The Nation August 22, 2012

Nigeria’s widest circulating newspaper

ACN seeks revisit of Salami’s case

Govt, NUPENG for talks today

NEWS

NEWS Page 4

Page 5

•National Assembly urged to step in

•Labour, ANPP back oil workers

www.thenationonlineng.net

VOL. 7, NO. 2225 WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2012

TR UTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM TRUTH

N150.00

North launches battle to resolve Boko Haram crisis Emirs, Kukah, ex-Defence chief Agwai in 41-man peace committee From Jide Orintunsin,

THE 41 WISE MEN

Minna and Segun Balogun

W

ITH the planned inauguration of a 41-man peace committee today, the North is set to tackle the Boko Haram crisis.

Members of the Committee to be inaugurated by the Northern Governors’ Forum (NGF) are people with diverse backgrounds. They include traditional rulers, the clergy - Christian and Islamic – academics, retired military men, businessmen and former public officers.

Niger State Governor Babangida Aliyu, who is also the chair of the forum, will, according to his Chief Press Secretary, Danladi Ndayebo, inaugurate the committee in Abuja.

The panel has the mandate “to fashion out strategies to address the disturbing state of insecurity and proffer practical and enduring solutions” to the insecurity in the region.

“The main term of reference of the committee is to engender the restoration of the most desired peaceful co-existence, unity and development in the entire region,” according to the statement by Ndayebo.

The decision to form the committee was taken by the NGF on July 26. It is to handle reconciliation, healing, peace and security within the troubled region.

Thirty one members of the

•Amb. Zakari Ibrahim •Prof. Tijani El-Miskin •Prof. Shedrack Best •Alhaji Abubakar Tsav •Prof. Habu Galadima •AIG Hamisu Ali Jos •Gen. Martin Luther Agwai •Prof. Muhammad Mainoma •Zulu Gambari •Mrs Oyebode •Hajiya Dije Bala •Gen. Yakubu Usman •Prof. Sani Abdulkadir •AVM Mukhtar Mohammed •Justice Umaru Abdullahi •Hajia Maryam Uwais •Aminu Ibrahim Daurawa •Grp. Capt. Bilal Bulama •Col. Musa Shehu •Iliya Ithuve •Tsav •Hassan Kukah •Ali M. Dandiya •Gen. GP Zidon •Justice Usman Baba Liman •Sheikh Isa Talata Mafara •Bishop Hassan Kukah •Karibullah Nasiru Kabara •Sheikh Yusuf Rigachikun •Sheikh Ahmed Lemu •Bishop Michael E. Apochi •Sheik Lemu •Gen. Agwai •Imam Goni Gabcha •Imam Salman Ankpa •Bishop Buba Wusasa •Rev. Kalla Abari •HRH. Alhaji Sulu Gambari •HRH. Alhaji Abdullahi •HRH. Barkindo Musdafa •HRH. Nde Dimlong •Dr. Kole Shettima •Dr. Shettima Ali •Musa •Mohammed Akaro •Mrs. Aisha Oyebode committee are nominees of the The traditional rulers on the •Dr. (Mrs.) Nguyan Feese governors. The others are rep- panel include the Lamido of •Hajiya Saudatu Mahdi resentatives of organisations in Continued on Page 4 •Sister Kathleen McGarvey the region.

Obama, Jonathan, others mourn Ethiopia PM Zenawi

W

ORLD leaders, including United States President Barack Obama and President Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday expressed shock at the death of Ethiopia Prime Minister Meles Zenawi.

Meles died at 11:40 p.m.

Monday from an unspecified infection, spokesman

Bereket Simon said. Deputy Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn is now in charge.

Before the announcement of his death, Meles had not been seen in public in months, sparking intense international speculation about his health.

There will be no elections before the next scheduled ballot in 2015, Bereket said.

Meles had been scheduled to step down in 2013 as part of a transition process, Mosley said, but questioned whether he genuinely intended to relinquish power.

Meles was out of the country when he died and members of his family were with him, according to Bereket. He did not say what country Meles’ body was in or when it

would return to Ethiopia, except that it would be soon.

But government sources said he died in Belgium capital Brussels.

U.S. President Barack Obama praised Meles’ “unyielding commitment to Ethiopia’s poor,” citing his “personal admiration for (Meles’) desire to lift millions of EthiContinued on Page 61

•The late Cynthia

Suspects held in General’s daughter’s murder in Lagos

By Precious Igbonwelundu, Staff Reporter

C

YNTHIA, the late daughter of Major-General Frank Osukogu, may have been strangled by her murderers, a police source said yesterday.

It was gathered that her suspected murderers are students in a yet-to-be identified institution in Lagos. The suspects, according to the source, have confessed that the late Cynthia was their sixth victim.

A source at the Area E Police Command, told The Nation that the deceased was chained to the bed before she was strangled to death.

He said that the suspects told of how they lure girls to visit them after which they rob them of all their possessions and kill them.

Continued on Page 61

•SPORT P13•POLITICS P15•LIFE P15 •MONEY P30 •INVESTORS P32

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2012

2

NEWS OCEAN SURGE

Kuramo…

•Anambra State Governor Peter Obi flanked by his wife Margaret (right) and Commissioner for Women Affairs Lady Henrietta Agbata during the Mothers' Summit at the Women Development Centre, Awka... on Monday

•Akwa Ibom StateGovernor Godswill Akpabio signing the visitors’ book during his Sallah visit to the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence, Alhaji Muhamad Sa'ad Abubakar (111) during the governor’s Sallah visit to the Sultan ...yesterday

•Group Managing Director/CEO, UBA Plc Mr. Phillips Oduoza (third left), MD, UBA Tanzania Mr. Daniel Addo (left), Chairman UBA Tanzania retired Gen. Robert Mboma (second left), Deputy Governor, Bank of Tanzania Mr. Lila Mkila (second right) and MD, UBA Africa, Mr. Edgal Gabriel (right) during the visit of UBA management to Bank of Tanzania's office in Dar es Salam… at the weekend

•From left: Olugbo of Ugbo, Oba Obateru Akinruntan, Emeritus Prof. Oladipo Akinkugbe, his wife, Folashade and Chairman, Governing Council, Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, Chief Afe Aabalola (SAN) at the 60th anniversary of Mellanby Hall of the University of Ibadan in Iibadan ...yesterday

Prior to its demolition and sacking of its occupants as a result of the ocean surge, which killed 16 people, Kuramo Beach was where to be. But, in the last one month, the beach’s occupants and patrons have not had it rosy, writes OLUKOREDE YISHAU

F

OUR days ago, the ocean roared at the Kuramo Beach, next door neigbour to the Bar Beach and the magnificent Eko Hotel and Towers on Victoria Island. By the time its rage abated, 16 people were in its belly, including a boat operator said to have launched into the sea to save some victims. None has come out alive. Dreams have died.

Breadwinners haave been consumed. And stories of people affected have been given sour twists.

Bulldozers have pulled down the shanties that were homes to many.

The make-shift restaurants, beer joints and fun spots are now history. Though fun seekers have continued to still troop to the beach, but it has not been the same. The near-by Bar Beach, of which Kuramo used to be a part until some years back, has not been a good substitute. It has proved in capable of matching the rhythm of Kuramo and the dance steps have attained a macabre mien, leaving many wondering if the beat has stopped forever.

Before the ocean surge and gave the Lagos State government the opportunity to finally sack its illegal occupants, Kuramo has seen testy times. July and this month have not been particularly good.

On July 3, the Police announced the closure of the beach for one week to rid it of squatters and hoodlums.

The Divisional Police Officer, Victoria Island Station, Mr Adegoke Fayode, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN): “We are closing down the beach for one week; a team of security agents will continue to raid the beach to rid it of criminals.’’

A combined team of police, army, immigration and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) officials had on July 1 around 1 a.m. raided the beach, arresting some people.

Fayode said officials of the beach management and the local government had been included in the team of task force to clear the beach of squatters.

He said: “We are raiding all the cabins on the beach. Anyone who wants to work in the cabins must be known by the security agents.

After the exercise, anyone coming to Kuramo beach must feel safe. We do not want criminals to use the beach as a hideout any longer.’’

Officials of Lagos State government also pulled down some illegal structures as part of ridding the beach of criminals.

The Secretary of Kuramo Beach Tourism Association, Mr Mchael Onuwafe, said the exercise would help to restore the beach to an international standard.

He said the 60 cabins constructed by the government in 1999 for tourists to relax had been defaced, adding that some traders had constructed tents to distort the layout and aesthetics of the beach.

The police, on July 8, said it arrested about 30 illegal occupants in a week-long clampdown on

criminals at Kuramo Beach.

The DPO said many of those arrested were charged to court.

Onuwafe said the evacuation exercise was successful, adding that all the cabins would be refurbished and only registered tour operators would, henceforth, be allowed to operate at the beach.

“With the evacuation exercise, we are going to have a new Kuramo Beach, devoid of miscreants,’’ he said.

But the squatters said the exercise was not transparent. They accused security agents deployed to evacuate them from the beach of looting their property and raping their women.

Some of the squatters told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that a combined team of police, army, immigration and the NDLEA officials, swooped on them for about three hours, arresting more than 100 people, including women.

A source said: “We learnt that 10 people, who wanted to evade arrest, dived into the lagoon out of which seven were saved. We have not heard anything about the missing three.

“What happened here on Sunday night on this beach came to us a surprise. We were busy dancing and drinking and all of a sudden, we just heard gun shots from several directions. Many people were arrested and taken away …we do not know what has happened to them now.’’

They alleged that some women believed to be commercial sex workers were raped by the security men.

“Shops on the beach were also looted in addition to the money and mobile phones people lost,’’ said a source.

A businessmen, Mr Bolu Ayoruke, told NAN: ‘’I have been doing business on the beach for 10 years, I have never experienced such a situation.’’

A government source yesterday said over 5,000 people were living in the under poor and deplorable conditions in hundreds of shanties spread across the beach. He said criminals used the beach as hideout.

He said about four guns at the were found in some of the shanties.

On August 4, the beach was reopened. But activities were yet to pick up when the ocean vented its anger and worsened the fate of occupants and fun seekers. And the question is: will it ever be the same again?

Commissioner for Waterfront Infrastructure Development, Mr. Adesegun Oniru, who led demolition team on Sunday, said major work would be done on the beach before anyone would be allowed to return for recreation purpose.

The commissioner said the decision to demolish the entire structures at the beach was to save lives and property.

Oniru said: “What is happening here is nothing to panic about. There is global warming over the world and Nigeria is not exempted. As the situation is now, the people who were residing here before cannot do that anymore. Kuramo beach is now a thing of the past. And until we put it back to its natural form no one should come closer to this area. It is not free for anyone to trade or live here again.

“But as a state government, we have brought in a palliative measure to

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2012

3

NEWS OCEAN SURGE

has the beat finally stopped?

•THEN: THEN: Kuramo shanties before the bulldozers were moved in.

•NO W: A truck-load of sand moved from the Eko Atlantic City to remedy the damage done to the •NOW Kuramo Beach... yesterday PHOTOS: RISKAT RAMON

Tears as widow gets husband’s body 'Most victims were on rescue mission' ‘ T

EARS rolled down the cheeks of Saidat Oke, widow of Miriam Ndikanwu, Segun Balogun and Risikat Joseph Oke, one of the sixteen people swept away by the Ramoni ocean surge at the Kuramo Beach, Victoria Island, Lagos. “It is so sad that while we should be celebrating She was at the beach to collect the remains of her late hus- their bravery, some people are saying we are illeband. gal,” said Abbey Edwards, the association’s secreThe gentle tide of the Atlantic Ocean carried the bloated tary, “this means they died for nothing.” body of Oke ashore the Bar Beach on Monday. He was a memShortly before she joined the van taking the body ber of the Crime Prevention Campaign of Nigeria, a loosely of her husband to his hometown yesterday, Mrs. structured security outfit guarding Kuramo Beach. Four of received N50, 000 from the chairman of Chairman his colleagues also perished while trying to rescue people Iru/ VictoriaIsland Local Council Development trapped by the surge, which cut the Kuramo Beach into two. Area, Abayomi Daramola, to aid Oke’s burial.

According to the Area Supervisor of the outfit, Mr. Gbenga Mrs. Oke struggled to show her gratitude to Kibowe, Oke and his colleagues tried to get a boat across to Daramola, but tears overtook her. rescue some people.

Daramola said: “We will assist the families who Kibowe said: “I was on the beach when it happened. They want to bury the victims in terms of expenses. We called me on phone that I should come and join them. They will also help in transporting the corpses of victims wanted to go and rescue people. I told them my spirit was to wherever the families would like to take them to not coming.” for burial,” An hour later, Kibowe tried reaching them on phone but The council boss said the surge would have been “the lines were switched off. We did not see their boat again”. a national disaster, if not for God’s intervention. He One after the other, their bodies drifted ashore. Babatunde noted that over 1,000 people would have been swept Olohunwa’s body was found on Sunday. Joseph and others off in the middle of the night. were found on Monday.

He said: “About one and half month ago, we He said: “We do not know the full names of others because found out that over 5,000 people were living under they are still attaches and not yet fully employed. We called poor and deplorable conditions in hundreds of one Alhaji, one was called Benson.” shanties spread across the beach. We cleared all the Joseph’s widow wore clueless disposition as she spoke to shanties. We moved all the people out. We were reporters, while making arrangement to transport her informed that criminals are living in the village, and husband’s body to their Abeokuta home. they usually move out at night to the Kuramo Beach ”We have a 10-year-old boy and another seven-year-old. I where they carried out their nefarious activities. don’t know what I will do to take care of them. Joseph had Later, they returned to the village. always been our breadwinner,” she said in Yoruba language, “During the demolition exercise then, we found fighting back tears. out about three to four guns at the village. That was She added: “I was in Abeokuta when the incident happened. what prompted us to move them out and we left I know he would not have died, if not because he was going the village open. When we did that, there were lots to save people as I heard.” of protests and complaints. I learnt that those who Joseph’s brother, Anthony, who brought him to Lagos “be- were protesting then for the demolition are now cause he needed to make ends meet” said he was 30 years praying for us because many lives would have been old. lost.”

He said: “We are really sad because this is happening when So far, bodies of three victims have been given to our mother is still alive. When I heard about the incident on their families for burial, The Nation learnt. There Saturday, my main concern was just to recover his body and are still some people at the mortuary whose famigive him a decent burial.” lies are yet to surface. The council chief urged them Joseph’s job description included providing security on the to claim the bodies so a mass burial will be averted. beach and working as a lifeguard.

Daramola commiserated with the families of the His life-threatening job earned him just N3,000 per week, deceased. He urged the investors whose structures paid by Madols and Company Limited, with offices at 5 were demolished to take heart and have hope, addLandbridge Avenue, Oniru Private Estate, Victoria Island. The ing that, “when there is life, there is hope”. company, according to traders at the beach, oversees the afHe denied allegations that the council collects fairs at the beach and collects dues. money from the occupants. He said those calling Joseph was recruited on March 6, 2008, according to his for compensation over the demolition of their cabemployment letter signed by Company Secretary Olusegun ins did not have any legal right over the property.

Ajiboye.

The chairman said: “Nobody collects any fee

from those living in the village. There is no legal document that supports their presence at the beach.”

The patron of Kuramo Beach Tourism Investors Association, Mr Ekanem Effiong, said most of those who died were on rescue mission.

He said: “A good number of those swept off their feet by the waves were trying to rescue those that were trapped. Unfortunately, the land between the lake and ocean water snapped and gave way and that was how they also got into the ocean.

“Nobody knows the actual number of people who were washed away.

The number given was that of people known within the environment and reported missing . That was the 16 that was mentioned.

“The sand-filling of the place is only a temporary measure. There will be need for a more permanent solution to avert further disaster.

“I agree with the government to shut the place. There is no reasonable government that will not shut a place like that based on the danger it portends to the society.”

The search party for the remaining six victims continued yesterday but the efforts witnessed no recovery of any body.

cushion the effect one of which palliative measures adopted by the state government was that we brought in hundreds of tons of sand from the ongoing construction site of the Eko Atlantic City, on Saturday, to sandfill

return to this place for recreation purpose in the nearest future.”

But the squatters believe the government has capitalised on the surge to take over the beach and might line it up with hotels and

some parts of the beach that were submerged. And with this, we were able to vacate the owners of the structures.

“And in order to reduce the loss, we allowed the occupants of the

structures to move into the place before we completely demolished the shanties to remove their property. After the demolition, major work will commence immediately before anyone can

We have a 10year-old boy and another seven-year-old.

I don’t know what I will do to take care of them. Joseph had always been our breadwinner... I know he would not have died, if not because he was going to save people as I heard

• The late Joseph

‘

shopping malls.

Many of the fun-seekers who besieged the beach yesterday complained about dullness.

The next few months will show the fate of the Kuramo.

4

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2012

NEWS

A

CTION Congress of Nigeria (ACN) National Leader Asiwaju Bola Tinubu yesterday descended on the Federal Government, describing it as “a giant bureaucracy suffering from elephantiasis”.

The former Lagos State governor, who spoke in Washington on the first day of his United States tour, said the suggestions offered by his party on how to end the Boko Haram insurgency and the lingering Jos crises were spurned by the authorities.

It was at a roundtable moderated by Jennifer G. Cooke, the Director for Africa programme at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington DC. Speaking in his capacity as an opposition leader to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) -controlled Federal Government, Tinubu condemned the idea of vesting all powers in the central government.

In his lecture entitled: “Current Developments in Nigeria; The View of the Opposition”, Tinubu pushed for decentralisation of power.

He said: “If you decentralise the power of the Federal Government, things will be better in Nigeria.”

The PDP has wielded an overbearing influence on the legislature since it took over power in 1999, Tinubu noted.

According to him, vesting too much power in the Federal Government has deepened corruption and promoted a lot of problems.

•Tinubu (third right) with Cooke, Prof. Williams (extreme right), Alake (sitting on Tinubu’s right), Jeter (fourth left) and others...yesterday PHOTO: ADEOLA OLADELE-FAYEHUN

Why Boko Haram, Jos crises linger, by Tinubu From Adeola Oladele-Fayehun, Washington DC

His words: “We are at our worst poverty level; education is degenerating; industries are moving out of Nigeria; we have zero capital development project; the only thing the government is doing is borrowing and we have Boko Haram.”

According to him, many governors find it difficult to ensure security in their states because they have no authority over security forces.

“Because the police are con-

trolled by the Federal Government, governors have no authority over any security agency or federal police.

“There is no coordination between various security agencies and the state has to get permission from the federal government to buy arms.”

This, he said, leads to corruption among the security forces, especially since they are not well remunerated.

Tinubu said that as an opposition leader, his party has offered to help the present ad-

ministration in tackling Boko Haram and Jos killings that are threatening the security of the country.

He said: “I suggested to the President to subsidise farming, especially in the North, so that Boko Haram will stop recruiting those unemployed that are begging on the streets.

“If they have jobs, they won’t be going about killing people, and it will improve their nutrition value. Concerning Jos, all the Federal Government needs to do is create another local

Govt, NUPENG for talks today

T

HE Federal Government was struggling yesterday to stave off a junior oil workers strike.

It invited the leadership of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) to a meeting today to iron out issues of subsidy payment.

NUPENG President Igwe Achese, who confirmed the government’s invitation, said he was informed that Finance Minister Dr. Ngozi OkonjoIweala will chair the session.

The umbrella body of junior oil workers on Monday served a strike notice, giving the government an ultimatum to pay marketers by today. The strike is billed to begin tomorrow.

The NUPENG boss yesterday reiterated his call on the government to pay marketers so that Junior workers could get paid.

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) yesterday gave its backing to the junior oil workers.

NLC acting General Secretary Chris Uyot said in Abuja yesterday.

“It is in our interest that the union is on strike. An we will always support them as our

By Dupe Olaoye-Osinkolu and Gbenga Omokhunu, Abuja

affiliate body. It is therefore left for the Federal Government to intervene.”

The All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) yesterday warned the Federal Government of an imminent crisis, if it refuses to pay up the subsidy arrears.

ANPP vowed that no matter what happens, it stands with the people, adding that if it were not for them: “the cankerworm of fuel subsidy fraud would still have been eating into the fiscal fabric of our great nation.”

The party, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Emma Eneukwu, believed that it is the task of the people entrusted with the instrument of leadership at all levels to effectively canvass for a veritable middle ground at all times.

The ANPP said: “The nation and its people should not be sacrificed on the altar of group or individual interest demonstrated in the current subsisting unbending posture of the government, oil workers and the organized labour.”

“This is adding to the fact that the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has said it has concluded arrangements to call workers in the country out on an industrial action on Wednesday in solidarity with workers of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) who are insisting that the government is not treating them fairly by paying them their due severance package before the planned privatisation of the power company.

“Considering that when these two labour unions down their tools, it is the citizens of this great nation that will certainly suffer, our great party hereby maintains its stand that the government should by all means carry out its privatisation policy with a human face.

More so, the Federal Government, which had waited until the mass protest of January this year to wake up to its responsibility of looking into the abysmal corruption taking place right inside its backyard, has to consider the people before raising the fury of the oil marketers.

“Because it is the people that the government claims to serve

government for the people.”

Tinubu described as regrettable that the present administration has not listened to any of the suggestions because, in his view, it benefits from the system.

The ACN Leader said: “You can’t fight corruption because the government itself is corrupt.

Majority of the perpetrators made financial contributions to ensure the president wins the election, so he cannot prosecute them.

“Nigerians are not stupid;

they want a change. People no longer believe in the government. Enough of PDP in our lives; they have been tagged as Poverty Development Party.”

At the roundtable were Prof.

Adebayo Williams, Susan C. Tuttle, Director of Technology Policy at IBM, Mr. Howard Jeter, former US Ambassador to Nigeria, member of the House of Representatives Bimbo Daramola Mr. Fola Tinubu, Mr. Dele Alake and Mr. Sunday Dare among others.

North launches battle to resolve Boko Haram crisis Continued from Page 1

•Achese

by turning its back on the demands of the oil workers, it should therefore count it important to consider the pains of the masses that stand in the field of fire as these ones fight.

“The ANPP therefore calls on all interests concerned in this sordid national drama to consider the suffering masses and actively seek for a middle ground in the spirit of consensus and patriotism. We wish to reiterate that no matter what happens, our great party stands with the people. If it were not for them, the cankerworm of fuel subsidy fraud would still have been eating into the fiscal fabric of our great nation.”

Adamawa, Dr. Barkindo Aliyu Musdafa, the Emir of Ilorin Alhaji Ibrahim Zulu Gambari, the Emir of Yauri, Zamfara State, Alhaji Zaiyanu Abdulahi and the Ngolong Nas, Plateau State Nde Joshua Y. Dimlong.

In the committee are the chair of the defunct Federal Government committee on North’s crisis, Sheik Ahmed Lemu and the Bishop of Sokoto Diocese of the Catholic Church, Rev. Matthew Hassan Kukah.

There is also former Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Martin Luther Agwai, Wife of former Chief Justice of Nigeria Muhammadu Uwais, Hajiya Maryam and daughter of former Head of State Gen. Murtala Muhammed – Mrs. Aisha Oyebode, who is representing the Murtala Muhammed Foundation.

Former police chief Abubakar Tsav is the representative of Benue State Governor Gabriel Suswam.

The North has been reeling under the violence unleashed by the fundamentalist group

Boko Haram.

No state has been spared of the assaults on persons and institutions by the sect members, who are campaigning against western education.

Besides, they are clamouring for Sharia – the strict Islamic laws.

Bishop Kukah said last night that he will serve on the committee.

But he declined comments on its work yet until the terms of reference have been spelt out.

“The best person to talk to at this time is the convener, who is Governor Babangida Aliyu,” he said.

•Governor Aliyu

Gunmen kill two in Borno mosques as JTF distributes anti-Boko Haram tapes

T

HE violence in Borno State yesterday extended to Biu, 187 kilometres south of Maiduguri, the state capital, where activities of fundamentalist group Boko Haram have been very deadly.

An Islamic cleric and another person were shot dead inside a mosque in the early hour of the day.

A resident of the town said: “Two gunmen joined our mosque for the early morning prayers, when one of us was shot at a close range. He died instantly. Two hours after the incident, another local Islamic

From Joseph Abiodun, Maiduguri cleric was trailed to the mosque by separate gunmen who opened fire at worshippers. The worshippers had to run for safety, but the cleric was shot dead. Men of Operation Flush II rushed to the scene and condoned off the mosque to prevent further attacks and killings.”

Confirming the killings to reporters in Maiduguri, police spokesman Gideon Jibrin, a Deputy Superintendent, said the police headquarters received the reports from the

Biu police area commander.

He said no arrest had been made, police would assist them to trail and arrest the culprits.

The Joint Task Force (JTF) in Maiduguri yesterday distributed thousands of audio tapes of Islamic messages criticising the Boko Haram (western education is sin).

The tapes, which showed Quranic verses denouncing the ideology of Boko Haram, were distributed free of charge to residents.

The distributed materials were mainly from the preaching of the slain Muslim cleric,

Sheik Mohammed Ja’afar.

The task force men were seen distributing the tapes and CDs at popular places, including the Ramat Square, Baga Road Central Mosque, Eid-el- Fitri praying grounds, Shehu’s palace, MaiduguriKano road, Borno Central garage and around the post office.

Many people were seen struggling to get the tapes aimed at weakening the influence of the Boko Haram ideology.

A statement by its spokesman, Lt. Col. Sagir Musa, said the sponsors of the suicide

bombers are on surveillance and will soon be arrested.

The statement said: “based on information obtained from an arrested Boko Haram terrorists and moles in the Boko Haram Camp, we intercepted an Improvised Explosive Device-primed Toyota Camry 2001 model car with registration number Borno AA 867 MAF at Tudun Quarters, Magumeri area of Maiduguri on 20 August 2012 at about 6pm by a combined Team of the JTF personnel.”

“The vehicle was heading for an unknown destination when it was intercepted. The

sponsors of the suicide bomber led by a high profile Terrorist Commander is under surveillance and will soon be arrested by the JTF. “This is the deadliest bombladen vehicle to be arrested by the JTF in Maiduguri. Had the suicide bomber gotten to its target, fatalities would have been very high.

Recovered bomb materials and incendiaries in the car, according to the JTF, are four cylinders, four DAF gas, three constructed IED, 18 x 9 volts batteries with two switches, 4 x 25 litres Jerry cans with incendiary materials.

ADVERT HOTLINES: 01-280668, 08070591302, 08052592524 NEWSROOM: LAGOS – 01-8962807, ABUJA – 07028105302 COMPLAINTS: 01-8930678

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2012

5

NEWS

Compel Jonathan to reinstate Salami, ACN urges National Assembly A

S the nation celebrates the first anniversary of “unlawful and inglorious’’ suspension of the erthswhile President of the Court of Appeal (PCA), Justice Ayo Salami by President Goodluck Jonathan, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has called on the National Assembly to intervene on the side of constitutionality and rule of law by compelling President Jonathan to uphold the recom-

mendations of the National Judicial Council (NJC) and reinstate Justice Salami.

In a statement in Lagos yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said by disregarding NJC’s recommendation, President Jonathan is sending a bad signal to the world that the rule of law has been supplanted by the rule of the jungle in Nigeria and it is clear that such a country can

never be an investor ‘s destination and has also contributed in no small measure to Nigeria being classed among the most corrupt nations on earth.

The party drew the attention of the National Assembly to the fact that President Jonathan’s handling of Justice Salami’s matter has destroyed the principle of separation of powers as enshrined in our Constitution, reduced the NJC to an appendage of the execu-

tive arm of government and made an imperial President of Jonathan in clear violation of the Constitution.

The party urged the National Assembly not to stand by and allow Jonathan and some misguided scoundrels in pursuit of personal vendetta to destroy our Judiciary. It reminded them the words of Prof Simeon Johnson, co -author of 13 Bankers: “Countries rise when they

put in place pro- growth political institutions and they failoften spectacularly -when such institutions ossify or fail to adapt. Powerful people always and everywhere seek to grab complete control over government, undermining broader social progress for their own greed. Keep those people in check with effective democracy or watch your nation fail.”

Jonathan off to Senegal

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•Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson (right) presenting a souvenir to President Goodluck Jonathan during Jonathan’s interactive session with beneficiaries of his scholarship programme at the Government House, Yenagoa.

RESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan will today leave Nigeria for Dakar, the Senegalese capital on a two-day official visit.

He will be received at the Leopold Sedar Senghor International Airport, Dakar, by President Macky Sall.

Both leaders are to hold talks at the Presidential Palace, Dakar, on how to deepen cordial relations and promote trade between their countries in the West African sub-region.

A statement by the Special Adviser (Media & Publicity), Dr. Reuben Abati said his boss is expected back in Abuja tomorrow.

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2015: Obasanjo denies backing Lamido-Amaechi for President

ORMER President Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday cleared the air on the 2015 Presidency, saying he is more concerned about security challenges facing the nation than the 2015 general election.

The former president’s position followed speculations that he may dump President Goodluck Jonathan for Governors Sule Lamido-Rotimi Amaechi Presidential ticket.

The ex-President was also said to have made his position known to the Presidency to avert crisis of confidence between him and the President.

But there were signals yesterday that some former governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and a few serving ones, especially those on second term, have begun talks on the next general elec-

•Ex-President ‘concerned’ about security challenges From Yusuff Alli, Managing Editor, Northern Operation

tion.

Obasanjo was said to have had audience with some of his associates over speculations that he may back Lamido.

He was also said to have regretted that the speculations were designed to put him at loggerheads with President Jonathan.

One of the associates, who spoke in confidence with our correspondent, quoted Obasanjo as saying: “I am more concerned with finding solutions to the country’s challenges of security, corruption and economy.

“I expect all those who love Nigeria should concern them-

selves with how to tackle these challenges rather than busying themselves with 2015.

“I am not interested in the distraction of the red herring on 2015.”

Notwithstanding Obasanjo’s position, some former PDP governors and a few ones on second term were said to have started preliminary talks on 2015.

Some of the former and serving governors are already weighing options on whether to back Jonathan’s second term or shop for an alternative candidate.

It was gathered that the governors are also considering a creation of an alternative platform if PDP is hijacked in 2015 in favour of a predetermined

candidate.

A source said these governors might constitute a second force in PDP to form an alliance with politicians of like minds in other political parties.

The source said: “Some politicians and government officials may be pretending but the fact is that preliminary discussions on 2015 have started among some former and serving governors, especially those in PDP. “Those from the North are deeply interested in power shift to the region in 2015 . I can say that informal or exploratory talks have begun.

“So, if names are being speculated, these might have come from the ongoing talks among these governors.

•Chief Obasanjo

“Even in the presidency, there are covert plans being hatched on 2015. You do not leave your fate till the last minutes.

“Nobody can wait because the opposition is already gaining some mileage for 2015 by winning the sympathy of the people.”

Ekpu, Mohammed, Agbese, others dropped from Newswatch Board •‘I won’t dignify it with comment’ FOUR pioneer directors of Newswatch Communications Ltd –Messrs Ray Ekpu, Dan Agbese, Yakubu Mohammed and Soji Akinrinade yesterday lost their seats on the Board of the organisation.

Their removal was announced by the management.

The trio were dropped for their alleged failure to meet requirement of the share purchase agreement (SPA), which required them to have appropriate shares to keep their membership of the board.

Section 7.0 of the said Share Purchase Agreement states: “Both parties agree that the founding members of the company retiring could take up appointments as consulting editors, up to a period of two years, or membership of the board, where appropriate.”

The company, which is currently restructuring for a turnaround, put the collective shares of Mr. Ekpu and the three others at 6.1per cent of the company’s total shares , which does not meet the requirement of Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) and the spirit of the SPA and therefore not appropriate for them to occupy the board seats.

Reacting to the news of their removal, the Executive Chairman and Publisher of Newswatch, Mr. Jimoh Ibrahim, said since Mr. Ekpu and the other gentlemen signed the SPA, they are” knowledgeable and old enough to know the implication of the documents they signed and as such cannot eat their cake and have it”.

Ibrahim added that by law, only a minimum of 10 per cent shareholders can legally demand for a board seat in any company.

He advised Ekpu and the others to approach the company to buy more of the unalloted shares in order to retain board seats.

“Having voluntarily retired from the company, and having their benefits paid”, he stated.

They can only attend the Annual General Meeting (AGM) with other shareholders whenever it is called. Ibrahim also wished them best of luck in their future endeavours.

Ekpu yesterday told The Nation he had no intention to dignify Ibrahim’s action with a comment. He said: “I have no intention of dignifying it with a comment”

Ogun PDP crisis blamed on ex-President, Oyinlola

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HE crisis rocking the Ogun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday deepened with members of the executive committee accusing those they called recalcitrant members of using the name of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, to foment trouble in the party.

The party Chairman, Bayo Dayo, an engineer, alleged that the National Secretary, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, has recommended the convicted members for positions in the caretaker committees.

He lamented that the ‘’troublesome’’ party chieftains who were jailed for six months by the court were still working freely on the streets.

By Emmanuel Oladesu, Deputy Political Editor

A PDP chieftain and financier, Prince Buruji Kashamu, blamed former President Obasanjo for polarising the party, adding that the former president should not have been involved in local politics.

They spoke at a news conference in Lagos.

Kashamu queried: ‘What is the business of Chief Obasanjo in local politics?

Why should he allow his name to be dragged into this mess by Olagunsoye Oyinlola and co? He is our father. Why is he not resolving the problem and reconciling his children?

•Kashamu accuses Obasanjo of betrayal Kashamu flayed Oyinlola for allegedly writing to the police and State Security Services (SSS) to take over the party secretariat in Abeokuta, the state capital, stressing that he had exceeded his constitutional duties.

Dayo told reporters in Lagos that, unless the party’s national leadership rose to the occasion, crisis would continue to dog the party in the Gateway State. He complained that those fuelling intra-party crisis in Ogun PDP are calculating ahead of 2015, thereby compounding the conflicts and diverting the attention of President Goodluck Jonathan.

At the briefing were Prince Kashamu, Ajibola Oluyede, a lawyer, Mr. Semiu Babatunde, Otunba Ola Kukoyi, Kayode Amosun, Leye Odunjo and Tola Ogunleye.

Reiterating the determination of the executive committee to resist imposition of illegitimate leaders, Dayo maintained that a legal and legitimate leadership emerged from a constitutional congress witnessed by the security agents.

He added: ’’Police and SSS should enforce law and order in Ogun. This is not happening. Those who were jailed were being recommended by Olagunsoye Oyinlola to be-

come party caretaker committee members. This injustice will not stay. They are scheming to disorganise legitimate leadership in Ogun State. ‘’Some people within Ogun State PDP are working against due process. We held congress in March like any other states. We are being threatened by party leaders who have not allowed duly elected leaders to function. Some leaders are aiding followers to commit atrocities. We are against imposition. That was why we held congresses. Now, they are disobeying the judiciary.

‘Our state executive committee was properly elected and we received handing over notes from the Dayo Soremi Executive Committee. We are calling on security agents to help us so that we can function as duly elected members of the executive committee. People who were jailed for contempt of court are still roaming the streets. If there is a problem in Ogun State, we should know where it is coming from’.

Oluyede said: ‘When people resist peaceful change, they are looking for violence. If the institution of democracy is swept aside, anarchy will occur. The problem today is that there is only one executive committee in Ogun State today and Bayo Dayo is the chairman’’.

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2012

NEWS DANA Air staff urge govt to lift suspension

Plot to sack me has failed, says Akume S

ENATE Minority From Onyedi Ojiabor, of minority leaders. In their leader.

“We are aware of what is Assistant Editor Leader George wisdom, I was elected and I going on. Few people in the Akume yesterday have been holding forth that “completely baseless and LMOST three months minority parties are being said the attempt to destabiunfounded”, the allegation position. after the Dana Air used to destabilise the milise the leadership of minor“Due to sinister motives, that he was not carrying othcrash, which killed ity parties in the Senate will somebody from the majori- nority leadership. er minority Senators along. about 163 persons, the 558 staff fail.

“But I assure you that they He said he was elated ty party decided to interfere will not succeed. They have of the company yesterday Akume, who represents for obvious reasons. when the leadership of the urged President Goodluck Benue Northwest, said he “I do not want to go into failed even before they startAction Congress of Nigeria Jonathan to lifting the suspen- was not threatened by the details, but the bottom line ed, because they are stand(ACN) and other minority sion ban on the carrier. attempt to cause disaffecis that the party that controls ing on a false position. They parties supported him and The workers said their lack substance. tion in the Senate minority he would never let them the leadership position of future may hang in the bal“Fortunately, the leaderand theplot to remove him minority parties in the Sendown. ance, if the ban is not lifted. ship of the minority parties as minority leader. ate has made a wonderful Akume described as unIn a letter to the President, has said it has absolute conSpeaking with reporters true the accusation that he statement that ‘we are total- fidence in me. signed by the Head of Corpoin Abuja, he warned those ly behind Senator George has failed to hold meetings rate Communications, Mr. "All minority parties, intrying to cause confusion in of minority Senators, say- Akume’.

Tony Usidamen, the workers the leadership of the minor“Whatever the majority cluding the Congress for ing it was part of the blacksaid: “In the history of the ity parties to beware of the leadership in the Senate is Progressive Change (CPC), mail to get at him.

Nigerian aviation industry, no consequences of their achave said the same thing: ‘we He said: “The issue is very trying to do, it has nothing are totally behind Akume. other airline that has suffered a tions. to do whatsoever with the simple.

The office of the misimilar accident has responded “If their intention is to The former Benue State nority leader is a decision position of the minority create confusion in the Senin the way the management of Governor described as Dana did.

“Besides honouring its duty to the victims’ families, the airline has continued to pay the salary of its staff, which amounts to about N110 million monthly. Dana Air is, perhaps, the only airline in Nigeria that pays salary as at when due.

“If the airline’s AOC is not restored immediately, the over 558 directly-employed Nigerian staff, plus countless others indirectly affected, including their families and dependants, risk losing their source of livelihood and being thrown into the cold aviation labour market.

“This excludes the large number of third party suppliers and agencies that also depend on the airline’s operations for the sustenance of their businesses.

“The public is not left out.

The dearth of airlines that can meet the travel needs of Nigerians has dampened the sector and affected economic growth. The reputation of our aviation industry is further affected as the near ‘monopolistic’ situation created by Dana Air’s suspension will encourage a situation where air travellers are inadequately served and poorly treated by the existing few.

“From an investment per•Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido (right) welcoming Bauchi State Deputy Governor Sagir Saleh at the Government House in spective, the continued suspen- Jigawa...yesterday. sion of Dana Air’s operations, which is against international best practices, may serve as a deterrent to potential investors in Nigeria’s fledging aviation sector and portends negative during the period insurance interest of the poor and ageHE Federal UniversiFrom Chris Oji, Enugu consequences for the nation’s companies handled pension ing pensioners at heart, but ties Pensioners’ Assoeconomy. them into PFAs would agare only concerned with the matters. ciation (FUPA) has “Given the immense contrigravate their problems and kicked against suggestions “The experience was bit- collection of premiums. bution of Dana Air to the create confusion.

They said those that retired that the Federal Governter, degrading and dehugrowth of the aviation indusThe letter was signed by ment should phase out the manising, as gratuities were under the old scheme govtry, the strict compliance with FUPA’s National President, old pension scheme and renot paid for years and erned by the Pension Act No. all aviation regulations, Dr. Ayuba Kura, and Naplace it with Pension Fund monthly pensions paid ir- 102 of 1979 cannot and should locally and internationally, the tional Secretary Mr. Jonathnot be subjected to practices Administrators (PFAs). regularly.” exemplary commitment and an Iyoo.

Rising from its national They urged the govern- under the new Pension response of the airline’s manThe pensioners said: “Our ment not to succumb to the Scheme. agement to the crash, we urge executive meeting, FUPA , opposition follows the harFUPA endorsed the present in a letter to President Goodpersuasions of insurance acyou to restore the airline’s rowing experience we had system whereby pension luck Jonathan, said forcing tuaries, who do not have the AOC.” fund is disbursed through the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, the Central Bank and the universities.

UNIVERSITY lecturFrom Oseheye Okwuofu, should be invested in edukept in government acThe university pensioners er, Prof. Ayodele Ibadan cation to build young Nigecounts, where it could dissaid there were legal impliJegede, yesterday rians, who can make the appear.

University of Ibadan (UI), cations of paying their penurged President Goodluck dream of the founding faJegede said it should be spoke while acknowledging sions and gratuities through Jonathan to re-invest recovthers come to reality. invested in education. the contributions of former insurance companies/penered stolen funds in the edu“It should not be returned He said: “The latest of Ogun State Information Sina sion funds administrators, as cation system. to state governments or be such fund are those recovKawonise, who renovated they never worked or had any Jegede said development kept in the Federal Governerred from former Delta some offices in the departcontractual agreement with cannot be sustainable in Niment’s vault, because it may State Governor James Ibori, ment. The renovation cost insurance companies/pengeria until leaders jettison soon disappear. All recovwhicw run into several bilN2.1 million. sion fund administrators. their personal interest. ered funds from fraudulent lions of dollars.

The professor of Medical They said: “We should reHe said a situation where practices should be dedicat“Another are those recovSociology said Nigeria is member that the 1999 Conmany former governors are ed to a project, such as ered from former Interconsick and can only be healed stitution adequately guides on trial for corruption porhealth, education or power.” tinental Bank Chairman through masses-oriented the Pension Fund Administends danger for the counJegede urged leaders to Erastus Akingbola, and leadership. trations under the Protection try. contribute to their almamany more found culpable He said the billions recovof Pension Rights, Section Jegede, who heads the mater thanked Kawonise for of corruption . ered from corrupt ex-public 173, Sub-section (1), (2), (3) Department of Sociology, his gesture. ‘’The recovered fund office holders should not be and (4).”

By Kelvin Osa-Okunbor

A

Varsity pensioners reject new scheme

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Re-invest recovered funds in education, don urges

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ate minority, they cannot succeed, because the ACN is a solid party; a party that believes in the sanctity of democracy.

“I have held several meetings with Senate minority leaders and we will continue to hold strategic meetings whenever necessary.

“Nobody has the right to dictate to us how to run our affairs. More than 99 per cent of our members are happy with what we are doing.

“We know where the smoke is coming from. That is not to say that we do not know that some people are being lured to cause confusion among our fold.

“It is all blackmail; a calculated blackmail to pull Akume down. It will fail. I am not threatened in anyway. I am a very strongwilled man. I believe in the sanctity of democracy, of human life and of what is in the best interest of our country.

“Nobody pushes me around. I am a believer in democracy. The question is; do we all believe in democracy? If we do, we will show love for the democracy we practise.

“As for me, I will continue to represent my people to the best of my ability.

“No matter what happens. We must continue to work to sustain democracy and national cohesion.”

‘Nigeria needs help on Boko Haram’ HE President of the Nigeria Bishops' Conference, Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama, has called on the international community to help Nigeria improve on security, so that the activities of the Boko Haram sect can be curbed.

Archbishop Kaigama spoke in Jos during an interview on Vatican Radio He said: “There is high religious tension in Nigeria, but Christians and Muslims are not at war.

“Boko Haram is at war with Christians, but not the whole Islamic community.

There is no neat division between political problems and religious problems. They are intertwined.”

He said people must look for the root causes of tension in Nigeria, including economic, political and social issues that trigger crises that end up as religious crises.

The cleric said: “The vast majority of Nigerians want to live in peace and are frightened by the actions and agenda of Boko Haram, but somehow, the violence continues to grow.

“The government seems helpless. The security agents, even though they are all over the place, do not seem to provide the security that would allow people to go about their normal businesses peacefully.

“People are afraid that if this conflict situation continues, the consequences will be disastrous.”

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2012

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NEWS Osun agog for festival’s grand finale

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SOGBO, the Osun State capital, and the palace of the monarch, the Ataoja of Osogbo, were busy yesterday as residents and foreigners prepared for the grand finale of this year’s Osun Osogbo Festival.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) correspondent, who monitored events heralding the festival, reported that the palace and the festival centre were bustling with activities.

The Osun Osogbo grove, which is the centre-point of the festival, is receiving a face-lift, given its status as a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) heritage site.

Activities leading to the festival began on August 9 and will be rounded off on August 25, to celebrate the special Oroki Day. Men and women were seen playing the traditional ayo olopon (a traditional board game) as part of the games for the festival.

Mr Fatai Adewusi, an indigene of Osogbo, said the game is a part of the traditional rites that would usher in the grand finale of the festival on Friday.

Mr Folorunsho Yusuf, the Secretary of Osun Osogbo Festival Planning Committee, said film shows, ayo game, raffle promotions and a youth football challenge cup competition, have been lined up for the grand finale.

Police redeploy 18 commissioners

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HE -Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, has ordered the redeployment of 18 commissioners of police to various commands and formations.

The posting takes immediate effect.

The IGP directed the affected officers to ensure an effective policing of their jurisdictions, in line with the ongoing reform policies.

A statement yesterday by the Deputy Force Public Relations Officer, Mr. Frank Mba, said the deployed officers are to act as “agents of positive change”.

They are mandated to guide against acts that are inimical to the fundamental rights of the citizenry.

Abubakar urged residents of the affected states to give the new helmsmen maximum support to ensure they succeed in their assignments.

The redeployed commissioners and their states are: Godfrey Okeke (Adamawa); Sunday Ogonna, (Administra-

S/NO 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

RANK CP CP CP CP CP CP CP CP CP CP CP CP CP CP CP CP CP CP

NAME Godfrey E. Okeke Sunday A. Ogbonna Mgbakor C. Ogugua Mark A. Idakwo, mni Mohammed Iyanda Sule Edgar Tam Nanakumo, fwc Partick D. Dokumor S.L. Gambo, fdc Y.G. Ardo, fdc Adisa Baba Bolanta, fwc Tonye E. Ebitibituwa Mbu Joseph Mbu Abdullahi Yuguda Mohammed Ibrahim Sylvester A. Umeh Suleiman O. Lawal Idris Faruk Umar Olufemi A. Adenaike

From Gbade Ogunwale, Assistant Editor, Abuja

tion ‘C’ Department, Force Headquarters); Mgbakor Ogugua (Criminal Central Record, FCID Annex, Lagos); Mike Idakwo, (Provost Marshal, Force Headquarters, Abuja); Mohammed Sule, (Gombe).

Others are: Edgar

TO CP Adamawa State CP Admin ‘C’ Department FHQ CP Criminal Central Record FCID Annex Lagos Provost Marshal, FHQ Abuja CP Gombe State CP Inspectorate ‘E’ Department FHQ, Abuja CP SARS FCID CP Sokoto State CP MSD ‘F’ Department CP Imo State CP Kebbi State CP Oyo State CP Borno State CP Special Protection Unit (SPU) CP Border Patrol Deputy Commandant, Police Academy Kano CP Anti-Fraud, FCID CP Kaduna State

Nanakumo, (‘E’ Department, Force Headquarters); Patrick Dokumor (Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS, Force CID); (S.L. Gambo, Comissioner of Police, Sokoto State); Y.G Ardo, Commissioner of Police, ‘F’ Department; Adisa Bolanta, (Commissioner of Police, Imo State); Tonye Ebitibituwa (Commissioner of Police, Kebbi State); and Mbu Joseph

Mbu (Commissioner of Police, Oyo State).

The rest are: Abdullahi Yuguda (CP, Borno State); Mohammed Ibrahim, (CP, SPU); Sylvester Umeh (CP, Border Patrol); Suleiman Lawal, Deputy Commandant, Police Academy, Kano); Idris Farouk Umar (CP, Anti-Fraud, FCID); and Olufemi Adenaike (CP, Kaduna State).

State, group hold trade mission today From Adesoji Adeniyi, Osogbo

HE Osun State Government and the Nigeria in Diaspora Organisation Europe (NIDOE) will today hold this year’s edition of the Trade and Investment Mission.

It will have over 200 delegates from parts of the country.

A statement by the Director, Bureau of Communication and Strategy in the Office of the Governor, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, said the mission would hold at the Centre for Black Culture and International Understanding (CBCIU) in Abere, Osogbo, the state capital.

Governor Rauf Aregbesola is expected to open the summit, which will feature an interactive Business-to-Business session involving business match-making, as well as a trade and investment presentation.

The statement said the summit is supported by the House of Representatives Committee on Diaspora.

There would be the signing of partnerships, it added.

The statement reads: “Other groups partnering Osun and NIDOE are the Nigeria In Diaspora Organisations in Asia (Singapore); Africa (Ivory Coast), Nigerian Professionals and Business Network, Canada; Osun Indigenes in the U.K.; Central Association of Nigerians in the U.K.; and the House of Representatives Committee on Diaspora Affairs.

“The organiser’s choice of Osun is because of the peace and resurgent investment activities, which have elevated the state to the status of a gateway of investment in the country…”

Group berates Mimiko over SAP

By Tajudeen Adebanjo

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HE President of the Lagos branch of the Ondo State Progressive Union, Chief Adegboyega Awolumate, has urged the indigenes to mobilise against Governor Olusegun Mimiko and the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) being sold to him by his Economic Adviser, Chief Olu Faale.

Awolumate said the economic policy, which was introduced in Nigeria in 1985, destroyed the economy, particularly the currency and cocoa business, the economic mainstay of the Southwest.

He noted that before the introduction of the policy, the nation’s currency was exchanging at 60kobo per dollar, as against today’s N165 to a dollar, following Olufae’s support for SAP. Awolumate said the old cocoa stores in the Southwest, which were usually stocked with graded tonnes of cocoa for export by the defunct co-operative marketing boards, have become churches.

The association’s leader said the introduction of SAP destroyed marketing boards, adding that the relics of the stores could be found all over the region.

He gave the example of Uka Street in Owo, Ondo State, where the glorious past has been turned into pain.

Awolumate hailed the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) for planning to remove poverty from the Southwest with the introduction of Regional Economic Development.

Why we use local contractors for roads, by Oyo

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From Bisi Oladele, Ibadan •From left: Osun State Commissioner for Information, Mr Sunday Akere; the Special Adviser to the Governor on Youth, Sports and Special Needs, Comrade Biyi Odunlade and a member of the House of Assembly, representing Egbedore Constituency, Abiodun Awolola, addressing reporters on the 21st anniversary of the creation of the state...yesterday

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INEC official accused of ‘aiding illegal voter HE Akeredolu Cam“Anything outside this offiregistration’ in Ondo paign Organisation cial one will not be accepted by

(ACO) of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has urged the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, to investigate the activities of an official of the electoral body in Ondo State.

The official is said to work at the Computer Section of INEC office in Ondo State.

The organisation alleged that the man has become a will-

From Damisi Ojo, Akure

ing tool in the hands of the Labour Party (LP) administration in the state.

The man, who was a teacher under the Ondo State Government, is said to owe an allegiance to his “paymaster” and acting as a mole in the Akure INEC office.

A statement by ACO Director of Media, Publicity and Strategy, Mr Idowu Ajanaku,

alleged that the INEC official received biometric data from the state’s Ministry of Education and has smuggled same into INEC database to aid the LP in its plot to rig the October 20 governorship election.

The statement reads: “We wish to reiterate the fact that all the political parties, including ACN, have the official registration of voters in Ondo State, as given out earlier (by INEC).

ACN for the election in Ondo State, as INEC has not embarked on any registration since the last elections in April 2011. “…We are a peace-loving party; we want to sound a note of warning that any attempt by INEC to allow the LP rig the governorship election could lead to a crisis of unimaginable proportion. We call on all stakeholders to call the Olusegun Mimiko government to order.”

Mixed feelings over Aregbesola’s free rail ride

•Govt hailed for assisting masses

•Aregbesola

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OME commercial drivers in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, yesterday said they recorded low patronage because of the free rail transportation Governor Rauf Aregbesola provided for the

indigenes during the Eid-elFitri celebration.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the state government made rail transportation service available to Osun indigenes living in Lagos, Ogun and Oyo states who wished to celebrate the Eid-el-Fitri in Osun.

Hundreds of people embraced the gesture, which resulted in a low patronage of commercial vehicles.

Some commercial drivers who shuttled Osogbo to Ibadan, Abeokuta and Lagos told NAN that many of com-

muters preferred the free rail service.

Mr Dare Fasunle, the unit auditor of Olaya Motor Park in Osogbo, said: “The gesture of the state government has a negative effect on our business. Only few passengers, who were not aware of the free rail service, patronised the park, despite the normal fare we maintained.

“We did not increase transport fares. Osogbo to Lagos still remains N1,200; Osogbo to Ibadan is N700; and Osogbo to Abeokuta is N1,200.”

A commercial driver,

Biodun Alabi, who shuttled Lagos, said: “The free rail service is a blessing to many people but a blight to drivers that shuttle Lagos, Abeokuta and Ibadan.”

Alabi, however, hailed the government for the gesture, saying it assisted the masses.

Another driver, Mr Jacob Olayinka, decried what he described as the collapse of road transport business during the Eld-el-Fitri.

He praised the government for the gesture but urged it to assist the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) with commuter buses at subsidised rate.

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HE Oyo State Government has explained the reason for engaging construction firms owned by Nigerian citizens to handle its road projects.

The government said the indigenous construction firms do high standard jobs.

The Commissioner for Works and Transport, Alhaji Yunus Akintunde, addressed reporters in Ibadan, the state capital, on the state of road rehabilitation and other infrastructural development.

He said majority of the ongoing road and bridge construction would be delivered

by December.

The commissioner explained that the Abiola Ajimobi administration also patronises local contractors to boost job creation and reduce capital flight.

According to him, all the jobs so far awarded to local contractors are progressing.

Akintunde said contractors have been delivering to agreed standards, adding that the state has not failed to take action against any contractor that flouted its terms of agreement with them.

The commissioner said the present administration has rehabilitated over 190 roads and most of the bridges washed away by the two floods that occurred in Ibadan and other towns last August and July this year.

Akintunde advised road users to use the facilities cautiously and avoid acts that can destroy them.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2012

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CITYBEATS Epe Marina shoreline reclamation starts RECLAMATION of the Epe Marina shoreline will start next month, official of the Epe Local Government Area in Lagos State, Mr. Abiodun Ajero, said yesterday.

Ajero, Special Adviser on Markets Development and Revenue Generation to the council Chairman, said the project would be carried out in collaboration with the government.

According to him, affected residents and businesses along the shoreline have started relocating, to pave the way for the movement of equipment and personnel to site.

He said the exercise would stretch from Erepoto to Oluwo market on the Marina.

The council, he said, had provided an area popularly called “Chief” for the displaced sand dredgers and other traders to continue their businesses.

The council, Ajero said, was still searching for an alternative location to resettle other affected residents and places of worship.

He said the two tiers of government embarked on the project to harness the economic and tourism potentials of Epe. The project, he said would help develop the tourism and economic infrastructure in Epe. Describing the Epe Marina waterside as a tourist haven, Ajero said the area’s historical antecedents, dating back to 1851, when Oba Kosoko of Lagos berthed at Epe, makes the area a tourism asset.

Ajero said the project on completion would boost the council’s internal revenue.

Epe residents, he said, were advised by the government to buy into the project and provide an enabling environment for it.

Ibrahim Agbadanla, a Senior Special Adviser (Special Duties) to the Council Chairman, said the reclamation seeks to enhance aquatic businesses in Epe, the tourism potentials of the state.

Journalists for free medical screening

By Oyeyemi Gbenga-Mustapha

REPORTERS covering the eighth edition of the West African Health Conference and Exhibition (WAH Nigeria 2012) in Lagos will enjoy comprehensive medical checks, the event organisers have said.

They will also get a gift of Sphygnomether and other medical devices designed for home use.

WAH 2012 Exhibition Coordinator Mr. Solomon Sobade, in a statement, said journalists would be screened for cardiovascular diseases; kidney and liver function; HIV and malaria, among others.

“Journalists in Nigeria have become endangered species because they are exposed to various degrees of risks that compromise their total wellbeing,” Sobade said.

The media, according to him, has played and would continue to play critical role in the health sector and by implication, wealth of the country and continent. The, role he said, could only be done effectively if the practitioners are in good health.

Explaining the reason for the screenings, Sobade said: “It is common knowledge that media practitioners in the country and Africa as a whole are not well remunerated. So it is usually a huge challenge for them to pool resources from their meagre salaries together against other competing needs, to do medical checks. We only see them run to the hospitals when they are down.”

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

Kuramo disaster affects Bar Beach patronage

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OR business operators on the Lagos Bar Beach, things were dull yesterday, no thanks to the ocean surge that hit the nearby Kuramo Beach on Saturday.

Contrary to their expectation, patronage was low as people stayed away from the beach.

A sales agent on the beach, Saheed Taiwo, said: “It is normal for us to expect high sales during the holiday because people have time to visit the beach.” He added that he was happy that the Federal Government declared Monday and Tuesday as public holidays.

Taiwo said: “I was praying the holidays should not fall on weekend so we can have high sales on weekend and then on the public holidays.”

Though his prayers were answered, the surge kept patrons away.

According to the operators, it is “pure bad luck” that the disaster happened on Saturday, which they thought will kick-start a four-day high patronage and sales for them.

There was scarcely any picnicker at the beach, except destitutes and those displaced from the Kuramo Beach demolition, all through Saturday till Monday.

“It is just today (yesterday) that people started coming but the turnout is very low compared to

•Picknikers at the Bar Beach... yesterday

what we were expecting,” said Brown Anyanwu, who operates a tent on the beach.

“We have been the one taking our drinks and enjoying the beach,” he said. The low patronage, he said, has affected his expectation for the year because “Nigerians only come to the beach on holidays. So since we missed sales now, it has affected the sales for the year. We pay ground rents from the little money we get on other days. Our main profit comes during holidays.”

The Nation learnt that the news of bodies lying along the Bar Beach also scared people away. About 10 bodies were found at different spots along the beach between Sunday and yesterday.

“I just came here today (yesterday) alone, even though I had planned to bring my children along, but the news that dead bodies are being found along the Bar Beach scuttled that plan. I would not want a situation where my children are playing and the ocean brings a dead body,” said Tunji Aboderin, a visitor to the beach.

The operators appealed to the government to secure the coastline from the devastating effects of the surge, in order to protect lives and safeguard the beach’s economy.

“It is a pity that government has not focused its attention on developing tourism business in Nigeria,” Mr. Anyanwu said, adding that, “It is an industry that

PHOTO: DAYO ADEWUNMI

can provide employment for thousands of jobless youth. All these people that we call touts can be absorbed as workers on this beach and this will reduce crime rate.”

They urged government agencies to regulate beach activities by releasing relevant information about ocean current to the public.

“In other countries you will see government releasing information about ocean current to the public and restricting movements when they suspect that the ocean may surge. In fact, I heard in the news yesterday how a local council closed a section of the Mississippi River in the US to prevent a disaster like this,” Mr. Aboderin said.

Suspect hides 8.5kg of drug in metal pipes

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FFICERS of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 26-year old man for allegedly concealing 8.5kg of methamphetamine inside metal pipes.

Afunaya Thaddeus Izunna, who sells phone accessories in Ikeja, Lagos, was caught with the drugs during the secreening of passengers on an Ethiopian Airline flight to New Delhi, India, last weekend. The drug, worth N27 million, was discovered when anti-narcotic officers insisted on searching the metal pipes inside his luggage.

The NDLEA Airport Commander,

Mr. Hamza Umar, said the drug, weighing 8.5kg, is one of the highest seizures recently recorded at the Lagos airport. “This is one of the largest seizures recorded at the Lagos airport in recent times. It was a clever mode of concealment, but I am glad we were able to detect it and the suspect apprehended. The case is under investigation,” he said.

The suspect, who is married and has two children, said his role in the criminal act was to serve a courier for the drug. “I am a trader. I sell phone accessories at Ikeja to take care of my wife and two children. It was a friend that gave me the metal pipes that I should take them to India

for a fee. I did not know when, how and where it was packed. I was only given the bag containing the pipes.

Unfortunately, when I got to the airport during screening, NDLEA officers discovered the drug and I was arrested. This is my first time of smuggling drugs. I hope my wife will understand and forgive me,” Izunna, who hails from Anambra State said.

NDLEA Chief Executive, Ahmadu Giade, described the seizure as a good signal. “This is a spectacular seizure because the drug was carefully concealed in a way that made detection difficult. The significance is that a warning signal

Traders ban sale of fake products

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HE ELECTRICAL Dealers Association of Nigeria (EDAN), Alaba International Market Chapter, Ojo, Lagos, has promised to stop the sale of substandard goods.

EDAN said it has banned the sale of metal electric cables following the directives of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) A large bundle of confiscated metal cables was seen in an open space at the market yesterday.

The association’s spokesperson, Mr. Felix Apunonu, said the action was aimed at promoting sale of quality cables.

He said the spate of sub-standard goods in the country was alarming, adding that there was need for a drastic solution.

Akpononu said any trader caught selling or offloading such cables would be punished and the goods confiscated and burnt.

•Some of the fake products

By Precious Igbonwelundu

He said: “An adulteration committee has been set up by the union to visit traders’ shops and confiscate sub-standard goods which we shall gather and burn.”

According to a taskforce member, Mr Ifeanyi Otu, the ban was not limited to cables, but other sub-

PHOTO: PRECIOUS IGBONWELUNDU

standard goods.

He said the fight against sale of sub-standard goods must be won in order to give consumers value for their money.

Some traders whose goods were seized accused the association of witch hunt. But those who sell genuine goods lauded the ban.

has been sent to the enemy camp that one of their best tricks is not good enough. This has been my position and order to the officers that drugs should be intercepted regardless of the mode of concealment,” he said.

The suspect will soon be charged to court.

Church holds convention

By Precious Igbonwelundu

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HE Renewed Christian Assembly, Lagos would, beginning from August 30, hold its 35thconvention. The fourday annual convention according to the church’s General Overseer (G.O), Rev Joseph Ladeji, has as its theme “restoration of total perfection.”

According him, the theme of the convention was informed by the fact that only Jesus Christ can ensure total perfection. He told reporters at a press briefing that the programme would run from August 30 to September 1 at the Agric, Egan branch of the church.

Recalling the themes of the last two conventions, Ladeji said there was a tripartite link between the past, present and future. “Two years ago, our theme was restoration of justice. That was because the Lord wanted to prepare the nation for justice as a result of the wickedness of the people. The people who refused to perfect their ways in 2011, we had escape of divine judgement.

This was because justice and retribution go together; justice for the righteous, retribution for the unrighteous. So those who refused to perfect their ways are to be judged and after judgement comes perfection,” he said.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2012

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2012

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NEWS Jonathan gives scholarships to 100 From Isaac Ombe, Yenagoa

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RESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan has said his administration is encouraging the best brains in the academia to boost the country’s educational base.

He spoke at a reception for 100 pupils who benefited from the Bayelsa Merit Scholarship programme, which he initiated when he was governor.

The President awarded the scholarships to pupils to study in four secondary schools.

The pupils were spread across Dowen College, Bells Comprehensive College Otta, Turkish International School, and Vale College.

He lauded former Governor DSP Alamieiyeseigha for his vision to change the educational standards of the state which encouraged him to continue.

Pastor kidnapped in Delta From Polycarp Orosevwotu, Warri

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HE General Overseer of the All Saints Pentecostal Ministry in Ekredjebor-Ughelli, Rev Israel Unutame, has been kidnapped.

Unutame was said to have been kidnapped on Sunday on his way to church at 9am.

A family source said the kidnappers left in the pastor’s car.

Police spokesman Charles Muka confirmed the incident.

56,350 living with AIDS in Cross River •From left: Senator Magnus Abe; Programme Co-ordinator, Free School Eye Health Programme, Dr Chinyere Nwaneri, and Executive Chairman, Tai L.ocal Government of Rivers State at the launch of the programme in Port-Harcourt

Mass sack looms over Oko jail break

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ARDERS of Oko Minimum Prison in Edo State have been threatened with sanctions, following the escape of eight inmates.

The Minister of Interior, Abba Moro, yesterday vowed to sanction any prison staff found culpable in the jail break.

It was gathered that 12 inmates escaped through a toilet in the prison. Four were re-arrested.

There is tension among prison officials over the threat by the minister to sack some and redeploy others.

The minister visited the prison while leaving for Abuja from Anambra State.

•Minister warns officers From Osagie Otabor, Benin and Gbenga Omokhunu, Abuja

Reporters were not informed about the minister’s visit but prison sources said the minister queried the State Comptroller, Ewulu Jimoh.

The source said the minister was angry with the Comptroller for allowing the police to tell the world what happened on Sunday.

The source said:“The minister told us to start packing our bags.

“He said there was a blast and the police said there was no blast.

He said it was the duty of

the State Comptroller to inform the public and not the police.”

State Prison spokesman Ms Theresa Idiake confirmed the visit but declined further comments.

Nigeria Prison Service (NPS) Controller General Zakari Ibrahim said investigation has begun.

A statement by the NPS spokesman, Kayode Odeyemi, said efforts are on to recapture the fleeing inmates.

The statement reads: “The Controller-General of Prisons, Zakari Ibrahim, visited the Oko Prison on Sunday.

“He noted that the escape was facilitated by devices suspected to be explosives, which was used to create holes in the walls and the back perimeter fence in quick succession.

“The Controller-General regretted the incident as it is coming at a time when relative calmness is being experienced all over the prisons as a result of improved synergy with other security organisations.

“The Minister of Interior, Abba Moro, has visited the Oko prisons and has assured that any staff culpable in the jailbreak will face appropriate disciplinary action.”

Ugolor writes Adoke on court’s order

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ETAINED human rights activist Rev David Ugolor has written to the AttorneyGeneral and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke, on an Edo High Court ruling asking the police to release him.

Justice Esther Edigin had last Thursday ordered that Ugolor be released from detention.

•We are not aware of court ruling, say police From Osagie Otabor, Benin

Ugolor was arrested on July 27 for the murder of Olaitan Oyerinde, Governor Adams Oshiomhole’s Private Secretary.

A suspect in police custody identified Ugolor as the sponsor of the murder and told police interrogators that

he was paid N200,000 out of an agreed N2million for the job.

Ugolor, in a letter by his counsel, Olayiwola Afolabi, urged Adoke to explain to the police the implication of disobeying court orders.

He told Adoke that the motion exparte, Motion on Notice, including the order of

Asiodu congratulates Oshiomhole

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LDER Statesman Chief Philip Asiodu has called on Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole to devote more attention to nation building and national integration.

Asiodu, a former Permanent Secretary and ex-Chief Economic Adviser to former President Olusegun Obasanjo, gave the advice in a congratulatory letter to the governor on his re-election.

He said: “Most people agree that you deserve the landslide majority with which you won the election as they are all witnesses to the clearly visible transformation in Benin City and other parts of Edo State.

“They have also seen the energy and dynamism with which you have served

the state as governor.

“It is also reassuring from the national point of view and the future of democratic elections in our country that you won three quarters of the votes cast in an open, transparent, and orderly election.

“We join the great majority of Nigerians in sending you the best wishes for greater successes in moving Edo State forward and creating an example of good governance.

“As one of the leaders of Nigeria, I hope you will also devote great attention now in helping to bring about a revolutionary change in the nation’s political processes, and in the motivation and objectives of those who seek political leadership and office, away from self-seeking, to helping to develop the country.

court, were served to the respondents.

The letter reads: “As the Chief Law Officer of the federation, we are of the opinion that apart from being a party to the suit, your attention should be drawn to the non-compliance with the order of court in respect of David Ugolor’s matter.

Afolabi, at a press briefing, said the police cannot claim ignorance of the court order, saying he personally took the court order to force headquarters in Abuja.

He said: “We want to give the IG an opportunity to ensure compliance.

“We believe that he will comply. The IG should not allow politician to use him.”

“Ugolor’s condition in the cell is bad. Only the living can face trial. The police should not allow him to die in detention. He should be charged to court.”

But in a telephone interview, the police’s Public Relation Officer , Frank Mbah, said he was not aware of any court order served the police.

T

HE Director-General of the Cross River State Agency for the Control of HIV/AIDS (SACA), Mrs Irene Aniyom, has said 56,350 persons in the state are living with the virus.

Aniyom spoke in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday in Calabar.

“Today in the state, we have 56,350 people living with the virus; we have been updating it since 2005,” she said.

According to her, the infected persons are receiving anti-retroviral drugs at different centres.

She said SACA had formed a group, known as “Cross River Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS,’’ to monitor the infected persons.

“And in this network, we have 80 support groups of people living with the virus, with a minimum of 25 persons in each group,’’ Mrs Aniyom said.

Group backs JTF

By Musa Odoshimokhe

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HE Joint Task Force (JTF) in the Niger Delta has been praised for its effort in tackling the menace of oil thieves in the region.

National President of Ijaw Peoples Congress (IPC) Ekanpou Enewaridideke, in a statement, said but for the operations of the JTF in the zone, the situation could have been worse.

He said the reduction in the incidence of oil theft is largely due to the effort of the commander and his team.

“We must commend the JTF commander, Maj-Gen Choga and his team for reducing the activities of oil thieves in the region.

“His relentless, non-discriminatory war against oil theft in the Niger Delta, specifically, in areas like Burutu, Warri and its environs has brought considerable reduction of oil theft as the once common illegal oil refineries have been incinerated and eradicated by the JTF in the Niger Delta.”

Edo NMA crisis deepens From Osagie Otabor, Benin

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HE crisis rocking the Edo State chapter of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) yesterday deepened, with both factions claiming to be the authentic leadership of the association.

Two chairmen, James Kpolugbo and Emmanuel Ighodaro, emerged at two congresses.

Kpolugbo, in a statement, said: “It is irresponsible and laughable that people who were disqualified are attempting to constitute themselves into an illegal parallel executive.”

He said they were surprised that the national body conducted a parallel election for non-financial members who were disqualified earlier.

“We urged them to join hands with me and the new executive to ensure effective and efficient health care delivery in Edo State.

“We have fundamental issues of remuneration, excessive taxation, manpower deficiency and sundry issues to tackle at the moment and we appeal to them to come back to the fold.”

But the Chairman, Caretaker Committee of Edo NMA election, Ojimah Uche, said there was a constitutional breach by the past chairman, Philip Ugbodaga, in the method of transition.

Uche insisted that Ighodaro is the recognised chairman of Edo NMA, adding that Ighodaro did not participate in the earlier election.

“We came to the conclusion that the state officials were illegally dissolved.

“We came in on the August 14 and held meeting with the entire house and they called for an election. The exco we know is that led by Emmanuel Ighodaro.”

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2012

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NEWS

Citibank, others okay Nigeria’s airport project C ITIBANK, the Federal Airport Administration (FAA) and the Department of Transportation (DOT) have endorsed the Ministry of Aviation’s proposed Aerotroploils project, pledging to be involved in the various phases of its implementation.

This, according to statement, stemmed from a presentation on the project by the Ministry’s delegation on the Investors’ Roadshow to the United States led by the Minister, Princess Stella Adaeze Oduah.

At its corporate headquarters in New York, top management team of the bank led by its Head, Global Investment Banking, Mr Ray Mc Guire, said the project offers a huge opportunity for a major infrastructural development; second to none on the sub-continent, around the nation’s airports.

Mc Guire said Citibank’s prepared analysis and roadmap for actualising the aerotropolis project objectives were consistent and in tandem with the model already adopted by the ministry and meets international standards and best practices.

He said the financing, operational and execution modules that were explored and considered most practicable are exactly what the Aviation Ministry is adopting so far, including discussions about the most appropriate potential investors, collaborators and partners.

Mc Guire expressed optimism that with its huge cli-

ent database, it would not be difficult to secure investors to buy into the project and pledged the bank’s expertise in providing needed advisory services and financing to investors studying the investment opportunities under the aerotropolis undertaking.

At the US Department of transportation (DOT), the Nigerian team held high toptop policy meetings with the Assistant Secretary for International Affairs, Julie Ottenberg, Assistant Administrator of the FAA, Jonathan Dols (in company of the Heads of Air Infrastructure Development, Air Traffic Organisation and the General Counsel and Senior Trial Attorney for Consumer Protection) where the team was assured of the DOT and FAA’s support, collaboration and partnership on infrastructure development, airport management systems and consumer protection initiatives.

Ottenberg and Dols, according to the statement, both offered to provide all needed and necessary assistance to Nigeria, based not only on the special relationship that exists between both nations, but also because of its decades of experience and expertise in airport infrastructure development, financing, management and overall safety record/oversight.

They noted that with 3,300 public access airports in the US and over 200,000 flights per day to manage; their knowledge and experience will be quite helpful to their

Nigerian counterparts and pledged their readiness to collaborate on necessary safety initiatives in Nigeria’s aviation industry.

Speaking on behalf of the

Nigerian delegation, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Ms Anne Ene-Ita, reiterated Nigeria’s willingness to continue to collaborate with the US on initiatives such as

ETS and promoting safety in Africa.

She identified areas of capacity building in the aviation sector that would be of mutual benefit and interest

to both countries to investment in the broader aerotropolis project as well as collaboration between American and Nigerian domestic carriers.

• From left: Technical manager CitiServe, Dan Ezuma; Head, E-distribution, Jubril Salaudeen; Managing Director, Nigeria Interbank Settlement System (NIBSS), Ade Shonubi and Chief Executive Officer, CitiServe, Lola Ogunbambi, at the launch of CitiServe new OrangeBox Point of Sale (POS) and communication channels in Lagos.

Shoprite to spend N32.8b on real estate

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OUTH African supermarket chain Shoprite said yesterday it would spend $205 million (N32.8billion) on property development in Nigeria to overcome a lack of infrastructure and capitalise on rising consumer spending.

Africa’s top retailer, which

reported a 20 per cent jump in full-year earnings, according to Reuters news, is pushing aggressively into underdeveloped, fast-growing markets on the continent, with a focus on Nigeria - Africa’s most populous country - and oil-rich Angola.

But its expansion, like those of other South African retailers, has been hampered by the lack of shopping malls in most of the continent.

“I think we are going to see more and more of these property investments in the rest of Africa because many of these markets have great opportunities but little or no infrastructure,” said Ron Klipin, a portfolio manager at SA Stockbrokers.

Shoprite said it plans to open nine new stores in Nigeria by the middle of next

year, bringing its total to 13, and 21 new stores in Angola.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc has been slow in its Africa expansion a year after taking 51 per cent stake in domestic retailer Massmart, underscoring the lack of retail infrastructure.

Shoprite missed forecasts with a 20 per cent rise to 607 cents in full-year profit on Monday, as nagging unemployment and rising debt levels put pressure on consumer spending.

That was below the average estimate of 617 cents in a Thomson Reuters poll of 13 analysts.

Headline EPS, the main measure of profit in South Africa, excludes certain onetime items.

But shares in the company climbed 2.35 per cent to 159.90 rand, extending gains so far this year to 18 per cent

and reflecting expectations of healthy returns from its expansion on the rest of the continent.

Sales rose 14.4 per cent to 82.7 billion rand ($10 billion), with its operations outside its mainstay South African market lifting sales by 25.4 per cent.

Shoprite is the first of three major South African retailers to post results this week.

Consumers in Nigeria are battling with high personal debt levels, rising electricity prices and chronic unemployment but above-inflation wage hikes and decades-low interest rates have somewhat softened the blow.

South African retail sales jumped 8.3 per cent year-onyear May, official data showed, beating the 4.7 per cent growth economists had expected.

Heritage Oil to fund Nigeria deal by Kurdistan block sale

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ERITAGE Oil Plc will sell part of a gas block and borrow money from Genel Energy Plc to raise $450 million, easing concerns about how it will fund oilfield purchases in Nigeria.

Heritage Oil shares, according to Reuters news, jumped 18 per cent after the company said it would sell a 26 per cent stake in Miran Block in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region to Genel and will take a $294 million loan from the company.

The cash will partly fund Heritage Oil’s acquisition of a stake in Nigeria’s OML 30 oilfield assets announced last month.

“Miran sale price is attractive, but the cash is more welcome,” BMO Capital Markets’ Al Stanton said.

Heritage Oil earlier planned to fund a portion of the OML 30 deal through a rights issue.

“There is no need to proceed with the rights (issue) and any capital raising is

dropped,”Heritage Oil Chief Financial Officer Paul Atherton told Reuters yesterday.

The company will sell the Miran Block stake and an interest in a related joint operating agreement for $156 million, which would increase Genel’s holding in the block to 51 per cent.

Heritage Oil can repay the loan by transferring ownership of its unit Heritage Energy Middle East Ltd, which currently operates the Miran Block, to Genel.

“After we’ve completed the acquisition of OML 30 ... either party has the right to exercise this option, and we would expect to complete the same, by way of cancelling the loan in exchange for the remaining rights in Miran,” Atherton said.

Heritage Oil, which also operates in Tanzania and Russia, will have no presence in Kurdistan after exiting Miran Block.

Conceptual engineering design studies have focused

on the potential for early production of between 80 million and 180 million standard cubic feet per day (MMscfd) at Miran for local markets beginning in 2013, according to Heritage Oil’s website.

This will be followed by an appraisal and full development of between 560 and 750 MMscfd in 2015 for gas export.

Genel’s primary assets are oil and gas licences in Kurdistan and has an interest in six production sharing contracts with the Kurdistan Regional Government.

“We aim to build a material gas business alongside our existing oil business in the medium term,” Genel Energy Chief Executive Tony Hayward said.

Heritage Oil shares were up nearly 18 per cent at 197.98 pence on the London Stock Exchange yesterday. They rose 17 per cent to C$3.05 on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

Genel’s stock was down marginally on the London Stock Exchange.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2012

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NEWS Activist urges INEC to conduct credible poll

By Musa Odoshimokhe

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IGHTS activist, Morakinyo Ogele, has urged the National Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) to stop those planning to rig elections.

In a statement in Akure, the Ondo State capital, the lawyer noted that there is need for the electoral body to be vigilant because of some recent developments in Ondo State, especially.

He recalled that the INEC in the state accused a political party of “illegally” compiling the names of voters with the intent to use them for electoral fraud.

Ogele said: “Weeks ago, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) alleged that the Labour Party (LP) in the state was compiling a voter register. They played back a video tape to back up their claim on the criminal activities.”

The activist said there were reports that the ruling LP was stockpiling weapons for the October 20 governorship election.

“It is now clear that the ruling party is desperate in imposing itself on the people,” Ogele said.

The activist added that a popular government needs not rig an election or kill anyone, if it has served the people well.

He said: “It is criminal when members of a political party hijack power. Those who are planning to kill political opponents will meet their waterloo.”

Five arrested for attacking Akeredolu’s convoy

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IVE suspected hoodlums of the ruling Labour Party (LP) in Ondo State have been arrested for allegedly attacking the convoy of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) governorship candidate, Mr Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN).

The suspected thugs allegedly attacked the convoy on Sunday at Okeluse during his campaign tour of Ose Local Government Area.

It was learnt that through the efforts of the Director-General of ACN campaign, Chief Tayo Alasoadura, the police arrested the five suspects.

From Damisi Ojo, Akure

They have been reportedly detained at Owo Police Station.

Police spokesman Adeniran Aremu, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), could not be reached for comments.

The Akeredolu Campaign Organisation (ACO) urged security agencies to curtail the violence by the ruling party.

A statement in Akure, the state capital, by ACO spokesman, Mr. Idowu Ajanaku,

reads: “It has become a stock in trade for the Labour Party to unleash violence on opposition parties, especially during rallies and meetings. This is a very bad omen and a clear indication that the party is jittery in the face of its inevitable loss in the forthcoming election.

“They (LP leaders) should be reminded that the Ondo State people are articulate, bold and courageous; they cannot be easily intimidated or forced to do anybody’s bidding.

“…The present government has failed to fulfil its promises; instead, it has been indulging in self-aggrandisement, promotion and purchase of phony awards with the state’s resources.

“The people are set to make a clear statement on October 20 that never again will an impostor rule us. They have decided to vote the ACN to enjoy the dividends of democracy, like their kith and kin in the Southwest.”

Osun plans 21st anniversary From Adesoji Adeniyi, Osogbo

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HE Osun State Government has planned a two-day celebration for the 21st anniversary of the creation of the state.

The programme will start next Monday.

Addressing reporters yesterday in Osogbo, the state capital, Information and Strategy Commissioner Sunday Akere said the celebration would be low-key to avoid a waste of resources.

He said the celebration would climax August 27th with a broadcast by Governor Rauf Aregbesola on the radio and television services of the Osun State Broadcasting Corporation (OSBC).

The commissioner said the event would cost about N20 million.

Akere said: “The reason for the low-key celebration is to ensure that the government continues with the developmental projects it has already embarked upon. We don’t want to divert the money we have decided to use for the developmental projects for the anniversary celebration, so we have resolved to make the anniversary low-key.

“Some of the highlights of the activities include a special Jumat service on Friday at the Osogbo Central Mosque and an Evening of Artists on Saturday at the Delightsome Hotels, Osogbo.

“Also, there will be an anniversary thanksgiving service at the Union Baptist Church, Osogbo, on Sunday.”

The commissioner said the Aregbesola administration values the contributions of prominent indigenes in the creation of the state.

Akere added that the government has done a lot for the state’s founding fathers.

The state was created on August 27, 1991, through a proclamation by the former Head of State, General Ibrahim Babangida.

Ondo ACN inaugurates campaign committees From Damisi Ojo, Akure

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HE Director-General of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) Campaign Organisation and its National Officer, Chief Tayo Alasoadura, yesterday urged Ondo State residents not to stop praying for a hitch-free governorship election on October 20.

The party stalwart advised the electorate to speak with one voice to make the progressive change the state is clamouring for.

Inaugurating the campaign coordinators in the 18 local governments in Akure, the state capital, Alasoadura said the time has come for the electorate to be consistent, if they truly wish to liberate themselves from the economic hardship and political captivity of the ruling Labour Party (LP).

The former Finance Commissioner urged the coordinators to take their appointments as a call to duty and an opportunity to show their political experience for the party’s success at the poll.

He said their appointments were based on their commitment to the party and the recommendations of their leaders at the local governments.

Alasoadura advised the coordinators to cooperate with their council executives and work for the party’s victory.

The Director-General noted that an ACN victory at the poll would surprise those who underestimate the party.

He said: “They will live to witness the success of the party in 2013.”

The party chieftain advised ACN members to be peaceful.

He warned the LP to desist from attacking ACN members, adding that another attack would not be condoned.

The ACN National Officer urged members to begin house-tohouse campaign and mobilise the electorate to understand the party’s programmes.

This, he said, would brighten the chances of the party during the election, because the electorate would have been more informed about the party’s manifesto.

Alasoadura said: “You are expected to liaise and work hand-inhand with your local government leaders. Report back to us, where there are lapses, if any, for immediate remedy. You have to be more committed to the cause of the party and ensure that you work to justify the confidence reposed in you by your leaders.

“All hands must be on deck so that we can send Governor Olusegun Mimiko packing. We must be united so that we can tell the LP that their time has expired. We must speak with one voice so that we can shed tears of joy together on October 20.”

•Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi (middle) buying some corn from a market woman, during his inspection of work at the Ojumose Market in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital.

Why ACN zoned governorship slot to Ondo North, by Akeredolu

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NDO State Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) governorship candidate Mr. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN) yesterday said the party did not breach any zoning arrangement in making him the standard bearer.

He said ACN zoned the governorship slot to Ondo North Senatorial District, in line with the expectation of the state.

The former Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) President said the senatorial district agreed that Akoko and Owo/Ose, which are in separate federal constituencies, should rotate the position.

Akeredolu spoke at Imoru Ward 10 of Ose Local Government Area, where he was received by a former governorship aspirant, Mr. Olayato Aribo, and other ACN chieftains.

He said the late Governor Adebayo Adefarati, an Akoko

T

From Damisi Ojo, Akure

indigene, emerged about 30 years after the late Governor Adekunle Ajasin, an Owo indigene.

Both former governors hailed from the same senatorial district.

Akeredolu explained that the arrangement would enable Owo/Ose have its slot in the zoning arrangement.

The frontline lawyer said the senator representing both federal constituencies hails from Akoko.

He assured the people that if they give him the mandate, his administration would create 30,000 jobs, as other ACN-controlled states have done.

According to him, the beneficiaries will be sent to a school of entrepreneurship to make them self-reliant and they will also receive salary.

Receiving the campaign team, led by its Director-Gen-

eral, Chief Omotayo Alasoadura, Mr. Olayato Aribo, told the residents that he remained in ACN because the party is the only platform where he could realise his political ambition.

He said: “I am a party member and I believe that the party is supreme. Whatever decision by the party, as I have been saying, is binding on me.

“Though I was not picked, but as a man of integrity, I decided to remain in the party and support the candidate to ensure that we win.

“The most important thing for us is to win the October 20 election. It is true that some former aspirants left, but not with all their supporters. This is because we are all building a party together. Some left with their aides but their supporters are still ACN members. By God’s grace, we will win.

“You can see what is happening at Imoru now. This is how

•Akeredolu

we have been received in all places we visited. People are willing to vote for the party in October. They believe it is a party that has a hierarchy. If the candidate is not doing well, we know those to talk to, to call him to order. But in Labour Party, it is a one-man show.”

Aribo praised security agents for their preparation for the election.

He urged them to ensure that all cases that are reported to them are investigated and the culprits brought to book.

Osun provides free medical care for the elderly

HE Osun State Government will provide free medical treatment to indigenes who are 60 years and above.

The Commissioner for Health, Mrs. Temitope Ilori, told reporters in Osogbo, the state capital, that she had visited the three senatorial districts to ensure proper coordination of the programme.

The commissioner said the state would employ medical

From Adesoji Adeniyi, Osogbo

personnel from various health institutions in Nigeria to attend to the health needs of the targeted group.

Dr Ilori explained that that the health policy for the elderly is unprecedented.

She hoped the programme would improve the health of the aged.

The commissioner said the

programme would also reduce the pains that are associated with old age.

Dr Ilori promised that all ailments that affect the elderly would be treated at no cost, adding that the state government would ensure that no elder is left out.

Frowning at the neglect of the elderly by their relatives and successive governments, the commissioner urged wellmeaning individuals to allow

them to live comfortably.

Mrs. Ilori hailed the government for organising the programme, saying the Rauf Aregbesola administration is committed to the well-being of the elderly.

Aregbesola recently flagged off the Agba Osun programme.

He said indigenes above 60 would be given N10,000 monthly allowance for their welfare.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2012

15

POLITICS THE NATION

E-mail:- politics@thenationonlineng.net

Senator George Akume, former governor of Benue State, represents Benue North senatorial district in the National Assembly on the platform of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN). He is the Senate Minority Leader. In this interview with Assistant Editor ONYEDI OJABOR and SANI ONOGU, he says the plot to remove him as the Minority Leader will fail.

Plot against me will fail, says Akume F

OR some time now, there have been rumours of alleged plot to remove you as minority leader in the Senate. What is the true position.

The issue is very simple. Office of the minority leader is a decision of minority leaders. In their wisdom I was elected and I have been holding forth that position. Due to sinister motives, somebody from the majority party decided to interfere for obvious reasons. I don’t want to go into details, but the bottom line is that the party that controls leadership positions in the minority leadership of the Senate has made a wonderful statement that: “we are totally behind Senator George Akume”.

Whatever the majority leadership in the Senate is trying to do, it has nothing to do whatsoever with the position of the minority leader. We are aware of what is going on. Few people in the minority parties are being used to destabilise the minority leadership. But I can assure you that they will not succeed. They have failed even before they started because they are standing on false position. They lack substance.

Fortunately, the leadership of the minority parties has spoken that they have absolute confidence in George Akume. All the parties in the minority, including the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), have said the same thing, that we are totally behind Akume.

Do you agree that it is a game; that the ruling party would always take interest in the leadership of the minority parties?

I appreciate the fact that it may be normal in a democracy for the majority party to try to destabilise the minority leadership. In this case, we don’t think they will succeed, after all, most of them who are hanging on there did not win election and I will keep saying they did not win election. We are happy that the leadership of the minority party has stated its position. Those behind the plot are merely chasing shadow. We understand them, but I say again that they have failed.

It is like some people are not comfortable with your being the Minority Leader of the Senate. What could be responsible for this?

Well, this is politics and you are referring to a typical third world country where we have a situation of anomie. A situation where our norms and values would appear to have broken down completely, a situation where elections are not even free and fair at all times; when honour is sacrificed on the altar of materialism, when ambition becomes too vaulting and again when self-respect gives way to conspiracy and treachery. You should normally expect to see these things. They are not new. People will certainly want to be where I am. I am not saying that I am better than them. They are very competent people who can also do what I am doing, but they have their own reasons. When I talk of treachery, I believe you know what I am saying. Someone phoned me, one of my colleagues who had never phoned me for the past three years. I got a call from him and he wished me very wonderful recess. He told me he was on his way to Mecca over the weekend. But this is someone who is busy going round trying to mobilize some funny innuendos, tendentious and malicious publications against me. Somebody going on a journey of faith, doing this type of thing and then phoning you that he is wishing you the best, I also wish him the best. But I think this is nothing new. It is part of our political culture here. Unless you are there, the person who is there can never be allowed to operate.

Do you know those who may be behind the removal plot?

Some people think they could destroy and weaken minority leadership in the Senate. But, I believe in the sanctity of democracy. I have said it all, whether they are coming from the so-called majority party, they did not win election; so they do not believe in the sanctity of one man one vote. The minority parties in the Senate have made their choice, why work to destabilise the system? If their intention is to create confusion in the minority of the Senate, they can not succeed, because the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) is a solid party, a party that believes in the sanctity of democracy. Truth is that ACN defeated PDP in Benue State .

You were accused of not holding meetings of minority Sena-

•Senator Akume

tors I have held several meetings with minority leaders of the Senate. We will continue to hold strategic meetings whenever they are necessary. No body has the right to dictate to us how to run our affairs. More than 99 per cent of our members are happy with what we are doing. We know where the smoke is coming from.

That is not to say that we do not know that some people are being lured to cause confusion among our fold. But I have held series of meetings which I’m duty bound, as the leader of minority in the Senate, to hold. So it is not true that I have not held meetings but I sponsored all these meetings and I am not worried. But the basic thing is that they are labouring and trying to blackmail me that I have never held meetings. It is all blackmail, a calculated blackmail to pull Akume down. It will fail.

The truth is that as minority Senators we have held meetings; so anybody who is saying we have not is not saying the truth. It is part of the blackmail. But I can assure you that they have failed and they will continue to fail.

Why the sudden change of attitude by some opposition Senators?

There is nothing like change of attitude of the members of the opposition in the Senate. If you talk of one or two people in the ACN, it is a different ball game. Majority of opposition members in the Senate are happy with us. We know those behind the attempt and at the appropriate time, we will tell Nigerians. The important thing is that they have failed.

Do you feel threatened?

I am not threatened in anyway. I am a very strong-willed man.

I believe in the sanctity of democracy, of human life and of what is in the best interest of our country. Nobody pushes me around. I am a believer in democracy. The question is, do we all believe in democracy? If we do, we will show love for the democracy we practice. For me as a person, I will continue to represent my people to the best of my ability, no matter what happens. We must continue to work to sustain democracy and national cohesion.

Nigeria is a complex society structurally, if we break up today, Nigeria will be worse than Sudan . We don’t want that. We are a large country. I will never support the breakup of this country.

There are certain things Jonathan and his people may not know.

We should never think of breaking up this country because it will be too traumatic and tragic to control.

For some of us who founded the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) we feel sad because there are some people that are there who believe they are benefiting. So, for them, that is democracy.

I have seen it all and I want you to know that Jonathan must shed excess load and bring people who will help him. He is a minority

‘See what is going on in the House of Representatives. It is not a question of opposition.

It is a question of what they perceive and what they consider to be in the best interest of this country. Their argument, whether they are PDP, ACN, CPC, APP, APGA, is that the budget is not being implemented and that if it is implemented properly the common man will stand to benefit more’

like any of us. Some people are deceiving Jonathan, they are reaping where they did not sow. Let us do the right thing and leave this country to be.

You spoke about the inability of people who won election to take their mandate Democracy is about one man one vote. The issue about democracy is that the peoples’ will is supreme. In 2011 election that was not the case. I love democracy, without it I would not have been governor or be where I am today. But the truth of the matter is that Prof. Jega the INEC Chairman destroyed democracy because he allowed the executive to interfere in the affairs of INEC in 2011.

People who did not win election are hanging around. And I can tell you that 2015 is going to be a different ball game like Gen. Buhari said.

What is the way out The way out is to do the right thing, do free and fair election. If you conduct free and fair election you will not have problem.

Free and fair election is the only way to genuine democracy.

Some of us have decided to talk about Nigeria and I will talk loudly. I was one of those who formed the PDP. A lot of them there now were not there when we formed the PDP. What is going on in the party is different from our mission statement.

Some of you in the media are not doing enough. Let us not destroy this country. I will continue to speak the truth, they can’t remove me. The truth is that we are not doing enough for our people.

People believe and rightly, too, that democracy is the right way to go. Because of that constitutions all over the world have decided to apportion responsibilities to various tiers of government. So there is this separation of powers. It is not just a concept but also an application in the realm of our democratic process.

If the Judiciary fails the whole democracy fails. I am so disappointed by what happened. For us in Benue State, we did not vote for PDP. We defeated them in Benue . The media should be more active in the process to tell the truth.

Constitution amendment is ongoing. What is your take.

Nigeria is a federation. Let us devolve powers. The federal government is too strong. The federal government can control the military. The military, internal affairs, foreign affairs, currency should be under the control of the federal government. But more powers should be devolved to the states so that more money will go back to the states.

How do you compare your experience in the Senate to your time as governor of Benue state.

The difference between the executive and the legislature is very clear. At the state level, one is the chief executive and you have a lot of liberty and a lot of powers concentrated in you as given by the Constitution of this country, just like what you have at the national level where the President enjoys enormous powers.

Don’t forget I also contested during the Sixth Senate for the position of the Senate President and lost to Distinguished Senator David Mark. It was a gallant loss and that was my first attempt at it and that was my first call to the Senate.

After that I started enjoying the life of a legislator because you are working with your colleagues who are drawn from various parts of the country. I think that is the beauty of it first and foremost trying to develop a sense of es pirit de corps, particularly, of people from different backgrounds, calling and experiences, all of us working together to improve legislation for the purpose of promoting the welfare of the people of this country.

At times, it was not very easy to adjust to the new life but man is adaptable to any situation. So we have tried, particularly those of us who came from the executive branch to be part of this new experiment. In the process we also learn from the more experienced ones and I think we are still learning. Occasionally people who have been legislators before would tend to be a little bit worried about your presence but it is nothing new. Many people have moved from the executive into the legislature and sometimes from the legislature into the executive. But on the whole I enjoy working with colleagues.

You talked about treachery where exactly is it coming from?

I believe this is one area that gentlemen of the press can also help in looking into. I do know that these things are being sponsored.

We hear some of these things through eavesdropping, little conversations here and there or sometimes when you are drinking coffee you can pick quite a lot. I believe you can find out more than me. I do believe treachery and conspiracy are at work.

Is there anything you may have done to create room for this treachery you are talking about?

I have said one thing that human history is replete with people who, whatever you do, will criticize you until they achieve their objectives. So, I wouldn’t know what I could have done but don’t forget that this is not the first time people will be making such attempts. It is commonplace in the assemblies. I remember during the life of the sixth assemblies, in some of the states, there were over 10 Speakers produced within four years. And, even recently in the Niger State House of Assembly. Today, it is Dapo, tomorrow it is Tijani and within a space of two weeks, we had three brand new Speakers. And so, it is part of human history and part of human political behaviour.

Has the ACN taken a position on the planned impeachment of President Goodluck Jonathan over poor implementation of the 2012 budget If I got you right, the position of the House of Reps – I am not talking of the ACN – is very clear. Basically what they are saying is that we have passed the Appropriation Bill and by the powers conferred upon us by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, it is your responsibility to implement this budget. And if you don’t implement it, we will take certain steps to force you to implement it and that is what I understand to be the position of •Continued on page 16

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2012

POLITICS

Plot against me will fail, says Akume •Continued from page 15

the House. This is not new in any democracy.

You will recall what happened in America during the Reagan administration when Tip O’Neal was the Speaker. They continued to bicker over budget, threats of impeachment were there; but in the end they always found a common ground. Look at Bill Clinton during his Presidency too; his government had to shut down two or three times over budgetary matters. Basically, you expect these things in a democracy.

The ACN is a disciplined party and if you look at the performance of the state governors, the ACN governors have done very well. I do not think, and to the best of my knowledge, the party has not taken a decision on the impeachment of the President. All the ACN stands for is that the budget should be implemented and that there should be rule of law.

You are in the opposition, there is the widely held view that the opposition in the National Assembly is not organised enough to turn on the heat on the executive. It is even said that your failure to challenge the executive has led to their lacklustre performance...

Opposition has an important role to play in a democracy and that is why there is a popular saying that “the opposition will have its say but the majority will have its own way.” This clearly demonstrates the limitations of the opposition.

But at the same time, when you gather as a group like in the Senate where we are 109 and 38 of us are in the opposition, occasionally, it happens that some in the minority will be behaving as if they are in the majority. Occasionally it happens.

But having said that, let me also make this comment that when the interest of the whole country is at stake, it is the determination of the legislature to ensure that the greater good is salvaged. We criticise, but people will continue to also criticise us by saying the opposition is in disarray after all the CPC and the ACN could not do a merger and could not even form an alliance. People were disappointed because the alliance or merger would have provided a viable alternative platform. Opposition may be weak in a democracy. Look at Kenya ; for over 20 years, KANU was the main party until the opposition came together to take over power.

See what has happened in Senegal , even in South Africa .

Do you think the opposition will come together?

I think it is a matter of time that we will come together and provide an alternative platform for Nigerians who are totally fed up with what is going on today under the leadership of the PDP which I said I was one of the founding fathers. I have left. See what is going on in the House of Representatives. It is not a question of opposition. It is a question of what they perceive and what they consider to be in the best interest of this country. Their argument, whether they are PDP, ACN, CPC, APP, APGA is that the budget is not being implemented and that if it is implemented properly the common man will stand to benefit more. In their wisdom they believe they have to push a little bit harder. And following from that the Senate has also decided to act further. We say we are elder statesmen and may not be as harsh as the members of the House. But we respect their views; they are young, they are brilliant. They are men and women who love this country just like we believe that we the elder statesmen also love this country too. We believe that the solutions to these problems may not be easy, but we shall certainly be there.

We now have serious security challenges and one of the complaints we have from state governors is that they do not have control of the security situation in their states. Now you were there and you are here now.

What is your view on the security situation vis-a-vis the demand for state police?

The security of any country is in the hands of the citizenry. It is not just the police, the army and the SSS. All of us have a collective interest in what happens to us and our dear country. We are all committed to seeing that what is proper is done. I was governor, yes. I know the constitution says that you will direct the Commissioner of Police in your state to handle the security situation, but where he may decide that what you are asking him to do is not in public interest, he may decline. You also have the option to report him to the Police Council. Do not forget the history of this country. The policing was done in such a way that the Native Authorities had their police, the regional governments, except the East, I think, didn’t have their police. Later because of abuses, the whole system was centralised. Also, because of prolonged military rule, most of these powers that would have been

‘Some people have been arrested; powerful people have been picked up and taken to remote parts where they have been put on trial. Some have been jailed and many have died there. So, if you think you are so powerful, you should stop to think that one day you may be made to answer for your actions’ • Senator Akume

devolved to the states were now centralised. In the current Constitution review exercise, there is the pressure to devolve some of these powers to the federating units. But, people are afraid that if you give the governors powers to have their police, they will use the powers to harass the opposition. This is a genuine fear because it happened in the past when the opposition were being charged and arrested indiscriminately and put into jail. They were also restricted from carrying out their legitimate campaigns and so on.

When we were at Asaba to review the Constitution and this matter came up, somebody asked what about the Federal Police that were used by the President to remove governors. You had five legislators in a House of 21 members who signed a notice of impeachment and the police moved in. And so you have abuses.

So, what do you think should be done? Do you still support the idea of state police?

It is a matter of putting up measures and mechanisms that will stop these abuses. We are in the 21st Century and you can see what is happening in other parts of the world. Some people have been arrested; powerful people have been picked up and taken to remote parts where they have been put on trial. Some have been jailed and many have died there. So if you think you are so powerful, you should stop to think that one day you may be made to answer for your actions.

Curiously the Northern governors have said they don’t want the state police. They are saying that they be allowed to control the Federal Police in their states. But you see, he who pays the piper also calls the tune. It is a little bit tricky but I do not know how they want to go ahead with that. But in the final analysis, security is a matter for all of us. There are some states where despite the present arrangements; you don’t have any serious security problems. In other states, you have Boko Haram killing and maiming. In other

states, the breaches are not as pronounced but they are there. And then you talk of kidnapping too. These are major See what is going on in the House of Representatives. It is not a question of opposition. It is a question of what they perceive and what they consider to be in the best interest of this country. Their argument, whether they are PDP, ACN, CPC, APP, APGA is that the budget is not being implemented and that if it is implemented properly the common man will stand to benefit more breaches. For me, if it is the wish of the people and the position of our party that we should have state police, it is fine.

Recently even the Vice President’s House in Kaduna was attacked. What is your opinion on the mounting security challenges?

Insecurity is giving us a bad name internationally. The destruction is enormous in terms of materials and human life I recall during the Obasanjo days we also had problems in the Niger Delta. It took the dogged determination of the Yar’Adua government to sort that out. From the best of what we have been told by experts, Boko Haram started as a disgruntled group and those who started it may have more to say. Many of you may have travelled to some states of the north and you can see the havoc and destruction which is being caused by desertification. Because of this and the lack of power and the collapse of industries, you have a large group of unemployed people – in millions. It is not in the interest of this country. I suggest that the Federal Government should inject a lot of funds into agriculture in the north in the form of a marshal plan. If you remember after the Second World War, the plan was put into place to reactivate, to recreate the economies of Western Europe . If you do that, I think you will minimize the problem of Boko Haram. I am saying this because food runs hand in hand with security. We are lucky in this country because we produce much of what we

eat in this country. In 1992 in Morocco , the price of bread was increased by only 1 cent and there were massive riots on the streets. By investing in agriculture, we will be killing two birds with one stone. Creating food to feed ourselves, providing employment and taking care of our security. I do not look at it from the point of view of politics at all. I gave you the example of the Niger Delta. I look at it as an unfortunate situation which was not created by us but which has been exploited by selfish people who have some grudges here and there. But I don’t see it as a political problem at all.

As the leader of opposition in the Senate, what steps are you taking to ensure that the clear position of things as they relate to the budget is made known to Nigerians?

The Minister of Finance was in the Senate and you can again take a look at her presentation.

The 2011 budget was rolled over to March, which is not a tidy thing to continue to do because it distorts the entire budget. If you look at the pressure that is being put on the executive with even threats of impeachment, you will know that something is being done. She gave her figure, the Senate gave their figures and the House of Reps too have their figures. But in the final analysis it what is on the ground for the benefit of our people that will be judged a success story and not mere figures that are being bandied about.

The second aspect of this question is the timely presentation of these budget proposals. Most of the times they come late and it becomes difficult to do a thorough job. What follows next is oversight and I believe it behoves on us to do a serious oversight function.

What is your impression of the present Governor of Benue State who took over from you Well, every governor has his own style. He has won many awards from different organisations, even from the media; best in this, best in that. Based on these, you can say they are moving on steadily in Benue State. I have not been to Benue for some time, so I cannot say. But there is what we call appearance and reality. But you, the media, are a very strong voice. We respect you. I want to appeal to you go to Benue State and tell us what is the reality on the ground.

As an opposition leader in the Senate, how would you rate the Jonathan administration?

I will like to say he is not doing enough. Look at the security situation in the country. It is a very big dent on his administration. You look at the situation of fuel subsidy and you know that he is not doing enough.

You are in the opposition in the Senate and in the state, too. What is your relationship with Governor Suswam?

For your information we won that election.

That is why our case was not heard. Prof. Stephen Ugba won that election and his case was not heard at all. People took cover under 180 days. I have nothing personal against Gabriel Suswam.

It is a question of political differences, nothing personal. I pray for him every day just as I pray for everybody, including those involved in evil plans against me. In a democracy, there must be opposition. We are just moving in tandem with the trend of democracy. The problems of development in Benue has nothing to do with the problems of opposition. Opposition only came into Benue in January last year.

• Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido (right) with the Emir of Dutse, Alhaji Nuhu Sanusi, when the Emir paid him a Sallah homage at Government House, Dutse.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2012

Life

17

The Midweek Magazine

Aye le: In honour of a regent – Page 43

‘Me, a beggar?

No way!’

– Page 45

US builds bridges through filmmakers – Page 47

‘Write a biography on me?

Count me out’ •Grillo

E-mail:- ozoluauhakheme@yahoo.com

Text only: 08023058761

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2012

18

The Midweek Magazine E-mail:- ozoluauhakheme@yahoo.com

‘Write a biography on me? Count me out’ Twenty-five years after retirement, the former director of School of Arts and Design, Yaba College of Technology, Lagos, Prof. Yusuf Grillo, 78, is still a studio artist. His Ikeja, Lagos home, which houses the studio, is always a beehive of activities: sketching, priming, cutting, pasting and hammering, among others. Yet, until very recently, he never signed his artworks. He spoke to Assistant Editor (Arts) OZOLUA UHAKHEME on why the war against fake art must not cease, how he battled a four-year writer’s block, why he was not signing his works and the reason for turning down a biography on him.

F

OR how long does it take an artiste to overcome a writer’s block; that moment when a writer ‘hits the proverbial wall’? Can this creative constipation last more than a year? There is certainly no hard and fast rule about it. But, for Prof Grillo, the anxiety lasted four years. Incredible, you would say? It was shortly after featuring in a group art exhibition, The Masters at the Mydrim Art Gallery, on Norman Williams Street, Ikoyi, Lagos.

“For four years, I could not face the canvas to paint. But, thank God the spirit came back and I started painting. In fact, the block came shortly after the Masters exhibition. And my studio collections were swept by that exhibition,” he recounted.

Though a retired class teacher, Grillo is as active as any full-time studio artist. What separates him from most painters is the fact that he never signs his art works. This, he said, is because he finds it difficult to complete his art works. As a result of this, preparing for art exhibition becomes a near impossibility.

“For me, holding an exhibition is not the issue. The issue is having the works to exhibit. If I have the number of works needed for an exhibition, why not? Ordinarily, I don’t finish my works until I am forced to part with them. And, interestingly, there isn’t any time I revisit my works that I don’t have something to do on them. That’s why I didn’t use to sign my works because, signing means that I ‘m done with them. I am not attached to my painting to the extent that I will not want to part with it. My problem is that I don’t finish my painting.

“But, after the recent faking of my Return of the drummers, I decided to be signing my works,” he said, adding that since retirement, 25 years ago, he has shifted focus on stain glass works and painting.

He described painting as the most profound genre of visual art, through which most artists pour their hearts out.

According to him, painting demands from every artist more than the use of the brush and oil on canvas or board.

“When you are facing the canvas, you are totally engrossed and pouring out your heart,” he said.

Reacting to frequent cases of alleged sale of fake artworks to unsuspecting collectors, the former National President of the Society of Nigerian Artists (SNA) expressed concern over the growing trend, saying it should be discouraged by all. He noted that though faking of art works is a global malaise, the Nigerian art market must rise to the challenge of putting an end to the trend through authentication mechanism that would distinguish fake from original. According to him, copying of masters’ works is allowed by law in the West, provided such copier acknowledges that he has copied an original, and the reproduced work must not be the same size with the original. He stressed that, notwithstanding, the art market in the West has, over the years, developed an effective mechanism that makes faking of art works unpopular and less rampant. He said, for instance, the painting process Leonardo da Vinci went through to paint the famous Mona Lisa can never be duplicated by any artist because each stage of the painting was recorded by a specialist for keeps.

“Unfortunately, such mechanisms are not available in the country. And as such, many unsuspecting collectors are being swindled.

‘I turned down biographies because what do I want to tell the world about myself?

Looking at myself and talking about myself is the last thing I will do. Such time will be better spent on painting. I don’t enjoy talking about myself, and my works should be enough to tell who I am’

•Grillo

INTERVIEW One of my works, Mother and Child, which is in the collection of the National Theatre, Lagos, was faked by an unknown artist,” Grillo said, noting that dealers in fake arts are the worst pirates.

He disclosed that there is hope in the war against dealers of fake art as London-based auction house, Bonham, always contacts him for verification of suspected fake art works, especially those allegedly produced by him.

“I painted on some fake works that were brought to me recently instead of destroying them,” he added.

Retired but not tired, Grillo spends his morning hours in the studio painting or working on stain glass, which is the core of his current collection. As for other media such as sculptural relief and sculptures in round, he is less involved in such works because of age.

“I am still very busy. I am doing the same things that give me joy apart from sculpting. In fact, most mornings, I do my painting and stain glass works, which form the core of my collection,” he said of his studio life.

In 2006, the National Gallery of Art (NGA), published a 269–page book, Master of Masters: Yusuf Grillo, his life and works. But, since then, he has turned down several requests by writers to write a biography on him. Why? He said: “I turned down biographies because what do I want to tell the world about myself? Looking at myself and talking about myself is the last thing I will do. Such time will be better spent on painting. I don’t enjoy talking about myself, and my works should be enough to tell who I am.”

But when asked how he feels to be honoured with a festival such as the Grillo Pavilion annual art festival at Ikorodu, sponsored by Chief Rasheed Gbadamosi, he simply said it was an honour.

Grillo was born in Lagos in 1934 and attended Nigerian

•Grillo’s work

College of Arts, Science and Technology, Zaria, where he received a diploma in Fine Arts and a postgraduate diploma in education. In 1966, he left Zaria for the academic halls of Cambridge University and later travelled to Germany and the United States.

Grillo is considered one of Nigeria’s outstanding and trained painters; he came into prominence and international recognition in the 1960s and 1970s, while exhibiting a large collection of his early works. He uses his western art training in many of his paintings, combining western art techniques with traditional Yoruba sculpture features. His preference for colour blue in natural setting painting is, sometimes, similar to the adire or resist-dye textiles used in Nigeria.

Book lists 40 Nigerians as ambassadors

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NEW book has named 19 individuals, nine organisations and 12 firms as Nigeria’s credible envoys for their people-to-people efforts at projecting the image of the country beyond its shores against the odds of waning national confidence and international perception.

The 85-page book, Citizen Ambassadors of Nigeria, written by the Group Foreign/Diplomatic Editor of THISDAY, Mr Paul Ohia, with the foreword written by Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Diaspora Affairs, Abike DabiriErewa, tries to further advance the definition of citizen diplomacy proffered by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Chief Ojo Maduekwe, by mentioning names of people, firms and organisations in this grouping.

“Apart from the usual government shuttles to bring in foreign investors and partners from various countries, there is another level of diplomacy that has hitherto gone unnoticed which is being promoted by the ordinary citizen,” the author wrote in his introduction.

He mentioned Diaspora-based Nigerians who have shown a lot of concern for issues at home which he sees as a progression from the past when they were apathetic.

“Today, they demonstrate their zeal to contribute to their homeland even as they break new grounds in their endeavours abroad,” he stated, adding that, in same manner, certain categories of Nigerians at home complement government’s efforts by contributing their quota to promote the image of the

country overseas.

The author said the 34th President of United States, Dwight D. Eisenhower, coined the name citizen diplomacy when the image of the country was on the downside, hence, the need to encourage Nigeria’s citizen ambassadors now that the country has image problem.

Ohia said the book, published by UPP Limited, will be presented to the public late November in Lagos while the editions would be updated yearly.

He devoted eight pages for special mention of Maduekwe, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Olugbenga Ashiru, Mrs. Dabiri-Erewa and Minister of Finance and Co-ordinating Minister of the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, for their efforts in this regard.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY,AUGUST 22, 2012

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COMMENTARY EDITORIAL FROM OTHER LAND

EDITORIALS

Justice for Oyerinde •The Police and SSS are bungling the case like others

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HE conundrum surrounding the murder of Olaitan Oyerinde, Principal Secretary to Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, is impishly becoming more confounded by the day. The Nigeria Police and the State Security Service (SSS) seem to be working, sadly, at cross purposes on a matter whose shoddy handling is negatively impacting on the integrity of security agencies in the country.

The contradictions in the Police and SSS stands were elucidated by Edo State governor’s full-page advertorial titled: “Re: Investigation into the murder of Comrade Olaitan Oyerinde, my stand.”

Governor Oshiomhole, in the publication, confirmed public skepticism and that the matter might be bungled by one or both security agencies.

The SSS reportedly paraded, ab initio, six suspects, three of whom allegedly confessed to killing Oyerinde while the remaining three allegedly confessed to have bought his phones. But the police also curiously paraded another set of suspects that reportedly confessed to have been hired to kill Oyerinde by Rev. David Ugolor, a foremost Benin-based human rights activist and Executive Director of African Network of Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ).

The two federal security agencies are giving us every reason to believe that they are out for mischief on this matter.

Oshiomhole pointedly confirmed this, to wit: “In my view, the police investigation team under the Deputy Commissioner of Police is purely engaged in acts of mischief in a futile attempt to shield the

real murderers of Comrade Olaitan Oyerinde...”

The governor even claimed to have had in confidence, an interface with the suspects paraded by the SSS, which convinced him that the paraded suspects were the actual killers of his late private secretary. What then informed police’s contradiction of the SSS’s more believable position if there is synergy in security and intelligence operations among various security agencies in the country? The police did not stop at that but went ahead, under cloudy circumstances, to arrest Rev Ugolor, alleged to have been implicated by them. This looks more absurd, for it portrays the police as up to something sinister that would prevent the anxious public from getting to the bottom of the matter.

We are appalled by the notoriety of security agencies, especially the police, in resolving riddles regarding murder cases.

For example, Chief Bola Ige, the late Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, was gruesomely murdered in his Bodija, Ibadan residence on December 23, 2001. Till now, the perpetrators are yet to be apprehended because the police and other security agencies muddled up the case. The question on every lip has remained: who killed Bola Ige?. There have been many other similar cases of unresolved murders in the country.

Our fear is that Oyerinde’s case is being patterned along the same path. The SSS and the police are singing different tunes on one seemingly clear issue for odious reasons that have brought security

agencies’ integrity to question. Why did the paraded suspects confess apparently to armed robbery when, according to the governor, they maintained a refrain of the name “David” as the mastermind of “the assassination?” What about the claim about a N20 million contract to eliminate Oyerinde?

The Inspector-General of Police and the Director-General of the SSS have performed below expectations such that even calls their professional integrity to question.

President Goodluck Jonathan should intercede in the matter by first calling his top security men to order, and by ensuring that the actual killers of Oyerinde are punished. The president must ensure that justice is done in this matter, even if the heavens will fall.

The Inspector-General of Police and the Director-General of the SSS have performed below expectations such that even calls their professional integrity to question.

President Goodluck Jonathan should intercede in the matter by first calling his top security men to order, and by ensuring that the actual killers of Oyerinde are punished. The president must ensure that justice is done in this matter, even if the heavens will fall.

Kuramo disaster •The latest over-flooding of coastal Lagos underscores the need for environmental education and vigilance

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N August 19 in Lagos, the Atlantic, for the umpteenth time, over-flowed its banks, putting coastal communities like Alpha Beach, Maiyegun and the popular fun spot, Kuramo Beach in jeopardy. Indeed, but for the fortification of the Bar Beach, Lagos premier and most popular beach, would also have been submerged; and the whole of Ahmadu Bello Way, with its bevy of choice property, at grave risk!

Even then, the adjoining Kuramo Beach suffered terrible losses in lives and property. After the tidal attacks, one person was pronounced dead and 15 others declared missing. As of August 20, six more bodies had been fished out of the ocean, ramping up the tally of the dead to 10, even as the nation celebrated the feast of eid-elfitri, marking the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

But the tragic tally, in the elimination of lives, was not the only loss. Squatters and stragglers, who either made the beach their home or business place, got all their shanties and cabin swept off. Other freewheeling hustlers, who saw in the old Kuramo an abiding place of opportunities, saw their dream become an instant vapour.

The Lagos State government, as any responsible government would, has swung into action, levelling all the cabins and clearing the place of all human habitation, using the environmental emergency as justification.

But, as well-intentioned as this action might appear, the Babatunde Fashola government is likely to run into trouble with the human rights community, who will likely charge the government with insensitivity. Many would also argue, as the grieving Kuramo former occupants are doing, that the government had not

provided those concerned alternative places, before demolishing their homes and business places. It is a moot point, however, how feasible such a suggestion is, given the suddenness of the tidal waves and the ensuing destruction. Besides, how many of those ‘victims’ are legitimate occupiers to merit compensation or alternative provisions, are open to question.

Still, beyond legal and social rights, the Kuramo tragedy is a heart-rending one that should command the empathy and sympathy of all. It is in this spirit that we condole with families who lost loved ones and sympathise with those who lost their means of livelihood. In this period of great economic stress, the government of Lagos State should see what it can do to ease the angst of those who lost their businesses, at least on compassionate ground.

That said, however, it is time for hard questions: both on the nonchalance of our people to ecological education, which borders on ruinous fatalism; and on claims and counter-claims of the victims of the tidal over-flow.

First, prevention is better than cure, goes the popular saying. But to Nigerians who always put themselves in harm’s way, even for the reason of earning a living, that dictum does not exist. After the Kuramo ocean attack, the Lagos State government claimed the occupants had a previous alert that the tidal waves were rising; and that there was likely danger.

Indeed, frequent visitors to the beaches in Lagos often behold red (for danger) or white (for normal) flags, fluttering in the beach winds. But beyond the change in flag colours, it is doubtful if any of the beach communities takes such symbolic warnings seriously. Even if they do, there is nothing to show that they are primed for any emergency. More often than not, they

place their hopes on costly fatalism, particularly among the religious folks, that nothing untoward would happen. The result, most times, is avoidable tragedy.

This self-destruct attitude calls for aggressive education and enlightenment on the new eco-reality. Global warming, resulting from an enlarged ozone layer, is real. The water levels in the globe have risen perilously higher. If we cannot change the rise in global water levels and periodic surges in killer waves, we can at least educate our people to the fatal danger lurking in those roaring waters. The Lagos State government must do more in Ecoeducation and enlightenment.

But our people themselves must exhibit more readiness to be well-guided in these things. Gone should be that cold attitude to sure danger, when marine and other alarms are routinely ignored. As to those who claim they ignore alarms because they are too busy making a living, they must realise that the dead cannot make a living.

‘But our people themselves must exhibit more readiness to be well-guided in these things.

Gone should be that cold attitude to sure danger, when marine and other alarms are routinely ignored. As to those who claim they ignore alarms because they are too busy making a living, they must realise that the dead cannot make a living’

Ecuador gambles on WikiLeaks founder Assange

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UST ABOUT eight weeks ago, Julian Assange — the WikiLeaks founder and self-styled victim of an imagined international political conspiracy — sought asylum in the Ecuadoran Embassy in London.

After Britain’s Supreme Court refused his appeal against extradition to Sweden, where Mr. Assange is wanted for questioning on alleged sex crimes, the 41-year-old Australian hacker broke his bail conditions and fled to the embassy, a few hundred yards from Harrods department store. Last week, Ecuador granted his asylum request.

Given that British authorities are sure to arrest Mr. Assange the minute he steps outside embassy premises, what this arrangement gives him is essentially imprisonment without a sentence. More interesting is what advantage Ecuador envisions from protecting an alleged sex criminal who was allowed to exhaust his legal options in one democracy and would be allowed to do the same in another.

Mr. Assange claims that extradition to Sweden will result in his being turned over to the United States, which, because of its embarrassment over the secret diplomatic cables and military logs WikiLeaks made public, might subject him to the death penalty. At a news conference of sorts on Sunday, in which Mr. Assange was careful not to stick too far out from the Ecuadoran Embassy’s balcony, he went so far as to call on the United States to end its “witch hunt” against his organization.

Rafael Correa, Ecuador’s outspokenly antiAmerican president, has stoked fantasies like these, having welcomed Mr. Assange to the so-called “club of the persecuted.” In January, he welcomed Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Quito. But he’s also certainly aware that the United States has neither charged the WikiLeaks founder with any crime nor demanded his extradition. Why then offer asylum?

Mr. Correa — who has cracked down on press freedoms in his own country — has begun to show signs of establishing the same sort of autocracy that Hugo Chavez has brought to Venezuela. He may imagine that protecting Mr. Assange will give a muchneeded boost to his international reputation.

But it also could have disastrous economic consequences for his country. As we’ve said before, the United States that Mr. Correa so despises allows Ecuador to export many goods duty-free, supports roughly 400,000 jobs in a country of 14 million people and accounts for one-third of Ecuador’s foreign sales. Congress could easily decide to diminish that privileged commercial access early next year.

Is Mr. Assange really worth the risk?

– Washington Post

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

•Editorial Page Editor Sanya Oni •Chairman, Editorial • Executive Director Board Sam Omatseye (Finance & Administration) Ade Odunewu •General Editor Kunle Fagbemi • Gen. Manager (Training and Development) •Editor Online Soji Omotunde Lekan Otufodunrin •Managing Editor Northern Operation Yusuf Alli

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2012

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CARTOON & LETTERS

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IR: The current drive of the Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi to shore up the quality of education in the state must have appeared incredible to the teachers whose mental picture of the governor had been that of a hatchet-wielding enemy who aimed at nothing but their jobs.With the flag off of the renovation of 100 secondary schools during the current holidays, the accompanying supply of 40,000 units of furniture to public secondary schools, the foundation laying of the model crèche - the Early Care Education Development Centrewhich is intended for each of the state’s Senatorial districts and the steady progress being recorded in these directions within a short time, no one should be in doubt that there is really a focus on raising the quality of education in the state.

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Still on Ekiti teachers’ proficiency test That these things are happening is not the unusual because they were all in the education policies earlier formulated at the inception of the Fayemi administration.

What has been unusual is the strength of character with which the governor had re-ordered his educational reforms at a time he was supposed to be nursing the blow of the rejection of his government’s Teachers Development Needs Assessment (TDNA) policy. Not that one has had any cause to think that

TDNA has been dropped but the governor has successfully avoided the plot of the teachers to precipitate crises in the state.

Recently, while commissioning a hostel donated by an alumnus of Doherty Memorial College, IjeroEkiti, Governor Fayemi was quoted as saying that “Ekiti has good teachers”. He was reported to have added, confidently, that the “quality of education will improve when a conducive learning environment is provided……”

One had chuckled then, seeing in the governor’s word, a challenge to the teachers who had wanted the world to know that they were too good to require the TDNA. If the governor was now echoing them as good teachers, probability was that the onus of proof would become squarely theirs!

But, candidly, would the teachers rise up to the challenge of their simulated qualities and standards without embracing TDNA? Would the provision of conducive learning

Police reform as double jeopardy

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IR: Amidst the on going debate on the need to reform the Nigeria Police, one can see the throwing of caution to the wind

by Minister for Police Affairs, Caleb Olubolade, as greatly unnecessary.

Rather than result to brick and stone throwing, the minister should give Nigerian taxpayers a solid reason why his source of monthly salary should not be terminated.

This is in view of the fact that the Ministry of Police Affairs has no assigned role in the 1999 Constitution as amended, being neither in charge of Police administration which is assigned to the Police Council, nor in charge of operations which is assigned to the InspectorGeneral of Police, nor in charge of appointment, discipline and promotion which are assigned to the Police Service Commission.

In essence, the ministry has lost the responsibilities given it by section 5, 147 and 148 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria(1999 before amended) which include; to formulate policies and provide Administrative Support for the Ministry, the Police Council and the Nigeria Police; oversee the training and welfare matters of the

Police, Police Pensions Administration, and any other matters as may be assigned by the President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and Chairman Nigeria Police Council. So, why should it be retained? What can be seen as its last responsibility standing is the Police Pensions Administration and the Police Pension Scam had shown clearly that it lacks the wherewithal to handle it.

Another issue that caught my interest in the ensuing impasse is the issue of state police and joint funding. The Parry Osayande-led Presidential Committee has really done well by bringing many things to the fore. Osayande’s committee, should have done an all out reform by recommending state policing.

What’s the essence of a reform if its not holistic? The aphorism of half bread is better than none is not applicable when securing lives and property. According to V.P Sambo, Federal Government would provide 32 per cent of the total amount of police funds, while state and local governments would contribute 28 per cent, while the balance would be provided by the private sector.

From simple mathematics, one

could see that the difference between the federal and states/local governments is just four percent and the private sector would be more burdened by this reform. And from the Police Trust Fund experience emanating from Lagos State, the private sector feels more comfortable dealing with the state governments than the federal government. So why not let the states be independent? Afterall, we are in a purported federal system structure.

A trilateral arrangement (Federal,State and Local government) can be created with the three inter-related and inter-dependent just like what is witnessed in the judiciary with a National Police Commission to curtail under-hand dealings. This body can also be empowered with regulated sanctions to manage the state police hierarchy. The governors from the North who are kicking against state police on the excuse of inability to finance are just being myopic and self serving. Pray, they should tell us what they have been doing with the monies accrued to them all years.

We are one nation that preach what it does not do and do what it

does not preach. In a true federal structure, the states would be able to fund their police departments so long as they figure out that states, as federating units, should have economies that shouldn’t be dependent on the federal government for funds. The present case of robbing Peter to pay Paul and the father spoon-feeding his 36 children is making imbecile out of them all.

Why should the Federal government take the resources of the buoyant states with a long-hand and return same with a short-hand?

Resource control is part and parcel of federalism, until we achieve that, we can’t say to be in a federated Nigeria.

We must understand that state police and indeed true federalism would put paid to the qouta system, that has brought us retrogressiveness, ineffectiveness, mediocrity than progress. The placing of Parry Osayande’s committee work in the hand of another subcommittee and the none inclusion of state policing amounts to waste of resource and double jeopardy.

• Sulaimon Mojeed-Sanni, Lagos

environment alone do the trick and wipe off the inadequacies of the teachers?

These questions would, no doubt, take us back to the relevance or otherwise of the TDNA. Whereas the strongest of the teachers’ points against the TDNA has been that the state government had a hidden agenda behind it, such as to decimate the teachers’ strength or carry out a reorganization that could lead to demotion for some, the case for TDNA has simply been to asses the teachers for training needs.

By now, for the purpose of balanced argument, we should be talking of the teachers’ hidden agenda for rejecting TDNA which are so well-known to be inimical to the goal of raising the quality of education and thus to the overall progress of the state .

Like in the state Civil Service or the local government service, the teaching service could not have been free of charlatans who actually entered the teaching profession with fraudulent, questionable paper qualifications.

Such teachers, because they are frauds, have been the brains behind the examination magic centres in the state which had been the big hammers with which the past education glory of Ekiti had been ruined over the years. Need we start to analyse the multiple negative effects of unmerited certificates?

Can the education of the state be sincerely, successfully repositioned with such teachers being actively shielded? Yet, that was and still is the real hidden agenda of the Ekiti teachers. It is absurd to accept that there are good teachers in Ekiti if they all had agreed on this inimical hidden agenda.

One would have expected good teachers to be on the side of repositioning education, not to conspire with the impostors to thwart repositioning. Perhaps the good teachers in Ekiti were easily holed in because the quacks were always in the overwhelming majority at teachers’ meetings, such that the ‘nays’ often carried the day.

• Banji Ogundare Ado-Ekiti

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2012

COMMENTS

Sport: ‘Do’ not ‘Retreat’; ‘The Fidelity Bank Sport Top 100 Scholarships’; Right to Sport: MDG 9?

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TILL on sports. All sports start as school ‘fun and games’ and by natural selection becomes ‘Serious Sport’. Is a retreat necessary costing Tony N500,000,000 for ‘logisMarinho tics’, experts, hotels, honoraria and travel. That N500m could give 10,000 secondary schools N50,000 each as ‘Sports Grant’ - more than they got in 30 years. Enough talk, let us advance and ‘do sport’ not ‘retreat’. Fidelity Bank will sponsor Fidelity-NYSC Games but is this a ‘game’ or ‘Games’ - show vs. champions?

NYSC bones and joints are aged and hardened. Do not expect miracles or marathons! ‘Games’ should be for 15-18 year olds in SSS identifying the ‘The Fidelity Bank Sporting Top 100’ for ‘Five-year Fidelity Bank Sport Scholarship’ with special feeding, coaching, trips and sports scholarships. Is there three month pre-games coaching, built into this Fidelity-NYSC pre-Games or is it a one week fun and games for hormone charged show-offs chasing each other on and off the athletics field with fat fees paid by Fidelity Bank to politicians, press and participants? Should the bank provide permanent ‘Fidelity Bank Gyms’ in NYSC camps nationwide for local youth training?

We know the problems with sport! There is no sport! This abject neglect stopped children in their sporting tracks, killing school programmes like Athletics Grier Cup and football’s Principals’ Cup of the 60s. Over-personalisation by governors and other politicisation confined programmes to one regime. Corruption promoting mediocrity in administration with no smooth ‘channelling grassroots champions to national programme’. Yet sport is the cheapest sleeping giant needing reawakening. Note that if FIFA can suffer corruption, Nigerian sports must be worse. Sport is not nuclear physics though our politicians have failed sport. Which LGA chairman, governor, minister or President ever bought one football? Though not nuclear physics, sport is a science needing special equipment and techniques, year-round facilities, nutrition and consistency for locally and international suc-

cess. Who will investigate equipment and vehicles bought for past games which should be distributed to talent scouts and sports clubs to encourage them?

Government, politicians and administrators need a ‘Sport Reorientation’ for a ‘Sport Restoration’. Sport is not an ‘occupation of fools’ but a PPP money spinner, crowd pleaser and youth empowerment tool. Athletes are not a form of low or inferior life but a higher form of specialised human being –making more sacrifice than a politician. They deserve comfortable hostel facilities, feeding, a caring administration, allowances or a salary from club, the armed forces or employing agency.

The ABCDEF of sports success. A: Available events! What are the 800 events available? Get the list from the internet and distribute it to youth groups. Re-establish the weekly Wednesday sports period in schools and send youth to the sports field doing sports, not sports theory. Which sports are suitable to your youth? Cycling, mountain riding, canoeing, swimming may be useless in the desert where long distance running, shooting and archery may be specialities providing the equipment is purchased. Area boys and girls may like emergency training in weightlifting, boxing and wrestling! The key is space and financial support. Politicians demand a sitting or appearance fee and so should athletes.

B: Be Prepared! Find the youth 14-20 years for the 2016 Olympic, 10-18 years for the 2020 Olympic and the Commonwealth Games and Africa Games. Check the calendar to identify when athletes should peak. B is for sports bursaries and scholarships to schools, to work, for recruitment into the armed forces and higher institutions.

C: Community or Ward Level. Start at the ward level, the political unit of Nigeria. Who is the best in what in every sport? Choose a new sport, not as crowded as others. C is for Campaigning among the residents in order to fill all sport vacancies. C is also for coaching and ‘Talent scouts’ scouting for talent in villages and informal sports areas. C is also for competitions which are useless without time and equipment and training for peak performance. C is also for the restless army of children and the youth in search of good or bad outlet for energies and hormones.

D: Databases –IT Sports Databases, over 100 needed, one per sport, gender and age based and achievement or position in team sports, with ranking, at ward, LGA, state and national level financed by Corporate Nigeria Players e.g.

MTN Track, Etisalat Archery, Coca Cola Discus, Dangote Long jump, PZC Hockey, Oceanic Swimming Databases etc.

Principals, coaches, scouts, clubs and sports associations will update information for selection. D is also - De-personalise naming competitions for politicians holding transient political office.

E: Empower and ‘Employ’ athletes. Sport is a giant SME, Small and Medium Enterprise entrepreneurship and a micro-credit investment generating jobs and improving the ‘Gross Happiness Index’. Properly supported an athlete will become self-sufficient, be recruited by a sports club or become a corporate sports ambassador. Sports persons make good employees. Select them at interviews. Feed, train, advertise, brand, clothe and put them forward to LGA for 6-12 months training and then trials for ‘promotion’ to federal.

Athletes in Abuja do not have two heads!

F: Facilities for athletics and ‘new’ sports like shooting, archery are needed. Your political ward should have equipment to train youth and identify talent with a mini-stadium.

Every LGA must provide facilities including a standard stadium with coaches.

G- Go for Gold.

H- ha ha! Nobody acts on articles. Expect no sport before 2020 when the ‘Right to Sport’ becomes MDG 9!

‘Government, politicians and administrators need a ‘Sport Reorientation’ for a ‘Sport Restoration’.

Sport is not an ‘occupation of fools’ but a PPP money spinner, crowd pleaser and youth empowerment tool’

Farouk Lawan and subsidy ‘thieves’

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T was a rare spectacle recently when the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, arraigned some alleged subsidy thieves. More than 20 suspects were arraigned for fraud running into over N14 billion. When I saw clips of the arraignment on national television, my immediate reaction was “what is N14 billion in a heist involving trillions of naira?” A drop in the ocean, of course. And, I am sure I wasn’t the only one that entertained such thought bordering on incredulity.

However, before the thought would blossom into deep cynicism, the EFCC moved swiftly to allay all fears with the explanation that the 20 or so suspects were the first batch of suspects billed to be arraigned.

That was a most timely reaction even though it added a fresh tinge of suspense to the roiling saga. It means that one could look forward to the unveiling of more of the big masquerades behind the looting of the subsidy intervention fund. I can’t wait to see the next batch of suspects.

If nothing else, I want to update my list of top political gladiators whose children are involved in the unconscionable looting of the national treasury.

I am almost certain that more of the children of the upper crust of the society will be nailed by the antigraft agency. It may not even be surprising if some oligarchs within the power loop in Abuja find themselves in the dock. I have looked at the suspects so far arraigned and I am yet to see anyone that is not connected to the ruling elite, one way

or the other, which confirms the suspicion ab initio that the subsidy regime was a bazaar contrived by the ruling elite to empty the treasury into their pockets. There was too much money to be made, with little or no effort, to permit entry by commoners.

Ironically, there were no blushes or embarrassment from those involved. Some of the shameless fathers were swift to distance themselves from the alleged misdemeanour of their children.

What was their argument? You cannot visit the sins of the son on the father. That is vintage biblical wisdom, but how it fits into the current situation remains a puzzle. Were the fathers completely in the dark regarding the sins of their children?

That is a subject for another article.

But my greatest indignation comes not from the tame defence of the patriarchs but from the remorseless demeanor of the suspects themselves, whose mien in court conveys nothing but contempt for the national angst at the malfeasance. Indeed, looking at the carriage of the young men, some of who have no track record of meaningful career before coming into sudden wealth, there is no further evidence of how far the nation’s value system has been debased. No shame. No remorse.

Nevertheless, there are positives to the arraignment; the most glaring being the on-going trial. It put paid to the cynicism that nothing would be done to the alleged subsidy thieves. The cynicism was buoyed by events following the re-

‘I am one of those who believe that the outcome of the case involving the oil subsidy thieves may define the commitment of the regime of President Goodluck Jonathan to the fight against corruption.’

lease of the Farouk Lawan report on the subsidy probe by the House of Representatives. There were claims in sections of the media of a deliberate campaign to discredit the probe report to forestall any sanction of those indicted. Those who promoted this tale cleverly neglect to point out the fact that the House Committee report was a fact-finding inquiry which can only be the fulcrum of a criminal investigation.

The EFCC, which commenced investigations into the subsidy regime early this year, I understand, has covered substantial grounds. It is said to have over 140 persons and organizations under investigation.

I don’t think the committee covered half of that figure. This gives hope that none of those believed to have criminally exploited the subsidy regime for personal gains would go scot-free.

Considering the background of the suspects so far charged, I think the EFCC under the leadership of Ibrahim Lamorde has exhibited some courage, for which it should be commended. Indeed, since the exit of Nuhu Ribadu, the pioneer chairman of the agency, this is the first time the commission will be taking on ‘the high and mighty’ in a courageous move that promises to revalidate its slogan that no one is above the law. In an environment where political influence is wielded, sometimes mindlessly, to frustrate the intentions of others, no matter how altruistic, it is to the credit of the EFCC that it was not awed by the power and influence of the suspects.

The EFCC must be encouraged to go the whole hog. The fumigation of the subsidy regime needs a clinical finish. A lot is at stake. I am one of those who believe that the outcome of the case involving the oil subsidy thieves may define the commitment of the regime of President Goodluck Jonathan to the fight

against corruption. Many believe that the leadership has so far paid lip service to corruption issues.

Now, this is a chance to prove skeptics wrong.

Those found culpable in this brazen daylight thievery must be diligently prosecuted and punished in order to deter others from threading the ignoble path. No excuse might suffice to explain away any prosecution lapse which was why I reasoned with the agency when it withdrew the charges it had filed against four oil marketers on the basis of fresh evidence that necessitates a makeover of the charge.

Considering the importance of this case, it is not how speedily charges are filed that matters, but ensuring that such charges are supported by credible evidence that will stand the rigour of prosecution. It will also not do the commission any good to engage in frequent amendment of charges. It is better to get it right than bungle it.

This is one flank to the fuel subsidy scam. At the other extreme is the bribery saga involving perpetually spasmodic businessman, Femi Otedola, and the diminutive former chairman of the House Ad Hoc Committee on Fuel Subsidy, Farouk Lawan. Otedola claims he was coerced by Lawan into offering him a bribe of $620,000 to have his companies removed from the list of firms that benefitted from the subsidy intervention fund without importing fuel into the country. The last I heard about that case, which is being investigated by the Nigeria Police, is that the case file may be forwarded to one of the anti-graft agencies for prosecution.

I think the nation has had enough of the melodrama. It is time the case is put on auto drive so that those found to have violated the law should be punished. This is one case which the Inspector General of Police must ensure that justice is done

Dele Agekameh because, for a very long time, the service has not handled such highprofile matter. This is an opportunity for the police to demonstrate that it can still be trusted to deliver credible investigations.

With all that has happened so far, one can say, perhaps, the inconvenience of the nationwide protest of January was not in vain. Until then, most Nigerians knew that crooks were feeding fat on the subsidy regime, bleeding the economy to death, yet nobody appeared to know what to do as operators in the sector continued to bamboozle us with figures and terms designed to confuse us and create the impression that oil trading was rocket science.

They were making billions of naira off hapless taxpayers merely by presenting crooked paper work on supposed fuel imports, most of which never got to Nigerian shores.

The mystique is now gone, leaving the operators with a moral baggage. Whatever is the outcome of the case in court, one thing is certain: the nation will never again witness the kind of impunity that dominated the management of the subsidy regime over the last few years.

Send reactions to: 08058354382 (SMS only)

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2012

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COMMENTS

‘Akpabioism’ as metaphor for delirious leadership

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HIS piece is not about Governor Godswill Akpabio, the Governor of Akwa Ibom State. Rather it is part of the discourse of the role of leadership in Nigeria’s failed state syndrome. ‘Akpabioism’ is not however my invention. On the magnificent Uyo Airport Road, there is a huge signboard indicating the permanent site of an institute and, proclaimed thereat in short form as ‘Akpabioism’.

I have often wondered what meaning ‘Akpabioism’ is hoped to convey. I got a good idea sometime ago, when I attended a funeral service in Akwa Ibom State. The governor heralded by a grand appearance, was also in attendance.

The presiding church minister, after the general prayers, called out the governor for special prayers. The prayers revolved around heaping praises on the governor and curses on his enemies. Obviously the minister’s praises were not enough, because in his own remarks, the governor heaped more praises on himself, regaling the audience with examples of the uncommon transformation being witnessed in Akwa Ibom, especially in road construction. He is quite humourous though and in spite of my irritation, I chuckled when in all seriousness, he told of how, riding on his new roads, he often mistakenly assumes he is in Dubai!

Several senior government functionaries were in attendance including the Deputy Governor and Secretary to Government. Every time the governor as much as twitched, they all jumped to attention. On his every attempt at humour, they clapped and laughed uncontrollably. Never mind that this was a funeral service deserving of the customary restrained comportment. Anyway, as part of the governor’s remarks he announced several ‘charitable’ donations including a brand new car for the church minister, a bus for the choir, a few million naira here, a few there. Real charity though, goes beyond treating government treasury as a personal money box and dispensing monies therefrom whimsically. As Jack London said all those years ago – ‘A bone to the dog is not charity. Charity is the bone shared with the dog when you are just as hungry as the dog’ Years of misrule has caused so much poverty which has badly demeaned our people resulting in a general loss of perspective and little appetite for any sensible articulation of a common attitude to their plight. It is therefore not surprising that oftentimes, they constitute themselves into part of a seemingly cheering crowd. It will however amount to insufferable chest thumping for our leaders to misconstrue the crowd cheer as any indication of love or support. What is being manifested is no more than spectacle excitability, much the same way as a village crowd cheering at the speed and meandering artfulness of a fleeing village robber. The robber had better keep running and not mistake the noisy wonderment as admiration or approval.

As I stated from the onset, this piece is not about any indi-

By Edo Ukpong vidual and the foregoing serves as illustration only. At every level of leadership and in every sector, our leaders are being subjected to ridiculous levels of flattering adulation and deceitful worship. At every leadership level you only hear ‘My’ and ‘I’ – ‘My church’, ‘My government’ ‘I will do this’ ‘I will not allow that’. Clearly manifestations of grand misconception of the essence of political or other leadership. Religious leaders are deified and treated with so much reverence, that they begin to act as if it is actually them, that the people come to worship. One common attribute of the leaders who ‘suffer’ from the suffocation of this pandering excessiveness, is that they all have access to money and all have the ability to dispense same on their own authority.

So who is fooling who? Unknown to our leaders or perhaps they ‘don’t give a damn’, these flatterers only give a damn about what they can prise out of the leaders. Being in a position of leadership is a solemn responsibility, and in truth it takes the grace of God not to get carried away. Leadership is challenging enough without the distraction of praise singers. There cannot be success in any given area of leadership if a leader’s ears are permanently tuned to the channel with praise singing. A leader who wants to enjoy deserved and sustainable praise must learn to listen to harsher tunes and together with his own God given instincts, be appropriately guided. That is the path for a successful discharge of leadership responsibilities. The church minister for instance should be told that, calling out the governor for special prayers, is a sin. See James Chapter 2 in the Bible.

The combination of a resigned populace and an army of professional level sycophants is misleading supposed leaders to focus unnecessarily on noise generation and awards seeking propaganda. Any leader who believes all the nonsense, is setting himself up for a fall and perhaps descent into depression especially when circumstances change. It must always be appreciated that the general populace is discerning and at the end of the day it is their judgment that matters and endures. So it will in fact be an act of self preservation to place reliance on impactful performance whilst in office. Leaders with term limits are often deceived into fake immortality and promise of permanent relevance by being goaded to anoint or choose successors who would guarantee their continued relevance and protection. A clear waste of time! Ex Governor Chimaroke Nnamani forced his former classmate and anointed successor into his shoes, where is he today? Examples abound. A leader should hope for a successor who will work for and to the satisfaction of the people, that is what the people will appreciate and what

will be a lasting legacy, and in real terms is the only guarantee for continued relevance and protection.

Performance rating is not only measured by what has been accomplished, but also by what could have been accomplished. True and enduring accomplishments come from harsh truths and objective advice and focused planning for which every true leader ought to have the strength of character to seek.

In conclusion, the road network in Akwa Ibom is indeed very impressive. With less distracting chest thumping and more judicious application of its resources, my people can benefit from all round development and begin the climb from the depths of poverty to which they are currently consigned. It is not too late for Governor Akpabio to work towards genuine and sustainable acclaim. He must however discard all the outlandishness, focus on the big picture and imbibe leadership traits of which modesty is a key element.

Then Akpabiosm will stand for something other than the penchant of Nigerian leaders for megalomania. Nelson Mandela is a great leader, but I don’t know how many roads he was responsible for constructing and in spite of numerous trips to South Africa, I am yet to come across any institute of ‘Mandelism’, but in my head and heart I know what Mandelism stands for.

•Ukpong, a legal practitioner writes from Lagos.

‘There cannot be success in any given area of leadership if a leader’s ears are permanently tuned to the channel with praise singing. A leader who wants to enjoy deserved and sustainable praise must learn to listen to harsher tunes and together with his own God given instincts, be appropriately guided.

That is the path for a successful discharge of leadership responsibilities. The church minister for instance should be told that, calling out the governor for special prayers, is a sin’

Osun :A glimmer of hope

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HEN the other day Governor Rauf Aregbesola of the State of Osun declared that this generation of the Yoruba nation owes it a duty to history and the cherished memory of Chief Obafemi Awolowo to surpass the achievements of the great man, not a few mocked the statement.

Cynics laughed at him for declaring that with what he has started to do in the State of Osun by following the indelible footsteps of Awo, we shall in the years ahead under his tenure witness the repeat of the glorious era of the old Western Region.

The governor was simply saying that there is hope for Nigeria after all, even in the face of the despondency that is written all over the place. So the joke really isn’t on Aregbesola; it is on those who can’t see hope who should be pitied.

Pray, was Awo himself not the epitome of optimism, despite all the setbacks that came his way?

What gave him hope to forge on to become “the main issue in politics”, as military President Ibrahim Babangida described

By Philus Oluwasegun him?

How come Awo was the first non-head of state of Nigeria to be decorated with the country’s highest national honor, the Grand Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, GCFR? How come Awo was hailed at his death as “the best President Nigeria never had?”

The reasons are not difficult to identify. First, he believed in diligent work. Awo held the view that if you worked hard, your efforts were bound to be followed by success. It was an iron-cast law as far as the late sage was concerned.

Next, Awo was a great planner.

He believed that if you had all the resources of the world and you probably succeeded in adding a handful more from outer space and you didn’t plan on the statistics of these resources and how to use them, you would end up worse than the one who kicked off without a start-up capital!

‘Aregbesola is drawing from the depth of the philosophy of Awo to have the courage to declare that Osun will be the Mecca for his vision of Yoruba renaissance. He declared in his Green Book with the title My Pact with the People of Osun State: “What I offer you therefore can be termed government Unusual – A government totally committed to unlocking the latent potential sine the glorious days of Chief Obafemi Awolowo”’

The old man armed himself with this wisdom of operating strictly on a statistical basis in all his private and public life. No wonder Awo’s sprawling monuments are all over the place!

For the third reason, I borrow the words of Professor Femi Osofisan. He said of Pa Awo: “All those who worshipped Awo remember him for at least three startling qualities. One was the quality and amplitude of his vision of service to the people. The second was the tenacity, sincerity and incandescent zeal with which he pursued this vision, and the third was his obvious compassion…”

Now Aregbesola reckons that if Awo succeeded as a result of the deployment of these virtues, it follows that he who adopts a similar lifestyle and goals would equally succeed and possibly surpass the achievements. After all it is the prayer and wish of every Yoruba parent that their offspring should attain heights higher than where their parents reach.

Aregbesola is drawing from the depth of the philosophy of Awo to have the courage to declare that Osun will be the Mecca for his vision of Yoruba renaissance. He declared in his Green Book with the title My Pact with the People of Osun State: “What I offer you therefore can be termed government Unusual – A government totally committed to unlocking the latent potential sine the glorious days of Chief Obafemi Awolowo”.

I insist that it is impossible to fail when you are so filled with a passion to serve selflessly the way Governor Aregbesola is going. In 21 years of Osun there is the perception that the people are now witnessing unprecedented spark of development.

This has enabled Aregbesola to redefine governance the way we know it in Nigeria. For instance, years of greedy and wealth-accumulative leadership had led Nigeria to a state of artificial penury.

This made it seemingly impossible to secure the good things of life for majority of the citizens. The impression was given that there were no resources to provide these. Free education, they said, was not feasible because there was no money for it.

But Aregbesola is proving that one’s personal lifestyle counts in governance. Adopting an approach that places service first, the governor has moved vast resources of state to the benefit of the masses. He has, as it were, banished greed and an affluent lifestyle on the part of government, thus freeing funds which previous leaders used to feed their flamboyant tastes for mass development.

By the time Aregbesola was marking his first year in office last November, he had saved more than N30 billion, which he is adding to other funds to initiate interventionist projects all over the State of Osun. He is building state-of-the-art secondary schools with the students kitted, for the first time in the history of

Africa, with iPad-like tablets into which have been built all the subjects the pupils are studying.

Aregbesola has christened it Opon Imo (pad, slate or tablet of knowledge).

Agriculture has also had a good share of the visionary touch of Aregbesola the same way as health, culture, tourism etc.

These are strategic sectors that affect the polity and the citizen for good or evil depending on what you do there.

If you study the era of Awo, these were areas where he touched and deployed to make the old Western Nigeria the foremost region in the federation.

Aregbesola is taking the same path. My verdict? He will, God willing, succeed the same way Chief Obafemi Awolowo succeeded!

• Oluwasegun writes from Lagos.

•Aregbesola

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2012

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2012

INFRASTRUCTURE

Industrialists urge action on power Akwa Ibom

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REVENUE

EDUCATION

Govt targets N1b IGR

Schools get N320m for rehabilitation

Kogi

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Email: news_extra@yahoo.com

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2012

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•Wamakko

Lagos

OKOTO State government has begun arrangements to explore its abundant crude oil deposits.

The government has also reiterated plans for a robust approach to transform its agriculture sub-sector through responsive irrigation system.

Governor Aliyu Wamakko, who spoke in Sokoto when he received the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, who was on a visit, said his administration was determined to explore more revenue base to sustain its economic transformation drive.

He added: “We will soon write the Federal Government with a view to ensuring that mechanisms are put in place.”

Sokoto to explore oil

From Adamu Suleiman, Sokoto

According to the governor, when fully explored, the oil deposits would boost the socio-economic status of the people of the state and the nation’s economy.

He said government would soon begin the implementation of a new salary structure for traditional rulers in the 23 local governments.

Wamakko said the committee set up to come up with the recommendations of the new salary for royal fathers had completed its assignment.

“We will soon write a White Paper and send it to the House of Assembly so that it will make a law

and allow the take-off of the new structure,” he said.

The governor hailed the traditional rulers led by the Sultan of Sokoto for their support and cooperation with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)-led administration.

He promised to do everything to improve their living standard.

Wamakko said government is planning to introduce a special irrigation programme to boost food production.

“We will purchase water pumps and other implements under the scheme, which will be given to

Page 25

only genuine farmers,” he added.

The Sultan of Sokoto said the visit was made in the spirit of peace, unity and development, adding that it was done to rejoice with the governor on the successful completion of the Ramadan fast.

He hailed Governor Wamakko for giving the highest level of respect to the traditional rulers and the institution itself.

“Respect begets respect. On behalf of the traditional rulers, I assure you that you have our support,” the Sultan said.

A

RENOWNED Islamic scholar Sheikh Dhikrullahi Shafi’I has warned politicians and religious leaders to avoid uttering dangerous statements that could cause the country’s disintegration.

Sheikh Shafi’I spoke during the Eid-il-Fitr prayer in Lagos. He said none of the ethnic or religious groups in Nigeria would benefit if the country breaks up.

“I believe that the composition of various ethno-religious groups into one entity called Nigeria is not by accident because nothing happened without the knowledge of Allah. We should always see ourselves as brothers irrespective of political or religious affiliations and work towards the unity of our nation,” he said.

For any meaningful development to take place, the cleric said, people must embrace peace and remain united.

“There are things Allah has given each ethnic group that others do not possess.

The combination of human and material resources in the northern and southern parts of the country are of immense benefit to our greatness as a nation, hence, we should not think of the word break up,” he said.

Continuing, he said: “As citizens, the larger percentage may not have been duly benefiting from the resources due to absence of visionary leaders and lack of political will to do the right things. We may not have succeeded in curbing corruption, but our role in sustaining peace in African cannot be over-emphasised.

Sheikh Shafi’I, the Chairman of Hajj Mabrur Ventures Limited (HMVL) expressed his sadness over the involvement of religious leaders in calling for the breakup of the country. He warned that such comments

•Cross section of participants at the event

‘This country must not break up’ Cleric urges peace for progress

By Tajudeen Adebanjo

are not good for our corporate existence.

“What ties us together as people from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds is most fragile and must not be played with. This is because the unity that binds us together as a people should be our strength,” he said.

The widely-travelled scholar urged Nigerians to take a cue from the crisis rock-

ing nations that have disintegrated.

“We should always think of stabilising the polity and not endangering it; we can win this battle for Nigerian unity but every Nigerian must get onboard regardless of age, religion, gender, region or tribal grouping. We can win this battle for a better Nigeria regardless of our differences or grievances. We can win this battle for a free Nigeria as we were simply born free,” he

said.

He urged youths to always project a positive picture of Nigeria in whatever situation they find themselves.

“This country belongs to you as well. As a matter of fact, you are the leaders of tomorrow and you must do your bit for Nigeria. Do not say it’s none of your business because Nigeria is your business regardless of where you were born or where you live.

•Sheikh Shafi’I (right) and Dr Tajudeen Yusuf of University of Lagos We must all do our bit for a better Nigeria.

“For us to progress there must be peace. I believe that even in the face of these challenges, we will surely over-

come if we are united and embrace peace,” he said.

He chided political leaders who have benefitted from the resources of the country for not using them to better the lots of the masses.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2012

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Imo votes N320m for schools B EFORE he assumed duty as the governor of Imo State last year, the state of education was at its lowest ebb. When he came on board, he literally swore to turn things around.

Not only did he declare free and compulsory education for citizens, Governor Rochas Okorocha commenced steps to redeem primary and secondary schools in the state in terms of infrastructural renewal.

He embarked on construction of new classroom blocks where they did not exist and rehabilitated those structures that had become dilapidated.

Quite recently, Governor Okorocha has approved the sum

of N320m as intervention fund for all primary and secondary schools in the state.

Governor Okorocha, who disclosed this after a one-day workshop with head teachers, principals and other stakeholders in the education sector, said the fund was meant to enable the newly-established management teams of various schools to embark on maintenance projects ahead of resumption of schools.

He further explained that each primary and secondary school will get N200, 000 as part of the measures towards implementing school autonomy in the state.

Governor Okorocha, who lamented the infrastructural decay

Each primary and secondary school will get N200, 000 as part of the measures towards implementing school autonomy in the state

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HE Deputy Chief Imam Nawairu-deen Society Abuja branch Alhaji Ustadh Abdulrasheed Bello (Haqqullah Al Adabiy), has urged them to continue to embrace the teachings of Prophet Mohammed and live in peace and harmony. Urging Muslim Ummah to put into practice the lessons learnt during the Ramadan, Alhaji Bello said “living in peace with one another will engender love and oneness.

He also advised mankind against the craze for worldly things that may deprive them from making Heaven.

Alhaji Bello, who was the Guest Lecturer at the Lailatul Quadri or Night of Majesty organised by the Oriade Local Council Development Area Lagos State recently to mark the end of Ramadan fast at the council’s secretariat urged them to be conscious of Allah always as this, he said, will make them observe righteous deeds at all times.

Speaking on the topic “Fake and faded worldly goods,” Alhaji Bello disclosed that Lailatul Quadri is not a mere Ramadan lecture but a special event recommended by Prophet Mohammed during

•School children in public schools, disclosed that his administration will, under the free education programme, establish management teams that will oversee the affairs of schools with a view to addressing the bureaucratic bottle-neck that has contributed to the collapse of infrastructure in the pub-

lic schools.

He challenged head teachers and principals to embrace the challenges engendered by the renewed commitment of the state government to promote quality, free and compulsory education.

Governor Okorocha added that about 80 container-loads with

‘Be conscious of Allah in all you do’

By Chinaka Okoro

which Muslim faithful who diligently observed the last 10 days of Ramadan fast are showered with Allah’s special blessings.

Disclosing that there are five factors that could make one to derail from the ways of Allah, Alhaji Bello admonished the faithful to be weary of women whom he said is one of the distractions that could prevent one from receiving the blessings of Allah.

Describing undue love for women as a transitory glory, he noted that men are in love with women so much so that they could commit so many atrocities to please them and displease God, even as he regretted that such tends to drift them away from the ways of Allah.

Another factor, he said, that could drift one away from the recommended ways of Allah is excessive love for children. “As a result of the love we have for our children, we show much commitment to pleasing them thereby neglecting the reward of hereafter. We give them a lot of things and over pamper them.”

Cautioning the faithful on what he called disproportionate love for gold which he said represents wealth and other worldly and ephemeral things, he noted that “money, wealth and other blessings that Allah have given unto us are nothing but transitory which cannot lead one to heaven. The best thing we should do in order to receive Allah’s overflowing blessings is to regard wealth and other worldly things as nothing.

“If you are in a position of authority, bear in mind that one day you will be swept away from that position because power is transient.

The position you are occupying today, somebody was occupying it yesterday. But because he had been swept away by a power mightier than he was, the opportunity fell on you.

“It is worse when you suppress and regard your subordinates as nothing because you arrogate the power of life and death to yourself instead of giving God the glory that belongs to Him,” he said.

Continuing, he said: “If you bear in mind that power is transient and

•From left: Alhaji Bello, Hon. Sanusi and Secretary to Oriade LCDA Hon. Kareem Sunmola

never become swollen-headed by the trappings of power; if you regard and treat people as God’s creatures and take things gently, Allah will be happy with you and shower His blessings on you and the hereafter is there for you.

“One of the problems confronting the world today is excessive abuse of power by those in position of authority and this has created a situation of strife; making our societies less governable. Anybody that wants to be closer to God on earth should be humble even while occupying a position of authority. He should forget his wealth and social status so that he would meet Allah in a state of grace.”

“Whenever one recites this, one would be in the same state as one who had made Hajj,” he said.

On maintenance of security in the

school learning and teaching materials which include sandals, books, desks and uniforms have arrived in the state, even as he added that the materials would be distributed freely to pupils and students as part of the free education programmes of his administration. society, Alhaji Bello mentioned five entities Allah has given control of the world, which if they derail in the course of controlling the world there would be serious problem.

These, he said, are those in position of authority, the different security agencies, the spiritual fathers, the affluent who Allah has created to take care of those who are in lack, and parents who are supposed to bring up the children in the way of Allah.

On what informed his council to put the lecture in place, chairman of the council Hon. Ibrahim Babatunde Sanusi told Newsextra that “it was meant to mark the Holy month of Ramadan. It was in compliance with one of the injunctions of Prophet Mohammed that he who could fast during the month of Ramadan would receive special blessings from Allah.

“So, we thought it necessary that during this Holy month, we have to surrender ourselves to the Almighty Allah.

One of the problems confronting the world today is excessive abuse of power by those in position of authority and this has created a situation of strife; making our societies less governable. Anybody that wants to be closer to God on earth should be humble

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2012

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‘Development summit: showcase of our potential’ K EY players in the AndoniOpobo/Nkoro Economic Zone Development Summit have said that the summit would attract investors to the area’s richness in mineral resources such as diamond and gold.

A joint statement by the chairman of the Andoni Local Government Area, Rivers State, Nte Ereforokuma, his counterpart in Opobo-Nkoro Local Government Area, Maclean Uranta and the chairman of the Andoni-Opobo/Nkoro Economic Zone Development Summit, Emiyarei Bertram Ikuru, said the summit would be a showcase for the area as the largest fishing port in the world, with the best tourist attractions in Nigeria.

Ereforokuma said: “In Andoni Local Government Area, we have crude oil, diamond, gold, clay, iron and other natural resources. Investors should come. They should partner with us. Andoni LGA is very peaceful. We are pleased with our representative in the House of Representatives, Hon. Dakuku Peterside. For the first time, he is selling us to the world. We are no longer perturbed about the Federal Government and oil companies. We are taking our destinies in our own hands. We are looking inwards. The summit will be an opportunity to tell the world about our potential in Andoni Local Government Area.

“Andoni has the largest fishing port in the world. Nigeria imports over 200,000 tons of fish annually.

In the whole of Nigeria, nobody does fishing like the Andoni people. The records are there. We do these with very little support from the Federal Government. If we have electricity supply from the national grid in Andoni, the fishes from the high sea can easily be preserved. The fishes that cannot be immediately sold are either dried or buried, which is a huge loss.”

N

IGERIANS have been urged not to neglect orphans and hearing/speech-impaired children.

The founder of Kami J-Hearing/ Speech-Impaired Foundation, Mrs. Motunrayo Mariam Johnson, who gave the advice at the launch of the foundation at the Calvary Bible Church, Idimu, Lagos, on Sunday, said they are also leaders of tomorrow, even as she advised members of the society not to look down on such class of people.

Explaining why she launched the foundation, Mrs Johnson told

From Bisi Olaniyi, Port Harcourt

Uranta said the summit had become necessary in order to get investors to see what they are missing by not investing in the area.

He said: “We are prepared for the summit. The aim of the summit is to be a showcase for our potential, which most people do not know about. We also want to use the opportunity to invite investors to our area. It is a good thing happening to the people of Opobo/Nkoro and Andoni local government areas. We have so many things to offer. We have crude oil and gas. Shell, Total and Chevron operate here. We are surrounded by river.

“With the little we have done and with the help of the member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Dakuku Peterside, who represents Andoni-Opobo/Nkoro Federal Constituency, a Chinese team visited us two weeks ago to see how our rivers can be used for cage fishing. We have good sites for cage fishing.

“Also about three weeks ago, the Rivers State government, in collaboration with an Israeli team, allocated a farm to Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Area for fish farming. The clearing of the land is being done at the site at Iwokiri,

just behind us (Opobo, headquarters of Opobo/Nkoro council).

“Opobo/Nkoro is naturally endowed. Our sea is also good for aquatic sports, which should be developed. All over the world, the history of King Jaja of Opobo is known and we need to know more about him. Tourists should come down to Opobo and see the King Jaja monument and other attractions.

“In our rivers, we have different types of stone like sharp sand that can be turned to good things. The quality of sharp sand that we have, by the little study we have carried out, is good for glass making. We also have clay which is good for plates. “The salt water in the area is salt itself. However, it is yet to be explored. Bagging salt in the council area will create employment opportunities for the teeming youths and other people. It will also empower our people. The summit is a step in the right direction.”

He further disclosed that his administration is building a three-star hotel in anticipation of the benefits of the summit.

Uranta said: “By the vision of this administration, knowing full well that we have natural endowments all around, we decided to look into tourism. One of the things that at-

Andoni has the largest fishing port in the world. Nigeria imports over 200,000 tons of fish annually. In the whole of Nigeria, nobody does fishing like the Andoni people

By Tokunbo Ogunsami

Newsextra that founding the organisation was borne out of the desire to assist orphans and hearing/ speech-impaired children morally and financially and offer counseling that can prevent a child from becoming deaf and dumb.

She said: “I am launching the foundation today to coincide with my 30th birthday. It is not easy to be the parent of a hearing/speechimpaired child.

“My son, Oluwakamikun, be-

•Uranta tract tourists is hotel accommodation.

“Investors coming into an area for the first time, before putting up their places to carry out their activities, they need decent accommodation. In tourism, one of the best places you can use to accommodate everybody in the world is not personal houses, but hotels.

“Time will come when investors will be all over the area. So, we decided to embark on a hotel project in Opobo. In two months’ time, we will inaugurate the standard hotel.

White men, who are investors and coming from China, United States of America and other parts of the world, will not find it difficult to stay in Opobo, since there is a threestar hotel, which is one of the best around here.”

Contributing, Ikuru said the summit would put the economic zone on the world map, adding that it would help the people of AndoniOpobo/Nkoro LGA to articulate their developmental agenda.

He said: “The Andoni-Opobo/ Nkoro Economic Zone Development Summit is a platform in the series of things we want to do. During the summit, we will bring people together to listen to the story of Andoni-Opobo/Nkoro economic zone. We are taking development to the area, to complement what the

•Ereforokuma

•Ikuru government and other development agencies have done. We are trying to build on existing structures. We want to tell the world our own story. We want to make the world know what we stand for and the issues confronting us.

“Many people do not know where we are, partly because of the terrain around us. People cannot drive to where we are. We want the world to know that we exist and we are in Rivers State, not in Akwa Ibom State or Cross River State.”

Foundation donates to the needy

came one at seven months. But I thank God that he is now all right.

He underwent a successful surgery last year at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja.

“I saw hell while the travails lasted. I thank God for answering my prayers. I also express my profound gratitude to Pastors Olumide Emmanuel, Segun Abraham, Charles Abu and other anointed

men of God for rallying round me and my family during the trying times.

“The government and people of Nigeria should support orphans and hearing/speech-impaired children morally and financially.”

The foundation donated foodstuffs, pampers, mattresses, provisions, noodles, orange drinks, bottled water and other items to Compassionate Orphanage Home,

Isheri, Lagos, Igando Community Primary School 1, Igando, Lagos (a school for the hearing and speechimpaired pupils) and New Life Orphanage Home, Ijegun, Lagos.

The Director of Compassionate Orphanage Home, Dr. Oyediji, headmistress of Igando Community Primary School 1, Mrs. N.E. Obiagwu and Director of New Life Orphanage Home, Mrs. Adeyemo, thanked Mrs. Johnson for her generosity of spirit.

The government and people of Nigeria should support orphans and hearing/ speech-impaired children morally and financially

•Chairman, Iba Local Council Development Area, Princess Ramota Adeyeri Oseni (right) inaugurating the Afromedia Ajangbadi Area Office of the council. With her from left are: the Council Engineer, Mr Suelimona Adeniyi, Council Manager, Mr Victor Layeni Mebamu and Mebamu Area Officer, Mr Okunoye Kayode

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2012

28

Kogi targets N1b IGR

K

OGI State Governor Idris Wada has set up a machinery to overhaul the state internal revenue generating mechanism to enable it achieve a target of N1 billion monthly.

Wada announced the plan in Lokoja while speaking with newsmen during the Eid-el-Fitr celebration.

He described the state revenue profile of N200 million monthly as too little and unacceptable.

The governor said that considering that the state had very little resources, his administration on inception, set up a com-

•Wada

Local govt lifts residents

T

HE Executive Chairman of Ajeromi/ Ifelodun Local Government Area of Lagos State, Hon Kamal Baiyewu has distributed poverty alleviation items to residents of the council area.

At the ceremony held at the council secretariat over 200 beneficiaries smiled home with various items which include refrigerators, head dryers, computers, soft drinks, sewing machines, block moulding machines, generators among others.

Speaking at the event, Hon Baiyewu explained the readiness of his administration at tackling poverty through programmes that would make people to be self-sufficient.

He said:” The thrust of our electioneering campaign was to develop programmes that would enhance the value of our people in order to make them self sufficient and we are more than ready to implement and sustain our initiatives toward achieving this

By Kunle Akinrinade

objective.

“Today, we are empowering 210 residents of our council area with various poverty alleviation materials that would enhance the value of their businesses or occupation and we shall not relent in our effort in this regard.”

The Action Congress of Nigeria(AACN) National Publicity Secretary, Chief Lai Mohammed admonished residents to support Hon Baiyewu in his bid to transform the council area, adding that ACN is the only political party that can guarantee poverty eradication.

Those who witnessed the occasion include Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) chieftains such as ACN National Publicity Secretary, Chief Lai Mohammed, Vice- Chairman ACN Lagos West Cardinal James Odumbaku, Chief Ademola Adeniji-Adele.

Suswam seeks demarcation of boundary B

Kogi mittee to assess the revenue situation.

He said the government later set up a committee of permanent secretaries to go round other states, including Lagos and Kano, that were doing well in revenue generation to learn from them. ‘’Where we see things happening we go there and learn, come back, modify what we learnt and apply it.

“My immediate target is about a billion naira a month and we will get that very quickly,” the governor said.

He said another strategy that the government had adopted to increase the revenue was to attract internal and external investments, adding that his recent trip to China was part of it.

He said that during the trip, he signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the second largest government-owned private sector company in China for investments in mining and infrastructure. ‘’I am creating an atmosphere of good governance, transparency, accountability and equity and people see my body language, they know my antecedents and they are willing to come and establish in the state,’’ Wada said.

He said the business environment in Kogi was conducive , adding, ‘’we want to encourage local investors because before foreign investors come to your country, they want to know what local investors are doing.’’

ENUE State Governor Gabriel Suswam has called for a clear demarcation of the boundary between Benue and Taraba states to avoid further confusion among communities.

Suswam made the call in Danacha in Taraba State at a reception held in his honour by the Tiv Cultural and Development Association.

He said that Tiv people in Taraba State were indigenes of the state and warned them against running to Benue at the slightest communal clash with other tribes in Taraba.

Suswam thanked Governor Danbaba Suntai of Taraba State for honouring the formal declaration by former Governor Jolly Nyame that the Tiv in Taraba State were indigenous to the state.

He called on the people to support the

` •Chairman, Mosun-Okunola Local Council Development Area, Hon Abiodun Mafe (right) assisted by his Vice, Princess Opeyemi Akindele, (middle);and Secretary to the council,Mr Akinlola Falade presenting cheque to winner of Spelling ‘Bee Competition (junior category)Master Emeka Chibuke at the council secretariat, Ipaja, Lagos.

Free coaching classes for communities

A

FORMER chairmanship aspirant of the Action Congress of Nigeria(ACN) in IjebuOde Local Government of Ogun State, Mr Shamsudeen Onanuga, has urged pupils of primary schools in the council to make good use of coaching classes organised for them to improve their academic standard.

The programme tagged: “Free Summer Coaching Class” which was initiated last year, has been assisting pupils of primary and secondary schools

Agency launches new programme HE Director General, Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Dr Joseph Odumodu, has said that the agency will soon launch SON’s Conformity Assessment Programme (SONCAP) . He explained that any product that fails to meet the new requirement will be destroyed and penalty paid by importers of sub-standard goods.

Odumodu disclosed this during a factory tour of Comet Star Manufacturing Company Ltd, Agbara Ogun State,the manufacturer of cables.

He noted that the sub-standard goods cost a lot of money to destroy saying that the government would no long tolerate it,and importers would now bear the cost to destroy such goods.

“We are working assiduously to make sure that only quality products are sold in our markets,” he said. He added that the relevant government agencies have formed a formidable alliance to tackle the influx of sub-standard products into the country.

He said the review was necessitated by the failure of the current programme to achieve its objectives ‘I wish to state that in spite of all these efforts, the programme from our stock taking and analysis is yet to achieve its optimum prospect’, he said.

T

By Toba Agboola

The DG said since past efforts on the new initiative did not yield desired results, he was interacting with the stakeholders to find ways of ensuring greater effectiveness and efficiency in the implementation of the programme in the overall interest of the country.

He said his commitment to ensure stakeholders’ involvement as part of his six-point agenda on taking over the mantle of leadership of SON, informed the interactive session.

In order to ensure the success of the current effort, the DG said criticisms and suggestions would be taken with an open mind if the objectives of the forum are to be realised.

‘As part of our efforts to ensure success, provisions for rapporteurs have been made to take note of our deliberations to ensure that all issues are adequately captured and for follow up action as may be necessary”, he said.

Giving a hint on the’ new look’ SONCAP, Odumodu said, “we need to keep changing it to achieve the objectives. By the time we implement the new SONCAP we would be able to reduce by 35 per cent the influx of substandard products into Nigeria”

•Representative of the President, Ipaja Youth Forum, Hon Akanji Shadare, Deputy President of the forum, Hon Ishau Ajibade presenting a three- year tuition free scholarship certificate to Ajayi Benjamin of St Daniels Group of schools.

By Musa Odoshimokhe

to be on top of their academic pursuit.

Onanuga said the scheme enrolled children in Primary 1-6,employed about 77 teachers and involved 11 schools, one from each ward of the council.The aim is ensure that all members of the community benefit from the programme.

He maintained that the strength of any nation depended on the quality of education it impacted on the youth who are the leaders of tomorrow. “The strength of any nation is not the gold at the Central Bank or the vastness of its army but the quality and character of its people which have their foundation in the education of its youth.”

Onanuga noted that it was in that spirit that the decision to embark on the summer school programme was initiated, with the sole aim of grooming them for educational advancement no matter their family background or social status. The programme which will end in a week to the resumption date of the 2012/2013 academic session would be accompanied with a prize given ceremony where education materials worth millions of naira will be distributed to about 3,500 primary school pupils that attends extra mural classes.

Revival programme

C • From left: Engr Solomon O. Okeke; Assistant Superintendent of Police Olajide Mutairu and Engr Mr Paul Chijioke Okenwa during a seminar in Lagos .

PHOTO: SOLOMON ADEOLA

Church seeks internal unity ONCERNED members of the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC), under the aegis of the Movement for Divine Restoration of the CAC (MDRCAC), are making frantic efforts to restore peace and unity in the church.

The group is particularly worried over the leadership crisis that has been rocking the church, its skewed administration and what it termed persistent violation of the church’s constitution; thus, calling for urgent reconstitution of its General Executive Council (GEC).

In a statement jointly signed by its representatives, Pastor M.O Adedoyin and Elder S. A. Olatunji, the movement bemoaned the worsening leadership friction in the church, saying: “Recently, we all witnessed a new dimension in the GEC leadership’s search for legitimacy by requesting all chairmen in some states to swear to an oath of allegiance in support of the new leadership. This is quite unbecoming of a church of our standing and unprecedented in the history of Christ Apostolic Church.

“Anyone truly appointed by God and acceptable to the followership does not need to coerce, intimidate, blackmail or even threaten members or ministers of the church to swear to an oath. True leadership and loyalty are commanded, not demanded. It further stated: “Representatives of the movement are being threatened by queries and phantom sus-

C

37

By Dada Aladelokun pensions but to no avail. The MDRCAC is committed to the unification of the church and no amount of threat or harassment can stop it.”

The group, the statement further stated, had been in consultations with the Supreme Council (SC) and other factions in the church with a view to entrenching lasting peace and unity in the church as well as a God-ordained transparent leadership.

In the same vein, aggrieved members of the Lagos District Coordinating Council (LDCC) of the church have condemned the endorsement of the new leadership by their chairmen. “This is nothing but a coup d’etat. This is not short of the same Abacha’s political one-millionman march in the church of God; a situation where our so-called chairmen are being made to append their signatures and published in national dailies to deceive CAC followership and drum support for CAC’s imposed president.

•Adedoyiin

ALVARY Redemption Bible Church, Triumphant Arena, will begin a six-day revival programme from August 27 to September 2. The time is 6.30pm to 8.30pm daily with a thanksgiving service on Sunday at 11.00am. The venue is the Church auditorium, 21, Alhaji Shittu Street, Agboyi Estate, Alapere in Ketu/Agboyi Local Council Development Area of Lagos State. It has: In times like this as its theme.

Speaking at a rally organised by the church, the host, Pastor Isaac Ogundeyi said: “This end-time is for strange happenings in the global community and the only solution is to be close to God. Those attending will experience breakthroughs in all spheres of life as well as salvation, deliverance, healing and the fruit of the womb”.

Ministering are Pastor Ayodele Akinwumi, Pastor Henry R. Aghonusa, Pastor Tunde Rufus, Pastor Olutayo Nathamel Ojajuni and some gospel artistes.

Suntai-led administration and stay in peace with other ethnic groups in the state.

Also, Suntai said the Tiv people constituted over 50 per cent of the economy of Taraba State and as such the state was proud of them.

“I don’t know what some people may feel but the truth is that the Tiv in Taraba form over 50 per cent of the economy of this state and if you remove them our economy will collapse,” the governor said.

Governors Suswam and Suntai were decorated in Tiv traditional attires on the occasion.

•Suswam

Cleric seeks support for Arabic Language

HE Rector, Markaz Islamic and Arabic Institute, Lagos, Sheik Habeebullahi Al-Ilory, has urged the Federal Government to give due recognition to Arabic Language because it is one of Nigeria’s indigenous languages and spoken by some of the country’s neighbours.

Besides, he urged the government not to establish ministry of religious affairs

T

Benue

By Tajudeen Adebanjo

as being clamoured in some quarters.

Al-ilory said giving Arabic recognition would also help Nigeria tackle the security challenge because of intelligence report that some natives of neighbouring countries where Arabic is being spoken are those perpetrating crimes in the country.

Rotary to build vocation centre

T

HE President of Rotary Club of Egbeda, Mr. Chuks Okonkwo, has promised to establish a vocation centre for skill acquisition by the youths in the area.

He emphasised his desire to empower the residents of Egbeda as the centre would encourage the youth to learn trades that would help them put food on their tables and also make them respected members of the society.

Okonkwo disclosed this during his installation as the 10th president of Rotary Club of Egbeda.

“We are already running an illiteracy class and is for free and we are going to empower the people around us, because if they are empowered, the issue of insecurity will no longer be there.

“Most of the people today are working for the security of their lives which is not supposed to be so. Without empowering the people, one would just be wasting time. “Education is important, knowledge is power, so, I am going to make sure that I try my best to

By Tumininu Owolabi

eradicate poverty in my environment at Egbeda and Idimu”, he said.

Okonkwo observed that one of the basic needs of man which is food is no longer basic as most families can no longer afford three meals.

He said: “ If you don’t think of what people will eat and you are investing on security, then, you are only wasting your time, because, a hungry man can do anything in despiration”.

The Egbeda Rotary President remarked that for there to be a better society, we should start thinking of reaching out to other people in the society.

Mr. Okonkwo said that he took the responsibility of leading the club because he is aware that there is a lot of gap to bridge in the country.

According to him, “the disparity between the rich and the poor in our society is very high and that is why the issue of insecurity in our country is so high”.

He described the Rotary Club as a global organisation whose vision and objective is to look after the less- privileged in our society.

Council chief urges peaceful co-existence

T

HE Chairman,Mushin Local Government Hon. Olatunde Adepitan, has said that Muslims and Christian can live together peacefully in the country. He made this declaration at the IFTAR (breaking of fast) public lecture he organised for the Chief Imam of Muslim Central Central Mosque, League of Imams and Ulamah in the council.

Adepitan said he is the chairman of Mushin Local Government, irrespective of religion, colour or creed, “if we respect one another all worshippers can co-habit without any difficulties,” he said Speaking at the inauguration of the camping programme for Muslim leaders in his council, Adepitan charged the clerics to al-

ways preach peace and religious tolerance. He said the little he knows about the Muslim religion, teaches him to respect the mode of worship of other religions.

He appealed to youths to shun all acts that can cause disharmony, chaos, anarchy and violence.

“This programme was initiated by my administration a year ago, to unite all Muslims in my area,whatever the society or group a Muslim might belong, all tend to preach peace, progress and harmony, that is why as a government, we are trying to forster unity and oneness. The same thing was done to the Christian body and we are achieving stronger ties amongst all the denominations.

“I am glad that Mushin today is more peaceful than what it was some years ago”.

The Chief Imma of Mushin Central Mosque, Alhaji Opeyemi Olanijo, praised the efforts of the chairman to bring about unity in the body of Muslims in Mushin. He urged him not to relent as his efforts are being appreciated by all.

Present at the event were the Chairman of Ejigbo LCDA, Comrade Kehinde Bamigbetan, the Council Manager, Olayinka Oladeji, Secretary to the Council, Hon. Ismail Yaya and Sheik Mubarak Shinginni.

He said: “In Africa, there are those whose Mother Tongue is Arabic. After Arabic, the most spoken indigenous language is Swahili and even at that Swahili is closely related to Arabic.

“In Nigeria, we have Shua Arabs in Nigeria whose mother tongue is Arabic. Why will Nigeria include Portuguese in our international passport when it has no bearing with us. How many Nigerians speak Portuguese?”

Al-Ilory observed that there were over 20 Arabic countries that had bilateral relationships with Nigeria, which made it incumbent on the Federal Government to recognise Arabic.

On why government should not establish ministry of religious affairs, he said religion is a personal affair , adding that establishing such ministry would negate Nigeria’s secularity.

Briefly

Group gives free medicare

By Amidu Arije

A group, the Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria, Oshodi, Mafoluku and Shogunle Central branches has given free medical check up and drugs to over 200 elders in the community.

The motive of the programme, according to the Amir (President) of Mafoluku Central branch, Taofik Ajao, is to reduce the rate of untimely death in the state.

Ajao stated that the health of the people is one of the cardinal points of the society’s’ goals- to touch the life of people in their environment.

“We have embarked on the free medical check up and distribution of drugs to reduce the rate of deaths in our community, it is also a way of contributing our quota to the good health of the people by educating them on steps to take in ensuring healthy living,” he said.

He stated further that the programme is an annual one that is centrally concerned with improving the state of health of the people especially the aged against strokes and other killer diseses at old age.

One of the beneficiaries of the free medical check up, Alhaja Rofiat Rahman, said she was grateful for the opportunity offered her by the group to enable her check her blood pressure free of charge.

Monarch donates borehole

T •Guest lecturer at the second edition of the Iftar, Sheik Mubarat Shinginni; Chief Imam of Mushin Central Mosque, Sheik Opeyemi Olanijo and the organiser, Hon. Adepitan.

HE Baale of Lisa community in Ifo local government Ogun state , High Chief Oladele Nojeem Odugbemi has donated borehole to his ancenstral home town Igbore in Abeokuta .Chief Odugbemi ,while speaking at the inauguration, stated that the donation was borne out of his desire to contribute his qouta to the development of the community andalso to support the present administration in the state .

He said: ‘’We have had many governors in Ogun State, the present governor is doing everything in his power to develop the state; if we support him , it’s not too much,I use this to laud the governor for a job well done’’

In his address,Commissioner for Community Development ,Mr Samuel Ayedogbon who was represented by Chief Shodimu Odukoya, expressed appreciation for the donation , urging other poeple to donate generously.

The Oluwo of Igbore ,Chief Anthony Oluyide , called on the residents of Igbore to emulate the kind gesture displayed by Chief Odugbemi. Also, the youth president IGBORE ASA ,Mr Aliu Ramon thanked the donor for responding to the need of his people, urging other well meaning sons and daughters of Igbore to emulate what Chief Odugbemi had done for the people of Igbore.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2012

29

BUSINESS THE NATION

E-mail:- bussiness@thenationonlineng.net

Forecasts Q3 Sept 2012 Oasis Ins Turnover N450m Profit after tax N63.894m Access Bank Gross earnings N54.782b Profit after tax N11.907b Resort Savings & Loans Gross earnings N960.736m Profit after tax N165.540m Trans-Nationwide Exp Gross earnings N170.342m Profit after tax N40.568m GT Assure Gross premium N9.525b Profit after tax N1.241b Pharma-Deko Turnover N454m Profit before tax N10m Cornerstone Ins Premium Revenue N919.418m Profit after tax N41.002m Skye Bank Gross earnings N99.710b Profit after tax N13.933b CCNN Turnover N3.683b Profit after Tax N402.165m Custodian & Allied Gross Premium N8.540b Profit after tax N1.345b UPDC Turnover N10.274b Profit after tax N1.002b Nestle Nig Turnover N28.850b Profit after tax N4.014b UACN Turnover N48.313b Profit after tax N4.611b Julius Berger Turnover N125.541b Profit after tax N3.993b Diamond Bank Gross earnings N27.315b Profit after tax N3.107b Oando Turnover N123.207b Profit after tax N2.967b Presco Turnover N2.400b Profit after tax N613.760m Berger Paints Turnover N976.303m Profit after tax N88.258m Eterna Turnover N56.413b Profit after tax N859.734m Consolidated Hallmark Ins Gross premium N4.110b Profit after tax N511.564m MRS Oil Nig Turnover N76.804b Profit after tax N1.068b Transcorp Total income N2.658b Profit after tax N1.507b Evans Medicals Revenue N1.619b Profit after tax N64.656m AIICO Ins Gross premium N2.561b Profit after tax N344.406m GSK Nig Turnover N6.756b Profit after taxation N580.824m Abbey Building Society Gross earnings N1.300b Profit after tax N217.537m Regency Alliance Gross premium N1.300b Profit after tax N303.777m Total Nigeria Turnover N54.466b Profit after tax N1.804b Red Star Express Turnover N2.888b Profit after tax N200.557m Cadbury Nig Turnover N9.873b Profit after tax N735m Okomu Oil Turnover N2.176b Profit after tax N667.068m Continental Re Turnover N10.028b Profit after tax N1.207b Livestock Feeds Turnover N1.379b Profit after tax N51.654m IEI Gross Premium N4.250b Profit after tax N533.898m

•INSIDE:

As far as local content is concerned, the ICT industry is uncompetitive because it is cheaper to import a base station than to fabricate one in Nigeria. It is cheaper to import a chip card than to make and personalise in Nigeria.

- Mrs Omobola Johnson, Minister of Communications Technology

AMCON:Bridged banks may not T be sold until 2014 HE three bridged banks (Keystone, Enterprise and Mainstreet) owned by the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) may not be sold until 2014, The Nation has learnt.

The corporation’s Executive Director, Finance and Operations, Mrs Mofoluke Dosunmu, disclosed this in a chat with The Nation.

Keystone, Enterprise and Mainstreet are the defunct BankPHB, Spring Bank and Afribank. They were among the banks rescued by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). Their shareholders had refused to allow new investors recapitalise them, culminating in their liquidation.

Mrs Dosumu said the two financial advisers (Citibank consortium and Renaissance Capital consortium) for the sale of the three bridged banks, have not been mandated to sell the institutions but to conduct due deligence.

The Citibank consortium is expected to evaluate the value of Mainstreet Bank and advice the corporation on the best way to maximise value. The Renaissance Capital Consortium is expected to do same for Keystone and Enterprise banks. The

•Advisers have no sales mandate

By Ayodele Aminu, Group Business Editor

time frame for the assignment is between to six months.

She said the sale of the bridged banks may not be completed until within 18 to 24 months.

“But contrary to what the public thinks. We are not yet gotten to the stage where the bridged banks will be sold. What they are doing is due diligence - coming up with the price and methodology. Do you want to put this thing on the market via enlisting, or are you doing it via a core shareholder? If you are doing a core shareholder, what type of core shareholder do you need? So those are things they are advising us on. It has nothing to do yet with sales.

“This is why we were very careful about our choice of words. And also even in the letters of engagement that has been given to these advisers, it preclude sales. It does not in any way

involve sales. That is not part of the package. They are not allowed on our behalf to entertain sales bids at all.

We were very careful about that,” she stressed.

Reiterating that AMCON, which is the sole shareholder would not be holding the lenders for so long, she said the selection of process for the advisers was very transparent.

“We placed adverts to request for advisers for various reasons. One, was to do due diligence on institutions. Two, come up with evaluation of the institution and then three, advice as to the mode and time of exiting this investment because to us it’s actually an investment. It was published in the papers and I think initially we received Expression of Interests (44 EOIs).They were shortlisted. It was a very transparent process.

“Thereafter RSP’s were sent to 11 of them. We received responses

from seven because some of them also came together to work in certain groups, in consortia and out of those seven, two consortiums were chosen. One is Citibank who will be advising us on KeyStone while Rencap will be advising us on the other two. Basically, we are having our all parties’meeting tomorrow (last Friday) to kick off the process,” she said.

Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, AMCON, Mr Mustapha Chike-Obi, had earlier disclosed that, among the options open to the corporation, was to list the shares of the bridge banks on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE).

“One of the options available to AMCON is to take these institutions public, so that the Nigerian public can have a chance to invest in them.

So, we want to look at all the options before we start thinking of who the ultimate investors would be. It is only on the basis of that advice and examination that we come to the best way of selling these banks.”

He, however, said AMCON was not in a rush to sell the bridged banks because certain procedures among, which include the valuation of the banks, are yet to be executed.

Imo seeks recovery of oil wells

By Ambrose Nnaji

I

•Secretary to the Federal Government of the Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim (right), presenting Certificate of Merit to Chief Executive Officer, Landover Airways Limited, Capt. Edward Boyo, during the 12th National Productivity Day Celebration and Conferment of National Productivity Order of Merit(NPOM) Award in Abuja... last week.

PHOTO: ISAAC JIMOH

Oteh: Disquiet as market awaits govt’s decision

T

HE capital market is awaiting the resolution of the leadership crisis at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), according to reports by market operators.

Market operators, who spoke under condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, said investors were concerned about the underlying corporate governance issues, raised by the House of Representatives’ probe report and PriceWaterHouse Coopers’ investigative audit on the leadership of SEC’s director general, Ms Arunma Oteh.

All the market operators are chief executives of leading stockbroking

Liquidity, market structure stall market makers •Page 32

By Taofik Salako

firms and include at least a major representative of the market’s main trade group.

They noted that the lingering leadership crisis and vacuum implied by the inconclusiveness of government’s decision on propriety or otherwise, Oteh’s leadership at SEC has continued to dodge market’s recovery.

“It’s an issue that investors worry about, and it’s very important that the government resolve the issue in a way that will not jeopardise investors’ confidence,” a source said.

Market sources said given the highest corporate governance stan-

dards and public disclosures required of quoted companies, the mainstay of SEC’s regulation, government would need to make public the findings of the PriceWaterHouse Coopers’ investigative audit Oteh’s handling of SEC finances under Project 50.

According to them, since the House of Representatives’ report which roundly indicted and recommended termination of appointment of the embattled SEC DG has been made public, the government should release the report of the PriceWaterHouse Coopers’ and its own position on the two reports, and then leave the public to make • Continued on page 32

MO State Commissioner for Petroleum and Environment, Emmanuel Ekweremba has said efforts are being made to ensure recovery of marginal fields belonging to the state.

He said the Governor, Rochas Okorocha, has given the directive to ensure that all the marginal oil fields in the state are put into full production, adding that this would not only create employment opportunities for the teeming youths, but also yield revenue for the state.

He told The Nation in Owerri, that production would soon start at the Asa Gas plant at Ohaji Egbema, which he said has been acquired by Shell. He said the plant is expected to boost economic activities in the area, in particular as well Imo State in general.

Ekweremba also appealed to the youths to shun acts that could cause unrest and vandalism, saying such vices would in no way bring progress in the state. “We have sensitised the youths through an awareness program about the importance of those oil companies to the state’s economy and have adviced them on the criminal impact of all these bunkering and vandalism.”

He statistics have shown that over 92 oil wells exist in the state but had been excised to other states.

“You discover that most of the oil wells belong to Imo State, but other states are reaping the dividends,” he alleged, adding that the problem of oil theft has been adequately resolved in the state.

Improved earnings rekindle Our strategies ‘ll boost returns, says Lean Africa chief interests in penny stocks •Page 32

•Page 33

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2012

30

MONEY

CBN to audit ‘politically-exposed persons’ forex F OREIGN Exchange (Forex) use by politically-exposed persons (PEP) will be audited, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has said.

This became exigent after the apex bank commenced full implementation of its anti-money laundering/combating financial terrorism (AML/CFT) risk-based supervision framework, it issued in 2011.

CBN Director, Financial Policy and Regulation, Chris Chukwu, said the implementation of riskbased supervision to combating money laundering and terrorist financing depended on a sound understanding of the threats and vulnerabilities of the menace by each financial institution in particular and the financial industry in general.

Chukwu said the measure is supported by the importance the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) attached to risk-based approach

Stories by Collins Nweze

to AML/CFT supervision in its revised recommendations issued in February this year.

PEP are individuals entrusted with prominent public functions in Nigeria and/or foreign countries and people or entities associated with them.

Consequently, the apex bank has mandated banks to report monthly, the forex use by these individuals and their associates.

The reporting, it said, will identify the branch in which the transaction took place, name of account, account number, name of PEP, PEP status, relationship with PEP and nature of business. It will also identify total credit transaction in dollar, total debit transaction in dollar, and total credit for-

eign transactions in dollar, among other details.

The apex bank stipulated that the full names of the reporting entity should be provided while the report reference number should be a combination of the entity’s existing Electronic Financial Analysis and Surveillance System (e-FASS) code allocated to them by the CBN, that also takes into consideration type of report and period covered.

Besides, all considered reports are to be serially numbered while the financial institution’s branch where the account is domiciled and the name in which the account was opened and operated should be included in the report.

“Where the subject of report is a corporate entity, it should be stated

• From left: Managing Director, Ecobank Nigeria, Mr Jibril Aku; Chairman, Government Employment Pension Fund (GEPF) of South Africa, Mr Arthur Moloto; Chairman, Ecobank Nigeria Olor’ogun (Dr.) Sonny Kuku and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI) Arnold Ekpe, when GEPF visited Ecobank Nigeria in Lagos.

CBN: Nigeria vulnerable to external shocks D ECLINE in global output and aggregate demand in 2012 to 2013 could trigger negative shocks on international oil prices and threaten Nigeria’s Balance of Payments (BoP) position, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has said.

The apex bank in a circular tagged: Monetary, Credit, Foreign Trade and Exchange Policy guidelines listed challenges facing the steady growth of the real sector as poor infrastructure, such as roads, transportation, electricity and water supply.

Others are inadequate supply and high cost of agricultural inputs as well as low level of post-harvest management. The apex bank said the sector was further constrained by weak technological base and expensive domestic manufactured products, compared with stiff competition from cheap foreign goods, low level of manufactured exports and the low utilisation of local raw materials by industries, as well as insecurity of lives and property.

These factors, it said, remain a major concern for Nigeria’s BoP. The apex bank also added that lack of diversification of the economy due to excessive depen-

dence on oil as a major source of government revenue is also affecting the country’s BoP. “The continued drawdown in the Excess Crude Account to finance current consumption has accentuated inflationary pressures and constrained the efficacy of monetary policy in taming inflation and moderating swings in interest and exchange rates,” it said.

Overall, there is the need to increase domestic revenue mobilisation by broadening the tax base and improving revenue collection mechanism. The report said despite these challenges, the outlook for the domestic economy in 2012 to 2013 is cautiously optimistic as crude oil prices are expected to continue to be favourable to the domestic economy.

It tipped the agricultural sector to lead growth and remain robust if recent trends in rainfall across the country and the increased public sector funding of the sector are sustained.

“With bumper harvest, food

prices would trend downwards, thus moderating inflationary pressures. However, the phased removal of subsidy on petroleum products and full implementation of the National Minimum Wage across the country could counteract the gains in inflation. The major challenge for policy in 2012 to 2013 would thus be containing upward trending inflationary pressures,” it said.

The CBN noted that there is urgent need to fix infrastructure challenges, particularly power, which has impeded growth in manufacturing output. It said fixing the power infrastructure was imperative to reviving output growth during the programme period.

“As the world economy slowly recovers from the lingering impact of the global financial and economic crises, Nigeria’s external sector is expected to grow moderately in 2012 to 2013, as demand for oil picks cautiously. Oil is expected to continue its dominance in exports given the sluggish growth in non-oil exports. The exchange rate of the naira is expected to moderate during the programme period,” it added.

as such. The past or present position held by the PEP that falls within the CBN AML/CFT Regulation should be specifically stated.

The full names of the PEP, the type of relationship with the PEP, such as son, wife, trustees, nominees, solicitor or director in the company should be stated,” it said.

There should also be a provision for total debit naira transaction, conducted by PEP on the accounts to be consolidated and reported.

The total credit and debit foreign transactions conducted by the PEP on the account or accounts should be converted to dollars at the prevailing rate as at the end of the reporting month. It should also be consolidated and reported.

• CBN Governor Sanusi Lamido

Shareholders want ASO Savings to diversity

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HE National Coordinator of the Independent Sharehold ers Association of Nigeria (ISAN), Sir Sunny Nwosu, has tasked ASO Savings & Loans on the need for investment diversification to improve its performance.

This, he said, will also assist the bank in the proposed increase of its capital base to meet the N5 billion regulatory requirement.

He said the mortgage finance bank withstood the harsh economic situation in the country in the last financial year, and it would perform better by diversifying its investment base.

Speaking at the bank’s Annual General Meeting in Lagos, Nwosu lauded the lender for its return to profitability after the downward trend in the 2010 financial year.

“Though the profit margin in this year’s financial report was not profound as that of last year, we are pleased that we are not recording losses. We appreciate the management for their continuous strive to grow the organisation,” he said.

The bank was also commended for its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) which focused on education.

The bank within the financial year donated materials to schools and held several leadership programmes for underprivileged students. He said members of the

group would give the lender the needed support to meet expectations of stakeholders.

The Managing Director, Hassan Usman, described the 2012 financial year as a period the bank used to mobilise deposits and expand its product base in key market segments. The bank enhanced its operational efficiencies, strengthened internal controls and maintained close control over credit quality.

“We worked hard to increase our revenue growth by expanding core businesses and deepening relationships with our retail and commercial customers,” he said.

Chairman, Board of Directors, Aso Savinsg, Olatunde Ayeni, said the bank has remained resilient and competitive despite the slow economic growth being witnessed in the country.

“Notwithstanding this challenging environment, we have made progress in our drive to become the mortgage bank of choice for Nigerians and on the key actions we are taking to deliver strong, stable and sustainable returns for our shareholders over time,” he said. He reiterated the bank’s commitment to assist Nigerians own homes of their choice and providing competitive mortgages to eligible customers.

He said the firm is also committed to providing continuous support to credible developers.

Banks recover N34b agric loans

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ANKS have recovered N34.11 billion of N55.99 billion guaranteed under the Agricultural Credit Guarantee Scheme (ACGS).

The Nation’s findings showed that 763,514 farmers have benefitted from the scheme of which only 562,224 borrowers have settled their loans.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) which manages ACGS has set aside N1.5 billion to rate banks’ lending to farmers. The apex bank also allocated N75 billion for the full implementation of the Nigeria Incentive-based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL) project.

A statement from CBN Director, Development Finance Department, Paul Eluhaiwe, said rating of the banks is one of the strategic measures being taken by the apex bank to stimulate lending to the sector.

According to him, the NIRSAL objective is to de-risk agriculture finance value chain, build longterm capacity and institutionalise incentives for agricultural lending.

He listed the potential lenders to include traditional banks, microfinance institutions, trade finance providers, asset managers, and private equity funds. Credit to the sector could also come as a loan

portfolio, a loan, a bond or, in some cases, a specific commitment letter.

He said NIRSAL Credit Risk Guarantee ranges from 30 to 75 per cent and could be loan principal, or loan principal and interest payments.

The funds are targeted at farmer groups, large corporate farmers, processing companies, agricultural service providers, logistic companies and wholesale distributors, among others. It can also be targeted at whole agribusiness value chain across all crops and livestock activities.

He said NIRSAL is a public/private initiative designed by the apex bank and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture in 2011 to disburse such grants to financial institutions for easy access by farmers nationwide.

He said N45 billion had been earmarked from the N75 billion as loans to the farmers, while the balance would be used to train the farmers and insure them.

The CBN Director said the funds would be driven by five pillars, of which N45 billion would be channeled to risk sharing facility.

There is equally a N4.5 billion insurance facility that links insurance products to loans provided by banks.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2012

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MONEY

Why infrastructural financing is difficult, by experts

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XPERTS have identified a disconnect between project life cycle and financing life cycle, risks mismatch, poor corporate governance, unstructured loan requests, and overriding political interests as some of the problems of financing certain infrastructural projects in the country.

The experts, who spoke on a wide range of issues hindering the financing and refinancing of energy, said it would be difficult to accelerate the growth of capital projects unless those problems were solved.

The Head, Legal and Governance, Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission, Mr Joe Ohiani, said the success of any banking facility was dependent on three layers - the project, financing and political life cycle.

He said when there is a wide gap between the life cycle of a project and finance, banks are skeptical of granting loans to companies

Stories by Akinola Ajibade

that want to invest in infrastructural projects.

He said politics must be divorced from investment, stressing that vested political interest might prevent the early completion of a project.

He said: “So, if you have a longterm financing plan in mind, politicians and politics should be divorced from it. The financing of a project must not be based on the whims and caprices of politicians.

The best practices of corporate governance both at the micro and micro levels is necessary to get things done. The way we have been doing things have to stop or we would not get the desired results.”

Also, the Managing Director, Niger Delta Exploration and Production Company Limited, Dr. Layi Fatona, said mismatch of risks was obvious in the financial

market, adding that it was causing a lot of problems in accessing loans for projects.

He said: “Traditionally, financial institutions weigh a lot of risks before providing loans. Often times, the risks are mismatched, a development that makes it difficult to give loans to people. We see a lot of that in the market. For instance, somebody who is not capable of managing forex risks takes over forex risks. There is no way such actions would not affect transactions in the foreign exchange market.”

Fatona said the company started small, stressing that banks provided the facility to build the company after ensuring that the risks in the oil exploration firm were surmountable. He said banks like sharing risks, and no bank would be comfortable to give loans to a company that has higher risks.

Firm to open branch in Ibadan THE Investment Securities Tribunal (IST) is planning to open a branch in Ibadan, Oyo State capital. Speaking at a stakeholders’ meeting in Ibadan recently, its Chief Registrar, Mrs. Sona Akinbiyi said the development was aimed at galvanising stock market activities in the state.

Mrs. Akinbiyi said the branch would help investors list their grievances without travelling to Abuja for such issues. She appealed to shareholders’ groups to work together to facilitate the operations of the tribunal. She said the support of shareholders was necessary to establish a division of the tribunal in the Southwest.

She said: “The importance of the tribunal cannot be emphasised. It would help in the early settlement of investment disputes, enable aggrieved investors to get justice as at when due, and foster growth of the market. When issues bordering on fraudulent sales of shares, among other unwholesome treatment meted to investors are resolved, there would be a surge in investors’ confidence.”

According to her, plans are in the pipeline to visit the state government, among other relevant stakeholders, next month to discuss the modalities for opening a division of the tribunal in the state.

Speaking on behalf of shareholders, the President, Renaissance Shareholders Association of Nigeria, Mr Olufemi Timothy, said the move would help restore the confidence of investors who are struggling to get justice in the area. Tmothy said the branch was long overdue because investors in the Southwest had been advocating for it to solve their problems.

‘FMDAN doesn’t fix NIBOR’ THE Financial Market Dealers Association of Nigeria (FMDAN) has said that it does not fix the Nigeria Inter-Bank Rate (NIBOR). The association’s Executive Secretary, Mr Wale Abe, told The Nation the body had never been involved in sharp practices since inception.

He said NIBOR process was independent of the association, and as such it could not fix the rate.

He said NIBOR took after the London Inter-Bank Rate (LIBOR), and has since been in charge of fixing the money market rates in the country.

He said: “FMDA does not have any input in NIBOR process. Rather, there wis a committee headed by Mr Jubril Aku of Ecobank. Members of the committee are drawn from various institutions. Various sectors such as manufacturing, telecom and others are represented in the committee.

“There are companies representing the sectors. They play key roles in the market. Therefore, banks cannot influence the process of NIBOR.We called the market made up of NIBOR contribution institutions. The call is based on certain ratings. These institutions are called in the morning for indicative rates to give an idea of what rates can be obtained in the market. The process of computing NIBOR is automated.”

He said NIBOR could not be influenced by any institution because of how the market was structured, adding that the primary data used in the market was sourced.

‘Africa needs $93b annually to fix infrastructure’ • From left: Mr Abayomi Olomolaiye (Ag. Company Secretary, FITC, Dr Lucy S. Newman (MD/CEO, FITC), Dr Kingsley Moghalu (Chairman, FITC Board) and Mr Aminu Ahmed (Representative of the Vice-Chairman, FITC, Alhaji Umaru Ibrahim) during the 28 th Annual General Meeting of FITC held in Lagos.

ECOWAS moves to tackle money laundering I

NTERGOVERNMENTAL Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA) has unveiled a framework to check money laundering in the sub -region.

GIABA’s Director-General Dr Abdullahi Shehu said the body had conducted a joint evaluation of anti-money laundering measures among member states, adding that Financial Intelligence Units (FIU) have been set up in many countries to handle such issues.

Speaking at a post-workshop media session in Lagos, Shehu said the body had provided technical support to member countries to curtail money laundering, adding that GIABA had organised workshops for bankers, lawyers and prosecutors, among other stakeholders, in the fight against money laundering.

He said the body conducted researches to find out the level of involvement of people in corruption, adding that it also compiled reports detailing the corruptive tendencies and habits of private and government officials.

Citing one of the GIABA’s reports, Shehu said 15 former bank chief executive officers had been charged with corruption, money

laundering and allied offences under the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) establishment Act in Nigeria, a few years ago.

He said 14 drug-related cases were investigated in 2010, adding that five of the cases required assistance or inputs from the US Department of Justice, United Kingdom and South Africa.

Also contained in the report, according to him, is the decision of the Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to transfer three cases of seized fake monetary instruments to the EFCC for investigation. He stressed that the efforts of relevant authorities were yielding results.

The report noted: “Pervasive corruption in Nigeria constitutes a major threat and underlines most of the money laundering cases reported in recent times. In the past three years, more than 10 ex-governors and political leaders who allegedly embezzled public funds, estimated at $250billion, had been arrested and charged in court. Most of these funds are alleged to be hid-

den in Western banks and offshore centres, while a significant amount have been laundered through the acquisition of properties, luxury cars and purchase of high net worth shares in blue chip companies.”

Also, it said Senegalese security forces seized, between May and July 2009, cocaine from passengers coming from Brazil.

“Many other countries have recorded cases involving money laundering, human, drug, and currency trafficking, and embezzlement of funds, among other forms of corruption,” the report noted.

GIABA was established by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to articulate programmes that would reduce money laundering and its predicate offences in the region.

It comprises 15 countries: Benin Republic, Nigeria, Niger, Senegal, Sierra-Leone, Togo, Liberia, Guinea, Ghana, Cape Verde, Burkina Fasso, Cote d’Voire, Guinea-Bissau and Gambia.

Its objectives include ensuring that member states adopt and implement measures that would fight money laundering and terrorists financing.

AN estimated $93 billion is needed annually by Africa to develop its infrastructure. Two-thirds, according to a World Bank report, are required for new physical infrastructure and the remainder for maintenance and operations.

The estimates cover Information Communication Technology, Irrigation, Power, Transport and Water Supply and Sanitation sectors.

Nigeria is, unfortunately, no exception. Although the country is currently investing around seven per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on infrastructure, which is above the average for sub-Saharan Africa, research has shown the need to increase this figure to at least 12 per cent of GDP. Despite the options available for government to raise finance, the overwhelming consensus is that it cannot be done without private funds.

“At their best, private funds ease budget constraints and raise efficiency by leveraging private sector management expertise and innovation. Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) refers to an arrangement between the public and private sector for the delivery of public infrastructure or services,” the report said.

The report said private funds and PPP function as partners in project development and implementation, and share the responsibilities, resources, risks and returns.

“In some case, the private sector may play a more active role in service delivery. However, it is important to point out that the government is ultimately accountable and responsible for the provision of quality services that meet the needs of the public,” it said.

CIBN, UI discuss areas of partnership THE Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) and the University of Ibadan (UI) are discussing areas of collaboration. CIBN President of Council Segun Aina disclosed this when he visited the university to discuss issues of mutual importance.

Aina said the visit was part of efforts to engage key stakeholders on various initiatives of the institute, including benchmarking programmes of other banking institutes in various countries, creating a new administrative structure, enhanced certification programmes, development of a competency framework for the banking industry; improved Continuous Compulsory Development programme (CCPD) and establishment of a banking school to deepen knowledge and skills in the industry, among others.

UI’s Head of Department of Economics Festus Egwaikhide said the university was impressed with the various projects initiated by the CIBN.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2012

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THE NATION INVESTORS

Liquidity, market structure stall market makers I NADEQUATE capital and market structures might have stalled the take-off of the market makers, more than four months after Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) appointed 10 stockbroking firms as primary market makers.

Sources close to the arrangements for the market markers told The Nation that the market makers could not start operations because their existing capital and probable future access to capital may be challenged by the enormous liquidity requirement involved in market making.

They noted that the cap on maximum allowable lending by banks for equity investments and unwillingness of high-networth investors to provide additional liquidity buffers have made it difficult for the market makers to build up substantial capital to play effectively as bridges, especially in a largely recessive market situation like current Nigerian stock market’s.

Stories by Taofik Salako

As part of the selection criteria for market making, a market maker is required to have a minimum net capital of N570 million.

But the operations of market making may require multiple quadruples of such basic capital.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and SEC’s prudential guidelines currently cap banks’ exposure to margin lending at 10 per cent of a bank’s loan portfolio, cramping several equities-related demand from fund managers, individual and institutional high networth retail investors into the 10 per cent window.

A market source said that given the current low domestic participation in the capital market and the stress that escalation in the Euro area and advanced economies’ financial imbalance can create, the absence of strong liquidity channels may turn market makers into part of the problem rather than so-

lution.

Besides, a market source said the market structure at the stock exchange and the general laws, rules and regulations at the capital market were inadequate to cope with the sensitivities of market making.

Citing recent technological hiccups at the NSE and losses that related from such glitches in advanced markets, the source expressed worries about the prospects of market making vis-à-vis the regulatory framework and corporate governance at the market.

In response to media enquiry by The Nation, Head, Transformation and Change, NSE, Olumide Lala, said the internal systems and processes at the Exchange could adequately support market making.

He, however, confirmed that there were outstanding issues to be sorted out before effective take off of the initiative.

According to him, the management of the Exchange is working

closely with the selected primary market maker and the regulators to ensure general market readiness for the initiative, which will commence soon.

“It is anticipated that outstanding issues such as the approval process for securities lending agents will be addressed by the regulators shortly,” Lala said.

He stated that the NSE had made representation to the CBN to relax the apex bank’s 10 per cent equity loans cap, especially for market makers, adding that the NSE was made to understand that it’s request was under consideration.

Lala said banks that have not reached the 10 per cent limit have demonstrated willingness to support the initiative.

The NSE had in April appointed 10 stockbrokers as market makers.

These included Stanbic IBTC Stockbrokers, Renaissance Capital, Future View Securities, Vetiva Capital, ESS/DunnLoren Merrifield, WSTC Financial Services, Capital

Bancorp, FBN Securities, Greenwich Securities and CSL Stockbrokers.

Market making is a technical term that generally refers to the system of providing liquidity to securities through provision of bid and offer prices in the trading system of a stock exchange. Market makers can be categorized according to the level of liquidity supports they provide. A primary market maker is regarded as the foremost liquidity provider of a particular security while the supplemental market maker acts as a supplementary liquidity provider.

The primary obligation of a market maker is to always make a twoway price in each of the stocks in which it makes market. The nature of operations of their operations requires that market makers should be have adequate and liquid capital to be able to buy and borrow securities at any time as well as meet unusual market situation.

Oteh: Disquiet as market awaits govt’s decision • Continued from page 31

their judgment.

Market operators said the crisis of confidence that followed the restoration of Ms Oteh and subsequent release of the House of Representatives’ report was partly responsible for the relapse at the stock market.

A senior capital market operator said while the continued restrictive monetary policies of the CBN could be a major factor in the market’s downturn, the leadership crisis at SEC could be undermining the effectiveness of the market regulatory framework.

According to the source, the disharmony at SEC must certainly be affecting the efficiency and effectiveness of the Commission in the supervision of the Nigerian capital market.

“This I believe is the reason why the President is asking for a review of the findings and recommendations of the House of Representatives Committee on the Capital Market. I think the concern is that if the leadership and top management of SEC are unable to work together, the prospects of the Commission instituting policies and programs that will restore investors’ confidence is very remote,” the source stated.

The All Share Index (ASI), the benchmark index for the Nigerian stock market, which stood at 23,039.27 points on restoration of Oteh on July 18 slipped to 23,061.38 points by the end of the month. It opens today at 23,141.08 points. Aggregate market capitalisation of equities dropped correspondingly from N7.431 trillion to close the month at N7.340 trillion. It opens today at N7.365 trillion.

Resolution 19 of the report of House of Representatives’ ad hoc committee on the near collapse of the capital market stated that. That the appointment of Ms Arunma Oteh be terminated forthwith as Director-General of Securities and Exchange Commission as her appointment is in violation of Section 3 (2) a and Section 38 (1) (b), 2 and 3; Section 315 of the Investment and Securities Act, 2007 in that she did not have 15 years experience in the Nigerian capital market as required; she has shown incompetence in the management of human and material resources at her disposal in Securities and Exchange Commission; lack of transparency in managing Project 50, regulatory failure in some of the recent mergers, acquisitions and approvals of transactions

by Securities and Exchange Commis-

sion and general inability to carry along her staff, board, and management in decision making in Securities and Exchange Commission, and questionable staff recruitment policies.”

It had earlier identified as some of the key reasons for the near collapse of the market in the past and lack of public confidence in the market to include conflict of interest and misconduct of the current leadership of Securities and Exchange Commission , which it said fettered its regulatory capacity; loss of credibility of the entire Securities and Exchange Commission management team, led by the Director General, Arunma Oteh; regulatory failure of Securities and Exchange Commission and lack of statutory qualification by the current Director-General, Securities and Exchange Commission, Ms Arunma Oteh, among others.

The report called on the Ministry of Finance to reorganise SEC and sanction erring staff ofthe commission that were culpable in the deterioration at the capital market.

Oteh was sent on compulsory leave by the board of SEC on June 11, 2012 in order to allow for an unfettered investigation into several allegations against her management, including the commission’s Project 50 programme.

However, shewas recalled from compulsory leave and reinstated as director general of SEC on July 18, 2012 through a letter by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Chief Anyim. Anyim had stated that Oteh’s recall was based on her exoneration by report

by Price waterhouse Coopers, although he admitted she committed some infractions.

As Oteh was resuming, the House of Representatives’ Ad Hoc Committee on the Near Collapse of the Nigerian Capital Market released its 84-page report detailing several alleged criminal breaches and illegalities by Oteh. Among other recommendations, the report called for removal of Oteh as SEC DG. In the light of the protests and intrigues surrounding the recall of the SEC DG, President Goodluck Jonathan was reported to have directed that the full report of the House of Representatives’ committee and the resolutions therein as well as the report of Pricewaterhouse Coopers be made available to him.

The House of Representatives has indicated that it would review the President’s consideration of its report upon resumption of the legislature next month.

•Managing Director, Greenview Development Nigeria Limited (GDNL), Captain Joshua Oyewumi (with microphone) presenting the keys of a Toyota Hilux patrol van to Alhaji Kura, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Lagos State at the Dangote’s ports operations subsidiary’s terminal E building, Apapa, Lagos.

Improved earnings rekindle interests in penny stocks I

NVESTORS appeared to be taking positions in low-priced stocks as high earnings yields mark out several stocks around their nominal values as potential big returns for the stock market.

The Nation’s investigation showed that low-priced stocksotherwise known as penny stocks because of their bottom-rock market considerations have been within the top bracket of capital appreciation in recent period.

Low-priced stocks such as UTC Nigeria, AG Leventis Nigeria and Evans Medical among others were the major gainers in their different sectors as increased demand tightened market consideration.

UTC Nigeria Plc currently leads the food and beverages sector with a year-to-date return of 80 per cent, gathering significant momentum this quarter. UTC’s market consideration, which had stagnated at 50 kobo per share, opens today at 90 kobo. Also, AG Leventis’ share price, which opened third quarter at 82 kobo, opens today at N1.26 per share, representing an increase of 53.7 per cent. Evans Medical’s market valuation has risen by 79 per cent this quarter from opening price of 67 kobo to price-onboard of N1.20 today.

Several other low-priced stocks including Sterling Bank, Fidson Healthcare, Paints and Coating

Manufacturers and Transnational Corporation of Nigeria among others have also witnessed considerable upswing in recent period.

Interim report and accounts of Sterling Bank for the period ended June 30, 2012 had showed that gross earnings rose by 59.3 per cent to N32.69 billion in 2012 as against N20.52 billion recorded in the comparable period of 2011. The report also showed significant improvement in profitability as profit before tax rose from N2.55 billion to N3.25 billion. Profit after tax increased to N3.01 billion as against N2.2 billion in corresponding period of 2011.

Also, Fidson Healthcare Plc made nearly as much profit as it made for the whole of 2011 in the first half of this year, strengthening prospects for better returns for the 2012 business year.

Interim report and accounts of Fidson for the first half ended June 30, 2012 showed that sales grew by

about 47.6 per cent while the healthcare company reversed from a loss position to return a considerably strong profit.

Turnover stood at N3.57 billion in 2012 as against N2.42 billion in comparable period of 2011. Gross profit improved from N1.34 billion to N2 billion. From operating loss of N105.25 million in 2011, the company recorded operating profit of N319.68 million. Also, it replaced previous loss before tax of N188.63 million with a pre-tax profit of N218.34 million in 2012.

Net profit stood at N152.84 million in 2012 against net loss of N188.63 million in comparable period of 2011.

For the full year ended December 31, 2011, the company had recorded pre and post tax profits of N243.41 million and N83.21 million respectively.

Fidson had recently distributed a dividend per share of 10 kobo for the 2011 business year, the same rate it paid for the 2010 business year, with an assurance of better returns in the new business year.

‘Low-priced stocks... were the major gainers in their different sectors as increased demand tightened market consideration’

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2012

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THE NATION INVESTORS

Our strategies ‘ll boost returns, says Lean Africa chief

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HE new medium to longterm corporate development strategy of Learn Africa Plc would lead to higher returns to shareholders of the learning resource company, its management has assured.

In an exclusive interview with The Nation, Managing Director, Learn Africa Plc, formerly Longman Nigeria Plc, Mr Fred Ijewere, said ongoing expansions in products and markets of the company and its transformation from a printing and pub-

By Taofik Salako

lishing company to a complete educational resources company would underpin growth in returns to shareholders in the foreseeable future.

He noted that rather than being a disadvantage, the divestment of the company’s previous majority foreign shareholder, has been turned to major linchpin to pursue expansions into other African countries and businesses.

He outlined that the company has started operations in Ghana, Uganda, , adding that the positive impact of these expansion would become evident on the group performance from next year.

Ijewere assured shareholders that the company’s returns will never fall below its current benchmark as management would progressively improve returns to shareholders.

According to him, the mediumto-long term growth of the com-

pany would be driven by product and service innovation, expansion into other markets and acquisitions of strategic assets.

He said the low price of the company presents good investment opportunity as it would, undoubtedly, maintain its leadership as the largest publishing company in Nigeria while consolidating on its new businesses.

He assured that the overall outlook for the printing and publishing industry remained attractive citing government’s commit-

‘Procurement process critics being manipulated’ HE Bureau for Public Procurement (BPP) has accused the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply Management of Nigeria (CIPSMN) of being manipulated by persons who lost out under the new procurement reform progarmme.

The Director -General of the BPP, Emeka Ezeh, told The Nation that criticisms of the President of CIPSMN, Alhaji Mohammed Aliyu and others are not unexpected, saying it is the price the Bureau has to pay for carrying out the reforms.

He said: When there is reform, you may be surprised that there are unseen hands manipulating the process. The people talking are being used by people who lost out in the procurement exercise. Each day, we turn people down under the procurement process, and if they can’t get their way, they resort to blackmail,” adding that

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By Nduka Chiejina (Assistant Editor)

CIPSMN members are using all kinds of strategy and blackmail in their quest to secure contracts.

Ezeh, denied allegations that the BPP is engaging in woeful spending.

“If they are saying paying salaries is woeful spending, fine. I don’t have capital projects to waste my money on. My capital is not up to N200 million, so where is the money to waste? The rest goes to paying the salaries of my workers.

So you can see, when people are on a mission of mischief. I have never met them they don’t even know what is even going on here.”

On the database maintenance exercise the BPP is conducting, he said: “ Section 5 of the Act establishing the BPP, allows the BPP to maintain a database for categorization and classification of contrac-

tors and service providers, so they don’t have to register in a thousand places every time.

This is to ensure ease of doing business in Nigeria because we have to have a common pool. So part of what we are doing is to remove that bottle neck and have only one registration for the nation.

He explained that the database is intended to have a classification of people so that people of equal competence are pooled together in one envelope and asked to bid for a job. When MDAs are demanding for contractors depending on the complexity of the contract they will now demand for that category of companies that can best handle the contract. It also helps build local capacity because the big companies don’t have to compete with the small ones and thereby knock them out of business, and also the small ones don’t have to waste their time com-

peting with the big ones because they don’t have the competence.”

Ezeh denied that the BPP is undermining CIPSMN. “What would I gain by undermining them, would I be DG of BPP and still be President of CIPSMN? What would I gain? Instead, they are the ones who have refused to accept that procurement is not the same thing as purchasing and supply they have in their brains that purchasing and supply is the same thing as procurement,” he stated.

Earlier, at a one-day roundtable by CIPSMN, Alhaji Aliyu had expressed concern that BPP is undermining professionalism in Nigeria, describing the body as “a shadow of its former self, lacking in capacity to carry out its statutory functions, but enmeshed in crises of mis-procurement,” saying the body should be disbanded and replaced with the National Council of Public Procurement (NCPP).

Banks use $1.77tr to double treasury purchases

T

HE gap between United States bank deposits and loans is growing at the fastest pace in two years, providing lenders with more funds to buy bonds and temper the biggest sell-off in Treasuries since 2010.

As deposits increased 3.3 per cent to $8.88 trillion in the two months ended July 31, business lending rose 0.7 per cent to $7.11 trillion, Federal Reserve data show. The record gap of $1.77 trillion according to Bloomberg has expanded 15 per cent since May, the biggest similar-period gain since July, 2010. Banks have already bought $136.4 billion in Treasury and government agency debt this year, more than double the $62.6 billion in all of 2011, pushing their hold-

ings to an all-time high of $1.84 trillion.

Faced with a slowing U.S. economy, unemployment above 8 per cent for more than three years and regulations forcing them to hold more and higher-quality assets, banks are lending at below pre-recession levels. The bond purchases help explain why even after rising this month, Treasury 10-year note rates are about half the 3.5 percent median forecast of 43 economists in a Bloomberg survey a year ago.

“Bank deposits continue to explode and in turn they continue to buy Treasuries as the economy loses momentum, inflation is trending down, Europe continues to hang over our heads and politi-

cal uncertainty reigns” said Michael Mata, a money manager in Atlanta at ING Investment Management Americas, which oversees about $160 billion. “There is no reason for interest rates to climb in any meaningful way any time soon.”

While the gap has narrowed to $1.75 trillion as of Aug. 8 as lending of $7.12 trillion trailed $8.87 trillion in deposits, the gap is more than 17 times the $100 billion average in the decade before credit markets seized up, Fed data show.

Commercial and industrial lending reached a peak of $1.61 trillion in October 2008, a month after the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. As the credit crisis deepened, loans tumbled to $1.2

•Deputy Governor, State of Osun, Mrs. Titi Laoye-Tomori (middle) presenting the cheque for Intervention fund for Law Students of Osun State to President, Nigerian Law Students Association, Osun State Chapter, Mr Oyeleye Ilesanmi during a visit to the State Government. With them is Mr Remi Oyedola.

trillion two years later, before recovering to $1.46 trillion Aug. 1.

The recent rise isn’t keeping up with record bank deposits as savings of U.S. households have risen to 4.4 percent of incomes as of June from 1.7 percent in 2007, the data show.

“Every bank is looking for a way to increase their yield,” said Mike Pearce, president of Bank of The West in Grapevine, Texas, whose company has been purchasing government securities after deposits grew faster than loans in 2010 and 2011. Instead of earning the Federal Funds rate of zero to 0.25 percent on the deposits, its bond holdings are yielding about 3.25 percent, he said.

Bank Treasury holdings reached $500 billion, the highest since June 2011, even with interest rates minus inflation for benchmark 10year notes of 0.38 per cent, compared to the average of 1.26 percent over the past decade.

Yields on 10-year Treasury notes rose 15 basis points, or 0.15 percentage point, last week to 1.81 percent. The price of the 1.625 percent security maturing in August 2022 declined 1 12/32, or $13.75 per $1,000 face value, or 98 9/32. The yield was little changed to 1.81 percent today.

They increased from a record low 1.379 per cent on July 25 as investors became more optimistic about the economy. The US added 163,000 jobs last month, a government report showed August 3, more than the 100,000 projected by analysts. Sales at US retailers increased 0.8 per cent, more than the 0.3 per cent forecast and following a 0.5 per cent slide in June, Commerce Department data released Aug. 14 showed.

The benchmark notes will yield 1.60 per cent by the end of September, below June’s projection of 1.90 per cent, median estimates in separate Bloomberg surveys show. The year-end forecast fell to 1.65 percent from 2.1 per cent.

ments on education and the growing participation from the private sector.

He, however, called for resolution of power crisis to enhance the competitiveness of Nigerian manufacturers and drive long term investments in the sector.

Ijewere noted that the cost and instability of power impinged on the scale and margins of Nigerian printing and publishing companies and putting them at a disadvantage when compared with their counterparts in other advanced countries.

Pearson Education, United Kingdom, had recently divested its 51 per cent equity stake in Longman Nigeria Plc, which turned the company into a wholly owned Nigerian company. It subsequently changed its name to Learn Africa and reviewed its corporate goals and strategies.

The main business of Learn Africa Plc is the publication and marketing of textbooks for the entire gamut of the educational system – nursery, primary, secondary and tertiary. The company has equally distinguished itself in the marketing of reference, professional and general reading materials.

Apple becomes world’s biggest company

A

PPLE Inc has consolidated its position as the world’s biggest publicly quoted com-

pany to become world’s biggest public company ever.

The company became the most valuable public company of all time on Monday when the combined value of its shares exceeded a previous record set by Microsoft Corp.

Apple traded at $664.74 to give it a market value of $623.14 billion, above the record set by Microsoft of $620.58 billion reached in 1999 at the height of the tech bubble, according to data provided by S&P Dow Jones Indices.

Apple has been the biggest public company in the world since overtaking Exxon Mobil to reach the number one spot last year, but Monday’s move means that it has now entered the record books as the biggest company ever.

At Monday’s close of trade, Apple shares need to settle at $657.50 for the record to be set on a closing basis as well, according to S&P Dow Jones indices.

Apple shares have rallied as investors anticipate the release of the iPhone 5 and possibly an iPad Mini in September as well as more details about the company’s plans for an Apple TV, according to analysts at Bernstein Research.

“Everyone loves a winner, if you play the quick trade be careful,” said Howard Silverblatt, senior index analyst at S&P Dow Jones Indices in emailed comments. “If you are an investor check the fundaments and business plans, and avoid the hype in your decision.”

Apple scaled new heights as fellow technology heavyweight Facebook Inc briefly plumbed new depths. The number one social network slid to a record intraday low of $18.75 on Monday before bouncing back to trade around $20 after Capstone upgraded the company’s stock to buy from hold on Monday, according to report by Reuters.

34

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2012

INSURANCE

Operators seek end to unethical practices T

HE doyen of insurance and former managing director of Nigeria Reinsurance Corporation, Prof Joe Irukwu, has warned underwriting companies and insurance brokers against rate cutting and overriding commissions.

He said the matter poses a serious threat to industry.

During a chat with reporters at a forum in Lagos, Irukwu said rate cutting and overriding commissions as being practised, can create affect the revenue of underwriting firms.

Consequently, he advised underwriters to be careful while approving overriding commissions for brokers so that there will be money left to pay future claims.

He called on brokers who insist on getting overriding commissions to be cautious, warning that if the industry collapses, brokers will fall with it. “If the industry will sink or swim, the brokers will sink or swim

Stories by Uyoatta Eshiet

with it,” he said.

Also, Chief Executive of Consolidated Hallmark Insurance Plc, Mr Eddie Efekoha, said there was the need for the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) to create some guidelines for earning commissions by brokers who take part in the oil and gas business.

He said: ''Sometimes, the fee arrangement as well as the basis for compensation between brokers and underwriters in the oil gas business can be irrational because brokers' fee might end up being very high.'' He added that NAICOM should take a look into the bases for compensation between brokers and underwriters.

He said: ''It is very funny that in some business, what the brokers get is more than what the underwriters get, despite the fact that we are the ones covering the risks. As such, transparency in financial details can

go a long way in helping brokers and underwriters in the insurance industry solve the problem of overriding commission''.

To underscore the seriousness of the matter, at this year's Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Nigerian Insurance Association (NIA) in Lagos, the association's chairman in his statement said: ''The sub-sector was adversely affected, particularly by unbridled competition among insurers, necessitating unethical practices. ''In addition, insurance rates have been collapsing as insurers are charging rates, which are not commensurate with the risks covered, and also granting ridiculous discounts in some policies. ‘’Premiums no longer cover operating cost, not to talk of claims and reinsurance payments. ''As a result of these problems, it would be necessary to sound it loud

and clear that if we want to save the industry from imminent collapse, there is dire need for operators in the industry to reappraise their activities, and in particular, their unhealthy rate cutting'.

Also, Managing Director LASACO Life Assurance Plc,Dimeji Olonor, condemned the practice, saying: ''It is not for the industry to charge low rates.”

He also said the rate at which the problem is spreading in the country would spell doom for the industry.

Olonor made his position on the issue known while fielding questions from reporters in Lagos. He argued that the practice was unhealthy for underwriting firms and brokers who cut insurance rates to the detriment of other operators in the industry.

Speaking on the efforts made by the company to reposition it, Olonor said: ''Following our successful

recapitalisation in 2007, the company's total assets increased to N8.918billion,with a combined authorised group share capital in excess of N5billion and a paid up share capital of N3.6 billion.”

According to him, the firm’s business portfolio include significant share of key federal and state government’s, multinational’s and private companies underwriting businesses in major sectors of the economy.

“We are also the provider of group life insurance for ECOWAS staff and sole adviser to the ECOWAS community when it counts,'' he stated.

He also spoke on the company’s corporate governance culture. He said: ''LASACO is committed to a set of business principles based on the core value of integrity, honesty, excellence, respect for shareholders and people''.

Expert advocates sanctions to boost sales

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N expert has said unless there are sanctions, the drive to implement the sale of insurance policies will continue to be ignored.

Speaking with The Nation,the former Chairman Nigerian Insurers Association and Managing Director LASACO Assurance Plc Olusola Ladipo-Ajayi, said: “Unless people are penalised for not acquiring compulsory insurances, operators would continue to find it difficult to sell the products.

“Until there is enforcement, people would not readily buy insurance,” adding that the industry’s Market Development and Restructuring Initiative (MDRI) have not gone as far as operators expected.

He noted that this was because there are teething problems, such as the training of agents.

He said: “The problem with Nigeria is that we need law enforcement to sell insurance given our level of development. Until there is enforcement, people would not readily buy insurance. If you look at the Pension Act, as widely publicised as it is, how many Nigerian employers have taken the group life scheme apart from the Federal Government and a few states. How many states have enacted their Pension Act? The thing is a kind of social change and there is need for more enforcement.”

He noted that the only area of success that has been remarkable is where insurance companies work

with enforcement agents in some states to enforce certain aspects of the law. He said it is worrisome that most Nigerians do not know that there is a law that expects them to insure their properties.

“We would not get there over night. MDRI is a very good initiative meant to deepen the industry. We have to train agents, keep them by paying allowance pending when they are able to produce. But one wonders how long we would be able to keep them.

“If it gets to a position where people are penalised for not providing the insurance they took for their losses, it would become easier for insurers to sell their products. Now, if you go to an average Nigerian and tell him to insure his house because there is law for such, he would ask you, where does the law exist? Most Nigerians do not even know about the law.”

He noted that aside the failure of enforcement, operators’attitude to business has contributed largely to the poor development of the industry.

“Insurance industry is its own worst enemy, because competition has driven down prices and the price has continued to go down into unprofitable level. So, it is difficult to grow the industry. We are running ourselves below profitable level due to pressure in the competitive market that is why we cannot grow beyond what we are doing at present,” he said.

Cheaper life insurance premium for women to be banned

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OMEN have just a small win dow of opportunity to make the most of cheap life insurance premiums before European Union (EU) rules on gender kick in, significantly pushing up prices.

Life cover has, traditionally, been much cheaper for women than men because of their greater life expectancy, and premium prices have recently fallen to historical lows.

But this will change by the end of the year and consumers could see premiums jump by up to as much as a third as gender discrimination is ended in response to the request from Brussels.

“Life insurance is designed to protect your dependants if the breadwinner of the family dies and can no longer provide financially for the family,” says Matt Morris, a protection specialist adviser with LifeSearch.

“Anyone who has dependants or is expecting to have children soon should consider buying life insurance while prices are low.

“With premiums rising by the end of the year, make sure you buy your policy as soon as possible as under-

writing takes time and anyone who has not been accepted by December 21 may be affected.”

More than half the United Kingdom’s population have no life cover, and this rises to 60 per cent among women, insurance provider Beagle Street has found.

“With tax changes also impacting some providers from January 2013, the life insurance industry is facing irreversible changes to the way it does business,” adds Matthew Gledhill, managing director.

• From left: Zonal Transmission Manager, Transmission Company of Nigeria, Mr Mike Eze; Assistant General Manager, Technical Services, Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company, Mr Godwin Igwe, and Chief Executive Officer, Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company, Malam Idris Mohammad, inspecting transmission facilities in Kaduna.

Leadway Assurance makes N22.4b premium

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EADWAY Assurance Company Limited recorded gross earnings of N22.4 billion last year, its Chairman, Alhaji Hassan Hadejia, has said.

Hadejia, who spoke during the company’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Lagos last week, said the figure ishowed a 21.75 per cent increase from N18.4 billion in 2010.

Gross premium also increased by 38 per cent to N19.6 billion from N14.2 billion the previous year, he stated.

This amount of premium is the highest volume generated by a single firm in the country, which the firm explained has been largely driven by revenue sources from its commercial/industrial lines of business.

Hassan said the firm recorded a huge reinsurance cost within the reviewed year. He said: “But with huge reinsurance cost, which went up by 29 per cent from N7 billion

in 2010 to N9 billion at the end of 2011, the company’s net premium earned closed at N10 billion as against N8.6 billion in 2010, a 16 percent rise.

According to the financial statement, the performance was further eroded by an increase in claims incurred, which rose by 129 per cent from N2.4 billion in the previous year to N5.5 billion in 2011.

This amount is also the largest claims recorded by a company in Nigeria, thereby reflecting its commitment to meeting customer/public expectation of insurance obligations.

“The significant rise in claims incurred affected the underwriting profit, which dropped by 19 per cent from N4.3 billion to N3.5 billion in 2011, with overall 24 per cent drop in company profit before tax of N1.55 billion, down from N2.03 billion in 2010 while

Israeli firm to sell subsidiary for $221m

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SRAEL'S CLAL Insurance Enterprises Holdings (CLIS.TA) has agreed to sell its subsidiary CLAL U.S. Holdings Inc for $221 million to Nebraska-based National Indemnity Co, a unit of Berkshire Hathaway Inc (BRKa.N).

The deal, however, is subject to US regulatory approval, CLAL, a subsidiary of the IDB Holding

(IDBH.TA) group, said in a statement. If approvals are not obtained

by December 15, each side will be eligible to extend the deadline by three months.

CLAL U.S. Holdings owns U.S. insurer Guard Financial Group, which it bought five years ago for $120 million.

CLAL Insurance said it would

record a loss of 13 million shekels ($3.2 million) in the second quarter to cover costs associated with the sale. Once the sale is completed, it would book a gain of 72 million shekels.

Last year, CLAL, one of Israel's top two insurers sold Lloyd's of London LOL.UL insurer Broadgate Underwriting to Torus Insurance Holdings of Bermuda.

the profit after tax dropped by 49 per cent to close at N1.04billion in 2011.

According to the financial statements of the company, the profit position of the company was enhanced by investment income, which appreciated by 38 per cent, moving from N1.3 billion in 2010 to N1.79 billion in the review year.

The company’s balance sheet size grew by nine per cent from N39 billion in 2010 to N42.5 billion in 2011, with funds rising by 55 per cent from N11 billion in 2010 to N17 billion in the review year. But due to the lull in the capital markets, shareholders fund closed at N11 billion.

The statements further revealed that with economic/infrastructural reforms, the potential for growth exists and the company is well positioned to take advantage of the insurance value chain.

“The company is positioned to benefit from the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) Market Development and Restructuring Initiative (MDRI) by increasing the level of awareness needed to deepen insurance penetration in Nigeria through mass awareness campaigns and other programmes for the sale of compulsory insurances,” the statement said.

Meanwhile, the company declared N500 million dividends, which translates to 5.7 kobo per share of the company

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2012

35

SMALL BUSINESS AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP

‘Entrepreneurship key to Africa’s growth’ A

FRICA could have been the entrepreneurial and economic success story of the past 30 years. But this has not been achieved.

The reasons for this are varied; most significant factors being lack of knowledge exchange, technology transfer, and poor economic integration and co-operation between the national governments.

The Chief Executive, The Tony Elumelu Foundation,Dr Wiebe Boer, said in Lagos there are opportunities along the value chain; the question is: where to fit in?

He said more education is needed to ensure that business people understand what the market wants to buy and then how to be part of the solution.

He said the foundation acknowledges different levels of development and needs across the continent and arrived at a consensus on what must be done, how to finance it and how to make it work. Boer said the foundation is promoting a system for strengthening macroeconomic

By Ajose Sehindemi

surveillance, economic review and policy dialogues. He said the foundation is committed to helping governments devise trade policies that enable young Africans to play a more prominent role in their economies.

The future work programme of the foundation, Boer reiterated, is to commit African governments and the citizens to developing the economic and social environments where they live.

According to him, sustained impact can be achieved if the work of agencies, programmes and funds tackle poverty through job creation and enterprise creation.

To this end, he said the foundation will offer annual prizes in perpetuity to top-performing graduating students at several universities in Nigeria.

The annual prizes would be for top undergraduate and graduate (where relevant) students at the various universities in Economics, Business Administration and

Medicine.

A yearly professional prize will also be provided through the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria to encourage excellence in banking.

The beneficiary institutions are Ambrose Alli University, Edo State; Delta State University; University of Jos, Plateau State; University of Lagos; University of Benin, Edo State; Usman Danfodio University, Sokoto State; University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State; University of Maiduguri,Borno State; University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State; and Benue State University. ”The annual prizes will recognise and honour top-performing students at these select Nigerian universities who are completing degrees related to the academic and career paths of Mr Tony O. Elumelu, founder of The Tony Elumelu Foundation, and his wife, Dr. Awele V. Elumelu, chief executive officer of Avon Medical Services Ltd. and fellow, Trustee of The Tony Elumelu Founda-

tion,” the statement said.

Elumelu is the Chairman of Heirs Holdings, an African proprietary investment firm, as well as Transnational Corporation of Nigeria and Tenoil Petroleum & Energy Services.

Previously, he was Group Chief Ecxecutive Officer of United Bank for Africa, a position he held for over 13 years after a successful merger of UBA and Standard Trust Bank. ”These prizes reflect the appreciation that my wife and I have for our own university education in Nigeria and our confidence in the quality of the education provided by these great institutions. ”By supporting promising students, I believe that we are fulfilling one of the mandates of The Tony Elumelu Foundation, which is to promote and celebrate excellence in business leadership and entrepreneurship across Africa,” Elumelu said.

Three outstanding University of Jos students received prizes during the school’s convocation on

May 12, this year, the statement said.

The students are 22-year-old Obianuju Ifeoma Okpara, an Economics undergraduate student, who finished top of her class; Joel Nanbal Zuhumben, 31, best postgraduate student in Economics; and Francis Ifeanyi Ayomogh, top undergraduate medical student.

As part of the prize programme, TEF has also established a new annual professional prize to be awarded to the best student in the Practice of Banking in the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria professional examinations.

This year’s prize went to Mrs. Bolawa Funlola Adenuga, a banker who had the highest score in her first and only sitting of the exam.

Besides, each student will be invited to join a life-long network of beneficiaries of the Foundation as they successfully enter the workforce and progress to become prominent leaders and entrepreneurs, it added.

‘How women can assist in business’

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• From left: Prof. Ajibefun Igbekele, Rector, Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo, Ondo State; Dr. Segun Ajibola, 2nd Vice President, CIBN; Mr. Segun Aina, President/Chairman of Council, CIBN, Alhaji Sadiq D. Garba, Registrar, Kano State Polytechnic and Dr. Uju Ogubunka, Registrar/CE, CIBN during the signing of MOU on ACIB/HND Linkage between the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria and four Polytechnics including Yaba College of Technology, Lagos and Ibadan Polytechnic, Oyo State, today at the Bankers' House, Victoria Island, Lagos.

Global lenders see higher food prices

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LOBAL financial lenders are advising countries to prepare for the possibility of higher food bills in the coming months, but for the moment the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank see few signs of a widespread food price crisis like in 2007/08.

The worst drought in half a century in the United States and poor crops from the Black Sea bread basket, have lifted prices of corn, wheat and soybeans. The price of rice - a staple food in Asia and parts of Africa, has so far been unaffected.

"We are not saying that we anticipate a major crisis at this point," said Juergen Voegele, Director of the World Bank's Agriculture and Rural Development Department. The world has enough food, but of course we cannot predict the weather and if something extraordinary happens, we might find ourselves in a difficult situation again," he added.

World Bank data showed that overall food costs are higher, but not yet at record levels of 2007/08, which pushed millions into poverty as food prices rose across the board in tandem with sky-rocketing oil prices. The effects of the twin crisis in 2008 dissipated as the global financial crisis intensified and demand slowed.

"Our recommendation is that countries prepare very early on," Voegele said. "As long as our food

stocks are so low, price volatility will not go away easily."

The latest run-up in grain prices comes at a time when the world economy is slowing, the Euro Zone is in turmoil and unemployment is higher almost everywhere.

The danger for poor countries is that their fiscal firepower was eroded by the global financial crisis and their ability to deal with bigger food import bills will be limited.

The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation's food index jumped six per cent in July to higher than in 2008, and the Food and Agriculture Organisation warned against the kind of export bans, tariffs and buying binges that worsened the price surge four years ago.

Andrew Burns, a World Bank lead economist, said while higher food prices are not likely to contribute to a further slowing of the world economy, it is an added concern for consumers.

"This is another source of insecurity, it is another source of worry for people," Burns said. "If the situation were to become more sharply defined, if we were to see oil prices start to rise again as well, then that could very well cause that kind of pulling back from activity we have observed in the past with a significant knockon effect on global activity."

Thomas Helbling, a division chief in the IMF's Research Department, described the rise in grain prices as a

"classical supply shock."

"If this is truly a classical supply shock, prices will spike and if the next harvest is more back to trend, or back to normal, food prices will come down," he said.

"Still, there is a temporary reduction in real incomes, especially in emerging and developing economies, and that is not helpful to the extent that the global economy is carried by emerging economies and higher food prices will feed into domestic food prices even if it is a limited pass-through."

On the upside, concerns over inflationary pressures are less than they were in 2007/08 and high world oil prices have eased. Exchange rate movements also have a role - the depreciation of the U.S. dollar against many currencies blunted the impact of an increase in the dollar price of food at the time, said Helbling.

In many developing countries, local food prices are usually lower than international prices and consumers can rely on domestically grown food.

"There are less concerns now about underlying inflation, given current global economic conditions," Helbling said. "So if it is a classical supply shock it will feed into headline inflation to some extent, but it is less likely to feed into underlying inflation. In that sense it should be less of a monetary policy concern," he added.

RESIDENT, Internet Marketers Association of Nigeria(IMAN), Mrs Olakitan Wellington, owns and operates an international digital currency exchange service.

She entered the male-dominated industry many years ago after being provided with training and support.

After establishing her presence on the internet, she has joined thousands of empowered women around the world who are powering trade and economic growth, and reducing poverty.

Having made it to the top, Mrs Wellington said enhanced participation of women’s business enterprises in the economy can provide access to more and better-paying jobs for women.

Such enterprises, she explained, are important vehicles for achieving economic growth. To reap the maximum benefit, Mrs. Wellington said there was a need to generate more and better economic opportunities for them; this can easily be achieved through sustained presence on the web.

With a well-developed business model, fine-tuned operations procedures, she said women can position themselves in the big leagues with ahealthytwist.Thiscomes with efficiencies in the ability to reach lots of people and to do things well.

According to her, information and communications technologies (ICTs) immensely for the empowerment of women. They bring a means of economic development, offering new livelihood opportunities and productive capabilities.

She said her organisation is pushing women to be active in the ICT sector, which involved increasing investments in education and skills training. She said the internet provides a hungry market for women entrepreneurs and is accessible to industries.

Mrs Wellington said women entrepreneurs need to establish themselves as credible business personalities on social media, such as face book, twitter, pinterest and a host of others. Because of increased social media activity, she said customers will be able to identify them with entrepreneurship and sensible business practices.

She said encouraging women entrepreneurs will allow for an influx of business and money and turn the tide for the nation.

Mrs Wellington, who is out to change lives, build communities, and feed women with entrepren e u r s h i p messages,said women can promote any product online in-

cluding native Nigerian dishes, that people will like and thus make money.

This is because customers come from outside Lagos to enjoy amala and other native food whereever good service providers exist. In today’s demanding world, she said people are turning to the web for simple ways to order food from their favourite restaurants and also raw foods for their kitchens.

She encouraged Nigerian women to establish internet presence and promote indigeneous way of eating.

According to her, women entrepreneurs who don’t have their own websites could lose business to competitors.

Since Internet market place is the epitome of everything that successful businesses represent including innovation and a new prosperity, she said encouraging women entrepreneurs to embrace ecommerce will help to build a modern, market oriented nation.

To this, she said her organisation is creating an online place to bring together women entrepreneurs and potential buyers in a more, mutually beneficial way. This, she noted, would help to reduce female unemployment.

On the whole, Mrs. Wellington said empowering women to involve in various business endeavours is an important driver of economic growth. One way to achieve this is for them to organise themselves into collectives, improve their market standing and conditions and learn how to market their products on the internet.

She said her organisation is determined to partner with public and private agencies to advance the economic empowerment of rural women.

• Mrs Wellington

36

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2012

DISCOURSE

Political Violence in Nigeria Conclusion of text of the Keynote Address delivered by Prof Layi Erinosho at the Sociology Department Nationl Conference at Gombe State University, Gombe on August 7.

Continued from yesterday HE Economic and Financial Crimes Com mission has arraigned several key politi cal office holders between 1999 and 2007 for graft, corrupt practices, fraud, and/embezzlement of public funds to the tune of about US$1.4 billion. This amount excludes funds that are misappropriated or fraudulently disbursed as loans by the sacked top bank officials. For every corrupt politician, there are hundreds of unindicted fraudulent and corrupt bureaucrats who are tucked away in the system.

The salaries of our federal legislators are by the far the highest in the world as previously discussed above. Yet, the pensioners who have worked meritoriously are scavenging for food and basic needs or collapsing and dying because the authorities refuse to pay their meagre gratuities and pensions as and when due.

The capacity of Nigeria’s Police Force and other law enforcement agencies is weak for obvious reasons. They are poorly paid, kit and live in ramshackle accommodation. They are transferred from place to place and in the course of their service, garner many wives and children that must be supported from their meagre salaries. They are at the risk of being killed by hoodlums. Not surprising they are inclined to collude with criminals rather than defend or protect the ordinary citizen.

This explains the reasons why they are unable to tackle crimes. Consequently, fraud, Internet scam, thievery, corruption and all manner of crimes continue to thrive. Kidnapping is now a lucrative business/crime in Nigeria because the kidnappers easily collect their ransom. Indeed, who can says that kidnapping is not now an organized crime in Nigeria today?

The Police appear to be working hand-in-hand with kidnappers. Otherwise, how can we explain their ineffectiveness in arresting and prosecuting the kidnappers. Furthermore, virtually all those responsible for politically motivated murders in the past fifteen years have not been brought to book.

Our judiciary is widely believed to be weak or corrupt or remarkably slow in the dispensation of justice even when alleged fraudsters or corrupt persons in our midst are apprehended. The newly sworn in Chief Justice affirmed the fact that all is not well with our judiciary at her presentation before the legislature. Also, the former Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission, Retired Supreme Court Justice Emmanuel Ayoola observed as follows: Some of those arrested are facing trial but the problem is that the trial process in Nigeria is very slow.

Some have been sent to jail while some are still facing trial. Nigerians should start beaming their searchlight on the judiciary, where the trial process has compounded the woes of the Commission3.

The latest fad in the Nigerian judicial system is plea bargaining. Mr. TafaBalogun, a former Inspector General of Police who was charged with extortion and corruption to the tune of N13 billion got away with 6 months in prison which was the National Hospital, Abuja!! What about Cecelia Ibru who was sentenced to 18 months for offences relating to the near collapse of Oceanic Bank? She served 6 months in her choice health facility in Victoria Island in Lagos and at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital. Mrs. Ibru forfeited property and investment worth N190 billion. Both former Governors Lucky Igbinedion of Edo and Alemieyeseigha of Bayelsa received light sentences and forfeited property worth billions of naira including cash for misappropriating public funds.

All these examples occur in a country where countless number of Nigerians spend years in prison while awaiting trial or are serving, or have served long terms in prison for stealing chicken, goats, a few clothing materials, or couple of nairas, “two fighting”, assault, affray, burglary etc.

Let us take the foregoing side-by-side with examples from other parts of the world. A Saudi Prince living in London was sentenced to life imprisonment last year for murder as widely reported. One of the reports is as follows: Prince Saud Abdulaziz Bin Nasser Al Saud will have to serve a minimum of twenty years in prison for murdering his servant. For now it will be in British jail. The prince was found guilty Tuesday of both murder and grievous bodily harm in the killing of Bandar Abdulaziz in a case prosecutors said has sexual element.

Bernard Madoff who was the brain behind a Ponzi scheme through which he defrauded Americans of $50 billion under the pretext of investing their funds in return for huge interest

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(viz., the sort of thing that finance houses do in Nigeria and literarily get away with it) is now serving 150 years in prison. One Andrew Fastow, the accounting officer of Enron Corporation that collapsed due to fraudulent practices pleaded guilty and was sentenced to ten years in prison.

The lessons from the foregoing examples from the developed countries/democracies visà-vis our judicial system show the flaws in the administration of justice across board. It is obvious that there is discrimination in the application of sanctions for the various crimes that are committed in our country. While the rich who commit heinous crimes that wreck society or stall our development often get away with light sentences, the poor are usually incarcerated for long periods of time for less grievous offences. The new lexicon in the Nigerian judicial system is plea bargaining. Lawyers now negotiate light punishment for their rich clients. This sort of treatment is hardly extended to poor Nigerians who are accused of stealing goats, a few naira etc. in order to survive. This lays and/or consolidates the foundation for an unjust society.

Nigeria is being wrecked by corruption. The low point is amply shown by the widely reported scandal at the highest level of the judiciary. It is an eye opener to the rot that transcends all departments of life in our society today. The findings in the various reports on the scandal involving the former Honourable Chief Justice of Nigeria and President of Court of Appeal are enough to warrant immediate resignation in decent societies. The common parlance that the judiciary is the last hope of the common man is now totally meaningless. Can we ever imagine any honourable judge in the United Kingdom or the United States still boldly hanging on to office in the face of such a scandal? But this is a country where anything goes.

The federal houses of Assembly that were quick to invoke the doctrine of necessity in the case of former President Yar’Adua and which ought to impeach the erring judge(s) who bring shame to high office are silent and not doing anything because they are also bereft of integrity. Everything is politicized because there is no place for ethics in our public life. Our country is now a huge embarrassment in the international community.

Ethics seems to have no place in governance in Nigeria because key public functionaries never draw the line between the public and private spheres in the use of public resources.

As example, the thirty seven first ladies are inclined to use public resources for their pet projects. Governors of states or chairmen of local governments commandeer the resources from the public purse to execute purely personal projects/agenda such as the wedding of their scions or the award of worthless honorific chieftaincy titles etc. Attorney generals never declare up front their interest in cases and some are known to use their office to shield their clients from prosecution for serious offences like fraud and embezzlement of funds.

At times, the President of the Republic or Governors or Chairmen of Local Governments mobilize funds for their private foundations or pet projects while still holding office etc.

Nigeria has also been inherently unstable due to ethnically and/or religiously motivated crises which have led to the loss of thousands of lives and billions of naira worth of properties.

Although Panels are set up to investigate the causes of the crises, their recommendations are never implemented. The inaction by responsible authorities to punish the perpetrators of violence sends the signal that it pays to go on rampage. It often fuels fresh cycle of violence.

Potential Future Cause of Political Violence Let us for a moment examine the above situation of Nigerian children in the far north sideby-side with another potentially catastrophic one that is now rearing its head in the foreseeable future. My hunch is that we are currently laying the foundation for the emergence of violent youth group. This will be the second

•Prof Erinosho

Intafadahafter the Boko Haram insurgency. This violent youth group is likely to be another source of political violence in no distant future.

Let me explain how this will happen.

Already, we now have nearly a hundred and twenty universities in the country. There are in addition, hundreds of polytechnics, and colleges of education, all of which are churning out nearly 900,000 often half-baked graduates yearly in our country while employment opportunities are not rapidly expanding to meet the number of graduates that are being produced. Some graduates are already remaining unemployed for five to ten years. Others are now working as gatemen, bar tenders, Okada riders, etc. while some are gravitating towards crimes, - 419, armed robbery, yahoo, yahoos etc.

Large body of young unemployed or underemployed graduates of institutions of higher learning in Nigeria constitutes a risk to the security of our country. This situation portends a bleak future for the country because Nigeria is now creating an army of potentially restless, miserable, frustrated, and violent young people with a reasonable amount of education. This group can easily be mobilized to demand their social and economic rights. The group can easily become another tool of political violence just as the Boko Haram is to us today.

The foregoing assertion or proposition is not farfetched judging from recent events in other parts of the world. Take the case of Tunisia. The Tunisian revolution was started by a seemingly minor incident which involved an unemployed university graduate who was harassed by the police at the roadside in Tunis where he was trying to eke a living by selling vegetables. The unemployed graduate was infuriated by further harassment by the state’s security agents and he decided to commit suicide. This incident sparked the Tunisian revolution. The already angry populace instantly took to the streets, - demonstrated until the president who had been in office for more than twenty years fled. This can happen to the PDP which is currently boasting that it will be in power forever!!

The Tunisian situation has had a domino effect on other Arab countries in similar situation, countries with corrupt leaders who overstayed their welcome; countries with high rate of unemployment among their fairly educated youths; countries with high cost of living and poverty etc. The Egyptian Government under Hosni Mubarak fell; Gadhafi of Libya has fallen.

Syria is in flames while Jordan and Morocco are desperately trying to nip unrest in the bud.

Swaziland and Malawi are in serious difficulties because people are calling for regime change. Uganda is also not left out. Angola is restive.

Or what about the riots in the United Kingdom last year, - which from all indications can be traced to the frustration of the under-class due to the policy of the Conservative Party to cut social benefits as a result of the huge public debt. The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, David Cameroon argued that this was pure criminality while others concluded other-

Nigeria is being wrecked by corruption. The low point is amply shown by the widely reported scandal at the highest level of the judiciary. It is an eye opener to the rot that transcends all departments of life in our society today. The findings in the various reports on the scandal involving the former Honourable Chief Justice of Nigeria and President of Court of Appeal are enough to warrant immediate resignation in decent societies.

The common parlance that the judiciary is the last hope of the common man is now totally meaningless.

wise. As example, Cameroon’s Minister of Finance (George Osborne) admitted as follows: There are communities that have just been left behind by the rest of the country. There are communities that are cut-off from the economic life-blood of the rest of country.

The point is that the foundation for Boko Haram-like phenomenon is being laid in a variety of ways in Nigeria. Boko Haram is today the response of a group of disenchanted, frustrated, abused and marginalised young Nigerians to decadence, poverty, exploitation, and all manners of ill in our country. Tomorrow, it may be the turn of young virile unemployed/ underemployed graduates of institutions of higher learning.

Poverty, misery and all manners of abuse will fuel unrest and insurrection and undermine security in society. My thesis is therefore the rapid production of thousands of graduates by institutions of higher learning in the absence of corresponding opportunities for gainful employment and/or self-actualization is an incendiary bomb waiting to explode in our face. It will fuel agitation and threaten the security of the country. It will lead to disastrous consequences for Nigeria.

Another factor which may have contributed to political violence is the insincerity and insensitivity of elected politicians to the feeling of the electorate. The return to civil democratic rule or governance inspired great expectations among millions of Nigerians because of the horrors of both benevolent and brutal military dictatorships for close to thirty-eight years. The worst among the military regimes was that of SanniAbacha which was noted for various atrocities such as intimidation, bombing of the homes of its opponents, extra-judicial murders, fathom coups, and the incarceration of civil rights activists in prisons etc. Nigerians were indeed very eager for a breath of fresh air by 1999 when the military finally handed over to civilians. Millions of Nigerians believed that the onset of the civilian democratic process will promote an enabling and a conducive environment for peace, respect of human rights, transparency and accountability in public life as well as the rapid socio-economic development of the country. The central issue today is whether these sentiments about peace, respect for human rights, transparency and accountability and rapid development are being translated into reality in the context of democratic process. Are we at peace with one another in Nigeria today?

One of the reasons for disenchantment which may also have contributed to political violence is the behaviour of our politicians. Many electorates are incensed by the tendency among politicians to cross carpet to other parties despite the provisions in our constitution banning this practice. The case of the Bauchi State Governor stands out very clearly. Here was a man who, upon taking one of the daughters of the late former President (Yar’ Ádua) as his fourth wife, decided to cross to from ANPP (the platform upon which he was elected into office) to PDP. Not finished, the Governor wanted his Deputy to come along with him to PDP. The Deputy refused and Governor caused the State House of Assembly to impeach the recalcitrant Deputy. This precipitated a serious crisis. The Deputy went to court and won the case. But this did not stop the Governor as the chief security officer of the state to request security agents to evict the Deputy from office even after the law court declared the impeachment illegal. Or what about the case of the Governor of Borno who was determined to foist his brother as his successor inspite stiff opposition from party members? The only thing which stopped him was the intervention of Boko Haram. The group killed the Governor’s anointed successor and a few of his relations.

Concluding Remarks Nigerians whether literate or non-literate are aware of what has been described above, namely, corrupt judiciary, politicians, police force, grinding poverty etc. in the country. They know that only a handful of their fellow countrymen and women are enjoying all the good things of life at the expense of vast number of people who are hard pressed. This situation is nurturing and watering the seed of malaise, social disorder,and insurrection. There is bound to be political violence in a society where the majority of its people are aggrieved, helpless, powerless, and frustrated. Anger will overtake the people and they will revolt against their rulers. There is a well-known proverb or (is it a saying among the Yoruba?) which is as follow: when goats that are ordinarily timid and soft are pushed to the wall they will turn back and viciously attack/bite their owners. Therefore, political violence is nothing more than response to bad governance. Political violence will disappear as soon as the lives of those who are attracted to, or recruited into violent movements improve perceptibly.

I thank you once again for the invitation and I wish you a fruitful conference.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2012

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Dickson chides council chiefs over poor performance

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AYELSA State governor, Seriake Dickson has chided local government chairmen in state over poor performance towards the development of their council areas.

Governor Dickson, who expressed his displeasure when he inaugurated members of the Local Service Commission and three other boards, said that the council chiefs were turning the council areas into cocoa farms.

Describing their actions as shameful and unjust to humanity, the governor accused them of colluding with other senior officials of the councils to defraud the councils thereby making development of the areas impossible.

“Council chairmen and some senior council executives turned the local government system into a “cocoa farm” where illegal harvest of development funds have gone into private pockets,” noted Dickson who disclosed that he was awaiting the outcome of the final report of the State House of Assembly on the probe into the administration of local government areas in the state. ”The local government

system in Bayelsa State is nothing to write home about.

Due to the poor performance, the State Assembly recently examined the system and we are waiting for the report and we will act appropriately. If we are able to turn the system around, we can make them become responsible and proactive to support the restoration journey of delivering the dividends of democracy.

“We have discovered that the funds in the system are used to pay non-existing workforce, and unverifiable projects. It is not acceptable. From February till date, the state government has not deducted anything from the funds meant for the local government. Yet, they can neither fulfill their obligations to the people nor pay teachers’ salaries. If we can ensure fiscal discipline, the people will enjoy the benefits of local government administration.

“The local government chairmen have nothing to show for the huge funds to the system. The senior personnel of the local government,

We have discovered that the funds in the system are used to pay non-existing workforce, and unverifiable projects

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HE Federal Government has been urged to address problems in the power sector in the interest of the country and its economy.

The Managing Director of Amaecom Global Limited, Dr. Marcel Ofomata said that the call had become necessary in order to protect businesses operating in the country.

Ofomata spoke with reporters in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital recently.

He blamed poor investment in Nigeria on rising waves of insecurity across the country.

Apart from the power problem affecting the country, other factors

•Picnickers at one of the recreation centres in Lagos during Ed-il-Fitr celebration.

including the DPMs and HPMs, have turned the council system into a cocoa farm where they make illegal harvest,” he said.

He urged members of the local government service board which has Barrister Talford Ongolo as chairman, to do everything possible to nip corruption in the bud.

The State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC)

board headed by Chief Blessing Izagara Ipiganson was among members of the board, which, he said, would conduct a ‘free and fair local government election that will produce credible council chairmen and councillors needed for a more transparent local government system in the State.

On how to tame violence during elections, Governor Dickson said he would send a

Bill on Electoral Fraud and Violence to the State House of Assembly to punish those known to be perpetual actors of political violence in the state.

Other boards inaugurated were those of State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) with Mrs. Florence Abutu EbiWilliams as chairman, and Mr. Perediyegha Ajoko as the chairman of Assembly Service Commission .

Industrialists urge action on power sector From Kazeem Ibrahym, Uyo

hindering doing businesses in Nigeria, according to Ofomata, are poor infrastructural facilities such as good road networks, water supply, health facilities, and weak government policies.

According to him, the government must show commitment to the security of lives and property in order for investors to come into the country and do business.

He further said that Amaecom Global Limited, as an asset acquisition company, is interested in

easing the financial burden of its customers in owing assets with assurance that loans to customers are not asset-based.

He disclosed that Amaecom Global Limited is on a mission to enhance quality of lives through the provision of unbeatable and stressfree asset acquisition solutions.

His words: “When our media are daily awash with reports of brutal killings, bombings, kidnapping, you can’t expect any astute businessman to commit his hard-earned income to such a place for the pur-

pose of investment. No jingles or investment tours, will ever do magic.

“We need sincere and realistic policies by government to tackle the insecurity. Government should embark on infrastructural renaissance – chief of which is power supply. The cost of doing business in Nigeria is outrageous because of

failure in the power sector.

“If we can’t produce, we need light to assemble some products.

Our business partner in China was supposed to be here with us for today’s meeting. She came here before and loved the place. But when the problem of insecurity started, her parents asked her not to come to Nigeria.”

The government must show commitment to the security of lives and property in order for investors to come into the country and do business

South-South CAN elects new officers

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•Former President, Women Christian League, Wesley Cathedral, Olowogbowo, Lagos, Sister Akin Williams (left) welcoming the Lay President, Diocese of Badagry, Methodist Church Nigeria, Sir Charles Olusola. With them is Sister Abimbola Oniyide at the church’s All Societies Day Celebration thanksgiving service.

HE South-South chapter of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has elected Archbishop God-do-well Awomakpa as its new chairman.

Awomakpa, former Delta State CAN chairman, succeeds Apostle Geoffrey Numbere.

Archbishop Israel Ige was elected Vice-Chairman, while Dr. Felix Ekiye is General Secretary.

Others elected at the election which took place in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital, are Apostle Umoh Otong (As-

By Joseph Jibueze

sistant Secretary), John Okubo (Treasurer) and Bishop E.E Efrem (Financial Secretary).

Awomakpa urged Christians to remain steadfast in prayer, saying God would conquer all the evil works through their supplications.

Numbere described Awomakpa as “a true soldier of Christ,” adding that the new leadership would move SouthSouth CAN forward.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2012

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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2012

We are aware that the Federal Government awarded contract for the construction of East-West Road about eight years ago

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OTORISTS in Akwa Ibom State are experiencing pains as a result of the deplorable state of the East-West roads.

Some of the motorists that spoke with Newsextra described some portions of the road as death traps.

According to them, due to some of the bad spots on the road, commuters spend more time than expected in getting to their various destinations.

They also said some of the roads have been washed away by flood especially the one recently asphalted by an intervention agency.

They therefore urged government to ensure the speedy completion of the road in the interest of the masses.

“We are aware that the Federal Government awarded contract for the construction of East-West Road about eight years ago.

“We are equally aware of intrigues and power play, the desirability or otherwise of the rumoured diversion and other interests. What concerns us as motorists is that the pot holes widens by the day and have severe effect on the wear and tear of our old vehicles,” one of the motorists, Victor Bassey lamented.

Also speaking on the deplorable state of the road, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Systemetal Industries Limited, Victor Akan (Jnr) said: “The question of the early completion of the East-West Road is of the greatest concern to all.

“The people are dissatisfied with the ongoing pace of work bearing in mind the road condition and its importance to the local economy.

“As Akwa Ibom State government is planning the take-off of Ibaka Industrial City in conjunction with the Federal Government,

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HE Director, Centre for Peace Advancement in Nigeria (CEPAN), Jos Rev. Samuel Goro has expressed optimism that Plateau State will soon become a learning ground for peace in Nigeria.

Goro told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Jos that peace would return to the troubled

•The East-West Road

Motorists lament state of East-West road From Kazeem Ibrahym, Uyo

people are definitely looking up to the administration of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan to rise up and respond positively to the early completion of this road project, much as it is billed to play a very significant role in the industrial city project.”

state with many others coming to Plateau to learn how to live in harmony.

He said: “Plateau State will soon get out of this trauma. I had a vision that the state will soon get out of its current violent stage and become a model where people will visit to know God’s purpose for their lives.’’

While urging the Federal Government to remedy the situation, the industrialist argued that an early completion of the road would open up the benefiting communities to increased commercial and economic activities.

“The general plight of communities, especially within Akwa Ibom

State will be alleviated if the EastWest Road is completed on time.

And far from remaining some of the poorest in the country, will help them contribute meaningfully to the national economy,” Akan stated.

The East-West Road is a network linking 10 coastal states of South-

ern Nigeria. The contract of the road which terminates at Oron in Akwa Ibom State, was first awarded by the former President Obasanjo administration.

It was subsequently inherited by the late President Umaru Yar’ Adua and now President Goodluck Jonathan administration.

Peace will soon return to Plateau, says cleric

Goro, however, pointed out that nothing good had ever come easy, even as he stressed that the state was going through trying times from which it would come out better.

“Clearly, some disgruntled

elements were not happy with the hitherto peaceful coexistence that had been the situation here. They therefore did everything to truncate it.

“But for gold to be considered beautiful, it must pass through the hottest blazing furnace.

That is the situation in Plateau.

“No bad or hard times had ever lasted till eternity. So, this trial shall also pass away and Plateau residents will soon start a blissful life devoid of fear and acrimony,” he said.

The director expressed the

optimism that Plateau would also be a place where people would come to learn the principles and practice of Islam and Christianity.

He noted that the experience being gathered by residents was helping them to better understand and appreciate the two religions.

Goro predicted a boom in Plateau economy, saying that more foreign and local investors would troop to the state to invest and tap from its very many natural endowments.

Monarch advises farmers on produce disposal

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•Members of the medical herbal practitioners during their inauguration in Lagos.

HE Emir of Bauchi, Alhaji Rulwanu Adamu has advised farmers in Bauchi State not to dispose of their farm produce immediately after harvesting.

Adamu gave the advice in Bauchi while addressing his subjects at his palace after performing the traditional Sallah Durbar.

He expressed his satisfaction with the pattern of rainfall so far in the year in spite of floods being experienced in some parts of the state.

The emir expressed optimism that the state would witness

bumper harvests in the year, even as he urged farmers to use their farm produce judiciously.

He stressed the need for peace, saying that without peace, the country would not witness development.

The emir condemned the activities of hoodlums, popularly known as “Sara Suka,” in the state and urged parents to monitor and control their children.

“If the activities of hoodlums must be curtailed, parents must instill discipline in their children.’’ he said.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2012

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2012

NEWS

Most US stocks fall as Europe offsets bank, tech rally

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OST United States (US) stocks fell, after the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index rose to its highest level since April, as investor concern about Europe’s debt crisis overshadowed a rally in technology and financial companies.

Best Buy Co. lost 10 per cent after saying its founder declined an offer from the board to conduct due diligence and go to shareholders with his buyout offer. Apple Inc. (AAPL) jumped 2.6 percent to its highest price ever, pacing a technology rally. Bank of America Corp.

(BAC) and JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) added at least 1.1 percent as financial companies recovered from early losses.

The S&P 500 (SPX) was almost unchanged at 1,418.13 at 4 p.m. in New York, within a point of a fouryear high set in April. The gauge

fell 0.4 per cent earlier as Germany’s Bundesbank stepped up its criticism of the European Central Bank’s bond-buying program. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 3.56 points, or less than 0.1 per cent, to 13,271.64. Seven stocks fell for every five declining on US exchanges, with volume at 4.9 billion shares, 23 per cent below the threemonth average.

“We’re at a pretty formidable technical resistance here,” Michael Strauss, who helps oversee about $26 billion of assets as the chief investment strategist at Commonfund in Wilton, Connecticut, said in a telephone interview.

“The Bundesbank does have a hard problem with this,” he said, referring to the ECB’s bond-buying program. “Germany is being put in the position as being the lender of last resort in Europe.”

The S&P 500 last week capped its longest stretch of weekly gains since January 2011 as economic reports beat forecasts and Germany backed the ECB’s bond-buying plan. Trading volume and volatility have dropped this month as vacationing traders await policy clues from the Federal Reserve’s summit at the end of the month and an ECB meeting in September.

Government bond purchases “entail significant stability risks,” the Bundesbank said in its monthly report today. The ECB’s governing council may decide at its next gathering to set yield limits on each country’s debt, Spiegel magazine reported yesterday, without saying where it got the information. The ECB said the council has not discussed any plan to target the bond yields and that “it is absolutely misleading to report on decisions,” a

bank spokesman said in an emailed statement.

Reports in the U.S. this week will show that combined purchases of new and existing houses increased to a 4.89 million annual rate in July from a 4.72 million pace in June, according to the median forecasts in surveys of economists before releases from the National Association of Realtors on August 22 and the Commerce Department the next day. Bookings for long-lasting goods may have climbed the most this year, a release from the Commerce Department will show August 24, according to the median estimate.

The Fed will on Aug. 22 release minutes from the August 1 meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee, when policy makers declined to initiate a third round of monetary stimulus, a policy known as quantitative easing. The S&P 500

has rallied 11 percent since June 1 on speculation the central bank may signal more easing at the Kansas City Fed’s annual conference on Aug. 30 to September 1 in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

The 13 percent rally in the S&P 500 this year through Aug. 17 has lifted the gauge to its highest level ever compared with strategists’ forecasts, a sign that the best may be over for US equities in 2012.

Shares have climbed 2.1 percent above the average projection of 1,389 from 13 firms from Morgan Stanley to JPMorgan tracked by Bloomberg. That’s the biggest premium on record for this time of year, according to data going back to 1999. Estimates by strategists in August have come true for the last three years, with the S&P 500 rising 11 per cent on average through December, the data show.

Stocks beat strategists seeing best over following rally

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•Traders working on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE)

•Source: Bloomberg

Bundesbank steps up ECB bond plan criticism; rift widens

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ERMANY’S Bundesbank stepped up its criticism of the European Central Bank’s plan to embark on potentially “unlimited” government bond purchases, widening a rift over how to tackle the sovereign debt crisis.

“The Bundesbank holds to the opinion that government bond purchases by the Eurosystem are to be seen critically and entail significant stability risks,” the Frankfurt-based central bank said in its monthly report today. The new program “could be unlimited” and decisions about potentially far greater sharing of solvency risks should be taken by governments or parliaments, not by central banks, it said.

The comments suggest Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann won’t support a measure the ECB is rushing to design to help reduce governments’ borrowing costs and win them time to implement fiscal reforms. Spanish and Italian 10-year bond yields slid to the lowest in more than six weeks today after German news magazine Der Spiegel reported the ECB’s new program may set yield caps. In response, the ECB issued a statement saying it’s “misleading to report on decisions which have not yet been taken.”

The euro fell against the dollar after the Bundesbank and ECB comments.

It traded at $1.2301 at 2:15 p.m. in Frankfurt, down 0.3 percent today.

“The more loudly the Bundesbank

protests, the less likely markets are to be impressed,” said Holger Schmieding, chief economist at Berenberg Bank in London. “That could make the policy less effective.”

President Mario Draghi said on Aug. 2 that the ECB is working on a plan to intervene in the secondary market to lower yields in countries that ask Europe’s bailout fund to buy its bonds in the primary market, ensuring conditionality. While ECB purchases would focus on the short end, details have yet to be finalized and policy makers will decide on the plan next month, Draghi said. He said Weidmann wasn’t in favor of the plan.

Italy and Spain, the countries now at the heart of the crisis as borrowing costs soar, have yet to say whether they will request help.

With the debt crisis continuing to threaten the global economy, Europe’s leaders are embarking on a week of diplomacy to find common ground. French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel will meet in Berlin on Aug. 23, while Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras travels to the German capital the next day before going on to Paris on Aug. 25.

Italian and Spanish bonds rose after the Spiegel report. The yield on Spain’s 10-year government bond fell 24 basis points to 6.18 percent as of 1 p.m. in Madrid, while the yield on Italian 10-year bonds was 5.73 percent, down 4 basis points.

The ECB issued a statement today saying a bond-yield cap has “not yet been discussed by the ECB’s Governing Council,” and it is “wrong to speculate on the shape of future ECB interventions.” It didn’t deny that ECB officials are considering the idea.

A successful ECB plan could help shelter Spain and Italy from any further turmoil from Greece as governments send mixed signals about their willingness to stump up more funds.

Greece’s troika of international creditors — the ECB, the European Commission and the International Monetary Fund — will return to Athens in early September to assess progress as the Samaras administration seeks to hammer out 11.5 billion euros ($14.2 billion) in budget cuts for 2013 and 2014.

Greece may need to cut as much as 14 billion euros over the next two years to meet its deficit targets due to setbacks in planned privatizations and lower tax income, Spiegel reported separately, citing an interim troika report. An IMF spokeswoman based in Washington declined to comment.

German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said on Aug. 18 that the debt crisis mustn’t become a “bottomless pit” for his country. “There are limits,” he said, ruling out another aid program for Greece. At the same time, two German lawmakers said last week that Merkel is considering easing Greece’s bailout terms.

HE 13 per cent rally in the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index has lifted the gauge to its highest level ever compared with strategists’ forecasts, a sign the best may be over for US equities in 2012.

Shares have climbed 2.1 per cent above the average projection of 1,389 from 13 firms from Morgan Stanley (MS) to JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) tracked by Bloomberg. That’s the biggest premium on record for this time of year, according to data going back to 1999. Estimates by strategists in August have come true the last three years, with the S&P 500 rising 11 per cent on average through December, the data show.

Weakening earnings at companies from Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD) to Wynn Resorts Ltd. (WYNN), the US presidential elections and Europe’s debt crisis mean stocks are unlikely to climb, says Jonathan Golub, the New Yorkbased chief U.S. market strategist at UBS AG. (UBSN) Those concerns are already reflected in valuations 12 percent below the almost six-decade average, so shares have room to keep rising in the expanding economy, according to Thomas Lee, chief US equity strategist for JPMorgan Chase.

“When you look at the lack of earnings growth and economic growth, there’s just no reason for the stock market to have to go higher,” Golub said in an August 14 phone interview. “There’s the election and you have questions about monetary policy in the US You have a situation in Europe, and no matter how good anybody is feeling about it today, it’s not resolved.”

Golub forecasts the S&P 500 will end the year at 1,375, or 3 per cent below the closing level on August 17.

US stocks rose last week, sending the index up 0.9 per cent to 1,418.16, the highest since April, as reports from building permits to retail sales topped economists’ estimates. The S&P 500 lost less than 0.1 per cent to 1,418.13 in New York today.

Strategist calls have been an average of 9.1 per cent above the S&P 500 at this time of year since 1999 and have never been below, data compiled by Bloomberg show.

Wall Street firms, in the past three years, estimated gains of 10.3 percent over the last five months, compared with the benchmark index’s mean advance of 10.6 percent, the data show.

This year, strategists lifted the average prediction of 1,344 in January to 1,387 in April and again to 1,400

by May 8, a month after the gauge peaked at 1,419.04. The estimate came down as the benchmark index lost 9.9 percent through June 1.

Speculation that Europe’s debt crisis and China’s slowdown will curtail growth bolstered bets that central banks will continue to support

the global economic recovery and sent the S&P 500 up 11 percent since June. The People’s Bank of China cut interest rates twice this year while the Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank signaled they may act to stimulate the economy.

“More fear about the US earnings trajectory” will be a catalyst that sends stocks lower, Adam Parker, the New York- based US equity strategist at Morgan Stanley, whose estimate for 2011 proved the most accurate, said in a telephone interview on Aug. 16. “People have not been bearish about earnings. They believe that earnings are only going to modestly decline and our view is that 2013 earnings are going to be about $99,” or about four per cent below the analyst consensus, Bloomberg data show.

Parker forecasts the S&P 500 will slide 18 percent to 1,167. A continuing crisis in the euro zone and decelerating economies in emerging markets may weigh down equities, he said.

Analysts (SPX) have trimmed earnings estimates since the year started. They project S&P 500 companies will earn a total of $103.18 a share in 2012, down from $105.27 at the beginning of the year, and $115.33 next year. They are still more optimistic than strategists, whose forecasts are 1.7 per cent lower for this year and 7.7 per cent below the projection for 2013.

Second-quarter earnings were the weakest in three years, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Sales growth slowed to 0.8 per cent and profit increased 0.3 per cent, the worst quarter since the second half of 2009, Bloomberg data show.

Advanced Micro Devices, the second-biggest maker of processors for personal computers, posted secondquarter profit of 5 cents a share, down 3 cents from last year. Revenue fell 10 percent to $1.41 billion, and the Sunnyvale, California-based company predicted sales from July through September will decline as much as four per cent sequentially as demand for PCs is cut by the slowing economy.

Wynn, the casino company run by billionaire Steve Wynn, reported last month second-quarter earnings and sales dropped because of lower winnings in Macau and Nevada. Excluding items, profit was $1.38 a share, compared with $1.60 a year ago. Revenue declined 8.3 per cent to $1.25 billion, the Las Vegas- based company said.

Gross domestic product in the US will probably expand at a 2.2 percent rate in 2012, compared with 1.8 percent last year, according to the median estimate of 78 economists surveyed by Bloomberg. The euro-zone economy is estimated to contract 0.5 per cent after rising in 2011. The growth rate in China is forecast to

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2012

43

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LIFELINE

Princess Iyabo Olajubu is the only daughter of the late regent of Ikogosi, Bunmi Olajubu, who died on September 26, 2006. She has released a threetracker, entitled Aye le, to honour her mother, Assistant Editor (Arts) OZOLUA UHAKHEME reports.

Severed hands found in ancient Egyptian palace

By Sean McLachlan

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RCHAEOLOGISTS digging at the ancient Egyptian site of Tell-el-Daba have made a grisly discovery –sixteen severed hands. They were all right hands, and all large enough that they were probably from men, leading investigators to think they were trophies from a battle. Ancient Egyptian records mention the practice of collecting enemy hands to trade in for gold, but this is the first material evidence.

Like many sites in the country, Tell-el-Daba was inhabited for many centuries. Its high point, however, was actually a low point for the rest of Egypt.

Around 1610 B.C., archaeologists believe, it became the capital for the Hyksos, a little-understood Eastern people who conquered much of northern Egypt.

Known as Avaris, the town grew and a large palace was built. It was in the palace precinct that the team found the severed hands. According to the team’s statement, 14 were deposited in a pit in an outer courtyard, and two more in two pits in an outbuilding. One can imagine Hyksos warriors coming back from a successful battle against the Egyptians and showing off the hands to their ruler to claim their reward. The Good Old Days were pretty brutal.

The location didn’t stay in the invaders’ hands for long. It was re-conquered by the Egyptian pharaoh Ahmose around 1530 B.C.

Aye le: In honour of a regent

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NSPIRED by her mother’s musical exploits, Princess Iyabo Olajubu-Afolabi, the only daughter of the late regent of Ikogosi and music diva, Bunmi Olajubu, is not pretentious about her mission.

She is determined to preserve the legacy of her mother, who was very popular for her hit track, Eko Dara Pupo in Save Nigeria album. Remember the popular Bata re adun ko ko ka, (a philosophical piece that promotes reading culture), which shook the music scene in the 80s? Little wonder she has released a three-tracker entitled Aye le (the world is delicate), which includes Adura, by her late mother, as part of her plans to take music beyond where her mother stopped.

Princess Iyabo told The Nation she is into entertainment business to accomplish what her mother lost to culture. Iyabo, who looks radiant and sexy in her 30s, said her songs are philosophical and presented in a sober mood.

“My music is African pop, but laced with traditional elements.

The album is a traditional piece rendered in an orchestra format,” she added. Recalling her mother’s death, she said: “My mother died young at 52 and her dreams as a musician were not fully realised.”

According to the musician, the news of her mother’s transition six years ago was deliberately kept away from the public because of her royal status. In fact, the late Bunmi Olajubu served as a regent for many years until a new Oba was installed. But her musical career was threatened because of certain cultural restrictions. She was able to wax two hit albums and could have done more, but for her traditional role and the injunctions that went with it.

Until now, Princess Iyabo never thought she would go into music, in spite of her mum’s influences while growing up as a child. Yet, she could hardly run away from music, though she has other business on the side.

“When my mother was alive, I used to follow her to Klink Studio, then ran by Kingsley Ogoro. I also remember that, as a kid, I used to write and compose songs. Later, I started running away from music because of my private business. But I received the calling to become a professional singer two years ago,” she said.

The graduate of Public Administration, Bayero University, Kano, stressed that her lyrics are moralistic in nature because she believes God has given her words of wisdom through the songs. Adura Mi, which was originally done by her late mother, was reproduced by popular singer, Alex O, in honour of the late Bunmi Olajubu, who was a contemporary of the former in the 1980s. The last track, Glorify Him, is both didactic and religious.

It is a worship song that is rendered in sober, rhythmic and danceable format. Aside her late mother, the singer described artistes, such as Miriam Makeba, Comfort Omoge, Brendan Fasie and Yvonne Chaka Chaka, who promoted African culture through their lyrics and costumes, as her role models in the industry.

Despite the shift in taste and trends in music scene, Princess Iyabo is still very much in love with the music of her mother’s contemporaries, such as Ras Kimono, Alex O, Orits Williki and Feladey - all of who used their works to preach morality and social transformation of the society. She recounted how her

AWARDS

Soyinka award holds September 8

F •Princess Iyabo

MUSIC mother predicted the future in her songs, saying: “My mother sang like a prophet, as she was concerned about the youth and their future aspirations, especially education.”

Continuing, she said: “She also loved children and was always surrounding herself with kids. She was lovely, generous and always eager to help people in need. She loved education and sang about it. She valued decency and human dignity. These are the same values, which I hope to promote through my music and I intend to take my music across the globe and to celebrate and showcase my indigenous culture to the outside world.”

However, Iyabo does not talk about her private life. ‘Not for now’, she will respond to any question on her private life. “I don’t want my private life to be part of my profession. It is my personal decision not to talk about my private life especially now that I’ve just started my music career.” But she disclosed that it took the family six months to announce the death of her mother to her grandmother, who is in her 80s because ‘we were scared of burying two people at the same time.’

Pianist Dina dazzles on Mandela day

•Dina

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ERMAN-BASED Nigerian pianist Dapo Dina recently dazzled guests at the Nelson Mandela Day celebration held at Silverbird Galleria, Victoria Island, Lagos. The event, which was organised by the South African High Commission in partnership with Silverbird in honour of the living legend, Madiba,

had the Nobel Laureate Prof Wole Soyinka, Consul General South Africa High Commission Ambassador Monaisa, Chairman, Nigeria Economic Summit Group, Mr Foluso Philips and seasoned broadcaster Soni Irabor in attendance.

Dina left the guests spellbound as he and his band, which included ace saxophonist Segun Atoyebi and bassist Joshua Fashina, performed to the delight of the crowd. He showed dexterity on his Clarinova piano, which he specially brought to the event because of what he called its ‘weighted’ keys as he rendered the traditional South African tunes from Miriam Makeba, Abdullahi Ibrahim and Nigerian traditional standards.

Dina has over the last five years featured in many festivals across the globe with his favourite performing spots being the European and South African music scene.

Here, in Nigeria, he is expected to feature prominently in the forthcoming The Tale Of Two African Cities fusion show between Nigeria and South Africa and The MUSON Jazz festival 2012, amongst others.

The musician who draws his musical influences from musicians such as Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea and Gonzalo Rubalcalba will soon release his latest work Wealth of Knowledge into the African market under the auspices of Inspiro Productions.

ORMER Ghanaian President John Kuffour, Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola •Prof Soyinka and his Ogun State counterpart. Ibikunle Amosun, are expected at the grand awards night of the Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa holding on September 8 at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos.

Masked musician, Lagbaja will lead other to artists that will entertain at the event.

A statement by the organisers said of the 402 entries from 26 African countries assessed, three short-listed candidates for the grand finale would be announced on August 28 by the board of trustees.

The fourth edition of Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa is sponsored by telecoms company, Globacom.

FESTIVAL

Eko oni baje festival Sept 1

T

HE Eko oni baje new yam and beach festival will hold on September 1, at Ibeju Lekki in Lagos.

The event will feature a variety of activities ranging from cultural dances, traditional dance, traditional wrestlings, football matches, and acrobatic displays. It will also feature musical and art exhibitions and presentations of yams. The event will run till the September 2, from 9am to 4pm daily.

EXHIBITION Ore Idjubili for Onobrakpeya at Nike Gallery

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SOLO art exhibition Ore Idjubili ( Jubilee Festival ) featuring art works of one of Nigeria’s leading artists Prof Bruce Onobrakpeya will hold from Saturday, August 25 to Friday, August 31, at Nike Art Gallery, Lekki, Lagos.

Also, there will be a seminar on Nigerian art at the same venue on Tuesday, August 28 by 10:00am. This exhibition is part of activities marking the birthday celebration of the master artist who will turn 80 on August 30.

DRAMA Nigeria The Beautiful moves to MUSON ODIA Ofeimun’s play, Nigeria The Beautiful, will be staged at the Agip Hall of MUSON Centre, Onikan, Lagos on Saturday, August 25 by 4pm. The play is being directed by Felix Okolo.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2012

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A call for return of artefacts

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LARGE number of Nigeria’s priceless artefacts left its shores long before the country came into being as an independent nation. The high point was the infamous assault on Benin in 1897. Dispossessing Nigerians of their heritage went on throughout the period of colonial domination and, more recently, it has been rearing its ugly head through looting of heritage archaeological sites and museums.

The National Commission for Museums and Monuments, the organ charged with preserving Nigeria’s antiquities, considers the return of all these objects, an issue of paramount importance; that is why it is paying quality attention to it including the setting up of a special unit to handle it.

It must be stated, however, that since 1996, thefts of antiquities have not been recorded from the National Museums collections. So the claim that the recently intercepted terracotta pieces in US were stolen from National Museum Lagos is false.

No object has been stolen from any Nigeria museum since the last series of burglaries in the early 1990s. Even then, Lagos museum was not involved and all the stolen pieces were put on ICOM red list. Indeed, many of them have since been recovered and returned to the museums.

The looting of heritage archaeological sites and Museums has been an age-long and world-wide problem. In Nigeria, the problem reached epidemic proportions in the 1990s when Nok and North-western Nigeria’s (Kwatarkwoshi) archaeological sites were massively raped and ripped of their priceless objects. These objects were spread throughout Western Europe and the USA illustrating the devastating scale of the problem.

While the problem abated in the beginning of the new millennium, recent field studies indicate that it has not fully stopped.

At the onset of the Management of the NCMM in 2009 under the leadership of Yusuf Abdallah Usman, the issue of looting of archaeological sites by illegal diggers reduced due to the use of a multi-pronged approach. Within the last three years the Commission has embarked on several sensitisation programmes involving law enforcement agencies, media, local community and traditional rulers at Abuja and Kaduna and also in the rural areas especially at Nok and Janjala. In the meantime, approval to employ six hundred security and crafts men to police our heritage site is awaiting cash backing from the budget office.

From the legal perspective, the Commission has made substantial progress in her bid to review her laws with a view to tightening the loose ends against the smuggling of antiquities.This review will give the Commission the power to the unequivocal proclamation that all antiquities buried under the ground are the properties of the Federal Government of Nigeria. It will also make it possible for the Commission’s Antiquities Inspectors to search and arrest, with or without warrant, malefactors. The Commission will equally be endowed through provisions in the reviewed law with the power of prosecuting offenders.

The Commission has some registered antiquity vendors who bring objects to it for acquisition. Through them, the Commission has acquired very good and invaluable objects. However, in recent times due to dwindling financial resources the Commission has been unable to pay as at when due.

When the vendors bring in these antiquities the Commission is obliged by its Act to collect them even when it does not readily

By Yusuf Abdallah Usman

HERITAGE have funds to pay compensation, for the simple reason that these are the heritage of the nation and so cannot be allowed to remain outside the protection of the National Commission for Museums and Monuments.

We are dialoguing with the vendors to find means of compensating them. Thus, we are seeking intervention funds from the Federal Government to enable us defray the debt owed them to prevent the objects from being sold to foreigners and private collectors.

It is important to note that the issue of purchase of Antiquities is of prime importance to the nation.

Meanwhile, we appreciate the understanding and patience of the vendors who are helping us to continually increase the number of our collections besides other means of acquisition such as: field collection, donations, seizures and restitution. It is pertinent to note that objects taken out of their archaeological context have little significance to social and historical reconstruction. Accordingly we try to regulate the activities of these vendors in order to balance curatorial needs with scientific archaeological considerations.

In the meantime the Commission is pursuing restitution and return, has adopted approaches that are firmly anchored within the framework of the foreign policy direction of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which is principally dialogue rather than undue combativeness. These efforts at dialoguing have brought us into discussions with nations, particularly our West African neighbours under the auspices of ECOWAS. This is necessary because most smuggled artefacts are taken out through the borders we share with these nations.

The Commission in its effort at getting our objects back to Nigeria has also been operating through the ICOM/UNESCO framework and has also been dialoguing with professionals in the foreign Museums. We, indeed, believe that dialogue is more productive than confrontation. This however must not be misunderstood as weakness on our part. We do believe that our professional colleagues abroad and the law enforcement agencies will continue to cooperate with us in our legitimate pursuit for the return of our antiquities.

Efforts at dialoguing have brought about recent interface with most of the major museums in Europe. The Commission instigated discussions on modalities of returning Benin objects to Nigeria. This has resulted in the meeting of the major museums in Europe and the Commission in Vienna, Austria and Berlin, Germany in 2010 and 2011. A third meeting is scheduled for Benin City before the end of this year. The heads of these European museums have signified their intention

•Usman

•Nok terra cota

to attend this meeting. It will be recalled that Nigeria was one of the strong voices in the Egyptian Conference of 2010 where return of the pieces of each countries priceless antiquities were demanded to be returned to their countries of origin.

Nigeria is also involving the Inter-Governmental Committee for Promoting the Return of Cultural Property to its Countries of Origin or its Restitution in Case of Illicit Appropriation.

This Committee has helped Tanzania in recent times to reclaim its famous Makonde mask. We are confident that this Committee will aid our demand for the return of the 32 works of Benin Art recently donated to the museum of Fine Arts in Boston which

‘We are confident that this Committee will aid our demand for the return of the 32 works of Benin Art recently donated to the museum of Fine Arts in Boston which we have reasons to believe, came from 1897 Punitive British Expedition to Benin. The NCMM is in direct contact with this Committee through Nigeria’s Permanent Delegation to UNESCO. Similarly, Nigeria is taking steps to join the United States’ Convention on Cultural Property Implementation Act (CPIA)’

we have reasons to believe, came from 1897 Punitive British Expedition to Benin. The NCMM is in direct contact with this Committee through Nigeria’s Permanent Delegation to UNESCO. Similarly, Nigeria is taking steps to join the United States’ Convention on Cultural Property Implementation Act (CPIA).

Nigeria’s effort at restitution was recently rewarded when Terra-cotta effigies of more than a thousand years old were returned from Canada on February 24, 2009. Before this, the L’Office central de repression du vol des oeuvres et des objets d’art (O.C.R.V.O.O.A.) had also returned three Ife bronze heads stolen and found in France. Benin bronze artefacts sold to Galerie Walu in Zurich were also returned to Nigeria. In September this year, the Commission shall be receiving from the Embassy of France five Nok Sculptures which were intercepted in August 2010 by the French Customs from shipments originating from Togo.

While a management inherits the image of an organisation, it is also fair to acknowledge efforts being made in tackling an agelong problem. The NCMM, AAN and other stakeholders have re-affirmed their commitment to work together in tackling the menace of illegal excavations and export of our priceless antiquities.

•Usman is Director-General, NCMM, Abuja

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2012

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Onyinye Amade, 47, used to walk like other children. But, suddenly, he fell ill when he was five years old.

Since then, he could not walk again. He was told he had polio. Undaunted, he enrolled at the Rehabilitation Centre, Enugu, after which he took to photography because he did not want to be a beggar. He speaks with NNEKA NWANERI on his life, his interest in photography and empowering the less-privileged.

INTERVIEW

A

T what point did you get this disability?

I used to walk normally like others. But, I suddenly fell ill when I was five years old. After encountering that problem, I could not walk again. I was told I had polio. I remember whenever my mother came back from the market, I used to run to her, shouting, ‘mummy welcome’. I played with my younger ones and we ran races; those are memories I recall that I can’t do again.

How did you feel when the ailment began?

I felt bad seeing myself lying on the bed. At the outset, it was tough for my parents who took me to several hospitals and traditional centres to make sure I walked again. I really felt it seeing my younger ones running about. But, I decided not to worry myself as the worst has not happened. I am special because I don’t consider any problem as one. Whatever comes to me in life, I take it as a simple thing. I endeavour to compete with able-bodied men and women, knowing that disability is not inability.

What kept you going?

I entered primary school at Ogogoro in Rivers State very late. But, due to my performance, I was given double promotion. With that, people came closer to me and wanted to associate with me. From there, I entered the Rehabilitation Centre at Enugu, sponsored by the Rivers State government.

When I got back, I didn’t want to be a street beggar, so I took to photography. Nobody taught me. I picked up the challenge one day while sitting on my wheelchair. I saw a young man snapping his younger ones. I said to myself that if the little ones can do it, I can also do it. I then pleaded with someone to buy me a camera, which he did and I started from there.

It was difficult for me at the beginning but I tried and adjusted. Today, God has blessed me and now I am using it to feed myself and my family. I cover primary school inter-house sports, birthdays, weddings and ceremonies, among others.

What is the patronage like?

People patronise me because when I do a good job for them, they are motivated to get me customers. They always tell other potential customers that I can do whatever able bodiedmen can. Although I find it difficult climbing up to some offices and the reception grounds, but as soon as I get someone to help me get through, I perform very well.

How did you learn to drive?

As soon as I bought a car, I got someone to teach me to drive for two hours a day. Within five minutes I saw him move front and back, I told him to get down and let me drive. The man was reluctant to let me, but I assured him that, despite the difficulty, when we get to that bridge, I will cross it. Here I am today, I have been driving for a little over a year now.

Your marital life I am married with a kid. I met my wife when I employed her. She was working in my office as a receptionist. I saw she could take care of me and my business even if I was not there.

When I approached her for marriage, her parents were against it and refused, she insisted she must marry me and, finally, we wedded in 1999 and in 2004, God gave us a son.

What is your impression of societal attitude to disability?

People see those with disability as the worst thing. But I do not agree with them. They don’t believe disabled persons can do anything as they are seen as abandoned properties. We are not. I try to tell people to change their attitude to disabled persons. We are are among the living and can even do better than some able-bodied men.

What are your challenges?

My business and future prospects are my major challenges.

I want a bigger laboratory where I can empower other physically-challenged and employ them. Even now, I’m trying to empower them by buying wheelchairs and giving to some.

I buy handsets, umbrellas, clutches and tables to give people. I’m trying to show them that disability is not inability.

If I can own a big lab, I will employ even the able and disabled.

I have not got any support from the Rivers State government. It’s only the Chairman of Obiakpor Local Government, Prince Timothy Nisirim, that bought me a camera. Apart from that, I haven’t got any assistance from anyone. If only they can open a laboratory for me, I can feed myself, my family and others. I will employ others thereby reducing unemployment in the local government and Rivers State as a whole.

The name of my business is Onyinye Special Photos. For now, it is still a private business.

‘People see those with disability as the worst thing. But I do not agree with them. They don’t believe disabled persons can do anything as they are seen as abandoned properties. We are not. I try to tell people to change their attitude to disabled persons. We are are among the living and can even do better than some able-bodied men’

‘Me, a beggar? No way!’

•Onyinye

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2012

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E-mail:- ozoluauhakheme@yahoo.com

L

AST Tuesday was my first visit to the permanent campus of the Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU) in Ago Iwoye, Ogun State.

The stretch from the main gate to the T-junction that branches to the various locations on the campus is lined with well groomed trees. The ambience is serene. Various structures are at different stages of completion in a clearly fast expanding academic environment. My mission on the campus is to attend the inaugural lecture delivered by Professor Samuel Adeboye Ali of the Department of Philosophy titled “Philosophy African Philosophical Template and the Question of Man”. By the time I quietly enter the Otunba Gbenga Daniel Auditorium, the venue of the lecture, and anonymously take my seat in the audience, the event is in full swing. The hall is jam packed. There is excitement in the air. This is certainly a vibrant intellectual environment. I am impressed by the evident synergy between ‘Town’ and ‘Gown’ at Ago-Iwoye. The Ebumawe of Ago-Iwoye, His Royal Highness Oba Abdul Rasaq Adesina, is in attendance with all of his Chiefs –in- Council. The lecturer himself is an indigene of AgoIwoye, an alumnus of OOU and a true son of the soil. The event is also significant because it is the first inaugural lecture under the auspices of the new Vice Chancellor, Professor Saburi Adejimi Adesanya.

The love and passion for philosophy is evident in Professor Alli’s voice and demeanour. He has had a most illustrious and interesting career as an academic philosopher. His Ph.D thesis submitted to the University of Ibadan in 1999 is on ‘The Problem of Destiny in African Metaphysics: The Yoruba Example’. Over the years, he has published extensively in his areas of specialization, Aesthetics (the study of values such as the beautiful and the sublime) and Metaphysics (the study of being, form, time, space and causality). With scores of publications to his credit, Professor Ali has rigorously interrogated such critical subjects as ‘African Man: Social or Solitary’ or ‘On the Enigmatic Nature of Man in philosophical traditions: A comparative Analysis of the African and Western Notions’. One therefore understands why the Professor is eminently placed to dilate on the interesting subject of his inaugural lecture.

Professor Ali understandably grounds the foundation of philosophy on Socrates’ timeless admonition that “an unexamined life is

Philosophy’s Day of Glory at OOU (1) not worth living”. He thus endorses one of his mentors, Professor J. Olubi Sodipo’s submission that “Philosophy is a reflective and critical thinking about the concepts and principles which we use to organize our experience in morals, in religion, in social and political life, in law, in psychology, in history and the natural sciences”. He seeks to validate the thesis that academic philosophizing is as relevant to the African world as it is to the western nations, which he rather enigmatically qualify as ‘civilized’. While he does not disagree with Karl Marx’s maxim that the task of philosophers is not just to interpret the world but to change it, he believes that professional academic philosophers also have a theoretical duty to establish the discipline “as an organized body of knowledge and existentially as an honorific profession”.

The eloquent lecturer identifies philosophy across time and space from the Greek thinkers

to modern analytic philosophers with “wisdom, reflections, clarifications and objective analyses”. Thus, the skills of the academic philosopher he deposes “are applicable to understanding and developing every aspect of human life”. The purpose of the knowledge of the cosmos and the discovery of the essence of life, which is the avocation of the philosopher, is the attainment of wisdom to enrich the quality of man’s life. Like Plato, Professor Ali sees philosophy as straddling and transcending the middle ground between the empirical comprehension of reality offered by science and the mystical insights into the universe provided by religion.

Unendingly fascinated with a subject, which is obviously the love of his life, Professor Ali rhapsodizes seductively about the primacy of philosophy in the hierarchical structure of human knowledge industry. For him, philosophy is, literarily, the prince of disciplines on

????????????

‘Unendingly fascinated with a subject, which is obviously the love of his life, Professor Ali rhapsodizes seductively about the primacy of philosophy in the hierarchical structure of human knowledge industry. For him, philosophy is, literarily, the prince of disciplines on which he confers the majestic title of “the science of sciences’

which he confers the majestic title of “the science of sciences”. This is because “As a universal science, it is concerned with the knowledge of the first causes or the highest principles of all things”. In this regard, he underscores the significant fact that the highest academic attainment in any discipline is the Ph.D, which is the ‘Doctor of Philosophy’. Thus, he argues that philosophy is “the supreme science, which judges, governs and defends other sciences”. Of course, the political scientist is unlikely to endorse this superlative depiction of philosophy in the universe of human intellection. For, the student of power would contend that man must first of all organize stable polities predicated on legitimate authority systems before he can eat, drink, worship or philosophize. This is probably why Aristotle, twenty four centuries ago, described politics as “the master science”. Of course, Professor Ali will most likely vehemently contest this position.

Tracing the diverse Western philosophical traditions to the Greek philosophical template, Professor Ali offers a concise overview of the evolution of the various schools of western philosophy from the ancient world, through the medieval period to the modern scientific age. But then, he concludes this section rather controversially when he asserts that “…the African continent has tremendously benefitted from the philosophical ideas of the great philosophers of the Western Philosophical template”. He appears to discount the well known linkage between aspects of western philosophy and racism legitimating, for instance, the horrendous African slave trade and colonialism that lasted over four centuries. Thus, Professor Ali’s colleague at the University of Calabar, Enyimba Maduka, argues that major western philosophers like David Hume, Immanuel Kant, Hegel and even surprisingly, Karl Marx, provided the intellectual armoury for the “racist perception of Africans that has led western scholars to deny Africans intellectual ability and to describe them as incapable of any good thing. Such pejorative terms as savages, primitives, barbarian, backwardness etc have been used to qualify Africans and anything Africa”. Nevertheless, this is a fascinating inaugural lecture. In the concluding part next week, we will reflect on Professor Ali’s insightful examination of the nexus between academic philosophy and the African condition and the intriguing question of ‘Man and Personhood’ in African philosophical thought.

New face of So Wrong So Wright, Tales of Eve unveiled

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FILM and television production firm, Genesis Studios, has unveiled the new face of So Wrong, So Wright and Tales of Eve at the re–brand launch party in Lagos.

The cozy environment of Genesis Studios, was the venue of the launch. The gathering was a simple, artistic and exquisite affair.

The strategically positioned banners, to arrays of exquisite wines - all attest to the glamour on display at the event.

The event kicked off with a short opening prayer and reading of the history of the company and past achievements. It was done by the CorporateCommunication Officer,Victor Esemudje.

The Chief Executive Officer of Genesis Studios, Mr Olatubosun Olaegbe, said his strategy is holistic and that he is involved in the creative process with his team.

The growth of the firm and its brands, he said, was as a result of his desire to improve on the quality of production and attention to details. He said he introduced the catchword “the Genesis way”for staff to differentiate them from others in the industry.

Justifying the need for the catchwords, he said though methods and tools are important for productivity, but that a firm would not go far without the right mindset of its staff.

He said So Wrong So Wright and Tales of Eve, which have bagged some awards and nominations, thrive on the principle of team members (cast and crew) who have a mindset channelled to the ideals and values of the production company. He noted that this is a strong foundation for boosting

By Raji Rotimi Solomon

productivity.

Olaegbe reiterated that the television and film industry was yet to maximise its capacity for global standard, recognition and commercial viability, and that contents from programmes in his firm’s stable were aiming to reach that height. He said though it is not easy to achieve this, with an improved mindset and better equipment, they would.

So, as the company invests on better equipment, its management is also training the workers.

So Wrong, So Wright is an insightful, yet deeply entertaining 30-minute-drama series, that chronicles changes in the Wright family - an upper-middle class family of six.

It provides an in-depth look at the daily lives of the respectable Wright family as its members strive to find happiness in their lives, only to discover that this is not easy. There are lot of lessons to learn from it.

On the other hand, Tales of Eve, is a sensational television drama series. It is a new form of expression for the African woman; it provides her with a distinct voice in society. The programmes can be viewed on various TV stations in Nigeria.

Those who attended the launch were impressed by the artistic input of the production, which was viewed on a wide, theatrelike screen, which added comfort to the viewing.

Obviously, those present at the launch went home with high expectations and a renewed feeling of hope for the movie industry.

• Mudiare Onobrakpeya (left), General Manager, Terra Kulture, Mr Joseph Umoibom and Bode Olaniran during a visit to the Monument de la Renaissance Africaine in Dakar, Senegal.

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2012

The Midweek Magazine

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PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Behold all winners Globacom’s Area Manager, Lagos 3 Territory, Mr Sam Edo (second right); newly crowned Miss LASU 2012, Comfort Ajoke Badmus (second left); a 200-Level Industrial Relations student, with the runners-up after the Miss LASU Beauty Pageant sponsored by Globacom.

Being the third largest in the world, Nigeria’s film industry has continued to attract global attention. Its immense potential, particularly as a tool for national unity and harmony, inspired the US film directing workshop for Nigerian filmmakers, writes EVELYN OSAGIE.

US builds bridges through filmmakers

A

MERICAN Ambassador to Nigeria Terence McCulley loves the movies. He said fond memories of early childhood spent at the movies with his siblings remain

evergreen.

Movies, he said, have the ability of bringing people together, adding that filmmakers have the rare ability of visualising and delivering a message that can stay with a person for years. He also said beyond entertainment, the industry has the tools to foster national peace and unity.

“The medium of film has the ability to spread a message of terror, reconciliation or hope,” McCulley said at a visual encounter via a Digital Video Conference (DVC) during the closing of the film directing workshop.

The 10-day workshop was organised by the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Consulate General, Lagos, with iREP and Freedom Parks.

McCulley said: “We have people from Nigeria’s north and south – two regions that sometimes may not understand each other clearly. However, using the power of film, you have the ability to help bridge the gaps between your brothers and sisters, North and South, to create a stronger nation. In essence, each of you possesses a power to communicate that is unparallel in the modern age.

You can choose to tell a story with a happy ending, or a melancholy story of lost love, that will evoke emotions in the viewer. Better still, your films might stir emotions in the greater consciousness of Nigerians.”

In spite of the challenges filmmakers are faced with, he urged them to make films that would tie together Nigeria’s past and present, and provide a hopeful vision for its

MOVIE future. He advised that the training should enhance the participants’ ability to market their works in other ways.

“Considering Nigeria’s history and current conflicts, it might be possible to write a story of two brothers, one of whom was affected by Niger Delta militants, another affected today by Boko Haram, and their grandfather who survived the Civil War, provides them with the guidance they need to make wise decisions about their future.

Or perhaps you can weave a tale of a corrupt university teacher or school cult that is abusing students and extorting money.

“You have to co-ordinate mountains of resources, and days after your epic masterpiece hits the market piracy threatens to eat into the profits. I have not given up the hope of seeing more Nigerian films worldwide.

With the lessons learned here you can set yourself apart from other directors in Nigeria and make a bigger name for yourself, which carries with it an increase ability to market your work in other ways. And perhaps one day you will be the ones teaching a film director’s workshop in Lagos or Kano, passing on what you have learned to future generations,” McCulley said.

The workshop had Prof. Yemane Demissie of the Film Department, New York University as its facilitator and 17 filmmakers drawn from Nollywood and Kannywood. It featured classes on general skill enhancement, scene analysis, the use of wardrobe, location, colour, and development of language and storytelling skills, among others.

Demissie called on filmmakers to market

Nigeria’s local content to the world. His film, Dead Weight, told the story of a woman tormented by the ghosts of her past, calling attention to torturous of Ethiopians experiences during the 1970 revolution.

He said: “Nigeria’s film industry is already here and the second biggest industry in the world. The challenge is how to further develop storytelling skills, expand vocabulary, themes and plots. Funding is not the primary issues because it is an issue everywhere. The question for filmmakers is: what is Nigeria’s vision? My advice is that they should do as Fela and Sunny Ade did. They looked inward and communicate the local content to the world. Have an understanding of the people. The starting point is the people. The people are extremely friendly, passionate and hungry for the knowledge of filmmaking. I will miss the camaraderie.”

Acting Consul General, Fred Armand, reiterated the professor’s words, saying: “You don’t need a lot of money to make a good film all you need is creativity.

“The arts (film and music inclusive) play important peacekeeping role to play in society. The partnership doesn’t end today. It is the beginning of future partnership among Nollywood, Kannywood and the US Embassy.”

The workshop experience came as a refreshers course and an empowerment programme for participants. Film Director, Fehintola Olulana, said: “This week is a catalyst for the Nigerian film industry. Everybody has been fired up and is determined to go back and show new strengths. This is not the end. Even though we have a lot of challenges, the biggest of all is lack of funding.

You would be hearing about us in the future. We hope for possible collaborations to

•McCulley

work together to build a better industry.”

On his part, former chair, Arewa Film Producers Association, Hamisu Lamido Iyantama, said the workshop was unity ground of a sort. “It has helped us understand ourselves as Nigerians and help us to know how to promote our peace and unity as a nation. The workshop united us and we have agreed to go into collaborative effort.

We have step into another level because this workshop has taught us different techniques of directing and styles and to formulate and communicate (which is the actual work of directing),” he said.

Award-winning director, Dickson Iroegbu, said it has given him a clearer vision. He said: “I have realised filmmaking should not be all about the money, but telling stories that would impact positively on the society and the world.”

Other participants included Ita Hozaife, Oyisama Omoefe, Inyang Uko, Yinka Akanbi, Feyisola Adelakun, Mikali Hassan, Ahmad Gulu, Anthony Joseph, Adeniran Adeniregun and Mohammad Sabo Usman, among others.

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2012

The Midweek Magazine

E-mail:- ozoluauhakheme@yahoo.com

PHOTOS OF THE WEEK

•Yandaba Cultural Group paying homage to Governor Isa Yuguda in Bauchi, during the Eidel-Fitri festival

PHOTOS: NAN

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2012

EUROPEAN TRANSFER...

NATION SPORT

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Skrtel commits future to Liverpool

ARTIN Skrtel today committed his future to Liverpool by signing a new longterm contract - and immediately declared his ambition to become an Anfield legend.

The 27-year-old - voted our Player of the Season last

M

term - put his signature next to that of managing director Ian Ayre at Melwood following today's training session.

He then told Liverpoolfc.com that signing a new deal at Anfield was his first priority this summer.

•Skrtel

"I'm happy because I am a part of one of the biggest clubs in the world," said Skrtel.

"After last season there was a lot of talk about my future but I have to say that the first priority for me was always to sign a new deal with Liverpool.

"For me it's a great thing to play for Liverpool. I am proud to play for Liverpool with these great players probably some of the best players in the world.

"I hope I can create history at this club and that the fans will always remember me that's my target for the future."

Skrtel was signed from Zenit in January 2008 and has made 175 appearances for the Reds to date.

He and his family are happy with their life away from the pitch, and the Slovakia international is confident new boss Brendan Rodgers can ensure he stays equally content with matters on it.

"I have been here almost four and a half years and I have enjoyed that time here - myself and also my family," said Skrtel. "So there were no questions about

whether to stay or to leave.

"A lot of things have changed, a new manager has come. I think we can start to make history and I want to be a part of that history.

"We have our target. For this season it is the top four and I hope we can do it.

Then we will see.

"I think Brendan Rodgers showed his quality with Swansea and now he's carrying on doing that at Liverpool. He's showed he's a great manager and I hope we can play better football than we did in the last seasons and I hope we can get our target."

Skrtel has established himself as one of the Barclays Premier League's top defenders over the past two seasons and helped Liverpool record the third best defensive record in the division during 2011-12 despite the eighth placed finish.

He added: "You can always play better.

"I can say the last two seasons were really good for me - probably the best two seasons of my career. If I can repeat the performances of the last two years this season I can be happy."

Galliani: Cassano in Inter talks

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C Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani has confirmed talks are underway with Inter Milan involving an exchange for striker Antonio Cassano.

The Italy international is believed to be frustrated with the Rossoneri's dealings in the transfer market during the off-season, which saw star duo Thiago Silva and Zlatan Ibrahimovic sold to Paris Saint-Germain.

Rumours of a swap deal

Larsson: Helsingborg still strong

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ENRIK Larsson does not believe the loss of Alfred Finnbogason will affect Helsingborg's chances of overcoming Celtic in the Champions League.

Helsingborg face another of Larsson's former clubs, Celtic, in their Champions League play-off.

Iceland striker Finnbogason had been on loan with the Swedes from Belgian side Lokeren, scoring 12 goals in 17 appearances since arriving in March.

It was reported that Finnbogason had agreed to a permanent move to Helsingborg before deciding to sign for Dutch side Heerenveen and he is no

longer available.

Former Bhoys hero Larsson turned up at Celtic's hotel on Monday afternoon where he met Hoops manager and former teammate, Neil Lennon, before discussing Tuesday night's first-leg and the departure of Helsingborg's top scorer.

"They (Helsingborg) are a very good team, very sound defensively, foremost," he said.

"They lost a striker the other day, they are probably going to miss him a little bit.

"You are always going to miss goals, he has been delivering since he came but they have a big squad, a lot of players who are ready to play.

"There are a few other strikers there who are dangerous who are going to make it difficult for Celtic."

Larsson, now coaching Swedish side Landskrona, was reluctant to predict which of his two former clubs would get through to the group stages.

He said: "It's two teams who meant a lot to me, two teams who made it possible for me.

"Helsingborg gave me the opportunity to come out and play in Europe, Celtic is where I made my name so it is a very difficult one.

"I just hope the team who plays the best football is going to win and go through to the next stage."

•Eduardo Vargas

Espanyol target Napoli forward Vargas

U

NHAPPY at his lack of playing time in Italy, the Chilean may leave for Spain in a bid to find regular action, and the Catalan club are thought to be keen on a temporary switch Napoli are currently considering loaning out Eduardo Vargas to Espanyol after the striker failed to make an impact in Serie A last season.

Vargas, who arrived in Italy following a •13.6 million move from Universidad de Chile, failed to break into the first team and has yet to score for his new club in 13 appearances.

Check out the latest transfer

Munich targets Martinez

B

•Galliani with Giampaolo Pazzini surfaced last week as the 28year-old striker is deemed surplus to requirements by Nerazzurri coach Andrea Stramaccioni following a disappointing 2011/12 campaign.

Cassano was omitted from Massimiliano Allegri's squad for Sunday night's Trofeo Berlusconi clash with Juventus in the final friendly ahead of the new Serie A season, fueling speculation of an imminent move to their city rivals.

And Galliani admitted after the defeat to Juve that discussions are taking place over a possible player exchange with Inter.

"We'll talk with the president and the coach, consider things and then make a decision," he told reporters.

"There are negotiations in place - there is no doubt about that - and we will see.

As with all negotiations, they can conclude positively or negatively. I will not deny that something is stirring."

rumours and gossip in our dedicated Transfer Talk section here According to La Tercera, Espanyol have expressed an interest in the forward and are confident the club's good relationship with the Partenopei will enable them to sign Vargas on loan.

Espanyol would pay •405,000 towards the deal, and would also take on a large percentage of the Chilean's annual salary.

Cristian Ogalde, Vargas' representative, is in Barcelona to meet with Ramon Planes, director of Espanyol, with both parties confident a deal can be struck.

AYERN Munich look to have pipped both Manchester clubs to the signature of Javi Martinez, but the £30million-plus deal is being threatened by a bizarre hitch over how the fee should be paid.

Mindful of a likely backlash from fans over the loss of their most prized asset, Athletic Bilbao bosses wanted to avoid appearing to cash in on Martinez and hatched a plan to make it look as though he engineered the move.

•Martinez

President Josu Urrutia publicly denied any contact from Bayern and told last season’s Champions’ League finalists he would not accept any payment from them. The only way the transfer could proceed, he added, was if Martinez activated an escape clause in his contract and paid the 40million euros (£31.4million) himself.

It was a stance aimed at pacifying Bilbao’s fanatical support, and Bayern went along with it by agreeing to pay the fee to Martinez to enable him to buy out his contract.

The 23-year old visited the Allianz Arena at the end of last week to reach a verbal agreement on a five-year contract and put the finishing touches to meeting Urrutia’s wishes.

But, just as the strangest of transfer deals was about to go through, the Spanish tax authorities were alerted to it and let it be known that Martinez would be liable to a six million euro tax bill, the moment Bayern’s 40million cheque registered in his account.

With Urrutia still insisting he will not accept payment directly from Bayern, Martinez’s immediate future has been plunged into uncertainty.

The Spain centre-back or defensive midfielder has been a target for Manchester United for the best part of a year, while City manager Roberto Mancini admitted recently that he made an approach for him earlier this summer.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2012

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NATION SPORT

A

year ago you were playing at the FIFA U20 World Cup, but you have since established yourself as one of the first names on the senior teamsheet, first under Leonel Alvarez and now Jose Pekerman. Has the No10 jersey come to you more quickly than expected?

I’m very proud, of course. Being so young and already part of the full national side is very important to me, and it’s even more special when I think that just a year ago I was playing in the U-20 team. Since I was a young boy, I’ve always dreamed of wearing the No10 shirt for Colombia, and luckily that’s what I’m able to do now. It’s such a massive thing for me; I want to always do well for my country.

Of the other Colombian stars to have worn that jersey, who did you admire when you were young?

‘El Pibe’ – Carlos Valderrama – was the main one, really. At the time, he was a top player and I had a lot of admiration for him. I met him once and he’s a great person, someone who provided the country with a lot of joy. He was a very intelligent footballer who could create something out of nothing as well as score goals. For those reasons, when we were kids, Valderrama was the No10 we all wanted to play with.

It would be an absolute dream to make it to the World Cup. And not just to take part, but to actually have a go at winning the tournament.

Last year, the Colombian fans played an essential role at the FIFA U-20 World Cup. Despite that, during the current qualifying campaign for Brazil 2014, you’ve yet to pick up a home win.

That’s true, we’ve had trouble getting results at home so far.

We really need to win these two games that are coming up; they’re going to be very important for us. We’ll have to be fully focused. That’s why we’re here in Madrid – to get some hard graft under our belts and to work on a plan that we can put into action on the pitch.

Does the lack of home success add extra weight to Colombia’s next match against Uruguay?

We’re playing the game in Barranquilla, and we have to go out to win the match. Uruguay have had some excellent players over the past few years, and their current batch is no different. They’re doing very well.

They’re in second spot in the qualifying table and have a strong team, one that is the product of long development process. On top of that, up front they can count on guys who have been pretty successful in Europe.

We’ll have to be wary, although we also have good footballers capable of delivering a win for

•Rodriguez

Rodriguez: I’ve got a lot to learn At just 21 years of age, Colombian international James Rodriguez has had the kind of meteoric rise that would leave some players suffering from vertigo. The young forward has already shown that he can not only compete, but also impress in competitive leagues such as in Argentina and Portugal. Currently a Porto player, his explosive pace and powerful shot have recently enabled him to make the considerable step up to his country’s senior side.

And just a year after taking part in the FIFA U-20 World Cup, the left footer has already taken on the responsibility of leading the attack on Jose Pekerman’s improving side, and is now harbouring dreams of inspiring Los Cafeteros to the FIFA World Cup finals for the first time in 16 years.

So far in the qualifying competition, in which sixth-placed Colombia presently lie four points behind upcoming opponents Uruguay, Rodriguez has played in all five of his team’s games. Moreover, he was also chosen by FIFA.com’s Spanishspeaking users in October 2011 as the most influential player of the early qualification fixtures.

If that were not impressive enough, in June of this year, he scored the first competitive goal of the Pekerman era in a crucial 1-0 victory over Peru in Lima.

In Madrid for a national squad gathering ahead of important qualifiers versus Uruguay and Chile, Rodriguez took time out to speak to FIFA.com about various topics, including his own personal development, memories of previous Colombian exploits, and his dreams of following in the footsteps of his childhood idol, Carlos Valderrama. us.

How would you explain Colombia’s failure to achieve meaningful results over the last couple of years? Do you feel that they are ready to turn the corner now?

Our dream, and the entire country’s dream, is to qualify for the World Cup. At the moment, we have a great crop of players.

We’ve probably not had such a high-quality squad for about eight years or so. We’ve not had much luck in front of goal so far in our qualifying campaign, which is always a very tricky prospect. But that’s why we’re here, to turn our plan into reality and get through these matches successfully.

What are the keys to success for Colombia?

Most importantly, players who are doing very well in Europe. The best example of that is Radamel Falcao in Spain. Last season he was immense in La Liga and he won the UEFA Europa League. He’s very important for the national team.

How much of an effect has the arrival of Jose Pekerman had on this group of players?

It’s been very positive, in all

areas. He’s a coach with bags of experience in World Cup qualifying matches and he guided Argentina to Germany in 2006.

I think he’s going to be a great help to us.

After taking on Uruguay, you play Chile, who are currently top of the qualifying table. How many points would you ideally like to take from these two encounters?

Six points out of six. That’s all we’re thinking about. We’re aware that both of these matches will be difficult, but we have the players to get the right results.

You were just seven years old the last time that Colombia qualified for the FIFA World Cup. Do you remember anything about it?

I was very young, but I do remember a few things, such as David Beckham scoring against Farid Mondragon. Truth be told, although Colombia didn’t get out of their group, they still had a good World Cup. Now we’re the ones hoping to qualify and to put in a good show in Brazil.

If that were to happen, can you see yourself following in Valderrama’s footsteps?

Let’s hope so! It would be an absolute dream to make it to the World Cup. And not just to take part, but to actually have a go at winning the tournament. The fact that it’s being played in Brazil means that more fans will be able to travel from Colombia and be there to support us. We’ll do our best to have a successful qualifying campaign and be part of things in 2014.

Finally, knowing full well that you feel settled at Porto, would you like to play in another league one day? And if so, which league and why?

I’m very aware that I’m still young and have a lot to learn, but I would eventually like to play in Spain. It’s a league that I’ve always watched – it’s different from the English League, which is very physical. The game in Spain is more about technique, and about getting more touches on the ball. That’s why I like it so much.

•Rodriguez

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2012

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EQUITIES NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 17-8-12

SEC shuts fund managers

T

HE Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has sealed two illegal fund management outfits in Jos, Plateau State as part of efforts to protect unsuspecting investors from putting their money in ponzi schemes, otherwise known as wonder banks.

Head of Department, Enforcement and Compliance, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Mr Eric Elujekor, who led the enforcement team to Jos, said the fund management outfits were operating without licence while those with licence did not register their funds as required by the Commission.

The two illegal fund outfits according to a statement are Green Planet Association International, Bukuru and Wiscom Ventures, Jos North.

“Some of them were licensed as funds managers but as fund managers if you want to mobilise fund and invest, you have to register

By Taofik Salako and Tonia Osundolire

the fund with SEC. Even those we registered as fund managers never registered the fund they are floating.”

Elujekor said.

However, operators and investors in some of the illegal funds outfits resisted attempts by SEC to seal their premises - forcing SEC officials to beat a retreat. Some of them said that SEC was only being officious like other security agencies.

At one of the illegal operators -Guarantee Global Resource (House of Wealth), one of the investors, Adams Saleh, said that they were on queue waiting to be paid interests on their investment.

“We trust them, they give us information on the telephone, I invested N500, 000,’’ Saleh said.

The investors prevented the SEC team from taking away the manager of the company alleging that such enforcements by security agencies in the past were

mere ploys to extort money from the illegal fund managers.

Elujekor described the development as unfortunate, noting that the resistance was borne out of ignorance.

He assured investors that SEC would work towards releasing their trapped investments in the wonder banks.

“I am assuring the investors that if the money is in the banks and we are able to investigate the claims and they are genuine, we will be able to get the money out for them and give them. ‘That is the only thing I can tell you I will also advise investors to get in touch with SEC and lodge their complaints to get the right type of attention.”

Elujekor said.

He added that SEC would investigate claims by some investors that banks were aiding the illegal fund managers to make them appear legitimate to unsuspecting investors.

According to Elujekor, investors who volunteered information to SEC officials said they were encouraged to part with their monies because they saw bank officials in those offices receiving money, which they would then go and deposit personally with their banks.

NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 17-8-12

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2012

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2012

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2012

MONEY LINK

Confidence restored in bridged banks, says AMCON

C

ONFIDENCE has been restored in the bridged banks and they are now competing like any other lender in the country, the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria’s (AMCON’s) Executive Director, Finance and Operations, Mrs Mofoluke Dosunmu, has said.

The bridged banks - Keystone, Enterprise and Mainstreet – are the defunct BankPHB, Spring Bank and Afribank respectively. They were among the banks rescued by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) after their shareholders refused to allow new investors recapitalise them. The banks were subsequently liquidated and fresh funds injected by AMCON. Speaking on the performance of the banks, which were bridged by the corporation about a year ago, Dosunmu ex-

Stories by Collins Nweze

plained that the segregation (healthy and unhealthy) among the banks has fizzled away. “In the first place we have confidence back in the industry. Before now, some banks were healthy, some were not healthy.

Now you don’t have that anymore because the initial run experienced by the banks no longer applies. Customers have discovered that anytime they walked into those institutions, they can got their money back,” she said.

Besides, the banks’ costs of funds have reduced as the lenders diversified bulk of their deposit base from term deposits to current accounts.

“The current account balances have increased from 30 per cent to almost 50 per cent and that has reflected in the confidence back in the banks. It has reduced

the case of frauds and increased income from fees and commissions because customers don’t just put money in current accounts,” she said.

She noted that there have also been some drastic cost-cutting steps taken by the institutions.

“A lot of waste has been stopped. Leakages have been stemmed. I’m sure you are aware that over the years, there have been some adjustments in their staffing whereas people that were not really contributing to the bottom line of bank have been successfully exited. So you find out that even the operational cost of running those institutions have come down,” the AMCON Director said.

According to her, the banks now have more focused management teams that are committed and purpose-driven. They have specific terms of reference.

They are measured particularly against the background that what went into these banks is coming from a sinking fund that is contributed by other banks..

The Sinking Fund is a binding agreement between the banks to contribute 30 basis points of their audited total assets at the end of each year to help the AMCON offset some of its expenses. It became exigent after the CBN and the banks realised that funds from the management and realisation of the eligible banks’ assets to be acquired by AMCON may be insufficient to meet the resolution cost of restoring financial stability.

On whether the bridged banks have returned to profitability, she was not specific but explained that the lenders have broken even, returned to profitability and drastically reduced

UBA eyes infrastructure funding in East Africa

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NITED Bank for Africa Plc is to consolidate its business in East Africa, by positioning strongly in the emerging energy industry and providing the much needed financial bridge for infrastructure financing in the region.

The bank’s CEO, Phillips Oduoza according to a statement, disclosed this while addressing leaders of the organised private and public sector in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, as part of his business visit to The Zambia, Tanzania and Kenya at the weekend.

According to Oduoza, UBA

would explore areas of collaboration with key players in private and public sectors as part of efforts to engineer growth and development of the economies of these countries where it presently operates.

In this regard, he said UBA would be providing financial advisory services, infrastructure financing particularly in the emerging energy sector and efficiency in revenue collection in the region.

“Energy is one of the strengths of UBA and we hope to build capacity by bringing in people who have

expertise in energy transactions, Oduoza said.

“We have knowledge in structuring oil and gas transactions and we will train our people here in the region on financing oil and gas deals, no matter the volume and magnitude of the transactions,” he added.

He said the bank has started playing big in the downstream sector of Uganda and Tanzania oil industry by financing oil imports and is keen on going for big deals that would involve firms in the exploration business.

Oduoza listed tourism, ag-

riculture, infrastructure, interAfrican trade and utilities as some of the bank’s target business areas in the region.

He also reiterated the commitment of the bank towards market integration of the East African Economy by facilitating not only regional trade but also intra-African trade.

“For two African countries to trade, a letter of credit has to be issued through a corresponding bank in Europe or Asia, this is not only costly but also time consuming. Having UBA present in the two countries ensures a fast and less costly transaction,” he said.

FGN BONDS Amount N

Rate %

M/Date

3-Year 5-Year 5-Year

35m 35m 35m

11.039 12.23 13.19

19-05-2014 18-05-2016 19-05-2016

Price Loss 2754.67 447.80

INTERBANK RATES 7.9-10% 10-11%

PRIMARY MARKET AUCTION (T-BILLS) Tenor 91-Day 182-Day 1-Year

Amount 30m 46.7m 50m

Rate % 10.96 9.62 12.34

Date 28-04-2012 “ 14-04-2012

GAINERS AS AT 17-8-12 SYMBOL

CADBURY INTBREW FIDSON DANGFLOUR LIVESTOCK EVANSMED IKEJAHOTEL RTBRISCOE NAHCO OANDO

O/PRICE

15.95 6.94 0.84 6.13 1.37 1.15 1.17 1.65 5.70 13.61

C/PRICE

16.74 7.28 0.88 6.10 1.43 1.20 1.22 1.72 5.90 14.00

preciable difference,” she explained.

Rancard gets funding from equity fund ANCARD Solutions Limited (Rancard), a firm assisting telecommunication firms in Africa deliver mobile money and other technology solutions have received undisclosed back-up funding from Adlevo Capital Managers, a private equity fund and Intel Capital, Intel’s global investment and Merger and Acquisition focused entity.

Commenting on the investment at a media briefing in Lagos, Intel Capital’s Investment Director of Sub Sahara Africa, Samuel Mensah Jr, disclosed that Intel invests $500 million yearly into technology companies in the world.

He said that since the formation of the company it has invested $11 billion in 1,200 transactions spread across 54 countries globally.

The Chief Executive Officer, Rancard, Mr Kofi Dadzie, said the investment will assist his firm in

R

Amount Amount Offered ($) Demanded ($) 350m 150m 350m 138m 350m 113m

its expansion drive across Africa market. “Intel comes on board as both a strategic and financial partner assisting us in our expansion drive across Africa,” he said.

Dadzie said Rancard processes millions of mobile transactions across several networks, ensuring that over 99.9 per cent of the transactions are delivered virtually and instantly.

“The company is uniquely positioned to bridge the gap between content owners and mobile operators and is poised to benefit from the growth in mobile data services,” he said.

Chief Product Officer of Rancard, Ehi Binitie added that the company has also developed a cloud-based social recommendations engine called ‘Rendezvous’, which maps connections among mobile users and then uses this mapping of shared interests as a basis for recommending content to consumers.

Exchange Rate (N) 155.2 155.8 155.7

Date 2-7-12 27-6-12 22-6-12

CAPITAL MARKET INDEX Year Start Offer

NGN USD NGN GBP NGN EUR NIGERIA INTER BANK (S/N) (S/N) Bureau de Change (S/N) Parallel Market

Current Before

C u r r e n t CUV Start After %

147.6000 239.4810 212.4997

149.7100 244.0123 207.9023

150.7100 245.6422 209.2910

-2.11 -2.57 -1.51

149.7450

154.0000

154.3000

-3.04

152.0000

153.0000

155.5000

-2.30

153.0000

154.0000

156.0000

-1.96

NSE CAP Index

27-10-11 N6.5236tr 20,607.37

28-10-11 N6.617tr 20,903.16

DISCOUNT WINDOW Feb. ’11

July ’11

Dec ’11

MPR

6.50%

6.50%

12%

Standing Lending Rate ,, Deposit Rate ,, Liquidity Ratio Cash Return Rate Inflation Rate

8.50% 4.50% 25.00% 1.00% 12.10%

8.50% 4.50% 25.00% 2.00% 12.10%

9.50% 5.50% 30.00% 2.00% 12.6%

% Change -1.44% -1.44%

MEMORANDUM QUOTATIONS Name

CHANGE

0.79 0.34 0.04 0.27 0.06 0.05 0.05 0.07 0.20 0.39

Amount Sold ($) 150m 138m 113m

EXHANGE RATE 6-03-12 Currency

OBB Rate Call Rate

Mustafa

WHOLESALE DUTCH AUCTION SYSTEM

MANAGED FUNDS

NIDF NESF

•AMCON CEO, Chike-Obi

DATA BANK

Tenor

Initial Current Quotation Price Market N8250.00 5495.33 N1000.00 N552.20

the rate of their losses.

“I would be careful to say whether they (the bridged banks) are profitable. What I would say is that they taking necessary measure, corrective steps to ensure that the banks run better, going forward, showing improved performance. But while they might have been making loses as at December, between then and now they’ve broken even. But if you’re looking at a whole year’s profit (2011), you might not find profit at the end of that whole year but if you compare with what it was before, you will see an ap-

ARM AGGRESSIVE KAKAWA GUARANTEED STANBIC IBTC GUARANTE AFRINVEST W.A. EQUITY FUND LOTUS CAPITAL HALAL BGL SAPPHIRE FUND BGL NUBIAN FUND NIGERIA INTERNATIONAL DEB. PARAMOUNT EQUITY FUND CONTINENTAL UNIT TRUST CENTRE-POINT UNIT TRUST STANBIC IBTC NIG EQUITY

Offer Price

Bid Price

9.17 1.00 123.71 107.75 0.76 1.10 0.93 1,731.32 9.66 1.39 1.87 8,024.44

9.08 1.00 123.56 107.53 0.74 1.10 0.91 1,729.01 9.19 1.33 1.80

LOSERS AS AT 17-8-12

SYMBOL CONOIL ARBICO UPL MAYBAKER ROYALEX BAGCO REDSTAREX WAPIC NASCON NIGERINS

O/PRICE 23.00 14.83 4.30 1.75 0.53 1.63 2.75 0.55 4.77 0.51

C/PRICE 21.85 14.09 4.10 1.67 0.51 1.57 2.65 0.53 4.67 0.50

CHANGE 1.15 0.74 0.20 0.08 0.02 0.06 0.10 0.02 0.10 0.01

NIBOR Tenor 7 Days 30 Days 60 Days 150 Days

Rate (Previous) 4 Mar, 2012 9.0417 9.6667 11.2917 12.1250

Rate (Currency) 6, Mar, 2012 10.17% 11.46% 11.96% 12.54%

Movement

OPEN BUY BACK

Bank P/Court

Previous 04 July, 2011

Current 07, Aug, 2011

8.5000 8.0833

8.5000 8.0833

Movement

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2012

57

NEWS Council vows to stop thuggery From Austine Tsenzughul, Bauchi

B

AUCHI Local Government yesterday vowed to surmount the challenges posed by the activities of the political thugs in the council, popularly called the Sara Suka.

The Deputy Chairman, Alhaji Umar Aliyu, made the promise at a Sallah interaction with members of his administration.

He decried the activities of the thugs whom he said have been molesting people.

He said the local government considered it imperative to stop the despicable act to protect the life and property of the populace, adding that they were supported by the state government.

Aliyu, who attributed the high rate of crime among youths to unemployment and poverty, said the council would employ them to stop thuggery.

The deputy chairman said about 10,000 youths would be selected to benefit from the empowerment programme introduced by the Federal Government to transform them and make them self-reliant.

Cleric calls for unity From Marie-Therese Nanlong, Jos

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HE Catholic Archbishop of Jos, Rev. Ignatius Kaigama, has reiterated the need for Christians and Muslims to live in harmony.

He urged Christians not to lose focus but remain calm in the face of the violence in the North, adding that they should have faith in God. The Archbishop, who spoke yesterday in Jos when addressing participants at the 10th Annual General Meeting of the Archdiocese of Jos, tagged: “The Challenges of Christian Faith in a Crisis-Ridden Society: The Nigerian Experience”, said: “The society is in crisis because our political, religious and traditional rulers have failed the people in many ways.

We need to make it clear that Christendom is not in crisis.”

Kaigama called for understanding among Nigerians irrespective of ethnic and religious differences, adding that they should abhor disunity.

Shell spokesman loses wife

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HE death has occurred of Mrs. Oyonat Okolobo, a Christian women’s leader. She was 49. Mrs. Okolobo died in Lagos on July 11. She was a well-known charity worker who devoted her life and resources to the welfare of the less privileged through an organisation, known as the Peculiar Women Ministry.

A service of songs in her honour was organised by the Assemblies of God Church, Mende, Lagos, yesterday. It will be followed by a funeral service at Ogoloma Town Square, Okrika, Rivers State on Saturday, after which she will be buried.

The late Mrs. Okolobo is survived by her husband, Mr. Precious Okolobo, the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC) spokesman, children and relations.

Deeper Life Church killings: Key suspect arrested in Ondo •Two bomb factories uncovered •Guns of killed soldiers recovered Mohammed Bashir, Lokoja

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HE principal suspect in the killing of worshipers at the Deeper Life Bible Church in Okehi Local Government Area of Kogi State, Abdulmannan Obadeki, has been arrested by the Kogi State Police Command.

Thirty-two-year-old Obadeki of 8, Lafia Street, Okene was nabbed at a farm settlement in Ulowo, Owo, Ondo State after the exchange of gunshots with the police during which he was injured.

Police Commissioner Mohammed Musa Katsina, who confirmed the arrest, said the suspect was found hiding behind a banana leaf when his men led by Deputy Commissioner of Police Zanna Mohammed combed the bush.

Two suicide bombers were also arrested by the police on Monday on the Jamata Bridge on Lokoja/Okene/Abuja Road.

The police commissioner said following intelligence reports, the bombers were arrested with explosive devices in a luxury bus.

Two bomb factories have been discovered at Okene and Okehi local government areas

•Katsina (middle) displaying one of the military rifles

•Materials for explosives recovered

in Kogi Central.

The first was in a factory located in an estate in Okene, while another was discovered at EyikaAdagu in Okehi Local Government.

Items recovered included three rocket launchers, police bullet proof jackets, AK 47 rifles and others.

The Kogi State Police Command has recovered two military

type AK 47 rifles with serial number BH 574 and KJ 19100.

Katsina said the guns belonged to the two soldiers that were attacked at the Okene Central Mosque.

Thugs injure six, vandalise cars at public lecture

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PUBLIC lecture organised in Katsina by a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who is a governorship hopeful in 2015 in the state, Alhaji Umar Tsauri Tata, turned bloody on Monday, as over 100 thugs allegedly injured six people and vandalised cars.

The lecture was meant to announce Tata’s political ambition ahead of the 2015 elections.

The event, held at the Katsina Islamic University, Katsina, was truncated by thugs.

A source said about 30 minutes after the lecture entitled: “Katsina meet with Umar Tata”, there was confusion as thugs arrived with machetes, sticks and other harmful objects.

The source said they attacked the organisers, participants and audience. Many people were injured while running for safety.

More than 20 cars were vandalised.

The source said the governorship aspirant was ‘smuggled’ into his car. He was beaten up and his car was smashed by the hoodlums when he was escaping.

The eyewitness said some of the injured have been admitted

From Isah Idris, Katsina

at the Katsina and Dutsinma general hospitals. Others sought treatments in private clinics.

The car of the Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Kaduna State Council, Yusuf Idris, was said to have been vandalised by the thugs. The windscreen was smashed.

The source said the thugs operated for more than 20 minutes, but nobody died.

Alhaji Tata, who spoke to The Nation on the phone from his hideout, alleged that the thugs, who were mainly youths, were sponsored by a commissioner in the state.

Our reporter spoke to the commissioner. He denied being the mastermind of the attack. He said he had travelled out of Katsina before the incident occurred.

Effort to confirm the incident from the police spokesman Shehu Koko Mohammed was not successful, as his mobile phone was switched off.

Police Commissioner Abdullahi Magaji said he was yet to be briefed on the incident.

Kwara PDP’s allegations baseless, says ACN

K

WARA State chapter of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has described as baseless, an allegation by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that the opposition party is meeting with and inciting unpaid workers to embark on a civil disobedience.

The party restated its support for the workers’ ultimatum giving the PDP-led government a deadline to pay the outstanding June/July salaries.

ACN chairman in the state, Kayode Olawepo, said in a statement yesterday that PDP’s

T

allegation is at best laughable, weighed against its (PDP’s) claim that the opposition does not exist in the state.

Olawepo said PDP’s call on the security agencies to arrest ACN’s leadership exposes a ruling party unwilling to tolerate opposition.

The statement reads: “At no point did we in any way call for civil disobedience. We do not believe in violence and will never incite people to become violent. We are unaware of any clandestine meeting between any member of our party and

the unpaid workers.

“The PDP should bring forward its proof of such, if it has any. We back the 14day ultimatum given to the government to resolve the issues of non-payment of workers’ salaries. Of course, workers deserve their pay.

When did it become illegal for workers to demand what is their right and when did it become illegal for us to express support for workers demanding what affects them and their family? Rather than chase shadows and blame its

woes on the opposition, which it says does not exist, the PDP should tell its government to come clean of how it is handling state finances. They should pay the workers their wages and stop pauperising the people.

“Without furnishing an iota of evidence, PDP is calling on security agencies to apprehend the leadership of ACN- is this not an abuse of power? Are we in a police state whereby the government can just wish away the opposition?”

Two killed on Makurdi-Gboko Road

WO persons were killed yesterday in an accident on the Makurdi-Gboko Road in Benue State.

Mr. Justine Ajembe, an eyewitness, said the crash occurred when the back tyre of

From Uja Emmanuel, Makurdi

a Toyota car burst when the driver was speeding.

The car, according to Ajembe, was loaded with tomatoes. It was coming from Tsekuma market and

heading for Makurdi. Five passengers were inside.

The source said the driver lost control and the vehicle somersaulted twice before stopping. Two persons died on the spot. The injured

were taken to the hospital.

Accidents have lately been occurring on the Gboko- Makurdi Road. Last week, 10 people died in crashes on different spots on the road.

Senator to meet Wada From Sanni Onogu, Abuja

SENATOR Nurudeen Abatemi-Usman, representing Kogi Central Senatorial District, is to lead a delegation to the Kogi State Governor Idris Wada.

According to a statement signed by his Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Michael Jegede, in Abuja, the meeting has become imperative in view of the recent massacre of innocent people in the state.

Abatemi-Usman, who met the leadership of some security agencies on Monday, said: “As part of our continued efforts to tackle insecurity in our district and in view of the recent terror unleashed by gunmen during which about 20 people, including two soldiers were killed, my office, which has met the heads of major security agencies in the country, is planning a visit to Governor Wada with a delegation from Kogi Central.

“I’m hopeful that the meeting will yield fruitful results as discussions will be centred on insecurity.”

He said peace would soon reign in the area and thanked the indigenes and residents for their understanding.

The senator noted: “I’m using this medium to thank you for your understanding and patience in the methods adopted to quell the tension created by the ungodly and callous people. I praise you for tolerating the gruesome killings of our brothers and sisters.

“I thank you for hearkening to our voice by obeying our appeals to you to remain calm and lawabiding despite the harassment by some security agents.”

Abatemi-Usman vowed that the perpetrators of the crimes would not escape justice.

Sallah: Police declare boy, 5, missing THE Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command yesterday declared a fiveyear-old boy, Sadiq Lawal, missing after he disappeared at the Millennium Park in Abuja.

Sadiq, who was in company of his siblings and parents, went to the park on Monday to celebrate the Eid-el-Fitri holiday.

Bashirat Lawal, mother of the missing boy, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that she had to report the incident to the police after efforts made to find the boy failed.

She said: “On Monday as it was raining, my sister and her children were moving in the front and I thought my son was with them.

“When I later walked up to them, I asked her of my son and she said she didn’t see him.

“She said she thought I was with him. Even my other children were surprised because he is my only son.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2012

58

NEWS ‘We didn’t ask Obi to account for security votes’ From Odogwu Emeka Odogwu, Nnewi

THE Anambra Indigenes’ Association in the United States yesterday denied the report in a national daily (not The Nation) that it asked Governor Peter Obi to account for the security votes he has received since he assumed office.

The national daily reported that the association made the request at its convention, which focused on security issues.

Speaking with reporters at Mbaukwu, during the association’s medical mission, the National President, Dr. Allison Anadi, and National Secretary Jonathan Okafor, said the group never said such.

Anadi said: “ASA-USA is a charitable organisation; we are not into politics.

We never said such. It is wrong, it is a lie and somebody is trying to create trouble in Anambra State.

“We support the state government and are in partnership with the governor, presidentsgeneral in all communities, local government chairmen and traditional rulers.

“We are working together to move Anambra forward. Whoever comes to create distraction will fail.”

Anadi said the author of the story in question did not state his name.

Nnewi festival today From Odogwu Emeka Odogwu, Nnewi

OVER 2,000 masquerades would be paraded today during the Nnewi cultural festival, known as Afia Olu. Afia Olu is the New Yam festival. It would hold at the Nkwo Nnewi Triangle, Nnewi Nnewi North Local Government Area.

A joint patrol team comprising of the army, the police and the local vigilance group will ensure security during and after the festival.

Many Nnewi indigens are expected at the celebration. Any masquerade without a number tag would be arrested.

Igwe Kenneth Orizu will declare the festival open.

Chairman of the planning committee Chief Emma Okonkwo said: “The festival will showcase Nnewi culture and Igbo heritage. It would be an avenue for indigenes to be together.”

Girl, 11, diagnosed of breast cancer

A

N 11-year-old girl has been diagnosed of breast cancer in Anambra State. It was detected by members of a medical mission, sponsored by the Anambra State Association in the United States (ASA-USA).

The mission started on August 6.

Coordinator of the team John Obegolu, told reporters in Nteje, Oyi Local Government Area, that the girl has been slated for surgery.

Obegolu said the detection solved a mystery around the girl, whose parents had concluded that she had a spiritual attack.

He said many health issues experienced by Nigerians can be avoided, if the people are well-informed.

Obegolu said women in the rural areas must be educated on the importance of early breast cancer detection and prevention.

A member of the team,

Mrs. Nkem Aboh, urged women to go for mammogram tests regularly.

She said only five-10 per cent of breast cancer cases are caused by genetic disorder.

Mrs. Aboh said women of any age can have breast cancer, but it is common in older women.

•From left: Vice-Chancellor, University of Ibadan (UI), Prof. Isaac Adewole; President, International Fund For Agricultural Development (IFAD), Dr. Kanayo Nwanze; and the Director-General, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Dr. Nteranya Sanginga; at a lecture in Ibadan...yesterday.

Police takeover Imo Broadcasting Corporation

A

RMED mobile policemen yesterday took over the premises of the Imo State Broadcasting Corporation (IBC) in Owerri.

Although their presence did not disrupt the corporation’s daily routine, the workers were frisked before they were allowed into the premises.

It was gathered that the policemen were drafted to forestall a possible attack on the broadcasting house by hoodlums allegedly sponsored by members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Commissioner for Information Chinedu Ofor told The Nation that some former council chairmen threatened to burn down the station to

From Okodili Ndidi, Owerri

protest their disengagement.

Ofor described the alleged threat by the former council chairmen as “an act of desperation”.

He said Imo is known for peace, adding that the alleged plot to destroy government property is alien to the state and should be condemned.

The commissioner said: “This group has threatened to summarily deal with IBC workers and burn down the station. So policemen were drafted to secure the premises to avoid any malicious destruction of government property. “These same people have arranged to force the House of Assembly lead-

ership to swear in their candidate in the last bye-election, despite the existing court ruling against it.”

He alleged that the PDP has perfected plans to unleash mayhem in the state and assured residents that the Governor Rochas Okorocha administration would not allow a few disgruntled politicians to disrupt the peace and security in Imo. The Secretary of the Imo State chapter of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) and former Chairman of Ngor Okpala Council, Mr. Enyinna Onuegbu, debunked the allegations.

He said it was “baseless and a face-saving measure

by the state government”.

Onuegbu said: “When the state government illegally dissolved our administration less than 11 months after we were sworn in, we did not resort to violence, but went to court. So we cannot do that now that we have regained our mandate. The allegations of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) should be investigated.”

Police spokesman Vitalis Onugu said: “We received a call from the management of IBC about the threat to burn down the station by some politicians and swiftly drafted our men to secure the premises. But we cannot confirm the authenticity of the information.”

Abducted VC: ESUT workers, students turn to prayers

O

NE week after the Vice-Chancellor of the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), Prof.

Cyprian Onyeji, was abducted, his whereabouts remain unknown.

ESUT workers and students have resorted to holding prayer sessions for divine intervention.

From Chris Oji, Enugu

The sessions are coordinated by Prof. John Obasikene, the Dean of the Faculty of Students’ Affairs.

They are held simultaneously at the main campus of the university in Agbani and the temporary site in Enugu.

Obasikene said: “The prayer sessions will contin-

ue until the VC is released.”

Faculty Officer of the Faculty of Engineering Pastor Clem Igbokwe said: “Our Lord Jesus Christ said the prayers of the saints worked miracles. He told us to pray without ceasing and He would answer. In Jeremiah 33:3, He said ‘call upon me in the days of trouble and I will deliver you; and I will

show you mighty things you do not know’.

“Onyeji’s captors did not create him. The almighty God that created him will set him free and his kidnappers will return to God. God will use this prayer to revise their case.”

Police spokesman Ebere Amaraizu said the police are still searching for Onyeji.

US trip fruitful, says Orji

A

BIA State Governor Theodore Orji has said he is happy that the Town Hall meeting held with Abia indigenes in the United States (US) has started yielding results.

He said one of the results is the medical mission organised by Ikwuano/ Umuahia doctors resident in the US. Speaking through media aide, Mr. Ugochukwu Emezue, the governor said his call on Abians in Diaspora to partner the government to develop the state is materialising.

Orji said government alone cannot do everything, hence the need to involve corporate bodies and individuals in the development process.

He said the medical team, led by Dr. Asonye, will offer free medical services, including surgeries, to residents.

Orji urged residents to make good use of the opportunity.

Thanking the President of Ikwuano/Umuahia People in the US, Mr. Lawrence Odomenam, for the gesture, he assured the group that his government will continue to provide accessible health care.

The governor said efforts are ongoing to complete the dialysis centre, build more health centers and up grade the Amachara hospital.

The medical mission started at the headquarters of Umuahia North, Umuahia South and Ikwuano local governmentAreas.

Commissioner for Health Okechukwu Oga said the team performed free surgeries at Abia Specialist Hospitals in Amachara and Aba roads.

He said about 1000 patients have been treated.

The team, he said, will stay for one week.

Obi, Ngige for honour From Nwanosike Onu, Awka

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NAMBRA State Governor Peter Obi and Senator Chris Ngige

(Anambra Central) will be honoured on September 7 by the law students of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) in Anambra State.

Obi would be recognised for “advancing the Nigeria legal system”, while Ngige would be recognised as “the political icon of our time”.

Others to be honoured include the Director, Raw Materials Research and Development Council, Prof. Peter Onwughalu and the Rector of the Federal Polytechnic, Oko, Prof. Godwin Onu.

MASSOB, BZM rivalry heightens

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HE two leading groups crusading for the actualisation of the Republic of Biafra, the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) and the Biafran Zionist Movement (BZM), are at logger heads over the BZM’s announcement

From Chris Oji, Enugu

that Biafra would be declared a republic on November 15.

MASSOB leader Ralph Uwazuruike dissociated himself from the declaration.

BZM leader Ben Onwuka yesterday alleged that Uwazuruike has threatened

to kill him.

Speaking with reporters in Enugu, Onwuka alleged that the directive to kill him was given last week during a MASSOB meeting in Onwe, Imo State.

He said: “The MASSOB leadership is not happy that the campaign for the independence of Biafra has

been elevated to the international community, but I believe Biafra must be internationalised before it can be realised.

“Uwazuruike has ordered that I and BZM National Chairman Samuel Edeson should be arrested and killed. I believe this to be a serious mistake, but

assure Biafrans that no amount of threat would derail the independence of the Republic of Biafra on November 15.

“We are grateful for the support we have been getting from all over the world since our United Nations (UN) application was publicised. Biafra will be realised with or

without Uwazuruike.”

Uwazuruike’s aide, Mr. Uchenna Madu, dismissed the allegation.

Madu said no such directive was given during the last MASSOB meeting.

He said: “I am not aware of anything like that. I was at that meeting and nothing of such was discussed.”

S

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2012

59

FOREIGN

South Africa mine drops dismissal threat

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INING giant Lonmin has dropped its threat to fire workers who failed to return to work at a South African mine after deadly clashes last week.

The decision came after the South African government appealed to the firm to withdraw the ultimatum for workers at the Marikana mine.

Last week, police shot dead 34 strikers at the mine.

The country’s parliament has held a special debate on

the killings, amidst a national outcry.

President Jacob Zuma had already declared a week of national mourning and promised to appoint a commission of inquiry into the shooting.

During the parliamentary debate, opposition Congress of the People (Cope) leader Mosiuoa Lekota said the shootings had left indelible scars that would not heal quickly.

“The tragedy was preventable, if only proactive and even-handed measures had

been implemented by all parties,” he said.

Mines Minister Susan Shabangu said companies should do more to improve the lives of workers.

“It surely cannot be correct that mining communities such as those of Marikana and other mining areas should see prosperity and conspicuous consumption by companies and mine bosses whilst they continue to experience poverty,” she said, AFP news agency reports.

Yesterday morning, Mark

Munroe, Lonmin’s executive vice president, said the company had suspended plans to fire thousands of workers.

“I don’t think it’s going to contribute to a more stable environment if Lonmin goes out and puts deadlines and ultimatums and says we will fire everyone if no-one comes to work,” he said.

A minister in Zuma’s office, Collins Chabane, said Lonmin had agreed to suspend its ultimatum in talks with the government.

Ecuadorean President warns UK on Assange

•Correa

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HE UK would be committing diplomatic suicide if it tried to enter his country’s embassy in London, Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa has said.

The President said such a move would open up the UK to having its diplomatic missions around the world entered.

Correa was speaking to state television about the continuing dispute over Wikileaks founder Julian Assange.

Assange has been in the

R

embassy since June and been granted asylum by Ecuador as he fights extradition.

The UK says it is obliged to extradite Assange to Sweden, where he faces questioning over sex assault claims, which he denies, and he will be arrested if he leaves the embassy.

Assange entered the embassy in June while on bail before extradition proceedings against him started.

The interview with Correa opened with a short report from inside the Ecuadorean embassy in London.

It showed Assange hugging his lawyer, the former Spanish judge Baltasar Garzon, just minutes before he addressed crowds of his supporters from the embassy’s balcony on Sunday.

Correa was then asked if he thought there was now no possibility the UK authorities would enter the embassy premises to arrest Assange, as they had previously indicated

they might in a letter to Ecuadorean officials.

Correa said: “While the United Kingdom hasn’t retracted nor apologised, the danger still exists.”

He said such a course of action would be “suicide for Great Britain because then people could enter their diplomatic premises all around the world and they wouldn’t be able to say a thing”.

There was very little said on what the next diplomatic step might be regarding removing Assange from the embassy.

But Correa said, if needed, he was prepared to take the issue to the United Nations.

He also said Ecuador was hoping for strong support from a meeting of the Organization of American States on Friday.

“Remember that David beat Goliath. And with many Davids it’s easier to bring down a number of Goliaths,” he said.

“So we’re hoping for clear and coherent backing because

this violates all inter-American law, all international law, the Vienna Convention and all diplomatic traditions of the last, at least, 300 years on a global scale.”

Returning to the question of Assange, Correa said: “The British say they have no choice but to extradite him but why didn’t they extradite Augusto Pinochet?”

BBC correspondent Will Grant, in Ecuador, says that while Correa may not have thrown any fresh light on where the stalemate goes next, he did reiterate that the channels of negotiation with the UK were still open.

The UK has insisted it will not grant Assange “safe passage” to Ecuador as it seeks a diplomatic solution to him being given asylum.

The Supreme Court in May dismissed Assange’s bid to reopen his appeal against extradition and gave him a twoweek grace period before extradition proceedings could start.

Russia warns against attack on Syria

USSIA has warned against unilateral action in Syria after the US said it might intervene militarily if Damascus used chemical weapons on the rebels.

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said there should be no outside interference and countries should “strictly adhere to the norms of international law”.

On Monday, President Barack Obama said the deployment of chemical weapons represented a “red line” for the US. Meanwhile, troops are reported to have stormed a western suburb of Damascus.

Yesterday, Russia’s foreign minister held talks in Moscow with China’s top diplomat, State Councillor Dai Bingguo, and a Syrian government delegation to discuss the conflict, which the UN says has left 18,000 people dead.

After meeting Dai, Lavrov said Moscow and Beijing based their diplomatic cooperation on “the need to strictly adhere to the norms of international law and the principles contained in the UN Charter, and not to allow their violation”.

“I think this is the only correct path in today’s conditions,” Lavrov added.

He said only the UN Security Council could authorise

the use of force against Syria, and warned against imposing “democracy by bombs”.

He also told Syrian Deputy Prime Minister Qadri Jamil that he wanted to hear his plans for “further actions to shift the situation into the channel of political dialogue in order for Syrians themselves to decide their fate without external interference”.

Jamil said external interference was “hindering efforts for Syrians themselves to resolve this problem”.

Russia and China have opposed intervention in Syria since anti-government protests erupted in March 2011.

They have vetoed three Security Council resolutions seeking to press President Bashar al-Assad to end the violence.

On Monday, President Obama warned Syria’s government at a news conference that “there would be enormous consequences if we start seeing movement on the chemical weapons front or the use of chemical weap-

ons”.

Obama said that he had not ordered military engagement “at this point”, but added that the US was monitoring the situation carefully and had made contingency plans.

In July, the Syrian government admitted that it had chemical and biological weapons and might use them in case of any “external aggression”. But it insisted they would “never be used in the Syrian crisis, no matter what the internal developments”.

Sudan, South Sudan meet on security

A

RCH-FOES Sudan and South Sudan will come under pressure to reach a partial deal to secure their border at talks next week to clear the way for a resumption of oil exports and prevent a slide into economic collapse and war, diplomats said.

The armies of both countries have already clashed along their contested 1,800km-long boundary since the South seceded last year without resolving disputes including over the ownership of oil-producing territory.

The landlocked South shut down its entire crude output in January in a further argument with Khartoum over how much

it should pay to export through Sudan. The move cut off the lifeblood of both economies.

The neighbours are expected to resume African Union-hosted negotiations in Addis Ababa on Sunday after reaching an interim agreement on oil payments this month. Sudan has said it wants a deal to guarantee security along the border before South Sudan starts pumping oil again.

Getting crude flowing would be a shot in the arm for both countries’ ailing economies and could help align their interests as they seek a more comprehensive deal to end border fighting, diplomats told Reuters.

Western and African dip-

lomats said African Union (AU) mediators have proposed a partial security deal, leaving more complicated issues such the ownership of the symbolically important Abyei area to later.

“The plan is to get oil running so both can improve their economies and have an incentive to keep talking about the rest,” a Western diplomat said.

Faced with protests against spiralling inflation and harsh austerity measures, Sudan will likely agree to a partial deal to get oil production restarted, said Mahjoub Mohamed Saleh, editor of independent Sudanese daily AlAyam.

“I think we need to try to temper the flare-up of emotions on all sides and try to find a reasonable solution to address the problems,” he said on local radio, AFP news agency reports.

Lonmin said 33% of its 28,000-strong workforce showed up for work on Tuesday, the South African Press Association reports.

About 3,000 rock-drill operators walked out more than a week ago in support of demands for higher pay.

The strike was declared il-

legal by Lonmin, the world’s third-largest platinum producer, and the mine was shut.

Clashes between strikers, some holding clubs and machetes, and police culminated on Thursday when officers armed with automatic rifles and pistols fired dozens of shots.

The miners, who are currently earning between 4,000 and 5,000 rand ($484-$605) a month, say they want their salary increased to 12,500 rand ($1,512).

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2012

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FOREIGN Body part victim named

Liberian president suspends son

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LIBERIA’s President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has suspended one of her sons from the post of central bank deputy governor for failing to declare his assets, her office has said.

Charles Sirleaf was among 46 officials suspended for not making the disclosure to anti-corruption officials, it said.

He was one of three sons appointed to top posts by his mother, following her re-election last year.

Critics accuse Mrs Sirleaf, a Nobel Peace laureate, of nepotism.

She has appointed her son, Fumba, as head of the National Security Agency and

another son, Robert, as a senior adviser and chairman of the state-owned National Oil Company of Liberia (NOCAL).

Robert Sirleaf is suing two local newspapers - the Independent and The Analyst - and opposition politician Jefferson Kogie for libel for suggesting that he has benefited financially from the posts.

In a statement, Mrs Sirleaf’s office said Charles Sirleaf and the other 45 officials would remain suspended until they declared their assets to the Anti-Corruption Commission.

Other suspended officials include the presidency’s

Chief of Protocol David Anderson, Solicitor-General and Deputy Minister of Justice Micah Wilkins Wright and Deputy Director General for Broadcasting Ledgerhood Rennie.

Mrs Sirleaf, who took power in 2005 at the end of 14 years of conflict, has repeatedly pledged to tackle corruption and to promote good governance in Liberia.

She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last year, shortly before she was elected for a second term in polls marred by allegations of widespread rigging.

Corruption remains a major obstacle to development in Liberia, where most

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• Mrs Sirleaf people live in poverty despite the country being rich in mineral resources, analysts say.

ANADIAN police have identified a woman whose body parts were found scattered around the Toronto area last week.

Guang Hua Liu, 41, a single mother of three, was last seen by friends who dropped her off at work on 10 August.

Police found her head, foot and two hands in a nearby river last Thursday, and then calves, a thigh and an arm in a creek over the weekend.

Officials rule out any link with the murder and dismemberment of a Chinese student in Montreal in May. The main suspect in that case, Luka Magnotta, denies killing Jun Lin, and posting

his body parts around Canada.

Yesterday Peel Region Inspector George Koekkoek told reporters they were treating Liu’s death as a homicide.

He said it was too early to talk about a suspect.

She was a Canadian citizen of Chinese descent who had owned a spa in eastern Toronto.

Liu was reported missing on 11 August.

Police first recovered a head in the Credit river at a park in Mississauga, Ontario, which borders Toronto to the west.

The second set of remains were found in West Highland Creek, in the east of the city.

New unity govt formed in Mali

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NEW government of national unity has been formed in Mali in the latest effort to restore stability after a military coup in March.

The cabinet is comprised of 31 ministers, including five seen as close to coup leader, Capt Amadou Sanogo.

The head of the existing shaky interim government, Cheick Modibo Diarra, stays on as prime minister.

Last month, the regional bloc ECOWAS threatened to expel Mali unless a unity government was installed.

The composition of the new cabinet was announced in a statement read out on state television.

Mali has been in flux since the March coup allowed Islamists and Tuareg separatists to seize the entire northern half of the country.

In response to international and regional pressure, the military junta in Bamako nominally handed over power to the interim government in April, but has remained influential.

Plagued by infighting, the

transitional cabinet has failed to restore order and hold elections aimed at restoring constitutional rule.

In July, interim President Dioncounda Traore required hospital treatment after being beaten by supporters of

the coup.

In northern Mali, Islamist fighters have have taken over several key cities in the area following the rupture of their alliance with the secularist Tuareg forces.

Since then, attempts to im-

pose a radical view of shariah law, including the amputation of an alleged thief’s hand and the stoning of an unwed couple, have prompted fears the area could become a haven for radical Islamists.

Iran gets upgraded missile

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RAN has announced a new version of a short range surface-to-surface ballistic missile, the Fateh-110 or Conqueror.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad unveiled the upgraded weapon yesterday, just weeks after it was test-fired.

He said Iran was seeking to develop its defence capabilities “not in an aggressive context, but as a deterrence”.

Speculation continues to build over Israeli plans to attack Iran.

Speaking at a ceremony to unveil the upgraded Fateh-110, President Ahmadinejad said Iran only sought to “defend itself”.

“We do not seek progress in the defence industry for conquest,” he said. “We want it to defend ourselves, our territory, our existence.

“Secondly, we want it for defending human dignity.”

The official Irna news agency said the upgrade included quicker launching, a longer life and use in poor weather conditions.

The Iranian government has made it clear that if it is attacked either by Israel or the US, it will respond in kind, either directly or through proxies.

It is not thought to have the capability to launch a nuclear weapon, but Iran has stockpiled a range of short and medium-range missiles.

In May, Prof Theodore Postol, a leading expert on missile defence technology, told the BBC that without nuclear weapons, the threat from Iran’s ballistic missiles was limited.

“There is no realistic threat to troops, cities, oil refineries, and the like from Iranian ballistic missiles. They can simply not carry large enough conventional munitions to do extensive damage on impact, and they lack the accuracy to hit prescribed targets with reliability,” he said.

One US blogger recent published what he said were Israeli plans to attack Iran.

Police fire teargas at Togolese protesters

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OLICE in Togo fired tear gas and rubber bullets to try to disperse thousands of opposition protesters in the capital Lome yesterday, as tensions over upcoming legislative elections boiled over.

Youths burned tyres and threw rocks in catand-mouse clashes with security forces in the gritty coastal city, and at least one protester was

struck by a rubber bullet and carried away, according to a Reuters witness.

Opposition leaders organised the protest march to try to press demands for reform ahead of a parliamentary election in October, defying a government ban on demonstrations in commercial centres.

It was the latest in a series of violent protests

in the West African state, a former French colony with a history of tough crackdowns on dissent, since June, and was called by the oppositionled “Save Togo” campaign.

The opposition says the country’s constituency boundaries, which were redrawn in May, favour the ruling party and is challenging a move to increase the number of

seats in parliament to 91 from 81.

Togo’s President Faure Gnassingbe came to power in disputed and violent elections in 2005 after the death of his father, who had run the country for nearly four decades.

He was re-elected to a second term in 2010 in a poll marred by opposition complaints of fraud and intimidation.

Rocket attack destroys US army chief’s plane

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N insurgent rocket attack on a US air base in Afghanistan has damaged the plane of America’s top military officer while he was on a visit there.

Gen Martin Dempsey, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Sta f f , w a s n o t near the plane at the time but two US maintenance crew were slightly injured.

The attack happened late on Monday night at the US air base in Bagram.

He was in Afghanistan

to discuss a growing number of attacks against Nato soldiers by Afghan security personnel.

Gen Dempsey had arrived on Monday in a C17 transport aircraft which was parked at Bagram.

A statement from Nato’s Isaf force said shrapnel from “an indirect fire round” had damaged the plane as well as a Nato helicopter.

The general was in his room at the time of the attack, according to officials.

“He was nowhere near

the aircraft. We think it was a lucky shot,” Nato spokesman Col Thomas Collins is quoted as saying by Reuters news agency.

Gen Dempsey left Afghanistan yesterday morning using another plane.

There have been insurgent attacks against the heavily fortified base, located about 30 miles (50km) north of Kabul.

In May 2010, militants launched a co-ordinated assault on Bagram, injuring several Nato troops.

Two US soldiers were killed in a similar attack in June 2009.

Gen Dempsey’s visit to discuss so-called “green on blue” killings came after an incident on Sunday in which an Afghan in a police uniform shot dead a Nato soldier.

The victim was the 10th US soldier to die in such an attack in two weeks Nato forces are due to withdraw combat troops in Afghanistan by the end of 2014, with only training troops remaining.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2012

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NEWS

The Cynthia that I knew, by her best friend

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RIBUTE to Cynthia by her best friend, Aishatu Ene Ella In the last few days I have seen my heart torn, stripped and broken in pieces, first by the disappearance and death of my dearest friend and secondly by the wickedness exhibited by Nigerians, passing judgment on someone they never knew or met.

When she was officially declared missing, we put up a number online so people with information can call and help out. Of over 500 calls we received in three days, only two of those calls were from people who actually helped with information. One was my dear friend Nuhu Kwajafa, the other was the Area Commander who called to inform us of the arrest of the people. The others were heartbreaking, to say the least.

I wondered how her mother would have coped if she had to deal with silliness, pettiness and undeserved hate from strangers, who just took one look at a lady and decided to judge her based on her looks.

When the sad news of her death broke, I made a comment and said I hope “all those who have insisted she was with a man would have their answer now and let her rest in peace”; how wrong I was!

They wouldn’t rest; they would only go back and manufacture a more hurtful and painful story, formulate more rumors and pass them around as facts, hmmm! it is well. I have no comments for hateful people. I just want to share with you the real Cynthia, the Cynthia we knew, not the one who hateful people have created in the last few days.

Cynthia was born on November 10, 1987 to Gen. Frank and Joy–Rita Nkem Osokogu. Udoka, as her mother named her, even as a baby was a uniting factor in her family. Her Mother had 3 boys before her, she was the last baby and only girl.

Suspects held in General’s daughter’s murder in Lagos Continued from Page 1

The two suspects who are in police net picked up the late Nasarawa State University postgraduate student at the Muritala Muhammed Airport and took her to the hotel where she was drugged and killed.

“Cynthia met the two young men on facebook and that was how they became friends and she trusted them.

“She told them she was coming to Lagos to buy stocks for her boutique and they offered to host her. Little did she know they had plans to rob and kill her,” the source said.

The late Cynthia’s murderers allegedly deleted her from their facebook contact in order to cover up the crime, but were eventually tracked and apprehended when one of them answered her call.

“After the police tracked the call log to Festac, the report of her disappearance

By Aishatu Ene Ella

Her parents had settled in Jos where we were and are still neighbors. We became friends because in those days there were only few houses in the area. I was the last child and so didn’t have a lot of playmates my age, her brothers were my mates and Cynthia as the only girl, didn’t have much friends around the neighborhood either. So, she tagged along when we had our “adventures” and “yawo”.

Cynthia the Model and Business Woman: 2004 was one of the hardest years for the family I was raised with in Jos. Cynthia and her Mom were with me all the way.

They were there to comfort, assist, cook etc.

She was a tall, beautiful and slender girl. We always teased her because even at 13 she was taller than I am and the same height with her brothers. She was a tomboy all the way.

Determined, stubborn and focused. As she grew into her height her mum and I playfully suggestted she try modeling because of her structure, Cynthia took it seriously, even though her major focus was education.

She gave modeling a trial

with her pictures was taken to Festac and that was how it was discovered she was dead and in the mortuary and her killers were also identified through the CCTV camera,” the source said.

The late Cynthia’s body was said to have been deposited at the Isolo General Hospital Mortuary. Her family could not be contacted because there was no means of identification. Besides, her killers carted away all her properties, including her phones.

The last suspect, according to another police source, was arrested at about 3am yesterday, bringing the number to seven.

Some of them were later released.

Among the persons arrested in the course of police investigation were the pharmacist who sold drugs to the culprits as well as some employees of the hotel who were on duty, when the crime was committed.

and did quite well as a model.

In 2007, she got her first major runway job and I will never forget the day she called me from Lagos after she had been paid. She said she would not want to waste the money and would buy clothes and bring to school to sell. The first badge of clothes never made it to Keffi as industrious Cynthia, who was staying with her brother during her visit at Air Force Quarters, sold the clothes to her brother, his colleagues and their friends. She told me she made three times her capital and immediately reinvested, bought more stock, came to Keffi and rented a shop. That was the birth of her Baby: “Dresscode”.

I remember I bought her the forms to one of the national competitions some years ago.

She passed the screening passed two stages and called me one day to say she was asked to compromise to get through the next round. I told her to withdraw and she left.

That was in 2011. She never entered any major pageant after that.

When it came to business, Cynthia was midas. She knew when to make a great sale, she was never at a loss, her business grew from strength

The Nation gathered that the suspects may be paraded today during the briefing by the Commissioner of Police, Umar Manko.

Cynthia who was a post graduate student in the department of Public Administration, Nasarawa State University, reportedly left Abuja on July 22 after visiting her best friend, Aishatu Ene Ella, enroute Lagos on a business trip.

She was said to have made contacts with some friends she met on facebook who paid her airfare as well arranged for her hotel accommodation in Festac on the outskirt of Lagos.

Although the disappearance and demise of the model and Chief Executive Office’s Dresscode, has raised a lot of dust in the social media, following comments from people that she may have been involved in some illicit deals. Aishatu has, in a tribute to her best friend, cleared the air.

to strength and all these while she was not even 21.

At 21, a lot of the people who now make it a point to formulate such hateful rumors were still struggling to buy JAMB results.

Cynthia the Sister and Daughter: Cynthia was like the baby sister I didnt have, She was my confidant, stylist and a great comfort. We shared a lot, tears, smiles, laughter, joy, sorrow and she was always at my service. She was greatly involved in charity. Anytime I sent a text or posted a picture of someone needing medical support, I could count on Cynthia as one of the first respondents. When she was in Abuja, she would always come and volunteer, run errands, always with a smile. Whenever I got to Jos, she will be at the motor park waiting, that is if she doesn’t pick me up from Abuja.

Not to forget my personal stylist, she either bought or chose most of my clothes, most times my friends say “you look nice” I tell them, “ask Cynthia oh, I have no idea what I am wearing”.

Style has never been a strong point of mine, but if Cynthia bought it or asked me to buy

it, I knew it was good and stylish To her Mother, Cynthia was her heart. Several times I will ask Cynthia, please, don’t go to Jos it is volatile and she will reply me “Mumsy is alone at home”, or when she is in Jos and there was a fight I would call and ask her to leave Jos and come and stay a few days with me, she will say “I can’t leave Mumsy alone here now” . That was our Cynthia; Others first.

When it was time to serve, while others would work their service to areas full of opportunity like Abuja, Lagos and Porthacort, Cynthia worked her service to crisis-ridden Jos to be close to her mother, Is that what a “runsgirl” does?

At age 24, Cynthia had a successful business, and was running a Post graduate Programme in Public Administration.

Sadly, people will ignore all that and choose to believe that because she is pretty and young, she must be a “runsgirl”. How sad, we judge people by our own low and shabby standards.

She earned every kobo she had by good old hard work.

Let’s even forget her father

•The late Cynthia

supported her financially but that didn’t turn her to a spoilt brat. She was as determined as ever to make her own mark and earn her own keep.

The world and people who have no standards can stand afar and Judge all they want but we know who you are and we love you. We don’t need to defend you, my baby, just setting the records straight.

The security Situation in our country now is horrible at best.

People are kidnapped, robbed and killed everyday. Why is it so hard to believe that a young girl was killed while going to pursue her legitimate business? If it was a man who was killed, would we have come up with all these stories? If it was an older woman or someone not so attractive would we still? Her crime is being, young, pretty and a business woman.

Hmmm, people, have the decency to let us mourn in peace. Please.

•(This tribute was culled from a blogspot-bellanaija)

Obama, Jonathan, others mourn Ethiopia PM Zenawi

•Zenawi Continued from Page 1

opians out of poverty through his drive for food security.”

President Jonathan described Zenawi’s death as a major loss for Africa. “He was a great African statesman, who is also a friend of Nigeria, a nation-builder and a great servant of the Ethiopian people.”

Dr. Jonathan noted that “Prime Minister Zenawi will be remembered for his vision and integrity,” adding that “he held strong convictions about establishing a just and prosperous society for his people, a cause to which he devoted his considerable energies, and which deservedly earned him respect and honour among a grateful Ethiopian nation.”

President Jonathan acknowledged the late Prime Minister Zenawi’s vision for a united and strong Africa, a cause he pursued with remarkable honesty and passion. Indeed, his role, along with other African leaders, as the fulcrum of the African renaissance project, has ensured for him a prominent place in the annals of African history.

“The passing away of Prime Minister Zenawi at this time when Ethiopia and, indeed, all of Africa, stand to benefit from his wisdom and experience in building a stable and prosperous continent is a great loss that will be hard to remedy,” he said.

Former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Ethiopia under Meles had “played a key role in both the region and the African continent.”

“I hope that his successor will continue to be a driving force on a wide range of issues, from brokering peace negotiations to shaping development relationships,” Annan said.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo said that the death

of Zenawi has robbed Africa of a “committed, forthright, visionary and fearless leader’’.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), quoting Ethiopia State Television reports that Zenawi , died from a sudden infection while recovering from an undisclosed aliment.

Obasanjo said Zenawi was one of the bright lights of leadership in present - day Africa.

“He has shown his sterner stuff that he is made of in fighting for his country’s emancipation from the rudderless, despotic military dictatorship to bringing his country up in development terms as one of the beacons of Africa.

“I have seen his performance at the African Union (AU), and it is because of his brilliance that leaders of Africa and I decided to hand over the AU NEPAD programme to him.

“His death robs Africa of a committed, forthright, visionary and fearless leader.

“I condole with his family, the people, the government and his successor,’’ Obasan-

jo said, adding that his death was a shock to him.

Zenawi had been in power since overthrowing Mengistu Haile Mariam’s junta in 1991.

He served as President from 1991 to 1995, when he became prime minister.

Zenawi was credited with Ethiopia’s economic boom in the past decade, with economic growth shooting from 3.8 per cent in the 1990s to 10 per cent in 2010.

However, in 2005, nearly 200 people died in a crackdown on demonstrations by the opposition which accused Zenawi of rigging elections Zenawi was a strongman in the troubled Horn of Africa and a key United States ally.

He came to the forefront as a leader of a guerrilla insurgency against dictator Haile Mengistu Mariam in 1991 and cemented power in the ensuing decades.

Seen by admirers as a force for stability in a region with Islamist insurgencies in Somalia and Yemen and a history of famine, he was also criticized for cracking down

on political opposition and the press.

“He came to power at the barrel of a gun, but he made the transition from rebel leader to political leader very quickly,” said Ayo Johnson, a writer on Africa and director of Viewpoint Africa.

But he never overcame his “mindset as a rebel leader,” and his democratic credentials were “poor,” Johnson said.

“The West turned a blind eye to many aspects of his game that were not up to scratch,” he added.

That’s partly because of his action against Islamist movements in the region, including an invasion of Somalia in 1998, Johnson said.

“He supported everything that the United States wanted to do against terror,” he explained, such as give American drones based in the region permission to use Ethiopian airspace on their way to targets in Somalia.

And “he was able to address the fundamentals — health care, education, reducing the poverty rate,” Johnson said.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2012

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SPORT EXTRA

Legend awards annual event – Oshodi

Chibuike targets success with Rosenborg

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FEDERATION CUP ROM this year, the celebration of legends of the Federation Cup will be an annual event as long as Lagos State continue to host the final of the championship.

For the Lagos State Commissioner for Youths, Sports and Social Development, Wahid Oshodi, aside the players, coaches and administrators that have distinguished themselves in the oldest football tournament in the country would also be honoured by the state.

He said: “This year, we will

be looking to honour the past legends; these are people that made the competition what it was in those days and what it is today. We look to honour them because without them, we will not be talking about the Federation Cup with such a manner. This is a tournament dates back to the 1940s, therefore there are lot of people who have excelled in this tournament and of course from years to years as long as Lagos State continue to host the championship, which we believe we should.

“We will always continue to honour these past players, coaches and administrators as this is the beginning. I know anything you do in football, there will always be criticisms and this is just the beginning and we believe that that honour is due, we shall give them in Lagos,” Oshodi said.

The commissioner believes Lagos being the traditional home of the competition, retaining the staging of the tournament in the state would help to popularise the championship just like the

Wembley Stadium is to the English FA Cup. For teams playing in Lagos, the commissioner said: “As you are aware that the support for any team coming to Lagos will always be there because people from all part of the country are resident in the state. So every team will get massive support in Lagos. So from the start of the competition, people should be encouraged to support the team until they get to the destination, which is Lagos,” he said.

OSENBORG’S John Chibuike says he is ready to give it all for 'silverware in every competition' and apparently looking forward to Europa Cup league qualifiers clash against Legia Warszawa of Poland tonight.

The 23-year-old utility player has been an integral part of the Norwegian outfit following his move from BK Hackens of Sweden.

Chibuike who was on target last Sunday in their emphatic 3-0 win against Sogndal disclosed that he wants to help his club to Europa cup group stage by beating Warszawa in the first leg of Europa league qualifiers tonight in Poland.

Chibuike: "I'm very happy to be here. It's a massive club with fantastic players. We're a big club and we want to be aiming to win league titles, personally, I want to lift because some of the players here have won it before and we are still looking towards it again. I just wish and also working towards silverware this season.

"We are ready for Warszawa. But the most important thing is to get off to a good start by taking some points in our away game and then get a good momentum that we can take into the second leg next Chibuike also outlined his own personal targets after

playing 14 matches this season.

"I joined Rosenborg because of trophies and I believe we can win something this season, I want to be part of successful player of the team and that is why I am really giving it all. I am very positive and playing in a team like Rosenborg is a privilege.”

"I'd like to play as much as I can and I want to win trophies because the squad is more than good enough," he said.

•Chibuike

Moses: 3SC targets last four

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•Nigeria's goalkeeper Ibubeleye Whyte, left, stops a goal attempt by South Korea's Yeo Minji during their soccer match of the U-20 women's World Cup at Komaba stadium in Saitama, Japan

World Glo to Falconets: Go for the trophy Peace Cup dates fixed L

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HE dates for the maiden edition of the World Peace Cup has been fixed for November 2-16, 2012.

Lagos and Abuja are the only confirmed venues as the championship will holds in all the six geopolitical zones of the country.

The World Peace Cup is being organised by the Great Power Uti Worldwide Sports Incorporated, which is the franchise owner. It is organising the event in collaboration with Continental Wrestling Alliance (CWA) International. Last month, the World Heavyweight champion and also the CWA heavyweight Champion, Power Uti addressed a world conference in the USA with the Peace Cup handed over to him by the CWA President, Jean Andre Pamphile.

The championship aims at arresting the dwindling fortunes of professional wrestling in the country. It will also help in exposing the local wrestlers.

Wrestlers are expected from the USA, Canada, Mexico, Germany, Italy, UK, Japan, Greece, France, Spain and Australia alongside four other African nations which are Cameroon, Congo DRC, Uganda and finally Nigeria, the host nation.

E A D I N G telecommunications company, Globacom has advised the Nigerian U-20 female National team, The Super Falconets to go out and win the trophy as the U-20 Female World Cup hots up in Japan.

Globacom in a press statement in Lagos on Tuesday congratulated the team on it's deserved victory over Korea Republic in their first match, urging them to concentrate and play cohesively in order

to ensure constant victory as the competition progresses towards the next round.

According to Globacom, the performance exhibited by the team during the match suggested that the Falconets are on the rise, adding that they need encouragement as they face Brazil in an explosive encounter that will determine the group leaders.

Globacom therefore enjoined the Falconets to put in hundred percent performance in the encounter

to ensure total victory and a place in the next round.

As the foremost corporate supporter of football in Nigeria, Globacom advised the Falconets to surpass the silver medal won by the last team in Germany two years ago, adding that the company is fully behind the players in their quest to win the cup.

The seventh edition of FIFA U-20 World Cup commenced in Japan on 18th August and will be rounded off by 9th September, 2012.

HOOTING Stars 3SC midfielder Moses Ogaga is confident Shooting Stars of Ibadan can progress to next season’s CAF competition for the first time following their impressive games this season.

One of the tournament's most impressive performers so far, 3SC still occupy the 5th position on the log with two games to end the season, and Moses who has four goals to his name so far believe that the club can reach its target of playing in either Champions League or Confederations Cup next year if they can win their remaining matches.

"We can realise our to four dreams," Moses said.

"This time it is our target that we want to go further and continue with our brilliant performance by extending our matured performance to Africa continent next season."

“I have experience of CAF

competition when I was with Kano Pillars and it was a sweet one even though we could not win but I believe 3SC can qualify to either of the tournament next season if we can manage to win our remaining games.”

"If we get to the last four it will be a plus for us to play in next season CAF cup and if we get there anything can happen," Moses said.

"Three years ago I was part of the team that went to CAF Champions League finals with Kano Pillars where we lost to TP Mazembe but I have learnt a lesson from that, and I believe my experience can inspire the next season."

"This time around we are with a great team with much history to tell, and more experience and yes, we do have young players and brilliant players and they are doing fantastic for the team."

CAF Champions League is Odibe confident of victory against Slovan Inah: UNSHINE STARS

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C DNIPRO Dnipropetrovsk central defender Michael Odibe has insisted that his club can progress deep into the Europa League Cup next season if they can beat Czech Republic outfit, Slovan Liberec in the first leg of the encounter in Liberec.

The Ukrainian club finished at 4th position last season, but Odibe who shown like millions of stars for Arsenal Kiev last season before signed another loan deal with Dnipro after interests from top European clubs, believes that the club will provide a better showing this time around.

"We want to make shock storm to Europa league,” said Odibe.

“We hope to give our best against Slovan tomorrow, to

give us hope in the second leg.”

“I believe we can do wild thing this season, though we are not favourite when we get to the main stage of the game but we can surprise everybody because we are determined to make this club bigger than this in terms of European action and our target is to fight harder for the title this season to give us chance of another European action. But we are ready to prove some shocking now.”

"However, this year claiming the league title remains one of the club's objectives, a feat that is not impossible.”

Odibe, tall and graceful defender with solid distribution out of defense, made 17 appearance for Arsenal Kiev in the Ukrainian

championship last season, in which the defender scored four goals.

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defender Ofem Inah believes the CAF Champions League title is the club's number one priority this season after losing out in Nigerian Premier League and failure to win the CAF cup could also deterred their of playing CAF competition next season following their position on the table.

Ofem, the Nigerian Premier League and FA Cup winner with Enyimba has giving all hope that the Akure gunners have made enough sacrifice to be a winner of this season’s CAF Champions League winner at all cost.

“Our mind is far on the CAF Champions League and we are ready to make everybody in this country happy for their supports,” said Ofem who missed the Esperance first leg due to injury.

our priority

"Esperance have been champions. So lets stop them right there! We must beat them to ensure our hope at the end.

“As it is now, we have nothing to lose in this competitions again, we have made sacrifice, we have seen threat, we have witnessed obstacles and we have conquered our fears, so what we need now is to remain confident and be calm with our games so that we can smile at the end of the journey.

“Of course we are winning the title because we have labored hard for it, winning it will make us have a testimony of Bamako. I think that is our thinking in the dressing room and camp for now.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2012

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SPORT EXTRA

Amadi doubles as Eaglets’ psychologist ...Boosts confidence of goalkeepers

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MEKA AMADI, the Golden Eaglets’ goalkeeper’s trainer, has said that it is incumbent on the technical crew to prepare the players in psychological warfare towards the qualifiers for the CAF 2013 African Under-17 Youth Championship.

The Golden Eaglets would travel to Niamey for their first round, first leg match against Niger on September 9 and Amadi reckons that it is proper for the players to be battleready since most of them would be travelling outside the country for the first time.

“Part of our responsibilities as coaches is to boost the selfesteem of these lads,” said Amadi, a former Montessori teacher in Germany. “We need to prepare them physically,

mentally and above all psychologically so that they can cope with whatever is thrown at them by our opponents.”

The erstwhile junior international who was in goal when the Flying Eagles came back from a four-goal deficit to beat the former Soviet Union on penalty shootout after an incredible 4-4 score line in regulation time at the 1989 FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Saudi Arabia, said it is even more vital for the goalkeepers to be mentally alert.

It would be recalled that Amadi had lamented the dearth of quality goalkeepers during the screening phase in Abuja last March but he is now excited about the capability of the four goalkeepers in camp.

Heartland sweats over the fitness of Olowo As Naze Millionaires pray for fair officiating

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XCEPT through divine intervention, Heartland's reliable defender Emmanuel Olowo is a major doubt ahead of the 2012 Federation Cup semi final against Prime of Oshogbo owing to ankle injury.

Though the Naze Millionaires' medics are at work to ensure the club's assistant captain gets to play in tonight's tie the ominous signs are not too good.

Olowo recently declared his interest at donning the jersey of the Niger Republic senior national team and he has been a trojan in the heart of Heartland's defence.

Meanwhile, the General Manager of Heartland of Owerri, Fan Ndubuoke has admonished the match officials rostered to take charge of their semi final clash with Prime of Oshogbo to ensure that they hold on to the tenets of the game and avoid attempt to be misled into taking wrong calls.

He implored them to discharge their duties without fear or favour because the result of the match and the performance of the officials will

“I’m impressed about the agility of the goalkeepers in camp now and the truth is that any of the four can comfortably be in goal for the Golden Eaglets at any given time,” said the former goalkeepers’ trainer at German side, SV Nienhagen.

“My training is to enhance their mental toughness and that is what I’ve been doing both on the pitch.”

Part of the daily routine for the goalkeepers now includes the reciting of motivational capsule to boost their selfconfidence amongst other

things: “I’m the Number 1, the rare number and the best,” said one of the poetic lines.

“The number that makes me shines like a star. The number that makes me feels like a peacock spreading my wings, covering my domain majestically.”

•Emmanuel Olowo (r) of Heartland challenges Chinedu Sunday of Rangers

From Tunde Liadi, Owerri go a long way to ensure that Nigeria has an adequate representation in Africa next season.

"We are in Ilorin to compete despite the off field incidents which is not peculiar with Heartland alone.

"What we only want are match officials that will give in their best to blow according to the rules and avoid being influenced by anyone.

"If the match is thrown open, we shall see the best of the nation's football and it will enable us to get a good representation in Africa next season."

Heartland are the cup holders and are seeking to emulate the likes of Enugu Rangers(19741976), El Kanemi Warriors(1991,1992), BCC Lions(1993,1994), and Dolphins(2006,2007) who have managed to successfully win the competition back to back.

The Imo representatives have emerged winners twice in 1988 and last year.

FEDERATION CUP

Eaglets to watch Pillars against Lobi

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RAINING schedule of the Golden Eaglets was altered Tuesday by Head Coach Manu Garba (MFR) to give the players the rare opportunity of watching Wednesday’s Federation Cup semi-final match between Lobi Stars and Kano Pillars at the U.J Esuene Sports Stadium in Calabar.

The team would train at their traditional ground, St. Patrick College at Ikot Ansa in the morning before heading to the stadium for the evening’s clash between the two Nigerian Premier League sides.

Garba, who led El-Kanemi Warriors of Maiduguri to successive wins at the 1991 and 1992 Challenge Cup which is now known as the Federation Cup, said the break is necessary for the players to relax as well as watching their local heroes on the domestic season.

“The Federation Cup is a big

treat and a semi-final game cannot be bigger than a match between Kano Pillars and Lobi Stars and it is an opportunity for our young players to see this type of games,” explained Garba.

This is the second time the Golden Eaglets would be watching a high profile match at U.J Esuene Sports Stadium after they rallied behind the Super Eagles in their defeat of Namibia in a 2013 Nations Cup qualifiers in June.

Incidentally, the players would be sharply divided for this Federation Cup semi-final with some of them born and bred in the ancient of Kanothe home of Pillars.

“If you are born in Kano and interested in football, you must support Kano Pillars (Sai-Masugida) because that is the only club we have. Aside that, we have quality players like Gabriel Reuben, Rabiu Ali (Pele) and Gambo

Mohammed who can destroy any team and me ‘m hopeful they would beat Lobi stars, “said Muazzam Ibrahim who has predicted a 2-0 win for his home team.

But Bernard Bulbwa, who hails from Benue State has other ideas, saying that Lobi would shock Kano Pillars with a possible 3-1 win.

“Lobi have more experienced players and this would count in their favour against Pillars,” Bulbwa, an attacking midfielder stated.

“Lobi have players like Captain David Tyavkase and others that can wreck Pillars.

I’ve watching Lobi Stars for a while and I ‘m so happy that I would be at the stadium to see them defeat Kano Pillars.’

As they say, the battle line has been drawn and all roads lead to U.J Esuene Sports Stadium for this top of the drawer clash between Pillars and Lobi on Wednesday.

Aregbesola leads Osun Aigbogun: I was never approached by the Nigeria Federation cabinet to Ilorin for Prime

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TATE of Osun governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, will lead members of his cabinet tomorrow to the Kwara State Stadium, Ilorin to spur the state's representatives in the 2012 Federation Cup, Prime Football Club of Oshogbo against Heartland Football Club of Owerri in the competition semifinals.

Aregbesola, who has been following the club’s progress, is confident Prime will outscore Heartland and believes Prime could win the oldest competition trophy. Governor Aregbesola who is taking the encounter very serious, approved free train transportation to convey the fans to the Kwara State capital on match day and said the gesture became necessary in order to make the players feel at home when they face the Federation Cup defending champions.

However, Chairman Osun State

Football Association, Chief Taiwo Ogunjobi, has affirmed that the players and officials of Prime Football Club of Oshogbo are well motivated and prepared in the right frame of mind to cause another upset by abolishing the defending defeatin Heartland Football Club of Owerri.

Ogunjobi reiterated that Prime will do everything possible to clinch victory against Heartland due to the level of preparedness of his team ahead of the allimportant match and believes the presence of Aregbesola and his cabinet will inspire the team and its technical crew. ''I told you we have launched ‘Operation Total Victory’ for Prime, the players know what is at stake and we have told them to go all out and beat Heartland, we will try our best to see that we win the match because I know a lot is being expected from the team”.

F

C BASEL teenage sensation and Switerland youth - teamer Eseosa Aigbogun, who is currently in Japan playing for the Switzerland squad at the FIFA Under 20 Women's World Cup, had told allnigeriasoccer.com that she was

•Aigbogun

never contacted by the Nigeria selectors to play for the Falconets.

"I was never approached by the Nigeria Federation to play for the Under-20 squad or Falcons, and I am still waiting to hear from them. A couple of journalists had approached me in the past.

"At this moment I can't really say where my international future lies after the World Cup. My aim is to concentrate on this tournament and help the Swiss Team qualify for the quarter finals of the competition,'' Aigbogun, a product of the FC Zurich Academy, told allnigeriasoccer.com.

Eseosa Aigbogun is one of the hottest prospects in Swiss Football, and she showed her immense potentials on Sunday, scoring in injury time in Switzerland's 1-2 loss to New Zealand in Miyagi.

Despite the surprise loss to the team from Oceania, the 19-yearold Aigbogun is optimistic that Switzerland will get the results they need in their next two games against Japan and Mexico to book a place in the knock out rounds.

"We played a better game than New Zealand. But we had the problem of failing to utilize our opportunities. Perhaps, the opponents were luckier than us, they took their chances. I did not make the starting line-up for tactical reasons, and when I was introduced I scored. It's a way of revealing to the coach (Yannick Schwery, ed) that he should rely on me for goals.

"The tournament is a great one for every player to show their talents and I am hoping to win with the Swiss ladies. I am positive we will qualify for the next round because we have a strong team,'' says Eseosa.

Playing in Israel will improve my game –Gwar •Eagles star leaves to seal deal with Bnei Yehuda From Tunde Liadi, Owerri SRAEL bound NPL hotshot, Sibi Gwar has revealed to NationSport why he chose to seek a career away from the domestic league.

Gwar has 16 goals to his credit with a game to spare in the NPL but with his trip to Bnei Yehuda a top club in the European nation yesterday he may not be around to add to that tally when the last round of matches are decided on September 7.

The former Enyimba, Lobi Stars and Kwara United striker explained that the need to improve on other aspects of his game made him to sever ties with the NPL for another adventure abroad.

"I am on my way to Israel to sign up with Bnei Yehuda. It is another chapter in my career and I am happy about it having paid my dues in the domestic league since 2001 or so that I started as a junior player.

"I was told I would only go to have a medical and then sign up but you know the thing with all these whiteowned clubs they will still want me to train before the contractual agreement is sealed. I am not afraid because I know my capability and I know that I will measure up to standard by God's grace," Gwar said briefly to NationSport shortly before boarding the flight to Israel yesterday.

The 24 year old quest to emerge as the highest goals scorer this almost completed season was done a lot of good when closest challenger, Gambo Mohammed of Kano Pillars also abandoned his goal king ambition for a lucrative deal in Turkey just few days ago.

NPL leading scorer, Gwar departed Nigeria yesterday to team up with Israeli club Bnei Yehuda, his agent said.

The Israeli club, who pay the wages of Nigeria goalkeeper Dele Aiyenugba, have beaten several other teams who want to sign the Niger Tornadoes marksman Last week, he made his full international debut in the Super Eagles goalless draw in Niger.

I

•Gwar

TODAY IN THE NATION

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2012 TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM

‘Government, politicians and administrators need a ‘Sport Reorientation’ for a ‘Sport Restoration’. Sport is not an ‘occupation of fools’ but a PPP money spinner, crowd pleaser and youth empowerment tool’ VOL.7 NO.2,225

COMMENT & DEB ATE EBA

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HE Nigerian Tribune (August 16) called it “a jamboree that the country can illafford.” Actually it is worse; with due respect to Ms Stella Oduah, the formidable Minister of Aviation who had proved herself a successful business woman long before her foray into high class politics as the principal organiser of Neighbour to Neighbour, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan’s controversial campaign organisation for his presidential bid last year, her current “road show” to America, Canada and China to seek for investment in our aviation industry, is as reckless as it is wasteful.

As a successful business woman, Ms. Oduah obviously knows a profitable investment proposition when she sees one. Certainly, she knows that in its current state – insecure and suffering from a terrible infrastructure deficit, relatively poor skills and entrenched corruption - Nigeria is hardly anyone’s idea of a wise business destination, except, of course, the buccaneering business type that thrive best in crises-ridden political-economies.

In any case, the minister must have known all too well how former president, Olusegun Obasanjo’s, frequent foreign “road shows” came to no good in the end. As he himself admitted in July 2002 after 96 trips abroad and an absence from the country for a total of 350 days, the country got zero investment.

“In three years,” he said at the time in obvious frustration, “I went round the world and I didn’t get anything. From April 1999, I went round the countries in Europe twice over; I went to Japan, to America, to Canada and got good words and no action.”

By now you would’ve thought the lesson of Obasanjo’s fruitless foreign road shows has sunk into every government official from President Jonathan himself all the way down.

However, given the incredible N11.2 billion the Federal Government alone voted for foreign travels this year, nearly a billion of which was for the Presidency only, it is obvious that no lessons have been learnt.

With the President himself apparently all too keen on trotting all over the globe in spite of his promise in January to “drastically” reduce foreign travels, it hardly came as a surprise that the aviation minister ignored the uproar her road show abroad provoked, especially after the federal legislators she’d invited to join her “gravy” train dismissed the invitation as a Greek gift and duly rejected it.

If the president – and, of course, his ministers by extension – want anyone to invest in Nigeria, they know what to do; invest the country’s own resources efficiently, sufficiently and transparently in the country’s infrastructure, especially power, education and agriculture, and make it safe and secure.

The idea that a country NEEDS foreign investment to develop, like the idea of unregulated market forces from which it is derived, is nothing but a myth. Foreign investments can be useful but if even Japan and the then West

RIPPLES POLICE REDEPLOY SENIOR OFFICERS–News

...The CORRUPT ones must go to YOBE

People and Politics By ndajika@yahoo.com

The futility of foreign ‘road shows’

Germany, widely regarded as the successful foster-children of America’s so-called Marshal Plan following their collapse after World War II, depended on America’s help alone to develop as they eventually did, they would never have done so.

As Seymour Melman showed in his 1985 book, The Permanent War Economy: American Capitalism in Decline, between 1948 and 1971 the Marshal Plan cost the Americans only $21.8 million in aid to the Japanese and $1.6 billion to the West Germans. By comparison, said Melman, between 1967 and 1969 the average new capital investment within West Germany was $35 billion and in Japan $51.2 billion. Obviously, the Marshal Plan was more symbolic than material in turning the two countries around after WW II. The Marshal Plan was, of course, aid not investment. But that is all the more reason why it’s difficult to deny that the foreign junkets by our officials in the name of seeking for investment are essentially reckless and

I am sure the minister would agree that the solution to these and other problems of our aviation industry are to be found not out there on any road shows abroad. They are to be found right here at home.

FEEDBACK

MOHAMMED HARUNA

•Ms Oduah

TONY MARINHO

wasteful; even aids as charity that, unlike investment, should come with no strings attached invariably do. This obviously means few foreigners, if any, would like to invest in an economy which, like Nigeria’s, has all the signs of a basket case.

All of which is to say that if our leaders are truly serious about turning our country around they should stay home and face the unglamorous work of lifting it up by its bootstrap.

Specifically for our Minister of Aviation, she has enough work cut out for her at home to have time for foreign junkets. She will, I am sure, remember, for example, that barely five months ago she took on BA and Virgin Atlantic over their inflated fares, especially for Business and First Class, along the UK/Nigeria route. Both were reportedly charging double what they charged passengers for the premium classes elsewhere in West Africa.

Her threat to ban the two airlines if they continued with their exploitative fares within a month gained her widespread backing, including from the Senate.

Five months on today, BA and Virgin seemed to have called her bluff. Not only have they refused to reduce the fare, they have actually increased it.

Some aviation experts say the British are able to call the bluff of the minister because, first, her ministry lack the expertise to challenge foreign airlines on how they fix their fares for travellers out of Nigeria and second, but even worse, her officials collude all too often with the foreign airlines for their own private gain.

Dealing with this legacy of incompetence and alleged corruption in her ministry is enough to keep her attention on the domestic front – never mind the existential issue of the safety of our airways.

HARDBALL

Back in the debt trap Sir, I certainly do not agree with you on some issues but not this one. It beats my imagination that so soon after our celebration of the so called debt free burden, we are back in debt. The question is whether we were really ever out of debt burden. Was it a farce? Who is really responsible for this spending like a drunken sailor? Is it President Jonathan? Is it the governors? Who are these people? They are not ghosts? They are killing Nigeria.

Chinedu C Onuorah, M.D Sir, Is it a crime for a nation to be free from debt? +2348037041510 Sir, Obasanjo, as president, was anything but patriotic. Iweala may be brilliant but that does not translate into patriotism. If the truth be told they are both propelled to act by selfish considerations and not by a sense of altruism. The debt payment of the duo was largely driven by the following: Obasanjo needed to curry favour with the West for his third term project; Iweala needed support to fulfil her ambition to become the first black woman CEO of the World Bank. They sold us out then, they will sell us out again through the Sovereign Wealth Fund and other such financial gimmicks at their disposal.

Manjadda Imah. Sokoto. +2347036619333

The First Lady Syndrome and all that Your article was spot-on! The entire argument on the function of the Office of First Lady is captured in the last paragraph of your article. But you failed to capture how the office was used for good as exemplified by Justice Fatima Abubakar. That should serve as model for others to emulate though, some people may say you are biased. It is however, the TRUTH. Mohammed Ibraheem. +2348166171222 •For comments, send SMS to 08023211188

•Hardball is not the opinion of the columnist featured above

Labaran Maku isn’t minding his language

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T is perfectly legitimate for the federal government and the top officers in plum public positions to pursue peace in the country regardless of the cost. It may cost them a large chunk of their principles that have been denuded by long years of being untrue to themselves; and it may cost them their consciences, their religions, and, if it came to that, their mothers’ gold teeth. They will do anything for peace, and perhaps they should, if the truth must be told, for without peace, there cannot be development. It was, therefore, not surprising to hear the Minister of Information, Mr Labaran Maku, pontificate so dexterously before the press in Abuja on the relationship between those members of the northern Nigerian public who have decided to take to terrorism in order to redress what they consider as cultural and religious wrongs, and the government standing in for the rest of us.

Neither Maku nor anyone in President Goodluck Jonathan’s government has ever given the impression any principle was too exotic or too expensive to be spared a tradeoff. If it is convenient today to trade the provisions of the law to secure peace with terrorists, on a distant tomorrow, they would look for some other great pearl to sell for a desired short-term expediency.

However, beyond trading principles, Maku

also took wings and flew into the rarified air of psychology when he tried to justify the government’s dialogue with the Boko Haram Islamic sect that is laying waste to a large swathe of the North. “The position of government from the beginning has been that we are prepared to negotiate and dialogue with members of this group because we believe they are Nigerians and they are our children,” he said casually, as if it was the most natural idea anyone could embrace, and without any pang of conscience. “It is a known fact that violence has disrupted social and economic activities in some parts of Northern Nigeria. We have accepted dialogue as a way of bringing the situation to an end as quickly as possible.”

Yesterday in this column, it was the turn of Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to assail us with his own theory of the relationship between sons and fathers, in which he tried to pull wool over our faces. Today, this column hosts Maku’s social psychology of crime, to wit, that every country must consider its criminals as its children, deserving not punishment but dialogue and empathy. But if intolerant extremists who have caused the death of hundreds should be spared the full weight of the law, what should be done to armed robbers, kidnappers, and other petty thieves? After all, they are our children; or aren’t they? If they are, it seems per-

fectly sensible to dismiss them with a slap on the wrist, as we seem prepared to reward Boko Haram for taking the trouble to display its fratricidal expertise.

Unknown to us, we may well be on our way to making a major contribution to international jurisprudence as we lay the basis for a quaintly different way of assessing crime and classifying criminals. There was indeed a time when some political leaders even suggested amnesty for kidnappers in the spirit of the rapprochement between an effete (Nigerian) state and Niger Delta militants. That proposal got short shrift, though in retrospect we seemed to have treated them too hastily.

Maku’s theory of crime may not have received the blessing of the presidency, especially the children part, but there is little doubt that his inspired classification grew out of the indefensible desire of the government to placate those that trouble the country. For Maku and his bosses, it is today that matters; not some distant and glorious tomorrow, not a rich and heartwarming legacy. So, now, we are all invited to be proud of having sired criminals and terrorists whose idea of getting redress is to bomb innocent people to smithereens. See what dainty children we are breeding in Nigeria.

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