country.

This has been adopted by the National Council of Works and is now applicable to state highways as well. The National Economic Council last month formally endorsed these guidelines and have also committed to streamlining and standardising the levies that are charged on telecoms infra-

structure,” she said.

According to her, “These are extremely significant achievements and milsetones as they have established the predictability of the cost of infrastructure development in the ICT sector, reduced the cost of network deployment by ensuring that for every naira that is spent on infrastructure more is spent on actual infrastructure and less on administration and taxes, as well as shortened the period for application processing.”

The minister said it is the mandate of the ministry to ‘Connect Nigeria’ with a ubiquitous physical fibre, satellite and microwave telecommunications network that reaches the nooks and crannies of the country. She added that Nigerians also have to be connected through the wide ownership of cost-effective devices or access to devices where people can still not afford them while government will aggressively drive the participa-

tion of the citizens in ICT businesses and improve local and domestic value add in the sector.

She said: “Under the Connect Nigeria Programme, a national broadband strategy and roadmap has been developed by a Presidential Committee to facilitate the achievement of fivefold increase in broadband penetration by 2017. ‘’The Committee comprised network operators, ICT infrastructure providers and ofcourse representations from the states—an inclusiveness that has more or less guaranteed that the plan will be implemented successfully. This plan was approved and endorsed by Mr President in May and a Broadband Council chaired by myself has already been inaugurated to oversee the expeditious implementaiton of this plan.”

According to her, under the programme, the Federal Government is promoting the student computer ownership scheme for students in

tertiary institutions, continuing with various initiatives to connect schools to the Internet. It will also ensure that universities and research institutions are connected to the Internet through fibre optic cable while the deployment of additional public access venues, the financial and digital inclusion programme that leverages the extensive assets of NIPOST will also be pursued with vigour.

She assured that the ministry will collaborate with the Ministry of Agriculture to provide connectivity in the rural areas to facilitate the rollout e-wallet programme and extend it beyond fertiliser subsidy to market and other information farmers need to improve productivity. Rural dwellers, she added, will be included in the Save One Million Lives (of mothers and children) programme of the Federal Ministry of Health. – including Public Assets Venues, financial inclusion and ‘ICT for farmers’ projects.

MTN unveils virtual top up service

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TN has unveiled an enhanced version of its Virtual Top Up (VTU) service known as MTN VTU Plus.

MTN VTU Plus, which is an improvement on its predecessor, VTU, has been enhanced to enable customers buy airtime, purchase MTN data services, logical PINs and renew Blackberry subscription directly from any VTU terminal or vendor nationwide.

Speaking during a press prelaunch of the enhanced service, MTN’s Sales and Distribution Executive Omatsola Barrow said MTN VTU Plus is a unique innovation that allows MTN’s trade partners and vendors to sell up to 48 different MTN products and services to their customers.

“Not only is MTN VTU Plus convenient for our customers, our trade partners can also enjoy the benefits

of making a single payment for stock while selling 48 different products and services to their retailers and customers. Aside from the ease of payment, VTU Plus also completely eliminates the cost of inventory and storage, theft of stock and increases the speed of product distribution with effective tracking and monitoring,” said Barrow.

Shedding more light on the benefits of the service, the General Manager, Business Development, Richard Iweanoge, said that MTN VTU Plus also enables MTN customers to remotely top up airtime on their mobile phones from any location.Customers could also enjoy multiple services without the inconvenience of using scratch cards and punching in the USSD code *555*PIN# or *888*PIN#.

Samsung, Union Bank partner on solution

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HE Managing Director, Samsung Electronics West Africa Mr Bravo Kim has said it partnered with Union Bank to make the bank different from others in offering customers technology-driven services that redefines their banking experience.

The managing director, who spoke over the weekend in Lagos at the unveiling of ‘’Bank of Future (BoF)’’ solutions designed by the electronics company for the money deposit bank (MDB), said the solution is an interactive self-service solution that focuses on gaining an in-depth knowledge of the individual customers of the bank to meet their unique needs.

He added that BoF will ensure that customers are well informed and better engaged whenever they come into the banking halls and are attended to, leaving them with a

By Bola Ajetumobi

unique customer experience that is deeplysatisfying.

“Samsung’s Bank of the Future Solution will differentiate Union Bank from the rest and create a niche for the bank. Customers coming into the banking hall will be well informed about operations, and various products offerings in a way they will not easily forget,” he said at the Silverbird Galleria branch of the bank, venue of the event in Lagos.

According to him, the BoF revolves around three core principles which are that the banking space is designed to allow personnel opportunity to converse with customers readily in a variety of ways; facilitate relationship and enhance connection to the wider and significant network of the bank, and to enhance the ease and efficiency of the banking process.

35 firms for GITEX in Dubai

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ORE than 35 local ICT firms have indicated interest to participate in the first Nigerian Pavilion at GITEX Technology Week inside the Dubai World Trade Centre, United Arab Emirate (UAE).

The Nigerian Pavilion is being promoted by Information Technology Association of Nigeria (ITAN) and Pinnacle International Consulting with the support of the Federal Ministry of Communications Technology.

In a statement by the organisers noted that the technology fair will hold between October 20 and 24 and will be led by a mix of the big, oldest and innovative players like Omatek Computer Ventures Plc, Programmos Solutions Ltd and Data Sciences Nigeria Ltd. ITAN Secretariat disclosed that several countries are already billed

to have their pavilions on ground at the event to promote their local capacities. They include the USA, Germany, India, Brazil, Hong Kong and Malaysia. Others are Kenya and Morocco from Africa.

GITEX Technology is the premier Technology event in the Middle East and South East Asia (MEASA), which now occupies over 78,000 sqm of space, and saw Infocomm and ITU (International Telecommunication Union) collocate with it in 2012.

More than 150, 000 trade visitors and exhibitors from 144 countries attended Gitex 2012 which recorded over 25,000 visitors from Africa.

Over 20,000 C-Level visitors at the event last year; $1.2 million was the average value per order placed during the event and 92 per cent of the exhibitors met their return on investment (RoI) expectations.

•From left: Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Communications Technology, Dr Henry Akpan; DirectorGeneral (DG), National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) Dr Ngeri Benebo and Acting DG, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) Dr Ashiru Daura at the meeting in Akure.

NITDA wants HP, others to fund local content, R&D T

HE National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has called on foreign original equipement manufacturers (OEMs) to invest in information communication technology (ICT) research and development (R&D) initiatives.

Specifically, NITDA wants Microsoft, Delll HP, Dell, Intel, Samsung and others to assist in developing the local component of indigenous hardwares to make them compete favourably with the foreign ones.

Acting Director-General, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Ashiru Daura, who made the call over the weekend, said a well developed lo-

cal computer industry will create employment opportunities for both skilled and unskilled manpower in the country and boost gross domestic product (GDP) growth.

Indigenous OEMs are Zinox, Omatek, Beta and Veda Technologies Limited. Despite Federal Government’s directive to all its ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) and tertiary institutions it owns, to patronise indigenous OEMs, the preferred brands by these institions are foreign brands.

With statistics indicating that almost 60 per cent of the 743,000 computer units sold in the country last year came from the stables of HP

and Dell brands alone, experts are calling for a change of focus.

Daura said a well-developed ICT industry could provide the springboard for wealth creation and rally the support of government to confer the status of Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) on citizens who carry out outsourcing business operations and ICT procurements for state governments.

He argued that though the number of homes with computers and Internet access has grown dramatically, not much has been achieved in the area of exported software and hardware as the country continues to be a net importer of PCs, switches, network access devices and softwares.

IBM chief urges Fed Govt to fix power

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MERICAN multinational technology and consulting firm, International Business Machines (IBM) Corporation, has urged the Federal Government to attend to the power needs of the country so that application of technological solutions to solve problems could easily fall in line.

The General Manager, IBM West Africa, Taiwo Otiti, said if the Federal Government focuses on fixing the power deficit, so many other things will be alright.

He said stability in the services offered by telecoms operators is vital

because it is on their networks that services like e-transaction, mobile money and other forms of electronic payments ride. He added that seamless transaction may be wishful thinking if there is no constant power supply.

“I think the main issue in telecoms is not just stability, majority of the cell sites are running on generators.

So if the Federal Government can fix the power (sector), you will see a big transformation because if a generator goes down, the cell site also goes down and therefore, the nearest cell site which might be congested at that

particular moment, your PoS (Point of Sale) is diverted to that one. So there are many issues. The major issue around it is power. If you fix power (the success of the initiative would be assured). It (power) has a big role to play in ensuring the success of the initiative,” he said in an interview.

According to him, operators run cell cites on generators. This situation implies that once in a while, there will be hitches in services as the generators will need to be refuelled and serviced at a particular point in time.

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POLITICS Senator Chris Ukpabi was elected into the Second Republic Senate on the platform of the defunct Nigerian Peoples Party (NPP) from Imo State. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) elder from Abia State spoke with EMMANUEL OLADESU in Lagos on the crisis rocking the ruling party and other issues.

‘Agitation for power shift to North is laughable’ W HAT is responsible for the pro tracted crises in the PDP? I wouldn’t call it crisis. It is a question of somebody wanting to occupy a position and another wanting to occupy the same position. And that is life. Somebody can’t tell you I want to be President or governor and you just allow him. In democracy, people struggle. The very moment you say you want a position, there would be disagreement, naturally. And as a mature political grouping, we disagree to agree.

Don’t you think the crisis is a cause for alarm, in view of the emergence of APC? There is nothing like that. I can tell you there is no cause for alarm. I am telling you that we will settle the matter. Anybody who thinks we are down and out because of this crisis must be joking. They will be making a big mistake. In fact, for me, we will be stronger than ever. Didn’t you see those days when Chief Akin Omoboriowo and the rest of them would kick themselves and still come back together? That is what you call politics.

What has Jonathan Administration done, which makes you to think that the President’s re-election bid should be supported by Nigerians?

He is humane and he looks at matters very dispassionately. He gets along with people.

He has come to show Nigerians that politics is not a do- or - die affair. And because of his Christian nature, knowing that he has reached the peak, he now decides to take everybody as himself, believing that it is better to make people realise their mistakes than to force them.

A number of times, people have tried to mess him up. They use languages that are not very complimentary to the President of a country. But he has not reacted. This is a man who has all the powers. If he says ,kill it happens, and if he says, spare it happens.

But he decides to follow the part of peace and love for every human being that comes around him. That is very unique.

But his critics see this as weakness…

It does not show any sign of weakness. It is not for you to start hitting people back because there is strength and valour in making sure that the man who has insulted you is shown kindness. That is why the religious side of it is better. You don’t go to and take revenge; leave God to do the rest for you.

And anybody who says that is weakness may

• Ukpabi

not know the will of God for you.

In concrete terms, what has the administration achieved?

There is no President, governor, chairman of local government that can handle all the problems around him. They come in, do their bit, and move on. That is the background around which I will lay out some things he has done. Look at the railway system that has been moribund for so many years. Many people from my own place who speak Hausa today do so because they are offsprings of those who worked in the Railway Corporation. And that has helped in binding the country together.

Now, from Port Harcourt to Maiduguri, it is only a small place in Aba, that is left; it would have been completed. Look at the Lagos to Kano route, people can now use it.

And the more you use these rails, the more

our roads last longer. It makes me remember those days when we used to go to secondary schools. We will just jump into the train. Sometime,s we don’t pay. We get to the next station, we stop. Look at electricity; he has taken it to a whole new level. I was reading one of the reports and it stated that, from 1999 till Jonathan came into office, we were still using only 2000 megawatts.

Is that the reason he is seeking for a second term?

There are other areas. Go to the agriculture. We are almost 60 percent self-sufficient in the production of rice. But not only that, look at the jobs it has brought. It is something to be glad about. If you know the amount of money we used in importing rice in the past, you will know that he has done so well. He will do the much he can do and leave the rest for others. There are a lot of areas that Jonathan has shown he is ready to work. Last year, as someone from the Southeast, we were afraid where we would be in a position to get to our villages. The roads were so bad, but he set up a team. Incidentally, the chairman of that team is my friend and they had to do the roads. Now, I can drive from Abuja here to my place in the East without any problem.

Look at the Second Niger Bridge. Our people were jubilating and praising God when Julius Berger mobilised to the site to start work. Most of these things have been left all along and this young man is doing them. Why don’t we appreciate him for once.

I am sure people can travel through our airports in recent times and you would be proud to say you are a Nigerian. Before now, it was an eyesore. But toda, it is very beautiful. These are things Jonathan would be remembered for within such a short time, just two years. I was reading somewhere where somebody was scoring him low. Unfortunately, for those writings, they were hooking the failures of the past administrations on him. How can you? If you are looking at past administrations, then, blame those responsible for that and praise him

‘The Northerners have ruled for more than 38 years. Others are also entitled to be there. You can’t rule for 38 years and expect others to continue to look at you. Nobody will take it. Now, these 38 years, they maintained that they were military. But, I want to tell you this, whether civilian or military, they are Northerners’

for what he has done within such a short period.

Why is indiscipline rampant in your party?

What I can tell you is that there is no where you can have 100 percent perfection. As far as I am concerned, they are doing the best they can. Don’t forget that, if you go to the extreme, more problems are going to emerge. But as far as party discipline is concerned, there is the party constitution and I don’t expect anybody to go above that. It is just like when people accuse Jonathan of corruption.

I laugh because there is no government that can come on its own and start hitting people because they did one thing or the other that is not supposed to be done. The right thing is to hand it over to the law enforcement agencies. Jonathan and his team have set up institutions that should handle these things.

We have the EFCC, ICPC, the courts; these are the people that should take care of those things. If you just come on your own, outside the purview of the law, then, you are heading for anarchy. As far as I am concerned, nobody will expect 100 percent, but they have done the best they can.

Some Northern leaders and elders are agitating for power shift to their the North.

What is your reaction?

It is a laughing matter. They are merely playing out a script, which had been handed over to them by that our respected leader from the North, Sarduana of Sokoto. That is the script they are playing out. On the 12th of October, 1960, that highly respected sage said this nation called Nigeria is their own private property bequeathed to them by their great grandfather, Usman Danfodio, and that they will resist any change in power. Take note, he said they will resist any change in power; that the minorities of the North will be manipulated while the South will be regarded as conquered territory.

This is the script they are playing out. Unfortunately, they cannot do that. How can they be talking about this now after how many years of Nigeria’s independence? The Northerners have ruled for more than 38 years. Others are also entitled to be there.

You can’t rule for 38 years and expect others to continue to look at you. Nobody will take it.

Now, these 38 years, they maintained that they were military. But, I want to tell you this, whether civilian or military, they are Northerners.

Bauchi State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain Dr. Abduljhalili Balewa is the son of former Prime Minister Abubakar Tafawa Balewa. He spoke with reporters in Lagos on the reconciliation efforts in the party, agitation for power shift by the North and national security. EMMANUEL OLADESU was there.

Balewa: Presidency is nobody’s birthright

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HAT is the solution to the in security in the North?

There is no river without a source. A lot of bad decisions, dry decisions have been made by past leaders.

In the olden days, politicians used to tell the people what they were going to do.

I am going to build bridges, construct roads and all of that. All those ones have now gone overboard. Now, it is a case of which religion or ethnicity you represent. There are many educated young men in the Northeast that have not been employed. Programmes such as SUREP, YOU WIN are however, benefitting these unemployed youths and empowering them. But for a very long time, a lot of these politicians had access to these young people and they were using them as political hooligans and jettisoned them after election. These young men have internalised all these and that was why, when the unrest first started, you can see that they were attacking government establishments and installations because those were the people who used and abandoned them.

Unfortunately, this was linked to the fact that they were fighting western education. That of course is not true because the question is: how many illiterates can man and time bombs? How many illiterates can have the military know-how

to attack military formations? Many of our youths lack access to opportunities and jobs. The devil always finds jobs for idle hands. We need to start engaging these idle hands.

Do you think that the amnesty programme for the Boko Haram sect is working, despite the amount spent so far on security in the troubled region?

To say the amnesty programme is not working is erroneous. Last year, the government spent close to N1 trillion on security votes. But that is terrible because it could have gone into education, healthcare reforms, among others. Our monitoring and evaluation skills have to be sharpened so that we are not just going to be pouring water into basket. We should be able to monitor how the money goes out.

There is a dearth and a vacuum left for this present administration by previous governments. This is what this government is correcting. As you can see, the bloodshed appeared to have simmered in the last couple of months and it is going on. A lot of dialogue has been going on with these young people.

There are many young men within this militant faction who are even ignorant of what Boko Haram insur-

gency is all about, but there may be politicians who are encouraging them, a totally different vigilante. Until we are able to get to the root of it, there will be a wide range in dialogue.

Prominent Northerners have been agitating for power shift in 2015. What is your position on this?

It is okay to agitate that power must shift to the North or to the South, but it is the voters that is important here.

If you are able to convince the citizenry and they agree with you, they will vote for you. In democracy, the position is not as like what you get in the traditional feudal system.

It is not a God-given right whereby when you get there, you will stay there until you die. This is about politics. It is about trying to convince the citizenry on how best your programmes and thoughts are. Not everyone could be a billionaire either. But God has done in a way that in this kind of democracy, everybody needs to work harder. It is not about right. President Goodluck Jonathan, as a citizen of Nigeria, has every right to run for a second term.

Against the background of his performance, does he deserve a second term and will you vote for him?

You can count on me. I will vote for him. There has never been any Nigerian President, since independence until now, that has done so well in appointing women that constitute like half of our population to ministries and embassies across the world. Terrorism, as many people seem not to notice, often take a long time before it could be calmed down. Take a look at Iraq, Syria, the Philippines of old and even, Ireland ,where you can say there was a long ethnic crises and you will see that Nigeria’s case is improving. Of course, Nigeria is in dire need of peace and that is not only in the North East but also the South as well. Today, Nigerian currency is getting stable and stronger.

But will the protracted crises not consume the PDP before the next election?

It is an internal wrangling. We will find a way of settling it. We will sort it out. I am a card-carrying member of the PDP and I believe that the PDP is the only real national party in Nigeria.

The other regional parties recently came together under the platform of the APC. I think it is good that we have an opposition party. It is a learning process. But they are not there yet. As time goes on, I think they can as well grow.

•Balewa

What is your reaction to the Rivers State crisis, which the President has mismanaged?

How can the President be accused of mismanaging it? It is not a national crisis. It is a Rivers State crisis. But frankly speaking, everywhere in Nigeria, our culture is that, whatever we call head, you don’t walk on it. There is a President and a governor in the same family. The President is like the elder brother to the governor. There should be a conference of ideas, whereby the older brother should be able to talk to his younger brother and advise him. The crisis in Rivers State is not peculiar to Nigeria. It is just that every individual has different methods of managing crisis. I believe very soon, the issues will be resolved.

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NEWS •Abia stateGovernor Theodore Orji (left) presenting award of ‘’ENYIABIA’’ to Sen. Enyinnaya Abaribe during the 22nd Anniversary of the creation of the state at the Umuahia Township Stadium.

•From left: Kwara State Governor Dr Abdulfatah Ahmed; President, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Chief Kola Jamodu; Managing Director, KAM Industries Ltd, Alhaji Kamaldeen Yusuf and Chairperson, MAN, Kwara and Kogi States chapter Princess Omolola Olobayo during a visit to the governor by MAN at Government House Ilorin.

•Chairman Senate Committee on Land Housing and Urban Development Dr Bukar Abba Ibrahim,(left) President, Nigerian Institute of Architects, Arc. Ibrahim Haruna; Julius Berger Managing Director Wolfgang Goetsch; Director Architects Services Minister for Land, Housing and Urban Development, Arc. Sani Gidado and Chairman Architects Development Services Arc. Mohammed Jimo Faworaja during Archibuilt 2013 in Abuja on Tuesday.

PHOTO ABAYOMI FAYESE

•From left: Chief G.O.K Ajayi (SAN); Dr Olabode Ogunlana and Aremo Taiwo Allimi during the Plenary Session of The Ogun State Elders’ Forum at Abeokuta, Ogun State.

•From left: Alhaja Ashabi Bamgbola; Mrs Anike Adekanye and Alhaja Funmilayo Daramola during the Empowerment and Poverty Alleviation Programme organised by Lagos Island East Local Council Development Area in Lagos...yesterday

•Minister of State for Defence Erelu Olusola Obada (middle) with (from left) Inspector-General of Police Mohammed Abubakar; Chief of Defence Staff Admiral Ola Ibrahim; Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Adm. Dele Ezeoba and Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Defence Aminu Koko, at the First Offshore Patrol Vessels Africa Conference in Lagos... on Tuesday.

•Vice-Chairman Lagos Island Local Government Area Mr Toyese Olusi (left) presenting food materials to Mr Muhammed Babatunde and Mrs Iyabo Bakare during the 5th Poverty Alleviation Programme.

•From left: Chairman, Gani Fawehinmi Memorial Organisation Comrade Ayodele Akele; President, Women Arise Dr Joe Okei-Odumakin and Secretary-General Centre for the Defence of Human Rights and Democracy in Africa Prof Maurice Fangnon during a press briefing to kick start the 2013 Gani Fawehinmi Memorial Programme in Lagos... yesterday

•Official and participants at the opening ceremony of the Border Security Management Course at the Nigeria Custom Training College, Ikeja, Lagos.

Organised by the Kofi Annan Internal Peace Keeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) Accra Ghana with support from government of Japan and facilitated by the presidential committee on snall arm and small weapon control (PRESCOM)

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NEWS

•Securitymen disperse youths who invaded the Nasarawa State House of Assembly during Governor Umaru al-Makura’s visit to the Assembly...on Tuesday.

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76,000 Nigerians for Hajj

HE Director-General of Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Capt.

Fola Akinkuotu, has said 76,000 Nigerians will perform this year’s Hajj in Saudi Arabia.

He gave the figure when he addressed representatives of approved Hajj air carriers and service providers in the aviation sector at the NCAA Headquarters in

By Kelvin Osa Okunbor

Lagos.

The NCAA chief warned service providers to abide by the law, adding that the agency would ground any airline that violates its rules.

He said safety and security should be key in their operations.

Akinkuotu said the NCAA would not accept any

shortcoming in the operations of the carriers.

According to him, all aircraft, equipment and crew must be of the stipulated standard while passengers must be treated with dignity.

He advised the National Hajj Commission (NAHCOM) and airline operators involved in the Hajj operations to ensure proper planning and orderliness.

Akinkuotu reminded airline operators that the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) of Saudi Arabia has warned that every woman pilgrim under 45 years must be accompanied by a legal male escort listed on their Hajj visa.

The NCAA chief said flight operators are not allowed to carry “goro”, fruits or similar products”.

Police arrest three with human head in Minna

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HE Niger State Police Command yesterday paraded three suspects for allegedly beheading a 10-year old boy in Amale village of Kaffi-koro District in Paiko Local Government Area for ritual.

The police said Salleh Ibrahim conveyed the boy on his bicycle from Amale to his accomplices, Usman Sarki and Dantala Doma.

Sarki, a father of two, told reporters at the Dutsen Kura Police headquarters that he was contracted by a man he simply called Gajere, who is said to be on the run.

He said Gajere asked him to get a human head for moneymaking ritual, adding that he initially resisted the demand but later agreed to do it.

The suspect said he contacted Ibrahim, who promised to get someone, following the promise of a handsome reward.

Corroborating his accomplice, Ibrahim gave a gory description of how the boy was

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•PDP chair: opposition is no threat

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CHIEFTAIN of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kogi State and former governorship candidate of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) in 2007, Chief Yakubu Rotimi Obadofin, has said the progressives will oust the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state in 2015.

Obadofin addressed reporters yesterday in Lokoja, the state capital, after receiving an award of excellence from the publisher of a local publication, Kogi Affairs.

He said the PDP would be voted out of power in the 2015 general elections in the state.

But the PDP chairman, Alhaji Hassan Salawu, countered that the APC is not a threat to the ruling party because the state has identified with the PDP since its formation in 1998.

He said the ruling party would continue to hold sway in the state, adding that since 2003, no other party has rivaled it in Kogi State.

Obadofin noted that since the creation of Kogi State 22 years ago, it has not had basic infrastructure to enhance its development. According to him, other states created with Kogi are doing better.

He added that as from 2015, APC would continue to deliver genuine dividends of democracy to Kogi State residents, as it has been doing in other states where progressives are in charge.

The APC chieftain said the residents have been clamouring for a change that would put Kogi State on accelerated development.

Adeboye to hold special prayer for youths, others

By Adeola Ogunlade •The suspects, from left: Ibrahim, Usman and Doma in Minna...yesterday From Jide Orintunsin, Minna

killed.

He said: “It was at this point I found this boy on Amale Road. I asked him where was going and he said he was going to his house. I took him on my bicycle to Sarki’s house.

Sarki and I took him to Doma’s house where Doma beheaded him. Usman finally killed him and his head was removed.”

The trio said they contacted Gajere afterwards and he asked Sarki to bring the head.

Following a tip-off, the police arrested Sarki in Minna, the state capital, with the boy’s head concealed in a sack.

Usman, in tears, said: “Since we were arrested, Gajere, who contacted us for the job, has not been seen. If I must die, Gajere too must, because he gave us the job. Please, let them (police) bring him too. We are all in the deal.”

Police spokesman, Richard Adamu Oguche, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), said the command has begun investigation into the matter.

He said the suspects would be prosecuted after a thorough investigation.

The spokesman said because of the sensitive nature of the case, the police need would not rush their investigation.

“We want to make a discreet investigation so that we will not rush over it. We want to get to the root of the whole matter so that at the end of it we will take them to court for proper prosecution. This is a capital offence which needs a serious investigation,” Oguche said.

He added that the command has directed police outposts in Kaffin-Koro Division and its Divisional Police Officer (DPO) to contact the community leaders to know if there is a case of missing child.

“Up till this moment, we have not received any report from these areas,” Oguche said.

NDLEA arrests 72 drug suspects in Gombe

HE Gombe State Command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested 72 suspects with 122.1 kilogrammes of illicit drugs.

The State Commandant Aliyu Adole said the agency’s men arrested the suspects.

He said the command has convicted 27 of the suspects while the other 39 have been held back for counselling.

He added that the command, prior to the arrest, had six pend-

APC ‘ll oust PDP from Kogi, says chieftain

From Vincent Ohonbamu, Gombe

ing cases, with six suspects awaiting trial.

The NDLEA commandant said a suspect, Mohammed Adamu, was arrested at Kumbiya-Kumbiya in Gombe town, the state capital, with 34 kilogrammes of substance suspected to be cannabis (Indian hemp).

“All the suspects will soon be charged to court. The com-

mand is awaiting the resumption date of the court in September for prosecution,” he said.

Adole said the command has organised an awareness campaign against illicit drug trafficking in schools, adding that it was also working with the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members serving in the state to extend the campaign to rural areas.

The NDLEA chied urged the

government to enact laws that would restrict the sale of drugs, such as rubber solution and cough syrup – which he said have codeine contents - to the public.

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HE General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye, will, on Sunday, hold a special prayer for youths in Lagos State and newly ordained ministers, deacon, deaconesses, assistant pastors and pastors of the church on September 1.

The event will hold at the national headquarters of the RCCG at Throne of Grace, Redemption Way, Ebute-Metta, Lagos.

A statement in Lagos by the Assistant Pastor in Charge of Special Duties at the RCCG’s national headquarters, Pastor Goke Aniyeloye, said the programme, tagged: Ignite 2013, will bring together thousands of youths and 11,000 newly ordained ministers of the church.

According to him, youths across the world, particularly in Nigeria, “are our tomorrow; they are the pillars of the nation”.

He added: “When we ignite them in the true and godly way, they will become God-fearing, trustworthy, lovers of their nation and dedicated leaders.”

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EQUITIES NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 28-08-13

Dangote Flour loses N3.8b in six months D

ANGOTE Flour Mills (DFM) Plc lost N3.8 billion during the first half of this year. The loss is caused by sluggish sales and high costs of production.

Interim report and accounts of Dangote Flour for the sixmonth period ended June 30, 2013 showed that turnover inched up by 1.7 per cent, the company witnessed top-down cost pressures, which shaved 39.3 per cent off the gross profit and pushed the company to its worst loss over the years.

Dangote Flour’s turnover stood at N29.38 billion in first half 2013 as against N28.89 billion in comparable period of 2012. Gross profit dropped from N4.13 billion to N2.50 billion. With operating expenses rising from N3.43 billion to N4.04 billion and financing costs of N2.10 billion in 2013 as against N1.68 billion in 2012, loss before tax ballooned from N749.05 million in 2012 to N3.77 billion in 2013. After taxes, net loss leapt from N464.53 million in 2012 to N2.30 billion. Loss per share thus increased from about 26 kobo in 2012 to about 108 kobo in 2013. The streak of losses further eroded the equity base of the company as shareholders’ funds dropped from N27.55 billion to N23.02 billion.

Directors of the company blamed the worsening performance on what they described as significant challenges being faced by the business in the short term.

According to the board of directors, sales volumes were impacted by intense competition arising from over-capacity of supply in the flour milling sector as well as unresolved debt issues, which have re-

•Equities lose N57b

By Taofik Salako

sulted in the moderation of credit extension to customers.

The company stated that profitability was adversely affected by pricing pressures resulting from significant input cost inflation in the raw material cost of wheat, which has increased by 17 per cent and 15 per cent wheat levy imposed, which took effect on July 1, 2012.

The company added that the results also reflected a one-off cost of N796 million due to the new management team’s focus on right-sizing of the business and the optimisation of supply chain efficiencies and product quality.

“Management continues to focus on improving service levels and driving demand in order to improve capacity utilization and sales volumes, whilst managing margin pressures to ensure an improved profit performance. Progress is being achieved in improving the group’s internal controls and business systems,” the board stated in a complementary note to the results.

Dangote Industries Limited (DIL) had last year sold 63.35 of its equity stake in Dangote Flour Mills Plc to Tiger Brands Limited at $181.9 million, about N28.4 billion. The deal saw transfer of3.17 billion ordinary shares out of Dangote Group’s 3.67 billion ordinary shares of 50 kobo each in Dangote Flour Mills to the Tigers Brand.

The transaction however provided for Alhaji Aliko Dangote, President of the Dangote Group

to retain his chairmanship of the board of DFM. The Share Sales Purchase Agreement (SSPA) provided that DIL will retain a strategic interest of 10.0 per cent of the total issued ordinary share capital of DFM for a minimum period of five years after implementation of the transaction during which Dangote Group will have the right to appoint two directors to the board of DFM, with Alhaji Aliko Dangote continuing as chairman of the company.

Dangote Group had hinged its divestment on strategic plan to maximize growth of DFM and deliver long term value for shareholders of the company. It has not made any such returns since.

Investors responded to the poor results of DFM, shaving off 50 kobo from the flour-milling company’s share price to close at N9 per share. Losses by DFM and 32 other stocks further depressed the stock market with a drop of 0.50 per cent in market’s average return.

Aggregate market capitalisation of all equities on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) dropped from N11.570 trillion to N11.513 trillion. The All Share Index (ASI) slipped from 36,480.24 points to 36,299.30 points. Mobil Oil Nigeria topped the losers’ list with a loss of N7 to close at N112.

Nigerian Breweries followed with a loss of N4 to close at N162. GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Nigeria lost N3 to close at N65 while FBN Holdings dropped by 41 kobo to close at N15.75 per share.

Total turnover stood at 223.71 million shares valued at N2.05 billion in 4,946 deals.

Transnational Corporation of Nigeria (Transcorp) Plc was the most active stock with 57.57 million shares valued at N82.19 million in 291 deals.

NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 28-08-13

THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 29, 2013

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MONEY LINK

Union Homes recapitalised Union Bank U with N26b, says ASSBIFI NION Bank of Nigeria Plc got N26 billion from Union Homes Savings and Loans Plc to enable it recapitalise, President, Association of Senior Staff of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions (ASSBIFI), Comrade Sola Tokede, has alleged.

Tokede, who addressed the reporters yesterday, said the mortgage firm was making profit until 2009 when it allegedly transferred the fund to Union Bank.

However, a source at Union Bank who asked that his identity be veiled, denied the allegations, saying, “it is not true.”

Tokede explained that since 2011, Union Homes Savings and Loans had found it difficult to meet its obligations to its shareholders and de-

Stories by Collins Nweze

positors, saying the bank has also failed to render its yearly financial reports for the past two years with frequent changes of its managing directors.

He said the cause of these challenges was as a result of the N26 billion transferred to Union Bank, adding that till now, the N26 billion has not been returned to Union Homes.

This has led to the precarious financial position of the once thriving organisation, he said.

He said the on-going picketing of Union Homes started since 2012 follow-

ing the cumulative sack of over 400 of its staff without payment of their gratuities. He said another 100 staff were forced to resign their appointments as a result of uncertainties and denials of their allowances and incentives.

He said Union Homes’ staff strength has dropped from 700 to about 200, adding that several negotiations carried out between the ASSBIFI and Union Bank’s management did not yield positive result.

The group demanded the payment of gratuity to the 400 staff whose employment were terminated using the existing template for exiting staff and funds remitted to beneficiaries’ Retire-

ment Savings Accounts with different pension fund administrators.

He also asked the bank’s management to replace the termination letters given to the sacked staff with a disengagement letter so that they can secure jobs elsewhere.

ASSBIFI also demanded for the return of the N26 billion to Union Homes.

He disclosed that depositors of Union Homes have been petitioning the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) to prevail on the bank to pay them their deposits, saying the requests have so far been ignored.

GIABA: banks failing money laundering tests

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HE first round of mutual evaluation on money laundering conducted by the Inter-Governmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA) showed that many financial institutions, especially commercial banks, are not fully complying with anti-money laundering laws.

GIABA Director-General, Shehu Abdullahi, disclosed this yesterday at the regional training for financial and regulatory institutions on the revised FATF recommendations.

Abdullahi, who was represented by Head, Programs and Projects Bruno Nduka said the outcome of the evaluation revealed an abysmal performance on the recommendations relating to the financial sector in the adoption and implementation of the FATF standards, adding that this has made the sector one of the most vulnerable in African economies.

He said critical issues relating to cus-

tomer identification, AML/CFT supervision, among others, were yet to be fully addressed. He said, other new challenges have arisen as a result of the issuance of new standards by the FATF, which will require the continued implementation of, and, in some cases, further refinements to the financial sector AML/CFT programme.

He said addressing observed AML/ CFT strategic deficiencies and implementing the new standards present unique challenges, especially for financial and regulatory institutions in low capacity countries, including GIABA member states. To meet these challenges, institutions require, amongst other things, the requisite technical capacity.

He said in February, last year, the FATF revised its standards to provide for a stronger framework to act against criminals by clarifying and strengthening the existing obligations, addressing

new threats to the international financial system and providing authorities with an enhanced arsenal of safeguards to counter the evolving threats posed by money laundering, terrorist financing, and the financing of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

He said the revised standard threw up

new challenges for all stakeholders, including countries, regulatory authorities and financial institutions. He listed these challenges as the conduct of money laundering and terrorist financing (ML/TF) risk assessment and application of risk based approach in the implementation of AML/CFT programmes.

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COBANK Nigeria, Diamond Bank and Kia Motors are partnering with Kanu Heart Foundation through lottery, to assist it in realising the N5 billion for its Cardiac Centre.

The centre is expected to allow children aged one to 12 with cardio-vascular diseases to be treated free while the bill of others from 12 years upward will be subsidised.

Managing Director of the Founda-

By Biodun-Thomas Davids

tion Pastor Onyebuchi Abia said the the lottery taking the form of raffle tickets sale would start next month.

While briefing press men in Lagos, he said the ticket would be sold for N100, while a star prize winner during monthly raffle draw would win Kia car, courtesy of Kia Motors.

He said consolation prizes such as smart phones,i pads, and Kanu

Amount N

Rate %

M/Date

3-Year 5-Year 5-Year

35m 35m 35m

11.039 12.23 13.19

19-05-2014 18-05-2016 19-05-2016

WHOLESALE DUTCH AUCTION SYSTEM Amount Offered ($) 350m 350m

MANAGED FUNDS

NIDF NESF

Price Loss 2754.67 447.80

350m

INTERBANK RATES 7.9-10% 10-11%

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 28-08-13

SYMBOL

O/PRICE

C/PRICE

CHANGE

JOSBREW AGLEVENT LIVESTOCK CHAMPION PRESTIGE UTC TOTAL PZ ASHAKACEM OKOMUOIL

2.21 1.41 3.70 14.12 0.55 0.65 155.00 36.50 21.00 45.00

2.43 1.55 4.06 15.49 0.60 0.69 159.90 37.61 21.60 46.00

0.22 0.14 0.36 1.37 0.05 0.04 4.90 1.11 0.60 1.00

O/PRICE

INTENEGINS MOBIL DANGFLOUR GLAXOSMITH RTBRISCOE NAHCO NEIMETH UNITYBNK FIDELITYBK MULTITREX

1.22 119.00 9.50 68.00 1.60 6.80 1.26 0.54 2.77 0.67

C/PRICE 1.10 112.00 9.00 65.00 1.53 6.52 1.21 0.52 2.68 0.65

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

Current Before

Current After

Exchange Rate (N) 155.2 155.8

2-7-12 27-6-12

113m

113m

155.7

22-6-12

CUV Start %

147.6000 239.4810 212.4997

149.7100 244.0123 207.9023

150.7100 245.6422 209.2910

-2.11 -2.57 -1.51

149.7450

154.0000

154.3000

-3.04

152.0000

153.0000

155.5000

-2.30

153.0000

154.0000

156.0000

-1.96

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

NSE CAP Index

27-10-11 N6.5236tr 20,607.37

Date

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

28-10-11 N6.617tr 20,903.16

% Change -1.44% -1.44%

MEMORANDUM QUOTATIONS Name

CHANGE 0.12 7.00 0.50 3.00 0.07 0.28 0.05 0.02 0.09 0.02

Amount Sold ($) 150m 138m

CAPITAL MARKET INDEX Year Start Offer

LOSERS AS AT 28-08-13

SYMBOL

Amount Demanded ($) 150m 138m

EXHANGE RATE 6-03-12 Currency

OBB Rate Call Rate

Nwankwo’s club customized jerseys will also be won.

Regional Head, Island Region, Eco Bank, who represented Deputy Managing Director of the bank, Mrs.Dammy Oruwari, said that tickets were already available in all 600 branches of the bank nationwide adding that all Nigerians needed now was to work into the branches and pick up the raffle tickets.

DATA BANK

Tenor

Current Market 5495.33 N552.20

F

BN Holdings Plc (FBNH), owner of First Bank Nigeria, forecasts slower loan growth of 10 per cent for this year on new regulatory requirements.

Bloomberg report said loans declined by 1.2 per cent in first-half through June due to cuts in retail credit and exposure to downstream oil and gas industries, Chief financial Officer Bayo Adelabu said. Lending rose 23 per cent last year, he said.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) increased the cash-reserve requirement for public funds in banks to 50 per cent from 12 per cent, Governor Lamido Sanusi said July 23, warning about the risk of excess liquidity in the banking industry. The regulator also directed lenders to lower fees and commissions starting April 1 to reduce conflict with clients.

“We’ll target power, manufacturing and telecommunications sectors for lending in the second half, and do more investment banking to mitigate the impact of regulatory rules,” Adelabu said.

FirstBank’s net income for the firsthalf was little changed at N46.1 billion from N45.3 billion a year earlier, it said on Tuesday.

Ecobank, Diamond others partner Foundation on lottery

FGN BONDS

Initial Quotation Price N8250.00 N1000.00

FirstBank projects 10% loan growth

Offer Price

Bid Price

ARM AGGRESSIVE GROWTH 9.17 9.08 KAKAWA GUARANTEED 1.00 1.00 STANBIC IBTC GUARANTE INVE 140.55 140.05 AFRINVEST W.A. EQUITY FUND 156.04 155.62 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. 1,814.25 1,810.95 PARAMOUNT EQUITY FUND 13.97 13.29 CONTINENTAL UNIT TRUST 1.39 1.33 CENTRE-POINT UNIT TRUST 1.87 1.80 STANBIC IBTC NIG EQUITY 11.053.39 10,725.71 • 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 THURSDAY, AUGUST 29, 2013

56

NEWS Monarch warns Igbo groups

Protest over creation of community

From Odogwu Emeka Odogwu, Onitsha

From Ugochukwu Ugoji-Eke, Umuahia

T

A

CRISIS may be brewing in Umudike community in Ikwuano Local Government Area of Abia State, following an attempt by a part of the community to be autonomous.

The new community, to be known as Umudike Ukwu Autonomous Community, has elected its monarch, Mazi Ogechukwu Oriaku.

This is believed to have created tension in Umudike, which hosts some major Federal Government institutions, including the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture and the National Root Crops Research Institute.

A statement by the Umudike Community Welfare Association said any attempt to divide Umudike would be “an aberration in the annals of the history of Umudike".

It said the three villages that make up Umudike have "since creation lived together as one entity, without enmity".

The association warned that giving Umuelele autonomy would bring discrimination in the use of the amenities and that this could lead to a fracas among the villagers.

But the President-General of the proposed community, Philip Ukonu, dismissed the fear of the group.

He said their quest for autonomy would not cause any harm or damage to the remaining communities.

•Abia State Governor Theodore Orji (left), Deputy Governor Emeka Ananaba (second right); Orji’s wife Mercy (second left) and Ananaba’s wife, Nana, at the celebration of 22nd anniversary of the creation of the state at the Umuahia Township Stadium.

Sex scandal in Owerri Prisons • Warders accused of impregnating inmates • NPS: it's not true

A

LLEGATIONS of sexual abuse by warders against female inmates at the Owerri Prisons are causing ripples.

But the allegations were refuted yesterday by the prison authority.

Investigations showed that some of the female inmates, who were not pregnant when they were convicted, have been delivered of babies, whose whereabouts cannot be ascertained.

A source, who pleaded for anonymity, alleged that some of the inmates await-

From Okodili Ndidi, Owerri

ing trial, buy their “freedom” by granting sexual favours to “corrupt prison officials”, who allow them comfort denied other inmates.

The source also alleged that "the babies delivered by these inmates are either illegally adopted or sold to operators of baby factories.

“This has been going on for a long time and the authorities are not ready to sanitise the system.

“How else can you explain a situation where a convict is impregnated without the knowledge of the warders?

“Are they allowing their spouses to come and sleep with them in the prison,

which is most unlikely or what is happening? They should explain the puzzle.”

The prison spokesman, James Madugba, denied the allegation.

“I am speaking authoritatively. The women prison is built in such a way that it will be difficult for the inmates to mingle with the men.”

Madugba said the female inmates are kept in a separate building with its own gate guarded by female warders, who are instructed not to allow male officials in.

“Adequate care is taken such that when the time of delivery comes we take them to the Federal Medical Centre where they are deliv-

ered of their babies, after which they are returned to the prison.

"Churches and Non Governmental Organisations support them. We are in contact with the prisoners, we have their list.

“Sexual abuse does not arise, it is simply not possible. You cannot even see the female section from the open compound; it is entirely segregated from other parts of the prison. “"How can the spouses sleep with their convicted wives when they are not given the opportunity to be alone?

“When they visit, there are female warders to listen to their discussions and the cell is finally closed to visitors by 6pm.”

Seven injured in Anambra communal clash EVEN people were injured when youths from Ebenebe community in Awka North Local Government Area of Anambra State clashed with members of the community’s vigilance group.

Ten youths have been detained at the Special Anti-Robbery Squad office, Awkuzu and the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Awka.

Women marched on the police headquarters to protest the innocence of the youths.

It was gathered that the fracas started when a group came late to the community for a wake and was stopped from entering by the vigilance group.

All pleas that they should be allowed in were rebuffed by the vigilance group. They allegedly slept at the community gate.

Sources said in the morning the visitors complained to their hosts, who mobilised some youths and attacked members of the vigilance group.

They said this attracted the attention of the community’s President-General, Cletus Osieme, who reportedly invited the police to beat up the youths.

This drew the ire of the youths, who allegedly went berserk harassing the vigi-

S

•10 arrested, women protest From Odogwu Emeka Odogwu, Onitsha

lance group members and beating them up. They allegedly stripped some of them naked.

The monarch of Ebenebe, Igwe Christopher Nnaegbuna, blamed the incidence on the town union leadership.

Nnaegbuna said: “Yes, it happened. The police have visited me and I have told them all I know.

“The vigilance group is harassing and assaulting residents and if they demand for money from you and you cannot afford it, they would beat

you up and even lock you up.

“All my efforts to ensure peace in the community was brought to naught by the activities of the vigilance group members. The new security van donated by Governor Peter Obi has been destroyed.”

Osieme could not be reached for comments.

Police spokesman Emeka Chukwuemeka confirmed the incident. He said the crisis has been brought under control.

He said the President-General and the monarch have briefed the police.

Chukwuemeka said no life was lost and some people have been arrested.

Bayelsa NUJ ‘arrests’ fake CNN reporter From Mike Odiegwu, Yenagoa

T

HE Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Bayelsa State yesterday ‘apprehended’ a suspected impostor who was parading himself as a correspondent of the Cable News Network (CNN).

The 36-year old suspect, identified as Paul Yempe, was handed over to the police.

The suspect, who was alleged to have hoodwinked unsuspecting government officials, was unmasked by the state Chairman, Tare Akono who reported the matter to the police.

After claiming that he was working for CNN, the suspect could neither produce an identity card nor any document linking him to the broadcast company.

He was said to have defrauded a few commissioners. Police spokesman Alex Akhigbe, confirmed the incident .

HE monarch of Nri Ancient Kingdom, Obidiegwu Onyesoh, yesterday condemned the frequent clashes between the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) and the Association of Igbo Youths Organisation (AIYO).

Onyesoh spoke during his inspection of the on-going stadium project at the Rojenny Games Village, Oba, Anambra State and a familiarisation visit to Ogirishi Igbo Foundation.

Onyesoh said he would intervene in the misunderstanding between MASSOB leader Ralph Uwazuruike and AIYO founder Rommy Ezeonwuka.

Ubah emerges LP candidate From Nwanosike Onu, Awka

O

IL magnate Ifeanyi Ubah of the Labour Party has joined other governorship candidates contesting the November 16 election in Anambra State.

The KOWA Party’s Denis Oguguo also clinched the party’s ticket and Basil Onuorah got the approval of the Social Democratic Party (SDP).

At the Emmaus House yesterday, LP National Chairman Dan Nwanyanwu announced that three persons bought the party's forms. Only Ubah returned his.

He said any other person who parades himself as LP candidate would be prosecuted.

A fracas ensured among Ubah's personal security guards and State Security Service (SSS) officials, which left one person injured.

The issue was resolved by the police led by Deputy Commissioner of Police Agyole Abeh, Awka Area Commander Mohammed Yusuf and the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Onitsha Central Station, Tope Fasugba.

LP State Chairman Sam Oraegbunam said the party is known for peace and unity.

One hundred and fifty eight delegates voted yesterday during the SDP's primary, out of which Onuorah secured 154 votes. Four of the votes were invalid.

The exercise was supervised by members of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

SDP's national delegation was led by the National Vice Chairman S.A Adeshina and the National Assistant Secretary, Isaac Ogowa.

The emergence of Ubah, Oguguo and Onuorah has brought the number of candidates to six.

Senator Chris Ngige will represent the All Progressives Congress (APC), William Obiano the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and Tony Nwoye the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

•Ubah

THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 29, 2013

57

NEWS

Stowaway-boy has fulfilled his dream, says sister

T

HERE is a new tourists’ site in Benin City –– a storey building at Ehiegba Street, off Goodwill, off Ekenwan Road, in the Edo State capital.

It is the home of 13-year-old stowaway Daniel Oikhena. It has been hosting visitors since last Saturday.

Reporters, security agents and traders are leading other visitors to House Number 7 –– about 500 metres from the Benin Airport runway.

Our reporter visited the house yesterday and met two of Daniel’s younger brothers and some relatives, who said they would not want to comment on the incident.

His eldest sister, Tonia, described Daniel as a reserved boy, gentle and intelligent.

The stowaway-boy, who is a junior secondary school two pupil of Asoro Grammar School, Benin, was said to have woken up around 3.30am that day and watched an American film, which led to a disagree-

T

From Precious Dikewoha, Port Harcourt

M

EMBERS of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at Ekpeye in Rivers State under the aegis of the Concerned PDP members at Ekpeye, have urged Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi to disregard any distraction and focus on his achievements.

The PDP members at Ekpeye Ethnic Nationality, which comprises Ahoada West and Ahoada East local governments of Rivers State, said the Factional Chairman of PDP in the state, Felix Obuah, is a joker.

The group said this yesterday in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, when passing a vote-of-confidence in Governor Amaechi for his achievements.

The Coordinator of PDP members at Ekpeye, Mr. James Harold, said the governor’s developmental achievements speak for him and have made them to disasociate from the Nyesom Wike-led GDI in the area.

Kerosene, oil lubricant sellers protest double taxation in Edo •Daniel’s house in Benin City...yesterday.

From, Osemwengie Ben Ogbemudia, Benin

ment between him and his eldest sister.

Tonia said: “Oga journalist, absence of a perimeter fencing at the Benin Airport enabled Daniel to gain entry to the airport. If the airport is properly fenced, I don’t think he can enter the place.

From Mike Odiegwu, Yenagoa

Commission (NDDC) to carry out shore protection and reclamation work at the erosion-ravaged riverside of Opuama.

They were, however, released on Monday by their abductors, who collected N6 million ransom.

It was learnt that the antikidnapping squad of the police, in a coordinated operation led

by Mr. Chris, arrested three of the suspects after they shared

From Osagie Otabor, Benin

PHOTO: OSEMWENGIE BEN OGBEMUDIA

“You see, any time we discuss with Daniel, what he always says is that one day he will surprise us. He loves watching American films. He doesn’t like Nigerian movies.

“Daniel is a quiet person. He has no friends, even in his school. He likes to do things in his own way. He confided in his younger brothers, telling them

that one day, he would travel on a plane. That was why one of them told our mother to go and look for him at the airport.

“His younger brothers also informed our mother that Daniel told them that one day, he would make our family name to become popular. Thank God he is alive to tell the story himself.”

Police arrest three for ‘kidnapping’ workers HE police in Bayelsa State have arrested three suspected members of a kidnap gang. The gang allegedly abducted six workers of a dredging company, Beks Kimse Nig Ltd. The workers were seized by gunmen last Friday in the creeks of Opuama in Southern Ijaw Local Government. The abductors operated on a speedboat.

The victims were working for the companies engaged by the Niger Delta Development

PDP members to Amaechi: don’t be distracted by Obuah’s action

the ransom.

Police sources at the force’s headquarters yesterday told The Nation that the command had identified a surveillance contractor with an oil company as the leader of the gang.

The sources said the contractor is on the run.

He was said to be an ex-militant leader from the Buo Camp in Southern Ijaw.

But it was gathered that the leader’s girl friend was apprehended when the police raided the gang’s hideout at Sabagaria

in Nembe Local Government.

She was arrested in a room at Sabagaria with two other male suspects, Izekemi Thomas and Desmond Sunday.

It was learnt that N1.45 million, part of the N6 million ransom paid to the kidnappers, was recovered by the police after searching the room.

A source close to the company said: “An anti-kidnapping team led by Mr. Chris, tracked the kidnappers through the ransom paid to them.

D

EALERS of kerosene and oil lubricants in Oredo Local Government Area of Edo State yesterday protested against alleged double taxation, harassment and illegal detention by officials of the local government.

They said they pay taxes running into thousands of naira and were surprised to be served demand notice to pay N120,000 and above for their businesses and surface tanks.

They said those whose property were seized were detained and made pay over N20,000 before being released.

Spokesman for the protesters, Chief Ehikioya Osaze, described the detention of their members as undemocratic and embarrassing.

He said a mobile court should have handled the matter after the expiration of seven-day ultimatum.

He said: “It is unfortunate that we have found ourselves in this position. Petroleum products are on the exclusive list and not like other things like tomatoes. We would have expected the Oredo Council chairman to have someone to educate him on this issue.”

Abia APC condoles with PDP

T

HE All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abia State has condoled with Governor Theodore Orji on the death of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members.

The party, in a statement by Prince Paul Ikonne, said: “On behalf of our great party, APC, Abia State chapter, I condole with the Abia State Government and the PDP on the death of its members in an accident.

“I pray Almighty God to console the families of the bereaved and the people of Abia State on this irreparable loss.

May God grant the departed eternal rest and the injured quick recovery.”

THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 29, 2013

58

FOREIGN NEWS

U.S. prepares to hit Syria •Residents stock up on supplies

•Obama EOPLE in Damascus stocked up on supplies yesterday and some left homes close to potential targets as U.S. officials described plans for multi-national strikes on Syria that could last for days.

United Nations chemical weapons experts completed a second field trip to rebel-held suburbs, looking for evidence of what - and who - caused an apparent poison gas attack that residents say killed hundreds of people a week ago.

But as U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon appealed for unity among world powers and sought more time for the

P

inspectors to complete their work, Washington and its European and Middle East allies said their minds were made up and that President Bashar al-Assad must face retribution for using banned weapons against his people.

Syria’s government, supported notably by its main arms supplier Russia, cried foul. It blamed rebel “terrorists” for releasing the toxins with the help of the United States, Britain and France and warned it would be a “graveyard of invaders”.

Britain pushed the other four veto-holding members of the U.N. Security Council at a meeting in

New York to authorize military action against Assad to protect Syrian civilians - a move certain to be blocked by Russia and, probably, China.

The United States and its allies say a U.N. veto will not stop them.

Western diplomats called the proposed resolution a maneuver to isolate Moscow and rally a coalition behind air strikes. Arab states, NATO and Turkey also condemned Assad.

A senior U.S. official said strikes could last several days and would involve other armed forces: “We’re talking to a number of different allies regarding participation in a possible kinetic strike,” the administration official said on Wednesday.

Western armies are expected to wait until the U.N. experts withdraw. Their initial 14-day mandate expires in four days, and SecretaryGeneral Ban said they need four days work.

With only the timing of an attack apparently in doubt, oil prices soared to a six-month high. World stock markets were hit by jitters over where the international escalation of Syria’s civil war might lead - however much Obama and his allies may hope to limit it to a short punitive mission.

Neighboring Turkey, a NATO member, put its forces on alert. Israel mobilized some army reservists and bolstered its defenses against missile strikes from either Syria or Lebanon.

People in Damascus, wearied by a civil war that has left the capital

ringed by rebel-held suburbs, braced for air strikes.

Obama is waiting for a U.S. intelligence report, though its findings are in little doubt. U.S. officials have already blamed Assad for the attacks on August 21.

British Prime Minister David Cameron has recalled parliament to debate the Syria crisis on Thursday. He should be able to secure cautious support, despite widespread misgivings among Western voters about new entanglements in the Muslim world. But British action is unlikely before lawmakers have had their say.

The prospect of a Group of Twenty summit in St. Petersburg next Thursday may also weigh in calculations over timing any strikes. Russian host President Vladimir Putin has made clear his view that Western leaders are using human rights as a pretext to impose their will on other sovereign states.

As diplomats from Russia, China, Britain, France and the United States met at the United Nations, Moscow said Britain was “premature” in seeking a Security Council resolution for “necessary measures” to protect Syrian civilians.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague said Russia and China might veto the move but added: “It’s time the U.N. Security Council shouldered its responsibilities on Syria which for the last two and a half years it has failed to do.”

A senior Western diplomat said: “Of course there will be a Russian veto, but that’s part of the objective

- to show that we tried everything and the Russians left us no choice.

China’s official newspaper also criticised yuesterday what it saw as a push for illegal, Iraq-style “regime change” - despite U.S. denials that Obama aims to overthrow Assad.

The U.S.-led NATO alliance said evidence pointed to Assad’s forces having used gas, calling it a threat to global security.

Ban’s special envoy for Syria, Algerian diplomat Lakhdar Brahimi, said “international law is clear” in requiring Council authorization for any military action. But Western leaders say precedents, including NATO’s bombing of Russian ally Serbia in 1999 during the Kosovo war, allow them to protect civilians.

There was tension between the United Nations and Western governments. One U.N. official said: “The U.N. is annoyed and feels the Western powers haven’t shared data or evidence with them, which is a problem. It kind of undercuts U.N. authority.”

Syria’s civil war has killed more than 100,000 people since 2011 and driven millions from their homes, many crossing borders into Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq.

It has heightened tensions between Assad’s sponsor Iran and Israel, which bombed Syria this year, and has fuelled sectarian bloodshed in Lebanon and in Iraq, where bombs killed more than 70 people on Wednesday alone.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said yesterday that U.S. action would be “a disaster for the region”.

Iraq bombings claim 66 lives

B

AGHDAD area residents awoke to a coordinated wave of bombings mainly targeting Shiite areas, and seven members of a single family were killed as they slept in an apparently sectarian attack in Iraq on Wednesday. At least 66 were killed and many more are wounded in total.

As increasingly common large-scale attacks grip the country, Iraqi officials are bracing for further fallout from the Syrian civil war raging across their western border. Prime Minister Nouri alMaliki announced that he has put his government on high alert ahead of a possible military strike on Syria.

Wednesday’s string of morning attacks was the latest in a relentless wave of killing that has left thousands dead since April, marking the country’s worst spate of bloodshed since 2008. Coordinated car bomb attacks have hit Baghdad repeatedly for several months, sometimes as often as twice per week.

The violence raises fears that Iraq is hurtling back toward the brink of a civil war fueled by ethnic and sectarian differences.

On Wednesday, insurgents deployed explosives-laden cars, suicide bombers and other bombs and targeted parking lots, outdoor markets and restaurants in predominantly Shiite neighborhoods of Baghdad, according to officials. A military convoy was also hit south of the capital.

Security forces sealed off the bomb scenes as ambulances raced to pick up the wounded. The twisted wreck-

age of cars littered the pavement while cleaners and shop owners brushed away debris.

At one stricken restaurant, the floor was stained with blood, and dishes were scattered on plastic tables.

“What sin have those innocent people committed?” asked Ahmed Jassim, who witnessed one of the explosions in Baghdad’s Hurriyah neighborhood. “We hold the government responsible.”

The northern neighborhood of Kazimiyah, home to a prominent, golddomed Shiite shrine, was among the worst hit. Two bombs went off in a parking lot, followed by a suicide car bomber who struck onlookers who had gathered at the scene. Police said 10 people were killed and 27 wounded in that attack.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the day’s attacks, but they bore the hallmarks of the Iraqi branch of al-Qaida, which operates in Iraq under the name the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. The group frequently targets Shiites, which it considers heretics, and employs coordinated bombings in an attempt to incite sectarian strife.

Charles Lister, an analyst at IHS Jane’s Terrorism and Insurgency Center, said the group is increasingly showing “huge confidence and military capability.”

“Both the increasing frequency, and statistically, the increasing deadliness of (their) coordinated nationwide bombings in Iraq underlines the extent of their operational reach and the huge depth of their re-

•The site of a car bomb attack in Sadr City, Baghdad, Iraq...Yesterday.

sources,” he said.

The Shiite family shot dead at home was found in the largely Sunni town of Latifiyah, about 30 kilometers (20 miles) south of Baghdad. Three children, ages eight to 12, were killed along with their parents and two uncles in that attack, according to police.

Authorities said they had previously fled the town after being threatened, and returned only three weeks ago.

Many of the day’s blasts targeted morning shoppers.

Among them was a parked car bomb that detonated in a commercial area in the northern Shaab neighborhood of

Baghdad, killing nine and wounding 25.

More parked car bombs went off in outdoor markets in the sprawling slum of Sadr City, where five were killed.

Similar attacks hit the northeastern neighborhood of Shula, killing three; the southeastern Jisr Diyala district, killing eight; and the eastern New Baghdad area, killing three.

Blasts also hit the neighborhoods of Bayaa, Jamila, Hurriyah and Saydiyah, claiming a total of 12 lives.

Outside the capital, a suicide bomber blew himself up outside a restaurant in

Mahmoudiyah, about 30 kilometers (20 miles) south of Baghdad, killing five and wounding 14. And in Madain, about 25 kilometers (15 miles) southeast of Baghdad, a roadside bomb struck a passing military patrol, killing four soldiers and wounding six others.

Medical officials confirmed the casualty figures, which included more than 190 wounded. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to release information.

The deputy United Nations envoy to Iraq, Jacqueline Badcock, condemned the blasts and urged authorities

PHOTO: AP

to do more to protect the Iraqi people.

“No political goal or grievance can possibly justify this daily bloodshed of innocent civilians,” she said.

The violence follows months of protests by Iraq’s Sunni minority against the Shiite-led government that began late last year. Attacks have been on the rise since a deadly security crackdown by security forces on a Sunni protest in April, while the increasingly sectarian nature of the civil war in neighboring Syria is inflaming Iraq’s own long-festering differences between Sunnis and Shiites.

THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 29, 2013

59

FOREIGN NEWS Reactions to Martin Luther King’s speech

S

TATEMENTS in observance of the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington and Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech: “Whether it’s protecting voting rights, providing equal rights to the LGBT community, or making sure that people with disabilities have the opportunity to live fulfilling lives, the work to complete Dr. King’s dream is far from finished.” — Rep. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill. “He was a pastor, he was a prophet, he was a faith leader. It was that faith and the spirit of God that infused that movement.” — Bernice King, reverend and daughter of the civil rights leader.

“In many ways, this singular event redefined the American experience and, to this day, Dr. Martin Luther King’s dream of an America without the burdens of prejudice and discrimination remains an unparalleled vision of our county’s potential.” — Rep. Alcee Hastings, D-Fla. “Dr. King was on this Earth just 39 years, but the ideals that guided his life of conscience and purpose are eternal...There’s still a need for every American to help hasten the day when Dr. King’s vision is made real in every community — when what truly matters is not the color of a person’s skin, but the content of their character.”

—President George W. Bush.

“Today we honor the vision and dedication of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the hundreds of thousands of Americans who came to our nation’s capital to demand an end to discrimination. We are forever grateful for their courage, commitment, and capacity to change the course of our nation’s history.”

— Rep. Alan Grayson, R-Fla.

UN helicopters fire on M23 rebels in Congo

U

NITED Nations helicopters fired on rebels fighting Congolese troops just outside a city of nearly 1 million people in eastern Congo on Wednesday, ratcheting up the U.N.’s role in Congo’s current conflict, officials said.

The fighting began just before 8 a.m. Wednesday in the hills of the Kibati area, about 9 miles (15 kilometers) north of the provincial capital of Goma, according to both a government and a U.N. spokesman. The rebels confirmed that they had been attacked by ground troops as well as from the air.

“There was a big offensive this morning. The government’s army, helped by the United Nations attacked our positions near Goma with aircrafts, with combat tanks and with infantry,” said the president of the M23 rebel movement, Bertrand Bisimwa, who spoke by telephone.

He said the U.N.’s intervention brigade was on the frontline of the fighting: “It was the U.N. that was shooting directly at us, from their helicopters. It’s the Tanzanian and South African (United Nations) troops that are on the frontline. It’s them that we see first,” he said.

The U.N.’s intervention brigade was created as a result of intense international pressure after the rebels briefly held Goma late last year, and U.N. peacekeeping forces stood by because they were only authorized to protect civilians. The U.N. Security Council approved the creation of the intervention brigade in March, giving the troops an expanded mandate allowing them to fight the M23 rebels.

In the weeks since the brigade has been deployed in eastern Congo, officials

have given mixed messages about its role in the conflict, always stressing that the brigade was fighting “alongside” or “behind” Congolese army troops.

Yesterday, officials reiterated that they were playing a support role. “The main engagement is by the (Congolese) forces,” said Siphiwe Dlamini, a spokesman for the South African military, which contributed South African troops to the brigade. “We are retaliating and going on the offensive.”

Lt. Col. Felix Basse, the military spokesman for the U.N. peacekeeping mission, known as MONUSCO, also said that U.N. forces were taking part in the fighting alongside the Congolese army Wednesday.

“MONUSCO has enlisted all of its attack helicopters and its artillery ... to push back the M23 offensive that is under way right now on the hills of Kibati,” he told journalists in the capital of Kinshasa.

The intervention brigade - consisting of Tanzanian, South African and Malawian soldiers - reinforces the 17,000 U.N. blue helmeted peacekeepers already in Congo. The peacekeepers can only protect civilians. The new intervention brigade, however, has a stronger mandate and is authorized to battle the rebel forces operating in mineral-rich eastern Congo.

The U.N. intervention brigade now in place promises to give the Congolese troops greater backing in their efforts to eliminate the rebel threat, though the new intervention brigade also stands to make U.N. forces more vulnerable to attack when they are seen as being on the offensive rather than a neutral force simply protecting civilians.

Syria: UN experts head to Damascus as military strike looms

U

.S. leaders, including Vice President Joe Biden, have charged that Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government fired deadly chemical weapons near Damascus last week.

The U.S. has not presented concrete proof and U.N. inspectors have not endorsed the allegations.

The U.N.’s envoy to Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, said Wednesday that evidence suggests some kind of “substance” was used in the Aug. 21 attacks that, according to the group Doctors Without Borders, killed 355 people.

Syria, which sits on one of the world’s largest stockpiles of chemical weapons, has denied the charges.

Still, the U.S. and its allies appear to be moving toward a strike against the Assad regime, including by readying possible legal justifications.

Britain said it will put forward a resolution to the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday to condemn the Syrian government for the alleged attack.

Prime Minister David Cameron’s office said Britain would seek backing for “necessary measures to protect civilians” in Syria under Chapter 7 of the U.N. char-

ter. Military force is one of the options that can be authorized under Chapter 7 of the U.N. charter.

Any language that could be read as paving the way for military strikes is likely to face veto by Damascus allies Russia and China.

A French diplomatic official said Britain’s decision to introduce the UN resolution was aimed at pressuring the Russians but has virtually no chance of passage. The official, who was not authorized to disclose details of the deliberations and spoke on condition of anonymity, called the resolution a “pretext” intended to demonstrate an attempt to go through the Security Council.

In Geneva, the U.N.’s Brahimi said any military strike must have U.N. Security Council approval.

Britain’s parliament is to hold an emergency session Thursday on a motion clearing the way for any British response.

Syrian activists have said that hundreds of people were killed in the poison gas attacks.

The U.N. chemical weapons experts conducted their first field testing in the western Damascus suburb of

Moadamiyeh on Monday.

They collected samples and testimony after a treacherous journey through government and rebel-held territory. Their convoy was hit by snipers but members of the team were unharmed.

Three Syrian anti-regime activists, speaking on Skype, said the experts were in Eastern Ghouta, a large Damascus suburb affected by the alleged chemical attack. They spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of regime retribution.

The activists said the experts had crossed into rebelheld territory and were being accompanied by members of the Free Syrian Army, the main armed opposition group.

U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon said the team has already “gathered valuable samples and interviewed victims and witnesses.”

Brahimi, the U.N. envoy, said that “it does seem like some kind of substance was used” in last week’s strikes.

“This was of course unacceptable,” Brahimi said. “This is outrageous. This confirms how dangerous the situation in Syria is and how important (it is) for the Syrians and the international community

•Assad to really develop the political will to address this issue seriously, and look for a solution for it.”

The U.S., Britain and France haven’t shared with the U.N. any evidence they are collecting about the incident, he said.

Ban pleaded for more time to allow the U.N. team in Syria to establish the facts and to give diplomacy another chance to end the Syrian conflict, which has claimed more than 100,000 lives in two and a half years.

He said the Security Council, whose permanent members are bitterly divided over Syria, must not go “missing in action.”

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THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 29, 2013

NEWS Suntai sacks SSG, Chief of Staff, commissioners Continued from page 2

governor of this state. And the deputy governor has been holding that position until Monday when the governor, by the express provision of Section 190(2), transmitted to the House, a letter informing them he is back to resume duty as the executive governor of this state.

Now, the letters of that section is the word AVAILABLE. ... until the governor transmits a letter to the speaker that he is now available to resume his function as governor. And that is what the governor did, by his letter to the House of Assembly on Monday.

“Once a governor transmits a letter to the House of Assembly, simplicita. Every other status reverses back to status quo ante.

“So, the governor of Taraba has resumed office as the executive governor. And with all respect, the Speaker is not taking this matter right; he has misinterpreted the provision of the constitution. Section 190(2) does not give the House of Assembly the discretion to add conditions to the letter of the governor of Taraba State. The three arms of government have the duty to govern in a democratic dispensation for the betterment of the state.”

Senior Special Assistant to the

Governor on Media and Publicity Mrs Silvanus Giwa announced the dissolution of the executive and the new appointments at a news conference in Jalingo, the state capital. Besides Kataps as SSG, Alhaji Aminu Jika was appointed Chief of Staff. The appointments take immediate effect.

Giwa said he was speaking on the orders of Suntai, adding that commissioners and special advisers had been relieved of their appointments.

He passed the governor’s appreciation to the outgoing commissioners and special advisers for their services to the state, and wished them well in their future endeavours.

Commissioners accuse Rivers PDP of causing disaffection

T

he eight Rivers State commissioners not expelled by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have accused the party chairman Felix Obuah of creating disaffection within the executive.

The eight commissioners also denied writing to or getting in touch with the Osinakachukwu Ideozu-led Committee on Performance Assessment of Political Office Holders, set up by Obuah.

Also yesterday, the 27 members of the House of Assembly loyal to Governor Chibuike Amaechi also condemned the expulsion of the 18 PDP members.

The lawmakers made their

From Bisi Olaniyi, Port Harcourt

view known in a statement signed by all of them.

The commissioners, at a news conference yesterday in Port Harcourt, declared that the expelled commissioners and other top Rivers government officials were solidly behind Governor Rotimi Amaechi.

The commissioners at the news conference were Sampson Parker (Health), Alice Lawrence-Nemi (Education), Ipalibo Harry (Employment Generation and Empowerment), Owene Wonodi (Youth Development), George Tolofari (Transport), Chamberlain Peterside, (Finance).

Obuah while expelling 14

othe commissioners and other leaders of the party believed to be Amaechi’s supporters, had excluded the eight commissioners claiming they got in touch with the committee, which those expelled failed to respect.

Top officials of the Rivers government expelled include the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), George Feyii; the Chief of Staff, Government House, Port Harcourt, Chief Tony Okocha; a former Deputy National Chairman of the PDP, Dr. Sam Sam-Jaja; and the Administrator of the Greater Port Harcourt City Development Authority (GPHCDA), Mrs. Aleruchi Cookey-Gam.

Court orders PDP to accept Uba as Anambra candidate Continued from page 2

rangement for all PDP’s National Working Committee given to the Southeast Zone had been retained.

He, however, stated that elec-

tions for the positions would take place, adding that people would be advised not to contest for positions that were not zoned to their states.

According to Odefa, the lead-

ership of the party passed a vote of commendation on people from the Southeast zone that held positions in the NWC of the party in the past.

Falana petitions Attorney- General, Taraba Speaker Continued from page 2

ed away. The Senate President, the Speaker of the House – all of them were not allowed to visit President Yar’Adua. And it’s been done now in Taraba State.

“The relevant officials that should invoke the Constitutional provisions are not allowed access to the governor. It should not be tolerated.

“I am happy the human rights community has taken up the challenge to get to the root of the matter.”

Falana also described as illegal the dissolution of the executive council by Suntai.

In a statement yesterday, he said: “Today, the political joke was carried to a ridiculous extent when the state executive was purportedly dissolved. The governor, who is alleged to have resumed duty and taken the decision has not been able to report in his office. In the circum-

stance, the members of the Taraba State Executive Council should remain on their duty posts and insist on an urgent meeting with the governor with a view to confirming if he had actually taken the decision to sack them. On its own part, the House should not screen and confirm the list of commissioners being prepared by the cabal to replace the executive members.

“However, before the state is plunged into further political crisis, the attention of the captors of the ailing governor ought to be drawn to Section 1(2) of the Constitution, which stipulates that no person or group of persons can take over the country or any part of it except in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution.

“The Federal Government should therefore direct the security forces to round up the

coup plotters, who are currently ruling Taraba State by usurping the constitutional powers of the elected governor.

“Having regard to the experience of Acting President Goodluck Jonathan ( as he then was) under the cabal that illegally ruled the country when the late President Umaru Yar’Adua was in a state of coma, the Federal Government should not hesitate to defend and protect the Consitution in Taraba State in the interest of law and order in the country.

“All men and women of goodwill in the country should team up with the democratic forces in Taraba State to end the brazen impunity of those who are exploiting the health of Governor Suntai to achieve dubious political objectives.

“The governor should be freed to return to the hospital for further treatment without any further delay,” he said.

Ngige: Obi wants to impose his business partner on Anambra

G

overnorship aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Anambra State, Senator Chris Ngige has accused Governor Peter Obi of a plot to impose his business associate as governor of the state.

According to Ngige, who submitted his nomination form at the APC national secretariat in Abuja, the choice of Mr. Willy Obiano as the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) by Obi was a ploy to perpetuate himself in power by other means.

He said: “Obi wants to bring back an executive director of Fidelity Bank to govern the state.

So all along, when he was preaching zoning to the north, the people know better. There is great lamentation and mourning by the people of the Anambra North over what have befallen them.”

“Zik would not have ruled us

•It’s not true, says governor From Gbade Ogunwale, Abuja and Augustine Avwode

for eight years and Ukpabi Asika would not have ruled us for eight years. In the same vein, the late Senator Chuba Okadigbo would not have been adopted by the three senators from Anambra State to be the Senate president.

“More importantly, we have never sat down to say it is the turn of this or that zone to produce the governor. Each time we are vying for the governorship seat of Anambra State, the people from Anambra North have always vied vigorously from 1999.

“There is nothing like an advantage because the party’s constitution is clear on it as well as the Electoral Act. According to the Electoral Act, the party must conduct primaries to pro-

duce their candidates and that is exactly what we are doing now.”

However, Anambra State Governor Peter Obi dismissed Ngige’s allegation calling it cheap gossip, mischievous and childish tantrums. He said Ngige was already jittery at the emergence of a man known for his character.

Speaking through his media aide, Valentine Obienyen, the governor explained that he had promised to support a candidate from Anambra North and that was exactly all he is doing.

“The governor said he would support a candidate from Anambra North and that is simply what he is doing. In the normal mischief characteristic of Dr. Chris Ngige, rather than face the man with clean record and verifiable past, he is misinforming the people.”

THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 29, 2013

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THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 29, 2013

THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 29, 2013

63

TODAY IN THE NATION

‘What will it profit Mrs Suntai if she acquires all the political power in Taraba, but loses her husband?’

THURSDAY, AUGUST 29, 2013

TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM

L

ET’S get it right from the outset. This is not about the former governor and chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) – sorry, an error there; the Labour Party(LP) Otunba Gbenga Daniel.

Neither is it about politics, its rough and tumble, twists and turns, intrigues and treachery.

Nor is it about politicians and their wily ways, their inconsistency and ineffectuality that have bred a stifling socio-political situation. Boko Haram. Kidnapping. Armed robbery. Ritual killing and other despicable acts. No. The story is familiar. A kid packed his bag, left home in Benin City, headed for the airport and jumped into the wheel compartment of an aircraft getting set to fly. The pilot, who had earlier complained that he saw an unusual movement, was cleared to take off. He did.

Some passengers said the take-off was not smooth. They claimed that there was a bang and many were screaming: “Jesus! Jesus!”.

Thankfully, the plane landed safely in Lagos.

The passengers disembarked and congratulated one another for a safe trip. From the tyre compartment emerged a boy, in all the innocence of a kid. He wore an orange-white sweat shirt with a hood, a white rosary dangling from his tender neck and a black backpack in his hand.

He was grabbed by a security man who held him so tightly as if he was his after-race prize.

Poor boy. From his countenance, Daniel was upset. Probably not because he was seized like a Lagos pick-pocket. No. Most likely because the trip ended so soon. He was, surely, not yet in his destination. Daniel was heading for America and realising that he was still in Nigeria must have infuriated him.

After watching some movies, he had confided in his younger brother that he was one day going to fly to America. What he didn’t say was that he was going to so do in such a sensational manner.

Why did 13-year old Daniel choose to travel in that weird way? His mum, Mrs. Evelyn Ohikhena, said he was never maltreated. He couldn’t have been running away from a hostile home. To psychologists, this is a practical expression of the fecundity of a youngster’s mind, the raw power of imagination. Even the famous movie pranksters, Aki and Pawpaw, could have found Daniel’s feat a bit odd. Neither Edddie Murphy – Coming to America – would have imagined a kid stowaway. Nor Nkem Owoh’s peregrination in Osofia in London would have harboured such a stunt.

Like in such strange matters, the Daniel story has suddenly bred an army of emergency aeronautics engineers and beer parlour pilots, who have not allowed the experts to talk. They have been arguing that the huge sound the plane was said to have let out at take-off couldn’t have been caused by the kid’s presence in the tyre area. Can that happen without the person who may have caused the obstruction being hurt?

What is the size of the tyre? How possible is Daniel’s action, going by the laws of aerodynamics? Where does avionics come in? Is the tyre area lit for Daniel to see during his flight?

The row goes on and on.

If the pilot had aborted the take-off – assuming he was not sure the obstacle he saw had been cleared - the next day’s headline would have been so electrifying. Sample: “Hundreds escape death on Arik Air flight.” And such other sensational stuff.

RIPPLES WE MUST SAVE SOUTHWEST PDP FROM LIARS–PDP chieftain

only Southwest? I beg those LIARS are NATIONWIDE

LAWAL OGIENAGBON

VOL. 8, NO. 2,592

COMMENT & DEB ATE EBA

GBENGA OMOTOSO

EDITORIAL NOTEBOOK

gbenga.omotoso@thenationonlineng.net

•Winner, DAME Award for Informed Commentary

Daniel goes to Lagos

• Daniel Spiritualists have entered the fray. A senior government official who was on the flight described Daniel as “an evil spirit”. He was shaking as he spoke – apparently thinking the boy had some ethereal force to bring down the aircraft but was handicapped by a superior power.

Some even said the little one thought he was going to heaven.

There is also a large crowd of security experts, who have been postulating on how our airports –we have thrown billions into knocking down and rebuilding terminals with little consideration for the human element, the personnel - should be secured against cows, sheep, birds and touts.

The Daniel story is yet to end. Who are his class mates? Who is his teacher? What kind of pupil is he? Brilliant? Troublesome? Talkative?

Naughty? Where is his dad? What does he do?

What are Daniel’s other ambitions, besides just flying to America? Who are his heroes? Can he sing the National Anthem? In other words, does he believe in Nigeria where his future is assured? What fired his imagination? The American dream? A mere case of an idle mind being the devil’s workshop? Infant fantasy? Shouldn’t he have been in summer school, like the kids of the rich? The questions are many.

His sister told The Nation yesterday: “He always said he will surprise us one day. His younger brothers also informed our mother that Daniel told them that one day, he would make our family popular. Thank God he is alive to tell the story himself.”

Will Daniel’s antics open a new door of opportunity for terrorists as it is being suggested in some circles? That is neither here nor there. What is sure is that our overzealous security agents may have got a new licence to brutalise innocent people. Watch out for accidental discharges at airports!

Daniel’s escapade may not have been driven by poverty. Farouk Abdulmuttalab, the Christmas Day underwear bomber, is not from a poor home. The son of a respected banker, he was seduced into extremism by the thoughts he harboured. He, apparently for some inexplicable psychology reasons, lent himself to radicalism. He remains unrepentant till date.

But Daniel is not the first stowaway. According to The Telegraph of UK, American

The return of Suntai

T

ARABA State Governor Danbaba Suntai’s return on Sunday from a 10month overseas medical trip was as dramatic as the circumstances that led to his incapacitation for that long. But the Taraba show is yet unfolding.

Suntai is, no doubt, physically exhausted.

He needs time to recuperate in peace – no stress, no worries. But, like in the late President Umaru Yar’Adua’s case, the selfish forces that are gaining from his being there, even if he is out of form in every way, will not let him throw in the towel.

He sent a letter to the House to say he was set to return to work. The governor followed

HARDBALL

W

OULD Hardball be overly negativist to assert that Nigeria is in the age of degeneracy? On all fronts, we seem to suffer debilitating atrophy; in my humble estimation, we seem to shrink in size, wane in strength and fall in the esteem of the rest of the world. Consider for instance, a band of ruffians by the tag of militants or terrorists challenging our military might (air, land, sea and even spooks) and holding the giant of Africa to ransom for years. How about the socalled ‘oil thieves’ making a mess of the federal might and stealing enough crude oil to serve the whole of Africa? They have rendered the government in power impotent and effete. How much more detestable can a country get if a 13-year-old lad would loath it to the extent of creeping into the tyre compartment of a domestic flight (Benin to Lagos) purporting it to be headed for the United States of America? We can go on and on but to what end?

The point here is not about the unending woes besetting our dear country, no, it is about our track and field queen, Blessing (let’s call her Okapi) Okagbare who recently wiped the shame off our face at the recently concluded World Athletics Championship in Moscow, Russia. She was the only bright light of the Nigerian contingent having won a silver medal in long jump and a bronze in the 200 metres race. Okagbare, the quintessential athlete,

Clarence Terhune became perhaps the first aviation stowaway in 1928 after he hid himself on an airship, flying from the United States to Germany. So thrilled by his daring feat, the Germans offered Terhune a job at a department store.

Mere imagination may have fired Daniel to undertake the Benin-Lagos flight. Not so for another Nigerian. Olajide Oluwaseun Noibi boarded a Virgin Atlantic flight from New York to Los Angeles in 2011, using an out-ofdate boarding pass. He was arrested in LA after attempting to board another flight, using the same invalid boarding pass. When the police searched him, they found 10 other boarding passes, none of which bore his name.

There was also the crafty cleaner who in 2009 boarded an aircraft at Medina Airport in Saudi Arabia on the pretence of cleaning it. He hid in the toilet of the Jaipur, India-bound flight. He was discovered when a passenger tried to use the facility.

Kid sensations are scare nowadays, except for some pop stars singing lewd songs that are neither elevating nor inspiring. All noise, no sense – to the old school.

I hope Daniel is doing fine with the security agents who have been questioning him. He should be allowed to go home and continue dreaming. It is from such dreams that great deeds sprout.

He is daring, the very quality that many of our leaders lack. It is this lack of boldness and courage - and character - that has kept the nation in toddlerhood even at adulthood. The Nigerian paradox has planted in the minds of our leaders a strong feeling that state police is not possible; why don’t we try? A national conference is avoided like a plague. Isn’t it imperative now, considering the quagmire in which we have found ourselves?

Nigeria needs dreaming and daring leaders.

How do we get them?

it up yesterday with a shocking dissolution of the executive council. Besides, he made a short broadcast, thanking the people for standing by him. Lagos lawyer Femi Falana is calling for an inquiry into the health of His Excellency. That is what the law says. If he is certified fit, he should continue to run the show.

Suntai will not lose anything if he is allowed to quit, should doctors confirm that he can’t do the job. The forces that seem to be holding him captive are being unfair to him and the people. The buffoonery is unnecessary.

•For comments, send SMS to 08111813080

•Hardball is not the opinion of the columnist featured above

Okagbare: Flying without wings lithe, endowed with the doughty beauty of a super sportswoman was virtually flying without wings. She excelled in spite of all odds and oddity that Nigeria has become; by sheer divine unction she has refused to wither under the crucible of the Nigerian situation, the way the talents of thousands of her other compatriots have come to naught.

Track and field, table-tennis, the lifting games, boxing and of course football are Nigeria’s areas of particular strength. In the 80s and early 90s, Nigeria did not only sit atop Africa but dominated the world. Remember Modupe Oshikoya, Charlton Ehizuelen, Oliver Orok, Chidi Imo, Dele Udoh, Atanda Musa, Yusuf Ali, the Ezinwa brothers, Francis Obikwelu, Chioma Ajunwa, Mary Onyeali, Falilat OgunkoyaOsheku, just to list a handful. Nigeria’s dominance especially in sprint became a global phenomenon when American scouts took numerous young Nigerian talents to study on scholarship in U.S. colleges. They were exposed to the best of facilities, training and tournaments such that in just a few years they became world beaters because they possess the streak of Nigerians’ natural strength and athleticism. The great athletes of U.S., Ja-

maica and Cuba are of our ancestry, the will to succeed makes all the difference.

Today, sports, as all other spheres of national life, suffer neglect, a lack of vision and initiative. Round pegs are ensconced comfortably into square holes and everything has come to a near standstill. Today we jubilate over Okagbare’s silver medal; but at the last Olympic Games in London Nigeria returned virtually empty-handed and shamefaced. We vowed to return to the drawing board but nothing was done beyond the vow.

Who is seeking out our talents and making sure they are trained to be world champions? To think that every school in the land has a potential world beater in one sport or the other; we just need to pick the best from school sports and harness them.

Today, Okagbare is being hosted and toasted over a modest effort and there it ends.

But there is a need to elevate her to a federal project, a Nigerian brand and an anchor for the repositioning of athletics in Nigeria?

Having lost gold medal by just a tiny notch there is need for a ministerial or even presidential push to help her achieve her potential and beat the world in her fields. We must avail her wings to fly and have her beat the path for others.

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