THE NATION, August 22, 2014 by The Nation

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•INSIDE: INSIDE: THE EIGHT-PAGE SOUTHSOUTH REPORT (PAGES 29-36) INEC to use card readers in 2015, says Jega

By Leke Salaudeen, Assistant Editor

OLITICIANS planning to rig the 2015 elections by buying voter cards should forget it. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will use card readers to detect impersonation at the polling units, Chairman Attahiru Jega has said. Prof. Jega explained that on election day, the polling officer will ask the presenter of a Permanent Voter Card (PVC) to put his fingers on the machine for authentication and verification. If it is valid, the machine will say ‘verified’; if not, it will say ‘unverified’. The INEC boss said if the machine says not verified and “such a person is allowed to vote, you cannot blame the Commission for that”. He said: “If you buy voter cards you can’t use them on voting day because the mechanism we are putting in place in every polling unit will detect fraud and whoever that is involved will be arrested on the spot for electoral fraud and prosecuted.” Jega spoke yesterday at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) where he delivered a lecture: “Stakeholders and the electoral process in Nigeria”. It was organised by the Department of Sociology. The INEC chief said to ensure 100 per cent Continued on page 2

•Mrs. Writebol

American Ebola victims discharged

‘

Several security threats now characterise the electoral process

’

•Dr. Brantly

NE of the United States aid workers who recovered from an Ebola infection is “thrilled to be alive” as he and another patient are discharged from hospital. Dr Kent Brantly, 33, thanked supporters for their prayers at a news conference in Atlanta. Nancy Writebol, 59, was discharged on Tuesday.

•Prof. Jega

The two were brought to the US for treatment three weeks ago. The outbreak has killed more than 1,300 people in West Africa, with many of the deaths occurring in Liberia. “Today is a miraculous day,” said Dr Brantly, who appeared healthy if pallid as he addressed reporters yesterday at

INSIDE

Emory University hospital. “I am thrilled to be alive, to be well, and to be reunited with my family. As a medical missionary, I never imagined myself in this position.” He said Ebola “was not on the radar” when he and his family moved to Liberia in October. After his family returned to Continued on page 2

•South Africa to screen Nigerians for Ebola •Dead Nigerian tests negative in Abu Dhabi •Ogun extends schools’ resumption •What happens when Ebola is beaten? AGES 2 ,4-6&56 •AND MORE ON P PA 2,4-6&56

Boko Haram: Soldiers for trial over ‘refusal’ to fight

WHERE ARE THE CHIBOK GIRLS KIDNAPPED ON APRIL 15?

Sect takes over Police Academy Yobe laments seizure of town

OME mutinous soldiers in the Army’s 7 Division have been relocated to another division for trial, it was learnt yesterday. The military took the step to avoid the trial constituting a distraction to the division in its fight against the Boko Haram insurgency. It was also learnt that the relocation became necessary to avoid “spi-

From Yusuf Alli, Abuja

ral effect” on the morale of other soldiers. But a source revealed that Buni Yadi in Yobe State is constantly exposed to attacks from Boko Haram because of the “thin presence” of troops in the area as a result of manpower challenge. The troops deployed in the area

are only on patrol duties. Although the military is silent on the number of the affected soldiers, the figure is said to be between 18 and 50. Some of the soldiers were involved in shooting at a car carrying the former General Officer Commanding the 7 Division in Maiduguri, Borno State, Maj.-Gen. Ahmadu

Mohammed. Others were also said to have violated the Army Act on issues bordering on redeployment to flashpoints in some parts of Borno State. A military source, who spoke in confidence, said: “The mutinous soldiers have been taken away from Maiduguri to some divisions Continued on page 2

•STALLION ROLLS OUT SIX VEHICLES P10 •JONATHAN FOR GERMANY TODAY P7

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 22, 2014

‘INEC to use card readers in 2015’ Continued from page 1

•From left: Globacom’s Chief Commercial Officer, Mr. Ajay Mathur, Globacom’s Executive Director, Legal Services, Mrs. Gladys Talabi, Executive Director, Stanbic IBTC, Mr. Obinnia Abajue and Glo Ag. Coordinator, Business Solution Mr. Ike Oraekwuotu at the launch of the Glo Xchange, Nigeria’s first Mobile Money Agent Network at Eko Hotel, Lagos...yesterday

American Ebola victims discharged Continued from page 1

the US as the Ebola outbreak tore through West Africa, he continued to treat Ebola patients and woke up on July 23 feeling “under the weather”. Dr Brantly said he lay in bed for nine days, getting progressively sicker and weaker. On 1 August, he was flown to Atlanta for treatment at Emory. Emory infectious disease specialist Dr Bruce Ribner said after rigorous treatment and testing, officials were confident Dr Brantly had recovered “and he can return to his family, his community and his life without public

health concerns”. The group for which he was working in Liberia, Samaritan’s Purse, said they were celebrating his recovery. “Today I join all of our Samaritan’s Purse team around the world in giving thanks to God as we celebrate Dr Kent Brantly’s recovery from Ebola and release from the hospital,” Franklin Graham said in a statement. Nancy Writebol’s husband David said in a statement that she was free of the virus but was significantly weakened. The family decided to leave the hospital privately in order to allow her to rest and recuperate.

South Africa on Thursday said non-citizens arriving from Ebola-affected areas of West Africa - the countries of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone - would not be allowed into the country. The health ministry said borders would be closed to all non-citizen travellers from Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. South African nationals will be allowed to re-enter the country when returning from high-risk countries, but will undergo strict screening. All non-essential outgoing travel to the affected countries has been banned. Usual screening procedures

are in place for those who travel between Nigeria, Kenya and Ethiopia, which have been defined as medium-risk countries. South Africa has experienced two Ebola scares in recent weeks, involving passengers arriving from Liberia and Guinea. But the country has managed to stay Ebolafree until now. Johannesburg has one of the major transit airports, connecting southern Africa with the rest of the continent The police in Liberia’s capital, Monrovia, fired live rounds and tear gas during Continued on page 56

2015: APC opts for modified direct primaries

HE All Progressives Congress (APC) will start the process of picking its candidates for next year’s general elections in October, using modified direct primaries, the party said yesterday. This is one of the major decisions taken at the inaugural meeting of the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) in Abuja. The party also urged President Goodluck Jonathan to suspend the state of emergency in Adamawa State to en-

•Seeks suspension of emergency in Adamawa

From Tony Akowe, Abuja

able residents to exercise their civic rights in the October 11 governorship election. National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who briefed reporters on the outcome of the meeting, also accused President Goodluck Jonathan and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of violating electoral guidelines. Apart from the national officers of the party, five gov-

ernors and former head of State Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, attended the meeting. Also present was former Vice President Atiku Abubakar. Mohammed said: “This is the inaugural meeting of the National Executive Committee of the party since it was elected. This is because immediately after the national convention, we had to battle with the election in Ekiti, we had to contend with the impeachment threat in Adama-

wa and Nasarawa and we had to face the election in Osun. “Of course, this is not to say that we have not been meeting informally. “In today’s meeting, we discussed the forthcoming elections in Adamawa, Niger and the local government elections in Delta State. We also discussed the guidelines for the primaries of the party.

A witness was quoted by the BBC as saying that he heard shots after the insurgents arrived in three armoured vehicles and on dozens of motorcycles. A police spokesman confirmed the attack and a senior security source said it had not been possible to communicate with the academy since Wednesday, the BBC reported. The Liman Kara College is near Gwoza town, which has been seized by Boko Haram since the beginning of this month. Thousands have been killed across the Northeast since Boko Haram launched its violent campaign for an Islamic state in 2009. The militants have stepped up their attacks after being pushed out of their bases in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state, and have been targeting towns and villages in deadly raids.

In recent weeks, the militants have been moving from their rural camps and taking over substantial towns. The militants have been in control of Gwoza, which had a population of about 50,000, since the beginning of August. They apparently retreated about 100km (62 miles) to Gwoza after losing control of Damboa - both large towns in Borno State. But attempts by the security forces to retake Gwoza have failed - and a group of about 40 soldiers is now refusing to fight, saying they are too poorly equipped to take on the heavily armed insurgents The residents of Liman Kara, which is about 15km from Gwoza, told the BBC Hausa service that police recruits were seen running from the college after the attack began at dawn on

Continued on page 56

verification and authentication in the 2015 elections, the commission had started issuing registered voters with chipbased PVCs which will be swiped by the card readers. “We have distributed the cards in 24 states till date while distribution will take place in outstanding states under the third phase of the programme at a date to be announced by the commission,” he said. The INEC boss described the August 9 Osun State governorship poll as the best election so far. He said the commission was not relenting on its performance “by tasking ourselves that the Adamawa State gubernatorial election coming up in October should be the best”. In preparation for the 2015 general elections, Jega said: “The consolidation and deduplication of the biometric register of voters has been completed, as a result of which the register of voters now has the tremendous integritymuch better than the one with which the 2011 elections were conducted. Indeed, our register compares favourably with any register of voters on the African continent.” He said the commission had submitted recommendations for improvements to the legal framework on the Electoral Act and the Constitution to the National Assembly. His words: “An Election Risk Management Tool, designed with support from the African Union (AU) and International IDEA, has been deployed ahead of 2015 to enable the commission to gather information about risk factors associated with elections, be able to analyse them and deploy effective measures to contain or mitigate those factors, towards ensuring peaceful and violence-free elections. “All guidelines and regulations on the electoral process are being revised while discussion has commenced with le-

gal experts across the country on how to enact and gazette them.” Jega also spoke on the challenges ahead of 2015 elections. He said insecurity was one of the most depressing epithets of elections in Nigeria. The heat and passion associated with elections in the country often make elections appear like war, he observed. “Several security threats now characterise the electoral process. These include physical attacks on INEC staff and facilities, attacks on security personnel on election duty, misuse of security orderlies by politicians, attacks on political opponents, cyber- attacks targeting INEC’s data bases, especially the register voters, violence at campaigns, intimidation of voters, snatching and destruction of election materials,” the INEC boss said. He said the second challenge facing the Commission is adequate funding of the elections. “Our estimate is that the cost of election per voter, which is an international standard for viewing the cost of elections, is coming down in Nigeria. We project that for the 2015 elections, this would come further down by almost $1- from $8 in 2011 to $7.99, representing almost 10% drop. This compares favourably with some other African countries.” Another key challenge facing the electoral process, the INEC Chairman said, is widespread absence of moderation among politicians. Jega said the Commission remain deeply concerned about growing conflicts within the party. At the occasion were the UNILAG Vice Chancellor represented by the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academics and Research), Professor Babajide Alo, Vice Chancellor, Lagos State University (LASU), Professor John Obafunwa, Canadian High Commissioner in Nigeria Mr Perry Calderwood and political parties’ representatives.

OUR ERRORS •Paragraph 2 of the story titled: Jega condemns deployment of hooded security men for election in yesterday’s edition, should have read: Besides, he spoke of how an attempt to rig the Osun (and not Ogun) State governorship election held on August 9, was made. •Defence spokesman Maj.-Gen. Chris Olukolade was wrongly referred to as Brig.-Gen. in Editorial Notebook on the back page yesterday. The errors are regretted.

Boko Haram: Soldiers for trial over ‘refusal’ to fight Continued from page 1

where court martial had been on. “We also do not want the trial to distract the focus of the 7 Division in curtailing Boko Haram. It can evoke emotion and generate more reactions. Already, you can see the wives of soldiers protesting against deployment of their spouses to flashpoints.” The source was however not forthcoming on where the soldiers will be tried. Another source cited security reasons for the shifting of the trial from Maiduguri to other divisions. The source said: “Actually, based on security reasons, it will not be safe to put the soldiers on trial in Maiduguri. They do not want it to have contagious effects. “And the good thing about court martial is that its jurisdiction covers all parts of the country. The soldiers can be

tried anywhere.” Also yesterday, it was revealed that Bunu Yadi in Yobe State is constantly exposed to attacks from Boko Haram because of the “thin presence” of troops in the area as a result of manpower challenge. “There is no doubt that the Army has thin presence in Bunu Yadi because troops are being deployed in many parts of the country. “We have only been involved in patrols in Bunu Yadi area. We have said it that we have manpower challenge; it is not easy to train a soldier. “We will dislodge the insurgents from the area soon. This is not the first time we have done it,” a military source said. Also yesterday, it was learnt that the Police Training Academy near Gwoza in Borno State had been taken over by Boko Haram.

Wednesday. He said he was unable to confirm if there were casualties as he had joined other residents and fled the town to nearby hills. A security official who did not want to be named told the BBC that the militants had “entered the school” but said he could not confirm they were in control of the college as it had not been possible to contact it. A similar attack on the college was repelled by officers undergoing training there two weeks ago. BBC Hausa’s Mahmud Lalo said the Liman Kara academy is one of only two riot police training colleges in Nigeria and the militants are likely to find weapons there. Several hundred militants were involved in the raid on the college, which there were reportedly more than 290 police trainees at the time.

•Army Chief Lt.-Gen. Kenneth Minimah

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THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 22, 2014

NEWS

•From left: Chairman, Stanbic IBTC Holdings Plc, Mr. Atedo Peterside; Chief Executive Officer, Mrs. Sola David-Borha, and Non-Executive Director, Mrs. Maryam Uwais discussing at the bank’s second Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Abuja...yesterday.

‘I serve a G Dr Kent Bently, an American, who contracted the Ebola Virus in Liberia while on a missionary work was released from the Emory University, Atlanta, United States yesterday having beaten the deadly disease. Here are his remarks:

•File photo of Writebol with children in Liberia before she was struck by Ebola, which she fully recovered from on Tuesday.

T •From left: Nollywood star Segun Arinze, Producer/Director Steve Gukas, Producer, Mahmood Ali-Balogun and actor, Gideon Eche-Okeke during the official Industry announcement of the movie “A place in the stars” at the Freedom Park, Lagos... PHOTO: BIODUN ADEYEWA yesterday.

• Former Ondo State Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Mr Tola Wewe (right) speaking at a news conference to unveil the 12 finalist of this year's National Art Completion 2014, sponsored by Nigerian Breweries in partnership with the African Artist's Foundation at their head office in Lagos... yesterday. With him are from left: Brand Director African Artist's Foundation, Ms Wunika Mukan, Director African Artist's Foundation, Mr Azu Nwagbogu and CSR/ Sustainability Manager, Nigerian Breweries Plc., Mrs Emete Tonakori. PHOTO: MUYIWA HASSAN

• From left: General Manager, Policy and Public Affairs, Chevron Nigeria Ltd. Deji Haastrup, Managing Director/CEO, Niger Delta Petroleum Comapny, Dr. Layi Fatona , Commander, Joint Task Force Operation Pulo Shield, Maj-Gen. Emmanuel Atuwe, Manager, Monitoring, Nigeria Content Development and Monitoring Board, Toyin Ogunsanya and Chief Afe Alese Iguoba during the 2014 National Association of Energy Corresponents conference in Lagos. PHOTO: ABIODUN WILLIAMS

ODAY is a miraculous day. I am thrilled to be alive, to be well and to be reunited with my family. As a medical missionary, I never imagined myself in this position. When my family and I moved to Liberia last October to begin a two-year term working with Samaritan’s Purse, Ebola was not on the radar. We moved to Liberia because God called us to serve the people of Liberia. In March, when we got word that Ebola was in Guinea and had spread to Liberia, we began preparing for the worst. We didn’t receive our first Ebola patient until June, but when she arrived, we were ready. During the course of June and July, the number of Ebola patients increased steadily, and our amazing crew at ELWA Hospital took care of each patient with great care and compassion. We also took every precaution to protect ourselves from this dreaded disease by following MSF and WHO guidelines for safety. After taking Amber and our children to the airport to return to the States on Sunday morning, July 20, I poured myself into my work even more than before - transferring patients to our new, bigger isolation unit; training and orienting new staff; and working with our Human Resources officer to fill our staffing needs. Three days later, on Wednesday, July 23, I woke up feeling under the weather, and then my life took an unexpected turn as I was diagnosed with Ebola Virus Disease. As I lay in my bed in Liberia for the following nine days, getting sicker and weaker each day, I prayed that God would help me to be faithful even in my illness, and I prayed that in my life or in my death, He would be glorified. I did not know then, but I have learned since, that there were thousands, maybe even millions of people around the world praying for me throughout that week, and even till today. And I have heard story after story of how this situation has impacted the lives of individuals around the globe - both among my friends and family, and also among complete strangers. I cannot thank you enough for your prayers and your support. But what I can tell you is that I serve a faithful God who answers prayers. Through the care of the Samaritan’s Purse and SIM missionary team in Liberia, the use of an experimental drug, and the expertise and resources of the health

care team at Emory University Hospital, God saved my life - a direct answer to thousands and thousands of prayers. I am incredibly thankful to all of those who were involved in my care, from the first day of my illness all the way up to today - the day of my release from Emory. If I tried to thank everyone, I would undoubtedly forget many. But I would be remiss if I did not say thank you to a few. I want to thank Samaritan’s Purse, who has taken care of me and my family as though we were their own family. Thank you to the Samaritan’s Purse and SIM Liberia community. You cared for me and ministered to me during the most difficult experience of my life, and you did so with the love and mercy of Jesus Christ. Thank you to Emory University Hospital and especially to the medical staff in the isolation unit. You treated me with such expertise, yet with such tenderness and compassion. For the last three weeks you have been my friends and my family. And so many of you ministered to me not only physically, but also spiritually, which has been an important part of my recovery. I will never forget you and all that you have done for me. And thank you to my family, my friends, my church family and to all who lifted me up in prayer, asking for my healing and recovery. Please do not stop praying for the people of Liberia and West Africa, and for a quick end to this Ebola epidemic. My dear friend, Nancy Writebol, upon her release from the hospital, wanted me to share her gratitude for all the prayers on her behalf. As she walked out of her isolation room, all she could say was, ‘To God be the glory.’ Nancy and David are now spending some much needed time together. Thank you for your support through this whole ordeal. My family and I will now be going away for a period of time to reconnect, decompress and continue to recover physically and emotionally. After I have recovered a little more and regained some of my strength, we will look forward to sharing more of our story; but for now, we

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 22, 2014

NEWS

a God who answers prayers’

•Brantly hugging an Emory employee...yesterday.

What happens when Ebola is beaten?

WO American missionaries, Dr. Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol, infected with the deadly Ebola virus were flown separately from Liberia to Atlanta’s Emory University Hospital — the first human patients with Ebola to ever come to the United States. Writebol was released from the hospital Tuesday. Yesterday, Brantly walked out of the same hospital with no signs of the virus in his system. Their recoveries seem to offer hope for those fighting the largest Ebola outbreak in known history. More than 2,400 people have been infected by the virus, according to the World Health Organisation, and it’s killed more than half. They were given ZMapp, which is not an approved treatment for Ebola; in fact, no approved, proven treatment exists. So governments, aid organisations and scientists around the globe are racing to find a way to stop the virus. Here are answers to questions about Ebola patients and treatments for the disease. Are Brantly and Writebol cured? Mostly. For Ebola patients to leave isolation, two blood tests had to come back negative for the Ebola virus. So, their bodily fluids, like blood, sweat and feces, are no longer infectious. However, some doctors believe the virus can remain in vaginal fluid and semen for up to several months, WHO says. Are they now immune to Ebola? Doctors believe surviving Ebola leaves you immune to future infection. Scientists have found that people who survive Ebola have antibodies in their blood that would provide protection against that strain of the virus in the future, and possibly against other strains as well. But, as you can imagine, they haven’t tested this theory by infecting survivors with the virus again. There are four Ebola strains known to infect humans; the Zaire ebolavirus causing the current outbreak is the most common. Who else has been given ZMapp? The Ebola drug was flown to Spain to give to a priest named Miguel Pajares, who had contracted the virus in Liberia. Pajares died need some time together after more than a month apart. We appreciate having the opportunity to spend some time in private before talking to some of you who have expressed

on August It’s unclear if he was given the drug before he died. ZMapp appears to be helping three Liberian health care workers who were given the experimental drug. They have shown “very positive signs of recovery,” the Liberian Ministry of Health said earlier this week. Medical professionals treating the workers have called their progress “remarkable.” Who makes the drug? The drug was developed by the biotech firm Mapp Biopharmaceutical Inc., which is based in San Diego. The company was founded in 2003 “to develop novel pharmaceuticals for the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases, focusing on unmet needs in global health and biodefense,” according to its website. Mapp Biopharmaceutical has been working with the National Institutes of Health and the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, an arm of the military responsible for countering weapons of mass destruction, to develop an Ebola treatment for several years. How does ZMapp work? Antibodies are proteins used by the immune system to mark and destroy foreign, or harmful, cells. A monoclonal antibody is similar, except it’s engineered in a lab so it will attach to specific parts of a dangerous cell, according to the Mayo Clinic, mimicking your immune system’s natural response. Monoclonal antibodies are used to treat many different types of conditions. Sources told CNN the medicine given to Brantly and Writebol abroad was a threemouse monoclonal antibody, meaning that mice were exposed to fragments of the Ebola virus, and then the antibodies generated within the mice’s blood were harvested to create the medicine. However, the drug can also be produced with proteins made from tobacco plants. ZMapp manufacturer Kentucky BioProcessing in Owensboro provided limited quantities of this kind of the drug to Emory, according to company spokesman David Howard. Did doctors know it would work in humans?

an interest in hearing more of our journey. Thank you for granting us that. Again, before we slip out, I want to express my deep and sincere

‘

Doctors believe surviving Ebola leaves you immune to future infection. Scientists have found that people who survive Ebola have antibodies in their blood that would provide protection against that strain of the virus in the future, and possibly against other strains as well

‘

No. The drug had shown promise in primates, but even in those experiments, just eight monkeys received the treatment. In any case, the human immune system can react differently than primates’, which is why drugs are required to undergo human clinical trials before being approved by government agencies for widespread use. These cases will be studied further to determine how the drug worked with their immune systems. Are there other Ebola treatments out there? Several experimental drugs are in development, but none has been effective in humans. The market for these drugs is small — Ebola is a rare disease, almost completely

gratitude to Samaritan’s Purse, SIM, Emory and all of the people involved in my treatment and care. Above all, I am forever thankful to God for sparing my life and am

confined to poor countries — so funding for drug development has come largely from government agencies. In March, the NIH awarded a five-year, $28 million grant to establish a collaboration between researchers from 15 institutions who were working to fight Ebola. On Wednesday, Wellcome Trust and the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development announced money for Ebola research will be made available from a $10.8 million initiative. 8. Will ZMapp or these other drugs be given to more Ebola patients? An ethics panel convened by the World Health Organisation concluded it is ethical to give experimental drugs during an outbreak as large as this one, but that doesn’t mean it will happen. Rolling out an untested drug during a massive outbreak would be very difficult, Doctors Without Borders says. Experimental drugs typically are not mass-produced, and tracking the success of such a drug, if used, would require extra medical staff where resources are already scarce. In an opinion article published in the journal Nature this week, epidemiologist Oliver Brady says up to 30,000 people in West Africa would have so far required treatment in this outbreak if it was available. What about an Ebola vaccine? For the record, “vaccine” and “treatment” are not interchangeable terms. A vaccine is given to prevent infection, whereas treatment generally refers to a drug given to a patient who has developed symptoms. There are several Ebola vaccines in development. The Canadian government has donated between 800 and 1,000 doses of an experimental Ebola vaccine to WHO. The drug, called VSV-EBOV, is Canadian-made and owned, having been developed by the National Microbiology Laboratory. It’s never been tested on humans “but has shown promise in animal research,” the agency says. We don’t know if the vaccine has been given to anyone on the ground. The NIH says a safety trial of an Ebola vaccine will start as early as September.

‘

•Culled from CNN, with minimal editing.

glad for any attention my sickness has attracted to the plight of West Africa in the midst of this epidemic. Please continue to pray for Liberia and the people of West Africa, and

encourage those in positions of leadership and influence to do everything possible to bring this Ebola outbreak to an end. Thank you.

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 22, 2014

NEWS THE EBOLA VIRUS Rivers on the alert From Bisi Olaniyi, Port Harcourt

•From left: Vice Chancellor, University of Ibadan (UI), Prof. Isaac Adewole; the Registrar, Mr. Olujinmi Olukoya and Chairman of the occassion, Prof. David Olaleye, at the Town Hall meeting on the Ebola Virus Diseases (EVD) at Tranchad Hall of the university in Ibadan...yesterday PHOTO: FEMI ILESANMI

Chukwu explains Fed Govt’s N200m to Lagos

EALTH Minister Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu has said the N200 million approved by President Goodluck Jonathan for the Lagos State Government on the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) is not part of the N1.9 billion earlier released to the Federal Ministry of Health. The minister spoke yesterday in Abuja at the post-Federal Executive Council (FEC) media briefing on Federal Government’s control measures against the EVD. In a statement by the his Special Assistant on Media and Communication, Dan Nwomeh, the minister said the N200 million was a distinct and direct

PUBLIC NOTICE This is to notify the owners of abandoned vehicles at AIRPORT POLICE COMMAND, IKEJA to come for them with prove latest two weeks after this publication or lose them to general public through Auction 1. A Volvo Car Registered 2. A Nissan Car Registered AUCTIONEER, Chief G. A. Akinyemi, 08037117093

•Fund separate from ministry’s N1.9b By Oyeyemi GbengaMustapha

Federal Government support to Lagos State, which did not preclude other forms of assistance the Federal Ministry of Health might render. He listed contributions by corporate organisations. Aliko

Dangote Foundation donated N152 million to Lagos; the ANAP Foundation, founded by Mr. Atedo Peterside, promised N100,000 per bed space. Peterside said the First Consultant Hospital in Lagos, where the index case was managed, would be the first beneficiary.

The renowned banker added that the hospital would get N4 million for its 40 beds. The Tony Elumelu Foundation promised to donate N50 million to support the Federal Government while Shell Petroleum Limited donated an ambulance to the Ebola Emergency Operation Centre in Lagos.

Ebola is preventable, says UI VC

BSTINENCE from contagious body fluids and personal hygiene are key to the prevention of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), the Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan (UI), Prof Isaac Adewole, has said. He spoke yesterday at the first Town Hall meeting organised by the university’s EVD Prevention and Preparedness Committee. The committee members are: Dr Matthew Oyeyemi, dean, Department of Veterinary Medicine; Prof Ademola Ajuwon, dean, Public Health; Prof Daniel Oluwayelu, Director, Microbiology and Parasitology; Dr Jesse Otegbayo and Dr David Olaleye, a virologist who also serves as the chairman of the committee

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PUBLIC NOTICE This is to inform the general public that OLARIKE MEMORIAL SCHOOL Lisade Road Matatori Eyita Ogijo Ogun State is now to be known and called. DORCAS MEMORIAL SCHOOLS (NURSERY, PRIMARY AND COLLEGE). Under new management. Ogun State Ministry of Education and the general public, please take note.

•Varsity gets prevention committee From Tayo Johnson, Ibadan

and the leading speaker. The vice chancellor said the committee was put together as the university’s response to the viral disease. Prof Adewole said: “The committee is to prevent the spread of Ebola into the community and strengthen the preparedness of the community. “The purpose of this meeting is to tell the university that we have a disease that is not curable. We have no vaccines to prevent this disease but it is very preventable. My advice is that we should not fraternise with people who are very ill, although not all fevers are symptoms of Ebola.” The expert said the university would produce sanitisers and distribute them to the students and other members of the community

as examinations draw close. Dr David Olaleye stressed the need for all to be conscious of personal hygiene. The don urged the people to wash their hands regularly and use hand sanitisers and disinfectants. He said early detection was crucial in the Ebola treatment, adding: “The cases of those who have died could not be managed because they were not detected early enough. Denial, panic and fear are among the challenges of Ebola management across the world. “Prevention is better than cure. So, we have to prevent ourselves through personal hygiene. The Ebola Virus Disease can survive on contaminated surfaces for up to six or seven days.” A panel set up for the interactive session, was anchored by Prof Francis Egbokhare.

Council chair urges residents to avoid outbreak rumour

HE Chairman of Omala Local Government Area of Kogi State, Mr Labaran Oyigebe, has urged the people to avoid rumours about a likely outbreak of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in the state. He said such a rumour could generate tension. Oyigebe spoke at Abejukolo, the local government’s headquarters, at the inauguration of a health committee on the likely outbreak of the EVD. He said: “The council is pre-

From James Azania, Lokoja

pared to handle any emergency. I assure everyone of the preparedness of the state government and certain that the Ebola Virus Disease will not find its way here. But we all must avoid spreading rumours.” Also, the Chairman of Lokoja Local Government Area, Alhaji Aliyu Baba Usman, urged the residents to desist from peddling rumours to avoid panic about the disease.

Obanikoro hails Fashola, Fed Govt

HE Minister of State for Defence, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, has hailed Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola for his administration's responsiveness and collaboration with the Federal Government in tackling the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak. The first case of the disease was recorded in July when the late Liberian-American Patrick Sawyer was diagnosed with the disease. Four other people, including Dr Stella Ameyo Adadevoh, the doctor who treated the late Saw-

yer, have died of the disease, all in Lagos. The minister also hailed President Goodluck Jonathan for the Federal Government's N1.9 billion Ebola Intervention Fund, besides Wednesday's Federal Executive Councils (FEC’s) approval of N200 million to support the Lagos State Government to contain the EVD. Obanikoro commiserated with the families of those who died of the disease, especially the medical personnel who contracted the desease when they were battling to save infected persons.

HE Rivers State government has placed the state on the alert to tackle a likely outbreak of the dreaded Ebola Virus Disease (EVD). The disease has killed five people in Nigeria and thousands of others in three other West African countries. Health Commissioner Dr. Sampson Parker addressed reporters yesterday in Port Harcourt, the state capital, on the government’s plans to prevent the disease from breaking out and, in case of an outbreak, the prevention measures to take. The commissioner said the Rotimi Amaechi administration was being proactive because of the state’s proximity to Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone and other countries affected by the deadly disease, especially by sea. He noted that infected persons from such countries could escape to Nigeria through the sea routes. Parker stressed that there was no reason to panic over a likely outbreak of the disease because the government had put preventive measures in place. The commissioner assured the residents that the government, which effectively handled the outbreak of the Lassa fever, would also tackle the Ebola Virus Disease, if it is reported anywhere in the state. He said: “The Rivers State government is on the alert. There is need to also sensitise, educate and inform the public not to panic. This is exactly what the government is doing, because we have a very functional health care system. “The government will not want to be taken unawares by the virus. A quarantine area has already been set up. Some health experts have been brought into Rivers State from the United States (U.S) to train our health workers on the use of new equipment acquired by the government. “Our health workers have been well kitted to handle the EVD, even though no case has been reported.”

Immortalise Adadevoh, expert tells govt •Doctors seek increment in hazard allowance By Wale Adepoju, From Vincent Ikuomola, Abuja

ICE-PRESIDENT of West African Region of the Commonwealth Medical Association, Dr Osahon Enabulele, has called for the immortalisation of Dr Stella Ameyo Adadevoh, who died on Tuesday of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) . She treated the late LiberianAmerican Patrick Sawyer in a Lagos hospital. Enabulele said her death was a major loss to the medical community and Nigeria’s health care system. The expert said the circumstance of her death was another reminder of the grave hazards that health workers, especially doctors, face in caring for patients. He said: “It clearly reemphasises the need for the government to institute schemes to guarantee the safety of health workers, particularly the institution of a robust life insurance policy. “Certainly, it brings to light the need for government at all levels to take the welfare of health workers seriously and drastically review upwards the miserable hazard allowance of N5,000 per month paid to doctors and other health workers in Nigeria.” Enabulele condoled with the family, management and workers of First Consultants Hospital, Lagos, members of the medical community and other Nigerians on Dr Adadevoh’s death. He said: “I call on the Federal Government to memorialise and bestow on all health workers and other volunteers felled in the course of caring for the Ebola Virus Disease patients posthumous honours.” He prayed God to grant eternal rest to Dr Adadevoh and others.

•The late Adadevoh

Also, a former President of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Dr. Osahon Enabulele, has urged the Federal Government to take the welfare of health workers more seriously. He said the death of a leading consultant, Mrs Ameyo Stella Adadevoh, who was infected with the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) while attending to the late Liberian, Mr Patrick Sawyer, re-emphasises the need for government to institute schemes to guarantee the safety of health workers. He also urged the government to review upwards the monthly N5,000 hazard allowance paid to doctors and other health workers in Nigeria. In a statement in Abuja, Enabulele said: “Her (Dr Adadevoh’s) death at this time of national public health emergency is a major loss to the medical community and Nigeria’s health care system. “The circumstance surrounding her death is another reminder of the grave hazards that health workers, particularly medical doctors face in the course of delivering care to patients. It clearly re-emphasises the need for government to be more committed to institute schemes to guarantee the safety of health workers, particularly the institution of a robust life insurance policy. “Certainly, it brings to light the need for government at all levels to take the welfare of health workers seriously and drastically review upwards the miserable hazard allowance of N5,000 per month paid to medical doctors and other health workers in Nigeria.

Ogun suspends schools’ resumption OGUN State has extended the resumption of schools indefinitely. The government said the action was part of measures to prevent the spread of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in the state.

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 22, 2014

NEWS

President leaves for Germany today From Augustine Ehikioya, Abuja

RESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan left Abuja this morning on a private visit to Germany. The President, according to a statement yesterday by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, would be accompanied by some of his principal aides. Jonathan, the statement said, would be back in Abuja early next week.

Pensioners seek Maina’s reinstatement

From Gbenga Omokhunu, Abuja

EDERAL pensioners, under the aegis of the National Association of Federal Retirees (NAFR), have called for the reinstatement of the Abdulrasheed Maina-led Pension Reform Task Team (PRTT). The pensioners said this would be in the interest of retirees, who want to be paid their pensions regularly. The federal retirees addressed reporters yesterday in Abuja yesterday on the need to return Maina to his desk. They said the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), which allegedly stole N2.7 billion, had no right to intervene in the association’s demand for the reinstatement of the disbanded PRTT. NAFR’s Chairman Emmanuel Omoyeni said the PRTT recorded successes that should be upheld and maintained by Nigerian pensioners. He said: “It is important for Nigerians to know that the NUP has no business in interfering in the demand of the Federal public service retirees for the reinstatement of the PRTT. “The NUP officials are not federal pensioners but part of the stealing machinery in the Pension sector...”

BATN promises to uphold Lagos anti-tobacco law

HE British American Tobacco Nigeria (BATN) Limited has restated its commitment to the successful implementation of the Lagos State Public Place Smoking Law, which came into effect on August 17. The company said it would always support key stakeholders to ensure compliance and regulation of the Tobacco sector in a transparent manner. BATN said its assurance to work with the government was a follow-up to its recent sensitisation of officers of the Police Command on the State Public Place Smoking Law. The company said it was surprised that a Lagos-based non-governmental organisation (NGO) faulted the sensitisation of enforcement agents on the public anti-smoking law. The Area Director, Corporate and Regulatory Affairs, BAT West Africa, Freddy Messanvi, said the company believed this was a task such NGOs should spearhead. Messanvi said NGOs and other stakeholders should assist in enhancing understanding and appreciation of the law.

Conference report: Jonathan overrules referendum

HE hope of those angling for the resolutions of the National Conference to be subjected to a referendum may have been dashed by President Goodluck Jonathan. The President, who received 21 volumes of the conference report yesterday in Abuja from Conference Chairman, Justice Idris Kutigi, said the recommendations would be presented to the Council of State and the National Assembly for incorporation into the Constitution. He also said the Executive would appropriately act on the aspects of the report . Jonathan explained that he refused to interfere in the work of the conference at its dicey moment because he believed that 492 delegates and six conference officials who, in their individual rights are qualified to lead, could fashion out a new course for the country. The President assured that the report would not be a waste of time and resources.

•Council of State, National Assembly to act on report From Onyedi Ojiabor, Assistant Editor and Dele Anofi, Abuuja

He said: "The discourse reflected our latest challenges. We shall send the relevant aspects of your recommendations to the Council of State and the National Assembly for incorporation into the Constitution. "On our part, we shall act on those aspects required of us in the Executive. "Let me reaffirm this: Nobody has a monopoly of knowledge. We in government need to feed from the thoughts of those who elected us into power. You have done your patriotic duty; we, the elected, must now do ours. "As I receive the report of your painstaking deliberations, let me assure that your work is not going be a waste of time and resources. We shall do all we can to ensure the implementation of your recommendations,

which have come out of consensus and not by divisions. "In this regard, I appeal to all arms of government and the people of Nigeria to be ready to play the different roles that the volumes of reports you have produced would assign to you. "It is my hope that with what you have done, our country is on the right road to getting the job of nation-building done." Jonathan noted that the report, coming 100 years after the Amalgamation, "promises to be a landmark in our history". He added: "I have always believed that dialogue is a better way of driving change in the community. I am happy that this dialogue has gone very well. "With the far-reaching recommendations touching on several areas of our national life, I am convinced that this will be a major turning point for Nigeria. "We have gone through many

challenges in our first centenary. Now is the time to hit the track and take our proper lane for the race of progress. Our moment for national rebirth is here. "We have to rekindle hope not only within our country but on the African continent where collectively our leadership is acknowledged." Jonathan said one of the main reasons for convoking the Conference had been achieved: to create a platform for a genuine and sincere dialogue among Nigerians. The President noted that even when things seemed ready to boil over, it was evident that the delegates were only disagreeing to agree. He said: "It is now very clear that as Nigerians, we have devised a way of addressing and resolving our differences amicably: we dialogue and dialogue until we agree! This is most

heart-warming indeed! "On the occasion of the 53rd Independence Anniversary of Nigeria last year, I made a promise to set a National Conversation in motion to advance the course of nation-building. The agitation had been there for a while and we could no longer ignore it or delay the process. I was motivated by a genuine desire to make our country a better place where we can build consensus in the evolution of a new Nigeria. "When I was inaugurating the Presidential Advisory Committee in December last year, I made it very clear to the committee that it was a sincere and fundamental undertaking, aimed at realistically examining and genuinely resolving, longstanding impediments to our cohesion and harmonious development as a truly united nation.”

‘Corruption, bad leadership slow down Nigeria’ From Tayo Johnson, Ibadan

•President Goodluck Jonathan (left) receiving the report of the National Conference from its Chairman, Justice Idris Kutigi, in Abuja... yesterday. PHOTO: NAN

Fashola blames Fed Govt for poor use of revenue

AGOS State Governor Mr Babatunde Fashola blamed the Federal Government yesterday for not using properly the huge revenue allocations it gets monthly from the Federation Account. The governor spoke at the opening ceremony of the State Economic and Empowerment Programme at Adeyemi Bero Auditorium of the State Secretariat at Alausa, Ikeja. He said the Federal Government had not used the huge revenue accruing to it to improve the lives of Nigerians. According to him, the Federal Government gets 52 per cent of the nation’s total income while the 36 state governments share 26 per cent. Fashola regretted that despite

By Miriam Ekene-Okoro

its huge share, the Federal Government still failed in its responsibilities, especially in the provision of power and security. He said: “There are three governments in Nigeria’s family the federal, state and local governments. We get income from three major sources. But these are the main sources. One is through oil, the other is through charges and import duties. “Last year, in Apapa alone, between January and June, the published income for the Federal Government was N1.4 trillion. “We don’t collect taxes from companies. All the companies in Nigeria, once you declare your profit, a certain percentage is paid to the Federal Gov-

ernment. What we collect is personal income tax on the employees of companies. Yet, the Federal Government has failed to provide electricity. If there is power today, many companies will pick up. “In Lagos State, we are looking at an alternative to national failure because we will soon start to hear a lot of stories. Just remember that we used to have Berec. Remember that at a time, 35 per cent of the components inside Peugeot 504 used to be produced in Nigeria. Why can’t we do that again?” The governor hailed the residents for paying their taxes. He urged them not to fall for the tricks of anyone who might promise relieved tax payment. Fashola sid it was from the

residents’ taxes that the state government was able to embark on Empowerment and Self-Reliance Programme, which will begin on September 1. It will cover cosmetology, soap making, bead making, among others. The governor said over 10,000 women would benefit from the empowerment programme through training and vocational skill acquisition under the Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation (WAPA). He added that the empowerment programme was open to women resident in Lagos State. Fashola urged unemployed women in the state to register for the programme on August 25.

Tafida debunks UK report on Nigerian military

IGERIA’S High Commissioner to the United Kingdom (UK), Dr Dalhatu Tafida, has said a report by the British media on Nigerian military’s alleged brutality on civilians and Boko Haram insurgents is falsehood. UK’s Channel 4 Television aired an hour documentary, titled: Nigeria’s Hidden War. It portrayed acts of violence on suspected members of Boko Haram where the military allegedly tortured, maimed and summarily executed unarmed civilians. “The report was biased and aimed at discrediting the military and tarnishing the nation’s

image,” Tafida told the Europe Correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in London yesterday. The envoy said the producer of the documentary sought the commission’s response to the allegation, which was obliged. But he said the response was not reflected in the documentary. Tafida said: “I was disappointed in the sense that we were given a notice on when the report would be aired and we gave them our government’s position, explaining that there were no human rights violations that would constitute war crimes in Nigeria. “For instance, the military was

accused of using machetes to behead insurgents. Why would the military do that? “In counter-terror attacks, ammunition is used, not machetes. This report is not a representation of what is happening in Nigeria; it is another attempt to define the nation’s image as negative.” The envoy said the report was negative and selective, adding that the conflicts between Israel and Hamas, and another between pro-Russian separatists and Ukraine had made more elements of human rights violations. He expressed Federal Government’s commitment to tackling insurgency through em-

ployment generation and education. Tafida also refuted claims that the Federal Government was unwilling to resolve the conflict through negotiations. He said: “As a nation, we are committed to bringing the conflict to an end. But how do you negotiate with people you do not know? “The government does not know who are behind Boko Haram. Some people think it is a political mechanism to distabilise the polity. But the truth is that you cannot negotiate with people you do not know.”

HE Director-General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mr Mike Omeri, has said corruption and bad leadership are among the major impediments to the nation’s development. He said ethnicity also posed a danger to the nation’s development because many Nigerians seemed to have their allegiance first to their tribe or region before the country. The NOA chief spoke yesterday in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, at the second National Development Symposium Series, organised by Oduduwa Youth Development Initiative (OYDI), with the theme: The Nigeria of Yesterday, The Transformation Agenda of Today, The Vision 20-2020 of Tomorrow. He was represented by the agency’s Assistant Director, Head of Programmes, Mr Moshood Olaleye. Omeri said: “Corruption and bad leadership are major challenges to Nigeria’s growth. The political or ruling class was more concerned with how it would corner the nation’s wealth. In doing this, it drummed up tribal and religious sentiments into the ears of unsuspecting and often gullible citizens as the distraction to cover up its corrupt practices. “Many of these leaders, who had entrenched themselves in key sectors, lacked discipline, dependability, restraint and patriotism in managing the affairs of the nation. State funds were looted with impunity and stacked away in foreign bank accounts.” According to him, such stolen money was mostly used by the host countries to boost their economies, especially in the Manufacturing sector. Omeri said there was also disregard for the rule of law and the supremacy of the constitution among Nigerians. The NOA chief noted that the laws of the land were violated, adding that attempts to redress them by some citizens and groups were often thwarted through the manipulation of the Judiciary. To address the ills befalling the country, he said, President Goodluck Jonathan, through the agency, developed a value-reorientation programme, tagged: Do the Right Thing: Patriotism and Ethnics First Campaign.

THE NATION FRIDAY AUGUST 22, 2014

NEWS

Rights’ group lauds Osun voters, INEC A RIGHTS’ group, Democracy Vanguard (DV), has praised voters in Osun State for their display of courage by coming out en masse despite the security siege before and during the August 9 governorship poll. The group said the objective behind the security siege was to criminalise the citizenry as election riggers to pave the way to unleash terror and intimidate voters from exercising their franchise, thereby making the election unpopular. “This objective of creating voters apathy through militarisation by retinue of masked and unmasked security operatives to make election manipulation possible was defeated by the determination of Osun voters to vote for a candidate of their choice and ensure that their votes counted in consonance with the ‘One Man, One Woman, One Vote’ campaign mantra of Democracy Vanguard,” it said. It congratulated the people for standing by their mandate. The group also praised INEC for conducting “a largely successful, free and fair election.”

Rigging: APC hails Jega over revelation

HAIRMAN of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Prof. Attahiru Jega has been hailed for his revelation on how the August 9 Osun State governorship election was almost rigged. The Director of Publicity, Research and Strategy of the state All Progressives Congress (APC), Kunle Oyatomi, gave the praise yesterday. The party said Jega allegedly confirmed the party’s in-

sight that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had a master plan to hack into INEC’s database and corrupt the electoral register to disenfranchise thousands of voters. “We made this information public on several occasions, weeks before the election, but few people believed us. This was the reason they were buying up permanent voter cards. “We had also informed the public that the PDP was planning to abuse and misuse the

security personnel to terrorise, arrest and harass APC supporters and leaders before the election,” the statement alleged. It added that Jega revealed that the security personnel went beyond arresting APC leaders and supporters; they also “locked up, in their overzealousness, some INEC adhoc workers.” The APC stated: “When we complained about hooded security officials, DSS spokesperson, Marilyn Ogar, in a very

unprofessional outing, justified the deployment of such hooded security officials who almost killed our National Publicity Secretary Alhaji Lai Mohamed. “We thank God that Jega had come out publicly to condemn the deployment and to declare the occurrence unacceptable. “He even said the INEC will not allow the deployment of hooded security officers in any other election process. We hope Marilyn Ogar is listening.”

Ado-Ekiti club meets FORMER Chief Press Secretary, Federal Ministry of Water Resources Chief Olugbayo Ogunleye will host this month’s meeting of Ado-Ekiti Dynamic Club at his residence, 115 Uyin Road, Bashuri, Ado-Ekiti between 10a.m and 12noon. Members will proceed to the Ewi’s Palace for the grand finale of this years Udiroko Festival. Members are enjoyed to be punctual because matters of importance about Ado city will be discussed.

‘No faction in Lagos NURTW’ THERE is no faction in the Lagos State chapter of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), its chairman, Alhaji Tajudeen Agbede, said yesterday. He spoke against the background of the crisis that broke out in Isolo area, which some people linked the union with. The report said two factions of the union were fighting for supremacy during which some people were feared injured and property destroyed. But Agbede denied the involvement of his union members in the clash, saying there is no faction in the state’s NURTW. He added that investigation revealed that there was a clash among the guests for an event, which had nothing to do with the union’s activities or its members. “As the chairman of the union, I can say it openly that we don’t have factions in our union. The Lagos NURTW is one under my leadership. We now have peace and order in the union. “The period when NURTW is involved in crisis is over. We are one peaceful family. When we have problem, we settle it,” he said.

•Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun (right) presenting the state plaque to the General Secretary, Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), Prince Peters Adeyemi, who led a team of NASU to visit the governor in his Oke-Mosan office, Abeokuta yesterday.

Ogun spends N160b on education

GUN State has spent over N160 billion on its education sector in the last three years and has never owed workers’ salaries within the period. Governor Ibikunle Amosun told members of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), who

visited yesterday in Abeokuta. He said about N610 million was paid as subventions to schools monthly, which is about N 7.5 billion yearly.

“When we came in 2011, we inherited a backlog of salaries and arrears owed workers and much more significant was the approval of an exponential increment of retired permanent secretaries pensions from N40,000 to N400,000 at the twilight of the previous administration.” The governor said the financial implication was a huge burden his administration had to bear. Amosun said the 27.5 per cent peculiar allowance, which he approved for teachers, also includes the

non-academic staff. He added that payment would begin before December. On the funding of the state’s 10 tertiary institutions, the governor noted that of all the 36 states, “Ogun is the only state with that highest number of tertiary institutions.” He stated that notwithstanding its attendant financial implications, his administration had continued to fund them. Amosun said 90 per cent of the money earmarked for education was used to pay salaries andonly 10 per cent

is expended on capital expenditures, school projects. His passion and resolve to rejuvenate the ailing education system necessitated the initial merger plan for some tertiary institutions with “the view of having few virile and qualitative tertiary institutions than weak and poorly-funded numerous ones.” He explained that the reversal of the decision to merge the Tai Solarin University of Education (TASUED) with the Olabisi Onabanjo University (OSU) was in the interest of the people.

Lagos empowerment scheme gets backing A LL Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State, has praised the state government on the successful inauguration of its economic empowerment programme. The party said the programme, which was designed for the unemployed, has added to a “list of the laudable and effective programmes the state government uses to deal with the challenge of hosting the largest concentration of Nigerians.” Its Publicity Secretary, Mr. Joe Igbokwe, in a statement, said by the welfarist attention to the plight of the unemployed and the disempowered, “the government and the APC were demonstrating their readiness to deal with the problems of poverty created by anti-people policy of the PDP-led Federal Government. “We are glad that the state government has kicked off

this epic programme that targets the downtrodden and unemployed Nigerians who continue to get disempowered and poor by the deliberate policies of the PDP-led Federal Government.” The party noted that the World Bank ranks Nigeria as the country with the third largest population of poor people and had also projected that by 2015, Nigeria will become the country with the largest number of poor people in the world. Describing the scenario as dreadful, the APC said it was happy that the state government is responsive to the plight of Nigerians who are increasingly targetted by the PDP’s policies for nearly 16 years. The statement also reads: “As Lagos hosts the majority of Nigerian unemployed

youths, we have no doubt that this programme will go a long way in reducing the scourge of poverty in Nigeria. “We note that the state government runs a highly effective youth skill acquisition centres in various parts of the country, where thousands of Nigerian youths, irrespective of tribe, religion and tongue, have received free and qualitative training on vital skills that have made them very productive and meaningfully engaged in the state’s economy. “We note that the state runs a plethora of youth empowerment programmes that target Nigerian youths of every tribe for empowerment and that the present programme promises the most far-reaching and extensive that promises to take more Nigerian youths from the encircling

•Fashola

unemployment bracket. “We urge Lagosians, and the hundreds of thousands of Nigerians that troop to Lagos each day in search of succour, to access the scheme through the various centres advertised in all the 57 local councils in Lagos. “We restate the commitment of the APC government in Lagos to deal with every problem confronting Lagosians as we urge all Lagosians to continue supporting the APC for more solid fruits of democracy.”

Fashola pledges help for fire victims

AGOS State Governor Babatunde Fashola (SAN) visited yesterday the Okobaba Sawmill and Plank Market gutted by fire last Monday. He sympathised with the traders and residents over their losses, assuring them of government’s support in rebuilding the structures. The governor told the sawmill operators to decide on how they want the place rebuild to enable his administration render any needed assistance. His words: “Now, you would have heard that in the last two weeks that we are rebuilding houses in AdenijiAdele because the houses are collapsing and the residents in the place were given money to find alternative accommodation, so that when the houses are completed, they would return to their homes. “Some of those with whom we had such an arrangement about five years ago in Ogba got their flats last week. So, whatever you decide, is what we are going to do for you. If you want to rebuild it as it was before, we shall do it for you. “If you want us to rebuild it in block form, we shall assist you. But one thing you have to bear in mind is that you have to shift backward a bit and whichever one you may decide to do, let the town planning support you in doing the layout so that the buildings will not be too close and per adventure, if there is fire outbreak, it will not affect the buildings”. The governor, who prayed that such incident would never occur again in the state, implored the residents to be calm, assuring them that the commissioners for Special Duties and Physical Planning and Urban Development would come back and hold meetings with them.

PVC: Party raises alarm in Oyo

HE Oyo State All Progressives Congress (APC) has raised the alarm over alleged hitches in the distribution of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and Continuous Voters’ Registration (CVR) by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The party alleged that the problems were clandestine ploys by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)-led Federal Government to manipulate the 2015 general elections. The PVCs’ distribution in the state’s 33 local government areas ended on Tuesday with many prospective voters unable to get their cards. The CVR begun last Wednesday with complaints of system inefficiency and non-availability of INEC officials in many designated registration centres. The party’s Director of Publicity and Strategy, Olawale Sadare, in a statement yesterday, accused the state’s INEC office of implementing a script from Abuja. It added that the script was aimed at reducing the proportion of the envisaged protest votes against the PDP from most parts of the country in the coming general elections.

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 22, 2014

NEWS

Impeachment: Enugu deputy governor lied, says Chime’s aide

HE Enugu State government has described as false and

misleading, the claims by Deputy Governor Sunday Onyebuchi that Governor Sullivan Chime operates a poultry and piggery at the Government House. A statement by Chukwudi Achife, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Chime, said the deputy governor’s claims were malicious and intended to deceive the public. He said while the government maintains an Agric Unit as part of the Government House structure where livestock are kept for slaughter to serve the needs of the workers as well as both the governor and deputy governor’s premises, the unit was neither operated nor owned by the governor. Achife said: “Our attention has been drawn to media reports credited to the deputy governor in which he alleged that Governor Chime owns a poultry farm and a piggery inside the Government House. “Much as we would not want to join issues with the deputy governor, it has be-

From Chris Oji, Enugu

come necessary for us to put the records straight. “The deputy governor’s claims that Governor Chime runs a poultry farm in the Government House is most unfortunate and surprising. This is because it is untrue and the deputy governor knows better. “The truth is that there is an Agric Unit in the Government House where livestock are held for the use of the Government House. It has been in existence since the Government House was built and had served previous administrations in Enugu. It is neither commercially operated nor is it owned by the governor. “The unit is manned by civil servants including a veterinary doctor. Funds for its maintenance are provided for in the annual budget of the government. The unit also serves the deputy governor. As a matter of fact, workers of the unit slaughtered a cow from the unit at the request of the deputy governor on August 4. “So, if the unit as he (Onyebuchi) erroneously

How youths can develop Nigeria, by Ambode

HE youths are part of a critical human capital goldmine that can propel Lagos and Nigeria from an emerging economy to a major world economy, the Chief Executive Officer of Brandsmiths Consulting, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, said yesterday. Ambode, who is a governorship aspirant on the platform of the Lagos State All Progressives Congress (APC), said this would be achieved if sound financial understanding and adequate investment of resources are allocated to the “critical demographic for sustainable productivity.” He spoke in a paper titled, “Public Finance: Probity and Accountability,” at a two-day workshop organised by the Lagos State Government in partnership with the Lagos Business School at the Pan African University, Lagos. The theme of the workshop was “The Nigerian Youth The Quality Imperative.” Ambode, in his paper, stressed the importance of accountability, equity and probity in both the private and public sectors. The gathering, which drew 300 youths of different backgrounds from all the state’s tertiary institutions, was an engaging moment to discuss the “unpredictable nature of the increasing youth population in Nigeria.” Ambode, who is a former Accountant-General and Permanent, said innovation is about finding new solutions to old problems, insisting that it is the youth who would drive these solutions. He urged them to channel their energies by improving themselves, challenge the status quo and work to achieve their full potential. The aspirant noted that the process of getting it done is often seen as enormous. He added that people forgot that the “youths, who make up a massive bulk of the population of the country at

present, with a large percentage still unemployed, can be at the forefront of the country’s economic survival and subsequent prosperity, if adequately enabled.” He said: “Poverty has no tribal marks. It is not partial to any religion or race. Poverty dehumanises all in its stream, irrespective of their religion, gender or ethnic call. “Across the country today, from North to South from East to West, we can see the humiliating mass of poverty in our landscape.” He insisted that deliberate actions must be taken by the government to plan for the growing youth population. He stated that the prerequisite for good governance “is in the identification of the basic needs of the people through accountability and management of resources. “If we take the concept of resource generation, allocation and distribution into cognisance and apply the principles of good governance, we will achieve economic growth and development”. After his lecture, Ambode engaged the students in a question and answer session, where he also shared his thoughts on many other issues. He told them that every youth must know that the road driven towards leadership is paved by the ability to follow effectively. He presented autographed copies of his biography “The Art of Selfless Service” and his accounting text “Public Sector Accounting” to winners of a quiz session he organised at the talk. Other speakers at the workshop were Mr. Kola Oyeneyin, Mr. Fola Arthur-Worry, Olatunde Shofowora, Prof. A. M. Ninalowo, Mrs. Oyonkan Badejo-Okusanya and Mrs. Damilola Ogunbiyi. The workshop was the second in the series organised by the government to engage and nurture the youth, particularly students of tertiary institutions.

claims belongs to the governor, why should it form part of the state’s annual budgets? Why would the deputy governor request the unit to slaughter cows for him from its livestock holding? “ He went on: “It is important to clarify that the Agric unit is not within the governor’s residential premises, but a unit in the Government House, which has other units, such as the Press unit, Drivers unit, among others. The Agric unit serves the purpose of holding livestock for periodic slaughter for use by the Government House workers, the Governor’s lodge and the Deputy Governor’s lodge. It was on the strength of this fact that he (Onyebuchi) requested the workers of the unit to slaughter a cow for him from the unit’s holding on August 4 and this was done. “Now, the other question to ask is, since the deputy governor is aware of the existence of this unit and benefits from its services, why was he operating another one? The truth, however, is that he was operating a commercial poultry with his own workers, including as he admitted in his evidence, a marketing manager. “The poultry in his residen-

tial quarters was relocated after he refused all official entreaties to do same, fully aware that running a commercial poultry within his residential premises violates the policy of government. So, why would the state’s Number Two citizen violate a

policy made by his own government?” On Onyebuchi’s claims on what transpired between the panel and counsel to the parties on the day he slumped, it would be recalled that Mr. Nduka Ikeyi, counsel to the Enugu State House of Assem-

bly at the panel investigating the allegations of gross misconduct against the deputy governor, clarified the events, contrary to what some sections of the press deliberately and mischievously chose to report.

•Former Head of State Gen Muhammadu Buhari (right) with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar at the inaugural meeting of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Board of Trustees at the party’s Secretariat in Abuja...yesterday

Vigil for Akunyili

HE funeral of the former Minister of Information and Communication, the late Prof. Dora Nkem Akunyili, begins today with a Christian wake at her Enugu home, 2A, Bishop Onyeabor Street, G.R.A. Enugu. The vigil, which starts from 4pm, kicks off a week-long funeral programme of activities for the celebrated onetime Director-General of the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC). Prof. Akunyili’s funeral continues on Monday with a Night of Tributes at the International Conference Centre, Abuja, from 5pm. A Mass will be held for her at Pro-Cathedral Catholic Church, Abuja, by 10am the next day.

•Mr Ambode delivering the lecture...yesterday

Stallion rolls out six commercial vehicles

IX branded light commercial vehicles and buses have been rolled out of Stallion Group’s assembly plant in Ikotun - Egbe and BadagryExpressway, Lagos State. The multinational said the vehicles were built from completely knock down components and designed for Nigerian roads,people and their life style. They will be available soon in their dealerships nationwide, the Stallion Group chairman said yesterday.

He said the induction of leading auto brand is crucial to the National Automotive Industry Development Plan, which essentially seeks to position Nigeria among world class industrial economies and has been successfully achieved in other emerging countries. “We have integrated many proven metrics into this frame work and we are mindful of the six stages of development for a brand, each equating to a different marketing priority, starting with

creating basic awareness and concluding with building customer loyalty”. Mr. Sunil Vaswani reasoned. He added, that the Stallion’s initiative is an integrated vehicle manufacturing frame work that enables StallionGroup to produce Stallion branded high quality vehicles from knocked down components and with a view toultimately grow into full fledge local manufacturing industries. Stallion Force LE (double cabin 4x4 Pickup) will sell for

N2.45million. Stallion Force SE pickup will cost N2.95million and the16seater Stallion Citibus is being introduced atN3.95million. Other Stallion made buses are Stallion Civicbus 29+1seater priced at N8.45m, Stallion Contibus 40+1 seaterpriced at N10.95m and Stallion Country bus, which cures in from 42 to 66-seater. The starting price of Stallion Countrybus is offered from N12.45m.

Anambra demolishes suspected kidnappers’ house NAMBRA State government demolished yesterday a storey building belonging to a kidnap suspect, Celestine Ughamadu, at Ifite-ora village in Ayamelum Local Government. Security operatives said the suspect keeps victims in the

From Nwanosike Onu, Awka

building. Assistant Commissioner of Police Finihan Adeoye said the suspect, now at large, kept abducted victims in the house and collected millions of Naira as ransom before releasing them.

He said: “Celestine abducted many persons including a businessman and the head of the Assemblies of God Church in Onitsha. He also let out the building to other kidnappers.” Finihan said government and security agencies were determined to win the war

against crime. He urged youths to engage in legitimate activities. The demolition, carried out on Wednesday, was in continuation of the state’s policy of destroying crime infrastructure and ensuring that no one benefits from the proceeds of crime.

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 22, 2014

NEWS Four kidnap victims freed

Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi; his wife Folashade and Cella Sacramento, Mayor of Bahia Salvador at the first BrasilNigeria International seminar for presentation of Shared Cultural Heritage in Salvador Bahia, Brazil.

Ojukwu replaces Mba as police spokesman

EPUTY Commissioner of Police (DCP), Emmanuel Ojukwu has been appointed the Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO). He takes over from Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Frank Mba, who has been redeployed. Mba was decorated as an ACP on July 19 by former Inspector-General of Police Mohammed Abubakar. Mba has been reassigned as an area commander in Lagos. Mba expressed gratitude to the media for the cooperation and relationship “that formed part of the success

stories of the Nigeria police force and the force public relations department.” In a letter of appreciation he said “Indeed, the successes and achievements of the Nigeria police force and the force public relations department in particular today, depended largely on your constructive criticism, unbiased and highly professional reportage In spite of security and other challenges, it is gratifying to say that you have always stood by me at all times in our collective quest to diligently and faithfully serve our nation. “To this end, I remain grateful and

appreciative of your worthy and invaluable contributions, which have added the needed flavour to my service to humankind as the force public relations officer. “As I reflect on my tenure, I deem it necessary to give thanks to God for seeing me through the delicate task of managing the image of the force and to express my appreciation to some select individuals and organisations that have played significant roles in my little success story. Ojukwu, who served in the same post between 2008 and 2010, has since taken over.

Ibori: Henry Abebe was my brother Southsouth

ORMER Delta State Governor James Onanefe Ibori has described the death of Mr Henry Abebe as shocking. He said Abebe, who died on August 8, was his friend and brother. In a statement by his media aide, Tony Eluemunor, Ibori said: “With his death, life became reduced for me and our circle of friends, for Henry was the soul of our gatherings. “We’ve known ourselves for over 30 years. When we were young and life was ahead of us, we shared our dreams

and difficulties. We shared laughter and joy, and some sorrows too. If you were close to Henry, he shared his ups and downs – everything - with you. “As Henry Abebe is being buried today, my heart goes out to his wife Beatrice; daughter, Nicole; and sons, Mannie and Tony. I commiserate with his brother, John, and sister, Rita. What can I say to his aged parents? How do I console them? I pray God grants them the fortitude to bear this enormous loss.”

Uduaghan mourns Ben Obi

ELTA State Governor E m m a n u e l Uduaghan has expressed sadness at the death of Mr Ben Charles Obi, the founding editor of Insider Weekly. He described him as “one of the crusaders of the present democratic experiment in Nigeria”. In a statement, the governor said the late Obi’s sacrifice as a journalist and an activist during the military era would not be forgotten, adding that the country may have remained under dicta-

tors, if not for the courage shown by the like of the deceased. Uduaghan said: “The country shall not particularly forget sacrifices made by Obi and other journalists, who risked their lives to speak the truth, displayed exceptional courage and openly challenged the military junta seeking to perpetuate itself in office. They are some of the true defenders of Nigeria’s democracy.” He sent his condolences to the management and staff of Insider Weekly, journalists and all lovers of democracy.

Pa Adedayo dies at 99

HE death has been announced of Chief Solomon Adewunmi Alabi Adedayo (JP). Chief Adedayo, father of Tastee Fried Chicken Chairman Adekunle Adedayo, died on Monday in Ila, Osun State. He was 99. Announcing the death, Mr. Adedayo said: “Just a few months shy of a landmark 100 years, it is with bittersweet emotions but gratitude to God for 99 years of life lived

•The late Pa Adedayo

in joy and happiness, that we announce that our baba went to be with the Lord peacefully this morning.” Funeral details, said the family, will be announced later.

media group inaugurated A NON–PARTISAN association, the Southsouth Media Professionals (SSMP), has been inaugurated. In a statement in Lagos, the Chief Convener, Mr. King Akpabio, said: “The association was founded to promote the culture of media representation of issues and interests affecting the zone objectively and constructively.” He said the group would pursue the core values of integrity, objectivity, truthfulness and fairness in its activities.

‘Incompetence’: Edo retires Perm Sec From OSemwengie Ogbemudia, Benin

DO State Governor Adams Oshiomhole has ordered the compulsory retirement of the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, Mr. Felix Otoide, for incompetence. According to a statement by the governor’s media aide, Peter Okhiria, the retirement takes immediate effect. Otoide earlier served on the Board of Internal Revenue and as a permanent secretary in the Ministry of Youths and Sports.

From Bolaji Ogundele, Warri

NURSING mother and her three children, who were kidnapped last Saturday by gunmen in Delta State, have regained their freedom. The victims are Mrs Tokunbo Oruma and her sons – Brian (6), Gabriel (2) and 10-month old Wendy. The woman’s Honda CRV car was stolen by the hoodlums. Police spokesperson Celestina Kalu (DSP) told reporters yesterday that the kidnappers abandoned the victims when they realised that men of the Special Anti-Kidnap Squad (SAKS) were closing in on them.

Driver, others honoured From Osagie Otabor, Benin

DRIVER in the Office of the Edo State Head of Service, Mr Tunde Kasimu, and 11 others, have received the 2013 productivity awards. The others are Aiyemola Sylvester, Daniel Ekhaguosa, Matthias Aferuan, Odalo ThankGod, Friday Idahor, O. Agboola-Afekhuai, Mrs. M.E. Uwaifiokun, Mrs. Agatha Okojie, M.O. Omozeghian, Festus Okougbo and Dr. V.A Iyekekpolo. Governor Adams Oshiomhole, who was represented by the Head of Service, Jerry Obazele at the event, congratulated the awardees and urged them to work harder.

Publisher to DSS: let me be By Sina Fadare

•Edomi

HE Publisher and the Editor-in-Chief of The South- South International Magazine, Mr. Ovie Edomi, has cried out again that security agents are after his life over a story published in his magazine’s May 31 edition. Edomi said he was arrested on June 27 at a function at the Lagos Airport Hotel, Ikeja, and

whisked away to the Abuja office of the Department of State Security (DSS) for interrogation. He was released three days later. The publisher said he was questioned on the cover story of the magazine, titled: “Dirty Deals of NCPC’S Executive Secretary Exposed”. He said he told the security agents that anybody uncomfortable with the publication should go to court. Edomi said his arrest followed a news conference addressed by the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Christian Pilgrims Commission (NCPC), Mr. John Okpara, who “said” his

name and reputation was damaged by the publication. He said he stood by the publication, adding that one of the commission’s board members exposed “the shady deals”. Edomi said: “Instead of harassing me and asking me to come to their office on a daily basis, the DSS could have used the security apparatus at its disposal to verify the issues raised in the publication.” He said ever since his contact with the DSS, he had been receiving various telephone calls asking him to come to its Lagos office. Edomi said he had contacted his lawyer, Mr. Festus Keyamo, who will take the appropriate step on the matter.

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 22, 2014

CITYBEATS

CITYBEATS LINE: 08023247888

Police arrest ‘human heads’ dealers’

Jealous lover remanded for alleged murder

YABA Magistrate’s Court in Lagos Mainland has remanded a 31-year-old man in prison for allegedly strangling his lover. Magistrate A. IpayeNwachukwu ordered William Chukwunango remanded following his arraignment. The defendant was said to have killed his lover, a mother of four and Managing Director, Edmark International, Lizzy Nzewi, 39, on July 19, at her residence in Festac, Amuwo Odofin. He was brought before Magistrate IpayeNwachukwu on a two-count charge of robbery and murder, contrary to Sections 221 and 295 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos, 2011. Prosecuting Inspector Chuwku Agu told the court that the defendant also stole some of the late Lizzy’s possessions including a Range Rover Sports car marked EKY509AZ. He said other items stolen by the defendant included N140,000; one Nokia cell phone; one Motorola cell phone; one Huwai cell phone and an Automated Teller Machine (ATM) card of Diamond Bank, which values are yet to be ascertained. Agu said the defendant was arrested by InterPol at the exit border of Abidjan enroute Ghana while fleeing with the deceased’s Range Rover, adding that he used the deceased’s ATM to withdraw N140,000 from her account. The defendant’s plea could not be taken because the court lacks jurisdiction to try murder. The Magistrate ordered him remanded in prison pending legal advice from the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP). The matter was adjourned till September 24.

HREE native doctors have been arrested by the police for allegedly using ground human heads mixed with herbs to prepare medicine. They are: Mustapha Muritala, 42; Sunday Oluyeba, 44, and Mrs Adenike Olanrewaju, 34. Adenike is the wife of another native doctor, Jumo Abayomi a.k.a Bababeji, who is at large. Five others: Chief Phiga Osho; Sunday Oluyeba a.k.a Lewa, Kehinde Ali, Nasiru Olaonipekun and Kazeem Olagekekan a.k.a Kabiyesi of Aye Ila in Sagamu, Ogun State, are said to be wanted by the police. Operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of the Lagos State Police Command led by the Officer-in-Charge (OC) Superintendent Abba Kyari stormed Sagamu following a tip-off that some native doctors in Sagamu were about to

Siblings held for ‘cutting tenant’s genital’

By Precious Igbonwelundu

By Ebele Boniface

buy two human heads to make medicine. Muritala was arrested on August 16, while handing over two human heads to a buyer; the female suspect and others were arrested on August 18. Muritala said: “I was a herbalist before I wrote my Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE). I was the one who handed the head over to the buyer who put us into this trouble. I collected the two heads from Sunday and I gave him N30,000. “I learned how to use human heads to do medicine from my friend, Saburi Babalawo a.k.a Alfa, who is based in Abeokuta, 15 years ago. Saburi also said they needed two birds (ogee eye Oshin) and begged me to help him buy them. He said he wanted to help a woman in labour to deliver safely; I went to Sunday Oluyeba and collected two heads.” Oluyeba, who described Muritala as his neighbour, said: “I only helped him, he

•The suspects ... yesterday

did not give me N30,000. I just finished my father’s final burial at Ado Ekiti only to return to be arrested by policemen for helping somebody to buy human heads. The heads he bought were those of the two thieves killed by Abayomi who works as a security guard and native doctor. In fact, I saw blood in a drum in his house. He promised to give the two heads to

“My husband and Sunday are friends, neighbours and native doctors. I was at home when policemen came. I told them that my husband went to farm; they arrested me in order for my husband to come out and defend himself,” she said. Police said efforts were being intensified to arrest the fleeing suspects. The two heads have been recovered.

Mother of three caught with cannabis at airport

By Precious Igbonwelundu

WO siblings arrested yesterday were remanded in Ikoyi Prisons for allegedly slicing off the scrotum of their tenant, Layinka Offahin. Solomon Olowogbemi, 24, and Damilola Olayeye, 22, were remanded by Magistrate F.J. Adefioye of the Ebute Meta Magistrate’s Court following their arraignment on a threecount charge of conspiracy, armed robbery and attempted murder. The offence was said to have been committed on July 25 at 4.30am, at 15, Popoola Street, off Abaranje Road, Ikotun, a Lagos suburb. Prosecuting Corporal Onaiwu Iyobosa told the court that the victim, who died following the incident, had a disagreement with his landlady, prompting the attack by her children. Iyobosa said the victim agreed to pack out in August after the landlady told him to leave her house. “On the fateful day, the deceased and his family were sleeping when they heard a loud bang on their door. The defendants forcefully entered and began to destroy his electronics and other valuables. “One of the defendants had a knife and they took the deceased’s N8, 000. They descended on him. He fought back and the suspects cut off his scrotum. He shouted for help and neighbours hurriedly rushed him to the hospital, while the defendants were subsequently arrested,” said Iyobosa. The offence, according to the prosecutor, contravened Section 228, 231 and 295 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos, 2011. The defendants’ pleas were not taken. The Magistrate ordered that they be remanded in Ikoyi Prison and the case file sent to the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) for advice. He adjourned the case till September 17.

Muritala whenever they met. I was at Ado Ekiti when Mustapha went and collected the two heads from him. I am a native doctor that cures barrenness and stroke. I don’t use human heads to prepare medicine.” Adenike, who said she did not know that her husband deals in human heads, said she only knew him as a native doctor.

•Suspect: I thought I was carrying vegetables

•The suspect with the parcels ... yesterday

37-YEAR-OLD mother of three, Ezeh Ifeoma Maureen, has been arrested with substances suspected to be cannabis by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

By Kelvin Osa Okunbor

She was caught at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA) in Ikeja, Lagos, during outward screening of China-bound Ethiopian Airlines’ passengers for allegedly attempt-

ing to smuggle 6.200 kilogrammes of dried weeds that tested positive for cannabis. The agency’s Airport Commander, Mr. Hamza Umar, said the suspect told the officers that her bags contained vegetables and foodstuff. “She declared the content of her bags as vegetables and foodstuff, but during a search, the vegetables turned out to be cannabis weighing 6.200 kilogrammes. The drug was packed in two parcels.” The suspect, who hails from Anambra State, said: “I am a business woman; I sell women’s clothes at the Onitsha main market. I usually export foodstuff to China and import female dresses to Nigeria. One of my customers in China called to tell me that his brother would give me two parcels of vegetables

to bring to him. I collected the parcels at the airport from the boy. Unfortunately, when they tested them, I was told that they contained cannabis.” Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Ahmadu Giade, advised the public to learn from the cases of those arrested for drug trafficking. “This mother of three children would have been killed in China for drug trafficking if she was not apprehended here. It is important for the public to learn from her experience and shun drug trafficking,” he said. Giade warned passengers not to collect items from people, who will not be there during a search. The suspect, Giade said, would be charged to court for unlawful possession of, and attempt to export cannabis.

•From left: Hassan Olasunkanmi, instructor, LAGBUS; Babatunde Shoderu, Head, Bus Captain Training; Sumbo Anifowose, Human Resources Officer; Mustapha Akeem, instructor, and Joseph Rose, trainee driver, LAGBUS Training School at the PHOTO: ABIODUN WILLIAMS female drivers’ recruitment and training in Lagos.

Driver dies during sex By Jude Isiguzo

COMMERCIAL bus driver has collapsed and died while having sex with his wife. Simply identified as Emmanuel, the deceased was said to be recovering from an illness before the incident. He was said to have ignored his widow’s pleas to avoid the act until he is well enough. The Nation gathered that Effiong, a mother of two, suddenly noticed that her husband was motionless during the affair. After calling his name severally without response, she pushed him off, and noticed that he was no longer breathing. Effiong was said to have informed the deceased’s younger brother, Akpan, of the development on phone. Akpan rushed down to see his brother’s body. A neighbour, Anayo Okechukwu, confirmed that the woman said she told her husband to rest because he was just recovering from an illness, but that he did not listen.

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 22, 2014

PEOPLE THE NATION

A FOUR-PAGE SECTION ON SOCIETY

Celebrating a shining star •DANCING TIME! Senator Chris Ngige (middle) leading the celebrator, Sylva (second right); his wife, Alayingi; Governor Fayemi (left) and Chief Odigie-Oyegun in Azonto dance style

Former Bayelsa State Governor Timipre Sylva attracted eminent personalities to the Ladi Kwali Hall of the Sheraton Hotel and Towers, Abuja for a lecture to commemorate his 50th birthday, writes AUGUSTINE EHIKIOYA

IKE a shining star, the former Bayelsa State Governor, Timipre Sylva was honoured last week Thursday at the Sheraton Hotel and Towers, Abuja. The gathering, meant to celebrate Sylva’s 50th birthday, could be said to be who-is-who in different strata of the nation’s diverse economic and socio-political circles. The popular Ladi Kwali Hall, which was filled to the brim, could be said to have attested to Sylva’s continued popularity. For a detribalised Nigerian, where is the best place to hold a birthday lecture? This was the question Sylva put to his aides while planning for his 50th birthday. It became a plan of comedy. They all came with different suggestions. The choice of North was knocked out because of Boko Haram; Lagos in South west was not chosen due to Ebola virus; they could not consider South south because Sylva’s 80-year old uncle was kidnapped and South east is ‘a den of kidnappers.’ The organisers later settled for Abuja to maintain a middle course. The hall burst in laughter as Sylva narrated how he and his aides picked Abuja for the event. The ceremony was chaired by the former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Mohammed Lawal Uwais and the birthday lecture was delivered by the Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola (SAN). A touch of comedy as popular comedian, ‘Gordons d Berlusconi,’ who doubled as the Master of Ceremony, electrified the atmosphere with jokes while the audience reeled in laughter. Gordons who described former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, as his mentor jokingly pleaded with the Turaki Adamawa to allow one of his daughters to marry him. This, the comedian said, has become an age long tradition between mentors and mentees. He cited examples of former Igbo warlord, the late Dim Emeka Ojukwu who married Bianca, daughter of his mentor; also former King of Pop, the late Michael Jackson married his mentor Elvis Presley’s daughter, Lisa Marie Presley. Besides the light music from the background, some women group from the state in golden blouse and blue wrapper were on hand to welcome him to the hall singing various songs in their native language to the excitement of the celebrator and the crowd. Sylva stepped into the hall in his golden native attire, bowler hat to match and his ever smiling youthful face few minutes past 12 noon.

He was surrounded by wife, Alayingi, friends and well-wishers. Various ethnic group in the country were represented at the occasion and at a point it was looking more like a political gathering as many chieftains of the All Progressives Congress (APC) breezed in. The occasion was not only filled with speeches, guests also wined and dined with the ‘birthday boy’ shortly after the cutting of cake. Silva’s profile titled ‘My Friend, Timipre Sylva’ and poem in his honour titled ‘My umbilical cord’ were read at the occasion by the columnist and Chairman of the Editorial Board of The Nation, Mr Sam Omatseye. Omatseye said: “You can attack him, and he will be angry but he will not bear malice. That is Timipre the friend. The one who is hearty, fearless in comment, sensitive to criticism but generous nonetheless in putting it in perspective. “But the greatest asset about him is his simplicity, sometimes close to naivety. He is the sort of person who needs those who love him more than those who want to take advantage of him.” Fashola who spoke on ‘The Challenge of Democratic Governance,’ took swipe at President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration. According to him, the present administration has continued to lie to Nigerians on many issues, including the abduction of over 200 Chibok girls and the alleged missing money from the Federation account. The election of a university graduate as a President of the country, Fashola said, has not helped to develop the country in the past three years. He said: “Until recently, we all used to think that our national development was inhibited by the fact that we never had a university graduate as leader of any national government in an executive capacity. “We now have two graduates, a zoologist and an architect, at the helm of our national affairs, and I think majority of Nigerians will tell you today that their lives are worse off today than they were four years ago.” According to him, there is more to leadership than university degree. “There are needs for more attributes that you can’t find in a classroom or in a school,” he added During the discussions when asked to make a comment on Fashola’s lecture, the APC National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-

Oyegun said that the governor has put everything in proper perspective. He said: “When I started to hear him talk, he sounded like he has been researching for the past few months. He put everything in proper perspective. You have analysed our situation today, the whole series of the life of this nation. The lies about Boko Haram, the suffering this administration is inflicting on this nation.” Stressing that the nation needs salvation and a new rebirth, he said that every APC controlled state is an example of true democracy. On Sylva, who stepped down for him to emerge as the National Chairman of the party, he said: “The minute he decided to throw his weight behind me, he has never looked back. He has been one of my greatest assets since I assumed office.” Former Head of States, Gen Mohammedu Buhari said Fashola’s lecture at the occasion was very well researched. “I congratulate Sylva for mobilising top notch in the APC to his birthday.” Chairman on the occasion, former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mohammed Uwais, said he was not qualified to speak on Fashola’s lecture as he is not a politician. He said: “A lot of it is political and I am not a politician. And I don’t consider myself qualified to comment on the paper. But I am sure that the paper will serve a useful reference point for all those who are concerned with democratic leadership of this country. I congratulate his excellency for a well-researched paper.” Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi said: “I thank his Excellency for such a brilliant lecture on democracy.” On Sylva, he said: “I am here to really celebrate leadership, the sacrifices he has made in spite of his persecution. His best is yet to come.” Among the dignitaries that graced the occasion include former Speaker of House of Representatives, Bello Masari, Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun; former Osun State Governor, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, former Ekiti State Governor, Segun Oni, former Governors of Anambra and Kwara states, Senators Chris Ngige and Bukola Saraki; former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nasir elRufai; former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chairman Chief Audu Ogbe; APC National Publicity Secretary Alhaji Lai Mohammed; Senator Olorunmibe Mamora, among others.

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 22, 2014

SOCIETY CELEBRATING A SHINING STAR

• Justice Uwais (left) and Gen. Buhari

• Senator Saraki

•From left: Governor Amosun; Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and Governor Fashola

• Chief Oni

•Dr Ogbonnaya Onu

• Alhaji Muhammed

• Mrs Sylva flanked by guests

•Mr Hakeem Bello

AWARD

MARRIAGE

•Mr Olumide Oshingbade and his wife, former Miss Efeose Edet during their wedding in Surulere, Lagos

• From left: Vice Chancellor of Commonwealth University, London, Prof Michael Addison (left) presenting a certificate of Doctorate Degree to Hon Bamidele Oyedele Faparusi, representing Emure/Gbonyin/Ekiti East in the House of Representatives, while a former Deputy Chancellor of the university, Professor Bruce Duncan watches.

POLITICS

FRIDAY AUGUST 22, 2014

THE NATION

E-mail:- politics@thenationonlineng.net

The National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Mai Mala Buni, spoke with DUKU JOEL on the lessons of Ekiti and Osun polls and the commitment of the opposition to power shift at the centre.

‘PDP can’t rule beyond next year’

HAT gave your party an edge over the PDP during the Osun State governorship

election? As you are aware, the APC fielded a tested and trusted candidate ,who has performed creditably in the last four years. The people of Osun State simply said they wanted continuity of the good works Governor Aregbesola has done and voted for him. APC supporters collectively appreciate the performance of Aregbesola in the last four years and found him competent to fly the flag of the party for another term and the people of Osun State massively voted for him to serve them better. From the outcome of the election, it was evident that the electorates were appreciative of purposeful leadership and entrusted their mandate again into the hands of a competent and credible leader. I am assuring you that this will manifest prominently in 2015 and Nigeria will move away from election based on sentiments to elections based on competence and capability. You will agree with me that the APC, as a vanguard of change and promoter of internal democracy, is posing new challenges to other political parties to either field competent candidates for public offices or be resisted and voted out. This election serves as a binocular to 2015 and, the APC will insist on competence, credibility and capability as yard stick for its flag bearers in the next election for the party to effectively deliver good governance to the people.

For 15 years, the PDP has been in power. Can the APC defeat the ruling party in next year’s election? Nigerians are tired of failures. For 15 years, Nigeria did not registered any impressive progress under the PDP led government. The basic responsibility of providing security for lives and property by government is lacking. Accountability, prudence and transparency in governance for the betterment of the citizenry have eluded this great country. Nigerians need a working government that will provide electricity, quality education, accessible and affordable healthcare, water, effective and affordable transport system and, employment opportunities. The APC has carefully articulated this in its manifesto with a defined road map functional infrastructures, accessible and affordable services to be delivered to the door step of Nigerians. The APC has the commitment and political will to serve Nigeria better. We must avoid another governance that is based on experiments and failures. The 2015 election provides Nigeria and Nigerians with an opportunity for national rebirth and to have a promising and prosperous country. That is why the APC is urging the electorate in other states to borrow a leaf from the Osun experience and remain committed and resolute to the Nigerian project for change. With such resilience, we can have peaceful, free, fair and victorious election in 2015.

• Buni

The APC complained about the deployment of troops in Osun and Ekiti... Our party had cause to complain about the activities of security operatives in both the Ekiti and Osun elections for obvious reasons. Governmrnt massively deployed heavily armed security operatives to the two states during the elections which in itself created an atmosphere of insecurity and fear. In Ekiti, a lot of people were arrested and harrassed and the heavy presence of security men scared many voters to go out to vote. We had a repetition of arrests and harassment of our leaders and party

members in the Osun election. It was quite absurd to arrest law abiding citizens like APC National Publicity Secretary Alhaji Lai Mohammed, Mr Afolabi Sanusi, the Deputy Chief of Staff to Ogun State governor and Sunday Dare, media assistant to Ahmed Bola Tinubu for no justifiable reasons. And just like in the Ekiti election, Osun State top government functionaries were also intimidated. In a situation where we have discriminatory treatment to political parties, where only our party members were arrested, harassed and intimidated, the action is grossly unfair, condemnable and detrimental to democracy. The point we are driving here is that security agencies must not see their service as to the ruling party only. Their service is to Nigeria and Nigerians, irrespective of political, religious or cultural differences and Mr President should emphasize this to the security authorities. The primary responsibility of any government is to ensure the safety of citizens without regard to political sentiments and, as we approach 2015, government must not allow security agencies to be partisan in executing their constitutional responsibilities. I think government should rather deploy the security operatives to the troubled parts of the country to reinforce the officers and men on national duty instead of deploying more than required in an election. We commend the people of Osun State for their resilience, steadfastness

and commitment to a peaceful election in spite of harassment and intimidation by some forces. Did the deployment of troops affected the turnout of voters for the poll? You see, there is a growing political awareness among the electorate. So, in spite of the huge security presence, the turn out was unprecedented. The electorate in Osun State refused to succumb to the fear of heavily armed security men. They conducted themselves carefully, responsibly and peacefully to avoid acts capable of creating rancour and to ensure that their rights to election were not violated or denied. The electorate summoned courage and massively turned out for the election and, when the results were announced, they poured out on the streets to celebrate the verdict and victory. Their resilience reflects the determination and commitment of Nigerians to a credible election and, refusing to succumb to intimidation. We commend Osun electorate who served as models of democracy. Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, who has defected from the APC to the PDP, has vowed to deliver Borno and Yobe states to the PDP. What is your comment? You see, for people who know the antecedents of politics in these states, they will not associate Yobe and Borno to conservative politics. Politicians in Borno and Yobe states are progressively inclined. You can imagine the rage of criticisms that has trailed this allegation.

Lagos State All Progressives Congress (APC) Publicity Secretary Comrade Joe Igbokwe spoke with reporters in Lagos on preparations for next year’s elections and other partisan issues. Excerpts:

Lagos 2015: Lagos APC ‘ll not impose candidates

• Igbokwe

FTER Ekiti and Osun polls, what next for the APC in the Southwest? The APC is fighting like a wounded lion now . We went to sleep while the elections were going on in Ekiti State and the thieves, armed robbers, common criminals broke our doors and windows and stole everything. They took all the things Ekiti people hold very dear and gave them nothing but expired drugs, expired clothes, expired food and expired leadership. It took the rocking of our boat in Ekiti State to wake us up to realise that we have armed robbers at the gates. In the Osun election no stone was left unturned. Everybody was mobilised to defend the integrity of the State of Osun. In Osun, they met DSS, Poilce, Army, Road Safety and others, 73000 in number led by Senator Obanikoro, Buruji, Chris Ubah, Femi Fani-Kayode and others. They gripped and choked Osun State with arms and billions of naira. It was a fight to finish, but the people of the State of Osun held their ground. They were ready to die for

what they believe in. The network of APC leaders throughout the federation gathered for the final battle. Both sides knew what was at stake. If Osun had been allowed to be stolen by the PDP, the thieves would have jolted the foundation of the APC. What were the lessons the APC has learned from the two elections? We have learnt the hard lessons of history that, if you are surrounded by enemies, you do not go to sleep. We learnt the lesson also that those who want the status quo to continue in Nigeria are working day and night while we go to sleep. We were taught the lesson that the criminal gang that has decimated and destroyed Nigeria in the past 15 years are getting bolder and can stop at nothing to hold Nigeria hostage. We learnt that Osun people are no cowards. We learnt that Osun people can refuse food, even on empty stomach. We learnt that the State of Osun people do not subscribe to politics of the stomach or infrastructure of the stomach. Can the APC survive in Adamawa byelection? APC is working for now and we do not want to reveal our strategies. When we get to the bridge, we will cross it in Adamawa. Political equation in Nigeria is now balanced between the APC and the PDP and no one can predict what is going to happen. We now clearly understand their tricks and plans. The PDP knows it is in for a big trouble in Nigeria and this is giving them sleepless nights. They are now coming to terms that things may never be the same again in Nigeria.

‘My fear for 2015 is that President Jonathan’s handlers are getting desperate in their inordinate ambition to return the man to power by all means. Free and fair process makes no meaning to them at this stage. We saw the desperation in Ekiti State. We saw it again displayed in the State of Osun. In 2015, the PDP is expected to get more desperate as events unfold’ PDP chieftain Jimi Agbaje has said that real governance has stopped in Lagos State since 2011. What is your view? After the setbacks we had in Ekiti, political feather weights went to town to celebrate mediocrity. One of them is Jimi Agbaje. Basking in the euphoria that the PDP has come to capture the Southwest, Jimi Agbaje suddenly woke up to dust up his pipe dream of ruling Lagos. Now, how does this man want to kick start his politics of dreaming to rule Lagos in 2015? He said: “Real governance stopped in Lagos state since 2011”. Now, what does this guy know about governance? Where has he worked before? Where is his pedigree that will support his dream? What is the experience? Where are the antecedents? Apart from running a small pharmacy shop in Apapa, what else can Jimi Agbaje tell Lagosians to convince them he has the potential to drive the huge ship called Lagos? Where is the energy, the strength and the power to pilot the affairs of the sleepless Lagos? Can you open a door with the wrong key? Is it possible for Jimi Agbaje to climb Mount Everest with barehands? If Jimi Agbaje says

Lagos government stopped working in 2011, then, one is compelled to conclude that he cannot get it. He must be a liar from the pit of hell. Jimi Agbaje is just changing facts to fit his baseless position. If Jimi Agbaje had known what governance is all about, he would not have made this scandalous statement. A powerful legacy, speaking for itself, has been laid in Lagos in the past 15 years. When the time comes, wise Lagosians, who can see and feel Fashola’s work, will reply Jimi Agbaje. Two plus two is five for Jimi Agbaje because he wants to rule Lagos through the back door, but those who know that two plus two is four will force common sense into his brain when the time comes, although common sense is not common. Please take it or leave it PDP has no place in Lagos. If the PDP fields Agbaje for the next year’s governorship election in Lagos State, can the APC candidate defeat him? The APC will field a trusted and tested candidate in Lagos and I tell you, Jimi Agbaje will be no match to him because he has no cognate experience in the art of governance. I do not know why we are trying to make a counterfeit currency to look like the real money. I do not

know why you are making the comparison here when you have not known our candidate. How will the APC governorship flag bearer emerge in Lagos? The APC candidate in Lagos will emerge through a free and fair process. We are crossing the T’s and dotting the I’s to achieve perfection in this aspect. We have not forgotten that only the best is good enough for Lagos. All eyes are on us and our leaders will never disappoint the wise Lagosians. A solid foundation has been laid for Lagos to join the great destinations in the world and Lagos leaders are aware of it and they will bring this to bear in choosing Fashola’s successor. Huge and monumental projects are still ongoing in Lagos and Lagos leaders will consider all this in choosing the man of the moment. Southwest, Lagos and Nigeria will not be disappointed in fishing out the would-be governor. What are your fears for next year’s elections? My fear for 2015 is that President Jonathan’s handlers are getting desperate in their inordinate ambition to return the man to power by all means. Free and fair process makes no meaning to them at this stage. We saw the desperation in Ekiti State. We saw it again displayed in the State of Osun. In 2015, the PDP is expected to get more desperate as events unfold. Southwest Nigeria is the deciding factor and APC leaders are aware of this. We are battle ready for the thieves at the gates. They will meet their waterloo in Lagos. I pity anybody who will test the strength and capacity of Lagosians.

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 22, 2014

COMMENTARY FROM OTHER LANDS

EDITORIAL

National shame

•It is sad that some of Nigeria’s best students on FG’s scholarship have been abandoned abroad

HE uncharitable handling of issues in Nigeria’s public life has been replicated abroad, and this is no cheering news. The latest of such dishonourable and blasé conduct is the callous failure of the Federal Government to pay the allowances of 322 Nigerian students on scholarship in Russia. The worse thing is that these students were not there on their own volition. The scholarship is not for all comers but the best brains in the country. The kid scholars were awarded scholarships after scoring distinctions in their secondary school certificate examinations and scaling the hurdles of competitive examinations before the final awards. The same applies to most graduate scholars that are pursuing higher degrees in various disciplines abroad, after bagging distinctions in their first degrees. These students look forward to a promising study abroad, and future, subsequently. They are expected to be the trustees of the nation’s posterity. But with the official laid-back disposition and near outright abandonment by the Federal Government through non-payment of their welfare dues, it is becoming apparent that the patriotic zeal of these brilliant minds is being avoidably killed. We doubt whether any serious country will toy with the future of her best brains in this manner. Nigeria signed a Bilateral Education Agreement Scholarship Awards (BEA) for undergraduate and post-graduate studies with some countries, including Russia, Cuba, Morocco, Algeria, Romania, Ukraine, Turkey, Egypt, Japan, Serbia, Macedonia, China and Mexico. The thrust of the agreement is that the Federal Government pays for the upkeep of the students while the country of scholarship award origin pays the tuition. Rus-

sia, as host country of these students, had fulfilled her own part of the obligation to these Nigerian scholars but her Nigerian counterpart has shamelessly defaulted. It is sad that these brilliant Nigerian students on scholarship in Russia now have to engage in demeaning jobs to survive. It is unjustifiable that for eight consecutive months since January, these 322 gifted Nigerians on the BEA initiative in Russia have not been paid any allowance by the government. Each of the beneficiaries is entitled to a $500 monthly stipend for feeding and a paltry $450 each as annual medical/clothing allowance. How much is this compared with the scandalous amounts that are reportedly being stolen from the public till by public officials on a daily basis? As a matter of fact, these scholars’ stipends pale into insignificance when compared with the huge amount that many of our public officials spend in maintaining their wards in high profile schools abroad. Sadly, some of these public officers’ children are not as brilliant and responsible as those on scholarships, not only in Russia but in other countries, who are compelled by avoidable circumstances to face hardship. It is unimaginable that Nigerian scholars beg for food and money from less endowed citizens of countries like Ghana, Namibia, Uganda and Sierra Leone that are on the same BEA with them. Does it mean that those countries better appreciate their citizens than Nigeria? This irresponsible act that compels Nigeria’s brilliant young girls and boys in Russia to engage in menial and odd jobs/ lifestyles for survival is a dent on the country’s image. More worrisome is the report that some of the girls among them now go to clubs and dance semi-nude for a mea-

gre fee while the boys go for mindnumbing distracting jobs of clearing of snow, working as labourers on construction sites and at warehouses despite not having work permit, with the apparent risks of arrest by the police. Some of them that are due to come for compulsory internship programmes in Nigeria are reportedly stuck in Russia due to lack of funds to procure airfare tickets. What a national shame! We ponder scores of other sponsored luminous students in foreign universities, at government’s expense, that are facing similar fate as those that are currently suffering in Russia. Our verdict: This official dereliction of duty to these students is inhuman and capable of killing whatever patriotism is in them. Remedial steps must forthwith be taken not only on the suffering students on scholarship in Russia but on others across the globe in similar circumstance.

‘This irresponsible act that compels Nigeria’s brilliant young girls and boys in Russia to engage in menial and odd jobs/lifestyles for survival is a dent on the country’s image. More worrisome is the report that some of the girls among them now go to clubs and dance semi-nude for a meagre fee while the boys go for mind-numbing distracting jobs’

Heroic self-sacrifice

•Dr. Adadevoh died of Ebola that others may live

EWS of the death of Dr. Ameyo Stella Adadevoh, a consultant physician, which followed her infection by the Ebola virus contracted from Patrick Sawyer, the Liberian-American who was the first patient to succumb to Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in the country, gave a telling and chilling insight into the deadliness of the affliction. A statement by the Federal Ministry of Health, which described the tragedy as an “unfortunate development”, said she was “one of the primary contacts of the index Ebola Virus Disease case, the most senior doctor who participated in the management of the patient.” However, what was especially striking and tragically sad about Adadevoh’s case was the fact that she was, ironically, a victim of her professionalism, dedication

‘Although the recognition of Adadevoh’s supreme sacrifice by the Lagos State government and the Federal Government is creditable, it would be even more honourable for the relevant authorities to acknowledge her sacrifice in a befitting manner, beyond mere words of praise. However, such consideration should apply not only to her, but also to the other medical workers who equally paid the ultimate price in the line of their duties’

to work and concern for the sick. A family member was quoted as saying, “She was not on duty on the day Mr. Sawyer was brought to the hospital, but she responded to the emergency. She left what she was doing to save a life.” In an instructive reinforcement of Adadevoh’s commendably rare demonstration of respect for the Hippocratic Oath of her profession, the Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris, also painted a thought-provoking picture of the late Senior Consultant/ Endocrinologist of First Consultants Medical Centre, Obalende, Lagos. He said of her role: “She it was who took the initiative to intimate the ministry concerning the index case; and substantially to her credit, the moderate containment achieved we owe to her and her colleagues.” Speaking of containment efforts, it was reported that Adadevoh had to “physically restrain” the infected patient from escaping from the hospital after he had been diagnosed with EVD. It is impossible to build scenarios or to imagine the scale of the public health crisis that would most likely have developed in the country in the absence of the thorough diagnostic efforts and a firm application of safety measures and standards, without a huge sense of gratitude to Adadevoh and others who worked with her in the management of Sawyer’s case. There is no doubt that the professional intervention of Adadevoh and other health workers greatly reduced the high possibility of a wide-spread dispersal of the virus, which causes a haemorrhagic fever that can kill infected people in a

week, although patients reportedly begin to show symptoms within three weeks of infection. It is useful that, following Adadevoh’s death, a clarifying portrait of the blessings resulting from the heroic and patriotic handling of the potentially overwhelming situation was provided by the Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu. He said: “As at today, Nigeria has had a total of 12 cases of Ebola, which include the index case, the Liberian-American, Patrick Sawyer, 11 Nigerians who were primary contacts with the one index case. Of these 12, the total number of successful cases who have been discharged stands at five but the total number of deaths, including the index case, stands at five dead.” Although the recognition of Adadevoh’s supreme sacrifice by the Lagos State government and the Federal Government is creditable, it would be even more honourable for the relevant authorities to acknowledge her sacrifice in a befitting manner, beyond mere words of praise. However, such consideration should apply not only to her, but also to the other medical workers who equally paid the ultimate price in the line of their duties. In a very literal sense, they gave their lives for the country, and saved many lives even without having contact with them. Regrettably, it took their deaths to teach enduring lessons in high-minded devotion to duty and elevated patriotism. A grateful country should reward their heroic self-sacrifice.

A brazen heist in Paris

HE audacious hijacking in Paris of a van carrying the baggage of a Saudi prince to his private jet is obviously an embarrassment to the French capital, whose ultra-high-end boutiques have suffered a spate of heists in recent months. It is also unnerving for France, which values its links to Saudi Arabia, and for the Saudi ruling clan, which would prefer not to have a spotlight focused on the wealth of its princes. But to judge from the online commentary, many others seem to relish the Robin Hood-cum-Pink Panther quality of the robbery. “The prince lost his day’s pocket change? Bof!” wrote “Nico” in the newspaper Le Monde, using a French expression loosely translated as “big deal.” The next comment, from “un illuminati,” was: “3 little minutes of production from their oil wells ... tax included.” And so it went, a litany of disdain for the prince, identified by the French news media as Abdul Aziz bin Fahd. The 41-year-old youngest son of King Fahd, who died in 2005, is best known for his lavish lifestyle, flitting from one jet-set playground to another with a huge retinue, eliminating initial suggestions that the attack may have been political. On Sunday, Prince Abdul Aziz had concluded a stay at the Four Seasons Hotel George V, a luxurious Paris hotel owned by another Saudi prince where the top suites go for $2,200 a night, and was headed for Le Bourget airport when a band of gunmen in two B.M.W.s halted his convoy and drove off in the lead vehicle: a Mercedes passenger van with cargo that included a suitcase stuffed with at least 250,000 euros in cash (about $330,000). Three members of the prince’s entourage were released unharmed, and the burned-out van — along with one of the B.M.W.s — was later discovered in a suburb. This latest robbery is alarming, and scaring off the ostentatiously wealthy who for generations have made Paris their shopping destination would be bad for France’s sagging economy. Yet many people, their egalitarian instincts activated, have shown little sympathy for the prince, who is said once to have left a tip of •80,000 in Ibiza. And so long as the heists have no casualties, private jets will continue to bring supershoppers to Paris. –New York Times

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

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THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 22, 2014

CARTOON & LETTERS

IR: We understand why the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) in its wisdom recently issued certain directives concerning the practice and observance of the Church’s liturgy and worship. The outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in West Africa nay Nigeria necessitated that individuals, governments, groups and organisations, including faith-based bodies, needed to be on top of the situation by adopting certain preventive and pre-cautionary measures to check the spread of the killer and highly deadly disease. The Catholic Church especially in the Archdiocese of Lagos, was one of those that suspended the practice of handshake during Masses. Many faithful were so surprised about the negative impact such discontinuation would have on both the Faith and faithful. Some Catholics say the measure slightly distorted the Liturgy and Order of the Mass. However, no much fuss was made con-

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Ebola and Catholic Church cerning the shaking or non-shaking of hands by the faithful. It was understandable that EVD could be contacted via shaking of hands; after all, even our politicians and leaders starting the practice of elbow-raising in lieu of handshaking. However, one decision that now appears fatally flawed and blowing ill-wind within the Catholic Faith in Nigeria is the so called “interim” approval of reception of Holy Communion by hand by both Tom, Dick and Harry. The interim approval by CBCN was reportedly announced via a letter read to the faithful recently in masses in the Archdiocese

of Lagos. The letter was said to have been signed by Archbishop Alfred Olawale Martins, who is in charge of the Metropolitan See of Lagos. In the letter, the faithful have been given options. They are to choose between Holy Communion by hand or through the usual method, reception of the Holy Viaticum/specie on the tongue. Although, the fear of Ebola Virus has led to this development, it seems that the real end is here. The Church, the last hope of the ordinary people for succour and salvation, is now being bombarded by force of darkness, although her founder and guidance, Lord Jesus

Christ, made it succinctly clear that the gates of Hell shall never prevail against the Church. Without mincing words, communion by hand remains sacrilegious and any serious lay catholic that resorts to it perhaps is either an agent of the devil or doing so wittingly or unwittingly to imperil his/her salvation. Concerning the “interim” reception of the Holy Communion by hand, this is the highest blunder the Church in Africa/Nigeria will make. Now, attack on the Holy Eucharist, is tantamount to taking away whatever/the only thing that remains in

Commonwealth Writers’ Prize winner has a mystical way of skillfully developing her stories. The actions in her fictions are carefully interwoven and flows naturally leaving the reader doubtless of the ingenuity of her stories. A more critical reader is left wondering how she does her magic of genuine character integration and interaction, skillful link of actions and ideas and the smooth flow and development of her stories. Experience no doubt is essential to good story-telling such as Adichie’s but the ability to

gather ones experiences and weave them into factual-fiction is a job for those who possess the flair, passion and intellect for writing. This literary intellect who has brought honour to her country, continent and of course her profession is no doubt a role model to many young and aspiring writers, both at home and abroad. This symbol of courage and inspiration who has been described as “the 21st Century daughter of Chinua Achebe” is worth her salt, and is therefore worth emulating. The story of

Chimamanda whose professor felt surprised that she could write the best essay in her class, maybe due to her colour, means that a shining star is always admired no matter which direction it is coming from. Aspiring and up-and-coming writers and in fact the black race should therefore draw inspiration from her story and strive to make the best out of their career regardless of their skin colour, race or whatever.

rial/totalitarian rulers and administrators. Nigeria is a country flowing with milk and honey. Why is there high level of mass abject poverty? It is because of Boko Haram, as expressed in self-aggrandizement and insensitivity to the rights of ordinary citizens. Many ordinary persons allow themselves to be used to oppress fellow ordinary citizens for ulterior motives. But, it is doubtful that any sinner will go unpunished. Too many inhumanities are committed in the names of totalitarian religions that are intolerant of other religions; and now intolerant of women’s dress freedom. Women are policed with particular reference to a par-

ticular day in the week. On that day, women are particularly harassed by some indoctrinated young men and some elderly men that lack self-respect. I have travelled to several countries in Africa and Europe. I visited America severally; I was in India. Why eccentric laws about “indecent dressing”? The “national conference” of President Goodluck Jonathan wants only university graduates to be eligible as Nigeria’s President. Isn’t that another Boko Haram? How is Jonathan better than General Muhammadu Buhari, intellectually and in terms of spoken English? Does he have the age and experience of Buhari; or does university education make up automati-

Chimamanda: Inspiration to aspiring writers

IR: An average Nigeria reader must have read one of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s books or at least heard of her and her numerous awards. Aspiring writers, however, who have not read and appreciated Adichie’s writing skills have either not made their career choices out of passion or are not serious about their career. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is unarguably the foremost female Nigerian writer and the youngest most influential Nigerian author of our time. This internationally acclaimed young wordsmith has authored three awe-inspiring novels, and counting; first, in 2003, she came out with “Purple Hibiscus”. While the masterpiece was still making waves and fetching her fame and accolades, she re-surfaced even stronger in 2006 with “Half of a Yellow Sun”, whose screen adaptation viewership was recently approved by the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB). In 2013, she released her third novel “Americanah”. She also has to her credit, a collection of short stories, “The thing around your neck” published in 2009. Adichie currently shuttles between her base in the United States and Nigeria. The Orange Broadband prize for fiction (now The Baileys Women Prize for Fiction) and the

• Uzoaganobi Ebuka Owerri, Imo State.

the Catholic Church. The rest is killing, feasting, dancing, rollicking parties, hollow rituals, and money-making through the worldly-propelled and organized harvests and bazaars. My late father-in-law, so devout, always used to say that, even if the Pope/papacy made mistakes (which is quite uncommon), he himself, would never make mistake as to holy observance, piety and practice of the Faith. Upholding the faith should be the stand of true christians. So, why are priests afraid of Ebola? One thing concerning the end-time occurrences which have long been predicted is massive loss of faith. The Evil One has perhaps thrown up Ebola and the faithful including ministers of God are crashing irretrievably. Apostasy is a deadlier disease than Ebola, HIV/AIDS, Boko Haram insurgents, kidnappers, armed robbers, etc. Apostasy is spreading; it is contagious, millions have already contacted it, but the remnants will never get the virus because Jesus, Mary and Joseph will be for them and with them till they all make it to Heaven. We wish and pray that CBCN would immediately revise the “interim” order on Holy Communion, since those who will die will definitely die and since we will all die at the end, Ebola or no Ebola. Why should priests doubt the potency of the Holy Communion which they hold over all evil and viruses? Why should some young, able-bodied priests now find it difficult to hear confessions or distribute Holy Communion? These are perhaps some of the manifestations of the end of this age. • Ifeanyi Alia, Lagos.

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The many faces of oppression

IR: Oppressive regimes hammer on irrelevancies to divert attention from wicked policies and inhuman acts, such as cowing of workers’ unions and maltreatment of workers. Take the case of an academic institution that prides itself on hunting students, mostly female students, for “indecent dressing”. The institution is located several kilometres away from town. Yet, the junior workers who buy motorcycles to ease transportation are prevented from using them. How can you say motorcycles constitute higher insecurity than cars that have room for hiding guns and explosives? Yes, that is one form of boko haram. Such harams are perpetrated by dictato-

cally for age, experience, and morality? Several university administrators today perpetrate might is right, dictatorship and totalitarianism; religious bigotry, ethnic jingoism, etc, and all of those who do it are university professors. Why has Jonathan not stopped oil thieves and stabilize Nigeria’s electricity? Is Jonathan not a university doctoral graduate? What type of education and morality are there in someone who took undue advantage of a dead President to create political turmoil and misery in Nigeria? Is it university education Nigeria needs or nationalists? • Pius Oyeniran Abioje, PhD, University of Ilorin.

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 22, 2014 16

COMMENTS

Parched youth and mob reality (1) Email: tunji_ololade@yahoo.co.uk 08038551123, 08111845040

HIS is scorched earth; a temenos where neither hope nor humaneness will grow again, if we do not change. In moments of introspection, when my thoughts drift to the imminence of a Nigerian dystopia, where anarchy manifests to replace historic laws and mores that keeps the beasts in us tame, I cringe in fathomless fear. I am frightened of what villainy we are capable of and what grief may come in its wake. I am afraid of what blight we could become to the world and what impediment we may constitute to our survival as a race in the universal order of civilizations and natural selection. My fright accentuates in the heat of our acceptable realities; these realities constitute what is being vigorously marketed as the new Nigerian reality. In the perpetuation of this new social consciousness, the youth becomes a powerful force in its propagation – oftentimes serving willingly, without demur, in the

‘As in Poe’s The TellTale Heart, the Nigerian youth, caught in a swirl of conflicting cultures of socialization, evolves, tormented by the internal presence of another being illegitimately enwombed like a daemonic fetus amid clutters of puppy fat symbolizing decadent socialization and stagnant adolescence’

actualization of morbid fantasies of thieves, looters and blinkered murderers constituting corporate Nigeria, national and international ruling class. The Nigerian dilemma is substantially ideological and structural. Our predatory ruling class knows this hence it desperately and decisively rips asunder any political permutation and cultural incarnation that has the potential to ignite a citizenrycentred revolt. The ruling class is aware that the latent will is there, as always. It sees the tragic indices clutter the ranks and realities of the oppressed working class and unemployed youth of the backwaters. It knows that, eventually, the realities will aggravate and ignite like tinder of strife and citizenry revolt. The ruling class is thus essentially committed to thwart any such rebellion by us, the oppressed. To this end, the Nigerian state meticulously denies the citizenry access to both tangible and intangible infrastructure needed to actualize our dreams of progress and prosperous nationhood. In its frantic lunge for self-preservation, the ruling class seeks the perpetuation of the status quo despite its attendant ills of political and socio-economic insecurity. Rather than initiate dependable measures to resolve our inestimable afflictions, the Nigerian leadership fosters a dystopian culture of plunder, hatred and bloodletting. Within this worrisome state of affairs, it’s amazing to see politicians and corporations deploy the media, entertainment industry and social

RRIVING in Post War Liberia in June 2007, all the telltale signs of a country still recovering from a 14-year civil war were glaring. From a ramshackle airport building to poorly dressed airport and security officials, the sign of grinding poverty and post war weariness were all around to be seen. As we left the Robertsville airport for the one hour trip to Monrovia, it became obvious that Liberia was still recovering from its years of civil strife which cost the country an estimated 250,000 casualties. On both sides of the road could still be seen buildings damaged by mortar shells while the blue berets of the Peacekeeping UN troops could be seen everywhere. Just outside the airport, we chanced on the Military Barracks that housed the UN troops. Amidst the barbed wired fortified building was a big billboard with the screaming headline…WE BRING PEACE! The last stage of the civil war was in 2003 under Charles Taylor when rebel forces who had entered Monrovia tried to push him out of office. The resultant war which has been acclaimed as the severest in the country’s 14 year old civil war became so bad that Liberians cried to the outside world for help. However, the UN insisted on Taylor’s departure from the country before it could send in its troops. Thanks to the joint initiative of Presidents Obasanjo, Mbeki and Kuffour, Taylor was eventually persuaded to abdicate while Nigerian troops moved into the country in August 2003 before merging into the then UN forces that eventually moved in October of the same year. For this timely intervention which saved millions of lives, Nigeria and indeed former President Olusegun Obasanjo are still held in high esteem in Liberia. Everywhere I went during my one week stay in the country, Liberians were still appreciative of this wonderful gesture by Nigeria, which reportedly cost Nigeria $8 billion, the death of 100 soldiers and another 100 missing. Apart from contributing about 9,000 of the 12,000 UN soldiers then resident in Liberia, the country’s Ministries of Commerce and Defence were headed by Nigerians for a number of years. The only draw back to the ECOMOG mission were the spate of allegations against the soldiers ranging from rape, violence, production of teenage pregnancy as well as armed robbery. At about the time of my trip, many Liberian newspapers reported the story of the theft of a Liberian ship which was hitherto under the care of the UN troops. A week after their disappearance, both ships were eventually traced to Ghana! Also, in one of the several seminars on HIV/AIDS conducted by my group during my stay, some community and religious leaders were of the opinion that as long as the UN soldiers remained in Liberia, the war against HIV infection, prostitution and teenage pregnancy can never be won. I had gone to Liberia as part of a five member team contracted by the then Ghana based NGO, AWARE Africa to support the passage of the HIV Anti Stigma Bill by the Parliaments of the West African sub region. Prior to our trip to Liberia, the team had visited Gambia, Sierra Leone, Ghana and Senegal where we

institutions as if we can afford to perpetuate our sovereignty and civilization on a culture of prejudice, imperceptible growth, decadent leadership, excessive consumption and a fast-depleting crude oil endowment. To justify such delusional frame of mind, they deploy the media particularly, to nourish our collective mania for hope at the expense of truth. Thus evolves the new Nigerian reality – insidiously parasitic, self-delusional and fuelled by communal psychosis. The ruling class – constituted by the politicians and corporate titans – meanwhile, is aware of the imminent dystopia and is manically preparing for it hence their wanton acquisitions of properties in exclusive districts abroad and the relocation of their families and assets therein. While they prepare for the imminent political and socio-economic apocalypse, the Nigerian citizenry chooses to engage in the pursuit of the good life. Of the citizenry, the most crucial enthusiasts of this fabled dream severally called the ‘good life’ or ‘Nigerian dream’ is the youth. As youths, even though we suffer complete evisceration of our most basic civil liberties and crass insensitivity to our plight by our leadership, we seek escape in entertainment and false reality. Thus is the tragedy of the new Nigerian reality, or put more precisely, the reality of the masses or mob reality. Our reality becomes a pornographic parable of reckless lust, sinister politics, fraudulent economics, consequence-free violence and sex. In our new cultural order, pagan idolatry triumphs; it accentuates our conceit and pretensions to righteousness or morality. In this contemporary reality of ours, we perpetuate a ritual culture of ethnic and religious bigotry, wanton sexuality and lust for unearned greatness. Consider for instance, our

inclinations to accept and institutionalize decadent cultures of easy money, life-on-a-sweepstake, homosexuality, same-sex marriage and bestiality as approved by decadent and predatory nations of the socalled ‘first world’; this moral torpedo of ours, defies the universe’s due process even as it establishes our cowardliness in the face of life’s vicissitudes and grotesque imperialistic designs from abroad. Our contemporary pagan cult of self-worship, political correctness and social idolatry epitomizes inordinate mutations characteristic of ritual victims ripped apart by the ‘modern’ dagger of evolution and 21st century neo-colonialist agenda. As in Poe’s The Tell-Tale Heart, the Nigerian youth, caught in a swirl of conflicting cultures of socialization, evolves, tormented by the internal presence of another being illegitimately enwombed like a daemonic fetus amid clutters of puppy fat symbolizing decadent socialization and stagnant adolescence. Thus we have men and women in their prime eternally stuck at the impressionable age of 13, vying to occupy drivers’ seats in our bumpy ride to the good life and future of our dreams. The poet Leon Staff advocates the healing balm of poetry from the Warsaw ghetto but can poetry be the incense that fires the courage of the Nigerian youth? Can introspective verse excite latent will that we have learnt to smother in pursuit of the good life? What is the good life? Gold plated doors and sofas? Plastered walls and Venetian glass? Platinum pumps and home theatre? Spring locks, expensive cars and wine cellars? An intimidating bank account, trophy wives and concubines? Appearance on Forbes’ shortlist of the world’s filthty rich? Frequent trips for leisure and acquisition of expensive properties at home and abroad? It is only those blessed with a gift

of the mind’s eye as well as an infinite capacity to harness the limitless possibilities of the imagination that can go to bat in the interest of posterity and the collective. Only these few may find the courage to peer into Nietzsche’s molten pit of human maladies. There is no gainsaying however, that the Nigerian elite arrogate to itself this crusader role. So far, this seemingly intuitive band have established their mental and psychological capacities to resist; they however, fail woefully in establishing their physical capacities for defiance or mount what is romantically extolled as revolt. It is about time we revolted. I hereby advocate no bloody rebellion or premeditated targeted killing in the name of thinning out the predatory ruling herd in the interest of our oft preyed-upon mass. This is because for such bloody pogrom to manifest, it must be actualized by a social divide driven by anarchical precepts and bestiality of the mob. Let the Nigerian youth unite around noble goals, on a common platform, to beat back the claws of the incumbent ruling class. Let us now institute that uprising we tirelessly and annoyingly advocate on soapboxes we mount in our pubs, intellectual gatherings and courtyards. Let the Nigerian youth begin to seek the actualization of change we can believe in and sustain over the long haul. To this end, we have had such inspiring initiatives like Gbolahan Macjob and company’s Nigerian Youth Congress (NYC); so do we have Pan Atlantic University, (PAU)’s School of Media and Communication’s PT5 Media Class’ IPDC – Nigerians for Change initiative. But despite their promise, they haven’t the life and possibilities they ought to exemplify as platforms for progressive change. And the reasons are hardly farfetched. • To be continued…

Liberia; beyond the Ebola scourge By Wale Okediran engaged parliamentarians and stakeholders in the HIV sector. Five years later, when I visited Liberia again, the country had made remarkable improvement in both its physical infrastructure and human resources. Apart from renovating its bombedout buildings, pot-holed roads and collapsed power lines, Liberians had been able to put the pains and horrors of the war behind in search of a better future. What had not changed was the country’s gratitude to Nigeria for saving it from itself. It is therefore ironical that the approximately four million people saved by Nigeria will now be the source of the deadly Ebola Virus Disease that has become a source of death and national anxiety to Nigeria. However, before we castigate Liberia for being the source of our current travail, it is on record that Liberian health authorities had advised Patrick Sawyer, the courier of the deadly cargo not to leave the country. The reason for Sawyer’s defiant act according to his wife was because Sawyer wanted to take advantage of Nigeria’s good health system which contrasted vastly with Liberia’s poor health facilities. Even if Mrs Sawyer’s claims were correct, it is still believed that it was the duty of Liberia to prevent the known virus carrier from departing the country. Interestingly, the Ebola issue which a Nigerian newspaper has tagged ‘The Virus Diplomacy’ will not be the first episode of a ‘viral transfer’ between Nigeria and Liberia. It is on record that an undisclosed number of the 9,000 Nigerian soldiers who served in the ECOMOG force during the 14 year old Liberian Civil War came back home with the HIV infection. A sizeable number of the HIV positive soldiers went on to infect their wives while another sizeable number finally succumbed to the infection. Nigerian military authorities later spent a lot of money (assisted by the US PEPFAR fund) to clear up the HIV mess years after the ECOMOG mission. I had managed some of these soldiers in my hospital during my days in full time Medical Practice in Ibadan a few years ago. When asked why they were so indiscriminate in their relationship with women, many of the soldiers who were in the prime of their years replied that the war was long, they missed their wives and women were cheap and available in Monrovia due to poverty and the vagaries of the war. As if to confirm this bit of information, it has been revealed that Nigerian soldiers fathered and left behind 250,000 children in Liberia after the ECOMOG mission. Apart from war and poverty, there must be something in Liberian women that make them so irresistible for 9000 soldiers to father 250,000 children (an average of 27 children per soldier). When the legendary late super song star, Michael Jackson waxed the famous song ‘’Liberian Girl’’ in 1983, the Liberian Civil War

had not happened then. ‘’Liberian Girl . . . More Precious Than Any Pearl/Your Love So Complete... Liberian Girl You Know That You Came And You Changed My World’’. The song received a positive reception in Liberia, with women from the country viewing the song as empowering. As one Liberian lady Margaret Carson put it in an interview with the Washington Times “When that music came out … the Liberian girls were so astonished to hear a great musician like Michael Jackson thinking about a little country in Africa. It gave us hope, especially when things went bad … It make us to feel that we are still part of the world.’’ Now with the Ebola virus causing havoc and panic in Nigeria courtesy of a Liberian by the name Patrick Sawyer, Liberians have definitely stamped their presence in the world. Expectedly, many Nigerians are seething with anger over the invasion of their country by the Liberian Ebola virus courier. And despite apologies from the Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, many Nigerians have suggested possible retributions to the small country. While some people are advocating for a permanent closure of our borders to Liberians, others have demanded for compensation from the Liberian government to the families of the Nigerian victims. A more outlandish suggestion from another enraged Nigerian was for Nigeria to invade Liberia as a form of punishment on the already Ebola infested country. However if we are to punish Liberia for the Ebola crisis, is it not also fair for us to compensate our small brother nation for the war atrocities committed by our soldiers during the ECOMOG years? What about the HIV infection that our soldiers were accused of spreading among other social vices perpetrated under the guise of helping the beleaguered country? Are we to agree with some newspaper commentators that the 250,000 unclaimed children fathered by our soldiers was Nigeria’s assistance to replace the 250,000 Liberians said to have perished in the 14 year old Civil War? Already, the suggestion for countries to close their borders and ban air travels with Ebola infested nations had received several knocks from those who believe that such a decision will be counter-productive. Equally, help in form of drugs and doctors have been pouring into Liberia and other countries severely affected by the Ebola virus all in the spirit of humanitarian gesture. Thus, instead of mapping out strategies to ‘avenge’ the harm done Nigeria by Liberia over the Ebola issue, what should be uppermost on our minds should be how to support each other in this very difficult period. Whichever way we look at it, issues of Public Health, Diplomacy and trans-border movement and commerce will continue to pose enormous challenges to nations due to the ease with which we now relate with each other due to improved technology, international commerce, war and natural disasters.

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 22, 2014

COMMENTS

Those who say that life is worth living at any cost have already written an epitaph of infamy, for there is no cause and no person that they will not betray to stay alive.' -----Sidney Hook HE crass degeneration of values that has hooked the contemporary Nigerian society by the jugular must be of serious concern to right-thinking Nigerians. As a bona fide Yoruba son, yours sincerely is worried to the marrow. Reason: The menace is getting dangerously pronounced and creeping abysmally and unchallenged into the fabric of my ethnic group’s political and economic life. The Yoruba are known for their political sagacity; they are known for providing the developmental direction that other ethnic groups in the country admirably embrace. No wonder, there is an unabashed rush of indigenes of other areas to the southwest because of the abundance of educational, economic and infrastructural opportunities that abound in the region. This would not have been possible but for the presence of mind of visionary political leaders in the defunct Action Group (AG) led by the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo (SAN). They had reasonable integrity and pursued lofty goals that served not only the interest of western region but the country as a whole. This trend can continue but those reactionaries in pursuit of mainstream politics among the Yoruba ethnic group are undermining the growth of the region. They did it during the Second Republic and even during the truncated Fourth Republic when the military, under despotic Ibrahim Babangida as Head of State, went viral with dubious democratic ideas. ‘Mainstreamer’ ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo and company brought nothing but shame to the southwest after eight gruelling years that came to an anti-climax with his inordinate pursuit of his ill-fated Third Term Agenda. Now, the remnants of Obasanjo’s mainstream politics will not allow the southwest to rest through deployment of hurtful politics. It is left for the people of the region to quickly discern that these people are out to injure the region to the advantage of the centre that has abandoned the southwest for over almost two decades. They frustrated the Enron Power Project that former Lagos State Governor

ROM inception it was obvious the composition of the ongoing National Conference was made to achieve motives inimical to the corporate well-being of Nigeria. From the ever visible Any Government in Power (AGIP) individuals who were sneaked into the conference under different shady platforms down to the skewed and serious ethno-religious membership imbalance well-intended to give undue advantage to one group over another in a highly polarized Nigeria, the present chaos in the National Conference was easily predictable. It’s not out of tune therefore, when the conference is robbed of any semblance of credibility by the overzealousness of planted professional moles who are known for their negative attitude for Nigeria and its future. Among this lot, there are shameless people like former Deputy Senate President of Obasanjo’s third term infamy and a host of other characters with just as shady past. To assume anything reasonable will come out of the conference with this bunch is simply taking fantasy to a whole new level. In the last few days we were treated to desperate attempts by conscienceless people like Raymond Dokpesi to sneak in doctored documents to form part of the decisions taken by the conference. In this category, not even the Deputy Chairman of the conference Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi could hold back his ambition to fulfill what I want to assume was his end of the bargain with a government determined on having its way. Not exactly something unexpected. Perhaps this might explain the dogged resolve of the government to select leaders for the conference rather than allow it elect leaders that could operate with some level of respect for the respectability of both the members and the conference. I don’t need further proof that the conference was created to achieve, with some level of constitutionality what could not be achieved initially by the “open market” approach of the federal government to serious issues threatening Nigeria’s corporate existence. The most contentious issue before the con-

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New face of Yoruba politics

• Kashamu

• Musiliu Obanikoro

Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration initiated and see nothing wrong with the dilapidated state of Lagos/Ibadan Express road for ages, among others. The emerging mean face of Yoruba politics are Musiliu Obanikoro, current Minister of State for Defence; Buruji Kasamu, supposed chieftain of People’s Democratic Party(PDP) in Ogun State and Femi Fani-Kayode, a virulent critic of Obasanjo and later compromised former Minister of Aviation under the same man, among others. With these kinds of impostors as Yoruba leaders, the future of the region is stinking nothing but lies. They radically crawl like genuine patriots to reach the top, making fake promises in the process. They’re cunning although they think they are clever, while they live with the bounties from the betrayal of their people. This ruling PDP new face of

• Femi Fani-Kayode

Yoruba politics is heartless, hardened and cruel. Integrity means nothing to them. It always makes this column really mad that politicians like these, under the erroneous guise of protecting the ruling party’s interest, act so badly in the southwest. They wear those

smiles on their dials whereas they are plotting democratic evil all the while against the region of their birth. Their desperate pursuit of mainstream politics has left the poorest folk in the region in the shackles of squalor and want. Thomas Wentworth, the first Earl of Strafford once said: “More precious is want with honesty than wealth with infamy.” The characters projecting the new face of Yoruba politics have jettisoned good conscience and honesty in their want of political relevance and wealth. They have aligned with a ruling party which in over 15 years, has proved that it would stoop to any infamy to realise its ambition to seize power. That is why anywhere elections were to hold in the southwest, these men had gone to barbaric heights to circumvent the people’s will. This column could not easily forget how these men went to Osun State during its

Kwankwaso: Lone fighter for just cause By Maiwada Dammalam ference, and perhaps the most contentious in modern Nigeria is the 13% derivation issue complete with the vexatious onshore/offshore dichotomy and its attendant effect on the Nigerian system. Perhaps no subject ever received as much professional and “roadside” attention as this issue since the 1914 marriage of the Northern and Southern protectorates. Funny enough, solution to this problem not only remained as elusive as the elixir of life, the problem itself have graduated from an innocent ambition to correct perceived wrongs into a multi-billion dollar bottomless cesspool of corruption as well, a tool of political blackmail. Ever since the ascension of President Jonathan to Nigeria’s highest office, agitations for more funds to the Niger Delta received a boost by direct and contagious beneficiaries, all for different intents and purposes. Some ask for it for the obvious benefits it portends for their personal economic security, while distant agitators do so to remain in the good books of the President for the political safety and security (Governor Isa Yuguda of Bauchi is a good example here. Interestingly, no one is yet to propose a cogent reason why Niger Delta should have more than the “more than enough” it already have at the expense of other regions and without justifying the billions of dollars that obviously went down the bottomless pockets of the region’s leadership class and their supportive elite leaving the ordinary masses high and dry on the brink of hunger and poverty. The pertinent question for which the advocates of more funds to the Niger Delta should answer is, why should other regions be shortchanged when there is nothing to show

for a heavy sacrifice already made? What about the billions expended on the region through the instrumentality of NDDC, 13% derivation, Local Content bill, royalties and Ministry of Niger Delta - the only ministry in the world created to exclusively service the needs of a particular region in what is supposed to be a federal arrangement? If funds lavished on the region were effectively used as some jingles and billboards in the region suggests, why is the region asking for more? If not, why not and where is the money? One could easily hazard a guess as to the fate of the billions of dollars that accrued to the region in the last decade. The region is proudly the owner of the largest fleet of private jets - a frivolity that has put Nigeria on the global map for a wrong reason. Recently elites of the region added another hobby to an already a long list of insensitive hobbies. At the last count, Chief Edwin Clark, probably the most powerful person in the region by virtue of his closeness to the President and Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, the vocal President of CAN are proud owners of brand new universities whose sources of funding were as controversial as their hasty accreditation. When will it be time enough for Nigerians to start asking the right questions? Perhaps it was this intellectual and moral retardation by Nigerians that provoked the anger of Kano State Governor, Engr. Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso. Known for his uncompromising patriotism and sincere belief in the workability of the Nigerian idea, Kwankwaso once gave a detailed account of how northern members of the National Assembly were induced to pass the onshore/offshore dichotomy bill that has proved inimical and counter-productive to the well-being of Nigeria. Expectedly, Kwankwaso’s opinion about the skewed revenue sharing formula remained

August 9 Governorship Election to display impunity never heard of in the history of election in this country. It would forever remain indelible how hooded soldiers and other security men protected PDP chieftains and harassed common Yoruba people under the nose of Obanikoro, a Yoruba man. Obanikoro’s defence powers is derisively being deployed to fight for land in Lagos through wrongful use of soldiers at a time that soldiers are needed to combat the rampaging menace of Boko Haram. It is only in a party like PDP that Obanikoro can thrive because his managerial acumen was put to test when he was Commissioner for Home Affairs during Tinubu’s first term in Lagos, through his inept management of pilgrimage issues. It was Dele Alake, the serviceable Commissioner for Information and others that rescued him from severe sanction from Tinubu. Kashamu’s alleged antecedent is still as controversial as his involvement in subjugating democratic values in the southwest. Femi Fani-Kayode lacks electoral value of any kind but only uses his father’s name and thuggish intellect to rabble-rouse those in power that unduly attach undeserved importance to him. The trio and others that are undermining of southwest’s electoral fortunes have brought to fruition, Edmund Burke’s statement that: “The greatest crimes do not arise from a want of feeling for others but from over-sensibility for ourselves and an overindulgence to our own desires.” These men are only enjoying the goodwill of being Yoruba and are not willing to support the region when it rains but only when it shines through undue currying of federal favours that never get down to the grassroots people. This is a warning: The Yoruba across the globe must take note of this bunch of opportunists that see no wisdom in Ludwig Tieck’s admonition that: “He is not dead who departs from life with a high and noble fame; but he is dead, even while living, whose brow is branded with infamy.” Some of them should learn from their family’s history, while their co-travellers should equally draw a cue from the rich political history of the Yoruba. The Yoruba, they must be quick to realise, have no place for political rodents as 2015 general elections approach. today just as the were in his earlier truncated term as Kano State governor. Expressing his views on the revenue sharing controversy at the on-going National Conference, he minced no word in giving it to the northern delegates and I believe he spoke the minds of many northerners. His views: “Whoever endorsed such arrangement of increasing revenue derivation to states that already have enough either does not understand the issues at stake or has ulterior agenda to kill the country”. He blamed the federal government for playing to the gallery, saying all of such ulterior motives of the President are the root causes of insecurity in the country. He regretted that instead of the northern delegates to discuss the agenda agreed upon before they were sent, which is onshore/offshore, they went ahead to deliberate on the demands of oil producing states. He called on delegates at the conference to deliberate on the fact that northern states need better attention to fight desertification, poverty and insecurity whose effects are threatening to incinerate Nigeria. Could anything be truer? • Dammalam wrote from Kaduna

‘Known for his uncompromising patriotism and sincere belief in the workability of the Nigerian idea, Kwankwaso once gave a detailed account of how northern members of the National Assembly were induced to pass the onshore/offshore dichotomy bill that has proved inimical and counter-productive to the well-being of Nigeria’

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 22, 2014

BUSINESS THE NATION

E-mail:- bussiness@thenationonlineng.net Stories by Taofik Salako

BPE:Electricity fixed charge is temporary From John Ofikhenua, Abuja

HE Director-General (DG), Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Mr. Benjamin Ezra Dikki, said that the fixed charge paid by consumers will be stopped as soon as power generation increases. Speaking on a Radio Nigeria Live/Phone-in Programme-Radio Link, the DG appealed to consumers to exercise patience. He said the country has an installed power capacity of 6,000 megawatts but was generating only about 4,000 megawatts. He said revenues from the 3,000 megawatts were not sufficient to support power infrastructure. "When power generation increases, the fixed charge will go," he maintained. According to him, it is the initial sacrifice consumers had to make given the huge financial investment made by the new power investors who are yet to obtain adequate returns on their investments. Dikki said like what obtained at the initial stages of the reform in the telecoms sector, when the cost of the Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards and telephone handsets was as high as N50,000 per SIM but has now crashed to free SIMs with air time, "the electricity fixed charge will also crash". On complaints of non-availability of meters, the BPE helmsman said the government was addressing the issue as the Presidency had approved N33 billion low interest intervention fund to support the Distribution Companies (DISCOs) to buy meters and other electric power accessories. He pointed out that Nigeria requires three million meters yearly. Dikki debunked allegations of lack of transparency in the privatisation of Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company (KEDC) and the picture created of a conflict between Geometrics Power Group and Interstate Electrics Ltd, the core investor of Enugu Distribution Company. On KEDC, he said the reserved bidder could only be invited to step in if the preferred bidder failed to pay. He added that the preferred bidder was paid the balance of 75 per cent of the bid price after an initial payment of 25 per cent within the stipulated time. The DG said it was wrong for anybody to call for the revocation of the sale as the process had to complete before reversion to the reserved bidder would be made. On Geometrics, Dikki explained that it has a 20-year contract with the Enugu Distribution Company to supply power to the Aba and Ariaria districts. He said: "Both parties are aware of this but it baffles me when people go out to deliberately distort the facts. We don't understand the hue and cry that Geometrics is short-changed in the transaction.” Dikki noted that the reforms by the privatisation agency had impacted positively on the economy. He added that the Bureau intends to focus on the transport sector in the next phase of the reforms, ading that the sector contributes about 30 per cent to the cost of doing business in Nigeria.

NLNG is one of the biggest success stories in our country. From what I am told, the company has invested $13 billion so far since inception, and has become a pacesetter in terms of revenue generation for the government. -Minister of Trade and Investment, Dr Olusegun Aganga

Diaspora remittances hit $21b, W says KPMG

ITH a yearly growth rate of three per cent over the past five years and $21 billion inflow of personal remittances last year, Nigeria is the fifth largest remittance receiver worldwide in terms of volume, a KPMG report has shown. The Banking Industry Customer Satisfaction Survey 2014 by the firm obtained by The Nation showed that remittance to Nigeria accounts for 65.6 per cent of total flows into sub-Saharan Africa. The feat, it said, presents some avenue for banks that may want to tap into the opportunities created by this class of Nigerians who wish to transact banking business using their local bank accounts. In an online survey of 127 Nigerians resident in 12 countries who maintain local banking relationships, convenience was the overwhelming driver of value. According to the report, when asked for the most important factor in their banking relationships, 44 per cent of the customers selected the availability of internet banking. In particular, customers identified the ease of use of the internet banking platform as the most important fac-

By Collins Nweze

tor followed closely by the quality of customer service. Seventy-seven per cent of those surveyed transfer money through formal channels - banks (48 per cent) or other money transfer agencies (29 per cent) compared to 19 per cent who said they send money home through less informal ways - family and friends - travelling home. Also, on the effectiveness of the contact centre, the ease of complaints resolution was cited as a major area of dissatisfaction. It also showed that more than 50 per cent of customers who have used their bank's contact centre have been dissatisfied with the promptness of issues resolution and quality of feedback. It cited one bank's response to a customer facing some debit card challenges that the customer should wait until his next visit home, for his query to be resolved. The increasing frequency and magnitude of cybercrime incidents globally make it apparent that cybercrime is here to stay.

The Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) report for the first half of last year noted that there were 2,478 fraud and forgery cases banks worth over N20 billion. This, it said, represented an eight per cent increase over that of the previous year but a significant increase in value of over 200 per cent from 2012. In this year's survey, two per cent of retail customers indicated that they had experienced a fraud in the last year and while this number appears small today, it may signify the start of a potentially disturbing future trend. It said a survey by KPMG in the Netherlands showed, 80 per cent of the respondents indicated that cybercrime is no hype and will continue to be a highly challenging topic. The survey showed that 49 per cent of organisations have experienced some form of cybercrime activity during the past 12 months. That is not to say the rest have not experienced an attack; they may not have the proper detection measures in place. Among the 49 per cent that have experi-

enced an attack, 10 per cent indicated that they have been attacked more than 100 times within the past year. Inadequate detection procedures may conceal the real number of cybercrime attacks. Only 50 per cent of the respondents were able to detect attacks and only 44 per cent of the organisations felt comfortable that they were able to respond. It said organisations should ask themselves whether they are aware and capable of handling a cybercrime attack. The survey found that 35 per cent do not agree that their organisation is aware of cybercrime, though the financial sector respondents score significantly lower. This would imply that financial institutions are more aware of cybercrime than other typologies. Attacks may come by various methods heavily on and correlate with the budgets that have been made available. The damage from cybercrime attacks and budgets allocated to cybercrime defence can be substantial. It said the way in which cybercrime defence budgets are allocated to prevention, detection and response measures

•Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala

should be considered carefully. Nineten per cent of the organisations in the survey spend more than 1.5 million euros on cybercrime prevention, detection and response per year. The damage caused shows that not only did financial organisations report almost half of all incidents resulting in damage, they were also the victims with the most incidents in the highest damage bracket. The survey results revealed that 75 per cent of the over 1.5million euro attacks occur in this sector. “In all, our survey found that financial service organisations are more aware of cybercrime than other organisations (80 per cent),’’ the firm added.

‘Middle class to rise to 40m’

•From left: Principal Secretary, Ministry of Energy, Joseph Bjoroge; member, Senate Energy Committee, Senator Gideon Moi; Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Energy and Petroleum, Davis Chirchir; Chairman, OES LCC Steering Committee, Senator Kiraitu Murungi; Executive Secretary,Nigerian Content Development Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Ernest Nwapa and member of Kenya Oil and Gas Association, Gurjeet Phull-Jenkins, when Nigeria went to mentor Kenya on local content.

NAICOM may sanction 13 CEOs, brokers

HE National Insurance C o m m i s s i o n (NAICOM) will soon deal with 13 Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of insurance firms and some broking firms for failing to submit their last year’s annual report about eight months after the financial year ended, The Nation has learnt. This followed queries by the regulator to the helmsmen. It was gathered that the CEOs have responded to the queries and the regulator is to ascertain if the CEOs’ responses are tenable or not and what action to take if found guilty. The affected CEOs of insurance firms are managing directors of African Alliance Insurance, International Energy Insurance Plc, Industrial & General Insurance Plc, Capital Express Assurance Ltd, Great Nigeria Insurance, NICON Insurance Ltd, Nigerian Agricultural Insurance Corporation, Staco

By Omobola Tolu-Kusimo

Insurance Plc, Standard Alliance Insurance Plc, UNIC Insurance Plc, Union Assurance Company Ltd and Goldlink Insurance Plc. Besides the CEOs’ responses to the query, they are yet to submit their account according to the NAICOM’s status report of 2013 financial statements of insurance companies as at August, 11, this year. NAICOM had issued the CEOs and their counterparts in the broking firms who failed to submit their reports a seven-day ultimatum ( July 21 to July 28) to explain why actions should not

be taken against them. Sources at the Commission said NAICOM has decided to go after any defaulting CEOs. The Insurance Act 2003 mandates insurance firms to file their yearly accounts, six months after the financial year ended. The law on filing of returns and accounts states: “All insurance and re-insurance companies shall submit to the Commission three copies each of duly audited financial statements and annual returns in prescribed forms. “In respect of operation of the company for 2010, returns shall be filed on or before June

‘NAICOM had issued the CEOs and their counterparts in the broking firms who failed to submit their reports a seven-day ultimatum ( July 21 to July 28) to explain why actions should not be taken against them’

30, 2011. Failure to file annual returns as prescribed by Section 26 of the Insurance Act, 2003 constitutes a ground for cancellation of operating license. “An insurer shall be deemed to have failed to file its annual returns if the provisions of Section 26 of the Insurance Act 2003 are not met 12 months after the end of the financial year. For purposes of compliance, accounting period shall run from January 1 to December 31, 2010.” Last week, The Nation reported that NAICOM had stepped up its regulatory duties by releasing information on firms’ financials to the public. At present, the commission has not been able to provide accurate data for 2012 and last year for the sector and the public to work with, owing to either late and non-submission of some accounts.

OME middle-class households in 11 leading sub-Saharan African economies, excluding South Africa, are set to balloon to about 40 million by 2030, as the benefits of economic growth are more inclusively distributed, according to Standard Bank Group Ltd. About 15 million of the 110 million households in Nigeria, Angola, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia are lower-middle-class and middle-class, consuming from $15 to $115 a day, the continent’s largest lender said today. About 86 percent of households are low-income, consuming less than $15 a day, it said. “Between 2000 and 2014, we’ve seen a tripling of middle-class households across these 11 countries,” Simon Freemantle, a political economist at Standard Bank, said in Johannesburg. “It confirms that idea that Africa has structurally changed, that there has been real improvement in the last 10 years. Not just cyclical, it’s been a real structural change.” The emergence of a middle class was found to be most profound in Nigeria, which has Africa’s largest economy. About 4.1 million households, or 11 percent of the West African nation’s population, consume $23 to $115 a day. That’s six times more than in 2000. East Africa lagged other regions in the study, with more than 90 per cent of households in Ethiopia, Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya defined as low-income.

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 22, 2014

THE NATION

BUSINESS BRANDS & MARKETING

e-mail: adedejiademigbuji@yahoo.com /mobile line: 08131075667

For long, there was nothing to show the impact of outdoor advertising to justify the millions of naira spent on it. The Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency (LASAA) has come to the rescue, with its introduction of the Outdoor Audience Measurement System (OAMS) in line with global practice. The system will restore advertisers’ confidence in the use of outdoor advertising to promote brands, reports ADEDEJI ADEMIGBUJI.

HE Outdoor Advertising industry faces a lot of challenges some of which are multiplicity of taxes, over regulation, the emergence of social media, land speculation and touting. While these challenges have been cited as reasons for its shrinking advertising budget and fortune yearly, little is done about lack of audience measurement, which advertisers often use as the yard stick for determining advertising spend and its effectiveness on brands success. At a presentation, the President of Media Independent Practitioners Association of Nigeria (MIPAN), Mr. Tolu Ogunkoya, said outdoor spend declined from 40 per cent to 27 per cent between 2010 and 2011. Reacting to the decline, Babs Fagade, publisher of Outdoor Republic said: “What can be attributed to the lack of justification for spends on outdoor by advertisers is the absence of matrix and reliable data.” Indeed, what is affecting the industry, most is audience measurement. These worries appear over as the Lagos State Government has introduced the Outdoor Audience Measurement System (OAMS). The system produces audience estimates for Out-ofHome advertising and the data captures how many people saw an advertisement, how often they saw it and the profile of those who saw it. The system fundamentally changes the focus of outdoor media planning from panels to audience. It is designed around people’s daily movements on a hyper-local level, making it possible for planning by each geographical area at day time.

Index for outdoor advertising

How it works The system, the first of its kind in West Africa, follows the global practice of published audience research for radio, television and press. It will produce audience estimates for Outdoor advertising. The published data will tell advertisers how many people see an Outdoor advertising campaign in specific locations in the state as well as how often they do so. The audience will be broken down into many typologies, including age, sex, class, and lifestyle. The information is expected to be used by advertisers in planning and evaluating advertising campaigns in the Outdoor medium. The need to introduce audience measurment has become a subject of debate in the last 50 years when outdoor advertising business started, but the Managing Director of LASAA, Mr. George Noah, said: ‘’This is a defining moment in outdoor advertising practice in Nigeria. For advertisers to make informed buying decision, data analysis of the target audience is very essential. “Outdoor advertising markets in developed economies are flourishing because data is available for both buyers and sellers of outdoor spaces to make informed choices and careful planning. We need to embark on a scientific audience research measurement to enable the sector compete favourably with radio, TV and press.” Noah said the Outdoor sector needs a people focused measurement system which will analyse audience estimates. In his words: “Scientific audience measurement will provide details of Realistic Opportunity To See (ROTS) with eye-tracking studies which will gauge the likelihood to see (LTS) factor of the various types of display. This will also account for scale, orientation, distance, movement, illumination and spatially analyse the sites in relation to competitors, customer locations as well as traffic patterns.” He promised that traffic audit would offer immense value to advertisers in accurate audience figures and also encourage advertisers in making informed outdoor advertising purchase. “The medium is changing at a rapid rate and we must think from the point of view of the audience, not from the position of a billboard structure. If we start with a deep

• A vacant billboard at Ikeja on Lagos, Abeokuta Expressway.

knowledge of how people move about, advertisers can have the flexibility to decide what they put in their way in terms of communication opportunities. He said by defining the audience, it will be possible to use the data to plan, trade and compute valuation for the medium, adding: “We need to encourage outdoor advertisers to consider more populated areas, such as Ikorodu and Alimosho. The LASAA Outdoor Audience research we believe, will reveal the marketing potential of previously ignored areas.”

Global examples The Lagos initiative followed breakthroughs in Europe and America. Only recently, ROUTE, an outdoor audience advertising measuring system, was launch in the United Kingdom (UK) where there has been a huge £19million investment in its research. Also, a report by Outdoor Republic, a publication for outdoor advertising, stated that the launch of POSTAR in the UK in 1996 marked a further improvement in measurement with the audience estimation process involving six stages: Traffic counts, Pedestrian counts, Coverage, Estimate of dispersion factors, Visibility Adjusted Impacts (VAIs) and Refinements (illumination factors). This is an indication of a continuous study dating back to 1952 when travel pat-

terns were conducted among 5,359 people in nine towns. Also, the Traffic Audit Bureau (TAB) in the United States of America introduced EYES ON Impressions (EOIs) as the new audience measurement currency for buying and selling out of home media in the US, to replace Daily Effective Circulations(DEC) as the core metric. EOIs represent the average number of persons who are likely to notice an ad viewed on an outdoor display. EOIs are available in all US media markets and are reported as weekly impressions, reporting all demographic audiences available to other media. This helps marketers to understand the true value of the medium when combined in a multi-media campaign. In 2005, Nielsen Outdoor in collaboration with South African Advertising Research Foundation (SAARF), the advertising industry sponsored body that controls advertising audience research in South Africa harnessed the power of the GPS through the market-proven Npod™ device (Nielsen Personal Outdoor Device) to provide demographic audience information plus reach, frequency and outdoor ratings data, to all SAARF stakeholders — advertisers, agencies and outdoor media companies. Outdoor media buyers and sellers in South Africa got empowered to use audience measurements

‘Outdoor advertising markets in developed economies are flourishing because data is available for both buyers and sellers of outdoor spaces to make informed choices and careful planning. We need to embark on a scientific audience research measurement to enable the sector compete favourably with radio, TV and press’

that are similar to traditional ratings data used to plan radio, television and print. In 2007, Outdoor Finland released an audience measurement system that provides the planners and buyers of outdoor advertising with commensurate and reliable performance indicators. Visibility Adjusted Contact (VAC), which is more highly developed and appreciably more precise than the traditional performance indicators used by the media. The Outdoor Impact system is based on a landmark international research concept as well as on extensive Finnish research and research data. A project conducted by Outdoor Finland and the association’s corporate members, Clear Channel and JCDecaux, that lasted many years, and was the largest development investment in the industry’s history in Finland. Key of note is that the system is based on an international concept derived from the well-known British POSTAR. Upon the birth of this in Finland, the association’s Executive Manager was quoted to have said: “The system’s enhanced measuring accuracy substantially boosts the competitiveness of outdoor advertising in Finland. Now advertisers can use precise facts and figures on outdoor advertising, so they can be certain about what they’re buying. We fully expect Outdoor Impact to increase outdoor advertising’s share of the media market.” In February 2010, the Outdoor Media Association (OMA) launched Australia’s first industry-wide audience measurement tool for outdoor media known as MOVE (Measurement of Outdoor Visibility and Exposure). MOVE is owned by the OMA and its five largest members - APN Outdoor, EYE, Adshel, oOh!media and JCDecaux. The OMA represents the interests of other OMA Media Display Members with inventory in the MOVE system. With this new system introduced in West Africa by LAASA, industry observers, especially advertisers, believe the outdoor advertising budget will increase.

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 22, 2014

Brandnews

‘How packaging boosts brands’

RODUCT branding and packaging are important to the success of a brand in the corportae world. In this age of globalisation, there are many brands competing in the market. As a result, they have to analyse not only the product but also the manufacturer, brand name, packaging, price and contents. Despite the quality, price, content and other aspect in products, brand builders often place great value on the product packaging, described as the first point of appeal to consumers. In a consumer report titled: Universite Laval, France Influences of Brand Name and Packaging on Perceived Quality, an expert, Benny Rigaux-Bricmont, said packaging plays greater role on product quality perception and reputation. As a result, it can be an indicator of product quality. “Research has shown the important role of brand names and brand packaging on quality perception. Brand reputation can be either a common surrogate indicator of product quality or an effective strategy to reduce risk when ease of evaluation is low,” he said. “Being almost a part of the product, packaging does not only act as a means of communication but may also interact closely with the evaluation of the product itself,” RigauxBricmont said. He submitted both brand names and brand packaging influence the

Stories by Adedeji Ademigbuji

consumers’ quality evaluations. “For example, in a study conducted in Michigan, Roberts and Taylor (1975) investigated with mixed results the effects of the visual cue of granule size on ratings of various coffee types. But here, only the first two cues were suspected to be potential troublemakers for the client firm. In a managerial perspective, the finding that-brand and packaging images help the consumer in differentiating the brands, accentuates the importance of the various firms’ marketing efforts, and more particularly, their interdependence,” Rigaux-Bricmont added. While many products continue to realise the importance of product packaging across all market categories to survive the dire competition, brand builders are not relenting in sustaining their brand equity as their product lifecycle move from one stage to the other. As a result of the growing competition in the fruit juice market, one of the brands of juice from Chi Limited, Chivita Active, was given a new packaging as part of marketing efforts to strategic makeover to reposition and convey tangible and intangible attributes of the brand to the consumer. According to the Managing Director of Chi Limited, Mr. Deepanjan Roy, the new pack is a fresh and new design that is aimed at effectively communicating the

core value of Chivita Active as an “active healthy lifestyle” brand to consumers. He added that the new pack parades a bold new logo that is refreshingly modern while exuding the core essence of active health. “With rounded contemporary edges and the forward pointing red triangle, the logo emphasises on advancement, achievement and success,” he said. “The design is cutting edge. The rich fruit and juice visuals combine perfectly with the simplistic design and colour pallet to reveal a truly sophisticated pack. It is a pack that exudes confidence and fitness and will resonate with those who lead an active lifestyle and are primed to achieve more,” Roy said. The pack features a nutritional information on the six citrus fruits mixed together to form the juice while “Fortified with Vitamin C” is positioned on the pack to further identify with the health conscious consumer. Further examination of the pack reveals active images on the side panels that urge consumers to embrace the active lifestyle and an inviting motif of fruits and juice splash. The brand managers used the package to message contents in the new package and the product variant. “It contains six citric fruit juices and added vitamin C. The citric fruit juices are Orange, Grapefruit, Lime, Tangerine, Lemon and Mandarine,” he said.

UAC introduces new gala UAC Foods Limited (UFL) has introduced Gala Chicken Sausage Roll into the market. At the launch, the Managing Director of UAC Foods Limited, Dr. Tawanda Mushuku, said the new Gala Chicken Sausage Roll is an innovative extension to the Gala brand. Mushuku explained that the Sausage Roll is a response to the yearnings of the teeming consumers Gala obtained through a dedicated consumer research/ feedback mechanism and relentless efforts of UFL’s Research and Product Development Department.

“UAC Foods Limited is a consumer-centric company that believes in manufacturing products to satisfy identified needs of our consumers. The new Gala Sausage Roll that we unveiled today is another innovative product developed to satisfy our consumers’ desires for a chicken-filled sausage roll,” he said. Also, the General Manager, Marketing, UAC Foods Limited, Mrs. Joan Ihekwaba, said Gala Chicken Sausage is the first in the market with 100 per cent pure chicken garnished with vitamins and minerals.

Monarch praises Goldberg for Osun Osogbo AS activities marking the annual Osun Osogbo Festival reach advanced stage, some individuals have praised Goldberg, a premium lager brand from the stables of Nigerian Breweries Plc., for its support, which they described as encouraging. Th spoke at the Stakeholders Presentation Forum at the palace of Oba Jimoh Oyetunji Olanipekun Larooye II, the Ataoja of Osogboland. It was organised to enable the corporate sponsors brief the Ataoja and members of his cabinet on the festival. First to shower encomiums on Goldberg was Oba Olanipekun, who noted that Goldberg’s in-

volvement and planned leveraging activities have surpassed that of last year, which was the brand’s maiden effort. He said: “I must state that the support from Goldberg for this year’s festival has been outstanding and quite commendable so far. They came on board last year and as expected could not do so much. But this year, Goldberg has shown they mean business; their presence and support have been enormous.” The monarch thanked Nigerian Breweries for its support for the yearly festival, which showcases the cultural values of the Osogbo people. He, however, urged the Goldberg Team to keep up the tempo.

Agency gets award AN agency PRRedline has been awarded the Outstanding PR Company of the Year. The agency got the award for its outstanding works on indigenous and international brands, such as MoneyGram, Heritage Bank, Osun State Government, PZ, Doyin Group and Myer Fruit Juice. This recognition came at the fifth Classic Africa Merit Award (CAMA) organised by the Classic International Magazine. According to the organisers of the award, PRRedline, a subsidiary of Centrespread Integrated Marketing Communications

Group, was picked based on the evaluation of professionalism deployed in stakeholders’ communications of the re-elected Governor of the Osun State, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and for setting the pace in the handling of Heritage Bank’s corporate image. Speaking after receiving the award on behalf of the agency, its Head of Strategy and Business Development, Aishat Bello-Garuba noted that the firm was grateful for the recognition, adding: “The award has further challenged us to do more and deliver the best at all times for our stakeholders.”

Lagos NIPR plans 25th AGM

• Nigerian Zobo-packets Lemon-Lime and Chivita Active

Thermocool celebrates 40 years of business

OR any firm to succeed in Nigeria, its products must emcompass convenience, Managing Director of Thermocool, Mr. Panos Katsis, has said. He said in the past 40 years, Thermocool managers have recognised the need of its consumers and attended to them. To mark its 40 anniversary, the brand rewarded its loyal consumers with prizes in the Thermocool Moments Two campaign. “When we started out in Nigeria in 1974, we knew there were potential in the Nigerian market. We recognse the need and the desire of Nigerians to enjoy life; run their businesses and personal chores with relative ease. As an innovative com-

pany, we sought to fulfill these needs by providing world class products that were technology relevant in that era and even surpassing it,” Panos said. He continued: “We are glad to have been able to satisfy our dear customers in Nigeria in the past 40 years. It has been a journey of success and mutual benefits nurtured by our values as an innovative company and our understanding of the demand of our esteemed customers.” “Thermocool recognises Nigeria’s penchant for good quality household items; hence we have designed our products to meet these standards. I am sure our consumers in Nigeria appreciate these products; that is why we are still here and we

hope to be here for a longer time, satisfying our consumers. For Thermocool, it is not all about producing quality product but improving the quality of life and life style of Nigerians. “Thermocool believes that the home is where the heart is – whether working to provide clean clothes, well-cooked meals or having just a calm, organised environment. For us, the convenience of our consumers and their family takes priority. That is why we offer reliable support in terms of prompt after sales services and long term warranties enough to put the minds of our consumers at rest while they use our products,” Panos added.

THE Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, Lagos State Chapter has unveiled plans to mark its 25th Annual General Meeting (AGM/ Public Lecture. The event will hold at the National Arts Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos on September 4, at 10am. The speaker is Alhaji Attahiru Jega, chairman, and Independent National Electoral Commission. He will be speaking on the theme: Curbing electoral violence in Nigeria: The Public Relations dynamics at the Media Centre, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). The lecture, which will be chaired by Chief Fassy Yussuf,

would feature the Inspector-General of Police, Suleiman Abba and Commandant, Nigerian Army College of Logistics, Lagos, Major Gen. Abubakar Gana delivering sub-theme papers titled: “The role of law enforcement agents and curbing electoral violence in Nigeria; and “The erole of Nigerian Army in democracy.” Prof Ralph Akinfeleye, Prof Akin Oyebode and Dr. Joe OkeiOdumakin are the eminent discussants. The Royal Father of the day is Oba Adedokun Abolarin, Aroyinkeye 1, the Orangun of Oke-Ila, Orangun, Osun State.

Always Moving Forward entry extended PROCTER & Gamble Nigeria has announced the extension of its ‘Always Moving Forward’ entry closing date to August 3 to allow more participants. The campaign is aimed at giving young teenage girls the opportunity to talk about their goals, dreams and aspirations on what they hope to become in the next 10 years. The Brand Operations and Integration Manager, P& G, Tolu Pogoson, said the decision to extend the contest was influenced

by the desire of more teenage girls to participate in the contest. The ‘Always Moving Forward’ contest encourages young teenage girls between 12 and 18 to articulate their dreams and forecast their achievements in the next ten years. The girls are expected to provide answers to the question: “Who will you be in 10 years from now?” in their essay which should be titled: “Me in 10 Years”.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 22, 2014

THE NATION

BUSINESS SHOPPING

E-mail: toniaitose@gmail.com

Sms : 07035302326 Website:- http://www.thenationonlineng.net

•International chains in a mall.

Surviving the blitz of international chains Since international chains, such as Truworth, Mr Price, Mango, Maybrands, Shoprite and Us Polo, entered the Nigerian market with shopping malls, local chains in the Lagos metropolis, particularly those around the malls, are being threatened. TONIA‘DIYAN reports.

EFORE 2011, an old building was abandoned in Surulere, Lagos main land. The state government decided to reconstruct it into shops for the residents of the area. From its ashes rose the ultra-modern Adeniran Ogunsanya Mall. It houses some international chains, which are strong competitors for local chains around the mall. Local chains, however, believe the existence of the mall was to kill their businesses. One of them, who spoke with The Nation Shopping but refused to reveal her identity, is a tenant at the Adeniran Ogunsanya mall.

She said she managed to cope with the high shop rent to make sales. “I have noticed that since this mall was built, my customers have stopped coming to my shop on the road. So, I decided to squeeze myself financially to become a tenant here. It is very expensive to own a shop here, you know.” Smiling, she said, after she joined the high and mighty there, “I realised that international chains are the preferred choices for consumers, because they are more patronised.” She added that Surulere is being overshadowed by malls, as one more called Leisure Mall was added two years ago. “It is just next to this mall,” she said. She sited a woman near her former shop. Her words: “Business has only got worse for someone like Mrs Anike my friend; she owns a shop on this road where I was before. And like many owners of local shops that dot township corners, Anike barely manages to keep afloat as most of her customers now head for the malls. When The Nation Shopping visited Mrs Anike’s shop, it saw dusty shelves of tea-bags, small packets of biscuits, loose cigarettes and butter. She said: “Once people get paid, they buy their groceries at the malls. They used to buy from me in bulk, now they only come for daily items.” Mrs Anike has been running the shop with her husband since 1993. They used to earn about N105, 000 daily, but now they hardly make one-third of that amount. According to Mrs Anike and her husband Monsuru, they have become tuck shops - a slang word

which means ‘just getting by’. But while international chains are able to use economies of scale to undercut local ones, the latter buy in small volumes from wholesalers who drive up costs for them. Unfortunately, the bulk of these local shops, about 70 per cent, are survivalists. Worse still, they do not have business, financial or literacy skills that would have helped them to get out of the woods. However, some have teamed up with entrepreneurs and retail consultants, to buy directly from suppliers to enable them to make more profits. On the other hand, the international retailers, which target rising consumer spending, have doubled in the last five years. These Cape Town-based firms are threatening the small shops. Though data is not available, Michael Chu’di Ejekam of Actis Properties, the firm handling some of the shopping facilities, said Lagos State alone might have lost about 30 per cent of its local shop space since 2005, when the Palms Shopping Mall in Lekki pitched tent in the country. Other malls housing international brands are Ikeja City Mall in Alausa, The Palms and Omisson Emporium malls in Lekki and Spar in Ajah. At a seminar at Eko Hotel and Suites, Nike Ogunlesi, chief executive officer, Ruff ‘N’ Tumble, a clothing outfit for children, spoke about a changing and challenging world of business. She urged local chains to live up to their responsibilities and join the trend rather than complain and act as if they are defeated.

Nike said the retail sector is worth N23 trillion, representing 18 per cent of the clothing and footwear industry. Given these figures and the size of the market, she said the challenges could be overcome. But the questions are; how, when? She explained that the retail environment is dynamic, complex and unpredictable. Her words: “We live in a world where demand is constantly changing, taste and values change, government laws and people change. Therefore, businesses must change, grow or risk stagnation, decline or even death.” She added that business owners must rethink their approach/strategy, become global in their thinking and embrace new ways of doing business. Nike asked: “How do we ensure the survival and success of our businesses in a Wal-mart or Shoprite world? Reminding people that there were some big businesses that went under before these chains came, she added that that the new ones are competing, surviving and making profits.” She advised that for a local chain to compete effectively, it needs to develop and focus its business on seven strategies as developed by Wal-mart: “They are Price, operational excellence, culture (organisational), key item, promotion/ product, expense control and talent service.” Nike added: “For success, knowing is not enough, we must apply. Willing is not enough, we must do.”

Newspaper of the Year

AN EIGHT-PAGE PULLOUT ON THE SOUTHSOUTH STATES

CALAB AR ST ADIUM CALABAR STADIUM

EBOLA VIR US VIRUS

AS the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier between Nigeria and Rwanda kicks off in Calabar on September 6, residents of the capital of Cross River State hopes the magic, which has made the Super Eagles unable to lose a match at the UJ Esuene Stadium, will still work.

NIGHT life in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, is fun, with the array of bars and clubs, where many residents retire after work, but since the outbreak of the Ebola virus, things have slowed down in the beautiful city.

•PAGE 32

•Ugbe

•Akpan

FRIDAY, AUGUST 22, 2014

PAGE 29

BEY OND OIL BEYOND DELTA State Commissioner for Power and Energy Charles Emetulu says the government’s investment in power and energy will drive its “Delta beyond oil initiative”. Over N60 billion has been spent on power projects whose fruits, he says, the people will soon start reaping.

•PAGE 31 •Emetulu

•PAGE 33

Inside the mess soldiers call home in Warri

T a glance from the NPA Expressway, the David Ejoor Barracks, Effurun-Warri, Delta State, the home of the 3 Battalion of the Nigerian Army, reveals freshly painted walls, a beautiful iron gate guarded by plain-clothed and uniformed stern-faced soldiers. A stroll further into the military community through the secured gate will reveal well-manicured lawns edged by trimmed bushes and orderly trees. The main road into the military community becomes two a few yards later. The two branches reveal deliberate attempt to keep them well-maintained, howbeit through unconventional means – with broken bricks, stones and other debris. Advancing into the heart of the barracks, to the left is the office of top ranking officers, including the Commanding Officer (CO) and his principal officers; to the right is the way to the ‘B Company’ and other formations. This building, like most structures around the area, is spotting fresh paint and is edged by orderly shrubs amidst verdure vegetation and neatly lined trees

From Shola O’Neil, Southsouth Regional Editor

that provide shades and ensure that the offices are perennially cool. It is a perfect picture of how an army barracks should look. The tidiness extends to the areas inhabited by the CO and other high ranking officers of the formation and it about ends there. But, what you see from the outside is mere aesthetic that ends as one moves westwards to the ‘A Company’, one of the residential areas of the real David Ejoor Barracks. Several rows of rotten, decaying bungalows stand out in stark contrast to the scenic beauty at the beginning of the journey. From a distance, this area looks like a ghost town, long forgotten and disused. The houses are aptly located near the cemetery where those who fought and died for their country are buried mostly in unmarked graves. The buildings here seem desolate and abandoned. They are long, endless mass of bricks and woods with leaky roofs, decaying surroundings, overflowing cess-

pools, faulty plumbing and lacking of every comfort that an apartment should provide. As one moves closer, he will begin to feel the buzz of life. This doesn’t look like a military residential area but like a refugees’ camp or a slum in any of the government abandoned parts of the country. In some areas it is difficult to tell how the buildings formerly looked because of the presence of several foreign matters added to support them. As you move even nearer, you are hit by the strong repulsive stench of decaying human wastes mixed with bathwater and indiscernible smell of rotten food, faeces and others. As one gets acquainted with the ugly, putrid site and smell, he begins to understand the topography of the mess. Greenish dirty pools are formed by water from pits and septic tanks that have caved in. Some residents make feeble, fruitless efforts to patch up the mess of pits. Others ignore the squalor, accept their fates or are immune to the deadly mixture of bath water, sewage, faeces swirling around them. STORY CONTINUES ON 30 & 35

• YOU HAVE STORIES FOR US? PLEASE CONTACT US ON 07066954441 OR 08123521990

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 22, 2014

NIGER DELTA REPORT COVER

Inside the mess soldiers call home in Warri A “

Continued from page 29 CORPORAL, who spoke to our reporter on condition of anonymity, said he was recently deployed to one of the northern states but could not concentrate on the task because he constantly received reports of one problem or the other. “Na so we de see am everyday. Any time I comot, my wife will call me to say that they didn’t sleep last night because of rain water entering the house. What we used to block the ceiling had been blown off. Sometimes it is because the windows are broken or any other problem. “Wetin man go do? Na where our government put us and we must remain for there until situation change. That is what we have been hoping for since. Even me ma, I don tire but how I for do. We must endure until Allah answers our prayer but the condition is very bad, walahi,” he said in an admixture of English and vernacular. In one part of the barracks a group of teenagers played football on heap of dirt. One of the young boys waded through the green puddle to retrieve the ball and then playfully splattered the water on his colleagues. He told our reporter that they are used to filth but noted that the rainy season is the most difficult time for those who live in the barrack. “If you look around, you will see that the soak-away pits are all broken and there are pits everywhere. If you do not know the area very well, you might fall into the pit and break your legs. It happens, it is real. “When I was younger, I fell into one of the pits; I could have been dead, but for my friends that quickly rushed to get help. By the time I got out I had drank from the dirty, shit water,” he said. Some of the building walls have collapsed and the foundations are caving in and falling apart due to the effect of the water from faulty plumbing work, collapsed drains and other factors. The unlucky inhabitants of such houses use plywood, corrugated sheets, cardboard papers and any other materials they can lay their hands on to fill the gaps on their walls. The roofs are in worst shapes; trampolines, cement bags and other emergency cover inhabitants have outnumbered the Super-7 asbestos roofing sheets that were originally used when the houses were built over 30 years ago. “I have done my best,” Agnes (not her real name), told our reporter as she cleared utensils from her makeshift kitchen built with sticks and plywood besides her home. “I have been in this barrack for years now and there has never been any kind of maintenance since. All the patches on the wall, the pits and anything around here are done through self-help. Any household that feels they cannot take the situation, raise money and do whatever they can to improve their environment. So, any new brick work, attachment or roof you see on any house is done by those who live there. “Every time it rains, we have huddled in the least leaky room and the next morning my son would climb to identify the leaking spots and get cellophane or trampoline to cover them. But these days that provides no consolation because the wood and roofing materials are so bad that sometimes the covering we put to stop the rain would just cave in from the weight of the water,”

When the pits get full, we use the sand we dug out from it to cover it up and then we move to another pit. That is how we have been managing our wastes for years now

•A waste grave in the barracks

•A crudely patched septic tank

•The backyard of a dilapidated building

•Another area of the barracks

•Another dirty scene

“

Agnes added in smattering English. Our findings revealed that social services in the barracks have deteriorated over the years leading to the collapse of the public water supply system and waste management. Refuse heaps dot every corner and roads in the residential areas. Each block of flats has its own ‘refuse grave’ where they bury their household wastes. It was gathered that the refuse grave became fashionable years ago when waste was posing health threat to inhabitants of the barracks. Soldiers and their children would usually dig pits of about three to six feet deep. Wastes generated by the households are dumped in the pits. “When the pits get full, we use the sand we dug out from it to cover it up and then we move to another pit. That is how we have been managing our wastes for years now,” a junior ranked soldier told our reporter also on strict condition of anonymity. A source at the barrack said living condition at the barracks plunged deeper in the early 2000s when Commanding Officers and other high ranked officers started living outside the barracks. “When Gen Elias Zamani was brought here to head the Joint Task Force in 2003, he was the highest ranking officer but he never spent a night in the barrack. Instead, he stayed somewhere in Bendel Estate (an exurb civilian estate in Effurun). Most of the officers are provided plush hotel accommodations so they do not know how the junior offices are faring,” our source added. When contacted for comment on the deplorable state of the barracks, the Commanding Officer of 3 Bat-

•Back of a building in ‘B Company’

•A building with damaged roof

•Another eyesore in the barracks

•A building with leaking roof, broken windows doors

PHOTOS:

SHOLA O’NEIL,

talion, Lt Colonel Bassey, denied angrily that the barrack was in a deplorable state. The CO, who spoke in a short telephone conversation with our reporter on Monday afternoon, retorted with series of questions:

“When was the last time you visited the barracks? What did you come to do? How do you know the place is very dirty? I am very sure that it is not this barracks that you are talking about. Have you seen the renovation that is going on in

the barracks and you are telling me that the barrack is dirty? Look, my friend, don’t get me angry with you,” he said before he hung up the phone. Lt Col Bassey, who was clearly angry about the question, alluded to

the maintenance works that were ongoing at the officers’ quarters and administrative buildings of the station, which unfortunately, had yet to get to the living areas of the junior officers at the time of this report.

Speaking in his defence, a middleranked officer said: “The CO just came a few months ago and this rot has been on for several years. You do not expect one or two leadership change to alter it. But in fairness to the current man, he his vigorously

undertaking maintenance work. He should be commended.” Although our checks revealed that Bassey and his predecessor, Lt Col Ifeanyi Otu, have taken active steps to change the fortune of the garrison, the magnitude of the rot and

the pace of work are light years apart. Besides, it was gathered that the true situation on ground at the military post is hidden from the military high command in Abuja. A source said the pace of the mainte-

nance is exaggerated when the reports are being made, adding, “When they complete the renovation of a building, they will say they have done five and at the end it is the junior officers who suffer.”

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 22, 2014

NIGER DELTA REPORT FEATURE

Ebola slows down Uyo’s night life Night life in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, is fun with different arrays of bars and night clubs, but the fear of Ebola seems to have impacted it, writes KAZEEM IBRAHYM IGHT life in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, is what most residents normally look forward to. Fun seekers usually besiege drinking bars of their choice after the close of work. They visit these bars for several reasons. Tunde Ogbeha Avenue, a bubbling neighbourhood in Uyo, is named Maitama, just like the Maitama district in Abuja, due to its popularity among the fun lovers. The area, which is located in “C Line”, Ewet Housing Estate, is an eyebrow area, housing most of the government officials and politicians in the state. The area also has a night club (Wimpy Bar) that operates on a daily basis. There is also Millionaires Club for the fun lovers. Fun seekers normally look forward to days like Wednesday and Friday for them to groove at the club. If you are the type that prefers noodles and fish barbecue, Tunde Ogbeha Avenue is the right place for you to be at night, as you could do so to your satisfaction, especially now that people prefer to eat barbecue fish instead of bush meat because of the scare of Ebola virus. Alwins Mike Akpan, the Managing Director and CEO of Eden Garden Resorts located at Afaha Oku, Uyo Village Road, is a sad man following the discovery of Ebola virus that scares people away from eating bush meat. More than 60 per cent of the sales of Akpan come from bush meat sales because customers in their hundreds visit his resorts to eat varieties of bush meats. When The Nation visited Eden Garden Resorts on Monday, the once bubbling and lively place was empty while few customers were seen only drinking beer. Narrating how the scare of Ebola Virus has affected his business and decreased the patronage of people in his resorts, Akpan said sales from bush meat sales were nothing to write home about ever since the discovery of the dreaded

virus called Ebola. According to him, his daily sales from bush meat have reduced from N40, 000 to N1, 500. He said: “The Ebola Virus has affected the patronage here a great deal. We are not selling again because of the fear of Ebola virus. “As you can see, this place is empty. Just yesterday we sold Bush meat N1, 500 something that we normally sell up to N40, 000 in a day. The Ebola virus is affecting my business.” Tunde Ogbeha Avenue has over the years become attractive place for prostitutes seeking to make brisk business. The prostitutes move about in skimpy wears in search of men. The prostitutes, mostly teenagers have always blamed the bad economy coupled with lack of unemployment for choosing prostitution as a venture. They are mostly from neighbouring states of Abia, Imo, Enugu and Anambra. Activities of some of these prostitutes have been curtailed with the arrest of some of them by the security agencies following Government House order. According to findings, most of the prostitutes now prefer to hang out in a bar while they transact their business with men under the guise of having some drinks after which they relocate to any hotels of their choices. Other bubbling night clubs in Uyo are Magnum night club; play terrace; cephas place and others. If you are the type that prefers class play terrace and Magnum night clubs are the right place for you. Night life in Uyo is interesting according to Joseph Bassey, who is a student of University of Uyo. He explains that he always look forward to Wednesday and Friday. Asked why, Bassey says with his meagre pocket money, he could go to club with his girlfriend. He says some of the drinks particularly beer with the exception of spirit and wine are

sold at flat rate. Just the same way you get it at a local bar off club. His words: “What I normally do on a Wednesday night is to drink three bottles of Star beer outside before going to the club. With that, I will be able to dance well and forget my sorrow.” To Aniefiok Ita, he says he normally hang out at Emila bar after the close of work from the State Secretariat. The choice of the bar according to Ita is that is closer to his house. He says atimes, he would just go to the house to register his presence from work after which he would return to the bar. “With N500, you could eat chicken and drink a bottle of Guinness Stout,” says Ita. Even as most workers complain of lack of money, The Nation observes that beer parlour business is a lucrative venture in Uyo because the number of beer parlours keeps increasing on a daily basis. One of the Guinness Van salesman, who preferred anonymity, told our correspondent that he supplies about 300 crates of Guinness stout, harp and other products to his customers daily. His words: “Akwa Ibom is a fertile land for beer business. From observation, the indigenes prefer beer to spirit. You can even see it from the table here, people are drinking beer and not spirit.” A customer at one of the bars in Uyo told The Nation that an average Akwa Ibom man likes enjoyment no matter his status in the society. He explains that nothing is really happening as far as night life in Uyo when you compare same to Cross River and Rivers states. The source says even most people prefer to work here in Akwa Ibom and go to Calabar to spend the money because according to them, Cross River is more secured than Akwa Ibom State. Hardly can one move in a street in Uyo without noticing at least two to three drinking joints popularly known as beer parlours where the residents hangout at night. Kenneth, the owner of extreme bar along

•Eden Garden is empty as a result of Ebola Virus

•Fish Barbecue on display at Tunde Ogbeha Avenue, Uyo

•Nightview of Tunde Ogbeha Avenue, popularly known as Maitama. PHOTOS: KAZEEM IBRAHYM

Nwaniba road, said night life in Uyo is interesting. He explains that now citizens can move anytime of the day with their two eyes closed due to the heavy security arrangement provided by the government of Godswill Akpabio. In Kenneth’s shop, people of all ages were seen eating roasted Ukon (Plantain) and Unen (Chicken). He explains that as from 4pm when

people close from work, they branch at the bar to either eat roasted Ukon (Plantain) and Unen (Chicken) or drink beer, spirit or wine. Kenneth says he has no closing time as sometimes he closes late like 2am depending on the volume of customers. Even the situation is not different at Lakunta bar on Oron Road, Life Power bar on Two Lane, Amazon on House of

NOSDRA Chairman: Oil spills cause ecological damage in Omoku, Ogbaland

HE Chairman of the Governing Board of the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), Major Lancelot Anyanya (Rtd), has said oil spills caused ecological damage in Omoku and Ogbaland in Rivers State. Major Anyanya spoke when he led a delegation from NOSDRA to assess the impact of oil spills in Omoku. He paid a courtesy visit to the Oba of Ogbaland, His Eminence, Eze Chukwuemeka Nnam Obi. He praised President Goodluck Jonathan for his exemplary leadership in solving the myriad of problems Nigeria

has accumulated over the years. He noted that Omoku and Ogbaland were among the areas in the Niger Delta that had suffered extensive ecological damage as a result of oil spills. According to him, "Across the Niger Delta, negative medical conditions, hitherto unknown to the locality, are being observed due to colossal environmental degradation from oil spills. That is a huge price for anyone to pay for the prosperity that people are enjoying in and out of Nigeria because of our oil." The NOSDRA Chairman thanked Jonathan for and bolstering NOSDRA's corporate

•Akpan: Ebola impacts business

governance through which the agency is now improving its community relations with oil producing communities. He attributed the feat to Mr. President's belief that "no community or individual should suffer any more of those indignities because Nigeria produces crude oil. This is why NOSDRA is engaging with oil producing communities." Major Anyanya praised the Oba of Ogbaland for his exemplary and selfless leadership, while briefing him and the council of chiefs on the activities of NOSDRA, including visiting host communities affected by oil spills to engage and educate them on oil spill prevention. • Major Anyanya and the Oba of Ogbaland

Assembly Road and Castrophy Bar at Ewet Housing Estate. For instance, in Amazon Bar and Castrophy bars, some of the customers go there because of the fish barbecue and the serene environment. Also in Lakunta Bar, where fun lovers prefer the assorted Kpomo/Kanda mixed with stew source. In all, customers visit bar of their choices for different reasons.

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 22, 2014

NIGER DELTA REPORT FEATURE

NIGER DELTA REPORT INTERVIEW ‘Delta has spent over N60 billion on power projects’

Calabar stadium...Eagles’ slaughter slab S “

Delta Commissioner for Power and Energy, Charles Emetulu, in this interview with OKUNGBOWA AIWERIE, speaks on the government’s investment in power and energy, saying it will drive its Delta beyond oil initiative

As the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier between Nigeria and Rwanda kicks off in Calabar on September 6, residents of the capital of Cross Rivers State hopes the magic, which has made the Super Eagles unable to lose a match at the UJ Esuene Stadium, will still work, writes NICHOLAS KALU

T is not a smelly, blood stained building where animals are butchered, but has come to be known as the Slaughterhouse. The serene atmosphere of the Udoakaha Jacob Esuene Sports Stadium located in the heart of Cross River State’s capital, Calabar, has been so christened by football lovers and supporters of the Nigerian national team, the Super Eagles, which has not lost a single game there in the past few years. The grounds of the facility, simply referred to as the UJ Esuene Stadium, has in recent times served as the venue where the national team consistently beat their opponents, hence it has been termed, “The slaughterhouse of the Super Eagles.” Built in 1976, the multi-purpose stadium has served as the home ground of the Calabar Rovers Football Club. After its commissioning in the same year, the first match was played there was between Calabar Rovers and Bendel Insurance. A couple of weeks later, the stadium hosted an international encounter between Enugu Rangers and Tonnerre Yaoundé - a game that featured the likes of Roger Milla, Christian Chukwu and Emmanuel Okalla Later upgraded to include an ultra-modern electronic video-matrix scoreboard, with powerful floodlights, the stadium has a capacity of about 12,000. Since then the sporting arena has continued to attract various national and international sporting activities among which are the FIFA Under-21 World Cup in 1999 and the FIFA Under-17 in 2009. At the moment preparations are in top gear for the sporting facility to host the 19th edition of the National Sports Festival in November this year. So what is the magic of the Calabar Stadium? The Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, Mr Patrick Ugbe, says the thing special about it is the people. “The magic is the people of this state and this city. You see, when you have an ambience of peace and security, you have an environment that is welcoming, when you have that kind of environment, you know all you can do is to excel because you are relaxed. You are not stressed. You are not bothered about other extraneous things that can distract your focus. So

This is where football was first played in Nigeria. In a secondary school which is nearby, Hope Waddell. So, Calabar has always been a home of football. So, it is not a surprising thing that you see even the national team, they prefer coming to Calabar Stadium to play their matches

•Mr Omara Coco-Bassey

•New tartan tracks at the stadium

you are focussed on the task you have and you just excel. That is what Calabar does. “That is why the national team has always excelled here. And because again when the national team is playing, you have over 10, 000 people in the stadium that are there to support them, not to criticise them or heckle them or boo them, but there to cheer them. It encourages them and gives them that boost. So the fans in Calabar act as the 12th player that encourages the team to always excel,” Ugbe said. On how it got its peculiar nomenclature he said: “The people gave it that name. We didn’t give it the slaughter house of the Super Eagles. It came from the people themselves after seeing that, for several years, now, the team has not lost a match in this place and very significant that even outside the country, teams that come to Calabar to play the eagles now come with fear. They now see Calabar as the slaughter house. Nigeria never loses a match here, so they

“

•UJ Esuene Stadium in Calabar

•Ugbe at the UJ Esuene Stadium in Calabar

come to play with fear which again also helps psychologically to ensure victory for the team. With the hosting of the sports festival almost upon them, Ugbe expressed confidence that the stadium, whose facilities are being upgraded as well as new ones added would be ready to give the country the best festival ever. According to him: “We are sure it would be ready. The facilities that are being added apart from the main bowl and the tartan track that has been renovated and relayed with a brand new class one track, are the swimming pool that is being renovated to a ten lane Mitre Technology Pool. Also there is the basketball courts that are being redone and then for me among others. For me, the icing on the cake would be the multi-purpose ultra-modern indoor sports hall that is being constructed there. It is one design that has never been seen in this country. When it is completed, it is one that we would all be proud of as a people and as a state.

“The facility is one that would host all indoor games. It would have basketball, volleyball, handball, five aside FifPro footsal, and badminton and also attached to it are two glass back international standard squash courts as well. Of course added to it are other facilities and amenities as different gyms for boxing, weightlifting, wrestling and so on. So it is a well fitted indoor sports hall that we are having. Ugbe said a proper maintenance culture over time has been one of the main reasons it has continued to remain relevant in the scheme of things as far as sporting activities are concerned. His words: “The stadium is one of the oldest in the country. It falls in the generation of the National Stadium in Lagos, Ogbe Stadium in Benin, Ahmadu Bello Stadium in Kaduna, Liberty Stadium in Ibadan, but today because of the way we have maintained it, it stands out among all those other stadiums. Because we have a good maintenance culture, we have constantly attracted events here. The

national teams have made it their home and we are very proud of our maintenance culture. Don’t think that it is now that we would throw that away.” Manager of the Stadium, Mr Omara Coco-Bassey believes that Calabar being the home of football as the game was first played in the country in a secondary school, Hope Waddell Training Institution, just a stone throw away, it was only natural that the National Team always get their best results there. “You know this is where football was first played in Nigeria. In a secondary school which is nearby, Hope Waddell. So, Calabar has always been a home of football. So, it is not a surprising thing that you see even the national team, they prefer coming to Calabar Stadium to play their matches. Besides you know this is a tourist state and the people are very warm. Again you see that it is a smaller stadium, so you realise that any time any match is being played, the stadium is filled to capacity. “It has been favourable for the na-

tional team. The people too are very receptive and very willing to support. The major thing is that since they started playing here, it has been very favourable and one thing I realise with the Calabar people is that they are very patient. Like you know if they play in Lagos and after some minutes if they don’t score, they would start booing them, but rather here they would be saying, “All we are saying is give us more goals”. They are patient with the players. They understand. It makes you feel comfortable when the people have confidence in you that come rain come shine, you are going to deliver so it makes the players even more relaxed. So it gives them the confidence that when they come here, they will win and since they have not been failed before,” the stadium manager said. On measures to keep the facility in top condition especially as they host the sports festival, he said, “It has always been our culture to keep the stadium in good shape all round. In 2009 apart from the national stadium, this was the only stadium that had a natu-

ral turf to play. Other stadia because of poor maintenance, Jack Warner said they should go on astro-turf. So it is not a new thing for us. We would make sure the facilities are kept in place and it has always been our culture. There is no way the thing would go down. “The grass has just been replanted. After 2009 we regrassed the pitch. Now because we are hosting the National Sports Festival, we are regrassing again. The tartan track you are seeing is just two months old. Everything is new. We are getting set and you know what matters most is the playing turf. As you can see people are still working on the turf and we would make sure it is up to standard and what the national team would not have any complain to play on. As the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier between Nigeria and Rwanda kicks off in Calabar on September 6 it is hoped the magic which has lasted for so long would continue to ensure victory for the Super Eagles.

INCE assumption of office three years ago, what have been your major achievements? We have been able to extend and reinforce electricity infrastructure in many communities. We have completed about 109 projects in the last three years. The Power and Energy Ministry has done 300KV transformer installations, injector transformer were also installed. A 7.5 step-down in Abbi Community Ndokwa West and similar project at Olomoro, Isoko South and Ogume, Ndokwa West. Another 7.5 step-down is being completed at Eku,Ethiope East while another is being installed in Koko Warri North. For Eku and Koko you will agree with me that after rehabilitating the hospital at Eku and putting modern equipment there we will require better power infrastructure. The entire Eku community had a paltry 2.5 MVA so we are upgrading by over 300%, for Koko which is to become an industrial hub. Koko has never had proper power dedication so government is doing something significant there; for starters government is building a 7.5 MVA. At Orerokpe, entire community was in darkness when I assume office the community had a broken down 2.5 MVA, but government has since doubled that now they have a 5MVA.We have done a lot of 500 and 300 KVA transformer injections into the distribution network. The power sector before now has been under the exclusive list, and as such States precluded from investing but for Delta State power was a matter of responsibility because one cannot be hoping to build an economy devoid of power .So Delta State got involved because there was massive shortcomings from the federal level in terms of deliverables to our rural and urban areas, The State has invested about N2billion which the State government does not compensated for, either by way of tariff ,tax rebate , everything goes back to the public power provider. It was only when the deregulation began, that some State governments including ours cried out saying we had spent so much money on the power infrastructure and federal government was about to sell to private owners and thereby make money . So there was assets verification where we had a consultant go round the State and verify our claims. Delta government has been involved in distribution and generation .Overall, we have done a lot in the power sector and we have also taken it a notch higher by getting involved renewable energy. We engaged an international energy agency to do an energy mix analysis, which included solar, wind, waste and hydro resources of the State. What that means

•Emetulu

is that we are ready in case investors come we will have a starting point for them. We have a MoU with the Energy Commission of Nigeria this means that the State will be part of any new developments in the energy sector. We have embarked on a public enlightenment campaign on energy efficiency amongst the populace. Our solar projects have been beset with many problems including theft of solar batteries and vandalism. Also some of the solar projects were poorly done, but some are doing very well. We have signed a MoU with a Canadian-Saudi Arabian firm Sky power and Fast Energy to build power plants that is strictly solar. Delta State is going to generate about 1000 MW through this partnership. The firm will also build pockets of power plants across the State. We are in the process of sourcing land for the project and the company will invest their money. Delta ordinarily ought to be termed a lucky State with over 5 power plants that generate over 2000 MW of electricity but Delta gets only 100 MW due to government policy. But with the privatization programme in the power sector, Delta State realized that investors may only be interested in recouping their investments and will probably look at densely populated urban centres. But with our Delta beyond Oil initiative, government realised that our rural areas are the drivers of this policy. We know that we are going to rely on our rural communities if we are going to drive our Delta beyond Oil to be a success because farming ,fishing , are done in our rural communities, so what we did was to take the risk of investing in the companies who have bought into

the power sector. What informed government’s decision to buy a stake in the BEDC? The first drive was the huge investments by the state in the power sector. In the life of this civilian administration in Delta State, we have spent close to N60 billion. Delta State is in the Benin zone which comprises Edo, Ekiti and Ondo states. If government is going to sell, let’s invest in a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) and buy these plants. The four states came up with an SPV, but it did not work. What we did as a government was to reach out to those who succeeded and bought equities of over N5 billion in the distribution and generation companies. We bought equities in BEDC and EUROAFRIC and TRANSCORP. Will the IPP owned by the Delta State be completed before the end of the Uduaghan administration ? The IPP is on course. Civil works are going on. All the equipment we need are on ground. In another three, four weeks, the gantry, the turbines will be mounted .What were the challenges? Where it is now is the original site from the previous administration, but when Dr Uduaghan came on board another site was proposed that was by the river, this new site made much more economic sense than the previous one because it is close to Warri. Warri is the industrial base of the state. So, government went into negotiations with the community; engineering drawings have been drawn, EIA’s were done. At that time, the Rolls Royce turbines phase 3 , but at the point when we were to start, the community said they will not agree to the earlier agreement with government. For 2 years, it was back and forth with the community. Government had to take a decision to take the project back to the original site. Within that two years period, the equipment had gone to phase 4 and new drawings had to be done all over; everything had to be started afresh. The nature of turbines is not something you buy off the shelf; you pay fully before manufacturing starts. The turbines were manufactured in different continents. What was being made was customised .As at the time we came on board, the equipment had arrived. The challenge of the East-West road was real as the equipment was large. But we got them to a warehouse in Oghara, the next challenge was building of access road to the location of the IPP. There was this old colonial bridge whose dimension could not accommodate the heavy duty trucks hauling the equipment. We needed to construct a new bridge and a road. Since that time work has progressed rapidly. All of the equipment is in Delta State. In the life of this administration, the IPP will be completed.

Rivers community, clerics make case for Ogoni, Jonathan

OLITICS is in the air and there is no dull moment for socio-political groups. Even communities are seeking relevance in a game that will climax in 2015. In the spirits of 2015, Rivers community in Bayelsa State trooped out recently to announce their preferred candidates for the election year. Displaying placards and banners, members of the Rivers community under the aegis of the Federated Union of Rivers State Indigenes in Bayelsa (FURSIB) State marched the streets of Yenagoa. Under police protection, the enthusiasts chanted songs to create awareness about their mission. They are rooting for two persons - President Goodluck Jonathan for reelection and an Ogoni indigene for the Governor of Rivers State. In fact Prof. Don Baridam is their preferred candidate and they want him to run n the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). In unison, they asked President Goodluck Jonathan to stop foot-dragging and declare for his reelection in 2015. They also asked President Jonathan to support Prof. Don Baridam’s ambition to govern Rivers State in 2015 on the platform of PDP. The President of the group, Emman Ubaka, said Jonathan’s Transformational Agenda was being felt in critical sectors of the economy. He said: “And whereas key infrastructure such as roads, economic empowerment of citizens and improvement of the well being of Nigerians are effectively developed and promoted despite all the distractions.” “Nigerians have never had it so good until now and if

From Mike Odiegwu, Yenagoa

Jonathan achieved so much in less than four years it is obvious that if given a second term, he would achieve more and the glory of Nigeria will fully return.” He said the call on Jonathan to support Baridam was based on “fairness, equity and justice as the Ogoni ethnic group in Rivers State had not produced a governor, deputy governor nor speaker since the creation of Rivers State.” Ubaka said an Ogoni governor would give the ethnic group a sense of belonging and urged all other ethnic groups in Rivers State to throw their weight behind Baridam’s candidature. “We believe that Prof. Don M. Baridam represents equity, justice, peace and prosperity in Rivers State and will not antagonize the Federal Government or undermine the interest of the Southsouth zone.” The community is not the only voice. Clerics under the aegis of Concerned Clergies for Good Governance (CCGG) also asked Nigerians to bury their selfishness and follow divine direction to avert looming bloodshed in 2015 general elections. The National President of the group, Prophet Lawrence Okorie, in Yenagoa warned Nigerians against hauling insults against the President. Okorie, who claimed to have predicted the militancy in the Niger Delta in 2015, said the country was drenched in injustice and bloodshed.

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 22, 2014

NIGER DELTA REPORT BRIEFLY

FEATURE

Succour for Delta’s widows, elderly W

IDOWS and the elderly usually face tough times.And help rarely comes their way. But such help came the way of widows and the elderly in Delta State from the Christian Resource Centre and the Glory Sanctuary Christian Centre (GSCC), situated in Ogbobagbene, Burutu. They reached out to 2000 aged men and women as well as widows from more than 90 communities. It was to mark the fourth anniversary of the Christian Resource Centre. It was tagged “Widows and Aged Day of Honour/Thanksgiving”. To make the people smile, the organisation gave out a goody bag of items containing a bag of rice, a tin of vegetable oil, a packed bag of salt, Hollandes wrapper, Bible and cash. The coordinator of the centre, former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs and governorship hopeful in Delta State, Elder Godsday Orubebe, said the programme was part of a special commission given to him by God. According to him, giving is one of the

From Bolaji Ogundele, Warri

teachings of the Bible. He said: “God said this centre should be taking care of widows, orphans, the aged and the needy. That’s what we do in this centre. We take care of widows, we take care of orphans and we take care of the aged, from 70 years and above. Whatever the centre can do for them, we support them. You have seen the one of the widows now, it’s part of the project that we do from time to time, but this one is a major one with which we mark the anniversary on the 14th of August every year. “In what we are doing today, every widow or every aged is going home with a bag of rice, a tin of groundnut oil, a parked bag of salt, a new wrapper, the one they call Hollandes and then we give each one of them a Bible and then we add a little thing for them to use for transport and one or two other things. We are not bothered about the amount, we are only interested in how we can provide

•Orubebe addressing the beneficiaries

the little we can for them. Most of the things that we are doing in this place are donations from people who understand the meaning of giving.” The beneficiaries could not hide their joy. Madam Izonbere London, a widow, said: “Na go say make em give us as our husbands don die, em say make

we take and eat. We happy for am.” Also, Madam Akparakogbopade Adisanfo, another widow, who has seven children, all of whom are still living with her, said: “I don happy now, I come write my name to be part of the owner for this rice. E dey help me, I happy. This one go help us a little.”

Rivers workers plan for life after service

HE Trade Union Congress (TUC) in collaboration with Rivers State Government has expressed dissatisfaction over the increasing number of Civil Servants who retired hopelessly due to their inability to plan for retirement. They said it has become a habit by civil servant especially those who did not plan for their future to falsify their age as to remain on the job instead of going for retirement The TUC and Rivers State government agreed that there is need to introduce entrepreneurship skill development to equip workers to face the challenges of life after retirement. The Chairman Rivers State Civil Service Commission Ngo Martyns-Yellowe, and the President-General of Trade Union Congress (TUC) Comrade Bobboi Bala Kaigama, spoke in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital.

From Precious Dikewoha, Port Harcourt

The workshop, which was organised by Rivers State chapter of Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) with the theme “Entrepreneurship Skill Development and Pre-retirement”, was to sensitise the workers on the need to plan for their retirement. Martyns-Yellowe said workers should always know that they must retire and have no excuse not plan for their retirement. “Why would a worker condescend too low as to reduce his or her age to avert retirement? It is because such person has failed to understand that someday he or she will retire. The government of Rivers State is totally in support of entrepreneurship skills development for workers. “This idea will assist those

Participants at the workshop

who are about to retire to acquire certain knowledge that could help them after retirement. Workers must take the advantage of contributory Pension plan to ensure that he or she does not end up in the sick bed for high blood pressure” He added that workers who have three months to retire will not be part of the contributory Pension plan. He said the

workers under the new policy will contribute 8 per cent while the government will assist with 12 per cent as a way to encourage those who have the heart to embrace the policy. Kaigama, who is also the National President of Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), said: “You must not falsify your gage; in-

stead take good advantage of the workshop to equip yourself with the requisite tools that could assist your retirement. It is necessary to acquire manpower skill, so that as you retire you can have an alternative to continue to cope with the vagaries of life.”

Ex-militants root for Jonathan NIGER Delta ex-militants have warned politicians against playing politics with security issues. They are concerned about politicians’ handling of the Chibok girls abduction and the Boko Haram. Delta State Chairman, Amnesty Phase 2 Ex-militants, Kingsley Muturu, spoke with reporters in Warri, Delta State. He said the politics of Chibok girls and the Boko Haram phenomenon were orchestrated to frustrate President Goodluck Jonathan’s 2015 ambition. Muturu said the foreign assistance to find the Chibok girls is not producing the desired result. He added that efforts to stop Jonathan from seeking a second tenure would fail. Nigerians, he said, have witnessed Jonathan ‘s efforts to improve the security of life and property. He said: “A situation whereby a whopping number of girls abducted from a school without anybody knowing their whereabouts until now coupled with their states of origin, is appalling. Or are they all from Borno State? They should stop deceiving Nigerians and allow Jonathan to work for the people who voted him.” The ex-militants said they would continue to stand by Jonathan, urging him to be courageous in tackling security challenges bedeviling the nation. They called on the people of Niger Delta not to be deceived or used by desperate politicians. “They do all these things because of 2015 elections. There is no information from the world powers that came for the rescue of the girls. Everybody is keeping mum over the issue, politicking and manipulating information. It is all a ploy against Jonathan and his government. “We Niger Delta ex-agitators are solidly behind Jonathan for a second tenure. The insecurity situation in the country is a plan by a group of people, and Niger Delta agitators are keenly watching their diabolic activities against a President from the oilrich Niger Delta region, and we say we are watching.”

‘Why we use bamboo to produce toothpick at Anegbette’ Mr. John Yacim is the Group Head, Business Development of Pemo Groups, which produces toothpicks at Anegbette in Edo State. He was at the just concluded Edo State 2014 Trade Fair where he displayed products made from bamboo tree. OSAGIE OTABOR met him

HAT brought about bamboo furniture?

It was basically my desire and passion for production. We identified that bamboo is available in the country for production and we wonder why we keep on importing bamboo products like toothpick. We are still spending lots of foreign exchange importing toothpick. It is a shame to the country. Through Taiwanese technology, we have been able to bring in machines that made us to produce toothpick at Anegbette in Edo State. Presently, We are unable to meet the local demand of toothpick not to think of exporting our products. I only service Lagos and Kaduna and I have not been able to meet their demands. The Bank of Industry has come and they indicated interest to help me expand my machinery so that I can produce more toothpick for the country. With the expansion, it will create more employment and conserve foreign exchange by stopping importation of toothpicks. We have about seven product lines. They did not come in one day. We have the toothpick, chopstick, window blinds, furniture,

floor tiles based on customer’s demand and requirement. How did you start? We started with some N50m and bought machines gradually. We have over half a billion naira in terms of equipment. Seed money came in from contribution of some Nigerians who came together with a pool of fund. It is equity. The funds were from Nigerians who believe in me and in the business. I am a business development and finance consultant at the international level. I have the capacity to raise fund. We approached these men and they saw that it was viable, they saw the feasibility and the economic value. What does this mean to Nigerians? Businessmen should look inward. Every community, every village is endowed with natural resources. All we need is patience, identify them, make them less import dependent and then carry on. Why do you think people would prefer bamboo furniture to those made from wood? Bamboo products are durable. They have

undergone firing. The moisture content is only six percent. Water and weathering condition cannot affect it at all, it has been carbonised. It remains the way it is. You see the beauty of nature in bamboo. We are going into production of energy pillets that would be used by the Americans and Europe to generate heat in their homes. I am appealing that everybody in government should come and see what we are doing. What is your staff strength? We have 150 workers with 47 engineers inclusive. We are trying our best to make them happy. They are fully accommodated and a graduate goes home with about N60,000 at the end of the month in that village. How do you hope to keep your production line if bamboo becomes extinct? What we have right now can take us for many years. We are creating backward integration so that 30 years from now when we are gone, it will continue. An average bamboo we used is from four years and above. We know how to assess the matured ones. Bamboo belongs to the community where we

•Yacim

operate. Nobody grew bamboo. As it is cut down, another one comes out. There is no issue to bamboo survival. We pay royalty to the community. Banks should look into this area for long term loan. Bamboo also does not cause deforestation.

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 22, 2014

NIGER DELTA REPORT COMMENT & DEB ATE EBA

ET’S get this straight from the beginning. The man I write about is Julius 'the genius' Agwu. The same Julius Agwu you have probably attended his Crack Ya Ribs comedy shows or seen his comedy VCDs, which sell for as cheap as N100. You can even get the VCD for N70 at Alaba International Market on the outskirts of Lagos. Some years back, Julius Agwu was one of the many graduates of Theatre Arts trying to find their feet. He had always had a funny side and comedy came easy to him. Many who underwent the one-year National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme with him in Katsina, including my elder sister, said he cracked their ribs at the orientation camp. I understand that when he was still struggling, he squatted with ace actor Segun 'Oju' Arinze in his flat somewhere in Lagos. From Arinze's home, he tried his hands on some comedy and theatre stuffs. With time, comedy paid off and his story changed from that of grass to grace. After conquering the comedy world, it is time to move on. And what else is there to move on to other than politics? It took a lot of begging from his people for Agwu to finally take the bait. They pleaded and pleaded and sent delegations upon delegations before he deemed it right to join the crowded race for Rivers governor. The knee caps of some of the women involved in the begging almost peeled on the floor of his mansion before he decided to serve his people and help continue the legacy of his brother, Rotimi Amaechi. The message on Agwu's poster on the social media simply reads: “Our moment of change. Julius Agwu for governor. Rivers 2015.” You may never see the poster on the streets of Port Harcourt, where for four years he was a university student. Chances are that you won't see it also on the streets of Buguma or Finima. The world has gone digital and 'the genius' is taking advantage of this. There are so many platforms on the social media that it will soon become needless wasting money on billboards and posters and all those stuffs politicians do. 'The genius' is set to put that to test using the social media. Forget his height; it has nothing to do with being a governor. Pay less attention to his financial capacity to run for such an exalted office; he will disarm the people with his jokes and he will have their votes free of charge. For security reasons, he is not revealing the identities of his financial backers. Agwu has no political party. My mind tells me he wants to run as an independent candidate. Don't tell me the constitution does not allow it. What a genius will see sitting down, a fool will not see even with the aid of binoculars. What does he need a political party for anyway? Political parties are sources of headache, which 'the genius' can do without. Better still, he can run as a quasi-independent candidate by using

OLUKOREDE YISHAU

ABOVE WHISPERS

•A weekly intervention on Southsouth people

olukoredeyishau@gmail.com

Julius Agwu for governor ‘

The knee caps of some of the women involved in the begging almost peeled on the floor of Agwu’s mansion before he decided to serve his people and help continue the legacy of his brother, Rotimi Amaechi

•Agwu’s poster declaring for governor

a less popular platform like the Social Democratic Party (SDP), which had a dismal outing in the Osun governorship race by scoring a little over 400 votes. He stands no chance in the big parties in his state. In Rivers, there are two dominant parties: the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which already have power centres, which 'the genius' cannot break into. In the APC, Agwu stands no chance of clinching the party's ticket. The race is between two serving members of the National Assembly. And to add salt to injury, he will also find a bottleneck in his kinsman, Governor Rotimi Amaechi who has vowed that nobody from his area will

LAST WORD

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

‘

Across the Niger Delta, negative medical conditions, hitherto unknown to the locality, are being observed due to colossal environmental degradation from oil spills. That is a huge price for anyone to pay for the prosperity that people are enjoying in and out of Nigeria because of our oil __

‘

Major Lancelot Anyanya

‘

succeed him. Like Amaechi, Agwu is Ikwerre. Amaechi, by next May 29, would have been governor for about eight years. On this basis, he says he will not support any Ikwerre person to be governor. The PDP, whose ticket he could have sought, is a mad house. At the last count, there are some 20 men who have shown interest in being its governorship torchbearer. But the man who seems in control is Minister of State for Education Nyesom Wike. He helped install the Felix Obuahled executive council, which has not hidden where its loyalty lies. The others are not leaving anything to chance. Last weekend, some of them announced a breakfast meeting with the sole

agenda of ‘cutting Wike to size’. The Wike camp last weekend too, through an advertorial, condemned the breakfast meeting. So, with this sort of fire in PDP, Agwu needs a new order. He also does not need the brouhaha associated with which part of the state has the right to produce the governor after Amaechi. In over 15 years, the upland part of the state has been in charge. The riverine people, who are basically Ijaw, say it is their time. The Ogoni are also angling for the position. They say as the majority in Rivers Southeast the seat should be conceded to them. The riverine people have said this will amount to still keeping power in the upland part, which has had it since 1999. And they are screaming injustice. This is my advice to Agwu. First, he needs to rebrand by presenting himself simply as the third force and severing every ethnic tie. He should sell himself as the Rivers candidate. His manifesto should also show the power of comedy in disarming the Federal Government to give the state its dues. Federal roads in the state need attention. Agwu's manifesto should promise that he has got the skills to get the Presidency to fix these roads and other infrastructure pronto. The manifesto should also show that never again will Rivers be cheated of its rights. In fact, he can promise to get back the oil wells taken from the state through his comic skills. With Agwu as governor, the state will also be saving a lot of money. Never again will the state spend any kobo on any Master of Ceremonies (MC). Governor Agwu will play this role. All he needs do is to dash from the high table to the microphone stand as the need arises. The era of the state wasting money on stand-up comedians will also be gone. Agwu will also dish out comedy free of charge at government functions. And in case the state decides to go into filmmaking, Agwu's' training as a theatre artist will come into play. He will act, produce and direct at no cost to the state. He will also be able to get his colleagues to work on the production at a reduced rate. Since he can also sing, there will be no need to pay for the soundtrack. He will simply head for the studio and produce the soundtrack. And if you think this whole Agwu-for-Rivers-governor stuff is a joke, the 41-year-old Choba indigene, in an interview on his ambition, said: “Ever since that story broke, I have been receiving calls and getting text messages from people. Even on social media, people have been telling me to just stick with comedy. They think it's just another joke from me but it's not. I mean to contest in 2015. I am above 40, to be precise I am 41 and I doubt if those who go for governorship have two heads. I think it's high time youths realised they need to be part of the change that they so much desire and that's exactly what I am doing.” What more is there to say? All hail His Excellency Julius 'the genius' Agwu, the next governor of Rivers State.

BY BOLAJI OGUNDELE

East-West Road...The goal post is shifted again

N Nigeria, one of the most important roads is the East-West Road. It is a major connecting road for the Niger Delta states. It stretches from Delta, to , Akwa Ibom and Bayelsa states. Its bad state has affected the economic and social lives of the people living around that axis and the people using it. December this year was the deadly set for the completion of work on it. The Federal Government re-affirmed its commitment to ensuring the completion of the East-West Road last weekend. After inspecting the road for two days, Minister of Niger Delta Affairs Dr. Steve Oru stressed the need to showcase the achievements of the ministry on the strategic East-West Road. Oru explained that because of the importance of the road to the people of Niger Delta and Nigerians, some other on-going projects had been sacrificed to ensure the completion date was realised, adding: “Together as partners, we will complete the East-West Road project by December, 2014.” He added: “My mandate in the ministry is mainly to ensure the timely completion of the East-West Road. I appeal to the contractors handling the project to increase their tempo of work. The Federal Government will provide the fund to complete of the project. “With the level of commitment by this administration, the road would be completed by December, 2014. Some sections of the road have been completed and are due for handing over by the

contractors.” He said people cannot judge this administration on East-West Road alone. The minister, who said the Federal Government was committed to the development of the Niger Delta, sought the cooperation, support and collaboration of stakeholders in the region to nip in the bud pockets of threats and kidnapping of expatriates and excessive demands by communities from contractors which often result in work stoppage. He commended the contractor for the quality of ongoing work on Patani Bridge and assured that the ministry would support the company to enable them speed up work. But by the time the Director of Operations, Setraco Nigeria Limited, which is handling the Section 1 & 2 of the project (Warri-Patani BridgeKaiama Bridge-Ahoada-Port Harcourt), spoke it was evident that the minister’s expected delivery date may not be possible. Setraco’s Director of Operations Mr. Michael Angelo said the schedule time would be extended to December next year, meaning one more year of pain and anguish for users of the road. Oru, however, described the December 2015 being targeted by the contractor for the completion of the Kaiama Bridge, which is like the last bit of the job, as unacceptable. He added that Setraco had the expertise to mobilise more hands and materials toward an earlier completion. He urged the contractors handling the construc-

tion of the 870-meter Patani Bridge and the 750meter Kaiama Bridge to expedite action on their respective projects in order to fast track the completion of the road by December. The minister said: “I believe right now, you people always work in day time; if it is possible to work at night, we (Ministry) need your requirement and everything that can pump up the spirit and make the work move faster. And the ministry is ready to back the contractor up in actualising this dream.” On Section 3; (Port Harcourt – Eket) in Rivers/Akwa-Ibom states, Dr. Oru said that the quality of work done by Reynolds Construction Company (Nig.) Ltd. (RCC) so far has been very satisfactory while RCC promised to complete that section at due time. While on Eket-Oron, the Minister congratulated the Project Manager, GITTO handling the section 4 of East-West Road, Chief Ghanem Rasibel for doing a good job. “The tempo has however increased but still not to expectation, the completion is our priority,” he said. The way things are, it will be a miracle for Setraco to complete the work this December having asked for one year extension. It is doubtful if it can reverse its decision even by adding more hands and working 24 hours daily. In a nutshell, the goal post has been shifted and no one can vouch if it will not be shifted again. The pain continues and victory is certain!

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 22, 2014

SHOPPING

Consumers praise new Phantom Z phone

•A trader receiving free check-up at Medical Relief Centre.

PZ offers 2,000 Ibadan traders free medical check-up

HE queues to the Hot Robb Mobile Relief Cen tre were long. Those in the queue were mainly traders who came to partake in the free medical check-ups. It was a ceremony by PZ Cussons to activate one of its premier products, Hot Robb, at the famous Gbagi Market in Ibadan, the Oyo State Capital. The events included massaging of the joints and other parts of the body with the Robb, blood pressure (BP) check, free consultations and enlightenment on health-related issues from medics. Laboratory scientists, physiotherapists, doctors and nurses attended to ‘patients’. Products’ sampling, stole the show off other activities in the market, stalling trading as traders and members of the neighbourhood were enwrapped in the exercise. Scintillating fuji tunes wafted live from famous artiste, Saheed Osupa, who is well known in the city. Hot Robb, a premium painrelieving ointment, was used to massage hundreds of volunteers for all manner of pains under the watchful eyes of a physiotherapist. Oover 2, 000 benefited from the free medical check-ups. Dr. Sekinat Adebola, one of the Medical Consultants, who led the centre, could not hide her feelings about the good work of PZ Cussons and Hot Rob. In her words: “Providing the unique platform of a Medical Relief Centre for free medical check-ups in a place like this is a charitable gesture for which PZ Cussons’ Hot Robb should be applauded. It is good for the public, especially traders, who hardly go on holidays, to enjoy this type of ser-

vice; they need to know their health status, what to do or medications to apply, where necessary. Any platform that can afford them free access to medical enlightenment as this is a commendable corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative that other institutions should emulate.” A trader in the market and a beneficiary of the free medical check-up, Alhaji Oladimeji Abdulganiyu, lauded the Hot Robb exercise, describing the free medical services as laudable. He said though the exercise impeded trading, whatever they lost in sales they gained in the free medical services. Mrs. Racheal Olalekan, a resident of Bodija, said: “From now on, I will be applying all I have been told here today. The medical people have advised me on the need for regular walkout and active healthy lifestyle, among others, which I hope to imbibe, the turnout is unbelievable and they attended to us all, we are grateful to PZ and Hot Robb.” James Oladipo, another trader in the Gbagi Market, who got massaged, said: “I am most grateful to Hot Robb. I feel more relief now. I have been struggling with the pains around my right knee for days; it is certain that if I continue to apply Hot Robb the way they have done and instructed me now, the pain will go forever.” Mr. Oladimeji Muyideen, a computer accessory dealer in the market, said: “This PZ Cussons’ Hot Robb activation is innovative and great. We now know that the company has the love of traders and buyers at heart; apart from the musician they have brought here to entertain us and afford

us the opportunity to relax and enjoy ourselves, the free medical check-up and consultations are wonderful, they did their homework very well, bringing these things to our door steps the way they have done is innovative, you can see the mammoth crowd here, we are grateful to them.” Brand Manager, Robb, Mr. Aro Olalekan, said the Mobile Relief Centre was designed to further bring the unique values and promises of Hot Robb to the public, adding that the free product sampling and massaging was meant to assure the consumers that the brand can deliver on its promises. “Hot Robb,” he said, “is specially made for muscular aches and pains while Robb Original is for cold, nasal congestion and mild pain.” Also, Marketing Manager, PZ Cussons, Mr. Charles Nnochiri, who said the campaign would be taken to other parts of the country, assured that Hot Robb will be available to all, adding that the ointment has given consumers quality choice that would deliver on their expectations. “ R o b b O r i g i n al, as we all knows it to be, is a medicated ointment to give relief from symptoms of cold and nasal congestion and relief from mild aches and pain. Hot Robb is the hot balm that uses fast penetrating and deepreaching heat to give relief from aches and pains, Hot Robb is positioned as the balm for cold, nasal congestion and mild pain, those, who don’t like massive heat, may use Robb Original while those who prefer faster penetration should go for Hot Robb,” Nnochiri advised. He added that the PZ Cussons’ Robb is the leading brand in the medical segment.

OBILE phone brand, Tecno Mobile, took an other leap in moving their brand forward with the introduction of its new smartphone – Tecno Phantom Z. The gadget is designed for individuals with high demand for smart phones; it is user-friendly with a big screen, slim business style and its available at all authorised Tecno mobile retailers across Nigeria. It is a superior smartphone with high-end performance and a better user experience. Tecno Mobile has been in the news of late. It has been creating low end Android phones that have become popular among the masses. Today, people can afford to buy Tecno Smart phones for the same cost as popular feature phones in the market. Android phones from Tecno have made it possible for more Nigerians to migrate from feature phones to smartphones. Other features include; Android 4.4 KitKat, MediatekMTK6592 Octa core processor, 450 GPU, 5.23 1080p Full HD AMOLED Display, 32GB inrernal memory, 2GB RAM, 3030mAh battery, 7.8mm thickness, 16MP rear camera, 8MP front, both have a flash and Autofocus, Dual SIM Dual Standby, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Wide viewing angles, and 15 camera scene modes and a Faux leather back cover However, producers of the phone say they always endeavour to provide suitable products to the consumer based on market demand stating that there is no doubt that peoples’ demand from Smartphones is met in the new Phantom Z. On the other hand, phone lovers say their dream high-end smart phone has finally come as they have often imagined a smart phone with an ultra-thin dimension only 7.8mm thick. They say they love the phone because of its feature of being able to accommodate extreme detail. Apart from that, the phone has a dual flash, dual 16MP Auto-focus back and 8.0MP Autofocus front cameras. The phone has a crisp display, which can be likened to that of a 5.2" Full-HD AMOLED screen covered in anti-scratch corning gorilla glass. The smart phone which is exquisite in design, brilliant in finishing with luxurious leather back folding; (DolbyTM) carries a sound engineering and monster battery life of 3030mAh battery. With this device, every pixel counts; the phone has 1920x1080 resolutions and every selfie taken is perfect. Phantom Z is the world’s first true octa-core smart phone.This TECNO mobile newest revelation runs on Android’s Kit-KatTM, the wonder device gives 32GB ROM

Famous Grouse Whisky rewards customers

AMOUS Grouse whisky is rewarding its customers. The experiential marketing campaign tagged ‘Be part of something famous’ , which started in the beginning of the year, is built around Mystery shoppers team cladded in Scottish attires, visiting outlets rewarding shoppers who pur-

chase two or more bottles of the whisky with refrigerators, home theatres, standing fans, DVDs, pressing iron, T-shirts, among other incentives Famous Grouse is a blended scotch whisky, which contains fine single malt, including two of the world’s most revered - the Macallan and Highland Park -

has 43 per cent alcohol. The brand is the highest selling scotch in Scotland and the United Kingdom. Many customers who have benefited from this reward praised the brand for its laudable marketing strategy, which they said, would further create more market for the brand. •Phantom

storage for work and play powered by 2.0GB RAM at super speed of up to 2.0GHz. Making mobile gaming and movie experience unique with up to 40% more battery life than other smart phones. Talking about smartness and how to use the phone’s exciting short-cuts and favourite functions such as when the screen is taped, it weakens the phone, when a ‘W’ is swap on the screen; it takes the user to Whatsapp application. When he/she waves over the phone sensor to pick an incoming call, there is an automatic pick up. When a ‘M’ is swap, it is time to enjoy a Dolby TM sound and to make a trending selfie, ‘C’ can be swap on the wide angle camera. The Phantom Z is, arguably, the high-end smart phone of the year as mobile phone analytics are impressed with its specs. A cordial gesture from TECNO mobile which phone lovers are familiar with is that there is a reward for every techno product one purchase, for instance, the new Phantom Z is comes with a free smart view cover and a 5200mAh power bank for every purchase. The phone brings speed, it has an iný built 2.0GHz Octaý coreý(ý8ý)ý Cortexý A7 processor making the device delivers unmatched multitasking and fluid performanceý.ý The powerful 16MP BSI back Camera with Dual Flash makes the TECNO Phantom Z the perfect device to capture those wonderful momentsý.ý an added advantage to this phone is that, it records full HD videos with great qualityý.ý The 8MP BSI front camera with flash brings more excitement to video calling and better quality for selfiesý.ý it also comes with amazing social apps like Facebooký,ý Twitterý,ý Palmchatý,ý BBM and Skype, all preloaded on the device. The Nation Shopping spoke to some users of the new techno Phantom Z phone. Eze Ike said: “It is indeed a wonderful phone. I wonder how they succeeded in making it so affordable. Saw the phone yesterday and I fell in love with it.” Aruna Femi said: “I just bought the Phantom Z phone and discover it can deliver everything and much more, truly it is a great device, well done techno, well done.” Nnena Arinze said: “A friend introduced techno Phantom Z to me. I love the phone, it is just perfect for me.” Consumers are getting more interested in smart phones and Nigeria is not left out of the smartphone revolution. Techno products are improving due to its extensive commitment to research and development with the Tecno facility in France. The company will stop at nothing but to continue to introduce more smartphones to the market.

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 22, 2014

THE NATION

BUSINESS

AGRICBUSINESS

e-mail: agrobusiness@thenationonlineng.net

Financing is a major challenge for farmers. They cannot get loans to improve yields, protect soil resources and expand their businesses. To stakeholders, the way out is for farmers’ organisations, financial institutions, government bodies and other institutions to explore new possibilities to promote a paradigm shift in agricultural finance. DANIEL ESSIET writes.

Making agro financing easy D

O farmers have the capacity to produce food in abundance?Yes,they do,say experts,who argue that the agricultural sector has vast untapped potential which can satisfy the country’food requirement. There will also be sufficient to export. Though farming is considered a stable source of income that can be managed by small and large scale farmers, many do not consider the practice as a business entity. Many of those involved in small and large scale farming are not utilising the potential to achieve maximum profits that can transform their lives. The farmers face diverse challenges which hamper their ability to produce more from their land. Lack of access to credit has been identified as the major constraint. Worst hit by this challenge are small owners and poor farmers who find it hard to buy fertiliser and input to improve their yields. To them, farming is a risky business. In most states, small farmers do not have access to modern agricultural machinery that can help increase their productivity and improve food security and incomes. Many farmers cannot afford new tractors and there are few rental opportunities. This is linked to lack of access to credit. Because of this, they have no choice but to continue farming without the benefit of modern equipment. In cases where the loans are available, its cost is too expensive for rural small owners to take advantage of. They rarely can meet the rigid collateral requirements or pay back the loan within the typical short-term lending periods. A consultant to the World Bank, Prof Peter Bola Okuneye, said the agric sector has not received enough financial support from the banking sector. He, however, attributed this to the failure of the Federal Government to increase investments in agriculture to 10 per cent of its national budget. He explained that Nigeria and other African countries, in 2003, committed themselves to the African Union Maputo Declaration on Agriculture and Food Security to set aside 10 per cent of their national budgets for agricultural development. But, nine years on, just eight countries have fulfilled their promise. Nigeria is not among them. On the average, Okuneye noted that public agriculture expenditures have not risen to over 2.5 per cent per year, signalling less recognition of the sector as an engine of growth and poverty reduction. Added to this is high interest rate which is the biggest risk for farmers where they have little access to loans. This is because a simple change in interest rates can wipe out their profit margins. Where the small farmers have access to loans, they do not have the collateral required to take advantage of it without using land or other assets. Nationwide, Okuneye said farmers lack access to financial services, many of them live in rural areas. In other climes, such access help them get better input, better farm-

ing, higher yields and better returns. But this has not been possible here. This leaves them in a poverty trap which they struggled to escape from. An expert said one way out is by participating in out growers schemes. It is one of the most common ways farmers get access to credit. Under out grower programmes, firms provided seeds and input on loans, together with extension services to improve productivity. Generally, credit for input is tied to commodity sales at harvest. Prices paid for the harvest supposedly reflected international prices. However, it is only viable for a few selected cash crops. As a result, many farmers are left out. As a developing economy, Okuneye said government must spend increasingly more on agriculture if it is to take the sector out of the woods. Such investment, he said, has the potential to create jobs and raise rural incomes, particularly by promoting uptake of improved production techniques and greater use of inputs. Chief Operating Officer, Centre for Cocoa Development Initiative, and spokesperson for the Cocoa Association of Nigeria, Mr Robo Adhuze, said not much has been done to better the lot of rural farmers. He sees how farmers suffer during harvest. In some rural areas, harvest times, are both days of plenitude and peril for poor farmers. The products are weighed and paid for in cash or cheque. In most of the rural areas, there are no banks. Farmers have to travel far on dusty, unpaved roads to cash checks or deposit cash in town. That makes them targets for robbers. Adhuze does not appreciate it. He therefore canvassed the need for mobile finance providers to break into rural areas to expand market share and achieve nationwide presence. For him, the agricultural sector is entry point into these communities, given the keenness of commodity buyers to move away from inefficient and more expensive cash payments to producers. With cash transactions comes the increased risk of theft and violence, high transportation costs and greater possibility for corruption. Adhuze urged the government to embed mobile finance services into the agricultural supply chain. The key to this is leveraging the corporate procurement policies of large buyers. To enable rural farmers benefit from such arrangements , he urged the government to look

•Farmers using mobile payment service

•Adesina

•Ogunwale

•Okuneye

at diverse ways of integrating mobile finance solutions into the agricultural supply chains. With more and more entrants into the mobile finance market, the choice for rural customers looks set to grow. According to him, emerging innovations in mobile finance are revolutionising the agricultural value chain, will give farmers greater access to a range of financial services. It encompasses not only mobile money and mobile banking but other alternative delivery channels such as e-vouchers, debit cards, smart cards, branchless banking, ATMs and point-of-sale devices. With mobile banking service, he said buyers are allowed to transfer payments to growers’ bank accounts via text messages on their mobile phones, while funds can be withdrawn using a bank card at electronic funds transfer machines, at automated teller machines (ATMs), bank branches, or at local shops that operate as agents for the bank. To make it work, there should be a network of agents offering the service in rural areas close to where the cocoa growers live and work. This saves farmers time and

money, enabling them to focus on tending their land, raising productivity, rather than worry about transporting money. Without the presence of a financial institution, Adhuze believes such innovations may be the way forward for rural finance, at least for small farmers. The number of Nigerians suggesting that mobile financial tools be used to facilitate more agricultural credit, savings, insurance, transfers or payments increases daily. Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Akinwunmi Adesina, agrees. According to him, by deploying mobile finance represents a paradigm shift for agricultural value chain finance. He said the government is doing a lot to improve the lot of local farmers. Addressing the global forum on “Revolutionising finance for agricultural value chains in Africa’’ at the Kenya School of Monetary Studies in Nairobi, Kenya, Adesina cited the use of the electronic wallets through which farmers pay subsidised amount of money to banks to get coupons to buy fertiliser and other inputs from accred-

ited agro-dealers. Since the agro-dealers get their full pay from the subsidy from the government and what farmers pay, they have been committed to helping farmers grow their businesses, even offering extension services. Nigeria is the first in Africa, and in the world, to develop the electronic wallet system for reaching farmers with subsidised farm inputs on mobile phones, he said. He said: “The impact is reaching well beyond Nigeria. Several African countries, as well as others in emerging markets like India, Brazil and China have expressed interest in adopting the electronic wallet system in their own countries. Nigeria, which used to have a terribly corrupt fertiliser system, is now exporting transparency.” Adesina, however, explained that lending is skewed to larger agribusinesses, while smallholder farmers, commercial farmers and other small and medium size enterprises are unable to access affordable financing. He added that Nigeria’s bank lending to the sector was expected to hit 7.5 per cent by next year and 10 per cent by 2015. With banks’ yeraly total lending portfolio standing at over N8 trillion, he said the agric sector is expected to get N600 billion this year and N800 billion next year. He said financial institutions would not lend to businesses they do not find viable. “Therefore there is a greater need to ensure that, through strategic reforms, agribusinesses become wealth creator. “This is a good way to tackle some of the major impediments that create both real and perceived risks which deter greater financing to agriculture,” he said.

‘With mobile banking service, buyers are allowed to transfer payments to growers’ bank accounts via text messages on their mobile phones, while funds can be withdrawn using a bank card at electronic funds transfer machines, at automated teller machines (ATMs), bank branches, or at local shops that operate as agents for the bank’

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 22, 2014

AGRICBUSINESS Cocoa records seven per cent increase

HE United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) said Nigeria has recorded a seven per cent increase in cocoa production forecasts to almost 300,000 tonnes for 2013/14, adding that the success of local cocoa farmers in achieving UTZ certification was “shoring up demand and prices for Nigerian cocoa at the international market”. According to USDA, “over the last five years, Nigerian grower prices increased more than 50 per cent to the average” of US$3,000/ tonne. This is supporting efforts to rehabilitate abandoned farms and extend the area under cocoa. Under its Cocoa Transformation Action Plan, the government is looking to expand cocoa production by 40 per cent to 500,000 tonnes by 2015. The country has vast land resources suitable for cocoa production, but the broader innovations that government programmes have tried to promote

have not yet taken off. In a report, USDA identified a range of factors limiting cocoa production in Nigeria to include: the scarcity and high costs of farm labour, the non-availability and low utilisation of fertiliser, climate change, poor road access in major cocoa-producing area and insufficient levels of input subsidies in support of farm-level investments, due to weaknesses in delivery mechanisms. The USDA believes the next year’s production target is unlikely to be attained. The Department also observed that local processing of cocoa increased between 2010 and 2012, fuelled by an export incentive rebate programme, but that the suspension of this programme in 2012 “following ‘sharp practices’ in cocoa export reporting by certain exporters” has subsequently discouraged local processing.

Council seeks more fertiliser allocation

HE Chairman,Kabo Local Government Area in Kano State, Alhaji Murtala SulenGaro, has appealed to the Federal Government to allocate more fertiliser to farmers in the area. Sulen-Garo made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kabo Town on Wednesday. He said the appeal became necessary because the 11,780 bags of fertiliser allocated to the area were inadequate due to the large number of farmers in the area. He said that only 5,890 out of over 11,000 registered farmers in the area benefitted from the Federal Government’s fertiliser policy this cropping season. “We received 11,780 bags of fertiliser but only 5,890 out of more than 11,000 registered farmers received the commodity this year. “Most of our people in this area are local farmers who rely solely

on government’s subsidised fertiliser and other inputs,’’ he said. The chairman also called on the Federal Government to review the mode of distribution of the commodity as most of the local farmers had no cell phones with which to receive the text messages. “The whole aim is to assist local farmers to access the commodity, but not all the farmers have cell phones. “Any farmer who does not have cell phone should be able to collect the commodity at the redemption centres, provided he is a genuine farmer,’’ he said. He expressed optimism that if the programme was reviewed, it would help in alleviating the sufferings of local farmers. “The scheme is good but there is need for government to review it with a view to achieving total success,’’ he said

‘How to stop trans boundary animal diseases’

CONSULTANT to the World Bank, Prof Abel Ogunwale has urged the Federal Government to be vigilant in the face of trans boundary animal diseases that can affect livestock and human beings. Ogunwale, a lecturer in Agricultural Extension and Rural Development, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Ladoke Akintola University, said the best way to protect animals against these diseases is to improve border checks and strengthen biosecurity on farms. He stressed the need to provide significant support to enhance capacities of animal health authorities to play a significant role in making the country better prepared against the threat of transboundary animal diseases. These include high impact infectious diseases, including foot and

Stories by Daniel Essiet

mouth disease and avian influenza, such as H5N1 and H7N9 that can spread easily across national boundaries. He said the mechanism and structure, the governance of animal health systems should be improved to provide the most effective response to address livestock diseases. As the threat of animal diseases is evolving, driven by various factors, Ogunwale said the situation requires continued vigilance and more work to give the capability to prevent and respond appropriately to them. While urging vigorous control measures, temporary closure and disinfection of animals markets and other rapid response interventions, Ogunwale noted that it was imperative to carry out and maintain targeted surveillance in animal populations to understand

where and how widespread out breaks are. He stressed that it was important to understand risk factors, identify the animal source of diseases, geographical extent and the characteristics of animal diseases. According to him, good biosecurity and hygiene measures implemented by farmers, livestock producers, transporters, market workers and consumers represent the first and most effective way to protect the food chain and human health as well as livelihoods. Underscoring the importance of continuing surveillance and strong biosecurity to protect animal and human health, livelihoods and consumer confidence, Ogunwale called for surveillance infrastructure and capacities for the early detection and identification of diseases.

Poultry group warns against dumping

HE poultry industry has expressed fears that cheaper products being imported or dumped into the market can lead to its collapse. Speaking with The Nation, the Vice-President(Agriculture) Association of Small Business Owners Of Nigeria(ASBON), Mr Stephen Oladipupo, said smugglers were dumping poultry products into the market can be sold at a much lower price than local products. As a result, he said the poultry industry was in need of support from the government to avoid a collapse of the industry, as the threat of cheaper products being opportunistically imported or dumped in the market adds more pressure to keep costs down. Oladipupo said local producers

are experiencing now with the influx of cheap smuggle chicken that are undercutting them on price and capable of putting them out of business. Calling on the government to address smuggling,he indicated it had already caused a slowdown in the regular growth of the poultry sector.” According to him, poultry producers are losing money as smuggled poultry imports flood the market. He said poultry farmers are struggling with high production costs, including increase in chicken feed and erratic electricity and fuel costs,. The numbers are leading to a drop in profits that is pushing some farmers out of business.

For this reason,he called on the government to come up with a poultry policy that will address subsidies, standardisation mechanisms, treatment and market structures to curb losses and exploitation. He explained that It was not sustainable for the poultry sector to keep absorb these costs on a longterm, and many small and medium operations might not be able to continue their business. He called upon the government to impose stricter regulations to protect the local producers. Stressing the need to revamp poultry industry, he said there is vital to enable farmers produce day-old chicks, high quality animal feeds and other poultry products.

Anambra acquires 200,000 hectares for agric

HE Anambra Land Acquisition Committee said it had acquired more than 200,000 hectares of land for the state government’s agricultural transformation scheme. The Interim Chairman of the committee, Igwe Chukwuemeka Ilouno, said this in an interview in Onitsha. He said the governor, Willie Obiano, was committed to investing massively in agriculture and had gone ahead to procure some of the needed input in furtherance of the scheme. “We have just too many lands and more; what is holding us back now is surveyors. “We need a lot of surveyors to come and survey the lands that had been given so that we can sign MoU (Memoranda of Understanding) with various communities that have donated land. “Because previously these lands were never surveyed. So this is exactly the situation we are in.

“And by the time we finish surveying, the governor can have hundreds of thousands of hectares of land available for cultivation. “We already have more than 200,000 hectares. “The governor has just waved his hands and said any land that is donated would be cultivated. “He has already been able to secure 150 tractors, 15 million bundles of cassava cuttings and a lot of rice seedlings and fish fingerlings. “So, he is ready to invest in agriculture.That is what he had shown. “It is not only him investing, he is inviting international investors, local investors to come and he will give them land to bring in whatever they have to cultivate.“ The chairman, who is also Chairman of Anambra Central Traditional Rulers Council, appealed to all communities in the state to key into the scheme to wipe out hunger, unemployment, and crime in the state.

‘Establish cooperatives societies’

HE Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources in Cross River has directed immediate establishment of 10 cooperative societies in each of the 18 local government areas of the state. The Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Mr James Aniyom, gave the directive at a stakeholders’meeting in Calabar. “The purpose of the cooperatives is to coordinate and monitor all projects within and those coming into the state for such cooperatives. “We need real farmers and not imaginary ones who benefit from

farm produce and collect loans, yet have no farm to show for it,” he said. He said such cooperatives should cover rice, cassava, fishery, vegetables, livestock and aquaculture. He also directed the publication of all cooperatives in the state, including their location, saying that this would stimulate synergy among the cooperatives societies. According to him, the Cross River Government is keen on having a database of farmers in the state and what they produce. He promised to reach out to all ‘genuine’farmers and monitor their farms to provide them with logistics support when necessary.

• IITA Youth Agripreneurs at a banana-plantain multiplication chamber in IITA

IITA to train youths

HE International Institute of Tropical Agriculture Youth Agripreneurs (IITA Youth Agripreneurs) have concluded plans to train and empower youths from Borno State. The proposed three-week training, which comes up next month, will equip youths with knowledge on modern agricultural practices and entrepreneurial skills that will make them selfdependent and create wealth. “What we intend to do is actually use agriculture to solve some of the social problems in most societies of Africa including poverty and hunger,” IITA’s Director-General,Dr Nteranya Sanginga, said. The programme will draw from the experiences and successes of the IITA Youth Agripreneur model, and will be

conducted by youths that have been trained and empowered by IITA. “Over the last few years we have seen that it is more effective for youths to train youths. And we want to use this approach to bring more youths to agriculture, take them off the job market, and reinstate stability in our communities,” Dr Sanginga added. Established over two years ago, the IITA Youth Agripreneur program uses teaching, mentoring and practical demonstrations of modern agriculture to attract youths into agribusiness. The primary goals are to attract to the sector the necessary young and vibrant human capital by making farming profitable, thereby creating wealth and the most needed jobs in the society.

“By engaging Borno youths in agriculture, we envision to solve the problem of youth restiveness in that state, and make the state one of the major food exporters in the country,” Dr Alfred Dixon, Project Leader for the IITA-managed project on Sustainable Weed Management Technologies for Cassava Systems in Nigeria said. Under the training, which has strong financial support from N2Africa–toBorno project, 16 youths from Borno State will be trained for three weeks for a start. It will involve lectures, onfield practicals, and interactive sessions and group exercises. IITA Youth Agripreneur, Ms Evelyn Ohanwusi, said: “We are happy to meet our peers in Borno state. We will be sharing knowledge with them so that they can better their lives.”

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 22, 2014

BUSINESS INTERNATIONAL Argentina unveils U.S. debt plan

RGENTINA’S president has announced plans for a debt swap to try to avoid a United States U.S. court ruling that pushed Argentina into a second default. An emotional Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner proposed legislation that would return control of its debt to the government. “Excuse me if I get a little nervous, I usually have more poise,” she said. A New York court last month blocked an interest payment to bondholders as a result of a row with U.S. investors. The $539million payment was for bonds, issued under U.S. legislation, that were restructured following Argentina’s default in 2002. The draft legislation would replace Bank of New York Mellon as the bondholders’ trustee with state-run Banco Nacion, which would enable Argentina to pay the interest owed to the majority of bondholders who agreed to the deal. Bank of New York Mellon has been forbidden from transferring funds.

Ms de Kirchner has refused to give in to the “hold-outs” demanding full payment and said the new voluntary deal would be in line with the terms of agreements made in 2005 and 2010. More than 90 per cent of creditors agreed to accept large losses at the time. “If bondholders decide - in individual or collective form - to ask for a change of the legislation and jurisdiction of their bonds ... the economy ministry is authorised to implement a swap for new public bonds under local legislation,” Ms de Kirchner added. “I really feel we are living a moment of great injustice in Argentina.” However, analysts said the move dashed hopes that Argentina could strike a deal with the hedge funds demanding full payment and allow the country to move out of default and return to global capital markets.

IFP posts first loss in four years HE Institute of Financial Planning (IFP) posted £17,589 pretax loss last year due to increased costs and lower than expected membership. In for the year the IFP made a pretax loss, which it branded ‘disappointing’ following four years of consecutive profits. In 2012 it posted a pre-tax surplus of £60,828 after doubling its income from education and qualification fees in the run-up to the retail distribution review (RDR). The Financial Planning Standard Board UK, a wholly owned subsidiary of the IFP that awards qualifications, made a profit of £2,706. This compares to a pre-tax surplus of

£22,142 in 2012, and was not enough to offset losses in other parts of the professional body’s business. The IFP said the consolidated deficit was disappointing after four years of consistent surplus, but was covered by reserves in its profit and loss accounts. Membership of the IFP rose to 2,046 with growth in the numbers of accredited firms. Chief executive Steve Gazzard said the membership increase was lower than hoped for but that advisers had been distracted by platform changes and moving their clients to customer agreed remuneration models following the RDR. He said: ‘2013 saw an increase in

membership access the board but it was not as high as we would have liked. The RDR has been good for us, but it has taken longer for advisers to realise we have such strong intellectual property around working in the fee-based environment, it has taken advisers time to work out we are what they need. Though they have had other focuses; they had a platform focus last year and moving client to customer agreed remuneration.’ Gazzard said the IFP’s move to new office premises also had an impact. ‘If you are running a £2 million turnover then it doesn’t take much of an increase in costs or income to push that into profit or loss,’ he said.

CWG, MTN XaaS power Diamond Y’elloAccount

OMPUTER Warehouse Group (CWG) Plc has extended the MTN XaaS platform to power the Diamond Y’elloAccount in collaboration with Diamond Bank and MTN Nigeria. The technology firm said it is to further drive the cashless initiative of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). MTN XaaS runs on indigenous software from CWG designed to provide efficient cloud based banking services. Diamond Y’elloAccount is a mobile banking product built on MTNXaas platform to enable MTN subscribers, including the unbanked and under-banked populace in Nigeria enjoy the banking services from Diamond Bank. The Diamond Y’elloAccount allows automatic account opening just at the dial of *710# by all MTN subscribers, presently put at 58.4 million. During the launch of this innovative service, the Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer, Diamond Bank, Dr. Alex Otti, said the move was aimed at deepening the cashless initiative, considering that only about 40 million out of the estimated over 150 million Nigerians have been banked. He said the development would afford millions of Nigerians who have mobile phones but are alienated from banking activities due to procedures to seamlessly key into the formal banking system. Chief Technology Officer, CWG, Mr. James Agada, said Diamond Y’ello Account is riding on indigenous technology provided by the CWG. He said: “This technology and many others in the pipeline which

By Lucas Ajanaku

include our SMERP platform, our PosApp solution and our teleport services all form part of the CWG 2.0 initiative where we are working with several partners to deploy solutions and services to the wider MSME and consumer markets. ‘’The teleport services have been announced with SES and will democratise digital broadcasting in Nigeria. Partners such as MTN and Diamond Bank are making these initiatives real. We expect CWG 2.0 to be a transformative programe for not just CWG but also the national economy.” Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, MTN Nigeria, Mr. Michael Ikpoki, said the telco was ready to absorb the anticipated surge into its digital solutions, allaying fears of disruptions. During the MTNXaas launch, founder/Chief Executive Officer, CWG Mr. Austin Okere said MTNXaaS is one of the technology platforms that the firm provides for operation enhancement. He said: “This is the beginning of so many innovations we are going to unveil; we are going to look at hospitals, hotels, insurance and all those who are locked out of being able to provide competitive services due to IT deficiency. We will develop suitable technology that will enhance their business growth. CWG and MTN will break the digital barrier.”

Standard Chartered to pay fresh penalty

TANDARD Chartered has agreed to pay $300million (£180million) to New York’s top banking regulator for failing to improve its money laundering controls. The British bank has also been banned from accepting new dollar clearing accounts without the state’s approval. The penalty comes after the bank failed to fix problems identified in 2012. “If a bank fails to live up to its commitments, there should be consequences,” the New York State Department’s Benjamin M Lawsky said. Standard Chartered said it “accepted” the findings of the New York State Department of Financial Services. “We are continuing the remediation of our AML (antimoney laundering) control issues with the utmost urgency, in addition to improving our compliance

programmes generally,” it added. It said a “small proportion” of its clients would be affected by the suspension of dollar clearing for high risk retail clients at its Hong Kong unit, and the banning of high-risk client relationships in the United Arab Emirates. Independent financial analyst Francis Lun told the news agency AFP the fine would have a negative impact on the bank’s reputation and international business. “It’s really an oversight on the part of Standard Chartered. They’d already paid a huge penalty [and] still installed a system that is useless,” Mr Lun said. “It will create tremendous problems with their international clients who cannot settle their accounts in US dollars. It will be a serious blow to Standard Chartered group’s international business,” he added.

• From left: Representative of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Adedeji Adesemoye; founder & Group CEO, Computer Warehouse Group Plc, Austin Okere; Chief Enterprise Solutions Officer, MTN, Babatunde Osho; National Chairman, National Association of Microfinance Banks (NAMB); Jethro Akun, Chairman, NAMB, Lagos State, Valentine Whensu, during the launch of MTNXaas in Lagos.

Russia tensions hit Carlsberg sales

ALES at the Danish brewer Carlsberg have been hit by falling consumption in Russia and Ukraine. Russia beer volumes declined by between six per cent and seven per cent in the second quarter due to the “uncertain macroenvironment” and “weak economic development”, Carlsberg said. Ukrainian beer consumption dropped 10 per cent amid the crisis in Eastern Europe. Carlsberg warned that its yearly profits would be likely to decline as a result. “In Eastern Europe, our teams are doing an excellent job mitigating the impact of the current market challenges,” said Carlsberg chief executive Jorgen Buhl Rasmussen. “Unfortunately, we believe the Eastern European beer markets will be impacted further as consumers are facing increased challenges and this will impact the group’s profits negatively this year,” he added.

Carlsberg’s Baltika beer brand has the largest chunk of the Russian beer market. However, its market share declined by 1.2 per cent in the quarter to 37.4 per cent, after the brewer introduced smaller pack sizes. In Ukraine, sales were affected by a beer tax increase of 43 per cent, Carlsberg added. Morten Imsgard, an analyst from Sydbank said: “The overall performance in the second quarter looks fine, but they (Carlsberg) are downgrading their guidance due to the macroeconomic uncertainty in the Eastern European region. So it is a mixed bag.” Russia and the West have implemented sanctions against each other over the Ukraine crisis. The West has accused Russia of supporting pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine. Despite the tensions, Carlsberg’s rival Heineken reported “strong brand growth” in Russia in the first half of the year.

Its premium Heineken brand grew by more than 5% in central and eastern Europe in the period. Nevertheless, the Russian beer market remained “quite challenging” due to yearly tax increases, a Heineken spokesperson said. Heineken has a 12 per cent share of the Russian beer market. In Russia, Heineken’s group beer sales fell by 4.2 per cent in the halfyear. “Beer market conditions in Russia remain challenging reflecting the impact of weaker economic growth, lower consumer confidence and adverse legislation,” Heineken said. Overall, Heineken said its sales volumes had benefitted from the effect of the World Cup. However, Heineken’s net profit dropped 1.3 per cent to 631million euros (£504million) in the first half. Profits were affected by the cost of business reorganisation in Western Europe, changes to Nigerian brewing operations, and an erosion in the value of acquisition-related assets.

Expert urges new strategy to fight fake products

FORMER Director, Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) Mr. Damian Agbanelo has advocated a better approach to tackling the menace of fake and substandard products. At the launch and unveiling of a non-governmental organisa-tion (NGO), Improved and Healthy Living Development Initiative, in Enugu, he called for education of the citizens to enable them to understand the dynamics and role of the management of quality/ value chain of the economy. Agbanelo, who is Chairman, Board of Trustees of the NGO, said Nigeria as the hub of trade

and investments in Africa, must combat the menace, describing it as an economic cankerworm. “There is need, therefore, for informed sensitisation of the citizenry so as to discourage the patronage of substandard products and by extension encourage Nigerians to develop the culture of buying ‘fit-for-use’ products made-in- Nigeria or imported. “We believe that improved awareness campaigns, driven by civil society organisations on the role and management of value chain and/or quality addition in the life cycle of a product will greatly reduce the influx of substandard imports and

locally manufactured products in our markets,” he said. The African Regional Coordinator, World Association of N o n - G o v e r n m e n t a l Organisations, Mr. Mohammed Attah, called on civil society organisations to network to render quality services. He urged them to close gaps as well as assist government agencies in meeting the yearnings of the citizens. He appealed to the founders of the group, who are seasoned technocrats to work with regulatory agencies to assist in fighting the menace of fake and substandard goods.

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 22, 2014

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 22 2014

COMMENTARY

REAMBLE

As severally expressed in this column in the past, column writing is like a pregnancy in the womb of a woman and a columnist is like a pregnant woman. Until she successfully delivers the contents of her womb no pregnant woman can be at rest. That is the experience which quality columnists often go through on a weekly basis. Generally, the problem of a newspaper columnist is not a dearth of ideas but a deluge of them. The more you think of a theme to write on the more you are bombarded with a variety of ideas which may sometimes lead to confusion. Thus, a columnist spends much more time in the choice of a theme to write on than he spends on actual writing. That experience took the front burner of this column again last week. While yours sincerely was busy thinking of writing on Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) to further educate Nigerian populace especially the Muslims, some other urgent issues of importance took the center stage and tried to brush Ebola aside. One of such issues was a national conference on interfaith which took place in Abuja last week Monday and Tuesday and was attended by President Goodluck Jonathan. As a participant in that conference and as a journalist, the professional urge to write on the conference became very tempting because of its touch on religious restiveness in the country. There was also the issue of a mortal’s might arrogantly flexed against the immortal’s will as evident in Osun State penultimate weekend which effectively arrested the attention of the entire nation. The issues involved in that political hullabaloo and the subsequent relief there from were enough to warrant any temptation to write by a worthy journalist. Yours sincerely almost succumbed to that temptation. But by and large, the concern for overwhelming majority of Nigerians, political or apolitical, religious or irreligious, who are frightened by the scourge of Ebola virus, finally took precedence over other themes. And, thus, here we are with what the column has to say about the dreaded death carrier called Ebola.

FEMI ABBAS ON femabbas756@gmail.com 08115708536

The sphinx called ‘Ebola’

History According to findings by this columnist, Ebola first emerged in Zaire and Sudan in 1976. Its first outbreak infected over 284 people, with a mortality rate of 53 per cent. A few months after the first outbreak, the virus emerged again in Yambuku, Zaire, with the highest mortality rate of any Ebola viruses ever (88 per cent). It infected 318 people. Despite the tremendous effort of experienced and dedicated researchers, Ebola’s natural reservoir was never identified. The third strain of Ebola, Ebola Reston (EBOR), was first identified in 1989 when infected monkeys were imported into Reston, Virginia, from Mindanao in the Philippines. Fortunately, the few people who were infected with EBOR never developed Ebola hemorrhagic fever (EHF). The last known strain of Ebola, Ebola Cote d’Ivoire (EBO-CI) was discovered in 1994 when a female ethnologist performing a necropsy on a dead chimpanzee from the Tai Forest, Cote d’Ivoire, accidentally infected herself during the necropsy. All these incidents were, ordinarily, enough reason for African countries to come together and work out a permanent solution. But typical of African governments, the preoccupation was more about self-perpetration in office than solving a genocidal problem. Thus, today, the situation remains what it was 38 years ago when the ruining disease first reared its ugly head.

The Virus Ebola is scientifically identified as a rare but deadly virus that causes bleeding inside and outside the body of its victim. It takes its name from a river in the then Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo) where it first broke out in the mid 1970s. It is believed that the forest which surrounded River Ebola was a major home for thousands of fruit bats and monkeys in that country. The villagers around

Treatment According to the World Health Organization (WHO), no licensed vaccine for EVD is available yet. Though several vaccines are being tested, none is yet available for clinical use. Therefore, severely ill patients require intensive supportive care as patients are frequently dehydrated and require oral rehydration with solutions containing electrolytes or intravenous fluids.

Prevention and control No animal vaccine against RESTV is available. Routine cleaning and disinfection of pig or monkey farms (with sodium hypochlorite or other detergents) should be effective in inactivating the virus. If an outbreak is suspected, the premises should be quarantined immediately. Culling of infected animals, with close supervision of burial or incineration of carcasses, may be necessary to reduce the risk of animal-to-human transmission. Restricting or banning the movement of animals from infected farms to other areas can reduce the spread of the disease. As RESTV outbreaks in pigs and monkeys have preceded human infections, the establishment of an active animal health surveillance system to detect new cases is essential in providing early warning for veterinary and human public health authorities.

Confession This columnist is neither a scientist nor a science-based professional. But the training in journalism is such that any journalist must know a little of everything and be able to communicate same to the public in the language of the concerned subject. Thus, whatever is read here today on Ebola should rather be regarded as a product of training in journalism than a research work or scholarship. Please, read on:

phoid fever, shigellosis, cholera, leptospirosis, plague, relapsing fever, meningitis, hepatitis and other viral hemorrhagic fevers. Ebola virus infections can be diagnosed in a laboratory through several types of tests: • antibody-capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) • antigen detection tests • serum neutralization test • reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay • electron microscopy • virus isolation by cell culture. Thereafter, samples from patients become an extreme biohazard risk. Thus, testing should be conducted under maximum biological containment conditions.

Minimising risk of Ebola Infection that forest were fond of hunting those animals for meal and for sale. But unknown to those hunters, the bats and the monkeys harboured the virus that came to be known as Ebola which is quite inimical to human health. Incidentally, the natural carriers of that virus do (bats and monkeys) do not reflect any negative effect of the disease. As the virus spreads within the body of its victim, it damages the immune system and organs. Ultimately, it causes levels of bloodclotting cells to drop. This leads to severe, uncontrollable bleeding. Though, Ebola, according to medical experts, is not as contagious as some more common viruses like cold, influenza and measles. It nevertheless spreads to people by contact with the skin or bodily fluids of an infected animal, such as monkey, chimpanzee or fruit bat. Then it moves from person to person especially among those who care for sick persons or bury people who died of the disease. But one cannot contract Ebola from air, water, or food except the infected animals or people have had contact with such substances. It is medically suggested that a person who contacted Ebola but has no symptoms cannot spread it.

Symptoms At the early stage, an infected person can feel the effect of Ebola like that of flu or any other illnesses. But its symptoms begin to manifest after two to twenty-one days following infection and such symptoms usually include: High fever, headache, joint and muscle aches, sore throat, weakness, stomach pain and lack of appetite. As the disease gets worse, it causes bleeding inside the body, as well as from the eyes, ears, and nose. As a result, some people vomit or cough up blood, develop bloody diarrhea, and get rashes all over the body. To identify EVD in humans through tests, laboratory findings include low white blood cell and platelet counts and elevated liver enzymes. People are infectious as long as their blood and secretions contain the virus. Through such findings, Ebola virus was isolated from semen 61 days after onset of illness in a man who was infected in a laboratory. The incubation period, that is, the time

interval from infection with the virus to onset of symptoms is said to be two to 21 days.

Transmission Ebola virus is transmitted into the human population through close contact with the blood secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected animals. In Africa where poverty pushes some people to eat dead animals without caring about the cause of their death, Ebola infection has been documented through the handling of infected chimpanzees, gorillas, fruit bats, monkeys, forest antelope and porcupines found ill or dead especially around rainforests. It then spreads in the community through human-to-human transmission, with infection resulting from direct contact (through broken skin or mucous membranes) with the blood exposure, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected people, and indirect contact with environments contaminated by such fluids. Burial ceremonies or mortuaries through which people have direct contact with the body of the deceased persons can also play a role in the transmission of Ebola. Men who have recovered from the disease can still transmit the virus through their semen for up to at least seven weeks after recovery from illness. Thus, health-care workers have frequently been infected while treating patients with suspected or confirmed EVD. This has occurred through close contact with patients if infection control precautions are not strictly taken.

International Spread Ebola can spread from country to country especially since people travel across borders. Thus, if an infected person travels, it is pertinent that he carries it with him. Meanwhile, Airline crews are being trained to spot the symptoms of Ebola in passengers flying from places where the virus has been found and they are thought how to quarantine those who look infected.

Diagnosis Other diseases that should be tested before a diagnosis of EVD may include: malaria, ty-

In the absence of effective treatment and a human vaccine, the only way of reducing human infection and death is by raising awareness of the risk factors for Ebola infection and the protective measures that an individual can take. In Africa where the rate of ignorance is still high, education on public health especially about risk reduction in contracting Ebola should focus on several factors including the following: • Reducing the risk of wildlife-to-human transmission through restraint in the consumption of their raw meat. Animals should be handled with gloves and other appropriate protective clothing. Animal products (blood and meat) should be thoroughly cooked before consumption. • Reducing the risk of human-to-human transmission in the community arising from direct or close contact with infected patients, particularly with their bodily fluids. Close physical contact with Ebola patients should be avoided. Gloves and appropriate personal protective equipment should be worn when taking care of ill patients at home. Regular hand washing is required after visiting patients in hospital, and at home. • Communities affected by Ebola should inform the population about the nature of the disease and about outbreak containment measures, including burial of the dead. People who have died from Ebola should be promptly and safely buried through the use of the precautionary measures listed above. It is possible for pig farms in Africa to play a role in the spread of Ebola infection because of the presence of fruit bats on those farms. Therefore, appropriate bio-security measures should be in place to limit transmission. For Veterinary Doctors and other experts in Animal Science, gloves and other appropriate protective clothing should be worn when handling sick animals or their tissues and when slaughtering animals. In regions where RESTV has been reported in pigs, all animal products (meat and milk) should be thoroughly cooked before eating. By and large, our prayer to Allah is that He should rescue us from the scourge of this Sphinx as it happened in the mythological Island of Ithaca in Homer’s Rex. Amen.

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 22, 2014

SOCIETY

Mr AbdulGaniyu Abiodun Adediji, a director at Cosmic Insurance Brokers Limited, has been installed as the pioneer district governor of the Lions Club District 404B-2 at Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, reports TAJUDEEN ADEBANJO

A governor for Lions C

ALL the Lion Club District 404B.2 baby and you may not be wrong. But, it is a fast growing baby. It emerged from District 404B Nigeria, courtesy of the late Yinka Bolarinwa. Last Sunday, it got its pioneer governor, Mr Abdul Ganiyu Abiodun Adedeji, an insurer, who was installed at an elaborate ceremony at the Grand Ball Room of Eko Hotel and Suites on Victoria Island, Lagos. The hall was turned to haven of many colours. The women shone in different attires that kept heads turning. The celebrator, Adediji, was ubiquitous on the occasion. His wife, Aderonke was all over the place ensuring a successful outing. Guests were pampered with sumptuous meals while various drinks flow freely. For Adediji, a native of Ede, Osun State, it was payback time when family members, well-wishers, fellow lions members gathered to share in his joy. He joined the Lions Club of Nigeria in 1986 and served in various capacities in the last 28 years. But hard work, commitment and dedication to a noble cause paid off for him when he was installed as pioneer District Governor 404B2. The occasion was also used to install cabinet officers and raise fund for projects. There were accolades from his childhood friends and siblings who described him as a talented and brilliant man with clean academic records, very industrious, kind and gentle. Shortly after his decoration and official presentation amid paparazzi of photographs, clapping and standing ovation, Adediji could not hide his joy. He thanked the late Bolarinwa for the foresight and commitment to ensure the 404B-2 creation. Adediji hailed his fellow members for their commitment to humanity. He said: “In this Lions year and in a new district, we intend to consolidate on the worthy legacies of our heroes past, both living and gone and lay a solid foundation for our new district that would become pride of our future. To this end, the district has concluded arrangements to procure and donate dialysis machines and accessories to some tertiary hospitals within the district. Several others project and activities to support diabetes patients, provision of portable water, support to special schools, hospices and other charity homes will be added.” According to him, the task ahead is numerous. “I believe with the support and partnership of kind hearted Nigerians, we will overcome the challenges and together put smiles on the faces of our people by raising an estimated sum of N120 million,” Adediji said. Former Inspector General of Police, Alhaji Musiliu Smith, described the celebrator as a kind hearted person. “He is gentle, quite. I have known him for some time now as a very reliable fellow. I know he will make resounding success during his

•Mr Sam Ekpuk (left) assisted by Mrs Adediji to presenting Adediji to the public

•Alhaji Smith (left) and Mr Gbolagade Adebisi

•Oba Omosanya Akinyemi

•Mr Akin Adetunji (left) and Prof Kayode Odusote

• Chief Ogunsola (left) and Chief Olusola Ogunsola

•From left: Dr Teslim Sanusi; Prof Ayoade Adesokan and wife

•First Vice-District Governor, Dr Funke Adebajo and her husband, Dr Deji Adebajo

tenure. He is a very respectful being who also has a very clean record all round,” Alhaji Smith said. Chairman, Cosmic Insurance Brokers Limited, Dr Ahmed Salawudeen congratulated Adediji, urging him to continue his good

work. “He is a kind, humble and dedicated man who believes serving humanity is the best legacy one can leave behind. He is gentle and humane in nature,” he said. Among the eminent personalities were former Punch Chairman,

Chief Ajibola Ogunsola; Prince Alaba Oniru; Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola was represented by Dr Jemilade Longe; Chief Sakariyahu Babalola; Chief Adebutu Kessington, Alhaji Lateef Jakande and Oba Saheed Elegushi were ably represented.

•Dr Salawudeen

Leading the pack of donors was Chief Kessington Adebutu who doled out N5 Million. It was followed Dr Salawudeen with N2 naira, Mobil oil N2 Million, Chief Babalola, a million naira, Alhaji Jakande, N100, 000, Laitan Onalaja N100,000, among others.

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 22, 2014

SOCIETY

A command performance of The Siege, a play written by the Chairman of the Editorial Board of The Nation, Mr Sam Omatseye, was staged at the Muson Centre, Onikan, writes NNEKA NWANERI.

COMMUNICATE YOUR IDEAS Conversation II

•From right: Mr Richard Mofe-Damijo; Omatseye; Mrs Moremi Soyinka-Onijala and Mr Oguntokun

O mark 80th birthday of Nobel Laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka, a play entitled The Siege was premiered in his honour. Extracts of the drama were from the book, authored by the Editorial Board Chairman of The Nation newspaper, Mr Sam Omatseye. The Agip Hall of the Muson Centre was the venue. It was beautiful to sit and watch a drama performance after a hard day’s work. The auditorium was half way filled. It was a mixture of comedy and tragedy. As the characters performed, the audience laughed, hummed and clapped when necessary. Their costumes were well chosen, taking viewers minds back to the historical era. It was a British cast and that made the scenario a real life situation. The dialogue between a British soldier and a traditional leader was thought-provoking. The play x-rayed a blend of Nigeria during the pre-colonial times, viz a viz the hap-

•Edo State Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mr Louis Odion

•Delta State Commissioner for Water Resources Development Mr Chris Oghenechovwen (left) and Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Lateef Ibirogba

Harvest for Kongi penings in the country. The award-winning columnist said the play is based on historical events with their tragedy, egotism and the pains of their cruel wisdom. “The play/book seeks to bring into focus the human-

ity of our differences, it is about a clash of beliefs and the lack of fidelity to country and land, forgetting that beneath all of these, there is a very decent humanity. “This play is a classic story that lives with us today, because we are in a world

RAUF AREGBESOLA VICTORY PARTY IN LAGOS

where we are gradually slipping into fanaticism,” Omatseye said. Directed by Wale Oguntokun, the drama featured a cast of four British and 20 Nigerian actors and actresses in a brilliant performance.

BIRTHDAY

• Alhaji Hassan Sadiq and Alhaja Risi Ogunlade

•Coordinator, All Progressives Congress (APC) Initiative Group, Hon Ishola Laguda and Mrs Olayemi Odugbemi

•The celebrator, Mrs Christiana Olusola Agbedejobi assisted by her husband Mr Agbedejobi to cut cake for her 60th birthday/retirement as Principal, Oke-Afa Junior College, Jakande Eastate, Isolo, Lagos.

AVE you ever encountered a friend or relative you have not seen for a while, and within less than three minutes, he or she has asked you where you are currently, what you are doing, how long you’ve been doing it, where each of your siblings are and what they are doing? I don’t know about you but I see that a lot around. That is definitely not the best way to carry on a nice conversation. AMODU LANRE OLAOLU In fact, instead of you feeling good to see such a person (Ph.D) sospeak2lanre@yahoo.com. again, you tend to feel so 07034737394 uncomfortable. @lanreamodu Well, for people who have a lot to share about their achievements, it may be the opportunity they need to blow their own trumpets, after all, they were asked. However, most people wouldn’t like answering all those questions about their lives. Of course, the people asking the questions create the impression of simply being ‘interested’ in your welfare, but in most cases, they simply want to compare your life with theirs. If you are not as accomplished as they are, then get ready for the next phase- they will start to answer all those questions about themselves without you asking. If that happens, then believe me, they just want a psychological satisfaction of being better than someone else. Now, not all the people who ask such questions have that intension, but that just tells you that it is not the best way to carry on a conversation. Of course, there can be an exception when we are talking about two people who have been quite cordial in the past and who trust each other; then they wouldn’t be suspicious about sharing their information. Some people would even ask you the same question over and over again. It’s a clear indication that they were not listening in the first place. All of these and several others are things to avoid in conversations. So what exactly should you do in a conversation? Let’s check out a few points: • Exchange pleasantries: whether you are meeting someone for the first time, you are meeting an old friend or it’s simply someone you see every day, the first thing you do is to exchange pleasantries. I don’t want to sound legalistic so I won’t go into details of what you should say. Since a conversation is an art, it is dynamic. So, leave room for flexibility. If you are meeting an individual for the first time, the pleasantries should be formal (depending on the nature of relationship you hope to have with him/her), at least until you consider yourselves familiar enough to be semi-formal or informal. You will do more of introducing yourselves; you do this so as to find a common ground for your communication. The more things you have in common the better. • Addressing each other: it is wise that you are cautious in the way you address your partner. If you are meeting each other for the first time, you may want to address him/her formally until you are given the permission to use the first name. Don’t assume that he/she wouldn’t mind being called by name, it can be costly. Although this rule may not strictly apply to someone you see every day (since you would have already established a pattern of communication), it may apply to people you haven’t seen in a long while, no matter how close you were. If for instance they are now married, you may try addressing them formally at first. Here’s the trick, jokingly address them formally and watch their reactions. If they tell you to drop the formalities or they jokingly use it in return for you, you are on safe ground; you can drop it after the initial pleasantries. However, if they are the first to address you formally and you don’t detect any form of humour, or if you use formalities and they seem to like it, you better stick to it • Catch up on old times: of course, this only applies to old friends or relatives. Don’t start by asking questions about what they are up to now. Simply return to the last experience you had together (which I hope was pleasant. In case it was not, please avoid it). After sharing memories of old fun times, you would have settled into a comfortable friendship. Now is the time to talk about what has happened between the last time you saw them and now. Remember, don’t pry; whatever information they are not willing to give should be left alone. Once you notice that anytime you ask about something, they change the topic, you, as a conversationist, should realize that it is not a comfortable zone. And since conversation is all about comfort, you will do well to drop the topic. Conversation is very dynamic. A lot of times, it is difficult to predict the end result of any conversation unless you are smart enough to control the factors. Please note that you should not, at any time, attempt to control the person you are conversing with; simply manage the elements and conversations will go in the direction of your choice. This will be the subject of our discussion next week, by the grace of God. Please look forward to it. Have a great weekend. Dr. Amodu teaches at the Department of Mass Communication, Covenant University, Ogun State.

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 22, 2014

IN THE HIGH COURT OF LAGOS STATE OF NIGERIA PROBATE REGISTRY, LAGOS DIVISION WHEREAS the person whose names are set-out in the first Column under died intestate on the date and place stated in the said Column. AND WHEREAS the person or persons whose names and addresses and relationship (if any) to the deceased are set out in the second Column here have applied to the High Court of Lagos State for a Grant of Letter of Administration of the Real and Personal Properties of the deceased. NOTICE IS HEREBY given that Letters of Administration will be granted to such persons unless a NOTICE TO PROHIBIT THE GRANT is filed in the registry within (14) days from the date hereof. S/N NAMES OF THE DECEASED PERSON: 1. Mr. George Adekunle Akinlawon otherwise known as Oladapo. Late of No. 14B, Olawale Daudu Street, Surulere, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 23rd day of June, 2013 at Lagos. 2. Pa. Emmanuel Sotunde Oshin. Late of No. 33, Cemetery Street, Ebute-Metta, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 29th day of August, 1988 at Lagos. 3. Agbasielo Vivan-Bren Anulika otherwise known as Vivian Anulika Okafor. Late of No. 41, Adeola Raji Avenue, Atunrase Estate, Gbagada Lagos. Who died intestate on the 10th day of February, 2013 at Germany. 4. Mr. Taofeek Egberongbe. Late of No. 31, Okepopo Street, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 15th day December, 2011. 5. Justus Olusegun Odukomaiya. Late of No. 9, Ropo Owolabi Close, Morgan Esate, Ojodu Lagos. Who died on the 10th day of March, 2009 at India. 6. Ajanaku Olukayode Olanrewaju. Late of No. 8, Oke Olowu Alejo Street, Grammar School, Oke-Ota Ona, Ikorodu Lagos. Who died intestate on the 7th day of November, 2012 at Lagos. 7. Mr. Ume Charles Izundu. Late of Amadunu Village, NNobi Idemile South Local Government area in Anambra State. Who died intestate on the 13th day of May, 2012. 8. Mr. Iroham Samuel Chidi. Late of 3rd Avenue, H Close, House 5, Festac Town, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 6th day of September, 2013 at Abia State. 9. Pa Olando Pratt. Late of No. 38, Abule -Nla Road, Ebute-metta, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 15th day of January, 1980. 10. Nwokocha John Chibuzor otherwise known as Nwokocha John .C. Late of 21, Oshindeinde Crescent, Off Dibor Street, Okota- Isolo, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 12th day of December, 2013. 11. Major Olatunji Oladejo. Late of No. 20, Pahanna Crescent, Kawo, Kaduna State. Who died intestate on the 12th day of Janaury, 2013. 12. Abiola Moshood Bada. Late of 25, Odediran, Ebute Ikorodu, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 6th day of February, 2014. 13. Folashade Olutoyin Dusanek. Late of 8, Lawal Street, Fadeyi, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 24th day of March, 2013, U.S.A. 14. Mr. John Oladipo Adeleke. Late of 20, Godwin Enabojeh Street, Owutu-Agric, Ikorodu, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 10th day of July, 2012. 15. Mr. Eyo Bassey. Late of 31, Ibitoye Street, Off Ojo Road, Suru Alaba, Mile 2, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 3rd day of June, 2012. 16. Mr. Subair Olanrewaju. Late of No. 4, Hotel Berger Road, Ajah, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 7th day of July, 2013 at Lagos. 17. Staveley John. Late of 40, Campbell Street, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 10th day of July, 1958. 18. Mr. Francis Agidiomo. Late of Block R, Room 26, Highway Patrol Barrack, Ikeja, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 11th day of July, 2011. 19. Oluyemi Gabriel Akinola. Late of 1, Ado Road, Akins Bus Stop, Oke- Ira-Nla, Ajah Lagos. Who died intestate on the 16th day of February, 2009. 20. Mr. Arueya Eseogheneduro otherwise known as Erueya Freeborn . Late of 72, Eyita Ojokoro Road, Ikorodu, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 17th day of March, 2013. 21. Mr. Jimoh Ajose. Late of 182, Bamgbose Street, Lagos Island, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 31st day of August, 2007. 22. Mrs. Sally Omohkuale otherwise known as Sally Omokhuale. Late of 24, Oremeji Street, Ilasamaja, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 4th day of May, 2011. 23. Mr. Ifedigbo Alexander Nwafer otherwise known as Alexander N. Ifedigbo. Late of 25, Ehiemere Street, Aba . who died intestate on the 26th day of March, 2014. 24. Mrs. Kuti Oluwakemi Aramide. Late of 34, Akeju Street, Somolu, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 16th day of August, 2012. 25. Chinemelu Ifeanacho Ignatus. Late of 73, Greenville Drive, Greenville Estate, Badore Ajah, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 12th day of July, 2012. 26. Mr. Nwauzi promise. Late of Block 3, Room 13, Iponri Police Barracks, Constain Lagos. Who died intestate on the 18th day of October, 2013. 27. Mr. John Odiah. Late of Block I, Room 27, Obalende Police Barracks, Lagos. Who died on the 22nd day of November, 2011. 28. Asuquo Effiong. Late of Block 13, Flat 3, Games Village. Who died intestate on the 15th day of April, 2006. 29. Mr. Ibitoye Olorunnisola. Late of 34, Akinola Street, Ewupe. Who died on the 5th day of July, 2011. 30. Herbert Oladeinde Oluwole. Late of 83, Ladipo Street, Papa Ajao, Mushin Lagos. Who died intestate on the 4th day of September, 1983. 31. James Lucky otherwise known as Lucky James Udoh. Late of Nepa Road, Ijora Obadiya. Who died intestate on the 15th day of November, 2013. 32. Ndidi Amaka Evangeline .K. Iwatt. Late of 31, Olayewi Street, Ikate, Surulere, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 8th day of January, 2013. 33. Umeji Chizoba. Late of No. 1, Daniel Street, Mushin Lagos. Who died intestate on the 24th day of April, 2013. 34. Mr. babajide Akanji Fatilewa. Late of 27, Iga-Idunganran Street, Isale-Eko, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 19th day of April, 2012. 35. Mrs. Oluwole Adunni Olubunmi. Late of 92/94, Akanro Street, Ilasamaja, Mushin, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 15th day of February, 1993. 36. Victor Olubi Fatunla otherwise known as Dr. Victor Olubi Fatunla. Who died intestate on the 17th day of June, 2013. 37. Nwoko Syvester Ayozie. Late of 14, Irede Road, Abule Oshun, Badagry Express way, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 25th day of May, 2013. 38. Onojah James Shuaibu. Late of 7, Ohuntan Street, Olodi Apapa, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 7th day of January, 2013. 39. Udemgba Simeon Odikpo. Late of No. 3, Ikeduro Street, Ijaniki Agbara, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 11th day of October, 2013. 40. Mr. Oluwayomi Ayantoye otherwise known as Ayantoye Oluwayomi Oluwatomi Enitan. Late of No. 3, TB, Units 36, D Close, LSDPC Riverview Estate, Isheri North, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 15th day of April, 2013. 41. Echugbo Andrew. Late of No. 21, Olukodana Street, Majidun Ikorodu, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 30th day of October, 2013 at Lagos. 42. Warrant Officer Gani Samuel otherwise known as Gani-S. late of Block L3, Flat 36, NAF Base, Ikeja Lagos. Who died intestate on the 15th day of May, 2010. 43. Ukoh Sunday. Late of No. 2, Wasiu Wasari Street, Igando Lagos. Who died intestate on the 31st day of March, 2013. 44. Onyeani Innocent. Late of Badagry Expressway, Opposite LASU, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 13th day of January, 2012 at Lagos. 45. Oke Sewanu Samson. Late of Oke- Compound, Idara Via Agosasa, Ipokia L.G. Ogun State. Who died intestate on the 9th day of September, 2013. 46. Mr. Eleh Godwin. Late of 46, Faramobi Ajike Street, Anthony Lagos. Who died intestate on the 22nd day of February, 2014. 47. Simon Peter - Mensah. Late of 72, Oshogbo Street, Aguda, Surulere, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 23rd day of January, 2013. 48. Mr. Coimbatore Srimivasalu Rajendra Prasad otherwise known as Mr. C.S.R. Prasad. Late of Steyr Quarters, Bauchi, Flat C, Bauchi. Who died intestate on the 23rd day of December, 2013 at Bauchi. 49. Mr. Abah Thomas S. Late of No. 2, T.S. Abah Street, Ogugu Olamaboro L.GL.A . Kogi State. Who died intestate on the 29th day of August, 2013. 50. Adedoyin Adedipe otherwise known as Stephen Adedoyin Adedipe. Late of 14, Musafau Lasisi Street, Igbo Efon, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 31st day of October, 2005. 51. Iheanacho Samuel Igbokwe. Late of No. 10, Akinyemi Thompson Street, Lawanson Surulere, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 22nd day of March, 2012. 52. Mr. Ajanaku Olukayode Olanrewaju otherwise known as Ajanaku Jacob Olukayode Olanrewaju. Late of No. 8, Oke Olowu Alejo Street, Grammar School, Oke Ota Ona, Ikorodu, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 7th day of November, 2012 at Ikorodu. 53. Aribidesi Salaudeen Adigun. Late of No. 44, Teniola Street, Ijeshatedo , Surulere, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 29th day of April, 2014 at Lagos. 54. Otuonye Solomon Otherwise known as Otuonye Solomon Odii. Late of No. 7, Abudu Lane, Kirikiri Town, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 4th day of May, 2012 at Lagos. 55. Mr. Aroh Ndubuisi Andrew. Late of No. 36B, 2nd Cooper Nigerian Railway Compound, Ebute-metta, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 19th day of August, 2012 at Lagos. 56. Patience Solomon Ubaha. Late of Ikot Abia Idem, Ikot Ekpene. Who died intestate on the 16th day of August, 2007 at Univeristy of Uyo Teaching Hospital, Uyo. 57. Ologunro Abosede Moriamou otherwise known as Alhaja Iyabode Moriamou. Late of No. 4, Osho Street, Orile, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 2nd day of December, 2007 at Lagos. 58. Fano Suku Bosstalk otherwise known as Chief Bosstalk .S. Fano. Late of 139, Bale Street, Ajegunle, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 12th day of April, 1995. 59. Agboola Saka. Late of No. 65, Bunmi Ajakaiye Stret, Shibiri Town, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 29th day of December, 2012. 61. Edward Akubueze. Late of No. 34, Rabiatu Street, Mafoluku Street, Oshodi Lagos. Who died intestate on the 3rd day of November, 2011 at Lagos. 62. Egbuga Francisca Azorom. Late of No. 3, Owodunni Street, Amukoko, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 10th day of November, 2012. 63. Miss Janet Ogheneovo Ejiyenren. Late of No.6, Fatimo Olowo Street, Ikotun Lagos. Who died intestate on the 22nd day of June, 2013. 64. Boniface Ekwunice. Late of 7, Balogun Street, Alausa Ikeja, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 15th day of October, 2013. 65. Hadija Usman. Late of Dangote Group Head Quarters. Who died intestate on the 5th day of March, 2009. 66. Ojekale Adedokun. Late of 29, Bamiji Lawal Street, Bariga Lagos. Who died intestate on the 31st day of August, 2009. 67. George Olabo Adedoyin Ogunsanwo. Late of 12, Shamusideen Akinlolu Street, Thomas Estate, Ajah, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 8th day of October, 2000. 68. Mr. Ezoke Enor. Late of 10, Ogungbe Street, Okoya-Ajegunle, Apapa , Lagos. Who died intestate on the 20th day of Decenber, 2011. 69. Mrs. Cecilia Onyewuchibeya Nwosu. Late of Amauburu Ubomiri (Imo State). Who died intestate on the 23rd day of August, 2012. 70. Mrs. Obiajuru Nkechi Pauline. Late of No. 4, Basanyi Close, Off Adeola Street, Owutu, Agric, Ikorodu, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 20th day of June, 2012. 71. Rev. Cecilia Efegbare. Late of No. 1, Church Street, Ilufe, Alaba International Market Ojo, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 26th day of June, 2013 at Lagos. 72. Miss Innocent Onyilo Paticia. Late of No. 2, Nurudeen Street, Opposite Ojo Military Cantonment, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 14th day of February, 2014 at Lagos. 73. Mr. Odusola Lewis. Late of No. 42, Ojoku Street, Olodi Apapa, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 18th day of November, 2013 at Lagos. 74. Hannah Rabiatu Omolabake Abolade. Late of 13879 Langstone Drive, Woodbridge Virginia 22193, U.S.A. who died intestate on the 17th day of December, 2009 at Woodbridge Virginia U.S.A. 75. Mr. Thaddeus Iduh otherwise known as Mr. Thaddeus E. Iduh. LATE OF No. 5o, Isale Ijebu Street, Ajah, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 18th day of April, 2013. 76. Eton Glory. Late of Block 13, Flat 3, games Village, Lagos. Who died intestate on the 6th day of April, 2009.

S/N

NAMES OF APPLICANT APPLYING FOR THE GRANT

1. Abnisola Lawal (Nee George), Folawiyo Afolabi (Nee George), Toyin Adewale (Nee George) and kehinde George. All of No. 14B, Olawale Dawodu Street, Surulere, Lagos. Children to the deceased. 2. Samuel Olugbenga Oshin, Mr. Winston Gbolahan Osin, Mr. Gbolade Ilemboye Osin and Mr. Taiye Oluwole Lapite of No. 22, Abosede Aro Venue, Opeki Village Abesan Estate, Ipaja, 5, Ibokun Akinola Close, Ishasi, Akute, Ogun State, 4th Avenue, 401 Road, A Close, Block 1, Flat 4, Festac Town, and No. 1, Sanni Street, Ogudu, Lagos. Grandchildren to the deceased. 3. Mr. Bredan Agbasielo and Mrs. Ngini Uju of No. 41, Adeola Raji Atunrase estate, Gbagada Lagos and No. 17, Ladoke Akintola Street, G.R.A Ikeja, Lagos. Widower and sister to the deceased. 4. Mr. Raimot Kemisola Egberongbe and Mr. Lukman Egberongbe. Both of No. 31, Okepopo Street, Lagos. Widow and brother to the deceased. 5. Olusegun Oladimeji Odukomaiya, Olubusayo Olayinka Odukomaiya and Miss Ibukunoluwa Adetutu Odukomaiya. All of No. 9, Ropo Owolabi Close, Morgan Estate, Ojodu Lagos. Children to the deceased. 6. Olusoji Ajanaku, Wemimo Ajanaku and Olawale Ayinla Ajanaku. All of No. 8, Oke Olowu Alejo Street, Grammar School, Oke Ota Ona, Ikorodu, Lagos. Children and brother to the deceased. 7. Mrs. Augusta Obiekenwa Ume and Mr. Charles Izunda Ume (Junior). Both of Flat 3, Block N, No. 2, Talata Mafars Close, Garki 2, Abuja. Widow and son to the deceased. 8. Dennis Orji iroham and Kanu Richard Iroham. Both of No. 4, Onikoyi Street, Off Adedola Street, Aguda, Surulere, Lagos. Brothers to the deceased. 9. Mr. Adegbayike .S. Olorode , Mr. Adebayo Akanbi and Mr. Rotimi Kadiri. All of 38, Abule-Nla Road, Ebute-metta East, Lagos. Grand children to the deceased. 10. Mrs. Paulina Nwaka Ego Nwokocha and Mr. James Obinna Nwokocha. Both of 21, Oshindeinde Crescent, Okota Lagos. Widow and son to the deceased. 11. Mrs. Abosede Adedokun (Nee Olatunji) and Oladimeji Olatunji. Both of Block 7, Room 9, 192, Batallion Owode, Ogun State. Children to the deceased. 12. Mrs. Nuratu Bada and Mrs. Taiow Oreagba of 25, Odediran Ebute, Ikorodu Lagos and 109, Sura Complex, Lagos Island, Lagos. Mother and sister. 13. Olubukola Gbadamosi and Folakemi Gbadamosi. Both of 23, Bola Shodipe Street, Lagos. Daughter and granddaughter to the deceased. 14. Mrs. Sidikat .A. Adeleke and Miss Adeshola Y. Adeleke of 14, Ifelodun, Ota Ogun State and No. 32, Market Street, EbuteMetta, Lagos. Widow and child to the deceased. 15. Mr. Lewis Ekpe Bassey and Mr. Leonard Ekpeyoung Bassey. Both of 11, Ijegun Street, Off Ikeomola Cement, Bus Stop, Lagos. Brothers to the deceased. 16. Engr. Muali Subair and Mrs. Modinat Subair. Both of House 5, Muak Close, Ajah Lagos. Brother and widow to the deceased. 17. Segun Adeola Staveley, Shakiru Adewusi and Evang. Ola Oladimeji. All of 40, Campbell Street, Lagos. Grandchildren to the deceased. 18. Esther Agidiomo, Omoh Paul Agidiomo and Omokoshi Ruth Agidiomo. All of Block R, Room 26, Highway Patrol Barracks, Ikeja Lagos. Widow and children to the deceased. 19. Labake Oluyemi, Babatope Oluyemi and Olajide E. Oluyemi. All of 1, Ado Road, Akins Bus Stop, Ajah. Widow and children to the deceased. 20. Mrs. Ejiro Arueya and Miss Janet Onowho. Both of 72, Eyita Ojokoro Road, Ikrodu, Lagos. Widow and younger sister. 21. Ismail Ajose and Ramon-Ajose. Both of 3A, idioro Court, Okesuna, lagos. Children to the deceased. 22. Iyere Omohkuale and Enomosele Omohkuale. Both of 24, Oremeji Street, Ilasamaja, Lagos. Children to the deceased. 23. Olisa Ifedigbo and Patricia Emebo of 1, Olatunde Mary Land, Lagos and 1, sawyer Close, Gbagada Phase1. Children to the deceased. 24. Taiwo Oluwaseyi Kuti and Idowu Ayotunde Kuti. Both of 34, Akeju Street, Somolu, Lagos. Children to the deceased. 25. Godwin Osita Ifeanacho and Benedict .N. Ifeanacho of 73, Greenville Drive, Greenville Estate and 2, Otunba Actor Close, Awoyaya, Lagos. Brothers to the deceased. 26. Mrs. .C. Promise Nwauzi , Chinedu Promise and Ikechukwu Nwanzi. All of Block 3, Room 13, Iponri Police Barracks, Contain, Lagos. Widow, son and cousin to the deceased. 27. Mr.David Odiah, Mary Odiah (Mrs.) and Rose Odiah of Block 1, Room 27, Obalende Police barracks, Lagos. Widow and children to the deceased. 28. Bassey Asuquo Eton and Effiong Asuquo Eton. Both of Block 13, Flat 3, Games Village, Lagos. Two of the children to the deceased. 29. Mrs. Ibitoye Folashade and Ibitoye Olayinka. Both of 34, Akinola Street, Ewupe, Lagos. Widow and daughter to the deceased. 30. Dr. Oluyonbo Oluwole and Engr. Olusiji Oluwole. Both of 83, Ladipo Street, Mushin, Lagos. Children to the deceased. 31. Eno Cletus Udoh and Joseph James Udoh. Both of 8, Adeosun Street, Kilo Surulere, Lagos. Brother and sister to the deceased. 32. Kelly Iwatt and Victor Iwueke. Both of 31, Olayemi Street, Surulere, Lagos. Widower and brother to the deceased. 33. Mrs. Nkeiruka Umeji and Mr. Alphonsus Umeji of 1, Daniel Street, Mushin and 20, Lateef Adegboyega Street, Okota, Lagos. Widow and brother to the deceased. 34. Mrs. Paulina Olasunbo Fatilewa and Miss Josephine Oyefunmilola Fatilewa. Both of 27, Iga- Idunganran Street, Lagos. Widow and daughter. 35. Mrs. Sade Kilaso and Mrs. Lolade Kashaam. Both of 92/94, Akanro Street, Ilasamaja, Mushin Lagos. Children to the deceased. 36. Mrs. Grace Olutola Fatunla and Mrs. Olubunmi Oyeleye (Falunla) and Mr. Adeyemi Fatunla. All of 56, Aba Johnson Street, Off Adeniji Jones Avenue, Ikeja, Lagos. Widow and children to the deceased. 37. Mrs. Nwoko Perpetual Chinyere and Mr. Nwoko Chikwado Henry. Both of 14, Irede Road, Abule Oshun, Badagry Express Way, Lagos. Widow and one of the children to the deceased. 38. Wilson Unekwuojo Onojah and Moses Ojonugwa Onojah. Both of 7, Ohuntan Street, Olodi Apapa, Lagos. Two of the children to the deceased. 39. Mrs. Kate Chiatogu Udemgba and Chinyere .M. Udemgbe. Both of No. 3, Ikeduro Street, Ijaniki Agbara, Lagos. Widow and one of the children to the deceased. 40. Mrs. Omolade Ayantoye and Mrs. Oluwatoyin Tope Adedipe of No. 3TB, Unit 36, D Close, LSDPC Riverview Estate, Isheri North Lagos and 2365, Boulevard Mono, Lome Togo. Widow and sister to the deceased. 41. Echugbo .O.A. Mirian Abosede and Echgbo .O. Dorcas. Both of No. 5, Arewa Lane, Ijora Badia, Lagos. Children to the deceased. 42. Mr. Gani Shonum Ibrahim and Esther Nana Haliru (Nee Gani). Both of Block 456, Flat 5, Abesan Estate, Ipaja Lagos. Children to the deceased. 43. Nwaneka Ukoh and Alex Ukoh. Both of No.2, Wasiu Wasari Street, Igando Lagos. Widow and brother to the deceased. 44. Mrs. Jancinta .O. Innocent and Miss Ifeoma Onyeani. Both of No. 30, Oluwa Street, Olodi Apapa, Lagos. Widow and sister to the deceased. 45. Oke Semako Joshua and Mr. Oke Apiti Samuel. Both of 14, Segun Aregbesola Street, Abule-Egba, Lagos. Father and brother to the deceased. 46. Ogochukwu Eleh and Kenechukwu Eleh of 13, Olaleye Street, Gbagada Lagos and 24, Eluama Street, Trademore Estate, Lugbe Abuja. Children to the deceased. 47. Bose Peter, Sunday Peter, Richard Peter and Alex Peter. All of 72, Oshogbo Street, Aguda Surulere, Lagos. Widow and children to the deceased. 48. Mrs. Sarala Prasad and Mrs. Tara Nagabhyru. Both of Flat 17, D Block , L.S.D.P.C Adeola Odeku, Victoria Island, Lagos. Widow and daughter to the deceased. 49. Mr. Sunday Abah and Mr. Benjamin Monday Abah. Both of 13, Aremu Olatunbosun Street, Oshodi, Lagos. Children to the deceased. 50. Mrs. Olubunmi Adedipe and Francis Adedipe. Both of 14, Musafau Lasisi Street, Igbo-Effon. Widow and brother to the deceased. 51. Mr. Godman Azubuike Iheanacho, Mr. Stephen Iheanacho, Mr. Ikechi Ojimadu Iheanacho and Blessing Akuezi Iheanacho of 10, Akinyemi Thompson Street, Lawanson, Surulere, 69, Ojuelegba Road, Surulere, 23, Olubiyi Street, Unity Estate, Iba Ojo, Lagos and 13, Akinwole Street, Ijegun, Satellite Town, Lagos. Children to the deceased. 52. Mr. Wemimo Ajanaku, Mr. Olusoji Ajanaku and Mr. Olawale Ajanaku. All of No. 8, Oke Olowu Alejo Street, Grammar School, Oke-Ota Ona, Ikrodu, Lagos. Children and brother to the deceased. 53. Ismailah Aribidesi, Rauf Aribidesi and Sarafadeen Aribidesi. All of No. 44, Teniola Street, Ijeshatedo Surulere, Lagos. Children to the deceased. 54. Mrs. Caroline Obiageli Otuonye and Mr. Silas Otuonye. Both of No. 7, Abudu Lane, Kirikiri Town Lagos. Widow and brother to the deceased. 55. Mr. Josephine Ndidi Aroh and Mr. Kyrian Nwokorie of No. 36B, 2nd Cooperr Nigeria Railway Compound, Ebute-Metta Lagos and No. 135, Abeokuta Street, Ebute-Metta, Lagos. Widow and uncle to the deceased. 56. Solomon John Ubah of A 137, Decency Avenue, Ileke Estate, Meiran Lagos. Widower to the deceased. 57. Mr. Olawale Ologunro and Alhaji Waheed Ologunro. Both of No. 4, Osho Drive Street, Orile Lagos. Son and Widower to the deceased. 58. Fano Thomas Epreyi and Fano Mcintosh Amos. Both of No. 139, Bale Street, Ajegunle, Lagos. Children to the deceased. 59. Sakirat Agboola and Fatai Babatunde Agboola. Both of No. 65, Bunmi Ajakaiye Street, Shibiri Town, Lagos. Widow and son to the deceased. 60. Mrs. Fasuyi Modinat Abike, Mr. Fasuyi Olufemi Gbolabo, Mr. Fasuyi Oluwatoyin Ayodeji and Mr. Fasuyi Oluwafisayo Olayiwola. All of No. 74, Legacy Road, Ayobo Ipaja, Lagos. Widow and children to the deceased. 61. Scholarstical Akubueze, Mrs. Calista Samuel and Samuel Akubueze. All of No. 34, Rabiatu Street, Mafoluku Oshodi, Lagos. Widow and children to the deceased. 62. Egbuga Eugene and Egbuga Ugwuchi. Both of No. 3, Owodunni Street, Amukoko, Lagos. Widower and daughter to the deceased. 63. Mrs. Alice Omonade and M/S Georgina Olonade of 4/6, Wole Odulate Ago-Okota and 11, Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, Lagos. Sister and Niece to the deceased. 64. Mrs. Phebe Nkechi Ekwunife and Chukwudi Boniface Ekwunife. Both of No. 7, Balogun Street, Alausa Ikeja, Lagos. Widow and son to the deceased. 65. Mohammed .D. Usman and Saidu Adamu. Both of Jigawa State and Dangote Group H/O. Brothers to the deceased. 66. Ojekale Olasunkanmi Joseph and Ojekale Iyabo Morenike. Both of 29, Bamiji Lawal Street, Bariga, Lagos. Children to the deceased. 67. Mr. Cornelius Alaba Ogunsanwo Mrs. Adenike Idowu Rita Ajayi. Both of 12, Shamisideen Akinolu Street, Thomas estate Ajah, Lagos. Children to the deceased. 68. Prince Godwin I. Egbe and Mrs. Happiness Ezoke Enor. Both of 10, Ogungbe Street, Okoya Ajegunle Apapa, Lagos. Brother and Widow to the deceased. 69. Frank Freedom Nwosu, Christian Nwosu and Paul Luke Nwosu of House 3, 403 Road, Festac , 3, Olalekan Dorosunmi Crescent, Iba Town and House 1B, A Close, 3rd Avenue, Festac, Lagos. Children to the deceased. 70. Mr. Simeon Obiaguru and Mr. Ahaneku Emeka Anthony of 4, Basanyi Close, Off Adeola Street, Owutu Agric, Ikorodu, Isawo Road, Agric, Ikorodu, Lagos and No. 25, Mount Carmel Avenue, Off Isawo Road, Ikorodu, Lagos. Widower and cousin to the deceased. 71. Mcquinn Efegbare and Onalimi Micheal Clement. Both of No. 70/72, Moradeyo Street, Agboju Amuwo, Lagos. Son and Nephew to the deceased. 72. Mrs Mary Odiga Onyilo and Mr. John Innocent Onyilo. Both of 2, Nurudeen Street, Opposite ,Ojo Military Cantonment, Lagos. Mother and brother to the deceased. 73. Mrs. Justina Adele Odusola and Miss Beatrice Odusola. Both of No. 42, Ojoku Street, Olodi Apapa, Lagos. Widow and daughter to the deceased. 74. Hakeem Akanni Abolade and Femi Julius Sowunmi of 13879, Langstone Drive, Woodbridge Virginia, 22193, U.S.A and No. 130, Ekoro Road, Abule Egba, Lagos. Son and cousin to the deceased. 75. Mrs. Ene Iduh and Miss Veronica Iduh. Both of No. 50, Isale Ijebu Street, Ajah, Lagos. Widow and sister to the deceased. 76. Effiong Asuquo Eton and Asuquo Eton. Both of Block 13, Flat 3, Games Village, Lagos. Two of the children to the deceased.

I. O. AKINKUGBE (MRS) PROBATE REGISTRAR

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 22, 2014

BUSINESS EXTRA Airlines, others kick over arbitrary charges at airports

Nigeria loses N125b to fish importation

HE All Farmers Asso ciation of Nigeria (AFAN) has said the country is losing over N125 billion annually to fish importation. Its Vice Chairman in charge of Fisheries, Mr Akinwale Aminu who spoke in Lokoja, Kogi State yesterday urged the Federal Government to halt the “fish importation

By James Azania, Lokoja

jamboree”. He said the trend must stop if the country is truly serious on transforming its agricultural sector. He said if half of the N125 billion is used to fund local fish farmers, much more would have been recorded locally.

He said: “There is need for government at all levels to synergise with farmers to make the agricultural sector vibrant, especially in the fishery department. “If government could fund the fish farmers with the N125 billion or half of it, the fish farmers would have been able to produce better than that.” He said the country has the

capacity to produce enough fish for local consumption as well as for export, but that it requires government’s political will, to meet up with the responsibility. According to him, aside the benefit to the farmers, the fish business can generate employment opportunity, reduce insurgency as well as save foreign exchange.

Glo Xchange ‘ll deepen financial inclusion, create jobs, says CBN

HE Governor of the Central Bank of Ni geria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele yesterday in Lagos, said Glo Xchange, the mobile money product from the stable of the only indigenous telco, Globacom, will promote financial inclusion and create jobs through its numerous agent network across the country. Speaking at the formal unveiling of the mobile money product which the telco partnered with Ecobank, Firstmonie, Stanbic IBTC Bank and Zenith Bank to launch, the apex bank chief commended Globacom for the bold initiative, adding that the step is significant to the CBN which has been pushing for financial inclusion and cashless economy. He said about 46 per cent of the adult population lacked access to any form of financial services, adding that the apex bank has worked tirelessly to put a reliable payment system in place which will not only be free of any interruption but used at a minimal cost. Governor Emefiele said the cashless policy was designed to encourage people to use

By Lucas Ajanaku

alternative payment channels such as point of sales (PoS) terminals, mobile payment, Nigeria Interbank Settlement System (NIBSS) instant payment and others. He said since the introduction of the programme, it has recorded some milestones, adding that PoS deployment moved from 21,400 in 2012 to 135,000 in June this year while total value of transactions done through the platform rose from N57.3billion in 2012 to N138billion in June this year. According to Emefiele, the deployment of automated teller machines (ATMs) in the country rose very sharply from 10,727 in 2012 to 15,000 in June this year while the value of transactions done through the channel also moved from N1.3 trillion in 2012 to N1.7trillion in June this year. Speaking on the occasion, Head, Post Paid, Globacom, Kamar Shonibare said Glo Xchange is another revolutionary initiative, arguing

that the drive of the government to encourage a cashless economy has led to the marriage of the banking sector with the telecommunications industry. He said the CBN, in introducing mobile money, mandated the telcos to make their infrastructure available to the banks to drive the process, adding that the Glo Xchange will provide a safe and convenient way of paying for goods and services. He said it will mark a paradigm shift in the way Nigerians live their lives, minimise the use of cash, increase the speed of doing business. Shonibare added that the over 80 million unbanked population in both the rural and urban areas will be integrated into the banking sector. He said the 20 mobile money agents and seven banks licensed to drive mobile money could not make any appreciable impact because of the high cost of deploying the services, adding that deposit, withdrawal and transfer will be possible

30,047 pipeline vandalism cases recorded

HE Group Managing Director, Nigerian Na tional Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Dr Joseph Thlama Dawha, has said the country experienced 34,037 cases of pipeline vandalism within a period of 15 years spanning 1999-2014. Speaking at the 2014 conference of the National Association of Energy Correspondents (NAEC) in Lagos, Dawha said the highest cases of was recorded last year with 3,571. Others include 3,708 in 2012; 4,468 in 2011; 5,518 in 2010; 1,308 in 2009; 2,318 in 2008; 3258in 2007; 3,674 in 2006; 2,258 in 2005 and 971 in 2004. Others are 452 in 2003; 533 in 2002; 517 in 2001; 999 in 2000 and 497 in 1999. He attributed the huge records of pipeline breaks and ruptures to crisis in the sector, especially between the host communities and the

By Emeka Ugwuanyi and Akinola Ajibade

companies operating in the Niger-Delta region. Represented by the Executive Director, Commercial Director, of the state-run oil firm, Francis Amegu, Dwaha said the conference theme: ‘’ Pipeline Vandalism and Its Socio- Economic Effects on the Economy’’ was apt in view of the problems the issue has caused in the country. He said the government has committed huge money to the repair of the pipelines to ensure distribution of petroleum products from one point to another, adding that efforts are on-going to stop the menace. He said: ‘’The pipeline vandalism hot spots are Warri, Escravos, Port Harcourt, Ibadan, Ore, Mosimi, Atlas Cove in Lagos, Calabar and

Kaduna. The development resulted in disruption of crude oil supply to the refineries. Port Harcourt refinery operated for only 82 days to pipeline vandalism. ‘’ He said the effects are deterioration of refinery system as a result of idle time, high cost of operation, loss of revenue to the government, disruption in production/distribution, product supply challenges due to refinery shutdowns and pipeline fire leading to loss of human lives and material resources. Dawha said the government needs to develop a national plan for critical infrastructure and key resources protection similar to the United States’ National Infrastructure Protection Plan (NIPP), declare the pipelines as strategic national assets, and set up special task force to protect them.

Bank settles Anambra State’s N1b debt

HE over N1 billion owed by the Anambra State government to 1100 workers of the Anambra State Water Cooperation (ANSWC) and the Anambra State Environmental Protection Agency (ANSEPA) has been settled by FirstBank. The Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUPCTRE) said the state owed its members salaries and other entitlements for 48 and 25 months for the ANSWC and ANSEPA, which has led to several deaths and hardship

From Grace Obike, Abuja

to its members. According to the workers, a court judgement dated 14th July 2014 gave a garnish order absolute against FirstBank to effect the payment of N1,863,199,452.76 to the workers from the state government’s money in its custody. The workers said no fewer than 150 workers/beneficiaries of the judgement had died as a result of frustration by the state government that had refused to pay them their dues. Head of Department

(HoD), Public Relations, James Kobah, in a telephone conversation, confirmed that the management of FirstBank had implemented the garnishee order absolute of the National Industrial Court (NIC) judgement dated 14th July 2014. Earlier, National President AUPCTRE, Comrade Solomon Adelagan said at a press conference in Abuja that the union had written a letter to the management of FirstBank requesting for the full implementation of the garnishee order absolute within seven days.

OMPANIES are grumbling that the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) is slamming them with arbitrary charges. Complaining are ground handling companies, domestic and foreign airlines, catering outlets and other ancillary service providers at the Murtala Muhammed Intyernational Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, Port Harcourt and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International airports. They say the charges are levied on ground and office rent, apron pass, terminal car sticker, car permit as well as operational vehicle sticker. The charges have also been increased to between 30 per cent and 60 per cent. The service providers are worried that the new charges

By Kelvin Osa-Okunbor

may force some them to cut corners, thereby affecting safety. Stakeholders in the industry, acting under the aegis of Airport Operators Committee (AOC) comprising the Skyway Aviation Handling Company Ltd. (SAHCOL), Nigerian Aviation Handling Company Plc, (NAHCo), local and foreign airlines and concessionaires to the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) are mapping out strategy to resist the authority from enforcing the new charges. The President, Association of Foreign Airlines Representatives in Nigeria (AFARN), Mr Kingsley Nwokoma has described the new charges as unacceptable.

Subscribers decry telcos’poor services

S • Globacom Chairman Dr Mike Adenuga

through the Glo Xchange. He said what is required of the subscriber to enjoy the services is to buy a Glo subscriber identity module (SIM) card and a mobile phone, register the SIM in line with the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) directive and everything will fall in line.

UBSCRIBERS have decried continuous poor telecoms services, urging the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to come to their rescue. The subscribers complained bitterly during the Consumer Outreach programme organised by the NCC in Calaber, Cross River State yesterday. Issues raised during an interactive session included the workability of number portability, lack of compensation for network downtime, high cost of calls, poor network, unsolicited text messages and others. Representatives of telecom

From Nicholas Kalu, Calabar

operators at the event were MTN, Globacom, Airtel, Etisalat and Visafone. Responding to some of the issues, a representative of MTN said the telco has various packages that are poocket-friendly. On compensation he said they do compensate customers who visit customer centres with genuine problems. “It is not an umbrella compensation, but only for those that come to us,” he said. The representative of Etisalat said it has flat rate for calls across all networks.

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 22, 2014

EQUITIES NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE

25-07-14 DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 21-08-14

DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 21-08-14

GTBank declares N7.36b interim dividends amidst tight bottom-line

UARANTY Trust Bank (GTBank) Plc yesterday released its much-awaited audited report and accounts for the first half of 2014, with a recommendation to distribute about N7.36 billion as interim dividends to shareholders. Key extracts of the sixmonth report for the period ended June 30, 2014 indicated a modest growth in the topline but the bankâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bottomline was notably constrained by almost a triple in loan loss provisions. While gross earnings rose by 7.0 per cent, pre and post tax profits declined by 7.0 per cent and 10 per cent respectively. The gross dividend of N7.36 billion represents a dividend per share of 25 kobo, the same rate that the

Stories by Taofik Salako Capital Market Editor

bank paid in the previous year. The dividend will be paid on September 18, 2014 to shareholders on the register of the bank as at September 4, 2014. Gross earnings stood at N132.99 billion in first half 2014 as against N124.20 billion in corresponding period of 2013. Interest income had risen by 8.0 per cent from N92 billion to N99.7 billion. A disproportionate increase in interest expense by 20 per cent from N23.46 billion to N28.15 billion depressed net interest expense growth to 4.0 per cent at N71.56 billion in 2014 as against N68.54 billion. With loan loss expenses rising by 287 per cent from N1.32 billion to N5.10 bil-

lion, the bankâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pre-tax profit slipped from N57.36 billion to N53.40 billion. After taxes, profit after tax also dropped from N49.01 billion to N44.01 billion. Earnings per share stood at N1.55 in first half 2014 as against N1.73 in first half 2013. Managing director, Guaranty Trust Bank Plc, Mr. Segun Agbaje, attributed the decline in the bottom-line to challenges in the operating environment, especially increasing regulatory headwinds, and the loan loss provision made during the period. According to him, the impairment charge was as a result of a significant loan that the bank decided to provide for following the demise of the obligor; in line with its laid down corporate governance practices.

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 22, 2014

MONEYLINK Skye Bank, others launch multi-purpose card for NURTW

CBN pegs dollar exchange to pilgrims at N150 C HRISTIAN pilgrims to Israel, Rome and Greece will get foreign exchange (forex) from the banks at N150 to the dollar, a Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) circular to all authorised dealers has said. This represents four naira hike from the N146 to dollar sold to the pilgrims last year. The apex bank advised banks participating in the dollar sales to always comply with the sales conditions to avoid sanctions. It said each pilgrim travelling to Israel is entitled to a maximum of $750, while those going to Israel/ Rome or Greece are entitled to a

Stories by Collins Nweze

maximum of $1,000. “The Federal Government has approved the purchase of a maximum of $1,000 at a concessionary rate of N150 to the dollar by each intending pilgrim as Personal Travel Allowance (PTA). Consequently, each pilgrim travelling to Israel is entitled to a maximum of $750, while those going to Israel/ Rome or Greece are entitled to a maximum of $1,000,” it said. The apex bank advised that no pilgrim should be denied the travel allowance on the ground that he/ she has no tax clearance certificate.

It also said that given the time constraint associated with the pilgrimage exercise, the Chairman or the secretary of each State’s Pilgrims’ Board, after due identification , may be allowed to sign for and collect the PTA on behalf of the intending pilgrims in his/her state on presentation of the approved list and valid passports of the pilgrims listed against the state. “In accordance with the Israeli and Italian governments’ policies, visa shall only be issued to the pilgrims at the point of entry, that is, at Ben Gurion Airport, Tel Aviv, Israel and Fumichino Airport, Rome, Italy, on arrival. It should

S •CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele

also be noted that the pilgrimage will be by chartered flights,” the apex bank added. Also, air ticket and visa requirements for the purpose of procuring the stipulated PTA have been waived even as endorsed copy of each pilgrim’s passport should be retained by the bank for record purposes.

Kunoch Holdings acquires stake in Diamond Bank

UNOCH Holdings has completed the purchase of Actis DB Holdings Limited, a company which holds Diamond Bank’s shares, from Actis LLP and CDC Group Plc. A statement from the bank, said Actis DB Holdings Limited currently holds 14.79 per cent of the

issued share capital of Diamond Bank. Funds managed by Actis, a private equity investor specialising in investments in emerging markets, acquired a significant equity stake in the bank in 2007. It explained that over the years, positive contributions by Actis, other institutional investors and the

new management team of the bank have created additional value for the lender’s shareholders. Actis Head of Private Equity, Peter Schmid said the firm had in the last seven years, worked with Diamond Bank to build a strong franchise. He said the lender has a

strong and capable management team that would take it to the next stage of its development. Group Managing Director of Diamond Bank, Dr. Alex Otti said the lender is pleased to have worked with Actis and is excited about the next stage of the its development.

FirstBank praised for training journalists

IRSTBANK’S sponsorship of international media training for selected Nigerian journalists has been lauded by the Corporate Affairs Manager at the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Paul Rasmussen. The four-day broad-based international Advanced Financial Journalism Course sponsored by FirstBank took place at the Press Association Centre in London, United Kingdom. Rasmussen spoke when the participants visited the BBC office in Central London. He said such training is

necessary in equipping journalists with the right skills needed to carry out their job. Another lecturer, Mr. Darshan Sanghrajka took journalists on social media highlighted the benefits of social media in today’s socio- economic development. Participants were taught how to get information from Facebook, Linkedin, Youtube and twitter, what channel to use and when to use it. The international training

programme, currently in its second year, falls under the lender’s intervention initiative tagged, “Media Thought Leadership Capacity Enhancement Initiative”. As in the previous year, the journalists who cut across from different beats including online, electronic and print journalism were trained in core financial journalism which will cover macro and micro economics reporting as well as reporting and writing on and about corporates. The

course took into consideration other aspects of reporting such as health, culture, brand, Corporate Social Responsibility and writing for social media. The bank’s Head, Marketing and Corporate Communications, Mrs. Folake Ani-Mumuney said the lender is interested in the quality of journalism practice in the country and remains committed to doing what it could to enhance the practice standard.

DATA BANK

MEMORANDUM QUOTATIONS Name

Offer Price

AFRINVEST W. A. EQUITY FUND ARM AGGRESSIVE GROWTH BGL NUBIAN FUND BGL SAPPHIRE FUND CANARY GROWTH FUND CONTINENTAL UNIT TRUST CORAL INCOME FUND FBN FIXED INCOME FUND FBN HERITAGE FUND FBN MONEY MARKET FUND

168.45 9.17 1.12 1.19 0.69 1.39 1,676.09 1,118.84 121.30 121.16 1,117.51 1.2689 1.2656 0.9183 1.0705

• UBA BALANCED FUND • UBA BOND FUND • UBA EQUITY FUND • UBA MONEY MARKET FUND

Bid Price 167.01 9.08 1.12 1.19 0.69 1.33 1,676.09 1,118.03 120.45 120.30 1,116.70 1.2600 1.2656 0.9003 1.0705

SYMBOL

RETAIL DUTCH AUCTION SYSTEM (RDAS) Transaction Dates 30/07/2014 23/07/2014 21/07/2014 ECONOMIC INDICATORS

8.2%

Monetary Policy Rate

12.0%

CHANGE

Foreign Reserves Oil Price (Bonny Light/b)

O/PRICE

C/PRICE

AIRSERVICE

2.06

2.16

0.10

PREMBREW

1.32

1.38

0.06

CORNERST

0.53

0.55

0.02

COSTAIN

1.14

1.18

STERLNBANK

2.17

ETERNA

3.71

GUARANTY

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

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

CBN EXCHANGE RATES August 21, 2014

Inflation: June

GAINERS AS AT 21-08-14

KYE Bank Plc has introduced a Security Verified Identity Card (S-Vid) for members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW). The product is part of measures taken to build a reliable data base for the NURTW and integrating its members into the financial system. The card, launched yesterday in Abuja, by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Chief Anyim Pius Anyim, is a multi-functional card which includes features like insurance purse, mobile wallet and an identity card. Skye Bank which is the lead bank on the project is working in partnership with other organisations like Globacom, G 3 Limited. A few other banks are also working on the project. Chief Executive Officer of Skye Bank Plc, Timothy Oguntayo, said the card is aimed at reducing financial crimes and identity theft, describing it as not just a card but ‘it’s your identity, it’s your security, and it’s your gift to posterity’ According to him, the card will bear the holder’s photo, the logo of the holder’s organization, the s-vid logo and the bank’s logo. The bank chief said the card would boost the cashless initiative of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). The Skye Bank boss said the card would serve as a corporate identity card, mobile wallet and insurance purse. He listed the features of the card as personal accident insurance cover to card holder of N1 million against accidental death and N850,000 against permanent disability.

Currency

Buying (N)

Selling (N)

$39.4b

US Dollar

154.73

155.73

$110.44

Pounds Sterling

256.7744`

258.4339

Money Supply (M2)

N15.9 trillion.

Euro

205.2493

206.5758

0.04

Credit to private Sector (CPS)

N16.76 trillion

Swiss Franc

169.4557

170.5509

2.22

0.05

Primary Lending Rate (PLR)

Yen

1.4898

1.4994

3.79

0.08

CFA

0.2944

0.3144

29.19

29.50

0.31

VITAFOAM

4.06

4.10

0.04

234.9759

236.4945

UBA

7.20

7.27

0.07

Yuan/Renminbi

25.1503

25.3137

AFRIPRUD

3.22

3.25

0.03

LOSERS AS AT 21-08-14

SYMBOL ROYALEX

O/PRICE 0.60

C/PRICE 0.57

CHANGE -0.03

CAVERTON

5.88

5.59

-0.29

RTBRISCOE

0.88

0.84

-0.04

EVANSMED

2.15

2.06

-0.09

LIVESTOCK

3.28

3.15

16.5%

NIGERIAN INTER-BANK OFFERED RATES (NIBOR)

Tenor

WAUA

Rate (%)

Overnight (O/N)

10.500

Riyal

41.2569

41.5236

12.175

12.101

SDR

235.4372

236.9588

13.328

13.225

14.296

14.-85

FOREX RATES

-0.13

UBN

8.49

8.26

-0.23

R-DAS ($/N)

157.29

WAPIC

0.77

0.75

-0.02

Interbank ($/N)

162.75

SEPLAT

695.00

680.00

-15.00

CUTIX

1.89

1.85

-0.04

Parallel ($/N)

167.50

HONYFLOUR

4.09

4.01

-0.08

GOVT. SECURITIES YIELD – SECONDARY MARKET

Tenor

Rates

T-bills - 91

10.00

T-bills - 182

10.07

T-bills - 364

10.22

Bond - 3yrs

11.37

Bond - 5yrs

11.41

Bond - 7yrs

11.86

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 22, 2014

NEWS 2015: APC opts for direct primaries Continued from page 2

“We had the governor of Osun (Rauf Aregbesola) who came not only to thank the party for its support, but also warned that the party must be prepared for the monstrousity and viciousness of the opposition political party in subsequent elections. “The party discussed guidelines on primaries and principally, the party has decided that the primaries will start as early as October. We would want to ensure the participation of a large section of our people and so, we have opted for what we call a modified direct primary. “INEC says that you either do a direct or indirect primary and we have opted for the direct. In other words, we have opted for a method that will ensure the participation of the largest number of our members. “We call it modified because we are also aware of certain constraints of getting all our 20 million members or thereabout to queue for election, especially in areas where we have security challenges, like Yobe, Adamawa and Borno. We are working out a formula that will still enable the largest members of our party to participate. “But I want to say that we are not settling for delegate elections. We want to get people from the grassroots to be involved in our primaries because we want to show the world that we are different and that our party and our primaries would not only be grassroots inspired, it will be transparent and free. “Don’t forget that we are going to have more than one primary election. Everybody seems to be focussing on the presidential primary. There will also be primary for members of state Houses of Assembly, National Assembly and for the governorship election. We are going to have separate primaries staggered over a period of time. “The party did not discuss anything about zoning”. He added: “The highlight of the discussion with regard to the elections in Adamawa is that the party is very worried and concerned about the neutrality of certain public officials. “I think that one thing the party insisted on is that with the state of emergency in Adamawa state today, for an election to be free and fair, the party will insist that the curfew imposed on the state be lifted temporarily during the

elections. “I don’t want to be misquoted, I don’t want to be misunderstood. We are not saying that they should lift the state of emergency. We are saying that the curfew must be suspended for the period of the election. “In the northern part of Adamawa for example, by 6.00pm, the curfew is on. We are not confident that under such a condition, you can have a free and fair election. So, we are asking the Federal Government to lift temporarily for the period of the election, the curfew in all parts of Adamawa State.” Mohammed stressed that the party is not worried about the recent defection of the former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, to the PDP, saying that the party had moved on. He said: “You see, the beauty of politics is the freedom of association. No party would want to lose any of its members. But we believe that the APC is such a strong brand with a strong followership in Adamawa and all over Nigeria that the defection of one person will not adversely affect our fortune and we have moved on since his defection.” He said the party was convinced that the PDP had already chosen its presidential candidate for the elections, stressing that the clamour for President Jonathan to come out and declare for the election was just a game. He said: “I think that the PDP has already come out with its candidate. I think we must be fooling ourselves if we consider all these orchestrated drama about asking Jonathan to come and run. “But one thing we are saying is that Mr. President and the PDP are violating the electoral guidelines with impunity, with nobody to stop them. I can assure you that we in the APC are not threatened by the emergence of any candidate. “The only thing that threatens us is the absence of a level playing field. If a free and fair election is conducted in Nigeria today, we are very confident that we are going to defeat PDP. But we will insist that a level-playing field is procured.” Speaking on the renewed move by members of the Nasarawa state House of Assembly to impeach Governor Umaru Tanko Al-Makura, Mohammed said: “I think

that the constitution of the country is very clear on this issue. “You cannot try a person twice for the same offence and the members of the Nasarawa State House of Assembly should know that they are a product of a constitution and that it is the same constitution that they invoked in trying to impeach the governor. “So, they can’t go outside that constitution again to impeach him. What they can do in law is very simple. They should find a new set of allegations, if there are any, follow the same procedure. Most importantly, they have no liberty to ask a vacation judge to go and and set up a panel. “They must go back to the same Chief Judge to empanel the impeachment committee. I think that they should understand that Nigerians are tired of this era of impunity because what they want to embark upon is just impunity. “They are saying that they are going to resubmit the same set of allegations which has been dismissed and they are going to take advantage of the vacation and ask a vacation judge to come and set up a panel; that will be blatantly illegal. For us, it is nothing but noise”. On the conduct of public officers, he said: “Honestly, we are concerned about the neutrality of certain public officials in the last couple of months. Institutions which ought to be neutral have today taken partisan roles in elections. “We are very concerned that institutions which ought to be for the entire country have in recent times behave as if they are for a particular political party. We would in a few days elaborate on this because we are going to come out with a very powerful statement especially on the role of security agencies. “We are encouraged by the statement of the INEC chairman yesterday that hooded security personnel are not needed for any election. It is a sign of transparency for a security man who is coming to enforce laws to be transparent and the citizens have the right to know who he is, and the organisation he represents and to also see his face. “Jega was quoted as saying that some INEC officials were arrested by some overzealous security officials. The story of Osun election has not been told completely because the kind of monstrosity and viciousness the PDP embarked upon is better imagined.”

signs of improvement The regulatory body of the healthcare sector in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, announced yesterday that the formal Ebola test has come back negative for the Nigerian woman suspected of having the virus while transiting through the Abu Dhabi International Airport last Friday. She was known to have advanced cancer and was on her way for treatment in India, but fell ill at the Abu Dhabi International Airport, and resuscitation attempts were unsuccessful. “Some of her signs during resuscitation, although explainable by her medical condition, could also have

been caused by Ebola virus, and hence this diagnosis needed to be excluded,” the statement said. Haad followed standard procedures for isolating the her contacts — the woman’s husband and the five medical staff who tried to resuscitate her - as a precautionary measure pending the result of the Ebola test. “Given the negative result, all these individuals are scheduled to be released from isolation today,” it added. The Health Authority in Abu Dhabi assured the public that there is no risk to the community over the death of a 35-year-old Nigerian woman at Abu Dhabi Airport.

American Ebola victims discharged Continued from page 2

protests after a quarantine was imposed to contain the spread of the deadly virus. Residents of the capital’s West Point slum area said the barbed wire blockade stops them buying food and working. Both Dr Brantly and Mrs Writebol received an experimental treatment known as ZMapp. The drug, which has only been made in extremely limited qualities, had never been tested on humans and it remains unclear if it is responsible for their recovery. ZMapp was also given to a Spanish priest, who died, and three Liberian health workers, who are showing

THE NATION FRIDAY AUGUST 22, 2014

NEWS 2015: We will support candidate with youth vision- Youth Group

YOUTH development group, Progressive Leadership for African Youth Empowerment & Development (PLAYED) has thrown its weight behind any candidate which can guarantee a forty percent youth inclusion, ahead of the 2015 presidential elections. Rotimi Osiyoye, the National President of the organisation who made this known in an interview said that with about 70 percent of Nigeria’s population made up of young people, the youths can determine the fate of Nigeria in the next election by voting rightly for a youth focused candidate. “Regardless of party affiliations, Progressive Leadership for African Youth Empowerment & Development (P.L.A.Y.E.D) will solidly support any candidate with clearcut programmes for the youths. To be specific, any candidate with plans to constitute a government with forty percent youth inclusion will have our unwavering and unreserved support,” he said. Osiyoye, who also identified leadership as the bane of Nigeria’s development said his organisation is ready to proffer the solution to Nigeria’s leadership problems by focusing on the large population of youths in Nigeria and training them in leadership skills. He called on Nigerian youths to join efforts and rescue Nigeria. “There is thus an urgent need for youths to join forces to rescue our rapidly deteriorating society. This is one of the major aims of

By Seun Akioye

P.L.A.Y.E.D. Furthermore, the population of selfless and development-oriented leaders who are youths is abysmally low. The need for a new class of selfless and developmentoriented leaders to make a positive impact in our society and challenge the status quo cannot be overemphasised.” Osiyoye said his organisation, with an estimated active membership of two million young people is actively involved in the training of young people in Nigeria to assume leadership position through seminal and workshops. He said members of PLAYED also get involved in community development projects. He called on Nigerian youths to take responsibility for the future of the country by actively participating in the development process which his organisation is leading. “We have a choice of either adopting the ‘siddon look’ posture and watch things deteriorate or to join hands with a veritable instrument for societal reengineering as P.L.A.Y.E.D to rescue our country from crisis.”

Firm sues Addax Petroleum over oil well contract A FIRM, Hydrodive Nigeria Limited, has sued Addax Petroleum Exploration Nigeria Limited at the Federal High Court in Lagos over alleged award of oil mining contract to foreigners. It said the contract contravenes the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act. The oil mining lease (OML 126 Okwori), was said to have been awarded to Ranger Offshore Incorporated, a diving company registered in the United States of America. The plaintiff, through its lawyer Olumayowa Owolabi of Pistis Partners LP, alleged that Ranger Offshore hurriedly incorporated a company in Nigeria

From Jide Orintunsin, Minna

named Rangers Subsea Nigeria Limited, to serve as vehicle for the contract’s execution. Ranger Offshore and Rangers Subsea are the third and fourth defendants, while Addax Petroleum, Kaztec Engineering Limited and the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board are the first, second and fifth defendants. The plaintiff is seeking an order declaring the purported award of the contract to the foreign firm as illegal, null and void on account of the fact that it was done in violation of the Nigerian

Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act and the Coastal and Inland Shipping (Cabotage) Act of 2003. Hydrodive also wants the court to restrain Ranger Offshore and Rangers Subsea or their agents from executing the oil well contract. It is also asking the court to direct the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board to cancel the contract, and another order directing the defendants to pay the cost of the suit. Meanwhile, Justice Okon Abang will, on September 10 hear the preliminary objection filed by the defendants challenging the court’s jurisdiction to entertain the mat-

ter. The judge had warned the defendants not to execute the contract until the matter is determined to avoid contempt of court. Hydrodive is involved in broad range of marine vessels, air mixed gas and saturation diving services primarily to the offshore and inshore petroleum industry of the West African region. The defendants in their objections are insisting that the plaintiff lacked the locus standi (legal right) to file the case. According to them, there is no cause of action to sustain the suit. They are praying the court to hold that it lacks jurisdiction to entertain the action.

•Vice President Namadi Sambo (left), presenting a national productivity award to the Minister of Aviation, Chief Osita Chidoka, at the National Productivity day in Abuja... yesterday With them is the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu. PHOTO:NAN

Osiyoye

EXPRESSO

Nuhu, accept my sympathy •Continued from Back page option somewhere. In another He was the gloved hands of, as well as the dog-handler for the former president. With the agency he kept a face by putting some petty fraudsters to jail while he kept up the real job of hounding down ‘enemies’ of his boss. The main victims were state governors many of whom were kept under perpetual investigation while in office but none was successfully prosecuted after office. Though the states were not examples of sterling leadership, but Obasanjo’s administration ended up as one of the most corrupt in Nigeria’s history. Ensconced at the vortex of power, Ribadu could have been alternate president at his peak. Many, like Peter Odili, former governor of Rivers State, must still live with the sad memories about how Ribadu ruined their political career by a mere whisper to the president. Sympathy for Nuhu: But discerning minds will have nothing but sympathy for our dear Nuhu. Once upon a time, a loony in my village market used to say that though he may not know what he was doing he sure knew what was ‘doing’ him. Nuhu on the other hand, may not quite understand what ails him.In explaining his defection, Ribadu had said that there is no difference between PDP and CPC. That may be correct and he has exemplified that proposition. But why choose one over the other? There must be a third

breath, he told his supporters that, “For now, I wish to assure you that my defection is in pursuit of a good cause and never out of my selfish interest..” No sir that is a ruse. To speak of “a good cause” is either to delude himself or to deceive us. Can’t he see that we are in a virtually failed state? And here is what Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson say in their book, Why Nations Fail: “Nations fail today because their extractive economic institutions do not create incentives needed for people to save, invest and innovate. Extractive political institutions support these economic institutions by cementing the power of those who benefit from the extraction.” My dear brother Nuhu Ribadu is only hard at work seeking to cement his power to benefit from the extraction in Adamawa State. Can’t he see that all the institutions of state have been damage and dissipated? Let us end with another word from Acemoglu and Robinson: “When extractive institutions create huge inequalities in society and great wealth and unchecked power for those in control, there will be many wishing to fight to take control of the state and institutions. Extractive institutions then not only pave way for the next regime, which will be even more extractive, but they also engender continuous infighting and civil wars.” Accept my sympathy my dear brother.

APC, group decry slow pace of CVR in Kwara

HE All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara State has decried the slow pace of the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR). APC spokesman Alhaji Sulyman Buhari said in a statement that the preliminary report from 193 wards showed that the registration process was slow. “With the massive turnout of would-be voters, one registration machine per polling booth is inadequate. We urge the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to find a solution to the drawback.” A group, Kwara Change Initiative, has enjoined INEC to overcome the challenges slowing down the CVR process. The group’s coordinator, Mr. Kayode Oyin-Zubair, said the process could be better if the commission fixed the challenges being encoun-

From Adekunle Jimoh, Ilorin

tered. Said he: “In our observation in some local governments, we realised that the challenges the INEC officials and would-be voters faced were technical problems. In some of the wards, the Data Capturing machines could not be powered, as the battery was either not charged or faulty. This is understandable, as some of the machines were last used in 2011; when such an exercise was last conducted. “It is also necessary for the commission to increase the number of machines used in the one centre opened in each ward. We noticed that registration centres were only opened at the ward collation centre with just one Data Capturing Machine. This is inadequate, going by the number of days available for the exercise and the large turnout

of people in many of the centres. “The commission should have taken into consideration that with about 76 polling units already cancelled in eight local governments for reasons of incomplete registration, there will be a high concentration of voters in those areas and therefore the need for the provision of more machines and officials. “The slow pace of the exercise in most of the places, if unchecked will deny many the right to vote in the elections. The defence that the exercise is a continuous one is not in the best interest of INEC and the electorate. “We submit that if this round of CVR achieves optimal result, the burden on the commission in preparing for the general elections in a few months will be reduced and it will have time for the poll that will hold simultaneously in 30 states.”

Dean challenges govt on education funding

HE DEAN,School of Engineering,Federal Polytechnic Ilaro in Ogun state,Prof.Sabitu Ariyo Olagoke has called on both Federal and state governments to give proper attention to the funding of technical education in the country in order to ensure technological development in the country. The University don made the call in yesterday in Ibadan at a lecture during an award of Excellence conferred on him by theNational

From Tayo Johnson, Ibadan

Association of Polytechnic Students(NAPS) Prof Olagoke who spoke on the theme “Quality Polytechnic Graduates For National Development,” observed that quality graduates are the hope of the future, adding that quality does not stop at academic excellence alone, but extended to students who appreciated the culture of discipline which according to him, would make them pure raw materials for thoroughbred professionalism.

Bomb scare in Abuja From Gbenga Omokhunu, Abuja

FEAR gripped residents of Nyanya in Abuja yesterday when they thought that a Peugeot 406 car parked in the middle of the road contained an Improvised Explosive Device. An eyewitness, who spoke to The Nation, confirmed the incident. He said the bomb scare occurred about noon near a popular terminus, forcing people to flee.

Baptists’ Kingdom Life Assembly THE fourth Kingdom Life Assembly of the Lagos East Baptist Conference will hold tomorrow till next Thursday at Surulere Baptist Church, Ojuelegba, Surulere, Lagos. The Conference President, Rev. E.A. Awotunde, said the theme of the assembly, which would be hosted by The Great Commission Baptist Association, is: “Seeking God and His Righteousness (Matthew 6:33), adding that to create an awareness and sensitise residents, Baptists would embark on environmental sanitation in Surulere today. He said the programme would be spiritually-fulfilling, during which matters affecting the churches and associations under the conference would be discussed.

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 22, 2014

FOREIGN NEWS Marina Silva chosen to run for president in Brazil

HE Brazilian Socialist Party (PSB) has formally named the internationally-acclaimed environmental campaigner Marina Silva as its new presidential candidate. Ms Silva replaces the late Eduardo Campos, who was killed in a plane crash last week. She was Mr Campos’s running mate and served as environment minister. She is seen as a leading challenger to President Dilma Rousseff, who’s seeking reelection in the 5 October poll. PSB President Roberto Amaral told a news conference she had been chosen unanimously. Congressman Beto Albuquerque was named the party’s new vice presidential candidate. The first test of public opinion after Mr Campos’s death suggested she could surpass the main opposition PSDB candidate Aecio Neves in the first round and beat current President Dilma Rousseff in the second, although both outcomes

were within the poll’s margin of error. But analysts caution that, with the strong emotional reaction to last week’s events, a bounce in the polls was inevitable and the picture could change substantially. Marina Silva was Eduardo Campos’ running mate before he died in a plane crash A devout evangelical Christian who overcame poverty, Marina Silva only learnt to read and write when she was 16. On Sunday, more than 100,000 people in Brazil paid their last respects to the late presidential candidate, Eduardo Campos, a former governor and rising political star. They attended a funeral Mass and filled the streets of the city of Recife to follow the passage of his coffin. Mr Campos’s jet crashed on 13 August in bad weather in the port city Santos, near Sao Paulo, killing six other people. Investigators are still trying to establish the exact causes of the accident.

Michael Brown Shooting: Witness accounts tell conflicting stories

ICHAEL Brown was shot at least six times, according to the medical examiner who reviewed MLK and JFK’s autopsies. Reuters The shooting of black teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, earlier this month by police officer Darren Wilson has sent shockwaves through the nation’s political and law-enforcement establishments. Accounts of what happened during Brown’s final moments vary significantly. Most agree that there was a verbal exchange on the street followed by a scuffle between Brown and Wilson, with Brown outside the car leaning in, or being pulled in. During this exchange, Wilson’s gun went off,

and Brown and his friend ran. Wilson then got out of his car and fired at Brown, who stopped and turned to face the officer. This is the part where the various witness accounts diverge and the most significant differences creep in. Some witnesses claim that Brown had his hands up and was gunned down. Wilson, and reportedly some witnesses, claim that Brown charged him, forcing him to fire. Dorian Johnson, 22, who was with Brown at the time of the shooting was quoted in USA Today as saying that following a verbal altercation, Wilson tried to pull Brown through the window of his patrol car, a significant deviation from the officer’s account.

•Marina Silva will run with Beto Albuquerque (left) as the party’s new vice presidential candidate in Brazil

PHOTO:AP

New U.S. strikes in Iraq after Foley’s death

S aircraft have launched fresh strikes against Islamic State (IS) militants in northern Iraq, despite threats from the group to kill a second American captive in retribution for continued attacks. US Navy fighters and drones provided air cover to Kurdish and Iraqi forces battling IS near the city of Mosul. On Tuesday the group released a video showing the beheading of journalist James Foley, who went missing in 2012. In it, the militants threatened to kill another US reporter they are holding. But since the video was released, American forces have conducted 14 new strikes near the Mosul dam, a key facility recaptured from IS militants earlier this week. The raids provided air cover as Kurdish and Iraqi forces pushed into the hills south-west of the site, Kurdish sources said. US officials said

James Foley beheading: Hunt on for ‘British’ jihadist

I5 is searching for a trio nicknamed ‘the Beatles’, who were allegedly involved in James Foley’s death in

Iraq. Police and security services are trying to identify a suspected British jihadist who appeared in footage of the killing of the U.S. journalist. Extremist group Islamic State (IS) published a video of the moments before and after James Foley was beheaded. Unconfirmed reports suggest the man in the video - who had an English accent - is from London or south-east England and may have guarded IS captives. Mr Foley, 40, had been missing since he was seized in Syria in 2012. The FBI is leading the international hunt for his killer, while Scotland Yard is examining the

they had successfully eliminated vehicles and other targets belonging to IS. The US has been carrying out strikes against IS - which has been seizing large parts of Syria and Iraq - since 8 August. Barack Obama: “People like [IS] ultimately fail, they

content of the video. Since the footage was released, American forces have carried out 14 air strikes targeting IS militants near the Mosul dam in northern Iraq. Fighting has been continuing in the area since Iraqi and Kurdish forces recaptured the strategically important dam from IS earlier this week. Prime Minister David Cameron said it looked “increasingly likely” the man thought to be involved in killing Mr Foley was British, but that it was “not a time for a knee-jerk reaction”. Mr Cameron - who broke off from his holiday on Wednesday - is to return to Cornwall but will continue to take calls and briefings, Downing Street said. BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner said the man in the footage was thought to have travelled to Syria in the last three years.

fail because the future is won by those who build and not destroy” In its video, the group said it has killed Foley in revenge for such attacks. US President Barack Obama on Wednesday called the killing “an act of violence that shocks the conscience of the entire

world”. Also on Wednesday, the Pentagon said the US had “attempted a rescue operation recently to free a number of American hostages held in Syria”. It said the operation “involved air and ground components”.

AGRIBUSINESS: THE GLOBAL NEW INCOME EARNER

igeria has a population of about 160 million from the 6.5 billion of the world population. Even with these, less than 20 percent are rich while more than 80 percent are poor. The question you must ask yourself is…. What category do I belong? Do you earn enough? Are you tired of being bossed around or fear of being sacked anytime? Do you want to choose your own working hours? Do you need extra or part-time business that will give you extra income? If you answer yes, then plan yourself out of employment and step outside the box. The Nigeria Immigration Service test held on Saturday 15th march 2014 in about 36 State capitals, including the Federal Capital Territory-highlights the unemployment situation in the country.It’s an irony that over 520,000 unemployed Nigerians applied for 4,556 job opportunities in the NIS. With rising unemployment rates in Nigeria, it is hard to see progress, unless we make agriculture attractive. The road to sustainable employment creation will not be found only in government establishments. Instead, it will be discovered through entrepreneurship. The Nigeria’s economic recoveryprograms have necessitated a radical shift from total dependence on government for jobs to selfemployment. Ever heard of backyard farming? No. Then you are behind time. Backyard entrepreneurship is thriving. To be in the business, all you need to do is to convert that space in your backyard into a farm. Many, who are into it, are making their millions quietly and boosting the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). At JovanaFarms we are encouraging people to start smallscale farming because it has enormous capacity to touch lives.Although, large scale farming has its own advantage, but it’s capital intensive and the risk aversion nature of our people have made it difficult for many entrepreneurs to go into it and so, the price of food has remained high in Nigeria. There are inspiring and interesting accounts of backyard entrepreneurs, who have achieved tremendous financial success from this relatively low-profile, but forwardthinking venture. Many of these small scale animal farming businesses have emerged because of the country’s sluggish

economy that has compelled the unemployed to look inwards. If you have any available space at the backyard, then you don’t have problem to start a small-scale business. From mushroom, quail and fishfarming to raising grasscutter and snail; all these are passive money spinners. Nigerians can augment their income from animal farming. Currently, there is a wide gap in the food supply chain; the demand for meat in cities is high and growing as fast as the urban population. Besides, one can start raising mushroom, grasscutter(domesticated bush-meat) and fishfor profit. A little care, market planning and timely technical support can bring amazing results for any serious farmer.Other opportunities are in poultry and pigfarming; it has become imperative to adopt livestock farming for sustainable agricultural production and for the economic prosperity of the farmers. This stemmed from the fact that Nigerians are becoming health conscious by avoiding the consumption of red meat that is loaded with cholesterol. Nowadays, demand for domesticated bush-meat (grasscutter) is higher than those killed by hunters from the forest. What investors need, is the knowledge to maximize the potential and tap into the market. Besides, rearing grasscutter, snail and geeseis one of the most versatile animals one can raise. To raise grasscutter, one requires atleast N60,000. These include the cost ofthe 5-grasscutters and their cage. Feeding them is affordable; they are no longer bush-meat but domesticated white-meat. They are no longer ‘’grass-cutters but grass-eaters’’. The farmer is now the grasscutter because he goes into the bush to cut the grass for the animal that’s now the grass-eaters in the house. To succeed in animal farming, new farmers areadvised to “sit at the feet” of a mentor-someone that has years of experience,has made the mistake, has learned how to succeed and is willing to pass that knowledgedown. Attend JovanaFarms nationwide seminars nearest to you and know more opportunities in animal farming. Visit us at www.jovanafarm.com, E-mail:jovanafarms@gmail.com or Call: 080 33262 808, for more details. Choose also the nearest venue from the advert box in this page.

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THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 22, 2014

DISCOURSE

Aribisala: The APC scriptwriter gone haywire A

S an unrepentant apologist of Goodluck Jonathan, Femi Aribisala may have impressed, once again, his admirers in his recent column in which he unintelligently said that “the only way the APC could have won the Osun election is by rigging it.” As an opinion molder by virtue of being a columnist who’s faithfully in strict adherence to a spiteful script he probably was charged with to continuously pound, denigrate, subvert and make evil everything that the country’s main opposition party stands for (especially in the Southwest geo-political region), one should not be surprised. Aribisala’s co-travellers in this Southwest-domiciled Jonathanian train that had already left the station and the driver (Aribisala), having been strictly instructed to crush anything on his path as he can only come to a complete stop at Terminus 2019would have been unhappy if he had applied some brakes in the aftermath of the recently concluded governorship election in the State of Osun. This would have amounted to a dereliction of duty and gross negligence of his assigned route. In his column on Tuesday, August 12, 2014 in the Vanguard titled “How APC Lost the Osun Election,” Aribisala once again took his readers through some convoluted logic as to why they should actually see the triumph of Governor RaufAregbesola and the victory of his All Progressives Party (APC) as a great loss to him and his political party. One can divvy up Aribisala’s column into two distinct components. While he devoted about one third of his piece to unrestrained praisingand exhortationof Nigeria’s electoral umpire Prof. AttahiruJega, the rest was a bitter excoriation, laden with gross contradictions in terms of the APC and its flag bearer in the Osungovernorship election. His twisted logic and the toxicity inherent in his lampoon of the opposition party were enough to have made a stranger who had just happened on the land to conclude that OgbeniRaufAregbesola should hide his head in shame for taking what did not belong to him. One may never know if Aribisala’srecent piece about the Osun election was a clever attempt to put a spine on the political shellacking of Sen. IyiolaOmisore and his PDP. Or that he’s simply too far gone in his uncontrollable irrational exuberance in this Jonathan presidency, it behooves those of us who strongly believe that the only way that Nigeria can attain its true developmental potentials is if this monstrosity of a political party cease to preside over the destiny this country to callattention to this writer’s follies and his twisted logic in discussing the politics of the Nigerian polity. Aribisala was so fascinated and highly impressed with the INEC chairman in the discharge of his dutiesthat he recommended him for the president of Nigeria. Why not? After all, others with far less intellectual and educational endowmentsthan Prof. Jega had occupied the nation’s highest

By Femi Odere seat in the past where they only succeeded in creating more mess for the country and its people. He said he became so impressed with Jega after he “watched him for hours painstakingly collating the results of the 2011 elections with the help of university vicechancellors” that he asked himself “…how come we never elect someone like him as president?” If “painstakingly collating the results” of elections that had been largely contrived was the only fiduciary duty of an electoral umpire that qualified him for Nigeria’s president—in Aribisala’swarped mind—one does not need a Ph.D. to know that the rains of underdevelopment have been beating this country for far too long. He did not stop at that. He also brought it to the attention of those of us gullible enough not to have recognized a good presidential material when one presented himself that AttahiruJega “remains one of the best presidential materials we have in Nigeria” because “here is a man who is not only highlyeducated…[and also] very competent and scrupulously honest…transforming the electoral process in Nigeria for the better and even the best.” Not wanting to miss the opportunity to also remind us of his anointed spiritual gift, Aribisala quipped that “God has given us in Jega a man that is making what we thought was impossible possible [and that] he not only deserves to get a second-term as INEC chairman after his term expires in 2015 [but] would also be a shooin if he were to run for president thereafter.” Just like most things in life or any human activity in which other people are called upon to pass judgment, AttahiruJegafalls within that idiomatic expression of a glass that some people would see as half-full while others’ gaze at the same glass would reveal it as half-empty. Prof. Jega may be trying his best but his subtle acquiescence or his overt pronouncements—-that sometime appeared so bizarre—-on electoral matters has left the discerning with no choice than to conclude that the organization over which he presides is more or less an appendage of the Jonathan presidency. His best, in the main, has really not been good enough for the electorate of this country. There are only four ways of playingany material game including that game of life itself and these are: playing to win, playing not to win, playing not to lose, and playing to lose. When one playsto lose, one find excuses for not doing what one says he wants to do. This is a demonstration of simple laziness. But when you play not to lose, you do just enough to say you tried and enough to let others know you are trying. Prof. Jega seems to have cleverly chosen to play the nation’s electoral game—as its umpire—-not to loseand this should be unacceptable to those in the knowof the fundamental importance of Jega’s organization to the health and vitality of a country in a

democracy. Otherwise, how else can one interpret the INEC chairman’s silence in the face of all the flagrant violations by President Goodluck Jonathan and his PDP of the Electoral Acts that governs the commencement of political campaigns in all its ramifications? How come Jega did not see anything wrong with then candidate Willie Obiano (now the governor of Enugu State) who may have intentionally registered in multiply places with different pieces of information? Why has the nation’s electoral umpire not punished any of his officials who had violated their fiduciary oath of office to the electorate? Could the INEC chairman have been so ignorant of the rules of his own organization to have proclaimed before the Osun election that voters should not take pictures of their ballot papers during the voting exercisewhen INEC would not have been injured in any form whatsoever? These are questions begging for answers that ordinarily should have called Jega’s honesty and impartiality to question that Aribisala probably knows but conveniently chose to ignore. One can understand the fact that the system that threw up Prof. AttahiruJega is fundamentally flawed (and was deliberately made to be) that only a ‘superhuman’ who have evolved beyond the primordial slave-master mentality can seriously sanction his erring ‘paymaster’and call him to order, and the consequences be damned. Jega’s strategy is to gingerly walk the nation’s electoral field with a dual personality that makes him to look the other way or feign incompetence on those matters that would help the cause of the ruling party while he’s more negatively assertive on those things that would aid in leveling the playing field for other parties to satisfactorily participate. The Nigerian electorate wants an umpire who wants to play to win and Jega has proven beyond a reasonable doubt that he simply cannot afford to invite the ire of his ‘paymaster.’ There’s no question that Aribisala has already secured a prominent seat among the lunatic fringe inChristendomby his writings about the scripture. He would soon earn a stripe (though an unenviable one) with his warped thought process on the Nigerian politics that’s only meant for mischief in his wild, if not bizarre assertions. New Politics Aribisala’sview that “the Supreme Court decision that led to the staggering of some gubernatorial elections has provided Jega and his INEC team with training grounds for perfecting our electoral process [where] Edo, Ondo, Anambra, Ekiti and Osun…election results…reflected the true wishes of the people” cannot be farther from the truth. Edo may not have “reflected the true wishes of the people” if Governor Adams Oshiomhole had not threatened to reject the governorship election in his state because of what he believed to be the underhand, deliberate and concerted efforts of the PDP in cahoots with INEC to rig him out of the governorship election. In Ondo, the governor-

Aviation minister receives award

HE Minister of Aviation, Chief Osita Chidoka was yesterday conferred with the prestigious National Productivity Order of Merit (NPOM) award by President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. The ceremony was held in Abuja. The President who was represented by Vice President Namadi Sambo, said recipients were recognised for their productivity and commitment towards nation building. He urged them to continue to give their best for the growth and development of the country. The which was chaired by the

By Kelvin Osa Okunbor

Minister of Labour, Chief Emeka Nwogu. Other notable Nigerians who have made significant contributions to the development of the country, in their various fields of endeavour were also given awards. Chidoka was given the award, because of the significant improvement he brought to the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) where he was the Corp Marshal. The president said of Chidoka :” His unique management style,

creativity and determination has earned the commission encomiums at home and abroad. This is besides his transparent commitment to the implementation of Government’s Transformation Agenda in Road safety, including infrastructural development, manpower training and development.” The chief executive officers of aviation parastatals said: “We are confident that your sterling qualities at the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) which earned you this award will be brought to bear in the aviation industry”

•Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, APC National Chairman

ship election in that state was a partnership between Jonathan and Mimiko—-who has since become his poodle—to keep the latter on the seat, having convinced Jonathan to serve as a bulwark against the then ACN in the southwest. The bye-election conducted by INEC in that state this year is still inconclusive as of today probably because it has now dawned on the PDP that Gov. Mimiko is playing his own game, as then ACN found out after the party helped him to regain his electoral mandate, to its utter chagrin. Anambra’s governorship election was shambolic at best and Jega himself admitted that it was a poor outing for his electoral body. But it didn’t matter since Peter Obi’s (another Jonathan’s poodle) man Friday had been successfully smuggled in. Although the jury is still out on the Ekiti election but it is crystal clear by now that Gov. Fayemi was seamlessly rigged out. In Osun, Nigerians and the world knew on whose side AttahiruJegawas with his injunction to party agents to stand 300 meters away from the polling booths and that voters should not take pictures of their ballot papers. The fact that some of the actors in the political process have grown indeed has an inverse relationship with what Aribisala perceived as the growth of INEC. Itsoundseven laughable, if not ludicrous for Aribisala to infer that “growth in the PDP is evidenced by increased internal democracy.” If the emergence of Ayo Fayose which resulted inthe condemnation of the party by virtually all the PDP governorship aspirants except DayoAdeyeye(now a Minister of State) for conducting a kangaroo primary was evidence of the PDP’s “increased internal democracy,” then the phrase now has a new meaning. The rest of us mere mortals must be fools not to have seen that the PDP proclamation of Sen. IyiolaOmisore as its flag bearer without a primary in the recently-concluded Osun election was emblematic of the party’s “increased internal democracy.” Cry-Wolf APC It is not entirely surprising that Aribisala saw that the APC is the “one big problem” in a political landscape in which might is right that determines who gets what in a political culture of winner takes all. Why should the APC not be the problem when the PDP can now see that its hold on the political jugular of the Nigerian nation is now seriously being challenged and threatened? I have said before that Aribisala’sstrategy is simply to deni-

HE planned repairs of Eko Bridge being carried out by the Lagos State Government would start this tomorrow, a source in the Ministry of Transportation has said. The first phase of the bridge expansion joint replacement, being carried out by Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, the source said, would witness a partial restriction from two lanes to one lane, at the loop towards Elegbata (Apongbon inter-change) in-ward Lagos, for six days from August 23 to 25. By this, vehicular movement in-ward Surulere would not be affected. To avoid delay, motorists coming from Surulere and Apapa, going towards Ebute-Ero and outer Marina are advised to use the connecting road to link Cart-

grate and demonize the opposition party in every way no matter the senselessness of his accusations while he showcases his PDP as the best thing that ever happened to Nigeria since the discovery of crude oil. He lampooned the party for not recognizing “the signs of the times when Fayemi accepted defeat in the Ekiti election, [but] the bigwigs of APC Central persuaded him to reject the result.” I wonder if he knew that Omisore had decided to go to the tribunal to challenge the results of the Osun election despite that the PDP Central, including its president had congratulated OgbeniRaufAregbesola on a well-deserved victory. Aribisalasaid that “the APC cries wolf in every election it is going to lose, or is afraid to lose [because it] clearly does not believe in democracy or in the democratic process.”Really.It must have been a wolf-cry by the APC when soldiers that were deployed primarily for the Ekiti election, ditto Osunfar outnumbered the troops combing the Sambisa forest for the Chibok girls. The opposition party cried wolf when armed masked ‘security personnel’ was among the security apparatus harassing, intimidating and outrightlystopping rallies in support of the opposition prior to the Osun election. Lai Mohammed also must have been hopelessly addicted to crying wolf that he arrested himself and more than 200 members of his own party members and turned around to cry wolf about it. It was another round of crying wolf of the APC when the INEC chairman instructed party agents not to come near their voting stations while monieswere distributed to the army, police and other federal government security apparatus for the purpose of influencing the election. Pyrrhic Victory With everything thrown at OgbeniRaufAregbesola and his APC by the Jonathan government and yes, in cahoots with the electoral umpire (for how else could one have interpreted the chairman’s warnings to party agents to stay away from the polling booth, among other displays of partisanship, however subtle) to skew the Osun election in favour of the PDP, Aribisala would want us to believe that the APC had a pyrrhic victory. He said “every so often, it [APC] came out with broadsides as to the discovery of fresh plans to rig the election which it discovered through its detective agency.” Well, one does not reasonably expect Aribisala (whose support for the PDP has somewhat turned fanatical and Jonathan has, in his psychological re-orientation become a cult figure) not to see the activity of the Jonathan presidency and that of INEC as picture perfect. One need not say more. While it is perfectly within the legitimate rights of Aribisala to support whomever he like in 2015, standing logic on its head and making wild allegations that are not borne out of rigorous thinking, let alone facts,could only diminish the status of a promising mind that may have otherwise gone pathetically delusional, if not berserk in his quest for a second (third?) coming of the ‘shoeless boy’ from Otuoke.When someone is too far gone in his blind support of the PDP as has been severally demonstrated by Aribisala, truth becomes the first casualty in his journey of no return. •Odere is a media practitioner. He can be reached at femiodere@gmail.com.

Eko Bridge repairs begin tomorrow By Adeyinka Aderibigbe

er Bridge. The Lagos State government said all traffic management officers have been directed to ensure traffic flow during the maintenance period and called on motorists and other road users to cooperate by obeying traffic regulations. The government had announced that the Bridge expansion joint replacement contract would last for 71 days, beginning from tomorrow and would not necessitate its total closure but rather a phased partial restriction.

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 22, 2014

SPORT EXTRA

FIFA endorses NFF’s General Assembly of August 26

ORLD football – governing body, FIFA, has endorsed the plan by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to hold a General Assembly on

Tuesday, 26th August to consider and approve a new roadmap for elections into the NFF Executive Committee. In a letter dated August 21, addressed to NFF President, Aminu Maigari and signed by Deputy Secretary General, Markus Kattner, FIFA also approved of the proposal for the General Assembly to decide on the composition of the Electoral Committee and the Electoral Appeals Committee. “We take note of the decision of the NFF Executive Committee to ask the members of the upcoming congress on 26 August 2014 to consider a new roadmap for the elections, which should be held by no later than two weeks after the congress. We also understand from your correspondence that the members of the congress will also decide on the composition of the electoral

committees whose legitimacy had been put in doubt by some members. “The congress being the highest decision-making body of any football association, we approve of the above plan, and as previously stated, we are supportive of an electoral process that is free and open to everybody, thereby fulfilling the requirements of the NFF regulations.” The world body also commiserated with the NFF over Wednesday morning’s fire outbreak at its Abuja office. “We would like to express our support for the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and its staff after a fire broke out in part of its headquarters. Fortunately, we have learnt there are no casualties and we hope that the NFF will recover quickly from this difficult situation.”

WOMEN’S U-20 WORLD CUP

Falconets good enough to win —Glo

AJOR sponsor of Nigerian national teams, Globacom, has called on the Super Falconets of Nigeria to make Nigeria proud by winning the U-20 Women’s World Cup in Canada on Sunday when the team lock horns with Germany. The Super Falconets walloped the Korea DPR U20 Women’s team by six goals to two in the semifinals on Thursday to advance to the finals of the competition for the second time, having lost to the Germans in the finals of 2010 U-20 Women World Cup. Globacom in a press statement in Lagos on Friday commended the Super Falconets for their hard work, total concentration and neversay-die spirit, which earned them the victory, and qualification for the Finals. “We believed from the beginning that the Falconets had the wherewithal to go all the way and we are not surprised that they are now just one match to claim the

ultimate glory,” Glo stated. “You played a well coordinated match and out classed the Koreans, we look forward to an outstanding final against the Germans when you will do Nigeria and Africa proud by winning the cup,” the statement further added. The Super Falconets have been on the ascendancy from the commencement of the tournament where they scored the fastest and second fastest goals in the history of the competition while the encounter against Korea has been rated as the highest scoring semi final match in the history of FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup. With six goals, four from Asisat Oshoala who was the star of the match and two others from Courtney Dike and Uchechi Sunday, the Super Falconets qualified for the finals with class and panache, playing purposeful and cohesive football. Globacom commended the technical crew of the team for bringing the best out of the team and urged them not

Guild of Sports Editors calls for probe of NFF fire

HE Guild of Sports Editors has called on the Federal Government to as a matter of urgency institute a judicial panel of enquiry into the fire that gutted the secretariat of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) on Wednesday. The body in a statement signed by its Interim President, Tony Ubani, noted that this has become inevitable considering the circumstances in which the Glass House was raised down. According to the body, the fact that at the time of the fire there was no fire extinguisher speaks volume and putting into perspective the actions and inactions of certain high ranking officers of the secretariat, then a judicial panel of enquiry devoid of political consideration was the way out. “Some of the fire service officials said on Wednesday that the fire extinguishers at the secretariat have all expired since 2012. It was also alleged that several memos

written since then for a replacement were not attended to. It sounds incredible that an organisation as big as the NFF does not have up to date fire extinguishers. “In as a much as we are not pointing fingers at anyone, we feel as stakeholders that this incident must not be swept under the carpet. “Four years ago, $236,000 vanished into thin air at the secretariat of the NFF and till today, the money has not been found and no one has been found guilty. “This is a national building, it is a loss that we cannot as a nation condone. Those behind this dastardly act must be brought to book,” the statement concluded. It will be recalled that at about 9.15am on Wednesday, a mysterious fire gutted the Glass House raizing it to the ground. Some documents were destroyed and yet to be estimated property.

to rest on their oars, adding that the victory had deepened the Super Falconets’ rating as African champions. The company also commended Nigerians for their support for the Falconets and appealed to the fans to sustain the support till the ultimate victory is attained on Sunday.

Sunshine Stars suspend coach

UNSHINE STARS head coach Henry Abiodun has been placed under suspension following allegations levelled against him by his players. Abiodun is alleged to have attempted to front as an agent for two of his players, who are members of the Nigerian Under-20 national team, the Flying Eagles. Supersport.com was further informed that the players claimed that Abiodun allegedly demanded money in the deal should the players be transferred from Sunshine Stars. “Coach Henry Abiodun has been asked to step aside by the management of Sunshine Stars Football Club following allegations against him from two of our players. Right now the allegations will be investigated, and if he is found guilty, the club will take appropriate action and if he is not, then the suspension will be lifted and he will return to his position,” spokesman of the Akure club, Wahab Bankole, told supersport.com on Thursday. Abiodun’s assistant, Kayode Julius, will now take charge of the team in a caretaker capacity pending when the investigation against his boss is concluded. Julius’s first game as caretaker head coach of Sunshine Stars will be at home to Enugu Rangers this weekend. Suspended Abiodun was hired as Sunshine Stars head coach in December and has guided the Akure Gunners to 10th position in the 2013/14 Glo Premier League season with 14 rounds of matches to go.

THE NATION FRIDAY, AUGUST 22, 2014

TODAY IN THE NATION

FRIDAY, AUGUST 22, 2014

TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM

S I prepare this week’s column for submission, President Jonathan is getting ready to receive the report of the National Conference. Therefore I do not have the benefit of his thinking on what he will do with the report or what is next for his motivation for setting up the conference. This much I remember. The President made a case for the conference upon its inauguration, citing his belief that “sovereignty belongs to the people and that their voices must be heard and factored into every decision” that government takes on their behalf. Jonathan went on to reveal his “sole motivation” for convening the conference as “the patriotic desire for a better and greater nation” and his determination that “things must be done in a way and manner that will positively advance that objective”. President Jonathan told the nation that the conference was not a “usurpation of the role of the National Assembly or the Executive” but rather it is meant to complement the efforts of both branches of government.” The following words of the President are especially germane to my focus here: “The National Conference is, therefore, being convened to engage in intense introspection about the political and socioeconomic challenges confronting our nation and to chart the best and most acceptable way for the resolution of such challenges in the collective interest of all the constituent parts of ou fatherland. This coming together under one roof to confer and build a fresh national consensus for the amicable resolution of issues that still cause friction amongst our people must be seen as an essential part of the process of building a more united, stronger and progressive nation. We cannot continue to fold our arms and assume that things will straighten themselves out in due course, instead of taking practical steps to overcome impediments on our path to true nationhood, rapid development and national prosperity.” Furthermore, the President urged conference participants to “patriotically articulate and synthesise our peoples’ thoughts, views and recommendations for a stronger, more united, peaceful and politically stable Nigeria, forge the broadest possible national consensus in support of those recommendations and strive to ensure that they are given the legal

HE Nuhu nullity: I had started out titling this piece ‘The Nuhu nullity,’ but the recent capitulation of Mallam Nuhu Ribadu being a complex matter, the narrative kept morphing as one plodded it. First it seemed the grandest of all betrayals that Ribadu, the former anticorruption czar and erstwhile presidential candidate of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) jumped ship from the ‘progressives’ camp back into the ‘evil’ camp of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). For the simple-minded, Ribadu is among the last of the principled-minded in the land. As executive chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from 2003 to 2008, he enjoyed the glistening facade of the knight in shinning armour, the super cop and the nemesis of corrupt officials. Many were taken in by the well-kept front, especially international agencies that showered him with funding, awards and accolades. But under a new president, he had a run-in with the centre and eventually teamed up with opposition elements. It was under this unlikely umbrella that he rather prematurely ran for presidency in 2011, failed woefully but remained in their fold till this grievous volte face a few days ago. Ribadu has not only suddenly joined the hated ruling PDP, he is moving on the double to pick the party’s governorship slot for his Adamawa State’s October election. Everything seems to be happening in a frenzy, both for Ribadu and his bemused on-lookers. It is rather

VOL.9 NO.2,946

‘The characters projecting the new face of Yoruba politics have jettisoned good conscience and honesty in their want of political relevance and wealth’ MOBOLAJI SANUSI

COMMENT & DEB ATE EBA

SEGUN GBADEGESIN gbadegesin@thenationonlineng.net

Jonathan’s turn

•Jonathan

and constitutional backing to shape the present and the future of our beloved fatherland.” From the above, it seems clear what the President’s expectations were. He wanted a robust document that provides a basis for a new constitutional order for Nigeria. He desired a conference report that boldly attacks the germs of instability and anarchical tendencies in the system. He charged participants to tackle the various issues ranging from “form of government, structures of government, devolution of powers, revenue sharing, resource control, state and local government creation, boundary adjustment, state police and fiscal federalism…..” These were some of the items that President Jonathan himself believed to be crucial to the ultimate objective of a strong and united nation.

Now, the Conference delegates have done their part and I believe their best under the circumstance, including the background atmosphere of mistrust and distrust that has bedeviled the political class of the country since its birth. Compromises have been made, self-regarding interests have been sacrificed. In the spirit of give and take, a report has been prepared and is being submitted even as I pen these words. The question is: what next? What will the President do now? It is now the turn of the President to demonstrate again the genuineness of his interest in a strong and united nation, show true leadership and deliver on his promises. Of course, there is a lot that the conference has achieved and this must not be allowed to rot in the dungeon of our suffocating bureaucracy. There is also a lot that the conference failed to achieve, especially with regard to the most crucial issues of restructuring and fiscal federalism. The President has the right and responsibility to fill the blanks and close the gaps in the conference report. This is why it is his conference. But filling the gaps should not require the setting up of another commission to study the report. That would be an insult to the integrity of the conference participants. How might the President proceed? The National Assembly has not been in the forefront of any discussions on this matter since the inception of the conference, and rightly so, in view of the fact that it is Mr. President’s conference. Now President Jonathanhas to deal with the legislative branch of government and how he goes about this may seal the fate of the report either positively or negatively. There is no doubt that while it is the case that the National Assembly is the assembly of the

STEVE OSUJI

EXPRESSO

steve.osuji@yahoo.com

Nuhu, accept my sympathy difficult for many to conjecture how Ribadu could crawl into a PDP camp he had once described as ‘satanic’. Many are still trying to fathom how he would achieve that psychological denouement to mingle and clink glasses with the people he said ruled Nigeria since 1999 and the only things they brought upon “us are insecurity, suicide bombings and corruption at the highest level.” Yes we can understand the perfidious dance-steps of our professional and wayward politicians. We understand an Olagunsoye Oyinlola, a Segun Oni, an Ibrahim Shekarau and so on. We know it is all about gravy politics and the momentary relevance of the small-minded. Those who are perceptive would also understand that

we are running out the end-stage of this shambolic political experiment. We are at the barefaced stage when the thief is quicker to catch the owner of the house. Notwithstanding, Ribadu’s capitulation seems the watershed; it is the turning point as well as the reference point that people will cite: “if Ribadu could decamp…” it would be said by all. He has perjured the polity and repudiated its essence. He has finally defrocked the troubled belle and stolen the last vestiges of her dignity. But sadly, this act also represents the Nuhu nullity. He is like the protagonist in ancient tradition that is as much the sacrifice as the calabash he carries. In other words, Ribadu has also nullified his own essence. Whatever he

people through their representatives and senators, there are conflicting interests therein paralleling the interests across the nation. The leadership of the President therefore matters in how members approach the conference report. Secondly, it is an inauspicious time as the general elections approach and Jonathan is expected to declare and run for a second term. Is he in a position to mount the proverbial bully pulpit or to use the carrot and stick approach to get the National Assembly to do the right thing? Here is the real issue. Yet, if the President fails to get anything done after raising the hopes of Nigerians on the matter of restructuring via the National Conference, can he count on Nigerians to trust him with another term? Beside the personal interest in a second term, however, the President has an even more fundamental interest in his legacy. As he himself stated in his opening remarks to the conference, the issue of the structure of the country has been a political albatross on its back since the dawn of its creation. The “minority” populations have suffered the indignity of being relegated to the backdoor prior to his having the good luck of occupying the most celebrated political office in the land. The question is this: how have Jonathan’s people fared under his presidency? Has there been any drastic change in the condition of the generality of the Niger Delta population? If not, then it follows that it is not the occupation of an office by one individual that can make a difference in the lives of a people. The Yoruba had it worse under President Obasanjo! What matters is a structure that provides for the autonomous growth and development of each region, state and peoples. President Jonathan must deliver on the conference report, fill the gaps where they exist, remove the dots where they are not essential and work with the National Assembly for a new constitutional framework, either by way of amendment or by way of a completely new constitution that incorporates the resolutions of the National Conference. Then he will go down in history as a leader, even if he doesn’t get a second term. Should he fail to deliver, he can rest assured that the failure will haunt him for the rest of his life, even if he gets a third term. •For comments, send SMS to 08111813080 represented, real or imagined, he has managed to debunk all by himself. The Nuhu ribaldry: We can also term it the Nuhu Ribaldry or the Nuhu metamorphosis. He had always been a part of the raging crowd, the ill of the land. All they want is position, power, authority, the gravy and the good life. They are flippant, ephemeral, vain and unreflective. They define patriotism, national interest and development by their personal and exclusive dictionary. Nigeria for them is a zero-sum game; they either have their way or there is no way. He and his ilk believe they are the answer to Nigeria’s numerous questions but we know that they are the now jaded questions we have been asking since independence. Ribadu had lived and flourished under a burnished image over these years. To be charitable, if the polity had been upright and the system built on probity, he may have stood as a notable pillar. But the country is cannibalistic and it abhors rectitude thus Ribadu may be said to have done nothing more terrible than swimming in the stream of his birth. With a second degree in law, he had joined the police and acquitted himself fairly well. But when he was catapulted to the helm of the then new anti-corruption body, he simply played the game of the day, the game of his failed country. And he played it to the hilt. He turned EFCC into a fearsome Gestapo for the then unscrupulous President Olusegun Obasanjo.

•Continued on page 57 •For comments, send SMS to 08111526725

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