August 19, 2015 by The Nation

Newspaper of the Year

•Tribunal rejects Ladoja’s request for forensic exam P8 •Police arrest 15 more suspects in Ilorin cult clashes P57 •Veteran comedian Baba Sala hospitalised at UCH P47 •Banker Kuru replaces Chike-Obi as AMCON boss P4 •Nigeria’s widest circulating newspaper

VOL. 10, NO. 3311 WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2015

NEWS

Page 7

•www.thenationonlineng.net

TR UTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM TRUTH

Buhari orders probe of $252m NITEL sale

N150.00

Oshiomhole, NLC urge Kukah, others not to obstruct loot recovery

From Augustine Ehikioya, Abuja

HE sale of the national telecommunications carrier – Nigeria Telecommunications Company (NITEL) last December by the Dr. Goodluck Jonathan administration for $252m is to be probed. The company was bought by NATCOM consortium. President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday ordered the investigation during a briefing by Permanent Secretary Dr. Tunji Olaopa and other officials of the Ministry of Communications at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. Olaopa told reporters after the meeting that although the President was not opposed to the sale of NITEL, he Continued on page 4

Boko Haram fear hits Ondo communities

•President Buhari

HE Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) earned N162 billion and spent N160 billion in one year, a governor alleged yesterday. Another revenue generating agency failed to remit a dime to the Federation Account from the taxes it collected, claiming that what it generated was not enough to fund its operations, Edo State Governor Adams Oshiom-

•‘NPA generated N162b, spent N160b’ From Tony Akowe, Abuja

hole said. He spoke at the eighth quadrennial delegates conference of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in Abuja. Also at the occasion, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC)

President Ayuba Wabba cautioned members of the National Peace Committee not to be an obstacle to the fight against corruption and recovery of stolen funds from former public officers. Oshiomhole, who is the Chairman of the committee set up by the National Economic Council (NEC) to inContinued on page 4

•INSIDE: WHY FED GOVT INTRODUCED SINGLE TREASURY ACCOUNT, BY AGF P53

PDP chief: Anyim tricked Jonathan to sign N1.2b deal I need support, says Oliseh

Ex-SGF: I’ve taken Ojougboh to court

UPER Eagles Head Coach Sunday Oliseh has said he requires support to deliver. In an interview, he said: “I look at it as difficult task, but I cannot succeed if we are antagonising ourselves and we will all lose ...

From Gbade Ogunwale, Abuja

ORMER Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Anyim Pius Anyim unilaterally acquired the multibillion-dollar Centenary City on the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Road, Abuja, a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief alleged yesterday. PDP’s National Vice Chairman (Southsouth zone) Dr. Cairo Ojougboh said he was ready to face the ex-SGF in court to prove his sole ownership of the controversial housing estate. At a media briefing in his Abuja home late Monday, Ojougboh, reacting to what he described as “the show of shame”, which he said Anyim sponsored against him on Monday, accused the former SGF of acts of desperation “to cling onto his loot and spoils of office without putting into consideration the millions of Nigerians he is depriving of the dividends of democracy”. Calling on President Muhammadu Buhari to probe transactions relating to the Centenary City, Ojougboh said Anyim persuaded former President Goodluck Jonathan to sign the Centenary City documents without the ex-president reading the contents or consulting his advisers. The Centenary City project is sitting on a land area covering over 1, 500 hectares, the size of three districts in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The PDP chieftain has petitioned President Buhari, stating the facts relating to the transaction and the role WILL THE played by Anyim in what CHIBOK he described as “a scam” GIRLS EVER RETURN? Continued on page 4

Sport Page 24

‘10.5m kids out of school’

C •Dr. Jonathan...allegedly signed •Anyim...accused of owning the multi- •Ojougboh... a true whistle blower documents without reading them. billion-naira Centenary City. at work?

SOME OF THE POSERS • Does the FCT law allow for a free zone? Is it in the Abuja master plan? •How did Anyim obtain the N1.2 billion resettlement fees? •In whose custody is the Certificate of Occupancy of the city?

OUNTRY Director, United Nations International Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Jean Gough, has said that no fewer than 10.5 million Nigerian children are out of school. Gough spoke yesterday in Bauchi while exchanging views with Governor Mohammed Abubakar of Bauchi State at the Government House. News Page 58

•LIFE P13 •SPORTS P23 •MONEY P26 •INVESTORS P28 •POLITICS P45 •FOREIGN P59

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2015

NEWS

Oil states burn billions as global axis of power shifts •President Muhammadu Buhari (middle); Director General/Chief Executive Officer (CEO); National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Mr Peter Jack, Executive Vice Chairman/CEO, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof Umar Danbatta; Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Communication Technology, Dr Tunji Olaopa and Director, Policy, Research & Statistics, Mrs. Nima Salman Manni after the ministry’s briefing session with the President at the State House in Abuja...yesterday

With Brent crude at $50 a barrel, energy giants are fighting to keep their place at top table, writes The Times of London ROBIN PAGNAMENTA AUDI Arabia is burning (OPEC) cartel, Saudi Arabia has

•Lagos State Governor Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode (second left) discussing with the Southwest Regional Coordinator, Department for International Development (DFID), Head of Lagos Office, Mr. Sina Fagbenro-Byron (right) during a courtesy visit to the governor by the DFID at the Lagos House, Ikeja...yesterday. With them are: the Head, DFID Nigeria, Mr. Ben Mellor (second right) and State Programme Manager, DFID-SPARC, Mr. Ifeanyi Peters Ugwuoke (left). PHOTO: OMOSEHIN MOSES

• From left: Managing Director, The CANDEL Company Limited, Mr. Emmanuel Kattie; Head, Chemicals Control & Management Centre, Environmental Protection Agency (Ghana), Dr. Sam Adu-Kumi; Chairman, The CANDEL Company Limited, Mr. Charles Anudu and Deputy Executive Director (Field Operations), Environmental Protection Agency (Ghana),Mr. John Pwamang when the factory visited The CANDEL Agrochemical Plant at Lekki Free Trade Zone (LFTZ)...yesterday.

•Osun StateHouse of Assembly Speaker Najeem Salaam (second right); Comptroller, Prison Service, Osun State, Mr Tajudeen Olalekan Kehinde (second left); his deputy, Mr Charles Esan (left) and the Assistant Comptroller, Mr. Suhaib Ayodeji during a familiarisation visit to the Speaker in his office...yesterday.

through its foreign reserves at an unprecedented rate as it struggle to cope with plummeting oil prices and the soaring coasts. The price of oil sank to below $50 a barrel last week, the lowest in six years, draining Gulf states of their spending power – but hitting Russia and other producers harder still. Venezuela and Nigeria face bankruptcy and there are fears that the collapse in the oil price could trigger a seismic shift in the global balance of power. Saudi Arabia took $2 billion a week out of its foreign reserves between the end of September 2014 and June 2015, with King Salman, who came to power in January unleashing an intensive military onslaught against Iranian – backed Houthi rebels in Yemen and funneling arms to opponents of President Assad in Syria, Saudi Arabia’s monetary agency put its foreign reserves at $672 billion at the end of June, down from $746 billion in September 2014. “It’s coming down fast,” David Butter, an energy expert at the Chatham House think tank, said. Evidence of that, he said, was Saudi Arabia’s decision to borrow $5 billion in the sovereign bond market last week, the first time in eight years it has had to do that. The world’s top oil exporter and the de facto leader of the 12-nation Organisation of Oil Exporting Countries

RUSSIA Sustained global oil prices of $50 a barrel could plunge Russia into years of recession and •Vladimir Putin threaten President Vladmir Putin’s grip on power. For most of his 15 year rule, oil dollars allowed the Mr. Putin to increase living standards, while, in exchange, society turned a blind eye to the ex-KGB officer’s brutal clampdown on dissent. This unspoken agreement between Mr. Putin and Russian people was known as “sausages for freedom”. Low oil prices mean Mr. Putin is struggling to keep his end of the bargain. This month, Russia’s economy entered a recession for only the second time since 2000. There are now 23 million Russians living below the poverty line. Russia has already been forced to dip into its huge Sovereign Wealth Fund, saved during the years of high oil prices. Anton Siluanov, the Finance Minister, has warned that if the budget deficit does not reduce, the entire fund could soon be used up.

shown in the past that it is prepared to use oil money to quell social unrest. It was able to nip Arab Spring protest in the bud by paying off demonstrators and spending $130 billion to raise salaries and boost social spending. Many observers believe that Saudi Arabia has brought the oil crisis on itself by refusing to curb production to drown out competition from fracking by the United States (U.S.) As a result, the price has fallen from $50 now, and the effect is reverberating around the world – from the slums of Caracas to the battlefields of Syria and Iraq from the Russian Arctic to the Pearl River Delta in China. On the plus side, a lower oil price has boosted the world economy by diverting consumer spending away from energy costs. “The world’s consumers will be much better off, especially the poor, who spend a higher proportion of their income on energy,” said Lief Wenar, at King’s College London, the author of Blood Oil. “Big importers such as India, China, Japan and many developing countries will be winners. It should help growth and cut the cost of basic goods”. In Venezuela which has a world’s biggest oil reserves the opposite applies. The country is spiraling into hyperinflation and crime is rising amid rising fears of a possible debt

As living standards decline, the Kremlin has struck an increasingly aggressive anti – western attitude. Critics say that Mr. Putin may soon launch another military campaign to distract Russians from their country’s growing economic problems. IRAN Iran has been hit hard by the drop in oil prices, compounding the impact of international sanctions that have pushed its •Ayatollah Alli economy to the Khamenei brink of collapse. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) reported that Tehran needs the oil price to rise to the unlikely level of $131 per barrel this year and next to cover government spending. The nuclear deal struck between Iran and world powers last month has raised hope of an economic

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2015

NEWS

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Other OPEC members such as Angola and Nigeria face deepening economic hardship fueling insurgences from groups such as Boko Haram. Saudi Arabia, where two thirds of the population is aged under 30, might face social upheaval in the near future, especially if an economic slump brings fewer jobs and opportunities for the young – and civil unrest would quickly fuel Islamist militancy

default - all of which could bring an end to the presidency of Nicolas Maduro as early as December, when parliamentary elections are due to be held. In Russia, where oil and gas account for 75 per cent of exports and more than half of budget revenues a plunging economy and a struggling current are threatening living standards - giving nourishment to nationalists and others eager to whip up an anti-western war in Ukraine. For every dollar the oil price falls, Russia loses $2 billion, according to Professor Wenar. “If prices stay low, I expect more anti-western rhetoric and a ramping up of the war, to distract public attention and heap blame on the West,” he said. Russia’s economy shrank 4.6 per cent in the second quarter, its worst performance

since 2009. The smaller Middle Eastern and African oil exporters that lack Saudi Arabia’s deep pockets are suffering worst. Algeria, which relies on oil and gas for 97 per cent of export revenues, is already battling an Islamist insurgency and could find itself overwhelmed, like neigbourhing Libya, if its fragile economy crumbles. Gulf states, such as Bahrain and Oman, which rely heavily on Saudi cash and patronage, fear a revival of civil unrest of religious strife if the oil crisis drags on. “Both countries look like last time they may not be able to count on Saudi support”, Professor Wenar said. Iran, too, is feeling the pressure – one of the reasons why it was willing to strike a deal over its nuclear programme. “Iran was partly driven to

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the negotiating table by lower oil prices,” a Mumbar think thank said. Iran government is struggling to pay for its fight against Islamic States (ISIS), which controls the leading city of Mosul and swathes of territory in the north of the country – but it will take comfort from the fact that the jihadists, too, will be feeling the squeeze as most of their income is from stolen Brent crude. Other OPEC members such as Angola and Nigeria face deepening economic hardship fueling insurgences from groups such as Boko Haram. Saudi Arabia, where two thirds of the population is aged under 30, might face social upheaval in the near future, especially if an economic slump brings fewer jobs and opportunities for the young – and civil unrest would quickly fuel Islamist militancy.

Good times end in America’s fracking boom town

OUR years ago, The Times reported from Crystal City, a dusty hamlet in Texas that sits on the Eagle Ford Shale, an oilfield that stretches for 250 miles. The oil price was hovering around $100 a barrel and the region was in the grip of a fracking boom. Blue-collar jobs were paying six figures and a wave of economic migrants had flooded in from other states. The men far outnumbered the women and the party culture had grown every bit as grubby as the oil jobs those men had come to do. “There’s gambling, whorehouses, shoot-outs.” One labourer, who had travelled from Kansas, said. It felt like a new Wild West, but with oil now at $50 the boom is careering towards bust. In 2012, there were more than 250 rigs working in the Eagle Ford region. Today only about half that number remain. Companies have slashed spending and at the Double C Resort, which had provided housing to oil workers in Crystal City, occupancy has tumbled from full to about 10 per cent. “In 2014 the lay-offs started and they’re continuing today.” Jeff Myers, the owner said. “I can tell you now, there’s not going to be any winners in this, just survivors.” He is hoping for a relaxation of America’s longstanding ban on oil exports. In recent years America’s position in the global energy market has shifted profoundly. The U.S. is still the world’s largest net importer of oil, but advances in fracking - a process in which water, sand and chemicals are •President Obama blasted underground to create or enlarge cracks in rock formations to access petrochemicals – have helped the U.S to wear itself off foreign supplies. Last year, about 27 per cent of the petroleum consumed by the U.S. was imported from overseas, the lowerst level since 1985. People have started talking about “Saudi America” Lower prices will have a mixed impact. The average American family is expected to save $700 this year compared with last year. However, lower oil prices will also lengthen the time it takes America to cease becoming a net importer of energy, a status it last held in the 1960s. In April, the U.S. Energy Information Administration predicted that if oil prices were high, the U.S. could stop being a net energy importer in as little as four years. At current prices, some time after 2030 is more likely. If prices do not rise, oil-producing regions will suffer. This time last year there were 1,913 rigs working across the U.S. Now there are 884. The president of Halliburton, the oil services business has spoken about the end of the “boomtown mentality”. Shares in Civeo Corp, a company that runs “man camps” townships built to house oil workers - has plummeted since last September. In North Dakota, which was the center of the U.S. fracking boom, unemployment is rising again for the first time in years. In January, The Dallas Morning News sounded the alarm. In only five years, Texas’ oil industry had trippled its productions, driving hundreds of billions of dollars into the economy and creating tens of thousands of jobs. Lower prices meant that the go-go years were over. The oil boom was “heading for bust in a hurry”. The paper said.

Suffering from a glut of black gold resurgence. If the deal is ratified, sanctions will be lifted, and Tehran plans to double production to 5.7 million barrels a day. To do so will require huge investment in the country’s creaking oil infrastructure: an estimated $185 billion to clean old wells and tap new sites. The removal of sanctions would also help the country’s industrial and manufacturing sectors. This broad economic base means that Iran is better equipped than many of its neighbours in the Gulf to cope with a permanent readjustment in the oil price. JAPAN In the early 1970s, a sudden quadrupling of the price of oil cause panic in Japan, a country wholly dependent on imported energy. Three years ago, the disaster at the Fukushima •Shinzo Aba

Daiichi nuclear power plant led to the suspension of all Japan’s nuclear reactors, formerly the source of 30 per cent of the country’s electricity. The shortfall was covered by thermal power plants burning oil, and a massive increase in oil imports. Every drop in the value of Brent crude cuts Japan’s fuel bill. Low oil prices have created big savings in the energy bills of other big importer countries in Asia, including China and South Korea. NIGERIA Africa’s economic powerhouse is also the continent’s largest oil producer. So, when prices started to slide last year, so, did the forecasts for •President Buhari growth in 2015, down from more than seven per cent in October to less than five by early 2015. Nigeria produces around 1.8 million barrels a day and its oil is

prized for its low sulphur content. However, most of America’s extra production is also low sulphur. The problems of falling oil prices are most acute for the government which relies on petroleum products for 75 per cent of its revenue. The ratings agencies predict a budget deficit as President Muhammadu Buhari struggles to fund his battle against Boko Haram insurgents in the country’s northeast. VENEZUELA Few countries have been hit so hard by the crash in oil prices as Venezuela. The socialist state receives more than 95 per cent of its foreign •Nicolas Maduro earnings from oil exports, which fund massive social welfare schemes, bolstering support for the left-wing government led by Nicolas Maduro.

The country is heavily reliant on imports, so as the flow of oil money dries up, shortages have grown, leading to predictions of civil unrest. Some analysts believe the Socialists may lose power in December, bringing to an end the late Hugo Chavez’s 16-year Bolivarian revolution. Venezuela has also been hard hit by the simultaneous slump in the price of gold. The estimated loss an additional one billion dollars hits the country at a bad time: it must repay $15 billion in bond repayments over the next 18 months. Norway The slump in oil prices may hit the Norwegian economy harder than the 2008 financial meltdown. With unemployment •Erna Solberge rising towards five per cent, the conservative government may be forced to spend more of the 560

billion pounds Sovereign Wealth Fund, itself built from oil revenues. This fund, which is the largest in the world, has stakes in almost 10,000 companies, amounting to a 1.3 per cent ownership of all groups listed on the global stock markets. Petroleum companies have already announced cuts that will cost more than 20,000 Norwegian jobs. Under current rules, the government is allowed to withdraw five per cent of the oil fund’s value every year. If it withdraws more to maintain state spending at present levels, the impact could be felt in stock markets around the world. Erna Solberg, the Prime Minister, insisted last week that “Norway is not in a crisis,” but she acknowledged that more jobs could be lost than during the 2008 recession. Her government is expected to reverse its target for two per cent Gross Domestic Prodeuct (GDP) growth this year. •Culled from The Time’s of London

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2015

NEWS Buhari to probe $252m NITEL sale Continued from page 1

•Vice President Yemi Osinbajo signing to witness the South Sudan Peace pact in Addis Ababa... on Monday

Oshiomhole, NLC urge Kukah, others not to obstruct loot recovery Continued from page 1

vestigate revenue generating agencies, also hit at members of the National Peace Committee and other Nigerians for asking President Muhammadu Buhari not to investigate former President Goodluck Jonathan because he conceded defeat and handed over power. He said: “Last week, somebody told us and this was an official report, that in one federal agency, the Nigeria Port Authority, admitted to collecting N162 billion in one year and spent N160 billion, remitting only N2 billion to the Federation Account. “Is that Justice? Can you have peace in the face of this kind of abuse? We listened to some others and they have huge number as to what they earned, but how much of this did you remit? “In Europe and other places, government is run on taxes, but when the tax collector consumes what he collects, will there be peace? Some of those who want to maintain the peace must ensure that peace is a product of justice. The real victims when power

is abused are the ordinary people. “This is the time for the NLC to initiate policies and suggestions to the Federal government on how to ensure that government policies are job-based and job-driven, that Nigeria’s economic growth is job-led growth and not jobless growth”. He told the delegates and guests including President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, (NUJ) Waheed Odusile that: “Buhari is resolved that by whatever guise anybody will come, he is going to fight on the popular mandate that Nigeria conferred on him. Organised labour must be clear. “We must not amplify the fact that the other man handed over and has saved the nation from crisis. Yes, he did, but are we actually saying that the power to vacate does not rest on the Nigeria voters and that if the man said he was not going to go, he had a choice to stay. That was not a choice. The choice he had was between leaving the way he left or ending up like former Ivoirien President Laurent Gbabo in the Hague.

“The world has changed that no dictator today can claim to be too powerful and hold his nation to ransom. When you overpower your nation, you cannot over power the international community. “So, those who want Nigerians to go on their knees thanking President Jonathan for conceding defeat are over dramatising it because he is not the founder of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He is a beneficiary. “He is not a traditional ruler and did not become a king by reason of his birth. If those who were military government who took power by force of arms were forced to vacate, how can we talk of a man who was a product of our laws. “I want to appeal to those who are exaggerating this point, that we went through an election and the man who lost conceded defeat, We refuse to shut up. If they ask you to shut up, you should refuse to shut up. “When workers were sacked because they turned the searchlight on you, saying the problem isn’t the civ-

il service, you now know that the dollars picketed by one person is far much more than the total wage bill of all the workers working for the Federal, government and the 36 states of the federation. So, labour cannot afford to be silent. “All of a sudden, I hear people talking about witch hunting. Where I come from, when a witch is alleged to have killed somebody, in a typical rural Nigeria, the villagers go after the witch. “So, what is wrong in going after the witch if it has actually caused a problem for the community? So, witches are meant to be hunted and not to be celebrated. So, people should stop trying to confuse the President and make it look as if he is the problem when he is just trying to lay a foundation. “We should advise members of the National Peace Committee to include justice because peace is a product of justice. So, for us to have peace there must be justice otherwise, we are going to have grave yard peace and there can be no justice if one Continued on page 58

wanted to ensure that the country was not shortchanged. According to Olaopa, that was why Buhari directed that detail of the transaction should be forwarded to his office in a memo. He said: “The President is concerned by the quality of service of telecom operators. The President is very concerned about the whole issue of privatisation that is hindering the investments in ICT infrastructure and that he will personally champion this. “The President talked about the potentials of the ICT sector in generating employment. “The President is concerned about the liquidation of NITEL. He is not opposed to its privatisation but he wants to know and he wants us to bring a memo on how the whole transaction was undertaken so that he would know whether Nigeria was shortchanged or not.” He added that President Buhari also directed the ministry to bring forward for his

consideration and approval, all pending proposals for the development of the IT sector, which require the approval of the Federal Executive Council. A statement by the President’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, quoted the president as saying: “Where you don’t need EXCO approval and you are not in breach of the law and will not lose money, you can go ahead. “Now that oil costs less and we are contending with its theft, we have to move to areas where we can realise revenue quickly.” The President welcomed the plan by the ministry to use post-offices across the country for IT and financial transactions, especially in the rural communities, saying that he was happy to hear that “we are recovering the post offices from rats and rodents”. “He also asked for a comprehensive report on the sale of the Nigerian Telecommunications Company (NITEL), Continued on page 58

Banker Kuru replaces Chike-Obi as AMCON boss

RESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari yesterday dissolved the management team of the Assets Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) led by Mustafa Chike-Obi. A statement by Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President Mr. Femi Adesina, announced a new management team for the corporation. The new team is led by Ahmed Lawan Kuru - Managing Director, Kola Ayeye - Executive Director, Eberechukwu Uneze - Executive Director, and Aminu Ismail - Executive Director. Apart from Chike-Obi, other members of the sacked team are: Mofoluke Benedicta Dosunmu, Heweth Adegboyega Benson and Abbass Moham-

From Augustine Ehikioya, Abuja

med Jega Prior to his appointment, Mr. Kuru was the Group Managing Director of Enterprise Bank Limited. He started his banking career with the old Habib Bank in 1985 and rose Continued on page 58

•Kuru

PDP chief: Anyim tricked Jonathan to sign N1.2b deal Continued from page 1

perpetrated by a United Arab Emirates company, allegedly operating as a front for Anyim. Ojougboh said: “Yes, the former president signed the papers as presented to him by the former SGF. He was not properly briefed because of vested interests. “I can defend him; he was not part of the fraud. If Jonathan had been properly briefed, he would not have approved the project, let alone going to perform the ground breaking. “The former President thought that the Centenary

City was for the good of all Nigerians because of the centenary spirit. Unknown to him, it was the private project of the former SGF and his cohorts. “I am calling on President Buhari now to revisit the centenary city project and he will be shocked that the project is owned by a private individual, but procured with government funds”. According to Ojougboh, the original landlords demanded compensation from the Federal Government, “but the sponsors of the project used a private firm to pay them N1.2 billion. He asked: Where did

they source that money from?” He continued: “How can an individual still serving in the government get such a huge sum to pay compensation without government knowledge?”. Ojougboh alleged that the money was paid into a private company’s account. He said: “President Muhammadu Buhari should direct the Department of State Services (DSS), the police, the Directorate of Military Intelligence as well as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to look into the matter. “The President must insist that each of these security agencies should carryout independent investigations so that the depth of the matter would be reached. I am available to offer the much I know from my independent quests on the matter”. Ojougboh, a medical doctor, insisted that the project was a scheme used to defraud the Federal Government in taxes, stressing that the Free Zone status given to the multi-district estate was a fraud.

Ojougboh also quoted Anyim as saying that the project was worth $4 billion, adding that the process violated the rules guiding the granting of free trade zone status by the Nigerian Export Processing Zonal Authority (NEPZA). The PDP chieftain, who was chairman of the board of NEPZA during the project’s conception, said the board did not approve a free trade zone status for it. “I can categorically attest to the fact emphatically and unequivocally, that the board did not approve the grant of the status of free trade zone to centenary city. “Centenary city cannot be a free zone because it is purely a residential estate within the confinement of the Federal Capital Territory and it is implicit that those who live in the free trade zone will require reentry visa for ingress and egress. “I make bold to say that the Federal Government has no equity in the Centenary City project and that Senator Anyim Pius Anyim is the sole owner of the 3000 acres of

land owned by the Centenary City, Abuja. “This is against the tenets and spirit of the Public Service rules for a public servant to own such a business whilst in government,” Ojougboh said. The party chieftain stated that his attention was first drawn to the scam by the Anti-Corruption Network, and that he had voiced his opposition to the anomaly. “It was meant to give import duty to the owners through the back door. The consequence was to rob Nigerian masses of their land, revenue and retard the industrial growth of the nation. “Therefore, for every one job the project creates today, it robs the nation of over 10 jobs in taxes and industrial development”. Ojougboh stated. Ojougboh raised some questions for Anyim: • Does the law establishing the FCT allow for a free zone? Is it in the Abuja mater plan? •How did Pius Anyim obtain the N1.2 billion resettlement fees? •In whose custody is the Certificate of Occupancy (CofO) of the Centenary City?

Anyim’s media aide, Mr. Sam Nwaobosi, declined comments because, according to him, the matter is in court. In a telephone conversation with reporters in Abuja yesterday, Nwaobosi said Anyim would not take up issues with Ojougboh. Said he: “Senator Anyim has gone to court to sue him for defamation on the previous press conference and interviews that he granted in which he accused Anyim of almost all these things you said he is saying now. “So, the matter is already in court and Senator Anyim does not wish to take up issues with him on matters that are already in court. “Since he feels aggrieved by what Cairo (Ojougboh) has been saying and writing against him, he is pursuing a very civilised cause by going to court to plead his case. “So whatever Ojougboh is saying, he will have an opportunity in court to explain and then plead his case.”

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2015

NEWS

Court awards N12m against EFCC for illegal arrest of firm’s manager

HE Federal High Court in Lagos yesterday awarded N12 million against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for the illegal arrest and detention of the Administrative Manager of Rana Prestige Nigeria Industries Limited, Mr Adewale Adeniyi. Adeniyi had sought N30 million as general, exemplary and aggravated damages for the violation of his rights, as well as N10 million as cost of the suit. His arrest followed a petition to EFCC by Mrs Rachadatou Abdou, who coowns the company. Ruling on his fundamental rights enforcement application yesterday, Justice Mohammed Idris held that the commission violated the applicant’s rights.

By Joseph Jibueze

“There is no evidence that there was a preliminary investigation into allegations against him before the arrest,” the judge said. Besides, he said Adeniyi was arrested without a warrant, which makes it illegal. “No order of court authorising the arrest was exhibited before the court. The respondents acted irrationally without following due process,” the judge held. Justice Yusuna said before arresting and detaining anyone, there must be preliminary investigation into the allegations against them. He said the applicant was not charged to court prior to his detention. Justice Yunusa said security agencies must exercise restraint at all times and must not be “intoxicated” by the

enormous powers they possess. He held that the applicant deserved to be paid damages because of the trauma he was subjected to in detention. The judge awarded N10 million against EFCC, which must also pay N2 million, and N5 million against Mrs Abdou. During the hearing, Mrs Abdou’s lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) said Adeniyi’s claim that Mrs Abdou instigated his arrest was not backed by any evidence. “The applicant has not attached any documents in support of his application,” he said. Besides, he said his client’s petition to EFCC alleging massive fraud, forgery and diversion of funds did not

name Adeniyi in it. EFCC’s counsel Iyabo Daramola said the commission was only carrying out its constitutional duties. “The action of the first respondent was statutorily conducted and we urge the court to so hold,” she said. In her counter-affidavit, Mrs Abdou said she and the company’s Director Mr Gnanhoue Nazaire, jointly established Rana Prestige and were the only directors. She said she was fraudulently cut off as a director as money was withdrawn from the company’s accounts without her consent although she was a signatory to them. “It was in the cause of this fraudulent act perpetrated against me that I wrote a petition against Mr Nazaire to the EFCC through my law-

yer,” she said. According to her, she allowed the commission to carry out its investigation and never intervened in any way nor instigated EFCC to perform its duties. Justice Yunusa will, on August 20 and 24, rule on pending fundamental rights’ applications by Rana Prestige, Hair Prestige Manufacturing Nigeria Limited, Prestige Hair Fashion Nigeria Limited, Nazaire (trading under Rana Seasoning Ventures) and its General Manager Modest Senou against the EFCC, Mrs Alice Bulus and Mrs Abdou. Hair Prestige, Prestige Hair Fashion, Nazaire and Senou sought N180 million as damages for the violation of their rights, while Rana Prestige and Nazaire asked for N100 million damages and N10 million as cost. Among others, they prayed for an order that the company should be opened and the embargo on the company’s accounts lifted.

Borno deputy governor: Tinubu, Akande commiserate with Shettima

From Tayo Johnson, Ibadan

HE lawmaker representing Ibadan North Abiodun Dada Awoleye has said there is now peace in the House of Representatives Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting at the High Court, Iyaganku, Ibadan. Awoleye spoke with reporters on Monday. He said: “It is a normal thing to experience such misunderstanding while contesting for a leadership position but now we have settled everything and are experiencing peace and tranquility. I want to assure Nigerians that we will perform above expectation in the Eighth Assembly” He said President Muhammadu Buhari ’’has started his anti-corruption crusade in all sectors of the economy and with time we shall have a positive result. President Buhari has come to serve the masses and not to enrich himself and we will give him our support to achieve his aim,“ the lawmaker said.

‘RCCG committed to Boko Haram victims’

LL Progressives Congress (APC) National Leader Asiwaju Bola Tinubu has commiserated with Borno State Governor Kasim Shettima on the death of his deputy, Zana Mustapha. Tinubu described the late politician as a committed party chieftain and a man of humility, adding that his loyalty to the party and his boss was total. The APC‘s national leader, who condoled with Borno State on behalf of Lagosians and the Southwest, urged the governor to take heart and embrace the reality with calmness. He prayed for the repose of Mustapha’s soul, saying God would give the governor the fortitude to bear the loss. Tinubu was accompanied on the visit to Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, by the former APC Interim National Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande and Southwest APC leader Chief Pius Akinyelure.

‘Peace has returned to House’

By Adeola Ogunlade

•From right: Shettima, Tinubu and Akande By Emmanuel Oladesu

Shettima thanked the party leaders for their support and solidarity at this trying period. Describing his deputy’s death as shocking, the governor said filling the vacuum created by his demise would be difficult.

Shettima praised Tinubu for his contributions to the cause of power shift and change, adding that when the history of this political dispensation is written, his name would be written in gold. He said Tinubu’s contributions should be documented for future generation to learn

from his sacrifices for the nation. The governor described the APC national leader as the symbol of a thriving tendency in the Southwest, urging him to keep the flag of national unity flying. Shettima said: “There are three tendencies in the Southwest political arena.

‘’The first are the Awoists. The second is Obasanjo/ Afenifere, with a reluctance to embrace the North. The third are the ‘Tinubuists’, who should be credited for embracing the North by building a bridge across the Niger. ‘’This is a true nationalist spirit towards building a new Nigeria.”

HE General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, has said the church will not stop helping victims of insurgency. Pastor Adeboye spoke at the Special Monthly Prayer and Thanksgiving Service, organised by the RCCG, National Headquarters, Throne of Grace, EbuteMeta, Lagos. Pastor Adeboye, who was represented by the Special Assistant to the General Overseer in the United Kingdom, Pastor Agu Irukwu, said: “We are concerned and are privileged to mention the issues of the persecuted church with top government officers in the UK and they have promised to do more until the concerns of the church are addressed.”

Institute advocates transparency

HE Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Nigeria (ICSAN) has advocated transparency in corporate governance. ICSAN Chairman Bode Ayeku spoke yesterday when he led a delegation to Vintage Press Limited, publishers of The Nation. He said keeping public and private records open would curb fraud. Ayeku said the visit was to intimate the media of its annual conference and awards in September, with the theme: Disclosure and Transparency: A Paradigm Shift in Corporate Nigeria. He said: “We had failures of big organisations in the past because things were not properly done. In view of the move by the regulatory authorities to correct some past wrongs, we have partnered with them. “For instance, we had some banks, which disappeared

By Musa Odoshimokhe

with peoples’ money and send them to their early graves. We support the new initiative to have a new code of corporate governance. It is for this reason that we are having the annual conference. “Basically, the emphasis is on companies, and you have people, who are directors, expected to manage the companies, expected to manage the companies on your behalf, if you are not there, the only way you can have an idea of what is happening is through disclosure. That is why it is necessary there must be a full disclosure of information.” He said to be transparent was to put everything on the table to clear areas of doubt. “That aligns with the current development of the financial reporting council and in respect of the new national code.” Ayeku maintained that corporate management must be fluid

•From left: Ayeku, Mrs Nkechi Onyenso, the Acting Registrar (ICSAN) and Femi Adebule (member ICSAN) ... yesterday PHOTO: RAHMAN SANUSI

to enable fresh people inject new ideas into organisations. “This will ensure that we plug all loopholes. This will ensure things are done transparently in the interest of stakeholders and the economy.

“Under this new code, the corporate governance that is being worked on, for the first time we are having duality of audit committees, performing almost the same duties. It is meant to look at the pros

and cons. ‘’Though there is the need to avoid duplication, the coming conference will look at the whole gamut and take a decision in the interest of the country.”

He added that it was important for an independent body to have a critical look at performances by corporate organisations, to determine if they were doing what was expected.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2015

NEWS

Defectors can’t stop my re-election, says Dickson

AYELSA State Governor Seriake Dickson has said his re-election is guaranteed. The governor spoke with reporters in Lagos on the gale of defections in Bayelsa State, the preparations for the governorship poll and the failure of the PDP to retain power at the centre in the last general election. He also gave reasons why former President Goodluck Jonathan lost his second term bid. The governor attributed Dr. Jonathan’s defeat to many factors, including power fatigue, controversy over the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) rotation principle, zoning, religion, ethnicity, betrayal and mismanagement of the presidential campaign by party officials. Dickson added that he would earn a second term because he lived up to expectation in his first term. He chided Peoples Dem-

By Emmanuel Oladesu Group Political Editor

ocratic Party (PDP) chieftains, who have defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC), saying they are after federal appointments. Dickson, who acknowledged that there were hurdles to cross before securing a second term, said he would triumph over the challenges as he did in the past when the forces against his first term ambition polarised the party. He said former President Goodluck Jonathan had reiterated his determination to back him for a second term, adding that there was no bone of contention between him and his wife, former Dame Patience Jonathan. Dickson described the PDP as the party to beat in Bayelsa, adding that the “governorship election is not a big deal,” compared to the House of Assembly poll.

‘

The reason they are positioning themselves for the federal appointments is because APC is at the centre now. I am not in a position to do it

‘

The governor, who said he enjoyed cordial relations with the former President and his wife, enjoined Nigerians to await his memoirs where real details of battle he fought when he was running for governorship in 2012 would be clearly stated. He said: “What I know about the former President

is that the he remains my elder brother and my leader, and we are working closely. If there is anyone who believes and who is supportive and understood the imperatives, the reasons why I should be re- elected is former President Jonathan. “He believes I have done well and I am doing well for our state and our people.” Dickson said the former President was aware that he was his No. 1 supporter from beginning to the end when he was in power, adding that all that was being said about the sour relation between him and the former President was speculations and rumours he would not like to react to. “The former President knows that I was his No.1 supporter from beginning to the end, I don’t want to comment on speculations and rumours,” he said. On defections from the PDP, Dickson, while describ-

ing them as blackmail, propaganda, betrayal and ingratitude, said the concern was that those involved were ones who benefited from his government and the party. According to him, many of them are handling huge contracts, which he said they didn’t beg to get but were sought for to be given those contracts. “They didn’t come begging for those jobs, we sought for them. Alaibe has his nominees in government even as we speak, all of them,” he said, adding that such act would, however, not dissuade him from doing good as it only showed the capacity of people for evil. Dickson said the reason the defectors were rushing to the opposition, contrary to the excuses that they were not paid for contracts executed, was to position themselves for federal appointments.

From Onyedi Ojiabor, Assistant Editor

Ayade (right) directing the Acting Head of Service Ekpenyong Henshaw to sanction the erring permanent secretaries and directors ..yesterday.

Ayade said the state was at a critical stage where everyone was needed to actualise the economic agenda of his administration. He said if government could honour its obligation to pay civil servants when due, they should reciprocate by coming to work early. “I am not happy with what I

am seeing because it is against civil service orientation and I will not accept it because they are expected to be in office between 8am and 4pm,” he said. Ayade noted that as directors, they were expected to be exemplary as they were those to take over from permanent secretaries that were retired

recently, adding that from what he saw, it seemed they were not prepared for the task ahead. He berated the director of Administration at the Ministry of Health, following the lack of documentation on movement of workers as shown in the timebook and movement register.

He directed the director of Administration to ensure that the proper things were done. At the Civil Service Commission, an angry Ayade said: “This place is worse than others and they should be taught a lesson and the permanent secretary replaced for failure to show good leadership.”

Movement seeks support for Buhari in war against corruption

HE initiator of Movement for Nigeria’s Total Transformation (MNTT), Chief Areoye Oyebola, has urged the middle class, professional bodies and human rights groups to help President Muhammadu Buhari win the war against corruption. The Ibadan-based social crusader and veteran journalist enjoined the President to remain focused and resolute in the crusade for the elimi-

From Oseheye Okwuofu, Ibadan

nation of corruption, terrorism and other social vices in the country . Oyebola , in a statement in Ibadan, yesterday called on Buhari to intensify and accelerate necessary measures to eliminate both external money laundering and domestic corruption which, according to him, had drained huge resources meant for national development.

While praising the President for setting up the Anticorruption Committee, made up of men of proven integrity, he called on the committee to collaborate with other respected and relevant international organisations to produce efficient and effective recommendations . The movement advised that in this battle against corruption and other social vices, there must be no sacred cows and scapegoats.

“ Hence, this is not the time to allow people of doubtful character and integrity to relate with the President, as they are likely to have a hidden agenda . ‘’This is also not the time to seek a human-face approach in tackling shameless graft that has inflicted endemic poverty and monumental suffering on Nigerians. “Strangely enough, the conservative and lethargy middle class have remained

unconcerned with the recent and most ridiculous uproar in the National Assembly where members were protesting against reduction in their emoluments, which is more than four times that of President Barack Obama. ‘’We, however, salute the courage of a few National Assembly members, who have shown they will fight for the reduction of their outrageous salaries and allowances.’’

I left office very fulfilled, says ex-Customs chief Dikko

HE former Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS ), Abdullahi Inde-Dikko, yesterday gave himself a pass mark. Speaking at the inauguration of the NCS state-of-the-

He said Bayelsa had never been in the opposition until now, insisting he had been good to all that defected through quality leadership. “The reason they are positioning themselves for federal appointments is because APC is at the centre now. I am not in a position to do it. He, however, said that despite what had taken place, Bayelsans had been endorsing his second term bid, even in places where he had not visited, including Alaibe’s home.

Ex-NEITI boss: lawmakers must be involved in stopping graft

Ayade sanctions absentee perm secs, directors ROSS River State governor Ben Ayade yesterday ordered disciplinary action against permanent secretaries and directors, who were absent when he visited some ministries. The governor, who was accompanied by his deputy, Prof Ivara Esu, Secretary to the State Government , Mrs. Tina Agbor, and Acting Head of Service, Mr. Ekpenyong Henshaw, arrived the Ministry of Agriculture headquarters at 12.40 pm. He was shocked to discover that most senior officers were not in their offices. Upset at the development, he directed that disciplinary actions be taken against the erring officials. Expressing disappointment at what he described as an intolerable behavior of the senior civil servants, Governor

•Dickson

From John Ofikhenua, Abuja

art hospital at the Customs Barracks, Karu, Abuja, he said he felt fulfilled building the hospital. Asked about his experience as the Customs boss, he

said: “The experience has been successful and I am fulfilled. I want to be remembered as an ordinary Nigerian, who served his nation diligently.” Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai, who inaugu-

rated the hospital, said he was surprised by the size of the hospital, and hailed Dikko for the project. His words: “The best way to put this edifice in use is to affiliate it with a university and make it a teaching hos-

pital. It is perhaps the most well-equipped hospital I have seen in Nigeria and equipped as any I have seen around the world. “The Nigeria Customs Service should be commended for this effort.”

ORMER Chairman of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) Professor Assisi Asobie, yesterday said the National Assembly must key into President Muhammadu Buhari’s anti-corruption war. Asobie, also a former President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) said President Buhari should fashion out a strategic plan in the anti-graft fight instead of the ad-hoc means of fighting corruption. The former NEITI boss spoke at the public presentation of two books by Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa as part of activities to mark the 65th birthday of the frontline pharmacist. Asobie said the National Assembly should stop treating the fight against corruption with levity. He noted that it was obvious the National Assembly was not doing enough to give teeth to the fight against graft. The National Assembly, he said, was the best institution adequately equipped to fight graft because it regularly receives reports of the Auditor - General of the Federation and the Code of Conduct Bureau. He faulted the use of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission, (ICPC) to fight corruption. The ex-ASUU chief noted that the use of the EFCC and ICPC to battle corruption might not lead to any appreciable results. He also said the anti-graft war must not be politicised in order not to create unintended impressions. Asobie said: “The President cannot fight corruption using ad-hoc means. He should fight corruption with a strategic plan and the United Nations require that.”

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2015

NEWS Ondo to resolve ban on okada operation

•Lagos State Deputy Governor Dr. Idiat Oluranti Adebule (second left), former Special Adviser on Eduction Dr. Fatai Olukoga (left), outgoing Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education Mrs. Folushade Omolara Erogbogbo (second right) and former Commissioner for Education Mrs. Olayinka Oladunjoye, cutting the retirement cake of Mrs. Erogbogbo at NECA House Auditorium, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos ...yesterday

From Damisi Ojo, Akure

HE Ondo State government has signified its intention to resolve the suspension of operation of commercial motorcyclists in the state capital, Akure. Its Commissioner for Information, Kayode Akinmade, who said this, added that the state government would meet this week to deliberate on the report of the committee set up to look into the issue. He added that the state would come up with recommendations expected to guarantee a proper and regulated operation of the commercial motorcyclists. Akinmade said activities of the operators would be reviewed, stressing that every motorcycle plying the state’s roads must be duly registered to enable easy identification.

PHOTO:ABIODUN WILLIAMS

APC to Fayose: you ‘re unfit to advocate rule of law

KITI State All Progressives Congress (APC) has described Governor Ayo Fayose as an unfit apostle of the rule of law. It said “a lot of impunity and constitutional breaches have been committed” under Fayose’s watch as governor. The party, in its reaction to Fayose’s latest outburst against President Muhammadu Buhari, added: “It is contradictory for a serial lawbreaker to suddenly become a self-appointed apostle and advocate of the rule of law.” Fayose had warned Buhari to “tread cautiously”, alleging that he was aware of what he called “sinister plots” to destabilise his government because of his “strong and truthful stands on national issues”. He vowed to continue to speak the truth no matter whose ox is gored, challenging the president to “tread cautiously”. But the Ekiti APC, in a statement yesterday by its spokesman, Taiwo Olatunbosun, described the “ceaseless attacks and insults” on Buhari by Fayose as a “devious bad-mouthing and reckless diversionary tactics to take public attention from his many alleged constitutional breaches”. The statement said “such petulant antics” cannot save the governor from facing justice over his many infractions on

•Party urges Buhari to ignore governor’s conduct From Odunayo Ogunmola, Ado-Ekiti

the constitution. The party, Olatunbosun said, was not surprised by the governor’s antics in his relentless media attacks on the president. He noted that “false accusations and sophistry would not distract the Federal Government from pursuing its antigraft agenda and free the country of official impunity”. Olatunbosun said: “Impunity has wreaked havoc in the polity, resulting in some cases to crimes against humanity. Fayose as a promoter of impunity is only trying to employ his basket-mouth antics to blackmail the president in his witch-hunting accusation in the media to preempt dispensation of justice in his financial crimes, acts of impunity and crimes against humanity. “It is laughable and an insult on the intelligence of Nigerians for Fayose to accuse Buhari of persecuting the opposition simply because he wants to recover stolen funds from the nation’s treasury and punish looters. “Fayose has persecuted members of the opposition in Ekiti State to no end. He runs them out of town as promised by declaring them wanted over

trumped-up murder charges. “He seized monetised vehicles of opposition members in the last administration and recently ejected them from their houses at a government housing estate, disregarding their subsisting mortgage agreement with the state housing corporation, even as no fewer than three opposition members are in prison over Fayose-induced trumped-up charges.” Olatunbosun added that it was a “gratuitous insult” to the citizenry for Fayose to accuse Buhari of persecution. The APC spokesman noted that Nigerians were not surprised at his tantrums against the president even when many Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) governors attested to Buhari’s even-handedness and fairness in the handling of his policies. He said: “If Fayose can insult his own mother publicly by saying she wore pampers as a result of old age, who else can he not insult? Who can he not blackmail just to get away with his illegalities? “This is somebody, who once led thugs to invade the office of the state’s Chief Judge, beat up his secretary and tore court records and thereafter blackmailed the judge of collecting N200 million bribe to return

guilty verdict on him over his perjury case. “Nigerians have not forgotten how Fayose beat up and tore the suit of another high court judge because he wanted to stop his eligibility case. “Fayose, notorious for having the greatest number of alleged criminal cases in courts among Nigerian executives, is a governor who successfully prevented another arm of government, the legislature, from functioning for seven months till its term expired.” The APC spokesman also accused the governor of running illegal budget and spending government money without appropriation. Olatunbosun claimed that only seven members of 26 in the Assembly illegally passed Ekiti State’s 2015 budget into law. He added that three of Fayose’s commissioners were not known to law as they were not properly screened. The party’s spokesman added: “He stood trial over N1.3 billion poultry project fraud before his controversial re-election as governor that now gives him immunity from trial, which will not last forever. “He has again embarked on reckless spending of Ekiti State’s money since he assumed

Anxiety in four Ondo local govts over Boko Haram

ESIDENTS of four local government areas in Akoko, Ondo State, are living in fear, following what has been described as the influx of suspected Boko Haram insurgents. Akoko is the gateway to the northern part of the country. It was learnt that a commercial driver alerted the military about the strange movement of some passengers at Oke-Agbe-Akoko in Akoko Northwest Local Government Area. The passengers, who were suspected to be insurgents from Chad, were arrested by soldiers. Following the development, residents and others have organised a one-day interactive session with representatives of security agencies. The forum was held near a military check-point in IkareAkoko. It was attended by

From Leke Akeredolu, Akure

prominent indigenes of the area, including the caretaker chairmen of the four local governments, traditional rulers, religious leaders, and a lawmaker representing Akoko South East/West Federal Constituency, Babatunde Kolawole. Others present were Dr. Olu Agunloye, former Commissioner for Youths and Sports Alhaji Yekini Olanipekun and the Ondo State Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Mr. Rotimi Rahman. Representatives of security agencies, including Army, Police, Directorate of State Services (DSS), Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), were led to the meeting by the Commanding Officer of the Army in the area, Lt.Col. Wo Ubi.

The concerned residents and indigenes, at the forum, discussed the level of insecurity in their communities. They said Akoko, which comprises 40 communities, serves as a gateway for travellers coming from the North to the Southwest. The meeting was also told that the alleged presence of suspected militants made the communities vulnerable to Boko Haram invasion. The gathering urged the security chiefs to mount more checkpoints, where those entering the communities would be properly scrutinised. Kolawole hailed the people for being proactive, saying President Muhammadu Buhari was already taking positive steps to eradicate the activities of the Boko Haram. The lawmaker, who served as member of ad hoc committee that screened the Service Chiefs, said the security op-

eratives needed to work with the residents to identify strange persons in their midst. Lt.-Col. Ubi said for security operatives to tackle the matter, they needed the support of the residents for information. He hailed a driver, who, according to him, “quickly alerted the military about the activities of his passengers at Oke-Agbe-Akoko”. The military officer said: “If not for the drivers, we won’t know that the passengers were Boko Haram members and they were Chadians. We arrested them and took them to our command where necessary information was gathered from them.” He promised to inform his superior officers about the demands of the people, particularly additional military checkpoints on all the roads that link Akoko communities with the North.

office by not accounting for many funds received from the Federation Account. “He still owes last year’s September salary despite collecting the allocation, including indebtedness to pensioners, traditional rulers, workers and subvention to higher institutions.” Describing Fayose as the greatest threat to democracy in the country, Olatunbosun said the governor could not survive in the society of human beings, where the law works. He urged Buhari to ignore eccentric conduct of a “promoter of impunity and staunch enemy of the rule of law”, saying the support by reasonable citizens so far was enough for the president in his vision to return the nation to the path of sanity.

Osun Assembly: we received only Oloyede’s petition

SUN State House of Assembly has denied receiving any petition against Governor Rauf Aregbesola for alleged financial mismanagement prior to the one sent by the state’s serving judge, Justice Folahanmi Oloyede. Its Speaker, Najeem Salaam, said this at a plenary in response to the claim by the spokesman of the Civil Coalition for Emancipation of Osun State, Mr. Seun Adeoye, on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily. Adeoye claimed that its group sent a petition to the house earlier and was not treated. Salaam said there was no record showing that any petition was sent before Oloyede’s own, saying some other petitions came in form of letters only after the one sent by the judge. He said: “It is unfortunate that some people are fond of name calling, as claimed that some other petitions have been sent to the house before the one sent by Justice Oloyede. “It is a blatant lie that any petition had been sent earlier. We have the record of what we are doing in the house. The first petition we received on this issue was the one sent by the judge. “Though, all others have been following, but their prayers are almost the same. Must we continue to treat petitions alone when we have several other things to do, especially when the contents of those petitions are the same? “For that reason, I want to implore the people to be careful and say things the way they are, rather than scoring cheap political points”, he said. Salaam added that the judge’s petition was treated with fairness, in line with the mandate given to the state legislature.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2015

NEWS APC ‘ll not implode, says Igbokwe Tribunal dismisses Ladoja’s application to invite forensic expert T

HE Oyo State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal yesterday dismissed an application brought by Senator Rashidi Ladoja seeking a leave to call a forensic analyst, Dr. Babatunde Adebola, to testify before the tribunal. Chairman of the tribunal sitting at the Oyo State High Court, Iyaganku, Ibadan, Justice Muhammed Mayaki, dismissed the application in a one-hour ruling. He held that the application was rejected because it was not presented during the prehearing session, adding that no ex parte order was sought by the petitioner to bring same after the expiration of the session. Justice Mayaki said the application contradicted the provision of paragraph 47 (1) of the First Schedule of the Electoral Act 2010. The judge described the application as an abuse of court process, adding that the report of the forensic analyst should

From Bisi Oladele and Tayo Johnson, Ibadan

have been tendered with that of the first witness, Mr. Bimbo Adepoju, instead of bringing them piecemeal. The forensic analyst was the leader of the team that inspected and counted ballot papers and boxes used for the April 11 governorship election petition. The application also sought invitation of one Mr. Bola Akinyemi to testify along with the forensic analyst. Ladoja, who was the candidate of Accord Party in the April 11 governorship election, is challenging the declaration of Governor Abiola Ajimobi of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the governorship election. Accord is the second petitioner. The petitioners also joined APC, the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the state, Dr. Rufus Akeju, and the commission as co-respondents.

Other members of the threeman tribunal are Justices Mohammadu Karaye and J. E. Ikede. Chief Richard Ogunwole (SAN) represents the first and second petitioners. Mr. Olumuyiwa Aduroja (SAN) represents Ajimobi and Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN) is counsel to APC. Yusuf Ali (SAN) is leading a team of lawyers for the INEC and Akeju. Ogunwole had on August 6 made an oral application, praying the court to grant him the opportunity to request the presence of a forensic expert to testify before the tribunal. He buttressed his application with paragraph 47 (1) of the Electoral Act. The senior advocate cited the case of Aregbesola in which the court submitted that the oral evidence is superior to documentary evidences. Counsel to the first respondent, Aduroja, noted that all applications must be heard during pre-hearing session, stress-

ing that any other application can only be heard in an extreme circumstance during proper hearing of the tribunal. He said: “This application is not under an extreme circumstances, but just a special circumstance. Leave must have been sought to argue the application during pre-hearing under an extreme circumstance, which must be itemised. “All these applications have failed woefully. It is an abuse of law and should be dismissed. Therefore, it should be dismissed.” Akeredolu (SAN) said: “The petitioner’s counsel ought to have sought for a leave justifying why the court should grant his application. This was the case between Nwaka and Yar’Adua. I pray that the court dismiss the case in our favour.” With the dismissal of the application, cross-examination of petitioner’s’ witnesses is expected to continue without hindrance.

HE Lagos State All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday allayed fears of a possible implosion in the party as a result of the alleged disagreements among its chieftains. Its spokesman, Joe Igbokwe, gave the assurance at the public presentation of three books in honour of former Lagos Governor Babatunde Fashola (SAN) by one of his aides, Hakeem Bello. Addressing reporters after the event at the Muson Centre, Lagos, Igbokwe noted that it was normal for party members to disagree on certain issues, but insisted that the matter would never go out of hand. He said: “APC remains APC. As a big party, we must not overlook the fact that sometimes problems will occur. It is the capacity to solve the problem that makes you what you are. “It is part of the process in politics. We disagree to agree and by tomorrow, we will get it right. It is not the first time. When Governor Akinwunmi Ambode came out to contest as governor, we had crisis. Twelve governorship candidates walked away and we

By Precious Igbonwelundu

managed it. “We have always been winning. In the last election, people thought that Lagos State will go, but it didn’t go. So, problems are part of life. Even as I am standing here now, I have some issues to resolve in my family. Once your problem finishes, you are dead. “So, whatever is happening now is part of democratic process; don’t forget democracy is a slow process. “We never had implosion in the days of the formation of our party, APC; we never had implosions until we had victory and they think we will have it now or what you see now will affect us. No! “We will use our capacity to deal with our misunderstandings in the fullness of time because our party is bigger than some of these skirmishes.” Another chieftain Prof. Tunde Samuel, who also denied the allegation of a rift between Fashola and APC National Leader Bola Tinubu, said no one builds a house only to destroy it. “Fashola is Tinubu’s own. You do not build a house and destroy it,” Samuel said.

Adefioye joins race for Ooni’s throne •Family seeks fairness in selection process By Wale Ajetunmobi

•Lagos State Governor Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode (second left); Secretary to the State Government Mr. Tunji Bello (left); Chairman, Lagos State Community Development Advisory Council (LSCDAC), Alhaji Tajudeen Quadri (middle); Executive Secretary, Bariga Local Council Development Area (LCDA) and Chairman, Conference 57, Alabi Kolade (second right) and others during the governor's meeting with chairmen of the state’s Community Development Councils (CDC) & Community Development Associations (CDA) at the PHOTO: OMOSEHIN MOSES Lagos House, Ikeja.

Lagos development plan on course, says Ambode

AGOS State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode yesterday restated his administration’s commitment to implement the state’s development plan. He said his administration had fashioned out a framework to begin its implementation. The governor spoke when a delegation from the United kingdom’s (UK) Department for International Development (DFID), led by the Country Representative, Mr. Ben Mellor, visited his office. He said his administration was working on a framework, which the permanent secretaries were already working on. Ambode said he would like the DFID to assist the state on issues that were “germane to our people”. “The bottom line has always been that we should do things and carry out pro-

•Governor vows to run transparent govt grammes that would be of tremendous benefit to the people of Lagos State and that’s what DFID also stands for. “We will like you to also know that whatever it is that we are doing, will open up areas that we believe will be of benefit to Nigerians,” he said. The governor said the development plan was geared towards achieving the vision of the government in all sectors on the long-term. Ambode said he is a firm believer in the basic principles of good governance, which, according to him, “thrives on accountability and all inclusive governance”. He restated his commitment to run a transparent and all-inclusive government that would be people-driven. “Lagosians must be able to speak about the kind of government they want, we must

also be accountable to them, we should be able to explain to them in every facet of our administration what we are doing and then government should also be participatory,” he said. The governor said he had concluded plans to embark on a tour of the state’s 57 local governments, saying it would afford him the “opportunity to listen to the challenges of the people first-hand and address them accordingly”. “We believe strongly that we should scale up community governance in this state. It is more about communities, its more about our people and what they want,” Ambode added. He added: “I want to thank the DFID. You’ve always been a partner in aid, and you have always felt everything good about Lagos. I have been

a beneficiary of one of your programmes while working here. So, obviously, you have a good friend in the governor and in this administration.” He hoped that the synergy between Lagos and the Federal Government for the first time in 16 years, would go a long way to scale up the partnership with the DFID and share the model to other states. Mellor hailed Ambode for his strides since he assumed office, adding that the governor’s decision to run an all-inclusive government conformed to the ideology of the DFID. He lauded the steps taken by the governor so far to achieve his vision, saying his decision to align ministries and engender public service reforms would increase proactive and performance-based strategic administration as well as service delivery to the people.

MEMBER of Lafigido Ruling House of Ile-Ife, Prince Adebode Obafemi Adefioye, has joined the race for Ooni of Ife’s stool. Adefioye, who is a director on the board of Lafarge Africa Plc and Wema Bank Plc, declared his intention yesterday, promising to build on the legacies of the late Oba Okunade Sijuwade, who died last month. The prince said the next Ooni must be strong-willed, progressive-minded and have dynamic approach to issues. He added that he was the best candidate to ascend the throne. Adefioye, who is the chief executive officer of IBK Services Limited, belongs to Lafigido Ruling House and he is a grandson of the late philanthropist, Prince Badru Adefioye. Speaking on behalf of the family, Alhaji Adedimeji Dauda Adefioye, a younger brother to the candidate, said the contender from the ruling house was the best for the throne. Adedimeji said: “Prince Adebode Adefioye is energetic, passionate and successful as a businessman and community leader. The family is presenting him, because we believe he will be a worthy Ooni, who will use his experience to bring more development to our kingdom.” He advised other contenders in the race to drop their campaign of calumny against the Lafigido Ruling House’s candidate, saying the family would not succumb to blackmail and misrepresentation. The Lafigido Ruling House of Ile-Ife warned against distortion of the ancient town’s history and tradition. The family cautioned the kingmakers not to place material wealth or political influence above the dictate of tradition in selecting the Ooni, stressing that such move would be counterproductive. The family said integrity, knowledge of culture and strong affinity with the people of the town should guide the kingmakers’ selection process. Also yesterday, the Ademiluyi Ruling House, which produced the late Oba Adesoji Aderemi, has advised the kingmakers on the criteria to follow in picking the new Ooni. The royal family said the kingmakers’ burden would be reduced, if they employ the yardstick of equity and adherence to the Ife norms to guide their action. In a statement yesterday by Chairman, Ademiluyi Family Foundation, Prof. Adetunji Ademiluyi, the ruling house said anyone that must be picked by judges must be prepared and ready to work for the people and sustain the achievement of the late Oba Sijuwade. Prof. Ademiluyi said the late Oba Sijuwade was prepared for the throne, which, he said, was the reason for his selection by the kingmakers at the time. Under the immediate past Ooni, Prof. Ademiluyi said: “The Source re-established itself firmly on the global map and saw giant strides in all fields of human endeavour. It is a tribute to his remarkable reign that a demographic survey, a few years ago, acknowledged Ife division as one of the fastest growing areas in Western Nigeria. “The Ademiluyi Royal Family prays for the guidance of the Almighty to guide those, who will choose a successor of the late Oba Okunade Sijuwade. The burden of expectation will be eased by using the yardstick of equity and strict adherence to our traditional norms.” A socio-cultural group, Yoruba Unity Forum (YUF), in a statement by its Secretary General, Senator Anthony Adefuye, said the reign of Oba Sijuwade as Arole Oodua saw the Yoruba race being placed on esteemed position in the country.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2015

NEWS Phone repairer hangs self in Osogbo From Adesoji Adeniyi, Osogbo

A 27-year-old cell phone repairer, Kola Busari, has been found dead after he allegedly hanged himself in Osogbo, the Osun State capital. The deceased was “found hanging” from the ceiling fan yesterday in his sitting room at No 3 Olatunji Ajayi Street, Oke Onitea area. His wife, Bidemi, was said to have alerted the neighbours when she woke up about 5am and found her husband’s body hanging from the ceiling fan of their sitting room. The wife, the family members and co-tenants yesterday cried profusely. The wife said her husband did not show any sign that he wanted to commit suicide, adding that they chatted and prayed together before going to bed on Monday night.

Nine kids hospitalised in Delta communities’ kerosene explosions N INE children have been taken to the Warri Central Hospital to treat the severe burns they suffered in the explosions caused by suspected adulterated kerosene in Warri South and Udu local government areas of Delta State. The victims were said to have suffered between 50 to 90 degrees burns. Some of the parents of the affected children told reporters in Warri that the incidents occurred on August 15 and 16 when the children attempted to fuel lit lanterns. Two of the victims’ father, Johnson Obethe, said his son and daughter, both of primary school ages, were pour-

From Bolaji Ogundele, Warri

ing kerosene into a lantern at 10pm on Sunday when it exploded and burnt them. The case of 10-year-old Elozino Akwirorogbe and her brother of Merogun Street, Warri, was similar to the Obethes. Their mother said the children were also filling their lantern with kerosene when the explosion occurred. Elozino’s case was described as the most severe because the fire affected almost all parts of her body. Explosions from suspected

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Elozino’s case was described as the most severe because the fire affected almost all parts of her body

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adulterated kerosene were said to have also occurred in Aladja, Udu Local Government Area. Some patients at the Warri Central Hospital were said

to have been brought from Aladja, following similar explosions in the area. A toddler was being treated at the hospital for the burns she got on Saturday from an explosion from a firewood stove after her grandmother poured the fuel on the woods. Executive Chairman of Warri South Local Government Area, Mofe Edema, who visited the victims at the hospital in company of other council officials, called for an investigation into the incident. Edema urged parents and guardians to enlighten their

Broadway show set to hit Nigerian stage

Wike ‘won’t escape judgment’ From Bisi Olaniyi, Port Harcourt

THE Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has said Governor Nyesom Wike will not escape judgment in the hands of God and the Muhammadu Buhari administration. A statement yesterday in Port Harcourt, the state capital, by Chairman Davies Ikanya’s Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on Media and Public Affairs, Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, said the “caretaker” governor (Wike) could only run but would not be able to hide. APC said: “...Almighty God will certainly judge him and so too will the Muhammadu Buhari administration, which does not brook any illegality.” The governor, at a church service in Port Harcourt on Sunday, declared that God would disgrace those opposing his administration. Rivers APC said: “We wonder which God Chief Wike is referring to that will disgrace those opposing his illegal government. As much as we praise those that are trying to make a Christian out of Wike overnight, we in Rivers State know very well his religious inclination. We wish to tell him that the God we know is a God of righteousness, who can never be on the side of those engaging in criminality... “We are convinced that at the appropriate time, God will bring judgment on Wike and those who have brought hardship to Rivers State and its people...” APC added: “It is not late yet. There is no way Wike can escape judgment. The ‘caretaker’ governor must account for the blood of our people massacred during the elections.” The party hailed the chairmen and members of the election petitions tribunal sitting in Abuja for allegedly rejecting overtures from Wike and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and for standing by the truth.

children and wards against fuelling already lit appliances. The council chief promised to render financial assistance of between N20,000 and N30,000 to parents of the victims. He also promised to relate their ordeal to the state government. Officials of Warri South Local Government Area, who visited them in the hospital, urged the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) to investigate the sources of the killer-product. They urged the DPR to also stop further circulation of the adulterated fuel. The police said they were ready to assist in the investigation.

•Edo State Governor’s wife Mrs Lara Oshiomhole carrying a Girls’ Guide member’s baby at the National Camp of the Nigerian Girls’ Guide Association in Benin...yesterday. With her is Mrs Elizabeth Ativie, member of Edo State House of Assembly.

Host community shuts gas plant for alleged neglect A NGRY residents of Otorogun, Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State yesterday shut down the town’s gas plant for alleged neglect by the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC). Host communities of oil mining licences (OML) 30, 34 and 65 in Urhobo parts of the state had protested the alleged neglect for some time. This led to the June 30 agreement with the NPDC, which the protesters claimed the company had not honoured.

From Bolaji Ogundele, Warri

The leadership of host communities of producing oil and gas (HOSTCOM) had issued a seven-day ultimatum to NPDC management to resolve outstanding issues with them. Chairman of Urhobo HOSTCOM, Comrade Efe Okowvurie, who led the protest, said: “Following the expiration of the seven-day ultimatum given to NPDC to implement the resolution

earlier reached with HOSTCOM, the host communities decided to shut down the Otorogun gas plant.” Okowvurie added: “NPDC and HOSTCOM had an agreement on June 30 in which NPDC agreed to pay all the outstanding salaries of community workers in OMLs 30, 34 and 65, which are in arrears of between six to nine months. But till this moment, the NPDC has refused to pay the workers and the contractor.”

The spokesman urged the Federal Government to compel NPDC to implement the resolution it signed with HOSTCOM on June 30. He said the host communities would not reopen the shut facilities until NPDC implements the resolution. The protesters warned NPDC not to reduce the 20 per cent mark-up attached to contracts being handled by indigenous contractors to 15 per cent. They noted that such STEP would cause a crisis in the host communities and create more troubles for NPDC.

LL is set for Nigeria’s biggest and most glamorous Broadway themed musical production as foremost production company; Notes Inc. Media has concluded preparations to organise a never-seen-before Broadway themed: stage show, right here in Lagos. Tagged: Magic of the Musicals, the event will showcase a breath-taking collage of popular scenes from well-known Broadway musical hits of all time, featuring some of Nigeria’s biggest celebrities in leading roles. Speaking on the forthcoming event, Damola Adewole, Managing Director, Notes Inc. Media stated that the event will be Nigeria’s biggest Broadway themed stage production TILL DATE He said: “What we are about to showcase to Nigeria is a grand theatre musical that will reflect the heartwarming development in Nigerian theatre. It will be a unique show because we will be fusing the best of Broadway musicals with the best of Nigerian talents from our entertainment industry, as well as popular figures from different walks of life. It promises to be an exciting time for the audience because they will have the unique opportunity to witness the Broadway experience told by our very own, right here in our country.” Magic of the Musicals will be holding over the course of three days from September 29 to October 1, giving Nigerians a unique opportunity to celebrate Independence Day in a unique way at the show and the bazaar that will be set up during the event, featuring top Nigerian brands.

•From L-R: Early Childhood lecturer, University of Lagos, Dr. Mojisola Manuel; Proprietor of Head Start Private School, Isolo, Mrs. Udemma Oti; Author, Mrs. Ifeoma Obi; Managing Director of Green Meadows Education, Mrs. Chika Nwuche; Guest Speaker, Ann Oliver; Educators, Mrs. Emma Lakanu, Mrs. Erinna Odibo and facilitator, Williams Eze at the early childhood education stakeholders conference in Lagos… yesterday. PHOTO: MUYIWA HASSAN

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2015

Life

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• Conference hall of the Aokpe Pilgrimage Centre.

PHOTO: OZOLUA UHAKHEME

Behold the ‘New Jerusalem’ in Benue

N N O O Y Y RR O O SSTT E E E SSE

Photographers celebrate day with football – PAGE 15

144 EE 1 G G PPAA

Ogakwu’s Illimite holds at Terra Kulture – PAGE 16

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Given the economic reality, especially the rising foreign exchange rate, intending Christian pilgrims to Jerusalem or Rome may look the direction of Aokpe Pilgrimage Centre in Benue State for spiritual edification and enrichment. The 23- year-old religious site is fast emerging as Nigeria’s ‘New Jerusalem’ where thousands of pilgrims converge every August to celebrate the ‘special day of grace’. Assistant Editor (Arts) OZOLUA UHAKHEME ,who was at the centre’s 21st anniversary, reports.

• Prigrims crawling to the spring on the penance track of Aokpe Pilgrimage Centre.

PHOTO: OZOLUA UHAKHEME

Behold the ‘New Jerusalem’ in Benue

HE pain of travelling the sevenkilometre bad road from Ugbokolo in Okpokwu Local Government Area of Benue State to Aokpe community did not deter the huge crowd of pilgrims to Aokpe Pilgrimage Centre. Thousands of Christians, especially Catholic faithful, from various dioceses in the country and outside Nigeria, converged on the centre for four days (August 1-4) to celebrate the 21st anniversary of Our Lady of Aokpe Mediatrix of All Graces. Some pilgrims defied the scorching sun and intermittent shower of rain to sit and pray in the open field around the Altar of Perpetual Adoration, Crucifix of Jesus and Good Shepherd Garden. For the four days, the sleepy and serene Aokpe community was literarily overrun by pilgrims and tourists to the centre. Temporary souvenir and gifts shops dotted the road to the centre as traders displayed foods and gift items, such as rosary, candles, pendants, wall papers, religious cassettes and CDs, among others. But, to get the centre is like a journey through the Biblical narrow path to heaven. No two big vehicles found it easy to move on the opposite direction on the rough road. And all vehicles moved on gear one all through the short but tedious journey. This created a brisk business for operators of commercial motor bikes (Okada) as most pilgrims patronised them, which is a popular and more convenient mode of transport from Ugbokolo to Aokpe. The 15minute ride on a bike took a vehicle about 30 minutes to cover on a dry day. To the pilgrims, the bad road is not only a challenge, but it is also part of the penance for the spiritual edification, enrichment and growth - the essence of their pilgrimage. From visitation to apparition room, praying the Rosary, making confessions and penance on penance concrete track leading to the crucifix of Christ, fetching of holy water from the spring fountain, reciting the glorious mysteries, participating in the Hour of Mercy and the Stations of the Cross, there was no dull moment for the pilgrims. It was marathon prayers, praise and worship sessions accompanied by spiritual talks and the three-hourly holy mass during

PLACES which pilgrims made constant supplications and sacrifices to the Eternal Father for collective and individual needs. On Monday, August 3, eight masses were conducted for the nation and the state, reconciliation, students, refugees and other internally displaced persons, peace, sponsors of Aokpe project and Holy Spirit. At the grand finale on Tuesday, August 4, the Most Rev Dr. Michael Apochi, Catholic Bishop of Otukpo Diocese, took charge of the mass of the Blessed Virgin Mary that lasted for three hours. In his exhortation, Rector of the centre, Rev. Fr. Ejembi Vincent, said the spiritual and social challenges of Nigerians are enormous as ‘we are living at a time when immorality is gaining ground, insurgency, Boko Haram, youth unemployment and other economic crisis bedevil us.’ The visionary, Mrs Christiana Agbo Ejeh, a lawyer, said the Blessed Virgin Mary started appearing to her since 1992, when she was 12, and that Virgin Mary told her she would appear on August 4, 1994 to bestow grace on her children. “Virgin Mary told me that every August 4 should be set aside to celebrate a special day of grace,” she said. The story of Aokpe Pilgrimage Centre, which is marking the 21st anniversary of the apparition (special day of grace) is like a prophet who is unknown in his homestead. The centre witnessed its first apparition of the Blessed Mary 23 years ago in October 1992, when the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to a 12-year old girl, Christiana Inebu Agbo. Although the Aokpe apparition is yet to be recognised, the Catholic Church has, however, given it some serious considerations through the appointments of Rectors for the Pilgrimage Centre and the involvement of her priests in the devotions taking place there. The first positive sign that the church’s approval would come one day was the declaration by the Northern Bishops which was read at the centre by the Metropolitan Archbishop of Abuja, now Cardinal John Onaiyekan, at the height of the apparitions in January 1996.

• Benue State Governor Mr Samuel Ortom

• Mrs Ejeh

‘I was in my room praying when suddenly Our Lady appeared to me. When she appeared to me, she said: “...What I want you to do is pray for the souls in Purgatory, to pray for the world and to pray to console Jesus. Will you accept?’ It would be recalled that in July 2013, there was the apparition of Blessed Mary on the wall of St. Benedict Catholic Church at Ubiaja in Edo State. Also, in the same month in 2012, the apparition of Blessed Mary was seen on a tree trunk in New Jersey, USA. Up till date, Benue State government is yet to fix the seven-kilometre road that leads to the only religious site which attracts tourists and pilgrims yearly. What seems visible in the community is the electricity supply that is epileptic as usual. Benue State Director of Tourism Mrs. Dooter Ajoko disclosed that the state government has concluded plans to revive the Makurdi Airport and construct the seven-kilometre UgbokoloAokpe road project that was abandoned by past administrations in the state. She assured that the government was determined to develop tourism as income from oil has continued to dwindle. She said tourism is one of the priority areas the new administra-

tion is given attention to generate income alongside agriculture, entrepreneurship development and creating enabling environment for industry to strive. She said that Aokpe is of particular interest to the state because it has spent much money on pilgrims to abroad. “With Aokpe, government intends to promote it to encourage domestic tourism instead of spending foreign exchange on pilgrimage abroad. Unfortunately, not many people in Benue are aware of the centre at Aokpe. So, government wants to promote and develop the centre,” she said. According to report, ‘apart from spiritual benefits the presence of Martian site is of immense benefit not only to the locality but the entire nation. It is estimated that once the Catholic Church gives its formal approval and recognition of Aokpe as a Marian site, Nigeria could earn billions of naira from pilgrims who would throng the site from all over the world. In fact, •Continued on Page 17

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S the world commemorates the World Photography Day today, Nigerian photographers will be joining their counterparts to celebrate at the Freedom Park in Lagos. The day, which dates back to 1839, is marked yearly on August 19 by photographers and photo ethusiasts across the world. Their Nigerian counterparts have gone a step further to indigenise the celebration, tagging it World Photography Day Nigeria last Saturday. To kick-start this year’s World Photography Day Nigeria, which is in its third edition, the organisers held a football-friendly. The match, which is a pre-event initiative, was between press photographers and commercial photographers. The sport initiative, a new addition to the yearly event, was to bring together various stakeholders in the industry, according to the Project Founder/Coordinator, Mr Yemi Royal. “The press photographers and those in the commercial world rarely meet, so we have added sports to this year’s occasion to create this platform to create room for networking. It is also meant to create awareness on the World Photography Day, which is to be commemorated on Wednesday, August 19, 2015.” The two teams slogged it out on the pitch of the Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NIJ), Ogba, Lagos. The event was chaired by NIJ Provost, Mr Gbemiga Ogunleye, who was represented by NIJ Deputy Provost, Mr Jide Johnson. Also the event were Mr Boye Ola of NIJ; former Chairman of Photo-Journalists Association of Nigeria (PJAN), Mr Ashamu Adegbola; Chairman of PJAN, Mr Ademola Akinlaja; members of PJAN and commercial photographers. While the press photographers wore white jerseys with a touch of yellow, the commercial photographers were decked in yellow jerseys with a touch of blue. The referee for the match was a celebrity photographer, T-Briggs. Both teams had eight players each. PJAN Vice Chairman, Mr Femi Kuti, was the captain for the press team; while Mr Femi Agbonyin. The teams were interesting to watch. Particularly glaring was the commitment with which both played. The saves of Answer, the goalkeeper for the commercial photographers, was particularly impressive. His excellent saves gave his team an edge during the first half of the game. Even though there was no medal given to the winner. The two teams played with the passion of people looking forward to a gold-plated trophy as reward. It was almost as if their winning the game would be a prove of their place in the industry. In subsequent editions, Mr Royal said the winning team would be presented with a trophy, adding that the sport initiative would be one of the many side attractions in future celebrations. The commercial photographers were in the lead in the first half with two goals to nothing; their opponents equalised in the second half, scoring two goals simultaneously. The two goals in the first half were scored by Micheal Owoyele and Mr Agbonyin. The commercial photographers scored another goal, but the photo-journalists were not ready to accept defeat as they equalised before the final whistle was blown. The 40-minute match ended in a draw. •Continued from Page 16

the Blessed Virgin Mary Herself had during several of her appearances declared that Aokpe would become great and that She would do great things in Aokpe.’ Benue State Queen of Culture and Tourism 2014/15, Miss Mimi Pine expressed shock at the size and quality of pilgrims and activities at the centre, lamenting that she is getting to know the centre at the close of her tenure as Miss Tourism in the state. But to add some cultural elements and colours to the events, performing troupes from Benue State Ministry of Culture and Tourism were on ground to thrill pilgrims to some scintillating dances.

Making of Aokpe Pilgrimage Centre According to reports by the centre, the first acknowledged apparition of the Blessed Mary on African soil took place twenty three years ago at Aokpe, a small village about seven kilometers from Ugbokolo in Okpokwu local government area of Benue State. In October 1992, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to a 12-year-old village girl, Christiana Inebu Agbo. The Blessed Mary made consistent appearances which last till September 2004, which the visionary Christiana Agbo described as the last appearance and the last message. Altogether, the Blessed Mary made over a hundred appearances at Aokpe within the

•Members of the teams

•Mr Royal

•Both teams at the pitch

Photographers celebrate day with football The World Photography Day Nigeria holds today at the Freedom Park in Lagos. Last Saturday, photographers played a friendly match to kick-start the celebration. EVELYN OSAGIE reports. PHOTOGRAPHY For Mr Royal, photography is a highly accessible art form appreciated by millions. According to him, the World Photography Day Nigeria initiative is a non-commercial venture that seeks to bring together “photographers from across the country of various classes (professionals, amateurs and enthusiasts) yearly to share and celebrate photography”. With Creating a Viable and Unified Photography Industry as theme for

this year’s edition, Royal said, the initiative focused on growing the love of photography. “Our mission is to engage, educate, empower and stimulate the photography community in Nigeria,” he said. Meanwhile, wile registration is expected to begin at 9:15am, the one-day event is opening with an exhibition tagged: The untitled. Like the previous year, there would be a Photo Walk, followed by talks/discussion sessions on the theme of event. He added: “This theme would be anchored by

selected industry professionals, but individuals attending are also encouraged to prepare to proffer suggestions to the challenges facing the photography industry).” Royal disclosed that they would give out gift voucher worth N10,000 for photography books to the first 150 photographers to register at the venue, adding that the event is powered by Indigo. Other sponsors of the World Photography Day Nigeria include Papilo Studios and Chiza Eventte Creative Solutions.

Behold the ‘New Jerusalem’ in Benue twelve year span that the apparitions took place, most of which were privately done between the Blessed Mary and the visionary. Quite a few were public in the sense that dates were fixed ahead of the apparitions and great multitude of people assembled when the apparitions took place and messages relayed to the audience simultaneously. The main public apparitions were between August 1994 and May 1996. The most prominent was on August 4 1994, declared as special day of grace by the Blessed Mary herself and celebrated since then by devotees of Aokpe. On the occasion, the then Catholic Bishop of Makurdi Most Rev. Athanasius Usuh who then had Episcopal jurisdiction over the area was requested by the Blessed Mary to either come to Aokpe or send emissaries to witness the apparition scheduled for that date. This, the Bishop did and the emissary Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Ojaje Idoko photographed and video-taped and documented the apparition as well as the miracles that occurred on that occasion which included the receipt of Holy Communion by the visionary from an Angel and the miracle of the sun.

Landmark features Despite the various challenges to the actualisation of the dream of becoming a Marina site recognised by the Catholic Church, the centre

is witnessing some progress in the area of physical and spiritual development. Already there are the upliftment of the holy spring water discharge point, erection of the Good Shepherd Garden for retreats and altar of Perpetual Adoration built and consecrated on August 4 2010. These were achieved through contributions from devotees as well as the willingness of the local community to receive guests and donate their land for development. Also, the Mediatrix complex which comprises of some guests chalets, a conference hall, and water fountain and garden are among facilities completed and in use. It is gathered that a business consortium has also submitted proposals for the building of hostels and tourists sites around the centre on a build operate and transfer (BOT) basis.

Christiana’s encounters with Blessed Virgin Mary “I was in my room praying when suddenly Our Lady appeared to me. When she appeared to me, she said: “I come from Heaven. I am the Refuge of Sinners. I come from Heaven to win souls for Christ and to hide my children in my Immaculate Heart. What I want you to do is pray for the souls in Purgatory, to pray for the world and to pray to console Jesus. Will you accept?” And I answered her, “Yes.”

“In the same month I was in my room and suddenly I saw two Angels singing. I do not know what they were singing. I became afraid and ran out. My brother went and called my mother who said that she could not see anything. The two Angels remained for some minutes, then one of them said, “I am the Angel of Peace.” Then they disappeared. “The December 1, 1992, I went to the Church to pray. After saying prayers and the Rosary with the people, I left the church and Our Lady suddenly appeared to me and said: “After saying the Rosary sit down and meditate for some time.” She then disappeared. On October 1, 1993, Christiana saw a round object like a ball on the floor with flowers around it. Our Lady came and stood on it. Prompted by her mother, she was going to ask Our Lady’s name. Our Lady cut in quickly and said, “Behold, I am a Holy Mother and I will introduce myself another time.” When Christiana said, “I do not know your name,” Our Lady replied: “The time of giving my name has not yet come. The name I will bring will be a powerful one. I will do many things in St. Patrick’s Church said:” The title which Our Lady eventually gave Christiana is one which evokes much doctrinal and devotional history: Mediatrix of All Graces.

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Nigeria Breweries unveils 12 art finalists

“I

CAME to Lagos in 2001 broke. As a young artist, I approached Biodun Olaku, an older artist, to ask him how I would survive on art. He told me to come back in five years time to get an answer. But, four years later, I met him again and he recognied me, saying he has changed his mind to tell me the answer to my question. I told him I am no longer interested in the answer and that I have gotten the answer. That’s the spirit, he said to me.” These were the words of 2008 winner of African Artists Foundation/Nigerian Brewery Plc-organised National Art Competition, Emmanuel Dudu, while answering a question on how he found his feet in the Lagos art scene in 2001. Today, Dudu has not only succeeded in his career but he has also become a role model for younger artists. After a successful group exhibition at the Gallery 23 in Dubai, he has moved from being a local artist to an international one sought after by foreign and local art galleries. Dudu spoke at the unveiling of the 12 finalists of the eighth National Art Competition held at the Nigerian Breweries Plc, Lagos. The theme of this year’s competition is Future Histories. Unveiling the 12 finalists, NB Plc Corporate Affairs Adviser Mr Kufre Ekanem said the competition has been organised in the last eight years to promote the conceptual development of contemporary art in Nigeria as well as to raise awareness on relevant social issues through the use of diverse creative artistic expressions. The 12 finalists include Adetunwase Adenle, Funmi Akindejoye, Michael Enejison, Chineneye Emelogu, Mariam Kazeem, May Okafor, Stacey Pkparavero and Komi Olafimihan. Others are Ngozi Omeje, Babatunde Oyeyemi, Folami Razaq and Sabastine Ugwuoke. Ekanem said with the competition, the organisers were projecting arts as a tool for reengineering of society towards the objective of achieving progress for the nation. “This year’s edition is challenging budding artists to come up with interpretation to the theme, Future Histories. With this theme, our intention is to stimulate our participating artists to think literally about the social, political and cultural climate of their local communities while exploring their creativity,” he said.

•Some of the shortlisted artists. By Ozolua Uhakheme Assistant Editor (Arts)

COMPETITION Director African Artists Foundation (AAF), Mr. Azu Nwagbogu, said the competition would continue to run on merit while pushing for increased awareness drive across the country. Reacting to the absence of artists from a section of the country in the final shortlist, he said the jurors gave no consideration to ethnic or regional affiliation in screening the entries. No fewer 200 entries were received from across the country out of which 12 were shortlisted. The panel of judges led by Prof El Anatsui considered each proposal on the grounds of its originality, creativity and clarity in relation to the

PHOTO: MUYIWA HASSAN

theme. The description of materials and technique submitted in each artist’s application is also considered by the jurors and is an important tool for sharing unique aspects of the creative process and the works represented. Following the selection of the artists, they held a retreat from August 3 to 5, during which they participated in workshop that focused on exchange of ideas among others. The retreat will be followed by three-month within which the artists will execute their final projects. First prize winner of the three finalists will get N2million, solo art exhibition and a trip to Dubai while the second and third place winner get the outstanding concept and outstanding prizes of 1million naira each. This year’s competition is being supported by the Lagos State Internal Revenue Service (LIRS) and Samsung Electronics West Africa.

POEM

Idanre Oke (For victims of bombings) By Evelyn Osagie

O Rock of defence To you I bring my greed My lust goes out to thee I long to possess What you earnestly keep Forgive my thirst for thee I’d give my life To possess your peace I’d steal from you your bliss

•One of Ogakwu’s works

Ogakwu’s Illimite holds at Terra Kulture

LLIMITE, a solo art exhibition by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Tresor D’Afrique, Chinedu Ogakwu, has held at the Terra Kulture, Victoria Island, Lagos. It showcased his latest creative works. The subject of the exhibition is premised on the fact that the mind of an artist is unrestricted in terms of ideas, media and styles of artistic expression. Ogakwu said the theme was informed by the notion that the arts, as forms of creative beauty, are really everywhere, and that there is art in whatever we find ourselves doing as humans. The 40-year-old mixed-media painter and holder of a Higher National Diploma (HND) in painting from the Institute of Management and Technology (IMT), Enugu, started painting at six. Ogakwu’s Afrocentric art company, Tresor D’Afrique, which implies Treasures of Africa, is focused on producing artistic works that are mostly historical and cultural in nature. These works, according to him, convey strong messages as they relate to the primitive life of an African man. “My vision as an artist is to really remind Africans and the world at large of the former’s root and cultural heritage which should not be allowed to fade away,” he urges humanity. On the guiding philosophy of his style of artistic expression, he remarks: “The life we live is also an art … the exhibition explains the unlimitedness of our talents in a general perspective. We all think and live a common life, but in our own unique ways. This makes you different from the other

By Ozolua Uhakheme Assistant Editor (Arts)

VISUAL ART person.” Professionally, the Tresor D’Afrique CEO, who discloses that his greatest influence in the arts are Messrs Segun Aiyesan and Olusegun Adejumo has continued to learn unconventional ways of using various materials while honing necessary skills to advance productivity in his trade. “My artistic process has continued to develop and undergo many transformations,” Ogakwu says with enthusiasm. Ogakwu, a member of professional groups, including PanAfrican Circle of Artists, Imago Mundi Artists, Society of Nigerian Artists and Port-Harcourt/Enugu Messenger Group of Artists, has participated in various solo group exhibitions in Nigeria and overseas. Such exhibitions include ‘Stone Age: As Old as Man’ at Sofas Furniture /Art gallery (2013); ‘Chronicles of Truth’ at My Drim Art Gallery; ‘Solidarity and Sharing’ at Total Village, Port-Harcourt; ‘Art in Minded’ at Bricklane Gallery, London, UK; ‘Africa and Post Coloniality 2’ at Dakart Biennal, Senegal; ‘Lagos Art Auction’, in Lagos, all in 2014. His past exhibitions include those held at the Art Fusion Gallery, in Miami,Florida, United States; Monument de la RenaissanceAfricaine, Senegal;National Art Gallery, Lagos; National Museum of Unity, Enugu; Nike Art Gallery, Lagos; as well as The British Council, Alliance Francaise, Ofu Obi African Centre, in Enugu.

O let me drink from your alluring zest Now that death is near I see your beauty true and clear O let your shielding presence Hide me from man-made threat O save me from terrorists’ earth When time and night have come and passed Do preserve me from wear and tear That comes with passing of age and fear

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2015

COMMENTARY EDITORIALS

LETTER

A meal for Mediterranean fishes

For a strengthened police •President Buhari’s plan to recruit 10, 000 additional police personnel is laudable. But welfare should undergird the new dawn

RESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari on August 17, at the opening of a National Security Summit, announced a plan to employ an additional 10, 000 police officers, both for regular police duty and to put terrorism in check. The president also hinted at a police hinged on sound principles of community policing. That is the right way to go. Said the president: “The need for community input to crime management and policing in Nigeria has become imperative, considering our current national insecurity challenges in which kidnapping, armed robbery, murder, transnational crimes, terrorism and other organised crimes evolve and threaten our national values and over-all progress as a nation”. In his own contribution, Solomon Arase, the inspector-general of Police (IGP), also pushed for the National Assembly passing, into law, the Police Trust Fund Bill. The bill, the IGP insisted, would guarantee his much demoralised force better and adequate funding. All patriots and every security conscious Nigerian should push

‘But again, the key to all of this promise is the welfare of personnel. Right now, many police barracks nationwide are no better than warrens, from where even VIP rabbits would flee. A police well catered for is, more likely, well oriented and well driven to handle its security duties, with sure-footedness and pride’

for the bill’s passage. This is because a more efficient, effective and trusted police is in the interest of all. On the gadgetry front, President Buhari even raised the ante by speaking on his government’s plan to install close circuit television (CCTV) monitoring systems, in major cities and towns nationwide; to curb crime and have a tight lease on terror. This again is commendable, particularly the more holistic viewpoint that permanently drills the consciousness of terror in Police consciousness, aside from the day-to-day control of routine crime. It is a strategic model that should, if well implemented, stand this country in good stead; and avert a future terror insurgency, long after Boko Haram must have been history. Still none of all these would work, no matter how good on paper or how sound on principle, if the welfare of police personnel does not form the cornerstone of the envisaged plan. For starters, the stress on community policing (hardly a novel concept) is good. For too long, the present police has betrayed an operational principle that suggests perhaps it is more comfortable with private policing (securing the few privileged citizens) than public policing (security the majority). That should be discountenanced forthwith, for a scenario where a few state officials, and some high ranking ex-this and ex-that, nearmonopolise police protection, while the majority suffer neglect, is not acceptable. Now, if the police is perceived to work for the community, it would be easier for

the community to readily work for the police. A police with its soul firmly anchored in the community would have little problem surmounting the intelligence challenge. Gathering intelligence is, of course, key to security. If this is well done, most crimes would probably be checkmated, even before they are committed. Still, community policing could only be the short-term way of deepening security and reinventing the police as an efficient and effective force. The long term solution would be introducing state police, to make a cadre of the police well and truly community-driven. But again, the key to all of this promise is the welfare of personnel. Right now, many police barracks nationwide are no better than warrens, from where even VIP rabbits would flee. A police well catered for is, more likely, well oriented and well driven to handle its security duties, with sure-footedness and pride. So, the government should make it a point of urgent priority to invest in police welfare. A well groomed police should see the citizens under its care more as assets to be jealously protected, not overbearing enemies to be endured, if not outright attacked. Again, a happy police family would be less prone to corruption, one of the major drawbacks of the force at present. Let therefore this summit re-direct government attention to modernising the police. But as the work gadgets are being addressed, so should welfare. That way, the Nigeria Police should excel in its constitutionally given role.

Law-breaking in jail • Prison walls may be thick and foreboding, but they would appear nevertheless porous

N a demonstration of contemptuous disregard for the law and its structures, a daring courier successfully delivered 60 wraps of hemp to a robbery suspect in a mini-cell, at the Tinubu Magistrate’s Court in Lagos. The illegal substance was concealed in a Viju Milk bottle, and the messenger escaped arrest. As if these were not amazing enough, the suspect, Olalekan Bayo, was quoted as saying: “The person just came and said Lekan, this is for you from your friend at Ikoyi Prisons and I said okay.” It is unclear whether the alleged sender was also behind bars, which would make the incident even more scandalous and troubling. The suspect sounded unbelievable: “I do not know the courier or the source, and I did not know that the bottle was stuffed with hemp.” Police persecutors reportedly found the wraps of hemp in the suspect’s possession. According to Sergeant Andohemba Koti, “I was standing in front of the court this morning when I saw this young man with a bottle of Viju Milk. When he entered the court premises at first, he was looking in the left and right directions and I thought there was something fishy about his mission.” There can be no excuse for the security breach; it shouldn’t have happened in the first place. Ideally, if there were appropriate and effective security measures, the courier shouldn’t have been able to deliver the hemp to the suspect. An addi-

tional point: he shouldn’t have been able to escape arrest. It would appear that what happened at the court’s mini-cell was a reflection of what goes on in the prisons. It is a complication of criminality when drugs, and even dangerous weapons, find their way into spaces designed for the punishment of crime. It is an undesirable situation and full of dangers. Apart from other possibilities, access to drugs and weapons can inspire rebellion among inmates and lead to violent disorder. The prison security system needs to be tightened, no doubt. The reality that prisons are not out of bounds to the public does heighten the security challenge, but it is definitely not insurmountable. In a way, the incident at the Tinubu court was a replay of a reported occurrence at the Kirikiri Prison last year. A 35-year-old caterer, Oyinyechi Ezirim, was arrested by prison officials as she attempted to smuggle hemp to her boyfriend in jail. “The compressed dried weeds concealed inside noodles tested positive for cannabis and weighed 4.1kg,” the authorities said. Ezirim’s story is instructive. She was quoted as saying: “I used to buy noodles for my boyfriend who has been in prison custody for one year. Last week, he told me that a former inmate promised to send him two cartons of noodles. Unfortunately, when I got to the prison, 20 packs of the noodles were found to contain hemp.”

It is food for thought that food is considered useful as a vehicle for smuggling drugs into prison for inmates. It is also a point to ponder that the two instances implicated people who had prison experience. A stunning riot at Kirikiri that had the appearance of an attempted jailbreak last year also highlighted lax prison security. In the aftermath of the incident, there were shocking revelations that the inmates had rebelled against a move by prison officials to deny them access to creature comforts such as mobile phones, generators, hemp and cigarettes. Inasmuch as prison is not isolated from the larger community, it is understandable that people would think up ways of breaching security for their own ends. However, the onus is on the authorities to ensure that the place of punishment for crime does not become a place for perpetration and perpetuation of crime.

‘It would appear that what happened at the court’s mini-cell was a reflection of what goes on in the prisons. It is a complication of criminality when drugs, and even dangerous weapons, find their way into spaces designed for the punishment of crime. It is an undesirable situation and full of dangers’

IR: There is a pervading and nauseating culture of deafening silence on the part of African leaders on what could be called a weekly report from Mediterranean Sea –where many African youths in quest for greener pastures in Europe ignorantly make themselves a perfect meal for sea lives. Why are African youths so desperate to leave Africa? It shows how politics and government have degenerated on the continent. If governments are working, that is ‘doing for the people what they cannot do for themselves,’ no African youths will fancy leaving their country, let alone through the Sahara desert and with a derelict ship over the Mediterranean. What this is telling us is simple: leadership failure! Africans are fleeing Africa because of the vicious circle of poverty ravaging the continent. They are fleeing because of the staggering level of unemployment hitting their countries. They are fleeing because their governments lack the vision needed to transform Africa into a better place. The environment is configured to suit and serve the needs of the elite class and their cronies. The ordinary man in Africa is just a mere pawn on the political chess board. So tell me why there won’t be migration spike? Africa is no longer conducive for youths. Everything -virtually everything- is in a state of disarray. No African youths will ever decline any opportunity to leave this continent that our leaders have associated with backwater. What do you expect from a youth from Burundi –where Pierre Nkurunziza is running an illegitimate government – when he hears that he could make it to Spain if he makes it to Algeria through the Sahara? What do you expect from a youth from Zimbabwe –where god Mugabe reigns – when he hears that a ship can take him to Italy only if he could make it to Libya? Or a Nigerian youth - a country in which 90% of youths are potential migrants – who is so convinced of making it to Italy if he enters Libya? Or a youth from the Failed State of Libya who does not need to cross the Sahara desert? What do you expect of them? Each month –nowadays weeks–able and energized African youths leave their families, friends and relations and embark on a perilous journey to Europe through the Sahara desert and Mediterranean. Many die or are killed by traffickers in the Sahara; dozens drown in the Mediterranean and a few make it to Europe –some even got deported. That’s the plight of an African youth. According to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), in 2011, 61,000 people fled to Italy from North Africa and the figure skyrocketed to 130,000 in 2014. African leaders are uninterested in these reports because they are suffering from what Barbara Tuchman dubbed ‘woodheadedness.’ Is not scary that no emergency meeting has been called by AU to consider the matter? Is not appalling that no campaign has been started by AU to deescalate this spike? Seriously, Africa needs regeneration. Having said this, African youths should understand that only a fool finds solution in running away from his problem. Africa’s problem centres squarely on leadership and it can only be solved by African youths –so why run away? Also, wearing the cloaks of hard work and contentment will do. You must not travel to Europe or Americas to make it –if Dangote made it in Nigeria, you too can make it here! • Asikason Jonathan, Lapai , Niger state.

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

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2015

CARTOON & LETTERS

IR: Any country needs peace to develop. Political upheavals and social disorders are precursors to underdevelopment and poverty. But peace must be accompanied with justice. That is the reason most Nigerians welcomed the Peace Committee now named National Peace Council. But some of the members are not patriots but just Nigerians in religious garb. Many of these religious leaders have been compromised by our erstwhile rulers. Unlike formidable clerics like Cardinal Olubunmi Okojie, Primate Abiodun Adetiloye, Bishop Gbonigi, formerly of Akure Anglican Diocese, most of our current faith leaders are just a pale different from the politicians who ran the country aground. Whatever the inducement and handshakes they had enjoyed in the past, it beats one’s imagination to observe that some members of the Peace Council, mostly religious leaders, give the impression that the current efforts to locate and repatriate Nigeria’s looted wealth is witch-

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Treasury looters and religious leaders hunting or selective efforts made in bad faith. They may be acting from a sense of guilt or loyalty to their erstwhile friends. In point of fact, discerning Nigerians were amused at the number of times these religious figures found their way to Aso Rock in the last few years. With the open defence by these religious people of the past government, we now know why some of our problems in Nigeria are so fundamental. One could see the anguish on the face of the chairman of that body, Gen. Abdulsalami, when Bishop Kukah and other sectarian members of the council were talk-

ing, that they were not on the same page. For example, Bishop Matthew Kukah both in speech and body language pleaded with Nigerians and the new government not to witchhunt past leaders. On the other hand, the Sultan was solid and unequivocal in his condemnation of the past stealing as he recommended seizure and recovery of loot and also prosecution of the shameless looters. The conclusion, therefore, is that in the last decade or so, this country has been plundered beyond reason. To make a new start, we should look back a bit.

Ogbomoso: road terrorism

IR: The incessant accidents on Oyo-Ogbomoso expressway have generated a debate as to whether they are rituals of fate or results of road terrorism. The two historic cities at each end of the road are ruled by powerful monarchs with political prowess: The Alaafin of Oyo and the Soun of Ogbomoso. The town of Ogbomoso serves as home to one of the nation’s foremost universities, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH). The road is a link between the Northern and Southern parts of the country, reflecting the economic importance of the road. These obvious advantages have, however, not shown commendable influence on the state of the road. The road has remained in a deteriorating state for years, with increasing pot-holes, unimaginable faults , recorded accidents, hence, it is been referred to as a ‘death -trap’. According to the Federal Road Safety Commission, Oyo state recorded the highest number of road fatalities in 2011 and the OyoOgbomoso road was a major contributor to this figure. The casualties on this road have not reduced,

as it continues to claim lives of students, traders and other travellers. The 50-kilometre-long road was meant to be included in the IbadanIlorin road construction project executed by the previous administration, but it was skipped. The road construction work, which started from Ibadan to Oyo, was continued at the other end from Ogbomoso to Ilorin. Former Minister for Works under the administration, Mr. Mike Onalememen had promised the construction of the Oyo-Ogbomoso expressway, saying, “the road is a section of route A1, one of the four North- South arterial highways in the sense that Ibadan-OyoOgbomoso-Ilorin Road is basically a corridor that links southern and northern parts of the country, which is very important in the movement of goods and services, particularly from Lagos ports and industrial complexes, to the northern Nigeria.” But the road remains in its inherited state with no signs of construction work. The width of most parts of the dual-carriage road is now visibly short of the standard 7 metres as the road has been significantly

trimmed at the sides by erosive agents over the years. What has become most minatory about the road is the volume of heavy-duty vehicles transporting different materials across the country. These vehicles are the major causes of accidents on this road. The drivers of these vehicles are usually reckless even with their knowledge of the bad condition of the road. Poorly calculated overtaking, vehicle control failure, among others, are activities that lead to regular mishaps on the road. Other times, when these vehicles are not involved in accidents, they break down and it usually takes a long time to tow them off the road. This results in traffic jams and possible attacks on road users. Something needs to be done. A proper rehabilitation of the OyoOgbomoso road should be one of the important assignments of the current administration. The Ogbomoso- Oyo road project is overdue for execution. • Ibironke Oluwatobi ibironkeoluwatobi@gmail.com

The issue now is that this country must move forward. And we can’t achieve that feat except we discontinue with the administration and financial manipulations that have been described as odious, although what has been unearthed is a tip of iceberg. What do these religious people say of a public servant who owns 12 landed properties in Abuja? What do they say of fleeing Ministers, Directors, Chairmen and members of statutory bodies who have fled the country ahead of any investigation into their finances? Of course some of them are nominal pastors and priests and they have paid their dues to churches and their leaders. But does that reflect the best

interest of our country? Youth unemployment in Nigeria is perhaps the highest in Africa. The double tragedy here is that most of these unemployed youth are educated, which makes the situation potentially combustible and dangerous. If the looming catastrophe can be avoided now, why don’t we do so? Most of the industries in urban areas are ghost institutions. Those of them that still exist are operating at best at 25% capacity. The looters of our treasury have multiple passports and many buildings and structures in choice capitals of the Middle East, Western Europe and the Americas. The policy is he who knows how to steal must know how to escape. I think the least these religious people can do is to tell Nigerians that they are sorry for being chummy with the looters of Nigeria and proceed to appeal to today’s men to pinch less, if at all, than their predecessors. • Deji Fasuan, MON, JP, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State

A vote for part-time legislature

IR: The moment there is parttime legislature, we will separate the monkey from the donkey. Part-time legislature would ensure that only those who have the capacity, capability, zeal and tenacity of purpose would go to the legislative houses. We don’t need those who are bench-warmers or absentee/truant legislators. We don’t need those who have nothing to contribute on the floor of the parliament to continue to be our lawmakers. During the 1999 2003 legislative period, the young man that represented my constituency – Mbaise Federal – Tony Anyanwu, set a record by initiating and sponsoring over 90 private member Bills. How many of the federal lawmakers who have recycled themselves since 1999 can boast of that? Cardinal to the vote in favour of part-time legislature is the high cost of governance in Nigeria. The jumbo salaries and outlandish allowances which our lawmakers cart away have continued to retard the progress and development of

the country. Big size of governments has been our bane. We need to reduce cost of governance, avoid leakages and waste, in order to create jobs for angry and restive youths, who see affluence - ”water, water everywhere but not a drop for them to drink.” We need to discard the present crop of lawmakers who manipulate constituency projects. We don’t need lawmakers who go to their constituencies only at election time, give the people handouts – rice, clothes and other items, get their votes, disappear, only to resurface and start building one or two facilities, give scholarships and so on, in order to continue to buy the people’s conscience. Let us try part-time legislature. Rome, they say, was not built in a day. We need professionals and men and women of intellect as lawmakers, not those who see legislative seats as returns on investment. •Ifeanyi Alia, Lagos, Nigeria.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY,AUGUST 19, 2015

COMMENTS

Our Girls; Buhari Award; WAEC 38.6% Pass, is Nigeria failing youth? Japan’s classrooms

UR Girls are still missing since April 15 th 2015 and the struggle goes on, with renewed Presidential vigour. We pray that the end is in sight with the Tony multi-country apMarinho proach and a threemonth time-line even as Nigerians seeking a better future join the 250,000 boat migrants and 2,300 drowned and killed by boat engine fumes while crossing the Mediterranean. And please, President Buhari, reject ‘awards’ for ‘Integrity’ et cetera till you leave office. This will save Nigeria millions in EXPENSIVE PLAQUES WHICH HAVE BECOME A PLAGUE of ‘Conference Awards’ with zero value. ‘GIVE NOTHING OR A BOOK. NOT A PLAQUE’! The epidemic of ‘Wall Plaque’ Awards is a malignantly corrupt Nigerian disease - ‘Plaque-itis’. Children are wonderful creations of God, entrusted to our care. We fail and should go to jail! Today many Internally Displaced Persons are children with Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome memories. Meanwhile their peers are faced with PTSD from near-war deprivations in ‘normal’ Nigerian schools. We weep for Franz Fanon’s ‘The Wretched Children of Nigeria’s Earth’ in 2015 - in 70,000 pigsty ‘schools’ containing 1,000,000 ‘empty brain’ classrooms and with ‘less than nothing’ education. For 30+ years, I have been distressed that millions of Nigerian women labour and many die in pools of blood, sometimes in front of me, only to deliver children condemned by politicians to an ‘Education Execution’ in ‘Nigeria’s Epidemic of Education Failure’. Every year nationwide, 1,000,000/ class set fail promotion exams from JSS1 to SS3 -about 6,000,000 failing children/year. And no remedy, just more failed multibillion Conferences and Summits and UBEs! Why? And all the support from PTA, Old Students, NGOs, Corporate Social Responsibility-CSR, UN/UNESCO/ UNICEF or foreign embassy/donor assistance is a pittance. It cannot replace the leaks or holes in the education sieve caused by thieving education schemes/scams and the unwillingness of parents to confront government and

FTER two weeks of anxiety, suspense and denial, the controversy surrounding the fate of Oba Okunade Sijuwade, Olubuse II, the Ooni of Ife, finally came to an end last Wednesday, August 12, 2015, when the Ife Traditional Council formally announced his transition. That announcement laid to rest the speculation that had dominated the media regarding the fate of the Oba since the evening of July 28, 2015. On Tuesday, July 28, 2015, news of the demise of the frontline traditional ruler in a highbrow hospital in London hit the airwaves and sent cold shivers all over the place. Apparently jolted by the news, the Ife Traditional Council vehemently denied that the Oba had passed on. The Council said the “rumour” was the handiwork of mischief-makers. But the ‘rumour mongers’ were unrelenting in their reportage of the transition of the Oba. This created a lot of confusion. And this was the situation until Wednesday last week; a clear 16 days after the news first broke out, when the news of the Oba’s transition was officially made known by the Traditional Council. From then on, various traditional cult groups held bizarre displays around the town and within the fortress of the palace as part of the traditional rites of passage for the revered Oba. Before then, the Oro cult group had clandestinely commenced certain rites in the ancient town since the news was first broken by the media. As required by tradition, markets were shut and people were kept in-

behave responsibly. No child bears the surname ‘Government’. We have a serial ‘Government rundown of education’! In Oyo State, the Japanese are building classrooms. Hurray??? Yes, ‘Thank you’ Japan where its people have had 10,000 MW Fukushima nuclear plant disaster–2.5 times Nigeria’s power, earthquakes, tsunamis, floods since 2011. In contrast, Nigeria’s only disaster is a corrupt ‘Politics and Civil Service System. Nigeria should be building classrooms for Japan, abi? Why only classrooms from Japan? After or instead of the classrooms, Japan, famous for science, IT, cars, bullet trains, solar and wind power, must be asked to GIVE OYO STATE A MODERN ROBOTICS LABORATORY in the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, The Ibadan Polytechnic and even in the Federal Faculties of Technology, Engineering and College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, for robotic limb replacement post-Boko Haram. Or perhaps a NEW AGODI GARDENS JAPAN-OYO STATE SCIENCE EXHIBITION CENTRE for more science knowledge. Anyone can build classrooms. Only the brilliant build Science Exhibition Centres. Both Ajimobi and the Japanese are brilliant. Foreign aid is welcome. Is there a Japan/ Oyo State Robotics Exchange Programme between LAUTECH, Polytechnic Ibadan and Okinawa Lego Robots? Please Google Robotic Teachers in Japan, Robotic Technology in Japan, IEEE-Xplore, innovate.ieee.org, International Robot Exhibition in Japan and 1000 Japanese robotic websites. Building on this Japan classroom link, the Ajimobi Government can ask Japan to support a massive science teacher upgrade packages, science development kits in schools including Government College, St Anne’s and School of Science School, Elekuro. Japan is a leader in wind and solar technology. Beyond building mundane classrooms, Nigerians await the ‘JAPAN TSUNAMI EFFECT IN SCIENCE EDUCATION AND ELECTRICITY IN OYO STATE. Governor Ajimobi can bring Oyo children into a 2015 HIGH TECH FUTURE. Excuse me, in which continent is 38.6% [ 616,370/ 1,593,442] a pass mark? The Dark Continent? And half of those who passed were attending private schools. The real pass rate for ‘public schools’ will be 20%. So 80% of public school students are not ‘fit for purpose’ after 6

years, in spite of UBE, PTF and sundry bodies spending too much on administration and corrupt contracts. And who is responsible for children’s failure? Education is not ‘nuclear physics’ but brain-bathing in knowledge stew stirred by teachers with facilities. Teachers protested being sacked for failing Governor Oshiomole’s Teacher Quality Control Tests. He lost and so youth failed again. Without sacking, the solution is to USE HOLIDAYS FOR ‘INTENSIVE TEACHER RETRAINING’ including the ‘HUMAN RIGHT OF A CHILD NOT TO BE INJURED, ABUSED, ASSAULTED OR BULLIED’. The WAEC students for 2016 should be targeted by EDUCATION ELITE FORCE/NYSC with additional lessons in MORAL AND SOCIAL SKILLS for ‘change’. This WAEC failure is Nigeria’s failure. The wealth of UBEC and other agencies contrasts with the empty classrooms which lack simple keys to an educated brain – BOOKS, WALL CHARTS, SCIENCE LABORATORY EQUIPMENT, SPORTS EQUIPMENT AND LIBRARIES/ LIBRARY BOXES. AND THEN WE WONDER WHY NIGERIA’S CHILDREN FAIL IN THE UNFRIENDLY LEARNING ENVIRONMENT. We all know DECREPIT SCHOOLS- UNFIT FOR ANIMALS BUT ‘OK’ FOR NIGERIA’S CHILDREN. OUR MIS-EDUCATION IS A HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSE OF NIGERIA’S CHILDREN. In government schools, THERE IS ONLY A 20% CHANCE OF PASSING AND AN 80% CHANCE OF FAILURE IN WAEC. Put this sign on the blackboard in every classroom as a permanent slogan for the education war. PS: Nigerian children do not need another Ladi Kwali Hall N1billion Education Summit. Under ‘change’, remove corruption from Education and booklists. ‘It is better.. to have a millstone around the neck.. than to harm… a child’ is a biblical quote for Education Stakeholders.

‘And who is responsible for children’s failure? Education is not ‘nuclear physics’ but brain-bathing in knowledge stew stirred by teachers with facilities’

Ile-Ife: Tradition Vs Modernity (3) doors. The ceremonies came to a crescendo last Friday when an open-air interdenominational service was held for the repose of the soul of the departed Oba after which his remains were later interred at a private burial ceremony within the palace walls. That ended an era in the history of the ancient town. But while the controversy lasted, the media was awash with so much distortions, misinformation and misinterpretations which further compounded the schism between the tradition of the ancient town and modernity. For instance, in reporting activities at the Ooni’s palace, allusions were made to the existence of an Ile Nla and also Ile Ase. While it is true that there is a magnificent edifice, a bungalow, called Ile Nla within the palace grounds, there is nothing called Ile Ase in that palace. What exists side-by-side with Ile Nla, which is like an extension of the IleNla itself, is called Ilegbo. Within that Ilegbo, is a sacred place called Ile Ominrin. Ile Ominrin is the powerhouse in the palace. This is the place where most of the gods and deities worshipped in the ancient town are invoked. It is the place where the Ooni wears his traditional Aare crown which he wears once in a year during the Olojo festival, a festival set aside for the worshipping of Ogun, the god of iron. This is also the place where the final procedure for the

‘The people of Ife have always placed a high premium on their culture and tradition, which was why in the face of the ceaseless media frenzy on the fate of the Ooni, the people of the ancient city held on tenaciously to their age-long belief’

enthronement of a new Oba takes place. A deceased Oba is also prepared for burial there. For many years, Ile Nla, a building adorned with beautiful carvings depicting the ancient tradition and customs of the people of Ile-Ife, doubled as the town hall before another befitting town hall was built many years ago at the inception of the reign of the late Oba Sijuwade. The new town hall is located at a place called Oke-Enuwa, a walking distance from the palace and very close to Okemogun, the shrine of the god of iron. Inside the Ile Nlaare two graves at the entrance and another two graves at the rear part of the building which are said to be the graves of some previous Oonis. The grave of the late Ooni Adesoji Tadeniawo Aderemi, who died on July 3, 1980, is located at a place adjacent Ile Ominrin, very close to Ile Nla. The late Ooni Sijuwade is believed to have been laid to rest near the grave of Ooni Aderemi. Except for these ones mentioned here, it is not very clear where the remains of other previous Oonis were interred. Also there was a mention of an Abobaku, that is, he who dies with the king. While it may not be disputed that it probably existed in the past, the late Ooni Aderemi was said to have put an end to such practice during his 50-year reign as part of measures to do away with some of the practices of old that he found incompatible with modern reality. In the past, the person so known as Abobaku was called Sarun, the traditional aide-de-camp to the Ooni. Though with his skinned head, the Sarun looked more like an Emese, as the traditional bodyguards of the Ooni are called, the Sarun is a coveted office. The occupant enjoys a number of privileges including an unfettered access to the Ooni. For anybody who wants

to see the Ooni, the Sarun is the person to meet, the person who acts as the go-between the Ooni and the Chiefs or Emeses and other visitors to the palace. The Sarun occupies a pride of place in the palace of the Ooni. The story is that, in the days of yore, once an Oba gave up the ghost, it was customary for the Sarun to automatically follow him in order to serve him in the great beyond. But Ooni Aderemi stopped all that including other sacrifices probably involving the shedding of human blood. I remember in July 1980, when Ooni Aderemi joined his ancestors, the then Sarun, now late, was so terrified that he was pacing up and down in the palace with his eyes turned red, murmuring: ”Aderemi ku, mo ku re ni, Aderemi ku, mo ku re ni.......” meaning, :”Since Aderemi is dead, I am dead”. During this period, the Sarun was extremely mindful of movements around him. And as this was going on, some of the Emeses, who probably had been envious of Sarun’s awesome powers within the palace, were noticed talking in hushed tones whether to uphold the tradition or not, in spite of the abolition of such practices by the departed Ooni. Some of the very stubborn ones among them were overheard saying: “Abi ki a se bi won se nse?” meaning:”Should we do it as it is done?” Fortunately, the Sarun was spared. A new Oba will always appoint his own Sarun particularly among the Emeses(bodyguards). Chief Adekola Adeyeye, the present holder of the Jaran traditional chieftaincy title in Ife, who is second in command to the Lowa of Ife, the highest traditional chief of the ancient town, was the

Dele Agekameh second Sarun of the late Oba Sijuwade, a position he held for fifteen years, before he was converted to a traditional chief because of the late Ooni’s love for him. He rose rapidly through the ranks to his present status as Jaran. So the talk of human sacrifices during the rites of passage for the late Ooni is a figment of the imagination of the writers. By and large, the significance of what happened last week is that Ife has strong traditional and cultural beliefs that have remained sacrosanct in spite of modernity and its attendant encroachment on traditional beliefs and customs in Yoruba land in particular and Africa in general. The people of Ife have always placed a high premium on their culture and tradition, which was why in the face of the ceaseless media frenzy on the fate of the Ooni, the people of the ancient city held on tenaciously to their age-long belief. Now that the late Ooni’s remains have been interred, the race to fill the vacant stool has started in earnest. That topic is for another day. • Concluded. For comments Text (only) to : 08058354382

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2015

COMMENTS ‘Re: Perennial failure in Mathematics and English Language is due to a lot of factors among these are poor staffing of schools, i.e. no Mathematics and English teachers, uncontrolled quest for money by students, insincerity of the few teachers for selfishness of the leaders, cutting corners syndrome that engulfed our society, poor supervision by the school authorities and absence of thorough teaching of Mathematics and English in many schools etc. From Obafemi Iwaraja, Osun state’ •Obasanjo

For Segun Gbedegesin On NASS cut in salaries -That the Senate is rejecting the report set up to review their salaries is a pointer that they are after money not service. These money mongers spend 181 days in a year for wasteful legislation. Many of them attend session to collect their pay; equally many of them are jobless beings before getting to National Assembly. We need patriotic Nigerians not hungry greedy legislators.the labour movement should come together to fight these profitles beings. wardrobe/ constituency allowances etc must be scrapped. The last house passed over 40 useless bills in 10 minutes. They are the worst world legislator. The public must wage war on these corrupt and selfish beings. They are not prepared for change. From Odunmbak Thank you sir, l praise God for your life and what you have been doing for the progress of Nigeria as a whole. Really to me, I see Buhari just as any other Nigerian leader; a man of purpose and I will continue pray for him. Thank you. From Pastor Aromasodu. Owing to your passion for President Buhari and your faith in him to rescue Nigeria from economic doldrum based on your understanding of his vision and his past service; The Nation August 14. Enunciate to Nigerians his impact on his Katsina State beside his achieved presidential ambition. Thank you. From Emmanuel Enyi. Your commentary was very objective, but I wished to state just like you have mentioned that whatever height/status a Nation may have rose to at any point of her socio-economic and political history is a function of effective leadership and this is primarily what Nigeria lacks as a sovereign nation. From Moses, Uyo. Where Singapore is today in economic transformation, PMB will take Nigeria term before the end of his first tenure despite the insecurity and empty treasury he inherited from past government. PMB has what it takes to make Nigeria a better place for everybody. PMB need time. From Gordon Chika Nnorom, Umukabia What transformational leadership can do. Thank you for your excellent article. Singapore was privileged to have great men as leaders hence their ability to achieve so much in spite of the very challenging circumstances. While they could galvanise four races, we have not been able to manage one race. From Owen- Browne. I enjoy your piece titled ‘what transformational leadership can do’. I have this unwavering confidence in President Buhari that a day to the presidential election, I sent an SMS to some friends, challenging God to take

my life after five days if General Buhari lost in the election. And that if they wanted me to live, they should vote for General Buhari. By the time President Buhari does eight years, the achievement of Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore will be a child’s play. God has given this nation a man that will take us to the promised land. God bless President Buhari. From Sam Emiowei. I believe in the project Nigeria and in PMB to make Nigeria great. He won against all odds having attempted three times before. Senator Saraki should be ashamed of himself. From Lucky. Re: What transformational leadership can do. I always appreciate Gbadegesin for his researches. He wrote that Singaporean leader Lee Kuan Yew did not succumb to fear of the unknown. Just as it is festering in our unpatriotic NASS now. Leadership in democracy is a team -work. Transformation is complete change in somebody and in something being driven by somebody. Coming near Singapore requires transformation of our elected representatives now. Until we change, nothing changes. International Conferences/Workshops are hosted in Singapore to generate revenue , but here we host them to expend resources and corner funds. Transformation begins with selfrenewal of the mind (Rom.12:2). Irrespective political affiliation, our members of NASS need transformation. If not, may the Lord help Mr. President and sustain Tinubu with fresh wisdom. Nigeria shall survive and outlive our over-ambitious and confused NASS members. From Ladipo O. David, Gwagwalada. Prof Gbadegesin, Please, help us tell the Election Peace Committee to get off the stage; they are becoming an irritant. To put it mildly, the elections are over, we voted for Buhari and APC ! Anonymous For Prof. Olatunji Dare Kudos to you sir, in fact you are a talented writer and avid researcher. But sir, an unending mess like that of Gogi needs an instantaneous attention and urgent action of Mr President and all who can restore peace in the land. Because in every abnormal situation, a normal solution is needed. Surveyor Amidu Saheed, Ifo. Your article ‘ Between ‘national icon’ and iconographer’ is a master piece. I have asked many people of like minds to read it. You wrote as if you read my mind when I read the advert. I felt it can only happen in Nigeria, considering the icon and iconographer. I am also a pertinacious consumer of The Nation newspaper. Thank God for you and the ambassadors of change. From Titi Bamgbose What makes Kabba a more appropriate place for a Federal

university than Lokoja? Anonymous. Bravo for your insightful piece at back page of The Nation of Tuesday, Augst 11, 2015.That illustrates the tragedy of our beloved country. God be with you. From Ekata. For Gbenga Omotoso Re Fanks WAEC, have you also observed that undergraduates now converse in pidgin English. You will think all of them were raised in Warri. Whose fault? Parents. Parents. Parents. From Lola Hajala. Sir, your piece today is diligently objective in capturing the degree of the rot in our academic system and the shallow knowledge of the Nigerian replacement generation (the youth) and their abysmal handling of the lingual franca. A time divinely revealed and globally adjudged that there shall be and now is when knowledge has increased. Sir! The question is has the knowledge increments (digital advancements) of the 21st century become the greatest undoing, nightmare of the Nigerian youths? From Okeiyi Duke. Barrister in equity. I have been enjoying your articles every now and then. I am happy you didn’t disappoint today, at least we are privileged to have an idea of what Baba discussed with PMB! Keep on the good work, more ink into your pen. From Sunday Adebiyi, Abuja Good afternoon. Bless you for the “Fanks WAEC” write up. I read it and agree with you totally. I guess parents are to be blamed, the reason being that some parents condone their children writing to them in short form. If it were short hand, I understand but short form, HELL NO! I have warned my children never to send text messages to me in short forms. If they do, they are punished for it. Thank God, they don’t. Even children of nowadays hardly read novels. Kindly let parents know they need to get things very right. Thanks. Anonymous. Fanks WAEC is a thought-provoking piece for a discerning mind. How I wish that various schools regulate the use of social media by the students. Our children in the village are having upper hand reading-wise. Please check out. From Tunde Alao. Re: Fanks WAEC. Yours made an interesting read in The Nation of Thursday, August 13, 2015. Pray the authorities in charge of education at both Federal and State levels will read, reflect and respond proactively to arrest this ugly trend among our teenagers and youths in this seemingly corrupt digital age! Thanks for publishing. From Dr Ekundayo, JMO, Lagos Re-Buhari hosts Obasanjo. It was a good and lengthy conversation by two good jolly fellows of OBJ and

•Jonathan

PMB. However, let PMB go ahead and kill the corruption, first! Other things like power stability, judicial improvement and discipline, will follow. From Lanre Oseni. Your installment today, “Buhari hosts Obasanjo”; witty as it gets, could crack a rib or two. Cheers! From Imade WAEC is neither the problem nor the teachers. Children spend 33 per cent of time with parents at home. That’s when they are glued to computer games, films and music. From Prof Femi Obasanjo should not distract PMB leadership over his recent visits to see PMB in Aso rock. All former head of states should allow PMB to kick start his plan to probe corrupt politicians that looted treasury.PMB wants to recover all looted funds for infrastructural development and other sundry. From Gordon Chika Nnorom Good evening. Your article ’fanks W A E C” made very interesting reading. I laughed despite seriousness of the issue raised. It’s write- up of the month in my estimation. Keep it up sir. From Benedicta, Benin. Re:Buhari host Obasanjo. A hilarious master piece! However I wish you had written more on the super conmanGoodluck Ebele Jonathan! From Idowu Ogedengbe, Abuja. Re : Fanks WAEC. Queen Primer is an Ancient books that I recommend for my Students ( some senior class)who cannot read. Reading before writing WAEC- children need role models and the first they see to imitate is their parents. Parents are to blame for this, your children are the products of your deposits “time, money, effort and prayers”. From Olaide. Thanks for your piece published in The Nation newspaper of August 13, 2015. Methinks kids should leave Facebook and face their books. From Utibe Re: Perennial failure in Mathematics and English Language is due to a lot of factors among these are poor staffing of schools, i.e. no Mathematics and English teachers, uncontrolled quest for money by students, insincerity of the few teachers for selfishness of the leaders, cutting corners syndrome that engulfed our society, poor supervision by the school authorities and absence of thorough teaching of Mathematics and English in many schools etc. From Obafemi Iwaraja, Osun state Your write up on Fanks WAEC of August 13 is straight to the point on the poor performance on English and Mathematics. Our students today are too lazy to learn. The parents also share the blame most students have no text books If the tuition is free according to our government what about other things that make learning easy and effective. Its share laziness on book work but concentrate on profitable things. From Mrs Olusanya

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2015

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‘When modular refineries are operated, they would be refining smaller quantities of crude oil, create jobs, and help grow the economy’ •Former Commander of JTF, Major-General Emmanuel Atewe

Oil workers kick as NNPC moves to axe 700 jobs

Nigeria gets ACA’s support on cashew waste recycling By Daniel Essiet

By Akinola Ajibade

IL workers, acting under the aegis of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers and Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (NUPENGASSAN), and the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) have rejected plans by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to sack seven hundred of its workers, The Nation has learnt It was gathered that the workers were holding consultations to stave off any immediate or future plans to lay off any of its members by the management of the NNPC. The source said ongoing meeting between NNPC Group Managing Director (GMD), Dr Emmanuel Kachikwu and the representatives of the workers, would try and address the issue of retrenchment of workers in the industry. The workers, had penultimate last week, urged President Muhammad Buhari, to wade into the issue with a view to compelling the GMD not to sack its members. PENGASSAN’s spokesman, Babatunde Oke, said workers have protested the sack at the NNPC few days ago to win support for their actions. NNPC, through its spokesman, Ohi Alegbe has rebuffed the claims that the state-run oil firm is going to axe 700 jobs. Alegbe said ongoing restructuring at the firm would not warrant massive job cuts, as being speculated by the workers, adding that it would only affect top management workers and that most of those affected had already been fired.

•From left: Head, Programme Office, Financial System Strategy (FSS) 2020, Olwatoyin Jokosenumi; Director, Banking and Payment System Department, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Dipo Fatokun and Chief Executive Officer, E-Payment Providers Association of Nigeria (E-PPAN), Mrs. Onajite Regha during a two-day e-government summit organised by E-PPAN and FSS 2020 Office in Abuja.

NIPP’s privatisation hits brickwall as bidders withdraw

NCERTAINTY has enveloped the planned privatisation of the 10 power plants built by the Federal Government under the National Integrated Power Project (NIPP) through the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) Limited as bidders have started withdrawing their bid bonds. The Nation learnt that most of the bidders have withdrawn their bid bonds as the project has more than enough challenges confronting it including legal and financial issues. The NDPHC, it was gathered is reeling in debt as the Federal Government is owing it over N64 billion.

•Fed Govt owes N64 billion By Emeka Ugwuanyi

An industry source who spoke on condition of anonymity said the privatisation of the NIPP power plants has been scuttled. The source stated that the planned divestment of government from the power plants was to enable the NDPHC to earnestly begin the second phase, lamenting however that huge debt and litigations have stalled the plan. Also, lack of gas to the power plants didn’t help matters too. If there was gas, the plants could have been in full commercial

operation, the source said. The source said: “The privatisation transaction of the 10 NDPHC power plants is currently stalled due to inadequate gas for full commercial operation and partial payment of energy invoices arising from the poor liquidity of the power sector. As we speak, the NDPHC alone is owed over N64 billion, which is not too good. “Besides, four of the 10 power plants are currently under bidders’ litigation. The affected power plants include Alaoji in Abia State, Gbarain in Bayelsa

State, Ogorode in Sapele, Delta State, and Omoku in Rivers State. “But the most devastating of it all is that majority of the bidders have withdrawn their bid bonds hence the uncertainty on the fate of the transaction is enormous.” He said until those issues were resolved, there is no way forward for the sale of the power plants and commencement of new investment under NIPP Phase II in which the organisation would invest in transmission infrastructure, large hydropower plants including Mambilla, Gurara II and 10 other small hydropower plants.

Stock Exchange sanctions 21 firms over delayed results

HE Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) has imposed monetary sanctions on 21 quoted companies over their failure to meet the extended deadline for the submission of their audited reports and accounts for their business year. A report obtained earlier this week indicated that the NSE imposed fines ranging from between N100, 000 to N6 million on 20 companies. Some 22 others that have defaulted are under assessment to determine the accrued sanctions. The sanctioned companies are expected to disclose the sanctions in their next annual report. The latest report is in line with The Nation’s report in May this year that the NSE

By Taofik Salako

might sanction 45 companies after they failed to meet the 30-day extended deadline for the submission of their audited annual reports. The breakdown of the sanctions showed that Daar Communications Plc received the highest fine of N6 million while Nigerian Ropes got the lowest fine of N100, 000. Universal Insurance received the second highest fine of N5.3 million while Resort Savings and Loans placed third with a fine of N4.3 million. African Alliance will N4.2 million. Aso Savings and Loans was fined N3.7 million while Mutual Benefits Assurance, which was fined for double defaults, would pay a total of N3.6 million.

Others companies included Nigerian Enamelware, N1.6 million; E-Tranzact, N2.7 million; C and I Leasing, N1.3 million; the trio of Fortis Microfinance Bank, Lasaco Assurance and Japaul Oil and Maritimes Services were fined N400, 000 each; the trio of Regency Assurance, Staco Insurance and Niger Insurance were fined N700,000 each; Linkage Assurance and Studio Press were slammed with N900,000 each while NEM Insurance and Equity Assurance would pay N300,000 and N500,000 respectively. Following a report by The Nation that more than twothirds of quoted companies have not submitted their audited reports at the expiration

Cote D’Ivoire firm acquires 28.2% stake in Equity Assurance - P28

of the initial regular deadline of March 31, the NSE had extended the March 31 deadline by a period of one month. With this companies that operate the Gregorian calendar year as their business year had up till April 30 to submit their full-year audited reports and accounts. Checks had then indicated that some 40 companies have not submitted their earnings reports and now are liable for sanctions by the Exchange. The NSE usually applies both the “naming and shaming” and monetary sanctions on earnings defaulters. A report on sanctions and fines for similar defaults in 2013 showed that the NSE slammed about N105.9 million on 48 companies that de-

Better days are here for Lagos retirees - P 38

layed their results. The fines ranged from between N200, 000 and N6.8 million. The NSE had slammed some N60.2 million as fines on 34 companies for failure to meet deadlines for 2011 audited reports. With a range of N3.8 million and N100, 000, average fine for the year was N1.77 million. The NSE has also confirmed that 89 per cent of quoted companies have filed their audited accounts for the year ended 31 December last year as at August 3 this year. Head, Legal and Regulation Division,Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Tinuade Awe, said that late filing has the potential to adversely affect the market and their shareholders.

HE African Cashew Alliance has reiterated its commitment to helping Nigeria implement changes needed to reduce poverty through creation of jobs in cashew waste recycling. Presenting the USAIDfunded Trade Hub Project commissioned study on environmental management of cashew processing industry, ACA SEAL Coordinator, Dorcas D. Amoh said Nigeria and other West African countries are denying themselves the opportunities of providing more jobs and generating additional revenue by not deploying technologies to transform waste to products that will speed up industrial development. According to study, Amoh said there were very positive results within the Cashew Value Chain in West Africa in recent years, including expansions in production of raw cashew nut, a growth in installed processing capacity, and increased trade, but noted that the processing industry generates a significant waste stream with 50 to 75 per cent of cashew nut shells left over after processing. Waste from cashew nut shells, she noted mounts up quickly and most processing plants have found it difficult to dispose of it properly, with growing mounds of waste dumps on-site. The presence of caustic CNSL (cashew nut shell liquid) in the waste, she referred to the study slowed natural decomposition and can lead to local site contamination and toxic run-off into nearby surface waters. The dark and oily waste stream,she noted, has given the cashew industry a slight black eye and prompted growing concern about the environmental implications of cashew processing. Accordingly, and in line with its project-wise Environmental Mitigation and Monitoring Plan (EMMP),she said the USAID-funded Trade Hub Project commissioned the study of the environmental management of the cashew processing industry to address issues of adverse environmental impacts . The intention,according to her, is to seek solutions and improve the marketability of African cashew in an increasingly globalised market demanding sustainable production. Doing so,she added would help to expand West Africa’s comparative advantage in cashew production and processing. To her, the cashew processing presents an opportunity to diversify income sources from the subsector.

How to tackle SME’s export challenges - P 39

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2015

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Finance Houses jittery as N100m recapitalisation A deadline draws near

S the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN’s) 18-month deadline for Finance Houses (FCs) to meet the new N100 million capital base for the subsector expires on September 30, many operators are jittery as they struggle to raise the cash. With the tight liquidity in the market, many operators are yet to get the funds to remain afloat and this may lead to the exit of many fringe players, The Nation has learnt. An insider source from the Finance

Stories by Collins Nweze

Houses Association of Nigeria (FHAN), an umbrella body for the sector, said many operators had not secured the funds to stay in business. “The N100 million minimum capital base looks small, but surprisingly, not many operators have been able to get it. I see many of

them closing shop after the deadline elapses,” the source said. CBN Director, Other Financial Institutions Supervision Department, Ahmad Abdullahi, warned that operators that fail to meet the deadline would be either be forced to stop operation, or to move into new business with lesser capital

base. He said the deadline for compliance with the provisions of the Revised Guidelines might not be extended. The deadline was given on April, last year. Abdullahi said the subsector also operates on a ratio of non-performing loans to total loans now pegged at maximum of 10 per cent. He said FCs shall consult at least two licensed credit bureaux to obtain credit information on borrowers. The CBN boss said the FCs subsector was planned to operate at the middle tier of the financial system, to cater for the financial needs of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). They are also expected to leverage on the resources from banking, among other sources of funding. He explained that due to distress in the sector and to sanitise the subsector, the CBN revoked the licences of 208 finance firms and cancelled the approvals-in-principle of 462 others. In early 2012, there were 116 FCs

on the list of the CBN. But licences of 51 FCs were revoked by the apex bank in September 2012, thereby leaving a balance of 65 FCs with licences. “The idea is to have finance companies that are strong and virile to perform the functions they were set up to per form. The objective of shareholders in the operation of finance companies is to make profit, but for the CBN, it is to have stable and strong finance companies,” he said. Abdullahi said the CBN will continue to deal with finance firms that do not have the licences but remain in operation,ading that the apex bank would ensure that the subsector runs efficiently. He advised finance companies to maintain a database of their customers and generate quarterly risk management reports, which would be submitted to the CBN. “Finance companies shall be permitted to participate in accessing and disbursing funds to SMEs via relevant vehicles/intervention funds set up by the CBN, the Federal/state governments and other relevant bodies. The CBN shall continue to provide support towards capacity building in the Finance Company sub-sector,” he added.

Western Union to invest more in anti-money laundering

• From left: Group Head, Public Sector of First City Monument Bank (FCMB), Mr. Ali Haruna; Director of Finance & Administration, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, Mr. Abdullahi Abubakar; Regional Director, Abuja & North of the bank, Mr. Mustapha Lukman; Commandant-General, Mr. Abdullahi Mohammadu; Divisional Head, Public Sector of FCMB, Mr. Hamid Joda and a staff member of the bank’s Public Sector Division, Mr. Shuaibu Shehu, during the bank’s executives’ visit to the NSCDC in Abuja.

Visa transactions hit $7.4tr

ISA Incorporated, a global payment technology company, has said its yearly products-based transactions reached $7.4 trillion in March. It said it would take steps to protect the integrity of transactions on its platform. Speaking during the inauguration of Card Security Week Campaign in Lagos, Business Development Leader, Visa West Africa, Emezino Afiegbe, said the firm was making huge investments in security of its transactions to ensure that the confidence and trust that card users have on the company continue to rise. He said the dream of Visa is to make payment more convenient and secure for customers. “The fear of fraud remains one of the major barriers to card usage in Nigeria and many other markets. We believe that greater awareness of the security measures in place and the advancements in card security will boost consumers’confidence to embrace e-payment,” he said. He said Visa, which has over 60 years experience in payment technology, always wants to keep a step ahead of fraudsters. He said the reliability of Visa network over the years has increased the confidence of card users in the technology. Risk Services Director, Sub-Sahara, Visa International, Nita Omanga, noted that Visa payment cards are loaded with security features that keep customers protected

and minimise their chance of falling victim to fraudsters. “The tough yet subtle security features are present on all Visa cards and are complemented by anti-fraud measures run in the background on both Visa and bank systems. Although tiny, the square microchip embedded in chip-enabled type of cards is one of the most powerful weapons against fraud. The microchip is virtually impossible to duplicate and powerful encryption prevents unauthorised access to information stored on it, making electronic payments safer than ever before,” she said. She said Europay, MasterCard, and Visa (EMV) chip and pin cards are difficult to penetrated by fraudsters, because it comes with dynamic data. “Each transaction carries a unique ‘stamp’, which prevents the transaction data from being fraudulently reused, even if the data or the card is stolen. This saves banks and consumers from losing money through fraud. She listed other security features found in the EMV chip and pin cards as the Card Verification Value (CVV), which is a set of three numbers printed on the back of the card either alone or as the final three numbers in a long string of digits. She explained that the signature panel on the back of the Visa card has a tamper-proof design, which ensures that signature on the card is not erased.

Omanga Visa also performs realtime fraud monitoring. This means that every time a consumer uses his or her card, the transaction is checked for unusual activity on the VisaNet system. She explained that the use of plastic cards in Africa and most especially Nigeria has been rising with consumers shifting from cash and cheques. “There has also been a notable increase in the usage of cards at Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) and at Point of Sale (POS terminals). Using debit cards for everyday purchases offers greater security, control and convenience compared to cash; it is also one way of ensuring personal finances are managed effectively with minimal costs for the cardholder,” she added. She said by championing safe financial transactions, Visa has undertaken to align its business strategy with the vision to transform Nigeria through six priority sectors, including financial services. She urged consumers never to share, write down or save their Personal Identification Number (PIN); to cover the keypad at an ATM or a retailer with one hand to stop people observing their PIN – stop the ‘shoulder surfers’ and also not to allow people to distract them or offer to help at an ATM. “Walk away from an ATM if you feel unsafe and avoid using ATMs at night, particularly in remote areas,” she advised.

ESTERN Union Co plans to invest more in its com pliance and monitoring systems to combat fraud and money laundering, its senior executive said. Western Union’s President for Africa, Middle East, Asia Pacific, Eastern Europe and CIS, Jean Claude Farah, said the New Yorklisted money transfer firm spends $250 million yearly on compliance and money laundering controls globally. Nevertheless, Western Union’s Irish division was fined 1.75 million euros ($1.93 million) this year after regulators found loopholes in its anti-money laundering controls. “As part of this commitment to tighten control systems, we’ll be

committing additional resources in our operations, including Africa, in order to ensure there are no loopholes,” Farah told Reuters. He declined to give figures. Ghana was the first African country to launch Western Union services in 1995. Farah said despite inadequate infrastructure in Africa, Western Union was poised to increase operations beyond the 50 countries. “In terms of the outlook, it can only be positive because not many industries and people have discovered Africa,” Farah said. Farah said there were no plans to list Western Union on any other stock exchange outside the New York bourse, where it has traded in the past 150 years.

Civil servant, others win in Skye Bank promo

CIVIL servant with the Lagos State government, Kazeem Adewale, and two others have won N1 million each in this month’s draw of Skye Bank’s ‘Reach for the Skye Millionaire promo’ which held in Lagos at the weekend. The other ‘star’ winners, Uche Onuegbu, an Aba-based businessman; and Adewale Abiodun Adeyemo of Offa, Kwara State. Four other customers went home with N250,000 each. They are Mrs. Aina Fabode of Jos branch; Kalu Okeke Ogbonnaya of Aba branch; Lawal Basheer; and Gazal Fatimat. The electronic draw conducted in the presence of officials of the National Lottery Commission also produced 10 lucky individuals who won N100,000 each, bringing the total prize money to N5 million. Head, Retail Banking Group, Skye Bank Plc, Nkolika Okoli, said the bank would continue to encourage the adoption of the savings culture

by the public. According to her, a customer would qualify for the draw after opening a Skye Save Plus account with a minimum of N2000, while each additional N2000 increases the customer’s chance to win the N1 million prize. Okoli said the draws would hold monthly, with a total of N60 million up for grabs during the 12month duration of the promo. She enjoined the members of the public to open a Skye Save Plus account with a minimum balance of N2000 in order to benefit from the ongoing promotion. The representative of the National Lottery Commission described the electronic draw conducted as transparent, saying it conformed to the commission’s requirements of a credible draw. He advised the public to take advantage of the bank’s promotion to transform their businesses by opening accounts with to be able to take part in future draws.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2015

MONEY

‘Forex restriction’ll enhance industrialisation’ The Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) policy restricting importers of 41 items from sourcing funds from the official forex market is crucial to Nigeria’s industrialisation drive, says the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Tempo Paper & Packaging Limited, a manufacturing firm based in Sango Otta, Ogun State, Seun Obasanjo. In this report, he tells Senior Correspondent COLLINS NWEZE that the policy will also enable the country look inwards, build capacity and transform from consumption-based economy to production-based.

OR most people in the industrial sector, the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN’s) policy restricting the import of 41 items with funds sourced from the official forex window could boost the country’s industrialisation. Experts believe the policy has implications on whether or not the country will leapfrog from being a consumption-based economy, to production-based economy, and perhaps, over time, become a net exporter of finished goods. One of such experts is Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Tempo Paper & Packaging Limited, Seun Obasanjo, who believes the CBN acted well by banning the import of the items, including toothpicks, private jets and rice from using official forex window to fund such consumption. For him, such controls would help stabilise the naira, replenish reserves and boost manufacturing, thereby giving the economy the boost it needs to transform to an industrialised nation.

Merits of the CBN Policy Obasanjo told The Nation: “With regard to the 41 items on the restriction list released by the CBN, it is a step in the right direction. No nation can develop without industrilisation. What the CBN is saying is why can’t we produce these items locally? “Although it is going to be tough because of poor infrastructure, especially the port congestion, poor power supply, and poor skilled manpower, among others, but the bigger picture remains that Nigeria is headed to be a globally recognised industrialised country by instituting this policy. The policy will help us look inwards to build capacity.” He believes that to get the local industry into the league of big players where it can begin to act with full capacity in the production of goods and services, the government should provide the infrastructure. “It is not a one direction approach. All hands must be on deck to get Nigeria to its desired destination of being an industrilised nation. By fixing power alone, the cost of production of goods and services will drop significantly, helping the operators to compete in the global market. The same thing applies to low interest rate which is needed to make the manufacturers also compete favourably by reducing the cost of their operations,” he said. On the claim by some manufacturers that some of the banned items are their raw materials, Obasanjo said the Common External Tariff being implemented in Africa covers the entire region. “What is seen as my raw materials can be someone else’s finished goods. The principle of the policy is to drive local production and create jobs for the population,” he said. Continuing, he said: “If I am producing everything in Nigeria, it means Nigerians will be employed starting from drivers, cooks, secretaries, cleaners, gardeners and even security personnel. That is a major contrast if the goods are imported. By producing goods locally, so much value will be added to the domestic economy.” “If the farmers are producing locally, it will improve their capacity overtime and also creates job. It will help Nigeria to leapfrog from consumption-based economy to production-based economy. We can even become a net exporter of several items.” On other benefits to local production, he said being the net exporter of goods and services, places the country in a vintage position to earn huge forex. Hence, instead of scrambling to buy dollars, the manufacturers can earn dollars and boost the domestic currency. But achieving this, Obasanjo said, would require the co-operation and support of all stakeholders. “It has to be a coordinated effort and the policy needs to be encouraged. The support should come from all stakeholders. Although some people are going to lose out in the short term because they are importing these items, if we boost the

• CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele

• Obasanjo

local production capacity, in the long-run, we will all be better off,” he promised. To show that it is possible, Obasanjo, who manufactures corrugated cartons and flexible packaging for various items, such as confectionary, bread, noodles, spaghetti among others said there are multinational companies that have continued to produce locally over the years, employing millions of Nigerians. For instance, Nestle, Procter & Gamble, PZ, and Coca Cola are manufacturing companies producing and manufacturing their products as well as employing millions of Nigerians. “These companies are examples that should be followed by those still importing goods into the country. A lot of people are pushing for a complete liberalisation of the economy but that will open our ports to outsiders. Such policy, will simply finish our local producers because the economic dynamics are not the same,” he said. Explaining further, he disclosed that the interest rate in China is not the same with that of Nigeria. “If I am producing in China, I borrow at two per cent, electricity is stable among other favourable factors. But in Nigeria, you will borrow at over 20 per cent and still you generate your own power. There is additional costs attached to goods produced in Nigeria, hence they cannot compete favourably if the ports are opened for foreign goods to enter,” he said.

versify the economy. “How can Nigerians be importing cement, margarine, palm kernel, vegetable oil, poultry products (chicken, eggs and turkey), Indian incense, tinned fish in sauce (Geisha, Sardines), cold rolled steel sheets, galvanised steel, roofing sheets, wheelbarrows, head pans, metal boxes and containers, and enamelware which can be produced locally. It is a good thing that the CBN is correcting this anomaly,” he said.

Why govt must reduce cost of operation Obasanjo insisted that it was high time that the government focused on reducing cost of operation for the local industry. “We need to focus on productivity and increasing our efficiency in all the economy. It is when we have done that, that will be able to compete favourably in the global market,” he predicted. For him, the forex restriction by the CBN is one major step to taking Nigeria on its industrialisation promised land. He regretted that many real sector operators were boosting job opportunities in other countries and depriving their citizenry of jobs by making some frivolous imports while also calling on the government to di-

Policies that are needed He said aside the restrictions, the apex bank had overtime, instituted some policies meant to boost the real sector and enhance local production. He listed the intervention products in power, aviation, manufacturing, small and medium enterprises as good examples of the CBN’s roles in building a vibrant and productive industrial sector. He said he would continue to support the growth of the economy and the reforms in the power sector, as well as small businesses and agriculture. For power sector, the CBN linked the challenge faced by the sector to unattractive pricing of domestic gas and legacy debts that has inhibited investment in gas supply and infrastructure. These challenges are interconnected with the unexpectedly large revenue shortfalls in the industry, which needed to be fixed. That prompted the CBN to institute the Nigerian Electricity Market Stabilisation Facility (NEMSF), where N213 billion has been mapped out and is being disbursed to settle legacy gas debts and shortfalls in revenue for operators to boost power supply. Besides, the CBN has, to unlock the potential of the real sector to engender output growth, value added productivity and job creation established a N300 billion Real Sector Support Facility (RSSF). The facility will be used to support large enterprises for startups and expansion financing needs of N500 million up to a maximum of N10 billion. The real sector targeted by the facility are manufacturing, agricul-

‘Although it is going to be tough because of poor infrastructure, especially the port congestion, poor power supply, and poor skilled manpower among others, but the bigger picture remains that Nigeria is headed to be a globally recognised industrialised country by instituting this policy. The policy will help us look inwards to build capacity’

tural value chain and selected service subsectors. The fund is expected to improve access to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to fast-track the development of the manufacturing, agricultural value chain and services sub-sectors of the economy. It will also increase output, generate employment, diversify the revenue base, increase foreign exchange earnings and provide inputs for the industrial sector on a sustainable basis. There are also the N200 billion Commercial Agriculture Credit Guarantee Scheme (CACS), N300 billion Power and Airline Intervention Fund (PAIF) and N200 billion Small and Medium Enterprises Restructuring and Refinancing Facility (SMERRF). All these funds provided by the CBN are meant to boost economic development, and come at single digit interest rate. The CACS was meant to fast-track the development of the agricultural value sector of the economy through the provision of credit facilities at a single digit interest rate to large-scale commercial farmers; the PAIF was meant to resuscitate power and aviation sectors while the SMERRF is for supporting small businesses financially. But Obasanjo believes the apex bank should not stop there, but must follow up to ensure the funds are well utilised, adding that more of such funds are needed. He said the forex policies and provision of the real sector funds are in tandem with the regulators’ long term vision for the economy. But he insisted that the CBN can only handle the monetary policy and not the fiscal policy. “CBN is not in charge of fiscal policy like taxation. The federal government can provide tax holiday and help more people come in and start local production. What the CBN is doing has to be supported with fiscal policies,” he said. He cited the automobile policy as one that should be replicated in other sectors of the economy, adding that government’s efforts in that sector is yielding positive results as local assembly of vehicles has started. “The Federal Government should see how the local production of the banned items will start. This will help reduce the demand for dollar and lead to stronger naira. The only way you can make the naira stronger is to have less demand for dollar,” he said. “The price of crude oil has fallen from over $100 per barrel to below $60 per barrel. The farmer does not care whether oil price drops or not. These are value-chains that do not involve dollar. That is where we should develop the economy from and grow it”. Continuing, he said: “We have a huge population base that is productive and intelligent. A majority of the most intelligent people in the world are Nigerians. We have fertile land and most of the populations are able-bodied people that can work. So, nothing should hinder us in our road to industrialisation.”

Standardisation as a panacea for growth However, Obasanjo said for Nigerian products to attract the needed patronage, there must be standardisation. He admitted that such could be gained with time and experience. “Standardisation is a function of advancement in technology. In 25 to 30 years ago, nobody wanted to buy Taiwan products. Today, Taiwan is producing world-class products. It is now Chinese products that people runaway from buying but in the next 20 years, Chinese products will become standardised. That is why I want Nigeria to begin to produce locally those things it is importing today. The local guys in China and Taiwan are learning the know-how and will continue to produce. That is why I want Nigeria to begin to produce to give our people opportunity to develop our own standards,” he said. He said the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) can encourage local companies to improve on their standards. It is not going to happen overnight. It takes time but Nigeria will be better for it. “If we keep consuming foreign goods, we have conceded defeat,” he said.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2015

THE NATION INVESTORS

Cote D’Ivoire firm acquires 28.2% stake in Equity Assurance A

LEADING Cote D’Ivoire’s insurance company, Sunu Assurances Vie Cote D’Ivorie has received the approval of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) to acquire 28.2 per cent equity stake in Equity Assurance Plc, in a deal valued at N1.25 billion. Sunu Assurances would be acquiring a total of 2.497 billion ordinary shares of 50 kobo each of Equity Assurance Plc, representing 28.2 per cent of the equity stakes held by Skye Financial Services and other shareholders of Equity Assurance. Equity Assurance, which is quoted on the insurance sector of the NSE, currently has total issued shares of 8.847 billion ordinary shares of 50 kobo each trading at its nominal value of 50 kobo, representing total market capitalisa-

Stories by Taofik Salako Capital Market Editor

tion of N4.42 billion. Reliable market sources told The Nation the quotation committee of the council of the NSE approved the transaction. Market analysts said the sustained depreciation of share prices of Nigerian quoted companies has made several companies targets of acquisitions. The low valuation is prominent in the insurance sector, where most companies are trading at their nominal value of 50 kobo. Chairman, Equity Assurance Plc, Mr. Adetutu Buraimo, had hinted

about the acquisition at the company’s 28th annual general meeting (AGM) in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State According to him, the company plans to seek for new equity investments from strategic investors. Shareholders passed a resolution to increase the company’s authorised share capital from N7 billion to N10 billion. The acquisition comes on the heels of recent rebound in the performance of Equity Assurance, which recovered from a loss of N365 million in 2013 with a profit of N310 million in 2014. He said the group recorded a total premium of N4.846 billion last

year as against N4.616 billion in 2013 while the company’s solvency also improved as shareholders’ funds increased by four per cent to almost N4 billion. He reiterated the commitment of the board to delivering return on investments to shareholders, adding that the company hopes to achieve this by driving market penetration and expanding its frontiers in retail. “New products will be developed to serve the needs of the insuring public, while more electronic distribution channels are being opened up to make its products more accessible to prospective

policy holders,” Buraimo said. Equity Assurance was incorporated on December 13, 1984 and was licensed to underwrite all classes of general business. The company operates with a recently increased authorised share capital of N7 billion and shareholders fund of about N5.1 billion. The company is a corporate member of the West African Insurance Company Association (WAICA) and the Nigeria Insurers’ Association (NIA), the official umbrella of registered insurance companies in Nigeria and The Africa Insurance Organisation (AIO). Equity Assurance Plc is the parent company of Equity Assurance Limited, a Ghanaian subsidiary that started operations in Ghana in 2008.

UBA rewards remittance customers

•From left: Head, Corporate Services, Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Mr. Bola Adeeko; President, Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Mr. Amaju Pinnick; Chief Executive Officer, NSE, Mr. Oscar Onyema; Chief Coach, Nigeria Super Eagles, Mr. Sunday Oliseh and Executive Director, Market Operations and Technology, NSE, Mr. Ade Bajomo during a courtesy visit by Oliseh and NFF to the Exchange in Lagos.

Oliseh, NFF woo Nigerian football clubs to list on NSE

IGERIAN football clubs and league need to harness the vast opportunity offered by the nation’s capital market and the huge enthusiasm of sport-loving Nigerians to develop reliable funding channels by listing their companies on the Nigerian stock market. The new Super Eagles coach, Sunday Oliseh and president, Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Mr. Amaju Pinnick, who visited the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), called on Nigerian football clubs and foot-

ballers to take advantage of the stock market to build their future. Oliseh said Nigeria operates a capitalist economy that thrives on private funding and investments noting that football clubs cannot succeed without private sector funds. According to him, with a population of about 170 million Nigerians passionate about football, the only way to grow Nigerian football is to attract massive investments from the private sector. Pinnick said the NFF would go

beyond the symbolic visit and ringing of the closing bell of the market to wooing Nigerian football clubs to list on the NSE. “We will want to have a good relationship with the NSE, in the nearest future, we will want clubs like Warri Wolves, Enugu Rangers, among others to be quoted on the stock exchange,” Pinnick said. He noted further that one of the problems the football section of the sport has seen is the increasing withdrawal of government from funding clubs because the govern-

ments now have a lot of fundamental challenges to attend to. “So if we want to have the football run in an effective way, we have to partner with the corporate organisations, so that our football will be run in the same way it is being run abroad,” Pinnick said. Oliseh promised that he would provide level-playing ground for all talented Nigerians stressing that players would be picked on merit while the coaching crew will work with all stakeholders to revive the country’s fortunes in the sport.

NITED Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc has launched a new reward programme for customers and non-customers of UBA, who receive MoneyGram and Western Union money transfers at the bank. The reward promotion, known as UBA Remittance Awoof Promo, now in its first season, will give 20 people the opportunity to go on an all-expense paid trip to Dubai while 60 others will win interesting prizes such as generator sets, water dispensers and rechargeable fans. This offer is ongoing and will end on September 14. Speaking on the UBA Remittance Awoof promotion, Group Executive Personal Banking, United Bank for Africa (UBA), Oliver Alawuba enjoined the bank’s existing customers and new customers to take advantage of the promotion by receiving their money transfers through UBA. “This is a great opportunity for customers and even non-customers to receive their funds through UBA and at the same time win something great. No customer should miss out on this opportunity. There is no minimum or maximum amount to receive in order to qualify for any of the prizes on offer. Just walk into any of our business offices all over Nigeria to receive your money, and you could be the lucky winner of an all expense paid trip to Dubai or any of the other fantastic prizes on offer,” Alawuba said. He noted that UBA is a leading player in the remittance segment, offering money transfer services through MoneyGram, Western Union and AfriCash with millions of the bank’s customers relying on the bank’s extensive network across Africa for transfers across the continent.

Fidelity Bank lists N30 billion bond on Stock Exchange

Ecowas’ Devt Bank renews president’s tenure

ited through their Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS )’ accounts and trading has now commenced in earnest in the secondary market. Managing Director, Fidelity Bank Plc, Mr Nnamdi Okonkwo, said by the listing, the bank’s quest to raise fresh capital to expand its support to the Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) segment of the country’s monolithic economy is headed in the right direction. He said the bank has already earmarked 80 per cent of the proceeds of the bond for SME financing in recognition of the importance of SMEs as the engine room of the economy. “We are a very strong SME bank. So, we have raised this bond to channel it to our SME banking and to improve our retail infrastructure,” Okonkwo said. He explained that the growth trajectory the bank witnessed in the SME sector last year is a pointer to the potentials of the sector, adding that if

Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo. The Board of Governors comprises of the finance ministers of the 15 member countries. EBID has two funding windows for public and private sector operations respectively, and emerged from the transformation of the Fund for Cooperation, Compensation and Development of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS Fund). Mamman was first appointed president on October 11, 2011 after serving as vice-president, finance and corporate services since 2007. A seasoned banker and administrator with more than 31 years of professional experience in the public and private sectors, he holds a Masters degree in Business Administration (MBA) in Finance and a Bachelors degree in Business Administration and Finance from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria.

NVESTORS in the N30 billion bond floated in May by Fidelity Bank Plc now have opportunity to trade on their investments as the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) admitted the bond to its daily official list. Fidelity Bank had earlier in May this year issued N30 billion, 16.48 percent fixed rate domestic-currency-denominated bonds. The bond is a seven-year fixed rate subordinated unsecured debt instrument due in 2022. The bonds, which are callable with a call protection period of five years and issued at par, qualify as securities because Pension Fund Assets could be invested under the Pensions Reforms Act 2014. The implication of this is that the bonds also qualify as securities in which Trustees can invest under the Trustees Investments Act, Cap T22, LFN, 2004. The bond issuance was fully underwritten and the basis of allotment was approved by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in June 2015. The listing marked the completion of the issuance process. Parties to the issue said all investors have been cred-

Nigeria properly provide the right infrastructure to that segment, it should be the new frontier to help the nation face the difficult environment that it is now operating in. According to him, with the conclusion of the issuance of the bonds and its subsequent listing, Fidelity Bank will reach out more in the SME banking space. The remaining 20 per cent of the net proceeds will be used in financing retail lending and retail infrastructure, to the tune of 15 per cent and 5 per cent respectively. He pointed out that Fidelity Bank Plc is a fully integrated commercial bank focused on building and maintaining a well-respected brand that caters for the needs of its growing corporate, commercial and consumer banking clientele. According to him, Fidelity Bank has continued to maintain its leadership position in SME banking as the bank has won numerous prestigious awards over the years latest of which was the Lagos Chamber of Commerce & Industry SME Bank of the year 2015.

•Mamman

HE Board of Governors of the Ecowas Bank for Investment and Development (EBID) has renewed the tenure of the president of the regional development bank, Mr. Bashir Mamman. The new tenure of four years starts on October 10. EBID is the financial arm of the Economic Community of West African States comprising 15 countries namely: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, la Cote d’Ivoire, The Gambia,

Newspaper of the Year

AN EIGHT-PAGE PULLOUT ON THE SOUTHWEST STATES

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2015

PAGE 29

Agony of three Lagos communities Bulldozers came down heavily on three communities in Badagry, namely Atiporomeh, Araromi Ale and Mowo Phase 2, tearing down buildings and destroying properties; allegedly on the orders of the police who claim ownership of the land. The people ran to the court to restrain them from continuing the demolition, which the court was said to have granted. Yet, the destruction continued. Seeing this as an affront, the communities protested to the Lagos State House of Assembly which set up a committee to look into the matter. The committee visited the communities and site of the demolished buildings for onthe-spot assessment. OZIEGBE OKOEKI reports

INSIDE

OR residents of Atiporomeh, Araromi Ale and Mowo Phase 2 in Badagry Local Council Development Area of Lagos State, life has not been the same since government allegedly rolled bulldozers into their communities to demolish their buildings in 2013. According to the Baale of Mowo, Chief Peter Idowu Ajayi, the bulldozers came tearing down their houses without any form of notice; a situation that has turned

Group builds hospital for the PAGES deprived 34-35

Lack of funds stifles power project

house owners/landlords homeless. The land belonging to the three communities has since been taken over by the police that have commenced construction of three and two bedroom bungalows on the wide expanse of land after destroying the buildings and dispossessing those who had their buildings on the land. Irked by the audacity of the police that claimed the land was allot-

ted to them by the Lagos State Government, the communities, after lodging complaints to the necessary authorities, took the police and the state government to court. But a court injunction allegedly given by the presiding Judge of Badagry High Court, restraining all parties to the suit to maintain status quo, pending the determination of Continued on page 36

Group, residents protest rip-off by IKEDC

PAGE 33

PAGES 30-31

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2015

SOUTHWEST REPORT

GROUP, under the aegis of Youth Alliance for Better Nigeria (YABN) and residents of Agege and Mafoluku Oshodi have urged President Muhammadu Buhari to beam searchlight on all electricity distribution companies across the country in his current campaign against corruption. The group said there is the urgent need for the Federal Government to set up a committee that will monitor the operations of these companies to checkmate their inefficiencies, even as it maintained that there is a lot of misconduct on the part of the companies in the distribution of electricity as well as extortion of money from customers through coded and estimation bills. T h e group suggested that the Federal Governm e n t should revoke the licences of the private companies and bar them from distributing electricity to consumers. It alleged that the electricity distribution companies were operating contrary to the laid down rules of the Federal Government and National Electricity Regulation Commission (NERC). The group alleged that the companies are over-billing the residents despite poor services rendered to them compared to the period of the defunct National Electric Power Authority (NEPA) and Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN). The group expressed its resentment to the situation in which some of the

CMD appeals to striking doctors From Odunayo Ogunmola, Ado-Ekiti

ORRIED by the effects of the two-month-old industrial action, the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido-Ekiti (FETHI), Dr. Majekodunmi Ayodele, has appealed to striking resident doctors to return to work. Ayodele, who spoke with reporters in Ido-Ekiti said the appeal became necessary as the demands of the members of the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) are being looked into by the Federal Government. He urged the striking medics to consider the plight of patients and other members of the public who are bearing the brunt of the strike which began in May. FETHI chapter of ARD has joined their counterparts in other parts of the country to down tools to protest the alleged non-implementation of what they called “grade skipping” by the health institutions owned by the Federal Government. Doctors working in federal hospitals are up-in-arms against their CMDs for not honouring the directive of the Federal Ministry of Health on “grade skipping”. But, Ayodele contended that the Federal Government had not commenced the implementation of the policy as canvassed by ARD. According to him, the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission had explained that the modalities for the implementation have not been worked out.

Let our chief Imam be, youths tell critics By Jeremiah Oke

OUTHS under the aegis of Oriwu Central Mosque Youth Organisation (OCMYO) in Ikorodu area of Lagos State have described the Chief Imam of the Oriwu Central Mosque, Alhaji Yahya Oshoala as a man who promotes peace in Ikorodu Islamic organisations. The group urged critics to desist from talking ill of the Chief Imam so as to allow peace to reign in Ikorodu Islamic Organisation. In a statement issued and signed by the President of the organisation, Hadji Kazim Ganiu-Sanni, OCMYO said the Chief Imam of Oriwu is contented with the capacity at which he is serving and he has never vied for the office of Chief Imam of Ikorodu Central Mosque. He further noted that Oshoala is ready for any move to facilitate settlement between the Oriwu Central Mosque and the Ikorodu Central Mosque. According to the statement, leadership is not the problem of Oshoala but the progress of Islam, unity, justice and peaceful co-existence of the inhabitants of Ikorodu. The statement stated that the rift between the duo Muslim organisations has existed for many years and the Imam of Oriwu Central Mosque cannot be blamed for it. The statement read in part: “With reference to the above explanation, it is obvious that both Sheikh Oshoala and Oriwu Central Mosque are committed to any peace move initiated to facilitate amicable settlement of the ongoing rift between the two Central Mosques and will never stand in the way of such moves. “We also want to reiterate that Sheikh Oshoala is a man of peace and is contented with his leadership role in Oriwu Central Mosque; hence, those cynically linking him to the Imamship of the Ikorodu Central Mosque for political gains are hereby advised to desist from the character assassination and allow peace to reign within the Ikorodu Muslim community. “We also want to state that leadership is not the main concern of Chief Imam Oshoala of Oriwu but the progress of Islam, unity, justice and peaceful co-existence of the inhabitants of Ikorodu.”

•Resident protesting prolong power outage

companies sell the prepaid metres to costumers at a high price instead of giving them free to residents. Joined by residents of Agege and M a f o l u k u Oshodi, the group embarked on a peaceful protest to the State Secretariat, Alausa, to register their displeasure and grievances against the Ikeja Electricity Distribution Compa-

Group, residents ny (IKEDC) over its poor operation, outrageous bills, epileptic power supply lack of pre-paid metres and unlawful disconnection of their electric wires, among others complaints. No fewer than 50 buses conveyed the more than 3,000 residents to the State House. Adorned in all black attire

to signify darkness which the company represents, some of them held placards with many inscription such as “we want pre-paid/smart metres,” “prepaid metres will surely put a stop to IKEDC fraudulent act,” “Agege people are not chronic debtors,” “we are suffering from their unjustifiable net ar-

Assembly, ex-lawmaker clash over A ramshackle government quarters allocated to the immediate past lawmaker who represented Ose State Constituency, Mrs Folajimi Olaseinde-Vincente while in office has pitched her against the Ondo State House of Assembly. DAMISI OJO reports. THE Ondo State House of Assembly and an ex-lawmaker who represented Ose State Constituency, Mrs Fola Olaseinde-Vincente are at daggers drawn over a government building “Quarter 13 type 2 Alagbaka” Akure, the Ondo State capital, which was allocated to the exlawmaker on August 14, 2012. The apartment, which is now in a shambles, was originally allocated to Olaseinde-Vincente when she was still a member of the Seventh Assembly. However, when the controversial building was allocated to the exlawmaker who is also a lawyer on August 14, 2012, she wrote a letter to the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Lands and Housing, Akure on the need to renovate the building because its roof, paints, floor, doors, windows and fence were in terrible condition. But, between then and the time the ex-lawmaker packed out of the building, there was no response from the state government in respect of the renovation. After exhaustive deliberation on

the matter on Thursday, June 18, the leadership of the House led by the Speaker, Princess Jumoke Akindele, set up an Ad-hoc committee headed by Hon. Araoyinbo Joseph to investigate the level of damage to the quarters formerly occupied by Mrs Vincente. Consequently, on Thursday August 6, the committee invited the former legislator to a meeting at Araoyinbo’s office to clear herself from the circumstances surrounding the unlawful damage to the building. Mrs Vincente appeared to defend herself over allegation of vandalisation of the government quarters. Recall that Mrs Vincente was also suspended for several months during the Seventh Assembly over an allegation of being in possession of fetish materials which could not be proved. She eventually dumped the ruling Labour Party (LP) then and joined the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) which is now one of the parties that formed the All Progressives Congress (APC).

•Akindele

When she appeared before the panel, the ex-lawmaker tendered a letter dated August 14,2012 which she sent to the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Lands and Housing requesting the renovation of the particular building (Quarter 13 type 2 Alagbaka) which was allocated to her. The letter reads: “Sequel to the approval of quarter 13 type 2 Alagbaka, Akure as my official quarter, it has become imperative for me to complain about the level of bad shape

From Left:The representative of the Area ‘K’ Police Command, Superintendent of Police (SP) Samuel Lebile, the Executive Secretary, Badagry West Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Hon. Joseph Adeoluwayemi Agoro, His Royal Majesty (HRM) Alapa of Apa, Oba Adekanmi Oyekan Ilufemiloye Possi 111 and Commander of Federal Road Safety Corps, Commander Salisu Umar Galadunci at a stakeholders’ meeting with motorcycle operators in Badagry West LCDA

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2015

SOUTHWEST REPORT

•Protest against IKEDC’s epileptic power supply

protest rip-off by IKEDC rears of IKEDC,” “90 per cent buildings in Agege and Mafoluku Oshodi fall into the category of coded/estimated bills,” “we know they are intentionally starving us of the pre-paid metres,” and “save Agege/Mafoluku from the hands of this electrical Boko Haram.” Southwest Report gathered that the

quarters

•Olaseinde-Vincente

of the apartment; especially its roofing, floor, doors, windows and fence. “The building is due for total renovation and I will be grateful if my complaint can be responded to immediately.” Mrs Vincente maintained that she met the quarters in bad shape when it was allocated to her in August, 2012, stressing that it was not habitable. The ex-lawmaker told the committee that the letter to the Permanent Secretary, Lands and Housing was received on September 12, 2012, while she also informed some political leaders who assured her that something would be done about it. However, she said no action was taken until she vacated the apartment, stressing that she paid a private contractor to do a minimum renovation on the building in anticipation of the approval for the renovation. She expressed displeasure over the step taken by the State Assembly without hearing from her before going to the press to malign her character. She insisted that she did not vandalise the said building, adding that the shape the apartment was when she left was far better than she met it. Olaseinde-Vincente called for retraction of the aspersion cast on her person over the building and a refund of N4 million being the cost of the minimal renovation she spent on the controversial quarter.

crisis between the IKEDC and the residents began in January, and efforts made to resolve the issues were not successful as the company always ignores the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and agreement both parties entered into. The residents said the overbilling

of customers in the name of coded and estimation bills which IKEDC and other electricity distribution companies indulge in are part of corruption which President Buhari is waging war against, adding that their operations must be scrutinised. Speaking during the protest at

Alausa, the President of the group, Adegoke Moruf Niniola, said the residents are suffering and smiling, saying residents should be spared the hassles of spending their little income on estimation bills, coded metres and higher billing of IKEDC. According to Niniola, all efforts

made by the residents for the company to improve their services yielded no result; instead their bills keep on increasing at the end of every month. He said several meetings have been held with the company in order to find solution to the issues. “We have had series of meeting with the company on March 16, April 7, May 26 and June 28, this year. The meetings aimed at addressing the outrageous billings, epileptic power supply, quick distribution of prepaid metres, maintenance of transformers, reconnection of fallen poles and cables and nonchalant attitude of their workers to the customers,” he said. Continuing, he said: “A situation where residents used electricity for 72 hours in a month but ended up getting bills for 720 hours per month in the name of coded and estimated bills is unacceptable. The fraudulent act has rendered many Nigerians redundant. Many of the residents operating small-scale businesses can no longer continue because their little incomes were used to pay for electricity and fuelling their generating sets.” Niniola urged the government to stop the IKEDC from charging residents before releasing the prepaid metres. He said plans by some members of staff of the company to demand N6, 000 payments before giving out the new metres to residents have been uncovered. The Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Hon. Tunji Bello, who addressed the residents on behalf of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, praised the group and residents for the peaceful protest, promising that government would take necessary steps to address the issues raised.

Rotary clears decade-old garbage site

OTHERED about the health implication a mountainous garbage heap could have on the lives of pupils of Ajuwon High School, a public school located at a border town between Lagos and Ogun states, members of the Rotary Club of Omole Golden embarked on clean-up exercise aimed at preventing any probable epidemic in the school. They exercise was to clear more than a decade-old dumpsite at the premises of the school. Clad in lemon-coloured reflective jackets and armed with rakes, shovels, wheelbarrows and other sanitation work tools, members of the club thronged into the premises of the school as early as 7:00 a.m. that morning, determined to ensure that the school and the pupils are saved from preventable illness that could emanate from the garbage dump. President of the Rotary Club of Omole Golden, Mr Idowu Afelogun, who led members of the club on the

By Nneka Nwaneri

sanitation exercise, said “the project was a reflection of one of the cardinal objectives of Rotary, which is to ensure proper hygiene, sanitation and prevention of the spread of communicable diseases among the vulnerable school children.” He added that it was the third outing the club had embarked upon in the school. He said: “Last year, we donated a borehole with overhead water tank and constructed a block of modern toilet facility in the school to promote hygiene among the teachers and pupils. The club intends to provide a modern refuse bin for the school and turn the reclaimed refuse site into a botanical garden for the students’ use.” The Principal of the school, Mrs Banjoko expressed her gratitude to members of the club. She said the club’s commendable interventions have been of immense benefit to students and members of staff of the

•Members of the group at the garbage heap

school. Some students who joined in the exercise were elated that the malodorous dumpsite will be a thing of the past, even though none of the students could fathom-out its history because the mountainous garbage heap has been in existence before the present set of students and members of staff of the school.

Meanwhile, the Rotary Club of Lagos Central has reiterated its commitment to upholding the mission and vision of the Rotary through global projects which include championing the construction of an eye hospital and assisting in the establishment of diabetic centres as well as centres for noncommunicable diseases.

Council managers launch journal By Tokunbo Ogunsami

LANNERS’ Bulletin, a publication put together by the Conference of Local Government Planners, comprising council managers in the 57 local governments and Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) of Lagos State, has been launched. The journal, according to the members, is aimed at making the activities of local governments in the state known to the public. The Chairman of the editorial board, Mr. Olanrewaju Olalere, said Planners’ Bulletin was established, following the inauguration of a joint Planning Budget Committee by Mr. Ben Akabueze, the former Lagos State commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget. Other members of the editorial board, according to Olalere, who is the council manager of Ajeromi/Ifelodun Local Government, are Adeyemi Adebola (Editor-in-Chief), Olusanya A. O. (Advert), Tijani Waheed (Marketing/Distribution) and Ajose Yetunde ( Finance). Others are Balogun Toyin (Publicity/Press), Seriki Kehinde and Ogunbambi I. A., Correspondent/Relationship and Operations respectively. The event also witnessed send-off in honour of Mr. Babatunde F. Salami, the former director of Planning, Onigbongbo LCDA and a member of Elders and Technical Consultancy to the Conference of Lagos State Local Government Planners, as well as presentation of award to Mrs. Basirat Akinsanya, the council manager, Lagos Mainland Local Government, as the best Council Manager in Lagos.

•From left: Mr. Olalere, Mr. Salami, his wife, Bolanle and Mr. Bola Adeyemi, the immediate past chairman of the Conference and Council Manager, Epe Local Government Area, the ceremony.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2015

SOUTHWEST REPORT

Success story of Osun’s micro-credit initiative

OTWITHSTANDING the challenges the Osun State Government is experiencing in the area of paying workers’ salaries, the success story of the loan scheme evolved by Governor Aregbesola-led administration last year in order to boost the economy of the state is worthy of note. The initiative aimed at moving the state away from being a civil service state to an economically-viable one through the revolving loans. This is the view of the General Manager, Osun Micro-Credit Agency, Mr. Dayo Babaranti, who explained to Southwest Report that “the agency has extended credit facilities to 133 small and medium enterprises, 800 co-operative societies; 9,955 individuals across the 30 local government areas and the Area Office in Modakeke. He said: “The agency came into being in June, last year and was launched at Freedom Park Osogbo where the people were told of the enormous opportunities accruable to them through the interestfree loan. “The government has warned that nobody must be left out in the programme. One good thing is that we still have the opportunity of accessing the N2 billion microsmall and medium enterprises development fund from Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). “So, we have accessed N1.675 billion from that money. In fact, the CBN has sent a delegation to inspect what we are doing and they confirmed from all the beneficiaries of the loan that we actually disbursed the money. “The belief of the government is that micro-finance banks are closer to the petty traders and that was why they said we should use micro-finance banks because the people who are in need of the money are those people selling pepper, foodstuffs and the likes. “Secondly, our own demand is not as cumbersome as orthodox commercial banks. People are very appreciative of the gesture and more so, it is interest-free. When the programme was launched, some people did not believe it. It is unlike the Islamic banking system which shares profit equally with the customer. In this case, the government is saying, use this

‘Nigerians should pray for Buhari to succeed’

By Sina Fadare

money for one year, don’t pay any interest; just pay back the principal. You can see that it is rare. “The interest element on this money that the beneficiary should have paid is a cost borne by the government. The state government underwrites the interest just to alleviate poverty and take burden off the citizens of Osun State. “The zero-interest of the facility has forced all micro-finance banks in the state to review downward the hitherto high interest rates to borrowers. The participating micro-finance banks have also employed more staff to manage the funds under the scheme. “We have placed priority on the co-operative groups for the disbursement of the loans under this programme because they know themselves. We have one year, three years and five years tenures, among others. There is nowhere in the word that they will give you N100, 000 and ask you to pay N100, 000 back after one year. That is why this scheme is far better than the so-called interest-free Islamic banking system. In this scheme, nobody is sharing profit. Your profit is gross to you, just pay back the principal. “The state government is responsible for our salaries. It is an agency of government. We have a full room that contains the form of applicants.” Speaking on the impacts of the programme, Babaranti said it has improved employment. The SMEs we give are those that are manufacturing and or producing different type of things. As a result of increment in their capital, they have employed extra hands. “People who have benefited from this programme are paying tax which improved the state’s internally-generated revenue (IGR). Most of those motorcyclists have learnt one trade or the other. It was during the documentation that we discovered this. It was because of lack of capital to buy instrument and start their own businesses that turned them to street boys, okada riders and people who foment trouble. This has also led to the reduction in crime rate as we have given money to those classes of people to start their own businesses. Babaranti, however, commended the beneficiaries for being committed to the repayment guidelines and procedures.

•Iron doors, chairs at Alral Construction Company

•Chalk-moulding machine and others under construction at Alaral Tech Company

One of the beneficiaries, who are also the General Manager, Lawod Metal Limited, Mr. Funso Olawoye, said: “We benefited from Osun Micro-Credit Agency. It has enabled us to improve on our productions as more workers were also employed. “There was a moratorium of six months during which we will begin paying the loan; which is from this month. It is interest-free and a threeyear term. I have procured more equipment with the money.” He explained that during the time of Bola Ige, “the government bought equipment for us and we paid back. The difference is that only Aregbesola has given us interest-free loan in the history of this state. “We must praise Governor Aregbesola and at the same time we want to urge the government to expand the scope on this free-interest loan. We want them to patronise local manufacturers and pay us on time,” he said. On the number of employees in his company, Olawoye said: “We have over 50 personnel that are per-

manent in this company and we hope to increase it to 100 if there is fund to increase production.” Recounting his experience, Director Alaral Technical, who is the state chairman of Nigeria Association of Small and Medium Produce Spare Parts Mr Ali Alabi said: “Personally, I have benefited from the micro-credit loan and I know many of our members also benefited, particularly in the N220 billion Federal Government SME’s funds. “Incidentally, N2 billion of that belonged to Osun State which the state government, through the MicroCredit Finance have disbursed. “We used to have what we call Small-Scale Industrial Credit Scheme, which was inherited from the old Oyo State. The state government also partners with Bank of Industry (BOI) for SME funding which some of our members also benefited from. “The most recent is the intervention fund by the CBN released for SME which is particularly of interest to me because it is interest-free. It is

•Block-moulding machine under construction at Alaral Tech Company, Ofatedo, Osun State

•Set of iron doors at Lawod Construction Company

not interest-free at the national level but the Osun State Government decided to pay the interest. It was disbursed with no interest to all those that applied through the SME. “I can authoritatively say that the interest is written off by the state government and that is a very big plus. Before now, we have been clamouring for fund for development with generous interest rate but this one is a good one. We have been asking the Federal Government and the BoI to reduce the rate of SME development fund to 2% or 2.5% that is obtainable in the Southeast Asia, India and China. The maximum interest rate for SME is between 2% and 2.5%. “The tenure given to us is a good one; it ranges between five years and 15 years. There is nothing you want to do with that money that you will not make it on the long run. “One, the interest rate is very low. Two, the moratorium is there. Then the tenure is also long. That is what we have been clamouring for in Nigeria. If we have to compete with the devel-

oped countries such as China and India, our funding must be competitive. “Though the money has helped us a lot, the major problem we experience currently is that the economy is so dull. We pray that the change in government will change the tide of things because the situation is very terrible. According to Alabi, Osun State remains a civil service state. We supply spare parts to Nigeria Breweries, Cocoa Products Industry (CPI) in Ede and many other places. Commenting on whether the state could be moved to an industrialised one away from civil service state, he said: “It is possible. Look at CPI Ede, when it was functioning, not less than 1,000 people were benefiting indirectly from it. The area was like market every day. In fact, people used to come from Ghana to buy ashes there. They employed not less than 500 workers. They have some contractors which I am one of them. We supply spare parts and also carry out repairs for them.”

Activist urges govt on health care delivery A FOUNDING member of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), Comrade Linus Ezeala Okoroji has appealed to the federal, states and local governments to give priority attention to the nation’s health sector, with a view to improving the quality of health care delivery to the citizens. He also advocated a policy that would reduce the cost of accessing health care by poor and vulnerable Nigerians. Comrade Okoroji spoke after a church thanksgiving service at St Matthew’s Catholic Church, Maiyegun-Oro Street, Amukoko Lagos State penultimate Sunday. The event was organised by members of his family, friends and well-wishers to thank God and celebrate his survival of grave accident

he had in Oshogbo, Osun State in January, last year. The activist maintained that there was urgent need to improve the equipment and standards of treatments at our hospitals, even as he canvassed strong support to states and local governments that campaign to ban or reduce the operations of motorcycle operators, popularly called okada. He said: “I support the initiative of the Lagos State Government and any other state in Nigeria to restrict the use of okada as means of transportation on our highways. The use of okada as a means of transportation demeans the dignity of our citizens. It is not only an extremely dangerous means of transportation but also that which is fraught with high rate of death occasioned by serious accidents resulting from undisciplined behaviours among okada operators.”

Speaking from experience, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Humanity Services Project (HSP) noted that “having been a victim of okada accident for which we are thanking God today for saving my life, I will not wish my ‘enemy’ boards an okada to anywhere and from anywhere. After the accident, I was taken to the Government House Clinic for first aid, thereafter transferred to the National Orthopaedic Hospital Igbobi in Lagos where I was hospitalised for six months. I underwent four surgery operations while on admission. “It was an opportunity for me to witness firsthand the ugly experience of many poor Nigerians on health care issues. In spite of my horrific situation, I had no choice than to turn a ‘philanthropist on bed’, out of the generosity of Governors Rauf Aregbesola, Babatunde Raji Fashola,

From left: Comrade Okoroji, his daughter, Chidinma, Rear Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu, rtd and his wife, Mrs Mercy Okoroji after the thanksgiving.

friends and well-wishers, as I supported many co-patients who were not able to meet the payment of their bills and purchase recommended drugs. “My bills were very enormous as

treatment at the hospital was very expensive. Governors Aregbesola and Fashola had to pick all my bills at Igbobi Hospital. My mentor; Rear Admiral Ndubuisi

Kanu (rtd) deserves special appreciation as he visited me several times at Igbobi and kept close tab on my condition. God bless them and all who supported me through my trying period.”

HE President of the Apostolic Church of Nigeria (ACN), Pastor Gabriel Olutola has said President Muhammadu Buhari cannot solve myriad of Nigerian problems alone except Nigerians intercede on his behalf with fasting and prayers to God. The cleric spoke during the 70th birthday celebration of the President of Christ Apostolic Church, (CAC), Worldwide, Pastor Abraham Akinosun in Bashorun, Ibadan. Pastor Olutola said: “The only advice I have for Nigerians is to fervently to God for President Buhari to succeed as there is no other solution to myriad of Nigerian problems, saying because Nigerians have decided not to withdraw from their wickedness.” He said until they turn away from vices such as favouritism,

In its bid to boost power supply in Nigeria, ex-President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration approved 10 additional electricity transmission sub-stations early in 2011. Ondo State was one of the states where the projects were sited. LEKE AKEREDOLU, who visited the site recently, reports that lack of funds may impede the realisation of this all-important project The administration of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan had the intention to improve socio-economic activities in the country by genuine development of the power sector. This, it reasoned, would help the country’s economy to grow. To realise this vision, his government, early in 2011, approved the construction of 10 additional electricity transmission sub-stations in various states in order to increase power supply. Ondo State is one of the states where a 2x150MVA, 330/132/33KVA electricity sub-station was located. The project is located at Owode community along Akure/Owo Expressway and would cost N6 billion. When the project took off, many, especially those travellers who usually ply the road thought it was being executed by the Governor Olusegun Mimiko-led government of Ondo State. Only few knew it is one of the 10 electricity transmission sub-stations being constructed by the Federal Government. The multi-billion Naira project was attracted to the state by a former member of the House of Representatives, Prince Abiodun Derin Adesida who represented Akure South/North Federal Constituency when he was a member of the Ad-doc Committee on Power of the sixth National Assembly. The ongoing project, if completed, will relieve the state and others contiguous to it from sourcing electricity from the Osogbo Power transmission station in Osun State. However, this dream may not be realised as work at the project site has completely stopped. The N6 billion project, which began late in 2013 and being handled by a Lebanese construction company, Matelec S.A.L Engineering and Contracting Division, was expected to have been completed within one-andhalf or two years if the necessary funds were made available. Southwest Report gathered that construction work which had reached 70 per cent completion stage stopped

From Tayo Johnson, Ibadan nepotism, corruption and other immoral acts, the country will continue to suffer from problems caused by these wicked acts, saying except this, there is little President Buhari can do. He, therefore, congratulated the celebrator, saying he is a product of Christ and the birthday is to celebrate Christ; which made many people to celebrate the man of God because of his many virtues. Pastor Akinosun, however, thanked God for giving him the grace to celebrate the birthday, adding that many of his mates are dead but he was opportune to see the glorious day. Reacting to the crisis rocking the church, the celebrator said the church today, unlike the time of Apostle Ayo Babalola and his co-founder, many

people plant churches without reckoning with the centre. This is very dangerous. He said they do not consider the importance of being under the authority of the church saying, “this is the reason we are tasking members to be heavenlyfocused by doing away with perishable things of life to avoid further rancour in the church”. On the effort by the church to bring back departed members, the President said: “We are trying our best but they are not after unity but position. Our faction, from all indications, maintain that we are the original CAC while they are members without names. “We recently went to them to seek reconciliation but they insisted that out of three principal officers’ positions, they should be given two which we considered impossible.” The CAC President, however, said they are still making efforts to

persuade the departed members to come back even though the real institution is with them and standing better chances, adding that they want them back to become one body in Christ. While performing the launch of a book written by Pastor Ade Alawode, the church’s Public Relations Officer in honour of the celebrator, entitled The Lifestyle of a Performer and Reformer, Pastor Edwin Etomi said the celebrator is a good mentor and a man of great honour. Etomi, who represented the General Overseer of Mountain of Fire and Miracle Ministry (MFM), Pastor Daniel Olukoya added that he dedicated the book to the General Overseer whose ministry is the offshoot of the CAC Worldwide.

Lack of funds stifles power project

due to non-availability of fund. When our correspondent visited the site, he met only four Nigerians and two Lebanese who are members of staff of the company handling the project. The chairman of the company was absent from the site, but the storekeeper, Mr Simeon Rassi took this on facility tour of the project. Rassi said the project was in three phases and began with civil work. He noted that the largest phase is the 330KVA, followed by 150KVA which are about 70 per cent completion stage while the 33KVA phase also has reached 70 per cent completion stage. “The government need to release money for us to complete this job. As you can see, all the needed materials have been procured. But we need money to get this job done. “You will discover that no engineer is on site because there is no money. We are aware that a new administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has taken over and we hope he will soon get in touch with us for the completion of the job,” Rassi said. On how much the firm needed for the completion of the project, he said: “I don’t know, but I know the amount of money needed is huge. This is a large project and the materials are very expensive. “When completed, power supply to Ondo and other neighbouring states will improve. Not only this, Ondo State will stop depending on Osogbo power transmission for electricity supply. You know a state that has stable power

•Rassi

supply will attract industries, which in turn, makes jobs available for the unemployed. “We have done this type of project in Algeria and some Asian countries and they are working perfectly for them. We hope to get good signal from your new government soon. My boss has been in touch with the Federal Ministry of Power and Steel, but you know there is no minister as at this moment and we hope when a new minister is appointed, he or she will always be in touch with us,” he said. A resident of Akure, Mr. Ayobami Olasupo, appealed to the Federal Government to release funds for the completion of the power project. Olasupo said he was sure ýthat the Buhari administration would want to complete the project but since he has not appointed his ministers, he can only

do little about the project for now. “By next month when the new ministers would have been appointed, I pray work on the project would begin again,” he said. Another resident, James Ekpo, said when the project is completed, it will strengthen and stabilise power transmission and distribution to most states around Ondo State. He said: “We cannot wait for this project to be completed. I am a businessman and I know how much I spend from my little gains to power my ýgenerating set. Only few areas enjoy light in Akure and I believe when this project is completed, power supply will improve in Akure and other parts of the state.”

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2015

SOUTHWEST REPORT

ORRIED by the deplorable state of infrastructure in the rural areas, the Lions Club District 404B-2, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) has concluded plans on how to improve the well-being of Nigerians at the grassroots. It identified rural communities as the index through which development in the country could be measured, adding that the future of the country will be shaped by the condition in the rural communities. The new Lions Club Governor, 404B-2 Nigeria, 2015/ 2016, Christine Funke Adebajo spoke during her investiture as the district governor and installation of cabinet officers/ fund-raising in Lagos. Adebajo, who is the first female district governor of the district, said the club has embarked on the con•Adebajo struction of water plant factory in Lagos for girls and establishment of hospital for the

terminally and seriously-ill patients in Ekiti State. According to her, after series of brainstorming with members of her advisory committee, they arrived at a theme for the year, which is “Our Community: Our Future,” with a corresponding slogan, “Our future, Our World”. While raising fund for the building of a water factory plant in Lagos for neglected girls and hospital in Ekiti State, she stated that the community has great role to play in the shaping of the future of the country. “I believe that our future will be shaped by what we are able to make of our communities. If we positively impact on our community today, our future can be assured and comfortable. That will eventually translate to what our future world become tomorrow,” she said. In the circumstances, therefore, she said the district would be embarking

The proposed Lions Club hospital for Ekiti State

Group builds hospital for the deprived By Gbenga Aderanti

on a youth empowerment programme by building water factory plant at Ozanam House Complex, Ikeja Lagos. The project, she said, would cater for teenage girls who are victims of rape. “These girls are abandoned by their families, relations and friends. Ozanam House will prevent them from committing unsafe abortion and suicide. They will be nurtured to deliver healthy babies,” she said. The District Governor further explained that it became necessary to empower the girls because they most often become burden to the House which sustains itself purely through charity. “From our assessment, the residents of Ozanam are in serious need of empowerment which will enable them to be reintegrated back to the society. The girls will be trained on the production of both bottled and sachet water. They will be equipped with skills of how to

produce, package and market the finished product. Those who are willing can eventually set up small-scale industry for the production of sachet water.” She revealed that a hospital will be constructed in Ado-Ekiti. According to her, the project was a special request by the Ekiti State Government which craves to feel the impact of Lions Club in the state. When completed, the centre will provide palliation for terminally and seriously-ill patients and those who are in severe pains. While calling for support during the fund-raising, she said no government, organisation or individual can do it alone but “if each one of us continues to contribute our quota, we shall certainly leave our community and world a better place than we met them.” The chairman of the Presentation Committee, Lion Tunji Edward, who described Adebajo as a resolute person, a goal-getter; an achiever per excellence, said besides the hospital and empowerment of the girls, the impact of Lions

Club would be felt in other areas. The programme, chaired by a former Vice-President of the Country; Gen. Oladipo Diya (CFR), had eminent personalities in attendance. They included Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Dr Idiat Oluranti Adebule; H.O.B. Lawal, Alex Irotumhe Princess Adetope Tychus, Air Vice-Marshal Anthony Okpere (rtd); Yinka Griffin; Ayoade Adesokan; Senator Bamgbetan Baju, among others. Prince Julius Adelusi-Adeluyi (OFR), who gave a keynote address, challenged members of the club in Nigeria to rise to top echelon of the Lions family in the world. Adelusi-Adeluyi, who is a Rotarian, advised Lions to see the organisation not only as a platform for socialisation, but also through which they could impact positively on the lives of the people, adding that “Lions are made of people doing extra-ordinary things for the society.”

Lawmaker congratulates Odusile

While urging everyone to support Adebajo in her quest to make life meaningful for the less-privileged people in the society, the Deputy Governor of Lagos State said the state decided to identify with Lions because it has made positive impacts on the standard of living of people in many communities all over the world and in Lagos State. “Institutions such as yours have laid credence to the fact that we all do not have to hold public leadership position to serve the people. We can, in our individual capacities and as groups, contribute in our own little ways, to making life more comfortable for the less-fortunate in our society.” While commending the Lions Club for its humanitarian projects, Gen. Diya said they could do better if it strives to increase its current membership of 1.4 million. “You need to spread your gospel to wider audience who either do not know much about Lions’ activities. You should reach out to more of the 170 million population of Nigeria and spread to all states of the country,” he said.

‘In Oyo,

By Jeremiah Oke

MEMBER representing Ibadan North Federal Constituency at the House of Representatives, Hon. Abiodun Dada-Awoleye has congratulated the newly-elected President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Alhaji Waheed Odusile. He also sought the support of the media to ensure the actualisation of his recent sponsored bill at the National Assembly for the establishment of National Assembly broadcast projects. The lawmaker urged the new NUJ President to uphold the ethics of journalism profession by ensuring fair play in the discharge of his duties. He spoke with journalists in Ibadan on the importance of the National Assembly broadcast project. He said such project will enhance journalism and create job opportunities for professionals in the sector. According to him, the motion entitled “Need to Expedite Action on the Establishment of the National Assembly Broadcast Project” was also planned to improve accessibility to lawmakers in their respective constituents through the broadcast media. He further explained that the National Assembly Radio and Television project would allow the citizens to be better informed about parliamentary lawmaking processes and also allow them to be familiarised with crucial decisions that directly affect their lives and the society at large. “Let me start by congratulating the newly-elected President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Alhaji Waheed Odusile on his recent victory at the polls. May God help him in discharging his duties. Upholding the ethics of journalism profession will help him to take the noble profession of journalists to the next level. “On the establishment of the National Assembly Radio and Television stations, it would help in broadcasting all sittings of the plenary, committee meetings, special committees sittings and other over-sight functions of the legislature. This will therefore enhance citizens’ participation in lawmaking processes and governance in the country,” he said. He further said the parliamentary broadcast project will not only enlightened the citizenry but also allow Nigerians in the Diaspora and the international community to participate and collaborate in the workings and activities of the National Assembly. “The stations will also broadcast programmes in the Nigerian major languages and have live sign language interpretation for the hearingimpared to also have access to the television.

From our assessment, the residents of Ozanam are in serious need of empowerment which will enable them to be reintegrated back to the society. The girls will be trained on the production of both bottled and sachet water. They will be equipped with skills of how to produce, package and market the finished product. Those who are willing can eventually set up small-scale industry for the production of sachet water

A chieftain of the Oyo State All Progressives Congress (APC), Niyi Adeagbo says for the country to overcome her economic woes, there is an urgent need to carry out a re-assessment of the potential resources for maximum exploitation. In this chat with TAYO JOHNSON AND SIKIRU AKINOLA, he maintained that some of the ways to enhance the country’s economic fortune are to widen her tax base and subsuming the informal sector into the formal. Excerpts: OU aspired to represent What are your future plans with Iseyin/Itesiwaju State Con- regard to politics? stituency in the Oyo State As I said earlier, I am always a House of Assembly in 2011. One willing servant of my people and expected that you would present my party. I have my own dreams yourself for election in the 2015 but that is subject to the exigency general elections. What hap- of my party and my leaders. Personally, I am ready to give my best pened? Well, in life there is time for ev- in the service of my people. In life erything. Loyalty is one of the foun- opportunities will always come. It dations on which successful and is my job to be prepared to take self-sustaining human institutions advantage of those opportunities are built. I am loyal to my people, so that I am not found wanting. However, we all know that it is I am loyal to my party and our leaders and I am unflinchingly loyal to one thing to dream and aspire, even my governor. Politically, every- beyond our supporters’ decision or thing else is subject to this decla- that of the leaders; it is all by the grace of God. He is the one who ration. I have grown enough in experi- enthrones and dethrones. It is all in ence to know how to balance po- his hands, our responsibility is to litical decisions in line with the prepare ourselves for the opportuwishes of the people in my con- nities He will send our way. I am stituency and that of my leaders. I prepared to show what I have to trust that our leaders have the in- offer. If you are given an opportunity terest of the party and the people at heart. If they had decided that I to serve in any capacity, what will should have contested, then that your people stand to benefit? Opportunities are not rights; would have been my decision too. I believe there is more to come and they are privileges which, to me, it will manifest itself in due time. could be a once-in-a lifetime chance. If I am fortunate to have an oppor-

tunity this time, I will not only prove my worth, I will be at my very best and prove my worth to my employer who trusted me enough in the first place and also to my people. It will not be business as usual. It must come with so much difference in service delivery compared to whatever they have had before. For instance, in my local government, there is practically no formal economy, and nothing highlights this more than the fact that there is not a single commercial bank in the whole local government. Apart from the negative commercial implication of that fact, it highlights a very salient issue; it means the commercial banks as business entities don’t consider Itesiwaju’s economy as viable enough to warrant the opening of branches. Yet, this is an area that is blessed with abundant untapped resources that can be harnessed for an economic miracle. There are various models we can employ to cause a turnaround in the economic fortunes of the local government if given the chance. As there are no banks in your local government, how does this affect the economic fortunes of your people? Human beings are resilient. Nigerians are a positive proof of this fact. Our coping mechanisms and ability to “manage” and “get by”

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2015

SOUTHWEST REPORT

•Ewi of Ado-Ekiti, Oba Adejugbe (middle), Chief Medical Director of Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, Dr. Kolawole Ogundipe (immediate left of Oba Adejugbe), Chairman Medical Advisory Committee of the hospital, Dr. Kayode Ajite (immediate right of Oba Adejugbe) and EKSUTH top management members when they visited Oba Adejugbe in his palace.

EKSUTH management visits Ewi-in-Council

HE Ewi of Ado-Ekiti, Oba Rufus Adeyemo Adejugbe has called on Ekiti sons and daughters to join efforts with the management of Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital (EKSUTH) in Ado-Ekiti to make it a

world-class hospital. Oba Adejugbe spoke when the management of the teaching hospital paid him a visit in his palace. He noted that government alone cannot make the hospital great. He also advised medical

practitioners to encourage their colleagues who hail from Ekiti State but practising in other hospitals both at home and abroad to come home and contribute their quota to the development of the hospital and, by extension, to the state in general.

APC chieftain provides fuel for motorcyclists

N unexpected largesse has come the way of commercial motorcyclists in Ekiti State as ex-Speaker of the House of Assembly and All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, Femi Bamisile, began distribution of free petrol to them as a form of economic empowerment. Over 200 motorcycle operators popularly called okada riders received free fuel at designated filling stations in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital. The benefiting commercial bike operators hailed the APC and Bamisile for the gesture which many of them described as “unexpected from a party that is currently out of pow-

From Odunayo Ogunmola, Ado-Ekiti

er.” The benefactor, who promised that the scheme would be a continuous one said it was one of the programmes designed to shore up the popularity of the APC as “the real of the masses” and to assist the downtrodden to tackle economic hardship. Bamisile also assured that the APC would soon unfold special package for the vulnerable segment of the population such as widows, orphans, unemployed youths and physically-challenged people, among others. One of the motorcyclists, Debo

Asubiojo, described the gesture as “unprecedented in the history of the state.” Another okada rider, Bayo Agbede, said the largesse is a “challenge to the government in power to do something for the masses.” Speaking while flagging off the scheme, Bamisile explained that the free fuel distribution scheme was part of his efforts and that of his party to bail the riders out of the present economic hardship. He said the gesture was also in line with the cardinal objectives of the Muhammadu Buhari administration “to give lifeline to Nigerians battered by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governance and poor handling of the economy.”

The Ewi commended the leadership of EKSUTH for having young and vibrant medical practitioners in the hospital. Speaking earlier, the Chief Medical Director of Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, Dr.

Kolawole Ogundipe said the visit to the monarch was to intimate him of the activities of the hospital. He explained that five Accreditation Teams have visited the hospital for accreditation.

Police foil robbery attempt From Tayo Johnson, Ibadan

HE Oyo State Police Command has foiled plan of a suspected robbery syndicate and fraudsters that attempted to rob a first generation bank in Iseyin, Oke-Ogun axis of the state. It was learnt that the suspects reportedly lured a member of staff of the bank in charge of teller unit, Mr. Owoade Olusegun, to give them the form grabber of the bank and connect the bank internet system to facilitate easy access and transfer of customers’ money from the bank. The suspects were said to have cunningly spied and hoodwinked the bank’s security guard, collected the telephone number of the person in charge of the teller unit. The suspects planned to rob the bank if their fraudulent attempt to transfer the money failed. A native of Iseyin, Ojo Taofeek, was allegedly used by the syndicate to lure the bank staff to release the form grabber and connectivity to the internet. The suspects purportedly conspired and planned to defraud the bank. Meanwhile, six persons have been arrested in connection with the crime.

better days are ahead’ is the stuff of legends. Consider the stress people in Itesiwaju Local Government Area go through to pick up money from banks in neighbouring local government areas and the attendant risks and the economic implications. Members of staff of the local government travel out of the council to pick up their salaries, yet they accept their fate and keep getting by. This is because they believe it will be better and one day, solutions will come. However, the economic implication of this “financial tourism” to neighbouring local governments is that the little funds that come through allocation into Itesiwaju that should be used to improve its economy, ends up being spent in developing the economies of neighbouring local government areas such as Saki, Iseyin and Okeho at the expense of Itesiwaju. If you are in a position of authority, what difference would your people experience? There is need for a paradigm shift in the administration of Itesiwaju. The council must transform from a resource sink to a valuecreating net exporter of resources. This might seem like strong economic theory for just a council but I think it is possible. Itesiwaju is blessed with abundant natural resources that can be harnessed to transform the local economy and even that of neighbouring coun-

cils. There is need for fresh committed leadership that is ready to look inward and make and implement necessary policy changes that will unlock the latent potential of Itesiwaju. This will happen if I have the opportunity. Specifically, what practical economic steps would you take to enhance business activities if given the chance? griculture alone can be used as a potent weapon of economic transformation, even at the local government level with little support from the state government. Itesiwaju Local Government Area covers over 1,500 square kilometres of land and over 70 per cent of it is arable and fertile. The local government, in conjunction with private investors can work on the entire supply chain from production to marketing and sales to create local value which will transform to Naira and Kobo in the pockets of Itesiwaju people. It can form the basis for growth and development for other economic sectors in the council, a ripple effect of sort. The more money available in the local economy, the faster the growth rate becomes. Jobs will be created and there will be more purchasing power, among other benefits. These are basic components of economic prosperity and it is very achievable. You are among those who be-

lieved that the re-election jinx in Oyo State would be broken by Governor Ajimobi. What informed the confidence? That question provides its answer. Only the blind or deliberately mischievous would not be able to answer the question. Here is a man who set unprecedented records in the history of the state. His works spoke for him and the people had no alternative than to hand him the mandate to keep delivering. There is no denying that he is a competent, dedicated and committed leader that performed excellently well, especially in the area of infrastructural development which was evenly distributed across all zones. The bottom line is, he was and he still is the best man

for the job. With the economic situation in theý country, what do you think government should do to get the economy out of the woods? My humble advice would be based on a three-pronged approach to economic rejuvenation that can bring results in the medium term as there is no quick fix to the situation on ground. Firstly, there is an urgent need to look inward and carry out a re-assessment of the potential resources available within our state for maximum exploitation. Secondly, there is need to widen our tax base. Urgent

•Adeagbo

Adeagbo

steps have to be taken to subsume the informal sector into the formal. The days of over-dependence on oil money are gone, especially with dwindling global oil prices. If our dear state and even our great nation must rise from the ashes we find ourselves in and set our feet on the path of development, every taxable citizen has a role to play. We cannot expect to reap from where we have not sown. Governance has to be all-inclusive with everybody playing their part. If this is achieved, the citizens will be in a better position to hold its government accountable. This brings me to the last point. I believe the last element is prudence on the part of government. Oil money is free money. Most people don’t even know what crude oil looks like or what it smells like. We just get funds from the Federation Account every month without having made any investment. There is bound to be some wastage in funds you didn’t work for. However, the good news is that, forward thinking government like that of our great state, headed by our performing governor, is already taking prudent steps to checkmate wastage. This is very heart-warming and fosters hope that in Oyo State, better days are ahead.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2015

SOUTHWEST REPORT

Agony of three Lagos communities (Continued from page 29)

the substantive suit was not enough to stop the police from continuing construction on the disputed land. Seeing this as an affront on the judiciary, the communities protested to the Lagos State House of Assembly in June this year and presented a petition to the House, urging it to intervene in the matter and rescue them from the ‘lawlessness’ of the police who the communities alleged are working in concert with the state government. In response to the protest and petition, the Assembly set up an adHoc committee headed by the Chief Whip of the House, Hon. Rotimi Abiru to look into the matter with a view to redressing the situation. After holding series of meetings with the communities and government departments saddled with issues of land and physical planning such as the State Ministry of Lands, representatives of the Nigerian Police, Ministry of Physical Planning and the Office of the Surveyor-General of the state over the matter, the committee visited the communities and the site of the demolition. Members of the committee, led by Abiru, went round the vast expanse of land littered with rubble and scraps of household items and a large portion where the police have already erected two and three bedroom bungalows and still building more despite the court injunction. Speaking during the visit, chairman of the three communities, Chief Adu Edeha Charles and the Baale of Mowo, Chief Peter Idowu Ajayi said the land allotted to the police is different from the one they have currently taken possession of forcibly. According to Adu and Ajayi, the land allotted to the police is at Agemowo/Agelado “which is situated at the other side of the expressway”. Reacting to the action of the police, Adu said: “We view as barbaric, the act of lawlessness and impunity being displayed by the Nigeria Police Force working in concert with the officials and men of the Lagos State Government, by refusing to obey a restraining order of the court, restricting all parties to the suit from building on the disputed land, pending the determination of the substantive suit. “The decision of the Nigerian Police Force and the Lagos State Government not to obey the orders of the court is nothing but an affront on the Lagos State judiciary. This singular action has further reduced the Lagos State judicial system to mere laughing stock in the comity of nations.” He urged the committee, as a matter of urgency, to call on the police to stop forthwith all manner of construction work currently going on on the disputed land immediately and find a lasting solution to the problem. “Finding amicable solution to the dispute will save the state and, indeed the entire country, from looming international embarrassment as we are under intense pressure from the international nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) to drag the Lagos State Government and the Nigeria Police Force before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for their violation of our fundamental human rights,” Adu said. Also speaking during the visit, the Baale of Mowo land, Ajayi corroborated Adu’s position, saying “we did not sell the land. The land they claim to have bought is further away. They brought money to me that we should leave the land for them but I told them we can’t accept any money; they came and arrested me and some others and we told them we did not sell any land to the police.” President of Centre for the Defence of Human Rights and Democracy in Africa (CDHRDA) Prof. Maurice Fangnon, who was at the

•Residents stranded after their houses were demolished

The debris after the demolition

meeting said: “ We are going to take the matter to any length to make sure justice is done and we are not withdrawing the case from the court until we see a positive sign from the current effort of the Assembly.” Responding to questions from journalists after the tour of the demolished site, Adu said: “The police should leave the land and go back to where their land is. They should rebuild this community as it was before demolition. If they can’t do that, then we will tell them how much they can give to each one of us to rebuild it as it was before and also pay some compensation to those who lost their families. I don’t leave with my family again; they have separated me from them. They squat somewhere and I squat somewhere else. People who were house owners and landlords are now homeless and squatters. “We are also asking the government to pay us N100 billion and we think we are being magnanimous on our demand. This is so because the damage done is worth N500 billion.” He urged the committee to redress the injustice and return them to their ancestral homes as house owners/landlords because “we have been rendered homeless.” He confirmed that they have title documents to the land which they have given to the Ad-Hoc committee. He also said members of the communities are law-abiding citizens who have never defaulted in the payment of taxes and land use charges to the state government. While commending the communities for the mature way they have handled the matter, Abiru told them that the state government was not involved in the development of the land as the communities believed. He said: “It will be good if you communicate the truth of the matter. The Lagos State Government only allocated lands to the Nigerian Police, but it is not involved in the development of the land. It is the police co-operatives that is doing the project. We are here to assess the demolition exercise, but we will not pass any judgment as we are not any court of law and the case is in court.” He made it clear that the House could not restrain the Nigerian Police from developing the land, but that they could only make recommendations. He promised that the

•Abiru

We did not sell the land. The land they claim to have bought is further away. They brought money to me that we should leave the land for them but I told them we can’t accept any money; they came and arrested me and some others and we told them we did not sell any land to the police...While the survey plan of the communities is not a valid document, the one presented by the police was issued by the Office of the Surveyor-General which makes the police the rightful owners of the land committee would surely get justice for them very soon through its intervention. He emphasised that the members of the committee decided to pay a visit to the area to see things for themselves, adding that after going round the site, the Assembly would do its best to protect the interest of the landlords whose properties, worth millions of Naira were destroyed. He appealed to the distraught displaced persons to tarry on the court case as he clarified that the Lagos State Government is one that cares for the well-being of the people and will always protect the welfare and inter-

ests of the citizens. The lawmaker said the committee has met with the state Ministry of Lands, representatives of the Nigerian Police, Ministry of Physical Planning and the Office of the SurveyorGeneral of the state over the matter, saying the committee would come up with its recommendations to the House soon. Hon. Abiru reiterated the commitment of the committee to the project and urged the local chief to avail the committee of relevant documents, promising to bring all the stakeholders together at the next sitting of the committee at the Assembly so that the matter would be resolved amicably. Meanwhile, the residents, many hitherto house owners/landlords remain homeless while those who are luckier are squatting with relatives and friends. Many are leaving apart from their wives and children. How long this situation will persist for the people of Atiporomeh, Araromi Ale and Mowo Phase 2 in Badagry is not certain, but the Lagos State House of Assembly has promised to do something about the situation and give them relief. INVESTIGATION Southwest Report investigation revealed that the land in dispute which is 64.4 hectares is part of the global title acquisition of 1972 by the Federal Government and the Jakande administration in 1980. By the acquisition, government owns all the land. After the acquisition, according to a top official in the Ministry of Lands who craved anonymity because of the “sensitivity” of the matter, government paid compensations to some families and excision to others. This indicates that they had given up ownership of the land and duly compensated. In 2007, the 64.4 hectares of land under dispute was allotted to the Nigeria Police after payment of N173, 158, 661.25 to the state government. According to an official of the Ministry of Lands, the land was vacant or, more or less, a virgin land as at the time it was allotted to the police. However, what was written on the allotment paper given to police was Agemowo and Agelado. But, probably because this part of the land did not meet the taste of the police, they complained and when the Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) was is-

sued by the state government, it had Mowo on it, it is the same name ‘Mowo’ that is also in the survey plan in the office of the state Surveyor-General. An official in the Surveyor-General’s office said the survey plan can only pick the generic name ‘Mowo’ while Agelado and Agemowo are villages under Mowo and only co-ordinate; which, in essence, means that Agelado, Agemowo, Atiporomeh, Araromi Ale and Mowo Phase 2 are all under the land acquired under the generic name ‘Mowo’ by the state government. So, government might have decided to give the current disputed portion to the police when it complained about the first allotment since the whole land belongs to government. As for the documents paraded by the communities to claim ownership to the land, the top official in the Ministry of Lands said it cannot be valid because most of them are not original and that the survey plan they submitted needs to be verified by the Surveyor-General’s office. So, while the survey plan being presented by the police is official and with the office of the Surveyor-General. This invariably confers ownership of the land to them. The same cannot be said for that of the communities. The official said: “While the survey plan of the communities is not a valid document, the one presented by the police was issued by the Office of the Surveyor-General which makes the police the rightful owners of the land.” An official of the Ministry of Physical Planning, who also craved anonymity because he was not competent to speak on the matter, said when the police reported encroachment on the land to ex-Governor Babatunde Fashola, the letter was forwarded to the ministry and notice of contravention, notice to quit and demolition notice in that order were issued to the encroaching communities at different times before the demolition was carried out. The police also denied receiving any injunction from the court restraining them from continuing with the work on the land as claimed by the communities. However, the police’s C of O was issued in 2009, about a year after the communities filed a case against the alleged forcible acquisition of the land. According to a source close to the committee, Adu confessed that the high cost of obtaining the necessary documents prevented the communities from obtaining the relevant documents to the land. This would mean that what they have as documents are receipts for the purchase of plots of land by individual buyers and probably survey plans drawn up without the knowledge of the Surveyor-General’s office. This problem is not peculiar to the communities in Bagagry alone. There are similar problems in Abijo, Ikorodu and Sango Tedo areas of the state; where traditional owners of lands that have been acquired by government go ahead to sell the same plots of land to unsuspecting individuals who go ahead to build on the land only for government to come later to demolish their properties and take possession of the land after such individuals would have spent millions of Naira in building their homes. There is, therefore, urgent need for the government to publicise such acquisitions of land to prevent more Lagos residents from falling victims. Since members of Atiporomeh, Araromi Ale and Mowo Phase 2 communities in Badagry would not be wholly blamed for their current plight, the government may want to consider their losses and current difficulties and compensate them on compassionate grounds.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2015

THE NATION INVESTORS

Investment advisers, portfolio managers raise hopes on Nigerian stock market A S quoted equities lost N272 billion and the benchmark index at the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) slipped below the 30,000 mark, investment advisers and portfolio managers said the Nigerian stock market still has potential for considerable rebound in the latter part of this year. The market pundits, under the auspices of the Association of Investment Advisers and Portfolio Managers (IAPM), said Nigerian macroeconomic direction and global attention to the Nigerian market could spur a rebound going forward. President, Association of Investment Advisers and Portfolio Managers (IAPM), Femi Oyetunji, who spoke in Lagos ahead of the association’s yearly forum holding tomorrow, noted that Nigeria, as the largest economy in Africa, is at the cen-

Stories by Taofik Salako Capital Market Editor

tre of global investment consideration and recent successes in the areas of political transition have enhanced the country’s outlook. Oyetunji, who is also the group managing director of Continental Reinsurance Plc, meanwhile stressed the need for the Nigerian government to intensify efforts aimed at diversifying the economy for a sustainable growth. According to him, considering the state of economy with the continuing decline of price of crude oil, it is now more compelling for Nigeria to diversify its economy. He added that the IAPM had chosen the theme: “Revenue Diversification-The Bedrock of Sustained Economic Growth”, as part of the ef-

forts to refocus attention on economic diversification. Vice President, Association of Investment Advisers and Portfolio Managers (IAPM), Mrs. Oluwatoyin Sanni, also underscored the need for Nigeria to develop other sources of revenues. “We are not an oil company, we are country and we need to begin to demonstrate that we are a nation. Our people have already demonstrated that they are productive across all sectors like manufacturing, agriculture, technology and services. The challenge before the country is for the government to find a way to track and broaden government revenues across the productive areas of the economy,” Sanni said. On the forum, Sanni, who is also the group managing director, United

Capital Plc, said the association has invited a very knowledgeable and experienced industry operator in the person of the Chairman of Lead Capital Group, Mr. Abimbola Olashore as the guest speaker. She said the association seeks to create appropriate forum to further protect the interest of investors in the market, adding that this year’s forum would attract notable dignitaries from all walks of life, especially from the capital and financial market. Other speakers and panelists included Managing Director, Proshare Nigeria Limited, Mr. Femi Awoyemi; Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Debt Management Office, Mrs. Olanowale Ademola; Managing Director, Stanbic IBTC Nominees Limited, Mr. Akeem Oyewale and Managing Director,

Partnership Investment Company Plc, Mr. Victor Ogiemwonyi. Also, the Director-General of Securities and Exchange Commission(SEC), Mounir Gwarzo, will be the special guest of honour while the Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Stock Exchange, Mr. Oscar Onyema and other eminent capital market players will be at the forum. IAPM, formerly known as Association of Pension Funds and Investment Managers, was formed in 1981 by corporate bodies including portfolio and asset managers, trust corporation, pension fund managers, banks, insurance organisations among other related organisations. The aim of the association is to promote professionalism in the practice and administration of investment management advisory in Nigeria.

•From left: Mr. Samuel Onukwue; Mr. Bukar Kyari; Mr. Oscar Onyema; Mr. Fubara Anga; Vice Chairperson, Mr. Umaru Modibbo; Mrs. Misan Kofi-Senaya and Chief Sola Abodunrin, all members of Board of Trustees, Investors’ Protection Fund (IPF) of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) at the media briefing to announce the commencement of payment of compensations to investors by the IPF at the NSE in Lagos.

NDDC Auditor‘s Report: Matters Arising

HE recent controversial 2008 – 2012 report of the Auditor General of the Federation (AGF) on the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has thrown up questions of procedure, propriety and due diligence in the overall conduct of the AGF in the matter. Did the AGF follow the normal procedure in the audit process, whereby queries, if any, are first presented to the relevant organisation and responses received before a final report? Is the AGF aware that the NDDC does not write cheques and give same to contractors, but that everything to do with payments is between duly certified contractors and the banks, which must verify the specific details of extent of work before payments? Is it true that banks only make payments after the respective contractors have met the specific and specified requirements for every tranche of payment and that it is the banks, not the NDDC, that must see to this even in their own interest as responsible corporate citizens? Did the Office of the AGF even take the trouble to ascertain the paradigms governing many of the issues it chose to comment upon, and without recourse to those who could have explained the issues? Fortunately, the Director of Finance and Accounts of the NDDC has put a couple of things in proper perspective. Until this audit report of questionable credibility, all news about the Commission was always either about the new approaches of its current leadership to ensure probity, or the commissioning of hitherto abandoned projects. The new school hostels in eight universities was one such

By Duada Bala

intervention that recently took over the media space, in addition to the completion of projects suspended by previous leadership. Road networks rehabilitation and completion in several states have been going handin-hand with employment creation and youth empowerment programmes. There are legacy projects, the Partnership for Sustainable Development (PSD) Forum – and much more – under the current leadership. That is why Nigerians must be careful, especially since mischief-makers may use the misinformation and half truths of the audit report to undermine the very impressive strides and reputation of the current focused and hard working NDDDC leadership team. The fact that the Report in question covers the period 2008 – 2012, the reading public must make a distinction between the endemic problems of the NDDC long before its current management, and the performance of this current leadership. In fact the Auditor‘s Report is perhaps the best proof that all had not been well with the Commission, until very recently. The period under review by the AGF (2008-2012), recorded a total of almost half a dozen chief executives. This epidemic of Acting Managing Directors and substantive Managing Directors gave the NDDC a total of five Chief Executives between 2008 and 2013, when the current Managing Director assumed office. Timi Alaibe was in charge from 2007, until 2009 when P. Z. Aginighan took over. Aginigham was Acting MD from April to August, 2009, when

he was replaced by Chibuzo Ugwoha. The latter held forth from August 2009 to September 2011. Then came Mrs Osatohamwen IyasereArenyeka as Acting MD from September 2011 to November of the same year. Dr Chris Oboh was MD from November 2011 to September 2013, when Mrs. Christy Atako took over. The incumbent Managing Director, Bassey Dan-Abia, took over in December 2013 and has a four year tenure that will end in 2017. We would only be further disabilising the place if energies are now focused on management change, rather than service delivery, which the current team is doing so well and recording remarkable achievements within the last 18 months. As I write, some people are busy right now spreading the falsehood that it was only the Board of the NDDC that was dissolved by the Federal Government. This is incorrect. The decision of the Federal Government to dissolve the Boards of parastatals and agencies affected all Boards. Besides, the Board of an organisation is not the same as its management. It is also important to note that the government’s decision is not a condemnation of the NDDC Board, or any Board for that matter, but an action deemed necessary by the current political dispensation. It is not new. It is also not peculiar to the Government of President Buhari, as a cursory look at our political history from independence, shows that this is part of the national political process in other nations of the world. The Federal Government must not be misled into overlooking the fact

that the last two years of the Commission‘s life has been the most eventful, in terms of positive impact and a structured reversal of the hitherto prevailing bad reputation of the organization. That is why the ongoing, and clearly sponsored, attempts to smear the NDDC as an institution, and impugn the integrity of its management, should be seen for the campaign of calumny that it is. Is it not a matter of public record that the first step taken by the current management after its inauguration was to notify all stakeholders that it needed a calm reassessment of all that had been going on in the NDDC, with a view to ascertaining the number and spread of uncompleted projects? The emphasis has been on completing outstanding projects with measurable impact on the lives of the people, rather than starting new ones. The Dan-Abia team, on inauguration, proceeded on a well-organised retreat and came out with enough information on what had gone wrong and what it needed to do in order to straighten things out. The new helmsman began by taking sure, steady and measured steps. The steps are also in the right direction. Being a brilliant, well exposed and experienced hand in his own right, the current MD‘s previous stints in various capacities gave him a certain managerial advantage. That is perhaps why he gave himself the historical role of redefining the profile, reputation and trajectory of this agency of government, while remaining faithful to its raison d‘etre. This commitment to real goals of the Commission has made the new

NDDC MD’s approach a major beacon of hope for communities long frustrated by still-born projects that were abandoned by previous managements. Instead of taking off on a tangent with emphasis on new contracts, Dan-Abia chose to face real issues. Over time, since assumption of office, the new management has been solving the problems it identified after that initial four-day retreat, the communiqué of which noted “… weaknesses in management systems and procedures, corruption, defects in the organisational structure, disconnect between staff performance and reward system, weak interface between head office and state offices, poor corporate communication culture and in-fighting within the commission.” This truth, which the current leadership discovered and is dealing with, is what a lot of people connected with the agency over the years have done everything to deny. The effect of the denial is that all attempts at revamping the NDDC and giving it a new lease of life always failed, because they all began with a denial of the problems. Now that the problems have been properly identified and real work has begun, with the visible increase in the number of ongoing and completed projects across all the NDDC states, the Federal Government under Buhari should simply know that those who wish to distabilise the NDDC, under the mistaken impression that it is a place for free booty, should be made to look elsewhere for such booty and leave the hard working leadership of the Commission alone.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2015

THE NATION

BUSINESS PENSION

Better days are here for Lagos retirees The recent release of N11 billion in cash assets and the planned issuance of retirement benefit bond certificate to retirees are indicators of the Lagos State government’s determination to improve the fortunes of its pensioners. OMOBOLA TOLU-KUSIMO writes that these development represent a further consolidation of efforts of the previous administration in the state.

HERE is fresh hope for Lagos State retirees under the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) with the recent release of N11 billion by the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, to offset pension liabilities in arrears since 2010. The pension cash assets is not only for Lagos State Government mainstream pensioners, but retirees in Local Governments, Parastatals and agencies. The former Director-General of LASPEC, Mr. Rotimi Adekunle Hussain, disclosed that in the eight years of the previous administration in the state, a sum of N33.57 billion was to be paid to 6,441 workers, who retired from the State Public Service under the CPS. He expressed optimism and confidence that the achievements of the former governor Babatunde Fashola’s administration in the Scheme will be consolidated by Ambode. It was, therefore, instructive when Ambode, determined to tackle any challenge hindering the smooth operation of the scheme as it relate to the state and enhance workers’ welfare, directed that pension cash assets in the sum of N11 billion be immediately deployed to outstanding pension arrears, which dated back to 2010. According to a statement by the Head of Service, Mrs. Shade Jaji, the development is part of efforts being put in place by the present administration, aimed at finding a holistic solution to the issue of outstanding accrued pension rights due to retirees under the CPS pensions payment, and payment of pension entitlements under the Pay-As-You-Go (PAYG) pension scheme. The PAYE pension scheme was discontinued in April 2007. Jaji said the state government has developed a comprehensive payment plan to resolve all outstanding pension issues in the immediate short, medium and long terms. According to her, pension payments would be made to retirees of Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs) and Parastatals. “Also, payments to retirees from Local Governments and State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), which will be made monthly, will commence from this month,” it was learnt. The Nation gathered that the efforts

•A cross-section of retirees... better days ahead. Inset: Governor Ambode

were outcome of painstaking deliberations by the Public Service Pensions Office, the Lagos State Pensions Commission, the Head of Service and the determination of Governor Ambode to reduce outstanding liabilities due to all retirees in the state public service. To further give hope to the retirees, the state , through its pension commission (LASPEC), will from tomorrow pay N2.2 billion Bond out of the N11 billion set aside for the outstanding benefits to 658 retirees, who retired from the mainstream of the civil service, local government, SUBEB and parastatals of government. With these payments, the backlog of pension benefits owed by the state, leading to delayed payment of retirees benefits, is expected to be a thing of the past. The Director-General, LASPEC, Mrs Folashade Onanuga, revealed that the 658 retirees to benefit from the N2.2 billion Bond will receive their bond

from Governor Ambode at the 18th batch of Retirement Benefit Bond Certificate Presentation ceremony holding in Alausa tomorrow. The Retirement Benefit Bond Certificate is a written acknowledgment by the state government of debt owed to employees for their years in service under the Pay-As–You-Go pension scheme, which was discontinued on March 31, 2007. The state had already redeemed the figures on the certificates into the Retirement Savings Accounts (RSA) of the 658 retirees. She said: “This Retirement Benefit Bond presentation, the 18th consecutive one since the inception of the contributory pension scheme, signifies the strong commitment of the state government to the implementation and continued sustainability of the scheme. “ The LASPEC boss added that it is gratifying to note that Lagos State has been up-to-date in the remittance of

contributions. LASPEC Head, Corporate Affairs, Mukaila Sanusi further explained that Governor Ambode wanted to ensure that retirees are paid their benefits every month. “The situation before now is such that there were backlog challenge in payment of pension benefits in the state. The target by the present government is that retirees get their benefits same year they retire. They are able to go home with their entitlement immediately they retire,” he said, stressing that “this is why the government is paying outstanding pension liabilities”. “The N11 billion covers a huge chunk of the outstanding liabilities. More so, the fact that about 700 retirees will get their benefits tomorrow shows the seriousness of the current government to get things better than it has been before now,” he said. Chairman, Association of Retirees, Lagos State Water Corporation, Mr.

Leo Onayemi, in an interview, said the LASPEC DG has informed them that the current government has given them N150 million to pay to some of their members. He said they are excited and hope that more of their outstanding benefits will be paid soon. A retiree from a local government, who identified himself as Adeniyi, said he was happy that his benefits would be paid. He said he has been struggling and saddened about the development before one of friends told him that government will soon begin payment. The Lagos State Pension Reform Law 2007 was signed into law on March 19, 2007, established for the Public Service of Lagos State, a Contributory Pension Scheme for the payment of retirement benefits of employees in the service to whom the scheme applies. The scheme covers all pensionable employees in the public service of the state.

HOW TO PLAN A SUCCESSFUL RETIREMENT

Seven retirement MYTHS debunked •Continued from last week MYTH 5- I’d rather spend my money on something else When intentions are good, this excuse occasionally sounds like the most compelling reason to avoid saving for the future. True, we sometimes cling selfishly to money, using our income to purchase superfluous trinkets of ostensible success, but frequently we want to use our money to contribute beyond ourselves like charities, nonprofits, and lovedones in need. Contributing to others is certainly admirable, and I believe giving is living, so I want you contribute generously, but I’ve found the best way to help others is to help yourself first the best way to give gener-

ously is to have more to give. Investing in yourself ÀÛ+Ürst helps you ÀÛOÜex your giving muscle. There’s a reason airlines tell you to “secure your own oxygen mask before helping others”. If it’s easier to breath, it’s easier to help people in need. MYTH 6- The Stock Market isn’t safe Translation: You don’t understand the stock market. That’s okay. I don’t completely understand the stock market, either not intimately anyway (I am not a financial advisor, nor do I play one on the Internet). The only people who must have an advanced understanding of the stock market’s intricacies are stock brokers, day traders, and fund managers. Rather than

allocating several hours a day to learn the nuances of mutual funds, index funds, and individual stocks, I choose to use an investing service that takes the guess work out of investing. It is true any investment introduces risk into the equation, but longterm investing in the stock market has proven to be the best way to grow your retirement savings: over the last 25 years, including 2008’s steep decline and subsequent Great Recession, the market has averaged a rate of return of nearly 11%. Even when you account for 1929’s Great Depression, the market has averaged greater than nine per cent growth over the past 100 years (source: Morningstar). Investing in the market is the most stable good-growth investment one can make in the long-term, especially when using online tools that help you outperform the market, many of which are discussed in this essay.

MYTH 7- I don’t have enough time or knowledge to manage my retirement savings It’s true you and I will likely never have as much financial wisdom as the experts, but that’s precisely why we must seek out tools developed by trusted, reputable experts. Although I’m usually a do-it-yourself kind of guy, I don’t DIY my investment strategy; rather, I did my research and found online investment tools that allow me to control my money without being overly controlling. I don’t want to constantly scrutinize my investments tweaking and reacting out of fear every time the market goes up or down but I don’t want to ÀÛOÜy blind, either. Rather than flying the plane myself, I put the best possible pilot in the cockpit. •Culled from Premium Pension

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2015

SMALL BUSINESS AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Essiet_daniel@yahoo.com 08180714151

A group Multimix Academy and the Nigerian Export Promotion (NEPC) have held a forum in Lagos, where participants discussed the opportunities available in the global export market to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). DANIEL ESSIET reports.

How to tackle SMEs’export challenges T

HE Managing Director,Voc Royal Resources Nigeria Lim ited, Victor Chukwuogo, who exports African foods to Europe, started by selling food in wheel barrows. Today, he is mogul in the industry. He said he owes his success to discovering the opportunities in indigenous foods export. Addressing a forum by the Multimix Academy and Nigerian Export Promotion (NEPC) in Lagos to discuss the opportunities in export for Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), Chukwuogo, who started at the Oyingbo Market, Lagos , sold food items from a wheel barrow. From there, he rented a small shop. In 2009, e moved to another shop, where he processed and packaged food. After some years, Chukwuogo decided to sell beyond the nation’s borders. The idea came from his customers who take food abroad. According to him, his breakthrough came from exporting vegetables and food items, such as egusi, ogbono, chilli pepper, beans, and garri. On the opportunities in the business, Chukwuogo said they are limitless, adding that new entrants should be guided by mentors. He canvassed support for the mentorship programme of the Multimix Academy and the NEPC. As a mentor in the programme, he said he was ready to train aspiring exporters on the processing, packaging, sourcing raw materials and labelling of their products, reiterating that there are opportunities for SMEs’ owners in the African foods exports. He said new exporters must realise that processing food items and selling them in the international market takes a process which they must understand to avoid burning their fingers. Another mentor, Mr Olumuyiwa Olu Aiyegbusi, who has been exporting palm wine, moi-moi, ogi, plantain chips to the United Kingdom, said the business is lucrative. The challenges for new entrants, according to him, is keeping up with the international rules of food security. For him, thoroughness and obsession with standards is the key to success in the export business. SMEs owners, he advised, should

• From left: Zonal Controller , NEPC Lagos Zonal Office, George Enyiekpon; Iranloye and Obiora during the forum. have a deep understanding of their export markets. He said new entrants need mentors to expose them to the market trends and training to produce to export standards with minimum risk levels (MRLs), food safety and traceability. Chief Executive, Multimix Academy, Mr Obiora Madu, said growing an international export business requires the mastering strategic planning, adoption of quality standards and partnerships. According to him, would be exporters should be ready and confident to trade in the international market, have a clear understanding of the foreign market, what opportunities exist and how to package their products for specific foreign market. He said the biggest challenges for new exporters is the ability to control the ‘chain’ – covering production, packaging, processing to prevent the rejection of produce by foreign buy-

• Aiyegbusi

ers. He said there are many factors which can deter companies from exporting, but that none of the problems are in-

• Chukwuogo

surmountable if entrepreneurs demonstrated to work with mentors to tackle the barriers Madu said there are alot of support

for SMEs. He advised SMEs owners to seek advice on how to export more effectively in known markets or how to enter new markets. The Executive Director, NEPC, Mr Segun Awolowo, said the government has taken steps to enhance support for exporters to improve quality of produce meant for the overseas market. Awolowo,who spoke through the Head, Market Development Department, Mr Matthew Iranloye, said the export sector is an-important pillar of the economy and the council is evolving development strategies aim at helping them strengthen their business competitiveness. He said the council taking steps to further equip SMEs with critical export capabilities and that the export mentoring programme is designed for new entrants in export. He said the mentors would take would be exporters through a sustained and systematic approach to penetrate overseas markets.

Lagos-based entrepreneur, Timothy Anietie, faced many challenges in digital marketing. Despite that, he kept his motivation high. Today, his is a success story. DANIEL ESSIET reports.

How I started a digital marketing firm with N2,000

HE Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer of TimTech Solution, Timothy Anietie, is an outstanding young entrepreneur. Last year, his firm won the American Internet Business School’s award - the Best Web and Digital Marketing Consulting Company of the Year. Yet, Anietie was not born with a silver spoon. His is a testimony of moving from adversity to triumph. His battle with adversity, and eventual triumph against insurmountable odds, is a story that is both inspiring and emotional.

From adversity to prosperity His words: “The firm I was working with had relieved me of my employment, due to the downsizing that took place in the company. Although many others were affected, it was the best thing that ever happened to me as it drove me to self-employment.’’ Though he cried, the situation, however, drove him to start a dig-

ital marketing company. The great thing about him is that he started the business with N2,000. “I started my business with N2,000 and that was the only money I had to register my domain name www.timtechsolution.com. I borrowed the money from a friend. I believe that with a idea and zeal, one can start and run any business. ‘’That was what I did. I used my savings to buy a laptop, which was the most-needed tool in my business. That was on December 24, 2010, a day before Christmas. I had no money left to celebrate Christmas,” he recalled. Today, his business has grown and the company is worth over N10 million. Before he lost his office to fire on November 10, last year; he had on his payroll, four staff, with many freelance marketers. He has been in the web design business for over four years. His websites have attracted interests. Many people are giving him jobs. Anietie said the confidence he gained and the appreciation he received for delivering outstanding

works have motivated him. He has become a huge hit with the customers because of his excellent customer service, initiatives and relationship. His services include: digital marketing, website design and programming, mobile app development, software development, domain registration/hosting, networking, bulk sms, e-design/branding, online business consulting, trainings/ seminars, it consulting, etc. He has been able to prove himself. and has got good references and feedbacks from previous clients. He is also the Dean of Studies, www.infotechschool.com - an advanced IT training institute. As a start-up company, he worked alone, overseeing all the aspects of the business.These include telephone conversations with clients, negotiating on projects and budgets, time management, technical development, finance, marketing, preparing contract agreements. Yet, Anietie is happy being his boss and taking up more challenges.

He is an evidence of the meritocracy on the Internet that allows companies run by young entrepreneurs to compete, regardless of funding, location, size, or experience. To him, the nation’s digital media market is growing in a big way. There’s an opportunity to do technology development and he is taking the bull by the horns on that. Anietie has seen a paradigm shift in the way Nigerians use the media. Though print and television are dominant, he sees the Internet edging them and is offering Nigerians more ways to connect and consume news and new products. So far, advertisers have caught on, and are pouring money into online approaches. Anietie expects the use to increase, fuelled by the cheaper options provided by digital channels. He is offering creativity that is essential in digital media, where intense competition keeps business owners on edge. He aslo offers customised digital marketing training programmes for organisations. Anietie partners organisations to

• Anietie

develop programmes that enable them to leverage digital marketing for growth. He sees a good future for entrepreneurship in Nigeria. For him, Nigeria offers many opportunities for startups to solve problems and make money. There are opportunities in travel, mobile payments, gaming, marketplaces, and information and products and the potential for impact is immense. By leveraging internet technology, he said Nigeria can transform the way Nigerians will lead their lives. Besides marketing, he is a professional speaker.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2015

NATIONSPORT EXTRA

TRANSFER... TRANSFER...

Rahman excited by Chelsea opportunity

Benitez reveals big B plans for Benzema R

AFAEL Benitez wants striker Karim Benzema to weigh in with at least 25 goals this season, suggesting the Frenchman remains firmly in his plans at the Santiago Bernabeu. Benzema has been heavily linked with a move to Premier League side, Arsenal in recent weeks - speculation swiftly denied by the club's respective managers Benitez and Arsene Wenger.

Benzema scored 22 times in all competitions last term, but Benitez feels the 27-year-old can contribute more during his debut season at the club. When asked if he was keen to bring in a striker with a different style, Benitez told El Pais: "Having alternatives in any position always helps. "For example, the middle of the park - you have a midfielder who is better with containing and another with passing.

"Depending on the match, you can take advantage of one or the other. In the case of the striker, it's the same. "Benzema is a great player and one of my ideas this year is that he exceeds the barrier of 20-25 goals. In that, I have a lot of confidence. "I have a lot of faith in him, and Benzema has the ability to compete with any other striker." Inter boss, Roberto Mancini

has confirmed midfielder Mateo Kovacic is set to join Real and Benitez remains open to further additions. "Until August 31, the market is open and there may be movements, but I only speak of the squad that I have," he added. "To improve our team is not easy, there are not many players better than the ones that we have and [that are] available on the market."

ABA Rahman has thanked Augsburg and their supporters following his move to Chelsea and says a move to the Premier League champions was too good to turn down. Ghana full-back, Rahman moved to Stamford Bridge for an undisclosed fee on Sunday, bringing an end to weeks of speculation. Rahman is excited by the prospect of playing in England, but took time to pay tribute to his former club who he helped to an impressive fifth-placed finish in the Bundesliga last term. "I have made this decision and it is really not easy because I felt good at Augsburg," he told the German club's official website. "But the move to England is a very big opportunity for me to play at a top club like

•Rahman Chelsea, so I would like to take this step. "I am really looking forward to playing with many great footballers. "For me last season was absolutely amazing. I am very proud to have been a part of this fantastic team. "I want to thank the fans for their great support and wish the entire team all the best. I hope they have another successful season."

Ramos: I could have earned more money by leaving Madrid

ERGIO Ramos says that he could have earned more money elsewhere had he left Real Madrid rather than signing a new five-year deal at the Santiago Bernabeu. The Spain defender - who will captain Los Blancos this season following Iker Casillas' summer departure for Porto - put pen to paper on a contract extension on Monday following weeks of speculation that he was considering a lucrative move to Manchester United after allegedly falling out with club president Florentino Perez. However, Ramos, who joined Madrid from Sevilla in 2005, insists that financial considerations played no part in his decision to commit his

•Benzema

future to the capital club until 2020. "Honestly, if it was an economic decision, I wouldn't have stayed," the 29-year-old said at a news conference on Monday. "I could have earned more elsewhere. "It wasn't a question of money, there were personal and professional things we had to organise. "I've never spoken of my renewal but obviously, with a contract that had two years to go, whatever the press want to say I respect. "I wasn't happy in certain ways but I never said I wanted to leave. I spoke to who I needed to speak to but I couldn't continue how I was. Those personal things are nothing to do with money.

Verratti: I'm open to EPL move

•Verratti

ARIS Saint-Germain midfielder, Marco Verratti says that the Premier League would be an option for him if he were to leave the French club. The Italy international is on Barcelona's wishlist for 2016 after some impressive performances for the Ligue 1 champions and admits that he admires the Catalans' style of play. Asked by Goal if England might suit him, Verratti stressed his happiness at Parc des Princes but confirmed his openness to a challenge overseas. "You never know what the future brings," he remarked. "I am fine where I am now and I am not thinking about a transfer. "I will consider my options the day I no longer feel good at PSG or when the club wants to sell me but England, Spain and Italy are all options. What matters most is the project." Verratti's agent has

previously indicated that the midfielder would relish the chance to play for Barca and the 22year-old confessed his admiration for the Spanish champions. "Barcelona are one of the strongest clubs in the world and have been so for a long time," he enthused. "They are a great team but I am happy at PSG at the moment. But it is always flattering for a player when such a big club is interested in you. "It is up to the people at Barcelona to decide (if I would fit in) but it is true that I like their style." Another player who has interested Barca this summer, along with many other elite teams, is Juventus star Paul Pogba and Verratti cited the Frenchman as his ideal transfer target for PSG. The Italian explained: "Right now, I really like Pogba. I know that some of the biggest clubs are keeping tabs on him. He is an excellent midfielder, one of the best around in the game."

•Ramos

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2015

NATIONSPORT EXTRA McClaren: I won´t curb Mitrovic aggression

EWCASTLE United manager, Steve McClaren has no plans to try and curb Aleksandar Mitrovic's aggression, but urged the striker to learn to control his emotions. Mitrovic, who moved to St James' Park on a five-year deal last month, has started life in the Premier League with two yellow cards in as many substitute appearances.

•McClaren

The 20-year-old was booked less than two minutes after coming off the bench in Saturday's 2-0 defeat to Swansea City, which marked an improvement on the 11 seconds it took him to earn a caution in Newcastle's leagueopening 2-2 draw against Southampton. McClaren fears that Mitrovic will become a target for referees, but feels it would affect the former Anderlecht player's game to rein in his combative style. "I've had a lot of these type of players during my career and we should not take that aggression, that emotion away from the game," McClaren said. "Just don't do it. For example, Diego Costa at Chelsea - it's the same. "I've worked with those players and to curb it you take 50 per cent of their game away. You have to live with them. Mitrovic is a young man but he needs to control that and be smart with referees and opponents. "But he’s just showing his enthusiasm, his will to win and wanting to play. "It's only two games he has been with us. The nature of the game is changing. He has to adapt and keep his emotions under control. We all have to do that. We learned that here.

Van Gaal defends Rooney’s form

ANCHESTER United manager, Louis van Gaal says he has no worries over Wayne Rooney's ability to lead the line this season, reaffirming his confidence in the attacking options at his disposal. Van Gaal's men have started the season solidly if unspectacularly - claiming back-to-back 1-0 wins over Tottenham and Aston Villa - and Rooney was largely anonymous at Villa Park on Friday as Adnan Januzaj claimed the winner. With Javier Hernandez and James Wilson providing competition for the Old Trafford captain, Van Gaal reiterated his belief in his strikers, with two weeks remaining until the end of the transfer window. "I think all the media has written for a year that I have to put him in as a striker," he told a news conference ahead of

•Van Gaal

United's UEFA Champions League clash with Club Brugge. "So after two matches you are already doubting your own opinion. I cannot understand that. "I always have confidence in my players but we don't have only Wayne in the strikers, we have Adnan Januzaj, he played upfront in the USA and he has shown he can do that. "We also have Chicharito, [James] Wilson, so I don't think we lack strikers. Maybe you can ask the board of Manchester United, if you are the coach or the manager. Then you can discuss it with your staff." In a prickly media briefing, Van Gaal stated he would not answer questions on De Gea - the goalkeeper having been out of action due to his state of mind amid reports of a move to Real Madrid.

Moutinho out for at least a month

•Vincent Kompany celebrates his goal against Chelsea, his second of the season which makes him Manchester City's top-scorer

Silva: I still don't know Chelsea fell into City why Dunga dropped me traps - Kompany

•Moutinho

ONACO midfielder, Joao Moutinho will miss up to six weeks with an ankle injury suffered in his side's draw against Lille. The Portugal international was substituted just after the hour-mark of Monaco's 0-0 Ligue 1 draw at home to Lille on Friday. The club confirmed the severity of the injury on Sunday, saying Moutinho would miss between four and six weeks.

Moutinho's injury is a blow to Monaco's chances of reaching the UEFA Champions League group stages. The 28-year-old is certain to miss his team's play-off against Valencia, who host the first leg tomorrow Monaco are also set to be without Moutinho for their clash against Ligue 1 leaders Paris Saint-Germain on August 30.

HIAGO Silva has vowed to prove his worth to Brazil after being left out of the squad for September's Chevrolet Brasil Global Tour doubleheader with Costa Rica and USA. The Paris Saint-Germain defender suffered injury problems following last year’s World Cup, leaving him unavailable for Brazil coach Dunga’s first squads, during which time he lost the captaincy to Neymar. Thiago Silva also lost his place in the first team, with David Luiz and Miranda becoming Dunga’s firstchoice centre-back pairing, but appeared to be back in favour after earning a recall to the starting line-up at the expense of club-mate Luiz during June’s Copa America. Consequently, his omission from the latest Selecao panel has taken him by surprise.

“It's difficult for me,” Thiago Silva told Globo. “I still do not know why Dunga did not call me up. “There will be five or six PSG players who will stick around during the international break. “It will be very weird. I'm not used to it, but it will motivate me even more. I have to work to find my place in the team. I am staying calm and know I am a great player.” Thiago Silva faced criticism following Brazil's Copa America quarter-final exit to Paraguay as he handled to concede a penalty that led to a Paraguayan equaliser. The game finished 1-1 before Brazil were eliminated on penalties. Arsenal’s Gabriel Paulista has been drafted in as central defensive cover with PSG ace Luiz expected to return to the heart of the

ANCHESTER City captain, Vincent Kompany has hailed Manuel Pellegrini's preparation and planning prior to Sunday's 3-0 victory over Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium. The Belgian was on target as City laid down an early marker in their bid to regain the Premier League title dominating large spells of the game. City have not lost to Chelsea in their last four meetings and Kompany felt his side fully deserved their victory, despite Jose Mourinho alluding to a "fake result" in his post-match interview. "I have never felt as prepared for a game as I did for this one," Kompany told reporters. "You could see it - we were setting traps all over the pitch and it planned out perfectly for them. That may be the advantage of only play-

ing one match a week at the moment. If I have to give credit to the team for one thing, it was the way we prepared. "There was not one thing Chelsea threw at us that we didn’t know about. Two years ago we had a game against Chelsea where they completely dominated us. "They only won 1-0 (at the Etihad in February 2014) but probably deserved more. "Ever since we have had good games against them, even though we didn't win last year - we have adapted really well." Kompany now boasts two goals in as many matches, making him City's early-season top scorer. "I don't expect it to go on for too long, but I am probably more happy about the two clean sheets," he added. "If I am top-scorer for too long, we are in massive trouble.

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 19, 2015

POLITICS THE NATION

E-mail:- politics@thenationonlineng.net

BAYELSA POLITICS

Correspondent MIKE ODIEGWU writes on the struggle of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for power in Bayelsa State and the obstacles on the way.

Who takes Bayelsa APC’s ticket? T

HE All Progressive Congress (APC) has a Herculean task in Bayelsa State. The governorship election scheduled for December 5 will not be a child’s play. The body language of President Muhammadu Buhari indicates that he has come to create strong political and security institutions to restore Nigeria’s lost democratic values — in the spirit of the change mantra of the APC. Going by the mood of President Buhari, elections will no longer be won by brute force through the meddlesomeness of security agencies and partisanship of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Elections will only be won by the ballot. Therefore, according to analysts APC should not think that being in control of the centre has given it an automatic ticket to depose an incumbent governor. The election in Bayelsa, promises to be a real contest devoid of rigging, harassment, intimidation and daylight robbery, which characterised polls conducted in the past under the administration of the the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Indeed, pundits assert that the state chapter of the APC stands to lose the election if it takes its preparations for granted thinking that it will harness its advantage at the centre to wrest power from Governor Seriake Dickson and the PDP. Observers believe that, unless the APC embarks on vigorous campaigns to sell its agenda to the people and convince them to buy into its programmes of change, the party’s desire to add Bayelsa to its territory will be a mere dream. Investigations revealed that the APC is currently fraught with many challenges. Among them is its choice of candidate. The people are expecting the APC to produce a credible, tasted and trusted candidate, who has no dent of corruption and deception to square up with the PDP candidate who will likely be the sitting governor. On one hand, the party’s membership strength is increasing, following the defections of PDP bigwigs into the APC. But on the other hand, the exodus of politicians described by some persons as strange bedfellows into the APC presents a fresh challenge to the party. Most of the defectors and founding members of the APC has governorship ambitions. But there are some factors that are likely to decide who emerges the standard bearer of the party. In Bayelsa, the three senatorial districts have produced governors, although none completed his second term. The first governor, Chief Diepreye Alameiyesiegha, hails from Amassoma, Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa Central Senatorial District. His second tenure was botched, following his impeachment. His deputy and, later President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, who hails from Otuoke, Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa East Senatorial District, completed Alameiyeseigha’s tenure. He stood for re-election, but abandoned it to become the VicePresident and later the President. The exit of Jonathan threw up Chief Timipre Sylva, who is from Brass Local Government Area in the same senatorial district. After Sylva came Governor Dickson, who comes from Toru-Orua, Sagbama Local Government Area of Bayelsa West Senatorial District. Therefore, some leaders of the APC are of the opinion that the party’s ticket will be contested on the basis of disparity and political inequality in local government areas. Among the eight local government areas in the state, Southern Ijaw, Ogbia, Brass and Sagbama have produced governors in the persons of Alameiyesiegha, Jonathan, Sylva and Dickson respectively. Although Nembe, Ekeremor and Yenagoa

•Sylva

•Alaibe

Observers believe that the quest to govern the state was a principal reason behind the grand reception of the APC in Kolokuma-Opokuma. Many political heavyweights from the council have abandoned the PDP for the APC to present a common front for the party’ ticket have produced deputy governors in the persons of Rear Admiral John Jonah (retd), Chief Peremobowei Ebebi and Chief Werinipre Seibarugu respectively, the KolokumaOpokuma has produced neither a governor nor a deputy. Observers believe that the quest to govern the state was a principal reason behind the grand reception of the APC in KolokumaOpokuma. Many political heavyweights from the council have abandoned the PDP for the APC to present a common front for the party’ tickets. But, others are making frantic efforts to puncture the Kolokuma-Opokuma argument. For instance APC members from Yenagoa are putting up strong reasoning that the APC ticket should be zoned to their council. Proponents of Yenagoa argue that the council which is a capital of the state has not developed to the status of headquarters when juxtaposed with other states’ headquarters because it has not produced a governor. Besides, they maintain that having the largest voting population and highest concentration of non-indigenes and businesses yearning for social amneties, Yenagoa deserves the party’s ticket. Apart from Yenagoa, APC members from Sagbama, the local government area of Dickson, are also demanding the party’s ticket. They are of the views that APC stands a clearer chance of winning the election if it shops for a candidate from Dickson’s enclave. They further posit that it will enable them complete their tenure in case the incumbent governor fails to make it. But others are of the opinion that instead of conceding the party’s ticket to Sagbama, APC should select its party’s running mate from the council to di-

vide the votes. With the raging zoning arguments, pundits believe that only a transparent and credible primary election comparable to the Presidential primary of APC that produced the incumbent President at the center will douce the emerging infighting for the party’s standard bearer. Besides, the contentious issue of party membership and loyalty has reared its ugly head in the race for the party’s candidacy. With the new members trooping into the party with governorship ambitions, the old members of APC are tightening their belts to confront former members of the PDP whom they accused of planning to reap where they did not sow. Most legacy members of the APC are of the opinion that they will not allow a new member to outsmart and push them aside in the race. A group of APC members under the aegis of the Third Force (TF) brought the argument to the fore recently. Speaking in Yenagoa, the spokesman for the group, Mr. Ebideinmo Perekeme, said only tested and trusted party loyalists should be allowed to fly the flag of the party. Perekeme said: “We also urge the national leadership of the APC to support only steadfast and tested party loyalist whose love for the APC predated the election of President Muhammadu Buhari. “We implore the party’s national leadership to pick only candidates who will add value to the progressive ideal of the APC and ensure its victory in the forthcoming governorship race”. He said it would be counterproductive to allow persons he described as fair-weather politicians, who never believed in the ideals

of Buhari and the ability of the APC, to take over the party. “Such politicians are stomach infrastructure politicians, who will grab power to water their selfish ambition at the detriment of the populace who are yearning for change as exhibited by Nigerians on March 28, 2015 with the election of President Buhari. “We remind the party of the words of President Muhammadu Buhari who said members who have been in the trenches with the APC before the election should be considered before newcomers”, he said. He further said that the forthcoming governorship elections in Kogi and Bayelsa states will be a litmus test to the new boss of INEC, Amina Zakari. Perekeme said: “The elections in Kogi and Bayelsa states will be a litmus test for the Zakari led INEC as the two elections will be purely on One Man, One Vote basis. “We urge Bayelsans and the APC to take advantage of the timetable released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). “With the release of the timetable, the die is now cast. Bayelsa APC should proactively work for the strengthening of its structures from ward to state levels in its quest to win the forthcoming governorship election”. He asked the APC to intensify grassroot mobilization, which according to him is the basis for winning elections. He commended an APC chieftain and candidate for Bayelsa Central Senatorial District in the last election, Mr. Preye Aganaba, for driving grassroots support for the party. According to him, Aganaba undertook a sensitisation tour of 20 wards in KolokumaOpokuma and Yenagoa local government Areas where he called on ward committees to start working for APC’s victory. He said: “Going forward, we call on other APC leaders in the state to emulate the efforts of Aganaba in strengthening the party’s ward structures with the aim of building a strong, united and vibrant APC that will march triumphantly into Creek Haven come February 2016. But the Chairman of APC in the state, Mr. Tiwe Oruminighe, said all members of the party are equal despite their membership statuses. He said everybody is welcome to the party and allowed to aspire to any position of their choice. He said the APC ticket is opened to all aspirants who must be willing to go through a strict primary election. He asked members of the party to disregard insinuations in some quarters that the party will settle for a consensus candidate. The party chairman said: “On the issue of adoption of candidate and whatever the public must have heard about the APC, we want to reiterate that this party in Bayelsa State will follow strictly what the national party has demonstrated at the national level. “Everybody in Bayelsa that wants to join the party somehow has an ambition. They want to be governor or any other elective offices. Yes, it is good to keep an ambition, but this party wants to tell the public that whoever is joining us should keep an ambition at quiet end and join the party to work so that the party can deliver. “We will not make the mistake of saying we are adopting a candidate. There will be proper party primaries to select whoever that will fly the flag and I believe that the leadership in of this party is capable of producing a good standard bearer that will win election for Bayelsa State. “I believe this will prove people wrong that we have adopted candidate and that we are are not together. This party remains one indivisible unit, very united and we will forge ahead stronger to win the coming election in Bayelsa.”

THE NATION WEDNESDAY AUGUST 19, 2015

POLITICS

I had to consult many people in the region, including Chief Bola Ige, who ‘warned me against the decision. I was removed 30 days after my appointment. But, I thank God that I can move freely in any part of the region today ’

Former Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi spoke with Group Political Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU on his legacies, the crisis in the Ekiti State All Progressives Congress (APC) and people’s expectations about the Buhari Administration.

‘My legacy is being destroyed in Ekiti’ W HAT efforts are leaders making to resolve the division in the Ekiti APC? I don’t see what is going on as a division. It is not uncommon in politics to have tendencies within the broad spectrum within a party, provided they are dedicated to strengthening the party to deliver its agenda. What should be the agenda in Ekiti? It should be the retrieval of the state from the irresponsible leadership that is currently in office there. For us, as leaders of the party, we speak with one voice. The former governors who constitute the leadership are Mr. Segun Oni, Otunba Niyi Adebayo and myself. We are fully on the same page with the party leadership; the party executive; on how to reorganise the party in the aftermath of the June 21, 2014 governorship election and the recent general elections. So, we are building a process that will bring everyone who is genuinely interested in the party to work within the house. Those who choose to do otherwise clearly are not interested in the APC in Ekiti. For me, the reality is that as party processes move towards another election, interests will appear and people will want to pursue the interest in the manner they deem fit. And in doing that, it generates tension within the party. They will push the frontiers of the debate. They will want to push the position and interest they represent. But, what is clear to those of us in the core leadership of the party is that we need a large tent to accommodate everybody, who may have one perspective or the other. As long as they do that within the ambit of the party, it is allowed. So, I do not see any division. It is artificial. Once the leadership is not divided, it is easy to bring these tendencies back into the fold. Your former Commissioner for Education, Dr. Eniola Ajayi, said on a television programme in Lagos today that what you did as governor was gradually being destroyed by your successor. What is your comment? I don’t like to comment on my successor, if I can avoid it. This is not out of disrespect to the public interest because people want to know what is going on. My heart ache anytime I am in Ekiti and see the degeneration some of the projects and institutions have suffered. I spent the last weekend in Ekiti. It is a source of concern that the efforts that we made, which should bear fruits, in terms of the fundamental restructuring of the Ekiti economy, are now being threatened by the seeming lack of direction that the current administration there exhibits. It is a source of worry to me when Ekiti is now seen as a the kidnapping capital of the Southwest. That is a major security challenge we never witnessed in the four years I was in office. Even, when we had a few worrisome armed robbery incident, we quickly took steps to nip it in the bud by working closely with the security agents and supporting them materially and financially to be able to deliver on the

task of protecting the people of Ekiti. This dovetailed to other areas. The Ikogosi Warm Spring Resort which we spent a huge sum of money on to bring about has been abandoned. The private initiative has been abandoned. There is no management there. There is nobody doing anything there. In less than a year I left the government, it is a shadow of itself. This is an area the private investor was already complementing what the state was able to do. We had already concessioned it to a private organisation to run before we left office. I was told the new governor has reversed it. Thankfully, Ire Blocks Industry is back after 23 years. The clay factory is working now. I hope they will allow it to be run as a private entity in a professional manner. Anywhere you go in Ekiti, all you see is the structure that we put in place; the road we constructed, the schools we build, the hospitals that were done under us, and the university projects. We hoped that the new government will build on those things. I know they cancelled the traffic management agency that we set up. He cancelled the social security benefits for the elderly. He cancelled the youth empowerment scheme, the youth-incommercial agriculture development. All these things contributed to the reduction of poverty in the state. People hardly stay in the hotel in Ekiti State now. When I was governor, eight brand new standard hotels sprang up in Ekiti State-Delight, Midals, Prosperous. If you go to Fountain Hotel now, hardly can you get 10 customers staying there. This is applicable to other hotels that used to be full when I was governor. The correlation can be analysed. If you have a conducive environment, people want to come. They want to use their own creative talents to make things happen. But, those that are Ekiti people are running away now because of the threat of being kidnapped or insecurity. Party chieftains are shooting at each other in the same fold and all manner of uncertainties. So, my commissioner was not wrong when she said that the good works were being destroyed. But, I hope good judgment will prevail. I hope that those who are non-partisan and leaders in Ekiti will find it within themselves to talk to him, if he will listen, to thread the path of building, instead of destroying. It is very easy to destroy, but it is very difficult to build. But, if he doesn’t, history repeats itself. One thing that is certain is change. It is something that is constant. Although he has cancelled social security, the same social security is what has become a national initiative in our manifesto now that we are about to deliver to the people by paying N5,000 each to indigent elderly people. I know that these are programmes that will be enduring. All the communities that have benefitted from our initiatives cannot say that they did not benefit. They benefitted from our ten kilometres per local government. They thank me when they see me. The good roads we have in Ekiti are

•Fayemi

When I was governor, eight brand new standard hotels sprang up in Ekiti StateDelight, Midals, Prosperous. If you go to Fountain Hotel now, hardly can you get 10 customers staying there courtesy of what I and some of my predecessors also did. I am sad about it. But, that confirms the reality of politics. What are the lessons which you think the APC as a ruling party at the centre should learn from protracted National Assembly crisis? I do think that we have to be careful. I know the leadership of the party feels about it. The leadership of the party is now wrong ti want its own members to be the elected leaders of the National Assembly. But, you know, I have been involved in a similar situation. When we had the era of 13-13 in the Ekiti State House of Assembly, it was obvious to Governor Segun Oni and myself that none was going to be dominant. Although we were opposed to one another, we had to work out a way to have the Speaker in one camp and the Deputy Speaker in the other camp and to share the various portfolios in the House of Assembly. When I became the governor, in my first six months in office, I worked with the PDP Speaker. I worked quite amicably with Hon. Tunji Odeyemi, who was the one in charge. For me, I don’t think the issue is the fact that the minority PDP has somebody

there. It is the manner of his coming that is the problem. That is what our party objects to. It is the manner of his coming that the party leadership objects to. Clearly, the party leadership cannot object to Senator Saraki because he is a leading member of our party and he was active in mobilising members of his own faction of the PDP into coming to join us and work assiduously for the victory of President Muhammadu Buhari. To that extent, he has the right to express an interest in a position in the National Assembly. However, once the party has taken a position on some of these core party issues in the National Assembly, I think we have found a way to balance the equation. No President, no governor wants the Majority Leader-the Leader of Government Business-imposed on him. You can accommodate other things. But, the Leader of Government Business is supposed to be one of the closest people to the executive branch because he is the one who presents the Executive Bills and pilots the bills through the National Assembly. We have to accommodate the view of the party in that regard. But, i am realistic enough to know that, in a Senate that has 49 PDP members, they are not minute. There is nothing we can do that requires two-third majority that will not require some of them supporting us because we do not have the majority that is overwhelming. And this is practical politics. We have to sit and discuss certain things with them to get our way through on the important views that the President and our party want implemented in the National Assembly. So, to that extent, I don’t think we can take a monolithic view of how this matter should be resolved. Negotiation becomes important. There is need particularly, for negotiation skills. That was what the National Chairman of our party told journalists, that we are working on it and it is our expectation that this thing will be resolved. We also know that the President has taken a view that, for him, party supremacy is important, but he does not want to be drawn into matters that are exclusively legislative. So, it is striking the right balance. I think, so far, the President and the party have done reasonably well on that. We just have to ensure some pragmatic resolutions of the issues are further encouraged. The President has told the nation that he will release the list of ministerial nominees next month. What are your expectations about the quality of those what should be on the list? Well, it is the President’s expectation. It is the President that was elected by Nigerians and we have ceded some aspects of our rights to him by the vote given to him. We also repose confidence in his ability to determine what is good and in the ultimate best interest if the country. What he has said, which is not in doubt, is that it is about integrity, competence, commitment and character, He has also told us that those are not the qualities that necessarily reside within the political party alone. As seen in the appointment of service chiefs and the Group Managing Director of the NNPC, the President has demonstrated his stuff by making the right choices; round peg in round hole; that would be able to carry the agenda forward. So, I could not expect any less in the appointment of cabinet members and other relevant officials that will come on board.

Why Murtala removed me as governor, by Aduwo

ORMER military governor of the defunct Western State Vice Admiral Akintunde Aduwo has reflected on his military career, saying that he was removed from office by former Head of State Gen. Murtala Muhammed because he refused to announce the take-over of the University of Ife by the Federal Government. He recalled that he could not carry out the order, following objections by stakeholders in the region who objected to the transfer of the regional asset to the Federal Government. Aduwo, who later retired as the Chief of Naval Staff, said that he did not regret his action, adding that can walk freely today in the five states of Ondo, Oyo, Ogun, Osun, and Ekiti because he did not worked against their interest.

By Emmanuel Oladesu

The retired naval chief spoke on his career, the civil war and the plight of the military establishment, which he lamented, has not been insulated from partisan politics, during the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) live programme tagged: Reflections. Aduwo, who spent barely 30 days in office as governor, said that his appointment was dramatic as his name was not spelled correctly by the Head of State, who announced his posting to the State House, Ibadan. He said during the briefing by Gen. Muhammed, he was called Tunde Oduwa, instead of Akintunde Aduwo. He recalled that, after the briefing, he raised up his hand and asked for clarification before the Com-

mander-In-Chief pointed confirmed that he has been appointed governor. Aduwo, who succeeded Brig-Gen. Oluwole Rotimi, said the Head of State directed him to issue a statement transferring the university (now Obafemi Awolowo Univerisity (OAU) to the Federal Government, adding that he it was difficult for him to carry out the directive. He recalled: “I was appointed as military governor when Gen. Muhammadu Buhari was appointed as the military governor of the Northeast. My colleague, Adekunle Lawa was also appointed as the military governor of Lagos State. When I was appointed as the military governor, the Head of State directed me to issue a statement on the third day of my resumption that the University of Ife has

been transferred to the Federal Government. On the third day, I couldn’t do it. I did not know much about the university, except that it was owned by the Western State, which comprised of Oyo, Ondo, and Ogun states. “I had to consult many people in the region, including Chief Bola Ige, who warned me against the decision. I was removed 30 days after my appointment. But, I thank God that I can move freely in any part of the region today.” Aduwo recalled that, although he had options to work at the ministries of education and agriculture, and the Western State Broadcasting Service (WSBC), he opted for the naval training at Apapa Port as one of the pioneer naval cadets. He lamented the needless civil war, where he played a vital role on the fed-

•Aduwo eral side, saying that it was avoidable. Aduwo also lamented the politicisation of the military saying that it is counter-productive.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19 , 2015

SHOWBIZ

EW months after it launched the Nollyfund, an initial program limit of N1billion and single obligor limit of N50million for individual loans for the Nigerian motion picture industry, Bank of Industry (BoI), has extended the same facility to the fashion industry. The project which was launched penultimate Tuesday, is part of the bank’s support for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), meant to boost the creative arts industry in Nigeria. Managing Director of the bank, Mr. Rasheed Olaoluwa, who noted that Nigerian fashion designers are one of the most creative in the world, said the fund was an initiative under the Gender Unit of the bank, and also targeted toward women-owned businesses only. “There has been a lot of talk about SME funding, but with less action. This is why BoI has decided to increase its funding initiatives to cluster creations. “BoI has so far recognised 34 cluster creations nationwide to drive our funding initiatives. So, we are able to tailor each cluster based on its peculiarities. “We are excited about this fund because of the impact it is going to make in promoting job creation, especially among the youths because the fashion business globally is worth about $1trillion. “And with the growing population of over 170 million, increasing purchasing power of the middle class, it is obvious that the fashion business is, and will be a money spinner for Nigeria’s economy in the next

• L-R. Executive Director, Large Scale Enterprises, BoI, Mallam Mohammed Goni Alkali; CEO, Ruff 'n' Tumble, Mrs Adenike Ogunlesi; M.D BoI, Mr Rasheed Olaoluwa; President, FADAN, Mrs Funmi Ajila-Ladipo; E.D, SMEs, Mr Waheed Olagunju and BoI's Brand Ambassador, Dapo Oyebanjo (D’banj) at the event

Fashion designers laud BoI’s N1bn fund •Demand production hubs few years,” he said. President of the Fashion Designers Association of Nigeria (FADAN), Mrs. Funmi AjilaLadipo, who lauded BoI for the initiative, however proposed the funding of a fashion production hub, which she said is central to the challenges of Nigerian fashion designers. The FADAN boss also urged the management of the bank to

provide training, build capacity and guidance for budding entrepreneurs in the industry, adding that funding is not the only challenge facing the industry. Ajila-Ladipo’s thoughts were supported by other fashion designers at the event, and Mrs. Stella Awoh, Head of Yaba College of Technology Fashion School, who urged BoI to also

provide support for fashion interns and graduates to set up their businesses. Awoh disclosed that the college churns out about 450 graduates annually, who mostly end up roaming the streets because they had no funds to establish businesses. Mr. Olaoluwa received a rousing applause by the fashion designers, having assured them that he would look into their request of a production hub in the country.

Coke Studio Africa: Yemi Alade collaborates with top Kenyan acts

ENSATIONAL singer, Yemi Alade is back on Coca-Cola Coke Studio Africa TV Show for a second time. This is coming after her recent feat as Best Female Artiste in Africa at the 2015 MTV Africa Music Awards. Interestingly, the Johnny crooner has been paired with top Kenyan acts representing afro pop and genge genres on the Coke Studio TV show - set to premiere soon. Alade worked on a Coke Studio Africa mash-up collaboration with Sauti Sol, the successful Kenyan music group, which recently attracted international media attention after having President Obama dance to their song, Sura Yako, during his recent

Kenya visit. The Yemi Alade and Sauti Sol collaboration is produced by Cobhams Asuquo, who also produced Avril and M.I on the show’s new season. The product of the collaboration was such magic that Yemi and Sauti Sol headed straight to the studio to record another song, right after their recording at Coke Studio Africa. Yemi, a brilliant performer, has also worked with Kenya’s genge king - Jua Cali, also known as Baba Yao, in song collaborations produced by respected Nigerian producer Masterkraft – who has also worked with several top Nigerian acts including Flavour, Banky W, Olamide and Wizkid. “The relationship and friendship that is emerging among the

artistes from this show is what we envisaged, and it is good to see this platform building happiness among African artistes, and by extension the fans,” said Marketing Director, Coca-Cola Nigeria Limited, Patricia Jemibewon.

He encouraged the fashion designers to consider e-commerce platforms as a viable marketing alternative. “We see an opportunity to support Nigeria’s leading fashion businesses, to increase their production volumes and quality, thereby making them more competitive in both the domestic and international markets,” he said. Mr Babatunde Joseph, Head, Large Enterprises of the bank, said the bank had put in place

risk management systems to monitor the loans. Joseph said the criteria for the loan would be a five per cent deposit of the loan sum, two reputable guarantors, a bank guarantee, and most importantly, a business with a consistent cash flow. Joseph said referral from standard, relevant association would also be needed to facilitate the loans, and a maximum of five million naira only would be given out to individuals.

Baba Sala critically ill, rushed to UCH

NE of the foremost fathers of Nigerian comedy, Pa Moses Adejumo Olaiya, aka Baba Sala was on Monday night, rushed to the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, over his deteriorating health. The Nation gathered that the prolific actor has been ill for the past few weeks, but his health condition suddenly got worse two days ago, and he was said to have been rushed from his residence in Ilesha, Osun State, to UCH for medical attention. The film producer, who is well known for his funny trademark of oversize goggles and bow tie, joined the league of octogenarians on May 18, 2015. He is regarded as the father of modern Nigerian comedy along with other dramatists like Hubert Ogunde, Kola Ogunmola, Oyin Adejobi and Duro Ladipo, who popularised theatre and television acting in the country. Confirming the news, Head of Public Relations Unit of UCH, Mr. Deji Bobade, told The Nation yesterday afternoon that Baba Sala is still alive and his condition has stabilised. He noted that Baba Sala took his lunch in his presence yesterday afternoon. According to Bobade, “It was true that Baba Sala was rushed to this hospital on Monday night but he has stabilised. I just left his ward about 10 minutes ago. He took his lunch when I was in the ward, where he’s admit-

From Tayo Johnson, Ibadan

ted. Baba is healthy and there is nothing wrong with him for now. He is still alive. But the hospital is yet to discharge him.” Effort to know the nature of the ace comedian’s illness proved abortive, as Bobade merely said: “I won’t tell you. But he is an old man of over 80 years. So, his illness is age related.” Baba Sala, who began his career in show business as a highlife musician, led a group known as Federal Rhythm Dandies, which also featured Nigeria’s juju musician, Otunba Sunday Adegeye, popularly known as King Sunny Ade, as lead guitarist. The works of Baba Sala include, Orun Mooru (1982); Aare Agbaye (1983); Mosebolatan (1985); Agba Man (1992) as home video; Return Match (1993) as home video and Tokunbon (1985) on television.

• Baba Sala

Former roommate claims bad heroine led to Bobbi former roommate of the late facing a lawsuit filed by Kristina’s Kristina’s death fore Bobbi Kristina, Mason conservator, Bedelia Hagrove who

Whitaker, has claimed that bad heroine led to the death of the deceased daughter of the late Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown. Whitaker also said that Kristina’s boyfriend, Nick Gordon and her friends, Danyela Bradley and Maxwell Lomas were involved in her death, and then made it look like an accident. She revealed that Bradley and

By Ruth Iluobe

Lomas gave Kristina bad heroine to shoot after she had been beaten up by Gordon, and then called the police 20 minutes after she was noticed dead. According to Whitaker, Kristina’s aunt, Pat Houston bribed Bradley and Lomas into holding Gordon responsible for Kristina’s death saying she was going to pay off the DA to get immunity for them. Gordon is there-

revealed that Gordon gave Kristina a toxic cocktail, and then put her face down in her bathtub in Atlanta. A criminal investigation is being made into Kristina’s death. Gordon’s brother, John Walker revealed that Kristina had been into drugs since the age of 14, with Gordon and the late Whitney Houston. However, autopsy reports indicate that there was no obvious injury as cause of death of Kristina.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2015 THE NATION FRIDAY, JULY 25, 2014

NEWS

‘Let’s learn from our past’ Text of a keynote address by His Eminence, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, Sultan of Sokoto and PresidentGeneral, Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) at the National Security Summit held at the International Conference Centre, Abuja on Monday.

would like to begin by expressing my utmost gratitude to our Creator, Sustainer, and Protector, Allah [SWT], for bringing us together to witness the Opening Ceremony of the National Security Summit taking place here in Abuja. I wish to extend our deep appreciation to His Excellency Muhammadu Buhari GCFR, President, Federal Republic of Nigeria, for personally being here and for his strength of commitment and clarity of vision to rebuilding our national institutions and rekindling our hopes for a greater tomorrow. We must also express our thanks to the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Solomon E. Arase fdc, NPM, for the kind invitation to deliver this Keynote Address and for finding it fit, in collaboration with the Sun Publishing Ltd, to organize this important summit on National Security under the theme Community Partnership Approach to Internal Security and Crime Management. The summit comes at a crucial time when the nation, under the indefatigable leadership of Mr. President, is engaged in fighting insurgency and terrorism in the North-East and sanitizing the various facets of our national life. We would also wish to avail ourselves of this opportunity to extend our condolences to the Peoples and Governments of Osun and Borno States on the passing away of the Ooni of Ife and the Deputy Governor of Borno State. In the Ooni and the Deputy Governor we lost strong pillars of our two communities, who have dedicated their lives to the service of humanity. Your Excellency, Mr. President; Your Excellencies, the Executive Governors; The Inspector-General of Police and Heads of other Security agencies here present; Your Royal Highnesses; Distinguished Guests; the last few years had, undoubtedly, been a very trying period for this country. Blood had been shed with impunity and careless abandon. Lives had been lost. Livelihoods had been shattered and entire communities had been dislocated. Much worse a significant percentage of our population had become refugees in their own homeland. As the current efforts by Mr. President to defeat the insurgency and restore normalcy gather momentum, it is essential for all active elements in our diverse communities to close ranks and lend their support to this crucial engagement. Traditional and religious leaders, community leaders and indeed the entire citizenry must come together with unity of purpose and action, to ensure that the suspicions and mistrust of the past give way to mutual trust and understanding among our

people, while active co-operation and a shared destiny take the place of indifference and non-challance. As traditional and religious leaders, we pledge our full support to bridging the gulf between our security agencies and our respective communities. It is essential for all stakeholders to ensure that we develop effective partnerships that would move this nation forward. Your Excellencies, Distinguished Guests, I would like to state, without any equivocation, that our traditional institutions had, for several centuries and long before Nigeria came into being, played a very significant role in maintenance of peace and order and in the security management of our respective communities. Law and Order was maintained through a variety of measures that were peculiar to each state and society, including religious sanctions, establishment of law enforcement agencies as well as community specific actions such as boycott and banishment. The Kano Constitution of 1490s was one of the early documents that spelt out the various personnel required in the maintenance of law and order, including Intelligence officers, Police officers, Night patrolmen as well as security guards. In an intelligence-driven security environment, it is important to remember the words of this veritable Constitution where it stated that: ‘’ The ruler should find out about the enemy condition through trusted spies at all times- peace or war- so that nothing of the enemies activities shall be hidden from him at any moment. For he who is ignorant about something is also blind to it; while he who can see can defeat one thousand blind men.’’ With the advent of the Sokoto Caliphate at the beginning of the nineteenth century, the security architecture, especially in the Northern parts of Nigeria, underwent substantial change. One of the earliest instructions of the founder of the Caliphate, Shaykh Uthman Ibn Fodio, to his lieutenants was on the appointment to state offices. The first three that he mentioned were: “An upright Prime Minister [Wazir] over the Wilaya who wakens him [the ruler] if he sleeps, gives him sight if he cannot see and reminds him if he forgets.... The second support is a [Chief] Judge who is not restrained by anyone’s censure in upholding God’s Law.... The third pillar of sovereignty is a just Chief of Police who ensures that the weak obtain justice from the powerful....” The Conceptual basis of State and Human Security in the Sokoto Caliphate, besides the setting up of a

Police Force, was predicated on three other pillars. The first pillar was the issue of justice and fairness to all, for Shaykh Uthman believed that one of the key foundations of good governance is Justice. His son and lieutenant, Shaykh Muhammad Bello was equally emphatic that “there can be no development without Justice”, for Justice “is the basis of all progress.’’ The second pillar which the Sokoto Caliphate leaders considered important in ensuring human and state security was the issue of socio-economic development. Sultan Muhammad Bello was very emphatic about this issue when he stated that. ‘’The Sixth Principle [of Governance] is that the ruler should provide work for the people of his state. For this purpose, he shall foster the artisans and be concerned with tradesmen.... They include farmers, smiths, tailors, dyers, physicians, grocers, butchers and all sorts of trades which contribute to [stabilize] the proper order of the world..... He must keep villages and the countryside populated, construct fortresses and bridges and maintain markets and roads and realize for them all what are of public interest....’’ The third pillar which I wish to emphasize here is the fight against corruption. At an early stage of the Caliphate, its leaders realized that they needed honest persons, at all levels, to be able to establish a decent state. ‘’Leaders,’’ according to Sultan Muhammad Bello, “are like a spring of water and all your officials are like water-wheels. If the spring is pure, the filth of the water-wheels cannot harm it. If on the other hand, the spring is polluted, the purity of the water-wheel will have little effect [on the purity of the water].’’ Alhamdu Lillah we have a pure spring in our President. On his employees, the ruler was urged by the caliphate leaders to estimate their wealth before appointing them and should watch their conduct at all times. He shall confiscate whatever is in excess of their legitimate income and, if in doubt, confiscate half of it. To his subjects he will be “as the shepherd of a flock among ravening lions, for from evil employees proceed all manner of corruption in every land.’’ Mr. President, we are one hundred percent in support of your fight against corruption. All those found guilty should not only have their entire assets seized and forfeited to Government but should also be made to face the full wrath of the Law. On bribery and gift-giving, Shaykh Abdullahi b. Fodio could not be more emphatic: “Another thing agreed upon as being illegal is the collection of bribes on behalf of the leader or other officials like the judges and other employees.... It is also illegal to accept gifts from the common people. For such action is the door leading to all types of calamities. When a gift

•Sultan Abubakar

finds its way to a man of authority, Justice and Goodness will find its way out of him; and what he does is to purchase for himself a place in Hell.” Mr. President, Your Excellencies, Distinguished Guests, it is also important for us to state that even after the advent of British colonialism, traditional leaders continued to be accorded a pride of place in the management of security. The formation of a modern Police Force- the Native Authority Police Force [NAPF], was credited to the Egba United Government [EUG] under the Alake in 1905 which was followed a year later by the Ibadan Council in 1906. Subsequent Native Authority police formations were patterned along these sterling examples, but all closely associated with or supervised, in both the Western and Northern provinces, by traditional councils. In many provinces of the North, the Police Liaison Officer Scheme, among traditional title-holders, was also instituted. My father, Sultan Abubakar III, served as one of such liaison officers in Sokoto from 1931 and only relinquished the position in 1938 when he became the Sultan of Sokoto. “I even went to Kaduna,’’ he once said, “for formal Police training so that I could liaise with the police more efficiently.’’ In other places, like the Northern parts of the country, sons and close relatives of Emirs actually commanded their forces. Such personalities like Usman Nagogo of Katsina, Alhaji Aliyu Mustafa of Adamawa, Alhaji Ado Bayero of Kano and others in different parts of the country, all served as Chiefs of Police and high ranking officers before becoming Emirs, Obas and Obis of their respective Emirates and Kingdoms. Distinguished guests, we may venture to ask what really contributed to the success of traditional institutions in managing security. Firstly, we should state that the majority of the members of our communities shared in the subsisting values which subordinated individual and private interests to the general interest of the society. Regardless of how many mosques and churches you have built, the town halls you have constructed and the charitable causes you have sponsored, the communi-

ty would still wish to know the source of your wealth. The respectability you desire could only be conferred when the legitimacy of these sources are certified. Secondly, the vast networks and extensive nature of the traditional governance system, including emirate and district officials, town, village and ward heads, along with a plethora of titled officials, lend itself to effective Security Monitoring. Strangers are hosted and scrutinized, residents are re-assured and criminals and trouble-makers are closely monitored and quickly apprehended the moment they became a security menace. This system has worked to keep the peace in our communities for several centuries; it could still be beneficial if appropriately integrated into the current mechanisms of our security management. Mr. President, Your Excellencies, Your Royal Highness, may I crave your indulgence to conclude with some remarks on this important discourse. Firstly, we should face the task of reforming and re-positioning our national institutions; including the Nigeria Police Force and related agencies. It is imperative to ensure that our security agencies truly become 21st century organizations able to discharge their mandates effectively and efficiently. We should be able to cater to their operational needs and to the welfare of their members. When we utter the slogan, “Police is your friend,” we should mean it by word and deed. Secondly, we should endeavour to build sturdy bridges and bridge the gap between our security agencies and our communities. The record of our recent past is before us and shall serve as a true guide to the future. But we should also learn from our past and avoid expediency. Whatever we do, should be meaningful and sustainable. Thirdly, our national security, agencies must join the crusade against corruption, with commitment and determination. Regardless of how well trained and equipped an organization is, it cannot attain its full potential if it allows corruption and corrupt elements to grace its corridors. Those who conspire to corrupt our national institutions from the outside must face the same consequences as those who do it from within. Finally, I wish to call upon His Excellency, The President, whenever feasible, to institute a National Integrity Plan, supported by a National Integrity Institute, which shall refocus our ethical, moral and spiritual energies and the indomitable spirit of our people into building a peaceful, prosperous and democratic country able and willing to take its pride of place in the comity of nations. I am very hopeful that by the grace of Allah [SWT] we shall succeed. Finally, I pray that this Summit shall not go the same way others did. It should go beyond a talk shop and ensure effective and timely implementation of its noble outcomes. With these words, I thank you all for listening. Wassalam Alaikum.

•A crosssection of traditional rulers at the National Security Summit in Abuja...on Monday. PHOTO: NAN

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2015

7TH KANO STATE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL MEETING 12TH AUGUST, 2015 (27TH SHAWWAL, 1436AH) PREPARED BY THE COUNCIL AFFAIRS DIRECTORATE, OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY TO THE STATE GOVERNMENT, GOVERNMENT HOUSE, KANO.

n his inauguration speech on 29th May, 2015, Kano State Executive Governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, OFR categorically states thus: “we regard our elections as another mandate, to enable us continue with the good works started right from the first tenure of the outgoing administration. Consequently, the task before us will involve the consolidation of what has been put in place as well as the continuation of on-going development programmes while new projects will also be introduced. In a nutshell therefore, the fundamental direction of this Administration will be predicated on continuation, consolidation, fine-tuning and introduction of more people-oriented policies and programmes.”

e. Request for Funds for the Conduct of Women Consultative Forum The request is from the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development seeking for approval of the Council for the release of N1,250,000:00 for the conduct of the forum aimed at developing a holistic blueprint for the implementation of workable and successful programmes geared toward improving the lot of the womenfolk by tackling such sensitive issues like forced marriage, divorce, VVF and other healthrelated issues, drugs abuse, prostitution, women and girl-child education, empowerment, among others. The Council graciously approved the release of the sum requested to pave way for the conduct of the one-day extensive interactive session which involves arrangements/secretariat expenses, publication and media coverage, refreshments and logistics.

In pursuance of this noble objective of ensuring quality of life to the generality of the populace through the provision of infrastructures and implementation of programmes geared toward human development, the Kano State Executive Council held its 7th meeting under the distinguished chairmanship of His Excellency, the Executive Governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, OFR during which memoranda were tendered for deliberations, consideration and possible approval of the esteemed members. After welcoming the esteemed members to the meeting, the Governor noted with elation the heavy downpour experienced throughout the State within the week. The Chairman stated that the Government had already procured enough assorted fertilizers for sale at subsidized rates to farmers at designated centres. He, therefore, called on farmers to patronize these sales centres to procure the commodity to record bumper harvest during this year’s cropping season. He also assured that his administration will continue to take appropriate measures toward averting flooding with its devastating consequences to the lives and properties of the citizenry, urging people of the state to complement these efforts by avoiding dumping of refuse in drainages or erecting structures on waterways. During the 7th sitting, the following memoranda were presented before the Council by MDAs for consideration and approvals were granted to the sum of N3,072,788,389.7 thus: a. Request for Funds for the Conduct of Accreditation Exercise at Kano State Polytechnic The memorandum is from the state Ministry of Education, Science and Technology inviting the esteemed Council to note that School of Management Studies, Kano, School of Technology, Kano, School of Environmental Studies, Gwarzo and SORTED, Rano under Kano State Polytechnic were slated for accreditation visitation by the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) between 19th and 23rd January, 2015 but the exercise could not hold due to logistics problems. Having rescheduled the exercise upon the approval of NBTE, the Ministry requests the Council to consider and approve the sum of N69,638,164.40 for the conduct of the accreditation exercise at the affected institutions which approval was graciously granted in view of the importance of the exercise. b. Request for Funds for the Partitioning and Furnishing of the Newly Established Kano State Qur’anic and Islamiyya Schools Management Board The request is from the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology seeking for the approval of the esteemed Council for the release of funds to undertake the projects at the Board established in January 2015 aimed at improving and streamlining Qur’anic and Islamic education in the State. The Council was invited to also recall that the Board was initially accommodated temporarily at Sa’idu Gwarzo office complex within Audu Bako Secretariat and it later

His Excellency, Governor Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, OFR secured permanent premises at the defunct Ministry of Higher Education headquarters. The partitioning and furnishing of these offices were estimated to cost N20,376,737:27 and N14,907,062:30 on contract and direct labour respectively. The Council approved the release of the sum of N14,907,062:30 for the execution of the projects through direct labour in line with the Government’s austerity measures anchored on prudence. c. Request for Funds for the Transformation of Audu Bako Secretariat to Green Area During its sitting of 1st July, 2015, the esteemed Council approved the transformation of Audu Bako Secretariat to Green Area and directed the Ministry of Environment in collaboration with the Ministry of Water Resources and Rural Development to ensure the execution and maintenance of the project in a bid to provide conducive working environment to civil servants at the secretariat for optimum productivity. In realization of this noble objectives, the Ministry of Environment has planned to embark on the mass landscaping and extensive tree planting exercise and construction of water storage and distribution facilities within the secretariat with the cost implication of N27,725,900:00 for landscaping and tree planting and N7,300,000:00 for the construction of water storage and distribution facilities totaling N35,025,900:00. The Council approved the release of the sum of N35,025,900:00 to the Ministry to enable it execute the projects. d. Memorandum on the Commencement of Year 2015 Constituency Projects The kind attention of the Council was drawn to the execution of constituency projects at the grassroots level proposed by members of the State House of Assembly which positively affect the lives of the people. The Ministry of Works, Housing and Transport, therefore, invited the Council to note preparations for the commencement of the 2015 Constituency Projects across the 44 LGAs of the State under which the sum of N50,000,000:00 is allocated to each of the Hon. Members of the State House of Assembly totaling N2,200,000,000:00 as appropriated in the 2015 approved budget. The Council, therefore, considered and approved the commencement of the 2015 Constituency Projects by the Ministry of Works, Housing and Transport and directed for the release of the funds to the Ministry upon the presentation of certified certificates.

f. Request for Funds for the Rehabilitation of Some Drainages Along Some Major Roads The Council was invited to note the urgent need to conduct de-silting and rehabilitation of some drainages along some major roads in the metropolis that are prone to or affected by flood due to recent heavy downpour which submerged some communities. In line with the objectives of the present administration of attaining good environmental management and the need to forestall the occurrence of flooding with its attendant negative consequences to lives and properties of the people, the Ministry of Environment requested the Council to grant approval for the release of the sum of N25,699,300:00 to enable it rehabilitate the drainage along Kofar-MazugalAbattoir Road out of the three drainages earmarked for the purpose and the Council readily approved the request. g. Request for Funds for the Establishment of Two New 8-Kilometer Shelter Belts The request is from the Ministry of Environment seeking for the approval of the Council for the release of the sum of N15,000,000:00 to enable it undertake the establishment of two new 8-kilometer shelter belts at Sabuwar Kasuwa along Kano-Katsina Road in Bichi Local Government Area and a village along BaburaKano Road in Dambatta LGA to combat desertification and preserve forest reserve. The Council was reminded that the State had recorded significant successes in controlling desert encroachment that adversely hampers agro-economic activities when in 1987 and 1996 the State Afforestation Programme established 200-kilometer shelter belts but the state is still below 10% vegetation cover compared with the 20% and 30% for national and international standards respectively. However, the Council approved the trimmed down sum of N15,000,000:00 to enable the Kano Afforestation Programme (KNAP) undertake the project. h. Request for Funds for the Rehabilitation of Bagauda Dam The Ministry of Water Resources and Rural Development drew the attention of the Council to sudden spillway breakage at Bagauda Dam on 1st August, 2014 following torrential rainfall and inflow of large volume of water resulting in the total destruction of the 900-meter spillway channel, crops and farmlands worth millions of Naira in addition to demolishing of boundary brick wall of Bagauda Law School. To address the problem, the previous administration directed the Ministry in conjunction with Messrs Beacon Engineering to make a joint detailed assessment and estimate for the repairs/ rehabilitation of the dam and spillway structures and two alternatives were proffered, viz: complete rehabilitation of the dam and spillway structure at the cost of N141,660,026:20 or alternatively addressing the most crucial problems affecting the dam and spillway to avoid future occurrence of flooding with

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2015 the attendant devastation at the cost of N49,075,290:00. Quotations were received from three firms and that of Messrs Beacon Engineering was the lowest for the latter option. To this end, the Council approved the award of the rehabilitation project to Messrs Beacon Engineering at the cost of N49,075,290:00. i. Request for Funds for the Payment of Counterpart Funding of the Second Phase of Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Reform Programme in the State The request is from the Ministry of Water Resources and Rural Development inviting the esteemed Council to recall the signing of Memorandum of Understanding between the State Government and the European Development Fund for the implementation of the European Union-supported Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Reform Programme (WSSSRP) in some local government areas of the state which involves the construction of solar/motorized boreholes, hand pump boreholes, VIP latrines, urinals and wash points to overcome the scarcity of potable water and improve hygiene in the beneficiary communities. The first phase of WSSSRP I was implemented in eleven (11) LGAs, namely: Madobi, Rogo, Tsanyawa, Dawakin Kudu, Kabo, Minjibir, Takai, Gaya, Bunkure, Sumaila and Kayare at the cost of N455,731,877.36 out of which the European Union committed N219,489,512:13 or 48%, the Federal Government contributed N104,705,331:88 representing 25% while Kano State Government and the 44 LGAs provided N131,537,034:37 or 27%. The Council was further reminded about an MoU for the second phase of WSSSRP II signed in May 2013 where Madobi and Takai LGAs with a total of 29 small towns and two (2) urban areas were selected to benefit from the programme under which the European Union will provide N808,754,224:00 (70%)while the State Government and beneficiary LGAs will contribute N345,084,178:00 (30%) totaling N1,153,838,402:00. To this end, the Ministry requested the Council to approve the release of the sum of N345,084,178:00 being 30% contribution of the counterpart fund to the newly dedicated bank account which is a condition before the EU releases its contribution and approval was readily granted. j. Request for Funds for the Procurement of 5,000 Water Pumps for Distribution to Irrigation Farmers Across the State This is a joint memorandum presented to the Council by the Ministries of Agriculture and Natural Resources and Local Governments following a proposal from the Committee for the Development of Rivers and Streams in the state for the procurement of 5,000 50mm-3.5 HP petrol engine water pumps for distribution to Fadama and other irrigation farmers in the State. Under the proposed arrangements, each of the 44 LGAs will procure 100 units of the pumps totaling 4,400 while the state Government will procure the balance of 600 units at the cost of N48,500:00 per unit costing N242,500,000:00. The Council therefore approved the release of the sum of N29,100,00:00 for the procurement of State Government’s share of 600 units of the water pumps and the sum of N213,400,000:00 for the procurement of 4,400 units of the pumps by the 44 LGAs for distribution to Fadama Farmer Groups and Water Users Association in the State. k. Request for Funds to Enable Pilot Students Obtain/Convert their Licence into Nigerian Licence The Council was notified that seven (7) State sponsored pilot students recently completed their training at Mideast Aviation Academy, Jordan and part of the requirements for the granting of Pilot Licence is that each of the student must sit for a written examination conducted by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, Lagos which necessitated the request for the Government’s financial assistance to them which was earlier extended to about 56 other students. The Council was, therefore, requested to approve the release of the sum of N1,001,000:00 for the conversion of the lincense of the seven (7) students which covers air law examination, new licence, medical certificate, feeding and accommodation and transport. The Council readily approved the request. l. Request for Funds for the Conduct of Capacity Building on Prioritization of Critical Infrastructure Projects in the State The request is from the State Ministry of Planning and Budget intimating the Council about the Federal Government’s arrangements to develop the National Integrated Infrastructure Master Plan (NIIMP) for the next thirty (30) years and in line with this development, the National Planning Commission (NPC) organized a meeting in Abuja on 16th October, 2014 which was attended by the 36 States and Federal Government including the FCT on the preparation for the State Integrated Infrastructure Master Plan (SIIMP) version which is expected to be prepared in good time. A DFIDfunded programme, Nigeria Infrastructure Advisory Facility (NIAF) has indicated its willingness to support

51 Kano State through capacity building of the staff of the Ministry of Planning and Budget and others from relevant MDAs by providing resource persons, development and training manual, honoraria, transportation and accommodation while Kano State Government is to finance its staff and other logistics amounting to N1,749,000:00 which the Council is requested to consider and approve. The Council readily approved for the release of the amount to the Ministry of Planning and Budget for the conduct of the capacity building programme. m. Request for Funds for the Purchase and Installation of Events and Party Pavilion Tents at the Upgraded Botanical Garden, Orchard and Arboretum at Kano Zoological and Wildlife Management Agency The Council was informed about the recent upgrading of the botanical garden, orchard and arboretum which will improve revenue generation. To this end, the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources requested for the Council’s approval for the release of N28,996,768:00 for the procurement and installation of events and pavilion tents at the upgraded Botanical Garden, Orchard and Arboretum at Kano Zoological and Wildlife Management Agency which was granted. n. Request for Funds for the Construction and Reticulation of Two (2) Boreholes at Audu Bako Secretariat The Council was invited to note its earlier resolution for the designation of Audu Bako Secretariat as a Green Zone and the Ministry of Water Resources and Rural Development was directed to construct two (2) boreholes for the constant watering of the plants for which arrangements had been concluded. To this end, the Ministry requests the Council to approve the sum of N8,940,769:00 for the construction and reticulation of the boreholes to ensure maintaining a greener secretariat and approval was granted. o. Request for Funds for the Settlement of First Batch of Year 2015 Contract Gratuity to 131 Beneficiaries During its previous sitting on 15th July, 2015, the esteemed Council deliberated on the memorandum submitted by the Head of Civil Service regarding the settlement of first batch of contract gratuity of year 2015 amounting to N37,260,283:02 due to 145 contract staff and a 5-man committee was constituted to screen and verify the claims. The Committee adopted the methodologies of screening individual files and physical appearance of the claimants and 131 contract staff appeared for the screening exercise while 13 with financial commitments of N3,339,325:00 could not do so. The Council was therefore requested to approve the release of N33,920,958:00 to the Office of the Head of Civil Service being funds for the settlement of first batch of year 2015 contract gratuity due to 131 beneficiaries which approval was granted. p. Memorandum on the Commissioning of Baby Day Care Centre at Gyadi-Gyadi The memorandum is from the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development inviting the Council to note that preparations are on top gear for the commissioning of the recently renovated centre at Gyadi-Gyadi in Tarauni LGA established to provide sundry services like Early Childhood Education (ECE), among others whereby working mothers can drop their babies under the care of well-trained officers. However, the centre suffered prolonged neglect and dilapidation leading to its ultimate closure until its recent renovation and resuscitation. The Council, therefore, noted with delight the planned commissioning of the centre during the 100day in office celebrations of the present administration in the state. q. Memorandum on the Provision of Free Accommodation, Venue of Meetings and Other Logistics Support to Foreigners on Business Mission to Kano State The esteemed Council members were invited to recall the public pronouncement of His Excellency, the Executive Governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, OFR during the Ramadan breakfast of Friday 26th June, 2016 with the State Business Community in which he reiterated Government’s readiness to shoulder the responsibility of providing free accommodation, free venue of meetings and other logistics to any foreigner on business mission to the state to serve as incenptives to foreign investors wishing to invest in the State. Equally, the Policy Coordination Department of the Government House considered this business policy as significant and attractive in view of the present administration’s strategy of enhancing internally generated revenue of the State. The Council was, therefore, requested to consider and approve granting permission to the Ministry of Commerce to liaise with all relevant stakeholders on the successful implementation of the policy approval of which was granted. UPDATES ON ACTIVITIES OF THE 7TH EXCO SITTING

STATE VISIT BY A COMMITTEE ON IRRIGATION AND HYDRO POWER FROM FEDERAL MINISTRY OF WATER RESOURCES AND WORLD BANK Federal Government delegation serving as members of the Presidential Committee on Irrigation visited the State within the week and were received by the His Excellency, the Executive Governor. During the interface, the Committee briefed His Excellency that the committee is in Kano to assist the Government in realizing the two most important projects of development and expansion of irrigation projects embarked by Federal Government in collaboration with the World Bank and the State’s efforts to generate electricity through the ongoing construction of Independent hydro-electric power project at Tiga and Challawa Gorge Dams. In response, His Excellency commended the committee and promised to cooperate with the Federal Ministry of Water Resources in actualizing the two complementary yet important projects that are dear to the people of the state . Accordingly, Council noted the successful visit of the committee with appreciation and further commended Mr. President on the progressive leadership style being exhibited in managing the affairs of the nation at this critical time of national reverse. REPORT ON THE PARTICIPATION OF STATE’S REPRESENTATIVES @ CALABAR INTERNATIONAL TOURISM EXPO, 2015 Council noted the presentation of a report on the participation of Kano State representatives at the Calabar International Tourism Expo which took place between 29th – 31st July, 2015 at Tinapa Business and Leisure Resort, Cross River State from Hon. Commissioner for Commerce, Industry and Cooperatives. REPORT ON THE RESOLUTION OF THE FIRST NORTHERN SPEAKERS’ FORUM OF 8TH LAGISLATURE HELD ON 26TH JULY, 2015 IN THE STATE The Council noted the resolution of the 8th Northern legislatures’ Speakers Forum which was reached during an interactive sessions held in the State on 26th July, 2015. Therefore, Council expressed hope that the forum will continue to serve as canopy of boosting unity, peace and prosperity in the entire Northern Region. HOSTING OF NATIONAL YOUTHS WEEK IN THE STATE Esteemed Members were aware that the State hosted the 2015 National Youths Week on 12th August, 2015. The annual event was attended by Members of the State Executive Council, including the Chairman. 2. During the event, the organizers expressed their warm appreciation to His Excellency, the Executive Governor and other EXCO members present. They also used the opportunity to urge government to support more youth oriented programs. FLAG-OFF/LAUNCHING OF STATE-WIDE FREE EYE TREATMENT TO 44,000 PEOPLE WITH VARYING DEGREES OF VISUAL IMPAIRMENT ACROSS THE 44 LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREAS IN THE STATE Council noted the successful flag-off of the State-wide free eye treatment for 44,000 people with various types of visual impairment across the 44 Local Government Areas. The programme is planned to take place at 9no. selected health care facility centers in the State to be conducted one after the other. The first centre was flagged-off by His Excellency the Executive Governor at Sir Muhammadu Sanusi General Hospital from 8th – 11th August, 2015 where over 3,000 beneficiaries from 7no. Local Government Areas attended and received the free eye care services. Accordingly, the Governor further reiterated the administration’s commitment to improve the health care services in the State as promised during his electioneering campaigns. USEFUL PHONE NUMBERS ON ANY EMERGENCY The council has endorsed these useful phone numbers provided by the security agencies in case of any emergency. Accordingly, members of the general public may contact KAROTA for breakdown of vehicle(s), traffic congestion, accident or illegal/wrong parking on 08091626747, the State Police Command on 08032419754 or 08123821575 and the State Fire Service on 07051246833 or 08191778888.

Signed: Hon. Commissioner of Information, Youth, Sports and Culture Kano State

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2015

The Midweek Magazine A decade of service by Ekitipanupo

KITIPANUPO community square is celebrating her with year anniversary with the publication of a book appropriately titled: Ekitipanupo Legacy Book. The title is very apt because it depicts what has taken place over the past 10 years. It is a legacy we are bequeathing to generations yet unborn. The motto of the community is “Thinking, harmonising and serving.” A book review is supposed to take a critical look at the book in question. This book (Ekitipanupo Legacy book) looked at the development and growth of an organisation that was bred and nurtured on the internet with many of the members never having physically seen or met themselves but had developed a close affinity to one another because of the common interest of Ekiti. This think- tank group that is also referred to as an indigenous intellectual round table for all of Ekiti people is the brain child of the author and a few others who invited the rest of us to join them. There was a time we discussed the name of the forum whether it was to be called panupo (one voice) or panupo (one mind) and we settled for one mind and many voices. Ekiti represents our singular purpose and her progress becomes our major focus. Ten years down the road, our aim have become solidified. The author himself, in the prologue to the book began the review of his book when he wrote that: The book is titled: EKITIPANUPO: Historical Excerpts and highlight of the Forum Deliberations between 2005 and 2015 because the initiative has grown to become an institution among other reasons. Consequently, the book was put together essentially to capture the activities of the forum in one-stop pictorial book such that every literate Ekiti indigene would like to keep a copy of it because it is loaded with timeless material. It is in seven sections with the preface written by the Baba-Isale of Ekitipanupo, Chief SB Falegan. Part I tells the story of Ekitipanupo… p.11

•Prof. Aina

BOOK REVIEW From Uzor Maxim Uzoatu Title: The Ekiti panupo Author: Seye Adetunmbi Reviewers: Prof. Joseph Aina & Bolaji Aluko Pagination: 331 This 331-page book is divided into seven parts with each part covering specific items providing information of what Ekitipanupo is all about, its composition and its achievements over the last 10 years. Part one is about the forum, its platform, constitution and its anthem a robust history of Ekiti state and her

people. Part two is about the development of a blueprint for Ekiti development. Part three presents the various lectures the forum has hosted over the years. Part four is about the discussions on various issues of importance to the forum presented by different distinguished members of forum in their area of interest but pertinent to the development of Ekiti. In part five the book exhibits photographs of Ekiti people celebrating events whether they are members of the forum or not. This section also contains historical pictures of those who have served or represented Ekiti in different affairs. Part six, presents us with integrated seminal sessions depicting expert opinions from multidimensional dialogues. Finally, part six consists of tributes to members and other Ekiti sons and daughters in all spheres of life including the creation of a Hall of Fame for distinguished Ekiti individuals. The book is very comprehensive and covers many areas of participation by members. However, we notice that the pictures though very voluminous still left some people and communities out. Among these, for example, Moba which has not been fully represented especially on the aspect of leaders and royal fathers. The picture of Oore, the paramount ruler of Mobaland, who was also the first chair of all the Ekiti Obas (pelupelu), was conspicuously absent. Chief Omoboriowo, the first deputy governor (an Ekiti man) in the old Ondo State was not included so also Governor Olumilua who was the first Ekiti man to be an elected Governor of the old Ondo State. These minor (some might say major) omissions have taken nothing from the credibility and authenticity of the book. All Ekiti people should be proud of this work. We commend the author and all others involved in the writing, compilation and publication of the book. We are sure it was a hectic task. This book will make a good reading for all. We recommend the book to all Ekiti sons and daughters and it will be a splendid addition to anyone’s library.

210 girls attend UNIC summer camp To underscore the importance of empowering women and girls, the UN Information Centre (UNIC), Lagos, has engaged over 200 girls at a summer camp in Lagos. EVELYN OSAGIE reports.

UMMER is here again. And the fun has just begun. It’s another camping season for kids. Within the education circle in Nigeria, this period is widely known as “long vacation” during which students and their parents engage in some pre-determined activities locally and abroad. While many pupils have gone on vacation with their parents, after a tedious academic year, others are in camps developing their skills and nourishing their interests without hurting their academic studies. The latter, according to the Director of United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) Lagos, Mr Ronald Kayanja, is in line with the United Nations Strategic Framework for the Post-2015 Agenda, especially the “Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) No 5”, which dwells on achieving gender equality and empowering women and girls. Against this background, the ‘Yes I believe Academy’, a strategic partner of UNIC, Lagos, organised a summer camp for 210 girls aged between 10 and 18 years. Tagged: Summer skills acquisition workshop, the one-week programme featured various trainings, including those on beadworks, shoemaking, makeup and soft furnishing. Mr Ronald Kayanja, who addressed the participants in Lagos, observed that skill acquisition was a life-time gift which should be embraced by everyone who had the opportunity to get one. Attending camps like the just-concluded one, according to UNIC

HE Isese Festival of Oke-Odo land in Agbado Oke-Odo Local Government Area of Lagos State begins today, the Baale, Dada Saliu Babatunde, has said. The celebrations, which will climax tomorrow, will feature diverse cultural activities and displays at the Baale Palace. Baale Dada said the essence of the feast is to promote their cultural heritage, adding that the safety of indigenes and guests throughout the celebrations is uppermost in the agenda of this year’s festival. He made the statements while receiving

•UNIC Lagos Director, Mr Ronald Kayanja addresses the participants

ADVOCACY Lagos Director, have a positive impact on the future of children. Commending parents of the participants for sending their children to the camp, he applauded the pupils for being a part of the programme. In addition, he spoke about the works and history of the United Nations, especially its 70th anniversary, noting that it is in line with the UN Strategic Framework for the Post-2015 Agenda.

The participants were pupils of Gbagada Girls Junior Secondary School, Bariga, Lagos. In his remarks, the Executive Director of ‘Yes I Believe Academy’, Mr Niyi Adekunle, said the children demonstrated high level of seriousness and commitment to learning specific skills within the days of training. “I am highly impressed,” Mr Kayanja said. Later, in company of the facilitators, Mr Adekunle conducted the UNIC team, lead by its director, round the exhibition of some of the products produced by the participants.

Isese festival kicks off today FESTIVAL By Evelyn Osagie

youths of the community on courtesy visit to his palace. The Baale, who addressed his guests in Yoruba, praised the youth for their courage and enthusiasm in the forthcoming festival, promising them an exciting festival that is

different from the previous years. He said: “Arrangement has being made to ensure the security and safety of both the indigenes and the visitors. The people have nothing to fear but to pray for the peaceful hosting of the festival. We holding the festival to promote culture and bring harmony and common interaction for unity of the communities and the state at large.”

E-mail:- ozoluauhakheme@yahoo.com

CYAN’S ORB

In league for better schools (II) From Cyan Frank-Hanachor

HOUGH we’re making inroads, there’s still a long way to go to achieve the degree of professionalism and panache that will send a clear message that the 21st century teacher is one who’s proud and effectively positioned by dint of hardwork and training not to talk of self-conviction, to be the model of society they once were before economic inroads on the psyche of society drove all but the most disgruntled of humanity to the “lowlypaid” and “undistinguished” career of all time! The system needs a complete overhaul not the persistent pussy-footing or mouthing of platitudes that we’ve witnessed thus far! There’s a distinct rot in the system that reflects our progress as a nation! Public schools will continue to throw up the odd successful “public” figure but the spirit of thousands will shrivel and die in a system that’s barely equipped to play its primary role of nurturing and stimulating education in our young minds! A teacher who’s ignorant of his own flaws is hardly in a position to educate and impact anything of weighty value on the highly receptive child of school age! The government must of a necessity encourage and enforce a purpose-built education that encompasses physical, spiritual, creative and social development that’s also academically balanced! These children deserve a fair chance in life - at least more than we’ve been inspired to give them before now! We can start with those horribly cheap, utterly reprehensible, pieces of rags sold as uniforms to the children in the public schools and a few of the privately – run schools! It’s an affront to our ethos and responsibilities as parents! We should embark on changing these vestments to give them leeway to develop a healthy self-esteem and approbation, alongside their mates in the private schools. The “private” school alone doesn’t have a monopoly on service delivery! The public school is better funded and more positioned for excellence in terms of infrastructure than most of the so-called private schools! We must shrug off apathy for change and encourage a more robust and balanced approach in our administration of our schools! The public school system still remains the best option for an education that’s balanced, affordable(never forget that!) and better yet, time and tested against the hastily assembled infrastructure or studied lack of the “private” school! We can start from this basic provision and the benefits would reverberate in all spheres of our educational sector! I’ve seen it done – remember the picture of the Comrade-Governor and the students of Azoro Grammar School in Benin City? I’d been exhilarated enough to write to the Hon. Commmissioner of Information in Edo State. It’s been months and I’m yet to get a reply. I’ve decided to make the contents of the email public to show how much of an effort we all need to put in to ensure the mistakes of the past “circuit” aren’t repeated! Technology has advanced and so has the educational system! Few of us have elected to understudy the effectiveness of a more rounded approach to education and I must confess that we need to join hands with the government to effectively combat the decay in a system that has refused to tackle its own exigencies! Azoro Grammar School is but one of the public schools located in Benin City which received a facelift from the government - let’s not stop at that! We must undertake a rigorous campaign to ensure a new spirit and mindset is put in place to kick-start a new phase in the mechanism of our polity! I implicitly trust the judgement of the governor who with meager resources and an intelligent, resolute mind, will continue to forage to provide an adequate and lasting legacy in the educational sector for the economically-disadvantaged but deserving communities whose only mainstay is agriculture! Edo State is but one state blessed with people with “large hearts” and a receptive, intelligent mind! We must of necessity in all states of the federation, nurture and encourage a re-engineering of our collective mindset until we achieve an educationally sound and academically-inclined society! Let’s start today! Our children deserve no less! Email: scionofpapyrus@gmail.com. Tel: 08134283539

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2015

BUSINESS EXTRA NCAA orders airlines’ audit SIM deactivation: NCC may sanction telcos for non-compliance T

HE Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) has accused operators of the Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) of not complying with its directive to deactivate all unregistered subscriber identity modules (SIMs). Also to be deactivated are those that suffered one irregularity or the other in the course of SIM card registration. The NCC has threatened to sanction the telcos. According to the NCC, from about 38.78 million SIM cards found to be defective in terms of improper registration details, including poor finger prints, no facial information and other biometric challenges, only about 10.7 million have been deactivated. Its Head, Compliance and Monitoring Team, Efosa Efosa, who spoke with reporters in Lagos yesterday, said all the operators failed to comply with the directive on the deactivation of

By Lucas Ajanaku

improperly registered SIM cards. He accused MTN, the dominant operator, of failing to comply with the directive, while Airtel, Globacom, and Etisalat partially complied, he said. The chief enforcer recalled that in September last year, NCC sent 38.78 million subscriber lines that had registration hiccups to the telcos and directed them to normalise the registration by re-registering the affected subscribers. In the figures, MTN had 18.6 million unregistered and improperly registered SIMs, Airtel had 7.49 million, Globacom-2.23 million, while Etisalat had 10.46 million, totaling 38. 78 million SIMs that had issues. Early this month, specifically on August 4, NCC gave telcos, a seven-day ultimatum to deactivate all unregistered and improp-

erly registered SIM cards on their networks. The NCC monitoring team carried out unannounced monitoring on all the networks and discovered that there was partial compliance among the operators while MTN did not comply at all. Efosa lamented that instead of outright deactivation MTN only placed 1.6 million lines on ‘Receive Calls Only’. “With this, there was no compliance from MTN. During our visit to Airtel, the telco has fully barred 2.3 million from its network. These were SIM data found to be incomplete. At Globacom, 3.5 million lines have been barred. Globacom gave assurance of 24 hours to deactivate other lines found to be defective. Etisalat barred 3.3 million lines and promised that within 24 hours, others will be deactivated totally from the networks.” Efosa lamented that the defective lines had been sent to the telcos since September last year, adding

that the lines must have now passed 38.78 million. He said the commission, after due consultation with the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and other stakeholders in the industry agreed that pre-registered SIMs and others found to be defective be deactivated, adding that henceforth, operators will be required to send correct data for hamonisation to the Efosa, who ruled out sabotage on the part of the operators, informed that there will be sanctions as stipulated by SIM Card Registration Code, Section 19 to 21, where it was stated that per SIMs found defective on the network, erring operator will be made to pay N200, 000. “We are going to look at what the law says about none-compliance and impose the appropriate sanction on all the operators, according to the level of their offenses,” Idehen said.

• L-R: President, Association of Investment Advisers and Portfolio Managers(IAPM), Dr.Femi Oyetunji; Vice President, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Sanni, and Executive Secretary/ CEO, Mr. Akinduro Philips during the press conference on the annual members forum of IAPM scheduled to hold in Lagos on Thursday August 20, 2015.

HE Director-General, Nigerian Civil Avia tion Authority (NCAA) Capt. Muhtar Usman has ordered an immediate commencement of a comprehensive audit of all airlines operating in the country. According to him, this exercise is in line with the Authority’s regulatory and oversight responsibilities. NCAA’s Aviation Safety Inspectors (ASI) will continue its routine ramp inspections with eagle eye and attention to fine details. The DG said this directive is to forestall complacency among operators and ensure that they all continue to demonstrate absolute compliance to NCAA’s regulations. He said recent events in the

From Nduka Chiejina (Asst. Editor)

alise a more effective and transparent management of public finances in the country.” He maintained that the TSA is aimed at creating a single pool where all government’s receipts are kept in one account, thus making it possible at a glance to know the state of all the accounts. In order to ensure smooth implementation of the TSA, Alhaji Idris said the Office of the Accountant General (OAGF) has set up a special committee to be headed by a director, to address all issues or enquires from the affected ministries, department and afencies (MDAs) and make sure the operations of spe-

cialised agencies such as the universities are not hampered by the project. He reassured the visitors that the OAGF will collaborate with the universities to ensure that all matters raised are addressed to ensure that the universities are more efficient and transparently managed. The AGF allayed fears being expressed by some MDAs that the directive of President Muhammed Buhari on TSA for the e-collection of government receipts will negatively affect the operations of some specialised agencies. He said: “It will rather improve their efficiency and increase the rating of the nation’s economy.” Earlier, the leader of the

delegation and Secretary of the Committee of Vice chancellors, Prof Michael Faborode, told the AGF that the universities by their operations and services rendered, are peculiar establishments which should not regarded as purely public service or categorised as revenue generating agencies. He therefore called for a review of the inclusion of the universities in the TSA circular. He expressed fears that the implementation of the TSA in the university system may distort effective functioning of the university system, since according to him, their allocations are hardly enough to cater for their basic needs.

Lagos Airport Customs Command generates N22.5b

HE Murtala Muhammed Airport Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) says it made N22.5 billion between January and July. Its Comptroller, Mr Folorunso Adegoke, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday in Lagos that the highest revenue figure of N5.2 billion was recorded in July. NAN reports that the rev-

enue was an improvement over the N18 billion recorded in the corresponding period last year. “From Jan. 1, 2014 to July 2015, the figure has been showing a steady rise apart from the drop that we had during the election period. “This was because a lot of people thought Nigeria was going to divide and there would not be any Nigeria after the election but thank

God, we are still in together. “Apart from that time, our revenue has been going up,’’ Adegoke said. He noted that the July revenue was the highest since the inception of the command. “We had about N5.2 billion. This is the highest that has ever been generated by any comptroller in this command. He said necessary checks

had been put in place to monitor cargo clearing. He said:“The operators have been told that the music has changed, the dancing steps have also changed.’’ According to him, several meetings had been held between the terminal operators and the customs management to ensure sanity in the system and correct payment of import duty.

industry are being looked at by the NCAA and this audit is one of the measures taken to forestall further incidents and ensure the sustenance of the confidence of air travellers. Usman warned pilots to take precautionary measures during all adverse weather conditions. In other words, there should be strict adherence to states’ weather minima and Standard Operating Procedures (SOP). The D-G however assured Nigerians that NCAA will continue to ensure its zero tolerance for non-compliance to regulations is strictly upheld.

Maximise AGOA opportunities, US urges African countries

FRICAN countries have been urged to maximise investment opportunities offered by the 10-year extension of the African Growth and Opportunities Act (AGOA) by the US Government. United States Assistant Trade Representative for Africa, Ms Florizelle Liser, made the call yesterday in a tele-conference with journalists across Africa ahead of the ‘2015 AGOA Forum’ scheduled to hold in Libreville, Gabon, from August 24 to August 27, 2015. She reiterated the US Government’s commitment towards making AGOA more viable in the next decade. “There is a very strong commitment from US Government and its African partners to further promote AGOA in the next 10-years. “We want African entrepreneurs to take the right advantage of AGOA as we are seriously looking forward to work with them. We expect

By Chikodi Okereocha

that in the next ten years Africans would be able to increase their input in the US market,’’ she said. Liser said the Act had in the last 15 years opened business and investment development between the US and its partners. According to her, African countries, in the period under review, had tripled export of their non-oil products into the US. She said AGOA had in the last years created employment opportunities for young Africans and their American counterparts. The US official expressed optimism that the forthcoming AGOA forum in Gabon would reposition the Act and deepen US economic relations with Africans in future. She urged African entrepreneurs to use their experience and opportunity garnered from AGOA to extend their business and investment partnerships to other countries.

Irish envoy urges bilateral trade with Nigeria

Treasury Single Account not punitive, says AGF HE Accountant-Gen eral of the Federation (AGF), Alhaji Ahmed Idris, has said the introduction of the Treasury Single Account (TSA) is not a punitive measure targeted at any government establishment. Idris made this clarification in Abuja while receiving members of the Committee of Vice Chancellors of Federal Universities who were at the Treasury House to discuss the operations of the universities. He said: “The introduction of the TSA is not a punitive measure targeted at any government establishment or an attempt to jeopardise the peace and stability of the university system, but part of the reforms being introduced by this administration to institution-

By Kelvin Osa Okunbor

HE Irish Ambassador to Nigeria, Sean Hoy, said that his country would enter into bilateral trade discussion with Nigeria to enhance economic development of the two countries. Ambassador Hoy who paid a courtesy call on Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu state at the Government House, Enugu added that an Irish trade mission is billed to arrive Nigeria in September to enter into the trade discussion relationship with the country. The Ambassador paid tribute to Nigerians for conducting successful free, fair and credible election and for a classy fight that culminated in the eradication of Ebola disease in the country. He noted that he was deployed to Nigeria as an Ambassador during the outbreak of Ebola and commencement of the last general election in the country, two topical issues that presented a picture of anxiety in the country, expressing happiness over how the country handled the two challenges. He, however, called on the Nigerian authorities and the people of the country to brace up to the challenge posed by the Boko Haram insurgency in parts of the country. Hoy told the governor that he was an observer during the

From Chris Oji, Enugu

gubernatorial election in Enugu State and that the election was transparent, congratulating Governor Ugwuanyi for his victory and inauguration. He informed that he was in Enugu State to witness the 40 year-anniversary of the Home for the Elderly Awkunanaw, Enugu, being organized by the Little Sisters of the Poor, a congregation of reverend sisters of the Catholic Church who have been taking care of the elderly in Enugu. He was on the invitation of Mother Philomena Oveilly and Sister Sylvia Branchard. Ugwuanyi thanked the Ambassador for finding time ?to visit the Coal City State and for his kind words for Nigeria on the successful election and control of Ebola. Ugwuanyi used the occasion to thank all countries that assisted Nigeria to control Ebola disease in the country. He assured the ambassador of his administration’s readiness to serve, promising to deliver on his mandate. In his words, “To whom much is given, much is expected.” Ugwuanyi also used the occasion to reiterate his administration’s readiness to welcome genuine investors in the state to actualize its drive of providing employment to the people.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2015

EQUITIES NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE

DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 18-08-15

Access Bank raises N41.8b from shareholders

CCESS Bank raised N41.8 billion new eq uity funds from its recent rights issue, according to the final allotment cleared by financial services regulators. Access Bank’s share price rose by 2.44 per cent at the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) yesterday. Access Bank had offered about 7.63 billion ordinary shares of 50 kobo each at N6.90 to existing shareholders on the basis of one new share for every three shares held. The rights issue opened on January 26, 2015. The 79.4 per cent success rate represents a major achievement for the bank, which had stuck to its offer price at a time the stock market was under intense selling pressure and other previous issuers had been forced to adjust their offer price downward in line with secondary market pricing. The net proceeds of the rights issue would be used to upgrade the information and communication technology (ICT) systems of the bank to provide better services and build a more robust ICT platform as well as upgrade the

By Taofik Salako Capital Market Editor

branch network and facilities to serve the growing number of clients and further improve the working environment of staff. The bank would also use part of the proceeds to further develop its distribution channel infrastructure to provide better and more efficient services to clients while it would also augment its working capital to expand its loan book in its identified sectors of growth in line with its medium term strategic objectives. Access Bank would also use part of the proceeds to pursue opportunities for international expansion. Group managing director, Access Bank Plc, Mr. Herbert Wigwe, said with the success of the rights issue, the bank has strengthened its strategy of ensuring sustainable dividends through one of the strongest capital buffers as well as providing the means for further investment to exploit target markets. “We are putting in place the building blocks for our future as we work to becoming a top three bank in Nigeria by 2017.

The capital raised will allow us to retain our place amongst Nigeria’s best-capitalised banks and underscores our continued commitment to prudent risk management as we seek growth opportunities both in Nigeria and abroad,” Wigwe said. He added that the additional capital will allow the bank to invest in its infrastructure and technology, which will make speed, service and security a guarantee for all its customers, as well as providing the firepower to diversify its geographic focus and target Africa’s fastest-growing industrial sectors. Access Bank recorded the sixth highest gain yesterday at the NSE with a percentage gain of 2.44 per cent to close at N4.20. There were only 12 gainers against 33 losers at the stock market, although gains by highly capitalised stocks Dangote Cement, Nigerian Breweries, Ecobank Transnational Incorporated and Access Bank helped the overall market position to a modest gain of 0.7 per cent, the market first upswing in eight days.

DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 18-08-15

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2015

MONEYLINK GTBank obtains multiple ISO certifications

CBN gives cheque printing to six local firms

HE Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has foreclosed the possi bility of appointing foreign cheque printers to handle local jobs as such act violates its plans to domesticate the business. The regulator, in collaboration with the Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR) Technical Implementation Committee, approved the re-accreditation of Tripple Gee Company Plc, Superflux International, Nigeria Security Printing and Minting Plc and appointed Euphoria Group and Papi Printing Company Limited as cheque printers. According to a circular from the CBN to banks and discount houses, signed by the Director, Banking Payment System, ‘Dipo Fatokun, he said the accreditation came under the Nigerian Cheque Printers Accreditation Scheme (NICPAS).

Stories by Collins Nweze

He said foreign-based printers were neither accredited nor re-accredited in line with the CBN’s policy to domesticate cheque printing in the country. He advised all lenders to patronize only CBN accredited cheque printers but noted that accreditation is still ongoing, and new local printers may be added in the future. The major functions of the Cheque Standard Administration Unit include monitor compliance by the cheque printers to NICPAS serve as an enforcement unit for the banking industry. It could also, in respect of security document printing, serve as the clearing house for cheque stock ordering or delivery. The section 2.8 of NICPAS states that sample cheques must be sent pre

•CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele

and post production, as well as post personalisation, to the Cheque Standard Administration Unit, analysis and appraisal to ensure compliance to the standard. Accredited cheque printers are advised to submit 10 sample cheques, pre and post contract production, to CSAU.

Meristem Wealth Management floats N1b Mutual Funds

ERISTEM Wealth Manage ment Limited is floating Money Market and Equity Market Mutual Fund worth N1 billion, N500 million for each category. Speaking yesterday on the offers, Managing Director, Meristem Wealth Management, Sulaiman Adedokun , said investors in the nation’s capital market now have the opportunity to own quality assets in a diversified portfolio with steady returns on investment. The fund manager, he said, is offering 50,000,000 million units of N10 each in both the Money Market Fund and Equity Market Fund. They come with minimum subscription of 1,000 units and multiples of 100 units thereafter. He said the offers which opened on July 15, 2015 was supposed to close on August 21, 2015 will now close on Tues-

day, August 25, 2015. This is as a result of the Muslim holidays in July. He said the Money Market Fund is for investors that want to pursue capital growth and earn steady income while the Equity Market Mutual Fund are for investors who can take risk and have their eyes on the long term. Adedokun said: “As an organization, we want to drive value for our clients. We want to reach out to people that will be part of our success story. The Meristem Money Market Fund which we are offering to the investing public is an open ended mutual fund designed for investors who are interested in a steady stream of income at money market rates while preserving the value of their investment, while the Meristem Equity Market Fund is aimed at investors who have a long term investment perspective”.

Adedokun explained that the equity market fund is for all classes of investors that are willing to take more risk for returns on investment while the money market fund is also ideal for all classes of investors that value liquidity and security of assets. Portfolio Manager with the Fund Manager, Taiwo Yusuf, said investors should take advantage of the funds and secure their future. “People should save and have investment for the rainy day and people should have investments that are safe. The Meristem Money Market Fund and Meristem Equity Market Fund present you an opportunity to have a very safe investment because they are diversified across asset classes,” he said. He said Meristem Wealth Management Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of Meristem Securities Limited.

UARANTY Trust Bank Plc has been awarded triple Interna tional Organisation for Standardisation Certification: ISO/ IEC 27001- for Information Security, ISO 20000 – for IT Service Management and ISO 22301 – for Business Continuity Management along with PAS 99:2012 Integrated Management System certification by the British Standard Institute (BSI). The British Standard Institute (BSI) certification recognizes companies that have implemented systems and structures that ensure their operations are in line with international best practices. With more than 70,000 certified clients and more full-time assessors than any other certification body worldwide, the BSI Group is one of the largest and most experienced certification bodies focused primarily on training, auditing and certification of qualified organizations. The certification attests that Guaranty Trust Bank has instituted internationally accepted processes that guaranty the security of its customers’ information, the ability of the institution to consistently provide quality service and its capacity to re-

sume business within a short timeframe in the event of any business disruptions. The bank embarked on gaining the certification of its Management System Standards last year in order to align with international best practice and meet the increasing expectations of its various stakeholders. Regional Managing Director BSI, Middle East & Africa, Theuns Kotze said: “To achieve certification to these standards, a company must show a continuous, structured commitment towards assessing security risks, managing sensitive information, and ensuring a holistic plan is in place to respond to any potential disruptions. In obtaining these certifications, Guaranty Trust Bank clearly demonstrates that they are operating at this level and meets the needs of their customers”. Speaking during the presentation of the certificate, Ohis Ohewerei, Executive Director of GTBank said “The Bank remains committed to following global practices and standards to ensure our customers enjoy the highest quality of service delivery, efficiency and convenience at all times.

CIBN examines bankers’emotional intelligence

HE Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) will be examining the challenges of emotional intelligence among Nigeria bankers with a view to proffering strategic solutions that would further enhance their competence, productivity and ultimately, wellbeing. The exercise will take place alongside the institute’s plan to enhance the banking industry with quality and skilled workforce during its award of certificates to 1005 graduands on emotional intelligence this weekend in Lagos. At the event tagged “Graduation Ceremony/Prize Awards”, the Institute will formally induct and present certificate to the student members who had successfully completed its various professional examinations as well as present prizes to those who distinguished themselves in the qualifying examinations. Among the beneficiaries include 20 products of the Chartered Banker MBA programme; 278 graduands who will be admitted into the Associateship category (ACIB); 679 among them will step up to the Microfinance Category (MCIB) while 28 candidates will be presented with Certificates in Banking Programme. The Highpoint of the event will be the presentation of various Prize Awards to the students whose performance in these examinations were outstanding.

MEMORANDUM QUOTATIONS 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 HERITAGE FUND FBN MONEY MARKET FUND FIDELITY NIG FUND • UBA BALANCED FUND • UBA BOND FUND • UBA EQUITY FUND • UBA MONEY MARKET FUND

126.04 9.17 1.12 1.19 0.63 1.39 1,744.73 1,104.77 112.34 121.16 1.67 1.2457 1.3572 0.7762 1.1739

125.82 9.08 1.12 1.19 0.62 1.33 1,744.73 1,104.00 111.75 120.30 1.62 1.2393 1.3572 0.7637 1.1739

SYMBOL

O/PRICE

C/PRICE

CHANGE

DANGCEM GNI FCMB WEMABANK VITAFOAM ACCESS DANGFLOUR DANGSUGAR AFRIPRUD NB

171.48 0.50 2.26 0.86 5.69 4.10 2.93 6.01 2.78 122.01

180.00 0.52 2.35 0.89 5.85 4.20 3.00 6.09 2.80 122.10

8.52 0.02 0.09 0.03 0.16 0.10 0.07 0.08 0.02 0.09

LOSERS AS AT 18-08-15

PZ EVANSMED ETERNA HONYFLOUR UNITYBNK CADBURY FLOURMILL UAC-PROP IKEJAHOTEL LIVESTOCK COSTAIN

O/PRICE 33.05 0.84 2.00 2.80 1.80 31.64 26.64 8.55 3.48 1.88 0.63

C/PRICE 29.83 0.76 1.90 2.66 1.71 30.06 25.31 8.13 3.31 1.79 0.60

Inflation:April

8.5%

Monetary Policy Rate

13.0%

Foreign Reserves

CHANGE -3.22 -0.08 -0.10 -0.14 -0.09 -1.58 -1.33 -0.42 -0.17 -0.09 -0.03

FOREX RATES (NairaVs Dollar) May 28, 2015 Interbank ($/N)

199.00

Black Market ($/N)

215.00

$28.2b

London Inter-bank Offered Rates (LIBOR) Oil Price (Bonny Light/b)

$67.91

Money Supply (M2)

GAINERS AS AT 18-08-15

SYMBOL

ECONOMIC INDICATORS

N16.42 trillion.

Credit to private Sector (CPS)

N17.2 trillion

Primary Lending Rate (PLR)

Tenor

16.5%

12-02-15 Rate (%) Rate (%) 13-02-15

Overnight (O/N)

14.683

76.583

15.033

15.977

15.809

17.177

16.493

17.908

Tenor 1 Month 2 Months 3 Months 6 Months 12 Months

May 27

May 28

Rate)%

Rate (%)

0.1735 0.2147 0.2615 0.3841 0.6709

0.1715 0.2108 0.2626 0.3857 0.6744

Nigerian Stock Market Indices 27 May Statistics 5 May All Share Index 34,649.3 29,383.93 Mkt Cap (NGN’bn) 11.8 9,804.36 Deals 3,385 3,714 Volume (mn) 564,28 377,75 Value (NGN’mn) 6,087.80 6,568.66 GOVT. SECURITIES YIELD – SECONDARY MARKET

Transaction Dates 03/02/2015 3/12/2014 1/12/2014

Amount Offered in ($) 500m

Amount Sold in ($) 499.93m

400m 350m

399.97m 349.96m

Tenor

Feb. 13, 2015

Rates

T-bills - 91

12.44

T-bills - 182

13.85

T-bills - 364

13.92

Bond - 3yrs

15.92

Bond - 5yrs

17.22

Bond - 7yrs

16.59

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2015

NEWS

Fire alarm at NNPC’s Aba depot

•From left: Author Mr. Dapo Adeniyi, co-author Hakeem Bello, Fashola, Lagos State Chief Judge, Justice •From left : Mr. Wale Odunlami, one time Lagos State Commissioner for Finance Funmilayo Atilade, former Deputy Governor Alhaja Latefat Okunnu, Gbenga Makonjuola and Otunba Bim- Mr. Wale Edun and Mr. Kola Awodein (SAN) at the presentation...yesterday bo Ashiru at the presentation... yesterday PHOTOS: DAYO ADEWUNMI

ORMER Governor of Lagos State and National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has said he is proud of his successor and former Governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Fashola (SAN). Tinubu spoke yesterday at the public presentation of three books - The Great Leap; In Bold Print, and The Lagos Blow Down- compiled in honour of Fashola by one of his aides, Hakeem Bello. It was all at the Muson Centre, Onikan. The three books, which are compilations of about a thousand speeches and thoughts of Fashola in his eight years as governor, were reviewed by

I am proud of Fashola, says Tinubu •Three books on ex-governor launched in Lagos By Precious Igbonwelundu

Prof. Olatunji Dare (The Great Leap and In Bold Print); Dr. Wumi Raji (The Great Leap) and Moses Ogunlewe (The Lagos Blow Down). Represented by a Lagos APC chieftain, Prof. Tunde Samuel, Tinubu said Fashola added value to Lagos by combining rugged intellectualism and hard work. “Tinubu is happy that Fashola has taken a step further to reflect on his performance audit. The reviewers have recognised Fashola’s ability to

combine intellectualism with a determination to succeed.” The chairman of the event, Fola Adeola, expressed joy that Fashola was a governor in his lifetime. He said Fashola, in his dictionary, means “everything is correct”. According to him, Fashola took the right decisions in the eight years he was governor and did his job very well. One-time Lagos State Finance Commissioner, Mr. Olawale Edun said Fashola did well for the state and posterity will be kind to him.

He noted that students of history, politics and governance have a lot to learn from the former governor, especially in infrastructure, social services and economy. Lagos APC’s spokesman Joe Igbokwe said Fashola was at the front burner of the successes recorded by the party. “I worked with him for eight years and so I know him very well. I know the state of Lagos he met and I know the state of Lagos he left; he added value to Lagos,” Igbokwe said.

Prof. Olatunji Dare, represented by broadcaster Mrs. Angela Ajetumobi, said the review was his first post-retirement assignment. He described Fashola as an exceptional achiever, adding that he took in his stride, every attempt by the Federal Government to cripple his administration without losing his focus, temper and tempo. Dare maintained that Fashola succeeded because of his conviction that he who seeks public office must prepare for it. Fashola, recounting events that led to the controlled dem-

Fire alarm at NNPC’s Aba depot

Women of easy virtue set market ablaze

FIRE broke out yesterday at the Osisioma depot of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in Abia State. Reporters were denied access into the premises but a source said the situation caused pandemonium, leading to an abrupt halt in activities. Another source said workers scampered to safety as there were fears that the storage tank may explode. The fire damaged the generating set used to pump out waste from the tank. It was gathered that the fire was put out by the fire department with support from the state fire service. The cause of the fire was yet to be established as at press

HERE was tension yesterday in Amansea, Awka South Local Government Area of Anambra State where women of easy virtue burnt down some structures in the cattle market to protest the demolition of their brothels. Men of the Anambra State Urban Development Board (ASUDEB) demolished brothels and illegal structures in the market, alleging that they were used to perpetuate crime. The women accused ASUDEB officials of being partial. One of them, Rachael, said ASUDEB officials were wicked and inhuman as they destroyed their brothel without notice, leaving behind some huts, kiosks and canteens belonging to the cattle traders. ASUDEB’s General Manager Mr. Enenmuo Nathan Chinedu, who led the exercise, said it was part of Governor Willie Obiano’s resolve to rid the state of crime. He described the structures as illegal, adding that the place was a hideout for prostitutes, kidnappers and armed robbers. He noted that the demolition would be extended to Nnewi, Onitsha and other cities where brothels and illegal structures exist.

olition of the Bank of Industry (BoI) building, said the last ten seconds of the demolition were the longest in his life. He added that it was a very challenging moment. He noted that the event was in honour of Bello, who he described as a gentleman and consummate professional, whose passion for work epitomises his fidelity for any cause he believes in. Fashola acknowledged that no casualties were recorded when the building partially caved in 2006 because Tinubu, as Governor, declared holiday for the people to participate in the census.

Fire alarm at NNPC’s Aba depot •The burning shanties...yesterday

Chinedu debunked claims that the women got no notice, saying that they were given three weeks to vacate the vicinity. “A lot of prostitutes live around Amansea cattle market, spoiling our children and constituting a nuisance, and as you know, criminals hang around brothels. “In my capacity as the ASUDEB General Manager, I will ensure that this exists no more. Our activities are in line with Governor Willie Obiano’s zero tolerance policy for crime,” Chinedu said. The Secretary of the cattle market, Alhaji Bello Maigari said ASUDEB marked the il-

legal structures for about 21 days before acting but their wives’ canteens were not marked. His words: “Ashawo is not part of our business here. Our main business is selling and buying of cows. The demolition was to remove illegal structures used for prostitution. “The ones that were not demolished are places where traders stay and canteens where our wives cook for our customers, but they have been razed in the inferno.” Some of the women were sighted boarding taxis to Ugwuoba in Oji River council where they are said to have another brothel.

Funeral for Pa Ipaye

HE final funeral rites of Pa Nelson Ipaye, 87, a pioneer of broadcasting will hold on Saturday, August 22 with a prayer at his residence at No. 1, Olabode Olooro Street, Agodi Yidi Gate, Ibadan by 10 am. This will be followed by a reception at the Goshen Events Centre, Old Leventis Building, Coca-Cola Area, Oyo Road, Ibadan, by 12 noon. Pa Moshood Adisa Nelson Ipaye was a pioneer worker of the then Western Nigeria Television/Western Nigeria Broadcasting Service (WNTV/WNBS) in 1959. Popularly called the

From Sunny Nwankwo, Aba

time. A member of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), who pleaded for anonymity, confirmed the incident. “The damage was not heavy; it was just a minor thing. Nobody has been able to ascertain the cause of the fire but the generator used to pump out waste product from the reservoir tank was badly damaged. “We were washing the tank ahead of a fresh supply when the generator caught fire. It was extinguished by men of the fire department. There is no need for panic, the situation is under control”. State fire Chief Mr. Victor Gbaruko could not be reached for comments.

Woman for burial

T •Ipaye

Golden Voice of Africa, Pa Nelson worked with broadcast veterans like Steve Rhodes, Julie Coker, Segun Olusola, Anike Agbaje Williams, Victor Adeniyi, Femi Jarret, among others. He is survived by two wives, eleven children, many grand and greatgrand-children.

HE remains of Madam Elizabeth Olabimpe Ojo who died on June 9 will be buried on Friday at her home town Ibokun, Osun State. A funeral service will hold at the St Peter’s Anglican Church, Oke-Oye, Ibokun, by 11am. Interment at the church cemetery will be followed by entertainment of guests at the St Peter’s Primary School compound. A service of songs which will be held tomorrow at Temidire Quarters, Ibokun. The late Mrs Ojo is survived by children and grand children.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2015

NEWS APC chiefs decry inclusion of PDP defectors in exco •Accusation untrue, says Jigawa govt From Ahmed Rufa’I, Dutse

HIEFTAINS of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Jigawa State have decried Governor Badaru Abubakar’s alleged decision to appoint defectors from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the executive council. It was alleged the governor was delaying constituting the exco because he wanted to include defectors from the PDP, a development the aggrieved APC chieftains frowned at. A party chieftain said in Dutse: “This is injustice. It is unacceptable. We are against it and we will challenge it. Even if it means taking the matter to President Muhammadu Buhari, we will do so. “This is Monkey dey work Baboon dey chop. We suffered for the party. We should reap the fruits of our labour.” But the Special Assistant to the Governor on Media and Publicity, Malam Bello Muhammed Zaki, denied the accusation In a statement, he said: “The allegation is unfounded, baseless and a cooked-up balderdash aimed at distracting the administration’s commitment to constitute an effective, dedicated and hardworking exco. “Although as any government or party, we welcome the opposition, to insinuate there is a pact to give new members exco positions is a figment of the imagination of those flying such kite. “Jigawa State government call on party members to disregard this baseless rumour. We assure them their sacrifices and contributions will never be in vain, as efforts have reached an advanced stage to constitute an exco everybody will be proud of.”

Foundation offers medical services

ANGOTE Foundation has offered free health care services to the vulnerable and the poor in Katsina State. The programme is in continuation of its effort to create wider access to health care for the less-privileged. Thousands of ailing people, including elders and children, were treated free at the General Hospital in Kankia Local Government. The free medical outreach includes consultation, medicines and minor operations; advocacy on health and nutrition to women; and training of interns and workers. The programme was carried out in collaboration with the Katsina State government; Give-Back Nigeria, a United Kingdom (UK)-based charity organisation and Gachi Development Foundation. Governor Aminu Bello Masari, who inaugurated the three-day medical services, thanked the foundation and its collaborators. He described it as “a service to humanity for which God will surely reward the sponsors.”

Police: 45 arrested in Kwara poly cult clash •Institution denies students’ involvement •Assembly summons rector, others

HE police yesterday put the number of those arrested in last weekend’s cult clash among suspected students of the Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin, at 45. It earlier confirmed the arrest of 30 suspects, saying 14 were found culpable after screening. The command said it took 26 of those allegedly found blameworthy to court, adding that investigation was on. Sixteen persons were feared killed in the alleged

From Adekunle Jimoh, Ilorin

clash between Aiye and Eiye confraternities in Ilorin. The institution’s authority has denied any death or clash of cult groups on the campus. Addressing reporters yesterday in Ilorin, Deputy Rector (Administration), Ahmed Aminu, said the polytechnic finished the sessional examination for 2014/2015 on August 8 without hitches, adding that circulars were issued that students should vacate the

campus, “and they accordingly vacated.” Aminu, an engineer, who said lecturers were involved in conference marking, which he explained the institution adopted to mark students’ papers, added that since the exercise was a sensitive one, no student was allowed on the campus. He denied that the clash occurred during the screening of the election of the Students’ Union Government, saying the exercise was witnessed by security operatives. “We wish to tell the pub-

lic and the media that it is untrue that there was a cult clash on our campus,” Aminu said. Police spokesman Ajayi Okasanmi said the command would wage a war against cultism. The House of Assembly has summoned the polytechnic management and the Ministry of Tertiary Education with a view to adopting measures towards ensuring zero tolerance for cultism. The Speaker, Dr. Ali Ahmad, said the directive became imperative to ensure the polytechnic was cult-free.

Gaidam opens defence at tribunal

HE Governorship Election Petition Tribunal for Yobe State sitting in Abuja, yesterday granted Governor Ibrahim Gaidam his request to open his defence tomorrow. Mr. Adamu Waziri, the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), sued Gaidam, the All Progressives Congress (APC) standard-bearer, seeking the nullification of his election. He alleged that the process of the re-election did not comply with the Electoral Act of 2010 and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) election guidelines. Waziri accused Gaidam of bribing INEC officials. At the resumed hearing yesterday, the petitioner told the tribunal that he had closed his case after calling about 20 witnesses. The defence counsel, Mr. Abiodun Owonikoko (SAN), urged the tribunal to grant his request to open his defence tomorrow. The tribunal Chairman, Justice Mojisola Dada, granted the defence counsel’s request and adjourned hearing till tomorrow.

‘Chibok girls ‘ll soon be rescued’ From Grace Obike, Abuja

•Executive Secretary, Onigbongbo Local Council Development Area (LCDA) Mustapha Moshood Abiola (second right), Supervisory Councillor for Environment Mr Musbau Etti (left) and others at an event on the health of the environment in Lagos.

150 killed in Boko Haram attacks

NE hundred and fifty people drowned in a river or were shot dead by fleeing Boko Haram insurgents, who attacked a village in Yobe State, locals said yesterday. Dozens of militants arrived on motorcycles and in a car last Thursday and opened fire on residents of Kukuwa-Gari. “They opened fire, which forced residents to flee. They shot many people. Unfortu-

nately, many residents, who tried to flee, plunged into the river. Many drowned,” Mr. Modu Balumi, a resident of the village, told AFP. He added: “By our latest toll, we have 150 people either shot dead or drowned. The gunmen killed a fisherman, who tried to save drowning residents.” Balumi said the bodies of many of the drowned were picked up by locals several kilometres away.

News of the attack was slow to emerge because the militants have destroyed telecoms masts near the village, about 50 kilometres from Yobe State capital, Damaturu, since the insurgency began in 2009. “Boko Haram gunmen attacked our village last Thursday, which resulted in the death of about 150 people. Most of the victims died in the river while trying to escape. The insurgents

opened fire on the village, forcing people to run,” Bukar Tijjani, another villager, told AFP. “Most residents, particularly women and children, ran towards the river in confusion. They were pursued by the gunmen, who kept firing at them. In an effort to escape, they jumped into the river.” A local government official confirmed the attack, but put the death toll much lower, at around 50.

Mark refuses to enter witness box

ORMER Senate President David Mark appeared at the National and State Election Petition Tribunal in Makurdi yesterday, but refused to enter the witness box. He was supposed to adopt his statements on oath, which he pleaded in the petition against his election by the All Progressives

•Abandons pleading From Uja Emmanuel, Makurdi

Congress (APC) candidate, Comrade Dan Onjeh. Mark came with his supporters, including his wife, Helen, ex-Minister of Interior Comrade Abba Morro, state Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Secretary Bem

Dzoho and Patrick Ogbu. When the matter was mentioned, instead of him to enhe refused to enter the testify, but his counsel, Kenneth Ikonne, tendered three documents and closed the case. They were the Independent National Electoral

NDLEA intercepts N48m

HE National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Abuja has arrested a 25-fiveyear old man, John Okafor, with N48,450,000, a few weeks after it intercepted $2.1 million in Lagos. The money was detected during a routine surveillance on the Abaji-Abuja Expressway. NDLEA also nabbed a cannabis dealer, Chukwuka Ugbai, with 79 bags of dried weeds, which tested positive for cannabis, weighing

Commission (INEC) statement, which said where Card Readers failed, accreditation and voting could go on manually and Thisday and National Mirror of March 29. Counsel to the petitioner, Osu Adetunji, said Mark’s failure to testify implied that he had abandoned his pleading, adding that he would address the issue in his address. The matter was adjourned till today.

817kg. The agency’s Federal Capital Territory Commander Mrs. Obijuru Chinyere, said the suspect claimed the money belonged to a bureau de change. She said: “The suspect was in a commercial bus from Onitsha in Anambra State when N48,450,000 was

found in a brown carton concealed in a sack. Also found on him was 86,500 CFA Franc. “He claimed the money belongs to a bureau de change in Onitsha. ‘’Ugbai was arrested at Bako in Kwali Area Council, following the discovery of his cannabis warehouse.” Okafor said he was on an official assignment on behalf of a bureau de change in Anambra State.

Power outage hits Kogi From James Azania, Lokoja

OKOJA, the Kogi State capital, for the third day is experiencing power outage. The town is in darkness. Its effect is taking a toll on business activities and social life. Mostly affected are business operators, who rely on electricity.

Useni cautions Shagaya on petition

•Cannabis impounded in Abuja By Kelvin Osa Okunbor

EMBERS of the #BringBackOurGirls (#BBOG) advocacy said yesterday in Abuja that they were hopeful that the Chibok girls would soon be rescued. A member of the group, Sesugh Akume, who read a statement by the ex-Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesilli and Hadiza Bala-Usman, said in the recent weeks, they have had reasons to rekindle hope that the girls would return soon, following the steps taken by the Federal Government to tackle the Boko Haram insurgency. #BBOG members said they would organise a Global Week of Action to mark Day 500 to commemorate the abduction of the Chibok girls.

FromYusufu Aminu Idegu, Jos

HE lawmaker representing Plateau South, Senator Jeremiah Useni, has cautioned his kinsman, Gen. John Shagaya, on his memo to the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John OdigieOyegun. Shagaya reportedly sent a memo to the APC national chairman, alleging a plot by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to destroy APC’s stronghold in Plateau State through the election tribunal. The memo followed the dismissal of his petition by the National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal in Jos for lack of merit. Useni, the benefactor of the tribunal judgment, said Shagaya’s memo did not reflect the character of a retired general and a seasoned politician, who should concede defeat.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2015

NEWS Buhari to probe $252m NITEL sale Continued from page 4

saying that he was concerned by the continuing protests of former NITEL employees and other Nigerians over the manner in which assets of the company were sold.” The ministry’s presentation to the President dwelled on the potential of the IT sector which, Dr. Olaopa said, accounts for 10 per cent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), but could grow to 20 per cent if some proposals by the Ministry are approved and implemented. Also yesterday, the Ministry of Housing briefed the President on its activities. The Federal Government promised to give more attention to the Northeast in hous-

ing. The area has been adversely affected by the Boko Haram insurgency. President Buhari gave the assurance while receiving briefings from officials of the Federal Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, led by its Permanent Secretary, George Ossi. Ossi told reporters after the meeting that that Buhari’s main interest is to ensure that Nigerians, especially those within the lowest income bracket, affordable houses. He said that the ministry’s policy drive in the provision of housing in the country was in line with the President’s mandate on housing for low income earners. According to him, inadequate funding is one of the Ministry’s challenges.

Oshiomhole, NLC urge Kukah, others not to obstruct loot recovery Continued from page 4

person can pocket $6billion. Some members of the committee are: Former Head of State Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, Sultan of Sokoto Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, John Cardinal Onaiyekan and Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah and Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) President Ayo Oritsejafor “The time to engage is now. There is the talk of the delay in appointing minister. If rushing to make decisions deliver nation states, Nigeria would have been like heaven. What matters is not the haste with which you make decisions, but the quality of the decision you eventually arrive at. It is the quality of your cook that determines the quality of your soup. “So, if you rush to hire your cook because you are hungry, don’t complain when he gives you erosion pot in the name of soup. Let it be clear especially in the trade union movement

•Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Sijimoto Construction Ltd, Mr. Sijibomi Ogundele (left) with Vice President of United Arab Emirates Sheikh Muhammad Bin Rashid Maktoum and other officials after a meeting in Dubai.

that ministers are not the heart of governance. “What is the heart of governance is the civil service. If the civil service is competent and productive, with initiative, the fact that there is no minister in the ministry does not mean the ministry is grounded. “As you can see under two months, without minister of energy, power has stabilised. The only thing Buhari has invested is the power of integrity. Is it minister we need or action? The merchants of confusion who benefit from crisis appeared to have hijacked the debate.” The NLC president said the Congress will stand solidly behind the President in his quest to recover all stolen monies and prosecute all those found to have stolen such monies. “Those stolen monies must be retrieved and offenders prosecuted and punished for their crimes against the Nigerian people”

•The new Managing Director, Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA), Malam Habib Abdullahi (left) taking over from his predecessor, Alhaji Sanusi Lamido AdoBayero, in Lagos …yesterday.

‘10.5m Nigerian children out of school’

OUNTRY Director, United Nations International Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Jean Gough, has said that no fewer than 10.5 million Nigerian children are out of school. Gough stated this on yesterday in Bauchi while exchanging views with Governor Mohammed Abubakar at the Bauchi Government House. She said that UNICEF was collaborating with some stakeholders to strengthen the newly-introduced Quranic School System to reduce the number of out-of-school children. She disclosed that the fund had concluded plan

to tackle the issue of child malnutrition in the state as it had discovered that 90 per cent of child diseases was as a result of malnutrition. Gough also announced that the UN body would curb public defecation, especially with more than 2,000 communities in the state defecating in open places. “We intend to ensure that before I leave the country, at least one local government area in Bauchi state is public-

defecation free. “We will also work in collaboration with the state government to boost water and sanitation towards the supply of adequate and portable water. “I will, therefore, want to appeal to the state government to pay its counterpart fund to enable us execute some of the projects,” she said. In his response, the governor promised that the state government would renew all counterpart funding arrange-

ments it had with donor agencies. Abubakar assured that he would ensure that the funds were paid on monthly basis to enable the state to benefit from some of the projects. He said that the government would collaborate with UNICEF to ensure that one local government area became public-defecation free to improve the public health status of the state.

300 editors for conference in Bayelsa

HE Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) will hold its annual All Nigeria Editors Conference in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State next week A statement by the Chairman, Publicity Sub-Committee for the conference, Mr

Mustapha Isah, said the opening ceremony with the theme, “Nigeria: The Change We Need”, will hold on August 27, at the Banquet Hall, Government House, Yenagoa. The statement said the conference will attract more

than 300 editors. It will be chaired by Chief Executive Officer of Channels Television. Mr. John Momoh. Vice President Yemi Osinbajo is expected to be the Guest of Honour while Governor Seriake Dickson will be the Chief Host.

Banker Kuru replaces Chike-Obi as AMCON boss Continued from page 4

through the ranks to become an Executive Director of Bank PHB (now Keystone Bank) in 2005. The appointment of Mr. Kuru and the three AMCON Executive Directors, the statement said, is with effect from yesterday. AMCON was established under the AMCON Act 2010 to resolve the issue of non-

performing loan assets in the banking sector. It currently has over 12,000 bad loans in its portfolio and has continued to pursue the recovery of the debts. It has sold bonds worth over N4.7 trillion in the course of its operation. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) last November, asked the Federal Government to phase out the ac-

tivities of AMCON. "Ongoing initiatives to strengthen the supervisory framework, including supervision of banking groups, should continue, and AMCON’s activities phased out gradually," Mr. Gene Leon, the Fund’s Mission Chief and Senior Resident Representative in Nigeria said.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2015

FOREIGN NEWS Journalist to learn Iranian verdict tomorrow

• An Indonesian honour guard parades during celebrations marking Indonesia's Independence Day at the presidential palace in Jakarta...yesterday PHOTO: AFP

54 bodies found in Papua plane wreckage

NDONESIAN rescuers have recovered the remains of 54 people who died onboard a Trigana Air plane that crashed in Papua region on Sunday. The head of the search and rescue agency said his team had found the aircraft completely destroyed and partially burnt. The black box flight data recorder has also been found. The plane came down on Sunday in dense forest in a mountainous area, close to its destination of Oksibil. It was carrying 44 adult passengers, five children, and five

crew members - all believed to be Indonesian. The plane was also said to be carrying about 6.5 billion rupiah ($486,000; £300,000) in cash, which was due to be distributed to poor families in the area. Officials have not said whether this has been located. Members of the rescue team - made up of about 100 police, military and civilians - began reaching the site on Tuesday morning. Media caption 54 people were reportedly onboard the flight, which crashed into a mountain in eastern Papua

Bambang Soelistyo, head of Indonesia's search and rescue agency, told reporters: "The plane was totally destroyed and all the bodies were burned and difficult to identify." Bad weather and difficult terrain at the crash site were hampering efforts to remove the bodies but they will eventually be taken to the provincial capital for identification. Officials confirmed the black box had also been found. It contains data on the plane's operations and could yield clues as to the cause of the crash.

Mali: UN secures Kidali as clashes threaten peace deal

N peacekeepers set up a security zone around the northern Mali town of Kidal on Tuesday to curb fighting between rival armed groups that threatened to torpedo a fragile peace deal. Three days of clashes between pro-government militants and Tuareg rebels in the troubled region left several dead and led neighbouring Niger to call off a round of reconciliation talks planned Wednesday. The outbreak of violence was slammed by the UN as a “blatant violation” of the peace deal which seeks to end decades of ethnic divisions and uprisings by Mali’s

Tuareg, a traditionally nomadic people whose 2012 rebellion plunged the country into chaos. The peacekeeping mission in Mali, known as MINUSMA, has set up a 20-kilometre safety zone around the rebel stronghold of Kidal, 1,500 kilometres (750 miles) northeast of the capital Bamako, to protect civilians and prevent a spread of fighting. The establishment of the safety zone comes after three days of clashes between progovernment Tuareg fighters — who form part of the loyalist Platform coalition — and the rebel Coordination of Azawad Movements (CMA).

The two groups accused each other of starting the fighting over the weekend. The worst clashes took place on Monday as loyalist fighters seized control of Agnefis, about 120 kilometres south of Kidal, which is the stronghold of the CMA. A Minusma security source told AFP the clashes had left at least 10 people dead and many injured. A meeting planned in Niamey to “seal the peace” between the rival groups who concluded a peace deal in June, was called off “due to the fighting”, said a source involved in the organisation of the meeting.

Trump pulls ahead of GOP rivals

ONALD Trump has won his party's trust on top issues more than any other Republican presidential candidate, and now stands as the clear leader in the race for the GOP nomination, according to a new CNN/ORC poll. The survey finds Trump with the support of 24% of Republican registered voters. His nearest competitor, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, stands 11 points behind at 13%. Just behind Bush, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson has 9%, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker 8%, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul 6%, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, former tech CEO Carly Fiorina and Ohio Gov.

John Kasich all land at 5%, with former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee rounding out the top 10 at 4%. Trump is the biggest gainer in the poll, up 6 points since July according to the first nationwide CNN/ORC poll since the top candidates debated in Cleveland on Aug. 6. Carson gained 5 points and Fiorina 4 points. Trump has also boosted his favorability numbers among Republicans and Republican-leaning voters, 58% have a favorable view of Trump now, that figure stood at 50% in the July survey. These nationwide findings follow recent polling in Iowa and New Hampshire showing

• Trump

Trump also leads the Republican field in those two key early states. The poll suggests those behind Trump love him: He holds a 98% favorability rating among his supporters. But those Republican voters who aren't supporting Trump are skeptical that he would help the party.

The ATR42-300 twin turboprop plane took off from Sentani airport in Jayapura at 14:21 local time on Sunday, but lost contact with air traffic controllers half an hour later. Bad weather is believed to have been a possible reason for the crash. A search plane was forced to turn back on Sunday because of dangerous flying conditions. Oksibil, which is about 280km (175 miles) south of Jayapura, is a remote, mountainous region, which is extremely difficult to navigate. Trigana Air has had 14 serious incidents since it began

operations in 1991, losing 10 aircraft in the process, according to the Aviation Safety Network. It has been on a European Union blacklist of banned carriers since 2007. All but four of Indonesia's certified airlines are on the list. Indonesia has suffered two major air disasters in the past year. Last December, an AirAsia plane crashed in the Java Sea, killing all 192 people on board - and in July a military transport plane crashed in a residential area of Medan, Sumatra, claiming 140 lives.

Gabon's President Bongo 'to give away father's inheritance'

ABON's President Ali Bongo has pledged to give away all the money he inherits from his father, to set up a foundation for the country's youth. "In my eyes we are all heirs of Omar Bongo," he said in a national address. The will of his father, who ruled for 41 years until his death in 2009, is yet to be settled. He reportedly left a fortune worth many millions of dollars. French judges are currently probing the Bongo family over alleged embezzlement, accusations which they strongly deny. Gabon is a major oil producer, but a third of its population live in poverty, according to the World Bank. In a speech to mark the country's 55th independence anniversary, President Bongo said that in addition to his inheritance money for the youth foundation, the family would be donating a building in the capital, Libreville, to start a new university. "No Gabonese must be left by the side of the road," he added. Two properties belonging to Omar Bongo in the French capital, Paris, would also be given to the state, he said. "I know my father, from where he is now, watches us and hears us. I also know that he approves this deci-

sion and gives us his blessing," the AFP news agency quotes President Bongo as saying. Omar Bongo accrued a massive fortune worth hundreds of millions of dollars during his lifetime Allegations of corruption have swirled around Omar Bongo for many years. The landmark "case of the ill-gotten gains" was launched in France in 2010 after a lengthy campaign by corruption watchdog Transparency International. Two judges were appointed to look into the finances of the late Gabonese leader and the families of the leaders of Equatorial Guinea and Congo-Brazzaville, to see whether state funds had been misused on expenditures made in France. Under French law, a formal investigation is one step closer to a trial, but some cases can be dropped without going to court. Bongo family assets identified as part of a previous police investigation include 39 properties in France, located in affluent areas of Paris and on the French Riviera, as well as nine luxury cars, including Ferraris and Mercedes, worth a total of $1.6m (£1m). Ali Bongo won presidential elections in September 2009, making him the country's third president since independence from France in 1960.

reporter for the Washington Post who has languished in a Tehran prison for more than a year will learn his fate by the end of this week, according to a spokesman for Iran's judiciary. Jason Rezaian's arrest had nothing to do with his being a journalist, Hojatoleslam GholamHoussein Mohseni told reporters late Sunday. He said many foreign journalists were in the country and in many cases, they had been invited by the government of the Islamic Republic. His remarks were reported by Mizan, the news service of the Iranian judiciary. While asserting that Rezaian's arrest had nothing to do with his being a journalist, Mohseni declined to comment on the details of the case against him. Rezaian, The Washington Post's bureau chief in Tehran, was detained in Iran in July last year, though he was not told for months of the charges he faced. Prosecutors eventually accused him of espionage and other offenses, including "collaborating with a hostile government" and "propaganda against the establishment," according to the Post. An Iranian court held a final hearing in his secretive trial on August 10. "It remains unclear even to Jason's lawyer what might happen next," Post executive editor Marty Baron said after the hearing. The newspaper has rejected the allegations against him. "Any charges of that sort would be absurd, the product of fertile and twisted imaginations," the Post has said. The U.S. State Department called the charges "absurd." Mohseni said Rezaian's final hearing had been held, but, at the request of his lawyer, the court has granted him the opportunity to submit a written defense. He said a verdict would be announced by the end of this week at the latest. President Barack Obama faced criticism for concluding a deal with Iran over the country's nuclear program without a pledge that it would release Rezaian and other Americans held there. In a speech this summer, Obama mentioned Rezaian and other Americans "who are unjustly detained in Iran." Former heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali, an American Muslim, also urged Iran to free him on bail.

• Rezaian

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2015

CITYBEATS LASTMA men exchange blows with bus driver T WO officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) threw caution to the wind yesterday as they engaged commercial bus driver in fisticuffs. Motorists, commuters and passersby were astonished seeing the LASTMA men pulled off their uniforms in the middle of the fight. Some of the passersby who took pictures were harassed and their handsets destroyed by the LASTMA men. The incident occurred at Anthony bus stop near Oshodi, Lagos, following the arrest of the driver for plying the BRT lane. Eyewitness said one of the LASTMA officials smashed the windscreen of the TATA bus owned by the Ogo Oluwa Motors with his telecom’s device. The LASTMA’s action, he said, followed his earlier call for a backup team when the driver of the bus refused to alight and hand over the keys. The LASTMA’s official’s action infuriated passengers, the conductors and the

By Mojisola Clement and Ebele Boniface

driver who were seen pleading. The driver and the conductor alighted and exchange blows with the LASTMA men. Two of the LASTMA officials pulled off their yellow shirt during the fight. Many watched as they were seen trying to stab one another with the broken windscreen glasses. Bashir Sanni, a passenger blamed the LASTMA official for smashing the windscreen. “It does not matter what kind of offence that has been committed; that was not a wise way of stopping a bus driver. Is that the orientation given to them? How can he break a windscreen? You know how much it costs. If every defaulting bus windscreen was smashed anytime they misbehave, how many good buses would remain? Sanni asked. Another passenger who declined giving his name called on LASTMA authority to sack the officials for in-

discipline. “With the kind of attitude they displayed and for dragging the name of the agency in the mud, they ought to be sacked,” he said. When contacted, LASTMA Public Relations Officer (PRO) Bola Ajao, promised to investigate the matter. “I doubt if our men were involved in the fracas; you know some people using fake LASTMA uniforms are everywhere now to perpetrate evils,” she said. Also yesterday, members of the National Union of Tricycle Riders and area boys clashed over illegal collection of money from the Keke Marwa drivers in Oshodi. The drivers refused to pay the area boys following directives from their union. Many scampered for safety after the warring factions displayed dangerous weapons. The clashes resulted led to traffic from Ladipo junction to Oshodi under-bridge. It took the intervention of officers from Makinde, Mafoluku and Mosafejo Police Stations and reinforce-

•LASTMA official in a brawl with the driver... yesterday PHOTO: MOJISOLA CLEMENT

ment from Police Headquarters, Ikeja to restore normalcy to the area. Lagos State Police Com-

Senator, ex-council chief mourn Elegbeda

By Tajudeen Adebanjo

•The late Oba Balogun

SENATOR representing Lagos West Senatorial District, Solomon Adeola, yesterday ex-

pressed sadness over the death of Oba Samson Balogun, the Elegbeda of Egbeda in Alimosho Local Government Area. Senator Adeola said “the demise of foremost and forthright king at this point is an irreparable loss not only to the people of Egbeda but the entire Lagos and Nigeria. “Over the years, the monarch has always supported my development agenda for

the area as a legislator. The stabilising and developmental strides that the late monarch brought to his domain will remain indelible for a long time. Likewise, his fatherly counsel on societal issues will be missed sorely.” Immediate past Chairman of Mosan-Okunola Local Council Development Area Hon Abiodun Mafe, said the late Oba Balogun lived a fulfilled life and left worthy

legacies for his successors to build upon. According to Mafe, the late monarch’s humble life-style and selfless service endeared him to his community. “We cannot quantify the pains the death of Oba Balogun will cause his wives, children, family members and the entire Egbeda people. He was a bridge-builder who always wanted the best for his people and Lagos in general. No doubt, he left behind him a good name and worthy legacy,” he said.

Pastor’s wife seeks divorce from ‘life threatening’ marriage

IFE of a Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries (MFM) pastor, Mrs Kehinde Genesis, has pleaded with an Alakuko Customary Court in Lagos to end her twoyear-old union to Babatunde, for “lack of care, constant fight and threat to my life.” The petitioner, 29, who resides at Omikunle Street, Meiran, a Lagos suburb, said her husband’s day was never complete except he rained curses on her. Mrs Genesis, a nurse said: “I never imagined it could turn out this way when we

•From right: Apapa-Iganmu Local Council Development Area Executive Secretary, Mrs Olufunmilayo AkandeMuhammed; Deputy Executive Secretary, Mr Kayode Olawepo and the Council Manager, Mr Nurudeen Anibaba at the programme in the council

By Basirat Braimah

got married. We always have issues. As a nurse, whenever my husband is ill, I take care of him but, when I fall sick, he won’t show concern. “Even if I spend days in a hospital, my husband expects me to cook for him. There was a time I made soft Eba for him; I expected him to say he preferred the hard one, instead he abused me and accused me of being lazy. “I used to love him but not anymore because with everything happening in our

marriage, it is like a waste of time. Before I married him, two prophets revealed to me that the person I will marry would kill me. There was a time my husband sent a text message to my siblings asking them to prepare for my burial.” The respondent, Genesis, said their marriage troubles started immediately after their honeymoon, decrying the laziness of his wife to cook. He also said they rained curses on each other whenever there was a fight and that he only beat her once.

“My wife keeps lamenting she isn’t a slave whenever I ask her to cook. To avoid trouble, I fetch water and do other things. She is very aggressive and always on the alert to start a fight with me. If I wake my wife around 8am, there will be trouble. “Within the 20 months I have spent with her, she usually leaves the house without my consent. It got to a point she had no cloth in the house again. She doesn’t want to be scolded and keeps complaining about lack of care. I really don’t know the kind of care she wants,” he said. Genesis, 33, said there was a time he noticed his wife did not menstruate for two months and when he asked her, she said it wasn’t his business. “Last year, she aborted the pregnancy out of anger. We have not had sex for over three months before she packed out of the house two weeks ago. I still love her,” he said. The court’s President, Mr Olubode Sekoni, ordered the petitioner to stay away from the house to avoid trouble. He adjourned the matter till August 31.

mand spokesperson, Patricia Amadin confirmed the fracas, saying that no life was lost. "There was a misunder-

standing between the tricycle operators and area boys but the situation was immediately calmed by the DPOS," she said.

Police arrest 17 train roof riders

HE Nigerian Railway Corporation Police Command on Monday arrested 17 persons for climbing the roof of the train at Agege. This, the command said, was to get rid of the menace of roof top riding. The culprits are in the custody of the police attached to the Lagos District of the NRC. The NRC vowed to continue the war against deliberate attempt by some individuals to frustrate the efforts being made by the corporation to provide secure, conducive and sane train services. It would be recalled that a similar exercise carried out on August 5, led to the arrest of 58 roof top riders.

Residents donate vehicle to police

HE Magodo Residents Association (MRA) has donated a Toyota Hilux to the Isheri Police Command. The vehicle was presented to the Isheri Divisional Police Officer, Angela Akaro, in appreciation of the force’s effective policing of the area and its environs. MRA Chairman Kunle Fashogbon said the residents were inspired by Akaro’s commitment to reducing crimes. The patrol van, he said, will assist the police and further boost their operational capacity. ‘’Magodo GRA is one of

the areas generally reputed to be safe. Same cannot however, be said of some other parts of Lagos, with the increasing spate of armed robbery in recent times,” Fashogbon said. Akaro thanked the MRA for the gesture. She assured them that the vehicle would be used to enhance efficient and effective policing of the area. “I want to assure you that we are not going to relent in our effort. If we have two vehicles for instance, we will divide them into two groups for effecting patrol,” she said.

Leadership course for 150 youths

PHILANTHROPIST and educationist Dr Arinola Oluwo has organised a twoweek free Leadership Training for 150 youths in Ikoyi Obalende Local Council Development Area, Lagos. The event held at St George’s Girls Senior Secondary School, Falomo, featured lectures, interactive sessions with professionals from different fields and visitation to the palace of Ikoyi monarch, Oba Ibikunle Fafunwa Onikoyi. Speaking after presentation of certificate to the par-

ticipants, Dr Oluwo, who is the International Women Society’s secretary, said the gesture was meant to keep the beneficiaries away from social vices and make them focus on their future ambitions. She enjoined the participants not to involve in illicit act and always keep good company. One of the participants, Joke Ikudaisi thanked Dr Oluwo for the privilege to attend the training. ‘’I was formerly a shy girl but after the training, I can now speak publicly and boldly as a leader,” she said.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2015

CITYBEATS Motorists lament increase in traffic robberies

•Hawkers during traffic jam on Ikorodu road, Mile 12, Lagos

AGOSIANS have called on Governor Akinwunmi Ambode to urgently address robberies during traffic gridlock in the metropolis. They also urged the governor to work on the bad portions of the roads which often led to the traffic gridlock. Those who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said that they had lost valuables and were at times maimed by the hoodlums. The hoodlums often seized advantage of the slow movement of the traffic to rob unsuspecting motorists and their passengers. The robbers employed various modes for their operations, including using motorcycles whereby two persons rode on a motor bike; while one gets down to rob motorists, the other waits to zoom off with him after the robbery. At times, one of them would pretend to be crossing the road only to get the driver to stop, others immediately swooped on the driver and passengers. Also, they lied to the driver that his tyre had gone

down or that his fuel tank was leaking just to get him stopped. Narrating their experiences, some of the victims said they were helpless as there were no security agents at sight. A trader who pleaded anonymity said three hoodlums tried to rob her around 8p.m. at Odo Iya Alaro in Maryland. “The hoodlums after tapping at my door glass for me to wind down still took their time to follow my car as I had to change lane twice before the road later became free and I zoomed off,’’ she said. According to her, she was helpless and started to press the car horn continuously to at least call for help before she was finally able to zoom off. One Mr Tony was robbed at Fadeyi area of Ikorodu Road. “There was nowhere for me to move to when two of the hoodlums started hitting my door glass at Fadeyi along Ikorodu Road at about 8.30 p.m. “I was able to hide my phone but my laptop on the seat behind me and my

PHOTO: NAN

wristwatch were forcefully taken away,’’ Tony told NAN. He urged motorists to be security conscious whenever they were driving at night as no one could predict where the hoodlums would be operating. Another victim, one Mr Deji, a banker, said he and his colleagues were attacked while approaching Apongbon around 6a.m. on their way to work. He said: “We were four in the car that day when the hoodlums, armed with locally-made guns, threatened to break the glass if we refused to wind down. “When it became obvious that there was nowhere to run to they became more aggressive, we had to wind down and release our valuables to them. This was after I was slapped twice by one of them.” They urged government to rid the roads of hawkers as many of them were not selling enough articles that could sustain them. According to them, such persons might apparently be robbing during traffic, especially at nights to meet their needs.

Man in court for alleged car theft

35-YEAR-OLD man, Akeem Oladipupo, has been arraigned before an Ikorodu Magistrate’s Court, Lagos for stealing a car, 18 kegs of diesel, and a vehicle battery. The charge sheet stated that Oladipupo made away with a Daewoo Racer car on August 11, at Anibaba Street, Ikorodu. The vehicle, which belongs to one Muri Adeleke, was valued at N300, 000.

By Robert Egbe

The offence is contrary to Section 285 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2011. The defendant was accused of stealing an Atlas battery valued at N13,000 on the same day from an Opel Astral car with registration number MK 575. The third count stated that Oladipupo allegedly stole 18 kegs containing

25-litre of diesel valued at N67,000, belonging to Glo Nigeria Limited. Oladipupo also hit one Umen Okon’s Bajaj vehicle while trying to run away. The defendant pleaded not guilty. Magistrate A. OshodiMakanju granted the accused N200,000 bail with two sureties in the like sum. The case was adjourned till September 9.

•Magodo Residents Association (MRA) BoT Chairman Alhaji Lukman Adebiyi presenting keys of Toyota Hilux to CSP Angela Akaro. With them is MRA Chairman Mr Kunle Fashogbon

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2015

NEWS •President Muhammadu Buhari (middle); Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Mr George Ossi (sixth left); Managing Director, Federal Housing Authority, Prof. Mohammed AlAmin (seventh right) and other officials, after a meeting with President Buhari at the Presidential Villa in Abuja...yesterday.

President Buhari (middle) Director, Women & Gender Affairs, Mrs. Esther EghobamienMshelia (left), Director, Planning Research and Statistics, Mrs. Agnes A. Aremu, Permanent Secretary Ministry of Women Affairs, Dr Ezekiel O. Oyemomi, Director-General, National Centre for Women Development (NCWD), Mrs Onyeka Onwuenu and a guest after a briefing with the President at the State House, Abuja.

•Primate Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) of All Nigerian, Most Revd Nicholas Okoh (eight right), with participants at the conference of Chancellors’, Registrars’ and legal officers in Abuja...yesterday. PHOTO: NAN

SPORT EXTRA BATTLE OF DAR ES SALAAM... BATTLE OF DAR ES SALAAM...

Moses nursing slight injury N

IGERIA international, Victor Moses has announced he is nursing a “small injury”, but hopes to be fit soon. The Chelsea forward, who made good impression during pre-season for manager Jose Mourinho to keep him for this season, revealed his injury through his Twitter handle. “Thanks for all of your support and concern. I am having treatment on a small injury, but hopefully will be back very soon,” Moses tweeted. Last season, he was dogged by injuries, while on loan at Stoke City. He was not listed for

Chelsea’s visit to Manchester City on Sunday. The former Crystal Palace star met with Eagles coach Sunday Oliseh in London recently, but he was not one of the 18 foreign-based pros invited for a 2017 AFCON qualifier against Tanzania next month.

Gbolahan tipped to captain Home Eagles From Segun Ogunjimi, Abuja HE Chief Coach of the Super Eagles, Sunday Oliseh who had first full training session with Nigeria’s national team at the main bowl of the national Stadium, Abuja is gradually tipping the Warri Wolves Football Club striker, Gbolahan Dada to captain the home boys in the team while on national duty. Although the coach has not made it public, but feelers from the team pointed to the fact that Salami is favoured to guide the home-based players in the team under the supervision Oliseh. “The popular thinking in camp now is that Gbolahan Salami is the right man to captain the home-based Super Eagles since he is arguably one of the senior players in camp. Oliseh also like the boy and related with him very well in the two training sessions the team had yesterday,” the impeccable source disclosed.

‘Nigeria 'll beat Tanzania’ T

ASIMPASA defender Kenneth Omeruo has predicted a Nigeria win over Tanzania in a 2017 AFCON qualifier next month. Omeruo is among the 18 foreign-based pros announced on Monday by Nigeria coach Sunday Oliseh for the September 5 clash in Tanzania. “I think the coach has chosen a good squad and hopefully we can win our game in Tanzania,”

RESULTS Champions League FC Astana1 - 0APOEL BATE 1 - 0 Partizan Lazio 1 - 0 Leverkusen Man Utd 3 - 1 Club Brugge Sporting CP 2 - 1 CSKA

Omeruo told AfricanFootball.com from his base in Turkey. Omeruo further said he is delighted to be considered by the new Eagles coach. “I am very excited to be called upon for the game,” said the Chelsea loanee, who got off to a winning start with his Turkish club at the weekend. “It’s always a pleasure to come play for the country. I never had any doubts of making the national team. All I am focused on now is to help the team as much as I can and also to make sure we qualify for the Nations Cup.” However, in - form Werder Bremen striker Anthony Ujah was pleased that he was one of the 18 foreign - based professionals invited for the African

Cup of Nations qualifying fixture against Tanzania, having missed out on the last game against Chad. “I am glad for the recognition and trust from the coach, I will give my all if given the chance to play,” said Anthony Ujah to allnigeriasoccer.com. “The target is nothing but a win and that can not be achieved by talking but by working hard on the pitch. With the caliber of players called up I believe we can come out victorious.” After the opening round, the 2013 African champions are level on three points with their main contender for a ticket to Gabon, Egypt, who have a superior goal difference, though.

Oliseh involved in Eagles' training

UPER Eagles handler, Sunday Oliseh yesterday displayed his technical prowess as he led the homebased Super Eagles players in his first training session. The Eagles are preparing for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers with an away match to be played against Tanzania next month. Oliseh, who is aware of the need to win his first game, was fjoined the players in jogging round the pitch, ball works, shooting, one- two touches and movement with and without the ball to the admiration of the sports journalists that besieged the Abuja National Stadium to catch a glimpse of the Eagles coach in his interaction with the Nigerian team.

• 14 players in Abuja From Segun Ogunjimi, Abuja He led the 14 players who have so far arrived in the Abuja camp for the battle against Tanzania in Dar es Salaam. Oliseh and was involved in everything done on the pitch. He said after the training that he was fully involved in the training because he wanted to be very close to the players and encourage them to be dedicated and very devoted to work. “Training with them will give them that confidence, devotion, dedication and to be very free with me. They will be encouraged by this than any other method,” Oliseh disclosed.

Emem Eduok happy to return

SPERANCE striker, Emem Eduok has spoken of his happiness at being handed a recall to the national team after spending more than seven months in the international wilderness. In January, the striker was decamped from the Super Eagles team ahead of the friendlies against Ivory Coast and Yemen over the transfer saga between his Tunisian club and Norwegians Sarpsborg 08. “I thank God for this call-up, I am very happy to be invited to the team by the new coach. I knew my time will come. It is very possible to win playing away from home against Tanzania, that is our target,” Eduok told allnigeriasoccer.com.

The former Dolphins striker is yet to make his international debut for Nigeria as the friendly last November was against the youth team of Ghana and caps were not awarded for the game in Uyo.

• Eduok

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2015 TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM

TODAY IN THE NATION ‘The people of Ife have always placed a high premium on their culture and tradition, which was why in the face of the ceaseless media frenzy on the fate of the Ooni, the people of the ancient city held on tenaciously to their age-long belief’ VOL.10 NO.3311

COMMENT & DEB ATE EBA

NSURPRISINGLY, the war against corruption to which President Muhammadu Buhari has committed himself as a top priority, is threatening to assume an ethnic and religious colouration. The two colourations are equally dangerous for Nigeria’s unity and even existence, but for now it looks like the threat of ethnic colouration is more immediate and worrisome. The most obvious ethnic colouration was painted last week by Professor Ben Nwabueze, the respected constitutional lawyer and once minister of education under General Sani Abacha’s regime. In a widely publicised statement of over 3,100 words entitled: “Corrupt practices: Igbo leaders’ position on probe of past governments”, he enunciated what he claimed was the view of Igbo leadership on President Muhammadu Buhari’s declared war on corruption. He followed this with an equally lengthy interview in THE PUNCH of August 9. The president, he said, is right to consider his fight against corruption a priority but wrong to limit himself only to the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan he took over from. To do so, he said, would be selective which, in turn, would make his war unjust, unfair and, in the end, ineffective. On the surface, the professor’s argument looks impartial and unassailable. But read his statement and interview in between the lines and it becomes difficult, if not impossible, not to conclude that his objection to Buhari limiting his war on corruption to Jonathan’s administration was more because it was widely regarded, rightly or wrongly, as Igbo-dominated than because of the reasons he gave. Next week, God willing, I’ll examine the professor’s statement to show how it is not as impartial and unassailable as it looks at first glance. Meantime, to the other danger, namely that of giving the president’s declared war

People and Politics By

MOHAMMED H ARUNA ndajika@yahoo.com

Attacks on Buhari’s war against corruption – A prelude

•President Buhari

on corruption a religious colouration. This time the man with the big brush is the Bishop of Sokoto Catholic Diocese, Most Reverend Mathew Hassan Kukah. Bishop Kukah has been angry with the media for what he says is their misinterpretation of his call on Buhari to avoid the danger of populist posturing against

corruption at the expense of good governance. The public seems to have perceived his warning as a call on Buhari not to waste time probing the Jonathan administration. As such the bishop has come under widespread attack, especially in the social media. Along with the professor’s veiled attack on Buhari’s anti-corruption war, I will, next week, God willing, examine the Bishop’s call on Buhari to reconsider his stance on corruption to show how the two calls are not as impartial as they seem on the surface. For the rest of this piece, I’ll like to return to my view that between the two dangers of giving Buhari’s war on corruption an ethnic and religious colouration, the former is more immediate and worrisome for now. A little over a month ago, on July 14, to be specific, my friend, Chief Loretta Aniagolu, a prominent Enugu politician and business woman, forwarded an email to me with a link to Radio Biafra in which the station claimed, in effect, that Buhari had declared the Igbo his mortal enemies in an interview with the Hausa service of the BBC. She said she had received

DELE AGEKAMEH

similar mails from abroad and was at first inclined to dismiss them until she received the last one which she was forwarding to me. The “former dictator” speaking today on BBC Hausa services monitored in Kaduna, Radio Biafra claimed, said he was convinced the Igbo have always voted against him because of his role in the Nigerian civil war. “I don’t have any regret, and as such do not owe any apology to them, in fact if there is a repeat of the civil war again, I will kill more Igbo to save the country,” the station quoted him as saying. Chief Aniagolu said she was forwarding the email to me just to confirm if Buhari did indeed say so, even though she found it difficult, if not impossible, to believe. “Please go through and tell me...Did he really say this?, she asked. Buhari could never have said such a stupid thing, and never did, as his spokesman, Malam Garba Shehu, and the Hausa Service of the BBC itself have since confirmed. But this has not stopped the radio station from carrying on with its virulent campaigns against Buhari as someone who hates the Igbo. Chances are, millions of impressionable Igbo listeners, especially those who never experienced the war, believe the station. A careful reading of Nwabueze’s statement about the position of Igbo leadership on Buhari’s war against corruption suggests even the more enlightened leadership are probably inclined to believe Radio Biafra, albeit more out of political expediency than because the station was saying the truth, which, of course, it wasn’t. Unfortunately, image, especially in this age of the Internet, has since become more potent than substance. If, therefore, the president wants to succeed in his war against corruption – and he owes it to the millions of Nigerians who voted for him to bring about change to do so – he simply must deal with the image that his government is against any tribe or religion, false though this image is.

RE-BOKO HARAM: THE VINDICATION OF SHETTIMA Sir, I think I disagree with your view today (August 12). Even if the war was being won by Boko Haram, Shettima shouldn’t have come in public to say such a thing. What solution did he suggest as governor? You guys, I think, are rather celebrating Boko Haram instead of condemning them. Awo, +2348062681413. Sir, Nonsense article as usual. Tribalistic and jaundiced columnist. +2348033468602. Sir, What a nice piece. Governor Shettima really deserves a pat on the back. +2348032766229. Sir, In your incisive article on the vindication of Shettima, you stopped short of the obvious conclusion i.e. the imperative of a thorough judicial prove of military spending in the last 16 years. The $9million in cash smuggled into another country still makes me weep for my country! We cannot

ORDS and their meanings may be confusing at times. A congratulatory message to former military ruler Gen. Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB) on his 74 th birthday on August 17 was a study in word usage likely to create confusion. It is unclear whether the word user was confused, or whether the words were consciously used to achieve confusion. A fullpage colour newspaper advertisement said of IBB: “Your life comes to us as a sterling example of how true leaders are; urbane, cosmopolitan, courageous, flexible yet firm, liberal-minded, imbued with a deep sense of patriotism. You have inspired some of us in your journey through life; reminding us that love for our nation should supersede love for self, in our collective effort to make Nigeria a greater stake for all.” These are hard to understand: ”imbued

sweep such things under the carpet!! Mansur Ahmed, +2348033143403. Sir, Minimah’s submission is a harsh truth. If people like you had used your biro well, it would have made a difference in the fight against those criminals. +2348036769949. Sir, For about a month now, Boko Haram (BH) has not struck. Is it as a result of weapons acquired by PMB? The truth is that BH has achieved the aim of most northerners and so they are winding up gradually. By December, as PMB said, there will be nothing like BH. We only wait to see how the North will solve the Chibok girls April fool.# +2348061562735. Sir, Truth is constant and God has vindicated Governor Shettima. However, Gen Badeh and Gen Minimah should thank their stars that President Buhari is now a committed democrat, least both will be behind bars explaining what happened to defence

budgets under their watch, not to mention the humiliation and embarrassment they caused the military by announcing to the world that a former Army general and commander-in-chief of the Nigerian armed forces had no certificate, they are dammed jolly lucky fellows. Nyebuchi Wobo, Port Harcourt. +2348057812496. Sir, Now that Shettima has been vindicated and the ‘arinis’ subdued, when he settles with them, I hope another group will not emerge, may be demanding that people should walk with their heads down. Maitatsine, Akaluka head hunters, etc. It is time they had pity on others and a permanent solution sought. Most of the countries in West Africa are smaller than some of our states. The yoking together of heterogeneous elements is a major problem. Please suggest something. +2348052813321. Sir, Re-Boko Haram: the vindication of Shettima. Irrespective of the condition of our

•Hardball is not the opinion HARDBALL of the columnist featured above IBB: Many happy returns with a deep sense of patriotism” and “reminding us that love for our nation should supersede love for self.” The word user’s understanding of the meaning of his words must be different from the popular understanding of these words. Irrespective of the country’s undulating political landscape and its perhaps unpredictable features, attempts to idealise Babangida’s time in power surely leave a sour taste in the mouth. Much more unsettling is the falsification that accompanies such experimentation. Although it is 22 years since Babangida’s epic betrayal of the people and the country’s consequent loss of epochal opportunity, the logic of dynamism should not promote selective perception or,

even worse, willful forgetfulness. The people remember how IBB killed their dreams by dictatorially annulling the historic June 12, 1993, presidential election won by Chief MKO Abiola of blessed memory. Abiola didn’t survive the brutality he suffered in the course of asserting his popular mandate; his controversial death in 1998, under a different military administration that nevertheless owed its perpetuation to IBB’s original sin, still haunts the polity to this day. It will always be a question to ponder whether the country, indeed, lost a positive turning-point opportunity by IBB’s inscrutable indiscretion, considering that Abiola’s “Hope 93” campaign was full of motivational energy and the majority eagerly bought his promise of constructive change.

army on the battlefield then, Shettima lacked the professional competence to make the demotivating proclamation he did. What was his expense and military contribution when it was ‘hot’? How was the election that made him to have been re-elected made possible? It’s easier to use ordinary mouth to clear the bush meant for cultivation! Now, has boko haramism ended? Lanre Oseni. +2348033518726. Sir, It seems that the errors continue. The officer’s letter was not dated December 2004, but rather December 2014. Sagir Tanimu, Department of Computer Science, Bayero University, Kano. +2347038946575. Read your column as I always do. The officer who wrote the former president would not have done so on 15/12/2004. Please do the necessary correction. Baba D. Hamidu, +2348023130090. •For comments, send SMS to 08059100107

It must still hurt Babangida that he left the stage broken and humiliated by the popular resistance to his display of raw power, leading to his rushed and unceremonious exit, even though he installed a puppet civilian administration in a futile face-saving terminal move. Not surprisingly, seeking the elusive perfect ending, he indicated interest in the presidency some years ago, only to learn, to his extreme chagrin, that he was generally considered a defective product that could not benefit from even the most creative promotional stunts. In a manner of speaking, he could not be made to smell like a rose. Clearly, the image laundering efforts continue, and launderers are not in short supply as demonstrated by the latest advertisement, which was signed by a governor with supposedly progressive credentials. In this case, not only the message is important, the messenger is too. It is fitting to wish IBB many happy returns of image laundering.

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