The Nation may 13 2011

Nigeria’s truly national newspaper

News Akala, Ajimobi in letters’ war over minimum wage P11 Sport Odemwingie not West Brom’s best, says Reid P41 Business GTBank planning $500million five-year bond P2 http://www.thenationonlineng.net

VOL. 6, NO. 1758 FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

TR UTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM TRUTH

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Mob attacks Jonathan’s convoy in Uganda One shot dead in anti-Museveni Inauguration Day protests

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RESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan was yesterday caught in the web of the political crisis in Uganda.

One person was shot dead as police retaliated after missiles were thrown at the vehicle Jonathan was travelling in, on his way to the airport. He was returning to Abuja from Kampala after attending the inauguration of President Yoweri Museveni for a fourth term.

After 25 years in power, Museveni last February won a fourth term of five years amid protest over the outcome of the poll by opposition leader Kizza Besigye.

Besigye’s return home from Kenya where he went for treatment after being attacked by the police coincided with Museveni’s inauguration.

Police fired teargas and live bullets at protesting supporters of Besigye, who thronged the Entebbe Airport. They also used water canon to scatter the protesters.

“As they came past, protesters threw stones (and) smashed some of the windows,” of the cars in Jonathan’s convoy, according to the satellite television station Al Jazeera, which

added: “When police moved in to disperse those protesters, somebody was shot.”

Apart from Jonathan, seven other heads of state and government from Ethiopia, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia and South Sudan attended Museveni’s inauguration.

“The crowd was dispersed by police and soldiers. They fired tear gas and water canons and chased people away with sticks,” the report added. Soon after, however, Besigye’s supporters regrouped and continued a march toward the capital.

Yesterday’s ceremony marked Museveni’s fourth swearing in as Uganda’s president, after promising in 2001 to retire from politics.

According to official results from February’s election, Besigye, 55, won 26 per cent of the vote. Museveni, 62, took 68 per cent.

But Besigye’s Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) said the results were falsified, and that both candidates received just under 50 per cent of the vote, an outcome that would have required a runoff.

Museveni accused the opposition of trying to spread chaos in response to its loss in the election, saying that he

•President Jonathan (right) with Congolese President Joseph Kabila (centre) and Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi in PHOTO: STATE HOUSE Kampala ... yesterday.

planned to introduce constitutional amendments that would see bail prohibited for certain charges, including rioting and economic sabotage.

Besigye and other opposition politicians had been re-

leased on bail after recent protest-related arrests.

Besigye, who was Museveni’s personal physician, went to Kenya to treat the injuries he suffered from a series of demonstrations

against rising food and fuel prices, which left at least five people dead.

He was first taken to a hospital in Kampala at the end of April after Ugandan police smashed the windows of his

car and sprayed him with tear gas in an incident caught on camera. He was then transferred to a Nairobi hospital.

Continued on page 2

Bankole: N10b loan spent on running cost •Bankole

Speaker in desperate search for bailout

STORY ON PAGE 2

•SPORTS P23 •SOCIETY P29 •AGRIC P35 •SHOPPING P43 •BRANDS P47

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THE NATION FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

NEWS Southwest PDP to back Obasanjo’s man for Speaker

Mob attacks Jonathan’s convoy in Uganda

From Ernest Nwokolo, Abeokuta

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Continued from page 1

Besigye’s drive along the 20-mile (35 kilometer) route from the airport into Kampala took several hours along a road line with security forces.

Police spokeswoman Judith Nabakooba said authorities wanted Besigye to use a different route but that he refused.

“They have inconvenienced many people, including those supposed to catch their flights,” she said.

Besigye over the last month has been leading “walk to work” protests over the rising cost of food and fuel and government corruption.

•Ugandan soldiers chasing away opposition leader Kizza Besigye’s supporters during their protests in Kampala ... yesterday.

PHOTO: AFP

Bankole: N10b loan spent on running cost

‘

Some of us have suggested to the House leaders to let us send a delegation to President Jonathan, the Minister of Finance and the CBN Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, to bail us out.

From Yusuf Alli, Managing Editor, Northern Operation, Abuja

•Bankole

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HAT happened to the N10billion loan obtained by the House of Representatives?

It was spent on running cost, Bankole yesterday told his colleagues.

Outgoing House members may face difficulties in collecting their outstanding two months salaries as the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission yesterday placed all banks under watch against “curious loans”.

The Speaker pleaded with his colleagues to give him till next Tuesday or Wednesday to source for funds from a bank for the outstanding salaries and claims.

The Nation learnt that the Executive Session on the controversial N10billion loan was tension-soaked. The Speaker, who was reportedly sober, explained how the

loan was obtained to “meet increasing running cost”.

A source at the meeting said: “The Speaker told us how the loan was obtained to meet increasing running cost of the House and members.

“From the briefing, the House leadership started borrowing in 2010 to meet up with its running cost. We also realised that when Dino Melaye Group raised the alarm last year on the floor of the House, it was armed with facts and figures on the financial position of the House.

“Notwithstanding, Bankole went into details on how members benefited from the running cost, including some seasonal allowances paid to members.

“He also said that he decided to obtain the loan after due consultations with the House leadership and the Clerk to the National Assembly.

“Although he did not follow the right procedure by not bringing the loan matter to the floor, like the case dur-

ing the tenure of ex-Speakers Umar Ghali Na’aba and Aminu Bello Masari, members were mostly worried on how their salaries will be paid.

“The Speaker also explained why the House found itself in this mess of not paying salaries for two months. Having discovered that Bankole and 259 other members of the House lost their re-election bid, the official banker of the House (UBA) decided to withhold all allocations to offset the loan.”

Responding to a question, another member at the session said: “From the analysis given by the Speaker, the N10billion loan was already padded into the 2011 budget of the House, which the Presidency has declared as unimplementable.

“With the stalemate over budget and President Goodluck Jonathan’s resistance of grey areas, like the padded N10billion, we all knew that we are in a fix over our outstanding two-month salaries.”

’

A returning member of the House, who also spoke in confidence, said: “At a point, the Speaker became moody, following persistent enquiries from members. He paused for some moments, became moody and asked for a glass of water.

“He later asked members to give him till next Tuesday or Wednesday to pay their outstanding salaries. He said the House has abandoned its banker (UBA) of 12 years and opened negotiation with Intercontinental Bank Plc for a bailout.”

“The Speaker also went a step further to plead with Dino Melaye and Independence Ogunewe, who are leading the probity agitation, to take it easy.

“With most members’ accounts in the red as a result of the just-concluded elections and many not coming back, they decided to give Bankole a chance to live up to his promise of paying all the outstanding salaries and allowances. How Bankole will achieve this feat; we are waiting for the magic.”

“The understanding of members led to a two-sentence statement from Bankole to show to the world that everything was in order”.

But, it was learnt that the House may be in for serious trouble – financially – with the CBN and the EFCC warning banks against granting “curious loans”.

It was gathered that the two institutions have been monitoring all banks and trying to isolate which of them will grant over N10billion now.

A source in EFCC said: “We have placed all the banks under watch; we won’t allow any last-minute facility without due process.

“We are doing this surveillance in collaboration with the CBN. We are monitoring all financial transactions of the House in view of the latest controversy.

“We cannot allow any bank to go under. What loan will the House be asking for? Who will pay?”

An influential member of a committee in the House said: “Some of us have suggested to the House leaders to let us send a delegation to President Jonathan, the Minister of Finance and the CBN Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, to bail us out.

“We have to eat our vomit or else we cannot get all our outstanding salaries and allowances.”

GTBank plans $500million five-year bond

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UARANTY Trust Bank Plc is planning to launch a $500 million five-year bond, with price talk at a yield of 7.75 percent, banking sources told Reuters yesterday.

Reuters listed JPMorgan and Morgan Stanley as Lead managers to the bond.

GTBank issued a $350 million bond in 2007, which matures in January 2012. The bond has a coupon of 8.5 percent and is yielding 4.8 percent.

Nigeria issued a $500 million debut Eurobond earlier this year. The 10-year bond is yielding 6.1 percent.

GTBank had made history

•Standard Bank interested in Nigerian bank in July 2007 at the London Stock Exchange (LSE) with the listing of its $750 million Global Depository Receipts (GDR), which was oversubscribed by 15 per cent.

Earlier in January 2007, its $350 million Regulation Eurobond, issued without the guarantee of either the Federal Government or any international financial institution was also oversubscribed.

The listing of the $750 million GDR was the first of its kind to be undertaken by any Nigerian bank. A third of the offer, amounting to US$250

million was offered to Nigerian investors while the balance of US$500 million was available to foreign institutional and individual investors.

The GDR is a negotiable equity security held and traded in international capital markets; it gives issuers exposure to the global market outside their home market.

The Nigerian tranche of the GDR offering was a unique vehicle aimed at providing Nigerian investors with the opportunity of purchasing a

dollar-based international investment. Dividends on the GDR holdings was made in US dollars.

Menwhile, South Africa’s Standard Bank has expressed an interest in buying one of the nine Nigerian banks rescued by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) last year, the head of Standard’s Nigerian unit said.

The rescued banks are Intercontinental Bank, Oceanic Bank Plc, FinBank Plc, Bank PHB Plc, Afribank Nigeria Plc, Equitorial Trust Bank, Union Bank of Nigeria Plc and Spring Bank Plc. Others, which have

since recapitalised are Unity Bank Plc and Wema Bank Plc. CBN had asked for potential bidders to register their interest in the troubled banks by mid-December to test the appetite for acquisitions as the regulator looks to reshape Nigeria’s banking landscape.

“I can confirm that we registered interest with the central bank to buy one of the Nigerian banks,” said Chris Newson, chief executive officer of Stanbic IBTC, a subsidiary of Standard Bank.

“We think there is a more opportunity in Nigeria and so we are exploring either organic or acquisitive growth,” he added.

ORMER President Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday hosted a meeting of Southwest Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leaders at his Abeokuta Hiltop mansion where they resolved to back Ajibola Muraina, (Ibarapa, Federal Constituency, Oyo State) for House of Representatives Speaker.

The position is zoned to the Southwest.

Yesterday’s decision may have ended the ambition of Hon. Mulikat AkandeAdeola, a woman PDP legislator representing Ogbomoso/Ola Oluwa Federal Constituency, who is believed to be interested in the job.

“We want to sustain the growing national character of our party; we want to share power out of Lagos.”

The Abeokuta meeting, according to sources, unanimously agreed to present Muraina as successor to Bankole, who lost his re – election bid to Mr. Segun Williams of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).

“His experience in the legislature, lobbying and politicking will be come handy for him. He will not just be learning the rope,” a source said.

At the meeting were exGovernors Segun Agagu (Ondo), Olagunsoye Oyinlola (Osun) and outgoing Oyo State Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala and his deputy, Taofeek Arapaja. The party’s governorship candidate in Ogun, Chief Adetunji Olurin, his running mate, Tunde Oladunjoye and Lagos State governorship candidate Dr. Ade Dosunmu also attended.

Others include the Ogun State chairman of the Daniel/Sambo Campaign Organisation, Joju Fdairo, Director General Segun Sowunmi, the Chairman of Omo Ilu Foundation, Buruji Kashamu, former Lagos State Deputy Governor Rafiu Jafojo and former presidential Adviser on Women Affairs, Mrs Titi Ajanaku. Ogun State Governor Gbenga Daniel was absent.

National Vice Chairman (Southwest) Alhaji Tajudeen Oladipo declined comments on the outcome of the meeting.

•Obasanjo

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

THE NATION FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

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NEWS

•Participants at the oil and gas training workshop in Port Harcourt, Rivers State…yesterday

PHOTO: NAN

NLC President cautions against increasing electricity tariff

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IGERIA Labour Congress (NLC) President Abdulwahed Omar on Thursday cautioned the Electricity Regulatory Commission against increasing electricity tariff.

In a statement, Omar lamented that the cost of electricity had continued to rise with plans to review it upward

before the end of the month.

He said it was worrisome that over the years, consumers had been subjected to illegal charges on meter maintenance, in addition to high tariffs.

Omar also urged President Goodluck Jonathan to tackle the problem of high cost of governance.

“The cost of governance has continued to weigh down the national economy. The president needs to take urgent step to address the issue of the remuneration of political office holders.

“Our legislators and elected public officers’ pay must reflect the reality of the average earnings in the

economy,’’ he said.

Omar said that the National Salary Incomes and Wages Commission should do the fixing of salaries for political office holders to ensure that the guidelines used for all public sector employees were used.

He said it was pertinent to tackle the issue of corruption, pointing out

House’s N10b used to fund ‘members’ recklessness’

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FTER Wednesday’s stormy session, the House of Representatives was quite yes-

terday.

The members patched up in a closed session (executive session) before coming out for their plenary.

Speaker Dimeji Bankole, who is at the centre of a N10billion debt owned the House bankers, said he had explained himself to members at the executive session.

A source said the loan was used to finance ‘members’ recklessness”.

The session was held behind closed doors, with only the lawmakers in attendance.

Bankole was not in the House on Wednesday when the issue came up.

He was mandated to come for plenary yesterday.

Hon. Dino Malaye, who along with the five others, was recalled from suspension recently blew the lid on the debt, saying it is why the House has not been able to pay members salaries and allowances for two months.

Before yesterday’s session began, it seemed hell would be let loose in the House.

Emotion were high as early comers met in groups apparently to strategise on how to deal with the allegations.

The noise died down when Bankole entered around 11.30 am.

The Speaker quickly read the prayer and announced: “I have read and approved the votes and proceedings of Wednesday May 11”.

He asked Chairman, House Committee on Rules and Business, Hon. Ita Enang, to propose that the House move into a executive session.

Hardly had Enang ended his proposal than some members shouted “No way, No Executive session.”

Bankole ignored the protest, say-

From Onyedi Ojiabor, Assistant Editor

ing: “What is discussed at the Executive session will be reported”.

Melaye sprang from his seat and moved towards Bankole in a bid to rally members not to give in.

At plenary, Bankole noted that “the House met in an Executive session to discuss issues and matters pertaining to the House.”

He said: “The Speaker offered satisfactory explanation on all issues discussed,” adding that the emoluments of suspended members were being worked out.

His question whether what he announced were true reflections of what transpired in the closed session was greeted with a deafening “nay.”

When he put it to vote, though there were dissenting voices, he ruled that the “ayes have it.”

A source told The Nation that Bankole reminded members that they agreed that the controversial loan “should be rolled over to the next fiscal year.”

The loan, the source said, “was used to fund members’ financial recklessness.”

He added that the House’s resolution to collapse all appropriated votes last year affected its financial standing.

Findings also showed that members agreed that there was “nothing personal about the loan.”

Shedding more light on what transpired at the closed session at a briefing, Enang said: “On Wednesday you are aware that issues were raised on the floor of the House and when we came in this morning (yesterday) the House decided by resolution that it should go into Executive Session to discuss the issues.

“We went into Executive session and the Honourable Speaker offered detailed and satisfactory explanation to members on the situation in the House.”

On members’ remuneration, Enang said after the explanation by Bankole “we discovered that it is only a temporary hitch arising from normal banking transaction. So the Speaker and the leadership are working harmoniously with our bankers to resolve the issues.”

“On the issue of our members who were suspended and/or withdrew their cases from the court, the House reaffirmed the resolution that we earlier took that they should be paid immediately. Steps are being taken to ensure that that resolution is complied with, he added.”

Enang went on: “I am sure that a lot of people and the whole country may have been waiting, perhaps, to see the House break up or open its doors in rancorous session. I’m sure you will be impressed and shocked at the harmony and smiles on the faces of members and the absolute relief members had after listening to the explanation of the Honourable Speaker and the leadership.

“Therefore, all domestic issues that seemed to have eaten up the House have been resolved and any issue that is still outstanding is being resolved and addressed.”

He said: “There is no financial mess in the House. There was the allegation of an individual taking a loan from the bank and the principal officers said they were not aware of such loan.

“Today, there was clear appreciation that no individual took any loan.

Therefore, the principal officers were right to have said that they were not aware. The allegation was baseless

that it had continued to hold back the nation from having any meaningful development.

“It is sad that as endowed as we are with human and natural resources, everything appears to be like a curse because of corruption,’’ he said.

Why fighter jet crashed, by Air chief From Uja Emmanuel, Makurdi

•Bankole

because it was discovered that there was no individual loan.”

Asked whether the House planned to sanction Melaye for ‘misleading’ the House, Enang said there was no such plan.

He said: “Any matter between the National Assembly and any bank is taken as domestic banking transaction between a customer and a bank and we are working harmoniously with our bankers to have any issue resolved. Members have shown clear understanding.”

Bankole, he said: “answered every issue that was raised and we were satisfied with his explanation.”

On whether Bankole took any corporate loan, he said he was not in a position to confirm or deny that.

Asked how much the House borrowed from banks, he said: “I have not admitted any thing about borrowing. All I have said is that the financial situation as it relates to a bank and its customer is being treated as a domestic matter between the bank and its customer.”

Bankole, he said, did not take any individual loan.

THE Air Officer Commanding, Tactical Air Command of the Nigeria Air Force(NAF), Makurdi, Air Vice-Marshal (AVM) Gabriel Edeola yesterday spoke on Wednesday’s crash of an Air Force Jet He said the senior pilot asked the two trainee pilots on board to disembark for their safety.

Receiving Governor Gabriel Suswam, who led a delegation to commiserate with the officers and men of the command , Edeola explained that the decision was arrived at when it became clear that the Jet could not be controlled.

Edeola, who said he had visited the scene of the crash praised the spirit of cooperation exhibited by the Benue community during the incident, adding that nobody died.

According to him, the NAF Base, Makurdi has been enjoying the cooperation from the Suswam administration in the past four years.

Suswam said he was at the NAF Base to condole with them over the air mishap.

The governor, who advised men of the command not to be demoralised by the accident praised the Federal Government for the acquisition of the latest model fighter jets for the training of young pilots.

He assured the command of the state government’s continuous support.

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THE NATION FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

NEWS Parties reject Senate rule

Power my greatest priority, says Jonathan •President: I will promise less and deliver more T

From Sanni Ologun, Abuja

THE Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), an umbrella body of all registered parties, yesterday rejected the proposed amendment to the Senate Standing Rule (Order 97 (f) designed to exclude first term lawmakers from contesting for the positions of principal officers.

Its National Chairman Chief Emmanuel Okereke, described the move as undemocratic.

Okereke said allowing the rule to pass would give credence to the allegation that the Senate President, David Mark, has bought over Senators in his attempt to retain his post.

Okereke, who is also the National Chairman of the African Liberation Party (ALP), said all Senators should be allowed to run for office as it would demonstrate that competence is the watchword in the nation’s quest for credible leadership.

He said: “My take is that every Senator should be allowed to run for whichever office in the Senate, unless somebody is proving the allegation that money has exchanged hands for the amendment to pass.

“It is time we show that the legislature is truly independent from the executive by not allowing the obnoxious attempt to pass through.

“Why don’t we say that for someone to be President of this country that person should have been vice president or chief justice?

“Please every lawmaker should be given equal opportunity.

The National Chairman of the African Renaissance Party (ARP), Alhaji Yahaya Ndu, described the move as a continuation of business as usual and an attempt to rubbish democracy.

Yahaya said it was better to have a patriot that is a first timer in the Senate than to have a technocrat without the interest of the nation as his priority.

HE President yesterday re-affirmed his administration’s commitment to regular powers supply.

In a statement on his Facebook page, President Goodluck Jonathan said: “The elections are over but I intend to build trust between the government and the governed by keeping commitments I made. Recall that I had a refrain during the campaignsPromise less, Deliver more.

It remains a principle this administration intends to live by and the Vice President and I are acutely aware of the needs of Nigerians having visited all states during the campaigns.

“In our analysis of your

From Gbenga Omokhunu, Abuja

needs, we determined that power was of the highest priority in the scale of preference of Nigerians, thus it is also our highest priority.

“For instance, Vice President Namadi Sambo, on behalf of the Federal Government was at the Sapele Power Plant on May 6 for an onsite supervision of progress and the Federal Government is determined that two of the four turbines at that station have been completed and are ready to contribute 451 megawatts of electricity to the Na-

‘In our analysis of your needs, we determined that power was of the highest priority in the scale of preference of Nigerians, thus it is also our highest priority’ tional Grid while work on the remaining two continues on schedule for an August completion.

“Before then, he was at the

MINISTERIAL PRESS BRIEFINGS

INEC seeks review of Electoral Act •Cross River lawmakers-elect get certiticates of return

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• Lagos State Commissioner for Youths, Sports and Social Development Prince Ademola Adeniji-Adele (right) at a press briefing to commemorate the fourth-year of Governor Babatunde Fashola at the Press Centre, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos...yesterday. With him is his Permanent Secretary Junaid Kamoru

Elected officials challenged on good governance

By Eric Ikhilae

THE Lagos State branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), has urged those elected in last month’s polls to ensure good governance and accountability.

Its Chairman, Chijioke Okolie, said adherence to principles of good governance and accountability by political office holders and decision makers was germane to societal growth and development.

Okolie spoke in Lagos while unveiling the association’s plans for this year’s edition of NBA Lagos’ annual Law Summit, scheduled for May 16 and 20 with the theme: “Governance and accountability: The role of lawyers”.

He said the event to be chaired by former Supreme Court Justice Adesola Oguntade would feature experts, who will address issues affecting the nation’s critical sectors.

Olorunsogo Power plant on May 5 again on behalf of the Federal Government to assess work on the ongoing Phase 11 Combined Cycle Power Sta-

tion Project and the Federal Government is satisfied that it will be possible to inaugurate this project within six months and inject an additional 750 megawatts into the National Grid.

“These activities are to let Nigerians know that the plans I unveiled on August, 26 last year, when I launched the Roadmap to Power Sector Reforms are on track and that under my leadership, the Federal Government will deliver results and not activity hence my vow to you to promise less and deliver more so help us God.”

• Lagos State Tourism and Intergovernmental Relations Commisioner Senator Tokunbo Afikuyomi also briefing the press on Governor Fashola’s fourth year anniversary at the Press Centre, Alausa, Ikeja... yesterday. With him is Mr. Ashamu Fadipe, Permanent Secretary

O deepen democracy, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) chair Prof. Attahiru Jega yesterday called on the National Assembly to review grey areas of the Electoral Act. Jega made the call in Calabar, Cross River State. It was during the presentation of certificates of return to winners in last month’s general elections.

He said: “There is need to take a second look at the electoral Act 2010 as amended.

“There are certain grey areas in the Electoral Act which need to be reviewed in order to strengthen the democratic process,’’ Jega said.

He promised Nigerians that the 2015 elections would be better than these of last month.

“The elections and processes leading up to them were by no means perfect as there is nothing perfect in life.

“You will, however, agree with me that it is one of the best elections this nation has ever experienced. We have learnt lessons and 2015 elections we pray will be better still,’’ he said.

Jega, represented by Mrs Thelma Iremiren, INEC National Commissioner, Southsouth, described the elected lawmakers’ victory as a triumph for democracy.

He urged the 36 legislators-elect to render essential service to the people and give their best when they assume office on May 29.

Earlier, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mr. Mike Igini, said there were some imperfections in

From Kunle Johnson, Calabar

the elections, promising that INEC would develop the process for the benefit of the people.

He said the commission would help to redefine the electoral processes to ensure meaningful and purposeful democracy.

“We also hope that the public and the stakeholders will learn from the lessons of these elections to develop the electoral process,’’ he said.

Igini called on the public and stakeholders to work together for a new electoral template that could build the nation.

“We observed that in our quest to get it right, the people must agree to work together to bring about a new electoral template that we can build on from time to time so that those who are elected must respect the people because respect for the people is always the beginging of leadership,’’ Igini said.

He said there were eight petitions tribunal, seven are for the House of Representatives and one senatorial seat.

Replying on behalf of others, Senate Deputy Leader Victor Ndoma-Egba, representing Central Senatorial District, praised INEC for conducting one of the best elections in the country.

He said a virile opposition was healthy for democracy.

According to him, having a virile opposition will enhance and elevate our democracy.

PHOTOS: OMOSEHIN MOSES

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NBA condemns N5m compensation to ‘NYSC 10’ families

HE Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) yesterday condemned the payment of N5million compensation to families of the 10 Corps members killed in the post-election violence in Bauchi State.

Its President, Mr Joseph Daudu (SAN), made this known in his key note ad-

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By John Austin Unachukwu

dress at the opening of a conference organised by the West African Bar Association (WABA) at the New Chelsea Hotel, Abuja.

He said: “The President, a major beneficiary of the general elections in which the slain corps members lost their lives only on Wednes-

day, offered each family the paltry and indeed undignifying sum of N5million.

“I don’t know what the sum represents, but it appears to me an insulting response from the Federal Government. Even as a palliative, such a figure reflects the low premium or value placed on Nigerian lives.

For us,we are certain that this is a matter the Nigerian courts must address.”

Daudu urged the government to go beyond condemnations and panels in dealing with those involved in the killings in the North. He said: “There are laws in our statute books that make it an offence for lives to be taken

unlawfully by fellow human beings. Those laws must be enforced in our criminal courts and people responsible for the dastardly, cruel, barbaric acts brought to justice. Too many times, innocent Nigerian blood has been shed for no reason at all.”

THE NATION FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

5

NEWS

Lawyer seeks abrogation of NYSC scheme N Ibadan lawyer, Oluwole Aluko, yesterday began legal proceedings to abrogate the compulsory National Youth Service Corp (NYSC).

A Federal High Court sitting in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, has fixed Wednesday for the commencement of hearing in a litigation by Aluko against President Goodluck Jonathan and the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke (SAN), on the killing of corps members in the North.

Aluko is claiming that the NYSC decree of 1973 contravenes the provisions of the 1999 Constitution; African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights; and the United Nation Universal Declaration on Human Rights.

He urged the court to determine the following: .Whether the NYSC Decree of 1973 is consistent with section 34(1) (a) (b) and (c) of

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•Lagos NYSC boss kicks From Oseheye Okwuofu, Ibadan

the 1999 Constitution, which gives citizens the right to personal dignity; freedom from inhuman and degrading treatment, slavery or servitude; and freedom from forced or compulsory labour. .Whether the provision of section 34 (2) (e) (111) is applicable to the NYSC, considering the fact that the scheme is not an educational institution. .Whether the NYSC, which every Nigerian graduate below 30 years is called upon to serve without guarantee for safety of life of the corps members at their places of primary assignment, is consistent with the provision of section 33 (1) of the 1999 Constitution that guarantees the right to life of every person. .Whether the call to serve,

without liberty of choosing the place of primary assignment is consistent with the provision of section 35 (1) of the 1999 Constitution that confers the right to personal liberty on individuals. .Whether forcing graduates to participate in the scheme is a violation of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights and Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations, of which Nigeria is a signatory. .Whether the provision of section 12 (1) of the NYSC Decree, which states that there cannot be employment anywhere in the federation for a graduate except he produces a discharge or exemption certificate issued by the NYSC Directorate, is not an act of compulsion. .Whether the violation of

the provisions of the 1999 Constitution confers right on citizens to seek redress in court, with regards to section 1 (1) and (3), which states that the constitution is supreme and binding on all authorities and persons.

Lagos NYSC Coordinator Mr. Ladipo Laniyan kicked against scrapping the scheme.

Laniyan urged the tiers of government to identify and tackle issues that led to killing of the corps members.

He said: “I believe we are looking in the wrong direction by calling for the scrapping of the scheme, which was put in place 38 years ago to achieve some set objectives.

“We should look critically into the remote and immediate causes of the violence, rather than scrap the scheme.

“The problem that gave rise to the violence was purely political and has to be addressed once and for all.

“If you scrap the scheme, how are you sure that the same thing would not happen again to other innocent people?

“Government should look at ways of stemming the riots and killings.

“It is sad that people want the NYSC, which has contributed to national integration and development, scrapped. It has undermined the achievements of the scheme over the years.

“People are entitled to their opinions, but the fact that we have continued to have misunderstanding among the various ethnic groups in the country emphasises the relevance of the scheme.”

Laniyan praised the performance of corps members in the April polls and urged the government to introduce self defence training into the NYSC orientation programme.

He also urged the government to strengthen security agencies to be able to check violence.

Ondo ACN regroups From Damisi Ojo, Akure

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HE Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Ondo State yesterday said it is repositioning itself for the 2012 governorship election in the state.

In a statement, ACN Director of Media & Publicity, Gbenga Akinmoyo, said the party is more determined and betterequipped to win the 2012 election.

He said: “As the curtains gradually lift on the race for the 2012 governorship election, the political intrigues have commenced in earnest.

“We are fully aware of the antics of the mischiefmakers and their attempts to create discord within the otherwise harmonious members of the ACN family.

“We assure our supporters that the ACN remains dedicated to the collective corporate objective of bringing Ondo State within the realm of ACN governed states through the electoral process.”

Row over unpaid Corps members’ allowances From Ernest Nwokolo, Abeokuta

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•Persons displaced by the post election violence waiting for relief materials at the Maraban Jos in Kaduna…yesterday

HE National Youths Service Corps (NYSC) and Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday traded blames over delay in the payment of allowances of batches B and C corps members, who served as ad-hoc staff during the April polls in Ogun State.

About 1,600 corps members are yet to receive their allowance of N28,000 each.

Ogun State INEC Administrative Secretary Ebenezer Fakorede said the commission has paid the money to the NYSC Headquarters, Abuja, and does not know why the corps members had not been paid.

State NYSC Coordinator Goodwill Onokue blamed the delay on inaccurate data given to the Corps by INEC. Onokue said: “Over 90 per cent of them had been paid.

We got bogged down by inaccurate and confusing data sent to us by INEC. We have names of non-corps members and students on the list they sent to us. We have to sift the chaff from the grains. That is what is delaying the payment.”

PHOTO: NAN

LAUTECH students seek reduction of fees

UNAD VC to focus on human development

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HE newly appointed Acting Vice Chancellor of the University of Ado-Ekiti (UNAD), Ekiti State, Prof. Emmanuel Adelowo, yesterday pledged to focus on human development.

Adelowo, until his appointment, was a professor of Comparative Religious Studies and the most senior professor in the university.

He became a professor 23 years ago.

Adelowo told reporters that his administration would concentrate on students’ welfare and infrastructural development.

He said: “Human development is very important.

When no one lives in a house, it will dilapidate fast.

When you have a computer, human beings are needed to operate it. That is why I think I should start with human capital development.

“I want to see to the wel-

•Students hail ex-VC’s sack From Sulaiman Salawudeen, Ado-Ekiti

fare of students and ensure that peace reigns in the university. My administration will try its best to train job creators, not job seekers.

“We want to have a new look at the academic sector and ensure that students are not trained to end up as job seekers.”

The Joint Campus Committee of the National Association of Nigerian Students

(JCC/NANS), in conjunction with the Students’ Union Government of UNAD, endorsed the removal of the former Vice Chancellor, Prof. Dipo Kolawole, by the State Government.

The students debunked rumours that they were protesting Kolawole’s removal.

JCC/NANS Chairman Akogun Oluwaseun said the sack was a progressive move aimed at repositioning the institution. He thanked Governor Kayode Fayemi for reducing UNAD’s tui-

tion fee.

Fayemi on Wednesday approved the removal of Kolawole; the Vice Chancellor of The University of Education, Ikere Ekiti, (TUNEDIK), Prof. Akin Ogunlade; and that of the University of Science and Technology, Ifaki-Ekiti, (USTI), Prof Oye Bandele.

The Provost of the College of Education, Dr Titilayo Ogunmola, was also replaced with Prof. Francesca Aladejana of the Faculty of Education, Obafemi Awolowo University, IleIfe, Osun State.

Fayemi mourns Katsina-Alu’s wife

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KITI State Governor Kayode Fayemi has commiserated with the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Aloysius Katsina-Alu, on the death of his wife, Mrs. Victoria Mimi Katsina-Alu. In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media, Mojeed Jamiu, Fayemi said: “To say that her death is tragic is an understatement. “Definitely, Mrs. Katsina-Alu

has created a big vacuum in the life of her husband.

“Many things happen in life that we have no answer to, but we take solace in the fact that Mrs. Katsina-Alu lived a good life and has gone back to her creator.

“We pray to God to give her husband and other members of the family the fortitude to bear this great and irreparable loss.”

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HE National Association of Osun State Students (NAOSS) in Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, has congratulated Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola on the emergence of Senator Abiola Ajimobi as Oyo State governor-elect.

The students urged both of them to reduce LAUTECH’s tuition fee.

In a statement by NAOSS President, Babatunde Olanrewaju, the students

lauded Aregbesola on his stand on the joint ownership of the school and were hopeful that Ajimobi’s victory would put an end to the ownership crisis.

They urged Aregbesola and Ajimobi to correct several anomalies that have affected the smooth academic calendar.

They also sought the reinstatement of 17 expelled predegree students and the Students’ Union, which was proscribed by the school’s authorities.

Madam Aborisade for burial From Damisi Ojo, Akure

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RS. Elizabeth Oluwakemi Aborisade, nee Aina, mother of the Punch correspondent in Ondo State, Mr. Sunday Aborisade, will be buried today.

She died on February 16. She was aged 90.

The funeral service will hold at St. John’s Anglican Church, Etan-Ekiti, Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State, by 12 noon.

Interment will follow immediately at Aborisade’s compound.

6

THE NATION FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

NEWS

Yakasai to Jonathan: steer clear of Senate politics on zoning

Rainstorm destroys N15m property in Plateau From Yusufu Aminu Idegu, Jos

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ROPERTIES estimated at about N15 million have been destroyed by rainstorm in Kawam village, Basa Local Government of Plateau State.

It was gathered that the rain began about 6pm on Tuesday and lasted several hours.

Musa Sambo Gondina, a House of Assembly member-elect for Pengana Constituency, has visited the community.

He said: “The disaster is unfortunate and a major setback for the development of the locality.

“At least, 20 residential houses were destroyed. Apart from that, government property, including a primary school, a secondary school and the only clinic in the community, were destroyed.

“The disaster has left a major challenge in the area because the peasants affected are not in a position to rebuild their destroyed houses unless the government comes to their aid.

“I therefore call on the Plateau State Government to move in immediately and assist the people to enable them recover from the loss. The worst aspect is that their foodstuffs were washed away.”

Gondina also urged the state Universal Basic Education (SUBEB) to help renovate the destroyed school buildings to enable the students to continue academic activities.

‘No going back on speaker for Southeast’

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HE Coordinator-General, South East Revival Group, Chief Willy Ezugwu, yesterday insisted on the Speakership of the House of Representatives for the region.

He warned politicians from the Southeast that anyone who agreed to serve as Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) would kill the Igbo political class and the future of the region.

Ezugwu was reacting to reports that former Minister of Foreign Affairs Chief Ojo Maduekwe was being considered as the SGF in the incoming federal cabinet.

The Save Nigeria Group (SNG) chieftain said he initially ignored the reports but later saw the danger of the suggestion becoming a reality.

In a statement in Abuja, Ezugwu said: “The Southeast people have made it clear right from the onset that the

From Gbenga Omokhunu, Abuja

least they will settle for is the Speakership of the House and are even interested in the Senate presidency. So, how can people now begin to try foisting the position of SGF on Igbo people when they know that the office means nothing in the present democratic arrangement in the country in terms of the powers derivable from that position?

“The Igbo people must have at least one of the four power positions in this country. President and Vice President are already taken. That leaves Senate presidency and Speakership, so it has to be one of the two. If this does not happen there is the danger of one not knowing what the reactions of the average person on the streets of the Southeast will be, they have suffered enough humiliation of being turned into minorities.”

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HE Special Adviser on National Assembly Matters to former President Shehu Shagari, Alhaji Tanko Yakasai, has advised President Goodluck Jonathan to distance himself from the politics of the Senate in line with the principle of separation of powers.

Yakasai, who spoke with The Nation in Kano on sundry national issues, condemned the resolution of the Senate to bar new senators from holding principal offices.

He said Senators Evan Ewerem, Chuba Okadigbo, Pius Ayim Pius, and Adolphous Wabara were fresh senators when they became Senate president without consideration for their experience as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the President are proposing.

Reacting to reports that the

President and PDP have endorsed some individuals as the Senate principal officers, Yakasai described the move as “selfish, undemocratic and unconstitutional”.

He said: “I will advise President Jonathan not to involve himself in the internal affairs of the National Assembly, because it is not proper for the executive to interfere in the affairs of the legislature.

“If Dr Jonathan takes side with the old senators, it will be a bad omen because the new senators, who form two-third majority, may revolt and make things difficult for him.”

Condemning the PDP for returning to zoning, the octogenarian insisted that any power sharing deal should

reflect federal character and equity between the two dominant religions.

According to him, this will give every Nigerian a sense of belonging and unify the country.

Yakasai said: “I will like to state that the President and PDP have no business in telling members of the National Assembly where A or B or C should come from. I am not happy that I read in the papers that the PDP is zoning the Senate Presidency to the Northcentral and Deputy Senate Presidency to the Southeast, because this decision was made with certain individuals in mind.

“In my opinion, it is wrong for any individual or party or government to make any law or policy or arrangement with an individual in mind. This is against the interest of the country; it is

counter-productive, undemocratic and capable of impacting negatively on the unity and harmony of this country.

“The way the zoning of the Senate Presidency and Deputy Senate Presidency is being touted about by the PDP is indicative of the fact that the party is scheming to install Christians in the Senate leadership.”

He praised the Federal Government for constituting the panel on the post-election violence in some parts of the North, saying it would avert future occurrence.

Yakasai urged the government to ensure that the recommendations of the Sheik Ahmed Lemu-led panel are not treated like those of previous panels, whose findings never saw the light of day.

•Chairman, Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, Senator Jibril Aminu (left), with the Acting Nigeria High Commissioner in South Africa, Mr Bassey Archibong, at the state lounge of the Tambo International Airport, after the committee members’ arrival in South Africa for an oversight visit...yesterday

Aliyu blames ignorance for Shariah misconception

High bread price hits Bauchi From Austine Tsenzughul, Bauchi

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READ, a staple food, is getting out of the reach of Bauchi State residents.

The Nation gathered that the rising price of the commodity has been linked with the prices of baking ingredients, among other factors.

Secretary of the state branch of Bread Bakers Association of Nigeria Alhaji Ibrahim Mohammed said the price increase became imperative because of the like in the prices of ingredients.

He said: “The ingredients include flour; yeast; sugar; baking powder; baking fats; firewood; water; some other ingredients and the overhead costs.”

Giving a breakdown of the baking items, Mohammed said: “A bag of flour has moved from N5,000 to N7,000; sugar is now N10,000, instead of N8,000; and so are other things. We are appealing to the authorities to do something about the price hike of the commodities now that the elections are over.”

Residents of Bauchi and its environs have resorted to taking akamu, a traditional pap made from maize, because of the high cost of bread.

From Kolade Adeyemi, Kano

From Jide Orintunsin and Justina Asishana, Minna

•Aliyu

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IGER State Governor Babangida Aliyu yesterday attributed the misconception about the Islamic legal system, Shariah, on lack of sufficient enlightenment by its executors.

Shariah was introduced in

some parts of the North in 2001 amid criticisms from some quarters.

Aliyu said when the law was introduced in Zamfara, Kebbi and Niger states, non-Muslims said it advocated the cutting of limbs instead of seeing it as an integral part of Islam.

The governor spoke in Minna, the state capital, at an interactive session with stakeholders on the proposed Niger State Shariah and other laws.

He said there was need for the public to be educated on the law and how it operates

before its implementation.

Aliyu said: “Initially, when Shariah started, it was done in such a way that people saw it in bad light. What they saw then was cutting of the hands when you steal; flogging when you fornicate; not knowing that what it stands for is to follow the way of Allah and doing the right thing. You need to educate the people before talking of cutting off the hands.”

He said the purpose of the interactive session was to enable the Law Reform Commission to get input on an acceptable Shariah legal system in the state.

The Attorney-General

Bawa Wuse said some issues led to the adoption of Shariah, adding that questions about the status of the Islamic legal system necessitated the meeting of the stakeholders.

He urged the stakeholders to examine the law and come up with ideas on how to make it suitable for the state’s need.

Some of the areas to examine are Shariah the Penal Code; Shariah criminal procedure code law; Shariah code law; High Court (Amendment) law; the Advisory Council on Prerogative of Mercy law; and the Court of Appeal law.

Tribunal worker accuses Kwara security of alleged assault

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WORKER at the National Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal in Ilorin, Kwara State, Adetoro Saka, yesterday accused some people, suspected to be security personnel attached to the Government House, of assaulting him.

He claimed he was assaulted when he served an order by the tribunal at the Government House, Ilorin.

Saka said he was there on the tribunal’s order vide a motion ex-parte moved by

From Adekunle Jimoh, Ilorin

the counsel to the petitioner to paste the court processes on the gate of the Government House.

But the bailiff alleged he was prevented from pasting the order and also assaulted by some of the security officers attached to the Government House.

The petitioner and Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) candidate for Kwara Cen-

•Govt: it’s not true tral Senatorial District, Dr Yahaya Oloriegbe, obtained the order of the tribunal on May 10 to serve the respondent, Governor Bukola Saraki, of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) via substituted means.

The order was signed by the tribunal Chairman and Secretary.

Oloriegbe is challenging the declaration of Saraki by

the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the winner of the election.

In an affidavit deposed to at the High Court Registry, Ilorin, entitled: “Affidavit as to not allow me to paste court processes”, Saka said he was accompanied to serve the order by two of his colleagues, simply identified as Mr John and Alhaji

Ali. The affidavit was silent on Saraki.

Saka said he could identify two of the security officers who allegedly assaulted him, adding that they were a mobile policeman and another man in mufti.

He said: “We told the security officers and showed them the said order with the signature of the chairman of the tribunal. Yet, they did not listen to us.”

The government yester-

day denied the allegation, saying its security officers did not commit the said offence.

In a statement by the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice Kamaldeen Ajibade, the government said: “The attention of the Kwara State Government has been drawn to a false statement in circulation on the alleged assault on a court bailiff in front of Government House.”

THE NATION FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

7

NEWS

Boy kills mother in church W

HY will a boy kill his mother?

This is the question the police and residents are battling to answer, following an incident at the Chapel of Glory Church International on Isiuwa Street, Off Ugbowo-Lagos Road, Benin, Edo State.

The suspect is a 29-year old man, Ovie Abraham Orunuwen, who allegedly killed his mother, Comfort, who was from Ozoro in Delta State.

Mother and son were heard praying and ringing the church bell.

Their belongings, including travelling bags, voters cards, photographs and clothing, were found inside the church.

The suspect said he killed his mother because the devil entered into her.

His words: “I killed her so that I would be beaten very well. Do you know why all what I said is happening, it is because Jesus said ‘say the truth and the truth shall set you free.’

“My father is a pastor. The people of my town do not believe in God. She is already in hell fire. I will not pray for forgiveness.

“I killed her with my hands. Life will end today, but they say I am a false prophet. We were praying for God to forgive our enemies. I wanted to remove her head.”

A resident, who pleaded for anonymity, said he heard a noise and somebody crying inside the church and the bell ringing.

Parishioners of a church in Edo State and the police are trying to unravel why a boy killed his mother writes Osagie Otabor

Medical accreditation restored

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HE Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) has restored accreditation of the medical programme of the Igbinedion University, Okada, Edo State.

The council had withdrawn the accreditation last year, leading to a protest by medical students, who disrupted the institution’s convocation.

In a letter by MDCN Registrar Dr. A.A Ibrahim and addressed to the Vice Chan-

From Osagie Otabor, Benin

cellor, Prof. Eghosa Osaghea, the council said: ”Following the re-accreditation visitation to your College of Health Sciences on April 12

by MDCN team in which the facilities and personnel in the College and Teaching Hospital were inspected and appraised, I hereby on behalf of the Council convey the lifting of the withdrawal sanction on your MBBS programme with immediate effect.”

CBN cash withdrawal policy faulted From Clarice Azuatalam, Port Harcourt

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HE Trade Union Congress (TUC) in Rivers State has said it would not accept the date fixed by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for the implementation of the policy on the limit for cash withdrawal from banks.

In a statement in Port Harcourt yesterday by Chairman Chika Onuegbu, the group also rejected the penalties on defaulting banks, describing them as “obnoxious”.

The statement reads: “We recognise the need for a cashless society but reject any attempt to stampede us through extortion and unrealistic target dates.

“We wonder how the CBN arrived at the target and high penalty, considering the high level of illiteracy in the country, low level of banking population and porous e-banking system.”

He appealed to the CBN and the Federal Government to reverse the policy and focus on policies that would address poverty and unemployment.

• Orunuwen...yesterday From Osagie Otabor, Benin

“That is how they pray in the Church so we didn’t bother to go and find out what was happening,” he said.

The pastor, Daniel Oghe, said he received a call at about 2am that somebody was shouting inside the church but that he didn’t believe it because the church was locked.

His words: “I came this

morning and saw that the church was locked but somebody was shouting inside.

“I went to the police station to lodge a complaint and was called that a boy had thrown a dead body out of the church.

“I don’t know the boy.

From the way the boy is talking, he is from the Ozoro branch.

“She might be the wife of the pastor of the branch. They

passed through the window.

They don’t attend my church here at all.”

Some family members said the suspect had always troubled his mother.

They also claimed that when the deceased said she wanted to attend a vigil with her son, they advised her not to go because the church would not be opened.

Police spokesman Peter Ogboi confirmed the incident and the suspect’s arrest.

ASUU in court over sacked VC

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HE Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Ambrose Alli University Ekpoma chapter has said it would seek a court interpretation on the sacking of the Vice Chancellor, Prof Sam Uniamikogbo.

ASUU had last week given the government a sevenday ultimatum to recall

From Osagie Otabor, Benin

Uniamikogbo.

In a communiqué yesterday by its chairman, Sunday Ighalo, the body said it decided to seek the interpretation since there were conflicting views on the sack.

The communiqué said ASUU will work with the acting Vice Chancellor .

Cross River to build 5,000 shops From Kunle Johnson, Calabar

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HE Cross River State Government is collaborating with the Blue Waters Development Company (BWDC), to build 5,000 shops at the International Market, Calabar.

The Commissioner for Special Projects, Bassey Ekefre, made this known yesterday, at a meeting with Market Traders’ Association and stakeholders.

Ekefre, represented by the Special Adviser to the governor on Special Projects, Clement Akwaji, said government also plans to pursue a financing strategy based on raising equity through sales of shops.

According to him, the shops will be given to the traders on mortgage conditions by the developing partners.

Oil and gas summit in Akwa Ibom

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•Delta State Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan (middle); Chairman, Warri South Local Government Mofe Edema (right) and the representative of the Commissioner of Police, Isyaku Barau at the commissioning of an administrative block built by the local government.

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By Musa Odoshimokhe

eral might against him.

He said: “It was an election won overwhelmingly but I was denied victory.

“We are prepared to deny Dr Uduaghan’s jittery government its quest to cover up its electoral sins by confusing and inviting federal might to suppress us without a justifiable cause.”

Duku said the alleged plan

by Ogboru to cause disaffection in the state through the use of militants is false and was orchestrated by Shuaibu

Phrank, a non-Deltan.

He said: “We wish to warn Dr Uduaghan’s consultants to thread carefully.

“Government must be about the people. The governor should also check himself to know why the people rejected him twice.”

Duku reiterated that Ogboru remains committed to the rule of law.

This, he noted, is espoused in his exemplary antecedents which are in consistence with democratic norms.

“He has vowed never to

From Kazeem Ibrahym, Uyo

of the initiatives of the government to create awareness on how the citizenry could take advantage of the opportunities in the industry.

Akpabio said to create greater harmony between oil companies and host communities, the government had established an exco-committee to facilitate the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between companies and their host communities .

MOSOP faults Auta’s appointment From Bisi Olaniyi, Port Harcourt

Ogboru decries campaign of calumny EMOCRATIC Peoples Party (DPP) governorship candidate in Delta State Chief Great Ogboru has said he will not succumb to “the campaign of calumny by Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan.”

Ogboru was accused of instigating militants against Uduaghan.

But, speaking through his Media and Publicity Committee officer, Efe Duku, Ogboru said it was cowardly, suppressive and condemnable for Uduaghan to use fed-

TAKEHOLDERS in the oil and gas industry yesterday gathered for the first Akwa Ibom oil and gas submit.

The summit was declared open by Governor Godswill Akpabio.

Akpabio said the theme, “Harnessing the Oil and Gas Potentials of Akwa Ibom State – Opportunities and challenges”, was apt and in line with the policy thrust of his second term vision.

He said the summit was one

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•Ogboru

never to allow a usurper occupy a seat that rightly belongs to him therefore, no intimidation and blackmail will stop this.”

HE Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) has condemned the appointment of Justice Ibrahim Auta as the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court (FHC).

Jutice Auta headed the judicial panel that sentenced former MOSOP leader, Ken Saro-Wiwa, and nine others to death in 1995.

In an online statement yesterday by its Press Officer, Sunny Zorvah, the group said Auta’s appointment brought to fore, the continued recycling of individuals, whose activities epitomised rights abuses and injustices of the past.

MOSOP said: “By allowing such persons who epitomised injustice in our recent past, whether in the police, army or the judiciary, to continue and even to progress in these institutions, we appear to have shown callous insensitivity to the victims of such injustices.

“MOSOP believes that one means for achieving national reconciliation is the flushing out of our system, institutions and all persons that are sad reminders of the dark days of injustice.”

8

THE NATION FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

NEWS Jonathan to visit Kwara next Tuesday From Adekunle Jimoh, Ilorin

PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan will next Tuesday commission the Kwara State University (KWASU), its Vice-Chancellor Prof.

AbdulRasheed Na’Allah has said.

Prof Na’Allah spoke with reporters yesterday at the university’s campus.

He said government must put in place the necessary machinery to forestall a reoccurrence of such killings.

He also commended Jonathan for compensating families of youth corps members killed in the North.

The vice chancellor said: “The violence was uncalled for. It is sad. It is barbaric and a sad story for Nigeria.

The security networks should be solid enough to protect the people of Nigeria.

“Though demonstrators must be allowed to ventilate grievances, but that must never be allowed to turn violent.”

He commended President Jonathan for supporting the deceased youth corps members’ families with a compensation of N5 million each.

The university, initiated by the Governor Bukola Saraki administration, is located in Moro Local Government Area in the Northern axis of the state. It commenced academic session in 2010.

The vice chancellor said that the institution will use the opportunity of the President’s visit, to sell the new university to the entire world.

His words: “We want the President to know that we have a world-class university here. We want Nigerians to begin to regard university as agents of development at the grassroots. Through his visit, the world will know about KWASU. It will attract attention to us.”

He said arrangements had been concluded to make the president’s visit an historic one.

Best Western The Island Hotel is hotel of the year A MEMBER of the world’s largest hotel chain, Best Western The Island Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos, has emerged as the winner of the City People’s Hotel of the Year award.

The award was presented to the hotel as part of the foremost celebrity magazine’s yearly event, usually organised to reward individuals and institutions that have excelled in their various fields.

In a letter notifying the hotel of its nomination, the Publisher/Editor-inChief of the magazine, Mr. Seye Kehinde, said the hotel was chosen because of “its remarkable performance” since it began operations.

Receiving the award, the Managing Director of the hotel, Ms Toyin Dada, said the feat will spur the management to further raise the bar in the delivery of service to its wide range of clientele.

Activists urge ICPC to probe Bankole’s N10b loan

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HE Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), yesterday urged the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC), to probe the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, over the alleged mismanagement of a N10 billion loan.

In a petition by its Executive Director Adetokunbo Mumuni, SERAP said the matter must be investigated.

The group’s petition reads: “According to our information, the leadership of the House of Representatives

•Petitions anti-corruption agency

By Tajudeen Adebanjo

took out a N10 billion loan allegedly without consultation with the members. The money is reportedly missing or cannot be accounted for. “As a result, members’ remunerations remain unpaid. The official bank of the House, United Bank for Africa (UBA), had reportedly withheld the second quarter allocation of all 360 members of the House and the emolument of the 11 re-admitted legislators, owing to the indebtedness. Some members of the House interviewed

by SERAP, said that they were told by the bank where the salaries of members were domiciled that the money for House of Representatives allowances had been paid by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), but because the House was indebted to the bank, it refused to pay the entitlements. It is also alleged that some principal officers of the House collected the loans without the consent of members.

“SERAP is seriously concerned that the fresh allegations are coming against the

background of previous allegations of corruption, including the purchase of vehicles at N2.3 billion by the House of Representatives in 2008.

“We are seriously concerned that the above allegations constitute grave breaches of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Act of 2000; the Public Procurement Act 2007, and the UN Convention against Corruption which Nigeria has ratified. Specifically, the UN Convention against Corruption requires states parties, including Ni-

geria, to promote integrity, accountability and proper management of public affairs.

“Moreover, states parties must take measures to preserve the integrity of accounting books, records, financial statements or other documents related to public expenditure and revenue and to prevent the falsification of such documents. The Convention also prohibits the abuse of functions or position, and imposes clear obligations on Nigeria to investigate allegations of corruption such as the present one; prosecute suspected perpetrators and ensure return and repatriation of proceeds of corruption.”

Harry Akande: Mark’s choice as Senate President okay From Gbenga Omokhunu, Abuja

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• Enugu Zonal Sales Manager of Literamed Publications Ltd Mr. Tony Uche (left) presenting text books to the chairman Enugu PHOTO OBI CLETUS State Library Board, Sir Charles Udeh in Enugu... yesterday

How to avert religious crisis, by clerics

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ELIGIOUS leaders and the Consul-General of the American Embassy in Nigeria Joseph Stafford yesterday offered solutions to religious crisis in the country.

They agreed that adherents of Christianity and Islam must promote the unity of the country.

The clerics spoke at an interfaith forum, organised by the Public Affairs Section of the American Embassy, in conjunction with the Lagos State Ministry of Home Affairs and the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC). The co-chairman of the Lagos State chapter of NIREC, Dr. Saheed Timilehin and the Lagos State Commissioner for Home Affairs, Mr Babatunde Balogun, accused the late leader of the al-Qaeda network, Osama bin Laden of mixing politics with re-

•‘Osama mixed religion with politics’

By Olukorede Yishau, Assistant Editor (News)

ligion.

Stafford said religious harmony was not negotiable.

He said: “We need not be defined by our differences, but rather be defined by the common humanity we share.”

Balogun, Timilehin and the National Missioner of the Ansar Ud Deen Society of Nigeria, Sheik AbdulRahman Ahmad, urged clerics to use their influence to unite the society and not divide it.

Timilehin, in his paper entitled: The dynamics of inter and intra-religious dialogue said: “In pre-modern situations, exclusivism was possible. It was easy to limit interaction and dictate codes of living in accordance with a

prescribed standard inherited by the community. The reality of modernity, however, is that we no longer live in ‘encased’ world where we can determine what happens and what does not. Increased interaction, greater access to information and social and economic interdependency has imposed upon us a new social structure.”

On bin Laden, he said: “The acclaimed perpetrators of the 9/11 heinous act, in a deliberate act to cloak their political motives with religious sentiment, declared that the Muslim world was at war with the Judeo-Christian world...the shrewd politician attempts to recruit innocent Muslims into his totalitarian ideology through a radical rethoric that is symptomatic of a pathology within many

sub-groups who claim exclusive truth among various religious traditions.”

Balogun urged Nigerianyouths to shun wrong indoctrination, saying that any religious leader, who preaches disharmony should not be followed.

Stafford lamented the crises which the country has had to contend with.

The Consul-General said: “Nigeria...has suffered tragically over the years as a result of religious intolerance, discrimination and conflict.

It is, therefore, our collective responsibility to work together to resolve what can appear to be seemingly intractable religious problem in this Africa’s most populous nation.”

He urged religious leaders to always condemn violent exremism, promote religious understanding and use religion as a catalyst for peaceful co-existence.

HE former All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) Board of Trustee Chairman and member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Harry Akande has expressed satisfaction over the decision of the party hierarchy to allow incumbent Senate President David Mark to continue in office for the next four years.

Such development, Akande said, would ensure stability in the business of legislation at the upper chamber.

According to a statement issued in Abuja by his media aide, Olusola Ayanwale, Akande said that the success of the Senate and speed of work under the leadership of Mark, superseded any in recent times. Akande noted that Mark’s era eradicated power rancour and envy in the chamber, as well as engaged all members across political parties to focus on the primary assignment of delivering quality service to the people.

He also said that Mark’s doggedness and experience in office as the leader of the highest legislative organ in the nation over the years was commendable, adding that such leadership is desirable for the sake of continuity and progress.

He further stated that the Senate as an institution of government, has operated with utmost maturity and best conduct, thereby churning out quality legislation under Mark’s leadership.

According to him, such leadership is desirable for the grooming of the newly elected and incoming senators for the good of the nation.

The billionaire businessman said the Senate under Mark has been a blessing to the country.

NANS wants CPC leaders arrested over comments

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HE National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), yesterday called for the arrest of the National Chairman and the Legal Adviser of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Prince Tony Momoh and Abubakar Malami, over their recent comments on the post-election violence.

From Osagie Otabor, Benin

NANS said the duo of Momoh and Malami should be made to explain their roles in the crisis because according to them, the violence that erupted started from the campaigns.

The National President of the association, Jude Imag-

we, stated this in a chat with reporters in Benin City.

He said: “NANS is demanding the arrest of the chairman and legal adviser of the CPC over that position.

Let them come and explain their roles because the violence that erupted started from their campaign. Every party should be able to tell

their candidates the languages they should use during campaigns.

“What triggered the postelection violence was because the person who told them to vote for him lost and he has told them to react if he loses.

And the legal adviser came up to justify the killings.”

The NANS president said

that getting justice for the slain corps members will serve as a deterrent to other persons that will want to wake up tomorrow and take the laws into their hands.

He also enjoined President Goodluck Jonathan to focus on power, education and security as his new administration kicks off May 29.

THE NATION FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

9

NEWS

Abia passes 2011 Appropriation Bill

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HE Abia State House of Assembly has passed the budget.

Addressing reporters in Umuahia, Deputy Speaker and Chairman, House Committee on Information, Allwell Asiforo Okere, said the House increased the budget from N80.2 billion to N85.9 billion.

Okere said Governor Theodore Orji proposed a budget of N80.2 billion, “but we decided to increase it to N85.9 billion and we

From Ugochukwu Eke, Umuahia

now have N45.5 billion for recurrent expenditure and N40.4 billion for capital expenditure.”

The Deputy Speaker attributed the delay in the passage of the bill to the general elections.

He said 15 members of the House were reelected; nine new members are coming on board.

Okere assured the people of quality representa-

tion and stabilisation of the legislature.

The member representing Ukwa East State Constituency said the House has also passed the House of Assembly Service Commission Bill and the Abia State Vigilante Amended Bill.

He said the House of Assembly Service Bill would enable the House to recruit staff on its own and make them pensionable when they retire.

According to him, the Amended State Vigilante

Bill empowers vigilante members to carry light weapons, “which will be licensed, monitored and regulated by the police.”

On the all PDP membership of the House, Okere debunked insinuations that the House would be manipulated by the PDP. He said: “Our being from the same political party will rather help us than divide us, there will be no problem, we will work harmoniously with the executive arm.”

Orji ‘ready to work with opposition’

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HE Abia State Governor Theodore Orji has extended a hand of fellowship to the opposition. He urged them to join him in the task of building the state.

In a statement yesterday by his spokesman, Ben Onyechere, Orji said the time spent on litigation could be better deployed in the service of the people.

He warned that the many legal actions against his administration could distract it from its focus on transforming the state to an employment generation institution.

“I’m ready to work with everybody, including the opposition in order to consolidate on the foundation already laid.

There is no doubt that there are people who are also qualified to be governor but we cannot have more than one governor at a time. There is no magic wand to becoming a governor. It is only through the instrumentality of an electoral process,” Orji said.

Ebonyi seeks capital punishment for perpetrators of electoral violence From Ogbonnaya Obinna Abakaliki

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HE Ebonyi State Government has advocated capital punishment for perpetrators of violence during last month’s elections.

The General Manager, Directorate of Attitudinal Change, Kelechi Mbam, called on the National Assembly to pass a law prescribing capital punishment for perpetrators of electoral violence .

Mbam said over eight persons lost their lives during electioneering campaign while properties worth billions of naira were destroyed by political thugs.

He said the agency would champion the re-orientation campaign against political violence.

He said: “It is regrettable that people would be killed by those who are seeking elective positions; no human blood is worth any office. In Ebonyi alone, more than eight persons were killed by political thugs during electioneering campaign while properties worth billions of naira were destroyed.

“We are recommending capital punishment for perpetrators of this heinous crime, the National Assembly should make a legislation prescribing capital punishment for the politicians that instigated political violence .Those that indulge in such crime should not be allowed to walk the streets freely, they should be arrested and prosecuted to serve as a deterrence to others.”

He said the culture of peaceful and violent- free election must be inculcated into the youths and politicians.

•From left: Mrs. Catherine Olajumoke of Florence Day Secondary School, Alaluko, her counterpart from ADS Junior Grammar School, Badagry, Mrs. O.O Hunjenukon; Nestle Foods Business Manager, Mr. Guy Kellawa and Nestle Foods Executive Manager for Lagos and Ogun, Mrs. Dora Ekeruche at a maggi cooking for mama rafle draw held in Lagos...yesterday PHOTO: JOHN EBHOTA

Alleged N2.9m fraud: Ebonyi suspends 12 school principals

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HE Ebonyi State Ministry of Education has suspended 12 principals, who allegedly collected West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and National Examination Council (NECO) fees from students.

The Ministry of Education and Auditor- General last year asked them to refund the money.

Commissioner for Education Chief Hyacinth Ikpo said the government paid examination subsidy for all the students in public schools for the examinations.

“At the last WAEC sitting, after the auditing of the register, it was discovered that

From Ogbonnaya Obinna Abakaliki

some principals injected names into the register, amounting to N2.9 million.

The Auditor-General invited them.

“After the exercise, they discovered that the auditing was correct and they were given three months to refund the amount. Those who refunded the money were allowed to go but after three months, we extended it to another two months to allow

those who have not refunded to do so. But they still failed to do so, they are the ones we suspended.”

Those suspended include Nworgu Osondu, Community Secondary School, Obeagu, N24,000; Nwikpo O, Community Secondary School, Okpu Itumo Ikwo, N636,000; Nwafor G.N, Community Secondary School, Ndiagu Inyimagu, N12,000; Ahamefula C.J, Community Secondary School, Oshiegbe, Ezza North, N909,000; Igwe E.N, Community Secondary

School, Ekka Ezza North, N138,000; and Nweke A.E, Community Secondary School, Ndiagu Igbudu, N42, 000.

Others are Nweke V.N, Community Secondary School, Abina Ikwo, N225,000; Ude Aloysius, Community Secondary School, Umunna Afikpo, N42,000; Nkama Kenneth, Ugwuangwu Secondary School, Afikpo, N438,000; Nwankwo I.O, Union Secondary School, Agueke, Isu, N201,000; Nnachi M.N, Government Secondary School, Owutu Eddah,N84,000; and Onu M.I, Amasiri Secondary School, Amasiri, N168,000.

Group canvasses arms for Corps members

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O ensure their protection, a group has advocated that corps members be allowed to carry arms during their service year.

The Save the Masses and Children’s Heart Association said that would give the corps members some sense of security. It called for the retention of the National Youth Service Corps(NYSC), but with slight modifications.

No fewer than 10 NYSC members were killed in post-election violence in Bauchi State.

A statememt by the group’s Chairman and Director of Programmes, Akin Joye and Ajana Davies, also suggested the retention of Senator David Mark as Senate President.

Elechi, Chime, others get Certificates of Return From: Chris Oji, Enugu

•Elechi

T

HE Governor of Enugu State, Sullivan Chime, and 36 others yesterday received their Certificates of Return from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The ceremony took place at

INEC Headquarters in Enugu.

Chime hailed the peaceful conduct of last month’s elections.

The governor, who led other members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ceremony, said: “I am excited to receive my Certificate of Return.”

Chime described the elections as the best in the nation’s history. He dedicated his Certificate to the people of Enugu State.

Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu praised Chime for providing a peaceful environment for the

successful conduct of the elections.

Ekweremadu said there was no casualty throughout the elections in the state.

Presenting the certificates to the election winners, the National Commissioner incharge of Anambra and Enugu States, Dame Gladys Nwafor urged them to embark on people-oriented projects in the next four years.

Also, the Ebonyi State Governor Martin Elechi and other winners in last month’s elections yesterday received their Certificates of Return at the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) in Abakaliki.

The Senator-elect for

Ebonyi Central, Igwe Nwagu, was absent at the ceremony.

Those who received their certificates are: Senators-elect for Ebonyi South, Sunny Ogbuoji; Ebonyi North, Chris Nwankwo.

Six House of Representatives members-elect collected their certificates. They are Christopher Omu-Isu, (Afikpo North\South); Sylvester Ogbaga (Abakaliki\Izzi); Peter Ogali,(Ohaukwu\Ebonyi); Tobias Ukwuru, (Ikwo\Ezza South); Linus Okorie,(Ohanivo); and Ishielu\Ezza North constituency winner.

All the 24 House of Assem-

bly members-elect received their certificates. Four of them are women.

National Commissioner of Ebonyi, Abia and Benue, Philip Umeadi, urged the government to address electoral violence in 2015 elections.

Umeadi enjoined the recipients to provide democracy dividends for the electorate.

Governor Elechi hailed INEC for the successful conduct of the elections.

Elechi described his election as a call to service.

The governor condoled with the families of those who lost their lives during the post -election violence.

The group said Mark’s retention will ensure stability in the polity.

Queens College old girls meet May 15

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HE Queens College Old Girls Association (QCOGA) will meet on Sunday at the school assembly hall, Yaba, Lagos, at 3pm.

According to the Secretary, Chioma Olajumoke Nwaeze, the meeting is being hosted by the 1991 class.

Monarch loses mother

A

LHAJA Jemilat Omogbai, mother of Alhaji Imonikhe

Omogbai, the Ogieneni of Uzairue, Etsako, Edo State, is dead.

She was 50. The 40th day Fidau will hold tomorrow at Azama Primary School, Jattu- Uzairue.

•The late Omogbai

10

THE NATION FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

NEWS ‘13 ECOWAS countries yet to meet 20% tax contribution to GDP’ THE Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), has said that 13 out of the 15-member union have failed to meet the specified 20 per cent contribution from tax revenue to their Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Its President, Mr James Gbeho, dropped the hint in Abuja, during the inauguration of West African Union of Tax Institutes (WAUTI) at the 13th Annual Tax Conference, organised by the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN).

According to Gbeho, between 2001 and 2010, not more than two member states (in a particular year), satisfied the ECOWAS tax yield threshold of 20 per cent of the GDP. He said: “As at 2010 only Cape Verde and Ghana had met the criterion, recording 23.0 and 23.5 per cent respectively.

“The remaining 13 countries recorded a revenue-GPD ratio of less than 13 per cent”.

He urged members to meet the 20 per cent criterion set by ECOWAS on tax revenue contribution to the GDP. Gbeho listed exemptions and preferential treatments in tax system, mis-allocation of resources and inequalities as the bane of development of many member states.

He urged the first WAUTI President, Mr Kunle Quadri, who is the President of CITN, to check areas posing the greatest risk to revenue collections.

“WAUTI must help to foster integration, promote economic development and enact legislative reforms that will facilitate tax administration,” he said.

Quadri, in his presentation, identified funding as the basic challenge facing WAUTI. He said the union will also pursue with vigour, the establishment of professional taxation institutes in countries where none existed.

Quadri noted that WAUTI will require N21 million (about $136,776) as take-off grant.

Civil servants abandon offices in Zamfara CIVIL servants in Gusau, Zamfara have abandoned their offices, three weeks to the inauguration of a new government, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

At the state secretariat, only few offices were opened for business, following the outcome of the April 16 governorship elections in the state.

IGovernor Mamuda Shinkafi of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lost his second term bid to Alhaji Abdulaziz Yari of the All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP).

When contacted, the Head of Service, Alhaji Bello Umar Karakkai, refused to comment on the development, saying: ‘’I will not comment on it.”

Half salaries for disengaged political office holders

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• From left: Anglican Bishop of Lagos Diocese Rt. Rev. Dr Peter Adebiyi, his wife, Caroline; Bishop, Anglican Diocese of Badagry Rt. Rev. Joseph Adeyemi and Bishop of the Ijebu North and Rt. Rev. Solomon Kupolu at the 4th Synod of the Church PHOTO: NAN of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, Diocese of Lagos West, in Lagos ...yesterday

Ex-Works minister begs for bail E X- Minister of Works, Dr. Hassan Lawal, yesterday, pleaded with an Abuja Federal High Court to grant him bail, promising to be available for his trial.

Justice Bilikisu Aliyu remanded Lawal and Dr Adeogba Godwin Ademola in Kuje prison on Wednesday, pending the hearing and determination of their formal bail application.

This was after the duo, with six companies,were arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a 23-count charge of criminal conspiracy, fraudulent award of contracts, money laundering and embezzlement of funds totalling N75.7 billion.

The companies are Digital Toll Company Ltd; Swede

From Kamarudeen Ogundele, Abuja

Control Interlink Ltd; Proman Vital Ventures Ltd; Nairda Ltd; Siraj Nigeria Ltd and Wise Health services Ltd. Following Justice Aliyu’s order, the ex-minister yesterday filed his bail application wherein, he condemned the manner of his arrest and arraignment.

According to a 15-paragraph affidavit in support of the application, dated May 12, Mr. Efut Okoi, a lawyer from the chambers of Messrs Mahmud & Co. , averred that Lawal “has been highly traumatised by the unlawful nature of his arrets and detention.

“That he has not been able to make any calls since the time of his arrest and has lost

his goodwill and relationships and that he was arrested and detained while going about his bussiness lawfully”.

In the application brought pursuant to Section 35(4) and 36 of the 1999 Constitution, Okoi pleaded that, “the 1st accused/applicant, will not flee if granted baill by this Honourable Court and will not tamper with already concluded investigations. It is important to state that the 1st accused/applicant has been invited on several occasions by the EFCC and has always honoured the invitation. Even while in EFCC bail he was invited for further interrogation though phone calls and he still honoured the invitation.

“At the last invitation of the complainant, the 1st accused person elected to honour the

invitation and soon thereafter was detained in the custody of the complainant/respondent before being arraigned.

“It is our argument that a person who have contributed his own quota would not jump bail and will always be available to take his trial.

“The 1st accussed/applicant suffers from kidney ailment and lately developed a cardio-vascular ailment for which he needs constant medication and professionally management by his medical doctors at the General Hospital in Lagos and the Somali General Hospital. It is also important to submit respectively that the health of the 1st accused has deteriorated since his detention by the EFCC”.

Makinde urges election tribunals to be fair, transparent

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HE Prelate, Methodist Church Nigeria, Dr Ola Makinde, yesterday in Lagos, urged the various election petitions tribunals to be fair and transparent in the discharge of their duties.

He said fairness and transparency on the part of tribunal members, will reinforce the wishes of the electorate.

Makinde gave the advice in a statement obtained by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

He said the only way to ensure that aggrieved parties, with legitimate claims, were pacified and the victory of those who righteously earned it was validated, was to make

the trial process transparent and just.

The cleric said: “The country, in the last few weeks, has witnessed some of the freest and fairest elections in her history.

“But like every imperfect institution, there must have been some fairly disputable results which have necessitated the search for legal redress that is now available at the election tribunals.

“It behooves on members of these tribunals to do everything possible to ensure that justice is done in these cases.

“They must be above board and adhere strictly to their professional ethics and

the oath which they swore to.”

Makinde’s counsel was contained in the statement isgned by the church’s Media and Information Officer, Rev. Oladapo Daramola.

He urged the judiciary to strive to clear its name in the court of public opinion, considering the enormity of some accusations that had been levelled against it.

The cleric said the tribunals’ sittings presented yet another opportunity for the judiciary “to win back the public and ensure sanity in its ranks’’.

According to him, the outcome of the tribunals’ sittings will lend credibility to the 2011 elections.

“It is not merely of some importance, but it is of fundamental importance that justice should not only be done, but should manifestly and undoubtedly be seen to be done”, Makinde stressed.

He lauded past judicial pronouncements on disputed polls and urged the bench to do more.

“The saying that justice delayed is justice denied should be an important watchword for effective judicial trials.

“They must avoid corruption in any form as such will deny the just of justice and give undue advantage to those who are undeserving of it,” Makinde said.

‘Nigeria loses millions of dollars to illegal ship chandlers’

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HE Chairman of Board of Trustees of Nigerian Ship Chandlers Association Chief Yomi Akerele has said Nigeria is losing millions of dollars annually to illegal ship chandlers.

Ship chandlers are those who supply food items and other supplies to ships in transit.

Akerele told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Thursday that the losses were due to the method adopted by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to is-

sue licence to ship chandlers.

He alleged that the NCS was allowing individual departments to issue licences instead of centralising it.

According to him, the indiscriminate issuance of the licences had bred illegal chandlers.

He said that a team of ship chandlers was to meet the customs and fine tune the manner the licence were being issued, but the meeting was never held.

Akerele said that it was wrong to obtain a ship chandling li-

cence without the requisite knowledge and experience of at least five years on the job.

He said that at least three shipping companies must give letters of recommendations to the NCS on behalf of an applicant.

Akerele said that illegal ship chandlers had taken over their jobs and the situation had created unemployment problem in the industry.

He also said the illegal operators were killing the industry by supplying expired and sub-standard items to ships.

“Nobody checks what they supply because they are colluding with security operatives at the breakwaters.

“At the breakwaters, illegal ship chandlers are allowed to go through with their supplies,” he said.

Akerele said that many shipping companies were also doing the business on their own to attract more foreign exchange.

He said that such act by shipping companies was against the laid down rules in the sector.

LL the political office holders in Bauchi State that were disengaged

by Governor Isa Yuguda are to receive half salary as terminal benefit.

The Permanent Secretary, Political Affairs, Alhaji Hashimu Yukubu, dropped the hint in a statement yesterday in Bauchi, the state capital.

The governor had on Tuesday announced the disengagement of all political office holders in the state, except those of the state Judicial Service Commission and State Independent Electoral Commission (INEC).

Yakubu explained that all appointees, who have been disengaged soon after their appointment, will be paid their salaries with effect from the date of their acceptance of the appointment to May 16.

He added that all other appointees affected, who had been enjoying their salaries before the announcement of the disengagement exercise, will only be paid half of their salaries for this month.

Lagos strategises to tackle road accidents

By Miriam Ndikanwu

L

AGOS State Government is working out strategies that will ensure a 50 percent reduction in road crashes in its domain by 2015.

The Special Adviser on Transportation, Mr. Kayode Opeifa, who made the revelation while listing the state government activities to mark, the United Nations year 2020 Decade of Action for Road Safety, spoke of a plan by the state government to step up its advocacy work among school children.

Opeifa listed the presentation by the LASTMA’S Traffic Safety Club members in both the primary and secondary schools in the State under the Lagos State School Traffic Safety Advocacy programme, as part of the agency’s activities to mark the anniversary this year.

The programme slated for Adeyemi Bero Auditorium, state Secretariat, Alausa, Ikeja will feature government activities and programmes, all aimed at achieving 50 per cent reduction in road crashes by 2015 and ahead of the 2020 target year.

Opeifa enjoined Lagosians to be more road-friendly, use the pedestrian bridges where available and where not, make use of the zebra crossings.

He said: “There have been massive road rehabilitation, road and junction improvement , provision of traffic signages, traffic signal Lights, lane markings, Zebra crossing, overhead footbridges as well as regulation of motorcycle operations for safety and security purposes. All these are the hallmark of the UN action plan as contained in the decade of action document.”

He advised motorcycle operators to conform with the guidelines agreed upon late last year to assist in the reduction of road accidents.

11

THE NATION FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

NEWS Fayemi seeks lawmakers’ cooperation EKITI State Governor Kayode Fayemi has urged the newly elected lawmakers from the state to collaborate with the executive to actualise the objectives of his adminitration’s Eight-Point Agenda.

Fayemi spoke at the opening of a retreat organised by the government for the legislators-elect at the Royal Park Hotels, Iloko-Ijesa.

He said there was need for the lawmakers to concentrate on passing bills that would promote their constituencies and enhance social services.

Congratulating them on their victory at the polls, Fayemi urged them to be ready for the challenges ahead, adding that they had been entrusted with positions of trust and responsibility that required them to go the extra mile to meet the yearnings of the electorate.

He said no legislator should be a bench warmer but a proactive contributor to deliberations in their legislative chambers.

Fayemi said he was not averse to a House of Assembly that would keep the executive on its toes for purposeful governance.

In his keynote speech entitled: Legislature in a presidential democracy - the Nigerian experience, Senate Deputy Minority Speaker, Dr. Olorunnibe Mamora, listed the functions of the legislature, its limitations and the challenges of lawmaking.

He said there was need for the three arms of government to operate under what he called “the principle of cooperation, collaboration and coordination” through interdependence, mutual respect and understanding.

Noting that constituency project was a policy that had come to stay as an instrument for legislators to attract projects to their constituencies, Mamora said such projects should not be handled by the legislators to avoid conflict of interest.

But he said lawmakers could monitor the execution of the projects to ensure their quality.

Mamora urged the legislators-elect to rise up to the expectations of the people, adding that the legislature must be responsive and responsible without being docile and timid in asserting its authority.

Akala, Ajimobi disagree on minimum wage implementation

O

YO State Governor– elect Abiola Ajimobi and his outgoing counterpart Adebayo AlaoAkala have not reach an agreement on the approval and implementation of the N18,000 minimum wage for workers.

The duo are at loggerheads over the approval of the new pay which Alao-Akala approved recently as his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government packs out for that of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).

The outgoing governor’s approval at the eleventh hour of his administration has attracted wide criticisms as the implementation will rest with the incoming administration.

In a letter entitled: Re: The plan to approve a new minimum wage for Oyo State, dated May 8, Ajimobi urged Akao-Akala to reverse his decision on the

‘I wish to appeal to Your Excellency to suspend all activities pertaining to the issue of new minimum wage and allow the incoming administration to undertake the task.’

From Oseheye Okwuofu, Ibadan

new pay, adding that it would have serious impact on the finances of the state.

The governor-elect reminded Alao-Akala that since he

would vacate office in two weeks, he (Alao-Akala) would not be able to take necessary steps to guarantee unhindered government business after the approval of te new wage.

The letter reads in part: “While I am not averse to protecting the interests and welfare of workers in the state, it is my considered opinion that approving a new minimum wage in the twilight of your administration will not be in order.

“A new minimum wage will have a significant impact on the finances of the state and may involve many considerations, among which are the ordering of the priorities and commitment of the government. It is, therefore, a matter that requires an extensive reflection and consultation by the government.

“I wish to appeal to Your

Excellency to suspend all activities pertaining to the issue of new minimum wage and allow the incoming administration to undertake the task.”

But Alao-Akala insisted that there was no going back on the matter, which he referred to as “a legal issue which cannot be changed by fiat”.

The outgoing governor said he had promised the workers a month before the election that he would approve the new pay, adding that he would not be associated with policy inconsistency.

He said: “You appear to be passionate about the issue, but it is imperative for you and I to reflect more on the side of the people and also pause to ask whether it is fair of you to put pressure on me to rescind a popular and necessary decision at a time most workers live in a parlous condition.”

•Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi (second right); keynote speaker and Senate Minority Leader, Senator Olorunnimbe Mamora (left); Ekiti State Deputy Governor, Mrs. Funmilayo Olayinka; and former governor of old Ondo State, Evangelist Bamidele Olumilua, at the three-day retreat for Ekiti State legislators-elect at Iloko, Osun State... yesterday.

Lagos to prosecute ‘area boys’ masquerades

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AGOS State Government yesterday said it would no longer tolerate social miscreants, popularly known as ‘Area boys’, who posed as masquerades to extort money from the public.

Commissioner for Tourism and Inter-Governmental Relations, Senator Tokunbo Afikuyomi, addressed reporters in Lagos on the activities of masquerades and other social challenges.

He warned that anyone caught using the guise of a masquerade to take money from the public would be prosecuted and jailed.

Afikuyomi said the controversial Sunburn Yacht, which

By Miriam Ndikanwu

has been at the Marina for over three years, would begin operation next year.

He restated government’s commitment to tourism development, blaming the delay in the take-off of the Sunburn Yacht, a sea- based elegant hotel, on boardroom wrangling among its stakeholders.

Afikuyomi said the differences had been resolved for the hotel to take off next year.

He maintained that the controversial hotel that has dragged the name of both the state government and its officials in the mud is not a state government investment, not-

ing that the state government only provides enabling environment for investments to thrive in the state.

He said the dubious practice has constituted a clog in the wheel of Tourism development in the state, saying the state government will deal summarily with the offenders.

Afikuyomi explained that masquerade parade in the state from inception is tied to one festival or the other that has ancestral colourations and undertones, pointing out the present practice of people now hitting the streets any time they are broke to harass the residents and make money is an illegality that

must be resisted by both the people and government.

He said improved security in the state has returned night life to the state, pointing out that the improved security situation has also boosted development of tourism and establishment of magnificent hotels in various parts of the state.

Afikuyomi explained that the various festivals and carnivals held in the state recently is a grand design by the present government to make Lagos state tourist destination, pointing out that the move has paid off given the teeming number of tourist that swarm to the state to attend the festival and carnivals.

Lagos deports 15 foreign beggars, 3,029 others to states

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AGOS State Government has in the past four years deported 15 foreign beggars and 3,029 others from within the country to their states, to solve the problem of social miscreants.

The Special Adviser to the Governor on Youth and Social Development, Dr. Dolapo Badru, yesterday addressed reporters at the Bagauda Kaltho Press Centre, Ikeja, Lagos.

He said the government gave out 152 children for adoption in several foreign countries.

Badru said: “At least, 3,044

By Miriam Ndikanwu

persons were either transferred to other states or country, or released to their relations for re-integration, from January 2010, till date.”

He said 196 beggars were deported to Sokoto State; 83 to Oyo; 75 to Kano; 67 to Osun; 21 to Ekiti; and seven to Ondo.

Badru said 12 beggars were deported to Niger Republic; two to Chad; one to Cote D’Ivoire and 2,580 others handed over to their relations for integration.

He said in its bid to rid the state of beggars, the govern-

ment combed its five divisions of beggars and destitute.

Badru said beggars and destitute constituted a social nuisance against the Lagos metropolis’ status as a mega city, adding that 3,105 beggars, destitute and lunatics were rescued and taken to rehabilitation and training centres at Owutu, Ikorodu, in the past year.

He said: “This is why the government has made provisions for facilities to help in turning the lives of the destitute and beggars around while the mentally unstable are given medical attention.

“Out of this number, 38 able-bodied persons, suspected to be criminals, were handed over to the task force for prosecution. Rescue of beggars from the streets of Lagos is a continuous exercise and the office liaises with other security agencies to rid Lagos streets of beggars, destitute and lunatics.”

Badru urged Lagosians to desist from giving beggars and destitute on the streets alms, saying they constituted a menace to the society.

He appealed to those who wish to help the less privileged to donate their widow’s

mite to churches, mosques, registered orphanages, motherless babies’ homes or other social welfare institutions.

Badru said local and foreign applications were received from adopters, who were screened to determine their suitability for adopting children, adding that 177 letters of approval were granted.

According to him, 126 children were adopted; 11 released for fostering; 174 children had their adoptions legalised through the Juvenile Court; and 161 babies rescued and referred to government homes and private orphanages.

Opposition against Ikole monarch candidate From Sulaiman Salawudeen, Ado-Ekiti

A

SECTION of Ikole community in Ikole Local Government Area of Ekiti State has opposed to the selection of Prince Adewumi Fashiku as the new monarch for the town.

The community alleged that the procedure for selecting the candidate was illegal and against its tradition.

The government had issued a certificate of recognition to and officially appointed Prince Fashiku on April 7 at a ceremony at the Governor’s Office in Ado Ekiti.

The Oloka (head of the kingmakers), Chief Lasisi Omotayo, said an ealier judgment by an Ikole High Court, which directed the parties during the judgment in the matter to maintain the status quo, put a question mark on the appointment.

He added that another appeal against the judgment, which he said was yet to come up before the announcement of the new Elekole, called the appointment in question.

Omotayo noted that Fashiku’s the appointment did not follow due process, urging the parties to respect the judiciary and the substantive judgment.

He said he had no problems with any of the candidates ascending the throne as he had no dispute with the ruling house that produced the monarch.

Omotayo said: “All I am saying is that the process of the selection of a new monarch for the town should follow due, normal process of the tradition.”

OPC urges insurance for Corps members

By Oluwakemi Dauda

T

HE founder and the President of the Yoruba socio-cultural group, the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC), Dr Fredrick Fasehun, has urged President Godluck Jonathan and the 36 governors to establish a “compensation and insurance package” for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members to take care of them during an emergency.

Fasehun said at least N20 million compensation should be paid to the family of any corps member who dies during service, to ensure peace and national unity.

Addressing reporters yesterday at his Century Hotel, Okota, Lagos, Fasehun condemned the killing of some corps members during their service in last month’s elections in the North.

He urged the federal and state governments to institute an insurance scheme for corps members.

The slain corps members, Fasehun noted, rendered selfless service as electoral officers and contributed immeasurably to the success of the polls.

He said they were not expendable materials but the genuine future leaders of the country who should be protected by all levels of governments.

Fasehun said there was no reprisal in the South because the region’s leaders were mature people, adding that organisations like the OPC had a lof of respect for President Goodluck Jonathan and cherished democracy.

THE NATION FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

12

NEWS

‘ACN will win in Rivers council polls’ From Bisi Olaniyi, Port Harcourt

T

•Cross River State Governor Liyel Imoke (middle) after a business exploratory session with American investors in Calabar. With him from left are: Larian Finney; Dr. Cheryl Hill; Guy Copper and James Copper

Fighting rages between JTF and Togo’s men

T

HE whereabouts of Niger Delta’s most wanted militant leader ‘General’ John Togo was still unknown yesterday after the Joint Task Force (JTF) launched a manhunt for him and members of his Niger Delta Liberation Force (NDLF).

At the time of this report, guns were still booming in the area.

Sources said scores of militants died during Wednesday’s operation.

Residents of Ayakoromor and other communities in Burutu Local Government of Delta State said helicopters, gunboats and other military assets were deployed in the area yesterday morning.

It was gathered that more platoons from the Effurun Army Barracks also joined the fight.

JTF’s Media Coordinator Lt-Col Tim Antigha neither confirmed nor denied the

Fresh facts emerge on skirmish

F

RESH facts emerged yesterday on the skirmish between JTF and militants.

JTF spokesman Lt-Col Tim Antigha provided the facts in an interview yesterday.

He said: “General” John Togo took advantage of the stoppage of patrol of the riverine areas by the JTF during the elections to remobilise his boys.”

It was gathered that the decision to temporarily halt the 24-hour patrol was to reduce the perception that JTF is being used to intimidate voters.

Lt-Col Antigha said during the elections, Togo began constructing a new camp in Ayakoromor before the military resumed full

From Okungbowa Aiwerie, Asaba

operation after the elections.

He said it was during the resumption of patrol on Wednesday that his men came under fire from Togo’s boys.

His words: “Well, you know we had suspended patrol of the riverine areas because of the elections, but we have now resumed.

“The militants, with support from the politicians, had regrouped during the period and while we were under our normal patrol, we came under fire from John Togo’s camp.

“We also learnt that he had been building a new camp at Ayakoromor after his other camp was destroyed. His boys attacked our men, who were on patrol.”

•Helicopters, more troops join battle From Shola O’Neil, Warri

death of militants or troops.

He said the “fog of war” would have to clear before he could give that information.

Lt-Col Antigha, however,

hinted that the current onslaught would continue until Togo and “his ragtag army of supporters” are wiped out from the region.

Antigha, in a telephone interview, said some new mil-

itant camps belonging to the scar-faced warlord have been uncovered in the recent operation.

He said: “As an update on Wednesday’s clash with militants in Ayakoromor, please be informed that the JTF has located new militant

camps erected by John Togo and his gang.

“It is from these new camps that recent cases of sea robbery and harassment of traders in the creeks have been staged.

“The JTF is currently engaged in a military action to rout these criminals onceand-for-all.

“The location of the new camp is some few metres away from the community.

The use of civilians as shields by criminals will not arise.

“The JTF warns civilians to keep off the operations area and also remain calm, as every care has been taken to avoid collateral damage.

“Casualties can not be determined at the moment as the “fog of war” is yet to clear.”

But, the assurance was not enough for residents, who have been fleeing their homes.

Federal appointments unsettle Yobe PDP

T

HE leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Yobe State is in disarray, following its inability to agree on who should compile the list of members to be appointed ministers by President Goodluck Jonathan.

The PDP national leadership had written to the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), requesting nomination of persons to represent them in the cabinet expected to be formed after May 29.

In the letter, the party requested for three nominees as potential ministers and insisted that seven other persons be included in the list for possible appointment into boards of parastatals and agencies.

The President reserves the right to pick any of the three names, it was learnt.

A source said the letter was dispatched to the states about a week ago.

On receipt of the letter, Yobe immediately reassembled and became the first to submit its list.

But, the list forwarded to PDP’s National Secretariat has been rejected because it was allegedly single-handedly prepared by the former Chairman, Abba Gana Tata

From Sanni Ologun, Abuja

without input from other stakeholders.

The trouble, sources said, started when Tata, who resigned his position to contest the governorship election as running mate to Usman Albishir, decided to take control of the party.

Article 14 (4) of the PDP Constitution makes it mandatory for any one holding of-

fices in the State or National Working Committee (NWC) to relinquish such appointment when he shows interest in elective office.

But the clause has not been respected.

It was learnt that when the letter arrived, Tata allegedly hijacked it and drew up a list which he sent to the national leadership.

However, when the matter became public knowledge,

members kicked and at a meeting of the State Working Committee (SWC) held on Monday, they removed Tata from office.

The decision was thereafter forwarded to the Executive Committee, which also ratified the decision and wrote the national leadership to notify it of the decision.

The committee in a protest letter by its Secretary, Ada-

mu Waziri asked the national leadership to discountenance any correspondence from Tata.

Following the rejection of Tata’s list , the state committee mandated each of the three Senatorial zones to nominate three persons each to be included on the list.

Albishir was adopted automatically as the 10th nominee.

A

By Sunday Ogundugba

must be given a fresh mandate to assist the government to determine the quantum of compensation payable to those who lost their assets and bereaved families.

The statement reads: “When the Federal Government recently announced its plans to institute a commission of inquiry to investigate the post-election violence in some states in the North, I challenged the legal competence of the proposed panel.

“In the circumstance, I urge President Goodluck Jonathan to ensure the diligent prosecution of all the suspects who have been arrested by the police and other security agencies for their

alleged involvement in the civil disturbances.

“My position is anchored on the case of Chief Gani Fawehinmi V Gen Ibrahim Babangida (2003) 12 WRN1 where the Supreme Court set aside the summons issued and served on Gen Babangida and two ex-security chiefs by the Oputa panel of inquiry on the ground that the Tribunal of Inquiry Act could not operate outside the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

“Since President Goodluck Jonathan lacks the vires to set up a panel of inquiry to investigate civil disturbance which occurred outside the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), the Lemu panel should

Certificates for lawmakers-elect From Isaac Ombe, Yenagoa

T

HERE was tight security at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State capital, yesterday as lawmakers-elect were presented with their certificates of return.

Over 24 armed policemen and members of Operation Famo Tamgbei (the state’s security outfit) maintained security.

Sources said the development may not be unconnected with threats by members of the Labour Party (LP) to protest alleged electoral irregularities.

Politicians, who were allowed into the premises, were searched to ensure no member of the opposition entered.

The ceremony was brief.

The National Commissioner in charge of Bayelsa, Edo and Delta states, Dr. Ishmael Igbani, advised them to use their positions to improve the economy.

Igbani advised them to have the welfare of the people at heart.

Of the 32 lawmakers-elect, 31 were presented with their certificates.

Bayelsa West Senatorial district was absent as INEC said elections in the district is “subject to litigation”.

Sagay faulted on comment

Post-election panel illegal, says Falana CTIVIST lawyer Femi Falana has called for the dissolution of the Sheikh Ahmed Lemu-led panel, saying it is incompetent to probe the post-election violence in Bauchi, Borno, Kaduna ,Niger and Taraba states.

In a statement yesterday, Falana described the panel constituted by the Federal Government as illegal.

He said despite the fact that witnesses cannot be summoned to give evidence before the panel; the Federal Government still directed commissioners of police and other security personnel to comply with the summons issued by the panel.

The activist said the panel

HE Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Rivers State has said its candidates will participate in the May 21 local government election and win.

Its Acting Publicity Secretary, Jerry Needam, yesterday in Port Harcourt, said ACN would contest every available position.

He said the processes of selecting candidates at the primaries are in progress.

His words: “Notwithstanding the unfortunate outcome of last month’s elections, the ACN will go to the polls again on May 21 against other opponents, and it is hopeful of emerging victorious.

“The resolve of the people for positive change has not waned and would be better actualised in the grassroots elections.”

From Shola O’Neil, Warri

T

•Falana

be dissolved forthwith, as it is incompetent to probe the post-election violence.

“The President may also wish to direct the Attorney General of the Federation to liaise with the state Attorneys-General with a view to ensuring that all suspects are prosecuted without further delay.”

HE Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) governorship candidate in Delta State, Igbini Emmanuel, has faulted Prof.

Itse Sagay’s call for elections’ cancellation in the state.

Igbini, who reacted to the statement purportedly made by Sagay on Channels, also frowned at his description of Deltans as “barbarians”.

He described the statement as “very unfortunate, highly condemnable and regrettable.”

Igbini accused Sagay of seeking cheap popularity.

13

FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

POLITICS THE NATION

E-mail:- politics@thenationonlineng.net

Within eight years, one of Nigeria’s ex-military rulers, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, has thrice attempted to return to office through the ballot. But the move has always ended a controversial failure. Again, through his party, the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), he is back in court over the outcome of the April 16 presidential election. DADA ALADELOKUN, Assistant Editor, examines the development.

I

Buhari, CPC and the legal option

T can’t be disputed. Immediately the re sults of the April 16 Presidential election were announced by the Chairman, Independent Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof.

Attahiru Jega, thus handing the baton of Nigeria’s leadership to President Goodluck Jonathan, no seer foresaw another battle ahead for the victor. Reason: The poll was roundly adjudged credible, even by international observers.

Not a few Nigerians had expressed wild joy and relief that the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal, sitting at the Court of Appeal in Abuja, would have no post-presidential poll case to sweat over. Buhari, according to INEC, won 12,214,853 to Jonathan’s 22,495,187 votes.

The celebration over the outcome of the poll was everywhere except a few part of the North where I-won’t-agree-with-the-result outcry of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) candidate at the poll, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, sparked off bloody reactions from some youths. There they threw decorum to the dogs, killing defenceless souls including Corp members and wantonly destroying property in the widely condemned moment of madness.

Many had deemed it an infantile joke when Buhari earlier threatened to stand by his party if it challenged the result at the tribunal. But they knew better, though in an unsettling manner, last week. The CPC actualised its threat. It filed a petition at the Abuja tribunal, seeking the nullification of results in 20 states where the election “was rigged.”

Mr. Ebun Shofunde (SAN), Abubakar Malami (SAN) and Alasa Ismail jointly filed the petition on behalf of the CPC. Its demand: That the tribunal should set aside the election and organise a fresh one between the CPC and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on which platform Jonathan ran.

The petition, to the dismay of many, alleged varied irregularities in Lagos, Bayelsa, Kaduna, Sokoto, Nasarawa, Kwara, Adamawa, Abia, Akwa-Ibom, Enugu, Cross River, Rivers, Ebonyi, Bayelsa, Delta, Imo Anambra, Benue and Plateau states including the FCT. The CPC also prayed the tribunal to hold that the President and his running mate, Namadi Sambo, were not duly elected by majority of legitimate votes. It also urged the tribunal to declare that Jonathan failed to fulfill the requirement of Section 134 (2) of the 1999 Constitution.

The party’s mission, it was expressly stated, was to prove that there was unacceptable substantial variation in the voters’ register used by the INEC for the conduct of the presidential and governorship polls. By that, the CPC believes that INEC and Jega manipulated the register in favour of Jonathan and Sambo.

Besides lining up 151 witnesses to prosecute its case, the CPC, its petition said, had hired forensic experts to analyse six million out of Buhari’s 12 million votes to prove under-age voting in the North.

To underpin the party’s move, its National Chairman, Prince Tony Momoh, has said in a statement that the party decided to cry to the tribunal to point out that lapses observed before and during the elections “were not adequately addressed, if at all”.

Of course, in line with constitutional dictates, some believe that the CPC and by extension, Buhari reserve the right to raise such an objection, quite many wondered why the General would always run to the court each time he loses in a poll. “He (Buhari) had earlier promised to abide by the outcome of the election in good faith. Now, his party has done otherwise. I wonder the difference be-

• President Jonathan

tween him and the CPC. Does he want to tell Nigerians that he could not prevail on the party to dump the move?” An observer asked yesterday.

The latest attempt was the third time Buhari would offer himself for service at the highest office in the country. Obviously, he had relied on the goodwill he enjoys, which arose from his profile after serving as the Chairman of the Petroleum Trust Fund, a body created by the Government of the late General Sani Abacha to execute developmental projects around the country. He was seen as being transparent and efficient while he ran the agency.

In 2003, Buhari contested the Presidential election on the platform of the All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP). Former President Olus¹gun ÌbasanjÍ who contested with him on PDP ticket beat him by a wide margin - more than eleven million votes!

Buhari’s supporters including others in the opposition cried foul, claiming that that in some states, there were more votes recorded at the poll than were actually registered.

No doubt, some allegations of fraud were decisively and conclusively affirmed in the

• Buhari

courts even as the conduct of the election was criticized by the same Commonwealth body, most Nigerians felt that Buhari should shelve the legal contest and not waste his time over the litigation.

Goaded on by the typical stubbornness of a dogged fighter, the war General pushed the tussle on. At long last, he left both the Appeal and the Supreme Courts without a laugh. The courts held that the level of proven fraud in the election was not sufficient to affect its outcome and thus warrant its cancellation as demanded by Buhari.

A few minutes after the Supreme Court judgment, he had stated inter alia: “This morning, the Supreme Court of Nigeria upheld the decision of the Court of Appeal that the 2003 Presidential Election result be allowed to stand. The decision flies in the face of facts, of law and of common sense. It is a political – not a legal judgment and Nigerians will regard it as such.”

Another opportunity beckoned on him preparatory to the April 2007 elections. On December 18, 2006, Buhari had got nominated as the consensus candidate of the same ANPP that gave him ticket in 2003.

His main challenger in the April 2007 polls

‘Sooner or later, the case will roll off the ground at the tribunal. But the main poser now is: Will the petitioners – and by extension, Buhari - have congratulatory messages to receive and shut the mouths of the doubting Thomases on the judgment day? This is the multi-million-naira question waiting to be answered in a matter of time’

was the ruling PDP candidate, Alhaji Umaru Yar’Adua, now late. Interestingly, they both hailed from the same home Katsina State.

The election held. Buhari, by the announced results, polled 18 per cent of the votes, while the late Yar’Adua scored 70 per cent. Contrary to the expectation of many a Nigerian, Buhari rejected these results in vehement terms. But his stance held no water.

After the hullabaloo that followed it, the late Yar’Adua assumed office and the ANPP, Buhari’s party, agreed to join in the running of his government, but Buhari would not have anything to do with the administration. He denounced the agreement.

His current battle, which is being fought by proxy through the obstinacy of his party, which has vowed not to allow the “injustice” done them (both the CPC and Buhari) at the polls stand, seems likely to be interesting. The reason is not unconnected with the forensic dimension that the party has vowed to introduce to the fight.

No doubt, the President and his men seem to be currently pre-occupied with healing the inherent wounds of the election besides presumably working on his prospective cabinet and their inauguration on May 29.

This perhaps accounts for why the Presidency has, up till yesterday, not filed an affidavit to counter CPC’s.

Of course, sooner or later, the case will roll off the ground at the tribunal. But the main poser now is: Will the petitioners – and by extension, Buhari - have congratulatory messages to receive and shut the mouths of the doubting Thomases on the judgment day?

This is the multi-million-naira question waiting to be answered in a matter of time.

THE NATION FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

14

POLITICS

How ACN governors can succeed, by Fashola’s aide

O

N May 29, Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) would have produced four governors in the Southwest geo-political zone. There is great expectation on the part of the masses who voted the progressive flag bearers. Eyes are on two new helmsmen; Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State and his Oyo State counterpart, Biola Ajimobi. Already, Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola and Dr Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State are grappling with the arduous task of administering their respective states, in spite of meager resources.

The question on the lip of the people is: will the ACN governors perform than the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors that were rejected at the polls? This puzzle has agitated the mind of observers because, right now, the Southwest is thirsty for development that has eluded during the PDP locus years.

A former chieftain of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), Rev. Tunji Abebiyi, who assured that the Southwest ACN governors would live up to expectation, said there could be no excuse for failure. The cleric-turned politician advised them to emulate the steps of former Governor Bola Tinubu and

A

TTENTION is on two im portant dates in the next 28 days. First is May 29, when all successful candidates into positions of executive offices, both at federal and state levels, will be sworn in - the president-elect and his vice; and state governors-elect and their deputies.

The second is June 7, when the Seventh Senate and House of Representatives are expected to be inaugurated. And because of the tradition associated with the emergence of the leadership of both chambers of the National Assembly, elections will be conducted in both chambers.

The consequence of this is that winning a return ticket to the Senate or the House of Representatives is just not enough for whoever wants to be the ‘first among equals’.

Expectedly, the heat is on and a lot of horse trading, negotiation, and outright campaign have been the order of the day in the last two weeks.

While the battle for the senate presidency seems sealed and deliv-

By Emmanuel Oladesu, Deputy Political Editor

his predecessor, Babatunde Fashola (SAN).

Adebiyi, Senior Special Assistant to the Lagos State governor on Political and Assembly Matters, told reporters in Lagos that many people voted for the ACN governors because of the performance of Fashola, adding that their expectation is that others would perform like him.

He charged the governors to cooperate together, compare notes and work towards the realisation of the regional economic integration.

Adducing reasons for Fashola’s success in the Centre of Excellence, He said the governor inherited a strong economic and political foundation laid by his predecessor, Tinubu, who worked tirelessly for the transformation of the state.

“Fashola continued with the 10point agenda. He demonstrated great potentials and mega capabilities in the administration of Lagos Mega City. His record of service in the last four years shows that he has changed the face of the state. It is now a point of reference by ACN states and other states of the federa-

tion”, he added.

Adebiyi, a member of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), said the baseline for the other ACN governors in the region is to study and understand how Asiwaju Tinubu and Governor Fashola accomplished “the wonders of development” Giving an insight, he recalled that Fashola embarked on a mission of problem identification immediately he was sworn in by touring the local governments for the on the spot assessment.

Adebiyi said: “Despite being Chief of Staff for four years under Tinubu Administration, and despite the fact that he had campaigned round the state, he visited the local governments after assuming the reins to identify all the political, economic, social, environmental and constitutional problems’.

The governor’s aide said, after the problem identification, the State Executive Council sat and fashioned out implementation strategies.

Adebiyi also said the state government also set up the Project Monitoring and Evaluation Unit to make sure that contractors complete the jobs before they are paid.

“That is why there is no abandoned

•Adebiyi

project in Lagos State’, he stressed.

Adebiyi enjoined the in-coming ACN governors to emulate Fashola Administration, which he described as the golden example and reference point.

He said: “Fashola inherited a solid

Who is next Reps Speaker?

Another round of contest is on at the National Assembly, especially the House of Representatives where the question of who becomes Speaker is a major concern of stakeholders. DADA ALADELOKUN, Assistant Editor, takes a look at the situation. ered to Senator David Mark, the picture in the House of Representatives is still a bit amorphous.

Nevertheless, the reported adoption of the zoning formula by the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has already conceded the Speakership of the House to the South West geo-political zone and with that, three candidates from Oyo State are already in the forefront of the race to replace Hon. Dimeji Bankole who lost his seat to the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) They are Kareem Tajudeen Abisodun from Saki East/Saki West/Atisbo federal constituency; Mrs. Mulikat Adeola Akande from

Ogbomosho North/South/Orire federal constituency and Muraina Saubana Ajibola from Ibarapa Central/North federal constituency.

All three are qualified to contest for the position in line with the PDP zoning formula. Yet, feelers from various sources tend to suggest that the contest might have been won and lost in the ‘boardroom’ with the odds said to be in favour of Hon Ajibola.

Of the three of them, he is said to stand out on account of his educational qualifications, carriage and performance in the last four years.

Only Muraina Ajibola could be said to be a known name among the Oyo cognate members. A law-

• From right: Lagos East Senator-elect Mr Gbenga Ashafa receiving his certificate of return from Prince Adedeji Soyebi INEC National Commissioner in charge of Lagos, Ondo, Osun states.

yer by profession and former chairman of Ibarapa Local Government, Ajibola made a name during the famous power probe. It was during the Power probe that his fame blossomed. He contributed immensely to the investigation and went as far as preparing a minority report.

But beyond this, his major challenger, Mulikat Adeola Akande may have to do more than just banking on the support and sponsorship by her state governor.

There is the issue of saddling another female with the leadership of the House soon after the Patricia Etteh saga in 2007.

Besides, the general culture in the country seems to have an unspoken and unresolved gender issue in terms of political leadership. Not many ever thought that in Kwara State, with the seemingly invincible political prowess of Senator Olusola Saraki, his daughter’s bold bid for the state’s governorship would suffer such a crushing defeat. It also happened to Pauline Tallen in Plateau State as her Labour Party (LP) with an array of defecting PDP bigwigs could not unseat Governor Jonah Jang.

A source in Oyo State PDP told The Nation on condition of anonymity that the Northern Caucus in the House has already endorsed Ajibola largely because they felt it would be easier to relate with a married man and also a Muslim.

“The fact is that the zone has very few members of the House this time around and the party has decided to just retain the Speakership in the zone for strategic reason.

Therefore we must be sure that we do not force our choice on the other zones. They have their preference

foundation. Yet, he still went on to identify problems and did need analysis. The ACN governors who lack the advantage of solid foundation should not rush. They should do painstaking study and fashion out appropriate solutions”. for a matured man, educated man and a man who has performed very well, if I may say”.

Before this development, it was gathered that the Obudu retreat by President Goodluck Jonathan had rather been used in fine-tuning the likely scenario in both chambers of the National Assembly. And that one of the landmark decisions reached was the adoption of Hon. Ajibola as the next speaker of the House.

Born some 47 years ago, Hon. Ajibola holds a Masters of Law degree from the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) Ile-Ife. He was a former chairman of Ibarapa Central Local Government until 2007 when he was elected into the House.

His constituency recently appealed to President Jonathan to consider their son for the position when they stated in an advertorial in national newspapers that: “ Hon. Muraina Ajibola is a level-headed individual who does not shy away from given assignments. As a legislator of the Federal Republic, Hon. Muraina Ajibola is a well focused member, disciplined and loyal party member at the national, state and the local levels, who has performed creditably in all the assignments he has handled.”

Our source further boasted that “the aspirant from Igboora, Oyo State, would hold the office effectively if given the chance, being a lawyer, a vocal member, disciplined and loyal party member who had performed creditably in all the assignments he had handled”.

However, the poor showing of the PDP in the South West may continue to be an impetus for other zones like the South east to start agitating for re-zoning the number four position in the country. But whatever happens, Nigerians simply want a House led in a way that it would be free from daily rancor, poor image stemming from ridiculous allegations of fraud and other related scandals and focusing on giving them good bills that will enhance their lives.

15

THE NATION FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

BUSINESS THE NATION

E-mail:- bussiness@thenationonlineng.net

OPEC compliance with production quotas rises

T

HE Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries’ (OPEC) compliance with record supply cuts set in 2008 rose last month as output dropped in Libya, Saudi Arabia and Angola.

Daily production from the 11 OPEC members that are bound by quotas was 26.16 million barrels a day last month, the International Energy Agency said yesterday in its monthly report. That implies a compliance rate of 69 percent in April, according to Bloomberg calculations.

That compares with a revised rate of 64 percent for March, when output was 26.37 million barrels.

OPEC, provider of about 40 percent of the world’s crude, announced its biggest-ever supply cuts in late 2008 amid a collapse in global demand.

The decision capped production at 24.845 million barrels a day for all members except Iraq, which is exempt from the quota system.

Production in Angola fell to the lowest level in more than four years because of field maintenance, the IEA said. Nigerian output rose.

Compliance percentages are based on combined output from the 11 members that committed to reduce from a base production rate in September 2008 of 29.045 million barrels a day.

OPEC’s members are Algeria, Angola, Ecuador, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Venezuela.

DATA STREAM COMMODITY PRICES Oil -$125.2/barrel Cocoa - $2,856/metric ton Coffee - ¢132.70/pound Cotton - ¢78.07.pound Gold -$1,161/troy ounce Rubber - ¢146.37/pound MARKET CAPITALISATIONS NSE JSE NYSE LSE

-N8.1 trillion -Z5.112trillion -$10.84 trillion -£61.67 trillion

RATES Inflation -12.8% Treasury Bills -2.64% Normal lending -24% Prime lending -18% Savings rate -3% 91-day NTB -6.99% Time Deposit - 6% MPR -7.50% Foreign Reserve -$34.5bn FOREX CFA 0.281 • 222.92 £ 252.9 $ 153.39 ¥ 1.5652 SDR 245.85 RIYAL 39.3

Everybody makes business mistakes.

I mean, I take the responsibility, and I did. I was the captain of the ship and I took that responsibility.

- Alan Bond

Fed Govt, states, councils share N455.6b for April E T

FIRS boss seeks judicious use of tax revenue

HE three tiers of gov ernment shared N455.6 billion ($3 billion) in April, up 7.3 percent from March, Acting Accountant General Aderemi Ogunsanya said yesterday.

The money was shared from the N582.97 billion realised as revenue for the month.

These was disclosed by Minister of State for Finance, Hajia Yabawa Wabi, while briefing newsmen on the outcome of the (Federation Accounts and Allocation Committee) FAAC meeting held in Abuja.

She said the Federal Gov-

From Nduka Chiejina (Assistant Editor)

ernment got N147.681 billion, while the states and local governments received N74.906 billion and N57.749 billion respectively.

Wabi, who is also chairman of FAAC, said the oilproducing states received additional N29.608 billion, representing 13 per cent of oil revenue normally paid to the benefiting states as derivation fund.

She said that N103.088 billion was proposed as

augmentation as a result of the shortfall in distributable revenue.

Wabi said the federally collected revenue fell from N615.1 billion in March to N582.97 billion in April, a difference of N32.1 billion.

She disclosed that the reduction in the gross revenue in the month of April was as a result “of reduced crude oil production and lifting occasioned by the complete shutdown of Bonga terminal for maintenance work as well as ongoing maintenance work at Qua-Iboe, Akpo and Amenam terminals”.

The minister said the money shared to the three tiers of government, included Value Added Tax of N42.564 billion collected in April.

She said the total revenue distributable for the month, including VAT, was N455.596 billion.

There was an exchange gain of N1.352 billion being the difference between the prevailing exchange rate of N152.18 to the dollar and the budgeted rate of N150 to the dollar set as benchmark. This amount she said, had already been escrowed pending budget approval.

XECUTIVE Chairman of Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Mrs Ifueko Okaaru, yesteday called on the Federal Government to judiciously use tax revenue so as to minimise external borrowing .

Okaaru gave the advice in Abuja at a symposium on “Women as Critical Stakeholders in the New Global Order” organised by the Society of Woman in Taxation (SWIT).

She said the government will free the country from excessive external debt burden and check corruption, if it minimises external borrowing and depend on tax revenues.

“Total stoppage or minimising of external debt and “imbibing” tax revenues absolutely for economic and infrastructural development would call for intensive monitoring of what tax revenues are used for by Nigerians.

“Even the Ankara woman would want to know what the tax she or he is paying is being used for,” she said.

The FIRS chief executive urged women in various works of life to harness their skills and potentials.

TUC wants cash policy shifted

T •Principal of Government College Umuahia (Abia State), Mr. Chukwuemeka Ugah (right), receiving a prize won by the school from the South-east/South-south Zonal Executive of FinBank Plc, Mr. Okey Ezeala, and Chairman of Facelift Limited, Chief Alan Onyemachi, at the Owerri zonal draw of the Bank’s ongoing savings promo tagged, “Finsplash”, held in Owerri, Imo State.

IPMAN raises fuel bridging trucks by 45%

T

O quickly ease scarcity and queues at the filling stations in different parts of the country, the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has increased the number of trucks that bridge (move) petroleum products from the coastal to inland depots by 45 per cent.

The National President, Alhaji Aminu Abdulkadir who disclosed this to newsmen during the Association’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting in Abuja yesterday, said the increase had become imperative to fill the supply gap created by multiple holidays during the election period.

Abdulkadir said the 40-45 percent increase in trucker was achieved in collaboration with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation

From John Ofikhenua, Abuja

(NNPC) and Petroleum Equalisation Fund (PEF) and other stakeholders.

He said the development has actually helped to make up supply, which was lost during the elections resulting in fuel scarcity and long queues at the retail outlets.

He regretted that the members of the association lost a lot in terms of revenues following inability to lift products, noting the banks from which they secured credit facilities would know no excuse of strike and work free days when calculating interest.

He said: “As businessmen, if our trucks are not working, we are losing money. We cannot run business without credit facilities from the banks. The bank does not know public holiday

and weekend, their interest rate count throughout 365 days.”

Abdulkadir said his administration would not condone any economic sabotage or skeletal service.

He attributed the recent fuel crisis to the aftermath of the April elections that recorded uprisings, burning of tankers and maiming of their members on duty.

On products availability, the IPMAN helmsman claimed that the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Austen Oniwon, has assured the association of steady supply of products.

He added that Oniwon also promised that household kerosene (HHK) would continue to be in steady supply, citing the period the association had challenges with the price of AGO (diesel) and how

the NNPC intervened.

He said the Federal Government has approved the new 45 percent freight increment for marketers; therefore, IPMAN had no reason not to lift products since last Saturday.

Abdulkadir, however, dispel fears that the increment was going to culminate in increase in price of petroleum products. He noted that it had nothing to do with a new price template.

Since the pipelines that supply products from the Products and Pipelines Marketing Company (PPMC) facilities to inland depots in the northern and eastern parts the country were vandalized some 10 years ago, petroleum products he noted, are bridged to these areas and others through trucker, therefore whenever there is a break in products lifting, these inland areas are hit with scarcity.

HE Rivers State Chap ter of Trade Union Congress (TUC) has urged the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to shift implementation date of its policy on cash withdrawal by five years.

The Chairman of the chapter, Mr Chika Onuegbu, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Port Harcourt yesterday that the June 2012 implementation date of the new policy was too close.

The CBN new policy, which is billed for implementation next year, pegged individuals’ daily withdrawal at N150, 000 and N1 million for corporate oganisations.

Onuegbu said that any genuine transformation from a “cash-centric” to cashless economy needed a longer period of not less than five years.

“Besides, the union rejects the obnoxious penalties and unrealistic implementation date of the new CBN policy on cash withdrawal limit.

“We wonder how the CBN arrived at the target date and high penalties for offenders without minding the low level of the economy and porous banking system in the country,” he said.

Onuegbu said that while the union recognised the importance of a cashless economy, it would reject any attempt to stampede Nigerians into it through extortion and unrealistic target dates.

16

THE NATION FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

BUSINESS NEWS Flight Schedule MONDAY - FRIDAY LAGOS – ABUJA Departure Arrival 1. Aero 06.50 08.10 2. Associated 07.00 09.30 3. Air Nigeria 07.00 08.20 4. IRS 07.00 08.20 5. Dana 07.02 08.22 6. Arik 07.15 08.15 7. Chanchangi 07.15 8. Air Nigeria 08.15 09.35 9. Dana 08.10 09.20 10. Aero 08.45 10.05 11. Arik 09.15 10.15 12. Chanchangi 10.00 11.00 13. IRS 11.15 12.35 14. Dana 12.06 12.26 15. Aero 12.20 13.30 16. Air Nigeria 13.25 14.45 17. Chanchangi 13.30 14.30 18. Arik 13.45 14.45 19. IRS 14.00 15.20 20. Aero 14.10 15.30 21. Air Nigeria 14.50 16.10 22. Dana 15.30 16.50 23. Chanchangi 15.30 16.30 24. Arik 15.50 16.50 25. Aero 16.00 17.20 26. IRS 16.30 17.50 27. Arik 16.50 17.50 28. Dana 17.10 18.30 29. Chanchangi 17.30 18.30 30. Air Nigeria 17.35 18.55 31. Air Nigeria (T/TH) 18.30 19.50 32. Arik 18.45 19.45 33. Aero 19.20 20.40 1.

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LAGOS – BENIN Arik 07.30 Associated 08.30 Aero 10.50 Arik 11.45 Associated 13.00 Aero 14.25 Arik 15.30 Associated 16.00

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LAGOS – CALABAR 07.30 11.20 12.50 16.00 LAGOS – JOS 10.55 11.15

LAGOS – KADUNA Aero 08.00 Chanchangi 10.00 Arik 10.00 Arik 15.10

company allegedly terminated her employment in 2008.

Pedro told the court on Wednesday that the state’s decision to include FBN Capital’s Managing Director in the suit was justifiable on the ground that he allegedly aided the company in committing the alleged offence.

The Solicitor-General, who argued the state’s counter affidavit to the defendants’ notice of preliminary objection, contended that the law under, which the defendants were charged was a valid law, which relates solely to offences of discrimination against HIV victims.

He described as misconceived, the argument by the defence lawyer, Prof Taiwo Oshipitan (SAN) that the state’s law that prohibits discrimination against HIV victims was unconstitutional on the ground that it delved

into the realm of labour relation issues on which only the Federal Government could legislate.

Pedro argued that the state needed not to exhibit before the court, at the current stage in the case, any medical report to support the claim that Adesetan was actually an HIV victim.

He assured that the state would at trial, invite a medical expert who will give evidence in that regard.

Pedro urged the court to dismiss the defendant’s objection and proceed to trial.

Oshipitan had, while arguing his notice of objection, urged the court to quash the two-count charge against his client on the ground that it was initiated on a wrong premise.

He argued that the inclusion of Adeleke in the charge was wrong because the law under which the charge was premised provides that only employer could be held liable.

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LAGOS – WARRI 08.15 11.50 11.55 14.55

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LAGOS – KANO Air Nigeria 07.10 IRS 08.00 Dana 08.10 Arik 12.20 IRS 14.00 IRS 18.15

08.50 09.45 09.40 14.00 15.45 19.55

LAGOS – OWERRI 07.20 14.00 16.30

08.30 15.10 17.40

LAGOS – UYO 10.35

11.35

LAGOS – MAIDUGURI 1. IRS 11.15 13.15 2. Arik 15.50 18.00 LAGOS – ILORIN 1. Overland 07.15 2. Arik (M/T/TH/F) 17.30

By Eric Ikhilae

08.50 12.40 14.10 17.20

LAGOS – OWERRI Aero 07.30 Arik 07.30 Air Nigeria 13.40 Arik 14.00 Arik 16.30

1. Dana

T

HE Lagos State Government has explained why it is prosecuting FBN Capital Nigeria Limited, a subsidiary of First Bank Plc and its Managing Director, Bayo Adeleke.

The institution and its Chief Executive are being tried for allegedly discriminating against a female employee because of her HIV status.

The state’s Solicitor General and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice, Lawal Pedro (SAN) told a Lagos High Court that the state’s decision was informed by the fact that the company’s action allegedly violated Section 10(6) of the Protection of Persons living with HIV and affected by AIDS Law of Lagos State 2007.

The said employee, Mrs. Bukola Adesetan was allegedly compelled by the company’s management to undergo a compulsory Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) test. She tested positive, a basis on which the

08.30 09.10 11.50 12.45 13.40 15.20 16.30 16.40

LAGOS – PORT HARCOURT (CIVIL) 1. Aero 07.15 08.35 2. Arik 07.15 08.35 3. Arik 09.00 10.20 4. Dana 09.27 10.40 5. Aero 10.50 12.30 6. Arik 11.40 13.00 7. Air Nigeria 12.00 13.10 8. IRS 13.30 15.00 9. Arik 14.00 15.20 10. Dana 15.03 16.20 11. Air Nigeria 16.00 17.10 12. Arik 16.10 17.30 13. Aero 16.15 17.30 14. Arik 17.10 18.30

1. Arik 2. Arik 3. Arik

‘Why we are prosecuting FBN Capital’

08.00 18.00

LAGOS – ABUJA SAT/SUN Arik 7.15; 10.20; 2.20; 5.20pm – 7.30; 9.15; 10.20; 2.20; 4.50; 6.45 Aero 07.30; 09.35; 13.10; 14.50; 20.20 – 07.30; 09.35; 13.10; 14.50; 20.20 Air Nigeria 08.15; 14.30; 17.15; 18.30 – 08.15; 13.30; 14.30; 17.15; 18.30

•From left: Accounts Director, Lowe Lintas, Mrs. Elo Iyayi; Media and Public Affairs Manager, Nigerian Breweries Plc, Mr Edem Vindah and Marketing Director, Mr Jacco Van Der Linden, at a press conference on this year’s Star Trek Musical PHOTO: ISAAC JIMOH AYODELE concert Tour for Nigerian artistes across the country in Lagos ... yesterday.

InterSwitch sells 67% equity

T

HE Managing Director, InterSwitch Limited Mitchellin Elegbe, yesterday said the firm has sold 67 per cent of its equity to Helios Investment Partners and Adlevo Capital.

Elegbe, told newsmen in Lagos during the unveiling of the company’s new brand identity that with the divestment, the firm would soon open offices in more African countries.

He said the expansion of the company’s business is to ensure that Africa excelled in the global financial payment system.

He said, InterSwitch has opened the preliminary stage of its PanAfrican expansion drive through the sale of 67 per cent of its equity

to Helios Investment Partners and Adlevo Capital.

“Helios has significant investments in financial service firms in East and West Africa, while Adlevo Capital has typically invested in businesses where technology and continuous innovation are critical for business success.

“Besides, a robust electronic payment system enhances the commercial reputation of any country.

“It improves the investment climate, strengthens the image of the banking sector and provides the much needed vehicle for increasing economic growth and improving welfare,’’ Elegbe said.

He said the expansion has prompted the rebranding of InterSwitch’s identity.

“We are expanding into East and West Africa, however we realise that InterSwitch has typically been viewed as a card company.

“We are, therefore, refreshing our identity and communication to reflect exactly what we do and how we can serve organisations and governments across Africa.

“The repositioning of our business has given us an opportunity to refresh our corporate identity in line with current times.

“It has also given us the opportunity to develop consumer associations in line with our business offering and create an awareness of our products and services in existing and new markets,’’ the InterSwitch chief said.

‘13 ECOWAS countries fail 20% tax contribution to GDP’

E

CONOMIC Community of West African States (ECOWAS), has said 13 out of 15 member countries have failed to meet the 20 per cent specified contribution from tax revenue of their Gross Domestic Product (GPD).

President of ECOWAS, Mr James Gbeho, disclosed this at the inauguration of West African Union of Tax Institutes (WAUTI) at the 13th Annual Tax Conference organised by Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN) in Abuja.

He said between 2001 and 2010, not more than two member states, in a particular year, satisfied the ECOWAS tax yield threshold of 20 per cent of GDP.

“As at 2010, only Cape Verde and Ghana had met the criterion, recording 23.0 and 23.5 per cent respectively.

“The remaining 13 countries recorded a revenue-GPD ratio of less than 13 per cent,” he said.

He urged members to meet the 20 per cent criterion set by ECOWAS on tax revenue contribution to GDP. Gbeho listed exemptions and preferential treatments in tax system, misallocation of resources and inequalities as the bane of development of many member states.

He urged the first WAUTI President, Mr Kunle Quadri, President of Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria

(CITN), to check areas that posed the greatest risk to revenue collections.

“WAUTI must help to foster integration and promote economic development and enact legislative reforms that will facilitate tax administration,” he said.

Quadri, in his presentation, said that the basic challenge facing WAUTI was funding.

He said the union would also pursue with vigour the establishment of professional taxation institutes in countries where none existed.

Quadri said that WAUTI would require initial sum of 136,776 dollars (N21 million) to enable it take-off effectively.

Group flays high port charges

By Oluwakemi Dauda

T

HE Agenda for Good Gover nance, a non-governmental organisation, has berated the Federal Government and the agencies responsible for management of the nation’s economy over high port charges.

It urged the government to address the issue so as to stem illegal importation of goods from neighbouring countries.

Speaking with The Nation in Lagos, its Executive Secretary, Mr Rotimi Onakoya, said 13 per cent of traffic of goods from the port in Cotonou is destined for Nigeria while about 75 per cent of the containers are headed for Nigeria.

The high charges of clearing goods from the nation’s sea ports, Onakoya said, has become a major concern to Nigerians, local importers and clearing agents.

He therefore urged the Federal Government and the agencies responsible for management of the nation’s economy to make the ports competitive so that the nation’s sea ports would not be rendered inactive and unproductive.

Their concern, the secretary said, should be treated as a wake-up call to address the difficulties in checking smuggling through the porous borders across the country.

Onakoya said the problems associated with smuggling into the country, if not addressed, would hamper the operational efficiency of the Customs Service and cause more revenue losses to the nation. ‘‘We believe that the current rate of smuggling through the West African sub-region is encouraged by tariff differentials. The high tariff has made it more economically viable for importers to patronise other ports in the sub-region rather than the nation’s sea ports.

Government and its agencies at the ports and most especially the ministry of finance should seriously look into the problem with a view to formulating better policies to redress the issue and make our ports attractive for business.

Skyfield Mortgage Bank, FMBN partner on national housing

S

KYFIELD Savings and Loans Limited has received a nod from Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria to access the National Housing Fund (NHF), giving impetus to its determined push to become a dominant player in the country’s primary mortgage industry.

Late last year the firm according to a statement, had engaged a team of seasoned professionals led by a banker, Kolawole Abdul to turn around the fortune of the bank, which had plummeted in the last eight years as well as drive its new strategic intent of becoming a frontline operator in the real estate and mortgage banking sector.

The new team supported by a board of highly experienced professionals have in the last six months restructured and reengineered the organisation, introducing new operational system and procedures that have not only returned the bank to the path of profitability but also embolden management to expand its operations.

Industry watchers said the new window provided by NHF and the recent upgrading of the bank’s information technology backbone to the widely acclaimed banking software-Wisebank, has positioned the company in good stead to provide improved mortgage facilities to its increasing customer base as well as expand its operations in the real estate business across the country.

THE NATION FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

17

INSURANCE

Issuance of e-insurance certificates begins this month T

HE issuance of electronic insurance certificates will start this month, the Chairman of Nigerian Insurers Association (NIA), Mr Olusola Ladipo-Ajayi, has said.

Ladipo-Ajayi told The Nation that the NIA has observed some challenges, but hopes to use some companies as pilot projects to address them.

He noted that most insurance firms have uploaded their customers’ data base to the industry’s data base, which would help in the enforcement of the initiative by the security agencies.

He added that some firms failed to upload the engine and chassis number of the vehicles they cover.

He said such lapses would affect the enforcement of the scheme, noting that the engine and chassis numbers of insured vehicle are key components in the enforcement of the scheme.

He said: “There is no insurmountable problem. It is just that every beginning is difficult. NIA

Stories by Chuks Udo Okonta Council decided last week to use a few companies in a pilot project immediately. It is important the data base contains adequate information that captures all members.”

He said the data is fraud-proof and will curb the menace of fake insurance, which has eroded billions of naira from the industry, adding that the initiative will boost the premium income of the industry and reposition its operations.

The Director-General, Nigerian Insurers Association (NIA), Mr Sunday Thomas, said some companies have sent their data to the NIA’s centralised data unit, adding that the association hopes to start the process with the data at its disposal.

President, Lagos Area Committee of the Nigerian Council of Registered Insurance Brokers (NCRIB) and Managing Director, Lectern Insurance Brokers Limited, Mr

Tunde Oguntade, said the brokers will support the initiative through engagement and sensitisation of the public on the benefits and penalties attached to the initiative.

“What we have decided to do at the NCRIB Lagos Area Committee is to get on the streets and the ports on a given day, with the help of the Lagos State Motor Authority (LASMA) Vehicle Inspection Operation (VIO) and the Police.

We are going to assist them to identify fake licences. Not just motor insurance certificates, but marine as well.

“We are going to ensure that every motorist is stopped and the papers are checked to ensure that

they are valid papers. There is a law that says if you have fake insurance, you would go to jail for six months or pay a fine of N20, 000. We are going to explore the possibility of enforcing that law.

Also, we are going to get the government to appreciate that insurance is a tool to alleviate the poor. We would make them appreciate that as institutional investors, the death of insurance means a total collapse of the economy,” he added.

A report from the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) says that about 70 per cent of the certificates with motorists are fake. This, therefore, makes the in-

dustry lose alot sums of money every year.

To tackle the menace, the Commissioner for Insurance, Mr Fola Daniel, said the initiative was adopted as a panacea to curb fake certificates menace as well as increasing the industry’s premium income. He added that paper certificate no longer exist in developed nations.

“Across the globe, paper certificates are no longer relevant. This is why we will soon introduce electronic cards that will be easily identified by security agents.

The card will make it difficult for those counterfeiting insurance to remain in operation,” he said.

IFRS enforcement irrevocable, says NAICOM

T

HERE is no going back on the implementation of the International Financial Reporting Standard (IFRS), the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) has said.

In a statement, the Assistant Director, Corporate Affairs, NAICOM, Mr Lucky Fiakpa, said the commission is committed to the initiative, adding that a roadmap has been designed to ensure full implementation by next year.

He said operators have been educated through workshops and seminars on how to migrate from their present accounting method to IFRS, which is the international recognised system.

Fiakpa said NAICOM is working with insurers to ensure that they do what is expected to make easy their migration process.

He noted that NAICOM had set up a committee made up of insurers, auditors and top members of NAICOM. He said the commission would continue to educate the operators on areas they are having challenges to forestall problems.

The Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Accountants Standard Board (NASB), Mr Jim Obaze, had said the adoption of the IFRS by insurers would help transform their operations and align them with their counterparts across the globe.

He said the industry’s current financial reporting falls below international standard, adding that if insurers are to compete favourably in the international market, they must meet global accepted standards.

He said: “The insurance industry stands to benefit a lot for adopting IFRS. It would assist them in cross border list, attract foreign direct investment and make easier regulation. This is because when we were publishing SAS16, we discovered that a lot of insurance reporting processes were not similar. So, we could not compare financial report of one insurance company with another.

“When you have IFRS, comparison would be a lot easier, foreign direct investment would flow and make easier access to capital. Those are the key benefits of adoption of IFRS,” he said.

An Executive Officer of Akintola Williams Deloitte, Mr Oduware Uwadiae, said adoption of IFRS by insurers would increase volatility in financial reporting statements and enable consistency and transparency of reporting across insurance entities.

“Insurers embarking on the IFRS journey will have their hands full in understanding the new policies and keeping pace with changes required throughout the organisation, including accounting and financial reporting, financial/treasury, investment management, risk and controls, performance and decision, actuarial and claims management, tax, among others.

“Meanwhile, IFRS for insurance contract will increase volatility in financial reporting statements and enable consistency and transparency of reporting across insurance entities.

“These factors combined with regulatory mandates such as solvency-related requirements and increasing attention on risk management will raise the level of transparency around the financial performance of insurers to new heights amid this changing backdrop, insurance companies need to consider how these forces may influence their business strategies and shape the insurance marketplace,” he said.

He said IFRS would likely contribute to substantial changes in insurance products design, price and offerings, investment strategy, risk management practices, merge and acquisition activity.

He noted that the changes will give rise to pressure for both convergence and divergence across insurance line, thereby adding complexity and dynamism to the market structure of the industry.

“IFRS provides a compelling reason to establish share services centres, with prospect of consolidating dozen of local GAAPs down to a single reporting standard. Geographically dispersed finance offices could be drastically reduced or even eliminated in favour of a central finance function, strategically located to take advantage of tax incentives, payroll savings and facilities cost reductions,” he added.

• From left: Managing Director, Competent Insurance Brokers, Kazeem Olalehin; Deputy President, Nigerian Council of Registered Insurance Brokers (NCRIB), Mrs Laide Osijo; President, Dr Teslim Sanusi; Managing Director, Wealth Spread Insurance Brokers, Mr Tosin Olaniran and Managing Director, Silverlane Insurance Brokers, Mr Obinna Chilekezie, at the induction of NCRIB in Lagos.

Insurers to pay $5b claims on US mishap

T

HE severe storms that carved a path of destruction across large swaths of the American South will cost an estimated about $5 billion in insured losses, catastrophe modelling firm Eqecat said.

Eqecat said the 2011 tornado season is just getting underway and is already setting damage records.

The firm’s estimate is based in part on initial reports of nearly 10,000 buildings destroyed.

The storms killed at least 316 people in six Southern states and left entire neighbourhoods in ruins.

Last Friday, President Obama vis-

ited Tuscaloosa, Ala neighbourhoods that were flattened by tornados.

“I’ve got to say I’ve never seen devastation like this,” he told reporters.

The storms levelled neighbourhoods, rendered major roads impassable and left at least 800,000 customers without power on Friday afternoon.

Even with that level of damage, Eqecat’s cost estimate for the recent natural disasters in Japan was much higher.

Losses from the quake, tsunami and fires there totalled at least $100

billion, including $20 billion in damage to residences and $40 billion in damage to infrastructure such as roads, rail and port facilities, the firm estimated in March.

In the 1995 earthquake in Kobe, the most expensive earthquake in history, total losses were $100 billion, but insured losses only $3 billion, according to the Insurance Information Institute.

By comparison, the 1994 quake in Northridge, Calif., northwest of Los Angeles, had the highest tally of insured losses ever — $15.3 billion.

In today’s dollars, adjusted for inflation, that comes to $22.7 billion.

• From left: Secretary, Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Plateau State Chapter, Mr Ayuba Ramadan; Chairman, Mr Haroun Audu and Vice Chairman, Fwenji Go’ar, at the news conference on the general elections in Jos.

THE NATION FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

18

BUSINESS ANALYSIS

Oando champions Africa’s quest for growth G

IVEN the enthusiasm, advocacy and vigour displayed at the CEO Brainstorming Session on the World Economic Forum (WEF) Africa in February 2011, a precursor to the regional WEF on Africa, it was obvious that Nigeria was ready to reclaim its pride of place in Africa’s socio-economic landscape. This aspiration was fueled by the powerful delegation comprising captains of industry, Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Lamido Sanusi Lamido, Bank CEOs etc at the regional WEF meeting in Cape Town, South Africa.

Christened ‘From Vision to Action: Africa’s next chapter, 900 leaders from 60 countries dialogued on how Africans can improve the well being of their continent over a four day meeting, between the 2-5 of May, 2011. It was a unique platform for Africa to talk to Africa.

The summit focused particularly on how a growing confidence in Africa’s potential can be translated into results and on how optimism in the continent’s future can be converted into action. Also, the forum examined issues relating to the promotion of investment, improving global perceptions on the continent, combating hunger, sustainable development, and offer specific initiatives to address these and other economic issues facing part of or the entire continent.

Co-Chairing the plenary session Ahead of the meeting, Group Chief Executive of Oando PLC, Wale Tinubu, was appointed a co-chair. On the role he will be playing at the meeting, Tinubu in his goodwill message at the plenary session said: “I will pretty much … focus on areas, which have not been traditionally touched upon, to bring a new spin, a new flavour to the increasing dynamism of the African continent.

I think one thing is clear though, you’re always going to find something new year in, year out of Africa as compared to the rest of the world if you ask me, and it’ll be nice to talk about the recent happenings, particularly the impact indigenous capital is making across the continent”.

As co-chair, Tinubu is expected to serve as a discussion leader in various private roundtable discussions as well as participate in larger plenary sessions.

Tinubu, the current ‘Africa’s Business Leader of the Year’ has been involved with the World Economic Forum since 2007.

Then 39 years old, he was recognised by the WEF, Geneva, Switzerland, as one of the 250 leading executives, public figures, and intellectuals, chosen from around the world as ‘Young Global Leaders’ Regional Champions Oando PLC was also appointed a regional champion during the summit. The Regional Champion Programme is a unique platform where the World Economic Forum recognises indigenous African companies that are performing and have achievements in quantum comparable to multinational companies using world class standards. Regional champions and Partners are committed to furthering the economic and social development of Africa. These companies are perceived as the future of Africa.

Twelve companies were appointed as regional companies and Oando is the only Nigerian company on the list. Others were 10 South African companies and a press corporation from Malawi.

Participation in the Regional Champion Programme is by invitation only and the champions are selected on the basis of their engagement in the continent. The Programme provides selected Members and Partners with the opportunity to interact on an ongoing basis to address pressing regional challenges at a global level; gain new and unique insights on regional key issues; and develop proactive responses.

Oando For analysts who are conversant with the heritage and continued performance of Oando, its selection and partnership with WEF was not surprising. Having started out as a fuels retailer in 2002, Oando has evolved to become sub-Saharan Africa’s largest integrated energy services group with assets across the energy value chain.

A market maker, Oando remains one of

• Constitution - one of Oando’s oil rigs.

By Emeka Ugwuanyi

the top 10 stocks on the Nigerian Stock Exchange and the highest revenue earner on the the Exchange for two consecutive years.

With a primary listing on the NSE and Secondary listing on the Johannesburg Stock Excnage, Oando has a compounded Annual growth Rate of 50 percent.

Its subsidiaries are leaders in their respective niche. Oando Marketing is the leading oil retailer with operations in West Africa.

Through over 600 retail outlets, Oando is believed to be selling fuel to one in every five cars on Nigerian roads. Oando Supply and Trading arm is the largest independently owned oil trading company that procures a broad range of petroleum products.

With a 100km gas grid in Lagos and another 128km nearing completion, Oando Gas and Power is fast imprinting its footprints as the foremost gas infrastructure developer in Nigeria.

Oando Energy Services is the largest operator of swamp rigs fleet servicing national and multinational exploration and production companies. Oando Exploration and Production, the first indigenous company to have a participatory interest in a deep offshore asset, the company is building a robust portfolio of assets and is a beacon of local content in the country. The refining and terminaling is hoping to build a refinery and a terminaling facility to increase efficiency in product distribution.

On how these success stories have been achieved, Tinubu said: “The key attribute is dynamism, we deliver projects cheaper and faster, we deploy skills and manage our projects faster. Secondly, because we are indigenous, we can cross bridges, which multinationals find difficult in negotiating, we also get the benefit of international skills and local skills” It is time for Africa As investor perceptions of Africa soar and outlook increasing become positive, capital inflows is expected to reach US$ 150billion by 2015 according a report by Ernst and Young. However, the report further states: “In spite of the growth trends, Africa still attracts less than 5% of the global FDI”.

However, Tinubu opines: “The development of the continent is really going to be driven not by foreign direct investment alone, but primarily by the ability Africa home grown businesses to grow and to execute and every eyes will follow where the return is best and if we sit down and completely rely on foreign multinationals, it will not happen, but it will only happen when we organise ourselves and keep on improving the quality of our service offerings and exporting to other countries, “Glo” has done it in the communication sector, Dangote has done it in the cement sector, and we are doing it in the oil sector” He admonished government of African countries to work at regional integration

• GMD Oando Plc, Wale Tinubu

to promote inclusive growth where something as simple as movement of business men across the continent is visa free; remove barriers of trades and turn them into opportunities of trade. He stressed that a merged market is much more substantial than a market fragmented.

As Nigerian companies continue to leave their marks in the African economy; it is surely a question of time before many other regional champions emerge out of Nigeria to join Oando in the quest to make Africa proud.

Milestones in oil and gas industry Oando Plc is Nigeria’s number one emerging integrated energy solutions provider. The company has made substantial investment across the value chain in the energy sector including the exploration and production (upstream), midstream and downstream as well as in the power sector.

The company is moving swiftly and expectations are that in the next 10 years, it will be operating like one of the leading international oil companies (IOCs) competing for assets in any part of the world.

It acquired Shell’s 49.8 per cent stake in two oil blocks for $625.7 million in an international competitive bidding process.

Oando Energy Services, a subsidiary of the company, also emerged Nigeria’s largest indigenous drilling contractor with Oando’s acquisition of two inland barge rigs from Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC) for an estimated $43.5 million inclusive of VAT. This acquisition brings to five, the total number of rigs in Oando’s fleet and clearly reinforces the company’s position as

the leading beacon in the oilfield services sector of Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.

The company had earlier taken delivery of an additional rig named the “Constitution” purchased in July 2008 at a cost of $53.5 million. The company also paid $197 million to Agip for a 15 per cent stake in two oil blocks - OML-125 and OML-134, making Oando the first indigenous participant company in a producing deep offshore oil block.

OML-125 currently produces approximately 20,000 barrels per day (bpd) of oil from the Abo field combined with near term production growth and high potential exploration acreage to complement Oando’s existing upstream portfolio. Abo is also expected to ramp up to 40,000 bpd. OML-134 although still in exploration phase, has already recorded the Oberan discovery, where an appraisal well is currently being drilled.

Oando also acquired 75 per cent interest in Exiles Resources’ 40 per cent working interest in the Akepo Field through the signing of a Financial and Technical Services Agreement on 23 October, 2008. Beyond the shores of Nigeria, the company has also Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Russia’s energy giant, Gazprom to jointly develop projects in multiple sectors of Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.

Under the MoU, Oando and Gazprom have agreed to collaborate in the development of oil & gas assets and infrastructure in the West African sub region and the Gulf of Guinea.

The company was also selected as a Strategic Partner to the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) to develop assets and infrastructure to harness the gas that will be produced from the offshore Jubilee oilfield. GNPC had shortlisted companies following a highly competitive bid process involving over fifty reputable local, regional and international corporations. From the initial fifty, five companies made the final selection from which Oando (Lead Developer) and Saipem (a globally renowned Oil and Gas engineering, procurement and construction firm) and ModecItochu (a Japanese oil and gas consortium) were chosen to form a joint consortium with GNPC. Oando is the operator of oil blocks – OPL 278 and OPL 236. The company also has a 45 per cent interest in a marginal field, OML 56. These fields are in different stages of development and will significantly increase Nigeria’s oil and gas reserves.

Pleased with the milestones achieved in the oil and gas industry and actualisation of set targets the Group Chief Executive, Oando Plc Wale Tinubu said during the acquisition of the Agip assets: “This is a significant milestone for Oando as we officially join the league of companies with interests in deep offshore producing assets.

This acquisition will contribute to our strategic target of 100,000bpd by 2012, as we continue to explore opportunities to build a robust portfolio of oil and gas properties.”

THE NATION FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

19

EDITORIAL/OPINION Comments

EDITORIAL FROM OTHER LAND

Presidential gesture •We appreciate FG’s compensation to slain corps members’ families, but their killers must be punished

C

ERTAINLY, nothing can bring back the 10 National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members who were killed in Bauchi, Bauchi State, in the course of national service during the last elections. Nonetheless, we appreciate President Goodluck Jonathan’s act of grace in announcing financial compensation for the families of the dead corps members, and automatic employment for those injured among them, on completion of their national service.

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Attahiru Jega, promised Nigerians credible elections and this necessitated his introduction of some new ideas into the electoral process. Part of this new deal was using youth corps members in the conduct of the elections. Before now, teachers were used for the exercise, but the snag with this arrangement was that most of the teachers compromised the integrity of the elections because they were

‘As the president noted at the sober occasion, whatever monetary compensation the government has offered cannot bring back the dead, but their deaths can be avenged.

Those responsible should not go unpunished’

employees of the state governments.

Without doubt, Prof. Jega’s decision appeared well informed. This is especially so that most of the youth corps members did not disappoint; they indeed discharged their assignments creditably and to the expectation and admiration of INEC and the generality of Nigerians, thus raising the hope of a brighter future for the country. Unfortunately, at a time the country should be celebrating the exceptional courage and sincerity of these youths in their handling of their assignment, some miscreants punctuated the celebration by murdering 10 of them in cold blood, ostensibly to protest election results.

We could imagine what could have been going on in the minds of the parents and relatives of the slain youth corps members when they were informed of the president’s invitation to them to the seat of power, so the government could further express its sympathy to them, formally.

When athletes and others who have made the country proud get such invitation, even in the days when all they got was the presidential handshake, they still looked forward to it and indeed beamed with smiles as the president extended the rare privilege of a handshake to them.

But not so for the relations of the ‘NYSC 10’. People still mourning their dead, especially when the dead were youths cut down in their prime could not smile; rather, it was a somber moment at which laughter became like a scarce commodity. It was such a pitiful sight to behold the babies of some of the deceased who are still too innocent to know what has hap-

pened to them.

Although the government has promised to give each of the affected families N5 million as well as immortalise the dead youth corps members as heroes in the country’s democratic process, which is commendable, something is still missing: justice. As the president noted at the sober occasion, whatever monetary compensation the government has offered cannot bring back the dead, but their deaths can be avenged.

Those responsible should not go unpunished. We have made this point several times that the reason why people are emboldened to commit such violent crimes against fellow Nigerians with impunity is because the perpetrators are never punished.

Good enough President Jonathan has promised that this would be different.

It had better be. Already, the killing of the corps members has once again opened the NYSC Scheme to virulent criticisms, and rightly so. It takes a lot of investment to train a child to the point of graduation, and it takes a lot of sacrifice even on the part of the students to successfully complete their studies, especially in a hostile environment like ours where studies are ever punctuated by strikes and there is a dearth of the requisite learning and teaching aids.

It amounts to double jeopardy for people who have undergone this torture in their quest for education to be brought down when they and their parents are on the verge of reaping the fruits of their labour.

MFM largesse •The church’s reward for its stellar graduates should go beyond cars

T

HE Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries (MFM) has come up with the novel idea of giving out car gifts to first-class degree graduates who are members of the church. The gesture came under the endowed name of the church’s overseer - ‘Dr Daniel Olukoya Academic Award for Excellence’ and is geared towards promoting academic excellence and rewarding diligence in outstanding youths of the church.

During the last exercise, 21 first-class graduates from various universities within and outside the country who attend the church were rewarded for their academic brilliance and attainments. They were presented with the gifts during the monthly ‘Power Must Change Hands’ programme of the church, held at the MFM Prayer City along the Lagos/Ibadan Expressway.

The award that started last year was the second edition of an annual event that is part of the church’s 21-point agenda to reposition youths and rescue them from societal vices.

The token, according to the church, was meant to ‘encourage the students and members of the church to put in their best in whatever they were doing’. The gesture is commendable, especially in a society where hard work and industry are hardly rewarded. The church’s prioritisation of youth welfare is something that not only other churches but institutions in the land must emulate, if only to

engender the nation’s posterity.

Despite the fact that we agree with the principle behind this MFM act, we must quickly add that we deprecate the showiness that the Pentecostal churches have come to be known for over the years. It is very possible that motivation of outstanding members of such churches can be done without turning such into a class affair. Perhaps it will not be out of place to ask what informed the decision of the church to give out choice brand new cars to these outstanding graduates who obviously might still be searching for jobs in the country’s drab labour market.

What is the essence of doling out cars to fresh graduates who might mostly be unable to maintain the cars?

Of what benefit will it be to MFM if such beneficiaries later opt to sell the cars due to their inability to meet the cost of maintenance as jobless graduates, or from meagre salaries paid the few lucky ones who have jobs? Or should parents be forced to pay for what they do not consider to be the priority of their wards at this point in time?

We believe that cars are of necessity to those who can maintain them, but it is our reasoned view that other beneficial motivational means should in future be explored by MFM in goading youth members of the church to aspire to greater heights. Rather than cars, the church should consider providing scholarships for higher degrees

in institutions, both at home and abroad, for upcoming brilliant students from its fold. Others that are interested in entrepreneurial ventures should be availed with funds that can set them on purposeful paths in life. Cars are too ephemeral as motivational items for young men and women just coming out of school. Also, the church should focus more on utilising funds from the endowment to cater to the educational and other needs of indigent youth members of the church who in most cases cannot afford the tuition fees charged by schools established by it.

We commend MFM for coming up with such a laudable initiative. But the church must know that there is need to tweak its reward philosophy to shape the future of the youths rather than pursue momentary delights.

‘We commend MFM for coming up with such a laudable initiative. But the church must know that there is need to tweak its reward philosophy to shape the future of the youths rather than pursue momentary delights’

Egypt’s new foreign policy

T

HOUGH EGYPT is still ruled by its military and is months away from electing a democratic government, its foreign policy already has undergone a remarkable change. Last week the regime oversaw a reconciliation between the Palestinian Fatah and Hamas factions — a deal its diplomats brokered without consulting Israel or the United States. In an interview with The Post’s Lally Weymouth, the foreign minister of the interim civilian cabinet, Nabil Elaraby, confirmed that Cairo will end the previous regime’s blockade of the Gaza Strip and move toward normalizing relations with Iran.

“Egypt has turned a page with every country in the world,” Mr. Elaraby said. “If you want me to say it — Iran is not an enemy. We have no enemies. Anywhere.”

Such words are bound to be disconcerting to the Israeli government — which has rejected the Palestinian accord — and to some in Washington accustomed to Egypt’s role as a close partner of the United States in containing Iran and steering Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. Statements by Mr. Elaraby and Amr Moussa, the former head of the Arab League who leads the early polls for the upcoming presidential election, suggest that Egypt and the United States may soon part ways on such issues as whether sanctions are the right response to Tehran’s nuclear ambitions. In a separate interview, Mr. Moussa told Ms. Weymouth: “The nuclear issue in the Middle East means Israel and then Iran.”

There’s nevertheless a case for concluding that Egypt’s policy changes may end up benefiting the United States and Israel. First, both Mr. Elaraby and Mr. Moussa said that Egypt will keep its peace treaty with Israel and continue close relations with Washington. It will still support the goal of a peaceful two-state solution in the Middle East, as well as a new one: democratic change in the Arab world.

Egypt’s previous foreign policy was often toxic.

It opposed international initiatives on democracy and human rights, and it joined efforts in the United Nations to stigmatize Israel. It regularly made promises to Washington on which it failed to deliver — such as its attempts to broker ceasefires between Israel and Hamas. Meanwhile the United States was commonly blamed for Egypt’s domestic repression as well as its external weakness.

A more independent Egypt will have the opportunity to regain its traditional role of Arab leadership — at the likely expense of Iran and allies such as Syria. If it can appropriate some of the leverage those regimes now have over Hamas, Cairo may be able to push the movement toward the concessions that would be essential to any Middle East deal. It could also be a force for ensuring that the tide of democratic change is not reversed by the remaining dictatorships — whether they be Syria or Saudi Arabia.

The Palestinian accord, which remains unsettled in many respects, could be an important test of Egypt’s new path. The accord is likely to have some big negative consequences, such as the end of the progressive Palestinian administration in the West Bank. But the Obama administration should press Egypt to show that its new policy can deliver results — such as a definitive end to attacks on Israel and the release of an Israeli soldier abducted

by Hamas. The former Egyptian government failed for five years to free that hostage; if Mr. Elaraby can spring him, he can prove that Egyptian diplomacy is back.

– Washington Post

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THE NATION FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

20

EDITORIAL/OPINION

S

IR: The April elections marked the first time President Goodluck Jonathan would present himself for an elective office. He toured Nigeria and almost every sector and group agreed to vote for him because he is a different kind of politician.

Nigerians, I guess must have considered the divine intervention in his emergence, his humility and unassuming disposition in deciding to vote for him to continue as president. They have done it with faith, hope and trust that God has hand in this man of destiny.

Community Defence Law Foundation, a grass-roots, youth based organization focusing on education, democracy and good governance among the youths presents to President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan the following as our demands as he gets sworn in as President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on May 29, 2011.

First, no society can advance without educating its youth. The youth are the bedrock upon which the great future of a country is built and solidified. Coming from the academia, the President needs not be reminded on the state of education in the country. It is time to get the sector back to what it used to be.

Most well to do Nigerians do not have their children schooling here

S

IR: When the aggrieved Niger Deltans took to the creeks, bunkering petroleum pipelines and taking influential people hostage to register the point that they were being unfairly treated, they made their requests known to the nation. The late President Umar Musa Yar’Adua proposed amnesty programme for them.

At first, few people thought the amnesty programme would not work. Even some highly placed individuals in the country considered it an exercise in futility and sheer waste of national resources. However, the amnesty programme recorded some degree of success as leaders of those groups surrendered

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For President Jonathan, our charter of demands especially in the tertiary institution.

President Jonathan must make this a priority in his agenda in the next four years. Education must be revived, confidence restored, taken to greater heights, able to compete with other institutions of the world.

Second is electricity. This is the pillar of Nigeria’s growing economy. No government that is responsive to its peoples would want to ignore this sector recog-

nizing its importance. Nigeria’s epileptic power supply is holding the nation down from advancing considering the human and natural blessings bestowed on it by the Almighty God. Third is corruption. This is a cankerworm that has eaten deep into the government fabric and must be fought also. Mr. President, it must not be business as usual.

Fourth is security. We are still

mourning the murder of nine youth corpers and others; destruction of buildings in the northern part of Nigeria. This is not the first; several of such has occurred with no person ever arrested and adequately punished. Security is about intelligence and proactive measures. The government must not continue to allow the lives of its citizen to be cut short by few criminals in our midst.

Unemployment is another area of concern that needs government attention. What is needed here is just a conducive atmosphere that would help generate employment amongst the citizens. Job creation by the government, means allowing those factors that will encourage, support, facilitate private initiative at creating employment for the masses to thrive.

As for appointments, we strongly advise that he seeks out Nigerians who will help him to succeed. Nigeria is not lacking in men and women of integrity. They abound in all states, eager to serve their fatherland irrespective of religion, ethnicity or party affiliation.

• Uzodinma Nwaogbe Maitama, Abuja

PDP sold the Igbos a dummy

S

IR: I feel bad that the Igbo nation has remained a laughing stock in recent time. I knew that we were being fooled all along yet I noticed only few voices like Professor Nwabueze spoke out.

I was so disappointed in people like Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife who thought that with Goodluck Jonathan as president in 2011, an Igbo man would be president in 2015. What kind of thought is that?

Dr. Ezeife and company threatened that Igbo man must be brought back as PDP national chairman; later they pleaded but of course, those fell on already determined presidential deaf ears.

Now Igbo nation has been totally side-lined and the talk about town now is that they are being considered for the office of Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF).

What does that mean and what

position is that in our national leadership hierarchy? For those Igbos who are still groping, I want to let them know that position of SGF is just like that of a minister who the President is at liberty to remove any time just like Minister Iheanacho was recently removed without any cogent reason.

Look at the mundane reason now being given for not accepting Igbo person as the Speaker of the federal House of Representatives –

What do northerners want? their arms on the terms of the federal government.

It is an understatement to say that no meaningful development activity can take place where fighting, killing and uprising are the order of the day. Besides large scale corruption, the incessant killings in the northern Nigeria have been a nagging problem for well over a decade now. Even issues that originated far beyond the shores of the country would send people into the street, killing and maiming others to register their grievances. The recent killings, most especially of youth corps members, in some northern states to show grievances over election results should move the country to address the root

causes of these problems.

When the bombing of the Suleja Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office occurred, Mr President declared the corps members who fell victim as national heroes. Few weeks later, several others followed. It became obvious to everyone that mere status conferral would not solve any problem. It is dangerous for us to just assume we can go on without addressing the issue. If we do, we will be planting a time bomb in the nearest future.

It is important that Mr President ask the northerners what they really want. Niger Deltans were stereotyped and called all sorts of names when they were in the midst of their

own struggle, but that did not solve any problem until the then government made concerted effort to address the problem. It is not expected that Nigeria should employ the same strategy that promises no result again—name calling and shifting blame. It is dangerous to let this evil hibernate until it revives again to unleash another round of terror on innocent people. So, in the interest of national peace and security, government should ask the northerners to articulate their demands and exploit democratic provisions to pursue them.

• Wole Oladapo University of Ibadan.

that we do not have a Muslim among our elected ones. Let it be on record that south-east ranked highest (97 percent) in the total votes cast to make Jonathan President.

Another funny ‘promise’ is that an Igbo man would be vice-president in 2015 in order to pave way for him to be president in 2019 or 2013. That was how vaguely it was put by the PDP authorities. This is an insult on the collective intelligence of the Igbo nation.

From time, some reasonable Igbo persons sounded it that the present leadership of Ohaneze Ndigbo and Aka Ikenga (both Igbo organizations) were pursuing their personal agendas. Both of them – the leadership – are from the Southsouth as Jonathan and were bent on seeing him through as the president in 2011 and not necessarily serving the interest of the core Igbo nation. The South-east governors are insisting on the Speakership of the House of Representatives and the leadership of the organisations are pretending to be supporting them while the Presidency is more disposed to the South-west candidate. Who is fooling who?

• Nnamdi Okafor Aba, Abia State.

THE NATION FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011 16

21

EDITORIAL/OPINION

“If”….an emphasis

Reality Bites I

Olatunji Ololade

F we were truly as intelligent as we think we are, this would be the moment in which we understand that the choices we made would serve or impeach us.

This is the moment in which we agonise over what consequences we shall get to endure or what indescribable joys we shall get to enjoy, as our choices endow.

If we had truly given voice to our rage and pain by casting our votes for the candidates truly deserving of them, we would know, from this moment henceforth; if President Goodluck Jonathan would become the Messiah we are yet to find. This moment henceforth, we will get to know if every state governor, senator, local council chairman, among others, actually measure up to statesmanship we are yet to enjoy.

This moment henceforth, we shall begin to understand the many aces and inadequacies of “If.” And so shall we finally, come to terms with wantonness, folly, courage and wisdom by which posterity shall get to define and judge us.

If only we would ever get past “If” and its politics of regret and expectation. If President Goodluck Jonathan would scorn the beaten path, he would offer us more than

time-worn “life-boats” that basically, incapacitates and obscures.

If Mr President-elect truly intends to be true to his words, he would be done with his promises of better life, free amenities and infrastructure for in the normal conditions of existence, it is the duty of the government to provide among other things; good roads and electricity, security and a stable economy; for we do pay for them – quite painfully too; from our income as tax.

If President Jonathan would do his bit, then he would foster a prompt eradication of the canker of unemployment; then he would seek with intent to actualise, lasting solutions to the monstrosities of bad roads, substandard education and health sectors, insecurity, erratic power supply, redundant refineries, elephant projects, ill-equipped hospitals, pervasive poverty et al. Then he would motivate his associates and fellow public officers in power to hearken and seek determinable end to the people’s cries and grunts of pain.

And if every serving state governor among others would aspire to the noblest deeds in statesmanship and ardour, then every city and every village would be a haven for

If every incoming public officer would evolve a personal ethic wholly derived to elevate the fundamental nature of our universe, then they could be able to revert that time-worn and insidious altruism that has been our lot.

P

ROFESSOR Attahiru Jega’s appointment as chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was guaranteed to stimulate interest for its peculiar antecedents. Recall that the clamours for Maurice Iwu’s removal grew more strident as government waxed ambivalent and the courts exposed the former chairman of INEC as an unfair umpire. Like the proverbial handshake and the elbow, Iwu’s recalcitrance grew to new levels as he unabashedly campaigned for another term in office.

In the end, government bowed to reason and started talking of the need for integrity and credible polls. The story grew more predictable from there on and you needed not be a political techie to know that the dialectics would throw an antithesis like Attahiru Jega if it had to be credible. The point was clear; Nigeria needed a man of integrity for the 2011 elections to be credible.

So it was not surprising the President eventually appointed a man of proven integrity into the INEC chair. It was surprising that he chose to go northward for Attahiru Jega, and by so doing junked the enduring culture that had zoned that position to Southern Nigeria since 1964.

We may have owed more to the Iwu dialectics than we actually know on that score.

But Professor Attahiru Jega should know he even owes more to his loquacious predecessor. Think of it, if Iwu had been seen to be a fair umpire there would not be clamours for his removal. The current ovations for the ascetic don would be pointless if Nigerians were not comparing him with his predecessor in their subconscious.

Iwu’s apparent malfeasance provided the credence to applaud Attahiru Jega whose major credentials in that office to date has been sincerity.

Going by the just concluded elections you were probably right if you had suspected Jega did not bring any other remarkable innovation with him into the office.

Take the so-called Modified Open Ballot system for which he had drawn much applause; it was essentially a clone of the so-called Open Ballot system fathered by Ibrahim Babangida and Humphrey Nwosu in the course of their infamous transition, more than one generation ago. As if to prove that old habits die hard, Jega’s INEC still came on the stage in these elections dangling the shackles of under-age and multiple voting.

You then wonder why loud applause and why the pats on the back for INEC in the face of the flaws. I guess most Nigerians are of the view that sincerity should suffice as the key performance index for INEC, for now. Nigerians felt they could afford to be magnanimous in the circumstance that the results especially the presidential elec-

tourists to explore.

If Governor Babatunde Fashola would extend his politics of progress and expansion to the enclaves that no one could manage to accept, still, as dazzling emblems of his mega-city project, then every street and every neighbourhood in Agege, Abule-Egba, and AgbadoIjaye to mention a few, would become attractions no one could ignore.

If Governor Babatunde Fashola would accord his studious stare beyond the bounds of Yaba, Ikoyi, Ikeja, Victoria Island et al, then he would find that there are resources yet untapped within the enclaves no one would gallantly identify as brilliant archetypes of his megacity project. Then every lane and every settlement in Ayobo, Iyana Ipaja, Ipaja, Ajasa-Command would be a sight for the living. Then every street and every neighbourhood in Ahmadiyya, Meiran, Iju-Ishaga, Akute, Ojodu and those impenetrable streets of Ajegunle, just before Ogun state would become more habitable for every visitor and every resident alike.

And if Ogun state governor-elect, Ibikunle Amosu, is truly the Messiah the natives claim he would be, he would endeavour to reverse every anomaly that has been foisted upon the state. He would reenergise the state by repairing the damaged roads of Abeokuta, Sango-Ota and the link roads by which Itele meshes with Lagos. He would make the filth in Ita-Elega, Itoku, Itoko, Isale-Ake, Onikolobo, Quarry road, Adatan, to mention a few disappear; he would stop the descent of Abeokuta, the land of industry, paramount royalty and the cerebral.

If every incoming governor, local council chairman, could aspire to such noble ideal as the provision of good roads among other vital

infrastructure, then, the mountain dwellers of Sankwala and their neighbours in Gashaka-Gumti, Taraba state would have no further need to travel across the border into Cameroon to seek good medical care. Then they would have no need to emigrate to till other people’s lands in Cameroon, while our land lay fallow in our motherland.

If every public office holder would accept that we do not live for the benefit and love of “lifeboats” and that no patronising politics would serve as fertile earth in which to sow our seeds of hope, development and prosperity, they could chance on the means to improve our lives. And they could learn to institute veritable means by which we could attain it, like conscientious leadership cum service in the interest of the people.

If they all would accept that poverty, ignorance, illness, corruption and strife as other afflictions of their kind are hardly metaphysical emergencies as we have been made to believe, they could finally attain a grasp of true statesmanship and governance.

If they all would seek to obliterate these anomalies and improve upon our lives within the bounds of conscious efforts in pursuit of those values we seek – particularly those we are too effeminate to seek, they could eventually become the worthy representatives we have always wished that they would become.

If every incoming public officer would evolve a personal ethic wholly derived to elevate the fundamental nature of our universe, then they could be able to revert that time-worn and insidious altruism that has been our lot.

Then the Nigerian state could be able to refute such menacing philosophy that that propagates the notion that every citizen by his nature and stature is helpless and

Lessons from Jega polls

By Wole Akinyosoye

tions had generally flowed with the will of the people.

Put otherwise, Attahiru Jega had delivered on the promise on credible election. Nigerians could also see that Jega is sincere and honest; virtues that had virtually gone extinct in public office. They were justifiably miffed when the man ate his words on the readiness of INEC for the National Assembly elections. But they forgave him when they saw his cards on the table and heard his public admission of blame. Some even reasoned that his predecessor in office would have carried on with the election even if it meant writing the results on the creased back of his palms.

Nigerians also appreciate Jega for understanding that sincerity is always a subject of proof. By taking computation of the presidential votes away from the closets and bringing it to the scrutiny of the cameras, the INEC chairman seemed to be proving sincerity and transparency. He also succeeded to in proving that INEC had moved away from the era of conjuring figures directly from Abuja. Nigerians know the figures might not be pristine perfect but they know it jived with the popular will. The accolades on Jega therefore are not therefore unqualified endorsements of mediocrity by a people that never believed they could do better. They were confirmation that Nigerians, scathed by recent history of poll heists, bought the logic of Thomas Carlyle about sincerity being the father of perfection.

But for sincerity to live up to the promise of moving from credible to free and fair polls we must rise above the celebrations and the smoldering chars to learn the right lessons from this exercise. First, we need to learn there is virtue in breaking with unproductive past and getting the right man for jobs in the public office. President Jonathan did well by removing the albatross of geography hanged on INEC since 1964. His appointee, Attahiru Jega, had also proved the obvious that competence and integrity are not subordinates of geography.

Future progress on that bold precept would depend on how we far we can take it in INEC and to percolate to the

doomed. Then every Nigerian could be able to rebut such manner of altruism that stresses that success, happiness and achievement are impossible to you and me; that emergencies and catastrophes are the norm of our lives and that our primary goal is to combat them with the least expectation of triumph while we expect altruistic lifelines, lifeboats and other pick-meups from our leadership and state.

If every newly elected public officer would endeavour to scorn the allure of the beaten and yet most travelled path, they could attain such wisdom and honour their predecessors could never have. They could get to appreciate that no brilliant degree of sophistry or doublespeak could ever justify or validate such politics that seeks to asphyxiate the aspirations and wishes of the man on the street however farfetched they are.

They could get to understand why like the altruistic philosophy from which it is derived, such politics rests on a plethora of myths that are as outdated as supernatural as edicts legitimising “The Divine Right of Kings” over serfs.

And if we could endeavour to be more mindful and assertive, we could at long last, re-invent ourselves as everything but the inconsequential social elements we have been labelled to be.

We could divest our lives of the shams that incapacitates and obscures. We could learn how not to compromise our struggle for selfdetermination any longer knowing that if we do, more often than not, we will suffer a succession of familiar betrayals that has overtime emboldened and fortified the power of corrupt and wholly evil leadership that we had lacked the courage to fight and conquer.

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states where more Resident Electoral Commissioners would also play for integrity.

Second, President Jonathan should stick with keeping out of the way at INEC. Keeping faith with that resolve would allow INEC choose its own men down the line and live up to the ‘Independent’ part of its acronym and for more credibility in future elections. In fact the panNigerian mandate of the president has invested him with a patriotic duty to re-visit the pending recommendations of the Uwais Commission especially in regard to the statutory autonomy of INEC. The stifling heat of power contest in Nigeria has further made perennial reliance on the goodwill of sitting presidents for free elections a risky venture. The lessons of the recent past are that presidents would always be politicians.

But Attahiru Jega can strengthen the electoral process even under the existing laws by fully opening the books to those wishing to contest the decisions of INEC on the elections. INEC should cooperate with the petitioners beyond the normal call of duty if it is truly interested in ascertaining its real performance. Nothing should stop subjection of the thumb prints to forensic analyses in the areas under contention, as Dr. Olusegun Mimiko did the other day at the Ondo State electoral tribunal. The biometrics data captured by INEC during the voters’ registration provide interesting opportunities to strengthen the process. Jega also owes the responsibility to verify the allegations on child voters and multiple voting and give suspects and sponsors their day in court. Prosecuting the miscreants would show that INEC is getting ready for a better time out; next time.

• Mr. Akinyosoye writes from Bamikemo, Ileoluji

‘They were justifiably miffed when the man ate his words on the readiness of INEC for the National Assembly elections. But they forgave him when they saw his cards on the table and heard his public admission of blame. Some even reasoned that his predecessor in office would have carried on with the election even if it meant writing the results on the creased back of his palms’

22

THE NATION FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

EDITORIAL/OPINION ‘No evil deed will go unpunished. Any evil done by man to man will be redressed; if not now, then certainly later; if not by man, then by God for the victory of evil over good is temporary.’——Dele Giwa (1947-1986)

T

HEIR aspirations for better future were fulfilled when they successfully graduated from various institutions of higher learning in the country. They looked forward to securing gainful jobs but the law says they must scale through the mandatory hurdle of national service. So, they went to their posted states of primary assignments.

Eagerly, they look forward to the end of the programme so as to be gainful employed or perhaps for those who can afford it among them, pursue higher degrees. Alas! They were proved wrong by fate as they met their untimely death while toiling to ensure free and fair election in the nation. Reports showed that angry mobs killed these youthful soldiers of service, leaving not only their parents but fellow Nigerians in misery and despair.

For faults that were not theirs, these youthful soldiers of national service will never reap the fruits of their hard labour; they will forever not be able to take care of their parents and also bury them when they die; they can never attend to loved ones again as their dreams ended abruptly the day the callous northern servants of the devil killed them while actively serving their fatherland.

The NYSC TEN including Adewunmi Paul (Ekiti state), Okeoma Okechukwu Chibudom (Imo state), Ukazeone Amsalem Chukwunonyere (Imo), Anyanwu Agnes (Imo) Okpokiri Obina(Imo), Olawale Tosin (Kogi), Akonye Ibrahim Sule (Kogi), Gbenjo Ebenezer Ayotunde (Osun), Adeniyi Kehinde Jelili (Osun) and Adohe Elliot (Bayelsa) had left this world. When they received their callup letters, they left their various parents’ homes with smiles that showed promise that after national service, they would one day return home to liberate their families from want. Sadly, it was their corpses that were taken back to their parents with all the hopes and dreams vanished.

Will these gallant youthful soldiers be forgotten like several others before them by the nation? We should further ask ourselves; what is the essence of a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme that rather than unify the country is despoiling it? Has the scheme outlived its usefulness? If yes, why has it been difficult for those leading this country overtime to initiate a complete revision or even total scrapping of the scheme through

T

HE 2011 general elections have come and gone, and judging from the comments of local and international observers including Nigeria’s Nobel Laureate Professor Wole Soyinka, the processes, especially the National Assembly and the presidential polls, were in many respects free, fair and credible. This, however, does not obviate the possibility of some challenges or lapses here and there which the appropriate tribunals should meticulously sort out without fear or favour. Nigeria has for the first time escaped the perennial scourge of international censure that greets flawed elections, such as Zimbabwe’s of 2003 for which reason President Robert Mugabe was humiliatingly barred from the 2003 Abuja Commonwealth Summit.

Again for the first time, a Nigerian electoral umpire has emerged from the task smiling. Our leaders can now raise their heads high in the comity of nations. Yes, Professor Jega can proudly proclaim, like Apostle Paul, (2 Timothy 4:7) “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept faith.”

Now the final phase of the electoral battle has shifted to the court of law where, principally, the event of April 26, to wit, the results of the governorship and state houses of assembly polls in various states will be contested by aggrieved parties. Incidentally, reports by many observers seem to agree

‘Any contestant or political party that is found to have swallowed more than it lawfully deserved in the recent elections must be made to disgorge same in full’

‘NYSC 10’: Heroes of electoral sacrifice

• President Jonathan consoling Mrs. Tessy Adewo and her children, members of the family of one of the slain National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members

which many Nigerian youths have died? Is it not a known fact in public affairs that policies must have terminal or review period? Why is Nigeria not adhering to this universal public administration norm/principle in the running of its affairs? What step has been put in place to forestall recurrence of the fate that befell the NYSC TEN in future?

One is happy that President Jonathan Goodluck has during his Council Chambers, State House meeting with families of the slain youth corpers announced something akin to palliatives for their parents/guardians. The dead corps members were reportedly represented by their parents. Mr. President seized opportunity presented by the occasion to announce a token N5m monetary compensation for each of the families of the

ten National Youth Service Corps members killed in the violence that trailed the presidential elections in some Northern states. In addition to the monetary compensation, one unemployed graduate who is a direct sibling of each of the late corps members will be offered automatic federal employment. Furthermore, any other NYSC member injured during the northern riots will gain automatic employment into federal establishments on the completion of his/her currently mandatory national service.

The president deployed soothing words to wit: “Your sons and daughters may be gone, but they have not died in vain. You can take solace in the fact that they are today national heroes of whom every patriotic Nigerian is immensely proud….I appreciate the fact that

Elections tribunals: The world is watching

By Godwin Nzeakah that that particular election, in many respects, was hardly free and fair.

Mr. Amos Sawyer, the former head of Liberia’s Interim National Government, leading ECOWAS monitoring team, said that in Delta and Akwa Ibom states, movement of his group was restricted to certain places.

Similarly, Project Swift, another coalition of independent observers, said the same states topped their list of places where electoral abuse prevailed. Thus, in many instances party agents in states like Akwa Ibom, Abia, Benue, Niger, Jigawa, Kwara, Kaduna, Ebonyi, Kebbi etc. had refused to endorse the final results of the poll. This is a clear pointer to the epic legal battles destined for those places in the days ahead.

But certainly, for obvious reason, proceedings in the more controversial states like Benue, Akwa Ibom, Bauchi and Kaduna are more likely to attract public attention than others. In Akwa Ibom State, particularly, the Returning Officer Mrs. Comfort Ekpo was courageous enough to disclose while announcing the result, that collation officers who monitored the poll did complain of electoral “malpractices” in different LGAs. “Without mentioning different Local Government Areas that had such challenges, I want us to know that we have come a long way though we had some forms of malpractices along the line,” she said (see The Nation of April 28, 2011). Mrs. Ekpo’s open admission that the exercise was marred by malpractices is unique, being the only one of its

kind by anyone else in her capacity. What is more, it is in tandem with press reports which pointed at many polling points, wards and particularly collation centres as scenes of some of the offenses.

In fact, the situation was reportedly bloody in Ibesikpo/Asutan, Ibiono Ibom and few other places, according to The Punch of 27/4/2011 and this must have partly informed the newspaper’s editorial of May 2, 2011 calling for the establishment of an Electoral Offences Tribunal in the country. The paper cited Oron, Ikono, Ikot Inyan, Itu and Nsit Atai as examples of places that recorded ugly scenes. In Oron, the combined team of security men who took away ballot boxes were said to have acted on a distress call from INEC’s ad hoc staff who alleged that their lives were threatened by local youths. It is not clear however whether the electoral law justifies such interventions and if it does, whether accredited party agents did accompany the affected ballot boxes to their final destinations where they were opened and the votes counted. This is a critical issue because even though we applaud this as Nigeria’s “finest hour”, it goes without saying that this has also been the costliest in our election history not only in terms of naira and kobo, but also blood and sweat.

Therefore, if we really cherish the modest achievements and selfless sacrifices of Jega’s INEC and our gallant Youth Corps members, the judiciary must be upright and forthright in the process of resolving all the com-

no amount of recognition can adequately compensate for the deep void that their passing has created in your individual families. However, in demonstration of our gratitude for the supreme sacrifice that they have paid in the service of Nigeria, I have decided that each of the 10 families of these gallant young men and women will receive a token monetary compensation of N5m.’’

While it could be said that compensation is good, but it can never, as rightly observed by the president himself, erase the anguish suffered by the affected families of the slain corpers. There is the need to among others immortalise the dead corpers and more importantly, bring some if not all those that perpetrated the heinous/dastard act that has caused pains in the hearts of millions of Nigerians to book. The president must make good his promise when he said: “Let me seize this opportunity to state in the clearest terms possible that this administration is resolved to ensure that all those who may have been directly or indirectly responsible for this national tragedy will face the full weight of the law.’’

The country cannot afford the luxury of the decimation caused its future trustees (the youths) by certain unscrupulous elements in a particular part of the country. One stands to be corrected that it is rare if not impossible to hear that northern corpers serving in the southern parts of the country were killed.

Why is it that southern states-born corpers are always victims of the insane mobs in the northern part of the country? The time to finally resolve the poser on whether the NYSC scheme is still relevant is now, otherwise, we will all be guilty when the ultimate doomsday arrives. God forbid! This culture of impunity must be halted now!

‘Will these gallant youthful soldiers be forgotten like several others before them by the nation? We should further ask ourselves; what is the essence of a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme that rather than unify the country is despoiling it? Has the scheme outlived its usefulness?’ plaints arising from the process. In a situation where judges are said to lobby nowadays for appointment into election tribunals, those responsible for such appointments must be careful in order to ensure that only persons of impeccable character who have demonstrable courage are entrusted with the onerous task of doing justice to the various petitions, if aggrieved elements are not to lose faith in the legal process and resort to self-help in future elections.

With five political parties: ACN, ANPP, APGA, LP and CPC now controlling 12 states among them, we are gradually gravitating towards a balanced polity which will not fully materialize unless the system is made to rid itself of all residues and vestiges of do-or-die political orientation reminiscent of the Obasanjo era. Towards this end, therefore, any contestant or political party that is found to have swallowed more than it lawfully deserved in the recent elections must be made to disgorge same in full. This is our hope; this is the task before the tribunals, and the world is watching.

President Goodluck Jonathan should maintain the admirable neutrality which he has so far displayed in the affairs of the INEC and the judiciary. He has vindicated G.K. Chesterton who said that “you can never have a revolution in order to establish a democracy. You must have a democracy in order to have a revolution.” To build a truly united nation of shared ideologies or interests, the expectation of Nigerians no doubt is a symbiotic situation where the PDP, ACN, ANPP, CPC, APGA and one other political party can, without any let or hindrance, win parliamentary and governorship elections outside their main catchment areas. But this will remain a mere dream, if not nightmare, if election riggers and their collaborators are not taught some decisive or lasting lesson by the judiciary.

• Nzeakah a journalist writes from Lagos

Allardyce predicts tough match Pg. 24

NFF TO FALCONS’ COACH

Beat Black Queens, retain your job

Pg. 24

Nation Friday, May 13, 2011

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PAGE 23

WAFU NATIONS CUP

Ehiosun shoots Nigeria to finals T

WO goals from the boots of Warri Wolves outstanding forward, Ekigho Ehiosun, was all the Super Eagles needed to outwit ace rivals, Ghana to sail into the finals of the 2011 WAFU Nations Cup ongoing in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.

The Samson Siasia inspired Eagles waited till the last minute, second half of

By Innocent Amomoh

the extra time to overcome perennial rivals and neighbours, Ghana 2-1 at the M.K.O Abiola Stadium.

The Black Meteors of Ghana raced into a shock lead when Gyamfi Daniel drew the first blood in the 56th minute but two goals by Ekigho Ehiosun guaranteed Nigeria’s place in Sunday’s final against

•Ehiosun

Togo after dismissing Liberia 4-2 in the other semi –final match.

The goal scored by Ghana in the 56th minute stunned the Nigerians, but the Eagles, however, clawed their way back into the match with impressive Warri Wolves striker, Ehiosun grabbing the equalizer with about ten minutes to the end of the match before he got the crucial second goal in the extra time.

Nigeria and Togo will square up in the final on Sunday, after the 3rd place match between Ghana and Liberia.

Nigeria is the defending champions after beating Senegal to win the cup last year while the two goals netted yesterday

by Ehiosun made him the highest goal scorer with 4 goals from three matches.

Heartland’s Ikechukwu Ibenegbu still has two goals.

Kaduna United in auto crash

Pg. 41

BAGGIES PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Osaze not West Brom’s best —Reid

Pg. 41

FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

24

NATION SPORT

NATION SPORT

Milan set to add more defenders A

Dalglish signs three-year Liverpool deal KENNY DALGLISH has signed a new three-year contract as Liverpool manager.

The Scot has been rewarded with an extended deal having taken over in January in a caretaker role after Roy Hodgson was sacked in January.

"I'm obviously delighted to be given the opportunity," Dalglish told the Liverpool website.

"When we came back in January there were no promises as to what to expect, so for me it was an ideal opportunity to prove I had something to offer."

The former Scotland striker has returned for a second stint in charge of the club he famously graced as a player in the 1970s and 80s.

He has overseen a dramatic improvement in results, with the Merseysiders climbing to fifth in the Premier League from mid-table mediocrity having strung together some impressive performances.

Dalglish oversaw the signings of the brilliant Uruguayan forward Luis Suarez and former Newcastle striker Andy Carroll, as well as the sale of Fernando Torres to Chelsea.

Liverpool have been transformed from under-achievers into a club seemingly set for next season's Europa League - and with a fighting chance of being a force in the 2011-2012 Premier League season.

Negotiations with Dalglish had been ongoing for several weeks with the final details made public on Thursday.

Coach Steve Clarke, who also arrived in January, has signed a three-year contract as well.

Terry backs Ancelotti CHELSEA CAPTAIN John Terry does not want manager Carlo Ancelotti to leave the club this summer.

The Blues are set to make a decision on Ancelotti's future at the club in the next fortnight, following a season in which the west Londoners have failed to win a trophy.

Terry is hopeful that the Italian, who won the Barclays Premier League and FA Cup double in his first season in charge last term, will remain to at least see out the last season of his three-year deal, and told The Sun: "He's got my full support. I love Carlo. He won the double in his first year and this season the injuries and releasing players has been tough for him."

Chelsea released veteran midfielders Michael Ballack, Deco and Joe Cole last summer and Terry believes their departures left the club short on numbers in their title defence.

"When (Jose) Mourinho was here we had a big squad but we miss that," he added.

"Somewhere in between where we are, and what we had, would be ideal."

•Terry

C MILAN still hope to reinforce their defence despite the recent capture of France centre-back Philippe Mexes and Nigeria full-back Taye Taiwo, administrative delegator Adriano Galliani said on Tuesday.

Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri announced the signing of Mexes and Taiwo on Monday, with both players joining the club as of next season.

However Galliani said they will look to add more defenders as the seven-time European champions go in search of an eighth continental title.

"We will try to strengthen a team that is already in good shape and didn't win the title by some sort of fluke," Galliani said.

"I don't want to give any names but I will say that we will do something in defence."

Galliani refused to speculate on highlyrated Brazilian pair Neymar and Ganso and also all but ruled out a bid for Palermo's Argentine playmaker Javier Pastore.

"He's a little similar to Kaka but we already have excellent players in that position," added Galliani.

Milan's quest to unearth new stars is being motivated by their bid to launch a renewed challenge for the Champions League title.

They have not gone beyond the last 16 in Europe since last winning the continent's premier club competition in 2007, and that is not something that sits comfortably with the powers that be.

"Our aim this season was to interrupt Inter's hegemony in Italy and as you saw, we achieved that," said Galliani, referring to Milan ending Inter's five-year reign at the top of the domestic pile.

"But, even considering the title as an objective of absolute importance, I can announce that next season we will return to our natural hierarchy of priorities and aim to reclaim the Champions League."

Galliani paid tribute to Allegri for securing the scudetto crown in his first season in charge, and after ony two years experience in Serie A. "The choice of the coach was one of the strong points in this victory. It's never easy to choose one but you have to go with your instinct," he said.

"Our president (Silvio) Berlusconi thought Allegri had the shoulders for the role.

"We normally go for a coach who believes in the beautiful game and that's been consistent during our 25 years of managing the club.

"It happened with (Arigo) Sacchi 25 years ago when four times in a row we saw (Sacchi's) Parma playing well against us and it's happened with Allegri.

"We saw Sassuolo playing well and then also Cagliari (both under Allegri)."

Kaduna United in auto crash From Tony Akowe, Kaduna LAYERS and officials of Kaduna United Football Club were on Tuesday involved in a ghastly motor accident along the Benin-Auchi road while returning to Kaduna from Warri where they engaged Warri Wolves in one of the Premier League matches.

The Team’s Media Officer, Abdulrahaman Tonga told NationSport that two of the four vehicles they were travelling with skidded off the road, adding that nobody died from the incident, but the vehicles were damaged beyond repairs.

The team had lost its 32 seater bus during the post election violence when political thugs who invaded the house of the club Chairman, Alhaji Sabo Babayaro set the bus ablaze along with his house.

According to the Media two of the buses carrying the players and officials were damaged after somersaulting saying “among the four cars in which the team’s players and officials were travelling, two of them which were conveying the players and some officials were seriously damaged after somersaulting but nobody died though the accident seriously affected the psyche and psychologically of the players.”

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GUINNESS THE MATCH: NIGERIA/ARGENTINA FRIENDLY

Allardyce predicts tough match F

ORMER Bolton Wanderers boss, Sam Allardyce has warned Nigeria’s Super Eagles to throw everything in their arsenal if they must beat Argentina in the June 1 international friendly match Allardyce witnessed the announcement of the historic match at the Eko Hotel, Lagos recently where he urged football-loving Nigerians to give mammoth support to the Eagles for them to beat Argentina which have become Nigeria’s football nemesis.

“This match is a great challenge to Nigeria,” Allardyce said. “A match between Argentina and the Super Eagles is a mouth-watering prospect.

I don’t know who’s playing as yet, but I do know that with the depth of talent available in a country with the football heritage of Argentina, it will be nothing short of a world class side.

Outside of the usual candidates, think of Zabaleta and his goal for City last week. Otomendi had a tremendous FIFA World Cup and is playing in the UEFA Cup Finals. Mateo Musacchio is playing well for Villa Real. The point is that whoever they send, they are going to prove to be a more than worthy opponent. A real handful.

“What’s more, the level of young talent that the Argentines have coming through is phenomenal. There are some truly exciting players – I’m thinking specifically of Insua and

Musacchio. These are players that will look back and see this match as formative in their international careers. I’ve said it from the outset when I came over to Lagos - this is going to be one heck of a match.”

Siasia’s assistant, Simon Kalika, agrees with Sam Allardyce insisting that Argentina remain a formidable force even without Messi.

“I don’t really know what people are saying and their definition of a

weak team,” Kalika asks rhetorically.

“Argentina are one of the best in the world and they are blessed with top stars across the globe. So they have enough reservoir of talents to beat any team in the world. I won’t be fooled that Argentina will be weak. I have the dossier of their players, who are all doing well at their various clubs and we still have some of them from the first team. We are going to concentrate on getting a good result against them.”

N

ATIONSPORT can revealed that the authorities of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) have issued a strict warning to the Chief Coach of the Super Falcons Uche Eucharia that the return leg match against the Black Queens of Ghana holding this weekend in Accra, will determine her fate in the team.

According to our impeccable source in the team, "The Coaches are fully aware of the directive, and they are not taking it likely. They have been told in clear terms that it is a ‘lose and lose’ out encounter. This has necessitated in them panicky invitation to about 8 foreign based players to beef up the team. The players who have arrived camp when

From Patrick Ngwaogu and Andrew Abah, Abuja our crew visited them on thursday include Rita Chikwelu, Ogbonna Chukwudi, Perpetual Nkwocha, Faith Ikidi, Onome Obi among others.

When contacted on this issue, NFF Assistant General Secretary (Competitions), Dr .A. Sanusi confirmed the arrival of the players, but prefer to remain mute over the order given to the technical crew of the team. He said that the team is expected to leave Nigeria today for Ghana, and that the match will be played on Sunday.

Meanwhile, NFF President Aminu

Other Sports...Other Sports...Other Sports...Other Sports

IAAF WORLD CHALLENGE

Bolt to run 100m in Ostrava

USAIN BOLT, the world's fastest man, will run the 100m at the jubilee 50th edition of the Golden Spike meeting in Ostrava on 31 May. It will be the second time that the Olympic and World champion will contest the 100m at this IAAF World Challenge meeting and his second race over the distance this season.

"I ran 9.77 seconds in Ostrava in 2009 with a +2.1 wind," said Bolt, whose World record of 9.58 was set later that summer at the World Championships in Berlin. "I hope the wind and the weather conditions are favourable this year."

"My first 100 metres of the season will be in Rome (36 May), then Ostrava and then a 200 metres in Oslo,” Bolt said.

His appearance at the end of the month will mark the fourth time that the 24-yearold Jamaican has competed in this eastern Czech city. In addition to his 2009 100m victory, he twice contested the 200m - 20.28

in 2006 and 19.83 in 2008 - and in 2010 ran the 300m, clocking 30.97, the second fastest performance ever.

Other dates confirmed for Bolt thus far include Samsung Diamond League fixtures in Paris (8 July) and Monaco (22 July) where he'll run the 200m and 100m respectively.

•Bolt

Maigari has order a full investigations into the issue of indiscipline rocking the Super Falcons team. Maigari gave the order when he visited the players in their hotels. He said that various cases indiscipline acts have been reported against some of players, and that his Board is ready to tolerate such.

He ordered the Coaches not to hesitate discipline any of the players that are found wanting.

Guardiola, Messi hail Osaze not West Brom’s Barca's toughest title best –Reid P

ETER ODEMWINGIE has been praised by Albion teammate Steven Reid – who has also admitted that his vote for the club’s player of the year will be going elsewhere.

Reid believes that Youssouf Mulumbu is worthy of the accolade, given how well he has performed in his first full top-flight campaign.

Albion players meet for their end-of-season dinner this Sunday, with Reid also picking out a third team-mate, Jonas Olsson, for recognition.

“Obviously most people will go for Peter after his first season in the Premier League,” said Reid.

“Torres has one goal, Dzeko has struggled for goals and yet we’re talking £50million and £30million there.

“For Peter to come in and score 15 Premier League goals is just incredible.

“But in any case I’ve gone for Youssouf.

He has been unbelievable this season, week in, week out.

“I played alongside him when I came last season and he’s kicked on to another level. He’s gone under the radar, which is good for us, but every week he’s one of our best performers.

“And for a defensive-midfielder to chip in with six goals is amazing.

He’s grown so much as a player.

S

AMSON SIASIA has expressed his desire to see the team newest goal scoring kingpin, Ekigho Ehiosun take the lethal form of former Nigerian international goal scoring legend, Rashidi Yekini.

Ehiosun who made his debut scoring in the 2-1 win of the Super Eagles against the Leone Stars of Sierra Leone in an international friendly game in Lagos, scored in his debut for the nation’s Under-23 Olympic team and has equally registered his name on the

•Nigeria'sEkigho Ehiosun challenged by Sierra Leone's Salifu Kamara during an international friendly match at Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos

“Jonas has been tremendous too.

We had 12 games or so without a win and it coincided with when he wasn’t fit.”

•Osaze

BARCELONA coach Pep Guardiola and leading scorer Lionel Messi described their 2011 La Liga crown as the toughest of titles after securing top spot with a 1-1 draw at Levante on Wednesday.

It was a third league championship in three years for the Catalan club but it was a far from vintage performance as they contented themselves with a point at the Ciutat de Valencia stadium where they also won the 2005 league title.

The draw left them on 92 points with two matches left, six ahead of archrivals Real Madrid who they bettered in head-to-head matches 6-1.

"Winning the league was been extremely tough and we are very pleased," Guardiola told reporters.

"We have been tremendous for three quarters of the season but in the last quarter we have struggled to score goals.

"If we have experienced a dip in form towards the end of the season, it is because of the inhuman schedule over the last two years. We have barely stopped."

World Player of the Year Messi has scored 31 times in the league

campaign.

"I'm delighted because it has been a very difficult title to win," he said.

"We've had to work very hard to be champions and more so against a great rival like Real Madrid. Now we have to enjoy it."

Guardiola's three-year reign as coach, his first top-flight management job, has brought Barca nine trophies including three league titles, one European Cup and one King's Cup.

•Guardiola

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL

D

"So the people should expect some world-class players in Ghana. They will see ex-players and current players, they are all coming down."

Essien, who is an African Union peace ambassador, said he has "spoken to Paolo Maldini and many other great players".

•Essien

scorers’ sheet of the ongoing WAFU Nations Cup tournament in Abeokuta.

Siasia who never stopped admiring the Warri Wolves hit man told SuperSport.com that his greatest dream is to see Ehiosun step into the vacant shoes of the Super Eagles USA’94 World Cup star.

“Ehiosun is doing very well for himself, club and Nigeria. I pray he continues and not allow the success gets into his head. My strongest desire is to see the like of Yekini in him.”

Eguma reads riot act after Enyimba loss

Defoe, Maldini storm Ghana for Essien Adebayor sets the Peace Match records straight

TOTTENHAM striker Jermaine Defoe will travel to Ghana later this month for a charity match organised by Michael Essien to promote peace in Africa. Italy and AC Milan legend Paolo Maldini has also confirmed his participation in the game in Accra.

The charity game scheduled for Accra on 25 May will see a star-studded World XI side playing a crack Africa XI side.

Defoe, who is hugely popular in Ghana for his exploits in the Premier League, is the latest player to confirm attendance for the game. He is likely to be mobbed by the fans when they arrive in Ghana before the game.

Another player confirming his participation is Paolo Maldini, the Italy legend. Ashley Cole is in line to captain the Rest of the World XI, which could contain the Chelsea midfielder Florent Malouda.

The Africa team is set to include Didier Drogba, Samuel Eto'o of Internazionale, and Manchester City's Touré brothers, Kolo and Yaya.

"If you look at Africa, the biggest names are Samuel Eto'o, Didier Drogba and the Touré brothers," Essien said.

"They have all confirmed. I am still talking to a few more. Ashley Cole is coming down and Malouda will come down as well.

BAGGIES PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Man United, Barcelona meet world media 'Ehiosun can be like Yekini'

NFF TO FALCONS’ COACH

Beat Black Queens, retain your job

41

WHEN Manchester City take on Stoke in the FA Cup final on Saturday, Emmanuel Adebayor - on loan at Real Madrid from Eastlands - will be watching from a hotel room in the Spanish city of Villarreal. It is a pretty bleak image.

He looked into getting tickets for the game so he could cheer his friends on but, as Real Madrid have a match the following day, will have to settle for seeing the match on the television.

As I sit down with him in his garden in Madrid for our interview, he is all smiles, handshakes and laughs. It is a stark contrast to the moment when, in his last week at City before moving on loan to Real Madrid, he asked himself: "What am I still doing alive?"

There are no club press officers or PR people with us. He's ready to talk openly and starts by explaining how he fell out with City manager Roberto Mancini.

"It's always difficult to come back and play football when you know you may have been buried somewhere," Adebayor tells me. He is referring to the gun attack on the Togo team bus at the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations.

OLPHINS manager Stanley Eguma has demanded better performances from his players following Wednesday’s shock 3-0 loss to champions Enyimba in Aba. The Nigeria Premier League (NPL) leaders were beaten by a resurgent Enyimba side in the

•Eguma

opening game of the second round but Eguma believes the loss suffered by his side could have been prevented if his forwards had performed at their optimal level.

“We started well and should have had the opening goal which was disallowed by the referee. However, I still think we did not play our best match in Aba as the boys were not at their sharpest level,” Eguma told SuperSport.com.

Chigozie Christopher made his debut for the Port Harcourt side following his mid-season switch from rivals, Ocean boys and Eguma highlighted the importance of the seven goal man to his squad.

“He is an important member of the side. He showed a bit of what he can do in the game and I am sure he will improve in the coming days,” he said.

Despite Wednesday’s loss, Dolphins are still four points clear of secondplaced Sunshine Stars who have a game in hand. Eguma, widely referred to as Nigeria’s own Harry Redknapp, is lucid about his side’s aspirations this season.

“Having played so well in the first round, we hope to maintain the momentum because we still want to win the league title. The loss to Enyimba is just a temporary setback and we are still a top team and I expect my players to bounce back,” he said.

Dolphins’ next assignment is against relegation threatened Plateau United who they face at the Port Harcourt Liberation Stadium on Saturday.

FC BARCELONA and Manchester United FC have confirmed the dates of their Media Open Days prior to this season's UEFA Champions League Final to be played at Wembley Stadium in London on Saturday 28 May. FC Barcelona (for administrative purposes the ‘home' team at Wembley) will hold their Media Open Day on Monday 23 May at the Camp Nou stadium. The day will start at 18:00 with a press conference with head coach Josep Guardiola. A fully open training session will start at 19:00, followed by interview opportunities with the squad of players in a mixed zone set-up.

Media wishing to attend should register by emailing premsa@club.fcbarcelona.com. The deadline is 18:00 CET on Wednesday 18 May. Accreditations can be collected from Gate 15 (Porta 15) at the stadium from 16:30 on Monday 23 May. Manchester United FC will stage their Media Open Day on Tuesday 24 May at the club's training centre at Carrington. The day will start with a press conference with manager Sir

Alex Ferguson at 09:30. This will be followed by a short training session at 10:00, the first 15 minutes of which will be open to the media. After training the squad of players will be available for interview in a mixed zone set-up.

Media wishing to attend should email final@manutd.co.uk by 17:00 (18:00 CET) on Thursday 19 May. The two teams have also confirmed their pre-match media activity for Friday 27 May at Wembley Stadium.

FC Barcelona will hold their press conference with Josep Guardiola and two players at 18:15. It will be followed by a fully open training session from 19:00 – 20:00.

Manchester United FC will hold their press conference with Sir Alex Ferguson and two players at 16:45. It will be followed by a fully open training session from 17:30 – 18:30.

Media activities at Wembley Stadium are restricted to media accredited to the UEFA Champions League Final itself. Simultaneous translation will be provided for the press conferences.

City set to end 35-year drought AFTER securing a qualifying berth for next season’s UEFA Champions League on Tuesday, Manchester City will be looking to break a 35-year trophy drought when they take on Stoke City in the FA Cup final at Wembley on Saturday afternoon.

After a famous victory over hated rivals Manchester United in the semi-finals, secured by a goal from Ivorian midfielder Yaya Toure, the Citizens head to London full of confidence that they will claim their first trophy since winning the League Cup back in 1976. They last won the FA Cup in 1969.

Standing in their way is a Stoke side who have reached the FA Cup final for the very first time and will also come into the game on a high, having handed Arsenal a convincing 3-1 defeat this past weekend.

Both sides have injury worries ahead of the match. City have a question mark over leading scorer Carlos Tevez, who has made a quicker-than-expected recovery from a hamstring injury but only made his comeback with a cameo appearance off the bench in the 1-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday.

"I don't think he can be 100 percent ready because he only played for 15 minutes and has only had one week with the team,” City manager Roberto Mancini said on

Tuesday evening.

The Italian will probably leave Tevez in reserve on the bench and field the unpredictable Mario Balotelli as a lone striker from the start.

As for the Potters, they look set to be without several key players. German defender Robert Huth is battling a knee injury and is a major doubt, while the same can be said for left winger Matthew Etherington after his hamstring tear.

•Mancini

PENALTY

CORONATION

Uduaghan promises even development

NDLEA seeks 15-year jail term for drug

Community installs king

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PLEDGE

Delta

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Lagos

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T

HE government and people of Anambra State were in joyful mood recently when the state secretariat was inaugurated.

The celebration was appropriate asitwasthefirsttimeinthelifeofthe 20-year-old state to have a befitting secretariat.

Successive governments had played lip service to the construction of a befitting secretariat where affairs of the government would be carried out but it took the strong-willed efforts of the incumbent governor Mr. Peter Obi to achieve what his predecessors failed to achieve in the historyofthestate.

The secretariat, which has been named after an illustrious son of the state, Chief Jerome Udorji of the famous Udorji Award who had sincepassedon,isbefittingofastate likeAnambra.

At inception of the present administration, Obi went about town explaining the need for an operational base for government and ministries; saying that the affairs of the government were being run from people’s homes which he said was unbefitting for a state like Anambra that parades quite a number of first-class citizens inthecountry.

Having realised the great need for a suitable secretariat for his state, Governor Obi began to think of the best and possible way of actualising the dream. It took him time to accomplish becausehe didn’t just to build a wishy-washy secretariat but one that would serve the state for a reasonablenumberofyears.

According to the Anambra State Commissioner for Information and Culture, Chief Maja Umeh, the era of Anambra State ministries operating from rented apartments wasover.

Umeh, who conducted newsmen round the secretariat at its completion, said: “As you can see for yourselves, the two giant secretariats, phases one and two which were commenced by the Government of Peter Obi are

Edo

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Email: news_extra@yahoo.com

FRIDAY MAY 13, 2011

Amaechi

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Page 25

Free computer education for Rivers residents

O prepare residents of Rivers State for the emerging opportunities, the state government is to give them free information and communications technology (ICT) education training.

Special Adviser to the state governor Hon. Rotimi Amaechi on ICT, Mr Goodliffe Mmekini who disclosed this in Port Harcourt also said more than 3,600 employees on the state’s civil service have received ICT training in yet another programme.

Mmekini also said that the state

From Clarice Azuatalam, Port Harcourt

government was looking forward to partnering with the private sector in order to expand the scope of the ICT revolution in the state, adding that there were plans to replicate the ultra-modern ICT centre sited on Aba Road, Port Harcourtinotherpartsofthestate.

According to him, Governor Amaechi in 2008 decided to look into other areas of economic venture to diversify the state’s focus and one of such areas, he

stated, was the ICT, hence the ICT office was created.

Continuing, the Rivers ICT boss stated that “the training is a three week programme and it is designed for all residents of the state, whether indigene or nonindigene; so long as you pay your tax in Rivers State.

“It is actually aimed at equipping our people to be competitive when opportunities come.

“We are looking at a situation where when the expected business boom commences in the state,

companies will not have to be recruiting from outside the state because of lack of competent and equipped personnel,” he said.

He further explained that the first batch from the training had been graduated while new batches would be taken from time to time to keep the programme running.

He also said the department had to bring in Cisco and the Microsoft Academy to make the training have an international standard and to make the certificate competitive.

The new secretariat

Twenty years after, Anambra gets secretariat To enhance workers’ productivity Governor Obi restates commitment to development

From Adimike George, Onitsha

completed.”

The Commissioner, who said that completing such a gigantic project, among other projects by Governor Obi’s administration was a rarity in Nigeria, attributed Obi’s feat to his prudence and personal monitoring

of projects his administration was executing.

Speaking further, the Commissioner, who said that before the inception of Obi’s administration, government offices operated from rented apartments, including the Anambra State Housing

Development Corporation, said it hadnowbecomeathingofthepast.

He said: “All the ministries are, or will be accommodated in these two gigantic secretariats, including the old one the Federal Government donated to the state. Even extraministerial bodies that operated on rented apartments have either

completed their own building or are buildingthemnow.”

He called on the people of the state to continue to support the Governor at all times so that he would keep delivering the dividends of democracy to them as the state had notwitnessedinthepast.

Continued on Page 27

THE NATION FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

26

Lawmaker dedicates victory to constituents From Osagie Otabor, Benin

•Hon Samson

A

MEMBER of the Federal House of Representative, Hon Samson Osagie, who has also been re-elected, has dedicated his victory to members of his constituency.

Osagie who represents Uhunmwode/ Orhionmwon Federal Constituency on the

platform of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), said the next four years will witness a vibrant, balanced and people-oriented legislation.

He spoke to journalists shortly after being presented with his Certificate of Return by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Benin City, the state capital.

Osagie, who also served as state legislator before going to the National Assembly, said he was grateful to God for his election.

“I dedicate my victory to my constituency which has for about 15 years continued to repose its trust in me. To me it is a very rare feat and I am humbled to represent my people again. By the special grace of God, we shall make a difference in the next four years especially as our political and electoral processes have taken a new shape. We believe that as products of this system, we will consolidate on the gains of this past election for the people in the state.

Osagie said Nigerians should expect a National Assembly that will have a vibrant opposition in the next four years because the profile of the opposition has risen.

He noted that the ruling party will no

longer have two-thirds majority to carry on the business of the house.

Osagie said the leadership style of Speaker Dimenji Bankole would be missed.

In his words, “We are happy that a young man at his age became the Speaker of the House of Representatives. By that token, he set the tone for young people to aspire to any level in this country. We will miss him, no doubt, especially his high intellectual prowess which he brought to bear in the management of the House.

“We are all going to miss him. We have in him a young man who demonstrated that a young man could be in the saddle and make a difference. One major achievement of his leadership was that for the first time in this country, we had what we called unspent funds from ministries and parastatals being returned to government coffers. Today each ministry and parastatal has to return unspent funds to the treasury. That was a major achievement and there were many more. We are going to miss him.”

To me it is a very rare feat and I am humbled to represent my people again. By the special grace of God, we shall make a difference in the next four years especially as our political and electoral processes have taken a new shape. We believe that as products of this system, we will consolidate on the gains of this past election for the people in the state

Ex-militants protest allowance cut

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HOUGH former Niger Delta militants now undergoing rehabilitation generally like their new life, some have expressed displeasure at what they described as the unwholesome attitude of their commanders.

They said their allowances are often tampered with, and would rather they were paid directly to them, and not through their commanders.

John Kala from Southern Ijaw, Bayelsa State, a member of the Asupa ex-militants’ camp, who spoke first, however, praised the government for the Amnesty programme.

“I was suffering before the Federal Government introduced the amnesty programme,” he told Newsextra. “Since it started, I can say that we are enjoying. At least we are earning a small amount of money and then we would learn our own work so that we would not suffer again.

“I am very happy about this programme. I am over 40 years old and I would like to be a rigger or a fibre boat builder. Before now, I was a fisherman. “Fishing is very hard labour. It was from fishing that I became a member of the militancy group where I was an adviser. I have two wives and 10 children.

I finished primary school and then went to obtain my secondary school certificate. I dropped at class 5, and could not continue due to some problems including financial.”

Speaking in the same manner, Kurotimi Poki, also from Asupa Camp advised that government should also give us what we want as we have accepted this programme.

“The Federal Government should not fail us. We love the programme, but they should pay our salary directly to us. When our salary that is supposed to be N65, 000 comes; our commanders would cut the money.

Sometimes it is just N10, 000 that would get to us.

“Our commanders are taking our money.

The government should stop this by paying our money directly to us. When the money is released to them, they pay it into their bank accounts and later pay us these peanuts.

We do not like it and we are not happy about it,” he said.

Daneke Victor of The Young Shall Grow Camp, Okpoma, Brass Island, Bayelsa State, was more pungent in his complaint. He was of the view that “the Federal Government should not pay money to our masters. They should pay directly to us because we are suffering. Some of us are not even receiving anything. Government should please do something about this fast.”

But Enemugha Perela of Commander Don’s Camp in Bayelsa State seemed to be better placed than his colleagues in terms of education before he joined the militant

•Unhappy ex-militants

FEHN has contributed more than 50 per cent of the success of the transformational programme.

Before amnesty, we were training youths in the Niger Delta and we are committed to the peace and success of the amnesty programme From Kunle Johnson, Calabar

group. Newsextra gathered that he was a computer operator before he joined the militant group.

Confirming our investigation, Perela said: “I was a computer operator. This is an issue affecting all the camps in Bayelsa State. Leaders go with the bank managers. They make arrangements and the money goes direct to the banks. While the leaders operate those accounts, the owners of the money have no opportunity to operate their own accounts.

“Before, they used to pay directly into our accounts, but immediately after, they

stopped. We are non-violent now and we cannot go back to the creeks of the Niger Delta to wreak havoc or harm any body again. So, we need direct payment of our salaries.

Onyikro Benaebi, Daddy Ken Camp shares Perela’s views as he stated that “government should pay our money straight to us. Sometimes I do not even see my salary. Sometimes they just cut it. I have not been able to do one thing for my family. My entire family depends on me. So, what should I do?

Should I go and steal? Please, the Federal Government should pay our salary direct to our bank accounts.”

Speaking to journalists at the Obubra Training Camp, Kennedy West, camp manager reacted to the militants’ protests, saying that the camp has nothing to do with the alleged withheld allowance. Giving reason why this is so, he noted that “because people have seen that the programme is a huge success, even those whose names were not on the list also came. There was an influx of uninvited trainees. Most of them joined their peers; others came with different vehicles just to ensure that they benefit from the lot of this particular batch.

“They were not enlisted. We had an overflow of over 300. They were not budgeted for. But when they came, management had to work on something to get them back and also give them stipend to buy one or two things on their way back.

“They have to wait for their names to be enlisted. It is not that they would not be part of the programme. I think this is a positive thinking on the part of the trainees. The training itself has a great impact, and those of them who are yet to partake are desirous of being here. They are taking this programme with very high encouragement. Everyone •Continued on Page 27

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FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

Ex-militants protest allowance cut •Continued from Page 26 wants to be part of it because they see that things are happening.”

On the issue of cut in allowances which exmilitant leaders claimed, West said the camp was not involved.

“This has nothing to do with us. May be some of them had agreement with their masters. We are not part of it. What we do here is that we make them to open account so that they can get their money directly and through their commanders. Already, most of them have done so and soon, our headquarters in Abuja will release all the accounts as opened by the ex-militants.

The Special Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan on Niger Delta Affairs, Mr Kingsley Kuku is making every necessary efforts to ensure that all the problems of the ex-militants are resolved. In no distant time, they will not have cause to complain.”

On her part, Jennifer Obiageli Nwachukwu, Senior Programmes Officer Foundation for Ethnic Harmony in Nigeria (FEHN) commented on the programme and the allegations.

She said: “In this batch 13, we are training 1, 200 ex-militants and, as you can see; they are doing their written and oral examinations. FEHN has done much to impact positively on the ex-militants because if you find time to come on their first or second day of arrival here, they were very aggressive.

They had lots of agitations and very disobedient. But when we started our non-violence transformation training, they became very peaceful.

FEHN has contributed more than 50 per cent of the success of the transformational programme. Before amnesty, we were training youths in the Niger Delta and we are committed to the peace and success of the amnesty programme “FEHN has contributed more than 50 per cent of the success of the transformational programme. Before amnesty, we were training youths in the Niger Delta and we are committed to the peace and success of the amnesty programme.”

On the allowances, she said there are lots of stories from them about their leaders cutting their allowances. We have not had contact with their leaders on this and in nonviolence training, we believe in hearing from both sides.”

Giving further explanations, Kennedy West, said all the ex-militants are from Bayelsa State.

•Jennifer Obiageli Nwachukwu, Snr Programmes Officer FEHN

•Enemugha Perela, Commander Don’s Camp

He added that “the response was very prompt this time unlike other times when you have people who kept turning up even after four days. They seemed mentally prepared and looked forward to this programme. The response is quite okay. Their cooperation is also very impressive. All in all, it has been a very fine programme going on.

“Taking them state by state as it is now, gives us the opportunity of knowing how well they cooperate among the various camps and we could give a good report about their behaviour; like which militants from which state is best behaved and so on. So, it

is a normal procedure we go through here.

They are about 1, 200 here. They are all male.”

Asked why a paramilitary training was introduced into the programme, he said: “Man O War is leadership training programme as well and it has to do with perseverance and courage. Though it was not part of the initial curriculum, but then the top management felt it should be initiated.

“Last time was the pilot project. And they are starting fully now. The response has been very impressive. The Man O War has contributed to the huge success of the amnesty programme since it was introduced,” he concluded.

Twenty years after, Anambra gets secretariat •Continued from Page 25 Some of the workers at the new secretariat who confided in Newsextra said the major benefit of the building is that it gives room for coordination among ministries unlike in the past when ministries were scattered all over the state.

They also said it saves time in the running of the affairs of the ministries, adding that one can easily access up to four or five ministries within a very short time unlike before when it could take up to two weeks to access just about two ministries because of their locations.

The secretariat was one of the projects commissioned by the President Goodluck Jonathan during his working visit to the state which he said was very critical to the development of the state, even as he added that it will prioritise and help the state government to meet the needs of the state workers.

President Jonathan extolled the virtues of the late Chief Udorji who the new secretariat was named after, describing him as a man of integ-

•Obi

rity and called on all those indigenous to Anambra to emulate him.

According to the President, the aggressive provision of infrastructure formed the major tripod of his administration, adding that both the federal and state governments should make sure that they embarked on projects that will better the welfare of their people.

Earlier in his remarks, Governor Peter Obi said that the construction of the first ever secretariat in the history of the state was informed by his desire to give Anambra State face lift in order to compete with other states across the federation.

Governor Obi also stated that the secretariat would, among other things, give the state workers the necessary comfort that would boost their productivity as well as reduce the sufferings some of them had been experiencing.

“The secretariat has all the modern equipment and all the necessary things that are supposed to be in office to reduce the sufferings of the Anambra workers. We took the step be-

cause a big state like ours could not have been allowed to continue living in the past,” he said.

The governor also said that the completion of the project was remarkable in the history of the state after 20 years of its existence, adding that the people of the state can now enjoy the dividends of democracy through the provision of basic infrastructural facilities.

In an interview, the state Commissioner for Economic Planning, Prof. Stella Okunna said that the decision of the state government under Mr. Obi was informed by the problem the ministries experienced in the state as a result of lack of accommodation.

According Okunna who was the former Commissioner for Information, the fact that the ministries in the state were scattered because past state governments could not build secretariat for the state that could accommodate all the ministries had hampered the productivity of the state ministries.

She was of the view that the secretariat would enhance the welfare and comfort of the workers in different ministries.

•Uduaghan

•Ogboru

across Patani, Bomadi, Warri South West, Burutu, Warri South and Warri North Local Government Areas.

They said they are behind Governor Uduaghan because of his laudable programmes and policies. They also said he won fairly.

The group described those challenging the governor’s victory as harbouring a desire to be in power by all means. In any case, they added, the court is there for adjudication of

such matters.

Masah said, “We campaigned and told all traditional rulers of Ijaw extraction of the need for them to tell their subjects to vote for Uduaghan and they did vote for him, so his victory was not surprising to us PDP members.

“I want to use this opportunity to call on Deltans to support Uduaghan’s second term administration and disabuse themselves of ethnic politics that won’t take us anywhere”.

‘Delta DPP will regain mandate in court’ •Uduaghan won fairly, says Ijaw group

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CHIEFTAIN of the Democratic Peoples Party (DPP) Deacon Francis Atanomeyovwi has said that the court will prove that its governorship candidate Chief Great Ovedje Ogboru won the April 26 governorship election in Delta State.

Atanomeyovwi who accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies of conspiracy with the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the election, said he is confident that the judiciary will accelerate hearing of the suit filed by Ogboru Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan won the election, but Atanomeyovwi said it was marred by rigging, especially in the riverside areas of the state.

Atanomeyovwi urged the judges at the tribunal to give the case accelerated hearing and ensure that truth is upheld.

But an association of Ijaw people spread across the riverside areas of the state has punctured that claim.

The organisation, known as Delta Ijaw Core Support Group, said Atanomeyovwi’s allegations do not hold water.

Hon. Godwin Masah, President of the group, Comrade Ebis Moni, Director of Mobilization and Miss Evelyn Ndakwa,

I want to use this opportunity to call on Deltans to support Uduaghan’s second term administration and disabuse themselves of ethnic politics that won’t take us anywhere From Polycarp Orosevwotu, Ughelli

Woman Leader, who spoke at a press briefing, at Ekpan in Uvwie Local Government Area said the group’s membership spreads

THE NATION FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

28

Hope rises for Delta casual workers

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ELTA State Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan has explained that the issue of casual workers in the state is being addressed and will soon become a thing of the past, saying “I am an advocate of non-casual workers, it is wicked to subject people for so long, to that condition of service.”

Dr. Uduaghan, who stated this during a live programme broadcast on a the Delta

•Uduaghan

Onitsha residents decry power outage

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ESIDENTS of Onitsha, Anambra State, have decried power outages in many parts of the city, saying that most business activities have grounded to a halt for this reason.

Spokesman of the Concerned Residents, Mr. Ebuka Onyebuchi who spoke with reporters, disclosed that the city has been in a total blackout for the past 72 hours and called on the management of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) to restore power immedately to avoid further damage to economic activities.

But the Public Affairs Manager of Onitsha Business Unit of PHCN, Mr. Maxwell Orjiakor, while confirming the outages, blamed a technical fault for the problem,promised that efforts to restore power in the city were on top gear.He said in a matter of hours, power would be restored.

Onyebuchi, who estimated the loss suffered by both the business community and artisans in the city to millions of Naira, wondered why PHCN would plunge people into darkness without offering any explanation.

According to him, Onitsha is known as a business area, adding that the the power

Anambra From Adimike George,Onitsha

outage was a calculated ploy by PHCN to impoverish the people especially after collecting millions of Naira from the residents as bills.

He maintained that over the years, PHCN has treated them with disdain especially during power fluctuations without any explanation to the consumers, adding that if power was not restored quickly, the youth in the area would take their protest to the headquarters of PHCN in Onitsha .

In a similar vein, the business community in the city especially cyber café operators have expressed their displeasure over the incessant power outages in the city.

They said they were forced to use alternative power supply which they said has reduced their profit.

One of them, Mr. Emeka Okeke, told reporters that as a result of the power outages some of them who could not afford to use alternative power supply were forced to close shops.

Delta Broadcasting Service in Asaba, said steps are being taken by his administration to ensure that the workers were converted to permanent staff.

The governor attributed the delay in the implementation to the insincerity of some officials who submitted an over bloated list saying “with the new SSG, I think we will solve this issue of causal staff before the swearing in ceremony of May 29th.”

Dr. Uduaghan said that his second term in office will be used to consolidate on his administration’s three-point agenda which was a long term project for development.‘ “Whatever developmental plan we have in this state is derived from our three-point agenda.

It is a state agenda as it covers all aspects of development,” he said.

He assured Deltans that the Asaba International Airport would soon begin operation as plans with different Airlines were being finalised.

Governor Uduaghan stated that his administration would communicate more with Deltans through town hall meetings, live phone in programmes and through his dedicated phone lines and e-mail address, to enable him serve them better in his second tenure in office.

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• Cross River State Governor Liyel Imoke (left) in company of the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mr Patrick Ugbe (right) and his Special Assistant on Media and Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Omini Oden (middle) the inspection of the newly installed TV/ Radio transmitter at the Obudu Ranch resort

‘Redeem your pledge of 35% slot for women’

group, Gender and Affirmative Action (GAA) has appealed to President Goodluck Jonathan to redeem his pledge of 35 percent slot for women to occupy key positions in government made during his campaign across the states.

Speaking under the auspices of Women’s

T

Abuja From Tayo Owolabi and Genevieve Ajewole, Abuja

Rights Advancement and Protective Alternative (WRAPA) at a press conference in

Delta

By Nneka Nwaneri

infrastructural revolution will go on in the state. We voted for our choice candidate,a man we have confidence in; we are very optimistic that Fashola will not fail the youth…Fashola’s victory is a victory for the youth,” the statement said.

However, the statement expressed dismay over the violence that culminated in the destruction of lives and property in the northern part of the country.

It said the violence was uncalled for, since Nigerians for the first time witnessed a credible and peaceful election by all standards, such that the international observers applauded INEC for a job well done.

The group thus urged Nigerian politicians, especially those it described as ‘instigators of violence’ to desist from shedding innocent blood and sheath their swords for the nation to move forward.

NAMBRA State Governor Peter Obi has been praised for his drive in the provision of social infrastructure in the state ,especially bridges. The kudos was given by a socio-cultural body,the Umuezeanam Patriots Assembly.

The association said it was highly impressed with the emerging network of bridges linking communities in different parts of the state. Chief Chijioke Nwanne , President of Umuzeanam Patriots Assembly listed some of the recently completed and ongoing bridges as the Odor bridge, Amansea –Ebenebe bridge, Obibia bridge connecting Okpuno and Isuaniocha and the Otoku bridge linking Umuezeanam and Mmiata.

Speaking with journalists in Awka, Chief Nwanne described as ‘most satisfactory’, the quality and pace of work on the Otoku bridge.

He commended Governor Obi for the choice of the Reynolds Construction Company for

Abuja , the group’s Head of Secretariat, Hajiya Sadautu Mahdi noted that the composition of the incoming administration at all the levels of government in both the executive and the legislature should be seen as a fulfillment of the promise while meeting global standards of qualitative and quantitative representation of women in governance.

According to Mahdi, the president in respect to the executive, should consider the appointment of a minimum of 15 women as ministers in his new cabinet.

She also urged Jonathan to use his influence as the leader of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to ensure that women also fill key positions in two chambers of the National Assembly, stressing that women have been under represented in the leadership structure of the legislature in past sessions.

Mahdi said:”Nigerian women under various and coordinated platforms hereby urge the President to take the path of honour and glory to fulfil his campaign promise of actualising the 35% affirmative action mechanism to increase the numbers and contributions of women to Nigeria’s development.

“The composition of the incoming administration at all levels of government in the executive and legislature must be seen to redeem this promise while meeting Nigeria’s national, global and continental commitments to the quantitative and qualitative inclusion of women in public life and public space.”

I •Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Alfred Achebe (left) endorsing his commitment to the UN decade of Action on Road Safety in Abuja . With him is the FRSC Corps Marshal, Osita Chidoka PHOTO: NAN

Uduaghan promises even development DELTA State Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan has promised even development across the various ethnic groups in the state.

Uduaghan spoke at the palace of the Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse II, when he led top government officials, including his Deputy, Prof. Amos Utuama, to pay homage to the monarch on the occassion of his 24th coronation anniversary.

He assured that each ethnic group will get

its fair share of development projects and political appointments irrespective of political leaning.

The governor spoke against the backdrop of fears that a section of the state may be victimised because of their voting pattern and strong opposition to his return for second term. But Uduaghan told the Warri monarch that no section of the state would be abandoned.

Academy inaugurates regional integration group THE Yoruba Academy, a think-tank group working on the renewal of the core values of the Yoruba nation and its culture, has inaugurated the research group on regional integration.

The group is to identify and tackle challenges confronting regional integration in major sectors of the economy in the South west.

Inaugurating the various groups recently,

the Chairman, Yoruba Academy Governing Council, Prof. Wale Omole, charged group members to conduct research on the problems facing the identified sectors and fashion out a lasting solution to them in a way that will allow integration of the region for accelerated development.

He emphasised the need for the reintegration and massive development of the Yoruba State as a whole.

N order to alleviate poverty and create job opportunities for the teaming population in the Federal Capital Territory, the FCT Minister, Senator Bala Mohammed has commissioned a multimillion-Naira rehabilitation centre.

The minister who commissioned the centre at Sabon-Lugbe, Abuja revealed that the facilitywas established because of the genuine concern of the FCT Administration to address squarely and strategically, the challenges of commercial sex workers in the city.

Senator Mohammed noted that there are three major causes of prostitution and they include poverty, unemployment and moral degradation.

The minister remarked that his administration has decided to holistically approach the challenges of prostitution through empowerment and re-orientation programmes which the centre is fully equipped to address with facilities to take care of the young unemployed females in the FCT. According to him, the Centre will offer counselling and re-orientation programmes as well as vocational training in areas such as Hair Dressing; Fashion Design; Catering/Baking; Computer Services; Hat and Bead making among others.

Also commissioned is the Job Creation Tricycle Scheme at the Cyprian Ekwensi Centre for Arts & Culture with initial takeoff of customised and rural friendly 100 Tricycles which he said will be heavily

Anambra the job.

‘Our people are very happy with the governor’s commitment to this project which is very dear to us. As you may know, the difficult terrain of the area made past administrations to shy away from the work.

But now, we have a capable company on it and they’re doing a good job.’

Chief Nwanne also gave credit to the government for resumption of work on the highway from Umuezeanam to Kogi State through Nzam. He said that when youth rascality in the area brought the road construction to a halt, it was the governor who intervened and brought back the

• Obi Nigercat contractors. ‘This shows that he has our welfare at heart.’

Ebonyi Perm Sec kidnapped Ebonyi From Ogbonnaya Obinna Abakaliki

T

HE Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Ebonyi State and a notable politician in the state Mr. Steven Orogwu from Ekpa-Omaka in Ikwo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State has been kidnapped by unknown gunmen.

Eyewitness revealed that the kidnappers who arrived the victims residence late in the night with a car waiting for his arrival, tied the gateman and held other members of the family hostage.

On his arrival, the kidnappers bundled the permanent secretary into his Toyota Camry and zoomed off to an undisclosed destination.

The source disclosed to newsmen that the abductors are yet to make any contact or demand for ransom The Police Public Relations Officer PPRO, Mr. John Eluu who confirmed the incident to newsmen, stated that his men are all over the place adding that men of the command would comb all the nooks and crannies of the state in search of the kidnapped permanent secretary.

Eluu requested for more time in order to comprehensively brief the press on investigations so far, but he dismissed insinuations that the abduction might have been politically motivated.

The kidnap of the permanent secretary brings to seven the number of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stalwarts kidnapped in the state.

FCTA combats poverty

Briefly

•Onipokia of Ipokia, Oba Raufu Adetunji Adeole (left) and Oniko of Ikolase-Idiroko, Oba Olakunle Ojo at the 25th coronation anniversary of Oba Adeole

Obi hailed for provision of infrastructure

Anambra

Niger Delta youths greet Fashola HE Niger Delta Youth Assembly has congratulated the governor- elect of Lagos State, Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) and his Deputy, Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire for their victory in the April election.

It said Fashola’s victory actualised the yearnings of the people, particularly the Niger Delta youths in Lagos State. .

The chairman of the group, Mr Malachi Ichie, said in a statement, that the victory truly reflected the wish of the generality of the people in their quest to sustain focused leadership in the state .

“We thank the youth for investing in a Brighter Rewarding Future (BRF). We also thank the youth for their steadfastness and for standing by Fashola during the election.

We really are proud to be part of this victory.

“When we carried out an unprecedented mobilisation of our people in Lagos, it’s good to know that the effort paid off with Fashola’s deserved victory. He truly is the people’s governor and the decision to support him was due to our conviction that the

37

Abuja subsidised by the FCT Administration.

Senator Mohammed disclosed that these 100 Tricycles will be operated on a pilot revolving scheme with repayment period of not more than 18 months to enable more people to benefit.

He said that the scheme was conceived to provide reliable and respectable means of livelihood to the less-privileged and unemployed persons in the Federal Capital Territory.

The Minister expressed the hope that the scheme will promote socio-economic activities to the rural communities in the Federal Capital Territory.

Senator Mohammed thus, called on corporate organizations, NonGovernmental Organisations, philanthropists as well as other publicspirited agencies and individuals to join hands with the FCT Administration towards tackling the challenges of poverty reduction and job creation.

The Minister assured that the FCT Administration will continue to vigorously pursue its genuine policy of social welfare services but warned that the government will not condone any form of lawlessness especially those that undermine the environmental and social health, as well as the physical planning convenience of the Federal Capital Territory.

•Edo State Deputy Governor Pius Odubu congratulating Mr Anselm Adima after being sworn in as the Transition Committee Chairman of Esan North East Local Government of Edo State

Prison congestion fears grow

T

HE Controller General,Nigerian Prisons Service , Mr. Olusola Ogundipe has lamented the congestion of prisons across the country.

He spoke in Abuja while presenting certificates to 16 dog handlers that passed through training recently.

Ogundipe, who was represented by the Deputy Controller General (DCG) Operations, Mr. Essien Nkang, said: “As our prisons become more crowded and internal problems arise, it is important to keep control and stability inside and outside of the prison.

Good prison management dictates that disruptive inmate behaviour be swiftly minimised, so that attention to other strategic initiatives can be minimised.

“A major problem for correctional administrators at all levels in the world is how to increase the scope of current use-offorce technology with non lethal methods.

Electronic devices, foams, rubber projectiles,

Abuja From: Gbenga Omokhunu, Abuja

smokes, sprays, chemical agents and batons appear to lack several unique advantages that a patrol dog team possesses.

Correctional policy and statutory law is cautious to specify that weapons should not be carried inside the prisons during routine patrols since inmates may gain access to them and turn the weapons back upon the staff members.”

For the reintroduction of dog unit of the Nigerian Prisons Service, Ogundipe said: “We shall devote more manpower and resources to improve the working conditions in our kennels by provision of equipment, emphasis will be placed on modern methods for specialisation by expanding our training infrastructure in order to cope with the demand at all levels of our prison system.”

• From left: Sammie Tochux, Beauty Aghedo, Enid Eyube, Charity Adubi, Efetobor Ojarigho and Justice Adigho (squatting); members of The B.E.A.T band, winners of Star Quest 2011, posing by their prize of a brand new mini-van, at the Grand Finale of Star Quest 2011, PHOTO: ISAAC JIMOH AYODELE

THE NATION FRIDA, MAY 13, 2011

29

PEOPLE THE NATION

A SIX-PAGE SECTION ON SOCIETY

Dignitaries gathered in Lekki, Lagos, last Saturday to honour Admiral and Mrs Diezani AllisonMadueke whose daughter, Uju, married a Haitian, Aly. NNEKA NWANERI reports.

A wedding across borders •Allison-Madueke gives out daughter in marriage

I

T had all the trappings of a society wedding. A-list guests; choice venue, dainty cars and smart wears. It could not have been less for it was the wedding of the daughter of the Minister of Petroleum, Mrs Diezani Allison-Madueke.

Lekki, the millionaires’ play ground in Lagos, stood still for the ceremony. The Pine Park was tastefully decorated for the event. At large white tent sat on the path.

The fountain at the entrance of the hall was as inviting as the hall itself, which was not in its everyday look. The pillars of the tent were embellished with symbolic blue palm leaves, just as the flower vases on each table had horsetails (Irukere), embedded with beads inside them. So were the chairs; they were decorated in uniformed flowered cloths.

Inside the expansive tent was a large blue peacock statue with three different moulds of cakes beside it. One of them was a replica of a big gourd of palm wine, with white icing at its mouth representing the white foams from the local wine.

The colours of the day were turquoise and brown, and the guests did not disappoint in their dressing.

Most of the ladies were clad in traditional wears of George wrappers and blouses with matching head gears. And the men too, looked resplendent in their outfits.

The parents of the bride were not left out as they were fashion aficionados in their own right. They stood out among the other dignitaries. So were the damsels that played hostesses; they were a paragon of beauty.

Notable personalities at the wedding included the Governor of Enugu State, Sullivan Chime; Minster of Aviation, Mrs Fidelia Njeze; Minister of Finance, Dr Olusegun Aganga; Minister of Environment, John Odeh; Special Adviser to the President on Parastatals, Statutory Bodies and Inter-Governmental Affairs, Hon Braeyi Ekiye; Special Adviser to the President on Power and Chairman Presidential Task Force on Power, Prof Bart Nnaji; Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Goni Sheikh; gubernatorial aspirant of Bayelsa State and former Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta Affairs, Timi Alaibe; Chairman, MTN Group, Mr Pascal Dozie; former Managing Director, Zenith Bank, Mr Jim Ovia; former Group Managing Director, Nigeria Liquidified Natural Gas (NLNG), Dr Ejike Onyia; Chairman, Globe Motor, Mr Williams Anumudu; PDP Chairman in Enugu State, Mr Vita Abba; GM, Lekki Peninsular Resort, Dr Peter Jack; Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa; first military of governor of Lagos State, Rear Admiral Ndubisi Kanu (rtd); former Presidential aspirant, Prof Pat Utomi; Obibi of Obibi Kingdom, Mike Mberedeogu and Chairman, Anambra State Mineral Resources and Environmental Management Committee, Senator Ebenezer Ikeyina, among others.

With the duo of Onyeka Onwenu and Soni Irabor anchoring the programme, the traditional wedding began in earnest.

As side attractions were Igbo traditional dancers, who came with their flutes and drums, and appeared in their traditional red caps. They added a unique Igbo flavour to the gathering.

The peak of the event was the musical performance of the two of the Mo’Hits artistes, D’Banj and Wande Cole, who sang some of their hit tracks such as Igwe, Suddenly, Fall in love, Scapegoat, Bumper to bumper. They kept most people on their feet, winning their waists while those seated were dancing on their seats. Another R&B musician, Duncan Mighty, also gave a performance.

There was also the fertility dance, where maidens, led by the bride, came out to dance to the traditional music. This, according to Igbo tradition, is very important. During the dance, the bride, Obianuju, makes her first appearance, sur-

•The couple, Obianuju and Aly

rounded by her friends, giving men opportunity of search- glass of palm wine to present to the man of her choice, which ing for their potential brides. she did.

There was also presentation of kolanut, ugba and stockfish, When the couple was brought before the bride’s parents, which added flavour to the day. the bride’s mother, Mrs Allison-Madueke, prayed for them Then the bride, Uju, as she is fondly called, was given a •More pictures on page 30

All for Jobi-Fele, 40 days after Pg 31

When Rector’s daughter finds love

Pg 32

THE NATION FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

30

SOCIETY

A wedding across borders •Continued from page 29

and blessed them. She said that the dignity and uncommon wisdom of God would be with them as they journey together in life.

She also told The Nation that although the day was a happy one for her, she was equally pained that her daughter was leaving for another family.

“She is a dear daughter to me, but I’m equally happy she is going to start a home of her own. So I advise her to respect her husband and make God their number one so that their marriage can be a beautiful one,” she said.

Her father, Admiral Allison-Madueke, said he always advises his children or anyone getting married to love their wives and husbands the way he or she is, because they have found favour in each other’s eyes, and not the way they think each one should be.

“Obianuju means one who comes in a time of plenty. (To the husband), she carries plenty with her and brings blessings to your household. I bless you, God bless you and it shall be well with you,” he said.

Gifts such as sewing machine, bowls, buckets, cooking pots and lantern, to keep their fire of love burning, were presented to the couple.

•The bride’s parents, Admiral and Mrs Allison-Madueke

•Igwe Mberedeogu (left) and Chief Godwin Nwoke •Governor Chime (left) and Dr Onyia

•Hon Ekiye and Mrs Njeze

•Mr and Mrs Madueke

• Kanu

•Mr Alaibe(right) and Senator Diffa

•Prof Utomi

•Dr Aganga (left) and Mr Dozie

•Mr Ovia

•Ohuabunwa PHOTOS: NNEKA NWANERI

31

THE NATION FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

SOCIETY Forty days after his death, family and friends of the former Chairman, Odu’a Investment Company Limited, Otunba Muhammed Jobi-Fele, gathered at Sky Power Playing ground, Ikeja, Lagos last Saturday for the Fidau. TAJUDEEN ADEBANJO was there.

All for Jobi-Fele, 40 days after

E

VEN in death, Otunba Muhammed Jobi-Fele remained a man of the people.

Last Saturday, the Muslim community; family and friends gathered in Lagos for the 40-day Fidau.

Beyond the religious feast, the event brought together the crème de la crème of the society. Their attires, cars and the venue of the event indicated that the late JobiFele was not only a crowd puller, but also one who loved people and used his wealth to help them.

It showed too that only a man with enormous wealth could attract the kind of people who were at the event.

But despite his affluence, Otunba Jobi-Fele lived a Spartan life.

The humble appearance of eminent personalities at the gathering was akin to the deceased’s humble life style.

The Fidau featured reading from the Holy Quran; sermon; citation of the deceased; tributes and entertainment.

In his admonition, the Grand Mufti of Ondo State, Alhaji Sheu Batuta, enjoined the congregation to be mindful of death in whatever they do.

Alhaji Batuta, who led other prominent clerics, described the deceased as a kind man.

After the prayer session, the guests were entertained by an evergreen Miliki maestro, Chief Ebenezer Obey-Fabiyi.

Governor of Osun State, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, described him as a good family man.

Aregbesola, represented by a Commissioner in the Local Government Service Commission, Osun State, Dr Adeleke Ipaye, said the deceased lived a life well-spent.

“He was an astute businessman to the core. We thank God for his life.

His understanding of the global business terrain helped him to succeed.

“The nation’s business circle will miss him dearly,” he said.

Wife of Governor of Lagos State, Dame Abimbola Fashola, represented by Alhaja Fareedah Ajanaku, prayed Allah to grant the deceased Al-Jannat Firdaus.

Dame Fashola said the Late JobiFele for many years “was a father figure to many of us.”

“His humility, warm disposition and generousity endeared him to all who came in contact with him,” she said.

The Olotu of Ijebuland, Chief Chris Ogunbanjo, who recited portions of the Quran before the clerics, said Jobi-Fele’s death was a great loss to the nation.

His immense contribution to the social and industrial development of the nation, Chief Ogunbanjo said, was enormous.

Senator Felix Ibru, who was short of words, prayed God to grant the deceased eternal rest and the family the fortitude to bear the loss.

Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Oodu’a Investment Company Limited, Mr Adebayo Jimoh, said the company is mindful of the role the late Otunba of Ikareland played in setting the conglomerate on the path

•A cross section of Jobi-Fele’s immediate family (from right) Oladapo; widow, Anike; Rotimi; Abiola; Mopelola and Ronke

•Ondo State Governor Dr Olusegun Mimiko, his wife, Kemi with Fawehinmi family (from left) Muhammed; Basirat Biobaku and Mrs Ganiyat Fawehinmi.

•From left: Representative Ooni of Ife, Oba Yaya Elugbadeju; Oba Saka Olawusi, Oba Oladejo Akintilo

•Chairman, Toyota (Nigeria) Limited, Chief Michael Ade.Ojo (right) and Mr Jimoh

of prosperity and excellence.

“During his tenure as Oodu’a Chairman, Jimoh said, he distinguished himself as an industrialist of repute, a quintessential busi-

nessman and an astute administrator.

“His contribution to the growth of the common heritage through high sense of business acumen and

•Chief Ogunbanjo

•Senator Ibru (left) and Chairman, Odu’a Investment, Senator Braimo Yusuf

•From left: Chief Imam of Ikare Akoko, Alhaji Abbas Abubakri; Chairman, League of Imams and Alfas of Ondo State, Sheikh Imran Aladesawe and Alhaji Batula.

sound business judgment is unquantifiable.”

The son of the deceased, Oladapo, said his father did not believe in failure. He was an optimist to the core.

“He was an innovative person; a philosopher and a possessor of capability to create a tremendous influence on people,” he said.

•More pictures on page 32

THE NATION FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

32

SOCIETY •Continued from page 31

•Chief Dele Akinyele (left) and Ovation Publisher, Bashorun Dele Momodu

•Chief Sunny Kuku (left) and the deceased’s younger brother, Akogun Lekan Alabi

•From left: Dele Adeshina (SAN); Alhaji Kidado and Prince Julius Adelusi-Adeluyi

•Former Chairman, The Punch Newspaper, Chief Ajibola Ogunshola (left) and Chief Shola Dada

•Prof Akin Oyebode (left) and Mr Ajayi Abati

•Alhaja Ajanaku

When Rector’s daughter finds love It was a marriage of two love birds when Fatimat, daughter of Rector, Federal Polytechnic, Offa, Kwara State, Dr Mufutau Olatinwo, was joined in holy matrimony with Army Captain Taofeek Ibrahim.

KOFOWOROLA BELLOOSAGIE reports.

•The couple, Taofeek and Fatimat

F

OR Dr Mufutau Olatunde Olatinwo, Rector, Federal Polytechnic, Offa, Kwara State, Saturday, April 23, was a memorable day. It was the day he gave out his precious daughter, Bidemi, in marriage to the man of her dreams, Olayinka Ibrahim, a captain in the Nigerian Army.

Prior to that Saturday, a special prayer was held for the couple on Friday, April 22, in the expansive Olatinwo Family House, Ibrahim Taiwo Road, in the ancient town of Offa.

The main event, which took place on Saturday, was the Muslim solemnisation of their marriage. Tagged Nikkah, it also took place at the Olatinwo family house with the Chief Imam of Offa, Imam Muideen Salman

•From left: Bride’s mother, Hajia Muslimat Olatinwo; Mrs Bola Ogunjaiyeju and Mrs Adejoke Adekanye

Al Imam, officiating.

The Olofa of Offa, Oba Mufutau Muhammed Gbadamosi, Ilufemiloye II, led a retinue of traditional chiefs to the occasion. Also in attendance were officials and

members of the Ansar-Ud-Deen Society of Nigeria, of which the Rector’s father, Alhaji Tiamiyu Olatinwo, is a staunch member and a respected national officer.

The Chief Imam in his sermon enjoined

•Mrs Kemi Nelson PHOTOS: SOLOMON ADEOLA

wives to be obedient to their husbands in order to secure the favour of the almighty.

He then urged men, as head of the family, to respect and honour their wives as this will rub off positively on them.

Imam Muideen enjoined the couple to love each other always and disallow interference in their family affairs as much as possible.

The Imam and other Islamic clerics took their turn to pray for long life and God’s blessings for the newly wedded couple.

The wedding reception, which held at the Avalon Hotel, Offa, was a statement in beauty and organisational skills of the organisers of the event.

Despite the surging crowd that wanted to be part of the event, there were adequate measures put in place at ensuring that everyone was well accommodated within the main hall and the sprawling vicinity of the hotel premises.

Of particular interest was the military honour for the couple on the occasion. The soldiers provided some interesting spectacles as they staged a ceremonial parade in honour of their colleague and officer that was wedding.

Members of staff of the Federal Polytechnic, Offa; University of Ilorin; the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, led by the Chief Medical Director, Dr. Waheed Olatinwo;the Nigerian Army and neighbouring academic institutions were at the event.

Members of the Governing Council of the institution, including the representatives of the Minister of Education on the Council, Mrs Ngozi Onuoha and Hajia Fausat Gbadamosi Kolo were also present. The Chairman of the Governing Council was represented by his wife, Mrs Onyeka Okorafor, while Principal Officers, members of the executive committee of the three unions, directors of schools and Service directors, Heads of Department, the Students’Union executives, members of staff as well as their family and friends were not left out at the ceremony.

Present also were officers from various military formations in the country and the Chairman of Offa Local Government, Prince Saheed Popoola.

THE NATION FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

33

SOCIETY Pained by the continued decline in their culture, and value system, members of the Ndigbo Lagos Organisation in collaboration with Ndigbo Ethics Revival Forum (NEREF) gathered their kinsmen to the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Victoria Island, Lagos, where issues on cultural renaissance dominated their discourse. CHINAKA OKORO was there.

•Dr Ejike Onyia (left) and Chief Goddy Uwazurike

•Dr Obieri (left) and Mr Eke

Ndigbo: A gathering for cultural rebirth T

HE Conference Hall of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, Kofo Abayomi Street, Victoria Island Lagos, literally became a courtyard for an elegy over the seeming death of Igbo customs, and ethical values. It was where Ndigbo gathered to examine and re-examine who they were, what they are and what they want to be vis-à-vis culture, and value system.

Notable men and women of Igbo extraction and their friends and well-wishers seized the opportunity provided by Ndigbo Lagos Organisation (NLO) and Ndigbo Ethics Revival Forum (NEREF) to experience what pundits would refer to as catharsis or purgation of emotion.

The two organisations had invited fellow Ndigbo, friends and well-wishers to the public presentation of an audio project on Igbo character and values; a musical documentary and commentary on the cherished traditional and cultural mores for which Ndigbo were and are supposed to be known. The forum also served as a showcase for commentary on some uncomplimentary traits that are diluting the Igbo character and/or personality.

Speaker after speaker affirmed that things have gone awry in Ndigbo’s way of doing things. Un-

fortunately, no one could certainly confirm where and when the rain started beating them in terms of the erosion of their mores.

Some said it was the aftermath of the Nigerian Civil War that rendered most Igbo jobless, even as some said it was then that people started showing disregard for their customary laws.

However, the consensus was that “there is an urgent need to reverse to old but cherished way of doing things.

Dignitaries at the event were former Minister of Information and Culture, Dr Walter Ofonagoro, who chaired the event; Lagos State Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget, Mr Ben Akabueze; His Royal Majesty, Eze Kalu, Kalu Ogbu; the Onachioken of Abiriba, Dr Raymond Obieri; former President Nigerian Stock Exchange, Mr Kalu Eke; Executive Director, Diamond Bank Plc, Dr Ejike Onyia; Chief Goddy Uwazurike; lawyer and representative of Ohanaeze Ndigbo President, Ambassador Ralph Uwechue; Dr Emilia Onyema; Mr Boni Madubunyi; Mrs Margaret Orakwusi; Mrs Chizoba Omeokachie; Prof.

Anya .O. Anya; former Lagos and Imo states military administrator, Rear Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu (rtd); Chief Wilfred Onyekwere; Chief Joseph Ononye; Chief Anthony Ohakwe; Chief Chris Eze and Publisher, Business Hallmark, Mr Emeka Obasi,

•Mr Akabueze and Mrs Chizoba Omeokachie

among others.

An explication of the audio project revealed a six-track CD. Five out of the six tracks have direct relationship with the life, journey and experiences of the Igbo man in Nigeria.

In fact, the first song started by asking the question very boldly “obuzikwa unu bu Igbo ndieji emeonu mgbe gboo?” (Are you not same Igbo people who people used to praise, admire and emulate? What has gone wrong? The song went on to encourage the Igbo nation to continue to move forward particularly, in the areas of education, agriculture, technology, and trading.

The song concluded that very soon and with the right approach, both problems of the Igbo and, indeed, Nigeria, will be over.

PHOTOS: CHINAKA OKORO

The second song is simply a prayer to the Almighty God not to allow the Igbo short change themselves or to be short changed by their neighbours (i.e. Chukwu ekwekwala ka Igbo gbara-aka laa) and the song concluded that if the problem of the Igbo is induced from outside Igbo land, let God forgive those who induce the problem and give them a change- of heart in their relations third song gives reasons why he is proud to be a Nigerian and an Igbo man.The song of general interest in the CD is called Lagos Lady.

For NEREF, the music option was the most creative and an attractive way of securing the attention of Igbo people to some of the challenges facing their nation in terms of values and ethics.

Sunday, May 1 was a day of honour for the Chief Executive Officer of De-Malik Nig Ltd, Alhaji Luqman Abdul-Malik and his wife Alhaja Hamdalat. The couple, along with others, was honoured as Agbesinga Adinni and Saraki Adinni of Araromi Muslim Central Mosque, Meiran, Lagos State. KUNLE AKINRINADE reports.

T

HE Meiran Community Primary School compound in Lagos was filled with friends, family members and business associates of the Chief Executive Officer of De-Malik Nig. Ltd., Alhaji Luqman Abdul-Malik, and his wife, Alhaja Bolanle, who came to witness the turbanning of the couple.

The ceremony began at 10 am with opening prayer and reading of passages from the Holy Quran, while guests were treated to soul-lifting songs by an Islamic Choral band.

After a long while, at 4.15 pm the couple stepped forward to receive their honour amid encomiums by the Chief Imam of the mosque, Fadilat Sheikh Abdul-Quadri, who extolled their virtues for being devout members of the Araromi Muslim community and their contributions towards uplifting and propagation of Islam in the society.

He said:”For the avoidance of doubt, the couple has made an invaluable contribution to the propagation of Islam in this community. They have, no doubt, as members of the Araromi Central Mosque, demonstrated a high sense of responsibility going by their enormous contributions towards uplifting the work of Allah and for these outstanding qualities, diligence in service to Allah and their commitment to tenets of Islam, we are proud to honour them today and I would like other Muslim couples to emulate them.”

The Islamic cleric, who quoted copiously from the Quran, admonished the couple to sustain their selfless service to humanity and remain steadfast in prayers.

Honour for a devout couple

•Alhaji Abdul-Malik and his wife Hamdalat

His words: “I want to advise you to ensure that you remain steadfast in prayers and to continue in your selfless service to humanity for there is a great reward from

Allah for all doers of good.”

A community leader and close associate of the celebrants, Alhaji Koleosho, described the couple as an epitome of humility.

“One thing you cannot take away from the couple is their enviable humility and those of us who are privileged insiders can always attest to this. What is more, you just heard from the Chief Imam about their devotion to God and that shows the kind of lifestyle they live,” he said.

Smart Nwadike, a colleague of Hamdalat, described her honour as well-deserving. “I have no doubt that the couple will live up to expectations in their new assignments as title holders in the mosque. Having worked closely with Alhaja Hamdalat for sometime now, I can readily attest to her sartorial elegance and modest lifestyle and I think that this honour is well deserved,” he noted.

The eldest child of the celebrators, Tope, described her parents as role models, pointing to their strict adherence to the tenets of Islam as the hallmark of their union over the years.

“My father and mother are my role models because of their devotion to the precepts of Islam and that is the tonic of their union.

Their union is worthy of emulation and I can’t but wish them the best on this occasion.”

A carnival like procession followed the turbanning as the honourees danced in-between hordes of well-wishers to his residence.

Speaking with The Nation, Abdul-Malik said: “I want to thank the entire members of the Araromi Central Mosque for this honour done on me and my wife. Words alone cannot express my gratitude for this gesture and I promise to continue to fulfill my obligations in service to humanity and Allah.”

THE NATION FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

34

SOCIETY The auditorium of Excellence Hotel, Ogba, Lagos, was filled to capacity as the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply Management of Nigeria (CIPSMN) held an induction to welcome new members into its fold last Saturday. EKE RACHEAL reports.

•From left: Brig-Gen Bode Ogini; Alhaji Mohammad Jimoh and Godwin Adelanwa

I

T was their day and they did all they could to make it remarkable. Everyone saw how joyful they were as they stepped forward one after the other to receive their professional certificates. They were the newly inducted members of the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply Management of Nigeria (CIPSMN).

To get to that level was rigorous, especially as they had been tested and found qualified to be admitted into the prestigious class of Chartered Purchasers and Suppliers.

The Excellence Hotel Auditorium at Ogba, Ikeja, had been packed full by their friends, relatives and well-wishers much longer before the event could kick off with an opening prayer by one of the older members of the institute.

After committing the affairs of the day into the hands of God, the inductees were asked to step into the auditorium to be officially welcomed by the guests.

With Fetus Ademola as the anchor, the ceremony was meant to celebrate the new set of professionals trained by the institute.

Most of the guests on the high table, who were older members of the institute could not hide their joy. Their happiness was two-fold: they were happy to have witnessed the fulfill-

•A cross section of inductees

Glamour as institute inducts members ment of their dream of making the institute a credible place for training professionals and seeing new members joining their rank. The 291 inductees were from different states of the federation.

The guest speaker, Alhaji Mohammed Aliyu, who is also the President of the institute, in his welcome address, said the event was to celebrate success, hard work and integrity.

He said the new set of procurement professionals trained by the institute would make the difference in every way possible, because, according to him taxpayers are not getting value for money from public procurements or reaping dividends of democracy as a result of maladministration of procurement system by nonprofessionals. He noted that public procurement plays a significant role in the economy.

Aliyu further noted the environment is awash with corruption and fraud in government busi-

ness through public procurement system as practiced by non professionals.

He explained that the CISPMN places premium on commitment, values for tax payers’ money, advancing standards in procurement, stock control and indeed, supply chain management in general, and what the institute can contribute in moving the nation to the next level.

Aliyu acknowledged the contributions of some organisations and individuals, who have committed their resources to the institute. He specifically thanked MTN and the Nigeria Army for their contributions and support since 1984 when the institute took off operations. He also acknowledged the late G. O. K. Alasi, whose contributions he said, are evergreen.

The inductees were later administered their Oath of Allegiance and professional Codes of Ethics.

Guests at the event included Deputy Commandant, Nigeria Army College of Logistics,

•Col Alabi

PHOTOS: ADEJO DAVID

Lagos, Brigadier-General Bode Oginni; an elder of the Institute, Mr Godwin Olu Adelanwa; Col. Adeyemi Alabi of Nigeria Army Ordnance School and the Deputy Registrar of the Institute, Aribisala Felix.

Last Saturday the ancient town of Gbongan in Osun State held its annual Gbongan. It also launched a N100 million appeal fund for the completion of its Town Hall and other projects.

The event held at the open arena of the palace of the Olufi of Gbongan, Oba Adetoyese Oyeniyi, Odugbemi 1. SEYI ODEWALE and SOJI ADENIYI witnessed the event.

For their town, they rise HE early morning sun last Saturday in Gbongan, Osun State slowly glided the horizon with its intense heat; leaving the sky bare, hot and scorching. The hot and humid weather of the town also agreed to the menace of the ferocious heat, but despite its inclemency, the indigenes of Gbongan stayed put in the scorching sun, ignoring the threat this might pose to their health. To them, it was all they could do for their town.

They had come to celebrate with their monarch, Oba Adetoyese Oyeniyi, the Olufi of Gbongan, on the town’s annual day celebration.

They were well-meaning and successful sons and daughters of the town who have refused to forget their roots. They came in their thousands to support their monarch and town, complete some outstanding projects aimed at uplifting the image of the town. This year’s edition of Gbongan Olufi Day was remarkable.

The sleepy junction settlement had started witnessing an influx of people into the town about two days before the actual day of the event. They had come with friends from far and near to show their agrarian community to them and

T

make them see how peaceful their homestead can be.

As early as 9.00 am, members of many social and cultural groups and clubs and trade groups had gathered at the palace arena at Oke Offa quarter of the town wearing uniform dresses of different designs and makes. Market women, and the youth of the town were not left out; they came in their hundreds to felicitate with their monarch Sitting under different canopies were the representatives of the town’s progressive union from across the country. Also, present were traditional chiefs, honorary chiefs, Baales and village heads under Gbongan. They all came around to be with their king, whose dynasty they claimed, was from the ancient Oyo, as the progenitor of the Oba was a direct prince of Alaafin Abiodun Adegorolu, who reigned in the old Oyo. Supported by the first indigenous mobile telecoms company in Nigeria, Globacom, what made the day very special this year was the N100 million fund raising for the completion of the ultra-modern Town Hall beside the Oba’s

•From left: Babakekere of Gbongan, Chief Adewuyi Adetunji; Chairman, Association of Gbongan Progressive Elements, Justice Babalakin and Oba Oyeniyi

expansive palace of which every indigene was a voluntary donor.

Everyone bought a raffle ticket sold for N200 for a draw that held that day. And many who wanted to increase their winning chances did not hesitate to buy multiple tickets. A substantial amount of money was realised, which included cheques and promisory notes.

Apart from numerous prized gifts, which included a medium size Thermocool refrigerator, a 5.5 KVA generator, a medium size typhoon fan, on display for lucky winners to grab, Globacom spoiled the participants with a lot of corporate gifts such as T shirts and face caps bearing the company’s logo.

Many indigenes, who have made their marks in their chosen

professions and who have contributed to the development of Gbogan were appreciated with merit awards.

Chairman of the occasion, Justice Bolarinwa Babalakin (rtd), who is also an indigene of the town, praised the Olufi for his leadership qualities. The Chairman of the Olufi Day 2011 Organising Committee, Elder Biodun Odeleye, challenged the indigenes to always remember home where ever they may be and ensure that they remain good ambassadors of the town. Olufi, expressed gratitude to his subjects for supporting his throne.

He, however, reminded them that there were more for them to do.

Oba Oyeniyi, in his majesty, was flanked by his chiefs and invited guests. He sported a grey

Agbada brocade, with a pair of shoes and a beaded crown to match. His countenance was that of satisfaction for the success of the day as he beamed smiles after smiles, waiving his horsetail at intervals to acknowlege greetings and homages from his subjects.

Some traditional rulers within the state, particularly from Ayedaade Local Government, which has Gbongan as its headquaters, graced the occasion.

Among them were the Olufon of Ifon-Osun, the Oloogi of Ogi, Ologbaga and many others. Also present were prominent indigenes, who came with their guests.

Praise singers moved about to exploit convival atmosphere at the event.

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THE NATION FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

AGRO-BUSINESS World food digest

Nestlé inaugurates malted drinks plant in Sri Lanka NESTLÉ Lanka, a unit of Swiss-based Nestlé, has opened a $5 million malted drinks plant at its manufacturing complex in Kurunegala, Sri Lanka.

The investment is the first phase of the firm’s proposed $90 million expansion plan, which will be unveiled over the next few years, the company said.

The firm invested LKR1.1billion ($10 million) in dairy development and the expansion of the Kurunegala factory in 2010.

The company hopes to double the investment to LKR2 billion ($18 million) this year.

EU favours ban of GMOs

• L-R: Deputy Director, Nutrition, Lagos State Ministry of Health, Dr Abimbola Ajayi and Programme Director, Development Communication Network, Akin Jimoh.

Conference canvasses 10% budgetary allocation to agric A FRICA’S Ministers of Agriculture, Science and Technology have urged their home governments to devote 10 per cent of the budget to agriculture and ensure a reasonable allocation to research and development.

They said their suggestion was in line with the 2003 Maputo Declaration on boosting food production in the continent.

The call is contained in a communiqué issued after the maiden Dialogue of the ministers held under the auspices of the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) Secretariat and the government of Ghana last week.

The dialogue is a forum of the ministers and other agriculturerelated ministries to share ideas and agree on collective actions towards enhancing agricultural productivity in Africa. The dialogue was recommended during the Fifth Africa Agricultural Science week and FARA General Assembly in Ouaga-dougou, Burkina Faso, in July 2010.

The dialogue suggested the inclusion of government investments in the agricultural sector within the Africa Peer Review Mechanism (APRM).

Stories by Daniel Essiet, Agriculture Correspondent

This, it added, should include: achievement of the 10 per cent target of national budget allocation to agricultural sector, expenditure pattern to show how much is allocated to research and development, impact of investment on agricultural research and extension and performance of agricultural research and extension institutions at national, sub-regional and continental levels.

The dialogue also recommended the establishment of an Africa Union Monitoring System for the implementation of decisions of the Ministerial dialogue.

It observed persistence of high levels of food insecurity and poverty in Africa,despite the continent’s endowment with abundant natural resources to support agricultural production.

The forum noted the unsatisfactory progress on eliminating hunger and reducing poverty largely due to the under-performance of the agricultural sector.

It noted that under-investment in revitalising agricultural productivity is the main factor behind the sector’s underperformance.

To achieve sustainability in agriculture development, the forum highlighted the need for the end users to express their demands for services, including research, extension and financial services.

It emphasised that research should be demand-driven, development-oriented and accountable to its stakeholders.

Participants at the event included representatives from Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ghana, Guinea Conakry, Lesotho, Liberia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Tanzania and Togo, as well as global, regional and subregional institutions, namely, African Union Commission, Economic Community for West African States, Southern Africa Development Community, West and Central Africa Council for Agricultural Research and Development (CORAF/WECARD), Transfarm Africa, the Canadian International Development Agency, Ecobank, the European Commission, the World Bank, Africa Forum for Agricultural AS and Pillar One Lead Institution, North Africa Sub-regional Organisation.

Stakeholders seek passage of Biosafety Bill

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HE Director-General, National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA), Prof Bamidele Solomon, has expressed hope that the National Assembly will pass the Biosafety Bill.

Solomon told The Nation that NABDA and other relevant stakeholders have done all they can to pass a biosafety law, saying the rest is in the hands of the lawmakers.

National biosafety bills provide a framework to ensure that the development, and use, of GM organisms and products do not negatively affect plant, animal and human health, agricultural systems or the environment.

With these standards in place, multinational biotechnology companies could do business in Nigeria, said the helmsman of NABDA. The Chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture under the previous administration, Gbenga Makanjuola, said the biosafety law has been passed by the House of Representatives (the lower legislative house), but must

still be debated in the Senate (the upper legislative house) before being approved by the president.

Supporters of genetically modified (GM) crop technology fear that their four-year effort to get a biosafety bill enacted in Nigeria may have been in vain if the country’s upper house fails to pass it before its tenure ends next month.

The President, Agricultural Society of Nigeria, Ibrahim Abubakar, said: “We cannot make any significant progress without the enabling law, especially now that there is some pessimism about the use of biotechnology.”

The Secretary, the Food-Chain Watch, Prince Pieray Odor, said passage of the food safety bill is important because it will ensure that foods are safe.

“The importance of the safety of foods is based on and emphasised by, the value of human life and the undesirability of diseases, hospitalisation, infertility, deformities, disabilities, and early death.”

On why Nigerians are not comfortable with GMOs companies, Odor noted: “Most Nigerians are ignorant about the activities of GMO companies. Only very few Nigerians know about their activities.

“Anyone who knows about the activities of these companies will certainly not be comfortable because of the following reasons – none of them has shown that any GM food is safe anywhere in the world, not even in the US. “We may begin our inquiry with the tomato that was called Flavr Savr that was produced by Calgene, US. Moreover, no independent group of researchers or any research institute has shown that any GRe-food/GM food is safe anywhere in the world.“ Despite these truths, the expert noted that GMO companies continue to push for farming based on the use of GMOs and to use bribery and other political strategies to impose genetic Re-engineering in the form of biotechnology and molecular biology.

MEMBERS of European Parliament (MEPs) from the Environment Committee have voted to allow European Union countries to ban or restrict the use of Genetically-Modified Organisms (GMOs) on environmental grounds, giving them better legal protection in the event of challenges from trading partners opposed to a ban. “Our proposal offers states a solid, legal basis,” said French Liberal Corinne Lepage, Parliament’s draftswoman for the rules, in a press release last Wednesday. GMOs was just one of the proposals on food quality under discussion this week in EU Parliament.

“The report aims to give greater freedom to member states. The draft is balanced and it reflects wishes and concerns of various parties. But we are concerned that there should also be a community evaluation,” Lepage said.

“This vote is a clear signal from Parliament to the Council and Commission: the EU authorisation system should be maintained but it should be acknowledged that some agricultural and environmental effects, as well as the socio-economic impact linked to contamination, can be cited by member states to justify a ban or restriction on GMO cultivation,” she added. The report is expected to be on the June plenary agenda.

Member states will be able to restrict or ban GMO cultivation on agroenvironmental grounds, for example pesticide resistance, the invasiveness of certain crops and a threat to biodiversity. But they will not be able to ban them on health grounds.

MEPs expect the inclusion of a ban specifically on environmental grounds to give member-states better legal protection in the event of challenges to the GMO ban via the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

India to get World Spice Organisation soon INDIA, which is known as the largest producer, exporter and consumer of spices in the world, is soon likely to become a hub of global spice trade with the launch of the World Spice Organisation (WSO) at Kochi in Kerala, according to reports by PTI and other agencies.

Elaborating on the body, PTI quoted Philip Kuruvilla, Founding Chairman, WSO, “Process is on to open the head-office of World Spice Organisation at Kochi. It has been registered and will be formally launched within three months.” Kochi is the hub for spice trading in India.

WSO will not only seek better solutions for sustainability of spice production, but will also address the issue of food safety regulations. It will attempt to provide a global platform from the farm to the enduser. Several organisations that are dealing in trade are claimed to be associated with the body.

Law to control milk mafia coming THE Indian government has planned a stringent Act to arrest the mafia’s growth in the state, Home Minister R. R. Patil, said in the legislative council.

A Bill would be tabled in the legislature during the monsoon session, but if needed, the government would first issue an ordinance, Patil informed.

Satej Patil, minister of State, Food and Drugs Administration, said the government would make it mandatory for the milk co-operatives to use tamper-proof packets to prevent adulteration. The home department would also hold workshops for the police on how to detect adulteration.

Raising the issue of food, milk, oil and kerosene adulteration, the opposition leader in the council, Pandurang Phundkar, said over the last decade the mafia had infiltrated the government and in the recent months it had become so blatant that officials were being openly killed.

‘How to deepen economy’ THE Regional Agricultural Director for North Bank Region (NBR), the Gambia, has said the economic engine of any nation whether developed or developing, depends on agricultural research and development.

Dr Saikou E. Sayang averred that that economies of most developed countries are booming because of appropriate agricultural policy framework where agricultural research and development have been prioritised in their mainstream development agenda.

He noted that the GDP of The Gambia comes mainly from agriculture and other sectors of development, stressing that to make significant headway in research and development for economic growth, the National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI) should incorporate strategic research by providing knowledge and techniques to solve specific problems that would have wider applicability and practicability at grassroots level.

Sanyang expressed the need for the government and donors to review favourable agricultural policy framework with the support of adequate funding to enhance successful research and extension programmes, citing Taiwan as an example where a vibrant economic council of agriculture, an umbrella institution responsible for research and development programmes was established.

He suggested that the government sets up long-term planning by establishing research stations in each of the administrative regions to serve the local needs as far as research and development is concerned.

Sanyang pointed out that Chamen Agricultural Training Centre in Illiasa District in NBR has great potentials for scientific research and development programmes which will also help in the transformation of the centre.

36

THE NATION FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

AGRO-BUSINESS

10,000 youths for agric training R

ELIEF is on the way for small scale farmers.

The Federal Government is working on policies that will address their challenges, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Prof Sheikh Abdullah, has said.

The government, he said, had also begun the training of 10,000 youths in various agricultural fields of their choice.

The initiative, he explained, is to attract the interest of youths to agriculture by making farming attractive and profitable.

The Minister said the government has embraced the Fertiliser Voucher Procurement and Distribution, Scheme as a more effective and efficient subsidy regime to address the issue.

The scheme, he said, would “facilitate transition from a government-controlled subsidy delivery to a marketbased, private sector-driven subsidy delivery system in Nigeria.”

On the Commercial Agriculture Development Programme (CADP), Abdullah said the Central Bank of Ni-

• Sheikh Abdullah Stories by Daniel Essiet, Agriculture Correspondent

geria (CBN) had so far disbursed N100 billion of the N150 million earmarked for the programme.

He said the funding was part of the N244.2 billion Special Intervention Fund dedicated to the development of the agricultural sector.

“Efforts are being intensified to redress the adverse effect of the global food and

environmental crisis through building of physical, social and economical infrastructures and market access for enhanced coordination in the agricultural downstream sector,’’ he said.

Abdullah said the government was also partnering with relevant organisations, especially the FAO, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Bank.

The partnership, he said, was aimed at achieving the set goals and objectives of the government in the agricultural sector.

Abdullah said available information revealed sharp increases in some basic food items between June and December 2010.

“There has been 57 per cent increase in the prices of grains including wheat, 56 per cent for oil and fat and 77 per cent for sugar,” he said.

The increases, he said, were attributed to various factors including extreme weather conditions such as drought, catastrophic storms and wild fire.

Others factors identified

were structural limitations, low income, high population growth rate, land constraints and under investment in rural infrastructure.

The list also included poor agricultural mechanisation and limited farmers’ access to agricultural inputs.

Due to this development, some states recorded poor harvest occasioned by natural disaster such as flooding, inadequate farm input and declining interest in agriculture, particularly among youths, he noted.

According to him, the high cost of food constitutes an ‘inherent’ danger to national security.

He said the need to address the threat was urgent as the sector accounts for more than 42 per cent of the GDP and employs more than 70 per cent of the nation’s active labour force.

One of the strategies to address the threat was the sustained attention being given to agricultural production and food security by the Federal Government to achieve overall national, economic development, the minister said.

Farmers urge Yobe to exploit Nguru Wetlands

F

ARMERS in Yobe State have advised the government to exploit the potential of the Nguru Wetlands for agriculture.

A vegetable farmer, Alhaji Mohammed Kaku, made the suggestion in Nguru, Yobe State. He said the area had the capacity to produce the food needs of the state and for other parts of the country.

“The wetlands can produce rice, wheat and vegetables in commercial quantities to meet the food requirements of the state and even for export,’’ he said.

He regretted that the potential of the wetlands were not fully exploited to enhance agricultural production and reduce unemployment among the populace in the area.

“For now, only a few

people are engaged in smallscale vegetable production of carrots, onions, tomatoes and pepper, among others in Gashua and Nguru.

“The lands are very rich with good yields but, the potential can fully be exploited if more people are empowered and encouraged,” he said.

In a separate interview, Ali Goni, another farmer, urged the government to shift emphasis from rain-fed agriculture to irrigation.

Goni observed that rainfall in Yobe had been inconsistent and unpredictable, thereby discouraging farmers.

He advised the government to provide farmers with water pumps and other inputs to make irrigation attractive and profitable.

“There are farmers who de-

• Fresh fruits on display at Oje Market, Ibadan, Oyo State.

pend on others for water pumps, seeds and fertiliser.

Government should come in with full force to empower these young farmers,” he said.

Musa Shuaibu, a casual labourer on irrigation farms, said he needed financial resources to establish his own farm and buy implements such as water pump.

Other farmers identified challenges militating against their efforts to include pests, scarcity of improved seedlings and storage facilities.

“There are no storage facilities. We only sell small quantities of the vegetables, especially, tomatoes to local consumers and have to slice a bulk of the harvests for drying, due to the lack of storage facilities,” Habu Manu said.

Yaro Buba said: “The challenge posed by the lack of storage facilities discourages most farmers from expanding their farms in spite of the good yields.’’

In his reaction, Alhaji Musa Dumburi, the state Commissioner for Agriculture, said arrangements were in the pipeline to procure water pumps for distribution to irrigation farmers across the state.

“Government has made available improved seedlings for farmers at subsidised rate while we always set aside stock of fertiliser every year for irrigation farming,” he said.

He promised that the government would distribute more fertiliser and other inputs this year as well as attract more youths into farming.

STATE FOCUS

Agro business opportunities in Ogun

By Daniel Essiet, Agriculture Correspondent

Y

EAR round sunshine in many parts of the state and a friendly population together with a stable political and economical climate makes Ogun State one of the top agro business investment destinations in the country.

In the recent past, the agricultural industry in the state has registered a massive increase in its productivity.

The sector is one of the key industries that contribute significantly to its income.

The state is known for producing agric products for local consumption and exports. Some of the products are soya beans, sugarcane, sugar, coffee, fresh oranges, orange juice and ethanol. Natural products such as fruits and nuts are available. Blessed with natural resources for growing crops – fertile soil, good water facility, etc, the state is endowed with some of the highest quality cotton and grain products. Thus, there is a great investment opportunity to invest in related industries.

It is free from hurricanes, floods, storms, earthquakes and tsunamis. The climate is quite varied; the weather is subtropical. The state is naturally endowed with favourable geographical conditions. The climatic conditions are favourable for growing a variety of agricultural crops. It has a very large • Governor Daniel consumer base for agricultural items.

Growing global income from the exports of agricultural goods and free availability of productive land presents great investment opportunities.

The state provides great opportunities for investment in allied activities of agriculture.

Apart from being endowed with natural facilities, the investors can consider investing in the agricultural sector of the state because over the years there has been a significant increase in the number of Nigerians from other parts of the country moving into the state.

This is mainly because the state is gradually seen as a business hub by many business persons. The increased number of people in the state would mean increased need for food. The investors can cash in on the opportunity. Being close to Lagos State, the state is also wellknown for industries. Availability of land, proximity to the sea and a conducive investment atmosphere make some of its towns such as Ota home to all sorts of industries.

The state government has ambitious plans to invest huge amounts in the agricultural sector to give a boost to the country’s agricultural output. Investors thus have great opportunity to be a part of the government’s mission to boost the productivity and in the bargain earn valuable profits.

Since agricultural development is one of its cardinal programmes, the state government has continued to ensure that maximum attention is focused on agriculture to guarantee its rapid development. In this regard, efforts have been made to stimulate food production activities through the multiplication and distribution of high-yielding and disease resistant seeds and seedlings of both cash and food crops to farmers at reasonable prices. Farmers are welcomed to help grow agriculture and build export potential.

Top on the list of priorities is the improvement of the production of palm oil and palm kernel at Apoje and Lomiro by increasing the quantity of available fruit bunches to the processing mill. In 1994, over 50,000 palm seedlings were raised for planting. About N500,000 was also released by the state government to ensure the completion of the Odeda Fish Farm project by direct labour, thus making fishery services available to the people of the state.

The government and private sector involvement has boosted the development of potentials in the area of livestock and poultry production. To further demonstrate the state governments resolve to accelerate food production, a Food Basket Scheme introduced by Gateway Bank Plc was inaugurated.

It is also important to note that the state offers wide ranging tourist attractions, including its very famous Olumo Rock in Abeokuta. The state is seeking investors in food processing. The government needs specialties to cultivate specific variety of vegetables for canning and bottling.

The government is ready to provide attractive destination for food parks with huge potential of food processing and exports due to high agri production in food grains and horticulture.

THE NATION

38

FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

CRIME WATCH

NDLEA seeks 15-year jail term for drug offenders

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HE Chairman/Chief Executive of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Ahmadu Giade has called for the implementation of 15 years minimum sentence for drug culprits in line with the NDLEA Act. The NDLEA boss who supervised the public destruction of drug exhibits worth N9.2b at the Agency’s office complex in Badagry, Lagos on Friday May 6, 2011 said that stiffer punishment will help to address the drug problem in our society.

By Jude Isiguzo

Giade noted that the Agency had recorded a giant stride towards a drug and crime-free society with the destruction of 7,970.8182kg of seized and forfeited narcotics in Lagos State.

The event was witnessed by both local and international stakeholders including the Commanding Officers of the Nigeria Army at Badagry, United States Drug Enforcement

The NDLEA will continue to frustrate the sinister activities of drug cartels in the country.

In line with our practice, we are gradually using constant drug seizures and public destruction of forfeited drug exhibits to emasculate drug barons in our society

Administration, the South Africa Police attaché in Lagos and other heads of security Agencies.

The NDLEA Chairman described the event as a morale booster for the Agency and victory for humanity in the fight against illicit drugs. The destroyed drugs, according to him, were seized within the state by officers of the Agency.

Cocaine and heroin destroyed weighed 705.7913 kilogrammes, cannabis, 7,169.0194 kilogrammes while psychotropic substance weighed 96.0075 kilogrammes.

Giade expressed optimism over the attainment of the collective dream and aspiration of Nigerians for a drug free-society through gradual emasculation of drug trafficking syndicates.

He said: “The NDLEA will continue to frustrate the sinister activities of drug cartels in the country. In line with our practice, we are gradually using constant drug seizures and public destruction of forfeited drug exhibits to emasculate drug barons in our society.”

He added that many drug barons have been rendered helpless.

•Giade

Police arraign 352 suspects THE Katsina State Police Command has arraigned 352 suspects for allegedly committing various offences during the April general elections.

The offences included inciting public disturbance, looting of public property, arson and election malpractice.

The Police Commissioner in the state, Alhaji Ibrahim Mohammed, told newsmen in Katsina, the state capital that most of the suspects were arrested in connection with the post-election violence in some parts of the state.

He said others were arrested for alleged election offences during the governorship and state Assembly elections.

Mohammed reiterated the determination of the command to rid the state of criminals.

Court jails man for theft

•The suspects

Police arrest four suspected motorcycle snatchers

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OUR suspects who have been in the business of snatching motor cycles in the metropolis were apprehended by men of the Lagos State Police Command from the Alapere Division.

The robbers, who were identified as Seyi John, (20), Wasiu Adeyemi, (19), Ibrahim Buhari (20) and Michael Gbadamosi (20) were apprehended in a Mosque located at 6, Onaoluwapo Street in Alapere area of Lagos State.

It was gathered that the police had been on the trail of the suspects for a while as they were said to have been terrorising motorcycle owners living in the Alapere area, but luck ran out on them when, unknown to them, a vigilance group in the area had taken notice of them and laid siege to them. They later attacked them at about 2:00pm, living

When asked on how they operate, one of the suspects, Seyi John said that they usually come from Ogijo in Ogun State and after stealing the motor cycles, they go back to Ogun State to sell them

By Titilayo Banjoko, Crime Reporter

them with deep cuts.

The Divisional Police Officer D.P.O of Alapere police division, SP Okosun Anthony Dion, was latter alerted upon which he went to the area and arrested the suspects and latter took them to the station.

The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Samuel Jinadu said that the suspects have been in the business of robbing people of their motorcycle for the past five years. These they sell to one Jaiyesimi, who lives in Ogun State.

One of the suspects, Michael Gbadamosi, an aluminium fabricator said: “We have only stolen about eight motorcycles and I don’t even know how they negotiate, except that I get my own share at the end of the day.”

When asked on how they operate, one of them, Seyi John said that they usually come from Ogijo in Ogun State and after stealing the motor cycles, they go back to Ogun State to sell them.

He however said that the night they where apprehended by the police, one of the suspects, Michael told him to come with him to Ikorodu so that they can pass the night in his sister’s place but he refused on the grounds that they should sleep in the mosque before the vigilance members came and descended on them.

After the police had arrested the suspects, the D.P.O of Alapere police division went back to the place where the suspects were apprehended in the company of his men and discovered a locally made pistol with which the robbers snatch motorcycles from their victims.

AN Abuja Senior Magistrate’s Court has sentenced one Ibrahim Hassan, 18, of Federal Housing Authority, Lugbe, Abuja, to one year imprisonment for theft.

The Senior Magistrate, Mrs Ann Akobi, who did not give Hassan an option of fine, said that the jail term would serve as a warning to him and a deterrent to others.

Police Prosecutor Paul Anigbo told the court that, on April 29, one Tajudeen Raheem of Lugbe, Abuja, reported to the police that Hassan entered into his workshop and stole his mechanic tools.

Anigbo said that other items stolen by Hassan included an extension wire and DVD player valued at N12, 000.

He said that Hassan was eventually caught with the said items in his possession and when interrogated, he was unable to give a satisfactory explanation.

The prosecutor further told the court that during police investigation, Hassan confessed to the crime, adding that the offence was contrary to Section 287 of the Penal Code Law. He asked the court for a summary trial in view of Hassan’s admission of guilt.

Hassan earlier pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy, adding that he would never commit such an offence again.

T-shirt lands man in jail AN Abuja Magistrate’s Court has sentenced a labourer, Abdulazeez Abdulrashid, to three months imprisonment for stealing a T-shirt valued at N2, 500.

Prosecuting police officer Egwu Clement told the court that one Nwota Uchenna of Jabi Village reported the case at Life Camp Police Station on April 22.

Clement, a Sergeant said the convict went to Uchenna’s house on April 20 to steal the T-shirt which was spread outside to dry. He said the action contravened the Penal Code Law. The accused pleaded guilty when the charge was read to him and begged for leniency.

In his ruling, Chief Magistrate Abdullahi Ilelah, said the accused should be punished to serve as a deterrent to others.

Ilelah, however, gave him an option of N1, 500 fine.

Teenager gets 20 strokes of the cane for stealing AN Abuja Senior Magistrate’s Court has sentenced a 16-year-old boy to 20 strokes of the cane for stealing a bag belonging to one Ibrahim Alilu.

The Senior Magistrate, Malam Aliyu Shafa, ordered that the 16-year-old labourer be given 20 lashes since he was a minor.

He said that the punishment would serve as a deterrent to others.

Police Prosecutor, Jeremiah Elijah, had told the court that on April 24, Alilu of Solid Rock International School, Lugbe, Abuja, reported to the police that the teenager stole his bag from the Mosque.

Elijah said that the stolen bag contained Alilu’s credentials and some clothes.

He said the teenager was caught in the act and that when questioned he was unable to give a satisfactory answer, and later confessed to have stolen the bag.

The prosecutor said the offence was contrary to Sections 287 of the Penal Code Law. The teenager pleaded guilty to the offence and the prosecutor asked for a summary trial in view of his admission of the offence.

The convict pleaded with the court to have mercy on him and said that he would not commit such an offence again.

THE NATION

39

FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

I

MO State Council of Traditional Rulers under the leadership of His Royal Highness (HRH) Eze (Dr) Cletus Ilomuanya has honoured one of their own late Eze (Dr) Onu Egwunwoke by naming the secretariat of the Imo State Traditional Rulers’ Council building after him. The honour was to immortalise his name for his various contributions towards the development of traditional institution in the state.

In his speech at the formal inauguration of the secretariat in Owerri, Eze Cletus Ilomuanya who is also the chairman of traditional rulers’ council in Southeast recalled that the building which started during the administration of Chief Achike Udenwa, was completed during the regime of the present governor, Chief Ikedi Ohakim, even as he added that the former governor approved of the idea, but could not put it into fruition.

He revealed that the emergence of Chief Ikedi Ohakim “rekindled the dream of constructing this edifice which is being commissioned today,” noting that the secretariat is the first of its kind in Nigeria.

Eze Ilomuanya said that the building would further strengthen the already existing relationship between the traditional rulers in the state; and that the naming of the building after the late Eze Onu Egwunwoke was to immortalise him for leading the traditional institu-

Royal fathers honour late monarch From Emma Mgbeahurike, Owerri

tion in the state to an enviable height.

In a related development, the traditional ruler of Amaifeke Ancient Kingdom in Orlu Local Government Area of the state, HRH Eze (Dr) Emmanuel C. Okeke, has praised his people, saying that their conduct during the governorship and House of Assembly elections was very encouraging. According to him, the electorate, irrespectively of party afflictions, were in high spirit and maintained cordial relationship during the period of the election.

Eze Okeke, who visited all the polling units in his kingdom during the elections expressed happiness over the smooth conduct of the elections, stated that it was free and fair; as skirmishes were not witnessed in the town as had been recorded in other neighbouring villages.

“I have visited every polling booth in Amaifeke and have been telling them not to fight but to vote for the candidate of their choice,” the traditional ruler stated, even as he prayed that no violence should spark up in his domain which may cause mayhem or loss of lives and properties.

The building which started during the administration of Chief Achike Udenwa, was completed during the regime of the present governor, Chief Ikedi Ohakim, even as he added that the former governor approved of the idea, but could not put it into fruition

Eze Okeke disclosed that in all the booths he visited, he tried to maintain peace and tranquillity; a situation which made the electorate to conduct themselves in orderly manner.

The acting president of youths of Amaifeke Ancient Kingdom, Comrade Remmy Okonta commended the traditional ruler for the singular honour of visiting every polling unit in the town “as it showed that he is at home with his people.”

Comrade Okonta praised the All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP) candidate for the House of Assembly election for the Orlu State Constituency, Comrade Anozie Udenwa for his doggedness to withstand the just-concluded elections not minding the odds.

He advised the people of Amaifeke to always participate in future elections in the country irrespective of party afflictions as it could be another son of theirs who will occupy a position of authority.

While describing Comrade Udenwa as a real fighter who would surely make it next time, the acting Secretary General of the town, Comrade Chukwuemeka Uba said “Anozie has the heart of gold. In fact, I love his courage.”

First Lady, women meet at Obudu Ranch

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ROSS River State women under the aegis of the Partnership Opportunities for Women Empowerment Realisation (POWER), the brainchild of wife of the state governor, Mrs Obioma Liyel Imoke recently had the privilege of interacting with the First Lady, Her Excellency Dame (Dr.) Patience Goodluck Jonathan.

The meeting was held during Mrs Jonathan’s visit to Obudu Mountain Resort in Cross River State during the Presidential working retreat.

The women were members of the 12 registered POWER Co-operative Societies and beneficiaries of Mrs. Imoke’s Partnership Opportunities for Women Empowerment Realisation micro-credit schemes for residents in Obanliku Local Government Area of the state.

Mrs Jonathan and Mrs Imoke, accompanied by Her Royal Majesty Mrs. Pelebo Banigo, visited vegetable farms cultivated by the female farmers at Kigol area of Obudu Mountain Resort.

Dame Goodluck Jonathan used the opportunity to thank the women for voting her husband during the last presidential election.

She underscored the importance of agriculture in Nigeria and urged women to go into agriculture in order to better the lot of their families as the present government, according to her, is poised to improve agricultural production in the country.

She was pleasantly surprised at the efforts of the POWER women who cultivate large farms of crops such as tea, strawberries, carrots, cabbage, lettuce, green peas, water melon, zucchinis, Irish potatoes, mint, spring onions and rhubarb mallows, among others.

During the farm inspection, the President’s wife transplanted cabbage seedlings, carried out broadcasting of carrot seeds as well as harvested ready-to-eat cabbage and marrow.

She made a private donation to the women farmers to encourage them, even as she promised to provide them with seeds and seedlings in order to increase their vegetable production.

On her part, the Mrs Imoke, who hosted the President and his wife, commended the women for putting into judicious use the CBN micro-credit loan guaranteed by her NGO to enable women farmers to become self reliant.

While carrying out a symbolic planting in the vegetable farm, the governor’s wife pointed out that the vegetable farming in the Ranch is without artificial fertilisers and encouraged all to enjoy the health benefits attached to organically produced vegetable from the Obudu Mountain Resort.

Speaking earlier, the Special Assistant

•Dame Patience Jonathan (middle) examines a freshly harvested cabbage, with wife of Cross River State governor Obioma Liyel-Imoke (right) giving a hand

The major objective of Mrs. Imoke’s POWER initiative is to “put money in the hands of women…The market development efforts of POWER as well as the on-going production of temperate vegetables in the Resort is all geared towards conferring the status of viability on the registered POWER Cooperatives in the Ranch •Participants at the POWER conference From Kunle Johnson, Calabar

to the Governor on Food Processing, Packaging and Marketing, Mr. Anthony Ubi, stated that the major objective of Mrs. Imoke’s POWER initiative is to “put

money in the hands of women.”

He explained that the market development efforts of POWER as well as the ongoing production of temperate vegetables in the Resort is all geared towards conferring the status of viability on the regis-

tered POWER Cooperatives in the Ranch.

Mr. Ubi also stated that the training of the bee farmers in the region is to improve funding access for Cross River State women via the CBN’s micro- credit scheme.

FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

40

To avoid development lag by other sectors and to promote coherent development, our school system, healthcare delivery, youth employment need the attention of your administration

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FTER eight years without a king, most of which witnessing a bitter succession battle, the people of Ohordua clan in Esan South East Local Government Area in Edo State have crowned a monarch.

The state governor Adams Oshiomhole graced the coronation ceremony which was topped off with the presentation of the staff of office.

Two brothers had a long battle over who was the legitimate successor to the throne after the death of the former king, His Royal Highness Burns Aikpaojie in 2002.

The two brothers, Matthew and Ailabojie, born to the late monarch by different mothers, had a running battle that was eventually settled in the court.

Matthew who was the plaintiff in the suit was said to have been initially installed as the new monarch, only for his half brother Ailabogie Aipkaojie, the defendant, to contest the claim amid allegations that he used thugs to chase away his brother from the community.

Ailabojie argued that Matthew could not ascend the throne because he was not the first son of the late monarch.

Justice Ikponmwen ruled that Matthew was the appropriate claimant to the throne. The judgement threw the community into celebratory mood, a situation that was heightened with the arrival of Oshiomhole who presented the staff of office to the new king. Matthew has since assumed the name, His Royal Highness Oribhabor II, Onojie of Ohordua.

Presenting the staff of office at a wellattended ceremony, Oshiomhole called on traditional rulers to continue to educate their subjects not to be vindictive or tempted to fight back in the face of the recent violence that greeted the presidential election results in the northern part of the country Oshiomhole appealed to the royal fathers to continue to preach peace and educate their subjects on the need to support the federal government, which he said is working hard to ensure a peaceful, united, harmonious and progressive country.

The Comrade Governor said: “We in this part of the country have taken the issue of living together harmoniously for granted.

People can disagree about election results but they will not resort to violence. I believe our traditional rulers have been helpful in educating our people not to retaliate or be tempted to want to fight back; they should continue to preach peace and support the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

“I want to seize this opportunity to thank the royal fathers for their good work because I believe their helping to educate their subject accounted for the relative peace and stability that we are enjoying in this part of the country” he said.

Congratulating the new monarch on as-

A

N Abuja-based organisation, Ebonyi Professionals Forum has commended the Federal Government for taking over the Vesico Vagina Fistula centre, Abakaliki, and also for planning to establish such centres across other geo-political zones in the country.

The group noted that the successful treatment and discharge of over 660 VVF patients will have greatly enhanced the health and general well-being of the women, stressing that the programme has alleviated the suffering of the patients.

The National Coordinator of the group, Mr. Magnus Eze, who disclosed this when the group visited the wife of the state governor Mrs. Josephine Elechi said that well-thought out projects like the VVF centre and the regular cancer screening by Mrs Elechi are what the state and the country need to remain in good health and enhance productivity.

Eze said: “We commend the Federal Government for taking over the VVF centre Abakaliki and the plan to set up similar centres in all the geo-political zones of the country. The centre has impacted

Edo community installs king From Osagie Otabor, Benin

cending the Ohordua throne, Oshiomhole said: “On this occasion of your formal installation and presentation of the staff of office, I believe that government must keep politics out of the traditional institutions.

People should ascend to their father’s throne without unnecessary controversy and that was why on assumption of office, we were satisfied with the facts before us and we have no difficulties whatsoever in according recognition to Your Royal Highness. I join millions of your well-wishers and the people of your community in congratulating you and wish-

ing you well and may your reign, as prayed by the Chairman of this occasion, bring peace and development to this community” HRH Oribhabor said the presentation of Staff of office to him marked the beginning of a new epoch in Ohordua.

“Today we celebrate the rains of blessings on our palace, the rains of blessings on our kingdom, children and the descendants of Okhirare,” he said.

“Ohordua has never been so favoured by government.”

HRH Oribhabor urged Governor Oshiomhole to expedite action on the completion of Igueben-Ewohinmi-Ewatto-

Ohordua-Emu-Okhuesan road project.

“With this road project, our kingdom will experience monumental transition from development boom to social transformation. In opening the road, Ohordua is integrated into the urban mainstream as an agrarian economy.

“To avoid development lag by other sectors and to promote coherent development, our school system, healthcare delivery, youth employment need the attention of your administration.”

Governor Oshiomhole was later honoured with the chieftaincy title of Oduma while his deputy, Dr. Pius Egberanmwen Odubu was also conferred with the title of Onoseloese of Ohordua.

•Governor Oshiomhole (middle) congratulates the new Onojie

Fed Govt praised for taking over VVF centre From Ogbonnaya Obinna, Abakaliki

positively on the lives of Ebonyi women who have lived with this stigma over the years without any hope of succour until the establishment of the VVF centre Abakaliki by the wife of Ebonyi state Governor Mrs.

Elechi.

“Such well thought-out programmes are what the state needs to escape the clutches of poverty and disease. The enlightenment campaigns led by the Mother and Child Care Initiative (MCCI), established by Mrs Elechi, led to the demystification of VVF in the state, just as the cancer screening

We commend the Federal Government for taking over the VVF centre Abakaliki and the plan to set up similar centres in all the geo-political zones of the country. The centre has impacted positively on the life of Ebonyi women who have lived with this stigma over the years

aspect of the VVF centre was of collateral benefit to every Ebonyi woman”.

Eze said the group has offered to partner with Mrs. Elechi to ensure that the objectives of setting up the project are realised.

He disclosed that already a letter of collaboration with Mrs. Elechi has been handed over to her. He said the group will be pleased to contribute their quota towards the eradication of VVF, cancer and other dangerous diseases ravaging the country.

“The Board of Trustees, management and esteemed members of Ebonyi Professionals, heartily congratulate you for this important achievement which every Ebonyian is very proud of.

“Our health committee is not unaware of the numerous achievements already recorded by your initiative in the efforts to reduce maternal and child morbidity and mortality in our dear state.”

SLIDING TACKLE

“It was a wonderful game, first half ended goalless and at the start of second half things changed to the worst for us, we conceded two goals in the 50th and 86th minutes. I will say we were unlucky to have lost the game because by boys gave out their best, it was painful. Plateau United created two chances and made good use of it. Of course, they won so they are the best side.”

Friday, May 13, 2011

42

NIGERIA PREMIER LEAGUE...NIGERIA PREMIER LEAGUE...

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HE Nigeria Premier League (NPL) resumed Wednesday after a break of several weeks with a flourish of goals and scintillating action as Enyimba trounced leaders Dolphin 3-0 and Enugu Rangers striker Brendan Ogbu netted a hat-trick against JUTH FC. Strugglers Plateau United got off to a winning start, as there were also home wins for Niger Tornadoes, Gombe United, Sharks, Kano Pillars and Warri Wolves.

Dolphin, who have led the standings for most of the first round, suffered their biggest defeat when they were outclassed by defending champions Enyimba 3-0.

Victor Barnabas sets the ball rolling with a goal from a

NPL resumes K amid excitement

NPL goals’ race hots up

goalmouth melee, before Uche Kalu increased the tally via a penalty for the second time of asking. Josiah Madubuchi sealed a comfortable victory for the hosts after the interval.

The visitors had two goals disallowed with coach Stanley Eguma moaning at the officiating. Despite this stumble, the Port Harcourt outfit stay top of the table with 43 points from

20 matches, while Enyimba climbed to eighth position with 31 points.

Warri Wolves toppled Kaduna United from third position after they won their rematch from Week 19 with an 89th minute effort by Oke Akpoveta.

The best individual performance at the restart of the season was by striker Brendan

•Kabiru Okwa celebrates after scoring a goal at the weekend

Zaki laments ‘painful’ loss L OBI Stars coach, John Zaki, has attributed his team's defeat at Plateau United to ill-luck.

Two second half goals gave the Tin City side a 2-0 victory after half time score stood goalless. The match played at the Rwang Pam stadium was one of the matches that marked the start of the second term of the 2010/2011 premier league.

Lobi finished the first stanza on the ninth position with 29 points, 14 points adrift of league leaders, Dolphins, which lost 0-3 on match day to title holders, Enyimba.

Zaki told SuperSport.com that his wards gave their best.

“It was a wonderful game, first half ended goalless and at the start of second half

Lobi Stars Football Club of Makurdi’s coach, John Zaki lamenting the painful loss of his club to Plateau United.

things changed to the worst for us, we conceded two goals in the 50th and 86th minutes. I will say we were unlucky to have lost the game because by boys gave out their best, it was painful.

“Plateau United created two chances and made good use of it. Of course, they won so they are the best side.”

The former Nigerian international who said it is good the defeat is coming early in the day assured that the Makurdi side will come out better in subsequent games.

“This will afford us ample opportunity to re-adjust.

Nobody was happy with the loss, as we go home we will restrategise and will surely come out better next time,” he said.

Ogbu, who fired home a hattrick against bottom team JUTH FC at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium in Enugu.

Ogbu grabbed his treble within an eight-minute spell.

He first scored in the 39th minute, before he added a second on 45th minute and two minutes into the second half, he completed his hat-trick. He has now scored eight goals.

Defender Ugwu Uwadiegwu opened scoring from the penalty spot after half an hour.

Plateau United climbed two spots on the table following a 20 home win over Lobi Stars.

After a drab first half, George Akpabio opened scoring for the home team after 48 minutes, before Emeka Onuoha doubled their advantage five minutes from time.

The Jos club have now recorded 16 points to move ahead of both city rivals JUTH and Zamfara United, who fell 3-0 at Kano Pillars.

‘B’ international striker Gambo Mohammed was on target after just a minute of action, midfielder Mohammed Shagari made it 2-0 on 14 minutes and on-form Nafiu Ibrahim completed the rout in the 25th minute to the delight of a packed Sani Abacha Stadium in Kano.

Kwara United coach, Kadiri Ikhana, along with his player, Adekunle Muritala, saw red as Niger Tornadoes pipped the Ilorin club 2-1 at the Bako Kontagora Stadium in Minna.

Kwara’s lone strike was by Kabiru Sanusi, who has now scored eight goals this season.

Sharks defeated visiting Heartland courtesy of a late headed goal by Sane Osmane to shoot to fourth place as Shooting Stars stopped Ocean Boys 2-1 in Abeokuta.

3SC goals were by Taofeek Adepoju and Nafiu Taiwo in the first half with assists by striker Gbolahan Salami, before Ocean Boys rallied back to pull a goal back through Collins Nwaneri six minutes from time.

Gombe United eased relegation fears with a 3-1 home win over fellow strugglers Crown FC of Ogbomosho.

•Action from Lobi versus Rangers match last season

WARA United striker Kabiru Sanusi now has eight goals in the Nigeria Premier League after his strike at Niger Tornadoes on Wednesday The race for the Goal King award in the Nigeria Premier League (NPL) has gathered steam after Enugu Rangers striker Brendan Ogbu fired a treble and Kabiru Sanusi of Kwara United as well as Enyimba’s Victor Barnabas were also on target as the competition restarted.

Ogbu, Sanusi and Barnabas have now recorded eight goals apiece, two short of leading scorer Ajani Ibrahim of Sunshine Stars, who should be back in action against 3SC on Sunday fresh from trials in Israel.

Big striker Ogbu was on target in the 39th, 45th and 47th minutes to propel ‘The Flying Antelopes’ to a 4-0 home win over JUTH FC. He told MTNFootball.com his target is to break the 18-goal all-time record set by Ahmed Musa with Kano Pillars last season.

“My target is to set a new goals record in the league,” said the former UNTH Healers of Enugu star, who teamed up with Rangers in 2008.

“What I did against JUTH, I can do against any team in the league as long as I’m free of injury.”

He added: “I feel so great to have netted three goals in a match. I dedicate the goals to my father and my friend, Fred Okwara (ex-Rangers striker), for their support.”

The 18-year-old Ogbu comes from a sporting family – his father Brendan Ogbu senior was a Nigeria international handball star, while his mother was a basketball international.

Former Ranch Bees of

Kaduna forward Sanusi is reenacting his fine form in front of goal after top scoring in the second tier with the ‘Afonja Warriors’ two seasons ago.

Enyimba star Victor Barnabas opened scoring for his team as they smashed past league leaders Dolphin 3-0 to improve his tally to eight goals.

The Aba club’s penalty taker was also on target at the weekend as the league champions advanced to the money-spinning stage of the CAF Champions League at the expense of Al-Ittihad of Libya.

Kano Pillars striker Gambo Mohammed also added to his tally for the season with a first minute strike against Zamfara United at home. He could have added at least two more goals to his credit but he was wasteful in front of the Zamfara goal.

10 goals Ajani Ibrahim (Sunshine Stars) 8 goals Brendan Ogbu (Enugu Rangers) Kabiru Sanusi (Kwara United) Victor Barnabas (Enyimba) 7 goals Ekigho Ehiosun (Warri Wolves) Christopher Chigozie (Ocean Boys now on loan at Dolphin) 6 goals Gambo Mohammed (Kano Pillars) Victor Ezeji (Sharks) Week 20 Results Tornadoes 2 Kwara United 1 Plateau United 2 Lobi 0 Gombe 3 Crown 1 Sharks 1 Heartland 0 3SC 2 Ocean Boys 1 Rangers 4 JUTH FC 0 Kano Pillars 3 Zamfara 0 Warri Wolves 1 Kaduna United 0 Enyimba 3 Dolphin 0 Bukola Babes vs Sunshine Stars (postpone

Ikhana sent off in loss to WARA United head Tornadoes coach, Kadiri

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Ikhana, was ordered to leave the technical area to sit in the stands in his club’s Week 20 loss to Niger Tornadoes at the Bako Kontagora Stadium in Minna on Wednesday.

Tornadoes edged Kwara United by 2-1 in the game.

It was Tornadoes that started the game with so much gusto and inside 10 minutes, new signing from Bukola Babes, Daniel Essien Etor, opened score to hand the home team a one goal lead.

But Kabiru Sanusi pulled Kwara United back into the contest 10 minutes later to leave the score line at 1-1.

However, just few minutes to half time, Kwara United’s right-back, Adekunle Muritala, was given the marching order by centre referee, Sani Mohammed from Kaduna state for a second yellow card offence.

Infuriated by the decision of the referee to send off

Muritala when it appeared that Kwara United looked like taking control of the tie, Ikhana lost his cool.

The Kwara United manager verbally challenged the decision of the referee from his technical area and that prompted the match official to order him to leave the bench and take a seat in the stands.

In the restart, 10-man Kwara United struggled to keep Etor with his dribbling runs at bay.

On the hour mark, Sibi Gwar, another new signing for Tornadoes and coincidentally from Kwara United, punished the visiting team for poor defending to poke home the winning goal.

The victory over Kwara United has boosted Niger Tornadoes’ chances of survival, as they now sit five points off relegation with 23 points from 20 games.

SHOPPING

43

THE NATION

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

FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

e-mail: janicenkoli@yahoo.com 08033349992 sms only

email:- shopping@thenationonlineng.net

•Electronics

Getting electronics at good price

Electronics add beauty to the home. Acquiring them is a bit difficult for some, probably because they don’t know what they are looking for. Here are tips from JANICE NKOLI IFEME on how and where to shop for electronics.

Star product of the week

Grooming set for men Page 45

Page 45

What makes Balogun Trade Fair market tick Page 46

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THE NATION FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

SHOPPING

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RICES of electronics vary world wide. Many consumers know this and they are on the look-out for a bargain. There are many stores where you can get quality electronics at a good price.

In Nigeria, there is a wide range of choices to pick from. They include Samsung, LG, Panasonic, Philip, Toshiba, Sony and Hiaer Thermocool to general stores such as Mega Plaza, Game Stores and Cash ‘n’ Carry, to specialised electronics markets such as Alaba International market, Ojo, Lagos. Almost every market has sections for electronics.

However, consumers are advised to always purchase from reputable dealers, as they have so that if there is need for any need to consult the dealer for any reason, he or she would not shirk from responding accordingly. These are other tips to consider before setting out for your purchase.

Know your electronics The first thing is to make sure you know your electronics. Electronics as an industry is constantly changing, so, make sure you follow the latest technologies and fashions. Get the basic information about what you want.

Know what you want Apart from the brand names, many of them look alike, so you need to know the exact make you want. The different manufacturers have specific labeling, which you need to take note of. If you look very well, you would discover that they are quite specific. In cases where they look alike, the specifications are always clear.

Consider your lifestyle Think about where you will be using your electronics. May be a 52" TV set looks great in the store but will you really need something that big in your 400-squarefoot apartment? And a desktop computer is a lot cheaper than a laptop but do you have desk space for the computer? Do you want to be able to travel with a laptop?

Take the product out of the context of the

• Assorted electronics.

Getting electronics at good price

• TV and home theatre

store. Some large retailers play cartoons on their televisions. Make sure you watch a cable feed before judging the picture quality of a set. A fancy TV might be ap-

pealing but really consider the purchase before jumping in and think about how you will use it.

Do your research

The worst thing you could do with an electronic investment is to impulse buy simply because you are in a lavish mood.

Figure out what your needs are. Know the difference between plasma, LCD and the LED TV, if you are going for TV. What is the smallest screen size you can deal with?

Your must-haves will factor greatly into your decision. If you are buying a laptop, think about your needs (gaming, memory, software) and scour different electronics stores, comparing prices on similar models. Soon, you will learn what you value and what is not so important to you.

The second part of doing your research is finding out what current users of the product think of it. Luckily, you live in the digital age and could easily access the internet for information. You could also read up or ask questions.

Talk the talk After your research, you will be able to ask well-informed questions at your retailer. That way, they cannot pull anything over on you. And you will be able to gauge whether they know what they are talking about-something you might want to consider before making a large purchase at their store. If you have done the research, you will be able to talk specs like one’s business and you will be glad you know what is going on.

Go with a company The saying never goes old that two heads are better than one. It pays to go with someone, especially if the person knows much about the product.

Decide what you are going to stock If you are a retailer, then you must decide exactly what you want to stock. This is dependant on what you know – only sell electronics that fall into categories you keep up to date on.

There is no point in selling digital cameras if you have no idea what a decent number of mega pixels is for such a camera to have.

You may decide to stock a small range of products with several models of each, or go for a broader range of types of product without necessarily having many of each type. The choice is yours, but there are plenty of wholesalers for all kinds of electronic goods out there. You just have to find one whose products and prices suit you.

THE NATION FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

45

SHOPPING STAR PRODUCT OF THE WEEK

Grooming set for men

Shopping Right with

For that masculine appeal

“I

“I have trouble deciding what to get my man, he is so picky.

I do not really know what to get for him,’’ someone asks.

The answer is simple: Get him what every man in this day and age really needs, writes JANICE NKOLI IFEME.

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HERE are gifts that would be suitable for most men. Think of accessories like cufflinks, grooming sets, hip flask, arm bands, tie hangers, multifunctional clothes brush, collar pin, tie bar, wallet, socks, belt, shirts, home wear, slip on and many others.

• Bushes

• Collar pin

However, in choosing a particular gift, you need to consider certain things as who is he?

Where does he work? What is his personality? Is he a western or traditional dresser? If you have the necessary information about the person, then you would be able to choose something suitable.

M a teacher and my outfit does not always impress me nor my students. Please advise me on what to wear always. How can I give an impressive and charming look?” Kessim, Jos. This is one of the many text messages I have received concerning men’s dressing.

The issue here is knowing what you need to own, and how to combine and wear them to look good. The most important thing is to have the desire to dress well and developing the flare to do so. Then, the next thing is to find out where to purchase the right kind of clothing. Develop good taste and style and you would be pleased with every of your purchase.

Shirts Shirts can be tricky, because they are largely a matter of personal taste. You should own many button up dress shirts that fit you well, of many colours. Start your wardrobe off with oxford blue, white and black though. Polos are a fine choice, because of how they often look good in almost any colour. Rugby stripes are your friend. You should own several white tshirts to use as undershirts. Also, they are good for working out in. A few pullover hooded shirts are nice too. I am not talking about the ones with your favourite team on them though. Something that fits you well, maybe striped horizontally.

For some reason, girls love thermal long sleeve on guys, keep that in mind. Also own many different t-shirts in different colours, with different designs and graphics.

Suits If you are buying your first suit or two, there is nothing wrong with going traditional. A two or three button, notched lapel jacket is never a bad choice. Your colours here are black, brown, grey, navy, or maybe khaki. Muted stripes can look good, usually in a shade darker or lighter of the original colour. The cuff should stop just short of your shirts cuff, showing a bit of it. If you are feeling daring, go for a three piece suit. The vest should fit you snugly, never loose. With vests and suit jackets, always leave the bottom button unbuttoned. It is up to your own discretion whether or not to button the top button. Never more than three buttons.

Only wear a double-breasted if you are in shape and it fits you very well. You want to look like Harrison Ford did at the end of the first Indiana Jones, not every business man from the early 90’s.

Ties You should of course own a black tie.

Maybe several black ties. College stripes, solid colours, simple patterns, and muted plaids are good; palm trees, keyboards, vertical stripes, pretty much graphics or designs of any kind and American flags are not. If you are wearing a loud shirt, wear an understated tie to help ground it.

Likewise, if you want to put some personality into your traditional suits, wear an

JANICE NKOLI IFEME interesting tie and maybe a pocket square.

Shoes Every man should own these pairs of shoes: a pair of comfortable exercise shoes for exercising and walking, a pair of casual sneakers, converse are a popular choice for this. Stick with a colour like black, blue, grey, or red. You are looking for versatility here A pair of black dress shoes or boots.

These are wonderful, and when coupled with the right outfit, will make you look good. Brown dress shoes. I suggest a cap toe or a wing tip, either is fine. Also, socks.

You should own a few pairs of white socks for exercise. Otherwise, wear black or brown socks (depending on the colour of the rest of your ensemble). You also need a pair of sandals and slip on.

Pants The right pair of pants is essential to pulling something off. When shopping for jeans, avoid baggy fits, they make you look sloppy. Likewise, avoid ultra tight jeans.

If it tapers, it is bad. You want something more in a boot cut or snug all the way down, with a slight flare at the end. Also avoid super light coloured jeans, a dark blue with a soft wash on it always looks good. When looking for dress pants, you want a pair that sits well, at your waist, not your hips. Also, it should fall just right.

This means that the cuff of the leg should stop right where the sole starts on your shoes. It should not bunch up around your shoe at all. Also, flat front pants look best, though single pleated pants look fine as well.

Belts Simple, you should own a plain black leather belt and a plain brown leather belt.

Good if you have white as well, but these are the basic two.

Sweaters and jackets In the colder months of the year, layering will help keep you warm, and make you look good. You should own a few of the nicest sweaters you can afford to buy.

I personally prefer V-necks over crew necks because you can wear a dress shirt better underneath it. Most sweaters look best in black, green, brown, grey, or blue.

Do not let that deter you from choosing a different colour if you think you can make it work. Sweater vests are actually really cool, Beware of patterns or stripes on your sweaters, usually the plainer the better.

Every man should own a dark blazer/suit jacket or two. Black, blue, and grey are the colours you are looking for. Also, a nice ‘military style’ jacket can look very fashionable, as is evident by their rising popularity.

Write to us, express your views, observations and experiences. Let’s have your comments about shopping. Your comments, questions and answers will be published first Friday of every month. With your full name and occupation, send e-mail to: janicenkoli@yahoo.com SMS - 08033349992

THE NATION FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

46

SHOPPING

What makes Balogun Trade Fair market tick Have you been to Balogun Businessmen’s Association (BBA) at the Trade Fair complex on Badagry expressway, recently? Its comprises and every plaza is owned by an individual and named after the 36 states, reports TONIA ‘DIYAN

E

VERYONE knows about the annual Lagos International Trade Fair, which takes place at the Trade Fair complex on the Badagry Expressway.

But not many Lagosians know that the complex is a regular market. Yes, the complex opens for business daily from 7am to 5.30pm, except Sundays.

So why wait till another annual trade exhibition when you could always get all you need at any time in this well organised market?

A major market at the trade fair complex is the Balogun Businessmen’s Association (BBA). The market was created to check the congestion of traders at the mind-blowing Balogun market in Lagos Island.

It is an expansive shopping complex made up of various plazas named after the 36 states of the federation.

Each plaza is known for the display of various products.

Lagos plaza is known for beverages and other home provisions. For those who want to buy food stuff, the place to go is Adamawa Plaza Abia Plaza displays telephones and accessories, while Enugu and Ondo Plazas sell perfumes, make up and cosmetics. Plateau stocks hair extensions.

At Bayelsa Plaza, you would find wines and liquors and kitchen wares and cooking utensils at Nasarawa Plaza. On display at Delta and Kaduna are home appliances.

For curtains made of different materials, the place to go is Jigawa plaza.

You can find shoes at Sokoto Plaza, juice at Niger plaza 1&2, Babies items at Oyo Plaza and fairly used computers at Ekiti plaza.

Banks have offices at the complex which are mostly located at Anambra plaza. Imo Plaza also houses a number of bureau de change.

• Cloth sellers at the Balogun trade fair complex.

The Nation Shopping visited Katsina Plaza where clothing materials such as Swiss lace, Korea lace, China and sample laces are sold. Swiss lace has the best quality and is the most expensive, while the china lace is the least expensive.

Among the George materials got from India, the raw sic is the best quality and most expensive, Others are into Rica george, Big George and the plain george which is the least expensive.

Hollandaise and Ankara are of different designs, colours and patterns.

Hollandaise such as quirkier star, English gold, bow tie, breakable plate, short cake, one love, step, sugarcane and, ruler all sold at affordable prices.

Head ties of different colours, designs

S

HOPPING for trendy maternity clothes is easier these days than many years ago. Designers have made maternity wears a priority in today’s fashions. Gone are the days of wearing your husband’s baggy shirts. Tight fitting maternity wears showing of your beautiful pregnant belly has become a fashion statement in today’s society.

Most likely, if it is your first time of being pregnant, you are likely to be able to stay off maternity clothing for four months, your cloths will feel warm for sure and you may end up buying a bigger size in regular clothes for this part. By five months, you will be seeing a bump in your belly. For those who have had children previously, within six to nine weeks, your clothes will be tight and you will be in you pregnancy clothes soon.

The maternity cloth features signature wrapping and ruching in luxurious pregnancy friendly fabrics.

Some maternity wears are created to flatter the pregnant shape. The maternity collection is designed to work from day into evening as some maternity clothing

and patterns are also available here at affordable prices. Head ties such as Jubilee which is the most expensive, jennies, Zima, qeens flower, Grand flower and the royal crown the least expensive.

Necklaces, ear rings, rings, pendants and beads are also on display.

The Nation Shopping met Mrs Beatrice Okafor who sells assorted fabrics at the Katsina Plaza of the modern Balogun Tradefair complex. She said that the ongoing Ramadan has no negative effect on the materials she sells. “Maybe it is because I do not sell food stuff and what people can eat. My goods are not perishable,” adding, “people still troop in and out notwithstanding the fasting atmosphere. Prices of these materials have nei-

ther reduced nor increased. The prices still remain what they used to be.”

She does not only sell clothes, she also sells head ties and accessories of different kinds.

According to her, clothing materials sell as much as every other item in the market.

She disclosed that she makes seasonal sales bonanza when necessary. During the bonanza, there is usually a discount of about 20 per cent on each item.

A good feature of the Balogun Trade Fair, which many markets lack is the availability of car parks. There is orderliness and shoppers could feel at home and shop under a conducive atmosphere.

Maternity wears Do you know that pregnancy period is the most beautiful time of your life as a woman? Maternity and fashion are two words you probably don’t expect to see together. However, maternity clothes have become more stylish, that you can use them for more than one pregnancy, writes TONIA’DIYAN compliments your curves through out pregnancy.

Gone are the days of baby doll smocks and t-shirts announcing “Baby This Way” Today we have a wide variety of clothes, from business to dress/ formal wear, and even maternity lingerie, nursing dresses, tops, trousers, premium stretch maternity jeans, shorts, layering tops, etc.

Shop for funky maternity clothing in your pre- pregnancy size. If you are small in your regular clothing, then look for a small maternity wear. Make sure you allow enough room to grow and stretch. Buy wears with spandex or elastic so it can

grow with your belly.

Stripes and prints will make you look larger than you are , don’t forget to stick to solid colours.

The one prohibitive part of maternity clothes continues to be the monetary invest for clothing that gets worn for such a short amount of time. To settle this, shop at stores where sales are on , discounts outlets, consignment shops or even end of year sales.

There are clothes you can buy that will take you all the way from pregnancy to nursing.There are also sets that can be purchased that when you add a few coloured t-shirts you’ve got a

whole wardrobe for a lot less than you would spend on two really nice outfits.

If you are even slightly handy with sewing, making you own clothes should be fairly easy to do.

Buying maternity clothes does have its benefits, but the main benefit is that well fitting maternity clothes are going to make you look and feel better. Choosing a size is usually based on your pregnancy weight. Though there are sizing charts available, notwithstanding try each piece on or if buying on line ensure a good return policy.

Underwear deserves some mention as well. The maternity bikini underwear has bands just high enough to flip down .There are also granny panties which are delightful and comes in larger sizes, they work the best.

Shop around, see what you can get from friends and relatives and spend less money on a few well chosen pieces to help you feel better. Looking great will help your esteem when pregnant and make you more comfortable in the long run.

47 FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

Vol 3 No. 129

Rite Foods Limited, one of the leading indigenous players in the snack segment of the food industry and makers of preferred sausage brand, Bigi Sausage Roll, is set to excite the sausage market with the introduction of its newest brands, Bigi Spicy Chicken and Bigi Apple variants, writes WALE ALABI

Rite Foods introduces Bigi variants W

ITH the introduction of the Bigi Spicy Chicken and Bigi Apple, the company which is regarded as the most innovative in the sausage segment of the market is the first to come up with such innovation, thereby changing the norm that sausages snacks are made of beef.

Speaking at the launch, the Managing Director, Rite Foods Limited, Seleem Adegunwa, described the event as a remarkable achievement for the company to raise the Bigi brand equity with the introduction of two innovative products which will offer the consumers a wide range of variety to choose from.

Adegunwa revealed that the company ventured into the innovation of the new Bigi Spicy Chicken and Bigi Apple variant as a response to an identified consumers’ needs which is an outcome of continuous research to meet the demand of the teeming sausage consumers. ‘’We discovered that the consumers are tired of having the same thing all the time.

They want something new, something innovative. The consumers yearn for a different variant of sausage other than the beef sausage. We have travelled far and wide to research and today what you have on the table is the result of our effort,’’ he added.

He disclosed that the research carried out by the company on the consumers revealed that the market is ready for the Chicken flavour and Apple flavour and that this was what informed the decision to come out with these variants to satisfy that need.

Also speaking at the event, the company’s technical partner and representative of Bidfood Ingredients, South Africa, John Manthey, disclosed that the product development took about 18 months to execute.

Manthey stressed that the new Bigi Spicy Chicken and Bigi Apple have been tested for quality and are also healthy for the consumers having gone through various production phases and testing.

He said the products are made with the best raw materials and ingredients at the right nutritional proportion required for consumption and that consumers have nothing to worry about eating them.

The chief launcher on the occasion and

•L-R- Managing Director Rite Foods Limited,Mr Seleem Adegunwa,Technical Partner,Mr. John Manthey from South Africa and Managing Director,BD Consult ,Mr.Tola Bademosi at the Launch of the New BIGI Apple and Spicy Chicken recently in Lagos.

the Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu, lauded the company’s initiative for giving

the consumers the two new products which he described as a welcome devel-

‘We discovered that the consumers are tired of having the same thing all the time. They want something new, something innovative. The consumers yearn for a different variant of sausage other than the beef sausage. We have travelled far and wide to research and today what you have on the table is the result of our effort’

opment from a proudly indigeneous company.

Also, the Chairman, Essay Holdings, owners of Rite Foods Limited, Alhaji S. A. Adegunwa urged consumers to continue to patronise the Bigi brand, which he described as a Nigerian company set up to satisfy consumers needs in the sausage market.

Rite Foods Limited was established in 2007.

Gulder Ultimate promo thrills consumers

O

NE beer brand has been generating excitement in the country, not only in bars and restaurants, but also in homes.

Gulder, popularly called the ultimate beer, has turned around the fortunes of many Nigerians by its decision to reward loyal consumers of the beer brand, through this year’s edition of the Gulder National Consumer Promotion.

So far, 12 Nigerians have been handed keys to brand new Honda Accord 2011 cars through raffle draws which have been held in various bars across Nigeria.

The latest of the car winners are Olisa Obiekwe from Enugu, Adeyemi Olushola from Abuja, Ganuiyu Taofeek Lanre from Osun State, Cosmas Collins from Nasarawa, Augustine Obiefuna from Anambra and Okechi Joy from Enugu.

Obiekwe’s winning crown code was P5703925, Olushola’s crown code was R5176594 while Ganiyu’s crown code was B5053270.

To emerge as a car winner in the promo, Cosmas was lucky enough to have his crown cork code G8622317 picked during the raffle draw, while Augustine also

emerged a brand new car winner with crown code B2347773. Joy also won a brand new car through crown code B5376617.

Other winners were Charles Nwanna from Awka and Blessing Orji from Enugu who won N400, 000 each with crown cork codes G8664254 and G5314531. Omoruyi Joan Eghosa from Edo State and Ginibuza Bulus from Taraba also won N250, 000 each.

Omoruyi’s crown cork was P2519034 while Ginibuza’s crown cork was G5447660.

Obinna Osuigwe from Imo and Anthony Ogbonna from Enugu both won N150, 000. Their winning crown code numbers were B2445826 and G6753567.

For Julius Ben Tyokosu from Damaturu and Daniel Sadiq from Abuja, their prize winnings were N100, 000 each. While Tyokosu’s winning crown cork was R7107114, Sadiq’s crown cork code, was D5787032.

The next venue for the Gulder promo raffle draw is Tapas Bar, located on Ikwere Road in Port Harcourt.

THE NATION FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

48

Brandnews

SKG Pharma rewards partners, relaunches Rulox S KG Pharma Limited has promised its trade partners, a continuous support and improved incentive as part of its overall marketing strategy.

The company’s Managing Director, Mr Okey Akpa, stated this during a National Trade Partners Forum held for its distributors in Lagos. The company unveiled one of its re-packaged products, Rulox, an antacid.

According to the Akpa, the company appreciates the contribution of its trade partners nationwide, especially in the last one year, saying that this has impacted much on the company’s control of a large percentage of the country’s pharmaceutical market.

In his words: “SKG Pharma Limited is a customer-centric company. As such, we have regard for our partners because we know that without them, it would be very difficult for us to have achieved much of what we have attained today.”

He added: “It was based on this that we gather them together annually through a forum like this as a way of openly showing how appreciative we are to them for their unmatched loyalty and commitment to our corporate

•L-R: Mr Oke Akpa, Chief Executive Officer, SKG Pharma Limited; Mrs Pat Iloba, National Sales Manager, SKG Pharma Limited and Mr Maduabuchi Obiajulu, CEO, Bonitas Pharmacy, at the Trade Partners Forum in Lagos by SKG Pharma.

objectives, share in their challenges and proffer solutions to them and also share our

marketing plans with them in the new financial year”.

Speaking on the re-packaged

M2 Weekly to hold seminar

Digital firm hosts experts

F

OR its global audience and measurable attribute, digital media has been described as a reliable platform, needed by brand owners, who want to maximise profit and have competitive advantage in the market place.

This was revealed when Wild Fusion Limited, a digital marketing firm that specialises in online media sales, hosted experts and marketers in Lagos.

In his opening remark at the forum, Managing Director of the firm,Abasiama Idaresit, said some opportunities inherent in digital media has made it an inevitable tool for any individual or organisation that is keen about brand positioning and development.

Idaresit, who described mobile marketing as digital marketing, stated: “With digital, there is no wastage of advertising spent, because you are reaching the right people. It is inexpensive and it can be shared

among family members and friends, an attribute that will give more mileage on advertising spending”.

The web analyst, whose company was only got exclusive rights to media display possibilities on facebook, said the event was a follow-up to the recent recognition of Wild Fusion as the first Google Certified Adword Partner in Nigeria.

Among other things, the event featured presentations by Google representatives, who provided insights into Google’s online consumer engagement and branding opportunities.

Commercial Relations, Africa of Google, Mr Victor Munyua, said: “Google provides business with enterprises tools for brand advertising, reporting and feedback.

These business tools include Google AdWords, Google analysics, Search and Google Places among other.”

Rulox Antacid, Akpa said over the years, it has been one of the company’s leading products,

adding that it has also become a trusted brand in Nigeria as far as antacid is concern.

“The new pack is very attractive and comes with a good feel that will make it more attractive to our customers. We feel that the first set of people to unveil the new pack to are our partners and that is why we chose to do that through this occasion.

This will be followed by a 360degree marketing communications strategy to back up the awareness creation drive,” Akpa said.

Mr Akpa assured of the efficacy of the drug, saying that as a company, SKG Pharma has a good record in the manufacturing of high quality pharmaceutical products.

Present at the event were representatives of the various Trade Partners across the country drawn from all its sales regions in Aba, Ikeja, Lagos Island, Ibadan, Abuja, and Onitsha.

Fimason Pharmacy Limited, Lagos, emerged the Overall Best Partner, Simba Pharmacy and Jonaco Pharmacy were first and second runners-up. They were all presented with certificates and gifts alongside regional winners.

M

2 weekly magazine will on May 26, 2011, at the Hotel 1960 Eagles Park, Ikeja, Lagos hold a seminar on communications.

With the theme: Endangered Species! Is tthere a future for the IMC professional? the keynote address at the event would be delivered by a former president of the Adevertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON), Josef Bel Molokwu.

According to the organisers, the discussion is premised on the realities confronting the marketing communications industry, particularly in Nigeria, as the world cautiously recovers from the devastating effects of the global economic meltdown of the last two years.

According to Mr Akin Adeoya, Publisher, M2 Weekly, “this discussion cannot come at a more

•From left: Chaopraya Restaurant Manager, Mr Noi Netthip; Chairman, Chaopraya Restaurant, Rev. Segun Agbetuyi and a Director of the Restaurant, Mrs. Eunice Titilayo Agbetuyi at the Restaurant’s First anniversary briefing in Lagos .

appropriate time for a fragile industry already burdened by issues of poor regulatory and legal framework, meritocracy and talent retention. The consequences of the meltdown have been wide. Whereas professionals recommend that companies invest hugely in communications in crisis times to ensure top-of-mind awareness post-crisis, as demonstrated by Coca Cola during the Second World War, the reverse has been the case in Nigeria,” he said.

Adeoya noted that as commu-

nications budgets get reviewed downward even among wellknown big spenders, the industry itself stands challenged with dwindling income and depleting opportunities.

“The best brains are moving en masse to seemingly more lucrative and stable professions,” he observed.

This edition would be cochaired by Kayode Akinyemi, Corporate Affairs Manager, Skye Bank Plc; and John Ehiguese, chief executive officer, Mediacraft Associates Limited.

MoneyGram gets new regional director

M

ONEYGRAM International, a leading global money transfer company, has appointed Mrs Feyikemi Rosaline Adebayo as its new Regional Director for Anglophone West Africa.

Mrs Adebayo will develop and direct sales strategies across all MoneyGram sales channels in Anglophone West Africa. The appointment is geared to further strengthen MoneyGram’s presence in the region.

Mrs Adebayo, a seasoned and enthusiastic visionary, management consultant and banker, brings with her to MoneyGram International over 20 years experience working in banking operations, money transfer services, market facing businesses, business repositioning and human resource management.

Prior to her appointment, she was the Group Head, Retail Banking, Lagos at First Bank of Nigeria Plc. Some of her other leadership positions include Group Head, Retail Banking

Apapa; Head, Western Money Transfer; Head, Manpower Planning and Career Development and Business Development Manager, Lagos Island.

Adebayo has demonstrated leadership skills involving managing, developing and motivating teams to achieve objectives. This has been recognised through some awards including the Best Product Manager in December 2006 at the FirstBank CEO Annual merit award and again the Best Product Team Award, First Bank CEO Annual Merit Award Dec 2007. As steward of the international remittances team at First Bank she won several International awards, prominent among which are the Western Union Best Agent Award for Productivity in March 2004, Dubai, UAE; the Western Union Best Agent Infrastructure Award in March 2006, Dubai, UAE and the Western Union Top Teams Club 500 Award Rome, Italy in April 2007.

THE NATION FRIDAY, MAY 13 2011

49

Daily Times: A brand in tortuous labour room For several decades until few years ago, when the story of Daily Times turned sour, readers and advertisers saw it as one of the iconic brands in Africa as far as the newspaper industry was concerned.

JIMI LANRE writes on the crisis that is killing the brand and calls on stakeholders to save the newspaper.

I

N circulation, contents and resources, Daily Times consistently maintained the leadership position in the newspaper industry for close to eight decades. But little by little, the brand began to derail, which prompted the Federal Government to sell it under the Bureau for Public Enterprises (BPE) in 2004, to reposition the company.

But like the story of The UK Reality Shows, Popstars, which was conceived to be a pop ‘brand’, but died shortly after some of its output, were dominating the entertainment scenes as the fastest selling musical products in the UK music history, the plan to rebuild Nigeria’s Daily Times began to crumble from the early stage of its transition to private owners.

Hope was high when Folio Communication was reported to have bought Daily Times. From various quarters, there were feelings that something fresh would be added, but somewhere along the line, it appeared things went sour over ownership and since then, the paper is yet to return to newsstands.

Today, the question that is being asked is where exactly did things go wrong. Was it the process of selling, ownership or inability of the new owners to manage the once reputable newspaper?

To some stakeholders, especially Nigerians, who have in the past had relationships with the brand, the way things are going for Daily Times was becoming worrisome. While some people are beginning to see the need for the Federal Government to intervene to save one of the nation’s remaining legacies, there are some people who believe the way to solve the whole crisis is for the new owners to retrace their steps and find out where the shoe pinches.

In a recent encounter with Brandweek, the man at the middle of the whole crisis, Mr Fidelis Anosike, admitted that things have not been smooth from the first day his company bought the paper. According to him, “As a matter of fact, we didn’t expect a tea party affair when we acquired it considering the size and the brand name. We expected the challenges and we prepared for it, but unfortunately, we didn’t expect that some individuals would allow emotions and sentiments to set in the way things are going now. If you look around, you will agree with me that despite the fact that it has not been on the street for many years, Daily Times still remains one of the strongest brands in the market in terms of currency and equity.

“Aside this, it has strong relationship with a lot of people and has contributed to the growth of many individuals within and outside the media industry. With this background, there existed passionate connection between the brand and the market.”

Asked where things actually went wrong, Anosike looked up and down and manage to say with confidence that he didn’t believe that anything has gone wrong, stressing that he was sure the ongoing legal tussle will soon fade out. “ When you acquired a company from the government, it is a very tortuous route that requires a lot of processes. While passing through this process, it could take you one year, two years or more. The maximum, I think is 10 years. It now depends on how lucky you are. Look at NITEL for instance, and see how it has been difficult to get it privatised. In some cases, acquisition, could be easy while transition could be difficult or vice versa. In our own case, we were lucky in the acquisition but had it tough at the transitional point,” he said.

Giving the details on how the whole crisis started, he said the problem started because of the disagreement between him and his funding partners over the assets of the

company.

“As a big enterprise of the government, Folio Communications inherited in Daily Times, huge liabilities and assets. Meanwhile, while we are acquiring it, we had to look for funding partners and after the exercise, what they seemed to see was asset and not liability.

This is where the problem began. The partners didn’t want to talk about liability but for you who is the strategic investor, you know that the enterprise value of the company is the combination of both liability and asset. Once you don’t agree to separate the two, the funding partners, who see one and close eyes to the other, will continue to fight you,” However, despite Anosike’s stand that he means well for the brand, the irony of the whole show is that he is being alleged of having interest in only the assets and not the liabilities?

To him, this is nothing, but a mere case of blackmail. Speaking on the issue, he lamented that a lot of things are being said these days to discredit him just because he was seen as a young man, who ordinarily should not be incharge of a big enterprise like Daily Times.

“From the way I see things, some people know the truth but are moving away from it for reasons best known to them. Daily Times of Nigeria Plc is a Folio Communications company. The reason I am putting it this way is to make clear and establish the ownership of the company. If you own a house you appropriate rent. If we (Folio) want to sell the whole property in Daily Times, it will be our decision and the prerogative of the Board of Directors of Daily Times of Nigeria Plc which still is under the control of Folio Communications as core and strategic investor because we have validly acquired it and it has been handed over to us. All that is needed is to be guided by the shares/sale-purchase agreement and that again is clear. It states that if you want to sell any asset of the company within five years, you will need to get the consent of the BPE which we obtained since December 2004” he pointed out.

Relaying his experiences in the acquisition process, Anosike said the Daily Times acquisition was a very cumbersome process, which, for the first time taught him how difficult it was to acquire a government enterprise.

“You apply via expression of interest. They do what they call bidder profiling. We were shortlisted and paid the mandatory 10,000 USD for the Request for Proposal (RFP) and subsequently posted a bid bond of N100 million. The next step is to call for bidders’ conference and then you do the technical bid.

At the end of the technical bid, Folio Communications Limited came first. We scored 82 percent. The records are there in the BPE; they are public records. We were number one of over 30 well known companies that bided.

“In the metrics of privatisation, technical bid is 75 per cent; the financial bid is 25 per cent.

Your company has to be adjudged competent and can take up the enterprise and achieve the objective of the privatisation. Also, if you fail to pay within the stipulated time you lose the bid bond amount which is a prerequisite for the financial bid. All these steps were followed, it was a transparent process and the World Bank was involved.

“It was done openly in Transcorp Hilton, Abuja. Before Daily Times was sold, no other company had been privatised under the prevailing reform. Therefore, it was adjudged the best privatisation process. Our closest competitor bided N1.05billion while we bidded N1.25billion to acquire it. Then, we had the issue of how to pay? Folio Communication Limited sought financial assistance from its bank, Hallmark Bank and they gave us a facility of N750million.

Cold customer service delivery

N

O cup. No water. No courtesy.

Right up in the sky, among the clouds, 25 feet above sea level, what could you have done? The air hostess was discourteous from Calabar en route Lagos. How could she have served the air passengers with used disposable paper cups? Moreover, she was not apologetic about it. The cups were smeared with lipsticks. How could she have harboured such a thought before acting it, beats the imaginations of the concerned passengers? However, it raised several questions.

Did she think the passengers would take it lie low? Did she think the passengers, who were thirty, would not check the health of the cups before proceeding to drink from such? Did she know the state of the cups before serving them to the passengers? Are you sure she did not know the state of the cups beforehand?

Ok. Chill. Let’s give her the benefit of the doubt. Hypothesis A: Assuming she was unaware that the paper cups had been pre-used by the former passengers on the flight from Lagos. Hypothesis B: Assuming she was just carrying out an order without checking whether those paper cups were unclean or clean.

Hypothesis C: Assuming she was tired and needed a place to place her head and steal a nap before the plane touches down.

These hypotheses may be right or wrong.

It all depends.

It depends on what? It depends on two facts.

One, if you were the air hostess who has been serving unthankful passengers for God knows how many hours, you have the license to be absentminded and not double ‘check’ to ascertain if those cups were ‘certified’ clean to be used by the passengers. Two, if you were a paying passenger whose flight has been delayed for over three hours without an explanation, you were on the edge, angry; as such, you were not in the mood for cold snacks you got. What you needed was something to calm your fray nerves. No, not sugar water! Clean, colourless water, at least, to ensure you maximise the value of the fare.

However, the hostess served the water quite right, a big bottle. She also indicated it was meant for the three passengers on each seat. No problems. Then, she provided one paper cup! Catch the scenario? One big, bottle water. One white paper cup. These are meant for three passengers, three adults, three strangers, three non-speaking strangers. Now, one lady was forcing them to share a cup! Why, why?

The elderly and articulate woman in the middle seat was deranged. Her voice rising, nerves on fire, she demanded to know how ‘mother air hostess’ wants her ‘children’ to use the water: To drink straight from the bottle by taking turn? Or to pour the content into the water closet?

As an answer, the air hostess hissed and walked away. However, she returned with another set of two ‘new’ cups. Except that, this time, the cups had lipstick smear.

Then, your ‘advocate’ commanded the air hostess to take away the water, the cups and the untouched cold snacks which were placed on the in-tray. This is the summary of the drama. The three passengers (and others who did not raise their objections) disembarked the plane with no cup, no water, and no apology from the ‘angry’ air hostess.

That is one of the ordeals customers endure every day either you are shopping at a roadside shop or dining at a five star hotel or paying premium for a telecommunication service at a service outlet in the heart of Lagos. A friend said

that the customer service delivery in Nigeria has been raised a notch by the advent of the telcos. He is a highly placed fellow and most times, he gets red carpet treatment. Why? He is a top executive in one of the telcos. Therefore, why would he not get more than red carpet treatment?

He could have even been doused with confetti each time he shows up at any of the service centres.

Anyway, several experiences and the latest one had proved that the customers are in for hard times in this part of the world. Yes, the ladies who man the various service centres are pretty. They are attractively attired. They wear bright smiles. They are well educated.

They are as bright as buttons. They have good command of the English language.

They can attract customers. That is where the encomium ends. Some of these ladies and men do not think beyond their jobs. They have a five-to-nine mentality, and that is why they lack the ability to retain discerning customers. From MTN Friendship Centres to Visafone Service Centre, from Airtel, Zoom Mobile to Glo service outlets, all the customers get is cold treatment.

If the security guard is not harassing you, he is molesting you. Where the security is not that strict and you are allowed access to the ladies and men behind the counters, you are treated like a pawn on a chess board. For a minor complaint that could be handled by one fellow, you would be tossed back and forth before such could be achieved.

Meanwhile, these ladies and men in the class ‘house’ are totally oblivious of the fact that they earn their salaries from customers’ patronage!

However, this goes to our executive friend: The telcos have not raised the bar of customer service delivery; no, not one bit; no, they have not! Let us repeat that.

The telcos have not raised the bar of customer service delivery, no, not one bit, no they have not! Instead, they have installed bright lights. They have hired attractive ladies.

They have built expensive façade. They have introduced calming ambience. They have brought overpriced branding. They have employed menacing security guards.

One wish those in the customer care department of these telcos are as attractive inside as they are outside. But they are not. One wish their bright smiles are genuine. But they are not. One wish they understand what the customer really needs. But they do not. One wish they would deliver their brands’ promises. But they have not! All you get is cold water from their water dispensers, and cold treatment from their staff!

‘One wish those in the customer care department of these telcos are as attractive inside as they are outside.

But they are not. One wish their bright smiles are genuine. But they are not.

One wish they understand what the customer really needs. But they do not. One wish they would deliver their brands’ promises. But they have not! All you get is cold water from their water dispensers, and cold treatment from their staff’

*Editor - Wale Alabi *Consulting Editors - Rarzack Olaegbe, Sola Fanawopo * Correspondent-Jimi David * Human Relations Executive - Owolabi Afolabi *Operations Executive - Isiaka Hassan *Creative - Oluwaseyi Sulaimon*Front Office Executive - Blessing Nkeanya * Business Development - Kenny Hussain * Legal Adviser - Olasupo Osewa & Co Brandweek is powered by Drumbeat Media and published every Friday in THE NATION newspaper. Corporate Suite: 20 Akinremi Street, off Awolowo Way, Ikeja, Lagos.

All correspondence to the editor - 0808.247.7806, 0805.618.0040, , e-mail: korede2000@gmail.com © All rights reserved.

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NEWS PRESENTATION OF CERTIFICATES OF RETURN TO ELECTED OFFICIALS

•Borno State INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner Prof. Tukur Sa’ad (left) presenting Governorelect, Alhaji Kashim Shettima with his certificate in Maiduguri...yesterday •Mr Gil Okolocha, Director, Administration, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)(right) presenting Pally Iriase, former Secretary to the Government of Edo State (SSG) with his certificate in Benin City.... yestersday

• Member-elect for Mubi South constituency, Adamawa State, Alhaji Usman Lamorde his certificate in Yola... yestersday

taking

•National Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in-charge of Lagos, Osun and Ondo states, Prince Adedeji Solomon Soyebi, speaking at the at Brymor Hotel, IIobu Road, Osogbo, Osun State venue of the presentation of certificates of return to elected officials...on Wednesday

•Panel of judges taking the oath of office during the Students for the Advancement of Global Entrepreneurship (SAGE) competition in Abuja ...yesterday

PHOTO: NAN

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NEWS Policeman feared killed in Benue communal clash From Uja Emmanuel, Makurdi

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T least a policeman was yesterday reportedly killed and houses worth millions of naira destroyed in a communal clash that broke out between Mbakor community in Tarka Local Government and Agasha community in Gunam Council area of Benue state.

The crisis, according to an eyewitness, which began as a minor disagreement between youths from both communities, degenerated into a bloody communal strife, where houses were set ablaze.

As at press time yesterday, a combined team of the military and policemen had taken control of the disputed area to prevent further destruction of lives and property.

Chairman of Benue State capter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Dr Emmanuel Agbo, blamed the crisis on the opposition party, which he declined to identify. He called on the police to invite the opposition party leaders in the state for questioning.

But the chairman of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) Abba Yaro, advised the PDP chairman to defend his controversial mandate in the court, rather than talk about security matters which he has no knowledge of.

Fidau for industrialist THE one year Fidau for former chairman of Solaco Nigeria Limited, the late Alhaji Salami Olanipekun will hold tomorrow.

A statement by Solaco board of directors said the prayer will take place at Solaco Estate, Arigidi Akoko, Ondo State.

•Students of Government Girls Secondary School, Dukpa, Gwagwalada, competition…yesterday

Reps move to broker peace in Kaduna Polytechnic

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HE House of Representatives yesterday said it has initiated moves to ensure the immediate reopening of Kaduna Polytechnic.

According to the House, the projection is for the institution to reopen this month for academic activities.

Chairman, House Committee on Education Farouk Lawan said the Kaduna chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnic (ASUP), visited the committee over the lingering industrial action embarked upon by employees of the institution.

The union, however, vowed to continue the strike action until the school management and council were forced to step aside.

The polytechnic has re-

•Polytechnic Management and Council must step aside, says ASUP From Onyedi Ojiabor, Assistant Editor

mained shut over sundry matters, including allegations of corruption against the school authority.

The strike action has led to a protracted crisis which has crippled normal academic activities.

Lawan said the House would intervene in the crisis to save the institution from total collapse.

The lawmaker expressed concern over the continued closure of the institution which he said, does not augur well for the future of the over 20, 000 student population.

He urged the management

Bishop threatens showdown on NYSC reform

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HE Bishop, Diocese of Lagos West Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), Dr. Peter Awelewa Adebiyi, yesterday threatened to lead his congregation to march on the National Assembly should the government fail to review the National Youth Service (NYSC) scheme.

The activist cleric who spat fire over the socio-economic ills plaguing Nigerians admonished President Goodluck Jonathan to decisively move against them by urgently convoking the muchsought Sovereign National Conference (SNC) to seek final resolution of all the problems.

He took the positions in his Presidential Address delivered to the 3rd Session of the 4th Synod of the Diocese with the theme, ‘Raising a Godly generation.’ It was held at the Archbishop Vining Memorial Church Cathedral, Ikeja, Lagos.

Condemning the killing of ten Corp members in the violence that erupted in the North after the April elections, the Bishop described it as horrifying and dehumanizing, charging: “It makes one’s heart bleed to realise that it has become a recurring

Abuja at the FCT Students for the Advancement of Global Entrepreneurship (SAGE)

Polytechnic commences academic activities by next week.

“All we want is for you to go back to the classroom. We cannot have the school closed down and the students shut out and denied education. Kaduna Polytechnic is too important for the country to allow it to continue to wallow in crisis.”

ASUP branch Chairman, Mustapha Yahaya Bida expressed concern over the level of insecurity in the institution and urged the National Assembly to intervene in the crisis with a view to proffering a lasting solution to the myriad of problems.

Gowon urges Fed Govt to tackle multiple taxation

Dada Aladelokun, Assistant Editor

decimal to waste human lives in the part of the country, even without any provocation. Imagine the amount of resources that had been put into nurturing and training those corpers until they were callously hacked down. This is why I call for the scrapping of the scheme if the government won’t allow them to serve in their regions or states.

“We will continue to harp on it and I enjoin every member of this church and all well-meaning Nigerians to support us in this crusade.

And I make bold to say that if the government will not heed out call, I will lead this congregation on a march on the National Assembly. We can no longer condone this wanton killing of our future leaders.”

Challenging President Jonathan to deliver on his pre-election promise to fix Nigeria, he specifically urged him to tackle the problems of insecurity, poverty, bad infrastructure, unemployment and poor electricity supply which he said, is central to rejuvenating the nation’s ailing economy.

of the institution to implement the report of the visitation panel set up by the ministry of education on the matter.

Lawal said: “We cannot allow an institution where colossal amount of money has been invested to toy with the future of the students.”

“The committee”, he said, “will work with other stakeholders to facilitate the immediate reopening of the polytechnic in the overall interest of the staff and students of the institution.

“We will work to see that all the issues raised by stakeholders are addressed quickly and ensure that Kaduna

From John Ofikhenua, Abuja

•Gowon

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O curb multiple taxation in the country, a former Head of State General Yakubu Gowon (rtd) yesterday urged the Federal Government to introduce stiffer measures to assist tax authorities.

He spoke at the 13th annual tax conference of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN) in Abuja.

According to him, the measures will encourage fiscal discipline in the public sector.

Besides, he said it would fasttrack the government’s developmental objective.

The theme of the conference was “Taxation and the new global order.”

Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Mrs. Ifueko Omogui-Okauru, the President CITN, Prince Rasaq Quadri, his counterpart at the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), Major-General Sebastain Owuama, the Executive Chairman, Lagos Internal Revenue Service (LIRS), Mr. Babatunde Fowler, among others attended.

Gowon said countries that did not institutionalise efficient tax system were the most hit by the impact of the global economic meltdown, describing an efficient tax system as a source of steady income revenue generation for the government.

His words: “Quite often, citizens berate governments at different levels for not doing this or that to improve the welfare of citizens.

“Whilst at this, they cite examples of the clock work efficiency of developing societies.

Even as they criticize the leadership, they conveniently forget to acknowledge the role of effective taxation in the running of public life.

“If some of the ardent critics

of government were to be asked for updates of their tax payment status, one would be shocked to learn that majority of them have not remitted any tax to government at any level in a reasonable period of time.

“If they have, most of them would probably conveniently hide under the force of law, which they try to bend not break. This is when they talk of tax avoidance rather than tax evasion.”

The tax clearance certificate was introduced by the Gowon administration.

Gowon noted: “But the issue is how can citizens expect government to be efficient when they avoid paying taxes? Some would prefer that the issue be raised another way, that is, government should show what it has done with the money so that citizens can be encouraged to pay their taxes.

“When citizens pay their taxes, they are better positioned to hold government to account. Whereas our people are quick to point to the fact that develop nations are efficient, they appear not to recall that in those countries, one of the easiest routes to prison is to evade tax.”

The ASUP chair accused the management of the institution of fuelling the crisis.

He vowed that the workers will only resume academic work if the management of the institution stepped aside.

He said: “We will get back to work in less than 24 hours if the management steps aside.”

While calling on the House to expedite its intervention process in the matter, Bida said: “The council and management of the Polytechnic do not have the confidence of the staff”.

Akwa Ibom condoles with Editor THE Akwa Ibom State government has expressed condolences to the Editor of The Sunday Sun newspapers, Mrs. Funke Egbemode over the death of her husband, Mr Nicholas Adedotun Egbemode, a telecommunication engineer and businessman. His remains will be buried today.

In a statement signed by the Commissioner for Information and Social ReOrientation, Mr. Aniekan Umanah, the government expressed regrets over the vacuum created in the family by his death.

Quoting Anne L. De Stael, the statement reads: “We know that death is only understood after it has placed its hands on someone we love; and that’s why we share with you in your moment of grief.”

The statement added: “Since no one can question the wish of God Almighty that your darling husband should depart at such an untimely period, we however console you with the words of Eileen Elias Freeman, that “The angels are always near to those who are grieving, to whisper to them that their loved ones are safe in the hand of God.”

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NEWS

How bin Laden emailed without being detected by US

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ESPITE having no Internet access in his hideout, Osama bin Laden was a prolific email writer who built a painstaking system that kept him one step ahead of the U.S. government’s best eavesdroppers.

His methods, described in new detail to The Associated Press by a counterterrorism official and a second person briefed on the U.S. investigation, served him well for years and frustrated Western efforts to trace him through cyberspace. The arrangement allowed bin Laden to stay in touch worldwide without leaving any digital fingerprints behind.

The people spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive intelligence analysis.

Bin Laden’s system was built on discipline and trust. But it also left behind an extensive archive of

By Matt Apuzzo And Adam Goldman, Associated Press Matt Apuzzo And Adam Goldman, Associated Press

email exchanges for the U.S. to scour. The trove of electronic records pulled out of his compound after he was killed last week is revealing thousands of messages and potentially hundreds of email addresses, the AP has learned.

Holed up in his walled compound in northeast Pakistan with no phone or Internet capabilities, bin Laden would type a message on his computer without an Internet connection, then save it using a thumb-sized flash drive. He then passed the flash drive to a trusted courier, who would head for a distant Internet cafe.

At that location, the courier would plug the memory drive into a computer, copy bin Laden’s message into an email and send it.

Reversing the process, the courier would copy any incoming email to the flash drive and return to the compound, where bin Laden would read his messages offline.

It was a slow, toilsome process.

And it was so meticulous that even veteran intelligence officials have marveled at bin Laden’s ability to maintain it for so long. The U.S. always suspected bin Laden was communicating through couriers but did not anticipate the breadth of his communications as revealed by the materials he left behind.

Navy SEALs hauled away roughly 100 flash memory drives after they killed bin Laden, and officials said they appear to archive the back-and-forth

communication between bin Laden and his associates around the world.

Al-Qaida operatives are known to change email addresses, so it’s unclear how many are still active since bin Laden’s death. But the long list of electronic addresses and phone numbers in the emails is expected to touch off a flurry of national security letters and subpoenas to Internet service providers. The Justice Department is already coming off a year in which it significantly increased the number of national security letters, which allow the FBI to quickly demand information from companies and others without asking a judge to formally issue a subpoena.

Officials gave no indication that bin Laden was communicating with anyone inside the U.S., but

terrorists have historically used U.S.-based Internet providers or free Internet-based email services.

The cache of electronic documents is so enormous that the government has enlisted Arabic speakers from around the intelligence community to pore over it. Officials have said the records revealed no new terror plot but showed bin Laden remained involved in al-Qaida’s operations long after the U.S. had assumed he had passed control to his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri.

The files seized from bin Laden’s compound not only have the potential to help the U.S. find other al-Qaida figures, they may also force terrorists to change their routines. That could make them more vulnerable to making mistakes and being discovered.

Big love: bin Laden’s six wives

I

N all, the late al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden had six wives. Three of them were living with him—along with 17 of his children—in the Abottabad, Pakistan, compound where bin Laden was killed by U.S. forces in a raid early this month.

Time Magazine’s Tim McGirk runs down the biographies of the six newly widowed bin Laden spouses. Technically, there are four widows and two ex-wives, since bin Laden divorced one of his wives, and a brief marriage was annulled.

Three of bin Laden’s widows are now reportedly in Pakistani custody, where the United States is seeking to question them. Bin Laden’s first wife Najwa Ghamem, who is also his first cousin, comes from Syria and is thought to be living there now.

So who were the women who married the terrorist mastermind?

Two of bin Laden’s wives come from Saudi Arabia and are well educated—one was a child psychologist, another a teacher of Arabic, McGirk writes. Both are currently in Pakistani custody.

Bin Laden’s fifth and youngest wife, Amal al-Sadah, 24, whom he wed in 2000, comes from Yemen.

Amal—whose name on the passport released by the Pakistanis is Amal Ahmed Abdul Fatah—is currently in Pakistani custody, after being shot in the leg during the U.S. raid.

The identity and nationality of a sixth woman bin Laden briefly married in Sudan in 1994 before having the marriage annulled is not known, McGirk writes: Wife #1: Najwa Ghamen, a Syrian and a first cousin, was 15 when she married bin Laden, scarcely two years older.

Back then, bin Laden was a rich and well-connected Saudi youth, and Najwa had every reason to believe she was destined for a cushy life of luxury.

Instead, she ended up raising 11 children on the run, struggling to keep her good looks in the scorching deserts of Afghanistan. [...] After 9/11, she fled Afghanistan with a mentally disabled son and is thought to have returned to her native Syria. Still married at the time of bin Laden’s death, she is technically his fourth widow, although she is not in custody.[...]

[Ex] Wife #2: His second wife, Khadijah Sharif, was a teacher and nine years older than bin Laden when they were wed in 1983. She reportedly bore him three children before they were divorced sometime between 1993 and 1996 when they were living in Sudan, and bin Laden fell afoul of the Saudi regime.

Wife # 3: His third wife, Khairiah, whom bin Laden wed in 1985, was the “spiritual mother” of the sprawling family, according to a woman who knew the bin Ladens in Afghanistan. [...] This source claims that after 9/11, Khairiah fled through Iran where she was

By Laura Rozen

detained under house arrest before the Iranians allowed her to return to Saudi Arabia. From there, she slipped back to Pakistan to rejoin the al-Qaeda chief in Abbottabad. [...]

Wife #4: Shiman Sabar, who was also captured in the Abbottabad house, wed bin Laden in 1987. Militant sources say that after 9/11 she may have slipped across into Pakistan and remained there in hiding until it was safe for her to answer her husband’s summons. [...]

Wife #6: His last wife, Amal [alSadah, from Yemen], may have been as young as 15 when a $5,000 bride price was paid to her Yemeni family and she was shipped off to marry bin Laden, nearly 30 years her elder, in Kandahar.

Wed in 2000, they had one daughter, Safiya, who was allegedly in the bedroom with her father and mother when Seals shot him dead.

From Left is Mr. Samuel Oni, Director (Banking Supervision), Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN); Prince Toyese Oyinlola, Chairman, PANAT Nig. Ltd and MD, Unity Bank Plc, Alhaji Falalu Bello, at the reception for MD, Urban Development Bank of Nigeria Plc, Mr. Adekunle Oyinloye, at NICON Luxury Hotel, Abuja.

Inside Navy Seal Team Six

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HE first rule of Navy SEAL Team 6 is you don’t talk about SEAL Team 6. In fact, the U.S. military has never publicly acknowledged its existence. But over the past week, tales of the Navy’s most elite squadron have blazed like wildfire, as the SEALs’ takedown of Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad, Pakistan, has generated white-hot news coverage and a fair amount of awe.

While it’s unlikely that we’ll ever know who these SEALs are or what they faced that dark spring night that brightened America’s spirits, one former member of SEAL Team 6 is now describing his experiences inside America’s tightest band of brothers.

They’re part of his memoir, out Tuesday. Former Navy sniper Howard Wasdin, 49, details his life of secret missions and deadly force in SEAL Team Six: Memoirs of an Elite Navy SEAL Sniper (St. Martin’s Press, with co-author Stephen Templin). His stories include one operation amid the 1993 battle of Mogadishu (as memorialized in Black Hawk Down) that brought him steps from death while earning him a Silver Star, one of the nation’s highest awards for valor. (PHOTOS: The Navy SEALs in Action.)

The Navy was an easy choice for Wasdin at age 20, when he had no college degree and no money to afford one. Breaking from his abusive father and rough-and-tumble upbringing, Wasdin found that his steely skin meshed well with the demanding requirements of the Navy. Through boot camp and the Navy’s rigorous search-and-rescue training program, Wasdin proved his military prowess, a status confirmed when the Navy tapped him for the elite Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training.

After a successful mission during

Nick Carbone

Desert Storm in which he took out an Iranian compound in Iraq, Wasdin was selected for the most prestigious of the prestigious squadrons, Navy SEAL Team 6. There are reportedly just 2,500 Navy SEALs on active duty - and only the best, a mere fraction of the total, make the secretive Team 6.

TIME’s Nick Carbone spoke with Wasdin: TIME: The missions of SEAL Team 6 seem to be kept under a tight lock.

How did you get the proper clearance to divulge some of the nitty-gritty about the squadron’s training methods and tactical missions?

Wasdin: Gosh, we had to go through this thing with a fine-toothed comb. We had to research and make sure everything we talked about had already been printed. Fortunately, almost everything except my life had already been written about in different articles. I started the book in 1994, a few months after I got shot. I still have my field notes from the battle, and as I was going through them and writing stuff down, I noticed, Hey, there’s still blood on the pages from when I got shot. I wanted to get them into a book, knowing I’d be limited in what I could write. But a couple of years later [in 1999] Mark Bowden comes out with Black Hawk Down, and now everybody knows everything. We did the vetting ourselves and cited case in point, making sure we weren’t giving up the CIA’s information. I don’t want to hurt anyone or do anything that’s not right by our code of conduct or nondisclosure agreement. (PHOTOS: Canines in combat.)

You returned from the battle of Mogadishu with three bullets in your leg, forcing your retirement from the Navy and leaving you with chronic

pain. What prompted you to write a book, which almost certainly forced you to relive these experiences?

I returned with PTSD, and I didn’t even know I had it. I thought it was weakness. But my wife always told me this would be great therapy for me, and I kept saying, “Come on, quit saying I need therapy.” But she was so right, because after I finished this book, I felt so much better. I took it out of that deep place in my heart and soul. This was the best therapy - I feel better now about Howard Wasdin than I ever have in my entire life.

You’re engaged in stressful missions almost constantly as part of SEAL Team 6. Do you need a particular attitude in order to succeed?

I call it mental toughness. I can take just about anyone and make them physically strong. A lot of people showed up at [training] who were much more physically capable than I was, football players and athletes in phenomenal shape, and they were the first to quit. Mental toughness is a must to make it through training, much less through combat.

What’s the most mentally challenging part of being on SEAL Team 6?

Getting ready, gearing up, and then if you have to stage down and gear up multiple times, that’s the most stressful part. And that happened to us numerous times when preparing for Somalia. You get the call that says, “Pack your [stuff]; we’re leaving right now.” When you’re en route, you think about all the practice and hope it was good enough because here we go. An op is all intelligence-driven.

You’re living in a fluid situation and waiting for the intelligence to come in. And when it does come in, how credible is it? I pay these guys to give me intelligence - is he just stringing me along? Is he a moron, or is he

setting me up for an ambush? You’ve got to evaluate the intelligence, so that’s where the gearing up, the gearing down and the hurry up and wait comes from. (See the top 10 elite fighting units.)

How do you prepare for an op?

What would the training ritual be like for SEAL Team 6 ahead of its mission in Abbottabad?

It’s mind boggling the amount of training you do. Even if you’re not gearing up for a specific op like these guys were, you still train every day.

I’m gonna put 50 pounds of equipment on you, give you two weapons and a sidearm, and we’re going to go up and down stairs all day long, clearing different rooms.

Some of them will be barricaded, some of them will have little kids in them, some of them will have people with machine guns shooting back at you, and we’re going to do this all damn day, every day. You’re going to shoot over a thousand rounds a day and you’re going to keep doing it until I come over and wake you up in the middle of the night and say, “Let’s go!” Then we gear up and we go and just start doing it.

The mission to kill bin Laden was a capture-or-kill operation. What’s the distinction, and why do you think they made that choice?

It’s based on what the person is doing when we show up. In a capture mission, you’re putting yourself at more risk. If I come in the room and [the enemy is] shooting at me, that capture mission in my mind just turned into a kill mission. The guys in the room made that decision. You make that decision in a split second.

Does he have a gun? Is he being compliant? What’s he doing and does it warrant judgmental use of deadly force? The more you do it, the more adept you get at it.

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NEWS Ukrainian 91 guilty of Nazi murders GERMAN court has found John Demjanjuk guilty of helping to murder more than 28,000 Jews at a Nazi death camp in World War II. He was sentenced to five years in prison, one year less than prosecutors had asked for, but will be released pending a possible appeal.

Prosecutors said the Ukraine-born Demjanjuk, 91, was a guard at Sobibor camp in Nazi-occupied Poland in 1943.

He denied serving as a guard, saying he was a prisoner of war and a victim too.

Lawyers for Demjanjuk have said they will appeal against the conviction.

“The court is convinced that the defendant... served as a guard at Sobibor from 27 March 1943 to mid-September 1943,” presiding Judge Ralph Alt said.

“As guard he took part in the murder of at least 28,000 people,” he said.

An estimated 250,000 people died in the gas chambers at Sobibor. Demjanjuk was convicted of being an accessory to the murder of the 28,060 people who were killed there while he was a guard.

Demjanjuk, whose family says he is very ill, has been in custody since being extradited from the US in 2009.

It was a very poignant end to a long legal process.

John Demjanjuk was leaning back in his wheelchair wearing dark glasses in a corner of the courtroom - as he was for much of the trial - saying absolutely nothing, almost seeming like he was peripheral to it.

The presiding judge stood up and leaned over him and said: “You have the last word.” Demjanjuk simply shook his head no.

He was wheeled forward and the judge delivered his guilty verdict to his face.

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Gombe NYSC Road Safety Community development group, marking the road in Gombe...yesterday

Bin Laden’s wife: I’ll stand with you In this Dec. 24, 1998 file photo, al-Qaida leader Osama Bin Laden speaks to a selected group of journalists

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SAMA bin Laden once gave his wives the option of leaving Afghanistan, but his young Yemeni bride was determined to stay and be “martyred” alongside him.

The pledge early in her marriage to the terror leader, recounted by her family, reflected the determination of Amal Ahmed Abdel-Fatah al-Sada, now 29, to rise above her divorced mother’s social standing.

It came, they said, before the Sept.

11, 2001 attacks and the decade-long manhunt that ended May 2 when U.S. commandos killed the al-Qaida leader in a raid on his compound in Pakistan.

Amal al-Sada was shot in the leg as she rushed the Navy SEALs, according to U.S. officials. She is now in Pakistani custody, along with her daughter and two other bin Laden wives, according to Pakistani officials, who say they eventually will be repatriated.

Amal al-Sada’s family told The Associated Press that they saw her only once after her marriage in late 1999 to the al-Qaida leader — during a monthlong visit to Afghanistan the following year. Communication was largely limited to messages delivered by couriers.

The interviews with the AP took place in the family’s apartment in a two-story structure made of white, black and red rocks in Ibb, an agricultural town nestled in the mountains about 100 miles south of the Yemeni capital, Sanaa. Shops occupy the ground floor.

The family portrayed Amal al-Sada as a simple but determined and “courageous” young woman, religiously conservative but not fundamentalist. She was a high school dropout but was eager for knowledge and to realize something more than their modest life seemed to offer.

Amal al-Sada always told her friends and family that she wanted to “go down in history,” recalled her

cousin, Waleed Hashem Abdel-Fatah al-Sada.

The door for fame opened in 1999 when her older sister’s husband arrived at her uncle’s home with a proposal. A Saudi named Osama bin Laden was looking for a bride.

Joining Dr. Mohammed Ghalib alBaany — her sister Farah’s husband — was a man named Rashad Mohammed Saeed, also known as Abu al-Fedaa. They were both friends of bin Laden, the family said.

Her uncle, Hashem al-Sada, recalled telling Amal al-Sada that he knew bin Laden was from a “devout and respectable family” in Saudi Arabia but didn’t know them personally. He told the AP that he wasn’t aware bin Laden “was wanted by the Americans” for the 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.

“The choice is yours,” the uncle said he told her. “It’s your future.”

He said his niece’s response was direct: “This is destiny from God, and I accept it.”

That she hadn’t met bin Laden, whose family was of Yemeni origin, was of little concern. Most marriages in Yemen are conducted either through intermediaries or through the selection of the prospective spouse through a picture.

This marriage was no different.

Weeks after the proposal, the uncle signed the marriage contract as her guardian and Abu al-Fedaa signed on behalf of bin Laden. The al-Qaida leader arranged for $5,000 to be paid to the bride’s family, according to Yemeni traditions.

After two wedding parties, including one in a Sanaa hotel, Amal al-Sada left Yemen. Accompanied by Abu al-Fedaa, she flew to Dubai and then to Pakistan, before making the trip to Afghanistan to meet her bridegroom.

Her father, Ahmed Abdel-Fatah alSada, said they later learned through a courier that she had given birth to a daughter named Safiya.

Members of the family then went to Afghanistan to visit Amal al-Sada and the baby. Although they said the visit took place before the 9/11 attacks, this would be no easy trip.

They spent more than 20 days in a hotel in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, under the watchful gaze of fighters loyal to bin Laden, according to the father. Among them were two men who had been on the same flight from Yemen.

One night, he said, a car took them to the Afghan border. Then came a six- or seven-hour ride in another vehicle until they reached a large tent guarded by mujahedeen. Inside the tent was an opening to an underground passageway. They walked in the passageway for about 30 minutes before emerging on the other side. Then another vehicle took them to bin Laden’s cave, according to his account.

The father said he was greeted by his daughter. The following morning bin Laden arrived along with other al-Qaida leaders and Afghan tribal officials. There was a celebration honoring the Yemeni family’s arrival, complete with a 21-gun salute and a lavish lunch attended by dozens of people.

Bin Laden was a “kind and noble” man, the father recalled. He described the al-Qaida leader as “easygoing and modest, giving you the feeling that he was sincere.”

The father recalled bin Laden apologizing for the family’s delay in Pakistan, saying it was a security matter out of his control.

On the final day of the visit, the cousin recalled bin Laden telling his two wives — the other one at the time was from Syria — that they could either stay with him in Afghanistan or return to their home countries.

He said Amal al-Sada quickly put the matter to rest.

“I want to be martyred with you and I won’t leave as long as you’re alive,” he recalls her saying. Even

when bin Laden told them that he was “subject at any moment to death,” Amal al-Sada cut him short.

“I’ve made my decision,” she said.

Amal al-Sada’s cousin recalled her describing bin Laden as a “noble” man who treated her well. “‘It’s true that my life is one of moving between caves in Afghanistan, but despite the bitterness of this life ... I’m comfortable with Osama,” she apparently told her father.

Bin Laden is believed to have spent most of his time during this period in a house in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar but was known to have visited al-Qaida training camps in remote areas. He went into hiding after the Sept. 11 attacks.

Amal al-Sada’s uncle said the terror leader complained about Arab leaders, particularly Sudanese President Oman al-Bashir, who he said “sold him for nothing,” a reference to bin Laden being forced to leave Sudan for Afghanistan in 1996.

According to the uncle, bin Laden said he was the focus of several “assassination” attempts by Arab and U.S. intelligence services, including airstrikes, and that one mosque in which he was delivering a sermon was struck by a cruise missile.

“I was injured ... and a lot of people were killed,” bin Laden reportedly said. “But I was spared from death because God wished it.”

In August 1998 the U.S. fired cruise missiles at four militant training camps in Afghanistan in retaliation for the bombings of American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.

Bin Laden was believed to have been at one of the camps but left a few hours before the attack.

The cousin said bin Laden told the family during their visit to Afghanistan “of a big event that will occur in the world.”

Later, when the cousin and Amal al-Sada’s father were listening to news of the 9/11 attacks, the father said: “Osama bin Laden did it.”

NATO in fresh strike on Gaddafi compound

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ATO air strikes have again hit the compound of Col Muammar Gaddafi, hours after Libyan state television showed footage purportedly of the leader in Tripoli.

Libyan government officials said the attack in the early hours of yesterday killed three people, although this cannot be independently verified.

Correspondents said three rockets hit the base and caused extensive damage.

A video of Col Gaddafi aired Wednesday was the leader’s first appearance since his son was killed two weeks ago.

Nato has repeatedly hit Tripoli this week as it intensifies its operations against Col Gaddafi, who has been fighting to crush a three-month old rebellion against his rule.

Smoke rose from the Gaddafi compound, Bab al-Azaziya, and ambulances raced through the city as the last missile struck early yesterday, reports said.

There were three further strikes in the early hours of yesterday morning. Two of the rockets hit roads between buildings.

From one of the holes protruded iron bars. We were told by officials that it was an electricity point. It looked more like a bunker, of the kind we know run beneath this compound but the damage was extensive and impossible to tell.

The other target was a building they claim to be an administrative block, but it is surrounded by infrared sensors, suggesting that access to this building was restricted.

Journalists were taken by government officials to the compound afterwards to survey the damage.

Libyan government spokesperson Moussa Ibrahim said that Nato, which “once again is deprived of all morals and all civilisation”, had fired five missiles on the compound.

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THE NATION FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

NEWS

•VicePresident Namadi Sambo (right) Minister of National Planning, Dr Shamsuddeen Usman (left) and his Finance counterpart, Mr Olusegun Aganga at the National Council of Privatisation meeting in Abuja …yesterday

•Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation Mrs. Risqat Akiode (right), answering questions during the 2011 ministerial briefing to commemorate the fourth Year Administration of Governor Babatunde Fashola at the Bagauda Kaltho Press Centre Alausa, Ikeja...yesterday. With him are the Managing Director, Micro Finance, Mr. Musiliu Gbolahan, (middle) and the Director of Finance and Administration Mrs. Muyinat Ashafa-Ninalowo

•Actg. Accountant General of the Federation, Mr. Adeniran Ogunsanya (left), Assistant Director of Finance, Ministry of Finance Mr. Samson Arowojolu and Minister of State for Finance, Hajia Labawa Lawan Wabi during the Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) meeting in Abuja PHOTO ABAYOMI FAYESE ...yesterday

•AU Commissioner for Peace and Security, Mr Ramtane Lamamra (left), •Secretary General, Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI), Dr Abubakar Khalid (left), with his members during their visit to post with the Permanent Chairman, European Union Political and Security committee, Amb. Olof Skoog, at a meeting in Addis Ababa…yesterday election violence victims at Hajj camp clinic in Kaduna…yesterday.

THE NATION FRIAY, MAY 13, 2011

59

NEWS Sovereign Wealth Bill a defining moment for Nigeria, says Aganga INISTER of Finance Olusegun Aganga said yesterday that the passage of the National Sovereign Wealth Bill (NSWB) is significant for the country, particularly in the management of its revenue.

Aganga, who spoke in Abuja, said the fund would be a vehicle for development.

“This is a defining moment for our country, particularly on the way we manage our resources for today and future generation.

“This is something we probably should have had many years ago.

“You will recall that even Ghana and Uganda, who are just about to start producing their oil, have already started thinking of setting up Sovereign Wealth Fund.

“I think it’s congrats to the whole of the country,’’ the minister said.

According to him, the fund will help the nation to achieve capital appreciation, reserve and preserve the country’s revenue for development.

He added that one of its major benefits to the country would be that the revenue generated from oil would be used to diversify the economy.

Aganga said that it would be a catalyst for international investors to invest in the country’s local infrastructure.

He gave an assurance that there would be high level of transparency and accountability in the management of the fund, adding that it would be managed by the private sector.

He said that people that would be selected would be those with good track records for the management of funds.

The minister said the fund would have three components, including saving for future generations, which would be invested on equities and fixing from securities.

The second, he said, would be the stabilisation fund which would be for the augmentation of the budget in case of sustained fall in oil price.

“The interesting one is the third, which will be dedicated to investing in local infrastructure and a small portion dedicated to agriculture and other areas,’’ he said Aganga said with the NSWB, money from excess crude would not be used to augment revenue to be shared among the three tiers of the government.

“There is going to be prudential guidelines and when to access money from the fund,’’ he said.

The minister said that the each of the components of the fund would have at least 20 per cent of the money generated for the year.

The minister said that the structure proposed for the fund would have a council which would be made up by Nigerian shareholders.

“When I say all Nigerians will be held, it will involve the state, federal and local government, they would become members of the council, each governor will be in the council and we will have representatives from the private sector, students and women.

“And it will be presided over by the president,’’ he said.

He said a four man committee would be formed to look at the selection process of the fund managers to make recommendation to the president through the finance minister

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•Former President of Zambia, Mr Kenneth Kaunda arriving at African Union Commission Headquarters in Addis Ababa for a meeting of Panel of the Wise.... yesterday PHOTO: NAN

Arewa group seeks ICC’s probe of post-election violence ONCERNED by endless patterns of ethnoreligious violence in the north, a coalition of Arewa youth groups yesterday commenced moves towards dragging suspected sponsors of the recent postelection violence before the International Criminal Court.

Speaking in Abuja on behalf of the 19-member Northern coalition for Democracy and Justice (NCDJ), Mr Yunana Shibkau, a Fulani Christian from Zamfara state stated that the alleged roles of the presidential candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Major-General Mohammadu Buhari and one of his confidants, Buba Galadima, deserve further scrutiny.

The coalition comprising members of both the Moslem and Christian faiths asserted that they are prepared to tender audio and video recordings at the International Court of Justice, to support their claims over the alleged involvement of politicians in stimulating violence.

According to Shibkau who

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From Jide Babalola, Assistant editor, Abuja.

stated that they are discussing the brief with two senior advocates, during the electioneering period, the two CPC leaders’ campaign messages appear to include messages that incited people and caused negative events in various parts of the north, adding that citizens’ pursuit of justice and an effective end to such violence must not be restricted to the efforts of the 22-man Federal Government investigation panel.

Urging other concerned individuals and groups to take any meaningful legal measures, including pressures on the Federal Government, legal suits in domestic and international courts along with other initiatives, he stressed that numerous government panels set up in the past have not resulted into an effective curb on both sponsors and perpetrators of violence.

Noting that the April postelection violence that also consumed the lives of National Youth Service Corps’ mem-

‘The coalition comprising members of both the Moslem and Christian faiths asserted that they are prepared to tender audio and video recordings at the International Court of Justice, to support their claims’ bers in Bauchi state bore manifestations of genocide, human rights violations, sponsorship of terrorism, killing of innocent adults and children along with the wanton destruction of properties, the NCDJ also presented a five-point Charter of Demands.

These are ; •That the International Court of Justice in The Hague should investigate, arrest and prosecute

Nigeria’s $30b debt gave me grey hair, says Okonjo-Iweala

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ROF. Ngozi OkonjoIweala, World Bank Managing Director and Nigeria’s former Finance Minister, has said getting the Paris club to cancel the country’s debt gave her grey hair.

“This is something that cannot be reversed; getting $30billion of debt cancelled, leaving just $5bn at that time took much out of me and

gave me grey hair,’’ OkonjoIweala told the Financial Times of London.

“I am most proud of two things, first and foremost, my children; second, the debt relief for Nigeria,’’ OkonjoIweala said.

She said it was not easy getting to the top of her career as a black woman, adding that she worked very hard to succeed in her chosen profession.

“As a black woman, doors do not just open for you; You have to prove yourself every single day, but I love it.

“I thrive in places that are merit-based; the World Bank has been a good place for that,’’ Okonjo-Iweala said.

The World Bank Executive said she was currently working on how to mobilise more resources for the Food Security Fund as well as assist conflict-affected states

Major-General Buhari, Engr Buba Galadima and their associates over allegations of being involved in crimes against humanity; •That the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should be compelled by government to consider de-registering CPC; •That adequate mechanisms and sanctions be put in place to effectively forestall future re-occurrence of such mayhem; • That the international community should actively begin to investigate the growing wave of terrorism in northern Nigeria in addition to establishing the identities of crises’ sponsors; •That the Federal Government should strengthen antiterrorism laws in Nigeria and ensure effective implementation of such laws, and; •That the international community and he Nigerian government should provide adequate funding for all relevant security agencies to strengthen the fight against terrorism and ethno-religious violence.

Shibkau explained that they are discussing the brief with two senior advocates while arrangements are also being made to present a petition to the Federal Government’s panel on recent post-election violence.

“We are deeply grateful to our brothers and sisters in the southern states for their mature stand against these deeds that affected them. We pray for the repose of the souls of the deceased and for all those who lost their loved ones and properties; we stand with you in your moment of grief,” Shibkau added after a one-minute silence in honour of ten corps members slain in Bauchi last month.

Plateau to hold council election in Nov

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HE Plateau State Independent Electoral Commission(PLASIEC), will conduct elections into the 17 local government councils in the state in November, an official said.

Mr Yusufu Chuwang, PLASIEC Commissioner in-charge of Works, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Jos on Thursday that the state had planned to conduct the elections last year but was stopped by a court order.

Chuwang said the Commission had sent a budget of N1.1 billion to the state government for approval for the polls.

NAN recalls that the tenure of the current councils ends in December.

The court had approved a three-year tenure for the councils, which were inaugurated in January 2009.

“We are waiting for INEC to furnish us with the voter register. Without it, we won’t be able to conduct the elections,’’ he said.

Chuwang said INEC Chairman Attahiru Jega promised to make the register available to the Commission after the inauguration of the government on May 29.

“We have also applied to INEC to create additional wards and units in Plateau, about 450 wards and 5,750 units have been proposed for the conduct of the council elections.

“Each unit is supposed to have only 500 voters while a ward has 3,000, but in some places, a unit may have 1,000 to 2,000 voters while a ward has between 10,000 and 20,000 voters.’’

Chuwang explained that the situation informed the decision of the Commission to demand the creation of additional wards and units in the state.

The PLASIEC official said that the issue of security and personnel might warrant a slight upward review in the budget.

“Issues like engagement of election observers, constitution of election tribunals, publicity, training, workshops and seminars and transportation are equally vital,’’ he said.

He said that each of the proposed 5,750 polling units must have three personnel- presiding officer, polling clerk and polling orderly, while the wards would have supervisors and returning officers.

“We shall also have one police officer and one civil defence officer at each unit while each ward shall have four security men (two officers from police and civil defence).

THE NATION FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

60

EQUITIES NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 12-05-11 2ND-TIER SECURITIES AGRICULTURE/AGRO-ALLIED Company Name No of Deals Quotation(N) Quantity Traded FTN COCOA PROCESSORS PLC 6 0.50 402,500 LIVESTOCK FEEDS PLC 5 0.50 191,475 PRESCO PLC 19 7.35 400,000 Sector Totals 30 993,975 AIR SERVICES Company Name No of Deals Quotation(N) Quantity Traded AIRLINE SERVICES AND LOGISTICS PLC 1 2.11 3,000 NIGERIAN AVIATION HANDLING COMP PLC 72 9.16 1,349,604 Sector Totals 73 1,352,604 AUTOMOBILE & TYRE Company Name No of Deals Quotation(N) Quantity Traded DN TYRE & RUBBER PLC 3 0.50 2,010,300 R. T. BRISCOE (NIGERIA) PLC 19 2.63 284,044 Sector Totals 22 2,294,344 BANKING Company Name No of Deals Quotation(N) Quantity Traded ACCESS BANK PLC 211 8.60 9,392,532 AFRIBANK NIGERIA PLC 42 1.86 797,101 DIAMOND BANK PLC 69 6.75 6,860,837 ECOBANK NIGERIA PLC 25 4.06 159,387 FIRST CITY MONUMENT BANK PLC 106 7.90 10,427,144 FIDELITY BANK PLC 189 2.73 11,571,121 FIRST BANK OF NIGERIA PLC 632 13.51 38,538,955 FINBANK PLC 99 0.80 9,379,630 GTBANK PLC 676 16.23 18,246,776 STANBIC IBTC BANK PLC 58 10.06 1,143,932 INTERCONTINENTAL BANK PLC. 90 1.45 4,407,032 OCEANIC BANK INTERNATIONAL PLC 106 1.90 3,711,010 BANK PHB PLC 74 1.45 8,500,048 SKYE BANK PLC. 130 8.85 6,935,635 SPRING BANK PLC 5 1.14 68,643 STERLING BANK PLC 33 2.23 10,978,119 UNITED BANK FOR AFRICA PLC. 396 6.90 14,423,956 UNION BANK OF NIGERIA PLC 115 3.05 1,121,277 UNITYBANK PLC 30 1.13 24,224,136 WEMA BANK PLC 84 1.16 6,410,266 ZENITH BANK PLC 446 15.51 32,689,152 Sector Totals 3,616 219,986,689 BREWERIES Company Name No of Deals Quotation(N) Quantity Traded CHAMPION BREWERIES PLC 4 4.40 114,000 GUINNESS NIGERIA PLC 45 205.00 122,783 INTERNATIONAL BREWERIES PLC 15 6.34 740,171 NIGERIAN BREWERIES PLC 200 87.55 2,483,411 Sector Totals 264 3,460,365 BUILDING MATERIALS Company Name No of Deals Quotation(N) Quantity Traded ASHAKA CEMENT PLC 69 26.80 374,508 CEMENT CO. OF NORTHERN NIGERIA PLC 29 12.87 276,413 DANGOTE CEMENT PLC 26 127.32 156,990 LAFARGE WAPCO PLC 49 42.00 236,604 Sector Totals 173 1,044,515 CHEMICAL & PAINTS Company Name No of Deals Quotation(N) Quantity Traded BERGER PAINTS NIGERIA PLC 6 12.48 10,320 CHEMICAL AND ALLIED PRODUCTS PLC 8 22.03 136,650 DN MEYER PLC 1 1.85 89,750 I. P. W. A. PLC 1 0.95 2,000,000 PAINTS AND COATINGS MANUFACTURES PLC 1 2.21 1,000 Sector Totals 17 2,237,720 COMMERCIAL/SERVICES Company Name No of Deals Quotation(N) Quantity Traded COURTVILLE INVESTMENTS PLC 2 0.50 101,000 RED STAR EXPRESS PLC 8 2.99 92,000 TRANS NATIONWIDE EXPRESS PLC 1 5.78 2,500 Sector Totals 11 195,500 COMPUTER & OFFICE EQUIPMENT Company Name No of Deals Quotation(N) Quantity Traded OMATEK VENTURES PLC 2 0.50 11,000 Sector Totals 2 11,000 CONGLOMERATES Company Name No of Deals Quotation(N) Quantity Traded A. G. LEVENTIS (NIGERIA) PLC 15 2.00 115,821 PZ CUSSONS NIGERIA PLC 114 34.50 2,682,041 TRANSNATIONAL CORPORATION OF NIG PLC 147 1.15 13,225,608 UAC OF NIGERIA PLC 81 40.01 919,955 UNILEVER NIGERIA PLC 87 27.00 557,818 Sector Totals 444 17,501,243 CONSTRUCTION Company Name No of Deals Quotation(N) Quantity Traded JULIUS BERGER NIGERIA PLC 17 52.00 20,676 MULTIVERSE PLC 3 0.50 5,254,100 Sector Totals 20 5,274,776 ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY Company Name No of Deals Quotation(N) Quantity Traded CUTIX PLC 3 2.00 150,600 NIGERIAN WIRE AND CABLE PLC. 3 0.50 559,406 Sector Totals 6 710,006 FOOD/BEVERAGES & TOBACCO Company Name No of Deals Quotation(N) Quantity Traded 7-UP BOTTLING CO. PLC 18 46.00 131,327 CADBURY NIGERIA PLC 70 21.60 890,964 DANGOTE FLOUR MILLS PLC 254 19.00 4,900,210 DANGOTE SUGAR REFINERY PLC 109 14.33 3,972,685 FLOUR MILLS NIGERIA PLC 55 88.00 603,101 HONEYWELL FLOUR MILL PLC 54 4.58 1,053,800 MULTI-TREX INTEGRATED FOODS PLC 1 1.96 500 NATIONAL SALT COMPANY NIGERIA PLC 18 5.49 110,700 NIGERIAN BOTTLING COMPANY PLC 19 37.03 155,754 NESTLE NIGERIA PLC 54 395.00 37,647 NORTHERN NIGERIA FLOUR MILLS PLC 3 30.73 2,000 TANTALIZERS PLC 10 0.52 832,600 Sector Totals 665 12,691,288 HEALTHCARE Company Name No of Deals Quotation(N) Quantity Traded EVANS MEDICALPLC. 8 1.28 64,000 FIDSON HEALTHCARE PLC 20 2.12 373,990 GLAXOSMITHKLINE CONSUMER NIG. PLC 19 24.70 116,505 MAY & BAKER NIGERIA PLC. 23 4.29 127,620 NEIMETH INTERNATIONAL PHARMA PLC 4 1.87 17,716 PHARMA-DEKO PLC 4 4.07 427,650 UNION DIAGNOSTIC & CLINICAL SERVICES PLC 7 0.50 974,000 Sector Totals 85 2,101,481 HOTEL & TOURISM Company Name No of Deals Quotation(N) Quantity Traded IKEJA HOTEL PLC 23 1.51 663,067 Sector Totals 23 663,067 INDUSTRIAL/DOMESTIC PRODUCTS Company Name No of Deals Quotation(N) Quantity Traded B. O. C. GASES NIGERIA PLC 7 8.40 71,000 FIRST ALUMINIUM NIGERIA PLC 3 0.57 65,000 VITAFOAM NIGERIA PLC 16 5.70 124,000 Sector Totals 26 260,000 INFORMATION & COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY Company Name No of Deals Quotation(N) Quantity Traded CHAMS PLC 26 0.50 13,194,562 MASS TELECOM INNOVATION NIGERIA PLC 1 0.50 500 STARCOMMS PLC 37 0.78 2,162,944 Sector Totals 64 15,358,006 INSURANCE Company Name No of Deals Quotation(N) Quantity Traded AIICO INSURANCE PLC. 39 0.88 854,577 CONTINENTAL REINSURANCE PLC 15 1.03 2,610,000 CORNERSTONE INSURANCE CO. PLC. 2 0.50 3,100 CUSTODIAN AND ALLIED INSURANCE PLC 13 3.00 817,750 EQUITY ASSURANCE PLC 1 0.50 4,234 GOLDLINK INSURANCE PLC 13 0.50 1,489,600 GUARANTY TRUST ASSURANCE PLC 9 1.61 442,899

Value of Shares (N) 201,250.00 95,737.50 3,007,020.00 3,304,007.50 Value of Shares (N) 6,330.00 12,354,370.13 12,360,700.13 Value of Shares (N) 1,005,150.00 729,740.36 1,734,890.36 Value of Shares (N) 80,742,607.24 1,491,416.15 47,969,478.32 649,700.65 82,288,600.80 31,784,305.37 533,413,466.14 7,714,521.11 296,247,090.29 11,460,257.89 6,355,557.53 7,112,676.74 12,570,602.31 60,689,210.55 74,820.87 24,549,337.50 100,793,833.45 3,399,129.14 26,663,536.94 7,478,003.61 506,948,967.02 1,850,397,119.62 Value of Shares (N) 501,600.00 26,429,040.75 4,692,369.14 217,067,135.92 248,690,145.81 Value of Shares (N) 9,710,046.32 3,520,023.29 19,973,629.06 9,763,370.97 42,967,069.64 Value of Shares (N) 122,395.20 3,010,399.50 166,037.50 1,900,000.00 2,100.00 5,200,932.20 Value of Shares (N) 50,500.00 268,383.00 13,750.00 332,633.00 Value of Shares (N) 5,500.00 5,500.00 Value of Shares (N) 229,866.40 88,569,339.94 15,417,774.70 37,633,045.48 15,055,035.56 156,905,062.08 Value of Shares (N) 1,086,422.00 2,627,050.00 3,713,472.00 Value of Shares (N) 301,200.00 279,703.00 580,903.00 Value of Shares (N) 5,994,528.00 19,229,488.10 91,790,195.06 54,955,003.88 53,077,983.44 4,729,814.60 935.00 609,719.97 5,770,054.50 14,955,628.44 61,000.00 431,700.00 251,606,050.99 Value of Shares (N) 80,355.12 794,978.80 2,875,464.10 528,034.70 31,614.48 1,740,535.50 487,000.00 6,537,982.70 Value of Shares (N) 987,390.53 987,390.53 Value of Shares (N) 571,196.40 37,050.00 683,305.10 1,291,551.50 Value of Shares (N) 6,597,281.00 250.00 1,606,380.64 8,203,911.64 Value of Shares (N) 753,384.94 2,665,800.00 1,550.00 2,425,664.80 2,117.00 744,841.00 705,836.95

CAP sets timeline for dividend, bonus beneficiaries •Key indicators add 1.01%

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HAREHOLDERS looking forward to benefit from the additional dividends and bonus recommended by Chemical and Allied Product (CAP) Plc in its last financial year, will be disappointed as the company has said only investors who have the shares of the company as at close of business on April 28, 2011, will partake in the goodies.

According to the document presented to the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) yesterday, the price of CAP was marked down on April 29, 2011 for an additional dividend of N2.00 declared by the Company.

On that same date, the NSE also marked down the company’s share price to reflect the proposed bonus issue of one new share for every one share held by shareholders whose names appear on the register of members.

The firm said the qualification date for the purposes of the payment of the dividend and bonus issue will be for shareholders who held the shares of the company as at

By Tonia Osundolire

April 28, 2011.

It stressed that investors buying CAP Plc shares after the qualification date of April 28, 2011, are buying the shares Ex-Div and Ex-Scrip, saying they will not benefit from the dividend and bonus that may be approved at CAP Plc’s Annual General Meeting scheduled to hold on Thursday, May 19, 2011.

The firm stated that the information relating to the qualification date for the bonus issue, supersedes what is published in the notice of meeting in the company’s 2010 annual report.

Meanwhile, on the floor of the exchange, the bulls continued to tighten its grip, as major highly capitalized stocks continued to record price appreciation, thus resulting in further rise in the market capitalisation.

Consequently, the AllShare Index rose by 258.20 basis points, or 1.0 per cent to close at 25,736.37 points, while market capitalisation increased by N82 billion

from to close at N8.223 trillion.

On the price movement table, 58 stocks recorded price change with 28 appreciating, while the remaining 30 recorded price drop. Dangote Cement led others on the gainers chart with five per cent to close at N127.32.

Dangote Sugar followed with 4.98 per cent to close at N14.33. International Breweries added 4.97 per cent to close at N4.97, while CAP Plc increased by 4.95 per cent to close at N22.03.

On the losers table, Oceanic Bank and First Aluminium, topped the losers chart with five per cent to close at N1.90 and 57 kobo per share respectively. Champion Breweries, followed with 4.97per cent to close at N4.40. Prestige and Pharm Deko trailed with 4.91 per cent each to close at N2.13 and N4.40 respectively.

The banking sub-sector was the most active. It was buoyed by the activities in the shares of First Bank (38.539 million shares) and Zenith Bank (32.689 million shares).

NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 12-05-11 CONSOLIDATED HALLMARK INSURANCE PLC 1 0.50 INTERNATIONAL ENERGY INSURANCE COMP PLC 1 0.50 LASACO ASSURANCE PLC. 6 0.50 LAW UNION AND ROCK INSURANCE PLC. 3 0.53 LINKAGE ASSURANCE PLC 2 0.50 MUTUAL BENEFITS ASSURANCE PLC 7 0.50 N.E.M. INSURANCE CO. (NIG.) PLC. 24 0.53 NIGER INSURANCE CO. PLC. 20 0.74 PRESTIGE ASSURANCE PLC. 4 2.13 SOVEREIGN TRUST INSURANCE PLC 9 0.51 UNIC INSURANCE PLC. 3 0.50 UNIVERSAL INSURANCE COMPANY PLC 2 0.50 INTERCONTINENTAL WAPIC INSURANCE PLC 12 0.51 Sector Totals 186 LEASING Company Name No of Deals Quotation(N) C&I LEASING PLC 25 1.25 Sector Totals 25 MARITIME Company Name No of Deals Quotation(N) JAPAUL OIL & MARITIME SERVICES PLC 165 1.38 Sector Totals 165 MEDIA Company Name No of Deals Quotation(N) AFROMEDIA PLC 1 0.51 DAAR COMMUNICATIONS PLC 9 0.50 Sector Totals 10 MORTGAGE COMPANIES Company Name No of Deals Quotation(N) ASO SAVINGS AND LOAND PLC 5 0.50 UNION HOMES SAVINGS AND LOANS PLC 30 0.68 Sector Totals 35 OTHER FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS Company Name No of Deals Quotation(N) CRUSADER NIGERIA PLC. 4 0.50 ROYAL EXCHANGE PLC 4 0.50 Sector Totals 8 PACKAGING Company Name No of Deals Quotation(N) NIGERIAN BAG MANUFACTURING COMPANY PLC 9 9 2.50 BETA GLASS CO. PLC 1 14.07 NAMPAK NIGERIA PLC 2 3.60 GREIF NIGERIA PLC 2 14.70 Sector Totals 104 PETROLEUM(MARKETING) Company Name No of Deals Quotation(N) AFRICAN PETROLEUM PLC. 24 20.02 BECO PETROLEUM PRODUCT PLC 7 0.50 MRS OIL NIGERIA PLC 19 72.00 CONOIL PLC 24 34.30 ETERNA OIL & GAS PLC. 29 5.12 MOBIL OIL NIGERIA PLC. 17 152.00 OANDO PLC 246 54.97 TOTAL NIGERIA PLC 19 195.50 Sector Totals 385 PRINTING & PUBLISHING Company Name No of Deals Quotation(N) ACADEMY PRESS PLC. 1 3.68 UNIVERSITY PRESS PLC 10 4.90 Sector Totals 11 REAL ESTATE Company Name No of Deals Quotation(N) UACN PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT CO. PLC 13 17.00 Sector Totals 13 ROAD TRANSPORTATION Company Name No of Deals Quotation(N) ASSOCIATED BUS COMPANY PLC 1 0.58 Sector Totals 1 TEXTILES Company Name No of Deals Quotation(N) UNITED NIGERIA TEXTILES PLC 4 0.65 Sector Totals 4 THE FOREIGN LISTINGS Company Name No of Deals Quotation(N) ECOBANK TRANSNATIONAL INCORPORATED 37 15.80 Sector Totals 37 Overall Totals 6,525

6,710 100,000 401,000 61,600 1,500 73,500 21,356,806 901,100 163,488 447,420 23,480 68,264 165,218 29,992,246

3,355.00 50,000.00 200,500.00 33,380.00 750.00 36,750.00 11,317,895.43 620,816.34 348,229.44 228,165.00 11,740.00 34,132.00 84,868.42 20,269,776.32

Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 749,320 911,940.40 749,320 911,940.40 Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 10,055,682 13,734,226.54 10,055,682 13,734,226.54 Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 770,000 392,700.00 81,000 40,500.00 851,000 433,200.00 Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 144,000 72,000.00 2,310,281 1,525,700.24 2,454,281 1,597,700.24 Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 23,000 11,500.00 9,492 4,869.84 32,492 16,369.84 Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 2,612,514 6,451,944.03 60 802.20 31,140 106,498.80 10,444 145,902.68 2,654,158 6,705,147.71 Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 56,297 1,139,684.47 2,005,000 1,002,500.00 108,148 7,707,587.15 26,091 850,315.94 256,440 1,282,989.29 148,371 22,558,861.25 3,073,486 167,196,307.77 13,349 2,611,279.44 5,687,182 204,349,525.31 Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 100 350.00 116,400 569,378.00 116,500 569,728.00 Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 134,873 2,281,514.18 134,873 2,281,514.18 Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 5,600 3,248.00 5,600 3,248.00 Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 37,233 24,201.45 37,233 24,201.45 Quantity Traded Value of Shares (N) 14,111,188 223,319,187.80 14,111,188 223,319,187.80 353,018,334 3,069,035,088.49

THE NATION FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

61

FOREIGN NEWS

H

UNDREDS of people have spent the night outdoors in the southern Spanish town of Lorca after an earthquake which killed at least 10 people.

The magnitude-5.2 tremor toppled several buildings after striking at a depth of just 1km (0.6 miles), 120km south-west of Alicante.

Lines of cars lay crushed under tonnes of rubble and a hospital was evacuated as a precaution.

Wednesday evening’s quake came about two hours after a 4.4-magnitude tremor.

It is not clear how many people were injured, although Spanish media say there are dozens.

Military deployed Spanish TV captured dramatic images of a church bell tower crashing to the ground, landing just metres from a cameraman.

Shocked residents and workers rushed out of buildings and gathered in squares, parks and open spaces. Old buildings were badly damaged.

As night fell many people were still too afraid to return to their homes.

“The whole of the centre of Lorca has been seriously damaged,” a delegate from the regional government of Murcia told national radio.

“There are thousands of very disorientated people.”

A doctor told the online edition of El Pais that she and her colleagues went into the streets and treated people with serious injuries, many of them “unconscious”.

“The ambulances could

Spain: Earthquake rocks Lorca, Murcia, killing 10

• A man collects his belongings from a destroyed house in Lorca

not reach them. They took more than 40 minutes,” the doctor said.

Angel Dominguez, a translator based in Lorca, tweeted: “A friend of ours was in the main avenue of Lorca - she saw debris falling down on pedestrians.

The poor girl was shocked.”

have been felt in the region after Wednesday’s quake, and authorities fear the death toll could rise.

Spain’s Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero has deployed emergency military units to the scene, the Spanish news agency Efe reported.

Mr Zapatero was in a

meeting with Spanish King Juan Carlos when he was informed of the quake, the premier’s office said in a statement.

The BBC’s Sarah Rainsford in Madrid says the quake is the most serious to hit Spain in about 50 years.

Spain has hundreds of earthquakes every year but

Bin Laden not assassinated, says US Attorney General

Fears for US Navy Seal

T

HE United States is to tighten security around the elite military unit that killed Osama Bin Laden, US Defence Secretary Robert Gates has said.

Gates revealed that the US Navy Seal team had expressed concerns over their safety and that of their families.

The helicopter-borne raid on the al-Qaeda leader’s compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, has prompted a storm of world media attention.

Al-Qaeda has vowed to take revenge for the death of its leader.

Gates, addressing US marines at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, said he had met the Seal team last week and they raised the issue of their security “and particularly with respect to their families”.

“We are looking at what measures can be taken to pump up the security,” he said.

Gates said threats against US forces had increased since Bin Laden’s death.

“As a result, there has been a consistent and effective effort to protect the identities of those who participated in the raid. I think that has to continue,” he added.

The team that attacked the Abbottabad compound is widely reported to have been the US Navy’s Seal Team Six (ST6) - a secretive hand-picked unit. Seal is an acronym for sea, air and land.

The earthquakes were felt over a wide area.

“Unfortunately, we can confirm... deaths due to cave-ins and falling debris,” Lorca Mayor Francisco Jodar told radio station Ser. “We are trying to find out if there are people inside the collapsed houses,” he added.

A number of aftershocks

PHOTO: APP / PEDRO ARMESTRE

•Bin Laden

U

NITED States Attorney General Eric Holder has said that the raid on Osama Bin Laden’s hideout, in which the alQaeda leader was killed, was “not an assassination”.

Holder told the BBC the operation was a “kill or capture mission” and that Bin Laden’s surrender would have been accepted if offered.

The protection of the Navy

Seals who carried out the raid was “uppermost in our minds”, he added.

Bin Laden was shot dead on May 2 in his compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan.

Holder said the special forces had acted “in an appropriate way” in the absence of any clear indication Bin Laden had been going to surrender.

“If the possibility had existed, if there was the possibility of a feasible surrender, that would have occurred,” he said.

“But their protection, that is the protection of the force that went into that compound, was I think uppermost in our minds.”

The attorney general reiterated that the operation was

legal, saying that international law allows the targeting of enemy commanders.

The information we have... showed that [Bin Laden] was pushing al-Qaeda to engage in more plots in more areas of the world and on specific dates” “I actually think that the dotting of the i’s and the crossing of the t’s is what separates the United States, the United Kingdom, our allies, from those who we are fighting,” he said.

“We do respect the rule of law, there are appropriate ways in which we conduct ourselves and expect our people to conduct themselves, and I think those Navy Seals conducted themselves in a way that’s consistent with

American, [and] British values.”

Holder said that material seized from Bin Laden’s home, stored on around 100 flash drives and five computers, had revealed that the alQaeda leader was still closely involved in the running of the organisation.

“From what we have seen in just this initial review of the material shows that he was surprisingly in command of al-Qaeda,” Mr Holder said.

“He was operationally involved in the work of al-Qaeda, it was not something that I think we expected necessarily to see. The information we have... showed that he was pushing al-Qaeda to engage in more plots in more areas of the world and on specific dates.”

Pakistan’s ex- spy chief chides US on bin Laden

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AKISTAN’S former intelligence chief chided the United States yesterday for not sharing information about Osama bin Laden’s whereabouts and challenged American intelligence against President Musharraf himself.

Just as Pakistan intelligence officials were about to arrest him, the US asked if they could wait.

The US officials said, “Could you please hold on.

Don’t take him,” Haq said, recounting how Pakistani intelligence cooperated with the U.S. “’Maybe this guy can

lead us to Osama bin Laden.’”

Haq said Pakistan tried during the next six to eight months to find ties between al-Libi and bin Laden; when they found no links, they arrested al-Libi.

Haq was pointedly asked how Pakistani officials couldn’t have known bin Laden was in the country.

“How is it possible that he was sitting there and nobody knew? Well, it is possible,” Haq said. “For those who do intelligence work, they will tell you that it’s possible.”

Then he chided the U.S. for not sharing intelligence

about bin Laden’s whereabouts.

“It should have been a joint operation, it would have been a success story,” Haq said, adding that it would have strengthened cooperation between U.S. and Pakistani intelligence officials instead of dampening relations.

In Abbottabad, a garrison town in northwest Pakistan where the May 2 raid by U.S. Navy SEALs killed the leader of the al-Qaida terror network, about 300 members of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s party rallied Thursday in the main bazaar,

denouncing both the American government for approving the raid and Pakistani leaders.

In the aftermath of the raid on bin Laden’s compound, Pakistan’s ruling party has defended the country’s powerful army, allowing it to investigate its own intelligence fiasco in the case.

Sharif, the main opposition leader and former premier, on Wednesday called for the judiciary — not the army — to investigate the events surrounding bin Laden’s death, but it’s unclear if his proposal will gain any traction.

most of them are too small to be noticed.

Murcia is the country’s most seismically active area and suffered tremors in 2005 and 1999.

Murcia is close to the large faultline beneath the Mediterranean Sea where the European and African continents meet.

‘Bin Laden’s youngest wife wanted to be martyred’ THE family of Osama bin Laden’s youngest wife have broken their silence to describe how the 29-year-old Yemeni, currently in the custody of security services in Pakistan, refused the chance to leave her husband, saying instead she was determined be “martyred” alongside him.

The relatives of Amal Ahmed al-Sadah, who became the alQaida leader’s fifth wife in late 1999, spoke of a “sincere” husband – though one who apparently exaggerated tales of his own bravado for the sake of his in-laws.

Sadah, who Pakistani officials say was wounded in the calf during the operation that killed her husband, was among at least a dozen women and children detained by Pakistani security officials after the raid on the Abbottabad compound where Bin Laden had been living for several years. It is believed the American Special Forces team that carried out the operation was forced to abandon plans to evacuate survivors after losing of one of their four helicopters because of a technical problem.

Among those detained are two other women who have also been identified as wives of Bin Laden by Pakistani officials. However, this is unconfirmed. If true both would be Saudi nationals. The children appear to be a mixture of Bin Laden’s own and his grandchildren. They include Sadah’s daughter, Safiya, who was born shortly before the 9/11 attacks.

THE NATION FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

62

FOREIGN NEWS

Mubarak, wife questioned on corruption allegations

NATO in fresh strike on Gaddafi compound

N

ATO air strikes have again hit the compound of Col EGYPT’S government says Muammar Gaddafi, hours deposed President Hosni after Libyan state television Mubarak and his wife have showed footage purportedbeen questioned over suspily of the leader in Tripoli. cions they illegally amassed Libyan government offivast wealth. cials said the attack in the Mubarak has been quesearly hours of yesterday tioned several times, but this killed three people, alwould be the first time his wife, Suzanne, faced interroga- though this cannot be independently verified. tion.

Correspondents said A Justice Ministry statement three rockets hit the base said interrogators headed to and caused extensive damthe resort of Sharm el-Sheikh age. on Thursday to question the A video of Col Gaddafi couple about corruption and aired Wednesday was the misuse of power. leader’s first appearance A report by a financial since his son was killed two oversight body said that weeks ago.

Mubarak and his family had Nato has repeatedly hit numerous bank accounts in Tripoli this week as it intenforeign and local currencies, luxury apartments and palaces sifies its operations against and valuable land holdings.

Some estimate his fortune in the tens of billions of dollars.

‘Arrest warrant for Gaddafi likely this month’

I

TALY’S foreign minister says he expects the International Criminal Court to issue an arrest warrant for Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi at the end of the month.Franco Frattini said yesterday that would be a “key moment” in the Libya crisis, suggesting that after the warrant is issued it would be impossible for Gadhafi to agree to an exile.

Frattini said “from that moment on an exit from power or from the country will Col Gaddafi, who has been fighting to crush a threemonth old rebellion against his rule.

Smoke rose from the Gaddafi compound, Bab alAzaziya, and ambulances raced through the city as the last missile struck early yesterday, reports said.

no longer be imaginable” because “after the arrest warrant is issued all the international community would have legal obligations.”

Italy has long maintained the future of Libya cannot include Gadhafi or family members.

The United Nations Security Council voted unanimously on February 26 to refer the Libyan crisis to the International Criminal Court.

There were three further strikes in the early hours of yesterday morning. Two of the rockets hit roads between buildings.

From one of the holes protruded iron bars. We were told by officials that it was an electricity point. It looked more like a bunker,

of the kind we know run beneath this compound but the damage was extensive and impossible to tell.

The other target was a building they claim to be an administrative block, but it is surrounded by infra-red sensors, suggesting that access to this building was re-

48 rapes in DR Congo every hour, US report

Ouattara in Senegal for first state visit

A

IVORY Coast’s president has arrived in Senegal’s capital for his first state visit since being sworn in last week.

President Alassane Ouattara arrived yesterday night in Dakar. Senegal’s government says Ouattara chose Senegal for his first foreign trip because of the long-standing relationship between the Ivorian and Senegalese people. Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade angered Ivory Coast’s strongman Laurent Gbagbo last year when he received Ouattara ahead of the Nov. 28 election, leading to a diplomatic row.

Gbagbo refused to cede power after losing the November ballot. Ouattara was finally sworn in last week more than five months after being declared the winner of the vote, and only after Gbagbo was ousted by a military takeover.

$600m to revamp Congo’s rail A $600m (£368m) project to revamp the Democratic Republic of Congo’s decrepit railway network within four years has been launched in the capital, Kinshasa.

The World Bank and China are the principal backers of the scheme.

The aim is to restore services to provinces where rail is the only connection to the rest of the world in the absence of roads or rivers.

stricted.

Journalists were taken by government officials to the compound afterwards to survey the damage.

Libyan government spokesperson Moussa Ibrahim said that Nato, which “once again is deprived of all morals and all civilisation”, had fired five missiles on the compound.

“Three people died - two of them are journalists and one was their guide who was helping them film a documentary,” Mr Ibrahim told a news conference in the compound, held next to a large, water-filled crater.

He said the journalists had been filming “hundreds of people who were celebrating their resilience against Nato”.

•President Yoweri Museveni taking oath of office during the occasion

PHOTO: STATE HOUSE

Cameron invites Libya rebels to open office in UK

L

IBYAN rebel leaders have been invited by Prime Minister David Cameron to set up a formal office in London.

Mr Cameron met Mustafa Abdul Jalil, chairman of the Interim National Transitional Council, in Downing St as fighting continued in Libya.

He also announced that “several million pounds”

worth of equipment was being sent to police in the rebel stronghold of Benghazi.

Rebels have been fighting Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi since February.

Other support includes sending a special representative to the council, and helping to improve the council’s broadcasting capacity and boosting the UK presence in

Benghazi with “specialists who will form the core of an international stabilisation response team”.

Mr Cameron said: “I’ve been struck again today by the resolve and bravery of Abdul Jalil and those he represents in standing up to a tyrant who is still today killing innocent people in Libya.

“The world stands in awe

at the sacrifice people have been prepared to make in Benghazi, in Misrata and in the western mountains and elsewhere to seek the freedoms that we all take for granted.”

He described the National Transitional Council as “Britain’s primary partner” in Libya, as “Gaddafi can have no part in the political transition that lies ahead.”

STUDY by United States scientists has concluded that an average of 48 women and girls are raped every hour in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The study, in the American Journal of Public Health, found that 400,000 females aged 15-49 were raped over a 12-month period in 2006 and 2007.

That rate is significantly higher than the previous estimate of 16,000 rapes reported in one year by the United Nations.

DR Congo says the figures reflect women being better able to report rape.

Sexual violence has long been a dominant feature of the continuing conflict in eastern DR Congo.

Amber Peterman, leading author of the study, said: “Our results confirm that previous estimates of rape and sexual violence are severe underestimates of the true prevalence of sexual violence occurring in the DRC. “Even these new, much higher figures still represent a conservative estimate of the true prevalence of sexual violence because of chronic underreporting due to stigma, shame, perceived impunity, and exclusion of younger and older age groups as well as men,” she added.

The study, entitled Estimates and Determinants of Sexual Violence Against Women in the Democratic Republic of Congo, used data from a 2007 government health survey.

PUBLIC NOTICE PRECIOUS STONE RESTORATION BIBLE CHURCH

PUBLIC NOTICE JESSY JOSSY CARE HOME AND ORPHANAGE INITIATIVE

PUBLIC NOTICE LEGEND CLUB OF NIGERIA, AKURE

THIS IS NOFITY THE PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED CHURCH HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, ABUJA FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART “C” OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS THE TRUSTEES ARE:1: PASTOR AMODU JOEL OLORUNTOBA 2: MRS. AMODU CHRISTIANAH OMOKANJUOLA 3: MR. SANNI OLUWANIFEMI JOSHUA 4: MR. OLUWASORE FRANCIS IGBEKELE 5: MR. ADESAKIN ADEKUNLE AIM AND OBJECTIVES:1) TO PREACH AND TEACH THE GOSPEL OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST ACCORDING TO THE HOLY SCRIPTURES THROUGH OPEN AIR CRUSADE INDOOR OUTDOOR REVIVAL SERVICES, MASS MEDIA AND PULPIT MINISTRY. 2) TO PUBLISH AUTHORITATIVE BOOKS RALLIES AND MAGAZINE OF THE CHURCH. 3) TO BRING DELIVERANCE OF THE OPPRESSED AND CAPTIVES. 4) TO DO SUCH OTHER THINGS AS ARE INCIDENTAL TO THE ATTAINMENT OF THE ABOVE AIMS. ATTAINMENT OF THE ABOVE OBJECTIVES ANY OBJECTIVES TO THE ABOVE REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR GENERAL, CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420 TIGRIS CRESCENT MAITAIMA DISTRICT ABUJA WITHIN 28 DAYS OF THIS PUBLIC NOTICE. SIGNED: ATIBIOKE A.O

Notice is hereby given to the general public that the above named association has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission for the registered under part ‘C’ of the Companies and Allied Matters Act No. 1 of 1990.

Notice is hereby given to the general public that the above named association has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission for the registered under part ‘C’ of the Companies and Allied Matters Act No. 1 of 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. JOSEPHINE ASOGBON 2. FEDELIS ASOGBON 3. BENSON OMOGOROYE 4. CAROLINE OLLA

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1) FAJOLU ABIMBOLA OLUTOPE (SPEAKER/CHAIRMAN) 2) AROWOLO ABIODUN (DEPUTY SPEAKER) 3) OMOTAYO AKINOLA VICTOR (MAJORITY SPEAKER/SECRETARY) 4) EMMANUEL NIRAN (MAJORITY LEADER/WELAFRE OFFICER) 5) KINBOBOLA AKINLAYO (CHIEF WHIP/TREASURER) 6) AKINLABI AKINTOMIDE (CHIEF SCRIBE/FINANCIAL SECRETARY)

(DIRECTOR/CHARIMAN) (ASSISTANT DIRECTOR) (SECRETARY) (ASSISTANT SECRETARY)

AIMS AND OBEJECTIVES 1. To provide basic primary care, education and support to as many orphans and less privilege children 2. To provide basic primary care to Adults and aged people in the society 3. To provide homes to take care of aged people and orphans in the society.

AIMS AND OBEJECTIVES: 1) To promote love, friendship and unity among members 2) To assist members finaicially, academically and morally 3) To establish togetherness in all issues so as to hasten the club’s progress.

Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to the Registrar-General, Corpoarte Affirs Commission, Abuja, within 28 days of the public action

Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to the RegistrarGeneral, Corporate Affairs Commission, Abuja, within 28 days of the public action.

Signed: Benson Omogoroye (Secretary)

Signed: Omotayo Akinola Victor Majority Speaker/Secretary

63

THE NATION FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

SPORT EXTRA

WAFU NATIONS CUP

My biggest headache is central defence —Siasia S

UPER Eagles’ coach has expressed concern over the number of injured players in his team, especially the absence of the captain, Chibuzor Okonkwo at the semi-finals of the ongoing WAFU Cup tournament where Nigeria got a slim win over Ghana.

In this interview with the NationSports, Siasia, however, applauded the efforts of his players whom he claimed played to instructions.

He said: “Central defence is our biggest challenge now and we have somebody that is working hard to get into the team. Well I think we missed Chibuzor Okonkwo’s contribution. Contribution is enormous, we just need to manage with the team we have on ground now, and we are ready to win WAFU, we are moving forward, I think we are ready to win.”

In the same vein, he said he was not perturbed when the Ghana side was ahead of the Eagles in the match.

•We miss Chibuzor Okonkwo From Stella Bamawo, in Abeokuta “Well it was just ten minutes into the second half, the game was not over yet. I wont talk about that. It is always 90mins, we had to get back into the game. You know anytime we play with my brothers from Ghana, it is always a difficult game. I have to applaud my brothers from Ghana, they did very well. Good team, great goalkeeper. But I just need to applaud my boys. They kept working harder even when we were down. They are young boys, who played like champions. We will soon celebrate the champions for real. I just want to thank everyone.

Ghana has always been a difficult team I just want to applaud the guys . we have to win the tournament, there is no going back,” Sisia said.

•Chibuzor Okonkwo

ATHENS 2011 SPECIAL OLYMPICS

Nigerian contingent sues for support

A

plea has gone out to well meaning Nigerians and corporate bodies to support the quest of the Nigerian contingent to the Special Olympics holding between June 22 and July 4 in Athens, Greece.

Making the appeal at the Headquarters of The Nation Newspaper in Lagos yesterday was the National Director of the Special Olympics Nigeria, Mrs Folashade Olumole.

The Special Olympics is meant for the intellectually challenged unlike the Paralympics which is meant for the physically challenged and Olumole revealed that her organisation will be hitting Athens with a 61-man contingent to represent Nigeria in the multi-sports contest.

And she stated that her organization needs a total 35 million naira to prosecute the competition. The contingent

T

HE national Beach soccer team will on Saturday begin camping for this year’s African Beach Soccer Championship, which will take place in Casablanca, Morocco, 15th – 19th June, 2011.

Coach of the team, Audu Adamu said during the week that the team, which has in its kitty two African titles from 2007 and 2009, will start the camping with 30 new players in Ajaokuta, Kogi State from Saturday, 14th – 27th June.

“We want to start with the new players, because the truth is that some of the established squad are really getting old for the strenuous demands of beach soccer. So, when we have this two-week camping in Ajaokuta, we will select 15 new players, who will join some of the old guard for the second phase of camping”, said Coach Audu.The second phase of camping will take place at the team’s regular base in Badagry, Lagos from 29th May – 12th June, which will see 25 players battling for shirts in the 12-man squad that will represent Nigeria in the continental tourney. Only 10 players from the old guard will be welcome.

The top two teams from the African Beach Soccer Championship will qualify for the FIFA Beach Soccer Championship scheduled for Rivera, Italy in September.

Adamu has invited 30 players to camp for the preparation of their defence of the African Beach Trophy

•Folashade Olumole

G

the dreams of the intellectually challenged children whose whole focus on life could be transformed should they make it to the Athens Games in June.

She said: “Organizations have supported like Guaranty Trust

•L-R: Treasure Chidi-Ofong, Tejumola Ogunlela and Damola Roberts at the Nation Newspapers corporate office in Lagos.

From Patrick Ngwaogu and Andrew Abah, Abuja won last year in South Africa.

In a release made available to NationSport in Abuja, the invited players are to begin camping today in Ajaokuta, Kogi State.

According to the Coach, all the players invited for the first phase of the camping are Friday Achimugu (Lobi Stars), Usman Aba (Kano Pillars), Ola Ogundele (Zamfara United), Calistus Nwankwo (UNICEM Rovers), Theophilus Aphelokhai (Kano Puilars), Musa Najere (Rangers International), Linus Adams (Kaduna United), Linus Adams (Apa United), Layi Oyeleke (Crown, Ogbomosho), Audu John (Go Round, Omoko), Blessing Ovoka (Super Bees, Kaduna), Thomas Ekoja (Plateau United), Shehu Maijama (Unattached), Zabi Emmabuel (Adamawa United), Odawudu Eboh (Sunshine stars), Agboui Ovbhokar (Nyanya FC), stephen Sanyo (Young stars, Makurdi), Arome Yusuf (Makwada FC), Chukwuma Ngwu (Global Academy, Lagos), Omotayo Abiodun (Fountain FC Ado Ekiti), Emma Idache (Maraba FC), Emma Agale (Dragons FC, Osogbo), Ifechukwu Ameafina (FC Aba), Thomas Anebe (Dragons FC, Dekina), Joshua Tank (All Stars, Kaduna), Emeka Theana (Owerri FC), Ayeni Oluwatosin (Orolu FC, Osogbo) and Stephen Ebuka (Isiaga Sports FC, Lafia)

Referee was unfair to us — Ghana coach

By Olusoji Olukayode according to her will be made up of 43 athletes and 18 coaches as a due to the organisers rule that a coach per four athletes must be presented.

In her words: “We have a budget of N35 million which is nothing compared to what other sports organisations would use for a team as large as this. The corporate world has been quite supportive. Like our strategy is for individuals and corporate organisations to adopt an athlete. In adopting an athlete we are also bearing the part cost of a coach because the rule says for every four athlete you need a coach. The cost of one athlete is about N680, 000 plus but, round figure N700, 000 naira.”

Although she acknowledged the huge support some organizations and individuals have already given the team ahead of the competition she reckons others can still salvage

Beach Eagles begin camping for African Championship

Bank is bearing the cost for 14 athletes. Coca Cola has taken up 7, Total (Oil) has taken up 3, MTN has taken up 3, Union Bank 3 and we are hoping that some others will come. As we speak, we are just left with five athletes and we hope that it will be done.

Individual have also supported.

Board members have taken up one athlete each. And we hope that well meaning individuals will also come on board. It doesn’t have to be N700, 000, whatever it is that we can get, we will appreciate. We believe that very soon the government will begin to look our way.”

Speaking further on the team’s participation at the Games, Olumole said: “We will be competing in six sports. We will be competing in aquatics, athletics, badminton, table tennis, basketball and soccer (football), male and female teams in soccer.”

Nigeria participated in the 2007 edition of the world Special Olympics in Dublin with four athletes and went to the 2007 edition in Shanghai, China with 24, winning six gold, four silver and four bronze.

HANA coach, David Duncan has said that the officiating in the semi- final of the WAFU Nations Cup was not fair to his team's ambition of reaching the final of sub-regional competition.

Duncan said they have decided to accept defeat in the spirit of sportsmanship, adding that some vital decisions taken by the referee should have been against Nigeria.

He said: “Different coaches have their views to referee’s unfair decisions. The referee’s decision on the spotkick against us, in my own opinion was unfair. It should have been against Nigeria and not Ghana. That is what I reacted to. I had to vent my anger the way I did, as long the game continued it will always attract controversy, I vented my frustration, my communication went out clear, and I am cool about it.”

•Ghana coach, David Duncan

From Stella Bamawo, in Abeokuta He added: “When the game was about to start, I told my boys that we should do everything possible to win this match because Nigeria was not a cheap side, they are a better team. I told them it will not be an easy victory.

But in the last minute we lost concentration that is why we lost. And they beat us.”

He, however, stated that his side was given an exposure when they were pegged against the Eagles in today’s match.

“Basically, this team is made of home-based players. They are growing, our foreign base component are outside, it is an exposure for them we pray that they had the exposure. We have to work on a couple of things and encourage them because most of them have not left the shores of Nigeria.”

TOMORROW IN THE NATION

FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011

TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM VOL. 6,

N the eve of the 50th anniversary of the nation’s independence, I reflected on the narrative that has been its lot since 1960, and concluded that it needed changing. That piece, in which I summarised that national story in a phrase: “a captive people with unrealised dreams”, was titled “Changing the National Narrative.”I observed that at various phases of the nation’s evolution, the masses have been held captive by a few, whether the few are white colonisers, native exploiters, or military abusers.

That story has not changed. But we can and should not only imagine a different narrative; we must now commit ourselves to its realisation. At the beginning of a new dispensation, one in which the electorates have sent a strong signal to the ruling party that they are not satisfied with status quo, it is time to refocus our attention on what the pursuit of the goal of a new narrative demands.

We may recall that the struggle for freedom from colonial exploitation resulted in the creative inauguration of a polity that prioritises unity- in- diversity as its philosophy. That was the reason for the adoption of a federal system of governance.

That choice was predicated on the understanding that our unique circumstance as a nation of nations, each of which still nursed suspicion regarding the intent of others, called for an arrangement that protects each group against the others; that “constitutional allocation of powers to a sub-unit protects individuals from the center, while interlocking arrangements provide influence on central decisions via sub-unit bodies” as Madison, Hume and Goodin put it. A federal arrangement is a bulwark against majority oppression of minorities. And Lord Acton, one of the eminent defenders of federalism observed that a “great democracy must either sacrifice self-government to unity or preserve it by federalism.”

It was this imperative of preserving selfgovernment of the various nationalities that the founders of the republic accepted when they insisted on federalism. To the detriment of good governance and individual freedom, what we have seen since 1966 is a successive renunciation of the federal idea and practice. And we have done this in the name of unity!

Chief Obafemi Awolowo, seeing through the British intention of leaving behind a state with a propensity to fail, expended his political capital struggling for true federal arrangements. He made his candid observation that “Nigeria is not a nation. It is a mere geographical expression. There are no “Nigerians” in the same sense as there are “English”, “Welsh”, or “French.” The

‘He spoke of his anger and frustration. He fretted over everything; faulted all comments about him but never came down to saying the crucial five letter word— sorry. Shame’

NO. 1,758

C OMMENT & D EB ATE EBA

O

SEGUN GBADEGESIN gbadegesin@thenationonlineng.net

The National Question Again

•The late Awolowo

word “Nigerian” is merely a distinctive appellation to distinguish those who live within the boundaries of Nigeria from those who do not.”

As is now well known, Awolowo decried the designation of the various national or ethnical groups in the country as tribes.

“Each of them is a nation by itself with many tribes and clans. There is as much difference between them as there is between Germans, English, Russians and Turks, for instance.

The fact that they have a common overlord does not destroy this fundamental difference.”

In a prophetic language that was uniquely his, Awolowo pleaded that the country “must not wait until the situation becomes unduly complicated by long mutual friction and irritation” because”there are (as of 1947) enough signs to put us wise.” And he insisted that “the political situation of any national group is primarily their own domestic concern. The others may criticise it in the same way as French and Russians may criticise the British Constitution. But they have no right to try to interfere

effectively in shaping such a Constitution.”

The outcome of this philosophical reasoning was that the nationalists agreed on a federal constitution for the country, which guaranteed the autonomy of each region in matters of their domestic policies, and a constitution of each national group that was “the sole concern of the members of that group.”

Finally, it was Chief Awolowo who gave us the lexicon of true federalism, arguing that “under a true federal constitution each group, however small, is entitled to the same treatment as any other group, however large. Opportunity must be afforded to each to evolve its own peculiar political institution. Each group must be autonomous in regard to its internal affairs.”

What the foregoing means is that if one group interprets the violent death of the young in the hands of lunatics as a matter of destiny, must a group that believes differently be forced to send their educated children to the slaughter house of religious fanatics in the name of national unity?

A younger and more leftist public intellectual, the late Claude Ake, concurs with Awolowo. In “The Prophecy of Claude Ake” (TheNews, November 25, 1996), the late professor observes that the idea of a Nigerian nation-state “does not look feasible now, but it can be. There is still a chance. What is clear is that it cannot be held together by force. It can no longer be held together by injustice. It can only work on the principle of sharing the rewards and burdens of citizenship with equity.”

Ake further observes that “what is vital is to recognise our social pluralism; to recognise that for now, Nigeria is a federation of ethnicities and nationalities, nothing else. It is an enterprise of a possible nation-state, a possible unity, but right now, it remains an enterprise. The retreat to ethnicity, nationality and community is a very rational behaviour. That is where we are. We have to build again. But we cannot be built again by simply pretending that this historical constitution of ourselves as a federation of ethnicities and nationalities

YOMI ODUNUGA

can be wished away. Unless we recognise it, Nigeria would disintegrate. It takes very little for a country to disintegrate.”

Ake thinks rightly “that a lot of people who talk about the National Question in Nigeria do not understand what it means.

They do not even understand the implications of the kinds of political arrangements that you will need to actually deal with the national question. People will think it is just a means of sharing power between north and south or oil revenue.”

And if we think about it, this is what zoning seeks to preserve: a mechanism for power sharing.

But like Awolowo, Ake understands that the national question is the question of “the basic equality of all nationalities. That means, for instance, that a small nation like the Ogoni with 500,000 people would have the same rights as the Yoruba and the Igbo.

We will go on the basic equality of nationalities. That is not to say that democracy will not also be respected in the sense that democracy deals with arithmetical totals. But it means that you will have an arrangement where you make concessions to the arithmetical total of liberal democracy and another system of concessions to the fact of multi-nationality and multi-ethnicity, and then try to marry them.”

I bring these two visionaries to our memory to make a crucial point. Chief Awolowo was old generation when he passed on. But his thinking about the matters that we still face today was futuristic. He lived before his age in every respect. Claude Ake belonged to a younger generation of intellectuals at the time of his passing. But he shared a similar vision of the country with the old sage. They were united in what must be done to beckon a new era and a new narrative for the nation.

In this new narrative, democratic elections are important and we must thank those who did not mortgage their conscience helping us to renew our hope in ourselves. But that is only a first step toward the development of a new and better narrative. On their part, the newly elected representatives and senators as well as the various state assembly members have to put on their thinking and patriotic caps to do what is right for the country by taking the necessary second step to give us a new constitution that prioritises a true federal arrangement politically and fiscally. And the president must repay the nation with a strong leadership in this matter of providing the requisite answer to the national question.

•For comments, send SMS to 08057634061

RIPPLES

HARDBALL

I’M THE BEST OYO GOVERNOR , says Akala

Schwarzenegger and the oxymorons in marriage

B

Y now, aficionados of action-packed films must have heard or read of the separation of Arnold Schwarzenegger,

Yes...even the THUGS can confirm

actor and former Governor of California, from his wife of 25 years, Maria Shriver, a member of the Kennedy clan. But it is not even news of the troubled marriage of the two famous personalities hitting the rocks that merits Hardball’s attention today. After all, one of the enduring milestones of the 20th century was the radical redefinition of marriage, a redefinition that led to restructuring of marital relationships, and a restructuring that in turn gave the institution a veneer of impermanence. The problem is in fact aggravated among so-called celebrities – movie stars, politicians, sportsmen, etc.

Therefore, for Schwarzenegger and his longsuffering wife to endure their marriage for 25 years, the last few years of which was sheer torment for the couple, was a record at once remarkable for its longevity as for the fame of the two people involved.

Yet, what is remarkable about the Schwarzeneggers is not that a vulnerable, even insecure, woman with a famous name

met an ambitious and womanising Austrian bodybuilder hungry for success rather than for love, or that the union was fated for the rocks. What is interesting about the separation is Schwarzenegger’s dismissive characterisation of what he shared with his wife, which in addition to its oxymoronic overtone, gave the impression he entered into the union for an expendable purpose.

Asked a few days ago about his relationship with Maria after the separation, he answered that they still loved each other deeply, and that they thought the world of their children for whom they were prepared to do anything.

It is doubtful whether such happy unhappiness and loving hatred can be replicated in any other famous marriage. If they still loved each other, why did they separate?

Given the tragedies replayed in most homes today, when more marriages are unhappy than happy, it is insensitive for anyone to cast the first stone or to gloat that another couple had bitten the dust. Unhappy marriages, broken homes, spousal abuse, betrayal, and even murder litter the landscapes of the 20th and 21st centuries. These

•Hardball is not the opinion of the columnist featured above

problems, social scientists say, are consequences, though not necessarily inevitable, of changing economic structures, social relations, advances in technology, changing conurbations, and other psychological and sociological factors.

Boundaries in Nigerian marriages are very flexible, with many people entering and exiting one or more marriages in one lifetime under various constructive and deconstructionist cultural corollaries. Except in few cases, most marital tragedies in Nigeria play themselves out quietly, without the fanfare that has attended that of Schwarzenegger.

And so it may not really matter whether you love your wife so much as to divorce her, or you are happily unhappy in your marriage or divorce. Here in Nigeria, the land of oxymorons, where in spite of poverty and bad governance we are said to be among the world’s happiest people, it would not be strange if social scientists researching our marriages discover that Mr Terminator Schwarzenegger had Nigerian roots.

Nowhere else can a human being be so happily unhappy.

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