The Nation December 10, 2014 by The Nation

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Primaries chaos rocks PDP Obanikoro rejects Agbaje’s victory Akala joins LP Protest in Kwara Ogun exco: NWC can’t stop us First Lady’s camp in Bayelsa for APGA Adamawa to boycott convention Araraume: upturn Ihedioha’s victory

EOPLES Democratic Party (PDP) leaders were yesterday battling to curtail the protests sparked by its rancorous governorship and assembly primaries. Many aspirants complained of being shortchanged. Some, such as former Oyo State Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala, dumped the

By Our Reporters

party. He is to join the Labour Party (LP) today. The Adamawa chapter of the party led by Governor Bala Ngilari will boycott the national convention holding today and tomorrow in Abuja —in protest against the Abuja primary where former Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Chief Mallam Nuhu Ribadu was picked as

candidate. Eleven governorship aspirants in Kwara State vowed yesterday to prevent what they called the imposition of Mr. Dele Belgore as candidate. The Ogun State chapter rejected the directive by the National Working Committee (NWC) not to hold its congress. It insisted that Gboyega Isiaka, who was elected at the congress, must be the can-

didate. Senator IfeanyiArarume (Imo), Musiliu Obanikoro (Lagos), Deputy Governor Mukhtar Shagari (Sokoto) and Dr. Ali Pate (Bauchi), who lost governorship primaries, have kicked against the results. Senate Leader Victor Ndoma-Egba petitioned the National Secretariat, but House of Representatives member John Owah-Enoh, who defeated

him for the Cross River Central ticket, said “he is a bad loser”.

Oyo

Opponents of the candidate in Oyo State, Sen. Teslim Folarin, described the primary that produced him as “a charade” and “illegal”. Alao-Akala said he had bidded the PDP a final bye. Oluseyi Makinde insisted that he would challenge Folarin’s can-

didature in court, if he is recognised by the party’s national leadership. Another aspirant, Dr Azeez Adeduntan, described the primary as a “selection”, expressing regret for participating in the exercise. Alao-Akala, who spoke through his media aide, Abraham Ojo, said he had Continued on page 4

Obasanjo: my third term story

ORMER President Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday in Lagos spoke on his much-talked about attempt to get a “third term”. He slammed a Federal High Court judge who granted an ex-parte order stopping the public presentation of his autobiography, My Watch, in Lagos. He said: “Third term was not my agenda or intention, although I would not say I didn’t know about it. I didn’t mastermind third term. Those who were telling me to go on were the governors that were going to benefit from it.” On the court order, the former president said: “I had given the book to my editors and to the publisher. As far as I am concerned, my job is done. I had written the book and printed before the court injunction. “In a normal judiciary, the judge should be sanctioned and I hope something will be done.”

By Our Reporter

Assuring the guests who turned out at the Lagos Country Club venue, he said: “We are here legally and lawfully and we will continue to act lawfully and legally.” Among the guests were eminent academic Prof Oladipo Akinkugbe, Prof. Oye Ibidapo-Obe and former Minister of Education in the Obasanjo administration Dr. Oby Ezekwesili. There were also students of The Bells University of Technology, Ota – an institution promoted by Obasanjo. The book, a three-volume autobiography, is the third in the series written by the former president, who is also a former military leader. The other two are My Command and Not My Will.

•Atiku

From Yusuf Alli, Abuja

pharmacist-turned newspaper publisher Dr. Sam Nda-Isaiah. The presidential primary election is significant for six reasons. They are: •unique and historic merger of the party; •shape of the party which has made the progressives to cohabit with the conservatives; •increasing socio-economic problems and desperate desire for change in the country; •urgent need for alternative to the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which has ruled since 1999; and Continued on page 4

•Kwankwaso

SOME FACTS ABOUT THE POLL

Continued on page 54

APC picks presidential candidate today in Lagos O fewer than 8,000 delegates are to pick today the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate in Lagos. The five presidential aspirants are former Head of State Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (a three-time presidential candidate); former Vice President Atiku Abubakar (expresidential candidate and aspirant); Governor Rochas Okorocha WILL THE (ex-presidential CHIBOK GIRLS KIDNAPPED ON aspirant); GoverAPRIL 15 EVER nor Rabiu RETURN? Kwankwaso and

•Buhari

•Okorocha

•Nda-Isaiah

•Five aspirants •Over 8,000 delegates •Accreditation starts 7.a.m •Indirect primary •Venue: Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos Mainland •Voting time: 6p.m.

Decision day for Buhari, Atiku, Kwankwaso, Okorocha, Nda-Isaiah •AND MORE ON

•Who gets APC’s presidential ticket? PAGES 7, 8, 57,& 58 •Wanted: Credible candidate •How states’ll vote

•LIFE P13 •POLITICS P7 •SPORTS P24 •MONEY P26 •INVESTORS P28 •FOREIGN P59 •INSIDE:

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2014

NEWS

Tall dreams as ex

•Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola (second right), receiving his card from Chairman, Lagos House of Assembly Committee on Science and Technology, Wahab Alawiye-King (second left) and the General Manager, State Residents’ Registration Agency (LASRRA), Ms. Yinka Fashola, at the unveiling of the State Resident Card by LASRRA at the Adeyemi Bero Auditorium, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos...yesterday. With them is the Commissioner for Science and Technology Adebiyi Mabadeje.

They never foresaw bumps in the race but the shadow poll staged by the Peoples Demcratic Party (PDP) aborted the governorship dreams of some former ministers and senators, writes Musa Odoshimokhe.

HEY were full of high hopes when they quit the Federal Executive Council (FEC). They had left to pursue their political ambitions – to be the Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of their states. However, all but one of such former ministers may have had their tall dreams shattered at the primary elections conducted by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) across the states on Monday. Of the seven ministers who left the President Goodluck Jonathan-led FEC, only Mr. Nyeson Wike, a former minister of State for Education got the delegates’ endorsement to fly the PDP flag at next year’s election. The rest suffered defeat. •From left: Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Stanbic IBTC Holdings Plc, Mrs. Sola David-Borha; Ogun State Commissioner for Budget and Planning, Mrs. Oluwande Muoyo; CEO, Stanbic IBTC Pension Managers Ltd, Dr. Demola Sogunle and CEO, Stanbic IBTC Bank, Mr. Yinka Sanni, at the at the Stanbic IBTC Clients' Dinner in Lagos.

Obanikoro In Lagos, the former Minister of State for Defence, Mr. Musiliu Obanikoro is yet to come to term with the loss of the PDP governorship ticket to Mr. Jimi Agbaje, a pharmacist, who recently defected from the Democratic Peoples’ Alliance (DPA). Agbaje got the party’s nod after polling 432 votes to Obanikoro’s 346 at Yard 158, on Oregun Road, Ikeja venue of the primary election. Obanikoro has since rejected the result and described the poll as a sham. Before the election, the former minister had seen himself as an aspir-

•Maku

ant far ahead of others. He had relied on his credentials as; former local government chairman, former commissioner, former senator, former ambassador, former board chairman and a federal minister to clinch the ticket. It was, however, a different ball game when the curtain was dropped on the poll. He is rooting for the cancellation of the election as according to him, certain forces plotted his failure. Obanikoro specifically named Chief Olabode George, a leader of the PDP in the Southwest, as the arrow-head of the plot. The forces, Obanikoro alleged, skewed the process against him. The one-time Ambassador to Ghana wondered how the number of delegate rose from 806 to 867.

Ngilari Incumbent Adamawa Governor, Bala Ngilari failed pick the PDP ticket at the primary held at the Old Parade Ground, Abuja. He was defeated by former anti-corruption Czar, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, who dumped the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the PDP. Ngilari and five other aspirants

Democracy not about qu •Worst over for Nigeria, says Kukah • Ibadan Zonal Controller, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Mr. Banji Ojo (left), presenting the MTNF Science and Technology Scholarship Certificate to Mr. Oludayo Oluwatosin; Director of the Foundation, Prince Julius Adelusi-Adeluyi and Executive Secretary of the Foundation, Ms. Nonny Ugboma, during the presentation of MTNF Science and Technology scholarship to deserving students in the South-Western at the National Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos...yesterday.

•General Manager, (Shipping), Nigerian Liguefied Natural Gas (NLGN), Capt. Temi Okesanjo, presenting the report of the Feasibility Study for the Dry Dock Project to Mr. Ernest Nwapa, Executive Secretary, NCDMB at the Investors Road Show for Badagry Shiprepair and Marine Engineering Ltd in Lagos yesterday. Looking on is NLNG’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, (MD/CEO), Babs Omotowa.

RUE democracy is not about quarrelling like motor park workers, President Goodluck Jonathan said yesterday. Athough, he did not mention the politicians quarrellling like motor park workers, but he was obviously replying his critics. He spoke during the presentation of the Kukah Centre at the Merit House, Abuja. According to him, democracy should be strengthened by robust debates, innovative ideas and patriotism. He said: “I believe that our democracy should be strengthen by robust debates, generation of innovative ideas and development, patriotism and progress in our country. I therefore call on everyone, the political class, our ordinary citizens but even more importantly, the academic community to rise up to these challenges posed by this initaitive. “I think we are over defining our democracy today by quarrelling as if democracy is about competitors quarrelling as just motor park workers.” “As elections draw close, I call on all politicians to see this as another opportunity for us to renew our commitment to deepening our democ-

From Augustine Ehikioya and Frank Ikpefan, Abuja

racy.” “Democracy is not all about politicians abusing themselves, it is about development, discussing issues and ideas.” “As elections draw close, I call on all politicians to see this as another opportunity for us to renew our commitment to deepening our democracy and strengthening our bond of unity.” he said “Democracy is not just about political parties and politicians alone, is not just about winning or losing elections, it is about freedom, about development and above all, a forward match of our civilisation and encouragement of creativity.” “It is in this regard that we must seek to identify and support the growth of structures and institutions that will help strengthen our democracy to meet our aspirations as a people.” The President noted that the Centre was to add more building blocks to the growth and development of democracy. He said: “Since our nation returned to democracy, this is the longest stretched of uninterrupted civilian rule that we have had in our dear coun-

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2014

NEWS

as ex-ministers crash out of race for governor

•Obanikoro

•Chukwu

•Wogu

were humbled by the former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), who polled 688 votes. The governor scored 26. The National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP had moved the primary to Abuja following accusation that the governor was tampering with the process. The panel sent to Northeast state to conduct primary election for the State Assembly accused Ngilari of holding its members hostage. Ngilari, who was deputy to impeached Governor Murtala Nyako, was reinstated as governor after convincing a Federal High Court, Abuja he did not resign his position. His hope of consolidating on what his administration is bringing to bear in the state collapsed on Monday even as he has kicked against the conduct of the primary in Abuja.

Uche Ogah, who polled 103. Losers at the poll described the process as an extension of Governor Theodore Orji’s administration beyond 2015. Wogu had resigned from the FEC to contest for the governorship ticket of Abia State. He was under pressure from his kinsmen to vie for the exalted position. The kinsmen are from the Ngwa Ambassadors’ Association, Abiazurumee Grassroots Development Initiatives and Aba Ngwa Political Consultative Forum.

join the governorship race.

Wogu The Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu, with 33 votes, came third at the PDP governorship primary in Abia State. He was defeated by Okezie Ikpeazu, who polled 487 and the runner-up, Mr.

Ibeto The Deputy Governor to Babangida Aliyu of Niger State, Ahmed Ibeto, lost the bid to succeed the governor. He was beaten by Aliyu’s Chief of Staff (CoS), Alhaji Umar Nasko. Nasko recorded 908 votes to clinch the party’s ticket. The chairman of the governorship primary, Senator Jubril Matins-Kuye commended all the delegates for their peaceful conduct. The cordial working relationship hitherto enjoyed by Ibeto with the governor was not enough to see him through. The relationship went sour after the deputy governor reportedly defied Aliyu’s body language not to

Alao-Akala Former Oyo State governor Christopher Alao-Akala’s ambition to stage a comeback to the Agodi Gate Government House on the platform of the PDP ended with the primary at the Liberty Stadium. He was defeated by former Senate Leader Teslim Folarin, who scored 167 to defeat his closest rival, Hazeem Gbolarunmi. Gbolarunmi, who was deputy to Alao-Akala, scored 12 votes. Alao-Akala scored two. Barring the unforeseen, the former governor is set to defect to the Labour Party (LP) tomorrow. A statement credited to Alao-Akala quoted him yesterday as saying that he has left the PDP for good.

Bankole Though the PDP leadership had cancelled the primary in Ogun State, former House of Representatives Speaker Dimeji Bankole and other aspirants lost the ticket to Alhaji Gboyega Isiaka at the primary conducted by a faction of the PDP in the Gateway State.

Pwajok

•Alao-Akala

The Deputy Governor of Plateau State, Ignatius Longjam lost the governorship ticket to Gyang Pwajok, a Senator. Pwajok polled 492 to defeat Longjam, who scored 163 while the former governor of the state, Fidelis Tapgun was also defeated. Tapgun scored one vote.

Ohakim Like Alao-Akala in Oyo State, former Governor Ikedi Ohakim failed to keep his dream of returning to the government house alive. He lost House of Representatives’ Deputy Speaker Emeka Ihedioha at the primary held at Owerri, the state capital. In the aftermath of the keenly-contested election, Ihedioha scored 246 to beat Ifeanyi Araraume, who recorded 236 votes, Ohakim (213 votes) and Senator Chris Anyanwu (10 votes).

Maku Former Minister of Information Labaran Maku’s dream of leading the PDP out at the governorship election next February suffered a setback. He was defeated by Alhaji Yusuf Agabi, who polled 214.

•Ngilari

Edevbie The defeat of Mr. David Edevbie by Senator Ifeanyi Akowa at the PDP shadow poll proved bookmakers wrong. His loss was seen as a defeat for incumbent Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan. The governor was backing Chief Anthony Obuh before he queued behind Edevbie at the eleventh hour. Akowa polled 406 against Edevbie who scored 299. The former Delta State House of Assembly Speaker, Victor Ochie scored 185.

Chukwu Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, the former Health Minister, boycotted the governorship primary, in which the Deputy Governor of Ebonyi State, Steve Umani emerged as PDP’s standard bearer. The former minister, who wrote his name on the sands of time for the role he played in the war against the deadly Ebola Virus, resigned from the FEC to take a shot at Ebonyi Government House on the platform of the PDP. The primary which took place at the Abalikiki Township Stadium, was supervised by the Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Ayodele Fayose.

out quarrelling like motor park workers, Jonathan tells critics try.” “Our long journey has been challenging, we have also shown resilience and commitment in walking the path of democratic consolidation. For this, I thank the people of Nigeria for their support and steadfastness. This country is ours to build and we must remain committed to this enterprise.” he said Stressing that policy research institute like the Kukah Centre is relatively new in Africa, he said that think tanks have for several decades been pivotal to the social economic transformation of the leading countries of the world. He compared the Kukah Center to the Brooklyn institute in America, which pioneered fact-based studies of government policies using science as a key to analysis. According to him, some of the policies of government in the US emanated from the Brooklyn institute and has helped government in the areas of budget and taxes, design of financial plans and other reforms that helped the US address it’s post-war challenges. “Through times they have served as the laboratories of the development, inter-relation and the refinement of key government policies.” the President said.

He said that he was pleased with the mission statement of the Kukar Center which seeks to among other objectives to “conceptualise, design, clarify and articulate proactive mechanism that will increase policy proficiency, effectiveness and the attainment of the common good”. The President also observed that the world most advanced countries did not stumble into greatness by chance or accident, but through carefully developed policies which were tested over time. He said: “Today, governance has become a science with clearly developed tools to measure the impact of the policies on the people. As our young democracy grapples with numerous development challenges, Nigeria’s political class can further draw inspiration from the Kukah’s Center vision statement which is “To aspire towards the attainment of a more humane, democratic and free society where citizens can live in real and true freedom, unencumbered by any structures of exclusion on the basis of ethnic, religious, social status, economic or gender differences”. “I’m personally convinced that the center could not have finer mentor than the revered gentleman of long patriotic standing than Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah. I’m tempted to

call him Father Kukah because my thinking is that the Cassock of a Bishop is heavier than that of a Reverend Father, probably that will help to weigh down some of his radical ideas as a social scientist. But Kukah is a great man, a man with a great vision whether you call him as I do Father Kukah or Rev. Kukah, it is one and the same person, he is the same product, no adulteration. He is someone with great commitment to do his best for the people of this great country.” He appealed to all to join hands to make the center a success story towards helping Nigeria redefine her democracy. Former Head of State, Gen Yakubu Gowon, who was the Chairman of the occasion, urged politicians to place national interest above personal interests as the general election approaches. He said: “It is against this background that I wish to renew my appeal to Nigerians to remain vigilant and be their neighbours’ keepers. We must never allow our rank or our collective resolve to be defeated. This is why I want to charge all members of the political class to renew their commitment to democracy as bedrock for building a united country.” “As the processes leading to the

elections come on stream, I call on our politicians to put the country before their interests. There are laws guiding these processes.” he said Catholic Bishop of Sokoto, Matthew Kukah, who is the founder of Kukah Centre, said the idea behind the center was a personal one to contribute and to share. He said: “Based on the experience I have had in this country outside my priesthood, what opened my eyes is when I served at Oputa Panel. I have served in four presidential commissions, it has brought me to corridor.” “The people I have met in government, struggling to develop Nigeria, but I find a lot of misunderstanding. My experience in Oputa Panel and others told me that Nigerians feel wounded and every group blames every other group for their problems.” “Unless ideas replace ethnic and religious sentiments, we will continue to have problems in Nigeria.” he added. He noted that the center cannot solve all Nigeria’s problems but can help towards solving them. According to him, the worst is over for Nigeria as Nigerians have shown reslute commitment to democracy. He praised the President for finding time to attend the occasion: say-

ing: “If it were yesterday, you would have been in your office fixing result, that you have made the system to be on autopilot is tremendous and commendable.” Archbishop of Abuja, Cardinal John Onaiyekan hoped that the Kukah Centre will be a place for all Nigerians to interract towards understandng one another for the development of the nation. He prayed that the Centre should be many things to many people. Sultan of Sokoto Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar (III), who was represented by the Andoma of Doma, Alhaji Ahmadu Aliyu said he was asked to deliver one message that the unity and indivisibility of Nigeria is sacrosanct. He assured Nigerians that he will be with the President in every step he takes to govern Nigeria, which God has bestowed on him with its vast nature. The Kukah Centre, which became active last year, was established to strengthen national debate, improve governance and encourage Nigerians to take an active role in the country’s leadership. It also intends to actively promote conversations among Nigeria’s faith communities, as well as between leaders in faith and public policy.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2014

NEWS

Primaries chaos rocks PDP in Kwara, Lagos, Oyo, others Obanikoro rejects Agbaje’s victory

Continued from page 1

left the PDP for Labour Party (LP), stressing that he could no longer tolerate “the injustice” in the party. He said: “That primary was an illegality; it was an injustice to us. It was ridiculous and outrageous. He wasn’t there but was awarded two votes. “But we are not going to court. We have taken our position by moving with all our supporters to Labour Party. Alao-Akala has left for good.” He said Alao-Akala would make official declaration for the LP at a yet-to-be finalised venue tomorrow. Makinde said what happened yesterday was a nullity in the face of the law. “We shall pursue it legally to the end. As far as we are concerned, PDP is yet to have a governorship candidate in Oyo State. “I did not participate in the election simply because there is a court judgment which was unequivocal on who and who should be the participants in the PDP primary. PDP electoral guidelines said, ‘For the purposes of nominating the party’s candidates, the party shall elect three ad-hoc ward delegates’. The court had already told us who the delegates are, but if the leadership of the par-

ORMER Minister of State for Defence Musiliu Obanikoro who lost the governorship primary to businessman Jimi Agbaje, was yesterday seething with anger. He said the only time the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos had peace was while the party’s Southwest leader, Chief Olabode George was in prison. George got a state pardon. Obanikoro was addressing the outcome of the party’s governorship primary on Monday in which George’s preferred candidate, was announced winner. The former minister who rejected the result, describing the primary election as a “sham”, said before George went to prison the party was in “crises galore’, which got boiling again after his release from prison. Obanikoro rebuffed the former Nigerian Port Authority (NPA) boss’ claim that he (Obanikoro) was the one who brought thugs to the venue of the election, stressing that George had thugs and a vehicle loaded with arms at the premises.

ty decided to circumvent the judgment by using statutory delegates only for the primary election, it is a breach of PDP electoral guidelines and, consequently, it is a breach of Electoral Act 2010 as amended. “I am a law-abiding citizen of this country and the party and I believe that at the end of the day, reason will prevail.” Makinde said he was also sure that President Goodluck Jonathan would never be part of the “charade that happened

By Precious Igbonwelundu “Because it is important for the people to know. Let me say that the only time we had some semblance of peace in Lagos PDP was when Bode George was in prison. “Before and after coming out, it has always been crises galore. He always creates crisis because he is not democratic in any shape and form. “If you want to dictate, do it in your house. Even in your house these days, you have to sit down with your children and come to terms with the realities of the day,” said Obanikoro. Obanikoro accused George of sponsoring “SURE P thugs” who occupy Lagos roads illegally, adding that aside using thugs to harass his supporters on the day of the election, the leader tried to stop the police from doing their job. He accused George of telling the party leaders not to vote a Muslim, adding that it was the same method George used in 2007 to force Funsho Williams on the party. Obanikoro vowed to appeal the outcome of

on Monday in the name of PDP primary”. He urged his supporters not to resort to violence as such method would worsen the situation. “A process is on and a court of competent jurisdiction has given judgment already. As far as what happened on Monday is concerned, PDP is yet to elect its governorship candidate. All those involved in the suit were served, so PDP cannot claim ignorance of the Friday ruling. The ruling also restrained the

the primary for the interest of justice and fairness. Obanikoro said: “I am not going to send congratulatory message to anybody because of the manner the election was conducted and the processes that led to the election.” George had objected to Obanikoro’s governorship ambition, saying that it was borne out of desperation and extreme covetousness. He said his resignation, barely six months after his appointment, was unfair and annoying. The former PDP National Deputy Chairman also chided the former minister for peddling falsehood about the circumstances surrounding his resignation. He said Obanikoro lied to the Lagos PDP when he said that he was advised to resign by President Goodluck Jonathan to join the governorship race. George said there was no way the president would have asked the former minister to quit the federal executive council and vie for the governorship without carrying party leaders along.

Independent National Electoral Commission from accepting any candidate emerging from primary conducted with delegates other than the delegates whose names appear in the exhibit submitted in support of the affidavit. The court also nullifies such primary. We will go back to court if INEC recognises the candidate. If PDP leaders refuse to do what is right, the party risks not presenting candidates for 2015 elections,” Makinde said.

Adeduntan said: “It was a charade; there was no election but selection. If I knew, I would not have participated. It would have been more honourable for me to have boycotted it. Yesterday was one of the saddest moments in my life. It would have been more dignifying for me if I stayed away. Of the 198 valid votes, Folarin polled 167 to beat others. Akala scored two votes. Adeduntan scored three. Prof. Soji Adejumo polled four. Hazeem Gbolarumi polled 12.

Ogun

•President Goodluck Jonathan (second right), former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu gowon (third right), with (from right) Sokoto Catholic Diocese Bishop Hassan Mathew Kukah, Representative of Sultan of Sokoto/Andoma of Doma, Alhaji Aliyu Ogar, Bishop of Kaduna Catholic Diocese, Most Rev. Mathew Ndagoso; Bishop of Abuja Catholic Archdiocese, John Cardinal Onayekan at presentation of the Kukah Centre for Faith,Leadership and Public Policy in Abuja…yesterday.

Ogun State PDP Chair Dayo Bayo described the reports that the exercise had been nullified by the National Working Committee as false. Dayo, in a statement yesterday, maintained that all the primary congresses from the House of Assembly to the gubernatorial primary are valid and authentic. He advised party faithful as well as supporters to discountenance the contrary information. He said: “The nullification report is false and misleading. Our findings at the national headquarters of our party confirmed that there was no National Working Committee meeting where such decision was taken. “The National Executive

Council meeting approved the guidelines and time table for the congresses and primaries which our party in Ogun State adhered strictly to from the conduct of congresses that produced the delegates to the primaries. “Besides, there were judgments that empowered the PDP chapter in Ogun State to conduct congresses and primary elections and file the reports to the appropriate authorities, including the INEC. “The party in Ogun State has fulfilled all righteousness and, accordingly, forwarded the results of the elections to INEC and all other relevant agencies. “The Party in Ogun state also complied with the Party constitution article 25, which empowered the State chairman of our Party as chairman of the congresses to act accordingly and to which to all intent and purpose has been justifiably done. “We therefore implore all our party faithful, supporters and the good people of Ogun State to disregard the news going rounds that the primary congresses in Ogun State have been nullified. “We dismiss such report as it is false, misleading and emanated from enemies of progress.”

Kwara

The Kwara aspirants under the aegis of the Forum of Governorship Aspirants, accused the leadership of the PDP in the state of working in concert with the minister for national planning and an influential woman politician to impose a candidate on them. The forum’s chair, Senator Simeon Ajibola said “election never took place in the state in spite of the initial peaceful atmosphere and the cooperation of delegates who endured long delay for the accreditation process.” All the PDP governorship aspirants except Belgore were present at the news conference. Those at the event include Senator Suleiman Ajadi, Prof Shuaib Abdulraheem, Senator Continued on page 60

APC picks presidential candidate today in Lagos Continued from page 1

•whether or not the APC coalition (a party of heavyweights and ex-this or exthat) will sink its differences to produce a candidate without breaking up. Although the party threw its presidential ticket open, indications emerged last night that the delegates might support power shift to the North. The development has significantly left the race for the four Northern aspirants namely Buhari (North-West), Atiku (North-East), Kwankwaso (North-West) and NdaIsaiah (North-Central). The choice of the candidate is likely to be determined by many factors, including the outcome of the primaries at the state level, forces from the North, antecedents of the aspirants; their political and personal pedigree; and the influence of the 14 APC governors, who control party structures in their states. Other indices which may shape the results of the primaries, are the voting power of statutory and elected delegates, including members of the Board of Trustees of APC; members of the National and State Executive Committees of

the party; and members of the National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly. Also, some of the national leaders of APC will play a crucial role in deciding the flag bearer. These leaders include Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Chief Ogbonnaya Onu, former Interim National Chairman Chief Bisi Akande, National Chairman Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, National Secretary Mai Mala Buni, Senator Bukola Saraki, ex-Governors Danjuma Goje, Abdullahi Adamu, Bukar Abba Ibrahim, George Akume and Sani Yerima. Others are Speaker Aminu Tambuwal, Alh. Kawu Baraje, Mr. Audu Ogbeh, Senator Shuaibu Lawan, former Governors Segun Oni, Olagunsoye Oyinlola and Adamu Aliero, among others. But a highly-placed source, who spoke in confidence, said: “If you look at Article 12(1) of the Constitution of APC, the governors, APC leaders who control state structure, and members of the National and State Houses of Assembly will wield electoral powers to determine our flag bearer. “With 14 out of the 36 states under the control of APC gov-

ernors, any aspirant who secures the nod of these governors can conveniently win the election at the convention. “Whether we like it or not, the governors seem to hold the ace.” A document obtained by our correspondent last night listed members of the Electoral College as follows: all members of BOT, National Chairman and all members of the National Executive Committee(NEC); serving and Presidents and Vice-Presidents who are members of the party; serving and past governors; past and serving deputy governors who are members of the party; serving and past members of the National Assembly, who are members of the party; serving and past Speakers, Deputy Speakers and other principal officers of State Houses of Assembly who are members of the party; and the members of the State Working Committee including those of the FCT. Those eligible to vote also include all party chairmen and secretaries of all the local government areas and local council development authorities (LCDAs); all elected chairmen of local government councils and LCDAs who are

members of the party; and three elected delegates at least one of which must be a woman from each LGA and LCDA. As at press time, the aspirants have started intense horse-trading with their footsoldiers relocating to Lagos where the convention is holding. Going by the composition of the electoral college, the hot spots with huge votes are Kano(44 LGAs); Lagos (20 LGAs); Oyo (33 LGAs); Osun(30 LGAs); Borno (27 LGAs); Imo (27 LGAs) Sokoto(23 LGAs); Rivers (23 LGAs); Ogun (20); Edo(18); Yobe (17) Kwara(16); Zamfara(14 LGAs); and Nasarawa(13). Another party source added: “Though the 22 other states are important, they do not command huge volume of votes like those ones where APC is controlling the Executive, the Local Governments, the Legislature and other statutory delegates. “For instance, there is no APC government again in Adamawa State, unlike when ex-Governor Murtala Nyako was in charge of the state. This may be to the disadvantage of ex-VP Atiku Abubakar, whose home base support is

weak. “In Buhari’s home state of Katsina, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is not only in control of the state, it recently swept the Local Government poll in all the 34 local governments in the state. The APC boycotted the election. With this scenario, Buhari is not in a position of strength at the home front. “Sam Nda-Isaiah is also from a PDP-controlled Niger State with 25 local governments. He is also constrained from the outset due to limited number of delegates from his state who can vote for him in sympathy. “But Kwankwaso and Rochas Okorocha are solid at home because they are in total charge of all statutory and elected delegates in their states. They, therefore, reach out to other delegates from a voting premise.” The real contest among the aspirants is in their ability to woo delegates from all the states. The Chairman of the National Convention Committee (NCC), Dr. Kayode Fayemi, has, however, assured of a credible election at the convention. Fayemi said: “I have no

doubt in my mind. That is why we have a very huge task on our hands as the convention committee. I am reasonably convinced that we have serious minded aspirants. And once we do our job in terms of the process being credible, transparent and it is seen to be transparent by all and sundry, everybody would accept the outcome. That is our own belief. “But we also have post-convention conflict management mechanisms. There must be something in it for all players. We want to win an election; the presidency of Nigeria is not the only position. People want to serve and those contesting on our platform are politicians of extensive credible experience. I would like to think that is it service that is propelling them. “Of course they want to be president but the presidential candidature is not available due to the fact that they did not win the primaries there are other ways they can serve and I believe they will all want to live up to their undertaking.”

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 10, 2014

NEWS NATIONAL ASSEMBLY PRIMARIES Adeleke, Adeyeye, Omoworare get Osun tickets

Sylva’s senatorial bid unsettles Bayelsa PDP

HE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was thrown yesterday into confusion on learning that former Governor Timipre Sylva had indicated interest to run for the Senate. Investigations showed that, Sylva had been cleared by his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), to contest the Bayelsa East Senatorial District in next year’s general elections. Party sources said the former governor obtained and

•Aganaba, Julius win APC tickets From Mike Odiegwu, Yenagoa

submitted the senatorial forms by proxy and was declared the party’s unopposed candidate. Others, who clinched the senatorial tickets of the APC for 2015, are Preye Aganaba (Bayelsa Central) and Mr. Eddy Julius (Bayelsa West). While Aganaba is to slug it out with the incumbent Sena-

tor Emmanuel Paulker, who won the PDP’s ticket, Julius will battle either Dr. Foster Ogola or incumbent Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, who are still laying claims to PDP’s Bayelsa West Senatorial ticket. But the confusion in the PDP followed fear that its candidate for Bayelsa East, Mr. Ben Murray-Bruce, might not be able to match the political clout and popularity of Sylva.

It was learnt that the decision to hand over the party’s ticket to Sylva was strategic. “It is a fruitful move. We were waiting for the PDP to bring out their candidate and we thank God it was Ben Murray-Bruce”, a party source said. Bruce, a former directorgeneral of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), emerged at the weekend as the PDP’s candidate with 139 votes.

•Chairman, Lagos State Governorship Electoral Committee, Senator Umar Kumo (right) declaring Mr Jimi Agbaje (middle) winner of PDP governorship primaries in Lagos...on Monday. PHOTO: NAN

Ashafa, Adeola win Lagos APC senatorial tickets

HE Senator representing Lagos East , Gbenga Ashafa, has clinched the All Progressives Congress’ (APC’s) senatorial ticket. He won at the primary held at the Lagos State Government Chalets in Epe. From a total of 1,560 accredited voters, the lawmaker won 1,268 valid votes. The chairman of the electoral team, Tayo Orekoya, who announced the results, said 1,560 voters were accredited and 1,310 votes were cast. He added that 1,278 valid votes were counted, and 32 invalid votes recorded. The senator, who was unopposed at the primary, was overwhelmed by the victory. Addressing delegates and other party members, he said: “I am overwhelmed by your gesture and accept your mandate to return me as our party’s flagbearer to represent Lagos East at the Upper Chamber of the National Assembly.” Also, the House of Representatives’ Committee Chairman, Public Accounts, Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, has been elected as the All Progressives Congress’ (APC’s) candidate for Lagos

West Senatorial District. In the primary conducted for four aspirants at Agege Stadium, the Alimosho Federal Constituency representative scored 4,287 votes to defeat former Minister Demola Seriki, who came a distance second with 247 votes while Mr. Enoch Ajiboso garnered 149 votes. Mr. Samuel Whesu came last with 78 votes. The chairman of the electoral panel, Mr. Alabi Mactfoy, who announced the results, said 5,399 voters were accredited. He noted that 4,864 votes were casted with 4,671 valid votes recorded and 103 votes voided. Before the primary, the Lagos State Deputy Governor, Mrs. Adejoke Orelope-Adefulure; Mrs. Kemi Obasa and Mr. Kamal Bayewu stepped down from the race. In his acceptance speech, Adeola praised the APC and its officials for practising true and genuine internal democracy through the organisation of peaceful and transparent primaries for elective positions.

Shehu Sani, Hunkuyi win Kaduna APC primaries

ADUNA-based human rights activist Comrade Shehu Sani has defeated the serving Senator representing Kaduna Central Senatorial District, Sani Saleh, to clinch the Senate ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Sani emerged winner after pulling 921 votes as against

From Abdulgafar Alabelewe, Kaduna

Saleh’s 600 votes. Other aspirants in the race were Sadiq Mamman Lagos (156 votes), Sani Suleiman (499) and two terms House of Representatives’ member Mohammed Suleiman, who scored 11 votes.

At the Kaduna North Senatorial District where the former Interim Chairman of the All Progressive Congress in Kaduna State, Dr. Hakeem BabaAhmed was in the race, Suleiman Hunkuyi emerged winner. Hunkuyi, who is a former Finance commissioner, is to now contest against his former boss, Senator Ahmed Makarfi of the

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). It will be the second time the duo will be contesting against each other. First was in 2003, when Hunkuyi, on the platform of the defunct All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP), contested against Makarfi for the governorship seat.

Gemade, Akume pick Benue APC senatorial tickets

ENATE Minority Leader Dr. George Akume has been unanimously returned as the All Progressives Congress’ (APC’s) Benue Northwest Senatorial flagbearer. Also, former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Sen-

From Uja Emmanuel, Makurdi

ator Barnabas Gemade, who joined APC after he lost his reelection battle to Governor Gabriel Suswam, won to represent Benue Northeast Senatorial District. In a keenly contested primary, Gemade beat three

other opponents with a total of 1,206 votes, while his closest opponent, Andrew Ayabam, got 81 votes. Adaa Maagbe came third with 26 votes. Gemade, a Board of Trustee member of the PDP, will now face Suswam of the PDP in the general election.

From Nicholas Kalu, Calabar

Bassey got 135 votes to beat incumbent Senator Bassey Otu, who scored 99 votes and Mr. Ekpo Okon, who had 76 votes. The result was announced

by Chairman of the electoral panel, Mr. Alimi Abdulrazaq, at UJ Esuene Stadium venue of the primary. After the result was announced, Otu said: “I will not comment on the outcome of

HE first civilian Governor of Osun State, Senator Isiaka Adeleke, incumbent Senators Olusola Adeyeye and Babajide Omoworare, emerged yesterday candidates of the All Progressives Congress in its primaries Osogbo, the state capital. Adeleke,who was Senate Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission from 2007 to 2011, got the ticket for Osun West Senatorial District while Adeyeye and Omoworare were returned for Osun Central and Osun East respectively. For House of Representatives, all incumbent lawmakers were returned, except for Atakumosa East/Atakumosa West, who has his case pending. Lasun Yussuf was returned for Osogbo/Olorunda/Irepodun/ Orolu federal constituency and Yinka Ajayi for Ila/Ifedayo/Boluwaduro federal constituency. Femi Fakeye made Egbedore/Ejigbo/Ede North/Ede South. Gafar Amere was returned for Iwo/Ola-Oluwa/ Ayedire. For Irewole/Ayedire/Isokan Federal constituency, Mrs. Ayo Omidiran got the ticket. Rotimi Makinde got the ticket for Ife Central/Ife East/Ife North/ Ife South and Area Office. For Ileas East/West, Ajibola Famurewa and Nathaniel Agunbiade get Obokun/Oriade ticket.

Abiodun clinches Ogun-East ticket From Jeremiah Oke, Abeokuta

USINESSMAN Dapo Abidoun has emerged as the flagbearer of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for Ogun-East. Abiodun, from Iperu town in Ikenne Local Government Area, polled 2,553 votes while his rival, Otunba Oluseyi Oduntan from Ijebu North-East Local Government, scored 465 votes. Declaring the results of the primary held at Ijebu-Ode Stadium, Alhaji Adekunbi Fatai, the chairman of the APC Electoral Committee in Ogun East, described the primary as free, fair and credible. According to him, the total votes casted by the delegates selected from nine local governments in the district were 3,036 while 18 votes were recorded as void. Abiodun, 54, tasked the electorate to elect a credible candidate next year. Abiodun is to contest in the general elections with the Chairman of the Organisation and Mobilisation Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Southwest, Prince Buruji Kashamu, who emerged last week as the candidate of the PDP.

Ihonvbere loses senatorial bid From Osagie Otabor, Benin

ECRETARY to the Edo State Government Prof. Julius Ihonvbere failed yesterday to secure the All Progressives Congress’ (APC’s) ticket to the Senate to represent Edo North. Incumbent Senator representing the zone, Senator Domingo Obende, also lost as he came third in the primary conducted till yesterday morning. Obende got 198 votes while Prof. Ihonvbere polled 815 votes. An aspirant that was regarded as “a weakling” in the race, Major Francis Alimekhena, won the primary, scoring 831 votes.

PDP returns Senate Deputy Whip From Tayo Johnson, Ibadan

HE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has returned incumbent Deputy Senate Whip and senator representing Oyo North, Hosea Ayoola Agboola, in the senatorial primary held yesterday in Iseyin. Agboola was the sole aspirant and was declared winner after polling the 75 votes of the delegates from the 13 local government areas that make up the district. Also, his anointed aspirant for the House of Representatives in Iseyin, Itesiwaju, Kajola and Iwajowa federal constituency, Maruf Adebayo Alaka, was also declared winners.

Omatseye wins Delta South ticket From Bolaji Ogundele, Warri

LAWYER, Temisan Omatseye, has clinched the Delta South Senatorial District’s ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC), after he won in the party’s primary, held in Oleh, Isoko South Local Government Area on Monday night. Omatseye scored 424 votes while his closest contender, Yemi Emiko, got 181 votes and the third aspirant, Dr. Austin Urette, won 18 votes. Speaking with reporters after the exercise, Omatseye described his election as a victory for the people of Delta South, expressing confidence that APC would emerge victorious at the general elections. A former Delta State Commissioner for Justice and AttorneyGeneral, Chief Andrew Orugbo, emerged winner of the APC House of Representatives primary for Ughelli North/Ughelli South and Udu Federal Constituency, scoring 496 votes to beat his closest rival, Sylvester Akpodiete, who scored 333.

Oyo Speaker picks senatorial ticket From Bisi Oladele, Ibadan •Akume

Cross River: Bassey wins PDP Southern Senatorial primary HAIRMAN of the Cross River State Water Board Limited Mr. Gershom Bassey emerged winner yesterday in the rescheduled Southern Senatorial District primary election in Calabar.

•Eight Reps returned From Adesoji Adeniyi, Osogbo

the election. You will hear from me later.” But Okon said that the contest was free and fair. Bassey was not at the venue at the time of announcing the result.

HE Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly, Monsurat Sunmonu, picked yesterday the Oyo Central Senatorial ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC). She defeated the Commissioner for Works, Bimbo Kolade, and Tunde Oyewo, who polled 899 and 127 votes. She was declared winner at 1:06am at the Akinyele Local Government secretariat, Ibadan, venue of the primary. The party, it was learnt, zoned the ticket to Oyo Federal Constituency, comprising the four local governments in Oyo land. After she was declared winner, Mrs. Sunmonu praised party leaders, delegates as well as her co-contestants for their doggedness, commitment to the APC as demonstrated through their spirit of understanding.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 10, 2014

NEWS The Nation’s Ololade, Akinrinade win Wole Soyinka Investigative Journalism prize

T was another night of honour for The Nation yesterday at the 9th Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism Awards, where it won the prize for health reporting. Associate Editor and serial award winner Ololade Olatunji and Chief Correspondent Kunle Akinrinade emerged winners in the health category of the prestigious Wole Soyinka investigative awards. The duo also emerged first runner ups in the print category. Ololade and Akinrinade’s winning entry was a three-part series which examined the effects of the consumption of popular aphrodisiac, paraga, on its consumers. The report also examined the illegal brewing of such drinks and a laboratory test was conducted to scientifically determine how the drink affects the body’s internal organs.

By Seun Akioye

Ms. Juliana Francis of New Telegraph emerged the overall winner of the night. She was also awarded the prize for the print category for her report on extra-judicial killings. Other winners are: Eric Dumo of The Punch who won the local government reporting category, Fisayo Soyombo of Flair Nigeria, who was adjudged the best in the online category, Tobore Ovuorie of Premium Times, won the category on Report Women and Femi Adedeji of National Mirror won the Editorial Cartoon category. In the broadcast category, Emekalam Kelechi Eziwanne of TVC was the winner. Special awards for Lifetime Excellence in Journalism which went to Mr. Ademola Osinubi, the Managing Director of The Punch newspapers. The National Anti-corruption

•Ololade

•Akinrinade

Defender of the year award was given to Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Projects (SERAP).

GOVERNORSHIP PRIMARIES Tarzor wins in Benue

Wali wins in Sokoto PDP

MBASSADOR Abdallah Wali has emerged winner of the Sokoto State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship primary, amid protest and boycott. Wali scored 547 votes ahead of Abubakar Gada, who got 193 as declared at about 5am yesterday by the electoral panel chairman, Senator Usman Umar Dukku. In his post election speech,

From Adamu Suleiman, Sokoto

Wali pledged his loyalty to the party, praising both delegates and the electoral panel. He said he would dedicate his service to humanity by restoring morality among youths, revive agriculture, improve the standard of education and strengthen health and electricity and provide

roads and potable water. “If by 2015, I emerge as governor, Sokoto State and its people will test some positive transformation,” he added. However, Mukhtari Shagari, who scored a single vote, left Giginya Stadium, the venue of the exercise earlier in protest against the conduct of the primary.

Also, Yusuf Suleiman had earlier before the beginning of the election boycotted the exercise. Mukhtari, who is the deputy governor of Sokoto State, had earlier lodged complaint with the electoral panel committee chair, Senator Umar Dukku, that he was not satisfied with the process and arrangements for election.

From Austine Tsenzughul, Bauchi

Also, former Minister of State for Health Dr. Mohammed Ali Pate had 86 votes and Grappa Azare (three) in a primary that had 819 delegates drawn from the 20 local government areas. Jatau hails from Sakwa, Zaki local government, Bauchi North Senatorial Zone, an area commonly referred as Katagum Zone.

The winner, who was once impeached as Speaker of the state House of Assembly, represents Zaki Federal Constituency at the House of Representatives. Yayale withdrew from the race barely seven hours to the election time, which started at 1:26 am and ended at 6:37 am yesterday at the Multi-purpose Indoor Sports Hall in the state capital. Mr. Aminu Hammayo also withdrew from the contest last Monday over what sources

close to Yayale linked to “imposition, fraudulent and undemocratic behaviour of Governor Isa Yuguda”. Eight hundred and nineteen votes were accepted. Of this, nine were invalidated in the election conducted by Senator Stella Omuh. Yuguda, his cabinet members and AbdulMalik Mahmud - former deputy governor to Ahmadu Adamu Mu’azu, current PDP national chairman – were present.

Odebudo is DPP presidential candidate

HE Democratic Peoples Party (DPP) has announced Otunba Owolabi Odebudo from the Southwest as its presidential candidate for next year’s general election. Odebudo, a two-time governorship candidate in Ogun State in 2007 and 2011 elections, is also the state chairman of Confer-

ence of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP). He emerged the party’s presidential candidate at a special convention held in Abuja, where his candidature was endorsed. Submitting his nomination form as DPP presidential candidate at the party’s secretariat in Abuja after his endorsement, the

candidate urged Nigerians to support his party in the next year’s general elections to usher in a well-deserved change in the Nigerian polity. He pledged that the DPP has a people-oriented programme that would bring succour to the suffering masses. The presidential candidate

also pleaded with defected members of the DPP to return to the party’s fold and join hands in taking the party to the next level. He pleaded with the erstwhile party leader, Chief Great Ogboru, who recently defected to the Labour Party, to have a rethink and return to the party.

with the destiny of our nation as embodied by Dr. Goodluck Jonathan who is both president of our nation and candidate of our Party on the occasion of our presidential primaries at the Eagle Square. “The PDP is rest assured that we have a very good product to sell to Nigerians. We are confident that President Jonathan, as our candidate, is primed to win the 2015 presidential election based on his popularity deriving from his forthrightness, humility and steadfastness to the Nigerian project, coupled with his record of verifiable achievements. “We are today serving notice to the opposition APC to expect a crushing defeat at the polls. In view of our confidence, preparedness and the popularity of our candidate, we

declare that the APC can put forth its two frontline aspirants in one bunch, namely General Muhammadu Buhari and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar as joint presidential candidates with their collective credentials and followership to face our candidate, President Goodluck Jonathan. “The president has been able to stabilize the polity by his pan Nigerian outlook and approach to governance. The stability of our nation has strengthened national unity. Today, he has been able to give every geopolitical zone a sense of belonging in terms of infrastructure development, economic and human capital empowerment”. The party said no other leader had united the Nigerian people more than Jonathan had done, adding that the president has continued to act on

THE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship primary in Kebbi State was stopped Monday night after three contestants protested what they described as fraud in the process. Atmosphere at the Haliru Abdul Stadium in Birnin-Kebbi metropolis, venue of counting of votes, became tensed at about 8.30pm, as three retired Generals, who were also in the race, protested alleged abnormalities in the voting process. To save the situation from getting out of control, Chairman of the Electoral Committee, Chief Celestin Omehia, announced the suspension of the election. He added that another date would be announced soon.

NACCIMA chief picks APC ticket From Ahmed Rufa’I, Dutse

HE President of National Chamber of Commerce, Mines, Industries and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Alhaji Abubakar Badaru, has picked the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship ticket in Jigawa State. Badaru was declared winner with the total votes of 2,650, defeating other two aspirants who contested against him at the party’s primary held at Gumel town, Gumel Local Government. Those contested against the candidate were Hashim Ubale, who scored 1250 votes, and former minister of Works during Chief Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration, Alhaji Sale Shehu Hadejia, who got three votes. The chief returning officer, Alhaji Abdullahi Hamza Yusuf, who announced the result, said Abubakar scored the highest number of votes.

By Kelvin Osa Okunbor

•3073 delegates for party convention From Gbade Ogunwale, Assistant Editor, Abuja

Kebbi PDP primary suspended

NCAA sacks 187 workers

Jonathan set for debate with APC candidate, says PDP

PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan is set for public debate with any aspirant that emerges the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC). The National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olisa Metuh, stated this at a news conference at the party’s Abuja national secretariat yesterday. According to Metuh, the debate would focus on a wide range of issues affecting the country, adding that the president would be ready for the APC candidate after the ratification of his candidacy tomorrow. The party spokesman said 3073 delegates are expected to participate in the PDP convention, where the president’s sole candidacy is expected to be sealed. Metuh said: “As a party, we are going into the conduct of our presidential primaries, in particular, with great excitement, knowing very well that we are keeping an appointment

ORMER Speaker of Benue State House of Assembly Terhemen Tarzor has won the state Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship primary. He beat eight other contenders with 517 votes at the primary, which took place at Aper Aku Stadium, Makurdi last Monday. Before voting started, 10 governorship aspirants stepped down for Tarzor out of 18 that bought nomination forms.

From Khadijat Saidu, Birnin Kebbi

Jatau victorious in Bauchi EMBER, HOUSE of Representatives Auwal Mohammed Jatau has won the Bauchi State Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP’s) governorship primary. Mahmud Yayale Ahmed – a former Defence minister, secretary to the Government of the Federation and head of the Federal Civil Service – scored one vote as against Jatau’s 368. Senators Babayo Garba Gamawa got 116 while Adamu Ibrahim Gumba had 29 votes.

From Uja Emmanuel, Makurdi

•Jonathan

the side of caution in the counter insurgency campaign. “President Jonathan has stabilise the economy. The rebasing of the economy has made Nigeria the largest economy in Africa and 26th in the world. “For us in the PDP, it is neither a matter of conjecture nor propaganda; we are certain that with the grassroots support and the love he enjoys from Nigerians across board, President Jonathan will secure an emphatic victory at the polls,” he said.

HE Federal Government has sacked over 187 workers from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA). The sack was allegedly based on investigations into irregularities concerning their appointments during the tenure of the former acting director general of the regulatory authority, Benedict Adeyileka . The sack had been endorsed by the Minster of Aviation, Chief Osita Chidoka, who ordered the suspension of over 350 officials of the NCAA, including the former acting director general and the director of human resources. The suspension of the two officials was effected to pave way for investigations into their involvement in the employment of over 700 employees without recourse to government regulations. The workers were said to be candidates of National Assembly members as well as persons close to the Presidency. A source close to the NCAA hinted that most of the 187 workers affected by the sack were administrative personnel. In a letter dated December 3, by A.M Yamsikit, who is the general manager, Human Resources, on behalf of the agency’s director general, Captain Mukhtar Usman, said the affected workers were directed to hand over all NCAA property, including their identity cards to their heads of departments. Last week, the minister said there would be overhaul of personnel in aviation agencies to pave way for more technical and professional workers as opposed to the overbearing administrative workers. He said workers would be encouraged to switch to technical and professional areas to reflect the gap in the sector .

WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 10, 2014

POLITICS THE NATION

E-mail:- politics@thenationonlineng.net

APC PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARIES No fewer than 7,000 delegates from 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) will elect the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) today at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere, Lagos. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has endorsed President Goodluck Jonathan for next year’s election. Five aspirants are in the race. Who gets the ticket? Group Political Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU and Deputy Political Editor RAYMOND MORDI examine the search for a credible and nationally acceptable opposition flag bearer and issues that will shape the shadow poll.

• Gen. Buhari

• Abubakar

• Kwakwanso

Buhari

ORMER Head of State Major-General Muhammadu Buhari was born December 17, 1942 in Daura, Katsina State. He joined the Nigerian Army in 1962. Buhari first came to widespread public attention in 1976 when he became the Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources. He had earlier served as Governor of the then North-Eastern State. Buhari served as the Chairman of the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF), a body created by the government of General Abacha, and funded from the revenue generated by the increase in price of petroleum products, to pursue developmental projects around the country. He contested the presidential election in 2003 and 2007 (under the platform of the All Nigerian People’s Party (ANPP). He also contested the 2011 presidential election under the platform of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC). Gen Buhari is well regarded as a highly disciplined leader and statesman who abhors corruption. His politics is defined by integrity. He is married with children.

Abubakar

Businessman, administrator and former Vice President , Alhaji Atiku Abubakar was born on the 25th of November 1946 in Jada village, Adamawa State He was admitted to Adamawa Provincial Secondary School in Yola in 1960. He graduated from secondary school in 1965. He worked briefly as a Tax Officer in the regional Ministry of Finance, from where he gained admission to the School of Hygiene in Kano in 1966. He graduated with a Diploma in 1967. In 1967, he enrolled for a Law Diploma at the Ahmadu Bello University Institute of Administration, on a scholarship from the regional government. After graduation in 1969, he was employed by the Nigerian Customs Service. His assignments at the Customs included Idi-Iroko, Apapa Ports (1974), Ibadan Customs Command (1975), Kano Command (1976),

• Okorocha

Maiduguri (Area Comptroller, 1977), Kaduna (1980) the Apapa Ports in 1982 and Murtala Muhammed International Airport He won the Adamawa State governorship elections in December 1998, but before the inauguration date, he was named the vicepresidential candidate to Chief Olusegun Obasanjo. He is married with 30 children.

Kwankwaso

Alhaji Mohammed Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, politician, administrator and currently governor of Kano State was born in Kwankwaso village in Madobi Local Government Area of Kano State in 1956. He attended Kwankwaso Primary School, Gwarzo; Wudil Craft School and Kano Technical College before proceeding to Kaduna Polytechnic for his tertiary education. He also did his post-graduate studies in the United Kingdom. He started work in 1975 with WRECA. He joined partisan politics in the aborted Third Republic where he contested elections to the House of Representatives. He became the Deputy Speaker. Kwankwaso was elected Governor of Kano State in 1999 and led the state between 1999 and 2003 with a massive focus on educational development of the state. He lost his re-election bid in 2003. He was however re-elected as Kano state governor on 27 April 2011 and sworn in on 29 May 2011 for a second term in office. Prior to his second coming as Governor of kano state, Alhaji Kwankwaso served as Minister of Defence in President Olusegun Obasanjo’s cabinet in 2003. In 2007, he was appointed as the Presidential Special Envoy to Somalia and Darfur by the federal government. He is married with children.

Okorocha

Businessman, administrator and philanthropist, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, currently the Governor of Imo State was born on September 22, 1962, in Ogboko, Ideato South, Imo State. He attended Juladaco High School, Jos (1976-1981). He studied at the

• Nda-Isaiah

University of Jos (1990-1991), obtaining a diploma in Public Administration. He returned to the University of Jos (1993-1994) to obtain an Advanced Diploma in Public Administration. He has held position as President, Nigeria Red Cross Society, President/Founder, Rochas Foundation Inc, President, Rochas Group of Companies Limited, Pro Chancellor, African Business School. He is married with children.

Sam Nda-Isaiah

Pharmacist, Newspaper Publisher and entrepreneur, Sam NdaIsaiah was born in Minna, Niger State, on May 1, 1962. He attended Christ Church School, Katsina Road, Kaduna, between 1968 and 1974; Government College, Kaduna, 1974–1979; and the University of Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo University, 1979-1983, where he studied Pharmacy. On graduation, Sam worked at the Minna General Hospital, after a stint at the Kano Specialist Hospital. He did his NYSC at the General Hospital, Ilawe Ekiti, and the State Hospital, Ikere Ekiti, both in Ekiti State, in 1984. In 1985, he joined Pfizer Products Limited where he worked until 1989. He resigned and launched into serial entrepreneurship. Sam’s entrepreneurial spirit led him to establish the Leadership Group in 2003 with less than N1 million. He is highly respected for his Monday column in the LEADERSHIP Newspaper, through which he has established himself as a pro-good governance exponent. Sam is an alumnus of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy of the National University of Singapore and also of the School of International and Public Affairs of Columbia University, New York. The proprietor of LEADERSHIP Newspapers is a member of the Institute of Directors, member of the Vienna-based International Press Institute; World Association of Newspapers (WAN) and an executive member of the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN). He is also a member of the Board of Trustees of Edusoko University, Bida, and of the newly reconstituted Heritage University in Kaduna. He is married to Zainab and they are blessed with four children.

Who gets APC presidential ticket? M

ANY believe that next year’s presidential election will determine the future of the fledgling country. Thus, the dies is cast between the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) an the All Progressives Congress (APC). Already, the PDP has endorsed President Goodluck Jonathan and he has accepted to run. Today, about 7,000 APC delegates will elect its presidential candidate at the primaries billed for the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere, Lagos. Five aspirants are competing for the ticket. They are former Head of State Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Kano State Governor

Rabiu kwankwaso and his Imo State counterpart, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, and Leadership Newspaper publisher Nda-Isaiah. The winner will face President Jonathan at the poll.

Issues

President Goodluck Jonathan is leaning on the power of incumbency. But, the core North, which is insisting on the unwritten zoning or rotational principle, is mobilising against his candidature. Two groups-the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) and the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), led by Prof. Ango Abdullahi, are mobilising against his candidature. Instructively, the four out of five presidential aspir-

ants on the platform of the APC are from the North. The presence of Okorocha in the race may suggest that the APC has not zone the slot to any region. Next year’s presidential election will also be a battle of ego. Some critics have accused Dr. Jonathan of desperation. Since former military Head of State Gen. Muhammadu Buhari declared his presidential ambition, the reality has dawned on the President that he has a major challenger. A source said that the crowd of supporters at the Eagle Square was intimidating to the PDP. The fear is that, if the APC can put its house in order and there is no post-primary crisis, the party will give the PDP a tough bat-

tle.

Litmus test

According to the PDP, Nigeria requires continuity. Its National Chairman, Alhaji Adamu Muazu, said another four years for President Jonathan will give him an opportunity for the consolidation of his Transformation Agenda. Many Nigerians do not share this view. But, to abort the ruling party’s dream for continuity, the onus is on the opposition to field an attractive candidate, who can match him at the poll. The candidate must be a tested and trusted •Continued on page 8

THE NATION WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 10, 2014

‘

Ahead of the primaries, there were two dominant views on how the presidential candidate of the APC should emerge

RACE TO 2015

• Asiwaju Tinubu

• Onu

• Saraki

‘

• Goje

• Amaechi

Wanted: Credible APC candidate •Continued from page 7

leader, who is capable of restoring hope and building public confidence in government. According to observers, Nigerians want an opposition flag bearer who will revive the economy, halt insecurity, provide jobs and defend other sectors. The presidential aspirants are on the weighing scale. Eyes are on two of them-Buhari and Abubakar. Actually, the Turaki Adamawa defected from the PDP to the APC to revive his presidential ambition. In the last few months, both Buhari and Abubakar have been on the tour of the country for consultation with his stakeholders. On the field, the former Vice President is more aggressive. But, former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s remarks about his suitability for the exalted position may have affected public perception about his ambition. The former leader was full of bile when he explained why he could not hand over to his former deputy at a lecture in Ibadan last year.

Ethnicity and religion

The task of selecting a presidential candidate without blemish is challenging. In the APC, there are two strands of opinion that may shape the presidential nomination. A section of the party is pushing for generational shift, claiming that the job of the President nowadays is very rigorous. They believe that young, dynamic, brilliant, credible and fertile minds are better equipped for the rigour. But, another section is of the view that the criteria should exclude age, adding that merit, antecedents, credibility and public record of an aspirant should be considered. Buhari is over 70. Atiku is almost 70. APC chieftain in Ondo State Hon. Bola Ilori, said that age is not an issue. He said: “Ajasin became the governor of Ondo State in 1979 at 70. He performed more than governors who were in their forties and fifties. It is about vision and character.” In 2015, three factors are also important. For political expediency, the parties will be responding to pressures and constraints imposed by religion, ethnicity and contradiction within the parties. But, in today’s primaries, religion is a non-issue. Three aspirants-Buhari, Abubakar and Kwakwanso- are Muslims. NdaIsaiah and Okorocha are Christians. But, after the emergence of the candidate, the choice of the running mate may be determined by religion. It is gradually becoming a norm that, if a Muslim from the North is the

‘The task of selecting a presidential candidate without blemish is challenging. In the APC, there are two strands of opinion that may shape the presidential nomination. A section of the party is pushing for generational shift, claiming that the job of the President nowadays is very rigorous. They believe that young, dynamic, brilliant, credible and fertile minds are better equipped for the rigour. But, another section is of the view that the criteria should exclude age’ presidential candidate of any major party, his running mate will be a Christian from the South and vice versa. This, analysts contend, has become a stumbling block to merit. Instructively, pairing two people from the religious divides together for presidential elections is not a guarantor of good governance. The potency of religious balance is also debatable. In 1993, the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP) Muslim/ Muslim ticket of the late Alhaji Moshood Abiola and Alhaji Baba Gana Kingibe defeated the National Republican Convention (NRC) Muslim/ Christian ticket of Alhaji Othma Tofa and Sylvester Ugoh. Buhari has said that politics should not be shaped by religion, adding that he was prepared for a MuslimMuslim ticket. But, Obasanjo, who is opposed to his presidential ambition, said in a statement that religion is an important issue, urging the members of the political class to be sensitive.

Internal democracy

Ahead of the primaries, there were two dominant views on how the presidential candidate of the APC should emerge. A section has called for consensus candidacy to prevent the tension and confusion triggered by primaries. In their opinion, postprimary crisis is inimical to the health of the opposition platform. If consensus has been considered, Buhari will be the beneficiary. Those opposed to consensus are rooting for democratic primaries. To them, this is the key to internal democracy, But, it appears that critics and party leaders have divergent views about what constitutes internal democracy. Abubakar’s campaign manager Dr. Babalola Borisade told reporters in Lagos that consensus could limit the power of free choice, adding that only few party chieftains can only be involved. He said a primary election is better because it appears more democratic. But, there are still outstanding issues. Borisade pointed out that the status of delegates from some states

has to be determined. He said elected local government functionaries, who are part of the statutory delegates, are not in place in these states. He said he hoped that the matter would be resolved at the meeting of Planning Committee members and campaign organisations before the primaries.

Aspirants Buhari He is now an experienced politician. He is a statesman. He is an incorruptible figure in a society that has produced many soldiers of fortune. Buhari fought gallantly on the federal side during the civil war. Shortly, after the war, he became the governor of the defunct Northeastern State. When the late Gen. Muritala Muhammed became the Head of State, Buhari was appointed as the Federal Commissioner for Petroleum Resources and Chairman of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). In the Second Republic, he was the General officer Commanding (GOC), Third Armoured Division, Jos. On December 31, 1983, Buhari became the Head of State. The former Head of State had a mission. He wanted to get rid of corruption. He also wanted to restore public discipline. Thus, he stepped on toes. Buhari presided over an administration that intended to return Nigeria to his glorious past. He paid the national debt and ensure that the nation did not incur a new debt. Many corrupt politicians were tried for graft. He also restored national security, which had been threatened by the rising wave of armed robbery. In running the country, he was assisted by a diligent deputy, the late Gen. Tunde idiagbon. Although the regime was accused of high handedness, it was undeterred in its focus and mission to enforce discipline and public morality. However, he was toppled in August 1985. Buhari was in detention for almost two years. In retirement, he led a quite life. When he became the Chairman of the Petroleum Tax Fund (PTF), he fought infrastructure

battle nationwide without enriching himself. The Daura-born soldier-turned politician is a veteran presidential candidate. In 2003, Buhari joined the fray. Obasanjo government had started to drift. He contested for the Presidency in that year under the platform of the All Nigerian Peoples Congress (ANPP). He lost his deposit. In 2007, he also contested against Yar’Adua, but without success. But, the former President later confessed that the poll was severely flawed. In 2011, Buhari also tried his luck on the platform of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC). He lost to President Jonathan. However, owing to his influence, voters voted out the PDP in Kano, Nasarawa states. Buhari has a mass appeal. Many look up to the General for leadership in the North. Reality had dawned on Buhari that, unless the opposition figures work together to change the government, the ruling party will continue to mismanage the affairs of the country. Therefore, his party, the CPC, the ACN, the ANPP and a section of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) merged together in the APC. It was a great sacrifice made in the national interest. Buhari has not jettisoned his ambition to return to power. But, for him, it is not a do or die affair. His primary goal, according to his associates, is the repositioning of the country. To him, the PDP has failed to make impact 14 years after. “It is not about me, it is about the nation. We need change in 2015. APC will rule this country and bring that change”, he said. Prominent Northern elite are opposed to his ambition. To them, Buhari is his own man. He may not be able to condone indiscipline. But, the masses are rooting for him. When he declared for the President, the crowd that attended his declaration ceremony sent the Presidency and the PDP jittery. It was not a rented crowd. In 2011, when he ran on the platform of the CPC, the General polled over 12 million votes.

The presidential poll results since 2003 confirmed Buhari as a political heavyweight and a politician with cult following by the northern masses. In 2003, running under the banner of the defunct ANPP, Buhari polled 12,710, 022 votes (32.19%) to ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo’s 24, 456,140 (61.94%), who was the PDP’s candidate. In 2007 election, he got 6,605, 299 votes compared to the PDP candidate, the late President Umaru Yar’Adua’s 24,638,063. The late Yar’Adua later admitted that the 2007 election was severely flawed. In fact, the battle shifted from the ballot box to the court. As the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) candidate in 2011, he got 12, 214, 853 votes. He was defeated by Jonathan, who got 22, 495, 187 votes. Buhari has a name to protect. He is a man of discipline, principle and highly incorruptible. He has shunned opulence and dedicated his life to the war against graft in words and deeds. As a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, he rendered proper accounts. a man without blemish, he has been described by Obasanjo, under whom he served as minister, as ‘incorruptible.’ In power, he is also a performer. As the Chairman of the defunct Petroleum Task Fund (PTF), he executed many projects which impacted on the country. Buhari is also a good soldier. Many believe that his experience in security matters will assist the country in its search for durable solutions to the menace of Boko Haram. In 1980, he kept the Maitatsine insurgency at bay as the Commander of the Third Armoured Division. His men fought them to a standstill. The insurgents were pursued as far as Chad. Former President Shehu Shagari was alarmed when he learnt that Buhari’s troops almost invaded Chad without his permission. But, the ministers explained to him that the gallant soldier was bubbling with patriotic passion for the defense of the territorial integrity of Nigeria. The General has his weaknesses too. He has the ill-luck of being labelled by political foes as a religious bigotThus, they alleged that his influence is ethnic-based. To correct the wrong impression, he has released some facts about his private life. For example, Buhari’s cook, driver and personal aides in the last 40 years have been Christians. But, his perception as an Islamic fundamentalist has been exploited by the PDP to whip more sentiments against his candi•Continued on page 57

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2014

NEWS

Funsho Williams Avenue shut for today’s convention •Stadium wears new look

HE Lagos State government has ordered the partial closure of Funsho Williams Avenue, Surulere, today to control traffic due to the National Convention of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the Teslim Balogun Stadium. Commissioner for Transportation Kayode Opeifa, in a statement yesterday, said vehicular movement around the venue would be affected and congestion expected, especially on Funsho Williams Avenue, Surulere, Yaba, Masha and Costain areas. The affected areas are Funso Williams Avenue from Olumegbon to National Stadium; Funso Williams Avenue from Alaka to National Stadium; Alhaji Masha Road from Shitta Roundabout to Alaka and the Shitta Flyover. He said vehicles from Lagos Island to Surulere would be directed to exit at Costain to link Surulere via Eric Moore, while vehicles from Ikorodu road, Mushin, Yaba

•Lagos APC welcomes delegates

HE All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State has said the party has the solutions to the nation’s problems. It welcomed delegates and supporters to the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere, Lagos, for today’s presidential primaries. The party’s spokesman, Joe Igbokwe, in a statement yesterday, said: “Lagos is pleased to host such historical event that will certainly feature in the annals of Nigeria’s history for decades to come. “We are glad that Lagos, the oasis of hope in the midst of the monumental wreckage and misrule the country has faced this last 16 years, is being called upon to play a strategic role in the rescue of Nigeria from mindless leadership. By Miriam Ekene-Okoro and Adeyinka Aderibigbe

and the Mainland to Surulere would be directed at Ojuelegba to link Surulere via Itire- Lawanson road or at Iponri via Bode Thomas. Opeifa added that vehicles to Agege Motor Road, Mushin and Ikorodu road from Surulere would be diverted to Bode Thomas, Eric Moore, Akerele Road and Itire Lawanson Road to link

“We see the APC presidential primaries as the start of the project of rescuing the country from corrupt and inept governance next year. We see the presidential primaries as the grand finale to the APC’s march for change and the laudable and peaceful conduct of primaries for all elective offices, which had disappointed doomsayers. “We are glad that by its stellar primaries, the APC has served the final notice to those who invested in a continuation of the regime of rot in Nigeria. “We are glad to welcome heroic Nigerians to Lagos, the bed of progressivism, the centre of excellence and the waterloo of reactionary and unproductive leaders. We are glad to welcome Nigerians to Lagos; the oasis of hope in the midst of the 16 years of gloom the PDP has sentenced Nigeria.”

Funso Williams Avenue and Agege Motor Road at Ojuelegba Roundabout. Also vehicles from Surulere, Alhaji Masha and Shitta to Lagos Island and Apapa will be diverted to Bode Thomas and Eric Moore to link Eko Bridge. “Parking will be available only at the stadium while pedestrian access to the convention venue will be restricted to only accredited APC members, accredited observers, accredited

media personnel.” Opeifa said bus shuttle and taxis would be available from hotel and airport to the convention venue. He assured that officers and men of the State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) had been deployed to manage traffic and reduce congestion on the roads. The commissioner urged delegates to contact LASTMA’s General Manager Babatunde Edu on 08029728271, and LAGBUS’s Managing Di-

rector Tunde Disu on 07041446001. The Teslim Balogun Stadium is wearing a new look. A correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) who was at the stadium yesterday said the party’s flags and banners of its presidential aspirants dotted the venue of the convention. Security men were present at the main entrance of the stadium. Toyota Hilux vehicles belonging to the police were also parked on the premises. Eigh thousand delegates are expected to converge on the 25,000 capacity stadium for the convention. The convention is expected to produce the party’s presidential candidate in next year’s election. The aspirants include a former military Head of State, Maj-Gen Mohammadu Buhari; a former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and Kano State State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso . Others are Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha and Publisher of Leadership, Sam Nda-Isaiah.

Aspirant hails Ambode By Adeola Ogunlade

GOVERNORSHIP aspirant in the just conducted All Progressives Congress (APC) primary election in Lagos State, Tayo Akinmade Ayinde, has congratulated the winner, Akinwunmi Ambode. He pledged his support and loyalty to the party and the national leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Ayinde attributed Ambode’s landslide victory to his “rigorous campaign activities, hard work and popularity within the party”. In a statement by the Director of Media and Publicity of his campaign organisation, Peter Ayinde, the aspirant said: “I, Tayo Akinmade Ayinde, wish to congratulate Akinwunmi Ambode. “

•National Leader of All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu receiving the Certificate of Return of Olamilekan Solomon, winner of the Lagos West Senatorial District at the Freedom House, Victoria Island, Lagos...yesterday. With him are party chieftains.

Navy redeploys 20 Rear Admirals

N line with its yearly tradition of reshuffling units and command, the Nigerian Navy yesterday announced the redeployment of over 20 Rear Admirals. A statement by the Director, Naval Information, Commodore Kabiru Aliu, said the redeployment by the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Usman Jibrin, followed the promotion of some senior officers. Among the redeployed senior officers are the Flag Officer Commanding (FOC) Western Naval Command, Rear Admiral Sanmi Alade, who is to resume at the Naval Headquarters (NHQ) as Chief of Nigerian Navy Transformation Office, while Rear Admiral Jonathan Ango takes over as FOC Western Naval Command. According to Aliu, former Chief of Administration, Defence Headquarters (DHQ), Rear Admiral J.A. Akinwale, is to resume at the NHQ as Chief of Policy and Plans; Rear Admiral Ameen Ikioda takes over as Chief of Administration, DHQ; Rear Admiral Ibok-Ette

By Precious Igbonwelundu Ibas, who was Chief of Logistics NHQ, has been moved to Navy Holdings Limited as group managing director, a position occupied by the late Rear Admiral Azubuike Ajuonu. The statement reads: “Rear Admiral I.A. Oyagha, formerly Chief of Training and Operations, is now appointed Chief of Naval Standards and Safety; Rear Admiral O.E. Ekwe, former Admiral Superintendent Naval Dockyard Limited, resumes as Chief of Naval Engineering. He swaps with Rear Admiral S.U. Chinweuba, who takes over as Admiral Superintendent, Naval Dockyard Limited. “Additionally, Rear Admiral S.H. Usman, formerly Chief of Naval Standards and Safety, resumes at Defence Headquarters as Director of Training. Rear Admiral P.A. Agba moves from Central Naval Command, where he was FOC, to Naval Headquarters as Chief of Logistics. “Rear Admiral S.I. Alade, formerly FOC Western Naval Command resumes as Chief of Nige-

rian Navy Transformation Office; Rear Admiral B.A. Egbedina moves to Naval Training Command as FOC from the Logistics Command where Rear Admiral O.P. Ozojiofor is appointed as the FOC. “?The redeployment also affected Rear Admiral G.A. Anyankpele, formerly FOC Naval Training Command, who is now resuming at Naval Headquarters as Director of Project Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation Directorate. “Rear Admiral H.H. Babalola, formerly Director of Nigerian Navy Transformation Office is now the FOC, Eastern Naval Command; Rear Admiral S.E. Ogoigbe moves from the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji to the Central Naval Command as FOC. “Rear Admiral O.C. Medani, former FOC Eastern Naval Command, resumes as Chief of Training and Operations at the Naval Headquarters; Rear Admiral J.K.Z. Ango,

formerly Admiral Superintendent Naval Ordinance Depot, is now the FOC Western Naval Command. “Rear Admiral JO Okojie resumes as Admiral Superintendent Naval Ordinance Depot from the Eastern Naval Command where he was Chief Staff Officer. “Other Rear Admirals affected include Rear Admiral AA Osinowo who resumes at Defence Headquarters as Director Equipment Standardization and Harmonization. Rear Admiral JO Oluwole also resumes at Naval Headquarters as Director of Research and Development while Rear Admiral FD Bobai moves from Defence Headquarters to Naval Headquarters as the Navy Secretary. “Rear Admiral SU Ahmadu moves from the Central Pay Office to the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) as Director of Finance and Accounts. Surgeon Rear Admiral J Onubi has been reappointed as Commander/ Chief Consultant Chem Pathologist at the Naval Medical Centre Victoria Island, Lagos.

“Surgeon Rear Admiral EE Enechukwu has also been reappointed as Commander/ Chief Consultant Obstetrics and Gynecologist Nigerian Navy Hospital Warri and Command Medical Officer Central Naval Command in addition. Rear Admiral JA Ajani moves from DIA to Defence Headquarters as Director of Plans. “Furthermore, Rear Admiral KB Ati-John moves to Defence Headquarters as Director of Development from the Naval Headquarters where he was Director of Operations. Rear Admiral AA Dacosta has been reappointed Commander Defence Headquarters Garrison. “Rear Admiral MM Salami has also been appointed Director of Plans Naval Headquarters. Also, Rear Admiral JD Michika has been reappointed Chief Staff Officer at Central Naval Command while Rear Admiral BA Oguntola resumes as Chief of Accounts and Budget Naval Headquarters.

Lagos begins issuance of LASRRA cards By Miriam Ekene-Okoro

AGOS State Governor Babatunde Fashola (SAN) began yesterday the issuance of resident cards to individuals that registered with the Lagos State Residents Registration Agency (LASRRA). Fashola, who unveiled the Resident Card at the Adeyemi Bero Auditorium in Alausa, expressed concern over low turnout. He said government might be forced to close the ongoing registration of residents by (LASRRA in June next year to save cost. Fashola explained that only about two million persons have registered out of over 21 million residents in the state. He lamented that the government is spending huge resources paying salaries of ad hoc staff that have been employed to drive the exercise, saying several options have been introduced to ease the process of registration but residents have not fully taken advantage to sign up to the process. Fashola said: “What we did not do, was to say everybody should come and register in three days and close up and that is why you still see that people are not responding as we expect them to, but as some point in time, maybe sometime in June 2015, we would close down this exercise. We have run it for over a year now and its costing a lot of more because we have to pay staff. “But what we wanted to avoid are the problems we are going through today with PVCs because what is often rushed is usually very difficult to control. So that’s why we had stationery registrations, mobile registrations, online registrations, in order to make it convenient for all of us to do so. I don’t believe that the people of Lagos deserve to be treated the way Nigerians have treated us. We just close down and everybody starts rushing, lose working hours, shut down business because we want to take a card, we can be better organised than that”. He urged residents to take advantage of the yuletide season to get registered stressing that the data gathered from the exercise will enable the state government plan better for residents. “There is a lot that is possible for us to do with this card. Education of our children will be defined by this card in the sense that it helps us to plan better. Before we launched this scheme, we commissioned an audit in 2008, we found out that we were all talking about overcrowded classrooms but it was not statewide. Immediately we got this result, it helped us to plan for those areas and in 2009 what we did was to reorder our budget to address this issue”. Shedding more light on the importance of the exercise, the governor alluded to civilized societies where photographs of criminals are released few minutes after crimes are committed adding that it is only possible because structures such as registration which captures fingertips and facial details of citizens are available.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2014

NEWS

Dasuki, Oritsejafor to monarchs: work for peace

HE National Security Adviser(NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd), has urged traditional rulers in the North to work for peaceful co-existence in their domains. He said the attainment of harmonious relationships in restive communities rested on their commitment and efforts. Dasuki spoke yesterday in Abuja at a session with Northern Christian traditional rulers at a parley organised by the Northern States Christian Elders Forum (NOSCEF). Decrying the activities of Boko Haram sect in the Northeast, Dasuki assured that the Federal Government was leaving no stone unturned in arresting the unacceptable situation. He said: “Traditional rulers have a responsibility to be peace builders in their communities. While we work as a government on fighting insurgency, we urge you to help build consensus that will create peaceful coexistence.” The National President of the Christian Association of Nigeria(CAN), Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, regretted that some politicians were feeding on the terror war for selfish gains. According to him, the greatest war the nation was fighting was not terror but insincerity. Oritsejafor said: “Nigeria is fighting against truth. We hate the truth; we hide the truth and we fear the truth. It is so unfortunate.

By Sunday Oguntola

“Nigeria is not free because we are running away from the truth. The truth can be bitter, but when you swallow it, when it gets inside, it could become sweet.” The cleric argued that the insurgency war was escalating because most Nigerians are pretenders. “We are like ostriches; we are a nation of pretenders. We run away from the truth and we want to believe that somehow our troubles would just vanish. But it never happened that way, because the truth has a way of creating a level-

playing field for everybody,” Oritsejafor said. NOSCEF’s Chairman Olaiya Phillips said the Boko Haram insurgency was not based on Christians and Muslims dichotomy but an onslaught against the Nigerian entity. He said: “As we saw with the bomb attack on the Central Mosque in Kano recently, there are severe dangers to those who actively speak out against Boko Haram. Friends, the challenges that face our community and country are huge. “Everyday, reports reach us from our members of new attacks by Boko Haram and their

followers. Each week, a new town or village appears to be briefly occupied, pillaged and then deserted before the insurgents can be apprehended.” He added: “Innocent civilians are murdered, families are torn apart and communities are expelled. Businesses, farms and churches are razed to the ground. Like a wild bush fire, Boko Haram has spread from town to town as they try to establish their vision of an ‘Islamic caliphate’. “No longer contained in the Northeast, their terrorist attacks occur all over the North. The reach of their flames seems to have no limit, even stretching as far as here in our capital.” Phillips urged the traditional rulers to become peace agents and ensure that their communities do not become theatres of war.

Wike’s emergence means easy victory for APC, says chair

HE Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has said the emergence of the former Minister of State for Education, Chief Nyesom Wike, as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate will make it easier for the progressives’ party to win next year’s election. In a statement yesterday in Port Harcourt, the state capital, APC State Chairman Davies Ikanya said: “This means an easy victory for us as he cannot in any way be compared with our candidate, the very reputable and visionary Dr. Dakuku Adol Peterside.”

Port Harcourt

The statement by his Media Aide, Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, noted that following Wike’s, emergence, the stage was set as “the battle is now between the Rivers State people and the forces of darkness, which the PDP represents”. The APC chairman condemned the process the PDP took to produce Wike. He noted that the Presidency and PDP’s national body had proved that they were not sensitive to the yearnings of Rivers State, where zoning had always worked for the stability of the state.

Kidnappers abandon victim in bush From Osagie Otabor, Benin

•From left: Bunmi Adimula, Sala Director, GSK; Bola Oyawole, Chairman Strategy, CAMM PSN; Lekan Asuni, Managing Director/ CEO, GSK Pharma Nigeria; Olumide Akintayo, President, Pharmarceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) and Grant Onedo, Marketing Director, GSK, at an official tour of pharmaceutical facilities in Lagos ... yesterday PHOTO: ABIODUN WILLIAMS

Military owes media apology, says NGE President IGERIAN Guild of Editors (NGE) President Femi Adesina said the military owes the media unreserved apology for the three days clampdown on some newspapers in June. Adesina spoke at a workshop organised by the Nigerian Army School of Public Relations and Information (NASPRI) held at the 65 Battalion, Bonny Camp, Lagos. Speaking on the impact of military and media relations in promoting national peace and security, Adesina said the military’s seizure of newspapers negatively impacted the cordial relationship that was being built between the parties. He accused the military of hiding under spurious claims that the distribution vans were being used to transport obnoxious materials that

From Clarice Azuatalam,

By Precious Igbonwelundu

threaten security, thereby making the affected newspapers lose millions of naira. Adesina expressed displeasure that the military has not considered it worthy to apologise to the media despite the fact that no dangerous material was found in any of the vans for the three-days the clampdown lasted. “The military owes the media apology. I stand by it. I have even told the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen. Kenneth Minimah, that we incurred economic losses from the clampdown in June. “If they are not paying us back, they al least should say sorry. They accused us and did they find anything? No! so, nothing stops them from saying we were wrong, we are sorry,” said Adesina. On the need for a good rela-

tionship between the media and the military, Adesina said any friction between both agencies negatively affects peace and stability in the country. He admonished the military to stop seeing the media as unpatriotic and nosy people, reiterating the need for a synergy. “No one is more patriotic then the other. The country belongs to us all. If we continue to function like adversaries, with an attitude of ‘we’ against ‘them’, then the country loses ultimately. When peace and security break down irretrievably, the media, the military, and the citizenry suffer.” According to the NGE President, the country is in the trouble she has found herself today because relationship between the federating units, different ethnic groups, has gone awry. “The relationship between the media and the military has

gone through many phases ranging from hostility, brutality, mutual suspicion and then, to wary collaboration that currently exists… “It seemed an amicable relationship was being forged, till insurgency in the north east got to a height, and the military set the relationship backward in June this year, confiscating the products of newspaper houses under the spurious guise that the distribution vehicle of newspaper houses were to be used to ferry obnoxious materials round the country. “For the three days that the onslaught on media houses lasted, grave injury was done to the relationship between the military and the media, and old wounds were reopened. It constituted a big setback in a relationship that had got progressively better. “A siege was laid on the products of newspaper houses

round the country and we lost money in millions of naira. Apart from economic losses, however, that development wrecked serious havoc on military and media relations. It took us far back to the time that the head of Mineri Amakiri was shaved with broken bottles by Diette-Spiff,” he said. If it would play the role of a veritable link well, Adesina said the media must be very professional, “How the media comports itself can either douse or escalate tension in the country. A partial, compromised or hostile media is bad news for peace and security in any country. It is therefore important that no matter the situation, the media remains professional, unbiased and not hostile to other institutions. When stories are treated in a way to achieve pre-conceived goals, the public also comes to wrong decisions and

WOMAN, who was abducted by gunmen from her shop in Auchi, Estako West Local Government Area of Edo State, has been abandoned in a bush by her abductors. The kidnappers left the woman, whose name was not disclosed, near Agor village after the police chased them. Police spokesman, Noble Uwoh, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), said the kidnappers used the victim’s car as a getaway but the police chased them. Uwoh said the kidnappers drove into a bush and fled, leaving the victim and the car behind. The spokesman said a medium size single barrel gun and a live cartridge were found in the car. He added that the victim had been reunited with her family.

Edo SSG resigns

DO State Governor Adams Oshiomhole has accepted the resignation of the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Prof Julius Ihonvbere. Oshiomhole thanked Prof Ihonvbere for his services to the government and the state. The governor, in a statement yesterday in Benin, the state capital, by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr Peter Okhiria, wished Prof Ihonvbere well in his future endeavours.

EPZ crisis: ‘Project is stuck over Gbaramatu-Ijaw expansionism’

HE lingering crisis over the take-off of the $16 billion Export Processing Zone (EPZ) at Ogidigben, Warri Southwest Local Government Area of Delta State, has been blamed on an alleged expansionist bid of the Ijaw. The spokesman for the Ugborodo community’s EPZ Interface Committee, Alex Eyengho, said the Itsekiri had agreed to a more neutral name for the project, although they vowed to resist any name reflecting Gbaramatu. Speaking on phone yester-

From Bolaji Ogundele, Warri

day in Warri with our reporter, Eyengho stressed that the Ugborodo and his committee had the backing of the Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse 2. The spokesman said the Itsekiri agreed to protect what belonged to them and resist usurpation. He said the meetings held on resolving the crisis were deadlocked because of what he called the Ijaw expansionist agenda. According to him, the Ijaw agitators in the EPZ crisis had

been insisting on having the project, which the Itsekiri claimed was sited on their land but named after an Ijaw kingdom. The Itsekiri of Ugborodo have resisted the position. Eyengho said: “Their agenda is to further engender their expansionist tendencies, to claim the Itsekiri land, the Ilaje land in the Ondo axis, to claim Edo land in the Benin axis. You know they always claim that anywhere there is a river belongs to the Ijaw. “You saw this in their ToruEbe State agenda. If you look at the map of their Toru-Ebe

State, the entire Warri is included with parts of Benin and parts of Ondo. The map is a public document. They have this expansionist agenda and this Gbaramatu insistence is part of that agenda. That is the way I see it. “But we conceded, not that we didn’t concede. We had said: ‘Let’s go for a neutral name’; just like Chevron was named and the EGTL was named; EGTL Escravos, Chevron Escravos. So, we said: ‘Let’s call it EPZ Escravos’. But they said no; they would not agree. They said the percep-

tion of people out there is that Escravos is synonymous with Itsekiri. But they have been benefitting from EGTL, Chevron, EGT1, EGT2 and EGT3. “We had said we could dump the name ‘Ogidigben’; let’s go for a more neutral name. But they still said no; Gbaramatu must reflect. This shows that they have a clear agenda. And we made it clear to them that there is no Ijaw community that is named Gbaramatu. It is a kingdom. It is like we are now insisting that it must be named Warri Kingdom EPZ. It’s same thing. Projects must be tied to a community or an area.

“As for our meeting with the Ijaw, it was deadlocked. Everybody will go back to Abuja and present their position. Then, the buck stops at the table of Mr President to take the final decision. “That’s the truth, because they are maintaining their position and we are maintaining ours. The Olu of Warri has intervened, and it’s the position the Ugborodo and the EPZ committee adopted. That’s where the Olu of Warri stands too. Of course, there’s no way we’ll allow ‘Gbara’ not to talk of ‘Matu’ to reflect in the project. That is the position of the Itsekiri.”

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2014

Life

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

Text only: 08023058761

‘Tourism is no luxury’ – Page 48

Wanted: New value system for Africa – Page 49

Living Legends’ four hours with legendary Gowon

Mythic imagination and national rebirth – Page 51

– SEE STORY ON PAGE 14

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2014

The Midweek Magazine

E-mail:- ozoluauhakheme@yahoo.com

For nine years, Gen. Yakubu Gowon was Head of State. He was the cynosure of all eyes penultimate Saturday as he sat for four hours as a special ‘model’ for 10 artists in a life drawing and painting session at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja. It was the 6th Living Legends project to mark Gen. Gowon’s 80th birthday. Assistant Editor (Arts) OZOLUA UHAKHEME was there.

•From Left: Gowon receiving a portrait painting from Yusuf assisted by Prof Clark (second left) watches.

Living Legends’ four hours with legendary Gowon

RESSED in an all-white Agbada with a cap and a pair of brown shoes, the former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, walked in quietly. He ruled Nigeria for nine years (1967-1975). He had no aides or security details with him. His gait did not show any sign of old age; and more entralling the octogenerian sat for four hours to be protrayed. Time was 10 am that Saturday. But for the applause from the artists, his entry into the Lagos/ Osun/Kogi Meeting Rooms of the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja would have gone unnoticed. One after the other, the retired general interacted freely with the artists while welcoming them to his birthday event organised by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in collaboration with Olu Ajayi Studios. The Living Legends project managed by Eki Eboigbe is an initiative to preserve, document, promote and celebrate distinguished Nigerians, who have contributed positively to the nation and the world. Past legends documented are Omo N’Oba Nedo Uku Akpolokpolo, Erediauwa Oba of Benin; Prof. Yusuf Grillo; Prof. Wole Soyinka; Prof. Bruce Onobrakpeya and Prof. John Pepper Clark. Thirty minutes later, Gen. Gowon took his seat as special ‘model’ for a four-hour life drawing and painting session, with music at the background by Ayo Bankole-led musical group. From the 10 artists came over 17 visual slices of their impressions of Gen. Gowon. Many were impressionistic; some were expressionistic of their subject. For the artists, it was a rare opportunity to have Gen. Gowon, who turned 80 a month ago, as a model. Prof Bruce Onobrakpeya, who turned 83 last August, led the artist. Dispite his age, he was active and busy throughout as he positioned his

•From Left Prof. Onobrakpeya sketching Gowon.

CELEBRATION drawing board at different points to get better views of the general. At one point, he was drawing from the floor, and at another, he placed his board on his kneels close to the model. Unlike Onobrakpeya, former President of Society of Nigerian Artists, Mr. Kolade Oshinowo kept his drawing board on the easel few distance away from the general. Expectedly, he drew from one position all through and churned out more works. Other younger artists did same. They included Olu Ajayi; Nsikak Essien; Emmanuel Ikoro; Emmanuel Irokanulo; Tunde Soyinka; Dr. Sylvester Ebipaha; Bolaji Ogunwo and Omonigho Udenta (photographer). Prof Frank Ugiomoh, a historian, from the University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, was an observer. At intervals, Gen. Gowon was intuitively responding to Ayo Bankole’s rendition of classical music by tapping his feet as he sat gazing into the audience. “Give me Bella Fonte,” he beckoned on the band with a broad smile. And behold, the music never stopped. The old school music was a soothing balm for artists and the model at the seemingly tense life drawing session. In the audience was Prof Clark, who described the project as a brilliant concept. “It is a fresh and creative means of documenting history. In fact, the pieces of drawings and paintings from the

project will in future become rare works because most of the subjects are already at the departure lounge to take the next flight,” Prof. Clark said. Also in the audience were some pupils and teachers from three secondary schools (Premier International School, Olumawu College, and Blooms Academy) all in Abuja, At the close of the life-drawing session, about 17 art works were selected for exhibition at the same venue. On ground to frame the completed art works, were workers of Art World. The exhibition was attended by NNPC Group Executive Director, Business Development Directorate Attahiru Yusuf, an engineer; Group Executive Director, Corporate Services Directorate Dr. Dan Efebo; Manager, Media Relations, Mr. Uche Nwakwu, who represented Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division Mr Ohi Alegbe, among others. The initiator of Living Legends, Mr Olu Ajayi, said the project started in 2008 to “record in our time, those that we encountered and who impacted and contributed to the growth of the society and humanity”. According to Ajayi, for 40 years, Gen. Gowon has been generous and consistent in serving and adding value to the society, hence the honour. “Today, we are lucky to have the NNPC buying into the project in celebrating Gowon. It is a global project and we hope to extend to foreign land. What we are viewing this evening are works of academic expression, some poetic, others sur-

real and impressionistic,” Ajayi said. To the legend of the moment, Gen. Gowon, the painting session and exhibition were rewarding experiences. He thanked the NNPC for organising the platform for artists to do his portraits. “I must say that I am honestly impressed. Nigerian artists can go anywhere and stand tall. I really enjoyed the session. It was no punishment as there was music in the background. He recalled that the NNPC started operation during his administration to provide enough money to rebuild the nation after the Biafran Civil War. The oil industry, he said, had just become fully operational after the war. After a tour of the art exhibits, Gen. Gowon recalled how he won most prizes in art in junior school. “At the junior school, I won most of the prizes in arts. But pottery was my waterloo. For the young students present here, I hope they learnt something from the exercise. Let us continue to pray for Nigeria and its peace to move it forward. If we had allowed the implementation of the 1975 development plan, we would not have been where we are today,” he noted. Yusuf described Gen Gowon as “our father”, who is still going on with one Nigeria. He said: “Today is a great day for NNPC. We thank Gen. Gowon for allowing us to be part of his celebration. I am extremely happy on behalf of NNPC to be part of Living Legends project. What the General has been doing is in tandem with NNPC motto.”

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2014

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, DECEMMBER 10, 2014

SHOWBIZ

Nigerian billionaire compensates Tayo with $350,000

OLLOWING a subtle protest on the social media, decrying the outcome of the just-concluded Big Brother Africa show which declared Tanzanian housemate, Idris as winner of the USD300, 000 prize money, a Nigerian billionaire, Ayiri Emani, has report-

By Medeme Ovwe

edly offered more than that amount to the Nigerian contestant who came in second place. Perhaps moved by the accolades showered on the Nigerian model, coupled with the fact that the show employs

a winner-takes-all format which left Tayo with nothing, Emani is said to have offered the Oyo State-born contestant the sum of USD350, 000 as compensation. Emani, a popular businessman in Warri, Delta State, is the CEO of A & E Petrol, A & E group of Companies (which

deals in oil, logistics and constructions), 911 Hotels & Resorts and 911 Entertainment. It did not come as a surprise to many that the businessman is lavishing such a huge amount of money on the Nigerian contestant, having reportedly splashed N20million on 2face’s wed-

ding and also gave the singer a new Range Rover in 2010. He was also said to have given another Nigerian singer, Durella, a new 2012 Toyota Prado jeep. The Nigerian model could not be reached, as he is yet to take charge of his phones and social media.

Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards to announce nominees

S organisers of Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCAs) prepare for the third edition of the show, nominees in the various categories of the Awards will be announced today. Although they have asked DStv and GOtv audiences to watch the announcement which airs on all AfricaMagic channels at 20:30 CAT, an un-

By Dupe Ayinla-Olasunkanmi

veiling ceremony will be held at the same time for nominees and the media in various regions. In Nigeria, the event will take place at Fourpoints by Sheraton, Oniru, Victoria Island, Lagos. Public voting is expected to open immediately after the announcement and close on the February 28, 2015.

The general announcement on TV, organisers say will be hosted by popular television personalities, Nick Mutuma of Mashariki Mix and Sika Osei of 53 Extra. According to the Regional Director, M-Net (West), Wangi Mba-Uzoukwu, the award scheme is faring well, having received over 2 000 entries this year. She said: “We are pleased to

invite our viewers to tune in as we announce the nominees for the 2015 AMVCAs. We have received over 2 000 entries and this undoubtedly reflects the importance of the awards in the African film and television industry. We are all excited to know those who made the cut.” Since the maiden edition in 2013, the AMVCAs have celebrated the contributions of

African filmmakers, actors and technicians to the success of the continent’s film and television industry. Sponsored by Amstel Malta, the third edition is scheduled to hold on March 7, 2015. Some of the categories in which filmmakers will be awarded include acting, directing, scriptwriting, cinematography, editing, make-up, sound and lighting.

• Tayo

Victoria Kimani releases music video By Medeme Ovwe

• Olu and Joke Jacobs

• OC Ukeje and Genevieve Nnaji

Star beer plans largest bottle tree for yuletide

ITH 3000 bottles, Nigerian Breweries’ premium brand, Star, is set for a recordbreaking feat of the largest bottle tree in the world. The project is part of its

By Dupe Ayinla-Olasunkanmi

plans as sponsors of the Lagos Countdown, a yuletide entertainment platform taking place at the Eko Atlantic Bar

Beach, Victoria Island, Lagos. The beverage company is asking Lagosians to contribute empty star bottles to the project. Organisers say the carnival-like event will be a scene

of exciting festivities and that the site of the Star Bottle Tree will stand out as an iconic landmark, shining on into the New Year. A ýfirst-of-its-kind in the country, the Star Tree is said

• Scene of the Lagos Countdown last year

to symbolise the greatness of the Nigerian spirit, personified by Star lager brand. Plans by the organisers is to break the current world record of 1000 beer bottles being held by the Chinese in the city of Shanghai, when it is finished. Organisers say fans and lovers of innovation will not be left out in the process of building the Tree as Star lager has set up collection centers around Lagos where people can submit empty bottles which will be used to build the tree in exchange for a free drink and a raffle ticket to win exciting prizes at the Star Beer Village. Ikeja City Mall, Lead Mart Festac, Adeniran Ogunsanya Shopping Mall & Eko Atlantic Victoria Island have been selected as collection centers.

African International Fashion Week excites with fabulous collections

HE grand finale of African International Fashion Week (AIFW) 2014 went down as a unique night

By Dupe Ayinla-Olasunkanmi

of glamour, featuring works of

•Udjoh Ufuoma, Baileys Brand Manager with Larry Kay Ojomo of Mon Ami

award-winning fashion designer, Mon Ami. Sponsored by Irish Cream Liqueur, Baileys; the show which held at the Oriental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos, thrilled guests with fabulous runway display of the special collection of the foremost Nigerian designer who has participated in several shows and clothed several celebrities. The event also featured renowned designers such as Totally Ethnic from Cote d’ivoire; Salum Signature from Ghana; Carducci from South Africa and Nigeria’s Mani Lopush. Others are Gozel Green, Ade Bakare, JP Kingdom, Needle Point, Omak, Trish O Couture and Modella B, as well as several upcoming designers in the fashion industry. Speaking at the event, Udjoh

Ufuoma, Baileys Brand Manager said the brand’s association with the show is to encourage talents display and creativity. She said: “We are excited with our partnership with the African International Fashion Week, playing host to global fashion and genuine creativity. Baileys is a brand that appeals specifically and uniquely to women and what we are doing is celebrating creativity and timeless appeal in a fresh and contemporary way.” On the Baileys special collection, Udjoh said the collections are representation of the Baileys colours which makes every lady fabulous. Commenting on the collection, Larry Kay Ojomo, Chief Executive Officer, LK Mon Ami expressed his delight at design-

ing the Baileys collection for show. “At LK Mon Ami, we are dedicated to designing classic and fabulous outfits that every lady can fit into which makes them beautiful. Our designs resonate with the premium nature of brand Baileys that inspires and makes women look fabulous,” he said. Producer of the festival, Joan Okorodudu expressed her pleasure at Baileys involvement with the event, saying, “We are glad to have the backing of world’s no. 1 Irish cream liqueur, Baileys, promoting and supporting women on our platforms of fashion, beauty and creativity.’ While offering retail opportunity to designers, AIFW is an initiative focused on promoting Africa’s design talents by showcasing their crafts.

ENYAN signee of the popular Nigerian record label, Chocolate City, the beautiful Victoria Kimani has released the video to her party single, Show. Produced by prolific Made Men Music group whiz kid, Tekno Miles, the video was shot in South Africa by Studio Space Pictures and features a cameo appearance by South African superstar AKA. There is a lot of dancing, partying along with amazing shots of the ever sultry and divalicious Victoria Kimani ‘doing her thing’. Following up her successful East African hit Prokoto, which featured Diamond Platnumz and Ommy Dimpoz, music pundits say Kimani has delivered yet another party track to rock the dance floor and celebrate the upcoming holiday season across Africa. Born in Los Angeles, but originally from Kenya, the songstress started writing, recording and performing at 16. She lived in Nigeria during her high school years, but moved back to Nairobi, Kenya at the age of 17. Recently, Kimani released three singles off her upcoming album and has become a fan favorite across Africa; performing at various concerts and A-list events including the Big Brother Africa Live Show. She recently worked on the recording of the ONE Campaign #DoAgric theme song and video alongside other African musicians such as D’banj, Fally Ipupa and Femi Kuti.

• Kimani

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2014

COMMENTARY EDITORIALS

LETTER

Farce imitates life

•Nigeria’s flared gas can generate her electricity need, says minister. Nigeria’s power plant to rely on Niger Republic’s gas, says another minister IGERIA’S power sector, currently bedeviled by bourgeoning ineptitude and intransigent graft, has become so farcical it titillates. It indeed presents great material for a sardonic cartoon serial. Two separate news items early last week illustrate the situation most graphically. First was a report on December 1st in which the Minister of Environment, Mrs. Laurencia Mallam lamented the volume of gas flared in Nigeria currently, noting that it was estimated at 27,612 gigawatts hour of electricity. According to her, “this could effectively double Nigeria’s electricity targets for 2014 and could provide 40 per cent of Nigeria’s total electricity requirements based on current needs assessment.” Following from Mrs. Mallam’s ‘great’ discovery of this mindless flaring of gas, a gas flare tracker was formally deployed in Abuja last week. She ‘revealed’ to newsmen that the success recorded in a recent oil spill mapping prompted her ministry to seek further assistance from the Department of International Development to build an online tracker that could capture the number of gas flares across the Delta region. It is troubling enough that Nigeria flares most of her enormous gas deposit which could have been harnessed for electricity generation, especially in the face of a power situation that has become utterly pernicious. More remarkable is the fact — as presented by the minister - that Nigeria is not up to speed in tracking the gas flares across the oil mining fields; and had

to depend on a foreign donor to acquire the requisite tracking equipment. This was only installed last week as the honorable minister had informed us — and not without a tinge of triumph. But if you think the above scenario is farcical, consider this next narrative. The day after the Environment Minister lamented her ‘shocking’ discovery, another honorable minister, the very one charged with making sure the country is lit up with electricity power, Professor Chinedu Nebo, announced, again, rather gleefully that a new power plant is in the making in Katsina and that gas would be sourced from oil wells in neigbhouring Niger Republic to fire the plant. The event was the signing of a reported $1 billion Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a private firm, Strancton Limited for the construction of a 1000 megawatts power plant in Katsina. If this were a carefully planned and discharged strategic initiative to exploit and harness certain economies of scale inherent in a neighbouring country, tapping gas from Niger would have been a most intelligent and laudable gesture. But a Nigerian power plant is growing near Niger Republic’s oil wells because that country is not flaring her gas but has instead, harnessed it for productive uses. The inherent lesson here is that if Nigeria had developed her monumental gas deposit, numerous private power plants would have sprouted around it. Today, Nigeria would not be suffering from her current dire of power supply situation. If the government was up and doing,

firm directives to oil producing companies insisting on a no-gas-no-oil policy was all that was required perhaps four decades ago. Ironically, as Mrs. Mallam has ‘revealed’, Nigeria cannot by herself, track the sites where gas is being flare in her territory for over these years. It is sad to note that the ludicrous turn of events in Nigeria’s power sector has become like life imitating a grand farce or vice-versa. More than $36 billion is alleged to have been spent in the quest for electricity power in the last decade yet the country is today, still bound inextricably to darkness. Each succeeding government only raises the bar – not of power generation – but of inherent systemic graft and insouciance. The recent so-called privatization of the sector was a dubious exercise of handing over of public assets to cronies and party stalwarts. In the midst of all this, nobody seems to hear the wailing and wallowing in darkness of the people who are pushed to pay more in the face of receding service. Dare we admonish that this abhorrent situation cannot stand; government must quit playing the ostrich with Nigeria’s the power sector.

‘If Nigeria had developed her monumental gas deposit, numerous private power plants would have sprouted around it’

Unrepentant outlawry •As DSS raids APC data centre again

HE second raid of the data centre of the All Progressives Congress (APC), by the Directorate of State Security (DSS), despite a restraining order by Justice Mohammed Yunusa, of the Federal High Court, Lagos, is a further confirmation of that security agency’s descent into anarchy. While every law abiding citizen of our country should worry about the first raid, made in the absence of any justification by the agency, the second, in clear disregard of a subsisting order of court, is a manifest show of contempt against the rule of law. We recall that Justice Yunusa had on November 26, made an order restraining the DSS from further sealing off the data centre of the APC, or indeed taking any further steps in connection with the property. Yet, last week, despite that subsisting order, the DSS again allegedly raided the centre with over 40 armed officials; and carted away over 30 bags filled with APC’s membership registration forms.

‘Jonathan should note that the several acts of lawlessness by the security agencies, under his command, cast his government as an outlaw’

The claim that the APC was using the center to clone the Permanent Voters Card has not been substantiated by the DSS before the court; yet the agency recklessly disobeyed the order made by the court. We urge President Goodluck Jonathan, as the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, and the National Assembly leadership, to rise up to their constitutional responsibility to protect the constitution. We note that in direspecting the courts, the DSS is making a mockery of our constitutional government. The DSS must also be made to realise that their very existence is predicated on the rule of law; otherwise, they would be no better than the other armed gangs, raiding our country. On this matter, we stand in solidarity with the court, and urge all law courts to be bold and bear allegience only to the consitution, despite the acts of intimidation and impunity by many of the law enforcement agencies. Justice Yunusa must also hold the agency to account and commit to jail, if need be, those who held his court in contempt. The learned Justice and indeed all courts need the solidarity of the entire legal community, and indeed all Nigerians, to stem a clear and manifest danger constituted by some security agencies to our polity. To ignore such conducts as exhibited

by the DSS is to invite a resort to self help, which is antithetical to democracy. The leadership of the DSS must also rein in their goons who are bringing the agency to disrepute, unless they sanctioned the illegal raids. In making their choice whether to serve the country or the interests of the temporal office holders, the DSS must remember that if by their partisan conducts, the country is set ablaze, there would be no agency to work for. To help them to make an informed choice, we remind the agency that the laws of the land envision that security agencies should act as non-partisan institutions of state, in order to help stabilize the divergent and contending political interests, in our young democracy. President Jonathan, as head of the executive arm of government, to which the DSS belongs, should note that the several acts of lawlessness by the security agencies, under his command, cast his government as an outlaw. That is a great disservice to our country. As we have preached many times, the legitimacy of a democratic government is predicated on the rule of law, and any recourse to arbitrariness, as we witnessed with respect to the conduct of the DSS in raiding the data center of the APC, despite an order of a law court, is an invitation to anarchy.

Democracy and the African experience

IR: `One serious danger, which looms large for democratizing Africa, is the daunting task of operationalising the principles and values of democracy in historical conditions that are markedly different from those of the established liberal democracies.'- Claude Ake Democracy is not new in Africa, most pre-colonial African society were democratic in nature What’s new is liberal democracy. This liberal democracy to some extent vitiates the African notion of democracy; for liberal democracy - as we know it today- is knotted with Adams Smith's gospel of `laissez faire'. African concept of democracy as exemplified in the Igbo precolonial administration; bequeathed every matured citizen (both male and female) the right to participate in the government of their society. It was a government by demos and for the demos, both in spirit and in operations. What separates it from the mode of democracy peculiar to Athenians of Greek city state is the concept of consensus. While all issues in Athenian city states were settled through voting, in Igbo precolonial society, decisions were always product of negotiations and consensus. The way African states are sailing in the ship of Western liberal Democracy has generated a lot of debates and questions - viz: is Western model of democracy universally acceptable? Are African socio-cultural norms and beliefs compatible with liberal democracy? Does liberal democracy satisfy Africans or the West? One basic problem in the West’s push for democracy in Africa is their ignorance or perhaps non-consideration of Africa's divergent socio-cultural, religious backgrounds as well as the acrimonious rivalry that always defined her elites' approach to political power. This combative relationship stems from the colonial policy of divide and rule-which was a strategy employed by colonial masters to conquer African opposition. The African excursion in liberal democratic bus has been a terrible voyage oscillating between the poles of mediocrity and ineptitude. Prior to the Arab Spring, what we have in North Africa were elections without democracy. Today, insecurity reigns and gang rule is the order of the day. Egypt is back to square one. Libya today is a failed state. Today, it is more dangerous to live in Libya than in Somalia. Somalia in spite of the insurgency of Al Shabaab still have central government that sees to her citizenry but in the case of Libya, it has lost the right to the monopoly of the legitimate use of instruments of coercion. Libya is today administered sectionally by gang lords and militias. Tunisians (the birthplace of Arab spring) are yet to see the dividends of democracy; even with election of the secular party into the country's leadership. In Southern Africa, Zimbabwe debacle dominates. In East Africa, the electoral violence that marred the Kenyan Presidential election of 2007/8 and the psychological scar it placed in the hearts of the Kikuyu's ethnic group remains. In Uganda, what is in place is election without democracy. President Yoweri Museveni’s criminalization of opposition is not healthy for democracy. In West Africa, Ghana is toping in the ladder of democracy. Nigeria and other West African countries are still suffering from the colonial contradictions. With the upsurge in the Islamic fundamentalism, the prospect of the survival of liberal democracy in the region looks dim. With all these going on in Africa, the question Ake asked many years ago is starring at us: Is Africa democratizing? An evolution of African model of democracy is only solution to the democratic deficit in the continent. • Asikason Jonathan, Enugwu-Ukwu, Anambra State.

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

• Executive Director (Finance & Administration) Ade Odunewu

•Deputy Editor Lawal Ogienagbon

•Advert Manager Robinson Osirike

•Deputy Editor (News) Adeniyi Adesina

• Gen. Manager (Training and Development) Soji Omotunde •General Manager (Abuja Press) Kehinde Olowu •AGM (PH Press) Tunde Olasogba

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

THE NATION WEDNESDAY,DECEMBER 10, 2014

CARTOON & LETTERS

IR: Not quite a few perceptible observers were stunned when the raid of All Progressives Congress (APC), an opposition party’s data base facility by the Department of State Security (DSS) was reported in the media. The DSS had claimed that it raided the facility because it received intelligence report that the opposition party was using it to clone the INEC permanent voters card (PVC) and hack into the data base of the electoral umpire. Many days and even weeks into raid and after a second raid, the DSS has yet to process the ‘intelligence’ to prove the party culpable of the alleged infraction and possibly prepare for prosecution. However, the lightening speed with which the opposition party was pounced on is exactly what has been lacking in the prosecution of a more heinous crime committed in the broad day light and on a sustainable basis by a terror group that wan-

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Intelligence deficit in war against terror tonly sows death, destruction and agony across the country but more devastatingly in the North-east where the federal authorities have implemented state of emergency. It befuddles common sense and assaults sensibilities of any observer that six years into the brutal war being waged by blood-sucking terrorists, there seems to be no intelligence trail into their activities. The Boko Haram terrorists who started their campaign with a string of motorcycles and even walk bare- footed’ now travel in a convoy of Hilux trucks, departing from a base or bases within, Nigeria or in the neighborhoods

and returning to the same without a trail, because they operate from the same base or bases to another day of their bloody mayhem. How and where the terrorists procure the Hilux trucks and constantly fuel it for their murderous operations’ wouldn’t have eluded an intelligence service that is worth of its name and even modestly alive to its responsibility. A group that is under the trail of a competent intelligence service could not have in the past few years grown from a ragtag, wandering under-nourished and illiterate band of bigoted extremists to a sophisticated and highly

mobile strike force. In the past few years, the state security services have announced the capture of high valued terrorist commanders, including the allegedly propaganda chief of the group, “Abu Qaqa”, yet none of these high valued commanders have provided any useful insight into the operations of the group. The key to decisive victory in a war and even more strategic, in asymmetric guerrilla war fare is cutting the supply line of the insurgents or the enemy. Only by securing the supply lines of the insurgents or the conventional enemy, would it possible to squeeze them to surrender or subject them to the siege of hun-

Why Jonathan should be impeached

IR: The annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election by General Ibrahim Babangida’s government shocked many Nigerians, since the election was adjudged to be free and fair. The conclusion was that it was annulled because it was won by a southerner, Moshood Kashimawo Abiola. The northern mafia that controlled Nigeria since the Civil War ended in 1970 was suspected to be behind that dastardly action and many peaceloving Nigerians throughout the country condemned it. The annulment accentuated a feeling of southern marginalization, and the resolve of the northern mafia to dominate Nigeria per-

petually. The foregoing explains why some respectable elders from all over Nigeria met and decided in 1999, that the presidency should rotate south-north, starting with the Southwest where the winner of the annulled 1993 election hailed from. Among the elders that met were Pa (Senator) Abraham Adesanya, Chief Bola Ige, Dr Alex Ekwueme, Pa Sunday Awoniyi, Mallam Adamu Ciroma, et al. There is no doubt, however, that rotational presidency was agreed upon by the elders across board, because all the major political parties chose their presidential flag bearers from the South-west in 1999 and from the

northwest in 2007. Any political party that did not do so was not major, meaning that it had no large followership. Incidentally, when the rotational decision was made, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo was still in prison. The military landlords of Nigeria freed him and decided that he was the only person from the South-west to whom they could handover power as the President. He became Nigeria’s civilian President, 1999-2007. He tried to upstage Nigeria’s constitution to perpetuate himself in power, but for well-meaning Nigerians who collaborated with the legislature to thwart his machinations. His successor, President

Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, sadly, died only about two years in office. His deputy, Vice-President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan (GEJ) spent the remaining two years as the President. That means the south spent 10 years, and the north only two years, in the period 1999-2011. Why then should Jonathan upstage the north if he is peaceloving? Why should Nigerians support him, if they didn’t want national chaos? President Jonathan cannot win a war of attrition, and he has been obstructing dialogue. Impeach him, and re-instate rotational presidency, please! • Pius Oyeniran Abioje, PhD, University of Ilorin.

ger. The Boko Haram fighters who kill women, children and the elderly they come in contact with, are not revolutionary guerilla fighters who depend on a friendly civilian population for supplies of essential needs. For the avoidance of doubt, the Nigerian intelligence service community have a clear responsibility to track and find how the terrorists procure the Hilux trucks they drive in a convoy, where and how they fuel it, procure sophisticated gadgets and explosives which they now use to deadly effect as in the Kano mosque attack. Where are their foot soldiers that captured towns in Adamawa State and made spirited efforts to capture Damaturu Government House, recruited and trained? Is it not time, that the intelligence community put forth their personnel to be “recruited” by Boko Haram? How could Boko Haram recruit fighters without the intelligence service offering its covert operatives to be recruited? How would the DSS have such generous supplies of hooded covert operatives for elections, especially in opposition strongholds like in Osun State, but evidently demonstrated coldfeet in infiltrating the bigoted band of Boko Haram extremists? The unintelligent strategy of encircling Abuja with army barricades that traps hundred of motorists who work in the city especially from the Keffi-Nyanya axis in a deluge of traffic jam must end. It does not take any special insight to appreciate that gathering thousands of motorists and other commuters in a single place in the name of security check would in the long run prove an attractive choice for the blood thirsty mass murderers.

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• Charles Onunaiju Abuja

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2014

COMMENTS

‘Our Girls’; Boko Haram/Fulani Wars; Osundare War won with words- People’s Poet Laureate ‘

UR Girls’ kidnapped are still missing since April 15 and as many as 220 citizens have been killed in one attack last week. Think about ‘220’. That is 55 taxis full of Tony happy citizens. Even in Marinho Nigeria where life is cheap, we are paying a price too high. The scenes are of blood soaked land fertilising a harvest of sorrow and hatred. These victims were happy babies, boys and girls with growing pains, working adults. Will the refugees be abandoned in spite of the Victims Support Fund? Boko Haram has run amok for too long while the military and politicians trade blame for underfunding, stolen military budgets, corruption, incompetence, morale and arms deals. Happily the Nigerian Armed Forces have recaptured towns and cut off Boko Haram (BH). Military historians know one military solution for such a vicious enemy. Allowing BH to retreat and regroup is a recipe for an ‘eternal war chess game’. The solution is to surround, cut off retreat, tighten the noose and force surrender without escape. Meanwhile, another column, military and political, must ensure reinforcements do not enter Nigeria. We blame foreign ideology and foreigners for BH’s malignant growth. We have a home-grown tragedy as another five Fellow Nigerians are killed in a Fulani herdsmen attack in Kogi State to add to thousands dead highlighting security issues in many states. Peace precedes development but did politics use past peace for maximum development? Every time we eat meat we should wonder how many Nigerian boys, girls and babies are dead, displaced, deprived just because we eat meat. In Nigeria cow meat is murderous business. Congratulations to Professor Niyi Osundare NOMA, NNOM on being recognised by his distinguished peers for interna-

HE recent attack on Ashaka Cement Factory in Gombe, may have come because the Boko Haram terrorists had gone low on materials for manufacturing Improvised Explosive Devices, IEDs, hence, they attacked the factory and carted away lorry-loads of explosives-making materials, which they seem to have quickly put to use. As things stand now, Nigeria seems to be at crossroads over what to do to end this senseless war declared on the nation and the citizens by these ruthless, bloodsuckers called Boko Haram. A greater percentage of the blame goes to our politicians who have been playing politics with human lives. Whether it is at the executive level or the legislature, the story is the same. Not even the hierarchy of the existing political parties, particularly the major ones, can be exonerated. It is a case of politics and politicking carried too far to the detriment of the peace and corporate existence of the country. At a time all hands should be on deck, with the country speaking with one voice against the agents of destabilization, what you see is a cacophony of voices, each canvassing for different viewpoints as solution to the menace of terrorism. Never before in the history of this great country have the people become so tacitly and overtly divided along ethnic, tribal, religious and ideological lines as we experience today in Nigeria. And while our politicians are busy trading blames and running themselves down on the pages of newspapers, the terrorists are busy perfecting their strategies to actualise their desire to carve out an Islamic Caliphate in Nigeria and impose Sharia. This is the reason why some

tional excellence in multiple fields of endeavour including academic arts particularly vocal musical poetic arts, social work and social commentary - a word less harsh than ‘social critic’, which may attract Presidential attack dogs even if you are a Nobel Laureate like Wole Soyinka. What can I say not already said so eloquently by the unanimous applause and smiling faces. There is a smile in every voice at the news. This success is that of a survivor. Niyi, you survived the firmament of a decaying academic environment, the loss of liberty, the falling currency and moral value in your country, forced medical and academic exile, the floods of New Orleans, the icy emptiness caused by the calamitous loss of your library and documents, the heavy heartbeats of oppressive sorrow at a lost tomorrow because of a wasted military and political yesterday, the power of post-military politics to pauperise the people. The www – The wonderful weapons of war are words –‘The Niyi Osundare War Won With Words’ - exploding from pages, dripping Quink, Bic, IT printer and e-ink making the thoughtless and the thinker think, wise and wishful words falling on wickedly deaf ears. The applause is justifiably deafening but be advised. Your people will not vote you in any political election. Macedonia does not want you, yet. They love you temporarily for your millions of words and poetry won naira notes. In Nigeria, today’s stomach has taken over from tomorrow’s brain. Shine on, friend where ever the whirlwind of words blows you! You are Niyi Osundare- Nigeria’s, no, Africa’s People’s Poet Laureatecrowned at last with no post. In 2005 I wrote a poem SHINE THE MIRROR for NIYI OSUNDARE 27-2-2005 in response to one he wrote for me, in The Guardian: It’s a privilege indeed to rub a warm shoulder / In this nation growing colder and colder. /A Music Museum, a shared good thought/ But 2010 before the idea is bought./ Meanwhile we call you friend / As you, the downtrodden, do defend./ I plead that you continue to write/ Let us never give up the fight. Never have words been mixed the same/ We must absolve ourselves of blame. / Becom-

ing an Alhaji or a JP/ Are not really heaven’s key. / God quests for good deeds/ And is not fooled by bank accounts and long degrees. / ‘What did you do in your neighbourhood?’/ “My God, I was too good”/ When will everything have been said? / When we go to final bed? / We sleep with one eye wide awake/ And pray for dawn to quickly break. / This is the time without a doubt/ For you to use your poetic clout/ Fashion your words into a wick. /Herd the people with a poetic stick/ Guide them with your flame of fiery verse/ Save us all from the ‘Ignorance Curse’./ O, Ibadan Professor/ Write on Processor!/ Process your qualified non-cultist charges/ Ensure Nigeria’s anopheles brain enlarges. / Let them energise Nigeria’s body, elephantine. / The children will laugh at his-story, yours and mine. / Toothless, you and I will share a drink/ Old nobodies, they will think. / We’ll tell of coups and counter-coups. /They will ask ‘What are coups?’ / In that coming century of democracy/ Coups will be historical abhorrent criminality. / You, my friend, must write, / Your words shine the mirror bright, / Morning, noon and night. / Nigeria’s saviour is reflected in every mirror. END Without the reader, the writer is dead, words sinking like lead, words stuck in an unread book, where no one will look. There are more words written than read. So please read, if not for yourself and your family then in honour of Professor Niyi Osundare, NNOM.

‘We blame foreign ideology and foreigners for BH’s malignant growth. We have a home-grown tragedy as another five Fellow Nigerians are killed in a Fulani herdsmen attack in Kogi State to add to thousands dead highlighting security issues in many states’

Terrorism: Nigeria at crossroads – 2 of the captured territories in the three North-east states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe, have had the names of some of their towns changed from their original names to purely Islamic names. For instance, Gwoza, a town in Borno State which was captured in July has been changed to Darul Hikma or “House of Wisdom,” while Mubi, a flourishing town in the North Senatorial District of Adamawa State was changed to Madinatul Islam, or “City of Islam” in Arabic. The military appears to be helpless because going by the dictates of the constitution; they must subjugate and subordinate themselves to civilian authority in a democracy. Of course, the military is grappling with its own numerous problems, but it is sad that rather than helping out, our policy makers have, indeed, worsened their problems by engaging in unnecessary debates and foot dragging in matters that require prompt attention. This way, the civilian policy makers have caused the military more trouble thereby aggravating their predicament. The cumulative effect of this official lethargy vis-à-vis the non-release or quick release of funds for salaries and allowances has greatly brought the morale of the soldiers to an all-time low. It will be very bad if there is a fight among these politicians during the electioneering period or the election itself in February and soldiers are called upon to restore peace, I am sure Boko Haram could convert this confusion to their immediate advantage. They could as well hide under the ensuing confusion and plot their way

‘At a time all hands should be on deck, with the country speaking with one voice against the agents of destabilization, what you see is a cacophony of voices, each canvassing for different viewpoints as solution to the menace of terrorism’

straight to Lagos, the heartbeat of Nigeria’s economy. If they succeed in getting to Yola, they will simply head for Makurdi, from there to Nasarawa State and Abuja. By so doing, they would have cut off Maiduguri from the bottom. Come to think of it, after all, it is the civilians that started this Boko Haram of a thing in the first place. Now, the monster has outgrown their capacity to dictate the tune and the military, the only saving grace, is battling to contain the turmoil. Surprisingly, while the military is over-stretched and continues to be battered by critics, other security agents seem to have alienated themselves from the problem. At least, by virtue of their closeness to the people, other security agencies in the country could have been able to help especially by gathering massive intelligence to prosecute this war. Unfortunately, these agencies may have abdicated this responsibility while concentrating on other issues possibly because they are illequipped both in manpower and materials to perform such functions and render a helping hand to the military in the ongoing campaign. What is happening in Nigeria is very absurd. It is as if the security of the country has been consigned totally to the military. This is wrong. Aside from the military, other security agencies including the current arm-chair operatives of the Nigeria Intelligence Agency, NIA, should be involved in activities to nip this terrorism in the bud and curtail their havoc on the society. The NIA, the agency that is saddled with the responsibility of gathering external intelligence, does not seem to be alive to its duty. Few days ago, the Americans spoke about the discovery of a training base run by the Islamist militant group, ISIS, in Libya and were monitoring developments there. I doubt if the NIA had such information before now and if they do, what have they done? It is believed that the war machines

being used by the Boko Haram terrorists were brought into the country from Libya through neighbouring Niger Republic and Chad. Obviously, I am sure those now undergoing training in Libya are Boko Haram terrorists that will soon be let loose on Nigeria. And we are all carrying on as if nothing is happening. There is certainly an international conspiracy to this crisis, which is why the international community has been aloof all this while. Take the issue of the aircraft that was impounded with its arms cargo in Kano, last weekend. The aircraft’s destination was Chad, the operational headquarters of Boko Haram. That is suspect. We must properly equip our security agencies to enable them to adequately rise up to the security challenges facing the nation. Fighting terrorists like the Boko Haram requires good intelligence. That is, going behind their lines, infiltration, pre-emptive attacks and disruption of their supply routes and so on and so forth. This is why other security agencies in the country must work together with the military. The reason is that while the military comprising the Army, Air Force and the Navy may be less than 150,000 personnel put together, other security agencies have more numerical strength in their individual capacities, not to talk of when put together. What this implies is that the military is overstretched. Therefore, other security agencies should rise up to the exigencies of the time. The country is at war and they must all get involved. A lot may have gone wrong with the military we used to know, the worst, probably, being its politicisation. Quality training is usually the first casualty when Command Officers are not picked on merit or mostly lacking in combat experience as some Nigerian Generals get promoted only by writing examinations. The Presi-

Dele Agekameh dent and Commander-in-Chief needs to tell the military chiefs: “I give you two weeks to recover all lost territories otherwise you will be fired.” I am sure with that, the job will be done. The President should be seen to breathe on this people and show his annoyance over the current not-too-impressive handling of the terrorists’ war. There is a job to be done and it should be seen to be done. This can be achieved only if the soldiers are promptly paid and given incentives, the sort of incredible incentives that are given to sportsmen and women. Even the fallen heroes should be given hero’s burials in a dignifying manner. The practice of paying a retired General a paltry 10 Million Naira as gratuity, while a Senator collects more than that per month, is obscene, to say the least. These are the iniquities of our democracy. In addition, the government should properly unravel the internal saboteurs who are creating confusion among the soldiers and misleading them at warfronts by diverting their attention from their original plans. This way, many of the soldiers have been ambushed and reduced to mince meat while the terrorists are having a field day. Now is the time to declare a total war on Boko Haram! •Concluded Send reactions to: 08058354382 (SMS only)

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2014

COMMENTS ‘APC would want to impress us on how it would soon turn the country into Eldorado shortly if allowed to form the government at the centre, so too was the PDP at the beginning before it went off the mark. What lessons APC can learn from PDP is to identify with wherever PDP has performed creditably while shunning every negative step the party took in its administration. There can be no better way of assuring Nigerians that it can do better if voted into power than that. From Emmanuel Egwu’

•Jonathan

For Segun Gbadegesin Sir, President Jonathan is less prepared for the job. Governing a country like Nigeria requires great human capacity. there is no excuse for failure. From Ayike Ayeke, Port-Harcourt. Sir, is this how seven lawmakers in Ekiti State will continue to make laws till the end of this administration and everybody will just be watching? Anonymous “Unwilling or unable” is true posers that shows that our political leadership has inadvertently refused to crush the insurgency. Its’ not inability but political decision not to conduct election in NorthEastern states to dismember the votes for the opposition which will likely win there. Period! Its’ the game plan of the PDP long before 2015 elections!

ODAY, December 10, will remain unforgettable in the annals of opposition politics in Nigeria for the simple reason that it would signal whether a golden opportunity to turn Nigeria’s fortunes for good use or not. Today, at the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Surulere, Lagos, the main opposition force in Nigeria – the All Progressives Congress (APC) – is conducting a primary election to decide who would fly the party’s ticket in the February 2015 presidential election. There are five aspirants in the list of contestants, namely, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), former Head of State; Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, former Vice President; Engr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwanso, Kano State Governor; Owelle Rochas Anayo Okorocha, Imo State Governor; and Sam Nda-Isaiah, Publisher, Leadership newspaper. Each of these gentlemen are achievers in their respective professions and are respected public figures. There is no tangible reason to imagine anyone of them lacking in what it takes to lead Nigeria to true transformation. Not even the seemingly least experienced of the contestants can be lightly set aside on this score; for, some great leaders are never discovered until they are opportuned to mount the saddle of leadership. We don’t need to travel abroad for examples. Outside the legal profession where he rose to wear the coveted silk robe, the incumbent Governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Raji Fashola, was unknown to most Nigerians until he was elected governor in 2007. Today, he is adjudged an exemplary performer and a model to his peers in the arena of governance at state level. Similarly, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai was not so well known to Nigerians and not many could certify his leadership capability until he was appointed minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, whereupon he exhibited uncommon administrative acumen in restoring the almost lost glory of the Abuja Masterplan. In corollary, the critical question today is not about who is competent among the APC’s presidential hopeful, rather, it is about who is most likely going to bring victory to the APC. To answer this question, I conducted a study the outcome of which is available to major stakeholders of the APC. The study is titled, “Opposition Victories in Africa: How it Can Happen in Nigeria”. This study is a comparative analysis of eight African countries where the opposition had won presidential elections at different times. By this we do not mean an intra-party transfer of the baton of power such as happened in Nigeria in 2007 when President Olusegun Obasanjo handed

Anonymous Let Nigerians keep their fingers crossed till after general elections then we would score Professor Jega and his men with resource invested in the agency. From Chika Nnorom Re: “Unwilling or unable?” You have said it all. Divinely, this world is not a place where we all will live forever, we shall die one day. This is why as a leader and in position of authority, we must be concerned with what we want to leave behind as a good legacy when the time comes. All our present leaders are not thinking along this line. The crop of leaders that we have today are the worst. They are corrupt, inept, selfish and self-centered. Look at what is happening within the PDP Government of which President Jonathan is the head and he has been unable to deal with. And see how he has been unable to deal with insurgency is that gradually decimating our population due to

weakness and incompetence. The future of this country is bleak if nothing concrete is done to defeat the Boko Haram unleashing terror on a section of the country. We are already in December and this means that the year has ended. Absurdities and hopelessness must not be allowed to continue in 2015. Ridicule and disgrace that had enveloped the country for the past three years, must cease. From Prince Adewumi Oyeromade Agunloye I find it extremely difficult to explain what Boko Haram is. But it seems government is using BoKo Haram as an instrument to eliminate one section of the society for reasons best known to it. Anonymous For Dare Olatunji No progressive leader or political party ever promises governing people with iron hand. Everything usually appears attractive at the beginning. As

APC’s best bet! By ‘Femi MeyungbeOlufunmilade power over to his party member, late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua. Rather, we refer to an interparty change whereby, upon the defeat of a ruling party’s candidate, power is ceded to an opposition candidate, as was the case in Zambia (1991), Ghana (2000), Senegal (2000), Kenya (2002), Benin Republic (2006), Sierra Leone (2007), Ivory Coast (2010), and Malawi (2014). Certain common denominators were found in a good number of the countries under review. But before I summarise each of the denominators here, I should underscore the fact that the greatest lesson of this study is that incumbency is not such a great electoral asset to a ruling political party as we tend to imagine anymore, here in Africa, not America or Europe alone. Incumbency has been demystified elsewhere in Africa where the leaders loomed larger than life than as we have it in Nigeria. And, the addendum to that lesson is that if the right steps are taken by the opposition in Nigeria, victory is attainable. In the study there were five denominators, namely, “tested candidates”, “coalition strategy,” “complementary candidates,” “mass discontentment,” and “international pressure”. For the present purpose, however, we shall limit ourselves to the first denominator only, that is, “tested candidates”. In at least four of the countries under review, the candidates that brought victory to the opposition had previously contested the presidential election a number of times ranging from one to four. In other words, they were tested veterans in the rigours and hassles of presidential election. Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal in 2000 was contesting for the fifth time before he won. Having contested in 1992 and again in 1997, Emilio Mwai Kibaki of Kenya was in the contest for the third time in 2002 when he won, while John Kufuor of Ghana had vied against an incumbent Jerry Rawlings in 1996 before he emerged victorious in 2000. In Sierra Leone, Ernest Bai Koroma had contested against incumbent president, Tejan Kabbah, and lost in 2002, before taking a second shot against Kabbah’s vice president, Solomon Berewa, which he won in 2007. In Zambia, where alternative parties had been more or less hindered till the clamour for multi-party

election reached a crescendo and prevailed in 1991 with Frederick Chiluba winning, there was nobody of consequence who had passed through the presidential election turf as a candidate and strong enough to challenge Kaunda. Yet, the opposition, realizing the strategic nature of fielding a tested candidate, made Chiluba its flagbearer. The wisdom in this was that, although Chiluba had never contested a presidential election, he was nonetheless a nationally renowned labour leader who had emerged the president of Zambia’s apex labour union, Zambia Congress of Trade Unions, through competitive election. Thus he had a nationwide campaign structure and ardent supporters on the labour platform, aside the party he had formed a year before the 1991 election, the Movement for Multiparty Democracy. Nobody else, outside the ruling party, was considered stronger than Chiluba to wrest power from Kaunda who had cut the image of a ‘father of the nation’ and was like a king on the throne. Looking at the experience of opposition parties that have attained power in Africa, the APC can be said to have a “tested presidential hopeful” in terms of consistency in vying for president, as well as the percentage of votes secured. The person in reference is Gen. (Rtd.) Muhammadu Buhari. He takes the credit for consistently posing the greatest threat to the stranglehold of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in power in the current democratic dispensation. He has contested thrice till date - 2003, 2007, and 2011and he is the runner-up candidate each time. In Africa, he is behind Abdoulaye Wade’s attempts who had tried and failed four times before winning, and in terms of frequency till date, he is at par with Emilio Mwai Kibaki of Kenya who had made three attempts, albeit winning at the third in 2002. Coming to the percentage of votes scored, the 32.19% and 31.98% Buhari secured in 2003 and 2011 respectively fall in the same range with the votes secured by the leading opposition candidates in three of the foregoing African cases before the affected candidates forged coalition arrangements with other candidates to win the run-off. The cases are as follows: Abdoulaye Wade, 31.01% in year 2000; Yayi Boni, 35.78% in 2006; Alassane Ouattara, 32.07% in 2010. The Buhari’s per-

APC would want to impress us on how it would soon turn the country into Eldorado shortly if allowed to form the government at the centre, so too was the PDP at the beginning before it went off the mark. What lessons APC can learn from PDP is to identify with wherever PDP has performed creditably while shunning every negative step the party took in its administration. There can be no better way of assuring Nigerians that it can do better if voted into power than that. From Emmanuel Egwu This is a wonderful piece and raw truth, what we have today is a Regimented Democracy where issues are judged with Biasness. *Revolution we call* From Oluwaseun Good day Prof. Thanks for your thoughts on Yoruba mainstreamers. The first question to ask is: who are these people? The last time I checked, they are mainly the dregs of Yoruba land. Con artists, drug barons, credit card doyens, murder suspects ‘Agbo jedi’ drinkers and an admixture of renegades who lost relevance in the Yoruba political mainstream who have found a ready welcome in the giddy ambience of Abuja’s conclave of sleaze and ravenous greed. That is their interpretation of ‘mainstream’ politics. You can also call it ‘come and eat’. Those are the class of Yoruba ‘leaders’ to be found in PDP. What is incontrovertible is that Yorubas’ know who their true leaders are. Nobody can change that. From Olu. All this praises of developmental projects going on, as they said, is those looking for stomach infrastructure from the top. Period. From Gordon Chika Nnorom. centages are also in the same range with the 36.4% that brought Peter Mutharika to power in Malawi in the first round of ballot in May 2014. The 2011 election was remarkable for Buhari because he had contested on the platform of a party that was registered only a couple of months before election: the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC). The point is, then, the party was not the issue. The issue was Buhari, and like Yayi Boni, he could still have pulled as much votes as he had then as an independent candidate if there had been provision for that in Nigeria’s electoral law. A Buhari candidacy, undoubtedly, holds the greatest prospect for an APC victory in 2015. Nevertheless, if Buhari would not be the presidential candidate of APC it must not happen through his defeat at the primary election. It should be because Buhari himself steps down today, in which case, he would, as a matter of good faith and commitment to the party’s victory, convince and mobilize his teeming, fanatically-loyal supporters, in their millions, across Nigeria to give every necessary support to the party’s flag-bearer. This is the only way the political weight of Buhari that was the major attraction for the parties that merged with the CPC to form the APC can be harnessed for the 2015 election. One is not implying that Buhari should be seen as superior to any other aspirant. Rather, one is arguing that his political weight is crucial to APC’s victory in 2015 and that reality must be factored into the emergence of a presidential candidate today at the Teslim Balogun Stadium. • Dr. Olufunmilade is Head of Department, International Relations and Strategic Studies, Igbinedion University, Okada.

‘If Buhari would not be the presidential candidate of APC it must not happen through his defeat at the primary election. It should be because Buhari himself steps down today, in which case, he would, as a matter of good faith and commitment to the party’s victory, convince and mobilize his teeming, fanaticallyloyal supporters, in their millions, across Nigeria to give every necessary support to the party’s flag-bearer’

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2014

•Blatter •Amadu

•Siasia

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2014

BUSINESS THE NATION

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

Glo cuts tariff on international calls by 50%

N a move aimed at drastically reducing the cost of international calls, national telecoms carrier, Globacom, has cut tariffs for calls to popular international destinations by 50 per cent. Globacom said its new International Direct Dialing (IDD) promotion which allows its subscribers to enjoy a 50 percent discount is applicable to calls made to all lines in the United States, Canada, India and China as well as calls to fixed lines in the United Kingdom. The company’s Head of Glo Gateway, Mr. Steve Stretch who made this known in a press statement in Lagos, explained that 50 percent discount is available on the IDD pack which attracts a rental charge of N500 for N500 bundled airtime for 30 days’ validity period. Instead of the 20 kobo base rate, the subscriber is charged only 10 kobo per second. Customers are to dial *170*25# to enjoy this amazing offer. He urged Globacom subscribers to take advantage of the IDD Promotion to connect and talk at a cost-effective rate with their friends and relations in the countries covered by the promo during this festive season. The IDD promo complements the Glo Unlimited Roaming promo which allows Glo subscribers who travel outside the country to receive calls on their lines free for 15 days. Roaming subscribers will also enjoy up to 60 minutes of outgoing calls at a competitive rate of N100 per minute. The offer includes 15 free SMS and ability to browse the internet at 15 kobo per kilobyte. Stretch said the offer comes with a subscription fee of N2,500 for a validity period of 15 days. He explained that the roaming plan is currently available in 27 countries including the United States, United Kingdom, Italy, Netherland, South Africa, Norway, Sweden, India, Spain, Switzerland, Canada, Brazil and Cameroon, adding that “there are plans to extend it to more destinations.” It will be recalled that the telecoms company, last week, launched Glo Overload and Glo Allawee promos to empower its customers to enjoy pleasurable experiences on the network. While Glo Overload enables its subscribers across Nigeria to instantly get 200 percent bonus airtime every time they recharge with N200 or more after dialing *200# to opt in, 200 per cent bonus data on purchase of data plans of N2,000 or more and an opportunity to be 100 times richer every time they recharge with N200 or more, Glo Allawee gives new subscribers a whopping N18,000 naira worth of free airtime.

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

New pricing rule: 50 firms may slip to one kobo A T least a quarter of quoted companies may drop to as low as one kobo as the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) concludes a new pricing rule that will remove the stopgap that had supported the stocks at their nominal value of 50 kobo. The Nation's check indicated that more than 50 companies, especially in the non-bank financial services subsectors, may be affected by the new pricing rule, which favours market forces to determine share price, irrespective of the nominal value of the company. Nearly all the 50 companies have been stagnant at their nominal value for more than a year and are currently on supply, a market euphemism for shares glut and sell pressure. Quoted companies on the main board of the Exchange are currently not allowed to trade below their nominal value or par value of 50 kobo. This had supported and stopped the share prices of the companies at their nominal values. But under a new amendment to the stock market rules, the

By Taofik Salako

management of the NSE has proposed a change in the minimum pricing level from 50 kobo to one kobo. The draft rule is undergoing the final-phase of the rule-making process at the NSE, upon which it will be sent to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for final approval. Many stakeholders have expressed supports for the new rule, which they said is in tandem with the market's principle of demand and supply as price-determinant at the stock market. The companies that may initially be affected by the new rule include Unity Bank, UTC Nigeria, Mutual Benefits Assurance, Niger Insurance, Omatek Ventures, Japaul Oil Maritime & Services, Tantalizers, Daar Communication, Secure Electornic Technology, C & Leasing, Afromedia, Beco Petroleum, Multiverse, Stokvis Nigeria, Nigeria Sewing Machine Manufac-

turing Company, Nigerian Wire and Cable, IPWA, First Aluminium Nigeria, Mass telecommunication Innovation, Chams, Union Diagnostic & Clinical Services, Union Homes Savings and Loans, Resort Savings and Loans and Aso Savings and Loans Plc. Most insurance companies, which have so far stagnated at 50 kobo, will be affected. These include African Alliance Insurance, Cornerstone Insurance, Equity Assurance, Great Nigeria Insurance, Guinea Insurance, Consoldiated Hallmark Insurance, Investment and Allied Assurance, International Energy Insurance, Lasaco Assurance, Law Union & Rock Insurance, Linkage Assurance, Oasis Insurance, Prestige Assurance, Regency Alliance Insurance, Sovereign Trust Insurance, Standard Trust Assurance, Standard Alliance Insurance, Unic Insurance Unity Kapital Assurance and Universal Insurance Company.

Other companies that are relying on the current stopgap included Multi-Trex Integrated Foods, DN Tyres & Rubber, Ellah Lakes, FTN Cocoa Processors, Rak Unity, Capital Oil, Anino and Afrik Pharmaceuticals. According to the new par value rule, notwithstanding the par value of a company, the price of every share listed on the Exchange shall be determined by the market, except that no share shall trade below a price floor of one Kobo per unit. Par value is the nominal value of a share as stated in the Memorandum of Association of an issuer while the price floor means the amount below which the price of one unit of a share shall not be permitted to trade, and the minimum amount which must be paid for a share in the event of a drop in the unit price of that share. The NSE had earlier institutionalised a dual pricing model that categorises and prices stocks according to their initial or subsisting share prices. It grouped stocks into "Group A" and "Group B" stocks. As a "Group B" security, a trade of 10,000 shares will lead to a change in the published price of the stock.

•From left: Group Managing Director, Zenith Bank Plc, Peter Amangbo; Group Managing Director, Ecobank Nigeria, Mr. Jubril Aku; Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele and President Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), Mrs. Debola Osibogun at CIBN 48th Annual Dinner in Lagos.

Nigeria woos broadband investors

ESPITE attaining active telephone line connectivity of over 134 million and a teledensity of 96 per cent, the Federal Government has said there is still much to be done to achieve an all-inclusive penetration of telecoms across the country. The Minister of Communication Technology, Dr. (Mrs) Omobola Johnson, told investors, friends of Nigeria and the global information communication technology (ICT) community in Doha, Qatar, that the theme of the International Telecoms Union (ITU) Telecom World 2014, The Future in Focus aligns with the vision of the Federal Government.

Defending naira hasn’t been easy, says Emefele

- P26

By Lucas Ajanaku

She urged investors to take advantage of existing investment climate in the country to invest in the country’s ICT industry. According to her, the government has been working hard to build a better and brighter future for her youthful population especially, who spoke at the Nigerian sponsored Leaders’ Lunch at the Qatar National Convention Centre, venue of the event, told the audience that in the last three and a half years when the Communication Technology Ministry was created, the government has been putting in place key policies and initiatives that set a

solid foundation for the widespread use of ICTs by government, businesses and citizens to further their progress. “And we are seeing the impact of our efforts in the continued growth of the sector in Nigeria, its contribution to gross domestic product (GDP) and in the contribution of ICTs to the efficiency of other sectors of the economy,”she said. Executive Vice Chairman, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. .Eugene Juwah, said he was particularly excited that the audience made out time to be at the Leaders’ Lunch which he said presented the team opportunity to interact and update the stories of the sec-

London Stock Exchange, GTI to collaborate on capital market development- P28

tor and share experiences. Juwah said: “We will ruminate on our ICT potentials and opportunities as a nation, which we believe you may have influenced in one way or the other as opinion leaders in the industry.” The NCC boss said Nigeria being the most populous nation in Africa with over 170 million people and having made giant strides in ICT development, it is obvious that a lot has been happening in the industry. He said on the front burner is broadband availability and usage, adding that the theme of the conference is Broadband Nigeria, Enabling Access, Transforming Communities.

Phase3 urges enhanced life for children with disabilities

EST Africa’s largest independent fibre optic infrastructure and telecoms services provider, Phase3 Telecom, has urged stakeholders to offer children living with disability good quality of life through the application of technology. Its Chief Executive Officer, Stanley Jegede, who made the appeal, lamented that children living with physical/intellectual disabilities go through untold hardship because they are marginalsed on account of the circumstances they found themselves. He regreted that the practice is global, adding that the situation is however worse in the country. Jegede argued that the continued marginalisation of these special kids is unacceptable as they have the right to respect, dignity and good standard of living as every human being should. He said: “No matter the severity of their impairment or disability; it must be ensured that children and all persons with disabilities are able to meaningfully participate in all aspects of their lives from social, economic aspect to the political, adding that the prejudice against these children and persons must be totally stopped. “We all must collectively ensure their social and digital inclusion.” he said. “A clear indication of such discrimination in the area of digital inclusion is the fact that despite the extraordinary growth in mobile and internet use worldwide, very little has been done to ensure that persons with physical and intellectual disabilities are included in the technology revolution.” He spoke in Abuja shortly after the firm announced its partnership with Star Children Development Initiative (SCDI) to raise awareness and promote digitally enhanced good quality of life for children with disabilities as part of its corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme. Jegede said Phase3 Telecom considers it a great privilege to partner with SCDI to raise awareness for the eradication of stigma while encouraging the social integration and digital inclusion of children with disabilities in Nigerian communities. He called on every individual to rise up against the discomfiting institutiona-lisation and discrimination of children with disabilities; as the world celebrates the upcoming United Nations Organisation (UNO) “International Day for Persons with Disabilities”. SCDI is a Nigeria-based charity organisation founded by Mrs. Grace Abimbola; to safeguard the well-being and raise awareness about the challenges faced by children of between 0 and 21 years and their families. SCDI works in partnership with other stakeholders to promote good quality of life and offer FREE services for these children.

Secrets of entrepreneurs bracing the odds to succeed - P39

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2014

THE NATION

BUSINESS MONEY

e-mail: money@thenationonlineng.net

Defending naira hasn’t been easy, says Emefiele

HE Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has listed some of the challenges it is facing defending the naira. CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele said at the Annual Bankers’ Dinner organised by the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) in Lagos that the naira/dollar exchange rate has been under pressure over the last couple of months. He said in the days leading up to last month’s Meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), the interbank rate closed at N173 to the dollar, and at the Bureau De Change, it was N176 to the dollar. But, he said, the CBN managed to keep the official Retail Dutch Auction System (RDAS) rate at slightly above N160 to the dollar. In explaining the difficulties in managing exchange rate stability, the CBN boss raised a poser: “What then can a Central Bank do to react to such a situation of falling reserves and pressurised exchange rates? One course of action would be to continue to deplete the foreign exchange reserves in trying to keep the official rate at a stable level. But there are several difficulties with this option.” Firstly, he said regardless of its critical nature in an import-dependent country such asNigeria, the exchange rate operates like any

Stories by Collins Nweze

other ‘price’ in the market. The dollar/naira exchange rate is simply the ‘price’ of dollars in naira. The forces of demand and supply, he said, determine its movement. “When demand rises, the price rises. When supply falls, the price also rises as well. In recent times, Nigeria has faced a perfect storm of simultaneous dwindling supply of dollars and rise in demand. Both forces have led to a rise in the price of dollars, that is, significant reduction in supply of dollars to the market, even with constant output of crude oil production,” he said. The other global factor, which has significantly reduced the supply of dollars in the market, is related to the end of Quantitative Easing by the U.S Federal Reserve. At the height of the programme, the Federal Reserve was supplying a total of about $85 billion into the United States (U.S) economy on a monthly basis, through asset purchases. This programme came to an end in October this year, thereby significantly reducing the supply of U.S dollars in the global economy. The third difficulty, which has contributed to the continuing depletion of Nigeria’s foreign re-

serves, and its capacity to defend the naira is that the combination of a fall in oil prices and the end of the Quantitative Easing programme by the U.S Federal Reserve have led to a depreciation of most currencies in the world against the dollar. Emefiele said an analysis of the year-on-year change in the exchange rate of 26 Emerging Market countries (including Brazil, China, India, South Africa, Turkey, Mexico, and Nigeria) indicates that their currencies have depreciated by about 8.1 per cent on average against the dollar. Also, he said the current U.Sled sanctions against Russia for its alleged role in the ongoing Ukrainian crisis do not appear to be abating anytime soon. More also, current negotiations between Western powers and Iran could end in a deal that may open up Iranian oil supply lines to more parts of the global economy, a development that is likely to depress prices even further. He explained that it was on the basis of these analyses and realities, the CBN reached the decision that it would be sub-optimal to indefinitely continue to deplete the country’s foreign reserves in defending the naira.

Speaking further, the CBN boss said in addition to the decision to allow some flexibility in the dollar/naira exchange rate, the bank has also taken other associated policy actions that are in line with its mandate for price and financial system stability. “As we know, one of the bank’s major mandates is to ensure price stability and we believe that without complementary policy actions, developments in the foreign exchange market would reverse the fragile gains we have recorded recently in our fight against inflation,” he said. Emefiele said the decision to tighten monetary policy is to moderate the expected inflationary pressures that may result from exchange rate pass through

Africa’s trade value hits $110b, says AfDB

HE Africa Development Bank (AfDB) has said the share of intra-African trade accounts for 11 per cent ($110 billion) of the value of total African trade. The Trade Finance in Africa released by the bank at the weekend, explained that given the estimated rejection rates of trade finance applications, the conservative estimate for the value of unmet demand for bank-intermediated trade finance is between $110 billion and $120 billion, significantly higher than estimated earlier figures of about $25 billion. These figures, it said, suggest that the market is significantly underserved. It said African banks face numerous constraints in meeting the demand for trade finance. It said: “The survey reveals that the main constraints are limited dollar availability (by far the dominant currency in international trade, and by extension, trade finance) and insufficient limits with confirming banks for confirming letters of credit. Other constraints include small balance sheets, which tends to make single obligor limits frequently binding. These constraints also suggest that the AfDB’s trade finance program, as well as those implemented by other international financial institutions, are needed and well suited to relaxing some of the most binding constraints.” It however, insisted that the out-

ATA from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has shown that official reserves decreased by $1.96 billion last month to $36.8 billion. The decline, analysts at FBN Capital said, could be attributed to a fall in foreign exchange inflows following the sharp decline in the price of crude oil and the exit of some offshore portfolio investors at a time when demand was little changed. Head, African Markets at FBN Capital, Olubunmi Ashaolu said the bi-weekly sales of foreign exchange at the CBN’s retail Dutch auction system (RDAS) declined by $700 million from the previous month to $2.29 billion However, this merely reflects the CBN circular excluding specific import transactions (such as electronics, finished goods and generators) from the RDAS window. Au-

thorised dealers were thereby driven to source these transactions for their customers on the interbank market. At current levels, he said Nigeria’s external reserves are sufficient to provide cover for 8.2 months of merchandise imports. However, once services are included, the ratio drops to 5.6 months. A cursory look at the sectoral utilisation of foreign exchange in second quarter of thus year showed that the oil and gas sector accounted for 32 per cent of the total. This consisted largely of petroleum products, for which the import bill should have since declined sharply. As a rough guide, the spot price of Bonny Light averaged as much as $112/barrel in the quarter compared with about $70/barrel currently. He said: “Looking further ahead,

the bill would be reduced by deregulation of the fuel price and the resulting increase in domestic refining capacity. “One area where notable progress has been made is the agric sector as significant investments have been made to expand domestic production of rice. In our view, the Federal Government should deepen its transformation agenda based on backward integration to reduce Nigeria’s hearty appetite for imports.” The CBN said the decrease was driven largely by the increased funding of the foreign exchange market in the face of intense pressure on the naira and the need to maintain stability. It added that the pressure on external reserves was deemed to be consistent with the seasonal annual payment of dividends to foreign investors.

look of banks for trade finance remains positive, with 72 per cent expecting to increase their trade finance activities in the immediate future. “However, banks foresee obstacles to their trade finance portfolio growth such as low US dollar liquidity, regulation compliance, slow economic growth in some markets, and the inability to assess the credit-worthiness of potential borrowers,” it said. Also, the AfDB Board has approved $1-billion trade finance (TF) programme to support African trade and provide financing to underserved African-based financial institutions and enterprises. The African lender said despite its importance, there is a great deal it never knew about the trade finance market in the continent. This includes the size of the market, the variations across sub-regions, the scale of financing gap, the trade finance devoted to intra-African trade, the relative importance of on-balance sheet versus off-balance sheet financing, and constraints faced by banks. “It is based on a unique survey of the trade finance activities performed by commercial banks in Africa in 2011 and 2012. Our survey questionnaire was sent to approximately 900 banks on the continent. We received a high response rate, resulting in a dataset that covers 276 banks across 45 countries.

S&P to rate banks, regional firms

• From left: Deputy Manager, Corporate and Investment Banking Division, Access Bank Plc Charles Odum and Manager, Commercial Banking Division, Olufemi Odukoya receiving the award for the Financial Institution of the Year Award at the Oil Industry Awards Ceremony from the Financial Secretary, Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria, Mrs. Edith Akwaeke, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

‘Foreign reserves lost $1.96b in November’

to domestic prices, and ensure that inflation expectations are well anchored. Also, the decision to raise the Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) is expected to increase capital inflows into the country, which should improve accretion to reserves while the increase in Cash Reserve Requirement (CRR) will reduce the amount of excess liquidity available for speculative and arbitrage activities and moderate the pressure in the foreign exchange market. He said the new value of the naira naturally provides a critical opportunity for entrepreneurs to take steps toward replacing costly imports with cheaper locally made goods and services.

TANDARD & Poor’s expects to rate a number of Nigerian banks this year and is talking to some Kenyan banks and companies about future credit ratings, its managing director for sub-Saharan Africa, Konrad Reuss said. He said borrowers across the continent are looking to tap international capital markets following successful bond sales by African countries. A long-awaited rating for Tanzania is not likely to be assigned any time soon. “More Nigerian bank ratings will be coming out later this year. We are working on a number of corporates in the region,” Reuss said. Borrowers in frontier markets such as Africa have turned to capital markets as aid funding dries up and monetary easing across the western world keeps interest rates low. A flood of new issues from subSaharan Africa in the past couple of years includes a recent debut dollar bond from Nigerian bank Diamond

Bank, First Bank of Nigeria is holding a bond road show this week, according to Thomson Reuters service IFR. These bonds follow sovereign dollar debt issuance from Nigeria, which analysts say helped to familiarise investors with the West African economy. Kenya issued a wellreceived $2 billion bond last month, its first in international markets. “We are reaching out to Kenya. “On the back of a very successful sovereign bond, a benchmark has been set,”Reuss said, referring to plans to discuss ratings with local banks and corporates in the East African country. Tanzania, which also said it plans to launch a debut Eurobond, has not yet gained a rating. “Time and time again, the government has made announcements, time and time again those plans were delayed,” Reuss said, adding that any ratings timescale was difficult to predict “because of the many delays that we have seen so far.”

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2014

MONEY In collaboration with the Ministry of Petroleum Resources and other stakeholders, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has instituted the N213 billion Nigerian Electricity Market Stabilisation Facility (NEMSF). The facility will be used to settle legacy gas debts in the power sector. The financial leverage is expected to result in improved power supply, reports COLLINS NWEZE .

Will N213b cash stabilise power? FOR the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), stable power supply is essential for its key intervention projects to succeed. But the inability of the power companies to improve electricity supply is a clog in the exercise. To CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele, the challenge faced by power sector reforms can be linked to unattractive pricing of domestic gas and legacy debts that are inhibiting investment in gas supply and infrastructure. Also, affecting positive feed back on the reforms are anomalies in the tariff regime that does not allow the true cost of supplying electricity to be known as well as difficulties across the value chain in addressing capacity issues primarily due to a shortfall in revenues. He admitted that aside these hitches, the power sector reform is successfully being implemented with most of the milestones fully achieved. Presently, generation and distribution in the electricity industry is being managed by the private sector while the transmission network is government owned, under a management contract. For him, the observed challenges are interconnected with the unexpectedly large revenue shortfalls in the industry, which needed to be fixed. That made the CBN boss to institute the Nigerian Electricity Market Stabilisation Facility (NEMSF) where N213 billion has been mapped out to settle legacy gas debts and shortfalls in revenue for operators to boost power supply. The CBN, he said, is collaborating with the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Ministry of Power and Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to achieve the objective. Such feat, he said, would boost liquidity conditions in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) and address hiccups that characterised the postsprivatisastion of the power sector of the economy. The Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, said during the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with stakeholders in Abuja, that the intervention was initiated to move the sector forward. She said: “In the last few weeks, the CBN, NERC and Federal Ministries of Petroleum as well as Power have been collaborating to develop lasting solution to the challenge of gas supply.” According to her, the interventions started with an increase in gas to power price to levels considered more commercial than before and at par with export parity. Gas transmission tariff for gas supplied to power was also increased to reflect commercial rates and enable private investment in infrastructure. The agreement was signed between the Federal Government and Generation and distribution companies, Independent Power Producers (IPPs), International Oil Companies (IOCs), and the Nigeria Gas Company (NGC), for the supply of gas in order to clear the hiccups.

• Emefele

• Alison-Madueka

and disbursed at the rate of 10 per cent per annum while the tenor shall not be more than 10 years. Also, a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) that complies with section 31 of CBN Act 2007 will serve as an intermediary between the banks and the electricity market players while the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) shall reset the Multi Year Tariff Order (MYTO) to ensure that it provides for the loan repayment including the costs of setting up and operating the NEMSF. The other power sector value chain players must also agree to specific service related commitments which include ensuring that gas suppliers commit to assured gas supply at higher volumes; generating companies (GENCOs) and Distribution Companies (DISCOs) must commit to utilising the funds for equipment/infrastructure acquisition, refurbishment and/or upgrade. The rule also include that all parties that are licensed by the NERC to operate in the electricity market should accept to be immediately bound by performance agreements signed with the relevant authorities including the Bureau of Public Enterprise (BPE). Specifically, all parties will also be subject to additional oversight mechanism to be developed by NERC and CBN to ensure business continuity and that all power sector players meet obligations that are critical for continued electricity supply.

power projects are already counting loses because of poor cash flow arising from gas shortage. The lenders are now being more cautious in lending to power, until the gas challenge is resolved. A quick resolution is expected to revive the attractiveness of the subsector to the lenders and create room for fresh loans and improved profitability. The Managing Director, Ecobank Nigeria, Jibril Aku said the Committee resolved to key into the legacy debt settlement scheme that would enhance gas supply and boost power supply in the country. Aku said the banks will recover the fund from the MYTO deductions. He said the Bankers’ Committee is willing to support an initiative with government, where a SPV will be set up to provide loans to clear that debt and overtime, the loan will be recovered through MYTO tariff deduction. The CBN will play a key role in assisting the banks to do that. The Ecobank chief said the whole essence of the power transformation is to achieve efficiency and ability to improve power supply, which have been hindered by gas shortage. “Obviously, gas coming into the power stations would affect the revenue. Many of the operators have not raised their production capacity because of shortage of gas,” he said. He said the gas companies have always be agitating that this debt be paid, otherwise, they will not produce and will begin to accumulate new debts. He said the committee believes that most of the problems of gas-to- power would be resolved and Nigeria will begin to see a generating company that is inspired to increase the power generation. Already, the CBN has engaged the services of FBN Capital (Transaction Advisor), Meristem Securities (Fund Manager) and Detail Solicitors and Stream Sowers & Kohn (SSK) as legal team for the transactions.

Bankers’ Committee speaks

The Banker’s Committee had at its August meeting in Lagos agreed that leaving the gas supplying firms bugged down with the debt makes nonsense of huge funding already committed to the power projects. Local banks were estimated to have committed N320 billion out of the N400 billion realised from sale of PHCN assets by the Federal Government The Nation findings showed that many of the banks that raised huge capital to fund

What the banks are doing

Debt settlement begins

The CBN had last month, offset N36.9 billon legacy debt owed to gas suppliers by the power sector under the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) over the last few years. This debt settled through the CBN was part of the N213 billion intervention fund. While the N36.9 billion was disbursed to settle gas supplies, the balance will go to generation and distribution companies, to complement the revenue shortfall.

The NEMSF in perspective

According to the CBN, the NEMSF will be administered through deposit money banks

‘The Bankers’ Committee is willing to support an initiative with government, where a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) will be set up to provide loans to clear that debt and overtime, the loan will be recovered through MYTO tariff deduction. The CBN will play a key role in assisting the banks to do that’

•SAVED ON MAC. 70 as page 27-31 Issues-Money 10-12-14

Global infrastructure giant General Electric and Standard Bank recently had a $350 million infrastructure financing agreement for Africa. In a statement, the bank said the partnership seeks to provide affordable access to power infrastructure to augment traditional large scale grid capacity development. The partnership will target Nigeria, Angola, Tanzania, South Africa and Ghana. Others are Kenya, Mozambique, Uganda, Ethiopia and South Sudan. Financing activity will center on project finance, equipment finance, trade finance and advisory. Speaking at a ceremony to announce the partnership, President and CEO of GE Africa Jay Ireland said the partnership comes at the right time when there are concerted efforts to boost access to energy across the continent. He said partnerships of this nature would certainly support efforts by respective governments in finding captive power solutions to meet the growing demand for alternative fuels. Chief Executive, Stanbic IBTC Holdings, Mrs. Sola David-Borha said the bank was committed to partnerships of this nature that help energize the sector. She said the power challenges identified in the focus countries for this partnership were opportunities for growth through sustainable investment. She also disclosed that through the partnership, financing will also be available for off-grid solutions that rely on cleaner fuels such as biomass and biogas across Sub-Saharan Africa. Likewise, the United Bank for Africa Plc (UBA) said it has so far extended $700 million, about N113 billion, in funding to different investors towards the acquisition of power assets in Nigeria’s recently privatised power sector. The bank’s Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Phillips Oduoza said: “It is a growth sector we are playing very big” said Oduoza. Another lender, Ecobank Nigeria said it will invest $25 billion in five years to help solve Nigeria’s power sector crisis. Ecobank Country Head, Power & Energy, Olufunke Jones said the investment is in line with its policy to support the growth and development of the power sector in Nigeria. She said it has played a major role on the buy-side of the power sector privatisation exercise by providing financial advisory services, lead arranger role, acquisitioning financing and guarantees to DISCOS, GENCOS and National Integrated Power Plants (NIPP). She said: “Nigeria has one of the largest gaps between demand and supply for electricity. To bridge this gap the country requires a combination of favorable government policies, private sector participation and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) as well as transparency and persistent monitoring that will guarantee an improved business environment”. Zenith Bank Plc said it expects to increase loans to the privatised power companies. The lender said loans to the power sector may rise to 10 per cent of the bank’s loan book by year-end, up from 4.3 per cent in the third quarter and 1.3 per cent at the end of June, last year. The value of Zenith Bank’s loans to power companies was about N40 billion after the handovers. Zenith Bank gave loans to companies including Eko Electricity Distribution Company and Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company both in Lagos State. “As we review the companies and we see viable propositions, yes we will” expand loans to the industry, the bank said. Nigeria, in its development objective to rank amongst the top 20 economies of the world by the year 2020, targets an ambitious 40,000 Megawatts (Mw) of electricity generation, which represents more than half of the current installed capacity on the African continent. With a population surpassing over 170 million, its current maximum electricity generation capacity – approximately 4,500 Mw – is inadequate to meet demand estimated at 10,000 Mw. Achieving this target, analysts said, depends on how successful the NEMSF project turns out based on supports from banks and other stakeholders.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2014

THE NATION INVESTORS

London Stock Exchange, GTI to collaborate on capital market development T HE London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) and GTI Capital Group would work together to further integrate the Nigerian capital market and the global financial markets with a view to deepening the capital formation needed for unlocking Nigeria's vast investment opportunities. This understanding was part of the visit of a team from LSEG to GTI Capital Group in Lagos, during which the team visited GTI Securities' multi-purpose private trading floor, the first of such private trading floor in Sub-Sahara Africa. Chief of staff and head of international development, London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG), Mr. Nikhil Rathi, commended GTI's vision of seamless facilitation of capital flow and investments between Nigerian and global financial markets. According to him, GTI's vision of bringing Africa to the world and bringing the world to Africa is a commendable and noble vision that

Stories by Taofik Salako

would lead to development of the Nigerian capital market and the economy. He noted that with the quality of management and information and communication technologies at GTI, the company is poised to play major role in the integration of Nigerian and global financial markets. Located on Tinubu Street, in the Marina axis of Lagos's main Central Business District, the GTI Securities' private trading floor is a multi-purpose trading floor designed to interface with the most modern trading engines around the world, providing stockbrokers on both sides direct trading opportunity. Already linked and trading online, real time, on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) and NASD OTC Plc, the pri-

vate trading floor is concluding arrangements that will open up similar trading opportunities on the LSEG, New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and other major exchanges. As a broker-dealer member of the NSE, GTI is also part of the West African Capital Market Integration (WACMI) programme, which is designed to integrate the region's stock exchanges. The WACMI programme, at full implementation, will enable stockbrokers from any West African country to trade on any of the region's exchanges and also allow companies to raise capital across the borders. GTI Securities' private trading engine is designed to trade on all instruments including equities, bonds and derivatives. Also speaking during the visit, CoHead of Emerging Markets and Head of Primary Markets, London Stock

Exchange Group (LSEG), Mr. Ibukun Adebayo, noted that Nigeria, as the largest economy in Africa, has huge opportunities and enormous potential for the development of its capital market and the economy. He pointed out that Nigerian capital market is still a fraction of the country's Gross Domestic Products (GDP) whereas it should have been in multiples of the GDP. He said the LSEG team, which had visited and signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the NSE, was in Nigeria to facilitate dual listing and greater connectivity between Nigeria and London. Group Managing Director, GTI Capital Group, Mr. Abubakar Lawal said he was optimistic that the visit would engender enduring relationship between Nigerian capital market and London stock market. He said GTI Securities' private trading floor has created window of opportunities for investors in the United Kingdom, United States of America and other major global financial centres to trade directly on the Nigerian capital market. According to him, there are huge opportunities in Nigeria's vast natural resources which a relationship between GTI and other global market operators like LSEG can help to unlock. "We need to harness the opportunities of immense capital in Europe and Americas to develop opportunities here in Nigeria," Lawal said. He pointed out that GTI's main objective is to put Nigeria back to work by fostering the capital forma-

tion needed to resuscitate ailing companies and create new businesses that will provide jobs for Nigerians and enhance national living standards. In his presentation, the private trading floor manager, Mr Nnamdi Obi, outlined that the trading floor uses a state-of-the-art trading infrastructure-FIX, which allows a broker to trade on any global exchange from the GTI's floor. He said the trading floor is already embedded with adequate risk management frameworks to mitigate risks that could come with global trading. It should be recalled that key stakeholders had earlier visited and commended the private trading floor including the director general of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the chief executive officer and management team of Nigerian Stock Exchange, the president and council members of the Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers (CIS), the chairman and executive members of the Association of Stockbroking Houses of Nigeria (ASHON) and the managing director and directors of NASD OTC Plc among others. "What I see here today is an example of what Nigeria can achieve with vision. I could not have imagined what I'm seeing here today, it's absolutely impressive. You have shown that Nigerians are associated with excellence. What I'm seeing, it could be in the city of London, it could be in New York, it could be in Tokyo or it could be in Lagos and it's in Lagos. A hearty congratulation to GTI, I'm overwhelmed with what I'm seeing," director general of SEC, Ms Arunma Oteh had said.

Vitafoam’s directors meet on dividend payment

•From left: Mr Roper, Mrs Oworu and Dr Ajogwu at the foundation stone laying ceremony.

Resort Savings optimistic on mortgage financing

ESORT Savings & Loans Plc has expressed optimism that increased awareness about mortgage financing will enhance its prospects and enable it to meet expectations of its stakeholders. In a statement, Managing director, Resort Savings & Loans Plc, Mr. Abimbola Olayinka the bank would continue to create more awareness on mortgage financing as part of efforts to drive volume in the housing sector. According to him, the bank had been able to bridge the gap in housing deficit nationwide by its efforts as it has so far created over 4000 housing units in the last couple of years. He said the bank will continue to pursue the goal of addressing the housing needs of Nigerians. He expressed the willingness of the bank to ensuring that more Nigerians have access to affordable housing through provision of ad-

ditional housing units with the backing of Nigeria Mortgage Refinance Company (NMRC). “The bank will continue to create more awareness on NMRC mortgage. We believe an increase in awareness will increase the patronage of our mortgage refinancing through Banks. Many Nigerians don’t know they could build houses through mortgage finance without necessarily having all the money at once. Our vision is to provide affordable and decent accommodations to Nigerians. We are not relenting in this drive. We want to be at the vanguard of solving the accommodation problem in Nigeria,” Olayinka said. He noted that the bank’s plan was to make available the housing units in the Lagos, Abuja andOgun state axis through mortgage; these according to him include the current development of 3 Bedroom semiDetached duplexes at Ikorodu ,

Lagos and 2 & 3 bedroom bungalows at Mowe Ofada, Ogun State. He stated further that in the bank’s bid to strengthen its position in the Mortgage sector, it is partnering with a lot of developers on either financing their project or providing mortgage facilities to the off- takers at affordable interest rates through NMRC scheme. Giving an insight into the existing and ongoing projects and partnership with developers,Olayinka said,, ’’the bank has been able to fund housing estates including; the Teju Royal Garden Estate in Okokonmaiko which has over 900 housing units, The Dream vile Estate,Owode-Ibese, Ikorodu Road, Dabis Royal Estate off Allen Avenue Ikeja, South-Drift in Lekki , Gracious Gardens. “ Other ongoing projects for mortgage financing facility in the other parts of the country are also available to meet the yearnings of Nigerians.

IRECTORS of Vitafoam Nigeria Plc are scheduled to meet next week to consider the financial and operational reports of the foam-manufacturing company. The meeting is expected to consider the appropriate dividend to be recommended for payment to shareholders. At the meeting, the board will consider and approve the audited financial statements of the company for the year ended September 30, 2014. While the details of the earnings are still not available, there are strong indications that the company will sustain its unbroken dividend payment record. The meeting will also consider the date, time and venue for the annual general meeting as well as closure and payment dates for the dividend recommendation. Vitafoam Nigeria has almost predictable pattern. It has been holding its annual general meeting around Ikeja, within the vicinity of its head office. It has also retained its dividend payment rate, in spite of stunted earnings. For the past four consecutive years, the company has distributed annually N246 million as cash dividends to shareholders. Usually, shareholders would receive a dividend per share of 30 kobo for the business year.

IOSCO consults on cross-border regulation HE International Organization of Securities Commissions has published the consultation report of the IOSCO Task Force on Cross-Border Regulation, which identifies and describes cross-border regulatory tools and challenges. IOSCO is the leading international policy forum for securities regulators and is recognized as the global standard setter for securities regulation. The organization’s membership regulates more than

95 per cent of the world’s securities markets in more than 115 jurisdictions including Nigeria. The consultation report describes three cross-border regulatory tools that have been used, or are under consideration, by IOSCO members to help address the challenges they face in protecting investors, maintaining market quality and reducing systemic risk. According to the report, these tools provide the basis for developing a cross-border regulatory

toolkit and common terminology describing potential options for IOSCO members to consult when considering cross-border regulations. They can be broadly classified into three main types: national treatment, recognition, and passporting. The report also includes a detailed discussion of the key challenges and experiences faced by regulators in implementing cross-border securities regulations, including how their national rules will apply to

global financial markets and interact with foreign rules and international standards. In June 2013, IOSCO established the Task Force on Cross-Border Regulation (Task Force) to consider these cross-border regulatory issues and to assist policy makers and regulators in addressing the cross-border challenges they face. To prepare the consultation report, the Task Force conducted a survey among IOSCO members from late October 2013 to April 2014.

Audited report and accounts of Vitafoam Nigeria for the year ended September 30, 2013 had indicated that sales rose by 12.8 per cent but pre and post tax profits dropped by 22.5 per cent and 18.2 per cent respectively. The largest growth on the profit and loss accounts remains finance expenses, which rose by about 40 per cent. With basic earnings per share dropping from 61 kobo to 50 kobo, the retention of the 30 kobo dividend payout cut dividend cover from 2.03 times to 1.67 times. This downtrend is also evident in the underlying returns and profitability of the company. Group’s total sales closed 2013 at N16.34 billion compared with N14.48 billion recorded in 2012. Cost of sales however rose by 16.4 per cent from N9.34 billion to N10.87 billion. Gross profit thus inched up by 6.3 per cent from N5.14 billion to N5.47 billion. Total operating expenses rose by 9.8 per cent to N4.34 billion as against N3.95 billion in previous year. Distribution cost had increased from N945.19 million in 2012 to N955.83 million in 2013 while administrative expenses rose from N3.0 billion to N3.38 billion. Non-core business income increased by 13 per cent from N146 million to N165 million. However, finance expenses jumped by 39.7 per cent to N661 million as against N473 million in previous year. With these, profit before tax dropped by 22.5 per cent from N813 million to N630 million. After taxes, net profit dropped by 18.2 per cent to N410 million in 2013 compared with N502 million in 2012. Underlying ratios showed similar outlook. Gross profit margin dropped to 33.5 per cent as against 35.5 per cent in 2012. Profit before tax margin also dipped to 3.9 per cent compared with 5.6 per cent in previous year. Average return on total assets declined from 7.9 per cent to 6.3 per cent while average return on equity dropped from 17.2 per cent to 13.2 per cent.

Newspaper of the Year

AN EIGHT-PAGE PULLOUT ON THE SOUTHWEST STATES

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2014

PAGE 29

The Escravos-Lagos gas pipeline expansion project is under threat as Igbooye community in Epe, a Lagos suburb, insists it be paid compensation, even as it demands that Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) be carried out. ADEBISI ONANUGA reports.

•Youths of Igbooye demonstrating at the site of the Escravos-Lagos gas pipeline expansion project

Disquiet in Lagos community over T gas pipeline project

INSIDE

HE Igbooye community in Epe, a Lagos suburb, is known for its peace and tranquillity which the residents relish. This state of affairs has been ageless as their forebears loathed strife. That was in the yesteryear. The peace and calmness that had been the features of the community got shattered few weeks back as the people of the ancient town took to the streets to protest against the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and Zakhem Construction Company Limited over their refusal to pay compensation for their lands which the two organisations encroached into in the second phase of Escravos-Lagos gas pipeline project. Residents of the community were

also demanding that Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) be conducted on their land encroached upon by the gas pipeline as required by law for the safety of the environment. The people, who are majorly farmers, claimed to have lost about 10 kilometre stretch of their farmlands to the project, including other environmental consequences they may have to contend with as a direct consequence of the project. The protest was spearheaded by the community’s heads of the various ruling houses and families, including

Why Nigeria remains underdeveloped, by Babatola PAGE 30

Alhaji Mikhail Kadiri, Otunba Abdulwasiu Musa-Adebamowo, Alhaji Waidi Lasisi from Erelu Ruling House, Alhaji Safiriyu Bakare from Osikadewa Ruling House and Apostle Matthew Odunlami from Shamba Ruling House, among others. On November 12, this year, the people made good their threat as they marched to the construction sites, forcing the workers to move their caterpillars, giant generators and welding machines out of Igbooye land to the neighbouring Ibonwon town. They defied the directive of the mon-

arch of the town, the Orijeru of Igbooye land, Oba Michael Gbadebo Onakoya, who was alleged to have emboldened the NNPC and staff of the construction firm, Zakhem to carry on with their job. Alhaji Kadiri, who was at the head of the protest, told the construction workers that they would not be allowed to work until the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) meets the community’s demands. Kadiri alleged that the NNPC and the construction company reneged on payment of compensation to the com-

Fear grips residents as gunmen attack Ekiti prison

Group makes case for disabled persons

PAGE 31

PAGES 35

munity and the families whose lands were encroached into as a result of the gas pipeline project. He said the elders of the community had exchanged correspondence with the DPR, under whose supervision the NNPC operates as a subsidiary, on the issues but that the corporation has been economical with the truth. About five months ago, the Head of the Ewade Ruling House, Otunba Abdulwasiu Musa-Adebamowo had written the Director, DPR, Kofo Abayomi Street, Victoria Island to remind the department of an earlier letter dated March 3, this year, complaining over the refusal of the construction company, Zakhem Con-

•Continued on page 31

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2014

THE SOUTHWEST REPORT Until his death on November 24, at the age of 96, High Chief Joel Ehinafe Babatola, the Olora of Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, was the Vice-President of the Yoruba Council of Elders (YCE) and the oldest surviving disciple of the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo. In this interview —most likely his last —with Group Political Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU, he speaks on his political career, how to resolve the country's leadership crisis and how Nigeria can attain free and fair election, among other issues.

Why Nigeria remains underdeveloped, by Babatola W HEN you were young, you had expectations about what the Nigeria would be. The country is 54 years already. How have your expectations been met? My expectations then was that Nigeria would become one of the most powerful countries in the world and the knowledge impacted to us by the British in the colonial days would enable us to achieve greatness like Britain, Germany and the United States. Chief Awolowo was swift in implementing free education policy when he was the Premier of Western Region. We expected that education would be free up to the tertiary institutions. We wanted Nigeria to be great in many ways –in industrial development, scientific discoveries, research, production of goods that we still import from Europe and China. I had those as ideas for great development. Unfortunately, Nigeria is yet to meet those expectations. That is why we are where we are today. What factors were responsible for these failed dreams and aspirations? There are many reasons, but the most important reason for the underdevelopment of Nigeria is the dichotomy created by religion on one hand and differences in culture. It has not been easy to unify Nigeria in terms of religion and culture. The major tribes continue to maintain their old culture, not realising that some cultural practices need to be improved upon or discarded. For instance, in Yoruba, the culture that is related to rituals has continued to be practised. What they should spend on the education of their children is spent on rituals. It is worse in Igbo land where some parents do not realise that educating their children is better than making them be independent at the age of 18 or 19 years; though that trend is fast becoming an issue in the trashcan of history. In 1930s and 40s, the influence of Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe was enough to make people to be eager for higher education. It is far worse in the North. Children go to Quranic schools. How can the development we envisaged occur? If they had allowed Chief Awolowo to carry out his educational programmes and plans in the country, we would have ranked among the

five most educated countries in the world. That is one aspect of it. The second aspect is the dichotomy in the national life of the country. This dichotomy rests virtually on religion. If people are allowed to pursue their different religious without bias, it would have been better. In Nigeria, religion can be classified primarily into two – Christianity and Islam. Islam predominates in the North, while Christianity predominates in the South. Therefore, there is rivalry which is not favourable. Thank God, in the West and East, we do not allow differences in religion to affect our relationship. If this religious dichotomy between the North and South can be removed, Nigeria will be able to pursue and achieve the position envisaged by Chief Awolowo and the country’s other founding fathers. When Awo wanted to become Prime Minister, some people objected to it. Don’t you think it would have been better for Awo to remain in the West to continue his developmental policies and programmes? We wanted him to be at the centre. We thought he should become the Prime Minister as the Action Group (AG) had a national spread. We had supporters in the North and East. We had personnel manning our party offices in Kano, Sokoto and everywhere in the East, in Azikiwe’s base. We thought he would win, but due to manipulations, he lost out. If he had won, his planned education programme would have benefited the North and Nigeria would have been better today. One other difficulty which made Chief Awolowo’s adventure not to come true was the friction between him and the late Chief Ladoke Akintola. When Chief Awolowo was the leader of the opposition at the centre, Chief Akintola succeeded him as Premier. He wanted to become the President of Action Group, to displace Awolowo. That ambition created problems. Our efforts to continue to make Nigeria a fast-developing country was stalled by the opposition to Awolowo, mainly from the North. Akintola was friend to the Northern leadership. He used his position to expose Awolowo. Even as an opposition party, Action Group was attacked, particularly in the North. Akintola rep-

•The late High Chief Babatola

‘There are many reasons, but the most important reason for the underdevelopment of Nigeria is the dichotomy created by religion on one hand and differences in culture. It has not been easy to unify Nigeria in terms of religion and culture. The major tribes continue to maintain their old culture, not realising that some cultural practices need to be improved upon or discarded’ resents the AG in the South, but he was representing the Northern Peoples Congress (NPC) in the North. When there was a problem in the Western House of Assembly and the Federal Government created emergency rule and made Koye Majekodunmi an administrator, secretly, Akintola walked his way back

•From right: Member, Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Bisi Yusuf; Adeshina Makinde; Prince Adelaja; EgbeIdimu LCDA Council Manager, Mrs Morenike Nkwonu and her Mosan-Okunola counterpart, Mr Olusegun Omoloju at a stakeholders’ forum in Lagos

to office as Premier. In November 1962, his emissaries went to members of the House of Assembly, asking them to join the party of Akintola and Fani-Kayode. Those who were in government as cabinet members were asked whether we would go with Awolowo or Akintola. In my own case, I said I would go with Awolowo. Fortunately or unfortunately, the military took over. That again was another difficulty created for Nigeria. But some people jubilated over the coup The plan of the military mainly was to maintain the place. People were forced to obey the military. The military could not bring progress in the manner the civilians would do. When people were expressing brilliant ideas for progress, the military was only interested in keeping the peace. The years under the military, except one or two Heads of State, Nigeria remained stagnant. There was no real plan or policy for the development of education and industry. Things were at a standstill under the military rule. When Awolowo was leaving Ibadan, he did not want Akintola to succeed him as Premier Naturally, he wouldn’t. When Akintola wanted Awolowo deposed as President of AG, we were in Jos for the congress. At the Jos conference, we discovered that Akintola had hatched

a plot to depose Awolowo; to be voted out of the AG presidency. People in Osun were contacted. They held meeting to ensure that no vote would come from Osun. In Oyo, Akintola succeeded in doing the same thing. He contacted some leaders outside Osun and Oyo. In Ekiti, he contacted the late Chief Osuntokun. When we wanted to start the conference, it was discovered that people were too many. Oredein was mandated by Chief Awolowo to vet the list of representatives. I took the initiative in asking Oredein not to do that first. I advised that he should not accept the list from the constituencies. I said that each constituency should be represented by a delegate, whereas in the list from Osun, some constituencies have three or four delegates each. That excuse of vetting took one day. When three or four showed up, only one was allowed to be a delegate. Several people were disqualified and they went home. In the evening, Chief Akintola and his people decided to boycott the congress. The following day when we assembled, we were few, but enough to continue. Chief Awolowo decided that we should postpone the congress and go back home to unify our people and ensure that they did not disobey instructions given by the head. So, when we got back home, there was confusion in the House. The government proclaimed curfew in the region. When they did so, they took sides with Akintola. They had appointed Majekodunmi and surreptitiously, he was giving support to Akintola who had formed a new party with Fani-Kayode. Balewa group gave recognition to the new party. Things went bad for Western Region and programmes on education, health and environment became standstill. How did you manage to get out of the Chambers of the House of Assembly during the commotion that ensued? My driver who was outside the House heard what was going on and begged one policeman to follow him. People who were fighting would not look at a driver or a policeman. So, the two of them led me out. Fortunately, I was not wounded by any of the broken bottles which some people used as weapons. It was by divine favour that I was not harmed. Could it mean that Akintola wouldn’t have been able to continue the pace of development in the West had he succeeded Awolowo? He couldn’t have been able to. The Federal Government supported him, but that was not enough to help him implement Awo’s programmes. He and Fani-Kayode did not enjoy the confidence of the people of the West. The confidence they enjoyed was in Osun area. But in Ondo Province which included Ekiti, I organised our party very successfully; we held meetings at Akure where we explained the issues to the people. So, Akintola had no foothold in Ondo Province. In Ekiti, we had Chief Babalola from Oye who was Secretary of the Action Group. In Akure and Ondo areas, we had versions. I was writing articles in the Nigeria Tribune under the pen name of “Lawson”. That helped a lot in exposing the mischief of Akintola’s party. Unfortunately, the military killed Akintola, Okotie-Eboh and Balewa. With that disaster, Akintola/FaniKayode party went into oblivion. When the military took over and Akintola was killed, if I had joined him, I would have been one of the people the soldiers would have killed because my building in the GRA was next to the Premier’s. I would have been one of those to be executed. How did you cope as a commissioner under military regime?

•Continued on page 33

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2014

THE SOUTHWEST REPORT The peaceful night rest of residents of Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, was on November 30 shattered by a vicious attack on the federal prisons located on Afao Road by gunmen whose identity is yet to be known. ODUNAYO OGUNMOLA examines the impact of the attack.

Fear grips residents as gunmen attack Ekiti prison T HEY were having a sound sleep in preparation for the hustling and bustling of a week which promises to be busy. Night had fallen, the birds in the surrounding bush chirping away and nocturnal harmattan breeze penetrating the inner recesses of the homes nearby. There was absolute silence in an area a bit far from the city centre, human and vehicular movement almost nil as it is in most parts of Ado-Ekiti, a city where residents retire to bed so early. Shops were closed, schools, offices, places of worship under lock and key with the unpredictability of darkness looming large. Most of the residents would have greeted one another “goodnight” hoping to exchange the “good morning greetings again in few hours’ time. They never knew that danger was lurking around; they never knew that death was around the corner lying in wait ferociously for the next prey in a country where life is seemingly cheap. As most of the inhabitants of AdoEkiti were already in their sleep, the messengers of death crept in unannounced, armed with lethal weapons to be unleashed with fury never witnessed before. Their target: the Federal Prisons, Ado-Ekiti tucked away in what used to be a virgin land off Afao Road in the North-eastern flank of the city. Residents whose houses are not far from the prisons were woken up by loud sound of blazing guns, dynamites and other leather weapons unleashed on the facility. One after the other, they were forced to wake up, with some saying their last prayers because they thought the enemy was already at their doorposts. Some turned themselves to emergency prayer warriors urging the Almighty to come to their aid and save them from the jaws of death. Who could they be? Where are they coming from? What was their mission? When will they leave? Are they Boko Haram militants? Are they armed rob-

•A Woman believed to have lost her husband in the attack being led away by sympathisers

bers? Why the booming guns and other weapons of mass destruction in one of most peaceful neighbourhoods of AdoEkiti? More questions but unfortunately answers were not forthcoming immediately. But they got to know in the early hours of Monday that it was the prisons that were attacked. Even with the cessation of gunfire, many were still afraid to venture out of their homes for fear of the unknown. Terror-stricken residents who had the courage to move out gathered in groups discussing the incidents in hushed tones. After the smoke of the attack had cleared, at least one prison officer was dead, 20 security dogs killed, the main prison gate blown off and palpable fear enveloped the city. Originally, the prison has the capacity to hold 200 inmates but it contained 435 inmates at the time of the attack. They are made up of convicted inmates, condemned inmates and awaiting trial inmates. The facility is relatively new; having been inaugurated for use in 2012 following its relocation from the old site in Okesa, very close to the Government House in the heart of the city. The relocation of the old facility apart from the fact that it was too congested was also to make way for the construction of the Civic Centre and Museum. The old prisons, apart from being located in the heart of Ado-Ekiti, was also very close to the state judiciary headquarter, housing the High Courts and the Magistrates’ Courts where inmates on trial are taken on their respective dates. This means that when the prison was located on its former site, inmates on trial used to arrive in the court between two or three minutes depending on the traffic situation of the day.

‘Allowing hardened criminals facing serious charges like murder, rape, robbery and other violent crimes access to communication gadgets constitute a high security risk...The way and manner the bloody attack was successfully carried out without much resistance suggested suspicion of connivance...The CP led a team yesterday (Monday) night to some of the hideouts and there was a serious exchange of gunfire. We had intelligence report where they were hiding...At that notorious spot, 10 of those who escaped were re-arrested but no life was lost’ All that has changed since the facility was relocated to Afao Road, about eight kilometres from the old site. People in this area are used to the blaring of siren from prison vehicles conveying inmates on trial to courts on their appointed dates. From all indications, the attack was least prepared for by officers and men of the Ado-Ekiti Prisons despite the similar ones carried out in other parts of the country. To the officers and men of the Ekiti State Command of the Nigerian Prisons Service (NPS), it was a bolt from the blues and a hit below the belt which will never be forgotten in a hurry; being the first time they were experiencing such an attack. The Nation gathered from credible prison sources that the gunmen invaded the facility at 10:30 p.m. on Sunday, November 30 and operated unhindered till about 1: 45 a.m. on Monday.

As soon as they stormed the prisons, the gunmen detonated a bomb and launched an orgy of shootings that lasted for about 45 minutes. Some prisons sources claimed that the gunmen, who were believed to be about 60 in number, arrived in Hilux vans and chanted “Allahu Akbar”, “Allahu Akbar”, “Allahu Akbar” announcing their arrival with staccato of gunshots. This initially gave them away as Boko Haram extremists but another source said it couldn’t have been Boko Haram insurgents on the grounds that “no member of the terrorist group is being held inside the facility”. The source said the chants of “Allahu Akbar” chanted by the gunmen might have been a dummy to mask the identity and confused their victims about their real identity. A prisons officer was killed in the

incident while unspecified number of men of the service was injured in the attack. A woman believed to be the wife of the slain officer was wailing controllably. She was being consoled by sympathisers and later led away from the scene. The impact of the bombing on the facility was felt in places like Adebayo, Oke-Ila, Fajuyi, Okesa and the Ekiti State University (EKSU) campus and the adjoining Iworoko community. The loud bang of the bombing was deafening to the extent that inmates fled in various directions either to escape being killed by the invading gunmen or to use the opportunity of the confusion to run away from justice. As soon as the Ekiti State Police Command got wind of the incident, the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Taiwo Lakanu led battle-ready men of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) to the scene. With the departure of the gunmen, all the police could do was to weave a heavy security cordon around the facility to prevent a further attack and escape of more inmates. Reporters who learnt of the incident were denied entry into the facility which was guarded by fully-armed security men. They were not allowed to take the pictures of the affected parts of the facility. The State Comptroller of Prisons, Mr. Kehinde Fadipe, described the incident as “both bombing and shooting”. He denied being aware of any prison officer killed, even as he expressed regrets that a good number of inmates were released by the gunmen. Fadipe, who was apparently dis-

•Continued on page 36

Cleric warns against 2015

HE Founder/General Overseer, Imole Ayo Cherubim and Seraphim Church, Adalemo in Ogun State, Primate Dr. Peter O. Omoleye, has advised Nigerians to shun violence in 2015 general elections. He spoke at the grand finale of the church’s Ark of Convenant Anniversary held penultimate Saturday. Omoleye said credible leaders could only emerge when politicians play according to the rule, avoid crisis, bloodshed and assassination. He further said Nigerian leaders should evolve better policies and programmes that would elevate the country instead of engaging in do-or-die politics that does not promote democracy. “It is advisable for Nigerian leaders to remain focused and let the love of the country be uppermost in their minds, even as he said that Nigeria could compete favourably with advance countries. “Nigerians should continue to pray to God for bloodshed to end in the country,” he said. Omoleye, also appealed to youths to avoid being used as thugs in the coming election and to stop engaging in illicit acts such as secret cults, certificate forgery/racketeer, drug abuse, human trafficking, robbery, alcoholism and all forms of vices. He urged them to imbibe good habits that could take the country to greater height.

•From left: Mother in Israel, Jimbuaka Cherubim and Seraphim Church (C&S) Idiroko, Mrs Oladipupo Eriolola, Founder, C&S Omo Mannah, Ijako, Prophet Ayoyemi Ajayi, Spiritual Father, Eri Kingdom Prayer City, Iyana Iyesi Ota, Prince Deboh Ajalotah, Primate Omoleye, Founder, Ipinle Otito C&S, Pastor Bode Samuel and Assistant Pastor Agbala Anu C&S, Iyana Ilogbo, Apostle Olaotu Abiodun, at the Eri Omoleye C&S Ark of Covenant celebration.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2014

THE SOUTHWEST REPORT

Disquiet in Lagos community over gas pipeline project •Continued on page 30 structions, to pay compensation to the community. “It is therefore pertinent that this issue is attended to, particularly now that the laying of the gas pipeline is approaching our community which may be resisted,” he warned. In his earlier letter to the DPR, Otunba Musa-Adebamowo had complained that since after the September, 2012 meeting between the representatives of the NNPC led by its Community Relations/Liaison Officer on the project and elders of the community, nothing has been heard from the officer. “Although without the knowledge and consent of the elders and chiefs of the community, the EIA report on the project was disputed maliciously by the deposed Oba of Igbooye, M. G. Onakoya whose chieftaincy case is currently on appeal. “We therefore pray for your intervention as we are law-abiding citizens. The community may resist the laying of the gas pipeline if the necessary compensations are not paid appropriately,” he said. The letters were copied to Assistant Director, Gas, S.A. Babalola and Deputy Director, Gas Division. It was gathered that trouble in the community started in March 2012 when some elders of the community held meeting with representatives of the NNPC and the construction company to discuss the issue of compensation on the areas of land affected by the gas pipeline project before work would commence in the area. The community was alleged to have been represented at that meeting by the monarch and heads of ruling houses and at which promises of compensation were made. Aside from the name of the monarch and the Odofin, Anthony Oguntimehin, other names listed and alleged to have attended the March 2012 consultation meeting included those of Chief F.O. Adebambo; Chief F.A. Bakare; Bishop P. Odunlami; Chief Nurudeen Tomola; Hon. Afisu Amisu; Mr. Quadri Shuaib and Mr. Lekan Ajayi. However, more than a year after the meeting, the community was still

•Alhaji Kadiri (left) and Musa-Adebamowo (second left) addressing construction workers at the site of the EscravosLagos gas pipeline expansion project. PHOTOS: MOSES OMOSEHIN

waiting for the compensation which the company promised them. The monarch has, however, denied being part of the meeting, alleging forgery of his name and signature alongside others listed in the attendance sheet. It was gathered that when compensation was no longer forthcoming, some members of the community decided to visit the NNPC to find out the true position of things. There it was revealed to them that “compensation” had been paid to some people alleged to have claimed to be from the community. But neither does anybody knew how much was paid nor who collected the money. However, a chain of events, it was revealed, has led to the tensed situation and suspicions in the town. The Federal Ministry of Environment, acting on the strength of the compensation supposedly paid to the community, had written the chairman of Epe Local Government Area requesting for a 21-day “public display exercise on the EIA of the proposed construction of Escravos-Lagos pipeline Phase II” by the NNPC from January 14 to February 21, last year. The letter, dated January 7, 2013 and signed by Abbas O. Suleiman on behalf of the minister, requested the Chairman of the Epe Local Government Area to publicly display the EIA report in an easily accessible location between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. daily for stakeholders/public comments and to forward all reactions to the Permanent Secretary of the ministry on or before February 18, 2013. But at the close of the exercise, nobody showed up, neither did anybody pass any comment from the community on the EIA since they were not

part of it. It was gathered that the Igbooye community denied the EIA document at a meeting held at the instance of the Chairman of Epe Local Government Area, Otunba Agbaje at the Oba Onakoya’s palace on March 11, last year as none of its members was aware of the purported exercise. The view that the purported EIA may be a ruse was further reinforced by a letter dispatched by the council chairman, Otunba Agbaje dated March 11, last year, to the Commissioner, Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, of its receipt of the purported EIA report. The letter, however, clarified the fact that “no team on EIA from Abuja ever visited the Oba of Igbooye land nor had any meeting with residents or representatives of the community at any point in time.” A similar letter dated same day and signed by the Higher Environment Health Officer of the Epe Local Government Area, Osunsanya, Adesola M., was also sent to the Federal Ministry of Environment in Abuja. The letter, which contained a sixpoint situation report on the disputed EIA stated, among others, that the Orijeru of Igbooye land, Oba Onakoya claimed he was at no time invited to any meeting, nor did he send any representative to the consultative forum on or after March 18, 2012 and that his name and signature were forged. It stated that “every other names/ persons on the EIA report were faceless, unknown and fictitious as they are not residents or representatives of the community. It further stated that no member of the EIA team visited the monarch in respect of the project.

It suggested that a fresh exercise of the EIA be conducted as it affects Igbooye community and that the authentic community members should be consulted appropriately to be in attendance. On April 25, last year, the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs forwarded the letter from the Chairman of Epe Local Government Area to the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Cabinet Office Alausa Secretariat. The letter, signed by the Permanent Secretary, L.A.D. Dabiri highlighted “certain anomalies bordering on communication gap between the Federal Ministry of Environment and the people of Epe as well as the displeasure of Oba Onakoya”. The letter urged the SSG “to play the complementary role of using her good offices to bring the development to the attention of the Federal Ministry of Environment, Abuja and having the EIA re-conducted in the concerned community as requested by the people of Igbooye land in Epe, Lagos State as well as report the case of forgery of signatures to the Minister for Environment.” About a month later, the SSG forwarded the letter, signed on his behalf by P.A. Dosunmu and attached documents from the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs to the Commissioner, Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources and requested him to “please look into the issue and thereafter brief his Excellency, the Governor, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola accordingly”. But events in the town, took a new turn when the elders of the town allegedly approached the monarch and asked to know if indeed compensation

‘Shield women from violence’

HE Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria (MSSN), Lagos State Area Unit, has called on the United Nations and Amnesty International to help in curbing violence against women, particularly young girls. A statement by MSSN Amir (President), Alhaji Kaamil Kalejaiye, praised the United Nations General Assembly for setting aside a day to create awareness on violence against women, even as he urged government at all levels to respect the rights of every citizen, especially women and girls. Kalejaiye said: “As a Muslim student organisation, we commend the UN for setting aside a day like this to address violence against women. In recent times, there have been different violations against women more than ever before. Women are subjected to rape, domestic violence and other forms of violence; and it is unfortunate that most of them go unreported. “We also have cases of school girls being subjected to harassment because they want to exercise their religious rights as entrenched in the Nigerian Constitution. We have on record, many cases of these victimisations

‘God has really been kind to us at the Hearts of Gold Hospice. So, this event is to thank God and celebrate the people and organisations that have lent themselves to the use of God in the lives of myself and my children in the past 11 years... The hospice currently houses and provides palliative care to more than 60 children with various forms of physical and mental disabilities’ By Safiyyah Abdur-Razaq

which were orchestrated by the government. It is sad that the perpetrators of these inhuman and barbaric acts have not been brought to book.” The MSSN leader recalled that on February 5, last year, Aisha Alabi (15), a JSS II student of Kadara Junior High School, Ebute Metta Lagos was given 43 strokes of the cane on the assembly ground by her Principal, Mrs. E.C Ukpaka just because Aisha did not remove her hijab after her Islamic Religious Knowledge class, where it is ordinarily permitted to adorn the hijab. “The same year,” he said, “another student, Bareerah Tajudeen of Mafoloku Senior Grammar School, Oshodi had her hijab removed and trampled upon by her Principal, Mrs. Elizabeth

Omidele, outside the school premises. The action led to the suspension of the student who was said to be preparing for her Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE).” Kalejaiye urged Amnesty International and other relevant agencies to investigate the abuses, and punish the culprits accordingly. He said the significance of the event will be defeated if appropriate authorities fail to collectively fight persecution against women, especially the young ones. “Women’s rights are of fundamental importance to every society. Just like their male counterparts, the women also have rights to live and exercise their God-given rights,” he said. •Kalejaiye

had been paid as demanded. It was alleged that the monarch rather urged the elders to desist from doing anything that will stop the project. The monarch also denied a meeting supposedly held with the representatives of Federal Ministry of Environment led by Prof. Stephen Omoregbe. The monarch, in a petition to the Minister of Environment dated March 3, 2013, complained that those who purportedly represented the community “were not members of Igbooye community. “On close examination of the minutes of the meeting of the consultative forum dated March 18, 2012, and the names and signatories on the attendance list attached, it was glaring that all signatories on the attendance list were not members of Igbooye community. Also, the Kabiyesi’s name on the list was wrong and the signature forged.” The letter, signed by the monarch and Odofin/Community Secretary, A.A. Oguntimehin stated further “...no meeting of such was held at all with our Kabiyesi and any of the high chiefs of the community. We would therefore suggest that a real meeting be arranged so that our community would be assured that the Federal Government meant well for our community,” it stated. Attempts to speak with the monarch on the issue failed as he was said to have travelled out of town when reporters visited his palace at Igbooye. His wife, Olori Adenike said only the monarch could speak on the issue. However, the Project Manager of the NNPC on the gas pipeline expansion project, Mr. Bello reportedly met with elders and people of the town at the community town hall few days after the protest. Sources said Mr. Bello assured the community that they would be compensated appropriately. Otunba Musa-Adebamowo, who confirmed the town hall meeting, said the community was requested to forward a fresh letter detailing their demands to the DPR. The community was also requested to undertake a measurement of the distance covered by the gas pipeline project within the town and forward same to the DPR while steps would be taken to conduct a fresh Environmental Impact Assessment of the affected land. In addition, it was agreed that the companies involved in the project would initiate empowerment programmes for youths of the town, among others. But, Alhaji Kadiri vowed that the community would return to trenches if the corporation and the construction company failed to fulfil their promises on payment of compensation.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2014

THE SOUTHWEST REPORT

UT for the timely intervention of medical experts from the University College Hospital (UCH), cancer would have claimed the lives of victims of the ailment. In recent years, the UCH has risen to the challenge of saving the lives of more than 200 cancer patients as it boasts medical experts that treat cancer-related diseases. In the circumstances, during the institution’s 57th anniversary, it brought together over 20 of its cancer survivors to celebrate them and for them to relive their ordeal. Addressing the happy survivors, the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of UCH, Prof. Temitope Alonge said: “As they share their stories, it will give hope to many Nigerians and encourage many more to seek medical attention on account of any suspicious growth or tumours or general feeling of unwell which might be the onset of some cancers. “Cancer is the general terminology ýfor a group of over 100 diseases characterised by abnormal uncontrolled multiplication of abnormal cells leading to a growth in most instances, except in cancers involving blood cells. “Global data revealed about 12.7 million cancer cases in 2008 with 1.7 million newly diagnosed breast cancer cases in the same year. Cancer rates have increased sharply in 2012 and the World Health Organisation (WHO) has predicted an increase in the years to come with new cases predicted to rise to 19.1 million by 2025 in line with the growth in world’s population and an increase in life expectancy. “Cancer is no respecter of persons, race, age, religion, tribe, class, marital status or economic powers and the diagnosis of cancer are often perceived as death sentence in Nigeria and among Nigerians. This is not the perception in developed countries. These cancer survivors are people who have had cancer ailment which have either been controlled or treated fully.” According to him, breast cancer remains the leading cause of deaths in women in less developed countries closely followed by cervical cancer occurring in 34.8 per 100,000 women. Prof. Alonge further stated that in the male folk, prostate cancer is the most devastating and commonest cause of deaths, even as it has been reported that about 14 Nigerian men are most likely to succumb to the disease. He said: “As with communicable diseases which are now targets of intense treatment after decades of

•Prof. Temitope Alonge (third right) with some of the cancer survivors

Cancer: Survivors relive ordeal at UCH’s anniversary

From Tayo Johnson, Ibadan

research activities, cancer treatment now receives a multi-modal approach ýin most developing countries and this has resulted in a lot of clients surviving the ailments in those countries.” Prof. Alonge attributed the increase in cancer survivors to the establishment of cancer institutions in most countries, which provide comprehensive cancer treatment. “While India has over 120 comprehensive cancer institutions, Nigeria does not have a single one and this is probably the main impediment in providing comprehensive care for people who are down with cancers. “The story of survivors would have been different if the country has at least one comprehensive institute for canýcer. UCH has the largest number of manpower to accommodate a comprehensive cancer institute apart from the vast land space in the second acquisition of the hospital,” he said. Prof. Alonge stated that with a comprehensive cancer centre at UCH, Ibadan, cancer survivors will not only enjoy better quality of health care, but will also enjoy improved standard of living. To the survivors he said: “As the

hospital celebrates its 57th anniversary, ýwe celebrate your courage and that of your relations who have stood by you as you underwent various treatment modalities in this hospital. You are very precious to this great institution and there is no better time to celebrate with you than the anniversary of the hospital. “This is a day of sharing, celebrating and rejoicing with our cancer survivors. We had an opportunity to celebrate our successes and recognise the tremendous courage and perseverance that cancer patients and survivors exhibit every day. It was truly an inspirational experience for us all.”ý Mrs Oluwatayo Omotoye, a middle-aged cancer survivor, thanked God and the management of the UCH for curing her of the deadly diseases. According to her, all hopes were lost when she was diagnosed of breast cancer, adding that hope returned when she started the treatment at the hospital. “Although some people who have had this same ailment did not make it, Nigerians do not need to travel abroad for cancer treatment,

because UCH has the right medical expertise and equipment to treat cancer disease. Nigerians should go for regular medical check-ups for early detection of any form of diseases,” she said. Omotoye said government needs to establish cancer treatment centres in order to reduce the loads on hospitals. She noted that Nigerians should change their perception about cancer which they regard as deadly disease, stressing that ýshe is a living witness to cancer cure. Another survivor, who spoke in confidence, said when she was diagnosed of breast cancer in 2003, she taught the end had come. She said: “My baby was five years old then and I was crying because there is nobody to take good care of her. “I was wondering how I will survive it. Some people even advised me not to go to hospital because, they said, they will complicate my case. But I decided to come to UCH from Delta State where I live. Since 2003 when I began the treatment till date, I have been coming for followup treatment and check-up every year and I have been doing fine.”

She urged government to provide more equipment and cancer treatment centres for proper treatment of the ailment, adding that it will go a long way to saving many lives. She urged cancer survivors in the country to ensure adequate followups and medical check-ups. Mrs Aganwonyi Evelyn, another survivor, said she did not experience any pain when the ailment began in 2012, adding that she only noticed a lump inside her breast. It was when she went for a test that it was revealed that she had breast cancer. Mrs Evelyn, who said she lost two of her aunts to breast cancer, said her cancer was cured when she began receiving treatment at the UCH. She commended the hospital for their care, urging Nigerians with the same ailment not to lose hope but should seek urgent medical attention. The Head of Physiotherapy, UCH Dr Adefemi Afolabi stated that death cases arising from cancer are due to late access to medical care, even as he urged Nigerians to report immediately any strange symptom in the body.

Group makes case for disabled persons

HE Centre for Citizens with Disability (CCD), a non-governmental organisation (NGO), has expressed its regret that persons with disability (PWD) are in deprived situation in terms of access to justice in Nigeria. The Executive Director of the organisation, Mr David Anyaele, said persons with disability are being discriminated against, even as they experience difficulty in getting justice. He spoke during a seminar for Persons with Disability (PWD) at Clean Foundation office in Ojodu, a Lagos suburb. Mr. Anyaele, who presented abridged report entitled “Enhancing Access to Justice for Persons with Disability in Lagos”, said the NGO conducted a survey on the topic in Surulere, Ikorodu and AmuwoOdofin local government areas. He said they visited 15 police stations, 12 Customary and Magistrate’s court and a focus group discussion was carried out with organisations in the areas.

By Olatunde Odebiyi

“We discovered that PWD who seek justice through the police and courts are often faced with the challenge of infrastructural discrimination in terms of lack of access to ramps for persons who use wheel chairs, lack of instructions in Braille, inability of the officers to use sign language and the cost of litigation in the court.” Mr Anyaele therefore reminded the Federal Government of the need to sensitise and strengthen the capacity of the police and court personnel to make justice accessible to PWD through provision of access ramp, training of the officers on the use of sign language for effective communication with the deaf. “Sensitise police officers, court personnel, legal aid organisations and the civil society on the rights of PWD and the ills of discriminating against them,” he said. Mr Anyaele noted that organisations working on human rights and access to justice should be sensitised on the rights of PWD and

•From left: Mr Anyaele; South West Zonal Co-ordinator, National Human Rights Council (NHRC), Lucas Koyejo and Mrs Obinwa. PHOTO: Rahman Sanusi

their access to justice. He also called for more awareness among people with disability on their rights. Coordinator (South), Justice for All (JFA), Mrs Ghbogu Obinwa,

noted that it is important for citizens who are working with PWD to be conscious of the need to protect them and help them to be aware of their rights. “When it comes to access to jus-

tice, PWD have more challenges than those who are not living with disability because they would need social facilities to access platform for justice like the court, police station and transportation, she said.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2014

THE SOUTHWEST REPORT

Fear grips Ekiti residents as gunmen attack prison •Continued from page 31 turbed by the incident, could not immediately give the exact number of those who escaped, saying his command would give a figure of escapees later. Fadipe said: “We are moving around to assess the situation. It was not a jailbreak but an attack on the prison. The main entrance of the prison was broken. “What happened was that we were attacked from outside and not from within, they came massively with different weapons. They attacked our men on duty and we had been around since 10:30 p.m. yesterday (Sunday).” The prisons chief revealed that some of the inmates who escaped are being re-arrested, adding that he had been assured of co-operation by sister security agencies in a bid to arrest more of the escapees. Fadipe said he did not believe that the attack was carried out by Boko Haram, stressing that none of their members is being held at the prisons. He also dismissed insinuations in some quarters that members of the O’odua Peoples Congress (OPC) carried out the attack in a bid to free their leader, Niyi Adedipe, who is on remand at the prisons for murder. Fadipe said Adedipe was still inside the prison yard and did not make any attempt to escape. Despite the fact that the attack, from all indications, was similar to the ones recorded in various parts of the country and appeared not to be politically-motivated, it was later clothed in the garb of politics by local politicians who had been at each others’ throats over some issues. A news item on the attack which was described as “ breaking news” was related by presenters of a popular Yoruba newspaper review programme, ”Lati Inu Aka” on the state-owned Ekiti 91.5 FM sparked a big row between the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC). The presenters of the programme claimed that the information they received was to the effect that the attack was allegedly carried out by suspected APC thugs to free OPC leader Adedipe also known as “Apase”. Adedipe is being held on remand in connection with the murder of a former Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Omolafe Aderiye. Also being held inside the prison yard in connection with the killing of the former NURTW boss is the acting chairman of the state chapter of the Road Transport Employers’ Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), Bayo Aderiye also known as Ojugo. The allegation enraged the opposition camp in the state which described it as another ploy by the PDP-led administration which controls the radio station to tarnish the image of the APC and frame up opposition politicians. The state APC Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatubosun, in a telephone chat with reporters denied the involvement of his party in the attack on prisons, wondering what will his party gain in launching an attack on the prisons. “What shall we gain for doing that? We cannot do such things. It is not in our character to do such things. ”Very soon, the PDP and the governor will have to accuse God for running a clueless government and for their shortcoming. “This is a figment of imagination of a clueless government and I want to ask, is it the APC that is in charge of the prison or the security of the state? “It is the figment of their imagina-

•Governor Fayose (right) addressing officers of the Ekiti State Police Command when he visited the command in Ado-Ekiti. With him are Mr Lakanu (middle) and the State Deputy Governor, Dr Kolapo Olusola

tion that the APC is connected with the breaking of the prison. We don’t know anything about it.” Governor Ayo Fayose, in his immediate reaction, condemned the attack on the Federal Prisons, Ado-Ekiti by gunmen, saying those who perpetrated the attack will not know peace. The governor stated this while performing the swearing-in of the new Head of Service, Mr. Gbenga Faseluka, five Permanent Secretaries and three special advisers. Speaking at the event, Fayose described the gunmen who blew up the prisons as “evil people”, regretting the escape of many prisoners in the attack. He said: “We regret the jailbreak perpetrated by the evil people who led to the escape of many inmates. “I want you to know that I have the grace of God on me and whoever plans against us shall be destroyed. My prayer is that they will not know peace.” Meanwhile, the state police command has declared that no stone would be left unturned to apprehend the fleeing inmates as it is collaborating with the authorities of the prisons to arrest the escapees. The state police spokesman, Victor Babayemi disclosed that the vicinity of the prisons has been cordoned off while security in and around the place has been tightened. He further revealed that some of the escapees have been re-arrested while others still at large are being trailed. Babayemi urged residents not to panic on the incident as the “situation has been brought under control”. At the time of writing this report, a total number of 193 out of the 435 inmates who were inside the facility at the time of the attack, have been recaptured. This was disclosed in Abuja by the NPS spokesperson, Ope Fatinikun. While explaining that efforts are on to apprehend those who are still at large, Fatinikun appealed to Nigerians, especially the nearest communi-

ties and neighbouring states of Ondo, Kogi, Kwara, Osun and Edo to be vigilant and watch out for suspicious individuals and report them to the nearest prisons or police stations. Still angered by the development, Governor Fayose called for the immediate transfer of all officers of the Federal Prisons, Ado-Ekiti out of the state for their alleged negligence and dereliction of duty which aided the attack. Fayose, during a visit to the facility, expressed anger with the prison officials for allegedly allowing inmates access to telephones and other electronic gadgets which he suspected contributed in one way or the other to the attack. He regretted that allowing hardened criminals facing serious charges like murder, rape, robbery and other violent crimes access to communication gadgets constitute a high security risk. The governor predicated his demand on the suspicion that prison officials might have connived with the unknown gunmen who stormed the place and freed over 300 inmates. He said: “The way and manner the bloody attack was successfully carried out without much resistance suggested suspicion of connivance.” Fayose wondered why the prisons authorities failed to use the tower at the facility. During the governor’s visit, there was a scuffle among some prison officials and journalists. The shouting match was due to the overzealousness of some prison officials who were not comfortable with the presence of newsmen who insisted on taking photographs. This enraged the prison officer but the situation was later brought under control following the intervention of senior officers and officials in the governor’s convoy. However, the state police boss, Lakanu has expressed the readiness of the state command to assist the Federal Prisons, Ado-Ekiti in beefing up security around the premises.

He told newsmen while on a follow-up visit to the prisons that since it was apparent that the combatant men and arms squad unit of the prisons could not manage the security situation at the prison alone, his men would be deployed to ensure reinforcement. Lakanu revealed that the escapee inmates who were picked up at various towns such as Ido-Ekiti, IkereEkiti and Ado-Ekiti were currently being detained at various police stations in the state. The attack on the Ado-Ekiti Prisons has affected court cases involving inmates at the Magistrate’s Courts and High Courts in the Ado-Ekiti Judicial Division. Many of the suspects usually brought to court are believed to have escaped during the attack on the prisons. Some of the inmates who fled the prisons voluntarily returned and turned themselves over to the authorities. The gunmen opened doors for all inmates at the prison facility and asked them to escape, The Nation gathered. The state police command spokesman, Babayemi, at another forum disclosed that “the very notorious ones facing murder and robbery charges” are among those just apprehended. Babayemi revealed that the OPC leader Adedipe a.k.a. Apase and RTEAN chief Aderiye were not among those who escaped. He said Lakanu personally led a patrol team to a “notorious spot” where 10 of the escapees were arrested after what he called a “serious exchange of gunfire”. According to him, the escapees were picked up in different parts of the state through the efforts of various police divisions, saying efforts are still on to apprehend inmates who are still at large. Babayemi revealed that those rearrested would be charged for a fresh offence of jailbreak which he de-

scribed as a criminal offence, saying escaping from lawful custody constitutes a new offence. He said: “The CP led a team yesterday (Monday) night to some of the hideouts and there was a serious exchange of gunfire. We had intelligence report where they were hiding. “At that notorious spot, 10 of those who escaped were re-arrested but no life was lost. But I want to add that investigation continues. “Operation is still ongoing, the DPOs are still bringing their reports and we have also asked the prisons authorities to give us the actual number of the escapees. “Some of them said they ran for cover to escape being hit by the bullets fired by the gunmen. Apase and Ojugo were not among the notorious ones re-arrested. “The attackers opened the cell doors and told them to escape; it was not a natural occurrence some people are behind the attack. We are investigating it to determine if there is any complicity.” Fayose, who denied harbouring the prison escapees in the Government House accused the APC of harbouring inmates who escaped from the prison, accusing the party of fabricating lies. The governor said the APC is making the latest allegation with the intention of diverting the attention of the public from their “criminal tendencies”. The APC, in a statement signed by its Publicity Secretary, Chief Olatubosun, accused Governor Fayose of complicity in the attack on the prison following conflicting statements on the incident between him and his aide, Lere Olayinka. The party said while the governor blamed the prison officials for complicity, Olayinka accused APCý of masterminding the crime to free Niyi Adedipe, who was in prison custody over alleged complicity in the murder of drivers’ union boss, Omolafe Aderiye.

Osibajo

Group holds musical concert, competition

•Chairman, Advisory Board, Zakat And Sadaqat Foundation (ZSF), Alhaji Umaru Abdul Mutallab (middle) presents Deep Freezer and Grinding Machine to Mrs Risikat Oyewunmi during ZSF 3rd mini-Zakat distribution at Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos Island, Lagos. With them (from left) are Executive Director, Imam Abdullahi Shuaib; ZSF Chairman, Prince Sulayman Olagunju and Operation Manager, Ahmed Ma’aruf.

The annual Pa Richard P. Osibajo Memorial Musical Concert/Choral Competition and presentation of awards holds on December 20 at Church of the Epiphany, Eruwon, Ijebu by 11:00 a.m. It is organised by the Diocese of Ijebu, Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) and the Osibajo descendants. The programme is being coordinated by Dr Adetola O. Osibajo (J.P) while Reverend Canon Tolulope Daramola is the Secretary, Local Organising Committee

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2014

THE NATION INVESTORS

Expect more volatility in the stock market, say analysts

HERE may be increased volatility in the stock market as portfolio and fund managers realign their portfolios toward the year-end and investors seek alternative investment options to lock in their funds. Analysts said the performance of the stock market in the remaining weeks of the year will be affected by the devaluation of Naira, high cost of funds and high interest rate. The outlook report came as the stock market lost 0.46 per cent on Monday, pushing the negative average year-to-date return at the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) to -19.97 per cent. In their latest review, analysts at FSDH Securities Limited said the current market situation was

ACA acquires Sanlam’s equity stake in SIMCAP

Stories by Taofik Salako

due to investors’ apathy in the market, on account of the continued threat pose on the economy as a result of the declining oil price, the regulatory headwinds affecting the banking stocks, security challenge in the Northern part of the country affecting most of the Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) results. According to analysts, the fact that interest rate in the money market has been on the rise lately has also not helped the equity market. “We expect to see a high level of volatility in the equity market in December, as portfolio and fund managers begin to realign their portfolio to close the year. We are of the opinion that the valuations of stocks quoted on the NSE are attractive both in absolute and relative terms and has potential to attract potential investors,” analysts stated. They noted that a number of

stocks on the NSE have good fundamentals and have prospects for growth in the medium to longterm pointing out that the market has continued to offer exceptional opportunities for medium to long-term investors. Analysts stated that while the equity market historically usually appreciates in December, the current negative developments on the economy may temper the historic trend. “Going forward, we expect some pressure on corporate earnings of companies quoted on the floor of the NSE to decline, as a result of high cost of funds, exchange rate losses, higher interest rate and inflationary pressures,” FSDH stated. They advised that investors should maintain a medium-tolong term view of the market noting that stocks with diversified products and business may be good choices at the moment. “This time may not be a good time for the speculators in the eq-

uity market,” FSDH stated. The report indicated that a total inflow of about N1.27 trillion is expected to hit the money market from the various government maturing securities and Federal Allocation this month while expected outflows from various sources such as government securities and foreign exchange funding are estimated at N776.83 billion, indicating a net inflow of N492.33 billion. The analysis does not include the possible Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)’s interventions at the inter-bank segment of the foreign exchange market; and Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) withdrawals from the system which are difficult to estimate. “We expect that the CBN will continue to issue Nigeria Treasury Bills (NTBs) at higher yields in December. Yields are expected to increase in the month of December 2014. The increase will be driven by the following factors:

declining oil price and the risk of declining revenue that it portends for the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN), the decision of the CBN to tighten monetary policy, electioneering spending to fuel inflation, possible increase in the inflation rate from December 2014 following devaluation of the foreign exchange rate and bank’s deposit mobilization drive for the end of year,” FSDH noted. They however stated that that, the recent quantitative easing (QE) measures of the European Central Bank (ECB) and the expansionary measures of the Peoples Bank of China (PBoC) may lead to additional inflows of investment funds to Nigeria in the form of Foreign PortfolioInvestments (FPIs) thus moderating yields. Analysts said fund managers may move funds to the longertenored fixed income securities while placement of funds with banks to earn attractive yields will be a good strategy.

FRICAN Capital Alliance (ACA) has acquired a major stake in SIM Capital Alliance Limited (SIMCAP), a mutual fund and portfolio manager that manages SIM Capital Alliance Value Fund. SIM Capital Alliance Value Fund is one of the high-priced stocks quoted on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE). ACA acquired the major stake through the buyout of Sanlam Investment Management’s (Sanlam) ownership interest in SIMCAP by African Capital Alliance Holdings Limited (ACAHL). ACAHL is a member of the ACA Group, a leading indigenous private equity group focused on investments in Nigeria and West Africa. The transaction, which has been approved by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), was as a result of Sanlam’s decision to streamline its hitherto multiple strategic interests in Nigeria and ACAHL’s desire to increase its commitment to the asset management business in Nigeria. The ACA Group has so far raised over $700 million for various investments. ACAHL was incorporated in 2007 and holds interests in real estate, hospitality and financial sectors. The Sanlam is a leading financial services group listed on the JSE Stock Exchange of South Africa and the Namibian Stock Exchange. Established in 1918 as a life insurance company, the South Africa-based Sanlam Group has transformed into a diversified financial services business. Through its four business clusters – Sanlam Personal Finance, Sanlam Emerging Markets, Sanlam Investments and Santam the Group provides comprehensive and tailored financial solutions to individual and institutional clients across all market segments. The group’s areas of expertise include insurance, financial planning, retirement, trusts, wills, short-term insurance, asset management, risk management and capital market activities, investment and wealth. The group operates in South Africa, Botswana, Swaziland, Malawi, Zambia, Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria, India, Malaysia and the United Kingdom and has business interests in the USA, Australia and the Philippines. It has a stake in leading global micro-insurance specialists, UK-based MicroEnsure Holdings Limited, which has a footprint across Africa and India servicing more than 10 million enrolled clients.

•From Left: Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Mr. Oscar Onyema; Third Position, Master Onmonya of Prince Dan from Mount Saint Gabriel' Secondary School, Makurdi, Benue State; Winner, 2014 NSE National Essay Competition, Miss Onuh Chiamaka of Sophie from Nikkyt High School, Aba, Abia State; Second Position, Miss Ejike Blessing of Mbilite from Beth Roots Model Secondary School, Onitsha, Anambra State; Executive Director, Corporate & Investment Banking, Access Bank Plc, Mr. Elias Igbinakenzua and Head, Corporate Sales, SIMS Nigeria at the 2014 NSE Essay Competition Award Ceremony in Lagos on Monday

UBA Capital chief wants more pension funds in equities

NCREASE in the rate of pension funds’ investments in the Nigerian stock market would create a win-win situation that would enhance long-term returns to pension funds and assist the development of the capital market. Group chief executive officer, UBA Capital, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Sanni, who stated this at the Capital Market Correspondent Association of Nigeria (CAMCAN) workshop in Lagos, noted that Pension Funds Administrators (PFAs) currently have limited exposure to equity market, which limit their long-term potential return and market growth. According to her, increased investments in the equity market by the PFAs will increase long term returns to contributors and

encourage the Initial Public Offering (IPO) market as there will be an increased absorption capacity and improved liquidity. She said that low financial literacy and low financial inclusion are hindrances to the growth of the capital market noting that lack of diversification options has continued to militate against the market as few products are available and financial sector still dominates the trading activities also affects the growth of the market. She pointed out that the upcoming general elections and decline in oil price were responsible for the downtrend at the stock market as some international and local investors have withdrawn their investments in anticipation of the outcome of the election.”

Sanni noted that the drop in oil price and perceived policy inadequacies also affected the international investors’ confidence adding that relatively low daily traded values and low turnover velocity are still a hindrance to large investors. She added that the Nigerian economy is greatly exposed to geopolitical, geo- economic and currency risk which is forcing foreigners to withdraw from investing, stressing that the insecurity in the country is also a challenge to the Nigerian capital market recovery. She outlined that there must be a synergy among the regulators in the financial sector in order to ensure seamless growth of the financial markets. According to her, there must be a

synergy among the different arms of financial markets and industry regulators to avoid another crash of the nation’s capital market. She outlined that the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Nigerian Stock Exchange(NSE), the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)and Pension Commission(PenCom) should work together for market development and sustainability. She pointed out that the regulatory synergy was imperative for sustained market development and prevention of regulatory lapses experienced in the past. She added that there is the need for development of world-class infrastructure and introduction of risk management system by all market operators to ensure stable capital market growth and development.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2014

Taxation Taxpayers Registration, Assessment and Collection with Standard Integrated Government Tax Administration System (SIGTAS)

TANDARD Integrated Government Tax Administration System (SIGTAS) which was created in Canada by CRC Sogema is in place in over 20 countries around the world with implementation currently underway in several other countries. It was ccustomized to reflect Nigeria tax legislation and it replaces the current Web portal systemused for all taxpayers and all tax types in Nigeria. All taxpayers will be registered in SIGTAS. In SIGTAS, a taxpayer can be an individual, a small business, or a legal entity, such as a partnership or a large incorporated company. Also, small businesses (unincorporated) are registered under their owners. These businesses are called “Individual Enterprises.”For incorporated businesses, details of directors/partners are recorded. These are recognized in SIGTAS as “Non-Individual Enterprises”.

documents such as Financial Statements can also be registered on the taxpayer’s file.

Transfer of Taxpayers to SIGTAS With the launching of SIGTAS, data from Webportal will be converted into SIGTAS, and a new Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) will be automatically assigned to each taxpayer .Tax balances will also be transferred into SIGTAS. And a single and unique TIN will be issued to cover all taxpayer’s affairs.

Assessment Issued • After verification of the data capture, the assessment is calculated and printed. • Assessments are then sent to taxpayers • If there is any discrepancy, assessments are based on SIGTAS’ calculations, not the taxpayer’s. • The assessment shows the taxpayer’s name, TIN, tax type, tax period, summary information from the lines of the remittance, the amount of tax payable and the due date. It also bears a unique document number.

Registration and account setup for New Taxpayers on SIGTAS • The taxpayer submits a completed registration form to JTB/FIRS. • The form is verified and its data captured into SIGTAS • The TIN request process ensures that conditions are met for the issuance of the new TIN. • A single and unique TIN is issued to cover all taxpayer’s affairs. • All required tax accounts are connected to a taxpayer’s single and unique TIN. Tax accounts include: Value added Tax (VAT), Company Income Tax (CIT), Withholding Tax (WHT), Petroleum Profit Tax (PPT) etc. In SIGTAS, all the different tax types are configured with the appropriate rules which apply to them, such as schedule, tax period, formulae for assessment calculations, penalties, etc. Tax Return Submission • Taxpayer submits tax return according to schedule for particular tax type. • Tax return is registered into SIGTAS with unique document number. • For certain tax types, supporting

Tax Return Data Captured • If the tax return form (remittance) has been fully filled out, data from each line is captured into SIGTAS. • As data is captured, SIGTAS displays the correct values for calculated fields, in addition to whatever the taxpayer has submitted (using two columns).Line 3: 2,000 2,000 Line 4: 500 1,000 For example, Line 3 is a declared value and Line 4 is a calculated value (50% of Line 3). Although the taxpayer has recorded this on his return as N500, SIGTAS applies the configured formula for the assessment calculation for this tax type, and corrects the figure to N1000 for the purpose of the assessment.

Payment • The taxpayer presents the assessment document to the Bank cashier, along with a cheque or cash payment. • The unique document number identifies the taxpayer, tax type, tax period, amount due and due date when it is captured into SIGTAS. Overdue Payments • If the payment is not received by the due date, the account is included in a report for collection action, and a reminder notice is generated automatically and sent to the taxpayer. • Again, the reminder bears a unique document number, so that it too can be used for payment purposes. • After double-checking to ensure this information matches what is on the document, the cashier accepts the payment and posts it to the account, issuing the taxpayer with a receipt generated from SIGTAS. Payments can only be made when associated with a SIGTAS-generated

• Acting Executive Chairman, FIRS, Alhaji Kabir Mohammed Mashi

document – if the assessment notice itself is not available, another payment document can be printed from SIGTAS for this purpose. Audit • The progress and result of an audit are recorded in SIGTAS. If a discrepancy is identified, a reassessment can be generated from SIGTAS based on the new figures. • The reassessment notice bears a unique document number, so that it can be used as a payment document by taxpayers. Collection • Tax debts remaining unpaid after a final notice has been issued can be handled by SIGTAS, through which cases are managed and tracked For cases eventually referred to Tax Investigation, the SIGTAS Tax Account and the Collection history can together contribute to the background material required for litigation. Objection • A taxpayer who disagrees with an assessment (either the original assessment, or a reassessment generated as the result of an audit), may lodge an objection. • The objection is registered and then processed in SIGTAS. All requests and information about ITAS implementation should be forwarded to : Itas.changemanagement@firs.gov.ng

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2014

SMALL BUSINESS AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Essiet_daniel@yahoo.com 08180714151

Getting a business off the ground is no doubt, a herculean task, especially in Nigeria where a prospective entrepreneur is faced with many challenges posed by the harsh operating environment. However, in a rare show of raw determination, a crop of budding entrepreneurs are showing the way on how to succeed by turning challenges to opportunities, DANIEL ESSIET reports.

Secrets of entrepreneurs bracing the odds to succeed

HEN he floated DealDey.com, an upscale online retail outlet, in March 2011, nobody gave Sim Shagaya, a budding entrepreneur, a chance. Many people thought he was out on an economic suicide perhaps, because of the perceived low level of awareness of Nigerians in online shopping. But Shagaya, a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) holder from Harvard Business School, was never deterred. He was determined to succeed where others failed. And he did. Today, he is the proud owner of one of Nigeria’s most successful online retail outlets. DealDey.com. a child of his resourceful brain is a daily deals website, loosely based on the Groupon model that offers products at highly discounted rates. The firm provides a good platform for companies to clear their inventories. Its success, three years down the line, clearly confirms that there is a market for online shopping in Nigeria. The firm today caters for the shopping needs of mostly wellheeled Nigerians who form his huge clientele. Since then, the astute entrepreneur has never looked back. Apparently encouraged by the instant success of DealDey.com, Shagaya, the following year, 2012 to be precise, also threw his hat in another online shopping business ring. This time, it was Konga.com. The firm, which sells everything from books to fridges and mobile phones, has also emerged a thriving online platform competing favourably with some of the best in the world. Konga.com’s top selling products are home appliances, electronics, clothing and apparel. Already, Shagaya, a Nigerian educated in the United States, has holds the record for establishing one of most successful and thriving start-ups in the country. He is widely regarded as one of the hottest innovators. The way he successfully waded through the many challenges in the business environment has become a study in determination and, industry, and innovation. At a forum last week, organised by Co-Creation Hub Nigeria (CcHUB) to help young job seekers turn into job creators, Shagaya was the toast of young entrepreneurs who were eager to learn a few tricks on running a successful business. At the event attended by founder, Iroko TV, Jason Njoku; Co founder,

•Adewumi

•Shagaya

•Oviosu

•Njoku

Jobberman, Dr Deji Adewumni and Chief Executive, PAGA, Tayo Oviosu, Shagaya credited much of his success to the team he raised to run the online shopping business. According to him, one does not need to do everything himself. Rather, he delegates some aspects of the jobs to other people. He said his achievement so far, are partly hinged on his ability to assemble a formidable team of professionals who are ready to try new things they had never done before. According to Shagaya, his success comes from his tenacity, dedication and passion for what he is doing. He informed the participants that these traits keep entrepreneurs going through the long-working hours that are needed to start a business and run it successfully. He

advised young and aspiring entrepreneurs to do things that they feel strongly passionate about. He also entrepreneur could focus on the lessons and takeaways from failed businesses so as to lower the risk of failure in their new ventures. However, Shagaya is not the only entrepreneur that is making waves across the country. Co founder, Jobberman, Dr Deji Adewumni, is also on the top rung of the ladder of successful homegrown entrepreneur. He said the idea of starting Jobberman, a job site, came while studying medicine in Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State. They were three founders, namely Opeyemi Awoyemi, 24; Olalekan Olude, 28; and Adewunmi, 28.They harnessed

their ideas and skills to bring the Jobberman dream into reality. They met as undergraduates and sustained a friendship in school, which has evolved into a profitable business relationship. While Opeyemi and Olalekan studied Computer Engineering, Ayodeji studied Medicine. The Doctor says he is “passionate about building, monetising and engaging online content, users and platforms. However, Jobberman’s success has been soaring. Launched in August 2009, the firm caters for fresh graduates, mid-career opportunities, and top executive positions. Trading as Jobberman.com, the firm has a team of 40 with over 500 advertisers and affiliations with other companies. At every point, the site has an average of 1,000 job openings and up to 200,000 unique visits monthly. But aside from advertising for vacancies, Jobberman has a unique approach to helping people get their dream jobs by asking them to submit their Curriculum Vitae (CVs) to link them up with prospective employers. According to Adewunmi, access to people and relationships is a fundamental element to any successful business. With the right relationships, he said one can become far more resourceful and able to concentrate on aspects of the business that favour his skill set. Although Jobberman is still young, Adewunmi believes that his entrepreneurial success comes from looking to solve a problem. He suggested that others do same. According to him, entrepreneurs who are successful also faced problems when they first started. He explained that entrepreneurship is a process that someone faces and has to go through – from a small to a higher stage – without losing hope. While advising young entrepreneurs to watch the costs and ensure they don’t overspend, he stressed that channeling youths towards entrepreneurship is essential to opening new pathways to youth employment. He also pointed out that venture capital funding is a great tool for entrepreneurs, but that its implications are often not fully understood. Similarly, the Chief Executive, PAGA, Tayo Oviosu, has also emerged one of Nigeria’s formidable entrepreneurs, having set up PAGA, a payment solutions firm. He said he decided to go into the

payment solutions business following a successful career in venture capital. According to him, he founded PAGA after realizing that Nigeria, despite having mobile phones, do not have much access to financial services besides the banking industry and the sale of mobile top-up vouchers. He said it was an idea, which proved to be more beneficial than the risk of not stepping out at all to follow his instincts that the mobile phone could be a major channel for financial transactions. This, he said, was despite warnings by friends not to venture into such uncharted territories. Today, Oviosu considers himself lucky to have refused to heed the warnings of his friends. Since inception, the company has seen revenues growing yearly, with a string of local and international awards as rewards for his sterling achievements Like others, Oviosu admits that it has not been a smooth jolly ride, as the business is fraught with challenges. He was however, quick to point out that despite the unfriendly business terrain, there are endless possibilities and opportunities for young entrepreneurs. “Follow your instincts,” he advised. The success story of Chief Executive Officer of iROKOtv, Mr. Jason Njoku, is no less inspiring. The firm, which started about three years ago as a Nollywood content aggregator on a YouTube channel, today has a Venture Capital (VC)backed dedicated VOD platform, watched in 178 countries, with one million unique visitors monthly. Njoku says the capital raised by iROKOtv has been used to acquire content, expand the London-based tech team, develop mobile websites and applications and open offices in London, New York and Johannesburg, alongside the company’s Lagos headquarters. iROKOtv, The Nation learnt, holds the world’s largest online catalogue of African content, with over 5,000 movies. Currently, 50 per cent of iROKOtv’s audience is located in the UK and US alone, but with the continent coming online, the demand for homegrown multiplatform video content is rising. Encouraged by his success, he advised entrepreneurs to prepare for a long haul. According to him, they need resilience, drive, and determination in the face of constant setbacks.

Govt urged to promote tax incentives for SMEs

HE Federal Government has been urged to promote tax incentives for small investors seeking to explore business opportunities. Addressing the ‘National Small Business Week’ organised by the Association of Small Business Owners of Nigeria (ASBON) in Sango Ota, Ogun State, the Chairman, Accers Accounting Education and Research Services, Mrs Morenike Babington-Ashaye, said small businesses are the backbone of growth and employment and so needs government’s continued support to grow. Mrs Babington-Ashaye, a former Chairman, Ogun State Internal Revenue Services, noted that the entrepreneurs need access to affordable capital and policies that do not hurt their ability to grow and create jobs. According to her, small busi-

nesses face a lot of challenges that weigh on them more heavily than their big counterparts. She said small business owners, who are already putting in long hours to keep their businesses afloat, find themselves with the additional burden of ensuring that their businesses are compliant with various taxes and regulations. To this end, she urged the gov-

HE Youth Enterprise Exhibition (YEEx) is organising an event on Saturday, December 20 at the Lagos Chambers of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) Conference and Exhibition Centre, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos. According to its founder, Mr. Tayo Adedugbe, the exhibition will be held in collaboration

ernment to review taxes and regulations to analyse the impact of regulations on small businesses, adding that if small businesses are less burdened by government rules and taxes, they will be in a better position to grow the local economies and create jobs. While access to capital and tax relief remains important, Mrs Ashaye called for support resources to help

them to weather tough times. A former commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Ogun State, Chief Jide Ojuko, called for support for youths to get involved in small businesses and entrepreneurship – all of which will help create jobs. He said small businesses as the engine of job creation and that youths need help to access capital, resources

and opportunities to grow and create jobs. The President of ASBON, Dr Femi Egbesola, said the association proclaimed the Small Business Week to recognise the role of small businesses, which employ a lot of Nigerians, produce a substantial portion of the yearly economic output, and contribute to the stability and vibrancy of countless communities.

Group holds exhibition with YouWin Programme, Enterprise Development Centre of the Pan Atlantic University, and Federal Institute of Industrial Research, (FIIRO), Oshodi. This year’s edition, tagged ‘YEEx For Women, he said, “is for female entrepreneurs who are either just starting out or have been

running their businesses for a while. He said women were free to attend the event. The First Lady of Lagos State, Dame Abimbola Fashola, will be the Special Guest of Honour, while Director General, FIIRO, Dr. Mrs. Gloria Elemo, and Lagos State Commissioner for Commerce and

Industry, Mrs. Olushola Oworu,are expected to grace the event. The statement said exhibitors also have the opportunity to launch new products and services, meet with financial institutions, investors and venture capitalists for possible equity investment.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2014

BUSINESS INTERNATIONAL Glo showers subscribers with freebies in promos

LOBACOM, Nigeria’s telecommunications carrier, is empowering subscribers with 200 percent airtime and data bonus as well as N120 million cash prizes in one of two promos, Glo Overload and Glo Allawee. The second promo, Allawee gives every new subscriber N18,000 free airtime over a period of one year. The two offers are part of a number of promos being unveiled by the company to excite its customers and reward them for choosing the company. Under Glo Overload promo, subscribers are guaranteed 200 percent bonus airtime automatically for every airtime recharge of N200 denomination and above. For instance, a subscriber who recharges with N200 will automatically get N600 airtime; a N500 recharge will give the subscriber N1,500 airtime; a N1,000 recharge will give N3,000 airtime to the subscriber; N2,000 recharge will give N6,000 airtime and N5,000 recharge will give the subscriber a whopping N15,000 airtime. Subscrib-

ers are to dial *200# to signify interest in receiving the Overload bonus and subsequently get the bonus as many times as they recharge their airtime. Additionally, Glo Overload gives subscribers 200 percent bonus data for new data plan or renewal from N2000 and above. Consequently, subscribers get 2GB of data for N2,000 worth of data they buy, 4.5GB for N3,000 data plan, 12GB for N5,000 data plan and 24GB for N8,000 worth of data plan they purchase. Also, Glo subscribers stand a chance to become 100 times richer in cash every time they recharge with N200 and above or buy data bundles of N2,000 and above. The winners will emerge through lucky draws to be done electronically throughout the duration of the promo. For instance, a subscriber who recharges with N5000 airtime or data bundle stands a chance to win N500,000 cash every time he or she recharges with that denomination.

‘Japan’s Q3 recession deeper’

APAN’S economy shrank more than initially estimated in the third quarter of this year, according to revised gross domestic product (GDP) figures. The economy contracted by 1.9 per cent in annual terms from July to September, well above a preliminary reading of 1.6 per cent. It also shrank 0.5 per cent on a quarterly basis, compared with an initial estimate of 0.4 per cent, data showed. A big fall in business spending plunged the economy into a deeper recession. The revised figures, which come just days before Japan’s national elections, showed that business spending dipped by 0.4 per cent

from the previous quarter, instead of the 0.2 per cent estimated in the preliminary reading. The world’s third largest economy unexpectedly fell into a technical recession after shrinking for the second consecutive quarter in July to September. It had contracted 7.3 per cent in the second quarter, which was the biggest fall since the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami. An increase in the country’s sales tax, which was first raised in April from five per cent to eight per cent, had hit growth in the second quarter and still appeared to be having an impact on the economy. The dire data had led Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to call a widely-an-

ticipated snap election last month, to seek a mandate to delay an increase in the tax to 10 per cent, scheduled for next year. The tax increase was legislated by the previous government in 2012 to curb Japan’s huge public debt, which is the highest among developed nations. Adding to the downbeat data, a Reuters poll on Monday showed that confidence among Japanese manufacturers fell in December and is expected to deteriorate further. The Reuters Tankan sentiment index for manufacturers fell to 10 in December from 13 in November, with automakers taking a hit. Manufacturers expect a further decline to 7 in March.

4,000 benefits from affordable housing projects

AFARGE Nigeria Plc has said 4, 000 Nigerians has so far benefited from its affordable housing scheme project. The scheme tagged “Ile Irorun” was initiated by Lafarge Nigeria in response to the challenges of urbanization in the most populous country in Africa, with a housing gap estimated at about 16 million units. Speaking to journalists at the Totally Concrete West Africa held in Lagos, the general manager, Industrial Performance, Lafarge Nigeria, Mr. Lanre Opakunle said that 4,000 Nigerians has benefited from the scheme, saying that this is a major step towards the realisation of Lafarge’s ambition to help build better cities in Nigeria. He stated further, “Lafarge’s commitment to building better cities is unwavering hence we initiated this project to help provide access to

affordable housing for Nigerians”. According to Opakunle, with the development of the real estate, the mortgage system is beginning to come up that is the way we can have a good growth in cement consumption, in Nigeria 70 per cent of cement consumption is for individual homes builders with 17 million housing deficiency. He added that the company has been working with LAPO Microfinance Bank, saying “We provided the professional expertise and LAPO provides the finance as this would bring a sustainable solutions to the needs of local population in terms of housing.” He urged the government have the building code pass and to ensure description from the manufacturing cement on each products.

WISCAR inducts new members

N its bid to continually mentor and develop young career women, Women In Successful Careers (WISCAR) a not-for -profit organization graduated its fifth stream of successful mentees and inducted new members. With Pioneering Women: Initiating, Leading and Succeeding as its theme, it was held in, Lagos. In attendance were wife to Lagos State Governor, Mrs. Abimbola Fashola, Patrick Utomi, Ambassador A.I Atta, Yemisi Ransome Kuti, Joke Silva amongst others. Dr. (Mrs) Oby Ezekwesili, former vice president of the World Bank and Minister of Education and Minerals delivered a keynote speech titled “Towards an Equitable and Just Society: The Role of Empathy in Economic Development of Nigeria”. She pointed out that for any society to develop, there has to be equal op-

portunity for everyone. As a contribution to the WISCAR legacy, the graduating mentees presented a coffee table book titled Briefcases and Blenders: Every woman’s guide to success in career and life. The first lady of Lagos State, Mrs. Abimbola Fashola supported in launching the book. Speaking at the ceremony, the founder WISCAR, Mrs. Amina Oyagbola, who is also the Human Resources Executive of MTN recognized and celebrated the late Mrs. Ameyo Adadevoh as a woman for all seasons, a National Hero and a WISCAR. A woman whose impact on our lives is more marked by what is because she was here than the horror that could have been but for her heroic actions.

Uber booking service banned in Delhi

UTHORITIES in the Indian capital, Delhi, have banned international taxi-booking service Uber after a driver allegedly raped a female passenger. A transport department official said the company had been “blacklisted” for “misleading customers”. The 26-year-old woman used the smartphone app to take a taxi home on Friday but says she was taken to a secluded area and raped. The driver has been remanded in custody for three days. He was arrested on Sunday and appeared in court on Monday afternoon. Some who had gathered outside the court tried to attack him as he was brought out, but police rushed

him to a waiting van and took him away. Police say will charge him with raping the finance company employee on Friday night when she used the taxi to take her home from a restaurant. Uber, which is growing in popularity in India, has been accused of failing to conduct adequate checks on its drivers. “(The) Transport Department has banned all activities relating to providing any transport service by the www.Uber.com with immediate effect,” news agency AFP reported, quoting from a government statement. The ban means any Uber taxi in Delhi will now attract a fine or even be impounded, officials say.

• From left: Director, Brands & Communications, Enitan Denloye; Chief Executive Officer, Matthew Willsher, Etisalat Nigeria and CEO, MainOne, Ms. Funke Opeke during the media reception for winners of the Etisalat Pan-African Prize for Innovation in Lagos.

Merck to take on superbugs with Cubist Pharma buy M ERCK & Co Inc (MRK.N) said it would buy Cubist Pharmaceuticals Inc (CBST.O) for $8.4 billion plus assumption of debt, giving the major drugmaker an entry into the market for drugs that combat socalled superbugs. The deal is the latest sign that large pharmaceutical companies are turning their attention back to antibiotics after decades of low investment. The spread of superbugs that evade even the most powerful antibiotics threatens modern medicine, the World Health Organization said in April, warning of “a post-antibiotic era” in which common infections were killers once again. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated last year that more than 2 million people in the United States are sickened every year by superbug infections, with at least 23,000 dying as a result. Merck said on Monday that the deal, which will give it access to Cubist’s antibiotic Cubicin, is ex-

pected to add more than $1 billion to revenue next year after closing in the first quarter, but will be neutral to non-GAAP earnings per share until 2016. Cubist’s third-quarter sales rose 16 percent, driven by strong sales of Cubicin. The company’s lead drug in development, eftolozane/Tazobactam, is widely expected to win marketing approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration later this month as a treatment for complicated urinary tract infections. Merck will pay $102 per share for Cubist, a premium of 37 percent to the Lexington, Massachussettsbased company’s closing share price of $74.36. The deal includes assumption of $1.1 billion in debt. “Cubist is a global leader in antibiotics and has built a strong portfolio of both marketed and latestage pipeline medicines,” Merck CEO Kenneth Frazier said in a statement.

“Combining this expertise with Merck’s strong capabilities and global reach will enable us to create a stronger position in hospital acute care while addressing critical areas of unmet medical need, such as antibiotic resistance.” Merck has said it is focusing on acute care within hospitals - considered a hotbed for superbug infections such as bacterial pneumonia - as a top priority. Many drugmakers have cut investment in the past because antibiotics are typically low-priced and used for only short periods, generating poor returns. That has fueled demands for a rethink of the antibiotic market model. It has also left Cubist as a leading investor in the field, with an annual research budget for antibiotics of $400 million. More recently, however, there have been signs of a revival, with Roche Holding AG (ROG.VX), GlaxoSmithKline Plc (GSK.L) and Sanofi SA (SASY.PA) all investing in new approaches to fight superbugs.

China trade data below expectations

RADE data from the world’s second largest economy, China, came in well below expectations on Monday, heightening fears of a sharper slowdown. China’s exports rose 4.7% in November from a year ago, compared to market forecasts of a 8.2% jump. Imports fell 6.7% in the same period against predictions of a 3.9% rise. The surprise slump in imports led the trade surplus to hit a record $54.5bn (£35bn), the highest in 14 years. While the trade surplus, which is up 61% compared to last year, will

add to economic growth in the fourth quarter, it does suggest the government needs to step in to stimulate growth, said Dariusz Kowalczyk, economist at Credit Agricole. “[Imports fall] is partly a reflection of lower commodity prices and base effects, but these two factors cannot fully explain the weak import number and we have to assume that poor domestic demand has played a part,” he said. “We expect a reserve requirement ratio cut in December, introduction of reverse repos this week, and another rate cut in the first

quarter.” In October, exports grew by 11.6%, while imports were higher at 4.6%. China’s economic growth had slowed to 7.3% in the third quarter, marking its weakest quarter since the global financial crisis as a cooling property market and tighter credit conditions weighed on growth. Economists had been calling for stimulus measures from the government and the central bank did unexpectedly cut interest rates for the first time in over two years last month to spur activity.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2014

SPECIAL REPORT

How sabotage, blackmail, undue delays are killing the Judiciary (1) The courts are supposed to be where justice is dispensed. But, with trials taking ages before they are concluded, the so-called ‘long-arm of the law’ appears to have been amputated. Relative to Nigeria’s population, the number of convicts per capita is extremely low. JOSEPH JIBUEZE discovers that sabotage, blackmail, corruption and undue delays are behind the snail speed of the justice system

T has a beginning. It has an end too. But the end usually takes longer than expected. It takes so long that many believe it actually has only a beginning and no end. This is the story of Nigeria’s criminal justice system where criminal trials last endlessly. The result is that impunity reigns supreme. Shockingly, most times the pattern is the same: undue delays in trials, sabotage by state officials and blackmail of judicial officials by accused persons. A new dimension in the art of delaying criminal cases was witnessed in Ekiti State prior to the swearing in of Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose. Continued on page 44

•Justice Atilade

•Justice Falana

•Adoke

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2014

SPECIAL REPORT

How sabotage, blackmail, undue precedent had been set. All the corrupt need to do is to sanction the disruption of a criminal trial by sending thugs to beat up judges and force a shut-down of the “helpless” judiciary.

The case of the ex-bank chiefs Unlike the Ekiti sage, the trials of ex-bank chiefs have witnessed more civil means of prolonging adjudication. In mid August 2009, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) “hammer” fell on five bank chief executives, namely Sebastin Adigwe (Afribank), Okey Nwosu (Finbank), Erastus Akingbola (Intercontinental Bank), Cecilia Ibru (Oceanic Bank) and Bath Ebong (Union Bank). The CBN governor at the time, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, said they were sacked due to the banks’ high level of non-performing loans and nonadherence to best practices in risk management. The five banks were subsequently rescued in a N400billion government bail-out as they were found to have low cash reserves because of bad loans and corrupt practices. Three weeks after their sack, the sensational trial of the bank chiefs began. The news media celebrated their arraignment. Before their court appearance, journalists kept vigil at the Lagos office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), giving updates on their interrogation by the commission. Reports of their arraignment were the leading stories in every media outlet. However, five years after their arraignment, the cases are still pending in court with no end in sight. The EFCC arraigned four of the bank chiefs at the Federal High Court in Lagos on charges of fraud, concealment and grant of loans without adequate collateral running into about N625billion. Akingbola, who was initially at large, later returned and was arraigned. Of the five bank chiefs, only the case against Ibru has been concluded – after she pleaded guilty in a plea bargain. On October 8, 2010, the court sentenced her to 18 months imprisonment for mismanaging depositors’ funds and granting credit facilities worth $20million and N2billion far above CBN’s approved limit. The jail term ran concurrently, so Ibru spent about six months in ‘prison’. She was allowed to continue with her treatment at a highbrow Reddington Hospital in Victoria Island after her sentence. Ibru forfeited assets worth N191billion comprising 94 choice properties in the United States and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. She also gave up shares in about 80 listed companies on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) and in 20 unlisted companies. She was ordered to reimburse N1.29billion.

The Akingbola case What many see as a deliberate ploy to delay trial through loopholes in the system has delayed judgment in Akingbola’s trial, for instance. While the case at Federal High Court was pending, the EFCC charged Akingbola and the others at the Lagos State High Court, Ikeja, with theft of depositors’ funds. On May 31, 2011, Akingbola and an associate Bayo Dada were arraigned before Justice Habib Abiru on a 22-count charge bordering on conspiracy and alleged stealing of N47.1 billion belonging to the bank. After much delay, caused by preliminary objections and application for stay of proceedings, which were all dismissed, trial began. Witnesses

testified. There was excitement that for once, a high profile criminal case was about to be concluded quickly. But there were twists. The defence counsel, which initially included three Senior Advocates of Nigeria, Messrs Felix Fagbohungbe, Deji Sasegbon, and Rickey Tarfa, tried to stop the arraignment. Even after the EFCC filed the charges, the matter suffered three adjournments before the arraignment took place. It did not hold when the accused were first produced in court on May 10, 2011 because the EFCC, which held the defendants in custody, did not bring them to court early enough. There were two further adjournments on May 16 and May 23, 2011, due to a motion by the defence challenging the court’s jurisdiction to entertain the charges. The objection was on the basis that it was the Lagos State Attorney-General and not Attorney-General of the Federation through the EFCC that ought to file the charges. Justice Abiru, in a ruling on May 31, 2011, dismissed the application and ordered that Akingbola be arraigned. After he pleaded not guilty, the judge adjourned for trial and fixed three initial dates – July 20, 26 and 27, 2011. As the EFCC sought to open its case, the defence sought a stay of proceedings pending the determination of their appeal against his May 31 ruling. Justice Abiru dismissed it and held that Section 277 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Laws of Lagos State and Section 40 of the EFCC Act did not give room for stopping a trial in criminal proceedings before the delivery of judgment. The defence then sought adjournments on the ground was that the prosecution counsel, Mr. Emmanuel Ukala (SAN), served them a counteraffidavit to their pending motions late. They also sought an adjournment because the court was on vacation; therefore, the judge lacked jurisdiction to entertain the case. Besides, they said they had two applications, one which sought an adjournment pending the hearing and final determination of their appeal before the Court of Appeal and the other which sought to quash the charges. Justice Abiru heard the applications in October 2011 and struck them out for lacking merit. After these delays, EFCC called its first witness, Intercontinental Bank’s Chief Inspector Abdulraheem Jimoh, who testified that he led the bank’s investigation on five transactions by Akingbola involving £8.5million, £1.3million, N10billion, N2.5billion and N8.6billion. Jimoh alleged that Akingbola’s transfer of N2.1billion from the bank breached a number of banking procedures. The trial continued till April 15, 2012 when the EFCC closed its case with the testimony of its operative and second witness, Nkechi Ibekaku. Rather than open their defence, the defendants filed an application for a no-case submission (in which a defendant seeks acquittal without having to present a defence). It was adjourned for EFCC to file its counter-affidavit. After it was argued, it was adjourned for ruling. Justice Abiru, on May 30, 2012, dismissed the no-case answer. Eventually, the defence called four witnesses, including Akingbola and Dada, who denied all the allegations by the EFCC. Akingbola, who was the last defence witness to testify, denied allegations of theft against him, describing them as

“false, incorrect and malicious”. On September 11, 2012, Fagbohungbe accused the judge of bias. His grouse was that the judge overruled his request for an adjournment to continue leading Dada in evidence on another day. Fagbohungbe said he wanted an adjournment to carry out investigation on “certain things”. He also complained that the judge was not writing down part of Dada’s testimonies. But the judge said the request for an adjournment was unnecessary. On October 22, 2012, the defence team sought an adjournment because they were unable to produce a witness they had promised to bring. Justice Abiru refused the prayer, and ordered defence to close their case. The judge said his order followed an undertaking by Fagbohungbe that the defence’s case would be closed if the witness was not produced in court that day. Justice Abiru then adjourned till November 15, 2012, for adoption of final written addresses by parties. A date for judgment would have been fixed that day, but it never happened. Instead, the unexpected happened. It was announced on November 2, 2012 that Justice Abiru had been elevated to the Court of Appeal. In effect, the case, which was almost concluded, would start de novo (all over again) before another judge. The Supreme Court’s decision on the case of Ogbunyiya vs Okudo (1979) All NLR 105 is often cited as the reason why a case cannot continue before a judge who has been elevated to the appellate court.

More twists Akingbola and Dada were re-arraigned before Justice Adeniyi Onigbanjo on February 26, last year. Again, EFCC went through the process of recalling its witnesses. When it closed its case, Akingbola again made a no-case submission. On July 15, 2013, Justice Onigbanjo dismissed the no-case application, holding that it lacked merit and that a prima facie case was established against the accused. He directed Akingbola to open his defence.

(Continued from page 43) Fayose was under trial for allegations of financial misappropriation during his first term as governor between 2003 and 2006 when he was removed from office through an impeachment. Contrary to reports, EFCC said it had not dropped the charges against Fayose, who won the June 21 governorship election. Prior to the swearing-in, a group, E-11, and others challenged Fayose’s eligibility to contest the election. In a determined bid to stop the case from being heard, all hell was let loose. Judges, lawyers, court officials, and journalists felt the brutality of thugs. The first attack occurred on September 22. Thugs allegedly loyal to Fayose invaded the Ekiti State judiciary headquarters where Justice Isaac Ogunyemi was to deliver a ruling on the case. The thugs beat workers black and blue while the presiding judge and lawyers had to run for dear lives. They smashed windows and furniture. In the words of the Chief Judge, Justice Ayodeji Daramola, “the policemen and other law enforcement agents deployed within and without the premises in large numbers were looking on completely uninterested and unconcerned while these thugs were on the prowl beating and maiming workers and court users.” On September 25, thugs invaded the High Court premises, beating judicial officers. Justice Daramola recalls: “The thugs invaded my court where I was to deliver a judgment in a land matter, tore the Record Books, beat the court officials and vandalised the furniture in Court No. 1. The political thugs descended on Hon. Justice J. A. Adeyeye the presiding Judge in Court No. 3, beat and dragged him on the ground. “The judge’s suit was also torn into shreds. I could not gain entrance into the premises of the court and had to hurriedly turn back on being alerted that I was the prime target of the hooligans.” Consequently, the Chief Judge ordered the closure of the court until the safety of judges, magistrates and staff could be guaranteed by the law enforcement agents. Unconfirmed sources said the Presidency directed the military and the police to ensure that the courts remain sealed until after Fayose’s inauguration as governor on October 16. Soldiers and policemen barricaded the court premises as from October 7, turning back judges, lawyers and litigants on the basis of an alleged “bomb” threat. The siege moved from courts in the state capital to all others within the state, including customary courts. On October 13, the NJC directed Justice Daramola to make a formal announcement to reopen the courts. He did on October 14, after two weeks of forced closure, even as workers stayed off. Two days later, Justice Daramola swore in Fayose as governor. There was outrage over the attacks. The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), human rights groups, retired judges, senior advocates of Nigeria (SANs) were unanimous in their condemnation of the action. There are fears that a horrible

The thugs invaded my court where I was to deliver a judgment in a land matter, tore the Record Books, beat the court officials and vandalised the furniture in Court No. 1. The political thugs descended on Hon. Justice J. A. Adeyeye the presiding Judge in Court No. 3, beat and dragged him on the ground

But there was a further twist in the tale. The judge was redeployed from the court’s criminal division to the commercial division. This development again cancelled previous proceedings in the case. The trial would begin de novo once again. The Chief Judge, Justice Ayotunde Philips (now retired) re-assigned the case to Justice Lateef Lawal-Akapo. Akingbola was billed to be re-arraigned on December 9, last year. Curiously, the court’s registrars ‘erroneously’ failed to include Akingbola’s case in the list of matters for the day. This led to a further adjournment till March 24 this year. The rearraignment never held. Akingbola, through his new lawyer, former Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) president Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), challenged Justice Lawal-Akapo’s jurisdiction to hear the case. The defence counsel also sought to quash the charges on the basis that they related to banking and capital market issues which he said were within the Federal High Court’s jurisdiction. On May 2, Justice Lawal-Akapo dismissed the objections for lacking in merit and assumed jurisdiction in the case. On June 23, Olanipekun

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2014

SPECIAL REPORT

delays are killing the judiciary (1) yet to be rendered in his case, and the last may have been heard of it.

The unique case of an ex-governor

•Jonathan congratulating Justice Mahmud

In my 17 years on the bench, six years as a magistrate and 11 years as a judge, I have never been confronted with a scandalous challenge of my integrity. In the prevailing circumstances, I do find it difficult to continue this case

prayed the court to stay proceedings in the trial until an interlocutory appeal against the May 2 ruling is determined at the Court of Appeal. The appellate court, after hearing the case on October 16, reserved ruling on the interlocutory appeal. As at the time of filing this report, judgment has not been delivered, and there is no end in sight.

The Abacha case

The Federal Government charged Mohammed, son of the late Head of State Gen Sani Abacha at the Federal Capital Territory High Court with receiving receiving money stolen from the government’s coffers by his late father between 1995 and 1998 The defendant sought to quash his trial on the ground that the immunity his father enjoyed while in office extended to the acts which constituted the offence for which he (the son) was charged. It took over 10 years for the Supreme Court to rule on the interlocutory appeal, numbered SC.40/ 2006. The case was to resume at the lower court, but it never did. On June 18, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN) withdrew the N446.3billion theft charge instituted against

Abacha. Adoke asked Justice Mamman Kolo to strike out the charges on the grounds of “fresh facts” that emerged concerning the case. In the nine-count charge, Abacha was accused of “dishonestly receiving stolen property” and was said to have “voluntarily assisted in concealing the money.” Following withdrawal of the charges, Abacha is now a governorship aspirant in Kano State on the platform of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The Joshua Dariye trial

In September 2004, British authorities in London arrested then Plateau State Governor Joshua Dariye on allegations of money laundering and seized about £90,000 in cash from him. Dariye allegedly skipped bail and returned to Nigeria to resume office. In April 2007, an English court sentenced Dariye’s associate to three years in prison for laundering more than £1.4million of public funds found to have allegedly been stolen by the governor. When Dariye’s tenure expired, EFCC charged him with 14 counts of money laundering. Seven years later, the case is still pending. The EFCC’s frustrated effort to prosecute him is a perfect case study of the court’s ability to generate delays so extreme that they are almost a form of impunity. Soon after he was charged, the Federal High Court granted him bail, and his lawyers subsequently filed a motion asking that all of the charges against him be dismissed. When the motion was denied, Dariye appealed. The lower court halted proceedings until Dariye’s appeal could be heard. In June 2010, the Court of Appeal ruled against Dariye. As trial was to resume in January 2011, Dariye appealed to the Supreme Court, where cases last as long as five years or more. In April 2011 Dariye won election to the Senate. A final verdict is

In March 2007, then-Rivers State Governor Peter Odili obtained a remarkable Federal High Court injunction restraining the EFCC from investigating his tenure. Soon after he left office, he secured a “perpetual injunction” – widely condemned as a mockery of the judicial process – that permanently restrained EFCC from “arresting, detaining and arraigning Odili on the basis of his tenure as governor.” Justice Ibrahim Buba of the Federal High Court, who made the order, added that the EFCC had no power to “in any manner howsoever investigate the account or financial affairs of a state government.” In March 2008, “for the avoidance of doubt”, Justice Buba issued an order that the EFCC could not “arrest, detain, arraign and/or prosecute (Odili) on the basis of its alleged investigations into the affairs of Rivers State” during Odili’s tenure. The judge declared that the “purported findings” of the EFCC’s investigations were “invalid, unlawful, unconstitutional, null and void.” It remains unclear why EFCC has not contested the ruling. It was learnt that an EFCC official claimed that through some unexplained error, the commission was never even aware that the 2008 injunction had been issued until the time to appeal it had expired. “These professions of total ignorance are hard to fathom considering that this was one of the EFCC’s most important cases,” a source said. It was learnt that EFCC appealed Justice Buba’s 2007 ruling in October 2008, but it is unclear what stage the case is at. When our reporter enquired, an EFCC spokesman in Lagos directed him to the Head of Media, Wilson Uwujaren, who declined comments.

The Lawan/Farouk case

A former chairman, House of Representatives Ad Hoc Committee on Fuel Subsidy, Farouk Lawan and its Secretary Boniface Emenalo, were charged with collecting $620,000 as bribe from oil magnate Femi Otedola. It was in order to remove the name of his company from those indicted by the committee which probed monumental oil subsidy fraud and uncovered a defrauding of the country. They were arraigned on February 1, last year at the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Gudu, Abuja. There was an alleged video evidence of the bribery, in what the federal authorities claimed was a ‘sting operation’, which in the developed world would have made the trial fairly straightforward, so as to establish the culpability or innocence of the accused persons. But it never happened. Their trial started under Justice Mudasiru Oniyangi. As progress was being made, the judge, as in the Akingbola case, was elevated to the Court of Appeal. After the loss of several months, the case was re-assigned to a new judge, Justice Adebukola Banjoko on June 11. On November 18, Justice Banjoko surprised a packed courtroom when she announced that she was withdrawing from the trial and would no longer adjudicate the case. Her reason: to stem an unfounded allegation that sought to impugn her integrity. The judge ordered the casefile to be returned to the FCT Chief Judge, Justice Ibrahim Bukar. Earlier, Lawan, through his law-

yer, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), filed an application dated October 29, asking the judge to quit the case. Apart from the application, Lawan also petitioned the FCT Chief Judge, accusing Justice Banjoko of likely bias based on an alleged close relationship between her and Otedola, a proposed witness and the accuser in the case. “In my 17 years on the bench, six years as a magistrate and 11 years as a judge, I have never been confronted with a scandalous challenge of my integrity,” the judge said bitterly. According to the judge, “justice is rooted in confidence,” therefore, she could no longer continue to hear the case since the accused had first exhibited his lack of confidence in her. “In the prevailing circumstances, I do find it difficult to continue this case. This case is returned to the honourable Chief Judge for re-assignment,” Justice Banjoko ruled. The case, when re-assigned, will be handled by a third judge and will begin all over again.

Judicial cover for criminal suspects In May 2007, a number of governors completed their eight-year terms of office. Having lost the immunity conferred on them by Section 308 of the 1999 Constitution, EFCC invited them for questioning on the basis of petitions alleging diversion of public funds running to billions of naira by them. Some reported for interrogation while others sought interlocutory and perpetual injunctions restraining the EFCC from arresting, investigating or prosecuting them in any manner whatsoever and howsoever. Among those who were charged to court, only two have been convicted and given sentences which many consider as “slaps on the wrist.” The criminal justice system has been unable to conclude the trials of others. Senior lawyers have continued to approach the courts to halt the investigation and prosecution of high profile criminal suspects. In Bukola Saraki v. Inspector-General of Police (Unreported Suit No: FHC/ ABJ/CS/231/2012), the plaintiff sought to restrain the Special Fraud Unit (SFU) of the Nigeria Police Force from investigating an allegation of N9 billion fraud leveled against him. After reporting for investigation, Saraki filed a fresh suit seeking to stop the police from prosecuting him. “Apart from Nigeria, I know of no other country which allows criminal suspects to have criminal cases suspended or adjourned sine die on flimsy grounds,” Lagos lawyer Femi Falana said. While criminally orchestrated delays may top the list of the commonest abuses of court process, the levelling of unfounded allegations against judges, which turn out to be mere smokescreen to buy time or seek a more pliable judge, is one tactics that has been described as nauseating. Critics have described as worrying the fact that some judges fall for lawyers’ tricks without exercising their powers to punish for contemptuous conduct committed before them. Many accused persons, without any iota of proof, resort to writing frivolous petitions against judges, accusing them of bias. The National Judicial Council (NJC) would summon the judge and parties in the petition while the trial would be suspended, which is the petitioner’s aim. Most of the judges, such as Justice Banjoko, are cleared of any wrongdoing, and when the heat raised by such serious allegation is in the pub-

lic domain, the accused or their lawyer simply apologises, while the judge most times withdraws from the trial, which is what the accused merely wanted to achieve. Criminal cases are thus frustrated and derailed by the use of blackmail.

Lessons from abroad Several cases swiftly concluded abroad have exposed the Nigerian judiciary as being fundamentally weak. Some of these include those of Akingbola, former Delta State Governor James Ibori and the Halliburton case. While Akingbola’s trial for theft drags on, a civil suit was instituted against him in a British court by Access Bank Plc. A High Court of Justice, Queen’s Bench Division, London, in August 2012, ordered Akingbola to pay the bank £654million (about N212billion) allegedly diverted from the bank illegally. It was learnt that Akingbola had refunded £9 million out of the total sum. On April 17, 2012, the Southwark Crown Court in London sentenced Ibori to 13 years after he pleaded to 10 counts of money laundering and conspiracy to defraud, having been accused of stealing US$250million from the public purse. However, in Nigeria, 171count charge of money laundering, fraud and corruption filed against Ibori at the Federal High Court, Kaduna was discontinued in his favour. The Court of Appeal also held his trial in Kaduna was illegal as the alleged crime was committed in Delta. As there was no Federal High Court in Asaba, the Delta State government reportedly donated two buildings – one to house the court and the other to house the judge. Upon his arraignment, Ibori pleaded not guilty and raised a preliminary objection against the charge. The trial judge, Justice Marcel Awokulehin, struck out the charge and freed Ibori. However, as EFCC took steps to re-arraign him, Ibori fled to Dubai where he was arrested and deported to London. In the Halliburton bribery scandal, several investigation panels indicted three former heads of state, a former Inspector-General of Police, former ministers, permanent secretaries and other officials of the Federal Government. Although some of the suspects indicted in the inquiry made confessional statements, they were never charged to court. Some of the privies of the principal suspects, who were eventually arraigned, were let off the hook for want of diligent prosecution. In exasperation, the trial judge struck out the charges. The official connivance in sweeping the scandal under the carpet has since exposed the nation to underserved ridicule at home and abroad. It was found that Halliburton and its officials who bribed the indicted Nigerian officials pleaded guilty to the charges of bribery and corruption before criminal courts in the United States and were accordingly convicted. While Halliburton was ordered to pay fines of millions of dollars, the convicted officials were sentenced to prison terms. But in Nigeria, their accomplices walk about free. (To be continued)

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2014

The Midweek Magazine

E-mail:- ozoluauhakheme@yahoo.com

‘Tourism is no luxury’

‘Tourism in Nigeria is where telecoms was, say 20 years ago. Today as an investment proposition, Nigerian telecoms is probably the best in the world. The same will be said of tourism in 5–10 years from now if appropriate measures and initiatives are taken’

Text of the paper delivered at the 8th annual conference of Hospitality and Tourism Management Association of Nigeria in Abuja by the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC) Director-General, Mrs Sally Uwechue-Mbanefo.

OURISM is about providing assets for people to invest in. But people will not invest in assets unless there is a revenue stream from that investment and a return on their capital. What are the assets that we have in Nigeria? Nigeria is blessed with waterfalls; caves; hotels; parks; sandy beaches; large lakes and historic sites. Nigeria is able to offer a range of tourism experiences applicable to the general holiday maker as well as the traveller looking for something off the beaten track. To invest in tourism there must be clarity on how people can invest their tourism dollars for a fixed period, how they can monetise this tourism investment and how they can see a clear path for exit or onward – sale of their investment if need be. My idea is to identify for investment, tourism projects aimed at specific tourists and to create an enabling environment that respects and encourages this investment. And the first step is to identify six projects in the six geo-political zones that will benefit from investment and bring these investments up to a world standard. I see a readacross for Nigerian tourism with countries like Morocco, Tanzania, Vietnam, Zambia, Rwanda, South Africa, parts of the Caribbeans and even Peru in terms of creating a unique experience not to mention beach experience and golfing experience, where with the right type of investment, will provide alternatives to Morocco and parts of the Caribbean. We are a friendly nation, welcoming visitors. Once identified, I intend to put the six (specific) projects into a prospectus, which should be a document that forms the compendium of opportunities we are inviting people to invest in. To generate revenue we would need to achieve a world standard tourism experience. To do this, we will target for cooperation those, who have had experience managing emerging markets tourism experiences and turning those into benchmarks that attract hundreds of millions of tourism dollars annually. Tourism in Nigeria is where telecoms was, say 20 years ago. Today as an investment proposition, Nigerian telecoms is probably the best in the world. The same will be said of tourism in 5–10 years from now if

appropriate measures and initiatives are taken The investors will be given long term tenure for their investment and where applicable, the underlying asset will either revert back to the government after the project investment period lapses or continue with the pioneer investor once revenue has been created for the government and a generous return on capital achieved for the investor. With this plan we can achieve Nigeria’s goal of being tourism destination hot-spot where people come to spend their dollars, yen, euros, yuan, rand, ringgits and British pounds and this is achievable within 5–10 years But first, we must define what makes the world class standard experience unique to Nigeria. We cannot be everything to everyone from day one, but we can entice them by knowing what they want and what their alternatives are. What we want to create is a must – have experience that meets a world standard benchmark for these tourists and investors. For example, a tourist may have seen the slave trade story from other African countries’ perspectives, but the story is not complete until they have visited Nigeria for the last part jigsaw. They may enjoy golf and so want to be playing in the sunshine, which we have an abundance of, but be surrounded by first-class amenities at a price that represents value. The tourist may want to travel across water to an offshore beach resort just as he does in Tanzania or Zanzibar. He or she may want an ecological experience and yet know that when they get back to base they too have comfort, a great meal and seamless internet connections. The tourist may want a well-planned tour of durbars and festivals, but know that at each place he will be spending the night in comfortable world–class accommodation that enhances the experience. We want to create family–holiday destinations whether these are at the beaches, water parks or even focused around Nigeria’s numerous lakes. There are ideas that we need to focus and galvanise to create a product that meets all health and safety requirements. Why a bond? We intend to launch a tourism bond un-

•Mrs Mbanefo

derpinned by what will be a secure revenue –stream generated from a prospective tourism development levied on departures. The bond will give us the money we need for investment in the six projects today and these investments will create jobs, careers, transfer of skills and the right product. The yield on the bond will recognise that we want investment and recognise where we are on the tourism ladder today. It’s all about upside. What do we have today? In Lagos, for example, we have Lakowe Lakes Golf and Country Estate. We have a burgeoning resort at Epe Health Resort and Spa that aims to be a market leader. We have Old Lagos, which we should use to create a heritage experience full of small café’s. We can partner with Lagos State to make Old Lagos a heritage site with good access and paved roads and sidewalks. There could be a law that protects the heritage of those (historical) buildings in the old Lagos and whose architecture tells a compelling story that is of interest to many people around the world. In Abuja, for example, we have Jabi Lake, which is a tourism gold-mine that must be developed by tourism investors that the bond will attract. In Obudu Mountain Resort, Calabar, we have ecological experiences that require further investment to make it comparable with ecological experiences in Rwanda and

Uganda and Zambia. In Rivers and Bayelsa, we have hotels to be renovated and turned into real 5-star experiences. We have riverine communities in which boating experiences can be turned into a world – class product. The Festivals and Durbars of the North are a rich and vibrant tapestry of color and enchanting mystery that is sought after around the world. The vast geographical features of Nigeria have long been an object of fascination for people around the world who want to spend a great deal of time enjoying its inherent assets. These are just some examples. What other products can we offer for sale to tourism investors? Sports Tourism - Polo is a huge selling point for Nigeria. But we must have a world class standard because Polo lovers are so passionate and can travel anywhere for a polo game experience. Art Tourism – Art, sculpture is also a selling point for Nigeria, where if properly nurtured the bespoke tourist looking for that experience will pay his or her hard earned money to Nigeria to enjoy that experience. We have a fast growing middle class who want to enjoy their lives and want to spend their hard earned money but want in turn, value for their money. They do not want to be cheated. We need to create and develop top quality tourism products for them and their families. That is why we want to •Continued on Page 52

When dance meets photography

AST Monday, a solo art exhibition, Eko Moves, featuring photographs by Ayeni Babaeko, opened at the WheatBaker Hotel, in Ikoyi, Lagos. It was organised in collaboration with The Society for Performing Arts of Nigeria (SPAN) that reflects dance and photography, capturing the beauty of dance, movement, time and space, within the dazzling city of Lagos. The show of 25 beautiful images revealed classical ballet and hip hop dancers, will run until mid-February 2015. The exhibition is ‘not just to give fun to the audience, but to speak out for the voiceless, especially youths, who have the talent of dancing but are not giving the chance to show their values, the organisers said. Babaeko said: “Dance needs to be seen as the heartbeat of Lagos interpreted through powerful imagery. We’ve come to understand that dance is more than performance, dance represents the spirit of the people, who despite all odds, are proud of their city and all its stands for. “Audience needs to see dance beyond a perfunctory glance, but see it as reality through artistic interpretation. In order for dance to be promoted and be brought to life in city of Lagos, Eko moves in partnership with SPAN, leave the comfort of their mirrored studios, and expertly lit stages, and dance through the markets, the bus stops, the beaches, the underbridge spaces, the water highways and shanty towns of Lagos for the people of Eko. The dance, which took them to places such

By Toyin Olasinde

PHOTOGRAPHY as the famous Obalende bus stop, the bustling Balogun Market, during sunset at sandfill beach by having dancers silently pose in classical ballet attire, with Hip Hop speed, in other to capture both the dance and the unassuming audience gathered to watch the spectacle of performance. “It was amazing how the dancers’ performances on the streets were able to build bridges. During our photo-shoots, which often lasted numerous hours in a single location, we were not harassed by anyone. Instead, there was curiosity and absolute admiration,” Ayeni Babaeko said. She has trained young female photographers through professional workshops at the Goethe Institut, Lagos, and she has added values to them. She has also been active as a photographer with a social conscience, chronicling the life of modern Nigeria. She studied advertising photography at Studio Be in Greven, Germany, and returned to Nigeria to joined Ess-Ay Studio for photography programme. This experience spurred her to deepen her photographic skills by enrolling at Macromedia, a school for art and design in Osnabrueck, Germany. The curator, Mrs Sandra Mbanefo Obiago said: “Eko Moves is a beautiful convergence

•One of the exhibits on display of two different art forms, photography and dance, against the ever moving backdrop of urban growth and challenges.” She added: “SPAN has, over the years, always been in support of promoting artists by strengthening their talents with skills and professional techniques through formal and informal classes in theatre, music dance and art man-

agement. “SPAN has trained hundreds of Nigerian dancers and has provided opportunities for them to work with international choreographers. Among the sponsors of the exhibition were Deutsche Bank, the Wheatbaker and Ruinart.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2014

The Midweek Magazine

E-mail:- ozoluauhakheme@yahoo.com

F the calibre of Nollywood stars at the International Cultural Festival and Colloquium held in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, is a measure of success, the event can pass for grade ‘A’ performance. Expectedly, the stars led by humour merchant, Chika Okpala of the New Masquerade fame, (Chief Zebrudaya) backed by royal fathers–King Amalate Johnnie Turner, the Obanema of Opume Kingdom, (who was represented) and King Alfred Diete Spiff, the Amanayanabo of Twon-Brass, added colour to the festival that attracted historians, academics, Pan-Africanists, activists and other experts drawn from Africa and the Diaspora. The theme of the three-day event (November 26 to 28) was: Using Culture To Drive The Transformation of Africa And The Diaspora in a New Global Order. It was organised by Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilisation (CBAC) and Bayelsa State Ministry of Culture and Ijaw National Affairs in collaboration with the University of Port Harcourt. The hitherto serene Peace Park, Yenagoa, venue of the festival was literarily ignited by colourful parade by the Nollywood stars and Enugu masqueraders. Among them were Pete Edochie, Patience Ozokwo, Keppy Ekpeyong, Alex Osifo, Ajibola Dabo, Charles Inojie, Francis Duru, Yakubu Abubakar, Ejike Asiegbu, Ejiro Okurime and Chinedu Ikedieze (Aki). Pupils of St. Jude Secondary School, Amarata, Yenagoa, Women Affairs School, University of Port Harcourt Alumni, Ekpe masquerades and Enugu State cultural troupe also featured in the parade. Bayelsa Governor Seriake Dickson, represented by Commissioner for Culture and Ijaw National Affairs, Dr. Felix Tuodolor said the time has come for African leaders to use culture for diplomacy and development, noting that CBAAC must be prepared to drive the efforts. Director-General, Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilisation (CBAAC) Sir Ferdinand Anikwe has identified music, video, fabrics and food as means through which African culture is being internationalised. He said Nigerian home videos have become popular and a reference point of cultural and social influence all over the world. He noted that through home videos, Africans and the rest of the world are picking up vocabulary of Nigerian languages. “Diaspora Nigerians and Africans should endeavor as much as possible to promote African fabrics and food. This, in a way, has endeared African foods and fabrics to the hearts of most foreigners, which have become strong factors in their way of lives. This development is in tandem with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) view, that social transformation generally comprises change in existing parameters of a societal system, including technological, economic, political and cultural restructuring,” he added. According to Anikwe, such lofty attempts by the artists, actors and creative writers need to be institutionalised and strengthened for more effect. African States, he said, must continue to harp and invest on artists and actors that have become the continent’s great cultural ambassadors. “Please permit me to state unequivocally that we can only underrate our culture at our own peril. We are witnesses to the impact that western culture has had on the minds of

•From Left Edochie leading the thespians on parade. Far right, Senator Brimmo Yusuf, Anikwe and his wife.

For three days, scholars, historians and thespians converged on Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, to chart a new pathway on how to use culture to drive development in Africa and the Diaspora, reports Assistant Editor (Arts) OZOLUA UHAKHEME.

Wanted: New value system for Africa FESTIVAL our youths through music, movies, novels, football, religion, internet activities, costumes and fashions. It is in this wise that we must remain eternally indebted to the fathers of African Literature such as Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka, J. P. Clark, Ngugu Wa Thiongo, Chimamanda Adichie, and a host of others for pioneering African writers series with its robust cultural background, that capture the minds and attention of our youths,” he added. But he observed that it is of great significance that the Western world has started showing enormous interest in studying and promoting African culture and history. He stressed that there is the need for Africa to recognise its cultural uniqueness and potentialities, package it properly, with the conscious objective of using it to influence the ways of lives of other peoples. Continuing, he said: “This will ultimately lead to more recognition and economic benefit for the continent. African States need to evolve both policies and programmes for the internationalisation of her cultures through art, music, science and technology, education, tourism and diplomacy. Achieving this requires doing all it takes to revamp the spirit of our various cultures. It is in African cultures that the oneness of her peoples could be found. We therefore appreciate that the task before CBAAC and

other culture agencies is to pursue the sustained and possibly, the aggressive promotion and preservation of African culture.” Nollywood star Pete Edochie described the movie industry as second employer of labour after government noting that Goodluck Jonathan will invite him for the celebration of his re-election next year. The colloquium held at Ijaw House auditorium, Yenagoa, featured papers on culture and cultural regeneration in Africa and the Diaspora, Culture and national development in Nigeria, Using culture to fastrack African development, The Nollywood industry in the promotion of national development, Re-engineering Pan African cultural studies in the Black Atlantic among other sub-themes. In a communiqué issued at the close of the colloquium, organisers recommended: •That the Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilisation (CBAAC), should intensify its efforts in the preservation of African culture most importantly, the re-introduction of the teaching of History in Nigerian schools; •That CBAAC canvass for the de-colonisation of the already colonised African cultures, as this is a challenge to all Africans. This is to be done in partnership with the intelligentsia, artists, non-governmental organisations (NGO’s) and all allied agencies in Africa. This will make for self-reliance, in socio-economic and cultural affairs of African State; •That CBAAC should develop a pathway

Davido, Olamide, Ara for Mare Festival

HIS year’s Mare Festival opening tomorrow will be unique and different from past editions, Ondo State Commissioner for Information and Civic Orientation, Mr Kayode Akinmade has said. He spoke at an interaction with the media at Ile Eri Igi (one of the wooden houses) at Iroko Mountain Resort Idanre. Beyond the regular mountain climbing, how ready is the state for the visit of UNESCO officials? We are expecting the UNESCO officials to come and look at what we have here as part of the process of enlisting Idanre hills into world heritage sites and with the development that is going on here we are optimistic that Idanre hills will make the list this time around”. What are the innovations that will make this year’s festival unique? What you are seeing around the resort are indications that we are ready to ensure that this year’s Mare Festival will be like no other because this year’s festival will be that of distinction, unique and there will be many side attractions. We don’t have this

type of structure last year. Now, we are creating resort like never before where tourists can come, stay and connect with nature, and enjoy nature it at its best. Apart from the normal cultural event and dance we are also introducing sporting competitions such as table tennis tournament badminton competition, and other indoor games , not only that we are also creating Idanre as an experience you will treasure for life. Our athletes for the marathon race are also warming up for the events as well as the cultural events. “We are also using this event to expose and develop talents among the youths. We have discovered raw talents in this environment and there are many amazing talents. So, we are using the festival to develop them and showcase them to the world. These and many others are our plans to make sure Mare 2014 is a Mare of distinction and a festival like never before. How prepared is the state in terms of security? Security issue is not what you discuss on the pages of the newspaper but I can tell you

we are providing adequate security, in fact, world class security because we are aware of the situation in the country and we are not leaving anything undone to ensure that live of our tourists and visitors are safe. For your information, dignitaries expected at the festival include the Minister of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, Chief Edem Duke, Director-General of the Nigerian Tourism Development Commission (NTDC) Mrs Sally Mbanefo and her team, State Commissioners of Culture and Tourism from across the country, Chairman of Elizade Motor, Chief Michael Ade Ojo, who is also collaborating with us in this project. In fact, we are expecting many people including local and foreign tourists and we are fully prepared. Who are the musicians for the gala night? Top on the list of entertainers are Davido, Olamide and Ara that will perform at the gala night. Also, prominent traditional rulers in Idanre local government are flag off the marathon race while their subjects and guests will cheer the participants.

through which the book can be used for new value-system development, since the values of the past are continuously being eroded; •That a national policy be established for use of Bibliotherapy in value-system re-orientation for behaviour modification, and change within the society; •That the National Censors Board, in collaboration with CBAAC and allied agencies, aim at censoring music dramatization to ensure nudity is reduced at production – editing stage, before public viewing on air; •That CBAAC canvass for the establishment of a Department of African Studies that would cater for a purely African culture and the handling of African Traditional Affairs; •Explore the possibility of incorporating traditional models of conflicts resolution devoid of modern adulteration, and institutionalizing these for use, in Africa; •That gender must emphatically, not be a determinant in apportioning responsibilities. When men and women render services from their natural areas of responsibilities without discrimination, development results, borne out of the exploration of potentials inherent in synergy; •That, films are capable of being used as instrument for making peace, and managing conflicts when scriptwriter, actor and director chose to make films that espouse pure culture, and ignore money-making.

Call for papers By Evelyn Osagie

GROUP, the National Collective, will organise a conference on The Left and The Future of Nigeria at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) in Ile-Ife, Osun State. This is against the background of the crises that have gripped the nation in recent times. Although various forms and kinds of arguments and explanations on the nation’s challenges are being offered, the organisers say, there is a convergence in the midst of these postulations as to the backward and almost irredeemable condition of the Nigerian State, its economy and society. The conference will hold in January. They are calling for papers relevant to the theme and sub-themes. The conference sub-themes include the place and role of the Left in a democracy/tic processes, the Left and the crisis of development and nation-building, the crisis of poverty and the role of the Left, the place of workers and students in politics, The Left, good governance and popular participation and the Left, gender and the place of women in Nigerian politics. Interested participants should contact the organisers via email: nationalcollective@yahoo.com for more details.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2014

The Midweek Magazine

E-mail:- ozoluauhakheme@yahoo.com

Solarising the systemic Being an excerpt of a paper: Education at the Historic Crossroads: New path for a new beginning delivered by renowned US-based historian, Prof Toyin Falola at Tai Solarin University of Education, Ijebu-Ode.

ecause of five red emotional buttons anything that has to do with education often triggers in the deepest point of my heart, the invitation to deliver this convocation address could not be turned down under any circumstances because it was in accordance with my long-held principle of adding value to our institutions for the purpose of advancing the course of humanity—the fact of which, I must confess, has become something of an obsession. First, Dr. Tai Solarin (who was born and named Augustus Taiwo Solarin) is (I can’t even come to terms to think of Tai Solarin in the past tense!) a living example of an educated or enlightened soul. Through his wonderful deeds as an educator par excellence and as the famous columnist of the Daily Times newspaper’s “Thinking with You” column, he still lives among us. It is similar to great deeds such as those of the youngsters of Ghana’s Young Pioneer Movement in the days of the late President Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah, who used to scream at the top of their voices as part of their pledge: “Nkrumah never dies!” To the critics of the Ghanaian leader, that was impossible. Yet Dr. Nkrumah has been dead since April 1972, yet his soul marches on, as his books are being used in schools and the ideas and socialist policies of Nkrumahism keep on popping up every now and then. In fact, some Ghanaians and other Pan-Africanists long for his reincarnation. And it is the same with Dr. Tai Solarin, whose name honors your great institution! “Tai Solarin never dies!!” Second, from the time Dr. Solarin left Molusi College, my own alma mater, in the early 1950s to establish The Mayflower College at Ikenne, he had lived true to the character of a teacher who did not merely tell but instead

LECTURE showed and demonstrated. Tai Solarin, as a pilgrim, taught by example. He was also like an eagle and, as you and I know, eagles not only soar high, but they also fly alone. They are the only birds known to fly head on into the eyes of the storm! Furthermore, pilgrimage is for the bold and courageous, not for the chicken hearted. Eagles do not keep the company of chickens, whose idea of flying is hopping on the curbs! Tai Solarin’s sojourns, odysseys, and audacity as a pilgrim to move away from all the luxuries and comforts his guaranteed and secure position in Ijebu Igbo to the unknown Ikenne wilderness with all the risks of going solo to establish Mayflower College was no less a pilgrimage; he was accompanied, at the time, by only his dear wife, British-born Sheila Mary Solarin (née Tuer), whom he married in 1951 while in the United Kingdom after serving in the Royal Air Force during World War II. But a pilgrim is someone on a long journey or search, especially of something of exalted purpose or moral significance. It may interest you to note that Mayflower was the name of the ship on which the Pilgrims sailed to America in 1620. The life and works of Tai Solarin not only demonstrated that we too can make our lives sublime, but also showed us what a huge difference one person who was willing to walk his talk could make to change the world and create opportunities for others. Many alumni of Mayflower College have made a considerable difference and have chosen to live above board and carry on Tai Solarin’s torch of integrity and probity, even in our decadent and unpredictable Nigerian society.

• Solarin

ways, not enviable because our nation’s destiny is in your hands. As teachers, the past, present, and future of Nigeria are in your hands. You have quality education to dispense, and we are happy that your great institution is named after Dr. Solarin, who himself valued education. He used post-war benefits to earn his own high-quality education from the Universities of Manchester and London in the United Kingdom. Fourth, the entire world, not just educators, is at the historic crossroads. And the challenge of managing the associated confusions of being at the crossroads while at the same time directing, guiding, and compassing the entire world in choosing the appropriate route to take depends on teachers! For ages, the world has historically used property ownership as its yardstick to measure success, and as the compass to guide our movements on the chessboard of the political economy. Now and then, crossroads arise when there is a regime change of property ownership. To appreciate what creates or constitutes the crossroads, and what they mean in our times and in the new Internet virtual and real global village, let’s cast our minds back in history. In the fifteenth century, Christopher Columbus journey to the West, accomplished without dropping into the oblivion, debunked the religious myths not only that our planet earth was not flat but also that it was not the center of the universe. Consequently, the British naval power and shipping industry automatically enthroned Britain as the world’s mercantile imperial power, trading in goods and humans. Medieval mercantile aristocrats lived side by side and in harmony with the feudal lords because vassals, with scattered farm or village settlements, and small workforces served the mutual interests of the feudal lords and mercantile aristocrats. Might was Right. Everyone knew his or her place, either in the king’s courtyard or within the larger society. And, on one hand, no one dare crossed the lines separating the slaves and the drivers supervising the slaves from the vassals, and on the other hand, no one crossed the boundary between vassals, the feudal lords, and mercantile aristocrats.

Third, your university has just not been rightly named after our national heroic legend and pioneer of proper education Tai Solarin, but it is the first university of education in Nigeria. And no nation can rise above the quality of its teachers. Hence, without competing with Oyo State, whose motto is “pacesetter state,” your university—as the first educators or teachers’ university—is, to say the least, the yardstick to measure where Nigeria is at the moment, and how far in the future Nigeria can go! Why? Because teachers make the nation, and Nigeria, as a nation, cannot go beyond the quality of your product: the teachers. You, as teacher trainers and trainees, are the pacesetters for every sector of our economy. From early years to the university level, you mold the character and quality of our nation. You build the nation. The influence your graduates have in the lives of all the children that will pass through their classrooms will determine the quality of health service, architecture and infrastructure, goods and services. Your burdens and responsibilities are, in some

•To be continued

by Kenneth Uphopho, Gbenga Yussuf and Ayo Ajayi, will be featuring outstanding Nigerian artistes and performers, including Bimbo Manuel; Dolapo Oni; Gideon Okeke; Ade Laoye; Patrick Diabua; William Benson; Adesua Etomi; Dolapo Ogunwale; Paul Alumona and Paolo Sisiano. This year’s production, which worths about N50 million, is powered by Access Bank and supported by Etisalat and AfricanMagic. It would be recalled that last year Saro’s successful showing at the grand ballroom of the Oriental Hotel, drew dignitaries from within and outside the arts sector, such as former Lagos State Governor, Bola Tinubu; Minister of

Tourism, Arts and Culture, Chief Edem Duke; Director-General Security and Exchange Commission (SEC), Arunma Otteh; Prof Wole Soyinka; Odia Ofeimun; Disu Holloway; Olu Jacobs; Joke Sylva; Taiwo Ajai-Lycett; Tunde Kelani; Femi Odugbemi; Teju Babyface and Steve Onuh aka Yaw. With high praise showered on last year’s production, many expressed hope that the show would tour the country and eventually be showcased across the world. This year, AustenPeters said, Saro is returning to fulfil the demands of Nigerians, who have clamoured for its return. Tickets are available at Terra Kulture, Victoria Island, Lagos.

Saro: The Musical returns with 100-man cast

S Saro: The Musical returns to the stage this month, Lagos is set for the biggest thrill. Lagosians are in for a treat as Saro’s cast will be delivering 10 performances in six days at the prestigious Shell Hall of the Muson Centre, Onikan, Lagos. From December 23 to 28, the ambitious Broadway-style musical showpiece that took the stage by storm last year, will be treating its audiences once again to an even bigger show of dazzling performances in lovely and colourful costumes. The audience should also expect enigmatic and well-choreographed dance steps, an exquisite fusion of jazz, afro-beat, hip-hop, highlife, juju, apala, such other contemporary Nigerian music genres from the cast. The Bolanle Austen-Peters, Mok Art & Media Production, supported by Terra Kulture, is returning with a 100-man cast that traces and pays homage to Nigeria’s rich musical history by beautifully rendering some greatest hits over the years along with its own ingeniously composed original music. Saro is the story of four young people, who in an age-old search for greener pasture, migrate to Lagos with little else, but an abundance of hopes and dreams, where they are duly reoriented by the people and experiences they encounter on their journey of self-realisation. Weaving together the trials, misfortunes, love, and destinies of the foursome into a 14act masterpiece, Saro tells the unforgettable and inspiring story of the journey to success in a city filled with broken dreams, as we see Lagos personified by its numerous colourful and unforgettable characters, frenetic pace of living, and endless drama. According to Austen-Peters, the elegant combination of drama, music with the impeccably choreographed dance routines and unforgetta-

•A scene from Saro By Evelyn Osagie

THEATRE bly charged performances delivered by an attractive cast, is what sets Saro apart from others. “Saro is a theatrical joy that gallops swiftly through its 14 acts to tell the story of Lagos settlers; immigrants who come from all over the country and indeed, the world to create a new and hopefully successful life in this bustling and exciting melting-pot,” she said. This year’s performance, which is directed

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2014

The Midweek Magazine

E-mail:- ozoluauhakheme@yahoo.com

Mythic imagination and national rebirth

By Tunji Olaopa

REFLECTION thematic concerns. Amos Tutuola’s stories equally incorporated Yoruba myths and legends into loosely constructed prose epics that improvised on traditional themes. Unlike Fagunwa, Tutuola wrote largely in English and is also a major reference point in the canons of Nigerian Literature in English. One of Tutuola’s greatest charms was his language. He wrote in a way that made his language appear uncorrupted by western literary gimmicks. The words read quickly like some terse, simple narratives, but the impact sinks almost as original and poetic. The Nigerian professor, Morala Ogundipe-Leslie noted of Tutuola’s language: ‘He has simply and boldly (or perhaps innocently) carried across into his English prose the linguistic pattern and literary habits of his Yoruba language, using English words as counters. He is basically speaking Yoruba but using English words.’ His works articulate a unique example of a hybridized interface between Nigeria’s precolonial oral folklore and literary modes of discourse. The Palm-wine Drinkard (1952) is obviously his most famous literary work, a classic quest tale that was the first Nigerian book to, in a sense, achieve critical acclaims and international fame. The story tells the mythological story of a man who follows a palm wine tapster into the land of the dead or ‘Deads’ Town.’ Here, the man encounters the familiar elements subsumed in the folktale narrative: the world of magic, ghosts, demons and supernatural beings. Some of his other works include: My Life in the Bush of Ghosts (1954), Simbi and the Satyr of the Dark Jungle (1955), The Brave African Huntress (1958), etc. The relevance of Tutuola seems obvious considering his important contributions to the preservation of the structure of the oral tale in modern Nigerian Literature Hubert Ogunde, often described as ‘the father of Nigerian theatre’, was a theatre doyen who, like Fagunwa and Tutuola, deployed the mythic imagination in the mobilization of literary works for the goals of national rebirth. The Ogunde Concert Party, a company which he founded in 1945, was Nigeria’s first professional theatrical company. It travelled around Nigeria, West Africa

and the rest of the world performing plays such as Garden of Eden, Strike and Hunger, Herbert Macaulay, Slavery, Police Brutality and Princess Jaja (which celebrated the richness of the country’s indigenous cultures while also shedding light on the ills plaguing its government and society). Ogunde’s theatre ensemble was a committed one; it constituted an ample chance to contribute to pressing social issues and dialogues in the public domain. He passionately spoke of his theatre production as the mirror dictum of what literature should be all about. He once said, ‘I must reflect the image of the society we live in.’ Hence, his social vision was exposed through the opportunity theatrical performances afforded him in interaction with the public. So, for him, theatre goes beyond the sheer pleasure of the lights and costumes; it was a tool for social engineering and popular interaction. It was a medium to register, first, displeasures at certain social-political and economic realities, and to articulate solutions to them. This was the highest point of his theatre experiences. His theatre represented the participatory framework of the African theatrical tradition which allows for spontaneous and instantaneous feedbacks from the audiences. Why are these legendary pioneers significant for our contemporary national project? There is only one reason: they saw in the context of folklores and mythological narratives a possibility of narrating the experiences of what we used to be and what we can recreate ourselves to be. In other words, a people can only locate themselves within the context of what they are and what they believe they can ever be. Their works point to the balance and fluidity of wholeness that can arise from a dexterous combination of varying worldviews and perspectives. Their creative energies provide us with latent possibilities that remain hidden when other national resources have become exhausted. In the magical realities they presented to us, we can hear the birds sing, the roars of the waves and the lush grasses that portend that we can still dream of what we want to be as Nigerians. By looking at the past, they present us alternative imageries of what we desire to be as Nigerians. •Dr Olaopa is Permanent Secretary, Fed Min of Communication Technology, Abuja

Women unveil empowerment programme

HE day Urunnebo Improvement Union gathered in Lagos will linger in people’s memory. Urunnebo is in Anambra State. It was the day the women’s wing of its Lagos branch unveiled an empowerment programme geared towards improving the lives of its women. It was their day and the women were all out to show it. The Enugwu Ukwu Hall of the Lakeview Estate in Amuwo Odofin, where the event held, was literarily painted coffee-brown as they came gaily dressed in coffee-brown attires, With headgears finely wrapped around their heads, and shoes and bags to match, right from the start of the programme to the end, the ladies bubbled with excitements. Tagged: Ozom Women empowerment initiative, the event also brought together families, friends and well-wishers from far and wide. The colourful ceremony was spiced with

Writers hold convention Stories by Evelyn Osagie

E have previously celebrated in this series Nigerian literary heroes such as the late Chinua Achebe, the Nobel prize winner, Wole Soyinka and other cultural vanguards, whose literary interventions constitute significant touchstones of the collective efforts at decolonisation, as well as the confrontation of our nation’s post-independence struggles. I wrote earlier that Nigeria’s political predicament was matched by several attempts at a literary depiction of our collective situation. The imperative of progress from colonial to postcolonial status was the occasion for the formation of those literary heroes and heroines whose creative energies kept the national project in constant literary ferment. While a number of options are available to these writers, their utilization of mythic resources particularly makes the effort at a literary engagement of socio-political crises very pungent. Myth occurs in the history of all human traditions and communities and it is a basic constituent of human culture. Using myth as the basis of a rethinking of collective political existence becomes a unique literary ingenuity. It is from this perspective that it can be said that Daniel Olorunfemi Fagunwa, Hubert Adedeji Ogunde and Amos Tutuola represent a unique group of mythmakers who deploy significant aspects of oral tradition not just as a flowery tribute to literary distinctiveness, but as a culminated contribution to the Nigerian literary space with both a didactic and functional signature. D. O. Fagunwa and Amos Tutuola are known for novels that chronicle tales of marvels and magic, while Hubert Ogunde cuts across the Nigerian cultural landscape as an actor, playwright, theatre manager and musician. In particular, encounters with the writings of Fagunwa give the impression of a writer deeply steeped in the folkloric tradition of Yoruba storytelling. Besides being a major precursor to many Nigerian writers, Fagunwa made a choice of an indigenous language as the medium for his creative outputs. This fact requires some elaboration. First, at a time the British hegemony had imposed English as the colonial language of administration in the country, it took a lot of courage for Fagunwa to insist that his works remain in Yoruba. Secondly, Fagunwa’s linguistic choice is also evocative of a cultural pride that is often missing in the modern narratives of many African countries currently being overwhelmed by the ravaging forces of globalization. Consequently, his Ogboju Ode Ninu Igbo Irunmale (1938; The Forest of a Thousand Daemons), became the first full-length novel published in the Yoruba language. His second novel, Igbo Olodumare (‘The Forest of God’) was published in 1949. He also wrote Ireke Onibudo (1949; ‘The Sugarcane of the Guardian’), Irinkerindo Ninu Igbo Elegbeje (1954; ‘Wanderings in the Forest of Elegbeje’), and Adiitu Olodumare (1961; ‘The Secret of the Almighty’); a number of short stories; and two travel books. One marked distinction of Fagunwa’s works is the vividness of language usage and a picaresque which resonate with profound moral insights. Again, this last point needs a brief explanation. In an age in which government is massively recruiting different options to combat moral anarchy, a plethora of moral gems can be found in Fagunwa. It may not be far from the truth to say that Achebe’s famous ‘writer-as-teacher’ dictum was partly inspired by how his predecessor wrote to teach morals and to bring his audience to a level of moral awareness. Fagunwa’s imagery, humour, wordplay and rhetoric, which all reveal an extensive knowledge of classical Yoruba, is not just an embellishment of literary devices. They serve

BRIEFS

By Evelyn Osagie

EMPOWERMENT thrilling cultural performances. There was dance by the all women orchestra, and reading of the news in Igbo Language. The event was anchored by Nollywood actor Chuks ‘Bambino’ Anachina and MC Papa, who spoke in Igbo Language throughout. For the president of the association’s Women’s Wings, Mrs Ifeoma Susan Okekearu, women play key role in the development of any society. The earlier their creative potentials are tapped, according to her, would spell good fortunes for their nation. This, she said, inspired the need to establish initiative to empower the women of Urunnebo. She said: “Just like the saying goes “train a woman, you have trained a nation”, we, the UIU women recognise the place of women in national and societal development. Most

of our women lack the capital to start-up trades and business so as to support their husbands and children. We intend to change all that. It is hoped that through this women empowerment initiative, we would be able to raise funds in order to empower our women.” The event was also used honour women of Enugu-Ukwu/Urunnebo who have distinguished themselves in their professions. “We wish to utilise this opportunity to recognise daughters, wives and friends of Enugu-Ukwu/ Urunnebo who have made their marks in their various fields of endeavours,” she said. Awards were presented to Lady Elizabeth Emoka, Mrs Ekwu Anyaenechi, Mrs Ifeoma Ugom Onisora, Mrs. Nneka Moses, Chief Benice Okeke, Mrs Chinwe Nnune and Mrs Ann Omesu, among others. Also at the event were Barrister Jude Ekwunife and Senator I.G. Abana, who chaired the occasion.

ROM tomorrow, Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, will host writers at the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) 33rd Convention. Although there are fears that the short notice may affect the turnout for this year’s edition, ANA president Remi Raji is optimistic that it would not. Prof J.O.J Nwachukwu Agbada is expected to give the keynote address. At the event, which will run till Saturday, the eventual winners of this year’s literary prizes would be announced at the convention’s award dinner. The shortlist of the prizes include: Bottom of Another tale by Su’eddie Vershima Agema, Habiba by Razinat T. Mohammed and Under Bridge by Immanuel James were shortlisted for the ANA Prose Prize; the ANA/Chevron Prose Prize On Environment has on its shortlist Oil Cemetery by May Ifeoma Nwoye, Among the Survivors by Million John and The Fall of Silence by Inyang E. Ekwo; on the ANA Poetry Prize are Sunbeams and Shadows by Saddiq Dzukogi, Home Equal Holes: Tales of an Exile by Su’eddie Vershima Agema, Silent Whispers by C. P. Christopher, Sound of a Metal Gong by Damian Terkaa Jam and The Fourth Masquerade by Ebi Yeibo; the ANA Drama Prize has Soji Cole’s Maybe Tomorrow, Dul Johnson’s Melancholia, Sweet Taste of Shame by Elaigwu Ameh, The sacrifice by Tunji Ajibade and Phillip Begho’s Trafficked. Other shortlisted works are Erimma by Ikechukwu E. Asika, Makwada by Sanamo David Lagwampa, and Soji Cole’s Maybe Tomorrow for ANA/Esiaba Irobi Prize For Playwriting category. Nma Hassan Mohammed’s The Empty Cage, Jide Ogunlana’s Three Strange Stories for Children and Johnny Just Come by Phillip Begho would be given honourable mention only for ANA /Lantern Prize for Children’s Fiction category. The judges are Prof Nelson Fashina, Assoc. Prof Emmanuel Sule Egya, Dr Salihu Bappa and Mrs Joan Orji.

‘How to sell Nigeria’

ITH the fallen oil price, tourism experts have urged the government to look inwards and harness the enormous wealth in the sector. They called for infrastructural development and funding that would boost the sector’s growth. This, they said, could be done by showcasing Nigeria’s potentials to the world through organising international tourism summits and proactive projects that would draw tourists from across the world. According to the Chief Executive Officer of the De Tourism World Inter-National, Mr Uwakwe Solomon, who called for public/ private partnership, Nigeria is blessed with alot of mineral resources. He said: “Nigeria is blessed with a lot of mineral resources it is high time the government focus more resources to develop the tourism sector. We have lots of sites that can become a major revenue earner for the country if they are renovated, put in good shape and managed well. This would require the cooperation between the government and private sector.” To lead by example, Mr Solomon said De Tourism World Inter-National is determined on selling Nigeria’s rich tourist sites and tourism potentials to the world through several projects. For over three years, he said, his organisation has been gathering materials and documenting sites scattered across the country which would soon be featured on TV stations. The organisation’s projects would be unveiled at its tourism expo billed for next year in Abuja. “We want to sell Nigeria’s rich tourism potential to the world. The research projects would further showcases the hospitality, travel and tourism industries with special focus on the documentaries of Nigerian wonderful tourist sites and attractions put at par with those found overseas through both the print and audiovisual means. These are coming in an entertaining manner as a TV programme with the primary objective of encouraging and promoting sustainable tourism and general infrastructural development. To further promote the sector’s prospects, we are organising the international tourism expo that would hold next year at the prestigious Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja. Dr Tee Mac Omatshola Iseli (MFR) is the expo’s celebrity ambassador,” Mr Solomon, also known as M.C Pa-Solo, said.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2014

The Midweek Magazine

E-mail:- ozoluauhakheme@yahoo.com

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

WINE GIRL A woman at Elegushi of Ikate’s Palace, Lagos.

PHOTO: ABIODUN WILLIAM •Continued from Page 48

launch a bond. The way forward In 2015, we intend to form a tourism committee, and I would like for Mr President and the minister to form a committee with people with international exposure to contribute to the new tourism journey. I would like for Mr President to give them a 6 – month tenure to come up with a template. Tourism - a value proposition Historically, tourism in very much where the telecom industry was 20 years ago, and as a value proposition, it is an attractive investment. My role and the role of the committee is to answer the tourism question in terms of creating viable business opportunities for investments that enhance the Nigerian tourism experience. Being a business, we must not forget that investors must see appreciable value and a handsome ROI (return on investment). For the investor it is not just about a Durbar, a Sango Festival, a New Yam Festival, or a beach, it is about a sustainable business with handsome returns. Emphasis Nigeria cannot remain a mono hydrocarbon economy. We must create and exploit our other natural resources which are our landscape, our dynamic people, our plethora of young people, our sunshine, our lakes, our beaches and our warm

‘Tourism is no luxury’ friendly nature in order to attract the billions of tourism dollars looking for destinations and looking for choice. Tourism should rightly be a considerable contributor to our GDP. As an investment value – proposition it is unrivalled. How would you conclude I would conclude by saying that tourism is an imperative for healthy living and not just a pastime. Rest and relaxation are the cornerstone of any civilized society. Nigeria needs to ratchet up this asset we have and make Nigeria open for tourism business in a meaningful way. Government should not and cannot do this but Government should create the right enabling environment and investment incentives that foster investment. Government owns tourism assets which are underutilised or

underperforming. Investment in these is required. For 2015, we are talking with and partnering with State Governments, oil companies, the manufacturing sector and banks to see what role they can play. We are looking at issuing a bond. We would like to partner with strong brands like General Electric (GE) and brands like AEG to create music venues for our youths. Attached to these venues will be streaming rights, so both investors and artists make money and the world gets an on-line insight into what a vibrant country Nigeria is. As mentioned, we will be talking to oil companies to partner to create recreational experiences and similarly to banks on what they need for their staff and families and see how we can partner with them to build something bespoke that will be branded by

‘Historically, tourism in very much where the telecom industry was 20 years ago, and as a value proposition, it is an attractive investment. My role and the role of the committee is to answer the tourism question in terms of creating viable business opportunities for investments that enhance the Nigerian tourism experience’

them and form the nucleus for wider investments. In all of this the bench-mark is WORLD STANDARD. Nigerians expect so much more today in the 21st Century and don’t want to be cheated. Tourists around the world expect similar because they have choices and it is not ‘by force’ they come to Nigeria. It is my job to point Government in the right direction in order to create the right enabling environment because Nigeria is a destination for Polo lovers, golf lovers, eco-tourism, sun sand and beach experiences, music lovers, heritage lovers, people who love being around lakes and for domestic tourism couched both in term of short and long term breaks. Others are interested in the history of Nigeria, for example, the Benin bronzes; our natural caves and waterfalls. Every tourist has a requirement and Nigeria’s other natural resource can provide everything. I want Nigeria to be a country where people can work, live and holiday, and it must be comparable to what other countries in the Far East, in South Africa, East Africa have to offer. Tourism is not a luxury but is a modern social imperative. Tourism is and must be a major contributor to Nigeria’s GDP. Tourism creates jobs, capacity and career opportunities for our youth. Taking a holiday to rest and be with family is extending our lives and building strong family units. Tourism creates well – being. All work and no holiday leads to a stress-filled life and short life span.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2014

BUSINESS EXTRA

Fed Govt unveils N45b sugar project in Northwest

HE Federal Govern ment has inaugurated a N45billion integrated, state-of-the-art sugar project in Sunti, Niger State, Northwest Nigeria. The project, wholly owned by the Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc (FMN) and comprising a 16,500 hectare sugarcane estate and mill, is part of the Ministry of Industry and Investment’s approved Backward Integration Programme (BIP) for the production of local sugar in line with the provisions of the National Sugar Master Plan. Already, the company has invested N16 billion while the entire project is expected to be completed and commissioned before the end of 2016. On completion, the project is expected to produce 100, 000 metric tons of sugar annually; create 15,000 direct and indirect jobs, generate 10megawatts (Mw) of electricity, produce animal feed and fertiliser as a by-product and save the country over $50million yearly in foreign exchange. Speaking at the inauguration of the projectyesterday, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr. Olusegun Aganga, said the event represented a major milestone in President Goodluck Jonathan’s economic diversification efforts. Aganga noted that the implementation of the National Sugar Master Plan was an integral part of the Nigeria Industrial Revolution Plan (NIRP).

By Simeon Ebulu

The Minister said: “Today is another historic day as it represents another milestone in the implementation of the National Sugar Master Plan, an integral part of the Nigeria Industrial Revolution Plan (NIRP), which was launched by our President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, in line with his Transformation Agenda. “As part of the NIRP, we have developed the National Sugar Master Plan as one of the sector-specific policies to diversify the Nigerian economy because we were importing about 97 per cent of the sugar we consume in this country when we can produce sugar from sugarcane. Also, from the raw materials of producing sugar, we can generate electricity, produce ethanol and animal feeds.” Aganga, who expressed satisfaction with the level of implementation of the new National Sugar Master Plan, said the country was on course towards achieving economic diversification. He said the Federal Government would continue to provide conducive environment and right incentives to attract and sustain investments across the country. He said: “In 2012, President Jonathan approved the National Sugar Master Plan because for a long time, we have relied heavily on exporting one commodity (crude oil) despite the fact that our country is blessed with about 84 million hectares of arable land. And for decades, we pur-

• From left: Coumantaros; Aganga; and Chief Executive Officer, National Sugar Development Council, Dr. Latif Busari, inspecting the level of commitment to the National Sugar Master Plan at the Sunti Golden Sugar Estate in Niger State… yesterday

sued a wrong policy of exporting crude oil and using the proceeds to buy back refined petroleum products and created jobs for other countries. The current decline in price of oil has reinforced the need for us as a country to take proactive steps to diversify our economy through industrialization. “Today, I have come to see the progress that Flour Mills has made in terms of adhering strictly to the Sugar Master Plan. Although I receive

NLNG to build $1.8b ship repair facility HE Nigeria Liquified “This dry dock, when comin Lagos pleted, Natural Gas (NLNG) in holds huge potential

collaboration with other investors are set to invest $1.8billion in ship repair and dry docking business in the country to boost the economy and increase trade. The facility, according to its promoters, would be built in Badagry area of Lagos State because of its deep waters, human resources and proximity to other West African countries. Speaking at the investors’ road show organised by the Badagry Ship repair and Marine Engineering Limited, NLNG’s Managing Director Mr. Babs Omotowa said the robust investment will contribute immensely to the nation’s economy, give the country the much needed

By Oluwakemi Dauda

foreign exchange aside its potential to create jobs. The need for the establishment of the dockyard, Omotowa said, follows the conclusion of feasibility studies by Royal Haskoning DVH, an independent international engineering and project management consultancy company which has its headquarters in the Netherlands. The study, he said, is one of the benefits of NLNG’s $1.6billions ship building contracts given to Samsung Heavy Industries and Hyundai Heavy Industries to build six new ships for the company.

for investors and for Nigeria; Our NLNG vessels and very large crude carriers of other companies in the oil and gas and marine industries, which are currently maintained overseas, resulting in millions of dollars in capital flight, will soon be maintained in our country with significant value-added for the Nigerian economy,” Omotowa said. The feasibility studies for citing the dock yard, he said, were done in seven locations which included Badagry, Lekki FTZ, Ladol Island, Olokola FTZ, Onne and Bonny before the consultants picked Badagry as the suitable location for the project.

ICPC, Aviation Ministry sign MoU on fighting graft

HE Independent Cor rupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission ( ICPC) and the Ministry of Aviation yesterday signed a Memorandum of Understanding ( MoU ) to eliminate low level corruption at the nation’s airports. Part of the strategies, according to the Chairman of ICPC, Mr Ekpo Nta will include mandatory training on ethics and integrity at the anti - graft agency’s academy for personnel of all stakeholders deployed to work at the airports. He said the agreement would also involve a comprehensive systems study of the Federal Ministry of Aviation, its parastatals as well as continuous sensitisation of the travelling public and foreigners who use the airports not to compromise by offering

By Kelvin Osa Okunbor

tips or bribes and report unwholesome practices to the ICPC. Aviation Minister, Osita Chidoka described corruption as a roadblock to national economic development . He ordered the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and the Nigerian Air Force to flush out touts loitering around the arrival hall of the Lagos International Airport. Chidoka urged FAAN to cancel concessions concerning the use of trolleys at the international airport, even as he said the government will install new close circuit television (CCTv) cameras at major international airports to provide surveillance through the use of technol-

ogy ways and means to checking corrupt practices. He said the installation of CCTVs in strategic places around the airport would deter airport workers from either soliciting for bribes or tips, a development he said has become one of the sore points in the travel experience of many Nigerians using international airports. The minister spoke of plans to pay unscheduled visits to the Lagos Airport to ensure that structures put in place to stamp out corruption are complied with. He said the ministry of aviation will interface the Lagos State government to set up mobile courts at the Lagos Airport for the speedy trail bad prosecution of persons arrested for touting and other unauthorised practices.

regular updates from the National Sugar Development Council and all the sugar companies, I still consider it very important to come to see things by myself; and I am satisfied with the level of investment and work that is going on here. “Having gone round the multi-billion-naira facility, I can say that the company has fully embraced the new Sugar Master Plan and is fully implementing their Backward Integration Programme as

approved by my ministry. One striking thing about the company’s BIP is that they are doing the sugarcane plantation side by side with rice production, thereby, keying into commodity-based industrialisation and import-substitution. ”This is in line with Federal Government’s strategies for diversifying our nation’s economy, and we are on course towards achieving that. We will continue to provide the conducive environment

and right incentives to attract and sustain more investments across all sectors of the Nigerian economy.” Chairman, Flour Mills Nigeria Plc, Mr. John Coumantaros, commended President Jonathan and Mr. Aganga for initiating and implementing the National Sugar Policy, adding that the company would continue to take advantage of government’s investment-friendly policies and incentives to invest more in the country.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2014

NEWS APC’ll bring change, says lawmaker

HE member representing Eti-Osa Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Jide Akinloye, has said the All Progressives Congress (APC) is the only party that can bring change to Nigeria. Akinloye said this after securing a return ticket to the lower chamber of the National Assembly. Speaking after he was declared winner, the lawmaker urged Nigerians to ensure that the ruling party is voted out next year. “We are facing security challenges; we are losing some of our territories to insurgents. Today, our

By Akeem Lawal

economy is in shambles. We’ve relied too much on a single product economy; we are doing very little about other resources and opportunities available for this country. “I believe the party I belong to will provide that change and that is why we should be given the opportunity to have a change in the direction of this country. “Now that I’m going back, it will also serve as an opportunity for me to consolidate on the little achievements that I’ve done at this level because I’ll be going back now as a ranking member.”

FIRS seals two Ibadan councils From Bisi Oladele, Ibadan

HE secretariats of Ibadan South East and Ibadan South West local governments were yesterday sealed by officials of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) for alleged tax default. The officials also “arrested” the Chairman of Ibadan South East Local Government, Bolaji Nojeemdeen, Head of Local Government Administration, Ibadan South-West Government, Olumuyiwa Olaoye and Olabanji Bamidele, the council’s Internal Auditor. The head of the FIRS team, Ojo Emmanuel, who is a Deputy Manager, said they were “arrested” for tax default. At an enforcement meeting between FIRS and the local government officials, the State Monitor, Government Business Officer, FIRS, Akin Oluyide, explained that that the exercise became necessary because the local governments defaulted in tax remittance. Olumide added that the officials would not be released, until they make financial commitment to off-set their debt. They were released after promising to pay N1 million monthly to pay off the debt. Nojeemdeen blamed dwindling resources for the delay in remitting the tax. Olaoye said the councils would do better if they were granted autonomy. He said, “We have not been able to pay our workers’ salaries and the delay in remitting was due to lack enough funds.”

Votes were cast without money inducement, witness tells tribunal

S the defence of the petition against the victory of Governor Rauf Aregbesola in the August 9 governorship election entered the second day yesterday, a witness to the first respondent, Rasheed Okeowo, told the tribunal that eligible voters in his unit were allowed to cast their votes, without being induced with money, food and any other materials. Under cross examination led by the counsel to the petitioner, Chris Uche, Okeowo, from Unit 2, Ward 4 of Boripe Local Government, said: “Election in my unit was not rigged. Aregbesola told us to fast for his victory and we all did”. Okeowo told the panel that the Independent Na-

•Lagos APC welcomes ternoon session. But, we are However, Fagbohungbedelegates

From Adesoji Adeniyi, Osogbo

tional Electoral Commission (INEC) officials failed to give parties’ agents duplicate copies of election results. He also testified that parties’ agents were not given duplicate copies of signed election result sheets after the conclusion of the exercise. Also, being cross examined, another witness, Bello Afeez Adekunle, said there was no harassment or violence at Apeni Compound, Unit 10, Idi Omo, in Ede on the election day. When the counsel to the first respondent, Felix Fagboungbe, applied to the tribunal for adjournment till tomorrow, Uche did not oppose the application.

said today should be counted as part of the 10 days allocated to his client. The chairman of the Election Petition Tribunal, Justice Elizabeth Ikpejime, granted the application and adjourned proceedings till tomorrow. Speaking to reporters after yesterday’s proceedings, Uche, said: “You can see that the respondents don’t have a case. In fact, they are hunting for witnesses. That was why they applied for adjournment yesterday after calling just four witnesses. “They are taking adjournment again after calling four witnesses. They don’t want to proceed to af-

ready for them. You can see all the contradictions in the testimony of their witnesses.” A lawyer in the legal team of the first respondent, Ajibola Basiru, said: “The petitioner has not proved anything. They have called 43 witnesses who have failed. What kind of testimony did you want to present from Ilesa East, where he is challenging result of about 76 polling units? “They have called only one agent. He is expecting the tribunal to nullify election of a local government on the testimony of single witness from Boripe Local Government.”

•Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun (left) inaugurating the ultramodern FM Digital Studio acquired by the government for the State Broadcasting Corporation (OGBC)... yesterday. With him are OGBC’s General Manager Tunde Awolana (right) and others.

Oodua Progressive Union in France

HE National Coordinator of Oodua Peoples ‘Congress (OPC), Otunba Gani Adams, has inaugurated the France Chapter of Oodua Progressive Union. The ceremony held at Boulevard De Liberation, St Denis, Paris, was attended by the Nigerian Ambassador to France, Hakeem Olawale, who was represented by the Head of Chancery, Olumide Olowo . OPU France Coordinator Aladeloye Akinloye Hakeem, in his welcome address, lauded Adams’ vision in rising to salvage the obliteration of Yoruba culture, values and tradition. Aladeloye also praised OPU members in Europe for their resilience and support for Adams. Olawale praised the OPC coordinator for “being a cultural icon who came to Paris to re awake and stoke the embers of cultural renaissance among the Yoruba and other ethnic groups”. “We at the Embassy salute his courage and commend him for giving Nigerians and the Yoruba a sense of cultural belonging and pride not only in Nigeria but at the international level.”

No panic buying, NNPC cautions From John Ofikhenua, Abuja

HE management of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has cautioned motorists against panic buying of petrol. In a statement yesterday, the Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Ohi Alagbe, said the corporation’s downstream subsidiary, the Pipelines and Products Marketing Company (PPMC) said it has over 32 days stock of petroleum products available for supply across the nation. The NNPC enjoined motorists in Lagos and its environs not to engage in panic buying. It said the noticeable queues in some filling stations in Lagos were attributable to panic buying caused by reduced truck- out of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) from Oil Marketing Companies’ Depots in Apapa area of Lagos, due to the gridlock created by the ongoing road construction in Apapa. The Corporation urged marketers affected by the Apapa road construction to load their petroleum products from its inland depot at Mosimi to support the “zero tolerance to fuel queues” policy across the country. It appealed to marketers to begin loading from the PPMC Mosimi depot to cover for the shortfall from Apapa. The Corporation also advised marketers to desist from hoarding or diversion of petroleum products as any marketer caught would be sanctioned. The NNPC called on the public to avoid panic buying of petroleum products as adequate measures have been put in place to “wet the nation with PMS” to ensure hitch free transportation of goods and services during the Yuletide and beyond.

I’ll sue Obasanjo, says Kashamu

PEOPLES Democratic Party (PDP) Southwest chief Buruji Kashamu yesterday vowed to take exPresident Olusegun Obasanjo to court for presenting his autobiography, My Watch, in Lagos yesterday despite a court injunction. Kashamu obtained an ex parte order restraining Obasanjo from presenting the book but the former President went ahead with the presentation. In a statement yesterday, Kashamu said: “I have asked my lawyers to press criminal contempt charges against him (Obasanjo) and all those who assisted him in flouting the court’s orders. “I will ensure that they are all sued and particularly, Obasanjo. ”Everybody knows that good governance is based on the rule of law, due process and respect for constituted authorities. “It beats my imagination that this man can be

Obasanjo: my third term story •Continued from Page 1 But Justice Valentine Ashi of the Federal High Court sitting in Wuse, Abuja, last Friday stopped the launch, following a motion brought by Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stalwart in Ogun State, Mr Buruji Kashamu, a senatorial candidate. He fixed the hearing in the suit for today. The book was reviewed by Patrick Okigbo, who showered praises on it. He described it as “thought-provoking and revealing.” Obasanjo said he did not regret nominating the late President Umaru Yar’Adua and President Goodluck Jonathan. He said if anybody feels that they have not done well, he should not be blamed but “those coming behind us should learn from that.” Copies of the book were sold at the event. Obasanjo said he said he resorted to writing open letters to President Jonathan after all efforts to get him to see reason on some issue were fruitless after private discussions. He also denied being interested in elongating his tenure in what is not generally referred to as “third term agenda.” Obasanjo, in the book, attacked his former deputy, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the late President Umaru Yar’Adua, Ogun PDP Senatorial candidate Kashamu Buruji and President Goodluck Jonathan. He accused Atiku of misjudgment and using his position as the head of privatisation programme to favour his cronies. He described the late Yar’Adua as an “ingrate” – who tried to implicate him in corruption-related offences. In the book, Obasanjo said the abduction of the Chibok girls has shown Jonathan’s “ineptitude, ineffectiveness, carelessness, cluelessness, callousness, insensitivity and selfishness”.

sermonising about good governance when he shamelessly advertises all the elements of bad gover-

nance. “In short, he is bad governance personified. He is the worst adver-

•Obasanjo

tisement for the product he is trying to advertise – good governance. He has shown that he does not have respect for the judiciary, and that he is above the law. “Certainly, President Goodluck Jonathan and his predecessor, the late President Umaru Yar’Adua, and others he criticised in the controversial book, which I am reliably informed he did not write, are made of a sterner stuff than him. They are true democrats and gentlemen to the core.”

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2014

THE NATION WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 10, 2014

NEWS

Troops intercept Boko Haram hit list

Army arrests Chadian Boko Haram members in Damaturu From Duku Joel, Damaturu

From Yusuf Alli, Abuja

HE Army and other security agencies have arrested some Chadians for alleged membership of the Boko Haram sect. Security operatives have arrested members of the sect at various locations in Damaturu, the Yobe State capital, a week after the attack on the city by the insurgents, where scores of people were killed. The arrest of the suspects in Damaturu confirmed reports that some of the insurgents, who carried out the December 1 attack, were hiding in various locations and could not get out of Damaturu. A reliable security source told our reporter that most of the suspects arrested are Chadian who could not speak English or Hausa. One of the suspects was said to have been arrested at Pompomari, behind the Federal Polytechnic in Damaturu. He was said to be pretending to be mad while another, who disguised in a hijab (Muslim women’s veil), was attempting to escape from Damaturu. “I can confirm to you that a lot of some of the terrorists that attack Damaturu and escaped to different locations in Damaturu are been arrested. Most of them are Chadians. They can’t speak Hausa or English. “What is making life difficult for them is because most of them don’t known their locations in town or how they will get out of Damaturu,” the source said. A resident, who also spoke in confidence, said: “There was one that was caught around our area, who was pretending to be a mad man. Some children saw him when they were playing and alerted elders that they saw a man around an uncompleted building they had never seen before. When the people saw him, he started pretending to be a mad man. But his days were numbered. It did not take time to know that he was a Boko Haram member and he was immediately arrested and handed over to JTF,” the resident said. A source said some of the terrorists forcefully collected hijab from some women and disguised with them. But few commercial activities have returned to Damaturu. Schools have also resumed. But the attendance has been low, according to school owners.

Minna jailbreak: Niger Prison Controller removed •Others suspended From Gbenga Omokhunu, Abuja

HE Controller of Prisons for the Niger State Command of the Nigeria Prisons Service (NPS), Musa Maiyaki, has been removed from office, following the December 6 jail break in Minna, the state capital. A statement yesterday in Abuja by NPS Public Relations Officer, Ope Fatinikun, said: “The Minister of Interior, Comrade Abba Moro, has approved the recommendations of the Controller-General of Prisons, Dr Peter Ekpendu, for the immediate removal and suspension of the following officers, pending the outcome of investigation into the jail break at the Medium Security Prison in Minna. “The Controller of Prisons, Niger State Command, Musa Maiyaki; The officer-in-Charge, Medium Security Prison, Minna, ACP Mohammed Bena and all other officers on duty on December 6, 2014, when the jail break happened. “Also, , Dr Ekpendu also ordered the immediate transfer of 55 officers and men of the zonal and state headquarters in Minna to the Medium Security Prison in Minna and the Old Prison in Minna to tighten security in the two prisons.”

•Olukolade

HE Defence Headquarters said yesterday troops have intercepted a hit list of Boko Haram and sketches of communities to be attacked by the insurgents. Also, the troops have killed 27 insurgents at Hildi, Balmo and Lame forests. But six soldiers were injured in various encounters with the insurgents. The Defence Headquarters tweeted yesterday its achievements in the current fight against insurgency, especially in the Northeast, to show that the military had recaptured some of the seized towns from the insurgents. Normal activities were also

being restored to some of the towns, such as Mubi and Hong, where the insurgents had been sacked. The tweet said: “The campaign against terrorists’ activities is continuing with air and land operations being conducted in various theatres in parts of the country. “...Six soldiers were wounded in the encounter. Troops have eventually taken control of the Lame Forest. In Balmo and Lame Forest encounters, over 20 terrorists lost their lives while some were reported wounded. “Troops also recovered a number of rifles and motorcycles, after a stiff resistance by terrorists was crushed. Troops, in pursuit of terrorists, caught up with them around Hildi. In the ensuing encounter, over seven terrorists lost their lives. Five rifles, hundreds of rounds of ammunition as well as bows and arrows were recovered from them.” Another military source added: “Back to winning ways, which they lost in the fake ceasefire agreement sometimes ago, Nigerian troops have captured the documents

•27 killed at Hildi, Balmo forest •Borno, Adamawa residents hail military containing a list of communities about to be attacked and sketches of the towns from fleeing terrorists in Adamawa State. “In two separate operations spanning Adamawa and Bauchi states, the troops also killed 27 suspected terrorists during fierce confrontations in a bid to rid the areas of insurgency. “During another special raid operation conducted on Balmo and Lame forests linking Borno, Bauchi and Adamawa states, the determined troops recovered rifles and a number of motorcycles, after a stiff resistance by terrorists was crushed.” The Defence spokesman, General Chris Olukolade, who confirmed the incidents, added: “Six soldiers were wounded in the encounters.” Also, the people of Adamawa State have hailed the military for curtailing the activities of the Boko Haram insurgents in the North. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Army recently recovered ar-

eas occupied by insurgents in Mubi North, Mubi South, Gombi and Hong local government areas. A cross section of the people who spoke on the successes recorded against the sect members said the development was a big relief. “I was thinking of leaving Yola for Abuja or Lokoja when Boko Haram took over Mubi and other areas. But with this development, I am now relaxed and hope to do my Christmas here,” Peter John said. Tizhe Kwada, Ibrahim Abdulrahman and Felix Vandi, who hailed from Michika town, hailed the military for their successes. They called for steady military advance to cover Michika and Madagali local government areas. “I want them to sustain the tempo and cover Michika and Madagali local government areas to make it a total liberation of the territories in Adamawa,” Vandi said.

Taraba group to Umar: honour pact on power shift

GROUP of eminent personalities in Taraba South Senatorial District of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Darius Dickson Ishaku Taraba Rescue Team (DDITRT), yesterday urged sacked Acting Governor Garba Umar to honour his agreement that he would not contest any election. Umar was said to have entered into a pact with PDP stakeholders before he was appointed deputy governor. He was appointed deputy governor in October 2012, before Governor Danbaba Suntai was injured in a plane he piloted. DDITRT’s Director-General Abubakar Bawa said Umar had taken an oath before Suntai appointed him deputy, that he would not nurse any ambition. He said: “But when the gov-

From Fanen Ihyongo, Jalingo

ernor crashed, he (Umar) lied to the people, joined the governorship race and started kicking against power shift.” Bawa was reacting to an attack on Darius Ishaku’s supporters by thugs suspected to be working for the sacked acting governor. He said: “ Umar and Suntai had agreed that they would help Taraba Southern zone to also produce governor at the end of Suntai’s second term. This was because Taraba North and Central have ruled the state for about 18 years. “Whether the agreement was written or not, Umar should respect it. He should respect his age and the fact that he is a Muslim. “Suntai had reposed confidence in him because of his age

and the fact that he appeared to be a gentleman. “Former House of Assembly Speaker Josiah Sabo Kente, who has just resigned his office and many stakeholders, know this.” The DDITRT leader urged those rooting for Umar to become governor to stop misleading the masses. He said: “Those campaigning for Umar do not have the interest of Taraba at heart. Most of them are from Gombe and do not mean well for Taraba. Bawa expressed worry on the level of “high insecurity” in Taraba State. He said: “Personally, I am worried about the state of security in this state. The people who turned out to receive UTC (Umar) the day he returned to Jalingo were publicly carrying dangerous weapons, such as cutlasses, knives and bows and

arrows. But nothing was done by the police to stop them. I am surprised.” But Umar’s Senior Special Assistant (SSA), Aaron Atimas, denied the pact agreement He said: “Taraba State does not practise rotational politics. So, those trying to stop Umar on power shift grounds are being undemocratic.” The aide challenged those accusing Umar of signing a pact with Suntai to hand over power to the Southern Zone of the state to make the document public. He said the sacked acting governor was no longer in government, yet the people were still behind. Atimas said: “Let the people of Taraba State decide who they want. The issue of power shift is not in the constitution.”

A former university teacher, Prof Moses Makinde ,writes on how the All Progressives Congress (APC) should pick its presidential candidate

APC: presidential and vice presidential candidates

HE presidential election in February, 2015 is no doubt the best opportunity for an opposition party, the APC, a coalition of parties, namely AC, ANPP, CPC and a faction of APGA, to clinch the coveted post of the presidency in Nigeria. Under the prevailing situation in the country, with the ruling party, the PDP, in bad shape, the presidency is there for grab by the new formidable opposition. But this can only be achieved if the APC does not commit mistakes of playing into the hands of the PDP. This calls for selflessness on the part of the leaders of the APC and their presidential aspirants. The APC should by now know the best candidate they can sell to the public. Naturally, such a candidate should come from those leaders who had gone through thick and thin to form the party in the first place. One of these pioneers is Gen. Buhari of the CPC, which merged with CAN, ANPP and a faction of APGA. As it is, the APC and its founding fathers have accommo-

dated new comers who I believe, should have kept away from contesting the presidential primary. But because the APC and its leaderships believe in the democratic process, the race was thrown open to all those who are interested in becoming the president, regardless of their initial contribution to the tortuous journey of getting the party recognized. In this connection, one would have thought that a consensus candidate would have been agreed upon, but the leaders opted for the primary in order to keep the party intact. Of all the candidates, Gen. Buhari remains on top because he is the one with notable exposure in the 36 states of the federation, including the FCT. His popularity in the North is legendary. He stands shoulder high in the fight against corruption and indiscipline for which he is also a legendary figure, not to mention his Spartan discipline. Nigeria needs Buhari more than Buhari needs Nigeria in her darkest hours of indiscipline,

impunity and corruption. If the issues of indiscipline and corruption can be tackled with the vigor by which Buhari did when he was Head of State, Nigeria may be on its way to redemption. Therefore, his candidature will send jitters to the PDP who already know his position against corruption which had been the PDP’s trademark for 16 years! I can imagine some PDP politicians decamping to APC for fear of the unknown in Buhari’s presidency in 2015. A good advice for whoever picks the APC’s presidential ticket concerns the choice of his running mate. First advice is who should not be his running mate % a muslim and a Yoruba, if the APC must win the presidential election next year. Well meaning Nigerians have been advised against the volatile issue of a muslim%muslim ticket. Already the PDP has labelled APC a muslim party which we all know is not true. To present a muslim%muslim ticket is to give the PDP a potent weapon as a campaign issue. Remember that Obasanjo, a Yoruba, has just

finished 8 years as president of Nigeria in 2007. This was to be followed by a candidate from the South or North. Now, the candidate is zoned to the North. Already a South%South is the incumbent president. For the purpose of fairness, a South%West should not be put forward as vice presidential candidate. This is where the South%East comes in. If they cannot clinch the presidential ticket, they should be considered for the V.P so as to give the South%East a sense of belonging. The APC is already solid in the South%West and the North. Because of Obasanjo who had just finished 8 years as president, the Yoruba, who are a sophisticated people, do not clamour for a position in the presidency, i.e. president or vice president, the latter being a potential president. Now, Rochas Okorocha would be a good candidate for the V.P except that he is already contesting as president. Rotimi Amaechi and Comrade Oshiomole are also good candidates, except that they

•Gen. Buhari

come from the same zone with Jonathan who is the incumbent president. This leaves the best choice of V.P candidate to the South East if the party hopes to win votes from that zone. There are many important positions to be shared, but the bottom line is: no muslim%muslim ticket and no Yoruba as Vice-president. The APC should not downplay the role of electorate’s sensibilities on matters of this nature, for we are in Nigeria and not in

the UK or America where deft political calculations do not matter. After all, what the APC wants is to send the PDP packing in 2015. This could be done not by political leaders but by the electorate who go to the polls under a combination of factors: religion and ethnicity which, in addition, would have the prevailing horrible economic, security and social crises for the parties, especially the PDP, to contend with. Pragmaticism is the sure philosophy here, that is if APC will win, the right choices of good and acceptable presidential and vice presidential candidates will do the work. No sentiment, selfishness, self help or carelessness. Our leaders must not disappoint us. If APC wins, all the members win; if it loses, all of them lose in a fell-swop. And lovers of APC may never forgive their leaders should they bungle this golden opportunity of ruling Nigeria for once and for a change. Thanks. * Makinde, a Professor of Philosophy is the DG/CEO, Awolowo Centre for Philosophy, Ideology and Good Governance, Osogbo.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 10, 2014

‘

RACE TO 2015

If Buhari wins, he needs a sort of adjustment education that will make him to embrace the fact of democratic life and imperative of compromise, necessary flexibility, consensus building and utter sensitivity to divergent views in democracy

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•Continued from page 8

dature. The stigma has coloured the South’s perception of the former Head of State. But, Buhari is a man of the masses. They see him as their natural liberator. He looks like the symbol of the masses. On public welfare, he has a strong opinion. Since he has not in any way contributed to the political and economic adversity of the country, he has a natural alliance with the down-trodden. However, Buhari is not a giant of history in the mould of the founding fathers. He is not a member of the intellectual class. He is not a rich businessman and investor. His trade mark is contentment. Buhari’s profile got a boost recently when his associates won the governorship primaries in Katsina and Nasarawa satates. Many are actually looking beyond the primaries. If Buhari wins, he needs a sort of adjustment education that will make him to embrace the fact of democratic life and imperative of compromise, necessary flexibility, consensus building and utter sensitivity to divergent views in democracy.

• Mohammed

•Fayemi

‘Abubakar is perceived as an ambitious and desperate politician. Thus, Obasanjo, who has fallen out with him, cut his wings as the Vice President. From 2005 to 2007, Abubakar became a real spare tyre. When he moved from the PDP to the AC, and later from AC to the PDP, and much later, from the PDP to the APC, he was labelled as an inconsistent politician’

Kwakwanso

Kwankwano made history in the Third Republic when he emerged as the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives. He was a chieftain of the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP). A grassroots operator, he is a household name in Kano State. His group, the Kwankwasia movement, is waxing strong. In 1999, he became the governor of the state. But, he was defeated by his rival, Alhaji Ibrahim Shekarau of the defunct ANPP, who ruled for eight years. Between 2003 and 2007, Kwankwaso served as the Minister of Defence. He bounced back in 2011, when he was re-elected as the governor. It is believed that the governor has performed and there were indications that he was being encouraged to declare a presidential interest before he called it quits with the PDP. Kwankwaso is among the five PDP governors, who defected to the APC. The fact that many big wigs, including state and federal legislators, followed him to that he has a large following. He is today a national leader of the party. Among those rooting for him is Obasanjo. As the former Minister of Defence, he has the knowledge of the military. But, despite his popularity in Kano, it may be hard to sell his candidature to other zones. Born in 1956 in Kwankwaso Village in Madobi Local Government Area of Kano State, he was member of the 1994/95 Constitutional Conference. He is a former Presidential Special Envoy to Somalia and Darfur in 2007. He is a master strategist in Kano politics. Kwankwaso is always frank and sincere. In Kano, he is a performer. His masses-oriented projects are the legacies of his administration. His Free Feeding for Primary School Pupils earned him a United Nations (UN) recognition. Kwankwaso is devoted to the cause of accountability. He publishes the accounts of the state on weekly basis. It is to his advantage that Kano has the highest number of delegates to the primaries. Kwankwaso is not perceived as a “national politician.” His base is Kano. But, he is close to Obasanjo. But, the former President has not openly endorsed him. The hero of Kano politics may not have much appeal beyond the most populous state. He has friends across the country, but this cannot be easily converted into a political capital at the primaries. His Kwankwasiyya ideology is meaningful, but not beyond Kano. But, he can be described as a

• Oshiomhole

• Wamakko

• Ngige

APC’s litmus test man of the future because age appears to be on his side.

Abubakar

Abubakar is another veteran presidential aspirant. He can be described as the most experienced contender. He had contested for the seat in 2007 and 2011, but lost his deposit. Had he thrown his hat into the ring in 2003, may be, the story would have been different. But, he deferred to his boss, Obasanjo, hoping to succeed him in 2007. The marriage had turned sour before the poll. In 2007, the politician from Adamawa emerged as the arrowhead of the progressives. He was the presidential flag bearer of the ACN. But, shortly after the election, he retraced his steps to the PDP. The move infuriated the ACN family. Following his return to the PDP, he visited Obasanjo in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, in a fence-mending move. But, the imaginary reconciliation did not lead to renewal of political contact between the former President and his deputy. Last year, the former President castigated him at a public lecture in Ibadan, Oyo State capital. Obasanjo explained why he refused to hand over to him. In the past, Abubakar fought some political battles, using the arsenal of the law, and he triumphed. In the PDP, Abubakar has been deliberately sidelined. He was among the aggrieved PDP chieftains who stormed out of the party’s rancorous convention in Abuja to form the ‘New PDP. Many believe that Abubakar has a towering political stature. A detribalised Nigerian, he has many friends across

the country. But, majority of those rooting for him in 2007 are now mobilising for Buhari. In 1999 and 2003, he garnered 18,738,154 and 24,456,140 votes in a joint ticket with Obasanjo. But, as the ACN candidate in 2007, he got 2, 637, 848. He was more in the court fighting against his disqualification by a a tele-guided Panel of Enquiry set up by Obasanjo. Abubakar is a hardworking politician. He has earned success in politics and business. He is a good mobiliser. He is also good in the rational use of money for political ends. He has built networks across the country. One of his wives, Titi, is from Ilesa, Osun State. As the Vice President, he was the economic manager under the administration. He was the driver of the privatisation programmes. It is believed that this led to the GSM revolution in the country. The former Vice President has courted egg heads. He is versed in the ark of keeping loyal friends. But, his greatest asset is that he is perceived as a democrat. He is a believer in the rule of law and the role of the judiciary in the regulation of political behavour and relationship. However, the former number two citizen has been criticised, both objectively and subjectively. He has been branded as a corrupt politician by foes. But, he has never been found guilty of any economic or financial crime. Even when the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) controversy came up, he was not found culpable. Critics alleged that he had a link with a former United States con-

gressman, William J. Jefferson, who was jailed on November 13, 2009 for $100,000 bribery. But, he Abubakar was exonerated. Abubakar is perceived as an ambitious and desperate politician. Thus, Obasanjo, who has fallen out with him, cut his wings as the Vice President. From 2005 to 2007, Abubakar became a real spare tyre. When he moved from the PDP to the AC, and later from AC to the PDP, and much later, from the PDP to the APC, he was labelled as an inconsistent politician. Critics pointed out that he is driven solely by the desire to become the President. A political wizard, Abubakar packaged himself well in 2011 when he defeated Gen. Ibrahim Babangida at the selection process anchored by Northern leaders. But, he was later defeated by Dr. Jonathan at the PDP primaries. Even, delegates from Adamawa State rejected his candidature. Last week, history repeated itself when his anointed candidate, Ibrahim Minjiyawa, was defeated at the governorship primaries by Senator Jibrilla Bindow.

Okorocha

Okorocha has come a long way. But, in this race, he is perceived as a comedian. This is because it is an open secret that he is interested in re-election as the governor of Imo State. He is a former Commissioner in the Federal Character Commission and a member of the defunct National Constitutional Conference. In 1999, he contested for the governorship in Imo State. But, he could not make it. He was defeated by Achike Udenwa. In

2003, he was a presidential aspirant of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP). He failed at the primaries. When he defected to the PDP, Obasanjo appointed him as the Special Adviser on Inter-Party Affairs. In 2005 he was a chieftain of the Action Alliance (AA). Later, he defected to the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA). He realised his ambition in 2011. Okorocha has a milk of human kindness. He is a cheerful giver and a philanthropist. He has also been implementing developmental projects for the benefit of the masses. Okorocha is popular among the common people. Having grown up in the North, he speaks Hausa fluently. He is a crowd puller; vocal, charismatic and witty. According to observers, he is politically inconsistent, having traversed the PDP, the ANPP, the AA, the APGA and the APC. The governor has not taken the matter seriously, unlike Buhari and Abubkar. After declaring his ambition in Kaduna, he has limited his consultation to the pages of newspapers. In fact, there are speculations that he may step down before the commencement of voting.

Nda-Isaiah

Born on May 1, 1962, Sam Nda-Isaiah, a pharmacist, was born on May 1, 1962 . He founded the Leadership Newspapers Group. He is a former member of the Daily Trust Editorial Board, the Asian think-tank and the Global Institute for Tomorrow. In 2002, he was the Deputy Director-General of Buhari Campaign Organization (BCO) on the platform of the ANPP. He was a founding member of the CPC The aspirant is a man of conscience and principle. He is a fighter for justice. He is also a philanthropist. He is a true Nigerian. He did his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) In IkereEkiti, Ekiti State. He is a man of vision and courage. However, Nda-Isaiah is not a threat to any aspirant. His structure is weak. Critics said that he should have contested for other layers of elections before nursing a presidential ambition. Even, he may not get the majority of votes from his native Niger State. It is doubtful, if he has a deep purse to finance the project.

Deciding factors

The antecedents of the aspirants, their pedigree, and the preference of APC governors, who can swing the voted, are deciding factors. Other factors include the push for power shift by the North, the hunt for a credible candidate by the APC and external forces. There is commitment on the part of the APC stakeholders. They know that the shadow poll is a litmus test. They want to ensure a free and fair primaries to prove the point that the party can put its house in order. But, the governors and other national officers have their prefered candidates. The guardian of the process are the founding fathers, national leaders and party oficers. Those who will shape the exercise include Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, Chief Bisi Akande, National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, National Secretary Mai Mala Buni, Senator Bukola Saraki, former Governors Danjuma Goje, Abdullahi Adamu, Bukar Abba Ibrahim, George Akume and Sani Yerima, Speaker Aminu Tambuwal, Alh. Kawu Baraje, Chief Audu Ogbeh, Senator Shuaibu Lawan, Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola, his Rivers and Edo states counterparts-Rotimi Amaechi and Adams Oshiomole, ex-Governors Segun Oni and kayode Fayemi, Senator Osita Izunazo, and Alhaji Lai Mohammed. Many APC governors will play key roles in swinging votes. Some of them wants to become running mates.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 10, 2014

RACE TO 2015

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Both Buhari and Abubakar are likely to share Benue votes as they have associates there

‘

How will states vote? By Emmanuel Oladesu

• Tambuwal

HE aspirants have their strong holds and low areas. They will compete fiercely in the North, where they come from. But, Buhari and Atiku are in the main issues in the Southwest, Southsouth and

Southeast. In Nasarawa State, where Governor Tanko Al-Makura and former Governor Abdullahi Adamu hold sway, Buhari is likely to get a bloc vote. In Adamawa, the rivalry between former Governor Murtala Nyako and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar may shape voting. Abubakar’s candidate at the governorship primaries, Ibrahim Minjinyawa lost to Senator Jibrilla Bindow. There is the need for the former Vice President to woo the senator. Buhari’s wife is from Yola. But, how this may translate into a political capital is in the realm of conjecture. The voting pattern in Kwara State will be determined by the strongman of Kwara politics, Senator Bukola Saraki. He holds the ace. He may swing the pendulum to Buhari, if his colleagues, who are former governors, influence him to do so In Niger State, all the aspirants have

chances. Although Nda-Isaiah is from the state, there i no evidence that he is more popular than any of the aspirants there. However, Buhari may get more votes from the Niger North Senatorial zone, which is a predominantly Muslim-dominated area. But, Nupe delegates will stick to the leadership publisher. In Sokoto State, it appears that Buhari will have an upper hand. The withdrawal of Hose of Representatives Speaker Hon. Aminu Tambuwal from the presidential race was meant to pave the way for Buhari. Sources said that the governor, Aliyu Wamakko, is also working for the former military Head of State. In Edo State, Governor Adams Oshiomhole, who is eyeing the Vice Presidency, is likely to work for Buhari. Also, in Kaduna State, former Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, is expected to mobilise support for the former military leader. Kaduna is

also Buhari’s second home. In Rivers State, Governor Rotimi Amaechi is the eye of Buhari. In fact, there is a silent campaign for the governor to become his running mate. Buhari also has political ties with Yobe State as a chieftain of the defunct ANPP. The state believes that Buhari will end the insurgency that has rattled its peple, if he becomes the President. The mobilisation is expected to be done by Senator Bukar Abba Ibrahim and Governor Ibrahim Gaidam. Also, Borno State is rooting for Buhari, based on the same factors. But, it is dicey in Taraba State. Abubakar is popular in this state. Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso will deliver the state to himself. In fact, he will have the highest number of votes from Kano. Lagos is for Buhari. Some observers say this is incontestable. The same scenario may apply to Osun State, where Governor Rauf Aregbesola holds sway. Althouh Atiku’s wife, Titi, is from Osun State, this will not

Isiaka Adeleke and APC: A bond forever

ONTRARY to speculations in some quarters, particularly from a PDP chieftain in Osun State, Chief Shuaib Oyedokun, to the effect, that Senator Isiaka Adeleke will come back to PDP, it should be stated categorically, that such is the wish of Chief Shuaib Oyedokun, as an admirer of Senator Isiaka Adeleke, who also holds Chief Oyedokun in high esteem. Such wish of Chief Oyedokun is unrealizable, as Senator Isiaka Adeleke is body and soul in APC for good. Senator Isiaka Adeleke is a pragmatic politician, who gives total loyalty to any political party he decides to pitch his tent with at any given time. A principled and committed party man, whose words are his bond. Senator Isiaka Adeleke, is an embodiment of Omoluabi, any day, anytime. He lives his life for the progress and good of all, not minding tribe, religion, creed, sex or political affiliation. The first executive governor of Osun State, left PDP essentially on conviction, because he could not continue to be in a party, where his political relevance, sanctity of life and respect for his dignified personality, as a foremost elder statesman in Osun, could no more be guaranteed, due to overzealousness, excesses, lack of decorum, wisdom and gangterism on the parts of some Osun PDP chieftains, as known to Chief Shuaib Oyedokun was concerned. He ‘berthed’ in APC with pomp and ceremony, robust vision and mission, to contribute to the good fortunes of the party, without let or hindrance or any string attached. He did not leave PDP for APC for pecuniary gains. Since his defection to APC, the Asiwaju of Edeland, has given tremendous moral and financial support to the party, without batting an eyelid. He was a pillar of strength behind Governor Aregbesola and his emergence for a second term in office. His last days in PDP was traumatic, laced with threat to his life and political insult particularly, from a politician he picked from the ‘gutter’ for political relevance in 1992, when he emerged as the first executive governor of Osun State. He was a reference point in PDP, whilst his stay there lasted. But

By Olumide Lawal

rather, than appreciate his tremendous contribution to the PDP’ s good fortune, the leadership of the party, under President Goodluck Jonathan and other top functionaries at Wadata Plaza, unjustly left him in the ‘cold to lick his wounds’, after the ugly incident of April 2 at an hotel in Osogbo, where he literally walked through the shadow of valley of death. Thus, the amiable Senator Adeleke, after presenting his case to the top PDP hierarchy, including a letter to Mr. President and same published advertorially in some newspapers to no positive effect, he left PDP honourably for APC without hurting a fly . Chief Shuaib Oyedokun could attest to this claim. Senator Adeleke defected to APC, not for any selfish reason, or personal gains as earlier stated above. He pitched tent with APC to marshall efforts with others, who are progressively minded in making Osun an ELDORADO. After all, he came on board as Osun first civilian governor under a progressive party called SDP. He is therefore on a familiar terrain in APC. Senator Isiaka Adeleke for emphasis sake, ‘switched’ to APC, to prove a point, that whichever political party he finds himself, he is capable of making waves, which he proved without any doubt, by delivering his federal constituency to Ogbeni Aregbesola, in a landslide manner at the August 9, governorship election in Osun, leaving PDP politically bruised. This he effected with his own personal resources, without recourse to APC for any financial support, because he is not a political opportunist. He brought his wealth of experience to bear on the good fortunes of

• Adeleke

APC in Osun State. Why then the wild goose chase by the top PDP chieftain, that Senator Adeleke will come back to PDP. Anyway, nobody would want to lose a winner, that Adeleke is anyday. As a true democrat, Senator Isiaka Adeleke, was of the opinion, that though, there may be ideological differences among politicians and their political affiliations, he has resolved to maintain affinity and cordiality with his friends in different political parties, inclusive of PDP. This does not translate to mean, that he is finding his way back to the party. When Senator Rasheed Ladoja lost his mother a few months ago, he was among the earliest personalities, to commiserate with him, though he was in far away USA. This does not make him a member of Accord Party which Ladoja belongs to. Up till today, Senator Isiaka Adeleke fraternizes with Alhaji Fatai Akinbade with mutual respect. This does not make him, a member of Labour Party, which Akinbade belongs to. The immediate

‘Senator Isiaka Adeleke for emphasis sake, ‘switched’ to APC, to prove a point, that whichever political party he finds himself, he is capable of making waves, which he proved without any doubt, by delivering his federal constituency to Ogbeni Aregbesola, in a landslide manner at the August 9, governorship election in Osun, leaving PDP politically bruised’

shape the voting pattern. The voting pattern of Ekiti State may also go the way of Lagos State. f Governor Kayode Fayemi is the chairman of the National Convention Committee(NCC). However, Abubakar has some supporters in the state. Also, Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State may not abandon Buhar, in memory of old ties in the ANPP. Buhari and Abubakar may share votes from Ondo State. Katsina is the home of Buhari. It is expected that delegates will rally round him. Both Buhari and Abubakar are likely to share Benue votes as they have associates there. The actors are Senator George Akume and Chief Audu Ogbeh. But, Buhari will have a good showing in Kebbi State. In the Southeast states of Abia, Enugu and Imo, Okorocha will carry the day. In fact, Okorocha will sweep the votes in Imo. On Ebonyi and Delta, it is fluid. It is also fluid in Anambra, Bauchi, Gombe, Plateau, and Jigawa. While Buhari may get majority votes in Zamfara State, Abubakar may win in Cross River State.

past Head of Service of Osun State, Elder Akinwusi, visits Adekele’s residence, once in a while. This does not make him a member of Akinwusi’s SDP. Asiwaju Isiaka Adeleke, personal friendship transcends political differences. This core value, he cherishes a lot and holds dear to his heart. Those with false assumption, that Senator Isiaka Adeleke, may one day find himself back in PDP, should perish such thought. He is not talking with any PDP chieftain or leadership to that effect, because there is no basis for it. He is happy in APC, where he is regarded as a worthy and dependable leader of all times. He is working round the clock in APC, to make it wax stronger, so as to win all electable seats at the Senate, House of Representatives and the state assembly. For now, and in Osun West Senatorial district, Senator Isiaka Adeleke holds the ace. He is contesting with himself. It is Adeleke versus Adeleke. As a man of peace, Senator Isiaka Adeleke has enjoined his teeming supporters to continue to embrace, non-violent approach to politics, no matter the subtle provocation, from any quarters, particularly, as witnessed in Ede a few days ago, when a senatorial aspirant came to display political naivety. Adeleke will not do anything to taint his enviable and charismatic political career, painstakingly built over the years. To the first executive governor of Osun, there is enough to go round all APC faithful in Osun State without rancor. To those who should know, Senator Isiaka Adeleke has left PDP for good and forever. To him, Osun chapter of PDP, is a willing tool in the hands of one or two individuals, parading themselves as tin-gods. Whereas, Senator Isiaka Adeleke was a governor in 1992, when some individuals in PDP were not on political reckoning, not to talk of them being closer to him and his political leadership. He is therefore absolutely above board and beyond reproach. Senator Adeleke is comfortable in APC, enjoying his peace of mind and mutual respect from fellow party members. He is impacting positively on the fortune of APC, to make life worth living for the voiceless, the helpless and the down trodden masses of our people, whose votes matter most during election. Isiaka Adeleke sees, this class of people, as his primary constituency. To them he differs in total respect and love. Senator Isiaka Adeleke is APC personified. He sleeps and dreams APC. Senator Adeleke dey Kampe in APC

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2014

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Fire guts 24 tankers, caterpillar, car

Hemp odour exposes robbery suspect

IS bag attracted the police attention and he was asked the

content. A peep into the bag and the policeman was hit by the pungent smell of Indian hemp and he screamed. That was not all. A search revealed two guns hidden inside the bag. This discovery led to the arrest of Amos Kuesi (24) by a plain-clothe policeman at the popular Pen Cinema Roundabout in Agege, a Lagos suburb. He is being held by the Lagos State Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) . The Ogoni, Rivers Stateborn suspect, who claims to be a generator repairer, told The Nation yesterday that he took to armed robbery when he could not raise money to pay his rent in Lagos. Kuesi, who said he never told his fiance that he was

By Ebele Boniface

into robbery for fear of losing her, stated: “I only told her that I do some runs which fetch me money. I am a victim of circumstances. I have been going for armed robbery operations and I used to be careful not to be caught. This time, I was careless. “I had accommodation problem. My rent expired in November. I complained to my friend, Ifeanyi, when we went to play football in Rivers that I had a problem paying my expired rent. He promised to help me. But he told me that he had a bag which I would help him deliver to one man, Soti in Lagos, adding that Soti would give me N50,000 upon delivering the bag to him. He also gave me N20,000 covering my transport and feeding.” Kuesi said his friend told him that the bag contained

Indian hemp, ladding that unknown to him, it also contained guns. “When I reached Lagos, I wanted to pass through the Pen Cinema Roundabout but a policeman in plain-clothe accosted me and Soti, who was there to collect the bag. The policeman demanded to know the content of the bag. I told him I had two clothes (a shirt and a pair of trousers). When the policeman opened the bag, he smelt the odour of Indian hemp and screamed. Who are you that you have the courage to carry this quantity of Indian hemp? Are you a madman? He asked. Before I could answer one of the questions, Soti took to his heels,” Kuesi said. Soti’s escape, according to the suspect, prompted the policeman to hold him. “He immediately dragged me to the Pen Cinema Police Sta-

tion. “When the policeman searched the bag thoroughly at the station,” the suspect said, “he discovered two guns, four cartridges and about N16,000 which was left on me.” Kuesi, who said he was later transferred to SARS’ Scorpion House in Ikeja, Lagos, added: “I confessed that I am an armed robber, but that I was not caught robbing at the Pen Cinema where I was arrested. I also told him that I did not know that Ifeanyi put two locally made short guns and four cartridges inside the bag he gave me to deliver to Soti.” The suspect has promised to help the SARS operatives to arrest Ifeanyi and Soti. The command’s image maker, Ken Nwosu, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), confirmed the report.

Shock as banker dies

HAT killed banker Emmanuel Ola Omojuwa, within few minutes? This is the question his family and friends have been asking since he died on Monday. The late Omojuwa went to bed hale and hearty on Sunday before waking up around 1.30am on Monday, complaining of body aches. The late banker, a senior official of First Bank Plc, was posted to a branch in Benin, the Edo State capital, about six months ago. Before his transfer, he was at the bank’s Ilupeju, Lagos branch. Daddy Todimu as he was fondly addressed, it was gathered, was looking forward to another pleasant re-union with his family and close al-

Dada Aladelokun, Assistant Editor

lies in his Ofin, Ikorodu, Lagos home, during his leave. According to reports, his widow, Lande, had re-painted the house as a surprise Christmas gift to her husband. In his Akure, Ondo State home town; his Lagos home and 9, Odogbolu Street, Palmgrove, Lagos, where he once lived, it’s been tales of woes from shocked relations, friends and other sympathisers. What manner of death is this? Why could death be this cruel to Jantar (the banker’s nickname)? Who did this to this good man – and by extension, to us? These are

some of the questions being asked since his death” When he woke up with the said “bodily difficulties,” the late Omojuwa alerted a neighbour whom he urged to accompany him to a nearby hospital. “He (Omojuwa) opted to drive himself but the neighbour insisted on driving him. Sadly, by the time they got to the hospital, he was dead,” said a source. The police, this reporter learnt, have since begun investigations into the case after depositing his corpse in a morgue. The deceased’s elder brother, Ayo Omojuwa, who has visited his Benin home with friends, said funeral arrangements would be unfolded after the

O fewer than 24 tankers, a caterpillar and a saloon car were Monday night destroyed by fire in Amuwo Odofin area of Lagos. The tankers, said to be laden with petroleum products, caught fire in the premises of Interland Transport Company. According to rescue agencies, the saloon car and other affected properties belonged to the same company. It was learnt that the fire started around 9.35pm on Monday and raged throughout the night. According to the Director, Lagos State Fire Service, Rasaq Fadipe, it was the fifth fire the agency attended to that day. “No life was lost, but 24 fuel tankers, one caterpillar and a Peugeot 505 car were destroyed. The administrative block and some other fully laden tankers were saved,” he said. Yesterday, another tanker got burnt at Odo Iya Alaro, Maryland, causing heavy traffic. The 33,000-litre capacity tanker, which was laden with pet-

•NIS headquarters too By Precious Igbonwelundu and Gbenga Omokhunu, Abuja

rol, fell on the road and spilled its content. A section of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS)’s headquarters in Sauka, Abuja was also destroyed by fire yesterday afternoon. Public Relations Officer of Federal Fire Service (FFS), Biodun Obisesan told The Nation that the fire started shortly after 2pm. He said the FFS in collaboration with the Federal Capital Territory’s Fire Service and that of the Air Force put out the fire to prevent it from causing severe damage. Obisesan, who said the cause of the fire was still unknown at the time of filing this report, revealed that no life was lost in the incident. “The fire outbreak affected the store area where their (NIS’s) fabrics are kept,” he said.

Man punished for ‘assaulting’ women

T •The late Omojuwa

police investigation. The late banker’s widow and children, are staying with relations in Lagos. A friend, Mr Kayode Odofin, described his death as “a monumental loss to us all.” His younger brother, Oladeji Omojuwa, an official of Skye Bank Plc, said yesterday: “I still can’t come to the reality of my brother’s death.”

HREE unformed men punished yesterday a man accused of “always making attempts to kiss and rape unsuspecting women” in Oshodi, Lagos. As they pounced on him, the men kept asking: “Who are you? Where are you from? What are you doing with that woman?” The man’s plea for leniency was ignored. Some in the crowd, which gathered, hailed the “uniformed men for their action. They said the man had been “a terror” to women in the area. An another said: “People

By Sulaiman Salawudeen

have been warning Eze to stop the nonsense but he just would not.” An onlooker said Eze was not normal person and did not deserve the beating, adding: “With the way they are dealing with him, who will be responsible should he die? It is bad. Eze may not be totally mad, but he is somehow invalid mentally.” “It is true the boy harasses women sometimes but he does not attempt kissing any of them. Three of them kicking and slapping him. I don’t think it is good,” he said.

FOREIGN NEWS

U.S. publishes CIA ‘torture’ report

Amnesty: Israeli strikes on Gaza ‘war crimes’

SRAELI air strikes on four high-rise buildings in the final days of this summer’s conflict in Gaza amounted to war crimes, Amnesty International says. Evidence suggested the destruction was “carried out deliberately and with no military justification”, a new report by the human rights group found. It called for an independent and impartial investigation to be opened. Israel said the report made unfounded allegations and ignored Hamas’ use of the buildings for military purposes. In a statement, the Israeli embassy in London said Amnesty should be investigating the Palestinian rocket attacks on Israeli civilians instead. The 50-day conflict in Gaza between Israel and militant groups led by Hamas left at least 2,189 Palestinians dead, including more than 1,486 civilians, according to the UN, and 11,000 injured. On the Israeli side, 67 soldiers and six

civilians were killed, with scores more wounded. During the last four days before a ceasefire came into effect, Israeli warplanes dropped large bombs on four buildings - the 12-storey Zafer 4 Tower, the 16storey Italian Complex and the 13-storey al-Basha Tower in Gaza City, and the fourstorey Municipal Commercial Centre in Rafah. Amnesty acknowledged that in all four cases no-one was killed because the Israeli military took measures to ensure residents left the building before they were destroyed - by telling some in telephone calls to evacuate, and also firing “knock-onthe-roof” warning missiles. But the group said scores of people from nearby buildings were injured and that hundreds were devastated to lose their homes, businesses and belongings. Amnesty said the Israeli authorities had provided no information as to why they destroyed the four buildings, other than the suggestion that one of the destroyed buildings housed a

•The Zafer 4 Tower - home to some 44 families - was reduced to rubble PHOTO: AP

Hamas command centre and “facilities linked to Palestinian militants” in another. The strike on the Italian Complex - which contained about 50 flats - caused one side of the tower to collapse “Both the facts on the ground and statements made by Israeli military

spokespeople at the time indicate that the attacks were a collective punishment against the people of Gaza and were designed to destroy their already precarious livelihoods.” The Israeli embassy in London criticised Amnesty’s report.

Malala to star in Nobel ceremony

MALALA Yousafzai picks up her Nobel Peace Prize today, but the youngest ever laureate already has an even more startling memento from her young life: the blood-soaked school uniform she wore when shot by the Taliban. The 17-year-old Pakistani known everywhere as Malala shares the peace prize with the Indian campaigner Kai-

lash Satyarthi, 60, who has fought for 35 years to free thousands of children from virtual slave labour. Their pairing has the extra symbolism of linking neighbouring countries that have been in conflict for decades. After being named, Malala said she hoped both states’ prime ministers would attend the prize-giving ceremony in Oslo.

ETAILS of the CIA’s “enhanced interrogation” techniques, considered by many to be torture, are set to be revealed in a longawaited report. The Senate Intelligence Committee’s report is expected to find that such interrogations failed to yield life-saving information. The techniques were used on al-Qaeda terrorism suspects in the years following the 9/11 attacks on the US. Security was increased at US facilities around the world ahead of publication. Embassies and other sites were taking precautions amid “some indications” of “greater risk”, a White House spokesman said. The Senate committee’s report runs to more than 6,000 pages, drawing on huge quantities of evidence, but it remains classified and only a 480-page summary will be released. Zubaydah, al-Qaeda’s “travel agent”; Abd al-Rahim alNashiri, alleged mastermind of 2000 attack on USS Cole. Why is report released now? Head of the Senate In-

telligence Committee Dianne Feinstein began investigation in 2009, but report’s publication was held up by negotiations with CIA over how much could be released. Last French hostage freed in Mali The last French hostage to be held by Islamist militants has been freed after three years, French President Francois Hollande has announced. Serge Lazarevic was snatched in Mali in November 2011 along with fellow Frenchman Philippe Verdon. Militants from the Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) group killed Mr Verdon last year in retaliation for France’s intervention in Mali. Mr Hollande said there were no more French hostages waiting to be freed. Mr Lazarevic, he said, was in “relatively good health” despite the conditions of his captivity and was on his way to the neighbouring country of Niger from where he would return to France. AQIM kidnapped a number of Western hostages before the French military deployed its forces against the group in January 2013.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2014

NEWS Primaries chaos rocks PDP Continued from page 4

Gbemisola Saraki, Alhaji Hakeem Lawal, Bio Ibrahim, Engr. Sunday Babalola and Kale Belgore. Others are Alhaji Abdullahi Sanusi, Alhaji Jani Ibrahim and Mr. John Dara Said he: “While it is very unfortunate, ridiculous and undemocratic that some anti democratic and anti-people forces successfully disrupted and botched the peaceful and transparent process that began at the Stella Obasanjo Multipurpose Centre where delegates were accredited according to their local councils. While it is worrisome and very disturbing that in spite of heavy presence of security agents the process began with several attempts to undermine it and subvert rules to pave way for rigging the primary election in favor a certain aspirant. “We make this statement authoritatively that the party state leadership in connivance with security agents attached to a particular aspirant smuggled these fake delegates in. This undemocratic and unpopular act signaled the beginning of the crisis that consumed the process. “We hereby state unambiguously that we will resist and collectively fight any attempt to impose any aspirant as the flag bearer of the party without a free, fair and transparent primary election.” Belgore said that the allegations “fly in the face of facts and occurrences at the governorship primaries. Not only did these aspirants conspire to frustrate the exercise, they imported thugs to harass officials and party elders who do not share their desperation and unsportsmanlike conducts.” In a statement, the 2011 governorship candidate of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN)’s media aide, Rafiu Ajakaye “acknowledged the efforts and sacrifices of party elders and officials who tried to ensure we have smooth primaries. It is unfortunate that their efforts were being sabotaged from within by those working for some outside forces.” “Belgore is not afraid of a fair contest and that is why he has always conducted himself in manners conducive for democracy. But one thing is certain: this gang up will fail.”

Imo

Senator Ararume said the electoral panel returned 1,027 votes counted whereas it declared 1,017 as total votes cast. He wrote in a petition sent to the party headquarters, that there was an error in the result announced, which favoured Deputy House of Representatives Speaker Emeka Ihediaha. In the keenly contested election which lasted into the wee hours of Tuesday, Ihedioha polled 436 votes to Ararume’s 336. Former Governor Ikedi Ohakim, scored 213 votes. But Araraume insisted that there was an error in the result announced by the committee, adding that he got 336 votes while Ihedioha scored 325 votes as against the 346 “allotted” to him by the Committee. The difference of the votes he claimed were counted for Ihedioha. He inisted the committee should declare him the winner, since according to him, he scored the highest number of votes in the election. Araraume warned that PDP in the state would face a herculean task if the situation is not reversed.

Sokoto

Sokoto State Deputy Governor Shagari who lost the governorship ticket to Amb. Abdullah Wali, in a statement last night, said: “The whole process was marred by irregularities including the dragging of electoral process to lapse into the night in order to achieve an objective. “There was no election in Sokoto PDP”, he stated. He also alleged that the committee refused to keep to the scheduled time and programme of events for the election, adding” the accreditation of 984 delegates started 6pm in the evening of the 8th December, 2014. “Amazingly, it was followed with substitution of genuine and authentic delegates with new ones with the aim of rigging the election”. “I even protested to the electoral committee orally and in writing that the best option is to halt and postpone the conduct of the election until proper arrangements are made to allow free and fair electoral contest. “There were series of allegations that the process that will lead to the success of the congress which included the election of party executives and delegates could not be conducted in consonance. With the party’s guidelines.” Shagari urged the party to immediately setup an unbiased Electoral Committee made up of credible men and women of proven integrity to conduct the primaries in Sokoto state within the shortest possible time.

Adamawa

Adamawa State PDP told President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday to count them out of the national convention. The stakeholders, aspirants and 21 local government chairmen accused the national leadership of the party of imposing unpopular candidates, “against the wish of the people.” “It is our collective view that anything short of cancellation of this kangaroo primary by the NWC of our party will leave us with no option but to follow the views of the entire great majority of the people of Adamawa state. “We therefore resolve to abstain from the national convention of the party scheduled for today at the Eagle Square, Abuja “said Chief Joel Hammanjoda Madaki, state chairman of the party. Madaki added: “With the flagrant and open abuse of the rule and law with impunity with regard to party primaries and is a thing of serious concern that is heading to the complete eradication of the party in the minds of our grassroots supporters.” Seven governorship aspirants, including Gen Aliyu Kama, Dr Ahmed Modibbo, Mr. Markus Gundiri, Hon Awwal Tukur, Sen Andrawus Sawa, and Governor Ngillari, who was represented by his campaign Director General, Sen. Abubakar Girei, said the election was held contrary to the electoral act and party guidelines which stated that should there be any change of election venue, there must be a notice of not less than seven days. “But unfortunately in the case of Adamawa state all the delegates and aspirants were in Yola without any communication either from INEC or the party in Abuja, while a purported election was said to have taken place in Abuja”. Elders of the party like former Governor Wilberforce Juta,

Commodore Dan Suleiman and Dr. Bamanga Tukur who was represented, vowed to oppose the Abuja impunity. Ngillari said: “It is our unanimous resolution to distance, condemn and reject it in its entirety.”

Cross River

Senate Leader Victor NdomaEgba has petitioned the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) National Assembly Electoral Appeal Panel, alleging lapses and irregularities in the Cross River Central Senatorial primary election. The primaries held on December 7, 2014 in Ikom. The member representing Etung/ Obubra Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Mr. John Owan Enoh, was declared the winner. A petition signed by NdomaEgba, dated December 8 and addressed to the Appeal Panel Chairman read: “The exercise was fundamentally and fatally flawed as it fell short of the minimum integrity for an electoral process. The exercise was in complete disregard of the PDP’s Guidelines for Primary Election 2014. “The list of delegates used for the primaries was not made public. This was imperative as two lists were in circulation… and my agent, Mr. Ernest Irek, protested but was shouted down. My agent tried to impress on them that there was a list that had INEC approval but they resisted. The Electoral panel Chairman, Mr. Oko Inaku insisted that he was using the list given to him by the party without disclosing which of the two lists in circulation he was using.” The senatorial candidate of the PDP for Cross River Central, Mr John Owan-Enoh, scoffed at claims by Ndoma-Egba, that the primary was flawed. Owan-Enoh, the chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Appropriation, said the comments credited to Ndoma-Egba indicate that he is a bad loser.

Bayelsa

Barring any change in plan, the Bayelsa State PDP faction loyal to First Lady Dame Patience Jonathan will move to the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA). Dame Patience, it was gathered yesterday, was disappointed that members of her camp, especially the federal lawmakers, failed to clinch the tickets. She was said to be unhappy at the way Governor Seriake Dickson stamped his authority on the process, ensuring that members of her camp were edged out. Incumbent senators who lost out in the primaries are Senators Clever Ikisikpo and Heineken Lokpobiri. Though Lokpobiri was still laying claim to the ticket, it was learnt that Dame Patience had advised him to look up to APGA as the alternative platform. Others in the House of Representatives who failed in their bids to fly the PDP’s flag are Henry Ofongo (Southern Ijaw), Warman Ogoriba (Yenegoa/ Kolokuma-Opokuma) and Nadu Karibo (Ogbia). The aggrieved lawmakers were said to have held marathon meetings in Abuja to consider the option of defecting to APGA to confront Dickson’s candidates in the general elections. A member of the camp, however, said there was no plan for loyalists of the First Lady to move to APGA.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 10, 2014

NEWS INEC scores party primaries low •Urges politicians to exhibit decorum, fairness

•Worshippers at the 2014 Holy Ghost Congress, at the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. PHOTO NIYI ADENIRAN

Over 2,500 APGA members defect to APC in Anambra T

HE lawmaker representing Ogbaru Federal Constituency and Vice Chairman, House Committee on Information, Mr. Victor Afam Ogene, has joined the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Anambra State. He defected from the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) with over 1,500 members at the endorsement of Senator Chris Ngige for a second term. Another APGA chieftain, Chief C. Anakor from Njikoka and a pharmacist in Awka South Local Government, Michael Ozoemene, have defected to the APC with over 1,000 supporters.

From Nwanosike Onu, Awka

The Chairman of APC National Assembly Primaries Committee, Gideon N. Sammani, declaring Ngige as winner, described him as a grassroots politician. He said: “The other parties are troublesome not only in Anambra, but also throughout the country. This is why APC has come to make a change.” Ngige, addressing a crowd at the Finotel Hotel field in Awka, said he was humbled

by the vote by APC members in Anambra Central to represent them again. He added: “I accept this challenge. APC is alive in Anambra State. They have done everything to kill the party, but it has not worked. “APC is ready for elections in the state. We are not only going to retain the Anambra Central seat, we will also penetrate other areas.” Responding on behalf of other defectors, Ogene said besides the chieftains of the party already introduced, who defected with him, the other two Ogbaru indigenes,

Evangelist Dan Obi and Steve Nnaemezie, were heavyweights. He said the duo would represent Ogbaru I and II constituencies on APC’s platform from next year. Ogene said: “Change has started in the Southeast. By 2018, APC will win Anambra governorship and it will take over Abia, Ebonyi and Enugu states, in addition to Imo.” The Nation learnt yesterday that the majority of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and APGA members were ready to dump the parties for the APC.

Missing body: Nwobodo disowns sons ORMER Governor of the old Anambra State, Senator Jim Nwobodo, yesterday disowned his children, whom he accused of stealing the body of their elder brother, Dr. Ifeanyi Nwobodo. The body got missing last Friday, following Nwobodo’s refusal to bury it in his compound. Ifeanyi died at a private Hospital in Enugu on November 16. Nwobodo, who was visibly pained, said: “As I speak to you people, I don’t know the whereabouts of the body. It shows the character of their mother. I want to make one appeal to the media, I have one wife (Patricia). I divorced this woman (ex-wife) before I became governor in 1979. Please, don’t write that I have two wives. Save me the embarrassment. The church

•‘I have one wife’ From Chris Oji, Enugu

would not have solemnised my marriage if I had another wife. “The children don’t have my blood in them because if they do, there are certain things they will not do. My children who have my flesh and blood (Patricia’s children) love me. To steal the body of their brother, it’s unheard of. It’s an abomination.” The ex-governor swore never to have anything to do with the funeral again. Said he: “After that day (December 5), as far as I’m concerned, I have completed the funeral. I will never be part of it again.” Nwobodo recalled that his late eldest son, Ifeanyi, was ill for months and he hid it from him, adding that it was somebody who visited him

and saw that he was dying, who informed him. “I immediately made an arrangement with the help of his wife to get an American visa for him. He was flown to Houston Texas in the United States.” He said although Ifeanyi was at an advanced stage of the cancer, he was cured at the Anderson Medical Cancer Centre in Houston Texas, one of the best in the world, and was asked to stay longer in the US, but he returned to Nigeria because of pressure from his (Ifeanyi’s) wife. “After he returned, he developed pains in the legs. I took him to a consultant oncologist with the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Enugu.” Nwobodo said instead of taking his son to UNTH where

there were facilities for emergency, the consultant referred him to his clinic where he gave him an injection, which resulted in complications and death. The former governor said his house was built on a piece of land he acquired, adding that it was not an ancestral home. He said his children never showed any sign of protest until the day of the funeral when they went to the mortuary and allegedly stole the body. Nwobodo said he was not supposed to bury his son, and was not supposed to see the body, adding that to bury him in his compound, seeing the grave everyday, would be a psychological torture for him. He said as long as he was alive, he had a right to decide which of his children would inherit his property.

Court restrains Umeh from parading self as APGA chairman

N Abia State High Court, presided over by Justice U. Ononogbo, has restrained Chief Victor Umeh from parading himself as the national chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), pending the hearing and determination of a motion on notice. In an exparte order at the

From Ugochukwu Ugoji-Eke, Umuahia

Igbere High Court in Bende Local Government, Justice Ononogbo also granted leave to the applicants to serve APGA, the third respondent, with the writ of summons, statement of claims, witness deposition, motion and order by substitute means on the defen-

dants. He ruled that the service could be by pasting the processes at the party’s headquarters. The order followed a suit by five members of the party, Lucky Erondu, Godwin Ibendiogwu, Emma Onyemuru, Sunday Orji and Alwell Okere, challenging

Umeh’s continued stay in office after the expiration of his tenure on December 1. Joined in the suit are Chief Chris Ejike Uche, deputy national chairman (South) and APGA. The order is to be served on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Abuja. Hearing has been fixed for December 18.

HE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has decried the irregularities witnessed in the primary processes of political parties in the country. Describing the standard of the parties’ primaries as low compared to that of 2011, the commission said the development was not encouraging. It wondered why the list of delegates had not been made available to all stakeholders. A statement by INEC’s Cross River Commissioner, Mike Igini urged political parties to exhibit decorum, fairness and restraint in order to evolve and deepen an enduring democratic culture. “The primaries process witnessed so far in the state are far below the standard of 2011 and this is not encouraging. It is strange that list of delegates, equivalent of voters’ register that should ordinarily comprise elected ad hoc and statutory delegates for the various elections that ought to be made available to all stakeholders including INEC, has become a matter of conjecture and work in process. “It is unimaginable that INEC will conduct elections without making available publicly, the register of voters as would be done again in the forthcoming general elections.

By Precious Igbonwelundu

“We had thought that the 2011 was evidence that the parties were willing to conform to acceptable practices as subscribed to in their party constitutions registered with INEC, but in the current ongoing exercises, field reports show many areas of concern. “Even though there are a few commendable and exemplary conducts in some instances, widespread reports of clear disrespect for party members mark a regression on the part of parties across board. “Situations where the rules for conducting primaries are unknown to participants or changed at the last minute; or participants uninformed about venues or the known venues changed prior to conducting such exercises; or alteration of list of delegates represents the lowest level of electoral discredit. “It must be clearly stated that delegates’ list for party primaries is akin to the national voters’ register, for the purpose of party internal elections that should be available for the scrutiny of participants. “We commended the parties in 2011 but it would appear from what we have seen so far that benchmarks have been lowered during these primaries.”

Fire Service gets CG From Gbenga Omokhunu, Abuja

NEW Controller-General of the Federal Fire Service (FFS) has been appointed. He is Mr Joseph Garba Anobi, an engineer. FFS Public Relations Officer Biodun Obisesan said President Goodluck Jonathan approved the appointment on December 4. Anebi, before his appointment, was the Controller in charge of Logistics at the FFS national headquarters in Abuja. He took over from Ademola Jolaoso, who served in an acting capacity for a four months. Obisesan said the new Controller General will be decorated on December 17 by the Minister of Interior, Abba Moro.

Jakande’s son rejects result

OUSE of Representatives member Hon. Deji Jakande has rejected the outcome of the All Progressives Congress (APC) parliamentary primary in Mushin Constituency, Lagos, saying that he was excluded from the exercise. In a statement by his campaign organisation, the legislator also complained that he was harassed and assaulted by suspected thugs during the exercise. The statement said: “Hon.

By Emmanuel Oladesu

Deji Jakande has rejected the results of the primaries in his constituency. His name was conspicuously missing among candidates for the election. All efforts to prove that he was a candidate, even with the display of his screening certificate clearly indicating Mushin Constituency 1, was rebuffed and he was assaulted by thugs. He never participated in the process. The incident has been brought to the attention of the APC electoral committee.”

Filani congratulates Mark

ORMER Southwest Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Caretaker Committee Chairman Chief Ishola Filani congratulated yesterday Senate President David Mark for his success at the senatorial primaries in Benue State. He said Mark, who has been in the Senate since 1999, deserved the victory because he has acquired the reputation of an elder statesman, parliamentary stabiliser and epitome of maturity. Filani said in a statement in Lagos that the Senate President has become a vital asset to the ruling party in its bid to foster cordial relations between the executive and leg-

By Emmanuel Oladesu

islative arms of government. Urging the people of Benue South to vote for him at the general elections, the Ekiti politician said Mark will build on his achievements as a party chieftain, star senator and head of the National Aseembly, if re-elected in next year’s polls. Filani added: “Under his leadership, the Senate has been stable. He is the symbol of unity and understanding in the Upper Chamber. Our party is proud of him and the constituents who endorsed him for another term of four years in the National Assembly.”

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2014

TODAY IN THE NATION

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2014 TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM

VOL.9 NO.3,3058

COMMENT & DEB ATE EBA

People and Politics

“W

ORDS”, Steven Poole, the British author and journalist, said in his 2006 book on the abuse of English Language, “are weapons.” This sentence was actually the subtitle of the book whose title was UNSPEAK. Poole defined “unspeak” as a way of naming and framing an issue such as to put the other side on the defensive and make its position look untenable. So, contrary to George Orwell’s wellknown dictum that politicians’ words are not to be taken seriously because all too often they never mean what they say, Poole argues that it is precisely because they hardly ever mean what they say that their words should be taken very seriously. In his introduction to the book, he quotes one Language expert approvingly as saying “People are forever quoting Talleyrand that language is only there to hide the thought of a diplomat (or for that matter of any other shrewd and dubious person). But in fact the very opposite is true. Whatever it is that people are determined to hide, be it from others, or from themselves, even things they carry around unconsciously – language reveals all.” In other words, not even the most expert use of euphemism or any figure of speech can hide what one truly means, if only it is paid close enough attention. Whatever differences there are between Poole and Orwell on the English Language and Politics, they both agree on the fact that words are indeed weapons however you chose to use them. Which is why it is important that, politician or not, we mind our language, especially when, as in two recent cases that have stirred controversy, it is hard, if not impossible, for the speaker to deny that he meant what he said. The first was when a video first posted on the Internet on November 12 showed the otherwise gentle governor of the relatively peaceful Katsina State, Barrister Ibrahim Shema, likening opposition politicians to “cockroaches” whose lot, therefore, is only to be crushed. The governor’s words have since provoked criticisms from inside and outside the country. In turn, he has said he never meant to liken anyone to a cockroach much less urge his audience to crush them. His denial has been rather unconvincing given the fact that, though pictures can lie, this particular one did not seem to have done so. The second case happened in far away Britain. This time it was David Mellor, a lawyer like Shema, and a former British cabinet minister. In his case he called a black-cab driver a “sweaty, stupid little shit” during an argument about the route the taxi driver wanted to take after picking him and his partner, Lady Cobham, from her investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace. He told the cab driver: “You’ve been driving a cab for 10 years, I’ve been in the cabinet, I’m an award-winning broadcaster, I’m a Queen’s Counsel. You think that your experiences are anything compared to mine?” He then told the driver to “f..k off” and threat-

RIPPLES

FED GOVT HAS GIVEN UP ON CHIBOK GIRLS– Wole Soyinka

•••Since the day they were KIDNAPPED

By MOHAMMED H ARUNA ndajika@yahoo.com

Shema: do a Mellor

•Shema

ened to mention the incident in a popular radio talk show he hosts the following day. He kept his word. But rather than further disparage the cab driver, he surprised his audience when he apologised profusely for what he had done. “I can’t think what possessed me to lose it with that cabbie the way I did,” he said. “OK, I had a case, but I threw it away by the way I spoke and I’m really, really sorry about that, and I especially want to apologise to you, our listeners, for trying your patience and risking my own credibility with you by speaking the way I did.” In addition he pledged to make a donation to a charity sponsored by the taxi drivers’ union. Surprisingly, the public seemed unforgiving. Among the newspapers that carried the story was the London Guardian of November 29. There were over 400 reactions to the story. Less than a dozen said the former cabinet minister meant his apology. The overwhelming majority said he only apologised because he found out the cab driver had taped the incident. “I’m really, really, really, really sorry - I got caught,” said one apparently unforgiving reader who typified the reactions. Whether he was sincere in his apology or not, I thought this was how Shema should have reacted to what I believe he never meant to say, given his temperate nature. Clearly the man simply got carried away by the heat and emotions of those moments and spoke words that elsewhere would have derailed a political career, at the least.

S there a significant difference between 136 and 144? Don’t ask this question in Aso Rock, the seat of the country’s presidency, if you seek an objective answer. As far as the Goodluck Jonathan administration is concerned, it’s a big deal and worth celebrating that Transparency International (TI), the respected watchdog, this month ranked Nigeria 136th on its 2014 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) focused on 175 countries. The assessment was based on the presumed extent of public sector corruption in the countries. Nigeria scored 27 out of a maximum 100 marks, and was listed as the 39th most corrupt nation in the world. To appreciate why the Jonathan presidency is somersaulting in ecstasy over the latest ranking, it is important to note the background: Nigeria was ranked 144th in 2013, 139th in 2012 and 143rd in 2011. So, with the 2014 position, the 2013 standing has been bettered, if such a positive word may be used, by eight rungs. It is possibly a reflection of corruption, or more specifically, corrupted thinking and understanding, that Jonathan’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, burst into song. Perhaps more appropriately, he should have burst into tears.

it, homosexuality/lesbianism? Muhammad ibn Umar. baayaru@gmail.com Sir, Emir Sanusi has called us to rise up to the challenge posed by Boko Haram. It is a wise decision coming from an intelligent person and when you look at the scenario properly, one is left with no other option than to conclude that it was a wise statement. After all, when the matador waves a red flag at the bull he more often than not ends up slaying it with his sword. In this case, the fear of a raging bull is overrated. Musa Audi, ABU, Zaria. +2348097831727.

What the video caught him saying cannot be unsaid. The only way out therefore is to own up and tell the good people of Katsina State that he was really, really, sorry. Unlike with Mellor, I suspect the Katsinawa will believe him and forgive him. After all, whatever his shortcomings, he has done well by them in his eight years as governor. If nothing else he is almost unique as a governor who made sure he completed all the projects of his predecessor before he started his own, even though the two were not exactly the best of friends. Besides, the state has been one of the most peaceful and secure in the country. Your Excellency, the future, as a Hausa dictum says, is longer than the past. You should not let an inadvertent slip of tongue ruin the bright future your past suggests you have before you. Re: The manipulation of Boko Haram Sir, Your piece on the above subject last week was a masterpiece, and, as are most of your articles, well documented. My headache here, however, is, could it have been possible for this nonsense being visited on the North since 1999 under Obasanjo Presidency to date be sustained without the strong support of these powerful so-called ‘Yan Arewa’? Why is it that all the so-called powerful institutions and NGOs in the North like the Elders forums, the JNI, all these so-called powerful emirs and the so-called powerful retired generals, politicians, academicians, the media guru etc, have never called for people’s action until the arrival of Emir Sanusi? Why is it that nobody is calling for northern people’s revolt? Can this nonsense be tolerated in any other part of the country for this long? Definitely not in the Southwest or any part of the Southern Nigeria. I am so embarrassed to think that a shoeless, classless and clueless guy can subject such a people coming from a rich historical background to such manipulations with their eyes open. Or is Allah actually punishing the North for the general malaise and the sins of some of their prominent rulers, leaders and citizens who have, overtime, allegedly indulged in unprintable antiAllah practices like, shirk, zhinah and, wait for

Sir, An ordinary man on the streets in Kano believes strongly that government has failed in its responsibility of protecting lives and property of its citizens. And that the government’s indifference stemmed from hatred, politics and religious differences. How can you explain the many checkpoints around town but still people are being killed everyday. Ibrahim Auwal Kano. +2348036785086. Sir, “...Lynch them to death”? Lynch them will suffice. +2348033010810. You are right, I committed a tautology by saying “...lynch them to death.” The common dictionary meaning of the word is “to seize somebody believed to have committed a crime and put him or her to death immediately and without trial, usually by hanging.” MH. Sir, In paragraph 19 of last week’s column you wrote “Sadly... it never agreed to any SEIZE fire with anyone.” I think the correct word is CEASE fire, which refers to stopping, cessation or suspension of hostilities between the two warring parties. SEIZE refers more to taking hold of, control or even confiscating. The two words may be synonyms, but I think in the context of especially that paragraph, the word CEASE is more appropriate. Secondly, please I hope you will find time to enlighten us more so that we have clear perspectives about Vice President Namadi Sambo’s effort to exonerate northern Nigeria Muslims holding key positions in this government regarding their obviously ineffectual role in curbing the ongoing decimation of their place of origin. Abubakar Jibrin, Bauchi. abuji1968@yahoo.com

HARDBALL

•Hardball is not the opinion of the columnist featured above

Why was Okupe singing? Okupe gleefully said in a statement: “The latest TI rating is a proof that President Jonathan’s effort in the fight against corruption is yielding positive results. There is no doubt that since President Jonathan came on board as president of this country, the fight against corruption has been taken several notches higher.” He further said: “Unlike any previous administration in the country’s history, the present administration has instituted institutional reforms aimed at giving fillip to the anti-corruption war.” Okupe’s zeal is understandable, considering that the 2014 grade is Nigeria’s best on the CPI under President Jonathan. It is evidently a merry matter for those who are in power but have failed to exercise their power to arrest corruption in the country in any impressive manner. However, this moment cannot be for crowing, and it is both puzzling and disturbing that Okupe demonstrated unawareness by his effort to take advantage of the news for publicity purposes. Okupe needs to be told, or taught, that the

Sir, You are a full member of Boko Haram. +2348063877187.

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country’s 136th position in a class of 175 is still as shameful and embarrassing as it has been since the inauguration of the Jonathan administration, and certainly does not qualify as a publicity opportunity. Particularly relevant to the country is the TI observation: “A poor score is likely a sign of widespread bribery, lack of punishment for corruption and public institutions that don’t respond to citizens’ needs.” TI Chairman, José Ugaz, said: “The 2014 Corruption Perceptions Index shows that economic growth is undermined and efforts to stop corruption fade when leaders and high level officials abuse power to appropriate public funds for personal gain.” This picture, no doubt, faithfully represents the country’s state of affairs. Indeed, it may well be impossible for the Jonathan administration to significantly minimise public sector corruption, given his peculiar perspective. This is the leader who said on national television: “Over 70 per cent of what are called corruption (cases), even by EFCC (Economic and Financial Crimes Commission) and other anti-corruption agencies, is not corruption, but common stealing.” There is nothing to add, except to wonder at Jonathan’s thought process.

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