December 05, 2014

PDP governors beg Obasanjo NEWS Page 6

•Akpabio, 4 others in Abeokuta

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Osundare: let’s build Nigeria •Jonathan decorates eminent scholar with NNOM medal From Augustine Ehikioya, Abuja

W

HAT do you get at a literary giant’s party? A cocktail of poetry, free flowing prose spiced with anecdotes and witticism and some home truth.

So it was yesterday at the Presidential Villa in Abuja when Prof. Niyi Osundare stood up to be decked with the Nigerian Continued on page 6

•Minister of Petroleum Resources Diezani Alison-Madueke flanked by Global Vice Chairman, General Electric (GE), John Rice (left) and Julius Berger Nigeria (JBN) Managing Director Detlev Lubasch during the signing of an agreement between the ministry and Julius Berger •President Jonathan (left) decorating Prof. Osundare... yesterday to build a multi-million dollar manufacturing and assembly facility for power and oil & gas PHOTO:AKIN OLADOKUN in Calabar...yesterday in Abuja. STORY ON PAGE 53 PHOTO: ABAYOMI FAYESE

•INSIDE: SHOWDOWN LOOMS IN DELTA PDP AS CLARK, OTHERS BATTLE UDUAGHAN P61

Tambuwal, Ambode, Yari, Umana get APC’s tickets Ajimobi, Amosun, Ahmed, Emerhor, others win Tinubu to aspirants: accept outcome

CANDIDATES ALL

•Tambuwal

•Ajimobi

•Amosun

•Ahmed

•Ambode

•Yari

By Emmanuel Oladesu, Musa Odoshimokhe, Adamu Suleiman, Sokoto, Kazeem Ibrahym, Uyo, Jide Orintunsi, Minna

A

LL Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidates emerged yesterday, across the country, signalling the final countdown to February’s general election.

The party’s presidential candidates will emerge next week in Lagos to climax the pregeneral election activities.

The party will pick its House of Representatives and Senate candidates this week.

House of Representatives Speaker Aminu Waziri Tambuwal picked the Sokoto State ticket. Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode took a commanding lead in Lagos —as of 1.a.m. Mr. Umana Okon Umana won in Akwa Ibom, Olorogun O’tega Emehor is the Delta State candidate.

In Niger State, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Belo is the standard bearer.

Governors Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun), Abiola Ajimobi (Oyo), Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara), AbduWILL THE CHIBOK GIRLS laziz Yari (Zamfara), TanKIDNAPPED ON ko Al-Makura (Nasarawa) APRIL 15 EVER

?

RETURN?

Continued on page 6

•Gaidam

•Emerhor

•Peterside

•Lagos: Akin Ambode •A/Ibom: Umana Umana •Sokoto: A. Tambuwal •Rivers: D. Peterside •Niger: A. Sani Bello •Delta: O’tega Emerhor •Oyo: Abiola Ajimobi •Ogun: Ibikunle Amosun •Enugu: Oky Ezea •Yobe: Ibrahim Gaidam •Zamfara: Aziz Yari •Nasarawa: T. Al-Makura •Kwara: A. Ahmed POSTPONED •Cross River •Benue •Imo •Jigawa ONGOING (As of midnight) •Kano •Plateau •Kaduna

•Umana

•Ganduje

•Al-Makura

•Bello

AND •I’ll do my best, says Peterside MORE •Amaechi: Abe, Ikuru are qualified ON •Al-Makura thanks delegates PAGES 4,5&6 •I’ll win again, says Ajimobi

Boko Haram attacks two Gombe towns

By Vincent Ohonbamu, Gombe

S

USPECTED Boko Haram gunmen yesterday stormed two towns in Gombe State, raiding banks and burning government buildings and political party offices, residents told French News Agency (AFP).

Scores of gunmen dressed in military uniform arrived in Bajoga, 60 kilometres from Gombe city in a convoy of 20 vehicles at about 7am.

Troops managed to push out the attackers and they then drove towards Ashaka, which is five kilometres away and close to the Yobe State boundary.

Both raids came after an attack on the Yobe State capital, Damaturu, on Monday, which left dead more than 150 people, including 38 policemen and six soldiers Fighters in that raid are thought to have come from the Buni Yadi area in the southern part of Yobe, which Boko Haram has controlled for some time.

Although not as badly hit

by Boko Haram violence as Continued on page 6

•SOCIETY P13 •POLITICS P15 •SPORTS P24 •BRAND P26 •AGRIC P38 •FOREIGN P58

THE NATION FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2014

2

NEWS • President & CEO of GE Global Growth and Operations, John Rice and Group Chief Executive, Oando PLC, Wale Tinubu (right) during a signing ceremony outlining various initiatives to partner and develop power generation projects, Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), and small scale Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) virtual pipeline capabilities for gas-to-power projects in Lagos...yesterday.

• Chairman, Heirs Holdings, Tony Elumelu signing oil & gas joint venture agreement with GE in Lagos... on Wednesday.

With him are (from left) President & CEO of GE Africa, Jay Ireland, Vice-Chair of GE Global Growth, John Rice and , and President and CEO of GE Nigeria, Dr. Lazarus Angbazo.

•Winner of $10,000 Nestle get started youth Enterpreneurship Across Central and West Africa, Adamu Muazu (second left) receiving a cheque from Head, Human Resources Nestle Nigeria Plc, Marie Owoniyi during the Nescafe Get Started youth Enterpreneurship Across central and West africa Preseentation of 10,000 dollars to the winner held at Ilupeju Lagos...With them is Corporate Communication and Public Affairs Manager, Nestle Nigeria Plc, Mr. Samuel Adenekan PHOTO: JOHN EBHOTA (left) and Category Manager, Deji Adeshoga.

•From left: CEO, Etisalat Nigeria, Mr Mattew Willsher, overall winner, Mr Anthony Oniwon, and Member, Brand of Innovators Etisalat Pan-African prize for Innovation during the Etisalat Pan -African prize for Innovation news conference in Lagos... yesterday.

PHOTO: MUYIWA HASSAN

Our anti- co T

HE Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie-Oyegun yesterday said corruption has become more endemic in the last six years under President Goodluck Jonathan's administration.

He said Jonathan should account for the missing N20b from the CBN revelations, the oil subsidy and pension scams.

He asked Nigerians to vote out Jonathan in 2015 or else the nation will be worse for it.

He said if APC is voted into power in 2015, the party will carry out drastic reforms in anti- corruption agencies in the country.

The existing anti- corruption agencies are the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission( EFCC); the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission( ICPC); and the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) among others.

Odigie-Oyegun, who addressed reporters at the party's National Secre- •Jonathan tariat in Abuja, said the APC would launch a vigorous campaign against mit to its destructive inroads into every corruption if given the chance to pro- facet of our lives.” duce the national government in 2015.

He said giving Jonathan and the The news conference was solely or- Peoples Democratic Party( PDP) anganised to unveil the party's anti-cor- other four years in power would spell ruption agenda. doom for the nation.

He said the party intends to decenHe said: “When the PDP asks for tralise all anti corruption agencies in four more years to misgovern Nigeria, the country, encourage states and lo- ask them what happened to the Fuel cal government to establish same while Subsidy Investigation Report, and the use of the ombudsman institution why we are still paying over a trillion will be revived. naira in fuel subsidy. Ask them how He said: “The operation of the na- many people have been sanctioned, intional budget and the maintenance of cluding public officials, over subsidy the military forces have been so se- scams. Ask them to disclose to you verely compromised by corruption what NNPC generates, and how it is that national development and secu- spent. rity have been massively undermined “When PDP asks you to trust them under the Jonathan administration of with your lives, fortunes and your futhe last six years. ture, ask them what they have done “Using the corruption perception in- over the pensions scam, billions that dex (cpi) of Transparency interna- belong to Nigerians who worked hard tional, Nigeria has maintained a score all their lives for our nation. in the range of 25 percent and ranked “Ask how you can trust them when amongst the bottom level of corrupt they cannot account for hundreds of countries deteriorating from a bad billions of your money stolen by peoscore of 27 percent in 2011 to 25per- ple very intimately tied to the PDP cent in 2013. leadership. Ask them to explain the “Evidence of widespread and ram- missing N20b from the CBN revelapant corruption abound in our every- tions. day life. Following the last public dem“Ask them what has been done with onstration against the increase in fuel the billions which went to oil and gas prices in 2012, a probe into the opera- producing states controlled by the tions of the fuel subsidy program of PDP. Ask them how much was spent the Jonathan administration revealed by the federal government against the massive fraud and corruption. But no huge expenditure contributed by APC conviction has been secured by this governors of the North-east in the fight government. against Boko Haram. We faught and "The various reports of investigation won a three year civil war without borof corrupt practices in the national pen- rowing a single kobo, today we have sion scheme, the power sector, the borrowed a billion Dollars only to lose NNPC, the Central Bank, government territory. ministries and departments abound Odigie-Oyegun assured that the and nothing has been done about party will execute a robust economic them. programme which will check corrupt "The administration has demon- practices. strated, both in its body language and He said party was of the firm belief explicit actions, a disgusting lack of will that "an environment of poverty and and competence to arrest and reverse ignorance is a fertile ground for corthe debilitating grip of corruption on ruption and impunity, consequently, our national life. our economic program of inclusive "Public officials have developed and growth , qualitative education and sustained chummy relationships with equitable distribution of the national society figures being investigated for wealth shall constitute a potent corruption and former public officials weapon in the fight against corrupconvicted for corruption have been tion.” selectively pardoned by the presiHe unfolded the anti-corruption dency. Some of these persons, follow- agenda including the reformation of ing their pardon, have been appointed all agencies fighting graft. to high positions of influence by the He added: “Our administration will PDP administration and offered their launch a vigorous campaign against platform to contest for high public of- corruption. The campaign shall comfice. prise short and long term components.

"This is the issue of corruption, an In the short to medium term an APC evil that flourished under state - spon- administration shall immediately sorship and the patronage of the Peo- strengthen and reform all existing antiples Democratic Party (PDP). We have corruption institutions to ensure their a historic opportunity during the forth- performance in accordance with the coming elections to begin a serious and expectation of the law and the spirit decisive fight to end this cancer, or sub- of its enactment.

THE NATION FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2014

3

NEWS

ti- corruption agenda, by APC •Odigie-Oyegun speaking at the news conference on the state of the nation at the party’s secretariat in Abuja... yesterday. With him are National Publicity Secretary Alhaji Lai Mohammed(left) and Deputy National Chairman (South West), Mr.Segun Oni. PHOTO: ABAYOMI FAYESE

•EFCC chief Ibrahim Lamorde

“The reform of existing anti- corruption laws and institutions, may involve expansion of the court systems, the sanctions system and use of special prosecutors to ensure the speedy prosecution of all cases, while the judicial reform process will be aligned to the achievement of the objectives of the fight against corruption.

“The anti-corruption agencies shall be decentralised and states/local government encouraged to establish similar agencies within their jurisdiction.

The use of the ombudsman institution will be reviewed and streamlined for efficiency and to meet public expectation. The enforcement of contracts shall be a national article of faith. A framework for the encouragement and protection of whistle blowers shall be institutionalised.

“An APC government shall launch a comprehensive, nationwide and sustained campaign to fight corruption.

The objective of the campaign will be to reverse the spread of corruption through an irreversible and sustained improvement in personal integrity, government integrity and national integrity leading to measurable positive change in the periodic corruption perception index as published by Transparency International.

“The long term aspect of the campaign will involve a massive mobilisation of the Nigerian people and all residents in a manner akin to the fight against Ebola disease to effect national value reorientation and change.

“Rather than be a vehicle for propaganda, The National Orientation Agency (NOA) will be reorganised to lead this fight. Our national experience suggests that the twin evil of corruption and impunity are deep in our national fabric and their removal must be as a result of a deliberate and prolonged effort.

“The components of the action plan will include a review of the educational curriculum to ensure the teaching of national values of patriotism, honesty, industry, civility and fairness at the entry levels of educational institutions nationwide; the teaching of these values, at home by family heads, faith based worship centers and community and local leaders.

“Compensation/ remuneration packages of public officials will be reviewed and continually monitored to ensure the payment of wages that removes incentives for corruption.

“To ensure a focused and sustained campaign, a structure will be put in place to undertake a continuous review of the process and to ensure that the progress of the fight against corruption is on track and in alignment with stated objectives and the rule of

Boko Haram: Odigie-Oyegun urges Fed Govt to account for $1b loan

T

HE National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie-Oyegun yesterday said Boko Haram has become a real threat and challenged the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan to account for the $1b loan obtained to fight the insurgency.

He said the nation’s security situation is degenerating to a level that Nigerians may soon have private armies.

He attributed the increasing insurgency to high- level of corruption in government under Jonathan administration.

Odigie-Oyegun made the submissions during an interactive session with newsmen in Abuja after unveiling the anti-corruption agenda of the party.

He said: “They (Boko Haram) have become a real threat and have already attacked two state capitals, Maiduguri and Damaturu. The root of all these is corruption and that is why we made it a subject today because it is undermining every single national institution that our fore fathers have struggled to build.

“In Kano yesterday (Wednesday), I talked about creepy anarchy and that is what is going on because most people now have sophisticated weapons at their disposal. We are getting to a stage where people will start having private armies soon.

“We all may be shouting Boko Haram whereas we are not sure whether what happened in Ekiti is Boko Haram because there is this copy-cat syndrome now. It is a real life threatening danger we are facing. So, let us welcome everybody, including the press on board to help us start the process of change”.

Odigie-Oyegun said Nigerians should put Jonathan administration to task on how it is addressing Boko Haram insurgency.

He asked the Federal Government to explain what it had done with the $1b loan to fight against insurgency.

He added: “Ask them how much was spent by the federal government against the huge expenditure contributed by APC governors of the North-East in the fight against Boko Haram. We fought and won a three year civil war without

law.

"The fight against corruption will be total and rooted in the belief that all major religions in Nigeria and our culture abhor corruption and impunity.

An APC government will fight corruption within the rule of law and respect for the fundamental rights of all citizens.

"Nigeria is on the threshold of a new beginning to a future of certainty, peace and prosperity. This can only be provided by our great party, the APC. Give us the opportunity to rebuild our nation so that in our lifetime, we can say, Nigerians can build enduring legacies founded on justice, fairness and honesty. Welcome to the fu-

From Yusuf Alli and Tony Akowe, Abuja

borrowing a single kobo, today we have borrowed a billion Dollars only to lose territory.

“When they say they can deal with Boko Haram, ask them why our military is so illequipped and demoralized. Ask them what they will do or have done with the $1b loan they got to fight Boko Haram.

The APC chairman said he was confident that the party would change the face of Nigeria for good after taking over the government in 2015.

He urged Nigerians to sack the APC government if they failed to deliver on their promises after four years of being voted into office.

He said the party was determined to be different from the ruling PDP that has been in government for the past 16 years and has not improve the lives of Nigerians He said: “Do you know what we are preaching today? We are preaching change and in the simplest terms, you have had these people for sixteen years and the course of your life has not improved. Try something different.

“We will also tell the people, give us power and at the end of four years, if you are not happy, sack us. It is the only way democracy will grow.

It is the only way the ordinary Nigerian tailor or carpenter will finally realise that power belong to him and that he can hire the President and fire him, he can take on that party and can fire them after four year.

“It is the only permanent discipline that can solve the situation. Help us tell Nigerians to please value their votes, let them value the power they have. They are still using the peoples money for campaign.

“That is the message, try something new. If anything they offer does not satisfy you, sack them, but try something new. It is the only way that our Nigerian politicians will learn that what the people want is what must be attended to and is what they must provide”.

Oyegun said without addressing the prevalent corruption in the country, the entire system will not function well.

He added: “Corruption is one of deepest problem we have in this country. I am sure that nobody here can cite one case of a contractor that has

ture of security, integrity and prosperity - The New Nigeria.”

He argued that since independence, Nigeria has "experienced varying degrees of corruption to the extent that it has been one of the recurring reasons for change of national leadership.

In spite of strong public disapproval of corruption, the cancer of corruption has continued to spread.

"In the last sixteen years, corruption has grown exponentially to the point that the world has come to stigmatise Nigeria and Nigerians as synonymous with corruption. Our national institutions have been compromised and the continued survival of the

been taken to court for an unexecuted contract.

“We are a very forgiving nation. We are not saying that we can wipe out corruption, but we must reduce corruption to the level where it does not endanger our lives, where it does not destroy our health services, where it does not destroy our education services, where nothing in the society can function, where rag tag insurgents can become a threat to an entire nation and not just suicide bombers because you can’t do much about them.”

Responding to a question, he insisted that APC states have performed better than those of PDP. He said: “Nigerians are very forgiving people. In every APC state, you find out that people are happy with what is going on with the spate of development and are ready to cooperate with the government.

“Please tell me one single APC state that has not been really transformative. People are happy. I am from Benin and I am happy because I see what is being done with the hard earned taxes because the stares depend on taxes. The federal government has so mismanaged the economy. Many of the states depend on taxes.

“Take away Delta, Rivers, Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom, other states will not be able to pay salaries without money from the federation account except for APC states who are using Internally Generated Revenue. Go and count how many PDP states that cannot pay salaries today. But they cannot complain because it is a family affair and that is why you see us scream so much.

That is the reality of the situation in this country.

“I just told you that but for IGR, our states will not be flourishing. I just came back from Kano yesterday and it is astonishing what I saw there in a situation where other states are not paying salaries and schools are closed.

“What did we sit down to do? Our party will sit down and the to block all loopholes for corruption. All APC states have effectively managed and blocked the yearning loopholes in the revenue system and revenue contracting system.

Lagos is a shining example. Edo State, which I am familiar with, is a shining example.”

country is threatened.

“We declare corruption as evil and the APC will fight it with every resource and vehemence that can be mustered. We will promote personal integrity, government integrity and national integrity.

“In line with the public statement of one of our national leaders that a "fish rots from the top,” any officer in an APC government accused of corruption shall be thoroughly investigated and severely sanctioned if found guilty. Our government shall lead by example and signal, through its explicit conduct, a zero tolerance for corruption.

“All APC governments at all levels shall mandatorily operate an open budgetary process with quarterly report of budget performance. The spirit and letter of public procurement laws/ processes shall be scrupulously complied with. Our government shall as an article of faith, honor all contractual obligations and ensure strict compliance with all court orders/judgments.

“In the international fora, our government shall abide with agreements freely entered into and our foreign missions must honor all contracts so that the image of Nigeria as a corrupt, lawless and undisciplined country will be changed.”

4

THE NATION FRIDAY DECEMBER 5, 2014

NEWS ALL PROGRESSIVES CONGRESS (APC) GOVERNORSHIP PRIMARIES

•House Speaker and Sokoto State governorship aspirant Aminu Tambuwal (left) and Governor Aliyu Wamakko both delegates at the primaries in Sokoto...yesterday.

•Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi (right); his deputy Tele Ikuru; Assembly Speaker Otelemaba Amachree and Rivers candidate Dakuku Peterside in Port Harcourt...yesterday.

•Senator Oluremi Tinubu at the Onikan, Lagos venue of the Lagos State Governorship primaries...yesterday.

•Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun casting his vote as a statutory delegate in Abeokuta... yesterday.

•Oyo State Governor Isiaq Abiola Ajimobi casting his vote at the Lekan Salami Stadium, Adamasingba, Ibadan...yesterday.

•Secretary to the Lagos State Government Mrs Idiat Adebule (left); former Deputy Governor Mrs Sarah Sosan and Speaker Adeyemi Ikuforiji...yesterday.

•Lagos State Deputy Governor Mrs Adejoke Adefulire and her former counterpart Chief Olufemi Pedro.

•Lagos State aspirant Mr Akinwunmi Ambode (left) and Hon Abike Dabiri-Erewa

•Aspirants all: Ganiyu Solomon (left); Dr. Lekan Pitan and Dr Kadir Obafemi Hamzat ...yesterday.

•From left: Enugu State Deputy Chairman, Comrade Alphonsus Ude; Enugu Governorship candidate, Chief Oky Ezea; Enugu State Chairman, Dr Ben Nwoye and Women Leader, Lolo Ngozi Nwankwo in Enugu...yesterday

•One of the aspirants in Lagos State Supo Shasore

•Another aspirant Tokunbo Wahab (left) greeting Senator Gbenga Ashafa.

•Party chieftains all: Lanre Rasak (second left), Senator Olorunimbe Mamora (fourth left) and PHOTOS: MOSES OMOSEHIN & FEMI ILESANMI others.

THE NATION FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2014

5

NEWS APC GOVERNORSHIP PRIMARIES

Ahmed, Gaidam, Ajimobi, Ezea are APC candidates

O

VER 2,000 delegates converged yesterday on the Government House, Damaturu, Yobe State, to give the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship ticket to Governor Ibrahim Gaidam.

There was tight security at the venue; men and women delegates were searched with electronic scanners and manual screening before entering the venue.

The consensus endorsement was led by the Deputy Governor, Abubakar Aliyu, who was the first to cast his vote.

Other delegates include Senator Ahmed Lawan; Speaker of the House of Assembly Adamu Dala Dogo, lawmakers; Secretary to the State Government Babagoni Machina.

Chairman of the Electoral Committee Babagana Tijani Banki said the APC in Yobe and Borno are only going through the process to fulfill the requirements of the electoral law as the party has only one candidate each in the states.

In Kwara State, Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed promised to work harder to transform more lives and elevate the state.

Delegates, numbering 3,025 from the 193 wards in the 16 local government areas voted for the governor, who is APC’s sole candidate.

Announcing the result, the leader of the APC national delegation, Azu Uwandu, said the governor scored 3,016 votes. Nine of the votes were invalid.

Uwandu hailed the delegates for conducting themselves peacefully.

APC leader in the state and Senator representing Kwara Central Bukola Saraki alsopraised the delegates.

Okey Ezea has emerged the APC governorship candidate in Enugu State.

Ezea, a former Labour Party (LP) governorship candidate, emerged unopposed at

•I’ll do my best, says Peterside •Amaechi: Abe, Ikuru qualified •Amosun returns in Ogun •Emerhor gets Delta ticket •I’ll win again, says Ajimobi •Ogun deputy governor joins SDP •Al-Makura thanks delegates•Aspirant heads for court From Duku Joel, Damaturu, Adekunle Jimoh, Ilorin, Chris Oji, Enugu, Bisi Olaniyi, Port Harcourt, Okungbowa Aiwerie, Asaba, Bisi Oladele, Tayo Johnson, Ibadan and Ernest Nwokolo, Abeokuta

the primaries, which took place at the APC secretariat in Enugu.

In his acceptance speech, he pledged to provide free education, qualitative health care and improved welfare scheme for the people.

He accused the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)-led federal and state governments of failure in the last 16 years.

The earlier endorsed APC governorship candidate in Rivers State, Dr. Dakuku Adol Peterside, was formally elected with 3,773 votes.

Peterside vowed to continue to depend on God, following the allegation by the State Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Felix Obuah, that he was a cultist.

He said: “I am humbled by this confidence you reposed in me and I accept this mandate with a keen sense of responsibility, knowing full well that I will be accountable to God, my people and our party.

“I have had the privilege of political tutelage under our leader, Amaechi, and I have seen his passion for excellence and a new and better Rivers State.

“I have been challenged by this passion and believe that a greater Rivers State is possible, if we all join hands.

“I will pursue the manifesto of our great party with my youthful vigour, talent, your support and the guidance of our leaders.

“On my honour, I promise that I will not disappoint you.

I believe in a united Rivers State and I will continue to work for that. In my charter of service, we are going to create opportunities for all.”

The primaries were held at

the Alfred Diete-Spiff Civic Centre in Port Harcourt. The event was boycotted by another aspirant, Senator Magnus Abe, and his supporters.

The Chairman of the Governorship Primary Election Committee, Austin Eweka, said Amaechi and other party leaders had made their jobs easy.

Eweka said what they did was a new dimension in Nigeria’s political history, which he said would ensure peace and harmony among party members.

Amaechi earlier said: “Yesterday, we showed that there could be another party in Rivers State. Last time, they (President Goodluck Jonathan and his PDP) had 1.8 million votes in Rivers State, they should come and have it now.

Those who make legitimate change impossible will make illegitimate change inevitable.

“This is an opportunity to ensure that we do not suffer anymore. Vote for all APC candidates next year.

“Senator Magnus Abe is eminently qualified to be Rivers governor and I respect his intellect. He is a very intelligent man. There are two Nigerians I respect their intellect: Abe and Odein Ajumogobia (former Foreign Affairs minister, who is a PDP governorship aspirant in Rivers State), but they will not allow Ajumogobia to win.

“Deputy Governor Tele Ikuru is experienced, intelligent, loyal and eminently qualified to be governor.

With Ikuru as my deputy, I never watched my back. Ikuru is a man of due process and will always return money after committees’ jobs.

“The Rivers West Senatorial District produced Dr. Peter Odili. I am from Rivers East.

Equity demands that the governorship in 2015 should go to the Rivers Southeast .

“The caucus met and agreed that we should present Peterside. It does not mean that he is the most qualified. Let us support Peterside.”

Olorogun Otega Emerhor was yesterday declared winner of the primaries in Delta State.

Aliu Yahaya Sa’ad declared Emerhor winner after he polled 3,584 votes to defeat Fidelis Tilije, who scored 195 votes and the only woman in the contest, Princess Nana Modupe Onwordi, who scored two votes.

Tilije left the venue in anger after he accused Emerhor of breaching electoral laws by campaigning at the Oshimili South Arcade, venue of the event.

Emerhor said: “I can see the party‘s unity strengthened today. The election of a popular candidate has emerged. I thank God that this is the beginning of the end of PDP in Delta State.

“We are marching to the Government House. For 12 years, Delta has not experienced any form of development. It is, indeed, a new dawn for Deltans.”

Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi won the governorship primaries with 4,662 votes.

Ajimobi defeated Ayobami Adesina, son of former governor Lam Adesina, who polled 22 votes.

The third aspirant, Adebayo Shittu, a former commissioner for Justice and attorney general, petitioned the five-man electoral committee that he would not participate in the exercise.

Shittu was said to have filed a case at the Federal High Court about ward delegate congress and delegates, who voted during the exercise.

Accreditation began at 9:30am; voting at 3pm at the main bowl of the Lekan Salami Stadium, Adamasingba, Ibadan.

Voting ended at 5:15p.m and the result announced at 7:45pm Ajimobi, who arrived at the stadium at 2:30p.m, voted at 5:10p.m. He was part of the delegates from Ibadan SouthWest Local Government Area.

The Chairman of the fivemember election primary committee, Lumumpa Adeh, said 4,776 delegates were accredited and voted.

Adeh said: “On Wednesday, we met with the aspirants but one of them, Adebayo Shittu, said he will not participate.

“He submitted a petition but that did not stop the exercise; and it is by way of information. His petition will be forwarded to the national secretariat.”

Shortly after the result was announced, Ajimobi said:” I have won before and now that I have won the primaries again, it will not be hard to defeat any other candidate from the opposition because I have beaten them before.”

Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun emerged the APC candidate yesterday.

Deputy Governor Segun Adesegun formally announced that he has left the APC for the Social Democratic Party (SDP). He declared his intention to contest against Amosun if given the SDP ticket.

At the MKO Abiola International Stadium, Abeokuta, Amosun who was the lone aspirant, garnered 3,554 votes of the 3,681 delegates who voted. Sixteen votes were void.

Addressing party members and supporters after he

was declared winner, Amosun said it is a call to “greater service for the people of the state.”

He said: “What happened today is a demonstration to what APC stand for, we must abide by the rule of the game which says that primaries must be conducted.

“It is a call for further service to the people of Ogun.

They have given me the mandate to continue the service that we have been rendering to the people of Ogun.”

Adesegun said he has no regret serving under Amosun, adding that his decision to move to SDP is not to attack anybody but to protect his “followers from rotting and wasting away” politically.

He said his decision would not affect his office or role as deputy governor.

In Nasarawa State Governor Umaru Tanko Al-Makura has emerged the APC governorship candidate.

The governor scored 1,630 votes from the 2,543 delegates to defeat Reuben Audu and James Angbazo.

Audu scored 17 votes; Angbazo got 73 votes, five invalid votes were recorded.

Stanley Buba, the fourth candidate, did not show up to participate in the exercise.

The exercise, which started late, was carried out at the Lafia city hall after delegates were accredited at the Abacha Youth Centre and the Lafia stadium.

The primaries were supervised by Ike Chinwo, the chairman of the panel and the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, headed by Ahmed Makama.

Mr. Al-Makura described the exercise as peaceful and thanked the delegates for giving him another opportunity.

Primaries postponed in Imo, Jigawa, Cross River, Benue

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HE All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primaries were postponed yesterday in Imo State, following the inability of the state chapter to produce aspirants.

Although, no specific date has been fixed for the primaries, the State Chairman, Hillary Eke, said a new date might be fixed after a general meeting.

But the Vice Chairman, Ugochukwu Nzekwe, said the election may come up today as the party was working on the list of aspirants.

Commissioner for Information Chidi Ibe also expressed confidence that the primaries may hold today.

Both Eke and Nzekwe were silent on the number of aspirants.

“We are meeting to fine-tune arrangements about the election, we have numerous aspirants and we are prepared for the election” Eke said.

At the party’s secretariat on Works Layout, Owerri, the place was deserted, except for few clerical staff.

In Jigawa State, the primaries did not hold because the party

From Okodili Ndidi, Owerri, Ahmed Rufai, Dutse, Nicholas Kalu, Calabar and Uja Emmanuel, Makurdi

could not choose a consensus candidate among the four aspirants. The aspirants are Muhammadu Badaru Talamiz, Hashim Ubale Yusuf, Farouk Adamu Aliyu and Saleh Shehu.

The party secretariat in Dutse was deserted; there were no executive members on ground.

The Chairman, Ado Sani Kiri, could not be reached for comments as his phone was switched off.

The Cross River State chapter announced that it has postponed the election till Saturday.

Publicity Secretary Mens Ikpeme gave no reason for the postponement.

The aspirants are Odey Ochicha, Lazarus Undie and Mike Ogar.

In Benue State, the Administrative Secretary Mark Hanmation said the primaries would today.

He said the House of Assembly primaries in the 23 local governments were hitch free.

From left: Secretary to the National Electoral Committee for Oyo State governorhip election, Ms Kate Oketie, Speaker, House of Assembly, Mrs. Monsurat Sunmonu, Member Hajia Halima Joda, Member Danlami Umar Zuru and Member Dubem Nughalu at the Lekan Salami Stadium Adamasingba, Ibadan.

PHOTO:FEMI ILESANMI

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THE NATION FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2014

NEWS Five PDP governors beg Obasanjo

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•CEO, Etisalat Nigeria, Matthew Willsher; President, Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote; Group Chairman, Econet Wireless Group, Strive Masiyiwa; Minister of State for Health, Dr Khaliru Alhassan and Chair, African Union Commission, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma at the Launch of the Africa Against Ebola Campaign and the send off ceremony of the ASEOWA Nigeria Medical Corps in Lagos.

Osundare: let’s build Nigeria Continued from page 1

national Order of Merit Award (NNOM) medal.

President Goodluck Jonathan decorated Osundare, poet, essayist, dramatist, teacher and humanist with the medal.

Osundare thus became the 71st member of the body of the Nigerian National Order of Merit laureates.

At the brief ceremony in the Council Chamber of the State House, Abuja, Jonathan noted that Osundare’s selection among 22 nominees for the 2014 Nigerian National Order of Merit Award (NNOM) met Nigerians’ expectation.

Osundare, who is Ekiti State-born former Head of Department of English, University of Ibadan (UI), is said to have carved his name in gold in the hearts of people in Nigeria and across the globe through outstanding scholarship, researches and service to humanity in the field of humanities. He teaches at New Orleans University in the United States.

Jonathan said: “Today’s occasion of the conferment of the 2014 Nigerian National Order of Merit Award is in celebration of the brilliance, hardwork and dedication of Professor Niyi Osundare.

The Nigerian National Order of Merit Award is the highest and the most prestigious honour this nation bestows on its citizens at home and in diaspora for intellectual and academic contributions of national and international significance.

“It is encouraging to note that since its establishment 35 years ago, the integrity of this esteem award has been preserved through a rigorous and painstaking assessment exercise in the areas of science, engineering and technology, medicine, humanity and other fields of human endeavors. The award standard has never fallen below expectation.

“I have no doubt that Prof.

Niyi Osundare, our awardee this year, meets our nation’s expectation and like others who have received this prestigious award and hold high the banner of creativity and intellectual development, there is no doubt also that the knowledge, expertise and contributions of today’s recipient will be of immense benefit to our overall development agenda, in particular, the successful implementation of this administration’s transformation efforts.

“Of course, listening to the chairman’s speech and the

citation, we can say that we are very proud of Niyi Osundare. Prof. Osundare, you are today admitted into this very admirable, respected and distinguished class of Nigerians as its 71st member of the body of the Nigerian National Order of Merit laureates. Congratulations.”

The President went on: “By your remarkable achievement, you have put our nation on a high global pedestal and made Nigeria proud.

I will like to urge you to sustain your interest in writing and research at the present level of excellence and impact directly and by inspiration you reach.... a repatourer to all asundry, especially our upcoming generation.”

Jonathan said the cash prize for the award had been increased from N5 million to N10 million since 2010.

He said: “And we started it last year and we should maintain that and probably in the future we will also increase. So, for this year, the awardee will be given N10 million cash prize. In previous years, when CBN has not changed its rules, we normally present a cheque, but it is being discouraged. So your money will be transferred electronically.”

The President assured that his administration will not

only study the recommendations in the communique of the 7th annual forum of the laureates, but will also continue to support their initiatives, efforts and solutions to major problems in Nigeria.

The report of the committee on the activities of the national merit award, he said, is also being studied by the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

According to Jonathan, the recommendations of the committee will be implemented by the government.

Stressing that the government supports the endowment fund of the NNOM, he promised that it will take steps to strengthen the NNOM. The President said: “With respect to the endowment fund, government will prioritise. That the NNOM is to institute measures designed to promote intellectual and academic excellence among Nigerians, for this purpose, I shall liaise with academic professionals and research institutions in Nigeria; that is what is in the Act. “Through the office of the Secretary to the Government, action has already commenced on the proposed NNOM policy group and the Continued on page 57

HE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has renewed its appeal to former President Olusegun Obasanjo to return to the mainstream of the ruling party.

Five governors, led by PDP Governors’ Forum Chairman Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom, met yesterday with the former President at his Hiltop residence in Abeokuta. The meeting lasted for more than three hours.

Obasanjo, who has been stridently critical of the Jonathan administration is seen by many in the ruling party as angry over the state of affairs. He is also believed to be romancing the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC), whose leaders have been meeting with him.

Akpabio said they were in Abeokuta “to consult” with Obasanjo.

Sources said the meeting dwelt on how the party would bring the former president on board its 2015 train.

Obasanjo’s grouse with the party was believed to have been discussed at the meeting.

The other governors who visited the ex-president yesterday are: Liyel Imoke (Cross River), Isa Yuguda (Bauchi), Sule Lamido (Jigawa) and Babangida Aliu (Niger).

They arrived at Obasanjo’s expansive compound at about 12:30pm and went

From Ernest Nwokolo, Abeokuta

into the meeting after which Obasanjo described his guests as “colleagues and brothers” who decided to pay him a special visit.

He said his pronouncements on the state of the nation and the economy were not meant to “bad mouth or pull down anybody”, but steps taken out of genuine concern for the country.

According to him, he discussed with the governors security and state of the nation.

The former President said the parlous state of the economy, especially the drop in the price of oil and the likely adverse effects, is not new but a phenomenon he tackled while in office.

Obasanjo also said the situation of the country’s economy though bad, does not require an “oracle” or being a “World Bank expert” to establish the truth. Obasanjo said if the “political will and courage” are demonstrated, the gloomy picture could be salvaged.

The situation is “not irretrievably bad if there is the will and courage to do the right thing at the right time”.

He recalled that during his time in office, oil price dropped and the government’s appropriation (budget) for the year could not be financed.

Continued on page 62

Boko Haram attacks two Gombe towns Continued from page 1

Yobe, Borno and Adamawa states, Gombe has seen a number of attacks, including a bus station bombing in October which killed at least eight.

Ashaka, which is home to a giant cement works owned by French group Lafarge, was hit on November 4, when fighters stole huge quantities of dynamite and several pick-up trucks from the plant.

The two attacks on Bajoga, Funakaye Local Government Area, and Ashaka fit a pattern of almost daily violence by the Islamists, who have taken over more than two dozen towns in the three worst-affected states in recent months.

Boko Haram has frequently raided banks for funds to buy

weapons. Burning down police stations, government and political party buildings is a sign of their opposition to secular rule.

In Bajoga, residents said the militants shouted “Allahu Akbar” (God is greater) and fired indiscriminately before burning down a police station in a three-hour battle with troops.

“They raided two banks and set fire to offices of political parties. They also set sections of the local government secretariat on fire,” said resident Babani Ashiru Another resident, Sani Dankani, said the sound of gunfire and explosions forced him to flee into the nearby bush.

“From where I’m standing, Continued on page 62

Tambuwal, Ambode, Yari, Umana get APC tickets Tinubu to aspirants: accept outcome

Continued from page 1

and Ibrahim Gaidam (Yobe) got the tickets to run for second term.

Speaker Tambawal polled 3,466 votes to emerge tops, ahead of four other contenders.

His opponents’ scores are as follows: Professor Lawal Bashir (0), Yusha’u Ahmed Kebbe(13), Senator Umaru Dahiru Tambawal(23) and Jibrin Bello Gada(0). The primary was held at the Gingiya Memorial Stadium. The delegates were drawn from the 23 local government areas and 244 wards.

Total delegates accredited 3,569, total votes cast 3,513 and total valid votes 3,501.

The chairman of the fourman Electoral Panel, Bolaji Khalil, said 10 votes were invalid.

Tambuwal, who attributed his victory to Allah, praised Governor Aliyu Wamakko for his resilience in providing the right kind of leadership. “ I, therefore, wish to thank delegates and the good peo-

A

LL Progressives Congress (APC) leader and former Governor of Lagos State Asiwaju Bola Tinubu yesterday urged the state’s governorship aspirants to accept the outcome of the primaries.

He made the appeal in his goodwill message during the party’s delegates primary to elect the standard bearer in the forthcoming election.

Tinubu noted that the way the aspirants conduct themselves after yesterday’s primary will be a reflection of what Lagos represents to all Nigerians: a model of democracy, a symbol of peace and cohesion.

“I urge us all to comport ourselves in a brotherly manner and with a democratic spirit. And to accept the result of the primary as the choice of our party that we may move forward to protect the Lagos we have

ple of Sokoto State with the hope that you will extend your support to the party to ensure we form a responsive government that will transform the state,” he said.

After a rowdy scene, a former secretary to the Akwa Ibom State Government,

By Precious Igbonwelundu

jointly built and to continue the progress we jointly seek.

“Please reflect on what is good for Lagos. Our enemy is lying in wait, expecting us to fall apart and come against each other. You are 12 aspirants and like the 12 tribes of Isreal you have some differences but you must remain one and united.

“No one tears down what he has laboured hard to build. Let us put the enemy to shame by resolving to work together as a family because that is what we are and must always be; a family.

“For the party and for all of us to win and succeed come February, we must join hands in common cause and for one single, solitary purpose. That cause is to win the general election so that progressive and enlightened good governance shall

Umana Okon Umana, was declared the winner at the Uyo Township Stadium.

Umana, who defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) last week, scored 2,444 of the 2,453 valid votes.

His opponent, Senator James Akpanudoedehe,

continue to reside in Lagos and so that our state remains a shining example to the rest of the nation.”

The statement added: “Today is a historic and momentous date. It is a moment when you have come together in the open air and light of day to select the person who will be the party’s standard bearer for our beloved state. As such, today shall advance the march of democracy in our state, our party and our country. With over 6,000 delegates representing the entire party in Lagos State gathered here to fulfil their right and duty to elect our flag bearer for Lagos state, we mark this time as an important moment.

“I want to use this opportunity to commend all the aspirants. You all have tried hard and have sweated and toiled for the

scored only six votes.

The shadow poll kicked off in Lagos around 1.30 pm, following the accreditation of about 6,000 delegates from the pre-existing 20 local governments.

As from 9 am, the aspirants stormed the venue. They in-

Continued on page 62

clude the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Hon. Adeyemi Ikuforiji, Hon. Lanre Ope, former Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice Mr. Olasupo Sashore (SAN), Senator Ganiyu Solomon and former Health Commissioner Wahab Tokun-

•Asiwaju Tinubu

bo.

Others are: Mr. Tayo Ayinde, Mr. Adekunle Disu, former Accountant-General and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Finance, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode and Mrs. Continued on page 62

ADVERT HOTLINES 08023006969, 08052592524

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THE NATION FRIDAY DECEMBER 5, 2014

NEWS

Nigeria needs mental revolution, says Tinubu

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LL Progressives Congress’ (APC’s) national leader Senator Bola Tinubu has advocated a mental revolution among Nigerians, as a condition for the country’s socio-economic growth.

He spoke yesterday at the presentation of a book, titled: “Entrepreneurship Development Manual with Pre-Retirement Modules”, in Lagos.

The book was edited by Dr. Michael Oladun.

Tinubu, who was represented by renowned scholar Prof.

Adebayo Williams, explained that given the familiar call for revolution as a pre-condition for desirable change in Nigeria, the primary and fundamental revolution was that of the mind.

He urged Nigerians to encourage not only the production of knowledge, but the spreading of same.

By Sulaiman Salawudeen

His words: “When people call for revolution in this country, the first revolution has to do with mental revolution; a shifting in the whole paradigm.

The white man was able to come to Africa and conquer us not because of superior artillery, it was because of superior knowledge. “ If ever we want to come out of our political, economic and, in fact, spiritual rot, we need knowledge revolution”.

Tinubu, who was also the chief launcher, praised the author for “the work of prodigious scholarship”, clarifying that the transition “from pre-retirement to activity is not a tea party. It requires adaptability and flexibility”.

The APC chieftain expressed satisfaction with the book, not-

ing that it was the result of “focus, a lot of brilliance, discipline, rigorous research and scholarship and also depth.”

He also explained that quite a number of people had retired from positions in the university to become barons and captains of industry.

Alluding to a French philosophical saying, which says “knowledge is sustained only by the production of new knowledge”, the former Lagos State governor said: “This book is a welcome addition to the production of new knowledge in cutting edge scientific research”.

Presenting the book, Prof.

Williams bought five copies for an undisclosed amount, saying Tinubu had reached out earlier to the editor and the contributors.

Lagos State Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola, who was the

Special Guest of Honour, explained that empowerment, especially of the youth, had been the focus of the administration in various sectors, including education, environment and others.

He was represented by the Executive Director (Technical) of Lagos State Pension Commission, Mrs. Folashade Onanuga.

The governor said the book would be a manual of importance in Lagos and would also be made available to officials for their use in retirement.

Dr. Akin Ogunbiyi, who chaired the event, while using the Yoruba adage, said: “There are three phases in a man’s life, including youth, adult life and old age.”

He added that the three periods connote distinctive definitive phases in the life of an individual.

PDP suspends Bamanga Tukur

From Bukola Amusan and Frank Ikpefan, Abuja

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•Senator Bukola Saraki and Senator Hillary Clinton at the clean cookstoves future summit held in New York.

Nyanya blast suspect Ogwuche seeks freedom

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HE suspected mastermind of the April 14 blast in Nyanya, Abuja, Aminu Sadiq Ogwuche, has asked a Federal High Court to set him free, following the Federal Government’s inability to bring fresh charges against him.

His lawyer Ahmed Raji (SAN) told the court, while arguing Ogwuche’s fundamental rights enforcement application yesterday, that his client was illegally being detained without trial.

He argued that there was no basis for his client to be held by security agencies when there were no charges pending against him, more so when the court had struck out the charge earlier filed against him.

The Department of State Services (DSS) had, shortly after the blast, alleged that Ogwuche was one of the brains behind the

•Suspect demands N100m compensation From Eric Ikhilae, Abuja

incident and declared him wanted.

On learning that the suspect had allegedly escaped to the Republic of Sudan, the Federal Government, through the office of the Inspector General of Police (IGP), initiated extradition proceedings and filed a twocount charge to that effect.

Oguwche was successfully brought to Nigeria on July 15 and has since then been held in the custody of the DSS, who recently procured an ex-parte order to further detain him for 90 days.

The Federal Government had, since the suspect was brought back into the country, been unable to proceed against him in view of the disagreement between officials of the Federal

Ministry of Justice, the DSS and the Nigeria Police Force over which agency should handle Ogwuche’s prosecution.

Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the Federal High Court on November 24 struck out the twocount charge for lack of diligent prosecution.

Yesterday, Raji argued that it was based on the request of the Federal Government that the Interpol placed a red alert on his client, contrary to the impression it had created that it was the Interpol that unilaterally placed Ogwuche on red alert.

Raji noted that the charge, which formed the basis of his client’s arrest and subsequent detention, was struck out by the court for lack of diligent prosecution.

He added that the charge was

the foundation of the extradition order, which led to his client’s arrest.

He argued that the state ought to have concluded all its investigations before requesting for his client’s extradition.

Raji contended that his client’s continued detention in the custody of DSS, without arraignment is illegal and pre-judicial, adding that Section 27 of the Terrorism Prevention Act (TPA), on which the DSS relied, could not override the provision of Section 35 of the Constitution, which preserved the right to liberty of every citizen.

The senior advocate urged the court to compel the DSS to release his client conditionally or unconditionally, admit him to administrative bail or arraign him within 48 hours of the judgment.

Jonathan condoles with Anyiam-Osigwe’s family

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RESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan has extended condolences to the Anyiam-Osigwe family on the death of Nze Micheal AnyiamOsigwe.

Jonathan, in a statement by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, joined the family in mourning Michael.

He said the deceased, like

by acting as an agent of change, innovation and creativity in all that we do in life”.

The event was organised

by Crystal Expertise Resources Ltd in collaboration with Office of the HOS, Public Service Office, Governor’s Office, Alausa, Ikeja.

It attracted other dignitaries, including former Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Group Executive Directorate, Chief Michael Olorunfemi; Elder Ademola Adelusi and Executive Secretary, Lagos State Skills Development Centre Olawumi Gasper.

Others were Abiola Owoaje of the Lagos State Printing Corporation; Mr. Amusu Oladapo, Elder Agboola Ojo; Rev. Jacob Sunday Ajulo; and Mr. Friday Salami.

Why we cancelled U.S. military training, by Fed Govt

From Gbade Ogunwale, Assistant Editor, Abuja

HE leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has suspended the party’s immediate past National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, for one month.

PDP National Legal Adviser Mr. Victor Kwom, who broke the news in a statement yesterday, said Tukur had been referred to the party’s National Disciplinary Committee for appropriate actions.

Tukur had joined a suit brought by Aliyu Abuba Gurin before a Federal High Court in Abuja seeking the removal of the party’s incumbent national chairman, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu, from office.

The statement added that the former chairman was suspended for instituting the law suit without exploring and exhausting available internal party channels of dispute resolution.

According to him, the consequences of how someone applies each of the earlier two phases would determine how the third phase would be spent.

Reviewing the book, Vice Chancellor, Joseph Ayo Babalola University, Ikeji-Arakeji, Prof. Sola Fajana, said the book was presented in simple and reader-friendly prose, adding that retirees and senior citizens would find it interesting.

The book, the editor explained, was sub-divided into three parts with 25 chapters, including three case studies.

He said the work was to “create/urge entrepreneurial skills in individuals globally and create wealth for the domestic Nigerian economy and Africa; to aid technological advancement in Africa coupled with social services to the society and humanity in general

From Augustine Ehikioya, Abuja

his brothers, was his very good friend and associate.

He believed that the late Coordinator-General of the Anyiam-Osigwe Foundation, who was particularly committed to promoting national unity and progress through education, would be greatly

missed by all who knew him.

President Jonathan also believed that the Anyiam-Osigwe Foundation’s Memorial Lectures, which had featured many distinguished personalities, including serving and former Heads of States and Government from parts of the world, would stand to Nze Michael’s eternal credit.

•The Late Anyiam-Osigwe

HE Federal Government explained yesterday that it pulled out of the final phase of United States (U.S.) training for Nigerian soldiers because it did not include the equipment component.

It said it could not afford to withdraw the equipment needed for the training from the field because Nigerian soldiers were using it to fight insurgents in the Northeast.

The Coordinator of the National Information Centre, Mr. Mike Omeri said this yesterday at the security briefing in Abuja.

Omeri noted that it would not be wise for the government to pull out the equipment from the field and put it in Jaji for the training, while soldiers were out fighting insurgents.

His words: “The training that is being mentioned is supposed to be in three phases. Two phases have been concluded. The next phase requires some logistical components and I don’t think it’s wise to take equipment from the field and keep them in Jaji for training, when our soldiers are out there needing the equipment.

“The training that is being offered by the American government did not also come with the equipment component.

So, if our soldiers need the same equipment, and you all know the status of our stock, we will not withdraw everything and go for training, when we have need for it on the field.”

Omeri said Nigerian soldiers have concluded two phases of the training, adding that government would conclude the final phase once the equipments were available.

According to him, other aspects of bilateral cooperation with the U.S. were “still ongoing and strong”.

Nda-Isaiah: APC consensus presidential candidate possible From Jide Orintunsin, Minna

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LL Progressives Congress’ (APC’s) presidential aspirant Mr. Sam Nda-Isaiah believes a consensus presidential candidate for the party was still possible.

But he reasoned that the candidate should be chosen by the aspirants themselves.

The Publisher of Leadership newspapers spoke after casting his vote at the party’s governorship primary in Minna, Niger State.

Nda-Isaiah: “I cannot rule out the prospect of a consensus candidate because even 24 hours is a long time in politics. A consensus candidate should be chosen by the aspirants themselves and would be base on the facts on ground that the candidate is more likely to win for the party.

“But so far, that has not been done and no meeting or attempts have been made on the issue at all. As it is now, all of us are aspirants preparing for the primaries.”

The aspirant praised the conduct of the governorship primary in Niger State, hailing the electoral committee for “a good organisation and peaceful conduct.”

He added that if the conduct was peaceful in other states, then APC would have shown that it was an orderly and peaceful political party.

Nda-Isaiah said the opposition party has a divine responsibility to salvage the country from further decay, pledging the APC would rise to the challenge.

He said: “If President Goodluck Jonathan is allowed to rule for another four years, Nigeria will not be able to survive it again. The country cannot survive another four years of an incompetent administration.

“APC has a divine responsibility to win the 2015 elections.

Even if it be by default or an act of omission or by anything we do on our path to make Goodluck Jonathan continue, even if we allow him to rig, Nigeria will not be the same again for the four years he will rule.

8

THE NATION FRIDAY DECEMBER 5, 2014

NEWS

Ecological Office gets Reps’ ultimatum on N3.1b project

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HE Ecological Funds Office was given an ultimatum yesterday by the House of Representatives Committee on Environment to complete the N3.1 billion Nanka/Oko landslide erosion project in Anambra State.

Committee chairman Uche Ekwunife gave the Permanent Secretary of the Ecological Fund Office, Goni Sheikh, 21days to address the Nanka/Oko erosion problem.

She spoke at an investigative hearing, which the committee said was based on several petitions sent by the affected communities.

From Victor Oluwasegun and Dele Anofi, Abuja

A breakdown of the money drawn from the Ecological Fund showed that N2 billion was released to Anambra State, which the committee said was yet to be justified.

About N1.1 billion was also released for the phase 1 of the Nanka/Oko landslide project.

The lawmaker expressed concern about the poor implementation and incompetence of the project’s contractor and the delay in its completion.

The project was awarded to Rhino Maritime Services & Construction Company since

2011 at N1.1 billion with a 12month completion period.

According to her, N727,240,481.95 had been spent on the project, with a balance of N384,216,100.58, without a commensurate result.

She added that almost a year after the committee went to the site with officials of the Ecological Fund Office, “nothing has been done.”

Mrs. Ekwunife said: “There is the need to change the approach to the challenge as situation on the Oko side of the project has deteriorated so badly that “the people will be

wiped out if something is not done fast.

“The Nanka erosion is an emergency. So, the ecological office must do all it can to ensure that the issue is sorted out.

In my own opinion, the contractor is not competent. You have to address us to tell us if the contractor handling it is capable. The consultant also is not professional.”

The committee noted that one of the areas threatened by erosion is the residence of former Vice President Alex Ekwueme.

The committee also requested for details on the additional N2 billion given to

Anambra State for the Nanka/ Oko erosion project.

But the permanent secretary said there was need for him to consult on the status of the N2 billion.

He, however, lamented the scourge of erosion in the South-South and deforestation of the Northern region, calling for deliberate action in checking the activities of tipper operators, who excavate sand from the Nanka-Oko areas of Anambra and other parts of the country.

“They (tipper operators) have become so strong like the mafia, as they mounted sand

excavating machines,” he said.

On if the amount paid so far to the contractor was commensurate with the work done, Goni answered in the affirmative, saying the money paid so far was based on the certificate raised.

Ekwunife said at a meeting held with minister of Environment, the secretary, contractor, consultant and representatives of the host communities, the committee recommended “the need to provide a revised engineering design that will adequately address the challenges of this particular site.”

Bi-Courtney praises Chidoka

By Kelvin Osa Okunbor

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•From left: Governors Isa Yuguda (Bauchi State),Godswil Akpabio (Akwa Ibom); former President Olusegun Obasanjo; Muazu Babangida (Niger State); Sule Lamido (Jigawa State); and Liyel Imoke (Cross Rivers), after a meeting with the former president in Abeokuta...yesterday.

NEMA seeks new approach to disaster management

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HE National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has canvassed a new approach to management of natural and man-made disasters.

Its Head of Ekiti State Operations Office, Mr. Saheed Akiode, made the call yesterday in Ado-Ekiti, at a oneday workshop on “Building Community Resilience as a Sustainable Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction”.

One of the new measures he identified is the Community-based Early Warning System which, according to him, alerts the public with the information needed to act in a timely

From Odunayo Ogunmola, Ado-Ekiti

and appropriate manner to avoid disasters.

Akiode explained that experiences in the last two or three decades had indicated the need for a paradigm shift from relief supplies to disaster risk reduction.

The NEMA chief reiterated the agency’s commitment towards building capacities of stakeholders in disaster management through sensitisation workshop, training and retraining, simulation exercises and improved level of readiness.

He urged the stakeholders

to continue to collaborate with one another, describing disaster management as multi-juris-

dictional, multi-disciplinary and multi-resource, “which has no holiday”.

PDP inaugurates convention committee From Gbade Ogunwale, Abuja

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HE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) inaugurated yesterday its convention planning committee, ahead of the party’s December 10 national convention.

While inaugurating the committee, the party’s National Chairman, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu, praised the committee members for submitting themselves to the service of the party at a short notice.

Committee chairman Dr. Bello Haliru Mohammed observed that the task before the committee was a daunting one that required working 24 hours till the convention date.

Mohammed assured the leadership of the party that the 51member committee would begin work immediately.

‘Jonathan overdue for impeachment’

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HE Senator representing Yobe North Senatorial zone, Ahmed Lawan, has emphasised the resolve of the Senate to impeach President Goodluck Jonathan.

Lawan noted that the “sins of Jonathan” were many and that his impeachment was “long overdue”.

He spoke to reporters in Damaturu at the affirmation of Governor Ibrahim Gaidam as the sole governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Yobe State.

The senator said it was unthinkable that some Nigerians

From Duku Joel, Damaturu

thought the National Assembly wanted to impeach the president because of police invasion of the complex over Aminu Tambuwal.

He noted that one of Jonathan’s major impeachable offences was his inability to provide security and welfare for the citizenry.

Lawan was, however, silent on the 60 senators who allegedly signed Jonathan’s impeachment notice.

On the extension of the emergency rule, Lawan ex-

plained: “The request of Mr. President on the extension of the State of Emergency in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe had elapsed. So, it is as good as there is no request at all.

“Going by Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution, you can extend an emergency before its expiration date. Don’t forget, the emergency rule expired on November 20 and today is December 4.”

The senator praised the security agents for fighting the insurgents gallantly to secure Damaturu.

He noted that the endorse-

•Jonathan

ment of Gaidam wouldn’t have been possible, if the soldiers had not fought hard last Monday against Boko Haram insurgents, whom he said were determined to take over the town.

MTN scholarships for 66 blind students, others

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TN Foundation gave out yesterday a scholarship of N200,000 each to 23 blind students and 43 science and technology students from tertiary institutions in the North.

The Executive Secretary of the foundation, Nonny Ugboma, in her remarks at the

From Bukola Amusan, Abuja

scholarship presentation yesterday in Abuja, said the recipients not only applied for the awards, but equally excelled in the qualifying examination “Indeed, they demonstrated the “Can do spirit”, one of

I-COURTNEY Aviation Services Limited has praised Minister of Aviation Mr. Osita Chidoka for his objective appraisal of the industry and “acknowledgment of the preeminence” of the second terminal of Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA2) being operated by the firm.

Reacting to newspaper reports on Chidoka’s appraisal confirming MMA2 as the only airport terminal with high rating in the country, Bi-Courtney listed the benefits of privatisation and hailed the minister for his objective appraisal.

The company also praised him for refusing to mislead the country on the true state of the nation’s aviation industry, and the positive steps he had taken to arrest the decay in the sector.

MMA2 is a private sector response to infrastructure decay and deficit in Nigeria under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) programme of the Federal Government.

The terminal, on concession to Bi-Courtney on a Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) basis, was inaugurated in 2007 for exclusive facilitation of domestic air passengers leaving or arriving Lagos.

Chidoka, who last Tuesday briefed aviation reporters on his plans to tackle the many problems affecting the crisis ridden sector, cited a recent survey as he affirmed that only the MMA2 was rated highly among all the airport terminals in the country.

According to Bi-Courtney, Chidoka’s comment is consistent with observations of top government functionaries, including the Lagos State Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Tunji Bello, who once stated that there are only two clean establishments in Lagos – the State Secretariat, Alausa, and MMA2.

The minister also noted at the briefing that government was not comfortable with the report that none of the country’s airports ranks among the best 10 in Africa and among the best 20 in the world.

the core values of our parent company, MTN Nigeria,” she said Ugboma said the company was celebrating academic excellence in students who have worked extremely hard and who deserve an opportunity to continue to pursue their dreams of a higher education

Speaking on the blind students, who also emerged victorious in the aptitude test, Ugboma said: “Today, we also recognise the exemplary efforts of a special group of students, who have to overcome daily challenges in their quest for a brighter future.”

French firms hire amnesty programme trainees

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HE French Institute of Petroleum (IFP), an energy solutions provider, has offered employment to 14 of the 40 Niger Delta youths, who have completed their training at the school in Paris, France.

Of the 14, IFP offered direct automatic employment to the best graduating Nigerian student, who will take up full time employment at its headquarters in France.

The French firm also confirmed that it would facilitate the placement of the other 13 youths that also excelled in character and in learning in two of its partner firms in Nigeria, namely Total Nigeria and Halliburton.

Of the 40 trainees deployed to the French school by the Amnesty Office, 20 delegates had advanced training in Geosciences, Reservoir Engineering while the other 20 delegates were trained in Oil & Gas Production Engineering.

At the graduation event in France, the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta and Chairman, Presidential Amnesty Programme, Kingsley Kuku, lauded IFP for its quality training.

He said the Amnesty Office has since keyed into President Goodluck Jonathan’s vision of providing three million new jobs for qualified Nigerians in the next 12 months.

“In line with Mr. President’s vision and directive, my office will no longer give training jobs to any firm that would not guarantee the gainful employment of a minimum of 50 per cent of the persons they trained. We have long gone beyond training our youths for unemployment,” Kuku said.

Airtel partners AU on Ebola

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ELECOMMUNICATIONS operator Airtel Nigeria has joined other telecommunications operators in the continent to partner the African Union (AU) Commission in the fight against Ebola in West Africa.

The initiative, operating under the hash tag “#AfricaAgainstEbola”, will use an SMS dedicated platform to raise funds for the deployment of African health workers to affected countries.

Ebola has claimed over 5,000 lives in some West African countries since it was first reported in Guinea in December 2013.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), this is the largest outbreak on the continent, affecting mostly Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.

Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Airtel Nigeria, Segun Ogunsanya, who spoke at the launch ceremony at the Eko Hotels, Lagos, declared the firm’s commitment to partner AU on the initiative.

THE NATION FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2014

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THE NATION FRIDAY DECEMBER 5, 2014

NEWS Nollywood star loses in Anambra From Nwanosike Onu, Awka

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OLLYWOOD star Bob Manuel Udokwu has lost in the House of Assembly primaries of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Anambra State.

Others who lost were the incumbent lawmakers Ify Onyebumuo (Njikoka 1) and Anselm Dunu (Anaocha II).

The exercise was characterised by controversies in some constituencies, which made it inconclusive.

The affected constituencies were Anaocha 1 and Anambra West.

Stakeholders to meet PDP leaders on primaries

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OLLOWING the secrecy surrounding the list of delegates and electoral materials concerning the primaries in Anambra North, stakeholders have scheduled a meeting with the National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to resolve the impasse.

A PDP chieftain, Chief Chris Okoye, said members were dissatisfied with the last House of Assembly primary election.

He said: “It is unacceptable that one buys form with N2.5 million, only for the process to be flawed.”

There are speculations that former Aviation Minister Stella Oduah’s interest in the delegates’ list has divided members.

Another PDP stalwart, Chuks Uneugbo, said the zone would not back the exminister as its senatorial candidate, as it could not have such a person as its representative in the Senate.

The stakeholders said there were no primaries for the House of Assembly tickets, whereas a list was drawn up.

Okoye said: “Our concern is, who are the delegates? Are the materials ready?”

He said they would not be a party to where primaries were held in hotels with a few people manipulating the results against the wishes of the people.

Jonathan threatened over APGA primaries From Nwanosike Onu, Awka

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GROUP, the Inter Party Advisory Council of Nigeria (IPAC), has threatened the ambition of President Goodluck Jonathan in next year’s general elections, if the crisis rocking the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Anambra State over primaries was not resolved.

IPAC is the umbrella of parties in the state.

It warned politicians to desist from imposing candidates on the people, to avoid bloodshed during the elections.

In a communiqué after its meeting yesterday in Awka, the group warned Governor Willie Obiano against what it described as political robbery in APGA.

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16 Abia lawmakers lose seats

IXTEEN members of the Abia State House of Assembly have lost their seats in the primaries of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Eight were successful in the election.

Announcing the results on Wednesday at the party’s secretariat in Umuahia, the Chairman, Senator Emma Nwaka, said PDP would come up with a programme to compesate the losers.

He urged them not to

•Eight returned

From Ugochukwu Ugoji-Eke, Umuahia

dump the party in protest but to ensure its success in the general elections, saying they should send their grievances to the appeal panel.

According to the results announced by Nwaka, some of the debutants are the son of Governor Theodore Orji, Chinedum, (Umuahia Central); Chukwudi Apugo

(Umuahia East); former Chief of Staff to the Governor, Mr. Cosmos Ndukwe, (Bende North) and Chima Mgbeke (Umunneochi).

The incumbent include Chukwudi Ogele (Isuikwuato); Emeka Ejiogu (Umuahia North); Dr. Kate Maduako (Aba Central) and widow of the late Iheasimuo, Blessing (Aba South).

The primaries attracted protests in parts of the state, prompting a rerun in Ohafia South, Umunneochi, Bende South and Isiala Ngwa South constituencies.

Aggrieved aspirants have vowed not to accept the results. They said they had petitioned the appeal panel.

According to them, what happened were mere appointments and not election.

CBN to release N2b to Abia rural dwellers

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HE Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has announced the release of N2billion loans without collateral, as part of the first batch to Abia State rural dwellers.

This is part of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) fund.

Speaking in Umuahia, the National Assets Director of the bank, Mrs. Shemite Katung, said a pre-loan assessment training and sensitisation programme was organised by the CBN

From Ugochukwu UgojiEke, Umuahia

in conjunction with the Michael Okpara University Micro Finance Bank Ltd. She said the beneficiaries would include housewives under the umbrella of quintessential business women and enjoined them to key into the programme.

Mrs. Katung said what communities needed to do to access the loan was to form a group with a maximum membership of 20 and

pull their resources together to get loans.

The director specified the conditions, which must be met by those intending to access the loan to include having a bank account with an affidavit.

She urged them to follow instructions to access the loan.

The state Coordinator of the group, Deaconess Chioma Ojoka, advised the beneficiaries to use the facilities prudently, stressing

that the loan was not to start a new business, but to boost the capital of an existing business.

Delivering a lecture at the sensitisation programme on the topic: “Lending methodology in group”, the guest lecturer, Dr. Daniel Alekhue, outlined the reasons most SME failed, to include failure to keep proper records of enterprise process, granting of credit sales to families and friends, lack of business plan, among others.

Coalition seeks free, fair primaries

By Adebisi Onanuga

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COALITION of pressure groups under the aegis of Abia Redemption Group (ARG) has urged the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to ensure that the governorship primaries holding in Abia State on Monday is free and fair.

It accused Governor Theodore Orji of manipulating the process for his favoured aspirants.

The National Coordinator and Chairman of the coalition, Chigozie Agbakwo, issued a statement yesterday in Lagos titled: “The absurdities playing out in PDP in Abia State”.

It reads: “If the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) desires to retain Abia State as one of the states it will govern from May 2015, it is advised to allow free, fair and credible primaries to hold on December 8 in Umuahia.

“If this is not allowed, then Abia people will have no choice than to look towards the direction of other parties with credible candidates.

“We have had enough of imposition, bad governance, corruption, ineptitude, godfatherism, terrorism, threats, kidnapping and other vices.”

The coalition comprises Abia Coalition of Forces Against Impunity, Abia Group Campaigning Against Imposition of Candidates, Abia Youths For Change, Abia Progressive Force For Good Governance, Abia Force Against Rigging, Abia Liberators and Concerned Citizens of Abia.

PDP leader cautioned over statement on aspirants From Tayo Johnson, Ibadan

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•From left: Babatunde Ogungbamila, Partner Litigation; Mrs Priscilla Ogwemoh, Managing Partner; Dr. Olisa Agbakoba, legal luminary and Mrs. Bisi Akodu, Partner Corporate/Commercial Public, at a press breakfast by Agbakoba on the Policy Dialogue Series 2015, held in Apapa, Lagos.

PHOTO: ABIODUN WILLIAMS

Cleric decries exam malpractices

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HE General Overseer of Upper Room Baptist Church, 2A, Davies Street, AlapereKetu, Lagos, Pastor Oluleke Akinola, has condemned exam malpractices.

The cleric, who spoke yesterday in Lagos at the maiden edition of the Excellence Award Ceremony for Public Secondary Schools in Kosofe Zone, Education District 2, urged headteachers and teachers to oppose examination malpractices.

He said: “According to the Bible, righteousness exalts a nation, while sin is a reproach. There is need for everybody to encourage hard work, industry and integrity. Absence of virtues is now the bane of our society.

“For a better society, we

By Tokunbo Ogunsami

all have a role to play. It is in the light of this that we enjoin pupils and students to shun exam malpractices and work hard to be successful.”

Pastor Akinola said the award was established in 2012 during the 25th anniversary of the church, to acknowledge, recognise and reward annually, good academic performance in the West African Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (WASSSCE), improve the standard of education “and give back to our host community where we have operated for over two decades without molestation.”

He hailed the Lagos State government for its efforts to improve the standard of

education.

The Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Olayinka Oladunjoye, represented by Mrs. F.A. Odupitan, said government would continue to improve the standard of education. She praised the church for supporting education.

In the students’ category, Olufowobi Hamdat of Mende Senior High School, Maryland came first, Adeyemo Anuoluwapo of the same school emerged second, while Anjorin Adijat Adebimpe of Ayedere Ajibola Senior High School, Ketu clinched the third position.

Mende Senior High School, Maryland was the overall best school, Ifako Comprehensive Senior High School, Gbagada

came second and Ayedere Ajibola High School, Ketu emerged third.

Outstanding headteachers and teachers were also rewarded. Prizes like refrigerators, laptops and others were given to the awardees.

chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Oyo State, Alhaji Adebisi Olopoenia, has cautioned a leader of the party in Eruwa, Chief Moses Fagbohun, who recently said Mr. Seyi Makinde was the best governorship aspirant, to watch his utterances.

He spoke yesterday when he addressed reporters at his Basorun home in Ibadan.

Olopoenia, a staunch member of the party in Ibadan North East Local Government where Makinde, an engineer, hails from, said Fagbohun should not have uttered such a statement which could cause disunity among the aspirants “because he doesn’t know Makinde more than myself.”

His words: “As an elder, he should not have said one aspirant is better than the other, because the statement can cause crisis and bring about disunity in the party.

“We have other aspirants.

Why should he condemn them?

The statement does not portray Fagbohun as a good leader. He was at the declaration of former Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala and he saw the large crowd, which turned out to support him.

Funeral for journalist

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FORMER Director in the Lagos State Ministry of Information, Pastor Zaccheus Ayo Vaughan, will be buried today.

The deceased, who died at 87, served in senior editorial positions at the defunct Daily Times, Nigerian Herald and Morning Post.

The late Vaughan was also a senior member of the Cherubim and Seraphim Church, Ayo Ni o. He led the King David Band, which received accolades for inspiring gospel songs in the mid-80s.

According to a statement by the Veteran Welfare Group, signed by its Coordinator, Primate Ayoola Omonigbehin, the deceased would be given a befitting funeral.

He said: ”We urge past and present journalists to give him their last honour.”

THE NATION FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2014

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THE NATION FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2014

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PEOPLE THE NATION

A SEVEN-PAGE SECTION ON SOCIETY

The 19th edition of the Pearl Awards Nigeria was held on Sunday at the Grand Ball Room of the Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos. OLATUNDE ODEBIYI reports.

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HE Pearl Awards is a gathering of business tycoons. This year, they gathered for the 19th edition at the Grand Ball Room of Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.

Guests were in suit and bow tie, evening gown and native attire.

They beamed with smiles, exchanging pleasantries and posing for photographs on the red carpet before moving into the hall for the event.

A bevy of pretty, tall and fair women decked in coffee brown net dress, lined in gold, welcomed guests.

The hall was decorated in gold and coffee brown with lights. Chairs were covered in the same colours. There were lots to eat and drink The event started with the national anthem. The duo of Bimbo Akintola and Gbenga Adeyinka were the comperes.

The President, Pearl Awards Nigeria, Mr Tayo Orekoya welcomed guests.

He said the gathering was to celebrate the titanic quest for corporate excellence in the Nigerian capital market and also to bring to the front line the remarkable achievements of quoted companies in the year under consideration who have served and contributed to the growth of the capital market in the country.

He said one of the main objectives of the awards is to engender healthy competitiveness among quoted companies with the view of enhancing their performance, making them globally competitive and enhancing shareholders wealth.

He said awards like this will go a long way to stimulate excellence performance by quoted companies. He congratulated the awardees for the outstanding performances for which they are being rewarded and urged them to sustain and improve on the past performance.

He said the night will also feature the public presentation of the 2015 edition of the Nigerian Stock Market Annual (NSMA), an annual publication of Pearl awards Nigeria, which incorporates the awards practice, criteria, facts and figures of how the winning companies emerged.

A popular singer, Yinka Davies led the Pearl Awards theme song.

In his opening remarks, the chairman on the occasion, Chairman CFAO Nigeria Plc, Chief Molade Okoya-Thomas said he was proud to be at the gathering. He said that the ideal for which the award was set up is laudable and credible, adding that is why it has lasted long.

He said Nigeria must be great and urged the gathering to tell the truth always.

“We have people in this country who have the abilities and what it takes to make the country great but we are not doing the right things; those of us that know these dishonest people are not saying anything about it, we are afraid to say the truth. We know people who are not good enough for where they are, but we cannot say the truth,” he said.

He lamented that only 10 percent of the population of the country can be described as rich people.

“When you are in a position of honour please tell the truth, God is watching; say it as you see it, then you will correct most of the things in this country and bring an end to corruption,” he said.

Director-General, Securities and Exchange Commission, (SEC) Arunma Oteh, in a goodwill message, said one of the things we do not do in Nigeria

Reward for service, excellence •Chief Okoya-Thomas (second right) presenting the plaque Aleobua (third right). With them are (from right): Mr Orekoya; Dr Chianakwalam; Chairman, Pearl Awards, Alhaji Umar Abdullahi and Mr Williams

•From left: Former Minister of Commerce and Industry, Chief Nike Akande; Group mamaging director, WEMA Bank, Segun Oloketuyi and his wifeDeola

•Dr Mabadeje and Mrs Oteh

•From right: Mnaging director, Nestle Nigeria Plc, Dharnesh Gordhon; Thomas Awagu and Mrs Ester Okoro

is to celebrate excellence, adding: “it is important that we do so.” She said it is good to have an initiative like Pearl Awards to promote hard work and the best of Nigeria based on facts and verifiable data.

She said Pearl Awards had done a great service to the nation in the last 19 years, adding that its achievement will continue to encourage our leaders, journalists and companies to influence the society.

“I’m glad that this award takes different kinds of indicators so that we can celebrate market excellence. The launch of the Annual is also an important initiative because knowledge is very crucial as it will allow many more Nigerians to be familiar with the capital market,” she said.

Director-General, Securities and Exchange Commission, Ghana, Mr Adu Anane Antwi, represented by his deputy, Mr Alexandra Williams, congratulated all the award winners and the nominees. He applauded Pearl Awards for its good job.

Representative of Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Raji Fashola, Commissioner for Science and Technology, Dr Adebiyi Mabadeje said he was impressed by the programme. He said that the state is always ready to associate with anything that celebrates merit.

Another known artiste, a singer, Lara George entertained guests with songs.

The Nigerian Stock Market Annual (NSMA) was presented by Chief Okoya-Thomas, who is the Asoju Oba of Lagos.

It was reviewed by the Chief Executive Officer, RTC Advisory, Mr Opeyemi Agbaje. Mr Orekoya is the publisher/Editor-in-chief. The annual was edited by Festus Odume and forword by the Chief Judge of the Investments and Securities Tribunal (IST), Dr Ngozi Chianakwalam.

Patrick Doyle anchored the launching of the annual Market excellence awards and

•Chief Sanusi and his wife,Abigail

secretarial leadership awards were given to 22 companies who emerged winners from the list of 66 nominees. Among the winners are Arbico Plc; Roads Nigeria Plc; Stanbic IBTC Bank Plc; Dangote cement Plc; UAC of Nigeria Plc; PC Cussons Nigeria Plc; University press Plc and Nigerian Breweries Plc. The high point of the event which most companies look forward to was ‘who will be the overall winner of the year 2014 Pearl awards Nigeria’.

Guests were expectant and applauded as the emcee announced Forte Oil Plc as the overall winner.

Representing the company, Head brand and corporate communications, Odion Aleobua walked tall to the stage to receive the award.

Dr Okoya-Thomas presented the award to him, assisted by Mr Orekoya and other guests.

They all took photographs after the presentation.

Aleobua described the award as a

PHOTOS: RAHMAN SANUSI

charge to do more.

“We just don’t want to be winners at the podium like this we want to be winners at our retail station, we want to have integrity and we want to have shareholders. We promise that our company will be one where shareholders value creation will be top of our objectives,” he said.

Special honorary awards were also given to some individuals. A fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Bankers, Dr Joseph Sanusi was given Pearl Special Recognition award for Capital Market Development; Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Dangote Cement Plc, Devakumar Edwin was given 2014 Pearl Most Outstanding CEO of the Year award; Assistant business editor, Capital market, Vanguard, Peter Egwuatu got 2014 Pearl Capital Market Journalist of the Year award and ThisDay newspaper got the 2014 media award for capital market reporting.

Just Dance Entertainment thrilled the guests with dance to sound track.

THE NATION FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2014

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SOCIETY A worker with Nigerian Breweries (NB), Plc, Ifedapo Khadijah, got married to a civil servant, Abdul-Gafaar Eniola Durosinmi-Etti in Lagos last Sunday. NNEKA NWANERI was there.

‘That little girl of yesterday’ T

HE Lekki Central Mosque looked majestic on the horizon. Last Sunday Khadijah Ifedayo, who works with the Nigerian Breweries (NB) Plc, and AbdulGafaar Eniola Durosinmi-Etti, a Civil Servant, tied the nuptial knot there.

Khadijah looked charming in her snow white bridal gown. She was surrounded by curvy and pretty damsels. Her colleagues in Nigerian Breweries, where she is a manager in the Corporate Affairs Department, and friends waited on her.

Abdul-Gafaar, was in a white fitted suit with black. He was supported by his friends and colleagues from Ogun State, where he works. It was a day to remember for the couple as they said: ‘I do’ to each other.

They met in February, last year through a mutual friend, who was convinced they were a perfect match. Before long, the friendship blossomed into love.

The auspicious event drew people from far and wide. There was a deluge of sedans and Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) parked on the adjoining streets to the mosque. The mosque was impeccably clean. Its tiled floors shone as guests, who alighted from their vehicles, stepped on it after taking off their shoes.

Many guests were in a uniform yellow lace outfit. The women, covered their heads with matching headgears. Well-lit chandeliers dangled from the centre of the mosque’s ceiling.

At noon, the programme started with the couple making their way to the front of the mosque. The officiating imams received them, and read portions of the Holy Quran.

Some of the dignitaries present were called out as witnesses and asked to advise the couple. First was Kano State Governor Rabi’u Kwankwaso, who said he has known the bride’s father since 1992 as an upright man.

He wished the couple a blissful marital life filled with Allah’s blessing.

Former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Bola Ajibola (SAN), presented them with a copy of the Quran, a gift, which according to him, will lead them to a good life.

Former Federal Commissioner for Works and National President of Ansar-ud-Deen Society of Nigeria, Alhaji Femi Okunnu (SAN), wished them a fruitful marriage.

In a brief lecture, Lekki Central Mosque Chief Imam Alhaji Ridwan Jamiu counselled the couple on the importance of tolerating each other to be able to settle their differences.

He implored the groom to take good care of his wife and protect his family to guarantee success.

Following their parents’ consent, Khadijah

and Abdul-Gafaar were pronounced man and wife and presented with their wedding certificate.

The bride, a biochemistry graduate of Covenant University, Otta, Ogun State has an MBA in global business from the United Kingdom.

She told The Nation that the best part of her man is his free and caring nature.

“There is just something about him. He is very sweet and loves God like none I have ever seen,” she said.

According to her, he proposed in a special way by inviting her friends over for dinner. “When the time came, he was shy and requested them to stay outside while he proposed,” she added.

“I did accept and I’m so glad this day has come,” Khadijah said.

The bride’s father, Adesina Adebgenro recalled how his friends made jest of him while he changed his baby’s napkins and diapers at a tender age in the higher institution.

“When I had her, I was still schooling and working. It’s amazing that that baby they taunted me for is now a graduate with her first and second degrees. Today, I can say I am a proud father of a wonderful lady,” he said.

On what endeared his son-in-law to him, he said: “After observing him and knowing he is well brought up and has embraced Islam with a lot of knowledge of the Quran with the fear of God, I became optimistic that they will make a successful marriage.”

Adegbenro said he will miss those little things she does that gladden his heart. He advised the couple to live with the fear of God and be good friends.

It was non-stop partying and celebration at the reception held at the Ark Events Centre, Lekki.

Also in attendance was wife of Lagos State governor Dame Abimbola Fashola and Senator Gbenga Ashafa among others.

• The couple, Abdul-Gafaar and Khadijah

•Bride’s father Muftau Adegbenro (left) and and Alhaji Durosinmi-Etti

‘When I had her, I was still schooling and working.

It’s amazing that that baby they taunted me for is now a graduate with her first and second degrees. Today, I can say I am a proud father of a wonderful lady’ •Governor Kwankwaso (left) and Prince Ajibola PHOTOS: NIYI ADENIRAN

•From left: Groom’s mother Adenike Durosinmi-Etti; Mrs Fashola; bride’s mother, Mrs Bola Adegbenro and Alhaja Bintu Fatima Tinubu

• Senator ‘Gbenga Ashafa (right) and Alhaji Abolaji Are

FRIDAY DECEMBER 5, 2014

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POLITICS THE NATION

E-mail:- politics@thenationonlineng.net

Kaduna State Governor Muktar Yero’s bid to contest next year’s governorship election has not been a smooth sail. He took over power on December 16, 2012, shortly after the demise of Governor Patrick Yakowa. MUSA ODOSHIMOKHE chronicles his ordeal so far, particularly with regards to his party’s governorship primaries.

Opponents challenge Yero’s re-election bid G

OVERNOR Muktar Yero of Kaduna State would be testing his popularity in the forthcoming governorship primaries of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) scheduled for next Monday. This is owing to the fact that other governorship aspirants within the party are not in the mood to allow Yero a smooth sail to continue as the governor. Yero assumed office as governor on December 16, 2012, following the tragic death of his predecessor, Patrick Yakowa, in a helicopter crash.

Four aspirants are contesting against him during the governorship primary. They are: Hassan Felix Hyat, Senator Haruna Zego Aziz, Ismaila Yakawada and Jimmy Dung. The contestants cut across religious and tribal lines.

In the build up to the contest, Governor Yero has been accused of trying to manipulate the process, by hand-picking the delegates to the recent party congress; to ensure that he realizes his ambition. The congress has been criticised as lacking in democratic principles. Three of the aspirants, Hyat, Aziz and Yakawada, which made their position on the primaries known at a press conference in the state capital recently said it fell short of the people’s expectation.

The aspirants have decided to close ranks over the matter, to counter Governor Yero’s alleged antics over the primaries. After their meeting, they urged the leadership of the PDP to address the issue as matter of urgent importance. They alleged that the irregularities observed during the congress must be tackled, if the party would have a good outing the next year’s elections.

At the conference, Dung alleged that names of delegates were written before the actual congress. According to him, it negates the principle of fairness and justice. He said the outcome of the delegate’s congress was beyond the people’s comprehension.

He said the process was a fraud because the names of delegates approved were prepared from Government House; with loyalists of the governor and Vice President Namadi Sambo making the list.

The aspirants believe that it would only be fair when a properly conducted congress was allowed to produce the delegates, noting that the aspirants would not condone act of impunity being displayed by the government.

Yakawada believes the idea of automatic ticket

• Yero

being proposed for PDP governors just completing their first term by the party leadership is a farce, and that it is unacceptable.

He added that aspirants in Kaduna were prepared to slug it out with the incumbent at the primaries, urging the party hierarchy to provide a level-playing ground for the contestants.

He said if there was no proper election and consensus to elect delegates for elections in the party, the party’s professed stance of practicing internal democracy was an illusion.

He added: “I can inform you that there was neither consensus nor election where members agreed that the adopted delegates would represent us during the primaries; they are not the choice of the people.”

But, the Kaduna State PDP Publicity Secretary Ibrahim Mansur has faulted the aspirants, saying they were being economical with the truth.

He described as baseless the allegations that the party leadership in the state and Governor Yero

A

S the campaigns for the ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) senatorial ticket in Anambra Central District coasts home ahead this weekend’s National Assembly congress, several factors may have coalesced in favour of Dr. Obiora Okonkwo. More than any other senatorial zone, observers say Anambra Central is likely to be the most interesting zone. The zone comprises of seven local government areas (LGAs), namely, Anaocha, Dunukofia, Njikoka, Idemili South, Idemili North, Awka North and Awka South.

Taking cognizance of the confusion

hijacked the process leading to the delegates’ congress.

Mansur urged party members to sheathe their swords and work for the unity of the party in the forthcoming polls. He said it is only a united PDP that would ensure continuity and that the division in the party would be too costly.

Some aspirants from the fold had earlier crossed to the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC), alleging that they fear they would not have fair treatment in the primaries.

A former House of Representatives member, Jagaba James Jagaba, equally dumped the PDP because of what he described as Yero’s antics to hold on to power without popular wish.

The infighting within the party has brought division along ethnic lines, resulting in the formation of alliances and counter alliances.

Despite the re-alignment of political blocs to ensure that the alleged flawed congress does not

PDP Senatorial ticket: ‘Anambra Central requires fresh ideas’

By Sam Egburonu

• Okonkwo

• Aziz

have negative consequences on the coming primaries, stakeholders are keenly interested in who pilots the affairs of the state from next year.

Ahead of next Monday’s primaries, all the aspirants have agreed to present a united front, by bringing one person forward as a consensus candidate to challenge Yero at the contest.

Political analysts believe the PDP is shooting itself in the foot, by going into the primaries divided.

At one of the meetings attended by various interest groups, Senator Aziz was tipped as the aspirant to slug it out with the governor. The meeting which had in attendant four aspirants from Southern Kaduna, religious bodies, youths and elders drummed support for the consensus arrangement, saying it would help to thwart the plan of the incumbent governor.

In a communiqué presented after the meeting, the Southern Kaduna Christian Leaders Council, the Northern Christian Elders Forum, South Kaduna Indigenes Progressives Forum, South Kaduna Peace Initaitives, Gurara Forum and other organisations, urged the people to put aside their differences for the common good.

They said the decision to present a common front in the coming primaries was deliberate and that it would brighten the chances of the aggrieved aspirants; as one of them would be a beneficiary of the arrangement.

The associations believe it would reduce the bickering associated with politicking and reduce the cost of electioneering in terms of finance.

They said: “While it is easy for the other contenders who have agreed to step aside, the onus of collective purpose and communal welfare must be seen to take precedence in order to have one candidate to contest with the incumbent at the PDP primaries scheduled for December 8.

“With this heart-lifting and very promising development, a new Southern Kaduna is born.

The depth of our disunity is in the process of being jettisoned for the common purpose. We can now see the light at the end of the tunnel.

“Consequently, we are appealing to all to support the candidature of Senator Aziz at the primaries to achieve our objective of him becoming the PDP flag bearer in the coming elections in February 2015,” the communiqué stated.

that trailed the State Assembly congress of the party last weekend and the ongoing crisis in All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), The Nation gathered that concerned elders and leaders of the PDP have come together to canvass for a more generally accepted candidate, if the party hopes to contest favourably in the Anambra Central Senatorial District, which is currently occupied by All Progressives Congress’ (APC) Senator Chris Ngige. The ruling APGA has resolved to field Chief Victor Umeh for the Senate seat.

Though dismissed by supporters of other aspirants like Hon. Uche Ekwunife and Senator Annie Okonkwo as a new comer, Obiora Okonkwo, who is the leader and chairman, Board of Trustees, Nzuko Imeobi of Idemili North and South Councils, appear to have, more than the other aspirants, convinced the youths in the PDP and majority of the party leaders that he not only represents the change that the people are agitating for in the party and that unlike most of the other

aspirants in the party, he has less baggage and will therefore stand a better chance against whoever the other parties will field.

An entrepreneur and the political / economic adviser to the ArchBishop of Onitsha, insiders in Anambra power game, including some of his political opponents, admit that he is not entirely new. As a top politician puts it off record, “We all know that Obiora has for years played big, but from behind-the-scene. It remains to be seen how he will cope in a real contest involving him.”

Confronted with the contention that his chances may be affected by the fact that he is contesting against some experienced politicians who dismiss him as lacking experience in politics, he told The Nation: “To start with, you cannot win a project of this nature if you worry about those who, because of the recurrence of their presence at every election, appear to be favourites. There is something about freshness.

We cannot ignore the idea behind a new way of thinking; the enthusiasm of the new kid in the block, if I may use that phrase. We

need a new energy source, a new face, a change in the way we have been doing things, a shift in gear, which can come only from a collective desire to look elsewhere for movement. Experience counts, but what is the benefit of experience if all it does is to keep us all stirring the same old pot of stew.

“This is the difference we are bringing into the race. There are people who keep boasting of how long they have been around. If that is so important, what have they done? There are others who have done so much and ought to move to other challenges. I am saying; let others dance on the stage. My strength is in my dance steps; my chances are hinged on the number of persons that will key into the dexterity we promise to show on the stage.

Here, I am talking about fresh ideas, perspectives, motivation, and an unyielding desire to give to the people, my people, a dose of fresh air.”

The state is currently experiencing some interesting developments.

For instance, last weekend’s PDP State Assembly congress and the delegates’ congress held earlier left little

‘There are people who keep boasting of how long they have been around. If that is so important, what have they done? There are others who have done so much and ought to move to other challenges’

to be desired. At the State Assembly congress, for example, delegates’ lists were manufactured by the various factions. There are three factions fighting for the PDP ticket in Anambra State. There is the so-called team from Abuja, which is from the party secretariat. This group seemingly worked with no party structure on ground because the court before the congress had ruled that the tenure of the state working committee had expired.

There is also the dissolution of the socalled caretaker committee that showed up in Anambra at the night of the delegates’ congress and according to some aggrieved stakeholders never showed up again.

So, in the midst of the confusion, each of the three factions simply produced their lists. This being the case, it seems right to predict that having manufactured delegates’ lists, and since, during the State House of Assembly congress last Saturday, names were just written down and votes apportioned to them, the situation is not likely to be different during this weekend’s National Assembly congress.

As would be expected, PDP leaders and some other stakeholders are currently making last minutes plans to save the situation and to ensure that only acceptable candidates that can win the general elections for the party would emerge.

16

THE NATION FRIDAY DECEMBER 5, 2014

RACE TO 2015 Uyo PDP leaders endorse zoning

P

EOPLES Democratic Party (PDP) stakeholders in Uyo Senatorial District, Akwa Ibom State, have endorsed the zoning of the governorship ticket to Eket District by the party leadership.

Announcing the decision on zoning, Senator Effiong Bob, who spoke after the stakeholders’ meeting, said: “Elders of the PDP in Uyo senatorial district decided to toe the line of peace in the interest of the party because the decision of the party is final.”

Bob added: “It was a difficult decision to arrive at, following the popularity of Obong Bassey Albert Akpan, who has won the election, but there was nothing any member of the PDP could do to win the election, if that person is not from Eket Senatorial District, based on the zoning adopted by the National Working Committee (NWC).

“Something happened before something happened, that is why we have decided to follow Jesus, a man of peace, no turning back, this peace has caused us something. If there were provision for independent candidacy by INEC, he would have been the next governor. But, since Uyo would not want to play the opposition, we have decided to follow the decision of our party.”

The party chieftain said Obong Albert has not disappointed the people for accepting to step down, adding: “If the people demand apology it should not be from Albert, since he

• Akpabio

did not step down on his own, but was forced to do so by his party. Uyo district is known for peace, when we speak, others listen, for the interest of peace we have decided to support Eket senatorial for governorship. Uyo had it, Ikot Ekpene has it, Eket must also have it in 2015. Bassey Albert has not committed any offence; he has not betrayed anyone; it pains him more than any of his supporters, but he has to abide by the party’s decision.”

Senator Bob said: “Albert is innocent and the party is supreme”. He urged the people of Uyo to support the zoning.

Albert said: “Based on the support

garnered so far, if the party had allowed every aspirant to contest, I would become the next governor of the state. “It pains me; I feel it, because millions of Akwa Ibom people wanted me.”

Also speaking, House of Assembly member Hon. Onofiok Luke (Nsit Ubium State Constituency) said: “As far as the party whose platform every member works under and has taken oath of membership, such member has accepted to walk according to the tenet of the party.”

He stressed that Albert cannot take decision for the party and that it is only the PDP that has the right to take decisions for any of its members including Albert The politician, however, blamed the elders and leaders of the district for not carrying them along on vital decisions affecting the political direction of the district. He added: “Our elders should be blamed for the misunderstanding between the youths and the governor over the zoning issue. He said most of them have been supporting Eket district. Some of them called the governor every night to discuss the same issue, while the youths were put in dark. We the youths have also come out today to say we also support Eket senatorial district for governorship in 2015.”

He thanked the Governor Godswill Akpabio for appointing an Uyo senatorial district indigene from Nsit Ubium as the new Secretary to Government.

Why I want to be senator, by Uduaghan

D

ELTA State Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan has spoken on his senatorial ambition, saying that he would make a difference in the Upper Chamber, if elected in next year’s election.

He also defended nine Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) senators jostling for senatorial ticket, which he said, is their fundamental human right.

Uduaghan, who spoke with reporters in Asaba, the state capital, lamented that some senators are credited with cosmetic achievements, including yearly empowerment programmes that have no bearing with legislative functions.

He said: “Senators are now being assessed by the empowerment they give to people. In my view, being a legislator is more than that. There is the need to attract more federal government projects. If I get to the Senate, I will propose a bill on equity participation in the oil business by oil-producing communities.

The governor reflected on the suc-

By Emmanuel Oladesu

cession battle in the Southsouth state, saying that it is normal. He clarified that he has not endorsed any aspirant, adding that the party will guarantee a level-playing ground at primaries.

He confirmed that many governors are interested in the person that will succeed them because they want their people-oriented programmes to outlive their tenure.

Uduaghan stressed: “I know those who will not succeed me and these are the people who did not take nomination forms. One of those who took the form and was cleared will succeed me.

I have 16 anointed candidates. Governors are interested in who succeeds them. Some people come and do away with their programmes.

“As you leave office, it is important that you are succeeded by somebody who will build on your achievements.

We are talking about delta beyond oil.

I don’t want anybody who will come and say that is nonsense. When I took

‘Oyo PDP chieftain calls for caution’ From Tayo Johnson, Ibadan

• Alao-Akala

A

CHIEFTAIN of Peoples Demo cratic Party (PDP), in Oyo State, Alh. Adebisi Olopoenia has cautioned the leader of the party in Eruwa, Chief Moses Fagbohun who

over from the last administration, I completed its projects.”

Uduaghan refuted the allegation that governors are behind the litigation against the PDP National Chairman, Alhaji Adamu Muazu, pointing out that he is held in high esteem.

He said: “PDP governors are not behind the cases against the national chairman. He is our senior colleague as a former governor. It is a propaganda by people who want to pitch the chairman against the governors. PDP governors are working with the national chairman.

“Governors are not playing god. They play a lot if roles, spend money on the party and ensures that the party wins.

Therefore, the governors are interested in the candidates. But, a governor cannot do it alone. It must be done along with other party leaders.”

Uduaghan assured that there will be no repeat of ethnic war between Itsekiri and Ijaw, adding that the two ethnic groups are always discussing.

recently stated in an interview that Seyi Makinde was the best governorship aspirant in the party.

Olopoenia is a stakeholder in Ibadan North East Local Government where Makinde hails from.

He told reporters in Ibadan, the state capital, that Fagbohun should not have uttered such statement because it is capable of causing disunity among the governorship aspirants in the party.

“As an elder, he should not have said one governorship aspirant is better than the other because it could cause crisis and bring about disunity within the party. If any of the aspirants are giving him anything to solicit for his support, he should have keet his view to himself and wait for the party’s primaries coming up on December 8. I wonder why he was compar-

ing Makinde with other aspirants, insisting one has better electoral value than the other.

“We have several governorship aspirants in the race. Why should he be condemning the others; it doesn’t justify Chief Fagbohun as a good leader of the party. He was at the declaration rally of former Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala and he saw the large crowd that turned out to support him, whereas he wasn’t at Makinde’s to know his electoral value,” he said Olopoenia noted that Chief Fagbohun is not a mainstream member of the party because he travels abroad most times.

He added: ”He stays in Eruwa for two weeks and travels abroad for four months. So, I wonder how such person will know the best governorship aspirants in Ibadan?”

‘

Senators are now being assessed by the empowerment they give to people. In my view, being a legislator is more than that

‘

‘Why Urhobo is rooting for Jonathan’s re-election’

A

CHIEFTAIN of the Urhobo Youth Forum for Change (UYFC) and former Niger Delta militant Isreal Akpodoro has declared his support for President Goodluck Jonathan’s bid for a second term in office.

The diminutive ex-militant declared: “President Goodluck Jonathan is our sole candidate in Urhobo land.” He made the declaration in Asaba, the Delta State capital last Wednesday.

Akpodoro noted that the President had tried his best at moving the nation forward, adding that Nigeria is a complex society.

According to the Urhobo-born ex-militant, President Jonathan, has proven that development was not impossible in the country citing infrastructure, agriculture, power, education, peace and security as those areas the Jonathan led-Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) administration excelled beyond the “imagination of the ordinary Nigerian.”

The Urhobo youth leader argued that the Jonathan government has done well in his revenue drive for the country. He cited the Ugborodo Gas Project in Delta State as a milestone, which only a leader with vision and mission can initiate and establish.

Akpodoro urged the feuding host communities to give peace a chance, adding that the project was capable of removing idle youths from the streets.

He said the project is big enough to cater for the needs of all the stakeholders. The Urhobo youth leader called on fellow ex-militant leader, Chief Government Ekpemupolo and Chief Ayiri Emami, to enter into peaceful dialogue on how best to resolve the issues impeding the official take-off of the project.

Ex-lawmaker for House of Representatives

By Emmanuel Oladesu

F

ORMER Chairman of Yaba Council Hon. Olajide Jimoh has joined the race for the House of Representatives in Lagos Mainland Constituency, Lagos State.

He explained that he is seeking to represent the constituency in furtherance of his service to Lagosians, urging party delegates to give him the ticket at the primaries.

Jimoh, a former member of the House of Assembly, said he will utilise his legislative experience at the state level to bear on his duties as a federal legislator, if elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The former lawmaker urged members to defend the progressive party before, during and after the electioneering, warning that enemies are at work. Reiterated his loyalty to the party leadership, he said the guidance of the leaders are needed to guide the shadow poll and next year’s elections.

Jimoh said: “I am interested in representing Lagos Mainland in the House of Representatives as a loyal party man and community man who has served the party, the government and people of Lagos State in various capacities without blemish. I have the experience, passion and discipline of mind. I am a progressive at heart and my record as a politician and public servant shows that I have faith in the capacity of our party to liberate Nigeria from the PDP mess.”

The former council chairman is a grassroots politician. He has served as a supervisory councillor, state legislator for eight years and local government chairman for six years.

Why I want to represent Kosofe, by ex-commissioner

By Emmanuel Oladesu

F

ORMER Lagos State Commissioner of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs Prince Rotimi Agunsoye has joined the House of Representatives race in Kosofe Constituency.

He said: “I joined the race to serve and contribute to the legislative cause for good governance. I have the experience and the exposure. I have served as the vice chairman of a local government, special adviser and commissioner at the state level. I am a committed party man and I have served without blemish.”

Other aspirants on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) are Commissioner for Works Hon. Olatunbosun Jeje; member of House of Assembly Hon. Bayo Osinnowo; a youth activist, Alhaji Oluwatoyin Balogun; and Hon. Dayo Alebiosun, who was elected as a member of the House of Representatives in 2007 and 2011.

Agunsoye said he is in the race in fulfilment of the wish of his people, who he said, are rooting for his candidature. He noted that he was amazed at the activities of youths, women and leaders who printed posters for him and encouraged him to contest for the seat as a committed stalwart.

The aspirant said: “This is not the first time I will be vying for the House of Representatives seat. For 12 years, I have been on it. But, party elders asked me to step down. But, I know the party will allow me to run in 2015. My chance is bright.”

Agunsoye urged members of the party to gird their loins for battle, adding that they should not allow any crack on the wall. He said the party is more important than the ambition of members and so they should remain loyal and steadfast to the progressive bloc.

However, he dismissed the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) with a wave of the hand, saying that it does not exist in Kosofe Constituency. He said: “The PDP cannot beat the APC in Kosofe and indeed in Lagos State. The achievements of the APC administration will always count on the day of • Jeje election.”

THE NATION FRIDAY DECEMBER 5, 2014

17

RACE TO 2015

‘

As a former member of State House of Assembly who knows what it takes to participate in legislative activities, I believe I am the man for the job

‘

All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, Hon. Olajide Jimoh, is aspiring to represent Lagos Mainland Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives. In an interview with MUSA ODOSHIMOKHE, the youthful politician speaks about his ambition and why he is the right man for the job.

I’ll take my constituency to highest level’

W

HY are you vying to repre sent your constituency at the House of Reps?

It is because I have passion to serve my people in the Mainland Federal Constituency, Lagos State. I believe I can do that effectively through legislative business. I have tried that before and I know I represented my people well. I give thanks to God for that.

What gives you such optimism?

Let me just say this. Power belongs to the Almighty God and He gives it to whoever he wishes. He is the ruler of heavens and earth. He has absolute power and control over every other being. I put my aspiration in His hand and I trust my God that in anything I put my hand, I have never been disappointed by God. I believe He will do it again. For the fact that I have been in politics for a very long time, and God has endowed me to do a lot of things for my people. I believe in doing that and more for my people. That is why I have decided to go to the House of Representatives to represent my people. I want to take their messages to that highest legislative authority in Abuja.

But, to answer your question, I was once a councilor at Lagos Mainland Local Government. I was once a Deputy Leader of the council. At a time, I was a member of the Lagos State House of Assembly for two terms. I served as Chairman, House Committee on Local Government for eight years. That is to show you I have cognate experience for my aspiration to serve again at higher level. Now, I am aspiring to go to the House of Representatives.

What quality distinquishes you

‘As a former member of State House of Assembly who knows what it takes to participate in legislative activities, I believe I am the man for the job. I know it is about robust debates. It is about oversight functions. It is about resolutions and motions. I know it is about lobbying’ • Jimoh

my people and that is why they love from other aspirants contesting for me and are very close to me. They the same position?

All I can say is that I am a contest- •T know my stand on issues and my stand is always my people’s stand. ant, while others are also contestants.

And anything I want to do is always It is not necessary for me to start menbacked by vision. My vision this time tioning names. All I know is that it is is to take my local government and only God that crowns people. With my the entire Mainland Federal Constitutrust in Him as the merciful God, I will ency to the highest level. That is what emerge victorious at the end of the day.

I promised my people and I will conThat is why my campaign slogan is tinue to pursue it. As a former mem‘The Merciful God’. ber of State House of Assembly who How has the people of your knows what it takes to participate constitutency reacted towards your in legislative activities, I believe I am aspiration? the man for the job. I know it is about If you are talking about my relationrobust debates. It is about oversight ship with the people at the grassroots, functions. It is about resolutions and I will say they love me. I am one of motions. I know it is about lobbying them. I have been one of them and I because one cannot do it alone. You shall continue to be one of them. have to connect with others, so that I have an open-door policy in govwith collaboration, things will work ernance. I am very open in everything on fine.

I do. I don’t have anything to hide from

The manifesto of our party, the APC, is clear; that you must first of all consider the welfare of the people. I promise to discharge that responsibility with sincerity and commitment.

If you eventually clinch party ticket, how are you sure of victory over the opposition candidate?

With God on our side, not even me as a person, but as a party, we are going to defeat candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), not only in Lagos, but in Nigeria as a whole. That is the trust we have in God. We have no other enthusiasm other than our trust in God. I can assure you, by God grace, we shall come out victorious.

Do you think your party can handle the issue of succession very well?

We have a leader that is God-fearing, resolute and who listens to the people.

We have a leader, who bows to a superior argument, if he is faced with one. That is Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. He is also a dogged fighter and a committed democrat. With God being with him, I believe there would not be any problem. When he was about to leave office in 2007, you know the number of those who wanted to succeed him before the incumbent Governor Babatunde Fashola (SAN) took over. Now, we have about 11 contestants for one position. He has had discussions with them; he has advised them and told them to be democratic in their conduct. He urged them to take themselves as one family. That is, whoever wins eventually should be seen as God’s choice and so should be supported by others. I can assure you that there would not be any crisis and that there will not be any friction in our party either in Lagos or at the national level.

The immediate past Chairman of Ejigbo Local Council Development Area and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Kehinde Bamigbetan, is aspiring to represent Oshodi/Isolo Federal Constituency of Lagos State in the House of Representatives.

In this interview, he unfolds his agenda. He spoke with RAYMOND MORDI.

‘Why I’m in race for National Assembly’

• Bamigbetan

W

HY are you aspiring to go to the National Assembly?

That is what our people demand of me. As from 1999, Ejigbo axis has not been considered to pick the ticket for the House of Representatives.

And we believe that we should break the jinx. Ejigbo axis is crying for representation and crying against marginalization. And we are trying to encourage our brothers from Isolo axis to also support Ejigbo zone to represent the whole constituency in the House of Representatives this time. We have always supported our brothers from Isolo in the past. And we think that more than 15 years after, it is high time that our brothers in Isolo also supported Ejigbo to represent the whole constituency in the House of Representatives for fairness and equity as well as in the spirit of brotherhood.

What electoral value do you have to fit in?

I have been active in the constituency more than 10 years now. I have been Chief Press Secretary to the Governor of Lagos State. I have been Chairman of LCDA, Ejigbo. And I have put in place a lot of revolutionary activities and programmes that have enhanced democracy like monthly rendering of account like public hearing and increasing the number of community based associations from 15 to 76 which made it easy for people to participate in the governance of the Local Government.

Also, I have committed myself to activities through which I promised things like free uniforms and free meals. It led to the end of an era where parents provided chairs and desks for their wards. Construction of three new primary schools so as to expand the access of various communities to qualitative education is part of my credentials. Provision of free GCE forms to over 1,500 school leavers and provision of another set of JAMB forms for 1,500 school leavers are also on record.

In the area of health, provision of free drugs for all our Health Centres, construction of three new Health Centres for easy access to healthcare were among other programmes executed towards the attainment of Millenium Development Goals (MDGs). The list of my modest achievement in office is endless.

What quality do you possess to guarantee you party ticket?

Well, I think the party is interested, first and foremost in equity. There is Federal Character principle in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that says that, in the choice and election of people into power, people must take cognizance of the importance of Federal Character. And I think that is one major factor that our party should look into in considering this. The second issue is performance which is subjective. But, I believe that the party at the highest level would determine the level of performance of each of the aspirants. But if you look at my antecedence, I have corporate experience. I am a journalist who rose from sub-editor to editor and publisher. I have been a politician all my life right from my school days. Then Chief Press Secretary to the Lagos State Governor, then Chairman of a Local Council Development Areas. People will see that I have a record of performance and service. And I believe this would be part of things to be considered. Number three is when you look at representing the people at the National Assembly, you would also want to have somebody who knows his onions and who is part

of the nationalist struggle for years, which essentially, I am. And the final point is, even in my manifesto which I am offering, is not what everybody is offering. I insist there would be quarterly constituency forum whereby I would be coming home to give feedback on accountability. In each ward, I am going to have constituency office so as to further engage those at the grassroots level. I am saying that there would be a bulletin to get information. I would also invest in reducing the cost of parents sending their children to school by providing Scholar’ Busses, donations for drugs regularly and then free uniforms for indigent pupils and students in our schools.

And to show my commitment to my party, every month, I will give N50,000 to each ward, and N100,000 to each Local Government. These will show a vision of how to be a better representative of a party.

How sure are you to defeat opposition’s candidate at the poll proper?

I believe our party is very strong in our constituency. There is nothing on the ground that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has shown as evidence of performance. And I believe that what our Local Government has done would make our people to vote for our party.

There’s need for continuity in Niger State, says PDP aspirant

By Musa Odoshimokhe

N

IGER State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship as pirant Umar Nasko has said he will continue the programmes of the present administration, if given the opportunity to govern the state.

Umar who declared his intention to contest next year’s election at the Bako Mohammed Memorial Stadium, Minna, the state capital, said there is need to build on the achievements of Governor Babangida Aliyu.

He said his entry into the race is a positive development because he would bridge the gap between rural and urban communities.

He said: “May I register my gratitude to our political leader, guardian and mentor, Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, a model of compassion and wisdom, for transforming Niger into a state of unlimited opportunities.

“Being a leader with vision and foresight, he created a stimulating environment for the young to grow and write their own scripts in the history of the development of our state,” he said.

Nasko said the ruling PDP has provided dividends of democracy for the people of state. He added that the only leader eligible for the job is one who will follow the template laid down by the administration, by ensuring that agriculture and infrastructure are evenly developed.

“I recognize and acknowledge the crucial roles and remarkable contribution of our past leaders in the state at various levels, which invariably provided the much-needed foundation that we are enjoying today.

“They gave their best so that our today and tomorrow will be successful.

Without those sacrifices and efforts, we would not be here today,” he said.

“Your presence here, in spite of all odds, symbolises your belief in the capacity of the youth to provide purposeful leadership, because effective political leadership is not often defined by age, but the maturity of mind and capacity to mobilise mass support towards electoral victory,” he added.

The governorship aspirant stressed the need for cooperation, in order to reposition the state for industrial growth. “I note with delight that today we can boast of many dualised roads in our capital city and other major towns. Indeed, it is gratifying that Minna is recognized today as one of the livable cities in the world.

Nasko said: “We shall uphold the confidence reposed in us by living up to the expectations of our people.

“Our goal is to encourage the establishment of small and medium scale industries that

•Nasko

THE NATION FRIDAY DECEMBER 5, 2014

18

RACE TO 2015 Ogbuanyinya Jideani is the president of Anambra North Professionals Assembly and a founding member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). In this interview with MUSA ODOSHIMOKHE, he talks about the issue of integrity in the electoral process and the insurgency in the country.

‘National Assembly’s not for all comers’

Y

OUR group recently released a study on Electoral Process Integrity in Nigeria. What was it all about?

It has to do with honesty, observance of the rule of law and the supremacy of the will of the people in the steps taken by political parties and the IndependentNational Electoral Commission (INEC) towards the presentation of candidates and the election of the people’s representatives.

Can you be more precise?

Elected executives such as governors and their deputies, the President and Vice President, as well as members of parliament, are supposed to be choices made by the electorate, the people of Nigeria, to represent them and carry out duties and functions on their behalf. Now, where the political parties by the process of selecting their flag bearers present persons of dubious or questionable character, the people are short-changed because their choices are now limited.

How can this be checked or stopped?

It is the people again who should take the parties to task, and hold them accountable for their actions. The people could through various associations and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) urge the parties to present credible candidates and ensure that questionable characters are not allowed to partake in the leadership of the country at any level. For instance, I read that several people petitioned the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to reject the candidacy of several persons, including the candidacy of the former Minister of Aviation.

That’s Mrs Stella Oduah-Ogiemwonyi . What’s your take on that?

Oduah is no longer Mrs. Ogiemwonyi; I think she refers to herself now as Princess Stella Oduah. In ordinary and common circumstance every person is free to aspire to any position in the country, but her case is totally different and I do not want to go into that now.

Why do you say her case is totally different. Is she not qualified to run for Senate?

No, she is not qualified to run for Senate or any elective position in Nigeria for that matter. If you remember; she was indicted by an investigative panel set up by the Federal House of Representatives, which recommended her sack as Minister of Aviation. Secondly, she was also indicted by a presidential panel of inquiry, which confirmed that she was involved in illegal dealings with money not budgeted for, while she was Aviation Minister. If you remember, it was also alleged that she forged her certificates and lied to the Senate during her screening as minister. It was also reported that the American government denied that she went to school in their country. I don’t know the veracity of all of these, but this is a lot of baggage and that’s probably why the President asked her to go. So, how will a sane political party present such a person to represent them in the Senate?

How do you see the current state of the insurgency?

I don’t think what we have in Nigeria could be properly regarded as insurgency. We have a full-blown civil war brought about by known Salafist Jihadists by the name of Boko Haram. We have to tell ourselves the truth and affirm that there is sabotage by military insiders and support –- tacit, covert and overt -- by political and religious leaders.

Where do we go from here?

We need to adopt the approach provided by the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) on the soft approach to countering violent religious extremism.

Has anybody educated the young people growing up in most part of the Northeast that Nigeria belongs to all its people? That no one has the right to take up arms against the government and people of Nigeria; that violent extremism does not represent Islam; that Nigeria is multi-cultural and multi religious country and that every Nigerian has the right to choose how he or she should worship God. When we tell ourselves the truth, then a military victory and rehabilitation of victims and repentant jihadists will bring the so-called insurgency to an end.

The police invaded the National Assembly recently. Does this reflect the level of democracy in the country?

Of course, it reflects our level of democracy. The National Assembly complex is a public place and subject to reasonable security measures. Every Nigerian should be allowed access to the complex. That said, the conduct of Alhaji Waziri Tambuwal and his motely crowd was very disgraceful. There is no reason for them to behave like thugs and miscreants. The entire episode was brought about by the lack of leadership in the APC. When Tambuwal defected and joined the APC, he became a member of a minority party in the parliament and he should not have sat tight and continued to claim the seat of the Speaker of the house. As a minority member in the parliament, if he is desirous of leadership position, he should aspire to the position of “Minority Leader”. But, because of a culture of theft and claiming and holding unto that which you are not entitled to or things you have not legitimately acquired, Tambuwal kept on fighting to remain the Speaker and the APC leadership did not call him to order.

Why did you refer to this as theft?

It is theft and criminal when you take or keep that which is not yours or does not belong to you. It is thievery as Stella Oduah was said to have done, when you say you have studied and acquired educational qualification, which you did not acquire. We have a saying in the Olu parts of Eastern Nigeria that “Mma na abo ka a na ama onye ori”. This, when loosely translated, means: “… a thief’s personality is susceptible to dual identity -- first as she would want to present herself and secondly upon the discovery of who she really is…” That sums up the relationship between those without character who want to represent the our people in the Senate and the people whom they seek to represent.

‘

We need to adopt the approach provided by the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) on the soft approach to countering violent religious extremism.

‘

‘Next year’s election will be the best ever’

T

HE founder and president of the Divine Ministry for Inter-Religious Harmony (DMIRH), Prophet David Oyekan, has predicted that contrary to the fears being expressed by many Nigerians that next year’s general elections will be free and fair and that it would be the best ever. His words: “The Divine will of God will surely prevail in 2015. Therefore 2015 election is going to be the most credible and the most peaceful election the Nigerian nation has ever witnessed. It will beat the imagination of the entire global community.”

Oyekan, who made the above revelation in a document made available to The Nation, said God Almighty has a purpose and plan for Nigeria and that the grand design of the Creator must be achieved. According to him, God has a hand in the amalgamation of Nigeria and He is not happy with the acts of disunity in the country.

The seer said God is angry with the Nigerian government over the ceasefire agreement signed with Boko Haram insurgents because if the government had followed the Divine directives that were conveyed to it earlier matters would not have come to such a sorry end. Nevertheless, he said Nigeria would overcome the Boko Haram saga, if the leaders of the country agree to do what God has decreed they must do. “Otherwise, we would have another dimension of trouble that would make politicians, religious leaders and the media to comply with the demand of God,” he noted.

To avoid the wrath of God, Oyekan said the authorities must comply with the demands of God before the 2015 general elections. “That is why I’ve been making efforts to deliver the message, but people are not listening.

The demand of God must be complied with by January 2015 to prevent this problem. If not, many politicians and religious leaders would die within two months,” he added.

Oyekan said he has been trying since 2001 to bring to the notice of the authorities the Divine demand of God concerning the Nigerian nation. He said: “The Lord, the master of the universe, has not only revealed to me the genesis of Nigeria’s problems, but also provided a Divine intervention provision in the short term, the medium term and the long term strategy to put an end to Nigeria’s problems in accordance with His Divine purpose and plan for the Nigerian nation as it af-

• Oyekan

By Raymond Mordi

fects the global community at this end time.”

Against this background, he has been sending spiritual revelations to various organs of government since 2001. But, he said the ruling elite have turned deaf ears to the demands of God because they do not believe in the relevance of spiritual guidance in nation building. The prophet gave 12 different instances of the Divine directives he sent to the authorities and the indifference displayed by those who were supposed to implement them.

For instance, he said in August 2005 such revelation was sent to former President Olusegun Obasanjo, through the Aso Rock Villa chapel, for government to dedicate the independence anniversary of that year “to God Almighty in appreciation of what God has done for the nation for 45 years of independence of this nation and for returning democracy to Nigeria.” But, the directive was not obeyed by government; as the occasion was celebrated as usual.

Oyekan said he also conveyed the directive of God to the Yar’Adua administration in August 2009, through the First Lady, to declare a three-day national fasting and prayer in preparation for the 49th independence anniversary and to organise a peace and unity summit in collaboration with all stakeholders before the 2010 Golden Jubilee Celebration. But, it was also not heeded. As a result, another

one was issued in November of the same year, asking the government to declare a seven-day national prayer and fasting, from January 1 to 7, 2010, to usher in the blessing of God in the country’s Golden Jubilee year.

According to him, after experiencing several frustrations trying to draw the attention of the Presidency and the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the revelations, he shifted focus to the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and the judiciary through the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN). But, the CJN and opposition party equally refused to take the revelations seriously. Without spiritual foundation in nation building, he said the future development of such a nation is in great jeopardy. He noted that government has consistently refused to listen to him because he comes from a lowly background and nobody knows him.

The founder and president of DMIRH, a spiritual non-governmental organization, said so many of the ills that have befallen the nation since 2001 are direct consequences of the disobedience of the directives. He indicted all the organs of government, including the fourth estate of the realm, the media, who have at one time or the other received the revelations, for the disobedience. Quoting from Isaiah 29 verse 13 and 14, he said the name of the Lord is always on the lips of Nigerians, but their hearts are far removed from Him. Oyekan said the amalgamation of 1914 was divinely arranged by God through Lord Luggard. He added: “This was to cement the unity of the nation. The success of the quest to keep Nigeria one during the civil war which ended in 1970 was a Divine arrangement. This is the reason why ‘go on with one Nigeria’ (Gowon) succeeded in that regard in 1970.”

It was for the purpose of continuing to cement this unity, he noted, that former President Olusegun Obasanjo unknowingly gave a joint ticket to the late President Umaru Yar’Adua and President Goodluck Jonathan. “It was a Divine arrangement to achieve the unity of Nigeria,” he said, adding: “For this unity to be cemented, God in His infinite mercy also guided Yar’Adua to grant amnesty to Niger Delta militants. This is because the enemy of the unity of Nigeria in 2005 predicted that the nation would disintegrate in 2015.”

• Winners of the All Progressives Congress (APC) House of Assembly primaries at a meeting in Yola, Adamawa yesterday...

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THE NATION FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2014

COMMENTARY LETTER

EDITORIAL

Diatribe against Soyinka

OPEC imperiled •Congratulations to Madam OPEC President Alison-Madueke but no cheers

I

F it had happened about a decade or so ago, the entire country would have rolled out the drums and danced into the night for an entire week, but the times have changed drastically. We speak of the election last week, of Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, Nigeria’s Minister of Petroleum Resources as the president of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC. Though usually referred to as an election, in the real sense, it is a ceremonial appointment which is taken in turns by heads of member countries’ delegations. Delegations to OPEC’s meetings are led by each membercountry’s oil minister. Last week at the 166th Meeting of the body, it was the turn of Nigeria’s head of delegation to emerge as president. Mrs. Alison-Madueke however, holds the singular honour of being the first female president of the 64-year-old OPEC, which has from inception been dominated by a powerful Arab oil bloc.

We congratulate our elegant oil minister but at the same time, we feel sympathy for her while advising her jubilant associates and well-wishers that the occasion calls for no celebration. Doing so, we dare say, would amount to a public display of ignorance, if not buffoonery. The reasons for our assertion are easy to discern. First, OPEC which is a cartel of oil producers of non-industrialized countries has outlived its original purpose and therefore, is near-moribund.

OPEC was founded as a counter-force to help regulate production among members in order to control world price of crude oil. It was a unified front in response to efforts by oil firms of the Western world to drive down the prices of crude oil. OPEC was effective in the 1970’s and 1980’s when two-thirds of the world’s oil reserves belonged to its members and members were responsible for about half

of the world’s crude export.

Recall the 1973 oil embargo by OPEC members against the United States and her European allies for supporting Israel during the Yom Kippur war against Syria and Egypt. The embargo had adverse effects on the US economy, leading to recession and forcing her government to initiate a series of drastic measures. Some of the outcomes of that altercation were that the US embarked on a massive reserve regime and a relentless drive to find viable alternative to fossil fuel.

Today, the United States has enough oil reserve to power the entire world apart from her increased production. She also has a wellharnessed gas stock. But her triumph in shale fuel research is actually the real game-changer in today’s global energy politics. To understand the point, by the middle of the year, the United States transformed from a net importer of crude oil to a net exporter. In other words, she is capable of feeding most of the world with her stock of fossil fuel without broaching her gas and shale oil stock. It is reported that the United States will initially supply the world oil market with about 8mpd (million barrels per day).

This is largely responsible for the crude oil glut in the market and the sharp fall in price.

The immediate import of this is that OPEC stands damaged today; perhaps irretrievably.

It is no longer a major supplier of crude – and it is becoming less valuable by the day. Saudi Arabia, the backbone of OPEC and still the largest producer, has enough deposit that she can afford to sell at a dollar a barrel. Besides, she has over the years, diversified her economy and built a very stable society and realigned her politics. OPEC would therefore have no significance to her today.

What we are saying in essence is that OPEC, in the true sense of it, is moribund and our

dear Diezani is actually presiding over a cadaver. At last week’s meeting, OPEC could not do anything about the plummeting oil prices. It is simply because she cannot.

It is drowning countries like Nigeria that mismanaged their huge oil resources that are looking to OPEC to bail them out this on-rushing storm. Nigeria, particularly, has been outstandingly remiss; she is probably the only country among the OPEC lot that has no viable refineries and petrochemical complexes. Nigeria remains the joker among the OPEC bunch that still imports most of her petroleum product needs and – believe it or not – from non-OPEC countries.

Our current OPEC president is not the cause of the rot but she has been spectacularly inept too since she took charge of the sector in 2011. The entire oil industry has been fractured, astoundingly corrupted and brought to a near disastrous collapse by Madam OPEC president.

We warn that it is only logical that Nigeria stands today as imperiled as OPEC. Yet here, we are celebrating a farce.

‘OPEC, in the true sense of it, is moribund and our dear Diezani is actually presiding over a cadaver.

At last week’s meeting, OPEC could not do anything about the plummeting oil prices. It is simply because she cannot’

Kano bomb blasts •Maximum use of local intelligence, by security agencies, will help to defeat Boko Haram

F

OR a city that has had more than its fair share of terrorists’ onslaught, last week’s attack, by Boko Haram, on the Central Mosque in Kano during the Jumat service, speaks to the fierce urgency of collective action to bring the activities of the murderous group to an end.

Black Friday indeed it was, when three Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) — two reportedly planted inside the mosque and the other outside — ripped through the hallowed ground of the ancient mosque, where the Emir of Kano traditionally leads the Friday prayers.

In the end, more than 120 worshippers lay dead, with multiple scores injured.

There have since emerged reports – although uncomfirmed – of residents foiling an attack by female bombers on Murtala Specialist Hospital Kano, where many of the injured were taken for treatment.

Considering that it has been nearly five years since the Christmas Day bombing in Madallah, a suburb of Abuja, the Kano massacre immediately indicates how far the nation still has to go in its battle against the Boko Haram sect — and what little dent we have made on this murderous menace.

Between then and now, the terrorists

We urge the military to work more closely with the local people in its continuing engagement with Boko Haram.

have grown bolder and more sophisticated; just as their capacity to inflict damage on the nation and the Nigerian military have since gone on steady rise. Inversely, the state’s capacity to deal with them appears greatly and tragically diminished.

Today, they have somehow upped their pyschological advantage choosing, as it were, soft targets whenever and wherever it pleases them. In the course of their murderous activities, nothing is seen or held by the group as sacrosanct; schools, hospitals, churches and mosques are simply fair game in their warped vision to create their Islamic enclave.

Ominously, the group has since gone from hit-and-run guerilla tactics, with bases in the bush, to as far as carving up strategic towns and villages as their territories.

There have, understandably, been a lot of condemnations in the aftermath of the latest bloodbath by the maniacal group.

These condemnations are in order. Boko Haram’s ritual of shedding innocent blood deserves to be condemned by every right-thinking citizen.

If it seems ironic that a group that describes itself as “Islamic” would not see anything wrong with mass slaughter of Muslim children as we have seen in Buni Yadi, Gujba, both in Yobe, or even the School of Hygiene in Kano among others, it seems even more unimaginable that the group would ever care to draw the line when it came to a mosque.

Beyond the routine of angry denunciations and the resort to the blame game, however, it seems about time

citizens banded together to confront the menace which threatens us all.

It is in this context that we find the statement credited to the Emir of Kano to the effect that the attack took over two months in planning rather puzzling, if not unsettling.

We are minded to ask: how did the revered monarch come by the information? What use did he make of them? Did he alert the security agencies when he got the information?

If no, why not? If he did, what steps did the security agencies take to forestall its occurence? These questions are pertinent because in matters of intelligence, every piece of information is supposed to count. And to the extent that absence of critical intelligence is said to be a major issue in the current war against the insurgency, it is expected that those who have privileged information should make them available to the security agencies.

Going forward, there are important lessons to take from the collaboration between the Civilian Joint Task Force and the Military Joint Task Force.

While it may seem premature to conclude that the collaboration would sooner extirpate the activities of the group, there is increasing evidence to suggest that local knowledge and intelligence from the Civilian-JTF are actually helping in the war against the terrorists.

We urge the military to work more closely with the local people in its continuing engagement with Boko Haram.

S

IR: Most Nigerian youths nowadays suffer from memory loss - reason why they tolerate polemicists, demagogues and proselytes to redraft history for them: of course for selfish reasons.

I have read many a diatribe from government spokespersons, laymen and many others who love to impugn the image of the revered Nobel Laureate Professor Wole Soyinka. The professor is a major stakeholder in the Nigerian project and is in his own right to express his views, for the right reasons and, for the growth of country.

The sage, many decades ago as a young man before the Nigerian Civil War, crossed over enemy lines at a time when others could not, to persuade Colonel Odumegwu-Ojukwu not to go to war. He was subsequently locked up by General Yakubu Gowon because he visited the supposed adversary of the Nigerian state.

Only a man with a genuine love for the unity of his country could do that. How many of today’s numerous pseudo-analysts named the professor a ‘traitor’ when he, (Soyinka) called the bluff of General Sani Abacha, by calling for the enthronement of democracy even when his life was in danger? How many knew how he fared when he went under during those dark days but still campaigned for democracy through international channels like CNN? To ask the professor to sit on the fence and play “siddon look”, when the country is in a deep hole is derisory. Didn’t today’s beneficiaries of the rewards brought by democracy play “siddon look” at a time when men needed to be counted?

Of course, they were in their comfort zones, without a care for country back in the day.

How many of today’s numerous pseudo-analysts called the professor a quisling when he sacrificed for this country as officer in charge of the Federal Road Safety Corps suffering private economic overheads to ensure that the agency functioned without gremlins.

How many of today’s young, bogus, experts could at the professor’s age, a moment ago, challenge the nameless cabal that tried so hard to prevent Goodluck Jonathan from ascending to the presidency after the sudden death of that good man, the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua? Could they at his age have gone on those protestations? That professor was a superman before these decriers at that moment, but a reprobate now.

He is a wrong doer, only because he expressed misgivings on the leadership style of the current president.

That professor was not a troublemaker when he joined issues with the Nigerian military when some of their members a moment ago went wild beating up people in Lagos over the death of one of their own.

Some have swiftly branded him an ally of the opposition but having observed this man from a distance, it is easy to deduce that he won’t spare any party his fiery bombardments, should they decide to engage in the politics of jibber-jabber.

I do not celebrate his foibles because we all are subject to human frailties. But that said, the sum of the respected professor’s appeal is more than the sum of his weaknesses. Some positions in life come with a lot of responsibilities and that of a Nobel Laureate is no less.

•Simon Abah, Port Harcourt.

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THE NATION FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2014

20

CARTOON & LETTERS

S

IR: It was inevitable that President Goodluck Jonathan, who has, to all intents and purposes, abandoned restraint, would trudge on, like a pilgrim bound for doom.

He had to keep chalking up more outlandish blunders until they were sufficient to draw attention of the Nobel Laureate.

Tyranny, like promiscuity, always has a humble beginning. One instance of violation stealthily grows in fits and starts, into a consuming routine. And the virgin moves from a first timer to an addicted returner to the forbidden. You have it when the shy, demure mien gives way to a self-assured, dismissive I-Don’tGive-A-Damn look.

Wole Soyinka just had to do it. The man would have died in him if he had chosen convenient silence in this dawning dictatorship. Soyinka was alive - alive to his duty as citizen and patriot. He had to rebuke this modern Nebuchadnezzar. Before, when Jonathan was starting off with seemingly little infractions, we

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Rebuke of King Nebuchadnezzar largely excused them as evidences of his fallibility. Those acts of mischief counted, for sure, but were not considered symptomatic of dictatorial tendencies. But the Jonathan of this day has become a threat to the country, inspiring anarchy in the sensitive realms that cannot bear attack.

So Soyinka did the right thing, calling the tyrant, a tyrant. Without the correct christening, Jonathan would be no less ruthless and malevolent after all, the WS of a bygone era had rhapsodized that a rose called by another name would smell as sweet.

But it was very important to name Jonathan properly. In pronouncing

him Nebuchadnezzar, we do not hallow his name. Rather, we say, we will reference you only with the repulsion we feel for the oppressor you are.

You remember this President was so ashamed of one of his names, he buried it. It remained a classified secret until he recognized that the dormant name had potential electoral value. Then, he promptly resurrected it and instructed that it be appended to his other names, to convey the notion of consanguinity with the East. That was how an approaching election compelled an ‘Azikiwe’ to introduce himself.

As in that election, this impend-

Ogun won't return to Egypt

S

IR: Amidst euphoric celebration yesterday in Abeokuta, the Governor of Ogun State, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, was officially declared the standard-bearer of the All Progressives Congress, having received overwhelming votes of the delegates at the party's Governorship Primaries, which were adjudged very peaceful, open, free and fair.

With this event, the journey of another four years in Oke-Mosan has begun. The February, 2015 governorship election will really be a case of no contest as a Mike Tyson in Amosun will be pitted against a Michael Spinks in the opposition.

Did you remember that match in 1988, promoted as "once and for all" fight? It was a 12-round match but lasted 91 seconds! I'm not sure Spinks was able to land more than a jab before he kissed the canvas under the weight of Tyson's fist.

The fact is, Amosun will fight with the strength of five million Ogun citizens, leaving the opposition with a few votes as consolation. Yes, Amosun derives his strength from the masses!

I agree with the widely-held view in Ogun State that the opposition and their allies should use the next four years for stock-taking, that is, to try to win back the confidence of the people which they completely lost while in power in the state.

The wounds inflicted on the residents of Ogun while these people held the reins of power are still as fresh as injuries sustained a few minutes ago. Worse, they are yet to get their act together to even be considered a challenger in the forthcoming election.

Under them, the children of the poor had no access to free education.

Their parents could not sleep with their eyes closed because of insecurity, which also led to banks shutting business on a weekly basis. The few "face me I face you" roads they constructed were derelict. The economy of the state was in shambles amidst corruption while health care collapsed, worsening the crisis of misgovernance foisted on the state. During this season of anomie, even the children of Israel could claim a better life in Egypt.

Today, under Senator Amosun,

there is no home that does not enjoy free education with free standard textbooks. Residents now sleep in peace while banks open daily to customers. There are now international standard roads and flyovers in Ogun State. The World Bank just a few months ago acknowledged how Ogun moved from F9 under the last government to A1 just under three years of the Amosun administration.

And Amosun's prudence in public finance management has been widely acknowledged all over the country. He has moved Ogun from Egypt to Canaan.

I advise the opposition to spend the next four years to repent of their sins. Who knows, the people of the state may decide to forgive them in 2019. But then, consider this: A man you trusted defrauded you of say N50 million you placed in his care.

Thereafter, he repented and apologised without repaying the money.

You accepted the apology because you just had to forgive. But do you immediately place another N50 million in his care?

• Soyombo Opeyemi Abeokuta

ing one is also introducing another Jonathan to us. And what you can see is the Nigerian politician at his debauched best. He was capable of dispensing smooth talk until he faced the dire prospect of a challenging election. When he perceived that there is a real possibility that a fair contest could throw him off the seat, he made a clever decision to go into overdrive, battling to avert this portent that is reasonably worse than biological death. Of course, any shortcut to that end is fair.

This flagrant desperation to complete a total conquest of the political space, which is setting the nation on the edge, is rooted in insecurity.

Jonathan nurses a fervent conviction that his re-election rests squarely on his use of state sanctioned terror. So far, his biography is replete with interventions of good luck. He senses that he may have exhausted his credit

of fortune and needs to create his luck. His discretion tells him that fate has already given him the power to secure his power.

In his reading of the scriptures, Nebuchadnezzar’s command and terror over Babylon and beyond must have struck President Jonathan as power as it ought to be. But the strictures of a democratic context, he acknowledged, would not permit him to mimic that fairy bogeyman.

So there came the thought that this country of Nollywood might feel indulged to see him acting Nebuchadnezzar, unscripted.

We needed Soyinka to do it. It seemed that we were unwilling to admit that the tally of all we have seen sufficed to prove that a dictator now reigns. How many more feats of impudence would Jonathan need to enact to qualify?

Soyinka’s rebuke could call forth an interlude of reflection. But trust the career sycophants of Aso Rock to dilute the censure’s effect and press Nebuchadnezzar to show his iron fist more often. In the bubble where Nebu lives, a word of caution is hard to come by. Not even from a wife who is a terror in her own right.

•Emmanuel Uchenna Ugwu djosh4.ugwu@gmail.com

The plight of the Almajirai

S

IR: Almajiri (singular), Almajirai (plural), as they are called in Hausaland is a long standing tradition of Islamic education in which the individual leaves his locality to far away places to learn.

Usually, an Almajiri is sent away at childhood, handed to his teacher at a very young age.

Nigeria is not the only country with Almajirai population in the world.

Sudan, Niger, Egypt, Tibet, Burma, India etc all have Almajarai. What make the Nigerian Almajirai totally different from all others is the fact that government and all other relevant stake holders have not been giving them the necessary attention and assistance they need. Until the coming of President Jonathan, I don't know if there was any other regime at the centre whether civil or military, that offered them any form of assistance.

In 2012, President Goodluck Jonathan promised to assist the

Almajirai by building special schools that include both Islamic and western education for them. For this, the sum of over N1 billion was said to have been allocated. Two years after, not much has been achieved. The Almajirai are still roaming about scavenging for food, shelter and clothes.

Even the schools constructed in Katsina State near Army barracks, and in Sokoto near Rima Basin Development Commission are not put to use.

The buildings have been completed, but the schools remain closed and under lock.

The people and government in northern Nigeria should make a special allocation for Almajirai in their budgets to better their lives.

Above all, the federal government should ensure that the money voted for this class of Nigerians are utilized judiciously.

•Comrade Abdulbaqi Aliyu Jari, Katsina

THE NATION FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2014 16

21

COMMENTS

Mad lust and ‘table manners’ Email: tunji_ololade@yahoo.co.uk 08038551123, 08111845040

F

EW months ago, a colleague of mine told me in a voice laden with a sneer and veiled contempt that, “Nobody reads you guys anymore. Nobody cares what you write as a columnist. You are just wasting your time,” he said.

According to him, the best form of social commentary is that which seeks to elevate and shamelessly venerate even the worst of Nigeria’s perverted ruling class. “You have to be smart,” he advised.

Few months later, another colleague told me in the same tenor that it’s about time I started sucking up to the politicians and industry leaders. “You need them more than you would ever know. You need connections with them and the money they can give you. You can’t keep writing English, you have to be smart,” he said.

Between the two, an indisputable truth resonates jarringly; it echoes the depth of our descent as men and citizens. Both colleagues of mine, while issuing a subtle mockery of my professional and personal ethics, endeavoured to tell me the truth as they have learnt to see it.

I agree with them that being close to politicians and sucking up to the latter manifests in almost instant and outrageous wealth for many

journalists. Forget journalists, it is a veritable shortcut to instantaneous and sudden wealth for Nigerians of all gender, professional, religious and ethnic divides even as you read. Little wonder it has become trendy for many a Nigerian to virulently lambast the incumbent leadership or opposition until opportunity beckons for them to be co-opted into the special circuit of treasury looters, associate looters or aspiring looters. And this is the point at which they begin to exhibit ‘table manners.’

According to a famous and now domesticated human rights and political activist, “Table manners demand that when you eat, you don’t talk.” Thus in showing table manners, many Nigerians careen in the perilous swirl of the country’s tragedies, with their mouths stuffed, until the end.

The end is what should scare us.

But nobody cares. Hardly anyone gives a hoot about that imminent epoch when greed, self-pity and deceit will no longer serve us. I speak of that looming epoch when we shall grope through the lattices of personal disaster into the ruins of national disaster; when anarchy and genocide shall find their perch past corruption and greed, in our hearts – even as we burn and blaze

‘We should be inching towards freedom but we aren’t. We should have attained freedom, but we haven’t; makes it a wonder what manner of patriots we have become’

H

E will be 60 years old in three year’s time but many Nigerians would think Chief Orji Uzor Kalu (OUK) has been around for 80 years. Such is the quantum of activities he has packed into his life so far. Yet today you still cannot help but see a life that seems stormtossed and in eternal conflict with itself. It is called agonistes, a state of inner conflict and spiritual turbulence. Why would a man who has supposedly achieved so much live in seeming agony?

A few days ago, it was reported that OUK had joined the exclusive club of the world’s richest men as compiled

by Forbes. It is a circle of those who count their means in multiple billions of dollars. It is an enclave where Nigeria’s industrialist, Aliko Dangote thrives, among a handful of other Nigerians. We were told that OUK has joined that club but curiously, it was not reported how much he is worth.

But OUK is the quintessential human curio. A few days after his entrée into the famous Forbes list was announced with fanfare, he orchestrated another story in which he was once again the star. The ‘big’ story covering entire two pages in the Daily Sun of Monday, November 20, came with a screamer: “Jubilation in South East over PDP’s waiver to Orji Kalu”. It came with a deriding rider: Desperate Gov Orji storms PDP headquarters in bid to stop waiver.

It was of course, a blatant tale in self-glorification. As the story went, OUK had been granted a waiver to return to the People’s Democratic Party, PDP. It said he had also been granted a leave to contest for the Abia North senatorial election. A special screening would be organized exclusively for him at the PDP headquarter in a few days in order to grant him leeway to contest.

Going by the newspaper’s report, it was as if the socalled waiver was a direct ticket to paradise. The so-called waiver was supposedly celebrated across the five southeast states of Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Imo and Enugu and also in Lagos. The story was complete with the photograph of a rabble that was supposedly “Jubilant supporters of Orji Kalu.”

It was two pages of syrupy stuff with supposed respondents singing the praises of the OUK, the ‘greatest’ political strategist ever born and all that jazz. How could a man who built a house not be allowed into it; meaning that OUK was a founding father of PDP therefore he must never be barred from rejoining the party? Without OUK where would Jonathan and PDP be in the south-east come 2015 election? Barring OUK is a recipe for PDP to lose the

in the name of mammon, tribe and tin-gods.

The language of our madness will not be understood by all even as our madness is patronized and enabled by all. In our madness, our perverted neighbours of the ‘first world’ shall nourish and thrive.

Nigeria shall become that perfect prey for the ‘first world’ and all manners of world to rip off.

It’s not such a long haul to that epoch right now; the tragedies that would ruin us are right at our doorsteps. They are rooted in our hearts and clannish havens of chaos and plunder. They manifest as Boko Haram, falling oil prices, persistent looting of our treasury by the incumbent ruling class and recent devaluation of the Naira. In the wake of these tragic manifestations, not a few people rue President Goodluck Jonathan’s apparent intellectual, psychological and moral handicaps at steering Nigeria off the course of troubled waters and incessant storms.

But even as we balk and fret over the likelihood of the country’s descent into socioeconomic and political recession, friends like mine and of the ruling class fixate on the next corrupt politician whose deep pocket they could scavenge from.

These parasites could be likened to the mythical harpies and servants of the furies. They abide in and currently run amok our socioeconomic and political space doling unequal plaudits to a savage ruling class, for a fee.

Men like Doyin Okupe to the average scheming, conniving and soulless supporter of the incumbent ruling class serve as perfect epitomes of what the harpies connote. Like the latter, they are fortune hunters and airborne brigands, befouling our corridors of power and society with their droppings. They represent the aspect of

bestiality that ravages and kills in order to sate its lusts.

These mentally and materiallyimpoverished worshippers cum Mr. President’s media mongrels and attack-dogs, would argue that he is the best President Nigeria ever had. They argue that President Jonathan is the best thing to happen to Nigeria politicizing his “humility” and “love of God” to the fascination and appreciation of Mr. President’s groupies nationwide.

There is the oft-repeated logic and inclination to blame this persistent and saddening malaise on greed, ‘enlightened self interest’ or capitalism; however, the impulse for giving a monster a mild name, the lust for acquisition, pursuit of gain and money are merely symptoms, like capitalism, of the society’s steady descent the slope of the decadent and grotesque.

Max Weber, the late German economist and social historian would say it has been common to all sorts and conditions of men at all times and in all cultures of the earth but I would say that the Nigerian malaise is brought about by the absence of an enduring moral code.

This deficit manifests in deficiencies of personal and societal ethics – the consequence of which is the preponderance and regeneration of eejits, tyrants, greedy-guts, fraudsters, narcissists, murderers and bloodhounds of all kinds and of all nature, across the country’s landscape.

The trials of Nigerians’ moral degeneration – as exemplified by the citizenry’s inordinate lust for money and the country’s recurrent tragedies– reveal an overarching tendency to savour short-term greed and relief over long-term prosperity.

Despite a protracted and tumultuous history of impoverishment

and bad leadership, Nigerians continue to look for quick fix solutions by casting their votes for the clueless and corrupt at election time, for a fee, thus mortgaging the country’s present and future for shortterm benefits.

Through decades of self-inflicted scourges and disasters, Nigerians continue to bemoan their tragic fate; while many argue that the country ruins because the youth are too weak and too selfish to spill as much blood as is required to rid the nation of every human and institutional affliction, many more contend that the country’s woes will disappear immediately poverty is eradicated by the ruling class.

We should be inching towards freedom but we aren’t. We should have attained freedom, but we haven’t; makes it a wonder what manner of patriots we have become. Destiny is what you experience by the fabrication of your own hand. It’s about time we desisted from excusing our evilness and stupidity in the name of fate.

It is our so-called intellectuals, labour leaders, radicals and human rights activists that amaze me; add to the mix every mercantile journalist, ‘columnist of note and substance’ and you have a perfect blend of Nigeria’s worst enemies. It will no longer do to excuse our idiocy and greed as pertinent elements of political and socio-economic expediencies; everybody knows that every one of us is playing his own card.

We are enjoying a great deal by selling out. It is what the domesticated activist called exhibition of “good table manners.” Funny how every journalist, labour leader, banker, doctor, cleric and activist to mention a few, have developed excellent “table manners.”

Orji Kalu’s agonistes

By Mike Abia zone – some supposed supporters were reported to have said.

Naturally the report picked on and pilloried the incumbent governor of Abia State, accusing him of leading the state’s PDP’s bigwigs to Abuja for the sole purpose of stopping OUK’s re-admission into PDP. The report says: “The governor, it was gathered, met a brick wall as the NWC members raised objection querying why Orji does not want Kalu back in PDP…” Exactly one week after this elaborate celebration of what seemed like an admission to heaven; on Tuesday, November 25, newspapers were awash with what reads like a letter from a heart-broken lover. It is titled: “Withdrawal from Abia North Senatorial District Race.”

In this agony letter, OUK accused Governor T.A Orji of trying to pull down everybody in Abia; he accused him of making people resign important positions in the quest for elective offices that had all been cornered by the governor. Neglecting his own petition, he reeled out the names of people allegedly misadvised by T. A Orji. It was only at the bottom of the letter that he tearfully let it out that the PDP headquarters would not screen him as promised.

He even demanded for a refund of the cost of his nomination form. Did anyone ever hear of such baloney?

Sobbing and sulking, here is his last paragraph:”Permit me to reiterate that I am not angry with the party. I only want peace to prevail. I remain resolute in my conviction, and I will work for the success of all party candidates in the forthcoming polls, including President Goodluck Jonathan.”

Is OUK capable of learning any lessons? Is it possible that he would have learnt some hard truths from all of these or would he remain the incorrigible, know-it-all that he has always been? Would he now ‘condescend’ to recognize that the party is bigger than any individual? That the incumbent governor is the leader of a party at state level? That eminent members like Austin Akobundu, Vincent Ogbulafor, Adolphus Wabara and Senator Uche Chukwumerije are not his houseboys to be derided and pushed around? That he must subordinate to the party if he seeks to rejoin?

Back to the beginning. Why has apparent megaloma-

nia driven OUK to a state of perpetual questing after what is not lost? When shall he sit down to some reflection?

When shall he have enough? Here is a guy, according to available records, at barely 30 years had set up his first major company, Slok Nigeria Limited, Lagos; Supreme Oil Limited and Slok Industries Limited, Port Harcourt.

Here is a fellow who was chairman of a bank before he was 30; who was chairman, Imo State Marketing and Supply Agency Limited before he was 30; among several other boards and government committees.

Most notably, here is a fellow who was a two-term governor of Abia and who was paramount leader of a party that controlled two states (Abia and Imo) for three years.

During that period, it goes without saying that he ruled these states like a serfdom leaving them desolate and still reeling from his misrule. Yet he still wants to run for senate.

Now that OUK has joined the gang of world billionaires, perhaps he wants to borrow a leaf from Dangote and face his business and do charity to the people.

Dangote has done so much for the people of Kano and Nigerians, let OUK emulate him. When providence has favoured you so much you must reciprocate with a gracefulness of heart and soul; that is the way of statesmen.

• Abia is of the Save Abia Group (SAB) , Aba

‘Now that OUK has joined the gang of world billionaires, perhaps he wants to borrow a leaf from Dangote and face his business and do charity to the people. Dangote has done so much for the people of Kano and Nigerians, let OUK emulate him. When providence has favoured you so much you must reciprocate with a gracefulness of heart and soul; that is the way of statesmen’

THE NATION FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2014

22

COMMENTS

S

INCE the beginning of time, there has never been any race unless there is a superhuman raised amongst them, either by the accident of history, as the empiricists would have us foreground, or divine providence, according to the theory of theists. From wherever such rare creatures emanate, they have been historically united by the uncommon ability to rise above the ordinary level of the common man in order to salvage the common men of their time. This, to me, conveys a metaphor of human angels, being a firm believer in the supreme status of an omnipotent uncaused cause, whom we all call God. The fact that human angels are finite beings with inborn limitations and fallibility like other humans, usually robe and veil them in the garb of enigma. They are generally misunderstood even by those for whose sake they are raised. If the Nigerian masses cannot fully appreciate the messianic angel personified by the iconic Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the case of those few economic and political Pharaohs, from whose grip he is here to liberate Nigeria itself, needs no debating.

Let nobody rush to hang this writer, who himself had hitherto been confused by the mysteries of the Bola Tinubu phenomenon.

All a discerning mind needs do is to take deep breath that would ferry him into the world of imagination whereby he would feel the atmosphere of a contemporary Nigeria without a Bola Tinubu. I doubt if any can survive the unavoidably inclement political and economic climate of a one-party Nigeria securely tucked in the inner pocket of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP). To survive in such a state, I bet, one would require the most imaginably-sophisticated fortification as required for permanent human habitation in the planet sun.

What would have become of our dear fatherland if Tinubu had not been that audacious? What would have been the fate of every state, including the PDP-controlled, had he not been a so-called political rascal? Or, would the olden day All Nigerian Peoples’ Party (All Peoples’ Party) and the Alliance for Democracy as well as the present day APGA and Labour Party have sufficed, without the APC, to keep the PDP on its toes?

I am sure that at that historic moment of decision for Tinubu, during the countdown to the 2003 elections, when, as the then Gov-

T

HE Nigeria Bio-safety Bill is one bill that has suffered a lot of legislative setback over the years. It was first presented to the National Assembly in 2006 and was passed eventually in 2010 during the sixth assembly, but failed to get presidential assent before the expiration of the last administration.

The bill amongst other things, seeks to provide derived benefits from modern biotechnology under a legal framework for economic growth, improved agriculture, job and wealth creation, industrial growth and sustainable environment. It also aims at minimising risks to human health, confirm and harness potential of modern bio-technology, protect and guard against any adverse effect of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) on biological diversity and the environment and guard against any economic consequences among others.

However, the bill was returned to the seventh assembly for further legislative actions with the hope that the President may assent to it this time around. It was on this belief that the Senate recently conducted a public hearing on it.

One of the major issues that the bill seeks to address is the establishment of a National Bio-safety Management Agency for the country. The agency if established would be responsible for the development of risk-management plans and strategies for protecting human health, biological diversity and the environment from potential risk associated with genetically modified organisms. The agency is also to take samples and carry out laboratory analyses of crops, products or materials for purpose of determining if they contain genetically modified organisms and ensure compliance with the law.

It is instructive to add that the overall objective of the bio-safety bill is to provide a regulatory regime and guidance for the sustainable development of the science of modern biotechnology, its application and safe use of GMOs and the products thereof without prejudice and risk to public health, environmental health, national sovereignty, human dignity and fundamental human rights.

The bio-safety bill covers all modern biotechnology activities, GMOs and products thereof including all germplasm. It defines modules of practice of modern biotechnology, the handling, transfer and use of GMOs and products thereof to ensure safety to the environment and to human health. It is also

Tinubu: A misunderstood leader

By Rasheed Olokode ernor of Lagos State, he himself never knew that his refusal to join the bandwagon forces of the remaining five Alliance for Democracy governors of the South-west was all that God needed from him, as a qualifying virtue, to be anointed as the Moses of our generation. What if he had acquiesced like his colleagues to the pact for South-west vote offered by Chief Olusegun Obasanjo? What if Lagos had then been captured just like Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo and Ekiti by the almighty federal might; would there have been any glimpse of vibrancy and optimism today in the entire Nigerian political space? What would have become of the South-west, our dear domain of sophistication? Would there have been any mega rival party like the All Progressives Party (APC), with a national spread, heavy chest and voice that has been keeping the PDP awake to its responsibility? Truth be told, the supposed freedom we enjoy as pen pushers which our President recently flaunted as a plus for his administration has not really helped a nation whose current leadership seems deaf and dumb to the media but only afraid of even the shadows of the APC that has been giving it a hot chase in the race to 2105.

Perhaps, (God forbid) the typical Nigerian State would have been a platform for a hitchfree recycling of mediocrity and parochialism.

Here is no judgmental comparison between the party that emerged from Tinubu’s choice to be ‘stubborn’ and the party that mans the centre in Nigeria. Rather than locate the blessing that the national leader of the APC personifies in the quality of his party, I find his divine calling and success in the reality of active opposition in the contemporary political space, which derives its existence from Tinubu’s momentary but highly risky choice to be a lone voice of reason.

Therefore, this piece, not founded on personal lack of confidence in the PDP, but a hindsight into the tragic pitfall that would have been our lot, if all Nigerian states were to be governed by a single party without having to mind any real and virile opposition party waiting in the wing to snatch’ the baton of

governance from it.

This is where Asiwaju is, ironically, a blessing to the PDP and all other parties in power at various levels. Today, before President Goodluck Jonathan in the Aso Villa; Governor Aliyu Babangida of Niger State; or Wilson Obiano of Anambra or any other helmsman at the national, state or local level takes any important decision, the fear of the APC would be the very beginning of his wisdom. And, in turn, the same fate that goes round actually comes round to any of the APC governors as well, as manifest in the recent demonstration of rivalry as the soul of democracy in Ekiti.

This is the beauty that this former NADECO refugee has helped to herald in our polity.

Rather than continue to vilify Tinubu endlessly for alleged inadequacies, bearing in mind the fact that Tinubu as a leader can’t but be subjected to public scrutiny at all times, what we actually need at this point is to ask some certain set of leaders some salient questions. These are the Orji Uzor Kalus, the Peter Obis, the Olusegun Mimikos and their ilk who, at one point or the other, were used by divine providence, as platforms of diversity to breed formidable opposition in the polity.

Why have the Mimikos rejected their divine appointment as angels of opposition politics in the land? Why have they let Nigerians down by failing to uphold the express mandate Nigerians risked their lives to position them as channels of the other voice? Why have they preferred to sacrifice their respective future for the honey pie of the moment? Have their weakness not been Tinubu’s strength of refusing to cave in to the intimidating antics of the almighty federal party, against which he successfully waged a one-man war?

Perhaps if Mimiko and his ilk had chosen dissent like Tinubu, by resisting the temptation of being pro-All Government in Power, if they had not forsaken their divine callings of liberating a beleaguered populace from the tyrannical tendencies of a one-party polity, Tinubu, as the father of contemporary opposition politics in Nigeria, would himself have found parties like PPA, APGA and Labour Party as real threats to the current monopoly enjoyed by his APC as the only other choice

Nigerians presently have.

On the whole, any sincere and dispassionate analysis of the evolution, development and sustenance of the current Fourth Republic would be incomplete without according the second Governor of Lagos State his pride of place. If anything, improved opposition in the form of the ever-present and vigilant alternative voice and political power re-allocation through the ballot box and judicial redress, I suspect, are two major factors that have, so far, robbed the khaki boys of their formerly recycled excuses for coups.

In specific terms, if the Nigerian specie of politicians can, for instance, variously replicate the latest effort of Bola Ahmed Tinubu in his recent economic advisory article to the Nigerian government, tagged Slump in oil prices: A progressive way out, rather than sustain the sycophantic ‘see-no-evil’, all-is-well relationship with the powers-that-be, our dear country would surely witness the rebirth of long dead politics of issues and qualitative opposition. For this to be, join me to pray that Dr. Doyin Okupe would not ask for Tinubu’s certificate in economics that qualifies him to advice our seemingly ‘all-wise’ government.

•Olokode writes from Lagos

‘Any sincere and dispassionate analysis of the evolution, development and sustenance of the current Fourth Republic would be incomplete without according the second governor of Lagos State his pride of place. If anything, improved opposition in the form of the ever-present and vigilant alternative voice and political power re-allocation through the ballot box and judicial redress, I suspect, are two major factors that have, so far, robbed the khaki boys of their formerly recycled excuses for coups’

Nigerians and Bio-Safety Bill

By David H. Samson intended to guide different segments of society in contributing to safe application of modern biotechnology.

The bill recognises the complex issues to be addressed by relevant authorities in the judicious application of modern biotechnology, ensures that modern biotechnology activities and their products (GMOs) are safe for the environment and to human health. It bases the deliberate release of GMO on advance informed agreement.

Furthermore, the bio-safety bill defines offences and penalties for violation; contains powers to authorise release of GMOs and practice of modern biotechnology activities; confers the power to carry out risk assessment/ management before the release, handling and use of GMOs; covers all genetically modified organisms/living modified organisms, products food/feed and processing and also covers socio-economic consideration in risk assessment.

Interestingly, Nigeria signed and ratified an internationally binding bio-safety protocol known as the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety in 2000 and 2002 respectively. The Cartagena Protocol on Bio-safety is a protocol of the Convention on Biological Diversity. The protocol entered into force on September 11, 2003 and currently has 160 members. The Cartagena Protocol on Bio-safety, on its own, addresses the safe transfer, handling and use of Living Modified Organisms (LMOs) that may have adverse effects on conservation and sustainable utilisation of biodiversity, taking into account risks to human health and focusing on trans-boundary movement of the LMOs. The protocol requires parties to it to develop their bio-safety administrative and regulatory framework in order to effectively regulate activities of modern biotechnology, GMOs and products thereof to avoid harmful effects on the environment, biodiversity and human health. The bill is therefore to domesticate the Cartagena Protocol on Bio-safety which Nigeria has signed and ratified and to abide by the protocol in line with our national needs. It is in furtherance of this that

Nigeria participated fully at the fifth meeting of the Conference of Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity serving as Meeting of Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Bio-safety, which was held on October 11 – 15, 2010, in Japan.

Modern biotechnology has been identified as an important tool that can help countries to achieve food sufficiency/food security, industrial growth, health improvement and environmental sustainability.

It entails the fusion of cells beyond the taxonomic family that overcomes natural physiological reproductive or combination barriers and that are not techniques used in traditional breeding and selection. It is gene specific. Nigeria adopted biotechnology policy in 2001 as an alternative tool to achieving the objectives of biotechnology for national development. A National Biotechnology Development Agency was further established in 2001 to actualise the policy to promote biotechnology activities in the country.

However, the absence of a bio-safety law has hampered the activities of the agency in the research and development in genetically modified organisms in the country, thereby, denying Nigeria the benefits associated with modern biotechnology practice.

Modern biotechnology helps to produce plants that can reduce Greenhouse gases thereby reducing effects of climate change; it is precise in its trait utilisation, develops plants that have greater tolerance to stress in marginal environment, improves growth and productivity of plants and animals, food quantity, nutritional improvement and consistency for healthy living. Besides, it produces new breeds of animals and plants, reduces use of pesticides and herbicides, as well as farming land area with higher yields. In as much as modern biotechnology has great potential, there are fears of possible adverse impacts on the environment and human health, which has necessitated the bio-safety bill.

As rightly enthused by Prof. Shehu Ado of the Institute for Agricultural Research, Zaria, the coming on board of the bill would equip Nigerian scientists to practise biotechnology as it relates to food, health and the environ-

ment. To him, the bill would protect Nigerians as all biotechnology activities and scientists would be subjected to strict monitoring to ensure that no harmful activities are employed to affect human, animals or the environment.

As he put it, “It will help the country to harness the potential modern technology has to offer under a legal regime. There is currently a lot of concern regarding the possible toxicity and allergy to food products derived from GMOs. There are equally concerns on the environmental consequences of the use of GMOS and their release into the environment, in particular, the effects on biological diversity, but it will ensure environmental, human and socio-economic safety”.

The consequences of not having a biosafety law on the environmental, human health and on our economy may be unquantifiable, which might pose serious threat to our national security, particularly now that modern biotechnology has come to occupy centrestage globally in nearly all facets of human endeavor.

Some of the consequences are that farmers might resort to the smuggling of GMO seeds they consider as having the potentials to enhance their earning without risk assessment being carried out on them; there will be apprehension among the populace on the socioeconomic consequences of modern biotechnology and GMOs, especially among the small-scale farming systems that are prevalent in Nigeria. Since there will be no law to protect them, Nigeria will not be able to guarantee the purity of its agricultural products for the international market, thereby losing her international partners and also foreign earning. Nigeria will serve as a dumping ground for unregulated GMOs which may have adverse impact on our environment and human health.

Finally, Nigeria will be denied the opportunity to harness the potential modern technology has to offer in the field of improved food production, medicine/health, industrial growth and environmental sustainability, employment generation and wealth creation.

•Samson wrote in from Jabi, Abuja

THE NATION FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2014

23

THE NATION FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2014

25

BUSINESS THE NATION

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

Custodian wins insurance leader award

C

USTODIAN and Allied Insurance Limited has emerged winner of the PEARL Awards for sectoral leadership.

The PEARL Awards is an annual event organized for and on behalf of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) to promote excellence and honor deserving corporates.

Custodian And Allied Insurance Limited (CAIL), a registered member of the Nigerian Insurance Association is a member of the CUSTODIAN Group with other sister companies including Custodian and Allied Life Assurance Limited, Custodian Trustees Limited and Crusader Sterling Pensions Limited completing the highly specialized array of businesses in its fold.

Speaking at the event, the company’s head of Management Services, Mrs. Olubunmi Aderemi thanked customers and the investing public for their contributions.

Managing director of the Company, Mr. Wole Oshin while receiving the award commended the organizers for sustaining the ideals of the Pearl awards in line with best practice, promising that Custodian will continue to apply itself towards its corporate vision and mission while consistently driving innovation, applying cutting edge technology and superior manpower to ensure we continue to exceed customer expectations at all times’ Furthermore, he congratulated the Board, Management and staff of Custodian for the feat, while charging them to continue doing their best for the overall good of clients and the industry.

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

Nigeria gets German bank’s $200m renewable energy cash T G

GEMs1 facilitates loans for meat, leather sellers

HE leader of German delegation, Renate Von Bodden, has said the German Development Bank, KFW, has voted $200 million in support of Green Credit Line to Nigeria.

Speaking at a Bi-National Commission’s meeting on energy in Abuja, she said the facility is meant to act as a support base for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), specifically for the development of renewable energy and energy efficiency projects.

She also said another facility worth five million Euros has been set aside for technical assistance through the KFW, adding that the German agency has the required experience that would be useful to Ni-

From John Ofikhenua, Abuja

gerians in developing their capacities in renewable energy projects.

She expressed satisfaction with the commitment so far exhibited by Nigerian officials, just as she said the Germans have been working with the country on a number of energy related projects. “Nigeria is on track with its vision of providing more of its nationals with electricity,” she said.

Bodden promised that Germany will continue to support the various energy related initiatives, stressing, that as far as her country is concerned, it is only issues pertaining to Polio Eradication Programme that is sharing equal atten-

tion with the energy sector.

Earlier, the Minister of Power, Professor Chinedu Nebo, represented by the Permanent Secretary (Power), Amb. Godknows Igali said “the co-operation between Nigeria and Germany is a good example of how we can mutually work together for the benefit of our people.”

He praised the Germans for the various projects undertaken in Nigeria, as well as their support for the Azura project which has reached advanced stage for fund draw down.

Also, he said after the last Bi-national meeting in Berlin, the Germans have approved the one megawatt (Mw) renewable electricity project for the University of Ibadan. This he said, will

also create opportunities for research. He said Nigerians are tired of the nuisance created by diesel-run generators.

The success of this project, he said, will be a template upon which same will be replicated in universities across the six geo-political zones of the country.

Prof Nebo also commended the Germans for their intervention in rural development programmes through the provision and access to power for farmers in the rural areas to undertake irrigation activities.

On gas flaring, he assured the Germans that a comprehensive Gas Master Plan will soon address the concerns of all, adding that Nigeria will appreciate if the Germans key-in into the nation’s gas plan.

DATA STREAM COMMODITY PRICES Oil -$117.4/barrel Cocoa -$2,686.35/metric ton Coffee - ¢132.70/pound Cotton - ¢95.17pound Gold -$1,396.9/troy Sugar -$163/lb

MARKET CAPITALISATIONS NSE -N11.4 trillion JSE -Z5.112trillion NYSE -$10.84 trillion LSE -£61.67 trillion RATES Inflation -8% Treasury Bills -10.58%(91d) Maximum lending -30% Prime lending -15.87% Savings rate -1% 91-day NTB -15% Time Deposit -5.49% MPR -12% Foreign Reserve $45b FOREX CFA -0.2958 EUR -206.9 £ -242.1 $ -156 ¥ -1.9179 SDR -238 RIYAL -40.472

•Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Akin Ogunbiyi (right); Franchise Coordinator, Pastor Sola Ajidagba and General Manager, Retail, Ademola Ifagbayi all of Mutual Benefits Assurance Plc at the opening ceremony of Ogudu Branch office of the firm in Lagos.

Renewal of sugar cane industry ‘ll create jobs, says Aganga

S

UGARCANE production represents a promising source of biomass and source of thousands of jobs for Nigerians, the Minister of Trade and Investment, Dr Olusegun Aganga, has said.

Speaking at Sunti sugar cane farms, Sunti, Niger State, Aganga said the government is reviving sugarcane crop to create jobs and increase local production of sugar cane as the economy still relies on imports.

To achieve this, he said the government intends to im-

By Daniel Essiet

plement a full scale sugar programme to enable the nation produce over five million metric tonnes of sugarcane, which will far exceed the current domestic production of about 1.3 million metric toones per year. Besides, he said the government is to create about 200,000 jobs.

With the economic crisis occasioned by the fall in oil prices, Aganga said agriculture is one of the priority sectors to sustain the economy.

He said that is why the

government is pushing ahead with efforts to revive sugar cane crop to tap demand for molasses, biofuel and other derivatives.

While reiterating the commitment of the government to reduce sugar importation, the minister said he is pleased with the efforts of private sector organisations such as Flour Mills of Nigeria to establish large scale sugar farms such as Sunti, adding that the government is determined to implement the National Sugar Master Plan (NSMP), since it is a core component of the Nigeria Indus-

trial Revolution Plan to create jobs, generate wealth and enhance economic growth.

The minister said developing the sugar sector is clear, and the sugar master plan is the roadmap. In a bid to address the energy shortage affecting the country, he said the government will support projects designed to use sugarcane for bio-electricity plant and ethanol for export.

According to him, the project will make a huge difference to the Sunti communities, as well as creating stable income for farmers involved in the sugar cane supply chain.

From Kolade Adeyemi Kano

ROWTH and Employment in States (GEMs1), a programme sponsored by the Department for International Development, (DFID) has facilitated loan facilities boost the Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs), in Kano.

The beneficiaries are in need of capital to set up their investment and access funds from financial institutions in order to expand their businesses.

In an interview with the Deputy Team Leader, Alhaji Bello Yakasai, shortly after a programme, with Enhancing Access to Finance and Financial Inclusion for MSMEs with Professional Services Provision as its theme, explained that the concept of the event is to provide linkages.

According to him, the move is to build the bridge between where the finances are available in the banks and microfinance institutions to the market, which people require to do their business.

On the financial aspect, he noted that there are three types of finances, namely, INL, a capital provider, which is continuous without limit, with privileged information, as well as translate and balance it with bank requirement for the company to assess money.

Also, he said there is a N950 million equity fund to be initiated by LCM Consulting to be provided for meat and leather businesses to borrow on allied basis.

The third set of money, according to him is the available facilities with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), which it makes available through deposit money banks to be assessed by the people, adding that it has no limit and is continuous, which is the first phase.

He disclosed that the immediate available funds is the release by the Bank of Agriculture to businessmen in meat and leather cycle.

He noted that to date, GEMs have applied for not less than N.5 billion but due to stringent processes, only few indicated interest, which to his estimation will be between N50 millionand N60 million will be disbursed between that region.

Finally, he disclosed that about 2,500 people will benefit from the funds, which is a continuous process, pointing out that the beneficiaries have acquired knowledge and information.

26

THE NATION FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2014

THE NATION

BUSINESS BRANDS & MARKETING

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

The Lagos Advertising and Ideas Festival (LAIF) Award has been criticised in the past for lacking life and creative spark that could make some of its entries win global awards. But at this year’s edition, LAIF had bite, with new agencies beating old ones except Insight Communication and DDB Lagos on the medals’ table, writes ADEDEJI ADEMIGBUJI

Putting life into LAIF T

HE Lagos Advertising and Ideas Festival (LAIF) is an industry-based award that recognises the best advertising concepts in Nigeria.

The award aspires to be like the world’s most covetous advertising award, the Cannes Lion, which holds in France every year. But in terms of parameters, such as organisation, number of gold medals won, transparency of the screening of winning adverts, level of creativity, LAIF still has a lot to learn from Cannes. Over the years, LAIF has not had it so good as it did at this year’s edition held at the Civic Centre, Lagos.

The award, last Saturday, though punctuated by technical hitches in the previous editions, was scored high because of its side attractions, the number of golds medals won, the gorgeous dressing of the women and men who attended the event and the electrifying ambience of the venue.

LAIF, according to regular attendees, lacked the spark that is the hallmark of such events in previous editions.

Side attractions Organisers of the event, the Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria (AAAN), gave the award the life it needed to make it memorable. AAAN gave Nigerian percussionist Helen Parker-Jayne Isibor, also known as The Venus Bushfires, the stage to thrill the audience with her ethereal sounds of the hang, the power of the talking drum and the quirks of children’s toys cross-fertilising multiple visual and musical styles.

Isibor harnessed influences from avantgarde, psychedelic, tribal and meditative arts and draws inspiration from the 70s’ musical pioneers such as Fela Kuti and Can, creating music and stories that explore both the sensual and the spiritual. She described her music genre as Neo Afro Folk.

Her performance made the creative community feel at home as she added to the event, a creative spark that is expected of the industry.

She has become known for her captivating and trance-inducing live sets, immersive performance art shows and impromptu sound journey displays in unusual spaces.

Isibor has created music for Christian Dior, Sony PlayStation, Disney, Oxfam, British Asian Trust (one of Prince Charles’ personal charities) and her songs have featured on French television and documentary films. In 2008, she orchestrated the world’s first ever ‘hang flash gig’ at the Lovebox festival which was broadcast on Channel 4, a British public service radio.

End of gold drought The choice of Isibor appeared understandable. In the last three years, there have been few gold medals on the shelves of most creative agencies. However, with 18 gold carted away by agencies, 50 silver, and 55 bronze medals, the organiser, felt the need to give LAIF more pomp.

How winners emerged The table was led by four agencies including two new generations agencies. The agencies are DDB Lagos, Insight Communication, X3M Ideas and Noah’s Ark but the old agencies are fast declining and disappearing from the creative medals’ table, a situation an industry expert described as “creative spark of new generation agencies.”

This trend is against the creative outing of 2011, 2012 and 2013. For instance, the medals’ table for 2011 edition of the awards was

•From left: LAIF Board Chairman Mr Ikechi Odigbo; Nwosu; President, AAG (Ghana), Mr Joel Nattey; AAAN VP Mr Kayode Oluwason

led by old agencies led by the oldest agency, LoweLintas. It coasted home with the Grand Prix, one gold and silver. DDB Nigeria was the first place runners up with three gold, seven silver and five bronze medals, making a total of 15 medals haul. Rosabel LeoBurnett is the second place runners up with three gold, six silver, five bronze. It’s total medal haul stood at 14. At that time, the then young but dynamic Noah’s Ark came fourth, with two gold, one silver and one bronze, making a total of four medals.

In 2012, the outing was not that impressive. It was gathered that that year’s edition proved that only a few agencies slugged it out with one another.

A breakdown of the award for that year revealed that only 20 agencies, which represented just 20 per cent of the total number of registered agencies submitted entries. About the same number also participated the previous year. Another noticeable trend in 2012 was that there was a shortfall in the number of gold won at the award as most of the agencies got mentioned in silver and bronze in all the five major categories, which included press, outdoor, radio, TV and special category.

“With the outcome of the award, especially considering the shortfall in the number gold won, creativity is not growing in the industry as expected,” an industry expert told The Nation.

Last year’s medals’ table recorded gold drought but the new generation agencies such as Noah’s Ark continued dancing around the top four in the medals’ table as a newly unveiled agency, X3M Ideas, joined Noah’s Ark at the top of the table to compete with the old agencies such as DDB Lagos and Insight which had remained the only old agencies at the top of the table for years at LAIF. Insight Communications came tops with a total of 26 medals including four gold, eight

‘

•Babaeko displaying his agency’s award

silver and 14 bronze. Noah’s Ark won 12 medals made up of one gold, four silver and seven bronze to come second while X3m Ideas came third with one gold, one silver and one bronze.

When compared to 2012, industry experts raised concern over the dearth of gold at the award. Some of the judges attributed it to the dwindling level of creativity in the industry.

“One clear evidence of diminishing creativity was in the outdoor category where most of the works presented were plainly direct cut and paste from print,” an observer noted.

The 2013 LAIF Awards also threw up the falling performance of old generation agencies such as Lowe Lintas, Rosabel Leo Burnet,

With the outcome of the award, especially considering the shortfall in the number gold won, creativity is not growing in the industry as expectedOne clear evidence of diminishing creativity was in the outdoor catagory where most of the works presented were plainly direct cut and paste from print

‘

LTC JWT, centrespread and SO&U Saatchi & Saatchi compared to newer agencies run by renegade creatives such as Noah’s Ark and X3M Ideas.

These new agencies, however, remained at the top of the table in this year’s edition which analysts say is a major improvement on previous editions. X3M Ideas maintained its third most creative agency position on the LAIF medals’ table with two gold , five silver and six bronze making a total of 13 medals following DDB Lagos’ grand prix and Insight Communications as overall winner and first runner-up respectively.

With the final result of the ninth edition, the less than two and half years agency has proved to be a consistently improving creative power house with impressive medal hauls for the third year running. It has proved that its performances in its first two outings were not a fluke.

Speaking on the agency’s performance at the awards over the last three editions, the Chief Creativity Officer and CEO, X3M Ideas Steve Babaeko, said: “Winning is good and to consistently improve is exciting but building our clients’ businesses is the ultimate goal for us as an agency.”

Though Babaeko seemed not too impressed with the third position, he said: “being third or whatever is not good enough for us; this is because the agency was set up with a mindset to be the No. 1 agency.”

He said the firm is on its way to slug it out with the agencies currently on the top of the table. He said: “We respect all but the point is that we are out to prosecute a set goal, therefore we are giving our all to that mission moving forward.

“As X3M Ideas, we are excited with the awards, it shows our team of young and talented individuals coming from different backgrounds have found the rhythm to be on top of our game from the onset. For instance, our creative director has a background in law; such is our varied and diverse backgrounds.

Recording our name at this level means a clarion call on us not to drop the ball.”

AAAN president, Mr. Kelechi Nwosu, said LAIF is the brain child of AAAN with the aim of recognising creative excellence, improving the quality of creative craft and promoting the spirit of healthy competition among indigenous creative agencies.

For the Director General, Lagos State Signage & Advertisement Agency (LASAA), Mr. George Noah, the state government will continue to support the industry through collaboration.

THE NATION FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2014

27

Brandnews Multichoice unveils single view Dstv HD decoder

ACTV joins pay TV market T M

HE number of pay TV serv ice providers has increased with the entrance of a new player African Cable Television (ACTV).

This is coming barely a few months after two other brands joined entered the market.

During a preview of the ACTV channels at Silverbird Galleria, the pay TV parades contents ranging from culture, entertainment, Cartoon, sports to local and international news channels At the event, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of ACTV, Mr. Godfrey Orkeh, said the firm was poised to offer to subscribers an enhanced experience, provide its customers with easy access to high definition channels featuring movies, music, sports, lifestyle, fashion, kids entertainment, religion and more.

He said: “We have our own channels-Rana for Hausa entertainment programming, Ibile for Yoruba entertainment programming, Oji for Ibo entertainment programming, GAT Tv for gos-

Stories by adedeji ademigbuji

pel music and for the first time in Africa, an exclusive pidgin channel, Area TV. In other words, we have something for everyone. That’s why we say definitely to our customers, ‘it’s your world’. We have no doubt our subscribers would de delighted by this mix.”

He said the company was offering its customers mouth-watering services, promising to ensure that the technical process would not be not disrupted.

“We want all our customers to have the opportunity to access our channels as we bring them to live starting from December 1, so that they can choose the subscription package that best addresses their TV entertainment needs. We will be offering four packages, namely, ACTV Price, ACTV Family, ACTV Family Max and ACTV Premium,” he added.

To get a market share, he said ACTV was banking on its stateof-the-art technology and mar-

keting edge, hoping to be an advocate of the local content development in the country, boast global digital broadcasting while offering high quality content at an affordable price.

The firm’s Vice-President/Chief Operating Officer, Mr. Joseph, who said he was bringing about 17 years’ experience into the company that was incorporated in 2003. He said the company’s management had been working hard to see the launch take place.

He said: “From the outset of our operations, our primary focus has been to offer our customers quality content that is of the highest relevance to them. We strongly believe that providing all our customers with exceptional customer service, decorders that integrate state-of-the-arts technologies including High Definition TV, PVR and pause-TV coupled with TV programming will not only increase their entertainment experience, but also significantly save them time by providing them with programmes that address their needs.’’

From left: Katsis, PZ CEO Mr. Christos Giannopoulos presenting the Loyalty Award to Mr. Ibe Akama at at the event.

Thermocool fetes stakeholders, partners

A

FTER 40 years in the market, Thermocool has rewarded its trade partners and employees.

At the event tagged Internal Launch, at the Eko Hotel and Suites, musicians such as Sound Sultan, Immaculate, Timi Dakolo, and Kanwulia, entertained guests.

The Managing Director, Mr. Panos Katsis, expressed delight over the support the company has been enjoying from stakeholders and Nigerians in the last 40 years.

“We are very honoured to be here to celebrate, recognise and reward our esteemed partners who have consistently demonstrated great loyalty to our company with their unflinching support to our growth and aspirations over the past 40 years. Your immense efforts have contributed to the phenomenal growth of the company, and we are indeed proud and thankful to be associated with you,” he said.

“When we started out in Nigeria in 1974, we were aware of the potential in the market. We recognised the need, the desire of Nigerians to enjoy life; run their businesses and personal chores with relative ease and as an innovative company, we sought to fulfill these needs by providing world class products that were technology rel-

evant in that era and even surpassing it.

“As we celebrate these past four decades, we are glad to make a bold re-commitment to an enduring partnership and relationship, and also a renewed pledge to our customers that we will not waver in our resolve to constantly ensure that through all of family best moments, “we will always be there” providing support through our world class innovative range of household appliances for an enhanced lifestyle.’’

Also, the Marketing Director; Mr. Vikramjeet Singh, said: “At Thermocool, our age-long tradition of bringing peace of mind to Nigerian households remains our resolve; today that tradition is resplendent in our extensive product range including; refrigerators, freezers, air-conditioners, washing machines, microwaves, television sets, generator and sound systems. The journey of the last four decades has resulted in great successes with the expansion of our product categories, our distributions channels, our clientele and overall our esteemed brand– Thermocool.

We have continuously sought for ways to keep to this promise of quality, which has significantly impacted

on the dynamic changes made to our products and channels of distribution.”

On the products on display at the event, Singh said it was a demonstration of Thermocool’s innovative drive and new designs which have been specially designed for consumers. For example, a new range of generators with one touch start button and fuel efficiency technology, new innovative ranges of air conditioner with low voltage, fast cooling, health and energy efficient features, freezers and refrigerators with pentecool technology for fast cooling and longer retention, washing machine with soaking and drying function, new cooking range with highly efficient burners and Italian designs were on parade.

“Thermocool has a rich history of trusted innovation that accords us real insights into the demands of today’s family life. Although we have earned our customer’s trust in this past 40 years, we are constantly committed to making everyday life easier and rewarding through constant product innovation and novelty. ‘’Our promise is to always make things better, be part of your life and always be there for the Nigerian family,” he added.

ULTICHOICE has unveiled its first HD single view decoder in Nigeria to offer subscribers HD signals and Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound.

The DStv HD decoder is to replace the existing standard definition single view ones.

“The launch bears testament to our continued investment in technology to ensure DStv delivers the best television experience in Africa.

The DStv HD decoder will ensure that more subscribers will have access to DStv’s HD channel offering. High definition creates a far superior television viewing experience in terms of picture quality and the Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound adds a new dimension to the audio experience. The DStv HD Decoder will open up a new world for many DStv

subscribers,” says John Ugbe, Managing Director, MultiChoice Nigeria.

According to him, the DStv HD Decoder’s user interface is similar to the DStv Explora and most of its functions can be performed from DStv Central, accessed through the blue DStv button on the remote control.

This user interface, accordingly, makes for easier navigation through the HD menus and helps customers discover great DStv content available via multiple search options directly from the remote control.

The decoder is XtraView capable and can be paired with selected XtraView compatible decoders (excluding the SD PVR), allowing acost effective and flexible option to allow more than one independent viewing environment.

Startimes kicks off yuletide promo

N

TA-Star Network StarTimes has started a promo for its customers during the yule-

tide.

This is coming ahead of the next year’s digital switch over. The brand handlers said the aim of the promo was to offer its subscribers an opportunity to own set-boxes required for quality digital TV. StarTime Public Relations Manager, Israel Bolaji said: “While the ‘Season Jolly’ promo is designed to excite StarTimes users, the ‘Family Fiesta’ promo is targeted at rewarding prospective and existing subscribers of StarSat HD satellite decoder.”

He said StarTimes’subscribers would automatically be entered into a raffle draw upon the renewal of their subscription for two months through any of these methods: promo cards, online recharge and non-promo cards. New customers would also automatically qualify for the draws upon the payment for any of the classic, unique or the StarSat smart bouquet which comes with a free decoder. He said “During the promo, there would be a 50 per cent discount in the second month of subscription every time our subscribers recharge their

decoder for the ‘Season’s Jolly Promo.’

He said: “The star prize for the promos is six sets of luxury sofas and there are also consolatory items like lamps, StarTimes P40 Phone, television sets and other give-away prizes for subscribers.

He said grand draws for the promos would hold on December 15, and January 30. Winners can retrieve consolatory and give-away prizes from all StarTimes business halls while the star prize is to be retrieved from the StarTimes head office in Lagos.

Meanwhile, StarTimes has introduced nine new channels on its platform to boost its subscriber’s experience.

According to Bolaji, “The nine new channels which have been carefully selected to enhance digital television experience for customers included the brand new Wazobia TV and Cool TV, Da Vinci Learning, PoP TV, Trace Sport Stars, StarTimes Sport 2, StarTimes Dadin Kowa, Tiwa N Tiwa and QYOU. These stations were also opened for free for seven days to our teeming viewers to watch and enjoy.”

Access Bank begins ad via CNN

A

CCESS Bank has embarked on an advertising and spon sorship campaign on CNN International to raise awareness of its brand in global markets.

The campaign will see the Access Bank brand feature prominently across CNN platforms through spot advertising, digital presence and the sponsorship of the inspirational new vignette series Passion to Portfolio.

The campaign will position Access Bank among CNN’s unrivalled audience in Africa and internationally as the pre-eminent provider of business, corporate, commercial and private banking.

The sponsorship of the year-long Passion to Portfolio series is the main element of the campaign.

This will see Access Bank billboards appear before and after every instalment of the weekly vignette series, which will air every weekday during major CNN programmes – The Business View with Nina Dos Santos, CNN Newsroom, World Business Today, International Desk and Quest Means Business.

The editorial content of the series will feature inspiring individuals from all over the globe who have found commercial and

personal success through the pursuit of their passions in life. This could be entrepreneurs whose passions have become their careers or people who have hobbies that are lucrative investments or businesses.

The sponsorship includes exclusive advertising on a Passion to Portfolio microsite on CNN International’s hugely popular website, and is supplemented by the 30’ and 60’ spot advertising campaign.

“Access Bank will showcase its credentials internationally by aligning its brand message of supporting entrepreneurship and small and medium businesses in Africa with the inspirational editorial content of Passion to Portfolio,” said Antonio Canto, the Vice President, Advertising Sales, CNN International.

“The combination of the scale of the CNN platform and the engaging nature of the associated sponsored content will drive Access Bank’s aim to position its brand on a global stage. It is refreshing to see a major African brand sponsor a series with a global editorial remit, and I’m certain that Access Bank will see real results from working with CNN on such a strategic integrated campaign.”

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2014

28

THE NATION

BUSINESS

E-mail: toniaitose@gmail.com

Sms : 07035302326

SHOPPING

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

Accross the world, Buy Nothing Day has become an entrenched tradition as shoppers stay indoors to observe the day. While some shoppers and shop owners say it will be a wonderful idea if Nigerians embrace the idea, others differ, arguing that they would be deprived of income, TONIA ‘DIYAN reports

P

ENULTIMATE Friday was observed as Black Friday all over the world, including Nigeria, where shoppers went on a shopping spree.

While many are still relishing those moments, shoppers across Europe, United Kingdom and America are already getting set to mark the Buy Nothing Day, a day people would be asked to put down their credit cards and wallets and stay away from shopping.

Buy Nothing Day is a simple idea, which challenges consumers’ culture by asking people to switch off from shopping for a day. It’s a global stand off from consumerism; it is celebrated as a holiday by some people.

Spearheaded by Adbusters in the early 90s, it has grown into an international event celebrated in some parts of the world. In Canada and America, Buy Nothing Day falls on the Friday after Thanks Giving Day. In Europe, where shoppers shop more on Saturday, it is the last Saturday in November.

Last Saturday in some countries, after shoppers’ indulge in the Black Friday bargains, they were urged to curb their spending for Buy Nothing Day which happened to be the day after this year’s Black Friday.

As developed countries, they make up 20 per cent of the world’s population and consume over 80 per cent of the earth’s natural resources.

Speaking on the justification of the Buy Nothing Day, one of the organisers, Michael Smith, said it is a tradition that has been going on for 20 years now.

According to him, people should be encouraged to think about their consumption and see that there are some daily things they take for granted.

He said: “The developing world is consuming far more than it needs to, especially the amount of waste and stuff we buy at this time of the year, we need to lower our consumption to something that is acceptable. It is basically time to lock up wallets, purses, cut up credit cards and dump shopping.

“Everything we buy has an impact on the environment; Buy Nothing Day highlights the environmental and ethical consequences of consumerism. The developed countries - only 20 per cent of the world population are consuming over 80 per cent of the earth’s natural resources, causing a disproportionate level of environmental damage, and an unfair distribution of wealth.

“As consumers, we need to question the products we buy and challenge the companies who produce them. What are the true risks to the environment and developing countries? We all know recycling is okay for the environment, but consuming less is better and Buy Nothing Day is a great way to start.”

Although the Buy Nothing Day is wellentrenched in the West, it is not certain whether this culture may resonate with Nigerians.

Speaking with a cross-section of some shoppers and business owners on the possibility of commemorating the day in Nigeria, they expressed mixed reactions.

A woman who simply gave her name as Madam Folake, and runs a boutique at Onipanu, in Lagos mainland, said as an independent shop/business, she doesn’t

Can Nigerians observe Buy Nothing Day? see the reason to support the Buy Nothing Day shopping culture.

“I own my business and this so-called shopping culture will definitely affect my business for the period it will be observed. So, I can’t support such,” she said.

Informed that the idea is to make people stop and think about what and how much they buy daily, enriching the purses of businesses, another trader, who gave his name as Godwin, said if the idea is introduced in Nigeria, it will cause harm. This, he attributed to the fact that if people are not buying on a particular day, they may end up buying in excess the previous day which is likely to increase their expenditure.

His words: “In my opinion, I don’t think Nigeria is developed enough to observe a day like that. More so, for the trader, there will be no benefits when he is not making sales.”

A shopper, Mr. Sunday Kolawole, in his opinion said he doesn’t think Nigerians need anybody or anything to teach them about saving or spending because the harsh economy is doing that already. ‘’ In Nigeria, we have people who cannot feed if they do not make sales in a day, so you can’t tell such people to just stay at home for a whole day,’’ he said.

A retailer in a Lagos shop, Mrs Ifeoma Okafor, explained that it will be a good thing if Nigeria could observe the day as it will give opportunity for buyers and sellers to have a day of compulsory rest.

Her words: ‘’ I think it is good because, it will enable one to rest and save for that day.

As a trader, it will not affect my sales in any way because, people would have prepared and shop the previous day for items they

need. She, however, said it is important that people are informed before the D day. Therefore, if the government is able to create enough awareness we might just be able to observe ‘Buy Nothing Day’ you know!”

Mr. Chinoso Uzor explained that a day such as that will not suite Nigeria because everybody is hustling come rain come shine to make ends meet, but it is not totally impossible to observe such a day as it will give opportunity to rest.

An educationist and shopper, Mrs. Kike Ibrahim, said the Buy Nothing Day could be observed in Nigeria addng that it will give both the shopper and seller not just an opportunity to rest but also teach them the ability to minimise their expenditure.

He said: “If other countries are doing it, why can’t we? If we don’t spend money in a day, I don’t think it will cause any harm.

Therefore, it is important that parents teach their kids about spending habits and savings.”

For Bunmi Bolajoko, a shopper, Nigeria should not venture into such project at all because we are not as developed as those countries observing it. In those countries where a day like this is being observed they have better economy compared to Nigeria.

She said: “I don’t think those countries have people that will go hungry if they do not buy or sell for one day but in Nigeria, we have such people and as such, we can’t compare ourselves with them.”

She, however, added that even if such a day is observed in the country, most people will not observe it because they work from Sundays to Saturdays to make ends meet.

A shopper, Mr. Akachukwu Okoha, explained that if such a day is declared he won’t

feel happy because he works hard for his money and reserves the right to spend how and whenever he wants to.

He said: “I don’t need anybody to tell me how to save or spend my money, so I don’t think Nigerians need to observe such day.’’

Mrs. Dolapo Oladele thinks Nigerians will not observe such day to their busy schedule. She said: “If such happens here, it will be like shutting down the whole country and keeping everyone indoors because what brings most people out on a daily basis is buying and selling. I don’t think such a day will be necessary in Nigeria because people have better things to do than just sitting at home and not going about their normal businesses.”

Another shopper simply known as Miss.

Success explained that such a day will not be possible because there is no way a person will go out without buying a thing.

She said: “I can’t go out without buying anything, if I am on my way from a place and I become thirsty that means I have to get home before drinking water? I don’t think it can be possible here.’’

Tomiwa Oladele, Head of Public Relation and Communications Nigeria and Ghana, Kaymu said: “In this side of the world the concept of Buy Nothing Day has not caught on; however Black Friday in Nigeria is catching on like wild fire, with sales across e-commerce sites doubling, tripling in some cases.”

Speaking with a source at the Consumer Protection council (CPC), who asked not to be named, the source said the Buy Nothing Day culture was strange but didn’t foreclosed whether the agency would support it or not.

GT Bank, Jumia, Konga, others win first dotcom award

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T Bank, Jumia, Konga and other online platforms from different sectors of the internet economy have won awards in over 30 categories in the country’s economic landscape.

The awards, which was organised by American Internet Business School in collaboration with Afrinet Business Solutions in Abuja was aimed at honouring people and organisations that have distinguished themselves in setting an admirable standard for the Nigeria online market growth; the movers and shakers of the Nigeria dotcom economy.

Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of Afrinet Business Solutions, Dr. Ope Banwo, said: “We feel that one of the ways to develop

From Bukola Amusan, Abuja

internet business in Africa is to start to recognise people who are doing great in internet business. So we organised the first dot.com awards in Africa tagged the Nigeria dot.com awards.

“The ceremony was designed to recognise the firms that have made great contributions to the growth of the Nigerian economy.”

Linda Ikeji won the best entertainment and gossip blog, VoguePay won the best internet payment platform, GTB bank won the award for the best bank on the platform while the Lagos State government won the award for the Best use of Internet by State Government.

VoguePay’s Director of Compliance and

Marketing, Geoffrey Weli Wosu said: “This initiative is commendable and we are honoured to receive this recognition from Afrinet Business Solutions and American Internet Business School.”

The Director of Administration and Management for VoguePay, Ojikutu Quam described the award won by the payment processor as a reflection of the company’s dedication to delivering immaculate service to its merchants; promising that next year will be more exciting as the firm prepares to break the barriers of payment processing. “We will bring even greater dimensions to making and receiving payments for goods and services online in Nigeria,” he stated.

Newspaper of the Year

AN EIGHT-PAGE PULLOUT ON THE SOUTHSOUTH STATES

•Amadi

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2014

PAGE 29

GUNMEN

AGRICUL TURE GRICULTURE

AKWA IBOM

ABOUT a year after Obite community in Etche Local Government Area of Rivers State was engulfed in violence over an alleged oracle indictment of a community chief for the murder of his niece, Akpoku, another community in the area, was invaded by gunmen for a similar reason.

•PAGE 32

THE need to take agriculture as a veritable means of repositioning the Niger Delta was on the front burner as farmers and other stakeholders in the sector in the region brainstormed in Calabar, the Cross River State capital.

THE Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Power, Dr. Victor Udo, has urged youths in Akwa Ibom State to help safeguard power infrastructure. Udo believes collaboration and mutual support among the youths will aid developement.

•PAGE 31

•PAGE 34 •Udo

•Imoke

Evil of falling oil prices •N1trn projects under threat in Niger Delta states

•Port Harcourt’s race to regain glory

•Flyover bridge under construction at Inter Bau, Asaba: Under threat?

D

ESPITE several efforts to diversify the economy, Nigeria has remained almost solely dependent on crude oil as source of revenue. Now, the crumbling oil price has brought home the harsh reality of putting all of the nation’s economic egg in one basket. The price of oil has dropped from 52 weeks high of $114.22 per barrel to a low of $72.22 and economists fear the worst is yet to come.

The steep drop in price has seen most states witnessing a staggering drop in their monthly allocations from the Federation Account in the past months. How badly states

From Shola O’Neil, Southsouth Regional Editor

economies are being hit was succinctly captured in a report titled BROKE in The Nation on Sunday of November 30: “When the going was good, the FRAAC, in July 2013 shared N1.014 trillion among the federating units. But, by October the same year, the income accruing had plummeted to N568.413 billion, the lowest for many months.

Last November, the Federal Government, states and local government areas received an uncomfortable N675.650 billion between them which again nosedived by a

miserable 581.14 billion in December, 2013. In January 2014, only N629.12 was available for sharing to the three tiers of government.”

The effect of the drop has reverberated mostly in the South-south states, where allocations from the federation and the 13 per cent derivation fund have plummeted at a rate that has become a source of concern for the governors and their possible successors.

An investigation conducted by Niger Delta Report revealed that projects worth about N1 trillion could suffer in the region due to the development.

Delta: May not ‘finish strong’ The investigation conducted across the six states in the zone along with

information and data gathered showed that Delta state could be the worst hit by the development. The present administration in the state had dedicated its first tenure to completion of inherited projects, such asthe DELSU Teaching Hospital, Nigerian Navy Logistics Centre in Oghara and road projects, before starting off its own legacy projects.

Nevertheless, it was gathered that ‘Finishing Strong’ agenda of Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State is already in jeopardy. Information sourced from the Federal Ministry of Finance and the FRAAC indicated that the state received N209 billion from the Federation Account

in 2013. A chunk of the amount (over N220bn in seven years) went to the State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC), which was set up in 2007. Conversely, it was gathered that the state had barely received half of that amount in 2014.

The shortfall has left the governor in a quagmire with several multibillion projects at risk. The governor’s plan to leave office on May 29, 2015 with a bang (“Finish Strong”) saw him start several road and bridge projects which could fail unless things improve.

• CONTINUED ON PAGE 30

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THE NATION FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2014

NIGER DELTA REPORT COVER

NIGER DELTA REPORT COVER

N1trn projects Curse of under blackthreat gold in Niger Delta states gathered that construction work is at advance stage, the project is far from over. Initially estimated to cost about N33bn, it was authoritatively gathered that the cost might have tripled over the past four years.

The 20th Anniversary Hospital, which seemed to be moving at snail pace may also be affected by the short fall in revenue to the state even as the state government has promised December, this year, for its inauguration. The state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Ememabasi Bassey, had told reporters that the essence of the 20th anniversary hospital, which is to stop medical tourism abroad through its specialised health care service delivery, must be fulfilled.

Also, in October, Akpabio laid the foundation for the Independence Hall, Abak, which he said would construct and inaugurate by this month (December). The project which is located at the site of the demolished Abak prisons, may also be affected by the short fall in revenue allocation to the state.

•Continued from page 29

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OVERNOR Uduaghan conceded to NDR that the drop was significant enough to slow down ongoing projects in the state, but assured that they won’t be abandoned. Speaking through Mr Paul Odili, Communication Manager, he said, “We knew it was impossible to finish all ongoing projects, the plan is to finish as many projects as possible. Now that revenue has gone down, there is the need for reappraisal and response to the prevailing realities.”

The ‘prevailing realities’ could affect a number of projects including two ongoing flyover projects in Effurun, Uvwie Local Government Area of state and Inter Bau Roundabout, Asaba, the state capital aimed at easing traffic congestion on the busy Benin-Warri-Ughelli axis of the East West highway and the growing traffic bottlenecks on the Okpanam, Anwai, Summit and Nnebisi roads respectively. The two bridges, which are being built at about N6bn, were expected to be completed by December 2014 (this month). However, with the level and pace of work when our reporter visited the scenes recently, it would take a miracle for contractors to deliver them on schedule.

There are also massive road construction projects in the three senatorial districts of the state: In the south, the N27.7bn Trans OdeItsekiri-Warri road project, a massive 19.5km road and bridge as well as other 7km internal road projects as well as internal road projects in Asaba, Agbor, Ughelli, Sapele and Udu among others. Although N15 billion was earmarked Trans OdeItsekiri project in 2014 budget, sources said less than half of the amount has been released, due to the dwindling oil prices and attendant short fall in the state’s resources. At the time of this report on Sunday morning, only skeletal work was going on at the site.

In the Delta Central district, the dualisation of a 148.9km long Ughelli-Asaba Road was awarded on November 14, 2008 to three contractors at a total cost of N44.7billion.

The project cost has seen at least two upward reviews and is doubtful if Governor Uduaghan would be able deliver it as part of his ‘Finishing Strong’ plan. On another side, the government is grappling with N10.3bn dualisation of the EffurunOsubi-Eku Road.

Some ongoing Public Private Partnership (PPP) projects like the $250m (N46bn) Oleri Leisure Park – Disneystyle theme park - which the government is contributing about N2bn; about N100bn long term Warri Industrial Business Park and Delta City Mall, among others, also face similar funding challenges.

But Odili said the state was giving consideration to alternative funding sources, which in his words, “may include borrowing to fund projects which have economic value to repay loans. He said ongoing harsh economic reality underscores the need to diversify the economy, which ironically, informed the plethora of audacious projects that the present administration embarked upon.

Only time would tell if the government bit more than it could chew.

Cross Rivers: Bugged by debt, revenue loss For Cross River State, these are not the best of times financially. Workers in the state are not finding things easy as they are owed almost to the end the following month before salaries are paid.

•Central Hospital, being constructed by Edo governmet

Very noticeable also is the decline in the pace of on-going projects, especially road projects in the state. These are signs that the tight financial situation, especially since the loss of Bakassi and several oil wells to neighbouring Akwa-Ibom state, has gotten worse. A source at the office of the Accountant General said the state presently has a wage bill of about N1.8 billion and with an inflow of approximately N3 billion monthly from the federation account. The state has several contractual commitments and is not finding it easy.

A top government source who pleaded anonymity admitted that the dwindling inflow of allocation to the state has worsened but would not give specific figures as to by how much it has dropped. “All I can tell you that the drop in the past couple of months is substantial and it is affecting us in no little way.

He continued, “As I am talking to you it is very difficult to pay salaries. For a state like Cross River, where every sector mostly depends on the government, the situation has taken its toll. It is true the Federation account has been dwindling in recent times, but we started having our problems before the recent dwindling of the inflow. Our problems actually started when Bakassi was taken from us. We have found it difficult to break even, especially given the number of capital projects the state government had embarked on due to the inflow it had at that time.

Contractual obligations became difficult but we cannot revoke what we started halfway.”

Governor Liyel Imoke is now struggling to ensure he completes the multibillion naira flagship project Summit Hills, a 367 hectare real estate development in the state capital with kilometers of well-constructed roads, an international convention center, a 105-room specialist hospital, an 18-hole international golf course with clubhouse and a residential estate. Mr Nzan Ogbe, the Client Representative of the Summit Hills Development Project, had earlier assured that the project would be ready April 2015, which now seems like a mirage.

Also, the National Sports Festival which the state was to host in November (last month) was shifted to 2015 because the necessary facilities were not in place in time due to paucity of funds. The state has also had to dip into its reserve funds to ensure work continues on the Institute

of Technology and Management in Ugep local government area. Although the project is not 100 percent ready, the institution has been kickstarted with three courses while work continues.

Given that Imoke is believed to be still servicing about N100 billion debt, inherited from the previous administration. The state is in a very precarious financial situation and the governor has not hidden the bad state of the finances his administration is grappling with even though he would not give specific figures.

Rivers: Loss of oil well The fortunes of Rivers state started a steady decline following Governor Chibuike Amaechi’s face-off with The Presidency. First, dozens of oil wells in the state were ceded to Abia and Bayelsa states, moves that the governor saw as a deliberate attempt to stifle the state’s development.

Now the steady decline in oil prices is taking an even bigger toll. Governor Amaechi had earlier declared that states were getting barely 50percent of their usual allocation. At the time the governor raised the alarm last year, many Nigerians thought that it was politically motivated.

The pace of project works in the state has gone down drastically. Payment of workers’ salaries is even difficult and irregular. But there is no good news yet as the governor declared recently, “The situation we find ourselves now is really critical.

We have started owing salaries of workers and nobody knows when this will end. Rivers people should know that Rivers State government now receives N12 billion instead of the usual N25 billion as monthly allocation.

“This has grossly affected our projects and work has stopped in some ongoing projects in the state. I am still looking for funds to pay some of the contractors and salaries.

Things are no longer the same. Things are getting worse. I am not the problem, it is from the federal government,” he said in his usual pragmatic manner.

The flagship monorail project is proceeding at a crawling pace with only a tiny section of the N74bn 6.5km monorail project completed.

A lot more still needs to be done for the project to serve the purpose for which it was envisioned. The ambitious light rail is one of several projects initiated to ease traffic in the oil capital.

Apart from the monorail project,

AIT/ Elebele Road in Yenagoa

there are dozens of multibillion naira ongoing road construction including the Obiri-Ikwerre-Omagwa project. There is also a sports complex at Etche LGA, where constructions of two model secondary schools are ongoing. Social rehabilitation Centre in Lagos area of Port Harcourt town. The Greater Port Harcourt City Project, a gigantic new town that cuts through no fewer than three LGAs of the state has barely taken off.

The costs of some of the projects were not known at the time of this report. Efforts to get Mr David Iyofor, Press Secretary to the governor, to give details of the projects and effect of the revenue shortfall were abortive as he was yet to respond to our request for information at press time.

Bayelsa: N100bn projects at risk In Bayelsa, home state of President Goodluck Jonathan, the legacy projects of Governor Seriake Dickson are threatened. The states revenue has nosedive from about N23bn to N10bn monthly, and the prospects remain grim. Allocation from FAC in 2013 stood at a princely N173bn but Dickson would be lucky to amass half that sum in 2014..

Comparing the present despair with the glorious past, the governor said, “There were some months that we received N22bn, N23bn. So, from about N20bn, N21bn, N22bn, N23bn, we are now managing to see N10bn.

And I’m told that the prospects for next year (2015) are even worse.”

The “infrastructural revolution”, which the governor declared at the inception of his administration, may be in dire straits. He flamboyantly laid foundations for 41 road and building projects. Over 37 contracting firms were hired by the government to work on the projects while three of the projects were executed through direct labour.

Some of the mega projects especially critical road constructions in the state were awarded to notable companies such as Julius Berger, CCECC Ltd, Dantata and Sawoe Nig, HMG Nig Ltd and Trenur Nig. Ltd. The most expensive road project is the Yenagoa-Oporoma Road and bridges valued at over N31bn which was awarded to CCECC Ltd. The construction of Ekeremor Road awarded to HMG Nig. Ltd at N30bn. There is also the N6bn Bayelsa State Airport Road awarded to Dantata and N6bn Tombia-Etegwe Road and eight bridges, which CCECC is building at the cost

N1.135bn. Julius Berger is handling the Isaac Boro Road at N15.045bn; Opolo-Elebele Road at N10.053bn and the expansion of MbiamaYenagoa Road phase one at N3.5bn.

Others whose cost could not be verified are construction of general hospitals in each of the local government areas; renovation and building of model schools; Ogbia-Nembe Road and completion of the controversial five-star Yenagoa Tower hotel project in Yenagoa, which has so far passed through three administrations. Dickson recently disclosed that his administration had paid out N4bn for ongoing work therein.

In the face of the gloom economic forecast, the governor threatened to prune his political appointees if the Nigerian economy continues to decline. He said he would “downsize or right size” political appointments to key into the austerity measures already declared by the Federal Government.

He lamented that the government could no longer sustain the N500m monthly wage bill of the over 200 political aides in his administration.

“From next year, if things remain the way they are, don’t be surprised this government will downsize or right size our political appointees.

“It won’t affect civil servants - they are already there. But political appointees, instead of having people on appointment and then we find it difficult to pay salary, we may have to take those decisions but we pray and hope, and all us should pray, that we should not get to that level.

“That is a very serious prayer point because our government spends about N500m to service political appointees every month because we know that in our state, the private sector is not just weak, it is almost absent”.

Oshiomhole’s way, best way forward The Edo State Government under Comrade Adams Oshiomhole has embarked on strategic projects with direct impact on the people. Although it is not one of the high grossing states, the impact from the declining oil revenue has hit the state harder.

The state’s Information Commissioner, Mr Louis Odion told our reporter: “States have been badly hit by the dwindling revenue from oil.

What makes it doubly tragic is that, even at the best of times, the bookkeeping by the PDP-led FG was at best opaque, if not outright dubious.

Even before now, for months PDPled FG consistently short-paid us with the funny excuse of oil theft.”

Explaining further, Odion said, “You have a situation whereby when the sum of N1 billion was, for instance, due to Edo State for the month of June, even by the end of September, only 65 percent of that N1 billion would have reached you. It is that grotesque. In the circumstance, it becomes impossible to discharge all your contractual obligations as and when due.”

The Commissioner conceded that in the prevailing situation, capital expenditure becomes the first casualty, stressing, “This is because salaries and wages can’t wait. For Comrade Oshiomhole, the challenge is how to keep our contractors on site.

The governor has pledged that projects that were not completed in the first term would be completed in the second term.

“In the first term, he rebuilt more than 60 percent of public schools, more than 800 kilometer of worldclass road, rebuilt public hospitals.

We have the monumental N30 billion Benin Storm-water Masterplan project conceived to de-flood sections of Benin City. More than 60 percent of it has been executed. Even though it has not been completed, the benefits are already being enjoyed in Uselu, Ugbowo, Uwelu, Siloko, Airport Road axis. Like several others across the state, this project is very dear to Comrade Oshiomhole. It is his wish and prayer that the projects are completed before his tenure ends to improve the human condition in Edo state.”

Odion however averred that the effect on Edo state would be minimal because of the austere measure adopted by the governor since the inception of his administration in 2008. Specifically, he said the state government had put a freeze on the jamboree trips by its officials as well as stopped frivolous seminars and workshops by the civil service.

“That way, the governor has been able to evolve a culture prudence and accountability. For us in Edo, we have always pursued the austere path. On the contrary, what is our preoccupation now is reorder our priorities such that even in these trying times, we keep afloat,” he said.

Akwa Ibom: The rich also cry Governor Godswill Akpabio’s Akwa Ibom state is perhaps the richest state in the country. Even amidst the dwindling financial allocation

blamed on oil theft, the state raked in a whopping N260bn from the Federation Account in 2013 – about the same amount Oyo, Borno and Kaduna combined earned during the period. Being one of few states that have refused to constitute a commission to develop oil bearing communities, the entire sum was available to the governor.

However, in a clear case of the rich also cry, the dwindling oil prices, no doubt, will affect some of the on-going development projects in Akwa Ibom state. The victims would be projects for which contracts were awarded in 2014 and those ongoing in the past years.

The N24.9bn Eket-Ibeno road is unlikely to be completed during the life of the present administration. The road leads to oil-rich Ibeno community from Eket and it had undergone several delays in the past when it was awarded by the Niger Delta Development Commission until it was sensationally taken over by the Akwa Ibom state government.

There is also the N26bn, 75km

NDDC: N322bn budget may not be feasible

A storm water project in Edo

Eket-Etinan road project. It may also not be completed by Akpabio’s administration. The contract for the road dualisation project, which is designed with parking lots and three bridges, is being handled by Chinese Civil Engineering and Construction Company (CCECC) Nigeria Ltd. At the time its award in 2013, the completion date was projected to be 2016.

The projection was based on the present administration ability to complete substantial part of the project before its terminal date next

year. However, that seems very unlikely now.

The state government also started the Ibom Tropicana project, which is modeled after the famous Sun City in South Africa. It is envisaged to have a 15-storey five star Hotel with 250 bedrooms, International Standard Theme Park with Water Falls, 10,000-Seater Dome/Conference Center, complimentary services Monorail / Mini Disney, Shopping Mall and Employment Generation of over 5000 people. Although it was

The Niger Delta Development Commission, which was set up in 2000 with a mandate to escalate development of the oil bearing communities in the region, will also be hit by the fate of crude prices. At the time of this report on Tuesday morning, it was not immediately clear how much the crash in oil price would affect the N322.16bn 2014 budget of the commission.

Information available to NDR from the budget document indicated that the commission would expend N295.051billion on project. A large percentage of the commission’s fund is expected to come from oil revenue and contribution by oil multinationals operating in the region. As a result, the drop in oil revenue is also expected to hit several multibillion naira projects. Oil companies which fund the commission too are hit by the prevailing harsh economic condition.

•Additional reports by Mike Odiegwu, Nicholas Kalu and Kazeem Ibrahym in Yenagoa, Calabar and Uyo

Green World rewards customers in Calabar I T was an occasion that drew thousands to the grounds of the Cultural Centre Complex in Calabar, the Cross River State capital. One could be forgiven if he or she thought it was a political outing, but it was not. It was the Green World Group that was rewarding loyal distributors in Calabar.

In a rare gesture 210 brand new cars, 10 Sports Utility Vehicles and five villa (home) awards of $150, 000 were awarded to ecstatic winners.

Several LED television, refrigerators and sundry items were also taken home. The excitement was almost tangible.

Global Vice President of Green World, Mr David Zhang, said they will continue to be committed to guarantee the quality of the products and will provide the best products to customers to guarantee the building of the customer intimacy and an excellent and operational system.

Zhang, who is the President of Green World Africa, urged the distributors to operate the business

•Brand new cars given out by Green World to distributors in Calabar

From Nicholas Kalu, Calabar

with professionalism and integrity.

Zhang said they were sick and tired of the unscrupulous betrayal and disloyalty of some of their top leaders, warning such would be penalized.

He said the Green World Africa was launched six years ago and the company has helped a lot of people who are unemployed to have a source of income.

“Hundreds of thousands of people have received awards of all kinds and most of all, millions of people are enjoying their health which is the biggest wealth in life,” he said.

The company started in Nigeria in 2009, he said, and since then has had about 400, 000 distributors out of which 1018 have been awarded cars.

Mr Steven Zhou, a branch manager in Nigeria, said they were a

transnational group of companies engaging in scientific research and development, manufacturing of pharmaceuticals, herbal medicine and herbal cosmetics of a complete systems oriented nature with headquarters in Michigan and manufacturing facilities in South Carolina in the United States of America.

He said besides creating good health for Nigerians, they have also created wealth.

THE NATION FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2014

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NIGER DELTA REPORT FEATURE

Amaechi’s wife’s pet project caught in dirty politics •Teachers, parents defend governor’s wife

T

HE Empowerment Support Initiative (ESI), a pet project of Mrs Judith Amaechi, wife of Rivers State governor, has been silently fulfilling the purpose for which it is established about seven years ago. The low profile of the ESI had led to allegation by the opposition politicians in the state that the governor’s wife was merely using it as a tool to extort money from politicians.

The controversy caused by the allegation led Niger Delta Report to investigate some of its projects in Bonny, Omagwa, Igwuruta, Okrika, Opobo, Oyibo and Eleme among other towns in the various local government areas of the state.

Our checks revealed that contrary to the allegations, the schools are functioning in full capacity with children learning under very conducive and serene environment provided by the ESI. Teachers and parents alike were full of praises for the working and learning environment provided by the nongovernmental organization.

It was gathered that 92 schools have so far been established by the ESI, which aimed at complementing government to provide free head start education. Host communities also benefit from employment of indigenes as teachers and support staff and other infrastructure.

Findings at ESI schools listed above revealed that school uniforms, books and other learning materials are provided free of all costs while tuition is free while pupils also get free meals daily. The facilities at the schools were are compared to that of elite schools in Port Harcourt where parents pay as high as N150,000 to N200,000 per term.

Educationist told NDR that the significant of the projects, is best understood when the number of children mostly from poor, vulnerable, marginalized and neglected families who benefit from the kindergarten education are considered against the background of the significance of head start education.

“The ESI schools are of international standard and several awards have been won from international organizations since they were established. These are verifiable fact, not stories. These schools are on international standard with regulated population of pupils and good teacher to student ratio,” an official said.

Reflecting back on how the school was established, Mr. Perenade John,

•One of the school at Okrika

•Happy children in their classroom From Precious Dikewoha, Port Harcourt

one of the directors of the school and also a parent said: “On assumption of office in 2007 as the Executive Governor, Rt. Hon. Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi was challenged by youth militancy, gangsterism and cultism among other social vices. To redirect and properly channel the productive energies of these youths purposefully, his wife, Dame Judith Amaechi was also concerned on how to contribute towards redressing this social problem.

“While undertaking a tour of the 23 LGAs she observed that many young children particularly the kindergarten category (children within the ages of three and six) were not in school. Such children she thought must be provided education that would equip them with a good head start.

Consequently, she established ESI, which was inaugurated by then wife of the President, Hajiya Turai Yar’Adua on October 16, 2008, with a purpose to give life a meaning to the hopeless children in our midst and to encourage low income earning parents or those without means of livelihood to have access to early education.”

He explained that kindergarten education is globally acknowledged as critical to the overall development of the child. He said children who benefit from the education have advantage above their counterparts who did not.

“Every child, particularly between the ages of three and five, should be given the opportunity to benefit from this level of education irrespective of his or her socio economic background.

Kindergarten education in Nigeria from 1840s was provided and controlled by Christian Missions and were known as infant schools.

The ages of such ‘infants’ varied

from between six and ten years. The Christian missions were not interested in operating the real kindergarten curriculum rather they taught their religious doctrines, songs, English alphabets and numerals. So I think the public should appreciate the sacrifice of the initiator of ESI,” Perenade added.

Some of the teachers who spoke to Niger Delta Report were grateful for the employment opportunity as well as the quality of education the children are exposed to. One them, Mrs. Theresa Njokwu, said, “It is not because it is free school for that there is no standard. Here, our policies are of international standard. Most of the materials and equipment in this school are bought abroad. We have won a lot of awards both locally and internationally. Though our salaries are not much bigger like that of elite private school teachers but we have the same quality environment in terms of infrastructure.”

Her counterpart, Ben Onuegbu, accused ESI’s critics of blindness. “It is remarkable that while other agencies and organisations do not provide free education at this level, ESI has achieved a feat in providing free kindergarten education. It is probable that in the future some of these beneficiaries might anchor similar educational programmes from which other children will benefit. We should thank the initiator instead of being ungrateful to her.”

Sir Lucky Ugochukwu Worluh, an educationalist and a committed supporter of ESI, said the philosophy stems from the belief that children, youths and women, the vulnerable category, should live a functional and beneficial life. He noted that children, youths and women should be equipped with the necessary knowledge and life

skills for wealth creation.

Worluh, who is also a Permanent board member of Rivers State Universal Basic Education, advised the public not to listene to criticism from politicians but to make out time and visit some of the ESI schools in the state as our reporter did.

He said: “It is not true that the school is not functional and not everywhere as being alleged by politicians.” He also denied the allegation that the initiator Judith Amaechi was extorting money from local government chairmen and legislators to fund her project.

“I know that some of these politicians are not educated and they believe that the only way to play cheap politics is to destroy the governor’s wife.

What is the responsibility of the local government when it comes

the terminal date of the present administration next year. Some fear that the attacks and criticisms may

•Sir Worluh

to provision of the primary school education? But the governor took the responsibility of employing the 13,000 teachers and the payment of primary school teachers when it supposes to be the responsibility of the local government.’

Nevertheless, our findings revealed that in spite of the success of the project, parents and teachers were concerned about its fate after

take the zeal off Mrs Amaechi, who is already grappling with the financial demands of the laudable project.

Worluh said: “This is the more reason we need to pray that the All Progressive Congress (APC) should win in 2015 because if they fail to win the state, the first casualty will be teachers.”

Akpabio’s aide to youths: safeguard power infrastructure

T

HE Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Power, Dr. Victor Udo, has urged youths in Akwa Ibom State to help safeguard power infrastructure.

Speaking in his office during a meeting with a delegation of the Akwa Ibom State chapter of the National Youth Council of Nigeria, Udo said collaboration and mutual support among the youths would aid developement.

He said: "Collaboration and mutual supportwill ensure the sustainable development of the state."

He advised them against what he called "crab mentality”, which, he said, “is a behaviour where members of a group, out of envy, conspire to pull down anyone who is

on the path to success".

Speaking further, he said: "Crabs caught in a basket could easily escape individually but instead they continue to pull down each other, which prevents any from escaping to the overall disadvantage of the bunch."

Udo admonished the youths to shun such behavior but rather "embrace solidarity and celebrate the success of one another for the overall development of the State".

He urged the youths not to rely absolutely on government employment but to harness their inner potentials into productive ventures that will make them self-employed.

He expressed appreciation to

Governor GodswillAkpabio for giving him the opportunity to serve and seized the occasion to explain the power supply situation in the State.

The SSA who doubles as the Managing Director of Ibom Power Company, said since he took over the management of the company in June this year "Ibom Power plant output has increased from an average of about 60MW to 100MW" He said: "Plans are ongoing to deploy a transmission maintenance crew to Uyo which will ensure that faults on transmission lines are resolved speedily".

He added that this decision was reached after his meeting with the Chief Executives of National Elec-

tricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).

Dr. Udo said: "Vandalisation of distribution assets continues to pose a major challenge to steady power supply".

Heurged the youths to be involved in safeguarding power infrastructure within their communities.

The leader of the group, Otobong Okpongkpong, expressed appreciation to the SSA on Power for his "outstanding contribution to the 'uncommon transformation' of Chief Godswill Akpabio" and pledged their support to the sustainability of the development strides in the state.

‘

•Udo

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THE NATION FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2014

NIGER DELTA REPORT FEATURE

NIGER DELTA REPORT PERSPECTIVE

Tears as gunmen invade Rivers community About a year after Obite community in Etche Local Government Area of Rivers State was engulfed in violence over an alleged oracle indictment of a community chief for the murder of his niece, Akpoku, another community in the area, was recently invaded by gunmen after another oracle allegedly indicted a member of the community for killing an APC leader in the area, reports PRECIOUS DIKEWOHA

E

VEN in this modern era with mushrooming of churches everywhere, the Etche people in Rivers State still believe in the pronouncement of the oracle. The use of oracle has become a means of ascertaining 'truth' when there is controversy, debate or crisis in their communities.

Nevertheless, the use of the oracle to resolve dispute and unearth mysteries have almost always ended in more crisis and violence leading to shooting, killing and looting. Only last year the oracle was invited by the people of Obite to find out who killed one of their sisters. The chief priest consulted the gods, performed the ritual and indicted one of the highest ranking traditional chiefs the community. The accuse is an uncle of the late victim's.

The oracle's pronouncement turned Obite upside down as irate youths threatened to behead the suspect and to burn down his property. Though, it was learnt that the suspect was later banished from the community and he is expected to stay in exile more than eight years, in line with tradition, Obite boil for months with residents living in anxiety throughout the period. The crisis was heightened because not everybody in the community supported the oracle's pronouncement. It took the intervention of the police and political leaders in the area to restore sanity.

Fresh crisis resumed in the troubled land recently following the gruesome murder of a chieftain of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Mr Christopher Njoku in Akpoku. The latest crisis was even more disastrous as houses were burnt down, properties looted, scores injured the entire community went into hiding for more than one week after the hood-

lums invaded their community.

A Niger Delta Report reporter who visited the troubled Akpoku community recently was guided round the trouble scene by some youths of the area who now reside in a neighbouring community. It was observed that the residents were yet to return to the community. Only few people were seen cautiously walking out from their hideouts when they sighted the reporter taking photograph of burnt buildings. Akpoku is made up of five villages: Okomoko, Umuode, Umudim, Umuaghara and Umuoria.

Speaking on the incident that led to the destruction, residents of the community said they were in their houses one afternoon when they heard frightening voice ordering the entire community to run. They said this happened few days after the oracle indicted one Mr. Mac Harry of killing the late Njoku, one of the APC leaders in the area. They said the hoodlums came into the community with more than twenty motorcycles popularly called Okada and sophisticated weapons.

One of the chiefs in the community, Chief Christopher Oluoh said as a Christian he doesn't believe in oracle but the community insisted that they must consult the oracle to tell them the truth rather than inviting the police to arrest anybody. "After the death of the APC leader, two suspects were arrested they later confessed that it was Mac-Harry that sent them to do what they did. Base on their confession the community contemplated on how to arrest the accused but some elders of the community suggested that it would be better to consult the oracle and invite Mac Harry.

"Before bringing the Oracle to the community the juju priest was forced us to sign undertaking that whatever

•One of the vehicles burnt during the raid

•Mac Harry's house on fire

he was going to do in the community would not cause any trouble. The oracle came and the community gathered. Mac Harry was indicted by the oracle. In fact in his presence the oracle told him how he paid the gunmen to kill the victim. I was surprised when some hoodlums entered the community and started shooting, looting and burning houses. I have reported the matter to the police and they have assured us of their cooperation. You can see the residents have deserted the community, few people are just returning to the community.

But by God's grace and with the effort of some political leaders in the area, I know peace will return to the community," he said.

The youth leader of the community, LoveDay Iwuze, said the community was living in peace until the APC chieftain was murdered. "The murder of the APC chieftain in the area and the subsequent arrest of two suspects by the police led to the crisis.

The suspects made confessional statements. When the oracle came to the community it exposed the killer before the people. And the youths of the community who witnessed the whole thing got angry and went to the suspect's house and demolished it. Few days later gunmen entered the community and destroyed people properties."

One of the victims, Caroline Amadi, a nurse who spoke to Niger Delta Report said she was beaten by the gunmen after they looted her chemist shop. "I saw the gunmen with

my two eyes they were not masked.

They looted everything inside my shop and collected N150,000 cash and my bike. When they left my shop I ran away with my family, so I didn't know what happen next until the day I returned from my hideout."

Mr. Oli Chibuzor whose brothers were still in the hospital recuperating from bullets injuries said his two brothers were shot in the front of their houses. "The incident happened on Sunday, when they came I was not around but they met my wife and ordered her to ransacked my house under gun point. With fear, she did as they instructed. She went to where I kept money in the house and brought out N219, 000 which she gave them.

They shot two of my brothers who are presently taking treatment in one of the private hospitals in the area. As I am talking to you now we have spent N150, 000 treating my two brothers and they are yet to get better."

Another victim Chinedu Nweke, said his father's house and shop loaded with drinks and other goods were destroyed and looted by the gunmen.

"They didn't leave anything with us, the shop was loaded with all kinds of goods, and they took few of the items and destroyed the rest. They also collected N300, 000 cash we kept at the shop."

Mr. Akagbuo Amadi, an elderly man in the community whose house and that of his son were badly destroyed said, "I have nowhere to sleep, I want the government to come to my rescue, the gunmen came to

the community with sophisticated weapons. When we heard the sound of the gun, we have no option than to run away. You can see for yourself how my house and that of my son was burnt down; we didn't pick out a pin from the house. God will not forgive any one that made me to be in this condition."

But Mac Harry whom the community allegedly accused of bringing hoodlums to the community to destroy their houses, profess his innocent in a telephone chat with our reporter. He said he was a victim of an alleged gang up against him by some members of the community.

He said, "They set my building ablaze, if the police arrested the two suspects that confessed that I am the one that sent the hoodlums to my community as they claimed so why then would I not be arrested by the police. I am a politician I move freely in my community and anywhere I go, I didn't do it and I can never do •One of the victims, Elder Amadi briefing the journalist it."

Attempts to reach the Rivers State Police Public to his mobile phone rang out and he Relations Officer, Ahmad did not respond to a text message deMohammad, were futile. Calls placed tailing the reason for the call.

Foundation treats 1,000 eye infections in Rivers communities

T

HE Care For Life (CFL), a humanitarian initiative of High Chief Olu Benson LuluBriggs, was recently at Briggs compound in Onubio, Abonnema community of Akuku-Toru Local Government Area (LGA), of Rivers state, for the 2014 annual free eye test/treatment.

The outreach, like all others by the foundation, was a success as crowd of health care seekers, both young, old, students, even children/babies thronged the venue as early as 7 am, long before the team of ophthalmologists and other medical personnel who came from Port Harcourt for the exercise arrived.

Director of programmes of the Foundation, Miebaka Nabiebu - a lawyer - explained that a separate eye test outside the quarterly Medical Mission and choice of the venue was informed by the prevalence of eye diseases among riverside communities dwellers, apparently due to impact of oil

From: Rosemary Nwisi, Port Harcourt

exploration and other reasons.

He said redness of the eye with infection was common among the patients they attended to and suspected environmental cause, lifestyle and kind of food eaten in the area.

Nabiebu said, "we hold this to give special attention to those that already have eye problem, so it does not escalate, nip budding problems and help others manage theirs that have already gone bad.

"The reason for the choice of Abonnema essentially is the realization that eye problem is endemic in communities within and around here.

This could be attributed to environmental (soil/water/air) pollution due to oil and gas activities in the Niger Delta region, especially the riverine areas.

"Also salt water environment where

most of their agricultural activities take place may not be completely ruled out of the reason for the endemic. Most people here are predominantly fishers and farmers. They often come in contact with these polluted environments, which most often make them come down with eye problem.

"This is the fifth separate eye test we have conducted as a Foundation but the first time we are holding it in Abonnema. We rotate venue for the treatment to give everyone in need the opportunity to access the exercise easily. A hired team of ophthalmologists and other medical volunteers were on ground to offer the service," he said.

Beneficiaries of the eye test, including Chief A. Mac- Georgewill, Head of Da-akpana House, expressed concern over the increase in eye problem in the community, hinting that it maybe due to huge amount of oil pollution deposit in their water and air.

He expressed surprised at the crowd at the venue and promised to start investigation into the actual cause with a view to finding lasting solution.

"The spread of eye problem in this community is giving me concern, when I came in to this venue and saw the number of people waiting for their turn, both young and old, I was shocked, I don't know what is happening.

"It was not like this when we were young, it was rare to see people coming down with eye problem, you barely see one blind person then, but it is no longer so. Eye problem and complete blindness is now common thing among us.

This could be as a result of our riverine terrain, oil deposits in our water or the kind of food we are eating, the situation is beginning to give me concern and we the leadership of this community would need to sit over this and decide on a way forward," he

•An ophthamologist attending to a patient said. could not hold back the joy of benefitThe Programme Coordinator of the ing from the exercise.

Foundation, Ineba Deria, explained Over 100 persons were treated in the that the exercise was not meant for exercise. It was meant for just one day, Abonnema residents alone, but any- but following the huge turn-out of one who has the need and approach those seeking access to the exercise, it the venue while it lasts. was increased to two days, to allow A beneficiary, Mrs. Ada Samuel, chance to many more to benefit. The who had already lost use of one of her programme is expected to hold again eyes and now battling to save the other, next year.

The Dakuku Peterside I know H

The three virtues that Dr. Dakuku Peterside admires most are fear of God, courage and brainpower. By the way, Peterside is the All Progressives Congress (APC) consensus governorship candidate in Rivers State.

Peterside seeks out those who have demonstrated in some ways, these admirable qualities in government, civil societies, the professions, particularly the media, corporate world and in other spheres of human endeavour. Being a scholar himself, he sometimes searches for this mental power and bravery before he makes the ultimate connection with people. But Peterside is also compassionate, patient, spiritual, self-driven, hardworking and humble. In addition, he supports freedom and justice. He stands for principles as well. I know he holds in very high esteem, those who, even at the risk of their comfort and well-being, stand for fairness and principle.

I hasten to add here that I may not have done an excellent character analysis of Peterside in these few sentences but this is my perception.

We met in 2011 shortly before the commencement of the Seventh Assembly. He had just been elected into the Federal House of Representatives to represent Andoni/Opobo-Nkoro Federal Constituency in Rivers State, so he needed to recruit his staff.

Usually, every legislator has an idea about the kind of staff he or she requires. In many instances, lawmakers always prefer lawyers as Senior Legislative Aides for obvious reasons but Peterside thought differently. He wanted somebody with journalism background and that was how we got in touch.

The interesting part of our meeting was the circumstance. He had actually informed two of his friends with background in the media, my seniors, who had gone ahead to become Commissioners of Information in their respective states that he needed a Senior Legislative Aide with a media background. I understand the two commissioners conducted the head hunt. On the day we eventually met, he actually told me that he had wanted to interview two people for the job so he could have a choice. But as fate would have it, my name returned twice to his desk. That was how I was contacted. The rest, to borrow a popular cliché, is history.

Before I met Peterside, I had done a handful of media work outside the newsroom; this included my stint with a former senior minister under the late President Umar Musa Yar’ Adua.

Because of my experience, I am usually tempted to describe public office holders in Nigeria as “ghosts” because of their alienation from those who work for them. Alienation, at other times may even sound mild before other workers who face more upsetting experiences with their bosses.

In all my experiences in my adventures outside the newsroom, no one compares to this one. Therefore the adoption of Peterside as consensus governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC in Rivers State is commendable and well-timed. The flag bearer will enter this contest with his rich background and depth in social activism, robust public sector experience and law making which he has given the last three and half years of his life. But one thing I know that is uppermost on the mind of this candidate is his desire to pull down all barriers created by politics among the people of Rivers State.

Similarly, in the view of many, the APC governorship candidate is an asset. Peterside has a healthy experience in both the legislative and •Peterside executive arms, this is in addition to his Doctorate degree in Organisational Behaviour. Being a professional manager and leadership trainer, Peterside is also bringing a whole lot to the table.

His membership of the Nigerian Institute of Management, NIM and the Independent Management Consultancies Network, global professional partners for implementing best solution in various areas is also an advantage. He is therefore widely believed to have arrived the political terrain fully prepared and ready.

There are also those who have in the last three years, praised Peterside for a stout representation in Nigeria’s House of Representatives. And he is a well known face among assertive and forward-looking law makers who have demonstrated capacity, consistency and credibility in this Seventh Assembly.

I believe that Peterside will make a resounding success reconciling and reuniting his people because in many ways, his entry is a fitting payback. By providing opportunities through his educational foundation for the underprivileged so that they can live with dignity and self respect, the candidate is laying a solid foundation for the future. But importantly, Peterside through education is changing lives and making our world better and safer.

One thing that is undeniable about Peterside is the credibility and followership his candidature will attract across Rivers State. This is one unusual Nigerian politician who cares about the common good and he has demonstrated this in the last 15 years. We may not all agree, but this is not a particularly great season for politicians. Therefore it is very possible for some people to look down on politicians not because of political activities of the past but because of our present. The hope, however, is that politicians like Peterside, I am very sure has addressed this poor image not only in his support base in Rivers State but also in Nigeria’s National Assembly where he heads one of the most important committees in the parliament. This is why at every point in our history, we must pray for politicians like him who can bring honour and dignity to politics.

As citizens, whether we like it or not, our future and the future of our children depend on the decisions of people in government. Therefore, we must all strive

By Sylvester Asoya

to encourage with our support, people like Peterside because it is in our best interest.

His antecedents stand him out. Born on December 31, 1970 to Senibo Adolphus A. N. Peterside of Biriye Polo, Opobo, his progenitors, before finally settling in Opobo in 1870, had migrated from Bille in present day Degema Local Government Area and spent some time in Ayama, Bonny. Dakuku's childhood was nurtured in five different cities, namely, Azumini and Aba (in present day Abia State), Kaduna, Port Harcourt and Bori (Ogoni) in Rivers State. This has molded out of him a cosmopolitan outlook and a rare capacity for sound human relations across social, economic and intellectual boundaries.

Peterside holds the doctor of philosophy degree (PhD) in Organisational Behaviour from the University of Port Harcourt. His doctoral dissertation was in Corporate Political Strategy.

However, the foundation to this terminal educational qualification was laid at Okrika Grammar School (OGS) Okrika which he attended as a boarding student and graduated from in the 1986/87 session. It was in OGS that his leadership qualities and organisational skills first came to the fore. He was appointed a school prefect, and was subsequently elected by his fellow prefects as Secretary of the Prefects Council, the only position that was by election in OGS then.

Furthermore, he led Bishop Tugwell House, his hostel in OGS; to her first inter house sports victory in several years due to his exceptional organisational skills. In OGS, he played volleyball and football, and was active in the literary and debating society.

Dakuku commenced his tertiary education at the Rivers State University of Science and Technology (RSUST), Nkpolu Oroworukwo, Port Harcourt where he earned a Bachelor of Medical Laboratory Science (B.MLS) in Haematology from the Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences. Subsequently, he studied for and obtained a Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management (PGDM), and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the same institution.

As an undergraduate at the RSUST, Dakuku was active in student politics. He served as Department President, Editor of Kampuswatch and ultimately as National President of the National Union of Rivers State Students (NURSS) in 1992.

His tenure as the National President of National Union of Rivers State Students is arguably one of the most glorious and reformative years of the NURSS. He introduced a legislative arm (NURSS Senate) during his tenure, spearheaded the making of a new constitution, celebrated 25 years of the formation of NURSS and honoured the founding fathers of National Union of Rivers State Students (NURSS). Under his tenure as NURSS President, bursary payable to Rivers State students was increased from N5,000.00 to N10,000.00. Furthermore, the Rivers State government under Chief Rufus Ada George introduced a special scholarship scheme for bright and indigent students.

In the 1992, he had the honour to serve as a member of the Youth Committee of the Rivers State Silver Jubilee Anniversary with Rotimi Amaechi as Chairman.

He got involved in the political arena first in 1996 as Rivers State Assistant Secretary of the unregistered All Nigeria Congress (ANC) and subsequently as Rivers State Financial Secretary of Democratic Party of Nigeria (DPN) in 1997. In 1998, he spearheaded the formation and became leader of "RESTORATION YOUTHS" a group of visionary young men and women who worked for Dr. Peter Odili to emerge as Governor of Rivers State. When Dr. Peter Odili became Governor of Rivers State in 1999, he appointed Dakuku as Special Assistant on Student and Youth Affairs in August 1999. It was in this position that he honed the art and science of bridge building between youths and elders, between today and the future, and between leaders and the led.

While serving as Special Assistant to Governor of Rivers State, he had other high profile assignments, such as Board Member, Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilisation (CBAAC), a •Peterside Federal Government agency.

It was at his demanding office as a Special Assistant to the Governor of Rivers State that he was invited to serve as Chairman of Opobo-Nkoro Local Government Council in December 2002.

He earned the prestigious sobriquet of the Best Local Government Chairman of his time in just six months. When he finished his term as Chairman of Opobo-Nkoro Local Government, he was appointed Senior Special Assistant to the Rivers State Governor on Works in September 2003. Creditably, he brought novelty, ingenuity, and credibility to public works management. He kept contractors on their toes and gave Rivers people value for money in project execution.

He left this office in September 2005 in order to pursue another passion of his: mentoring and grooming emerging leaders through a not-for-profit organisation he founded, Development and Leadership Institute (DLI).

It was while he was grooming young people for transformational leadership that Amaechi invited him in October 2007 to serve as Commissioner of Works in Rivers State.

In that capacity, Dakuku reconstructed all known records and redefined public works management.

In recognition of the importance of ideas to human progress, Dakuku has instituted an Oversea Post Graduate Scholarship Programme. Each year, he sponsors 10 young persons to undertake post graduate studies in any institution in the United Kingdom.

Dakuku is married to Elima, a lawyer and they are blessed with three lovely children, Soba, Belema and Mieibi. He is a devout, practising Christian.

• Asoya is Special Assistant (Media) to Dr. Dakuku Peterside

34

THE NATION FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2014

NIGER DELTA REPORT FEATURE

Niger Delta’s economy: Agriculture to the rescue

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HE need to take agriculture as a veritable means of repositioning the Niger Delta was on the front burner as farmers and other stakeholders in the sector brainstormed in Calabar, the Cross River State capital.

The objective was to engage in discussions that would steer them to consolidate their current commitments toward new priorities, strategies and targets as well as create the chance for participants to build cross-regional initiatives and alliances as well as provide concrete answers to germane questions that will help to unlock the investment opportunities in Agriculture in the region to their benefit and that of the country.

The forum organized by the Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta (PIND) with the “Unlocking Investment Opportunities in Agriculture in the Niger Delta for Regional Competitiveness”, witnessed a large participation, especially of women and youths.

Executive Director of PIND, Mr Sam Daibo, said agriculture as a business in the Niger Delta is diversified and investments opportunities abound.

Daibo maintained that taking full advantage of these investments opportunities will require investmentdriven strategic partnerships with the private sector as well as investment drives to unlock potential of our States in agriculture.

He said the foundation works to establish and encourage innovative multi-stakeholder partnerships that support programs and activities, which empower communities to achieve a peaceful and enabling environment for equitable economic growth in the Niger Delta.

According to him, in order to achieve its mission, PIND has structured its operations into four distinct but mutually reinforcing program areas, including – Economic Development, Capacity Building,

From Rosemary Nwisi, Port Harcourt

•Cross River Commisioner for Agriculture Mr. James Aniyom (centre), Executive Director, PIND, Mr Sam Daibo (right) and another participant at the forum

From Nicholas Kalu, Calabar

Peace Building and Analysis and Advocacy.

The focus on agriculture this year, he said, is deliberate because it aligns with the Nigerian government’s Agricultural Transformation Agenda and the Vision 20:20:20.

The timing of this forum is also appropriate because it coincides with the declaration of 2014 as the Year of Agriculture and Food Security by the African Union (AU) Assembly of Heads of State and Government.

He was of the opinion that if the region is to improve income and employment the only is to do it together.

“We at PIND believe that the way that the Niger-Delta would progress is together: working together, building together, aligning our interests to create an enabling environment for economic growth that benefits both big and small,” Daibo said.

The Cross River State Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Mr James Aniyom said 44.2 per cent of jobs in the Niger Delta

region are created by agriculture.

He said the sector can be said to be the cornerstone of the region’s economy.

His words, “Most people in the Niger Delta are employed in the agricultural sector and these include farming, forestry and the fish industry.

The agricultural sector employs at least 44.2 per cent of the population of the region. So the agricultural sector can be said to be the corner stone of the region’s economy.”

Aniyom, however said the farming systems in the Niger Delta are principally traditional subsistence crop farming which is characterized by small sized farm holdings of less than one hectare per household.

He said the theme of the workshop was apt because it brings to the fore the need for the states in the region to focus on the agricultural sector as the main driver of economic competitiveness in the Niger Delta area of the country.

“The Niger Delta as regarded as the oil-rich region of the country. But before the oil boom in the 1970s the region was referred to as the Oil Rivers because the region was a major producer of Palm Oil,” the

Commissioner said.

Aniyom said, in view of the importance of the agricultural sector to the economy of the region, the government of the nine states that make up the region must therefore ensure as a matter of priority the promotion of policies that would unlock investment opportunities in the region and also provide an enabling environment for the active participation of the private sector in the region’s agriculture.

On challenges, he said, “As in other parts of the country, the agricultural sector is faced by numerous challenges. These challenges include bit not limited to the following Inadequate rural infrastructure, weak agricultural support services, dependence on rented agriculture, lack of adequate credit facilities, limited access to land, inadequate use of mechanization and irrigation, lack of access to markets, inadequate participation of the private sector in the region’s agriculture, lack of adequate manpower due to aging farming population and lack of adequate processing facilities.”

I

Beneficiaries of the programme

From Mike Odiegwu, Yenagoa

career option. It has assisted us to develop and enhance our own ideas.

"Furthermore, it has assisted us to start a business with good business plan, managerial skills and guidelines.

Something which we never thought of is keeping of record but we have seen its importance through the programme".

He said the training had enabled them to know the importance of Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) which he described as something very important for a successful business.

"Live wire is a social investment programme that aims to help young Nigerians explore the option of starting their own business as a real option", he said. He also thanked Bilaagorogbene cluster and Shell for initiating the programme.

Indeed, the new entrepreneurs beamed with smiles as the company and the cluster presented them with starter packs and N300,000 capital each.

Apart from the live wire, the Chairman of Bilagorogbene Mien Cluster Development Board (BMDB), Alaye Dokubo, used the occasion to unveil

projects completed through the Global Memorandum of Understanding (GMoU) between Shell and the communities.

Giving historical development of GMoU, Dokubo said previous agreements between SPDC and its host communities were characterised by uncoordinated and uncompleted projects which unsettled the people of the region.

He said such failed pacts caused frustration and violence among host communities in the past. According to him the chaos led to the formulation of a brand new progressive and rancour-free understanding christened, the GMoU. He said the first GMoU between Shel and Bilagorogbene was signed on January 23, 2007 with a developmental plan of five yeas which ended in December, 2011. He said the agreement led to the execution of many sustainable projects and programmes in all the four cluster communities.

He explained that the second GMoU which was signed on November 14 to be implemented within five years gave birth to the projects and programmes which the cluster and SPDC came to inaugurate.

NO fewer than 1,000 graduates have been employed by the Federal Government under the SURE-P Graduates Internship Scheme (GIS) in Rivers State.

The process begun in Port Harcourt, the state capital Tuesday, and lasted till late Thursday.

Over 3,000 graduates applied for the exercise in the state. The Director of the Scheme Peter Papka disclosed that no fewer than 200,000 jobless Nigerian graduates have registered for the scheme (GIS) since its inception last year.

He predicted that the scheme would give opportunity to not less than 2,000 applicants in the state and appealed to them to make the best use of the opportunity to improve on their various fields of study to prepare them for future employment.

However, at the end of the exercise, though more firms and applicants were still filling forms to participate, over 1000 persons were matched with interested companies for the one year internship.

At the beginning of the exercise earlier, Papka explained that GIS as an intervention programme, was meant to offer skill to unemployed graduates of Nigerian origin in their areas of study to prepare them for permanent employment in the feature, or even self-reliant.

"GIS is one of the ways President Goodluck Jonathan is creating employment (opportunities) for the unemployed graduates of the country, under his seven point Agenda.”

Ita-Giwa: I’m not interested in being deputy governor From Nicholas Kalu, Calabar

Shell's live wire saves the jobless T is not an electric wire that flows but a wire that flows with life-giving current. It is a concept developed by the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) and its clusters to restore hope to the hopeless and offer self-employment for the jobless.

The Shell Live Wire which was introduced by the company to its clusters in the Niger Delta region produced positive results recently.

Youths from Bilagorogbene comprising Agoro, Agorogbene, Bilabiri I & II, host communities of Shell in Bayelsa State, rolled out their drums to count their blessings amidst jubilation.

In fact, 60 youths from the communities received entrepreneurial training from a team of business experts hired by the company.

For over a month, they learnt various skills with a blend of business principles. One of the beneficiaries of the programme, Mr. Lawrence Atisa, described the training as eventful and unique.

Narrating his experience before a crowd of persons that gathered in Yenagoa recently to inaugurate completed projects and programmes in Bilagorogbene Mein Cluster, Atisa exclaimed that a live wire that started like a joke a few months ago had produced committed entrepreneurs.

Describing it as exceptional, he said the 60 persons that participated in it felt the impact of the programme. He said the trainees appreciated the love that existed between them and their trainers. He said the trainers mixed teaching with sporting events.

He said: "This live wire has raised business awareness. It has encouraged us to see starting a business as a valid

SURE-P employs 1,000 in Rivers

"Suffice it to say that the joy in our hearts knows no bounds with the signing of the GMoU which has replaced all the sentiment and brought with it an abiding faith in SPDC's determined developmental drive.

"Peace has returned to our communities. We are, therefore, gathered here today to harvest the fruits of peace. We appreciate the Bayelsa State government's efforts for the prevailing peace in the state", he said.

Dokubo explained that the projects scheduled for inauguration gulped N140million. He named them as the SPDC Live Wire programme, three classroom blocks, a community town hall and construction of walkway with footbridge at Bilabiri II, among others.

In his remarks, the General Manager, Sustainable Development and Community Relations, Shell, Mr. Nedo Osayande, said Shell's Joint Venture has invested over N12 billion on GMoU-related projects in Bayelsa State since 2006.

Osayande, who was represented by Shell's Manager Government Relations, Central, Mr. Evans Krukrubo, said the company is investing N2 billion annually to deliver community development projects in the state.

A PROMINENT political leader in Cross River State, Senator Florence Ita-Giwa has debunked claims that she is angling to become deputy governor of the state next year.

In an exclusive chat with The Nation in Calabar she said had to make her position clear as rumour mongers were spreading the false information.

“At this point in my life I am not interested in being anybody’s deputy governor. My interest is that of the masses and I would continue to be on their side to fight any injustice.

“In any case my stature and where I have gotten to in my life today, with all sense of modesty, is too great for me to be anybody’s deputy governor.

I don’t have such interest,” she said.

The former presidential adviser, from the southern senatorial district, said if it was not for zoning the zoning policy of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), she would be running for the governorship of the state next year.

Her words, “I would have come out to contest for the governorship of the state, but because I also appreciate peace and peaceful coexistence that is why I abided by the zoning and shelved any such ambition.

“Those spreading the rumours belong to the class of Nigerian politicians that ydo not believe that you can serve and stick out your neck without wanting anything in return.

They always expect to be heavily rewarded in whatever they do. But I am doing what I am doing as a politician. I am doing what I am doing as a political leader. I am doing it because if I see someone about to be trampled upon I come out to defend such cause. “ She also declared her support for the incumbent senator of the southern senatorial district, Prince Bassey Otu.

THE NATION FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2014

36

NIGER DELTA REPORT COMMENT & DEB ATE EBA

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T did not occur to those fools that I was more dangerous six feet below. The messenger has never really mattered more than the message. But many people make the mistake of going after the messenger when they are supposed to address the message. I am sure they know better almost 20 years after they took me out that it is wrong to kill a snake with a wobbled stick and that it is a blatant waste of time throwing stone at the twitter bird.

I am just happy my people have refused to allow the enemy back into our land to reap from where they did not sow!

Sorry, I did not introduce myself; I am Kenule Beeson Saro-Wiwa, the man who loved the pipe and his people with so much passion. I also loved my poetry and the art generally.

Until November 10, 1995, I was the arrowhead of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP). Before that day, the military regime of the despotic Gen. Sani Abacha captured me and accused me of murder. The rest, as the good old cliché goes, is history.

I was found guilty before I was even tried. I was brutalised. My sin was that I encouraged my people to dance the guns to silence. For me, there was no way I could have kept quiet in the face of the nonsense that was going on.

Keeping silent, for me, would amount to committing treason against my people. How on earth could I have kept silent when these people were taking away our peace, our waterways and our farmlands? I just couldn't stand the nonsense.

Before I was hanged, my people and I seriously battled the military and Shell for making our land inhabitable. Shell polluted our waters with oil. Our fresh fish, which I relished a lot, disappeared because of the evil of this oil giant. When we dipped our hooks in the waters, they brought out crude cakes instead of fish.

All we sought was for the status quo to change and that gave rise to the Ogoni Bill of Rights.

One boy, a very good boy who is now a man, participated actively in the Ogoni struggle. If Nigeria were America or Canada, he could safely claim to be from Bane and no one would query him. He grew up in our family house.

From the age of ten till he was 30, our home was his home. Even when he gained admission to the Rivers State University of Science and Technology, it was to Bane he always returned for holidays. He was closer to Bane than Opobo, his original home town. He is a symbol of unity between both lands.

He is a man in whom I am well-pleased. I have watched his activities from this side and he has not disappointed me. Sorry, I am carried away. His name is Dr. Dakuku Adol Peterside, the consensus governorship aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the 2015 general elections in Rivers State. I am excited that he has found time to earn a doctorate

OLUKOREDE YISHAU

ABOVE WHISPERS

•A weekly intervention on Southsouth people and matters

olukoredeyishau@gmail.com

I’m Ken Saro-Wiwa

•The late Saro-Wiwa

‘

‘

––––––•Sir Lucky Ugochukwu Worluh, an educationalist

•Abe

‘

It is not unnatural for some of our people to feel bad that the APC chose Dakuku. But we should take solace in the fact that this boy who has now become a man spent over ten years in Ogoni, which made him have many childhood friends from Ogoniland than Opobo, the land of the great Jaja. We should also be consoled with the fact that he shares our aspirations. He is our son in whom we are well-pleased degree and not buy one of those on offer, all in the name of honorary doctorate degree. I am

LAST WORD

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

I know that some of these politicians are not educated and they believe that the only way to play cheap politics is to destroy the (Rivers State) governor’s wife. What is the responsibility of the local government when it comes to provision of the primary school education?

•Peterside

‘

equally thrilled by the fact that my brother, Magnus Abe, agreed to the arrangement to have

youthful Dakuku as the next governor of our dear state. Magnus is Dakuku's elder brother and friend.

I am happy those who are trying to sow seeds of discord between Dakuku and Magnus have already failed. The two of them have been close allies over the years. I was happy when the information courier arrived from earth and announced that Dakuku visited Magnus and had brotherly discussions with him. This gives me the impression that they will shame their detractors.

I find it hard to contain my overwhelming excitement at the good news that Dakuku is on his way to becoming the governor of Rivers State. I am truly elated. The Wiwa family still sees this young man as a member of the family. We can never forget him. We shared great times together and were it not for those agents of destruction, I would still be around to share quality times with him, his wife Elima and their three wonderful kids.

I can't easily forget those December holidays he spent in the Wiwa family house at Bane. They were memories I took to the grave and still relish here.

More than anything else, his association with our family made him to actively identify with the Ogoni struggle, which I led. He saw himself as Ogoni and did not shy away from identifying with our people, despite all the risk involved. Do I have any doubt about his sharing the vision and purpose of our people? Certainly not!

If the people of the state choose him, I believe that Dakuku will bring development to Ogoniland and Rivers generally. I have nothing against other political parties' standard bearers, but I speak of a man I knew and related with at close quarters.

I understand that as Commissioner for Works, he conceptualised and supervised the construction of Bori internal roads. The ancient town, according to the news available to us on the other side, has not remained the same again. Even so-called Ogoni sons who have been in power have not done more than he has done for our people.

I know it is not unnatural for some of our people to feel bad that the APC chose Dakuku.

But we should take solace in the fact that this boy who has now become a man spent over ten years in Ogoni, which made him have many childhood friends from Ogoniland than Opobo, the land of the great Jaja. We should also be consoled with the fact that being someone who was at the forefront of Ogoni struggle in 1990, when the Ogoni Bill of Rights (OBR) was put in place, he shares our aspirations. He knows our strengths, limitations and all.

So, let us all stand by him. He is our son in whom we are well-pleased.

FROM KAZEEM IBRAHYM, UYO

East-West Road: Furore over Eket bye-pass

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RISIS is brewing between the people of Ekid and the contractor handling the Eket section of the multi-billion naira East-West Road. The East-West is part of the developmental project of Federal Government in the Niger Delta.

It was awarded by former President Olusegun Obasanjo and it is to run from Warri, passing through Port-Harcourt up to Ette in Ikot Abasi and then come through Eket to Oron. The project is being handled by Gitto Construction Company.

According to the people of Ekid, the construction company is alleged to have abandoned the initial design of the road and rather opted to develop and rehabilitate an already existing road, instead of constructing a dual carriage way as approved by the government.

Already, a traditional injunction ‘ayei’ has been placed at the site of the project by the aggrieved members of the community led by an apex socio-cultural organisation, “Afigh Iwaad Ekid”.

Aside the traditional injunction, the community also pasted placards with various inscriptions on the equipment of the construction giant.

Some of the inscriptions on the placards read: “East West Road in Eket-Oron road must be dualised. We say no to corruption.”

Another reads: “The initial drawing of the East-West road dualisation must be implemented for peace to reign.”

The Chairman, Caretaker Committee, Afigh Iwaad Ekid, Obong Iwaad, Amb. Victor Assam, stated that the people of the area decided to ask the contractor to stop work when it was discovered that the construction company, Gitto, has not done anything on the Eket bye-pass that would link the Eket section of the East-West Road with Rivers State.

Assam also alleged that the company has not paid compensation to owners of structures affected by the road project.

He explained that the people of the constituency are demanding that Gitto Construction Company must follow the actual design of the road by dualising the road from Oron, through Eket to Onna rather than the current single lane rehabilitation work they were embarking on in Eket section of the East-West road.

He warned that anything short of the dualisation of the road is unacceptable to the people of the area.

Assam appealed to the Federal Government to release enough funds to the construction firm to enable it complete work on the bye-pass if shortage of funds was the problem.

A former Minister of Lands and Housing, Chief Nduese Essien, explained that the EastWest Road was originally designed to “come from Warri, passing through Port-Harcourt up to Ette in Ikot Abasi and then come through Eket to Oron”.

But at a stage, Chief Essien said, the contractor handling the section from the Qua Iboe

River Bridge through Eket section felt that too many properties on Eket-Oron section would be affected by the dualisation of the road as designed.

“So they proposed to do a bye-pass to save the property in Eket town and the community objected. They raised strong objection to diverting the road away from the original design. But on persistence, the contractor had his way and agreed to do a bye-pass.

“So the community accepted that the byepass be done, and so the contractor then went on to find the alignment for the bye-pass. They did so and suddenly, they abandoned the byepass and came on to rehabilitate the existing Eket-Oron road as a single carriage way, without doing the bye-pass.

A representative of the company, Oludare Lawrence, said there was no going back on the construction of the Eket bye-pass.

He said there are many reasons why the East-West road did not run through the Eket township unless we have a bye-pass. “The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) has a lot to do with it,” he said.

Placing incessant injunction, he said, will not help anybody.

The last word is: the way things stand, caution should be the watch word. Since the company has promised to construct the byepass, the people should give it the benefit of doubt.

37

THE NATION FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2014

SHOPPING

Hollandia Yoghurt unveils campaign •Partners Seyi Shay

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HI Limited has unveiled a campaign for Hollandia Yoghurt in Lagos.

In the Television commercial (TVC), tagged ‘It’s All Good,’ a woman singer, songwriter and dancer - Seyi Shay,promotes ‘goodness’ highlighting the benefits of drinking Hollandia Yoghurt.

On why she loves Hollandia Yoghurt, Seyi Shay said: “I love drinking Hollandia Yoghurt, bursting with goodness. Hollandia Yoghurt makes me feel real good on the inside that I can’t just stop flaunting it on the outside. I have had some of my fans say that I have great skin, healthy nails and hair.

And for me, it doesn’t just stop at that. ‘’Hollandia Yoghurt gives me improved energy levels for non-stop performance.

So, you see why Hollandia Yoghurt is my favourite.’’

The TVC highlights the connection between consumption of Hollandia Yoghurt that is nutritionally fulfilling and a refreshingly radiating personality which Seyi Shay embodies in her person and music. It draws attention to the success that is within the reach of those who dare to dream big. In the TVC, Seyi Shay achieved her dream of becoming a star in the same way that every customer experience is a brand moment of truth.

On the TVC, a member of the creative agency in charge of the copy, said the new TVC is a product of innovative thinking that has

By Kolawole Gloria

helped to convey the message that the “goodness” derived from taking Hollandia Yoghurt drink is not only experienced inside but also radiates on the outside. “It is not always easy to find an emotional way to say things that are factual. This is why we decided to engage the services of Seyi Shay to highlight the goodness of consuming Hollandia Yoghurt regularly.”

Seyi Shay, who prefers Hollandia yoghurt, said: “The partnership was a nobrainer and a flawless match for brand Hollandia brand and my brand. For me, it’s more than just a commercial, it’s my own way of getting millions of Nigerians everywhere to see and enjoy the goodness of Hollandia Yoghurt.”

An consumer of Hollandia Yogurt, Mr. Olanrewaju Ogundipe, praised Chi Limited and its creative team for putting together such a great commercial. He said: “I really appreciate the work’’.

A marketing professional, Mrs Sandra Ochulor, noted that Hollandia Yoghurt stands out in its ability to create an aspiration through its advertising while effectively delivering on the brand promise.

“Technology is clearly changing the way that consumers engage with brands and there is a clear

convergence now between creative and the experience that is delivered. It used to be that customer service defined the customer experience. Now, thanks to technology, we can do so much more to enhance the customer experience.”

In a related development, Hollandia yoghurt has also launched some new and exciting variants. They were launched to give the consumers a fuller and richer yoghurt experience anytime and anywhere.

Managing Director of Chi Limited, Mr. Roy Deepanjan said: “This year’s Hollandia Yoghurt launched the ”It’s All Good” campaign to deliver on the brand truthwhich is that Hollandia Yoghurt is good –on the inside as well as on the outside. We observed that there have been dramatic changes in the lifestyle of the consumer. People no longer have the luxury of time as they chase their dreams.

That’s our reason for introducing new variants and pack sizes that respond to our consumers’ current needs. We look forward to working with Seyi Shay on a host of different platforms to bring the beloved brand even closer to Nigerians.’’

In addition to Strawberry, Pineapple Coconut, and Plain Sweetened, Hollandia Yoghurt consumers can also enjoy new variants, such as Orange, Green Apple, and Pure N Plain.

Mr. Chef launches promo

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R. Chef, a leading seasoning brand, has kicked off its Awuff Now, Now! promo.

Managing Director of Bayswater Industries Ltd, Mr Piyush Nair, said the promo is aimed at sustaining its relationship by rewarding them for their patronage.

He said customers would get gifts for every purchase of Mr. Chef Beef and chicken-flavour seasoning cubes.

“This is jara for our customers. It will last until December 31, 2014. It is a reward promo to celebrate the fruitful relationship between Mr. Chef and our teeming customers all over Nigeria in a manner that makes everyone a winner.

“If our customers buy

‘Now Now,’ it is only right for them to win ‘Big Big’; without raffle draws and certainly, No Go Come,” he said, stressing, “Awuff, Now, Now’ makes everyone an instant winner.”

He said every carton of Mr. Chef’s beef or chicken seasoning contains a free pack of 100 cubes and other gifts that include biros, exercise books, cutlery sets, trays, fez caps, towels, aprons, T-shirts, radios and mobile phones.

Other prizes to be given to winners include high value gifts such as Kia Rio cars, trips to Dubai, generators, LED TVs, and refrigerators, which are contained in scratch cards in the cartons Nairs added: “You get an instant free gift with every

purchase you make,” adding, “The high value gifts are won by scratching the cards in the cartons; what you scratch is what you instantly win at Mr. Chef’s redemption centres.”

He said Mr. Chef would continued to stand tall in the market because of the firm’s philosophy of ensuring consumer satisfaction through quality products that have over the years become indispensable kitchen companion.

“Each time you take any of our products off the shelf in the markets and into your homes, it translates to success for us, but that success is not fully celebrated until you wear a smile on your face, as a result of being very well served by Mr. Chef,” he said.

e-Kitchen-Tribes makes debut

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ARCELOS Nigeria, a subsidiary of Food Emporium, has begun its online kitchenTribes; where its customers can order for their local and continental dishes online and have them delivered at their doorsteps.

On December 13, it would offer free bowls of soups to its customers.

It started business 13 years ago.

Managing Director of Barcelos, Mr Saheed Johnson, said the free soups is for Nigerians to have a taste of its new service line to bring in a dynamic approach to service and reduce the stress of having to wait in a queue for food.

“We are taking advantage of

Jumia’s Black Friday pushes e-commerce sales in Africa •JUMIA had over 1.5m visits, 10-fold sales increase within 24 hours

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UMIA, Africa’s largest online shopping mall, kicked off “Black Friday” offering special deals and discounts of up to 75 per cent across its large assortment of products, including best selling electronic devices, home and living products, groceries, service deals, sport products and toys.

Within 24 hours, Jumia reached an alltime peak in sales, seeing an extraordinary 10-fold increase in orders compared to Black Friday last year. Jumia Nigeria also recorded over 1.5 million visits to their website in a single day; numbers which point to the fact this is the highest recorded for any website in Nigeria.

Customers’ favourite deals sold out within a few hours, it consisted of flat screen TVs, digital cameras and ventilation systems.

Over 50 per cent of the visitors accessed the site through a mobile device via Android or iOS. Jumia’s top three sold items

are Innjoo i1s Black, Samsung UA 32 eh and Infinix Zero. ”Last year’s Black Friday was already a huge success and we always aim to offer our customers the best deals and prices.

That’s why we have more than doubled the amount of items included this year, establishing Jumia as the ultimate, one-stop destination for Black Friday shoppers. This year, we experienced a massive increase in traffic in all countries.

Black Friday and similar events help to educate the market and further underline the megatrend of online shopping in Africa.” says Jeremy Hodara, CoCEO Africa Internet Group.

Jeremy Doutte, Co-CEO Jumia Nigeria, said: “We are very pleased with the outcome of the Black Friday event as a company and we deeply appreciate every single customer that visited and also purchased from our website.

Constantly we do our best to put Nigeria on the world map and today we certainly did! The traffic to our website was unprecedented and it is amazing to see the value we are bringing to Nigerians and the nation as a whole. As with many previous successes, there are always things to learn and we can assure Nigerians to look forward to more rewarding shopping experiences with the nation’s number 1 online retailer, as we see such learnings as a window of opportunity to provide our customers with greater value”.

Jumia is part of Africa Internet Group (AIG) (formerly Africa Internet Holding), a leading Internet group in Africa with nine companies in 26 countries.

AIG is owned by three global experts in e-commerce and African markets: MTN, Millicom (Tigo) and Rocket Internet.

Jumia operates in 10 markets.

Konga leads biggest online shopping day

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ONGA.com has further cemented its position as Nigeria’s largest online mall as it delivered Nigeria’s biggest online shopping day with its version of the Global Black Friday sales tagged ‘Yakata’-(a Nigerian colloquial term meaning “final” or “completely). Konga’s Yakata sales started on Thursday and ended by midnight on Black Friday giving shoppers more time to shop.

Konga’s Yakata sales pioneered and localised the concept of Black Friday in the Nigerian ecommerce industry.

The first edition held last year was a huge success. However, this year’s sales delivered even more outstanding results.

On Friday, Konga.com saw a record breaking 1440 per cent year on year increase in online revenue.

The Chief Executive Officer/founder of Konga.com, Mr. Sim Shagaya, said at its peak, Konga was processing N50 million worth of orders every hour and that it sold 500 per cent more items in the two days of Yakata than it did in 2012.

The successes for Yakata came behind a lot of hard work on the part of Konga.com.

Over the last, one year, the company made the strategic decision to invest heavily in technology and other operational infrastructure, a very

different strategy from that of other Nigerian ecommerce companies who have focused more on advertising.

The company focused on enhancing its website and other operating systems. Another key move by the company was the creation of its own logistics and delivery arm called KExpress which now ensures that the company can continue to efficiently deliver the growing number of orders it receives every day.

Konga.com also opened up its marketplace to small and medium business owners in the course of the year. Today, Konga’s marketplace platform boasts of thousands of SME owners who have stores and are actively trading on the site. Konga’s SellerHQ has more than double the number of products available on the site of its closest competitor.

The choices Konga.com has made in the past one year have clearly been the right ones, unlike its closest online retailer competitor; the Konga.com website experienced no down-time during the Yakata sales, despite the incredible number of concurrent visits to the site during that period. This year’s sales was record breaking for Konga across different metrics.

According to Sim Shagaya, “We received thousands of

orders within the first few hours of launching Yakata. The orders poured in from virtually every state in Nigeria and interestingly from several other countries as well. Following the Yakata sales, almost 100,000 items are being shipped all over Nigeria.

Shagaya said: “Over 40 per cent of the people who shopped had never bought online before. With a significant part of Konga’s orders generated from mobile devices it shows that Ecommerce is really growing fast in Nigeria and it is a clear pointer that mobile is the way Nigerians will shop online in the future.

Mr. Shagaya expressed his deep gratitude to all customers that took part in the Yakata Sales saying, “Because of our customers, Konga and many small and medium size retailers that sell on our platform witnessed sales volumes that were simply staggering.

We, as a people, have made a great leap forward towards the development of e-commerce in Nigeria and larger Africa”.

Some of the hottest deals recorded during the period were Haier Thermo cool 3KVA remote control generator which sold at a remarkable N53, 750 at a discount of almost 60 per cent; and the Lenovo A3300 Tablet which sold at N18, 000 instead of N30, 000.

By Nneka Nwaneri

technology and the social media to serve piping hot meals in your home while you do other things.

Tribes is strictly African and is specially packaged for working women who can get their local traditional meals just from their smart phones.

“Not that we are making our women lazy, but allowing enough time for them and their spouses.

So for the soup tasting, we are ready to feed 10,000 Nigerians or more in all our Lagos outlets.”

The company has also announced sales of its vouchers and gifts cards for the end of the year.

•From right: Managing Director of Barcelos Mr Saheed Johnson; Chief Operating Officer Frank Drake and Head of Finance Mr Dayo Oyenuga.

38

THE NATION FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2014

THE NATION

BUSINESS

AGRICBUSINESS

e-mail: essiet_daniel@yahoo.com

Moringa is widely known as the cure-all plant because of its nutritional and medicinal value. Many, among them, smallholder farmers and agro-exporters are cashing in on this to make money, reports DANIEL ESSIET.

The booming Moringa trade

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HE Chief Executive, Natural Nutrient Limited, Mr Sola Adeniyi, has carved a niche for himself in moringa farming and export. He owns a thriving Moringa farm along LagosAbeokuta Road. He also has a processing factory where he processes and exports various products made from Moringa leaves to France.

According to Adeniyi, the commodity is gaining attention in France and other major markets across the globe. And to enable him meet international standards, he has significantly improved on the quality of his production process by embracing the best technology in Moringa farming.

Although, he declined to say how much he makes from the business annually, Adeniyi said the rewards are potentially enormous. He said small farmers could earn so much annually from Moringa farming According to him, the demand for Moringa is very high. He however, disclosed that despite the huge potential of Moringa farming, there are not enough trees to grow the plant and satisfy surging local and international demand.

He said few hectares of land are used in cultivation of Moringa nationwide despite the huge demand spurred by the plant’s great potential to improve diets, incomes and health.

Adeniyi stated that Nigeria has a great potential for Moringa production and export, which, at moment, is far from being fully exploited. He sees Moringa as a crop, which could benefit smallholder farmers as well as boost the balance sheet of big businesses.

He said there is need to expand the cultivation of Moringa trees to achieve economies of scale in the production of its leaves and seeds.

As fas as Adeniyi is concerned, Moringa has come to stay on account of its multi-functional attributes either as a nutritional supplement or medicinal value. It is also a major export crop capable of generating income and fighting poverty Dubbed “miracle tree”, the Moringa plant, according to health experts, is rich in antioxidants that prevent lifestyle-related ailments such as cardiovascular diseases, high blood pressure, and cancer.

Enumerating some of the uses of the plant, Assistant General Secretary, Moringa Development Association of Nigeria (MDAN),Dr. Alikwe Philip, said Moringa is an important tree that can be used to boost immunity, fight malnutrition, cure headache and arthritis.

While affirming that the plant is highly medicinal, he said it contains most of the nutrients needed by the body, which is why Moringa leave is increasingly becoming an important source of food and income hence the massive drive to sustain the industry.

The most popular distribution centres for Moringa products are pharmacies, herbal clinics and health centres. It is also not uncommon for medical personnel to recommend the use of Moringa products. Experts even say that many pharmaceutical companies don’t know how much they can benefit from the plant.

Moringa also has a lot of nutritional value. Already, many Nige-

rians have recognised the nutritional value of Moringa leaves and have integrated them into their diets. Now, Moringa is known throughout the country because of nutritional education sessions and trainings on cultivation, processing and commercial development.

The commercial value of the plant is no less exciting. Speaking with The Nation, a merchant, Patrick Inelo, said Moringa is gold and can fetch the nation good revenue. He said this is why there has been a recommendation that the plant be amonsgt the value chain commodities of the Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA) by the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN).

This is in the light of its enormous potential to contribute to the country’s food security, wealth creation and poverty alleviation.

Already, sale of Moringa products, including leaf teabags, capsules and raw leaf powder is on the increase, with farmers in the mould of Adeniyi smiling to the bank.

Because of its multi-functional attributes, Moringa cultivation and export has been on the upsurge amongst smallholder farmers most of who are eager to meet the surge in demand by local and regional markets. With increasing demand, more people have begun to grow Moringa, with farmers making efforts to process and market the leaves and seeds.

Interestingly, unlike in the past when farmers struggled to dry their Moringa leaves under the sun, there has been significant improvement in technology. Today, farmers have access to more advanced drying techniches, including solar dryers and milling machines.

Adeniyi and other stakeholders believe that for a successful commercial Moringa leaf processing, a stable production basis is required, and this cannot be achieved through collection from wild growing trees, which may produce low and unreliable yields of vastly varying quality.

This perhaps, explains why the market for moringa products has gone through several positive and negative situations.

With regards to better exploiting the existing market for Moringa leaf powder, one of the key challenges, according to Adeniyi, is upgrading the value chain and increasing the competitiveness of the produce.

Inelo, who doubles as Chief Executive, Noble Icon Nigeria, Ilorin, Kwara State, also noted that the biggest challenge facing the tree is lack of land on which to cultivate the plant.

According to him, growing

•Moringa trees

moringa is one way of helping subsistence farmers make better use of their land and improve their living standards. Since the trees are able to withstand temperatures, they offer new income-generating opportunities to farmers living in areas regarded as agriculturally unproductive.

As Chief Executive, Rhegos Resources, Mr. Sunday Obanubi pointed out, youths can take advantage of the opportunity offered by the growing market for Moringa products to be self employed.

Obanubi said the plant has the potential for job creation and poverty alleviation. When it comes to job creation, household food security and poverty reduction, he said Moringa has a lot to offer.

While emphasising that the plant needs several hectares of land to produce, Inelo added that there are so many things farmers can produce from it such as bagged tea from the leaves. But the farmers, he pointed out, need to be educated on how to use Moringa tea to treat various ailments.

This is because the attitude of the general public towards Moringa tea is poor. The urban population normally regard the tea as inferior compared to imported tea.

Obanubi said efforts have to be made to communicate the numerous benefits of Moringa to grassroot farmers, policy makers, and traders, adding that the success of the business depends on the quality of the cultivation process.

According to him, there is significant business potential for Moringa farming as long as positive solutions could be found around the problems of cultivation .

The thinking of experts is that now that agriculture is gradually regaining its glory as the nation’s economic mainstay, attention should be shifted to Moringa farming and export since the crop has become a money-spinner. Interestingly, Moringa can grow well in most parts, which is why there has

‘The thinking of experts is that now that agriculture is gradually regaining its glory as the nation’s economic mainstay, attention should be shifted to Moringa farming and export since the crop has become a money-spinner. Interestingly, Moringa can grow well in most parts, which is why there has been growing interest on Moringa’

•Adeniyi holding a Moringa leave been growing interest on Moringa.

For instance, University of Ilorin, Kwara State, has already established a Moringa plantation. Its Dean, Faculty of Agriculture, Prof Abiodun Adeloye, told The Nation that additional activities of the university’s Moringa plantation include the hosting of scientific and stakeholders’ conferences aimed at drawing attention to the many benefits of Moringa.

The university, according to him, grows Moringa, processes the leaf to powder and sells the product.

Though awaiting the approval of the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Adeloye said the university has completed an ultramodern factory for processing Moringa near its Moringa farm.

The idea is to produce Moringa products that meet the highest standards for local and international markets.

The university, he disclosed,

intends to take advantage of the huge export opportunity in the Moringa market to earn foreign exchange. The university’s pilot plantation, at the moment is 200 hectares.

Part of the university’s operation includes setting up Moringa nursery plant where it sells moringa seedlings and also assisting other organisations in setting up their own plantations.

Adeloye disclosed, for instance, that Land Mark University at Omu Aran bought 5,000 seedlings from the university to establish its own plantation.

However, a number of factors have continued to make it difficult for Moringa production and export to flourish in Nigeria. Some of them include restricted water access and shortage of quality seeds.

Experts say that this is where the Federal Government need to intervene if the full benefits of Moringa must be derived.

THE NATION FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2014

39

AGRICBUSINESS

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HE Federal Government has been urged to revamp the railways to facilitate the transformation of agricultural produce nationwide.

A consultant to World Bank, Prof Abel Ogunwale, said with increasing domestic production, ,there are greater challenges of moving commodities across the country.

Farmers, he said, cannot move their produce efficiently from field to market because the rail facilities are not sufficient and available in every state, thereby increasing logistical challenges.

In most areas of the country, he noted there are not enough locomotives,adding that this affects the industry .

He said the industry needs enough locomotives to store and support rise in grains production.

Transporting large volumes, he maintained, requires intense advance planning and this is where the agric industry is facing a challenge.

Ogunwale said the grain industry is most dependent on rail, and those railroads transport the highest volumes of grains.

He noted that the future vitality

‘Revamp railways to boost production’ Stories by Daniel Essiet

of agriculture is dependent upon a healthy, profitable rail industry and it is important for railroads to generate the necessary returns on investment to allow them to maintain and expand their network.

According to him, there are concerns about transportation bottlenecks eroding prices that farmers receive for their grains, reducing the competitiveness of supplies in the marketplace.

Ogunwale appealed to the government to build new rail corridors to increase the country’s railway infrastructure, enhance connectivity and accelerate the process of modernisation of agriculture.

He called for agric logistic parks and freight terminals, adding that it would enhance food supply and distribution. This, he added, required a much toughened infrastructure to connect food manufacturing businesses.

DFID moves to boost tomato production, create jobs

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ROUGH its growth and Employment in States Wholesale/Retail sector (GEMS4), the United Kingdom Department For International Development (DFID) has moved to support efforts to promote agricultural facilities to ensure stable cultivation of tomato to create jobs.

The project may also use tomato cultivation to create employment.

To this end, the project organised a Private Sector Stakeholders Workshop on Market Development in the Tomato value chain in Lagos.

Intervention Manager, GEMS4 Project, Richard Ogundele, said DFID was ready to support innovation across the value chain and assist farmers to produce quality, affordable and locallygrown tomatoes while creating jobs .

Ogundele explained: “We are working with partners to unlock financial investments in various operations – tomato production, processing, packaging and distribution. Improving primary handling operations – fresh produce packing house models, returnable plastic crate rental models, expansion of cold chain services for transport and storage and capacity building in good handling practices for fresh produce.”

During the workshop, several business linkages were made be-

tween various partners to work collaborate on business plans.

The workshop brought together stakeholders in the tomato industry to explore ways to develop the tomato value chain.

Participants included tomato farmers,Origin group, Bank of Agriculture, Education Sector Support Programme in Nigeria (ESSPIN); Growth and Employment in States – Business Environment (GEMS3);, Fresh Fruits Vegetable Dealers Association of Nigeria (FFVDAN),Novus Agro; Nigeria Stored Products Research Institute (NSPRI),Total Agric Solution, Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Afrofoods, Lagos State Agricultural Development Programme, Syngenta, Ministry of Agriculture, International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC), Agricultural Fresh Produce Growers & Exporters Association Of Nigeria (AFGEAN) and Union Bank .

During the technical and plenary sessions, there were in depth deliberations on to - unlock financial investments in production, processing, packaging and distribution; improve primary handling operations from farm to processing centers; and improve and expand support services like structuring farmers organisations, improving technical and managerial skills, agricultural extension and training, storage and transportation - all within the tomato industry.

Focus on costs, farmers told

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ARMERS have been advised to focus on costs control to protect their operations from “increasingly volatile markets.”

An expert, Dr Ademola Adeyemo, said farmers would need to address crucial costs to run their businesses successfully as economic crisis will introduce some level of unpredictability into the commodity markets, urging farmers to keep a tab on costs.

According to him, measures taken to restrict the economy will affect farming business and volatility of commodity prices is expected.

With this trend, he said farming will be input driven, advising farmers to make efforts to acquire technology that would make improve productivity.

To achieve this, he said everything has to come together,including analysis of soil and water, as well as seeds and fertiliser, to improve productivity.

With climate change showing impact on farming, he urged the government to take steps to protect the farming areas from flooding.

To achieve this, he urged the government to set aside money for river maintenance and repair and other waterways that cause flooding in the event of overflowing.

Highlighting the importance of regular maintenance, he said channels which were not regularly cleared of silt, vegetation and debris block the river channel and increased the risk of flooding.

•Agro commodities can be transported by rail to the port.

Afreximbank offers $350m for cocoa production

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HE African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) is to provide about $350 million in financing cocoa processing in four major cocoa producing countries.

In a statement by its President, Jean-Louis Ekra, the bank said the gesture was mined at boosting the African Cocoa sector and related business.

At the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Afreximbank and the International Cocoa Organisation (ICCO) in Cairo, Egypt, the statement said the bank has in the pipeline additional $400 million for the purpose.

It reaffirmed the bank’s commitment to help achieve greater involvement of Africa in the global cocoa value chain and to increase cocoa consumption in the continent.

“Besides, it is to diversify the continent’s cocoa export markets, and improve productivity and income levels for cocoa farmers.

“It is to achieve these ends that the bank launched its African Cocoa Initiative (AFRICOIN),” said Ekra.

The statement said under the terms of the memorandum of understanding, the initial focus would be on the development and implementation of solutions to improve the structural conditions of cocoa markets.

It added that focus would be to enhance the long-term competitiveness of small-holder cocoa farms and of the continental cocoa and chocolate products industry, to reinforce their capacity to participate in global trade.

Executive Director of ICCO, Mr Jean-Marc Anga,lauded the bank for the gesture.

He reiterated that there was need for a strong focus to support indigenous businesses to play an active role in the processing of Africa’s cocoa.

Afreximbank is the foremost Pan-African multilateral financial institution devoted to financing and promoting intra- and inter-African trade.

The bank was established in October 1993 by African governments, African private and institutional investors, and non-African investors.

Its two basic constitutive documents are the Establishment Agreement, which gives it the status of an international organisation, and the Charter, which governs its corporate structure and operations.

Since 1994, Afreximbank has approved almost $30 billion in credit facilities for African businesses, including about $3.5 billion in 2013.

Meanwhile, the National President, Cocoa Farmers Association of Nigeria (CFAN), Alhaji

Raheem Adeniji, has identified funding as the major problem facing cocoa production in the country.

He said in Osogbo that cocoa farmers need financial assistance from the federal and state governments to increase their production.

“Cocoa farmers are struggling to produce and they need governments’ assistance to keep going and increase production,” he said.

He said a farmer would need more than N100, 000 to clear an hectare of cocoa farmland, aside from the purchase of chemicals, fertiliser, labour and hiring of tractors.

He said the Osun State Government had been assisting cocoa farmers by providing them with free cocoa seedlings.

“The state government gave cocoa farmers 17, 000 seedlings free of charge this year in a bid to boost cocoa production and output.

“This is a laudable effort because it will help the farmers and also enable the state to maintain itsthird position among cocoa producing states in the country, but we still need more assistance,” he said.

He thanked the state government for supporting farmers, but said more assistance was needed from both the state and federal governments.

Fed Govt urged to increase agric allocation

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HE Federal Government has been urged to increase budgetary allocation to agriculture instead of spending too much money on importing food.

The National President, Nigerian Association of Agricultural Economists, Prof. Peter Okuneye, said if the government increased the budget and educate farmers on organic farming, which is environmentally friendly, food insecurity would end.

He spoke at the 14th Memorial Lecture in honour of Prof Anthony Afolabi Adegbola at Ikorodu, Lagos.

He said if the government committed more resources to the sector that contribute a lot towards the country’s economy to help farmers increase production and achieve high quality produce, it would translate to better earnings.

He urged governments at all levels to increase the budget allocation for agriculture to ten percent.

By Rizqah Ramon

Okuneye said the allocation needs to be increased in line with the Maputo Declaration.

According to the Maputo Declaration on Agriculture and Food Security, African Union (AU) memberstates are required to secure an allocation of at least 10 per cent of national budgetary resources to agriculture and rural development policy implementation for sustained growth in the sector.

Okuneye said there was the need for more allocation in line with the Maputo Declaration’s benchmark of 10 per cent and to grow the economy and create jobs.

He said the agricultural sector requires urgent reform to boost productivity and growth.

According to him, the sector requires financial resources to stimulate the much-needed growth.

He reiterated that it deserves a substantial allocation of national resources so that the resources can be

put to good use in terms of improving productivity, increasing production and generating employment.

Okuneye noted that tremendous development was achievable if the federal, state and local governments set aside nothing less than seven and if possible 10 per cent of the budget to agriculture.

According to Okuneye, the areas the government should focus on for the allocation should include green regulations and policies, conservation practices, green integrated farming systems, capacity building on green economy particularly on green agriculture, research and development as well as value chain approaches on green agriculture.

He said agricultural importation can be reduced if the Federal government increase level of agriculture production, sensitize the farmers, give them facilities and machinery to assist in their production.

THE NATION FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2014

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BUSINESS AFRICA

Airtel launches first 4G service in Africa B

HARTI Airtel has launched Africa’s first 4G service in the Seychelles.

This makes the Seychelles among the first countries in sub-Saharan Africa to commercially deploy this cutting-edge technology.

Airtel is leading global telecom services provider with operations in 20 countries across Asia and Africa.

This is Airtel’s first commercial LTE network in Africa.The infrastructure is a new, nationwide LTE (Long Term Evolution) 800 MHz network, which will more than meet the growing customer demand for mobile broadband services, whilst delivering superior network performance. The network is expected to cover 10,000 LTE subscribers in the first

phase and will greatly enhance connectivity giving Airtel’s customers an improved smartphone experience, with faster web browsing, downloads and improved quality of service. Airtel’s 4G (FD-LTE) network was launched by His Excellency Mr. Danny Fure, Vice President, government of Seychelles.

The Vice President said: “The deployment of the next generation mobile network across the Seychelles will enable an enhanced mobile experience and reliable services; and will facilitate new and exciting opportunities for businesses, the society and the people in the country.”

Mr. Christian de Faria, Airtel Africa’s CEO, said: “Today’s launch is a major milestone for Seychelles and Airtel in Africa.

“We already have Africa’s widest 3G footprint, being present in 17 countries. We are delighted to now provide leadership in setting the technology standard for 4G services in Africa by rolling out this cutting edge LTE network. I would like to thank the team involved in helping fulfill this achievement.”

Airtel Seychelles Managing Director, Amadou Mahamat Dina, said: “Besides offering rich content, Airtel’s 4G will allow superfast access to High Definition (HD) video streaming, multiple chatting, instant uploading of photos and much more.”

‘Why aviation needs a master plan’

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INISTER of Aviation Chief Osita Chidoka has given reasons the sector needs a 10-year master plan that will address the allocation of airport concessions, aeronautical agreements and the use of land around the nation’s 24 airports.

The minister said the aviation master plan had become imperative as its absence in the past years led to many mistakes that gave rise to controversial airport concessions and uncoordinated use of airport land that contravened rules and regulations of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).

Also, the minister said the government was committed to the setting up a private sector driven national carrier that could offer lower fares.

By Kelvin Osa Okunbor

The minister said he has extracted commitment from the Central Bank of Nigeria ( CBN) to include domestic carriers in the Retail Dutch Auction System, because allowing operators to use the interbank exchange is costly.

Addressing reporters in Lagos after meeting aviation workers, Chidoka said the road map put in place by his predecessor, Princess Stella Oduah, did not capture holistic development of the aviation sector in terms of the template of infrastructure, the criteria for concessions and how to maximise the aviation sector for national development.

He said in the past months, the government conducted studies on the challenges of the sector which indicated that the airports were un-

der-performing in the face of delayed flights by domestic carriers and poor turn around time.

Worried over the damning report that Nigerian airports are far below the global standards, Chidoka said government has concluded plans to certify two airports next year.

He listed the two airports to be certified to include Lagos and Abuja Airports, adding that plans were underway to enlist the Kano and Enugu airports in the second phase of certification.

He said in the next six months, air field lighting system at 12 airports would be completed.

Provision of air field lighting system at the 12 airports, he said had become imperative to allow for night flights, even as the government had completed plans to calibrate air navigation facilities at airports.

Maryland shopping compex prototype unveiled

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ROTOTYPE of the new Maryland Mall, Lagos has been unveiled in Lagos.

The deal is between Purple Capital Partners Limited, a specialist investment firm with business areas in principal investment private equity and real estate and Network Hotels Limited.

The project is a redevelopment of the Maryland Business Plaza on Ikorodu Road in the Maryland.

The mall will serve residents in the Mende, Anthony, Ilupeju, Ojota, GRA Ikeja, Oshodi, Gbagada and all commuters along that axis.

It sits on a buildable area exceeding 10,000 square meters and boasts of 7,000 square meters of gross lettable area poised to inculcate a broad and sophisticated knowledge base that spans urban design,

planning, building and landscape architecture.

This unique design, it was learnt, was conceptualised by CmDesignAtelier an indigenous architectural team. The implementation of this unique design is backed by a world- class development team led by the Project Manager, AECOM Professional Services Nigeria Limited. The professional team, individually and collectively have worked on several domestic and international retail mall developments, hotel developments and office developments.

AECOM banks on creating, enhancing and sustaining the world’s built, natural and social environments in 160 countries. AECOM’s African operation is headquartered in South Africa.

Caverton acquires helicopter

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AVERTON Helicopters Limited has announce the acquisition of another AW139 helicopter.

According to statement by the company, this delivery brings the total number of AW139 helicopters to nine in its fleet.

The equipment will further establish Caverton as the leading operator of this most modern helicopter in Africa.

The statement reads: “The aircraft with registration number 5NBSG, is in line with our fleet expansion plans and it enables us to adequately support our existing contracts as a leading provider of aviation logistics services to oil and gas multinationals within and outside the country.”

With a shift in strategy from partnerships with foreign helicopter firms to sole participation, Caverton has come of age over the last ten years. Bringing our own aircraft gives us more control, increases efficiency and ultimately improves our bottom-line. We are primed to continue to use the AW139 to service the oil and gas industry in Nigeria.”

In 2010, Caverton Helicopters edged out foreign operators to win a multi-million dollars, multi-year contract from Shell Petroleum Development Company for the supply and operation of six helicopters.

A seventh helicopter was added last May. Won after a rigorous competitive bidding, it is on record as the biggest contract ever awarded by the oil multi-national to an indigenous company.

Last year, the firm started its first international operation after it won the contract to provide passenger transfer and pipeline surveillance services to the Cameroon Oil Transport Company (COTCO), a subsidiary of ExxonMobil.

In June this year, the company signed an agreement with CAE, a Canadian firm, for the construction and operation of the first commercial flight simulation centre in Africa.

This centre will also double as maintenance repair and overhaul facility and is in line with our vision is to be a one-stop-shop for training and logistics services in Sub-Saharan Africa.

AfBAA signs agreement

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•From left: Comptroller-General, Nigerian Customs Services, Alhaji Abdullahi Inde Dikko; Chairman, Nigerian Aviation Handling Company Plc, Alhaji Suleiman Yahyah and National Chairman, Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents, Mr. Olayiwola Shittu, at the reopening of the Cargo Warehouse at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.

NAHCO backs airports’ sanitisation

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IGERIAN Aviation Handling Company ( NAHCO) Plc is committed to efforts by agencies to sanitise operations at the airports, its Chairman, Mallam Suleiman Yahyah, has said.

He spoke when the ComptrollerGeneral of Nigerian Customs Service Alhaji Dikko Inde Abdullahi visited the cargo terminal of the Lagos Airport.

He said nahco would be at the forefront to ensure that the area is sanitised and befitting of a major airport that is the pride of Nigeria.

The nahco boss led the Customs chief to inspect facilities of the company.

Yahyah said when the events that led to the closure of the warehouses started, nahco aviance expressed its displeasure with the action of those that caused the fracas According to him, “We wish to assure comptroller-general that every step would be taken. We would review our operating procedures. We would further upgrade our manpower and equipment; and we will review our relationship with the agencies and will come back to you with the next steps. But I assure that your next visit to this place will witness a much better and sanitised environment.”

The President, Association of Licensed Clearing Agents of Nigeria (ANLCA) Mr. Olayiwola Shittu said the problem of touts who pretend to be agents at the airports is one that should not be blamed on Customs alone.

He said: “The regulatory agencies; not limited to Customs, the Police, FAAN, Airforce must take part of the blame for what is happening. Those of us who were licenced by NCS to operate in customs territory are overwhelmed by the influx of those who have no business being in the airports.’’

He urged the law enforcement agencies to do more in removing touts from the airports.

HE African Business Aviation Association (AfBAA) has signed a memorandum of understanding with Jet Support Services, Inc. (JSSI), the provider of hourly cost maintenance programmes for the aviation industry.

The deal is to raise awareness of the importance of adopting best practices in aircraft maintenance.

The agreement, which was ratified at this year’s National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) meeting, will see both parties cooperating in promoting awareness of programme options to enable best practice across the aviation maintenance sector.

Under the agreement, AfBAA members will receive financial, educational and business benefits when enrolling aircraft onto JSSI Programmes. In addition JSSI will

provide a variety of tools and incentives to promote the adoption of certain industry “best practices” including the adoption of hourly cost maintenance progammes for executive aircraft, engines and Auxiliary Power Units (APU).

It is anticipated that through encouraging the adoption of hourly cost maintenance programmes, the perception of Business Aviation as an efficient and safe mode of transportation in Africa will be improved.

“We are delighted that we have reached this agreement with JSSI,” said Tarek Ragheb, AfBAA’s Founding chairman.

“This type of arrangement underlines AfBAA’s commitment to providing its members with tangible benefits whilst at the same time encouraging the adoption of best practice for the African Business Aviation industry.

Dana Air airlifts 2.3m passengers

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ANA Air said it has airlifted over 2.3million passengers in the last six years of its opera-

tions.

The head, Corporate Communications of the airline, Mr Sam Ogbogoro,made this known in an interview.

He said the airline has celebrated its sixth anniversary by demonstrating compassion to senior citizens.

The airline visited visited the Old People’s Home in Yaba to extend support, he said On the significance of identifying with the aged in the society, the Head Corporate Communications,

Mr. Samuel Ogbogoro, said: ‘’Dana Air is leading in the drive to support charitable causes in the country as it continues to show firm commitment by investing in worthy causes that touches the lives of both the young and aged in the society.”

The airline recently treated special and orphaned children at the Sai orphanage to an independence party to celebrate Nigeria’s 54th independence anniversary just as it recently sponsored a youth empowerment programme, Dare2Dream project, to help Nigerian youths achieve their dreams.

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THE NATION FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2014

SHOWBIZ The Experience 2014: Don Moen, Sinach, others billed for show

Opa William’s holds The Evening

By Ovwe Medeme

By Dupe Ayinla-Olasunkanmi

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HE annual interdenominational gospel concert, The Experience, known to feature some of the best-known musical talents around the world, will be holding its 9th edition at Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS), Onikan otonight.

Hosted by Pastor Paul Adefarasin, the concert, which debuted in December 2006 with thousands of persons in attendance, has rapidly gained momentum at its second outing. The Experience presently has become one of the largest gospel musical concerts in

• Don Moen

By Dupe Ayinla-Olasunkanmi

Africa.

According to reports, artistes to

• Sinach

be expected at the show include, Don Moen, Donnie McClurkin, Sinach, Frank Edwards, Micah Stampley, Chevelle Franklyn,

Chioma Jesus, Nathaniel Bassey, Israel Houghton, Angella Christie, Onos, Midnight Crew and Freke among others.

OMEDY merchant, Opa Williams, popular for his show, A Night of a Thousand Laugh, is set to hold The Evening, a black tie event, which he said will showcase the best of Nigerian entertainers.

The show holds at the Shell Hall, Muson Centre, Onikan, Lagos, this Sunday.

William said the main focus of the event is to create a networking forum and raise funds to empower spinal cord injury patients as well as those challenged by mobility as a result of accidents or other disasters.

Those who will be performing at the show are Yinka Ayefele, The Spirit of the Drum group, The Marina choir, Yaw and Gordons.

Dayo Amusa’s Unforgivable steals show at YMAA

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AST Sunday, November 30, 2014, was a day of celebration for Yoruba movie star, Dayo Amusa, as her movie, Unforgivable, clinched five laurels at the Yoruba Movie Academy Awards (YMAA), which took place at WOCDIF Centre,

By Dupe Ayinla-Olasunkanmi

Oshogbo, Osun State.

The movie, which featured several cross-over artistes, won in the Best Actress, Best Film, Best Cross Over, Achievement in Directing and Best Child Act cat-

egories.

Unforgivable stars Mike Ezuruonye and Desmond Elliot in a rare outing, where the notable English language movie stars thrill fans with their ability to speak Yoruba.

While Amusa won the Best Actress diadem, Ezuruonye was named Best Cross Over Act. Elliot and Titilayo Shobo also got the Achievement in Directing and Best Child Act respectively.

Other awardees on the night include, Murphy Afolabi, as Best Actor in a Lead Role for Babalaje; Yinka Quadri, Best Actor in a Supporting Role; Aishat Abimbola, Best Actress in a Supporting Role; Sanyeri, Best Comedy Act; Gbenga Okunola, Achievement in Editing for Arekereke; Ahmed Alawiye, Enter-

tainer in an Acting Role and Yewande Adekola, Most Promising Act for her role in Kudi Klepto.

Achievement in Cinematography went to Lakasagba, Best Comedy Film went to Okola Lamerika, Best Cultural Film went to Irugbin, Achievement in Makeup went to Tope Adeoye, Best Marketer went to Epsalum Production, while Iyabo Ojo’s Pinkies Foundation won the Achievement in Social Responsibility award.

High point of the ceremony was the YMAA Honours, which went to veteran actors; Kareem Adepoju (Baba Wande), Kola Oyewo, Grace Adejobi (Iya Oshogbo), Toyin Adegbola (Asewo to re Mecca) and Deji Aderemi (Olofa Ina).

• Opa Williams

Lagos Countdown: 2face, Olamide, others set to thrill

W • Amusa

• Ezuruonye

Rodney releases video for Baba Loke

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INNER of the maiden edition of Naija Street Champ, Rodney Edemhanria, aka ‘Rodney the Monster’, has released the most anticipated video for his debut hit single, Baba Loke.

Shot in Lagos, the video was di-

• Rodney

By Medeme Ovwe

rected by Cardoso Imagery, the company noted for the visuals of waorks by artistes such as AY.com, Seriki ft Oritsefemi and Klever Jay ft May D among others.

The video, which is released under Unmissable Music record label, according to the artiste, is dream come true for his budding music career. He disclosed that work is currently ongoing on more hit tracks for the airwaves.

“I am very excited and proud to announce the release of my first official video for Baba Loke. I am indebted to Unmissable Incentives Limited, my producers, ID Cabbasa, D’Tunes and Terry G for their immense contribution to my career,’’ he said Rodney who recently performed at the 2014 edition of the Nigerian Sports Award, alongside 9ice and Black Magic, hinted that he has another two hot singles in the works.

While commending Cardozo Imagery for the creativity it brought into the video, Rodney stated that the video promises to be one of the best music videos of 2014, especially among the ones shot and produced in Nigeria.

ITH the year coming to an end, private and corporate bodies are reported to be gearing up with different events to make it memorable for clients and consumers.

One of such events is the annual Lagos Countdown, which usually starts around Chrustmas and flows to the early hours of the New Year.

The show, which enters its 3rd edition this year, according to organisers, already has a great line-up of artistes who will be thrilling fun seekers.

Scheduled to take place at the EKO Atlantic Bar beach stretch on Ahmadu Bello way, Victoria Island, Lagos, the show is expected to be host by Gbenga Adeyinka, Jimmie and Fade Ogunro of Beat FM. Also, some of the artistes already lined up for performances include, 2face, Olamide, Wizkid,

• 2face

By Dupe Ayinla-Olasunkanmi

Iyanya, MI, Ice Prince, Daddy Showkey, Seyi Shay and Shina Peters.

Other activities for the event are, DJ battle, Karaoke night, Open mic night, Christmas party/ family day and the grand finale, being the Concert Crossover Night.

According to Managing Director of Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency (LASAA), Mr. George Noah, activities for this year’s Countdown will be bigger and better.

He said: “We are hoping to give Lagosians and visitors a Countdown experience like never before” He further stated that the agency is better positioned to host this year’s event, based on its experience over the last two years.

Lagos Countdown is an annual event of the Lagos State Government.

Wizkid delves into fashion

By Medeme Ovwe

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OPULAR singer, Ayodeji Balogun, aka Wizkid, has revealed his intention to join some of the performing artistes who have veered into fashion business.

Wizkid, via his Instagram page, said he is venturing into fashion with the launch of a new line of snap backs in conjunction with DJ Nu Kidd. Snapback is an urban slang term for an adjustable flat brim baseball cap.

He stated: “DJ Nu Kidd and I decided to make you all fresh new snapbacks! Dates soon! Limited edition! #StarBoy!” Some of the notable artistes that have embraced fashion business include Genevieve, Ruggedman and kaffy.

• Wizkid

THE NATION FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2014

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COMMENTARY

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ODAY’S article in this column is not through the pen of yours sincerely. It is written by a well known Nigerian journalist and front line human rights activist, Richard Akinola, of the Christian faith.

The article which is originally entitled ‘Pastor Bosun Emmanuel: The Political Red Herring’ was first published in The Sun earlier this week. It is being republished here because of its relevance to the current situation in the country. However, it had to be sub-edited to reduce its length and get it accommodated within the limited space in this column. Thus, the sub-headings in it are as a result of editing. Every other thing is quoted verbatim. Here it goes from the horse’s mouth: “In the long term, we can hope that religion will change the nature of man and reduce conflict. But history is not encouraging in this respect. The bloodiest wars in history have been religious wars” Richard Nixon (the 37th American President, January 1969-September 1974)

FEMI ABBAS ON femabbas756@gmail.com 08115708536

‘Political Red Herring’ do it and the Christian governor would have no choice but to implement? Since the tenure of Tinubu till date, Lagos State’s annual thanksgiving service, organised by the governor every January, has always been anchored by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Yet, Tinubu and Fashola are Muslims. Pastor Emmanuel uncharitably branded APC as ‘Islamic Brotherhood of Nigeria’. I am not a member of APC. But by using the pulpit to preach hateful politics, he had removed whatever credibility that may be attached to his said message. I would have taken the same position if he had used the pulpit to promote APC and demonise PDP. And his premise for labeling APC an Islamic party was so puerile, disingenuous and downright illogical. He went on to authoritatively state that the chairman and all other officers of APC are Muslims….”

Preamble Richard Nixon was being futuristic when he made this statement several years ago. He apparently never knew that there would come a time in the history of one country called Nigeria, where political actors, buoyed by some of their friends in cassock, would be fanning the embers of religious war.

I am not by any stretch of imagination, discounting the several human and material losses of Christians in several sectarian crises in the Northern part of the country over the years, accentuated by the Boko Haram insurgency, which unfortunately had been used to misinform people as being programmed against President Jonathan, being a Christian.

Boko Haram did not start under President Jonathan. As a matter of fact, late president Umaru Yar’Adua had a running battle with this bunch of demented terrorists. The insurgency actually gained prominence with the killing of its leader, Mohammed Yusuf by security forces in 2009 under the government of Yar’Adua.

In 2009, following various assaults in Yobe, Bauchi and Borno states, the security forces killed over 1000 of the insurgents. It would therefore be false, to claim that Boko Haram insurgency is as a result of Nigeria having a Christian president.

As l have always argued, the Boko Haram variant of Islam is antithetical to the mainstream Islamic teachings, just like Uganda’s terrorist group called the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), purporting to be fighting for my Jehovah God, cannot be representative of Christians.

Satanic CD There is this CD that is being well-circulated among Christians in various churches. It’s a political message by a pastor in the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Bosun Emmanuel, where he launched into an Islamophobic tirade against Muslims and the All Progressives Congress (APC), which he declared as the Islamic Brotherhood of Nigeria.

The General Overseer of Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor E.A. Adeboye had denounced this divisive message and directed his church members to discountenance the message. Unfortunately, the message has gone viral.

It was soap-box rhetoric, using the pulpit as a campaign platform for President Goodluck Jonathan, urging Christians to vote for Christian candidates.

Using the pulpit to campaign for either PDP or APC or any other party for that matter is an abuse of the pulpit. We need to be careful and circumspect, particularly religious leaders in their association with politicians. Religious politics is dangerous, like Roger Ebert once said: “Lebanon was at one time known as a nation that rose above sectarian hatred; Beirut was known as the Paris of the Middle East.

All that was blown apart by senseless religious wars, financed and exploited in part by those who sought power and wealth”.

Religion in the Southwest Over the years in the South West, religious politics had never been an issue.

Religious Politics •Pastor Adeboye When Chief Olagunsoye Oyinlola was the Governor of Osun State, Erelu Olusola Obada, a fellow Christian was his deputy, in a state that has a preponderance of Muslims. In Edo State, both Governor Adams Oshiomhole and his deputy, Dr Pius Odubu are both Christians in a state where there is a substantial percentage of Muslims, particularly in Edo North. But because religion had never been an issue in electoral contests in Edo State, it was difficult for anyone to make a political capital of a phantom marginalisation of a religious group in the state.

Due to their cosmopolitan nature and level of political awareness, Lagosians have never really bothered about the religious faiths of their governors, until the politics of 2015 crept in. Yes, in fairness to the proponents of this move, there has been the preponderance of elected Muslim governors in Lagos State. However, my take is that l would rather prefer good governance, bolstered by a didactic leadership, than pander to religious sentiments. And l say this with due respect to the proponents of Christian governor.

Come to think of it, if we look at it from the time of Alhaji Lateef Jakande, till now, with the exception of the lackluster government of ‘Baba go slow’, Chief Michael Otedola, (a Christian) of blessed memory, the state has witnessed remarkable developments and giant strides. And this has nothing to do with the religious persuasion of Tinubu and Fashola but the product of good leadership.

The current magnificent edifice of TREM headquarters at Anthony, Lagos, could not have been today if not for Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, a Muslim, who overruled his ministry of environment which had wanted to stop the construction based on the discovery that the property stood in the path of a major drainage.

Use of Hijab Interestingly, it’s another Muslim governor, Raji Fashola that banned the use of Hijab in Lagos public schools, a move that irked the Muslim faithful who dragged the governor to court on the issue but the court ruled in favour of the state government. And this is despite the fact that both the Governor and the Speaker, Adeyemi Ikuforiji are both Muslims. Of what use is having a Christian governor while it is possible to have a Muslim-dominated House of Assembly which if it wants to push for Islamic-inclined laws can easily

“If we assume for the purpose of argument that APC is a Muslim party, are we then to assume that PDP is a Christian party led by an Alhaji Mua’zu, a Muslim.

Isn’t that preposterous? I ask because Pastor Emmanuel said that in 2015, Lagos Christians should vote for a Christian candidate for governor but with a caveat that they should not vote for a Christian candidate from an Islamic party!

We are playing a very dangerous religious game here. That was how the Hutus and Tutsis pogrom in Rwanda started in 1994, leading to the extermination of over 800,000 Rwandans, to the extent that even the priests became victims- massacred by fellow Christians inside the church….”

Problem of religion The problem of Nigeria is not the religious persuasion of our leaders but that of leadership deficit. It is only when you have nothing to offer that you resort to religion and ethnicity. No government has raised the bar of religious politics like the current Jonathan government and some pastors and Christians unfortunately fell for this bait. That is why Pastor Emmanuel can state with temerity in the CD that President Jonathan was not elected to fight corruption or tackle the economy but there to fulfil God’s mandate. Really? What balderdash! No wonder he went on to declare with magisterial candour that the best leader this country ever had was General Sani Abacha because he deposed the Sultan! Can you imagine such gibberish?

So, as long as you are a Christian by name, we should support you. It doesn’t matter if you had used a seven-day old child as ritual to get into office. Or was it not in this same country that a Southwest governor(now an ex-governor) forced all members of the House of Assembly into a ritual process which was done with all of them naked before a shrine, just to extract oath of loyalty and allegiance from them?

And this same governor would always grace the Holy Ghost night at the Redemption Camp with his plastic permanent smile for the cameras to show that he is Christian. If just being a Christian is a yard stick to win election, how do you situate the case of a prominent Christian woman banker, who was convicted by the EFCC for fraud and had to do a plea bargain with the EFCC to return N191 billion to the government coffers?.

Boko Haram Insurgents When the demonic Boko Haram insurgents entered Mubi and people were running out of town, nobody asked the drivers if they were Muslims or Christians. All

they were after was to get out into safety.

Both Muslims and Christians are victims of the scourge. Or how many air travellers, upon entering an aircraft, insist on knowing the religious persuasion of the pilot and the co-pilot, whether Muslim, Christian or Atheist? How many Christians and Muslims have resigned from their jobs because their bosses are of different religious faiths?

If we stretch the argument further, are we saying Uganda’s Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) led by a lunatic called Joseph Kony, who had waged over 20-year war of attrition against Uganda, raping, maiming and terrorising people, are fulfilling God’s mandate just because their creed is to rule by the Ten Commandments? These brigands are like the Boko Haram of Nigeria. (Yet, Muslims did not say they were fighting for Christ).

Neither Cross nor Crescent It is not about the cross or crescent but about leadership qualities.

The Dubai that many of our Christian brethren go and spend holidays, are they being ruled by Christians? In 1991, Dubai was just bare. But with visionary leaders, it has been turned into a tourist haven.

North Korea, China and Russia are advanced technologically but they are not Christians. Many of them don’t even believe in God. Moammar Ghaddafi turned a desert country into a well-irrigated country. After the first Gulf War in 1990 and despite all the massive bombings by the allied forces, there were still street lights working on the streets of Baghdad.

Go to Egypt, Morocco and other North African countries, they look like Europe.

Yet, they didn’t carry the Bible to build their countries. Please, don’t get me wrong. Being a good Christian with leadership potentials is an added advantage.

Core competence should override any religious or tribal consideration.

Our problem is that we are so religious but not godly. Our values are warped and upside down. We go to churches and mosques but our hearts are very far from God. On December 31 of every year, we fill up the churches for the cross-over night to the New Year but by the 1st of January, we start plotting the downfall of our fellow human beings.

The fact is that our hearts are very far from God. Most times, we shift our responsibilities to God. I believe so much in prayer. I do pray a lot but there is a time to pray and a time to use your head.

To whom brain is given, sense is expected….”

By God and not by Man “The truth of the matter is that from being a deputy governor, to governor, to vice president, to acting president, up to being a president, God went ahead of President Jonathan. He didn’t fight anyone before he got there and nobody then talked about him being a Christian or a southerner. But now, out of desperation, his Christian cheer leaders are deceiving him as the anointed, using the religious mantra. But the man himself knows that God is not in this his current agenda, irrespective of what his spiritual consultants tell him; because his current endeavour is all by flesh. That is why just like when God left Saul, he went to seek the witch of Endor when the Philistines came after him.

Our dear president too, surrounded by his Philistines, this time the opposition, has resorted to self-help by also seeking from his own variant of witch of Endor- police and other arms of security forces, to fight his opponents through dictatorial tendencies and resorting to religious and ethnic sentiments, which he did not do before he got to the throne….”

“God is still God. He can use anyone to accomplish His purpose. What we need are visionary and competent leaders, and being a good, God-fearing Christian would be an icing on the cake.

But insisting on a Christian president or governor, even if he is a cultist and the most corrupt person, would be stretching it too far. And mischievously labeling a party as an Islamic party is pure hogwash.

Fela Anikulapo-Kuti once titled one of his albums, l would tell Pastor Bosun Emmanuel, ‘Teacher, don’t teach me nonsense”.

• Akinnola is of Christians in Politics Initiative.

47

THE NATION FRIDAY DECEMBER 5, 2014

DISCOURSE

The future is now Text of the acceptance speech of Chief S.O.U. Igbe, MON, the Iyase of Benin Kingdom, on behalf of recipients of the University of Benin honorary doctorate degrees on November 22.

A

YOUNG distant relation visited me a few weeks ago. My instant impression on seeing him was that God was very generous to him with regard to his physical looks and endowments. Tall, and in all aspects handsome, he was at once an epitome of strength and tenderness. A nineteen-year-old diplomacy undergraduate in one of our universities, he informed me on enquiring that on leaving the university, he would like to be a politician. Of course, these days, that is where many of our youths would think free money exists.

In many cases, however, when I make this enquiry, my young friends do not have ready answers, and my surmise has always been that they have gone through university without a real goal besides their aim of obtaining a degree, and I have wondered whether their lecturers ever talked to them about the goals of University Education.

Some two weeks back, a Reverend Father said during a homily that people do a lot of talking these days without the inclusion of real contents of teaching or instruction. Purposes and goals of talks are therefore not, in most cases, achieved. This, in my view, is one good reason for teacher training. Every subject, to a teacher, has an objective, and the overall University course must have a clear goal. It is the responsibility of the Lecturer to achieve these objectives and goals, and to also enable his students to know and achieve them. Where these responsibilities are not accomplished, graduates may end up without pursuable life ambitions. They would not have given thought to where and what they want to be in future, or how they would get there. One thing they never forget, however, is that they are leaders of tomorrow. True, youths are leaders of tomorrow, but it is necessary for them to realize that they have to be leaders today. They must be leaders NOW, if they must achieve leadership tomorrow. Leadership is a product of training and experience. They must learn to follow now in order to be able to lead tomorrow.

I would like all listening youths to find answers to the following simple questions: Who are your friends?

Who are your associates?

Have you ever thought of what you would do and Where you would be when you leave this citadel?

Have you ever had a hero, a role model?

Have they crossed the river?

Have they gone to where you want to go?

It is pertinent to know that only those who have crossed the river are privileged to know its depth.

Have you been wasting your time with people who have nowhere to go?

You need to talk to yourself, to answer these questions aright, or your thought of tomorrow’s leadership may well be wishful thinking. You have to work for progress, as success cannot come by accident. Do not accept what people say you are, but make sure you are what God says you are. Do not let the so-called experts talk to you out of what God has destined for you. People do not decide our destiny, God does; just believe in Him, for He has a plan for you that no one else can fulfill. You are a success. God did not create you a failure. You are what you call yourself, and you become what you make of yourself. The time to work is now.

The future is today.

Our President’s spokesmen chose a particular young man along with some late statesmen as role models for him. The young man was, and still is, a hero, a legend, and an appropriate role model for the young men and women of this institution. He was a man driven by an uncommon purpose and clearsighted courage. He was a man who will never die as long as black people live on planet Earth, for he died for us that all black people may be free, specifically he died so that a modern United States of America may emerge. These are what the President’s image makers saw when they said the young man did it, and advised the President to keep doing it. But what did he really do, that they want the President to keep doing? For all we know, the young man died that his followers may live. It is not how he died that made him a hero. It is how he lived. If our

President in his life time will only strive to eradicate corruption and impunity which are the sources of our retrogressive challenges, his name will live forever, and he would be our hero. And we think he can.

Is there anyone in Nigeria prepared to die to enable a new Nigeria to emerge? In the Vanguard of Wednesday, October 29, 2014, the Senate President remarked that he could die for the stability of Nigeria’s democracy.

We thank God that he cannot carry out his non-positive vow. ‘I can die’ is not the same thing as ‘I will die’. In any case, what he calls Nigeria’s democracy has no definition.

There is no democracy in Nigeria. In Nigeria, democracy is nebulous. What we practise is selfish ‘chop chop’ politics. There is no semblance of an ideology, and democracy is an ideology. One finds it difficult to understand why these people refuse to believe that the problems and the challenges are there.

The young man we have been talking about, which is the young man the President’s men want to copy, is Martin Luther King Jnr., a truly remarkable leader of his people. Born into a Christian family, he became like his father, a true man of God. He developed over his comparatively few years on earth, a very strong faith in God, and recognizing his God-given talents, his power of oration, and his greatness of speech as invaluable assets, he used them to good effect. His speech, ‘I Have A Dream’, reveals his profound faith in God, and his short life shows a close relationship with Him, with his faith motivating him always to do what he believed was God’s will.

This faith emboldened him to accept without fear the practical and physical leadership of his people as he realized that faith without work is failure, work being an integral part of faith.

So anyone who boasts that his faith works without work is a fake. This man’s bravery, and his faith, made him to see life as a temporary assignment and he faced the oppressors of the black race with vigour, so that he could finish his assignment on earth before leaving it. This hero therefore lived a purpose-driven life. He had a dream, and his purpose was encapsulated in his dream.

I have a dream, he proclaimed. His dream was present and continuous. The dream was with him when his eyes were closed, and it was with him when he stared, eyes open, into the distant future. It was an ever present vision of a United States of America in which both white and black knew freedom, real whole freedom and had justice. And he decided to go for it. He decided to advocate and fight for the making of this new United States of America of his dream. He fought and died for it. And his dream was actualized.

Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, I ask, was this just an act of courage? Was this actualization brought about through the sweat of his brow, through the warm blood from his body? What manner of faith was this?

Shall we ever find a man like this in our nation Nigeria who will make the rulers write us a cheque that will give us on demand, the riches of freedom, the safety of life and property, the security of justice, and food on our table?

Yet, we have been taken hostage by corruption and graft, and these are becoming parts of our culture. That masters, the advocates, and the purveyors of these enemies of a free and just society have constituted themselves into actual and constructive murderers and assassins. There is no justice anywhere. One does not know where to go when

• Chief Igbe

one is seriously wronged. Should one go to the Police? The Police! Well among the most fundamental errors in police operations today is the fact that they work under the impression that whoever first reports a matter to them is right. So cases are concocted and reported to the police, and arrests are made before investigation of the report. Moreover, unlike the situation that existed during the colonial era, he who pays the piper now actually, even crudely, calls the tune. There is really no justice anywhere. One does not know what to expect in courts where justice was the usual expectation, and the administration does not have time to look at petitions, occupied with the counting of diverted funds as they most times are. In the absence of justice and fairplay, we must realize that people will take laws into their own hands, and the way is then made clear for anarchy to take pre-eminence, while we all look on perplexed and helpless. Those who are in a position to do something about it are either indifferent or look the other way because they benefit from the spoils. They fail to realize that one of the greatest sins in the world is the sin of indifference.

Do we have anyone man enough to take up the challenge like Martin Luther King Jnr. did? Can the President really do it? Intellectuals can desegregate themselves from political jobbers who have turned corruption to an impregnable institution, and they can find remedies for the fight against corruption and impunity, which they can propose in writing for people to act on. And student undergraduates can create committees from leagues to formulate anti-corruption and anti-impunity remedies, and suggest implementation programmes. These would benefit the society and themselves more than some of their present non-profitable and dangerous associations and preoccupations. One has the impression that these were among the original assignments for the National Orientation Agency (NOA) which appears to have become another agency for the boys. Or do we really not have any man, any woman, to take up these challenges? Not even a Daniel can come to judgment? Where are the Governors?

I like, in conclusion, to present two extracts from the addresses of Martin Luther King Jnr. One was a letter sent out from his prison cell which exemplifies his bravery and courage in his fight for freedom and justice for his people. He said quite simply: We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor, it must be demanded by the op-

Do we have anyone man enough to take up the challenge like Martin Luther King Jnr. did? Can the President really do it? Intellectuals can desegregate themselves from political jobbers who have turned corruption to an impregnable institution, and they can find remedies for the fight against corruption and impunity, which they can propose in writing for people to act on. And student undergraduates can create committees from leagues to formulate anti-corruption and anti-impunity remedies, and suggest implementation programmes.

pressed. Frankly, I have never yet engaged in a direct action movement that was well timed according to the time table of those who have not suffered unduly from the disease of segregation. For years now I have heard the word wait. It rings in the ears of every Negro with a piercing familiarity. This wait has almost always meant “never”. We must come to see with the distinguished jurist of yesterday that “justice too long delayed is justice denied”.

The second extract points to his closeness to God. This was a darkly prescient and prophetic public speech of his imminent assassination. He seemed here to take life as a temporary assignment. He almost sounded like Jesus Christ on his last night with his disciples. It came on the eve of a protest march by striking garbage workers in Memphis. And he said almost triumphantly: Well, I don’t know what will happen now.

We have got some difficult days ahead. But it does not matter with me now because I have been to the mountain top. And I don’t mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I am not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will. And he has allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I have looked over, and seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know that we as a people will get to the Promised Land.

And I am happy tonight. I am not worried about anything. I do not fear any man. My eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.

Martin Luther King Jnr. is a living hero even though in death. His unspeakable faith in God could move mountains. His courage and bravery stood him face to face with death, and he won the battle without as much as a flinch. His non-violent posture subdued the laws in the strongest and wealthiest democracy in the world, and gave him sweet mental freedom before the freedom his people fought for over the years. And this is in a country which the legend himself referred to as the greatest purveyor of violence in the world. Can anyone conjure up the faith in God of this legend and take up the fight against the ravaging vendors of our degeneracy?

He was assassinated on the 4th day of April, 1968, the morning after his Memphis speech quoted earlier. At 35years of age he had won accolades of the U.S. man of the year, and of the youngest man to have won the Nobel Peace Prize among others.

No wonder, George Bush, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in him by the constitution and laws of the United States, proclaimed Monday, January 20, 1992, as the Martin Luther King Jnr. Federal Holiday; and by the law made thereafter, the third Monday in January of each year has since been designated as a Legal Public Holiday in commemoration of this pastor’s son, this ‘man pass man’. What a huge posthumous honour twenty-four years after his assassination for a truly remarkable hero, a legend and a role model, whose light is never likely to grow dim!

In our dear country, we are veritably oppressed by the shackles and manacles of injustice, corruption, greed, graft, pervading impunity, consequent disorderliness, and their purveyors. We however pray that God in His infinite mercies would open our inner and outer eyes to tell the difference between good and evil, so that our armada of priests across the nation may realize who to pray for. And we strongly pray that our merciful father will raise us heroines, and legends in the hue of Martin Luther King Jnr. to rescue us from the evil scourges that plagues our land.

I like, finally, to express sincere thanks on behalf of myself and my distinguished colleagues, for the significant and extraordinary honour bestowed on us today by the Council of this University, and especially for the opportunity and privilege to throw very serious challenges at the staff and their student undergraduates, and the current and newest graduates in Nigeria, who we are glad to welcome with sincere good wishes into the wide world. Many more true Nigerians than those here today will be happy if any of us accepts to work on the challenges, and can say thereafter, like the British soldiers said on leaving Afghanistan last October ending, that ‘We gave our today to serve your tomorrow’. Do not postpone till tomorrow what you can do today, please do not forget, the time and the future is NOW. We do deeply appreciate the recognition of our little contributions to national efforts by this highly esteemed citadel of growth and learning, this great UNIBEN. We are most obliged to you all for listening to us.

THE NATION FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2014

48

SOCIETY With their Bibles and hymn books, members of the Diocese of Lagos West (Anglican Communion) gathered at the Archbishop Vining Memorial Church Cathedral to celebrate their 15th anniversary, writes AMIDU ARIJE

Moving forward in His Vineyard A

RMED with their Bibles, the clergymen, in white robs moved gingerly into the Archbishop Vining Memorial Church Cathedral for what a layman would take for a show. But it was not.

A routine church service? No! It was the 15th anniversary of the Diocese of Lagos West (Anglican Communion). The clergymen came in their hundreds, with their wives and laymen from all the churches in the diocese. On the diocesan field were many vehicles, including church buses. The Diocesan Bishop, Rt. Rev James Olusola Odedeji, wore the mitre and his full robe with the crosier on his left hand. He radiated joy all day. The activities marking the 15th anniversary of the diocese began with a crusade titled three-day End of the Year Annual Triumphant Convention Crusade” The theme was “Going Forward.”

The processional hymn was taken as the Bishop and other clergymen gained entrance into the church.

The choirs ensured there was no dull moment for the commencement of the ceremony till the end of it. The reading of the Old Testament from Malachi 2:1-16 was taken by Pheola Caulcrick while Rev Kunle Oluwadimite took the Gospel Luke 17:20-37.

All followed with applauds.

At intervals, the diocesan choir dished out songs to increase the conviviality of the day.

This further showed that it was not the usual Sunday service. Everyone was relaxed and in ceremonial mood all through.

The Hymn Church Hymnal 623 that which was led by the choirs set the tone. It was really exciting.

A sermon was delivered by the Archbishop of Kaduna Province and Bishop of Kebbi Diocese, Most Rev Edmund Akanya.

Rev Akanya urged Christians to remain faithful to the Lord.

He reminded the congregation of how God saved the children of Israel form their enemies and urged them to remain focused and hopeful of God's wonders in their lives. Akanya

• From left: Dean Bishiop Vining Memorial Church Cathedral, Venerable Abel Ajibodu; Bishop Odedeji, his wife, Lydia and Most Reverend Akanya.

PHOTO: OLUSEGUN RAPHEAL

quoted Joel 2:23-27 to back up his points.

After delivering the sermon, the congregation shouted the praises of God and clapped to appreciate the witty sermon of the clergy man.

The Nicene Creed and intercession followed with offertory Hymns from Ch 679, 559 and 566.

Rev Odedeji who anchored the communion session took off his green regalia and the mitre as he consecrated the bread. He thereafter asked all members for the Holy Communion.

It was orderly done as the ushers ensured that the clergymen were first to receive the communion followed by other members of the Diocese. They all moved down the altar to be served the bread and the wine. There was solemn music while this lasted.

A post Communion prayer was made conducted by the Bishop. The prayer 'As our Saviour taught us, so we pray' was said by all.

Then followed thanksgiving service based

conducted on zonal basis; all of the zones that make up the Diocese presented their offerings at the altar amidst pomp. After all the zones had presented their offerings, Bishop Odedeji and his were not left out of the thanksgiving and the entire Church rose to give honour to their leader. It was like a dancing competition while the thanksgiving service lasted.

After this, the Bishop announced the appointment of new officers to take care of some departments in the diocese. Among the appointees were Diocesan Chaplain for the Women Organisations, Ven Sunday Ogini, Ven Emeka Nwosu in charge of visit to hospitals and prisons.

In his vote of thanks, Rev Odedeji thanked God and members of the church for their unflinching supports towards the success of the event.

Having taken the closing prayer and Episcopal blessing, the Diocesan anthem was taken as the curtain of the programme was

drawn with the Bishop leading the recession of clergymen out of the church.

Why did the diocese consider it necessary to roll out the drums in celebration? Rev Odedeji said for 15 years the Diocese, had been from strength to strength. He said the Diocese had grown numerically.

"It has been wholesome, God has used my predecessor to double the strength of the diocese; numerically, we have expanded. We started with about 100 churches, today we have more than 300 even after two new Dioceses had been created from this and we are still very strong and formidable," he said.

The point had earlier been made by the Preacher, Rev. Akanya,who observed that he accepted to come to participate in the celebration because of the unique place of the Diocese in the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion). He pointed out that the Diocese has since overtaken much older ones and is a pride of all Anglicans in Nigeria.

God’s faithfulness, protection and provision were the theme of the celebration last Sunday at the second adult harvest of Restoration Parish, Motailatu Church Cherubim and Seraphim Worldwide in Akute, Ogun State, writes IBRAHIM ADAM

Harvest of restoration

I

T was with joy, shouts of Halleluyah and praises to God that members of Motailatu Church Cherubim and Seraphim Worldwide, Restoration Parish in Akute, Ogun State celebrated its second Adoption Service (Adult Harvest) last Sunday.

Adorned with prayer gowns, according to various bands of the 50year-old church, members, in unison, thanked God for the love, protection, provision and blessing He showered on them since the first Adoption Service of the parish was celebrated on November 24, last year.

The parish was dedicated on February 2, 2013.

In his goodwill message to the Adoption Service, the Primate, Founder, Prophet and Supreme Head of Motailatu Organisation Worldwide, Archbishop Isaiah Akinadewo, urged members to always fear God in their conduct and interaction with fellow human beings.

Quoting from Psalm 111:10, Proverbs 1:7 and Proverbs 9:10, the Primate told the congregation that nothing gets done unless God approves it and it is only people who

fear Him who can get His favour.

The auditorium was filled to capacity as invited guests joined the members to celebrate God’s faithfulness.

Senior Superintendent Gabriel Akinadewo presided.

Members of the harvest committee, led by the chairman, Senior Apostle Godfrey Dottie, his deputy, Prophet Moses Adefioye, the chairlady, Mother-in-Israel Esther Adeniji and the secretary, Moses Omafuagbarho, were wonderful as they welcomed all guests and ensured that they had a good time in the presence of the Lord.

The choristers rendered melodious songs and members of the Army of Salvation displayed their skills to the admiration of all.

Special gifts were presented to winners of the Bible quiz. They are Feyisetan Sode, Elizabeth Idowu and Deborah Olateju. The gifts were presented by the Head of Procurement, Dangote Group, Adeolu Masolanu, Senior Apostle Edward Adebiyi and Mother-in-Israel Angelina Adesusi.

Prophet Segun Oduneye, in a special message, urged the members to give to God what is satisfactory.

•From left: Senior Evangelist Ajayi; Senior Superintendent Akinadewo; Prophet Oduneye and Superintendent James Akinadewo

“God will respect you if you bring to Him qualitative offerings. You don’t grumble when you give to God because what you have was given to you by the same God. So, it is in your interest to give to Him

because when you do that, He will bless you the more,” he said.

He also revealed that the love he saw in the church is worthy of emulation by other Christians.

Senior Evangelist Oluwatoyin

Ajayi urged Christians to always resist the devil by obeying God’s instructions.

Highlight of the occasion was the launch of the 2015 ‘Saint Adekahunsi’ Almanac.

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THE NATION FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2014

SOCIETY

•From left: Rev. Simon Okelezo; Rev. Francis Adeyemi and Rev. Okonkwo

•From left: Asiwaju Tunji Olutola; Mrs Marget Olutola and Mrs Betty Ijeoma

The Catholic Church of the Transfiguration in Victoria Garden City (VGC), Lagos, has celebrated its 10th anniversary, reports TAJUDEEN ADEBANJO.

A decade of blessings

• Mrs Arawore-Otuendor (left) and Mrs Iyabo Martins-Kuye

•Chief Idigbe (SAN) and wife, Elizabeth

From left: Mrs Amaka Andy-Azike; Mrs Omon Odike; Mrs Ebisan Akisanya and Mrs Ada Irikeje

•Bishop Martins (left) and Monsignor Francis Isholamade

jokes.

Founded in 2004, the church has blossomed over the years as it recorded relative achievements, expansion and spiritual growth It was an evening of celebration as good music, good food and drinks flowed freely.

In his address, Most. Rev. Fr. Alfred Adewale Martins, extolled the virtues of committed parishioners for making the project a reality.

“The last 10 years witnessed growth and commitment from the members. This is delightful and commendable. I am delighted to be

solidly laid on holistic and deep Catholic spirituality founded on the three theological virtues of faith, hope and love of God and of neighbour”.

Father Okonkwo, therefore, wished the wonderful parishioners a happy anniversary as he believed the future will be greater and brighter by the divine providence of God. In her welcome address, chairman, local organising committee, Mrs. Ifeoma Idigbe thanked all who contributed to the building of the church, such as the late Rev. Fr. Adegbite, whose vision it was; His Eminence, Anthony Cardinal Olubunmi Okogie

“E

ACH time one celebrates an anniversary, it is a time to rejoice and thank God for the journey thus far. It is also a time to count blessings and be filled with praises and adulation to God for making that possible”.

These were the words of Rev. Fr. Michael Okonkwo, the Parish Priest of The Catholic Church of the Transfiguration in Victoria Garden City (VGC), Lagos, when the parishioners rolled out the drum to celebrate the church’s 10th anniversary.

The anniversary may have gone, but it was a day to remember for the guests and parishioners who graced the occasion.

It was a well-attended ceremony.

Starting with the red carpet, though a religious affair, the event could be mistaken for an Oscar night as many guests turned out in breath-taking evening gowns.

Photographs of initiators of the project were conspicuously displayed outside the expansive church auditorium. The Albert Gobez-led five-man band was there dishing out fine melody to the delight of the excited audience. Stand-up comedian Helen Paul supplied riberacking

UNION OF LOVEBIRDS

part of the celebrations. This is the kind of things that we should be celebrating as a family. I rejoice with you on this occasion and I know that the future is bright because of those who are committed to the church in winning souls for Christ,” Rev. Fr Martins said.

Corroborating Rev. Fr. Martins, Rev. Father Okonkwo noted that the foundation in the life of any organisation is key because it sets the tone for its future growth.

Hence, looking at the parish at 10, he could say unequivocally that there was a reason to celebrate because the formative years have been

who endorsed the vision; Monsignor Paschal Nwaezeapu, Rev. Fr. Anyansi and individuals whose commitment ensured that the dream became a reality.

Mrs. Idigbe also thanked the Archbishop, Most Rev. Fr. Martins for his unflinching support as they worked to achieve the vision.

Among the dignitaries were representative of the wife of Lagos State Governor, Dame Abimbola Fashola, Mrs Rike Gbeleyi; Chief Anthony Idigbe (SAN) and his wife, Elizabeth; Mrs Patricia Arawore-Otuendor, Rev. Father Francis Anyanwu, and Associate Parish Priest John Nutayi,

THANKSGIVING

Bridal’s train mounted Guard of Honour as the couple, Toyin Olasehinde and Olamidotun Olakanye, stepped out of the service at Living Faith Church (A.ka.

Winner’s Chapel Province 118, Lagos, after their solemnisation From left: Director of Community Development, Ministry of Rural Development, Lagos State, Mr Eniola Awolaru; Director of Finance and Administration, Mrs Elizabeth Ashiru; Director of Accounts, Mrs Olabisi Boco; Chairman, Community Development Advisory Council, Mr Tajudeen Quadri and Deputy Director, Mrs Gbemisola Rufai, during the Thanksgiving service to mark the Community Day at the Chapel of Christ the Light, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos.

THE NATION FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2014

50

SOCIETY The Okota Lions Club has installed Funke Faderera Adekoya as its 21st president at the Century Hotel, Okota, Lagos. AMIDU ARIJE and BASIRAT BRAIMAH were there.

Change of baton at Lions Club

Ways to move

L

I

T was a twin celebration; the investiture of Lion Funke Faderera Adekoya as the 21st president of the Okota Lions Club and her 50th birthday thanksgiving.

The fittings in the hall were beautiful. Members, guests and their family members were excited. They all appeared in gorgeous attires.

With badges on their chests, members of the club could easily be identified.

Most women dressed in corporate wears while men wore the popular Atiku attire with caps. They exchanged pleasantries.

As they waited for the commencement of the investiture, a disk jockey (DJ) dished out music to the delight of all; some stood to dance while many shook their heads to the rhythms of the music.

The ceremony started with a prayer. The Lion anthem followed.

Guests were invited to the high table. The occasion was chaired by Mrs Funmi Sanusi.

When the celebrator, Adekoya, was invited to the high table, she was led in by members who danced to Michael Jackson’s song “We are the one”.

Lion International Club District 404B-1 Governor Lion Abiola Odeyemi was the chief host.

The Matron, Vocational Training Institute, Oshodi, Dr Victoria Aregbe, was the guest lecturer. She spoke on: “Our sight, our light”. She emphasised the importance of sight as she urged all to

COMMUNICATE YOUR IDEAS

•Princess Joseph (left) decorating Mrs Adekoya. With them is Odeyemi

take care of it. She shed more light on how to prevent blindness.

In her valedictory speech, the outgoing president of the club, Lion Folashade Joseph, thanked God and members for their support and cooperation during her tenure.

She highlighted some of her achievements which included best club award; best president award; best 10 clubs award and a letter of appreciation from the International President of the club, Barry Palmer, among others.

“Another year has passed with great achievements in the history of our club. We had a very busy and eventful year, focusing on youth and children empowerment, aiding the blind and the visually impaired, widows’ empowerment, and reading action programmes among others.

All these earned us awards at the International and District levels,” she said.

Joseph urged her fellow Lions to stay off criticisms and support incoming president Faderera Adekoya.

In appreciation of their support, Lion Joseph pre-

sented awards to some members of the club and non members for their contributions to the success of her administration.

Lion Odeyemi conducted the investiture. Before the installation of Lion Adekoya, Lion Odeyemi sought the permission of her husband and children for the job, after which Lion Adekoya was installed.

All cheered and applauded the new president.

Odeyemi took her round the tables to officially present her to guests and members of the club. She acknowledged cheers from guests.

Lion Odeyemi, who dressed in a suit congratulated the new president and members, urging them to uphold the club’s code of ethics at all time. He said his theme for the year is: “Service is caring, strengthen the pride”. With smiles, he wished the members a successful service year.

In her acceptance speech, Lion Adekoya described the position as another learning stage in her life and ac-

cepted to be the president with deepest humility and a true feeling for selfless service.

“Right from inception, I have always loved to reach out to people. My core project is on prevention of sight, I don’t believe in jampacking things but if I can with God’s help give five to 10 patients back their sight, then I will say am fulfilled,” she said.

The celebrator’s husband, Superior Evangelist Sesan Adekoya, described her as a hardworking woman who seeks to promote human welfare. He said it gladdens his heart knowing a number of her dreams are being fulfilled.

She cut her one-layer gold and white cake with her family, club members and other guests amidst clicking cameras.

Some giggled at private jokes while others ate silently as the ceremony lasted.

After the vote of thanks, people joined the celebrator on the dance floor where they were till light faded.

VICTORY PARTY

Winner of All Progressives Congress (APC) House of Assembly Mushin constituency II, Hon AbdulSobur Olawale (third right) being congratulated by fellow contestants at the victory party held at the party secretariat in Mushin, Lagos

ES Brown, one of the world's most renowned motivational speakers said, "With every technology that is created, somebody loses his job. As a speaker, however, you have an energy signature.

There is an experience you can create that cannot be simulated by technology, which makes your life recession-proof." Les is right. There is something unique about public speaking that projects your personality in a way technol- AMODU LANRE OLAOLU ogy cannot replicate. No two public speakers are the (Ph.D) sospeak2lanre@yahoo.com.

07034737394 same. There is always some@lanreamodu thing special about each one that makes it difficult for ter. you to determine who is betWhat stands a public speaker out from the crowd? It is the energy he/she projects while speaking. Two speakers may deliver a similar speech but they will surely display different levels of energy. As good as energy is, however, a lot of people have a big problem channeling it. When you have a lot of energy and you are excited about your topic, there is the tendency to make uncoordinated moves.

Whereas when you stand before your audience, you are considered as a standard for "appropriateness". Hence, uncoordinated steps or gesticulations may be distracting.

A lot of people don't know what to do with their hands while speaking. Since they have a lot of energy, they simply throw their hands in every direction, thinking that would convince the audience. Unfortunately, the audience is likely to be more distracted than convinced. According to Robert Krauss, Yihsiu Chen and Purnima Chawla, "all hand gestures are hand movements, but not all hand movements are gestures". This they stated in their article titled, "Nonverbal Behaviour and Nonverbal Communication: What do Conversational Hand Gestures Tell Us?". Moving our hands does not mean we are communicating.

In the next few weeks by the grace of God, we shall be exploring the use of gestures in public speaking. Today, let's begin with the rules of gesticulation: • It should complement your speech: movement of hands and body should help you to communicate better. It should help to emphasize your points. When gestures become too elaborate, they become the centre of attraction for your audience. The worst part of it is, you may be unaware of your distracting movement. Only with the exception of deliberate acts, a speaker should make the audience concentrate more on the words being spoken than hand movements.

• It should be purposeful: it is important to define your movement. Since your movement can either aid or hinder your presentation, it is advisable to plan it. Purposeless movements are movements that don't add to your message. Such movements may include toying with your tie or hair, spinning a bunch of keys with your finger, tapping on the podium, toying with a button on your dress, etc. It is, no doubt, a tough task to get rid of these movements. This is where practice becomes invaluable. In this column, we have always emphasized the role of practice in the success of any speaker. During your practice, pay attention to your gestures and ensure that each one is for a purpose.

This does not mean that you should stand like a robot and make mechanical moves. It only means that meaningless gesture can water down the effect of your speech.

• It should be natural: the more natural your gestures are, the more graceful you will appear. One of the numerous ways to make your gestures natural is to enternalise your message such that it flows naturally out of you. As you deliver your speech, you will find yourself moving your hands to support your points.

• It should not be frequent: when you move your hands too frequently, your audience may start to pay special attention to them. You don't need to illustrate every word with your hand or you might as well keep quiet and dramatize. I believe holding the microphone helps some people to gesticulate less, though I have seen a speaker who gesticulated so much while holding the microphone that I did not hear much of what he said. Just as punctuations come at strategic points in a sentence to make it meaningful, gesticulations should also punctuate speeches.

• It should become the speech: when you stand before people, you don't want any part of you to stand out in a peculiar way. You really don't want you hair, tie, dress or shoe to stand out. If any single thing stands out about you, it will be the focus of your audience. You must ensure that everything about you blends into a perfect package so that people can appreciate you in totality. Likewise, your gesticulation should not become conspicuous. Let your gesticulation become part of your speech and not another presentation on its own. When there is a perfect blend, people will not notice the difference between your speech and your movements.

Dr. Amodu teaches at the Department of Mass Communication, Covenant University, Ogun State.

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THE NATION FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2014

SOCIETY A society magazine, Top Elegance, has held its sixth African Global Recognition Awards and seventh anniversary at the Oranmiy an Hall of the Airport Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos. AMIDU ARIJE was there.

Honour for achievers

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LL roads led to the Oranmiyan Hall of the Airport Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos penultimate Sunday for the sixth edition of the yearly African Global Recognition Awards and the seventh anniversary of Top Elegance magazine.

Guests, among them politicians and captains of industry dressed in various attires, thronged the hall, which was beautifully decorated with yellow satin material.

The Iyalode of Lagos, Hajia Fatimah Bintu Tinubu, and Princess Aisha Hiris, who represented Chief Oyekunle Alex-Duduyemi, were the chief guests at the event.

Tables were labelled for easy identification.

The atmosphere was conducive.

MC Missan compered the event. He thrilled guests with scintillating jokes. He was assisted by MC Pato. Besides, there was background music.

The Publisher of magazine, Mr Olabode Ajayi, said Top Elegance Recognition Awards has been renamed African Global Recognition Awards to expand its focus and create opportunities for others to be part of the honour.

He said awardees were honoured for their achievements in their various disciplines.

“Needless to say, therefore, that our awardees have made considerable impact and were selected in an atmosphere devoid of bias and favouritism, because our hallmark at Top Elegance magazine is excellence,” he said.

Ajayi’s speech was applauded.

The awardees were led by the Senator representing Ife East Senatorial District, Osun State, Babajide Omoworare.

Also on the list were Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly Hon Adeyemi Ikuforiji,

•Senator Omoworare (middle) receiving the plaque from Alhaja Bintu Tinubu. With them is Mr Ajayi

who was absent; the Chief Executive Officer of Mutual Benefits Group, Dr Akin Ogunbiyi, who bagged African Insurance Personality of the Year. A member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon Saka Fafunmi; National Coordinator, Odua People’s Congress (OPC), Otunba Gani Adams (African Cultural Heritage defender and promoter of the decade award); Chairman, Lagos Island Club, Chief Ademola Dada and Lagos Commissioner for Agriculture Prince Gbolahan Lawal.

He adorned himself in a lime agbada with matching pairs of shoes. His wife, Olabisi was beside him.

Omoworare received the Best Senator of Nigeria for 2014 plaque from Hajia Bintu Tinubu.

After the presentation, all of them thanked the organisers for recognising their efforts.

He said it would serve as an impetus for him to do more for the people he represents at the Senate.

The curtain of the ceremony was drawn, all moved to the dance floor as the DJ dished out more melodious songs.

•Chief Abiodun Fajobi and Princess Hiris

WEDDING

• Groom's brother: Taofik Olanrewaju Oyeniyi and his mother Mrs Susana Oluyemisi Oyeniyi

• The couple: Liadi Adeyemi Oyeniyi and his wife, Abiodun Adebukola

•Bride’s parents, Alhaji Isa Adewale Adeyemi and his wife, Alhaja Mulikat

PHOTOS: AMIDU ARIJE

THE NATION FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2014

52

SOCIETY The funeral of the founder of the Gospel Apostolic Church (GAC), Rev. Samuel Akinbode Sadela, climaxed with a reception at the Police College Ground in Ikeja, Lagos, report OMOLARA OGUNWALE reports.

Bouquet for God’s ‘horseman’

From left: Ebenezer Obey; Bishop Oyedepo; Mrs Sadela; Pastor Ayanfe Olutola; Pastor Faith Oyedepo; Mrs Adewunmi; Pastor Adewunmi; Dr Sola Sadela and Pastor Nathaniel Sadela.

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HE gathering was to celebrate a life well-spent.

Guests turned out in a uniform ankara, with the deceased’s portrait.

The deceased, many intoned, lived a fulfilled life.

It was the funeral of the founder, Gospel Apostolic Church (GAC), Rev Samuel Akinbode Sadela, who died on August 24. He was 114.

Eminent personalities, among others, filled the Police College Ground in Ikeja, Lagos State, the venue of the event. They came to pay their last respect to the late man of God. The week-long event featured a service of songs, prayers, night of tributes, lying in state and wake, at the church headquarters in Soluyi, Gbagada, Lagos State.

It climaxed with the funeral, which started about 09:40 am at the Police College Ground, Ikeja.

There were about six tents on the field. They were decorated with wine and brown fabrics. Chairs were set around tables which had satin overlays with flower vases.

There were flat screens at strategic points to relay the event.

Security officials were there in large numbers.

The pall bearers, who brought the black and gold casket into the field, were preceded by three women carrying colourful flowers. The brigade trailed them, with their trumpets and drums. Family members were also in the procession.

The casket was placed under a tent decorated in white with flowers and white lamps placed around it.

The seats were labelled for easy identification by guests.

Widow, Christiana, his two children, Mrs Abosede Adewunmi and Pastor Nathaniel Sadela with their spouses clad in cream lace with brown Aso Oke as head gear, Ipele and cap.

As the national flag was raised by one of the pall bearers, guests stood to recite the anthem. Part of the casket was later opened revealing deceased head. He was dressed in white priest attire and a small white cap with gold design round the edges. Guests took turns to take a glance at the body.

The entry of founder of Living Faith Church, aka, Winners Chapel, Bishop David Oyedepo, his wife Faith and their entourage drew cheers from guests.

The District Overseer of Lagos State GAC, Pastor Solomon Adegbete Gbadebo said the opening prayer and Rev. Olutola Ayanfe took the Bible reading from 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. This was followed by full Orchestra from the church choir.

In his sermon, Bishop Oyedepo

•From left: Bishop Gabriel Omodeinde; Mojisola and Apostle Adebayo Abiola

•From left: Mrs Abiodun Quadri; Mrs Beauty Ajamobe and Mrs Abolurin

•Oba Erebese (left) and Oba Olasode

•Prince Akinsoji (left) and Prince Olukosi

•From left: Olori Labisi Tejuoso; Mrs Abimbola Akeredolu and Olori Yetunde Tejuoso

•From left: Princess Adebire Odogiyon; Princess Adediwura Odogiyon Adebayo PHOTOS: SOLOMON ADEOLA and Chief Orisaseyi Umoru

spoke on “old age”.

He said old age is something everyone wishes and longs for, adding that, it is fruitfulness from God. He said: “Old age is good and many people in the Bible lived this long and above. Old age is a covenant for every good child of God and it is God’s grace for everyone to live long,” he said.

He told the gathering that it is good to live long but at the same time, it requires a lot; “take note of these things that gives long life. Baba never spoke badly against anyone, but rather, he always blesses.

“He blesses people with old age.

Whatever you give out, you will not lack, but, that which you hold back, you will lack. The power of life and death is in the tongue, keep your tongues from speaking evil, depart from violence and seek peace”.

The Vice Rector of the Bible College, Pastor Sam Daisi Olisa read the biography of Rev Sadela.

very generous, at times I ask him and he said: ‘We came into the world with nothing, so we will leave with nothing: I learnt a lot from him, his legacy, humility and love. I knew he was going to die because he was conscious about rapture, he once told me that rapture will come very early on a Sunday morning so am not surprised he died on Sunday as early as 04:30am,” she said.

Pastor Sadela described his father as one of the horsemen and chariots of Christendom, a man of faith, courage and integrity.

“I learnt from him to be heavenly conscious, hold on to the faith and word of God, to be honest, diligent and never to hold grudge against anyone. We never had any issue of carrying Baba about because he was so strong during his days,” he said.

The widow thanked God for the opportunity He gave her to meet her husband.

She said: “He was my angel and I

The service ended with songs by the choir. They sang, among others, the deceased’s favourite song “Baba se te mi lowo”.

Rev Sadela’s remains were buried at the church headquarters in Soluyi, Gbagada, Lagos State. It was witnessed by ministers and some family members.

Guest were entertained at the reception held at the Police College. On the band stand were Pastor Joseph Adebayo Adelakun, aka Ayewa International; and Evangelist Ebenezer Obey.

Bishop Oyedepo and his wife, Faith danced to Obey’s music. Family members and guests sprayed new naira notes.

Mrs Adewunmi described her father as tolerant, jovial, loving and a man that takes everyone as his child without hesitating.

“Baba was faithful and sensitive; he does not value material things, he jokes a lot, tells us stories, he was

thank God for sending Rev. Sadela to me”.

In attendance were: Mrs Abimbola Akeredolu, representative of Ogun State Governor; former Commissioner for Finance and Economic Planning, Ogun State, Dr Oladiran Kukoyi; Senator Bode Olajumoke, Olori Labisi Tejuoso; Olori Yetunde Tejuoso; Prince Segun Awoyefa; Prince Lemmy Akinsoji (Asoju Oba) and Prince Tajudeen Olukosi (Baale Aiyedene) representing Oba Alamu Onikosi Oba of Ikosi; Oodra of Ife, Oluwasegun Arasanmi Erebese and Olasode Waasin of Ilare Quarter; wife of the Commandant-General, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Mrs Aderonke Abolurin; General Overseer of CCAA, Bishop Gabriel Omodeinde; General Overseer, New Covenant Faith Evangelical Mission (NCFEM), Rev Adekoya Stellla Olabisi and Grace Apostle Adebayo Abiola of Aladura International Cherubim and Seraphim Church.

THE NATION FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2014

53

BUSINESS EXTRA

Five local banks to provide N88b for GE’s project

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ENERAL Electric (GE) yesterday signed a framework agreements with five Nigerian banks that will provide up to $500million (about N88 billion) in financing to suppliers for the GE manufacturing and assembly facility in Calabar.

The banks are Fidelity Bank, Citibank, Zenith Bank, United Bank for Africa (UBA) and Ecobank.

The President and CEO of GE Nigeria, Dr. Lazarus Angbazo said the move represents a watershed in supplier financing and efforts to boost government’s local content policy in the oil and gas industry, and other sectors.

Julius Berger won the contract to build the facility to be cited in Calabar.

Meanwhile, President Goodluck Jonathan has assured Nigerians and investors that the government will strive to maintain economic stability in

•Fed Govt assures of economic stability • Julius Berger to build facility

By Lucas Ajanaku

spite of falling oil prices.

The president spoke when he received the delegation of GE led by its Vice Chairman, Mr. John Rice at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

President Jonathan, according to a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, said the government will work hard to maintain domestic economic stability, and urged the company to maintain its confidence in the country.

He said: “We promise our people that even with the drop in oil prices, the economy will be stable. I urge you to maintain the confidence you have in this country before the oil price drop, and even expect better management from us.

“Sometimes, it is when you

are challenged that you do better than when everything looks good.

“So, I assure you, other investors in this country and all Nigerians that the government will do everything necessary to stabilise the economy and that the drop in the price of crude oil will not create so much distortion in our economy.’’

Mr. Rice told the president that GE has committed about $30 million to the development of the Calabar plant and was already undertaking overseas training of Nigerians that will work there.

He announced Julius Berger Nigeria Plc as the preferred bidder to build GE’s multi modal manufacturing and Assembly facility in Calabar, Cross River State.

Julius Berger has also been

contracted to build a training facility on the manufacturing site to ensure seamless workers’ development.

Mr. Rice spoke in Abuja yesterday during a courtesy visit on the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke.

Meanwhile, GE and Heirs Holdings (HH) have agreed to expand their existing relationship to jointly pursue opportunities in the oil and gas industry. Having identified opportunities in the upstream sector and the domestic demand for oil and gas, both companies are set to collaborate in transforming the industry landscape.

Before now, GE’s collaboration with Heirs Holdings was focused on the power sector and specifically the expansion of Transcorp Ughelli, Nigeria’s

largest power station. The move is a clear demonstration of a new approach by multinational companies to develop meaningful and long term partnerships with credible and strong indigenous companies across a range of sectors. It is also an endorsement of the growing maturity of Nigeria’s private sector.

Chairman, Heirs Holdings, Mr. Tony Elumelu, said the expansion of the relationship with GE represents a pivotal moment for the oil and gas industry and for indigenous businesses as a whole. He added that this marks a major milestone in the Heirs Holdings strategy to domesticate value across the energy sector.

According to Mr. Elumelu, “Partnerships like this capture the spirit of what I have termed Africapitalism and bring together global entities and world-class Nigerian companies. These are the kinds of investments we need to create employment and ensure eco-

nomic value.” The agreement will ensure the development of local capacity, technology transfer and leverage the best of global technology to deliver a solution fit for the African market.

Mr. Rice said the agreement was a further example of meaningful local content delivery in Nigeria’s petroleum industry.”Our work with Transcorp and now, Heirs Holdings is ample proof of our commitment to continually identify and align with strategic stakeholders to create jobs, facilitate technology and skills transfer in critical sectors of the economy.”

The developing relationship is expected to lead to significant investment and supply chain benefits for a whole range of Nigerian companies, operating across the industry value chain. Both organisations aim is to act as a catalyst for a far broader participation of small, medium and large Nigerian enterprises.

Huawei showcases smartgrid solution at WAPIC

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• From left: Deputy Managing Director, Skye Bank Plc, Mrs Amaka Onwughalu; Group Managing Director/CEO, Mr. Timothy Oguntayo and the Chief Executive Officer, Medivision Limited, organisers of Bankers Games, Mr. Fela Bank-Olemoh, presenting a trophy to Oguntayo during a visit to the bank’s headquarters...in Lagos.

Falling oil prices: Govt urged to stop fuel importation

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HE Federal Govern ment has been advised to quickly embrace measures that would end importation of refined petroleum products into the country.

The measure should be the first step to address the fall in the price of crude oil and the expected hardship ahead.

Former Economic Adviser to ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo, Prof Ode Ojowu, gave the yesterday during the public presentation of a book titled “Using Research to Influence Public Policy”, written by Prof Eric Eboh at the National Press Centre, Abuja. .

He described as embarrassing the importation of refined petroleum products into the country, saying Nigerians would definitely feel

From Blessing Olaifa, Asst. Editor, Abuja

the impact of the fall in crude oil prices.

He further said for the nation’s economy to crumble because of the fall in the price of a particular product only meant that the economy is weak notwithstanding its recent re-basing, insisting that government should take far reaching steps to diversify the economy.

He regretted that the drop in oil prices would also affect the wages of workers which could precipitate another strike action from the organised labour.

Prof Ojowu who was a member of the National Economic Intelligence Committee (NEIC), said: “Fundamentally, there are so many

things we are doing we should not be doing. One, we should not be importing refined oil.

It is an embarrasment.

“Supposing just for the sake of argument that this country is refining oil enough for itself and enough for the rest of West Africa, this price declining in crude oil would be more than mitigated by the market share in the refined products across West Africa. That would have done definitely a major good for us.

“Secondly, the Minister of Agriculture has been doing a lot of hard work in agriculture transformation, but the major issue from there is that the states and local governments are passive.

“Supposing for the sake of argument we are able to ac-

commodate all of our food needs within and actually exporting the balance. Then again, it would have mitigated against the fall in crude oil prices.”

Chairman of the occassion, Eng. Mansir Ahmed said time has come for government and the private sector to fund research activities in tertiary institutions, noting that there is need to brigde the gap.

Ahmed who is an Executive Director, Dangote Group of Companies commended the author for his contributions to the development of the country through the National Economic Summit Group, saying his contributions through the publication would assist in expanding the number of winners of policy measures and reduce the number of losers.

Firm introduces filtration technology for powdery products

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N indigenous firm, LS Scientific, in conjunc tion with Germanbased Haver and Boecker has introduced advanced filtration and particle size analysis technology to the powdery products market. It said it will benefit producers of detergents, cocoa beverages, sugar, salt, powdered milk, cement, fine sand, cosmetic

powder. Producers of powdery products engage in filtration and particle sizing in their daily operations.

The company said the new technology will enhance filtration, particle size analysis and deliver the highest attainable and requisite precision, which is key in the production of granulated and powder products.

Filtration basically invloves the use of shakers and seives to make for uniformity in size of particles, which often enhances quality of the products.

For example, cement has to be extremely fine to be able to provide optimum adhesive strength when mixed with water to create durable mortar. In the same vein, milk and

cocoa beverages need to be produced to certain fineness to be able to melt evenly when mixed with water.

So when these products are of uneven particle sizes there tends to be inconsistent which comes in the form of lumps in the case of milk and beverages, hence customers translate this into low quality.

HINESE tech firm, Huawei has showcased its Better Connected Smartgrid Solution at 11th annual West African Power Industry Convention (WAPIC) 2014 in Lagos.

With Innovative ICT Empowers a Better Connected Smartgrid as the theme of its participation at the event, Huawei said its presence at the forum was a reaffirmation of its commitment to the electric power sector in the country and the entire West African sub-region.

In a statement, it said the Huawei solution fits well with existing power grid structures and provides features such as robustness, self-healing, interactive capability, compatibility, and smart dispatch, as well as convergence of Information Technology (IT) and Operational Technology (OT) to satisfy electric power demands.

The forum which also had Accelerating West Africa’s Sustainable Power Transformation had debated on the future of the West African power sector with an in-depth analysis of the key drivers that are shaping the industry.

“The fast growing economy in West Africa has been expected to be fueled by the electric power sector. However, West Africa currently has a large population with limited access to power supply. To change this situation, West African countries have joined the “Sustainable Energy for All” initiative, wishing to leverage renewable energy resources to extend power supply coverage and improve efficiency.

“As renewable energy sources have unique features such as unpredictability and intermittent supply, incorporating renewable energy sources into legacy power grids is troubled with potential risks and challenges. In this context, power grids must have smart dispatch capabilities to support renewable energy sources,” Huawei ex-

plained in the statement.

At the forum, Huawei highlighted its Better Connected Smartgrid Solution – a solution that covers all links of the electric power sector. As part of the Huawei solution, a variety of access modes make it possible to understand the real-time status of numerous grid terminals; highspeed wired and wireless communications networks enable real-time, reliable data transmission; cloud data centers consolidate and share grid-wide data to support intelligent analytics and management, providing outstanding support for building a more intelligent grid.

The Huawei’s engineers in WAPIC introduced how the solutions can build a better smart grid by setting up all-inclusive information, linking users and power grids and implementing unified management, presentation, and operation.

Vice President, Huawei West Africa, Mr. Shi Weiliang, said:: “As smart grid construction gains momentum, ICT will no longer play a marginal role and will gradually take up a more critical role as a service enabler. Instead of merely providing technical support, ICT is evolving and will facilitate in-depth service integration and shape the development trends of smart grids. ICT development is poised to propel the transformation of smart grids to a better connected future.”

Providing key technologies in the electric power industry for more than two decades, Huawei products and solutions currently serve more than 160 power companies in 65 countries and connect more than 100,000 substations around the world.

In Ethiopia, Huawei assists Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation in building an optical Fiber Composite overhead Ground Wire project, lengthening over 1,000 kilometers and paving a solid foundation for power network automation.

THE NATION FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2014

54

EQUITIES NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE

DAILY SUMMARY SUMMARY AS AS AT AT 04--12-14 25-07-14 DAILY

DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 04-12-14

Lafarge Africa to take over Ashakacem’s minority shares

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AFARGE Africa Plc has secured the approval of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to proceed on a mandatory tender offer to acquire equity stakes held by minority shareholders in Ashaka Cement Plc. The board of Lafarge Africa Plc has already notified the board of Ashaka Cement of its intention to proceed with the takeover bid by sending the tender documents to all minority shareholders in Ashaka Cement. Both Lafarge Africa and Ashaka Cement have also notified the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) of the development.

Following the consolidation of Lafarge’s businesses in Nigeria and South Africa into Lafarge Africa, Lafarge Africa had acquired 58.61 per cent majority equity stake in Ashaka Cement. The majority equity stake was previously held by Lafarge Nige-

•Mandatory tender for 41.4% minority shares launched Stories by Taofik Salako Capital Market Editor

ria (UK) Limited. The acquisition was done through a block trade at the NSE. The acquisition thus triggered the mandatory tender offer (MTO) provision of the Section 131 of the Investment and Securities Act (ISA) and Rule 445 of SEC, which make it mandatory for any institution or person that acquires at least 30 per cent of a company to make an MTO to other minority shareholders.

Ashaka Cement’s share price rose by 1.13 per cent to close at N22.30 per share yesterday at the NSE. Lafarge had on July 9, 2014 received shareholders’ approval to consolidate its cement businesses in Nigeria and combine these with South African operations to create a

leading sub-Saharan building materials giant to be known as Lafarge Africa Plc. The consolidation was done by transferring Lafarge’s assets in South Africa and Nigeria to Lafarge Cement Wapco Nigeria Plc. Under the transaction, Lafarge Group transferred its direct and indirect shareholdings in Lafarge South Africa Holding Limited of 72.4 per cent and its equity stakes in three other cement companies in Nigeria-United Cement Company of Nigeria Limited, 35 per cent, Ashaka Cement Plc, 58.61 per cent and Atlas Cement Company Limited, 100 per cent to Lafarge Wapco for a cash consideration of $200 million and the issuance of some 1.4 billion Lafarge Africa shares to the Lafarge Group.

THE NATION FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2014

55

MONEYLINK

CBN committed to financial inclusion, says Emefiele

• CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele

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Central Bank of Nigeria, Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele has restated the commitment of the bank to ensure the provision of affordable financial services to low income and underserved active adult population.

He spoke at this year’s financial inclusion conference organised by Enhancing Financial Innovation and Access (EFInA) in Lagos.

The CBN chief said the lender is promoting financial inclusion in line with its vision to become the model central bank delivering financial system stability and sustainable economic development.

He added that as part of its commitment, the apex bank has set up a Financial Inclusion Secretariat to coordinate the implementation of the lender’s Financial Inclusion Strategy.

The conference which unveiled the results of this year’s Access to Financial Services Survey, provided insights into sustainable financial inclusion models in other parts of the world and how the country could learn from them.

ETI gets new non-executive directors

Stories by Collins Nweze

The governor commended EFInA for its work towards promoting financial inclusion in the country. He said though the journey to achieving financial inclusion was long, he believed the sustained efforts of the industry would go a long way towards reaching the financial inclusion goals and targets.

The CEO of EFInA, Ms Modupe Ladipo said the result of the Access to Financial Services survey showed that the percentage of formally excluded adult in Nigeria reduced to 39.5 per cent, stating that the figure was still relatively high due to the fact that 23 per cent of adult Nigerians lacked formal education and less than 10 per cent were on salary.

CIBN chief backs N220b MSMEs’ fund

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HE President, Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), Mrs. Debola Osibogun has said Federal Government’s decision to launch the N220 billion Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Development Fund, power sector reforms and establishment of the Nigerian Mortgage Refinancing Company is in order.

Speaking during a dialogue with President Goodluck Jonathan in Abuja, she said government has also created specialised funding for key sectors of the economy such as agriculture, education, maritime, information communication technology, textiles among others.

“We are happy to note that the

banking industry remains a very dependable ally in promoting these transformations across all sectors of the economy and is also working assiduously towards achieving the nation’s goal to be one of the top 20 economies in year 2020,” she said.

The CIBN chief described the institute as 51-year-old self regulatory, professional banking institute chartered by an Act of the Federal Republic of Nigeria with the statutory responsibilities of human capacity development for the banking industry; professional certification; and maintenance of ethical standards among practitioners.

“The Institute is overtly poised to coordinate and harmonise the strength of all its constituent cor-

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COBANK Transnational Incorporated (ETI) has announced four new non-executive directors on its 15-member board, and the retirement of one non-executive director.

The new board members are Dolika Banda of Zambia, Graham Dempster of South Africa, Sheila Mmbijjewe of Kenya, and Alain Nkontchou of Cameroon. They collectively bring 120 years of experience in banking and finance to the leadership of the world’s largest panAfrican bank.

Banda, 51, is an economist and communicator on the African economy. Banda is an Independent Consultant and Advisor to such clients as the United Nations,

ICAN, group sign pact

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•Mrs. Osibogun porate and individual members; and other relevant stakeholders (local and international) for value addition to the Nigeria project,” she said.

Rockefeller Foundation, the Gates Foundation and several governments.

Banda is a former advisor and director at the International Finance Corporation (IFC), where she worked for 16 years. She held senior positions at Barclays Bank Zambia and Citibank Zambia.

ETI Board Chair, Emmanuel Ikazoboh, said: “Our board has been strengthened tremendously by the collective experience of our new members, who join us in our resolve to deliver on our dual objective of making Ecobank a world-class panAfrican bank and one that relentlessly contributes to the economic development and financial integration of Africa.”

HE Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Ordre National des Experts Comptables du Cameroun (ONECCA) to help train and certify professional accountants in Cameroon as well as provide technical assistance to the body.

The pact will enable ICAN help ONECCA develop its own professional examination and certification programmes as well as build capacity for an operational secretariat.

ONECCA, which currently does not have a professional examination scheme of its own will be assisted by ICAN to acquire technical expertise which will enable it run its own certification examinations locally in due course.

Under the arrangement, ICAN

will initially assist in developing a syllabus for the Cameroonian Institute, set the questions and assist in grading answer scripts. It will also groom ONECCA personnel to eventually manage the process on their own.

During the conduct of its own examinations in Cameroon in the interim, ICAN will send its staff invigilators along with the examination papers and return the answer scripts to Nigeria for marking.

ONECCA, on its own part, will help manage ICAN’s professional examinations in Cameroon.

The institute will also provide a seamless on-line registration facility for students in Cameroon and also assist ONECCA develop tuition centres and provide both the study materials to be used and the resource persons that will run revision classes.

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

152.19 9.17 1.12 1.19 2,237.65 1.39 1,710.65 1,092.63 115.26 121.16 1,117.51 1.2147 1.2858 0.7802 1.0972

RETAIL DUTCH AUCTION SYSTEM (RDAS) Transaction Dates 17/11/2014 10/11/2014 06/11/2014 1,116.70 1.2072 1.2858 0.7666 1.0972

GAINERS AS AT 04-12-14

SYMBOL ASHACACEM ABCTRANS IKEJAHOTEL UBCAP BETAGLAS AFRIPRUD RTBRISCOE STANBIC TRANSCORP ACADEMY INTBREW

O/PRICE 22.30 0.60 3.80 1.60 22.05 2.83 0.81 28.53 3.74 0.99 25.01

C/PRICE 24..58 0.63 3.99 1.68 23.15 2.97 0.85 29.93 3.90 1.03 26.00

CHANGE 2.28 0.03 0.19 0.08 1.10 0.14 0.04 1.40 0.16 0.04 0.99

LOSERS AS AT 04-12-14

SYMBOL

O/PRICE

PRESCO NASCON CHAMPION DANGFLOUR PREMBREW VONO HONYFLOUR SEPLAT NEIMETH CCNN DEAPCAP GUARANTY NAHCO

29.83 7.87 9.89 5.92 3.98 1.05 3.30 397.11 0.94 11.36 0.76 24.02 4.80

C/PRICE 28.34 7.48 9.40 5.63 3.79 1.00 3.15 380.00 0.90 10.90 0.73 23.12 4.63

CHANGE -1.49 -0.39 -0.49 -0.29 -0.19 -0.05 -0.15 -17.11 -0.04 -0.46 -0.03 -3.75 -0.17

ECONOMIC INDICATORS

Inflation: October

8.1%

Monetary Policy Rate

13.0%

Foreign Reserves

$79.98

Money Supply (M2)

N16.42 trillion.

Credit to private Sector (CPS)

N17.2 trillion

Primary Lending Rate (PLR)

Amount Sold in ($) 499.93m 399.97m 349.96m

CBN EXCHANGE RATES December 3, 2014

$37b

Oil Price (Bonny Light/b)

Amount Offered in ($) 500m 400m 350m

16.5%

Currency

Buying (N)

Selling (N)

US Dollar

164

165

Pounds Sterling

258.2344

259.809

Euro

204.2948

205.5405

Swiss Franc

169.8074

170.8428

Yen

1.3924

1.4009

CFA

0.2868

0.3068

235.4875

236.9234

Yuan/Renminbi

26.7114

26.8752

NIGERIAN INTER-BANK OFFERED RATES (NIBOR)

WAUA Tenor

11-11-14 Rate (%)

Rate (%) 12-11-14

Overnight (O/N)

10.54

11.17

Riyal

43.7054

43.9719

1M

11.94

12.18

SDR

240.1288

241.593

3M

13.08

13.33

6M

14.03

14.17

FOREX RATES

R-DAS ($/N)

165.29

165.29

Interbank ($/N)

162.75

162.75

Parallel ($/N)

185.50

185.50

GOVT. SECURITIES YIELD – SECONDARY MARKET

Tenor

Dec. 3, 2014

Rates

T-bills - 91

9.85

T-bills - 182

9.98

T-bills - 364

10

Bond - 3yrs

12.61

Bond - 5yrs

12.77

Bond - 7yrs

12.73

56

THE NATION FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2014

NEWS Panel on Ibadan violence

Court restrains PDP on Kogi council primaries

O

YO State Governor Abiola Ajimobi has said a commission of inquiry will be set up to investigate the violence in some parts of Ibadan.

He spoke when he visited Popoyemoja and Born Photo areas of the state capital.

The governor said the panel would be responsible for finding the perpetrators and recommending appropriate punishment.

“This administration is known for peace and security, a legacy which he said had been preserved, using government apparatus.

“We have established institutions to ensure peace. That is Operation Burst. We have been supporting it financially to ensure its effectiveness and efficiency.

“Now, we know that election is approaching. We believe that some of our opponents are behind these moves. We will not allow them.”

From Eric Ikhilae, Abuja

A

HIGH Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has restrained the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from conducting primary elections in Kogi Local Government in Kogi State, pending the hearing and determination of a leadership dispute suit .

The suit was instituted against the PDP, its Electoral Committee Chairman for Kogi State, Maxwell Okudoh and the Electoral Appeal Committee Chairman, Bashir Awotorebo. The suit was filed by Isah Shaba Ibrahim and Aliyu Ibrahim.

Justice Valentine Ashi gave an interlocutory restraining the party from conducting primaries in the affected local government.

“All parties shall keep and maintain the status quo as it existed November 27. Accordingly, neither party shall do anything that is capable of rendering nugatory the hearing and determination of the preliminary objection and the motion on notice for interlocutory injunction,” the judge said.

He adjourned till December 10.

PDP, Omisore close case at tribunal

Isiguzo’s wake now Dec 16 •Lagos CP, candidate condole with The Nation •Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola (right) registering for his National Identity Card at the National Identification Number Registration Centre, Osogbo. With him are Deputy Governor Mrs Titi Laoye-Tomori (third right); Director, Operations, National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) Abuja, Mrs Yahaya Cecilia (second right); NIMC Officer Akinlabi Olusola (left) and others.

•Aregbesola to open defence Monday

By Adesoji Adeniyi. Osogbo

T

HE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its governorship candidate, Senator Iyiola Omisore, yesterday closed the prosecution of their petition against the re-election of Governor Rauf Aregbesola in the August 9 election.

Aregbesola, the first respondent, will open his defence on Monday.

The petitioners’ counsel, Nathaniel Oke, at the close of sitting on Wednesday, applied to close the case of his clients.

The petitioners closed their cases before the Justice Elizabeth Ikpejime tribunal after calling 43 witnesses, two of whom were claimed to be expert witnesses within 14 days.

They also tendered 388 exhibits, including ballot papers, results forms and voter register, among others, to prove the case. Oke thanked the tribunal and the respondents for their cooperation.

Aregbesola’s counsel Femi Falana promised to open defence on behalf of his client early next week.

Each respondent- Aregbesola, APC and INEC- has 10 days each to defend the case.

Why we protested, by disabled persons From Damisi Ojo, Akure

T

The Chairman, National Association of Persons Living With Disabilities(JONAPWD)in Ondo State, Olurotimi Olubodede, has said his members protested during the International Day for Persons with Disabilities because of alleged “government marginalization”.

The physically challenged persons reportedly destabilised the event organised by the government to mark the celebration in Akure, the state capital.

The development was said to have forced the Chief of Staff(CoS), Kola Ademujimi, who represented Governor Olusegun Mimiko, to leave the event unceremoniously.

The protesters decried the manner the government has been allegedly discriminating against them.

They said they have not benefitted anything from the administration since its inception in 2009.

•From left: Registrar, Crawford University, Adekoya Tunde Oluite, Vice Chancellor Prof Samuel Ayanlaja and Spokesman Femi Ojo at the sixth pre-convocation briefing at Faith City, Igbesa, Ogun State.

PHOTO: JOHN EBHOTA

By Tajudeen Adebanjo,

T

he wake for the late Jude Isiguzo, The Nation Senior Crime Correspondent and Chairman, Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), The Nation Chapel, has been postponed till December 16, his elder sister, Mrs Juliana Okezu, said yesterday.

According to her, the December 11 date was turned down by the church due to other engagements.

Mrs. Okezu said the burial will still hold on Monday December 22 at Umuokegbu Village, Omoba in Isiala Ngwa South Local Government Area of Abia State.

Lagos State Commissioner of Police Kayode Aderanti and All Progressives Congress (APC) House of Assembly candidate for Mushin Constituency II AbdulSobur Olawale have condoled with The Nation.

Aderanti said within the short time he assumed office, he found Isiguzo to be a pleasant person with a knack for professionalism.

“I was enjoying his opinions on issues, until the sad news filtered out last Saturday,” he said.

The police chief prayed God to grant the family the fortitude to bear the loss.

Olawale described Isiguzo’s demise as unfortunate. “For such a fine and dedicated person to leave this world suddenly, it amazes me,” he said.

Fayose’s allegations against Fayemi untrue, says APC

T

HE Ekiti State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has dismissed allegations by Governor Ayo Fayose against his predecessor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi.

Fayose, during his maiden media chat, “Meet Your Governor” aired last Friday on major radio and television stations in the state, accused Fayemi of running the state aground and owing workers two months salary arrears.

The governor also accused Fayemi of taking away the governor’s official vehicle claiming that he mounted pressure on the former governor before the Range Rover Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) was returned.

But the party in a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatubosun, accused Fayose of feeding the people of the state with lies in a bid to win “undeserved public sympathy”.

From Odunayo Ogunmola, Ado-Ekiti

Olatunbosun maintained that Fayemi did not receive September allocation before leaving office in October. He wondered why Fayose “who collected September allocation refused to pay workers their September salary”.

He said: “Fayose said in the programme that he has not collected any money since his assumption of office. This is a lie. The workers deserve their pay. Fayose cannot claim he has no money after collecting N22 billion since he assumed office.

“The truth is that the N43million Range Rover that Fayose bought immediately he became governorelect and passed the bill to Fayemi to pay is even costlier and more sophisticated than the one Fayemi used and we wonder how a man who enjoys this luxury would say he does not have official car.

‘Can the governor swear by the Holy Bible, real Holy Bible and not a dictionary wrapped with Holy Bible cover, that he is not living in the new Government House as we speak’ “The governor also said he had shunned the new Government House because he cannot be living in opulence with regular power supply while the rest of Ekiti people live in the dark.

“Can the governor swear by the Holy Bible, real Holy Bible and not a dictionary wrapped with Holy Bible cover, that he is not living in

the new Government House as we speak?

“Where did he host a foremost traditional ruler from Ekiti Central Senatorial zone last Sunday night? Why is it that the house is always lit at night if no one lives there?

“Why does the governor always feel that Ekiti people are fools??

Why does the leader of a people believe that lying is a way of life and instrument of governance?”

“Ekiti people should know that their money is being spent on a private hotel owned by the governor.

“He is living in the Government House as well as spending Ekiti people’s money to bring his hotel to a high standard to improve his personal business.

“This is a callous attitude to the people he claims to love? and prepares to make sacrifices in their service for development.”

57

THE NATION FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2014

NEWS Osundare: let’s build Nigeria Continued from page 6

establishment of the national research and development fund. This administration will continue to promote excellence on merit as we strive to enhance rapid development and nationhood. In this regard, we welcome the new initiative by the NNOM to promote excellence.”

Osundare, in his acceptance speech titled “This oasis must bloom the desert”, said the award had a more special resonance and unusual gravitas to it than all the prizes and awards he has got in his 40 years of professional and creative career.

He said: “From near and far, the congratulatory messages pouring in the past one week have concentrated not only on the lucky winner of the 2014 Nigerian National Order of Merit Award, but also on the timing of the award and the country which is responsible for its bestowal.

“I cannot disclose many of the messages in full without sounding gross or boringly immodest, neither can I keep silent about them without denying myself a great opportunity to share something useful, and my country a chance to hear one or two things about itself.”

He read some of the messages to the gathering including “We are happy that this award is coming at a time like this in the history of your country”, “Oh, Nigeria got this right”, “The existence of this kind of award shows that not all is lost in Nigeria”.

According to him, one writer, a professor of political science and perspicacious columnist for one of Nigeria’s leading newspapers, disclosed how “uplifting and therapeutic” it was for him to learn about this year’s award, adding: “In a clime where good news is in short supply (the news of the award) comes as refreshing drops of water, massaging parched throats.”

Osundare also said that a stellar US-based Nigerian professor of philosophy renowned for his cerebral, unsparing evisceration of the African anomy, called him to say that the award indicated that Nigeria is still capable of doing some things right.

He went on: “Another colleague exhales, almost carthically, ‘oh, what a breath of fresh air!’. A younger colleague from the Department of English, University of Ibadan, declared in a telephone conversation whose sheer energy nearly blew up the Nigerian network service: “Sir, I’m happy for you and happy for myself; now it means we younger fellows have something to look up to.

“The students in my poetry class in the Department of English, University of New Orleans, USA burst into spontaneous applause upon hearing the news, exactly the same way some of my professor colleagues in the same department reacted a few days later. Some of these students and colleagues tell me with an almost filial candor and concern, something to this effect: “This is good news, Niyi; better, happier than

what has been coming out of Nigeria in recent times.

“Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen, I have cited all these episodes not in aid of some megalomaniac confessionalism. I am not the first person to receive this award, nor am I going to be the last. Worthier people, many of them my teachers and professional predecessors, have walked this path before, and I have them to thank for blazing a worthy trail. The purpose of this narrative is to show how people from different climes and from different stations of life perceive the Nigerian National Merit Award vis-avis the nation that has created it as its National Order of Distinction.”

Noting that NNOM is larger than any awardee, Osundare said the light from its beacon transcends the turbulent expanse of Nigeria’s territorial waters.

He said: “I deduce from my experience since the official announcement of this year’s award an overwhelming yearning for the NNOM as an order faithful to its mission; a Centre of Excellence given free rein and empowered in all legitimate ways to carry out its institutional functions not only as regards the recognition of merit and reward for it, but also the cultivation and encouragement of these attributes in Nigeria’s intellectual culture.”

According to the teacher, the NNOM remains to date about the only Nigerian Order of grave national importance relatively insulated from Nigeria’s typical political contamination.

He said that it is a national institution with relatively formidable ramparts against the rampaging monsters of mediocrity and intellectual mendacity.

“We owe it as a bounden duty to ourselves and to our future to help it in the maintenance of its measure of integrity. We must keep supremely hallowed the tradition of the First Thursday of December every year as has been the practice since 1979 when the maiden edition of the NNOM was awarded to Chinua Achebe, one of Nigeria’s nay the world’s most famous writers,” he said.

Osundare went on: “One of those numerous wellwishers in the past week described the NNOM as an “oasis” in the Nigeria desert. It must be a vital part of NNOM’s mission to transform, by its own sterling example, that desert into a blooming landscape and productive humanscape.”

“Urgently needed in this regard is the kind of robust, consistent endowment befitting its status as the nation’s intellectual and creative reference point/powerhouse jealously protected from all manner of compromise,” he added.

Continuing, he said: “But as that ancient Yoruba adage goes, ‘Idelorun ite ni delorun eye’ (The peace of the nest determines the peace of the bird). Without a nest called Nigeria, there would be no bird called NNOM. “These, no doubt, are dangerously hard times for Nigeria. They are also times which call for the best and boldest in all of us; leaders

who follow by leading conscientiously, and followers who lead by following responsibly. We have a country to build, a future to anticipate, a dream to honour.”

Thanking the NNOM for considering him worthy of the honour, Osundare said: “I thank our country Nigeria for making it possible.”

Osundare has authored 18 books of poetry, two books of selected poems, four plays, a book of essays, and numerous monographs and articles on literature, language, culture, and society including Village Voices, Horse of Memory, Eye of the Earth, Songs of the Season and Waiting Laughters.

NNOM Governing Board Chair Prof Etim Moses Essien described Osundare as a prolific poet, dramatist and literary critic, a champion of the right to free speech and a strong believer in the power of words.

He said Osundare is renowned for his commitment to socially relevant art and artistic activism.

Essien also presented to the President the communique of the 7th forum of the laureates, containing decisions and recommendations for the Federal Government’s consideration.

He said: “It is noteworthy that all information shared at the forums to date have been published promptly and have thus been placed in public domain. We pray Mr President that the Federal Government pays some more serious attention than has been so far shown to these recommendations and we urge state governors to do the same.

“Our second request is for the urgent establishment of the Nigerian National Research and Development Fund, to be managed on behalf of the Federal Government, in a merit- driven fashion by reputed researchers drawn from among the laureates, the five national academies, the Post Graduate Medical College of Nigeria and representatives of relevant ministries, departments and agencies ( in particular, Ministry of Science and Technology ) and the organised private sector.”

He went on: “This fund shall be available, purely on merit and on a competitive basis, to Nigerian researchers. The establishment of this fund shall be without prejudice to other specialised research grants that are currently resident within other agencies of government.

“The objective is to identify and support with grants, any meritorious researcher, particularly from the younger generation, who can contribute to national research goals set by the Presidential Research Council. Openly competitive research and development grants awarded on the basis of merit such as we propose here have helped developed nations to rapidly bridge the technology gap.

“The need for proper funding of the NNOM endowment fund as prescribed in the 1979 law establishing the body has been articulated.”

This fund, Essien said, would enable NNOM to effectively carry out its mandate with less dependence on government for its annual financial needs.

THE NATION FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2014

58

FOREIGN NEWS

THE NATION FRIDAY, JULY 25, 2014

Putin warns Russians against hard times

R

USSIA’s President Vladimir Putin addresses the Federal Assembly, including State Duma deputies, members of the Federation Council, the heads of the Constitutional and Supreme courts, regional governors, heads of Russia’s traditional religious faiths and public figures, at the Kremlin in Moscow, yesterday PHOTO: Reuters President Vladimir Putin has warned Russians of hard times ahead and urged selfreliance, in his annual stateof-the nation address to parliament.

Russia has been hit hard by falling oil prices and by

Western sanctions imposed in response to its interventions in the crisis in neighbouring Ukraine.

The rouble, once a symbol of stability under Mr Putin, suffered its biggest one-day decline since 1998 on Monday.

The government has warned that Russia will fall into recession next year.

Speaking to both chambers in the Kremlin, Mr Putin also accused Western governments of seeking to raise a new “iron curtain” around Russia.

He expressed no regrets for annexing Ukraine’s Crimea peninsula, saying the territory had a “sacred

meaning” for Russia.

A Ukrainian soldier fires a cannon close to Donetsk airport this week He insisted the “tragedy” in Ukraine’s south-east had proved that Russian policy had been right but said Russia would respect its neighbour as a brotherly country.

Speaking in Basel in Switzerland later, US Secretary of State John Kerry said the West did not seek confrontation with Russia.

“No-one gains from this confrontation... It is not our design or desire that we see a Russia isolated through its own actions,” Mr Kerry said.

•Putin

Russia could rebuild trust, he said, by withdrawing support for separatists in eastern Ukraine.

U.S. grand jury system ‘broken’, says Al Sharpton

C

IVIL rights leader Reverend Al Sharpton has labelled the US grand jury system “broken” and called on the justice department to address it.

Earlier the US justice department said it will investigate the death of a black man placed in an apparent chokehold by a New York police officer.

Activists have called for a march in Washington next week as a result.

A federal probe into police in Cleveland found a pattern of “unreasonable force”.

The justice department found a systemic pattern of

IS setting up Libya training camps, U.S. says

V

ARIOUS Islamist militant groups are competing for power in eastern Libya Islamic State militants have set up training camps in eastern Libya, the head of the US Africa command says.

Gen David Rodriguez said there could be “a couple of hundred’’ IS fighters undergoing training at the sites.

He said the camps were at a very early stage, but the US was watching them “carefully to see how it develops”.

Libya has been in turmoil since Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown in 2011, with various tribes, militias and political factions fighting for power.

Several Islamist groups are competing for power in the east of the country, with some militants recently declaring allegiance to IS. Speaking in Washington on Wednesday, Gen Rodriguez said it was not yet clear how closely aligned the trainees were with IS. “It’s mainly about people coming for training and logistics support right now, for training sites,” he said.

“Right now it’s just small and very nascent and we just have to see how it goes.”

Correspondents say that in the aftermath of the revolution that ousted Gaddafi, many rebel fighters left to fight with militant groups in Syria, and some are believed to have returned home.

The elected government has lost Libya’s three main cities amid the political crisis.

reckless and inappropriate use of force by officers in Cleveland, a report released on Thursday said.

“We saw too many incidents in which officers accidentally shot someone either because they fired their guns accidentally or because they shot the wrong person,” the report said.

Before that report, civil rights leaders spoke about the case of Eric Garner, the man who died after being restrained in New York.

“We need to centralise and make clear that we want the justice department and the federal government to deal with the fact that the grand

jury systems on a state level are broken and seem to lack the capacity to deal with police,” Rev Sharpton said on Thursday.

His statements follow an announcement by Attorney General Eric Holder launching “an independent, thorough, fair and expeditious” investigation into potential civil rights violations in the chokehold case.

Mr Holder said he was continuing a review of how to heal a “breakdown in trust” between police and communities.

The justice department, he said, would conduct a “complete review” of material

gathered in the local investigation. “All lives must be valued - all lives,” he added.

Mr Garner, 43, was stopped on a street in New York on 17 July on suspicion of selling loose, untaxed cigarettes.

After a confrontation with police he was wrestled to the ground and restrained by force. He became unresponsive and later died.

America saw a wave of race-related unrest only last week over the decision not to indict another white police officer who had shot dead a young black man in Ferguson, Missouri.

Al Qaeda threatens U.S. captive

A

L Qaeda’s Yemen branch published a video purporting to show an American hostage and threatened to kill him if unspecified demands were not met.

In the video, the man identified himself as Luke Somers and said he had been kidnapped well over a year ago. He was looking for “any help that can get me out of this situation”.

Reuters was unable to confirm the authenticity of the video, which was posted on YouTube and social media late on Wednesday and carried by SITE, an organization that monitors militant statements.

The man in the video says

he was born in the United Kingdom and holds American citizenship.

Somers, a 33-year-old journalist, was kidnapped in Yemen’s capital Sanaa in September 2013, joining several other foreigners including Westerners held by militant Sunni Muslim armed groups in the volatile Arabian peninsula country.

In the video, a member of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), the militant network’s Yemen arm, criticized the foreign policy of U.S. President Barack Obama which it said had led to deaths and “massacres,” mentioning drone strikes in Yemen and air attacks against suspected militants across the Muslim world.

“We warn Obama and the

American government of the consequences of proceeding ahead in any other foolish action,” an AQAP official identified as Nasser bin Ali al-Ansi said.

“We give the American government a timeframe of three days from the issuance of this statement to meet our demands about which they are aware; otherwise, the American hostage held by us will meet his inevitable fate,” he added, without specifying the demands which he said the United States “knows well”.

Ansi also criticized a raid last week by Yemeni and U.S. forces that targeted an AQAP hideout where a number of foreign hostages were being held.

Mugabe blasts deputy once seen as successor

•Mujuru

I

N a thunderous speech to 12,000 cadres of his ZANU-PF party, Mugabe threatened to turn the law on Vice President Joice Mujuru, whose status as presumed successor for Africa’s oldest head of state has evaporated in the past three months since she became the target of attacks in state media.

“As we thought we were working together, they were doing their own thing, a cabal parallel to the party, planning their own future, planning how to change the leadership, planning about

kicking the president out of power,” Mugabe said.

His comments appear to end the future in the ruling party of Mujuru, seen by some in the Zimbabwean business community as a common-sense leader who could have helped restore relations with the West that fell apart during the latter half of Mugabe’s 34 years in power.

Every time he mentioned 59-year-old’s name, the crowd crammed into a cavernous tent in a dusty field near Harare’s central business district erupted into jeers and cackles.

He provided no evidence.

Mujuru, a former guerrilla with the nom de guerre “Spill Blood”, was not present at the meeting, a ruling party congress that is meant to anoint its lead-

ership for the next five years.

A source close to Mujuru said she was watching the speech on television at her Harare home and would not be commenting.

Her only response during the three-month campaign against her by state media and Mugabe’s 49-year-old wife, Grace, has been a short written statement in which she has denied allegations of corruption and plotting an assassination attempt.

Despite his advanced years and rumors of cancer, Mugabe is running unchallenged as ZANU-PF leader.

After his speech, Mugabe stood on the podium decked out in a bright yellow jacket and baseball cap, swaying gently from side-to-side and clapping to the rhythm of a deafening jazz band.

France withdrawing CAR troops

F

RANCE is withdrawing troops from Central African Republic as a United Nations peacekeeping force nears its full deployment, but will keep a presence to support the U.N. with a rapid reaction force, officials and diplomats said.

France has 2,000 troops in its former colony after intervening a year ago to stem violence between Christian militias and largely Muslim Seleka rebels, who took power.

Seleka’s rule was marked by abuses that prompted a backlash from the ‘anti-balaka’ Christian militia. Cycles of titfor-tat violence continued despite Seleka leader Michel Djotodia’s resignation from the presidency in January.

France’s Sangaris troops and U.N. peacekeepers, who number about 7,500 now, have struggled to help a weak transitional government stamp its authority on the mineral-rich country.

General Eric Bellot des Minieres, head of the French force, said troops would being reduced in line with the U.N. increase, which is due to reach 10,000 by April 30.

“Sangaris will not stay like it is,” he told reporters. “Once the MINUSCA is fully operational, we will reorganize into a smaller force, based most probably in (the capital) Bangui.”

Congo repatriating ex-M23 rebels from Uganda, Rwanda EMOCRATIC Republic of Congo is to start repatriating former M23 rebels from neighbouring countries, a government official said yesterday, a process it hopes will prevent the defeated insurgents regrouping.

More than a thousand fighters are believed to have fled into Rwanda and Uganda after Congolese and U.N. forces quashed the eastern rebellion in 2013. Most now live in military-run camps awaiting amnesties promised under a peace deal.

“They will leave behind their arms and proceed to the beginning of repatriation,” said Francois Muamba, the Congolese official responsible for overseeing implementation of the deal.

Congo has come under inter-

D

national pressure to speed up implementing the peace deal, which grants amnesties for former rebels who promise not to take part in any future insurrections. It does not apply to those wanted for war crimes.

Muamba said the repatriation mission by a high-level delegation was still awaiting a final approval from Rwanda.

Rwandan officials were not immediately available for comment.

Uganda’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs Henry Okello Oryem said a Congolese delegation was expected on Friday.

“We gave (Congo) a onemonth ultimatum about six weeks ago to come and repatriate their people because they’ve been maligning us that we’re protecting rebels,” he told Reuters.

EXPRESSO

Riddle: What’s Ogwuche doing at Orisunmbare?

•Continued

from back page

Now thousands of consumers who are hooked to far-flung sub-stations who had lived with residual and rationed power supply thought it was time to jump for joy upon learning about the completion of this IPP. But there may never be light at the end of this IPP tunnel.

After ten years in the making, it has been determined that inferior materials had been used therefore the plant cannot be powered-on due to the feat that it would meet a dreadful fate in just few weeks – the new owners think it might just go up in flames! Gee! Ten years, billions of naira of tax-payers money yet hapless consumers are condemned to indefinite darkness, daily use of generators and upwardly-reviewed electricity bill.

Yet what is this long Orisunmbare jeremiad got to do with Ogwuche, the suspected terrorist? Well, nothing directly except that last week, the court sitting in Abuja struck out the case against Aminu Ogwuche on grounds of ‘want of diligent prosecution’. According to report, there has been a mortal turf fight between the Nigeria Police and the Department of State Service (DSS) on whose case it is. Not a few Nigerians were scandalized and incensed over this development on the Ogwuche affair.

Can you see the riddle now? Well the point of it all is to show us how our country is being run or not run. In a farflung little community of Orisunmbare a small power plant could not be actualized in ten years with all the waste and harm it has caused. Be sure that nobody will be made to account. And in Abuja at the seat of power, what is probably the most important and most sensitive case in our terror war cannot take off after seven months.

The Ogwuche affair ought to give you sleepless night dear reader because it concerns hundreds of lives; it concerns the integrity of our presidency, the integrity of the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), the Minister of Defence, the Inspector-General of Police and the Director-General, Department of State Service (DDSS).

Dear reader, these are the most powerful positions in the land; these are the most sensitive positions in the land; these are the people we have trusted our lives in their hands. Yet they have revealed to us that we have misplaced our trust. By this singular act, they have revealed to us that the affairs of our motherland may well be on auto-pilot. Nobody, it seems, is thinking or working or both. Imagine for a moment how the Ogwuche case would have been treated in the United States or South Africa or even Ghana? Can you see the connection now, from the mundane (Orisunmbare) to the very sensitive (Ogwuche) – zilch.

THE NATION FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2014

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NEWS

Gemade withdraws from PDP Senate primary •Ex-PDP National Chairman may join APC

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FORMER National Chairman of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and senator representing Benue North East, Barnabas Gemade, yesterday withdrew from next Sunday’s senatorial primary of the party.

Gemade may opt for the All Progressives Congress (APC) to realise his ambition of returning to the Senate in 2015.

In a letter, dated December 2 and entitled: PDP Primary Elections for Senate 2015 Withdrawal, addressed to PDP National Chairman Adamu Mu’azu, the senator complained about lack of transparency and level-playing field in the party’s primaries.

Gemade said things had become so bad in the PDP that no one could expect a level-playing field or truly democratic actions in the party’s affairs.

The former national chairman said a founding member of the PDP in 1998 and leader of the Conveners in Benue State, he was pained by the undemocratic developments

From Onyedi Ojiabor, Assistant Editor

in the party.

He also said there was no room for an honest and lawabiding member to have a fair chance in any contest in the party’s forthcoming primaries.

According to him, anyone who is capable of manipulating the process, albeit illegally, is free to do so, and will be protected.

The senator’s letter reads: “I am constrained to write you for the fourth time in two months on the subject matter of the happenings in the PDP in my state as they affect me and our teaming members who have toiled over the years to give victory to our party for four consecutive general elections.

“As a founding member of this party in 1998 and indeed the leader of the Conveners in Benue State, I am pained by these developments and I want to put on record my feelings even if there is no result arising from it.

“At least, the history of my service as convener, member of the National Steering Com-

mittee; member of the National Executive Committee (NEC); member of the National Working Committee (NWC); member of the Board of Trustees (BoT); National Chairman and Chairman of the National Caucus, should count.

“I have come to realise that things have got to a point where one cannot expect a level playing ground or even any democratic action in our affairs in the party.

“There is in fact no room for an honest and law abiding member of this party in having a fair chance in any contest in the forthcoming primary elections as anyone who is capable of manipulating the process, albeit illegally, is free to do so, and will be protected.”

The party constitution and election guidelines for the 2014 primaries, he said, are being flouted with impunity without sanctions.

He added: “My opponent in the primary elections contest was allowed to write out the list of delegates for the election in his house, including the delegates from my ward

•Gemade

and local government area, and has boasted on public media how he will use such list to ‘disgrace a party elder’.”

Gemade noted that “for these reasons and more I hereby wish to withdraw my candidature from the primary elections for Senate scheduled for Sunday 7th December, 2014.”

A source close to Gemade told our correspondent in confidence that “from the look of things, it is very likely that Gemade will join forces with Senate Minority Leader George Akume to give APC victory in Benue”.

The source added: “Gemade is certainly not a pushover in Benue politics and cannot be toyed with.

“The managers of PDP will sooner or later discover what they have done to themselves.”

‘Fed Govt can’t exonerate self from Boko Haram’

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LEADER of the Shiite Muslim movement in Kano, Sheikh Muhammad Mahmoud Turi, has said the Federal Government cannot exonerate itself from the activities of Boko Haram.

The Islamic cleric said the consistent operation of Boko Haram in the Northeast and other parts of the North indicated that the government and its agencies had a hand in its activities.

Boko Haram has killed hundreds of people and rendered thousands homeless in

From Kolade Adeyemi, Kano

the past three years.

Turi, who addressed reporters at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Press Centre in Kano, also said his people would begin a six-day mass trekking from Kano to Zaria, as from December 7.

The Muslim cleric said the activities were lined up to mark the martyrdom of Imam Hussain, son of Imam Ali, one of the companions of Prophet Mohammad (SAW).

He said: “It is an open secret that the present government

cannot exonerate itself from the mayhem that is happening in the country. It is so obvious that whatever may be the reason, nobody in the country can tell us that the government is not aware or has no hand in what is happening. The government is fully responsible, and there is no doubt about it.

“If one is saying that the government is not Boko Haram, how did the soldiers get guns and killed us in Zaria? Are they not the Boko Haram? Who killed the three sons of our national leader in Zaria? In a broad daylight, the soldiers killed our

people. Those children were university students and Boko Haram means education is a sin.

So, the soldiers killed them for nothing sake! The soldiers are the Boko Haram.

“I cannot agree with the Vice President (Namadi Sambo) or any other person who made such a presentation that the government can be exonerated from the activities of Boko Haram.

Nobody anywhere in Nigeria can agree to that, except if that person is either afraid or he is a politician. You can never exonerate or differentiat the government from Boko Haram.”

Danladi appoints 22 commissioners

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ARABA State Acting Governor Abubakar Sani Danladi has appointed 22 commissioners.

They were screened by the House of Assembly and sworn in at the Women Development Centre in Jalingo, the state capital.

The Chief Judge, Justice Josephine Tuktur, administered the oaths of office on the commissioners, whose appointment was spread across the 16 local government areas.

They are: Philemon Bitah, from Ardo Kola Local Government Area (Commerce

From Fanen Ihyongo, Jalingo

and Industries); Mahmud Abubakar, from Bali (Home Affairs and Social Development); Rebo Usman, from Donga (Budget and Economic Planning); Charity Green, from Donga (Women Affairs); Mustapha Hammangabdo, from Gashaka (Special Duties); Iliyasu Goje, from Gassol (Works); Yakubu Agbaizo, from Ibi (Education); Shuaibu Ataka, from Jalingo (Urban Development); Abdulsalami Bunu, from Jalingo (Culture and Tourism); Emmanuel Hallan Gawon, from Karim-

Lamido (Finance); Sadiq Nuhu Bulloh, from KarimLamido (Sports) and Tafarki Agbadu, from Kurmi (Health).

Others are: Aliyu Gidado, from Lau (Water Resources); Julde Garba, from Sardauna (Land and Surveys); Ahmadu Umar, from Sardauna (Justice); Rebecca Manasseh, from Takum (Environment); Emmanuel Bello, from Takum (Information and Strategy); Yohanna Adi, from Ussa (Cooperatives); Rilwanu Julde, from Wukari (Rural Development); Shekarau Atobaka Solomon,

from Wukari (Science and Technology); David Ishiya Kasah, from Yorro (Agriculture); Alexander Markus, from Zing (Housing).

Danladi urged the commissioners to restore hope and confidence to Taraba people.

The acting governor said the judgment that reinstated him was God’s handiwork, adding that he and the commissioners would be sincere, fair and God-fearing.

He said: “We are not back to victimise anybody. But government’s work must be done diligently.”

•From left: Chairman, Pleasure Furniture and Homes Limited, Mr Niyi Shodiya; Managing Director, Fifth Gear Plus, Mr Niyi Adesanya; Convener, Remo Achievers’ Awards, Mrs Lizzy Jekami and Mr Ibi Sofekun, at the maiden edition of the awards in Sagamu, Ogun State.

PHOTO: OLUSEGUN REPHAEL

THE NATION FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2014

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CITYBEATS

CITYBEATS LINE: 08023247888

PVC: Council urges INEC’s understanding

Police smash kidnap gang

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HE Council Manager of Coker/Aguda Local Council Development Area (LCDA) of Lagos State, Mr. Ige Onala, has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to overlook the inadequacies of some residents during the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR).

In a statement by the Council’s Information Officer, Mr Omotayo Mohammed, the manager told the Electoral Officer in charge of Surulere Local Government Area, Mr. Austin Ituandon, that the loss of data of about 70 per cent of those with Temporary Voter Cards (TVCs) was enough to pitch the people against INEC officials at the registration units.

Onala spoke when he visited Ituandon while monitoring the exercise.

The statement said: “Our people are naturally peaceful and law-abiding, but the situation on ground demands that we appeal to the Youth Corps members at the units to bring to bear

•‘How we abducted banker, others’

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NOTHER member of a seven-man gang that allegedly kidnapped an official of a new-generation bank, has been arrested.

Anthony Agidi (33) was caught by operatives of the Lagos State Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) on October 26 in the home of a community leader in Benin City, the Edo State capital.

Five members of the gang were said to have been earlier arrested.

But Agidi has told the police that two, including the gang’s leader and his second in command, were killed in gun battles with the police.

Another member, Kenneth, is said to be at large.

Police Commissioner Kayode Aderanti directed SARS to fish out Agidi following the arrest of his accomplices.

Two locally-made pistols and some cartridges were recovered from the house where Agidi was arrested.

Agidi, who hails from Delta State, told his interrogetors that he lives at Awoyaya in Ibeju Lekki, Lagos, with his family.

“Let me tell you the truth; the gang’s leader died in exchange of fire with SARS operatives. Even his second-incommand also died in another encounter with the police.

They are Steph and Akpofure.

The other two members are Tony and Ogeneyerewo, who were earlier arrested and charged to court. Apart from those who died, others are in prison. I ran away when they were exchanging fire with police.

“If I were the gang’s leader, would I have run away cowardly like that? In war or exchange of fire, anybody can

By Ebele Boniface

die, including the police. I ran away because I could not withstand the fire power of the police,” he said.

Agidi, who claimed to be a welder in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, said he relocated to Lagos in 2011, adding: “I had never engaged in robbery before; rather, I am a kidnapper and I have participated in six kidnap operations and it was one of my friends called Henry, who lured me into kidnap work.

He is also a welder.”

He said his gang abducted a woman who was driving into her compound in 2011.

“We stopped her and kidnapped her. I did not know how much she paid as ransom because as a young member, they did not disclose it to me; they only gave me N280,000 as my own share. The second operation was at the Benin By-pass. We kidnapped a man and I got N100,000. The third operation in Warri, Delta State, involved the kidnap of a woman. I was given N2.8million.

Also in Benin, we kidnapped a woman and collected N9million ransom. I was given N1.5million.”

The suspect said from his fifth operation in Delta State, he got N3.5million; from the sixth in Lagos, he got N300,000 out of the N1.25 million ransom.

He added: “Our seventh operation involved a woman banker. We were seven, including two members of another gang. Steph blocked her with his vehicle and Tony alighted with Afure. We took her away, leaving her vehicle. We took her inside a bush

have four plots of land in Benin and one in Lagos. I was about to develop them when I was arrested. I have one Sienna car; I also opened a shop for my wife at Ibeju Lekki.”

The source said Agidi’s gang exchanged fire with SARS operatives at Egbefun in Ajah area, a few weeks ago, adding that a member of his gang died in the crossfire; Agidi escaped.

The gang, it was gathered, had been a terror in the Southwest where it made over N70 million before meeting its waterloo.

The gang also robbed victims of their money and valuables in Lagos, Edo, Delta and Ogun states.

Red Cross seeks more govt support

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HE Chairman, Lagos State branch of the Red Cross Society of Nigeria, Abdul-Rasheed Onibudo, has reiterated the branch’s commitment to partnering with the government on healthcare and welfare of the needy among other matters.

Onibudo, an engineer, spoke during the society’s yearly general meeting and election in Yaba, Lagos Mainland.

Noting that the branch had improved on the organisation’s activities in the state, Onibudo said: “We intervened in various disaster management issues, rescued victims at disaster venues and participated in curbing the spread of Ebola virus.

“We have a clinic in Ibafo, Ogun State, which is an emergency outfit, to take care of accident victims around that axis. We have also acquired land in Ibeju Lekki for the erection of a youth development centre. We hope to develop it any time from now.”

He further said: “We have also maintained the motherless and abandoned babies’ home in Makoko, Lagos Mainland, to a good standard. We have a primary school which we have been able to main-

By Olatunde Odebiyi

tain to sustain the people of Makoko community and our community health centre caters for the people of Makoko at heavily subsidised costs.

“We also provided boreholes for over 10 communities in Badagry and we aim to extend the gesture to other rural areas of the state. We are

into youth development and women empowerment/training on first aid among other things.”

The National Vice President of the organisation, Mr Timothy Oladele, who represented the National President, Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha, said the government was not giving the society enough support.

“Our subventions are not forthcoming as we lack funding. We can only appeal to the governor and president. We do not have to beg them. Red Cross is part of the Federal Government. Therefore, they should give us the funding that we deserve,” he said.

Onibudo was re-elected chairman alongside 11 other executive.

mands that ... the Youth Corps members ... bring to bear their public relations instinct when people come for the collection of their cards ...

’

their public relations instinct when people come for the collection of their cards or to register for new ones.”

The manager said the exercise was well publicised as directed by Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola to ensure a large turnout.

Ituandon praised Onala for the visit and the way he handled the stakeholders’ meeting with his assistant, Mrs. Nnena Dominic.”

FRSC to traders: Leave the road

•Agidi with the arms recovered from the gang

and built a tent with mosquito net for her. I drove our operational vehicle. She stayed about seven days in the camp, but she ate choice foods, including roast chicken.

“She was about paying us N6 million when unfortunately, Akpofure was arrested when he went to collect the ransom. He took police to the camp and they rescued the woman. Nobody raped her. The AK 47 rifles are owned by Tony, Akpofure and Nyero, while Kenneth, Steph and Omor are the owners of the pump-action rifle and one cut-to-size pistol.”

Saying he has made it big in crime, Agidi stated: “I

situation ‘...the on ground de-

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HE Ota Unit Commander of Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Ogun State, Mr Sunday Omafu, has told traders and commercial motorcyclists on the Lagos/Abeokuta Expressway to leave in their own interest.

He gave the warning following a crash on Monday in which a middle-aged man died. Several others were injured as many valuables were destroyed.

The accident, according to him, involved a cement-laden trailer and a bus overloaded with rice.

According to him, they were healing to Lagos from Sango when the truck veered off its lane and rammed into other vehicles following a brake failure.

About seven other vehicles were involved.

The deceased, he said, was the bus’ assistant (conductor), who hanged on the tailboard.

He said it would difficult for a trailer to manoeuvre following a brake failure if the road is obstructed.

“Highways are meant for free-flow of vehicles’ movement, not for use as marketing places. We must live by the rules and regulation in

Highways are ‘meant for freeflow of vehicles’ movement, not for use as marketing places. We must live by the rules and regulation in our own interest

’

By Olalekan Ayeni

our own interest,” he added.

Omafu also appealed to pedestrians to always watch carefully to ensure that the road is free before crossing, not backing traffic while walking.

Corporate organisations, he advised, should always ensure the good condition of their vehicles before putting them on the road.

Complying with road rules and regulations will guarantee safety during the yuletide and beyond, he said.

Church celebrates

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•Head of Oil and Gas Department, Lagos Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Mr Anthonio Ayodele (left), assisted by Mosan-Okunola Local Council Development Area’s Council Manager, Mr Olusegun Omoloju, while presenting a gas cooker to the Chief Imam of Mosan-Okunla, Alhaji Sulaiman Olaitan ... at the council secretariat in Ipaja, a Lagos suburb

HE Celestial Church of Christ (CCC), Orile Agege Parish in Lagos State, will hold its 42nd Adult Harvest Thanksgiving Service tagged: Harvest of Refreshing 2014 on Sunday, at its premises situated at 29, Ayige Street, Orile-Agege, Lagos, by 10am.

The host shepherd, Superior Evangelist Olaleye, who spoke at a free medical check organised by the church’s harvest committee, this year’s harvest would have meaningful impacts in people’s lives.

Olaleye, who is the deputy Lagos East Province to Superior Evangelist Samuel Oyero, urged members to follow the footsteps of the church’s founder, Reverend S.B.J. Oshoffa.

Reverend Emmanuel Mobiyina Oshoffa, Pastor/Spiritual Head, C.C.C Worldwide, will grace the harvest, while other dignitaries of the church including Most Superior Evangelist M. O. Are and Most Superior Evangelist T. Oshin, are expected at the thanksgiving service.

THE NATION FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2014

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NEWS children rescued from We’re owed 36-month salaries, say Twosuspected traffickers Bendel Brewery workers T

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ORKERS of Bendel Brewery Limited protested yesterday the 36-month salaries the company was owing them.

They marched on the streets of Benin, the Edo State capital, demanding the payment of the outstanding salaries.

The protesters said nine of their colleagues had died

From Osagie Otabor, Benin

without getting their salaries.

Other outstanding entitlements owed them, they said, include the pension scheme for 39 months, terminal benefits for retirees, overtime arrears since July 2012 and nonremittance of taxes deducted.

The placard-carrying pro-

testers urged the government not to wait until they die before its settles their outstanding.

The protesters’ spokesman Mike Osabuohien said the company had stopped production since July because power supply was cut off by the Benin Electricity Distribution Company over N4 million debt.

Osabuohien said: “As we speak, the brewery is comatose. It has not been working since July. The place is inhabited by reptiles and overgrown with weeds.

“We continue to record deaths due to financial hardship. Any palliative measure to keep the place will be appreciated.”

HE Cross State Command of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) yesterday said two victims of child trafficking were rescued from Cameroon.

Comptroller of Immigration Mrs Funke Adeuyi said the children were rescued from the country’s marine corridors to Nigeria with the help of a man simply identified as Mr Ikang.

Mrs Adeuyi said the children were brought to Nigeria

Edo PDP aspirants seek cancellation of primaries

Ijaw umbrella body endorses Peterside

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HE Ijaw National Congress (INC), the apex body of the Ijaw, and the Khana Peoples Assembly, a pan-Ogoni cultural association, have endorsed Dr Dakuku Peterside as Rivers State All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in the 2015 election.

INC hailed the APC for listening to the Ijaw and choosing Peterside.

In a statement in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital, by its National Publicity Secretary, Victor Burubo, INC said it stood by its promise to support the party that fields an Ijaw governorship candidate.

The statement said: “In a meeting that involved market women, leaders and elders of Ijaw, it was agreed that the Ijaw would support any political party that will respect their aspiration and field an Ijaw governorship candidate.”

The APC, INC explained, responded to the agitation of the Ijaw by fielding Peterside.

The Rivers elders declared that the next governor must come from the coastal area.

Khana Peoples Assembly,

‘Let’s unite for greater Rivers’

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HE Rivers State All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Dr Dakuku Peterside, has urged the people to unite and support his candidature in next year’s election.

The APC candidate said he was poised to further develop the state for the benefit of all.

In his acceptance speech yesterday at Port Harcourt Civic Centre, Peterside said: “I want to say it loud and clear that I believe in a united Rivers State and will continue to work for that. In my charter of service, we are going to create opportunities for all.

We have got to grow this economy. People will have incentives to make long-term investment in Rivers and reap rewards. We will encourage productivity and discourage rent seeking. We will continue to build on the legacies we have inherited by investing From Precious Dikewoha, Port Harcourt

in a statement by Pastor Austin Baa and its Leader, VerySaro Marcus Tornwe, congratulated Peterside.

It assured him of their support in next year’s election.

The statement said: “We, the progressive-minded Ogoni in Khana Local Government Area, are not surprised that the Almighty God in His infinite mercies, added yet another noble responsibility to your days in life,

more money in qualitative education and emerging technologies to keep high-paying jobs here in Rivers State.”

The APC candidate expressed gratitude to the party’s leaders and elders for finding him worthy to step into the “big shoes” of Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi.

He acknowledged the sacrifice and commitment of Senator Magnus Abe and Deputy Governor Tele Ikuru, “two men whose loyalty to the party and Rivers State is unequivocal”.

Peterside added: “They are men whose honour and integrity are worthy of commendation and emulation.”

The APC candidate promised to provide quality leadership that would hasten the actualisation of a greater Rivers dream of excellence and success.

hence your doggedness for social justice, equity and love for humanity, especially for the Ogoni, have been acknowledged and rewarded.”

The group said it could not have asked for a better candidate, given Peterside’s track record of excellence in his endeavours in the executive and legislative arms of government.

It said: “The mere mention of your name symbolises transparency and fairness, even to those who may have

never had the opportunity of meeting you. Therefore, we are confident that your vast experience and track record of service will, by God’s grace, see you through this enormous responsibility bestowed on you.”

The group thanked Governor Rotimi Amaechi, the leadership of the APC and the people of Rivers State, for supporting Peterside as a befitting successor to the “action governor of Rivers State”.

•From left: Assistant Secretary, Southeast Ndigbo in Lagos, Charles Okafor; National Coordinator, Basil Osoukwu and Public Relations Officer (PRO), Chidi Nwafor, at a media briefing and voter education rally in Lagos.

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SHOWDOWN looms in Delta State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) when it holds its congress this weekend.

It was learnt that forces loyal to Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan and others loyal to three bigwigs of the party Chief Edwin Clark, Chief Government Ekpemikpolo (aka Tompolo) and Senator James Manager – may clash at the party’s congress.

Sources said the three were plotting to undermine the governor’s authority, as the state’s chief security officer, by making the police and the other security operatives to report to them rather than the governor.

“The plan is to determine by fiat who becomes the party’s

S

OME aspirants of Edo State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who participated in last Saturday’s House of Assembly primaries, have called for their cancellation.

The aspirants from Oredo East and Oredo West said the primaries were not free and fair.

Addressing reporters yesterday in Benin, the state capital, their spokesman, Jefferson Uwoghiren, who supposedly lost to Uyi Ogbemudia, said the primaries were characterised by unwholesome interference, coercion of delegates, financial inducement, substitution of delegates, violence against aspirants and threat to remove “rigid” ward chairmen.

Other aspirants at the media briefing included Clifford Igbinoba, Princess Patricia Oghogho Ero, Festus Okpiaebe, Comrade Osahon Imaru, Chief Sunny Erengbo

candidate,” said a PDP source in Delta State.

“The target is the governor, and they want James Manager to remain the party senatorial candidate instead of the governor,” the source added.

Another source noted that the three were unhappy with the governor’s clout, which he allegedly wielded for Anthony Obuh as a major governorship aspirant. The three PDP chieftains are reportedly pitching their tents with Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, who has shown interest in the position.

The PDP senatorial primaries will hold on December 7

•Clark, others battle Uduaghan and the governorship on December 8.

Some party members were surprised by Clark’s moves because they thought the tensions between him and Uduaghan had reduced after years of a frosty relationship.

“We thought that the elder statesman had changed and was at peace with the governor,” said a party chieftain, who spoke in confidence.

It was learnt that the planned showdown emanated from the governor’s perceived enormous powers, being the party’s leader in the state.

Uduaghan is believed to control the PDP structure, meaning that he commands the delegates’ political strength.

The governor’s powers, it was also learnt, give him the chances to win his coveted senatorial seat while his governorship nominee is most likely to get the party’s slot.

“The problem is that they want James Manager not only to become the senatorial candidate but they expect that once he gets to the Senate, he will become the Senate Leader,” said the party chieftain.

“The calculation is that the

From Osagie Otabor, Benin

and Prince Edobor Oghosa.

Jefferson threatened to make “a big political harvest out of the PDP”, if their demands were not addressed.

The politician accused former Deputy Governor Lucky Imasuen of playing with the political destiny of Oredo residents by allegedly causing disaffection in the PDP. Other demands by the aggrieved aspirants are: immediate resignation and removal of Imasuen and Thomas Aroko and the constitution of an interim committee to run the affairs of Oredo Local Government Area before the next congress.

But Imaseun denied allegations by the aggrieved aspirants.

He queried why they did not approach the party’s appeal panel with their grievances.

Bayelsa to communities: your attacks on pipelines reducing revenue

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HE Bayelsa State Government has warned communities hosting oil companies from protests against them and vandalising their facilities.

Through Commissioner for Mineral Resources, Mr Francis Ikio, the government vowed to henceforth invoke relevant laws against anyone who vents his anger on oil facilities under the guise of fighting oil companies.

Ikio spoke yesterday in Yenagoa, the state capital, at the inauguration of 14 projects executed under Shell’s Global Memorandum of Understanding (GMoU) by the Iduwini Foundation.

The commissioner said attacks on oil facilities had reduced revenue accruing to the state from the Federal Government.

He regretted that the people behind such breaches in pipelines were misguided to be-

Showdown looms in Delta PDP

By Our Reporter

From Nicholas Kalu, Calabar

by Cameroonian police and received by the NIS at the Ikang control post in Bakassi Local Government Area.

According to her, the children were abducted in July and taken to Cameroon for child labour by an unknown person.

Mrs Adeuyi said: “The children claimed that they were both abducted in July and that both of them are vulnerable because they are orphans.”

Senate Leader and the President can work together as kinsmen.”

To turn the security agencies in favour of the trio, sources said they invoked President Goodluck Jonathan’s name within the party - in Abuja and Delta State - to give the impression that the move to skew the primaries had the President’s blessings.

“But our governor is waiting for them,” said an angry party member.

The party chieftain did not explain what Uduaghan would do to prevent the trio from achieving their plan.

But the source insisted that the delegates would not favour the “enemies”.

From Mike Odiegwu, Yenagoa

lieve that their actions were targeted at oil companies.

Ikio said: “But they are fighting the collective interests of our state and the country. They are fighting the rest of us. The government wants to say now and finally that these attacks must stop.”

Outing service tomorrow

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HERE will be an outing service for the late Madam Maria Adejoke Ojobo (nee Olatunji) at the United African Methodist Church, Eleja, Ilaro, Ogun State tomorrow at 10 am. Mrs. Ojobo died on September 9 at 105. Her remains were interred at her residence, 127 Kumoye Road, Ilaro, Ogun State, after a funeral service at her church.

Guests will be entertained at Nawarudeen Primary School, Leslie Road, Ilaro, Ogun State.

She is survived by her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.

•The late Madam Ojobo

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THE NATION FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2014

NEWS Five PDP governors beg Obasanjo Continued from page 6

He noted that the government weathered the storm because practical measures were taken.

Obasanjo said: “They (the governors) were concerned about what you may call the situation of the nation, security, economy. We have discussed most of them. I have raised in my own public pronouncement in recent times not to castigate anybody, not to bad-mouth anybody, not to run anybody down, but out of genuine concern for the situation of this country and that is the same thing that has brought them and I want to thank them.

“When we look at these issues closely, very objectively and we came to the conclusion that yes we have a bad situation but not irretrievably bad. Something can still be done and what now is required is the will and the courage to do something when and how it needs to be done.

“We agreed on that and we also agreed that I appreciate their coming to me because of the respect and honour they have for me, this task is not for one man and it is not even a task for one group; it is a task that requires all hands on deck and as they have said and as they have assured me that this type of consultation, they would have with other leaders so that this country, which is ours and for which we have no alternatives…

“The other day, somebody

told me he knows NADECO route. I do not want to follow NADECO (route). It is incumbent on us to do what is right.

“They (governors) are colleagues with whom I have worked together; they will like to call themselves my sons, when you have a son like Sule Lamido, who is almost a foot taller than yourself, you must watch what you would say and do.”

Asked if he was not scared about the situation of the nation’s economy with the fallen oil price, Obasanjo said: “I am never scared by anything, but I am concerned that firstly, when we had surplus, we did not remember the rainy day. Now that the rainy day is staring us in the face, we must be honest and courageous enough to do what is right, to let the nation know and then to take the steps that will put it right as quick as possible. ”You do not need to be an oracle or a World Bank expert or an International Monetary Fund expert to know that our economy is not what it should be and this is not the first time we would hear it.

“We have heard it in the past when of course I came in 1999, the price of oil was about $9 and we realised that we have a problem, we even made budget that we could not fund but we realised that we are in a serious situation and we took steps, within two to three years, we were able to sail through, the price

of oil started moving up.

“Do not forget that there was a time during the Iraqi war, price of oil rose to $42 and then it came down to $9.

The one that we have now, we do not know when it would bottom and at what price it would bottom but we can weather the storm if we take measures that we should take and when to take it.”

Akpabio, who agreed with Obasanjo that the Nigerian situation is redeemable, said the former President had been playing national and international roles, hence the need for the PDP governors to consult him.

Akpabio said: “Our dear leader and former president and a man that all Nigerians love and respect, if you notice, we are from the PDP extraction and we have decided that as the party in power and the party that the country has a lot of confidence in right from 1999, he played a key role in the emergence of the current democracy. ”He is still playing both nationally and internationally, so, we decided that it is important for us to come and consult with him as he said, pay our respects, discuss the affairs of the nation and then to tap from his wealth of wisdom.

“The intention here is that all Nigerians are determined to re-position the country.

We have no other country than Nigeria and so, no matter the challenges we may

Tambuwal, Ambode, Yari, Umana get APC tickets Continued from page 6

Tobun Agbesanwa, the only woman in the race.

At 1 pm, the gate of the venue was locked. Ambode entered the stadium,shortly before the closure of the gate.

The chartered accountant went around the high table to greet party leaders and co-aspirants. He cracked jokes with Senator Solomon before sitting next to the House of Representatives member, Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa.

Voting started at 20.25 pm.

Delegates from Epe Local Government Area were the first to cast their votes, shortly after the Chairman of the Planning Committee, Pastor Peter Obadan, a former deputy governor of Edo State, highlighted the voting procedure.

Obadan directed that delegates should put their badges on before voting. He also asked the local government chairmen to identify the delegates to prevent impostors from participating.

Obadan assured aspirants and delegates of a fair exercise, saying that “counting will be done in the open and the result will be announced”.

Governor Babatunde Fashola was absent. However, his deputy Mrs. Adejoke Orelope- Adefulire, Secretary to Government Dr. Oluranti Adebule and some commissioners witnessed the poll.

Also there were former Deputy Governors Rafiu Jafojo, Femi Pedro, Abiodun Ogunleye and Sarah Sosan; Senators Tony Adefuye, Olorunnimbe Mamora, Oluremi Tinubu and Gbenga Ashafa; House of

•Some of the delegates casting their votes...yesterday

Representatives members Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, Lanre Odubote, Yakubu Balogun, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Deji Jakande, Adeola Olamilekan, Samuel Adejare and Akinderu Fatai.

Also present were Pa Abiodun Sunmola, Cardinal James Odunmbaku, Chief Funso Ologunde, Alhaji Ganiyu Badmus, Alhaji Seriki Akanni Bamu, Comrade Joe Igbokwe, Abiodun Salam, Chief Raheem Daramola, Hon. Hakeem Oris, Abiodun Mafe, Chief Lanre Rasaq, Mrs. Kemi Nelson, Mrs. Olayinka Olagunsoye, Tunde Braimoh, Rotimi Agunsoye, Bayo Osinnowo, Hon. Segun Olulade, Bayo Ajisebutu, Chief Mutiu Are, Hon. Cornelius Ojelabi, Dele Alade, Tunde Oshinlalu, Foluso Jayeoluwa and Hon. Joko Pelumi.

PHOTO: OMOSEHIN MOSES

Boko Haram attacks two Gombe towns Continued from page 6

I can see billows of black smoke coming from different parts of the town,” he added.

Troop reinforcements were sent from Gombe and a military jet which bombed the militants forced them to withdraw, said local schoolteacher Sa’adu Balarabe.

Residents in Ashaka reported heavy fighting between troops and the gunmen in the town from about 11am.

“All we can hear are sounds of guns and explosions,” said Samaila Adnan.

“Heavy fighting is now going on between the gunmen and soldiers. A military jet is encircling the town,” added another local, Altine Badama•Obasanjo

face today, we must work together as a team to redeem the situation.

The situation is redeemable and that we must also consult other leaders and work to ensure that the country is redeemed.”

Aliyu said salvaging the country and its economy is a collective responsibility of all Nigerians.

“We have come to consult with the oracle of leadership and politics of this country and we have benefited tremendously with our coming.

You have heard him say we need also to consult with other people because all of us must come together.

“The issue of Nigeria is beyond partisanship. We must tell all Nigerians to rally together and let us put our nation in the right place.”

si.

Since the previous attack on the Lafarge works, more troops were deployed in the town to try to prevent further attacks, residents said.

The Bajoga Divisional Police Headquarters and banks were attacked and destroyed.

It said the security agents engaged them in a gun battle of about three hours before eventually repelling them.

Gombe State Police spokesman Fwaje Atajiri (DSP) said normalcy had been restored.

“No cause for alarm.”

He advised residents to remain calm and go about their normal businesses, but told them to be vigilant and immediately report suspicious activities.

Tinubu to aspirants: accept outcome Continued from page 6

good of the state and the party.

Traversing every inch of the state, appealing to voters and explaining your vision and programmes for Lagos, you all have acquitted yourselves very well indeed. I am proud of how you campaigned. You have done so by trying to sell your vision and not by tearing each other down. You have competed fairly and honestly yet have remained brothers throughout.

This is as it should and must be.

Even after today is over and done, we must continue in this same spirit.

“When I met with all of you some time ago , you spoke of the need to have a fair democratic process in selecting the flag bearer. Today you have that process.

“However, we must be realistic. As much as I wish the par-

ty could reward you all for your intelligent and sincere efforts, it is impossible to do so. There are 12 good men seeking but one position. Only one of you can win this contest today. We believe in you as you believe in yourself that you are all qualified in your own right.

“But for the party and for all of us to win and succeed come February, we must join hands in common cause and for one single, solitary purpose after today. That cause is to win the general election so that progressive and enlightened good governance shall continue to reside in Lagos and so that our state remains a shining example to the rest of the nation. The way we conduct ourselves after this primary will be a reflection of what Lagos represents to all Nigerians: a model of democracy, a symbol of peace and cohesion.”

THE NATION FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2014

63

TODAY IN THE NATION

‘We should be inching towards freedom but we aren’t.

We should have attained freedom, but we haven’t; makes it a wonder what manner of patriots we have become’

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2014 TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM

OLA TUNJI OL OLADE OLATUNJI OLOLADE

VOL.9 NO.3,053

COMMENT & DEB ATE EBA

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AVING been subjected to the mental torture of an insurgency run amok in the last three plus years, as madmen and insanely indoctrinated women dismember their fellow human beings in a country with an elected government, one question keeps nagging me: is our government unwilling to deal with the crazy Boko Haram insurgents or is it incapable of crushing them for good?

If it is capable but unwilling, we must ask why? And if it is willing but incapable, the “why?” question is still appropriate. What makes the “why?” question a reasonable one?

First, what has been going on is so strange that it strains our understanding of social life and our lived realities even in the worst of times since the beginning of the republic. Go back half a century and we are in thick of a political turmoil that ultimately resulted in the civil war. We lost more than a million lives and the war lasted three years. That was our first trauma as a nation. It was at the morning of our day. And we vowed not to have anything close to it again. This one is close, isn’t it? Why do we have to repeat a sordid history?

Second, the totality of our experience and the enormity of the weight of emotions that we carry since the beginning of this insanity has been damaging to our mental and emotional well-being as individuals and as a people. The experience of others—Somalia, DRC, Libya, Iraq, Syria, etc—are so distant and alien that we never entertained having to share the same. “Why has Nigeria come to this?” we ask with heavy hearts.

Third, what is happening would be understandable if we were still in the stone age of existence, but not when we have severally and collectively put to shame the skeptics of the world regarding our intellect and our capacity for excellence. Nigerians are all over the globe doing great as leading scientists, innovative technology giants, global thinkers and economic and entrepreneurial achievers. Why is this happening to us at the noontime of our being?

If you approach this occurrence of sectarian insurgency from a political perspective, which sees every issue from the prism of political and electoral advantage or disadvantage, you may be tempted to downplay or ignore the “why?” question. You may dismiss what is happening in any number of ways: it is the problem of northerners; the insurgents are sponsored by the president’s ON’T attempt, dear reader, to unravel this riddle; you will never be able to even if you spilled your gray matter.

You must know Aminu Sadiq Ogwuche of course? He is the mis-guided army officer’s son who allegedly masterminded the bombing of Nyanya, Abuja’s bustling bus terminal last April, killing about 75 persons and injuring twice as many. Loving his own life so much, he had escaped to Sudan immediately after the bombing incident, but was extradited to Nigeria a few weeks after.

Now what on earth is Ogwuche doing at Orisunmbare? Where on earth is Orisunmbare? Or has that wily fellow escaped to this tongue-twister of a place? Again not in a hurry dear reader, this will have to unfold at its own pace. An old Igbo wise saying often wonders why we tend to leak our finger so rapidly while at meal; are we ever going to file away the fingers by any chance?

Ogwuche is not anywhere near Orisunmbare. One would be surprised if he ever had heard about this little obscure place.

Orisunmbare is a little seedy community under Egbe-Idimu Local Council Development Area in Alimoso, which is the largest local government area in Lagos State. The only other way to describe this rustic side of Lagos is that it is the fringe community dotting the perimeter fence of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) – the less urbane side of a long fence.

Apart from sharing the back fence of an illustrious behemoth, MMIA, the only other claim to fame for Orisunmbare is an Air Force base (Electronic Maintenance Division), which is successfully alienated from the people. Well, there is another government facility, a small power plant; one of those 33kva substations under the Niger Delta In-

SEGUN GBADEGESIN gbadegesin@thenationonlineng.net

Unwilling or unable?

•Prof. Attahiru Jega, INEC chairman

political rivals; the country is divided along ethnic and religious lines, etc. All these amount to playing the ostrich; it is an attitude that leaves the matter unresolved. For even if they are all true, the challenge remains how the insurgency can be eliminated, failing which we all get crushed.

So why have the insurgents not been eliminated? Is the government unwilling? Is it incapable?

To suggest that the government is unwilling to end the insurgency is to accuse it of deliberately shirking its responsibility to protect the lives and property of innocent citizens, a foremost function of any government. What is more, such a position also invariably implies that the government is in complicity with the criminals to terrorise its citizens. But in their frustration, many Nigerians have not only thought this, but also voiced it out. And if you think about it, they are not irrational elements.

One pertinent rationale for such a radical appraisal is the incomprehensibility of the situation that we find ourselves in—that a

D

bunch of criminal militants have taken Nigeria hostage up to the point of claiming territory. How many are they compared with the number of Nigerians? What weapons do they have that Nigeria cannot boast of multiples of the same or better? If these questions make sense, then we can also make sense of the theory of governmental unwillingness.

But why would the government be unwilling? It cannot be that it doesn’t care about the people of the Northeast, though this uncharitable suggestion has also been voiced. Former Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State would probably still be in his position if he didn’t offend the sensibilities of the Jonathan administration with his memo to the Northern Governors Forum, accusing the administration of genocide in the North. It is logically valid to argue that if the government doesn’t care about the victims of insurgency, it has the option of withholding effective action to root it out.

A second reason has been given in support of the theory of governmental unwillingness.

“Politically”, the argument goes, “it is safe for the Jonathan administration to do little or nothing about the insurgency as long as it does not spread beyond the Northeast.” The reasoning here is as cynical as it is political. “The Northeast is not a particularly friendly zone to Mr. President and he does not expect to carry the zone in 2015. The more turmoil there is in the zone, the better for the President. This accounts for the unending Emergency Rule bills that he has been sending to the National Assembly. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has now hinted that security situation will determine the conduct of elections in the Northeast. If it is possible to avoid elections in the zone in February 2015, the President’s chances are improved dramatically. Why would he be willing to end the turmoil?”

STEVE OSUJI

EXPRESSO

steve.osuji@yahoo.com

•Columnist of the Year (NMMA)

Riddle: What’s Ogwuche doing at Orisunmbare?

Congratulations President Diezani

N

OT to be accused of anything, let me join the numerous contractors, Nigerian oil sector jobbers, gawkers and worshippers of mammon to felicitate with the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Her Excellency, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, upon her appointment as the ‘first ever female’ President of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC. The media have been inundated with messages of this great triumph. And gee, Nigeria is now blessed with two president!

Without seeking to spoil their fun however, I am quick to admonish that they are celebrating a whited sepulcher that has little or no significance in global scheme of things. OPEC today, is no better than a whale stranded by the shore gasping for breath; it is only but a short time before the behemoth passes out. Smart countries as busy hedging against the turbulence ahead and acquiring capacity for gas and alternative fuels while laggards are hankering after the presidency and scribe of a moribund OPEC bureaucracy. P is for PETROLEUM and petrol is passé, stupid.

What with the US pumping about 8 billion barrels of crude oil per day into the market? What with an overabundance of gas and shale oil in the US? What with Saudi Arabia no longer interested in cutting production to help shore up oil prices (for the sake of wayward countries who have mismanaged their oil wealth)?Have you wondered why the 166th Meeting of OPEC held in Vienna last week couldn’t be bordered about cutting production?

While we felicitate with President Diezani, we need to remind her that having failed to build even simple modular refineries; having supervised Nigeria’s crude export, massive importation of petroleum products and a dubious ‘subsidy’ regime, she had better braced for the catastrophe ahead. As crude price falls radically and our currency crashes dramatically; soon enough the pump price of petrol will push up to about N150 to N200 per litre because we can no longer afford the current products importation binge. What explanation would she give Nigerians?

tegrated Power Plants (NIPP). The contract for

its construction was awarded in 2004 during

There is a third reason in support of governmental unwillingness, but a friendly one as such. According to this third reasoning, governmental unwillingness is not really an unwillingness to confront and root out the insurgency. Rather, government is unwilling to kill a fly with a sledge hammer. Mr. President is a cool-headed gentleman who is averse to the Odi treatment. This reasoning was recently rehashed by Governor Fayose of Ekiti State at Ile-Ife where the President was hosted by a section of the Yoruba elite. The Presidency has not reacted to this analysis.

The theory of governmental unwillingness, whether because of a lack of care or because of politics, or because of the “cool-headedness” of Mr. President, is alive and well. Its challenge is the difficulty of proving the motive behind an action or inaction.

The theory of governmental inability to deal effectively with the terrorists is an empirically validated one. For three plus years, the Jonathan administration has not defeated Boko Haram. Why? What accounts for the inability?

Is it weak or absent political leadership? Does it have to do with military, police and state security weakness? Is it a matter of strategic or tactical incompetence? Does it have to do with corruption? Or is it all of the above?

It is a bit of all and no credible alibi is available to the administration in the matter of its proven inability to confront and defeat terror.

It has not even been able to degrade the capacity of the terrorists. The leadership has been inept and confused. For a long time, it refused to declare the sect as a terrorist organisation.

Then it flipped flopped about strategy—military or political, negotiation or confrontation, etc. And when negotiation was embraced, our government was swindled by an impostor negotiator, raising the nation’s hope that the nightmare over the abduction of our innocent girls is over, only for that hope to be dashed, without any further information from government.

That the terrorists have a superior weaponry advantage over our military can no longer be denied. That they have a better motivation and unalloyed commitment to their cause is not in doubt. Assume that Stephen Davis was wrong and military leadership is not guilty of a treasonable connivance with the enemy, this administration owes the nation an explanation for its inability to deal with a band of terrorists. Why is it that every time Mr. President or his designee reassures us of our safety, the terrorists strike harder with palpable disregard? Why? •For comments, send SMS to 08111813080 the reign of President Olusegun Obasanjo when he had his infamous skirmish with Nigeria’s power sector.

The Orisunmbare IPP was announced to have been completed after some 10 inglorious years in the making and billions of naira allegedly paid the contractor. The residents were relieved having lived in a state of semidarkness all these year and having paid one exorbitant bill after another upwardly reviewed exorbitant bill. It was a Federal Government facility built through the instrumentality of the Federal Ministry of Power and the now rested Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN).

Today, the facility has been ceded to its new owners, the Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company (IKEDC), lately Ikeja Electric (IE).

•Continued

on page 58

•For comments, send SMS to 08111526725

Jude: When a great soul takes flight T still seems surreal that Jude Isiguzo is no more. A member of The Nation family, his sudden demise last Saturday still leaves many of us in shock. Death comes to us all but some people are so alive you assume they have transcended death.

So Jude could die, some of us still wonder.

If Jude could die…yet some more still wonder. He was young, vibrant, master of his news beat and chairman of our chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).

Adieu smiling comrade; beke oji ochi eme oji, gaa nke oma o!

I

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Editor Daily:08099365644, Marketing: 01-8155547 . Abuja Office: Plot 5, Nanka Close AMAC Commercial Complex, Wuse Zone 3, Abuja. Tel: 07028105302. Port Harcourt Office: 12/14, Njemanze Street, Mile 1, Diobu, PH. 08023595790. WEBSITE: www.thenationonlineng.net E-mail: info@thenationonlineng.net Editor: GBENGA OMOTOSO