The Nation August 14, 2012

Nigeria’s widest circulating newspaper

35 dead in Plateau communities floods

NEWS

Page 2

•Homes, farms, livestock destroyed

CBN goes tough on money laundering BUSINESS Page 11

•Banks get deadline on records

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VOL. 7, NO. 2217 TUESDAY, AUGUST 14, 2012

TR UTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM TRUTH

N150.00

Delta demands Ibori’s N2.2b From Kamarudeen Ogundele, Abuja

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HE government of Delta State has filed an application before a Federal High Court to claim the N2.25 billion ($15m) allegedly offered as bribe by former Governor James Ibori.

The court had ordered him to forfeit the money to the Federal Government following an exparte application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC).

Ibori allegedly offered the money as bribe to former EFCC Chairman Nuhu Ribadu through an undisclosed source in 2007.

The money has since been kept in the custody of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), after he denied offering money to Ribadu.

In an application filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja, Delta State Government claimed that the money belongs to it and that the court should order its return to its treasury.

The application was filed

by Chief Charles Ajuyah SAN, Delta State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice.

In the application dated August 10 and supported by 35-paragraph affidavit, the state averred that the money in dispute was offered by Ibori while he was in office as governor.

•A DEADL Y RIDE: Passengers hanging on a moving train in Lagos...yesterday. A mob descended on a photographer, Mr. Tunde Ogundeji DEADLY (left), who took this photograph, at the Ikeja Railway Station, Lagos.

Continued on Page 4

Jonathan fights back as calls for resignation rise ACN to President: fire Okupe Ex-CAN chief seeks peace

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•Dr. Jonathan

HE President is fending off calls for his resignation over the grim insecurity in the land.

The latest of such call came from the Northern chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), which criticised what it called Dr. Goodluck Jonathan’s poor handling of the security challenges.

But, to the Presidency, the call is uncalled for and misguided.

It, however, sympathises with Christians for the loss of lives to Boko

So, the President is not bothered about the killing of Christians and other Nigerians! Is it because Christians are not members of this family he is talking about?

—CAN From Vincent Ikuomola, Abuja and Tony Akowe, Kaduna

Haram insurgency.

CAN faulted the President’s handling of the security challenges, in-

It is a fact that 60 per cent of the programmed attacks of the Boko Haram are frustrated or stopped, even before they happen —Presidency sisting that he has failed Nigerians and, therefore, should resign.

It argued that it had become very clear that President Jonathan was no longer capable of handling the dan-

gers posed by the Boko Haram (Western education is sin) insurgency.

In a statement signed by its Public Relations Officer, Mr. Sunday Oibe, CAN in the 19 northern states said it was regrettable that the Boko Haram continued to thrive and got away with its murderous activities because of the support from the President.

There is no sign that Jonathan will throw in the towel. His Senior SpeContinued on Page 4

•ENERGY P13 •PROPERTY P17 •SPORTS P24 •POLITICS P43 •MARITIMEP49

THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 14, 2012

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NEWS

Flood •35 residents swept away •Houses, farmland, livestock destroyed •Senator Lar seeks help

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•Vice President Mohammed Namadi Sambo being welcomed by the royal protocol at King Abdulaziz International Airport Jeddah, Saudi Arabia for Umrah Lesser Hajj...weekend

AYS after the Deputy Director, Erosion, Flood and Coastal Zone Management Department of the Ministry of the Environment, Dr. Morohunkeji Oyeleke urged 14 states to brace themselves for heavy flooding, some communities in Plateau State are already counting their losses.

More than 100 villages in seven local government areas have been submerged by floods which swept away 35 residents and sacked thousands from their homes.

The affected councils are: Mikang, Shendam, Quan Pan, Wase, Langtang South and Langtang North.

Scores of people have been declared missing in the aftermath of the flood that cut off roads and destroyed bridges.

The bridge linking Plateau with Nasarawa State and another linking Plateau with Taraba State were washed off.

Residents said the rains, which affected communities in Plateau South Senatorial District, started Friday night.

According to the Caretaker Committee Chairman of Shendam Local

From Yusuf Aminu Idegu and MarieTherese Nanlong, Jos

Government, Kemi Nshe, 200 hectares of farmland were washed away.

The Senator representing the affected senatorial zone, Victor Lar, described the incident as unfortunate.

Lamenting that he had never witnessed such devastation, the senator called on relevant government agencies to come to the victims' aid.

He called on the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to act fast to avoid a breakout of epidemic due to clustering of displaced people in camps.

Over 5,000 residents, whose houses were swept away, have been distributed to various camps in the zone.

The senator, who donated food items and other relief materials worth more than N2 million to the displaced persons has contacted NEMA and the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) to do the proper assessment and map out the areas of intervention.

Lar urged the Federal Government to assist in the proper relocation of the affected people.

NEMA: we lack equipment to manage disaster •Trustee, The Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF), Mr. Alex Trotter (left); Chairman, TEF Advisory Board, Shaukat Aziz; Founder, TEF, Mr. Tony Elumelu; member, TEF Advisory Board, Teresa Clarke. Behind: member TEF Advisory Board Vimal Shah (left); another member, Henrki Skovby and CEO of TEF Dr. Wiebe Boer during the Foundation’s lecture on "Building a Great Agribusiness" held in Lagos...weekend

•Former Chief Justice of Nigeria and Chairman,Governing Council, International Institute for Petroleum, Energy Law and Policy (IIPELP),Alfa Belgoreflanked on the right by the ,Coordinator, Corporate Planning and Strategy, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation(NNPC), Dr.Timothy Okon and President of the Institute,Niyi Ayoola-Daniels during a courtesy call

by IIPELP on the Chief Justice of the Federation, Justice Aloma Mukhtar...yesterday PHOTO: ABAYOMI FAYESE

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IGERIANS heard yesterday that the agency created by the Federal Government to respond to disasters lacks the wherewithal to live up to its responsibility.

The shocking revelation came from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), which admitted that it lacks the needed facilities to match the heavy casualties being recorded during disasters.

The agency said it has no option than to rely on private organisations to carry out its services effectively.

Its Abuja Zonal Coordinator, Mr. Isahaya Isah Chinoko, made the disclosure at a one-day stakeholders training and workshop in Minna, Niger State, where he spoke on “Disaster management and principles of disaster risk reduction.”

He stated that though there are sufficient personnel to combat any form of disaster, the tools to tackle disasters are lacking, even as he called on the government to give more priority to disaster management.

Chinoko said: “Disaster has no boundary and therefore we should make disaster management a national agenda.

“The time has come for the government to make provision and invest heavily in ensuring that there are modern disaster management equipment to forestall the losses being recorded in any crisis.”

Urging the government to be more proactive in disaster manage-

From Jide Orintunsin, Minna

ment, Chinoko said: “We should not wait until when it happens before we start thinking of how to curtail its magnitude.”

The NEMA coordinator pointed out that the nation is being threatened by increasing change in demography, unplanned development within the high risk zones, stressing that these threats required immediate attention from all the stakeholders.

Commissioner for Information Alhaji Danladi Abdulhamid said the state government had spent over N1 billion on issues related to disaster in the form of relief materials given to victims, especially those of the Christmas Day bomb blast at Madalla.

He said the state government recently gave approval for the release of N440 million for the purchase of equipment and vehicles for security agents to beef up security in the state and also to manage disaster whenever they occur.

The commissioner urged the Federal Government to give what he described as “executive support” to the state to cater for the mirage of problems facing Suleja town.

According to him, public infrastructure and other amenities in the community are being overstretched following the relocation of the federal seat from Lagos to Abuja.

Suleja, Abdulhamid noted, is one of the satellite towns to Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

‘Over 25m Nigerians at risk of flood’

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•Minister of State for Trande and Investment and Prof Longmas Sambo Wapmuk flanked on the right by Director-General/ Chief Executive, Industrial Training Fund(ITF), Chief Samuel Ortom and Director, Finance and Account of the Fund, Fatima Usman, at the inauguration of ITF’s Apapa Area Office...yesterday PHOTO: ABIODUN WILLIAMS

ORE than 25 million Nigerians, who live in the coastal areas, are at risk of being affected by flood, the National Emergency Management Agency has warned.

NEMA’s Head of Public Relations, Mr. Yusha’u Shuaib, told the News Agency of Nigeria on Friday in Abuja that the basins of rivers Niger, Benue and Sokoto were the most prone to the flood.

Shuaib said that an assessment exercise conducted by NEMA and other partner agencies, showed that most of the country’s larger rivers had flood plains that were subject to flooding during the rainy seasons.

He listed the states that were threatened by flood to include, Rivers, Niger, Benue, Cross River, Katsina, and Imo among others.

“The areas that have had severe flooding impacts since the beginning of the rainy season include the coastal areas of Lagos, Ondo, Delta, Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Cross River States,’’ Shuaib said.

He gave factors that favour flooding in the area to include lack of surface drains, or blockage of existing drains with municipal waste, refuse and eroded soil sediments.

ood’

THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 14, 2012

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NEWS

ravages seven Plateau councils

•One of the bridges swept away by the flood at Mbar in Langtang North Local Government Area

• Displaced residents listen to Senator Lar during a visit to one of the emergency camps in Wase

•Farmland washed away by the flood in Gazum Langatang North

•Bridge linking Plateau with Nasarawa and Taraba states washed off

Flooding: Fed Govt puts 14 states on red alert F

OURTEEN States spread across the country are to be ravaged by floods between now and August 19, the Federal Government has warned.

The Deputy Director, Erosion, Flood and Coastal Zone Management Department of the Ministry of the Environment, Dr. Morohunkeji Oyeleke, who issued the warning, urged the governments in the affected states to take precautionary measures to mitigate the effects.

Dr. Oyeleke gave the warning on the Channels Television.

She listed the states as: Adamawa, Plateau, Sokoto, Jigawa, Borno and Gombe, Kebbi, Yobe, Taraba, Oyo, Zamfara and Kano, Bauchi and Katsina.

•Urges authorities to take precautionary measures The communities listed in the forewarned flood-prone states are: Demsa, Numan, Jimeta, Mayo Belwa, Mubi and Song, all in Adamawa; Langtang, Shelleng, Shandam and Wase in Plateau.

Others are: Gada, Goronyo and Shinkafi in Sokoto; Gumel, Hadeija, Miga and Mallam Fatori in Jigawa; Bama, Briyel, Damasak, Dikwa, Geidam, Ngala, and Kukawa in Borno.

Also listed are: Nafada in Gombe; Anka, Bagudo, Birnin-Kebbi, Bungudu, Bunza, Gwandu, Jega and

Kamba, all in Kebbi; Gashua, Potiskum, Dapchi, Kanama and Machina in Yobe; and Bali, Gembu, Ibi, Lau, Wukari and Mutum Biyu in Taraba.

In Oyo, the only state listed in the Southwest, residents of Apata, Bodija, Challenge, Moniya, Ojoo, Eruwa, Odo Ora areas of Ibadan and Oyo town have been asked to brace up for the challenge, while Kaura, Maru, Gusau; and Namoda in Zamfara.

Others are: Gezawa, Gwarzo, Karaye, Wudil and Kano, all in Kano

State; and Azare, Bajoga, Jamaare, Kari and Tafawa Balewa in Bauchi; and Bakori, Bindawa, Daura, Jibiya and Katsina and Funtua, all in Kastina.

Dr. Oyeleke advised governments of the affected states to take precautionary measures to avoid loss of lives and property.

The most affected part of the country is the Northeast where all the states have been warned. The states are: Adamawa, Yobe, Borno, Gombe, Taraba and Bauchi, while Kaduna

state is the only state spared from the Northwest.

Ironically, Lagos, a state that has suffered from flooding in recent years during the raining season and which had been warned times over by weather forecaster – the Nigeria Metrological Services (NIMET), is missing from the list of flood-proned states as released by the federal ministry.

Oyo is the sole representative of the Southwest, while Plateau is representing the Northcentral.

Avoid flood-inducing activities, FERMA warns Southeast residents

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HROUGH its engineer in Abia State, Mr Eugene Baror, the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA), yesterday advised residents in the Southeast zone to shun acts that could cause flooding and erosion.

Speaking with reporters in Umuahia, the state capital, Baror said that unless the people took preventive measures, most towns would witness erosion and flooding.

He said that weather forecast by the Nigeria Metrological Agency (NIMET) listed states in the region as areas that could experience intense flooding between now and October.

Baror, therefore, called for sensitisation of the public to the need to take practical steps aimed at preventing the loss of lives and property through erosion and flooding.

He said: “The state and Federal Governments should ensure that all the wa-

ter, the rains follow the natural channels to the rivers because rivers are a major channel. Individuals should ensure that they don’t dispose refuse indiscriminately.

“Most times they pour dirt onto the roads thereby blocking the

channels forgetting that the water that will flow will naturally pick its natural course.

“And at the end of the day this dirt will block the drainage and channels and naturally water will naturally find its level in most times

‘It is better we are conscious of our environment and make sure that all refuse are dumped at designated points where government has kept refuse bins so that we make sure once the rains comes it will follow the natural channels to the rivers.’

to our houses, and even to places where the government has spent so much money to reclaim.

“It is better we are conscious of our environment and make sure that all refuse are dumped at designated points where government has kept refuse bins so that we make sure once the rains comes it will follow the natural channels to the rivers.”

The FERMA official also urged the government to establish laboratories for the testing of materials used for the construction of buildings.

He said the facility would help in the confirmation of claims by construction firms handling projects in the area.

According to him, with the laboratory in place, the soil, asphalt, bi-

tumen and laterite and other materials used for the construction of roads will be tested to ensure that standards are met.

Baror said: “It is not all soils that are sustainable for construction; that is why sometimes we carryout soil stabilisation, either using cement or stone base.

“If you use pure laterite for construction of roads, you will have to carry-out soil stabilisation as well.

“But before you can do that, you must ensure that you have carried out soil investigation; if you ignore soil investigation, naturally the road will collapse.’’

He also advised people in the zone to avoid crowding houses, adding that space should be provided for construction work to be carried out effectively.

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THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 14, 2012

NEWS Delta demands Ibori’s N2.2b Continued from Page 1

The deponent, Nkiru Bridget Emakpor, averred that the money would facilitate the current developmental projects in the state.

She stated that Ibori was a governor of the state between May 29, 1999 and May 29, 2007, the period the money in dispute was alleged offered by Ibori.

On that basis, Delta said the $15M was the exclusive property of the state and is entitled to collect it as the bona fide owner.

It averred that any money, asset or property recovered from Ibori rightly belonged to Delta State and that same should be returned to it as it has always maintained its entitlement to any asset recovered from Ibori.

The deponent said any denial

by Ibori in respect of the money cannot affect entitlement of the state to the amount.

The affidavit also indicated

that the state did not formally apply for payment of the money in view of the pending appeals to the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal because it did not want to prejudice the appeal cases.

The deponent further claimed that all monies, assets and properties recovered from Mr. Joshua Dariye, former Governor of Plateau State, were returned to Plateau State just like those recovered from Chief Diepreye Alamieyesigha of Bayelsa were returned to the state.

It therefore contended that there should be no legal basis to treat the case of Delta State any different from others and that it is in the interest of justice that the money should be released to the state.

The application would be moved before Justice Gabriel Kolawole on September 17.

President seeks divine intervention •Deputy National President, Non-academic Staff of Research Institutes, Comrade Wakili Tijani (right), addressing members during a PHOTO: NAN protest in Enugu…yesterday

JTF killed 20 civilians, says Boko Haram

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HE 20 people killed by the Joint Task Force (JTF) at the weekend in Maiduguri were civilians and not members of Boko Haram, the sect has declared.

Field Operations Officer of the JTF, Lt. Col. Victor Ebhaleme, said on Sunday that one soldier was killed as 20 members of Boko Haram sect were killed in a gun battle on Saturday night.

“We got intelligence report that some suspected Boko Haram terrorists were holding a meeting at a particular location in the metropolis. As

we approached the venue, the terrorists opened fire on the JTF. Our men responded, which led to the killing of 20 of the terrorists. We lost one soldier and two others sustained injury,” Col. Ebhaleme said.

But, spokesman of Boko Haram, Abu Qaqa told reporters that those killed were not their members.

Qaqa told a teleconference with reporters in Maiduguri, the Borno state capital, and the sect’s heartland, that his fighters had not been meeting at the place where the

military said it killed them.

“They only succeeded in killing civilians,” Qaqa said.

“Twenty of us cannot risk sitting in a volatile place to hold a meeting ... It is not possible.”

The Islamists have killed hundreds in gun and bomb attacks since they launched an uprising in 2009.

Many important figures in the sect have been killed or arrested in a military crackdown that appears to have weakened it since the beginning of the year.

But many civilians have

also died or been beaten and harassed in the crackdown, fuelling resentment that helps generate support for the movement.

The United States is urging Nigeria not to use excessive or indiscriminate force in the north, an aide of U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton last week said.

The death of Boko Haram’s leader in police custody in 2009 was seen as the event that transformed it from a rebellious clerical movement into a dangerous militant group.

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RESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan has urged Muslims to seek Allah’s intervention in the various challenges confronting nations of the world.

He said prayers should be made for divine intervention for nations facing civil strife, political instability and financial crisis.

Jonathan spoke yesterday during the breaking of the Ramadan fast with Muslim members of the diplomatic community at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

“I wish to call on you while praying during this period and especially during the Night of Majesty, to pray for peace and security to reign and for Allah to guide the leaders and give them wisdom to work for the devel-

From Vincent Ikuomola, Abuja

opment of their respective countries,” he said.

The President prayed that this year’s Ramadan would imbue the peoples of the world with compassion and forgiveness to enable them surmount the challenges of conflicts and wars.

This, he added, is imperative in order to achieve global peace and harmony.

Jonathan observed that the month of Ramadan is a time for self denial, spiritual rejuvenation and recommittment to righteousness.

The acting Dean of the Diplomatic Corp who is also the Ambassador of Guinea in Nigeria urged Jonathan not to be discouraged by the spate of insecurity in the country.

Jonathan fights back as calls for resignation mount ACN to President: fire Okupe

Continued from Page 1

cial Assistant on Public Matters, Dr. Doyin Okupe, said yesterday that though the call by the Northern CAN “is misguided, government is compelled to sympathise with the Christian Community in the North who have suffered incessant attacks and bloodshed.”

“The call by Northern CAN for the President to resign is however misguided,” Okupe said.

He stressed that the security challenges, especially in the North, was being handled with total devotion and commitment by the security agencies.

Okupe said: “Since this menace started about a year ago, the unwavering support and commitment of President Jonathan through massive deployment of resources, acquisition of hi-tech security equipment and other infrastructure have been seriously overhauled and enhanced.

“It is a fact that 60 per cent of the programmed attacks of the Boko Haram are frustrated or stopped, even before they happen,” he stressed.

Okupe, therefore, appealed for understanding from the Christian community.

He did not specify what the President was doing about the challenges, but he went on to say Boko Haram has become very sophisticated, with its classifications into a religious, criminal and political dimensions.

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HE Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) yesterday asked President Goodluck Jonathan to sack his Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs, Dr Doyin Okupe and hand him over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for prosecution.

The party also asked the President to apologise to Nigerians for appointing a person with an alleged criminal past as the nation’s public Affairs spokesperson.

In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, ACN said the Jonathan administration, in its desperation to employ an “attack dog” to spearhead its onslaught against the opposition parties and other vocal opponents, ended up outsourcing the very crucial and strategic position of projecting the nation’s public image and reputation to a person with no public reputation and a past steeped in corruption.

According to an online report, Dr Okupe is on the list of those being investigated by the EFCC on account of a contract running into hundreds of millions of naira obtained from Benue State Government while serving in the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo as chief spokesperson.

Dr Okupe, the online report claimed that rather than execute the project bolted

Okupe also re-echoed the government’s assurance that the security challenges would soon be over, noting that it took the British government more than 28 years to contain the Irish Revolutionary Army (IRA).

The Sri-Lanka Tamil Rebels were subdued in 27 years and the Oman insurgency in

with the over N200,000,000 mobilisation money, which he is believed to have invested in his ill-fated political ambition.

That President Goodluck Jonathan went ahead to appoint Dr Okupe as Public Affairs Specialist for the administration and by extension Nigeria, despite his background should not come as a surprise to any close observer of this administration as it only confirms the fatal attraction President Jonathan has for appointing or retaining tainted persons to serve in his government, the party said.

According to ACN, the revelation that Dr Okupe was appointed as the spokesperson of the federal government while still under investigation and yet to answer charges bordering on criminal conversion of state funds definitely flies in the face of the rhetorics of this government that fighting corruption is one of its cardinal goals and also an insult to the collective integrity of Nigerians especially given the cloudy circumstances under which Dr Okupe was relieved of a similar position by former President Obasanjo.

“The Ill-informed decision of President Jonathan to appoint as his chief image maker, a person who needs to be publicly prosecuted for alleged crime has once again confirmed that the Jonathan administration is deeply troubled about its public image

Morocco was contained in more than 16 years, Okupe said.

Noting that Nigerian Armed Forces have the capacity to contain all insurgent attacks within days, Okupe stressed that such an action would be expensive at a great collateral damage to the civilian populace, hence the

and perception as a rudderless government that is lost at sea with no compass.

However President Jonathan is advised that no amount of spin done by 1000 doctors like Dr Okupe and his co-travellers will rescue the government from public odium. Only performance and delivery, respect for the rule of law and the rights of Nigerians will change the perception”.

‘That a President of a country will approve the appointment of someone under criminal investigation to interface with the public on behalf of the Nigeria Government ridicules the Nigerian people.

“The Action Congress of Nigeria therefore calls on President Jonathan today to fire Dr Okupe immediately, allow the EFCC to prosecute him and offer Nigerians an unpreserved apology for appointing someone who needs to be publicly prosecuted for alleged crime to interface with and on their behalf. The party simultaneously calls on Dr Okupe to immediately resign his appointment and defend himself against the alleged criminal charges.

“However, in the event that none of these three things takes place in the next few days, then Nigerians must come to terms with the fact that they are at the mercy of an insular government.”

need for patience.

In Kaduna, a former Secretary of the Kaduna State CAN, Rev. Joseph Hayab, cautioned religious leaders against overheating the polity by calling for the President’s resignation.

The Northern CAN had in a statement by its spokesman expressed shock and disbelief

over the President’s statement, asking him to resign his position because he has “failed us Christians; he has failed Nigerians and he should resign as president because, by this statement, it is very clear that he is not capable of handling the danger posed by the Boko Haram insurgency”.

“So, the President is not bothered about the killing of Christians and other Nigerians! Is it because Christians are not members of this family he is talking about? So the security agents who are being killed by the Boko Haram are not members of this family?”

Hayab, who is the Special Adviser to Kaduna State Governor on Religious Matters warned that the call for President Jonathan to resign was capable of inciting northern Christians against the Jonathan administration.

In a statement entitled “Religious leaders overheating Nigerian polity”, Hayab lashed out at renowned Islamic scholar Sheikh Abubakar Gumi, who was also reported to have asked the President to resign for, according to him, staining his hands with so much blood.

The statement reads: “Let me quickly state that as a former Secretary of CAN, Kaduna State, and also a former PRO of CAN in the 19 Northern states and the Federal Capital Territory and in my personal capacity as Special Adviser to the Kaduna State Governor on Religious Matters, that nothing could be further from the truth than these alarming headlines which are calculated to incite Northerners and especially Christians against the Jonathan Administration.

Continued on Page 54

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THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 14, 2012

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2015: Jonathan has spent two terms, says PDP chief in court P ESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan is spending his second term in office, a member of his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has told a court.

Move to stop a legal dispute over the President’s political future seems to have collapsed – going by this case.

The PDP member, Mr. Cyriacus Njoku said Dr. Jonathan ran for president in his first term in office on a single and inseparable ticket with the late President Umaru Yar’Adua.

He said the 1999 Constitution does not make provisions for separate elections both for

From: Yusuf Alli, Managing Editor, Northern Operation

the office of the president and the vice-president.

Njoku made the presentation, through a written address by his counsel, Osuagwu Ugochukwu, to the High Court, which is hearing his application to stop the President’s bid for second term in 2015.

Justice Mudashiru Oniyangi will rule on Njoku’s application on October 18.

The applicant raised two questions for determination by the court.

These are:

•President to know fate on Oct 18 “Whether Section 135(2) of the Constitution, which specifies a period of four years in office for the President, is only available or applicable to a person elected on the basis of an actual election or includes one in which a person assumes the position of President by operation of law, as in the case of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan; and .Whether Section 137(1) (b) of the Constitution of the Fed-

eral Republic of Nigeria 1999, which provides that a person shall not be qualified for election to the office of President, if he has been elected to such office at any two previous elections, applies to the first Defendant who first took an Oath of Office as substantive President on May 6, 2010 and took a second Oath of Office as President on May 29, 2011.

In a written address by his counsel, which was obtained

by our correspondent, the plaintiff argues that: “It is settled law that in interpreting the provisions of a Constitution, the entire provisions of the Constitution ought to be read and construed together, and not in isolation of one another. Applying the above principles of interpretation of the provisions of a Constitution to this matter, the relevant sections of the 1999 Constitution that ought to be read and construed together would include Sections 130, 133, 134, 135, 136, 137, 139, 140, 141, 142, 143, 144, and146 of the 1999 Constitution.

Monday, Tuesday are holidays The Federal Government yesterday declared August 20 and 21 as public holidays to mark this year’s Eid-elFitri.

This is contained in a statement by Mrs Anastasia Nwaobia, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Interior.

The statement said the Minister of Interior, Mr Abba Moro, who made the declaration on behalf of the Federal Government, urged Nigerians to emulate the exemplary attributes of Islam which are “love, tolerance and peaceful coexistence amongst the people”.

Moro advised Nigerians, irrespective of their religious beliefs, to use the occasion for sober reflection and pray for the peace, unity and progress of the nation “in its march to nationhood”.

The Eid-el-Fitri marks the end of the 30-day fast embarked upon by Muslims on July 20.

Chimamanda, others for workshop

•Osun State Secondary School pupils during a calisthenic training programme at the Osogbo City Stadium training ground...yesterday

A

Mobil admits oil spill in Akwa Ibom

N oil spill has been detected near the operations of ExxonMobil, the company said yesterday, but the cause and size of the leak remained unclear.

Exxon local subsidiary Mobil Producing Nigeria confirmed that oil had been found along the shoreline of Akwa Ibom State , with residents also reporting seeing oil deposits along the coast.

A statement said the company “confirms that oiling from an unknown source has been sighted along the shoreline near Ibeno, Akwa Ibom State.”

An emergency response team has been sent to the shoreline and a sample has been collected “to determine

its source, which remains unknown,” the statement said. Government agencies have been notified, it added.

A regional director of the state-run National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency, Irvin Obot, confirmed the spill. He said his agency could not yet estimate the quantity.

“Investigations are

already under way to determine the source and cause of the spill,” Mr Obot said.

Community residents and fishermen reported sighting oil along the Atlantic coastline in Ibeno, an oil community where Exxon has facilities. Exxon also has offshore operations in the area.

The village head of Ibeno’s Atia community, Obong Ukott Esenem, said fishermen noticed the spill.

“Our community has witnessed another oil spill which has taken its negative toll on the environment,” he told AFP.

NIGERIA’s internationally celebrated writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, is leading a team of four facilitators to this year’s Nigerian Breweries’ sponsored creative writers workshop opening today in Lagos.

The award-winning author of “Purple Hibiscus and Half of a yellow Sun among other publications will be joined by Jeffery Renard Allen, Robert Spillman and Binyavanga Wainaina, who has been part of the literary workshop since inception in 2009.

Twenty two participants have been selected for the workshop and they include four from the United States, United Kingdom, South Africa and Cameroun. They were chosen from a 987 applications received this year.

According to Farafina Trust, organisers of the annual 10-day workshop, this number was chosen strictly on merit from an initial list of 60 earlier distilled from all applications received.

Fed Govt sets up interventionist funds for 22 Federal Science, Technical Colleges T

HE Federal Government has included an interventionist fund in the 2013 budget to improve workshop and laboratory facilities in the 22 Federal Science and Technical Colleges, the Minister of State for Education, Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, announced yesterday.

He was addressing principals of Federal Unity Colleges and principal officers of federal tertiary institutions on the “Essentials of 2013 budget for the Federal Ministry of Education in Abuja.

Wike described the creation of the fund by the President Goodluck Jonathan administration as part of efforts to create jobs for youths through skills acquisition.

He said: “We cannot be talking about education without the aspect of job creation for our youths. This is why the Federal Government has resolved to invest in the upgrade of workshops and laboratories in the Federal Science and Technical Colleges. The objective is to enhance the training of youths in trades to ensure that they are self reliant.

“All our focus will not be on paper qualification, which has led to growth in examination malpractice. We want to create a new generation of Nigerian youths, who will be equipped to be entrepreneurs empowered to employ themselves, create

‘All our focus will not be on paper qualification, which has led to growth in examination malpractice. We want to create a new generation of Nigerian youths, who will be equipped to be entrepreneurs empowered to employ themselves, create jobs for others and help in reviving the economy.’

jobs for others and help in reviving the economy.”

He said the government will continue with its phased

rehabilitation of Federal Unity Colleges with 20 schools from the six geo-political zones receiving total infrastructural boost next year.

Wike challenged the officials of the ministry to prioritise their budgetary allocations to ensure that the investments of the Federal Government in the education sector are met.

He urged them to be more committed to their duties and be judicious in the application of Federal Government resources.

The minister noted that any basic education or tertiary institution that frames its 2013 budget outside the approved guidelines of the Ministry, will have same corrected at the

ministerial level, since priority assessments have been conducted at the basic and tertiary levels.

He called on the state governments and other stakeholders to increase their investments in education for the impact to be felt across the board.

On the West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examinations results released

by West African Examination Council(WAEC), last weekend, the Minister noted that though there has been a marked improvement in the percentage of students who passed English Language and Mathematics, efforts will be stepped up for better performance in the future.

“The Federal Government is doing its best to revive the education sector to engender

•Wike

overall national development.

The results are beginning to be visible across the board and in he nearest future, Nigerians will appreciate the huge investments that have been made”, he said.

6

THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 14, 2012

NEWS Oyo to spend N1.9b on 101 boreholes, health centres THE Oyo State Government has awarded the contract to build 101 solar-powered boreholes and rehabilitation of 66 primary health centres in parts of the state.

The projects will cost N1,189,718,111.

Addressing reporters yesterday in Ibadan, the state capital, after the weekly State Executive Council (Exco) meeting, the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Bosun Oladele, and the Special Adviser to the Governor on Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), Taiwo Fawole, said the projects are in line with the MDGs’ vision of providing basic needs, including water and health care services, to the people.

Fawole explained that the 66 health centres would be at two per local government and 101 boreholes would be built in different locations in the 33 local governments.

A statement by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media, Dr Festus Adedayo, said the 66 primary health centres would be rehabilitated with N280,718,111.

It added that the 101 boreholes with storage tanks are to cost N909,000,000.

“This is in line with the determination of the Abiola Ajimobi administration to restore Oyo State to its past pace setting status. It is also in line with the projects of the MDGs to take care of the basic needs of the people of the state,” Fawole said.

Osun community plans to remove monarch

• Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi (middle, in black cap) with Commissioner for Works and Transport, Mr. Sola Adebayo (left) and other government officials, during an inspection of the dualisation of Old GarageBaptist-Ojumose Road, in AdoEkiti...yesterday

Osun ACN gives PDP 21 days to prove allegation against Aregbesola

Osun PDP, ACN quarrel over project

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HE Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Osun State are quarrelling over the funding of a road beautification project by the Rauf Aregbesola administration.

In a statement yesterday by its spokesperson, Prince Diran Odeyemi, the PDP accused the governor of spending N6billion on flowers from Ikire, near the boundary with Oyo State, to Osogbo, the state capital.

The PDP said: “We have it on good authority that N6billion has been released for planting of flowers from Asejire border town of Osun State to Osogbo.

“Of what use is planting of flowers on a Federal Government road to the people of Osun? If not for the Immunity Clause being enjoyed by the governor, we would have taken him to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

“We are waiting for him to finish his tenure before we take him to the EFCC. We are going to expose all the atrocities by the government.”

The ACN yesterday said the PDP allegation was spurious.

In a statement in Osogbo, the state capital, ACN State Chairman Adebiyi Adelowo described the allegation as childish and unthinkable.

Through the governor’s Special Adviser on Environment and Sanitation, Bola Ilori, the government said it was absurd for the PDP to say the government has spent N6billion on the project.

The government queried how “a right-thinking party could allege that the state government is spending N6billion on flower planting”.

It said the PDP “must have made the allegation in a beer parlour”.

The statement added: “But if the Olagunsoye Oyinlola administration could borrow N18.3 billion to build non-existing stadia, they could spend N6billion on planting of flowers. The allegation calls into question the sanity and integrity of the opposition party.”

HE ruling Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Osun State yesterday gave the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) a 21-day ultimatum to prove its allegation that Governor Rauf Aregbesola siphons N48 million monthly through the Osun Youths Empowerment Scheme (OYES).

The Arergbesola administration recruited over 20,000 youths for OYES with each of the volunteer receiving N10,000 salary.

The Osun State PDP, in a statement by its spokesman,

•I’ve committed no crime, says Oba

Osogbo

Prince Diran Odeyemi, condemned the scheme.

The party alleged that Aregbesola uses the scheme to siphon the state’s meagre resources.

It said: “The Aregbesola government is recklessly misusing the state’s finances while the governor is creating the impression that he is prudent with the resources at the disposal of his government.”

But in a statement yesterday by its Director of Publicity, Research and Strat-

egy, Mr Kunle Oyatomi, ACN challenged the PDP to substantiate its allegation with facts or be taken to the court of public opinion.

The ACN said: “If the Osun PDP does not proceed to court to demonstrate its credibility by proving this allegation in court within 21 days, then the PDP will stand accused of being a collection of not just irresponsible politicians, but a dishonourable outfit unworthy of participating in civilised political engagements.

“ACN believes that it is

high time the national office of the PDP in Abuja called its people in Osun State to order before it makes the rest of us believe that this primitive conduct of the party in the state is actually the nature and characteristics of the PDP nationwide.”

Calling for a public debate on the matter, the ACN noted that “apart from the challenge we have posed to the PDP to approach the court to prove its allegations, we equally call on the best of PDP’s leaders to come forward with facts and figures in a public debate”.

Pick Akeredolu’s running mate from Ilaje, chiefs urge leaders

From Adesoji Adeniyi, Osogbo

THE crisis in Ikeji Ile in Oriade Local Government Area of Osun State has worsened. Hundreds of the community’s residents at the weekend gathered at the town hall to discuss how to remove their monarch, Oba Adebayo Ayegbo Ogunmokun.

In the past three weeks, the residents have been protesting that the monarch was allegedly working against their common interest on a proposed local government creation.

While the community wishes to go with the Ipetu-Ijesha, a bigger neigbouring town of about five kilometres from Ikeji Ile, the monarch said going with other smaller communities to form a proposed council, Ajowa Local Government with the headquarters in Erin Ijesha, would be of more benefit to Ikeji Ile with about 12,000 residents.

The Oriade Local Government, through its ViceChairman, Taiwo Ajimotokin, last Saturday told the protesters, including chiefs, market women and youths, to be patient on the matter.

The council chief said the government was aware of the crisis.

From Adesoji Adeniyi,

I

LAJE Leaders of Thought and Concerned Chiefs and Baales in Ondo State yesterday urged the leadership of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) to pick the running mate to governorship candidate, Mr Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN), from Ilaje Local Government.

The chiefs urged the party to consider the economic and political relevance of the local government and zone the deputy governorship slot to the area.

In a communiqué issued after an emergency meeting at Igbokoda, the chiefs said it is the turn of the local government to produce the next deputy governor.

They said Ilaje local government has placed the state’s economy on the global map through oil and the exploration of same in the area.

The chiefs said this has made Ondo a member of oil producing states in the country.

The communique noted that besides oil, the local government also has huge deposit of sand that could be used to produce glass.

It added that the council has an extensive access to the sea with a shoreline cov-

From Damisi Ojo, Akure

ering about 75 kilometres.

The communique, however, said despite the huge natural resources discovered in the area, the local government remains underdeveloped because of negligence by the ruling Labour Party (LP) administration.

The chiefs, who are members of the highest decision making body in the area, said the 2006 census figures showed that the local government has 290,000 people, the highest population in the state.

According to them, 115,000 registered voters are among the highest in the state.

The chiefs, said the communiqué, unanimously recommended the former Chairman of the state Oil

Producing Area Development Commission (OSOPADEC) Chief Adewale Omojuwa, as Akeredolu’s running mate.

They described Omojuwa as a tested and trusted son of the area, who also influenced a lot of development to the area when he was the commission’s chairman.

They said Okitipupa Local Government produced former Governor Olusegun Agagu and two deputy governors between 1991 and 2003.

The chiefs said should ACN take the deputy governorship slot from Ilaje, other political parties may take undue advantage to gather block votes from the area.

They noted that if Omojuwa becomes

•Akeredolu

Akeredolu’s running mate, ACN’s chances would be boosted in the October 20 poll.

“We are hopeful that the next governor of Onod State will be produced by ACN and our expectation is that the party will liberate us from our present economic predicament,” the communiqué said.

PDP chief urges Obasanjo to caution Oyinlola, others CHIEFTAIN of the Ogun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Buruji Kashamu, has urged former President Olusegun Obasanjo to caution the party’s National Secretary, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola; the National Auditor, Chief Bode Mustapha; Senator Dipo Odujirin and Chief Ireti Oniyide, from interfering in the party’s affairs.

Kashamu noted that the

A

From Ernest Nwokolo, Abeokuta

former President’s personality ought to be a “rallying point, not only for the unity of the Yoruba” but also for the revival of PDP in Southwest”.

He noted that the quartet and some other party chieftains were using their affinity with Obasanjo to allegedly destroy the PDP in Ogun State.

Addressing PDP chieftains and members in Ijebu-Igbo,

the billionaire party financier said he would not accept the “illegality foisted” on the state through the election of Dipo Odujirin (State Chairman) and 28 other members of the Executive Committee.

He said their election cannot stand.

Odujirin and others were elected as members of the party’s executive during a congress conducted on August 4.

From Adesoji Adeniyi, Osogbo

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THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 14, 2012

NEWS

Fed Govt probes PHCN workers unions over pension

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HE Federal Government has begun a probe into the alleged fraudulent conduct of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) workers’ union and the non-remittance of pension contributions since 2006.

Minister of Power Prof.

Barth Nnaji announced this yesterday in Abuja, after he presented the report of the ministry’s budget performance to President Goodluck Jonathan at the State House.

Nnaji said besides the alleged fraud, the leadership of the union had been misinforming its members to incite them against the government.

He said the “ploy” by the union’s leadership was to blackmail and coerce the Federal Government into exempting it from complying with the national pension laws.

Nnaji said: “There is a lot

From Vincent Ikuomola, Abuja

of distortions out there. It is unfortunate that the workers are not getting the right information. But I promise you that this week, we are going to release information pertaining to the main issue the union is quarrelling with the government about.”

He dismissed the information being circulated by the union’s leadership that the severance pay of the workers would be pegged at N85, 000.

The minister said: “Most of the junior officers; some of them with WAEC qualification, will go home with N8 million. We just do not want to publish the real payment sheet. An assistant general manager may go home with N28 million. The highest officer may go home with N38 million. So, anybody who is telling them of

PHCN offices shut in Umuahia STRIKING Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCH) workers yesterday shut the company’s offices in Umuahia, Abia State.

At the company’s office on No. 3 Bende Road, Umuahia, security personnel turned customers back.

State Chairman, National Union of Electricity Employees, Mr. O. Kalu said the strike is in compliance with a directive by the union’s national headquarters over unresolved issues with the Federal Government.

He said: “The government wants to privatise PHCN and we are not against it.

N85,000 has a different mission.”

On the 2012 budget implementation, Nnaji put the budget performance at 52.9 per cent.

He said N75.5 billion was proposed for capital projects, but the National Assembly raised it to N78 billion to accommodate the

But labour-related matters must be properly resolved before the privatisation.”

Kalu said the strike is not an indefinite action and workers would return to their duty posts when they receive directives from their leaders in Abuja.

He said: “Our leaders will be meeting with the Federal Government officials tomorrow (today). After the meeting, we will know the next line of action.”

A customer, Mr. Ebuka Linus, who wanted to pay his electricity bill, urged the government and the workers to resolve their differences quickly in the interest of the masses.

members’ constituency projects.

Nnaji said N21.5 billion has been released and N11.4 billion out of the amount, which translates to 52.9 per cent, has been utilised.

The minister said 18 months has been set for distribution of electricity

meters to consumers, adding that the process is vital to the privatisation of the power sector.

He said the improved electricity supply “being experienced across the country” would be sustained after the rainy season.

Nnaji said the non-hydro

power plants are getting more gas to run, following the success of the emergency gas supply intervention initiative of the ministries of Power and Petroleum Resources.

He said new power plants, including those under the National Independent Power Project (NIPP) scheme in Sapele, Olorunsogo and Alaoji, would be completed and inaugurated later in the year.

The 2013 budget, the minister said, would see to the completion of studies on setting up coal-powered plants in Kogi and Enugu states, as well as hydropower plants in Mambilla and Zungeru.

On the 2013 plan, he said the government intends to holistically implement the provision of the Electricity Power Reform Act of 2005 and complete ongoing projects.

ASUU flays Fed Govt over insecurity

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•From left: Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin; Vice Consul, United States (US) Consulate, Lagos, Ms. Rachel Okunubi and the President of the United Nations of Youth, Nigeria (UNOY), Prince Obi Goodluck, at the International Youth Day celebration in Lagos...at the weekend.

HE Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) yesterday criticed the Federal Government for failing to curb the activities of the Boko Haram sect.

Rising from its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting, which was held at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), the union’s President, Dr. Nasir Isa, said the insecurity problems across the country are an expression of people’s anger over the injustice against the masses, hunger, deprivations and the failure of the government to tackle corruption.

Isa, who addressed reporters with the union’s former President, Prof. Ukachukwu Awuzie, urged government at all levels to make the security and welfare of the masses a priority.

He regretted that in spite of the high budgetary allocation for security; bombings, kidnappings and armed robbery have become a daily occurrence.

Why Nigeria is backward, by Onu

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HE National Chairman of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, yesterday said Nigeria is not developing because it has bad leaders.

Onu said Nigeria needs leaders, who will put the interest of the people first.

He spoke at the Institute of Security Studies in Abuja, while delivering a lecture on the “Transformation in Nigerian politics: The ANPP perspective” to participants of the Executive Intelligence Management Course 5.

Lamenting the insecurity in the country, Onu said violence has become the order of the day and the people live in the fear of the unknown.

Urging the government to sit up, he said: “The position of Ghana under its former Head of State, Mr. Jerry Rawlings, is obviously different from what we have now.

From Gbenga Omokhunu, Abuja

“Using that method will not solve our problems in Nigeria. What we need is for all of us to show interest in the political setting.

“It is unfortunate, but true, that many highly placed Nigerians do not participate in the election process. Instead, they complain.

“If the right people are participating in the election process, the bad ones will not have opportunity to prevail and do evil. Nigeria will progress if the right people are at the right places.

“The problem with Nigeria is that we move forward and then go backward. If there is insecurity in the Southeast or anywhere inthe country, nobody would be safe. Everybody must be involved in security.

“When problems arise, people concentrate on saving themselves. How can we progress with such attitude?

‘

When problems arise, people concentrate on saving themselves. How can we progress with such attitude? If we develop the right mind set, we will make it.

’

If we develop the right mind set, we will make it.

“When people seek leadership positions, we should look at their records and ensure that they are trust worthy.

“We should all be concerned. Government statistics tells us that poverty is increasing. The level of unemployment is alarming. Our

roads are bad.

“Killing some set of people will not solve the problem.

Violence will not help the situationand it is unfair to take another man’s life.

“Nigeria is blessed with resources, but corruption has taken over the land.

What we need are leaders, who will put the interest of the nation first.

“The way politics is played in our country needs to change. Nigeria deserves to be the clear and unambiguous leader of Africa, the leader of the black world and a major leader in the world.

“Our influence should be universal, such that no major decision affecting world peace would be taken without our participation. We are not yet there, but we can make it.

“To achieve this, our politics must be played right. All problems require effective and efficient leadership to provide enduring solutions.”

From Chris Oji, Enugu

The union said the spiral increase in the prices of essential commodities, low standard of living and joblessness have pushed many citizens into crime.

Isa expressed worry that crime and corruption are assuming a new dimension on a daily basis.

He said “a frightening dimension of insecurity today is the increasing phenomenon of crude oil theft”, adding that “about 50 per cent of Nigeria’s total oil production is pilfered”.

ASUU condemned calls for a Sovereign National Conference (SNC), suggesting that

what the country needs is attitudinal change by its leaders.

It said: “The SNC has never worked anywhere. The recent example is that of Sudan.

Even though South Sudan has gained independence, peace has not returned in that place.

So the fundamental issues of corruption and looting of public fund should be addressed.”

On the implementation of the 2012 budget, Isa said: “I don not want to say whether President Jonathan should be impeached or not, but ASUU demands that the budget should be fully implemented.

This controversy has become a yearly affair.”

Methodist Prelate seeks devolution of power

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HE Prelate of the Methodist Church Nigeria, Dr Sunday Makinde, has said more powers should be delegated to states and local governments, if the nation is to witness true democracy and development. He said the current democratic practice is “too expensive and breeds corruption.”

Dr. Makinde spoke at a conference mar k i n g t h e end of the 43 rd and eighth biennial conference of the church at the Hoares Memorial Methodist Church, Yaba, Lagos.

He said true federalism or a return to the parliamentary system of government remains the only path of sanity for Nigeria, adding that the present democratic system has become an economic burden to the nation.

Dr. Makinde said: “The present democratic practice is too expensive for the country. It breeds corruption. The centre, under the presidential system we are presently practicing, is too strong. The states and local governments need to be empowered, because they are closer to the people. I do not see why the Federal Government must have the Ministry of Water Resources or Hous-

By Yinka Aderibigbe

ing or Transport.

What are they for? Let it give the states more of these powers and funds for the real transformation agenda to sink in.”

Renewing his call for the convocation of a national conference, the Prelate said: “I am an apostle of the national conference.

Call it any name, whether sovereign or not. As long as we do not hold it, we are postponing the evil day that might lead to the disintegration of this country.

“The National Assembly is not representative enough. The clergy, peasants and traders, among others, are not represented. There are things we do in the name of quota system that do not promote unity. A situation where a section thinks it is born to rule is unacceptable.”

Reviewing the security situation in the North, Dr. Makinde advised churches to evolve security strategies to contain the Boko Haram insurgency.

He warned the group to limit its activities to the North, adding that any attempt to attack the south might lead to war.

THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 14, 2012

8

CITYBEATS Police arraign three suspected cultists

By Tumininu Owolabi

THREE middle-aged men, suspected to be cultists, have been arraigned before an Ikeja Magistrate’s Court for alleged breach of peace and forming an unlawful society. Sunday Samson (28), Friday Innocent (21), and Mufutau Salaudeen (23), are facing a four-count charge of conspiracy, breach of peace, unlawful possession of firearms and forming an unlawful society.

Prosecuting Inspector Rachael Williams told the court that the accused and others committed the offence on July 13 around 11:55pm at Okobaba on Ibadan Street, Ebute Metta, Lagos.

Williams told the court that the accused and others now at large conducted themselves in a manner to cause breach of peace.

She also told the court that the accused were caught with dangerous weapons in public without lawful authority.

The offence, according to Williams, is punishable under Section 51 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State Nigeria 2011.

She also alleged that the accused formed an unlawful society known as Emilagbe Secret cult.

She said they formed the society without any approval from the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Williams said the accused acted contrary to Section 42 and punishable under Section 42(a)(a) of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State of Nigeria 2011.The accused pleaded not guilty.

Magistrate Olagbegi Adelabu granted them N50,000 bail each with two "responsible" sureties in the like sum. She adjourned the case till August 23.

Forum for Dana crash victims' families

By Nneka Nwaneri

A GROUP, Nigeria Leadership Initiative (NLI) has emerged to help families of victims of the June 3 Dana plane crash overcome their grief.

The group held a forum in Lagos to initiate the families with their rights and options and also disseminate information on the preliminary report.

NLI chief Yinka Oyinlola said a reason for organising the forum is to show that the organisation honours the memory of the departed by seeking ways to protect the living against a reoccurrence of the June 3 plane crash.

A medical personnel, Dr. Femi Olugbile dealt with the differences in grief, bereavement and healing; identifying the meaning and impact of each, and identifying clear strategies for ways which people might deal with each stage.

Mr Jim Morris, a pilot and aviation Law expert, while analysing the accident's preliminary report by the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) said: "The ability to improve flight safety, provide answers to families and to identify those who should be held to account in relation to the families legal rights flows from the effectiveness of the accident investigation and the identification of the full chain of events that resulted in the tragedy."

Mr Jibola Dalley, a lawyer gave a summary of the law that applies to the accident. He explained that the bereaved families' rights were governed by the Civil Aviation Act 2006, adding that for damages up to $100,000, the airline could not exclude or limit its liability.

08033054340, 08034699757 E-mail:- ynotcitybeats@gmail.com

Randy motorcyclist jailed five years for rape

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COMMERCIAL motorcyclist, Alabi Bakare, 45, have been sentenced to five years imprisonment with hard labour for raping a five-year old pupil.

Chief Magistrate A.O. Isaac of the Ikeja Chief Magistrate’s Court yesterday held that the prosecutor had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt against the convict.

By Tumininu Owolabi

Prosecuting Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Berth Nwaokoye had argued that Bakare had carnal knowledge of Alimotu.

Bakare, who is married with two wives, the prosecutor said during the trial, was also alleged to have also defiled two other girls -

Jumoke, (4) and Azeezat (3).

Bakare was arraigned on a onecount charge of having unlawful sexual intercourse with Alimotu.

Nwaokoye said the convict committed the offence on August 3, about 7 pm at No 19, Oluwakemi Street, Alapere, Ketu.

The offence, he said, is punishable under Section 137 of the Lagos

State Criminal Laws Vol. 44 No. 11 of 2011.

Nwaokoye said investigation revealed that Bakare had been sexually assaulting the girls over time before he was caught.

He said it was Kehinde Ogundare who caught him in the act and reported the case.

Bakare had pleaded not guilty.

Train hits bus

By Rahman Sanusi

A

TRAIN travelling from Agbado Railway Station to Iddo, Lagos, yesterday ran into a commercial bus with registration number XU522 LND at Anifowoshe Railway Level-Crossing on Agege Motor Road, Ikeja.

Eye witnesses said the train hit the bus which was trying to cross the rail line.

Though no lives were lost, the train was said to have dragged the bus for more than 200 metres along the rail line.

An eye witness said those injured were rushed to a nearby hospital.

The bus was still lying by the rail line when The Nation visited the scene.

•The crashed bus... yesterday

PHOTO: RAHMAN SANUSI

Woman, 25, charged with beating father

A

25 YEAR-OLD unemployed woman yesterday appeared before an Ojo Magistrate’s Court in Lagos for allegedly beating her father to coma.

Caroline Alozie is being tried on a two-count charge of assault and stealing.

Prosecuting Corporal Friday Eze, told the court that the accused resides at No. 1 Ahamaefule Close, Abule-Ajangbadi, Lagos.

Eze said the accused allegedly beat

By Precious Igbonwelundu

up her 62 year-old father, following a confrontation on August 7.

He said the complainant who was against his daughter's excessive drug abuse, had seized her cigarettes.

Eze said the father insisted that she stopped smoking since she was in the habit of taking Indian hemp and other drugs.

He said after seizing the cigarette,

the accused pounced on her father and dealt him several blows on the face.

The prosecutor said the complainant fell and became unconscious, adding that he was then rushed to the hospital, where he was admitted for three days.

The prosecutor alleged that the accused also beat up her mother for coming to the husband’s aid.

Eze said the accused also sold an

Elemax brand generator which she stole from her father.

He said the generator was valued at N65, 000, adding that the offences contravened Sections 166 and 170 of the Criminal Code Laws of Lagos State.

Initially, the accused pleaded guilty but later changed it to not guilty.

Magistrate M.O Shomade granted the accused N50, 000 bail with two sureties in the like sum.

The case was adjourned till September 7.

LASTMA to publish traffic offenders’ names

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AGOS State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), will, henceforth, publish names of errant motorists in newspapers, a source at its public relations office has said.

This is coming on the heels of an allegation that a woman banker, Ms. Yinka Johnson, fatally wounded a LASTMA officer, Hameed Balogun on Friday.

Balogun was trying to apprehend Ms. Johnson for allegedly violating traffic law when he was crushed.

By Damilola Owoyele

LASTMA yesterday published 20 names of offenders with their cars registration numbers. Their pictures were taken while contravening the law. All 20 offenders were seen driving on the Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) dedicated lanes.

They are all to report with the vehicles to LASTMA Headquarters 72 hours after the publication or face additional sanctions.

The source said: "Majority of the

pictures were taken by citizens while others were taken by LASTMA officers. We have been compiling pictures of offenders. Pictures of motorists driving against traffic will be compiled too."

On the new procedure for bringing wrongdoers to book, the source said: "The agency is trying to be more scientific by using the Auto Inspector Device (AID). We don't have to chase offender's vehicles. Since motorists do auto registration, their particulars can be retrieved from the

AID. This system has been in place for the past two years."

The source said the state might liaise with other states that have started using the device to track elusive traffic offenders.

The source said, "We have always been using Auto Inspector Device to carry out house arrests. Also, all our officers are armed with digital cameras to take pictures of offenders and their cars. However the publication of offenders' names in the newspaper is a new development."

LASAA embarks on name and shame exercise

By Damilola Owoyele

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• From left: Supervisor for Agric and Rural Development, Ifako-Ijaiye Local Government, Wahab Kareem explaining a point to the Director of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Lagos State, Mr. Kareem Adeniji, with them is Mrs. Kehinde Oladunjoye, Head of Department of Agric and Rural Development, of the council at the Eko Exhibition fair held at Lekki, recently.

AGOS State Signage and Advertisement Agency (LASAA) said it would soon embark on a "name and shame" exercise of persistent poster offenders who have refused to yield to the agency's prohibition order.

The agency disclosed that 60 percent of posters in the state are pasted by educational and religious institutions, whose names are on its list.

"We are ready to name and shame erring offenders because they have shown no remorse" LASAA chief George Kayode Noah said.

Noah said the publication is coming after series of warnings from LASAA in the media against the indiscriminate pasting of posters.

Last month the agency deployed public notices around the city which read "Don't mess with Lagos, Pasting of posters is illegal."

THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 14, 2012

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THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 14, 2012

NEWS Ekiti names Bureau chief From Sulaiman Salawudeen, Ado-Ekiti

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KITI State Governor Kayode Fayemi has approved the appointment of Mr. Kayode Akinyemi as the Director-General of the newly created Bureau of Strategic Communications.

The bureau was created to coordinate the information machinery of the government and promote its EightPoint Agenda.

Akinyemi, whose appointment takes immediate effect, is an accomplished journalist, broadcaster and Advertising/Public Relations practitioner with experience in Marketing Communication.

He is the official representative of British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in Nigeria.

Akinyemi served as Head, Corporate Communications of Skye Bank Plc. Born on March 1, 1966, in Afao-Ekiti, Ifelodun/ Irepodun Local Government Area, the DG is a graduate of Mass Communications.

•Akinyemi

Suspected LP thugs vandalise Ondo ACN secretariat •Security guard injured •Ruling party: we’re not violent

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OODLUMS, suspected to be supporters of the ruling Labour Party (LP) in Ondo State, at the weekend invaded the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) secretariat on Ilesa Road, Akure, the state capital.

An eyewitness said the hoodlums beat up the security guard until he lost consciousness.

The thugs vandalised the offices and secretariat building, damaging louvres and other valuables.

Addressing reporters yesterday at the party’s secretariat, ACN State Secretary Adegboyega Adedipe said the spate of violence perpetrated by the Olusegun Mimiko administration is becoming unbearable.

He said: “I got a distress call that the security guard (at the secretariat) was in a critical condition following an attack by LP hoodlums.

When I got to the secretariat, I discovered that the man was unconscious, following

From Damisi Ojo, Akure

the injuries he sustained.

We rushed him to a hospital.

“We came back to the office and went round. We discovered that a lot of damages had been done. The attackers ransacked our offices and broke the louvres.”

Adedipe said the suspected LP thugs had vowed to avenge an alleged attack they suffered from the ACN on July 23.

That was after ACN congress in which former Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) President Rotimi Akeredolu emerged the governorship candidate.

The politician decried the intolerance of the ruling party, saying it was LP supporters who attacked Akeredolu’s convoy on July 23 after blocking the road in front of the secretariat.

Adedipe condemned the attack, saying the party has sent reports to the appropriate quarters.

•One of the damaged offices...yesterday

‘The party wishes to register its displeasure with the way security agencies have been handling with kid gloves the serial attacks and molestation by LP thugs’ The Women’s Leader, Erelu Modupe Johnson, described the attack as barbaric.

She said: “If, according to the security guard, 15 to 17 boys could attack our secretariat and beat him up, then I don’t really know where we are going in Ondo State.”

ACN Youth Leader Enas Mohammed said LP hoodlums have constantly attacked party members.

Mohammed urged security agents to reduce the spate of violence by the ruling LP.

•Some of the shattered windows after the attack...yesterday

ACN State Publicity Secretary Rotimi Agbede said the party viewed the attack as a panicky measure to curtail the rising profile of the party.

He condemned the attack, saying it is capable of throwing the state into turmoil.

Agbede said: “The party wishes to register its displeasure with the way security agencies have been

handling with kid gloves the serial attacks and molestation by LP thugs.

“This lukewarm attitude has emboldened the miscreants to continue their dastardly act.”

But LP spokesman Femi Okunjemiruwa denied the allegation.

He said the ruling party’s members did not mastermind the attack, adding that LP has no history of violence.

Why power must shift in Ondo, by indigenes in North America

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NDO State indigenes in North America have urged their kith and kin at home to reject the Labour Party (LP) in the October 20 governorship election.

They complained that Governor Olusegun Mimiko has tied his government to the apron strings of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which was rejected in the state in 2007.

In a statement, the concerned indigenes said Ondo State cannot participate in the Southwest regional economic agenda because the ruling party is working at cross-purposes with the dominant progressive party in the zone.

Signatories to the statement, titled: Ondo State: This is our stand, are the Coordinators of the groups, Prof. Tunde Olokodana (West Coast Region), Prof. Bolaji Medayese (Pacific Region), Ms. Tinuola David (Midwest Region), Mr Adeola Ajayi (Ontario, Canada), Adebisi Jumoke Macworher, Adebisi Iluyomade,(East Coast Region); and Public Relations Officer, Femi Odere.

The indigenes noted that

By Emmanuel Oladesu, Deputy Political Editor

they were apprehensive and hopeful as the election draws nearer.

They urged the residents to return the state to the progressive fold.

The group said: “It is an ideology whose foundation was laid by our late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, the baton having been faithfully carried and further enhanced in our state, in particular by our revered Chief Michael Adekunle Ajasin.

“From the foregoing, therefore, the economic health and quality of political leadership of our state are the front, back and centre of our organisation’s existence.”

The Ondo State indigenes said the joy of power shift from LP to PDP was shortlived.

They noted that within a year of his assumption of office, Mimiko allegedly squandered the huge political capital the electorate gave him in 2007.

They accused the governor of a “winner-takes-all” attitude and for personalising

power, which led to the mass defection from the ruling party.

The group added: “Governor Mimiko has become such a polarising political figure in the state that the best thing for him to do, if he really cared for the state and truly believed that the state was bigger than any individual no matter how highly placed - is to decline going for a second term in office.

“The governor has the constitutional right to ask the people for a second term. But a politician with a “Caring Heart” for his people, who understood the raw emotions that his candidacy would engender from all sides of the political divide, would have rescued himself from the ballot.

“It’s baffling why a governor that has lost so much credibility in the eyes of, not only the people but also the political elite of the state, should ask for a second term.

We have reasons to believe that the government of Dr. Mimiko has an aversion to truth telling. It’s a government that craves deception…”

THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 14, 2012

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BUSINESS THE NATION

E-mail:- bussiness@thenationonlineng.net

Naira hits three-month high

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HE naira strengthened to its highest in three months on the interbank market on yesterday, after the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) sold about $50 million to some lenders amid tight naira liquidity.

The naira closed at N157.70 to the dollar, a level last seen on May 14. It had closed at N158.40 to the greenback on Friday.

The currency according to Reuters, has gained about 2.47 per cent in the past week after the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) introduced tighter measures to control money supply two weeks ago.

The CBN in July raised the cash reserve requirement for lenders to 12 per cent from eight per cent and reduced net open foreign exchange positions to one per cent from three per cent, to restrict the money supply and support the currency.

The apex bank also barred banks that borrow naira funds from its official window from using those funds to buy dollarsat its byweekly auction, a bid to crack down on currency speculation.

"The sale of about $50 million by NNPC and the fact that some banks sold down their positions to stay within their approved foreign exchange position provided support for the naira,"one dealer said.

Dealers said the local currency should hover around N157.70 to N158.50 band in the week, as the market remained relatively dollar liquid.

On the bi-weekly foreign exchange auction, the CBN sold $147 million at N155.83 to the dollar, less than the $180 million it had offered, and a lot less than the $318 million sold at same rate last Wednesday.

We will make sure that there is a transparent process that every Nigeria will look at and say we have done fairly.

We don’t want anybody to think that these banks were taken over and handed over to special interests. It must be a very transparent process.

- Mr Mustapha Chike-Obi, CEO, AMCON

Money laundering: CBN orders banks, others to liaise with EFCC

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HE Central Bank of Nigeria(CBN) has directed financial institutions to liaise with the Special Control Unit against Money Laundering(SCUML) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) before dealing with Bureaux de change, hotels, law firms and accounting firms, which are categorised as Designated Non-financial Businesses and Professions (DNFBPs).

The apex bank has also given all the DNFBPs a sixmonth deadline to update their records with the relevant institutions.

With these developments, there will be more surveillance on Bureaux de Change and other businesses being used by Politically Exposed Persons(PEPs) and some businessmen suspected to be laundering money abroad.

According to a statement by the Head of Media and Publicity, Mr Wilson Uwujaren, the CBN’s directive became effective from August 2.

The statement said: “The

• Gives six-month deadline to update records From Yusuf Alli, Managing Editor, Northern Operation

relentless campaign by the Special Control Unit against Money Laundering for compliance with anti-money laundering regulations by Designated Non-Financial Institutions has received a boost with a directive by the Central Bank of Nigeria , making registration with SCUML a key Know Your Customer requirement for opening accounts for DNFIs in financial institutions.

“The directive contained in a circular referenced FPR/ CIR/GEN/VOL.1.028 dated August 2, 2012 and entitled: “Additional Know Your Customer Requirement in Respect of Designated Nonfinancial Businesses and Professions (DNFBPs)”, mandates all financial institutions, prior to establishing business relationships with DNFIs, to obtain evidence of registration with SCUML.

“The new requirement, which takes effect from August 2, 2012, according to the circular signed by the apex bank’s Director, Financial Policy and Regulation Department, Chris O. Chukwu, also mandated all DNFBPs who are existing financial institutions customers to update their records within six months from the date of the circular.

The statement said the Head of SCUML, Angela Nworgu, was delighted by the apex bank’s directive.

It added: “According to her, this directive of the apex financial regulatory institution will enhance efforts at implementing Nigeria’s Anti-Money laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) regime as it will automatically translate into more registrations and supervisory work to ensure compliance with the law, since the circular has

immediate and nationwide effect.

“She, therefore, called on all Designated Non-financial institutions (DNFIs) and Financial Institutions nationwide to ensure strict compliance as non-compliance will attract appropriate sanctions.

A brief on the SCUML from the EFCC’s website reads: “The Special Control Unit against Money Laundering (SCUML) was established in 2005 as a special unit to fight Money Laundering as spelt out in the Money Laundering (Prohibition) ML(P) Act of 2004 ( Now 2011).

“Although legally domiciled in the Ministry of Trade and Investment, SCUML works closely with the EFCC operationally.

“Consequently, SCUML has the mandate to monitor, supervise and regulate the activities of all Designated Non Financial Institutions (DNFIs) in Nigeria in consonance with the Country’s Anti Money Laundering and Combating of the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) regime.

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 JSE NYSE LSE

-N6.503 trillion -Z5.112trillion -$10.84 trillion -£61.67 trillion RATES Inflation -10.5% Treasury Bills -7.08% Maximum lending-22.42% Prime lending -15.87% Savings rate -2% 91-day NTB -15% Time Deposit -5.49% MPR -12% Foreign Reserve $35.8b FOREX CFA 0.2958 EUR 206.9 £ 242.1 $ 156 ¥ 1.9179 SDR 238 RIYAL 40.472

Nnaji ( middle) addressing the press in Abuja ...yesterday. With him are Minister of State for Power Garius Ishaku (left) and PHOTO: AKIN OLADOKUN Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati.

World Bank: 80% of businesses in Nigeria pay bribes to govt officials

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HE World Bank has said about 80 per cent of businesses in Nigeria bribe government officials.

In its 2011 investment assessment of Nigeria, the global bank said: “One-third of micro-enterprises reported that informal payments/gifts to government officials were commonplace, suggesting that registered firms confront more requests for such bribes.” It added: “Only 20 per cent of microenterprise firms reported having advance knowledge of the amount of the payment required to ‘get things done’.”

Such uncertainty, the report stated, “adds to the challenge posed by informal

From Nduka Chiejina, Asst. Editor

payments, since the amount to be set aside cannot even be planned for. Informal payments/gifts represented approximately 1.2 per cent of annual sales for all microenterprises”.

It stated that “micro-enterprises dealing in government contracts are expected to pay approximately 4.3 per cent of the contract value in order to secure it. The bribes required to obtain contracts appear much smaller for services (3.9 per cent) than for manufactured goods (6.7 per cent),” the report said.

However,“formal sector firms pay more for corruption: 47 per cent of formal

firms claimed that informal gifts/payments were commonplace, compared to 33 per cent of microenterprises.

The report added that micro-enterprises have a greater mistrust of institutions than formal firms. Indeed, 63 per cent of formal sector firms reported that the application of laws was not consistent and predictable, compared to 72 per cent of microenterprises, it said.

In addition, 41 per cent of formal firms reported that they had advanced knowledge of informal payments/gifts, compared to 20 per cent of microenterprises.

As for the costs,informal

payments/gifts represented 3.2 per cent of annual sales and the cost of securing a government contract reached approximately 8.4 per cent of its total value for formal firms; these proportions were much lower, 1.2 per cent and 4.3 per cent, for microenterprises.

The report studied business activities and investments in 26 states, namely: Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Delta and Ebonyi.

Others are Edo, Ekiti, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Taraba, Yobe and Zamfara.

Nnaji seeks NGOs’intervention in PHCN workers’clash

By Emeka Ugwuanyi

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HE Minister of Power, Prof Barth Nnaji, has requested leading Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to probe the management of the pension scheme of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), which has resulted in the faceoff between the government and the electricity workers.

The CSOs that Nnaji invited include, the Save Nigeria Group led by Pastor Tunde Bakare; Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, run by Comrade Ibrahim Awaal Rafsanjani and Concerned Professionals, headed by Prof.

Pat Utomi, among several others.

The public scrutiny to be led by the CSOs, Nnaji said, became imperative because of “the huge amount of money, which should be in the scheme, but cannot be traced.”

Nnaji said if the PHCN’s 50,000 employees had, over the years, been contributing 25 per cent of their salaries to the pension scheme as alleged by the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE), they should have over N300 billion in their bank account.

“What we have rather found, is a paltry N3 billion, which cannot cover the terminal benefits of up to 30 per cent of the workforce,” Nnaji said, explaining that the money came from PHCN internally generated revenue, rather than as a contribution from the PHCN staff towards their retirements.

He said: “It is clear from the reports I have, that it is either the PHCN staff did not contribute 25 per cent of their salaries or that some unscrupulous officials made away with over N300 billion, which was over the years deducted from their pay.”

Exonerating the Ministry of Power and the Federal Government from culpability in a possible fraud in the pension scheme, he said the funds were managed by a group of trustees made up of the PHCN management and officials of the three trade unions in the PHCN “who are also the sole signatories to the bank accounts.”

Despite the failure of the PHCN staff to contribute to the pension scheme, the minister said,the government has decided to pay them 25 per cent of their salaries up to June 30, 2004, when the law allowed the PHCN to operate a special pension scheme.

“And in spite of the PHCN’s refusal to comply with the new Pension Reform Act, which came into existence on July 1, 2004, and which requires each worker to contribute 7.5 per cent of his salary to the scheme and his employer, another 7.5 per cent, the government has offered to pay the staff 15 per cent of their salary from July 1, 2004, to June 30, 2012.”

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THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 14, 2012

TUESDAY, AUGUST 14, 2012

13

ENERGY THE NATION

E-mail:- energy@thenationonlineng.net

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NDEP targets 100m barrels oil reserves

MID numerous challenges confronting the oil and gas industry, which includes the non-passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), the Euro-zone crisis, the state of unrest and insecurity in the country, the Niger Delta Exploration and Production (NDEP), has said concerted efforts are being put in place to deliver proven reserves of 100 million barrels of oil equivalent by 2015.

The company has also made known its intention to commence the production and commercialisation of gas resources, operate the Ogbele mini refinery at full capacity in addition to attaining a daily oil production rate of 5,000 barrels per day by the end of 2012 The company has assured its commitment to completing the Omerelu farm out agreement, finalize Omerelu field development plan and participate fully in the exploration work plan for OPL 227

By Ambrose Nnaji

Speaking during the annual general meeting in Lagos, the Managing Director of the company, Layi Fatona, who disclosed this, listed the strategies being adopted by the company to achieve these to include maximising profitability of existing oil and gas assets, identifying and selectively investing in assets and projects that would deliver maximum return on investment as well as capitalising on growing natural gas and diesel markets.

He said: “As part of ongoing efforts aimed at continuously operating under stringently safe conditions, our company plans to conclude and deploy our operations HSE Case, implement focused training programmes for all operations staff, conclude the pre and post development environmental impact assessment (EIA) studies for Omerelu and Ogbele fields respec-

tively and set up a robust economy management high command.

“We are committed to maintaining our exceptional corporate social responsibility record by delivering on an ongoing basis sustainable development projects to our host communities.” he added.

As a means of fast tracking the processes of increased production, the managing director said the company had embarked on extensive re-evaluation of the Ogbele field through new 3D seismic acquisition and subsequent re-interpretations of the field’s geology and reserves. In addition, the company had planned a series of work-over of some wells and drilling of two additional developments wells.

He said various factors accounted for the reduction of oil production in the last one year, which included substantial locked-in production capacity and production contributions from Ogbele Well 1 of between 1,000- 1,500barrels per day

for the entire year.

These, he said, was due to the delayed completion and tie-in of the Ogbele Gas Pipeline to NLNG Rumuji Manifold, limited success from appraisal efforts from the dry Ogbele well and unavailability of a rig with appropriate capacity for the work-over operations.

Total oil production for the year was 732, 638, a 41percent decrease from the 1.2mm barrels reported in 2010. He however said the company had recorded a cumulative production of 6.38mm barrels from Ogbele field, compared to Chevron’s initial estimation of a STOIIP of 5 million barrels for the field. This positive situation, he said, had reinforced the earlier belief that Ogbele carries substantial resources to justify the ongoing developments and gas investments The Ogbele field oil and gas probable and proven reserves (P1+P2) stood at 51.42 million barrels of oil, 39.06 billion cubic feet (bcf) of associated gas and 517.4 bcf of non associated gas, bringing the total gas reserves to 556. 46 bcf and total hydrocarbon (oil + gas) of 144.16 million barrels of oil equivalent (boe), the total proven (P1) hydrocarbon reserves (liquids and gas) for the Ogbele field; including de-

veloped and undeveloped oil, condensed and natural gas liquid reserves is currently 64.16million barrels of oil equivalent.

These revised reserves figures, according to Fatona, maintained that substantial potential is still available to be realized in the marginal gas field. He said the company had recorded a 95percent completion of the 100mmscfd Ogbele gas processing plant.

He said: “We have successfully completed the plant (100 percent) and have fed and processed a peak off take of 40 mmscfd of gas through the plant from Ogbele well 1.”

In addition the company had completed the design modification of the 12"x20km gas pipeline which according to him, would allow the tie-in into the NLNG Rumuji Manifold, including the Pig Launcher and Receiver to link the Ogbele gas plant to the NLNG GTS 2 Pipeline The company had also installed three gas generators and other ancillary equipment which he said allowed the commissioning of the Ogbele field power plant with a total installed capacity of 2.4mw, which is more than adequate to operate all the rapidly expanding processing facilities and the new staff field camp, he added.

TCN to arrest sand excavators at high tension towers

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•From left: Logisitics Manager, Shell, Henry Nwogbolu; Chief Executive Officer, Blueway, Mr Johnny Skolund; Country Chairman, Shell, Mr Mutiu Sunmonu and Executive Director, Caverton Offshore Support Group, Mr Bashir Bakare, during a Business Performance Review Session organised by Shell to review its contract with Caverton Helicopters in Lagos.

NIPP boss seeks protection of power infrastructure

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IGER Delta Power holding Company Limited (NDPHC), which was established by the Federal, state and local governments to fund and implement the National Integrated Projects (NIPP), has appealed to Nigerians, security agencies and community leaders to assist in guarding the national power infrastructure being developed in the nation.

The Deputy General Manager, Communication and Public Relations, NDPHC, Yakubu Lawal, said the NDPHC management made the appeal following vandalism of a portion of its 330kv transmission line at Yangoji village

along Lokoja-Gwagwalada Road.

Mostly affected were towers 493,494 and 495 spanning an area of about 800 metres. Thieves carted away high tension cables and accessories needed to complete the transmission line intended to carry electricity from the new NIPP power station at Geregu to consumers in Kogi State, Abuja and the rest of the national electricity grid.

The Managing Director of NDPHC, Mr James Olotu, said Nigerians should guard NIPP project sites and regard them as their property, noting that the three tiers of government are the owners of the projects and they there-

fore belong to Nigerians.

Olotu said Goodluck Jonathan’s administration is committed to delivering power to Nigerians , adding that vandalism would only act as a major setback in this drive.

He urged community leaders to assist the law enforcement agencies by providing any useful information that may help in arresting the perpetrators and bringing them to justice.

Olotu stated that NDPHC is committed to delivering more power infrastructure before the end of this year to boost electricity supply to Nigerians.

NNPC to apply FOI Act

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HE management of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has pledged its commitment to abide by the spirit and letters of the 2011 Freedom of Information Act in its operations so as to entrench a culture of probity and accountability.

Speaking at the induction for the

new graduate trainees held at the NNPC Towers in Abuja, the Group Managing Director of the corporation, Andrew Yakubu, stated that ahead of the signing into law of the then FOI Bill by Mr President, the NNPC had taken some steps to open its operations to public scrutiny.

According to the Acting Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, NNPC, Fidel Pepple, the NNPC boss, “Long before the Freedom of Information Act came into force, the NNPC has been maintaining an open door policy which sees it volunteering •Continued on page 14

OLLOWING series of unheeded warnings, the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has said it would arrest and prosecute people engaged in illegal sand excavation along the transmission line towers.

The management of TCN of PHCN has put in place security measures to arrest and prosecute anyone caught dredging along Egbin – Ikeja 330KV high tension wire.

The General Manger, TCN, Lagos Region, Mr. Oyeleke Adeoye, served the warning yesterday during a town hall meeting with the representatives of the communities under Magboro on Lagos-Ibadan Express Way, adding that the company has put in place security measures to arrest and prosecute anyone caught dredging sand along Egbin – Ikeja 330KV high tension wire.

Adeoye said the essence of the stakeholders’ meeting was to fashion out ways to tackle the perennial problems associated with uncontrolled evacuation of sand under PHCN transmission line.

He said: “We convened this meeting to enlighten you on the inherent danger associated with these uncontrolled evacuation activities. The financial implications of the remedial works could be better channelled to the development of the grid.”

Adeoye, who was represented by the company’s Manager, Corporate Affair, Mrs. Celestina Osin, said the transmission line along Orowofela, Ilupeju, Omotedo, Sanni and Kajola communities under ObafemiOwode Local Government area of Ogun State faces imminent collapse due to the excavation activities.

Adeoye said: “Those who are perpetuating this act did not realise the gravity of what they are doing to the communities, we need to urgently stop them to avoid total breakdown of the towers. This

By Emeka Ugwuanyi

is our third time of coming to this community on this issue. Our attention has been drawn to the continuous illegal evacuation activities of some laterite dealers association under PHCN transmission lines despite the concerted efforts of the Nigerian Police to stop them.

“We cannot afford to allow some few to jeopardise our collective interest in moving the country and power sector forward. We urge all traditional chiefs in these communities to warn all their people and to desist from this act or face the law.

“This ugly activity calls for national re-think and prompt collective action in order to speedily reverse the trend with its negative socio-economic consequences before the towers collapse.”

On behalf of the traditional chiefs, Chief Akibu Sanni, the Bale of Sanni Omotedo said that the affected communities are ready to collaborate with TCN in bringing lasting solution to the menace in the area and avoid putting community to danger.

He however, urged the management of TCN to employ security agents that will watch over its towers, adding that communities alone cannot keep an eye over it.

The Head of operation, Nigerian Civil Defence, Ogun State Division Mr. John Adebayo urged traditional chief to call their children and the entire youths of the community to order and to desist from such illegal activities or face the music.

Assistant Superintendent of Police, Mr. Fola Ogunkoya, who represented the Commissioner of Police, Ogun State, said that the essence of the meeting was to sensitise communities to desist from such illegal act, adding that the police will not hesitate to arrest anybody found in such activities.

THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 14, 2012

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ENERGY

UBA, Domgas in N47b LPG deal

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HE United Bank for Africa (UBA) has entered into an agreement with Domgas Nigeria Limited for the acquisition and installation of 1000 units of containerised Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) skid stations in Lagos.

The deal is put at N47 billion.

Each of the skid stations is to cost N47m according to the Chief Executive Officer, Domgas Group, Olufemi Ifayemi, who broke the news at the inauguration of the Lagos LPG Mega Cooperative Society, held in Lagos.

Ifayemi noted that when the project eventually takes off, it would not only help in promoting the growth of LPG in the state but also in making the state greener and cleaner.

He said the mega cooperative society being launched is to serve as platform and vehicle for driving and ensuring successful execution of the project in the overall interest of all stakeholders.

He said: “After wide deliberations among the promoters of this massive project, we concluded it would be advisable to form a mega cooperative if the project is to be successful. We felt it would be difficult to deal with individuals owing to the huge capital involved in the project and so had to devise the idea of bringing small cooperatives and micro-finance houses together to form a mega cooperative society.

Our target is to have about 1000 beneficiaries within the co-operative society owning containerised LPG skid stations in strategic locations in the state as a way of realising the goal and aspiration of making LPG a fuel of choice in the state. The society is to help in regulating the pricing, distribution

By Bidemi Bakare

and safety of the product as well as handling issues bordering on advertising, welfare and profitability for its members.”

Ifayemi said the N47 million for financing the acquisition of each skid station has been prepared and structured in such a way as to make payment more relaxing for the beneficiaries.

He said:”The banker of the project, UBA has put in place a financing and payment structure that would make it easier and less burdensome for whoever wants to acquire and pay for the skid station.

The initial deposit required for procuring the station is N7 million, which the bank has pledged to make available for those unable to raise this amount provided they are able to produce an equity contribution to prop it up.

“The remaining N40 million which attracts no form of interest is to be paid in installments within 36-50 months to the bank for warehousing. This payment plans is geared towards relieving the beneficiaries the pain of acquiring and paying for the stations.”

On how the skid stations are to be deployed in the state, the Domgas boss said this is to be done in 10 tranches of 100 skid stations per tranche to exhaust the 1,000 stations meant for the state.

He noted that each owner of the skid station is expected to sell close to 30 metric tonnes (MT) of the product every month to guarantee a quick and high rate of return on investment.

This projection, he said, is based on the feasibility study, cost and profitability analysis that have been undertaken on the project.

Conoil acquires aviation fuel bowsers

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ITH its recent acquisition of two new worldclass bowsers, Conoil is set to strengthen its leadership position in the aviation sub-sector of the downstream industry through excellent service delivery to foreign and local airline operators in Nigeria.

According to the company in a statement, the bowsers are meant to significantly improve fuelling requirements of aeroplanes, on real-time basis, to guarantee better operations and flight take-off time to the delight of air fliers.

The bowsers, powered by MAN-Diesel engines, come with the latest technology in Jet A1 delivery equipment, with safety and environmentally-friendly features.

Conoil’s acquisition of the bowsers has significantly increased its bowser fleet and the capacity to service its ever-growing clientele. According to indus-

try experts, the bowsers are built in accordance with the latest Energy Institute (EI) and the American Petroleum Institute’s (API) standards.

The statement said: “Conoil, a strategic partner of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), is determined to increase its market share of the Nigerian aviation fuel business from 30 per cent achieved last year, to 40 per cent this year through increased sales volume.

“As part of efforts to deliver improved financial performance in line with its set business target, the company recently broke new grounds when it secured multi-million naira contracts to supply Jet A1 to Cargolux, a major player in global cargo industry based in Luxemburg, Singapore Cargo Airline, one of the biggest cargo airlines in the world, and seven fuel vendors from the US, Europe and United Arab Emirate,” the statement said.

NNPC to apply FOI Act •Continued from page 13

information to its various publics through press releases, advertorials and presentations at different forums including hearings at the National Assembly.”

He said with the signing of the FOI Bill into law by Mr President last year, the NNPC management swiftly established a taskforce with the goal of examining the new law and advising management on how best to comply with the provisions of the law.

“We have since internalised the contents of that report and as a corporation; we are ready to ensure that our actions and processes live

up to public scrutiny. Under my watch as GMD, I intend to abide by this principle,’’ he added.

On the 2010 NNPC recruitment which, ultimately, led to the employment of 595 new staff, Yakubu described the process as the most painstaking and transparent recruitment ever conducted in the history of the corporation.

He noted that the exercise which began with the placement of advertisement in some national newspapers and the NNPC website in November 2010 was designed from the beginning to provide Nigerians equal opportunity to aspire for available vacancies in the services of the corporation.

•Mr Supo Shadiya, Director, NNPC/Chevron Joint Venture (left) presenting the scholarship cheque to Mrs. Femi Asubiojo who represented the Vice-Chancellor, Obafemi Awolowo University, Prof. Bamitale Omole. In the middle is Mr Sunday Okegbemiro, Co-ordinator, Corporate Responsibility & National Programmes, CNL.

Local Content: Caverton commends Shell

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HE Managing Director of Caverton Helicopters, Mr. Sola Falola, has commended Shell for the opportunity to serve the oil giant.

He said the local content law has enhanced the indigenous companies’ activities through consistent partnering of international oil companies (IOCs), such as Shell in providing quality service.

Speaking at the performance review forum in Lagos, Mr Falola said: “The local content initiative has offered benefits in partnering with the IOCs in developing the global aviation service. Nigerians need foreign participation in terms of local content development. Basically, what we need to do is to set standard and target rate and ensure the standard and target are met.

“The local content is a fantastic piece of legislation. It is very good. If you look at what is being done in Nigeria you will see

By Emeka Ugwuanyi

that we really need the law in order to develop local capacity.”

He said their partnership with Shell has grown the company to a great height, adding that Shell has been at the vanguard of promoting the local content initiative to support the Federal Government’s agenda.

He said partnership is about developing capacity through the Nigerian Content. “The ability of an indigenous company to give global standard and to perform up to global standard that is what the partnership is all about.

Our partnership with Shell started in 2010 through the award of contract in both SPDC and SNEPCO, which is two years and has run successfully. Shell has given a lot to Caverton in terms of capacity building, safety and quality, he added.

Falola noted that the company had grown from staff strength of

120 to over 500 through various local content contract initiatives, adding that Caverton contributes to the development of youths and communities where they operate in. “Shell contract offers have given Caverton the privilege to develop indigenous pilots, training of aviation engineers within and across the country. This has offered us the opportunity to discover talents in aviation sector and develop human capacity,” he said.

The Managing Director, Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited and Country Chair of Shell Companies in Nigeria, Mr Mutiu Sumonu, said: “The partnership with Caverton is a way of supporting the Federal Government’s local content initiative of developing local capacity. For me this partnership is a great initiative, in the sense that it has taken a very small company and helping them to grow.

SEPCO begins manpower training for power HE Chinese energy comria” to help the country achieve its industry pany, SEPCO111, that is mission of meeting the “Millen-

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building and managing Olurunsogo Power Station Phase 2, is set to begin the first stage of training of qualified high level personnel for the operation, maintenance and repair of Olorunsogo Power Plant Phase 1 and 2 projects of the Federal Government.

The two power plants were built

by SEPCO111. They had reached an agreement with the Federal Government regarding their operation and maintenance as well as repair works on the facility.

No fewer than 200 pioneer trainees drawn from in-house staff would commence a 33-week long training programme in higher level power plants operation, maintenance and repair at the newly built SEPCO111 - PACIFIC Electric Power Training Centre located adjacent to Phase 11 of the Olorunsogo plants.

The training centre, which is a joint project between Sepco111 and Pacific Energy Company Limited, has 30 lecturers and offers, at least, 30 courses, including electric, mechanical, heat insulation and control, welding, transformer, station system among others.

At the inauguration, the Sepco111 Project Manager, Mr Li Xianlai, said the centre would go a long way in building the pool of human resources required in tack-

From Ernest Nwokolo, Abeokuta

ling the perennial epileptic power supply that has been the lot of the country and the citizens over the years.

Xianlai said: “The main cause of insufficient power in Nigeria is due to lack of adequate qualified personnel to operate, maintain, repair and run effectively, the existing power plants.”

He explained that this informed why the training centre was established to fill the gap within the Phase One and Two of the power plants serving as the theoretical and practical base for the trainees.

It is expected that later the centre willopen its doors to outsiders and other members of the public who desire highly technical skills in operation, maintenance and repair of power plants.

The Chinese Consular - General in Nigeria, Mr Liu Xianfa, who attended the commissioning, said through it, Sepco111 would be contributing to the power and technical education needs of the nation’s energy sector.

Ambassador Xianfa added that because of the cordial relationship between Nigeria and China, “more and more chinese power firms would be attracted to Nige-

nium Development Goals (MDGs) on power.

The Managing Directo, Mr James Abiodun Olotu, who opened the centre, said the project was one of the gains of the bilateral relationship between Nigeria and China in energy supply and infrastructure.

Olotu, who recalled that the Olorunsogo Power Plant contract was between NDPHC and Sepco111, said the centre would develop the human capital required for the universal standard in maintenance and repair of the nation’s power plants.

He said: “Human capital development and transfer of technology are key to efficient and effective sustainable development of industry and commerce and key to future growth. This is more so in the Power business.

“In recognition of this, Sepco111 has blazed the trail through the provision of a training facility in Olorunsogo that will no doubt sustain the growth of the power plant.

“The provision of this training centre facility will no doubt optimally ensure world class service delivery and increase know-how for Nigerian nationals, and therefore, help maintain our huge investment therein.”

THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 14, 2012

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THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 14, 2012

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PROPERTY

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Website:- http://www.thenationonlineng.com

* The Environment * Mortgage * Apartments * Security * Homes * Real Estate

email:- property@thenationonlineng.net

Govt, Bi-Courtney spar over Lagos-Ibadan Expressway

•Lagos-Ibadan Express Road

In 14 days, the Federal Government has promised to make its position known on the LagosIbadan Expressway, which was concessioned to Bi-Courtney Highway Services in 2009.

The concessionaire seems to be having problems discharging its obligations, and this has provoked harsh comments from some quarters. Will government wield the big stick on BiCourtney? OKWY IROEGBU-CHIKEZIE reports.

•CONTINUED ON PAGE 18

•Aregbesola commends club for •Experts, artisans trade words •LAWMA mainstreams gender medical staff quarters’ construction over building collapse in waste management - PAGE 18

- PAGE 47

- PAGE 48

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THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 14, 2012

PROPERTY/ENVIRONMENT

Govt, Bi-Courtney spar over Lagos-Ibadan Expressway •CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17

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HEN Bi-Courtney Highway Services (BHS) got the concession of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in 2009 for 25-years, Nigerians were full of expectations. They probably thought that the firm would bring succor to users of the road, who virtually go through hell plying it. But three years after, the road has grown from bad to worse.

When Bi-Courtney took the job, it raised the peoples hope about what it was going to do on the road.

It promised to do remedial work to make the road motorable for users who have been complaining for years of its dilapidation. The firm patched the road at some points and left it at that.

With no improvement on the road, the complaint continued and questions started flying about the firm’s competence to handle the job.

With these complaints, it was just only a matter of time before the government intervened. Last Friday, Works Minister Mike Onolememen, responding to reporters’ questions about the road, said the government would make its position known in “14 days on the new way forward.”

He said: “The government is already engaging the concessionaire in a bid to find the way forward.

There has been a series of meetings; the meetings will end next week after that, the way forward will be known. What is important is that government is committed more than ever before to delivering that road and doing it quickly considering the economic potential of the road.”

The highway was concessioned to Bi-Courtney in 2009 for 25 years under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP). Under the terms of the, contract, Bi-Courtney is to invest N89 billion on rehabilitation and upgrade of the highway and recoup the cost of its investment through tolls.

On paper, the deal seems to represent a ‘win-win’ situation for the parties. The government will enjoy a 25-year rehabilitation and upgrade of arguably the busiest and most strategic federal highway without spending a kobo.

Also, Bi-Courtney will enjoy a 25-year ‘monopoly’ on providing a strategic road link between the Southwest and Southeast region.

But motorists have been worse for it as tanker accidents, and other crashes are common occurrences the, poor state of the road.

Because of the strategic nature and its poor state, governors of the Southwest, after a meeting, issued a statement asking the government to concession the road to them be-

cause the current concessionaire does not have the wherewithal to handle the project.

They accused the government of playing politics with the lives of Nigerians, who suffer daily.

Before now, government blamed the engineering design of the road for the delay of its rehabilitation and the need to add more road furniture in its design even as motorists groan while driving on the axis that is filled with pot-holes and gorges. Few weeks ago, a retired army general was killed while trying to fix a flat tyre; severally there have been reports of Fulani herdsmen attacking people on the road, especially the long bridge where they wait for their prey every night.

The frustration is made worse whenever one of the religious groups along the axis is having a programme. For instance, last Friday many motorists slept on the road because two of such different groups were having their programmes at the same time. In face of these the concessionaire has not been able, to do anything except the occasional grading of certain parts of the road while its major part remains a death trap.

Many have questioned why the contract seems to be sacrosanct when it is clear that the concessionaire cannot handle the job. The management of Bi-Courtney has always explained why the project has not taken off years after signing the contract with government. For instance, Chief Executive of BiCourtney Highway Services, Mr. Wale Babalakin (SAN), at a time, blamed politics and inability of banks for the slow pace of the project.

He said: “There’s nobody who wants to give out money. This road was given to Nigerian banks to finance; Nigerian banks don’t have a long-term contract. ”We were holding meetings upon meetings, but you discover that all they can give is money for a year or two years and what you need is money for 15 years. We are now making a headway because a bank in South Africa showed interest. And we are now going to build the road with a consortium of firms in South Africa.”.

He added: “We assure Nigerians we’ll lay three lanes going to Sagamu, three lanes coming back; we’ll repair Sagamu to Ibadan, we’ll then come back and start rebuilding so that at every stage of our construction, there’ll be two lanes for motorists, while we are working on the third lane.” But all these remain a pipe dream as the road depreciates every day and claiming lives every other day.

Two human rights activists, Messrs Olawale Fapohunda and Richard Akinnola recently, asked a

• Onolememen(right) sharing a point with the contractor handling the repairs of the Third Mainland Bridge ... last Friday.

PHOTO: OKWY IROEGBU-CHIKEZIE

Federal High Court sitting in Lagos to revoke the concession agreement for alleged non-performance and “incessant destruction of lives and property along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway.”

‘The incessant accidents and destruction of lives and property are a direct consequence of the negligence and wilful refusal of the 5th defendant in executing the concession agreement four years after its award’

The plaintiffs, who listed Legal Resources Consortium as the third plaintiff, asked for an order of mandatory injunction compelling the government to immediately repair and maintain the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway “sequel to their obligations, legal and statutory duties so as to stem or curb the incessant traffic gridlock and destruction of lives and property on the expressway.”

Joined as defendants in the suit are the government, Minister of Works, his counterpart in the Ministry of Justice, Federal Road Maintenance Agency, (FERMA) and BiCourtney.

The plaintiffs are praying the court to declare that “the failure and or refusal of the 5th Defendant (Bi-courtney) in executing the contract four years after its award amounts to abandonment and ought to be struck down and revoked.”

Also, they urged the court to declare that “the incessant accidents and destruction of lives and property are a direct consequence of the negligence and wilful refusal of the 5th defendant in executing the concession agreement four years after its award.”

In addition, they are praying the court to declare that the government has “abandoned, shirked, abdicated their legal and statutory obligations to repair and maintain the Lagos- Ibadan Expressway, thereby occasioning traffic gridlock and destruction of lives and property.”

In their suit, the plaintiffs want the court to determine whether the Bi-Courtney as a concessionaire to whom the Federal Government had given approval in September 2009 for the rehabilitation of the LagosIbadan Expressway has failed in executing the contract four years after the contract was awarded to it.

They also asked the court to determine whether the government, having approved the concession of the rehabilitation of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway to the company through the Executive Council of the Federation can revoke the contract awarded to the 5th defendant (Bi-Courtney) for non- performance.

It averred that the concession agreement, having not followed due process nor complied with the guidelines of the agreement, should be struck down and revoked by the court sequel to its inherent powers.

Aregbesola commends club for medical staff quarters’ construction

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HE Pacesetters’ Club of Otan Ayegbaju, Boluwaduro Local Government Area of Osun State has praised Governor Rauf Aregbesola for assisting the government in building a modern medical staff quarters for the use of health officials working at the town’s Comprehensive Health Centre.

The club decided to build a befitting staff quarters to provide accommodation for doctors and nurses, who before now were commuting daily to Otan Ayegbaju from places, such as Osogbo, the state capital and Ikirun.

The property comprises five bedrooms with en-suite conveniences, a living room and three kitchens, all furnished for the use of doctors and nurses, who had hitherto attributed their inability to stay overnight in the community to the ab-

By Okwy Iroegbu-Chikezie Asst Editor

sence of comfortable accommodation.

Aregbesola, who urged other associations to emulate the club’s commitment to raising the standard of living of the town’s residents, said its efforts were well appreciated by the government.

He used the occasion to appeal to residents to live a clean and healthy lifestyle by planting flowers and nurturing the green vegetation that defined the entire landscape, as

well as embracing habits that would promote good health and reduce illness.

The governor also emphasised the need for the people to eat balanced diets and engage in physical exercise, noting that hospital attendance in the state had reduced by about 50 per cent since his administration introduced the O’Clean sanitation exercise.

President of the club, Mr Bisi Popoola, had earlier said the project was started by the body, which is made up of professionals in vari-

‘The government would evaluate the progress that would be made by the centre with a view to upgrading to a general hospital later because provision had not been made for that in the fiscal budget’

ous fields, about six years ago and completed last year.

He appealed to the state government to upgrade the health centre to a general hospital to serve the people of Otan Ayegbaju and neighbouring towns and villages better.

Chairman of the Project Handing Over Committee, Mr Segun Aina, had similarly appealed to the Osun State Health Management Board and other relevant government agencies to install and put into use the medical equipment donated by sons and daughters of the community resident in Canada, which had been locked up in the health centre for many years.

Aina also appealed to Aregbesola to ensure that more medical personnel were posted to the health centre to render 24-hour services because of the current inadequate

number of medical hands at the centre.

The traditional ruler, Owa of Otan Ayegbaju, Oba Lukman Fadipe, echoed his subjects’ sentiment and urged the government to upgrade the health centre to a general hospital and complete all ongoing road and drainage projects in the community to enhance quality of life.

Responding, Aregbesola said though the huge wage bill of medical personnel was eating deep into the government’s finances, his administration would nevertheless post more personnel to the centre.

He said the government would evaluate the progress that would be made by the centre with a view to upgrading to a general hospital later because provision had not been made for that in the fiscal budget.

THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 14, 2012

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COMMENTARY EDITORIAL FROM OTHER LAND

EDITORIALS

A second Somalia?

After Clinton, what?

•Jonathan must show leadership to have a dent on the security challenge

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UST as well Hilary Clinton, the US secretary of state who visited Nigeria on August 9, read President Goodluck Jonathan the riot act, though couched in diplomatic language: the president must take tough decisions on Nigeria’s current parlous security, if aid from the United States must count for anything.

“We want to work with you and we will be by your side,” Mrs Clinton reportedly promised, “as you make the reforms and take the tough decisions that are necessary.”

But as if to underscore the near-total loss of confidence in the president’s ability to crack the security riddle and stem the periodic but sure blood-letting by Boko Haram, the Nigerian Christian community, under the umbrella of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), wrote

‘After the visit of Mrs Clinton, President Jonathan must prove himself worthy of the huge mantle on his shoulders.

He must show leadership.

It is after demonstrating competence at his most basic task of solving the security problem that any foreign assistant would make any sense’

directly to Mrs Clinton, protesting the killing of Christians in the North.

The CAN letter, which its president, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor signed, complained of “the destruction of over 700 churches and the systematic massacres of hundreds of Christians in 48 hours – the largest single attack on Christendom in contemporary world history anywhere on the planet”. That bid about the worst attack on global Christendom could well be a hyperbole. But it underscored the lack of faith in President Jonathan to rein in the Boko Haram attacks.

That the CAN letter accused Secretary of State Clinton of under-reporting, to her home government, the Nigerian security crisis, was raising the ante to focus global attention on the problem while Mrs Clinton was in Nigeria; and, not unjustifiably so, further put the president on the hot seat. It is even more depressing for President Jonathan that CAN, one of the staunchest supporters of his presidency, is fast losing patience with the federal government’s effete Boko Haramscorecard – and expects no dramatic positive turn-around in the situation.

Still, after weeks of dreary reportage of Boko Haram pounding and the all too pervasive feeling that the federal government is powerless to save the situation, the Clinton visit offered a welcome breather.

On Mrs Clinton’s part, she sounded like a friend in need. To stem the tragic tide, she offered help in IT-driven monitoring

and tracking devices, capacity building in anti-terrorism manpower, and counter-insurgency training and re-training, as a short-term response to the Boko Haramthreat.

In the middle and long run, Mrs Clinton proposed a sweeping revamping of the economy and the ensuring of an equalopportunity polity, aside from boosting productivity in agriculture, education and health, as well as ensuring economic diversification. All these are tailored towards development and eventual mass prosperity, likely to wean the societal hopeless from the doomsday brainwashing and destructive philosophy of Boko Haram and allied religious anarchists.

As an agenda to face down and defeat the Boko Haram threat, Mrs Clinton’s suggestions were spot on. For President Jonathan, it must have been a thing of great encouragement to receive such public show of empathy and understanding from the world’s most powerful foreign minister. If he builds on the momentum, and walks the walk in positive and decisive action, instead of talk the talk, only to withdraw into his perceived shell of do-nothing, he may achieve some results.

After the visit of Mrs Clinton, President Jonathan must prove himself worthy of the huge mantle on his shoulders. He must show leadership. It is after demonstrating competence at his most basic task of solving the security problem that any foreign assistant would make any sense.

Effectiveness vs generosity Zamfara’s N2.7bn splashed on Ramadan gifts is on the high side

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HE holy month of Ramadan is rightly acknowledged as a perfect time to demonstrate the beneficial attributes of generosity and kindness, especially to those members of society who are in need. However, it appears that the Zamfara State government took this injunction to an extreme when it recently announced that it had spent N2.7 billion on Ramadan gifts to the less-privileged citizens of the state.

The state’s commissioner for information, Alhaji Ibrahim Birnin-Magaji, explained that the sum was spent on giving foodstuffs and clothing materials to recipients across the state’s 14 local governments. Arguing that the state government was merely meeting its social obligations to its citizens, he claimed that the expenditure had not inhibited the government’s ability to provide muchneeded infrastructure.

Such charity does have its positive aspects. It is a welcome departure from the norm, in which public officers often seek to appropriate national resources to themselves and their cronies without any consideration for those they purport to lead.

It is a practice which also falls largely within the religious and cultural practices of Zamfara State and the other states surrounding it.

However, it must be stated that the generosity of the Zamfara State Government is also paradoxically demonstrative of a profound poverty of thinking. By most measures of economic development, Zamfara ranks among Nigeria’s poorest states. It is in dire need of social infrastructure like schools, hospitals and roads. The state’s internally-generated revenue is relatively low, making it

heavily dependent upon the N2.5 billion monthly allocation it receives from the Federal Government.

Given these facts, the expenditure of N2.7 billion on just one item, Ramadan gifts, is clearly the manifestation of financial recklessness that is incompatible with effective governance. It reinforces a culture of dependency, by making the citizenry look forward to government handouts instead of seeking to better their lot through self-improvement; it inevitably creates opportunities for corruption, since the purchase and distribution of Ramadan gifts is open to all kinds of misappropriation; it also weakens government effectiveness by diverting resources from long-term development efforts to the temporary gratification of immediate needs.

Zamfara’s wastefulness is even more apparent when its Ramadan expenditure is compared to that of neighbouring states. Kano, for instance, claims to have spent N146 million for the same purpose.

That is almost 20 times less, in a state that is more than three times larger. The financial outlay is all the more amazing, given the perennial complaint by state governments that they need a larger share of national resources in order to carry out their functions.

This misplaced expenditure is not peculiar to Zamfara. All over the nation, at the federal, state and local government levels, governments are pouring resources into projects which are wasteful, non-priority prestige undertakings designed solely to gratify the egos of the public office-holders who proposed them. Some states are building five-star hotels instead of providing potable wa-

ter. Others are seeking to acquire aircraft and bullet-proof vehicles, even though civil servants are being owed salaries. When this is combined with the outrageous amounts that public office-holders draw in salaries and allowances, it is no surprise that the dividends of democracy are so rare in so many parts of the country.

If this trend is to be halted, the legislative arms of the various tiers of government must be more assiduous in their duties. Since no money can be spent without the approval of the state houses of assembly, legislators should be less willing to agree to fund projects whose long-term value to the citizenry is doubtful. If a project is not self-financing, of dubious viability, or imposes unnecessary financial burdens, it should not be approved. The overlygenerous Zamfara State would do well to teach its citizens to fish, instead of merely providing them with it.

‘If this trend is to be halted, the legislative arms of the various tiers of government must be more assiduous in their duties. Since no money can be spent without the approval of the state houses of assembly, legislators should be less willing to agree to fund projects whose longterm value to the citizenry is doubtful’

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INCE MARCH, no fewer than four crises have shaken the foundations of Mali, West Africa’s landlocked heart.

First, a military coup toppled the country’s democratically elected government and ended the exercise of civilian authority.

Second, Libyan weapons and resources spilling into Mali’s northern region have transformed what might otherwise have been a minor Tuareg rebellion into a brewing civil war against the newly established military government in Bamako, the nation’s capital.

Third, that rebellion led to the arrival of a radical Islamist sect that has desecrated the ancient city of Timbuktu, imposed the harshest strain of Sharia law and paved the way for an al-Qaeda outpost in West Africa.

Finally, these factors have conspired to generate a humanitarian emergency of epic proportions: Fleeing death and starvation, hundreds of thousands of refugees have poured into neighboring countries. In short, Mali is on the verge of becoming a second Somalia, condemned to a future of violence, political entropy and economic depression without an end in sight.

Unfortunately, the international community has greeted these developments with nothing but inertia and stall tactics. By and large, the response has been to focus on restoring civilian authority in the aftermath of the March 22 military coup. The United States and others have insisted that only after a newly elected democratic government is established can any successful regional intervention ultimately be launched against the Islamists in the north. In other words, the idea is to address the first of Mali’s crises as the key to tackling the whole.

While that approach makes sense in theory, it doesn’t address the urgency of the situation nearly enough. It could take a year or more for Mali to carry out an appropriately democratic election. In that amount of time, the Islamists might easily grow stronger in the north, continuing to persecute civilians and paving the way for a terrorist enclave in the region. After all, it took only about two months for these extremists to wrestle power from the Tuaregs, another month or so after that to destroy Mali’s most sacred city, and one more to begin public stonings for sex out of wedlock. At that rate, where will we be in a year?

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has proposed a military intervention in northern Mali. The United Nations — in conjunction with the African Union and the United States, among others — has pushed ECOWAS to define more clearly the type of intervention it would launch. Definition is important, but not nearly as much as rescuing Mali. ECOWAS proved its worth in Cote d’Ivoire in 2011; the United States should support an effort to launch a similar intervention of U.N. and regional forces in Mali as soon as possible.

Time is of the essence, and it is running out.

• Washington Post

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THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 14, 2012

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CARTOON & LETTERS

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EDITOR’S MAIL BAG

IR: The Federal Government has expressed its determination to re-introduce tollgates

scrapped by the administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo. According to the chairman of the Federal Road Maintenance Agency, Engineer Ezekiel Olajide Adeniji, the measure would generate revenue for government, provide jobs and funds for road maintenance.

Minister of Works, Architect Mike Onolememen, also confirmed the move. The minister, however, pointed out that bad roads would be exempted from the exercise.

The disclosure by the minister and FERMA boss is at variance with the earlier pledge by President Goodluck Jonathan that tollgates will not be re-introduced. The President had given the assurance during the second edition of the Media Chat, held in Abuja, that there won’t be re-introduction of tollgates on federal highways across the country.

“Federal government is not intro-

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Before the toll-gates return ducing toll gate in 2012. Federal government may not introduce toll gate in 2013 and even in 2014 but federal government is introducing the Public-Private Partnership arrangement to build road infrastructure just like the Lagos-Ibadan road that we are giving out now,” he had said.

Nigerians have, no doubt, received the current posture of the government with mixed feelings.

Some believe that the return of the tollgates was long overdue but would wish that management of the facilities be handled by reputable firms that maintain such roads with

the funds generated.

Not a few, however are of the opinion that the re-introduction, amounted to double taxation, an unnecessary burden that will lead to increased economic hardship.

Others have also argued that the tollgates would only enrich the pockets of privileged Nigerians without the roads being properly maintained and managed.

As laudable as the initiative may be - in terms of the divestment of government interest in matters of maintenance of sole maintenance of public utilities, it should not be done in a hurry, as the current ar-

rangement suggests.

The government should do its home work very well before embarking on the re-introduction of the tollgates, as failure to do so will amount to planning to fail.

There are a few things that could be learnt from other nations where tollgates are known to be effectively managed. Japan, United Kingdom, China, Hong Kong, India and South Africa are some of such countries that operate tollgates on their highways, bridges and tunnels and these monies have been carefully managed and used in the maintenance of these infrastructure.

This Nigerian deserves a national award IR: As a young lad growing up in Ibadan, Oyo State, I recall this jingle played on Radio O-Y-O, the radio arm of the Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State about a righteous man known as Muibi who returned to government (Police, more precisely) a large sum of money a passenger left in his taxi. The jingle encouraged all citizens to do likewise.

In 2012, another Muibi surfaced, now in Abuja. Mr. Imeh Usuah, a taxi driver plying Abuja airport road returned N18 million that a passenger forgot in his vehicle to the owner. Imeh said he was at the car wash when he discovered there was a bag left behind after dropping the man off in a hotel and immediately returned it. He was quoted as saying: “My mind went back to the man who I dropped at the hotel and I immediately alerted my chairman and he instructed me to go back to the place where I dropped him. I saw him and delivered his bag to him”.

There was no account of who the owner of the money is or whether he gave the cab driver some of the returned money in appreciation. In

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this era of cashless banking, I wonder why some people still risk their lives moving huge sums of money in public transport.

The National Orientation Agency on Thursday, August 2, rewarded Imeh with a token of N30, 000 and an award while the Ministry of Aviation reportedly plans to organize a dinner in his honour. Kind gestures these are, but I think the Federal Government needs to include Usuah on the list of

honourees for 2012 National Honours Award.

Unsung heroes like Imeh are the true Nigerians deserving high national honours such as Commander of Federal Republic (CFR) and Commander of the Order of Nigeria (CON). People like him are more worthy than politicians and businessmen who are ripping off the country rather than adding value to it. It is high time the law setting up the Nigerian National

Honours Award is amended to include a clause that makes it mandatory for government to withdraw the certificate, medal and delist any of the awardees from the honours list if they are found culpable of any crime by a court of law. The good gesture of Imeh has shown that Nigerians are not all scammers.

• Jide Ojo, Abuja.

Nigeria has a lot to learn from the South African system. Just like our own FERMA, its national road network is managed by the South African National Roads Agency Limited (SANRAL). SANRAL’s toll road operations can be divided into two parts –those managed and funded by SANRAL and those that are wholly funded by private companies.

SANRAL’s toll road network is supported by funds, raised from capital/money markets by issuing bonds and raising loans. Tolling is an equitable method that enables a motorist to pay only for the section of road used. It is also referred to as the “user pay”principle and is one of the most advanced systems in the world.

Unlike South Africa, where uninterrupted electricity could be taken for granted, a system that will combine both the manual and electronic options will be appropriate for Nigeria. In other words, the Traditional Toll Collection (TTC) and Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) should be used simultaneously.

Additionally, operators of the tollgates should be above board.

They should be persons, carefully selected and trained to carry out the sensitive assignment while due process should be followed in the selection of private firms that will managed the tollgates.

The Federal Government should ensure that necessary things are put in place before its operation. The use of tollgates should add value to the system and not be a burden. It should not place the cart before the horse.

• Adewale Kupoluyi Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta.

The ills of unemployment

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IR: The secret behind insecurity in Nigeria is the rise in unemployment. Discussing the evils of unemployment is like discussing what is obvious because the problems are right there staring at us in the face. Below are some of these sinister consequences of unemployment.

First, unemployment has the tendency to aggravate rather than alleviate the level of poverty in our beloved society. The unemployed will not be able to afford the basic necessities of life. It is not every-

body that can stand the pains of hunger and lack in general. As much, many of the victims of unemployment relapse into inevitable criminality. A society where unemployment is pervasive is likely to witness such crimes as robbery, succide bombers and terrorism, fraud and even hired assassination.

Unemployment can also jeopardize the entire essence of democracy which every government claims to protect. One of the rights of an individual is to be gainfully employed and the moment the gov-

ernment fails in this regard, the criminal may have a case against the government which is the case in Nigeria now.

Furthermore, unemployment establishes and widens the gap between the haves and the have nots.

The government is hereby implored to eradicate all forms of unemployment by taking some of the steps below.

First, soft loans can be made available to all duly registered unemployed to help them start something worthwhile. The fortunate ones can turn it around to blos-

som into a big business.

Government should also intensify efforts at making sure that all government officials who have reached the age of retirement do so as at when due so as to give room for promotion and new intakes.

Finally, government can also set up cottage industries so as to create more job opportunities for the unemployed members of the society.

•Usman Mohammed Lapai, Niger State

THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 14, 2012

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COMMENTS

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HE August 6 Otite, Okene, did not seem to get the bigger Kogi State massacre, of defencepicture: that the threat was less Deeper Life Bible Church more than targeted at him.

Rather, it was targeted at Niworshippers at Bible study; and the atgeria as we know it today. tack, on August 7, on the town’s central When a rogue group orders the mosque by another band of deranged president of the federal repubgunmen, opened the grim spectre of a lic to change his faith, it means, 21st century Saracens trying Crusaders in the deranged minds of its for size.

Olakunle members, it has decreed NiThe Deeper Life church attack has lordbeek@yahoo.com, 08054504169 (Sms only, please) Abimbola geria a theocracy from a repubclaimed no less than 20 lives, and still lic. That is treason of the first counting; while the central mosque atorder! President Jonathan tack has claimed four, including two ought to have seized the mosoldiers who though reportedly tried ment to rally everyone against to repel the attackers, were themselves this evil. But then, the guy gunned down. would appear both shell-shocked and battle-weary.

The Kogi case is not clear, though. An initial report said regained Spain and Iberia (now Portugal) from Muslim conAside from a supine presidency, how have other vital the town’s central mosque was attacked, during which the quest. stakeholders reacted? While evil forces bait their victims to two soldiers were felled. But later accounts claimed the To be sure, a 21st century commentator, with the benefit of retaliate and turn the country into a huge religious inferno, attack was indeed on the Okene Local Government council historical hindsight, may validly be accused of getting wise the governors are ranged in South Vs North battle positions secretariat. after the fact, dismissing both Crusaders and Saracens as power on the question of state police. To this lucky pack, it is always Still, the Kogi massacre was not the first grim omen that thugs and expansionist freaks, since wars and conquests dewhat happens at the next election, even if there might be no the present security challenge in northern Nigeria could fined the ages when both existed. But the same historical rigstate to hold that election, if things get worse. flare into a full blown religious conflict – if the mosque our has shown both were power touts, who needed the sweet For Kano Governor, Musa Kwankwaso, it is a grand theory attackers were not Muslim fifth columnists. The Kaduna sentiments of religion to raid and plunder, in an age when of how the erasure of the onshore/offshore dichotomy has attack and counter-attack of June 16 and 18 were. might was right. beggared the North, even if he showed no proof how the Back then, enraged Christians descended on innocent That Boko Haram has flaunted such destructive notoriety in the North directly contributed to creating that wealth. He is still Muslims, which provoked a further Muslim reprisal, after face of an impotent Nigerian state is truly tragic. But even fixated with the infernal over-centralisation of resources from a trademark Boko Haram mass killing that made the victim more tragic would it be if the madness is allowed to spiral into which the North’s power elite, over decades, had made hay communities irate but helpless; in the face of an impotent a religious war. On that however, the omens are not so good. with little to show on their Talakawa; and for which the region state that could not protect its citizens.

To start with, it is dangerous conceit and mindless assault on appears rather like a fish out of water when it is out of central In the Mid-Ages, Saracens and Crusaders were power the secularity of the Nigerian state that Boko Haram could deign power. To the governor, the new thinking of every region thugs, who claimed to be fighting the cause of God Alto tell Goodluck Jonathan, president of the Federal Republic growing and exploiting its own wealth is claptrap! Talk of a mighty, according to the prejudices of their faith. But if and commander-in-chief of the armed forces, to convert to Ispolitical elite’s fixation with a ruinous past that has all but God is indeed the Almighty, why would He need a mere lam as a precondition for talks to end its murderous campaigns. blighted the future! human, probably the most wayward of his creatures, to Jonathan may be weak, visionless, clueless and all that. But, And the Igbo elite? It is “presidency not negotiable” – at fight His cause? while still on that seat, he remains the symbol of political and least by the new battle cry of the South East Forum (SEF), a That explains the futility and stupidity of religious wars civilised order in the federal republic. To call on such a personnew pressure group sworn to giving the Igbo their political which, in any case, are only a veneer for great power age to change his faith, just because some misguided zealots due. Feel a sense of déjà vu? Sure, the Igbo political elite’s criminality. The present Boko Haram blood-and-gore camand deranged rascals are running rings round the state, is the antenna is not the sharpest when power politics is the issue. paign is criminal. So is global terror, for which Osama bin greatest danger signal yet that the house that Lugard built with Even then, this 2015 Igbo-presidency-or-nothing campaign, Laden’s al-Qaeda has gained deserved notoriety. spittle is about vanishing as dew. when the house is on fire, beggars all reason!

Blessed Pope Urban II (who reigned from 1042 to 1099) But how have the important stakeholders reacted to this grave And the Yoruba? It is an endless prattling over Yoruba granted the first set of crusaders plenary indulgence (a sort challenge to the Nigerian state? From Jonathan and his lobby, leadership. Question is: leadership for what and when? After of man-made divine franchise) to take up the cross (crusade it was a riposte that he would not succumb to personal blackreligious anarchists have turned this country into a huge has its etymology in a French term that means to “take up mail. That was well said – except that yet again, the president slaughter field? the cross”); and war to stake Christians’ claim to holy sites About everyone right now appears fatally distracted: occuin Jerusalem, which had been under Muslim rule for some ‘Everyone had better snap out of their stupying themselves with trifles while great danger, like an 372 years. por and demand a grand talk to set fresh terms ominous cloud, approaches.

Saracens, on the other hand, were a certain tribe of Arabs Everyone had better snap out of their stupor and demand a that nevertheless progressively got the connotation of Arab for the Nigerian federation. Otherwise, they grand talk to set fresh terms for the Nigerian federation. Othwarriors, warring against non-Muslims, either to sack fresh would jerk awake, only to find the Crusaders erwise, they would jerk awake, only to find Crusaders and territories in the name of Islam; or defend such empires and Saracens have drawn the first battle!’

Saracens have drawn the first battle! That would be the ruin against foreign invaders. Saracens and Crusaders clashed of all. during the Reconquista (Re-conquest), when Christian forces

epublican ipples

Saracens Vs Crusaders?

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HICHEVER way one looks at the story of Nigeria’s dismal outing at the just concluded Olympics, it comes clearly as re-echoing the familiar story of a nation in regression. By the time we are done with the effusive outpouring of lamentations about the inability of the valiant hearts to pick a medal and the recriminations by officials, we should, hopefully, be cured of the delusion of being among the universe’s best. Having lived for so long in the pretensions of being among the top, we probably need a dozen more shock therapies to remind us of how light years away we are from that dream.

Clearly, the delusion about the surfeit of talents needed to be shattered. I am glad it happened in London – I hope it stays permanent. Now, we know that talents abound just everywhere; it is no longer a case of a partial God endowing a prodigal nation a surfeit of outstanding gifts to the exclusion of the others. Surely, God has shown that He is not partial. And as has since been demonstrated, it takes time, big money and proper planning to transform talents of whatever hue into world beaters. As they say, heaven helps those who help themselves. How true!

How much is an Olympics medal worth? I have not the foggiest of an idea. However, BBC’s Richard Anderson quotes a Sports Economist at the University of Salford, Professor David Forrest as putting the figure spent by the Brits at 10 million pounds for a medal. And just as the egg-head would care to explain of the source of the tidy sum, 40 percent of it came from the treasury. The rest is from the private sector – notably the lottery. For the old empire, the princely investment of N2.5 billion was apparently worth every nickel of a medal whose face value is barely 450 pounds (N112,500). The Brits actually pumped in 100 million pounds annually in the last decade.

The Brits obviously know how to put their money where their hearts are. They know what is at stake – the glory, the honour and the national pride. That is the definition that world has given to sports.

How much did Nigeria spend? For a uniter that comes close to being a national religion, we put in barely enough to afford the lesson on how pretty steep the cost of a dismal outing can be, and just enough to put us where we belong – at the bottom.

Sports Minister Bolaji Abdullahi would have us know that the nation spent N2.2 billion from preparation to participation. Forget the fact that the sum is not even up to what it cost to prepare a lone British athlete, it seems even unlikely that anything close to that modest sum was delivered in real value to the athletes let alone the Nigerian taxpayer. This, unfortunately for what is in real terms– a mere “stipend” of $172,000 per athlete –and only made available two months to the games! No wonder the chase

Policy Sanya Oni sanyaoni@yahoo.co.uk 08051101841

Could things have been different? after foreign-groomed athletes to don our colours.

As I said at the beginning, the London Olympics story mirrors a familiar story of a nation locked in a culture of quick-fixes. A nation obsessed with the end-product rather than process. It accounts for the meltdown in governance now defined as national regression.

Of course, if medals were to be awarded for the capacity to dissect problems, Nigeria would most likely clinch multiple gold. Between Sydney and London, we certainly have excelled at dissecting the problems than taking practical steps to solve them. We have pontificated on the need to transform our sports infrastructure as against creating the environment for developing the talents which are said to abound everywhere to enable them become world beaters; we have sermonised on the need to do away with indolence and the policy myopia which stifle sports development. We have made a song of the need to rid the industry of the silent killer called corruption and to reposition it as a thriving industry.

Everything – or nearly so – has been said; the only thing left is for those in charge to do something.

Yet, we hunger for medals – and all the fruits associated with hard work.

The story is the same, everywhere. As it is in sports, so it is in the business and the economy. We covet honour but reject the sacrifice. It is a tale of a nation tending to atrophy. The federal government prepares big budgets, yet the citizen is told that the budget cannot be implemented. Rather than make concrete efforts to deepen economic growth, the managers of the economy would rather sacrifice the prospects of real growth for their obsession with macroeconomic stability.

As for the current budget impasse, no one has stepped

forward to explain how the modest goals set out in the fiscal plan could be achieved when budgets are not implemented. Suffice to say that Olusegun Aganga, President Goodluck Jonathan’s trade and commerce minister recently mounted an incomprehensible drive for foreign investment?

Did anyone recognise the selling point? What makes Nigeria an investment destination? The overblown issue of population? The stone-age infrastructure or the nightmarish policy environment? It seems understandable that the Agangas of this world would prefer to live far removed from the horrendous reality that defines our existence. With all the attachments to the ministerial office, who wouldn’t?

Was it lost to Minister Aganga that those elaborate five star events staged in some European capitals represent a far remote driver of investment than attention to infrastructure and policy to improve the environment for doing business in the country?

The situation merely confirms the penchant by our policy makers to chase shadows.

Where is the big picture? We can’t find any? Where is the roadmap? No discernible one that we can find – let alone the discipline and commitment to follow through. Day by day, the nation’s story appears more like a case of the blind leading the lost. I guess it is time for our tribe of prayer warriors to step in; time for the magic that failed to work London to be loosed upon Nigeria’s world.

‘The story is the same, everywhere. As it is in sports, so it is in the business and the economy.

We covet honour but reject the sacrifice. It is a tale of a nation tending to atrophy. The federal government prepares big budgets, yet the citizen is told that the budget cannot be implemented.

Rather than make concrete efforts to deepen economic growth, the managers of the economy would rather sacrifice the prospects of real growth for their obsession with macro-economic stability’

THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 14, 2012

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IGERIA is drifting and President Goodluck Jonathan does not appear to be capable of arresting the situation. I guess there is no medal for saying this as we all know this to be the truth about the situation of things in our country today, no thanks to the terrorist organization called Boko Haram.

Since his inauguration as President and Commander-In-Chief, Nigeria has known no peace as Jonathan looks on helplessly as the terrorists continue their war against us, leaving us at their mercy.

The good luck charm that his propagandists had promised was going to rub off on the rest of us with his assumption of the presidency never got off the ground right from Day one. Instead we have been reaping sorrows, tears and blood, the latest being the massacre of no fewer than seventeen worshippers at a Deeper Life Bible Church in Okene, Kogi State penultimate Monday by gunmen suspected to be members of the fundamentalist group. The victims were attending the usual bible study session in the church when the terrorists, after cutting off power supply to the premises, opened fire on them, shooting wildly.

Several others were also injured.

The attack on the Christians followed a dangerous trend that is beginning to emerge as Boko Haram step up their campaign of sectarian violence in the country. Claiming to be fighting the cause of Islam, which is not true, Boko Haram have of late been targeting Christian

‘That the Christians have not responded the way Boko Haram wanted is due in part to the grace of God and the growing cooperation between mainstream Islam and Christianity in Nigeria.

This must be troubling Boko Haram and their backers. But for how long shall we expect the Christians to turn the other cheek each time they were slapped?’

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HAD my secondary school education in the then Bendel State (now Edo and Delta states) in the seventies as a very proud boy.

This was because I was an indigene of a state which came first in virtually every sphere of life especially in academics and sports.

My state was the best in almost all the National Sports competitions held in the country at that time. When the Joint Matriculation Examination into the nation’s universities was introduced in the seventies by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), my state had the largest percentage of the candidates that applied all over the country. Many of those who made the highest mark in the examinations were indigenes of the state. We also came first in most of the national schools debates.

In terms of industrialisation, we had breweries, cement factories, textile mills and mechanised agricultural projects. In the area of infrastructure, many towns and villages in the state had electricity and pipe-borne water. Because of the pride I had in my state, I refused to lay claim to another state where I would have had free education and easy access to wealth and power despite persuasions from my elder siblings. I was eventually punished for this but I doggedly remained a Bendelite. This is a story for another day.

The question that arises from here is: How did these achievements come about?

The answer lies in the good governance of the military administration of one man –Chief Samuel Ogbemudia, who was first the Administrator and later Military Governor of Midwestern (later Bendel) State from September 1967 to July 1975. It laid

Jonathan: We can’t continue like this worship centres including churches with the sole aim of stoking retaliation from the Christian faithful and thus plunge Nigeria into a religious war.

That the Christians have not responded the way Boko Haram wanted is due in part to the grace of God and the growing cooperation between mainstream Islam and Christianity in Nigeria. This must be troubling Boko Haram and their backers.

But for how long shall we expect the Christians to turn the other cheek each time they were slapped? A time would come that they would say no more if the government failed to stop the terrorists. I hope that time is not near, and I pray that time would never come, because if it does, Somalia would be a child’s play compared to what we may likely experience.

Now how do we stop this people from breaking up our country? This is a difficult question to answer but one that every patriot, especially the president (I think he is one) must answer and quickly too.

Nothing does appear to be working for him as he attempts to bring the deteriorating security situation in the country under control. Every plan of his administration to address the problem that looked good at the beginning has turned to dust. All his promises that Boko Haram would soon be a thing of the past have come to nought. So, what is the problem? Or rather, what is his problem?

The problem is that Nigeria is such a complex entity that no one solution can solve any of her problems. His (Jonathan’s) problem is that he is such a weak leader that even if offered the best solution(s) to any of our problems he won’t be able to apply it or do it well. The

man is a weakling; we need a stronger leader to confront Boko Haram and allied problems facing Nigeria.

Did you read a statement credited to the spokesman of the former National Security Adviser General Andrew Azazi after he was sacked? The spokesman was quoted as saying that Azazi had advised Jonathan to order the arrest of some prominent people suspected to be backing Boko Haram but that the president chickened out. Although the spokesman denied everything credited to him, including denying Azazi had a spokesman, neither the former NSA nor the Presidency responded to that statement. I think the guy was saying the truth; Jonathan is just not up to it. And as the saying goes in Yoruba, it is better not to be the king than being an ineffective one.

The solution to Jonathan’s ineffectiveness, I think, is not the impeachment threat hanging on his head by the House of Representatives, although for a different reason. The man has shown that he doesn’t know what to do about Boko Haram so, he needs our help. To get that help he must also show willingness to listen and boldness/decisiveness to act in the best interest of Nigeria.

There is an ongoing clamour for states to be allowed to have their own police separate from the federal police. This is a constitutional matter. The merit of a state or community police far outweighs the demerit being championed by some sections of the country. Take for instance a police command in Yobe state formed and funded by the state government. The command would be composed of indigenes of the state who would know

the nooks and crannies of the state, the people and their culture. It would be easy for such a command to know the trouble makers and in this case the Boko Haram terrorists in their area and deal with them appropriately and decisively too without offending the culture and sensibilities of the people. Same goes for every other state.

So, if state police could help us in this regard why not? Jonathan should be ready and bold enough to take this decision and help save the country. Nobody is saying scrap the federal police, but the truth is that the Nigeria Police Force cannot do it all alone. The states should be allowed to complement their effort and the powers and functions of each state command clearly spelt out.

I am only using the issue of state police and its imperativeness as an example of what can be done to improve security and ensure peace in the land. Other suggestions have also been put forward even by our foreign friends which the president has been reluctant to take. Some countries including the United States have offered assistance, how far have we gone with such offers?

Even by the president’s own admission there are elements of Boko Haram in all the three arms of government, but since he made that revelation to the nation nobody has been identified or punished by the administration. So, what does that say about Jonathan’s kind of leadership?

Since he dismissed the former Minister of Defence a new one has not been appointed. What message is he sending out to the terrorists? He has changed the Inspector General of Police and yet the deteriorating security situation has not changed. He has reconstituted the joint military task force charged with restoring peace in Plateau state yet peace is still very much elusive. But if one may ask, how did late President Yar’Adua manage to bring peace to the Niger Delta? Wasn’t Jonathan the Vice President then?

May be Jonathan is the problem and if he is, all we need to do now is to assist him to do the little he could until he completes his tenure in 2015 and retire him and Dame Patience to Otuoke, lest they lead Nigeria into disintegration. We must address the security problem now and decisively too. The Christians won’t continue to turn the other cheek for ever.

Jonathan wake up; we can’t continue like this.

Oshiomhole; restoring the pride of Edo

By Mac Ogbamosa the foundation for the development of the state.

Unfortunately, subsequent military administrations destroyed the foundation that the Ogbemudia-led administration laid through neglect and abandonment.

The civilian government of Professor Ambrose Alli tried to rescue the situation.

It did very well especially in the area of education but it could not achieve much in other areas during its life span of four years between 1979 and 1983. When Ogbemudia came back as civilian governor in 1983, he spent only three months in government house before the military struck again. General Muhammadu Buhari became the Head of State.

The worst era of the state was under the civilian government of Chief Lucky Igbinedion who was governor from 1999 to 2007. Instead of uplifting the state, the governor was mainly interested in looting the state’s treasury. Subsequently, Edo became a home of prostitutes and armed robbers. Most Nigerian prostitutes in Europe especially Italy are said to have come from Edo State.

Professor Oserheimen Osunbor, who came after Igbinedion tried to do some restoration within the short period (May 2007 - November 2008) that he was in Government House was weighed down by the pressure from a political clique who did not mean well for the state. He eventually lost in court to Comrade Adams

Oshiomhole.

The Comrade Governor came at a time of great expectations. Even though, he had done very well as a labour leader having been a two-time president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), not many gave him a chance to perform well as a politician. But he proved most of his critics wrong. He built roads, schools and constructed boreholes. He created employment for many of the citizens of Edo State. Above all, he gave Edo people freedom from political denomination and intimidation by a clique.

Before now, anybody who tried to challenge the political hegemony of the state under the leadership of this clique did so at his or her own peril. A man with a small frame but a large heart came from nowhere and uprooted the tradition. It looked like ‘abomination’ but in fact, it was freedom for most Edolites who felt that a time had come when the elders should allow their children to grow up and attain maturity. Doing otherwise would have made the children to be stupid.

The city of Benin was said to be ancient to the extent that it could not be modernised. But that line of thought has been banished. Many structural renovations are taking place in Benin. It is gradually dropping the name of ancient city.

Edo Central was said to be an area where boreholes could not be sunk. Today, there are many boreholes gushing out water in the area.

In Edo North, rivers and hills were said to have made the construction of roads impossible. This theory has been defied.

Many villages in the area have now been linked with roads.

I am one of those who ran away from Edo State for many years because there was nothing to look forward to. Now, I visit Edo regularly and I am again beginning to see the sun shining brightly in Edo because of what Oshiomhole is doing in the state. I am happy to say I went home to vote in all elections.

As the Comrade Governor settles down for his second term, my candid advice to him is to see his landslide victory in the last election as a call to rededicate himself to work harder than he ever did in his first term. He should not relent. He should complete the projects he started and possibly embark on new ones.

I am gradually becoming a proud Edolite again. Oshiomhole is the cause.

•Ogbamosa is a lawyer / communications consultant

‘The city of Benin was said to be ancient to the extent that it could not be modernised. But that line of thought has been banished. Many structural renovations are taking place in Benin. It is gradually dropping the name of ancient city’

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INSIDE

TUESDAY, AUGUST 14, 2012

Website: http://www.thenationonlineng.com

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Charity feast at Ramadan - Page 26

Decay beneath FCT glamour

Gridlock amid insecurity - Page 27

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Defender of the Presidency

- Page 40

AMPPOSTS without bulbs.

Roofless bus stop shelters.

Overflowing sewage. Those are some of the infrastructural challenges of the nation’s capital, Abuja.

Until the threat of Boko Haram, an Islamist sect, the city was easily one of the most sought-after in the country. Its allure and myth were almost legendary. The glitzy highrise structures were postcard stuff. Being the city of federal power, it hosts people of fame and fortune.

Now, its woeful public facilities are ample proof that all that glitters is not gold. This beautiful city is bedeviled by enormous challenges. Cost of living is high.

House rent keeps soaring.

Despite the serene environment and awesome scenery of beautiful lawns, skyscrapers, among others, the territory still suffers lack of infrastructural maintenance.

“S

From Olugbenga Adanikin

Though successive administrations in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) could largely be blamed for the rot, activities of some unscrupulous residents cannot be underestimated.

When Abuja Review took a tour of the popular Wuse District, Utako, Garki, and Central Business District (CBD), among other areas

of the territory, the decay of infrastructures in these areas was visible.

Most of the bus stop shades have dilapidated. Passers-by take advantage of this uncomplimentary situation to convert them to restrooms.

Consequently, the entire area becomes irritating, smelly and filthy.

One wonders what efforts the FCT Administration is making to

Despite the serene environment and awesome scenery of beautiful lawns, skyscrapers, among others, the territory suffers lack of infrastructural maintenance

halt this seeming slide? Does this indicate that the relevant agencies are not doing enough?

The non-functional traffic lights compound the traffic situation in the city. Had they been functioning, they would have eased traffic congestion. The situation would also have made the job of the traffic wardens easy.

At some locations, the control lights are either broken or malfunctioning. Except at few interchange areas such as the ones opposite the Federal Secretariat, Ministry of Foreign Affairs close to the Head of Service Complex and selected places in Area 11, the story is the same almost everywhere. The situation causes traffic wardens to exert extra energy in ensuring smooth flow of traffic.

•Continued on Page 27

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ABUJA REVIEW

•A dilapidated bus shelter •Continued from Page 25 Commenting on the issue, a resident in the territory, Muhammad Usman, attributed the infrastructure decay to mismanagement of funds.

Suggesting proper maintenance culture, he said there was need to set aside a special fund from the Federation Account to service infrastructure in the territory if the beauty of the country’s capital will be retained.

Continuing, he said: “We discovered that most times, the traffic lights would function today and tomorrow they would malfunction. There is urgent need to set up a monitoring group which may comprise workers who have relevant knowledge in electrical matters to monitor traffic light installations. They would also be in charge of effecting repairs on any damaged installation.

“Special funds should be set aside for proper maintenance of the system because it is something that has to do with life. If one traffic light is not working, automatically it is going to cause congestion. The situation is fair in the town here but if you go to the outskirts, things are bad. The government must do something about it.”

Unfortunately, female traffic wardens suffer humiliation from motorists. They look frustrated each time drivers refuse to comply with their directives. Some, out of anger, would spit at some drivers on account of their recalcitrance.

Another resident, Mr. Adeleye Babalola, compared the territory with Kogi State, even as he stressed that the quality of infrastructure in the state is not better when compared with those in the FCT. However, Babalola lamented greed on the part of some stakeholders. He opined that Nigerians should imbibe honesty as virtue.

“If we are honest in this country,

•A stuck drain

Decay beneath FCT glamour things will not be this bad. Nigeria is blessed. We are blessed with a lot of mineral and human resources. Sadly, greediness has been a source of pain in the affairs of the country,” he said.

The Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) should be commended in its efforts to make things work. The agency has shown tremendous commitment in ensuring smooth traffic flow and has succeeded in preventing street hawking in the territory.

Most times, the agency is seen scrubbing off posters pasted on public structures, bus stop shades, pillars of bridges as well as watering of flowers especially at the popular Berger Roundabout.

However, before the rainy season commenced, some drainage systems were opened for clearing, even though they are left uncovered after the exercise.

Another issue is dilapidating state of some Local Education Authority (LEA) Primary Schools in the territory. Though a number of them are being maintained, others wear horrible look. Doors and windows of the classrooms are not secured.

For Mr. Michael Awolowo, corruption has become the bane of the country’s development, even as he said that it has led to backward development of the territory especially in terms of infrastructural development.

He said: “Everyday Nigerian leader keeps saying that Nigeria is the Giant of Africa and Abuja is a federal capital that is emerging to be one of the world-class federal capitals. But I don’t see that happening because the state of infrastructure is declining every day. In sum, I think it is corruption, nothing more than corruption is the problem.

“When we get rid of corruption, things will fall in place and then

the re-orientation that has been hyped would also include our leaders.

They need re-orientation more than the ordinary Nigerian. They should know that if they improve on infrastructure, a lot of problems would have been solved.

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OR the faithful, Ramadan is a time to attain higher spiritual heights. But there is more to it. The Iftar or breaking of fast comes with much charity, including feeding the poor.

At Ramadan, Muslims all over the world are encouraged to improve on their good deeds with guaranteed multiple rewards from Allah.

They are also reminded and taken through spiritual a course of life on how to conduct themselves to avoid sinful acts.

Some want to give more alms to the poor, others want to read the Qur’an more frequently, and some others want to be soft with their words and speech.

For many Islamic organisations such as Nasrul-Lahi-L Fatih Society of Nigeria (NASFAT), Ahabibiya Islamic Centre and a host of other bodies, it is a time to fete the poor and reach out to the less-privileged.

This is what the Ufuk Dialogue Foundation, Nigerian Turkish International College, Association of In-

There is great need to revamp the entire infrastructural system in the territory. The vision of the administration is to make it a famous city in the world. This vision will become a mirage if the dwindling infrastructural situation is not improved •Kitchen staff at work

“If our network of roads is good, then the mortality rate we have on the road will be reduced. If the lighting system is okay, the kind of traffic we see always on the road when the human traffic controllers are not there will not also be

experienced and accidents would reduce.”

In the circumstances, therefore, there is great need to revamp the entire infrastructural system in the territory. The vision of the administration is to make it a famous city in the world. This vision will become a mirage if the dwindling infrastructural situation is not improved.

Charity feast at Ramadan From Halima Sogbesan

vestors and Businessmen of Turkey and Nigeria in conjunction with the Abuja National Mosque had in mind, by organising a befitting and mouth-watering Iftar.

Since the Ramadan crescent adorned the sky, these organisations have collaborated in feeding a thousand people every day here in the Federal Capital Territory. Before commencement of Ramadan, the National Mosque authorities had identified people that fit into the less privileged category. These people were given 30 tickets each that will enable them get food at the National Mosque’s Ramadan Iftar programme for the 29 or 30 days of Ramadan.

They are hosted to a variety of delicious meals prepared by the Nigerian Turkish International College kitchen staff. The menu list in-

cludes jollof, white or fried rice.

Also accompanying the meal is a piece of meat, a sachet of pure water, Capri-sonne and dates. One package of food costs the organisers $3. The money is sourced from public spirited Muslims who contribute to the programme. They include parents of students in the Turkish college, the school management, some citizens of Turkey, as well as friends and families of the organisers.

At the National Mosque’s spacious courtyard, packaging of the food starts at 3pm. The kitchen staff are usually clad in overalls, aprons, gloves and hair nets for the women.

They dish out food from warmers into disposable packs. At this point, the courtyard is usually crowded with people who are anticipating the food distribution. To while away time before the distribution, •Continued on Page 27

THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 14, 2012

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ABUJA REVIEW

Charity feast at Ramadan •Continued from Page 26 the waiting beneficiaries engage in some religious activities, prepare for the Asr prayer or even engage in conversation with one another.

Many of the recipients observe the Asr prayer at the mosque’s courtyard so as to be among early collectors of the food. As soon as the prayer ends, people wait for the demarcations to be rightly placed so they could queue up. The demarcations ensure that men and women are separated. As soon as the demarcations are put in place the lines start to form, though it is never as straight as the organizers would have wanted. The queues are filled with able and disabled men and women, young and old.

Mothers have their children strapped to their backs while some join the queue with them. Loud indistinct conversations could be heard during this time. The mosque’s security personnel try to ensure orderliness while the process lasts.

When the food distribution starts, people struggle to get their food on time. Children on the other hand cry and try to convince the organizers that they are fasting as well and should get food like every other person. The organisers in turn assure them that they will be given food when their turn comes. As people get the package, there is fre-

quent murmuring of Allah ba da lada (may God reward you) and other supplications especially from the elderly. The food packages are exhausted about 30 minutes into the sharing. The courtyard gradually clears and the kitchen staff pack their empty food warmers into a van.

Our correspondent spoke to Maryam Musa and Abdussalam Sa’id, two beneficiaries from the programme.

Maryam is a food seller who has been collecting food for herself and her daughter since the programme started. Translating from the Hausa language which she spoke, Maryam said, “they are giving us food for the sake of Allah and I am really happy for that. Allah will continue to reward their efforts.”

Sa’id, on the other hand, dispelled rumours usually associated with free food.

“We have heard on a number of occasions that people distribute poisoned or charmed food. With these people, we are sure that nothing like that is the intention.” Sa’id is a meat seller and he has also been benefitting from the programme since onset.

The Iftar programme started last year. In addition to feeding people in Abuja, these organisations collaborate to feed 1,000 people in Kano and Kaduna, and another 500 people in Yobe State every day.

As people get the package, there is frequent murmuring of Allah ba da lada (may God reward you) and other supplications especially from the elderly. The food packages are exhausted about 30 minutes into the sharing. The courtyard gradually clears and the kitchen staff pack their empty food warmers into a van

•Food is ready

•The needy queue up

‘There’s more to road safety campaign than talking to drivers’ The Corps Commander, Corps Public Education Officer, Mr. Jonas Agwu, has occupied several key positions at the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC). At The Nation office in Abuja, he speaks on issues relating to safety on our roads in this interview with our Abuja Bureau Chief, YOMI ODUNUGA. Excerpts:

• Agwu

H

AS the chicken come home to roost after your sojourn out of Abuja?

Almost nine years after I left the headquarters as the head of media, I am back once again to take up a fresh challenge. Most importantly, I am here to thank The Nation for the support we have enjoyed thus far.

Now that I am in Abuja, I said let me come and announce myself. I want to thank your team for the support given to my predecessor and FRSC

and to ask same. I know that a lot of things have changed. When I was the image maker from 2001 to 2003, the challenges that the FRSC faced in policing the road were different from what we have today because the challenges are more.

What are the present challenges in road safety issues?

The United Nations is concerned about the global crashes; two years back, it was 1.2 globally and today, it

is 1.3 and the UN is saying if anything concrete in not done, we might be getting a higher figure. That is why we are putting in place strategies and one of those strategies has to do with the issue of our operations. What we have done is to realign our patrol strategies. We have been able to capture crashes on Nigerian roads between 2007 and 2010 involving tankers and trailers and buses and we discovered that the pattern is the same in Lagos-Ibadan, Abuja-Lokoja, Abuja-Kaduna which is where you find most of these crashes occurring.

We have ensured that patrols are realigning to focus on major roads.

We have improved not only on enforcement but also on monitoring what is happening along these roads.

So for any traveller, you discover that you are seeing more FRSC presence on Lagos-Abuja axis, Abuja-Lokoja axis, Lagos-Ibadan and of course on Abuja-Kaduna axis. So, what we are asking is for public understanding and support because the FRSC is not pleased with the attitude of the motoring public. We have done the behavioral patterns of road users and form our own report pattern. If you

take Abuja for instance, the driving in Abuja today is not what it used to be four to five ago , almost every corner, people are phoning and driving facing traffic; people are driving carrying children who are under 12 in the front seat of vehicles.

These are some of the reasons that are responsible for the road crashes we are recording. So, because of the increase in irresponsible driving, we have also looked at how can reach out to Nigerians and motoring public? The UN has also come up with public education as one of the five pillars to be used in bringing down road crashes in Nigeria. What we have done is to evaluate our public enlightenment and so in the next one or two weeks, we are coming out with a very creative and aggressive public enlightenment campaign strategy that will change the mindset of people in terms of their attitude to road usage.

So, we are appealing to the public and to Nigerians to assist us in reenforcing the message when we say to people, don’t drink and drive, don’t overload a vehicle, and don’t drive against the traffic, “drop that blackberry”.

Is there any law in Nigeria that stops you from making calls while driving?

The National Road Traffic Regulation says you can’t use any facility on your phone: you cannot text, chat, tweet or do anything on it.

If you must use the phone, then you pull over and park. In some societies, you just say don’t do phone calls but text and they discover that crash index is rising and so they are coming with stiffer rule that say don’t even text.

Today, we have 122, a toll-free number which we are very optimistic will assist us in improving on our response time in event of road crashes and if our response to road crashes improves, it then means that we will be able to bring down the number of deaths recorded as the result of crashes that occur on the road. So, we want to appreciate government for that effort, but we want to plead with the public to use that number.

We will be partnering with the media to let Nigerians know that, as carrier of the news, they also have the right to life because if you make calls while driving and my men don’t •Continued on Page 28

THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 14, 2012

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ABUJA REVIEW

‘There’s more to road safety campaign than talking to drivers’ •Continued from Page 27 pick you up, then the crash will pick you up. We want you to pick a date which the pressure of the deadline on you and we will have your staff seated and we give them a one or two-hours free lecture on safety consciousness because if you look at the crash trend in the last couple of years, journalists have been involved. So we are saying that part of our own effort is initiating

We are saying that part of our own effort is initiating federal road awareness campaign where you see us talking to professionals and not only commercial drivers because road safety has gone beyond talking to commercial drivers

O

NCE upon a time, residents moved across the length and breadth of the Federal Capital Territory without a worry.

You could calculate how many minutes it would take you to move from one part of the city to another because of the good road network.

Also, citizens went about their business without looking over their shoulders due to the heightened insecurity in the city.

But now things are different. Due to the incessant security challenges mainly caused by the militant Islamist sect, Boko Haram, Abuja is now like a besieged city.

This fast developing city of bright lights, opportunities, dreams, and what the younger generation refers to as “swag” is now a city of concrete bulwark at every corner.

The much talked about city, which in spite of the its high cost and innumerable influx of people from all over the country has taken on the look of a garrisoned city.

Mostly considered as the city to be, Abuja’s population has soared

federal road awareness campaign where you see us talking to military personnel, Nigeria Institute of Public Relations , Nigerian Iinstitute of Management , Nigeria Union of Journalists and so on; these are the things we are initiating _ targeting professionals and not only commercial drivers because Road Safety has gone beyond talking to commercial drivers.

To what extent would you attribute road crashes to our bad roads?

I did say in my talk that our roads are bad and that Ministry of Works is making it part of its commitment to ensure that the roads are put in proper shape. But let me say this, bad roads don’t cause crashes. Abuja has one of the best roads in the country, but you will agree with that the number of crashes that happen here are avoidable crashes. When a man set out from here to Lokoja, he knows that the road is not dualised and there are some potholes in some places and the man runs 120kmh and there is crash, do you blame it on the road or on the fact that the man was driving above the speed limit?

The maximum speed limit allowed by law is 100Kmh, how many Nigerians who would end up reading this interview tomorrow can say truly that on a daily basis as they travel from one place to the other, they drive within the speed limit? Human attitude is the point I

From Frances Ajewole

in spite of high cost of almost everything. From accommodation to foodstuff in the market, the city has undoubtedly become one of the most desired places to live in Nigeria.

But because of its security challenges, the city now has machine guns in hidden places.

Soldiers have now become a daily and even normal sight to behold within the city.

Apart from this, another major worry is the blocking of various roads by security personnel and organisation in the city.

Though the pace at which roads and estates are created in the city plays a large part in encouraging people from all over to come and partake in the “goldmine”they think the city is fast becoming, the traffic gridlock is becoming a menace and great discouragement to those within the city.

Abuja was chosen as the new Capital of Nigeria in order to bring

am making. If you Google it, in America, UK, Canada and Australia, the report will tell you that human error account for over 80 per cent of the crashes. For instance, in Nigeria, a man will spend N2 million in buying a car but cannot spend 120,000 naira to buy brand new tyres, They will tell you that they will manage the tyres. These are all the attitudes we are talking about. It is not the state of the roads. In Abuja where the roads are good, how many of us wait at the traffic light, how many of us give way to the car on the left of the RoundAbout? So, if we abuse the good roads here and when we get to the bad ones, how do we control our driving?

Would it be morally right to claim that it is the roads that cause the crash?

No, it is the usage of the roads that account for it. I was delivering a speech in Lagos where there was a Swiss and the people were saying no, fix the road, the Swiss said that our people are not serious because people want to run 110 to 140kmh on Lekki road that is very beautiful. When roads are fixed, people can’t even control their driving. So, the real issue is about attitude. If every Nigerian road user should change his or her attitude today and now, road crashes will drop by more than 50per cent immediately.

How easy is it for Nigeria to access the new drivers’ licence and number plate?

Well, it is very easy. Drivers’ license is being accessed everywhere. Like

• Agwu we said, the beauty of both number plate and drivers’ license is ICT, so we are not where we were five years back, there has been improvement. I will give you a beautiful story about someone who applied for a drivers’ licence and same day had some issues thinking that he could pick up a drivers’ licence but the system said “sorry, you were just given a drivers’

licence 24 hours ago and you cannot apply for another licence”. If you are to apply for a licence today and you are issued and you claim that there are some errors that you want to clear, the system will reject it because it is within 24 hours and that is why we are pleading for understanding from Nigerians.

Gridlock amid insecurity succour from the traffic chaos and population upsurge with their attendant problems that overtook Lagos as a federal capital..The wide roads were meant to combat the well-known problem of traffic jams in Lagos.

Alas, this is not the case today. The traffic jams one sees here in Abuja can favourably compare with what Lagos has been suffering from all these years.

Why is it so? Were the wide roads insufficient? Is Abuja overpopulated now? A short trip around town Garki, Wuse, Asokoro and indeed anyplace with government property, especially having to do with security outfits - Police force or Military might not end up being short in the end. These days, a journey that normally takes between eight and 12 minutes by car, will now for at least 40 to 50

minutes.

The cause of this is the road-block that is rampant along theses roads or areas. Our roads have been demarcated and sealed off at every turn, making movement extremely difficult and risky. The Federal government sees cordoning-off roads close to these places as the best way to prevent these buildings from being bombed by the terrorist group Boko Haram.

One will wonder: what happens to the masses then? Are we not being set up to be sitting ducks, spending hours in a particular spot in those ever frequent traffic jams?

True, the bombers have said they will target these military men and members of the Police, but from all indications, the masses are as much a target as they are. Public places that are visited daily by civilians have also been bombed without prejudice.

Is it safe to say that despite talks about how the Federal Government values every life, the case is different in theory? The only people happy with this development are the members of the force as other road users have complained bitterly about this development.

According to them, what makes it more painful is that there is no end in sight to this worrisome situation.

A taxi driver, Ode Oseika, who has been at the job for 11 years in

Abuja, complained bitterly about this development. Indeed he spoke for majority , if not all, taxi drivers in Abuja when he criticised this move by the government. He said:”Because of this road block, we cannot pass some areas easily. That one is automatic double journey.

And they (Federal Government) are not helping at all with the scarcity of the expensive fuel. Why are they making life harder for us? I regret voting for these people”.

Another resident and road user, Femi Akintola, bitterly protested the road blocks. “I don’t understand why these people think their lives are more important than ours. This blocking is senseless. The Federal Government should stop Boko Haram like they promised instead of protecting themselves. They’ve said they know those responsible, what are they waiting for? What is the problem? This situation is a pointless long journey,he said. “ One of the fallouts of the countless blockades on the various roads is an increase in road accidents. The confusing diversions from one lane to the other make it hard to know where one should be driving, especially if one is new in town and driving at night.

At various points across the city, one comes across the wreckages of cars that have crashed into the blockades at night, adding to the already high fatality visited on hapless citizens by terrorists.

Beautiful roads and estates may have attracted people to the city considered as the “goldmine”, but the endless traffic gridlock is becoming a menace and great discouragement to those within •Abuja traffic jam

TUESDAY, AUGUS 14, 2012

29

‘

Corruption is the most resilient disease plaguing mankind that has almost defied and openly resisted all antidotes. It is found all over the world and exists almost everywhere even in the developed nations or advanced democracies with very strong institutional mechanisms for fighting it. However, the effects of corruption are felt more sharply in sub-Saharan African Continent and other emerging democracies ...

• SEE PAGE 33

E-mail:- law@thenationonlineng.net

’

Should the Office of Public Prosecutor be separated from that of the Attorney-General as contained in the 1960 and 1963 Constitutions to ensure transparency in criminal justice administration whether at the federal or state level? Yes, say lawyers, who attended the second Annual Conference of Nigerian Association of Prosecutors in Abuja. They said the military brought the Public Prosecutor’s office under that of the Attorney-General to manipulate the prosecution of criminal matters. According to the conference, the mass failure of prosecution of high profile cases is because of the fusion of these offices. Only the autonomy of the Public Prosecutor will restore confidence and integrity in the system, they argued. Such independence is necessary for the prosecutor to be impartial in citing the law and facts before the court. Legal Editor, JOHN AUSTIN UNACHUKWU reports.

• Cross-section of prosecutors at the event

Wanted: Independent public prosecutors H

OW can the criminal justice system best be served? Some say it is by removing the office of the public prosecutor from the ambit of the AttorneyGeneral.The retention of the prosecutor under the office of the Attorney-General will not aid the justice system, rather it will pollute it, they added. Their argument stems from the fact that theAttorney-General is appointed by the government and as such he and those under him must toe the government line in whatever case they handle.

This public perception of public prosecutors came to the fore at the Second Annual Conference of Nigerian Association of Prosecutors in Abuja. Lawyers, who participated in the conference, frowned on the arrangement of having public prosecutors under the Attorney-General, whether at the federal or state level. This arrangement,they argued, is responsible for lack of effective prosecution of cases involving very important personalities and high profile politicians.

The conference, which was attended by over 1,000 lawyers and Directors of Public Prosecution (DPP) from the 36 states and the Federal and prosecutorial agencies, such as the

Police, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offices Commission (ICPC), National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Federal and states Ministries of Justice etc, said the arrangement, which subjects the DPP to civil service rules and political control negates efficiency and transparency in the criminal justice system. They called on the National Assembly to reverse this position in the planned Constitution review.

They are seeking return to the trend and revert to the provisions of the 1960 and 1963 constitutions on the Office of Public prosecutor.

They said military regime subsumed the Office of Public Prosecutor under that of the attorney-general so that they could manipulate criminal prosecutions.

Speaking on The effective prosecutor in Nigeria’s democracy, the keynote speaker, former Lagos State DPP, Mr Fola Arthur-Worrey, said: “One of the problems in our democracy is the lack of clarity as to where authority lies and where final decision making lies in terms of prosecutions. The second issue is that most prosecutorial agencies are grossly under-

Inside: ‘How traffic law will be enforced’- P.31

funded, too much money is going to aspects of the process that are not fundamental”.

He added: “ What every agency should do is to make sure that its own people are properly trained. They should be the primary resource in investigating and prosecuting cases.

The police need to reconfigure themselves.

They seem to have lost their bite in terms of the hard nitty-gritty ground breaking kind of investigation.

“It is now occupied with Very Important Personality (VIP) protection unit and all kinds of demeaning situations, carrying bags, fighting for tickets at the airports and so on. We need to do something about this, it is undermining the authority of the state.”

Arthur-Worrey went on: “It all add up to the general ineffectiveness of prosecution and we need to address it. Less than one per cent of the criminal prosecutions in the country are convicted because not all the cases in court should be in court in the first place. Many of them are filed as a response to public opinion, they are not filed on the basis of their investigative validity. “ We need to use the power of arrest more judiciously, the system is overwhelmed by the

sheer number of cases that have little legitimacy. We need to strengthen the prosecution process. The courts themselves need to review their whole attitude to prosecution. You cannot always blame it on the prosecutor or defence. Courts must take charge. Judges must take charge of processes and prevent abuse of court processes otherwise we are not making progress in the prosecution of cases and to me that is dangerous.”

Prof Yemi Akinseye-George (SAN) said: “One of the most important aspects of this meeting will be restoring independence to the office of Public Prosecutor, taking the Public Prosecutor away from political control.

The reason we need to do that is because we need to restore the integrity of our criminal justice system. The rising wave of crime in our country can be traced to the ineffectiveness of the criminal justice system. It should serve as a deterrent. Our criminal justice system no longer serves as a deterrent to criminals because they know that when they are released on bail or through technicalities, the trials can be delayed.”

•CONTINUED ON PAGE 30

Role of CSOs in fighting corruption: Issues and ...- P.33

THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 14, 2012

30

LAW COVER CONT’D •Continued from Page 29

George said: “And in the trials, we have only one per cent prosecution, which shows the need to urgently restore the efficacy and efficiency of the criminal justice system by strengthening the power of public prosecution, by making funds available for prosecutors, not only in the ministries, but also private prosecutors, independent agencies, such as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practice and other related offences Commission (ICPC).”

Mr Chino Obiagwu said: “The conference has gone very well in the sense that we have witnessed a very impressive turn out of prosecutors compared to what we had in the first conference last year.”

He continued: “We have also witnessed a very active participation of the leadership of prosecution agencies, the states’ ministries of Justice, the EFCC, NDLEA, ICPC, NAPTIP and others and so.

“At this conference, we have almost all, but our Directors of Public Prosecution (DPPS). We have the head of the NDLEA, the head of EFCC, NAPTIP and so.

“They all came with their prosecuting teams. This shows that there is a lot of team work going on among prosecutors. The meeting has also created that atmosphere for co-operation. It is a good thing for prosecutors in Nigeria; that prosecutors at all levels are no longer working to compete, but working to co-operate and, for us. That is a huge success. “ That is the purpose of the whole initiative, to create that synergy among prosecutors individually, even among institutions. There is no policy guiding synergy among the institutions, but at least, individually, they can pass calls among themselves asking each other. What is happening here? What is happening there? So that we can move forward in the area of criminal justice reforms.”

On the call for autonomy or independence of the Public Prosecutor, Obiagwu said: “I entirely agree that for us to improve on criminal justice administration, we must go back to the 1963 constitution regime. Under the 1960 and 1963 constitutions, the office of Public Prosecutor was relatively autonomous, autonomous of the ministry of justice, autonomous of the Attorney-General, autonomous of the Executive of government and so on.

“The purpose being that the work of the DPP is to protect the interest of the public, which is the interest of the people in criminal prosecution.

That is why you see that a prosecutor can even prosecute the President or prosecutor highly placed government officials.

“In the United States, you heard about the Kenneth Star. He was the Public Prosecutor, who investigated Bill Clinton even when he was the President of the US and nearly prosecuted him. If he didn’t have that kind of autonomy, there was no way he could undertake special investigation of Clinton and Monica Lewinsky affair at that point in time.

“So, it is that independence of a public prosecutor that guarantees the independence of the criminal Justice process.The prosecutor must act for the interest of the public and the only way can do that is to detach himself from the executive and that was the intention of the 1960 and 1963 constitutions.

“It was the intervention of the military into politics that changed all that. The Military wanted to have control of the criminal justice system. They wanted to have the control of who was prosecuted, and who was not.And they created the equivalent of Sections 211 and 147 of the constitution, which gives the Attorney-General of the state or Federation entire powers to prosecute and not to prosecute.”

Obiagwu continued: ”That has been a major problem because if the DPP

• Justice C.C. Nweze

• Obiagwu

• Arthur-Worrey

• Lawrence Anya

• O. Fatunde

• Akinseye-George (SAN)

• J.A. Mumuni

• Elachi Agada

Wanted: Independent public prosecutors is not independent, it will not be properly funded. If the DPP office is independent, then it will have its own direct allocation. If it is properly funded, it will be able to manage its own resources. It will be able to build its own resources. It will be able to have a security of tenure. You don’t just move DPP around. People who work in the DPP office will have a career in prosecutions and that is when we can make progress.

We must go back to that issue of autonomy for professional reasons.

“The conference is calling on the National Assembly to use this opportunity of constitution review process to change the position for the better, so that the DPP office will be independent. It is not a threat to anybody. It is not a threat to the Attorney-General. In fact, there will be guarantee of accountability and transparency to ensure that the DPP does not abuse the independence.

“The office of the DPP needs and must be independent if we are going to make progress because that is how it is in other places.” Obiagwu added The Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation, Mrs. O. Fatunde,s said: “The idea of this conference is to bring prosecutors together, to share our experiences and knowledge because we face new challenges every day and when you know that the challenges you are facing have been overcome by somebody, it is good to know how he did it. It is good also for them to know how you prosper in your own field.

“When we come together, we exchange ideas. We understand better.

We learn from one another and, of course, we grow in knowledge about how to handle cases, the challenges of the administration of criminal justice. We discuss case of security and how to help Nigeria to overcome its security challenges.

Fatunde added: “It is also worthy of note that through this kind of forum, we get to know one another.

We get to know prosecutors in other jurisdictions within the country and

if you have any problems in the discharge of your duty, you can easily call them and ask for ideas. So, it is good; nobody is operating in isolation. That is very good and helpful for our country. It is only a way of moving our country forward in the area of achieving effective administration of criminal’s justice.”

On the call for autonomy for the Public Prosecutor, she said: “I believe this will help us a great deal because you just have heard it expressed in this conference that a prosecutor is neutral, a prosecutor is a public officer. He has no interest either way; he is not in favour of either the defendant or the complainant. He is like a neutral arbiter to do justice in the interest of the public. It is the prosecutor that represents the public in a criminals case.”

Fatunde also said: “The motive of the prosecutor is to lay the case, the facts, the evidence before the court and assist the court to interpret those facts and evidence in the light of the provisions of the law so that justice can be done. When justice is done, the interest of the public is served.

That is very necessary.

“So the prosecutor needs this independence very much to stand as a neutral and impartial person who can present both the law and the facts before the court, so that the courts will do justice as it ought to be done and the interest of the public will be better served.

“If the prosecutor is independent, it means that he will have no other influence, but the interest of the public operating upon his mind when he is doing his work. It will not be public interest on one side, then political interest on another side.

“So the prosecutor needs this independence very much to stand as a neutral and impartial person who can present both the law and the facts before the court. So that the courts will do justice as it ought to be done and the interest of the public will be better served.

“There will be no political influence; no personal interest. He will

just be motivated by the interest of the entire public. Of course you know that the public includes politicians, everybody living within the society. So the prosecutor needs this independence very much to stand as a neutral and impartial person who can present both the law and the facts before the court, so that the courts will do justice as it ought to be done and the interest of the public will be better served.”

On her advice to her colleagues, she said: “My advice is for everyone to have the fear of God because it is the fear of God that will help you to get rid of anything else apart from public interest and the welfare of the society to bear on your mind when you are doing your work. “ So, it is not a question of assisting this person or that person at the expense of justice, the people who are entitled to justice, but who have nobody to stand for them.

“I also advise everybody to see the prosecutor’s work as a calling. It is true that we earn salaries by doing it because we must live. Primarily, it is not a job, a prosecutor must see it as a calling from God. Because by this work, we assist so much to sanitise the society and if we do it with all our heart, if we do it without fear or favour, I tell you the society will be the better for it.”

Secretary, Conference of Nigerian Association of Prosecutors and DPP Kwara State, Mr J. A. Mumuni, said: “This is an experience sharing forum, where all the prosecutors across the country come together to share ideas, experience and, of course, exchange new techniques on prosecution process. That alone is one of the areas that we need to develop.

Mumuni said: “The convergence here is almost from every sector of the prosecutorial process. The EFCC is here, the ICPC is here, the Nigerian Police are here and, all of use, just trying to share one common experience.”

On his experience, Mumuni said: “It is on how to move the country forward. We are in such a situation

‘If the prosecutor is independent, it means that he will have no other influence, but the interest of the public operating upon his mind when he is doing his work. It will not be public interest on one side, then political interest on another side’

now that we need to move the country forward in terms of getting the necessary prosecution process on the way to improve the criminal justice delivery system. That explains why we are here.

“We have really achieved a lot since we came here. We have heard experienced and reputable prosecutors like Fola Arthur-Worrey speak to us, give us lectures on his experience in life, and of course, some other personalities who have had cause to be in the prosecution process in Nigeria. That alone has given us a lot of courage to move further and giving the best of services toward the prosecution of offenders throughout the country”.

On the independence of the Public Prosecutor, he said: “That is a fundamental aspect of our work. If prosecution must be successful in this country, then there must be some level of independence like we used to have in the 1963 constitution.

“If that office is not independent, you cannot get any successful prosecutorial effort in this country.The DPP must have some level of discretion over his job, he must not be influenced politically because he is the will of the people. He has the mandate of the people to prosecute offenders; so the more you subject him to other peoples discretion or control, the more the level of prosecutorial efforts in this country will diminish and you can’t make any progress. That explains why a lot of big men escape prosecution in this country”.

Mumuni added: “Take record of those who have been prosecuted by private counsel in this country.

What level of success have they achieved? Yet, a lot of Senior Advocates are involved in their prosecution. It is always one objection or the other.

“But we have experienced prosecutors on grounds who have been on the job for over 10 years.They understand the technicalities and intrigues of the job, but because they are subject to control, that is the fear. Once you arrest any of those big men, they go to town, because the prosecutor is under civil service rules. He is subject to so many things, that, of course, will curtail his efforts to move ahead.

If we must move forward, if there must be justice in this country, the DPP must be allowed a level of independence.”

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THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 14, 2012

LAW AND ECONOMY

‘How traffic law will be enforced’

T

HE Lagos State Attorney-Gen eral and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Ade Ipaye, has given conditions under which drivers caught eating behind the steering wheel could be liable under the new state Traffic Laws.

Ipaye said contray to the rumour going round a driver would not be arrested for drinking and eating snacks while driving.

He said: ”If a driver is caught eating with the pack of food on his or her lap while driving, he is liable and would be arrested.”

He gave these clarifications while answering questions from Lagosians during the 1,900 days in office of Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN).

Ipaye, who represented the governor on the occasion, said further: “Smoking while driving, using phones are all dangerous, particularly if you are caught doing things that can cause danger to other road users, you will be liable and arrested.”

He said commercial motorcyclists caught carrying pregnant women or a woman with a child on her back would liable under the new traffic laws and would be arrested.

Ipaye said the laws were put in place for the safety of people on the highways.

He disclosed that, soon, the government would put road signs in appropriate places on the highways

Govt yet to pay Bi-Courtney N132b damages

By Adebisi Onanuga

in the state “so that people would know where to follow and what they should not do”.

Ipaye told Lagosians that 22 projects had been implemented by the Fashola government in the judiciary, including renovation, construction of new magistrate courts and high courts, judges’ quarters, provision of courtroom furniture, among others, to create a condusive atmosphere for the dispensation of justice.

He said the Lagos State Law Reform Commission inauguarated by the governor was mandated to keep review laws of the state and make recommendations for the review or amendment of any of them in conformity with realities.

He reiterated the introduction of community service order in the state, saying it is to further its commitment to provide rehabilitative and corrective alternative to imprisonment.

The state Attorney-General also clarified that the recent increase in tuition fees paid by students of the Lagos State University (LASU) became inevitable “if we are to have a university worthy of its name”.

Ipaye lamented that no Nigerian university has been ranked among the best in the world over the years.

He attributed the situation to government’s failure to pay adequate

T • Ipaye

attention to these institutions.

He said: “ The business of building a university is a serious,”adding that university education requires befitting and functional infrastructure, laboratories and engagement of competent and brilliant lecturers of international standard.

He said despite the increase in tuition fees, the state was still heavily subsidising university education.

He disclosed that the government was working with the organised private sector (OPS) to improve the business environment in Lagos.

According to him, the two parties have been meeting under a new initiative of corporate assembly, during which captains of industries, the diplomatic community and the OPS exchanges ideas.

“They laid down their complaints.

They get government’s responses and together we chart a new way forward,” he said.

Lagos Traffic Law: Group faults CJ’s role

By Joseph Jibueze

• Justice Phillips

A

HUMAN rights group, the Access to Justice (AJ), has faulted the presence of the Chief Judge of Lagos, Justice Ayotunde Phillips, at the assenting of the new Lagos State Traffic Law. It said her presence may colour public perceptions that the judiciary will be unable to independently adjudge any disputes arising from the enforcement of the law if the question of its legality or constitutionality comes before Lagos judges for interpretation.

AJ, in a statement by its Executive Director, Mr Joseph Otteh, and Legal Programme Attorney Mrs Chinelo Chinweze, said Justice

Phillips’ conduct would be interpreted in the same way as if she showed up at a media conference convened to denounce or oppose the passage of the law.

The group added that her participation questions the fundamental principles of separation of powers and the independence of the Judiciary, especially if viewed in the light of society’s concern over the erosion of judicial integrity.

The statement said: “Our concerns arise from the real risk that her presence may negatively reflect on the Judiciary’s stature as an unbiased, independent arm of government not beholden to or affiliated with anybody or institution or arm of government or sympathetic to or identified with any particular interests, policy positions or creations of government.

“A Chief Judge’s words, actions, omissions, conduct or body language should never be subject to an interpretation that the Judiciary has taken sides on the merits or demerits of particular interventions or policies taken by government, particularly where these policies are potentially controversial and may be challenged. We fear that there may be many who will interpret the Chief Judge’s participation in that event in this way.

“Nigeria’s constitutional democracy guarantees separation of powers among the three arms of government. This constitutional separation of legislative, executive and judicial powers reflected in both the form and substance is intended to assure citizens that all forms of disputes between citizens, or between citizens and governments will be resolved by judges with nothing to hope for, or fear from legislative or executive influence.

“Judges have a duty themselves to uphold, with scrupulous zeal, this independence. As the saying goes, the perception of judicial independence is just as important as the actuality of it. There are good inspirational precedents in this regard.

“We remember an example set by a predecessor of the incumbent Chief Judge of Lagos State, Hon. Justice JIC Taylor, who declined conducting the then Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, around the High Court of Lagos premises when the latter visited on the singular premise that public perception of judicial integrity must not be compromised.

“As we strive to promote a democratic and civil society, it is pertinent that judicial officers observe high standards of conduct so that the integrity and independence of the judiciary may be preserved and the confidence of the citizenry in the system maintained.”

•Lagos-based lawyer Msoo Dio (middle); Chairman, Planning Committee, Mrs Grace Mzaga (left) and Principal, Queen Rosary Secondary School, Gboko, Benue State, Rev Sister Justina Jor, at this year’s edition of the school’s Annual Speech and Prize Giving Day.

HE Federal Government is yet to pay the N132.5 billion awarded a construction firm, Bi-Courtney Limited, by a Federal High Court, Lagos, as damages for alleged breach of contract and violation of court judgments in the firm’s favour.

The company had complained to the Ministry of Aviation about the non-compliance with provisions of the agreements it executed with the Federal Government, in line with a Concession Agreement.

The Attorney-General of the Federation, on September 10, 2008, inaugurated a Co-ordinating Committee to resolve issues the firm raised.

It determined that in accordance with the offer made by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to Bi-Courtney, and the operation of the law, the concession term was 36 years.

It resolved that all domestic traffic in Lagos must be processed by Bi-Courtney; that by operation of law and the aggregate of facts, the General Aviation Terminal (GAT) belongs to the operators of the MMA2, and that income accruing to FAAN by the use of GAT after MMA2 became operational is for Bi-Courtney.

The committee also decided that the revenue collected as surcharge from suppliers of petroleum products belongs to Bi-Courtney, and that revenue from advertisement, cargo and other proceeds from domestic traffic are for the firm’s benefit.

The Federal High Court, on March 3, 2009, granted BiCourtney’s prayers to enforce the agreement and the committee’s conclusions.

Dissatisfied, Ojemale Investments, Arik Air, the National Union of Air Transport Services Employees (NUATE), the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSAN) and FAAN challenged the decision.

Ojemale, Arik’s landlord, sought an order restraining Bi-Courtney from enforcing the judgment, and a prayer for leave to appeal it. The application was struck out on May 12, 2010.

It appealed at the Court of Appeal, but it was rejected, and an application for an injunction pending appeal to the Supreme Court was dismissed on May 24, 2010. The highest court refused to restrain BiCourtney from taking over GAT. Arik challenged the judgment at the Federal High Court, saying it

• Babalakin (SAN)

By Joseph Jibueze

was obtained by fraud, but the court dismissed the airline’s application in November 2010. The two unions appealed to the Court of Appeal, but their case was dismissed on May 12, 2010.

FAAN returned in June 2010 to challenge Bi-Courtney’s claims, but the suit was dismissed on July 8, last year. It subsequently obtained an ex parte order against the concessionaire from interfering with the renovation at the GAT. On February 27, this year, the order was discharged.

FAAN had also, on August 5, last year, sought to stay the execution of the judgment, but it was dismissed on April 5, this year. Similarly, the Court of Appeal on June 13, this year, dismissed an appeal by the Attorney-General against the same judgment.

The N132, 540, 580, 304 damages were imposed as sanction flowing from the breaches. The Federal High Court restrained the Federal Government from continuing the development of the GAT. In a petition to the Director-General, Infrastructure Concession and Regulatory Commission (ICRC), Bi-Courtney’s Chairman Dr Wale Babalakin (SAN) protested what he called maltreatment by the Federal Government.

He said: “The disobedience of the various court orders has cost our company unimaginable financial loss as reflected in the damages.

“It has also greatly affected us in many spheres as the non-compliance of the federal agencies has portrayed our company as having difficulties in actualising a simple transaction.

“We urge you to ensure that there is immediate compliance with the agreement and court judgments. It is also very important for the future of concessions in Nigeria that a categorical statement is made by your organisation on this issue.”

Public Complaints Commission settles 8,009 cases

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HE Niger State Public Com plaints Commission (PCC) has resolved 8,009 of 8,283 complaints since its inception over 35 years ago, the state agency’s boss, Alhaji Umar Abdulkadir, has said.

He spoke during a familiarisation visit to the state Commissioner of Police, Mrs. Desire Diseye Nsirim.

Abdulkadir said N30 million was recovered by the commission between 2011 and this year.

He said the commission promotes/enhances peace and social justice in the society, adding that it also intends to promote efficient and effective civil service in government.

He explained the commission’s brief which include entertaining complaints from delays in getting payment of retirement benefits such as pension, gratuity and death as well as wrongful termination of appointment and dismissal from

From Jide Orintunsin, Minna

service, including delay in getting payment of compensation for land acquired for public use by the government and abandoned community projects.

He, therefore, solicited the support of the state police command in carrying out its duties, especially in situations where summons were issued to recalcitrant respondents.

Nsirim assured the commission of the assistance of the Command in the discharge of its duties.

“We want a situation whereby we can partner with you fully because the preaching by the Police high command has always been on the issues of community “Policing in terms of the exchange of vital information by government agencies and the general populace in order to achieve maximum results and for both of us to bring lasting peace to Niger state in particular,”she said.

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THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 14, 2012

LAW & SOCIETY WEDDING CEREMONY OF RICHARD AND EMO, DAUGHTER OF PROFESSOR PAUL IDORNIGIE AT THE YAR’ADUA CENTRE, ABUJA.

• Chairman of the occation and former Governor of Nasarawa State, Senator Abdulahi Adamu and wife.

• The Father and Mother of the Groom Prof. and Mrs Paul Oboh Idornigie.

• The groom Richard Pearce and wife Emo.

• Director-General Bureau of Public Enterprise (BPE), Bolanle Onagoruwa and former Minister of Justice Chief Bayo Ojo (SAN).

• Prof. Epiphany Azinge (SAN) and wife Dr Valerie Azinge.

PHOTOS: AKIN OLADOKUN

BriefsManager: Road to the future N

ETIZENS all over the world understand the power of the Internet as an inventive tool of social networking and the mass mobilisation of human capital and productive energies. If you are an avid user of this modern technology you would have realized already that the Internet itself has become the defining signature of what has been appositely described as the Information age. Consequently, CEOs and corporate organisations, knowing the dialectical interplay between knowledge production and resource flow, seek visionary individuals who understand their need for strategic positioning in a worldwide exchange of ideas and information. With this, it is possible for us to understand why many organisations who have embraced ICT seem to have comparative advantage over those who still insist on old-fashioned methods. An understanding of the world as a global community, therefore, accounts for deployment of ICT resources and innovative thinking if business and/or personal success are ever to be achieved.

However, despite the avalanche of information available in the new Millennium, the crippling fingers of fear still remain the most potent force in the gradual but definite disintegration of the human psyche and will. Fear is the reason most of us have refused to burn our bridges and face the battles our modern business and professional environment bring our ways. Fear seizes an individual’s capacity for personal freedom and self-expression, and ultimately limits the possibility of first-rate accomplishments needed to assert oneself in a world in which the constantly

By Yeku James

evolving orbit of corporate and global needs requires professionals who are open to the dimensions of positive change and innovation.

Resistance to change is natural to humans, yet change is the language of dynamic and remarkable leaderships all over the world; and it is the language smart lawyers and legal firms in Nigeria are speaking!

A most innovative medium for this new language is BriefsManager.

It is pertinent, therefore, to bring into appropriate perspective the contributions of BriefsManager to the Nigerian Legal environment and its drive towards sustainable development in Nigeria.

BriefsManager is an IT platform which offers law firms in Nigeria and other parts of Africa the opportunity to connect and administer as many cases as possible through the use of cutting-edge software facilities. With this approach, for instance, it is possible to assign suits to counsels that are resident in distant locations, without their having to be present to go through case files and entire briefs. A legal firm that has embraced software services such as these will definitely increase its productivity as its counsels can work from any part of the world. For Lawyers who work in cosmopolitan areas like Abuja, Port Harcourt and Lagos –– particularly notorious for its traffic gridlock –– have a profound opportunity to transcend the spatial barriers of these urban centres through an active engagement of software packages that facilitate the administration, documentation and prompt access of briefs and cases.

This is why Nigerian legal firms who have begun to use

OPINION BriefsManager have repeatedly championed the need for it and other similar IT benefits to be entrenched in legal services in Nigeria. BriefsManager is the way to the future considering that the work of legal practitioners involves a high level of documentation and information processing, storage, and retrieval. Nigerian legal practitioners need to embrace this Global trend which allows law office management software to effectively run and administer law firms. This makes it possible for these firms to satisfactory meets the varied needs of their clients.

No doubt, the quality of legal services delivery is most often than not influenced by the internal organization of firms. The obvious missing gap between the top notch law firms in the country and others is the defining role of information technology in legal practice.

Like counterparts in Europe, America and Asia, many more law firms in Africa need to, as a matter of urgency, seize the opportunities embedded in IT for legal practices.

However, for many law practitioners, the unfounded fear that technology will displace them remains a fundamental issue which needs to be addressed urgently. What is certain is that technology, when properly channeled, will lead to greater effectiveness in your practice of law.

A traditionalist mindset in a global and automated legal scene, at best, puts you in a position of irrelevance since clients want fast and efficient counsels to handle their briefs. This is best realized through an optimal use of quick-paced information technologies.

One of the many challenges fac-

ing the judiciary in Nigeria is this outdated approach to judicial engagements in the country. Legal scholars such as Ogunleye (1997); Chifwepa (2003); Ikem and Ojo (2003); Ibeagwan (2004); Osunade, Ojo (2006) and Owoeye (2011) have all identified various challenges limit the use of ICT in the Nigerian legal system. These include insufficient fund allocation, inadequate manpower requirement, power outages, prohibitive cost of importation of hardware, software and the accessories of ICT, conservatism on the part of management and unfavorable government policies. Others include; lukewarm attitude towards alleviating the sufferings of academic institutions by the government, lack of training culture in ICT skills, inadequate infrastructure such as personal computers and other communication facilities.

At the personal level, many lawyers in the country are still not computer-literate, despite the availability of PCs and handhelds.

This is indeed very daunting. Or what can one make of situations when lawyers do not have functional email addresses, let alone access to the Internet. The situation could get really pathetic when you find members of the legal and learned profession typing case notes in public facilities and replying important emails and other clientele correspondences in Internet cafes that are open to public gaze.

This is a debasement of the noble profession.

Nonetheless, these problems can be surmounted. With the positive ongoing legal practice revolution pioneered by the cutting edge technology provided by BriefsManager, an incorporation that has led the

invention and development a global virtual law office platform and law office management software for lawyers across the globe, there should be no more excuses for Nigerian law firms. It is high time they took advantage of an opportunity which makes their practice of law globally competitive and financially rewarding.

The law firms of B. Ayorinde & Co and Chief Ladi Rotimi Williams Chambers and few others have shown that it is possible to register Nigeria and Nigerian law firms among the world’s most celebrated IT-savvy law firms. It is not surprising however, that very few law firms are linked with this success.

The requirement for deployment of BriefsManager software or use of its practice platform requires high level of thoroughness, content and discipline which are apparently lacking in most Nigeria firms. To embrace BriefsManager is to adopt an international model of acceptable legal practice and law office administration. If the world is a global village, then it certainly deserves legal firms and lawyers who are global in their thinking and approach to legal services.

Thankfully, BriefsManager also provides a country-specific user software and practice platform that meets the needs of legal practitioners globally. No doubt, the journey towards excellence and uniformity in international legal practice is being undertaken by IT resources like the ones BriefsManager and other similar software offer lawyers and law firms.

BriefsManager is ready for Nigerian lawyers. Are Nigerian lawyers ready for it?

•James writes from the Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan

THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 14, 2012

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THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 14, 2012

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THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 14, 2012

LEGAL OPINION LAW AND PUBLIC POWER

Role of CSOs in fighting corruption: Issues and challenges Text of a paper presented by rights activist Femi Falana (SAN) at the Regional Sensitisation Workshop on AML/ CFT for Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) held on August 6 and 7, 2012 by the Inter-Governmental Action Group Against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA) at Dakar, Senegal.

Introduction WISH to commend the Inter-Gov ernmental Action Group Against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA) for ensuring the enactment of anti-corruption and anti-terrorism laws in most of the member states of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

This regional sensitisation workshop on money laundering and terrorism financing could not have come at a more opportune time than now.

With increased terrorist attacks in the northern parts of Nigeria and Mali and the growing menace of corruption, money laundering, drug trafficking and human trafficking in the region, there is no gainsaying the vital role of progressive non-state actors in the fight against money laundering and terrorism financing. It is hoped that similar programmes are going to be organised for political parties and other stakeholders in the region.

Definitions of CSOs and corruption In order to properly articulate the role of civil society organisations in fighting corruption, it is crucial to have a definitive understanding of the term “civil society organisations” and perhaps, the word “corruption” with its attendant consequences to the government and the people.

According to the World Bank, “the civil society sector is not only emerging as a clear societal actor in many parts of the world, it is also quite varied in its nature and composition. For this reason, definitions of civil society vary considerably based on differing conceptual paradigms, historic origins, and country context”.

Despite these conflicting patterns, the World Bank, relying on a generic definition of CSOs developed by scholars and reputable research centres around the world defined the CSOs holistically as “the wide array of non-governmental and not-forprofit organisations that have a presence in public life, expressing the interests and values of their members or others, based on ethical, cultural, political, scientific, religious or philanthropic considerations.

Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), therefore, refer to a wide array of organisations: Community groups, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), labour unions, indigenous groups, charitable organisations, faith-based organisations, professional associations, and foundations”.

The globalisation and expansion of democracy in many parts of the world in the past two decades has brought about a corresponding increase in the establishment of civil society organisations whose duty it is to ensure that political leaders and policy makers adhere to best practices in governance in the delivery of social services and implementation of government actions and programs, particularly in countries with weak socio-economic structures and nascent or emerging democracies.

In a data provided by Yearbook of International Organisations (YIOs), the number of international NGOs was reported to have increased from 6,000 in 1990 to more than 50,000 in 2006 with the figure rising in a geometrical progression since then. Civil Society Organisations, often referred to as non-state actors in social re-engineering, help to shape government policy on such vital issues as human rights, transparency, socio-economic justice and the fight against corruption in order to ensure that public power, vested on individual office holders are properly held in trust and are exercised for the benefit and gen-

I

eral well being of the society.

They also act as watchdogs over the affairs of government and ensure the powers are not abused by those in authority for personal, sectional or concealed benefits to the detriment of the donors of the power, the general public as bad government can distort the social system, undermine the society, perpetuate poverty, injustice and cripple development and impair the ability of the government to respond to the most basic needs of the society.

As advocacy groups, this the CSOs do in the realisation that human frailty and temptation of power has caused and will continue to cause mankind the most dreaded disease ever, corruption and lack of transparency. Hence, CSOs serve as outlets for fighting and combating corruption.

Corruption is the most resilient disease plaguing mankind that has almost defied and openly resisted all antidotes.

It is found all over the world and exists almost everywhere even in the developed nations or advanced democracies with very strong institutional mechanisms for fighting it.

However, the effects of corruption are felt more sharply in sub-Saharan African Continent and other emerging democracies because many of these young democracies feature weak institutional infrastructure, such as bad leadership, weak judiciary, frail legislature, anaemic police system and compromised anti-corruption agencies.

According to Claire Furphy: Corruption in Africa: A crime against development, corruption is endemic in most African societies, but is worst in countries where: institutions such as the legislature and judiciary are weak; the rule of law is not strictly enforced; political patronage is the norm; the independence and professionalism of the public and private sectors have been eroded; and civil society lacks the means to hold perpetrators to account.

There is, in effect, financial opacity and lack of transparency, illegal money flows, disregard for the rule of law, lack of strict regulations for conducting the government affairs I the most open and efficient manner and lack of political will to combat corruption thereby entrenching corruption into the society as an acceptable social institution.

For instance, Transparency International’s (TI) 2010 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), released in October 2010 and of course, subsequent reports identified Africa as the most corrupt region in the world. The same report also identified the SubSaharan Africa as one of the most under-developed regions on earth.

The TI’s Corruption Perceptions Index, defines corruption as “the abuse of entrusted power for private gain, in public and private sectors”.

As a result, the poor and vulnerable continue to suffer in the midst of plenty as the poor rely very heavily on government for the provision of social and essential services which the government as a result of corruption can neither provide nor satisfy the most basic needs of the people.

As Claire Furphy puts: “A lack of transparency, integrity and accountability is related to economic underperformance and fetters progress toward poverty eradication in many developing nations. As the world’s most under-developed region, the barriers to development and poverty eradication that corruption imposes are costs sub-Saharan Africa can ill afford”. In a nutshell, the growth and development of Africa has been retarded by the hydra headed menace

with gabriel AMALU email:gabrielamalu1@yahoo.com

• Falana (SAN)

of corruption.

Role of civil society in the fight against corruption In all of this, the vital role of the Civil Society Organisations is to maintain and achieve public accountability, trust and probity in public service. The first steps for the CSOs in their efforts at ensuring transparency in government is to call on the government to adopt all measures put in place by the international community towards fighting the corruption scourge.

African governments must implement the 2003 United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), which had already been ratified by not less than 145 countries.

Explaining the legislative history of the Convention, the United Nations Office on Drug and Crime (UNODC) stated that the Convention highlights four features namely: prevention, criminalisation, international cooperation and asset recovery.

An entire chapter of the Convention is dedicated to prevention, with measures directed at both the public and private sectors. These include model preventive policies, such as the establishment of anticorruption bodies and enhanced transparency in the financing of election campaigns and political parties.

The Convention also requires countries to establish criminal and other offences to cover a wide range of acts of corruption, if these are not already crimes under domestic law. In some cases, States are legally obliged to establish offences; in other cases, in order to take into account differences in domestic law, they are required to consider doing so.

In addition, countries are bound by the Convention to render specific forms of mutual legal assistance in gathering and transferring evidence for use in court while a major breakthrough in the fight against corruption is the provision for asset recovery in the Convention which is made an explicit fundamental principle of the Convention.

To the credit of Nigerian-based CSOs, they have worked assiduously since coming into effect of the Convention to ensure that the Nigerian government implements the Convention to the letter including filing public interest litigation against the government in order to ensure compliance with the Convention.

The Nigerian CSOs also ensure that the Federal Government includes anti-corruption measures such as due processes and best practices in government contracts and procurement.

If implemented by the government, it will help to promote open transparency, fair competition and in some way, decent government procurement standard.

Owing to the sophisticated and unending sources of corruption, it is clear that governments cannot fight it on their own without the assistance of whistle blowers.

Just like a writer with the Transparency International puts it; “there is the fear factor - when those in power such as the police and judges, or those who hold the keys to accessing essential services such as health, education, licenses, water and electricity expect a bribe in return for providing services or for looking the other way, those who can afford it pay, others go without the service”.

• To be continued next week

Nigeria needs a new beginning

A

S the cliché goes, he who is down needs fear no fall; and so for Nigeria, the performance of our Olympians in the London 2012 showpiece confirms this cruel state of affairs. To further expose our country’s level of rot and decay, Nigerian businesses are now on the verge of being forced out from Ghana, just as Ghanaians were chased away from Nigeria, three decades ago. Unfortunately, instead of our key players retracing their misbegotten steps, they are lost in the labyrinth of advancing personal interests through a dubious process of chipping at our communal pillars. In false security, they remain giddy in their present peacock days; with no thoughts about the coming autumn. Fortuitously, one may ask, must our country also suffer Ghana’s faith under Colonel Rawlings for our national revival, instead of a roundtable?

As if bad is not enough, the roll call of perfidy is increasingly staggering. These include the petroleum subsidy scammers and their grandees, the intractable pension scavengers, the looting legislators, the fake budgeters and executioners of fake budgets, the hawkers of national insecurity, and the prosperity traders in ethnic jingoism among several others. Interestingly, it was a time like we are in now, that the famous Ayi Kwei Armah’s novel chronicling perfidy in Ghana, The Beautiful Ones Are Not Yet Born, was set. Then, despite the clamour for change, the rot in Ghana continued for several more years under both military and civilian regimes, until Colonel Rawlings engineered a reversal.

As in the Ghana of the dubious era, the Nigerian protagonists are carrying on as if all is well; and that justifies the question whether a national revival can come only come with turmoil. While history is replete with tumultuous changes, I believe we can engineer a velvet revolution to start a new Nigeria. While it may appear a tall order, Nigerians can decide not to suffer all the indignities, suffered by their neighbor, Ghanaians. One easy way forward is for the national leadership to shake off their current culture of impunity. To help stem this change, all the major players in the country can understand their responsibility and their power to effect a change by reading Chinua Achebe’s book, The Trouble With Nigeria.

That famous book by equally famous author, squarely locates poor leadership as the cause of the crisis of our nationhood. The preeminent writer argues that with responsible leadership the problems of tribalism, lack of patriotism, social injustice, mediocrity, indiscipline and corruption among other inherent social ailments would be resolved.

His thesis means that should President Jonathan, leadership of national and state assemblies, Governors, Ministers, Commissioners, political party leadership and Chairmen of local councils begin to act responsively as leaders, the majority of Nigerians would be less susceptible to most of the social ills. In essence, to foster a peaceful change, these officials need to lead responsibly.

To further confirm the literary critic’s argument on the direct impact of bad leadership on the citizens, the children of two prominent leaders of the ruling national party, the Peoples Democratic Party, are currently standing trial for trading in our common misery. That ongoing show of shame can only be likened to the Igbo proverb that when a goat is chewing the grass, the kid watches to learn the chewing game.

And with the allegation that the money allegedly stolen in the name of fuel subsidy was used to prosecute 2011 elections, Nigerians must resist any attempt to compromise the court trials.

To help birth a new Nigeria, there is need for the national assembly to purge itself of corruption, for it to have the moral authority to check the excesses of the executive, as provided for in the constitution. As I have consistently argued on this page, a compromised national assembly has no moral authority to oversee the executive, much more to seek to sack the President. Knowing fully well that they lack the moral authority to face their constituency during their long break, they invented a subterfuge over a non existent debacle. In my view, the leadership of the House of Representatives merely gave their members a ready made reason to last their holiday period. Otherwise how can they in all sincerity expect that this year’s budget, passed in April would have been fully executed by September?

On his part, once President Jonathan is called to give an account of his stewardship, whether fairly or unfairly, those making a living from trading in ethnicity and the attendant crisis of a failing nation, immediately dust their tricks. With so much to gain from an unsettled President, Nigerians are sold the lie that these ethnic noise makers are the protectors of the President, as they pretend that they are ready to lay their lives to save the President from his failure of leadership. As the confusion endures, and as Nigerians are treated to false state of war among the failed leadership in Nigeria, business booms for the bandit traders in our common misery across the land.

To forestall the ascendency of anarchy, in the face of failed leadership Nigerians must take the 2015 elections very serious, to vote out most of the current actors. And with what Governor Oshiomhole did to the election fixers in Edo state, the result of a free and fair election can substantially help kick start the new beginning that our nation needs so badly. As the Edo voters showed at the polls, Nigerians are desirous of a peaceful transition to a new country; where the leadership will rise or fail based on performance as determined by the electorate in a free and fair elections. Of course the flip side of a failed peaceful transition is turmoil for all and sundry.

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THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 14, 2012

NATIONAL BAR AT THE DELEGATES AND ELECTION OF NEW OFFICERSOF OFTHE THE NIGERIAN (NBA) HELD IN ABUJA DELEGATESCONFERENCE CONFERENCE AND ELECTION OF OFFICERS NIGERIANBAR BARASSOCIATION ASSOCIATION (NBA) IN ABUJA

• From left: Action Congress Govvernorship Candidate for Ondo State and former President of NBA, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN), President, NBA Joseph Bodunrin Daudu (SAN) and President, Commonwealth Lawers (CLA), Boma Ozobia

• From left: Former Minister of Defence, Tokunbo Kayode (SAN) and former President, NBA OCJ Okocha (SAN)

• From left: Igho Aguma; NBA President-elect, Okey Wali (SAN) and former Chairman, NBA Port Harcourt branch, E. C. Aguma

• Former President, NBA, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN); former General Secretary, NBA, Dele Adesina, (SAN) and former President NBA Olisa Agbakoba (SAN)

• From left: Anthony Iroagalachi, Lucius Nwosu (SAN), Okey Amaechi (SAN) and Glanville Abibo (SAN)

• From left: Former General Secretary, NBA, Lawal Rafiu Rabana (SAN) flanked by his wife, Nella Andem (SAN) and Chairman, Eastern Bar Forum (EBF) Kemasuode Wodu

• Chief Lai Babatunde (SAN), Chief John Ochoga and former Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Chief Akinlolu Olujimi (SAN)

• From left: Tess-Morris Okeke; Mercy Agbamuche; Stella Ugboma and Nkoli Obi-Ana

• Former President, Muslim Lawyers Association of Nigeria (MULAN), Tajudeen Oladoja and Funmi Roberts

• From left: Legal Adviser, NBA, Victor Nwaugo; Asst. National Financial Secretary, NBA, PHOTOS:JOHN AUSTIN UNACHUKWU Chinwe Nwadike and Elachi Agada

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THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 14, 2012

LAW & SOCIETY

Overview of Freedom of Information Act and tangential provisions of Official Secrets Act • Continued from last week

E

XEMPTION of Law Enforcement and Investigation In familiar terms, the FOI provides in Section 3 that Public institutions may deny application for information which contains record for Administrative Enforcement Proceedings and by any law enforcement or correctional agency for law enforcement purposes or internal matters of a public institution-where the disclosure would interfere with law enforcement proceedings, administrative enforcement proceedings, deprive a person of fair trial, unavoidably disclose the identity of a confidential informant, constitute an invasion of personal privacy or obstruct ongoing criminal investigation.

The above fears, which constitute the underlying rationale for the exemption, are well put and noted.

But the flip side of the coin is the other fear of abuse which the exemption is prone to. It could easily be converted to a one-size-fits-all excuse to deny the public the right to know, thereby making nonsense of the freedom of information.

Exemption of professional information A Public Institution is not obliged to disclose information forming the subject of legal practitioner-client, health workers-client, journalism confidentiality and other professional privileges. These are statutorily protected privileged information and their exemption in the Act is proper.

Judicial review of cases of denial of access to information Under Section 21 of the FOI Act, an applicant who has been denied access to information is entitled to apply to the court, that is, the Federal or State High Court, for a review of the matter within 30 days after the denial or as may be extended by the Court.

The hearing proceedings for such judicial review by the court is to be conducted and determined summarily, that is without strict adherence or recourse to the usual procedural details, technicalities and niceties which are the hall marks of the regular courts.

At the end of the review proceedings the court may order disclosure of information by a public institution and make a finding to determine whether the public interest for the disclosure of an information is greater than that of non-disclosure or vice versa.

The above is a good provision in the law as it is aimed at reducing delay in justice delivering process, provided it can escape the likely

By Nojim Tairu

challenge to its supremacy vis-àvis other laws regulating the procedures of such courts particularly where those other laws flow directly from the constitution. How this plays out remains to be seen as the various provisions of the Freedom of Information Act undergo their specific Reality Test in time to come.

Criminal liability against public officers for wrongful denial of access to information,destruction or falsification of record Section 8(4) the Act states that failure of the government or Public Institution to give access to information applied for within the statutory time limit, shall be deemed to be a Refusal of Access.

The follow-up subsection (5) of the section, makes a Criminal Offence of the act of Wrongful Denial of Access by the defaulting officer or institution which on conviction is liable to a fine, Sentence of N500, 000.

It is also a criminal offence, by virtue of section 11 of the Act, for any officer, or the head of any government or public institution to willfully destroy, doctor, or alter any record kept with the officer/ institution’s custody before the record is given to the applicant thereof. Any of the aforesaid acts or an attempt thereto would, on conviction attract a minimum of one year imprisonment.

The offences created by the Act should ordinarily serve as a deterrent to put the Public Institutions and their Officials on their toes. But the present slow pace of court proceedings and very few precedents of conviction against public officers, even in the bracket of High Profile cases may reinforce the culture of non-compliance and lethargy on the part of the Government Institutions and their officials.

Case for elevation of Freedom of Information to fundamental human right It is needful to maximise attention to the important fact that the Freedom of Information vide the FOI Act is not per se a Fundamental Right in the same pedestal as those enshrined in Part IV of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999.

And whilst Freedom of Information it is crucially necessary and would readily come handy towards the enforcement of the Fundamental Rights set out in the Constitution, it is on its own not yet a First Class Right as those other rights encapsulated in the Constitution.

Information Freedom is of such

• Tairu

strategic importance that it is not doubt on adjunct right to other Fundamental Rights like the Freedom of Speech, Opinion etc. Indeed the freedom to speak one’s opinion on a matter is largely dependent on what one knows. So, it is clear that Freedom of Speech is interwoven with and actually meaningless without the Freedom of Information. Hence ,the need to ensure that the Freedom of Information is upgraded as one of the first class, fundamental rights of the citizens.

Therefore, the next line of action that should engage the attention and energy of the Human Right Community, The Press and Progressive elements in the nation is how to have the Freedom of Information elevated to the status of a Fundamental Right and get it etched in the Constitution. Accordingly, as the idea of amendment of the constitution is currently being weighed, this important freedom must find a space in any Amendment to the Constitution or a fresh Constitution to be hammered out at any time. the elevation of the status of the Freedom of Information to a Constitutional/Fundamental Right properly so called would add more value and meaning to its essence, particularly in the sense that it would enjoy specific subject right enforceability under the Fundamental Rights (Enforcement Procedure) Rules made pursuant to the Constitution.

Implications of Freedom of Information on administration and governance Change Imperative: From the

foregoing analysis of the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2011, it should be clear to all by now that the application of the Act is bound to usher in a new dawn of openness and transparency in public administration and governance matters in all the tiers and strata of government all over the nation.

Indeed the FoI Act can well be subtitled as:”An Act to make the activities of government accessible, open and relevant to the governed”.

Public Institutions and their officials including their private counterparts particularly those with dealings with them, must wake up to the new realities lest they be caught on the wrong side of the law. The activities, operation and businesses of government in all ramifications can no longer be “Hidden agenda”.

Classified information and coded official messages requiring membership of a particular caucus to decipher, must give way to full description and disclosure of documents, programmes, function, opinions, planning policies, recommendations, decisions, orders, records of voting, reports, studies, receipt, expenditure, files, grants contracts, publication of documents prepared by private contractors for public institutions, etc.

The full application of Freedom of Information Law would imply that a constant Search Light would be beamed on the Government, public institutions and their officers. As such, comportment and SelfRestraint would be required on their part.

Good faith and dedication to duty must be demonstrated. Reciprocal respect must be given to the people being served, who really should be the master. Public officers must henceforth be sober and vigilant because the public has been equipped to sift the chaff from the wheat. The people only need to cry foul as a result of what they know and before you know it the government and institutions would be besieged with unending pressure to do the needful in any given circumstance. And something would have to give, sooner than later.

Thus, the inevitable law of change and unintended consequences would set.

This was what happened through Glasnost/Perestroika (Openness and Restructuring) which was innocently introduced by Mikhail Ghobachev but which acquired a life and spirit of its own and eventually catalysed into the dismantling of the former Soviet Empire, USSR. The ongoing phenomenon

known as the Arab Spring is another of such example of what knowledge, change can lead to.

The other logical fall out of the Freedom of Information regime is that it will now be easier than before, to spot and bring to book any erring officer because the old ways must give way to the new reality of Openness and Transparency.

This may well be our own Glasnost and Perestroika which dissolved the old inefficient decadent Soviet Union the ripple effect of which reverberated throughout the former Eastern Europe bringing down the iron curtain, Berlin Wall which was once unmovable as the Rock of Gilbratar. The full application of the law signals a day of reckoning for the unrepentant Public Officer who would not change his ways but prefers to live in the darkness of the past where his untoward deeds are tucked away in the darkness of the outgoing Hidden System.

The FOI Act is one law that would eventually transform the way the business of government is conducted, as its application gradually sinks down and permeates all facets of government. The present disconnect between the governed, who should be the very essence of governance, and the government would gradually fizzle out. The air of lord and master put on by some public officials would have no place in the new order.

Truly, with the full application of the FOI Law, it can be said that a new deal is on the table and it behoves all dealers to conduct their dealings in accordance with the terms of the new deal-do it right because all eyes are on you.

The pragmatic public officer whether, appointed or elected should begin to see himself as though he is under unceasing surveillance and watch. As if a close circuit television which is capturing and recording all his deeds, misdeeds and failures has been switched on permanently. This is the irreducible minimum, existential reality every public office and their officers would have to live and contend with.

Summary of relevant provisions of The Official Secrets Act The Official Secrets Act, 1962, which is reproduced at Chapter 03 of the Laws of Federal Republic of Nigeria 2004, is a piece of colonial instrument inherited from Nigeria’s former colonial master.

• Tairu is a Lagos-based lawyer and Principal Partner in the firm of Nojim Tairu & Co

• To be continued

• Director-General, NIALS, Prof Epiphany Azinge (SAN) presenting a plaque to the former Minister of Information, Prof Jerry Gana, who was chairman, during a lecture • Executives of Advertising Practioners Council of Nigeria (APCON) with their counterparts in Lawyers on State of the Federation organised by the institute at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua in Media Forum (LIM) during the latter’s visit to APCON’s secretariat in Lagos.

Centre, Abuja.

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THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 14, 2012

LEGAL OPINION

Immanent dualities?A socio-legal analysis of the character, attainments, and limitations of Gani Fawehinmi’s human rights praxis

I

N a landmark decision, the SCN (per Obaseki, JSC, as he then was et al) agreed with Gani’s cutting edge arguments that a combination of section 6(6)(b) of the 1979 Constitution and the Lagos State Criminal Procedure and Criminal Code Laws entitled him to standing to initiate criminal proceedings against any suspected felon unless the state was willing to prosecute that person, and that if the relevant state prosecutor is not willing to prosecutes/he must endorse his request to launch a private prosecution in the relevant matter.

While the relevant state prosecutor’s action in filing a defective “first information report” against the alleged culprits effectively frustrated Gani’s campaign to prosecute these persons, his efforts had by that time already left a profoundmark on the status of the law in this human-rights related area. No longer was the right of a private citizen to prosecute an alleged murderer or other felon in the face of an unwilling or unduly reluctant state prosecutor in doubt.

And no longer was such a private person’s locus standi to challenge the prosecutor’s refusal to grant him a prosecutorial fiat a matter for debate.Yet, as if these attainments were not profound enough, Gani in his usual dogged manner continued to fight in the courts for years seeking to bring those he saw as responsible for Dele Giwa’s death to justice.For instance, nearly fifteen years after the SCN’s decision inFawehinmi v. Akilu, Gani was back at the SCN contesting the refusal of these persons (including a former head of state) to appear before the Oputa-led Human Rights Violations Investigation Commission (HRVIC) to testify under oath as to what they knew or did not know about Dele Giwa’s death.

While he was unsuccessful on the technical constitutional grounds of the lack of competence of the federal parliament to make law on the constitutions of tribunals of inquiry such as the HRVIC, he succeeded in reigniting public consciousness about the still unsolved Dele Giwa murders. It also bears recognition here that Gani remained so dogged and so committed to this cause despite being hounded and harassed; despite being slapped with a potentially devastating libel suitby the persons he accused of killing Dele Giwa; and in spite of being jailed for a significant period of time for being found in contempt of the then Chief Judge of Lagos state whom he had boldly accused of self-assigning and consistently dismissing basically every case he filed before him concerning this particular Dele Giwa affair.

Gani’s human rights praxis also attained great heights when his

By Obiora Chinedu Okafor

work in litigating the Independent National Election Commission and Others v. Balarabe Musa and Others matter up to the SCN was rewarded by rousingvictory at that court, as well as a bountiful socio-political harvest (at least in terms of the great liberalisation of the rules governing the registration of political parties thatthat the SCN decision ordered and the expansion of political space that occurred as a result).This is of course a development that is much in line with the guarantee of the right to freedom of association and to form/belong to political parties in Article 40 of Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution, and the specific provisions of sections 222 (etc) of that document relating to the conditions under which a political association can function as a political party. Acting as both a party to the case and as the chief counsel for its multiple plaintiffs, Ganiconvinced the SCN (per Ayoola JSC, as he then was, et al), inter alia, that many of the guidelines which he had challenged (such as those requiring political associations to:present a register showing that they had members in at least 24 states and the Federal Capital Territory; list the staff and equipment at its headquarters in Abuja; and indicate its bank account), and the portions of the Electoral Act 2001 which authorised these guidelines, were unconstitutional as they were in nature substantive guidelines that purported to enlarge the six conditions of eligibility to form political parties that are exhaustively stated in then operativeversion of the 1999 Constitution. They were not mere procedural, administrative or evidentiary guidelines intended to give effect to the relevant constitutional provisions. Following this decision the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was forced to register (and in the end partially fund) dozens of additional (if weaker) political parties, including Gani’s National Conscience Party and Balarabe Musa’s People’s Redemption Party, over and above the five parties which it had originally registered.

Another marked impact of Gani’s work to human rights praxis in Nigeria is the way it contributed to the expansion of the range of tools with which Nigeria’s very powerful sitting and otherwise immune Governors and Presidents could be pressured to govern in the public interest rather than simply amass wealth through corrupt means. In Fawehinmi v. Inspector-General of Police (the so-called Bola Tinubu case), the SCN agreed with Gani that the immunity from legal proceedings conferred by the 1999 Constitution on a sitting Governor (and by anal-

• The late Chief Fawehinmi

ogy, on a sitting President) does not prevent criminal investigations being commenced against these officials while they are still in office.NuhuRibadu, who is perhaps Nigeria’s most respected anticorruption minded police officer, has testified as to how very useful he later found that SCN decision to be when he assumed office as pioneer Chairman of Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

Gani’s human rights praxis also had an important impact on the overall struggle against military rule in Nigeria (which almost needless to say is in itself a form of deprivation of an entire people’s right to democratic governance). While a range of actors and a large number of activists participated creditably in this broad and gallant struggle, it is also fair to say that, through his outstanding doggedness and courage,and the numerous law suits, public protests and other forms of resistance that he mounted, challenging various aspects of military rule and many of the decisions and actions taken by them, he emerged over time as the single most important individual among the array of actors who fought and eventually defeated military rule in Nigeria. In this way did he contribute remarkably to the de-legitimisation and eventual end of military rule in Nigeria. In this way can Gani be properly regarded as one of the parents of our nascent democracy.

As interestingly, one important way in which military rule was effectively challenged and delegitimised in Nigeria by pro-human rights forces is through their creative deployment of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights within Nigeria’s domestic courts. Much to his credit, Gani also left an indelible (though now attenuated) mark in this area. While Gani was hugely successful in convincing the Court of Appeal to

• Chief L.M.E. Ezeofor and Chairperson, Arewa Lawyers Forum, Hajiya Fatima Kwaku

clearly affirm the superiority of the African Charter to even the Decrees of the then military juntas, he could not get the SCN to go nearly as far as the lower court. The SCN only felt able to hold that our domestic courts had the jurisdiction and indeed duty to construe and apply the African Charter as a statute. But the SCN also held that:the then CAP 10, and current CAP A9, of the Laws of Nigeria[i.e. the African Charter (Ratification and Enforcement) Act] was not superior to the Constitution of Nigeria; CAP A9 could be amended or even repealed by a Decree of a military regime; CAP A9 could be effectively emasculated by an ouster clause contained in a Decree; CAP A9 does not necessarily invalidate the conflicting provisions of another domestic law.

Regardless of this outcome at the SCN, Gani’s hand is clearly visible in the SCN’saffirmation of the direct applicability of the African Charter within Nigeria’s domestic legal order. What is more, the very factthat the most important SCN decision on one of the most important human rights litigation issues in Nigeria bears Gani’s name in its appellation testifies eloquently tohisstrong influence on human rights jurisprudence and praxis in that country!

Impact on the holistic integration of economic/social and civil/ political rights in Nigeria Another extremely important contribution that Gani made to human rights praxis in Nigeria is his pioneering, sustained and ultimately influential insistence of the holistic and symbiotic integration of civil/political (CP) rights activism with economic/social (ES) rights struggles. Unlike most of the self-professed human rights activists who worked in Nigeria and beyond during the 1960s to 2000s epoch, Gani made little, if any, distinction in his praxis between the two categories of human rights.In line with the consensus that emerged much later in the United Nations, he correctly treated CP and ES rights as inter-connected, inter-dependent and indivisible.

Starting in the early 1970s, Gani launched a campaign for ES rights in Nigeria that was integrated into his constant struggle for CP rights.

As far back as 1975, he had launched the now defunct Free Education Association of Nigeria. This followed the publication in 1974 of his book entitled The Peoples’ Right to Free Education. He also published another book in 2002 that argued against the constant increases in the price of motor fuel (petrol) that he saw as liable to further impair the enjoyment of ES rights by Nigeria’s impoverished majority.As importantly, the stated objectives of his National Conscience Party (NCP), which was an integral instrument of his human rights work, gave pride of place to “the emancipation of the masses from political, economic and socio-cultural enslavement” and “the abolition of poverty” (a holistic and integrated human rights manifesto if ever there was one).These are only a few examples of his efforts to advance ES rights in Nigeria. These efforts never waned all through his career, be it in his official or personal dealings. Even his Last Will and Testament he made ample provision for the yearly award from his estate of university education scholarships to ten indigent students.Today, despite the tendency in previous years to marginalise ES rights activism in the work of most self-professed human rights NGOs in Nigeria (in large measure a function of what the foreign organisations that largely funded these NGOs were prepared to fund at the time)NGOs that focus on ES rights now ro-

bustly populate the Nigerian human rights community.Given Gani’s pioneering work in emphasising this area of human rights praxis, he cannot but take significant credit for parenting or at least catalysing this phenomenon.

Given that the vast majority of Nigerians are poor and suffer grave deprivations of their ES rights, this is a profound and highly consequential contribution to the emergence in Nigeria of a much more holistically responsive and therefore much more contextually valid, form of human rights praxis; the kind of human rights activism thatShedrackGutto has famously referred to as a “human and peoples’ rights for the oppressed.”

Giving voice to the poor Given the discussion in the preceding paragraph and even before, an attempt to justify a claim that Gani’s human rights praxis was deeply pro-poor and did give voice to the poor need not detain us here for too long. Suffice it to note here that Gani himself did insist on toeing this pro-poor line in his work, famously declaring on one occasion that: “I have always taken the oppressed; the underdog, the cheated and ostracised members of our society, as my constituency.”As importantly, this pro-poor quality of Gani’s praxis, especially its pioneering and enduring character, was in the particular Nigerian context, a very important contribution to human rights activism there. For, as there is virtually no disagreement that the vast majority ofNigerians are now poor and have been so for a very long time (the Nigerian government itself, Nigerian civil society groups, and the UNDP have all described approximately 70 per cent of Nigerians as poor), it only stands to reason that any human rights work that centered the poor spoke effectively to the needs and struggles of most Nigerians. This is itself an important contribution in a society where those needs are notadequately prioritised.

Underscoring the ‘Law-insociety-ness’ of Human Rights Another important contribution that Gani made to human rights theory and practice in Nigeria, one that is connected to, and manifests in,his holistic/integrated methodology, the accent the strong placed on ES rights activism, and his propoor sensibility, is the emphasis he laid on the socio-legal quality or “law-in-society-ness” of human rights. Since these twin concepts and Gani’s relationship to them have already been explained earlier on in this paper, what remains here is to highlight why this contribution is an important one. The answer to this question was supplied byGani himself when he notably, if provocatively, argued that: “How can one practice law without relating it to politics? Law is the end product of the activities of a nation politically and socio-economically, law is not in isolation.

Anyone who practices law without relating it to politics, sociology and economics is a fool. I don’t want to be a fool.”

Gani’s contribution here was to, early on, teach other Nigerian activists that the practice of human rights law, which was his staple, was highly unlikely to be optimally effective unless it was integrated with an appreciation and application of the politics, economics, and sociology of human rights (and, indeed, of Nigeria itself). This was a signature and contextually profound contribution.

• To be continued next week

THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 14, 2012

39

ABUJA REVIEW NEWS

•From left: President Goodluck Jonathan; former Minister of State for Information and leader of Hausa-Fulani team from Plateau,Hon. Dasuki Nakande; Alhaji Sale Bayeri; Alhaji Sanusi Mato and Dr. Aliyu Tilde, during their meeting with the President at the State House PHOTOS: AKIN OLADOKUN .

• From left: Anambra State Governor Peter Obi; Director General Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) Ms Arunma Oteh; Director-General, Bureau of Public Procurement, Mr. Emeka Ezeh and Chairman, Visa Phone, Jim Ovia at the National Economic Management Team meeting at the State House, Abuja

• Managing Editor, Northern Operations, The Nation newspaper, Alhaji Yusuf Alli (middle) with members of staff of Abuja Bureau during his 50th birthday

• From left: Minister of Works, Mr. Mike Onolememen, Director General Bureau of Public Procurment,( BPP), Dr, Emeka Eze and Chief Economic Adviser to the President, Dr. Nwanze Okidegbe at the Ministry of Works meeting in Abuja

• From left: Director-General, Budget Office, Bright Okogwu; Minister of Environment, Hajiya Hadiza Ibrahim Mailafiya and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala during a meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan at the State House, Abuja

• Acting Chairman, Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences (ICPC), Mr Ekpo Nta (right) with members of anti-corruption volunteer corps during a visit to ICPC in Abuja

•Commissioner, Public Complaints Commission in FCT, Sir Obunike Ohaegbu (left), Secretary, ICPC, Elvis Oglafa and the Commission’s Acting Chairman, Mr Ekpo Nta during a courtesy visit to the Abuja office PHOTO: ABAYOMI FAYESE

PHOTO: ABAYOMI FAYESE

•A fallen trailer in Kuje, Abuja

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THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 14, 2012

ABUJA REVIEW

T

HE week started for the Presidency with a renewed effort to restore peace in crisis-ravaged Plateau State.

Within 72 hours, President Goodluck Jonathan met with the two feuding groups in the crisis, the Berom and Hausa/Fulani.

The Berom were the earlier callers at the presidency last Monday while the Hausa/Fulani visited two days later.

While the Berom elders led by former Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs and Gbong Gwom Jos, Jacob Buba Gyang requested that government implement all reports on the Plateau crisis, their Hausa/Fulani counterparts wanted only the reports of Federal Government panels to be implemented, especially that of Gen. Abisoye and Chief Solomon Lar Commission of Inquiry. They argued that those set up by the state government have lost relevance.

Both groups are expected to submit separate reports to the government before a general meeting of both communities with the President on a later date yet to be fixed.

Defender of the Presidency Just as Jonathan would want to end the country’s numerous crises peacefully, he was also not prepared to take insults without throwing one back. The recent appointment of Dr. Doyin Okupe as Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs seems to have fitted snugly into that plan.

On Thursday, the SSA who had noted that he was not a hired attack dog but was prepared to defend the president anywhere, went straight for the jugular of former Federal Capital Territory minister Nasir el-Rufai and Pastor Tunde Bakare for daring to ask the President to resign his position if he could not solve the ongoing security challenges in the country.

A similar call had come the way of the President, three days earlier by the Boko Haram sect which had given the president the condition to either embrace the Islamic faith and become its ardent member or resign from office.

The presidency described the call as blackmail and rude intimidation.

And so it was vintage Okupe who defended the president on Wednesday as he lashed out at the former minister, calling him a derailed or deranged politician.

He also urged the Vice Presidential candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) in the 2011 election, Pastor Tunde Bakare to stop hiding behind the pulpit.

He noted: “You cannot convert the pulpit to a podium. If you want to be a politician, please come out.”

He also warned against the manipulation of the present security situation in the country by politicians for selfish purposes.

Assurance from America While the attacks on the administration from some sections of the country continued, the presidency received soulrefreshing assurance from the United States of America, as the US Secretary of State, Mrs. Hilary Clinton assured President Jonathan that he will not work alone in trying period where he would need to take tough decisions for the country, noting that America will work with the

Defender of the Presidency From the Villa

By Vincent Ikuomola government.

Clinton had over two hour’s meeting with first the president and later with other top government functionaries including the country’s security chiefs.

So it was a buoyed President Jonathan that led the official delegation to Ghana on Thursday where he participated in the funeral rites of the late President Attah Mills on Friday and also met with Ghana’s new leader, President John Dramani Mahama. He has since returned to Abuja.

N4.929trillion 2013 budget ready

by September The past week also saw the presidency approving the 2013 budget draft, which has the projected revenue of N3.891trillion and expenditure of N4.929trillion.

The budget is expected to be ready for presentation to the National Assembly before the end of September. The Presidency is also intensifying efforts to ensure further improvement in the implementation of the current budget which stood at 41.3% as by June.

Other highlights of the 2013 budget which were reeled out by

Okupe who had noted that he was not a hired attack dog, went straight for the jugulars of former Federal Capital Territory Minister Nasir el-Rufai and Pastor Tunde Bakare for daring to ask the President to resign

Finance Minister Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala at the end of the weekly meeting inluded the benchmark of $75 per barrel as against $72 in 2012 and expected oil production of 2.5million barrel per day as against 2.48 million barrels per day in 2012.

Projected capital expenditure is also expected to rise in 2013 from

28.53% to 31.34% while recurrent expenditure is expected to decline from 71.47% in 2012 to 68.66% in 2013.

Deplorable roads The deplorable condition of major roads in the country also attracted the attention of the Presidency which promised to soothe the pains of motorist on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. The Jonathan administration also promised to engage the concessionaire, Bi-Courtney to find the way forward.

Minister of Works, Mr. Mike Onolememe also listed the BeninOre-Shagamu Expressway, LokojaAbuja Expressway among the roads being given priority.

The Presidency also added that the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) has been repositioned for better performance and that the agency will create jobs for about 10,000 people in the country.

Second Niger Bridge The Presidency approved the contract for Design, Build, Finance and Operate of the proposed Second Niger Bridge. The contract, valued at N325m with 16 months completion period, is awarded to Messrs Roughton International Limited.

The project which will be under the Public-Private Partnership arrangement when completed will serve as a link between the SouthSouth and South East.

The Presidency also approved a similar contract for the Murtala Mohammed International Airport Road, Lagos to the same contractor in the sum of N297m.

Approval was also granted for additional work on the subsisting contract of the dual-carriage KanoMaiduguri Road, Section II. The additional work involves the extension of the road from Dutse to Kwanar Huguma, a distance of 24.2km.

Solving parking problems in Abuja

T

HE Federal Capital Territory Administration has introduced measures to resolve traffic control challenges in order to establish discipline, law and order in the city.

The FCTA has fenced and designated certain areas and provided them with parking slots. The entrance and exit gates are manned by gatekeepers.

Parking in such areas, however, attracts a fee of between N50 and N500 depending on the type of vehicle.

Such parking arrangements are located at the Central Wuse Market, the Zone 3 Neighbourhood Centre, as well as the Federal Secretariat, near the Eagle Square.

However, in other parts of the city where there are high commercial activities because of the presence of government parastatals and agencies, as well as shopping malls and plazas, particularly in areas like Wuse 2, Maitama, Asokoro and Garki, the FCDA has begun marking the roads in the areas to serve as parking spaces.

In some areas where there are such road markings, parking attracts no fees, while in other areas,

From Bukola Amusan

parking is commercialised. Private firms collect the dues on behalf of the FCTA through authorised agents.

However, the amount payable is predicated on the length of time such vehicle parked. Failure to pay the parking fee or indiscriminate parking in unauthorised areas would lead to clamp of vehicle tyres. This also attracts a fine of not less than N5, 000.

This is after the agent must have taken a photograph of the vehicle as proof that parking rules were violated.

However, activities of the parking agents in recent times have become source of worry to many motorists.

Some residents had complained that their cars were being burgled when parked on such designated lanes.

While most motorists argued that there was no legal backing for the parking service, they also complained of lack of awareness on the operations of the parking service.

They also complained that the

agents of these private parking service clamped vehicles at will, whether or not such vehicles were packed in unauthorised areas.

A resident, Agih John said there was a time the parking agents clamped his vehicle as they claimed that he parked on the walkway and was asked to pay N5, 000 fines. Though, his vehicle tyres were later unclamped, he refused to pay the fine, insisting that he did not commit any parking offence, even though the agents took away his number plates.

According to him, he had to go to the office of the private parking services to complain to some senior officials before he could retrieve his number plate two days after.

A trader, James Odaudu, said he had to pay N5, 000 at a time when his cars were clamped before he could get his number plates.

He urged the FCDA to find a better way of enforcing parking regulations in the city as these agents are exploiting people in order to make money for themselves. “They are just looking for ways to make money.”

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THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 14, 2012

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TUESDAY, AUGUST 14, 2012

POLITICS THE NATION

E-mail:- politics@thenationonlineng.net

For eight years, the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo presided over an administration that has remained a model and benchmark in Africa as the Premier of the defunct Western Region. Although his dream of becoming federal Chief Executive was abortive, he has remained a legend of ideas, vision, courage and integrity. Ayo Opadokun, who worked closely with him as the Deputy Director of Organisation of the defunct Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN), revisits the political philosophy and thoughts of the consumate politician and leader.

Intimate reminiscences on Awo and his politics N

IGERIA’S political landscape shook to its roots on May 9, 1987, when the most unexpected happened. The earthshaking occurrence was the transition to glory of Chief Jeremiah Oyeniyi Obafemi Awolowo (OA). With such a massive blow, Nigeria’s Progressives on the political divide lost Obafemi Awolowo, the most priced and valued possession, and the man for whom Chief Emeka Ojukwu spun the most enduring epithet, “The Best President Nigeria Never Had”. Indeed, OA was the best President Nigeria never had, thanks to the deliberate and conscious conspiracy of ultra-reactionary elements and agents of Right-Wing foreign socio-economic and political leeches.

With the benefit of hindsight, we cannot but marvel at the last 100 days of OA. He displayed some signs, which we took no notice of at the Time-T. Lets us commence the journey from his last birthday on March 6, 1987. While OA’s guests were just having the usual breakfast at Efunyela Hall, OA enjoyed social interaction with those present.

Mama, HID was also seated.

At about 10 a.m, I, as a personal Aide after Rotimi Abe got incarcerated for appending his name to OA’s convincing response which proved that contrary to General Idi Agbon’s assertion that UPN’s Governors have confessed to embezzling state funds to service the UPN party, none of them had been interrogated by the SIP as at that time I was called out to meet with a delegation from Oye Community now in Ekiti State. They brought a gift, a carved statue of OA. It was a spectacular work of art. It was very heavy, to the extent that it took the collaborative efforts of about five healthy men to bring it down from the Peugeot pick-up van, with registration No. OD613AA, used to transport it to Ikenne. Just as the effigy was successfully placed on the rostrum, OA indicated that he would like to go and have his own breakfast.

One amazing thing happened on that day.

As I was seeing off OA to the house, some of the people he had sponsored to Jerusalem on Christian pilgrimage lobbied me to allow them have personal and group photographs with him. For several of them, it was a lifelong dream being fulfilled. And people took that opportunity to be seen together with the legendary Nigerian leader. Some of those pictures made it into the newspapers. To enable them enjoy their moment exclusively, I distanced myself from them and watched the photo session. After members of the last group had their turn, OA turned to me. He requested me to also pose beside him for photo session with him. And I jumped at the unique opportunity. Deacon Ayo Oloruntoyin from the Nigerian Tribune, who was one of the photo journalists on ground that day, snapped way, and he later obliged me with a unique copy. In my houses in both Lagos and Offa, that copy adorns my walls. The photograph remains a cherished possession, a record of that memborable day in my life. I was thrilled with the array of colleagues present at the occasion. While I was busy with the OA birthday, I never knew that my mother, Mrs. Sarah Wuraola Opadokun, had passed on to glory on the same day, March 6, 1987. It was Dr. Olu Onagoruwa, his wife and Retired Commissioner of Police Onagoruwa who came to my house to break the sad news to me at about eight, in the morning of the following day, March 7, 1987.

When OA returned to Efunyela Hall, he directed that I should organize a formal reception for the carving from Oye Ekiti. I did, and the guests were happy. OA in response remarked that if it was the little contributions that he has made to the society was the reason for the spectacular love and affection he enjoys from many people and communities, and particularly from members of Oye

Community who had come to present him with such a unique art work, he would wish that he performed excellently far much more in life after death. OA informed the guests that he had lost a book titled “Life after Life” and that he craved for another copy from anyone who has a copy to oblige him for his quick reading again. There and then, OA rendered a few extracts from that book. Blind admirers that we were, all of us failed to realize he was giving us advance notice of his transition. But we never took notice.

It was after OA transited to the great beyond that we knew that he had again prophesied his own death and other events. But we had taken no notice. Sunday Times, however, provided Nigerians an historical excursion on OA in order to remind us of some quotable quotes out of much of what Chief OA said on his last birthday.

Another of those events was OA’s last visit to the University of Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo University in 1987. OA’s visit was to honour the doyen of Nigeria theatre, Chief Hubert Ogunde, who was to be given an Honoris Causa by the University. Along with Mama HID, We arrived at Ife a day ahead of the event. OA and HID were guests at the palace of His Royal Majesty Oba Sijuade Okunade, Olubuse II, while he booked me into a suite at his Sijuade Motel in Ife. I was the Public Relations Consultant to Chief Ogunde in the last five years of his highly productive life. And he had broached to me the need for a stage presentation and film on the life and times of Chief Obafemi Awolowo. After consulting with OA, I had very refreshing discussions with Chief Ogunde, who asked me to formally apply for OA’s permission and approval. Ogunde and I jointly took a breakfast with OA to further explain why we thought the film was germane towards filling a void in our situation in Nigeria. Eventually, OA officially approved our request to do a full- course film on him. Just about the same time, Dr. Ola Balogun pleaded with me to put in a word for him on the same project. I pointedly reminded him about the contributions Chief Ogunde had made to Awolowo’s political life and therefore Ogunde must remain first choice for executing the project.

Three months after OA gave his endorsement, there was a command performance on the grand stage of the National Theatre, Iganmu Lagos to test-run what to expect in the movie. Actors that played the characters of Alhaji Jakande, Chief Enahoro and Pa Alfred Rewane were adjudged look-alike carbon copies of the characters they were representing. However, the actors who played the characters of Alhaji L.K. Jakande and Chief Bola Ige were the most appreciated by the audience. Unfortunately, the sudden death of Chief Ogunde himself on April 4, 1990 frustrated work on the production of the full-fledged stage presentation and film on the life and times of Chief Obafemi Awolowo.

Meanwhile, the award of Honoris Causa conferred on Chief Hubert Ogunde commanded an immense live audience, a huge crowd of respected Nigerians, including staff and students of Ife University. Again, we never noticed OA’s departing conduct after the events. Large team of the Staff and Stu-

• The Late Awolowo

dents’ Unions and over twenty five thousand crowd again exhibited their love, affection and loyalty to OA. And for the last time, OA had to climb the tail-board of his utility sixdoor Mercedes Benz to address the huge crowd with his two-finger victory sign. It only dawned on us after OA’s transition that even though we never realized it, the sage had given the university community a glorious GOODBYE. OA’s trip to Warri, which was his last public outing was to honour the new Olu of Warri, billed to be given the staff of office by the then Military Governor of Bendel State. It was another momentous event. OA and HID had enjoyed great relations with OA’s admirers, particularly the Itsekiri people, who are cousins to the Yoruba. The visit also was equally to honour a dependable ally of OA, Papa Alfred Rewane who was the godfather of the Olu of Warri. Papa Rewane and HRM were of the same lineage and in fact Papa Rewane sponsored HRM to local schools and University in Europe. In fact, in 1999 and 2000, as the General Secretary of Afenifere, I had to put the Ijaw people on notice that the Pan Yoruba political platform had taken note of the outrageous violence being unleashed on the Itsekiri by Ijaw people. And we notified them that any further attack on the Itsekiri was an attack on the Yoruba nation. Such attackers, we said, must be ready for appropriate responses from the Yoruba nation. Instantly, the combatants shelved their sword and sanity had prevailed ever since.

On another occasion, OA was present at the University of Lagos Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, Akoka, Yaba, Lagos for the first memorial lecture to honour the Late Chief J.F. Odunjo (the writer of the Alawiye book series). The occasion turned out to be the last time that OA and the late doyen of public service Chief S.O. Adebo would meet. Professor Akin Adesola, who was then the Vice Chan-

‘From October 1985, Yoruba leaders and captains of industries and professionals, particularly many in the Metropolitan Club, had persistently sent emissaries to Chief Awolowo, pleading with him to intervene over the raw deal they were suffering in their various business activities. Such emissaries were initially facilitated by Prince Babs Oyekanmi’

cellor of UNILAG, was in attendance. I invited Alhaji Ganiyu Dawodu, Mr.Ojekunle Ferreira, Professor Afolabi Olabimtan, then Director of COSIT, UNILAG, Chief Taiwo Alimi, Chief Dipo Jimilehin, to accompany OA. The children of Chief Odunjo were also present at the lecture.

At the event, Chief S.O. Adebo privately expressed regrets to OA that the Nigerian Public Service had of late turned a disappointment; more so as the reported official misconducts were much more for personal gains rather than for public interest.

There was also the most significant opportunity for OA to meet face to face with Yoruba leaders of the Conservative political divide. On February 18, 1987, Awo had his last encounter with Retired Justice Adetokunbo Ademola, Chief H.O. Davies and Dr. Koye Majekodunmi, the Administrator of Western Region during the state of emergency imposed on the region by the NPC/ NCNC led Federal Government. This meeting came as part of the implementation of the resolution of a peace and reconciliation meeting of Yoruba leaders of various shades of opinion. From October 1985, Yoruba leaders and captains of industries and professionals, particularly many in the Metropolitan Club, had persistently sent emissaries to Chief Awolowo, pleading with him to intervene over the raw deal they were suffering in their various business activities. Such emissaries were initially facilitated by Prince Babs Oyekanmi. For example, they lamented that they were having difficulty securing government approval for some of their business requirements, except when they enlisted one or two far Northerners into their board membership. They sought a meeting with Papa in the greatest interest of the Yoruba nation.

But first, there came an interregnum After General Ibrahim Babangida overthrew his boss, he quickly returned Chief Awolowo’s International Passport within one week. Col. John Shagaya, the then Minister of International Affairs, ensured the delivery of the instrument to OA. General Buhari and General Idiagbon had unreasonably and disrespectfully seized OA’s passport without any known reason. To add insult to injury, security operatives of the government had embarked on a brazen search of Awo’s home.

Even though the Buhari government claimed that the disrespectful searching OA’s house was not authorized and that it was the work of filth Columnist, their explanation remained feeble and condemnable.

Returning the passport enabled Awo to finally travel as he wished. On the eve of Papa’s annual leave and medical check-up abroad (which the Buhari-Idiagbon regime blocked for one and half years), Papa instructed that on his return, he would be willing to consider another meeting with his rivals, Yoruba leaders on the other side of political philosophy. OA asked me to compile a list of two leaders of our own per each Yoruba state.

Based on my list, he would hold a preliminary meeting with these dignitaries. They were Senator Abraham Adesanya and Chief J.A.O. Odebiyi from Ogun State, Chief Adebayo Adefarati and Dr. Nathaniel Aina from the old Ondo State, Alhaji Busari Raji and Canon Emmanuel Alayande represented the old Oyo State, Alhaji Ganiyu Dawodu and Alhaji Rafiu Jafojo represented Lagos State.

Chief C.O Adebayo joined me from Kwara State. On Papa’s return, Prince Oyekanmi and I exchanged notes, and we fixed the meeting for January 21, 1987. The Metropolitan Club big shots choose Chief Molade Okoya Tennis Club House at Onikan for the meeting.

•To be continued tomorrow

THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 14, 2012

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POLITICS Six years after the murder of Dr Ayo Daramola, as World Bank consultant and Ekiti politician, the killers are still at large. Deputy Political Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU captures the agony of the bereaved family of the politician.

Daramola and the illusion of justice R

ELATIONS, friends and political associates of the slain politician, Dr Ayo Daramola, have not fully recovered from the shock-six-years after. Today, his death is still a mystery to the people of Ijan-Ekiti, his hometown, where he was killed by suspected assassins. The puzzle remains: who killed the former university teacher-turned politician?

His death had provoked rage in Ekiti State during the dark period. Towns people were drowned in wailing, bewilderment and prolonged bereavement. Last year, at a ceremony marking the tragic incident in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital the government promised to reopen the murder case. But justice has been both illusory and elusive.

Before his foray into politics, Daramola, a nutritional economist and World Bank consultant, had become a household name in the “Fountain of Knowledge” through his activities in the Ekiti Poverty Reduction Agency (EKPRA), a World Bank project. As the coordinator of the programme, he attracted many developmental projects, which made his tenure memorable.

Since 2006, his widow, Kehinde, a princess from Ijebu-Ife, Ogun State, and children, Folabi and Dimeji, have been waiting endlessly for justice. The death of her beloved husband confirmed her worst fear about politics. She had discouraged him from active politics, claiming that politics in Nigeria was not a haven for refined people. Besides, she pointed out that he was a comfortable person and a promising professional in a lucrative career.

But the late Daramola insisted on embarking on the political journey. Like the late Chief Moshood Abiola, the presidential flag bearer of the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the 1993 election, his slogan was the abolition of poverty in Ekitiland. His intervention in the socioeconomic life of the 120 towns and villages as the EKPRA Director was the tonic.

Daramola had worked and made fortune as a lecturer, banker and World Bank official. However, he delved into politics, with the aim of using power to liberate his dispirited rural kinsmen.

The slain politician came at a time the state was enveloped in tension. The yearning for change was evident in the people’s clamour for the replacement of those in power. Prominent indigenes have agonised over the precarious position of the state, especially the slide into violence.

As Ekiti became a laughing stock, many of them shunned home. The late Daramola thought otherwise. To him, evil would continue to thrive, if men of goodwill kept silent. He advocated for a responsible government that would accord with popular feelings, restore public confidence and take the backward state to the promised land.

The former World Bank consultant came to his home state with an intimidating credential. To the people of Ekiti, he was an asset; tested and trusted. Since he started primary school, he did not look back until he bagged the apex degree. Highly educated, he had capped his academic pursuits at home and abroad with an enviable doctorate degree, which is the mark of a towering Ekiti scholar. More captivating was his manifesto. It showed that he was conversant with the problems of the state. When writing his thesis at Howard University, Washington, United States, he chose a topic that had a bearing with his roots.

The focus of his research was Food Nutrition. It is still critical to the development of many African countries, which are characterised by high mortality rates among expectant women and children, making experts on the continent to suggest that food, must be accorded a prime priority in the right quantity and quality.

‘It is just unfortunate that the killers are still roaming the streets of Nigeria and nothing has been done about it.

It is very annoying and upsetting. I have left everything to God. I want justice, but it is not coming. Whenever the time he was killed is approaching again, the memory of the horror comes up’ •The Late Daramola

The late Daramola combed Ekiti State when he was gathering materials for the investigation. The document he produced is still relevant to planning in the state, almost three decades after. He claimed that his involvement in EKPRA in later years further gave him an insight into strategies for bailing the people out of squalor. Explaining his desire to fight poverty in the state, if elected as governor, he said: “I was poor. Many Ekiti people live in poverty. We can mobilise our intellectual endowment and material resources to wipe out poverty and put smiles on the faces of people.”

Ahead of the campaigns, he had developed what he described as “solution files”, which encompassed the strategies for solving Ekiti problems sector by sector. He lamented that Ekiti remained backward, despite its vast human endowment.

He assured the people that hope was not lost, urging them to endure the pains that would herald liberation.

“We had done it before; we can do it again and we will do it again,” he said, referring to his feats as the EKPRA Chief Executive.

“On May 29, 2007, I will be governor of Ekiti State. I know how to do it better, get results and make our people happy,” he added. To the people of the countryside, who had savoured his water projects, empowerment programmes and mobilisation for participatory joint projects, he was an idol.

Daramola exuded the confidence of a prince waiting for a crown. He was bold.

A gifted speaker, he canvassed the alternative route to power, but on a conservative platform. He predicted that those in power woungld not retain the seats they have stained. But when light triumphed over darkness in Ekitiland, he did not live

to witness it.

However, in death, his profile remained electrifying. He is remembered as a special breed endowed with charisma, carriage, courage, and foresight. His message has also remained evergreen. Through EKPRA, he taught Ekiti the value of collective effort at forging development. Selfhelp, he said, was not a sin, advising the people to put their destiny in their hand.

In communities where that salient idea was put into practice, water ran from the pipes. Health centres spraung up. Rural roads were reactivated. Some towns and villages chose priority projects, put money down and invited the World Bank to fill the other little vacuum.

In appreciation of that exposure, monarchs conferred chieftaincy titles on the Ekiti icon, to the envy of those who misused the secular mandate bestowed on them. The installation ceremonies were still pending in those towns and villages when the agents of darkness came calling at midnight to snuff life out of him. At his lying-in-state, long royal staff from palaces across the state competed for space around his coffin in their splendor, reminding those who killed him that, in life and death, the late Daramola has I had a towering stature.

His wife has maintained that, if he had shunned politics, he would still be alive.

But he carried on his head the bow of fate and destiny. Yet, the craving for money and other material gains was not his motivation. The late Daramola only enlisted in party politics in furtherance of his productive service to the society. In his reckoning, if good people yielded the space for charlatans, nowhere would be safe for both the elite and commoners. What society needed, he maintained, was a leadership with vision, focus and determination to make a mark.

These leadership traits have kept him company from childhood. As a child, he showed the promise of someone who would rise above limitations imposed by his background as a village boy.

Daramola lived with a teacher, who was being transferred from one town to another. In Ekiti Parapo College, Ido-Ekiti, he rose to fame as a footballer who toured many towns during those memorable soccer fiestas, which united the famed Ekiti Confederation. The late Daramola became an encyclopedia of Ekiti knowledge. He was versed in its traditions, customs and cultures. All these shaped his response to the socio-political millieu.

His heroes were old classroom teachers and principals who later became politicians and statesmen. One of them was Chief J.A. Fapounda, his old teacher, who later became the Chief Whip of the Ondo State House of Assembly in the Second Republic. Another was Chief S.B. Asebiomo, former Chairman of Ondo State Central School Board. While in Form Two, his leadership traits unfolded. The school authority made him the Light Prefect, and later, Food Prefect.s He had wanted to go to Molusi College, Ijebu-Igbo or Oyemekun Grammar School, Akure for his HSC, but Asebiomo, his school principal, prevailed on him to keep faith with his studies in the school. To encourage him to stay, he offered him scholarship.

The old teacher wanted him to continue to play football for the school.

The late Daramola became the House Captain. Due to the way he carried himself, he was held in high esteem by peers and juniors. He remained proud of the preeminent position, which accorded him more fame and prestige. “House captainship was a position of pre-eminence and esteem. as a captain, I issued exacts to contemporary students. as a food prefect, I fought for improved food in the dining hall”, he recalled . He was also a member of the Students Representatives Council presided over by Asebiomo. As the face of the student, he was vocal. He fought for students and opposed unpopular management decisions. That memory of grammar school democracy was impactful, for when he entered politics, he showed himself as a soldier of democracy.

In the private sector, he was a man of high managerial acumen; an embodiment of dignified labour. He had wanted to replicate these essential qualities in politics.

But it is a slippery field. Who killed Daramola? Will he get justice?

Mrs. Daramola, Special Adviser to the Ekiti Deputy Governor, insisted that the blood of her husband is still calling for justice. “It was a big sacrifice he made. I know that his killers will be in pain all their lives,” she said.

“It is just unfortunate that the killers are still roaming the streets of Nigeria and nothing has been done about it. It is very annoying and upsetting. I have left everything to God. I want justice, but it is not coming. Whenever the time he was killed is approaching again, the memory of the horror comes up again”, Mrs Daramola added.

Abia governor renders account

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BIA State Governor Theodore Orji has called on Abians in diaspora to come home and invest in the state. The governor made the call in Houston during a town hall meeting with the people of the state resident in the United States.

A statement by the Chief Press Secretary, Ugochukwu Emezue, said the governor rendered an account of stewardship at the meeting. Orji told the people at the interactive session that his motive was to halt underdevelopment in the state.

“What I am doing now is to lay a solid foundation as exemplified in the numerous projects I have embarked upon in the past

By Emmanuel Oladesu

one year”, the governor said..

Orji listed the projects, including the diagnostic centre, international conference centre, the new secretariat, new government house ,High Court Complex, Ubani and industrial markets in Umuahia.

Orji said that he had embarked on road projects in Aba and Umuahia, with a special emphasis on Ukwumango road. The governor said he would not relent in his developmental efforts, despite the lean resources available to him.

Orji said his greatest achievement is the

liberation of Abia from the clutches of darkness and the restoration of security, adding that he had fought kidnaping to a standstill.

He said, with the high network in place, Abia is now one of the safest states in Nigeria. He explained that many investors now come to the state to invest, pleading with them to channel their resources back home to help in the transformation of the state.

After watching documentaries focusing on developmental projects in Abia, those who spoke commended Governor Orji for finding time to host the town hall meeting, which had gone a long way in proving that Abia is working.

THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 14, 2012

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HEALTH THE NATION

E-mail:- health@thenationonlineng.net

WHO, UNAIDS: Male circumcision can prevent transmission of HIV Medically circumcised men stand a reduced risk of contracting HIV during sexual intercourse. OYEYEMI GBENGAMUSTAPHA reports.

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HE Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) have endorsed male circumcision for the prevention of HIV. According to scientific trials, male circumcision can reduce a man’s risk of becoming infected with HIV during heterosexual intercourse by up to 60 per cent.

Relying on these studies, WHO and UNAIDS have recommended male circumcision as an important new element of HIV prevention. Since the recommendation, the demand for circumcision has been on the rise.

In Nigeria, male circumcision involves removing the foreskin, a loose fold of skin that covers the head of the penis. The procedure can be carried out at any stage- during infancy, childhood, adolescence or adulthood.

At the World AIDS conference in Washington DC, United States, Director-General of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) Prof John Idoko explained how medical male circumcision can prevent HIV transmission.

“HIV is a virus that suppresses the immune system of an infected person. It targets and destroys particular white blood cells (CD4 cells, a type of T cell) that the immune system must have to fight disease. The virus is transmitted from person to person through contact with HIV-infected blood or other infected bodily fluids such as semen.

“HIV can remain in the body for over 10 years without causing outward signs of illness. However, as HIV-related immune destruction progresses, symptoms may include enlarged lymph glands, depression, fatigue, fever, yeast infections of the mouth and vagina, night sweats, diarrhoea, loss of appetite, loss of memory, and weight loss. The HIVinfected person is also more susceptible to illnesses that usually do not affect healthy people.

These are called opportunistic infections, meaning that they take advantage of a weakened immune system.

“Several characteristic opportunistic infections are PCP (Pneumocystis carinii- pneumonia), yeast infections of the esophagus, tuberculosis, Kaposi’s sarcoma, and cytomegalovirus. An HIVinfected person is considered to have AIDS when his or her CD4 cell count falls below 200/mL. AIDS is also characterised by the appearance of opportunistic infections. In the majority of cases, the absence of treatment once AIDS is acquired leads to death.

“Compared with the dry external skin surface, the inner mucosa of the foreskin has less keratinisation (deposition of fibrous protein), a higher density

•From left: Co-ordinator,Hygeia Foundation, Dr Peju Adelusi; wife of Nasarawa Governor, Hajia Salamatu Tanko Almakura; Prof Idoko; Director, Policy and Strategy, NACA, Mr Alex Ogundipe, at the International AIDS Conference, Washington D.C.

•Experts carrying out male circumcision

of target cells for HIV infection (Langerhans cells), and is more susceptible to HIV infection than other penile tissue in laboratory studies. The foreskin may also have greater susceptibility to traumatic epithelial disruptions (tears) during intercourse, providing a portal of entry for pathogens, including HIV. In addition, the micro environment in the preputial sac between the unretracted foreskin and the gland penis may be conducive to viral survival. Finally, the higher rates of sexually transmitted genital ulcerative disease, such as syphilis, observed in uncircumcised men may also increase susceptibility to HIV infection”.

How does circumcision prevent HIV? Describing how medical male circumcision can prevent HIV, Idoko said: “There are several ways in which the foreskin acts as HIV’s main ‘entry point’ during penetrative sex between an uninfected man and an HIVinfected person. The inner surface of the foreskin contains a higher proportion of the cells that HIV targets, such as T-cells. Conversely, the inner foreskin has less keratin, a protein found in the skin, which has a protective effect. A study of Zambian men before and after circumcision concluded that observed decreases in anaerobic bacteria may play a role in reducing the risk of HIV acquisition. Circumcision can reduce the likelihood of genital ulcers, which increase HIV-risk. In addition, any small tears in the foreskin that occur during sex make it much easier for the virus to enter the body.”

Chief Mumena of the Kaonde people of Zambia, from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, described how his people benefited from medical male circum-

cision to reduce HIV. “It is not in the culture of Provinces in Zambia to circumcise at infancy. Male circumcision is more of passage of right. My-19year-old son came home from school one day and demanded to be circumcised. I dug into the reason by asking questions and reading literatures on the subject.

I discovered the enormous benefits. It was not an easy task trying to change cultural norms. I had several towns’ meetings and today many men in Kaonde are voluntarily asking for medical male circumcision.”

He added that from the medical records of his people, male circumcision can be protective against HIV transmission through sexual intercourse. “Over 400 men came out for medical circumcision. Kaonde men have recorded over 71 per cent HIV reduction. Circumcision significantly reduces a man’s risk of contracting HIV from an HIVpositive woman during penilevaginal sex, as shown by several types of research.

“A review of 28 studies of male circumcision, as it is related to heterosexual transmission of HIV in Africa, showed that the relative risk for becoming infected with HIV was 44 per cent lower in circumcised men. In addition, male circumcision has been associated with protection against other sexually transmitted infections such as syphilis and chancroid.

“Not only that, it was discovered as well that it helped in the reduction of cervical cancer in women because the virus used to hide in the foreskin of men that are not circumcised. What is the essence of culture when life is not protected, but rather maimed.”

Mumena said: “Biologically, there are several possible reasons circumcised men are less likely to contract HIV. One, the foreskin is moist and helps the virus

•Project Manager, Kwara State Committee on AIDS, Dr John Oyeniyi; Assistant Chief Communication Officer, Toyin Aderibigbe; Osun State Commissioner of Health Dr Temitope Ilori and a participant, Mrs Dorcas Afeniforo, at the International AIDS Conference, Washington D.C.

• Wife of Ekiti State Governor, Mrs Bisi Fayemi (left) and Chairperson, Ekiti State House Committee on HIV, Hon Bunmi Oriniowo, at the International AIDS Conference in Washington D.C.

survive and reproduce. When the foreskin is removed, this moist environment is eliminated as well; two, the foreskin is not keratinised and thus may have greater susceptibility to tears during intercourse, providing a portal of entry for pathogens, including HIV; and three, the foreskin has a high concentration of target cells to which the virus can attach and cause infection. Accordingly, male circumcision, together with other prevention interventions, could play an important role in HIV prevention.”

Bottom line Voluntary male medical circumcision (VMMC) reduces the risk of men contracting HIV, the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) and other sexually transmitted infections from an infected female. However, male circumcision confers only partial protection and should be considered as only one of several other prevention measures. Despite the effectiveness of VMMC, it is essential that circumcised men be encouraged to continue using condoms during sexual intercourse.

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THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 14, 2012

HEALTH

Experts advocate aggressive anti-malaria campaign

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O reduce the scourge of malaria, experts are advocating an aggressive anti-malaria campaign, especially in rural areas.

During an anti-malaria campaign in 75 primary health care (PHC) and maternal centres in Lagos State, Brand Manager, Mortein Insecticide, Reckitt Benckiser Mrs Toyin Yusuf, urged expectant and nursing mothers who are in the vulnerable group to keep their environment free from mosquito infestation.

Yusuf said it was necessary to train the health instructors and Roll Back Malaria partners so that they could pass on the training at their various PHC centres.

“Reports from the National Demographic Health Survey (NDHS) have shown that 300,000 children die from malaria in Nigeria yearly “Therefore, the importance

By Wale Adepoju

of adequate awareness about the danger of malaria, especially at the grassroot cannot be over emphasised. We are training 90 people for the eight-week campaign in Lagos after which we would take the campaign to other states in the country.

“Thirty-two thousand new mums would also be given free mortein insecticides to help keep their homes mosquito free and prevent malaria,” she said.

The company,s Scientific Service Group Coordinator, Research for Development, Mr Uchenna Nwakama, said it was important to educate women on the proper way to use an insecticide.

This, he said, was because insecticides often contained toxic materials that are harmful to those who inhaled them.

Nwakanma said Mortein was made in such a way that it met World Health Organisation (WHO) standard devoid of these toxic substances.

“Toxic Insecticide exposures can cause a variety of adverse health effects which include irritation of the skin, eyes and respiratory tract.

“Gastric symptoms such as stomach cramp, nausea, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, vomitting, loss of apetite, muscle weakness, slowed heart rate, and even cancer.

“What we have done with the product was to stay away from those hazardous substances because we do not want the insecticides to harm anybody.

“These women, however, need to know how important it is to use the right insecticide and to prevent harm while spraying it,”he said

•From left: Consultant Nephrologist, Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Dr. J.O. Awobusuyi; Commissioner for Health, Ekiti State, Prof Olusola Fasubaa; Chief Medical Director, Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, Dr. P.T. Adegun; Health Portfolio Manager, MTNF, Abasi-Ekong Udobang and Chairman, Medical Advisory Committee (CMAC), Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, Dr. Deji Ajayi, at the MTNF community screening in Ekiti State.

• Ogun State Deputy Governor, Prince Segun Adesegun ( cutting the tape); Speaker, House of Assembly, Surajudeen Ishola Adekunbi; Corps Marshal/Chief Executive, Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Osita Chidoka and others, at the launch of the state ambulance services in Abeokuta.

Ogun launches emergency ambulance service

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O reduce deaths through road accidents, the Ogun State government has launched emergency ambulances services. Four new advanced life support ambulances were launched and 10 basic ones were refurbished.

The event was witnessed by government officials, traditional rulers, and other stakeholders at the State Secretariat in Abeokuta.

Governor Ibikunle Amosun called on Nigerians, philanthropists and corporate organisations to partner with the government to buy at least 42 more life support ambulances to cover the state.

Ogun, he said, accounted for 41.5 per cent road accidents and 16.7 per cent deaths nationally last year because of its link with Lagos-Ibadan and SagamuOre-Benin Expressway.

Amosun, represented by his Deputy, Prince Segun Adesegun, said the state is the first in the country to embrace the initiative of the United Nations General Assembly in re-

By Risikat Ramoni

ducing road accidents and casualties half eight years from now.

The people were assured of prompt and efficient service by the emergency personnel who have been well-trained and certified by the American Heart Association.

The Commissioner of Health, Dr Olaokun Soyinka, urged Nigerians to follow the United Nations Global decade of action plan on road safety.

He said the plan calls for increased enforcement on the use of helmets, seat-belts and child restraints as well as actions to reduce drinking, driving and speeding when driving.

Soyinka said: “Safety on the roads is a collective responsibility and that means we must all embrace good habits on the road.”

He announced 122 as the emergency number for emergency services.

The Commissioner said, subsequently, the emergency

services will be built to respond to more than just road accidents and trauma situations.

In addition, the Corps Marshal/Chief Executive of the Federal Road Safety Corp (FRSC), Osita Chidoka, made an appeal to stakeholders, including government agencies and non-governmental organisations, to work together in reducing road traffic crashes.

He said: “Many countries have shown that road accidents and death can be reduced to the barest minimum. All states in the country should aim for zero road accident fatality. The FRSC has 12 ambulances to assist road accident victims.”

Chidoka commended the Ogun State Government for the laudable achievements while also urging them to ensure prompt delivery of service when the need arises.

The ambulance crew demonstrated how road accidents occur and ways they will save victims lives.

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THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 14, 2012

PROPERTY/ENVIRONMENT

Experts, artisans trade words over building collapse WITH two building collapses in Lagos and Abuja in one week, there is an urgent need for a drastic solution to this problem. Buildings are still falling like fruits off a tree despite efforts to contain the problem. What can be done to redress the situation? Professionals and artisans are washing their hands off the problem. They blame one another for the seeming unending saga. OKWY IROEGBU-CHIKEZIE reports

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HO should be held responsible for building collapses?

Artisans, say professionals.

But artisans counter the professionals claim. They said the professionals should be blamed.

Can anything be done to redress the situation? What should be the government’s role in finding solution to the problem? The government too is part of the problem, says the Building Collapse Prevention Guild (BCPG), a group of all professionals in the built environment. So, asking the government for solution may not be a wise thing to do, BCPG’s convener Kunle Awobodu, said the problem cannot be solved either by rhetoric or promulgation of laws. He called for a practical approach to solving the manmade problem.

He lamented that buildings were falling when there were professionals who could address the problem. Noting that none of the collapses had been traced to them.

Awobodu said: “Records reveal that no structural engineer or professional builder was involved in any known building collapse here in Nigeria”.

“BCPG is a child of necessity in the quest for normalcy in the construction sector and suggesting that emphasis be laid on mitigation of losses and promotion of preemptive measures to avert collapse.”

On ways to check the menace, Awobodu said the group has adopted an approach that would involve monitoring and non –confrontation to know the construction professionals handling projects in various localities.

Under the plan, he said the professionals would partner with the executive bodies of the various Community Development Associations (CDAs) Resident Associations, and traditional rulers to achieve results.

He said there were plans also to train artisans and craftsmen.

A don from the University of Lagos, Mr David AdioMoses, urged the government and professionals to enforce the building code to ensure sanity in the sector.

A town planner, Mrs Kehinde George, accused developers and contractors of unethical practices by using substandard materials. She also blamed government officials who compromise their positions by not enforcing the relevant rules.

Immediate past Chairman of Nigeria Institute of Architects (NIA), Lagos chapter Mrs Bimbo Ajayi called for a paradigm shift in the operations of professionals in the sector.

Majority of the collapses, she said, were due to non-compliance with standard specifications and the use of substandard materials and equipment.

In addition, she said, was poor work ethic by some professionals.

Managing Consultant, Lagos State Materials Testing Laboratory, Mr Shola Abel Famakin said artisans were the major culprits in building collapses. He accused them of using the wrong concrete mix by overburdening cement with sand making it weak for construction. He berated them for not having sufficient training and education. Famakin insisted that in building, you don’t compromise compliance to quality standards for any reason.

Chairman of Nigeria Institute of Quantity Surveyors (NIQS), Lagos chapter, Mr Tijani Lasisi, said some people did not count the cost before a building, thereby resulting in either abandoning the project mid-way or managing materials, which may eventually lead to a collapse.

Chairman of Nigeria Institute of Architects (NIA), Lagos Chapter, Mr Ladipo Lewis blamed poor workmanship by artisans, contractors and professional mis-conduct for building collapse.

•Artisans at the event

He suggested that every building undergo a soil test to determine its strength. According to him, collapse is a source of value loss and people should learn how to preserve their investments.

An engineer, Mr Akin Akintola blamed the government for the problem. He accused the government of disregarding its own laws.

He lamented that some influential people evade punishment by using government officials to flout building regulations. He urged the government to be alive to its responsibilities in order to check building collapses.

But a bricklayer, Mr Owodunmi Ajibola, accused professionals of being culpable in the building collapses.

He relived his experience with an engineer on a site recently, who he said compromised on the quantity of cement needed to mold blocks even when the fund was provided by the client.

He said because artisans are always warned not to discuss with the client they can’t complain to him of the disaster that may be waiting to happen.

Ajibola said: “Our daily meal comes from the profes-

Yaba College unveils ‘Alumni Complex’

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HE Yaba College of Technology Alumni Association has unveiled her ‘Alumni Complex’.

The building with four floors has in its ground floor, banking and multi -purpose halls, while the first floor houses offices, committee rooms and hall; the second floor has the computer training centre; third floor, open offices and the fourth floor.

One unique thing about the building is that, all the professionals involved are alumni of Yaba College of Technology.

The construction Company that built the structure is Sojimi Services Limited owned by an alumnus of the college, a builder and engineer, Mr Olatunde Jaiyesimi.

•Alumni Complex, Yaba College of Technology

sionals who engage us, we therefore, resist the temptation to be confrontational though not oblivious of the implications.”

A plumber, Tunji Akala who claimed to have worked as a plumber for 13 years, said the professionals and government should carry the blame.

He said though they have the experience, they are not

allowed to take decisions on site as they are seen as illiterates while professionals who probably have only paper qualifications with no experience are allowed to take all decisions, which most times are disastrous.

Akala also criticised the government, which keeps talking about a code of practice for the sector without

implementing it. He absolved his colleages. He advised the government to do the needful by enforcing its own laws.

Akala said his colleagues are disciplined and know the repercussion of being dubious as they are self-regulatory.

He asked the government to monitor developers who are fond of putting monetary gains above safety.

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THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 14, 2012

PROPERTY/ENVIRONMENT Building Issues

How to boost your house’s value through renovation

By Okwy Iroegbu-Chikezie IX it and flip it” is a phrase Asst Editor often associated with real estate investing. The idea the homes in the area. Money behind the concept is that the spent on these items is unlikely to completion of a few choice remod- be fully recovered, but should at eling projects will add significant least result in ensuring that the value to the price of a home. With home sells for a price that is comthis in mind, many homeowners parable to other homes in the area. undertake major renovation projects before putting their Curb appeal homes up for sale with the idea that touching up the place will reItems that add curb appeal help sult in big cash. More often than the property to look good when not, these upgrades fail to pay for prospective buyers arrive. While themselves. these projects may not add a conUpdating an investment prop- siderable amount of monetary erty is generally a sound strategy value, they will help the place sell because successful advocates of the faster. Curb appeal items include a fix-it-and-flip-it philosophy buy nice green lawn, attractive landscaprun-down homes at bargain prices ing, fresh paint inside and out, new and save money on the repairs by carpet and new appliances. If you doing most of the work them- know that a prospective buyer is selves. A little sweat equity goes due to arrive at a certain time, make a long way toward making a real your house smell good and create a estate investment profitable. warm, inviting atmosphere.

Investors carefully choose their The projects that add considerremodeling projects, focusing on able value are big fathose that will revorites of fix-it-andsult in the most ‘The basics are flip it advocates. value for the least the things that While most of these amount of effort efforts will not rebuyers expect and cost. coup their costs, Part of the prowhen they pursome will come cess includes paying chase a home. This close. Projects that attention to the includes a roof that offer the most value other homes in the for the cash include neighborhood to doesn’t leak, func- new siding, kitchen avoid over-imtioning gutters and remodeling, bathproving the proproom remodeling, drainages, solid erty. new windows, If none of the floors, walls that decks and the addiother houses in the are in good repair, tion of living space. area have for inReal estate practitioretaining walls stance shingles as ners cite siding, roofing materials that work and all kitchens and winand swimming of the other comdows as some of the pool adding these most beneficial mon-sense items amenities and funcprojects, often retions is unlikely to that you expect to couping 80 per cent result in a signififind in a home’ or more of their cantly higher sellcosts during resale. ing price.

Sometimes, property owners Personal preference take a less strategic approach to remodeling their homes prior to Personal preference projects are putting them on the market. As a nifty items that you want but that result, they end up putting sig- other people may not like or be nificantly more money into the willing to pay to get. In most areas project than they will get back out of the country, these include of it when they sell. amenities such as swimming To make the most of your re- pools, , squash and tennis courts, modeling projects, it pays to keep hot tubs, wine cellars, bars and four types of projects in mind: probably a pond. There’s certainly basics, curb appeal, value added no harm in adding these items to and personal preference. your house, but don’t expect potential buyers to be willing to pay The basics a premium to get them when you are ready to sell.

The basics are the things that For instance, if you are remodelbuyers expect when they purchase ing to live in a particular house, it a home. This includes a roof that is instructive to remember that your doesn’t leak, functioning gutters primary residence is not just a and drainages, solid floors, walls house, it’s your home. If you plan that are in good repair, retaining to live there for many years to come, walls that work and all of the other add amenities that you want to have common-sense items that you ex- regardless of their impact on resale. pect to find in a home.

When it’s time to sell, do the In upscale properties, this in- basics to get the property up to par cludes air conditioning, a certain for the neighborhood and add number of bedrooms, bathrooms some curb appeal, but don’t bother and garages, and any other ameni- undertaking an extensive array of ties that are common to the neigh- projects strictly in an effort to inborhood, such as a swimming crease the value of the property. pool, garden and probably a gym.

Even with the projects that are Adding these items to a home known to add value, the chances that lacks them doesn’t add value; are good that you will spend far it merely brings the property up more money than you will get back to the standard level of the rest of in return.

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•LAWMA women drivers during the training

• Women drivers with Oresanya and Bello at the launch

PHOTO: OKWY IROEGBU-CHIKEZIE

LAWMA mainstreams gender in waste management

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HE Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) has unveiled specialised Skip-Trucks manned by women graduate drivers.

The mainstreaming of gender in waste collection and management started about four years ago but inched a step higher last Thursday with the launch of a fleet of trucks and the employment of additional 45 ladies as truck drivers to cart refuse from the streets to the various Transfer Loading Station (TLS).

LAWMA policy thrust of equal employment opportunity and gender balancing has been incorporated in the age old adage of ‘whatever a man can do, women can also do, even better’.

LAWMA Managing Director Ola Oresanya said the focus of the agency is not just gender balancing but harnessing the special innate abilities of women of sensitiveness, care and also organise a livable environment.

He revealed that each truck driver was given a minimum of six

By Okwy Iroegbu-Chikezie Asst Editor

months driving lessons before being allowed to drive. Generally, the scheme is geared towards complimenting the existing waste management efforts in the state.

The women have been found to be more careful on wheels and there has been no record of accidents on any one of them, they handle the vehicles as if they are precious babies and are not prone to the vices associated with truck drivers.

“It was a carefully planned policy

by LAWMA and we are happier for it as it has aided our quest for effective waste management,” he said.

Oresanya said the Skip Truck was introduced to take care of litter bins distributed in selected areas of the metropolis, and also pick up refuse from narrow streets where the big trucks find difficult to access.

He said: “The women truck drivers come in as early as possible to

their respective areas of assignment to do their jobs so as not to compound traffic flow during rush hours.”

On the idea behind the employment, he said: “We looked at our differences in gender, and see it as strength. We felt there should not be any type of gender discrimination, and because we believe in being fair to all at LAWMA.” Commissioner for the Environment Tunji Bello said the skip trucks are made to access inner streets giant trucks cannot access. He said the giant strides in reclaiming the state from various agents of degradation has been the success story behind LAWMA. He praised the female truck drivers for recording zero accidents and being conscientious with their jobs.

Bello urged people to pay their taxes and also the waste collection fees charged by LAWMA to maintain the standard already achieved in the state as the cleanest state capital by the Federal Ministry of Environment.

Estate developers to mark 10th anniversary

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LL is set for the Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria (REDAN) to mark its 10 years anniversary.

The event is scheduled to hold from October 9 to 11 in Abuja.

In a statement signed by the Chairman of Publicity Committee, REDAN, Mr Niyi Odutayo, housing related activities have been lined up to commemorate the occasion, which is slated to take place at the International Conference Centre, Abuja.

From Franca Ochigbo, Abuja

Part of the programmes include an international housing summit and an award for eminent Nigerians who have made sterling contributions to housing development in the country, a housing workshop, a tour visit of the UK Housing Finance sector, to mention a few.

“There is no-doubt that REDAN has greatly impacted on

the progress of housing development . Although there are quite a number of grounds to cover, the effect of REDAN as a pressure group has added tremendous bite to housing advocacy and sensitisation, especially since its formation 10 years ago.

According to the statement, international personalities, including the vice president of Kenya and his Botswana counterpart are expected to grace the occasion.

‘When it’s time to sell, do the basics to get the property up to par for the neighborhood and add some curb appeal, but don’t bother undertaking an extensive array of projects strictly in an effort to increase the value of the property’ •Contributions, questions? e-mail: quichi3cities@yahoo.com

THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 14, 2012

49

MARITIME

Importers blame policy inconsistency I for cargo diversion NCONSISTENCIES and poor implementation of clearing policies are some one of the reasons for diverting cargoes to neighbouring countries, importers in the United Arab Emirate (UAE), Dubai, have said.

Speaking with The Nation at an event organised by the Anambra Patriotic Forum at Dera, Dubai, the spokesman of the group, Mr Dennis Ilechukwu, said 67 per cent of containerised goods meant for the country from Dubai are being taken to ports of neighbouring countries for clearance.

He said the government’s failure to reduce the large number of essential goods on the prohibition list have made importers to look elsewhere.

Efforts, he said, being made by the Federal Government to stop smuggling through the borders would not be realised until the problems are addressed.

For instance, the government, the importers said, after concessioning the ports, has not made provision for a commercial regulator that would assist in reducing the duties paid on goods to Customs, shipping companies and terminal operators.

The importers also identified lack of electricity, security, infrastructure, road network and equipment to make the ports com-

• Minister of Transport, Senator Idris Umar

• NPA MD, Mallam Habib Abdullahi

Stories by Oluwakemi Dauda, from Dubai

government has failed and lacks the courage to tackle the power challenges, while port operation is comatose.

Most imported goods, he said, are diverted to Ghana and Cotonou because of heavy duties

petitive with others in West Africa as reasons why they divert their cargoes.

After almost 13 years of democracy, the importers claimed, the

at the nation’s sea ports.

He said many of the goods on the prohibition list, such as shoes, bags, clothes, furniture, spare parts and other items, which the government categorised as contraband are what Nigerians come to buy in Dubai and ship to Niger Republic. These items, he said, find their way to the country through Katsina and other porous borders.

He blamed the government for not having a shipping line.

Importers, he said, spend between $1,500 and $1,900 to ship a 20-foot container from China to the country and another $2,700 and $3,100 to ship the same container from Dubai to Nigeria.

He urged the government to make Niger Dock perform to make things easy for importers.

The Vice-President of the group, Mr Chukwujekwu Nwankwo, said the government would continue to lose because goods worth billions of naira would continue to be diverted to ports of neighbouring countries.

This, he said, would persist except the government and the Nigerian Port Authority (NPA) em-

barked on massive infrastructural development of the ports; the terminal operators, Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) and the Ministry of Finance reduce import duties.

The Secretary of the group, Mr Uchenna Unegbu, demanded the scrapping of punitive trade barriers like excessive charges at ports.

To prevent delay in cargo clearance by Customs and provide means for further improvement in port business, Unegbu suggested that the automation of Customs operations should be given attention, adding that the local Trade Release Study (TRS) initiative should also be made to work with the World Customs Organisation (WCO).

He called on the government to provide special grant for developing the ports to international standard.

The grant, according to him, would enable the Federal Government and NPA to provide electricity, security, infrastructure, road network, and equipment needed to uplift the ports beyond its status.

Another importer, Mr Casmir Anachuna, said the country can be the number one maritime nation in Africa if training and port infrastructure are taken seriously by the government.

NIMASA to sanction fake seafarers’ certificate holders

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• Tokunbo cars

Why Tokunbo cars are in high demand T HE middle class are still going for used cars popularly called Tokunbo because of the high cost new ones, The Nation has learnt.

Investigation showed that the used car market is booming because of the high demand.

Most of the new small vehicles sell for between N2 million and N3.5 million; but a buyer can get a Tokunbo car for between N600,000 and N800,000, depending on the grade and year of manufacture.

Major importers, who spoke with The Nation, lamented that the auto industry performed well up to 1985 with the increased local content, but declined from 1986 because lack of adequate engineering infrastructure.

Speaking with The Nation in Lagos, one of the importers, who is the Managing Director, Fplus Motors, Mr Fola Agbabiaka, said the country does not have a functional rail system.

Successive governments, he said, have failed to use the nation’s water ways; the public transport system is in a mess; the roads are bad;

hence the reason the volume of Tokunbo cars imported into the country runs into billions of naira annually.

Other importers, who spoke with The Nation, also attributed the increase in demand for Tokunbo cars to their affordability.

One of the importers, Mr Paul Afolayan, said besides the attributes of brand new cars, some of the fairly-used ones compete in terms of durability and other

attractive value-added components, such as phones, GPRS, DVD player, among other features.

Investigation revealed that most Japanese, American and European specifications are in high demand in Lagos, Abuja, Kano and other parts of the country, apparently because of their perceived ruggedness and durability.

Nigerians, he said, like good and affordable things; so they prefer to go for better specifications.

HE Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has urged holders of forged competence seafarers’ certificates to discard them for genuine ones or face the music.

According to investigation, the proliferation of fake certificates is alarming. More than half of those who carry certificates of competence obtained them through the back doors, a problem which the agency has promised to eliminate.

To address the problem, the agency is already assisting to boost professionalism in the sector. It said it spent N1.16 billion on 75 young Nigerians in Warri, Delta State to study seafaring abroad.

Its Director-General, Mr Patrick Akpobolokemi, said the agency had concluded plans to acquire an electronic pooling system to register indigeneous seafarers, verify and place them on vessels anywhere they are.

He said most of the cadets on oversea training were about to complete their programmes in various areas of nautical sciences.

He said the agency would be using each seafarer’s day to highlight the problems and the challenges facing the world seafarers, who contributed more than 80 per cent to world trade.

On the move to fill the 250,000 vacancies expected to be available by 2015, the NIMASA boss explained that Nigeria didn’t have

Container depots vital to port decongestion

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HE development of Inland Container Depots (ICDs) is essential for accommodating the excess volume of goods.

According to a projection, cargo throughput in Lagos ports will hit 2.2 million 24-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in the next six years, thereby making the current capacity of the ports inadequate.

Speaking in Lagos at the weekend, President, Maritime Traders

Association (MTA), Mr Roy Philipson, said the ICDs’ project, which the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) has since started will help to decongest the ports in the country.

He urged the government to help in fast-tracking the development of the ICDs so that they can become operational.

“We believe that the Inland Container Depots hold the an-

swer to port congestion in Nigeria.We wish the government will listen more to you and give you more room to pursue that dream because the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), has a passion for that ICD project and we sincerely believe that this will do the nation a lot of good if the project is given the impetus and the energy it deserves,” he said.

to look for jobs outside the country as the vacancies available in the coastal trade were enough to accommodate qualified local seafarers.

“If you even restrict yourself to the Nigerian coastal trade, otherwise known as Cabotage, we have over 50,000 jobs and because of lack of capacity, most of these jobs are being taken by the foreigners.

“NIMASA has started the development of seafaring; we have commenced the National Seafarers Development Programme (NSDP), where each state of the federation is expected to participate by sending 25 young Nigerians from the states yearly.”

He said the chances of Nigeria becoming the maritime hub of Africa and a big global player in the industry is bright.

Akpobolokemi added that the agency would achieve its mandate if it continues to get more support.

It praised the House of Representatives for its assistance.

Speaking on the visit of the House of Representatives’Committee on Marine Transport to his office, Akpobolokemi lauded the lawmakers for approving most its capital projects in this year’s budget. He said capacity building is key to the realisation of the renewed mandate of the agency to reposition the nation industry to be a global, big employer of labour and heavy contributor to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

“What we are doing is to arrest the vessels that are not in the cabotage register. Most of them are rust buckets and cannot trade. They are the vessels used for illegal oil business. When we get all of them out, we would have reduced illegal bunkering drastically,” he said.

He noted that piracy had been reduced to as low as 80 per cent in the Lagos area. “Lagos is a test case.

When we spread to the nation’s coasts, we will be able to stamp out piracy and all illegalities in the waters,” he said.

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NEWS Jonathan fights back

Peaceful Sallah planned in Jos

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HE Muslim community in Jos, the Plateau State capital, have reached an agreement with security agencies in the state to have a peacefull Sallah celebration.

They have also promised to invite their Christian counterparts in to a feast at the Central Mosque to mark the reconciliation.

The agreement was reached during a stakeholders’ meeting yesterday at the Police Officer’s Mess, Tudun Wada, Jos. At the meeting were Muslim and Christian clerics, as well as community leaders. It was chaired by Police Commissioner. Emmanuel Diipo Ayeni, who said: “The stake-

From Yusufu Aminu Idegu, Jos

holder’s meeting was conveyed to review security situations in the state in respect of ongoing peace building and the need to have a peace and blissful Sallah celebration throughout the state” Sallah celebration in Jos last year was bloody, leading to heavy loss of lives and properties, as Muslim worshippers clashed with Christian youths over ownership of the praying ground, on Rukuba Road, Jos. The disputed land where the Izala Muslim group worships has been a source of controversy leading to litigation between group of Chris-

tians and the Izala sect.

According to Ayeni, “the meeting is timely in order to avoid the ugly experience of last year.

“Let me use this opportunity to plead with my Muslim brothers on the need to avoid worshiping at Rukuba Road this Sallah. I am passionately appealing for this agreement, that worshippers should avoid that place for now pending when the controversy surrounding that site is resolved.

“For now it is not conducive to pray there, the issue will be resolve soon but for now I need you to agree with me to avaoid going there to pray in this Sallah.”

In his remark, the Com-

Continued from Page 4

•Governor Jang mander of the Special Task Force (STF) on Jos crises ‘Operation Safe Haven’ Maj. Gen. Henry Ayoola said: “Our muslim brothers should understand with us that we don’t want this Sallah to be violent, hence we are appealing to you.”

Nigeria backs fight against global hunger

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IGERIA has pledged its support for the push to tackle global hunger ahead of the next Olympics in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Dr Akinwumi Adesina, made the pledge at the Global Hunger Summit in London.

The summit was organised

by British Prime Minister David Cameron, as part of the activities to end the 2012 London Olympics .

Adesina said: “Nigeria is delighted to lend support for the race to rapidly reduce malnutrition and child mortality around the world.

“We (Nigeria) have strategy to win this race. We are working to expand food sup-

ply,’’ the Europe Correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) quoted Adesina, as saying.

He said Nigeria had launched an Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA) to add 20 million tonnes of food by 2015.

The minister said the ATA would focus on staple crops, fisheries and aqua-culture, livestock, diary, grain, legumes and vegetables to diversify diets and improve nutrition.

He explained that the ‘Save One Million Lives’ a Federal Government initiative targeted the use of community management of Acute Malnutrition and Integrated Child Feeding to reduce under nu-

trition in the country.

According to him, already, 200, 000 severely malnourished children are currently receiving care.

He said Nigeria had launched the National Policy on Food and Nutrition with Vitamin A fortification of staple foods, sugar, wheat flour and vegetable oil, sold on the market “This race is crucial for Nigeria with 27 per cent of children underweight; 12 per cent wasted; 37 per cent stunted.

“For these children, the race for survival must be completed in a window of 1000 days.’’

Cameron said the summit was aimed at finding new ways to tackle malnutrition

and fostering innovation in biotechnology.

“I want to ensure that these Olympics also provide a lasting legacy for more children in the world’s poorest countries.

“We want to use the summit to find new ways of tackling malnutrition, fostering innovation in biotechnology, encouraging stronger cooperation between governments and ensuring better accountability by Governments who receive aid,’’ he said.

Dignitaries at the summit included 2012 Olympic double gold medallist, British Mo Farah, Olympic great, Haile Gebrselassie, football legend Pele and Mr Michel Temer, Vice President of Brazil.

“To begin with, let us start with the Latin maxim Cui Bono (who benefits?). Northerners and the Christian populace do not benefit from the careless statement released by Oibe and Gumi. Recent statements by these duo have created serious friction between followers.

“Back to the question of who benefits? I would like to draw the attention of the public to 1 Timothy 6:5 which talks of “constant friction between men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain.

“Most statements by these two do not represent reasonable minds in the North, be they Muslims or Christians, but are always politically motivated and sponsored.

“Members of the public should note that for these two to issue their statements on the same day is only a grand strategy to make gullible Nigerians think Christians and Muslims are fighting this Administration, or do they want us to believe it is a coincidence? Only a fool would believe that.

“Of recent, there has been hyperactivity among disgruntled politicians who covet the presidential seat and just then this strange statement came out. It is the hand of Esau but the voice of Jacob.

“But be that as it may, may I ask those who have procured this statement where they were when some persons of vile minds were activating terror with words warning of making the country “ungovernable” or of impending

“bloodshed” should their political ambitions not be realised? Or is this Sheik Gumi’s way of appeasing Boko Haram for their threat against him?

“Northern CAN has no quarrel with the statement from President Jonathan that it would not be the preference of the Federal Government to send in soldiers to wipe out Boko Haram for the simple reason that Boko Haram are faceless and when soldiers are sent in to wipe out a faceless group, it is the innocent that suffers.

“We would rather the administration focus on intelligence driven covert operations that would target Boko Haram with precision which is in line with biblical principles which provides in Proverb 15:22 that “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers, they succeed.

“I note that it was wise counsel and covert intelligence that led to the capture of Abu Qaqa, Kabiru Sokoto and the killing of Habib Bama and many others.

“I call on the Federal Government and the Nigerian people to be alert and refuse to be pressured into taking actions that would pit Muslims against Christians which is what would happen if soldiers are sent in to level communities without taking into account that the innocent would be killed with the guilty. We note that when this happens, some of those now setting up such a catastrophe would be the first to condemn the government.”

THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 14, 2012

55

EQUITIES NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE

NB, Union Bank, others sustain equities’ rally

DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 13-8-12

T

HE Nigerian stock market opened this week on a positive note as investors’ interests in key financial services and manufacturing stocks mitigated potential adverse effect of losses by several stocks.

Aggregate market capitalisation of all equities on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) gained N11 billion to close the first trading session at N7.408 trillion as against its opening value of N7.397 trillion. The All Share Index (ASI), which serves as benchmark for equities’ returns, inched up by 0.15 per cent to close at 23,373.56 points as against its index on board of 23,239.02 points.

The bullish rally yesterday pushed the year-to-date return at the NSE upward to 12.27 per cent.

With 22 losers to 20 gainers, the uptrend was largely driven by gains recorded by some highly capitalised stocks including Nigerian Breweries, Union Bank of Nigeria, Zenith Bank, Lafarge Wapco Cement Nigeria and Dangote Sugar Refinery.

Nigerian Breweries led the rally with a gain of N1 to close at N120. Lafarge Wapco Cement Nigeria followed with a gain of

By Taofik Salako and Tonia Osundolire

50 kobo to close at N43.50.

Union Bank ranked third with a gain of 24 kobo to close at N5.12.

Dangote Sugar Refinery added 19 kobo to close at N4.69 while Zenith Bank chalked up 10 kobo to close at N15.10.

On the downside, International Breweries led the losers with a drop of 28 kobo to close at N6.07. Dangote Flour Mills lost 26 kobo to close at N6.25 while Eterna and Ecobank Transnational Incorporated dropped by 13 kobo each to close at N2.55 and N10.20 respectively.

Total turnover stood at 209.7 million shares valued at N1.61 billion in 3,309 deals.

Analysts attributed the positive market outlook to strategic positioning by value-minded investors’ noting that recent operational reports by several companies indicated better prospects for good returns.

Union Bank grew its group’s net profit by 69 per cent to N8 billion in the first quarter of 2012 compared with 2011. Interim report and accounts of the Bank for the year ended March 31, 2012, presented in compliance

with the International Financial Reporting Standard (IFRS), showed that group bottom-line performance was driven by significant improvement in the profitability of the bank as net profit rose by 127.2 per cent to N6.32 billion in 2012 as against N2.78 billion in 2011. Group net profit thus spiraled upward to N7.62 billion compared with N4.51 billion in corresponding period.

Earnings analysis showed a bright outlook for the bank with basic earnings per share of N1.17 in first quarter 2012 compared with 18 kobo posted in comparable period of 2011 and a loss per share of N14.06 recorded for the full-year ended December 31, 2011.

With the first quarter net earnings indicating earnings yield of more than 26 per cent at current share price on the secondary market, the report showed impressive investment outlook for the bank. Annualized, the first quarter earnings implied probable basic earnings per share of N4.68 for the full year ending December 31, 2012, showing greater prospects with earnings yield of some 106 per cent at current market consideration.

‘Vono rights issue records modest success’

C

HAIRMAN, Vono Products PLC, Bashir Lasisi, has said the recent rights issue by the company recorded a modest success, indicating availability of muchneeded capital to boost operations of the company.

Speaking at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the company in Lagos, Lasisi noted that one of the major challenges faced by the company was that of low capital base, which prompted the board to undertake a rights issue to avail existing shareholders the benefit of consolidating their investment through a rights issue.

By Joseph Eshanokpe

“I am glad to report that despite the lull in the market, the exercise recorded a modest success,” Lasisi said.

He said the company’s financial year has been changed from December 31 to September 30 as part of ongoing reforms to reposition the company and align its operations with its sister company, Vitafoam.

According to him, this will enable the company to leverage the huge benefits of the business co-operation with the sister company in the overall interest of all stakeholders. The first financial year under the

new calendar will run from October 1, 2012 to September 30, 2013.

He noted that despite the firm’s numerous challenges, its growth prospects remain high in the year ahead.

“Focus will be on facilities’ upgrade towards improving quality and quantity of the company’s products. Efforts are in progress to position the packaged bed as the flagship of the company’s products at affordable and competitive prices.

The existing distribution channels will also be expanded with the opening of new bedding centres spread strategically across the country,” Lasisi said.

In the year under review, the company’s turnover increased to N666.5million in 2011 from N437.3million in 2010. Loss before tax dropped to N83.2million from N393.3million in 2010.

NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 13-8-12

56

THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 14, 2012

MONEY LINK HE managing director, IFRS Strategic Consultants Nigeria Limited, David Raggay has hinted on key areas that will pose challenges to banks in implementing of the International Financial Reporting Standard (IFRS).

Already, many quoted companies, particularly banks have reported their financials in IFRS as evidenced in their first-quarter 2012 financials submitted at the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE). While more results are being expected, there are things investors and analysts should look out for.

He said that Accounting for financial instruments is one of

T

IFRS: Expert lists obstacles to execution

By Collins Nweze

the more challenging areas of IFRS. Banks are likely to also encounter problems in areas such as income taxes, employee benefits, business combinations and sharebased payments.

He explained that for financial instruments, the difficulties arise from a mixed-measurement model promulgated under the relevant standards. For instance, there are four standards in issue by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB), which relate to financial instruments.

They are: IAS 32 Financial Instruments: Presentation; IAS 39 Financial Instruments: Recognition and Measurement; IFRS 7 Financial Instruments: Disclosures; and IFRS 9 Financial Instruments.

Former Chairman of the IASB, Sir David Tweedie, said IFRS 7 will lead to greater transparency about the risks that entities run from the use of financial instruments. This, combined with the new requirements in IAS 1, will provide better information for investors and other users of financial statements to make informed judgements about

risk and return”.

The key objective of IFRS 7 is to provide disclosure requirements that enable users of financial statements to evaluate: the significance of financial instruments for the entity’s financial position and performance; the nature and extent of risks to which the entity is exposed; and how the entity manages financial risks.

The IFRS 9 is a replacement for IAS 39. It is not mandatory until 2015 although early application is permitted. The standards encompass most transactions and events relating to financial instruments,

DMO to auction N75b bonds tomorrow HE Debt Management Office (DMO) is planning to sell N75 billion worth of bonds tomorrow. Reports from Reuters said the local bonds’ maturities will range between five and 10 years at its regular auction.

T

The government agency issues sovereign bonds monthly to support the local bond market create a benchmark for corporate issuance and fund its budget deficit.

The DMO said the Federal Government issues sover-

eign bonds monthly to support the local bond market create a benchmark for corporate issuance and fund its budget deficit. The units of sale are N1, 000 per unit subject to a minimum subscription of N10, 000 and in multiples of N1, 000 thereafter.

The offer, will like all FGN bonds, qualify as liquid assets for liquidity ratio calculation for banks. The FGN Bonds are backed by the full faith and credit of the Federal Government of Nigeria and are charged upon the general assets of the country.

IFC to assist Diamond Bank on agric financing

T

HE International Finance Corporation (IFC) and Africa Capitalisation Fund have said they will assist Diamond Bank enhance its range of financial services for agricultural sector clients.

In a statement, the fund said its strategy in Nigeria is to support banks in reaching smaller businesses, which form the backbone of the economy.

Head of the Africa Capitaliation Fund, Marcos Brujis, said that the investment provides a unique opportunity for the Africa Capitalisation Fund to support Diamond Bank’s expansion into key economic sectors that have relatively low banking penetration and, therefore, offer significant growth potential for investors.

Diamond Bank CEO, Alex

lion in convertible loans to Diamond Bank.

The financing will support growth and access to finance for smaller businesses in the country by allowing Diamond Bank to expand its lending programme and ability to offer financial services to underserved market segments, including micro, small, and medium enterprises and agricultural firms.

Otti, said, the investment will help the bank serve its clients in Nigeria’s micro, small, and medium enterprises and agribusiness sector better.

IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, and the Africa Capitalisation Fund, a private equity fund managed by IFC Asset Management Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of IFC, announced last week that they will provide $70 mil-

FGN BONDS 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

Price Loss 2754.67 447.80

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 13-8-12 SYMBOL

UTC UBN EVANSMED VITAFOAM REDSTAREX GTASSURE DANGSUGAR NEIMETH PAINTCOM ROYALEX

O/PRICE

0.80 4.88 1.05 2.95 2.65 1.65 4.50 0.79 2.12 0.53

C/PRICE

0.84 5.12 1.10 3.09 2.77 1.72 4.69 0.82 2.20 0.55

C/PRICE 2.55 1.23 6.07 1.31 6.25 1.01 2.61 0.53 1.10 0.83

V

ISA Incorporated, a global payments technology firm, has said it supports the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) cashless banking policy. It said that the plan will help ensure financial inclusion.

The Country Director, Sub-Saharan Africa, VISA Incorporated, Mr Ade Ashaye in a statement, said that cashless banking will get more people in rural areas involved in banking.

He said that banks should also ensure that the deposits of the customers are protected by ensuring that the e-payment platforms such as Automated Teller Machines (ATMs), Point of Sale terminals (PoS) and other devices

are secured.

“I think the first thing that bank customers demand is security of their funds. We are commitment to ensuring that their funds are secured,” he said.

Ashaye explained that the firm builds secured technology that makes it difficult for fraudsters to hack into especially with migration to Europay, MasterCard and VISA (EMV) which is a more secured platform needed to prevent frauds.

He said financial inclusion will involve banks opening more branches to cover the unbanked, and getting their customers into embracing mobile banking services.

CHANGE 0.13 0.06 0.28 0.06 0.26 0.04 0.10 0.02 0.04 0.03

Exchange Rate (N) 155.2 155.8 155.7

Date 2-7-12 27-6-12 22-6-12

CAPITAL MARKET INDEX Year Start Offer

NGN USD NGN GBP NGN EUR NIGERIA INTER BANK (S/N) (S/N) Bureau de Change (S/N) Parallel Market

Current Before

C u r r e n t CUV Start After %

147.6000 239.4810 212.4997

149.7100 244.0123 207.9023

150.7100 245.6422 209.2910

-2.11 -2.57 -1.51

149.7450

154.0000

154.3000

-3.04

152.0000

153.0000

155.5000

-2.30

153.0000

154.0000

156.0000

-1.96

DISCOUNT WINDOW Feb. ’11

July ’11

Dec ’11

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% 12.6%

NIBOR Tenor 7 Days 30 Days 60 Days 150 Days

NSE CAP Index

27-10-11 N6.5236tr 20,607.37

Rate (Previous) 4 Mar, 2012 9.0417 9.6667 11.2917 12.1250

Rate (Currency) 6, Mar, 2012 10.17% 11.46% 11.96% 12.54%

28-10-11 N6.617tr 20,903.16

% Change -1.44% -1.44%

MEMORANDUM QUOTATIONS Name

CHANGE

0.04 0.24 0.05 0.14 0.12 0.07 0.19 0.03 0.08 0.02

Amount Sold ($) 150m 138m 113m

EXHANGE RATE 6-03-12

LOSERS AS AT 13-8-12

SYMBOL O/PRICE ETERNA 2.68 CUSTODYINS 1.29 INTBREW 6.35 LIVESTOCK 1.37 DANGFLOUR 6.51 TRANSCORP 1.05 DIAMONDBNK 2.71 WAPIC 0.55 AGLEVENT 1.14 FIDSON 0.86

VISA backs cash-less policy

Amount Amount Offered ($) Demanded ($) 350m 150m 350m 138m 350m 113m

Currency OBB Rate Call Rate

As such, a contract to purchase or sell natural gas, for example, will under certain circumstances be accounted for as a financial instrument,” he said.

WHOLESALE DUTCH AUCTION SYSTEM

MANAGED FUNDS

NIDF NESF

•CBN Governor, Sanusi Lamido

DATA BANK

Tenor

Initial Current Quotation Price Market N8250.00 5495.33 N1000.00 N552.20

which are not the subject of other specific standards.

Tweedie explained that employee benefits to which IAS 19 applies, leases addressed under IAS 17, interests in subsidiaries, associates and joint ventures that are accounted for under IAS 27, IAS 28 or IAS 31, financial instruments, contracts and obligations under share-based payment transactions to which IFRS 2 relate and insurance contracts as defined in IFRS 4 are generally outside of the scope of the standards.

“This list is not exhaustive and the standards also cover certain types of transactions pertaining to contracts which are not financial instruments.

Offer Price

Bid Price

ARM AGGRESSIVE 9.17 KAKAWA GUARANTEED 1.00 STANBIC IBTC GUARANTE 123.47 AFRINVEST W.A. EQUITY FUND 108.49 LOTUS CAPITAL HALAL 0.76 BGL SAPPHIRE FUND 1.10 BGL NUBIAN FUND 0.93 NIGERIA INTERNATIONAL DEB. 1,770.97 PARAMOUNT EQUITY FUND 9.66 CONTINENTAL UNIT TRUST 1.39 CENTRE-POINT UNIT TRUST 1.87 STANBIC IBTC NIG EQUITY 8,005.52 THE DISCOVERY FUND 193.00 FIDELITY NIGFUND 1.67 • ARM AGGRESSIVE • KAKAWA GUARANTEED • STANBIC IBTC GUARANTE • AFRINVEST W.A. EQUITY FUND

9.08 1.00 123.32 108.31 0.74 1.10 0.91 1,769.06 9.19 1.33 1.80 7,792.77 191.08 1.62

Movement

OPEN BUY BACK

Bank P/Court

Previous 04 July, 2011

Current 07, Aug, 2011

8.5000 8.0833

8.5000 8.0833

Movement

THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 14, 2012

57

NEWS

Doctor kidnapped in Benin •Hospital worker killed A DOCTOR at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), Scott Osahon Omorogie, has been abducted.

Omorogie was abducted last Friday at his residence on Odemwingie Street in Benin City.

His family said the kidnappers demanded N10million.

A source said the ransom was later reduced to N4million.

His colleagues marched on the Government House, calling for his unconditional re-

From Osagie Otabor, Benin

lease.

An administrative worker in the hospital, Mrs. Elizabeth Osayande, was yesterday killed by gunmen suspected to be cultists.

The victim was shot in her husband’s presence at their residence on Akpata Street in Egor Local Government.

Sources said the gunmen were on a motorcycle and

pointed at her, saying “that is the person, shoot her”.

She was shot in the chest and died before she could be taken to the hospital.

It was gathered that her son had a fracas with a boy, who parked his motorcycle in front of their residence.

Her husband said he sent his son to get him some planks and the boy noticed that a stranger parked at the entrance of their residence.

“My son only asked him to give way but the stranger told him to shut up.

“He threatened to deal with my son and he came back a few minutes later and shot my wife,” he said.

Osayande said the body had been deposited at the mortuary and the matter reported at the Ogida Police Station.

Police spokesman Anthony Airhuoyo confirmed the incident but said he was yet to get details.

Contractor ‘attacks’ SUBEB worker

A

CONTRACTOR handling a threeclassroom block at Sobe in Owan East Local Government of Edo State has reportedly beaten up a female worker of the State Universal Basic Education Board.

Eyewitnesses said trouble started when the worker, who is the engineer in charge of project inspection, reported that the contractor, Pastor Patrick Ojo, was using inferior materials at St Thomas More Primary School.

Sources at SUBEB office told The Nation that their colleague complained that Ojo dug a shallow foundation and used unwashed gravel.

They said she reported that

From Osagie Otabor, Benin

the contractor drove her out of the site, when she discovered the anomalies.

It was learnt that following the complaint, a query was issued to the contractor, which he refused to reply.

The contractor, according to the source, hit the SUBEB worker with his walking stick.

The matter, it was learnt, has been reported to the SUBEB management and the Okhoro Police Station.

SUBEB Chairman Joseph Emoabino said he has directed that Ojo should be suspended.

140 vehicles impounded

T

HE Delta State Government has impounded 140 vehicles.

The vehicles were parked indiscriminately and violated approved taxi colour code.

A three-month deadline for all commercial vehicles to be branded in blue and white

From Okungbowa Aiwerie, Asaba

expired on July 25.

Commissioner for Transport Benson Igbakpa said 40 vehicles breached parking regulations and the rest violated the colour code.

Bakassi ruler rejects UN award

T

HE ruler of Bakassi in Cross River State, Etim Okon Edet, has rejected an award by the United Nations (UN).

He said UN has perpetuated injustice against his people.

The award was by the UNHabitat Global Youth programme.

The monarch was nomi•A refuse site in Calabar

PHOTO:NICHOLAS KALU

Refuse heaps return to Calabar

C

ALABAR, the Cross River State capital, is fast losing its status as the cleanest city in Nigeria.

Residents have continued to decry the growing heaps of refuse everywhere.

Sources said refuse bins across the city, which are regularly emptied by the waste disposal agency, have been left unattended to.

Some the worst-hit areas include New Airport, Ikot Ekpene, Udo, Mbukpa

From Nicholas Kalu, Calabar

Market by Ambo, Inyang, Akim, Etagbo junction, Iman junction, Uwanse, Yellow Duke, Essien and Mayne Avenue, among others.

A resident, who identified herself as Bridget, described the situation as unfortunate.

She said: “I don’t know why the agency responsible for cleaning up the city is not doing its job.

“Normally, the refuse is

cleared daily. But for some days now, I have not even seen them. As you can see, the entire place is so ugly.

“It is unfortunate because this is the situation in most parts of the town I have gone to.”

Another resident, simply named Bassey, complained that the growing heaps of refuse had blocked a lane on Inyang Road.

Residents said people now throw their refuse into the

drainage, thereby increasing the chances of flooding.

The head of the Waste Disposal Agency, Elegance Edim, said the six trucks used for refuse evacuation broke down.

He, however, said three of them were fixed yesterday and are working.

Edim said some spare parts of the trucks were not available in Nigeria.

He promised that by today, the refuse would be cleared.

ASUU strike paralyses academics at RSUST

A

CTIVITIES are at a standstill in the Rivers State University of Science and Technology (RSUST), Port Harcourt.

Members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) are on strike over the reappointment of Prof.

Barineme Fakae as Acting Vice-Chancellor.

Fakae, however, urged the striking lecturers to embrace dialogue.

The VC, who spoke through the varsity’s spokesman, Des Wosu, also pleaded with ASUU to show understanding and support his administration.

But theASUU Chairman, Felix Igwe, insisted that the university’s law on the appointment and reappointment of a VC must be adhered to.

Igwe said ASUU members would continue to boycott classes and fully withdraw their services, until Governor Rotimi Amaechi reverses Fakae’s reappointment.

Fakae was appointed

From Bisi Olaniyi, Port Harcourt

acting vice-chancellor in November 2007 and confirmed on August 1, 2008 for a four-year tenure,

which expired on July 31.

He was reappointed in acting capacity the same day.

His reappointment, according to ASUU, “again” disregarded the result of a

selection concluded on May 30 by the university’s Governing Council and the Senate’s selection committee.

Varsity debunks killing of students

T

HE management of the Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma, Edo State, has denied the killing of two students in a cult clash There were reports that two persons were reportedly killed in Ekpoma last week.

From Osemwengie Ben Ogbemudia, Benin

But, a statement by the university’s spokesman, Chris Adamaigbo, claimed that there was no cult clash in the university, let alone killing of students.

It stated that academic activities in the university,

which resumed for the second semester on July 22, have been running unhindered and without threat to the peace in the university.

The management urged the public not to always associate the university with everything that happens in Ekpoma town.

‘Oil firms do not pay taxes’

T

HE Chairman of Obio-Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State, Timothy Nsirim, has called on relevant agencies to arrest firms which don’t remit their taxes.

He said though they do business in the area, they remit taxes to other states where they are doing business.

Nisrim spoke when the members of the House of Assembly Committee on Local Government Affairs toured the market in the community.

By Nneka Nwaneri

He said though his government is ready to serve the people, it is financially handicapped because companies do not remit taxes to them.

“Rivers is losing a lot of tax. How can multinationals operate without a signboard in front of their offices?

“It goes to show how dubious the companies are and they should be brought to order.”

From Nicholas Kalu, Benin

nated for the award to be presented at an event as part of the activities to mark this year’s International Youth Week.

Edet accused the UN of not promoting peace but rather causing conflicts and suffering in the world.

449 jostle for Jonathan’s scholarship From Gbenga Omokhunu, Abuja

F

OUR hundred and forty nine First Class graduates yesterday sat for an aptitude test for the Presidential Special Scholarship Scheme.

Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof Julius Okojie, who supervised the test at Chams Plc, an ICT firm, in Abuja, said the candidates were short listed having met the selection criteria.

He, however, said only 100 will be picked.

Okojie, who is also the Chairman, Implementation Committee said the selection criteria were based on merit.

He said: “That is why the membership of the committee of the Presidential Special Scholarship Scheme comprises a professor, each, who made first class from the six geo-political zones, so there was nothing like marginalisation.”

PUBLIC NOTICE SHENBORE ADEWALE & CO. Formally known and addressed as Shenbore Adewale & Co. now wish to be known and addressed as D’Cross Funeral Undertakers Services Limited.

All former documents remain the same.

General public please take note.

LOSS OF DOCUMENT

CHANGE OF NAME

This is to inform the general public and Lagos State Lands Bureau, Alausa that the C of O Registered No. 60, page 60 in Vol. 1996AA dated 26/04-1996 belonging to Mr. Olurunyomi Abifarin got lost. All efforts to trace it has proved abortive.

LEIGH I, formally known and addressed as Oluyinka Modupeola Leigh. Now wish to be known and addressed as Oluyinka Modupeola AbisogunLeigh. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

PUBLIC NOTICE FREEDOMWORLD GOSPEL CENTRE This is to inform the general public that the above named church has applied to the corporate affairs commission, Abuja for registration under part c” of the companies matter Act NO1 OF 1990.

THE TUSTEES ARE: 1 Rev.Freedman Ben Rabbi 2 Rev Sunday Idom 3 Pastor Anthony Ojie 4 Pastor Atim Freedman 5 Pastor Patick Inah 6 Pastor Godspower Ogar 7 Pastor Essien Ebri 8 Deaconess Nwenji Okoi AIMS AND OBJECTIVE: • Proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ • Impacting lives through teaching and preaching the word of God. Any objection should be forwarded to the Registrar-General,corporate affairs commission,plot 420 Tigris crescent off Aguiyi Ironsi street maitama.PMB 198 Garki –Abuja within 28 days of this publication.

Signed :REV. FREEDMAN BEN- RABBI

THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 14, 2012

58

NEWS Ohanaeze inaugurates media forum

By Emmanuel Udodinma

T

HE apex Igbo socio-cultural group, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has inaugurated its media arm, the Ohaneze Media Forum (OMF), in Lagos.

The President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo (Lagos and the Diaspora), Chief Oliver Akubueze, said: “Today is historic in the life of Ndigbo everywhere in the world, because we have come together to give more bite to our collective desire to become once again relevant in the scheme of things in our country.

“I congratulate OMF members and remind you that the Ohanaeze Ndigbo decided to make you a member of the forum because of the professionalism and commitment to the Igbo cause, which you have exhibited over the years.

“I am happy that this forum is made up of men and women of integrity. The job is a tasking one and we expect you to use your good office to uplift the place of the Igbo man in Nigeria and the world.

“This is in recognition of the fact that the media is very essential to good governance, democracy and development. With the help of this forum, the cries, desires and aspirations of Ndigbo can no longer be swept under the carpet as has always been the case.

With the help of the media forum, Ndigbo will no longer die in silence. The forum will be our voice. It would urge other Nigerians to see us as a people committed to equity, justice and the unity of Nigeria.”

He urged OMF to pursue its duty without fear or favour.

The media forum has 60 members, who were drawn from every media outfit in Nigeria, the United Kingdom (UK), Canada and the United States.

OMF pledged its support for the Igbo cause.

A

Nsukka group renews call for Adada state

N organisation, the Nsukka Professionals Group (NPG), has renewed its call for the creation of Adada state from Enugu State.

The group comprises professionals from Nsukka, who are living and working in Lagos.

In a statement by its President, Dr. Basil Onugu, and Secretary Sam Otoboeze after a symposium organised by the group in Nsukka, NPG said the creation of Adada state would enhance development in Nsukka.

Praising the state government's efforts in the agitation, the group said: "The creation of Adada state will be a great boost to the growth of the Southeast and the national economies, due to the availability of enormous but untapped mineral and agricultural resources in the area.

"In the light of the neglect, oppression and deprivation the area has suffered in the hands of successive governments in the Southeast, from the days of the Old Anambra to the present Enugu State, owing largely to the people's political docility, there is need for a paradigm shift from the era of nonchalance to one of proactive participation in governance.”

•Anambra State Governor Peter Obi (left); the Attorney-General of the State, Mr. Peter Afuba and others during the inspection of the Umueje-Orient Field Road...yesterday.

A

Acid victim seeks financial help

N acid victim, Miss Kelechukwu Okafor (19), has called on Nigerians to help pay her bills at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital (NAUTH) in Nnewi, Anambra State.

Miss Kelechukwu is from Ezinifite, Nnewi South Local Government Area. On February 24, 2011, about 10pm, unknown persons poured acid on the Senior Secondary School pupil.

She was taken to NAUTH, where she received treatment for 15 months, and her condition improved after three major surgeries.

But when Kelechukwu got the hospital bill in May, 2012,

From Odogwu Emeka Odogwu, Nnewi

her parents could not pay the N760,750.

She has remained in the hospital since then and is begging Nigerians to come to her aid.

Kelechukwu’s father, Mr. Gaius Ikeoha Okafor, is blind.

Thanking health workers at NAUTH for saving his

daughter’s life, Okafor said it was unfortunate that he could not pay his daughter’s bills.

He said a philanthropist earlier paid N80,000 for his daughter’s feeding and some of her drugs.

Okafor appealed to individuals, groups, corporate bodies, the members representing the constituency in the House of Assembly, House of Representatives and the Senate to come to their aid.

He said: “I am leaving her to fate, as there is nothing else I can do because of my condition. I and my wife, Cecilia, are beggars. We survive on alms. The only land I have is in a rocky terrain and no one is interested in buying it.”

The President-General of Ezinifite, Mr. Ikechukwu Ifediniru, said the incident was reported to the police, but Kejechukwu’s assailants are yet to be apprehended.

Headless body found in Owerri

T

HE headless body of a man was found yesterday on the OnitshaOwerri Road, close to the popular Control Junction in Owerri, the Imo State capital.

The deceased’s identity has not been confirmed.

An eyewitness said: “We met the headless body here this morning. The victim may be one of the stranded travellers that wait for vehicles around

From Okodili Ndidi, Owerri

here.”

Police spokesman Vitalis Onugu said he was yet to be briefed about the incident.

Also yesterday, the Commander, 34 Field Artillery Brigade, Obinze, Brig.-Gen. M.A. Alkali, told criminals to stay away from Imo. He said the Brigade had

mobilised soldiers to flush criminals out of their hideouts.

Brig.-Gen. Alkali said: “We are poised to fight enemies of the society, especially kidnappers, who have created fear in residents.”

He said though the Army was established to protect the country’s territorial integrity, it has to assist other security agencies in tackling internal security challenges.

Abia orders council chairmen to pay workers

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HE Abia State Government has directed the 17 local government chairmen to pay the May and June salaries of council workers within the next seven days or face sanctions.

The directive was given to the chairmen at a meeting with the Chief of Staff to Governor Theodore Orji, Mr. Cosmos Ndukwe, in Umuahia, the state capital.

Ndukwe, who is the Chairman of the Biometric Commit-

From Ugochukwu UgojiEke, Umuahia

tee on local governments, said the action of the chairmen has been portraying the state government in bad light.

Heads of service and treasurers of the councils were also at the meeting.

Some chairmen said they had not paid their workers because there were shortfalls from the funds released by the auditor-general for wages.

Ndukwe said the government only released the salary of persons captured by the biometric system because it is determined to get rid of ghost workers.

He told the chairmen to pay the salaries of their workers and present their complaints to the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs.

Umuahia North and Umuahia South have paid up to June salaries.

Bauchi spends N258m on 43 projects

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AUCHI State Government has spent N258 million on 43 projects between 2011 and 2012, Commissioner for Special Duties Bappa Azare said yesterday.

He said the projects were executed by his ministry through direct labour.

Azare said they include installation of street lights, installation of solar powered traffic lights, removing of silts from drainages and culverts and construction of roads in several parts of the state.

He said others are the purchase of bucket crane, fuel tankers and the relocation of water pipes in urban areas.

The commissioner said his ministry had restored street lights in the metropolis, which for eight years had not been functioning.

He said: “We have restored

From Austine Tsenzughul, Bauchi

street lights by finishing the installation works. We have restored street lights in Bauchi and are considering the local government headquarters in the state.”

According to him, among the areas that have benefited

from the project are, YandokaMurtala Mohammed junction (a four-way junction), Ahmadu Bello Way-Murtala Mohammed Way (also a fourway junction), Emir’s Palace Drive (a three-way junction) and the entrance to Muda Lawal Market near BACAS in Bauchi.

PHCN strike: Anambra residents groan From Nwanosike Onu, Awka

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ESIDENTS of Anambra State have been groaning in darkness since last Friday, when workers of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) began a strike.

The PHCN offices in Awka, Onitsha, Nnewi and Ekwulobia have remained locked and residents cannot recharge their electricity meters.

The strike was to protest the unbundling of the company into independent units and the non-payment of worker’s retirement benefits.

At the PHCN offices, residents who wanted to buy electricity recharge cards and PHCN workers were willing around.

Efforts to speak with officials of the company failed.

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NEWS Traditional rulers, others crushed to death on Minna-Bida road •10 die on Makurdi-Gboko Highway

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•Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development Ms Amal Pepple cutting the tape to open Phase I of Bauchi Unity Estate (228 housing units) of Dungal Village in Bauchi...yesterday. Watching are Governor Isa Yuguda (right) and Managing Director, Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Gimba Kumo.

PHOTO: NAN

Stoppage of Belgore’s free lessons parochial, says lawmaker A

LAWMAKER in the Kwara State House of Assembly representing Essa/Shawo/Igbodun Constituency of Offa, Hassan Oyeleke, has described the stoppage of the Mohammed Dele Belgore free holiday classes for secondary school pupils by the government as myopic and parochial.

Belgore, a governorship candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in the 2011 elections, sponsored the free holiday classes. The state government last week instructed head teachers not to allow their premises to be used for the programme.

The ACN lawmaker, who chairs the Public Account Committee, said: “I don’t know government’s reason for stopping Belgore’s holiday lessons for secondary school pupils. But I think the reason is political. If so, my view is that the step is myopic and parochial. If anybody is making an effort to improve on the dismal performances of secondary school pupils in the Senior School Certificate Examinations conducted by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and National Ex-

From Adekunle Jimoh, Ilorin

aminations Council (NECO) that person should be encouraged and supported.

The essence is to produce well-grounded pupils who will gain admission to higher institutions.

“If the reason for stopping him is to score political point, I want to say that the government was ill-advised.

The advice will have negative effect because the pupils who are enjoying this facility will not be happy with that type of government. All hands should be on deck to improve the performances of these pupils and helping hands should be encouraged.

“The parents and beneficiaries will not be happy as the holiday classes are free.

“I urge the MDB Solidarity Team not to be discouraged. Belgore has shown his concern for educational advancement in Kwara. Right thinking people looking for ways to improve pupils’ performances in examinations should support and en-

courage him.

“I abhor that kind of policy. That is not the kind of policy the government should practise. I appeal to Belgore to look for alternative venues to enable the coaching continue.

“The action is myopic because the pupils are not being trained to become ACN members. In rendering services to the community, politics should be left out.

Belgore has been doing this.

Pupils, irrespective of party affiliations, benefited from the free holiday classes.

“By my training as a teacher, that type of tutorial will have a positive effect on the overall performances of the pupils. I urge the government to rescind its decision.

What its action implies is that if, by tomorrow, as an ACN member, I want to do the same thing in Offa Local Government, it means the same action will be taken against me.

“I want to ask a question: If Belgore gives scholarships to pupils, will they stop him because they are not giving

scholarships? Whatever reason they adduced in stopping this lofty venture, it is parochial and counter-productive.”

The state government accused the promoters of the free holiday classes of failing to follow laid-down procedures.

The Senior Special Assistant to Governor AbdulFatah Ahmed, Dr. Femi Akorede, said the promoters should have sought permission from the Ministry of Education and Human Capital Development, instead of the head teachers.

He said: “Government’s laudable educational reforms are based on ensuring high standard of teaching.

“The ministry screens such initiatives to ensure compliance with the set standards.

Sadly, the ACN governorship candidate failed to follow the procedure, hence government’s cancellation of the programmme.”

The ACN had earlier complained that a similar programme by Dr. Bukola Saraki, the former governor and now a Senator, was allowed.

Vigilance group repels gunmen in Jos

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UNMEN yesterday attempted to attack the residents of Kwakuri village in Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State, but were repelled by the vigilance group.

One of the gunmen was apprehended. The rest fled.

The suspect is in custody at the police headquarters, Jos.

From Yusufu Aminu Idegu, Jos

An attack last month in Riyom led to the death of over 60 people, including Senator Gyang Dantong and Plateau State Majority Leader Gyang James Fulani.

The Special Task Force (STF) on Jos crisis, codenamed, “Operation safe haven”, recently carried out military operations in Riy-

Funeral for Ondo community leader

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UNERAL programmes for the late Pa Moses Adegunloye Daramola, an Ondo community leader, will begin on Friday with a wake and lying-in-state at 2, Engr.

Badeguwa Street, near Ade Super Road, Ondo, Ondo State.

Service will hold the next day at S.K. Ade Ajayi Centre, Ademulegun Road, Ondo. Interment takes place at his home and entertainment of guests follows at Oba Adesanoye Civic Centre, Ondo/Ore Road, Ondo.

Pa Daramola died on April 27. He was 90.

om and Barkin Ladi local governments to rid the areas of armed men.

A member of the vigilance group, Bala Matthew, said: “We have been keeping watch over our areas since gunmen began attacking villages. We were on patrol about 4:30am yesterday when we heard a woman shouting. The gunmen forced the door of the woman’s home open and asked for her husband. She told them that he had travelled, but they threatened to kill her if she did not produce him. The woman knew we were nearby so she shouted. We ran there and saw the gunmen.

“On sighting us, they ran and we pursued them. We caught one of them and handed him over to the Di-

visional Police Officer in Riyom.”

Confirming the incident, the Chairman, Management Committee of Riyom Local Government said: “The gunmen were more than 10, but they were overpowered by the vigilance group, made up of about 30 men.”

He urged residents to be vigilant and cooperate with the security agencies.

The suspect gave his name as Sanusi Haruna.

Police Commissioner Emmanuel Dipo Ayeni said the incident was an armed robbery, adding that the suspect was apprehended with an AK-47 rifle.

He promised to let the public know the outcome of their investigation and enjoined them to be securityconscious.

HE district and village heads of Bisanti community in Katcha Local Government Area of Niger State were yesterday crushed to death on the Minna-Kataregi-Bida highway.

An eyewitness told the News Agency of Nigeria that the accident occurred when the driver of a pick-up van coming from Bida lost control and rammed into the victims.

The source said the vehicle swerved to the other lane and crushed the traditional rulers, who were on a motorcycle.

According to the source, the traditional rulers died immediately.

Their bodies and those of others have been taken to the Bida General Hospital.

A source at the hospital gave the name of the District Head as Jibrin Baban Kaka and the Village Head, Baba Muhammad.

Sources in the village said they were returning home after the third-day (Fidau) prayers of a friend in a nearby village.

Police spokesman Pius Edobor confirmed the accident. He said: “We have begun investigation into the matter.”

Ten people were reported killed yesterday in three accidents on the MakurdiGboko Federal Highway.

The Nation learnt that the first accident occurred opposite the Benue Cement Company (BCC) when a truck had a head-on collision with an 18-seater passenger bus belonging to the Benue Stateowned transport company, Benue Links Nigeria Ltd. Three people died on the spot and many were injured.

The second accident occurred at Wannue in Tarka Local Government close to the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Orientation Camp. A Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) collided with a Toyota passenger vehicle and two people, a man and a woman died on the spot.

At Nyambee villiage, on the same highway, another truck had a head-on collision with an 18-seater bus coming from GbokoMakurdi.

Four people died on the spot and many were injured. They are being treated in various hospitals in Makurdi.

Unconfirmed reports said some of them have died, raising the death toll to 10.

FRSC certifies fleet operators From Austine Tsenzughul, Bauchi

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HE Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) in Bauchi State yesterday presented certificates of road worthiness to six of the 11 transport operators in the state.

Among them were the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH), Yankari Transport Company, UNICEF, Bauchi State Television, Mass Transit Drivers Association (MTDA), and Oknat Crusas Transport Services Ltd. The commission’s Acting Sector Commander Mahmoud Kachalla, while presenting the certificates, hailed the operators. He said five others would be reassessed within three months.

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THE NATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 14, 2012

www.thenationonlineng.net

TUESDAY,AUGUST 14, 2012 TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM

TODAY IN THE NATION

‘Everyone had better snap out of their stupor and demand a grand talk to set fresh terms for the Nigerian federation.

Otherwise, they would jerk awake, only to find the Crusaders and Saracens have drawn the first battle!’

VOL. 7

NO.2,217

COMMENT & DEB ATE EBA

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HESE are tough times for marketers.

With so many products competing for so little purchasing power, you need to devise all kinds of tricks to make your product at once splendidly visible and eminently desirable.

These are also difficult times for newspapers. In the dismal business climate, advertising revenue has been shrinking. A good profit margin is no longer guaranteed. To stay in business, you must have the capacity to absorb losses In this climate, those who have a product or service or message to sell, and newspapers willing to serve as a medium for that purpose, have struck a modus vivendi. It is called a “wrap-around.” In Nigeria, it has become the marketing tool of choice, employed alike by product manufacturers, service providers, and even hidden persuaders pursuing a dark agenda.

The newspaper cedes its most precious attribute, the power to define what is important that resides principally in its front and back pages, to the marketer whose sole intent is to advance a product, service or message before the attentive audience. In return, the marketer shells out a fee large enough to cover the production cost of the entire print run, plus some.

When the marketer demands the inside front and inside back page as well, a demand the newspapers are only too glad to gratify, the payoff is compounded.

For both parties, it is a win-win situation.

The marketer reaches a mass audience with its product, service or message. The newspaper gets a fresh and much-need infusion of cash without which staff salaries might not be forthcoming.

The loser is of course the public that expects the newspaper to furnish, starting with its front page and continuing on its inside pages, a comprehensive account of the day’s events in a context that gives it meaning, and to help them navigate an environment that grows more complex with each passing day, but finds itself inveigled into contemplating products of dubious utility and messages of even more dubious authenticity.

When survival is the name of the game, you do what you have to do. Wrap-around advertisements don’t happen everyday. If one is on offer and you don’t take it, being the discriminating type, the competition will grab it, flaunt it, and celebrate it while

RIPPLES

OLATUNJI DARE

AT HOME ABROAD olatunji.dare@thenationonlineng.net

A stunt taken too far

•NPAN Chairman Nduka Obaigbena

you sink deeper and deeper into red ink.

But sometimes, there is something almost Faustian to this bargain.

Take, as an example, a recent “wrap around” to which many Nigerian newspapers devoted their entire pages recently. The advertisement featured a solitary bottle of a leading beer brand in all its tantalising sweatiness. In case you thought the beer was the only thing on offer, there was a headline above it indicating that there was editorial material as well.

HARDBALL

OLYMPICS: Nigerian athletes return empty-handed

and are back with EXCESS LUGGAGE

The money was good, to be sure, and the newspapers needed it in their daily battle for survival. But what of the social responsibility they claim as an article of faith? Must they engage in this Faustian bargain?

Are newspapers obliged to cede their soul as it were to the bidder willing to pay the most to have a product or message or service plastered on the entire front page and other premium pages? Where do they draw the line? When they feature a “wrap-around” advertisement, are they not implicitly endorsing the product, service or message it is designed to advance?

It is possible for marketers and advertisement media to come up with a system of exchange formula that redounds to their credit without vitiating their social responsibility.

Marketers should stop asking or rather, tempting newspapers to cede their front pages to all manner of products and services and commercial messages. The gains are debatable in any case, and if the message is as in-your-face and timed injudiciously as the beer advertisement at issue, sections of the public may well do the opposite of what the marketer is urging.

Alcohol is a drug, and probably the most abused one. Drug manufacturers are required by law to print warnings and consequences of abuse on product labels. They do so for the most part in very fine print, but they do so all the same. Even if beer manufacturers are not required by law to print such warnings, should they not do as a matter of social responsibility?

Newspapers should make it clear that, much as they would try to accommodate requests for space –backed by hard cash, of course — under no circumstance will they cede their front page or premier pages to any product, service or commercial message whatsoever; that to do so is to surrender their editorial judgment to marketers, and to betray their responsibility to the public.

No individual newspaper may be willing to take this stand that will amount to economic suicide if other newspapers choose to play by a different rule. The decision will be most effective if taken at the industry level.

It belongs, therefore, in the province of the Newspapers Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN).

•For comments, send SMS to 08057634061

•Hardball is not the opinion of the columnist featured above

Internal security operations need more polish

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...EMPTY-HANDED? They went SHOPPING

But you had to run to the next page if editorial matter was your interest. The headline was in any case dwarfed by the bottle of beer, and came across mostly as an afterthought.

The timing was perverse, to say the least. It was grossly insensitive of the manufacturers of the beverage at issue to shove it literally in the face of every newspaper reader during the holy month of Ramadan. Contrary to what the nihilists in Boko Haram would have us believe, Muslims also read newspapers. And they must have felt sorely offended seeing a bottle of beer, of all things, literally leaping at them from the front page of their newspaper.

We also know that, despite the widely reported decline in reading, young people read newspapers.

What message is the manufacturer of this addictive beverage sending to these young people, a great many of them adolescents?

What kind of agenda is it setting for them?

That beer is an important element of their present and their future, and the earlier they realise it the better?

As marketers know only too well, messages have consequences, intended and unintended.

They cannot therefore be indifferent to the consequences of their messages, especially those that were not intended.

That is what corporate citizenship is all about.

It has to be said, then, that in pushing its advertisement for beer at that particular time and in that particular manner, the manufacturers showed an appalling lack of judgment.

The “wrap around” was a stunt taken too far.

The same must be said of the newspapers that ceded their front pages to a bottle of beer.

OLAKUNLE ABIMBOLA

OME analysts think the long-term involvement of soldiers in internal security operations is capable of retarding political development or even undermining the polity. How to ensure national security at a time of increasing economic difficulties is, therefore, one of the most serious challenges facing any elected government. More specifically, the biggest challenge is finding ways to balance tough and drastic measures with the inescapable need of protecting citizens’ civil rights. The Nigerian government has not always been capable of producing that balance, as the First Republic showed, and as the exacerbation of the Boko Haram crisis is also showing. While the government is legitimately preoccupied with protecting lives and property and ensuring national peace, it is also perhaps time, given recent ethnic and sectarian disturbances, to begin enquiring into better methods of conducting internal security in such a way as not to engender bitterness, worsen domestic crises, and alienate the citizenry.

The federal government’s response to the August 6 Okene massacre in which 17 worshippers were gunned down in cold blood during an evening church service once again raises the question of how to calibrate government’s reaction to the breakdown of law and order. Internal security operations, apart from their instinctive goal of restoring peace to a distressed area, must also much more

fundamentally restore the confidence of afflicted citizens in their government and in their country. Security agents must proceed from the point of recognising that law-abiding citizens are victims who must at all cost not be subjected to another round of victimisation and traumatisation. It is the responsibility of security agents to be trained to appreciate what to do in crisis situations and how best to get the job done. It is not enough to kill scores of suspects and gleefully announce the figure; the circumstances of such deaths ought to be always re-examined to ensure that disproportionate force is not being deployed. In the final analysis, every death diminishes us, whether of criminals or of security agents.

The complaints coming from Okene about security agents harassing and intimidating the people, and in some cases even humiliating them, do not give the impression that victims of the attacks are not being subjected to another round of victimisation. Rather than dismiss these accusations, the authorities have a responsibility to investigate them thoroughly. There must be no cover-up. It will be recalled that the inappropriate handling of the Boko Haram crisis in its infancy is cited by sect leaders as one of the reasons for the radicalisation of the sect. When peace breaks down in any part of the country, security agents often approach the problem with the objective of pacifying the restive area. This is

absolutely wrong and counterproductive.

Nigerians are one people, and security agents are a part of that one people. It is important that the training manuals of those vested with the responsibility of internal security are rewritten and codified to make law officers more responsive to the demands of the national spirit.

It is, for instance, widely believed in Okene town and Kogi State in general that the August 6 church attack and killing of soldiers were politically motivated. So far too, Boko Haram has not claimed responsibility for the attacks. Whatever the reasons for the attacks, they can be investigated and exposed without the accompanying dramatisation of internal security measures, and without the harassment, humiliation and intimidation the local populace are alleging. Even the resort to curfew for a crisis that was essentially a oneday affair was far-fetched. Nigerians are anxious to save their country from the hands of lawless extremists. From North to South, they are united by their common desire to pursue their lawful businesses in any part of the country and in an atmosphere free of prejudice and rancour. But they are discouraged that a few extremists are jeopardising peaceful national co-existence. And worse, they are dispirited that even their government and security apparatus seem so clumsily unable to know how to reassure a traumatised and broken people and imbue them with great patriotic fervour.

Published and printed by Vintage Press Limited. Corporate Office: 27B Fatai Atere Way, Matori, Lagos. P.M.B. 1025,Oshodi, Lagos.

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E-mail: info@thenationonlineng.net ISSN: 115-5302 Editor: GBENGA OMOTOSO