THE NATION, August 14, 2014 by The Nation

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Nigerian Ebola cases hit 198 as nurse flees Lagos 21 under watch in Enugu States draw up battle plan

HE Ebola scare has hit Enugu State — no thanks to a nurse who defied a directive not to leave Lagos. The unnamed nurse was part of the team that treated the late Mr. Patrick Sawyer, the Liberian-American who died of the disease after flying into Lagos. But, the government has moved fast to check a possible outbreak of the Ebola Virus Disease in the state. Minister of Information Labaran Maku said yesterday that 21 persons, including the nurse, had been quarantined in the state. Briefing State House cor-

From Augustine Ehikioya, Abuja

respondents at the end of the Federal Executive Council meeting presided over by President Goodluck Jonathan, Maku said that the nurse had primary contact with the late Sawyer, who brought the disease to Nigeria. According to him, the nurse travelled to Enugu from Lagos against instruction not to leave Lagos State. He said 198 persons had been placed under watch by the Ministry of Health to contain further spread of the disease. Of the 198 persons under surveillance , 177 are in Lagos;

THE FACTS

THE RUMOURS

•Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) has no cure. •EVD can be cured •It cannot be cured by salted bath. •It can be cured by having salted bath or using traditional medicine •Diagnosing in an individual who has •Ebola cases can be diagnosed from the been infected only a few days is diffi- first day of infection. cult because early symptoms are nonspecific to the virus. •All EVD drugs are untested . •There are tested drugs for its cure. •Not all Ebola patients survive as fatal•All EVD patients survive. ity rate is 90 per cent. •No other therapy than orthodox medicine has produced result in EVD case •Crude methods/ unconventional therapy can ensure cure. management. •Case management of EVD is carried out •Other health workers can manage Ebola. by only doctors. Continued on page 4 21 are in Enugu. Maku said: “All those who had primary contact have been quarantined. Secondary contacts have also been traced. So

far, the number of people that have been traced is 198. Out of this number, 177 are in Lagos and are being traced. Some are in quarantine, some are being

monitored by health specialists. “21 persons in Enugu are also being watched. This is because one of the nurses that

was involved with the treatment of the index case, unfortunately, disobeyed medical instructions and somehow travelled to Enugu. “All those who she was in contact with, including her husband, are under quarantine. The medical team have been able to trace all those who made contact with her. The minister urged members of the public to discountenance rumours and unverified reports over the Ebola epidemic. The government will prosecute anybody spreading rumours that damage public health. Maku said: “Health workers are now in all our border units. All the entry points into this country and exit points, we have port health workers that are working in our airports and seaports.” Continued on page 4

South tackles North over draft constitution •Debate now today

From Onyedi Ojiabor and Dele Anofi, Abuja

LENARY was adjourned again yesterday by the leadership of the National Conference. The one-day adjournment, according to the Chairman, Justice Idris Kutigi, was to enable the leadership meet with leaders of all delegations to the conference over the controversy generated by the draft constitution. Northern delegates have rejected the draft constitution, saying that it was a ploy to leContinued on page 4

Chibok girls: Troops in Sambisa, says DHQ From Yusuf Alli and Gbade Ogunwale, Abuja

ROOPS are in Sambisa forest - the bulwark of the fundamentalist Boko Haram sect – in an effort to retrieve the abducted Chibok girls. The over 200 girls are believed to be in captivity in the forest. They were abducted from their hostel in Chibok, Borno State, on April 15. The government has been under pressure to bring WHERE ARE them back. THE CHIBOK The Defence Headquarters GIRLS (DHQ) said yesterday that KIDNAPPED troops were in Sambisa forON APRIL 15?

Continued on page 4

•ST AR VING: Yazidi children scramble for food at the Nowruz camp in Derike, Syria after trekking hundreds of miles to escape ISIS. PHOTO: DAILY MAIL •STAR ARVING:

•SPORTS P24 •EDUCATION P25 •POLITICS P51 •NATURAL HEALTH P53 •E-BUSINESS P58

THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

NEWS

Thousands fl

•The Mayor of Lambeth London,Councillor Adedamola Aminu (second left) presenting a book on the Association of Nigerian Academics UK to Senator Oluremi Tinubu in Lagos...yesterday. With them are Mrs Dolapo Ajakaiye and Mr Babajide Sanowo-Olu.

Thousands of Nigerians fleeing Islamist militants are searching for sanctuary, say government and international relief officials. No thanks to the latest Boko Haram’s campaign to seize the Northeast. Gwoza, a town of about 50,000 near Nigeria’s remote border with Cameroon, is worse hit, reports Wall Street Journal

H •From left: Events and Sponsorship Manager Marketing and Strategy Division MTN, Mr Okundola Bamgboye, Representative of Lagos State Commissioner for Sport and Youth Development , Mr Oluseyi Whenu and Senior Manager Segment MTN Saidat Lawal-Muhammed, during the Press Conference of MTN Lagos Street Succer Season 7 at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere, Lagos...yesterday. PHOTO: MUYIWA HASSAN

•From left: Managing Director/CEO, Vono Products Plc, Mr. Olatunji Oludare Anjorin; Chairman, Dr. Mohammed Yinusa and Company Secretary/Legal Adviser, Olalekan Sanni during the 53rd Annual General Meeting of the company in PHOTO: SOLOMON ADEOLA Lagos ...yesterday.

UNDREDS of thousands of Nigerians fleeing Islamist militants are searching for sanctuary, say government and international relief officials, the latest fallout from Boko Haram’s campaign to seize the northeast of Africa’s most populous country. Local authorities said Tuesday that in a fresh exodus from violence, hundreds of people continued to flee Gwoza, a town of about 50,000 near Nigeria’s remote border with Cameroon that suspected Boko Haram fighters overran last Wednesday. Boko Haram has made the surrounding Borno state the epicenter of its insurrection against Nigerian soldiers, Christians and— increasingly—civilians who stand in its way. “They are streaming over the hillsides,” said Borno state Governor Kashim Shettima of the civilians who are trying to escape the violence. Mr. Shettima said Nigerian officials and multinational agencies are sheltering 40,000 people in schools that had already closed because the insurgency had made them unsafe for students. In the past year, up to a million people have fled to the state capital of Maiduguri, he said, lodging with relatives and in tents at the city’s limits. The forced migration from Nigeria’s violence is expected to strain everything from public services to food security, as a weak central government struggles to beat back the emboldened Islamist insurgency. Boko Haram aims to impose Is-

•File picture of people gathering around a car bombed by Boko Haram

lamic law and has been targeting vigilante militias and the military that stand in its way. Insurgents have killed nearly 3,000 people this year, according to the Council on Foreign Relations. The turmoil has spilled across Nigeria’s porous border with Cameroon, where about half of the 10,000 residents of the town of Kolofata have fled since a suspected Boko Haram raid there two weeks ago. “We can’t stay back there because Boko Haram had promised to return,” said Adji Seini Blama, a 52year-old primary schoolteacher who fled to the regional capital of Maroua. Cameroon’s military has blamed the attacks on bandits rather than Boko Haram. Manzo Ezekiel, a spokesman for Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency, estimated that 3 million Nigerians are facing “serious humanitarian challenges” because a breadwinner has been killed in the turmoil or they are too scared to plant the crops they will need to survive through the dry season. At the same time, the number of farmers fleeing their land poses a threat to the country’s food supply, say aid workers. “There’s palpable fear that there may be food scarcity in the region yet this year,” said Nwakpa Nwakpa, a spokesman for the Red Cross in Nigeria. Mohammed Ali Ndume, a senator who represents Gwoza in Nigeria’s National Assembly, called on President Goodluck Jonathan to send military reinforcements to help retake the town. “I believe the military can get into Gwoza and rescue our people,” he said. But the army has shown little

Police move against illegal arms, explosive materials • FCT Internal Security Task Force begins counter insurgency

A •From left: Head, Regional Sales (South), Etisalat Nigeria, Taiwo Embassey; Etisalat customers, Mrs. Divine Aidelokhai and Mr. Revelation Aidelokhai; and Head, Customer Experience and Retention, Etisalat Nigeria, Biola Edun at the Port Harcourt edition of Etisalat Customer Forum 2014 in Port Harcourt...yesterday.

CTING Inspector-General of Police Suleiman Abba has ordered the establishment of Tactical Operation Points (TOP) in select states in the Northeast and Northwest. According to a statement by the Force spokesman, Frank Mba, the points would be manned by police personnel trained in tactical operations and counter-terrorism. The statement said the operation points would be established in various

From Gbade Ogunwale, Abuja

strategic locations and highways in Kano, Jigawa, Sokoto, Kebbi, Zamfara, Bauchi, Gombe and Taraba states. “Consequently, the IGP has charged all Assistant Inspectors -General of Police (AIGs) in charge of the zones covering the affected states and all Commissioners of Police in charge of these states to ensure close supervision and constant re-skilling of the personnel performing this special operation.

THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

NEWS

ds fleeing Boko Haram for safe haven

•Suicide bomb belts recovered from the Katsina teenage girls

Women dropping hijab over female suicide bombings

OMEN in Kano are abandoning their traditional religious dress after a spate of suicide bombings by young girls with explosives under their hijab. The commercial city was hit last month by four separate attacks involving teenage girls in the Muslim dress, leaving at least nine people dead and scores more injured. Although no one has claimed responsibility for the bombings, fingers have been pointed at Boko Haram, the Islamist militants blamed for a string of attacks on the city. But the bombings have cast fear and suspicion on young women wearing the loose clothing, prompting many to dress differently. “I no longer wear my hijab because people now see any young woman in hijab as a potential suicide bomber because of the recent incidents”, said 17year old Hajara Musa. “I now put on my shawl [headscarf] when I go out pending the time the city gets over the trauma of this frightening trend”, the fashion design apprentice told AFP. Musa said she was recently barred from entering a shopping mall while dressed in a hijab, which covers the hair, neck and upper body, despite agreeing to be frisked. “I was turned away because of my hijab, which I found very disturbing”, she added.

Increased security

The hijab is a common sight in conservative Kano, an ancient seat of Islamic learning where it has become a convention of modesty for women leaving their homes or meeting men who are not relatives. Many women wear the hijab with a traditional cloth wrapper that goes past their knees. Adama Habibu, aged 21, said she preferred to wear the hijab but the recent bombings had forced her to stop to avoid attracting unnecessary attention. “Wherever a young woman in hijab goes people keep their distance from her out of fear she could be a suicide bomber”, said Habibu, a student at Kano State Polytechnic, where a suicide blast on July 30 killed six people and injured 20 others. The blasts, one of which targeted an upmarket shopping mall, have prompted increased security around businesses, with more police visible around public buildings and frequent patrols. sign that it is capable of turning the tide as northeastern Nigeria has slipped deeper into lawlessness. Despite a global campaign drawing “The IGP is optimistic that the latest measure will enable the Force to halt further spread of violence in the land and frustrate the activities of insurgents and other criminals. “He added that the Force is determined to track and mop up illegal arms trade and arrest the unchallenged movement of explosive materials by hoodlums and other unpatriotic elements. “While noting that the police will always work in close collaboration with other security forces in the land, the IGP vows that the Force will leave no stone unturned in ensuring that the citizens of Nigeria enjoy maximum safety and security in their own country. “The IGP therefore calls on the general public, particularly those in the Northeast and Northwest to cooperate with the police and see any inconvenience this operation may cause as

attention to more than 200 schoolgirls the militants abducted in April, the military has struggled to make much public progress toward their

release. During last week’s attack, militants wearing Nigerian army uniforms opened fire on Gwoza from

Toyota Hilux pickup trucks, according to a member of a vigilante squad established to protect the town. He said at least 50 people were killed.

“I and a few other residents were able to escape to the mountains,” said the vigilante, Maina Kamusa. “Most of our wives and daughters who were unable to escape may have been abducted by Boko Haram.” Bala Saidu, a 39-year-old vegetable farmer, also fled into the surrounding hills. Three days later he made his way to a high school in nearby Uba, where he is taking shelter with 200 other exiles from his hometown. “We are not finding it easy here to stay fed,” Mr. Saidu said. Many of the region’s residents are nearly as wary of soldiers as of Boko Haram militants. “How is it that your national army can’t defeat a small pocket of insurgents?” said Baba Karim, a 56-year-old engineer and retired civil servant in Maiduguri. “We’re living in a terrible kingdom.” A spokesman for Nigeria’s military didn’t respond to calls and text messages seeking comment on Tuesday. Although aid groups and government officials have dispatched food, blankets and medical supplies to the displaced in Uba and other towns, a senior officer for one international agency said tension between state and federal authorities has slowed the humanitarian response as well as the military campaign. “Now the insurgents are really hitting their stride, attacking almost on a daily basis,” said the senior official, who insisted on anonymity because he said he didn’t want insurgents to target his colleagues in the region. “People’s ability to cope is gradually being stripped.”

• Abba The FCT Internal Security Task Force yesterday an exercise code

named ``Ex Hawk Eye'' as part of it efforts to check counter terrorism and counter insurgency. This is contained in a statement issued by Capt. Charles Ekeowcha, Public Relations Officer, Guards Brigade of the Nigerian Army, in Abuja. The statement said the joint and multiple agencies approach was meant for commanders, supervising officers, intelligence, operation officers, various unions and other stakeholders in the FCT. It stated that the exercise was also for the conduct of counter insurgency operations to enable everyone to know his or her tasks, manpower, resources, and other assets available in possible areas of challenges. According to the statement, the exercise is also required by the participants in the event of a breach of security in the FCT and environs. In his opening remarks, the Com-

mander of the Task Force, who equally doubled as the Commander Guards Brigade, Brig.-Gen. Anthony Omozoje, expressed happiness on the turnout of security agencies for the exercise. Omozoje attributed the turnout to the realisation that synergy among security agencies was key to any emergency response among security agencies. The taskforce commander urged participants to avail themselves the opportunity of the training to improve on the tactics of fighting insurgency and terrorism in the FCT and the country at large. The taskforce was established in April following the twin bomb blasts at Nyanya, a suburb of the FCT and the EMAB Plaza, which claimed many lives and property. The statement said that the exercise would end today.

Shopping malls in the city have also deployed more security guards at their entrances who sweep shoppers with hand-held metal detectors and peer through handbags for explosives. “I have stopped carrying a handbag around because of the suspicion it raises. I now carry a small purse wherever I go”, said another Kano resident, Hafsat Yaya, who declined to give her age.

Men afraid

Men in the city also say they are more wary of young women in the hijab, said resident Bala Dawud. “I shudder with fear when I find myself next to a young woman in hijab because she could be a suicide bomber”, he added. He recalled how a crowd which queued up at a cash machine melted away when a hijab-wearing woman joined the queue and asked if it was working. “As soon as she was told yes, she pulled out her mobile phone and called someone, telling him she had found a machine dispensing cash and before you knew it the whole crowd dispersed, leaving the woman alone”, Dawud said. Women wearing niqab, which covers the whole face except the eyes, draw even more suspicion, said resident Samaila Abdussalam. Boko Haram, which wants to create a hard-line Islamic state in northern Nigeria, is blamed for killing more than 10 000 people since 2009 and their extreme tactics have been denounced worldwide. In April, they kidnapped 276 girls from a secondary school in northeast Nigeria, triggering global outrage. A total of 219 are still being held. And the new tactic of employing young women and girls as bombers has sharpened the concern and outrage. On 30 July, police in northern Katsina state arrested a 10-year-old girl with explosives strapped to her body. A security source involved in forensic analysis of the Kano blasts cautioned residents against “hasty generalisation”. “From our preliminary findings, all the female suicide bombers were between 14 and 16 years which gives an idea of the age group of the bombers”, the source said. “We believe the explosives were remotely detonated which means the girls were sent under duress. So, people should be wary of young women who look nervous or fidgety in a crowd.”

‘

The IGP is optimistic that the latest measure will enable the Force to halt further spread of violence in the land and frustrate the activities of insurgents and other criminals

‘

a necessary sacrifice for the greater safety of all.”

THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

THE FACTS •President Goodluck Jonathan (right) watching as Vice President Namadi Sambo sanitises his hand at the meeting on Ebola virus at the State House in Abuja…yesterday. With them are: Minister for Health Dr. Onyebuchi Chukwu (left) and Minister of State for Health Dr. Khaliru Alhassan

South tackles North over draft constitution Continued From page 1

gitimise third term agenda.

Southern delegates, reacting yesterday to the North’s position, said it was unfortunate as there was nothing in the report that was not adopted by the entire conference through consensus. On resumption yesterday morning, Justice Kutigi, in a subdued voice, said the draft report given to the delegates, among others, was prepared with diligence. He said: “Let me at this stage make this point that we prepared this main draft report with

the best of our ability and with all honesty, but we are human beings who can make mistake.” It was in view of this that the Chairman said copies of the hansard and votes and proceeding were given to the delegates so that comparison could be made for clarification, if need be. He said delegates should make available in writing to the secretariat, their observations on the report before the close of the day (yesterday) so that such would be discussed at plenary today and corrections effected. “Let me repeat that we prepared the main report with all honesty and diligence. Any er-

ror will be due to human error and not due to any input,” Justice Kutigi added. He asked leaders of all delegations to meet with the leadership immediately after the adjournment. In reaction to the rejection of the draft constitution by northern delegates, leaders of southern delegations condemned the North for attempting to create undue tension . Chief Edwin Clark, who addressed reporters at the end of the meeting, was supported by Chief Olu Falae, Gen. Ike Nwachukwu, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN) and Chief

Raymond Dokpesi, among others, said the leadership should rather be praised for doing a great job of putting their decisions into perspective. According to him, after four months, various issues were discussed with over 600 resolutions arrived at by consensus. “Going through the documents presented to us on resumption from the two weeks break, it was clear that it was a job well done by the leadership and the secretariat. We congratulate them. “I can assure you, if the resolutions are implemented by government, a new Nigeria would Continued on page 67

Turkey clears Nigerian woman of Ebola

URKISH Health Ministry officials said yesterday that 32-year-old Nigerian woman Stella Omorowa and her son, who were put under medical supervision on Tuesday at Istanbul Ataturk International Airport for showing symptoms of the Ebola virus, are suffering from malaria. The woman and her fouryear-old son were on a Turkish Airlines flight from Lagos to Istanbul when the mother told the cabin crew she was feeling unwell. According to the Health Ministry, the woman who was complaining of high fever and vomiting after arriving at Istanbul’s Ataturk International Airport had been diagnosed with malaria. Ministry officials said that the woman needed urgent treatment for severe form of malaria. The woman is still being medically examined, and whether

•Abuja to treat all fever cases as Ebola From Grace Obike, Abuja

she has the virus has not yet been determined, the officials said. In Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Administration has advised all hospitals to consider all cases of high fever as the Ebola virus until proven otherwise. It said this is a precautionary method against the spread of the virus Executive Secretary, FCT Primary Health Care Board, Dr. Rilwanu Mohammed, said yesterday that although the Federal Ministry of Health is ensuring that all passengers at the airports are checked, no one is applying such measures in motor parks in the FCT which is known to transport more people from Lagos. Dr. Mohammed said FCT Minister Bala Mohamed would be advised to implement a law in the FCT that will make it com-

pulsory for all public and private establishments to provide hand sanitisers or water and soap for people going into their establishments. He said most of the primary health workers had been trained on how best to protect themselves against the spread of the disease. Mohammed said, “We have over 215 primary health care centres with 1000 staff, we invited a few and trained them on how to protect themselves, we told them to regard any patient with high fever as Ebola until proven otherwise, so that they will not get infected, because when a doctor or nurse is infected, the chain of transmission starts from there to families and friends and before you realise it there will be an outbreak. “We have done the first part of the training and will continue Continued on page 67

est, which was, however, silent on the next line of action, even

as it stressed that only the military has a “major plan” in the offing. It said that contrary to insinuations, Nigerian soldiers are trained for counter-terrorism. The Director of Defence Information, Maj.-Gen. Chris Olukolade stated this at a session with editors and Defence correspondents, which was organised by INigerian Initiative, a non-governmental organisation active in the redefinition of Nigerians’ perception of their country. He said: “What makes it difficult to get to Sambisa forest? All of it is strategic, gentlemen. We are not even completely out of Sambisa forest as I am talking to you. We are in Sambisa forest and we are in places contiguous to it.

“But we have a major plan in mind, which I should not be disclosing now. We are not weak; we have the capacity.” “Sambisa Forest is over 6,000 square kilometres. It is not true that the place was re-taken by Boko Haram. There is freedom of movement in Nigeria and so, people move about freely. Do you know that there are village settlements and communities in the Sambisa forest and that is another limitation to bombing?” Concerning foreign interventions to rescue the Chibok girls, Gen. Olukolade simply said: “On a diplomatic level, I will say all is well.” He said Boko Haram had been attacking some towns and villages because the sect was carrying out its “last battle” in desperation. He went on: “The truth about recent attacks by Boko Haram is that all the places that they thought were their bases have been taken over by the military

and so out of desperation, they are scattering everywhere. What they are doing is like a last battle for them. “There had been occasions when the terrorists were reported to be using helicopters in their attacks whereas it was the Nigerian military helicopter that was flying to attack the rebels. “Nonetheless, we are still committed to securing the civilian population at whatever cost. We are still committed in ensuring that we degrade their ability to continue their activity and eventually eliminate them”, He said Boko Haram was joking by laying claim to any part of the country, adding that the military would soon sweep off the insurgents in any part of the country, including Gwoza. Gen. Olukolade said: “I will reaffirm what I said that no portion of this country is available for terrorists to occupy. If they appear to be doing so, it is just a joke. With respect to this loca-

•Other health workers can manage Ebola.

•Only two people: a •More than two people Liberian-American, Mr have died from EVD. Patrick Sawyer and an unidentified Nigerian nurse died from EVD. •Regular hand washing key to preventing EVD. 10. EVD is an hemorrhagic fever.

•Hand washing has no significant contribution to EVD prevention. 10. EVD is a spiritual attack.

•Bats and chimpanzees can habour and transmit EVD.

•Bats and chimpanzees do not habour and transmit EVD.

12. There are five species of EVDs.

12. EVD is only one type.

•Ebola is not spread through the air, like the common cold or flu.

•To get sick, a person would have to come in direct contact with bodily fluids of an infected person or with a contaminated object, such as a needle.

•Only experimental treatments are being developed.

•There are drugs for EVD treatment.

•The World Health Organisation pushed for the drug manufacturers to explore the ethics of using the unproven drug in Africa.

•The World Health Organisation did not approve unproven drug in Africa.

•International medical teams did not bring the virus to West Africa.

•International medical teams brought the virus to West Africa.

•Proper treatment for Ebola can only be received at designated clinics.

•Proper treatment can be received at centres managed by traditional healers.

•Poor hygiene, especially of •Poor hygiene not hand washing may responsible for easy predispose people to Ebola transmission of Ebola. if there is contact with an infected person. •If you beat Ebola, you cannot pass on the virus to others.

•Even if you beat Ebola, you can still pass on the virus to others.

•Antibiotics cure bacterial infections, not viral infections. Currently, there is neither a cure nor a vaccine for Ebola virus.

•Ebola can be treated with antibiotics (or onions, or condensed milk, or...)

Nigerian Ebola cases hit 198 as nurse flees Lagos Continued From page 1

•Omorowa at the Istanbul Atatürk Airport, Turkey ...on Tuesday.

Chibok girls: Troops in Sambisa, says DHQ Continued From page 1

•Case management of EVD is carried out by only doctors.

THE RUMOURS

tion, everything is being done to ensure that everywhere in Nigeria is safe and secure. “ “The goal of Nigerian military and security forces at the moment is to deny the terrorists the resources they need to continue to hold our citizens to ransom. We want to defeat them so decisively that every Nigerian can live in peace and be able to pursue his economic and social activities. “We want to counter terrorism to the point that their coordination and their ability, their future effort to destabilise and cause instability in our country will be negligible or non-existent. We also want to ensure that haven the military will continue to contribute to the development and progress of our country’s democratic state.” The DHQ spokesperson debunked the notion that Nigerian military was not trained to Continued on page 67

“We are calling on citizens specifically to cooperate. If health workers say you have had contact with A,B,C, don’t move to anywhere; respect that judgement. It is very important. In one or two cases where we have had disobedience, we lost one of them and this one now moved with it to another place (Enugu). So, we are urging Nigerians, please, to help us in making sure that all these messages and appeals we are making, we implement them.” he said. Stressing that the preventive measures have been communicated to governors, Maku said they were invited to be briefed by the federal government on further collaboration to stamp out the disease from Nigeria. He said the disease has no cure. Besides, he debunked rumour that there was an Ebola case in Abuja. Said Maku: “The Ministry of Health set up a special committee specifically to take claims from Nigerians who believe they could help and so far we have had a lot of reports from Nigerians at home and abroad who come forward to say, ‘look’ they have possibility of developing therapies that could help in fighting the virus.” “There is no cure so far, any-

where in the world. Even the trial drug in the US is still a trial drug; it has not been established.” Maku added: “One of the doctors and research experts that came forward was Dr Simon Agwale, who has been one of the frontline global researchers on developing vaccines for HIV and other viral diseases. He also came forward and said he could help, both in terms of working out to develop a vaccine, which he said he has started work on between himself and his fellow experts in the US and he said this is ongoing. “The Minister of Health has given support and directed him to the committee. He also discussed the possibility of certain therapy which could be applied. And again that is being discussed. And once it is approved, it could be used.” During the meeting with governors and health commissioners yesterday, automatic hand sanitiser was brought in and the President, Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola and others sanitised their hands. The machines are to be stationed in startegic places for private and public use.

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THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

NEWS

THE EBOLA VIRUS

Osun inaugurates five committees

Kogi specialist hospital is isolation centre

From Adesoji Adeniyi, Osogbo

From James Azania, Lokoja

PART of the Kogi State Specialist Hospital in Lokoja, the state capital, has been designated as an isolation centre to handle any likely outbreak of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD). Information Commissioner, Hajia Zainab Okino, spoke yesterday in Lokoja after the weekly State Executive Council (Ecxo) meeting. She said though there had not been any reported case of the disease in the state, the government was being proactive on the matter. Mrs Okino urged the people to maintain a high standard of hygiene, adding that the government was working hard to ensure that the state does not have an outbreak of the disease.

Benue sets up isolation centres From Uja Emmanuel, Makurdi

HE Benue State Government has designated the State University Teaching Hospital (BSUTH) and the Federal Medicare Centre (FMC), both in Makurdi, the state capital, as Ebola virus victims’ isolation centres. The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Jonathan Kwaghtsule, spoke yesterday in Makurdi at a public lecture organised by the state chapter of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA). He said the isolation centres are among the measures the government took to stop the spread of the Ebola virus, should anyone contract it. Kwaghtsule urged the residents to always wash their hands and keep their environment clean. The state NMA Chairman Dr. Steven Hwande said the public lecture on Ebola virus was their part of the association’s contributions to enlighten the people on the dangers of the Ebola virus, which has no cure.

‘No virus case at FMC Yola’

From Barnabas Manyam, Yola

HE management of the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Yola, Adamawa State, said yesterday the hospital has not recorded any Ebola virus patient since its outbreak in Lagos about two weeks ago. The centre’s Chief Medical Director (CMD), Dr. Aliyu Danburam, spoke in Yola at an interactive session with members of Correspondents’ Chapel. He said the management had set up a committee to monitor likely victims with the virus. Danburam said the committee would also identify the medical workers who would handle such cases, if they occur.

•Left to Right: Imo State Deputy Governor Eze Madumere and tAnambra State Governor Willie Obiano, demonstrating how to greet as the war against Ebola virus rages.

Nigeria: we’ll battle Ebola to stand still

IGERIA took a stand yesterday to battle the Ebola disease at a special meeting convened by President Goodluck Jonathan. Governors, health commissioners, Federal Government officials and World Health Organisation (WHO) representative in Nigeria attended the meeting. The President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity Dr. Reuben Abati said the meeting focused on infection control, case management, contact tracing, capacity building and sensitisation. He said the meeting also focused on the need for synergy and collaboration between Federal and state governments, global partners and civil society. It discussed the national status reports by the Health Minister and health commissioners. Governors Babatunde Fashola (Lagos) and Sullian Chime (Enugu); W.H.O Country representative, Dr. Rui Voiz; ministers - Labaran Maku (Information) and Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu (Health) and Director-General of the National Centre for Disease Control, Prof Abdulsalam Nasidi addressed State House correspondents at the end of the meeting. Chukwu said the Federal Government named four laboratories

From Augustine Ehikioya, Abuja

for testing. The laboratories, he said, are at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba, Surulere, Lagos; the Centre for Disease Control in Asokoro, Abuja; University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, Oyo State and the Redeemer University Laboratory at Kilometre 35, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. According to him, the government is also targeting more laboratories in Jos and Kano and will set up a mobile testing centre in Enugu by the end of the week. Nine laboratories, he said, would be set up across the country before the end of next month. Chukwu said Nigeria had 10 confirmed cases, including the Liberian-American who brought the disease, and those who had contact with the index case. Of the 10 cases, he said, three had been confirmed dead Patrick Sawyer, the nurse who attended to him and the protocol officer with ECOWAS Commission who was detailed to welcome delegates to conference in Calabar, Cross River State. “Seven of the 10 confirmed cases are alive and are showing progress with treatment,” he

said. According to him, 177 persons are under surveillance and at the end of the 21-day incubation period, those under surveillance will no longer be under surveillance. He said there were 21 secondary contact cases in Enugu State under surveillance, adding that a defiant nurse was under observation in Lagos. Chukwu said the meeting discussed effective communication and the need to provide isolation centres and laboratories for experiments. The minister said the government’s decision on prohibition of repatriation of bodies from abroad would be enforced. But he said waivers would be granted after due diligence would have been carried out. Chukwu said two of such waivers from Kenya and India of Nigerians who died of diabetes and cancer had been granted. He said: “Two cases were reported in Abuja but they have been cleared of not having the virus. The one in Anambra concerning a body has been cleared. That of Abia, which was a case of reaction to a drug (Steven Johnson) has been cleared. So also is the body in Imo brought from Liberia. It has been cleared; the cause not being Ebola.”

Fashola made case for transparent disclosure of infected persons. The governor said health workers should be provided with advanced equipment to protect themselves. He said: “This is not the time to make fast naira. Next week will be defining for us to know what cases have multiplied. This is not something you keep in a religious house to pray about. Infected persons are not patients you can move by taxis. If they need prayers now, it can be done electronically. “We are now 99 per cent following the cases. We need to have 100 per cent because, if we have one infected person, it is a global risk, not just for Nigeria. “We have to drop our traditional behaviours like shaking of hands and nobody should be offended. You have to stop defecating and urinating in public, particularly at this time of our challenges.” Governor Chime said: “From the reports of the meeting, it is clear Nigeria has the capacity to fight Ebola. But there is need for standardised practice in combating it.” The WHO Representative in

‘Why my husband came to Nigeria’

ATRICK Sawyer’s widow, in defence of her husband, has explained why he travelled to Nigeria, despite being contaminated with the Ebola virus. He did it, she said, because he had faith in Nigeria’s better health system. Mrs. Sawyer shared her thoughts on her Facebook profile. “I’ve read other reports in other papers about Patrick’s ‘recklessness’. I get where they’re coming from, and they certainly have the right to feel the way they do. However, as Patrick’s widow, I would like to shed some light on this from another perspective. One that only I, his wife, would know,” she wrote. “I knew Patrick better than anybody else (including himself). He had told me many times in the past how much he didn’t trust the Liberian healthcare system. He would tell me about how a person would get checked in for one thing, and get misdiagnosed and get the wrong treatment as a result. On top of that, Patrick was a clean freak, and told me how filthy a lot of the hospitals were. “He didn’t tell me this, but I

know in my heart of hearts that Patrick was determined to get to Nigeria by all means because he felt that Nigeria would be a place of refuge. He has expressed to me many times in the past that he felt passionately about helping to be a part of strengthening Liberia’s healthcare system, but he knew it wasn’t there yet, and he wouldn’t want to take a chance with his life because a lot of people depended on him… Patrick had a passion for life, and he wouldn’t have wanted his to end. So, I bet anything that he was thinking, if I could only get to Nigeria, a way more developed country than Liberia, I would be able to get some help. How ironic.” In her post, Mrs. Sawyer wrote that the fact that her husband avoided contact with others at the James Sprigg Payne’s Airport in Monrovia as revealed by airport CCTV footage proved he didn’t set out to infect others with the disease and perhaps his actions were that of a dying man in desperate search for help. “It has been reported that Patrick avoided physical contact with everyone he came across during his trip from Liberia to

Nigeria. When he got to Nigeria, he turned himself in letting them know that he had just flown in from Liberia. “Patrick went to Nigeria for help so that he can get properly diagnosed, and not misdiagnosed in Liberia. And if it came back that he did have Ebola, he trusted the Nigerian healthcare system a lot more than he trusted the Liberian’s. His action, as off as it was, was a desperate plea for help. Patrick didn’t want to die, and he thought his life would be saved in Nigeria.” Mrs. Sawyer then took a swipe at the Liberian President, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, who said Mr Sawyer was indiscipline and disrespectful for failing to heed medical advise not to travel. Mrs Sawyer said if President Johnson-Sirleaf had fixed the healthcare system in Liberia, her husband would not have left in search of treatment elsewhere. “I write today, not simply because of Patrick, but because of the broken healthcare system in the Liberia, and the government’s inability under President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (and other past Presidents) to fix it. Good doctors, nurses, and other healthcare

•Mrs. Sawyer

providers aren’t given the support they need to save lives. “President Sirleaf went on CNN News throwing stones at Patrick, a man who can no longer defend himself, a man who worked tirelessly for Liberia. She should be ashamed of herself. I use to admire this woman, and was excited and proud of her accomplishment as the first woman President in the entire continent of Africa. She will always own that. We will always own that. It can’t be taken away from her. It’s something to be proud of. But this woman has failed her country,” she wrote.

HE Osun State Government has inaugurated five committees to educate the public on how to tackle the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD). Health Commissioner, Dr. Temitope Ilori, spoke yesterday in Osogbo, the state capital, at the inauguration of the committees. She said the government would also deliberate on how to prevent the disease from entering the state. According to her, the five committees are on Medical, Information and Environment, Forestry, Education and Women Advocacy. She said each committee would sensitise the public to ensure quality and preventive control of the Ebola virus. Environment and Sanitation Commissioner, Prof. Olubukola Oyawoye, and her Lands, Physical Planning Urban Development counterpart, Mr Muyiwa Ige, haile the Rauf Aregbesola administration for its proactive measures against the dreaded virus, though it had not been reported in the state. They said the committees would serve as the watchdogs on the symptoms of the virus infection, such as general body weakness, and public enlightenment through the Ministry of Information and Strategy and the media. The committee members were drawn from the ministries of Information and Strategy, Agriculture and Food Security, Environment, Women and Children Affairs and Tourism and Home Affairs. Other members are drawn from non-government organisations (NGOs), such as the International Rotary Club and the Red Cross.

Oyo builds isolation centre at UCH From Bisi Oladele, Ibadan

HE University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, has begun the construction of an isolation centre for likely victims of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD). Ten victims, including the first infected person in Nigeria, the late Liberian-American, Mr Patrick Sawyer, have been confirmed to be infected with the virus, according to Health Minister Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu. The isolation centre, which is located at the main gate of the Accident and Emergency Unit, was already 75 per cent complete as at press time yesterday. The hospital’s Head of Public Relations Unit, Mr Ayodeji Bobade, explained that the centre was the initiative of UCH management to properly prepare likely outbreak of the disease in the state. He said the management researched on what an Ebola isolation unit should look like and came up with the design and location. Bobade said the equipment to be used at the hospital had been supplied by the Minister of State for Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Oloye Jumoke Akinjide. He said: “Ebola is here. The hospital just thought of ways to minimise the effect and treat the victim (if there is any), hence, the establishment of the unit.” The spokesman explained that the hospital needed to act fast while it was expecting equipment and funds from the Federal and state government for the project.

THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

NEWS

Air Force redeploys senior officers

HE Nigerian Air Force (NAF) said yesterday it has redeployed some of its senior officers. A former Air Officer Commanding Logistics Command, Air Vice Marshal M. C. Ilonyosi, is the new Air Officer Commanding Tactical Command. Air Vice Marshal U. A. Omeiza, who hitherto occupied the position, was moves to Mobility Command as the Air Officer Commanding. Air Vice Marshal O. T. Oguntoyinbo is the new Air Officer Commanding Logistics Command. Air Vice Marshal A. O. Odunlade is the new Chief of Training and Operations at the NAF headquarters, while Air Vice Marshal I. Umar is the new Chief of Aircraft Engineering. Air Vice Marshal E. N. Nzokala has been moved to the Air Warfare Centre as the Commandant; Air Vice Marshals E. C. Akogu, S. A. Dambo and T. L. Danbaki were posted as Senior Air Staff Officers at Mobility Command, Tactical Air Command and Training Command. Also, Air Vice Marshal M. A. Muhhammed is the new Chairman of Air Exposition/International and Liaison, while Air Vice Marshals E. E. Agwungu, R. A. Ojuawo and S. I. Onuh take charge of the Directorates of Policy, Operations and NAF Transformation. Air Commodore J. B. Adigun is the Chief of Accounts and Budget and Air Commodore J. N. Igboneme is the new Commander 33 Logistics Group. Other newly appointed Directors at the NAF headquarters are: Air Commodore E. A. Johnson, C. O. Usoh, N. A.

Kefasi replaces Aji as Head of Service

From Gbade Ogunwale, Assistant Editor, Abuja

Kolofo, S. Naiya, S. O. Akpassa and E. O. Akinbayo, in charge of the Directorates of Air Traffic Service, Production, Materials and System Management, Education, Plans and Administration. Air Commodore I. Bukar is the new Hanger Director at Aeronautical Technical Service Limited and Air Commodore O. O. Akinsanya is the Air Provost Marshal. Others are: Air Commodore H. E. O. Eze, Commander 401, Aircraft Maintenance Deport; Air Commodore A. M. Sadique, Commander 407 Equipment Supply Depot and Air Commodore L. U. Mshelia, Commander Quick Response Force. Also redeployed are: Air Vice Marshal J. M. Gbum, formally at the Defence Headquarters (DIA), is the new Chief of Policy and Plans at the NAF headquarters. Air Vice Marshal O. T. Oguntoyinbo, formally the Commander, 99 Air Combat Training Group, Kainji, is the new Chief of Training and Operations. Air Vice Marshal C. N. Chukwu, formally the Air Officer Commanding, Mobility Command, takes over as the Chief of Administration. Air Vice Marshal A. A. Zannah, from Air Warfare Centre, Kainji, is the Air Secretary. Air Vice Marshal M. R. Morgan, formerly the Air Officer Commanding, Logistics Command, Lagos, is the Commandant, Armed Forces Resettlement Centre, Oshodi. Also, Air Vice Marshal J. C. Ifemeje, formally the Air Secretary at the NAF headquarters, is the new Commandant at the

Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji. Air Vice Marshal H. R. Mohammed, formerly the Chief of Air Engineering, moves to the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) as the Director of Electronic Warfare. Air Vice Marshal A. O. Odunlade is now the Commandant of Air Weapon Centre, Kaiji. Air Vice Marshal A. A. Iya moves to the DHQ as Chief of Policy and Plans; Air Vice Marshal S. B. Abubakar, formerly the Air Officer Commanding, Training Command, moves to the DHQ as Chief of Defence Communication. Air Vice Marshal E. N. Nzokala is the new Director of Policy at the NAF headquarters; Air Vice Marshal F. B. Oyoyoko is the new Director of Project Implementation Monitoring Team. Air Vice Marshal E. C. Akogu is the Director of Operations at the NAF headquarters and Air Vice Marshal W. A. Ahmed was moved to the DHQ as Director of Personnel Services. Air Vice Marshal E. E. Agwungwu moves to Training Command as Senior Air Staff Officer Training Command and Air Vice Marshal R. A. Ojuawo is Senior Air Staff Officer at the Tactical Air Command, Makurdi. Air Vice Marshal T. L. Danbaki moves to Mobility Command, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, as Senior Air Staff Officer. Air Vice Marshal S. Ahmed was moved to NAF headquarters as the Director of Evaluation. Air Commodore I. A. OdunAyo is the acting Chief of Aircraft Engineering at the NAF headquarters; Air Commodore J. B. Adigun was moved to the

headquarters as the Director of Finance and Accounts. Others redeployed include: Air Commodore M. R. Dabo, the Chairman of Military Pensions Board; Air Commodore C. O. E. Usoh, the Chairman (NATCOM) Ministry of Defence. Air Commodore N. A. Sanusi was moved from DHQ to 435 Base Services Group as Commander and Air Commodore A. J. A. Adagboyi takes over as Director of Manual at the NAF headquarters. Air Commodore B. A. Abakpa is the new Commander, 205 Rotary Group, Lagos; Air Commodore A. A. Jekennu is the Commander, 97 Special Operation Group; Air Commodore A. O. Oyewole was moved to 209 Executive Airlift Group as its Commander. Air Commodore B. U. Chiobi is the new Commander, National Air Defence Corps and Air Commodore K. E. Adediji was moved to NAF headquarters as Director of Air Intelligence. Air Commodore S. J. Wukangha is the Commander, 335 Base Services Group as Commander; Air Commodore P. J. Usman is the new Commander, Quick Response Force. Air Commodore S. O. Akpasa was moved to NAF headquarters as Director of Safety and Air Commodore S. B. Musa is the Director of Museum and Archives at NAF headquarters. Air Commodore T. E. Opuiyo was moved to Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji, as Director of Finance; Air Commodore M. A. Soladoye was redeployed as Director of Research and Development at the NAF headquarters. Also moved are: Air Commodore O. Olutoye, the the Director

of Medical Services at the NAF headquarters; Air Commodore P. A. Imaji is the Director of Plans at the NAF headquarters. Air Commodore I. O. Amao was moved to the 99 Air Combat Training Group in Kainji, Niger State, as its Commander; Air Commodore J. K. Baba was moved to 303 Flying Training School, Kano, as Commander; Air Commodore T. A. Awoyoola is the Commander, 339 Base Services Group in Kano. Air Commodore D. S. Bausa was moved to 37 Base Services Group as Commander; Air Commodore E. F. Golit was redeployed as Director of Administration at the NAF headquarters. Air Commodore A. G. Pani was moved from NAF headquarters to the 104 Personnel Management Group, Lagos; Air Commodore M. A. Idris is Commander, 64 Air Defence Group, Markudi, Benue State. Air Commodore U. S. Suleiman was moved to 103 Pay and Accounting Group, Lagos, as Commander; Air Commodore M. O. D. Idonibo was redeployed as Director of Personnel Management at the NAF headquarters. Air Commodore O. A. Adesanya was moved to the Nigerian Air Force Detachment as its Commander and Group Captain S. A. Babalola is the Director Recruitment, Resettlement and Reserve. Group Captain A. S. Bulus was redeployed as Acting Director of Information and Technology at the NAF headquarters. A statement yesterday by the NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore D. J. Alonge, said the posting and appointments take immediate effect.

From Vincent Ikuomola, Abuja

HE second phase of the distribution of the Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) will begin tomorrow in 11 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The distribution will end on Sunday, August 17. It will be followed by the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) from August 20 to 25, according to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) schedule. The commission said only those with the PVCs would be allowed to vote during next year’s general elections. The states are: Yobe and Bauchi (Northeast); Jigawa and Sokoto (Northwest); FCT and Kwara (Northcentral); Anambra and Ebonyi (Southeast); Ondo and Oyo (Southwest) and Delta and Cross River (Southsouth). In its daily bulletin yesterday, INEC said new dates would be announced for the phase three, comprising Adamawa, Borno, Kaduna, Katsina, Kano, Plateau, Nassarawa, Niger, Imo, Lagos, Ogun, Edo and Rivers states. The bulletin said: “Only those with PVCs will be allowed to vote during the 2015 general elections. “Voters are expected to crosscheck their names in the displayed voters’ register. Those who registered before but do not see their names in the displayed register are to re-register during the continuous voter registration (CVR).

‘Remit our check-off dues’ From Sanni Onogu, Abuja

From Augustine Ehikioya, Abuja

RESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan announced yesterday the appointment of Danladi Kefasi as the new Head of Service of the Federation (HSF). Kefasi was the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum Resources. The President made the announcement at the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting. He thanked Aji for the reforms he brought to the civil service. Addressing State House correspondents at the end of the meeting, Information Minister Labaran Maku said Aji retired after serving for 35 years. He said: “...The Head of Service, Alhaji Bukar Goni Aji, formally retired from service, having attained 35 years in service. He was appointed HoS by Mr. President and, since his appointment, served the nation with purposeful leadership. “His appointment impacted positively on the Federal Civil Service. Mr. President, in council, thanked him for his achievements. He brought his leadership and capacity, his ability to network with other people in government to achieve the objectives and implementation of the transformation agenda. “Mr. President said he found him very competent, very knowledgeable and very committed to his work. The council (FEC) moved a motion to formally congratulate him for attaining his height in service and to thank him for the good he had done for the country. “The President then announced the immediate appointment of Mr. Danladi Kefasi, who is the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum Resources. He will assume office as the new HoS with immediate effect.”

PVC distribution begins in 11 states, FCT tomorrow

•From left: Chairman, Delta State chapter of All Progressives Congress (APC), Prophet John Erue; National Vice Chairman, APC Southsouth, former Vice-President and APC chieftain, Atiku Abubakar and former Education Minister, Prof Babalola Borisade, acknowledging cheers at a meeting with APC members from Cross River, Akwa Ibom and Delta states in Abuja...on Tuesday.

Gowon to Fed Govt, North's leaders: unite against insurgency F ORMER Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, has urged the Federal Government and political leaders in the North to unite in the fight against insurgency. Gen. Gowon spoke in Gombe on Tuesday at a two-day stakeholders' peace dialogue on the Northeast, organised by the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in collaboration with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and other security agencies. He said: "In the past few weeks, the degree of mutual distrust has become more pronounced and the tempo of the blame game between the party in power - the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) - and the op-

From Vincent Ohonbamu, Gombe

position political leaders, not only in the zones but across the country, has increased." He said it was unfortunate that insurgents were carrying out more attacks while the parties were trading blames. Gowon said: "We must put a stop to this. All groups, all parties that love their country must work together to deal with this threat to this country. "If we must win this war against terror, we must come to the realisation that all of us governments, institutions and individuals - have a collective responsibility to protect our

common destiny. "We must understand the reinvigoration of trust and the building of confidence among stakeholders, especially among our brothers and sisters in the Northeast and Northwest to sustain the 'United Nigeria Project'." The former Head of State, who chaired the conference, said there should be cooperation, understanding and support among Nigerians, irrespective of religion, ethnic grouping, socio-economic class or political leaning. He expressed happiness that participants were from different parts of the country and

comprised political leaders, religious leaders, opinion leaders, traditional rulers, civil society groups, women's groups and core Northern groups, particularly the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) and Northern Elders' Forum (NEF). Gombe State Governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo corroborated Gowon's call for various groups and regions to work together to end insurgency. The governor said the feat could be achieved through the diversification of the economy and channelling the nation's resources to productive activities that create wealth and jobs. He said: "Other measures include equity, fairness and justice in governance."

HE national leadership of the Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN) accused the management yesterday of illegally withholding its check-off dues deducted from workers’ salaries. PASAN’s National Executive, last week, dissolved the National Assembly chapter’s executive over alleged non-remittance of over N158 million check-off dues. The national secretariat set up a caretaker committee to run the union’s activities, pending the resolution of the impasse. But the National Assembly chapter’s executive of PASAN denied the allegation. It claimed that no chapter of the union had complied with the PASAN’s constitution requirements for the remittance of check-off dues, due to its “obnoxious nature”. Following the stalemate, the management of the National Assembly intervened. In a statement on Tuesday in Abuja by its Director of Personnel Management, Dr. Ishaya Habu, the management urged the parties to maintain the status-quo, pending the resolution of the contentious issues. Also, the national leadership of PASAN, in a statement yesterday in Abuja by its General Secretary, Comrade Drisu Suleman, accused some workers of the National Assembly of illegally meddling in the affairs of the union on the check-off dues. Suleman accused the management of the National Assembly of flouting the Trade Unions Act, 2004, by refusing to remit the monthly check-off dues it deducted from workers salaries directly into the account of the national body of the union. He also alleged that the management failed to check some of its accounts workers, whom he accused of directly perpetuating the anomaly.

THE NATION THURSDAY AUGUST 14, 2014

NEWS Court stops Omisore probe From Adesoji Adeniyi,

Osogbo

SUN State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate Senator Iyiola Omisore has secured an interim order from the State High Court preventing the Panel of Enquiry on the Disturbance of Public Peace, set up by Governor Rauf Aregbesola, from investigating him. The panel’s Chairman, Justice Moshood Adeigbe, said the commission received a court order that the status quo be maintained pending ruling on the application. The panel earlier summoned Omisore and Minister of Police Affairs Jelili Adesiyan, following a petition written by former Governor Isiaka Adeleke that the duo assaulted him at a PDP stakeholders’ meeting at the Ideal Nest Hotel in April. Adeleke alleged that Omisore and Adesiyan threatened to kill him and urged the commission to probe the allegation. Omisore refused to appear before the panel, saying it lacked the power to probe him. Adeleke’s counsel, Mr. Lekan Olayiwola, urged the panel to go on with the hearing, but Justice Adeigbe said the panel is lower to the High Court and adjourned sitting till August 19. However, Justice Oyejide Falola of a State High Court in Osogbo said yesterday that the panel can probe Adesiyan and Mr. Sogo Agboola. The commission appeared before the court to seek clarification on the interim order granted to Omisore. Justice Falola explained that the order covered only Omisore since the petitions were separate.

‘Fake lawyer’ lands in prison From Damisi Ojo, Akure

FAKE lawyer’, Olaoluwa Joseph (40), was yesterday remanded in prison by an Akure Chief Magistrate’s Court in Ondo State. He was apprehended by members of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Akure branch, on Monday when he appeared before Chief Magistrate Olarenwaju Adesanmi. The suspect, said to have dressed in a lawyer’s suit and sat at the bar, was apprehended after signing the lawyers’ attendance register. When Joseph’s home was searched by policemen, a bail bond was discovered. Joseph has confessed he is an impersonator. When he was arraigned at the Chief Magistrate’s Court, Oke Eda, Akure, for “unlawful possession of a bail bond and impersonation”, Joseph pleaded for mercy. He said he was led to the crime because he was jobless and his wife was sick in hospital. Joseph was remanded at the Olokuta Prison. The case was adjourned till September 1.

•Indigenes of Ora-Igbomina in Ifedayo Local Government Area of Osun State welcoming Governor Rauf Aregbesola during the governor’s Thank You visit to the town...on Monday. Insert: (From left) Aregbesola; Senator Sola Adeyeye and Executive Secretary, Ifedayo Local Government, Kunle Ayantoye.

States lack autonomy, says Ajimobi

YO State Governor Abiola Ajimobi has bemoaned the lack of full autonomy by states, saying Nigeria is yet to practise true federalism. The governor spoke yesterday in Ibadan, the state capital, at the public presentation of a book on grassroots governance. The book, titled: “Grassroots Governance in Perspective: My Experience in Oluyole Local Government, Oyo State”, was written by the council’s Chairman, Ayodeji Abass-Aleshinloye. Reacting to the author’s call for local government autonomy, Ajimobi said even states are not “truly autonomous” because of the “lopsided manner” in which federalism is practised in Nigeria. He said: “The Nigeria of today is not practising true federalism. Even states are not autonomous. Political lead-

•Governor advocates true federalism From Bisi Oladele, Ibadan

ers must continue to strive to deliver best quality services to the people, so that our country will join the league of best nations in the world.” The governor lamented the negative impact of bureaucracy on good governance in Nigeria, adding: “Government is like a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), which must provide quality services, such that set objectives are met timely and effectively. But bureaucracy makes governance tedious in Nigeria. However, as leaders offered the opportunity to serve, we must find every means to deliver qualitative services. A good leader takes people to where they want to be while a great leader takes them to where they ought to be.” The Chairman of the occa-

‘The Nigeria of today is not practising true federalism. Even states are not autonomous.’ sion and National President of the Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes (CCII), Chief Bayo Oyero, said Abass-Aleshinloye and the other 10 council chairmen in Ibadan were committed to the city’s development. Should the proposal by the National Conference to bring local governments under the authority of states sails through, Oyero urged governors to make councils the focus of their administrations.

Omuo, Kota-Ekiti sign peace pact From Sulaiman Salawudeen, Ado-Ekiti

He warned them against using local governments as instruments of political oppression. The author, who thanked Ajimobi for giving him the opportunity to serve, said the book would not have been a reality without the opportunity to learn grassroots governance at the council. Abass-Aleshinloye said: “The writing of this book gave me opportunity to put together my experience in the line of duty and I hope the book will serve the purpose of intellectual debate and resource material for academic use.” At the event were House of Assembly Speaker Mrs Monsurat Sunmonu; a popular lawyer, Mr Bisi Adegbuyi, who was the chief launcher; and legal luminary Chief Niyi Akintola (SAN), among others.

EKITI State Governor Kayode Fayemi settled yesterday a conflict between Kota and Omuo-Ekiti. The communities, which were part of Ekiti East Local Government before the creation of Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs), were at loggerheads over the citing of a council secretariat on a land claimed by both parties. Settling the feud in Ado– Ekiti at a meeting attended by the Commissioner of Police, Director of the Department of State Security (DSS), representatives of some other security agencies and the traditional rulers of the two communities, the governor stressed the need to sustain the peace in the state. Leaders of the communities signed a memorandum, pledging to co-exist peacefully.

their PVCs, he said: “The only power we have is that card. We should encourage our people to exchange their temporary cards with permanent ones. I appeal to those whose data were lost during the last exercise to come out as they did in 2011.” The state government has declared tomorrow a holiday to enable residents collect their PVCs. Governor Abiola Ajimobi urged residents to come out en masse for the exercise. In a statement by his Media Aide, Dr. Festus Adedayo, Ajimobi said collection of the PVC would enable residents to choose their leaders at the 2015 general elections.

He said: “It is important for the people, particularly those who earlier registered and obtained the temporary voter cards, to collect the permanent ones. Experience from elections held in some states has shown the dangers inherent in failing to collect PVCs. Such uncollected cards may fall into the hands of desperate politicians, who are bent on winning elections through the back door. We should, therefore, ensure that we collect the cards to prevent election rigging and manipulation.” The governor warned the people against selling their voter cards. Those yet to register would have the opportunity to do so from August 20.

Some residents won’t get voter cards, says INEC

HE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said many registered voters in Oyo State will not get their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) as distribution begins tomorrow. Registered voters in Afijio, Ibadan North East, Ibadan South West and Ogbomoso North local governments would be affected. Oyo State has 33 local government areas. The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Alhaji Nasir Ayilara, spoke at a stakeholders’ meeting on the commission’s preparedness for the distribution of PVCs and Continuous Voter Registration (CVR).

•Tomorrow is work-free From Bisi Oladele, Ibadan

He said PVCs were ready for only 89.6 per cent of units where registration took place in 2011. Ayilara said: “In 2011, voter registration took place in 4,783 polling units, but only 4,286 units, representing 89.6 per cent, have printed PVCs. The remaining 497 units will have fresh voter registration during the CVR. “Among those affected by this incident are some prominent citizens and residents, including serving and former state functionaries. The affected 497 polling

units are spread across 20 local government areas. The most affected local governments are Afijio, Ibadan North East, Ibadan South West and Ogbomoso North. “In Ibadan North East, 174 of the 279 units are affected. In Afijio, 77 polling units are affected and in Ibadan Southwest, 123 of 389 units are affected.” He said subsequent elections would be conducted using the card reader. Ayilara said the PVC has features, such as smart cardbased voter ID, voter information and security features to prevent counterfeiting. Urging residents to collect

THE NATION THURSDAY AUGUST 14, 2014

NEWS

Lagos HOMS: 16 senior citizens get homes back

IXTEEN senior citizens, who occupied Shogunro Housing Estate in Ogba before it was demolished, will get 16 homes in the Shogunro Housing Scheme, Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola said yesterday. Fashola announced this yesterday at the sixth public draw of the Lagos State Home Ownership Mortgage Scheme (LagosHOMS), where 48 beneiciaries emerged. He said the 16 senior citizens willingly gave up their apartments during the regeneration of the estate. The governor said: “After five successful draws, I am announcing a new dimension to the Lagos home policy. I share with you the regeneration and compassionate side of the LagosHOMs and the inclusion that seems to carry everybody

By Miriam Ekene-Okoro

along. This morning, 16 senior citizens have benefited from 16 homes, part of the Lagos homes, at the Shogunro Scheme in Ogba.” He assured residents that ongoing regeneration across the state will not leave anyone aside, if they cooperate with the government. Fashola: “Many of you may not know the history behind the Shogunro Housing scheme, but it was developed around 1970 as a result of the reclamation and development going on around Marina and people were moved to Ogba. Of course industrialisation came, flooding came and the houses they moved to were no longer habitable. In 2009, a building collapsed there and we asked

•We’re fixing old schemes, says Fashola them to move out. Some refused to leave and the buildings began to fall apart. Those who said they would not leave fled for their lives. We have rebuilt the place and are fulfilling our promise to give back the homes to those who cooperated with us.” The governor said 30 families in Adeniji Adele had been relocated to accommodate the development of a housing scheme in the area, adding: “Most of you are aware that some of the houses there are in a state of disrepair. Some have sunk and the environment requires a makeover. Our regeneration has come into full scale in Isale gangan. “So, today, we have moved out

30 families in Adeniji Adele and offered to take them back when we are finished. Of those families, 13 said we should pay them off and each of them received N1.3 million plus N250,000 relocation fund. “We have demolished five of the blocks that accommodated the 30 families. In each block of six flats, we are now building 24 flats. This will help us develop Adeniji Adele, as people will move from other blocks into the one we have completed and will not need to relocate. “All I need you to say is whether you want this to continue. The party that owns me is the All Progressives Congress (APC), so when the time comes to cast your vote, you know

where to put it.” Some of the beneficiaries hailed the government for the initiative. Mrs. Moyosade Ojo Adejoke, winner of a three-bedroom flat at the Igando Scheme, said: “I feel so good to be a winner and I pray that the scheme will continue. I pray that God will be with the governor and see him to the end of his tenure.” Mrs. Ololade Olasanya, a widow, said: “I am so happy to be a winner because before now, I had the fear that when my children get married, I will be lonely. I am happy for this initiative, which has given me an opportunity to be a landlady. I will be retiring in about two years.”

•Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola SAN (5th left) with Chairman, Lagos Mortgage Board and Commissioner for Finance, Mr. Ayo Gbeleyi (2nd left), Executive Secretary, Lagos Mortgage Board, Mr. Kojo Sagoe (left) and General Manager, Lagos State Development Property Corporation (LSDPC), Mr. Abiodun Oki (5th right) in a group photograph with the Lagos Home Ownership Mortgage Scheme (LAGOS HOMS) Winners during the Sixth Draw to pick winners of the Lagos Home Ownership Mortgage Scheme (LAGOS HOMS) at the Blue Roof, LTV 8 Complex, Agidingbi, Ikeja, Lagos, on Wednesday, August 13, 2014. PHOTO: OMOSEHIN MOSES

Businessman dies in Lagos From Bisi Oladele, Akure

HE Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Imperial Aluminum, Lagos, Alhaji Lukuman Adekunle, fondly called L.A., is dead. He was 55. He was the first son of Ibadan businessman and contractor Alhaji Ibrahim Inaolaji. The late Lukuman died on Tuesday in a private hospital in Lagos after a brief illness. He was buried yesterday at the Victoria Gardens Cemetery, Lagos, according to Islamic rites. The late Lukuman is survived by his wife, Yemisi, and four children.

Ndoma-Egba mourns Ofodile, Ajayi

ENATE Leader Victor Ndoma-Egba (SAN) has expressed sadness on the death of former Justice Minister Chike Ofodile (SAN) and former University of Lagos (UNILAG) Vice Chancellor Prof. Adeniyi Ajayi. In a statement yesterday, Ndoma-Egba said: “The late Ofodile was a remarkable gentleman, whose greatness was justified by his humility. I appeared with him as a junior on a number of cases and

From Sanni Onogu, Abuja

he had outstanding legal insight. The legal profession in Nigeria will surely miss him.” On Ajayi, he said: “He was my VC at UNILAG and I remember him as an outstanding academic and astute administrator. He formed the minds and character of several generations, who, today, are holding their ground across the world in every sphere of human endeavour.”

Obada justifies militarisation of poll From Dele Anofi, Abuja

ORMER Minister of State for Defence Erelu Olusola Obada has said the heavy deployment of security personnel for Saturday’s election in Osun State is jus-

tified. She said the violence associated with elections in Nigeria makes the deployment of soldiers necessary during polls. Mrs Obada said the defeat of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would not deter it from emerging stronger for future elections. She spoke at the investiture of the Mass Movement for Goodluck (MMG) in Abuja, adding that the Osun poll was violence-free. Mrs Obada said: “During the 2001 election, many people were chased out of their homes. Some were injured with cutlasses and people fled because there was so much hooliganism.

Burial for ex-UNILAG VC Ade Ajayi Sept. 19

HE remains of for former University of Lagos (UNILAG) Vice-Chancellor Jacob Festus Ade Ajayi, an emeritus professor of African History, will be buried in his Ikole-Ekiti home town on September 19. Ajayi died last weekend at 85. His younger brother, Mr. Dipo Ajayi, a former Acting

From Oseheye Okwuofu, Ibadan

Editor of Daily Times, told reporters yesterday that the funeral rites would begin on September 15. He said the first two days have been assigned to UNILAG to honour the deceased. The University of Ibadan (U.I.), where the deceased

was an alumnus, started and ended his lecturing career, would honour the late Ajayi on September 17. Thereafter, the professor’s body will leave Ibadan for Ado-Ekiti, where the Ekiti State government will pay its last respects to him. On September 18, the body will be taken to Ikole-

Ekiti, his birthplace, where his kinsmen would celebrate his life. A Christian wake will hold at his family compound on Friday, followed by a funeral service at St Paul’s Anglican Church, the same church where he was baptised in 1929. Ajayi’s remains would be interred after the service.

Falana gives commission 14 days to probe rights’ abuse

AGOS lawyer Mr. Femi Falana has urged the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to probe rights’ abuse cases during last Saturday’s election in Osun State. He said the rights of the National Coordinator of the Human and Environmental Development Agenda, Mr. Lanre Suraj and others were violated by snipers. In a petition dated August 12 and titled: “Request for investigation of abuse of our client’s fundamental rights by snipers during the Osun State

By Adebisi Onanuga

governorship election held on August 9, 2014" and addressed to NHRC Executive Secretary in Abuja, Falana said Suraj was allegedly brutalised by snipers while monitoring the election in Osogbo. He gave the commission 14 days to carry out the investigation, adding: “Take notice that if you fail or refuse to accede to our request within 14 days of the receipt of this letter, we shall not hesitate to apply to the Federal High Court for a writ of mandamus

to compel the commission to carry out its statutory duty in the circumstance.” He said: “Suraj was duly accredited by the Independent National Electoral Commission to monitor the Osun State governorship election. In the course of monitoring the election in Osogbo, our client was brutally assaulted by a gang of snipers without justification. “As the snipers were allowed to wear masks, our client was unable to identify any of them. Our client also witnessed the harassment and in-

timidation of other innocent people by the snipers. Our client’s request to the police to record the criminal activities of the official terrorists was turned down. “Having confirmed that the masked persons are not members of any security agency, we, hereby, request the NHRC to investigate their involvement in the election and the brutalisation of our client by the extra-legal security outfit. More so, that the Federal Government had vehemently denied knowledge of the existence of snipers in the country.”

Osun: ‘Jonathan didn’t abuse state power’

HE Chairman, Organisation and Mobilisation Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Southwest, Prince Buruji Kashamu, has faulted claims that the heavy deployment of security agents to Osun State for last Saturday’s poll was an abuse of state power. In a statement yesterday in

By Wale Ajetumobi

Lagos, Kashamu said: “It is high time political leaders rose above the politics of bitterness and rancour and play the game with decency and maturity.” He said it was ridiculous that those who allegedly attacked PDP members and leaders despite the heavy security could turn round to

accuse the President of abusing state power. Kashamu alleged that he was attacked in Osogbo on his way to Lagos after the election, saying: “In spite of the heavy security presence, I was attacked on Saturday evening on my way to Lagos after the elections. The windshields of four buses in my convoy were shattered. If my security men had re-

sponded, only God knows how many casualties would have been recorded. “It should be noted that the President deployed the security agents to ensure the sanctity of the human life and the ballot box. He wanted to provide a conducive environment for the people to go about their normal activities, vote and for their votes to count.”

THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

NEWS Book Haram: 80 killed in Gwoza battle

O fewer than 80 people, including 50 Boko Haram members, have been killed in the last one week in clashes at Pilka, Kirawa and Gwoza communities, Borno State, according to security sources in Maiduguri. Thirty soldiers are also believe to have been killed. A top security source said : “The deployment of military troops in Gwoza over the weekend led to serious casualties from both sides, as more than 30 soldiers were ambushed and killed by terrorists in Pilka, Kirawa and other villages along the Maiduguri - Bama - Gwoza troubled road. “Also, over 50 of the insurgents were killed in the encounter. But unfortunately, military troops in Kirawa withdrew and returned to Bama. At T- Junction along Banki Road, the terrorists also ambushed the military post in which both sides suffered several casualties,“ the source added. He said it was difficult for security operatives to enter Gwoza town where terrorists had a field day, because, most of the villages along the road leading to Gwoza were sacked. The reaction of Director of Defence Information, Major General Chris Olukolade could not be obtained yesterday.

400,000 displaced in Northeast, says NEMA

HE National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said yesterday that about 400,000 persons have been internally displaced in the troubled Northeast since January. Its Information Officer, Northeast Zonal Office, AbdulKadir Ibrahim, said the number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) from January to July 31 in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states before the explosion of recent attacks in Gwoza and Doron-Baga stood at 360,462.

Oyo PDP chieftain challenges G7 From Tayo Johnson, Ibadan

CHIEFTAIN of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Oyo State, Alhaji Adebisi Olopoenia,a strong opponent of zoning formula has challenged the Group of Seven (G7) governorship aspirants in the party who are insisting that ‘Ibadan’ produce the next governorship candidate for the next election to nominate a credible candidate among them. Olopoenia, who spoke in Ibadan yesterday, said if the G7 could enforce its position, it would lead to dissension among the aspirants to the detriment of the party. “None of all these aspirants clamouring that the governorship candidate of our party should come from Ibadan really has a good intent for it. I know they are doing it for their own selfish interest. If they can agree unanimously to bring out one single aspirant among them and support him them, I will be happy but I know they can never do such because they have their personal interest to protect,” he said. The PDP chieftain urged all of them to shun all their secret meetings and give equal opportunities to other aspirants from other zones in the state.

Police move against illegal arms, explosive materials

CTING InspectorGeneral of Police Suleiman Abba has ordered the establishment of Tactical Operation Points (TOPs) in eight states in the Northeast and Northwest. The Force Spokesman, Frank Mba, in a statement, said the TOPs would be manned by police personnel trained in tactical operations and counter-terrorism. Mba said the operation points would be established in various strategic locations and highways in Kano, Jigawa, Sokoto, Kebbi, Zamfara, Bauchi, Gombe and

From Gbade Ogunwale, Abuja

Taraba states. He said: “Consequently, the IGP has charged all Assistant Inspectors -General of Police (AIGs) in charge of the zones covering the affected states and all Commissioners of Police in charge of these states to ensure close supervision and constant re-skilling of the personnel performing this special operation.

“The IGP is optimistic that the latest measure will enable the Force to halt further spread of violence in the land and frustrate the activities of insurgents and other criminals.” He added that the Force was determined to track and mop up illegal arms trade and arrest the unchallenged movement of explosive materials by hoodlums and other unpatriotic elements. While noting that the

police would always work in close collaboration with other security forces in the land, Frank said the Acting IGP vowed that the Force would leave no stone unturned in ensuring that the citizens enjoy maximum safety and security. “The IGP therefore calls on the general public, particularly those in the Northeast and Northwest, to cooperate with the police and see any inconvenience this operation may cause as a necessary sacrifice for the greater safety of all,” the statement added.

•Managing Director/Editor-InChief of National Pilot, Alhaji Billy Adedamola (right) with the leader of Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), Otunba Gani Adams, during the Distinguished Personality Award by the correspondents chapel of Kwara NUJ, Ilorin.

Military ready to attack us again, says El-Zakzaky

EADER of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, popularly known as Shi’ite, Sheikh Ibraheem ElZakzaky, claimed yesterday that the military has again put soldiers on the red alert against his group. He spoke yesterday at the end of Nahjul Balagha study session at the Hussainiyyah Baqiyyatullah in Zaria. The movement had accused the military of killing 35 persons, including three of Zakzaky’s sons during a “peaceful’ procession” recently. Many others were also injured. But 1 Division, Nigerian Army has denied the allegation, saying there was no such direc-

•Army: There’s no such order From Abdulgafar Alabelewe, Kaduna

tive. Deputy Director of Army Public Relations, Colonel Abdul Usman, told The Nation on telephone: “As far as I am concerned, I am just hearing that from you now. But I can tell you, there is no such order.” The cleric said: “The Nigerian military after killing innocent people in Zaria at the recent Quds Day procession, are now on the defensive and therefore spreading rumour that the Shi’ites were going to avenge the killing of their members.

“The military having woefully failed in their plan, have stationed all their barracks on red alert to further unleash more violence and spill innocent blood. “We will not be surprised if they decided to detonate bombs in their barracks, or even kill some of their own and say it is the Shi’ites taking revenge. They have been doing this all over in the name of Boko Haram. “Because the military was shamed before the world, they realised that if they unleash further onslaught without justification, they would be further

condemned.” He accused the military of also commissioning some “newspapers to fabricate a malicious story and attributing” it to him. The cleric quoted a memo emanating from an Army officer, which gave alleged fake account of what happened during the recent clash. He confirmed receiving an invitation from the committee set up by the military under one Colonel Benjamin to investigate what led to the “gun-battle between the sect and the military.” He said the military probe panel was a waste of time, as it had already concluded that it was a gun-battle that resulted in the recent lost of lives.

‘I received no security report before Kaduna bombing’

ADUNA State Governor Mukhtar Ramalan Yero has denied receiving any security report prior to the recent twin bomb explosions targetted at General Muhammadu Buhari and Sheik Dahiru Bauchi, which killed scores and left 37 persons injured. Yero said: “To put the records straight, I wish to state unequivocally that I received no security report from the Department of State Security (DSS) or any of the security agencies warning of an impending bombing in the state.” He said as a leader who is committed to the security of lives and properties of the people, he could not have treated such piece of information with levity, if he had received such.

From Abdulgafar Alabelewe, Kaduna

Yero, in a statement by his media aide, Ahmed Maiyaki, stated: “We are aware of an unfortunate and also erroneous report being circulated to media houses on a purported security report that forewarned His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Kaduna State, Dr. Mukhtar Ramalan Yero of the July 23 bombings that occurred in Kaduna metropolis. “We challenge the so-called ‘anonymous source’ of the report to provide proof if any of the purported letter written to the governor by the Director of Department of State Service in the state.”

NAL installs fellows NEW fellows of the Nigerian Academy of Letters (NAL) will be installed today as the academy holds its 16th convocation. The NAL President Prof. Munzali Jibril will preside at the ceremony slated for the Main Auditorium of the University of Lagos.

Court halts EFCC’s probe of Abuja land sale From Eric Ikhilae, Abuja

FEDERAL High Court has restrained the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from carrying out a fresh probe into a dispute arising from a 2005 land transaction in Abuja. The land dispute involves former Information Minister Emeka Chikelu, Bedding Holdings Limited and a businessman, Alhaji Dahiru Barau Mangal. Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the Abuja court gave the restraining order against the EFCC last Tuesday at the hearing of the fundamental rights enforcement suit filed by Bedding Holdings’ Chief Executive Officer, Chief Sylvester Odigie. By the court’s order, the EFCC was restrained from proceeding to invite or arrest the plaintiff pending the determination of his suit. A copy of the enrolled order was sighted by The Nation yesterday. The order was informed by the refusal of EFCC’s lawyer, Salisu Majidadi, to give an undertaking, assuring the court and parties that his client would abide by the doctrine of lis pendens and refrain from taking any further steps likely to affect the res (subject matter of the case) before the case’s conclusion. Applicant’s lawyer, John Okoriko, had complained to the court that despite his client was ill and was due for surgery in a German hospital in few days, there were threats of arrest from the EFCC. Odigie was aided to court by a medical expert from the Garki Hospital, Abuja, After hearing the applicant’s lawyer’s complaint, the judge asked EFCC’s lawyer to give an undertaking that his client would not arrest the plaintiff while his case is pending. But Majidadi declined the request The EFFC’s lawyer said he was not instructed by his client to give any undertaking. The judge, after issuing the restraining order, adjourned further proceedings to September 25, before which other defendants in the suit, Mangal and his company - D. B. Mangal Nigeria Limited - are expected to file their defence.

‘Boko Haram members’ arraigned for abduction of Speaker’s children

IVE suspected Boko Haram members were arraigned yesterday before the Chief Magistrate’s Court I, Lokoja, Kogi State over their alleged involvement in the kidnap of two children of the state House of Assembly’s Speaker, Alhaji MomohJimoh Lawal. The suspects - Ibrahim Garba, Usman Musa, Husseini Ovaku, Husseini Umar and Ogah Sunday were charged with criminal conspiracy, armed robbery,

From James Azania, Lokoja

belonging to an unlawful society and kidnapping, contrary to Sections 97(1), 289(c) and 100 of the Penal Code Law and 3(3) and 7 of the Kogi State Kidnapping, Thuggery and other related Offences (Prohibition) Law, 2010. They were arraigned through an application under Section 143(C) of the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC) signed by Mohammed Abaji, a Senior Legal Officer with

the Ministry of Justice. The suspects, according to Abaji, invaded the private residence of the Speaker in Okengwe, Okene Local Government on April 15, while armed with sophisticated weapons and kidnapped his two sons - three-year-old Hafiz and Ogirima (six). The accused, he said, took the children away in a dark blue Toyota Yaris marked Lagos AKD 224 AY, belonging to their mother and later demanded a N200 million ransom for their release.

Counsel to the 1st, 2nd to 4th and 5th accused, Kevin Fenaiye, Safiya Abdullahi and Shuaibu Ibrahim, in their oral applications for bail, cited Sections 36(5) of the Constitution and 341(1)(2)(3) of the CPC, particularly on the presumption of innocence of the accused. In his ruling, the Chief Magistrate, Levi Animoku, held that the laws equally prescribed restraint of an accused where and when necessary. Animoku said in view of

the weight of punishment, especially for kidnapping, which is life imprisonment without an option of fine, in line with the state laws, it was not safe to admit the accused to bail. “I am not convinced to grant them bail, the application is hereby refused,” he said. He ordered that the accused persons be remanded at the Federal Prisons, Koton-Karfe and adjourned to September 17, 2014, for mention.

THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

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CITYBEATS LINE: 08023247888

Woman bedridden with kidney failure

IX weeks ago, 27year-old Aminat Hassan went for a surgery, which has now turned out to be the beginning of her problems. The mother of one requires N5.1million for a kidney transplant. Her husband, Idris, a carpenter, cannot afford the amount. The family is appealing to Nigerians to come to its aid as Mrs Hassan’s condition is worsening by the day. Trouble began for Mrs Hassan on June 27, when doctors at Better Life Hospital, at Abaranje in Ikotun, a Lagos suburb, discovered that the baby in her womb was dead. On June 28, she underwent a surgery, said her husband, adding: “We paid almost N200, 000 for the operation and blood procurement.” After the surgery, the woman enjoyed some relief, following which the family

•Patient needs N5.1m for surgery By Tajudeen Adebanjo

celebrated her survival. But the joy was short-lived as she soon had a greater problem to grapple with. “We soon noticed some unusual symptoms on her body. It started swelling as she could not urinate. We had to approach a physician who conducted elaborate tests on her. It was then that it was discovered that she was having kidney problem,” Hassan told The Nation. He added: “We were referred to the Gbagada General Hospital. Unfortunately, the hospital’s attendants said there was no bed space. We were again referred to the Maternity on Lagos Island. On getting there, no one attended to us due to the large crowd of patients. Then, someone suggested Good Tidings Hos-

pital in Surulere and we rushed there. Immediately we got there, my wife was admitted into the Emergency Ward where she has since been.” To save her life, Hassan was charged N5.1 million for surgery and other medical needs. “I have been able to raise N800, 000 which I deposited in the hospital’s account. I don’t know where to turn to for help now. It is like the whole world is collapsing on me because my wife’s life is in danger. I am a poor carpenter; I plead with kind-hearted Nigerians to come to our aid to ensure that she does not die. “I cannot imagine losing my wife now. She has been very helpful and dutiful. Life without her at home has been very difficult. Even our fouryear-old son misses her care

Pitan’s gesture excites residents

ENEFICIARIES of the ongoing Free Medical Treatment Initiative of a non-governmental organisation, Dr. Leke Pitan and Friends, are excited over the gesture. Residents of Apapa, Ajeromi-Ifelodun and Lagos Island Local Government areas got free medical examination; drugs and laboratory tests, including eye glasses and HIV/AIDS status checks when the mission visited during the week. At Apapa last Monday, top All Progressives Congress (APC) leaders, stakeholders and professionals led traders, artisans, students and other beneficiaries to the palace of Ojora of Ijora venue of the event. Aged men and women prayed for Pitan, who is seeking endorsement for the 2015 governorship election.

By Basirat Braimah

A resident, Chief Adunni Lawal said: “I am not surprised. This is what Dr. Pitan has been renowned for. I had all my four children at his private clinic, Mayowa Hospital, on the Lagos Island. He is quite humane and peoplefriendly”. On Tuesday at the L.A. Primary School, Ago-Hausa, Ajegunle, Pitan was received by people who he counselled on the Ebola virus. He admonished the populace to embrace sustained hygienic living standards and ensure regular washing of their hands with cleansers as many times as possible throughout the day. A 53-year-old trader, Mrs. Omolara Mustapha, took the microphone from Pitan, burst into tears of joy and thanked him. She said but

for God and Pitan, she might have died. She recalled how she was involved in an accident on Epe Express Road in 2006 with others, adding that Pitan alighted from his car, stabilised the 15 victims and moved them to the General Hospital, Lagos Island for free treatment. Pitan, she said, followed up on each of them on phone until they recovered. The exercise continues across the council areas with a tour of Agbowa and Epe tomorrow and on Sunday. The Leke Pitan Campaign Organisation’s spokesman, Mr. Oyetunji Oguntuase, said the mission is an exercise undertaken free of charge by friends and volunteers under the aegis of “Pitan and Friends”. It will end in Ikorodu by the middle of September.

•A trailer fell on its side on Ikotun Road, Lagos, yesterday. No life was lost.

PHOTO: OMOSEHIN MOSES

and warmth. He always asks me for when his mother will return home. For two weeks now, he has not enjoyed good health. That is another problem that I am facing now besides raising the N5.1 million needed for a corrective surgery to give her the chance of living,” Hassan said. Hassan wept uncontrollably when The Nation visited the family’s Abaranje, Ikotun home yesterday. “I can’t but cry to God to help us out of this predicament. It is clearly beyond me. Based on some sympathisers’ suggestion, I have opened an account under the name, Hassan Idris Sulaiman with Ecobank. Its number is 4141173121. I just hope that God would send helpers to her because she needs to live well again,” he said.

•Mrs Hassan ... at the hospital

Court remands driver for ‘killing’ girlfriend

N Ebute Meta Magistrate’s Court in Lagos has remanded a driver, Raphael Effiong, in prison for allegedly killing his girlfriend. Effiong, 28, was said to have killed Gift Sunday, 29, for allegedly refusing to marry him. Gift allegedly turned down his marriage proposal at a hotel in Ketu, Lagos. The prosecutor, Corporal Onaiwu Iyobosa, told the court that the crime was committed at 11.30 am on July 28 at Mayor Lodge Hotel at 10, Yusuf Oyero Street, Ketu. Iyobosa alleged that the defendant and the deceased met in 2013 when they started having an affair.

By Precious Igbonwelundu

“The defendant proposed to the deceased many times but she refused the proposal because the defendant is a difficult man. On that fateful day, he invited the deceased to the hotel. The deceased honoured the invitation and she brought food for him. “They checked in and a misunderstanding occurred between them because the deceased turned down his marriage proposal. He (Effiong) brought out scissors and stabbed the deceased on her armpit and breast. “The deceased screamed for help and was heard by guests in the hotel. The

guests forcefully opened the door after the defendant refused to open it,” Iyobosa said. The woman, Iyobosa said, was rushed to a nearby hospital where she died the next day. The prosecutor said the offence contravened Section 221 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos, 2011. The defendant’s plea was not taken because the court lacks jurisdiction to hear murder cases. Magistrate E. J. Adefioye ordered that the defendant be remanded in Ikoyi prisons pending legal advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). He adjourned the matter to September 22.

•The Chairman, Ikorodu West Local Government Area of Lagos State, Princess Olajumoke Jimbo-Ademehin and the council’s Leader, Hon. Wasiu Agbaje, during the presentation of official cars to its councillors.

BUSINESS

THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

THE NATION

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‘The June deadline is by the corner; Mr. President’s word is a bond. We must generate more power; we are prepared to assist all our agencies in making sure that the ball keeps rolling. We can’t afford to fail in our duties.’ •Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo

World Bank injects $200m into power sector From John Ofikhenua, Abuja

•World Bank President Jim Yong Kim

HE World Bank has in jected about $200 mil lion into Nigeria’s power sector. Speaking yesterday at the

ongoing National Council on Power (NACOP) in Abuja, the Resident Country Representative of the United Nation’s Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), Mr. Patrick Kormawa, said the core interest area of his organisation is sustainable power sector in Nigeria as typified by the on-going sector reform. He praised the government for approving the forum as it has brought all stakeholders. He insisted that development of partnerships is in consonance with

UNIDO’s interest in the devolvement of sustainable power sector in the country. He said it is a very important variable in the overall efforts at economic prosperity and job creation efforts of the government. Kormawa said the conference could not have come at a better time than now as it will provide the platform that helps in strengthening partnership among all the key stakeholders on the important subject matter – Power, as the federal, state and local governments come on the same page. He said the platform would

Pensioners vow to resist Maina’s reinstatement

HE Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) yes terday vowed to resist the reinstatement of the chairman of the disbanded Pension Reform Task Team (PRTT), Abdulrasheed Maina. Its President, Dr. Abel Afolayan who spoke yeaterday in Abuja against the background of calls to get Maina reinstated, said those parading themselves as the voice of the union and asking the Federal Government to bring him back are people who benefited from him. He said: “We are going to resist that with the last drop of our blood. The former chairman of PRTT is not coming back.” He called on the Coordinating Minister of the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi OkonjoIweala to release the outstanding payments of the pensioners. He exonerated the Presidency from the non-payment of the arrears, adding that provision has been made for it in the 2014 budget, adding that the Pension Transitional Arrangement Department (PTAD) charged with the responsibility of disbursing the fund will remain helpless until the fund is released to it.

DATA STREAM COMMODITY PRICES Oil -$117.4/barrel Cocoa -$2,686.35/metric ton Coffee - ¢132.70/pound Cotton - ¢95.17pound Gold -$1,396.9/troy Sugar -$163/lb RATES Inflation -8.2% Treasury Bills -10.58%(91d) Maximum lending -30% Prime lending -15.87% Savings rate -3% 91-day NTB -15% Time Deposit -5.49% MPR -12% Foreign Reserve $38.4b FOREX CFA -0.2958 EUR -206.9 £ -242.1 $ -156 ¥ -1.9179 SDR -238 RIYAL -40.472

• Refuse to support governors without payment of arrears From John Ofikhenua and Abimbola Alo, Abuja

“The implementation of the 2014 budget is what remains; once they release adequate money to PTAD, it will be able to deliver on its mandate. PTAD is not going to manufacture money,” he said Urging the minister to open up on the financial status of the country, he said the pensioners expect the ministry to explain why their money cannot be paid. He said: “There is financial crises but nobody is speaking. I expected the Ministry of Finance to have responded to the article which called her the worst enemy of pensioners.” Responding to the allegation that the pensioners are opposed to the re-election of President Jonathan Goodluck next year, Afolayan de-

bunked the accusation, stressing that the president has always treated pension matters expressly. The union “reiterated its support for the president and his Transformation Agenda. Though the union is not supposed to be partisan . But action they say speaks louder than voice.” He said: “There are hundreds of thousand people earning under N10,000. What can one do with N10,000 or less? What we have been saying is this, what pensioners want is their money. “Between now and election period, we expect all outstanding arrears to be paid so that these people earning under N10,000 will not die before the election. “We have said we are not talking of Mr President alone. We have 36 governors and FCT administrator. We have made it abundantly clear that any governor that wants pensioners to die, we will not support any such governor.”

Paucity of funds stalls skills acquisition, says ITF

HE Director-General, Industrial Training Fund (ITF), Dr. Juliet Chukkas Oneako has said inadequate funding is hindering the agency from implementing some of its critical projects. She lamented that the agency continually depended to a large extent on internally generated funds for survival. Speaking during a facility tour of the Abuja corporate Headquarters of the agency, she said skills acquisition is the only way the nation can come out of its present over bloated labour market. She said: "Equipping this facilities is very important; that is why the agency is crying out for funding; the Abuja centre particularly required more equipment as existing laboratories and workshops in it are in dire need of latest machinery.

From Franca Ochigbo and Halima Farouk, Abuja

"ITF has the capacity to provide the needed human resources for the industrialisation of the country. The people we train here have been tested and confirmed to possess the right skills and knowledge to manage any industrial challenge. “In fact, we train specialists and we are urging all stakeholders to support what we do in the various centres. All the model s were carefully selected to match the current global industry demand, including machine fabrications, installations and trouble-shooting of all sorts. “ITF has concluded plans to deploy its mobile skills training facilities to the Nigerian rural population, to enable the targeted youths acquire specialised skills and vocational training.”

also help to bring development partners on a round table with other stakeholders. This he hopes, will galvanise activities in such a manner that investors would have more confidence in the sector. He said: “Private sector is investing huge sums of money in power to resuscitate a once dormant sector of the economy; it would require the collaboration of all to ensure success of the whole exercise. “When you have partnership built around a strong support base of stakeholders it will facilitate power access.” The UNIDO chief noted

that with the nation’s abundant resources both in renewable and other energy sources could easily be developed for generation of power. UNIDO he said is interested in the sector because without power, industrialisation is a mirage. Also speaking on the sideline of the event, Chairperson, Emergency Committee on the Northeast, Professor Soji Adelaja, said there is need to ensure that the root causes of non-access to power by the large number of people in the region is partly responsible for the insurgency and insecurity prevalent in the area. He said the task of his body

is to galvanise economic recovery using energy availability to drive employment creation and economic prosperity, as fundamental deliberative to calm nerves down and reduce unrest. He said: “In the age and time of new knowledge economy, we cannot afford 50 per cent of the people and their land mass to live their lives without access to energy.” As a visionary leader, Mr. President is poise to radically address access to power through the Roadmap, privatization, just as he observed that a solid foundation has been laid to ensure Government plays less role in the sector.

THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

BUSINESS

Insecurity crippling North’s economy, says NASCO

HE Management of NASCO Group of Companies has lamented that the prolonged insecurity in some parts of the North has crippled the economy. The Jos, Plateau Statebased manufacturing firm also said the dreams of business operators and company owners in Nigeria, especially in the North have been reduced to nightmare due to insecurity. Its Senior Administrative Manager, Shehu Sule Nyatau,

From Yusufu Aminu Idegu, Jos

who spoke yesterday in his office in Jos, the state capital, when the new executive members of the Correspondents Chapel, Nigeria Union of Journalists, paid him a visit, lamented that the development had taken a terrific toll on business. Nyatau said:“NASCO Group of company is one of the largest employer of labor in the north, but the prevailing insecurity in the

‘The major market of NASCO is northern Nigeria; we do record up to between 60 and 70 per cent sales in the north, but following the crisis in the zone, our sales have dropped down to as low as between 10 and 15per cent’ north has killed our market in the country. “The major market of NASCO is northern Nigeria; we do record up to between 60 and 70 per cent sales in the north, but following the cri-

sis in the zone, our sales have dropped down to as low as between 10 and 15 per cent. “Most of our distributors in the north take our products to neighbouring countries through routes in the north.

“But all these have stopped because our drivers cannot even take goods to some states in the north because their safety is not guaranteed. “NASCO is still striving to penetrate markets in the East and Southern parts of the country because there is a concentration of manufacturing company there. So, unless the government acts fast in addressing the level of insecurity in the north, so many companies, such as NASCO will soon go out of business. “If you go to our

wharehouse, you will see that we have piles of unsold stock and these stock has time frame to be sold or it will expire. We have laid off most of our workers because we can’t pay them.” Nyatau urged the government to step up action to curtail Boko Haram insurgency to give the economy a breath of fresh air. He, however, said the insecurity is a temporary challenge, adding that NASCO will bounce back when the heat is over in the North.

• From left: President, Chartered Institutue of Stockbrokers (CIS), Mr. Albert Okumagba; Vice Chairman, NASD Plc, Chief Chike Nwanze and Managing Director/CEO, Mr. Bola Ajomale, during the courtesy visit of the Council Members of CIS to NASD Plc office in Lagos.

Union protests at bank’s hqtrs over N1.8b debts

PERATORS came to a halt–temporarily– yesterday at FirstBank headquaters in Lagos. TheAmalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service, Technical and Recreational Service Employees (AUPCTRE) stopped customers from entering the premises for several hours. The Lagos State Secretary of the group, which is an affiliate of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Mr Biodun Bakare, said the union resorted to the action because the bank refused to offset N1.8billion outstanding arrears of emoluments due to 1,100 AUPCTRE members. He alleged that the money had been paid by the government of Anambra State for workers of the state’s Water Corporation and Environment Protection Agency for eight years, but the bank refused to disburse it. He said: “They have been owing our members working with the Anambra State Water Corporation salaries and allowances for eight

• ‘We’ve resolved the issue’ By Toba Agboola

years. “On this, our union took the Anambra State government and the bank to court, and the government said they had paid the said money to First Bank for onward disbursement to the workers. “The court ruled on July 14, 2014, that this money should be disbursed to the account of these employees. But since then, nothing has been done. “FirstBank assured us that it was fashioning out strategies for the payment.

Twenty-two days after the assurance, nothing has been done. We gave them seven days ultimatum, and after the expiration of the ultimatum, the bank is yet to pay.” Bakare said all branches of FirstBank across the nation were barricaded by the union, following the expiration of the ultimatum on August 12. He said: “Workers have suffered enough for the past eight years and should be paid. “The union would not guarantee industrial peace in all the branches of the bank

across the country until the workers are paid.” Members of the union were seen singing solidarity songs, carrying placards with various inscriptions, such as “Stop trading with our workers wealth’’, “Life is more important’’, “Our members are dying’’, and “Release their money in your custody with interest’’. Reacting, an official of FirstBank’s Corporate Communication Department, Mrs Efeturi Doghudje, said the issue had been addressed, adding that the management would issue a statement later on the matter.

BoI, FIIRO partner on agro-processing

HE Bank of Industry (BoI) and the Federal Institute of Industrial Research, Oshodi (FIIRO) may review strategies to deepen relationships that will aid the realisation of their mandates. The agencies argued that, despite the huge deposit of natural resources in the country, there is a need to develop homegrown solutions to address the gaps in the country’s industrialisation drive. With research already conducted in key areas where the nation has competitive and comparative advantage, BoI and FIIRO have concluded plans to review intervention strategies that would drive agro-processing in line with their mandates. The move would include interventions that would aid the country’s transformation from farming to developing small-scale enter-

By Toba Agboola

prises, food processing and industrialised agro-industries. Managing Director/Chief Executive of BoI, Rasheed Olaoluwa, during his visit to the FIIRO, in Lagos, stressed the need to create an ecosystem that will function towards industrialising the country. He said the leading development finance institution had a similar mandate to that of the research institute in enhancing economic development, hence the need to streamline activities between both institutions in a way to engender growth for the country through industrialisation. He observed that at 6.8 per cent, the contribution of the manufacturing sector to Nigeria’s gross domestic product (GDP) was low. He said: “We need to find

home grown solution to our economic growth. “Rather than appeal to industrialists to utilise FIIRO’s inventions, we will support those who come to take up equipment from FIIRO.” He said the bank was procuring the services of professional Business Support Service Providers (BSSP), urging FIIRO to key into the initiative to help prospective loan seekers acquire information and develop bankable applications. With the Federal Government’s Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) drive, the BoI boss said it is important for FIIRO to explore the potential of deploying low-cost local technology that can help SMEs compete favourably.

THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

THE NATION

BUSINESS INDUSTRY

industry@thenationaonlineng.net

The global ceramics market is projected to hit $408 billion by 2018. Instead of tapping into this lucrative market, Nigeria is still importing over $600 million worth of ceramics products yearly. Experts blame this on the dearth of skilled manpower and industries to process ceramics raw materials to finished products. OKWY IROEGBU-CHIKEZIE reports.

Y the 1970s and 80s, the industrial sector was booming. With abundant raw materials in virtually all the sectors, coupled with the availability of human resources, the fortunes of operators rose. During the period, several ceramics manufacturing concerns sprang up, riding on the back of the nation’s abundant solid mineral resources particularly ceramic raw materials such as alumina, carbon, clay, feldspar, kaolin, quartz, silicon, and zirconium to produce ceramics. The raw materials are found in the six geo-political zones. Some of the ceramics manufacturing concerns that dotted the landscape then were Modern Ceramics Industry Umuahia; Nigerian-Italian Ceramic Product Industries, Ifon, Ondo State; Ceramic Manufacturers Limited, Kano; Eleganza Ceramics Industries and Richware Ceramics (both in Lagos). The activities of these firms once held the collective hope and aspirations of Nigerians that the nation’s age-long over-dependence on revenue from the oil & gas industry would soon be a thing of the past. The thinking was that the operations of these once vibrant ceramic companies constituted a strategic effort at diversifying the economy. But that has not been the case. Instead, most of them have since shut down, dashing the hopes of Nigerians of a possible shift away from the nation’s overdependence on proceeds from oil. Several local companies, which delved into the industry in the past were snuffed out by unfavourable manufacturing climate due to policy somersaults, smuggling, and influx of sub-standard products, among others. Because of the high mortality rate of these companies, most of the ceramics needs of the country are met by imports from Asia and Europe. Nigeria currently imports over $600 million worth of ceramics products annually, occupying Ninth position among world’s ceramics consumers, according to a Professor of Ceramics Engineering, Patrick Eguakhide Oaikhinan. Prof. Oaikhinan, who is also Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Epina Technologies Limited, a consultancy outfit, also said Nigeria remains the only country among the emerging economies without export. This means that Nigeria is yet to tap into the lucrative global ceramics market projected to reach $408 billion by 2018, according to the renowned Professor. The Prof, who spoke at an event in Lagos to announce preparations for the forthcoming ‘First International Ceramics Trade Fair’ in Nigeria organised by his company, expressed regrets that Nigeria has no appropriate strategy in place yet for the development of ceramics industry that could create over 1.2 million direct and indirect jobs. “There is need to bring together a network of partners from across the world to set a new paradigm for the development of the ceramics industry in Nigeria,” he stated, noting that “it is expected that the fair would provide a launch pad for networking, collaboration, and discussion on the advancement of ceramics products.” The need for such networking and collaboration, he said, had become necessary in view of the fact that ceramics could be deployed in various applications such as aviation, automotive, construction, electronics, household, and medical sectors; components and assemblies for industries as diverse as chemical, petrochemical, beverage, power distribution, mining, and textiles, among others. To drive home his point, Prof. Oaikhinan listed some specific uses for advanced ceramics to include gas turbine airfoils, rotors, combustors, and exhaust;

The ceramics goldmine

•Oaikhinan

•Isemede

‘Nigeria has no appropriate strategy in place yet for the development of ceramics industry that could create over 1.2 million direct and indirect jobs. There is need to bring together a network of partners from across the world to set a new paradigm for the development of the ceramics industry in Nigeria’ •Yusuf

electronics/optical laser positioning mirrors and packaging, and amour. Others are furnace radiant heaters and fans; hot gas filtration; fuel cell membranes; metal casting immersion heaters, among others. Because of these diverse uses of ceramics, the Director General, Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Mr. John Isemede, said Nigeria has to look inwards and develop the raw materials that are abundant in the country rather than depend solely on import. “What people are going to the Far East to import, we have here in Nigeria. Why we are having problems in Nigeria is because the private sector is not working with the universities. The government is also not doing same. With all the research centres in the country, it is a pity that we do not have a functional ceramic sector in spite of the fact that we have all the raw materials

needed to set up such,” he said. Similarly, the Director-General, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Mr. Muda Yusuf, said that the fact that oil prices are crashing, signalling the beginning of trouble for Nigeria, means that there is need to create an enabling environment in the form of infrastructure and quality of institutions and policies to develop the solid mineral sector of the economy. While expressing regrets over the nation’s dependence on oil and gas, he warned that the consequences would be dire if anything goes wrong in the world oil market. Apart from lack of government patronage and robust policy to support the development of the solid mineral sector, experts say that lack of requisite skill and man-power as well as industries to process raw materials for the production of ceramic products are responsible for the

comatose state of the sector. “There is lack of significant number of professionals with appropriate skills and expertise in the ceramics manufacturing business in Nigeria. “The gap in skills is a big blow to the captive industry. Our local ceramics manufacturing businesses are struggling to process their own raw materials. This is because they mostly lack knowledge of the chemical and mineralogical compositions, physical and mechanical properties of these raw materials,” Professor Oaikhinan told The Nation in an interview. He said, for instance, that there is no higher institution in Nigeria that offers training in ceramics science and engineering despite its strategic importance in the actualisation of the administration’s transformation agenda. Despite the industry’s capacity to create over 1.2 million direct and indirect jobs, Nigeria is yet to borrow a leaf from a country like India where about 5.5 million of its people are directly and indirectly employed by the tile industry, which is a sub-industry of ceramics, according to managing director, German Engineering Federation, India, Rajesh Nath. Oaikhinan threw more light on the capacity of the ceramics sub-sector to generate employment. He said: “We have various departments that can create these jobs. There is the raw materials unit, as well as the processing unit across the industry. We have the body forming unit, the drying and firing unit, the glazing unit, inspection and packaging unit and laboratory and quality control unit. The glazing unit is an industry on its own. Assuming that we have 40 sanitary wares manufacturers which can engage 500 Nigerians directly, in total, 20,000 people would have been engaged. In ceramics we have over 15 strong areas such as floor and roof tiles, table wares, pipes, technical ceramics, porcelain, among others, that can engage 500,000 Nigerians.’’ He also pointed out that the industry’s capacity to churn out indirect jobs is quite huge. “People will work as distributors, marketers, carpenters, bricklayers, interior decorators, among others. The research we have carried out shows this can create over 1.2 million jobs comprising of over 51 per cent of female,’’ Oaikhinan said, adding that he has approached the Nigerian University Commission (NUC) to discuss the possibility of establishing departments of ceramics in the universities and polytechnics, but is yet to get a favourable response from them. While berating government on the auto policy, he noted that the nation cannot possibly have a viable auto industry without functional ceramic industries. According to him, 50 per cent of car parts and accessories are made from ceramics. The sector, he also said, holds the key to moving the energy sector forward in the nation’s quest to improve electricity supply. He said most of the parts needed by the electricity distribution and generation companies (DISCO’s and GENCO’s) are made from ceramics. Would the numerous benefits and applications of ceramics in various sectors galvanise government and members of the private sector to collaborate and revive the once vibrant sub-sector? The raw materials are in abundance. The human resources are also in large supply. What is probably in short supply is the political will on the part of government to initiate policies to encourage local and foreign operators in the sub-sector. This is so considering the fact that the sudden disappearance of ceramics manufacturing outfits from the industrial landscape poses serious threats to the realisation of Federal Government’s industrial revolution plan.

THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

INDUSTRY required for manpower SON goes tough on makers N300b training annually, says ITF of sub-standard products A BOUT N300 billion is required annually for the training of two million people on various skills in the country, the Director-General, Industrial Training Fund (ITF), Dr Juliet Chukkas-Onaeko has said. Chukkas-Onaeko, who made this known at the 5th ITF Trainers’ Forum held in Abuja recently, said the agency had the capacity to train over two million Nigerians annually on various skills to boost the national industrial revolution plan of the Federal Government. At the forum themed ‘The Place of Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in the Actualisation of the Nigeria Industrial Revolution Plan (NIRP),’ she identified fund as the agency’s major set back and appealed to its partners and other stakeholders to support the good course, which had the capacity to industrialise the country. The Director-General said the train the trainers conference was not only apt but timely, given the current thrust of the present management to pursue a 4-point training agenda. She said the agenda were training of two million Nigerians annually, the full automation of ITF business processes, ensuring 100 per cent payment of training contributions, and ensuring 100 per cent implementation of SIWES. “We are all aware of the unemployment situation in the country. We are equally aware of Mr. President’s commitment to transform the national

•Siezed substandard cables and other materials by SON in Ekiti State.

HE Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), in line with its “Zero Tolerance to Substandard Products”, has seized goods worth over N8.5 million in Ekiti State. The substandard products include electric cables, tyres, expired supermarket products, such as breakfast cereals, snacks, detergents, soaps, margarine and vegetable oil. These were also substandard LPG Cylinders. The market value of the products is conservatively put at N8.5million. A statement by the State Head of the organisation in Ekiti State, Mr. Rilwan Adebola Fashina, said the products destroyed fall within the category referred to as “Life Danger Products.” On how they isolated the destroyed products, Fashina said the electric cables failed critical parameters in the Nigeria Industrial Standard (NIS), such as conductor resistance, elongation, tensile strength and diameter of insulation, as well as not having country of origin embossed on them for traceability. On the tyres, he said they were discovered to be all-used and mostly expired. The supermarket products expired well before the dates of the agency’s market survey between January and February and were still kept on the shelves for sale to unsuspecting consumers. Some were wrongly labelled with no country of origin, while others like vegetable oil were already leaking on the supermarket shelves. He said the LPG Cylinders were not carrying embossment of brand name, address of manufacturer and country of origin for traceability. The destruction exercise, he said, was a culmination of a rigorous process to ascertain the quality of each product. He said the sole objective was to improve lives through stan-

By Okwy Iroegbu-Chikezie Asst. Editor

dards by protecting consumers against the hazards associated with the distribution, purchase and use of substandard products, including loss of lives and properties as well as economic sabotage, among others. Fashina said: “We all at different times have lamented issues of building collapses due partly to poor quality of materials, wrong application and outright mischief by some property developers; fire outbreaks in houses and markets due to poor quality electric cables. Many road accidents due to poor quality tyres; deaths occasioned by food poisoning and such other sad incidents many of which are traceable to the marketing, sales and use of substandard and life danger products in our country.” Mr. Fashina said the destruction exercise was carried out in accordance with the procedure established by SON, which commenced with a market survey of the products in question. Others are the inventory and keeping on hold suspected products while sampling for laboratory tests and analysis to ascertain their conformity with the specifications/requirements of the relevant NIS and seizure/evacuation where the products are confirmed to be substandard. He urged members of the public to ensure that they have knowledge of products they intend to purchase for use/sale and seek guidance. He said: “We should endeavour to check manufacturing and expiry dates of products before we buy them. All products have life span and we must endeavour to know this even if they are new. Tyres for example, have the week and year of manufacture em-

bossed on the side and have a life span of four years even if unused.” Fashina urged the public to know that there is no standard for used item thus patronage of already used items (Tokunbo) is at the buyers risk. “It is important we purchase products from established outlets, request for receipts and keep them in case we have issues with the products and need to seek redress. SON have Consumer Feedback Desks in all its offices nationwide where the public can lodge complaints for redress. To do this, you need to provide the receipt of purchase and make your complaint, addressed to the Director General or the Head of the SON office in your state in writing,” he advised. He also advised manufactures, importers and dealers to always confirm if the products have been tested before by requesting evidence of test certificates. Others are to check and confirm rated voltages, current, power etc of electrical products e.g. generators, AVR, sockets, check date of manufacture and expiry, best before dates and country of origin. He also advised that people should check that labelling and manuals are written in English Language, check whether a particular product has guarantee/warranty, claims of the manufacturer on performance of the product, and also be armed with the relevant product standards before purchasing or importing. The SON chief also encouraged local manufacturers to subscribe to SON’s Mandatory Conformity Assessment Programme (MANCAP) to ensure that their products are certified to the minimum requirements of the relevant standard, are safe for use and give value for money to consumers.

By Okwy Iroegbu-Chikezie

economy through accelerated industrialisation using the National Enterprise Development Programme (NEDEP) and the National Industrial Revolution Plan (NIRP) as vehicles. “It is our mandate to supply the manpower requirement of the NIRP and NEDEP in collaboration with other agencies of government like Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) and others,’’ she said. According to her, the Bank of Industry (BoI) is a vital partner, which ITF can leverage on its financial muzzle to achieve some of the set goals. “Our desire to entrench this collaboration however, gave rise to the introduction of the National Skills Development Programme (NISDP). Through the NISDP, we have trained 37,000 Nigerians from the 36 states of the federation and FCT, which is however, far low if the manpower requirements of the NIRP are to be met. I believe that this forum will, like others in the past, generate the ideas and innovations that will lead to the achievement of all we have set out to do,” she said. Earlier, Mr John Enyi, Director of Training, said the forum was not an annual ritual, but equipped to proffer solutions to the country’s manpower deficit. The forum attracted hundreds of senior officials of ITF, stakeholders and trainers from across the country.

Group decries blackmail over new cement standard

HE Coalition Against Building Collapse (CABCO) has condemned what it calls increasing blackmail in the opposition to the new cement standard, which aims at minimizing the incidence of building collapse and moving the cement industry forward in line with global trends. In a statement issued after their meeting in Lagos to discuss the ongoing cement controversy, the group’s secretary-general Clement Orimade expressed shock that instead of complying with the new guidelines that will save lives and property, some stakeholders have resorted to blackmailing the House of Representatives and the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), thereby deceiving the larger Nigerian public. “We have noted with dismay a well-orchestrated campaign of blackmail, misinformation and threat being visited on SON with the aim of forcing a policy reversal that will prolong Nigeria’s losses to building collapse. When they get tired of blackmailing SON, they turn to the House of Representatives which have voted in favour of enforcement of the new cement standard. The coalition maintained its earlier stand that cement contributes to building collapse, a position which the chairman of Ashaka Cement Plc aligned with in his interview with The Sunday Punch of August 3, 2014. The group further stated that the

cement labeling and traceability requirements which are part of the new cement standard are long overdue, adding that cement manufacturers have cheated consumers for too long through nondisclosure of important facts of their products. “Manufacturers who are kicking against the inclusion of cement grade, batch number and expiry date on the labeling want to perpetuate the cheating into a new era where the versatile 42.5 has become the mandatory all-purpose cement grade in Nigeria. They should count themselves lucky that consumers haven’t sued them for failing to give full disclosure of the facts of the cement they sell”. The Coalition also dismissed the claim that it will take manufacturers of 32.5 two years to change their production line to 42.5, calling it another falsehood being spread in a callous effort to keep Nigerians buying the lower grade and suffering the consequences rather than going for a more reliable grade cement . “The technical experts in our Coalition have investigated the issue and found that, contrary to what opponents of the new cement standard are saying, conversion of a 32.5 production line to a 42.5 production line requires neither new buildings nor new manufacturing equipment but adjustment of the combination and preparation of ingredients”, the statement continued.

appliances, valued at N92.2 billion or 2.3 per cent of the total, and vehicles, aircraft and associated parts valued at N89.6billion, also 2.3 per cent of the total. By individual product, natural liquefied gas held the second highest exports value, with N330bn or 8.3 per cent of the total during the period under review. On the import side, the structure showed that imports trade was dominated by boilers, machinery and appliances, which accounted for 23.7 per cent.

Items that contributed notably to the value of import trade in the quarter were mineral products, which accounted for 16 per cent, vehicles, aircraft and associated parts, 13 per cent, base metals and articles of base metals, 9.5 per cent and products of the chemical and allied industries, 8.5 per cent. The NBS stated: “Import trade classified by Broad Economic Category revealed that industrial supplies not elsewhere classified had the greatest value with N435.3 billionn or 28.2 per cent of total imports.

By Chikodi Okereocha

Nigeria posts N2.42trn trade surplus in Q1, says NBS

HE National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has confirmed that Nigeria recorded a trade surplus of N2.42 trillion in the first quarter of the year as exports rose 14.2 per cent to N3.96 trillion compared with the previous quarter. The latest Foreign Trade Statistics report just released showed that the value of imports within the same period dropped by 8.3 per cent to N1.54 billion. The report also showed that mineral products still accounted for N3.59trn or 90.7 per cent of the to-

tal export value in the first quarter of the year. The total value of Nigeria’s merchandise trade in the period stood at N5.51 trillion, representing a 6.8 per cent increase from the value of N5.16 trillion recorded in the preceding quarter (Q4, 2013). A classification of the exports by sectors indicated that crude oil component continued to dominate export trade, contributing 81.5 per cent of total export trade value, with both crude and non-crude components remaining as key drivers of

growth. The NBS reported that the crude oil component of export trade grew by 8.4 per cent from the preceding quarter, and contributed up to 51.1 per cent of the total growth in exports, whereas the non-crude component of trade grew by 48.6 per cent, accounting for 48.9 per cent of the total export growth from the previous quarter lower than the value of in the preceding quarter. Other significant categories of the export trade structure showed that boilers, machinery and chemical

THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

THE NATION

BUSINESS LABOUR

Union laments non-payment of ex-PHCN T workers' entitlements HE President-General of Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies (SSAEAC), Comrade Bede Opara, has lamented the non-payment of the entitlements of some workers of the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) 10 months after the company was privatised by the Federal Government. Speaking with reporters in Lagos, he said the development was a manifestation of the government's insincerity towards the

Stories by Toba Agboola

plight of workers. He said a review of the payments showed that the processing was tasking.\ According to him, the DirectorGeneral of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) is aware that the sub-committee has been starved of funds.

He said at its last meeting of May 6, this year, the sub-committee reviewed the assignment and confirmed that of 47, 913 ex-staff, 46,308 had been verified, while theose paid severance/cash component of benefits were 43,342. The report also showed that the staff paid severance payments were 2,966, those awaiting verification

1, 605, while those paid pension were 43,228. Also, staff yet to be pension were 3,080, those retired/dead staff awaiting benefits before April 30, last year were 4,146, while verified retirees/next of kin billed for payment by May 6, were 3, 233, and those awaiting verification were 913.

He said the summary of the above data by May 6, 2,966 staff were not paid the severance/cash benefits, while 3,233 verified retired and relatives of dead staff were yet to receive their benefits. Opara further said there were still 1,605 unverified staff and 913 retirees/dead staff next of kin who had waited for 10 years. Director-General of BPE, Benjamin Dikki at a briefing in Lagos said it was not true that his agency was delaying the payment of the PHCN workers.

New auto policy’ll create jobs, says UNIDO

• From left: Chairman, National Conference Planning Committee, Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM), Mr Akpos Adonkie; President, Mr Victor Famuyibo and Registrar, Mr Sunday Adeyemi, at a news Conference on the 46th National Conference of CIPM in Lagos.

Ebola: OATUU praises health workers

HE Organisation of African Trade Union Unity (OATUU) has lauded the efforts of health workers in the continent towards combating the deadly Ebola virus. In a statement, its Secretary General, Owei Lakemfa, expressed the gratitude of the working people of Africa to doctors and health workers who are in the frontline of the struggle against Ebola. He noted that many doctors and health workers have put their lives on the line in the process of fighting the deadly disease. "We are particularly touched by the heroic struggles of health workers like Dr. Sheik Hummar Khan of Sierra Leone who consciously threw themselves into the thick of the battle and tragically got infected and succumbed. "We pray that they rest in perfect peace and that God gives

their families and loved ones the fortitude to bear their painful loss. "African workers are also quite grateful to internationalists from outside our continent who came to our aid and got infected in the process. "Our hearts go out to the Americans; Dr. Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol who were infected in the process of fighting Ebola and who are back home for treatment," the OATUU said. OATUU also expressed solidarity with the workers and Guineans, Sierra Leonians and Liberians for bearing the brunt of the outbreak of the disease, and their governments that have shown remarkable leadership and courage in tackling on Ebola. Lakemfa said the union appealed to other African countries not to engage in the panic of shutting their borders. "What is required is not spread-

ing fear; rather, it is to stop Ebola spreading. If a country shuts its borders to prevent its neighbours from crossing, it cannot stop its nationals returning from neighbouring countries," he said. He also said Ebola does not require visa, adding that it is better to follow the example of the United States by taking measures to fight Ebola in realisation of the fact that given air travel and multiple citizenship to contain and confine the disease in the area it is ravaging, before it spreads to other parts of the world. OATUU thanked organisations, such as Doctors without Borders and the African Development Bank, and countries like Nigeria who have committed financial resources to the continental fight against Ebola. The OATUU urged the international community including the United Nations to organise a robust defense against this global challenge.

Bauchi trains 100 on funds’ management

HE Accountant-General of the Bauchi State Government has trained about 100 financial stakeholders on better management of funds and accountability. It was in line with the implementation of International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS). The Commissioner of Finance, Alhaji Mahmoud Maijama'a, said

the idea of IPSAS followed the adoption and recommendation of Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) Committee to the Governor in 2012 on the need for prudent management of funds. The Commissioner said the implementation of IPSAS has many advantages, especially in upgrading financial reporting in the public sector to international stand-

ard. He said: "IPSAS involves updating the skills of accountants and auditors in public sector organisations, including ensuring fair value, diminution of assets and liabilities." Maijama'a advised the participants to pay attention to learning speedily, adding that the government will not hesitate to sack incompetent financial workers.

HE United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) has said the implementation of the new automotive policy would create more jobs. UNIDO's Representative and Director, Regional Office for Nigeria, Dr. Patrick Kormawa, who stated this at a stakeholders' forum in Lagos, said the industry employs about 2,500. But the implementation of the new automotive policy, Kormawa noted, would generate more than 700,000 direct and indirect jobs. He said the policy would help create jobs in different clusters in the country and across the entire automotive value chain. "It will also fast-track the growth and development of other intervening industries such as automotive spare parts, auto servicing, steel industry, rubber, petrochemicals and plastic industries, among others," he said. He said to industrialise the country, diversify the economy, create jobs and generate wealth for the people, government must put in place investment-friendly policies that would attract local and foreign investments and brands from different parts of the world into the

critical sectors of the Nigerian economy. The UNIDO boss said for the country to make significant progress in the automotive sector, government should encourage any company that wants to assemble cars in the country to do so. He said: "This will help many local artisans to move from the formal to the informal sectors of the economy. This will further aid wealth creation and enable the growth of small businesses to contribute positively to national development." He called on the Federal Government to provide a conducive atmosphere to attract and grow local and foreign direct investments across all sectors of the Nigerian economy. He said if this is done, it would create business opportunities for Nigerians, grow the economy and contribute to government's tax revenue. The Director-General of the National Automobile Council, Aminu Jalal, said the industry has its fair share of crisis that dates back to the 1980s. Despite the crisis in the industry, he said the Federal Government had continued to make efforts to revitalise the industry.

Job creation: ILO seeks increased public funding • Ryder

HE Director General of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), Mr. Guy Ryder, has said the world urgently requires massive injection of public funding to be able to create massive jobs needed to reduce the global joblessness. According to him, about four million jobs could be generated in advanced economies and European Union alone with more public cash injections. “There are simply not enough public funds going to employment creation. Even in Organisation for Economic and Co-operation Development (OECD) countries with advanced labour market institutions, only 0.6 per cent of GDP went to promoting active labour market policies in 2011. Almost four million jobs could be created in ad-

vanced economies and the EU alone if this figure was doubled,” he said. Ryder explained that many youths are neither in employment nor in education, saying this means that countries are not able to create the employment opportunities they need despite having the best educated generation in human history. He also said that fiscal consolidation and weak private consumption have had a negative impact on produc-tion growth, while growing income inequalities, insufficient investment in quality education and training has also affected labour markets. “The challenges we face are not just about recovering from the crisis. There are also more long-term, structural challenges ahead, such as the growing urbanisation process, the rapid changes in technology and the threats to the environment. These also have a strong impact on the world of work and deserve our attention,” he said.

THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

COMMENTARY EDITORIALS

FROM OTHER LANDS

It's too soon to give out Ebola drugs

Unemployed pilots •It is dire index of poor economy

IVEN the intensive and rigorous training they undergo, as well as the enormous amounts of money expended in the acquisition of their specialised skills, it is disheartening that hundreds of Nigerian pilots are reportedly languishing in unemployment. To qualify as a pilot requires the accumulation of hundreds of hours of flying time. Achieving this goal could cost between six and eleven million Naira. Yet, with no opportunities to put their skills into practice, highly trained Nigerian pilots are forced to work as office assistants or estate agents, among other jobs, which amounts to a waste of their training and talent. Of course, this unsavoury scenario is not limited to pilots. Other highly skilled Nigerian professionals, including doctors, lawyers, engineers, accountants, architects and even Ph.D holders in diverse fields are either unemployed or severely underemployed. We have had instances, for example, of Master’s and doctorate degree holders applying for menial jobs well below their level of education. This is a function of the grossly underperforming Nigerian economy that is unable to generate enough job opportunities for different categories of unemployed citizens. Like other sectors of the economy, Nigeria’s aviation sector has been in continuous distress and decline over the last two decades. Not only has the country’s once thriving national carrier that employed hundreds of pilots and other aviation professionals, the Nigeria Airways, collapsed, there has been a drastic reduction in the number of private airlines. This

has had grave implications for job opportunities. The poor state of the aviation industry is in turn a reflection of the downturn in other sectors of the economy. For, when other areas of the economy such as agriculture, manufacturing, social services or tourism are booming, this will boost activity and productivity in all spheres of the transportation sector, including air travel. All of this underscores the need for the creation of a conducive atmosphere for the private sector to thrive and absorb Nigeria’s skilled manpower. This will include the provision of security, adequate power supply, an efficient banking structure supportive of investment and qualitative infrastructure. It is ironic that while hundreds of Nigerian pilots have no jobs, most of the commercial airlines and the armada of private jets owned by Nigeria’s wealthy elite prefer to employ foreign pilots. One argument for this is that fresh Nigerian pilots just out of aviation school have between 250 and 500 flight hours experience while there is preference by employers for pilots with between 1,000 and 1,500 flight hours, for understandable safety reasons. The unfortunate part of it all is that even when there are Nigerian pilots with the requisite flight hours and experience, the foreign pilots are still preferred to them. In any case, how can fresh pilots ever accumulate the requisite flight hours if they have no opportunity to work and practice their skills? After all, the foreign pilots deemed to have the required flight hours were given time and opportunity to

do so. Why should it be different for Nigerian pilots? The phenomenon of unemployed and underemployed highly skilled Nigerian professionals reflects the absence of an effective and functional national manpower planning policy. It is significant, for instance, that the requisite aviation regulatory agencies do not, reportedly, have the statistics of unemployed Nigerian pilots. Without such critical information, how can there be purposeful planning geared towards creating jobs for aviation professionals. It is pertinent to ask if the Nigerian National Manpower Board is still functional and well equipped to effectively carry out its functions. The relevant agencies must be armed with statistics of different categories of unemployed Nigerians to guide informed manpower planning for national development.

‘The unfortunate part of it all is that even when there are Nigerian pilots with the requisite flight hours and experience, the foreign pilots are still preferred to them. In any case, how can fresh pilots ever accumulate the requisite flight hours if they have no opportunity to work and practice their skills? After all, the foreign pilots deemed to have the required flight hours were given time and opportunity to do so’

Averting generator disasters •The deaths will continue until we find a solution to the power problem

HAT a sad thing to note that generator fumes have in recent times posed serious challenges to human existence in the country. This much was amplified through the report of a recent survey by the Good Governance Initiative (GGI), a non-Governmental Organisation based in Lagos. The report of the study that revealed that over 10,000 people died from inhaled generator fumes in the past 20 years is damning. Festus Mbisogu, GGI Coordinator, put it succinctly; “…over 10,000 Nigerians have been killed by generator fumes and explosions in the last 20 years.” We know that the record of casualties could be higher

‘Generators, especially the smaller ones, are used indoors and without adequate ventilation. Because of this, homes and churches have reported gory tales of deaths arising from generator fumes. In some cases, entire families had been wiped out as a result of people inhaling dangerous fumes from their generating sets’

but for the poor record keeping profile in the country. The gory result of the survey underscores the condemnable state of electricity in the land today despite purported power sector reforms that have gulped billions of dollars of oil and tax payers’ money over the years. Yet, Nigerians in their various homes cannot boast of stable power supply, compelling them to rely solely on individual efforts of buying generating sets to power their homes and corporate concerns. President Goodluck Jonathan’s current attempt through his touted power sector reform is far from yielding the desired result. Mbisogu painted a pathetic picture of the problem when he declared: “Most families and businesses spend a large portion of their income on generator purchase, service and maintenance. Despite the fact that the power sector has been privatised, there is no relief in sight.” He further stated “… the manufacturing sector spends over N800bn yearly on generators. The banking sector and other private sector concerns spend about N1.6tn on generators, while the average Nigerian family spends between N60, 000 and N100, 000 monthly on fuel and maintenance of generators.’’ Despite the huge investment in the power sector, we wonder why the country’s power sector is in dire straits while the use of the generators has since, shamefully, become a

defining factor of the economic status of individuals/households in both rural and urban-city settlements. Generators, especially the smaller ones, are used indoors and without adequate ventilation. Because of this, homes and churches have reported gory tales of deaths arising from generator fumes. In some cases, entire families had been wiped out as a result of people inhaling dangerous fumes from their generating sets. We believe that these unfortunate deaths would have been stopped but for the wrong energy policy of successive administrations in the land. The Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) has been privatised over some months now, yet power remains epileptic. Government is helplessly not bothered, which is why there is no effective regulation to moderate the importation of quality generators into the country. We consider as shameful the fact that Aso Rock, the federal seat of power, and Government Houses across the federation, spend millions yearly to maintain their generators without seeing anything unusual about this. Something has to be done to make power stable in the country so that Nigerians can throw away their generators, saving millions of lives from lethal generator fumes in the process.

HY would the United States decline to provide a serum that can cure Ebola to poor and desperate victims in several African nations where close to 1,000 people have died of the virus? Because it doesn't have such a serum. What the U.S. does have are a number of possible treatments for Ebola that are in the experimental stages. Most were developed with the help of federal financing after 9/11; drug companies previously had little financial incentive to develop drugs for an illness that affected relatively few people, all of them in developing countries. But after the 2001 attacks, the government became interested in staving off possible bioterrorism. Some of the treatments look very promising after early trials on animals. But it is not yet known whether any of them will cure or prevent the illness in humans, or even whether they are safe for humans to take. Nor is it known which among them would prove the most helpful. As it happens, the experimental treatment that two American aid workers were given after being stricken with Ebola in Liberia was ZMapp, a cocktail of three monoclonal antibodies. Both patients, who are being cared for at Emory University Hospital, are improving, an outcome that has governments in the affected African countries as well as three highly regarded Ebola experts clamoring to have the serum released to the hundreds of people who are infected. That would be premature. It's a big leap to assume that the two Americans were saved by the serum. About 45% of those afflicted in the West Africa epidemic have survived. The Americans may have been lucky, or they may have benefited from their access to far better medical care than most Africans get, or perhaps they can thank their own robust immune systems, a result of growing up with adequate food, clean water and other benefits of the developed world. Thedecisiontoprovidethetwoaidworkerswiththeserum,though well intentioned, of course, has raised serious ethical and political questions. To many Africans, it looks as though rules were bent on behalf of a couple of white Americans, while the hundreds of infected people in Africa are receiving no special treatment. Given the high mortality rate of the disease, they demand to know, shouldn't the serum be available to all? Isn't an experimental treatment better thannothing? There is no easy answer to this emotionally wrenching question. The chief argument for holding off on ZMapp's release — that it isn't known whether the drug will help or even whether it might harm the very people it is intended to save, and that safety trials must be completedbeforeitiswidelydistributed—soundscold-hearted,asthough it is about following bureaucratic drug approval protocols rather than helping the dying. Yet the argument is a powerful one. Perhaps the answer would be different if this epidemic carried the 90% mortality rate that Ebola has sometimes inflicted in the past. If the prognosis were a virtually terminal one, it would make sense to conclude that even a drug that might harm people is better than near-certain death. But that's not the case with this epidemic. This is a decision that has to be made carefully and rationally, though without delay. Not because the world doesn't care about the lives of the victims but because it also cares about the lives of the thousands who might be infected in the future. There are other promising Ebola treatments that are in Phase I safety trials; ZMapp hasn't reached that stage yet. It might make more sense, public health experts say, to make available the medications that are at least part of the way through safety testing. One possible treatment, not yet in safety trials, is intended to prevent the disease in people who have been exposed to the virus; a version of it was given several years ago to a German researcher who had accidentally pricked herself with an Ebola-infected syringe. She did not become ill — though again, it's not known for certain whether her good fortune had anything to do with the experimental treatment. Still, if it is effective, many more lives might be saved by providing medication to prevent the disease rather than to treat those who are infected. That would give health workers a chance to get ahead of the epidemic instead of reacting to each new case. Some medications may be more effective than others, but without random, controlled clinical trials, scientists may never learn which are which. Without trials, the United States or the World Health Organization might commit too early to the widespread use of a less useful treatment, or one that is far more expensive and thus would not reach as many people. At the same time, it is our moral responsibility to look for ways to speed reasonably safe medications to those who need them. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration should approve expedited safety trials that take a month or so, instead of the six months that full Phase I trials require. It would take at least that long anyway for pharmaceutical companies to ramp up production from tiny batches intended for trials to thousands of doses to cover affected populations. Then the FDA should allow its existing "animal rule" to apply to Ebola drugs. The rule allows efficacy trials on two different kinds of animals to substitute for human trials — as long as safety tests have been done on healthy human volunteers — when randomized, controlled efficacy tests on humans aren't practical. Even with pharmaceutical treatment, it would take a massive public health and education effort to bring the West Africa epidemic to a close any time soon, and at that point there will be time for fuller testing. But if anything, this epidemic teaches us that when it comes to developinglifesavingpharmaceuticals,wedon'talwayshaveasmuch time as we think. – Los Angeles Times

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

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THE NATION THURSDAY,AUGUST 14, 2014

CARTOON & LETTERS

IR: No matter the amount of destructive criticisms of the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, the good intentions of the administration is beginning to manifest in all spheres of the country's economy as well as the well-being of the electorate. The administration has not stopped churning out well-thought-out policies that are pro-people despite attacks by the combination of Boko Haram and the opposition party. When the Federal Government rolled out the new auto policy, armchair critics went to work to reduce the policy to a mere propaganda tool to garner support of Nigerians ahead of 2015 general elections. To their disappointment, the policy has started yielding positive and practical results. Stallion Group, parent company of Hyundai Motors Nigeria has since fixed its locally assembled 1.1 liter engine Hyundai 110 car at N1.5m and the 1.2 litre engine Grand at N1.9m. Before now, the imported version of the above cars was priced at N2.7m. Other automobile industries in the country have put finishing touches to assembling their brand of cars locally thereby making the products affordable to many Nigerians. With this, the era of importing

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Benefits of new auto policy used cars known in the local parlance as “Tokunbo” is over. There is enormous capability of the new policy to create jobs for our teeming youths and adults alike. Imagine the large workforce that these automobile industries would

accommodate in the course of assembling cars locally in the country. Moribund automobile industries are rapidly being revived since this new policy took effect. Recently, Peugeot Automobile Nigeria revived its moribund assembly plant

in the country with the inauguration of Peugeot 301 production line in its Kaduna factory. Imagine the number of Nigerian unemployed youths that this company will engage in the course of its production. It will do Nigerians a whole lot of good if this and other achieve-

Let’s elbow the Ebola virus

IR: With the confirmed symptoms in a female doctor and other three health workers who treated late Patrick Sawyer of Ebola virus, Africa’s most dreaded disease is finally here with us. Now that the disease is here with us, what are the ways out? First, government should provide well-equipped screening centres at our airports, sea ports and other border posts for testing and quarantine of people intending to enter Nigeria. Those whose duties are to

screen them should be well equipped with appropriate tools for the job and to avoid possible contact with in coming carriers. Second, federal, states and local governments should adopt proactive enlightenment initiative on dos and don’ts of contracting the disease. Jingles and flyers detailing these preventive measures should be out as quickly as possible and made available to the rural areas. The enlightenment initiative of Lagos State government and the Fed-

eral Ministry of Health targeted at churches with worshipers all over the world especially from nations with cases of the virus is a right step in the right direction. Other states should take a cue. Third, as individuals, we should improve on our personal hygiene and be cautious of what we consume and touch. Consumption of bush meats of bats and primates (monkeys, apes, gorillas and chimpanzees) known to be primary sources of the disease should be put on hold

Now that Osun election is over

IR: Now that Osun State election is over, what next for the Peoples Democratic Pary which deployed the army, state security service, police and other personnel all to intimidate the people of the state for their candidate to carry the day? There is nothing surprising in the wide gap between the incumbent and the PDP challenger. Governor Rauf Aregbosola has lived up to his promises to the electorate. Today, in Osun State, education at the basic level is free and the administation provides freee books to the students. There is also some-

ments are allowed to endure. This can be done by supporting the administration beyond 2015. The administration has shown that the good things we see in other climes could be replicated here in our country. For once, let the opposition accept that this administration has tried in the face of the myriad challenges that it faces on daily basis. In months to come the supply of electricity will improve to enable artisans and self-employed Nigerians engage others to expand whatever businesses they are doing. • Chika Onuora Asokoro, Abuja

thing that is not obtainable in virtually all the states of the federation: free meals for its pupils. No wonder analysts predicted a sweeping victory for the incumbent; and little wonder the PDP’s resort to the militarisation of election to guarantee them success. This attitude portend grave danger for the survival of democracy in this country. As 2015 approaches, the PDP needs to be able to convince Nigerians of what it has achieved in the last 12 years as the party at the helms of affairs in this country.

Surpressing the opposition through the use of security agencies cannot lead to success at the polls in 2015. With what has happened in Osun State, the people of this country have got their eyes opened and are ready to vote and protect the votes. President Jonathan need not live under the illusion that he can intimidate the people by militarisation more especially in the northern axis. The people of Kano, Sokoto, Katsina, Kaduna, Jigawa, Zamfara and Kebbi are not ready to give the President

Goodluck and the Peoples Democratic Party their votes. It will be a miracle if the ruling party and the President can even scale through. The PDP should stop deceiving themselves that they can use the army and related security organs to win as the people are no longer afraid and can stand to defend the votes they cast. By now, it ought to be clear that the primitive method of deploying security agencies in elections as was done in Ekiti and Osun states won’t work. • Usman Santuraki, Jimeta-Yola, Adamawa

for now. It could be contracted through body fluids from an infected person. So, it is no longer a must to have handshakes with friends or anyone who stretches his hand for a shake in the public. If you must do, wash your hands properly afterwards. Fourth, Ebola for now is an African disease and Africa should take bold steps aimed at finding a cure for it. It cannot be an oversight of the West that the first case of a disease was recorded in 1976 and in 2014 it has no cure. Investment in curative research on Ebola virus should commence immediately. Fifth, good hospitals with laboratory capacity of detecting the disease should be established. The nation needs to be grateful to God and First Consultant Medical Centre, Ikoyi, Lagos for having what it takes to detect the disease without which the nation would have been endangered. Ebola has for now defied medical cure, therefore acquiring knowledge on how one could prevent the disease, application of caution and common sense in our day to day activities will assist the nation to elbow the Ebola out of Nigeria. • Sunday Onyemaechi Eze Samaru, Zaria

THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

COMMENTS

Crisis of unemployment and underemployment

HE crisis of unemployment among the youths is a global problem. The United States that seems to have the capacity to create jobs and to absorb young people into industries, services and public sectors of its economy is also not spared. Unemployment in the United States in recent times ranges between six and eight percent. In Europe, the rate is higher and varies from one country to another. In northern Europe, the rate is just slightly higher than that of the United States but in southern European countries like Italy, Spain, Portugal and Greece, the rate is bewildering. In Greece in particular among young people from 17-35 years old, unemployment is almost 50 percent. In the vast continent of Asia, unemployment is also a big challenge and in Arab North Africa and the Middle East, the rate of unemployment is also a serious threat to political stability in that region. Central and South America with the exception of Brazil and Chile is in serious trouble in terms of unemployment especially among the youths. Africa is almost a hopeless case. Unemployment in some parts of Africa among the youth is almost 80 percent in some cases. In Nigeria, the situation is serious and we are all sitting on kegs of gunpowder ready to explode at any time. Sixty percent of the graduates of universities and polytechnics annually troop into Lagos in search of jobs that do not exist. The manufacturing sector in Nigeria that should absorb young, willing and educated youths has collapsed where they existed or they do not exist at all. Since 1999, our economic policy has been the removal of the role of the states in economic development and job-creation under the slogan of allowing the market to take care of economic development. Centralised development planning that was popular in the 50s, 60s and 70s has been discarded as unfashionable because of poor management of public companies and corporations. Many of these companies have therefore been privatised and sold to people who instead of investing in them to create more jobs have themselves become scavengers, dismantling many of the plants and carting them away to be sold as spares outside Nigeria. Under the World Bank/IMF economic orthodoxy, creation of jobs now belongs into the province of private entrepreneurs and foreign investors. The role of the state is now restricted to the provision of private sector friendly environment while the lot of the unemployed has become a private affair of the individuals concerned and not that of government. It is true that state intervention in economic planning and development can sometimes be a deadweight on the state but we cannot always leave

HE world is at war. Before you say the Third World War!, let me quickly add that it is not a war between nations, but a war by man to save himself from extinction. It is a war to save the human race from being wiped out by the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), which hereinafter shall be referred to as Ebola. Until a few days ago, Ebola seemed so distant from us. It was something we heard about in other countries. To the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea (DRC), Zaire, Sudan, Sierra Leone and Liberia, Ebola is not something strange. They have been living with the deadly virus, which has killed hundreds of people in those countries for years. Ebola kills within the twinkling of an eye if the victim does not pay attention to his health in good time. It can kill as fast as within three to 21 days. Ebola took the world like a storm in 1976 in two simultaneous outbreaks in Nzara, Sudan and Yambuku, DRC. Yambuku is close to the Ebola River from which the disease got its name. These countries still experience seasonal outbreaks of Ebola, the latest of which has spread to Nigeria, Spain and the United States (U.S). Ebola was imported into Nigeria on July 20 by a Liberian, the late Patrick Sawyer, who flew in through Lome, Togo, to evade being stopped at his home country’s airport since he knew he was an endangered specie. The late Sawyer, who was also an

122 DAYS AFTER

WHERE ARE THE ABDUCTED CHIBOK GIRLS?

the fate of our young people to market forces and private investment. There may be a need as advocated by the late Lord Maynard Milton Keynes for massive state investment and intervention in job creation because without jobs, there can be no stability and if well managed state intervention by putting jobless people to work can lead to increase in national wealth in spite of whatever temporary inflation that may accompany it. A situation in Nigeria where young graduates are roaming the streets, riding okada or doing domestic jobs is a situation of unacceptable underemployment. In a developing country like ours, there are so many aspects of our lives that are crying for development; we do not have good roads, pipe borne water, electricity supply is fitful inadequate and unsatisfactory. Our primary and secondary schools’ buildings are a disgrace when compared with similar schools in southern Africa, we do not have adequate housing for our people, we do not have decent and functional ports and yet we have a coastline begging for development if only to decongest Lagos and save the people living there from their miserable existence. Our communication and transportation infrastructure is totally inadequate for our population. I can continue to mention areas of inadequacy in our lives. We have a huge population of about 170 million if we are to believe our census commission. With this huge population and with the highly developed manpower, we can do something in this country. Nobody is going to help us build our country; we have to do it ourselves. We should forget about such fanciful ideas like NEPAD, APRM and other strategies anchored on foreign investment. China that is now the second biggest economy in the world and is primed to overtake the United States very soon did not develop on World Bank/IMF’s advice but looked inwards and put its people to work and today, China is the most sought after destination where America and European leaders are queuing up to seek for economic cooperation. We may not have the Confucius ethics driving the Chinese people towards frugality and hard work but we certainly have natural resources and the population as well as the West African market if we are serious and determined to develop. We cannot stop educating our people because I have heard people saying, universities are turning out graduates when they know there are no jobs outside there. What we need to do is to declare a national emergency on employment and under-employment and also embark on the mission of physically building our country ourselves. We can do this by buying equipment, tractors, caterpillars and putting our young people to

work on building our roads, railways, modern farms, houses, schools and ports with the supervision of experts, both local and foreign. The end product may not be as good as the ones built by expatriates but it will be the works of our hands. Anyone visiting India would notice that their roads and buildings and buses are a little rough Jide on the edges but they Osuntokun can be proud that they built them. The problem of unemployment and underemployment is so serious in Nigeria that we must take unorthodox methods to tackle it. Those of us who are in employment are daily overwhelmed by the demands on our time, purses and generosity by young people seeking for jobs. We find it extremely difficult to send people away without providing some words of encouragement but this would not do. Self-preservation is the first law of nature. If young people cannot survive, they would do whatever is necessary including committing crime to survive. Young people are also not getting married because both young men and women have no jobs and this is destroying the moral and social fibre of our society. We are a nation that seems not to have a future because if the young people are not getting married and having children, then what future do we have? Even the Boko Haram insurgency is not unconnected with the apparent hopelessness of young people. Our leaders particularly our political leaders do not seem to understand or appreciate the seriousness of our situation. They are all bogged down by the politics of re-election. If we are not careful, there may be no country to govern after election. This is the time therefore for the federal government to summon a summit to discuss the problem of unemployment in our country. If salaries have to be cut especially among those who are earning well to fund Build Nigeria campaign, we have to do this. If we block economic seepage and leakage and the corruption at every level of government, there should be enough money to back this campaign to build Nigeria. I appeal to all those in position to take drastic measures to do this before we are all swept away in a sea of youthful fury.

The Ebola war American citizen, deliberately brought the disease to Nigeria. We do not need to be diplomatic in expressing our feelings over this matter; I believe we should say it as it is because the late Sawyer did not mean well for this country by travelling down here in his endangered state. It was sheer wickedness for him to have done that. He knew that he had Ebola and was therefore, literally, carrying death in his luggage. He knew that he was not supposed to travel in that condition, yet he did. He knew that he should not have contact with people, yet he sat comfortably with others in the plane. The late Sawyer, as an educated man, knew all these, yet his conscience did not prick him. What is so important about the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) conference he was coming to attend in Calabar, the Cross River State, that he sneaked out of Monrovia, the Liberian capital, for in his killer state? We have not been told the whole truth about how he left Liberia. Through his despicable act, over 160 million Nigerians are today at risk of Ebola. Anywhere you turn today, the fear of Ebola is palpable. The young and the old have nothing else to discuss, but Ebola - and its cure(s). This is why we have heard of the bitter cola and salt water therapies, among others. These therapies are no match for Ebola, experts have said. Despite experts' advice, I can boldly say here that many will not report to hospital if they take ill, but will try out these therapies first before going to the hospital as last resort. That is the way we are as Nigerians. But for the sake of our families and neighbours, this is the time for us all to, more than before, be our brother's keeper. Let us report all known cases of ill health before they get out of hand. By so doing, we will be saving lives and will not

be carrying death all over the place like the late Sawyer. Through the late Sawyer's inhuman act, we have lost a nurse, while a doctor, another nurse and others who had primary contact with him are in hospital for Ebola infection. These people contracted the disease while trying to save his life when he was rushed to the First Consultants Hospital in Obalende, Lagos, last July 20. They were infected in line of duty by a patient, who knew what he was suffering from, but intentionally kept quite. What a callous and cruel act. Scores of others also came in contact with him at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Ikeja, Lagos from where he was rushed to the hospital. He has endangered the lives of all these people who did not know that he had Ebola and were genuinely helping a man who they saw was ill. It is so painful that our people showed him so much care in order to save his life, but in the end got what they never bargained for. Since the Liberian government knew about the late Sawyer’s status why did it allow him to leave the country for Nigeria? I do not buy the argument that he ‘escaped’. How could he have escaped if he was in isolation. The thing is that the government left the late Sawyer to his own devices despite being aware that he lost a sister to Ebola. If other countries allow Ebola victims to leave their shores, where will the world be today? Ebola cases will abound all over the place with the risk of the entire world being wiped out. But the late Sawyer’s evil plan was not against the world but against Nigeria. But he forgot that Ebola knows no boundary once a victim is let loose like the way he sneaked out of his country to come to Nigeria where he died on July 25. There was nothing for the late Sawyer to come and pick here. So,

he should have remained in his country to manage his ailment. And who knows, he might have survived if he did not take up the additional burden of travelling in that his very weak and sick state. e have an emergency on our hands as the govern ment has noted. People who caught the virus in line of duty should not be abandoned to their fate. This is not a job hazard that they should be left to bear alone. There are job hazards and there are job hazards, but this hazard is a different one entirely. Although the government has risen to the challenge so far, more still has to be done.The government must ensure adequate protection of health, airport, Customs, Immigration and allied workers if we are serious about containing Ebola. These are the people that will do the job and if there is no protection for them, they may abandon work and we all know what that means. The late Sawyer put us through all this stress because of his evil intentions. Why did such an urbane man behave that way? This is why I agree with President Goodluck Jonathan that the late Sawyer was a ''mad man''. If he was not mad, he would not have brought Ebola here and kept mute when he fell seriously ill. If he was not mad, he would have opened up at the hospital when his condition worsened that ''look this is what I may be suffering from having lost a sister to Ebola''. Our people say the dead does not shield himself from those that will bury him. At that point there was nothing for him to hide again. If he had no ulterior motive that was what he should have done as a gentleman. My fear is that those who came with him from Liberia for the Calabar conference are on the loose. If they have the virus, they might have infected other participants without knowing.

Lawal Ogienagbon lawal.ogienagbon@thenationonlineng.net SMS ONLY: 08099400204, 08112661612

The problem is how do we trace these people and those they came in contact with. We have a hell of a problem on our hands. Because of the callousness of one man, a nation of over 160 million people is being threatened to be wiped out by Ebola. If this is the intention of the late Sawyer and his collaborators, they will not succeed. Nigeria will overcome Ebola, come what may.

‘’If other countries allow Ebola victims to leave their shores where will the world be today? It is painful that our people showed the late Sawyer so much care in order to save his life, but in the end got what they never bargained for . Let us report all known cases of ill health before they get out of hand. By so doing, we will be saving lives and not be carrying death all over the place like the late Sawyer’

THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

COMMENTS

S I watched Femi Fani-Kayode, and Akin Osuntokun swear by the name of Iyiola Omisore and PDP during a press briefing supervised by Musiliu Obanikoro, the minister of defence, to round-off PDP campaign for their candidate, in Osogbo last Thursday, the memories of yesterday brought the past to pain. It was like history repeating itself all over again. Their forebears, driven by passion for power employed similar tactics in the first republic. It only encouraged desperate federal government power mongers to impose a culture of impunity and a regime of injustice on the Yoruba people who by their culture always want the best for others as they want for themselves. But it must be admitted from the onset that minus their politics, the Fani-Kayodes and the Osuntokuns, as leading light in education are a pride of the Yoruba race and a gift to Nigeria. Femi’s great grandfather Rev. Emmanuel Adedapo Kayode earned Master of Arts (Durham) degree from Fourah Bay College, an arm of Durham University in 1885. His grandfather, Victor Adedapo Kayode earned a law degree from Cambridge University in 1921, and his brilliant father Chief Remilekun Fani-Kayode, ‘born in London, bred in Lagos” (apology to Aiyekoto), like his illustrious father, earned a law degree coming on top of his class in Cambridge University in 1945. Femi the scion of an illustrious family is also a phenomenon. Born with a silver spoon in London, where he acquired all his education, he admitted feeling fulfilled for matching his father’s record in Cambridge. The Osuntokuns produced the late Professor Olukayode Osuntokun, a world celebrated neurologist, Prof Akinjide Osuntokun, a respected intellectual, eminent historian and a diplomat, who was described by Dr Kayode Fayemi, the governor of Ekiti State during his recent 70th birthday celebration as “one of the greatest examples of the famed Ekiti integrity and honour”. Of course, there was Oduola Osuntokun, Akin’s father, a resourceful man and an Awo protégée who became a minister in his 30s and served without blemish between 1955 and 1963 when according to Akin, he “took sides with Akintola and stoically grappled with the negative fallouts attendant on this choice all his life”. He was an honest man who after serving as a minister for 10 years, returned home to become a school teacher to sustain his family Akin himself, from his brilliance and exploits as a journalist, there can be no doubt he is a true scion of his illustrious forebears. Awo celebrated the brilliance of young Remi Fani-Kayode who rose rapidly from the

HE landslide victory of Governor Rauf Aregbesola and by extension, the All Progressives Congress (APC), in Osun State’s gubernatorial election is instructive. It has emphasized the truth about life that leadership only confers influence, followership, power and respect on the leader, depending on how much good or positive-impact or love for the people the leader brings to bear on the office. Not only that, it highlighted the folly of a leader simply being satisfied with the glamour and splendour of office, but looking away from the welfare, dreams and expectations of the poor and lessprivileged. More than anything else, the APC’s clean sweep has shown that sustained good work and cordial relationship with the people form the basis of understanding and followership between the leader and the people, and that believability nurtured by trust arising from promises kept further helps to deepen such a union. Indeed, one lesson to take away from the Osun election is that Governor Rauf Aregbesola walked into the hearts of the people by first making them the essence of governance. In return, he became an

‘Like Governor Rauf Aregbesola and Osun people, who voted the popular man, at the right time, the Kwara people will speak based on what they see, federal might or not. Or, is it not said that seeing is believing?’

Fani-Kayode, Osuntokun, scions of illustrious fathers leader of the youth wing of the Action Group to become the Assistant Secretary General of AG. He along with S. O. Ighodaro, E. O. Eyo, Adeyemi Lawson and S. G. Ikoku, teamed up with him to represent the Action Group at the 1957 London Constitutional Conference. But the late Olabisi Onabanjo, a veteran journalist alias Aiyekoto, who chronicled the events of the period, told us how Fani-Kayode took a gamble in 1959, when he joined NCNC as leader of opposition in the House. According to him, Fani-Kayode, “born in London, bred in Lagos, who went home only when ambition for political office was ripened”, lost the Ife Constituency 1 election in 1959 and lost the Ile Ife constituency in 1961. He thereafter embarked on a battle to bring down the regional government. Following the prosecution of some members of his militant youth wing for criminal activities in 1960, he called on the prime minister and the federal government to take over the West because of what he described as ‘breakdown of law and order’. He repeated the call in 1961 and in fact staged a walk-out in the House. His appeal to the federal government to take over the West finally found expression in 1962 when following the throwing of chairs by some NCNC sympathizers of embattled Premier SLA Akintola, the federal government declared an illegal state of emergency and clamped Awo and members of the ruling AG into detention. At the end of the emergency, Akintola was imposed as premier without election while Fani-Kayode became deputy premier. Emboldened by this act of injustice and impunity by the federal government, Fani-Kayode called the bluff of Yoruba voters by predicting that their new party, NNDP would win the 1965 regional election ‘whether the people voted for them or not’.

They went on to award themselves a pyrrhic victory. According to Akin Osuntokun, “many of the NNDP candidates were returned unopposed because the candidatures of their opponents were invalidated fraudulently. Everyone knew that Akintola had stolen the election”. But the Yoruba, who sometimes first welcome evil perpetrators with talking drum, swore that those who sowed the wind would reap the whirlwind. When he was arrested in the wee hours of January 31, 1966 by the coup plotters, it was Fani-Kayode’s lot to lead the plotters to the premier’s lodge where he witnessed the brutal murder of SLA Akintola. He later relocated to London only to emerge in 1978 as a founding member of NPN. But the brilliant lawyer never again found the rhythm after becoming an accessory to the destruction of the ladder with which he climbed up. Aiyekoto, writing about Chief Remi FaniKayode in Daily Express of August 8, 1961, also says “he has the courage of a mischief maker and knows how to exploit a situation”. He, according to him first warmed himself to the hearts of the people through a series of powerful articles and later by fighting conservatism only to return to those he fought to get the limelight…” It was as if Aiyekoto was writing about the Femi, the scion of an illustrious father. Femi not too many seasons ago took on the gab of a Yoruba irredentist, dished out powerful articles to propagate and celebrate the values, character and integrity of his Yoruba people. As the nemesis of PDP in the South-west in the last two years, he even helped in building APC into a formidable opposition. But like his illustrious father did in 1959, he has now shifted his allegiance to the centre.

Speaking at the said press briefing as if there was no yesterday, he boasted PDP would win the election. He went short of adding his illustrious father’s infamous phrase “whether the people voted for (NNDP) PDP or not”. He did not say why Omisore with all his celebrated character flaws is the leadership Osun State deserves. Obviously, like his late illustrious father, all that mattered was the raw power of the federal government who often fraudulently claim to know what the people want without asking them. Oduola Osuntokun was brilliant and honest, a man of character like most of his Ekiti compatriots of his day. He was the apple of Awo’s eyes. He was a trusted minister saddled with supervising the building of Bodija and Ikeja GRAs, the task he carried out without blemish. But in 1962, he betrayed his party and Awo. He teamed up with Akintola who Akin admitted in the above quote as having stolen the people’s mandate. He chose to take sides with injustice, a vice abhorred by his Ekiti people who according to Akin ended up burning the Osuntokun family houses in Okemesi. The only plausible explanation for an acclaimed man of culture and character to side with injustice is greed for power. And now Akin has said publicly he has no regret embracing the politics of his illustrious father despite wise counsel from his respected uncles. And the only plausible explanation for a man of good breeding taking sides with those alleged to be deficit in honour, integrity and character is greed for power. His detractors for instance alleged he turned his back on AD to join Obasanjo because he couldn’t secure a senate ticket. Welcome. First Republic, lost through the perfidy of illustrious fathers, swept away for choosing to swim against the tide. It is a new dawn for their illustrious scions who think they can repeat the same mistake and get a different result. As the scions publicly identify with those who proclaim night as day, history repeats itself

‘As the nemesis of PDP in the South-west in the last two years, he even helped in building APC into a formidable opposition. But like his illustrious father did in 1959, he has now shifted his allegiance to the centre’

Kwara: Lessons from Aregbesola’s victory By Sulaiman SMO indispensible friend of the people and so popular that the federal might which reared its ugly head before and during the election was summarily subdued by the peoples’ strong will to have the back of their man. It would seem that the people were determined to stop any intruder from deciding their fate as was the case in Ekiti and Adamawa states where external forces high on greed, intrigues and conspiracy, deceived and arm-twisted the people of Ekiti State to rig through the forces of arms; and conspired in the case of Adamawa, leading to the defeat of Governor Kayode Fayemi and removal of former governor Murtala Nyako, respectively. Today, the federal government which has continued to deny complicity in the Adamawa impunity, saying it allowed the constitution and the people to have their way, has typically looked away as the same constitution and due process it claimed to protect is raped as Adamawa lawmakers have yet to inform the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of the impeachment so as to make way for election within 90 days as stipulated in the constitution. While these point to the desperation of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP)-led federal government to cause confusion and disaffection where none existed among the people, the Osun election points to the resolve of the people to support the popular man so as to sustain the progress being made in the state, while consciously initiating what many see as a permanent coroner report on the PDP’s impunity. The

Osun victory and the lessons from it, no doubt, would provide a veritable compass with which the people, first, and members of APC, on the other hand, can fight and resist enemies of their common good. Interestingly, federal might can only work in states where the people allow needless, division, blackmail, intrigues and hypocrisy to thrive. In my state, Kwara, blessed with a selfless, committed and working leader, Senator Bukola Saraki, who following in the footsteps of his father, has continued to touch lives positively through unprecedented philanthropy, the PDP and their federal might can only but scratch a dream! Globally, today, Dr Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King Jnr; Mother Theresa and Princess Diana of blessed memories, among others, are still fondly remembered and celebrated not because of the political office they held, but mainly because of the exemplary life of selfless service which they lived, especially, caring for the lowly in society. Many years after death, they remain stuck to the minds of the people; great and small, rich and poor due to their life of giving and hearts fixated on making positive impacts on society at large. It is this same commitment to transforming Kwara State that has formed a meeting point for the late Waziri, Senator Olusola Saraki, the father, Dr Bukola Saraki, a former governor and the son, such that the mention of their names evoke great joy amongst the people. From road construction, job creation, skills acquisition centers, scholarships for overseas study for indigenes, healthcare centres and hospitals, affordable tuition fees in schools,

training of pilots, rehabilitation of schools, agricultural revolution, loans to set up own businesses, Governor Ahmed has also sustained a culture of development and thus delivering on democratic dividends, which ultimately impact on peoples’ lives. Ahmed’s popularity among the people has been helped in no small measure by the political influence of Dr Bukola, who like his father, has been a rallying point for both great and small. An undisputable dominant force in Kwara politics, the solid foundations laid by Bukola, no doubt, has helped Governor Ahmed in redeeming his promises and sustaining his bond with the people. This is why it would qualify for height of self-deceit and delusion to try to cause disaffection among the people in the face of the enormous achievements and giant leap the APC state has made in the last few years. Like Governor Rauf Aregbesola and Osun people, who voted the popular man, at the right time, the Kwara people will speak based on what they see, federal might or not. Or, is it not said that seeing is believing? In the face of dwindling resources from the federation account as a result of corruption and especially diversion of oil revenue, the state still embarked on massive project like the on-going Patigi/Pada, Share/Okeode and Kiama/Kishi roads, Ilorin water project, renovated more than 400 classrooms, world class general hospitals, among others. How else would the people appreciate the APC other than another endorsement through massive peoples’ vote? • SMO writes from Baboko, Ilorin

THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

COMMENTS

HE federal government’s management of the security for the recent gubernatorial elections in Ekiti and Osun States has left us something big to ponder. In both states, we witnessed a very massive mobilization of the military, the police and other security apparatchiks. We also witnessed the arrests of some politically active citizens, even before polling day in some cases. Some were reported to have been detained for some time –without charge. I will notdwell here on the motive of these actions. Understandably, members of parties other than the party in control of the federal government are angrily suspicious that the purpose was to rig the elections in the two states. And it is true that, in the distorted and crooked federation that Nigeria has become, part of the destructive culture proudly upheld by the federal establishment is to rig elections and cause disruption in all parts of Nigeria. I agree that that is a very major subject worthy of attention, but it is not my focus as I write this article today. As we have all watched the military, police and security forces in their bombardments of Ekiti and Osun states, one reality, among many, has stood out most sharply in my thoughts – namely, the cultural implications of these governmental brutalities in the homeland of the Yoruba people. Whether other Nigerian peoples choose to recognize it or not, brash, brutal, insensitive, and violent leadership and governance are very strange to the political culture and expectations of Yoruba people. I am not suggesting at all that those among us whose party controls the federal power would not have been happy that their big party-men from Abuja came with all the coercive forces of the federal government to help their electoral efforts in their state. What I say is that the Yoruba nation and its people, as a people, have, in all essence, long graduated beyond over-coercive and brutal governance in their history – long before the coming of the British or of Nigeria. For many centuries before the coming of the British, the Yoruba had evolved a political system characterized by respect for the sovereignty of the people; the right of the people to select their rulers and chiefs; the right of the common people to be respected by their rulers, chiefs and leaders; the duty of the rulers, chiefs and leaders to uphold accountability, dignity and integrity in leadership and governance; and the right of the people to speak freely in matters concerning their

Nigeria’s irreconcilable cultural differences community and their government. Among most other peoples ruled by kings, a deceased king is automatically succeeded by his child, and his subjects have no say in the matter. Unlike them all, we Yoruba established the right to select our kings. We also established the right, and the system, for peacefully removing unpopular kings. Unlike kings in most other cultures, our kings were not autocrats; they had to work with councils of chiefs. Unlike most other peoples, we Yoruba people established powerful agencies that watched over the conduct of our rulers, our chiefs and our prominent citizens, agencies that had the power to seriously penalize even our highest rulers or chiefs or prominent citizens for infringements of their high codes of honour. Unlike most peoples in the world, we Yoruba traditionally give a lot of scope to our women. In our traditional family compounds, the influence of the women (the wives of the men born to the family) was considerable. In the larger community, every Yoruba kingdom had different kinds of women chieftaincies. Although we usually talk as if royal thrones were only for men, there is probably no Yoruba kingdom that never had a woman on the throne in our history. Even in cults that are supposed to be for men only (like the Egungun cult), we Yoruba almost invariably established positions for some women in the top leadership. Above all, traditionally, Yoruba women commanded a large share in their country’s wealth – much more than one would find among the women of most other peoples in the world. This is because Yoruba women controlled almost all the trade of their country. As traders also, Yoruba women freely took trade throughout their country, as well as to most parts of Black Africa, and established trading colonies as far away as today’s Sudan, Mali, and the valley of the Senegal. They made the Yoruba language the language of trade in many distant parts of West Africa. Among the Yoruba literate elite today, women are very influential. As a result of all this history and culture, the average Yoruba person tends to have a

T was at the church service for the 90th birthday of the legendary matriarch of the Awo dynasty Chief Dr Hannah Dideolu Awolowo in Ikenne that the thoughts that prompted this article began. Some well known highly placed gentlemen and their wives were called upon to partake in the wine sipping, bread breaking ritual called Holy Communion. As soon as these respectable ladies and gentlemen, all of them past age 70, and amongst whom were renowned professors, high court judges, legal luminaries and business moguls, finished their spiritual blessing and were returning to their seats, they caught a pitiable sight in their over-flowing garb of hypocrisy. They wore forlorn mien plastered with furrowed frowned faces like some one afflicted with putrid smell of heavy dose of fart. They looked as if they were mourning a three-yearold boy mistakenly killed by his own father, or the passing of a poor woman who has just succumbed to excruciatingly painful cancer. They clung to their wives as if they were newly wedded. I temporarily forgot that I was in a holy church, the spiritual enclave of Christians. I almost laughed my head off because I knew each of the ‘holy’ ‘monogamous’ men intimately and by Jove, I knew of their second, third or fourth wives/liaisons/ mistresses with whom they had sired several children. To the whole world they were champions of monogamy, but to their hearts and conscience they were celebrated polygamists, or at best, serial monogamists. Pshaw! I saw pain written all over them, the agony of living a lie, the unease of hypocrisy, and the shame of going through life pretending to be what you are not. This is the sort of agony a lot of the so-called monogamists go through all their lives. The series of lies they sell to their wives, and the double life they present to their pastors and church leaders, most of whom are actually equally guilty of hypocrisy and double life living. This piece is not set out to condemn or criticise monogamy. Monogamy is perfect for those who believe in its concept and can genuinely keep to it. I too have been married to one lovely woman for almost 45 years and it has been like a marriage made in heaven. I happen also to be the promoter along with some friends the 35-year-old Family Club of Nigeria which is dedicated to the upliftment and celebration of marriage and family values. The article is designed to expose the hypocrisy and pain associated with embracing false notions which are really not observed by any culture in the world, and to advise those who erroneously sentence themselves to a life of sadness and emptiness because they were deceived to believe that there is some utopia somewhere called monogamy.

high degree of self-worth, and a confident assurance that he or she may freely make his or her voice heard in the affairs of his or her community or nation. Collectively, we Yoruba desire to live in a situation in which we respect and honour our rulers, and they dutifully and decently respect us the common people. These are the fundamentals of Yoruba political behavior and Yoruba political expectations today. It is the reason why Yoruba people have usually shown themselves much more hostile to the Nigerian culture of election rigging since independence. We Yoruba cannot stand it when some big federal bosses come arrogantly to our states, presuming that their positions and power entitle them to manipulate and rig our elections, and fraudulently choose our state rulers for us. In fact we Yoruba are only barely tolerating Nigeria’s presidential system – the system in which a president operates as the almighty controller of all power, all resources, all localities, and all assets in Nigeria, and in which state governors operate as the controllers of all the rest of power and management in our states and show no respect to elected State legislators or even their own commissioners. We are not used to being ruled by autocratic governments. What we are used to is a system of government characterized by collective and shared responsibility, mutual respect among high public officials, and a reliable culture of respect of government and leaders for us the people. In short, we Nigerians live in a cobweb of cultural differences that are essentially impossible to sort out. Almost every people in Nigeria feels, one way or other, that Nigeria is trampling rough-shod over them. And yet, as the trajectory of Nigeria’s existence powerfully shows, any hope that Nigeria can, or will, change its course is futile day-dreaming. We have now had a National Conference which we cannot claim to have been manipulated or wrecked by a President, and yet, the total effect of its outcome is very likely to be a stronger federal establishment and weaker, and subordinate, federating units. The disease

Gbogun gboro that has been killing Nigeria has been given greater power to kill. But hope is not lost – I mean hope of sensible systems of government, of better governments, of sensitive and patriotic leaders, of emerging crowds of skilled workers, entrepreneurs and business owners, and of rapidly expanding opportunities for all citizens. Reading what Nigerians write in the media these days, one cannot miss the growing desires for new and smaller countries in which these hopes can quickly become reality – countries carved out of Nigeria.

‘We have now had a National Conference which we cannot claim to have been manipulated or wrecked by a President, and yet, the total effect of its outcome is very likely to be a stronger federal establishment and weaker, and subordinate, federating units. The disease that has been killing Nigeria has been given greater power to kill’

Agony of monogamy By Tola Adeniyi I am very much aware that this article will generate a lot of controversy most especially from those who live holier-thanthou life and have continued to deceive the world that they are upholders of a doctrine that is not supported by true and enlightened interpretation of any religious doctrine. The white men, I am yet to see any human being whose skin colour is like that of chalk, came and told the unfortunate lands they invaded that the cherished cultures, traditions and religions of such lands were rubbish, and instead indoctrinated them with values which they themselves never believed in or truly practiced. We know of King Henry Vlll, and several major historical figures in ‘Christian’ Europe who had more than one wife in addition of a string of wives who their ‘laws’ forbade them to address as wives but who nonetheless perform all the functions of wife minus name. God bless President Mitterrand who openly confessed to having two women in his life, with the one in the other house with whom he fathered an 18-year-old daughter at the time he passed on. I have schooled, worked and lived virtually in all the continents of the world and I make bold to say with all emphasis at my disposal that no culture on planet earth truly practices monogamy. My Greek, Italian, Russian, British, American and other Caucasians routinely visit their other wives [called by other names] with whom they have children. But back in the homes shared with the one carrying the ring, they are monogamists! If God had wanted humanity to be monogamous, He or She would not have made the pigeon the only monogamous creature. The cultures that practice polygamy had always known that at any given time, the number of available marriageable women far out number available men plus the fact that an 80year-old man, if he has money, is still very much in the market whereas a 60-year-old woman may not be that lucky. The biological limitation to a woman’s productive age is also a factor. Why should a woman therefore remain on the shelf till age 45 when she could jolly well get married as second or sixth wife to a man who can afford to share life’s responsibilities with her? Why should a woman leave a man with whom she is No 1, simply because took a second wife and end up being numberless in the hands of several men with whom she naturally shares bed just because of some

doctrine she hardly understands? All the women who should go and marry but are saying they do not want to share their man with another woman in a polygamous setting, are sharing current boyfriends with several other women. Where is the logic? The argument that children in a polygamous house are always at each other’s throat does not hold water. Many siblings of monogamous families are known to have had worse and irresolvable, irreconcilable squabble, with dirty bitterness over inheritance than children from different mothers. The agony suffered by both men and women in the hand of unnatural laws and doctrines is too stifling for comfort. In 2002, 502 Reverend mothers were reported to have died while procuring abortion in Rome. Nigerian Tribune wrote an editorial on the unfortunate incident. And stories of Reverend fathers having children and sodomising young men in their care are legion! Why the hypocrisy? Why should the world continue to live the life of Ostrich? A well known Nigerian journalist hid his other wives from his wife because his religion would not permit of it and his wife, living in monogamy should not hear of it. At his funeral service, other wives surfaced and the woman parading the ring collapsed. It was the grace of God that prevented double interment that day! The Western world which had not learnt the art of living amicably with more than one partner under the same roof has indulged in multiple serial marriages, divorcing innocent wives under flimsy excuses so that another woman can move in should not be measure of standard for the world. Thank God Hillary Clinton in the US and Mrs Cook in England were very much wiser. They refused to allow some indiscretion on the part of their husbands to ruin their marriages. There was a well known American actor who passed on about a decade ago and all his 11 ex-wives with their numerous children attended his funeral. To ridicule the lie of their hypocritical existence, all the women were recognised and addressed as wives. As far as records show, the man had 11 wives! Society must rethink this issue of pretentious monogamy vis-à-vis polygamy so that in the not-too-distant future we do not end up with millions of unmarried women whose life style would be worse than prostitutes’ and millions of children whose fathers would be nowhere to be found.

THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

•Obiora

THE NATION

EDUCATION

THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

The late Prof Jacob Festus Ade Ajayi bestrode the academia like a colossus. At a young age, he was Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) where he made a mark after a six-year stint. The renowned historian died last Saturday, about three months after his 85th birthday, reports KOFOWOROLA BELO-OSAGIE .

Exit of the teacher’s teacher •Ade Ajayi (1929-2014)

•The late Prof Ade Ajayi. Inset: The Art block, one of the structures he built at the University of Lagos.

ORTY-TWO years ago when the late Prof Jacob Festus Ajayi became Vice Chancellor (VC) of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), he was 43. At that age, the late Prof Ade Ajayi was one of the youngest VCs in the country then. But his age did not stop him from proving his mettle as an administrator and a taecher. Under him, UNILAG grew. Many of his students remember him today for what he did at UNILAG and the University of Ibadan (UI), where he started as a lecturer and returned after his tenure at UNILAG. His many students, including Emeritus Professor Akinjide Osuntokun, Pro-Chancellor, Ekiti State University (EKSU); Prof Ayodeji Olukoju, Vice Chancellor, Caleb University; Prof Ade Adefuye, Nigeria's Ambassador to

the United States; and his protégé, Dr Toyin Falola, will not forget how he laid the foundation for their success in life, and put African History on the world map. They will not also forget the many innovations he introduced as an administrator.

A Teacher/historian

Teaching had always been in the late Prof Ade Ajayi’s blood. Even before he completed his bachelors and masters degrees in English, Latin and History as a foundation student of the University College, Ibadan (now UI), he taught at the Christ's School, Ado-Ekiti, and Ibadan Boys' High School between 1948 and 1951. He continued his teaching and research activities in far away United Kingdom where he went for further studies at the University of London and

INSIDE

CU is best private varsity

-Page 27

N268m reward for 134 Lagos schools -Page 47

University College, Leicester (1952-1958). Returning home in 1958, he became a lecturer at UI, rising to become a professor of history in 1963. His mission was clear to his students - he wanted them to study, research into the various areas of history and return to teach others. Prof Adefuye testified of the late Ade Ajayi’s influence on his studying Ugandan History for his Ph.D research. Dr Austin Nwagbara of the English Department, UNILAG, added that the late Prof Ade Ajayi helped many of his students to secure scholarships abroad. Prof Osuntokun was one of those privileged to study abroad, courtesy of the late Prof Ade Ajayi. He credits his late teacher, whom he calls his academic father, as a builder of men. "He was a great known figure; a great teacher; quiet worker and meticulous researcher. He

CAMPUS LIFE Day of rage at UNICAL -Page 29

also built people. He was largely responsible for the younger crop of historians like me. He organised postgraduate training for those who wanted to pursue academic careers. He made sure we researched into the various areas of history because he wanted us to replace all the expatriates at that time," he said. Prof Abayomi Akinyeye, Dean, Faculty of Arts, UNILAG, said he found support in Ajayi for his postgraduate research in the 80s. "I had one-on-one talk with him when I was just starting my post graduate studies. I was writing on the History of Post and Telegraphs in Nigeria then, that was way back 1982. After my proposal here, I went down to Ibadan and I went to his office to show him what I was writing and he encouraged me," he said. • Continued on Page 26

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

THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

EDUCATION U.S. film teachers praise Nigerian students

TEACHER and expert in film production design, costume and set design, Miss Wendalyn Slipakoff, has said Nigerians are hungrier for education than the average American who takes education for granted. She spoke at the opening of the 2014 Del-York Creative Academy (DCA) four-week intensive film making workshop holding at the Digital Bridge Institute, Lagos. "It's been really exciting for me because this is the first time that I have to teach in an environment where everybody is so hungry to learn. In the United States, one of the challenges we have is that we tend to take education for granted. It's not like that here. I am humbled by the spirit of the people," she said. Tagged: "Film made in Nigeria", the programme is aimed at reaching out to people who are creative and improve their skills and cre-

‘This is the first time that I have to teach in an environment where everybody is so hungry to learn. In the United States...we tend to take education for granted. It's not like that here. I am humbled by the spirit of the people’

By Medinat Kanabe

ative capacity especially film makers and broadcast journalists in Nigeria. Another teacher at the programme, Sara Rabuse, who teaches make-up, also praised the students for their interest in special effect make-up, which is not very developed in Nigeria. "I am talking about special effects like bruises, mask, blood, monsters and zombies. I see people who are hungry for knowledge in the area of special effect. What special effect classifies is anything that has to do with fake blood, bruises; up to prosthetics and hair work," she said. She said that she noticed a lot of the materials that they use in the U.S. to create special effects are not available Nigeria. "The make-up artistes have to make their own blood. They use ketchup and blackcurrant. In the US, we have blood that is already made. We go to the store and we buy special blood that is made for film and television. Some of them are using materials that are used for gluing sculptures together. They are using permanent glues on human skin that is burning and causing abrasions and hurting the actors' skin. In the U.S., we have stuff that is specifically made for skin." The CEO, DCA, Mr Linus Idahosa, said about 68 lecturers from New York and Los Angeles have taught at the workshop in the last four years. "We host them in this country for three months and while they are here, we expect them to impact on the students in the rudiments of film making and creative acts," he said.

NAPS condemns attack on Kano Poly

HE National Association of Polytechnic Students (NAPS) has expressed worries over the increasing rate of Boko Haram attacks in the country. The students' group condemned the sect's attack on Kano State Polytechnic on July 30. It urged security operatives to adapt other means of fighting the group. In a statement in Abuja, the NAPS President, Comrade Ogbonnaya commiserated with the families of the deceased students, the school and the Kano State government. He said: "Only recently, we were greeted with the sad news of the death of scores of students of the Kano State Polytechnic who met their untimely death in the hands

‘The leadership of NAPS strongly condemn the activities this blood tasty, reckless and wicked group called the Boko Haram’

From Gbenga Omokhunu, Abuja

of persons now believed to be from the Boko Haram sect. “The leadership of NAPS strongly condemn the activities this blood tasty, reckless and wicked group called the Boko Haram. We therefore call on the security outfit in the country to fasten their belt in the fight against insurgency. "To this end, we express our heartfelt condolence to the family of the deceased, the management of the institution and the government of Kano State on this great and irreplaceable loss of great Nigerians who represent the future of this country." The student also praised President Goodluck Jonathan for raising funds for victims of Boko Haram. "We also wish to use this medium to commend the President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan for his commendable initiative in coming up with a fund raising program to ameliorate the sufferings of the victims of Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria. It is our belief that the resources realised will be used in the best interest of a peaceful and better Nigeria.

UAM matriculates 5,868 freshers

ICE Chancellor of the Federal University of Agriculture Makurdi (UAM), Prof Emmanuel Kucha, has charged 5,868 new students admitted for the 2013/2014 academic session to shun social vices such as cultism, indecent dressing, sexual harassment, drug abuse, and examination misconduct. Kucha, in his address, advised the students to get their priorities right and settle down quickly for the academic challenges ahead. He further reminded the freshers that they many experience a little discomfort while undertaking the

From Uja Emmanuel, Makurdi

rigours of academic work. But he encouraged them to regard the challenges as experience and surmount any obstacle. The vice chancellor announced that UAM would host the 25th edition of the Nigerian University Games Association (NUGA), urging the students to take advantage and engage in sporting activities to win laurels. Of the 5,868 students that matriculated, 3,252 are full time degree students, 916 students are for the sandwich programme, while 1,700 are post graduate students.

•Prof Bello with Ajayi’s widow, Mrs Christy Ade Ajayi in Ibadan.

Exit of the teacher’s teacher

• Continued from Page 25

Another student of his, Prof Ayodeji Olukoju, who he taught as a postgraduate student in 1981, said Ajayi was held in high esteem as an authority in all areas of history. "He was a teacher. Before asking us to present our seminar papers as postgraduate students back then, he would take time to teach us. By the time we knew him, he was already a living legend. We held him in awe. Baba Ajayi was a deep man - he had breath of knowledge of history. He could write. He had a way of writing that was interesting.” In his days, the late Prof Ade Ajayi worked hard to establish a place for African History, which was then not reckoned with on the international scene. According to Prof Adefuye, through research in which he engaged his students, the late Prof Ade Ajayi proved that Africa had a history before colonialism. His essay titled: “Colonial: An Episode in African History”, is noted for settling the matter. In a tribute to the historian on his 85th birthday on May 26, Adefuye wrote: "The response of Ajayi and the Ibadan History School was the undertaking of rigorous research of the study of pre-colonial African societies: the kingdoms, the institutions and their constitutions. The study and publication of scholarly works on such kingdoms of Oyo, Benin, Ife, the Niger Delta societies, the Sokoto Caliphate, Segu Tukulo Empire, blew the top of eurocentric philosophy of African History. It established a theoretical foundation and justification for African nationalism leading to independence. "Ajayi pointed out that the partition of Africa and the impact of colonial rule and even post-independence environment cannot be properly understood without the knowledge of precolonial African History. African history existed before colonialism. Colonialism was no more than an episode in African history. Like the history of all humanities, the history of Africa is a continuum. Colonialism was merely an episode but not the totality of African experience. African values, culture and biases though

• Prof Osuntokun

•Prof Olokoju

dynamic, continue to be enduring and shaped events even in contemporary times." Ajayi also contributed to academic discourse through his textbooks, which the UNILAG Vice Chancellor, Prof Rahamon Bello, said were widely read in secondary schools. The books include: A History of West Africa (1971); The Planting of Baptist Mission Work Among the Yoruba, 1850-1960: A Study in Religio-Cultural Conflict, Yoruba Warfare in the 19th century (1964), and Christian Missions in Nigeria, 1841-1891: The Making of a New Elite, among many other publications. A professor of History at the University of Ibadan, Charles Adesina, said the late academic giant helped Africans to understand and appreciate their own identity. "He placed Africa squarely at the centre of their own history. So that constituted the basis for the field that subsequently became known as African History. This inevitably also led to the development of African Historiography," he said. Prof Adeyeye said the late Prof Ajayi’s shoes in the academic circles would be difficult to fill. "His reputation is phenomenal worldwide. He was among the generation of historians that opened another perspective to the study of African History and he made enormous contribution at different forums. He was a member of the UNESCO General History for Africa - he was an Editor of the volume; and his intellectual spanned a broad spectrum of history. And the void he has left would be difficult to fill," he said. An administrator Ajayi's administrative skills were evident in his grooming of the UI History Department to a place of reck-

oning in international circles. Vice Chancellor, Prof Isaac Adewole, said in a statement that it was under the deceased that the Ibadan School of History, based in UI's Department of History, became the dominant school in the study of African and Nigerian History. As the UNILAG’s third VC between 1972 and 1978, Ajayi is credited with building most of the enduring infrastructure dotting the university today. A well celebrated man before he became VC, the late Prof Ade Ajayi could be described as the father of modern UNILAG. He constructed the Faculty of Arts block, guest houses, staff club, main auditorium, council chambers/library building, Faculty of Engineering, Sciences, and residential quarters. Prof Bello, said Ajayi not only developed infrastructure but introduced programmes that earned UNILAG respect in international circles. He said: "As an administrator at the University of Lagos, his regime shaped this institution. And you could move around and see the effect of his administration on this campus. He conceptualised and built the New Hall, where we have the greatest number of students housed; he also built the three high rise buildings for the university; and he went on to develop quite a large number of programmes. I remember Chemical Engineering was his baby; and many other programmes in the institution which have really created a name for the university. As far as development is concerned, he was the interregnum between the old era and the new era in this university." Prof Osuntokun, who moved to UNILAG while Ajayi was VC, praised his late teacher for establishing an academic tradition at the university. "He elevated UNILAG to what it is today because a university without a great academic tradition cannot excel," he said. Dr Nwagbara added that the late Prof Ade Ajayi played a great role in preparing the present crop of university administrators for their careers. "The crop of professors running this university now was trained during

‘He was a great known figure; a great teacher; quiet worker and meticulous researcher. He also built people. He was largely responsible for the younger crop of historians like me. He organised postgraduate training for those who wanted to pursue academic careers. He made sure we researched into the various areas of history because he wanted us to replace all the expatriates at that time’

• Continued on Page 27

THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

EDUCATION

CU is best private varsity

UNILORIN FILE

ADO POLY FILE

•Hopes to unseat OAU soon

HEN he assumed office barely two years ago, the Vice Chancellor, Covenant University, Ota, Prof Charles Korede Ayo, was given a mandate by the chancellor, Bishop David Oyedepo, to make the institution one of the top 10 institutions in the world. This sounded impossible but with the institution ranked the best private university in the July/August 2014 Webometrics Ranking of Nigerian universities, the goal becomes within reach. According to Webometrics, CU ranks 25th in Africa and 2075th in the world. But Ayo promises that it would not be long before it is ranked the best university in Nigeria, after which it will take the fight to the international scene. "By next year, we hope to unseat Obafemi Awolowo University, then we will focus on international universities. With the mandate given to me, I still have a long way to go, so I have time to get the university to the top 10 best universities in the world," he said in an interview with The Nation last Thursday. The university is ambitious and hopes to achieve the feat that has taken world class universities 200 years in 10 years. "In the 19th century, the University of Chicago was able to make the world-class university in 20 years, so we can do it. It takes a lot but if the

By Medinat Kanabe

proprietorship can come up with the mandate then they are ready to support us financially. Moreover, the age of Methuselah is inconsequential to the wisdom of Solomon," he added. According to him, the university management is not surprised about the feat because several years back, CU started winning the best-ICT driven university in Africa and Nigeria award consistently for many years. "I am sure it will not take some of our contemporaries by surprise looking at our antecedents. We are a university focused on attaining a feat," he said. Asked what the university's secret is, Ayo said it is spirituality and absolute dependence on God, a focused workforce, and committed leadership. He added that the school man-

agement reviews its strategies before each academic session. "We gather at the African Leadership Development Centre (ALDC) where we compare notes - review our strategies - looking at where we have done well and where we need to improve. Another strategy is that during our summer school, we have our collaborators and partners from all over the world who come to teach our students. All these are to pursue the mandate and vision of being a world class university," he said. Providing funds to achieve its aim is not a problem for CU. If the university has to spend more to get the best quality hands, the VC said it does. This, he explained, informed why CU invited two Nobel Laureates, Prof Thomas Sergent of New York University and Prof Eric Maskin of Harvard University to its international conference. "For two people to fly first class, speak for less than one hour and collect $85,000 is pretty expensive. Here

‘Another strategy is that during our summer school, we have our collaborators and partners from all over the world who come to teach our students. All these are to pursue the mandate and vision of being a world class university’

Doctoral students win grants

•Prof Ayo

the proprietor base is committed to funding research. Once you can conceive the idea and there is logic in it, bring the idea forward and it will be funded. For us to attain the feat, we need quality to come here so that we are able to rewrite the history of Nigerian education," he noted. To achieve its aim in research and quality teaching, Ayo said the university has 50 professors, 188 PhD holders, 21 associate professors and are still advertising in both local and international dailies for more. The students are not left out of the CU dream. "We hold meetings with the entire student body where we open up to them. We tell them to come to us if they have any suggestions that can assist the university to develop or any research breakthrough that can be useful to the university," he said.

Institute holds training on skills development

OOD work ethics, positive attitude, communication skills, team building and creative thinking are some of the skills participants will gain at the 22nd Annual Trainers Conference of the Nigerian Institute of Training and Development (NITAD)which holds from August 22 to 26 at the Rock View Hotel, Wuse, in Abuja. Chairman of the Conference Planning Committee, Mr Laolu Oguntuyi said at a briefing in Lagos that these skills are not taught in schools though employers price them high. He said participants will learn about these skills and more at the conference which has as theme: Learning and Development: PreRequisite to Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurial Growth. In choosing the theme, Oguntuyi added that as an institute focused on life-long learning, NITAD has chosen to address a critical need in the Nigerian economy. "Employers nowadays look at soft skills and down play technical skills. That is why the conference is looking at both soft and hard skills. We should embrace entrepreneurship. If we do, we cannot complain of poverty and most of our problems would be solved," he said

• From left: Ms. Akinbanji, Mr Oguntuyi, Rev Salawu, and Mr. Soji Akinyemi, PRO, NITAD at the briefing. By Kofoworola Belo-Osagie

while responding to questions by journalists. He added: "There is no issue that should be addressed as a matter of urgent national importance than that of skills acquisition. The importance of skill acquisition cannot be over-emphasised because its role in national development is multi-dimensional." Also speaking, NITAD Registrar, Ms Mofe Akinbanji, said rather than

wait for the government to drive skills acquisition and entrepreneurship Nigerians have to provide a platform for youths to learn to gain skills for self reliance. She said: "When you talk about skills acquisition and entrepreneurship, it is not about what government will do. Government has been doing its part - providing money for young people with ideas. But skills acquisition is about youths getting skills. There are millions of young graduates who spend years without

jobs yet do not have skills. Going to school and having a degree is not enough. After that what next?" After the conference, NITAD's first vice president, Rev. Tunde Salawu, said the communiqué would be sent to the Federal Government and heads of the various tertiary institutions. Managing directors, vice chancellors, deans, permanent secretaries, principals, teachers, lecturers, students, and others are expected to attend the training.

Ex-students give back to alma mater

HE 1979-1984 set of the Nigerian Military School Zaria, Ex-boys Association, has donated classroom furniture worth N5 million to their alma mater. The National Coordinator, NMS Ex-boys Association (79-84 set), Deji Fisho made this known at the association's 30th Anniversary Award Dinner and Gala in Abuja. He explained that the gesture was part of the group's commitment to development of the school. "We have been involved in supporting best students in various subjects. We have also been involved in giving back to the school. Today we actually have a programme called 'Giving Back to

From Frank Ikpefan, Abuja

NMS' and we are going to be giving about 1,000 units of tables and chairs to the school," Fisho said. The Chairman of the Local Organising Committee for the anniversary, Mr. Chidi Onuogo, explained that the donation was based on needs assessment of the school.

"There are so many things you can do for a school, but based on needs assessment, we took a trip to the school, spoke to the commandant and asked him what he would want us to do and then he led us and said he would be happy if we could contribute by donating seats and desks tothe students," he said.

‘We have been involved in supporting best students in various subjects. We have also been involved in giving back to the school. Today we actually have a programme called 'Giving Back to NMS’

Guest speaker, Rear Admiral Godwill Aye Ombo (rtd), said many old boys had donated to the school in the past two years. He urged others to emulate them. "The set that passed out in 1993 donated 20 computers to celebrate the 20th year of their P.O.P. Senator Major Sani Sale also renovated the Boy’s RSM Quarters; another exboy built a swimming pool for the school. "I, therefore, urge all ex-boys that we must relent on our spirit of solidarity, we must continue to build up our sets, we must continue to help our junior ones to build up their sets and must all belong to state chapters," he said.

THREE doctoral students of the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) have won the Association of African Universities (AAU) grants to support their research in Counsellor Education, Common Law and Home Economics. The students are: Esther Adeloye (Ph.D. in Counsellor Education); Mariam Mustapha-Abdulraheem, (Ph.D. in Common Law) and Fausat Lola Kolawole, (Ph.D.) in Home Economics). They were awarded $3,500 each to work on their research projects. Dean, Postgraduate School, Prof. Clement Bewaji, while felicitating with the awardees, urged them not to rest on their oars but to utilise the grants effectively so that they can also win the Nigerian Universities Doctoral Theses Award (NUDTAS), which will bring glory to the University. According to the dean, the interactive session, which was organised at the behest of the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. AbdulGaniyu Ambali, was also meant to sensitise other postgraduate students on how to seek and access research grants. Bewaji noted that shortage of funds for research is one of the most significant challenges confronting postgraduate students. He, therefore, enjoined them to look out for grant opportunities.

VC advises on Ebola THE UNILORIN Vice-Chancellor, Prof AbdulGaniyu Ambali, has appealed to the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) to intensify efforts to prevent the influx of people with the Ebola virus into the country. He made the appeal when the Comptroller of Immigration, Kwara State Command, Mr. Peter Aburime, visited him. Given the deadly nature of the disease, Ambali said the NIS must be vigilant to avert the spread of the virus into Nigeria. The ViceChancellor added that the University Senate has approved a sensitisation programme for the university community on how to prevent the disease. He urged the NIS to keep the university informed of the government’s directives on the virus. Aburime disclosed that over 1000 corps have been trained and are being deployed in the borders, noting that illiteracy, which he described as a major problem at the borders, has slowed down the ECOWAS regional integration plan.

Exit of the teacher’s teacher • Continued from Page 26

his time. Many of them had their scholarships; which showed that he had vision - not just for that time, but for the future as the vice chancellor. And he provided them with funding, and some of them studied abroad," he said, adding: “In his time, many of them had their scholarship, which showed that he had vision. He really prepared the university, not just for the time being but for the future. Because a whole lot of them were trained. They did their postgraduate studies during his time and he sponsored it.” As activities to give Prof Ade Ajayi a befitting funeral kicks off, Prof Bello promised that UNILAG would play a prominent part to honour the man who brought so much development to the university. "University of Lagos will forever be grateful to him and will remember him, and it is our hope that his name will be immortalised in one way or the other at the University of Lagos," he said.

THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

EDUCATION GRADUATION

GRADUATION

‘Schools should be home away from home’

• Nursery pupils during the 12th graduation of Ajoke Kids Nursery and Primary School, Offa, Kwara State.

Proprietor reiterates commitment to morals T

HE Proprietress of Friendship Model School, Ijako Sugar, Ogun State, Mrs Fatimah Shoboyede, has reiterated the school’s commitment to inculcating moral values in its pupils. Speaking at the school’s third graduation, she said imbibing good qualities and values in children at foundation level is crucial to raising good future leaders.

By Oluwayemisi Awe

“The school will not relent in giving its best to the pupils,” she said. She praised the pupils for their outstanding performance, urging them to keep up the good work even as they transit to higher classes. She, however, advised the

Reward surprises pupil who prefers books to food

HIDINMA Onyeukwu should not have any problem excelling in secondary school. This is because she loves to study. She even prefers her books to eating. At the graduation of Lily Vale Nursery and Primary School, Pipeline, Akute, Ogun State, Chidinma was the cynosure of all eyes as she received awards and was announced the overall best pupil of the outgoing Basic Six class. However, despite her preparation, the award caught her unaware. She said she thought it would go to her close friend, Aina Nifemi Ayomide, who she described as equally intelligent. On how she achieved the feat, the 10-year-old said: "I was praying and reading as well. Sometimes if my mother wants to give me food, I will say 'Mummy, I don't want food, I want to read', that's how I was able to achieve it." Her mother, Mrs Chinyere Onyeukwu, said she and her

husband also monitored Chidinma's progress in school. "I thank God for everything. Apart from her efforts, as parents, we usually help out, taking feedback from school, finding out how she is doing, helping with the home work, correcting her and showing her how to study," she said. The event which coincided with the school's 10th anniversary featured songs, dance, and various presentations. The Proprietress, Funmi Chukuka, thanked God for the school and admonished the outgoing pupils on life after graduation. "We congratulate our Basic Six pupils as we bid them farewell. May your path through the rest of your educational pursuits be smooth and may God show you mercy as you go on in life. Please do not forget that character counts. Always try your best in all you do to glorify God. "I say a big thank you to my colleagues, both the teaching and non-teaching staff of the school for

graduating pupils to be humble, strong and develop a lot of perseverance when faced with challenges in their new environment. “I wish you the best of luck as you transit to the next level. It is my belief that you have been well -equipped by your teachers and spiritually endowed by God to conquer the world. Remain focused and do not be distracted,” she said.

By Medinat Kanabe

ROPRIETRESS, Redeemer's Delight School, Ipaja, Lagos, Mrs Felicia Alademehin, has charged school owners to make their schools comfortable for pupils to make them feel at home. She spoke at the celebration of the school's end-of-the-session, prize giving day and graduation of primary five, Nursery two and Kindergarten two classes. She said: "All schools should aim at making children feel at home especially when it comes to space for them to run around. That is why we have this kind of structure. Government should make sure that mushroom schools are shut down. Some people will leave where they are teaching without acquiring the needed knowledge and immediately go to rent a shop or container to start up a school and bill parents 30 per day." Charging the government to ensure that standards are not compromise, she said maintaining standards would include quality of schools. However, if all schools must stay, she said the government can subsidise private education if all those schools must stay. Mrs Alademehin also called on school owners to make sure they set standards in their schools so that when the students go to other places they will not disappoint the school. "In this school, we have set a standard for ourselves. Several times

parents bring their children and when we test them, we tell their parents the class the children fit into but they refuse, demanding that we fix their children in the classes they want. We don't accept this here. The foundation has to be strong. Parents should not decide classes of their children and school owners should not allow parents decide for them on issues like that. They should take their children away if they don't want to take the advice of the school management," she said. Because of her school's insistence on quality, Mrs Alademehin said their products excel in other schools. "A school had to bring gifts to us to say we are doing well. When starting the school in 2006, I was scared at first. I had to attend seminars by government to make sure that I get everything right and it helped a lot. Ministry of Education has been coming and applauded the school. We have been able to put up all they want," she said. The proprietress advised parents not just to pay school fees but care for their wards. "Parents should also feed their children well so they can look healthy because they are the leaders of tomorrow. Don't deny them anything because they will be the ones to take care of you in your old age. Give your children the best. It is best to give your totality today so you can enjoy our future," she added. She also thanked and prayed for the parents.

said. The Head Mistress, Titilayo Orisabinone, touched on some of the achievements recorded during the

session. Other activities marking the 10th Year Anniversary included a rally and thanksgiving service at the New Covenant Church, Akute.

• Mrs Blessing Isiaka (right) presenting an award to Chidimma. With them is her mother, Mrs Chinyere Onyeukwu.

their diligence and initiatives. A special place must always be given to my friend, sister and fellow director, Mrs Orisabinone," she

•A cross-section of SS3 graduands at the 9th Valedictory of Apostolic Faith Secondary School, Lagos.

School marks silver jubilee

T was with excitement that the management, workers, parents, and pupils of ABDEK Private Schools, Somolu, Lagos, celebrated the school's 25th anniversary and 19th graduation and prize giving penultimate week. The event held the Banquet Hall of Somolu Local Government Secretariat, featured musical and cultural performances by the pupils. They performed the Yoruba bata dance, Igbo Atilogu dance and Hausa traditional dance to the admiration of the guests. Chairman of the occasion, Senator Anthony Adefuye, praised the Proprietor of the school, Abdullahi Olugbenga for his foresight in establishing the school 25 years ago to meet the educational needs of children in Somolu. From 20 pupils in 1988, the school

has 300 pupils. Mrs Yetunde Onanuga, director, Finance and Administration, office of the Special Adviser, Lagos State Ministry of Environment, noted that the school is one of the best schools in the council in terms of discipline and sound academic standard. She counselled the graduating pupils to make good use of the knowledge and discipline they got from ABDEK and be good ambassadors of the school. The Proprietor, Abdullahi Olugbenga the cordial relationship that exists between the school's management and the parents, is one of secrets of its success in the last 25 years. He also praised the workers for being dutiful, committed and alive to their responsibility.

Let there be light

*CAMPUSES

Gains of strike

*NEWS *PEOPLE *KUDOS& KNOCKS *GRANTS

Page 31 Page 42

THE NATION

CAMPUS LIFE 0805-450-3104 email: campusbeat@yahoo.com THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

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

email:- campuslife@thenationonlineng.net

Day of rage at UNICAL •Students casting their votes during the election

Violence broke out at the University of Calabar (UNICAL) last week when the Electoral Committee stopped the Students’ Union Government (SUG) election. In the ensuing melee, a student was hit by a stray bullet and the election was cancelled. STANLEY UCHEGBU (Accounting) and FRANK EJEAGBASI (400-Level Medical Physiology) report.

T all started peacefully. Amid fun and excitement, the University of Calabar (UNICAL) students went about casting their vote. Suddenly, the Electoral Committee stopped the Students’ Union Government (SUG) election and all hell was let loose at the 25,000-capacity Hogan Bassey Pavilion. Shots were fired to restore order. But, in the ensuing melee, Ndifreke Ukpong, a 400-Level Education Administration and Planning student, was hit. The Electoral Committee’s stoppage of the election, while many students were still on the queue to vote, sparked the unrest. The protesters accused the committee of trying to skew the exercise in a candidate’s favour. The university security personnel were ordered to take the ballot boxes to the Old Senate Chambers for counting with the candidates’ agents. But the disenfranchised students protested and started chanting: “We want to vote, we no go gree; we want to vote, we no go gree.” The aggrieved students trailed the security personnel, who

tried to make a detour, on seeing that the Old Senate Chambers would not be convenient for the counting of votes. They turned towards the New Arts Auditorium (NAT), while the angry students kept following them and chanting. As they approached the Faculty of Social Science block, CAMPUSLIFE gathered that the security personnel fired into the air to scare the protesters. Some students defied the shooting and stayed behind to know where the ballot boxes were being taken. It was gathered a student was hit by stray a bullet, leading to a bedlam as people scampered for safety. An eyewitness, who claimed to be standing beside the victim, said: “The security man that fired the shot held the gun, facing down. The bullet rebounded and hit the student standing beside me. Even, the victim did not know he was hit; I drew his attention to his bleeding body. Then, people ran towards him and rushed him to the hospital. I thank God because it could have been me.” The incident heightened tension on the campus, with

•Exam threatened as strike looms in Kogi varsity-P32

students raring for a showdown. Riot policemen were invited and a former SUG presidential aspirant, John Etim, was arrested. His arrest angered students, who hurled objects, including stones, at the policemen to free their colleague. John was later released. A Law student, who did not want his name in print, condemned the deployment of policemen to “deal with defenceless students”. The SUG president, Bassey Eka, pacified the annoyed students. Bassey pleaded with them to be peaceful, promising that the union would investigate the incident. He requested the students to follow him to the Hogan Bassey Pavilion to take a stand on how to go about the matter. At the pavilion, Bassey said: “We cannot employ violence to seek redress for a perceived injustice. We demand that the election be nullified until we know the condition of our colleague, who was shot.” Students agreed that the election

•Continued on page 30

•UNIZIK student is Mr. Anambra Universe-P41

THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

CAMPUS LIFE

After Ade Ajayi, will history end? (1) T HE notion or postulation of the end of history as a dialectical process was first coined by the great 19th century German philosopher Friedrich Hegel. He believed that history follows progression through a constant dialectical struggle of ideas: between thesis and antithesis which form a synthesis which become a thesis for the next stage of dialectics with a newly created antithesis. It was later used by Karl Marx who believed that the direction of historical development was a purposeful one determined by the interplay of material forces, and would come to an end only with the achievement of communism. In 1992, American political scientist, Francis Fukuyama published his very popular book, “The End of History and the Last Man.” The book is an expansion on his 1989 essay “The End of History?” published in the international affairs journal The National Interest. In the book, Fukuyama argues that the advent of Western liberal democracy may signal the endpoint of humanity’s sociocultural evolution and the final form of human government. He became an unlikely star of political science, dubbed the “court philosopher of global capitalism” by John Gray. The “end of history” thesis has been repeated enough to acquire the ring of truth – though, as with other academic endeavours, it has also been challenged. Some critics have cited 9/11 as a major counterexample. Others have pointed to the rise of Islamic fundamentalism, the Arab spring, the rise of the Islamic State and other global developments as proof that ideological contests remain. But Fukuyama was careful to stress that he was not saying that nothing significant would happen anymore, or that there would be no countries left in the world that did not conform to the liberal democratic model. “At the end of history,” he wrote, “it is not necessary that all societies become successful liberal societies merely that they end their ideological pretensions of representing different and higher forms of human society.” My intention today is to honour a man who gave the discipline of history in Nigeria and Africa “respect” and charted a

Pushing Out with

course which African history has followed ever since. EmeriAgbo Agbo tus Professor of history, Jacob 08116759750 Adeniyi Ajayi passed on last (SMS only) Sunday at the University College Hospital (UCH) Ibadan, •aagboa@gmail.com Oyo State at the ripe age of 85. Only a few months ago I wrote a three part series on the The reason, according to Prof Akinjide dearth of historical consciousness in Nigeria which was fallout from his 85th birth- Osuntokun; another distinguished emeriday celebration. Without fear of contradic- tus professor of history is not farfetched. tion, I make bold to say the late Prof J.F He said Ade Ajayi did everything in his Ade Ajayi was one of the best historian to power to return the learning of History to schools, unfortunately without success. It come out of our shores. I started the article with this quote from is not for lack of trying but perhaps bethe eminent scholar: “The nation suffers cause Nigeria is now dogged with the with no sense of history. Its values remain primitive acquisition of resources by memsuperficial and ephemeral unless imbued bers of the governing elite and their surrowith a deep sense of continuity and a per- gates to the denigration of the larger good ception of success and achievement that of society. As we mourn this eminent scholar and transcends acquisition of temporary power or transient wealth. Such a nation historian of repute, few can doubt there is cannot achieve a sense of purpose or di- a need to insist on preserving the collecrection or stability, and without them the tive memory of the nation. We must encourage an objective pursuit of historical future is bleak.” It was the late professor who in 1999 truth by looking back once in a while, espointed out to former President Olusegun pecially when confronted with challenges. Obasanjo that the challenges he faced The present security challenge is a case in when he came to power are historical in point. We should be bold to research how nature. Recall that in the east, there was a we lived in pre-colonial times, for instance. visible resurgence of the Biafra cause Was there a link between the groups the championed by Movement for the Actu- British eventually brought together to form alisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra Nigeria? How were they relating with each (MASSOB). In the West and North, The other? Do they have things in common? O’odua Peoples’ Congress (OPC) and the Do they have a history? Etc. Among scholars of his age and beyond, Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) were pushing for an Oduduwa and Arewa re- Ajayi was particularly respected for the publics respectively. There were also thoroughness of his researches and the fact agitations for “self-determination” and that he gave character to the study of Afri“resource control” in other parts of the can history. As an early writer of Nigerian and African history, he brought considercountry. In his wisdom, Ade Ajayi approached able respect to what later came to be known Obasanjo and pointed out that Nigerians as the ‘Ibadan School of History’ and Afsuffer from lack of historical conscious- rican research. He was known for the arness which was why the event of that time duous research and rigorous effort he put seemed “strange.” He advised the presi- into his work. The Ibadan School of History is a group dent to think seriously about reintroducing the teaching of history to primary and of scholars interested in introducing Afrisecondary schools’ in the country so as to can perspectives and historiography to always put things in proper perspective. African history and focusing on the interIt was reported that Obasanjo issued a nal historical forces and dynamics that presidential directive to that effect. But shaped African lives. Ade Ajayi favours sadly that directive has not been acted the use of historical continuity more often than focusing on events only as powerful upon to date.

agents of change that can move the basic foundations of cultures and mold them into new ones. Previous forms of history – especially colonial history – focuses largely on events that specifically excludes Africans from historical developments. Ade Ajayi – following the trail of great scholars of same orientation and disposition like late Prof Kenneth Onwuka Dike was able to change this perception. He employs a less passionate style in his works, especially in his early writings, utilising subtle criticism of controversial issues of the times. By extensive use of oral sources in some of his works - such as pre-20th century Yoruba history - he was able to weigh, balance and reconcile each and all of his sources, uncovering a pathway towards facts in the period which was scarce in written and non-prejudiced forms. This position radically challenged and altered the postulation by the late British historian; Prof Hugh Trevor Roper who in 1963 said: “perhaps in the future there will be some African history to teach. But at present there is none, or very little: there is only the history of Europe in Africa. The rest is largely darkness and darkness is not a subject of history.” He added that African history is “the unedifying gyrations of barbarous tribes in picturesque but irrelevant corners of the globe.” These comments were broadened and captured in a later article which called Africa “unhistoric.” This spurred intense debate between historians, anthropologists, sociologists, in the emerging fields of postcolonial and cultural studies about the definition of “history” itself. By extensive use of oral sources in some of his works he brought recognition to a source most western scholars term as being “unscientific.” oral tradition has thus become a veritable tool for historical reconstruction, particularly in places like Africa where written sources in the western mode were lacking. Ajayi also tries to be dispassionate in his writings, especially when writing about controversial or passionate subjects in African history. His style of rigorous research presented new pathways in African historiography and augmented awareness among scholarly circles outside the continent to African methodologies and perceptions. By weighing sources both written and oral, he was able to find new issues of interest that formed the basis of British colonisation of Nigeria, balancing official British documentation of the event with additional material. Through his writings, African history gradually became “accepted” in the history profession.

Fayemi tasks corps members on nation building

•Students on queue for accreditation before the exercise turned violent

Day of rage at UNICAL •Continued from page 29 be cancelled. The Vice-Chancellor (VC), Prof James Epoke, who visited the pavilion to address the students, apologised for what he called “accidental discharge”. He assured the students that the victim would be taken care of and announced the cancellation of the election. At 6pm, the victim was brought back to the campus after treatment. He was taken round the hostel for students to know that he is not dead. The rescheduled election will hold tomorrow. Students are calling for transparency in the process.

Dr Anozeng Igiri, the Electoral Committee chairman, said the management did not have a candidate in the election, promising the panel would follow constitutional provisions in discharging its functions. “We don’t have any interest in the process or whether any candidate belongs to a department or state of origin. We have the duty to conduct a free and fair election that will ensure a legitimate students’ union executive is presented to the students,” he said. The four cleared presidential candidates are Emmanuel Ajang, Faculty of Law; Justin Ilefa, Faculty of Management Science; Emmanuel Akobi, Faculty of Clinical Science and Nelson Akobi, Faculty of Science.

HE Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, has charged corps members posted to the state to promote the objectives of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC). Fayemi, represented by his deputy, Prof Modupe Abelabu, at the swearing-in ceremony at the NYSC permanent orientation camp in Ise-Orun Emure, urged the youths to shun ethnic sentiments and join hands with the government to achieve national integration. “Your call-up is a rare opportunity for you to brace up for the onerous challenges ahead of you. I urge you to eschew primordial sentiments and live by the noble objectives for which the NYSC is known,” he said.

From Gilbert Alasa NYSC ADO EKITI The state NYSC co-ordinator, Mr T.C. Ibeh, hailed the corps members for demonstrating “high level maturity” during the orientation course. He said: “The NYSC has been specifically designed to make the youth agents of development and unity.” Representative of the state Chief Judge, Justice Ayodeji Daramola, administered the oath on the corps members. Highlights of the ceremony included presentations by the cultural dance and entertainment by NYSC band. The event was also attended by traditional rulers and heads of government parastatals in the state.

OOU students boycott lectures

CADEMIC activities were suspended last Monday and Tuesday at the Olabisi Onabanjo University in Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State. No thanks to the directive by the leadership of the Students’ Union Government (SUG), which ordered students not to go for lectures. The action was taken to protest what the students called “exorbitant fee” they are paying. “It is obvious that the students are angry and are ready to engage the government over the fee,” one of the students’ leaders said. The union president, Olusegun Ifade, while addressing the students, said: “Let me say unequivocally that we will never be discouraged or succumb to any form of intimidation as we continue to engage the government

From Sanya Boluwatife OOU peacefully to achieve our aims.” Olusegun said the union believed education was a right and not a privilege for the poor masses. He added that the fee was making education the right of the children of the rich. “Even though we understand that the management enjoy good level of funding from the government, we, in totality, reject exorbitant fees as we cannot continue on this inglorious path; transfer of government’s responsibility to our parents who have been subjected to economy hardship is not accepted,” he said.

THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

CAMPUS LIFE Bridges linking the Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto (UDUS) to town have been rehabilitated, bringing relief to students. The structure has since been reopened, report IBRAHIM JATTO (Zoology) and HALIMAH AKANBI (300Level Law).

Respite for Sokoto varsity students

HERE is a light at the end of the tunnel. The truth in this aphorism is captured in the rehabilitation of bridges linking the Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto (UDUS) to town. Before their repair, staff, students and members of their host community virtually went through hell getting to town. Now, they are full of smiles, with the rehabilitation of the bridges. The structures were washed away in September 2010, following a flood that destroyed properties in the state and some parts of Kebbi State. The incident disrupted academic and commercial activities and the Federal Government promised to rebuild the bridges over River Rima. Before the construction, the government provided a military-type floating bridge as a palliative, while the eroded portions of the bridges were sandfilled by the state in January 2011. Students and residents of the communities whenever it rained. The contractor that handled the project moved to the site last November, several months after the

project was approved. This led to the closure of the road, which caused hardship to students and motorists. The alternative SokotoIllela route takes 30 minutes to the university from Dandima Bus Stop in the town; this naturally made commercial cab operators to increase the transport fare to the school. Relief came the way of students as well as residents of the host communities when the concrete bridges were completed, reconnecting the university back to the Sokoto metropolis. The bridges were opened last month. Transport fares for commercial buses and cabs, increased during the period of rehabilitation, were immediately slashed, a development that lifted the mood of students. The Dean of Students’ Affairs, Dr A.A. Aliero, said the development would rejig activities on the campus. He added that the management would complement the government’s efforts by rehabilitating the stretch from the university’s first gate to the Abdullahi Fodiyo Library Junction to make move-

•One of the rehabilitated bridges

ment easy. A resident of Kwalkwalawa Village, close to the university, Mallam Ilya, a fish seller, said commercial activities were paralysed in the community while the construction was going on. “The construction dealt a big blow on our fishing business, because motorists were following a different route. The only customers we had were small-scale fish sellers, who take their goods to the other side to sell,” he said. Some students, who also spoke to CAMPUSLIFE, expressed delight over the bridges. Tole Adewumi, a 400-Level Political Science student, said: “It is a big relief to all of us. I give kudos to the government and the contractor.” Fatimah Baba Muhammed, a 300Level Law student, said students could now save more money rather than paying exorbitant fare to commercial bus drivers. “Also,

the rate of accident on the alternative route will be greatly reduced because the pressure on the road will be minimal,” she added. Hammed Lukman, a 400-Level Law student and caretaker chairman of the Association of Campus Journalists (ACJ) hoped the construction met the standard and would stand the test of time. He said: “I will advise that students and other road users should imbibe good culture of maintenance in order to ensure proper safety of lives and avert future disaster.” Immediately the bridges were open for road users, the commercial bus operators reduced the fare to N60. The reduction did not go down with students, who wondered why the drivers did not revert to “normal fare” of N30 before flood washed away the bridges. The chairman, Caretaker Committee of the Students’ Union Government (SUG), Al-Amin

Wushishi, said the committee members had met with the chairman of Bus Service Management Committee (BSMC) and Dr Aliero, who, he said, assured that the matter would be looked into. “We hope they see to the plight of students as regards transportation challenges on campus,” Al-Amin said. When contacted, BSMC chairman, Dr S.D. Abubakar, said management took the decision to fix the fare at N60, urging the students to direct grievances to the “right quarters”. Dr Aliero, in a telephone interview, said: “This issue was brought to my notice. When I tabled the matter before the stakeholders, I was made to understand that the current fare is to the detriment of the bus operators, which made the management to intervene by subsidising the fuel. We do this to attend to the welfare of our students.”

Students of the Federal Polytechnic, Kaduna (KADPOLY) have won the Sahara Light up Nigeria Challenge, a contest organised by Entrepreneurship Action In Us (Enactus) in collaboration with the Sahara Group, with their power project, which brought a community out of darkness. WALE AJETUNMOBI and BALIKIS MOYOSORE report.

Let there be light

O residents of Butsen Gaya village in Kaduna State, the students are God sent. About 40 kilometres away from their campus, students of the Federal Polytechnic, Kaduna (KADPOLY) travelled to the remote Kaduna South Local Government to give the community light. The community had been without electricity since the state was created, but the students, who are members of Entrepreneurship Action in Us (Enactus) team in KADPOLY, have built a power turbine to light up the village. For the feat, the students emerged winner of the Sahara Light up Nigeria Challenge organised last month by the Enactus in collaboration with the Sahara Group. The challenge was instituted to inspire undergraduates, who are members of Enactus teams in higher institutions, to explore opportunities in the value chain to generate sustainable electricity. About 29 teams entered for the challenge, but only five were able to develop projects that met the standards of the Business Development Unit of the Sahara Group. The five teams comprised students of the Federal University of Agriculture (UNIAGRIC) in Makurdi, Federal University of Uyo (UNIUYO), KADPOLY, Federal

•KADPOLY students celebrating the feat at the contest

Polytechnic, Idah (IDAH POLY) and the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUTECH). The KADPOLY team tagged its project Renewable Energy Advance Project (REAP) and leveraged wind energy by constructing a turbine from waste materials, which converted wind energy to electricity. The electricity generated powered household appliances in the community. The UNIUYO team came second with its wind turbine to specifically power a healthcare facility, which hitherto depended on erratic and public electricity for its daily operations. UNIAGRIC was the second runner-up with an innovative fuel-less and sound-less generator that uses car battery and an alternator to generate electricity. The

machine is built for small-scale business owners, who depend on a continuous supply of electricity to remain in business. According to the organiser, the challenge is aimed at engaging students to deploy their ingenuity and resourcefulness to become part of the solutions to the electricity problem facing the country, especially in remote communities which cannot afford alternative source of power, such as generators and inverters. The students took up the challenge and deployed their creativity and innovations in developing simple power models that could reduce production cost, encourage the broad utilisation of available energy sources, support businesses and improve people’s standard of

living. Using the bottom up approach, the team of students deployed local and easy-to-use technologies that can either generate or conserve electricity. Enactus is an international nonprofit organisation that brings together student, academic and business leaders to use their power of entrepreneurial action to improve the quality of life and standard of living of people. Guided by academic advisors and business experts, students of Enactus initiate and implement community empowerment projects around the world. The action does not only transform lives, it also helps students develop the talent and perspective that are essential to leadership.

•The wind turbine

THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

CAMPUS LIFE

•Adetunji Babes (in red) and Osibodu Babes during the opening match

•Coca-Cola MD Adetunji (standing right), Ugorji (standing second right), Siasia (middle), Saka (standing third right) and other stars with the physically-challenged children after the match

The Coca-Cola Nigeria Limited management hosted some physically-challenged on Sunday in a special ceremony held at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) Sport Complex to kick off the 2014 Special Olympics Nigeria National Games, which ended yesterday. WALE AJETUNMOBI and MODIU OLAGURO (400-Level Mathematics Education, UNILAG) report.

Lifting up the physically-challenged S UNDAY is a day many stay at home to relax and prepare for working week beginning next day. But for the CocaCola Nigeria Limited (CCNL) management, it was a day to host the physically-challenged in sporting event. Led by its /*Managing Director, Mr Adeola Adetunji, the management team of the beverage firm, in a spectacular display of soccer skills, put smiles on the faces of the physically-challenged. It was at the opening of the 2014 edition of the Special Olympics Nigeria National Games held at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) Sport Complex. Coca-Cola Nigeria is a major sponsor of the yearly sporting fiesta. The event with the theme: Together we can, hosted ex-International and former Super Eagles coach, Samson Siasia, former Eagles players Victor Ikpeba and Emmanuel Babayaro, and a Nollywood entertainer, Afeez Oyetoro, popularly known as Saka. There were also hip-hop artistes, such as Olanrewaju Fasasi (Sound Sultan), Chibuzor Oji (Faze), and a popular actor and lecturer, Tunji Sotimirin. The annual event is held for the physicallychallenged to prepare them for the 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Los Angeles, United States. The participants were drawn from various physically-challenged schools nationwide. Chairman of Special Olympics Nigeria, Mr Gbolade Osibodu, said the objective of the game to select sportsmen among the children to represent the country at international tournament. He said: “We have a special way of

selecting our athletes at the end of the games, which would be done through balloting. I implore everyone to do his best as there is ability in disability.” On why the Coca-Cola Nigeria budgeted millions of naira yearly on the Olympics, its Public Affairs and Communication Manager, Mr Clem Ugorji, said the beverage company believed everyone was born with potential and unique ability even though some may be physically-challenged. “We believe no matter what the condition of anyone may be, there is always a value every human being has. When a platform is created for these values to be expressed, it becomes possible for these potential to be realised. This is what the Coca-Cola Nigeria has done and this is the lesson of the Special Olympics,” he said. Ugorji noted that the company had been a major sponsor of the game in Nigeria since 2006, stressing that football was game that is deeply embedded in the Coca-Cola brand expression. He added: “The game is not about competition, which is why we do not judge the impact of our investment with the number of stars that have come out of the game. But when you look at the faces of these children, you see their smiles and happiness. You see a sense of fulfillment that comes to them when they score a goal or make a big move on the field. For us in Coca Cola Nigeria, that is what gives us satisfaction.” The Community Affairs Manager and coordinator of the Project Team of the CocaCola adopted Unified Soccer Programme, Mr

Emeka Mba, said the firm invested resources in the sport event because it believed in creating enabling platform for people to reinvent themselves. He said: Special Olympics are targeted at providing a platform for people who have varying degree of intellectual disability. Whilst this set of people may be retarded intellectually, the sporting platform has proved that if a good number of them are exposed to that platform, they get to express credible amount of abilities. “If they are not good within the realm of academic, there are good numbers of sporting events in which they can excel in. For us in Coca-Cola Nigeria, we believe in promoting an inclusive society. The physicallychallenged are integral part of our society, this is why we partner with Special Olympics Nigeria to put smile on the faces of the children.” The event, which also featured athletic, badminton, basketball, cycling, aquatics and table tennis, started on Sunday and ended yesterday. It had 140 athletes from the Southwest, Southeast, North-Central and Southsouth zones competing in seven the games. The opening football match ended in favour of Lagos team, which beat Osun team in a penalty shootout. Siasia, while praising Coca-Cola Nigeria and other sponsors for the initiative, said: “It is a good thing the sponsors are making this effort to reach out to the physically-challenged, because some of them like sport and want to part of the people making it happen. They are human beings as well and I believe

•Mba...at the event

sport is one of the ways to make them have a sense of belonging.” The sponsors, Ikpeba said, are wonderful for giving back to the less-privileged. “By playing on the field with these children, one can feel their joy. I know Coca-Cola has been a sponsor of grassroots football. I have, personally, been involved in social responsibility through various organisations and I was compelled to join the people here. I am happy to be part of this event in UNILAG.” The event kicked off with a novelty match between the Osibodu babes and Adetunji babes. After the match, officials of the CocaCola Nigeria moved round the field to pick cans and other waste materials that littered the field. This, Mba said, was in line with the company’s policy of promoting safe and sustainable environment.

Exam threatened as strike looms in Kogi varsity

HE Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) at the Kogi State University (KSU) in Ayingba has threatened to go on strike if its members allowances are not paid. The NASU chairman, Comrade Yusuf Audu, in an interview with CAMPUSLIFE, said the management and Governing Council wre lax about the demands despite a 2009 agreement. The planned action would be total, Audu said, because that the management is not ready to implement the agreement. Highlighting some of the demands, he said the management failed to pay 11 months arrears of staff minimum wage. Despite the cries by staff, he said, the school has not placed the non-teaching workers on pension till date. Audu said the planned strike would compel the

From Mohammed Yabagi KSU

management to address the issues permanently. Calling on the government to wade into the crisis, Audu said members had exercised patience enough, adding that many things were considered before resolving to go on strike. His words: “Unionism is about staff welfare and that is what we are fighting for. What we are asking management and government is what is contained in our 2009 agreement. They have refused to pay our hazard and responsibility allowances.” He said while other universities were already paying the allowances, KSU

•Comrade Audu

•John

refused. The union said despite the support giving to it by the national body, it refused to go on strike because the institution is state-owned. Audu said members had been terrified beyond patience. He described the body as peace-loving, which always sought alternative way of resolving issues rather than resorting to industrial action.

Reacting, president of the Students’ Union Government (SUG), John Idachaba, urged the union to dialogue with the management. He said there was no basis for confrontation between the two parties, adding that the students’ union would make move to reach out to the parties involved to find a way of resolving the matter.

Newspaper of the Year

AN 8-PAGE PULLOUT ON SOUTHEAST STATES THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

My Marshal Plan for Imo, by aspirant

Don advises dental surgeons at graduation

•PAGE 34

PAGE 33

Okorocha urges women to plant palm trees

•PAGE 36

•PAGE 40

•Amaokwo Item women during the march past

August: A‘ time to build

UGUST has remained remarkable in Igbo land. It is a time women gather, assess their challenges and those before their communities and start resolving them. So many health centres and other projects have been built after the August convergence. Dilapidated schools have been renovated and brought back to life. Intractable feuds have been resolved at the gathering. This was the situation in Amaokwo Item, a community in Abia State when its women group under the aegis of Amaokwo Item Welfare Union (AIWU women’s wing) held its August meeting for this year. The aim was to raise funds for the completion of the multi-million Naira Women Development Centre/ Skill Acquisition Centre. The centre is expected to train both young and middle-aged women who do not have any training and skills that will enable them to fend for themselves

From Ugochukwu Ugoji-Eke, Umuahia

and be self-sufficient in life. Speaking at the ceremony, which was a showcase for honouring some of the indigenes of the community, the National President of the women, Prof. Regina Enyidia Ogali, called on men and women of good will to come to their aid to enable them complete the project which, she said, will be beneficial to all. The women group serves as a rallying point for all women of the community through which they unite the people and motivate them to a pursue common goals. It includes Amaokwo Item women at home and in the Diaspora. Mrs Ogali said: “We create a forum for discussing the welfare and enlightenment of our members and the general development of our dear community. We also co-operate with individuals, the AIWU central body and other organisations. This is aimed at enhancing social and economic

As Amaokwo Item women, we use the period of our annual home-coming to take stock of the events of the past year, evaluate our achievements, look into identifiable problems and discuss/plan what we want to do in the next year…We also deliberate on possible ways of enhancing the living standards of our members, their families and possibly learn from each other empowerment of our women.” Continuing, she said: “As Amaokwo Item women, we use the period of our annual homecoming to take stock of the events of the past year, evaluate our achievements, look into identifiable problems and discuss/plan what we want to do in the next year.

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“We also deliberate on possible ways of enhancing the living standards of our members, their families and possibly learn from each other and enjoy ourselves after working hard for a year. Therefore, our men should encourage their wives to identify with us, as no one is an island.” Prof. Ogali recalled that in 2006,

the women embarked on the building of the women development centre as part of their contributions towards the development of the community and to enhance the living standard of young women and the girlchild. During this year’s meeting, she said, the women group held lectures for women on the need for them to be hygienic, conscious and how to avoid contracting the deadly Ebola virus, even as she urged every woman to put what they learnt during the lecture to practice in order to save their families. Earlier in his opening remarks, the chairman on the occasion, Chief Ndubuisi Okorie praised the women for their efforts towards the development of the community as complement to efforts of their husbands which have set the community above its contemporaries in terms of development. •Continued on page 34

THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

THE SOUTHEAST REPORT

August: A time to build

Orji praises NCC’s role in telecom BIA State Governor Theodore Orji has praised the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) for doing a good job in regulating the activities of service providers in the country which has brought sanity in the industry. Speaking in Umuahia, when he received the chairman of Board of the NCC Engr. Peter Igho and his team at the Government house, Orji described communication as very essential arm of development in any society. Orji said that his administration is addressing some of the problems confronting the operations of the NCC including the issue of multiple taxation and right of way, adding that the state government has made relevant legislation as it concerns telecommunications operation in the state. The governor said his administration is poised to make the environment conducive for NCC and the service providers to operate and pledged to partner with the commission to continue in its sanitization programme in the industry. He implored the commission to provide more facilities to educational institutions in the state as a way of assisting the state government, adding that state government alone cannot carry the burden of financing the educational institutions in the state. Earlier in his speech, Mr. Igho explained that telecommunications

•Continued from page 33

Chief Okorie said building the skill acquisition centre for the women of the community will go a long way in enhancing their living standard. He urged the people to donate generously to enable the women complete the centre. He noted that the women began their complementary role in the community with donation and building of a cassava processing plant, organising security for women farmers which was capped with the building of a mini-stadium by Ms Aruma Oteh. He also urged the women to continue in their good work. The women used the occasion to honour some illustrious men of the community. Those honoured included Chief Princewill Onyegbu as Ezi Enyi Item, Commissioner for Special Services, James Kwubiri Okpara as Okenwa Okwo and Commissioner for Transport, Emelike Igwe Kalu as Okenwa Okwo. Others were Chief Daniel Akwari, Chief Uzoubi Ogoh, Chief Ekekwe Egu, Prince Okwudiri Ndukwe and Ikechukwu Udeala as Ezinwa Okwo, while the ex-Super Eagles’ footballer Pascal Karibe Ojigwe was honoured as the people’s ambassador.

•Prof. Ogali

My Marshal Plan for Imo, by aspirant

ment of the productive sectors of the local economy which has been completely neglected. What are you going to do differently? I will immediately re-order priorities to squarely face the existential threat of poverty in the land. We will funnel resources away from non-regenerative, cosmetic schemes to agro-based industrialisation drive using the industrial cluster model that will be spread across the three zones of the state. We will run a transparent and accountable, value-formoney administration with zero-tolerance for corruption, ineptitude and cronism. This alone will free up huge resources that will be applied to harnessing our virtually limitless agricultural potential. I will invest in high-yield fertilisers and introduce organic, high-yield seedling varieties to not only shore up food security in the state but also to create the capacity required for the agro-industrial transformation of the state. I will bring back the Farm Settlements of the Michael Okpara era. I will revamp our near-comatose educational system with improved fund-

contributes to 8.5 % of the nations GDP and has transformed the way of doing things in the country and made public that his commission is making effort to improve the quality of service to Nigerians. Mr. Igho said that Nigeria has 129 million active subscribers while over 50 million Nigerians have access to the internet, adding that the tele-density is 92% and still increasing almost on daily basis. He however identified multiple-taxation and hindering of the right of way and vandalisation of ICT facilities as some of the factors that militate against improved service, pointing out that the commission is currently pushing for a law to classify telecommunications facilities as critical infrastructure. The board chairman disclosed that NCC has given ICT equipment to 38 secondary schools in the state among other items given to tertiary institutions in Abia and appealed to the Governor to partner with his commission to improve the quality of service to the people. On the issue of the activities of the service provider, Igho said that NCC is a regulatory body regulating their activities, “So it is our duty to ensure that they give us correct quality services, so far the quality of service is not the best, but we are on it”.

I will immediately re-order priorities to squarely face the existential threat of poverty in the land. We will funnel resources away from non-regenerative, cosmetic schemes to agro-based industrialisation drive using the industrial cluster model that will be spread across the three zones of the state. We will run a transparent and accountable, value-for-money administration with zero-tolerance for corruption, ineptitude and cronism

Okey Ezeh is the CEO of Savvycorp Limited and Chairman of Okechukwu Theodore Ezeh Foundation (OTEF), a non-governmental organisation. In this interview with OLUKOREDE YISHAU, he says he has developed a Marshal Plan to improve the fortune of Imo State, which he hopes to govern on the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA). Excerpts HAT is your assessment of the current state of affairs in Imo State? Imo State today is in economic dire-straits with no new meaningful private sector investments in the last three years; heavy debt overhang estimated to be in the region of N100 billion region, dwindling federal allocations owing to strangulating first-line charges on various loan repayment schedules; over 800,000 unemployed youths (by a recent National Employment Survey estimate); rampant poverty; rising wave of crime and creeping insecurity; scandalous decline in educational quality with 11 faculties in the state university and the Polytechnic in Umuagwo unaccredited and the worst ever student performance in NECO and WAEC recorded in its history a few months ago. Worse still, there appears to be no coherent plan or programme designed towards ameliorating this state of anomie as the government of the day is busy executing white elephant projects such as street gates, roundabouts, squares, new government offices; quarters and inaugurating vigilance squads to the detri-

From Ugochukwu Ugoji-Eke, Umuahia

•Ezeh ing, better learning tools and training and re-training of teachers. I will attract grants for our tertiary institutions and enrol them in offshore support programmes, exchanges and linkages that will promote skills and knowledge transfer with institutions of international repute. Why should Imo people trust you? When your vision and ideas resonate with the direst needs and fondest desires of your people, when your track records illuminate your path like a brightly-lit stairway, when you have the creativity, character and conscience to pull consistently on the side of your people, you engender trust every step of the way-from Mbaitoli to Nwangele to Ihitte-Uboma to Ezinihitte and to the remotest clan in Imo. People hold out their hands to you and lock you in warm embrace. Why do you believe you have what it takes to govern a state like Imo with so many “big men”? Big men are not averse to progress. If anything, part of the process of

belonging to that rarefied circle is the possession of a certain level of fastidiousness. That is, you don’t go near them with a plain vanilla offering or mediocrity. You must come with a premium package to gain their acceptance. Okey Ezeh is a thorough-bred professional and technocrat conversant with global best practices both in governance and private sector practice. He has the unique blend of skills, energy and drive to take Imo to the Promised Land. He is the only aspirant in the horizon that has fashioned out a criticallyacclaimed developmental blueprint that will transform Imo from a backwater, allocation-dependent state to an agro-industrial powerhouse and third largest state economy (both by GDP and per capita income indices) within the next five years. That document is christened the I-Map (Imo Marshal Plan). What do you think are your chances of securing the APGA governorship ticket? You know our party, the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), arguably, has the best track record in internal democracy among

all the parties in the country and that is the first guarantee we have that the most acceptable aspirant with the best prospects of leading the party to victory will emerge. In my own case, my aspiration is quickly crystallising into a mass movement not only within the rank and file of the party but also among the general Imo populace where we have a near-cult following among the youth and women groups, the key demographic strata that decide all elections. The simple reason is my age, personality, professional pedigree and track-record which most Imolites agree all add up to the profile of the leader they look up to re-invent Imo in 2015. The Court of Appeal recently restored Victor Umeh as the National Chairman of APGA. What is the implication of that judgment? It was salutary even if longawaited. That judgment has provided the respite the party requires to forge ahead with planning for the forthcoming general elections. Members of APGA can now come •Continued on page 35

THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

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THE SOUTHEAST REPORT I am very happy about the electricity project that is being undertaken by the present administration. Since after Sam Mbakwe’s administration, successive administrations have not considered the necessity of providing electricity for the community. It is very sad when you discover that several neighbouring communities have electricity and you are the only one in darkness

29 communities get electricity

FTER waiting for many years to be provided with electricity by the state government, 29 rural communities in Imo State are happy that the Okorocha-led administration has met their expectation. For these communities, the soothing relief of having light after ageless darkness cannot be down played. This is so because there had not been electricity in these communities since the state was created in 1976 out of the defunct East Central State. Happily, work has commenced in all of these communities, with 20 of them located in Ohaji/Egbema Local Government Area, which is an oil-producing area. The other nine communities are in the Ngor-Okpala Local Government Area. The government said it embarked on the project in order to boost economic activities in the rural areas and to reduce the rate of urban-rural migration, especially among the youth. The traditional ruler of Umuwnaku community in Ohaji/Egbema, Eze Abraham Iheanacho, who commended the state government for remembering the community, told our correspondent that the community has been without electricity for so many years, noting that since the administration of the late Chief Sam Onunaka Mbakwe, the people were abandoned. The monarch pointed out that even the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has also failed to provide electricity for the community in spite of its oil-producing status. “I am very happy about the electricity project that is being undertaken by the present administration. Since after Sam Mbakwe’s administration, successive administrations have not considered the necessity of providing electricity for the community. It is very sad when you discover •Continued from page 34 together with confidence to finetune strategies not only for victory at the polls in several states where we are in the ascendancy but also for safeguarding such victories. Do you think APGA has a chance in Imo, with the APC as the ruling party and almost all the “big

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•Rural electrification project in Imo munity because of lack of electricity. From Okodili Ndidi, Owerri The youth leader further said that lack of basic amenities in the oil-prothat several neighbouring commu- ducing areas is the major cause of nities have electricity and you are the youths’ agitations. He commended the Okorocha administration for only one in darkness. “Not even the efforts of the Niger providing the community with elecDelta Development Commission to tricity. He said: “Members of this commuprovide the community with electricity yielded any result because the nity have suffered for a very long contractors abandoned the projects. time because of lack of electricity We are very happy about the elec- which resulted in majority of the tricity project and we thank the state youths’ abandoning the community governor for remembering us,” the for the city. “But we are grateful to Governor monarch said. Similarly, the youth leader of the Okorocha for coming to our rescue. community, Comrade Dan That is why the community has asAkarulam, said lack of electricity has sisted the contractor in clearing pathremained the major impediment in ways. We do this because the electhe community, adding that most of tricity project is in the heart of the the youth have abandoned the com- people. When the light is energized,

it will boost economic activities in this community and the people will be self-employed.” Also praising the electricity project, President-General of Obokofia community, Amawaka Kevin whose community benefitted from the rural electrification programme, said his community has been without electricity for the past 15 years. The community leader further stated that his community does not have pipe borne water, adding that the only health centre in the community is not functional. “We thank Governor Okorocha for reconnecting our community to the National Grid after over 15 years. The NDDC constructed a good road for the community, but we do not have drinking water and functional

healthcare centre. So, we are appealing to the government to come to our aid by providing other basic infrastructure that will enhance our living standard,” he said. Speaking in the same manner, a retired Magistrate who is the Ezeali of Obokofia, Fintaa Ujuara, commended Governor Okorocha for ensuring that every community in the state is provided with electricity. The traditional ruler revealed that the community has not enjoyed electricity for over 15 years. The monarch, who is the oldest traditional ruler in the entire council area, said most of the youth have abandoned the community for the city because of lack of electricity, adding that with the provision of electricity in the community, most of them, especially the artisans, would •Continued on page 36

My Marshal Plan for Imo, by aspirant men” in PDP? All students of modern political history in Nigeria know that APGA always wins in Imo because the cockerel is the symbol that is in-

trinsically enshrined in the hearts of every Imolite. Forget all the propaganda; APC is like the proverbial seed that falls on parched ground and is scorched almost im-

mediately it germinates. The Imo ‘big men’ you talk about in PDP, more often than not have APGA sympathies and pedigree. They are like Little Bo Peep in the popular English nursery rhyme that lost her sheep and did not know where to find them but would eventually come home wagging their tales behind them. What is your assessment of the Jonathan administration? In all fairness, the Jonathan administration has done reasonably well, given the difficult circumstances under which it has had to navigate the ship of state. If not for anything else, the administration is frontally tackling the hydraheaded energy monster with a focused implementation of the power sector reforms which I believe will define his legacy. One is also elated at his

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•Members of Obinofia Ndiuno Town Union, Ezeagu Local Government Area of Enugu State demonstrating at the premises of Commissioner for Housing Development with the President-General of Town Union, Chief Chukwudi Ezinwa (middle) PHOTO: OBI CLETUS

administration’s 35 per cent Affirmative Action Plan for women in politics as well as the 30 per cent Youth Empowerment Charter all of which I think will help re-define Nigeria as a country where anyone can live up to his or her full potential without the glass ceilings of gender or age. Do you think he has a chance in 2015? Oh yes. I think those who are right now mounting a spirited challenge to his continuing in office do not portend a better future for Nigeria and Nigerians. Most are mouthing inanities about zoning and flexing muscles about how far away power has wandered away from them rather than sell a superior governance vision to Nigerians. That is the surest guarantee that Jonathan will ride to victory in 2015.

In all fairness, the Jonathan administration has done reasonably well, given the difficult circumstances under which it has had to navigate the ship of state. If not for anything else, the administration is frontally tackling the hydra-headed energy monster with a focused implementation of the power sector reforms which I believe will define his legacy

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THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

THE SOUTHEAST REPORT

Don advises dental surgeons at graduation W

HEN former Nigerian President, the late Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe founded the University of Nigeria Nsukka in 1960, his dream was to establish a citadel of learning and research in a bid to halt the exodus of Nigerians to foreign countries in search of the Golden Fleece. To achieve that desire of excellence, he recruited the best of academic and non- academic staff from parts of Europe to lay a solid foundation for a university that could compare favourably with any around the globe. It was in pursuance of this noble objective that the Dean of the Faculty of Dentistry of the institution, Dr. Linda Oge Okoye, restated her determination to make the faculty the best dental training centre in the world. Speaking during the third induction ceremony of dental surgeons of the University of Nigeria Nsukka at the faculty’s main hall of the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH) Ituku-Ozalla, Enugu State, Dr. Linda Okoye said in order to keep the dreams of the founding fathers alive, management had not only increased their training capacity but has also provided an atmosphere conducive enough to teaching and learning. She noted that since the accreditation of the faculty programme in 2004, efforts had been made to equip it with the state-of-the-art facilities, while experienced academic and non-academic staff had been recruited to elevate the status of the school to international standard. She also added that their collaborative linkage educational programme with the University of British Columbia had yielded great dividends, with more than five dental surgeons from UNN benefiting from the scheme. Despite the feat achieved by the faculty, the Dean, fondly addressed as the doyen of Dentistry in Africa

From Chris Oji, Enugu

by professional colleagues of hers, stated that more was still needed to truly place UNN as a centre of excellence for dental training on the continent. “Since dentistry is an expensive profession, we therefore enjoin all stakeholders, government and corporate bodies in Nigeria to support the dream of the only Faculty of Dentistry in the entire Eastern Nigeria with more funding. Just as an adage says if you want to go fast, go alone, but if you want to go far, go together. To the alumni, there is strength in unity. We have capacity to make this school the best in the world, if we can come together,” she said. To the graduating young dental surgeons, the Dean challenged them to exhibit those rare qualities that distinguish them from other surgeons, adding that “it takes a lot of hard work, discipline and patience to earn a Bachelor of Dental Surgery Degree of the University

•Dr. Mrs. Okoye

of Nigeria, Nsukka. These are the same virtues you need to succeed in life”. She said: “I have no doubt therefore, that you have what it takes to excel and succeed in life. You are today licensed to practice your profession with dignity to the service of God and humanity. My personal expectation and wish for you all is that the licenses you receive today should enable you to stand out in the dental profession, both in Nigeria and elsewhere.” Administering the oath of allegiance on behalf of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, the outgoing Provost of the College of Medicine of the University of Nigeria, Prof. Basden Onwubere, under whose tenure the Faculty of Dentistry blossomed, urged the graduates to shun the get-richquick syndrome of society and aim for excellence and discharge their duties creditably, even as he reminded them of the need to be of great assistance to their alma mater at all times. Onwubere, who won the Africa’s best provost award by African Medical Students last year, observed that following the impressive performance of graduates of dentistry from UNN in the field at the local and international scenes since 2004, the Faculty of Dentistry of the university had come to stay. He said the university Senate had recently praised the College of Medicine team for the performance of dental surgeons from UNN and also praised the efforts of the Dean, the academic and non-academic staff of the faculty for this feat. He expressed his hope that the effort would be sustained. The Provost, who also represented the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Chukwuma Ozumba, on the occasion, announced that the college had concluded arrangement to build a shopping mall, bank and a centre of excellence for staff and stu-

Confab: Ohanaeze youths praise Southeast delegates T

HE Ohanaeze Youth Council (OYC), the youth wing of the Southeast socio-political organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has congratulated the Igbo delegates at the National Conference under the leadership of Chief Enwo Igariwey, President-General, Ohanaeze Ndigbo and Gen. Ike Nwachukwu, leader of the Southeast delegates to the conference on their impressive outing. They said the delegates attained 80 per cent achievement of the Igbo Agenda at the conference. A statement signed by the National Leader of OYC, Okechukwu Isiguzoro urged the delegates to complete their good work by ensuring that none of what they achieved for Ndigbo gets tampered with at the final stage of the conference. While commending the Southeast Governors’ Forum for its commitment to ensuring enhanced security in the Southeast geo-political zone, they said their recent decision to procure security equipment so as to enhance security

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dents within the college premises, while the ultra-modern medical library under construction would be completed within the next one year to boost learning and research. In a valedictory speech, the best graduating student of the class of 2013, Faculty of Dentistry, Dr. Obinna Franklin Eboh, called for the establishment of the Department of Dentistry at health centres in all rural communities of the country. He regretted that despite the importance of oral healthcare, government was not doing enough, as most Nigerians know little or nothing about oral health. Dr. Eboh expressed joy that a journey that started seven years ago, had been blessed with success, even as he thanked the lecturers and their parents for their support. Earlier in a lecture to mark the occasion, chairman of the Nigerian Dental Association, Enugu State branch, Dr. Felix Chukwuneke, emphasised the need for the gradu-

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From Sunny Nwankwo, Aba

The statement reads: “As a sociopolitical group entrenched to promote justice, equity and justice as well as to promote and mobilise for good governance in the Southeast, SEPA, having closely monitored political developments in Abia State as regards power sharing and rotation, praises the PDP and Governor Theodore Orji for zoning the governorship position to Abia South. “Recall that in 1999, Chief (Dr.) Orji Uzor Kalu from Bende Local Government Area had an interrupted eight years for Abia North. Thereafter, power was moved to Abia Central with the incumbent governor, Chief Theodore Ahamefule Orji from

In 2015 when Governor Orji would have completed eight years for Abia Central, morality, equity, justice and fairness demand that the next governor should emerge from Abia South. It is in view of this that SEPA supports the decision of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Governor Orji for having regard for equity, justice and fairness to ensure that Abia South produces the next governor in 2015

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Umuahia elected into office as governor in 2007. “In 2015 when Governor Orji would have completed eight years for Abia Central, morality, equity, justice and fairness demand that the next governor should emerge from Abia South. It is in view of this that SEPA supports the decision of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party( PDP) and Governor Orji for having regard for equity, justice and fairness to ensure that Abia South produces the next governor in 2015.” Uzoukwa, who was formerly a member of Governor Rochas Okorocha’s media aides, in the statement also enjoined the people of Ukwa-Ngwa to close ranks and seize the opportunity to ensure that only a credible person with outstanding track record emerges PDP candidate in order to sustain the legacies of Governor Orji when elected as governor of the state. “SEPA also wishes to enjoin other Ngwa local government areas in Abia Central to jettison their personal interests and support their brothers and sisters in Abia South to ensure that a credible person emerges from that zone. Their continued agitation amounts to selfishness and greed which definitely do not relate with the collective and over-riding interest of the people of Ukwa-Ngwa. “On the other hand, the people of Ukwa-Ngwa should avoid politicians who are power-drunk and who have

I have no doubt therefore, that you have what it takes to excel and succeed in life. You are today licensed to practice your profession with dignity to the service of God and humanity. My personal expectation and wish for you all is that the licenses you receive today should enable you to stand out in the dental profession, both in Nigeria and elsewhere ating students to maintain ethics in the discharge of their medical practice, stressing that the duty of care should be paramount in the rela-

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tionship between the clinician and patients. Dr. Chukwuneke, a union leader and one of the pioneers of the fac-

ulty, enjoined the graduates to make a difference in a positive way in the medical profession, as that is what they owe the present and future generations of Nigerians. He admonished them: “As you go into the world of dental practice, you should always remember the “Hippocratic oath” which you took before all the dignitaries, your senior colleagues and your parents here today.” Two of the eight graduates, Dr. Obinna Eboh and Dr. Martins Chibuike received all the four prizes available in child dental health, preventive dentistry, restorative dentistry and oral and maxillofacial surgery. Two former Deputy Vice-Chancellors of the Enugu Campus of the university, Prof. Bede Ibe and Prof. Sam Ohaegbulam as well as the former Dean of the Faculty, Prof. Etisiobi Ndiokwelu, were among top academics that attended the event.

29 Imo communities get electricity

2015: Orji, PDP get support on zoning S 2015 elections draw near, the battle over who succeeds Governor Theodore Orji of Abia State has become keener. However, the Southeast Progressives Assembly (SEPA), a socio-political group, has declared its support for the decision of Abia State People’s Democratic Party (PDP) chapter and Governor Theodore Orji in zoning the 2015 governorship to Abia South Senatorial zone. In a statement made available to reporters, President of the group, Hon. Ebere Uzoukwa, commended what he described as the ‘statesmanship position of the PDP and its stakeholders as well as Governor Orji to embrace equity, justice and fairness to ensure that Abia South produces the next governor of the state in 2015.

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•Okoye (third right, middle row) with some of the graduands

•Continued from page 35 fancy coming home. He praised the governor for ensuring that those communities that had been living in darkness are provided with electricity. “We have been living in this community without electricity. Only those who own power generating sets enjoyed such luxury. Not everybody can afford electricity generating set because you will have to buy fuel or diesel every day to power

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•Governor Orji not impacted positively on the lives of their people. Some of them have been in power from 2003 and 2007, contributing nothing tangible to the socio- economic development of Ukwa-Ngwa land. They have equally detached themselves completely from the people and owners of the mandate by doing only their biding and that of their family members. “They are those desperately eyeing the governorship seat of the God’s Own State. Without mincing words, this development is unacceptable to us and the people of Ukwa-Ngwa. “We hereby advise the people of Ukwa-Ngwa and people of Abia State to rise against this category of politicians and support only credible person with outstanding achievements as well as the capacity to sustain the legacies of Governor Orji.

The provision of this important amenity for the people has no political undertone. It is also not a means of scoring cheap political point. It is real because the transformers are in place and the high tension cables are also in place

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them. The situation has caused most of our youths to leave for the cities. Now that the community is being provided with electricity, I am sure that those who had left for the cities will come back home. “Before now, previous administrations had always promised to provide light for us, especially during electioneering campaigns. After voting for them, we will not see them again. So, we are grateful to Governor Okorocha for keeping his promise to the communities in this area.” The Commissioner for Public Utilities and Public Safety, Dr. Ifeanyi Nwachukwu said the state government’s latest aggressive electrification programme has nothing to do with politics of re-election, but based on the recommendation of a committee set up by the state government to verify all communities not connected to the National Grid since 1976 when the state was created. He further said that as part of the Rescue Mission Agenda of the present administration, the Governor is committed to ensuring that the benefits of democracy gets to the rural dwellers through the provision of basic amenities. The commissioner blamed past administrations in the state for failing to provide the affected communities with such basic necessity of life, even as he regretted that the sad situation had inflicted a sense of

marginalisation and alienation among the people. “The present situation should be blamed on past administrations because they never thought it necessary to provide the basic amenities for the people. What the people had been getting were unfulfilled promises which have created a sense of alienation. “The provision of this important amenity for the people has no political undertone. It is also not a means of scoring cheap political point. It is real because the transformers are in place and the high tension cables are also in place. So, what you have seen today is part of the Rescue Mission Agenda of the Okorocha administration to positively touch the lives of the people, especially the rural dwellers,” Dr Nwachukwu said. He also commended the benefiting communities for their co-operation and support to the state government and to the contractor handling the project. He urged them to sustain the spirit to enable them to reap more democracy dividends from the Okorocha administration. Managing Director of FORT S and C Limited, handlers of the project, Mr. Uju Kingsley Chima, assured that in the next three months, the entire communities in Ohaji/ Egbema Local Government Area that had been without electricity would have been connected to the National Grid.

From Chris Oji, Enugu

within the region, proved that the forum is committed to the security of lives and property of people of the zone. The youth urged the governors to work assiduously towards regional economic integration in order to pool resources, thereby having a larger and more attractive market by virtue of economy of scales. As such, the forthcoming annual Southeast Economic Summit will be an avenue for them to formalise a legal framework for regional integration. The youth said: “We wish to commend, in particular, the bold initiatives of Governors Theodore A. Orji and Willy Obiano of Abia and Anambra states respectively which results in tremendous improve-

We express the willingness of the Ohanaeze Youth Wing to partner with the Southeast Governors’ Forum to reduce insecurity in the region. However, insecurity is besttackled through massive investment in job creation, youth empowerment, industrialisation and improved agriculture

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ment in security in their states, especially in the two commercial cities of Aba and Onitsha. “We express the willingness of the Ohanaeze Youth Wing to partner with the Southeast Governors’ Forum to reduce insecurity in the region. “However, insecurity is best tackled through massive investment in job creation, youth empowerment, industrialisation and improved agriculture. “We urge every Southeast governor to present a score card of how many industries his government has attracted or built in his state. “We call on President Goodluck Jonathan to, as a matter of urgency; ensure the resuscitation of the Enugu coal mine, possibly before the end of the year so as to return the economy of the Southeast to what it used to be. “Also, we implore the Federal Government to fast-track the construction of the Enugu and Gombe coal-fired power plants as contained in the 2014 Budget, so as to enhance the industrial potential of both the Southeast and the Northeast zones. “We commend patriotic Igbo industrialists like Chief Innocent Maduka (Innoson), Chief Maduka Onyishi (Peace Mass Transit) and Dr. Uche Ogar (Master Energy) for investing in the Southeast, thereby empowering Igbo youths. “While asking all patriotic Ndigbo and corporate organisations to support the Ohanaeze Youth Wing’s Igbo Youth Development/ Skill Acquisition Centre Project, we commend individuals who are already supporting the project such as Prof. Bart Nnaji.”

Southeast happy with Confab’s decisions says Uwazurike Chief Goody Uwazurike is the President of Aka Ikenga and a delegate at the ongoing National Conference. In this interview with PRECIOUS IGBONWELUNDU, the lawyer says the Igbo are satisfied with confab’s decisions. Excerpts: Assessment of conference

HE conference has been an eye-opener. Delegates from the various zones came with bottled up grievances and we were ready to explode. But down the line, we have been able to make friends, hear each other out and analyse one other’s problems. Delegates had to vote repeatedly on the various issues. And to the glory of God, we have reached decisions on all issues and there was not one issue left inconclusive. We concluded on all outstanding and all recommendations were made at the floor. Those that the conference felt required changes were made and those we felt were good enough were also allowed. As a Southeast delegate, do you think the aspiration of the zone has been met? The entire Southeast wanted from the beginning was fairness and equity. We have always demanded that what is fair to other parts of the country should be fair to the Southeast. I remember moving a motion that one more state be created for the Southeast so that it can be at par with other zones which have six states each. Some delegates, including Chief Olu Falae supported my motion that the South-east deserves a state. At the end, the conference voted overwhelmingly for an additional state for the Southeast.

•Chief Uwazurike We also stated that we want power to go round the zones in all elective offices. We want local government to be state affairs. We supported 21 per cent derivation and freedom of religion. With the support of other zones, we got what we wanted. Most people do not know that, currently there are no zonal headquarters of federal establishments in any of the Igbo-speaking states. So, when the conference talked about quality development going

round, we from the Southeast were happy because we know that if the region is developed, most of our people will settle back home and earn decent living. What other recommendations were made by the conference? We made far-reaching recommendations including true federalism. The conference also decided that power must go round among the six zones of the country. It was a clear-cut decision and we also looked at distribution of offices and reducing the cost of governance. We decided that local government creation should be an affair of the states, which should not bother the Federal Government. If a state wants a thousand local governments, it should be entirely its business provided such a state does not come to the central government to ask for funds. Then, we looked at devolution of powers, which was the last committee report. We considered how to reduce the burden of the Federal Government. What is the business of the Federal Government drilling a borehole at my backyard when there are state and local governments? We concluded that the state governments should take over most of those responsibilities while the Federal Government should handle mainly defence, external affairs, •Continued on page 38

THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

THE SOUTHEAST REPORT

Ohanaeze inspects N16b international market ‘

HE Lagos State chapter of the apex Igbo social-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo has visited the proposed site of the Heartland Gateway International Market located at Mgbidi in Oru East Local Government Area of Imo State. The visit, according to the group, was part of efforts initiated by the leadership of the organisation to encourage Ndigbo to invest at home and boost the economies of their respective states. Addressing the members of the organisation numbering over 200 at the residence of the Deputy Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Donatus Ozoemena, the •Continued from page 37 monetary policy and anything that involves the different states. Because we reduced the burden of the Federal Government, we also reduced the funding and agreed that it should be tilted in favour of states. In order words, the more a state has, the more its responsibilities. We agreed that the local government system should be guaranteed and state revenue sharing commission put in place to adequately share funds among the local governments within a state. It was also agreed that when there is no election or where there is a transition committee chairman, not a kobo should be given to such a local government until an elected chairman takes office. We moved into public finance and this is where we really dealt with the issue of cost of governance. What of the issue of state police? The conference decided that states who desire it should be allowed to have it provided the state police does not go beyond the confines of that particular state. Also, the state police can only handle matters in which the state house of assembly has powers to legislate on, while federal matters would be left for federal police. When a federal police commissioner is to be deployed to a state, it must be done in consultation with the state government to avoid conflicts. On revenue allocation The issue was knotty and almost

From Okodili Ndidi, Owerri

CEO of Graceland Channels Limited, Pastor Nat Omoruyi, revealed that plans are underway to acquire more parcels of land to complement the already 28,097 hectres already acquired for the market. Omoruyi further said that the Mgbidi community has already expressed their readiness to donate more of their lands in order to accommodate the 50,000 shops planned for construction on the site, which, he added, will cost N16 billion. The market is expected to yield a daily N500 million trade transaction. He also revealed that the Federal Government had already

awarded the contract for the dredging of the Oguta Lake which is very close to the market from Imo State axis to Rivers State axis of the lake. Expressing gratitude to the people of the community for donating their lands for the project, Chairman Market Committee of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Lagos State, Chief Vitus Chukwudebem Uzoh, said the market, when completed, will afford Ndigbo the opportunity to invest in their respective states without fear of molestation. Uzoh described Ndigbo as industrious people who contribute to the development of any area wherever they find themselves. He cited the Tejuosho and ASPAMDA markets in Lagos as examples.

The market, when completed, will afford Ndigbo the opportunity to invest in their respective states without fear of molestation…Ndigbo are blessed in trade and business. We have contributed significantly in building all the major markets across the country and beyond. Now we are going to invest in own land, where we will not be harassed or intimidated by any other tribe He said: “Ndigbo are blessed in trade and business. We have contributed significantly in building all the major markets across the

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country and beyond. Now we are going to invest in own land, where we will not be harassed or intimidated by any other tribe.”

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Southeast happy with Confab’s decisions, says Uwazurike brought the conference to a halt but for the wisdom of the leadership of the confab. We made the mistake of allowing a committee to go and discuss on our behalf because that committee was enmeshed in politics and nearly tour us apart. All other decisions were taken on the floor of the house but the moment the then chairman of the committee read a report that was not agreed upon, it threw the house into the wrong direction. The decision the conference took on the issue was that we have recognised the need for increase and the current constitution says not less than 13 per cent. Thus, the President was advised in his wisdom to set up a technical committee to work on the increment. Do you see the government accepting the confab’s recommendations? I know that during the committee stages, the 20 committees at one point or the other invited ministers, security chiefs, heads of departments and agencies and they all turned up. Questions were asked and they sincerely answered them. Even the issue of Boko Haram, we did an executive session on it just before the suicide bombings started again. We invited military chiefs and we were briefed. So, I think the Federal Government is taking the confab very seriously and recommendations

Book Haram is not Jonathan’s problem. Don’t forget he has enough security to take care of himself. Before he passes anywhere, they would have done massive screening. So, the problem really is for you and me…So, I think every governor should take it as a problem of his state and take time to educate his people on necessary security measures. Security involves everybody made would not be treated with levity. I believe they would ensure that whatever we place on the table at the end of the day is used. Away from the confab, how do you think Nigeria can surmount its security challenges? The problem is for us all. The mistake most people, especially some governors, have been making is to call it a Federal Government problem. That is why I will always commend Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State, who has gone the extra mile to put measures in place to ensure that Lagos is safe. If you move around Lagos, you

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will notice that there are groups of security personnel or vehicles stationed at strategic locations. They are not there to control traffic nor search people. They are just on stand-by. Book Haram is not Jonathan’s problem. Don’t forget he has enough security to take care of himself. Before he passes anywhere, they would have done massive screening. So, the problem really is for you and I. So, I think every governor should take it as a problem of his state and take time to educate his people on necessary security measures. Security involves everybody. If you are in a compound and there

are new neighbours or even domestic staff who look suspicious and you do not report, remember you and your family will be the first sufferers of any misfortune that results from your silence. For those who harbour people in rural areas, knowing they have committed some offences, they should also know that they will be first victims should any evil befall their community. Secondly, I have observed that some people now derive joy in lampooning our military. It is very painful. I know of a number of soldiers who have died trying to safe you and me. Their family members are watching you talk nonsense about their loved ones who trained and devoted their lives in safeguarding you and me. The least respect we owe our military is encouragement. Now, the latest game in town is computer generated imaging (CGI), where people generate all kinds of images claiming Nigerian soldiers are committing genocide. I just wonder what the masterminds stand to gain. Is seeing people on army camouflages now justification they are soldiers? Nigerian soldiers are doing their best and need our respect and support. Have you asked why Boko Haram wants to relocate from their present camps? We were briefed at the conference and the people of Borno also know it.

•Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha with his Deputy, Prince Eze Madumere (left); D-G, Women Development Centre, Owerri, Hon. Mrs Ndidi Noel Iheme and Chief of Staff, Sir Jude Ejiogu at a function in Owerri.

THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

THE SOUTHEAST REPORT

Okorocha urges women to plant palm trees T

HE Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha has called on Imo women to embark on aggressive palm-topalm programme to revamp and sustain the state’s economy. Okorocha spoke this during a one-day sensitisation workshop with the theme: “Kuo Nu Nkwu, Umunwanyi” (plant palm trees, women) organised by the Imo Women Development Centre for the Community Government Council (CGC) Women Leaders in the 637 communities. Governor Okorocha, who identified palm-to-palm programme and the CGC as among the major legacies of the Rescue Mission administration, revealed that the palm-to-palm initiative was a awake up call for rural communities to revive and redirect their attention to aggressive palm plantation as a viable economic

project which, when fully realized, would transform the economy of the communities, state and the country. He said: “The sudden neglect of palm plantation and over-dependence on crude oil has been the bane of Nigerian’s economy.” He also revealed that palm fruit is a gift from God to the Igbo which must not be abandoned. He maintained that the economy of the old Southeastern Nigeria was sustained by oil palm even before the discovery of the crude oil. Governor Okorocha, who extolled the women for their great support to his government, said his administration had placed women at the main stream, considering their role, adding that he would always carry them along. He urged the women to use their

The sudden neglect of palm plantation and over-dependence on crude oil has been the bane of Nigerian’s economy…Palm fruit is a gift from God to the Igbo which must not be bandoned …The economy of the old Southeastern Nigeria was sustained by oil palm even before the discovery of the crude oil

•Governor Okorocha

God-given gift and potential to make the palm-to-palm programme a huge success. Governor Okorocha used the occasion to educate the women on the deadly Ebola virus and the need for precautionary measures to be taken to avert the spread of

the virus. Earlier in a keynote address, the Director-General,Women Development Centre, Imo State, Hon. Ndidi Noel Iheme, said the centre was to rank with the National Women Centre, Abuja with the objective to develop and empower women of the state, especially rural women, through impartation of skills that would enable them to engage meaningfully in small and medium-scale businesses with little funding. Mrs. Iheme urged the women to embrace and propagate the

programme to improve the economic and social well-being of women. She further said that the sensitisation workshop would have empowered and drilled the women leaders to be part of the driving force that would propel the economic emancipation of the rural communities, families and the state. Present at the occasion were the representative of the wife of the governor, Her Excellency, Nkechi Okorocha, the Deputy Governor, Prince Eze Madumere and other government functionaries.

Unknown men ‘destroy church building

T was a sad day for the Anglican Church in Anambra State, when unknown persons pulled down the Ebenezer Anglican Church, Oyolu-Oze, 3-3, Nkwelle Ezunanka in Oyi Local Government Area of the state. Though the Nkwelle Ezunanka community denied knowledge of the action, the Anglican Church authority accused the community of masterminding the demolition of their church. The church cited some lingering crises between the church and the community which, according to them, has lasted for over a decade. Our correspondent gathered that the destroyed building was an ongoing project embarked upon by the worshipers at Ebenezer’s Anglican Church in Nkwelle Ezunaka community. The multi-million Naira building project which was at its completion stage, having been roofed, was al-

From Nwanosike Onu, Awka

legedly pulled down at midnight on Monday by unknown persons suspected to be leaders of the community. The crisis had erupted between the community and the worshippers about two months ago when the school premises, housing the compound, was de-roofed by a contractor suspected to have been engaged by the state government, in collaboration with the community following an ongoing crisis between the church and the community over the ownership of the school. Following a protest by the worshippers over the de-roofing of the school building, the community, through its President-General, Elder Chris Eluemuno, announced the ejection of the worshippers from the school premises.

Describing the incident as ungodly, he called on the Anambra State Government to intervene in the matter. The church, according to him, as the conscience of the society, shall remain calm and await the response of the state Governor, Chief Willie Obiano. He also urged the members of the church to remain calm as God is in control He also announced the suspension of all religious activities in the premises in the community. Reacting to the development, the Anglican Archdeacon in charge of the Church Building project, Venerable Frank Obi, accused Elder

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Eluemuno of being responsible for the demolition exercise. He recalled a meeting between the community, the police and leaders of the church at the Police Area Command Headquarters, Onitsha. The meeting aimed at brokering peace between the two parties. The meeting, according to the

cleric, took place on Monday, barley 12 hours before the church was demolished. Describing the incident as ungodly, he called on the Anambra State Government to intervene in the matter. The church, according to him, as the conscience of the society, shall remain calm and await the response of the state Governor, Chief Willie Obiano. He also urged the members of the church to remain calm as God is in control. But Elder Eluemuno denied any involvement of the community in the demolition of the church building. He added that the church had written the community through the Headmaster of the Oyolu Primary School sometime in 1990 requesting to make use of the school building on temporarily as service centre which was granted to them only for the church to start laying claims to the school which, according to him, they were not part of.

‘Election a major problem in Nigeria’

•Abia State Governor Theodore Orji receiving an address from Prince Bobby Eberechi Dike, Caretaker committee chairman IPMAN Aba depot, when he led the newly inaugurated executive committee of IPMAN on a courtesy visit to the governor in Umuahia.

HE political class said Nigeria’s problem since independence begun with flawed elections. They noted that the failure of the country to conduct free and fair elections led to various military take over. This, they agreed, marked the beginning of the country’s problem. They, however, failed to mention whether the electoral umpire or politicians was responsible for flawed elections in the country. But a former Presidential aspirant, Emmanuel Iwuayanwu, however, agreed that the struggle in handling the elections led to successive military takeovers. Iwuayanwu spoke in Abuja at a book launched titled: Jinx Breaker: The installation of a new political order in Nigeria. The book, which takes a look at the country’s electoral history and the contribution of a former Independent Electoral Commission Chairman,

Dr. Maurice Iwu, was written by Elvis Ned Iwuajoku. Iwuanyawu said: “Any problem we have in Nigeria started with election. The entire crisis we had from independence been as a result of election. “Iwu inherited a very bad electoral process that was capable of destroying our democracy.” Also, a former governor of Abia state, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu said even the Pope can’t guarantee free and fair elections. Prof. Iwu in his remark also said it was important to pen the country’s electoral history because Nigeria doesn’t take proper documentation of events. Iwu said the book was necessary for because it will help to sustain the country’s democracy. Iwu said: I don’t even have a sense for vindication because I work for the future. The present has never been my preoccupation. The future is mine.

THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

With ekpoita :funtreatsvilla@yahoo.com / 08077706130

CROSSWORD PUZZLE 1

7 9

8 10

13 14

15 18

17 19

ACROSS

DOWN

1. Correspond (9) 2. Pinch (3) 3. Sexual Desire (4) 4. Ourselves (2) 5. Moisture (3) 6. Discourage (4) 10. Expression of Surprise (3) 11. Get with Difficulty (3) 15. Enumerate (4) 17. Bird (3) 18. Taxi (4) 20. Father (2)

1. Finalised (9) 7. Employ (3) 8. Tear (3) 9. Succeeded (3) 10. Consumed (3) 12. per Unit (4) 13. Bird (4) 14. Beer (3) 16. Imitate (3) 18. Bed (3) 19. Resort (3) 21. Justly (9)

MISSING LETTERS

All the words in the columns below have lost their first letters as indicated by the blank spaces above them. You are required to find and affix them. When done, all the first letters will form a 9-letter, sexually offensive word or action. Happy Puzzling!‘

Sands of Time

In 1970, inspired by escalating violence and political unrest over the Vietnam War, Gaye wrote the landmark song “What’s Going On.” Despite clashes with Motown over the Marvin Gaye “War is not the answer, because only love can conquer song’s creative direction, the single was released in 1971 and became an instant smash. Its success prompted Gaye to hate.” – Marvin Gaye take even more risks, both musically and politically. In 1972, Gaye moved to Los Angeles and soon met Janis Hunter, who would later become his second wife. Inspired in part by his newfound independence, Gaye recorded one of the most revered love anthems of all time, “Let’s Get It On.” The song became his second number one Billboard hit, cementing his crossover appeal once and for all. After two decades at Motown, Gaye signed with CBS’s Columbia Records in 1982 and began to work on his last album, Midnight Love. The lead single from that album, “Sexual Healing,” became a huge comeback hit for the R&B star and earned him his first two Grammy Awards and an American Music Award for Favorite Soul Single.

Marvin Gaye was born on April 2, 1939, in Washington, D.C. Also known as the “Prince of Soul,” he was born Marvin Pentz Gay Jr. (he added the “e” to his last name later in life) in Washington, D.C., on April 2, 1939. Gaye was raised under the strict control of his father, Reverend Marvin Gay Sr., the minister at a local church, against a bleak backdrop of widespread violence in his neighborhood. Throughout his childhood, Marvin Gaye often found peace in music, mastering the piano and drums at a young age. Until high school, his singing experience was limited to church revivals, but soon he developed a love for R&B and doo-wop that would set the foundation for his career. In the late 1950s, Gaye joined a vocal group called The New Moonglows. The talented singer had a phenomenal range that spanned three vocal styles and he soon impressed the group’s founder, Harvey Fuqua. It wasn’t long before Gaye and Fuqua both came to the attention of Detroit music impresario Berry Gordy and were signed to Gordy’s legendary Motown Records.

Pep Talk

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HUMOUR True Believers The two thousand member Baptist church was filled to overflowing capacity one Sunday morning. The preacher was ready to start the sermon when two men, dressed in long black coats and black hats entered thru the rear of the church.

In 1975, Gaye’s wife Anna Gordy — Barry Gordy’s daughter — filed for divorce, and two years later Gaye married Hunter, who had by then given birth to their daughter, Nona (born September 4, 1974) and their son Frankie (born November 16, 1975). Gaye also had an adopted son (Marvin Pentz Gaye III) from his previous marriage. The singer’s marriage to Hunter proved short lived and tumultuous, ending in divorce in 1981.

One of the two men walked to the middle of the church while the other stayed at the back of the church. They both then reached under their coats and withdrew automatic weapons. The one in the middle announced, “Everyone willing to take a bullet for Jesus stay in your seats!” Naturally, the pews emptied, followed by the choir. The deacons ran out the door, followed by the choir director and the assistant pastor.

Despite his successful comeback in the early 1980s, Gaye struggled badly with the substance abuse and bouts of depression that had plagued him for most of his life. After his last tour, he moved into his parents’ house. There he and his father fell into a pattern of violent fights and quarrels that recalled conflicts that had haunted the family for decades. On April 1, 1984, Marvin Gaye Sr. shot and killed his son after a physical altercation; the father claimed he acted in self-defense but would later be convicted of involuntary manslaughter. Three years after his death, Marvin Gaye Jr. was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Creating beautiful art from a troubled life, Gaye again and again brought his vision, range, and artistry to the world stage. At the end of his career, he admitted he no longer made music for pleasure; instead, he said, “I record so that I can feed people what they need, what they feel. Hopefully, I record so that I can help someone overcome a bad time.”

After a few moments, there were about twenty people left sitting in the church. The preacher was holding steady in the pulpit. The men put their weapons away and said, gently, to the preacher, “All right, pastor, the hypocrites are gone now. You may begin the service.”

Getting Into Fights A young couple drove several miles down a country road, not saying a word. An earlier discussion had led to an argument, and neither wanted to concede their position. As they passed a barnyard of mules and pigs, the husband sarcastically asked, “Are they relatives of yours?” “Yes,” his wife replied. “I married into the family.”

Our ideas like orange plants, spread out in proportion to the size of the box which imprisons the roots. – Edward Bulwer Lytton

THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

CAMPUS LIFE

•Applicants writing the computer-based test

•Candidates submitting the essay as they were going into the hall

Applicants write essay before post-UTME at FUNAAB

O fewer than 6,000 applicants sat for the 2014/2015 post-Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB). The exercise was held in the e-Exam Hall. Before the computer-based test, applicants were mandated to write essays of 500-word long on the topics: “The future I see for myself”;

From Oluwafemi Aliu FUNAAB “The impacts that I want to make through my life”; “Things that are most important to me in life and “What I intend to do with the course I want to study at FUNAAB”. As the applicants went into the hall for the test, Michael Adetola, one of them, shared his thoughts on

the essay he wrote. He said: “Since my passion is in Electrical Electronics Engineering, I want to be a solution to the nation’s epileptic electricity.” The applicants were told to submit the essay before entering the hall as part of the requisite to participate in the exams. The candidates were required to answer 60 questions in 30 minutes.

Mayowa Samson, an applicant, said: “The exam was good but it was more of English. I am confident that God would grant me admission this year.” There were no hitches recorded during the test, unlike the previous year which had more than 35,000

applicants on campus. Students were barred from entering the campus to prevent malpractice and cheating. The school buses were available to convey the applicants in and out of campus. The results were released the following day.

Tight security as Nasarawa varsity holds entrance test

HE Nasarawa State University in Keffi (NSUK) throbbed with activities when thousands of applicants thronged the institution to write the 2014/ 2015 post-Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). The exercise, held on Thursday and Friday amid tight security, began at 8am with the screening of candidates at the various designated faculties. On the first day, the test was held for candidates who chose Arts, Social Science, Law and Education courses. Those, who applied for Administration, Natural and Applied Sciences, and Agricultural disciplines wrote their test the next day. Aminu Zubairu Kana, one of the supervisors, said of the 1,500 ap-

From Ahmad Muhammad Auwal NSUK plicants that chose the Faculty of Arts, more than 500 applied to study Mass Communication, while the remaining candidates went for other disciplines in the Arts faculty such as English, Linguistics, Religious Studies, Theatre and Cultural Studies, Arabic, History and French. He said departments of Theatre and Cultural Studies and English also had large numbers of applicants. Responding to questions, the Senior Administrative Officer at the Faculty of Arts, Khalid Haruna, said: “The post-UTME is one of the

best ever held in the university; we had a hitch-free exercise, unlike in the previous years where candidates who registered and sat for the examination came to the venues without the required documents. “There were also sufficient supervisors during the examination. On this note, the commendation for this success goes to the Dean of Arts and both academic and nonacademic staff.” Security was beefed up while the exercise was being held. Umar Ahmad, an applicant, who wanted to study Geography, praised the management for a “well-organised” exercise despite the large number of applicants that came to the campus. “There were no cases of examination malpractice,” he said.

Five bag lawmaker’s scholarship

T was a moment of joy for five students of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK) in Awka, the Anambra State capital. They were given scholarship by the lawmaker representing Njikoka 1 Constituency in the State House of Assembly, Hon. Valentine Ayika. The lawmaker said the scholarship was borne out of his desire to lighten the burden of his constituents through education. The scholarship covered tuition fee for one academic session. Ayika gave the scholarship to the students shortly after delivering a lecture at the Department of Mass Communication to mark the Legislative Day organised by the Association of Mass Communication Students (ASOMACS). The event was part of activities lined up for the students’ Week. The beneficiaries were Goodness Okeke, Emmanuel Obiekezie, Prudence Ihegboro and Isaac Ibeabuchi, all diploma students. Others were Chidiebere Uzowuihe and Ugochi Iwuchukwu, both in 200-Level Mass Communication. The lawmaker said he derived joy from putting smiles on the faces of the people, especially the indigent. He reassured the students of his commitment to improving the conditions of living of the people in his constituency.

From Franklin Onwubiko UNIZIK Ayika spoke on History of the legislative arm in the government, saying for any society to move forward, the leaders must ensure the independence of the legislature. He said: “The legislature has not only enriched our culture but has nurtured, developed and deployed human resources to the other arms of the government, especially the executive arm to engender development.” Ayika advised the students to maximise their stay on the campus, urging them to make good use of their time and resources to become better citizens after graduation. He promised to sponsor 30 students from the department on an excursion to the assembly where they would have opportunity to watch proceedings in the chamber and improve their understanding of the legislative arm of government. The ASOMACS Staff Adviser, Dr Chinwe Uzochukwu, who represented the Head of the department, Dr Ifeoma Dunu, praised the lawmaker for his benevolence, urging the beneficiaries to justify the scholarship by studying hard. Earlier, the Speaker of the association, Tochukwu Onyima, urged his colleagues to learn from the wealth of experience of the law-

maker. The ASOMACS president, Philip Muoghalu, hailed the lawmaker for considering the students for the scholarship. He urged the beneficiaries to make good use of the scholarship. Isaac, a beneficiary, thanked Ayika for the gesture, promising to do his best in his academic pursuit.

•Ifeanyi flanked by his predecessor Francis (right) and CEO of Bionic Media, Francis Orjika

UNIZIK student is Mr. Anambra Universe

UST in its second season, Mr Universe Anambra pageant is gradually becoming the biggest and most anticipated social event in Anambra State. A student of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK) in Awka, Ifeanyi Slami, has won this year’s edition of the pageant, which has the objective of supporting the youth in the state to become independent and development partner. The winner was presented with a new car. Ifeanyi beat 16 others at the event held at the Marble Arc Events Center. At the event were celebrities from the Nigerian entertainment industry, including Beverly Osu of Big Brother Africa fame, Chris Okagbue, Guilder Ultimate Man; Ken Erics, a Nollywood actor and Santiago Roberts, president of Mr Universe

From Francis Egwuatu FUTO Nigeria Organisation. Others were Alex Akharume, pageant manager, Mr Universe Nigeria Organisation; Francis Egwuatu, winner of Mr Universe Anambra 2013; Divine Ezike, Mr Tourism Nigeria 2013 and Smith Asonye, Mr Universe Abia, among others. There were also government officials, businessmen and fashion designers. An artiste on the Mavin Record Label, Korede Bello, thrilled the guests and participants with the performance of the hit track, Dorobucci. By the feat, Ifeanyi will represent the state as a celebrity model at the

Soweto Fashion Show in South Africa in November. Ifeanyi said winning the Mr Universe Anambra was a great achievement for him. “It was not easy for me despite my experience. I had great challenges from fellow contestants because it was a race that has the tag ‘survival of the fittest’,” he said. As a student of social science, Ifeanyi said he was able to accept and relate with other contestants peacefully. He said some contestants tried to pick offenses in everything he did in camp, but he kept them confused about his conduct. He said he knew he would win the pageant on the day he bought the form, adding that he never settled for less. When his name was announced as the winner, Ifeanyi jumped up and ran toward the stage to claim the prize.

THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

CAMPUS LIFE Rather than staying idle during the 11-month Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU) strike, some students of the Federal College of Education (Technical) in Akoka, Yaba, Lagos, went for vocational skills training, reports OMOLARA OGUNWALE (ND II Mass Commucation, Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Ogba).

Gains of strike E

XAMINATION was about to start when the Federal College of Education (Technical) in Akoka, Lagos was shut. It remained shut for about 11 months because of the Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU) strike. But, some rather than staying idle, took advantage of the strike to learn new skills. By the time the strike was suspended last month, the students, who registered with National Business and Technical Examination Board (NABTEB) to acquire skills, had become masters in the vocations. To the surprise of their colleagues and teachers, the students returned to the campus to practise some of what they learnt. The students share their experience in an interview with CAMPUSLIFE. While some of them said the strike temporarily caused a delay in their studies, most, however, said the long strike gave them rare opportunity to learn new skill while they study. Some of them in Business Education Department said they were motivated to participate in the skill acquisition programme offered by NABTEB to improve their knowledge in business and marketing. Michael Akindele, a 100-Level Business Education student, said: “The strike was a blessing in disguise for me. I went to learn a vocation through NABTEB programme and I will be given a certificate. Without the strike, I don’t think I would have achieved this.” A student, who simply identified herself as Blessing, said she had wanted to learn shorthand, but she could not create time because of her studies. She said: “The strike was an advantage. I know it would be prolonged to delay our academic pursuits but I quickly enrolled at NABTEB to learn shorthand, which I had wanted to do. While I will ap-

• Omotola cutting a clothing material

preciate that we do not go back to the strike again, I think such striking period should be used by students to do something different.” A 200-Level student of Home Economics, Omotola Kushimo, who learnt fashion designing, said the almost 11-month strike period became a turning point for her. She said: “I never knew the strike would be prolonged but advice from parent and siblings made me to learn fashion designing. I learnt the trade for seven months, during which I was able to impact the knowledge on others. As home economist, it is also part of our curriculum to make good clothes to beautify people.” David Badmus, a 200-Level Building student, said: “I felt I needed to hustle and make money during the strike, since no students could tell when it would be called off. I learnt

•Michael working on a typewriter

how to drive, cut hair and did menial jobs for some firms to make money.” Learning the many trades within 10 months was a beautiful experience for Phillip Kembi, a 200-Level Metal Work Technical student. He said: “It was like a dream; I never thought the strike would be prolonged. I thought it would be good for me not to stay idle even if the strike was going to seven days. I taught in a secondary school and learnt computer graphics and desktop publishing. I also did catering, product marketing and worked in a production company. Now, I have practical experiences of different vocations.” While these students spoke glowingly about their skills they acquired during the strike, some of their colleagues, who were idle, expressed regret over their inability to keep themselves busy.

One of such students is Babatunde Oresanwo, a 200-Level Building student whose efforts to engage himself in vocational training were unsuccessful. He said: “The strike was a big mess for me. I spent the whole period at home, sleeping and eating. I searched for temporary job but I realised one needed to be connected in everything in this country. Because of that, I could not get myself involved in something spectacular.” While many of the students would wish to learn skills to complement their certificates, all of them are against the return of strike. They appeal to the Minister of Education, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, to accede to the demands of their lecturers in order to secure their academic pursuits.

Forty-one graduating medical students of the University of Calabar (UNICAL) took the Hippocratic Oath last week during their induction. STANLEY UCHEGBU (Accounting) and JOHNFRANKLIN UCHEGBU (400-Level Medical Radiography and Radiological Science) report.

Doctors in the house

FTER six years of training, it was time for graduating medical students of the University of Calabar (UNICAL), Cross River State, to be certified as medical doctors. No fewer than 41 of them took the Hippocratic Oath at their induction at the International Conference Center last week. The graduates led a procession into the venue amid thunderous applause by guests, including parents and guardians. They looked resplendent in their well-tailored suits. They beamed with smile, perhaps heaving a sigh of relief after many years of training. The Vice Chancellor, Prof James Epoke, represented by his deputy on Academics, Prof Austin Obiekezie, described the graduates as “tear rubber” while declaring the ceremony open. The VC congratulated the doctors for surpassing the “difficult period”, which he said was part of the medical training before graduation. He also hailed their parents and sponsors for providing the re-

sources to support the graduates throughout their stay in medical college. Prof Epoke advised the inductees to embrace hard work, noting that it was a virtue that could make them to reach the pinnacle of their career. He equally told them to stick to the guideline of the profession and bring ethics to bear when faced with difficult situation. The Provost of the medical college, Prof Saturday Etuk, said it was a long journey filled with anxiety and fears for the graduates, adding: “You have all successfully completed the first phase of training as the medical doctors.” He advised them not to betray the confidence reposed in them by involving in unethical practices that would portray the institution in bad light. He implored them to work hard in consonant with their training and to be good ambassadors. In his lecture entitled: Equations of life, guest lecturer and Pro-chancellor of Obafemi Awolowo University in Ile-Ife, Osun State, Prof

•The medical doctor preparing to take the oath

Rowland Ndoma-Egba, said life was in two categories: compulsion and compunction. According to him, compulsion is when people obey the law, while compunction is individual’s perception and thinking of the law. He said: “Success in life is a product of attitude and aptitude, which one has ability to control. Attitude and aptitude have a component that must be done by compulsion. Attitude in compunction is a team work that is based on mutual respect, good communication skill, decent dressing and etiquette.” Speaking on ambition, achievement and frustration, Prof NdomaEgba said that frustration was in direct variation with ambition and achievement, adding that good ambition was a conqueror of frustration. While administering the oath on the physicians, representative of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN), Dr Ogban Ikpoti,

noted that the oath placed a moral burden on the graduates to live above board, stressing that they would be held accountable for whatever action they took in course of practice. Dean of Faculty of Clinical Sciences, Prof Maurice Asuquo, urged the graduates to reflect and ponder on the oath and be guided appropriately but its provision, adding that continuous education was the armour of a medical practitioner. Highlight of the event was award presentation to the best graduating student. The winner, Muriel Inyang, won Dr Bassey Kubiangha Education Foundation award, Samuel and Isabella Inyang Foundation award and Provost Prize. Other recipients of the award were the best students in first professional examination. They are Edochi Oka and Ugbe Beshikinashi. Muriel appreciated her parents for moral and financial support during her training in the college.

Speaking on behalf of the graduates, Rita Oku, the class representatives, praised the management for providing a conducive learning environment for them. She also acknowledged the support and care of lecturers and staff of the college. A parent, Mr Alexander Utuobong, said he was proud of her daughter. He said: “For anyone to gain admission into any tertiary institution, there are a lot of hurdles one has to scale but in my own case, my daughter beats all odds all the way from Kogi State to secure admission without paying her way in. I don’t know anybody here, yet she was given admission on merit. I am happy that she has become a medical doctor.” Nworie Chinweuba, an inductee, said: “I feel elated that my dream to become a medical doctor has now been actualised.” Other graduates were full of appreciation to God, promising to be good ambassadors their alma mater.

THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

CAMPUS LIFE

N a country I so much loved and cherished, I came to this planet earth seeing myself placed in this wonderfully made country, a place where the best potential in me and other youths can be exhibited and improved. I have always prayed for a country where everybody will have the understanding of what national unity is all about and go for it. I was born in a country that preaches unity in diversity but all I see is terrorism in diversity. I have always prayed for a country where all economic segment and other sectors will move forward and bring about a swift development, a country where students can spend four to six years in tertiary institutions without witnessing strike or industrial actions of any kind. But all I see is the opposite. I love my country, Nigeria. I am proud to be a Nigerian. If every Nigerian will be proud of this country, corruption and terrorism will be reduced. Youths are now willing tools to mastermind crimes and execute terrors in the country. Gone are the days when only male youths are seen in the act. Now, the story has gone beyond that, in that female youths are now suicide bombers, doing worst things. Youths of this great country should have a re-think and do what is right. Let us not be used as a vehicle to achieve crimes. Always understand that the future of this great country lies in your hands. It is the bitter truth that needs be told to our youths. Let us not argue the fact that the future is in our hands. Let us not apportion blames to any other person because it is

The Nigeria I pray for solely our responsibility. For Nigeria to be better, it all lies in my shoulder and yours, as youths. The perfect change we cry for has been overwhelmed by incessant bomb blasts. The Nigeria I pray for is not supposed to be a home that is bound with terrorists attacking the citizens every blessed day. I join the re-echoing voices to shout, where are our missing girls? Are they still alive? What does the future hold for them? They are youths like me and you. Most of them would have stood to be the future first ladies, great ministers, ambassadors and worthy leaders of this great country. But, where are their hopes? I pray for a better Nigeria, a country that we can stay in and say ‘home sweet home’. I’ve never prayed for a Nigeria that the citizens will be in Jeopardy. Nigerian students schooling and working abroad are tired of answering questions concerning negative reports from their country, just because of our reputation. But if you as a youth cannot change the mindset of the people around you towards your country, who will? It is your country; it’s my country and we can never run away from her. Let us join hands together by putting in our best in making this country a better place to live. Please, help to actualise the peaceful Nigeria

I pray for. I’ve never prayed for a Nigeria where its citizens are denied visa to some countries, just at the mention of the name ‘Nigerian’ as a nationality. Let us reason together and know that our reputation matters a lot. Our elder statesmen are not left out in this cry for a better Nigeria. I never prayed for a Nigeria where petty politics and propaganda-driven politics have taken over. What do you want Nigeria to be like in the nearest future when you will not be here? A better place or worse than you left it? This is a question for our fathers and mothers who support the perpetrators of all these evil acts in our country. Like the saying that a school with a porous gate toils in vain to maintain security and discipline, so it is for a country. I pray for a Nigeria where the health fitness test on immigrants must be genuine before allowing them entrance into our country. I pray for a country where the health standard of the citizens should be the first point of worry of the government, because a healthy nation, they say, is a wealthy nation. I never prayed for a country where it takes much time to resolve the power tussle issue in our health sector. I never prayed for a Nigeria where we have doctors and other health practitioners striking while citizens

By Ekene Ahaneku keep dying because of lack of medical care. I never prayed for a Nigeria where the citizens are scared of a disease that penetrated the country through a foreigner like the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD). If you are proud being a Nigerian like me, then let’s join hands together in making Nigeria a better place for all of us. I will always pray for a Nigeria where peace, unity and development will abound someday. Ekene, 200-Level Medicine and Surgery, IMSU

Stop this Direct Entry form racket in Kano

E are fond of accusing our leaders of corruption, mismanagement and saying that they are the cause of all cankerworms killing this country. We always heap the blame on our leaders, shielding ourselves of any blame in what the country has become today. But the fact is that, in our tiny communities, we also share in whatever Nigeria has become today – either good or bad. The crux of this piece is to expose the exploitation and heartless racket in the sales of Direct Entry forms in Kano. Every Nigerian is aware that gaining admission into a university is one of the most depleted phase of the country’s education system and the most unnerving task of a student’s life. Secondary school leavers scramble to gain admission into universities with all they can. They struggle to sit for West African Examination Council or National Examination Council (NECO) or both. Afterwards, they sit for tertiary matriculation examination to further their studies. Over the years, these examinations have been fraught with malpractice and fraud, yet they are prerequisite to gaining admission into universities, polytechnics and colleges of education. Although, the recently-introduced post-Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) is an effort to check fraud in matriculation examination, but the two combined are just unnecessary, stressful and costly. But like many Nigerian issues, we have adapted to it and continued to

By Salihu Tanko Yakasai live with it. In Kano, over 60,000 pupils graduate from secondary schools yearly. A roughly 15 per cent of this figure gain admission into degree-awarding institutions but majority will opt for other tertiary programmes like National Diploma, Certificate of Education, etc. Many of these school leavers will still seek admission into university via Direct Entry (DE). Successful DE applicants are admitted into universities from second year upon completion of a two-year National Diploma or its equivalent. Others that performed averagely join as freshers. I know many graduates that gained admission via DE either as sophomore students or fresher. Until the last few days, I was never privileged to learn of the internal processes involved in gaining admission via DE. What follows is the sad truth surrounding Bayero University, Kano (BUK) Direct Entry Forms. I saw it as monopolistic, fraudulent and exploitative, which puts applicants’ lives in danger. I was with a friend a few days ago when his sister asked for N7,000 to obtain the BUK Direct Entry form. My friend told me the young lady was a three-point student and he was optimistic she would be admitted as sophomore student into BUK. The next day, facts began to emerge regarding the purchase of the DE form. For a start, the form can only be purchased in Ze-

nith Bank branches in Kano. How and why BUK choose only one bank to be their outlet in getting the form? But Zenith Bank only has 11 branches in the whole of Kano; three of these branches are loosely located around the Sabon Gari business area, which is more than 10 kilometres away from the institution’s two campuses. Thus, the choice of a bank only outlet is unfair to applicants, because there are other banks within the campus. Imagine an applicant travelling to Wudil or Gwarzo local government areas in Kano where Zenith Bank branches are to purchase DE form and on getting there, he is told all forms have been sold out. This is the situation my friend’s younger sister faced. However, a staff of the bank told us we could get the form at Ciroma Cyber Café in Sabon Gari area. But why did a Zenith Bank staff direct us to a cyber café when the bank was chosen as the sole outlet to get the form? We took the pain to locate Ciroma Café, where we met over 300 people registering for one exam or the other. The DE form was supposed to cost N7,000, but we purchased it at the rate of N12,000 at the café. An applicant was seen pleading with the vendor to collect N10,000, but he replied: “You can go and sort yourself I will still be here tomorrow.” My friend counted N12,000 and extended to the vendor, but the happy guy looked at us and said its N14,000. Just like that! We actually purchased the form at double cost. We saw a young lady, crying because she

could not afford to pay double for the form. There was someone, who rushed to look for balance only to return and learnt that additional N2,000 had been placed on the asking price. This is Kano and not Lagos or Abuja, where people want to make money faster. It is obvious that Ciroma Cyber Café is either in collaboration with the Zenith Bank or some dishonest members of staff of the university to rip off applicants. Or what could have given the café owner an effrontery to hike price of the DE form at will if he is not supported by the monopoly or the issuing institution? This is nothing but a legalised exploitation of the poor admission seekers. And this may have been the situation in others universities that accept DE. Applicants, who could not afford to buy at Ciroma café’s price, might have been deprived of the right to education. The might be thrown into a state of mental depression. I am sure the Kano State government, which has invested hugely in education, is not aware of this exploitation of indigent admission seekers. I hope the Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso would read this and take necessary step to stop this exploitation. Authorities must ensure that only qualified applicants purchase the DE forms. It is my hope that stakeholders will take diligent action to ensure DE candidates gain admission through a fair process. Salihu, a former student, writes from Kano

Between certificate and knowledge

By Uchechukwu Ekwueme-Duru

WATCHED Mr. Suli Breaks as he mesmerized me with his articulated and carefully composed poem. The title, though very straight to the point, left me really speculative. ‘‘I won’t let my exam results decide my fate” were the chilling wordings contained in the body of his poem as he painted a picture of life as a student in a university right in the heart of London. As I watched, I noticed how grim he felt as he pointed out excruciating facts that push students into believing that their results were their only hope for a successful life, in a world where money rules over almost everything. He also enjoined students all over the world

to stand firm and say with boldness, “I won’t let my exam results decide my fate”. I said those words. I repeated them vehemently as he made them sound so strong in my head. But I don’t know if I really meant them. I don’t know if I meant them because it’s very hard to believe that in a country like Nigeria where certificates are worshipped far more than the actual knowledge, I could boldly say, “I won’t let my result decide my fate”. The Nigerian situation is far beyond the belief of those words. In this country, majority of students are faced with rather no other option than to believe that going to school and coming out with the best of grades can provide them the only master key to a successful life. This is so because of the bizarre emphasis that is being placed on certificates. This rather outrageous prominence, which is laid on certificates, out rightly make students go out of their way to get the results, either by hook or crook! Students no longer read to know. A greater number of Nigerian students read, or rather cram, to pass exams alone and acquire certificates they certainly cannot defend. Little wonder we have graduates who find it difficult to fill Nigerian Youth Service Corps (NYSC) forms. I recall an incident where a youth corps

member, who is supposedly meant to be a graduate, was asked to fill in her sex in a form, and then she asked if they meant the number of times she has ever been with a man. This is absolutely ludicrous! Students of nowadays don’t read”, that is always the rant in the air when ever situations like this are being brought up amongst our fathers. Besides, the fault is not totally on the side of Nigerian students. In as much as I am not trying to encourage the apathetic and laissez-faire lifestyle of some of our students, I want to also put it to our fathers that the problem is partly as a result of the Nigerian situation. Some male students go as far as bribing lecturers while some other ladies offer themselves cheaply just to get the grades. What would the grades be used for if we are made to understand that they won’t actually take us anywhere if we don’t totally grasp what we are studying in school? I can vividly recount the agony of one of my friends in school when his ‘almighty’ Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) fell a bit short of 3.50. It was precisely 3.48. As a matter of fact, he was so scared of his future. He related his fears, qualms and doubts to me amidst shivers. This was due the fact that he understood the Nigerian situation, the status quo that accentuates the importance of

our certificates over our knowledge. That is really pathetic! I wonder when this would change. When a Nigerian student, who understood the pros and cons of what he or she has read in a tertiary institution, would not be judged by his or her certificate. When adverts for job interviews will say, “we need a mechanical engineer that knows nitty-gritty of what mechanical engineering entails”, and not “vacancy for a mechanical engineer with either a first class or a second class honours (upper division)”. Are we actually meant to apply our certificate while working or the knowledge we have acquired? I keep pondering on this question every time. I know that one day, this whole perception would change. But I know the change is not so near. Maybe Mr. Suli Breaks should visit Nigeria one of these days. Maybe he should come around and spend some time in any tertiary institution in this country so that he would particularly get to understand the real Nigerian situation. This would certainly help him to redefine his poem with the perception that his theory cannot actually work here in Nigeria. Not now yet, maybe latter. Uchechukwu, 300-Level Industrial Technology, FUT MINNA

THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

CAMPUS LIFE Poly resumes after students’ protest

HE Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo (RUGIPO) in Ondo State resumed on Monday after a compulsory twoweek break, following the students’ protest over fee hike. The students are returning to write second semester examination, which will start on Monday. The management warned that only students with evidence of school fee payment and N2,000 reparation charges would be allowed to sit for the exam. The students are also asked to bring letter of undertaking with them, which must indicate their readiness to be of good conduct. The letter must be signed by each student and counter signed by the parents, a civil on Grade 12 upward or a traditional ruler. The management has earlier claimed that students were not responsible for the violent protest that rocked the campus. But, the authorities made a u-turn, accus-

From Oriola Akinbobola RUGIPO ing students for the destruction on the campus. Some students, who spoke to CAMPUSLIFE, said management had ignored the issues that led to the protest and the demands of the union leaders, which included reduction in fees and removal of Agric 002, a manual form for farm labour in the curriculum. “The situation in RUGIPO is a victory for the management. They have not only succeeded in defeating students of the polytechnic, but all Nigerian students under any aegis, including the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) and the National Association of Polytechnic Students (NAPS) ,” a student said.

O Pepe Nite excites poly students

FTER a long lull in academic activities informed by the almost 11-month Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) strike, the Federal Polytechnic, Ado Ekiti (ADO POLY), last week, erupted in fanfare as artistes and comedians entertained students in a show tagged: O Pepe Nite, sponsored by the Students’ Union Government (SUG). The show was held at Aluta Republic, the Students’ Union Building, with performances from artistes, including Moscow, Pento Kelly, Gold, G-Gold, Arise. A fresher, who spoke with our correspondent at the event, said the event could not have been more entertaining. There was intermittent laughter as the comedians, including MC HRM and Indomie

From Oyebimpe Oyesanya ADO POLY doled out jokes to thrill the students. Some students, who spoke with CAMPUSLIFE after the event, hailed the leadership of the SUG for the event. Tunde Adeboye, ND 1 Civil Engineering, described the event as thrilling. Femi Adeosun, a student of Quantity Surveying, said the fiesta would rejig students’ social life, praising the organisers of the show. The union’s Public Relations Officer (PRO), Temitope Yakubu, said the event was to boost social activities on the campus, noting more of such event would be held as semester progresses.

On and Off Campus By Solomon Izekor 08061522600

•The Blue Team celebrating after winning the tournament

Etisalat hosts students in soccer fiesta

OBILE telephone network giant, Etisalat Nigeria, have thrilled students of the University of Ibadan (UI) in a soccer fiesta organised to hunt football talents on the campus. Four teams participated in the football contest, which involved male and female students from different Halls of Residence. Blue Team of the Nnamdi Azikwe Hall defeated White Team from the same hall by lone goal and moved to final stage of the contest. Also, Black Team from Mellanby Hall thrashed

From Hammed Hamzat UI Green Team of the Independence Hall by two goals. The Green Team and White Team battled for third place, which ended goalless. However, the White Team beat its opponent in a penalty shootout. Blue Team emerged the winner of the competition after it trounced the Black Team by a lone goal in the final match. Etisalat Nigeria rewarded first, second and third positions winners with

medals, branded shirts and mobile phones. They were also presented with trophies while the fourth position team got shirt and food saver. The Sports Secretary of the Students’ Union Government (SUG), Opeyemi Akindele, who coordinated the contest, praised the mobile network firm for the sponsorship of the competition, which, he said, was to bring out talent of students in football. He urged other telecommunication firms to replicate the gesture by reaching out to students and youths through sport.

Ministry, agency sensitise youths on HIV/AIDS

HE Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperative, Alausa-Ikeja in collaboration with Lagos State AIDS Control Agency (LSACA) has advised students to drop habits that could predispose them to contracting HIV/AIDS. No fewer than 200 higher institution students attended the exercise. Participants were charged to stop the spread of the dreaded virus by protecting themselves from unprotected intercourse. The seminar was held at Kakawa Hall at the Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH), Ikorodu campus. The HIV/AIDS Prevention Unit Project Manager of the ministry, Mrs Titilayo Abraham-Onu, said the aim of the event was to make students have a comprehensive knowledge of HIV/AIDS and how it could be prevented. “The objective os this seminar is

From Ibrahim Adam LAGOS to make the students have a knowledge of the HIV virus and how to protect and prevent themselves from contracting it.” she said. Mrs Abraham-Onu said the government was making efforts to manage the spread of the disease. Technical Adviser of the Enhancing Nigeria’s HIV/AIDS Response (ENR), Mr Hamzat Ibrahim, condemned stigmatisation of the victims. Hamzat said the virus could not be transmitted by mosquito bite, hugging or kissing. He said: “Misconceptions like mosquito bites, witch craft or wizard, sharing of toilet materials with an infected person cannot transmit the virus but stigmatisation is a negative tag or labelling given to

the victim either by their peer group or family like living corpse, AIDS career. Please desist from calling them names. “I implore you today to practise safe sex. Infected mothers should seek advice before pregnancy. I also want to urge you to avoid the use of unsterilised skin-piercing instruments,” he stated. Mr Hamzat Ibrahim said the exercise was necessary for the students to know their status and to make Lagos State HIV-free. President, Nigerian Association of Agricultural Students, LASPOTECH chapter, Joseph Ilori, said many students were ignorant of their status, calling on the Lagos State government to encourage medical centres to do more enlightenment campaigns. Lateef Olaide, a student of Agricultural Technology, said the programme was educative.

Enactus empowers poly students From Jennifer Umeh OFFA POLY

HE team of Entrepreneurship In Us (Enactus) at the Federal Polytechnic, Offa (OFFA POLY) has organised an empowerment seminar for the student. More than 50 students attended the event held at Olatinwo Hall. They were trained on how to produce detergents and allied products, as well as strategies to market the product. The participants were also trained in the production of liquid soap, disinfectants, toilet wash and bleach, among others. On the objective of the seminar, Tosin Kolawole, a HND II Electrical Electronics student and the team leader, said: “We discovered many students have passion that can inspire others to act. We discovered innovations that will make people live a healthier life, which can also

•The Enactus team after the seminar

be a source of income if properly harnessed. We discovered a challenge in the institution and we act to provide solution to it.” The team, he said, believed the best way to empower their colleagues was to train them on what would help them generate income and independent after school. The team Adviser, Mr Jacob

Olaniyi, said: “Considering the relevant economic, social and environmental factors, the seminar is bound to improve the quality and standard of living of the participants. The Enactus team has duty to effectively empower students in need by applying business and economic knowledge and entrepreneurial approach to improve their lives.”

THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

CAMPUS LIFE

COEASU: appoint provost from within…or

S the selection for a new Provost continues at the Adeyemi College of Education (ACE) in Ondo, Ondo State, the institution’s chapter of the Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU) has advised the Federal Government to appoint a provost from competent Chief Lecturers in the institution. It threatened to resist any attempt

From Leke Akeredolu, Akure

to appoint an external candidate as provost, vowing that such person would not enjoy the cooperation of the workers. According to the union, three candidates are being interviewed for the job – one of them, a professor from another institution, and the other two lecturers in the college.

Former Provost, Idowu Adeyemi who served the college for eight years, retired early June and Dr Olufemi Olajuyigbe, the former deputy provost, took over as Acting Provost on June 23. In a statement signed by the Vice Chairman, Tope Ozigbe, and General Secretary, Ade Adepoju, the union alleged that the selection was being manipulated in favour of a professor.

It stressed that the college needs someone who understands the system to improve it, adding that it would be counter-productive if the Federal Government should go ahead to appoint someone from the university as provost. The union claimed that some unnamed people were writing petitions to discredit their qualified members.

Fashola urged Corps members on integrity, loyalty

OVERNOR Babatunde Raji Fashola of Lagos State has urged the 1,977 corps members deployed in the state to serve their fatherland with integrity, devotion, loyalty and accountability. Fashola gave the advice last Thursday while addressing the corps members during their swearing-in at the National Youth Service Corp (NYSC) Orientation Camp in Iyana Ipaja, Lagos. The governor, who was represented by the Special Adviser for Special Duties, Dr Wale Ahmed, noted that they should regard the one-year service as an opportunity to contribute to the country's development and in the process discover their innate potentials. He said: "The call to serve although might be challenging, will afford you the honour to contribute to national development as well as help to bring out your hidden potential. “Thus, this Orientation Course is designed to equip you with all you need to face the onerous task of service to the nation and achieve self realisation. I therefore charge you to take every segment of the Orientation Course very seriously and ensure that you serve your fatherland with integrity, devotion, loyalty and accountability." While in camp for the three-week orientation, Ahmed urged them to shun bad behaviour and be vigilant and report any unusual movements around the camp. In her address, the Lagos State

By Ibrahim Yusuff

NYSC Coordinator, Mrs Adenike Adeyemi, thanked the governor for his continuous support but urged him to "consider a more spacious permanent orientation camp for the NYSC" because of the large number of corps members deployed to the state yearly. Praising the corps members for their responsible conduct in the short time they had spent at the camp, she urged them to maximise the training opportunities available during the programme. "Since the commencement of this exercise, these youths have proved to be responsible, resourceful and dedicated. The zeal exhibited shows great love for this nation. “Dear corps members, avail yourselves of these training opportunities to get better. Work on developing any quality that you think you need until you have perfected it, then move on and practice another. You cannot rise to the pinnacle of success without developing the right set of attitudes and habits, therefore make every day spent on camp a masterpiece as you add value to self through the orientation course," she counselled. Speaking with The Nation, one of the corps members and graduate of College of Agriculture, Jalingo Taraba State, Abubakar Bakare, promised to serve his fatherland with all his strength. He said: "I feel very excited because everybody that happens to be

here is by the will of God. For me, this is a moment of joy and merriment. My experience here is wide. I have met new friends and people

that I did not know before. For me, I wish to serve my country within this one year of my mandatory national service with all my strength.”

FUNAAB FILE

‘Why candidates wrote essays’ THE VICE Chancellor of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), Prof Olusola Oyewole, has explained the reason candidates who applied to the institution wrote essays. Oyewole said the 7,000 candidates who participated in the postUnified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) penultimate week were asked to write to ensure they understood why they wanted to attend the university. Explaining, the Deputy ViceChancellor, Academic, Professor Adekojo Waheed, explained it was part of efforts to ensure that the university recruited only top quality students for its 3,500 spaces. "The whole essence is to attract quality students and to produce good products. To get good products, there must be good raw materials", he said. Acting Head, Information and Communication Technology Resource Centre (ICTREC), Dr Olutayo Ajayi, said 700 computers were used for the examination.

Climate programme coming

• Vice Chancellor, Ekiti State University (EKSU), Prof Oladipo Aina, being decorated as an Ambassador of Ethics by the leader of Centre for Ethics and Self Value Orientation (CESVO), Saliu Musa Yakubu, at the university.

THE African Academy of Sciences (AAS) has shortlisted FUNAAB to host the Climate Impact Research Capacity and Leadership Enhancement (CIRCLE), Sub-Saharan African Programme. Acting Head, Department of Water Resources Management and Agrometerology, Dr. Gideon Ufoegbune, who informed the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Olusola Oyewole of the development, said the objectives of the programme include strengthening research capacity of Sub-saharan African research institutions to support early career researchers. Others are: developing coordinated and strategic approach to climate change research; strengthening the capacity of African researchers to undertake research on climate change as well as strengthening the capacity of AAS to set and implement research programmes based on credible peer-review.

NUC monitors ICT compliance

• Front row: Prof Okanlawon (sixth right), Prof Soga Sofola (seventh right), Prof Afolabi Lesi (second right), Dr Bassey (third left) and other academics and alumni members at the inauguration.

HE 1989 set of the College of Medicine University of Lagos (CMUL) has inaugurated the newly-renovated main auditorium at the Tafawa Balewa plaza of the school in Idi-Araba. The project was inaugurated by the Provost, Prof Folasade Ogunsola, who was represented by the Deputy Provost, Prof Abayomi Okanlawon. She appreciated the alumni for remembering their alma mater 25 years after leaving the college, adding that the main auditorium was part of the infrastructural problem the college had. Underscoring the need for alumni investment, she said most renowned schools worldwide are funded from the contribution of their alumni.

THE FUNAAB has received delegates from the National Universities Commission (NUC) on Information and Communication Technology (ICT), who visited to ascertain its level of compliance with the directive on use of ICT in classrooms and lecture theatre. Receiving the team, the ViceChancellor, Prof Olusola Oyewole, assured it that the special grant the university received from the NUC had been put to good use. He informed delegates that the university had been enjoying the support of the Nigerian Communications Commission, which donated 109 laptops last year and 110 this year.

Medical school alumni renovate hall By Everistus Onwuzurike

"Leave a trail; go to where nobody has gone, and leave a mark," she said. The professor further urged the students to use the new hall for the advancement of knowledge. The College Secretary, Oladejo Azeez, said the initiative by the 1989

set should challenge the present students. He urged them to tolerate one another in order not to forget the institution when they graduate "We should not ask what our school will do for us but what we would do for our school," he said. The leader of the set, Dr Felicia Bassey, who supervised the project,

‘Leave a trail; go to where nobody has gone, and leave a mark. We should not ask what our school will do for us but what we would do for our school’

said it was not challenging to get her former classmates together for the project as they have kept in touch through the social media. She said they have greater plans for the college that would foster learning and research. For instance, she said they plan to provide journals to help keep them up to date, and visit to give lectures to the medical students regularly. Dr Bassey said they were inspired to embark on the project because they were well prepared during their time, which helped them to function outside the country. She also urged the government to

always listen to health workers. "The government should endeavor to always have meetings and dialogue with doctors and nurses in other to avoid strike actions" she added. Members of the set were conferred as alumni of the school. Medical students showed their gratitude by presenting an award to the set. They, however, urged the government and school management to provide enabling environment for them, so they would be able to achieve greatness. The day ended with the students asking members of the set questions.

THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

CAMPUS LIFE SCHOLARSHIPS

EKSU FILE

Workers sensitised on ebola THE Vice-Chancellor of Ekiti State University Prof. Oladipo Aina, has called on members of the university community and the society to adopt extra measures to avoid the spread of the dreaded ebola virus, threatening West Africa. He said this at a health awareness programme organised to sensitise staff on the threats of Ebola and how to prevent it. Aina said the sensitisation became imperative due to presence of the virus in Nigeria which has claimed lives. He called on the governments to be proactive and establish preventive mechanisms to avoid the epidemic. EKSU Director of Health Services Dr. Omoniyi who delivered a lecture on the threats of ebola virus explained that no vaccine and treatment has been discovered to treat the virus which he described as highly contagious. He said people in direct contact with infected patients are at highest risk of infection especially health workers and family members. He listed the early symptoms of the virus to include fever, headache, tiredness, vomiting, diarrhoea and bleeding. The death toll from Ebola outbreak according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) has risen from 729 to over 800.

EKSU ‘most responsible in Southwest’ THE Ekiti State University has been ranked 'Most ethically responsible university' in Southwest geo-political zone of Nigeria. The exercise was an outcome of an independent assessment and research by an internationally reputed non-governmental Organisation (NGO) Centre for Ethics and Self-Value Orientation (CESVO). According to its President, Prince Saliu Musa Yakubu, the activities of the organisation, involves beaming searchlight on public institutions and individuals with the aim of exposing corruption, maladministration, inefficiency, graft and fraudulent conduct of public officers and public offices. Prince Yakubu said CESVO started its covert assessment of EKSU and other universities three months ago and have conducted non-bias investigation using questionnaires, opinion poll rating and stakeholder interviews to assess the quality of the university and management performance.

APPROACHING DEADLINES ISN Fellowship Program for Developing Countries, 2014 Continued from last edition Scholarship Open for International Students: Citizens of developing nations (Low or medium economy according to the World Bank criteria: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Dem. Rep., Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, The, Guinea, Guinea-Bisau, Haiti, Kenya, Korea, Dem Rep., Kyrgyz Republic, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Niger, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Armenia, Bhutan, Bolivia, Cameroon, Cape

Verde, Congo, Rep., Côte d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Egypt, Arab Rep., El Salvador, Georgia, Ghana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Kiribati, Kosovo, Lao PDR, Lesotho, Mauritania, Micronesia, Fed. Sts., Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Philippines, Samoa, São Tomé and Principe, Senegal, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Swaziland, Syrian Arab Republic, Timor-Leste, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vietnam, West Bank and Gaza, Yemen, Rep., Zambia, Albania, Algeria, American Samoa, Angola, Argentina, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belize, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Fiji, Gabon, Grenada, Hungry, Iran, Islamic Rep.,

Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Libya, Macedonia, FYR, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mexico, Montenegro, Namibia, Palau, Panama, Peru, Romania, Serbia, Seychelles, South Africa, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Thailand, Tonga, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu and Venezuela) can apply for these fellowships. Scholarship Description: ISN Fellows receive hands-on training in advanced host institutions, allowing them to acquire state-of-the-art knowledge in basic and clinical nephrology, dialysis, transplantation, and epidemiology. The training focuses on providing the exact skills and knowledge specifically required by the home institution. The program offers two types of Fellowships: Long term

We have problems, says LASU Council chair

•Seeks help from stakeholders

HE Chairman of Governing Council Lagos State University (LASU), Mr Olabode Agusto, has said the 30-year-old university has enormous problems which can only be addressed by the joint efforts of stakeholders. This is coming on the heels of the reverting of the school fees to the old the N25,000 by Lagos State Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN). The announcement at the university’s 19th Convocation has jolted students, parents and teachers into celebrations. However, Augusto said it is about time LASU becaame more creative in attracting funds to make it more productive and world-class. In his address at the convocation, which witnessed award of higher degrees, on Thursday last week, Agusto said individuals with suggestions on how to move LASU forward must find a common ground. "In the rest of the year, we shall engage each of our stakeholders groups. We need your help in order to provide 21st century skills to our next generation of leaders. A wind of change must begin to blow over LASU to enable us deliver the LASU we envision," Agusto said.

By Adegunle Olugbamila

Funding a 21-century university, Agusto stressed, was capital-intensive. He alluded to the 2009 agreement between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Nigeria Universities (ASUU), which estimates that each student in Nigeria universities needs N2.6million for quality education, translating to 36 per cent of the national budget. According to him, no government is most likely to shoulder such huge financial responsibility amid other pressing challenges in other sectors. At the inception, LASU tuition was pegged at N250 before it was later reviewed to an upward N25,000 in 2005 under the administration of the immediate Vice-Chancellor Prof Lateef Akanni Hussein. It was later increased to between N198,000 and N350,000 under the tenure of the current Vice-Chancellor Prof John Oladapo Obafunwa in 2011. Following repeated protest by students this year, government slashed down the increment by 34 to 60 per cent on June 11. In June 20, the LASU management released the naira and kobo version of the reduction which ranged from from N76,750 (Faculty of Arts) and N158,250 (Faculty of Engineering and College of Medicine).

•Agusto

To realised more funding for LASU, Agusto urges the management to establish a viable financial aid program for poor students willing to learn; provide professionally and financially rewarding careers to workers, and beautify the university environment. Sponsors, Agusto stressed, must also be determined to make input into the education of their wards. Other measures, according to him, include ensuring uninterrupted academic calendar, making the university viable to providing consulting and other services to governments/ private sectors, and improving on the quality of her graduates which will in turn tell on the public perception of the university. This year's convocation witnessed a very dismal turnout of graduands which the university put at 9,169

awards (7-12 months) and Short term awards (2-6 months). Number of award(s): Not Known Duration of award(s): The program offers two types of Fellowships: Long term awards (7-12 months); Short term awards (2-6 months). What does it cover? The total sum of the grant is in alignment with the length of the training and varies according to the anticipated expenses in the host country, as per World Bank data. Grants are intended to cover, or offset, all costs related to the Fellowship, including travel, accommodation and living expenses. The grant is intended to cover expenses of the fellow, not his/her family. Continued on next edition comprising Full time, Part Time and Diploma. Also conspicuously absent was the Best Graduating Student- Ajayi Idowu Iseoluwa with a Cumulative Grade Point Average of 4.67 in Electronics &Computer Engineering. Except Oredeyin Oluwadamilola Olatunji from the School of Transport; Anuforo Anderson Chidi from the School of Communications, as well as Seriki Tosin Victoria from the Faculty of Management Sciences, others students who emerged overall best in their various faculties were not on ground to receive their awards. On the other hand, the occasion was also a litmus test for the newlyappointed Registrar Mr Akinwumi Lewis who for the first time, organised the convocation. Ahead of the convocation, which was slated for February, this year, the university was embroiled in crisis bordering on the management refusal to open examination portals ahead of the second semester examination. This put a clog in the wheel of the graduation as the university was temporarily shut and had to be reopened in phases. After the examination, the Students Union protested to force state government to reduce the tuition which was introduced three years ago. ASUU and SSANU were later to commence industrial actions for the same reasons and members' welfare. The groups were prevailed upon to sheathe sword so that students could graduate and mobilised for the mandatory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) pragramme.

Sokoto students praise Wamakko for scholarship

TUDENTS of Sokoto State in the country and abroad under government’s scholarship have praised the latter for the release of N850 million for their registration, tuition

From Adamu Suleiman, Sokoto

and allowances. In a statement, the Sokoto State International Students' Forum's Chairman and Secretary,

Zayyanu Shuni and Mohammed M u b a r a k, said the payment, which is for this year is ongoing across Nigeria and in 29 countries. The statement said: "This year

• One of the First Class graduands of Lagos State University (LASU) George Aderonke (middle) with her siblings shortly after recognition of all First Class recipients by the university last week. Aderonke is flanked by her mother Mrs Oluwayemisi (right) sibling Adekunbi. Others (from left) are: Omolola Ojo, and Sanni Lolade, while from right are: Ojo Loveth Oluwaseunfunmi, Apari Temi and Obot Aderinto. PHOTO: ADEOLA SOLOMON

alone, a batch of 423 students are being sponsored to study in various countries as soon as the processes of visas are completed. "Of this number, 76 will be heading to India, 41 to Bangaladesh, 160 to Sudan, 45 to UAE and 100 to Crescent University, Abeoukuta," it added. Further the statement extolled Governor Wamakko for recording some enviable achievements in the education sector. Shuni and Mubarak commended Wamakko for making education free nonindigenes in Sokoto regardless of tribal leanings. The statement said Wamakko's prioritisation of the education sector was sequel to his wealth of experience as an astute educationist. The students, particularly, mentioned the sponsoring of over 1,109 students mainly in Sciences to selected universities abroad. "From 2010 to date, billions of naira had been spent in this direction," the statement, averred. This is due to the governor's belief and conviction that the future belongs to the educated minds.

THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

EDUCATION

N268m reward for 134 Lagos schools •Schools to enjoy solar power and water supply

AGOS State Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola has presented N268 million to 70 junior and 64 senior secondary schools that won the state's annual education award. The award, which is given to schools that excelled in the Eko Project Secondary Education Grant, held at the 10 Degrees Event Centre in Oregun, Ikeja. In his keynote address, Fashola noted that the aim of the award is to encourage healthy competition among public schools in the state. He thanked those who contributed to the success the state is witnessing in public schools. "I am proud of these children; I am proud of the image they now give to our public schools. I am proud of the men and women, the commissioners, the special advisers, tutor-general, volunteers, principals, vice principals, the teachers and all the development partners who have brought us this far. "The Governor's Award is an innovation to bring competition to our school performance evaluation as a way of improving the quality of learning outcomes and inspiring better results," he said. He said the Eko project has

By Ibrahim Yusuff

helped the state public schools to procure 3441 softwares for data management, 753 internet models, 656 generators, provide 525 libraries and train 16832 teachers, among other advantages. To improve schools, Fashola said the governor plans to provide solar energy and constant water supply in the state's public schools. His words: "As a demonstration of our commitment to continue to resource and fund our schools, let me inform you that just on Monday, the state Executive Council approved for us, the pilot project of providing solar power in all our public schools in Lagos. In the very first instance that will run between now and May next year which is the first phase, 172 schools will benefit before the end of this year, 35 schools in the riverine and rural areas which are where we are starting will be fully lit up and powered by solar. By the time we finish, we will be commissioning over 800 generators in all our schools. "The state water corporation is also working now to install pipeline for the direct water supply of 600 schools in Lagos to ensure water supply in all public schools."

•Fashola (middle) flanked by the Commissioner for Education, Mrs Olayinka Oladunjoye (fourth left); Ms Azeez, Chairman, House Committee on Education, Lagos State House of Assembly, Mr Alawiye-King and pupils of beneficiary schools.

In her presentation, the Special Adviser to the governor on Lagos Eko Project, Ms Ronke Azeez, said the project has improved the performance of public school pupils in the West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE). On the award, the Principal, Lagos State Senior Model College Igbo-okuta, Mr Akande Olugbenga, urged the government to continue because it motivates schools to perform better.

"This is the fourth year that we are winning this award. My school won the award because it has a very good learning environment. With the introduction of Eko Project, the performance of the pupils has been on the high side. The usage of elearning has also helped them in performing better in their subjects. "The government should continue with this annual award. It is a very good policy because it has improved the standard of education in the state," he said.

In the senior category, Community High School Idata-Ilagbo emerged first; Magbon Alade Senior Grammar School, Ibeju Lekki, came second while Ojora Memorial Senior Secondary School was ranked third. In the junior category, Eva Adelaja Girls Junior Secondary School topped the list; followed by the Lagos State Junior Model College Meiran and the Lagos State Junior Model College, Agbowa, in the second and third places.

Ondo to recruit secondary school teachers

‘Involve private sector in rural education’

From Damisi Ojo, Akure

•Cross section of visually impaired persons at the 2014 NSB White Cane Day event held recently at National Stadium Surulere, Lagos.

Ogun trains Fine Art pupils

TOTAL of 50 pupils - all budding fine artists - males and females, converged on the Ogun State's Gallery of Arts Hall, June 12 Cultural Centre, Abeokuta, for a five-day training in practical artwork. The participants, drawn from selected public secondary schools in the state, were tutored by professionals on how they could hone their talent to make them excel in any of the branches of art - painting, ceramic, textile design, and sculpture among others. The workshop tagged: 'Ogun Arts Heritage', which also featured career talk, among others, was organised by the state's Ministry of Culture and Tourism and sponsored by the GTBank, Custodian, Sovereign Trust Insurance and First Marina Trust Ltd. The Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Mrs Yewande Amusan, said the programme, which would be continuous, seeks to develop and strengthen the children's interest, skills and talents in art. Mrs Amusan noted that in this modern age, art goes beyond

From Ernest Nwokolo, Abeokuta

"drawing," adding that the state is bent on exposing the kids to possibilities in art, that they can create wealth from waste via art and create employment for themselves and others in future using art. She said: "We want to encourage our children to express themselves and develop their skills in arts. The essence is to expose them to professionals in the field, who would teach them the techniques they need to acquire to become career person in arts, create wealth from waste and also create employment. "Art is not just about drawing it is also about communication, making those kids to see prospect in art and to fall in love with it." Mr Lekan Onobanjor, Head resource person from Harmattan Workshop, advised the pupils on the need to dream big about art work, define what they hope to become in future and to set goals as well as vehicles for attaining them. He said: "You should benchmark and dream to be a better fine artist, aspire to have great people look at

your art work. You also dream of representing Nigeria in the global art competition. "Feel free to dream what you want to be in life. Without dream, you can't go far and you don't just stop at dreaming, you have to make it happen. People who want to be great mathematicians always practice mathematics; you see them solving maths problems always. "So, if you want to excel in art, you must practice it regularly. You can't just fold your hands and believe God will help you out. No. It doesn't work that way. Do practice to be perfect. Define yourself. Do you want to be a great painter, ceramic, sculptor, fashion designer? "Make your vision clear to make it easier for you to execute. If you want to be a painter, set goals for yourself and don't think you are too young to dream, set long term and short term goals and also define how to reach your goals. "And know that gossiping and idling about will not take you to your goal. So be focused and committed to be becoming successful career person in any field of arts."

NDO State government has announced plans to recruit new secondary school teachers to fill some vacancies. Already, the process for the recruitment is on to pave way for the employment of fresh education graduates from universities, polytechnics and colleges of education. The Head of Service (HOS), Mr Toyin Akinkuotu, made this known a news conference to mark the Public Service Day in Akure, the state capital. He said this was part of the effort to improve education standard in the state. Besides, no fewer than 7, 847 public servants are to benefit from this year’s promotion in the state. Akinkuotu said the promotion exercise is part of government commitments to raise workers. Akinkotu, who revealed that no worker in the state is owed any salary arrears, added that the government would continue to provide training both at local and international levels to workers to develop their human capacity. While highlighting other incentives to in‘This was clude a becivil part of the fitting service complex effort to and ultra improve modern education public service trainstandard in ing institute at Ilara the state. m o k i n , Besides, no Akinkuotu of fewer than 7, assured t h e 847 public government's ommitservants are to cment to benefit from more rein the this year’s forms state in line promotion in with global best practhe state tices.

From Jeremiah Oke, Abeokuta

HE Proprietor of International College Ibefun, in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State, Prince Babatunde Taiwo, is advocating more private sector’s involvement in rural education development to improve teaching and learning in the country. Private sectors, Taiwo argued, should endeavour to support the government at all levels in ensuring that quality education is available to children regardless of their financial background. Taiwo, who spoke at the pioneer valedictory/prize giving of the school, said the destiny of a nation depends solely on how youths are equipped for future. According to him, every child, irrespective of their social background, deserves an access to quality education as a veritable tool for their advancement and the country at large. He said the burden to meet up with the 'Education For All' agenda of the MDGs could not be achieved by various governments without a major participation from the private sectors. He acknowledged that establishing ICI in Odogbolu Local Government Area, on a full scholarship basis for town indigenes, only represents a drop in the ocean of his programme for the less-privileged. His words: "If I had the money, I will educate every Nigerian child to secondary school level at the least, free of charge, but unfortunately I don't. "As an observer of the sector, the dwindling education can be attributable to the decline of facilities in the various elementary and secondary schools. "Though governments are giving their best to rescue the sector, but they cannot do it without the help of private investors. "The problem in education is a revolving one and you now see overseas institutions taking advantage of the situation to penetrate the sector.”

THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

EDUCATION

Parents seek intervention in Oyo schools •Free lunch for Primary One pupils

HE Oyo State chapter of the National Parent-Teacher Association (NAPTAN) has urged the state government to address the challenges facing education in the state. These were discussed at a forum organised by NAPTAN in Ibadan after which the group visited Governor Ajimobi to register their concerns. They complained about poor quality education which manifests through inability of the learners to express themselves orally or in writing. They also demanded for improved security in the schools;

From Tayo Johnson, Ibadan

adequate teachers, buses for inspection, and the reconstruction of dilapidated classrooms and school fences before a new session starts next month. One of the NAPTAN representatives, Mr Folorunsho Adetuyi, a teacher from Ibadan North Local Government, told The Nation of the urgent need for furniture in schools. “The schools need chairs and tables. The pupils come to school and sit on the floor. The PTA is trying, but the government needs to

‘He also said that dilapidated classrooms are being reconstructed by a Chinese expert, adding that the contract for model schools to be constructed in the three senatorial districts of the state has been awarded’

come to our rescue,” he said. A parent from the council, Alhaji Akeusola Badmus, noted that the rehabilitation of dilapidated buildings and fences is “highly” important before September. In his response, Ajimobi assured them that resuscitating the education sector is a priority for his administration. He promised them that the state would provide 10 buses to ease transportation of 2,500 newly-recruited teachers, who will resume in September. He also said that dilapidated classrooms are being reconstructed by a Chinese expert, adding that the contract for model schools to be constructed in the three senatorial districts of the state has been awarded. “The general free uniform initiative will commence with these schools, afterwards it will be extended to other government primary and secondary schools. Education should be one of the strong points of a progressive government,” he said. Meanwhile, there will be free lunch for Primary One pupils from September, Governor Abiola Ajimobi has promised. He hoped he would encourage lazy pupils to school and also enhance learning.

• Musa Alli (left) receiving the MVP award from the Coordinator of the Warrior Keele Cup, David Shepherd.

Greensprings wins football Cup in UK

FFORTS by Greensprings School, Lekki, Lagos to develop football talents yielded fruit recently as the school lifted the Under-13 Warrior Keel International Football Tournament trophy in faraway Manchester, United Kingdom. The elite school is the first Nigerian school to win the competition, defeating home team, Audley Juniors Football Academy five to three. To reach the final, Greensprings beat Shawbury United, Wyrley Juniors, Strikers United, Vitoria Colts, Audley Juniors and Finland's Wilds before beating Audley Juniors in the finals. Most of the players that featured in the competition were products of the Greensprings/Kanu Football

By Kofoworola Belo-Osagie

Camp (GKFC) and the School Weekend Sports Academy, which was established in 2012 to discover football talents among children aged five - 17, including the less privileged. Musa Alli, Elvis Onyeze, Murtala Toheeb and Haruna Hadi, were part of the Greenspring team that featured in the competition. They won scholarship through the GKFC to attend the school. They dazzled during the competition, especially Musa, who won the Most Value Player (MVP) award for his goal-scoring and playing abilities. Prior to the Keele Cup, Alli and

Onyeze shone at African Youth Games (AYG) held in Gaborone, Botswana which was won by Nigeria. Alli also clinched the MVP award for that tournament. Head of Sports, Greensprings School, Oluseyi Oyebode, said his players caught the attention of scouts of English Premier Leagues (EPL) who watched the tournament. "I think the scouts from these EPL sides were convinced that the players are future materials for the EPL and they are willing to engage them in their youth teams," Oyebode said. Meanwhile, Greensprings' Senior team lost their semifinal match against Cannal FC, while the Girls team also lost their semifinal to a team from the USA. In 2011, Greensprings lost to a Kenyan team in the finals.

Cleric: Education can end insurgency

HE General Overseer Charismatic Ministries Worldwide, Dr Cosmos Ilechukwu has advocated compulsory education for all children in Nigeria as a panacea to the persistent insurgency in the country today. Ilechukwu, who spoke with reporters in Calabar after dedicating the Cathedral of Destiny of the Charismatic Renewal Ministries Incorporated, described the inces-

From Nicholas Kalu, Calabar

sant suicide bombings in the country as pathetic and an indication of a nation that has lost value for human life. He urged the Federal Government to evolve deliberate policies of mandatory and unconditional education for all children in Nigeria. According to him, an enlightened

mind cannot be easily manipulated to commit such hideous crimes. Earlier, in a sermon, he urged churches to return to the bible and core Christian principles which establish the church as a temple of prayers and deemphasise materialism. “So much emphasis on money has hindered the manifestation of God's presence in the church,” Ilechukwu said.

EDUTALK

with

Parents and WASSCE failure

S usual, this year's May/June West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) result is not fantastic. Only 31.28 per Kofoworola cent of the 1,692,435 SS3 candidates who sat for the examiBelo-Osagie nation made credits in five subjects including English and Kofosagie@yahoo.com Mathematics - the minimum 08054503077 (SMS only) benchmark for university admission. What is however worrisome is that it represents a decline in performance compared to the two previous editions. In 2013, 36.57 per cent met the benchmark, while in 2012, it was 38.81. Who is to blame? Head of National Office, West African Examinations Council (WAEC), Mr Charles Eguridu, said parents. In the past, he said Nigerians were quick to point accusing fingers at the government for not funding education, schools for not enforcing standards, and teachers for not teaching properly. But this time, he said parents should carry the can. He argued that many of them do not have time to monitor their wards. They leave their homes at the crack of dawn pursuing money and do not return until late in the night when the children are in bed. In their absence, they do not know what the youngsters do to keep busy - whether they do their homework or spend all day playing video games, watching TV, or playing pranks with friends. Eguridu's position on parents reminds me of an article by Dr Rueben Abati, The 12' O Clock Man, which Prof Emervo Biakolo of the Pan-Atlantic University shared with participants of the Advanced Writing And Reporting Skills (AWARES) programme, a 20-day certificate training designed mainly for journalists, last week. In the article, Abati wrote about a banker who worked hard to make his wife and three children comfortable. As he got more and more engrossed in his work, he did not realise he had lost touch with his family. He was out early before his children woke up every day, and came back after they had gone to bed. He worked on Saturday s as well. In a week, he spent only Sunday afternoons with them - and that was from 12-4pm before leaving for the club. It was the day he missed that ritual - trading it for an urgent business appointment - that he realised how little his sacrifice of hard work meant to his children compared to his presence. He came back to learn from his wife that his children had asked for that "man who usually visited by 12 'O' Clock on Sundays." In all my years of covering the education beat, I have not been to any school where parents were told to leave their wards' education totally to teachers to manage. At Whitesands School, Lekki, the Principal, Dr David Lorenzo, told me that one of the reasons the school has no boarding facilities is to ensure that parents play their own role. "Education is a partnership between the home and the school," he said. He is not alone. Many other educationists have appealed to parents to monitor their wards at home. The children whose parents monitor their school work perform better. So, Mr Eguridu is not wrong to blame parents. Many pupils who underperform would have done better if at least one of their parents paid attention to their school work. By taking time to ask questions about school, checking notes, visiting the school for open days to interact with the teachers and others, parents get a more robust view of their children's performance in school. Beyond academic work, they also learn about how their wards relate with others, their talents, strengths or weaknesses if they attend other school programmes where these children play one role or the other. The parent who monitors is sure to find out when something is amiss quicker than the absentee parent. Another area where parents need to change their ways (if they fall in that category) is to stop encouraging their wards to cheat. Providing money for shortcuts so their children can pass examinations without working for it will not pay in the long run. Such a parent is simply telling the child that he is dull and cannot use his God-given intellect to excel, which is not the case. An average pupil can become a star by putting in extra efforts. Children must be willing to work hard to pursue their dreams. Parents who help them to take shortcuts are only cutting short their dream.

‘As he got more and more engrossed in his work, he did not realise he had lost touch with his family. He was out early before his children woke up every day, and came back after they had gone to bed. He worked on Saturday s as well. In a week, he spent only Sunday afternoons with them - and that was from 124pm before leaving for the club’

THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

POLITICS

THURSDAY AUGUST 14, 2014

THE NATION

E-mail:- politics@thenationonlineng.net

KWARA POLITICS The struggle for power has intensified in Kwara State among the three senatorial districts, ahead of next year’s elections. Which zone will produce the next governor? EMMANUEL OLADESU examines the jostling for the governorship by All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftains.

Politics of succession in Kwara K

WARA State Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed will complete his first term next year. Ahead of the general elections, the three districts have begun agitations for power shift. The two political parties-the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) - are making projections into the future, based on the antagonistic clamour for power shift by competing zones. Sources said that the governor may have kicked off a subtle re-election campaign, based on the projection. Although he has not publicly declared his intention to seek a second term, his body language has confirmed that he is pushing for continuity in office. Ahmed is from the South Senatorial District. His kinsmen have stepped up the agitation for the retention of the slot, claiming that the governor deserves a second term. Prominent APC and PDP chieftains from the zone are united by the clampour for power. They have been making consultations and mobilising various pressure groups to realise the objective. In fact, pro-Ahmed forces in the APC have also raised a delegation to discuss the issue with the Kwara APC leader, Senator Bukola Saraki. They believe that the former governor will be disposed to his second term ambition for two reasons. Saraki was in office for two terms. Also, Ahmed has been his loyal and dependable ally. Indeed, the political leader had challenged his illustrious father, the late Waziri Olusola Saraki, to a duel in 2011 over the vexed issue of succession. While the old political warhorse threw his weight behind her beloved daughter, Senator Gbemisola Saraki, for the governorship, Dr. Bukola Saraki opted for Ahmed’s candidature. At the historic election, Ahmed defeated Senator Gbemi. However, the governor has some hurdles to cross. A party source said that, in 2011, when the former Finance Commissioner emerged as the candidate, the feeling in the PDP, which was the ruling party, was that he would spend one term. But, Ahmed’s supporters have countered this claim, saying that he is qualified to seek re-election under the 1999 Constitution. Last week, a source also hinted that the APC may approach the next governorship election in utter sensitivity to the reality on ground. The source, who is a legislator said that events in the PDP have influence the APC’s projections. “There is the feeling that the next PDP governorship candidate may come from Ilorin Emirate. If this is so, the APC may have to also brainstorm on the way forward. There are three factors that often shape the politics of Kwara. They are ethnicity, religion and poverty. All these are know by the political class,” he added. Another APC chieftain said that, if the PDP decides to zone its slot to Kwara Central, the option may also be explored by the APC. There are many promising APC politicians from the Central District. However, eyes are on the former Sports Minister, Bolaji Abdullahi, who recently joined the party, following his exit from the federal cabinet. Aspirants being projected by the PDP in Kwara Central include the legal luminary, Dele Belgore (SAN), a defector from the APC, and former Vice Chancellor of University of Ilorin and Chairman of Federal Character Commission, Prof. Abdulraman Shuaib Oba. However, Ahmed’s supporters are not threatened by the new calculations. Members of the House of Assembly from Kwara South have also thrown their weight behind the second term agenda of the governor. They are also wooing their counterparts from other districts to support the agenda. Recently, a group, Kwara South Consultative Forum, drummed support for Ahmed’s

• Ahmed

• Ajadi

candidature. The group described him as a trusted and tested administrator, a loyal party, and an achiever. At a press conference in Ilorin, the state capital, the group appealed to Saraki support the quest for second term. “The present administration has worked enough to sustain the continuity agenda of the Saraki Administration and it should be allowed to complete its programmes in the overall interest of the Kwara people,” it said. Members of the group also pointed out that since Kwara Central has enjoyed the slot for two terms between 2003 and 2011, power should remain in Kwara South because what is good for the goose is good for the gander. During the recent Eid-el-Fitri in Ilorin, posters of the governor flooded the streets. They attracted worshippers as they passed through the roads to the Ilorin Praying Ground. A day before, some youths from Kwara South had pasted them on the walls. To demonstrate their commitment to the second term agenda, political office holders from the South have formed a lobby group. The Contact and Mobilisation Committee is headed by the Commissioner for Finance, Alhaji Demola Banu. Its mission is to commence enlightenment and mobilisation drive across seven local governments in the Kwara South.The councils are Isin, Ifelodun, Oyun, Offa, Irepodun, Ekiti and Oke-Ero. Members of Banu Committee include commissioners, special advisers, senior special assistants, special assistants, liaison officers, and youths coordinators. However, those clamouring for power shift to the Central District are also multiplying. A party

• Belgore

• Oba

source said that the leadership of the APC is not averse to these legitimate agitations. “The party has not stopped the agitators because the agitations are healthy. The zones are competing and their claims are valid. Kwara Cenral politicians are making the claim that the district has a huge population. This is a factor in politics and elections. Kwara South people, including those in the APC and the PDP, are insisting on continuity, claiming that Kwara Central had enjoyed it for eight years. They said that the central District has been there before for 12 years. Between 1999 and 2003, the late Alhaji Muhammed Lawal from Kwara Central also served as governor. But, it is up to the parties to release nomination guidelines that will reflect these feelings,” he said. Senator Makanjuola Ajadi and Alhaji Jani Ibrahim, an engineer, are among prominent PDP chieftains from the South District. Although they also rooting for power retention in the zone, they have conflicting agenda. Ajadi, the Presidential Adviser on National Assembly Matters is a governorship aspirant. He has said that the slot should remain in the South in the spirit of equity, fairness and justice. However, Ajadi and Jani wants the PDP to produce the next governor from the zone. Also, in the Kwara South APC, there is the feeling that, even after the zone has enjoyed the slot for another term, power should shift to Kwara North, which has not produced the governor since 1999. Competent sources said that Kwara South leaders have not been reaching out to their counterparts in the North. If they have adopted the collaborative approach, they would have arrived at an agreement on zoning and power shift. “If Kwara North supports Kwara South in 2015, the zone will reciprocate in 2019. This inter-

• Senator Gbemi Saraki

• Jani

zonal cooperation is also normal in politics,” added the source. However, leaders of the APC and PDP in the North District have a separate agenda for 2015, They want the slot to be zoned to the area. But, unlike their counterparts in the South and Central districts, they are not properly coordinated. Kwara South leaders have been hiding under the on-going voter’s registration sensitisation to drum support for the governor’s second term. The Banu Committee has taken the second term campaign to many councils, particularly Ajase-Ipo and Offa. As they enjoined the people to register to get permanent voters’ card, they also project the achievements of the governor as the basis for continuity beyond next year. They explained to the people that Ahmed will continue to build on the legacies of his leader, Senator Saraki. In reaction, PDP and APC leaders from the North and Central have called on their party leadership to call the agitators from the South to order. According to them, the agitations are divisive and essentially destabilising. The grouse of APC chieftains from the two zones is that their colleagues from the South have not carried them along in their struggle, despite the fact that they belong to the same party and they have been working with the same governor. A chieftain of the APC maintained that the emergence of the governorship candidate will depend on the prevailing situation during the primaries. He said, since the PDP is scheming to unseat the APC, this factor has to be taken into consideration as the ruling party prepares for primaries. “When the time comes, stakeholders will brainstorm and take a collective decision”, he said.

THE NATION THURSDAY AUGUST 14, 2014

POLITICS CROSS RIVER POLITICS Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain and governorship aspirant in Cross River State Francis Bullem is from the North Senatorial District. The former banker and businessman spoke with NICHOLAS KALU on his ambition, Imoke Administration and succession battle in the Southsouth state.

DELTA POLITICS

Who succeeds Uduaghan? In this piece, Celestine Efeukane examines the succession battle in Delta State and the chance of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain Chief Ovie OmoAgege at the primaries.

How Imoke’s successor ‘ll emerge, by PDP chieftain T H

OW prepared are you for the governorship race? I am not in this race because I am looking at the other people. I am looking at myself as the person who is into this. I have prepared myself for this and other moments that are coming. When we started, we said we were consulting. Now, we have reached a state where the umpire has lifted the veil on some skeletal level of activities. We are moving forward.We are getting into the critical stages where we would begin to say “ this is my blueprint” and when you begin to talk about the blueprint, we shall be looking at the macro and micro issues that are involved in development because, if you look at what the incumbent is doing, there is a clear agenda for development. Indices have been set. And those indices are going to mature beyond his tenure.That is why I said that, in my own case, you are talking about continuity, sustainably, good governance and accountability. By the time you get these parameters right, you will be talking about value addition. So, if it is education now, we ask ourselves, where are we in education? So, if you follow in the path that have been laid, you will get to standards that you want to get to. The same thing goes for all other sectors. The hallmark of these is how do you stimulate growth and development. So, if you want to reduce poverty, that means all the indices that have been set by the Imoke Administration, you drive it to the end. So, the cycle would be complete. So, it would be foolish of anybody who thinks that when gets to this stage, you will turn the hand of the clock. I don’t think so. If I did not prepare myself for this journey, I would not be here at this moment. I prepared myself and I have been praying to God to give me direction. And that is why I have remained very focussed. It is not like there have not been distractions or there are not going to be distractions. If you begin to listen to “oh, this one has been anointed, or not anointed,” or all of that, you cannot be here. But, because I feel that, as an individual, I have capacity, pedigree and exposure; the critical ingredients. So, I am not a student who feels that I would be staying behind. Governor Imoke will prefer to be succeeded by a hard working person. What are the programmes you hope to implement, if you elected as governor? Let me take you back a little. If you set an agenda for continuity, that means the parameters must have been set. The critical sectors that drive development are agriculture, education, health and then infrastructure. Then, tourism. That is the niche area in Cross River. So, these are the critical sectors that you cannot wish away. But, in the short term, both in the micro aspect and in the macro, if you have to quickly get out of poverty, then,you must do agriculture very quickly. So, you take more people back to the farm. You create a cycle of entrepreneurs. You get more people empowered. And then, it would throw back the value proposition that would support the macro economy at the centre. Is consensus candidacy not feasible? I don’t have a problem with consensus. You know why? It is because, if the indices are properly set, it would throw up a good candidate. When you talk about consensus, you are talking

• Bullem

about a process that throws up a consensus. If it is very fair, with clear and measurable parameters, then, a better candidate should emerge. So, if that candidate is better than me, I should be mature and responsible enough to say this person deserves this more than myself. I am not in this race because I want to die. I don’t want to die. I am in this race because I want to serve and I have a valid proposition. If that happens and the consensus throws up somebody that is better than me, it is about supporting that person. The governor has advised aspirants to work together to produce a candidate. What is your view? I can tell you that I have been in touch with almost everybody, both the ones we hear as stories and the ones we are all in it together. I have tried to keep a relationship. Informally, we have been talking to ourselves. It is not difficult to get that to happen, but the problem is that, when the other man who is not even working feels that he is the one that is anointed, he doesn’t want to come to the table because, if he comes to the table and we start looking at ourselves and he has nothing to offer. He is only looking at where he thinks he is drawing his strength from. Otherwise, for me as a person, I have been communicating with all the people that are accessible. At the end of the day, it is only one person that would be there and that is why I am telling you that I have a very large heart. If I am able to push myself in what I am doing, then, I should be able to punch myself anytime any day. We need the grace of God to continue to do the things that we are doing. You see, there is a clear divide between people who think they are favoured and the rest of us that feel that we need to work hard and present

‘I don’t have a problem with consensus. You know why? It is because, if the indices are properly set, it would throw up a good candidate. When you talk about consensus, you are talking about a process that throws up a consensus. If it is very fair, with clear and measurable parameters, then, a better candidate should emerge’

ourselves for assessment. That is why I am working. I cannot measure what I am doing. But, if the feelers are right, it means I have worked very hard to get here. But, I need to work harder. What is your position on zoning? Like I said, a man who wants to be the governor of Bekwara or Ogoja or Obanliku is not fit to be governor. It is the man who wants to be the governor of Cross River State, in which case, the South, the Central and the North should determine who becomes governor. The South and Central are pushing decent people who can become governor. They are coming up with the profile of people who fit into the equation. The North, in partnership with the Central and South, should come together. That is why the process is driven together. So, apart from the senatorial districts, you have the establishment, the party apparatus, to moderate. So, I want to see a process and I feel it is already on-going. There are different stages. Let everyone who wants to be governor come out and go round and work. In the process consultations, a lot of people have supplied pieces of advice that has been helpful. People ask you questions that you know would hold you to your honour and integrity. Tomorrow, the same person will be there to ask you the same questions he asked you earlier. So, if you turn around, you would not be trusted. So, by the time all of these happens, you will know who is serious and who is not serious and all of that. Are you worried about the governor’s intention to annoint a candidate? You people are the ones helping them. Because when you do reports, you put their names, and when you call them in the private, they deny. I think the honourable thing to do, even if I am a full time appointee of the governor and I have the conviction that I am going to succeed him, first of all, I would have prepared myself from day one that getting into this cabinet, this is my direction, and as such, you put yourself in the eyes of the governor. He begins to see you as such a person who has the capacity, charisma and pedigree to succeed him. When the time comes, you should be bold enough to go and sit down with your boss and talk to him about your ambition. You will say, give me time, let me go out and work so that, when the time comes, if you are convinced that I can succeed you, then, it becomes easy for you to make a decision. But, nobody is bold enough to come out and yet, you want to succeed the governor. What is the political experience that qualifies you for this role? I am in the supervisory board of the internal revenue. That enough is being in government because that is the hub of government. If you drive revenues, it means you are creating alternative sources of income for government to function. What the banking career does for anybody is that it prepares you for any challenge from the management to administration, prudence, decision making and leadership. From a foot solider in the bank to branch manager, then, the middlelevel management. In all of these, you are gaining experience, momentum and capacity in a broad spectrum of management. And you get to the ‘generals level,’ which is theAssistant General Manager and above. From an AGN you can be a bank Managing Director. It is the top echelon. So, if I got there, it means that I have acquired experience.

HE governorship race has started in Delta State. On May 29, next year, a new governor will begin a fresh tenure. In Delta, the race has assumed a new dimension. Aspirants are consulting with stakeholders and mapping out strategies. No fewer than 20 aspirants have thrown their hats into the ring. Delta State is a strategic state in Nigeria. Its abundant oil and gas nourish the world in the same manner that it is home to some of the most sought after human capital resources. It is therefore, understandable why the governorship race appears to have peaked. The people of Delta are dymanic. Its economy and multi-cultural endowment are assets.This dynamism is also reflected in its succession politics. One aspirant whose declaration for the governorship has electrified the political space is the charismatic politician, Obaisi Ovie Omo-Agege, a political titan whose political astuteness is stuff for legends. A trained lawyer, who honed his legal skills in the United States, Omo-Agege has become a major player, who has built tested and reliable bridges across the ethnic groups in Delta State. He is a household name in the Southsouth state. He has become a political phenomenon. Omo-Agege’s fame is not premised on his involvement in politics. He is well known as a strategist, loyal party man and development marshal. Many Deltans still talk about how he revolutionized the development process in Delta State when he served as the Secretary to the State Government. Before then he had served as Commissioner for Special Duties leaving an enviable record of development oriented service. Many people had then wondered where he got the ideas and energy to evolve and implement the ideals he used to propel the government of the time. The people soon discovered that it was all about a deep passion to serve humanity and make life better for the people. Omo-Agege’s politics is driven by passion. This is the passion to serve Delta State as governor and help consolidate the state. This passion took him into politics in 2002 and since then there has been no going back. His attempt at the governorship between 2006 and today are the result of the pull by the passion and conviction to take the state to the next level. Some have called it desperation, but that is a wrong interpretation of his sublime motive. The kind of motive that energised Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill and the late sage, Pa Obafemi Awolowo. A keen follower of Omo-Agege will discover that he is not in the race for the fun of it and making statements that remain unsubstantiated. He has a programme tagged:“four pillars of consolidation.” He is a developmentoriented mind. The four pillars of consolidation is an elaborate manifesto that is aimed at maximum development. The dominant ideas of the four pillars are ‘strong and stable economy, strong and secured society, cleaner environment and new politics’. The overriding and ultimate goal of the four pillars is creating an enabling environment for investors which will culminate in the industrialization of the state and maximum job creation. Omo-Agege anticipates a Delta State where every citizen will be gainfully employed, a state where crime will be reduced to its barest minimum, a state where senior citizens spend their lives in bliss while the younger folk work, prosper and look forward to their retirement. He has worked out an elaborate scheme for crime prevention in order to ensure social cohesion and peace. His design also takes into consideration the significant role of good and quality education, a reliable and confidence boosting health sector and the upgrading of infrastructure such as housing, electricity, transportation and other amenities that make life modern and worth living. He has promised an all inclusive government where the people’s aspirations and concerns will be prioritized. He insists on accountability, transparency and ther recognition of the role of civil society in the development process. This is what he calls New Politics. Since his declaration, Omo-Agege has taken this message of hope and consolidation to every corner of Delta State by way of consultation with the people. His vision has been described as a Pan-Delta agenda for transformation which has been embraced everywhere in the state. He talks of an All Delta Agenda with Anioma, Ijaw, Isoko, Itsekiri and Urhobo in the fold. The Omo-Agege political train has what it takes to get Delta to its destination. Deltans know this and they are just waiting for the election day and do what they should do by overwhelmingly casting their votes for Obaisi Ovie Omo-Agege.

• Omo-Agege

• Efeukane is contributing this piece from Effurun.

Gulak: I am not afraid of Ribadu

From Gbade Ogunwale, Abuja

ORMER Presidential Political Adviser Alhaji Ahmed Gulak has said that the governorship ambition of former Chairman of the Economic and Fi nancial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Mallam Nuhu Ribadu in Adamawa State is not a threat to his aspiration to rule the state. He told reporters in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), that Ribadu may not defect from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He said: “I don’t believe Ribadu would jettison his ideals and defect from the APC to the PDP for the purpose of contesting the governorship election in Adamawa State. If he is sure of his popularity, he should be ready to contest on the platform of the APC, if he so desires. But, it is the people that will decide who to govern them. “However, if he has decided to join the PDP, as it is being rumoured, then he is welcome. But given a transparent process, no politician in Adamawa State today has what it takes to defeat me in any primary election or the election proper. “It is a matter of one’s popularity with the people because Adamawa of today is far different from what obtained about seven years ago”, Gulak stated. He dismissed insinuations that his removal from office by President Goodluck Jonathan may work against his ambition, stressing that he was not removed as a result corruption or any misconduct.

THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

THE NATION

NATURAL HEALTH E-mail:- health@thenationonlineng.net

Personal hygiene is very important, particularly washing of hands after defecation and before eating and cooking. In the face of Ebola outbreak in the country, OYEYEMI GBENGA-MUSTAPHA writes on natural ways of maintaining personal hygiene.

How to prevent Ebola from spreading H

YGIENE refers to conditions and practices that help to maintain health and prevent the spread of diseases. Medical hygiene therefore includes a specific set of practices associated with this preservation of health, for example environmental cleaning, sterilisation of equipment, hand hygiene, water and sanitation and safe disposal of medical waste. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) despite water shortage and restricted sanitation facilities in emergency situations, it’s critical to ensure that some of the available water supply is used for personal hygiene to minimise health risks. Messages about the importance of hand washing with soap at critical times-i.e. after defecation, after handling babies’ faeces, and before preparing food-are particularly important. As soap may be in short supply during emergencies, the use of ash, sand, lime or other culturally acceptable substitutes should be promoted. In extreme settings where people are poor, and at highest risk for morbidity and mortality from infectious disease, the greater need is for families to spend what little income they have on food. For these communities, the use of clean and dried soil and ash for hand washing is preferable to using water only, because it is more effective. Hand washing is particularly important in reducing the burden of infectious and parasitic diseases. The hands are the last line of defense against exposure to pathogens which can occur either directly from the hand to the mouth, eye, nose, or other area of the skin, or indirectly by “handling” of food or water. For some communities, the use of clean and dried soil and ash for hand washing is preferable to using water only, because it is more effective. In public health, it is generally accepted that hand washing with soap should be preferred over mud, soil or ash, which in turn is preferable to using water only. All of these options are preferred over no hand washing at all. Government needs to encourage the use of soap rather than mud, soil or ash, but where there is dire need of water, these natural options are in tandem. According to WHO, ash main benefit is its being an abrasive agent. Another common soap is the black soap. In West Africa, black soap is known by its Yoruba name, Ose dudu. ‘Dudu’ means the colour black, which comes from the extensive ‘cooking’ of the soap to the point of charcoal. Many cultures in West Afrca use charcoal to detoxify and purify the skin, and this is an integral aspect of the true black soap.\Black soap is made from a centuries of old recipe of handcrafted shea butter and indigenous West African palm kernel oil. Saponification is provided by adding ashes to the hot oils, then cooking the soap for six hours. The final step is to dry and cure the soap in the sun for three weeks. Black soap is a multipurpose soap, suitable for cleaning, washing shaving, shampooing, and as a general hand and body wash. According to the Director, Corporate Affairs/health and Value Business, Pfizer, Mrs

Maggie Olele, other ways not to contract Ebola virus include nonlaying of hands, anointing and holding hands in churches among Pastors, Priests and the congregation and non sharing of Choir gowns et al. “At the hair salon the use of unsterilised towels and pedicure, manicure sets can transmit Ebola virus, just as with physical checking of luggage at the airport - the officers are wearing gloves, but have checked myraids of luggage, they will ransack towels et. al. they are safe, you are not. You can insist that the officer change his gloves, while he checks your luggage. “People, especially drivers who patronise the mobile local (hausa) pedicure and barbers are exposing themselves as well. Persons who patronise sex workers and sex workers, considering that it is advised that a

person with Ebola must hang on for seven weeks before he or she gets a bit proactive with sex ( fidelity to partners is crucial at this point),” she said. According to the Centre for Disease Control (CDC), washing hands with soap and water is the best way to reduce the number of microbes on them in most situations. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 per cent alcohol. Why? Many studies have found that sanitizers with an alcohol concentration between 60–95 per cent are more effective at killing germs than those with a lower alcohol concentration or nonalcohol-based hand sanitizers. Non-alcoholbased hand sanitizers may (1) not work equally well for all classes of germs (for example, Gram-positive vs. Gram-negative

bacteria, Cryptosporidium, norovirus); (2) cause germs to develop resistance to the sanitizing agent; (3) merely reduce the growth of germs rather than kill them outright, or (4) be more likely to irritate skin than alcohol-based hand sanitizers. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers can quickly reduce the number of microbes on hands in some situations, but sanitizers do not eliminate all types of germs. Why? Although alcohol-based hand sanitizers can inactivate many types of microbes very effectively when used correctly, people may not use a large enough volume of the sanitizers or may wipe it off before it has dried. Furthermore, soap and water are more effective than hand sanitizers at removing or inactivating certain kinds of germs, like Cryptosporidium, norovirus, and Clostridium difficile.

THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

NATURAL HEALTH

Some natural ammunition against Ebola Virus fever (2)

BOLA VIRUS is still at the centre stage of public thought. How I wish it will rapidly give way to loftier discussions. I say this because, like the spoken word, thoughts have a magnetic force. There is nothing that comes into being through us that we did not originate in the thought. If you are in a bus and you think intensely about the passenger some seats ahead of yours, he or she is likely to be connected to you by your thought, and look back in the direction of this thought… to you. Often, we suddenly remember some-one we hadn’t seen in a long, long while, and, the next day or soon after, that person walks in or telephones us, and says had been trying to reach us! Sometimes, we are trying to telephone someone at the same time that person is trying to reach us. Nature informs us through these events that thoughts are living forces which Nature beings, like porters, fashion into appropriate thought forms. These forms are seeds attached to their authors who must reap bountiful harvests of them someday. There was a time in Lagos the uniform of the traffic police was changed to yellow colour. Many people nicknamed these traffic men yellow fever. And, sure enough, soon after, a new epidemic of yellow fever disease broke out! In this respect, the genuine efforts to find a way out of the present Ebola virus jungle should be well helped if frivolous talk and jokes about Ebola virus are stopped, to give way to thoughts emanating from serious efforts. Last Friday, I gave a talk on these matters at International Transport Workers Federation (ITWF) cancer screening and Ebola virus fever seminar which took place at the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) State Office Abule-Egba. The talk was more of a review of the first part of this series published in this newspaper the previous day.

Fear

Ebola virus fear continues to envelope Lagos in a thick pall. And fear, deriving from thought, can manifest in the thought-form of that which is feared. Someday, this thought from may, in turn, materialise in the physical form of the thought-form, in this case, Ebola virus fever epidemic. To avert an epidemic, the government of Lagos State has asked the Federal Government to close the boarders. But the Federal Government is hesitant because closing the boarders may suffocate the economy and cause serious social problems. This is not a time to do nothing. A middleground can be found. That middle ground may involve blood screening for all immigrants from all regions of the world where this disease has occurred in epidemic or pandemic proportions. The government should investigate how the Liberian who brought Ebola virus to Nigeria beat immigration officers to it. They should have known he was a Liberian and stopped him. It for Ebola screening is because we do not investigate well enough and punish culprits that corruption thrives in Nigeria and lives are endangered. Who knows, this Liberian may have tossed $100 at someone to get in. Wasn’t this how guns, military guns, got into this country and we now have Boko Haram on our hands? Let us not forget, also, that fireworks were banned in Nigeria in 1962 during the Western Nigeria crisis, but are still “heavenly” imported into Nigeria every year; And, irrespective of police reminders of the ban every Christmas season, fireworks enliven the Christmas season, our even inside police barracks! This shows we are an irresponsible people and need a responsible government to make us mature and behave well.

Bubonic Plague

We are probably irresponsible and misbehaving because we are not well taught the history of the suffering of other people who had been killed in their millions by diseases similar to Ebola virus fever. Personally, I do not wish that we experience the human holocausts they went through for our eyes to open wide. That was why, last week, I promised to include in this series a disease, bubonic plague similar in its devastation of human lives as Ebola virus. Last week, I hinted that when it struck England in 1348, it killed 1.7 million of the 4 million residents of London.

Garlic

Last week, I suggested the consumption of garlic with every meal as a way of boasting the immune system, which god has placed in our bodies to destroy any germ or parasite, including Ebola virus, which may seek to destroy it. I also mentioned bitter kola. Dr. Robert Young, and American researcher and author of the book pH Miracle, says Ebola virus has been inhibited in cell cultures in which non-toxin doses of Garcinia kola (Bitter kola) were used against it. He suggests as well massive doses of Vitamin C to neutralise the free radicals Ebola virus attacks the body with. Many doctors continue to emphasise the washing of hands with soap and bleach without reference to the immune system. Understandably, drugs cannot boost immunity, and doctors have little or no training in nutrition or hebalism, which offers natural ways of maintaining and boosting this design of God in our bodies. It is also for this reason that I wish to present an account of the four prisoners who survived the Bubonic Plague which must have killed more than about 200 million people in Europe and Asia in epidemics and pandemics. Thereafter, I will present accounts of this human travail world-wide to warn that the conditions for it are present here, and we should take immediate steps to educate ourselves more about the immune system and change our present diet to God’s Creation Plan for feeding our bodies, as Dr. George Malkhmus did so to survive his stomach cancer.

The four prisoners

Known as “the four thieves and their herbs” on goggle, an account of their story by Daves Garden is this: “The Plague was known as The Great Pestilence” or “The Great Plague”. Later it was called the “Black Death Plague” and compared to the “Asian Bubonic Plague”, the variation of the stories vary in time from the mid-13th century to the 16th Century and location from Italy, France and England. It is true the plague

ease causing bacteria. Because garlic has such immune-building properties, regular supplementation acts prophylactically, preventing bubonic plague from taking hold.”

The Plague

resurfaced over and over again during those many years, so any time frame may also be true.” The story I first heard many years ago was that the local magistrates needed men to haul away the rapidly accumulating dead bodies. It happened there were four thieves in prison who had been arrested for stealing from the homes of the dead, and they were conscripted to haul the bodies. One of the thieves had a mother who was a herbalist, she made an herbal vinegar the men used on a fabric handkerchief over their mouths and noses while they robbed the dead. She supplied more of the same as the thieves took on their assigned tasks. The men survived carting away dead and decaying bodies without catching the plague, and the magistrates took note. The magistrate offered them a deal. The thieves could have been hung for their crimes, or divulge their secret and go free. They gave up the recipe. The tales continue to say that many others used the herbal vinegar and survived. “The recipe ingredients vary from tale to talk, but with todays’ science we know that most of the herbals reportedly used are antifungal and antiseptic. I know from personal experience that the four thieves recipe I use make a fine insect repellant, and I make a new patch to every spring to use on me and my pets. The recipe is for an insect repellant, and not to be taken internally as some of the recipe variations suggest. The recipe contains Rosemary, Rue or Herb of Grace, Garden Sage, Lavender, Wormwood and peppermint steeped in a base of raw, unpasteurised, fermented apple, cider vinegar with added fresh garlic after the initial brewing. “Various other recipe include the addition of Thyme. Lemon Balm, Meadows sweet, Marjoram and Jumper berries”. Almost all the recipe I use contain the ingredient I use plus other additions, but I stick with the ingredients common in most recipes”. All the herbs named by Daves Garden are used orally in natural medicine as shown, for example, by ANNE ARNOTT in her book, FRUITS OF THE EARTH, which says of Garlic: “Garlic is mentioned in Number 11 as being one of the vegetables which children of Israel greatly missed when they were traveling through the wilderness to the Promised Land. They had learned of its very great value when they were slaves in Egypt. Garlic was felt by the ancient Egyptians to give them strength and vitality and stamina, and was given daily to their slaves who were constructing the pyramids. In fact, it is said that the first strike known in history occurred when the slaves downed tools because their daily garlic ration was witheld while they were building the Pyramid Cheops. Garlic has been proved to be one of the most antiseptic of all herbs. It is thought to be useful in almost every physical ailment, and is a wholesome regular addition to food. Dr. Herbert Schweitzer is said to have used garlic to help cure the dreaded disease of Cholera and typhus (typhoid). Lips cancers are said to have been cured by its use. Asthma sufferers have greatly benefitted from its use. Tuberculosis patients were greatly helped by it before the use of modern drugs. It has been a proven help in many cases of high blood pressure. This is because the herb is found to open up the blood vessels reducing pressure. It has stopped angina pains and dizziness. “One of the most interesting recent discoveries about garlic was recorded in The Lancet in 1973, where its excellent effect in helping to prevent atherosclerosis, and reducing cholesterol levels in the blood was described. “Many people in this country hesitate to use garlic, except in great moderation in cookery, because of its almost overpowering smell and taste. But in 1920, a German doctor, J.A Hofels, came to live in England. He had made an extensive study of garlic and knew of what a wonderful food and medicine it was. He found a way to encapsulate the vital garlic oil, containing the most active part of the herb and all its essential oils in capsules known as garlic perles”. TODAY, KYOLIC GARLIC and KWAI garlic are among the most sought after brands worldwide. Kyolic is aged for about 16 months and its extracts are said by researchers to be about 50 times more potent than natural garlic. ON THE INTERNET J.B Bardot report: “In the 17th century, grave diggers in Europe drack wine containing crushed garlic or ate fresh garlic in an effort to ward off plague. The amazing disease-fighting have repeated tested true in thousands of studies. Garlic possesses potent, natural antibiotic and anti-microbial properties able to protect against plague. Garlic is also high in antioxidants that destroy free radicals, supporting a strong immune system. The active ingredient in garlic, allicen, contains antibacterial, antifungal and anti-viral properties known to kill numerous dis-

e-mail: femi.kusa@yahoo.com or olufemikusa@yahoo.com

I promised to provide information on the deadliness of Bubonic Plague, which kills devastatingly like an ebola fever epidemic, the following report fulfill that promise: The first recorded appearance of the plague in Europe was at Messina, Sicily, in October of 1347. It arrived on trading ships that very likely came from the Black Sea, past Constantinople and through the Mediterranean. This was a fairly standard trade route that brought to European customers such items as silks and porcelain, which were carried overland to the Black Sea from as far away as China. “As soon as the citizens of Messina realized what horrible sickness had come abroad these ships, they expelled them from the port—but it was too late. Plague quickly raged through the city, and panicking victims fled, thus spreading it to the surrounding countryside. While Sicily was succumbing to the horrors of the disease, the expelled trading ships brought it to other areas around the Mediterranean, infecting the neighboring Island of Corsica and Sardinia by November. “Meanwhile, plague had travelled from Sarai to the Genoese trading station of Tana, east of the Black Sea. Here Christian merchants were attacked by Tartars and chased to their fortress at Kaffa (Caffa). The Tartarts besieged the city in November, but their siege was cut short when the Black Death struck. Before breaking off their attack, however, they catapulted dead plague victims into the city in the hopes of infecting its residents. The defenders tried to divert the pestilence by throwing the bodies into the sea, but once a walled city had been struck by plague. Its doom was sealed. As the inhabitants of Kaffa began to fall to the disease, the merchants boarded ships to sail home. But they could not escape the plague. When they arrived in Genoa and Venice in January of 1348, a few passengers or sailors were left alive to tell the tale. But few plague victims were all that was required to bring the deadly illness to mainland Europe. The Black Death was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, resulting in the deaths of an estimated 75 to 200 million people and peaking in Europe in the years 1346-53. Although there were several competing theories as to the etiology of the Black Death, analysis of DNA from victims in northen and southern Europe published in 2010 and 2011 indicated that the pathogen responsible was the Yersinia pestis bacterium, probably causing several forms of plague.

Consequences Death toll

There are no exact figures for the death toll; the rate varied widely by locality. It killed some 75 to 200 million people in Eurasia. According to medieval historian Philip Daileader in 2007: The trend of recent research is pointing to a figure more like 45-50 percent of the European population dying during a four-year period. There is a fair amount of geographic variation. In Mediterranean Europe, areas such as Italy, the south of France and Spain, where plague ran for about four years consecutively, it was probably closer to 75 – 80 percent of the population. In Germany and England… it was probably closer to 20percent. The most widely accepted estimate for the Middle East, including Iraq, Iran and Syria, during this time, is for a death rate of about a third. The Black Death killed about 40 percent of Egypt’s population. Half of Paris’s population of 100,000 people died. In Italy, Florence’s population was reduced from 110-120 thousand inhabitants in 1338 down to 50,000 in 1351. At least 60 percent of Hamburg’s and Bremen’s population perished, and a similar percentage of Londoners may have died from the disease as well. Before 1350, there were about 170,000 settlements in Germany, and this was reduced by nearly 40,000 by 1450. In 1348, the plague spread so rapidly that before any physicians or government authorities had time to reflect upon its origins, about a third of the European population had already perished. In crowded cities, it was not uncommon for as much as 50 percent of the population to die. This disease bypassed some areas, and the most isolated areas were less vulnerable to contagion. Monks and priests were especially hard hit since they cared for the Death’s victims. Is the Health Minister listening? Is President Jonathan listening? Ebola virus is nothing to drag the foot over, or play politics with. If the boarders are not to be closed, serious screening has to be done. In Lagos, the federal or state government can pick the bill of the hospital shut on account of the Ebola virus fever death there. This will naturally include rent, salaries and income of the proprietors. The lives of our doctors who will handle quarantine settlements should be under life insurance cover, to encourage them.

Tel: 08116759749, 08034004247, 07025077303

THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

THE NATION

BUSINESS e-Business

e-mail: e-business@thenationonlineng.net

In Nigeria and other African countries, the belief is that unscrupulous business men go to China to buy substandard information communication technology (ICT) equipment. But, in this interview with LUCAS AJANAKU, the Managing Director, Huawei Nigeria, Mr Pang Jimin, says his firm, as an international original equipment manufacturer (OEM), does not engage in such unethical practices. He says despite the challenges, the future of telecoms is bright for the country, adding that service quality will get better as the power sector reform takes firm root.

We’re contributing to quality service delivery, says Huawei chief I Impressions about Nigeria

HAVE been in Nigeria for about eight years. I see Nigeria as a country that is developing very fast because since I came here, I have see a lot of transformation. The people are very industrious and dynamic. All these are responsible for the impressive development in the economy. So, the economy is growing and the future is bright.

what is best for the industry. The same way operators should also be moving forward because from my view, it may not be the best idea to stop them. To be frank, a lot of the Nigerians see the bad side of the country but, as a foreigner and having worked and lived in this country over the past eight years, I see the brighter side because I have discovered that what people get carried away with is perception which is different from what is on ground. The economy keeps getting better. The economy is growing; everything has become better. I see the country moving in the right direction. This is not to say there are no challenges but as a foreigner, I am optimistic that the future is bright for the economy and the good people of Nigeria.

Huawei in Nigeria Actually, Huawei are leaders in the ICT industry. We are serving not only the telecoms sector but also in the banking, oil and gas industries. Basically, we have our footprints in all industries because every industry uses information technology. So, our experience is that Nigerians need good quality service. They are eager to have a good quality of service. We will keep on working to improve the quality of lives of people hrough ICT. So, the future is actually very bright because what I see is that the need of the Nigerians are similar to that of other people from other parts of the world. There are some unique requirements which we feel are unique requirements for the Nigerians.

Quality of telecoms equipment shipped into Nigeria Yes, I have heard people talk about this but I can only speak for Huawei. I cannot speak for other original equipment manufacturers (OEMs)/vendors. The equipment we supply to Nigeria and also the services we render, all the software and hardware; everything we supply to this country are the same in terms of international standard. It is the same equipment we supply everywhere we work across the globe. It is the same we supply even in China, US, European, Asia Pacific, Africa, Middle East, Latin American countries. They are all the same. We do not make different equipment or reduce the quality of equipment we supply to any country. We are an international company with long standing reputation which we will not do anything to rubbish.

On regulatory environment Generally, let us say if the score is from between zero and 10, zero meaning there is no regulation, 10 meaning strictly regulated. Globally, Nigeria’s regulatory environment is moderate. It is in the middle; that is, it is neither too harsh nor too soft. What I feel is that the regulation here is not bad at all and not a disincentive to investment. That is my personal opinion. Generally, the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) is regulating what it should regulate. The regulatory environment is also business-friendly as it is creating a level-playing field for all players.

Business perating environment challenges

Challenges of poor telecoms services despite huge investment I think if we compare Nigeria with countries, such as China, United States (US) or maybe European countries, the major differences are two. One is power. In Nigeria, there is no stable power supply. In those other countries, power is not an issue because you know where there is no power, no matter what you do, the equipment cannot function. Secondly, is the optic fibre cable network. Basically, in China, Europe, US or more advanced countries, there are massive optic fibre cable network. However, in Nigeria most of the network is basically driven on microwave. So, when there is a whirlwind or it becomes dirty, it affects the signal quality and inevitably, the quality of service. Those are the two major differences between this country and others. And, for us, equipment supplier, that is the situation because the equipment we supply in Nigeria is the same with what we supply when we do job in China, in US or in Europe. The major problem is power and dearth of optic fibre cables. Investments on optic fibre cable infrastructure Actually from my perspective, during the last eight and half years, the story has become better. You see mobile users in Nigeria have become much bigger than before. Eight years ago, when I came into this country, I am not sure there were so many users. Now, you have so many mobile phone users in the country. Now, you have over 100million users in the country. I don’t need to mention the traffic. No matter the traffic of data, it has become much more than before. So, actually, what I see is that under this

• Jimin

‘I cannot speak for other original equipment manufacturers (OEMs)/vendors. The equipment we supply to Nigeria and also the services we render, all the software and hardware; everything we supply to this country are the same in terms of international standard. It is the same equipment we supply everywhere we work across the globe. It is the same we supply even in China, US, European, Asia Pacific, Africa, Middle East, Latin American countries’ situation, the operators are not doing a bad job because though there are other challenges, they are still trying to improve the quality of service as they grow the user base for the same network. You see, it is easier for you to supply one service provider; it is more difficult for you to supply to one million users. So, the trouble is the work load, the difficulty compared to eight years ago. So, if we think about it from a different angle, actually the operators are trying their best. I have no doubts about that.

On licensing more operators The number of operators in Nigeria is moderate; it is somehow in the middle. You know in some places, such as China, there

are only three major telecoms operators and in some countries in Europe, they have maybe more than seven operators. So, Nigeria’s is in the middle range. It’s not too small or too many because, as I said, Nigeria has the population and many telecoms operators, such as China. So, I don’t see any problem in that.

Should NCC stop operators from adding new subscribers? I think first of all, that is dependent on the regulator’s wish but my opinion is that it may not be too good if any step is taken to stop people from getting access to telephony. The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) is encouraging universal access to telephony. But regulators should think about

I think the major challenge is to convince the people to move in a little bit faster than they want to. Let me give an example. Several years ago in some sectors, we rarely see the trend of people adopting technology so easily because sometimes, the customers are a little bit conservative. They are still wondering whether they should go or not. So, they wait maybe for another one or two years before they make their decision. Sometimes, they have their own considerations but from my point of view, sometimes they are getting a little bit faster. The business operating environment is fair. It could be better but it is giving operators space to play which is good. Honestly speaking, the players in the economy and the regulators should keep innovating. That is the only way to go. This is why I say the country will continue to grow better and better as everybody strives to do things better.

Dearth of fixed lines I think it is not an easy decision to choose between which technology option that can provide a better service at the same time have lower cost because in this country. Mobile telephone service cost is lower in other countries while the fixed line is higher. It is easier also and faster to deploy mobile network in Nigeria with vast its population. As I said, fixed line is good for its quality. It is as strong and resilient as fibre because if the fibre network is everywhere, the network quality will be better. So, at the same time, I know laying fibre is very expensive. • Continued on page 59

THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

e-Business

Underpayment, foreign incursion threaten service providers

ROVIDERS of value added services (VAS), which ride on the network of mobile service providers, have decried the unjust treatment being meted out to them by the big operators who, they said, exploit them by paying pittance for their services. They have also warned that they may become extinct if urgent steps are not taken by the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) to stop foreigners that take advantage of the ‘porous system’ of the country to do illegal business in the country. Acting under the aegis of Wireless Applications Service Providers Association of Nigeria (WASPAN), the group also blamed

•’Blame rogue operators for unsolicited messages’ Stories by Lucas Ajanaku

‘rogue service providers’ for the flurry of unsolicited text messages and fraudulent deductions of subscribers’ money for services not rendered. Its National Coordinating Consultant, Simon Aderinlola, who spoke on the sideline during a stakeholders’ meeting with the NCC in Lagos, lamented that VAS providers work like elephants and eat like ants, arguing that since it is a commercial issue, the big telcos must bring good conscience to bear in dealing with them by not paying adequately for service ren-

Glo dazzles subscribers with N25, N50 recharge options

LOBACOM has further lowered the barrier for telecoms subscribers to make calls at affordable rates with the introduction of Glo Jolof, a product that offers subscribers the lowest recharge option in the country at N25 with three minutes of call time and three sms. Two of the three minutes are for calls within the Globacom network while the third is available for the subscriber to call any other network. All the three sms’ are on net. Also introduced under the Glo Jolof package is the N50 recharge string, which gives the subscriber six minutes of call time and six SMS, thus giving subscribers more value for money.

Of the six minutes of call time, four are for calls within the network while two are for calls to other networks. The six short messaging services (sms) are for on net utilisation. The tantalising benefit is valid until midnight of the same day of recharge. Announcing the product in a statement, Globacom’s Head, Business Support, Mr. Yomi Ogunbamowo, explained that the indigenous firm designed Glo Jolof in fulfillment of its brand promise to continue to give subscribers a delightful experience on the Globacom network at pocketfriendly rates. He said: “It is very easy to benefit from this offer.”

dered but by paying as at when due. He said a situation where value added service providers (VASP) research into, design, test and roll out services that eventually costs N100 per download on the networks of the big telcos and they are allowed to go home with only N20 is oppressive smack of immorality. He urged the NCC to look into it. Assistant Director, Legal and Regulatory Services, NCC, Mrs Yetunde Akinloye, said the regulator cannot do anything in that respect since the matter is basically a commercial agreement between the WASPAN and the mobile network operators (MNOs), adding that NCC does not regulate morality. Aderinlola said: “Tthere is no hard and fast rule as regards the commercials. We noted position of the NCC that it does not dabble into commercial agreements. We are however asking them to look at things from the moral angle which is just reasonable. This mean that if I am the one that actually created the service, I did the re-

search for the service, I designed and tested the service, I have workers that I am paying to be able to make the service work, then eventually I launch the service in the market and maybe I am selling each download for N100. Why should I after all that efforts begin to earn N20? We are just saying: put yourself in our shoes. Does that make sense? “Remember when this thing started about 10 year or there about ago, we were on 60 per cent and we were even saying this is not good enough. Today, we are being pushed down towards 20 or 15 per cent. So, we are simply saying ok, you are looking at certain aspects of regulating us, what about this aspect? What if we die, who will you regulate? That is what we are saying.” He said the threat posed by foreign incursions into the business is real. According to him, foreigners that are not licensed to provide VAS usually take advantage of the loose system, adding that when they are eventually caught, they open office in the country, employ a decoy and stay outside to do all

sorts of business. He said when they come with juicy business proposals and they are allowed to operate and when they are caught, they feign ignorance about the requirements, adding that requirements for licensing are usually less stringent. “When they hear the NCC say don’t you know you need to have a VAS license and the guy says: what are the requirements to have a VAS licence? And you give him and he looks at it ok: CAC registration; I must have an office; I should be able to show this or that. Some of them just decided to quickly employ a local worker. So, they look at the rules and suddenly set up something, so you have a satellite office, a pipe internationally, doing all sorts of things. “What they would have done from outside, they will just employ a person like me bearing Segun and I own a small office somewhere and doing all sorts of things. The Commission has been informed about this kind of activities, sometimes we identify them and pass it on to them and we are really trusting that some work has been done. Like I said, this type of session will go a long way to addressing the challenges,” he said.

Etisalat sells towers to IHS

TISALAT said it has sold 2,136 of its towers to IHS Holding Limited as part of a broader strategy to drive improvements in the quality of its network performance and to accelerate roll out of 2G and 3G coverage and new services to its customers. The transaction, the first by a major GSM operator in Nigeria, is expected to close later this year. In a statement, Etisalat said it has the highest quality network in Nigeria and the partnership with IHS is designed to promote network

sharing, ensure higher quality, sustain reliable mobile services, lower overall costs and also promote a cleaner environment through reduced diesel usage and increased investments in alternative energy solutions. Over the past 18 months, IHS has installed a large number of alternative energy sites in Nigeria. These investments in addition to further investments in its state-of-the-art Network Operations Centre (NOC) mean that uptimes of over 99 per cent are achieved on its owned sites.

We are contributing to quality service delivery • Continued from page 58

Resilience of Huawei’s mobile phones Our mobile phones are very strong. Basically, for Huawei, smartphones because you know we are the one that designed the network, we have the technology and set the technical standard. But to be frank with you, to do smartphone is quite easy for us because we provide telecom network for operators and for all kinds of persons. So, smartphone manufacturing is easy for us. Secondly, the weight of our smartphone is actually very low. The Ascend P7 is 6.5mm slim with a five-inch FHD touch screen display. It is the slimmest 4G smartphone in the world and manufactured to withstand everyday wear and tear with enriched strength durability from Coming Gorilla Glass three front and rea covers. It has a sleek glass back with a seven-layer treatment-mirroring the face of premium watches. So you, see, we manufacture premium products for customers. The Ascend P7’s 8 megapixel front camera with panoramic Selfie help users to put themselves in those stunning skylines and horizons. To achieve this, the phone user is only expected to opne the cam-

era application, select the front facing camera, then select Panorama and capture a three-shot panorama image which is made possible with Sony’s newest 13 megapixel IMX214 sensor. It camera captures up to 56 per cent more light thereby giving brighter, sharper and more detailed shots. We don’t produce cheap product that is a rip off. Ours is a premium brand. We always believe to provide the best quality at the same time with some more affordable pricing. Evolution of technology Yes, technology has been evolving from 2G to 3G and now 4G or long term evolution (LTE). This has actually changed people’s lifestyle. About six years ago, when there was no smartphone in the market, people used to call each other. To be frank with you, all the people don’t call each other, they text each other. But with the smartphones, they now also using social media platforms, such as WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter. We are the one providing the platform and the structure behind the scheme. So, basically, yes, what you see, maybe you see a smartphone, you see a software Twitter or Facebook, we are the one behind the technological stage providing the technology, network, quality services for people.

•From left: Service Manager, Gilbert Kimeng; Executive Director, Monu Ogbe; and Solutions Specialist, Chinedu Omenkukwu all of Kitskoo Cloud Services during the media roundtable to announce its forum on Why Your Business Must Embrace the Cloud scheduled for August 28 at Raddison Blu, Victoria Island, Lagos.

How to avoid electronic payment fraud, by PFS CEO

HE Chief Executive Officer, Precise Channels Systems (PFS) Limited, Yele Okeremi, has warned users of automated teller machine (ATM) cards and prospective users to avoid keeping huge cash on their cards arguing that as soon as the cards are activated, they become exposed to the world that there is money. He said even with the nationwide roll-out of the cash-less economy by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), card users must be careful because cards issued in Nigeria could be hacked and used to make withdrawals in South Africa, Europe or any part of the world. Okeremi, who spoke to The Nation in Lagos, said though card use is good, no sane person should link so much money into a card. He said: “Well the issue of security of transaction is real but people have not been careful enough because of the low level of awareness. What I see is that quite a lot of people are not familiar with what can hurt them. So what kind of risks do people have? Your risk profile will determine first of all the channel that you want to use for certain payments and when

you determine the channel, you have to decide how you want to safeguard yourself. “If you want to pay through the use of cheque; who can you hit (defraud) you by cheque? Before someone can hit you by cheque, he must be very close to you. I mean he must have physical access to your cheque book to have an idea of what the cheque book looks like before going ahead to clone it. That is something you need to be aware of if you are using cheque. “If you are using card however, the dynamics have changed because for cards, yes your account is in Nigeria, the card was issued to you in Nigeria, but you may be in London and your card is being compromised in South Africa or Mexico. This is because the moment you initialise the card, you have given notice to the entire world that you have money and that means you are susceptible to be hit from anywhere in the world. “The challenges of the threats are slightly different when you are talking about electronic money and therefore, tactics that you as an individual must adopt begins to

change. And one of the things I used to say is that you must first of all be careful where you even go with your card, whether it is a shop, whether it’s an online site, just be careful. I have had the experience where my card was compromised in London and I knew where it was done: my wife had gone to somewhere in London for shopping with the card and my account that was in Nigeria was being hit from South Africa simply because she used my card to do transaction. He advised card users to have a buffer zone so that when one account is compromised, the users will still have something to fall back upon. “One of the things you really need to know as an individual if you are using card is that you must be careful about how much you are linking to any card. No sane person should link so much money that can kill you to card account. That is the first thing you do. So you should have a buffer zone that protects you so that if you are going to lose money, your loss exposures are minimised. Then of course, this issue of compromising the personal identity number (PIN). Beware who you share your PIN with,” he advised.

THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

SHOWBIZ

Gbenga Adeyinka to host TheNiche unveiling EEKS after hosting campaign activities for Governor Rauf Aregbesola in the last Osun State governorship election, popular comic and master of ceremonies, Gbenga Adeyinka, will be helming the formal presentation of Nigeria’s exclusive Sunday newspaper, •Gbenge Adeyinka1 TheNiche. Scheduled for livered by Minister of Inforthis Saturday, at the Orchid mation, Labaran Maku. Hall, Eko Hotel and Suites, Organisers say among the Victoria Island, Lagos, the distinguished guests who comedian will coordinate have confirmed their availthe event that is expected ability for the event are, to be chaired by former Speaker of the House of president of the Nigerian Representatives, Aminu Academy of Science, ProTambuwal; Secretary to the fessor Anya O. Anya. Government of the FederaAlso expected at the tion, Senator Anyim Pius event is Lagos State goverAnyim; Deputy Senate nor, Babatunde Fashola, as President, Ike Ekweremadu, Chief Host. and Deputy Speaker of the Adeyinka, who is no House of Representatives, doubt one of the most Emeka Ihedioha. sought-after emcees, has Others are Governors promised to bring the Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers magic associated with his State, Emmanuel Uduaghan performances on stage, TV of Delta State, Godswill and at formal events to Akpabio of Akwa Ibom Eko Hotel for the presenState and Theodore Orji of tation of TheNiche. Abia State. Highlight of the occaAlso expected are business sion will be a keynote adleaders, and celebrities dress titled A New Nigeria from the Nigerian music is Possible which will be deand film industries.

•From left: Daddy Showkey, Bright Chimezie, Daddy Fresh with Rosiji

Celebrities laud Rosiji at birthday

HERE was palpable reminiscence of the active days of the Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria (PMAN), when some notable artistes gathered to celebrate their former president, Bolaji Rosiji, who clocked 49 recently. Although the party which held at the celebrant’s Gaurapad Foundation office, Maryland, Lagos, feted guests from all walks of life, the presence of celebrities, most of who rendered exciting performances, was the highpoint of the event. It was some sorts of reunion for most of the artistes, who had been far apart, considering the current inactivity of PMAN, owing to leadership crisis. The event literarilly became a concert, as the celebrant, also took to the stage, to render his popular single, Heart of Gold, which was released in 2010. The song was a ‘Thank You’ rendition for the softspoken celebrity monk, who was presented with two pieces of birthday cakes and a recognition award by his guests.

Rosiji had prepared the song as a tribute to the people he described as goldenhearted, upon its release. “It is also a tribute to all the wonderful people that I have encountered in this adventurous odyssey called life, people who have sacrificed for me at times of need. And in particular, to all the so-called enemies, people who had sought to bring me down, I offer special thanks,” he had said. Some of the artistes who graced the occasion include his immediate successor Tee Mac, Highlife artiste Bright Chimezie and Apala musician, Musiliu Haruna Ishola. Others are Oritz Wiliki, Ras Kimono, Stella Monye, Daddy Showkey, Daddy Fresh, Weird MC, Stella Monye, Prince Wadada, Baba Fryo and celebrated female talking-drummers, Ara and Ayanbinrin. The female drummers thrilled the crowd with familiar tunes which the crowd louded lyrically. Interestingly, Weird MC leveraged on the drummers, who provided the beat to her popular song Ijo Ya. Prince Wadada’s track Holy Holy, was also echoed by the crowd like an an-

them. “I salute all the musicians that have joined us today for the sense of love they have always demonstrated towards me and Gaurapad in general. Our relationship has continued to grow over the years because they love what we are doing. That is why Gaurapad Charities have several ambassadors among them,” Rosiji said. According to the celebrant who founded the Gaurapad

Majid Michel dazzles in Ruth Kadiri’s Matters Arising

•Kadiri

UTH Kadiri, a Nollywood actress and storywriter, has just completed works on her new movie, Matters Arising,

Nollywood should be endorsed by African Union, says Lancelot Imasuen

OR its positive contribution to the image of Africa, Nollywood filmmaker Lancelot Imasuen, has said that the Nigerian movie industry should be endorsed and celebrated by the African Union. Speaking during an interview session on Galaxy TV Wednesday, Imasuen said Africa now needs more global presence, especially in the light of the negative image being painted by the western media. “Every message by the western media was that of starvation. Now it is Ebola. At first, they said HIV has no cure. Now they are talking about other diseases. Africans should also have a voice to express what is hap-

By Ovwe Medeme

pening through video. Motion picture can travel further than you can ever imagine. That is why I am so excited that as a Nigerian filmmaker, I have the opportunity to tell the African story from my perspective. There is too much negativity about Africa. This is something about us that needs to be celebrated,” the filmmaker said. Imasuen, who was on the show to talk about his latest epic movie, Invasion 1897, also took time to talk about his voyage into the arts. He said he had not done any other thing in the last 34 years, except movies. “Since I was born, this is what I found myself doing. It started from primary school, to the church, to my second-

Foundation, the music industry is still dear to his heart, despite his deep engagement with healthcare servives and charity works. He said his Gaurapad organization was prepared to support the development of the music industry, the way he has always done personally. Rosiji also used the occasion to unveil a medical facility built by the Guarapad Foundation.

ary school where I actually had the urge to professionalise. As early as Form One in my secondary school, I was in the cultural troupe of the school. From secondary school, I had started keeping awards as an actor, as a writer and as a director. I actually started directing at that tender age. For me, this has been my life,” Imasuen stated. Invasion 1897, according to the filmmaker, is a story about how the British invaded Benin kingdom and sent its monarch, Oba Ovoramwen Nogbaisi to exile in Calabar. Featuring well-known local and foreign acts, Imasuen said that the movie will start showing in Nigerian cinemas later this month.

which stars Ghanaian actor, Majid Michel. Matters Arising, a romantic comedy shot in a village setting in Enugu, is the story of a married thrift collector who does not live up to his responsibilities and is always finding fault with his wife. According to Ruth, it is a movie that seeks to bring happiness to movie lovers, while also teaching people that it is more honourable to own up to their responsibilities.

With this movie, Ruth Kadiri has joined the evergrowing leagues of female movie producers like Uche Jombo, Omoni Oboli, Funke Akindele and Stephanie Okereke Linus. Ruth Kadiri, who holds a degree in Mass Communication from the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Akoka, got into the movie industry a few years back as a story writer. She has starred in several movies alongside numerous

•Majid

stars in such movies as My Rich Boyfriend, Heart of a Fighter, Ladies Gang, Strange Acts, Breath of Love, Burning Tears and Sincerity, among others.

THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

MONEYLINK

CBN reintroduces ATM fee T HE Central Bank Nigeria (CBN) has reintroduced Automated Teller Machine (ATM) fee it scrapped in December, 2013. The apex bank said from September 1, customers will commence payment of N65 as against the N100 fee charged previously. CBN Director, Banking & Payments System Department, ‘Dipo Fatokun, who made this known in a circular, the re-introduction of Remote-on-us ATM cash withdrawal fee of N65per transaction, is to cover the remuneration of the switches, ATM monitors and fit-notes processing by acquiring banks. He explained that the new charge shall apply as from the fourth transaction in another bank’s ATM.

By Collins Nweze

“The fee shall apply in ‘’Remoteon-us’’ withdrawal (in a month) by a card holder, thereby making the first three (3) ‘remote-on-us transactions free for the card holder, but to be paid for by the issuing bank. September 1, 2014 shall be the effective date for the implementation of the new fee,” he said. However, all ATM cash withdrawals on the machine of issuing banks shall be at no cost to the card holder. He advised banks to conduct adequate sensitisation to their customers, on the introduction of the new fee. The CBN in collaboration with the Bankers Committee had in Decem-

FRC to monitor accounting standards in public sector

HE Financial Reporting Council (FRC) has said that it will by 2015, monitor compliance by public sector entities and State Owned Entities with the provisions of International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS). FRC Executive Secretary/ CEO, Jim Obazee disclosed this yesterday while receiving the leadership of Institute Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) to the council. He said there is the urgent need to study the future structure of higher education in financial reporting and develop recommendations for educational pathways. He advised the institute on the need to deal with value addition. “It is not enough to have assisted the Association of National Accountants of Nigeria (ANAN) to gain membership of the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC), you need to genuinely meet with their leader-

ship and also ensure that they are strong in their field of play; which is largely the public sector,” he said. He said ICAN needs to take leadership role in the Nigerian Accounting Association (NAA). “Your Institute needs to open an “emergency ward” for your members in practice. The provision for annual inspection of professional accountants, in the FRC Act, 2011, is the federal government’s way of saying that professional accounting bodies should defend professional ethics and values and that audit failure and fraudulent financial reporting will no longer be acceptable,” he said. He said the institute should enhance the inflow of foreign direct investment to the country adding that the council will be requiring “Not for Profit” entities to comply with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) in 2015.

ber, 2012, transferred the payment of N100 fee on ‘’Remote-on-us’’ ATM Cash withdrawal transactions to issuing banks. This fee is shared between the acquirers, issuers, and switches. On the commencement of the arrangement in December 2012, banks (issuers) decided to waive the issuer fee (N35), which should have ordinarily been an income to them. Consequently, banks only bore the cost of (N65) each time their customers use another banks’ ATM. The CBN and the Bankers Committee on Tuesday November 13, unanimously agreed to scrap all charges associated with the use of ATM.

NDIC boss bags award

COALITION of Civil Society Organisations of Nigeria

•CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele

This agreement was the outcome of a meeting between the Bankers’ committee made up of Chief Executive Officers of Deposit Money Banks, and directors and top officials of the CBN.

Methodist Church to establish MfB

HE Methodist Church of Nigeria said it would establish Wesley a micro-finance bank. It said the bank will create jobs and lend money to the teeming youths in Nigeria. The leaders of the church also called on other churches in Nigeria to invest in agriculture by encouraging its members to go into full time agriculture to boost food production. This was contained in a communiqué issued in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, at the end the 9th Biennial Conference of Methodist Church of Nigeria held at Wesley Methodist Church with the theme, ‘Let My People Move Forward.’ Speaking at the press conference organized by Wesley Methodist Church Rivers State, His Eminence, Dr. Samuel Emeka Kalu Uche, said the church has made every plan to establish a microfinance bank that will lend money to young entrepreneurs. He said the strength of the church lies in its ability to help in the de-

From Precious Dikewoha, Port Harcourt

velopment of the society adding that, it is one of the functions of the church. He added that the interest of churches to go into agriculture is to create job opportunity to the teeming youth. Dr. Samuel also reveals that one of the ways in which the church can save the society is by creating business and farms that will help provide for the society. “The establishment of Microfinance Bank, Wesley Microfinance Bank Limited is geared towards the empowerment of youths and the poor, both within and outside the church. This is in a bid to support the efforts of the three tiers of government in provision of food security and to create job. “Most of our youths don’t have job and we know that an idle mind is a prepared tools for Satan So, we want to help in creating jobs and that is the aim of the church, empowering our people not only Methodists but non-Methodists.”

DATA BANK

MEMORANDUM QUOTATIONS Name

Offer Price

AFRINVEST W.A. EQUITY FUND ARM AGGRESSIVE GROWTH BGL NUBIAN FUND BGL SAPPHIRE FUND CANARY GROWTH FUND CONTINENTAL UNIT TRUST CORAL INCOME FUND FBN FIXED INCOME FUND FBN HERITAGET FUND FBN HERITAGET FOUD FBN MONEY MARKET FUND • UBA BALANCED FUND • UBA BOND FUND • UBA EQUITY FUND • UBA MONEY MARKET FUND

168.45 9.17 1.12 1.19 0.69 1.39 1,676.09 1,117.13 121.58 121.70 1,117.51 1.3620 1.3560 1.0221 1.1841

Bid Price 167.01 9.08 1.12 1.19 0.69 1.33 1,676.09 1,116.32 120.71 120.84 1,116.70 1.3529 1.3570 1.0039 1.1841

SYMBOL

CHANGE

Foreign Reserves Oil Price (Bonny Light/b)

0.92

1.00

0.08

AIICO

0.80

0.84

0.04

LIVESTOCK

3.07

3.22

0.15

PHARMDEKO

2.07

2.17

ETERNA

3.80

CONTINSURE

0.98

NEIMETH FIDSON

Buying (N)

Selling (N)

$39.4b

US Dollar

154.73

155.73

$110.44

Pounds Sterling

259.5441

261.2215

206.4717

207.8061

170.033

171.1319

Yen

1.5127

1.5224

CFA

0.2968

0.3168

236.1742

237.7006

Yuan/Renminbi

25.1237

25.287

N15.9 trillion.

Euro

0.10

Credit to private Sector (CPS)

N16.76 trillion

Swiss Franc

3.94

0.14

Primary Lending Rate (PLR)

1.00

0.02

1.00

1.02

0.02

3.15

3.20

0.05

39.00

39.52

0.52

3.28

3.30

0.02

LOSERS AS AT 13-08-14

O/PRICE 95.00

C/PRICE 90.25

CHANGE -4.75

ROYALEX

0.61

0.58

-0.03

UBN

8.72

8.30

-0.42

TRANSEXPR

1.87

1.79

-0.08

Amount Sold in ($) 381.27m 272.9m 399.01m

Currency

Money Supply (M2)

16.5%

NIGERIAN INTER-BANK OFFERED RATES (NIBOR)

Tenor

Amount Offered in ($) 400m 300m 400m

CBN EXCHANGE RATES August 13, 2014

12.0%

PREMBREW

SYMBOL SKYESHELT

ECONOMIC INDICATORS

Monetary Policy Rate

C/PRICE

AFRIPRUD

Transaction Dates 30/07/2014 23/07/2014 21/07/2014

8.2%

O/PRICE

CAP

RETAIL DUTCH AUCTION SYSTEM (RDAS)

Inflation: June

GAINERS AS AT 13-08-14

(CCSON) has conferred its 2014 Certificate of Commendation Award on the Managing Director/ CEO of the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC), Umaru Ibrahim. At the award conferment ceremony in Abuja, the President of the association, Comrade Bassey Williams Etuk said the organisation’s prestigious award was conferred on the NDIC Boss in recognition of the enviableand purposeful leadership which he had brought to bear in the management of the Corporation. “Part of our observations which informed this award were transparency, professionalism, proactive decisions, teamwork and above all, the effective delivery of the NDIC mandates which our organisation had noticed. This seems to be uncommon in our nation today, and as such, we have chosen to celebrate it to serve as a model to others, realising that Nigeria is blessed with virtually everything but leadership,” he said. Comrade Etuk said the national award was instituted two years ago by the national body of over 290 civil society organisations (CSOs) as a platform to work with public institutions towards enhancing good governance and promoting efficient service delivery to the citizenry. He pointed that the institution of the award marked a departure from the past when it seemed that CSOs saw nothing good in government and its agencies to an era of identifying and recognising public officers and institutions discovered to have an edge in service delivery.

WAUA

Rate (%)

Overnight (O/N)

10.500

Riyal

41.2558

41.5225

12.175

12.101

SDR

236.938

238.4693

13.328

13.225

14.296

14.-85

FOREX RATES

RTBRISCOE

0.97

0.93

-0.04

NPFMCRFBK

1.00

0.96

-0.04

R-DAS ($/N)

157.29

INTENEGINS

0.52

0.50

-0.02

Interbank ($/N)

162.75

CORNERST

0.52

0.50

-0.02

UPDCREIT

8.99

8.70

-0.29

Parallel ($/N)

167.50

AIRSERVICE

2.22

2.15

-0.07

GOVT. SECURITIES YIELD – SECONDARY MARKET

Tenor

Rates

T-bills - 91

10.00

T-bills - 182

10.07

T-bills - 364

10.22

Bond - 3yrs

11.37

Bond - 5yrs

11.41

Bond - 7yrs

11.86

THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

EQUITIES NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 13-08-14

25-07-14 DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 13-08-14

THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

EQUITIES

Capital market regulators to sanction companies over delayed dividends C APITAL market regulators may sanction companies that fail to pay approved dividends within the timeline stipulated by the shareholders at their general meeting and the extant rules of the capital market. In what many saw as last warning by the regulators, the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) yesterday said that it would not hesitate to impose sanction on any company that fails to pay dividends within the timeline specified in the resolution passed by the shareholders at the annual general meeting. Head, Legal and Regulation, Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Ms. Tinuade Awe, said the erring companies would be made to pay 5.0 per cent of the gross dividend as sanction for delayed payment

Stories by Taofik Salako Capital Market Editor

of dividend in line with the existing rules and regulations of the Exchange. According to her, the 5.0 per cent is already a subsisting sanction under the general undertaking signed on to by every quoted company and issuer, which also included commitments to notify the Exchange prior to taking certain corporate actions; to seek the Exchange’s approval before publishing certain information; to comply with the Exchange’s listings rules and to comply with the directives of its shareholders

in the event of declaration of dividends. “These obligations kick in once an issuer executes the general undertaking. They are obligations of long standing, which remain binding for as long as an issuer is listed on the Exchange,” Tinuade said. Head, Listings Regulation, Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Mrs Josephine Igbinosun, outlined that the NSE would penalize the companies to serve as deterrent to companies and to enhance market integrity. According to her, by imposing the 5.0 per cent sanction set forth in rules in the event of a

breach regarding the payment of dividends as directed by shareholders, the Exchange is enforcing the payment of dividends to shareholders, in line with their resolution to receive same on a specific date. She added that existing rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) also empowered the apex capital market regulator to sanction companies if they fail to pay dividends declared to shareholders after seven working days after the annual general meeting (AGM) at which the dividend was declared. “Finally, in order to avoid engaging in conducts prohibited

Conoil grows profit by 298% to N4.6b

ONOIL Plc recorded impressive bottom-line in the immediate past year as the petroleum-marketing company rode on the back of improved cost efficiency and significant reduction in interest expense to grow its pretax profit by 298 per cent. Key extracts of the audited report and accounts of Conoil Plc for the year ended December 31, 2013 showed that the company’s average profit in 2013 was nearly four times more than the previous year. Average pre-tax profit margin leapt to 2.87 per cent in 2013 as against 0.77 per cent in 2012. While turnover recorded modest growth of 6.4 per cent, a strong hold on cost of sales and 46 per cent reduction in finance expense underpinned strong bottom-line performance. After taxes, net profit and earnings per share rose by 329 per cent and 330 per cent respectively. With the significant improvement in the bottom-line, the board of directors of the company has recommended increase in cash dividends to shareholders by 300.6 per cent to N2.78 billion. A breakdown of the dividend recommendation implies that shareholders would receive a dividend per share of N4, representing an increase of 300.6 per cent on N1 paid for the 2012 business year. Conoil had distributed N693.95 million as gross dividend for the 2012 business year. The current dividend would be paid to shareholders on the register of the company as at August 25, 2014. Shareholders of the company are expected to approve the dividend payment at the annual general meeting on September 26, 2014, in Uyo, Akwa Ibom. The dividend would subsequently be posted to shareholders on October 6, 2014. The audited report showed that turnover rose from N149.99 billion

in 2012 to N159.54 billion in 2013. Gross profit rose slightly to N17.04 billion in 2013 as against N16.16 billion in 2012. As finance cost halved from N4.17 billion to N2.25 billion, profit before tax jumped from N1.15 billion in 2012 to N4.58 billion in 2013. After taxes, net profit leapt to N3.07 billion as against N714.98 million. Earnings per share thus quadrupled to N4.42 in 2013 compared with N1.03 in 2012. Management of Conoil have said they expected to continue to drive the performance of the company with revenue increase from its nationwide retail outlets, especially newly commissioned mega stations. Performance was also expected to be augmented by additional income streams from new lubricant products as well as expected increase in probable revenue from the fully-deregulated lubricant business. With its new production plant in Port Harcourt, Conoil plans to step up engine oil exports to West African markets as well as enter into joint venture partnerships with leading car manufacturing companies for the use of Conoil lubricants in their vehicle engines. It also expects additional incomes from ancillary services including marketing of Low Pour Fuel Oil (LPFO) and Bitumen, which were reactivated in the first half of 2013 and were expected to boost sales as from the second half. At the company’s last meeting with shareholders, chairman, Conoil Plc, Dr. Mike Adenuga, assured that the company has a robust growth strategy that places emphasis on continued investments and delivery and expansion of quality products and services. According to him, the future outlook of the company remains bright

as it has built stronger financial position and facilities that will create enduring value for shareholders. “We will constantly develop strategies to sustain our position as the only marketer that always goes the extra mile for our ever growing customers, with total commitment to excellent service delivery. We firmly believe that such a robust strategy will ensure continued growth and stronger position in our core markets”, Adenuga said. He outlined that the company’s strategy is to provide quality products and services that will make customers want to patronize its fuel and non-fuel products adding that the company would continue its aggressive acquisition and expan-

sion drive that aims at increasing, substantially, the number of its retails outlets nationwide. Adenuga noted that as part of the strategy to shore up the bottomline, the company has strengthened and consolidated its leadership position in the aviation business with investment in the acquisition of new world-class equipment to meet the demands, on real time basis, of the company’s ever-growing local and international clientele. According to him, Conoil’s future is rosy because the company is constantly thinking ahead and acquiring additional capacity that is necessary for growth and profitability, despite the unpredictability of the economic environment.

by the listings rules, the Exchange encourages all issuers to enhance their internal systems and controls; and improve their awareness of the listings rules and their obligations thereunder. Moreover, the Exchange strongly advises against shareholder apathy and encourages shareholders to educate themselves on the provisions of the listings rules,” Igbinosun said.

Easykobo.com starts new stock market competition

ASYKOBO.com, an online stock market game, has started the new season of its exclusive Nigerian stock trials. Chief executive, Easykobo.com, Arjun Markanda, said the online gaming competition is a free way for prospective investors to try investing in companies quoted on the Nigerian Stock Exchange without the element of risk. He said the stock trials season four will conclude on Friday, January 30 2015, giving participants a five -month period to prove themselves. “The season 3 lasted under two months which was the shortest so we are going back to the longer format which is usually the tougher competition because players cannot benefit from just a couple of good stock picks they have to make good picks again and again to be among the top players,” Markanda stated. He explained that Easykobo stock trials is a way for investors to try stocks before buying stocks noting that investors have to buy before 2:30pm for their trades to be executed on the day, otherwise the orders will be pushed to the next trading day and will be executed at the closing price. “As you can see you cannot just cheat in this stock trials because it has an element of making you take your time. People who emerge as top players really get there by know a lot about stocks they are buying. While there will be prizes at the end of the season 4 that is not really what drives people to try stocks before buying stocks,” Markanda said.

Transcorp targets $1b profit as new CEO takes over T HE Board of Directors of Transnational Corporation of Nigeria (Transcorp) Plc yesterday appointed Mr. Emmanuel Nnorom as the president and chief executive officer of the conglomerate with a mandate to push the conglomerate’s profit to $1 billion by 2018. Nnorom, who was until his appointment the president and chief operating officer of Heirs Holdings, will formally take office on September 1, 2014. He will be succeeding Mr. Obinna Ufudo, who led the conglomerate since 2011. Chairman, Transnational Corporation of Nigeria (Transcorp) Plc, Mr. Tony Elumelu, said the change was meant to further consolidate the growth of the company noting that the outgoing chief executive had laid a good foundation by delivering on the corporate objectives under the

phase one of the corporate transformation. “In his three years as CEO of the Transcorp Group, Obinna Ufudo laid a strong foundation of good governance, achieved significant financial returns for the company and played a key role in transforming an ailing enterprise, into an emerging investment powerhouse, with a market capitalisation of over US$1.2bn. He will be handing over a transformed business to Emmanuel Nnorom. With the implementation of Phase 2 of our strategic intent, we expect accelerated growth in all spheres of our business, with a clear objective of $1 billion in profits by 2018,” Elumelu stated. According to him, the appoint-

ment represents a further important milestone in Transcorp’s transformation, as the company moves from stabilisation; following the acquisition of a strategic stake by Heirs Holdings, to accelerated growth, as investments in power, oil and gas and real estate and hospitality come to fruition. He pointed out that Nnorom’s key role will be to lead the acceleration and deepening of the company’s investments in its four strategic business sectors-hospitality, power, agriculture and oil and gas to build on his predecessor’s achievements in repositioning Transcorp for growth. Nnorom is currently president and chief operating officer of Heirs Holdings, the investment holding company of Elumelu. He had served as executive director of United Bank for Africa (UBA)Plc.

THE NATION THURSDAY AUGUST 14, 2014

NEWS

Enugu deputy governor collapses

Govt decries calls for Elechi’s impeachment

From Chris Oji, Enugu

From Ogochukwu Anioke, Abakaliki

EBONYI State government has condemned comments by the state chapter of an opposition party calling for the impeachment of Governor Martin Elechi. The government, in a statement by the Commissioner for Information and State Orientation, Dr. Chike Onwe, said the call was a reflection of the party’s parochial views about the achievement of the present administration. He described the allegation levelled against the governor as baseless and a lie aimed at tarnishing his image. Onwe said no amount of campaign of calumny, political brigandage and propaganda would prevent the Elechi administration from fulfilling its mandate to the people. His words: “The employment of odious propaganda and gratuitous grandstanding by the opposition party cannot hoodwink the people who deserve a man that is raising the status of the land space of Ebonyi beyond the local precinct of the Southeast. “It may interest detractors to note that the three rice clusters at Oso Edda, Iboko and Onuigboji are fully operational. Ebonyi is set to take its pride of place among riceproducing centres in the world.” The commissioner listed Elechi’s contributions in health, agriculture, infrastructural development and education, saying they would remain a legacy for generations yet unborn.

Imo monarchs caution ‘deposed’ ruler From Okodili Ndidi, Owerri

HE Imo State Council of Traditional Rulers warned yesterday the alleged deposed monarch and ex-Chairman of the council, Eze Cletus Ilomuanya. The council accused him of flouting a directive of the government. The Chairman of the council, Eze Samuel Ohiri, said in a statement: “We observe with dismay that although Ilomuanya has been removed as the Eze, he still parades himself as the monarch of Obinugwu. “We heard that he has gone to court to challenge his dethronement. He is expected to wait for the outcome of his action.” The statement reads: “Cletus Ilomuanya has been removed as the chairman of the Council of Traditional Rulers by the government. In doing that, the government followed due process. But he has refused to respect that lawful action. “Ilomuanya has continued to parade as the Eze of Obinugu, moving round with the full regalia of a traditional ruler when he is not, with more than 100 armed mobile policemen he claims were assigned to him by the Presidency. This is impersonation and a threat to peace.”

•Anglican faithful protesting in Onitsha...yesterday. INSET: The demolished church in Nkwelle Ezunaka

2015: Anglicans may move against Jonathan A NGLICAN faithful in Anambra State threatened yesterday not to support President Goodluck Jonathan’s re-election bid. They urged him to tell Governor Willie Obiano to intervene in “the systematic religious war against the Anglican Communion.” The threat was made, following a protest by the churches, which rocked Onitsha over the demolition of Ebenezer Anglican Church, Oze in Oyi Local Government. The Anglicans protested the alleged demolition of their church by unknown people in Nkwelle Ezunaka community. Human traffic was brought to a standstill, as Anglican faithful from parishes in the Diocese on Niger protested the demolition of their church by unknown persons. They carried placards and sang, to express their grievances. The protesters blocked the roads leading to Onit-

•’Obiano’s biased’ •Protest rocks Onitsha

From Nwanosike Onu, Awka

sha for hours. Some of the placards read: “Rebuild our church now”, “Governor Obiano, intervene in this matter and arrest the perpetrators of this evil act”. Speaking on behalf of the Diocese on the Niger, Rev. I.k. Egbeonu accused the government of conspiracy. He said the school compound housing the demolished church was among the schools handed over to the church by former Governor Peter Obi. Egbeonu added that the statement credited to the President-General of Nkwelle Ezeunaka Community, Chris Eluemuno, that the church took over the school by force, was untrue. The cleric accused Obiano of allowing himself to be used as a machinery of re-

ligious war. H e s ai d : “We ha v e watched with interest the appointments made by the government and we understand that in every 30 appointments, 25 are Roman Catholics, while Anglican and Pentecostal churches share the rest. “For instance, in this school, of the 30 teachers posted by the government, 25 are Roman Catholics. “We urge government to rebuild our church. We also enjoin President Goodluck Jonathan to intervene in this matter or it will affect his 2015 presidential ambition because Anglicans form almost half of the voters in the country. “This is a church project that has cost over N30 million. The money was contributed by widows, orphans and the less privileged, only for some peo-

ple to connive with some agents of the devil to demolish it.” The Chancellor of the Diocese on the Niger, Nnamdi Ibegbu (SAN), decried the action and said the diocese would seek legal action. He appealed to Anglican faithful to be calm. One of the worshipers at Ebenezer Anglican Church, Oyolu, Oze-3-3, Mr. Emma Ibeneme, said they were shocked when they discovered on Monday that their church had been demolished by unknown people. Eluemuno said the community did not demolish the church. The man, a delegate to the National Conference, who is also the president of Ohanaeze Ndigbo in the state, said the matter was being handled by the law enforcement agents.

Chibok girls: Igbo youths knock North’s elders

HE Igbo Youth Movement (IYM) slammed yesterday the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) for giving President Goodluck Jonathan an October deadline to rescue the Chibok girls or forget his 2015 reelection bid. The group, in a statement by its President, Evang. Elliott Uko, said the northern elders, by that statement, were unwittingly campaigning for the President. It stressed: “Nigerians are amused to no end once again as a section of the northern elite, who despises President Jonathan, has embarked on a campaign for Jonathan albeit unwittingly. “The vituperations of the Northern Elders Forum and the North’s delegates to the National Conference to wit that Jonathan should not run for the

From Chris Oji, Enugu

February 2015 election is a déjà vu of the 2010/2011 northern faux pas.” IYM said the excessive display of paranoia by the NEF did not only suggest that the North had run out of ideas and arguments, but it also confirmed that the Boko Haram insurgency was political. It asked: “Are our northern brothers treading this familiar road because of their love for Nigeria? Or just a last ditch effort in the desperate battle for central power and insatiable hunger for eternal domination of the rest of Nigeria?” IYM noted: “This is déjà vu. The last time our northern brothers took this road four years ago, they only succeeded in frightening the rest of the country and forcing them to gather behind Jonathan. A mere re-

peat of the same road that didn’t pay any dividend. They terrorised him endlessly, gave him seven days to resign, chose a consensus candidate and campaigned on religious and regional pedestal, all these failed. Then they promised to make the nation ungovernable. Jonathan is still ruling. “The strategy of threat of soaking dog and baboon in blood is not capable of snatching power from Jonathan, as only Nigerians will decide in 2015. “It’s amusing that those threatening to reject a new constitution cannot see that they will only make a bigger mistake than their great mistake at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) convention in Jos 15 years ago. “Fifteen years ago, the same people fiercely resisting the restructuring of Nigeria through a new con-

stitution, stormed Jos to stop a former vice president and the only man who would have handed over power to the North after four years. Instead, they brought out from Yola prison their northern choice, who dealt them a blow the North is yet to recover from. Once again as the world watches, the North is about to seal its fate as it opposes the only open route to a peaceful, stable and functional Nigeria – new constitution adopted at a referendum. “Their parochial mind tells them that they will seize power and keep it forever, hence their preference for the unworkable status quo – mistake for which they can pay dearly, sooner than later. “It reminds us of the great northern mistake at the PDP convention in Jos 15 years ago. What a déjà vu.”

ENUGU State Deputy Governor Sunday Onyebuchi, who is being investigated by an impeachment panel, slumped yesterday when testifying before the panel. Proceedings were halted and the panel rose for a short adjournment. Onyebuchi was taken out of the court hall by his wife, Mrs. Nneka Ada Onyebuchi, his children and aides to an undisclosed hospital. The panel reconvened at 2pm despite pleas by Onyebuchi’s lawyer, Ogochukwu Onyekwuluje, that the matter be adjourned till Monday. The counsel told reporters: “The doctor has diagnosed high blood pressure and a medical report has been brought, showing his state of health. “I think he is stable, but medical attention has to be given to him to enable him stabilise.” The panel ruled that although it sympathised with the deputy governor, the Monday date asked for was too far. It adjourned the matter till today.

INEC, stakeholders hold voter re-validation From Nwanosike Onu, Awka

ANAMBRA State Governor Willie Obiano has said government would partner anybody who could create jobs for youths. He spoke yesterday at the Women Development Centre, Awka at the sensitisation of stakeholders on voter registration and revalidation. The one-day exercise was organised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Obiano was represented by his deputy, Dr. Nkem Okeke. The forum was aimed at sensitising the people on the the permanent and continuous voter card distribution and registration, which start tomorrow. Obiano hailed INEC for organising the forum, saying it was timely. He urged eligible voters to participate in the exercise. The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Prof. Chukwuemeka Onukaogu, said the commission remained resolute in ensuring a credible election.

Man hangs self in Imo From Okodili Didi, Owerri

THERE was confusion at Amakohia community in Owerri North Local Government Area of Imo State yesterday when a middleaged man was found hanging in the bathroom. The deceased identified as Chidi Eke, an indigene of Ohaji, popularly called “China”, who was said to be into pools betting, allegedly left a suicide note. Sympathisers said they were shocked that the man committed suicide.

THE NATION THURSDAY AUGUST 14, 2014

NEWS

APC/PDP clash: Police arrest chief, four others

HE police in Rivers State have arrested five suspects, including Chief Anthony Owabie of Rumuepirikom-Port Harcourt in Obio/Akpor Local Government. They were apprehended for yesterday’s clash between the supporters of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The suspected PDP thugs turned into war, the continuation of tour of wards in Obio/Akpor council by Governor Rotimi Amaechi, destroying the canopies and chairs arranged at strategic locations in the area. This prompted the APC members to confront them, leading to sporadic gunshots, breaking of bottles on the roads, use of dangerous weapons and destruction of property. Innocent persons were injured. Police spokesperson Grace Iringe-Koko said the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) averted further destruction of property and loss of lives. She said the police command responded to a distress call after gunshots were heard from a location in Rumuepirikom, where the Minister of State for Educa-

Cross River youths give Imoke award

ROSS River State Youths have conferred an award of the “Pride of the Youths” on Governor Liyel Imoke for his policies and disposition to youth development and rediscover. The Chairman, National Youth Council of Nigeria, Mr. Bernard Okori, presented the award to the governor on behalf of other youths during an event to mark the 2014 Int’l Youth Day Celebration in Calabar. Okori said the over whelming resolve to honour the governor was in recognition of the policies of his government towards re-engineering the youths to rediscover themselves and be useful to the society.

Ogoni youths warn govt From Bisi Olaniyi, Port Harcourt

GONI youths have asked the Federal Government to prepare for confrontation at the expiration of the 30-day ultimatum on the implementation of the recommendations contained in the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report on Ogoniland’s environmental assessment. They urged the President Goodluck Jonathan administration to be sincere in implementing the report. The youths expressed shock about the refusal of the government to consider implementing the report, over three years after its submission to the President in Abuja. Speaking on behalf of Ogoni youths, Barry Balera Mwara, who is one of the leaders, said yesterday in Port Harcourt in an interactive session with reporters that the deaths of Ogoni people, as a result of pollution, should be halted by the Federal Government through the implementation of the UNEP report.

Rivers council chair slumps, dies •Amaechi orders autopsy From Bisi Olaniyi, Port Harcourt

•Clement, one of the victims

•Another victim

•Insist on campaign ban From Bisi Olaniyi and Precious Dikewoha, Port Harcourt

tion, Chief Nyesom Wike, who is scheming to succeed Amaechi, hails from. Iringe-Koko said: “Chief Anthony Owabie of Rumuepirikom was arrested, after he shot six people, including his son. He was arrested with four others, whose identities are yet to be confirmed. “The chief (Owabie) has volunteered useful information to the police and we have

recovered a single-barrel gun, with expended cartridges, pellets and live ammunition from the chief. The case has been transferred to the State Anti-Robbery Squad for further investigation.” The spokesperson said the command had warned “political jobbers,” who she said had been engaged in campaigns and political meetings, aimed at wreaking havoc on the populace. Iringe-Koko said: “The command wishes to remind the parties of the ban on po-

•Destroyed canopies

litical activities, as stipulated in Section 99 (1) of the Electoral Act, which states that: ‘For the purpose of this Electoral Act, the period of campaigning in the public by every political party shall commence 90 days before polling day and end 24 hours prior to that day.’ “In accordance with this section of the law, the command is using this medium to sound a note of warning to groups, public office holders and corporate organisations to desist from carrying out activities that will disrupt the peace and tranquili-

ty enjoyed in the state. “The command is sounding a note of warning to groups, public office holders and corporate organisations to desist from carrying out activities that will disrupt the peaceful atmosphere we have laboured to create. We also encourage all law-abiding citizens of Rivers State to go about their lawful businesses without let or hindrance.” The spokesperson enjoined residents to be vigilant and report any suspicious movement to the police.

Boy, 19, arrested for alleged bestiality

19-YEAR-old boy identified as Osagiator Ighodaro has been arrested by the police in Edo State for alleged bestiality. He was caught with a dog in an uncompleted building. The bestial act occurred at Iguosa community in Ovia North East Local Government. Osagiator was caught after a neighbour suspected the manner in which he carried the dog into the uncompleted building. The suspect, who lives at 13, Midwest Lane, off New

From Osagie Otabor, Benin

Lagos Road in Benin City, said he often visits Iguosa community to search for menial jobs. He said the dog followed him as he walked in the street and he carried it into an uncompleted building. Osagiator said: “As I was walking in the street, I saw a dog following me and I carry it like a baby. I took it to an uncompleted building. One man caught me in the act and apprehended me. I did not know what

came over me.” An eyewitness, Mr. George Ogbonmwan, said he was concerned about the manner in which the boy was fondling the dog. He said he thought the suspect wanted to steal it, but was surprised when he saw the boy on the dog. “When I saw the way the young man carrying the dog like a baby and fondled it, I told the owner and advised him to go towards the uncompleted building. He went to the building and caught the boy in the act. The owner of the dog,

Mr. Garuba Samari, said the dog should be given to the suspect and urged the community elders to report the matter to the police. He said: “The dog has to follow him. I have nothing to do with it again.” The community leader, the Odionwere, Pa Clifford Igiehon, said the act was an abomination. He called for a medical examination of the suspect Police spokesman Noble Uwoh confirmed the arrest and said the suspect would be charged to court today.

Navy arrests 20 for ‘stealing’ 500,000 litres of crude

WENTY suspects have been arrested by the Central Naval Command (CNC) of the Navy for allegedly stealing 500,000 litres of crude oil. The ship christened MV ELMINA was also impounded. The suspects were, however, handed over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday at the command’s Forward Operating Base (FOB), Formoso, Brass, Bayelsa State. The Commanding Officer, FOB Formoso, Capt. Noel Madugu, said the suspects were arrested at Sangana River in Brass Local Government while trying to escape with the illegal product. He said they loaded the ship using jerry-cans containing crude oil suspected to have been illegally bunkered from a pipeline belonging to the Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC). Madugu said the suspects comprising 18 Nigerians, one Camerounian and one Ghanaian were on board the vessel when she was im-

•Impounds ship From Mike Odiegwu, Yenagoa

pounded. He gave the names of the suspects as Lucky Osiebe, captain; Adakole Onmoniji, chief engineer; Monday Esemutoye; Tonwoye College; Collins Ograko; Odaba Divine; Dutie Ezetu; Frederick Onwoievbe; Bonley Atangeho and Dover Abruda. Others are Joe Richard, Campala Lewis, Efe Godday, Aaron Amohefe, Reuben Dabbi, Joseph Koey, Ponmile Gideon, Wafo Marcel, Dominion Agbo and Akinbolu David. Madugu said the captain could not provide the relevant documents to lift crude oil at the time of the arrest. He said the suspects claimed they were sent by the owner of the ship to load Automated Gas Oil (AGO), but that when the products were tested, they were found to be crude oil. Parading the suspects before transferring them to the officials of the EFCC, Port Harcourt office, the captain noted that they were arrested

about 1:30am on August 7. The commanding officer said: “About 1:30am on August 7, MV ELMINA was intercepted coming out of the creeks of Sangana River entrance in Brass Local Government. “The vessel and her crew were intercepted by NNS BOMADI while on a routine patrol of the area. “Upon arrest, the actions of the crew during interrogation indicated that they had carried out the dubious activity as they refused initially to answer their radio until several warning shots.” He said a naval ship escorted the vessel until she was safely anchored at Brass River where she was detained for further interrogation. According to him, the handover of the suspects was in compliance with the directive of the Flag Officer Commanding, Central Naval Command, Rear Admiral Peter Agba. He said the Navy was determined to wage war against economic sabotage, adding that the security out-

fit would not rest until crude oil theft was stopped. “There is no hiding place for any illegal bunkering activities in the Niger Delta. The Navy will comb every nook and cranny of the region to ensure oil theft is curbed,” he said. The representative of the EFCC, Mr. Owoeye Timothy, who took delivery of the 20 suspects, said investigation would begin for possible prosecution. “We have taken over MV ELMINA and the suspects. Investigation continues,” he added.

HE Caretaker Chairman of the Port Harcourt City Local Government Area of Rivers State, Mr. Charles Paul Ejekwu, slumped and died yesterday. He vomited blood and was taken to a private hospital in D-Line, Port Harcourt. He spoke before he died. His body has been deposited at the morgue of the Rivers State Government-owned Braithwaite Memorial Specialist Hospital (BMSH), near the Government House, Port Harcourt. Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi has cancelled tour of wards in Obio/Akpor Local Government. He visited the deceased’s family yesterday and ordered an autopsy to ascertain the cause of his death. Foul play was suspected in Ejekwu’s death, following the cold war between him and some leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the council. A source alleged that he might have been poisoned. It was learnt that at a meeting of the 23 council chairmen with Amaechi in the Government House, Port Harcourt on Monday evening, the governor pronounced Ejekwu as the leader of the APC in the local government, which some leaders of the APC were not happy about. It was gathered that at the meeting, Amaechi hailed the deceased for his brilliant performance in just two months in office, which should be emulated by others. The Nation learnt that at the Tuesday’s meeting between the governor and the council chairmen, also in the Government House, Port Harcourt, Ejekwu was full of life, as he ate and drank with others. In a telephone interview last night, the council press secretary, Bolingo Elenwo, said Ejekwu popularly called Mayor slumped and died about 3 am in his home on Peter Odili Road, Trans-Amadi Residential Layout, Port Harcourt. He said funeral arrangements were yet to be made, since the family was yet to meet. Elenwo described the sudden death of the caretaker chairman as shocking and pathetic. Ejekwu was sworn in about two months ago with 20 other caretaker chairmen, excluding the chairmen of Degema (Kalabari) and Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni councils, who are yet to finish their tenure.

‘I didn’t call for power shift to Rivers upland’

HE President of the Ikwerre Consultative Forum, Mr. Achinike Peter, has denied calling for power shift to upland part of Rivers State. He was reacting to an interview in the politics section of The Nation yesterday. The introductory part of the interview created the impression that he was calling for power shift to the upland where power has been for about 16 years. The body of the interview was, however, clear that the shift he advocated was for power to leave the upland for the riverine. He said: “To contemplate retaining power among the upland people after 16 uninterrupted years is not only unfair and unjust, but even criminal. Therefore, power must shift to our brothers and sisters in the riverine.”

THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

FOREIGN NEWS

Pope Francis advises youths

“

EACH person has a role, each person has a job to do, a vocation,” the Pope said. “Pray that God sends workers to the harvest, that he sends shepherds.” “Young people who feel the call of Jesus should not be afraid,” he continued, explaining that life is “not for achieving gains. Life is for giving it away.” “If someone is feeling that God is asking him to give his life in the priesthood, he should not be afraid. We need to gamble on big things, not on little ones. And if he feels that Jesus is calling him to form a family, let it be a strong, big, Christian family.” The Pope’s remarks came during his radio conversation with Father Joaquin Giangreco and Father Juan Ignacio Liebana on Radio Virgen del Carmen in the Diocese of Añatuya. In addition, the pontiff touched the importance of prayer, saying, “The Church is sustained by the prayers of the faithful, by prayer, by the Mass.” He also noted that “there will always be differences, there will always be fights, but they need to be discussed. They need to be discussed with God.” He warned that “destructive criticism” of others causes harm and “is not Christian.” Pope Francis later said, “Jesus is so good. Jesus loves us. God loves us. God waits for us always. God never tires of forgiving us. Let us just be humble and ask for forgiveness, in order to continue forward. God made us to be happy. God is with us.” “When we go through times of sorrow, he experienced them first. And he understands us from the heart. I ask the Lord God to bless you a lot, that He grant you the courage not to let your hope be stolen and above all that He touch you and make you smile.” In conclusion, the Holy Father imparted his blessing on all the listeners, and when the connection was lost, he called back to say goodbye to the two priests who interviewed him.

•Pope Francis

Brazil presidential candidate Campos dies in plane crash

PLANE carrying the Brazilian presidential candidate Eduardo Campos has crashed in a residential area of the port city of Santos, in Brazil’s Sao Paulo state. Members of Mr Campos’ Socialist party (PSB) said he had died in the crash. The party of his running mate, Marina Silva, tweeted that it was “shocked by Mr Campos’ death”. The plane was frequently used by Mr Cam-

pos, who has been running third in the polls for October’s election. Firefighters said there were 10 “victims” but did not clarify if the 10 were injured or dead. A police spokeswoman told the AFP news agency that there were “fatalities but we still do not have a number confirmed”. Locals said the sky was cloudy and it was raining at the time of the crash. Police and emergency

workers are at the scene in Santos, which is located 70km (43 miles) south-east of Sao Paulo. The Cessna 560XL plane had taken off from Rio de Janeiro’s domestic airport and was heading to the city of Guaruja, near Santos, the Brazilian Air Force said. According to Air Force officials, air traffic control lost contact with the plane after it could not land in Guaruja due to bad weather. Do not fear the call of

•The aftermath of an attack in Baghdad’s Karrada district...yesterday

Iraq crisis: International boost to arms, aid supply

•The late Campos Jesus, Pope says in radio Comment

PHOTO: REUTERS

India’s varsityacknowledgestransgenderstudents

ELHI University has acknowledged transgender students for the first time by introducing a column for a third gender in its application forms. The university said it would accept all nine transgender applicants who had enrolled for postgraduate programmes, The Times of India reported. Earlier in April, India’s Supreme Court recognised transgender people as a third gender, in a landmark ruling. Activists have praised the move calling it a step in the right direction. Prior to this transgender students were forced to register as either male or female. A university official said the policy would be extended to undergraduate courses in the next academic year. “We had planned to start

transgender admissions in undergraduate courses from this year but could not do so due to administrative reasons. From 2015-16 academic session, we will be introducing the third gender option in centralised admission forms and also make necessary policies for their admission,” The Times of India quoted Delhi University registrar Alka Sharma as saying. Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) activists have welcomed the move and said it would help integrate the community into the mainstream. “It a step in the right direction. It really empowers people and makes them feel they are part of mainstream life. But there has to be a sustained campaign to understand transgenders, their issues and sensitise the society,”

said Anjali Gopalan of the Naz Foundation. According to one estimate, India has about two million transgender people, but campaigners say they live on the fringes of society, often in poverty, ostracised because of their gender identity. Most make a living by singing and dancing or by begging and prostitution. Rights groups say they often face huge discrimination and so far have been forced to choose either male or female as their gender in most public spheres. In 2009, India’s Election Commission took a first step by allowing transgenders to choose their gender as “other” on ballot forms. Syria conflict: Sarin gas chemicals destroyed The international chemical weapons watchdog says that all the precursor chemicals for

sarin gas removed from Syria have been destroyed. The 580 tonnes of chemicals were neutralised on board a specially built American ship in the Mediterranean Sea. The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said the ship’s crew have now begun to neutralise 22 tonnes of sulphur mustard. The process is part of a Russian-US deal to eliminate Syria’s arsenal. The deal was drawn up after hundreds of people died in a sarin attack in the Ghouta area outside Damascus on 21 August last year. The US ship, the MV Cape Ray, was fitted out with two $5m (£3m) mobile hydrolysis systems, developed in 2013 by US military researcher, specifically to deal with the chemicals.

past two weeks. Altogether, at least 2,086 people have been killed since mid-April, when Ukraine sent troops against pro-Russia rebels in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The fighting has displaced almost 300,000 people, many of whom have fled to Russia.

tional Committee Red Cross The convoy was on the move inside Russia, Dmitry Peskov said, but did not comment on the route. he Ukrainians had expected the convoy to arrive at Pletenevka, in Kharkiv region But according to some reports, the aid could go in via a checkpoint further south in Luhansk region Russian TV showed the aid being loaded onto lorries on Tuesday morning Thousands in eastern Ukraine are reported to be without water, electricity and medicine

A Red Cross spokesman told a news conference he did not know the final route for the aid. “I tried to get information where exactly this convoy is right now before coming here, but I don’t know the exact location still,” said Andre Loersch. He said the ICRC had received a general description of what is in the trucks. Once it had received a more accurate list, it would be able to start work on how the aid could be transferred and distributed. Russian TV showed the cargo, including grain, baby food and medicine, bound for civilians trapped by fighting in

the area held by pro-Russia rebels. Ukrainian officials insist that aid should pass through a government-controlled border post and be accompanied by Red Cross officials. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday that Moscow had agreed to these conditions. “Provocation by a cynical aggressor is not permissible on our territory,” Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said on his Facebook page (in Russian). Prime Minister Arseny Yatsenyuk described the Rus-

Ukraine crisis: Russia aid convoy slows amid spats

NCERTAINTY surrounds the movement and route of a Russian aid convoy bound for east Ukraine after Ukrainian officials said they would not let it in. At least some of its 280 trucks are stalled in the Voronezh area, some 500km (300 miles) from Moscow. Others are said to be heading further south. There have been fears Russia could use the convoy as a pretext for military action in Ukraine. The UN says the conflict’s death toll has doubled in the

The convoy spent Tuesday night in Voronezh after leaving a military base near Moscow on Tuesday amid fanfare. A spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin said the mission was proceeding in co-operation with the Interna-

THE delivery of arms and aid to Iraq is being stepped up, in an international push to tackle jihadist militants and help those who have fled their advance. France says it will arm Iraq’s Kurds, who have been fighting Islamic State (IS) militants. Kurdish forces are already getting US military support. Meanwhile, the UK has confirmed it will join a mission to rescue thousands of civilians trapped by IS on a mountain. Many of those stranded belong to the Yazidi sect. They are among tens of thousands of people - mostly members of religious minorities - who are sheltering on Mount Sinjar in northern Iraq, and are in need of desperate humanitarian assistance, according to the United Nations. US Secretary of State John Kerry said teams on the ground were making “a very rapid and critical assessment because we understand it’s urgent to try to move those people off the mountain”. Meanwhile, British Prime Minister David Cameron says the UK will play a role in an international rescue mission, the details of which “are now being put in place”. US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel: “This is not a combat boots on the ground kind of operation” base having turned against him, any long-term defiance by Mr Maliki only risks worsening Iraq’s desperate political crisis, our correspondent adds. The snub to Mr Maliki came after months of political infighting, which experts say has contributed to Iraq’s inability to fight the IS threat. On Tuesday, a suicide bomber attacked a checkpoint near the home of Mr Abadi in Baghdad, Reuters news agency reported, citing security sources and local media.

Sarin gas chemicals destroyed in Syria

HE international chemical weapons watchdog says that all the precursor chemicals for sarin gas removed from Syria have been destroyed. The 580 tonnes of chemicals were neutralised on board a specially built American ship in the Mediterranean Sea. The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said the ship’s crew have now begun to neutralise 22 tonnes of sulphur mustard. The process is part of a Russian-US deal to eliminate Syria’s arsenal. The deal was drawn up after hundreds of people died in a sarin attack in the Ghouta area outside Damascus on 21 August last year. The US ship, the MV Cape Ray, was fitted out with two $5m (£3m) mobile hydrolysis systems, developed in 2013 by US military researcher, specifically to deal with the chemicals. A UN team was sent into Syria to oversee the removal of President Assad’s chemical stockpile OPCW chief ambassador Ahmet Uzumcu announced the completion of this stage of the process yesterday.

THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

NEWS 56 new deaths reported, says WHO

South tackles North over draft constitution Continued from page 4

have been born. I have been a politician for over 50 years but what I learnt in this last four months is fantastic,” Clark noted. He, however, condemned the position of the northern delegates on the draft constitution, saying: “It was unfortunate to learn that some delegates addressed the press on a so-called new draft constitution. “When we were discussing, we passed several resolutions; some of them touched on the constitution, some were policy matters while others were for the legislature. “What they (leadership) have done was to put together all the amendments to the 1999 Constitution and the additional ones they were not many, where there should be subtraction, they subtracted. “The document has now been produced and there is nothing wrong coming up with a proposed draft constitution. “We have nothing to hide but that will bring a new change to Nigeria. So we want to dispel the idea that there is confusion and disagreement in the Conference,. “We have all met, leaders of delegations, with the leadership and we have agreed that by tomorrow (today) we should adopt the report which they have produced on our behalf. “I can assure you that Nigeria has never been this united with the types of delegates at this conference from various sectors; we have the disadvantaged Nigerians, youths, traditional institutions, women, elder statesmen, labour; everybody is represented. “We have done a good job for Nigeria, it will take time to find

this type of delegates taking a resolution as we have done. “We are appealing to Mr President, therefore, that the resolutions of our report should be treated with dispatch for the benefit of Nigerians and a new Nigeria would have been born.” Chief Olu Falae regretted that some falsehood had been fed to the media whereby some delegation leaders were alleged to have sold out by conniving with the leadership of the conference to influence the final report. Saying that it was an insult on the integrity of those accused, Falae added: “There were allegations that I was working for some political leaders; that is false and insulting. Since I got to this conference, nobody has tried to influence me and my delegation on any matter whatsoever. “There were specific allegations that we had recommended a single tenure of six years for the President; that is not true. There were so many other lies they told that can not be substantiated in our report. “Why people should manufacture such lies and mislead Nigerians beats anyone’s imagination. All those allegations are not true.” Gen Ike Nwachukwu said his Southeast delegation remained faithful and steadfast to its mandate for a country where no one would be oppressed, where no section of the country would lord its will on the others. “This conference has achieved that,” he said. He also dispelled insinuation of attempts by the conference to support third term, saying: “No one has asked us to seek a third term for anybody, any one suggesting it would be an insult on us.” He however appealed to Pres-

ident Jonathan to ensure that the report is made public, “ Let the report be in the public domain for Nigerians to understand what we have done for them to decide wether we wasted their money and time or give them an opportunity to build a new Nigeria,” he added. Another delegate from the South, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), said northern delegates misinterpreted the meaning of the draft constitution included in the documents presented to the delegates on Monday. “How can this draft constitution affect the 2015 elections?”, he asked He said: “The first thing is that the draft constitution is nothing but a synthesis of everything we have discussed here which has constitutional inputs. All that the conference secretariat has done for which they should be praised for being so hardworking and proactive. “The issue of a third term agenda or whatever cannot arise, people who are saying that are being unfair to this country. “The reason being that everyone is aware that elections are in February next year and that this is August, talking of barely five months away and that whether the constitution is called amendment, whether it is a brand new constitution that will be subjected to the people of Nigeria in a popular referendum by whatever process that everybody, anybody should know that, that is not a process that can be completed even in one year. “So for anyone to think that such a good job can be deliberated or downplayed or downgraded by attaching to it a motive which is clearly not there to be is an unfair thing from the people who made that statement.

Chibok girls: Troops in Sambisa, says DHQ Continued from page 4

embark on counter-insurgency. He added: “I do not agree that we are not trained for this period. Even before the advent of terrorism, our training doctrine has factored in counter terrorism right from the beginning. It’s only that the intensity may differ but everybody has knowledge of counter terrorism operations. It’s just that it’s only now that we are practising it in reality.” On the alleged extra-judicial killings by troops, Gen. Olukolade explained that a probe panel had invited Amnesty International officials to substantiate their claim. He added: “The probe of the Amnesty International’s video clips is ongoing. The team that we mentioned is already going round, calling on people who can assist them. They have even invited officials of AI to help them verify what they presented. “I was with the team two days ago and I know that they are working frantically to produce their report and they are not leaving anything untouched. “We just hope that those who made the allegations will also have the level of respect for that

body (investigation panel) to tell them what they know. He denied allegations of corruption and human rights abuses against the military. The general said: “Those series of allegations of corruption are unfounded; the series of allegations of cowardice are rather demoralising and other forms of insinuations in various forms only tend to give the impression the Nigerian armed forces is not capable of managing the situation. “Unfortunately, this has remained the source for the international community that held us in very high esteem to begin to have a rethink. But the Nigerian armed forces has not been sleeping; we have been available in putting our expertise at the service of other nations. We have more of this in which we can put into the disposal of our country at a time like this and all we would need are encouragement of our fellow countrymen and their understanding. “We can only assure them that we mean well. The officers that are put in charge of these men are trained to be leaders. We should let them do the job in times like this. The integrity of everybody is at stake, and the

time has come when we should rather reduce the level of accusations that are meant to demoralise and discourage.” The DHQ spokesman also said the military has a lot of information on the Zaria incident in which three sons of a Shiite leader, Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, were killed. He said: “For the cleric, if you study our posture, we do not want to engage him. We have a lot of information as well but they must be verified. They are too sensitive for public attention at the moment. “This issue should not be handled carelessly and that informs all the restraint in responding to some of what is being said. But that is not to say the authorities are ignoring it. Not at all.” Earlier in her remarks, the National Coordinator of Inigerian Initiative, Ms Ada Stella Apiafi, urged security agencies and the media to be partners in national development and be seen as working towards the same goal. She said: “We should be wary of individuals and groups that may have their own selfish agenda and want to scuttle our national development by devastating selfish interest.”

at the entrance.” Director FCT Emergency Management Department Abbas Idriss, said the FCT had come up with Ebola response, multidisciplinary responds plan and operation team who would go round and take care of victims. His words, “So many flights are coming in from Lagos, so many buses and we don’t know who had contact with any of those victims, so we have to be careful and prepared, in every emergency, preparedness is key, we have discussed and taken some measures in which in we

must follow up on. “Apart from flights coming in, buses are also coming into Abuja and the parks have been neglected, the primary health care department which has the responsibility of reaching out to the communities within the FCT because majority of people are those living in the outskirt of Abuja, we have discussed it and adequate measures are going to be put in place “We have to come up with Ebola response, multidisciplinary responds plan and operation team who will go round and take care of victims.”

Turkey clears Nigerian woman of Ebola

Continued from page 4

with more and we are going to discuss with the Minister that we are worried about the cases in Lagos and that people will be travelling in and out, we are going to look into the issue, in the airports the Federal Government has taken measures but what about in our motor parks? We are going to bring up all of these issues. “We will discuss with the Minister to establish a law in public and private establishment that they should have sanitizers or water and soap to wash hands

•Spanish priest mourned in Spain •Doctor dies in Sierra Leone

T •Justice Kutigi

“What some people are fighting for to me is a mindset, trying to retain the status quo, i think some people are very uncomfortable with some of the progressive decisions that we have taken at this conference”. John Dara, Secretary General of the Middle Belt Forum, said the Middle Belt was no party to the position of the Northern Delegates Forum. “We are in support of the outcome of this conference and impressed with the level of integrity and accuracy displayed by the secretariat. They were reflective of our views,” he noted. He however pointed out that if the report is implemented, the country would invariably be operating a new constitution subject to the approval of Nigerians. According to him, opponents of a new constitution were apostles of status quo who were “not mentally prepared for a new constitution”. “No decision taken at this conference is inimical to the interest of North but to make all sections economically viable and politically vibrant,” Dara noted.

HE World Health Orgamisation (WHO) yesterday reported 56 new deaths from Ebola. It added that there are 128 newly reported cases in the two days to August 11, raising the overall death toll in the virus’ world outbreak to 1,069. Since March, there have been a total of 1,975 confirmed, probable and suspected Ebola cases in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria, the United Nations health agency said in a statement. In Spain, Several hundred mourners joined a funeral service yesterday for Spanish priest Miguel Pajares, 75, who died from Ebola after being infected in Liberia. He became the first European victim of this worst-ever outbreak of the virus. A black hearse transported an urn containing missionary Miguel Pajares’s ashes to the chapel of the San Rafael hospital in Madrid, which was decorated with floral arrangements, including one sent by Spain’s royal family. The priest’s remains were incinerated in a sealed coffin shortly after he died on Tuesday. No autopsy was conducted so as to reduce the risk of contagion. Pajares had been in isolation at Madrid’s Carlos III hospital since landing in Spain on a military jet last Thursday and was treated with an experimental US serum, ZMapp. The Spanish priest contracted Ebola at the Saint Joseph Hospital in the Liberia capital Monrovia, where he worked with infected patients. Many in Spain consider him to be a hero and the crowd at the

funeral services included ordinary Spaniards who did not know him along with government and religious officials. “We are all human, we need each other, we give our lives for others,” said Ana Maria, a 67year-old from Madrid who attended with her sister Irene Gonzalez-Arnau Campos, 63, who came from Spain’s Canary Islands for the funeral service. Health Minister Ana Mato, who has been criticized for her absence from Madrid while Pajares was in hospital, offered her condolences to the family at the service and said the hospital room where Pajares died was being thoroughly disinfected. “All protocols are being followed to the letter,” she told reporters. A leading physician in Sierra Leone’s fight against Ebola has died from the disease, an official said Wednesday. He had been considered to receive an experimental drug but did not get it before he died. Doctors considered giving ZMapp to Sheik Humarr Khan, the chief doctor treating Ebola in Sierra Leone who had come down with the dreaded disease, but eventually decided against it, officials at the World Health Organization said in an email to The Associated Press on Wednesday. WHO then tried to airlift Khan out of the country, but “his condition had deteriorated too much to be transported safely.” Doses of ZMapp for two Liberian doctors were being expected in Liberia, according to Liberian Health Minister Walter Gwenigale. They would be the first Africans to receive the treatment.

THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

SPORT EXTRA SENIOR AFRICAN ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS

Nigeria sweeps medals in 110m hurdles

IGERIA is on course to retain her African Senior Athletics Championships title after the trio of Tyrone Akins, Alex Al-Ameen and Martins Ogierakhi won all the medals available in the men's 110 metres hurdles in Marrakech, Morocco.

From Stella Bamawo in Marrakech, Morocco In the night session yesterday, Tyrone clocked 13.75 seconds to win gold, Alex ran 13.78 for silver, while Martins settled for the bronze medal in a time of 13.80 seconds.

Team Nigeria eyes more medals as curtain falls today

A •Borussia Dortmund celebrate after winning the German Super Cup yesterday

Klopp pleased with 2-0 SuperCup win over Bayern B

ORUSSIA Dortmund ensured former star striker Robert Lewandowski's return to the Ruhr ended in disappointment yesterday as they beat an under-strength Bayern Munich 2-0 to win the German SuperCup for the second successive year. Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Gabonese international striker

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored Dortmund's goals in the 23rd and 62nd minutes respectively, while the match proved costly for Bayern as Spanish international midfielder Javi Martinez appeared to suffer a serious right knee injury. For Dortmund and coach Jurgen Klopp it provided a measure of consolation for hav-

ing lost to Bayern in the Cup final last season as well as finishing distant runners-up in the league. And while it leaves Bayern coach Pep Guardiola seeking his first win in the match in two attempts, the former Barcelona handler was without several of his established stars. German World Cup winning

midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger and wingers Arjen Robben of the Netherlands and Frenchman Franck Ribery were among those missing. Ribery, though, still managed to grab the headlines as he announced in an interview with Kicker magazine that he had decided to retire from international football.

PUPPORTED RESIGNATION LETTER

It’s all propaganda—Maigari By Bowale Odukale

MINU Maigari has dismissed a story making the rounds of him tendering his resignation letter to the General Secretary of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Musa Amadu. The rumour had it that Maigari, who was recently sacked from his post as NFF president, submitted the resignation letter to the NFF secretariat yesterday, so that his impeachment by the Execu-

•Maigari

tive Community of the NFF could be vacated. According to the said report, after a meeting initiated by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Anyim Pius Anyim, on Monday, the members of the NFF executive told the SGF that the only condition under which Maigari’s impeachment would be vacated was if the former president tenders his letter of resignation. However, speaking with NationSport yesterday,

Maigari stated that the purported resignation letter was just a way to mislead the public by giving false information on what is not. When NationSport asked him who he suspected of making up the letter, Maigari refused to point the finger at any member of the NFF. “I don’t know where this story is coming from,” he said. “Let them bring out the letter. It’s all propaganda and I won’t comment on the Nigeria Football Federation.”

Minister disagrees with NFF election process

INISTER of Sports, Tammy Danagogo, yesterday cleared the air on allegations levelled against him and the National Sports Commission (NSC) concerning the process of the August 26, 2014 Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) elections. Speaking to sports writers at his office at the Abuja National Stadium, Abuja, Danagogo said: “I have received more than 50 telephone calls complaining about the process of conducting the forthcoming NFF elections and I as person feel it is not transparent enough. The process has (not) been open and a level playing field has not been created for all (qualified football stakeholders) to participate in the election. “So, it is left for the public to insinuate if the National Sports Commission is interested in any candidate contesting in the election. But the fact remains that we (NSC) are not interested in any candidate contesting in the election. My interest (as a Minister of Sports) first and foremost is for all (football) stakeholders to look for credible candidates that will

•New Electoral Committee may be set up From Segun Ogunjimi, Abuja take our football to the next level. “Our interest is that there should be open and level fields for every qualified candidate to compete on equal platform and I will not support anything less than that. Whether anybody has preference for anybody, be it the Minister, the NFF Board members, what we will always enjoin them to do is that the process of producing that person must be manifestly seen to be transparent. “This process so far where we as a Commission have received over 50 reports of people who were personally denied (election) forms is certainly not transparent. We believe that the purchase of forms should be very transparent. I have not said anything on this because the NFF has not briefed me on that before. That is why when this rumour was going on I didn’t say anything. “But when they (the NFF) briefed me as well as the Commission, we looked at it. That is why we have called you (sports

reporters) to tell you that irrespective of any story or rumour going round in the media, we stand for transparency in the electoral process.” “Government is not insisting on bringing back Aminu Maigari (as the NFF President) or don’t bring back Maigari, no. Government is not on any of that issue. What the (Federal) government is interested in is that the NFF as a body is able to come

•Danagogo

together and reason together to solve their issues. “So, if Maigari is coming back to the NFF Board, he and the people should decide. It is their decision. The government will have no role to play in that. I am talking as a Minister of Sport but I can’t talk for every individual or stakeholder in the sport. In a typical African setting, when two people are fighting, the third party is to settle the quarrel and to make peace. “The NFF have their statutes and rules to follow. They actually have to decide on whether the NFF Electoral Committee should stay or not (be replaced). But for me as an individual I believe that everything that must be done to clear these grey areas, to address all these complaints of marginalisation and imposition, everything possible to clear them should be done. ‘If what it takes by NFF statutes and rules to stop the problem is to postpone the election, so be it. If what it takes is to reopen the period for collecting forms for all of them to collect forms and go to the polls, so be it.’

S the 19th edition of the African Senior Athletics Championships ends today in Marrakech, Morocco, Team Nigeria is looking forward to defending the title it won two years ago in Porto Novo. The trio of Gloria Asumnu, Dominique Duncan and Regina George has qualified for the final of the women's 200 metres event which will take place today. During Wednesday evening’s session, Asumnu dominated her heats running 23.09 seconds, while George and Duncan finished in second place in their respective heats. To contest for the gold medal

From Stella Bamawo in Marrakech, Morocco with Nigeria in the 200metres are Ivorian duo of Ahoure and Talou Gonezie who breasted the tape in their respective heats ahead of George and Asumnu. In the 200 metres men, Divine Oduduru could be on the podium today after clocking 20.72 seconds to finish behind Ivorian Carvin Nkanata who won the semi final three in a time of 20.42 seconds. In semi final two, Seye Ogunlewe did not show up for the race, the same as Mark Jelks who did not start in his semi final heat 1.

Championship records low turnout

HE mood at this year's edition of the African Senior Athletics Championship has been dampened by the poor number spectators at the venue of the event, the Grand Stade de Marrakech Stadium, Marrakech, Morocco, as well as the broadcasting of the event. Throughout the duration of the championship, the 45,000seater Grand Stade de Marrakech Stadium, has not recorded up to 3,000 spectators at any given day of the championship. Although the competition is in its fourth day, residents of Marrakech do not appear to be aware that their city is hosting a championship of this magnitude. Despite the town's buzz of foreign tourists and locals, no one cared to have a glimpse of what was going on inside the stadium. When NationSport enquired why there were so many empty seats at the stadium, the Local Organising Committee blamed the hot weather and the timing of the event for the low turnout of spectators.

From Stella Bamawo in Marrakech, Morocco After witnessing near-empty stadiums in Porto Novo during the Championship two years ago, the president of the Confederation of African Athletics (CAA), Kalkaba Malboum said he expected Morocco to improve on the rather gloomy atmosphere. "I’m disappointed with the turnout. It’s not impressive," he said. The Secretary-General of the CAA also lamented. “It’s a real shame!” said he. The event is also closed to millions of viewers around the continent and outside Africa, because the Local Organising Committee and the CAA could not agree on TV rights. The championship is being broadcast on local television stations only. However, despite these flaws that have deprived the championship of the much needed hype and publicity, the Moroccans should be commended for the organization of the event and their treatment of the athletes, officials and even members of the media.

Mourinho to decide Moses’ future ‘soon’

HELSEA manager Jose Mourinho has said he will soon decide whether Nigeria international Victor Moses stays or leaves the London club. Last season, Moses was shipped out on loan to fellow English Premier League (EPL) side Liverpool. The Portuguese coach, who returned to Chelsea as manager last summer, has now revealed that he could sell Moses before the end of the month. “Everyone knows that we have one too many foreign players in the squad,” London24.com quotes the Portuguese tactician as saying. “And Victor is not a foreign player. He plays in a position where we have a lot of cover. “But he is English. We will make that decision at the end of the month and Victor is part of that process, so maybe he stays, maybe he leaves.”

Moses has played just a game for Chelsea in the preseason since he returned from an extended World Cup break, against Ferenvacos of Hungary.

•Moses

THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

www.thenationonlineng.net

THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014 TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM

TOMORROW IN THE NATION

VOL. 9, NO. 2,938

‘If other countries allow Ebola victims to leave their shores where will the world be today? It is painful that our people showed the late Sawyer so much care in order to save his life, but in the end got what they never bargained for .’ LAWAL OGIENAGBON

C OMMENT & D EB ATE EBA

espite widespread public concerns of possible rigging and violence, the Osun State governorship election was successfully held last Saturday. The All Progressives Congress (APC) incumbent Governor Rauf Aregbesola was overwhelmingly returned to office, recording 394,684 votes as announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) -over 60 per cent of the votes cast. His main opponent, Mr. Iyiola Omisore, of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) obtained 292,750 votes; quite impressive, but still a distant second. He was comprehensively beaten and has conceded defeat. As expected and because of the huge stakes involved, the election was closely fought by the main contenders in a long, hard and often bitter campaign. Tension was high in the state and there was a real possibility of violence breaking out during the election. But it turned out to be quite peaceful and, by and large, the results reflected the electoral choice of the electorate. The observers adjudged the actual voting to have been free and fair. Governor Aregbesola deserved to win the election. His performance in government has been quite impressive, with an astonishing development of infrastructure. His schools’ reforms have also been widely acclaimed as innovative. Despite reservations in some enlightened quarters, his populist and charismatic style of government earned him a huge electoral victory in the election. But he also campaigned very hard, leaving nothing to chance. He and the APC leaders had learnt some hard and useful lessons from the Ekiti governorship election, which Governor Kayode Fayemi lost to his PDP rival, Mr. Ayo Fayose. In contrast to Governor Aregbesola, his opponent, Iyiola Omisore, had little or nothing to offer the electorate. When he was in office as deputy governor in the Bisi Akande administration, his record was really appalling. It included his determined and prolonged effort to organise Akande’s impeachment as governor. The source of the friction which paralysed the government was Akande’s refusal to meet his financial claims for a fraudulent contract Omisore had purportedly concluded with the previous military administration. I tried to resolve his differences with Governor Akande, but failed as Omisore wanted his financial claims met. In addition, there is still a considerable public speculation that he may have been involved, or implicated, in the assassination of the late Alliance for Democracy (AD) leader and Federal Attorney-General, Bola Ige, a case which has remained unresolved since 2002. Soon after, he defected from the AD. Because of all these, public perception of him as a politician has been quite negative. His character, or lack of it, has not matched his lofty and remorseless political ambition

RIPPLES

DAPO FAFOWORA

FROM THE SUMMIT dapo.fafowora@thenationonlineng.net

On the Osun governorship poll

•Aregbesola

•Omisore

to be governor of the state at all costs. He tried the Ekiti strategy of ‘stomach infrastructure’ but this did not work. He was rejected. His election as governor would have been a terrible set back for the state. Though the election was largely devoid of any serious violence, this was due largely to the remarkable and commendable restraint shown by the electorate in the electoral process, particularly on the voting date. A week before the election, the PDP Federal Government deployed a large number of military forces, including the Police and the State Security Service, evidently to intimidate and harass the APC and its supporters. There were palpable fears that the security forces would be used to rig the election, which the PDP was determined to win, after its victory in the Ekiti State governorship election. Scores of APC leaders, including its National Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed, were arrested on the eve of the election. What was even worse and totally unacceptable was the deployment by the PDP Federal Government of hooded armed men that were not even part of the regular armed forces of the country, with the clear intention of intimidating the electorate. This is reminis-

DON’T USE YOUTHS TO FOMENT TROUBLE, says Governor

So they should use ADULTS...EHN?

ARDBALL had a heck of a time finding a suitable title for this piece and to let it out, he never suffered such a challenge. The first intuitive title was ‘Coming in from the cold’ but nay, that seems flat and trite. What about, ‘The man in the cold’? No, the fellow in the picture does not seem the least troubled by the weather condition of that rarefied environment. I tried out ‘Lost in the crowd’ but quickly discarded it for even though the subject may look lost, it is not a rowdy crowd. What about ‘Alone in the crowd?’ well, almost good but then you could be right in the front row of a picture yet still appear alone. I even considered ‘The giant in the back row’ but that does not seem to jell; seeming a bit jaded this giant thing. Now was he perchance late for the photo session, whereupon I cast the head: ‘Late for the party’. But even at that, protocol would not object to his taking his rightful position in the front row, right at the focal point of the photograph. A few may snort and grunt but none would dare stop Africa’s premier president. Well since we do not know that as a

cent of Hitler’s storm troopers, the infamous SS, used by the Nazis to subvert democracy in Germany. Not a few innocent German heads were broken by Hitler’s SS men in his quest for absolute power in Germany. Are these not the men that former President Olusegun Obasanjo warned the nation about in his attack on Jonathan last year? Has he not been proved right in raising the alarm? Those so arrested and detained by these armed men included my youngest brother, Folarin Fafowora, a member of the State House of Assembly. It was claimed that ballot papers were being stamped in his house. But the house was not even searched by the DSS in the first place. In fact, as he has since told me, he was riding an Okada in Osogbo when he was picked up by the DSS officials. He was only released on Tuesday after four days in illegal detention. I have asked him to sue the DSS for his illegal detention and denial of his rights. We cannot continue to have the security forces acting illegally so brazenly against innocent citizens. This is provocative and designed to subvert the electoral process in the state. But undaunted by the heavy military presence, the voters refused to be intimidated and cast their votes in a peaceful manner. They displayed admirable and exemplary courage that the voters in other states should show in future elections to restore electoral integrity. Next year’s general elections, including the presidential, are crucial for the future of free and fair elections and the survival of democracy in our country. We cannot accept the continued use by the PDP Federal Government of military and illegal para-military forces to intimidate the electorate. That was why a substantial number of voters simply decided to stay away rather than risk intimidation and illegal detention by the security forces, including hooded and unidentified armed men. The role and use of security forces in future elections in our country should be clearly spelt out and defined by the INEC. Armed forces, regu-

HARDBALL The forlorn man in the back row matter of fact, we settled for the one above. We speak about the group photograph emanating from the US-Africa leaders Summit in Washington last week. The photo which has set the Nigerian world abuzz for a few days shows our dear President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan standing alone in the back row. In a photograph that features vice presidents, prime ministers and some two-bit kings, many Nigerians are taken aback that their president is relegated to the back row. Many argue that a President Olusegun Obasanjo would never have accepted that spot in the picture; that he would rather not be in it than be found in such unlikely position. Who did this to Nigeria? Was it the White House protocol team that sought to so diminish Nigeria and belittle her? Who has ever seen any US President anywhere apart from the front row if it does not

lar or irregular, should not be deployed unless asked for by the INEC, or by the contending political parties themselves. When deployed, such security forces must be plainly neutral between the contending political parties. The Federal Government cannot arrogate to itself the right to deploy its security forces anywhere in the country, except where a situation of emergency has been declared, and duly approved by the National Assembly. What happened during the election in Osun State was farcical, disgraceful and plainly illegal. The APC must ask the courts to pronounce on the legality, or otherwise, of the use of the military by the Federal Government during the elections when a state of emergency has not been declared. The Federal Government must not be allowed to unleash a reign of terror in the country, particularly during elections. Even among senior military and security officials, there is a serious and growing concern regarding the deployment of armed soldiers in elections in our country as we saw during both the Ekiti and Osun states elections. These officers are concerned that the Army is being illegally used to determine the outcome of elections in Nigeria. This will inevitably lead to the military becoming more politicised and less professional. It is a road we have often taken in this country in the past with disastrous consequences. It destroys the professionalism and political neutrality of the military. There are enough security challenges for the military in our country without them being further dragged into the vortex of politics. Now that he has been deservedly returned to power, Governor Aregbesola will be well advised to review and reflect on some of his controversial policies and strategies which have created divisions in the state. I refer here, specifically, to his education policy to which Christian leaders have raised strong and determined opposition. He may have good intentions on this issue, but there are serious concerns that he may have unwittingly fuelled religious tensions in the state. Osun state is multi-religious with both the Muslims and Christians living together peacefully for over a century. The governor must keep things this way and not create among the electorate the impression that the government is in support of one side or the other of the religious divide. His electoral victory would probably have been more comprehensive had the religious factor not crept into the consideration of Christians in the state, most of whom probably voted for Omisore, despite his several shortcomings and lack of electoral appeal. In addition, the quality of governance in the state should be elevated. Governance is a serious business. It should not be handled in a cavalier style as is the case now. The governor must reach out to all sections of the civil society in the state, particularly the workers and teachers. No matter the support and attraction that a populist strategy may generate for the governor, sight should not be lost of the need to ensure that the state is not polarised economically, or religiously. • For comments, send SMS to 08054503031

•Hardball is not the opinion of the columnist featured above matter? Jacob Zuma of South Africa will not be found on that spot; neither would Moumar Gaddaffi of old. When did we lose our sense of magnitude and self worth? Are we no longer the biggest economy in Africa? It is the same manner that Nigeria was bypassed and snubbed during the burial of Nelson Mandela. Nigeria paid a heavy price to liberate South Africa from the apartheid regime, yet would not be allowed to take the podium at Mandela’s funeral. Who really is managing our foreign policy? What really is the rationale for our president attending some of these summits? The other time, it was France summoning African countries to Paris supposedly over Boko Haram and this time it was the US herding African leaders as if they were American serfs. Jonathan had no business attending this USAU summit in the first place; the vice president would have represented him well. But what did we see: our president hankering after photo opportunity with the US president. See the giant standing timidly in the back row.

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