The Nation, February 13, 2012

Nigeria’s widest circulating newspaper

News ACN National Leader Bola Tinubu ‘hale and hearty’ Sport Zambia upsets Cote d’Ivoire to win Cup of Nations Business Interbank rates climb on NNPC cash withdrawal

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VOL. 7, NO. 2034 MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012

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LEGISLATIVE summit organised

by Vintage Press Limited, publishers of The Nation, in collaboration with CEEDDEE Resources, will begin today in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital. It will last for

TR UTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM TRUTH

N150.00

The Nation’s Legislative Summit kicks off today

By Emmanuel Oladesu, Deputy Political Editor

three days.

The summit is on collaborative development agenda for Southwest and the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) - controlled states.

The theme: “Achieving regional integration agenda for rapid collaborative growth”. It will hold at the Premier Hotel.

Today’s session will take off with the opening ceremony to be followed by the

first session when the report of the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN) will be presented

by Hon Wale Oshun, Chair of the Afenifere Renewal Group (ARG).

Oyo State Governor

Abiola Ajimobi will present the welcome address.

Former Ogun State Governor Aremo Segun Osoba will present a keynote address. Frontline essayist Prof Adebayo Williams, will present one of the papers.

Governors Babatunde Fashola (Lagos), Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti), Rauf Aregbesola (Osun) Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun) and Adams Oshiomhole (Edo) are expected as guests of honour and Continued on page 2

Dickson wins in Bayelsa •ACN alleges fraud From Bisi Olaniyi and Isaac Ombe, Yenagoa

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EOPLES Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Henry Seriake Dickson was last night declared winner of Saturday’s Bayelsa governorship election, with a wide margin, despite the low turnout.

The Chief Returning Officer of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joseph Ajienka, who is the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT), announced the result amid tight security.

According to him, Dickson polled 417,500 votes; Imoro Kubor of Change Advance Party (CAP) came second with 22, 534 votes; Kemela Okara of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) scored 9,627 votes and Famous Daunemigha of Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) polled 3, 548. The 32 other candidates scored an insignificant number of votes.

Dickson, in his acceptance speech, promised change, which he said the people so much desired. He said he was humbled by the over-

•Zambia players celebrating with the trophy of the Africa Cup of Nations after beating Cote d’Ivoire in the final in Libreville, Gabon ... last night.

PHOTO: AFP

Continued on page 2

Kabiru Sokoto gives SSS clues on sect’s leaders Security detains 30 key Boko Haram members Trial of police chief Biu, five others resumes

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•Sokoto

ETECTIVES have got “substantial” information from the re-arrested Christmas Day bombing suspect, Kabiru Abubakar Dikko Umar, who is popularly known as Kabiru Sokoto.

State Security Service (SSS) sources have spoken of “revealing call logs”, among other information.

Besides, Kabiru Sokoto is said to have admitted being a member of the Sura Committee - the highest advi-

From Yusuf Alli, Abuja

sory/ decision-making board of Boko Haram, the fundamentalist sect which has claimed responsibility for the bombings in some parts of the North.

He was arrested for the December 25 bombing at the St. Theresa’s Catholic Church, Madalla, Niger State in which 44 people died. Kabiru Sokoto escaped from police custody.

He was rearrested at the weekend.

Also in custody are over 30 “key” members of the sect. They have been held since the arrest of the sect’s spokesman, Abu Qaqa.

But, contrary to a speculation that he may have been handed over to the military, Sokoto is still in SSS custody, according to a source.

The source, who pleaded not to be named because of the “sensitivity” of the matter, said last night: “The sus-

pect knows the game is up and he has been cooperative with the panel of interrogators.

“We have retrieved Kabiru Sokoto’s call logs, which have provided substantial information on key co-ordinators of the sect. The call logs are many; we are screening them with the cooperation of the suspect.

He is giving useful information on each name on the logs. There is no Continued on page 2

•CEO P12 •JOBS P17 •SPORTS P23 •CITYBEATS P29 •POLITICS P43

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THE NATION MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012

NEWS YOU, THE REPORTER Dear reader, here is an opportunity for you to join our team of reporters. You can send in stories and photographs, which you consider to be newsworthy. Our telephone number is 08082036515 (sms). The email is info@thenationonline.ng.net – Editor

Zambia wins Cup of Nations

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AMBIA won their first African title after beating Ivory Coast 87 on penalties during the final match of the Orange Africa Cup of Nations played at Stade de l’Amitie in Libreville, Gabon. The match had ended goalless after extra time with Didier Drogba missing a penalty in the 69th minute during a pulsating

game befitting a final.

Tiote, Bony, Bamba, Gradel , Drogba, Tiene, Ya Kona, converted for Ivory Coast and Kolo Toure and Gervinho missed while Chris Katongo, Mayuka, Chansa, Felix Katongo, Mweene, Sinkala, Lungu converted for Zambia while Kalaba missed before Stoppila Sunzu won it for Zambia.

The Nation’s Legislative Summit kicks off Continued from page 1

•Business Manager, UBA Ogoja Road, Abakaliki, Mr. Onebi Prevail receiving an award from MD, UBA Cameroun, Mr. Georges Wega. With them are: Director, UBA Plc, Mrs. Angela Nwabuoku and Executive Director, South, UBA Plc, Mr. Rasheed Olaoluwa, during the annual UBA CEO Awards 2011, to honour star performers in the UBA Group, held at Eko Hotel and Suites in Lagos ... at the weekend.

INEC declares Dickson Bayelsa governor-elect Continued from page 1

whelming support he received.

Said the governor-elect: “Yesterday, we went into general elections as opponents. But today, a new reality has dawned. A reality that enjoins us, as a people with common heritage, to rally round one another in the interest of our dear state and to work towards moving the state forward.

“This victory is a call to service and a call to prepare for the daunting challenges of the future.

“To you my good people of Bayelsa, you asked for change and by the reason of your mandate today, we now symbolise that change. You have voted for restoration.

You have voted for the change that you rightly deserve. Bayelsa State and the Ijaw Nation will never remain the same.

“In the course of our campaign, we promised massive investments in critical infrastructure. We also promised you free and compulsory education for all our children in primary and secondary schools. We also vowed to invest in developing the human capital of our teeming youths, such that they will be able to unleash their creative capacities as well as enhance their drive for entrepreneurship. Even much more, we promised that we will run an open, transparent and accountable government that places the welfare of our people above all else.

“Let me assure you that these are not mere campaign promises. They will be the cornerstone of our administration. We will do as promised.”

The governorship candidate of the ACN described the election as massively rigged.

Okara, in a telephone interview immediately after the results were announced, said: “From reports from ACN’s agents and supervisors across the state, there were serious cases of multiple thumbprinting, snatching of ballot boxes and chasing away of members and agents

THE RESULTS •Yenagoa: PDP - 61820; CAP 2106; ACN1848; CPC 381.1 Registered votes -133,122; Valid Votes 67,875; Total Votes Cast-69,986; Invalid Votes Cast 2111.

•Nembe LGA: PDP 57,886; ACN 1076; CPC 103 •Sagbama LGA: PDP 51,678; CAP 1738; CPC 414 •Kolokuma/Opokuma LGA: - PDP 18,107; CPC 94 •Ogbia LGA - ACN 105; CAP 1277; CPC 151; PDP 50,848; APGA 71 •Ekeremo LGA - PDP 55,5044; CPC - 2044; AC N - 975; CAP -1867. With total Valid votes at 60546, rejected votes 955, total votes cast 61501 •Southern Ijaw LGA - PDP – 86,661;CAP-7972; ACN 1679; CPC 278 ; APGA 177;PPA -115.

•Brass LGA – 36,353; CAP -5089 ; ACN 1250; NCP- 131; CPC -83 Total Registered Voters - 52520, total Valid Votes-43 391, Rejected Votes 1214.Total Votes Cast 44605. of the ACN across the state.”

The ACN candidate spoke of a “brazen attempts by the PDP to manipulate the will of the people”.

He complained of the absence of policemen in his country home, Bumodi, and said an ACN supporter in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area was shot dead on the eve of the election under circumstances yet to be verified.

He alleged that voters were induced with money by PDP supporters at some polling booths with impunity. “Voters were even chased away in some places,” Okara said.

He observed that in some places, no proper accreditation of voters was done before voting started.

“If we lost in a free and fair contest, we would gladly accept it, but when there are infringements on the democratic process, we cannot accept it,” Okara said, adding: “President Goodluck Jonathan, after voting at Otuoke yesterday (on Saturday) confirmed voters’ apathy, with low turnout throughout the state. How did the PDP record the huge figure?”

When asked if he would challenge the results at the Election Petitions Tribunal, Okara said it would be too hasty to take such a decision.

The next step will be decided, after ACN’s field reports have been put together.

Imoro of CAP, who also alleged fraud, said he would

challenge the results at the tribunal.

Security was tight, with the police, the State Security Service (SSS) and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) deploying thousands. Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs) were also deployed.

Dr Jonathan congratulated Dickson and his running mate John Jonah.

He assured them of his support, urging Dickson to fully dedicate his tenure to giving effective, purposeful and result-oriented leadership to the people.

According to a statement by presidential spokesman Reuben Abati, Jonathan urged Dickson to work with total dedication and commitment to justify the peoples’ confidence by rapidly delivering visible and significant improvement in the living conditions of the state’s residents.

Senate President David Mark urged Dickson to rise up to the challenge of massive infrastructural development of the state.

“This is one sure way of building trust and confidence in your administration,” he said in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary Paul Mumeh.

House of Representatives Speaker Bello Tambuwal also congratulated the governorelect.

Tambuwal, in a statement by his Special Adviser (me-

dia) Imam Imam, urged the people to support Dickson to enable him fulfil his campaign promises.

Corps members, who survived boat mishap on election duty on Saturday and lost valuables are seeking INEC’s assistance.

They relieved their ordeal yesterday.

A speed boat hired by INEC conveying youth corps members, policemen, soldiers, party agents and electoral materials to Apoi/Bassan/ Koluama in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, capsised. No life was lost. As a result, there was no election in the area.

The sensitive election materials, including ballot papers that were lost were for Units 18 to 35 of Ward 15, Apoi. On board were seven Corps members, who were ad hoc staff of INEC, one Supervisory Presiding Officer (SPO), two soldiers, three policemen, two agents of political parties and the boat driver.

One of the Youth Corps members, who declined to give his name, said the passengers lost all their personal effects, including phones.

The Corps member said he left Yenagoa for Oporoma, the headquarters of Southern Ijaw Local Government Area around 2 pm on Friday, with INEC officials moving them to Ikunbiri, where they passed the night. But the journey to Apoi started around 11 am on Saturday because of the delay in sharing electoral materials.

The boat capsised after travelling for over one and a half hours, with less than two minutes to get to Apoi.

The Corps member said a politician hired three boats to convey the passengers of the ill-fated boat back to Oporoma where the stranded Corps members found their way to Yenagoa around 6:30 pm on Saturday.

INEC spokesman Timidi Wariowei said the overall results would not be invalidated because voting did not take place in the area. “It is just part of a ward, out of the state’s 105 wards,” he said.

guest speakers.

Special guests are former Military Governor of Western Region Gen. Adeyinka Adebayo, National Leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and National chairman of the ACN Chief Bisi Akande.

Participants include senators, members of the House of Representatives, members of the Houses of Assemblies, and Executive Councils in the states, former governors, traditional rulers, including the

Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Odulana Odugade 1.

Among the speakers are: Chief Omowale Kuye, Prof Akin Oyebode, Chief Rasheed William, Senator Olorunnimbe Mamora, Senator Ganiyu Solomon, Senator Femi Lanlehin, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, Hon Abike Dabiri, Hon. Yemi Ajayi and Dr. Ademola Adebo.

Among the topics to be discussed are: The region as a pace setter; Regional economy: Reviving our viable past; The law as a tool for development: the role of assemblies in regional development.

Kabiru Sokoto gives SSS clues on sect’s leaders Continued from page 1

doubt we will go after these sect leaders.

“So far, he has opened up on the composition of the Sura Committee, which is the highest advisory/decisionmaking body of Boko Haram, headed by Imam Abubakar Shekau.

“The suspect bared it all on how they take decisions on when and where to strike. He said the Sura Committee has been responsible for the operation of the sect.”

Other areas of interrogation of Kabiru are: How Boko Haram sources its funds; its sponsors/backers; training grounds; and how he escaped from police custody.

Another source said: “Since the arrest of Qaqa, we have picked more than 30 key coordinators of Boko Haram for interrogation.

“One of the strange things we discovered is that contrary to their posturing, most of them are not well-versed in Quranic memorisation and recitation or deep knowledge of Quran. Some have smattering knowledge of Quran.

“Most of them also could not give cogent reasons for doing what they are doing.

And they said the fear of arrest made them to cause more havoc.”

Responding to a question, the source added: “Some of the suspects said they do source arms and ammunition from police armoury. We will soon turn in the evidence to the appropriate authorities for probe.”

The trial of a Commissioner of Police, Zakari Biu, and five others resume today, it was learnt that some policemen on trial have confessed on how Kabiru Sokoto escaped from their custody in Abaji.

A police source said: “They said when they got to Abaji, some youths overwhelmed

the team, demanding the release of their Mallam whom they were surprised to see in handcuffs. This angry mob never knew that Kabiru Sokoto is a member of the Boko Haram sect.

“They claimed that the crowd was much, that if they had to shoot, many people will be killed. They said the youths seized the suspect from them, but they did not call for reinforcement from the police station to resist the mob.

“They admitted that it was a lapse to have allowed the mob to have its way instead of living up to their responsibility as law enforcement agents.

“But they could not justify why they had to bow to the mob when they ought to have used tear-gas canisters or shoot into the air to scare the youths.”

The Force Disciplinary Committee is expected to submit its report this week for consideration by the Police Service Commission.

The policemen risk dismissal for negligence and dereliction of duty.

Section 30 of Part 1 of the Third Schedule to the 1999 Constitution says “the Police Service Commission shall have power to (a) appoint persons to offices (other than the Office of the InspectorGeneral of Police) in the Nigeria Police Force; and (b) dismiss and exercise disciplinary control over persons holding any office referred to in sub-paragraph (a) of this paragraph.”

The Christmas Day bombing at St. Theresa’s Catholic Church killed 44 people.

But barely 48 hours in custody, Sokoto escaped in Abaji.

The incident led to the querying and retirement of the former Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Hafiz Ringim.

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

THE NATION MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012

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THE NATION MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012

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NEWS

Tinubu in good health, says media office

Doctors decry insecurity in Nigeria

‘We know sponsors of campaign of calumny’

From Augustine Ehikioya, Abuja

THE National Association of Resident Doctors of Nigeria (NARD) yesterday lamented increasing insecurity in the country.

The association noted that the spate of bombings and kidnapping of medical doctors is getting out of hand.

In a communique by its Secretary-General Dr Akaba Godwin and Public Relations Officer Dr Waziri Garba after the end of NARD’s retreat and the first Regular National Executive Council (NEC), the association urged the Federal Government to improve the security of life and property across the country.

It urged the Federal Government to protect Nigerians.

NARD appealed to the Federal Government to make arrangement for overseas clinical attachments for doctors as from this year.

The communiqué reads: “There is an increasingly worsening insecurity challenge in the country with the attendant loss of lives and property.

“The frequent incidence of bombings and kidnapping of medical doctors and other Nigerians is a matter of concern to the association.

“The government must ensure the security of the citizenry, as this will create an enabling environment and enhance productivity in every sector.

“The government as a matter of urgency should ensure budgetary allocation for training of medical doctors in Nigeria and immediate implementation of the overseas clinical attachment towards improving the quality of health care delivery in the country.”

It urged the government to reduce the level of poverty and unemployment in the country.

•Tinubu

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SIWAJU Bola Ahmed Tinubu is in good health, his Media Office (TMO) said yesterday.

In a statement in Lagos on the health of the former Lagos State governor and the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) National Leader, the Special Adviser (Media), Mr. Sunday Dare, said the frontline politician is in sound health.

turned out to be pure political witch-hunt based on fabricated and unsubstantiated allegations. Again, he triumphed.

“The rumour over his illhealth, which has been on for almost a year now, is the latest ploy of his political detractors to taint his rising political profile.

“We wish to state for the record and without any iota of doubt, that Asiwaju Tinubu enjoys good health and continues with his normal political and business activities. These activities have necessitated trips in and outside Nigeria from time to time.

“Ordinarily, Asiwaju Tinubu would not have responded to the unfounded rumour being peddled about his health, but due to the torrents of calls from friends, family, political and business associates, and

the undue anxiety being generated, this clarification becomes necessary.

“Asiwaju Tinubu will return to the country this week, as soon as he completes the business that necessitated his trip outside the country.”

The frontline politician urged the peddlers of the rumour to spend their time on better things, adding: “I am engaged daily with thoughts and activities on how to move this country forward and make it better for millions. We are confronted with finding solutions to the more urgent problems of unemployment, grinding poverty, corruption, hopelessly bad infrastructure and a government badly in need of good advice.

“These diversionary tactics to distract me from the urgent task at hand has already failed.

Katsina’s monthly wage bill hits N1.5b From Isah Idris, Katsina

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•Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi (second right) greeting his predecessor Olusegun Oni at the funeral service for Madam Jolade Ajayi, mother of Mr. Dipo Ajayi, an architect at St. Peters Anglican Church, Ayede-Ekiti…at the weekend.. With them are former Governors Adeniyi Adebayo (left) and Ayo Fayose

‘Jonathan lacks capacity to handle Boko Haram’

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RESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan does not have the capacity to tackle the Boko Haram insurgency, a Kenyan presidential aspirant, Prof George Wajackoyah, has said.

The Kenyan noted that for From Kolade Adeyemi, Kano Nigeria to avoid a break up and overcome the activities of KOGI State Governor Idris the sect, the President must Wada yesterday said his seek the assistance of former Kano State counterpart, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has Heads of State. He said seeking foreign help should be the offered to assist him to last resort for the Nigerian establish a similar progresgovernment. sive government in Kogi Addressing reporters at the State.

Murtala Muhammed InternaWada, who donated N5 million to the victims during tional Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, the presidential aspirant said his condolence visit to the if the Boko Haram debacle is people and government of not properly handled, it could Kano State yesterday over reduce Nigeria from the toast the January 20, 2012 Boko of investors to that of appreHaram bomb attack on residents of the ancient city, indicated his readiness to take a cue from Kwankwaso in his efforts to pilot Kogi AGOS lawyer Mr Femi State to another level of Falana has urged the political and economic Federal Government to development. call Central Bank of Nigeria The visiting governor, (CBN) Governor Mallam Sahoped that Kogi State would nusi Lamido Sanusi to order. benefit from Kano, which Falana said Sanusi granted has a very stable governa “provocative interview” to ment and progressive leadthe Financial Times and made er. an alleged extra-budgetary doRecalling that he lived in nation to terror victims.

Kano for many years, Wada According to him, the Fedsaid he can confidently attest eral Government has the duty to the fact that Kano is to compensate victims of civil among the foremost cities in disturbances arising from the Nigeria bustling with comcrisis of underdevelopment merce activities. associated with a neo-colonial

Kwankwaso to guide Kogi on ‘progressive’ govt

The statement reads: “The attention of the TMO has been drawn to the report on a relatively unknown online publication about the health status of Asiwaju Tinubu. The story is malicious and patently false.

“It is the figment of the wicked imagination of the writer and fits perfectly into the smear political campaign by his political opponents, which began last year to wish him ill, to weaken his political clout and get him out of the way.

“The sponsors of this campaign of calumny are known and will soon be unmasked.

This is not new. There is a pattern here. It began with the attempt to use the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to shut Asiwaju up, which woefully failed.

Then, the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) case, which

Those who think I am paralysed in the body and, unfortunately, are the ones paralysed in the minds and who need urgent medical help.”

The statement urged millions of Tinubu’s followers that the former Lagos State governor is enjoying sound health.

“It is a settled matter. Asiwaju is hale and hearty. He enjoys good health and will be around much longer than many wish,” the statement added.

Speaking on the telephone on Channel Television yesterday, Tinubu said: “I assure all that there is no cause for alarm.

I am hale and hearty. I will soon return to the country”.

He denied being evacuated out of the country, saying he travelled to London in company with Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola.

Asiwaju Tinubu was at the engagement between Oluwole Popoola and Adetoun Nelson, daughter of Mrs Kemi Nelson, former Lagos State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation on January 27 in Lagos.

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•Kenyan urges President to seek former leaders’ counsel

By Kelvin Osa-Okunbor

hension.

According to him, former Heads of State, such as Olusegun Obasanjo, Ibrahim Babangida and Muhammadu Buhari, will assist Jonathan to resolve the lingering insecurity in the country.

Wajackoyah said: “I feel so bad that Nigeria, which used to be the beacon of security and prosperity in Africa, is slipping into chaos and anarchy, because of the challenge of insecurity, terror threat and religious extremism.

“Nigeria used to be the hope of economic prosperity and political stability… My prayer is that God will inter-

vene to solve this problem.

God will help President Goodluck Jonathan to call for advice from former Heads of States.

Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, General Ibrahim Babangida and General Muhammadu Buhari should go into a room and dialogue, to assist the President on how to resolve this problem of Boko Haram and find out how they can fight the situation. This is because this one is beyond Goodluck Jonathan.

“Jonathan cannot fight it alone. He needs former Heads of State to assist him in resolving the national anxiety; to find out the cause of the Boko Haram conflict, which I am convinced can be resolved. I

feel so bad seeing brothers killing brothers. These are all Nigerians killing one another. I think some people are showing bitterness by saying: ‘Let us go and bomb them’ Who will be destroyed at the end of the day? The economy of Nigeria and the country’s name go down. The people themselves go down. Foreign investors go away.

“Well, external assistance can only come in as a last resort, because it is wrong to go outside to call people as a country to come and solve your problem. They will have a different agenda. They might come in with troops to kill the terrorists but it is not right.”

HE Katsina State Government wage bill has hit N1.5 billion following its implementation of the N18,000 minimum wage, it was leartnt.

The state’s workforce, after due verification, is now 20,752.

Addressing reporters in Katsina, the Head of Service, Alhaji Nayaya Mashi, said the implementation was delayed because the government needed to verify the real workers in its employ.

He said the government has directed that workers not captured in the Bio-Metric Data, those on irregular placement, unauthorised appointments, those who did not appear for screening, casual workers and visiting health workers, be recovered from the payroll.

Nayaya said all workers discovered to be over age or have exceeded 50 years of service should be reverted to contract workers, while those found to be incapacitated be referred to the medical board to begin their retirement processes.

According to him, among the workers to be retired are those who have neither requisite qualification for the positions they occupy nor those seeking promotions without such qualifications.

Nayaya said the government has directed that those on leave of absence, in-service training and study fellowship would be captured and would continue to enjoy their entitlements. However, they must meet the documentation at the Ministry of Finance.

N100m donation: Falana calls for sanction against Sanusi

By Joseph Jibueze

capitalist society. He noted that the Goodluck Jonathan administration has embraced this.

In a statement yesterday in Lagos, Falana urged the Federal Government to restrain Sanusi and other government officials from usurping the statutory functions of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) for what he called dubious political objectives.

He said: “Since the CBN did

not make any donation to the victims and the dependants of the hundreds of innocent people who had been murdered in cold blood in Borno, Yobe, Bauchi, Niger, Kaduna and Adamawa states by the dreaded sect, Mallam Sanusi should be sanctioned for the diversion of public funds through the illegal donation.

“In the said interview, Sanusi blamed the emergence of the Boko Haram terrorist sect on the 13 per cent derivation allocated to the oil producing states from the Federation Ac-

count.

“The publication of the illadvised interview coincided with the increasing wave of the murderous attacks of the nihilist organisation on innocent people in many parts of the country.

“Since the CBN governor was not called to order for the reckless and diversionary interview by the Federal Government, Mallam Sanusi has been reported to have engaged in the extra-budgetary donation of N100 million to the victims of the Boko Haram men-

ace in Kano city on behalf of the CBN. “The illegal donation should not go unchallenged at a time several Nigerians are saying: ‘To Thy Tents O Israel’ due to their unwarranted displacement in some states of the federation.”

The activist said government officials, who have no solutions to the problems confronting the masses, should stop resorting to religious and ethnic sentiments to further divide the antion.

THE NATION MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012

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NEWS CPC doubts INEC over Cross River, Sokoto polls From Gbenga Omokhunu, Abuja

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HE Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) yesterday said the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has failed to conduct the forthcoming Cross River and Sokoto governorship elections.

CPC said INEC is illegally scheduling the conduct of the polls.

A statement in Abuja by its National Publicity Secretary Rotimi Fashakin reads: “The CPC wishes to draw the attention of the public to INEC’s illegality in scheduling governorship elections in Sokoto and Cross River states to February 18 and 25.

“For the purpose of laying proper legal premise for our position, it is necessary to restate the relevant sections of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended): “S.31(1): ‘Every political party shall not later than 60 days before the date appointed for a general election… submit to the commission in the prescribed forms the list of the candidates the party proposes to sponsor at the elections, provided that the commission shall not reject or disqualify candidates for any reason whatsoever.”

NCAA can’t impose fines on BA, Virgin, says Agbakoba •Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola (second right) with Dean, Lagos Business School, Dr Enase Okonedo (left), MBA Class President, Mr. Oluwagbemiro Dara (second left), Lead Coordinator, Project “What Next”, Miss Adenike Jemiyo (right) and other students after delivering a lecture titled, “A Tale of Twelve Lessons” during the 3rd Edition of Project “What Next” 2011/2012 organised by the MBA Students of the Lagos Business School, Pan-African University in Lagos ... at the weekend.

Boko Haram menace has political •Rep calls for undertone, says Oyedepo dialogue with members

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HE President of Living Faith Church International, aka Winners’ Chapel, Bishop David Oyedepo, at the weekend said the insecurity caused by the Boko Harma sect is politically motivated.

Addressing reporters at the Ilorin International Airport on the way to Omu-Aran, his home town in Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara State, the cleric urged politicians to show that they have conscience.

He noted that revelations have indicated that those behind the bombings of buildings and killing of innocent persons were allegedly sponsored by different groups.

Oyedepo said the exodus of people from the North to the South and South to the North is a bad omen for Nigeria, blaming politicians for the menace.

The popular preacher urged President Goodluck Jonathan and security agencies to identify and fish out the perpetrators and sponsors of terrorist acts.

He described the Boko Haram insurgency as an agenda of some group of Nigerians against the nation.

“The government should be more proactive in dealing with security issues and declare that nobody is above the law,” he said.

Oyedepo noted that religion cannot be the reasons for

‘Sect’s activities result of injustice’

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HE Rivers State Vice President-General of Jama’atu Nasril Islam, the umbrella Islamic body in the North, Alhaji Abubakar Orlu, has said the Boko Haram insurgency is the result of injustice.

The Muslim cleric spoke at the weekend in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital. He noted that it is insulting for the sect to claim that it is advancing the cause of Islam, a religion that does not preach violence.

Orlu traced the cause of the sect’s activities to corruption in the polity, injustice and ethnicity.

He said: “Corruption has eaten deep into the marrow of Nigerians, especially those entrusted with the management of the nation’s common wealth. It will take more than the current effort to cleanse the ugly phenomeFrom Adekunle Jimoh, Ilorin

the current insecurity facing the nation.

According to him, Muslims and Christians have been living in peace with one another for ages without any misunderstanding.

A House of Representatives member, representing Ilorin West/Asa Federal Constituency of Kwara State, Mashood Mustapha, has said Boko Haram members should be invited to table their grievances.

Mustapha, who is the House Vice-Chairman on Petroleum (Upstream), said: “We should for once be sincere with ourselves. When you have a problem at hand, you look at the cause of the problem, not from the surface.

The simplest answer is for us

From Clarice Azuatalam, Port Harcourt

non from the system.

“Among the things that breed uprising is when you see people living above their natural means, riding posh cars while the majority wallow in abject poverty. So, any little mis-step or remark can send the angry poor on rampage.”

The religious leader blamed the Boko Haram attack to injustice and inequity in the distribution of power, leadership and resources.

He recalled that when the late President Umar Yar’Adua died without completing the North’s term, in accordance with the zoning arrangement, the North ought to have been allowed to produce another President.

to dialogue to see what the problem is.

“When we had the problem of militancy in the Niger Delta, the first thing that came to mind was that they were fighting because the oil is there and because there was no development that was commensurate with what they were giving the Nigerian nation. We were all at peace with ourselves because there was a cause and we all know the cause. And it was so easy.

“But this time around, we have a serious challenge in the North. Who can tell us what their grievances are? There is a peculiar system in the North that is so easy to catch on, and I believe it will positively assist us. “In the North, we have a tradition. The traditional

system is more effective in the North than in the South. The simple thing is for the government to approach the traditional institutions. The emirs and shehus know the head of each clan and family.

Definitely, these people are not spirits. We must look for a way to curb it once and for all. And if we want to get rid of a tree, you don’t cut it from the stem. What we are doing as a nation is cutting the tree from the stem and we say we want to kill the tree. We must take it from the root.

“Let us sit down with these people and dialogue. Let us forget about ego. It is really affecting not only the Nigerian economy, it is also affecting the psyche of every citizen. Everybody is apprehensive. “

Fed Govt urges varsities to implement 2004-2010 White Paper T HE Federal Government has directed the governing councils and management of 26 federal universities and three interuniversity centres to begin the implementation of the recommendations in the White Paper from 2004 to 2010.

The directive was from the Minister of Education, Prof Ruqayyatu Rufa’i when she presented copies of the White Paper to Vice-Chancellors in Abuja.

She explained the rationale for despatching the visitation panel to the institutions, saying government’s aim was to

From Gbenga Omokhunu, Abuja

find out areas of deficiencies in the university system and proffer contemporary ways of solving them and forging ahead.

She criticised some university administrators, saying they often go beyond their bounds and statutory responsibilities.

Prof. Rufa’i condemned the non-adherence to the federal character principle in the ap-

pointment of workers.

She said: “Some universities have become parochial enclaves and the concept of universalism in education has been localised, especially in matters regarding staff employment.”

The minister mandated the National Universities Commission (NUC) to monitor compliance with the recommendations in the White Paper and report any erring institution to the government.

Prof Rufa’i said: “As you are

aware, the visitation exercise to federal tertiary institutions is a five-year statutory activity to advise the government on the state of these institutions and the best way to move them forward.

“Some of the terms of reference of the exercise include a review of the relationship between management on the one hand and workers and students on the other; the examination of the management of finances; the assessment of the condition of physical infrastructure; and quality of instruction and instructional facilities.

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ORMER President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Mr Olisa Agbakoba has said the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) lacks the power to impose fines on British Airways (BA) and Virgin Atlantic Airways.

The lawyer disagreed with the panel that imposed the $235million (about N3.76billion) fines on the airlines for abnormal fares and ticketing against Nigerians.

Agbakoba said: “NCAA is not empowered to impose fines for the violations by BA and Virgin Atlantic Airways.

We believe strongly that the

By Kelvin Osa-Okunbor

ruling is amendable to judicial review.”

His disagreement on the matter is contained in a letter to the Director-General of NCAA Dr Harold Demuren.

Demuren had said the authority was studying the report of the administrative panel on the discriminatory ticket pricing by BA and Virgin Atlantic Airways.

He said the Federal Government would soon unfold plans to ensure that foreign carriers do not maltreat Nigerian passengers through unfair air fares and ticketing.

Fed Govt seeks discount from PHCN creditors From John Ofikhenua, Abuja

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HE Federal Government is to plead with some creditors of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) for a discount, it was learnt yesterday.

But the percentage discount the government is seeking was not certain yesterday. The Nation gathered that the Nigerian Electricity Liabilities Management Company (NELMCO) may ask for discount in line with the volume of the credit.

The company has over N340billion liabilities to PHCN creditors through budgetary allocation, bond market and the proceeds from sale of non-core assets.

Speaking with The Nation, NELMCO Managing Director Samuel Agbogun said: “It all depends on individual cases and for sure some who is owed N3million and someone who is owed N300million are different. So, it all depends. I will not tell you that it is X or Y amount. Definitely, we are going to ask for discount because we are going to make sure we pay them within a time frame.”

According to him, the Federal Government is committed to settling the debts in the next three years.

My govt is battling distraction, says Jonathan From Gbenga Omokhunu, Abuja

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RESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan yesterday vowed to continue placing national interest above partisan politics despite what he described as ‘orchestrated distraction.’

He said the administration is not for ‘Jonathan’ but for Nigerians, adding that he is running a transparent, sincere and accountable government which he promised during the campaign.

Jonathan in a statement on his Facebook page advised those who are bent on destroying his government to have a rethink.

He said the present administration would continue to appoint distinguished men and women of outstanding pedigree to carry out assignments in the nation’s interest.

It reads: “Last May I signed the Freedom of Information Bill into an Act. This

•Jonathan

piece of legislation has been a long time coming. On the occasion of the signing, I stated my “commitment to run a transparent, open, sincere and accountable government” within the rule of law and the protection of our common destiny. In taking the commitment of transparency to hear I gave my word to the Nigerian people that this administration would put in place policies, institutions and structures so as to ensure transparency in every sphere of our governance trajectory.”

THE NATION MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012

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NEWS

Ex-footballer arrested in Malaysia for smuggling cocaine with condoms

Gunmen kill one in NEW YEAR MESSAGES Zangon Kataf From Tony Akowe, Kaduna

UNKNOWN gunmen yesterday attacked Ungwan Usman village on the outskirts of Zonkwa, headquarters of Zangon Kataf Local Government Area of Kaduna State, killing one person and injuring another.

The gunmen were said to have stormed the village at about 9.00pm on Saturday and attacked a house where they shot dead Hussaini Kayit and injured a woman,Victoria Adamu.

The incident caused pandemonium as residents ran for safety.

The village’s youths were said to have chased the gunmen, who ran into the bush.

Soldiers drafted to the area to maintain peace were said to have turned back the youths on the excuse that they were not properly equipped to chase them.

The youths have accused the soldiers of complicity in the attack.

The chairman of Zango Kataf Local Government, Dominic Yahaya, who confirmed the attack, said security agents have begun investigation into the incident.

Elders and leaders of some communities have appealed for calm over the incident.

Some Kaduna communities have been attacked since the post election violence in the state. No arrest has been made.

Niger Planning Commissioner dies From Jide Orintunsin Minna NIGER State Commissioner for Budget and Planning Aminu Yusuf Paiko is dead. He died in Abuja on Saturday. He was 52.

Paiko was appointed Commissioner for Finance in 2007

by Governor Babangida Aliyu.

He was redeployed to the Ministry of Agriculture during the first term of the administration.

At the inception of his second term, Aliyu brought back Paiko to help nurture the Ministry of Budget and Planning, which was carved out of the Ministry of Finance.

The governor, in statement, described the late commissioner as an epitome of good leadership and loyalty, adding that Paiko lived a purposeful life by touching the lives of the less privileged.

The statement reads: ‘’From his days as a banker to his stint in politics, the late commissioner stood for what every man of virtue can do to help uplift our grassroots people from the abyss of poverty and deprivation to a higher level of self discovery and economic empowerment.’’

The governor described the late commissioner as a team player who contributedimmensely to the formulation of policies of government.

He urged politicians to imbibe the virtuesof hard work, honesty, selflessness and absolute faith in God, which, he said, were lessons to be learnt from the life and times of the late Paiko.

Aliyu prayed God to grant eternal rest to the deceased and give his family and the people of Paikoro Local Government Area the fortitudeto bear the loss.

He was buried on Saturday afternoon in Minna, according to Islamic rites.

A

FORMER Nigerian footballer was arrested at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Malaysia, for trying to smuggle in more than 50 small packets of methamphetamine (syabu) in his stomach, it emerged at the weekend.

The Malaysian Customs authorities have not released the name of the 27-year-old man, who reportedly played in the junior league.

He was nabbed by KLIA Customs

officers about 11pm on Thursday after a body scan revealed the drug in his stomach.

KLIA Customs Department Deputy Director Siti Baya Berahan said the man was sent to Serdang Hospital where 35 packets of the drug, each weighing 15g, had so far been retrieved from him.

“The suspect was carrying only a small backpack when he arrived, and he was behaving suspiciously,” she said.

“Noticing that something was amiss, our enforcement officers conducted physical checks but could not find anything on him.

“A body scan was then conducted, revealing suspicious objects in his stomach, believed to be drugs, before he was rushed to the hospital immediately.

Siti Baya said it was believed that the man had swallowed 75 packets of the drug with a street value of RM200,000 before he boarded the

plane.

“Initial investigations found that the suspect was promised US$2,000 (RM6,000) as payment for smuggling the drug here by a syndicate.”

She added: “The drug pellets were contained in a condom which was wrapped in a plastic sheet.”

She said the case would be investigated under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 which carries the mandatory death penalty upon conviction.

Fire guts Kaduna Nursing THE Female Hostel of St. Gerard’s School of Nursing, Kaduna, was on Saturday razed by fire.

Confirming the incident to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the hospital’s Public Relations Officer (PRO), Mr John Sunday, blamed the inferno on an electrical fault, adding, however, that there was no casualty due to prompt intervention of the firefighters deployed by the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA).

He said: “The prompt intervention saved the building from collapse but the entire Block I of the Female Hostel was affected.

“We thank God that no life was lost in the incident but some of the students lost their belongings.“ A student, who preferred anonymity, said the fire started about 10:30 a.m., shortly after electricity supply was restored to the area.

The student said: “Many students were not in the hostel when the fire started.

Many of us lost our belongings, including credentials, in the fire.

“As a result of the fire, the entire aluminium sheets covering the building melted. However, we don’t know the source of the fire.” •Students of St Gerard’s Catholic Hospital Nursing School with their luggage after fire destroyed their hostel in Kaduna

PHOTO: NAN

Anambra community buries bank manager slain by Boko Haram

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ANY were inconsolable, at the weekend, at Azigbo, Nnewi South as the remains of Kingsley Ugochukwu Onyenwe , 37, murdered

by Boko Haram militants were interred. He was the manager, Diamond Bank, Mubi branch, before he was killed.

The late Onyenwe was one the 14 people killed in Mubi , Adamawa State, by Boko Haram members.

Adazi-Nnukwu, a community also in Anambra State, had 12 victims.

Onyenwe was said to have gone to the place where he was killed to console the family of a customer.

Governor Peter Obi consoled the Azigbo community and family of the late Kingsley and thanked the Azigbo youths for not taking the laws into their hands. He said their protest with placards was justified, peaceful and sincere .

He said: ‘’ What happened touched everybody. I went to Mubi and their governor came here. What happened should be committed to prayers. Ndigbo must be in Nigeria because when we wanted to leave, they refused. Nigeria must protect us and we would live anywhere in Nigeria. Nobody can sack us from Nigeria and they need Ndigbo because without Ndigbo, no other part of this country could have developed. We developed all parts of this country. Know it now that whatever God does not know does not happen but this kind of thing would not happen to a young man or young girl in Azigbo again. ’Igbo is holding Nigeria and any part we move away from, that part would collapse ‘’ He said Boko Haram is the handiwork of those struggling to destabilise the economy of the country. He said Ndigbo must remain in Nigeria and

From Odogwu Emeka Odogwu, Nnewi

must be protected by security agencies.

The traditional ruler of Azigbo, Igwe C. Umeadiba, said: ’’ We are not happy that he died premature because he is among the future hopes of his family, village and the community at large. He died a painful death.

Everybody is not happy because he has reached the stage the community would start benefiting before he died’. ‘’ We are equally grateful to the government of Governor Peter Obi for his fight to bring the bodies of those murdered home because they would have been buried there. We thank Obi also for his support for the burial .’’

Sir Donald Udogu ( SAN) said: ’’ The show of maturity by our youths and Ndigbo at large to restrain from reprisal attack is what I am impressed with. It amazes me because it was the opposite of the expected when the senseless violence broke out in the North. Kingsley’s death is most unfortunate as many have been rendered hopeless.’’

Youths protested at the burial, with placards bearing messages against Boko Haram and the need for Federal Government to provide security for life and property of Nigerians anywhere they are. The youths were led by Pastor Afamefuna Osakwe. They chanted anti-terrorism and antibloodletting songs.

An aunty of the deceased, Elizabeth Agbai , said:’’ Let God throw somebody up from the remaining children, two boys and four girls, to take up the challenges because this happened at a time the family and community are looking up for benefits from him.’’

THE NATION MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012

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NEWS

38-year-old hunter commits suicide in Ibadan

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38-YEAR-OLD hunter and blacksmith, Amidu Olajire , at the weekend shot and killed himself with a locally fabricated single barrel gun in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

Olajire was said to have committed the act in front of his uncompleted bungalow at Condemned Road, Bakari in Ibadan, Ido Local Government.

Scores of people gathered on the scene of the incident where the lifeless body of Olajire, a father of six was lying in a pool of blood.

The Chairman , Landlord Association in the area, Mr. Matthew

From Oseheye Okwuofu, Ibadan

Bolaji, described the incident as very shocking.

A community leader, Chief Mukaila Adebayo, said: “ I was in my house this morning at about 7am when I heard a deafening sound of gun shot; few minutes later, I heard cries of people and when I enquired of what had happened, they said it was Amidu, the blacksmith, that shot himself to death . This is very strange in this area .”

When The Nation visited the scene of the incident, Olajire’s body ,a long gun, a bottle of gun power and

School’s hostel

‘

He came to me to expressed his bitterness about the way his wife packed out from the house, and that I should also accompany him to get his medication from his doctor but I told that the whole matter would be taken care of...I remember his last word that I will not like the next line of action

‘

his handset were yet to be evacuated .

A team of policemen from Apata Police Station, who arrived the scene at about 12.20pm with a van,

removed the body after taking photograph.

A source at the Apata Police Station told The Nation that the body has been deposited at Adeoyo Hospital , adding that preliminary investigation showed that Amidu committed suicide due to frustration.

A relative of the deceased, who was on the scene of the incident , explained that Olajire might have killed himself as a result of family and health problems.

Olajire’s grandmother, popularly known as Iya Osun, who fainted and was later revived by sympathisers, narrated how the deceased visited her to report his wife who he claimed disappeared with his four children on Thursday.

She said: “He came to me to expressed his bitterness about the way his wife packed out from the house, and that I should also accompany him to get his medication from his doctor but I told him that the whole matter would be taken care of. “ I tried to pacify him not to take laws into his hands. I told him that we cannot get any treatment from the doctor because we are still indebted to the hospital. After all that I have said , I felt in me that he was not satisfied. I remember his last word that I will not be happy with the next line of action.

“And that was how he left my house in annoyance as he took Okada and sped off. I didn’t know that he was coming here to take his life. “

Vigilance group kills man in Delta over alleged GSM theft From Polycarp Orosevwotu, Warri

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HERE was tension yesterday at Orhuwhorun town, Udu Local Government Area of Delta State, following the killing of a young man , Mr. Obakpororo Kaki, by a member of a vigilance group for allegedly stealing a GSM handset.

The killing of Kaki led to the burning of the family house of his alleged killer. A Honda Accord car belonging to the President-General of the community was burnt.

The deceased’s associates and freinds destroyed documents and otehr valuables at the community leader’s office.

The late Kaki was accused of stealing a GSM handset from a resident of the Orhuwhorun community.

The source said the owner of the handset reported the matter to the vigilance group, which immediately apprehended the suspect.

A source said the suspect died while he was being allegedly tortured by the vigilance group members. He alleged that the late Kaki had been involved in several criminal activities in the community.

Men of the Military Joint Task Force, JTF have been deployed in the community, working with the police in Ovwian/Aladja to put the situation under control.

Police spokesman, Mr. Charles Muka, said he was yet to be briefed on the matter.

Okotie-Eboh’s children fight over property •Lagos probes alleged sale of First Republic Minister’s property

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HE Lagos State Government has begun investigation into the alleged fraudulent sale of the property belonging to the nation’s first indigenous Finance Minister, the late Chief Festus Okotie-Eboh.

The property, located on 15 Kingsway Road Ikoyi, Lagos and held under the name of the deceased’s company – Festus OkotieEboh and Sons Limited - was allegedly sold to a company – Dangote Nigeria Limited.

The purported sale, which is now a subject of litigation in suit LD/ 1995/2009, pending before Justice Ayotunde Philips of the Lagos High Court, Igbosere, was allegedly effected by one of the deceased’s children, Mrs. Alero Jadesimi, who is one of their late father’s company’s seven directors.

By Eric Ikhilae

The other six directors - are, in the suit, seeking the reversal of the said sale on the grounds that Mrs. Jadesimi, being just one of the directors, could not legitimately dissipate its assets without the consent and knowledge of the other directors.

The decision by the Lagos State Government to probe the transaction was informed by a petition dated December 30 last year, by the deceased’s eldest son, Adolo, querying the alleged sale.

In a letter dated January 25 by the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Olanrewaju Babalola, the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Special Assistant to the Governor on Tax and Revenue and Chairman, Lagos

Internal Revenue Service were asked to look into the matter.

The letter reads:” Issues raised in your petition are currently receiving attention at the offices of the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Special Assistant to the Governor on Tax and Revenue and Chairman, Lagos Internal Revenue Service.”

The petition reads: “Unknown to the rest of the family, Mrs. Alero Jadesimi, one of the beneficiaries of the estate, who is also a shareholder and director of the company, sometime in 2008 purported to have assigned all the rights, interest and title of the company in the landed property to Dangote Nigeria Limited under and by virtue of a Deed of Assignment dated December 30, 2008 and registered

•Okotie-Eboh

under Title No. LO3371of the Lands Registry Office at Alausa, Lagos State.

“The purported assignment is the subject of litigation in suit No. LD/1995/09 whereby the company and the rest of the family, as law abiding citizens, are challenging the purported assignment. The matter stands adjourned till January 24, 2012 for completion of PreTrial Conference.”

Kebbi district head reinstated KEBBI State Governor Saidu Dakingari has reinstated the suspended district head of Kangiwa in Arewa Local Government Area, Alhaji Suleiman Zango.

Zango was suspended two years ago by the local government authorities.

A statement by Alhaji Abubakar Mu’azu, the Press Secretary to Dakingari in Birnin Kebbi, on Sunday, said the announcement for the reinstatement was made during a visit to the governor by the district head.

The statement said Dakingari declined to endorse the suspension by the local government authorities to pave the way for an amicable resolution of the dispute.

It said the governor, who received a delegation of the people from Arewa local government area, led by the reinstated district head, advised them to ensure that disputes were settled amicably.

The statement said the governor advised the traditional rulers to always involve elders in making decisions to achieve the desired objectives.

It said Zango hailed the governor for the amicable settlement of the dispute and pledged to involve all segments in the development of the area.

Four unemployed graduates get N2.8m NDE loan THE National Directorate of Employment (NDE) has said it has disbursed N2.8 million to four unemployed graduates in Cross River under its Enterprise Creation Fund for Small Scale Enterprise (SSE).

Mr Edem Duke, the Coordinator of the directorate in the state, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Calabar.

He said the loan was to enable the beneficiaries to start their own businesses, adding that each of them received N700, 000.

Duke explained that the beneficiaries qualified for the loan based on the feasibility studies of businesses they presented, “and which earned them some training by the directorate.’’

“We expect that the young graduates will use the money to set up their businesses, run them prudently in line with the training we gave to them under our ‘Start Your Own Business’ programme and pay back the money on time,’’ he added.

Duke said the beneficiaries are given moratorium of six months on the loan repayment, adding that they were expected to complete the repayment in two years.

He also said that 100 unemployed youths in the state were undergoing training under the directorate’s School-on-Wheels scheme at Sankwala in Obanliku Local Government Area.

He said the training, which was targeted at unemployed rural youths, would be for a period of three months and centred on hair dressing, fashion designing, carpentry, electrical installation, welding and metal fabrication.

Duke said all the 100 youths in the programme were from Obanliku and explained that the request for the directorate to train them was made by the local government’s council.

The coordinator said Abi and Ikom councils made formal requests to the directorate for such training and appealed to other councils in the state to take advantage of the scheme.

THE NATION MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012

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NEWS Gunmen attack ACN members in Ondo From Damisi Ojo,Akure

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IX supporters of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Ondo State were allegedly attacked at the weekend at Elerinla, a village in Ose Local Government of the

state.

They were said to be travelling to Ute for the Ondo Northern Senatorial meeting of the party when the bus developed a fault at a village between Arimogija and Ute. Suspected hoodlums swooped on them a few minutes after they alighted from the bus to ascertain the fault.

An unconfirmed report said the gunmen fired gunshots at them.

An aide to Dr. Olu Agunloye, a former Power and Steel Minister, Oyedele Jackson, who was one of the victims, alleged that the hoodlums wanted to kill them because they were ACN members.

He said the branded campaign bus in which they were travelling, owned by Agunloye, was riddled with bullets.

According to him, the case had been reported at the Ifon Police station, even as he said he did not suspect any individual or political party.

He urged politicians in the state to shun violence, especially with governorship election drawing nearer in the state.

His words: “I think the reason why some people want to rule Ondo state is to develop the state and her people. Why must anybody kill another person because he wants to render service?

“If not by the grace of God, we would have been assassinated by those who attacked us on our way to Ute in Ose Local Government Area to attend a senatorial meeting.

“We were coming from Ikare-Akoko to the venue of the meeting when the bus in which we were travelling developed a fault at Elerinla village between Arimogija and Ute. “Shortly after we came down to know what happened, a group of suspended thugs descended on us immediately they saw the branded campaign vehicle of Dr. Olu Agunloye.”

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Adeniran Aremu confirmed the report, but declined further comments.

Oyo ACN rejects rerun results, heads for tribunal T HE Oyo State chapter of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has rejected the result of the rerun election held in Irepo/Oorelope/ Olorunsogo Federal Constituency.

Mr. Afeez Ona-Ara Tijani of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) reportedly won the election.

But the ACN, through its publicity secretary, Mr. Dauda Kolawole, accused the PDP of deploying “federal might” to harass and intimidate voters.

According to him, soldiers and mobile policemen were deployed to intimidate the electorate before, during

and after the election.

He said: “We wish to state unequivocally that we reject the result of the rerun election in its entirety.

“The election was marred by low turnout as a result of fear which had been created in the minds of the electorate.

“All over the place where the election was held, there was visible presence of soldiers and gun-wielding mobile policemen, a situation which forced most of the voters to stay indoors for fear of being molested by the security operatives.

‘The election was marred by low turnout as a result of fear which had been created in the minds of the electorate’

“Even the very few voters who managed to come out were not allowed to vote for

the candidate of their choice while the results were manipulated in favour of the PDP candidate.’’

The party wondered why the PDP took the election as a do-or-die affair, and deploying all the weapons in its arsenal to fight as if it was going to war.

“With the outcome of the election, our party has no choice than to approach the tribunal to seek redress,” Kolawole said.

The ACN urged to the people, particularly those within the affected federal constituency, to remain calm and support its resolve to reclaim the “stolen” mandate from the PDP.

Akande mourns ‘dependable ally’ Aluko

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ATIONAL Chairman of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Chief Bisi Akande has commiserated with the Ekiti State Government on the death of renowned Economist, Prof Samuel Aluko, who died on Monday in a London hospital after an illness.

The ACN National Chairman, who noted that not only Ekiti people but also the whole country and the world would miss the deceased, described him as a friend, a dependable ally and an intellectual capacity.

Signing the condolence register, Akande wrote: “I come to commiserate with the Government on the passing of Professor Samuel Adepoju Aluko – a foremost economic intellectual, an honest and loyal associate of Chief Obafemi Awolowo and a dependable adviser to Papa Adekunle Ajasin.

No matter how old, a useful citizen should never die. Aluko’s work shall live forever”.

Akande was accompanied by his Southwest Deputy National Chairman, Senator James Kolawole.

•Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola and his wife Sherifat (second right) with former Amirat, Federation of Muslim Women Associations of Nigeria (FOMWAN), OsunState, Alhaja Afusat Aregbesola (left) and immediate past Amirat of FOMWAN, Alhaja Lateefat Durosinmi during the 14th yearly FamilyDay celebration and the installation of Mrs Aregbesola as Grand Matron

Oyo to collaborate with local, YO State Governor foreign investors

O

Abiola Ajimobi at the weekend spoke of a plan by his administration to collaborate with local and foreign investors.

The move is geared at ensuring rapid socio-economic development of the Pace-Setter State.

He dropped the hint while receiving a group of local and foreign investors – TNL Consortium, led by its Coordinator, Mrs. Victoria Kinlock, who visited him at work.

Ajimobi assured that his

administration would provide the enabling environment to attract investors to the state, which he noted, has enormous potentials to trigger an- all-round development.

“Oyo State, in terms of potentials, has the highest, including land mass for the restoration, transformation and repositioning agenda of our government,’’ the governor said.

Lagos Assembly promises quality healthcare

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O guarantee quality and affordable healthcare for its citizenry, the Lagos State Government has renewed its promise to meet the health needs of residents.

The assurance was made by the Chairman of the House Committee on Health Services, Suru Avoseh, during his familiarisation visit to the State Health Service Commission and other agencies under the Committee.

According to him, the government was poised to ensuring adequate and qualitative healthcare service in the Centre of Excellence.

He noted: “This administration will not toy with the lives of the people in the Primary Health Sector,as we would do everything possible to make life meaningful to every Lagosian.

“I want you to operate an open door policy and co-operate with the committee to realise our desired goals.

“The House has numerous roles to play in ensuring that health service delivery is given desired attention”, Avoseh said.

Responding, a commissioner in the Health Service Commission, Mr. Wunmi Salako, assured the committee of total co-operation, adding that his commission would always carry out its social responsibility diligently.

F

Ondo PDP, govt disagree on N27b bond

OR the umpteenth time, the Ondo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the weekend criticised the granting of a N27 billion bond to the state government, despite criticisms from various groups and individuals.

In a statement by its Director of Media, Ayo Fadaka, the PDP said it was unfortunate that not even the law suit instituted against the step, could stopped the bond.

The party alleged that the administration is not prudent in its management of funds since it assumed office in 2009.

But a senior official dismissed Fadaka’s allegation, pointing out that the PDP-led government was on the stage for six years without leaving any enviable legacy in the Sunshine State.

Fadaka said in the statement: “The concern of wellmeaning people in the state has been the most ingenious way a rich and buoyant state with a thriving economy has been turned from a wealthy economy to a debtor.”

Claiming that the Mimiko administration has access to more funds, Fadaka alleged that it inherited N38 billion from the Agagu administration, and has so far received over N278 billion as federal allocation.

Govt alleges plot to publish fake audit report

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ELYING on intelligence report, the Ondo State Government yesterday raised the alarm that it has uncovered a clandestine move by its opponents to fabricate a non-existent audit report.

Information Commissioner Kayode Akinmade, who raised the alarm, alleged that the plan was to publish the purported report as part of the design to blackmail the Governor Olusegun Mimiko-led administration.

In a statement issued in Akure, Akinmade, said available records from the ministries of Finance, Budget and Economic Planning had at no time been queried either by the internal or the external auditors.

He urged the public to disregard the socalled report because it is not only fake but wicked and a calculated plot to cause crisis and achieve a per-determined plot.

The statement reads: “The attention of the Ondo State Government has been drawn to a grand move by some self-seeking politicians to cause crisis in the state using a non-existing audit report.

“The so-called false, wicked and malicious From Damisi Ojo,Akure

He also claimed that more than N36 billion had accrued to the state as Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).

“This is aside the unspecified loans it has allegedly taken from its bankers and another foreign loan of $50 million” the PDP statement said.

report has been slated for publication this week.

“We hereby appeal to the people of the state and Nigerians in general to be wary of the wicked plot by the enemies of progress to cause disharmony at this period when everybody is preparing to celebrate the third anniversary of an administration which had a record of executing unprecedented projects and programmes which has greatly transformed the state.”

Also yesterday, the governor was admonished to sustain the tempo of development in the Sunshine State by ensuring a close monitoring of the contractors handling the various projects.

The counsel was made by the Ondo Progressive Youth Forum (OPYF), through a statement, signed by its president, Mr Michael Ademukomi and general secretary, Mr Rufus Olorunfemi.

Specifically, the group urged the governor to take a keener interest in the ongoing Oba-Ile Road, alleging that it is being shoddily handled by the contractor.

In a swift response, the government source, who spoke in confidence, said a party that was in power for six years without anything to show for it had no justification to fault the Mimiko adminstration on the purported bond.

The source said the various projects already imple-

mented by the ruling Labour Party (LP) government across the state are there for all to see.

Describing those left behind in the PDP as idle and mischievious, the source urged the people to support the present administration in its efforts to promote the state to a loftier pedestal.

THE NATION MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2011

9

NEWS ‘Shun rigging’

Ojukwu’s body not to be taken outside Nigeria, says son

From Odogwu Emeka Odogwu, Nnewi

A

GROUP, National Solidarity Youth Development, has warned youths not to allow themselves be used to rig the Wednesday rerun election in Anambra State.

This was contained in a statement by the National President, Secretary and Publicity Secretary Okeke Godwin Chinemelu, Chukwukadibia Callistus and Sunday Udeh.

The statement reads: “We urge everyone to protect their votes and avoid violence and rigging in Wednesday’s rerun.

“We call on the government to engage the youths in socio-economic and political appointments which will promote their values in the society.’’

Abia warns teachers From Ugochukwu Eke, Umuahia

T

HE Secondary Education Management Board (SEMB) in Abia State has mapped out strategies to curb redundancy and truancy among its teaching staff.

Its Executive Secretary, Ndubuisi Umezuruike, said the Board has commenced intensive supervision of secondary schools across the state.

Umezurike said: “Teachers are aware that we have come to change the system.”

He said the Board has directed its supervising head teachers to be present in schools within their areas.

•Ohaneze warns against violence during funeral

Akpabio extols virtue From Chris Oji, Enugu

A

•The late Ojukwu

T

HE body of the late Biafran warlord, Dim Chukwuemeka Udumegwu Ojukwu, will not be taken outside the country, his first son, Sylvester, said yesterday.

But arrangements had been concluded for the arrival of the foreign contingent from Gabon, Cote D’Iviore, Ghana and Tanzania for the late Ikemba of Nnewi’s burial.

Ojukwu, who died last November, will be buried on March 2.

The date was postponed from February 2 by the funeral committee for adequate preparation to be

KWA Ibom State Governor Godswill Akpabio at the weekend advised Nigerians not to lose the virtuous lessons of life and times of the late Biafran leader, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu.

Akpabio, who was at the Casabianca Lodge to visit the widow, Bianca, said the advice was necessary because the things Ojukwu fought for between 1967 and 1970 are still with us .

According to him, Ojukwu fought a civil war in order to obtain justice and to ensure peace and safety for his people.

Said Akpabio; “And of course as the governor then, my own area Akwa Ibom was inclusive in his domain. For me, this is like our former governor, our former leader and somebody who believes in the same ideals that I do believe in.

“I believe it is only justice that can bring peace to Nigeria.

I think we should sit down and dialogue. We can have peace through dialogue. So, why not choose the option so that Nigeria will never see another civil war.”

From Nwanosike Onu, Awka

made.

The committee, led by Senator Uche Chukwu merije, met at the weekend in Ojukwu’s compound at Nnewi.

Sylvester said there would be no movement of vehicles around the church

near Ojukwu’s house and the main compound.

According to him, “the tomb will be in front of his house while his statue which will be erected in the compound, will be facing the tomb.”

The former President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Dozie Ikedife, has warned

trouble makers to stay away.

He said: “If anybody has a score to settle anywhere, it will not be at Ojukwu’s funeral, we want peace because it is Ojukwu who is being buried.”

The chairman of the burial committee (Works), Victor Umeh, said other minor work would be completed before the funeral.

He said the only major problem that could be encountered during the funeral would be crowd control.

The chairman said with the help of the military, the police and other security agencies, it would overcome.

On road decongestion, Umeh said the Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Osita Chidoka would be on hand with his officers.

However, Umeh who is the National Chairman of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), announced that dates had been allocated to different parties to mourn, APGA’s on March 6.

Pope hails Obi on return of schools to missionaries

A

NAMBRA State Governor Peter Obi yesterday was hailed by Pope Benedict XVI. The Pope had earlier hailed Obi through Bishop Paulinus Ezeokafor, who had during his last Ad Limina visit told the Pope, how the governor has transformed Anambra State.

Speaking through his representative, the Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Augustine Kasujja, during the dedication of All Saints Catholic Church, Ihiala, he noted that the gesture would help to restore morality among the people.

He urged other governors to emulate Obi by taking decisions that would be in the interest of the people.

Orji hails contractors From Ugochukwu Eke, Umuahia

ABIA State Governor Theodore Orji has hailed the standard of work being executed by contractors handling several state government projects.

Orji urged the contractors, especially those handling road projects, to asphalt the roads before the rains to avoid doing the work twice.

He said the government is building six halls in the high court complex.

Orji said his administration is building 30room office complex for judicial workers and revealed that the government had earlier renovated existing office blocks at the Ministry of Justice.

He also said the 48room office complex being built at the Broadcasting Corporation of Abia State (BCA) is to provide befitting office block for the workers.

The governor noted that the completed Agbama road project will be inaugurated next week, saying a number of other roads, including the Okwoyi road, the Nkata Alaike –Umukabia roads are almost completed and awaiting commissioning.

10

THE NATION MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2011

NEWS

Lawmakers to Anenih: you can’t win in Edo S OME lawmakers representing Edo State in the National Assembly have said former Chairman of the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) Tony Anenih cannot manipulate the July 14 governorship election.

The lawmakers were responding to statements credited to Anenih during the inauguration of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship campaign in Cross River State.

Anenih had reportedly said: “With the arrangement going on in Edo State now, coupled with the support we are expecting from the Presidency and the National Executive of the party, we are confident that on July 14, we will install a PDP governor in Edo State.”

Lawmakers, who spoke to The Nation, include Rasaq Belo-

From Osagie Otabor, Benin

Osagie representing Oredo Federal Constituency, Senator Ehigie Uzamere and Minority Whip of the House of Representatives, Samson Osagie, representing Uhunmwode Federal Constituency.

Belo-Osagie described the statement credited to Anenih as “unfortunate”, adding that “Edo people cannot be deceived into a regime of experimentation”.

His words: “What we need in this country are not leaders who will deploy state apparatus in installing government at any level.

“The use of undemocratic, dubious means to install government in Edo will meet with appropriate response by the people, who will build a strong army to defend their votes.”

Osagie said Edo people have made up their minds to vote for Oshiomhole because of infrastructural development.

His words: “From his words, Edo people do not matter. I think Edo people and not the Presidency will determine who will win the governorship election on July 14.

“It should be reiterated that the choice for Edo people is clear and that is for this government under Adams

Ebonyi councillors freeze council account HE Ezza North Leg-

T

• Anenih Oshiomhole that has shown that government can work for the people to be retained.

“Edo should be vigilant against all arrangements targeted at halting this developmental train moving in Edo State. The facts on ground speak for themselves.”

Uzamere said the ACN will win the July 14 governorship election.

Edo aspirant denies defection rumours S the July 14 governorship election draws near in Edo State, the candidate of the Coalition of Progressive Political Parties, Solomon Edebiri, has debunked rumours that he plans to defect or step down for other candidates.

Edebiri, who was addressing

A

From Osagie Otabor, Benin

members of the coalition at the secretariat of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), said he would not betray the trust the parties reposed in him when they adopted him as their candidate.

Five parties: the Congress for Progressive

Change (CPC), Labour Party (LP), Progressive Peoples Party (PPP), Citizens Peoples Party (CPP) and the ANPP adopted Edebiri as their governorship candidate.

According to him, “I was approached to step down and guaranteed the governorship seat in 2016 but I refused be-

cause I know that more parties are waiting to join this coalition.”

Edebiri said he would pursue the ideology of the coalition, if voted into power and promised to introduce a special Education Fund for indigent students.

ACN candidate’s case against Akpabio resumes today

J

USTICE Idongesit NtemIsua will today continue hearing in the case involving the deputy governorship candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Akwa Ibom State, Dr. Ime Umanah, and Governor

From Kazeem Ibrahym, Uyo

Godswill Akpabio.

The judge had on December 1, last year, adjourned hearing in the matter till January 19, but the case could not go as a

result of the strike by civil servants in the state.

Umanah is standing trial with Ikemesit Iyire for allegedly threatening Akpabio’s life.

According to the charge sheet, the offence is contrary

to sections 6 (1) (b), 6 (2), 10 (1) (C) and 10 (2) of the Akwa Ibom Internal Security and Enforcement Law of 2009.

Iyire had claimed that during his stay at the SSS detention, his statement was made under gunpoint.

islative Council has ordered banks, financial institution, contractors and other organisations doing business with the impeached Chairman of the council, Ikeuwa Omebe, to desist from doing so.

Briefing reporters in Abakaliki, the Leader of the council, Larry Igwe, said the House has directed the Head of Personnel Management (HPM) to write to the banks and financial institutions to freeze the council’s accounts.

He said: “All contractors executing jobs for the council are hereby directed to stop further transaction with the impeached council boss.

“Though the impeached council boss has continued to parade himself as the Chairman of the council, we want to warn the public, especially financial institutions and contractors, that whoever is still transacting business with the former council on

From Ogbonnaya Obinna, Abakaliki

behalf of the council does that at his own risk”.

“Ikwuwa Omebe was impeached on February 1 by more than 2/3 majority of the legislative members of the council and he remained impeached until the House of Assembly ratifies it but we must warn that any transaction with him is illegal, null and void.”

Igwe regretted the continuous delayed by the House of Assembly in ratifying the impeachment.

He said no amount of blackmail, propaganda and incitement would stop the impeachment, pointing out that the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) have been invited to investigate the council boss.

Delta now polio-free, says governor From Shola O’Neil, Warri

D

ELTA State Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan has declared the state polio free.

Uduaghan said the state has recorded a zero incident of the disease in the past two years.

Speaking during the third quarterly polio eradication/ sensitisation campaign in Ijomi, Oghara, headquarters of Ethiope West Local Government, at the weekend, Uduaghan said the challenge was for the state to remain so in the next five years and beyond.

The governor said his administration is partnering community leaders and other stakeholders to ensure that polio is kicked out of the state completely.

He said: “In the last two years we have been polio free and have been officially declared a polio-free state. Attaining the status is good but ensuring we are totally free is a bigger challenge”.

THE NATION MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012

11

BUSINESS THE NATION

E-mail:- bussiness@thenationonlineng.net

This is more than Nigeria losing money from lost production, costly repairs and clean up and facility down-time. it is a sad story of consistent pollution of farmlands and rivers by people, who are not bothered by the effects of their actions on the environment.

- Mutiu Sunmonu, MD, Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC)

New spill at Eni oil well

Fed Govt seeks discount from PHCN creditors

A

From John Ofikhenua, Abuja

T

HE Federal Govern ment will plead with some of the Power Holding Companies of Nigeria (PHCN) creditors to grant it some discount, it was learnt yesterday.

But the percentage discount being sought by the government was not very certain as at press time, but our correspondent gathered that the Nigerian Electricity LiabilitiesManagement Company (NELMCO) may ask for discount in line with the volume of the credit.

The company is grappling with how to pay over N340billion liabilities to the PHCN creditors through budgetary allocation, bond market and with the proceeds from sale of non-core assets.

Speaking with The Nation, the Managing Director, Mr Samuel Agbogun said: “It all depends on individual cases and for sure some who are owed N3million and someone, who is owed N300million are different.

So it all depends. I will not tell you that it is x or y amount. Definitely, we are going to ask for discount because we are going to make sure we pay them within a time frame.”

He said the Federal Government is committed to settling the debts in the next three years.

While stressing government’s commitment to settle the liabilities, he said as soon as the labour and government agree, the core-assets will also be sold in order to complement the process.

“We hope that as soon as the labour is settled, we will begin to sell the noncore assets, which we use to also clear part of the liabilities.”

Asked whether the government is servicing the debt, he explained that part of the debt owed banks is being serviced.

DATA STREAM COMMODITY PRICES Oil -$107/barrel Cocoa -$2,686.35/metric ton Coffee - ¢132.70/pound Cotton - ¢95.17pound Gold -$1,800/troy ounce Rubber -¢159.21pound MARKET CAPITALISATIONS NSE JSE NYSE LSE

-N6.503 trillion -Z5.112trillion -$10.84 trillion -£61.67 trillion RATES Inflation -10.5% Treasury Bills -7.08% Maximum lending-22.42% Prime lending -15.87% Savings rate -2% 91-day NTB -15% Time Deposit -5.49% MPR -12% Foreign Reserve $33.01b FOREX CFA 0.2958 EUR 206.9 £ 242.1 $ 156 ¥ 1.9179 SDR 238 RIYAL 40.472

• From left: Mr Richard Palmer, Adviser, Structured Finance, Mubadala Group; Dr. Reginald Ihejiahi, Managing Director, Fidelity Bank Plc; Mr Abhulime Ehiagwina, Ag. Chief Financial Officer, Etisalat Nigeria; and Mr Michael Ings, Partner, Norton Rose LLP London; at the presentation of Euromoney Project Finance awards in London, at the weekend. Fidelity and a syndicate of four other Nigerian banks won the Telecoms Deal of the Year Award for the $650million funding deal for Etisalat Nigeria, a member of the Mubadala Group.

N environmental group says there is a new spill on an oil well run by Italian firm Eni SpA in Nigeria’s oil-rich southern delta.

Environmental Rights Action, according to Boston.com, said yesterday the spill is happening at a well head run by Eni’s Nigerian subsidiary in the Ikebere community of Bayelsa State that’s near a pipeline struck by militants last week and close to an offshore Chevron Corporation gas rig that remains ablaze after an apparent industrial accident January 16.

A spokesman for the Rome-based oil company did not immediately respond to a request for comment yesterday.

Foreign oil firms have pumped crude out of the country’s Niger Delta for more than 50 years. Despite the nation earning billions, those living in the delta remain poor in largely polluted lands.

Interbank rates climb on NNPC cash withdrawal

Fuel subsidy: Senate summons I NNPC, PPPRA, 88 firms T

HE Senate yesterday summoned 88 compa nies reported to have made claims from the controversial N1.7 trillion oil subsidy scheme last year.

The invitation of the oil marketers may not be unconnected with the efforts of the Senate to unravel how much was actually spent on uel subsidy and who received what in 2011 fiscal year.

The probe in the upper chamber arose from a motion sponsored by Senator Abubakar Bukola Saraki, who drew the attention of the Senate to alleged extrabudgetary expenditure on the scheme.

A

From Onyedi Ojiabor, Asst.

Editor (Abuja)

The Federal Government had voted N240 billion for the fuel subsidy scheme last year, but preliminary investigations indicated the more than N1 trillion was spent on the scheme as at August last year.

The oil companies invited would appear before the Senate Joint Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream), Appropriation and Finance chaired by Senator Magnus Abe. Also invited to appear before the Joint Committee are the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC)

and the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA).

Some of the invited oil firm included African Petroleum Plc; Capital Oil and Gas Ind Ltd; Folawiyo Energy; Heyden Petroleum; Honeywell Oil and Gas; Mobil Oil Nig Plc; MRS Oil and Gas Plc; Sahara Energy; and Obat Oil and Petroleum.

Others include: Rahamaniyya Oil and Gas; Sea Petroleum and Gas Co. Ltd; Ryden; Oando Nig Plc; Sifax Oil Gas Company Ltd and Total Nigeria Plc. Senator Abe noted in the letter of invitation that

the public hearing is “in continuation of investigation into the operations of the fuel subsidy scheme.”

The invitation of these companies is coming less than 48 hours after the House of Representatives concluded its probe into the fuel subsidy scheme.

Chairman, House of Representatives Probe Committee Hon. Farouk Lawan, said expenditure on fuel subsidy may climb to N2 trillion in the fiscal year.

As at August, last year, spending on the fuel subsidy scheme was put at over N1.3 trillion.

This triggered the Senate probe.

‘Insurgency takes toll on economy’

N increasingly violent insurgency

by Islamist sect Boko Haram in Nigeria’s economically stagnant north has begun pressuring the country’s finances by forcing extra spending on security.

Nigeria, according to Reuter’s news, is diverting money away from needed infrastructure spending and could be costing as much as two per cent of the country’s economic output.

Boko Haram, which wants Islamic sharia law more widely applied across Nigeria, has been waging a low level insurgency against the government and security forces since 2009.

The severity of its attacks has leapt in the last six months with its strikes have been largely confined to the Muslim north, hundreds of kilometres from the commercial hubs of Lagos and

the Niger Delta, home to Africa’s biggest oil industry.

This means that foreign investors have not been unduly rattled in a broad sense.

“The northeast is not all that important economically, so unless they start blowing up stuff in Lagos or they can find a way to disrupt business on a larger scale, I think foreign investors are prepared to live with the threat,”saidAlan Cameron, analyst at London-based Investment firm CSL. Foreign direct investors and portfolio managers are, however, concerned about the progress of structural reforms in one of the continent’s most inefficient and wasteful economies and about the government’s ability to keep a lid on spending.

On that latter point, the Boko Haram insurgency is having a bigger impact.

Nigeria’s security bill has risen to 20 per cent of spending in the 2012 budget from 16 per cent in 2010, leaving less money for much-needed infrastructure projects and for work on reforms to the power and other social and industrial sectors.

Laat year’s budget did not give a breakdown for security costs.

“It implies less spending on power infrastructure, education and healthcare, which combined have been allocated a smaller budget than security in 2012,” Renaissance Capital economist Yvonne Mhango said in a note.

The direct cost of security is at least two per cent of Nigeria’s $250 billion economy, measured by the share of spending-to-Gross Domestic Product in 2012, Mhango said.

High government spend-

ing is also putting pressure on the naira currency. Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Lamido Sanusi was forced into a controlled depreciation of the naira last year and although it has stabilised, trading is volatile.

Sanusi has urged the government to control public spending to prevent further weakening, which would bite directly into potential investment returns for foreigners.

Boko Haram killed more than 250 people in a series of attacks in January, according to Human Rights Watch, and security experts believe it has growing ties with outside Islamist groups, including al Qaeda’s north African wing.

It has become President Goodluck Jonathan’s biggest headache and is threatening to divert the government’s attention from the pressing but thorny issue of weaning the economy away from its reliance on crude oil exports.

NTERBANK lending rates eased to an average of 14.91 per cent last week from 13.50 per cent a fortnight ago as liquidity in the market ebbed on cash withdrawals by the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

The corporation sells dollars to some lenders monthly and transfers a portion of the naira proceeds to its account with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). The energy firm sold about $500 million in three tranches to selected banks in the last three weeks, traders said.

Traders said the market opened with a cash balance of about N10 billion last Friday, reflecting the level of liquidity squeeze in the market after the large NNPC withdrawal and foreign exchange and treasury bills purchases.

“We expect the cost of borrowing to keep climbing next week as cash outflows to foreign exchange purchases and other transactions will further reduce the liquidity level,” one dealer said.

The secured Open Buy Back (OBB) climbed to 14.50 per cent from 14.0 per cent last week, 250 basis points above the CBN’s 12 per cent benchmark rate, and 4.50 percentage points above the Standing Deposit Facility (SDF) rate.

Overnight placement rose to 15 per cent from 13.50 per cent, while call money traded at 15.25 per cent against 14.0 per cent last week.

The Federal Government said on Friday it auctioned N149.27 billion ($938 million) worth of 91-day, 182day and 364-day treasury bills this week at lower yields than its last sale.

12

THE NATION MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012

THE CEO

‘Cash-less banking will be of utmost benefit’

• Ajao

As the power house of the fledgling cash-less banking, the Nigeria Inter-bank Settlement System (NIBSS) is defining what electronic banking should be. Its Acting Managing Director/CEO, Niyi Ajao, in this interview with COLLINS NWEZE, speaks on the Cash-less Lagos pilot project and related issues.

C

BN has introduced Cash-less banking to reduce the cost of banking operations and create efficiency in the system. How prepared are you for this?

NIBSS is well prepared. If you look at it critically, it was like a revolution that started about five years ago. There have been a lot

of initiatives in the market by NIBSS and other service providers to broker payments and make payments more efficient. This comes through internet payments and all that. It has been going on for a long time. If you talk about our preparedness, I will say over the years, we have been growing

capacity. So, we have the drive from the Central Bank and the banks to go Cash-less. We also have a financial adviser. Already, we have NIBSS Electronic Funds Transfer (NEFT), introduced since 2004. Today, it’s being used by all the banks to make inter-bank payments.

From our findings, cost is crucial in cash-less banking. Merchants are saying they cannot pay the 1.25 per cent transaction fee for the Point of Sale (PoS) terminals. How will you address this?

The guidelines on PoS came out on August 12, last year. In the guidelines, what the Central

Bank was saying is that a merchant should not be asked to pay more than 1.25 per cent as transaction fee or a maximum of N2,000 per transaction. The rule is not saying, that is what merchants must pay. So, at the end of • Continued on page 18

THE NATION MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012

13

THE CEO

‘Cash-less banking will be of utmost benefit’ •Continued from page 17

the day, it is bank-customer relationship. The merchants have bankers behind them. They have banks that bought the terminals.

Going by that guideline, there is supposed to be an agreement between that merchant and the bank customer. By that agreement, the bank will play the role of banking. It will look at the peculiarities of the merchants, and where they see he cannot afford 1.25 per cent, they can go for a negotiation. The merchant can ask for only one per cent, and the bank can review the request based on the volume of transactions involved. Don’t forget that it is not only the PoS transactions that brought the merchants and banks together, they have other banking transactions too. They can look at the total package and say, for PoS, you can be paying 0.8 per cent. So, when merchants complain, what we should be telling them is to get closer to their banks.

The banks are meant to be their financial advisers. The banks know the peculiarities of their businesses, and banks are very willing when it comes to that. So, the banks can always work it out with the merchants and agree on mutually beneficial prices. So, the 1.25 per cent is not mandatory, it is just a bar. What the CBN is saying is that banks must not charge more than that. It is negotiable.

There have been some complaints about bringing in the PoS through the ports. Thus, we don’t have the PoS as much as we ought to, to drive this process. How do you think the problem can be solved?

Yes, there was a problem in bringing in the PoS last year. I am aware that the CBN has stepped in and the problem is being re-

solved right now. So, a lot of terminals are coming to the market and are being installed by the banks. With the momentum going on now, by March ending, we will begin to have much more terminals in place. And don’t forget that Cash-less Lagos is not all about PoS terminals.

Is NIBSS into e-salaries, which is being canvassed by ministries, departments and agencies?

We are part of the e-salary payment structure apart from the fact that we are the clearing house for all the banks. Those payments are still being processed through the banks. They are being processed through our system at NEFT. Don’t forget that we are like a gateway for all the banks.

In this Cash-less Lagos, what is on ground in terms of capacity to ensure that you do not fall below expectations?

Like I told you earlier, over the years, we have created a lot of capacity. We knew all along that it is a matter of time, the e-payment system in the country will grow.

And we are growing. So, what we have been doing is for volume to grow. Already, we have a lot of capacity on ground. Having said that, volume is growing.

We are working on capacity to extend it further. We are recruiting more staff, we are looking at our technology and expanding areas that need to be expanded so that we can cope with the volume that is coming.

What are the positions of MasterCard and Visa in the epayment system?

MasterCard and Visa are just card schemes. They own the MasterCard and Visa brands.

They authorise other players to use that brand and facilitate payments. They can authorise banks

to deploy devices that will accept cards that will be issued by these banks. Visa/MasterCard along with other members will now authorise other members that are called switches, who will process transactions from those devices, accept cards from those devices, debit customers’ accounts with that and then facilitate payments through companies such as NIBSS. This is a whole lot of process?

Sure, but this is a process that has been on for years. Since 2003, we have been on with this type of transaction process. All the switches and all other players have been running in the country since then. The players are already familiar with the market; the awareness creation is there and so on and so forth.

These are foreign firms. Do we have local schemes too?

Yes, there is a number of local schemes coming up too. There is Freedom Card, Verve, Genesis from E-Transact. There is a lot of awareness coming up. Companies such as ValuCard for instance are playing a major role. The CBN has licensed those we call merchant acquirers. They are authorised to sign agreement with merchants to put PoS terminals in the merchants’ offices. Any of the 24 banks can approach a merchant and put PoS there, and ValuCard can do the same. Apart from that, ValuCard is a processor for Visa. So, many Visa transactions that banks process normally go through ValuCard as a processor.

What value do all these add to the economy and the employment sector?

I have always told people, what we have seen in telecom will be small compared to what we will see in cash-less banking. Under the Cash-Less Lagos project, the Central Bank has licensed six companies called the Payment Terminal Service Providers (PTSP). Their job is to install and maintain PoS terminals. The idea is that a merchant acquirer will locate a merchant, which will then call a PTSP to maintain that terminal. Now, this PTSP are new companies and will employ people that will go at short notices to rectify faults on PoS terminals. So, they need to employ a lot of people to do that. And we are talking of six companies for Cash-less Lagos. This cash-less project will go outside of Lagos State to other states, the company will need to employ more people.

They need to train merchants and staff of the merchants. You are going to see a lot of activities in that area. And along the line, the CBN is going to be licensing more PTSP. Banks themselves will need to have more staff to market merchants. The processors such as ValuCard, InterSwitch and others, as the services grow, will

• Ajao

need to improve capacity. NIBSS will need to get more staff. No matter how you look at it, the economy will be the best for it.

E-payment has a lot of convenience.

How do you see this project as it moves to other parts of the country where there is no electricity?

We are so resilient in Nigeria.

In those villages where there is no electricity, people are running their own businesses using small generators. And if you look at the PoS terminals we are talking about, how much power do you think we need to run them? What a Lagosian can use and appreciate, every Nigerian can also use and appreciate once they have confidence on the product. Look at GSM, initially there were scepticisms. But today, almost everyone is carrying a phone. You do your bank transfer in any part of the country. For me, extending it to other parts of the country will not be an issue at all. Where the phones can work, the PoS terminals will also work.

What services does the Nigeria Interbank Settle-ment System (NIBSS) offer?

NIBSS Plc is a company jointly set up by banks and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in 1993, to facilitate interbank payment and grow the payment system. Basically, it is to set up a national payment network so that the benefits of an efficient payment system can become a reality. The com-

pany started operation in 1994. It operates the Nigeria Automated Clearing System (NACS), which facilitates the electronic clearing of cheques and other paper-based instruments, electronic funds transfer, Automated Direct Credits and Automated Direct Debits.

NIBSS, at the instance of the Bankers’ Committee, has acquired cutting-edge technologies for the operation of the Nigeria Central Switch (NCS).

Before NIBSS, what was e-payment system like?

Before NIBSS, the CBN used to handle interbank payments directly. In those days, way back in 1994, if a bank customer wants to move money from his account to an account in another bank, it must pass through the CBN. That’s what used to happen. So, along the line, the volume of transactions grew, and it became obvious that a structure had to be put in place to ensure that payments go very well. This was because payments were not moving as fast as they should, thereby stifling the economy. People can’t buy things faster and they were not able to buy as much as they wanted. The economy was affected. So, it is all about this idea of letting the private sector handle some things. That was what made us to establish NIBSS so that it can operate as a full-time company with the efficiency to deliver the needed payments to the economy. That has been our mandate since we started in 1994.

‘What we have seen in telecoms will be

small compared to what we will see in cash-less banking. No matter how you look at it, the economy will be the best for it. E-payment has a lot of convenience

• Ajao

’

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THE NATION MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012

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• Workers at a training session.

Think big, think team play Ever seen a company that succeeds without its workers? Definitely not. Firms achieve growth when workers share brilliant ideas. To survive, firms are adopting “team management process”, a concept that preaches collaboration among workers. The concept promotes team spirit in the workplace. Experts argue that team work is necessary to facilitate the growth of an organisation. AKINOLA AJIBADE reports.

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O matter how solid a company is, the personnel matters. The workforce is the drive force of any organisation. It is the soul of the business. Without a competent and skill personnel, a business is as good as dead.

It is in realisation of this fact that companies invest in their workers to get optimal output from them. They are bringing their workers to bond together under a concept known as “Team Management Process” (TMP) to achieve cor-

porate success.

Developed in Europe and the United States in the 80s by multinationals in search of enduring growth modules, team management de-emphasises hatred, disagreement, pride, and monopoly of ideas among workers. It advocates a synthesis of ideas, and the need to use different strategies to achieve organisational goals.

Etched on behavioural and psychological patterns of workers, the idea has helped in changing the perception of workers to-

wards one another. It brings the best out of workers, if well implemented. It enables them to work in unity, with each contributing to the organisation’s growth. Bigger corporations, especially those in oil and gas, manufacturing, aviation, banking, and maritime sectors leverage on team work to achieve success.

The Nation learnt that oil giants – Shell Development Production Company (SDPC), Chevron Nigeria Limited and Mobil Oil Producing Company – have embraced the

concept. The companies engage in activities that require a cross-fertilisation of ideas. This is because oil exploration business is technical and requires people who can utilise various ideas to make it work.

Banking is another industry that emphasises the use of TMP to foster growth. The industry, because of its sensitive nature, has employed egg heads who share ideas to effect changes.

• Continued on page 17

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THE NATION MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012

JOBS

Think big, think team play • Continued from page 18

Experts argue that TMP is a must-buy for any company that wants to achieve growth.

They said workers can only put in their best when they work as a team.

A proponent of the concept, Mr Okey Ibekwe, Managing Director of Okibx Nigeria Limited, advised employers to implement ideas that would make workers productive.

Okibx Nigeria Limited is a labour consulting firm with specialty in job creation, job sustainability and retirement programmes.

Ibekwe said ideas drive the world, urging companies to initiate ideas that would lead to workers’ efficiency. He said TMP is a concept that should not be limited to the top-echelon alone, arguing that no work is irrelevant. He said workers perform better when they have targets to meet.

Ibekwe said: “There should be a top-down approach to the implementation of the concept”. The senior and junior cadre must be allowed to do team work to drive the company’s policies. Each department must fashion out strategies that would make team work possible. Each departmental head must co-ordinate his members, request for their input on issues of utmost benefit to the company. When you look at the structures of multinationals, you will realise that they lay emphasis on team work, and not individual strength. They assemble ideas, and choose the best ones to achieve growth.”

He said nobody has a monopoly of ideas, adding that companies need ideas from different members of staff to succeed.

“What do you think are the factors responsible for the growth of companies with assets worth of over $50 billion in the United States? The answer is brilliant ideas, and good policies. In such climes, approach to

business is highly participatory. Activities are segmented, with members contributing ideas that would be useful to their units and the company in particular. I think companies in Nigeria need to adopt similar templates, if they want to achieve an enduring growth. Growth has layers. There is immediate and gradual growth. Whatever growth a company achieves, depends on how best it is able to maximise the potentials of its workers,” he added.

Former Chairman, Ikeja Business Club (IBC), Mr Adebowale Thompson, said managing a company is sensitive and challenging. The club comprises companies operating in the Ikeja Business District (IBS).

Adebowale said shareholders, workers and customers expect good performance from the managements of companies. He said managements can only harness the potentials of their workers, through team work.

He said the idea of a team management process is good, advising companies to adopt it for growth. He said no company can succeed, when its workers are not united in thoughts and ideas. He attributed the failure of many firms to bad ideas and policies, advising managements to promote team spirit.

“There is dynamism in the workplace.

There is keen competition in the market.

Each company wants to outdo the other in terms of sales, profitability, turnover, and assets. No matter how strong a company is, it needs brilliant ideas to sustain growth.

Brilliant ideas come, when workers share experiences. That is when they work in groups to achieve common goals. To the best of my knowledge, TMP is a recipe for growth. Companies must as a matter of fact adopt it, if they want to achieve success,” he said.

Chief Executive Officer, Dambis Bureau De Change Limited, Mr Adeboye Adenuga, said TMP is of immense benefit to employ-

• Ibekwe

• Adenuga

ers. He said companies must embrace team work, irrespective of their sizes.

He advised Bureau de Change operators to work as a team, adding that is the only way they can avail themselves of opportunities in the foreign exchange market. He urged managements of forex trading outfits to share ideas with their workers, adding that the the development would lead to success. He said operators cannot work in isolation because they depend on each other for data.

“You cannot work in isolation, because you need somebody to compliment your efforts at one time or the other. When you work alone in an organisation, you achieve little results. For instance, there are many activities going in forex business. Someone

has to go to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to buy dollars. Another person has to submit reports to the apex bank. There are certain information you cannot get on your own. You have to depend on some people for such information. If the workers are not working as a team, it would be difficult to achieve meaningful results. Companies must put in place measures that would encourage team work. They need to adopt the idea of a ‘team management process’ to boost the performance of workers,” he said.

He advised workers to bury their pride, adding that they are working to achieve the goals of their companies. He said what makes a company tick is the quality of ideas of its workers.

MOVERS AND SHAKERS

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FINANCIAL expert, Alhaji Umaru Kwairanga, has been named Chairman, Ashakacem Plc. Kwairanga has been serving on AshakaCem Board since 2008. He is also the Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Finmal Finance Services Limited.

He is serving on the board of several companies including Central Securities Clearing Systems Ltd. (Affiliate of the Nigerian Stock Exchange), Gombe State In-

Ashakacem gets chairman, directors vestments Co Ltd, Barade Constructions Co Ltd, Jaiz Bank Plc, Penman Pension Ltd, among others. He holds the traditional title of Sarkin Fulani of Gombe.

Kwairanga holds a first and post graduate degrees in business administration, corporate governance and finance. He has at-

tended courses and training programmes in reputable institutions including the Harvard Business School, New York Institute of Finance and Euro Money.

He possesses professional certificates of the Chartered Institute of Stock brokers, Certified Pension Institute of Nigeria and the Abuja

Commodities & Securities Exchange. He thanked the Board of Directors for the appointment, expressing commitment to build AshakaCem. He congratulated AshakaCem on becoming a member of Lafarge Health & Safety Excellence Club, demonstrating hard work and

persistence to establish record performance on health and safety management systems.

There has been no industrial fatality or serious accident in AshakaCem Plant in the last five years. Kwairanga said the companys, team worked well in maximising production by over 10 per cent last year and also served our customers well.

He urged the government to improve power supply to industries as electricity is a major problem in the sector.

CAREER MANAGEMENT

T

HE major theses of last week’s presentation were: • nobody owes you a job • positive result depends on the • you need to get organised for a job search.

Take responsibility for your job search. Take actions. Don’t you ever give up. This was the essential message of last week, and remains same for this week.

The last point before we signed off was that you need to define your job objective. The first step in this direction is to generate a list of potential employers in respect of your chosen job objective. Necessary information may be obtained from friends, relations, consultants, vendors, newspapers, trade journals etc. Once you’ve made your choice, go after them using conventional and unconventional means.

How do you intend to pursue these job opportunities? What is your job hunting strategy? Let me tell you what is working. Or let us start with what have the least chance of working. The five most ineffective job search strategies are these.

• Internet- posting your CV/Resume on the Internet, and expect potential employer to visit the board/site and make a choice, de-

Nobody owes you (II)

By Olu Oyeniran

pending on the match between your skills and their requirements.

It has four-10 per cent success rate • Mailing out Resume CV to employers at random (Resume blasting). Seven per cent success rate.

• Answering ads in professional/ trade journals. Seven per cent success rate.

• Responding to newspaper ads.

Five-24 per cent success rate. The higher the salary/position, the lower the success rate • Using employment agencies, five-28 per cent success rate. Again, the higher the salary/position, the lower the success rate Now, the best five ways to search for a job • Ask for job leads from family, friends, people you know, etc. – “Do you know of any job at the place where you work, or elsewhere?” Thirty-three per cent success rate • Knocking on the door of any employer, factory, office etc, whether they are known to have

vacancy or not. 47 per cent success rate • Identifying subject/field of interest, identifying employers on that field and calling on them to ask if you they are hiring for the position you desire and that you know you can do well. 69 per cent success rate.

• Do the above in a group with other job hunters. 76 per cent success rate • Doing a life-changing job search (identifying your skills, proffered places, interest and acceptable working environment and going after the job you desire) 86 per cent success rate.

You got me there. There is still a better method: combining the strategies (experts suggest it should not more than four!).

A fact never to be forgotten The major difference between successful and unsuccessful job seekers is not some factors out there, or the ‘barrier’ listed earlier.

It is the way they go about their job hunt. A successful job search

requires organisation and effort.

Don’t think of yourself as unemployed. You have a job, full time job. If you are employed think of your job search as a part-time job.

If you are unemployed, the working hours of eight to five are available for your job search. If you are employed but seeking new opportunities, you need to make time for your job search, and be consistent.

Job search requires that you develop a new set of priorities and schedules. Be aware that there will be distractions. Just about anything will sound better than looking for work. Don’t be fooled, your number one priority is finding that new job. Don’t let anything get in your way.

Here are some tips • Establish measurable goals, on daily and weekly basis. If you set 10 a.m to 3 p.m Tuesday for research, your goal could be to identify 10 new employer you can pursue. Wednesday’s goal could be to contact the employer you identi-

fied on Tuesday. Be realist, but challenge yourself.

• Make yourself accountable.

Create an area in your home where your entire job search is centered.

If you keep all your job search supplies and information there, you will stay organised and ready to work. Check your progress at the end of each day and each week. Set new goals. It is a good strategy to involve someone else in your search. Give them permission to hold you accountable for your plans. Or join a job club.

• Keep accurate records if you are conducting a serious job campaign.

You make hundreds of contacts and generate new opportunities regularly. Don’t rely on your memory, develop and maintain a filling and/or a recording system – binders, pocket calendars and notebooks.

Your destiny is in your hands.

Now you know.

Olu Oyeniran is the Lead Consultant, EkiniConsult & Assoiciates.

Website: www.jobsearchhow.com E-mail: oluoyeniran@yahoo.com Tel 08083843230 (SMS Only).

THE NATION MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012

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EDITORIAL/OPINION EDITORIAL FROM OTHER LAND

COMMENT

Hamas and Fatah: A Mideast muddle

Ajaokuta steel • Set up as a steel company; but the comatose firm is becoming a steal on the treasury

E

VEN for a country that seems to have lost a sense of shock and outrage, news coming out of the Ajaokuta Steel Company Limited, Ajaokuta, Kogi State, is extremely shocking. The steel company, designed to frog-leap Nigeria into the big industrial age is comatose. Yet, its idle “workers” would earn N4.58 billion as salaries in 2012, according to estimates in the 2012 budget.

According to a report in The Punch of February 7, the workers would earn N4.58 billion, 99.35 per cent of the total budget of N4.614 billion. The remaining N30 million is for “capital projects”. But if the place is comatose, what will that “capital project” vote be spent on? Still, as a business concern, its relative health or otherwise is seen from the prism of personnel cost gulping 99.35 per cent of

‘The Federal Government must look into the Ajaokuta affair and swiftly punish whoever is responsible for the present sorry state of things, both on its side and on the side of the steel company’s management ... The government must take decisive steps on Ajaokuta, for or against – or else, a company conceived to make steel for the country’s industrial take-off could well become a permanent steal from the public till’

the budget. At best, it means it has reached its optimum in growth as a business, and needs urgent expansion to be competitive. At worst, it means it is a terrible wasteland that is virtually dead, yet its “workers” get paid humongous sums for doing practically nothing. It is a huge cost centre, fired by a seemingly huger racket that puts that vital investment in double jeopardy.

Indeed, the comatose Ajaokuta is a reflection of a decayed Nigeria with all its problems: waste, wilful mismanagement and of course, corruption.

The same Punch report quoted Kazeem Kadiri, general secretary of the Steel and Engineering Workers Union of Nigeria (SEWUN) as alleging that Ajaokuta’s problem was that of an insensitive interim management that seems permanent in its habit of wilful waste. But again, the so-called Interim Management Committee (IMC) could not have morphed into a permanent waste body without the commission or omission of the government, its appointing authority.

Mr. Kadiri, in his claim, might well be reflecting the usual Labour-Management tension, particularly in the peculiarity of a Nigerian government parastatal, where each segment of the organisation, often without focus, tries to demonise the other, and blame it for the failure. Still, given the failed dream that Ajaokuta is becoming, and the drain it has been on the common wealth, Mr. Kadiri’s allegations need to be urgently looked into.

“There are 16 members of the committee receiving millions of naira every month as allowances and they are not doing anything,” he alleged. ”The work-

ers’ welfare is not taken care of and they don’t even come to the company, while the so-called chairman of the committee hardly shows up there.”

The Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development should look, with dispatch, into these allegations: what are the terms of this IMC and why has it been there for that long, even if the fortunes of the company are not improving? Why is the government tardy over putting in place a new policy, to map out a definite direction for the company, after its concession agreement with Global Infrastructure Company had been cancelled? And if indeed the government had been tardy in doing the needful to the company, policy-wise, would it not also be vicariously responsible for whatever mismanagement the IMC is accused of?

The Federal Government must look into the Ajaokuta affair and swiftly punish whoever is responsible for the present sorry state of things, both on its side and on the side of the steel company’s management.

As for the workers, the government should make up its mind whether to continue running the company or fold it up. Inasmuch as laying off workers is not a good option, it is even worse that vital resources, perhaps needed for infrastructure to trigger new ventures, are being paid to idle hands.

The government must take decisive steps on Ajaokuta, for or against – or else, a company conceived to make steel for the country’s industrial take-off could well become a permanent steal from the public till.

Pampered for life •In or out of power, Nigerian leaders enjoy extraordinary perquisites T is becoming clearer daily why it is difficult for the government to meet the welfare expectations of Nigerians. The reason- the country’s leadership - past and present - are too ingrained in catering for their personal up-keep than in providing for the needs of the generality of Nigerians. Otherwise, how can we explain the Goodluck Jonathan administration’s budgeted N3.19bn for pensions and allowances of former Presidents, Heads of State, their deputies, former leaders of the National Assembly and their families in the 2012 Appropriation? The irony of this scandalous budget is that the figure (N3.19bn) represents an increase of about N2bn from what was provided for these ex-rulers in the 2011 budget.

The list of beneficiaries include Generals Yakubu Gowon, Muhammadu Buhari, Abdulsalami Abubakar and Ibrahim Babangida(all former Heads of State); Chief Ernest Shonekan-former head of the Interim National Government (ING), former Presidents Shehu Shagari, Olusegun Obasanjo and their living deputies and former heads of the National Assembly. The other beneficiaries are widows of late Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, former President-General, late Sir Abubakar Tafawa- Balewa, former Prime Minister and widows and families of former Heads of State, Generals Murtala Muhammed and Gen. Sani Abacha.

Of the seven living former leaders, only

I

two (Shagari and Obasanjo and their deputies) were elected by the people and known to the 1999 Constitution (as amended). The other living military rulers, including the head of the ING are not constitutionally recognised. The widows and families of two late military rulers listed as beneficiaries ought not to be on the list. Yet, the nation is being forced by the lawmakers to cater for their welfare, even when such is illegal.

We find it difficult to comprehend why the National Assembly should have passed the ‘Remuneration for former Presidents, Heads of State Act 2010’ into law when certain provisions of it contradict the Constitution. The unmerited inclusion of former leaders of the National Assembly in the outrageous booties must have informed the hasty passage of this law that is riddled with questionable and ostentatious provisions. Of course, we are aware that if any other law in the country contradicts any provision of the Constitution which is the grundnorm, that other law will be null and void, to the extent of its inconsistency. Moreover, why should the country be responsible for the general up-keep of late rulers’ families when it has not fully provided for the needs of millions of living and suffering Nigerians?

The law providing for the remuneration of former leaders is not in sync with contemporary realities of the Nigerian situation. At the rate at which the perquisites of

these former leaders are increasing, a time is coming that it would be more outrageous than we are even complaining about now.

There is no justification for paying leaders with no admirable achievements while in office or whose ascension to power was not recognised in the Constitution.

Our position is that only what is right should be done. Leaders that are not recognised by the Constitution should not be sustained in retirement by the nation.

Also, it is only those that are alive that should be catered for while state’s assistance to families of deceased leaders should be a privilege and not a right.

Above all, this controversial budget must be revisited and reduced by the National Assembly.

‘Our position is that only what is right should be done. Leaders that are not recognised by the Constitution should not be sustained in retirement by the nation. Also, it is only those that are alive that should be catered for while state’s assistance to families of deceased leaders should be a privilege and not a right. Above all, this controversial budget must be revisited and reduced by the National Assembly’

T

HE ON-AGAIN, off-again “unity” agreement between rival Palestinian movements Hamas and Fatah seems to be on again. Or at least it was on Monday, when Palestinian President and Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas announced a new accord with Hamas chief Khaled Meshal after a meeting in Doha, Qatar.

The pact calls for Mr. Abbas to serve as prime minister of a coalition government, which would serve only long enough to hold elections for a new Palestinian leadership. That’s if it gets off the ground: On Wednesday, Hamas’s Gazabased leadership issued a statement objecting to the deal.

If it does go forward, the Palestinian reconciliation will produce mostly negative results, at least in the short term. Since Hamas has not accepted international demands that it recognize Israel, renounce violence and accept previous international agreements, a unity government will kill what remains of the Israeli-Palestinian “peace process” — including informal talks that have been underway in Amman, Jordan. It probably will lead Israel to suspend delivery of the Palestinian tax revenue it collects and prompt Congress to cut off remaining U.S. aid to the Palestinian Authority. The economic and security progress that average Palestinians have experienced in the past several years, especially in the West Bank, could be halted and possibly reversed.

This prospect is the product of the poor judgment of Mr. Abbas, who chose a year ago to turn his back on diplomacy with Israel and the United States and instead pursue statehood recognition at the United Nations along with Palestinian unity. The U.N. campaign has been a flop, having failed to produce even a Security Council vote. Mr. Abbas now stands to make Palestinian reconciliation — in theory, a desirable prospect — a net loser by refusing to insist that Hamas first renounce violence.

If there is a silver lining here, it is the signs that Hamas itself is reconsidering its place in the Middle East, if not its doctrine, as a result of the uprisings in Egypt and Syria. The latter has effectively broken Hamas’s alliance with the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and forced Mr. Meshal and other members of its leadership to abandon their headquarters in Damascus. Without the Assad regime, Iran, which has financed and armed Hamas, may soon lack the means to do so. Egypt’s elections, meanwhile, have empowered the Muslim Brotherhood, the organization that gave birth to Hamas — and which long ago gave up violence.

Some Palestinian analysts speculate that Hamas is headed toward embracing the patronage — and the nonviolent Islamist political model — of the Brotherhood or Turkey’s Justice and Development Party. Others point to a possible split between Mr. Meshal and Gaza-based leaders over that issue as well as over the unity accord. In December, Gaza leader Ismail Haniyeh delivered a speech rejecting a shift to nonviolence, saying, “Armed resistance and armed struggle are the strategic way to liberate the Palestinian land from the [Mediterranean] sea to the [Jordan] river.”

As long as that is Hamas’s doctrine, Palestinian unity will do more harm than good. Those who seek Middle East peace must hope that if the -Abbas-Meshal accord goes forward, it will trigger an Arab Spring for Hamas.

- Washington Post

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

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THE NATION MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012

EDITORIAL/OPINION

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Infrastructure: Springboard for investment

ET me graciously acknowledge the torrents of solidarity and felicitations of good will that followed our recent outing during the yuletide season. I was particularly enthralled by those exhilarating feed backs and genuine feelings of camaraderie. My humble pledge is that as often as time permits, we will interact through credible mediums such as this.

Let me in today’s endeavour, acknowledge the incontrovertible place of infrastructure in driving investment. It is indeed the latitude that expands the breathing space of investment. Our desire to propagate this position stems from the gains of our avowal to create a convivial and enabling environment for investment. At different interactions we have reiterated the position as enunciated in our blue-print that government has no business being in business. The understandable reason is premised on the laissez –faire attitude prevalent in government establishments and which had adversely affected the growth of government enterprises. Besides, the private sector demand on government in terms of encouragement is of minimal effect. This is against the back-drop of their organizational ability, which has endowed them with undisputable capacity to galvanize and or institute huge and impact-making sectors which, over-time acquire lives of their own.

This submission synchronizes with the on-going national challenge of de-regulating the down-stream sector of our petroleum industry. As we recall the constancy of change, let us remember the nature of man in resisting change. But history is replete with emulative feedbacks of glad tidings that followed the triumph of positive changes. It is only what is given a chance that will drive through and affect lives positively. I would rather we buy into the desire for optimal funding of the federating states (one of the eventual gains of deregulation) and be encouraged if not compelled to provide platforms for healthy display of private sector skills, rather than subsidizing to keep duplicating the mega-fortunes of the players, most of whom as it where, have metamorphosed into dreaded principalities known as cabals.

As our nation grapples with prongs of security challenges, it evokes in Abia the memories of unsavoury experience which in the past menacingly starred us in the face.

Social and economic activities took flight, leaving animals and creeping things to in-habit the abode of men.

But our implicit confidence in God produced the strategic formula which saw light overwhelming and triumphing over darkness.

F

OLLOWING the Supreme Court verdict on the tenure of five governors of Cross River, Bayelsa, Adamawa, Sokoto and Kogi States, which declared their offices vacant, insinuations were rife in certain quarters that there was political tremor in Cross River State. I was in the state when the apex Court made pronouncement on the reserved ruling. If anything, the people who are some of the most enlightened electorate in the country were very calm. They were still in the euphoria of the January 23 primary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which was arguably the best the country has ever had in recent history. There was joyous resignation everywhere as the people were hopeful that the development would once more serve as a test case to prove the popularity index of Senator Liyel Imoke whose achievements in the last four years have given them hope.

Yes, it is true that all shades of politicians are angling for attention, each plotting assiduously to win the people’s sympathy.

But Imoke’s chances are widely favourable in view of his immense popularity among the three Senatorial zones of the state and the fact that he is an Ekoi, the most populous tribe that has contributed greatly to the growth of the state. His enormous possibilities understandably come from his qualifications and excellent leadership qualities. As a leader of people from diverse ethnic background, he loathes vanity, sloth, dissipation, timorousness and hypocrisy while he admires intrepidity, honesty, prudence, hardwork and charity as characteristics of virtue.

A man whose concern is centred on the great events of the moment and the future of his people, and on the moral underscoring of human actions in their relation to the social goals of man, Imoke is a born leader.

Some of the leading national newspapers recently did editorials and graphic analyses

By T.A. Orji I may not be a soothsayer, but let me prophetically posit that the eventual out-come of encouraging private refineries as is the case in other climes, is that it will one day usher us into the advertorial race of players, jostling to announce the cheapest price of petroleum motor spirit on electronic and print media and providing other value added services, with a view to attracting patronage as is presently the case with the tele-communication sector. Granted that past failures and large scale insincerity may have been the bane of successive government, we must admit and call to mind, the words of our late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo “the problem is not in never falling, but in rising each time we fall.” Every pit fall or mistake must be seen and used as a spring board for tomorrow’s mile-stones.

The fore-going, has largely and evidently inspired us to leave very bold-prints in the sands of time. The deliberate man-made studs which sought to maliciously and mischievously truncate our first tenure drive to access an interest free loan for purposes of accelerating our infrastructural provision, is today’s stepping stone to success.

We have graciously leaped forward in the Public-Private Sector synergy demonstrated by some remarkable and striking instances like the Abia State Specialist Hospital and Diagnostic Centre, located in Umuahia and Aba. The rapid nature of its expansion has given rise to the birth of Amachara annex also in the state capital. With the essential and rare capacity to diagnose and treat delicate and sensitive health situations like heart, liver, eye and other allied cases, the specialist hospital was a break through that buoyed us to fast-track our working relationship with Millennium Development Goals, with over 210 health centres located in all the nooks and crannies of the state.

As our nation grapples with prongs of security challenges, it evokes in Abia the memories of unsavoury experience which in the past menacingly starred us in the face. Social and economic activities took flight, leaving animals and creeping things to in-habit the abode of men. But our implicit confidence in God produced the strategic formula which saw light overwhelming and triumphing over darkness.

Comparatively, it was a child’s play to today’s catastrophic and cataclysmic upsurge occasioned by the ill-wind of BokoHaram, which must be nipped in the bud for the Nigerian project to move forward. Peace and tranquility, as is the case in a secured environment, remains one of the global antidotes for attracting and embracing investments. The restoration of normalcy in Abia State has showered us with the favour of playing host to retinue of genuine investors, whose variety of wares will extensively deepen the concerted war against poverty.

Facilities for investment are like a tourist searching for a country with the best tourist attraction and we have God to extol for Abia’s receptive atmosphere which established the path-way for Juno-Hermes to berth in the state. The foreseeable success of that huge leap will usher Abia into the league of mass-employing cement producers. Our oil producing status, variously neglected and sidelined, is being enhanced and re-loaded.

Al-Kamali petroleum from far away Dubai will herald a

major effort at the establishment of a refinery having accessed and endorsed the earmarked Owaza suitability.

Same sense of serenity can also explain the coming on stream of the huge and massive workers secretariat, closely followed by the prestigious International Conference Centre due to seat over 3000 people. Our receptive atmosphere is being savoured by throngs of local and expatriate partners whose strategic input in our different development efforts will emphatically yield the expected results. Adequate security is indeed a strategic lee-way for investment, which cannot be overemphasized.

Each time I talk about light, it reminds me of the biblical emphasis: “and the light shinneth in darkness and darkness comprehendeth it not”. That Biblical analysis is a lucid and vivid illustration of the inexhaustible potentials inherent in the glowing of light. The redeemable case of Nigeria has been hampered by irregularities in policy formation and execution giving rise to age long decay of machineries.

President Goodluck Jonathan is cleaning the Augean-stable which has contracted long and deep seated sludge. This effort will require the cooperation and understanding of all wellmeaning Nigerians for light to become permanently lit in Nigeria. The on-going reform has become a new vista which stake-holding investors are cashing in on to re-engineer the power sector.

The merchandizing edge of Aba will further be explored as work is completed on the Independent Power Station at Alaoji.

Motivated by the foresight of Geometric Power Company, it is one ground breaking initiative which small and medium scale enterprises in Aba cannot wait to consummate its reality.

The strategic and indispensable role of power in driving the economy, has further convinced government to encourage investment in that regard which is why Mechanical Systems Limited is at the verge of activating the 132/133 KVA power station at Ohiya in Umuahia South Local Government Area.

Electricity has been evacuated to relevant feeder stations awaiting the official commissioning of the power station.

Hotels with a touch of class and star are dotting the landscape of Umuahia the capital territory ready to optimize their businesses as the 132/133 KVA Power Station goes full blast.

We opened up access roads that were hitherto impassable and the cheering news is that those areas have been invaded by private sectors with the facility to develop properties for commercial purposes. Government is not relaxing in its oars in opening up more. Songhai Farms located in Okwoyi will largely benefit from the road, leading to that area, which is being asphalted. The new Umuahia modern market springing up in Ubani, will have several access roads leading to it, including the on-going Umueze-Emede road. Same genuine and concerted effort is being replicated in Aba to ensure drastic reduction in difficulties people encounter in going about their legitimate businesses. The on-going reconstruction of roads in Aba is massive and holistic. We are hoping that in a short while, completion of Aba-Port Harcourt road, ObohiaUgwunagbo road and Railway axis of Aba–Owerri Road will be celebrated.

As I conclude this piece, may I assure our existing and upcoming development partners, that provision of infrastructural conveniences is our sacrosanct obligation, which we cannot shy away from.

•Orji is executive governor of Abia State.

Cross River 2012: Why Imoke is the bride

By Dan Amor of the political permutations in the five states in astutely riveting prose. In unity of faith and professional judgment, their verdict on Imoke is remarkably outstanding.

It could not have been otherwise. If Imoke had not demonstrated such an uncommon commitment to the business of governance, if he had not brought such rare passion and maturity to Government House, Calabar, perhaps highly reputable papers would not have spoken of him with such intensity of feeling. Since his assumption of office in May 2007, Cross Riverians have witnessed the energy, the shining confidence and the zest that Imoke has displayed in the business of government. For impartial observers of the political scene, much of the importance of Imoke for the present is not so much on what he has done but on what he represents to the imagination of the people of Cross Rivers State.

One may say two things about why Imoke is seen everywhere as the ultimate bride in the February 25, governorship race. The first is simple. Each action he has taken so far since his forays into state administration is to further the good not of his ethnic group, not the good of his party, not even the good as seen by the misguided people who try in vain to malign him for selfish reasons. He has the courage to stand by his own sense of what best serves the interest of his state. He is, in other words, a passionate nationalist who places the collective good of his people

over and above any other interest. For him, the interest of the state, the good of the whole people, transcends particular interests and often comes in direct conflict with them. The second thing one may say about Imoke’s legacy in Cross River State is that he believes that leaders should lead. To put it another way, he reveals himself to be, perhaps surprisingly, an elitist.

Not an elitist in the sense that he believes in an elite based on wealth or class, or family or education, but in the sense that he believes that all Cross Riverians and by implication all Nigerians resident in the state do constitute a political elite and should recognize that fact and accept the burden of personal decision which goes with it. Above all, Imoke believes in the majority of one.

However complex the calculus of political action, at the end, one has to live by one’s own conviction. One must finally march to the beat of one’s own drum. But there is no arrogance about Imoke’s insistence that each must follow his own convictions; no suggestion that any man has a pipeline to ultimate truth and wisdom to justify the rightness of his personal and private judgment. Thus he has a clear sense of the clouded complexity of political action.

You may not like Imoke as an individual.

You may decide to call him an ‘Atam’ or a scion of an entrenched political dynasty.

Whether you are right or wrong; whether your action leads to success or failure, such

considerations are secondary. They are not essential. What is essential is the primacy of the self and the courage to be that self. The bedrock of Imoke’s admiration and pursuit of courage is the glimpse he has of the simple fact that if one does not act out of self-love, out of one’s necessity to please one’s self, then what follows can only be self-hatred and impotence and disgust. One can put the position in more seemly language, perhaps, but it is this sense of courage of the single individual to be what he is that lies at the heart of Imoke’s politics.

Despite all the trappings of glamour, despite the wealth, the education, the quality that emerges most is the humility to love his people and serve them more diligently. The mark of a civilized man is the ability to stand unflinchingly for the relative validity of his beliefs. Cross Riverians know that which is good for themselves and will not hesitate to go for it. For the legacy of trust and hope that Imoke has created in just four years, he remains the ultimate bride.

•Amor writes from Calabar, Cross River State

Cross Riverians know that which is good for themselves and will not hesitate to go for it. For the legacy of trust and hope that Imoke has created in just four years, he remains the ultimate bride.

THE NATION MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012

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EDITORIAL/OPINION

B

EFORE this article is published, the contest for the governorship seat in Bayelsa State would have been over. Possibly also, the PDP candidate for that election would have emerged victorious as nobody in his right senses would expect anything to the contrary. So, this write-up is not fashioned to influence the outcome of that election which is very predictable.

Its objective is to put in perspective some of the recent issues raised to justify the disqualification of the former governor, Timipre Sylva by the PDP and the disputations that arose from them.

President Jonathan had at the official campaign flag-off and presentation of flag to the PDP candidate, Henry Dickson in Yenagoa said that Sylva was disqualified from the contest for non-performance. According to him, the people of Bayelsa affirmed his non- performance when they stoned him during he (Jonathan’s) Presidential rally in Oct. 2010.

Jonathan buttressed this allegation by pointing to the abandoned five-star Tower Hotel which he said was designed to attract people from all over the world but has now turned out a ‘monument of disgrace’ Former PDP Board of Trustees Chairman, Chief Tony Anenih captured the deep seethed schism between the two personages more succinctly through the metaphor of the vulture.

He likened the case of Sylva to that of a child who insisted in eating a vulture despite repeated warnings from his father not to do so.

In his words, when a child insists in eating the vulture, it will be better you tell the child that those that ‘ate the vulture in the past are

But how appropriate is it to equate non-performance to the eating of a vulture especially given that one of the issues cited was the abandonment of a five star hotel project. What is the overall value of a hotel project within the matrix of the social needs of the Bayelsa people?

W

HAT is nonsense is obviously ridiculous. This was why, in 1984, when Babangida put up an interim government under Ernest Shonekan, I described it as “Interim Nonsense” as published in the Nigerian Tribune at that time. The late Chief Bola Ige was so excited about this description that he wrote about it, also in the Nigerian Triune and embellished it with the word “contraption”. Of course, in November of that year, that nonsense, a contraption, ended in a smoke.

The rest is now history. Now, we are being treated to “nonsense”: palliative nonsense – social, economic, political and moral nonsense.

According to the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, palliative, in its medical sense, is “a medicine that reduces pain without curing its cause”. In a non-medical sense, palliative is “an action, a decision, etc that is designed to make a difficult situation seem better without actually solving the cause of the problems”.

From both definitions, we deduce the following: “An action designed to make a difficult situation seem better” means that the situation is not necessarily better, for it only seems to be so. If I say to you that it seems to me that you are mad, it does not mean that you are mad. It only seems so, and definitely not a categorical assertion that what I say is true. In fact, it may turn out to be false.

For the second half of this (second) definition, “seem better without actually solving the cause of the problems” shows that we are engaged in a case of double jeopardy. While the first half of this definition may be false, for it only seems, the second half is even more serious in its import. It says, and without equivocation, of palliative “without actually solving the cause of the problems”. Surely, this is a statement that follows necessarily from the other statement “to make a difficult situation seem better”. Because it seems, therefore the palliative cannot actually solve the cause of the problems. In scientific and medical terms you cannot remove an effect without first removing its cause. And if it is a disease, trying to heal it without removing its cause is an exercise in futility. The effect, i.e. the disease, as a problem, will continue to recur like the rising

Emeka OMEIHE 08121971199 email: EmekaOmeihe@yahoo.com

Jonathan, Sylva and the vulture no more’.

But in a swift reaction, Sylva in a statement, described Jonathan’s allegation as nothing but tissues of lies that have shown the President as the brain behind his travails and disqualification. The statement claimed that it was after the stone throwing incident that the President still came back to Yenagoa in 2010, raised Sylva’s hands in public and spoke glowingly about his achievements. This was followed up in the January 2011 PDP primaries when the same President came back voted and gave a good report of Sylva’s performance. They wanted to be told what happened from January 2011 to later that year when the President manipulated all institutions of state to mount the campaign for the removal of Sylva.

But this question seemed to have been answered by Anenih when he said at the same rally that it was sad to hear that someone ‘we do not know can challenge him’ (Jonathan).

The clue to the genesis of the problem can also be gleaned from the metaphor of the vulture. A cursory interpretation of that would imply that there was something ominous Sylva was doing for which he was warned yet he went ahead to do it. That is the allegory of the vulture. From our local point of view, the vulture is a bird that lives on dead bodies including that of humans. It is an evil bird known for its nuisance value. It is a taboo to eat a vulture and the feeling is that nobody eats a vulture and survives. That was perhaps why Anenih said it was better to tell the child who insists in eating the vulture that those who ate it in the past are no more. So, Sylva ate the vulture and will be no more politically. In other words, because Sylva could not

be restrained from that abomination, the powers that be had to conspire to show him the way out of political relevance.

But how appropriate is it to equate nonperformance to the eating of a vulture especially given that one of the issues cited was the abandonment of a five star hotel project.

What is the overall value of a hotel project within the matrix of the social needs of the Bayelsa people? Jonathan said the hotel was expected to attract people from all over the world. That may as well be. But how will it directly impact in the overall wellbeing of the people especially given the failure of governments to profitably run such businesses?

The point being raised here is that it is not sufficient to cite the hotel project as a classic case of Sylva’s non- performance. It is asymmetrical to symbolize non-performance with the eating of a vulture (a taboo of sorts) Perhaps, there are more potent issues to contend with. This is more so given the argument of the Sylva camp that on two good occasions, Jonathan had spoken glowingly about Sylva’s performance. Could it be that he had not taken cognizance of the inaction of the governor then? Or that he had been doing very well only to falter a few months before the election?

These are some of the posers that are bound to confront any discerning mind in contextualizing the reasons now being touted for Sylva’s disqualification. It could well be that he had performed woefully. But what remains puzzling is why the President had all this while been giving the erroneous impression that he was doing well. Or is it part

Palliative nonsense!

By Moses Akin Makinde sun. Therefore, from the key words “seem”, “actually” and “cause” we see the palliative being brandished by government as utter nonsense.

The Federal government has made so much noise about procurement of 1600 vehicles as palliative. It also promises to improve on the railways. Just think about it, 1600 vehicles for 36+1 states or 744 local governments. Lagos State alone can absorb more than 200 vehicles for public transport. Yet the federal government has beaten its chest for this ridiculous and nonsensical gesture.

Governor Oshiomhole thought he was doing something fantastic when he promised to dole out a subsidy of N15,000 to each student in tertiary institution.

Let us examine critically the effects and gains of the above “subsidies” on the average Nigerian. We shall look into the issue of about 1600 vehicles as transport subsidy. Even if each state, including the FCT, were to be given the hypothetical 100 vehicles, this translates to 3,700 vehicles, the additional vehicles for Lagos, Kano, Abuja and Port Harcourt not included. And the problem begins to show when each state divides its share of 100 vehicles into local governments. But 1600 vehicles were given to all the states!

Because of lack of good roads many Nigerians rely on taxis and okadas for transportation to difficult areas, and these cannot be subsidized by government. From all this we can safely say that more than 95% of Nigerians, including vehicle owners, will suffer from the 125% hike in fuel price which has, ipso facto, translated to the same percentage increase in transportation, food (including pure water which had gone up from five naira to 10 naira per sachet) and other essential commodities in the markets, including supermarkets, all over the country.

If you are on a salary of N18,000 you are likely to spend half of your salary on transportation, depending on where you work. For workers in Abuja, Lagos and Port Harcourt where housing, transportation and general cost of living is abnormally high, N18,000 cannot last for more than 10 days, if you are very frugal. With 50% of salary gone on transportation and 50% gone on housing, you’ll have to live on borrowed money for other things like food, medicine, school fees, clothes, and other necessary things that human beings need not just for survival but for good and decent life. Therefore, apart from the five percent rich Nigerians, the remaining 95% are automatically sentenced to monstrous poverty and are nothing but “living corpses” or soul-less automata.

As for Oshiomhole’s N15,000 subsidy for students, one can only laugh it off. With the astronomical increase in the price of fuel and the consequent increase in the cost of food, transportation, essential committees, books photocopying, clothes, shoes and many more, one wonders what good the N15,000 can do for a student. Take away clothes and shoes that are not purchased everyday, the remaining items as given above will cost each student more than N30,000 a month, depending on where the tertiary institution is located.

This means that the students were better off under the status quo. Unlike the monthly expenses borne by the students as calculated above, the N15,000 subsidy is given once and for all in one academic year! What a miserable subsidy!

We have given only a few examples of why, where and how the sinful removal of fuel subsidy hurts. We have not talked of house rent, price of building materials, baby foods, drugs, provisions and practically anything under the sun.

of that conspiracy to cover up the PDP governors irrespective of the fact that some of them are serious electoral liabilities?

Anenih provided the clue to the rift between the President and his home governor when he spoke of someone they do not know challenging the President. In this wise, we recall insinuations that made the rounds during the last days of late President Yar’Adua. The allegation was very strong that Sylva was one of those who stood on the way of Jonathan being sworn-in as acting President. He was not alone in this. We also saw the posturing of the deposed Imo State governor, Ikedi Ohakim during that period. Jonathan may not have forgiven Sylva especially being his home governor from whom he should have got maximum support. He may have waited for Sylva’s re-election to pay him back in his own coins. And it serves him right. You may say he is vindictive. There is nothing strange about that. Vindictiveness as an English word would not have been there if it does not find expression in practical terms. He would neither be the first nor the last to suffer injustice.

So Jonathan may after all, owe no body any apology for the sad fate of Sylva.

But one thing one found curious was the different parameter Jonathan used for former PDP governors known to have worked against him even as they performed abysmally in their home states. Ohakim was one.

Yet Jonathan did all possible things to support his re-election in spite of the groundswell of public disenchantment against the government he purported to be leading.

Jonathan was angry that Sylva abandoned a hotel project. But Ohakim abandoned among several others, a fast growing state University Teaching Hospital which had produced doctors before he came on board. Sensitive ex-ray equipments like CT scan, MRI and others imported a few months before he became governor (which were the first of their kind in the south-east) were abandoned in their crates until he was voted out. What can be more painful to a people than this? Yet the PDP did everything possible to re-impose that calamity on the same disillusioned and famished people. Thank God for the resilience and doggedness of the Imo people that averted that looming danger.

In effect, there were some other PDP governors who ate the vulture despite repeated warnings and whom the party did not want to die. Sylva’s case is different because Bayelsa is the first support base of Jonathan. For betraying his own man at the moment of greatest need, he should carry his cross.

Why is this palliative nonsense necessary?

We can say that the palliative is unnecessary and unjustifiable because what the government calls palliatives are the things it should normally provide for the citizens in the first place as it is normally the case in other parts of civilized world. In Nigeria, you have to provide for yourself all the above - electricity by means of generators and inverters, water by means of boreholes or wells, etc. It is only the super rich that can buy plots of land and build several houses in choice areas of Abuja, Lagos, Kano, Kaduna, and Port Harcourt and even in Europe, America, Dubai etc. Surely, if the moon is habitable, wealthy Nigerians would be the first to build mansions on the moon!

Nigerians pay for their security by erecting huge fences around their buildings, employing private security and securing their vehicles with security gadgets.

The question now is this: apart from fuel subsidy, what are the other things the government provides for its people? As of today, the only Nigerians who enjoy subsidy on practically everything are the people in government who get free everything that the rest of us get for ourselves at high costs. But the truth of the matter is, Nigeria is an oil rich country whose people never benefit from this material resource and gift from God but which is daily plundered by a greedy and wicked few. I believe the time has come for the rich to be made to forcefully subsidize the poor who have been cheated for long. If they refuse to do this, a revolution that would follow would show how nature is keen on taking its sweet revenge.

Palliative my foot; it is nonsense to say the least. Without treating the cause of our problems like corruption, mass poverty and lack of provision of amenities and many others as indicated above, no palliative, even double or triple palliatives, will solve the problems.

Rather, the problem can only get worse as years go by. My God help us.

• Professor Makinde is of Dept. of Philosophy, Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife Tel: 08038011118 E-mail: mssmakinde@yahoo.com

THE NATION MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012

25

ISSUES With $1billion lost yearly to importation of software, stakeholders in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector and the Federal Government are collaborating to redress the situation. They have initiated moves to promote economic growth through training of youths to become software and applications developers, ADLINE ATILI writes

S

OFTWARE and hardware are key components of the computer. Software enables the computer to perform specific tasks, as opposed to the physical components of the system (hardware). It can tell computers how to create documents, solve simple or complex calculations for business people and scientists, play games, create images, send and receive files on phone, and complete tons of other tasks. As central as software is to the computer, it is not produced in the country. Rather, statistics from the National Office for Technology Acquisition and promotion (NOTAP) shows the country spends about N165 billion ($1 billion) yearly to import software, which it can produce.

According to experts, computers are not just machinery – buttons, screens and parts that work together. The magic of computers, they said, comes from something that

In search of a software policy makes them unique, which is software.

They described software as “translator that can understand our needs and put the computer to work for us.”

A technology expert at Common Craft, USA, Lee LeFever, stressed that software is needed in virtually all facets of human endeavour that require technology.

Le Fever, a community strategy consultant for Microsoft, who spoke at a seminar organised by his company in Lagos, said: “Essentially, when using a machine, a soft-

ware translates your needs into instructions that put the machine to work for you.

For example, if you need to edit a photo you can add a software programme that is built for that purpose. If you need to design a house, you can add a software programme that enables you see the house from all sides.

“By adding and removing software programmes, you can make the computer do exactly what you want to do. But software is not limited to computers on your desk.

Just like a computer without software is lifeless, mobile phones without software would be useless because they don’t speak our language.

“However, it is not only computers and phones that use software. Cameras, music players and even cars rely on software to bring them to life and make them personalised and useful.”

Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Prof Cleopas Angaye, said software plays a critical role as a veritable tool for sustainable socio-economic development.

He said: “The software industry is, no doubt, of utmost importance to future competitiveness for economies across the globe, especially with its halo effect in cre• Continued on page 26

THE NATION MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012

26

ISSUES

In search of a software policy • Continued from page 25

ating related business opportunities.”

To the President of the Institute of Software Practitioners of Nigeria (ISPON), Dr Chris Uwaje, software is the new paradigm shift in the history of human knowledge development with immense ability to change the way we live.

Nigeria , he said, must devise a strategy not only to tap into the immense opportunities presented by software but also means to avert a national software disaster.

Recognising the crucial role played by software in fostering socio-economic development, governments across the world are spending billions and setting ambitious targets to foster growth of their software industry. They are doing this through grooming their youths in software development.

At a national retreat on development of a software policy for Nigeria, Angaye said: “There is an urgent need to develop appropriate policy to guide software development in Nigeria in order to diversify our economy from mono economy mainly based on oil and explore the knowledge economy that can provide alternative sources of revenue for the country. We can’t continue to do business in the old order.

New order of transformation means application of IT. “The software industry is no doubt, of utmost importance to future competitiveness for economies across the globe, especially with its halo effect in creating related business opportunities. As far back as 1986, India formulated a computer software policy for itself in recognition of the fact that the software industry would be one of the fastest growing sectors of the economy; provide high quality employment for young people and for the country to earn significant revenues from export of software.

“The value of software exported from India is about $20 billion a year. In 2007 alone, India ’s software services industry employed about two million people and contributed about 4.8 per cent of India ’s GDP. Today, India exports software and services to nearly 95 countries across the world.”

The Indian software industry has often been cited as an example of a ‘role model’ for other developing countries or even emerging economies trying to catch up, or leapfrog certain stages of industrial development.

Having started with basic programming services, India has climbed the value chain in IT industries within a time span of roughly two decades. Now, the country is delivering products and services on a globally-competitive level that has not been reached in any other industry since its independence.

According to Angaye , India came up with a software policy in 1986 and in 2002, established its first software development centre, with eleven centres operational.

Angaye is optimistic that Nigeria has the ability to replicate India ’s feat, diversify the economy through a shift from total dependence on oil and reap $6 billion a year from the software sub-sector if appropriate measures are put in place to drive software development .

To the NITDA boss, this can surpass the contributions from the oil industry, especially as the software industry is not a capital intensive sector.

He said: “We have the resources to replicate what the Indians have done, here in Nigeria . Nigerians can codify one of the best software in the world. We see it in Atlanta Olympic. The IBM timing machine software was written by a Nigerian in Chicago . Nigerians can go places with indigenous software.

“In Nigeria, the deployment of Information Technology in almost all sectors of the economy has led to considerable investment mostly on imported software especially in the financial, telecommunications, oil and gas and both public and private sectors.

“The Nigerian software industry is poten-

•Mrs Johnson

tially a $6 billion industry and can surpass contributions from the oil industry, especially as the software industry is not a capital- intensive sector if appropriate policies are put in place to diversify our economy.

“In addition, the Internet has created a level playing-field for software developers across the world; proximity and flexibility would, therefore, favour our indigenous developers for local, regional and international markets,” Angaye said.

He stressed the need for the establishment of a national framework for the development of indigenous human resource on software skills for global competitiveness, including mandatory software training for NYSC members before passing out; establishment of strategies for promoting the local demand for software products and services and provision of incentives for Nigerian software developers, investors and their intellectual property rights.

Last week, the Youth Empowerment and ICT Foundation, a non-profit organisation dedicated to empowerment of youths in ICT, organised a training for about 350 youths under 25 years. The training, with theme, Developing Nigeria’s next generation of software entrepreneurs was organised in collaboration with IBM, Microsoft, Google and CNBC. The organisers said it was aimed at equipping youths with skills that would make them ICT entrepreneurs, especially in software and applications development and programming.

The Foundation Chairman, Mr Jim Ovia, said when the announcement was made for youths to participate in the seminar, about 2,000 applications were received. This was pruned to 350, through an aptitude test administered online.

Ovia regretted that the 2,000 applicants could not be accommodated, promising that the next phase of the training would accommodate more youths.

To him, the intent is clear: to empower Nigerian youths to be at the forefront of ICT through software innovation.

“This will be the first of many seminars targeted at youths from age 15 to 25. We want to encourage them to be better programmers of tomorrow. The objective is to empower Nigerian youths in Information and Communications Technology, to give them the opportunity to learn how to programme and write software codes, such as

•Ovia

Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, Microsoft’s Bill Gates and Google’s Larry Page.

“These people founded their own companies when they were in their teens and early twenties. That’s our target. We focus deliberately on the youths because they are very easy adopters of technology social media and so forth, as opposed to the older generation.”

Ovia noted that empowerment of youths in ICT would not stand in the way of their education.

He disclosed that a 10-year-old girl was part of the training, saying “we need to catch them young. If that 10-year-old girl starts developing interest in ICT, starts writing programmes and software codes now, by the time she graduates from the university, she would have gone some distance, and who knows, at that point in time, she probably may have a brilliant idea and develop her own application or software where we will serve as ‘angel’ investor to be able to invest in her company and encourage her further.”

To start them off, at the end of the training, the foundation gave the 10 best students in the programme, N5 million each.

This is in addition to 2GB laptop computers presented to each of the participants to stimulate them. Ovia assured that the foundation would not stop there.

According to him, any of the participants who displays technology ingenuity would be provided with capital; funding “so that Nigeria can produce the likes of Mark Zuckerberg, Larry Page and Bill Gates.”

Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr Eugene Juwah, noted that training youths to become software entrepreneurs is in tandem with NCC’s aspiration to grow a community with necessary skills to tap into the wide range of opportunities that exist in the world of broadband.

According to him, NCC created the Digital Awareness Programme (DAP) and Advanced Digital Awareness Programme for Tertiary Institutions (ADAPTI) in order to provide Internet connectivity and ICT training to secondary and tertiary institutions across the country.

“We believe knowledge is very essential in maximising the potential of the next generation ICT. We hope that well-endowed Nigerians, corporate bodies and public institutions would join hands with

‘

Nigeria has the ability to replicate India’s feat, diversify the economy through a shift from total dependence on oil and reap $6 billion yearly from the software sub-sector if appropriate measures are put in place to drive software development

’

•Ahmed-Rufai

the NCC and the Youth Empowerment and ICT Foundation to equip the youth, who are the leaders of tomorrow,” he said.

The Federal Government, in its resolve to halt capital flight through importation of foreign software, said with the right training and capacity building, youths can be imbued with the necessary skills that will enable them innovate and create software applications to be reckoned with globally.

According to President Goodluck Jonathan, the move will help his administration in its battle to stop importation of software and develop the economy. At a seminar in Lagos , he said his administration would leave no stone unturned in ensuring that the youths are positioned to make the nation great through ICT. Jonathan, who was represented at the event by the Minister of Communications Technology, Mrs Omobola Johnson, noted that the youth are dynamic, hardworking, entrepreneurial in nature and hungry for technology.

She said if given the chance and the enabling environment to develop their inherent skills, they will not only thrive but will make Nigerians and Africans proud. “We have seen the result of what exposure to ICT can do with the remarkable achievement of some of our youths who have excelled in several local and international software competitions.

Last year, ISPON organised a software training and competition for youths in tertiary institutions. According to the organisers, the competition is aimed at creating awareness on the need to develop Nigeria ’s indigenous software potentials, resources and capacity.

President of ISPON, Dr Uwaje said: “Today, software is undoubtedly the backbone for 21st century national development and wealth creation as well as national peace, security and global competitiveness. It is the key to responding to the complex challenges of sustainable development in the emerging information society. The competition is aimed at promoting the prioritisation of software development in addressing the challenges of global competitiveness, empower the citizenry and enthrone sustainable development.”

NIGCOMSAT Limited is not left out of efforts to transform the Nigerian software industry from a consuming one to a producing one. Its Managing Director, Timasaniyu Ahmed-Rufai, said the company would intervene in this area through its LEAP 774 (Learning for Empowerment in software applications and development project) He said: “It is a project we are introducing where graduates of tertiary institutions and school leavers are trained in software applications writing and development and also empowered with digital skills in software programming and applications development.

“Under this, we are going to create ICT departments in the local government areas of the federation. In the next five years, we hope to train 10,000 youths in every state. At the end, we would have trained about 1.9million Nigerians, Uwaje said.”

ADMONITION

STRATEGY

MERCHANDISE

Osun nurses urge patronage of govt hospitals

‘We’ll legislate against child trafficking

Inside Epe’s evening market

Osun

35

Lagos

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012

37

Lagos

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Email: news_extra@yahoo.com

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HERE was heavy trafficjam along OnitshaEnugu Expressway which lasted for several hours.

Human traffic became worrisome than vehicular movements.

Even those who were ignorant about the event were forced to join and the crowd became unprecedented.

The event was the recent distribution of gift items to the lessprivileged, Motherless Babies’ Homes, the aged and widows by the Ifeanyi Uba Foundation in Awka, the Anambra State capital. Over 21 such homes benefited from the gesture.

Each motherless babies home got, through their co-ordinator 10 bags of rice, cartons of Indomie noodles, toiletries, clothes, biscuits, among other items.

The foundation gave out to the aged; both males and females, especially those from 65 years and above one bag of rice each and other items.

Not only these, the foundation equally empowered the youth.

Among the motherless babies’ homes that benefited from the foundation’s largesse included Umuoji Motherless Babies’ Home, Umudunu Cottage Home Abagana, Umunna Motherless Babies’ Home Onitsha South, and Mary Mother of Christ Compassionate Home Onitsha.

Others were the state government-owned Model Motherless Babies’ Home, Awka, Tender Love Orphanage, Awka, Otuocha Motherless Babies’ Home, and Anambra West, among others.

Besides, the venue of the event seemingly became a political gathering for politicians in the state. The clergy were not left out.

The Anglican Bishop of Enugu, Most Rev. Dr. Emmanuel Chukwuma was in attendance.

Furthermore, over 15 trucks of kerosene were made available for distribution to the needy at

•Some of the beneficiaries

Foundation lifts the poor in Anambra Donates to 21 orphanages, the aged Beneficiaries grateful From Nwanosike Onu, Awka

the rate of N60 per litre instead of N140 at some designated centres at Awka, Nnewi and Onitsha.

For Anthonia Bosah, the coordinator of Umuoji Motherless Babies’ Home, it was a wonderful ex-

perience for the homes. She prayed God to give long life and more prosperity to the founder.

Another beneficiary, 65-year-old Chinyere Okoye, whose husband died on October31, 1999 was short of words to describe the generosity of spirit of the foundation and

its leaders.

She said: “What do you want me to say, that a poor widow has been given a bag of rice in this austere time. The foundation has made me feel on top of the world.”

Another widow, a 30-year-old

Fayemi hailed over electricity

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•Fayemi

OR a very long time, most parts of Ekiti State have been in total darkness, especially the Irewolede Housing Estate in Ado-Ekiti, Oyo State capital.

Anytime the night approaches, the residents would be certain of one fact which is darkness. Some of the literate residents would also entertain some fears of the unknown akin to that in Night Fall in SOWETO, a poem that described what used to obtain in South West Township of the then Apartheid South Africa.

From Sulaiman Salawudeen, Ado-Ekiti

The only dissimilarity is the rays of light from private electricity generating sets which illumine parts of the vicinity.

That was long ago before the inception of the Kayode Fayemi administration. With the coming on board of the present administration in Ekiti State, serious efforts are being made to reposition the state’s comatose infrastructural facilities to the

admiration of the people.

One of the areas the government has laid much emphasis on is rural electrification. For instance, the Irewolede Housing Estate which has been worst hit by lack of electricity is becoming to experience a new lease of life as things have brightened up for this area. The government has shown commitment in providing electricity to the estate to the delight of the residents.

As a result of the development, an elated resident of the estate,

Charity Idoko from Enugu State, who lost her husband on January 5, 2005, expressed her gratitude to the foundation as she benefited from its generosity.

She prayed that only God •Continued on Page 28

Mr Akin Obasola could not hide his appreciation over the electrification project in the estate.

Mr Obasola, who is also a member of the residents association of the estate told Newsextra that: “The change came very suddenly, almost magically.”

He also recalled that “it was towards the end of last year that we started noticing some activities. First, they brought one big transformer which they fixed in just about two weeks and immediately after that, •Continued on Page 28

THE NATION MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012

28

Fayemi hailed over electricity •Continued from Page 27

they brought those concrete poles you are seeing. In about six weeks, they completed the electrification and we have been enjoying uninterrupted electricity supply since then.”

Mr. Obasola disclosed that when he first moved into the estate, everywhere was bushy and dark, especially at night.

“About two years ago, precisely during the former administration in the state, before we came into the estate, we had to settle all bills relating to the building. After that, we were promised everything: good roads, potable water and near constant supply of electricity.

“Remember these are all you pay for when you are buying a house in an estate, not to even talk of government-owned one.

When we got here, however, none of those conveniences was in place.

The place was bare, dark and bushy. No motorable access road, no water, no electricity. There were not even the electrical poles.

If they were not in place, where then would the light come from?

Inhabitants of the estate today have a reason to sing a different song. The new administration in the state has cleared the environment of the estate and fixed the light.

“I never believed it was possi•Continued from Page 27

would reward the owners of the foundation for remembering the poor people in the society.

National Chairman of All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) Chief Victor Umeh told Newsextra that what the Ifeanyi Ubah Foundation did was to complement what the state government of Mr. Peter Obi has been doing in the state before now.

He said: “This is a foundation that is unique. We are very happy with the Ubah Foundation; it is not Christmas largesse but something that will persist.”

He disclosed that he equally has

ble that electricity could be so constant. There is light in the estate for a minimum of 20 out of 24 hours. That is even to be modest.

To say it as it is, there is light all the time.”

But the ‘magic’ of uninterrupted supply of electricity was no magic after all, according to the Commissioner for Works and Transport, Mr. Sola Adebayo.

He said: “What we got was the result of hard calculation and sincere execution as typical of all other projects of the state government today in Ekiti, particularly as encapsulated in Governor Fayemi’s 8-point Agenda.

“There was a coincidence somehow though. The need to electrify the estate came when the ministry was considering the need to execute some of its micro-projects through direct labour by the Ministry of Works and Transportation.

“The alternative of direct labour is to engage professional career officers in the ministry to practise and exhibit their training, tutor their sub-ordinates in the offices on the techniques involved in electrical installation and reduce cost of project execution.

“I invited the Engineers in the Electrical Department of the ministry and gave them directives.

They, in turn, assured me on delivery. The result is what you are seeing there at the estate. The work has quality and excellence.

“Today, other projects that have to be contracted out to companies because of scale are being executed under the supervision of the ministry officials and it has been a wonderful blend of private professionalism and official expertise.

“For Irewolede, we started with electricity because we realised the residents needed light as it would enhance their adequate security.

Now that we have completed the electrification project, we move on to fixing other areas as well, including roads and water.

The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mr. Babatunde Akilo explained why it would be strange for light to cease without a major hitch. He said: “The transformer is 500KVA and the light was tapped from 33KVA PHCN line. This is a direct line from the grid.”

He further explained: “For some categories of projects, the option of direct labour is cost-effective, fast and provides career professional officers in the ministry the opportunity to refresh their memory with regard to their training.

“May I add that the safety and security of the transformer and all other accompaniments must be guided by the residents themselves. Neither the government nor the ministry will be responsible for any loss should that be allowed,” he said.

•Irewolede Housing Estate

Foundation lifts the poor in Anambra more than 100 indigent students under a scholarship scheme being run by his own foundation, which, according to him, would equally reduce the burden of financing education on the government.

“God will protect you. God will guild you. God will lead you to the Promised Land. What you are doing is what those who know God do.

“Philanthropy and charity are the only way to lift the less-privileged in the society. What you are doing is noble and what is noble is

worthy of emulation,” Umeh said.

Speaking with Newsextra, Anglican Bishop of Enugu State Emmanuel Chukwuma, who is the chairman, Southeast chapter of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), said he was in Awka on behalf of the body to give the foundation support. He added that CAN in the Southeast is solidly behind the Ifeanyi Ubah Foundation.

He said that most politicians in the Southeast have failed their people while, as he said, a good

number of the youth are roaming the streets without jobs. I wonder if the poverty alleviation programme of government is operational.”

Bishop Chukwuma said: “I came to give encouragement to people like you (Ifeanyi Ubah) who are out to alleviate poverty. We have supported 2,614 widows in Enugu State.

“Ndigbo will look for a party to belong to. The Southeast Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has failed Ndigbo and we say enough is enough.

The coordinator of the foundation, and the former Speaker of Anambra State House of Assembly, Hon. Ben Chuks Nwosu, told Newsextra that, in addition to that the organisation has just given the people, the foundation is planning other things which he said would

be disclosed soon.

He said: “This is just the beginning. You have not seen anything yet. By the time we unfold our package, the people of Anambra State will know that there are foundations and there are foundations.

“What we have just given out is a tip of the iceberg of good things coming to the state. We do not make noise or play to the gallery.

Seeing is believing.” Nwosu said.

For the founder of the foundation, Dr. Ifeanyi Ubah, the day was not meant for long speeches.

Rather, it was meant to help in lifting the less-privileged in the society.

He disclosed that very soon, he would unfold a new package for the state. He said the distribution of kerosene in the state is a continuous thing.

Most politicians in the Southeast have failed their people while, as he said, a good number of the youth are roaming the streets without jobs. I wonder if the poverty alleviation programme of government is operational… The Southeast Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has failed Ndigbo

•Bag of rice for the aged

THE NATION MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012

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Firm sues Airtel for alleged breach of contract

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OBILE telecommunication service provider, Airtel Nigeria Limited (formerly Celtel) has been sued before the Lagos High Court, Igbosere over its alleged breach of contract and refusal to settle an arbitration award made against it.

The claimant, Procomtel Limited - an engineering firm - is claiming about N540 million against Airtel.

In a statement of claim filed by its lawyer, Oladipo Okpeseyi (SAN), Procomtel stated that the suit was informed by Airtel’s alleged refusal to settle the award made in 2007 by an arbitrator on a contractual dispute between both companies.

It said parties had, in 2005 jointly agreed to submit their dispute before the arbitrator - Engr Olumuyiwa Ajibola - for arbitration and pledged to be bound by the outcome.

Procomtel averred that upon the completion of the arbitration proceedings, during which parties were dully represented, an award was made against Airtel requiring the company to pay the claimant about N415.9m.

It stated that rather than honour the final arbitral award as jointly agreed by parties, Airtel allegedly breached the agreement by refusing to pay within the stipulated 28 days.

Procomtel averred that Airtel’s alleged “failure to pay within 28 days of the final award, particularly

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HE chairman of Yaba Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Jide Jimoh, has inaugurated the executive council, charging the new supervisors and advisers to serve the people with diligence, loyalty and respect.

The team comprises of the ViceChairman, Mrs. Bola Lawal Olumegbon (Education), former Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) chairman Alhaji Alade Grillo (Works and Housing), Bola Aileru (Environmental Services), Bisi Thomas (Health), Abel Enikanologbon (Poverty Alleviation and Women Development), Sheu Isola (Agriculture, Rural and Social Development), J. Ojo (Legislative and Political Bureau), Michael Joe (Budget and Statistics), James Asogba (Chieftaincy and Boundary Adjustment) and Francis Ituwa (Market and Revenue).

Jimoh directed them to proceed to the Code of Conduct Bureau to obtain forms for the declaration of their assets after the ceremony.

The chairman also unfolded the

By Eric Ikhilae

the sub-total of N390, 924, 284.87 attracts an interest rate of 17 per cent per annum effective from June 27, 2007 till liquidation of the sum awarded.”

It further averred that “the consequence of the defendant’s blunt and deliberate refusal to pay the awarded sum since 2007" has exposed it to undue hardship, a development that has compelled it to institute this suit for breach of contract, costing it N25m in legal fees.

The plaintiff stated that the arbitral award was final and binding on parties and its constitutes the final determination of all issues arbitrated upon, for which it (Procomtel) is now demanding specific performance of the award published on June 27 and August 24, 2007.

It therefore claims N95m general damages for breach of contract

based on the said awards; N25m as cost of the suit and lawyer’s fees and an order of specific performance of the final awards dated June 27 and August 24, 2007.

The genesis of the dispute between the parties, Procomtel alleged, arose from a contract breach and sudden termination of the contract the telecom company awarded it some years earlier, for the construction of 28 base stations.

Procomtel said aside the contract, it also provided other services including importing of equipment and clearing of same from sea and airports in the country.

It stated that when the defendant allegedly terminated the contract, a debt of N240m was outstanding, part of which the telecom company paid, leaving N107. Procomtel later sued the defendant owing to its alleged refusal to pay the balance.

Midway into proceedings, parties were said to have agreed to refer the dispute to arbitration and be

When the defendant allegedly terminated the contract, a debt of N240m was outstanding, part of which the telecom company paid, leaving N107. Procomtel later sued the defendant owing to its alleged refusal to pay the balance

bound by the outcome, an agreement the defendant allegedly failed to honour.

The defendant has however denied the claimant’s allegations, insisting that it was not indebted to Procomtel on the basis of any arbitral award or contractual agreement.

In its statement of defence, Airtel admitted awarding contract to the claimant for the construction of 22 base stations. It stated that the cancellation of the contract was occasioned by the claimant’s failure to comply with its instructions as it relates to quality and timescale.

It denied the claimant’s claim to any outstanding indebtedness when the contract was terminated.

It said what it paid Procomtel was the actual amount commensurate to the work done on the said contract.

Airtel also denied that the decision to refer the dispute to arbitration was based on any agreement between parties, but by an order made by the Justice Olutoyin Ipaye of the Lagos High Court, the trial judge in the case instituted by the claimant.

It denied being indebted to Procomtel on the basis of any arbitral award. It stated that it was currently challenging the legitimacy of the said award and seeking that it be set aside on the basis that the arbitrator exceeded the scope of the case referred for arbitration.

The defendant described the suit

•Rajan Swaroop, Airtel's CEO

by Procomtel as another in the series of attempts by the claimant to harass and embarrass it. It urged the court to dismiss the suit with substantial cost on the ground that it is baseless, speculative and an abuse of court process.

Procomtel has also filed a counter affidavit denying Airtel’s arguments, insisting that as against the defendant’s claim, the cause of action in the current suit arose out of the defendant’s alleged refusal to comply with the final arbitral award in breach of the agreement between parties while submitting to arbitration.

Council chief inaugurates executive members

By Emmanuel Oladesu

programmes of his administration, stressing that the improvement of environmental, infrastructural, health facilities, primary education, empowerment and poverty alleviation and security of lives and property are the main focus in the next three years.

He further disclosed that as from this month, 100 aged people would receive N10, 000 monthly as social security.

Committees on the Yaba Investment Venture and Complaint and Job Creation were also set up by Jimoh for the actualisation of some of his programmes. Members of the Investment Venture Committee are Kunle Banjo (chairman), Bosun Agoro (Director-General), Ayo Faleye (Director) and Ajose Abejoye (Director), while those for Com-

plaints and Job Creation Committee are Rauf Ayodeji (chairman), Seun Aremu (secretary), Toba Fanusi (Director) and Rasheed Jinadu (Director).

The ceremony, which was held at the Oluremi Tinubu Hall, inside the council secretariat, was witnessed

by Yaba community leaders, including Mainland Chief Imam Sodiq Lawal, former chairmen of Mainland Council Otunba Tayo Oyemade and Chief Babatunde Okunsanya; Chairman of Community Development Association (CDC) Apostle John Ojo, Iyaloja of Yaba Alhaja Monsurat Owolabi, Baale of Iwaya, Alhaji Muri Oloko, Baale of Makoko, Chief Raymond Olaiya, Council Manager Alhaji Babatunde Ojikutu and Secretary to Council Doyin Durojaye.

Welcoming guests, Durojaye congratulated the new aides, saying that the works of the LCDA would

now proceed, since the inauguration has been effected.

The chairman described the ceremony as a momentous occasion, explaining that those assigned to duties as members of the executive are men and women of proven integrity carefully selected by the ruling party. He said that, as servants of the people, they are expected to demonstrate commitment, dedication and selflessness so that they can earn public respect, adding that they can only succeed if they embrace team work.

Noting that his administration had increased the internally-generated revenue from N24m in 2008 to N200m currently, Jimoh added: “It is for this reason that we have decided to expand our revenue base.

The committee on Investment Venture shall launch the Yaba LCDA to a business era by advising the council on business ventures and properties it can invest in to make profit.

“Another advantage is that this will create job opportunities for youths thereby reducing unem-

ployment drastically.”

Emphasising the importance of the Complaint and Job Creation Committee, he said: “In years gone by, the Complaint Centre was an important office in the old local government system. For some reasons, it was scrapped. But in our determination to bring governance closer to the people, we have decided to resuscitate the Complaint and Job Creation Centre in Yaba LCDA. “The office will be open daily to take complaints from the public.

Such complaints would be documented and passed over to relevant departments for prompt action.

Complaints about blocked drainage, broken water pipes, damaged roads, environmental abuses or security concerns should be reported for prompt attention.

“The office will also act as Job Creation Centre where our qualified youths can submit their curriculum vitae and application letters. Job openings would be filed from the compiled lists as such openings arise.”

The improvement of environmental, infrastructural, health facilities, primary education, empowerment and poverty alleviation and security of lives and property are the main focus in the next three years

•From left: Mr. Oliver Omajuwa, Head, Corporate Affairs/Marketing; Mr. John Jenkins, MD, Ports and Cargo - a member of Sifax Group and Mr. Christopher Nkwo

THE NATION MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012

30

Lagos pledges solution to energy requirements

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• Governor Fashola

HE Lagos State Government says it will bring “innovative cleaner and greener solutions” to the state’s energy requirements.

The Deputy Governor, Mrs Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, made the pledge at the first Lagos State Renewable Energy Summit in Lagos.

Orelope-Adefulire said that this would encourage the use of renewable clean energy solutions to generate power, especially solar power.

“Consequently, the strategic aim of this initiative is to identify and develop appropriate renewable energy options to

‘Entrepreneurial education’ll curb unemployment’ A

N educationist, Mrs Fatimah Womiloju, has said that the introduction of entrepreneurial skills in the education curriculum would curb the high rate of unemployment in Nigeria.

Womiloju said that the inclusion of basic entrepreneurial skills would also enhance the mental ability of students.

“They should embrace entrepreneurial skills for them to greatly benefit from the future and to also make the society a better place for us.

“If our institutions are engaging students in entrepreneurial education now, they will be well equipped for the future, if they don’t acquire it now there will be no time to do such,“ she said.

She said that an entrepreneur would create job and wealth for himself and employ others.

Womiloju was the guest speaker at the 50th Founder’s Day celebration of the Nawair-udDeen Grammar School, Obantoko, Abeokuta.

The educationist advised students to take the opportunity in entrepreneurial education to acquire skills for future development.

She commended the state government for

Ogun

introducing entrepreneurship education skills in the school curriculum.

“I want you to take full advantage of the opportunity to know what you can do on your own, in addition to what you have been taught.”

Also, Mr Akin Sotelu, an old student of the school, advised students to learn various languages in order to increase their chances in the labour market and society at large.

He advised parents not to impose careers on their children and wards.

“They should not allow their parents to choose their careers for them as they may not have the required knowledge of a qualified counsellor.

“Students should not involve in examination malpractices; it is only when you are ready that you can achieve your desire.”

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HE National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives, Osun State chapter, has called on patients in the state to patronise government hospitals and health centres.

In a communiqué signed by the association’s chairperson, Mrs. Funmi Adenuga, at the end of the Nursing Heads meeting in Osogbo, Osun State capital, the nurses and midwives said quality medical care and drugs are now available in abundance in all government hospitals.

They praised the state governor, Ogbeni

Lagos complement our efforts to develop an energy policy in Lagos State,” she said.

According to her, the issue of alternative energy has assumed a global dimension.

“More nations are aware of the imminent danger to our planet from the years of exploration and exploitation of fossil fuels.

“The emission of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide from the use of fossil fuels, is central to the depletion of the ozone layer,’’ Orelope-Adefulire said.

The deputy governor said that this had led to increasing concerns about global climate change and its debilitating effects.

“But, we believe that if technological advancements are properly applied within the context of our rich deposits of natural energy resources, we could significantly reduce our dependence on conventional fuels,” she said.

In his remarks, Mr Taofiq Tijani, the Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources, said that renewable energy needed to play an increasingly significant role in the energy mix.

“Wind, sun, water and waste are four infinite resources of pure energy that are ready to be harvested to meet the demand for clean power,” Tijani said.

The theme of the summit was: “Achieving a Sustainable Renewable Energy Programme for Lagos State”.

Council chief donates bus

By Tajudeen Adebanjo

•Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi (middle ) speaking during a courtesy call on him by the State Coordinator of National Qu’anic Recitation Competition, Alhaji Abdul-Ganiyu Abdulsalam (right) with the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Mrs. Monsurat Sunmonu .

PHOTO: OYO STATE GOVERNMENT HOUSE

Ondo to establish mega schools

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HE Ondo State government has concluded plans to build five mega secondary schools that can accommodate 5,000 students each and 10 model secondary schools.

The Commissioner for Education, Mr Remi Olatubora, said in Akure recently that the mega and unity schools would be equipped with modern facilities, including information

Govt to establish cancer-care centres

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HE Minister of Health, Dr Onyebuchi Chukwu, has announced plans by the Federal Government to build 10 Cancer Care Centres in the country’s six geo-political zones.

Chukwu made the announcement at a lecture, in Lagos, organised by the African Cancer Centre.

He was represented by the Chief Medical Director of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Prof. Akin Oshibogun.

The minister said that the Federal Government was willing to collaborate with civil society groups, NGOs and well-meaning individuals to reduce the burden of cancer on Nigerians.

He said that the Ministry of Health would be delighted to work with the African Cancer Centre to adequately look after persons living with cancer, as well as offer preventive measures against the disease.

“The ministry will be delighted to work with the African Cancer Centre to reduce the burden of cancer in Nigeria, while the Federal Government will establish Cancer Centres across the country.

“This is part of the Federal Government’s efforts in strengthening the diagnosis and treatment of cancer in Nigeria,’’ he said.

In his opening address, Governor

Lagos Babatunde Fashola, said that the Lagos State government was committed to fighting cancer and other related diseases.

Fashola said that to partly demonstrate its commitment, the state government planned to construct a medical village in Eti-Osa Local Government to handle complex diseases, one of which is cancer.

He said that the state government would attract more than 20,000 Nigerian doctors in the diaspora to the project, to ensure its efficiency and effectiveness.

“We hope to attract some of the 20,000 Nigerian doctors in the diaspora to be part of this project.

“We will give them the land to build medical facilities at subsidised costs and partner with them in such a way that complex ailments such as cancer are effectively taken care of,’’ he said.

The Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, who delivered the lecture, entitled “Cancerous lifestyles: Between Dogmatism and Fatalism,’’ urged the adoption of a lessdogmatic approach when trying to dissuade people from doing things that pre-disposed them to cancer.

•Special Adviser to the Governor on Religion (Islam), Alhaji Shakiru AbdulGafar flanked

by General Secretary, Lagos Central Mosque Alhaji Rajee Adenowo (right) and Alhaji Shakiru Giwa during the Maulud Nabiyy at Lagos Island

•From left: Mrs Bunmi Jimoh Special Assistant to Ojokoro Local Council Development Area on Environment, Chairman, Hon Adeyemi Olabinjo, and mrs Sade Tinubu-Ojo (right) Deputy Chairman, Lagos State Market Board during their supervision of weekly sanitation exercise on the council.

‘Good hygienic practices, antidote to cholera’

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DEQUATE sanitation and good hygienic practices are responsible for non-reoccurrence of cholera in Ede community of Osun State where about 80 people were affected in September 2011.

Mr Joseph Alade, the Environmental Sanitation Director, Ede South Local Government Area, made the observation in an interview with journalists in Ede Alade noted that the sanitary condition of the community had improved, adding that,“the council has prioritised the environmental sanitation of the area with provision of clean water”.

“Regular clearing of drains and fumigation of the areas have become a culture while treatment of wells with chemicals is now a routine . “ He said that boreholes had been provided for the residents of Loogun Egbeda and Gere communities where the September cholera outbreak occurred.

He added that regular sensitisation and awareness campaigns to educate residents of Ede community on good hygienic practices were being carried out by the council’s health personnel.

An investigation in Loogun Egbeda and Gere communities where 80 cholera victims were hospitalised in 2011, showed that two boreholes had been drilled for the residents.

Council health workers were also sighted clearing filth from gutters and drains while dustbins were placed at

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35

Osun strategic locations for residents to drop their wastes.

The Chief Medical Director of Muslim Hospital Ede, Dr Moshood Akanbi, confirmed that sanitation and good hygienic practices of the residents had ended the epidemic.

Akanbi, whose clinic was one of the hospitals where victims of the cholera were treated, advised residents of the area to always take health issues seriously.

Briefly

EU, Nigerian experts to tackle Boko Haram IN efforts to stop the attacks of the Islamic sect, Boko Haram in Nigeria, the European Union and Nigeria have agreed to engage experts on the matter.

Boko Haram in the past months have claimed responsibility for bomb blasts and shootings which have sent about 1,000 innocent lives to their early grave.

A joint communique was signed and issued at the end of the two-day 3rd NigeriaEuropean Union Ministerial Meeting by the Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Amb. Olugbenga Ashiru and Denmark’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Villy Soevndal on behalf of the EU in Abuja last week.

Ondo communication technology.

Olatubora added that the schools would have facilities to accommodate 1,000 students each year.

The commissioner said that contracts for the comprehensive renovation of the five unity schools had been awarded, noting that the schools could also accommodate 5,000 students each.

“The construction of the new mega schools and the renovation of the unity schools are aimed at maintaining the educational standard of pupils that would finish from the mega primary schools and the model schools.

“To this end, we have started discussing with a foreign construction firm, which has a branch in the country on how to build the mega schools based on a Public-PrivateParticipation (PPP) arrangement.

“We have been having useful discussions with our foreign technical partners and we are weighing the options of them building the schools with their money and allow the state to pay over a long period of time or pay immediately, depending how buoyant it is,” Olatubora said.

He said that the mega and unity secondary schools would have boarding facilities, while the state government would hand over their maintenance to facility managers, who would ensure adequate cleaning and replacement of any damaged item or equipment.

Olatubora said that “all the facilities would be provided at no cost to either the parents or the pupils of the schools.’’

C

HAIRMAN of Lagos Island East Local Council Development Area Hon Kamal Salau-Bashua has donated a Toyota Hiace bus to the Community Development Committee of the council to mark his first 100 days in office.

Salau-Bashua marked the day with presentation of merit awards to some neighbourhood watchers and grants to the Community Development Associations (CDAs).

He said his administration is focusing on four main policies, namely primary healthcare services, security, primary education and empowerment.

While reeling off his achievements, the council chair said a new police post was constructed at Oshodi/Tapa to complement their efforts in curbing criminal activities in the area.

He said high premium is placed on knowledge acquisition.

“We see education as a veritable socioeconomic and political development tool for a nation.

“This is even more important in this computer age. That is why we have decided within the limit of our financial capability to encourage pupils in our primary schools to be computer literate, championing and bringing E-learning to our primary schools,” he said.

He lamented the poor state of the environment which he said, has remained a major priority of the administration to reposition and restore the lost glory.

“We have embarked on mass clearing and de-silting of drainage in problematic areas.

Likewise, we are re-constructing a public toilet at Cowlane/Igbosere road along with beautification of its surrounding to match modern day standard,” he said.

Salau-Bashua said the awards to some neighbourhood watchers are in recognition of their relentless efforts in protecting the communities.

He urged the people to continue to support the council, hoping to repay their confidence in his administration with good projects.

Community head seeks recognition

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HE head of Ahun community in Efonland, Ekiti State, Oloja Jacob Adelowo Omole, has urged the state government to give him the recognition of a traditional ruler, claiming that Ahun community is not part of Obalu Quarters in Efon-Alaaye as wrongly claimed by the Alaaye, Oba Adesanya Aladejare.

He reiterated his loyalty to the paramount ruler of Efon Kingdom as the supreme authority.He praised the efforts to maintain unity and peaceful co-existence being championed by the President of Efon Development League, Ajiroba Patrick Ojo, stressing that peace and unity should be based on equity and justice.

Adelowo, who spoke with reporters, described Ahun as a distinct peaceful and orderly community with its traditions, customs and traditional chiefs recognised by the elders and people of Efon , pointing out that at no time has any feud ensued between Efon and Ahun.

He said: “Ahun community has existed as part of Efonland and there was no time we were part of Obalu Quarters in Efon-Alaaye.

Community elders on both sides can attest to long years of mutual relationship and trust between our traditional rulers. We have our separate social structure, hierarchy of chiefs, township boundaries, and tradition of regency. All we are clamouring for is the affirmation of our autonomy and identity, and these are critical to the restoration of sense of belonging”.

Lamenting that the legitimate agitation for recognition for the traditional stool of Oloja

Ekiti Ahun has been politicised by elements to give the impression that Efon council is a one-town local government, Adelowo expressed worry at attempts to lump his distinct community with Obalu Quarters and make him a chief under the head of the quarter.

He said there is no basis for the Alaaye to wipe away the identity of Ahun community and reduce his honour and prestige as an Oloja by spreading the wild and unfounded rumours that the head of Ahun community is only the chief priest of the kingdom.

Adelowo added: “The Ajiroba of Efon, Chief Patrick Ojo, said I am a chief priest appointed by the Obaloja of Obalu Quarters. There is no truth in this matter.

The Alahun is selected by the family that is next in line to the stool and his selection is approved by Ahun high chiefs led by High Chief Olobo. What is happening is the dictatorship of the majority in its attempt to wipe out the minority and abort its agitation for self-determination, autonomy, identity and sense of belonging”.

The Oloja appealed to Governor Kayode Fayemi, who he described as a foremost human rights crusader, to assist in the passionate and legitimate drive to preserve the identity, happiness and welfare of Ahun community.

Osun nurses urge patronage of govt hospitals Osun From Adesoji Adeniyi, Osogbo

Rauf Aregbesola, for the laudable health programmes of his administration.

While pledging their loyalty and support for his administration, they called on the governor to include nurses in all health-related policy making bodies in the state.

The association assured the governor that they have members that are qualified and

•Aregbesola competent to hold professional offices in the health sector in the state.

•Chairman, Eti - Osa East Local Council Development Area, Alhaji Owolabi Yisa, congratulating Mr Abodunrin Opeyemi on his appointment as Secretary to the council during the swearingin of political appointees at the council secretariat, Lagos

World Bank scores Aregbesola high

T

HE Senior Infrastructure Economist, Transport Sector (African Region) of the World Bank, Mr. Nicholas PelthierThiberge, has praised the Osun State government for leading other participating states in the implementation of the Road Access and Mobility Project otherwise called RAMP 2.

The leader of the bank’s visiting team described the current state government under the leadership of Governor Rauf Aregbesola as examplary and visionary because of its collaborative efforts and enthusiasm about the project.

Leading the World Bank and the French Development Agency on RAMP on a courtesy visit to the governor in the Government House, Pelthier-Thiberge also noted the involvement of the Osun State’s Youth Employment Scheme (OYES) in the project at the Iwo-Patara farm settlement his the team had earlier visited.

He said the Osun State government had proved that the initiative is not isolated by engaging the youth and supporting the farmers to take interest in the development and maintenance of roads in the locaties.

Osun is among the six states in the federation already participating in the project. Kaduna and Cross River States are in first phase of the project while Osun State takes number one position in

From Adesoji Adeniyi, Osogbo

the second phase and is followed by Enugu, Adamawa and Niger States.

Responding, the state governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, said he had no option than to be enthusiatic and committed to the initiative, since it was meant to improve the economic welbeing of the people and the state.

Aregbesola said RAMP as an initiative had provided an opportunity for him to live upto his promise to the people to stand up to the challenges of food security while seeking mandate to lead the state.

“I am committed to improve access to rural areas in order to accomplish the goal of massive food production and better living conditions for the people. And since more than 70 per cent of the populace in Osun State are farmers who live and earn their living in the rural communities, it is only logical for me to show interest in massive food production and to enhance living standards of the people.

“I have no option than to be enthusiastic about rural access and mobility projects. Right from the time we began the efforts to campaign and win the mantle of leadership here, we had made it clear that food security would be our primary agenda.

•Chairman, Lagos State Local Government Service Commission, Alhaji M.O. Ojikutu, speaking at the one-day interactive session with top functionaries of local governments / local council development areas and National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE).

With him are Otunba O.O. Osibodu (right), Permanent Secretary, Local Government Establishment and Pension Office, Mrs R. I. Obasa(third right) and Director of Finance and Administration, Local Government Serice Commission, Mrs Bello

THE NATION MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012

CITYBEATS THE NATION

31

E-mail:- ynotcitybeats@gmail.com

•Street traders at a popular motor park in the metropolis

T

HEY are found virtually on every busy road. You see them like a colony of bees anywhere the traffic is heavy.

Bearing different wares, they run after vehicles in their bid to attract customers. Welcome to the world of the street traders. The old and the young are involved in it. They sell virtually everything under the sun.

Snacks, household goods, light electronics, cakes, bread and an assortment of canned and bottled drinks, including alcohol, peanuts, banana and carrots are a few of what residents could pick on the go.

Street trading is not new on major streets and neighbourhoods in Lagos. The menace it constitutes to the environment, especially the way wastes are carelessly dumped on the roadside and how they find their way into canals and drainage channels have led to a new onslaught against the traders.

Government is worried over street trading because of its hazards.

According to the government, it

No hiding place for street traders • Lagos enforces environmental sanitation edit will be almost impossible to achieve a working mega city, if the activities of the street traders remain unchecked.

Following the determination to flush them out of the state, the government came out with an edict banning street trading two years ago. It listed all high streets, Government Reserved Areas (GRAs), and Central Business Districts (CBDs) as no-go-areas for hawkers.

When he assumed office last year, the Commissioner for the Environment, Mr Tunji Bello, restated Gov-

Communities urge more development RESIDENTS of least four communities in Eti Osa, Lagos, have appealed to Governor Babatunde Fashola to bring development closer to the area.

The residents of Okun Ajah, Okun Alfa, Mopo, Lafiaji, and environs lamented the absence of basic amenities, such as electricity, potable water, drainage channels and roads, urging the governor to focus attention on the area.

A resident, Alhaji Kamoru Disu, who lives in Mopo, said though the people live close to the urban area, they still stay literally in the stone age, as they lack some basic amenities.

By Jude Isiguzo and Pascal Okezu

ernor Babatunde Fashola's commitment to the ban on street trading.

He threatened to arrest and prosecute anyone caught violating the ban.

Despite the threat, street trading still thrives, creating the impression that the government may have decided to take things easy following complaints by Igbo traders, who alleged it was targeted at them.

They alleged that more than 90 per cent of those affected lost their

shops to demolitions in the past.

One of them, who identified himself simply as Stanley, said he took to the streets because he couldn't afford the high cost of shops in the malls built by the government.

CityBeats checks revealed there are hundreds of Stanleys ekeing out a living on the streets. Money-onthe-go is a mantra among the traders.

Most of these traders have been found to hail from a particular Southeast state. Last week, Bello confirmed that 80 per cent of those already arrested by the environ-

mental enforcement gang led by Bayo Sulaimon, a Superintendent of Police, were from that state. Confirming the arrest, Sulaimon said 90 per cent of those arrested were under-aged.

"We have started to clean up our streets and we want to assure them that we shall not relent until we rid this state of the menace they constitute,” Sulaimon said.

Bello said the underaged traders have been sent back to their state, while all those above 18 are being prosecuted in line with the the edict.

But these people said they had nowhere to go. To them, the streets are key to their survival. They argue that street trading is their answer to unemployment and its attendant poverty.

Okoronkwo Ndubisi, a trader, said he has been in the business for more than 15 years. He said he will remain on the roads regardless of government's determination to enforce the ban. He explained that though the profit margin is low, he

•SEE PAGE 32

Table water producers increase price

Car gifts for NURTW chairmen

MANUFACTURERS of sachet and table water in Lagos State have increased the price of their products.

At a meeting attended by no fewer than 450 table water producers in the state, they said the price of sachet water is now N100 per bag. It was N80 before the increase of fuel price.

Hinging the increase on what it called "constant increase in cost of production," the water producers called for the understanding of the public on the new price regime.

"We are appealing to members of the public to please bear with us. We want to serve you better and to also remain in business," a statement by the group said.

The Chairman of the Ayobo Ipaja/Mosan-Okunola, Lagos zone of the Association of Table Water Producers of Nigeria (NTWP), Ayoola Areola, urged consumers to always dispose their empty sachets and bottles properly.

CHAIRMAN of the Iju-Ishaga chapter of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, (NURTW), Comrade Peter Arowojobe, has presented 14 saloon cars to unit chairmen under his leadership.

Arowojobe said the cars are to appreciate those who contributed to the growth of the chapter.

He said though 14, the cars presented were in the first batch, seven more are expected to arrive in the next six months. He said more would benefit from the initiative.

Presenting the car keys to the beneficiaries, the Acting Chairman of the union, Comrade Akin James, urged them make good use of the vehicles.

THE NATION MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012

32

CITYBEATS No hiding place for street traders •Continued from page 31 makes a heist on the turn over daily.

"We help in sustaining this economy. Even Lagosians will feel it if we leave the streets. If government bans street trading, where will those on the highway buy water, beverages and other snacks when they are caught up in traffic and are in need of these things? A lot of people survive on what we do. We beg the government not to ban our activities. We have children in schools here in Lagos and have dependants back in our different villages; we have aged parents that we are taking care of and other relatives who depend on us.

Government should please reconsider its stand," he said.

CityBeats also discovered the existence of a syndicate that thrives on breeding kid traders. The syndicate, it was gathered, often goes round Igbo states; particularly Ebonyi, to convince parents to surrender their children kids for trading in the city.

According to investigations, they provide initial capital and accommodation for the boys who give them returns daily.

Ekene Idenyi, 22, an Ebonyi State indigene, said: "I came to Lagos in 2009, because I have no money to continue my schooling, so I came to Lagos to hustle and make small money that I can use to go to

school, if they drive us away from the road, I will go back to my village and stay there, because I have nothing else to do. It is not like we make so much money hustling in traffic but it is just for survival.

Government will be very unfair to ban street trading and hawking."

Nwoha Jude, 19, also from Ebonyi, said: "I came to Lagos just last week; on Friday they arrested me along this Mile 2 road and took me to Alausa, Ikeja, they locked me in a dark room, where I was until my brother came to bail me. I came to Lagos to hustle because back home in Ebonyi, nobody buys anything.

Ebonyi is a ghost state compared to Lagos. If they pursue us from the road it will be very difficult for us to survive. Some of us will go back to our villages but if they give us something to do I will willingly leave this thing and go and do it."

Mathias Iboko, an 18-year-old indigene of Izi also in Ebonyi State, said lack of money to re-register for his West African Senior School Certificate Examination was responsible for his relocation to Lagos in the search for greener pastures.

He said: "I came to Lagos on December 5, last year, when I completed my secondary school but I did not pass my SSSE. There was no money to register another examination, so I came to Lagos for business in order to raise money to enable me go back to school. However, I have registered

• Nwoha

for this year's SSSE at Ikorodu. My staying here is to keep myself busy before the examination. I came to Lagos by myself. Nobody brought me, although I have been here in 2009 but I did not like Lagos that time. I told the person I was staying with to take me back to the village because KAI officials used to disturb us. Even when you go to the market and sell, the little one that you made will be collected from you. They must realise that we are the ones helping ourselves; and that fingers are not equal.

Let them allow us to hustle and survive. If I have my way I will leave hawking and go back to school."

Emmanuel Izogo, 23, another

• Ekene

Ebonyi indigene wondered why the government is insisting on chasing them away from the streets.

He said: "They are arresting us on the road, they said we should leave the road and go inside the motor park, yet they still arrest us inside the park. At each park we enter we pay N50, how much is the gain? When we try to sell on the expressway, they arrest us, I've lost my parents and the proceeds from this trade is what I use in training my younger ones. Two have finished secondary school and the other two are in Primary five and six, so their feeding and everything is on me, I came to Lagos in 2003, and it was only in 2008 that my master

gave me some money to start on my own. I did not attend any secondary school, but if I get money I will like to go back to school, at least so I can change my situation. But there is no money, and I cannot go and steal, because if I steal and they catch me, they will say, why did I not hustle?

So, this is why I am doing this, to tell you the truth as you are seeing me here I’m not happy with my situation and now that government wants us to go. I will go back to my father's house and stay there, but I will like the governor of Ebonyi to do something for us, because we cannot continue like this."

Ahead of rains, community demands drain channel

• Flooded Baale Street, Igbo-Efon

C

OMMUNITY leaders of Igbo-Efon, in Eti-Osa West Local Development Council Area (LCDA) have urged the government to come to its aid and prevent imminent flooding in the area. They alleged that the absence of proper channelisation has made the area prone to flooding.

The leaders also accused a multinational company, Chevron Nigeria Ltd, of flouting all terms of settlements it entered into with the

1. Fire and Safety Services Control Room Phone Nos: 01-7944929; 080-33235892; 080-33235890; 08023321770; 080-56374036.

By Yinka Aderibigbe

community. They accused the company of sand-filling the beach front in the area, a development that led to a major flood disaster in the community last year.

The community leaders, led by the Baale of Igbo-Efon, Chief Semiu Aniyalorun Abogun, said last Tuesday, that the illegal sandfilling by Chevron along the beach front had blocked the natural water flow and raised the area above

the remaining part of the community. He said this has aggravated the challenge of inadequate channelisation around the area leading to major tragedies and untold hardship by residents.

He said: "No fewer than eight lives including babies were lost last year following the massive flooding that sacked the community which also led to the blocking of all access roads in the community last year. That is why we are call-

EMERGENCY LINES 2. Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Lagos Zonal Command Phone No: 080-77690200; 01-7742771 Sector Commander Phone No: 080-776909201; 01-2881304 FRSC Emergency No: 070-022553772

3. LASTMA Emergency Numbers: 080-75005411; 080-60152462 080-23111742; 080-29728371 080-23909364; 080-77551000, 01-7904983 4. KAI Brigade Phone Nos: 080-23036632; 0805-5284914 Head office Phone Nos: 01-4703325; 01-7743026

ing on the Lagos State government to come to our aid this year as it goes round the state cleaning all canals and drainage channels in an effort to mitigate the effects of flooding this year. Our community is the gateway to Eti-Osa, that is why we must not be ignored in the provision of basic amenities, especially channelisation to deflood our community."

On the community’s grievances with Chevron, the Baale accused the oil company of neglecting all the terms of settlement it entered into with the community when it bought about 201 hectares of its land over a decade ago.

He said: "Chevron has been very unkind to us. Apart from the initial payment of N62 million paid through our lawyer, Mr Ebun OluAdegboruwa, the company had fulfilled none of its other terms of statement. It was part of our agreement that they employ minimum of five sons of this town every year, but apart from the initial employment granted to us, no other person has been employed.

“They also promised to build a storey building in the primary school for us. They merely built a bungalow; even the scholarship they promised our children was slashed down to N10,000; on health care, despite promising to refurbish our primary health care centre, what they provided so far for the centre was just three beds, and they installed 25 solar powered street lights in the community."

The Baale, who was in the company of other leaders, said the community has been at the receiving end of Chevron's activities in the area.

He asked the company to get

5. Rapid Response Squad (RRS) Phone Nos: 070-55350249; 070-35068242 080-79279349; 080-63299264 070-55462708; 080-65154338 767 or email: rapidresponsesquad@yahoo.com

ready and pay the community the full compensation for the 201 hectares it bought from the community or get ready to leave their land.

Abogun lamented that the company never consults with the community on any projects it wants to embark upon, alleging that the lack of consultation has led to the present sand filling which is threatening the lives of residents.

Also speaking, one of the leaders, Chief Atiku Rasheed Abogun, said the community has written several letters to the Ministry of the Environment to come to their aid to no avail.

He added that though the community has started clearing all gutters ahead of the coming rains, the people of the community would be happy if the government would come round and begin the channelisation which has been abandoned over the years in the town.

Chief Atiku said Igbo-Efon whose history dates back to about 600 years ago, deserves better treatment from the government in the provision of basic amenities that could sustain the lives of residents, adding that what the community needs is to have a flood free environment.

He equally called on Chevron to live up to its reputation and bring the dividends of quality living closer to the people of Igbo Efon.

When contacted on phone, an official of Chevron said the company has no issues to grind with its host community. The official, who refused to have his name in print, said the community has dragged the company to court over the matter, adding that the company would be guided by any order emanating from the court.

6. Health Services – LASAMBUS Ambulance Services Phone Nos: 01-4979844; 01-4979866; 01-4979899; 01-4979888; 01-2637853-4; 080-33057916; 080-33051918-9; 080-29000003-5.

THE NATION MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012

33

CITYBEATS FROM THE GRASSROOTS

Manufacturers task consumers on proper disposal

M

ANUFACTURERS of bottled water have urged consumers to always dispose their empty bottles properly.

Chairman, Association of Table Water Producers of Nigeria (ATWP), Ayobo-Ipaja/MosanOkunola zone, Ayoola Areola, disclosed this during the zone's "Operation Keep Your Environment Clean," at the Secretariat of MosanOkunola Local Council Development Area (LCDA).

Areola, who noted that consumers of packaged products are fond of disposing empty containers improperly, said proper disposal of these bottles will help in reducing flood which results from blocked drainages.

"We are concerned about the problem of flood in Lagos and we cannot just continue to fold our hands.

If the environment is not conducive, we, as manufacturers, won't be able to produce.

"This is the main reason we organised this exercise. We want Lagosians to know the importance of proper disposal of their container. If we can all adhere to this, we will all benefit from it," he added.

He, however, called on the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to set a surveillance team to look into the menace of fake

By Tajudeen Adebanjo

bottled water manufacturers in the country.

Also speaking, the Vice-Chairman of ATWAP, Mrs Christina Oduntan, said the association, does not want a repeat of last year flood casualties, hence they are out to sensitise and sanitise producers and consumers on the need to dispose waste properly.

Similarly, a consultant on water and food products, Adeyinka Odukoya, who spoke at the event, urged consumers to always ensure the intake of water is 100 per cent safe.

According to Odukoya, people are always ignorant of the kind of water they take.

"Some packaged water after some months would have changed colour and will become slippery in the pack. Water that is not properly packaged and preserved is not good for the body, because it can lead to mental illness and cardiac arrest.

"People who are interested in going into the business of bottled and sachet water production must consult professionals and seek advice," Odukoya added.

Highpoint of the event was the picking of empty water sachets and bottles, clearing of drainages within the LCDA down to Ayobo-Ipaja LCDA.

• Some of members of the group during the cleaning.

Lawmakers lament deplorable state of public toilets M

EMBERS of the Lagos State House of Assembly have lamented the poor state of public toilets in the state.

The House directed its Committee on Women Affairs and Poverty Al-

By Oziegbe Okoeki

leviation to study the rules guiding public toilets and investigate the management of these toilets. The committee has two weeks to report back to the House.

This followed a motion on the appalling state of public toilets in the state moved by the member representing Alimosho Constituency 1, Omotayo Oduntan, at a plenary sesssion last week. It was seconded by the Deputy Whip of the House, Rotimi Abiru. Oduntan observed that public toilets in the state are usually left unkempt, which she said poses health hazard.

In her contribution, the Deputy Majority Leader of the House, Lola Akande, called for the re-orientation of members of the public. She said many people are careless when us-

ing public facilities, which is why these toilets are left dirty.

Also, Omowunmi Olatunji-Edet representing Oshodi/Isolo Constituency 2, observed that the government should embrace impact assessment of public facilities. "Most times, we do not do impact assessment of the public facilities.

We only build them and hand them over to operators. The government should ensure proper construction of the facilities and ensure they are maintained," OlatunjiEdet said.

The Chief Whip of the House, Rasaq Balogun, called on members of the public to make proper usage of facilities provided by the government.

Speaker of the House, Adeyemi Ikuforiji, said while there is a law that all filling stations in the state should provide toilet facilities for use of members of the public, the law is not being obeyed.

Committee members praise Bariga boss •From right: Sheik Garuba; Baba Adini of Lagos, Sheikh Abdul Hafeez Abou; Alfa Nla of Lagos Alhaji Gbajabiamila and Sheikh Abdul Imran Eleha, during the prayer session at the Lagos Central Mosque.

Muslims pray for peace in Nigeria

W

ORRIED by the incessant security challenges, Muslim faithful under the banner of Muslim Coalition on National Unity, Peace and Security, gathered at the Lagos Central Mosque last Friday for a special prayer for the country.

Chief Imam of Lagos, Sheikh Ibrahim Garuba, who led the prayer, said it was meant for peace to reign in Nigeria and nip the insurgency of Boko Haram in the bud.

"Our prayer for peace for the country against Boko Haram which has continued to threaten the peace of the country, because Nigeria was never like this, so we need to pray for peace to return to the country, we pray Allah over Powers them and makes peace to reign.

"Boko Haram members are not Muslims and they are not in anyway related to Islam. They are only using Islam as disguise to perpetrate hidden heinous agenda.

Islam does not support killing of people unjustly; it is a religion of Peace," he said.

The grand Mufti of the Confer-

By Amidu Arije

ence of Islamic Organisations (CIO), Sheikh Dhikirullahi Shafi'i, said the Muslims gathered to pray for peace in Nigeria, adding that Boko Haram should not be associated with Islam.

"We are here to pray for peace in our country against the insurgence of Boko Haram and security challenges and other challenges facing the country. Our living is high and things are very difficult for Nigerians so we have come to pray that Allah give us succor and peace," he said.

The group after the prayers, read a communiqué signed by the Chief Imam of Lagos on the recent happenings in the country.

Part of the communiqué reads: "That the current violence in Nigeria is fueled by poverty, unemployment, bad governance, moral cum economic corruption, frustration and political maneuvering of selfish elites - not Islam or Christianity. Enemies of peace use religion as a tool to cause rift, raise emotion and recruit foot soldiers among hopeless and pauperised

masses.

“The series of bombings linked to Boko Haram sect are actions that are inhuman, wicked, satanic, condemnable and totally antithetical to the principles of peace, tolerance and decorum preached by Islam and other divine religions.

“It is high time that the Muslim Ummah, Christian communities, civil societies and ethnic militia embraced decorum in their comments and utterances at this critical period in our national life. Nigerians should not act the conspiracy scripts of enemies of Nigeria poised at breaking up Nigeria by 2015, as they did in Sudan and create permanent instability in nations, such as Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya. ‘’The Police, State Security Ssrvice (SSS) and other security agencies need to be on alert and alive to their responsibilities with the resurgence of ethnic militias. The war songs and inflammatory comments of ethnic militias portend threat to the continued corporate existence of Nigeria, if not managed responsively by the Federal Government and its security outfits.”

M

EMBERS of the Committee on Local Government Administration and Chieftaincy Affairs of the Lagos State House of Assembly have praised the Chairman of Bariga Local Council Development Area (LCDA),Akeem Omoyele Sulaimon, for "his positive impact at the council and the community.

They also praised him for his cordial relationship with staff, councillors and other political appointees."

The lawmakers were full of praises for Sulaimon after inspecting the newly constructed council building with standard legislative chambers and offices for councillors last week.

Chairman of the committee, Hon Moshood Oshun, said Bariga LCDA would be a yardstick for measuring other councils in due course.

Another member of the committee, Hon. Ipoola Omisore, said: "Yours will be a template for us to judge other councils."

They also urged him as Chairman

‘

The umbrella body of the council of chairmen in the state, urged him to set standards for his colleagues to follow

’

By Oziegbe Okoeki

of Conference 57, the umbrella body of the council chairmen in the state, to set standards for his colleagues to follow and advised him not to relent in delivering the dividends of democracy to the people of the area.

Oshun said his team was not out to witch-hunt any council chairman, but to praise them where they have done well and reprimand them where they are found to have performed poorly.

He urged the chairman and his functionaries to strive to complement the good work of the government at the state level, adding that whatever achievement they make would further boost the image of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in the state and in the country.

Sulaimon urged the committee to embark on such visits as it would keep the council chairmen on their toes.

He disclosed that plans are afoot to send the councillors to Ghana for training in legislative duties as part of efforts to ensure a robust legislative arm for the LCDA. He also listed other projects, which he has either constructed or are ongoing in the LCDA, to include 16 roads, which have been attended to and other infrastructure and empowerment programmes for his people.

34

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012

CITYBEATS

QUOTE OF THE WEEK “Industry deregulation is not subsidy removal. Subsidy reduction or removal shifts resources from household consumption to government revenue. Industry structure change means a fundamental shift of the aggregate demand curve.”

Managing Director of Financial Derivatives, Mr Bismark Rewane, speaking on the nation's economy.

World Bank praises Lagos agric projects

O

FFICIALS of the National Fadama III project and World Bank have extolled the efforts of the Lagos State government at strengthening agriculture in the state.

The team, which inspected agricultural projects in different parts of the state at the end of its Mid Term Review (MTR) of projects in 12 states of the Southwest and North Central Zones in Ikeja, gave the Lagos State Fadama III Office kudos.

The team led by the National Project Co-ordinator, Mr Tayo Adewunmi; Task Team Leader, Mr Abimbola Adubi; representative of Country Director of World Bank, Miss Caroline Sage, Regional Head, Mr Adekunle Adedeji and Zonal Project Coordinator, Mr Rasaq Salau, also paid a courtesy visit to the Commissioner for Agriculture and Co-operatives, Prince Gbolahan Lawal.

Welcoming the team, Lawal said the state government would continue to strengthen the project with more fund, adding that the need to take over the rice market informed the take–off of the rice mill established by the govern-

Govt pledges more funds

By Kunle Akinrinade

ment.

“We will continue to support the project. To show the government’s commitment to the project, Government Babatunde Fashola, has approved the 2012 counterpart funding among other gestures.”

The government, the Commissioner said, floated the rice-for-job scheme with about 250 farms and a rice mill because research had shown that Lagos consumes about 50 per cent of the rice imported into the country yearly.

“The state-of-the-art facility will, no doubt, resposition the state as the largest producer of rice very soon,” Lawal added.

He also spoke on the integration of youths into agriculture as a means of creating jobs and to boost food production.

“The Lagos State government wants to ensure integrated agriculture so that we can produce food that can feed our teeming population by strengthening the capacity building of farmers to enhance their productivity.

“We have also taken into consideration the aging population of our farmers and we have embarked on Agricultural Youth Empowerment Scheme (Agric–Yes) for our youths. We are supporting them with necessary knowledge and expertise for efficient

• From left: Adewunmi, Adubi and Lagos State Project Co-ordinator, Fadama III, Mr Folu Ajijola during the inspection of project at the Awolowo Market, Mushin.

productivity,” he said.

As part of its schedule, the team inspected an agro spot project located in the Ojokoro Local Council Development Area (LCDA) secretariat.

The council boss, Hon. Benjamin Olabinjo, said his administration had been assisting the local office of the Fadama project to boost farming.

“The Ojokoro LCDA was the first council area in Lagos State to pay counterpart fund to Fadama local desk office.”

“Besides,we provided space for

the building of an agro spot and we assisted the farmers to pay part of their 10 per cent counterpart fund toward the construction of the agro spot.”

The team also inspected some Fadama assisted projects at the Friend of the Disabled Centre, Lagos Island, where some of the members of the team were presented with awards.

At the Awolowo Market, Mushin, the team inspected stalls built by the Iwajowa Butchers Association and a borehole project.

Speaking after the inspection,

• From Left: Ojelabi, Special Adviser in the Ministry, Mr Babatunde Humpe and Director of • A cross section of men of the Neighbourhood Watch Finance, Mrs Elizabeth Ashiru, at the event.

Govt, CDCs, Neigbourhood Watch parley on security

T

HE Lagos State Government has convened a meeting with members of the Community Development Committees (CDC) and the community surveillance unit - Neighbourhood Watch, to brainstorm on how to secure the state.

The parley is coming as part of efforts to further protect lives and property, following the growing spate of insecurity across the country.

The government said the growing insecurity of lives as a result of the activities of the Boko Haram sect has exposed the need for all to get involved in policing to forestall such attacks in the state.

Commissioner for Rural Development, Pastor Cornelius Ojelabi, chaired the meeting which had in attendance the Commander of the State Rapid Response Squad (RRS), Hakeem Odumosu; Special Adviser to the Governor on Security, Major Michael Panox (rtd), CDCs representatives from the 20 local

By Miriam Ndikanwu

governments and 37 local council development areas and other stakeholders in security matters.

Ojelabi said the meeting, which will henceforth be convened monthly, was a response to the need to involve all in security matters. He urged residents to always report strange movements or activities noticed around them to the security agencies.

Ojelabi, who argued that effective policing could no longer be left in the hands of security agencies alone, added that all residents must be ready to volunteer information and must be vigilant of happenings around them.

"As events in some parts of the country have shown, we are no longer safe in the church or mosque and other public places. It is, therefore, important for us to come to-

‘

As events in some parts of the country have shown, we are no longer safe in the church or mosque and other public places.

It is, therefore, important for us to come together and to remind ourselves of the need to remain vigilant

’

gether and to remind ourselves of the need to remain vigilant. You need to start identifying new faces which you haven't been seeing before in your community, ask questions from them, enquire about where they live and when you suspect foul play, report to the security agencies."

Ojelabi said Lagos is fortunate to remain peaceful despite the increasing wave of bomb attacks in Northern Nigeria. He, however, said all hands must be on deck to police the state.

He said: "After the Kano incident, we have seen that the wave of bomb explosions are not limited to big objects, even canned drinks are now used as weapons of destruction. We're seriously concerned because in-

Adewunmi said: “I have been so impressed with what I have seen in this state and I want to thank everyone for a job well done. I believe that if these achievements can be sustained we can use this market as a model for others to copy.

“But more importantly, I want to say that Lagos State has performed creditably well in Fadama projects and other agricultural projects too. I want to say that I am happy with what I have seen so far and we shall look at what we can do to assist farmers in this state.”

PHOTOS: MIRIAM NDIKANWU

security will hamper development."

Addressing men of the Neigbourhood Watch, Ojelabi charged them to partner with the CDCs in their wards, warning that the government will not hesitate to sanction erring officers.

He said Governor Fashola has approved the provision of walkie-talkies for men of the outfit, while three officers will embark on security training to the United States later this year.

In his remarks, Odumosu urged the community leaders to encourage their members to volunteer information on any strange movements within their areas to security agencies and evacuate all abandoned vehicles and properties on the streets.

He cautioned against locking of street gates, adding that where such would be locked, security personnel should be provided to open them on demand.

SEND YOUR STORIES AND PICTURES TO CITY BEATS at ynotcitybeats@gmail.com OR SEND AN SMS TO 08033054340

THE NATION MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012

36

Firm unveils competition for secondary school students

H

E spoke like one with a burden in his heart. He yearns for a change, but he was aware that the sort of change he desires could not be left in the hands of governments alone. In the circumstances, he decided to tackle the issues head on.

Way back in 1998, he began, in Lagos, a competition aimed at making young Nigerians take more interest in Mathematics. By 2001, the project became a national commodity. Welcome to the world of Chief Keith Richards, (OBE); a British-born Nigerian investor whose company Promasidor Nigeria Limited, with its Cowbell Milk brand is silently creating a new generation of Mathematics geniuses in the country.

Richards who has a chieftaincy title from Isolo Town, (where he has his business interest), believes so much in the Nigerian project. He believes that the only way the country could move forward is through creation of a new template where secondary school students could show more enthusiasm in the study of Mathematics, which he regarded as “the bedrock of technological inventions and development.”

That was why he took his company to beat the new path, and today, the seed is beginning to generate tremendous goodwill for the company.

He said: “Since 1998, Promasidor Nigeria Limited, manufacturers of Cowbell Milk, has been in the vanguard of promoting the study of Mathematics among secondary school students, first in Lagos State, and then, nationally in 2001. The enthusiasm has become our inspiration to ensure that this initiative continues to grow in influence and deliver remarkable impact on the future of Nigeria.”

According to him, Promasidor, among others, set out to demystify Mathematics, and generate the interest of younger generations of Nigerians in the subject which is widely acknowledged as the bedrock of sciences and the key to the country’s technological development.

Such was the depth of his passion for the initiative that Richards believes the basic ingredients needed to succeed in Mathematics were in short supply even in the country’s political leadership.

“Mathematics is a science that promotes discipline, organised thoughts, commitment, focus, constant practice, transparency and an orderly mind. That is why I believe Nigerians would soon get to the point where they would be demanding that anybody who aspires to lead

By Yinka Aderibigbe

them has all of these attributes,” Chief Richards said.

Addressing journalists at a press conference on Tuesday, Richards noted that the 12th National Secondary Schools’ Mathematics Competition, (NASSMAC), has continued to enjoy remarkable national support from all stakeholders, particularly governments and the National Mathematics Centre, (NMC), even as he said the applications received every year has continued to encourage the company to continue in the initiative.

Giving statistics, Richards said about 34,000 students across the federation were drawn from 11,000 schools that participated last year, adding that this year, the company has increased examination centres across the country to 200 in its bid to ensure more participation by all secondary students both in the junior and senior categories across the country.

Richards, who expressed confidence in the type of questions fielded by the team of examiners put together by the company, added that the quality of products of the winners of the competition has shown that the students have been “the real touch bearers of the country’s technological future.”

Presenting the 2012 competition which begins on March 17, the Marketing Director Mr Kachi Onabogu, said interested schools and students wishing to participate in the competition can either collect the forms from all the Ministries of Education across the country, or download same from the company’s website, www.promaidor-ng.org/ NASSMAC. Onabogu said over the years, the company has been creating a pool of Mathematics geniuses, as the winner and the first two runners-up have always been representing Nigeria at the International Mathematics Olympiad. He presented last year’s winners: Master Nureni Oyetobi Akindele of Iganmode Grammar School, Ota, Ogun State, and Master Victor Agada who would be representing the country at the Olympiad which would take place later in the year.

The marketing chief said the entry form which is free, should be signed by the respective school principal, and the students would be assigned to a centre close to their homes for the first leg of the examination.

“The results of the examination

•From left: Master Oyetobi, Chief Richards and Master Tope

Since 1998, Promasidor Nigeria Limited, manufacturers of Cowbell Milk, has been in the vanguard of promoting the study of Mathematics among secondary school students, first in Lagos State, and then, nationally in 2001. The enthusiasm has become our inspiration to ensure that this initiative continues to grow in influence and deliver remarkable impact on the future of Nigeria would be published on our website on May 23, and the best two in all the 36 states and Abuja, who won a chance to participate in the second and final stage-74 of them, would sit for the examination which would hold on June 9, and the top 10 finalists would be picked on July 5, from where the winners would emerge,” Onabogu added.

He said the company would, at each stage, be rewarding the Mathematics teachers from the first stage, through to the final stage where the school that fielded the winner would equally be benefitting from gift packages and other branded products from the company.

Representatives of the Commissioner for Education, Mr S.B. Sutton

praised the company for the initiative and urged the participation of more students.

Sutton, who is the Director of Basic Studies said government will continue to support the initiative and put all its weight behind it for as long as the company continues to promote the spirit of competition in the students.

President of the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools, Prince Ayo Shonubi, also praised the company for promoting the study of Mathematics.

Speaking about his experience, the winner of last year’s competition, Master Akindele said he had been challenged to go for the gold after he emerged winner in the second round of the competition.

“I give God the glory for making me emerge the overall winner in the competition and I look forward to the Olympiad which is coming up later this year. I also thank the company for giving us such an opportunity to compete,” he said.

Ekiti braces up against flooding

E

KITI State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi has inspected some ongoing channelisation projects across Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, as part of measures to prevent possible occurrence of flooding

•Chairman, Lagos Island East Local Council Development Area, Comrade Kamal Salau-Bashua (second left); assisted by Special Adviser to the Governor on Youth Development, Hon. Dolapo Badru (left); former council chief, Hon. Mufatu Kadiku (right) and Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) chieftain, Alhaji AbdulGaniy Sadiq to present a new bus to the Community Development Council (CDC) during the 100 days in Lagos

From Sulaiman Salawudeen, Ado-Ekiti

in the state.

The State Executive Council had, in September last year, approved four major channelisation projects to ensure that the lives and property of residents are protected from flooding that might result from blocked drains and heavy rainfall.

Speaking shortly after inspecting the projects and the monthly environmental sanitation exercise, the governor said the projects were awarded in anticipation of the rainfall with a particular focus on dredging of blocked drains and de-silting of impediments on waterways to enhance free flow of water.

“Our expectation, though I am not a meteorologist, is that rain would likely start earlier this year than it would normally start; we have had a taste already. I think that we felt that all hands must be on deck.

“In places that we have been to, some of the works we have contracted out were done well while others which have been shoddily done, I have asked the Commissioner in charge to monitor the contractors and ensure they go back and do them properly,” he said.

On disposal of waste in the drain, Fayemi said that the state government would, this month, commence house-to-house collection of waste in Ado-Ekiti and Ikere-Ekiti so as to discourage people who believe that the drains were the alternative to proper

waste disposal.

While condemning disposal of waste in the drains, he said the act was capable of causing cholera and other contagious diseases that could affect the whole community; adding that when the house-to-house collection of waste begins next month, anyone found flouting the law by blocking or littering the drains with waste would face the full wrath of the law.

“If the situation in our environment is not good, we are bound to suffer from opportunistic diseases that may come about because of dirty environment that can damage the health of our people. So, for us, that is another area where we need to work on. The local government, particularly, must intensify their awareness to the people at the local government level.”

The Governor, who commended the people in some parts of the state for observing the sanitation exercise, condemned the attitudes of others who “deliberately” flouted it; saying that government would intensify action on the environmental mobile court and empower it to quickly dispense justice to defaulters of the exercise.

Fayemi also said that the state and local governments would work closely together to wage war against indiscriminate disposal of waste; adding that the state government would purchase more compactors to help with waste disposal in Ado-Ekiti while the dump site would also be expanded and fenced to prevent possible spread of diseases.

THE NATION MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012

37

Council chief launches road trust fund

By Duro Babayemi

•Bamigbetan

A

S part of strategies aimed at solving problems of bad roads in Ejigbo Local Council Development Area of Lagos State, the council chairman, Kehinde Bamigbetan has announced the intention of his

administration to launch a “Road Trust Fund.”

Speaking with Newsextra, recently, Bamigbetan said the poor state of roads in the LCDA, coupled with the fact that the finances of the council could not be sufficient to fix these roads, informed the decision to introduce the road trust fund project.

The council chairman further explained that his administration had concluded arrangements with some banks for a loan facility to the tune of N524, 898,85mto carry out total reconstruction of eight important roads in the council area in 2012.

He said: “During my campaign tour of the 69 Community Development Associations in Ejigbo, the people were unanimous in their request for the rehabilitation of roads; there and then we promised them that we would rehabilitate 30 roads in three years, which implies 10 roads in each of the three years.

Out of the 10 roads to be reha-

bilitated in 2012, we have identified eight which are feeder roads, and in the next two to three weeks, we will commence rehabilitation work on these roads.”

Mr Bamigbetan listed the roads to include Chris Idowu Street, Jubril Olabisi Street, Goloba Ashogbon Road, Nurudeen Obe Road, Double Power Line Road and Ademola Sanya Street.

Others are Rainbow Avenue and Double Star Road in Jakande Estate.

He appealed to residents of the area; particularly those who are well-to-do to support his administration by donating generously to the road trust fund, which will be launched on February 29, 2012 at an event, tagged “The First Economic Summit.”

The council chairman assured Ejigbo residents that the money realised through the trust fund would be judiciously used to rehabilitate the 20 other roads promised by his administration in the next two years.

During my campaign tour of the 69 Community Development Associations in Ejigbo, the people were unanimous in their request for the rehabilitation of roads; there and then we promised them that we would rehabilitate 30 roads in three years, which implies 10 roads in each of the three years

In a related development, the chairman has pledged to sponsor 100 residents of the area who wish to sit for 2012 Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) examination, but could not afford the money.

The Supervisor for Education and Library Services in the LCDA, Mr. Ayotunde Ojo, who spoke with Newsextra during the presentation of the JAMB forms to the beneficiaries at the council secretariat, stated that the administration of Mr. Kehinde Bamigbetan believes that education should not be the exclusive right of the rich, but every member of the society, adding that the 100 applicants sponsored by the council would also be given free tutorial lessons for a whole month to prepare them better for the examination.

He therefore appealed to the beneficiaries to avail themselves of the opportunity given by the council’s chairman to ensure that they pass the examination with ease. The examination comes up on March, 24, 2012.

C

HILDREN Parliamentarians of Oshodi-Isolo Local Government Area have elected new set of leaders to steer the affairs of the group in the next two years. The new leaders will also represent the interest of the council at the children’s parliament at the state level.

After the election which was keenly contested among students of various schools in the council, Ochaba Simbiat of Ewutuntun Senior Grammar School emerged winner while Ainasu Daniel of Bolade Senior Grammar School came second.

They promised to work towards ensuring that the voices of children are heard and cared for by the government. They also vowed to legislate against child trafficking.

Leader Oshodi/Isolo Local Government Children Parliament, Ochaba Simbiat vowed to make the voices of every Nigerian child heard in the process of lawmaking.

“My plan is to make the voices of every Nigerian child heard and to represent the children well, to know their problems and relay same to the government so that such problems would be addressed because lives of many children are more endangered in this part of Lagos State,” she said.

The Deputy Leader, Ainasu Daniel stated that they will work towards eradication of child trafficking and abuse.

“Our visions are wide but part of them is to legislate against child trafficking, drug abuse and to ensure that Oshodi /Isolo Local Government Area is crime free. We will enact laws in that regard so that all children would know their rights,” he said.

Other schools that have representatives in the parliament are Mafoluku Senior Grammar School, Oshodi Senior High School, Ikeja Senior Grammar School and Oshodi Comprehensive Senior High School, Unity High School among others.

Speaking after the election, the wife of the chairman of Oshodi Isolo Local Government Area, Mrs Sara Ariyoh urged the youth to be good ambassadors of the council.

“We would love to see our children use this medium to build up good sense of legislation that

•Ochaba Simbiat (first left), Ainasu Daniel (third right) with other parliamentarians of Oshodi Local Government Children Parliament

‘We will legislate against child trafficking’

By Amidu Arije

will, in turn, be useful when they are old enough to take up parliamentary seats at various legislative chambers in the country,” she said.

Mrs Ariyoh promised to support the administration of her husband with youth and women empowerment programmes.

“I will support the administration by embarking on women and youth empowerment. I will also work towards improving primary healthcare system in the council,” she said.

Highpoint of the occasion was the inauguration of a task force

committee on immunisation and polio eradication.

The committee is headed by the council chairman Hon. Bolaji Ariyoh.

“This committee is saddled with the responsibility of creating awareness and mobilising our people to bring out their children for immunisation against polio and other killer diseases.” he said.

He urged members of the committee to be efficient in the discharge of their duties.

“In this regard, I know you are worthy men and women of note within your professions and organisations. Certainly the council counts on your efficiency,” he

My plan is to make the voices of every Nigerian child heard and to represent the children well, to know their problems and relay same to the government so that such problems addressed would be because lives of many children are more endangered in this part of Lagos State said.

Other members of the committee were the Supervisor for Health, Hon. Adesanya Yusuf,

the Elewu of Ewuland, Oba Sikiru Kuti, the council Health Educator Dr Ubani, among others.

38

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012

You see this town has a morning market called Oluwo where fishes and other items from the sea are sold mainly.

But at a stage we discovered that once the market closes by mid-day every day, most of the remaining fishes and other perishable goods would go bad the following day

I

N Epe town, the Aiyetoro Market is the most popular and a regular rallying point for the people. It is not only known as the major market in the town, a part of it has since been designated as an evening market. Today in Epe, the evening market which now occupies two major streets – Akinsola and Aiyetoro, forms the commercial and business nervecentre of the whole populace.

According to Baba Oloja of the evening market, the idea of the dual market in the town was initiated about 20 years ago.

In a chat with Newsextra he said: “You see this town has a morning market called Oluwo where fishes and other items from the sea are sold mainly. But at a stage we discovered that once the market closes by mid-day every day, most of the remaining fishes and other perishable goods would go bad the following day. So, some leaders of thought in the town met and decided to create this evening market. It is basically to give room for those who could not finish selling their goods in the morning hours to do so in the evening,” he explained.Because Epe people are riverside settlers, most of their foods are agrarian. They have plenty of sea foods like crayfish, shrimps, snails, tomatoes, fishes and these are provided on a daily basis. And so, as soon as the market opens by 4:30p.m, you would see scores of women and children trooping into the arena to display their wares.

Although the space has become too small to accommodate the teeming sellers and buyers who patronise the market daily, it offers people from all parts of Lagos the opportunity to converge on the town to do business. There, business booms and the people entice their visitors with all kinds of fishes both dry and fresh.

Every day, fishermen travel deep into the sea and other nearby rivers to catch sea foods which they bring into the town. Then they will sell to retailers who either roast or sell them fresh. This way, it has become customary for people to get all kinds of fishes to buy in Epe, all year round. Alhaja Fati who occupies two stalls on Akinsola Street told Newsextra that: “The amount of money we generate here every day can turn this town into a big commercial port for Lagos State. Since 20 years now, my daughters and I

•Buyers and sellers at Epe Market

Inside Epe’s evening market

By Edozie Udeze

have been coming here every day.

My first daughter who is now married owns a house in this town and she made the money from here.

When her husband wanted to take her away to England, she was reluctant to go. But thank God, her younger ones are also enterprising.”Fati described how the market operates and why sellers have established themselves firmly in the place.

“People come from as far as Ajah, Ikeja; Ijebu-Ode and so on. And once you are their customer for a long time, they trust you. At times, they will send their drivers. We have two ways of disposing of our fishes here. There are those who are specialists in roasting them.

But for those of us who sell fresh, we do not allow them to die,” she

said. Even though the market has expanded to accommodate other goods and products, fishes and other sea foods seem to be the main attraction.

“We did it like that in order to allow people who go to work and children who attend school, to have the opportunity to come here to sell to make money,” Baba Oloja said.

He went on: “This is why we do not collect money for the small stalls we give to our people. People only contribute money to maintain the place. All those who need space come to me and we find a way of allotting some to them.”For now, Akinsola Street is rather too small to accommodate the sea of heads that converge on the market every evening to do business.

Bimbo, a 16-year-old school girl who sells fresh tomatoes for her mother told Newsextra: “You see, there’s no space here.” As she said

•From left: Miss Caroline Sege, World Bank representative; Hon. Benjamin Adeyemi Olabinjo, Chairman, Ojokoro Local Council Development Area; Dr. Abimbola Adubi, TTL FADAMA and Mr. Adewunmi, National Project Coordinator FADAMA

so, she pointed with her two hands.

“Please tell Lagos State Government to make this place a modern market. At times, we will spill over to Lagos Road (major road in the town) and the Neighbourhood Watch people will catch us.”This is the only market we know” Bimbo continued watching out for the Neighbourhood people. “And after school every day, I come here to sell. Yes, the money is good because, as you can see, people come here a lot.” She beamed with smiles as the cool breeze from the sea blew across her face, assuaging her nerves.On a normal day, the market is expected to close by

10.30p.m. “That’s the rule,” Fati said. “But, when we have the Oro or other festivals, the market closes early than usual. Like next week now, the Oro festival will be on and we will be expected to close by 8.30p.m. This is so because, here we give due respect to our tradition and also give homage to our elders.”All said, any time you visit Epe to buy from the evening market, be sure to hold either a bush lantern or a torch. This is because; the town only has electricity light once every week. “Oh I don’t know what we did to NEPA” Fati bemoaned, sighing. Well, that’s a story for another day; that is after you have visited Aiyetoro and Akinsola Streets to feel what an ideal evening market should be like.

Commissioner advocates state police T

HE Abia State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Umeh Kalu has advised the Federal Government to allow states in the country have their own police. This, he said, would help check the current security situation as it would ensure effective community policing.

Speaking with Newsextra in Umuahia, Kalu said that governors are not in charge of the state in terms of security which is why there are various security problems across the country, adding that their dependence on commissioners of police in their various states hampers their authority to deal with urgent security situations. He decried the present arrangement where governors wait for actions from the state police commissioners who must take orders from the Inspector-General of Police before they can act on any given security issue.

Kalu said: “The state governors are not truly the state chief security officers of their different states and the only way to ensure that they are really in charge of their states is to allow state police to exist, which will make them to be fully in charge for security to be effective in their states.”

He said that the federal police will always be there and be allowed to exist side by side with the state police, pointing out that they will com-

From Ugochukwu Eke, Umuahia

plement each other, while security situation in the country will greatly improve.

On the issue of governors abusing the use of state police when it is introduced, Kalu said that “the governors will never abuse the use of state police. The state Houses of Assembly will always be there to monitor their activities and ensure compliance.”

On the general improvement of the state judiciary, he disclosed that the courts in the state have been computerised, stressing that it has helped the judiciary to be up and doing unlike before when it was very easy for the workers to access materials for any court case.

Kalu also said that there is a silent revolution going on in the state judicial system, as the governor has keyed in to the idea of ensuring that courts in the state are comparable to others in other states.

He noted that there is a supplementary budget sometime last year, which he said was aimed at ensuring that all the courts were rebuilt.

“Even now, we are building a new court complex that will house six courts, while in Umuahia the one we are building will contain six courts also.”

39

THE NATION MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012

40

THE NATION MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012

With ekpoita :funtreatsvilla@yahoo.com / 08077706130

CROSSWORD PUZZLE

ACROSS

DOWN

1.Remit (4) 2.Lusterless (3) 3.Imitate (3) 4.Trial (4) 7. Green Area (5) 8. Edible Grass (3) 10. Snake (3) 11. Nobleman (5) 13. Illuminated (3) 16. Bricklayer (5) 17. At No Time (5) 18. Youths (4) 21. Ward off (4) 23. Period (3) 25. Fuss (3)

1. Hunk (4) 3. Border on (4) 5. Fiend (3) 6. Standard (4) 9. Recedes (4) 12. Age (3) 14. Cereal (4) 15. Informal Course (7) 18. Hermaphrodite (2) 19. Consumed (3) 20. About (2) 22. Employs (4) 24. Part of Feather (4) 26. Wandered (5) 27. Examine (4) 28. Path (4)

MINI-SUDOKU Fill in the missing numbers in the grid to ensure that every row, column and 2 by 3 box contains the numbers 1 - 6.

HUMOUR Bank Account A mother decided that her young 11 year old daughter should open her own bank account. “As it will be your account, I think that you should complete the application form” said the mother. The daughter was doing really well but was puzzled when she came to where it said ‘Name of previous bank’. She pondered for a second and when wrote ‘Piggy

ShOwBiTz A new season of ‘Spartacus,’ with a new Spartacus

Marriage I asked my ten year old nephew the other day “billy, what do you think it would take to make marriage work? “well, i’d tell my wife she looked lovely even if she looked like a bus”. he said.

Burglary Charge My lawyer was trying to get me off a burglary charge.

He told the judge “ My client inserted his arm through a window and removed some items. As his arm is not his whole being, I submit that it would be wrong to punish the whole person for a crime committed by a sole limb. The Judge replied “ Okay - using that logic, the defendant’s arm is sentenced to 2 years in prison and can accompany the limb if he chooses”. So with the aid of my lawyer, I unscrewed my artificial arm, placed it on the table and walked out of the courtroom.

Married and Single Do you know why a room full of married people looks so empty and deserted?

There’s not even a “Single person” in it.

Pep Talk

“Paragon” paragon \PAIR-uh-gon; -guhn\ (noun) - A model of excellence or perfection; as, “a paragon of beauty; a paragon of eloquence.”

“Old Roland, that paragon of acceptable standards, viewed the world with a thoroughly jaundiced, nearly blind eye.”

— Samara Al-Darraji , ‘Eclipse’ Paragon comes from Middle French, from Old Italian paragone, literally, “touchstone,” from paragonare, “to test on a touchstone,” from Greek parakonan, “to rub against, to sharpen,” from para-, “beside” + akone, “a whetstone.”

Sports Teaser

Argument A brother and sister were having an argument and neither were willing to concede.

The sister said “ Barry, I will admit that I am in the wrong as long as you admit that I am in the right”.

He was in agreement and asked her to go first with the admission. “I am totally in the wrong” she said.

Barry, with a little glint in his eye gave her a little wink and said “ You’re right”.

WORDS & ORIGIN

What a different vision these two stars of “Spartacus: Vengeance” offer in person.

Here is Lucy Lawless: In her Starz adventure-action series she builds on worldwide fame as Xena, Warrior Princess, by playing wily Lucretia, widow of the Roman sports impresario whose “ludus” — an extreme training camp for gladiators — was where Spartacus had been enslaved. Transported from Capua in the first century B.C. to modern-day Manhattan, Lawless — in bright sweater and snug jeans — is pretty, girlish and full of laughs.

Alongside her for this recent interview is Liam McIntyre, who is taking over the role of Spartacus as the new season begins (Friday at 10 p.m. EST). His personality is far removed from the raging Thracian out to forge an army and topple the Roman Empire. Instead, McIntyre is chipper, affable and ready with wisecracks delivered, at times, in a comic squeal.

“Spartacus: Vengeance” retains a potent mix of hyper-realism and epic fantasy, with generous helpings of graphic violence, orgiastic nudity, racy sex and other visual pizazz. It remains a hard-body romp on a CGI sprawl.

But real-life tragedy, too, is a part of the story.

Andy Whitfield, who originated the role of Spartacus, announced in March 2010 that he was stricken with nonHodgkin Lymphoma. That May, a six-episode prequel concentrating on characters other than Spartacus was set for the following year, to give Whitfield time off for treatment.

But a few months later when the cancer returned, he announced his departure from the show. Last September, he died at age 39.

The player below is likely to become a potential; A. Super Eagle B. Indomitable Lion C. Harrambee Star D. Atlas Lion What is the player’s name?

Michael Jackson immortalized at Grauman’s Singer Michael Jackson is immortalized in a ceremony where his children (L-R) Prince, Blanket and Paris use Jackson’s shoes and gloves to make hand and foot imprints in cement in the courtyard of Hollywood’s Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles on January 26, 2012.

Nothing contributes so much to tranquilize the mind as a steady purpose-a point on which the soul may fix its intellectual eye. - Mary Shelley

43

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012

POLITICS THE NATION

E-mail:- politics@thenationonlineng.net

Murtala: 36 years after On February 13, 1976, Military Head of State General Murtala Muhammed was assassinated in a bloody coup led by Lieutenant-Colonel Bukar Dimka. Deputy Political Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU examines the bright and dark sides of the historic regime, which lasted for six months.

I

T was a black Friday in Lagos. The Head of State and CommanderIn-Chief of the Armed Forces, General Murtala Ramat Muhammed, was the man of the moment. His revolutionary tendencies endeared him to ordinary Nigerians who were bored by the nine years of Gowon. The Kanoborn officer was a man in a hurry to clear the mess which both civilian and military rule had foisted on the nation. Suddenly, the beat stopped. On his way to Jumat prayers at the Obalende Mosque, his life was cut short by coup plotters. He was 37. Also killed were his Aide-de-camp, Lt. Akintunde Akinsehinwa, and his driver.

Murtala was not the only target. Others were Obasanjo, Danjuma, Shehu Musa Yar’Adua, Babangida, Olu Bajowa, and Kwara State Governor Ibrahim Taiwo, who was murdered.

Major I. B. Rabo was detailed to kill Murtala. Lt. Usman Dauda was to hit Obasanjo with bullets. Lt. Lawrence Garba was to get rid of Danjuma.

Dimka made the coup broadcast. The Chief of Army Staff was attending a conference with top officers and if the coup plotters had insisted on killing him, there would be many casualties.

Obasanjo, it was said, was lucky as he could not be located by the murderers. Another officer, Col. Raymond Dumuje of Army Ordinance Corps, was mistaken for the Owu-born soldier. He was shot and wounded.

Babangida later emerged as a hero of the process as he was one of the officers who foiled the coup.

Darkness descended on the nation, following the announcement that a group of soldiers led by Col. Bukar Dimka, the Director of Army Physical Training Corps, accomplished the cruel task. Nigerians who were fascinated by his dynamic foreign policy, revolutionary war against corruption and proposed transition programme, were enraged. Somehow, students perceived him as a folk hero. As his body was flown home, there were wailings.

The country was united in mourning.

Later, the 38 masterminds, including Dimka and Gen. Illiya Bisalla, were tried and executed by the military.

Also executed were former BenuePlateau governor, Joseph Gomwalk, Col. A. D. S .Wya, Lt. col. T. K. Adamu, Lt.Col. A. B. Umaru, Col. Isa Bukar, Lt. Col. Ayuba Tense, Major D. C. Dabang, Major Ola Ogunmekan, Major J. W. Kasai. Major J. K. Afolayan, and Lt. Lawrence Garba. Seven non-commissioned officers were also executed.

Thirty six years after, his grace, magnetism, charisma, and popularity have not dimmed. Muritala years are still remembered with fondness. However, those who were affected by his pseudo-radical approach remember him as an impatient and temperamental soldier and administrator who spared no thought for details before taking drastic actions. In his book, “Gowon: The Biography of a SoldierStatesman”, Prof. Isawa Elaigwu, described Murtala as a very intelligent

and hardworking officer, but was often repulsive and temperamental, a trait that earned him the name ‘bulldozer’ among some of his colleagues”.

In a bid to clean up society, top civil servants, including notable university teachers and diplomats who had served the nation without blemish were swept by the gale of forced retirements that characterised the period. Since his ‘tenure’ was brief, perhaps, other weaknesses of the military general could not unfold.

Murtala took over from General Yakubu Gowon in 1975. He was a civil war hero with lots of exploits. After the civil war, military officers had frowned at the post-war federal cabinet composition, which excluded them. Restless soldiers also wanted the military governors to yield way so that they could take their place. The grumblings got to the hears of the Head of State, who just made a slight adjustment to the team. He appointed Brigadier Olusegun Obasanjo as Federal Commissioner for Works and Housing. He also gave Murtala, a doyen of military signals, the communication portfolio.

It was an open secret that military boys who were fed up with Gowon Administration were in favour of regime change. Gowon was also not in the dark, although he made no conscious attempt to avert it. When the top police officer, M. D. Yusufu, alerted him, he brushed the information aside.

In Yusufu’s biography, “Aristocratic Rebel”, the author, Ayo Opadokun stated that “Gowon prevaricated and procastinated. The General felt no urgency. The Head of State told M.D that he knew their was discontent, and he was going to handle it in his own way when he returned from OAU”.

The opportunity to hatch the plan came when the Commander-In-Chief jetted out of the country to attend the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) meeting in Kampala. The assignment fell on Gowon’s cousin and Commander of Brigade of Guards, Col. Joe Garba, who led the bloodless coup. At the airport, Gowon, as recalled by Elaigwu, told Garba: “If you are plotting, let it be on your own conscience and let it be without bloodshed”.

Many historians have not given the extent of Murtala, Obasanjo and Danjuma’s involvement in how their boss was shoved aside. However, after the coup, they look at the these senior officers for direction. Murtala and Danjuma were renowned coup plotters who participated in the coup that drew the curtains on the lives of Gen.Aguiyi Ironsi and Col. Adekunle Fajuyi in Ibadan, capital of Western State. Murtala, in particular, was popular amount young officers and it was said that he was asked to become the Head of State to give the change of government a sort of credibility.

When Murtala assumed the reins as leader, Obasanjo became his deputy, with the portfolio of Chief of Staff, Supreme Headquarters. In fact, historians have always referred to the ad-

•The late Muhammed

ministration as Murtala/Obasanjo regime. The trio of Murtala, Obasanjo and Danjuma spearheaded socio-economic and political reforms which, in part, repositioned Nigeria. However, Danjuma was previously junior in rank to Major-General Illiya Bisalla, who became the Federal Commissioner for Defence. Murtala was immediately promoted to full General, and Obasanjo and Danjuma to Lt-Generals. That created tension in the Supreme Military Council (SMC) and Federal Executive Council (FCE).

Murtala’s maiden speech on July 29, 1975, was explosive. “All members of the Federal Executive Council are hereby dismissed with immediate effect”, he thundered. Subsequently, all executive orders carried the tag of immediacy. No foot-dragging, no lethargy, no tardiness.

But those negative attributes had become the bane of the civil service under Gowon. Corruption, negligence, nepotism, favouritism and tribalism had soared, thereby making critics to question the basis for sacking civilians from power, in the first instance. Top military brass outside executive power exaggerated the malaise to blackmail the leader. Although Gowon could not be fingered in any corrupt practice, the same could not be said about his military governors and civilian commissioners. Now, decisions were carried out with dispatch, precision and patriotism.

Murtala promptly asked for the list of indolent, lazy and corrupt civil servants across board. He lacked the mechanism of authenticating the claim of the drafters. Neither did he has sober reflection before taking the decisive actions. The fire-brand super permanent secretaries who Gowon relied as kitchen cabinet were victims. Their

bright careers were cut short. Out of 12 governors, only two; Brig. Mobolaji Johnson (rtd) (Lagos) and Brig. Oluwole Rotimi (rtd) (Western State), survived the summary dismissal. Many bosses closed their offices in the evening and they could not return to the same office the second day. Many permanent secretaries, directors and other technocrats learnt about their retirement on the radio.

There was instability in the civil service. Everybody had to sit tight. University teachers were not insulated from the military hammer. Public accountability was now by force. But the effects were far reaching. Suddenly, civil servants started to cut corners in anticipation of such emergencies. Lecturers who had hitherto confined themselves into the campuses started looking outside. Psycho-social adjustment became hectic for some victims who feel sick and died. But there was forced sanity.

With immediate effect, Murtala decongested the Apapa ports. He also created seven more states with immediate effect. The former Head of State promised to complete construction work at the new international airport, Lagos. He promised to build refineries, bridges and railways and work started on these projects with immediate effect. He promised to stop fuel scarcity and high cost of petrol and kerosene and these stopped immediately.

Murtala also trekked the populist path. He promised to hand over to civilians in 1979 and the transition to civil rule programme took off with immediate effect. It was later completed by his successor, Obasanjo.

In post-Murtala period, the nation became the victim of “immediate effect” philosophy. The succeeding civilian authority caught the bug. In the

Second Republic, in some states, debate was for fun because government was in a hurry to carry out decisions.

The Buhari/Idiagbon Regime which posed as an offshoot of Murtala/ Obasanjo Regime carried on with the affairs of the state with that sense of immediacy. Both good and bad policies were implemented with urgency.

Reflecting on this trend, and its apparent effects on the operators of the ill-fated Third republic, foremost journalist and commentator, Dayo Alao, once stated that “today’s politicians have no patience for prolonged debate, rewarding consultations and rational thinking before decisions are taken, the result of which are expected with immediate effect”.

Following his demise, relations between Britain and Nigeria strained.

The Federal Military Government headed by Obasanjo alleged Gowon’s involvement. The new Head of State refused to visit United Kingdom throughout his reign. Pressures were even mounted on him to pull Nigeria out of the Commonwealth of Nations.

Gowon, who had enrolled as a student in Warwick University denied his involvement.

The former Head of State was immortalised. The Lagos international airport was re-named “Murtala Mohammed Airport”. Few other monuments were also named after the gallant officer. For a year or two, February 13 was observed as a public holiday.

But what would have happened, if he was not killed? Probably, he would have also retired into politics or business, or become a nonstate actor in the international community. Many believe that, certaincly, his death shaped the course of Nigerian history.

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EQUITIES NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 10-2-12 Company Name LIVESTOCK FEEDS PLC OKOMU OIL PALM PLC. PRESCO PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 13 10 2 25

Quotation(N) 0.85 21.89 9.00

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 872,607 726,875.95 109,981 2,407,484.09 15,600 133,380.00 998,188 3,267,740.04

Quotation(N) 7.87

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 1,492,333 11,523,992.64 1,492,333 11,523,992.64

Quotation(N) 1.15

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 861,007 981,276.28 861,007 981,276.28

Quotation(N) 5.86 2.47 4.00 1.41 10.16 13.70 7.00 3.17 0.85 1.81 8.22 0.50 0.51 12.28

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 36,086,221 210,658,725.14 9,247,900 22,862,362.00 657,470 2,653,600.00 7,846,143 11,010,951.00 9,695,312 98,455,230.46 4,065,847 55,866,075.64 1,259,798 8,934,499.30 19,356,096 60,358,811.09 570,417 482,594.25 21,936,556 39,780,237.94 340,143 2,795,975.46 4,001,100 2,000,550.00 3,267,657 1,657,989.27 8,465,191 103,703,694.53 126,795,851 621,221,296.08

Quotation(N) 3.83 220.30 5.79 95.40

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 240,000 919,200.00 201,137 44,314,277.15 153,237 850,445.90 1,099,981 105,245,933.16 1,694,355 151,329,856.21

AIR SERVICES Company Name NIGERIAN AVIATION HANDLING COMPANY PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 151 151

AUTOMOBILE & TYRE Company Name R. T. BRISCOE (NIGERIA) PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 16 16 BANKING

Company Name ACCESS BANK PLC DIAMOND BANK PLC FIRST CITY MONUMENT BANK PLC FIDELITY BANK PLC FIRST BANK OF NIGERIA PLC GTBANK PLC STANBIC IBTC BANK PLC SKYE BANK PLC. STERLING BANK PLC UNITED BANK FOR AFRICA PLC. UNION BANK OF NIGERIA PLC UNITYBANK PLC WEMA BANK PLC ZENITH BANK PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 165 51 24 66 474 339 53 145 13 123 6 3 24 247 1,733 BREWERIES

Company Name CHAMPION BREWERIES PLC GUINNESS NIGERIA PLC INTERNATIONAL BREWERIES PLC NIGERIAN BREWERIES PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 3 54 20 139 216

BUILDING MATERIALS Company Name ASHAKA CEMENT PLC CEMENT CO. OF NORTHERN NIGERIA PLC DANGOTE CEMENT PLC LAFARGE WAPCO PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 33 20 19 30 102

Quotation(N) 10.60 4.51 116.00 45.50

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 351,674 3,717,690.10 197,518 904,761.03 28,410 3,139,584.54 285,202 12,943,525.00 862,804 20,705,560.67

Quotation(N) 8.84 14.50 1.02

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 1,003,466 8,870,639.44 44,526 647,182.14 2,000 1,940.00 1,049,992 9,519,761.58

CHEMICAL & PAINTS Company Name BERGER PAINTS NIGERIA PLC CHEMICAL AND ALLIED PRODUCTS PLC DN MEYER PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 5 20 2 27

COMMERCIAL/SERVICES Company Name RED STAR EXPRESS PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 13 13

Quotation(N) 2.37

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 265,200 609,350.00 265,200 609,350.00

COMPUTER & OFFICE EQUIPMENT Company Name NCR (NIGERIA) PLC. Sector Totals

No of Deals 2 2

Quotation(N) 9.75

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 1,000 10,230.00 1,000 10,230.00

Quotation(N) 1.39 28.51 0.50 29.26 30.30

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 60,966 83,187.24 3,073,246 87,497,976.12 6,447,065 3,450,257.85 973,531 28,570,403.08 639,931 19,219,093.99 11,194,739 138,820,918.28

Quotation(N) 25.65

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 162,144 4,202,168.00 162,144 4,202,168.00

CONGLOMERATES Company Name A. G. LEVENTIS (NIGERIA) PLC PZ CUSSONS NIGERIA PLC TRANSNATIONAL CORPORATION OF NIGERIA PLC UAC OF NIGERIA PLC UNILEVER NIGERIA PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 6 50 45 83 67 251

Investors upbeat on banks

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ANKING stocks made up more than half of turnover on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) last week in spite of concerns that provisions and write-offs on residual non-performing assets may negatively impact the earnings and returns of some banks for the 2011 business year.

Banking stocks were responsible for about 64 per cent and 55 per cent of turnover volume and value respectively at the stock market last week, although deals were generally struck at discounts.

Banking subsector accounted for a turnover of 852.83 million shares worth N3.833 billion through 7,880 deals; almost two-third of total turnover of 1.342 billion shares worth N7.01 billion recorded in 15,166 deals.

There are only 16 banks out of the 201 companies quoted on the NSE. However, the NSE Banking Index, which gauges pricing direction in the banking subsector, depreciated by 3.8 per cent to close at 272.92 points, indicating the rebalancing of investment horizons by investors.

Market analysts said several investors who had taken short-term positions were concerned that possible low earnings by some banks might undermine capital gains. But investors with longterm investment horizons were scouting for bargain buys given that several banking stocks were trading at their lowest values.

United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, which had trig-

Taofik Salako and Tonia Osundolire

gered a major concern last week over its earnings and returns in the immediate period, was the most active stock and accounted for 50 per cent and 32 per cent of turnover in the banking subsector and aggregate turnover respectively.

UBA recorded a turnover of 426.34 million shares worth N86.59 million in 827 deals just as its share price fell to a low of N1.81. UBA had last week indicated that it noted more than N12 billion in post-tax earnings in the first quarter of 2012. The forecasts, which came simultaneously with alert by the bank that provisions and write-offs for remnants of bad assets could lead to negative earnings for 2011, created a bitter-sweet situation for investors depending on investment horizons.

The stock market generally remained downbeat as several equities wriggled under unyielding bearishness. The All Share Index (ASI), the benchmark index that tracks price changes by all quoted companies, declined by 1.22 per cent to close on at 20,623.63 points as against its week’s opening index of 20,877.64 points.

Aggregate market capitalisation of all quoted equities slipped from its value-on-board of N6.580 trillion to close at N6.500 trillion.

The NSE 30 Index, which tracks the 30 biggest companies on the NSE, dropped by 1.2 per cent to close at 930.98

CONSTRUCTION Company Name JULIUS BERGER NIGERIA PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 19 19

ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY Company Name CUTIX PLC NIGERIAN WIRE AND CABLE PLC. Sector Totals

No of Deals 1 2 3

Quotation(N) 1.40 0.50

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 5,000 7,000.00 4,500 2,160.00 9,500 9,160.00

NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 9-2-12

FOOD/BEVERAGES & TOBACCO Company Name 7-UP BOTTLING CO. PLC CADBURY NIGERIA PLC DANGOTE FLOUR MILLS PLC DANGOTE SUGAR REFINERY PLC FLOUR MILLS NIGERIA PLC HONEYWELL FLOUR MILL PLC NATIONAL SALT COMPANY NIGERIA PLC NESTLE NIGERIA PLC TANTALIZERS PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 9 44 134 95 72 3 30 54 7 448

Quotation(N) 46.00 9.15 4.39 4.42 60.00 2.85 3.80 446.65 0.50

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 5,172 227,695.31 1,193,905 10,792,255.55 774,780 3,304,324.75 4,866,333 21,789,547.52 950,368 57,026,124.58 64,300 183,255.00 558,820 2,137,939.20 211,362 94,388,577.70 2,971,960 1,485,980.00 11,597,000 191,335,699.61

HEALTHCARE Company Name EVANS MEDICALPLC. FIDSON HEALTHCARE PLC GLAXOSMITHKLINE CONSUMER NIG. PLC MAY & BAKER NIGERIA PLC. NEIMETH INTERNATIONAL PHARMACEUTICALS PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 1 11 19 14 2 47

Quotation(N) 0.67 0.70 21.57 2.75 1.03

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 24,000 15,360.00 309,000 209,522.50 257,684 5,563,113.57 74,406 203,259.20 5,500 5,390.00 670,590 5,996,645.27

Quotation(N) 1.29

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 401,000 517,330.00 401,000 517,330.00

JAPAUL OIL & MARITIME SERVICES PLC Sector Totals

61 61

No of Deals 2 2

No of Deals 2 28 30

Quotation(N) 6.83 3.38

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 7,500 51,235.00 1,113,000 3,760,695.00 1,120,500 3,811,930.00

INFORMATION & COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY Company Name STARCOMMS PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 1 1

No of Deals 4 4

No of Deals 21 3 10 1 12 4 2 16 3 4 1 7 1 3 88

Quotation(N) 0.50

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 100,000 50,000.00 100,000 50,000.00

Quotation(N) 0.50 0.63 1.61 0.60 1.16 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.80 0.50 0.52

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 1,003,952 510,175.50 313,000 197,590.00 55,500 88,555.00 192,150 115,290.00 341,264 389,687.52 181,084 90,542.00 9,075 4,537.50 23,395,799 11,697,899.50 1,057,000 528,500.00 217,000 108,500.00 1,000 500.00 376,818 301,285.90 100,000 50,000.00 2,901,923 1,508,999.96 30,145,565 15,592,062.88

No of Deals 1 1

Quotation(N) 0.50

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 50,000 25,000.00 50,000 25,000.00

Quotation(N)

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N)

MARITIME Company Name

No of Deals

Quotation(N) 0.50

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 214,250 107,125.00 214,250 107,125.00

No of Deals 2 4 6

Quotation(N) 0.50 0.50

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 102,000 51,000.00 202,200 101,100.00 304,200 152,100.00

OTHER FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS Company Name CRUSADER NIGERIA PLC. Sector Totals

No of Deals 2 2

Quotation(N) 0.50

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 614,138 307,069.00 614,138 307,069.00

Company Name NIGERIAN BAG MANUFACTURING COMPANY PLC BETA GLASS CO. PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 291 1 292

Quotation(N) 1.52 12.71

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 3,053,410 4,754,264.54 100 1,208.00 3,053,510 4,755,472.54

PETROLEUM(MARKETING) Company Name MRS OIL NIGERIA PLC CONOIL PLC ETERNA OIL & GAS PLC. FORTE OIL PLC MOBIL OIL NIGERIA PLC. OANDO PLC TOTAL NIGERIA PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 2 4 13 6 6 243 2 276

Quotation(N) 43.39 28.00 3.10 12.18 133.00 17.49 190.00

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 50,500 2,191,195.00 9,700 258,020.00 190,743 592,322.22 45,543 527,387.94 2,860 363,559.78 3,631,258 63,353,228.12 536 96,748.00 3,931,140 67,382,461.06

PRINTING & PUBLISHING

LEASING Company Name C&I LEASING PLC Sector Totals

2,949,992.15 2,949,992.15

MORTGAGE COMPANIES Company Name ASO SAVINGS AND LOAND PLC RESORT SAVINGS AND LOANS PLC Sector Totals

INSURANCE Company Name AIICO INSURANCE PLC. CONTINENTAL REINSURANCE PLC CUSTODIAN AND ALLIED INSURANCE PLC GOLDLINK INSURANCE PLC GUARANTY TRUST ASSURANCE PLC GUINEA INSURANCE PLC. LASACO ASSURANCE PLC. LAW UNION AND ROCK INSURANCE PLC. MUTUAL BENEFITS ASSURANCE PLC N.E.M. INSURANCE CO. (NIG.) PLC. NIGER INSURANCE CO. PLC. PRESTIGE ASSURANCE PLC. UNIC INSURANCE PLC. INTERCONTINENTAL WAPIC INSURANCE PLC Sector Totals

4,257,003 4,257,003

PACKAGING

INDUSTRIAL/DOMESTIC PRODUCTS Company Name B. O. C. GASES NIGERIA PLC VITAFOAM NIGERIA PLC Sector Totals

0.69

MEDIA Company Name AFROMEDIA PLC Sector Totals

HOTEL & TOURISM Company Name IKEJA HOTEL PLC Sector Totals

points while the NSE Insurance Index also depreciated by 4.7 per cent to close at 114.28 points.

Meanwhile, the NSE Consumer Goods Index appreciated by 0.5 per cent to close at 1,684.78 points while the NSE Oil and Gas Index improved by 0.5 per cent to close at 213.78 points.

With more than two decliners to an advancer, MRS Oil Nigeria Plc topped the losers’ chart with a loss of N4.68 to close at N43.39 per share. Julius Berger Nigeria Plc followed with a loss of N3.46 to close at N25.65 per share. Okomu Oil Palm ranked third with a loss of N2.36 to close at N21.89.

GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Nigeria dropped by N1.13 to close at N21.57 while Flour Mills of Nigeria lost N1 to close at N60 per share.

On the upside, Nestle Nigeria led 18 other stocks on the gainers’ table with addition of N6.65 to close at N446.65 per share. Nigerian Breweries Plc followed with a gain of N1.39 to close at N95.40 per share.

Presco chalked up 50 kobo to close at N9. NCR Nigeria rose by 46 kobo to close at N9.75.

Unilever Nigeria gained 45 kobo to close at N30.30 while Eterna added 40 kobo to close at N3.10 per share.

On the Over-the-Counter (OTC) bond market for trading of Federal Government’s debt issues, turnover trended downward to 127.71 million units worth N111.90 billion in 875 deals as against a turnover of 151.3 million units valued at N128.14 billion traded in 1,030 deals in the previous week.

The most active bond was the 7th FGN Bond 2013 Series 1, a 5.5 per cent coupon bond that matures this week, which recorded a turnover of 40.2 million units valued at N37.31 billion in 274 deals.

Company Name ACADEMY PRESS PLC. LEARN AFRICA PLC UNIVERSITY PRESS PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 1 8 2 11

Quotation(N) 2.09 2.81 3.09

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 5,000 10,450.00 18,140 49,259.80 2,000 6,030.00 25,140 65,739.80

Quotation(N) 11.97

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 7,032,717 84,181,968.39 7,032,717 84,181,968.39

REAL ESTATE Company Name UACN PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT CO. PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 11 11

ROAD TRANSPORTATION Company Name ASSOCIATED BUS COMPANY PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 10 10

Quotation(N) 0.50

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 1,802,547 903,273.50 1,802,547 903,273.50

THE FOREIGN LISTINGS Company Name ECOBANK TRANSNATIONAL INCORPORATED Sector Totals Overall Totals

No of Deals 26 26

Quotation(N) 10.00

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 418,466 4,193,147.88 418,466 4,193,147.88

3,874

211,124,879

1,344,528,326.86

THE NATION MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012

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MONEY LINK

Cash-less: CBN floats fraud prevention committee

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HE Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has established an Automated Teller Machine (ATM) Fraud Prevention Committee to address risks associated with use of alternative e-payment channels.

The members of the committee include banks, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), InterSwith and ValuCard. They meet monthly to make e-payment more secured for bank customers.

Stories by Collins Nweze

A statement from the Bankers’ Committee said setting up the committee has become imperative to address card frauds, especially the ones associated with the use of ATMs and Point of Sale (POS) terminals.

It noted that ATM fraud was prevalent when magnetic strip cards were in use. All Nigerian banks have migrated their cards to chip and Personal Identification (PIN) technology, which is more secured and has drastically reduced the

ing with the Nigeria Communication Commission (NCC) and telecommunications operators to ensure there are dedicated communication links for the PoS system in the country. It added that if the PoS or mobile phone is stolen, the money for the user is safe as the devices do not hold the money.

To make the platforms secured and reliable, the Committee said that all PoS must have a minimum of two SIMs from telecommunication operators, even as there is minimum of 24 hours battery life, and sometimes, car charges are attached.

The Committee disclosed that the literacy required in operating the PoS is

fraud level in the industry.

“In terms of security of platforms, the statement said that ATM fraud was prevalent when Nigeria was using magnetic stripe cards. But last year, Nigeria migrated, all their cards to chip and PIN, which is more secured, and drastically reduced the fraud level. With chip and PIN, the chances of fraud are reduced provided a customer keeps his PIN secret,” the Committee said.

In terms of infrastructure, the Committee said that the apex bank is work-

Apex bank donates to Madalla bomb blast victims

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HE Central Bank of Nige ria (CBN) has concluded plans to provide financial assistance to victims of the bomb blast at a St. Therisa Catholic Church, Madalla on Christmas day and the attack in Kano.

Sources in the CBN said its Committee of Governors (CoG) has already approved the financial donations to victims of the two widely condemned attacks.

The apex bank it was learnt, took the decision to assist the victims of the Madalla and Kano attacks because of their unprecedented nature. The Madalla attack was the first bomb attack on a Church on Christmas day and the Kano attack because of its proportion.

The apex bank has already made the donation of N100 million to the Kano victims but the donation to the Madalla victims was rescheduled because the CBN Governor Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, wanted to lead the delegation to Madalla personally.

Debunking insinuations from some quarters on the motives of the donations, the source pointed out that the apex bank has consistently been a socially responsible organisation with several special projects targeted at providing succours to the society.

“It should be noted that this is not the first time the CBN is assisting victims of disasters. Just recently, we built N500 million bridge that links the two campuses of University of Benin after series of mishaps,” the source noted.

Meanwhile, the Emir of Kano, His Highness, Alhaji Ado Bayero has expressed satisfaction over the performance of Sanusi since his assumption of duty some years ago.

He gave the commendation while the CBN delegation paid a condolence

visit over the Kano blast last Friday.

The Emir lamented the state of the Nigeria’s economy in the recent past and maintained that the current leadership of the Bank has brought transparency in the financial system and played leading role in building the economy.

The royal father also commended the leadership of the bank on several initiatives in the critical sectors of the economy all aimed at revamping the financial sector.

Ecobank, Oceanic merge services

T

HE operations of Ecobank Ni geria and former Oceanic Bank International have been fully integrated to form the new Ecobank Nigeria. This makes the merged entity, one of the top four banks in the country. Ecobank now has more than 600 branches and 890 Automated Teller Machines (ATMs), the fourth largest network in the country.

A statement from the bank said the rapid pace of integration means that former customers of Oceanic Bank can conduct business in any of the merged branch network. The same applies to all existing customers of Ecobank Nigeria. This operational milestone reached ensures that customers of the merged bank can now use any Ecobank ATM without the payment of transactional fees of N100 usually charged for ATM use.

Commenting on the new single Ecobank branch and ATM network, Jibril Aku, Managing Director of Ecobank Nigeria said: “Ecobank intends to be a major player in Ni-

UBA rewards Diaspora customers

U

NITED Bank for Africa (UBA), and Western Union are putting in initiatives to reward and increase the patronage of its Diaspora customers. Both institutions, have given out $30,000 (N4.8 million), to 18 customers in their End of Year Bumper Harvest Promo draw held at the weekend.

Speaking at the draw in Lagos, Mr Luqman Balogun, Divisional Head, Electronic Banking and Retail Products Directorate, said the bank is concerned about the patronage of its Diaspora customers and is considering far-reaching initiatives aimed at increasing their patronage.

Among the initiatives to be intro-

duced in the next couple of weeks, according to Balogun, are a number of reward schemes for the customers, starting with the just concluded Western Union promotion and a wide-reaching incentive programme.

He said the promo was designed to reward customers who carry out their Western Union money transfer services through the bank.

According to him, the promotion which ran from between October 2011 and January 2012 was an opportunity for the bank to take advantage of the festive period to reward its customers for their loyalty and patronage.

FGN BONDS Amount N

Rate %

M/Date

3-Year 5-Year 5-Year

35m 35m 35m

11.039 12.23 13.19

19-05-2014 18-05-2016 19-05-2016

WHOLESALE DUTCH AUCTION SYSTEM Amount

Price Loss 2754.67 447.80

OBB Rate Call Rate

7.9-10% 10-11%

PRIMARY MARKET AUCTION (T-BILLS) Tenor 91-Day 182-Day 1-Year

Amount 30m 46.7m 50m

Rate % 10.96 9.62 12.34

Date 28-04-2011 “ 14-04-2011

O/PRICE

VITAFOAM NAHCO ETERNAOIL REDSTAREX RTBRISCOE PZ UNILEVER NB GUARANTY ACCESS

3.22 7.50 2.97 2.28 1.12 28.00 29.80 94.10 13.53 5.80

Current Before

C/PRICE

CHANGE

3.38 7.87 3.10 2.37 1.15 28.51 30.30 95.40 13.70 5.86

0.16 0.37 0.13 0.09 0.03 0.51 0.50 1.30 0.17 0.06

SYMBOL

O/PRICE

27.00 1.60 2.60 12.60 45.67 23.04 22.70 8.65 4.03 9.30

C/PRICE

CHANGE

25.65 1.52 2.47 11.97 43.39 21.89 21.57 8.22 3.83 8.84

1.35 0.08 0.13 0.63 2.28 1.15 1.13 0.43 0.20 0.46

Date

450m

452.7m

450m

150.8

08-8-11

250m 400m

313.5m 443m

250m 400m

150.8 150.7

03-8-11 01-8-11

147.6000

149.7100

150.7100

-2.11

NGN GBP

239.4810

244.0123

245.6422

-2.57

NGN EUR

212.4997

207.9023

209.2910

-1.51

149.7450

154.0000

154.3000

-3.04

(S/N) Bureau de Change 152.0000

153.0000

155.5000

-2.30

154.0000

156.0000

-1.96

NSE CAP Index

27-10-11 N6.5236tr 20,607.37

28-10-11 N6.617tr 20,903.16

% Change -1.44% -1.44%

NIGERIA INTER BANK (S/N)

MEMORANDUM QUOTATIONS Name

153.0000

DISCOUNT WINDOW Feb. ’11

July ’11

Aug ’11

MPR

6.50%

6.50%

8.75%

Standing Lending Rate ,, Deposit Rate ,, Liquidity Ratio Cash Return Rate Inflation Rate

8.50% 4.50% 25.00% 1.00% 12.10%

8.50% 4.50% 25.00% 2.00% 12.10%

9.50% 5.50% 30.00% 2.00% 9.4%

Offer Price

Bid Price

9.17 1.00 121.76 98.43 0.76 1.04 0.88 1,642.73 8.24 1.39 1.87 7,313.11 193.00

9.08 1.00 121.62 97.65 0.73 1.04 0.87 1,635.25 7.84 1.33 1.80 7,125.11 191.08

ARM AGGRESSIVE KAKAWA GUARANTEED STANBIC IBTC GUARANTE AFRINVEST W.A. EQUITY FUND THE LOTUS CAPITAL HALAL BGL SAPPHIRE FUND BGL NUBIAN FUND NIGERIA INTERNATIONAL DEB. PARAMOUNT EQUITY FUND CONTINENTAL UNIT TRUST CENTRE-POINT UNIT TRUST STANBIC IBTC NIG EQUITY THE DISCOVERY FUND • ARM AGGRESSIVE • KAKAWA GUARANTEED • STANBIC IBTC GUARANTE

LOSER AS AT 10-2-12

JBERGER BAGCO DIAMONDBNK UAC-PROP CHEVRON OKOMUOIL GLAXOSMITH UBN CHAMPION BERGER

Rate (N)

C u r r e n t CUV Start After %

NGN USD

Parallel Market SYMBOL

Exchange

Sold ($)

CAPITAL MARKET INDEX Year Start Offer

(S/N)

GAINERS AS AT 10-2-12

Amount

EXHANGE RATE 26-08-11 Currency

INTERBANK RATES

Amount

Offered ($) Demanded ($)

MANAGED FUNDS

NIDF NESF

geria, just as our determined growth in other countries has made us one of Africa’s largest financial institutions.”

He said the branch and ATM network is a good example of how the bank can use scale to grow its business. “We are now more accessible, taking service to our customers’ doorstep. Moving into the ‘top four’ is a significant milestone. We are integrating operations across both banks rapidly now and, as we do so, more new services will become available to all our customers,” he said.

Prior to the acquisition of Oceanic Bank in Nigeria, Ecobank had 1,140 branches in 32 African countries, and a presence in Paris, Dubai and London. Ecobank recently received regulatory approval to open in Equatorial Guinea, which will be the 33rd African country when operations begin, expected to be during the first quarter of 2012. Ecobank has made three previous acquisitions in Nigeria: Hallmark Bank, All States Trust Bank, and African International Bank.

DATA BANK

Tenor

Initial Current Quotation Price Market N8250.00 5495.33 N1000.00 N552.20

minimal as many Nigerians can use a mobile phone needed to make mobile payments. Besides, biometrics is being installed in some ATMs and PoS to further check fraud in the industry.

It advised merchants to recognise that there are other ways in which the PoS terminal can benefit them, such as selling other services and earning commissions.

For instance, mobile credit can be sold through the terminals, or it can used to collect bill payment for firms such as the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN). Also training will be provided by the acquirer’s payment terminal service provider (PTSP).

• AFRINVEST W.A. EQUITY FUND NIBOR Tenor 7 Days 30 Days 60 Days 150 Days

Rate (Previous) 24 Aug, 2011 9.0417 9.6667 11.2917 12.1250

Rate (Currency) 26, Aug, 2011 10.17% 11.46% 11.96% 12.54%

Movement

OPEN BUY BACK Previous

Current

04 July, 2011

07, Aug, 2011

Bank

8.5000

8.5000

P/Court

8.0833

8.0833

Movement

56

THE NATION MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012

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NEWS

Police allegedly kill one in Lagos

T

HERE was confusion on the Lagos/Badagry Expressway, yesterday following the alleged killing of an employee of the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) by a policeman attached to the Onireke Police Station.

It was gathered that a crowd which witnessed the killing allegedly burnt two police patrol vehicles and were about to torch the Onireke Police Station when reinforcement came from the Area ‘E’ Command to restore peace.

The deceased, simply identified as Daniel, was in a commercial bus going to Mile Two, when they were stopped by the policemen at a check point in front of Onireke Police Station.

Sources said one of the po-

By Jude Isiguzo

licemen demanded N50 from the conductor, who refused to comply.

The driver of the commercial bus reportedly drove off.

According to eyewitnesses, one of the policemen allegedly shot at the vehicle and hit Daniel, who was seated

at the edge of the first seat.

The bullets hit Daniel in the chest, killing him.

Sources said soldiers from the Ojo Barracks prevented the mob from lynching the policeman.

Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Joseph Jaiyeoba, said an “accidental discharge” from one of

the policemen on-stop-andsearch resulted in the death of the NPA staff.

Jaiyeoba noted that the policeman has been arrested and transferred to the State Criminal Investigations Department (SCID), Panti, Yaba, for proper interrogation and prosecution.

Amosun urged to consult with leaders over council polls

A

PRESSURE group, Ogun Coalition, has urged Governor Ibikunle Amosun not to impose candidates on the electorate in the forthcoming council elections.

The Coordinator of the group, Moroff Kamourudeen, said this in a statement. This followed insinuation that candidates may be imposed on the electorate by the governor.

It urged the governor to allow the wishes of the people to prevail. The group advised the governor not to make the same mistake allegedly made by the PDP administration which imposed unpopular candidates on the people.

It said: “Let him liaise with leaders in each council and seek their opinion and advice in the choice of candidates. Senator Amosun should see himself as

a father to all the aspirants. He should encourage them to sell their manifestos to the electorate before and during the primaries. He should put his experience to bear in the selection of the aspirants.”

The group enjoined the leadership of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) to follow due process in selecting standard bearers in the local governments.

Ondo varsity teachers kick against tenure elongation From Damisi Ojo, Akure

A

COLD war is brewing between members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA) in Ondo State and the institution’s Acting Pro-Chancellor, Mr. Dan Nwanyawu, over alleged attempt by the latter to elongate his tenure.

The union, in a statement issued in Akure, the state capital at the weekend, passed a vote of no-confidence in the acting prochancellor.

According to ASUU, Nwanyanwu, who doubles as the National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP), has been acting as a pro-chancellor for more than two years following the absence of the substantive pro-chancellor, Mr. Erastus Akingbola, a former Managing Director of Intercontinental Bank.

A communiqué signed at its emergency congress held on October 31 last year by the union’s chairman, Dr. Busuyi Mekusi and assistant secretary, Dr. T.O. Agoyi, had explained that the body took the decision consequent upon what it called the flagrantly abuse of the provision for a six-month acting capacity.

The teachers alleged that the LP chairman had consistently undermined the agreement the union entered into with the government to revamp universities in Nigeria.

The communiqué reads: “While some university councils are implementing the contents of the agreement to attain greater academic productivity, Nwanyanwu has demonstrated that he is committed to bastardising the gains garnered by forefathers of AAUA. “He has also conducted the affairs of the council with absolutism, as he deliberately isolated internal members of the council from decision-making processes, thereby undermining and vitiating the integrity of the council through falsehood.

“Even though the visitor to AAUA, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, has been called upon, through a letter dispatched to his office on November 22 last year to rescue the council from draconian imperatives, potent but empty arrogance and palpable ineptitude, it is worrisome that such a call has attracted a culture of costly silence.”

Firm workers beg Lagos Safety Commission to reopen premises

E

MPLOYEES of the Industrial Metalising and Packaging Company Limited (IMPCO), Matori, Lagos, have pleaded with the Lagos State Safety Commission to reopen the company’s premises sealed-off last Wednesday.

They said the accident leading to the death of their colleague was unfortunate and should not be attributed to occupational health or safety or even environmental lapse or laxity by the management.

They sent condolences to the family of the deceased and prayed that God should grant it the fortitude to bear the loss, noting that such sad incident had never occurred since the company was established in 1985.

The employees said there are safety procedures clearly spelt out in the factory’s safety rules and instructions contained in the handbook, adding that these include operations of safety devices and appliances.

They said they are losing a lot in terms of wages as the majority of them are breadwinners.

The Maintenance Manager, Samuel Akindayo, said the machine was in good condit ion; hence it was a mystery that the late Miss Okon (a packer) was involved in an accident leading to her death.

THE NATION MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012

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NEWS NURTW chief seeks probe of violence on Lagos Island

Fayemi signs N88b budget

N

E

KITI State Governor Kayode Fayemi at the weekend signed the N88.8 billion Appropriation Bill into law.

The governor had on December 22, presented a N98.992 billion estimate to the House.

He later represented another N88,828 ,351,795.25k to work with the “economic reality of the new year”.

The new estimate was, however passed on Thursday by the lawmakers.

Signing the budget, Fayemi said the previous estimate was “an ambitious budget that entrenches the thrust of the eight-point agenda”, but was flawed in that there was a lopsided support for capital projects rather than recurrent expenditure which could not meet the needs of workers.

Fayemi said the downward review was made in view of the economic challenges and the commitment of his administration not to make the budget a paper thing but a realistic framework for the rapid development of the state in line with his promise to the people.

•Fayemi (right), Omirin and the Assembly Clerk, Mr. Tunde Famoyegun at the signing of the Bill...at the weekend From Salaudeen Sulaiman, Ado-Ekiti

His words: “However, in the course of that exercise, the reality of our economy dawned on us and we felt that in line with our pledge not to just have a budget on paper that we needed to review the estimate presented to the House of Assembly which I am glad has now been passed and signed into appropriation law by me.”

Acknowledging that his administration was on a threshold of history, Fayemi prom-

ised not to renege on the promise that it has made to the people that the budget would be that of delivery.

He added that he was aware that all eyes were on his administration and he would not leave any stone unturned to ensure effective implementation of the budget.

The governor praised the lawmakers not only for the timely passage of the budget, but also putting in place a tracking system for its proper implementation of the budget.

He, however, urged members of the executive council to do their best in ensuring strict compliance with the budget plans; stressing that there is no room for laxity even as the House of Assembly did not “pad” the budget.

Speaker Adewale Omirin, had earlier said the Appropriation Bill underwent all necessary legislative procedures with proper scrutiny by standing committees of the House that were overseeing the activities of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of government.

Group calls for judicial solution to Kogi crisis

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GROUP, the Vanguard for Peace and Democracy (VPD) has called on all parties to the political crisis in Kogi State to return to the court for an interpretation of the Supreme Court judgment declaring illegal the tenure elongation for some governors.

The group, in a statement jointly signed by its Chairman, Mallam Mohammed Isa and Secretary, Ayo popoola, said no one, including the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) or its Chairman, Prof Attahiru Jega has the powers to interpret the law.

It argued that the court still

By Eric Ikhilae

remain the bastion of hope in the defence of the rights of the oppressed and the rule of law.

VPD wondered why INEC, being a public institution, allegedly colluded with some terrestrial powers to impinge the authority of the Judiciary, particularly the Supreme Court.

It said: “We are shocked that the judgment of a constitutionally recognized and well constituted authority like the Supreme Court, which was written in plain English language, could be misinterpreted and flagrantly violated for alleged selfish purposes.

“The election into the office of Governor in Kogi State ought to have been conducted in April 2011 in accordance with Section 30 of Electoral Act 2010 (as Amended). Since this was not done, last December’s election cannot be said to have complied with the stipulations of the Act and the Constitution,” it argued.

The group contended that Section 178 (2) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) provides that “An election into the office of Governor of a State shall be held on a date not earlier than 60 days and not later than 30 days before the expiration of the term of office of the last holder of that office.”

It argued that this may have informed the position of the Supreme Court that the tenure of the incumbent Governor of Kogi expired in May 2011 and that the seat of governor had become vacant, even though no election was conducted before the expiration of that tenure contrary to Section 178(2) of the Constitution.

“Though INEC issued a notice of election within the prescribed time sometime in January 2011, the election was conducted on December 3, 2011, a period of six months after the expiration of the term of the last holder of the office.”

ATIONAL Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) President Alhaji Usman Najeem Yasin has urged law enforcement agencies in Lagos State to investigate the cause of incessant crises on Lagos Island.

This, he said, will ensure the arrest and prosecution of those behind “the lawlessness and continuous destruction of lives and property on the pretext that they were NURTW members.”

Yasin was reacting in a rejoinder to reports that his members were behind last week violent crisis in Lagos Island.

NURTW boss said those causing crisis in Lagos were not members of the union as being speculated.

“Lagosians are aware that those responsible for the

By Eric Ikhilae

wanton destruction of live and property in the state were not NURTW members, but third party agents (thugs) recruited by some interest groups to tarnish the image of the union as well as disrupt the on-going transformation of the union,” he said.

Yasin reiterated the commitment of the union’s leadership to redeem the image of the organisation. “The union will no longer tolerate any act of gangsterism perpetrated against innocent members”.

He reaffirmed the union’s decision to ban Alhaji Rafiu Akanni Olohunwa and Musiliu Akinsanya (leaders of two warring factions), from participating in any union elections.

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PUBLIC NOTICE GOOD SUCCESS GOSPEL CHURCH INTERNATIONAL (a.k.a Achievers Chapel) Notice is hereby given to the general public that the above named church which is based in Delta State has applied for registration at the Corporate Affairs Commission, Abuja under part ‘C’ OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT, 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. Apostle Luther Godwin Okechukwu 2. Pastor Helen Nekpen Okechukwu 3. Hon. Russell NgoziChukwuka Onyia 4. Jerome Nnamdi Uzor 5. Pastor Sylvester Mfon Uwe Isangedighi AIMS AND OBJECTIVES · To preach the gospel of the lord Jesus Christ worldwide by every scriptural means. · To train, ordain and license ministers for the work of the gospel. · To provide facilities and services for whole-person health care (i.e. caring for the totality of man-body, mind and spirit) to those who need (HOLISTIC HEALTH CARE PROGRAMME) Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to the Registrar General, Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420, Tigiris Crescent, off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja, within 28 days of this publication.

Signed: JOSEPH P. ETIM ESQ.

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THE NATION MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012

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THE NATION MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012

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www.thenationonlineng.net

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012 TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM

VOL.7, NO. 2035

WHO SAID WHAT ‘Since the CBN did not make any donation to the victims and the dependants of the hundreds of innocent people who had been murdered by the dreaded sect, Mallam Sanusi should be sanctioned for the diversion of public funds through the illegal donation.’

FEMI FALANA

C OMMENT & D EB ATE EBA

S

OMETIMES when we contemplate this democracy, we fear the wrong things.

We fear being out-rigged. We fear being misgoverned. We fear that the huge resources in this land will burst at the seams and everything, as always, will end up as a tragic anticlimax. We seldom focus on power as circus, which is the bottom of it all.

One recent event, the show of power in Bayelsa State, focused the nation on how power can bring out our sense of false ceremony. The President, Goodluck Jonathan, like an autumnal leaf in temperate zones, came out in true colours. It was the formal introduction of Seriake Dickson as PDP’s candidate for governor. President Jonathan opened a chapter about which he had professed ignorance and impotence. It was on the subject of the PDP primaries and the cold shoulder towards former Governor Timipre Sylva. He had shown cold shoulder towards governors, towards traditional leaders and host of other intercessors.

The man had said he wanted the party to do its thing, and that he knew nothing about what happened to the tall, lanky former chief executive of his state. On the stage, before national television, President Goodluck Jonathan was not interested in working in the shadows anymore. He wanted to bare the tooth and fang behind Sylva’s ouster as PDP candidate. It was himself.

He let the world know that he was the man behind it, and seemed to strut like a cock in those confessions. He explained why he led the plot against Sylva, and explained that he did not perform as governor. He also noted that a hotel he started was not finished. Sylva responded that Jonathan left the project at second floor, and he (Sylva) took it to the 18th floor and questioned Jonathan’s integrity about how much he paid the contractor, adding that the contractor is building his house for the president.

All of that made drama in the past week, and the Presidency has flailed and failed in parrying Sylva’s punches.

Impolitic as the theatrics was, what riled the common conscience was the President’s reference to stones. Some persons had pelted stones at Sylva at an event in which the president was present. Less than two weeks ago, Jonathan cautioned Dickson that if he does not perform as governor, he would join the people in stoning him. The turn of speech was unexpected. I tried to picture the president, adorned in the Niger Delta hat, among irate youths, his right hand aloft above his neck, hurling a stone. I did not want to accept it because it hinted at executive hooliganism. He probably did not mean the language in its raw manifestation of rage. He is not the type to pick up a stone.

So, you would say, he meant it as meta-

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No reason other than GREED and ‘LONG THROAT’

SAM OMATSEYE

IN TOUCH

intouchsam@yahoo.com 08054501081(sms only) •Winner, Informed Commentary 2009& 2010 (D.A.M.E)

Circus show

•Jonathan

phor. That would be giving Jonathan a loftiness he or his lieutenants have never invested him with. He is not a poet, nor a man enamoured of metaphors. The last time he tried to use such images, he denied ever being a part of it. He said he was not a lion…If, for the sake of playing the devil’s advocate, we accept that he was trying to wax metaphoric, he was a victim of what some literary critics call mixed metaphor. So it did not work. If the event that inspired it was real, how come his extension of it can be called metaphoric?

The stoning of Sylva was real, so his desire to stone Dickson could not be described as metaphoric.

If it were, how did he expect the crowd – mainly low-line, subaltern, ordinary folk with simple understanding of language –to see beyond that literal meaning? A man who

uses metaphor must understand context. You don’t throw metaphors at fishermen and mechanics. Jonathan just fell victim to another unforced error in public speech. It is in line with other grandiloquent gaffes to which his public career, especially as president, has been prone in the couple of years.

Speeches like that are out of sync with the cathedral dignity of the Presidency. His speech is meant as models, not phrases of putrefaction. They should ennoble, not incite to violence, especially in the tempestuous setting of the Niger Delta. He should inspire, not obfuscate. He should sedate and not berate loosely.

The part that touched me most was the show of power. President Jonathan seemed to relish his show of power over Sylva, and that ostentation was what seemed to have missed most commentators. What I saw was the vanity of power. It is the circus show we have seen through the short life of this democracy.

It is a sort of zero-sum game of ostrich where the man in power forgets that power is trust and should be handled with humility.

Jonathan will not be in power forever. He should know that someday in future, both he and Sylva could meet on the streets. Both of them would have been stripped of the glory in which they preened. We have seen too many examples, but our leaders have learned and forgotten nothing.

It was like yesterday when former President Olusegun Obasanjo seemed to live forever on the throne. He duelled with his deputy, Atiku Abubakar. Both of them seemed to be unflappable in public. They rode in the high places of the world. They were the glamour faces of power and costumes of cockiness. Today, both men cannot control anything except by feeble influence. They are, in a manner of speaking, yesterday’s men. Obasanjo has to write a letter to Jonathan or travel to Abuja to meet the President. Suddenly time has edged

his Ota Farm out of the headlines.

A friend told me that Yakubu Gowon was sighted asking somebody to help him with his luggage at an airport. This was the man by whom Nigeria was defined once: Go On With One Nigeria. Ditto Shagari. In fact, Jonathan did not grant the entreaties of these two men when they interceded on behalf of Sylva. Sonekan, who took over power not to spoil anyone’s fun, did not enjoy much fun before he was ousted.

We all know about Ibrahim Babangida, who ruled this country for nearly a decade.

He determined presidential candidates.

Since this republic, he has tried to be president, but he has not been able to secure a place as presidential candidate.

Not long ago, we saw the story of Obasanjo and former Ekiti governor Ayo Fayose. The Ekiti man was once OBJ’s poodle. In fact, with Obasanjo behind him, he was able to restrict the movement of another governor visiting his state. Later, he turned Fayose into his footstool. I recall Fayose moaning in the interview about the vanity of power. He said a man who sleeps in the comfort of a bed should have a mat because someday he would need it.

Obasanjo was the peacock then, a peacock without beauty.

But when both of them left power, Fayose unleashed words after words on his former master and Obasanjo’s response or non-response was tepid. Both men now know that power is transient.

A man like Napoleon loved power and he thought he would possess it forever. “Power is my mistress. I have worked too hard at her conquest to allow anyone to take it from me,” he said. He did not get his wish.

That is how it feels on the throne. I have seen this all over the country, and our people whether governors, local government chairmen, commissioners, ministers or presidents live so large that they almost abolish God. I was in Europe the other day and saw a former governor in a line waiting to clear his papers for his trip. It was a humbling moment. Our leaders should learn from a former British leader, Harold Macmillan, when he described power as a Dead Sea fruit.

“When you achieve it, there is nothing there.”

The presidential system imbues a president with a lot of power. But as Chekhov noted in his play, A Cherry Orchard, a giant should not use power as a giant. Shakespeare crooned: “man, proud man, dressed in a little brief authority…make angels weep.”

Obasanjo, Fayose, IBB and a whole lot of others now understand how pruned their powers are today. Everyone eventually does.

So will the people in power today.

VIEW FROM ABROAD

A

NEW image of Nigeria’s president has emerged in the first month of this year.It is not that of the ever-smiling and reluctant leader many Nigerians had taken him for over the past three years.

The President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan we knew was the man who - on being accused last year of having no clues about how to deal with the country’s myriad problems - retorted that he could not be an army general spraying orders.

Today the President in State House at Aso Rock in the capital, Abuja, is no longer unaware that he is, indeed, the commander-in-chief of Nigeria’s armed forces.

The First Lady, Patience Jonathan, must have privately celebrated this new-found confidence in her darling.

Labour unions and civil society groups were taken aback when, after a week of a nationwide strike against the petrol price hike, they were suddenly confronted by this emerging President Jonathan.

Like everybody else, they only heard on the radio the president’s announcement that he had unilaterally reduced the increase by half.

We may not know what pressure was mounted on the unionists behind the scenes but they meekly came off their high horse and accepted the new price.

There was outcry of “a sell-out” against them

Nigerian brinkmanship from a large part of the striking workers and market leaders - and many of them expressed determination to continue the strike the next day.

But unknown to Lagos residents, soldiers had been deployed everywhere in the city before dawn to ensure there was no public gathering of any kind.

No-one dared stand up to this public display of a newly oriented President Jonathan.

While the strike drama was unfolding, the police arrested an Islamic scholar - alleged to be the mastermind of the Christmas Day bombing of a church not far from Abuja.

And they bungled it almost immediately: The suspect escaped from their custody; there was a sense of outrage across the country.

Within a week President Jonathan uncharacteristically demonstrated his anger at this apparent police inefficiency.

He fired the head of the police force and installed a successor.

Not a few Nigerians marvelled at the speed at which the president acted after the escape of the alleged bomber.

Boko Haram terrorists operating in the North are as murderously active as they have been since last year.

The sophistication of their armoury is improving by the day - and the mobility of their foot soldiers deftly defy security and intelligence agencies.

Apparently in exasperation, President Jonathan said last year that Boko Haram members or sympathisers had penetrated into all arms of the government.

But since then the President has not been able to tell Nigerians how deep the penetration is - or to announce the arrest of any such fifth columnist in any part of government.

So with the terrorists remaining secure in the corridors of power, the collapse of Nigeria into anarchy may be only a matter of time.

Many Nigerians have expressed the opinion that cleaning up the country’s security agencies is easier said than done - because they are cesspits of corruption.

The rot in the government can only be removed by a reformed and clean police.

Worse still is the general public perception that the president’s cabinet is not as clean as it should be - as shown by the stories seeping out of the investigations by the National Assembly, itself not clad in shining armour.

•Culled from BBC

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