The Nation January 13, 2013

SSS arrests Boko Haram member in ex-Rep’s house I have no link with sect –Lawmaker JTF trails 19 Boko Haram leaders –PAGE 5

11 State govs predict

2013

READ THEIR VISION STATEMENTS –Pages 23-26 & 47-49

Nigeria’s widest circulating newspaper

Vol.07, No. 2369

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JANUARY 13, 2013

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The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi,explaining his ordeal to Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola. With them are two of his Oloris whose properties were affected by the fire incident that engulfed the Alaafins Palace on Tuesday, Olori Folashade (left): Olori Abiodun; Senator Sola Adeyeye, representing Osun Central (2nd right) and other sympathisers, during the condolence visit of the governor to the Alaafin yesterday.

PDP Crisis: If I go, Tukur goes, says Oyinlola If they are holding on to the so-called claim of zonal congress, whatever affects Oyinlola will weigh heavily on Tukur.

Oni, Babatope, Filani in line to replace Oyinlola Ex-Osun gov files court brief, seeks stay-of-execution –PAGE 4

30 pipeline vandals feared dead in Lagos explosion –Page 4

BUY AND WIN A BRAND NEW CAR SEE PAGE 71 FOR DETAILS

2015: GOVS THREATEN NORTH’S PRESIDENCY BID

–PAGE 7

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, JANUARY 13, 2013

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There can be law without justice but there can be no justice without law.

Column

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, JANUARY 13, 2013

S

3

nooping around With

Tatalo Alamu

•Happy and dancing folk

I

T was bound to come. The ultimate rebuff had a ring of inevitability about it. The first claim lacked scientific validity or empirical validation. It was a spoof, designed perhaps to absolve contemporary western consciousness of the blame for the monumental fiasco that Africa in general and Nigeria in particular had turned out to be.

We are of course talking about the report a few years back which placed Nigerians as the happiest people on earth. Surely, something did not add up. This was probably a new phase of globalisation and its neo-colonial siege against the rest of humanity.

And yet amidst all the doubts and disbelief, there was the nagging suspicion that there was some core truth to the claim. When you meet a truly happy and contented Nigerian, despite the historic debris of collapsed hopes and expectations around him, it was the happiness and heartfelt contentment based on sound philosophical conviction rather than the naïve imbecility traditionally associated with innocent humans just emerging from the Stone Age. Are these people perpetual gluttons for sadistic punishment? Are we simply incapable of the prodigious exertions of citizenship that is the hallmark of the truly modern society? Or are we products of a lost civilisation marked by innocence and sweet natured compliance with horrendous adversities? And yet, stories abound in the past of stirring and heroic revolts against emperors, tyrants and sundry tormentors of their people. Were those old folks truly our ancestors or some lost tribes of the Ark? We can now report that the claim about happy Nigerians has suffered a remarkable double sucker combination. Their swiftness and devastating import suggest that the bankrupt political elite that have ruled Nigeria since independence may be running short of mystical voodoo statistics to shore up their inglorious hegemony.

Additionally, it may suggest a coming re-colonisation in some form and the fact that our ruling elite may no longer have some metropolitan shelters to run to after blitzing their own countries.

While this may not totally absolve the west of its historic complicity in the African tragedy, it may go a long way in setting a template for the resolution of the crisis. If you do not bury a dead man because of his family, you will have to bury him for the health hazards his corpse constitute. Some nations are becoming a menace to global health. Unfortunately, most of them are in Africa and Asia.

The first sign that the myth of the happy Nigerian was about to be clinically and scientifically exploded came a few weeks back. Using globally verifiable indices, the report of The Economist Intelligence Unit indicated that of eighty sampled societies, Nigeria was about the worst place to be born in the year of our lord 2013.

Coming swiftly on its heels is the lat-

Victor Dolores (How the Sad Tropics reclaimed their own) est Forbes’ ranking which indicated that among global nation-states, Nigeria is the 20th saddest nation on earth.

Despite its stupendous oil wealth, or perhaps because of it, Nigeria is roiling among other tropical laggards with the preponderance coming from what is known as sub-Saharan Africa. Nigeria is in excellent company among such hell-holes as Central African Republic which clinched the pride of place and the Republic of Congo (2nd), Afghanistan (3rd), Chad (4th), Burundi (6th) followed

by Togo, Zimbabwe, Liberia, Angola, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Sudan, and Mozambique..

Nigeria’s citation among these stricken human habitués is as compelling as it is riveting.” The best and worst, Nigeria ranks 123rd overall on

“I

HATE people being happy when they should be unhappy,” Bernard Shaw famously complained. The great AngloIrish dramatist would have found a lot that is revolting and distressing about the perpetual happiness of our compatriots. There is an unbearable lightness about contemporary Nigerians, a gushing gaiety of spirit, a light-heartedness that puts a brilliantine gloss on the most tragic of circumstances. You begin to wonder whether any other people on earth could be more custom-made for punishment.

When a global survey found Nigerians among the happiest lot on earth, everyone thought the poll had been rigged to make us look ridiculous and pathetic. How can people be happy in a hell-hole of unimaginable privation, of idiotic dysfunction and biblical suffering? But it does seem as if the poor chaps knew what they were talking about. Nigerians are as happy as a lark.

Everywhere you turn, you encounter this sunny and rosy disposition, this remarkable capacity to refine and redefine pain and turn tragedy into a ridiculous farce. There are parties everywhere and every week. The dead are sent off with rousing pomp and panache. The newborn are welcomed with equal pageantry and cynical aplomb. If you cannot stay in your mother’s dark womb, you are signed on to the historical eclipse with remarkable hilarity. Omo tuntun alejo aiye, kaabo ku ewu.

You are advised to drink to your heart’s content in this world, just in case drinking is prohibited in the next world. You are admonished not to invest in prolonged and protracted gloom because life is too short to be wasted on distracting and unproductive emotions. How long does a man hope to live that will make him procure for himself a dress made of iron?

Don’t worry about tomorrow because tomorrow will take care of

the Legatum Prosperity Index. Decades of corruption have squandered great oil and gas wealth, while new concerns involve sectarian violence.”

It can be seen from this dire survey that corruption and the Boko Haram scourge leveraged by social cannibalism in other parts of the nation have hobbled Nigeria and turned the nation into a living Hades on earth.

The dreams of our founding fathers have turned into a catastrophic nightmare. Yet our rulers are busy squabbling over a dying nation, preoccupied with sham elections which bring neither solace or succour to the distraught and disoriented citizenry. If we deceive ourselves, the international community does not.

It was said of Mohammed Ali that he used to romanticise and rhapsodize about Africa as the idyllic land of

his abducted ancestors. But the infantile illusion fell apart during Ali’s epic slugfest with George Foreman in the old Zaire in 1974. As soon as the great man saw the chaotic zoo that was downtown Kinshasa with its feral denizens, he was said to have knelt down and thanked his maker that his ancestors did not miss the slave galleon.

Let us get this clear. As we have noted once in this column, appropriating Leo Tolstoy, all happy nations are the same, every unhappy nation is unhappy in its own way. There is a confounding conformity about all happy modern societies. You expect electricity, you expect the transportation system to run smoothly, you expect justice and fair play, you expect your votes to count in periodic elections in which sovereignty returns to the people, you expect security of life and property, you expect adequate health care, decent shelter and good schools for your children.

Above all, you expect the machinery of governance to function smoothly and transparently without the clog of corruption and graft.

It is a wry understatement to assert that post-independence Nigeria has failed its citizens in every material particular. But let us not slander ourselves. There is some architecture in the ruins, as Shakespeare would say. In the old West, Obafemi Awolowo came very came close to the gold benchmark in modern governance, and in the current Republic, there have been some heroic and

remarkable stirrings, particularly in the attempt to transform Lagos into a modern megalopolis and the construction boom we are witnessing in a few states.

But despite these token twitches and in the face of the overwhelming structural failure of the nation which is accelerating into a comprehensive state failure, Nigeria remains a uniquely unhappy nation which must be uniquely tackled by concerned Nigerians. The fundamental problem is that having had Nigeria created for us by colonial interlocutors, the Nigerian political elite have failed to create true Nigerians. Rampart ethnic nationalism is the default product of this failure of visionary imagination and of our inability to forge an organic community from the contending and often mutually contradictory yearnings of pre-colonial nationalities.

This is why since independence, every ascendant group at the federal level, whether military or civilian, soon degenerates into a tribal caucus or a berserk personality cult with sit-tight rulers who can only be removed after momentous national uprising. But unless Nigeria witnesses this fundamental reinvention which will turn it into a genuine nation rather than a postcolonial plantation for extractive predation, we may have to say a final goodbye to Lord Lugard’s iron cage very soon. It is going to be a messy and chaotic finale indeed.

The unbearable lightness of the Nigerian being itself and if tomorrow does not take care of itself to hell with tomorrow.

What the bird eats, the bird flies with.

In any case, if the elephant cannot graze to its heart’s content in the forest, it is a shame on the forest. It is a desiderata of epic self-indulgence.

Since a fish normally rots from the head, this light-headed frivolity has also infected Nigerian leaders who make fun of the nation’s misery.

It can be seen in their tonnage of verbiage and inanities, in their sadistic glee as they watch their victims writhe in epochal agony. Like a snake charmer tormenting and torturing his serpentine wards, Nigerian leaders watch their subjects reel from the disastrous effects of their harebrained policies with relish and a vindictive smirk.

You ask yourself when enough will really be enough. But you discover that the limit you see is not really the limit. There is some extracapacity in the fabric to test the science of elasticity. But we all know that when a person with a natural smile is drowning everybody thinks he is smiling. The flailing arms may even be mistaken for a victory sign.

The hirsute monkey also sweats but the tangled foliage of follicles absorbs the salty grime.

In grim despondency, I went in search of the old master. Mourning what he described as the ultimate electoral genocide, he had of late been wearing a black band around his withered wrist in solidarity with the people. I met him this time at EtiOsa ensconced in an abandoned canoe amidst rotting planks and decaying wooden hovels built on stilts. He eyed me with contempt and weariness.

“Bros, what are you doing here?

Has it come to this?,” I asked him with a sneer.

“Oh boy, na condition com make crayfish bend oo. This time he be like if say water com pass flour,” he re-

plied with a bitter smile.

“Are you waiting to receive Yar’Adua?” I asked, openly taunting him.

“Iya adura ko, baba adura ni. If the boy turns up here, he will end up among the seaweeds over there,” the old man snarled. I started laughing uncontrollably, but the guru was in no mood for such jolly frivolity.

“Let me tell you something. If this farce stands, if this sacrilege is allowed, then this nation is finished forever. There should be no quibbling about that. Your national anthem will become an anthem of shame and disgrace, generations unborn will curse your memory and this nation will be permanently dishonoured in the comity of civilised countries.”

“But….” I protested.

“Just let me finish,” he snapped.

“As for me, I know it is over this time around. But if I am to come back to this world let nobody make the mistake of sending me back to you flunkies. I will rather come back a real ape.”

“Oh bros, but why an ape?” I asked him as he flung out his massive pipe and began to load it with the usual array of prohibited weeds.

“Because an ape is still within the evolutionary scheme of things and can make much progress, evolutionarily speaking. But in your case, you seem to be out of the evolutionary loop. You are stuck in the middle of nowhere. You seem incapable of making progress as human beings and yet you cannot revert to the original status, so tory com get kleg, as they say.” He had calmed down considerably and had now recovered his poise and philosophical equanimity. I saw an opportunity to unburden my heart.

“Bros, what do you think is wrong with us as a people? We seem incapable of progressing politically and so-

cially and yet we are making merry all over the place as if each day is the last day,”I asked with humility and concern. The old man looked at me with sorrow and pity in his eyes. I could glimpse his deep humanity for once. He knocked the tip of his giant pipe against the hulk of the boat with such force that the boat sagged and rocked like an ill-tempered camel.

“You see, it is the equatorial oven that is to blame. To start with, things grow too quickly and die too quickly here, so there is a sense in which there is the permanence of impermanence, and this spreads panic among the people who are looking forward to some order and stability. Since their excess food rots easily in the tropical heat, your ancestors eventually found a way of turning it into alcohol which in turn led into an orgy of drinking and fornicating. So, in order not to confront the demon of impermanence, in order not to come unhinged, they resort to compulsory and compulsive merry making. That is why there are parties every day and everywhere. Without these parties everybody would have gone mad snarling and raving at each other ,or they would have lapsed into stony depression. So, this is as much a crisis of geography as it is of social order,”the old man ruefully and profoundly noted.

His bleary eyes had gone misty.

There were tears in my own eyes , too. Nobody has put the crisis in such perspective for me before, and I thanked him profusely. The old man was touched and marked by genius despite his eccentricity and madness.

“When do you think this will end?” I asked as I rose to go.

“When the equator cools down.

Unfortunately by then, this phase of human existence would also have ended.”

(First published in 2007)

NEWS

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY JANUARY 13, 2013

PDP crisis: If I go, Tukur goes, says Oyinlola • Oni, Babatope, Filani in line to replace Oyinlola T • Ex-Osun gov files court brief, seeks stay-of execution

HE sacked National Secretary of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, has launched a fight back to save his political career.

He has filed an appeal against the judgment of a Federal High Court in Abuja, which removed him from office, and is also seeking a stay of execution of the judgment of Justice Abdu Kafarati.

In the face of reports that leading members of the ruling party had counseled him to step down following the court judgment against him, the former Osun State governor insists there is no basis for him to do so. He does not understand why he has to be drawn into the zonal congress controversy when the party’s National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, who is a product of the zonal congress is not.

The former governor, who spoke through his media aide, Mr. Ayo Olaiya, said if the issue persists it will affect Tukur more than anyone else in the party hierarchy.

He said: “The argument of Oyinlola is that he was not a product of any zonal congress. So his nomination is not illegal. Oyinlola said he emerged at the National Convention after other contestants had publicly stepped down for him.

“He said at the SouthWest Congress in Osogbo, the only candidate endorsed was the National ViceChairman (South-West) of the PDP, Mr. Segun Oni. “He said the application before the Federal High Court was baseless, an abuse of court process and ought not to have been entertained at all in the first instance.”

On pressure being placed on him to step aside, the media aide said: “There is noth-

From: Yusuf Alli, Managing Editor, Northern Operation

ing like that. Nobody in the party, including the National Chairman of PDP, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, has asked Oyinlola to leave office.

Oyinlola will not vacate his seat and any move to make him do so will be subjudice given the appeal already filed.

“Tukur or anybody could not have spoken to Oyinlola.

All NWC members, except Tukur, emerged at the National Convention of the party, not at the zonal congress.

“If you can recall very

well, Tukur was actually defeated by a former National Secretary of PDP, Babayo Shehu, at the North-East Congress before President Goodluck Jonathan and other leaders prevailed on Shehu to step down for him.

“So, if there is any issue about zonal congress, it will affect Tukur more than any member of the NWC because he emerged contrary to the decision of the zonal congress.

“Therefore, if they are holding on to the so-called claim of zonal congress, whatever affects Oyinlola will weigh heavily on Tukur.

That is why Tukur or any-

body in NWC cannot ask Oyinlola to leave office.”

However, it was gathered that the plot to effectively terminate Prince Oyinlola’s reign as the National Secretary of the PDP gathered pace yesterday.

According to sources, some party leaders have shortlisted one time Transport Minister, Chief Ebenezer Babatope, National Vice Chairman of the PDP (South West), Chief Segun Oni and former National Publicity Secretary of the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP), Chief Ishola Filani, as possible candidates to replace him in an acting

capacity.

The National Chairman of the party, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, and some other leaders of the PDP are understood to have asked Prince Oyinlola to step aside until the determination of his appeal.

Investigation by our correspondent showed that some leaders of the PDP and those loyal to Tukur are insisting on Oyinlola stepping aside.

It was learnt that some of the leaders have tried to reach out to Oyinlola to “act true to type as a lawyer by respecting the judgment of the court to step aside.”

A party source said Tukur

•L-R Chief of Defence Staff, Adiminiral Ola Ibrahim, Vice President, Namadi Sambo and Ispector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar At the Armed Forces Remembrace Day Celebration Juma'at Prayer at the National Mosque in Abuja.

Photo: AKIN OLADOKUN

30 pipeline vandals feared dead in Lagos explosion

A

BOUT 30 persons believed to be pipeline vandals were burnt to death yesterday at Arepo off the Lagos/Ibadan Expressway in the latest attack by vandals on NNPC pipelines.

The fire which started at about 2am behind the community raged for much of yesterday.

The police said it was sparked by an argument among the vandals over who should first siphon oil from a ruptured pipeline.

“It was in the heat of the argument that one of them accidentally released a bullet that led to several explosions,” the Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) in-charge of the Special Task Force on Anti-Pipeline Vandalism, Mr. Friday Ibadin, said yesterday.

The explosions woke up many residents of the area and attracted the attention of the police with a team of policemen led by the sector

By Jude Isiguzo/Kelvin Osa Okunbor and agency report commander, Lagos, DSP Onaghise Osayande, storming the scene and cordoned off the area to avert more danger.

Several other vandals were injured.

The police arrested six suspects including an injured vandal along with a medical doctor who was said to be taking him away for treatment.

Mr.Ibadin said: “ In the course of interrogation, we discovered that the survivor was one of those who participated in the killing of those NNPC officials last year.

“The taskforce arrested six suspected vandals who were alleged to have participated in the incident that led to the killing of three Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) staff at Arepo.”

The police are on the trail

of other vandals who escaped from the scene.

Fire fighters were battling the inferno at press time.

The injured suspect, who gave his name as Reuben, said a lot of his colleagues were killed in the explosion.

Narrating how he got involved ,he said: “I was in my house when Suleiman my friend called me that there was a job at Arepo creeks.

He asked me to look for a canoe and come with as many gallons as I could carry.

“Shortly after I arrived I saw some people arguing while some where fighting before I heard a gun shot. The next thing was an explosion.

I was lucky that I wasn’t close to the ruptured pipeline. It was the heat of the fire that affected me. I managed to run to my boat where my mother was waiting. Iya Olabode called a doctor who was about taking me to the hospital when we were arrested by the police.”

Asked about the number of vandals at the time of the fire outbreak, Reuben said: “There were so many of us, men and women. We were more than 50 persons over there and most of them are still inside that fire. Most of them are still in the creeks dying, please help them.”’

The medical doctor, (name withheld), said he simply acted according to his oath to protect life. He claimed that he was invited by his client, Iya Olabode, to attend to a patient in her house at Abule Oba, Ikorodu area of Lagos.

He said: “I have been a family doctor to Iya Olabode for the past three years. So, when she called me that there was an emergency, I quickly rushed to her house where I saw Reuben badly burnt. I advised her that we should take the man to my clinic for better treatment.

We were on our way when the police accosted us.”

He claimed that he did

not remember to ask the patient how he sustained the burns. “I forgot to ask him because I was in a hurry to save his life. I never knew that he could be a vandal because Iya Olabode is a good and respectable business woman. I am terribly sorry; I was only trying to save life.”

However,when the doctor was given an opportunity to call Iya Olabode by phone to corroborate what he told the police the woman simply said: “Doctor, I don’t know what you are talking about. I only asked you to come and treat a patient and make money. You want me to come and also be arrested because I allowed a pipeline vandal to stay in my house.”

She then switched off her line.

Meanwhile, scarcity of fuel looms in Lagos and Ogun States as the NNPC has stopped the flow of PMS through Arepo pipeline pending the repair of the ruptured pipeline.

reiterated the same position when he interacted with party leaders and a couple of NWC members on Friday after the judgment.

The source said: “The party is expecting an enforcement order from the court to enable Oyinlola to vacate his seat till his matter is finally ironed out by the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court.

“Once Oyinlola leaves office temporarily, the party will prevail on the South-West to pick a nominee as acting National Secretary among three candidates to be recommended. The party wants to stick to the zoning formula instead of asking the Deputy National Secretary to act.

“The candidates being considered are the National Vice-Chairman of PDP(South-West), Chief Segun Oni; a former National Organising Secretary of the defunct Unity Party of Nigeria(UPN), Chief Ebenezer Babatope, and a former National Publicity Secretary of the former Social Democratic Party(SDP), Chief Ishola Filani.

“The opinion of some loyalists of Tukur is in favour of Oni, who is rated as more amenable than the others. But the party will go by the consensus of key stakeholders, including President Goodluck Jonathan.”

A member of the National Working Committee said: “What the leaders are saying is that Oyinlola must obey court order by vacating office until he secures a stay.

“Even if there is a court order for a stay of execution, the party will run into a crisis because any decision taken by Oyinlola would amount to nullity if he eventually loses at the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court. So, the National Secretariat will not function well and there can’t be a smooth working relationship between the National Chairman and Oyinlola.

“It is going to be a no-win situation for the party.”

A source close to the PDP Governors Forum said: “As far as the governors are concerned, Oyinlola won’t step aside at all. Instead, they have encouraged him to be steadfast because he remains their candidate for the job.

“The governors took note of the fact that a High Court is not a final court in the land.

Therefore, hanging on to the High Court judgment would amount to mischief.”

Friday’s court decision on Oyinlola was greeted with jubilation in the camp of President Goodluck Jonathan and Tukur.

The president and his strategists are determined to regain control of the party ahead of the 2015 elections and do not consider Oyinlola as one whose control of the party’s secretariat would be of benefit to their camp.

Oyinlola was nominated by former President Olusegun Obasanjo and the state governors.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JANUARY 13, 2013

News

Confusion as Ohanaeze elects new president T

HERE was confusion yesterday in Enugu as Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, elected its new national executive, with Nnachi Enwo-Igariwey from Ebonyi State, emerging as the President-General. He was returned unopposed as the other two contestants for the position were not available.

But while the election was going on in Enugu, there were reports that traditional rulers of certain stakeholder states like Ebonyi, Imo and Delta and some other leaders rejected the exercise, alleging that it was manipulated by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the out-going PresidentGeneral, Ambassador Ralph Uwechue.

Although proceedings at the venue of the election appeared peaceful, signs of disagreement were first noticed shortly after the commencement of the voting, when some prominent leaders and elders of Ohanaeze present at the election, left the venue rather abruptly.

Among the leaders that left long before the end of the election were Senator Uche C h u k w u m e r i j e and Professor A. B. C. Nwosu, who were alleged to have left in anger, and to have proceeded to another meeting on the affairs of Ohanaeze.

A source at the venue of the event, who is one of the contestants for a national position, told The Nation in a telephone chat yesterday that the elders actually walked out of the venue because they were not satisfied with the way the out-going executive handled the election.

But in a telephone chat last night, Nwosu said: “I didn’t walk out. I left the venue because I had some other function to attend.”

Asked if he was satisfied with the Ohanaeze election, he said, “I am not in a position to answer that question now. But all I can say is that the elders of Ohanaeze will certainly hold a post election meeting with the aim of ensuring that there is no ran-

• Faction alleges manipulation of election by PDP

By Sam Egburonu and Chris Oji, Enugu cour in Ohanaeze, ensuring that the governors, the traditional rulers and Ohanaeze work together harmoniously.”

Emma Okocha, who was contesting for the position of National Publicity Secretary, however, told The Nation yesterday that the election was in bad faith and cannot stand. He corroborated the allegation that the election was manipulated by the outgoing leadership and the PDP. Okocha alleged that the PDP took over the election, flooding the election venue with policemen armed to the teeth.

He contended that the election was “illegal, one, because of the court injunction restraining Uwechue from holding such election and, two, because the Ime Obi, the highest organ of Ohanaeze, had earlier put the election date for January 17. It is therefore curious that

Uwechue suddenly rescheduled it for the 12th without adequate information and approval. We are hereby rejecting this election and will hold the real election on 17th, the real date” But when The Nation called Uwechue’s number yesterday, an aide, who refused to give his name, he was still at the centre of the election. He, however, denied that Ime Obi slated the election for 17th, alleging that it was slated for between 12th and 17th.

Investigation by The Nation, however, shows that some traditional rulers from Imo, Ebonyi, Delta states and others were not aware of yesterday’s election and may soon send their petitions, as most of them are alleged to have sworn to adhere only to Ime Obi’s timetable.

Also, when contacted on telephone yesterday, it was obvious from his responses that the former PresidentGeneral of Ohanaeze, Dr.

Dozie Ikedife, was not aware the election actually.

After confirming from our reporter that the election actually held and after making enquiries over the results, he declined giving his reactions. He said simply, “Please, I will need to study the whole thing before commenting.”

In spite of the confusion, however, it is on record officially that a new executive of Ohanaeze Ndigbo emerged yesterday with Enwo-Igariwey, elected President-General.

The position of secretary general was won by Dr. Joe Nworgu, who defeated two others with 211 votes to their 43 and 10.

Elected also were O. A. U. Onyema from Enugu State as deputy president general; I. N. Wonwu from Rivers State as the deputy secretary general; Mrs. Selina Adibua from Enugu, financial secretary and Emma Ajoku vice president, Rivers State.

In attendance were Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife; former chairmen of Ohanaeze, Igwe Eze Ozobu; and Prof. Joe Irukwu, MASSOB leader, Ralph Uwazuruike; and former military governor of Imo state, Joe Aneke.

Also in attendance were representatives affiliates of Ohanaeze Ndigbo such as Aka Ikenga, Igbo World Assembly, Igbos in the North and South West and Igbos the Diaspora.

The chairman of South East traditional rulers council, Eze Cletus Ilomuanya and other traditional rulers were similarly in attendance.

Meanwhile, MASSOB leader, Ralph Uwazuruike, yesterday endorsed the election of new executives for the Ohanaeze Ndigbo.

He said he was optimistic that the incoming executive would improve on the achievements of their predecessors.

•Fire at pipeline on water way, Arepo, Obafemi Owode LG, OGS

SSS arrests Boko Haram member in ex-Rep’s house

T

HE State Security Service (SSS) has arrested a Boko Haram member, Hassan Pagi Bukar, at the residence of a former member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Tijani Umara Kumalia.

Bukar is suspected of visiting Abuja to wreak some havoc. The ex-lawmaker was interrogated by the SSS on Friday.

He denied having any link with Boko Haram.

Investigation revealed that the suspect,who has been on the wanted list of security agencies,was arrested at the residence of the ex-lawmaker in Gwarinpa District of Abuja following a tip-off by some people.

A source said of the suspect’s arrest: “ He has been operating in some cells of Boko Haram in Maiduguri and Damaturu. We have

FROM: Yusuf Alli, Managing Editor, Northern Operation

been looking for him in the last few months.

“Some of the intelligence reports on him had indicated that he used to source vehicles for Boko Haram for suicide missions.

“We got a tip-off that Bukar had sneaked into Abuja on Thursday for a purpose which we strongly suspected was to drop some bomb explosives. Based on intelligence gathering, we took pre-emptive steps and arrested him at the home of the ex-lawmaker.

“He is with the SSS where he is currently undergoing interrogation. We also quizzed the ex-lawmaker on Friday.”

Continuing the source said: “We are probing clues that Bukar’s brief is to receive

hijacked or sourced vehicles from top Boko Haram members, including one Babawo and another called SENIOR and other leaders that are prime targets of security agents.

“Bukar was arrested in the Abuja residence of one Hon. Tijani Umara Kumalia, a 2003-2007 member of the House of Representatives.

“The suspect was picked up with Kumalia’s gateman whom the ex-Rep claimed was employed from Sokoto to guard the house.

“On interrogation, Bukar admitted to his role in the sect.

The source said: “Though Kumaila is not being detained, he is now reporting at scheduled periods to SSS. “Security agents have since established that almost all vehicles used for suicide

bombings by the sect are sourced in one suspicious way or the other.”

The Joint Task Force in the North-East is currently on the trail of the 19 leaders, who were declared wanted in November last year.

A source said: “We are still searching for them; we have not been able to locate any. But with the collaboration of all security agencies, we will succeed.

“We are also working round the clock to protect lives and property in the zone.”

The JTF’s list comprised five members of the Shurra Committee (the highest making body of the sect) and 19 Boko Haram commanders.

Those affected are five members of the Shurra Committee of the sect including, Imam Abubakar Shekau

(N50million); Habibu Yusuf (a.k.a Asalafi) N25million; Khalid Albarnawai ( N25million); Momodu Bama (N25 million); and Mohammed Zangina (N25million) The Boko Haram Commanders are Abu Saad (N10million); Abba Kaka (N10million); Abdulmalik Bama (N10million) Umar Fulata(N10million); Alhaji Mustapha (Massa) Ibrahim (N10million); Abubakar Suleiman-Habu (a.k.a Khalid) N10million; Hassan Jazair N10million; Ali Jalingo (N10million); Alhaji Musa Modu (N10million); Bashir Aketa (N10million); Abba Goroma (N10million); Ibrahim Bashir (N10million); Abubakar Zakariya (N10million); and Tukur Ahmed Mohammed (N10million).

5

Imo Catholics reject Pope’s choice of Bishop From Okodili Ndidi, Owerri

P

RIESTS and members of the Catholic church in Ahiara Diocese, Imo State have rejected the Pope’s choice of Monsignor Peter Okpalaeke as the Bishopelect for the diocese.

Monsignor Okpalaeke is from Anambra State.

The protesters who assembled at St. Brigid’s Catholic Church, Ahiara, said that the appointment of the Bishop-designate will not “promote the spiritual wellbeing and the precious faith of our people”.

The President of Ahiara Diocesan Priests’ Association, Rev Father Austin Bernadine Ekechukwu who spoke for the group told reporters that the rejection of Okpalaeke’s appointment was not a sign of disrespect for the Pope or the hierarchy of the Church, explaining that “we strongly contest his (Okpalaeke) suitability for Ahiara Diocese given its uniqueness and pastoral realities”.

Okpalaeke’s appointment, he added, sent a “reprehensible signal about the status and reputation of the about 500 Catholic Priests that trace their origins to the soil of Mbaise, a Diocese that has been globally acclaimed as the Ireland of Nigeria”.

“Should the appointment of Okpalaeke succeed, half of the Ecclesiastical Province would be controlled by Bishops from Onitsha Province. Till date no Priests or Bishops from Owerri Province have been assigned as bishops whether auxiliaries or substantive in Onitsha,” he said.

The President of the Ahiara Diocesan Catholic Women Organization, Mrs Felicia Nwogu, said their position was not driven by chauvinism but by equity, justice and fairness.

“We believe we have credible Priests who can be made a Bishop, instead of imposing someone who does not understand the culture of the people and we have an obligation to reject anything that imperils the faith of our people,” she said.

The angry Church members who barricaded the gate to the Cathedral, displayed placards with inscriptions like “We don’t want Okpalaeke as Bishop”; “The Pope should rescind his decision and appoint one of our Priests”; “Cardinal Arinze should leave our Diocese alone”.

6

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JANUARY 13, 2013

News

New MOSOP leader vows to lead Ogoni cause From Bisi Olaniyi, Port Harcourt HE newly-inaugurated President of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), Legborsi Saro Pyagbara, has vowed never to let Ogoni people down.

He urged them to set aside the events of the past few weeks and embrace love while forgiving each other’s mistakes.

He also dissolved all the committees of the Ogoni umbrella organisation in line with the planned revamping of the body.

Pyagbara, who unveiled his administration’s plans for the body yesterday in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, also urged members of the public to be wary of any individual or group, purporting to be representing any committee on behalf of MOSOP. Until his election in December last year, the new president was MOSOP’s International Advocacy Officer.

Pyagbara said: “Following ongoing consultations with our grass-roots audience, MOSOP shall inform the public in due time, of the formation of new committees and their composition.”

Pyagbara could not be inaugurated along with other members of his executive on January 4 this year at the 20th Ogoni Day at Bori, the traditional headquarters of Ogoniland and seat of Khana LGA of the state.

The Chairman of the MOSOP Provisional Council (MPC), Prof. Ben Naanen, who is also of the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT), during the inauguration of other members of the executive, stated that there was a petition against Pyagbara.

The new MOSOP president was eventually inaugurated on Friday, at the movement’s secretariat along Olu Obasanjo Road in Port Harcourt.

While giving his inaugural speech, Pyagbara assured that: “I call on you all, particularly MOSOP members, who may have felt aggrieved and estranged, to come back into the MOSOP fold.

“In the coming months, we shall be embarking on wide-ranging consultations and intense grass-roots mobilisation across the length and breadth of Ogoniland, aimed at resuscitating MOSOP at all levels, including chapters and kingdoms and the affiliates of the organisation.”

T

Army investigates men on alleged illegal duty in Edo T

HE Army Headquarters has begun investigation into the presence of some soldiers on guard at an oil company in Iwevbo quarters of ObagieNunaume, an oil-rich community in Orhionmwon Local Government Area of Edo State.

The soldiers were allegedly on illegal duty having abandoned their duty posts without clearance from the commanders.

It was gathered the lid was blown off the illegal security surveillance by a petition from the ObagieNunuamen Community Development Association leadership against the activities of Newcross Petroleum limited.

Sources confirmed that a fact-finding Military Police investigation (MPI) team was deployed from the Second Division of the Nigerian Army, Ibadan to the community last week on the strength of the petition.

The community ac-

‘I’ll sustain fight against oil theft’ From Isaac Ombe, Yenagoa

T

HE new commander of the Joint Military Task Force (JTF) code named “Operation Pulo Shield” in the Niger Delta region, Major General Bata Debiro, has expressed readiness to sustain the fight against oil thieves and sea piracy.

He spoke at a brief handover ceremony at the JTF headquarters in Yenagoa over the weekend.

Debiro commended the retiring commander, Major General Johnson Ochoga, for the drastic reduction of crude oil theft in the region.

Ochoga stated he succeeded in reducing the theft of crude oil from 9.5 million barrel to 1.5m barrel in the region.

He lauded men of the JTF for the job well done.

To sustain the fight, Ochoga said: “you must be alive. In terms of discipline, there is no organisation that is devoid of black sheep.

“But we have sustained our zero tolerance to crime and acts of indiscipline.”

Foundation for presentation in Lagos

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The official inauguration of Dr. Marius Uchenna Ashibuogwu Foundation (MAUF) holds on January 19.

The Director of the foundation, Mrs. Mareena Samuel, said the organisation was set up to immortalise her son, Marius Ashibuogwu, who died on

September 3, 2012.

She assured the foundation will provide free media services to the less privileged and render assistance to indigent students through scholarship grants and sponsorship.

The event holds at Hotel Ibis Royale, Ajao Estate, Oshodi Lagos.

From Osemwengie Ben Ogbemudia, Benin City

cused the oil firm of exploration without regard to the rules that govern the process and illegal hiring of

men of the Nigerian Army from a unit outside and unknown to the 4 Mechanised Brigade in Benin City to provide security for its field staffers at Iwevbo quarters.

The MPI officer-in-

charge of the investigations, Sergeant Steve Unas, said the team was mandated “to come and look into the community issues raised in their petition of unwanted soldiers’ faces

and Newcross Petroleum Limited that are encroaching on their land to exploit their oil without permission.”

He said the aim of the investigative team was “to know whether the military personnel are there by federal government permission to do so on their (community) land or not.”

164,500 pods for Cocoa farmers in February

By Ibrahim Apekhade Yusuf,

B

From right: President Goodluck Jonathan with the Sudan Special Envoy, Dr Nefie during the latter’s courtesy call at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

Photo: Akin Oladokun

Korea donates $200,000 rice mills to flood victims •To build capacity in disaster management

T

HE Republic of Korea has donated 20 rice mills worth $200,000 to three flood affected statesBenue,Kogi and Bayelsa- to cushion the effect of the disaster.

Ten of the mills are for Benue while five each go to Kogi and Bayelsa States.

Each of the mills is capable of processing 300 kilogrammes of rice per hour.

The ambassador of the Republic of Korea, Jong-hyun Choi, who handed over the mills to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in Abuja, expressed delight that his country is

From Augustine Ehikioya, Abuja part of the Nigeria’s comprehensive rehabilitation of the flood victims.

He hoped that the machines will assist Nigerian farmers overcome the plight caused by the flood witnessed in Nigeria last year.

He also pledged the commitment of Korea to assist NEMA in the area of capacity building for disaster management.

“We will go beyond what we are donating today. We will assist in the areas of training and capacity building of

your staff in disaster management.

“This is part of my country’s commitment to pay back what we owed the international community. We would like to share with countries like Nigeria, the experiences we have acquired over the year,” he stated.”

The Director-General of NEMA, Alhaji Mohammed Sani Sidi, thanked the Korean government and the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) for the gesture, which he described as a testimony of the mutual relationship between the two countries.

Anambra community protests illegal acquisition of lands

A

massive protest yesterday grounded Awka community.

Over 500 youths decried alleged attempts by those they described as cabals to illegally acquire lands in the area.

They gave Governor Peter Obi two weeks to stop such elements or risk facing another problem in the state.

The youths stormed the popular Aroma Junction in the heart of Awka where they addressed a waiting crowd before heading to Ngozika Estate along Onitsha-Enugu Expressway.

The youth leader in the community, Obi Ochije, stated the Ezinano lands being sold by some individuals amounted to over 70 hectares.

Each of the plots was being sold for N6.1 million by a group he identified as Rockland.

From Nwanosike Onu, Awka The protesters carried placards bearing: “Ministry of Lands, keep off Ezinano lands”; “Gilbert Nwanna, you are a traitor”; “Ignatius Nwanna keep off from those lands”, among others Ochije said: “This is a peaceful protest. I have held the youths for too long not to cause any violence.

“But if within the two

weeks, nothing is done, what happened during the 2004 mayhem will be a child’s play.”

Another youth leader in the community, Chief Kanayo Obidigbo, said Ezinano comprises 20 villages, alleging that some black legs had delved into the lands without any form of consultation.

He said that any person that buys any plot of land belonging to Ezinano people does so at his or her own risk.

ARRING any last minute hitch, cocoa farmers across the country will take delivery of over 164, 500 pods for the coming planting season by the end of February.

Investigation by The Nation revealed that the Cocoa Boards across the country have since mobilised their members ahead of the distribution of the seedlings preparatory to planting later in the year.

Confirming this development, Dr. Olukayode Oyeleye, Special Adviser to the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina, yesterday said the decision to distribute cocoa pods to farmers across the country was part of efforts by the ministry to boost the production of the cash crop this year.

He said: “It is expected that additional 164,500 pods will be produced and distributed between now and end of February, 2013 when the 2012/13 pods production comes to an end.”

Expatiating, he said: “CocTA is making money available to the four production units i.e. CRIN, Ondo State TCU, Ekiti State TCU and Osun State TCP, to ensure that they carry out necessary field maintenance and cocoa pollination activities in readiness for 2013/14 hybrid cocoa pods production.”

The minister’s aide who recalled that a total of 252,951 pods were distributed as at 31st December, 2012 to individual cocoa farmers, cocoa-producing states, cocoa farmers groups as well as cooperative societies and corporate organisations respectively, however reiterated that the ministry is not resting on its oars to ensure that cocoa merchants get a better deal this year.

Sokoto partners Indian investors

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HE Sokoto State Government has concluded arrangement for the purchase of 300 vehicles from Tata Industries, India.

Governor Aliyu Wamakko disclosed this in Sokoto over the weekend

·...to buy 300 vehicles for Intra-transport service when a delegation of Indian investors visited him in his office.

A statement by the Special Assistant to the Governor on Press Affairs, Abubakar Dangusau, said the

visit of the Indian investors was sequel to a fall out of the governor’s trip to India penultimate week.

It added that an ICT firm in India will also set up some model laboratories for secondary schools in the state.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JANUARY 13, 2013

Kano Police ??????? handled 1,580 criminal cases in 2012 From Kolade Adeyemi, Kano

T

HE Kano State Police Command has said that within the last 12 months, it recorded a total of 1580 criminal cases and 2097 traffic cases.

The command the report while reviewing its achievements in the 2012 year, the early part of which was characterized by terrorist attacks, which according to the the report, was brought under control by concerted effort of the Police and other security agencies.

The command’s other achievements include the arrest and prosecution of 62 rape cases, as well as the arrest of two alleged kidnappers and rescue of two victims.

Others include the arrest of 217 armed robbery and violent crime suspects, the killing of 21 robbery suspects, including the recovery of 29 abandoned vehicles in the metropolis.

Among others, the command also in the year under review charged 108 suspects for culpable homicide, as well as impounded 1,123 Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), while its Anti Bomb Disposal Unit recovered and detonated 68 IEDs within the same period.

Also in the year under review, the command prosecuted 2097 people for various traffic offences and arrested 827 drivers for driving vehicles with tinted glasses without permit.

In a statement, signed by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, ASP Magaji Musa Majiya, on behalf of the State Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Idris, the Command thanked the entire officers and men serving in the command for their dedication, sacrifice and commitment to the policing of Kano State.

Tank farm explosion: Lawmaker calls on FG to relocate tank farms from Apapa

By Oziegbe Okoeki

W

ITH the outbreak of fire at a tank farm in Apapa on Wednesday, a member of the Lagos State House of Assembly representing Apapa 1 constituency, Hon. Mufutau Egberonbe, has called on President Goodluck Jonathan to, as a matter of urgency, relocate tank farms, which are sited in Apapa to other parts of the state.

Egberongbe made the call while reacting to the fire incident that broke out at the MRS depot located in Kirikiri-Apapa seaport on Wednesday causing panic in the area.

“Apapa is choked up right now and we can’t continue to have more of tank farms when those ones there should be relocated to fallow lands. We have lands in Ibeju-Lekki and Badagry axis and if they can be relocated to these areas, it will open up development in those places,” he said.

News

Youths protest police brutality in Anyim’s home town V EHICULAR and human movement was yesterday disrupted for about two hours along Afikpo- Okigwe Expressway as over 5000 youths from three different communities in Ishiagu Ivo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State staged a peaceful protest against what they described as indiscriminate arrest and prosecution of youths of the community by a team of policemen from

From Ogbonnaya Obinna, Abakaliki

Ebonyi State Command.

The youths carried placards with inscriptions: “IGP, save us from police brutality”, “We are peaceful people”, “Anyim Puis Anyim should stop using police to intimidate us”, “Free our youths from police custody, they are innocent”, among others.

The youths, who are between the ages of 18 to 35 years

and all dressed in black, marched through the AfikpoOkigwe Express road, chanting songs and called on the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Abubarka Mohammed, their state governor, Chief Martin Elechi to intervene in the incident.

Speaking to journalists, one of the spokespersons of the group, Mr.Emmanuel Chukwu, said they decided to stage the peaceful protest to

alert the public on the continuous police brutality and intimidation of their innocent kinsmen.

When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer PPRO, DSP Sylvester Igbo, stated that the Divisional Police Officer in charge of the Area had not briefed him on the issue, adding that immediately he is back from his journey he would make further inquiry into the matter.

•Gov. Theodore Orji of Abia State receiving the keys to the five operational vehicles donated to the state government by First Bank Nig. Ltd. from the GMD, Mr. Bisi Onasanya while Mr. U.K. Eke, Executive Director, Public Sector, First bank Nig. in Umuahia looks on.

Presidency 2015: Governors threaten North’s ambition

N

ORTHERN governors appear to be constituting a stumbling block to the realization of the North’s plan to produce the nation’s next president in 2015,according to indications yesterday.

Whereas,notable Northern leaders have launched an aggressive move to ensure the return of the presidency to that part of the country in 2015,their governors are not showing sufficient interest in or commitment to the initiative of the elders.

The Nation gathered that the Northern leaders’ efforts to enlist the support of the governors and other political office holders from the North east,North central and North west for the region’s bid for the presidency has met with little or no success.

Leaders of the region, under the auspice of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) and other groups, have declared their determination to wrestle the presidency from President Goodluck Jonathan by presenting a formidable candidate to challenge him during the 2015 general election.

According to sources,the governors hardly show up at strategic sessions called to discuss preparations for the presidential race.

“Perhaps out of respect

By Dare Odufowokan for President Jonathan and the party (PDP), most governors of the North have avoided being identified with our quest for the presidency. The implication of this is that people are saying they are not part of the demand for a president of northern extraction,” an ACF source said .

Some of the governors who are widely suspected of nursing ambition of contesting the election are even reluctant to talk about it openly.

Consequent upon this development,the brains behind the North for the 2015 presidency resolved to set up a committee to address the issue of where the governors stand on the matter.

The committee, made up of prominent Northerners, was mandated to meet with the Governors with a view to urging them to be more supportive of the project.

Said one source:”It was alleged that given the lack of open support for the agitation on the part of the governors, they cannot be counted upon to contribute towards the realisation of the agenda,hence the need to meet and curry their support.”

The committee, it was learnt, has already met with Governor Babangida Aliyu of Niger State, who is the chairman of Northern Governors’ Forum and Governor Sule

Lamido of Jigawa State ,both of whom are believed to be interest in the race.

The forum had,last May through Aliyu, said the region would form a formidable force despite their different political leanings and go into the 2015 presidential election with a united front.

An associate of Governor Umar Tanko Almakura of Nasarawa state who is also a member of the ACF security committee, confirmed the existence and activities of the contact committee.

According to the source the committee has met and convinced some of the governors on the need to be active in the project.

“That is why we are saying many of them will soon be coming out to be counted. They have been told in clear terms what the wishes of the people are. They are now expected to put aside party affiliations and come together with us to actualize the quest,” he said.

Contacted, the Speaker of the Jigawa House of Assembly,Alhaji Adamu Ahmad Sarawa, confirmed that Northern leaders in their commitment to the region’s quest for the presidency, are talking to all those who should be involved in the race.

According to him, there much pressure is being put on Governor Sule Lamido to

openly declare his interest in the presidency in line with the agitation of Northerners.

The Speaker said this was why it became necessary for the State Hosue of Assembly to announce its full support for Governor Lamido to contest the presidential election.

“We had to speak up considering the pressure on Lamido from all parts of the country to run. We had to let him know he has the support of the people whom we represent,” he said.

The National Publicity Secretary of the ACF, Anthony Sani, would neither confirm nor deny the said committee’s work, he re-echoed the region’s commitment to the 2015 presidency.

2015 is still far ,he said and the ACF will not want to distract governance.

It will however welcome any strategy that will put the region in a vantage position to enable it to negotiate with other sections of the country ahead of the 2015 race.

Sources said the committee, which is billed to report back to the leaders at a meeting scheduled for next month has requested a formal meeting with the leadership of the Governors’ Forum aside from its effort to reach the governors individually and obtain their commitment to the region’s presidential pursuit.

7

Toxic waste ship still detained in Lagos

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HE ship, MV Marivia, arrested at the Tin-Can Island Port in Lagos on Wednesday with two containers of e-waste is still being detained, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

An official of the Tin-Can Island Container Terminal, who preferred anonymity, told NAN on Saturday that the “ship is still there and has not sailed out’’. The source said that the ship had finished discharging other goods and was closely being guarded by securitymen.

NAN reports that the two offensive containers were laden with used electronics, including television sets, computers, central processing units (CPU), digital video recorders, microwaves, pressing irons and stereo sets.

The 23,652 tonnage container ship which berthed on Wednesday arrived from Tilbury in London. The authorities of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), NESREA and the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) detained the vessel.

The numbers of the two containers are: ECMU 9894510 and ECMU 9870858. On Friday, Hajia Hadiza Mailafia, the Minister of Environment, told reporters in Abuja that the owners of the vessel had been fined one million dollars to serve as a deterrent. Mailafia said that the culprits involved in the intercepted vessel would face life imprisonment if convicted.

Earlier, Dr Ngeri Benebo, the Director-General of National Environment Standards Regulatory Agency (NESREA), had told NAN that the containers would be sent back to the port of origin. Benebo said the repatriation of the containers were in conformity with the provisions of the Harmful Wastes Act. “We are sending the e-wastes back to the port of origin,’’ the director-general said.

She said that the agency’s action was guided by the provisions of the laws of Nigeria and warned that “Nigeria would resist any attempt by any country to make the country a dumping ground.” The director-general said the suspected importers of the cargo were traced to Umezime Street, Alaba International Market, and arrested.

Meanwhile, a maritime expert, who did not want his name mentioned, said the security around the ship was expected. According to the expert, the security agencies will strive to avoid a repeat of the escape of the illegal bunkering ship MT African Pride from Nigerian waters in August 2004.

NAN reports that this is not the first attempt to dump toxic wastes in Nigeria. The first time was in 1988 when a shipment of over 3,500 tonnes of toxic wastes from Italy was dumped in Koko Port in Delta.

In April 2010, the NCS arrested and detained a Maersk Line vessel, MV Nashiville, laden with toxic waste (lead batteries classified as Basel code A1180 and broken televisions.

In June 2010, NCS also arrested and detained a ship, MV Gumel, in Lagos Port for bringing eight containers with materials suspected to be toxic waste.

ar

8

News

REJOINDER I didn’t bribe AFN - Obiekwe

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Y attention has been drawn to allegations published in The Nation Newspaper, in which it was stated that I was asked to bribe certain government officials to facilitate my participation at last year’s Olympic Games.

This could not be farther from the truth and I state categorically that I was not at any time asked to bribe, nor have I ever had to bribe anyone to participate in any sporting activity, the Olympics included. The statement went thus: “… Almost all athletes you see there bribed their way into the squad and they were accusing me of bribing AFN to participate in the Olympic. They have this arrangement where they tell athletes to give a cut of their money to them and I refused.” This is not fact.

“The Olympics are for national glory and there are no payments in form of cash prize to any winner or loser.

There have been blogs and publications on some sort of bribing or connivance relating to my Olympic participation but these allegations are not true and quoted out of context.

“In The Nation, I was misquoted in the interview, and never at anytime mentioned or made allegations towards the Senate Chairman on Sports or the Athletics Federation of Nigeria.

“I ask the public to please disregard the supposed allegations as I never at any time made them.”

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JANUARY 13, 2013

Blood-letting must stop now, says Abdulsalami F

ORMER military Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar said yesterday in Minna that the on-going killing of innocent and defenceless people in the country must cease immediately.

Speaking at the first Graduation Ceremony/ Graduation Lecture of the Abdulsalami Abubakar Institute for Peace and Sustainable Development Studies (AAIPSDS), the former military leader said the current security challenges are grinding the nation to a halt.

Condemning what he called man’s inhumanity to man, Abubakar said the situation requires a dispassionate understanding of the root causes of the problems breach-

From Jide Orintunsin, Minna

ing the peace of the country.

He said the problems of poverty, youth unemployment, dysfunctional educational system, corruption and misappropriation of public funds must be addressed in the interest of peace in the country.

He then suggested a review of the strategies adopted in addressing the security challenges in the country, adding that the use of dialoque would be appropriate in the present circumstance.

Governor Gabriel Suswan of Benue State, who also spoke at the ceremony, blamed the continued conflict in parts of the country on unguarded statements by people in leadership positions. The governor

lamented that some leaders make statements that hinder peace and cause tension in the country.

According to him, instead of dousing the tension caused by the security challenges in the country, some leaders deliberately take delight in making inflammatory statements that can heighten tension. ''It is high time our leaders at all levels do things that will engender peace in our country. Our leaders should refrain from statements that are capable of further worsening the peace of the country,'' the governor cautioned.

Suswan appealed to the media to help in the process of achieving peace in the country, adding that it is the responsibility of the media to couch what goes out in order not to

overheat the polity. ''Even when a leader makes an inflammatory statement, the Press should be mindful of how it is presented, so that it will not lead to crisis. The Press should avoid misrepresentation of leaders’ views. When this is done, it causes misunderstanding between the leader and the led, thereby leading to crisis in the society.''

Suswam, who was the chairman of the ceremony, stated that the security challenges require a collective solution.

Thirty five students received Professional diploma in Peace and Conflict resolution, while the governors of Benue, Imo, Niger and Rivers were honoured with the fellowship of the institute.

WILLIAMS

I formerly known and addressed as Miss. Williams Naomi, now wish to be known as Mrs. Gbiagbia Naomi. All former documents remain valid. General

OKON

I formerly known and addressed as Miss. Veronica Andem Okon, now wish to be known as Mrs.Veronica Charles Boniface.

All former documents remain valid. General public please take

OGBONNA

I formerly known and addressed as Miss.Victoria Goodluck Ogbonna, now wish to be known as Mrs. Victoria Goodluck Ifeanyichukwu. All former documents remain valid. General CONFIRMATION OF NAME Izokun Sunday Imeokparia and Imeopkaria Sunday refers to one and the same person. I now wish to be known as Mr. Sunday Imeokparia. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

CONFIRMATION OF NAME Njoku Oke Odum and Godwin Oke Odum. refers to one and the same person, I now wish to be known as Godwin Oke Odum. All former documents remain valid. General public please note.

OGBONNA

I formerly known and addressed as Miss.Victoria Goodluck Ogbonna, now wish to be known as Mrs. Victoria Goodluck Ifeanyichukwu. All former documents remain valid. General

GUDUGBA We, hereby changed our family name GUDUGBA now wish to be known and addressed as OBALE STEPHEN,JESSE, OBALE, REBECCA OBALE, JOSHUA OBALE, MARY OBALE. All former documents remain valid. NYSC and general public please take note.

DANIEL I,formerly known and addressed ADEMUWAGUN ADEOLU DANIEL, now wish to be known and addressed as ADEMUWAGUN ADEOLU ABIDEMI. All former documents remain valid. General public please

SOWOLE

I, formerly known and addressed Miss SOWOLE ABOLANLE OLUBUNMI now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. ADEMUWAGUN TEMILADE ABOLANLE. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

Over 200, 000 farmers get rice seedlings in Q1

AJIBADE

I, formerly known and addressed Miss Ajibade Hannah Oluwashola now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Olaosebikan Hannah Oluwashola. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

By Ibrahim Apekhade Yusuf

O

VER 200,000 farmers across the country are expected to benefit from the new variety of rice in the first quarter of the year, The Nation has learnt.

Speaking with The Nation from Abuja last night, Dr Olumuyiwa Osiname, the Rice Value Chain team leader, confirmed that “Over 7, 000 metric tonnes of rice seedlings of new varieties to cover about 200 hectares, is to gradually replace the old variety. We are sure the farmers will make the best use of the seedlings to boost rice production this year.”

Osiname, who identified two improved rice varieties as upland and lowland or irrigated systems, stressed that the irrigated rice was considered as one of the most promising as it produces the highest yield per hectare of all the rice systems.

He said that total rice production expected under the Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA) by 2015 was 5.1 million tonnes of milled rice.

“When the 5.1 million tonnes is added to about 1.3 million tonnes being produced by farmers who did not join the ATA, the total national production of milled rice will amount to 6.4 million tones.”

Meanwhile, the ministry has entered into an agreement with the Nexim Bank and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to bring in 100 rice mills from China later this year.

The mills, it was learnt, will be strategically located in all the states in the country with each state getting at least two rice mills. The first 40 mills will be installed before June 2013.

CHANGE OF NAME

ONAGBOLA

I, formerly known and addressed Miss Onagbola Mosunmola Lola now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Adewusi Mosunmola Lola. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

•Ogun State governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, acknowledging cheers from traders during his visit to Itoku Market in Abeokuta...yesterday

Benue lawmaker escapes death

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HE Minority Whip of the Benue House of Assembly, Hon. Terkimbir Ikyange, narrowly escaped death yesterday in Makurdi during a fire outbreak in his residence.

But his posh cars, a Ranger Rover SUV 2006 model and a Toyota Avensis, were burnt to ashes in his new GRA residence in Markurdi.

Narrating the unfortunate incident to newsmen, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) member representing Ushongo constituency, said he was attracted by the fire around 1am.

Before his family and members could do much, he said his two vehicles were completely burnt to ashes.

The arrival of fire fighters, he said, stopped the inferno from spreading to the main building.

Ikyange dismissed insinuations that the fire might have been ignited from one of the engines, insisting none of them was on during the incident.

The lawmaker attributed

From Uja Emmanuel, Makurdi

the incident to the handiwork of arsonists and political opponents.

The Speaker of the Assembly, Barrister Terhile Ayua, who led other lawmakers on a sympathy visit to the residence, also condemned the attack, which he described as an attempt to stop the lawmakers from doing their job.

He said the House

would wait for the outcome of police investigation into the matter before taking the next line of action.

The Publicity Secretary of ACN in Benue, Hon. Titus Zam, called on the State Police Command to fish out the arsonists.

Aregbesola, yesterday called on South West governors to preserve the Yoruba cultural and traditional artefacts.

He spoke during a sympathetic visit to the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, on the fire outbreak that ravaged his palace last week.

Aregbesola said Alaafin should call all Yoruba leaders to a meeting with a view to mapping out strategies on how to construct a fireproof

EGUNTOLA I, formerly known and addressed Miss Eguntola Adeola Busayo now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Adediran Adeola Busayo..

All former documents remain valid. General public please take

SALAMI I, formerly known and addressed Miss Bunmi Zainab Salami now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Zainab Salami-Ayinde.

All former documents remain valid. NYSC and general public please take note.

•Ikyange

Aregbesola seeks preservation of Yoruba case half of their artefacts to SUN State Governor, artefacts the world, the race would be Ogbeni Rauf

O

IYIOLA I, formerly known and addressed Miss Iyiola Sadia now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Adedokun Haleemah. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

structure around the ancient artefacts.

The governor, who described the incident as sad and shocking, said efforts should be made to ensure that none of them should be exposed to destruction by any circumstance.

He described the ancient Alaafin palace as the emblem of the Yoruba race and Alaafin the custodian of Yoruba culture, tradition and artefacts.

The governor added that if the Yorubas should show-

celebrated as one of the forerunners of the world civilisations.

He said: “It is a very sad incident. The stable of Alaafin should not get burnt, let alone the palace where every object has connection to Yoruba history.

“Well-meaning Yoruba people must come together to do whatever is necessary to forestall similar occurrence. It is high time for Yorubas to protect the symbols of our cultural heritage.”

OTU : I, formerly known and addressed as MISS OTU ONYEKACHI HILDA now wish to be known and addressed as MRS OBI ONYEKACHI HILDA. All former documents remain valid.

CARISTAS UNIVERSITY ENUGU, NYSC and the general public take note.

OFUANI

I formerly known as Suzzie Onyeka Ofuani now wish to be known as Mrs Suzzie Onyeka Oyakhire.

Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies and general public should take note. All other documents remain valid. General Public take note.

JAM

I formerly known and addressed as Mrs. Jam Hembadoon Martha, now wish to be known and addressed as Ms Wase Hembadoon Martha. All former documents remain valid. Federal Inland Revenue Service, GT Bank, UBA, University of Mkar and the general public should take note.

NEWS REVIEW

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY JANUARY 13, 2013

•Site of the traffic logjam in Onitsha

•The deteriorating bridge In Onitsha, Anambra State

•The Onitsha gridlock Are all these vehicles based in Nigeria, or are they from the moon?” The overwhelmed Unit Commander, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Onitsha, Mr Anthony Chukwuemeka Metah, exclaimed as he and his men battled to control the chaotic traffic on the Niger Bridge in Onitsha last Monday.

One could easily understand his frustrations: The sheer number of vehicles - cars, buses, trucks, trailers etcetera, all snarled up would have overwhelmed even the most dedicated highway managers. Add to that the sheer volume of commuters - traders, and holiday makers from various communities in the East - many stranded for hours and many more milling around, searching for transportation, in their bid to rush back to their areas of domicile to resume work and recoup their finances now that Christmas and New Year festivities were over.

Metah told The Nation, “The traffic is still heavy but we are battling to control it. It is indeed hectic and unbearable. We have been here since Christmas.”

He said, “Everybody in the east, including Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Edo and other states decided to travel today so that they can resume work on Monday.

So, everybody is desperate to get to their workplaces and the only exit window in the entire East, West and even Abuja is the Onitsha Bridge.”

Even as at that Monday - days after the festivities were over - the jam that resulted from the gridlock still stretched from Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu gateway, through the army barracks in Onitsha, right down to the Niger Bridge and then across Asaba, Delta State.

Men of the FRSC were hard at work for days and nights, particularly on the traffic-laden Niger Bridge; especially with fears spreading among travellers that the bridge could collapse

“

Dark clouds over River Niger Bridge There are fears of a possible collapse of the Niger Bridge as over one million vehicles have passed through the bridge in the pre and post-Christmas rush. Odogwu Emeka Odogwu in Nnewi reports. under the weight of the heavy traffic if care was not taken.

The jam provided the perfect setting for hoodlums to harass and steal from hapless travellers.

Unit commander Metah confirmed that, indeed, incidences of minor criminality were recorded as a couple of commuters had their phones snatched by criminals who disappeared into the night.

Many passengers stayed for more than 22 hours before they could cross the bridge; commercial cyclists used the opportunity to increase fares. It cost our reporter N300.00 on ‘okada’ to cross from Upper Iweka to Bridge Head, which ordinarily would have cost less than N50.00.

To carry stranded passengers from Bridge Head to Asaba toll gate jumped from N30 to N100. The fare from Onitsha to Lagos was hiked from N2, 500 to N4,050, while Onitsha to Benin increased by about 60 percent. Everything was chaotic.

There were indeed early warnings of what was to come days before Christmas. Back then, queues were already forming.

Traders, shoppers making last minute purchases at the popular Onitsha Market and holiday makers coming in and out of town had a hectic time passing through Niger Bridge, in spite of the increased patrol of the men of the FRSC.

The gridlock began to form the following Saturday as travellers started making their way back to their bases. This prompted the Anambra State FRSC Sector Commander, Mr Hyginus Omeje, to embark on a “rescue the Niger Bridge mission”. He led his men from Awka, Nnewi, Ihiala and Igboukwu to unlock the gridlock at Onitsha and left around 10 p m. Indeed, it took the combined efforts of FRSC and all the security agencies, including the army in the state, to contain the situation.

Metah told The Nation then, “What we have here is go slow and not hold up. Vehicles are moving slowly but progressively.”

But that wasn’t all. He said, “We decided to make the Niger Bridge a one-way route to avoid too much load on the bridge that could lead to a collapse.” Indeed, there were fears everywhere that the bridge was weak and could collapse under too much load.

There is also this general contention that the bridge is so bad that two vehicles cannot pass at the same time. It even shakes when heavy truck full of load passes on it. “We all know it’s the only gateway to the East, at least until a second Niger Bridge is in place.

“We came up with the oneway traffic idea because if there is multiple-lanes traffic, and a lock

jam forms on the bridge, nobody knows what could happen. And should a truck break down somewhere in the middlle, considering that the bridge is the one mobility exit corridor from Onitsha from the numerous entry points, that would be a serious matter. We will all be in trouble if this bridge locks up. So the ‘one-way’ thing was a traffic management approach.”

Secretary, Awka North Local Government Area, Hon. Paul Nnatuanya, who was among the commuters, blamed the traffic jam on people driving against traffic - “people who behave like animals.” He urged road users to be civil on the highway and obey traffic rules.

But, more importantly, he called on the Federal Government to start the construction of the second Niger Bridge without further delay. As he added, “This will enable commuters who have nothing to do in Onitsha pass through Ogbaru –Ihiala and go their ways rather than causing confusion in Onitsha.”

The Nation investigations reveal that the Federal Government had on August 3, 2005 awarded a contract for the rehabilitation of the Niger Bridge at a cost of N2.4 billion. In spite of the work done, however, the need for another gateway to the East has been overwhelming. To address this, the then President of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun

Obasanjo, flagged off construction of a second Niger Bridge at the cost of N58.6b shortly before leaving office, but no work has been done at the ground breaking site till date. The plan had actually been in the pipeline since the defunct administration of the military president, General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida.

President Goodluck Jonathan had on August 30, 2012 promised that work will commence on the project in March this year, via the commitment of the sure-P investment. He disclosed that the loan will have a 10-year grace and 40-year repayment periods respectively, with zero interest.

The president also reiterated his commitment to the project during his presidential visit to Anambra State last October.

Last week, former Abia State Governor, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, after witnessing the suffering of Nigerians travelling through the bridge, joined in the appeal to President Jonathan, even urging him to come to Onitsha to witness traffic mess himself to enable him take action quickly.

Dr Kalu went down memory lane to show that where there’s a will, there is always a way. “It took took two years to construct the Eko Bridge in Lagos after Carter Bridge suffered a serious structural problem in 1957.

“Major repairs were carried out on Carter Bridge in 1957, but it was obvious another bridge was needed to ease heavy traffic in Lagos. Government moved fast;

by December 1, 1965 work officially commenced on a new bridge. By December 17, 1967, it was ready. Since 1980, it has been hectic crossing the Niger.”

Kalu added. “It took Nigeria about 10 million pounds to complete Eko Bridge in 1967.

Although government got a loan of six million pounds from German Bank Kreditanstalt Fur Wiederaufban, more money was spent to build 58 high-rise homes to accommodate those who lost their houses on the Lagos Island, about 12,000 persons. I am sure we are going to see the same treatment across the Niger.”

The FRSC Unit Commander in Onitsha opined that if 5 percent of people crossing the Niger Bridge have an alternative, there wouldn’t be such a problem. “I can tell you that the consultative census of vehicles that pass this bridge since morning is more than 1 million.”

In his own statement, a senior staff of Chisco Motors Limited, Mr. Iyke Azubike, appealed to the federal government “to come to our rescue before something horrible happens on that wonder bridge.”

The festive period is over for now, but there are more to come in the years ahead. The experiences of travellers heading in and out of Eastern Nigeria on the last Saturday, Sunday and Monday of 2012 cannot be easily forgotten. It may even cause a phobia of the annual homecoming the Ndigbo is known for.

There are only two ways to ensure there is no encore (or even something worse) in 2013. The first is for road users to learn how to exercise patience and obey traffic rules. The second is for the federal government to live up to its responsibility and h onour President Jonathan’s promise to flag off the construction of the second Niger Bridge in March this year.

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY, JANUARY 13, 2013

News Review/World

Demonstrators rally in support of Iraqi government

S

HIITE demonstrators took to the streets in Iraq's capital yesterday to show support for Prime Minister Nouri alMaliki's government, which has faced angry protests in Sunni provinces in a sign of growing sectarian tensions.

Under tight security measures, about 2,000 people took part in the rally held in downtown Baghdad, some holding pictures of the Shiite prime minister. They reject Sunni calls to abolish a tough anti-terrorism law and another law banning former members of the disbanded Baath party from holding government jobs.

Some of the protesters raised banners reading "The aim of Anbar protests is to divide Iraq," and "We support al-Maliki."

Others held aloft posters denouncing fugitive Sunni vice president Tariq al-Hashemi as a "lord of sectarianism."

Members of Iraq's Sunni minority, in the western province of Anbar and other Sunni parts of the country, have been holding large demonstrations for the past three weeks to protest what they call discrimination by the Shiiteled government.

The Sunni protests began last month following the arrests of bodyguards assigned to Finance Minister Rafia al-Issawi, one of the central government's most senior Sunni officials.

French troops drive back Mali rebels F RENCH airstrikes overnight in Mali drove back Islamic rebels from a key city and destroyed a militant command center, the French defense minister said yesterday.

The al-Qaida-linked militants, who have carved out their own territory in the lawless desert region of northern Mali over the past nine months, recently pressed closer to a major base of the Malian army, dramatically raising the stakes in the battle for the vast West African nation.

"The threat is a terrorist state

at the doorstep of France and Europe," said French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian.

The French operation, which started Friday in the former French colony, came after an appeal for help from Mali's president.

A French special forces helicopter pilot was killed in the fighting, which involved hundreds of French troops and overnight airstrikes on three rebel targets, said Le Drian. He said a rebel command center

outside the key city of Konna was destroyed.

A military official in Mali said Islamist militants were driven out of Konna, but that the city captured by the extremists earlier this week was not yet under government control.

"We are doing sweeps of the city to find any hidden Islamist extremist elements," said Lt. Col. Diarran Kone. "The full recovery of the city is too early to determine as we do not yet control the city, and we remain

Passenger delivers baby aboard flight over Armenia

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passenger has given birth aboard a plane flying over Armenia and named her daughter after one of the flight attendants who helped with the delivery.

The birth of the healthy baby occurred yesterday, two hours before the Armavia airline flight landed in Yerevan, Armenia's capital, after a long flight from Siberia.

Flight attendant Asmik Gevondyan said she noticed that 31year-old passenger Armina Babayan appeared to be in labor and organized the delivery conducted by her and her colleagues.

"All of our crew helped to deliver the baby," Gevondyan told The Associated Press.

Babayan, who had claimed to be 6-and-a-half-months pregnant during check-in, named her first child Asmik, local television reported.

Israel PM blocks roads to Palestinian tent site

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SRAELI Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has closed roads leading to a West Bank site in preparation to evacuate Palestinians who pitched tents there to protest plans to build a Jewish settlement.

Netanyahu's office said yesterday the state is petitioning the Supreme Court to rescind an earlier injunction blocking the evacuation.

In the meantime, he ordered the area declared a closed military zone and shut off access.

Palestinian activists erected tents in the area known as E-1 on Friday saying they wanted to "establish facts on the ground" to stop settlement building.

Critics say E-1 would be a major blow to Palestinian statehood hopes as it blocks east Jerusalem from its West Bank hinterland. Palestinian want these areas, along with Gaza, for the future state.

•:Children hold up signs as they join a protest in response to French military action in Mali outside the French embassy in central London yesterday.

AFP Photo

Commando killed in raid to free hostage the media.

French commando raid in Allex was kidnapped from a in Somalia Somalia to free a captive Le Drian said the operation in hotel in Mogadishu, Somalia, on

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intelligence agent ended in the deaths of 17 Islamists and a French soldier. France said the hostage also died in the failed rescue, but the man's captors denied he had been killed and claimed yesterday to have seized a second soldier.

Confusion surrounded early reports of the botched rescue of the French agent, known by his codename Denis Allex. He was captured in the east African country on July 14, 2009, and last seen in a video released in October pleading for the French president to help him.

But it was clear that a dangerous raid the French defense minister said was planned with the utmost of care had gone horribly wrong.

French Defense Minister JeanYves Le Drian said Allex was killed by his captors and that one French soldier was missing and one dead, along with 17 Islamists. The Defense Ministry earlier said two commandos were killed in the fighting in the Somali town of Bulomarer.

"It was an extremely dangerous mission," Le Drian said.

"Everything indicates Denis Allex was killed."

The militant Islamist group alShabab, which held Allex for more than three years, said yesterday that he remained alive and in its custody, as was a new captive - a French commando wounded in fighting.

Somalia was unrelated to the French offensive overnight in Mali to drive back Islamist militants in the west African country. There are seven French hostages in Mali.

Residents of Bulomarer described hearing explosions and gunfire from what they called an alShabab base. An al-Shabab official said that fighting began after helicopters dropped off French soldiers.

"Five helicopters attacked a house in the town. They dropped soldiers off on the ground so that they could reach their destination ... but fighting has broken out," he said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to

July 14, 2009 with a colleague who later escaped. They were in Somalia to train government forces, which are fighting Islamist militiamen.

In October, French President Francois Hollande pledged to "use all means" to contact "anyone who can help free our hostages."

In 2009, a Frenchman held hostage by pirates off the Somali coast was killed in the crossfire during a commando rescue on his captive sailboat. The man's family was rescued.

And in 2011, two French hostages kidnapped in Niger were killed by their captors as French troops closed in for a rescue.

Kenya president rejects lavish pay for legislators

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ENYA's President has vetoed legislation in which members of parliament gave themselves a hefty send-off package in a late-evening vote on the last day of session before national elections.

Mwai Kibaki yesterday ordered the attorney general to redraft the law to make it compliant with the constitution. The bill adopted Wednesday would give each parliamentarian a nearly $110,000 bonus. The average yearly salary in Kenya is about $1,700.

The package would also provide legislators with an armed guard, a diplomatic passport, and access to the VIP lounge at Kenyan airports and state funerals. The law was also giving Kenya's president, vice president and prime minister hefty retirement packages. But the Salaries and Remuneration Commission said it was unconstitutional for legislators to set their own pay under the constitution the country adopted in 2010.

vigilant."

Sanda Abu Mohammed, spokesman for Islamist group Ansar Dine, told The Associated Press he could not confirm if his fighters were still in Konna. "I cannot tell you if our fighters are still in the city of Konna or if they are not, because since yesterday afternoon I have not had contact with them as the telephone network has been down in this zone," Mohammed said yesterday.

Al-Qaida's affiliate in Africa has been a shadowy presence for years in the forests and deserts of Mali where most citizens adhere to a moderate form of Islam.

In recent months, however, the terrorist group and its allies have taken advantage of political instability, taking territory they are using to stock weapons and train forces.

Turbaned fighters control major towns in the north, carrying out amputations in public squares just as the Taliban did. And as in Afghanistan, they are flogging women for not covering up. Since taking control of Timbuktu, they have destroyed seven of the 16 mausoleums listed as world heritage sites.

French President Francois Hollande said the "terrorist groups, drug traffickers and extremists" in northern Mali "show a brutality that threatens us all." He vowed that the operation would last "as long as necessary."

France said it was taking the action in Mali at the request of President Dioncounda Traore, who declared a state of emergency because of the militants' advance.

Holland has said the operation is aimed in part at protecting the 6,000 French citizens in Mali, where seven of them already are being held captive.

ECOWAS authorises immediate deployment of troops

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HE Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS has ``decided to authorise the immediate deployment of troops to Mali, a statement said in Abuja on Saturday. The statement by the Chairman, ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State, President Alassane Ouattara, said measures would be taken to implement the decision to assist the Malian Army to defend the nation's territorial integrity.

It said the chairman took the decision in consultation with his peers and in conformity to Resolution 2085 of the UN Security Council. The statement said the deployment was ``within the AFISMA framework'' and added that ECOWAS was committed to support the Malian Government to tackle its security crisis. ` `The authority recalls its previous decisions on Mali and reaffirms its commitment to support the Malian Government in overcoming the security crisis. ``It shall hold responsible any individual or group threatening national cohesion and the decisions of ECOWAS and the African Union," the statement said.

It called on the transitional authority to expedite action on the establishment of an agency responsible for political dialogue with rebel groups that renounced terrorism and violence in Mali.

It expressed gratitude to the African Union, UN, partner countries and the international community for their efforts aimed at stabilising the situation in Mali.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, JANUARY 13, 2013

News Review/Worldview

•Crowds of people filled the streets surrounding a still burning Lome Grand Marche (''Lome Big Market'') yesterday in Lome. Several people entered the burning to save their goods.

•Pope Benedict XVI (C) talks to Prince Albert II of Monaco and his wife Princess Charlene yesterday during a private audience at Vatican.

AFP PHOTO

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AFP Photo

•African National Congress (ANC) supporters peform a "toyi toyi" dance during a event commemorating the 101st birthday of the ANC party in Durban yesterday.

AFP Photo

•:Kenya's Deputy Prime Minister and Jubilee Alliance presidential candidate Uhuru Kenyatta addresses yesterday’s political rally at Uhuru park in Nairobi. Kenyatta, •: Protesters clash with the riot police during a demonstration in Athens yesterday. Several thousand whose trial for crimes against humanity over post-election violence five years ago people demonstrated in Athens to protest recent police operations against squatters in public is due to begin in April, launched his campaign for president on January 12 by AFP PHOTO buildings that have been condemned by the opposition.

AFP Photo warning against foreign interference.

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News Review/World

N empire's demise comes in unscripted, nonlinear steps. Unforeseen events and competitor nations arise to challenge the imperial seat. When guided by figures touched with the spirit that gave it greatness, the empire casts aside adverse events and rivals with singular purpose.

At the empire's most fecund stages, a political consensus exist that all other interests are subservient to the imperatives of collective greatness. No deed, from the noblest to the tawdriest, is outside the ken of the empire's architects so long as the deed serves the empire. Every empire is built on equal parts heroism and crime because no empire comes without the taking of another's possessions or life. A saint cannot erect a worldly empire; for he will love his foes not crush them. Nor can the abject madman because his endless folly will turn to defeat any victories gained. Building an empire requires a statesman capable of being saint or sinner depending on the situation. By creating an empire, the leader bequeaths more than wealth and power to his successors. It is for them to launder history by bleaching pristine his scarlet deeds; he also gives them the comfort of power and wealth whereby they can afford to act more humanely in maintaining the rare thing they have inherited than he did in building it.

Paradoxically, things never work as planned. The dynamics of imperial institutions eventually places the empire in the hands of those incapable of maintaining it. Success turns the political culture into a lathe of arrogance.

Greed and ambition become high morality. Virtue and honesty are banished from secular practice. Money comes to count for everything because it can buy anything, including the souls and minds of society's great men. Nothing that can be done without money is worth doing. A few great men and women still exist but none participate in governance. Those who govern are neither great nor evil. They are not sufficiently profound or possessed of an unshakable vision to be either. They are more interested in position and title than in achievement. The deeds that interest them are the ones that gain entrance into valued realty not the ones that gain entrance into history's ledger. They would rather cut a bad compromise than stand for right.

These leaders preside over the slow leveling of a great edifice. The reduction happens so gradually and in such minute increments that no one involved realizes the descent. They believe things shall be as they always were. They see no great problems, so they take no warnings. They are sober, unimaginative figures who do not rock the boat because they never realize they are at sea. Impervious to the debt they owe history, they believe they own history.

As such, they study nothing and understand even less. Their wisdom consists of their prejudices and ignorant notions of other nations and peoples.

Success has giddied them. A fatal turn of perspective is had. No longer do the empire's leaders satisfy their personal ambitions within the context of the empire's progress. The mindset shifts to exploring how the empire can satisfy the leaders' selfish aims. They confuse being powerful with being all powerful. Thus, the treasury is squandered on wars in distant places of little consequence. The state becomes highly militarized. The people become inured to war. It becomes a national pastime much like organized sports. The more militarized the state, the less real its democracy and more imbalanced its economy.

Yet, no true threat really exists.

Living without a genuine mortal threat, internal unity weakens. Competing elites see each other as enemies.

They spend more time bickering than in sanitizing the body politic of the rot that may ultimately lay them low. A glittery decay sets in. Termites busy themselves at the woodwork. The mirror becomes a sword. The vast empire ceases being an extraordinary singularity. It fissures into a multiplicity of haggling constituencies led by lackluster personages. Inertia sustains the empire for a time but grandeur eventually fades. Because the leaders are below par builders and visionaries, they can't save the empire by reviving the spirit upon which it was built. Instead, they summon real and

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, JANUARY 13, 2013

AMERICA'S NEW FOREIGN POLICY TEAM

More of the same toward Africa and the black world •An empire is its greatest enemy.

•Obama

•Jonathan

BRIAN BROWNE

imagined enemies to fight; they seek to lead through fear instead of inspiration.

The military is called the save the empire where no danger exists.

Those in charge see themselves as different and superior to other people.

They can no longer listen or learn. They believe what they want has the force of right and of law. But all it has is the force of force. They have inserted themselves into an unwinnable paradox. A durable empire is based on a balancing of interests between the center and the periphery. Thus, an empire that despises the diverse people under its umbrella is an empire in search of its own undoing.

Against this backdrop, President Obama's new foreign policy team must be weighed. While disavowing imperial proclivities, American politicians' frequent references to America as the "lone superpower" and the "indispensable nation" has but one meaning.

America expends more on its military than all other nations combined.

America has a military installation in most nations. If this is not imperial, than nothing is.

Senator John Kerry is the nominee to replace Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Clinton's popularity surpassed her effectiveness. She travelled much but accomplished little. The world is no better than when she took office. The thrust of foreign policy remains in the talons of the military and intelligence combine mainly populated by hawkish conservatives who would rather destroy than dialogue with an adversary. Clinton was just the application of a liberal face to Prussian foreign policy. She was a glorified public relations officer. The oft dour Kerry will make the same pitch but with significantly less charm. Above all, he is an establishment man who will not ask even small questions about big matters. He'd rather excite himself by asking big questions about small matters.

Former Senator Chuck Hagel is the Defense Secretary nominee. Like his predecessor, Hagel is a moderate Republican. He is more cautious on Iran and more willing to see defense budget cuts than any known Republican since Abraham Lincoln. This moderation will estrange him to the uniforms in the Pentagon. These bureaucratically canny generals will make Hagel an outcast in the very department he is to run. The generals and the immense martial infrastructure atop which they sit will have their way. Hagel will make a decision but the generals will bury it then do as they please. Hagel will be powerless to stop them. They will salute him yet detest him all the while.

These underwhelming appointments signify that policy toward Africa will remain at low ebb. During his first term, President Obama kept Africa at arm's length. He treated it like the ambitious man does the bumptious country cousin who pops up unexpectedly at the boss's cocktail party. Afraid of being criticized as a radical, Obama did everything he to run away from things black, short of jumping out of his skin. Most observers state President Bush was more engaged and humanitarian on Africa than Obama. For once, conventional wisdom is right. Since the tact proved successful there is no reason why Obama would shift.

The contours of Obama's approach toward sub-Saharan Africa are seen even in the western hemisphere. Beyond the bland indifference toward Black America, just look at Haiti. That nation is an African microcosm that was cargoed to the Antilles. Although it sits at America's doorstep, the welfare of its people is that of the Congo. Haiti's leadership is a motley collection of factotums to American interests but that avails nothing. So long after the devastating earthquake, the displaced still live in the same conditions that existed the week after the

tribulation. Although former President Clinton is the UN's coordinator for Haitian relief, he attracts no criticism for this dismal condition. In truth, Clinton struts about more like the American pro-consul than like a humanitarian. He has registered more progress in turning north Haiti into a resort of the rich and an industrial camp where American textile companies can open factories exploiting desperate Haitians at indecent wages.

Haiti sits atop significant but dormant oil and gas reserves because the United States has determined exploration is not in condign for the time being.

Haiti seems accursed. This is not so. It merely suffers the consequences of the sentence imposed on it for having the temerity to declare itself an independent black republic some two centuries ago.

What Haiti now eats Africa will soon taste.

The cornerstone of America's African policy is AFRICOM. While AFRICOM started under his predecessor, the Obama's indifference to the black world has allowed the military to give AFRICOM greater push.

AFRICOM attempts to establish a large, permanent American military presence on African soil. Its purported reason -- to help Africa build democracy -- is laughable. A tumescent military is an internal threat to American democracy. Under the war on terror, the military and intelligence communities pressured the civilian establishment into legislation giving both the military and intelligence agencies unprecedented power to surveil, detain and kill citizens without recourse to judicial protection. It makes little sense that these institutions threatening democracy at home would nourish it abroad.

America's Africa policy has two cynical objectives. First, the flow of natural resources to western economies must be safeguarded. This has adverse ramifications. African industrialization conflicts with American interests and thus American will do what it can to discourage this approach to economic development.

Second, America wants to ensure that terrorists groups don't attain the capacity to harm the American homeland.

The objective is to contain terrorism not end it. The American people want terrorism ended but the vast, lucrative condominium of military power sees things differently. In perpetual war, there are perpetual profits. Victory ends the funding banquet. Victory over terrorism

would bring two defeats. The first one would be that of the terrorists. The second would be that to the expansion of the military. Thus, the military wants the threat tamed but also alive to keep afraid the America's civilian leadership.

This way, military funding remains at high velocity; the military's influence in government grows like weeds in the untended garden.

Consequently, American never resolves nor retreats from chronic troubled spots. Somalia is as it has been. Congo is as it has been. Sudan has been split in two and now both sides are ready to lunge at the other's throat in a moment's notice. The insecurity attendant to the partition has put the Chinese on their heels. America now encroaches where China thought it had economic suzerainty. Oil is discovered in Uganda.

America increases military aid and deploys Special Forces to find Joseph Kony's Lord Resistance Army. Yet, they can't find the jungle prophet because they are not looking for him. They would rather he exist because he brightens the halo of danger. The true reason for this and similar missions are to keep danger at the right level so that rival mining interests are deterred and pro-American one feel secure enough to work.

The American military now rehashes in Africa its escapades in Latin America decades ago. That experiment ended badly. Latin American militaries grew too mean and overconfident because of their American benefactors. Democracy was either beaten or blackmailed in the process.

The permanent deployment of a superior foreign military on African soil means trouble and less independence.

For the foreign military to benefit Africa, it would have to place Africa's interests above those of its home nation.

This is impossible, particularly given that the American military already exalts its special interests above those of the nation it is meant to serve. The more African governments rely on foreign militaries for their stability is the more they forfeit independence. A nation's domestic and foreign policies becomes dictated from abroad. Leaders of such nations are in danger of becoming glorified stenographers copying what others have told them.

This is particularly true given the nature of the current American government and military. America is a strong but uneasy empire seeking to reassert itself with a strong hand. American democracy has ossified to the point where only moneyed elites influence matters.

The two richest and most powerful elites are Money Power and the military complex. Both are highly conservative and both disdain for representative democracy. Money Power constitutes the government behind the government. The military complex constitutes the government within the government. Neither is government by the people. Both are governments that bypass the people.

Nominally, President Obama sits atop the perch. However, he did not rise to the top as the head of a reformist movement. He got there by making a pact with the status quo. Being perceived as pro-black would break the pact he signed. In the end, he is a constrained, moderate leader of an imperial power working toward preserving its interests which are basically to return to the power relationships with Africa that existed two-three decades ago.

Thus, Africa should expect no great succor from him by way of policies that would promote equitable economic development. In turn, Africa should not let the imperialists exploit Obama's heritage as a device to outmaneuver Africa on its own soil. Africa must stand and think for itself for it does not have a brother in the White House. It might not even have a reliable friend there. All you can be sure of is that the empire will continue to grind away to get what it wants until such time that the empire has ground itself to dust or some miracle takes place allowing America to recover its better through governance by its more democratic, statesmanlike elements. In the dangerous neighborhood, one should pray for a miracle but prayer should be made with one eye open and the door locked.

08060340825 (sms only)

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COMMENT and ANALYSIS THE NATION ON SUNDAY, JANUARY 13, 2013

PDP civil war and Boko Haram Festus Eriye

Otufodunrin@thenationonlineng.net 08023000621 (SMS only)

Encounter with Kumuyi

efestus2003@yahoo.com

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HE latest skirmishes in what is shaping up to be a full-blown civil war in the ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) ahead the 2015 general elections was headline news all through last week. There was former President Olusegun Obasanjo on CNN pontificating about the Nigerian condition and offering remedies for our many maladies.

Consumed by patriotic zeal, he offered his most hard-hitting critique yet of President Goodluck Jonathan’s management of the Boko Haram insurgency, dismissing it as all stick with nary a carrot in sight. This was the signal for a presidential retort that it needed no “lectures” on how to resolve the conflict. Not the chummiest of exchanges between leading lights of the ruling party!

Baba, as his fans call him, had forgotten that at Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) President, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor’s, 40th anniversary ministry celebrations in Warri, Delta State, he had bragged about how his muscular intervention in Odi, Bayelsa State, broke the backs of pesky Niger Delta militants once and for all.

Those comments were widely, and correctly, interpreted as an endorsement of the firm hand treatment for terrorists, as opposed to Jonathan’s vacillation between force and talk.

To now turn around a couple of weeks later to denounce the president for not trying enough to understand why the Boko Haram killers are so bestial is mischievous – to say the least. It is a pointer that in the looming war ahead in the ruling party truth will not only be an early casualty; logic will also be turned on its head.

Anyone investigating the short history of failed dialogue between the government and the insurgents will find that Jonathan and his administration have been anything but hawkish over the matter. Even in the face of the worst outrages the president was always advocating talks – much to the chagrin of many.

His recent tough talk is not the result of any sort of Damascus Road conversion; it is rather the cul-de-sac into which the government has been pushed by harsh reality.

The fact is nothing has happened in the battle against Boko Haram to make dialogue any more reasonable or plausible at this point. Of course, it is politically correct to back talks, and the advocates of dialogue have tried their best to paint those who take a different view as intemperate, sectional and partisan. Nothing can be farther from the truth.

Dialogue doesn’t just happen: humans are not that reasonable. Combatants only come to the table when they realise that their cause cannot be achieved by force of arms. Sometimes they come to that realisation before the shooting starts; at other times it takes the sight of blood and devastation to bring them back to their senses.

I should also point out that no legitimate government – no matter how peaceloving - will just scurry into talks with every outlaw or pseudo-freedom fighter the minute its authority is challenged. They will only do so when they come to the conclusion that they can no longer impose their will and authority over the territory they control.

Talks with Boko Haram is further com-

Lekan Otufodunrin

•Jonathan

•Obasanjo

plicated by the fact that sect has since fragmented into several factions. Which do you begin to negotiate with? If you cut a deal with one band of goons, will the other faction uphold such an agreement?

In these sorts of matters dialogue can only be a reward for reason, or the consequence of the insurgents proving themselves militarily. They have not done so, and have suffered so many reverses in recent times they have been reduced to carrying out their inhuman killings in isolated villages along the Nigeria-Cameroun border.

They have not done anything that can be vaguely described as reasonable. They could for instance declare a short ceasefire as a window for negotiations. They could also say they will no longer target innocent, unarmed civilians. But they have done nothing of this sort but continue with what Pope Benedict not too long ago referred to as “savage acts of terror” whenever they get a chance.

For me, all talk of dialogue is especially repugnant when the group we are supposed to be talking with has devoted itself to setting the country on fire using sectarian triggers.

Some mischievous commentators have excoriated CAN President, Oritsejafor, in recent times for taking a tough stance against the so-called dialogue. In their desperate bid to appear politically-correct, they miss the point. If they would take off the blinkers from their eyes they may appreciate how a man in his position can take such a stance.

Where else in Nigeria are adherents of any religion being set upon in a deliberate and systematic manner as is happening in the North-East today? Who has heard or been given anything that approaches a rationale for slitting a pastor’s throat before his congregants?

After a series of deadly attacks in June last year, Boko Haram spokesman, Abul

Qaqa, in claiming responsibility said: “We are responsible for the suicide attack on a church in Jos and also another attack on another church in Biu. The Nigerian state and Christians are our enemies and we will be launching attacks on the Nigerian state and its security apparatus as well as churches until we achieve our goal of establishing an Islamic state in place of the secular state.”

If the sect is angry with the government over the killing of its erstwhile leader, Mohammed Yusuf, how do Christians come in? The president at that point was Umaru Yar’Adua – a Muslim.

Some advocates of dialogue at all cost, and by all means, have even reduced the matter to the parochial level of arguing that even more Muslims than Christians have been killed by the sect.

It is easy to play a morbid game of statistics, but silly arguments about which side has more body bags to show will not get us very far. The fact of the matter is this conflict is taking place in northern Nigeria where there are more Muslims than Christians.

When these killers sow their bombs in Kano city, for example, anyone caught in the wrong place at the wrong time would be blown to bits. It wouldn’t matter whether they were carrying a tesbiu or rosary. Those killed become collateral damage in the process of Boko Haram terrorising the community. They didn’t die because the sect launched a war against Muslims.

But there is evidence of deliberate, coordinated murder of Christians in their homes and churches from Borno to Kano to Adamawa. What is happening in the North is sinister; it is evil. It should be stamped out – not coddled. No one suggested dialogue with the Nazis who were exterminating people because of their race and beliefs; no one should suggest that with this sect.

“What is happening in the North is sinister; it is evil. It should be stamped out – not coddled. No one suggested dialogue with the Nazis who were exterminating people because of their race and beliefs; no one should suggest that with this sect”

ASTOR Williams Kumuyi, the General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church, is a man of God in a class of his own. The former university don remains one of the few old time preachers of the gospel and an apostle of holiness whose call to ministry is not in doubt in these days when Church leadership has become an all comers’ affair.

Not for him is the craze for titles, flamboyant lifestyle and other misdemeanour now associated with many who claim to be Church leaders.

While some pastors will go to ridiculous extent to seek cheap publicity, like the current wave of churning out all manners of prophesies to draw attention to themselves, Pastor Kumuyi prefers to keep a low profile and focuses more on the teaching ministry which he believes is his major assignment.

When I met him along with some colleagues on January 5 at the premises of the church headquarters in Ipaja, Lagos, he was his usual very reserved self. Dressed simply in shirt and trousers, Pastor Kumuyi did not jump at the opportunity to make any controversial statement for the sake of it.

He did his best to respond to our questions on various national issues, choosing his words carefully, apparently not because he was afraid of offending anyone but to put the issues in proper perspectives from his own point of view.

I was very interested in his response to why he doesn’t issue yearly prophesies or call to order some pastors who seem to be causing some scare through their sometimes contradictory prophesies. While not dismissing the prophesies since, according to him, God gave Christians various gifts including that of prophesy, Pastor Kumuyi thinks those who engage in this practice should avoid giving ‘situational’ prophesies which are informed by things happening in the country.

He noted that some of the ‘doomsday’ prophesies may not be fulfilled since God is open to supplication from those concerned if indeed the revelations the pastors claimed to have had are true. While there is nothing wrong in warning against any real looming dangers, Pastor Kumuyi would rather Church leaders engage in admonishing the people to abide by God’s word and praying to avert any negative situation.

Contrary to the impression that he is not involved in the activities of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), which has been very vocal about the plight of Christians in the country, and other Christian groups, Pastor Kumuyi said he does this as quietly as he can without getting enmeshed in the politics of running the organisations.

Expectedly, he is worried about the attacks on Christians in the country and wants the government to take necessary steps to protect all citizens irrespective of their religious beliefs. He admits that there is cause to be worried about the state of the general state of the country and urged political office holders to ensure good governance at all levels to improve the standard of living of Nigerians.

Not every Church leader can be like Pastor Kumuyi and they don’t have to be. But if there is anything many of them need to learn from a man like him, it is being humble despite the grace of God on their lives and whatever worldly accomplishments they have to their credit, instead of seeking unnecessary public acclaim.

14

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JANUARY 13, 2013

Comment & Analysis

The road to Igbo presidency Ogochukwu Ikeje ohgeeoh@gmail.com 08084235961 (SMS only)

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FEW things stand in the way of the Igbo man or woman on the road to the presidency. One of them is the taste of power. Its sweetness excites the taste buds, courses through to the brain and flows down the rest of the body. It blinds and deafens and blocks all rationality. From Nigeria’s birth in 1960 to its 53rd anniversary, the Hausa have had the best taste of power at the top, whatever the system of governance. From Tafawa Balewa to Gowon to Murtala to Shagari to Buhari down to all the generals that came after, the North has savoured the taste of federal power more than any other region in the country. But this fact, however, has not dissuaded politicians and power brokers in the region from agitating for another shot at the top in the immediate, even in 2015. There is no shortfall of arguments for the Northern quest, none of which I need go into here. Ndigbo must come to grips with this fact. Put differently, an Igbo man’s ascent to Aso Rock will not come without profound opposition.

Coming a miserable second in the power scheme of things are the Yoruba, one of whom, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, made it to the top first as an army general and then a civilian, giving him pride

Southeast should prepare for the future of place in power longevity. Still, the Obasanjo story does not seem to edify majority of readers from the region, largely because on both occasions of his ride to power, his kinsmen scarcely played any crucial part. The region will be happy to help send another of their own to Abuja in 2015. Ndigbo will do well, too, to note that.

In the tripartite equation of the country, the Southeast brought up the rear.

Since the dawn of the nation, they have had no candidate of their own at the top except the ceremonial presidency of Azikiwe. It hurts. So the Igbo quest for Aso Rock, even in 2015, is legitimate.

Yet, Ndigbo are not the only ones with an eye on power at the centre. The so-called minorities desire the presidency as much as anyone. The Edo, for instance, will not turn down the opportunity if it presents itself. Nor will the

Idoma.

The quest for federal power is strong across the board, though it must be admitted that it is stronger in some parts than in others. But that is not the biggest hurdle in the way of Ndigbo. Their most telling challenge is internal, not external. It is not that other people want to snatch what they are reaching for. It is lame to continue to claim that certain people do not want the Igbo to govern; if any group of people can determine’ the fate of a nation till eternity without any challenge, they will do it. For as some have pointed out, no one relinquishes power easily or willingly. It is too sweet.

The Igbo challenge is incoherence, a malady that is in no way domesticated in the Southeast, but which has continued to harm its people and their legitimate ambitions. There has always been

“Ndigbo must foster unity among themselves and put their best foot forward. While it is impossible for the entire Southeast to vote for one man, it is imperative for their candidate to garner overwhelming support from the region. But he also needs appreciable ballots from other regions. To do that, he must reach out to them and quit posting the miserable, marginalised figure Nigerians are used to”

a superabundance of national leadership material in the region, but at some point you begin to wonder if that is not in itself a problem. There is always the concern that where only one Igbo man is needed, with others backing him up, 10 or more may show up, each with scant support, and none getting the job.

In this circumstance, there is no melody; only cacophony. In national politics, the best they get in this unflattering atmosphere is vice-president.

To go beyond this point, Ndigbo must foster unity among themselves and put their best foot forward. While it is impossible for the entire Southeast to vote for one man (in fact it is even naive to hope for that) it is imperative for their candidate to garner overwhelming support from the region. But it does not end there, for all the votes in Igbo land and none from the other regions cannot take a Southeasterner to Aso Rock. The Igbo presidential aspirant needs appreciable ballots from other regions. To do that, he must reach out to them and quit posting the miserable, marginalised figure Nigerians are used to. The Igbo man must find his voice, his rhythm, his confidence. He must be bold again.

The Igbo aspirant must have a vision for the country he wants to lead and present a well-thought-out plan for its growth. If others before him failed, he must not. His presidency must count, and not just make the statistics.

The quest for federal power must start now but should target beyond 2015.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JANUARY 13, 2013

Comment & Analysis

15

Grave allegations The allegation of a looming government crackdown on opposition figures is alarming because there can be no democracy without a vibrant opposition

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F true, the allegation that the Jonathan Federal Government is plotting a crackdown on key opposition figures should be decried by all. In-built in any democracy is a vibrant opposition. Indeed, while the government is the chief agent of state, the opposition is the soul of any democracy.

This is because the opposition not only criticises and offers alternatives, it also epitomises the idea that government and opposition are two sides of the same coin.

The moment that coin is flipped by the electorate, the government can become opposition and opposition can become government. That equal opportunity access to power is what gives democracy its allure; and that is what ensures political stability, and following from that, economic progress in a modern nation state. Therefore, any threat to democratic opposition is a threat to political stability and economic progress.

It is from this prism then that the allegations by Lai Mohammed, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) national publicity secretary, must be viewed. In a statement published in newspapers on January 9, Alhaji Mohammed alleged that the Jonathan Presidency was plotting a crackdown on key opposition figures: former military Head of State, Major-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, presidential candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) in the 2011 elections, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, national leader of the ACN, the leading opposition party, and an unnamed former security chief.

Their alleged offence? According to Alhaji Mohammed, trying to galvanise a united opposition phalanx to legally wrest power from the federal ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in 2015; and the government’s alleged motive, by the crackdown, was to scuttle this project.

Alhaji Mohammed further alleged that preliminary work in the alleged plot had started in earnest by demonising Tinubu in online publications, and by trying to link Buhari to the Boko Haram insurrection (by his reported nomination by the group to be a go-between between it and the Federal Government), and therefore tar him as a rabid Islamist and anarchist.

Alhaji Mohammed further alleged that the looming swoop would complete the nefarious plot.

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TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM

•Editor Festus Eriye •Deputy Editor Olayinka Oyegbile •Associate Editors Taiwo Ogundipe Sam Egburonu

•Managing Director/ Editor-in-Chief Victor Ifijeh •Chairman, Editorial Board Sam Omatseye •General Editor Kunle Fagbemi

LETTERS

Alhaji Mohammed’s allegations if they are true, pounced on Alhaji Shugaba Darman, Majority Leader in the Borno State House of Assembly, then under the control of the Alhaji Waziri Ibrahim-led Great Nigeria People’s Party (GNPP), and declared him an alien.

Within the virtual twinkle of an eye, Alhaji Shugaba had been bundled across the border into Chad, where the Federal Government of President Shehu Shagari claimed poor Shugaba was native! It took a legal rally by the Awolowo Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) to reverse this political crime against an innocent citizen and restore Shugaba’s citizenship and privileges.

Even in the present republic, Justice Ayo Salami has been a victim of political persecution, simply because he followed the law; and ruled as it directed in rigged gubernatorial polls in Ekiti and Osun states. Though President Goodluck Jonathan prides himself as a ruleof-law president, he has in the Salami case aligned himself with a rule-of-the-jungle temper, by stubbornly refusing to reinstate the innocent jurist, even after the National Judicial Council (NJC) had recommended that Justice Salami be reinstated.

While the cited examples over three republics in a spade of 52 years do not still confirm that Alhaji Mohammed’s allegations are true and that the feared crackdown is inevitable, the examples nonetheless underscore that the crackdown is not an outright impossibility. It is this shred of plausibility, no matter how thin, that should bother all lovers of democracy in Nigeria.

Again, at best, democracy without a sound opposition is a joke; and, at worst, a travesty that might harvest trouble for the republic. So, the sanctity of the opposition cannot be compromised, because it measures the good health of the political system.

That is why it is imperative to warn those accused of the plot to back off, for the sake of all. If the game is played according to the rules, the sky is wide enough for every power bird to fly. The polity must not descend into bestiality, just because the present powersthat-be fancy they can sneak in a temporary but illicit advantage.

That would be the way to political Golgotha, which must be averted by every patriot.

Let change of attitude start with our leaders

T is the leaders who are supposed to show the followers the way to doing things right. For example, if a father is a pathological liar, the children cannot be saints; as they may beat their father in the game of lying. A shining example is when our government officials, governors, commissioners of police, Inspector General of

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The Jonathan administration had not, at the time of going to press, denied this allegation.

In other climes, these charges would look ludicrous: why would a ruling party, in a democracy, swoop on leading opposition figures, for the perfectly legitimate and lawful steps of organising themselves to capture power? Isn’t that what the opposition is guaranteed in a democracy?

However, in the Nigerian peculiar clime of intolerance and perpetual devilish plots in high-stake political battles, nothing can be dismissed – and that tendency did not just start today.

The First Republic (1960-1966) abysmally collapsed because the ruling clique would willy-nilly suppress the opposition. The classic case was the federal ruling Northern People’s Congress (NPC) and allies who planted intra-party insurrection in the Action Group (AG) of Chief Obafemi Awolowo, the Federal Opposition Leader; and sponsored a contrived emergency in the Western Region where the AG was the ruling party.

That crisis, and the fierce resistance by the rump of the AG, started the beginning of the end for that republic.

In the Second Republic (1979-1983), aside from other acts of political intolerance, the ruling National Party of Nigeria (NPN), in an act which clearly would foreshadow

T was in good faith Dr. Orji Kalu, the former governor, and the people of Abia State, threw his weight and support behind Governor T.A. Orji in 2007 on the platform of the Peoples Progressive Party (PPA), having gained experience as a seasoned civil servant and as Chief of Staff under the Orji Kalu administration. No one could have believed that a bureaucrat of that calibre could betray his people by failing to meet their yearnings and aspirations.

Five years into the

Police, e.t.c are travelling from one place to another, their convoys run at very terrific speed that any unfortunate thing that crosses their path perishes. Relatives of persons killed during such recklessness never receive sympathy from these officials. This is what the drivers all over the place emulate. Since our govt of-

ficials who are supposed to know better care less to observe speed limit, how can one blame ordinary drivers who hardly know their left from their right for not keeping to speed limit on our roads?

Change of attitude, I think, should start from the federal government.

How many times has the federal government an-

nounced policy statement concerning the welfare of Nigerians that are not fulfilled? For example, SURE-P which was announced after the protracted subsidy strike of January 2012. The president made promises of palliatives measures to cushion the effect of the increase in fuel price, the promises which include

sharing of buses to states and local govts, low cost housing for the masses and construction of roads e.t.c. Have these promises been fulfilled by the president? Let the change of attitude start from the president himself; he should stop deceiving Nigerians. Attitude being exhibited by Nigerians are copied from their leaders.

Orji: Liberation and legacy indeed!

Orji-led administration, it is no longer news that Abia State is one of the worst states in Nigeria in terms of sustainable development.

The governor’s inability to keep to his campaign promises is a crime against humanity and he has robbed Abians of their rights and privileges. At any forum, his favourite saying is, LIBERATION OF ABIANS and LEGACY PROJECTS. Does the governor know the meaning of liberation? Or is he contradicting himself? His actions

are inconsistent with liberation, rather he promotes oppression. He also claims his projects are legacy projects; perhaps he is talking of leaving a negative legacy by the expiration of his tenure of office.

T.A Orji claims he has liberated Abians. How come he is sharing all the state resources amongst his so called selfish godfathers and cannot take any bold and meaningful decision without recourse to them to the detriment of poor Abians?

He should please note

that his administration has inflicted more pains to Abians; there is a wide incomprehensible gap between the state resources and the level of development in the state.

The woes of the Orji-led administration include but are not limited to bad roads, sack of nonAbians from the state civil service, nonpayment and delay in payment of salaries, abuse of office, political intimidation, poor drainage system, insecurity, dirty environment, high crime rates, etc. Little wonder the gov-

ernor is unable to move freely in the state he governs without the support of military personnel.

In any organised environment, it behoves the government to be concerned with the good affairs of its citizens, but Orji-led government sees this as the last principle of a sustainable development. The government has continued to build hope without anything to show for it for many years since it came on the saddle. The government continues to use tactics of miscarriage of good gov-

The leaders are stealing with pen, the followers are using gun to rob.

What is blown into a trumpet is the tune the trumpet will bring out.

Nigerian leaders should lead well and should stop blaming the followers.

Israel Oyegbile wrote from Sabo Tasha, Kaduna.

ernance as a legacy it will leave for the Abia people.

This strategy defines the government’s ineptitude in serving the people as long as it lasts.( Abians are not particularly comfortable with the new taxation system, whereby proceeds of collection cannot be seen to have been put to use for collective state benefits. It is, therefore, not out of place to say that the government is only interested in the taxes of the citizens and not in the citizens’ welfare.

Ikenna Z. Chiedu writes from Umuahia.

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16

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, JANUARY 13, 2013

Comment & Analysis

On the nation’s unity or uniformity (1) Ropo Sekoni ropo.sekoni @thenationonlineng.net

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HERE is a trend in our country’s political discourse that is not receiving adequate attention. Northern leaders and sociocultural organiSations are leading a debate that is dangerous for the country’s unity but to which other segments of the country are paying too little attention. Spokesmen for the north are parading themselves as the sole protector of our federation’s unity.

Since the exit of military dictatorship and the advent of civilian rule, northern political and cultural spokesmen have occupied themselves with strange definitions of unity in a federal system.

For example, Arewa Consultative Forum has been clear in its opposition to calls for a sovereign national conference to write a new constitution that reflect the wishes and desires of the peoples of our federal republic. Since the beginning of post-military rule and imposition of the 1999 Constitution by the last military dictator, ACF has affirmed that there is no problem with the current constitution that other regions have asked to be replaced with a people’s constitution.

On calls for devolution of power to states, ACF has been un-

Femi Orebe femi.orebe @thenationonlineng.net 08056504626 (sms only)

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OURTESY Dele Babatunde, a highly regarded former President of then University of Ife, Ile-Ife, Students’ Union and Victor Oladokun’s friend and contemporary at the university, I have been able to exchange pleasantries with the latter since last week’s article in this column.

Victor must, however, be disappointed that Fola Aiyegbusi’s reaction to the article, far beyond my earnest hopes, had been archetypical, though certainly not enough to vitiate our high hopes for the country in 2013 and beyond.

Wrote Fola: ‘Sir, without prejudice to the concluding part of your article, and while your comments are in line with my own thoughts, I would rather say Victor’s messages are a ‘mirage’.

For the Southwest, it could look more like it; but at the federal government level, with President Jonathan at the helms, it is impossible. It is absolutely clear that he lacks the will: political, moral, or religious, to make a difference. Like I always say, Buhari/ idiagbon exhibited these qualities in ‘84/85 and Nigerians followed. Let the attitudinal change campaign start this time again from the very top, and then we can be hopeful’’.

On the basis of Oladokun’s very inspiring article, I had concluded my comments in the first part as follows: ‘Nigeria can be transformed. It depends upon you and I and it is attitudinal and therefore less dependent on President Jonathan though his personal life of sacrifice will facilitate and enhance the processes.

Given President Jonathan’s well known inadequacies, I have sought,

mistakable in its objection to decentralisation of the country’s police system. It has argued pontifically that states (including those that are not northern) are not ready for state police or community police. ACF has even affirmed that allowing states to own police is dangerous to the country’s unity, arguing that existence of state police is capable of destroying the country’s unity.

Nowhere is the pontification of northern leaders on what it means for Nigeria to be united more evident than in the ongoing opposition of northern states to the Petroleum Industry Bill. Several organisations and political leaders in the north have been unequivocal about the danger inherent in making companies engaged in upstream petroleum operations allocate 10% of profit to petroleum producing communities. One such example is the statement of Senator DanladiSankara of Jigawa: ‘It is clear the way it (PIB) was crafted that only one section of the country is being favoured to benefit.

While no one is saying the oil producing states/communities should not benefit, such benefits should not be to the detriment of other sections. We will not allow it.

This country belongs to us all.’

Sankara further pontificates: ‘I don’t know how you are going to have peace where allocation of resources are so skewed in favour of one region to the detriment of other geo-political zones. The position of northern senators is in the best interest of the nation because what they stand for is equity and justice. The problem in the north is security challenges

Those in position of authority should know that injustice in one part of the country will affect others attributed to social and economic factors…. Our perception of PIB in the north is that the Bill is aimed at gradual disempowerment and impoverishment of other parts of the country. Those in position of authority should know that injustice in one part of the country will affect others.’

It is not only Sankara that has spoken against any effort to give more funds to oil-producing communities in the Niger Delta, to rectify decades of damage and neglect suffered by that region under series of military regimes that robbed the region of the 50% allocation to derivation that was provided for up to the republican constitution of 1963, the last constitution in the country without the imprimatur of military governments. Chairman of the Northern Governors Forum has been reported to have hinted of plans by governors in the north to reject the PIB for not taking the special interests of the north into account.

An unidentified northern politician has been reported in the media to have said in respect of the provision for special allocation of funds to petroleum producing communities: ‘This section will make several billions of naira for the development of the Niger Delta, in addition to the funds provided to the Niger Delta Development Commission and

the Ministry of Niger Delta. You can see that the country is finished. That bill is meant to take care of the people of Niger Delta alone. We won’t support it.’

All the foregoing references to opposition of northern leaders to calls for policies that can sustain federalism are not intended to question the right of leaders of and from the north to express their views on national issues.

What is worrisome is the manner in which they confuse their sectional interests with the interest of the nation or federation as a whole, particularly the tendency to present the North as the sole custodian of the nation’s unity.

Anything that is perceived not to be in the interest of northern leaders is viewed as dangerous to the country’s unity. Just as decentralising the central police is viewed as capable of destroying the unity of the country, so is allocating funds to communities in the Niger Delta to compensate for environmental degradation considered by spokesmen for the North as capable of finishing or destroying the country.

Leaders from the North, the region which produced most of the country’s military dictators that destroyed its federal system and ended provision for 50% of revenue to regions of derivation give the impression that they are mandated to protect and promote the

vision of military dictators in a post-military democracy. The policy of even development,which served as the guiding philosophy for military dictators to end the regime of 50% allocation on the basis of derivation, is not an inherent aspect of federalism. It is the same policy that led to the creation of 36 states and 774 local governments and the policy of distributing revenue from petroleum and gas to these units with little or no consideration for the damage that exploitation of petroleum has caused and continues to cause for the communities concerned.

Northern political leaders need to familiarise themselves with policies and development in other federations around the world. In most federations, each federating unit is encouraged to develop on the basis of comparative advantage, not on the basis of even development that is fueled by sharing of revenue, as it has been done in Nigeria since the end of the civil war. Any section of the country that suffers because of exploitation of natural resources deserves to be given special consideration.

The principle of equity and justice supports this. It does not support giving what should be used to protect such communities to all other regions, simply because such regions also belong to the same country with communities degraded by exploitation of natural resources.

2013: A year of infinite possibilities (2) Those who make progress and development impossible in Nigeria would have to begin their self-deportation in that conclusion, to apportion to him only a miniscule part of all we would have to do as a people to re-jig our country and make it count among respected countries of the world. You do not have to hate Mr President personally to score him poorly on the following essentials of leadership if it intended to achieve outstanding results, especially, in a country like ours: Setting and achieving goals, identifying priorities, decisiveness in policy formulation and articulation; inspiring and motivating others, setting standards, and leading by personal example; the last being the only thing I asked of the President in the first part of the article.

I still wonder what led President Jonathan to flying the kite of a 7-year single term, ‘from which he will personally not benefit’, as at the time he did. And only God knows how corrosive of his integrity as a trustworthy leader that single mis-step was as not a few Nigerians interpreted that move as absolutely self-serving given that nothing in our constitution stops a one-term president from contesting again. All he would have done, again, was make the judiciary a fall guy as was done in the case of Justice Salami where an outgoing Chief Judge thought nothing of being used.

Since I do not believe that Mr President could be enough reason to delay our progress as a nation, especially in the business and technological arena, I remain persuaded in the following other parts of the Oladokun piece: OLADOKUN: PERSONAL GROWTH & DEVELOPMENT. In 2013 we saw hundreds of thousands of Nigerians breaking the bar-

riers of cost, distance, and time by taking advantage of online educational portals such as Coursera, Minerva and edXJ that offer access to free online courses, lectures and events at Ivy League Universities including Harvard, MIT, Stanford, Yale, Princeton and a host of other colleges in fields as diverse as Mathematical Thinking, Operational Management, Fundamentals of Computer Programming, Computer Architecture, Leadership, History, Fundamentals of Personal Finance, Sustainability, Healthcare Delivery, Global History, and Artificial Intelligence, to mention but a few. In 2013, millions of Nigerians engaged in continual self-improvement without having to leave the shores of Nigeria or having to break the bank in the process.

COMMENT: Nigerians, especially the younger and more educated ones, are becoming increasingly aware that they cannot tie their future to politicians, especially those belonging to the party that for over a decade has had their country in a stranglehold. Not that members of the opposition parties, especially in the National Assembly, have demonstrated any better traits other than together, as Professor Jide Osuntokun wrote in his last week column in The Nation, ‘paying themselves salaries and perquisites of office of over N25 Million a month; a sum that is unthinkable even in the United States, the richest country in the world’. What resources could have been used in making our universities world class are simply eaten up by this parasitic elite and their conniving future wreckers.

I take together, the following

from Oladokun’s inspirational article because, together, they answer to the complete absence of any sustainable youth empowerment programme by this PDP government just as they could , collectively, mitigate the totally irresponsible level of unemployment which is bound , very soon, to mushroom into an economic Boko Haram: OLADOKUN. YOUTH ORIENTED BUSINESS INCUBATORS. ‘2013 was the year that technology innovation made explosive strides from the high street to the backstreets of Nigeria. Creative entrepreneurs and NGOs planted visible IT & Business Incubators across the country with the goal of developing the ideas and concepts of thousands of creative young entrepreneurs. IT and digital media businesses led to the development of countless indigenous mobile and software applications for smart phones and computers, allowing young entrepreneurs to make generous profits in the process.’

THE EMERGENCE OF ‘SOLOPRENEURS.’ ‘In 2013, Nigeria saw the emergence of hundreds of thousands of Solopreneurs in IT, media, sales & marketing, computer graphics, audio and video post-production, professional proposal writing, and mobile app designs. Bucking a decadesold trend, hundreds of thousands of graduates and professionals began hiring out their skills, rather than seeking traditional employment.

THE YEAR OF MERGERS: In business, professional sports teams, media companies, hospitals, NGOs, political parties, and even churches,

mergers became the norm in 2013. In the process, wasteful duplication of resources was greatly reduced; strengths, skills and talents of the best minds were harnessed for greater efficiency; numerous newly merged entities began expanding the presence of their brands nationwide; while ‘excellence’ and ‘value’ began to take on new meaning’.

COMMUNITY BASED CROWD SOURCING: ‘2013 was the year that funding networks collaborated in win-win joint ventures between creative business types and investors, with the goal of moving large numbers into gainful business ownership. Funding Networks of like-minded venture philanthropists came together to fund small and medium sized businesses that otherwise would not have been able to access traditional lending funds.

VIRTUAL OFFICES MUSHROOMED. Instead of renting office space for a year or two in advance, many upwardly mobile entrepreneurs who do business on the go via computers or smart phones, began to lease Virtual Office space and facilities per block of hours or days for important meetings and teleconferences’ I was delighted to hear Mr Gbanite, a Channels T.V Security commentator, allude to unemployment in a programme on security last week. Now, the Jonathan administration is overwhelmed by just one Boko Haram, but wait until Greek-like urban dislocations hit Nigeria’s major cities of Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt and Kano. And see what incendiary it will serve in Maiduguri and Yobe.

Then those who make progress and development impossible in Nigeria would have to begin their self-deportation.

Concluded

Comment & Analysis

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JANUARY 13, 2013

Tunji

Adegboyega tunjade@yahoo.co.uk 08054503906 (sms only)

I

F only death gives notice, I would have loved to see Deacon Ayo Ositelu, veteran editor and versatile sports analyst and commentator before he passed on December 9, while watching television, at least to say thank you for his inspiration and contributions to whatever I am today in my chosen profession. He would have been 70 on April 6. I met Mr Ositelu in 1985, when I joined The PUNCH as a subeditor. I was only a few months old in the system when he, (as editor of the Sunday PUNCH) called me after reading one of my write-ups in the paper and gave me space in his title for a regular column. Then, I was still bubbling with this fresh-fromschool radicalism that some people believe is yet to depart from me; but which I feel has been greatly tempered by age and maturity.

I seized the opportunity offered

by Ositelu’s invitation with both hands; indeed, it was a dream come true. And I would explain why.

Since my secondary school days when I had made up my mind to study Mass Communication (I must confess I initially did not know what the course was all about then; I was just fascinated by the name, but fell in love completely with the choice when I saw it offered an opportunity to be a journalist and write on what we now know as ‘burning national and international issues’). I was so emotionally attached to Mass Comm. that when I

Postscript, Unlimited!

By

Oyinkan Medubi 07057012862 (SMS only) puchuckles7@gmail.com ISTENING to the Governor of Edo State, Comrade Adams Oshiomole, go at the police the other day made me take a UTurn on my diet of PU this week. I had intended to be all sugar and spice to you today, dear reader, so that we could continue our Merry New Year get-together. But here we are, being reminded, once again, what perilous times we are living in. So we are constrained today to feed on something more grating: a little hard talk. Listen, if the Nigeria Police that have existed for donkey years are just now launching or renewing their Code of Conduct, then something, as they say, is rotten in the state of ...

Once, I gave a Code of Conduct to my dog. In it, I listed the many things I did not expect a self-respecting dog to do. There was to be no barking all night and refusing to stop just because a lizard ran by him. There was to be no turning up his nose at any meal simply because he could not see a bone somewhere at the edge of the plate. There definitely was to be no running up to strangers to lick their feet instead of barking and frightening the daylights out of them. The dog was expected to do what was right in all situations such as choosing to stay and guard the house rather than chasing after a bird. Even I had to admit I had a beautiful product

L

Thank you, Deacon Ositelu Tribute to a senior colleague was finishing my Advance Level course at the Federal School of Arts and Science, Ondo, and had to fill the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) form for admission into the university, I entered Mass Communication as my first and second choice, meaning there was no choice, really; it was Mass Communication or nothing.

My friends thought I was mad because it was more difficult to enter the Mass Communication department at the University of Lagos then than it was to read Law. The tradition then therefore was for people interested in a course like Mass Comm. to take a relatively simpler course as second choice. I understood their fears and entered for the November/December GCE ‘A’ Level just in case I could not meet the required points in the May/ June examination. Mercifully however, I did not have any cause to sit for the November examination as I cleared my papers in the May/June examination.

So you can imagine how happy and grateful I must have been when Mr Ositelu placed on my laps, on a platter of gold, a thing I thought I was going to sweat to get. It was a great privilege and the search for what to call the column began. I remember it was at 124, Herbert

Macaulay Street in Ebute-Metta, Lagos, where one of my friends and former classmates in the university (Olu Awogbemila) that we incidentally started work at The PUNCH same day then lived with his parents, that the brainstorming was done. All manner of names were joggled before we finally settled for ‘The Cyclone’. In no time, the name soon overtook my biological names, and some people till this day would ask ‘who is Tunji Adegboyega’ but would be surprised when they discover that Tunji Adegboyega and ‘The Cyclone’ are one and the same person.

Of course the name of the column reflected my personality and most of the write-ups under it were blunt, no holds-barred and downright unsparing of the military leaders of that era, particularly the Ibrahim Babangida regime. I remember a particular piece titled “Killing by installments” which was on the contentious fuel subsidy that the Babangida regime too had insisted must go because petrol is ‘cheaper thatn Coke’ over which I was told some people were after me in the Babangida years. I can also remember Mr Ositelu asking me then to watch my back in all I did. True, that column lived to its

“I pay glowing tributes to Mr Ositelu for identifying the potential in me at that early stage and giving me an opportunity to do what I had always longed to do when I least expected it could ever have happened ... He was one editor who did not believe you had to lord it over people or send young journalists scampering to safety all because an editor is coming”

name. What I cannot tell for sure now is whether my write-ups now are as caustic as those of ‘The Cyclone’.

I pay glowing tributes to Mr Ositelu for identifying the potential in me at that early stage and giving me an opportunity to do what I had always longed to do when I least expected it could ever have happened. Like all mortals, Ositelu had his own failings even as far back as the mid’80s that I met him, but he was one editor who did not believe you had to lord it over people or send young journalists scampering to safety all because an editor is coming. He was simple, perhaps to a fault; and any apparel he wore English or native - was spot on. Then his baby face and physique were things the opposite sex could not ig-

17

nore. Ositelu was naturally handsome but none of these entered his head. That he would have been 70 in March is difficult to believe because he never looked that age.

One thing Ositelu knew how to write on best was sports, and he did it to the very end. His death at his residence on Wednesday night shortly after watching a Super Eagles friendly match probably attested to his love for sports. Just last November, he served as the compere during the exhibition match between the Williams sisters (Serena & Venus) at the Lagos Tennis Club, South-West, Nigeria. He was a respected columnist whose write-ups commanded respect both at home and beyond.

Once again, I pay my homage due to Deacon Ayo Ositelu, ‘Arena’ for short, foremost international sports journalist and former Chairman of Ejigbo Local Council Development Area. May his soul rest in perfect peace.

Well done, worthy cops

I

T is not all the time that I write to celebrate people who perform their tasks. But not when those involved are policemen who more often than not get criticised as if that is all there is to the organisation that policemen represent. Today, I have cause to write about two policemen who came to my rescue about eight hours to the New Year. It was at the popular Sule Street Junction on Agege Byepass, Lagos, where a truck driver bashed my car on December 31, last year. Rather than wait, the driver sped off and I followed suit but could not catch up with him as he rebuffed all attempts I made to overtake him. Somehow, the policemen were coming from the Ikeja end of the road shortly before we linked the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway from Agege. Appar-

ently, they were on an assignment or just on routine patrol.

But they just came to time because they saw the way I was pursuing the truck driver and (as they later told me after the driver had been forced to stop at Ile Zik end of the expressway, it was a woman in a ‘Danfo’ bus who witnessed the accident that told them to pursue the truck). The driver denied running away but could not satisfactorily answer questions as to how it took him that far to be apprehended, and by police patrol men for that matter! Anyway, the police gave me the necessary assistance and ensured that the driver could not get away before they left the place. I am talking about Sergeant Okoh Hassan and Ikhide (I can’t remember the other name); to both I say well done.

When the code goes red...

The police cannot claim to be the peoples’ friend when what they dole out are not smiles but frowns, indifference and extortion there, the code I mean, not the dog.

But the blessed dog not only chewed through the code, it even chewed through my slippers. And I was wearing it. And I was standing in front of him. After eyeball-toeyeballing him, I gathered that he expected me to go indoors and produce another pair of slippers but I chose instead to give him a renewed Code of Conduct. Verbally.

‘Bad dog, go!’ And I confined him to his house indefinitely.

There is no denying that Nigeria is in a sorry state, worse than my dog, and as I have maintained before in this column, I personally hold the Nigeria Police responsible. The basis of existence of any group is the collective decision to live together in peace and unity. But the thing is, most groups anticipate that not everyone will bear that noble purpose in mind. While some do-good members would be standing, heartily reciting the country’s anthem and looking fondly at the flag, some other baddies would be quietly planning how best to dispossess them of their bicycles.

That’s life.

So, in anticipation of those differing in purpose and purity from others, most countries, I say, have laws. You know them, don’t you?

They are those beautiful rules which keep criminals on their feet while you and I can go to sleep. Or they are supposed to. They are supposed to be those things that guide the conduct of everyone who swears membership of the group. Or so they tell me. They are also so important

that there is a special group of people detailed to keep vigil over their sanctity. They call them the police.

You know what that is, don’t you?

It is that group that generally goes around and comes around and struts around, and that kind of thing, in their fine uniforms. So, whenever the code goes red into the danger zone, the first thing anyone should shriek is ‘Get the Police!’

It is a truism that if you want to take over a strong man’s house, first bind him up one way or another. I am saying this again because I have said it many times before: if you want to break the spine of any country, first disarm its police, because a country is only as strong as its police. This is why I claim that the rot in this country has been possible only because the police have disappointed many who shrieked for them. I wrote a piece sometime in 2011 in which I recited the story of a lonely old woman in Britain who frequently tricked the constabulary in her neighbourhood to tea by pretending to have been robbed. The police obliged her. I also recited the story of a Nigerian man who was held up all night in his home by marauders, the head of which he found out next morning to have been, you guessed it, a policeman.

The biggest problem confronting the Nigeria Police is the fact that they find themselves unable to inspire faith or trust in the people anymore because of their, well, odd ways. Indeed, it appears that from

where the people are standing, the newly launched code should be for the people and should contain only one item: Beware of the police.

Now, it’s gone so bad that if confronted by the police and armed robbers on a lane, many people would first take care of the police.

Right now, many Nigerians who do not have policemen as family members cannot claim that the Police are their friend. Indeed, many will do everything they can to avoid any contact with them. One man had brushed against another person’s car. The aggrieved man came out of his car ready to assail his attacker, only to spot a policeman approaching them. Quickly, the two men shook hands, exchanged addresses and left the scene in a hurry. No, sir, they did not flee because they were afraid of the law; they fled because they did not want anyone taking aim at the jugular of their pockets.

There is a lot wrong with the Nigeria Police which the IG needs to fix. The stories told by Governor Oshiomole are disheartening indeed. Needless to say, the man would not have gone public with those stories if he was not sure of his standing. Truth is, nearly every Nigerian has a story to tell about the way the police in their own land have treated them, and they are not very savoury at all. All these stories are unfortunately typified by the attitude of those two policemen who witnessed the lynching of the Port Harcourt students: cynical, detached and indifferent.

I do not know what the new Code of Conduct contains, but I sincerely hope it addresses issues such as how to get people to make the police their friend. I close with a cartoon I respect very much drawn

by Josy Ajiboye quite a while back.

It depicts a man who runs into a police station in a panic to report to the policeman on duty that he needed help because robbers were at his house even as he spoke.

‘Wharra mess!’, cried the policeman. ‘Go and arrest them right now and bring them here,’ he instructed.

Yet another cartoon showed the police as being not so indignant.

The two policemen who had been reported to quietly explained to the distraught victim that there were no good tyres on their vehicle, there was no fuel in the said vehicle, and could the victim be so obliging as to help the police arrest the assailant and bring him, then they would deal with him?

Whatever may be the reasons for the Nigeria Police to be so far from the people’s dreams and yearnings, the time has truly come for a REAL evolution. The modern world has many demands, and they include an up-to-the-minute constabulary that would not only be at the top of its game but one that can give the people a genuine smile of friendship. The police cannot claim to be the peoples’ friend when what they dole out to them are not smiles but frowns, indifference and extortion. Certainly, the code for the Nigeria Police is red, because they are not our friend.

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY JANUARY 13, 2013

POLITICS

19

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JANUARY 13, 2013

HEAD of the 2015 governorship election in Lagos State, the political camp of Nigeria’s Ambassador to Ghana, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, has started making underground but frantic efforts to ensure the emergence of the Isale-Eko-born politician as the flag-bearer of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state.

Already, the hitherto rested political machinery of the Senator has been revived with members daily thronging to the Lagos Island home of the Obanikoros as well as the homes and offices of his associates across the state.

The moves came to the fore at the weekend when known associates of the politician commenced wards and local government area meetings of the ‘Koro’ group across the state. Senator Obanikoro is better known as Koro-Ibo in Lagos political circles.

Also, various groups are being formed by followers of the politician within and outside the party to aid his renewed ambition to govern Lagos State. One of such, the Obanikoro Vanguard, on Monday held a sensitisation campaign in Ikorodu Local Government.

The event, which was held at Ojubode Square, according to the group’s co-ordinator, Kehinde Olowonisaiye, was meant to prepare the minds of the people of the state that the Senator will once again present himself for the service of the people of Lagos.

“We are here to tell you all that Senator Musiliu Obanikoro is interested in serving the people of Lagos State. We are talking to him to come out and contest the governorship and we are sure he will run. This time, he is the man we want.

“This is not about party or tribe but about somebody who knows Lagos and can serve Lagos better. We all know Governor Babatunde Fashola will not be eligible to contest again. If we want his good work to be continued, then the man we need is Musiliu Obanikoro,” Olowonisaiye told reporters at the rally.

In Ojo Local Government Area at the weekend, another PDP group, named Ojo Broom, held a meeting to discuss the gubernatorial ambition of Senator Obanikoro. The Senator was allegedly present at the meeting.

Scores of PDP leaders and youths graced the event and listened to Obanikoro as he reportedly talked about his desire to serve again. Sources at the meeting, however, said not all the PDP leaders present at the event supported the Senator’s renewed ambition.

A number of them was said to have left the meeting disappointed when it dawned on them that he was not there to talk about uniting the party as they were earlier told.

“A good number of us, especially party elders, left the meeting mid-way. This is because what the Ojo Broom members told us was that he was coming to talk about the plans to unite the party. But when we got there, he was talking about his governorship ambition.

A

Lagos 2015: Obanikoro’s men in early move Dare Odufowokan reports that Senator Musiliu Obanikoro’s current moves have flagged off descreet campaign for the PDP ticket ahead of 2015 governorship election in Lagos State

•Obanikoro

“This is not the time to further divide the party with such moves. This is the time to unite the party first. Later, those who want to contest can come and tell us. Sincerely, a lot of us were disappointed,” Banji Aliu, a PDP ward leader, who was at the meeting, said.

A chieftain of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) who is also the member representing Ojo Constituency 11 in the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mr. Lanre Ogunyemi, while talking about the meeting, said attempt were even made to drop the names of some prominent ACN leaders as part of those who attended the parley.

While dissociating himself from the meeting, Ogunyemi said the PDP group, Ojo Broom, circulated text messages and posted on Facebook that his former campaign manager and aide were at the meeting. The lawmaker however said he was not perturbed by the development, adding that the group’s effort to tarnish his image had failed.

I did not attend the said meeting. I remain a loyal member of the Action Congress of Nigeria

•George

(ACN) and my loyalty to the party’s leadership has never been in doubt,” he said.

The Nation also learnt that Obanikoro has been using selected elders of the party in the state to reach out to camps opposed to his candidacy within the party. Believed to have the backing of the Presidency, the Senator, sources said, is working hard to win the confidence of the party leadership in the state.

“At a meeting held by the PDP at the Ikoyi residence of former National Deputy Chairman of the party, Chief Olabode George, Obanikoro’s name was muted as a possible candidate by some elders of the party. We all know it was not a co-incidence. We are all politicians and we know the game. We know the eleders working for him and we are all waiting to see how things will turn out.

Our interest is the party’s victory this time,” a female party chieftain said.

Political analysts were quick to see recent newspaper reports of an alleged endorsement of the Senator by the lead-

ership of his party as its gubernatorial candidate come 2015 as another of the many political moves by his handlers ahead of the general election.

“He is a politician and he is not resting on his oars in his bid to get the ticket of the party. So, it may be a ploy to get him into the news ahead of the struggle for the ticket. Now, he is the most talked about person in Lagos PDP. So the gimmick, if it is actually one, worked,” Austin Maxi of the Centre for Democracy and Justice (CDJ) said.

But the State chapter of the PDP distanced itself from what it called “the purported endorsement of Senator Musliu Obanikoro” as governorship candidate of the party ahead of 2015 gubernatorial election in the state. The party made known its stance in a statement made available to newsmen in Lagos by its publicity secretary, Taofik Gani.

“We are saying emphatically that we have not endorsed, nor focused on any particular person to be our governorship candidate.

Currently, we are occupied with laying the conducive environment for free and fair primaries as may

be directed by our national headquarters.

Our party is a democratic party and we don’t intend to deviate from that identity, especially in selecting our candidates at all levels,” the statement read. The party attributed the endorsement insinuation to the handiwork of the ruling Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), which it accused of “trying to cause disaffection within its fold,” the PDP stated.

It is most unlikely that Obanikoro will be the only one seeking the PDP ticket for the 2015 gubernatorial challenge, but owing to the never ending schism in the state chapter of the party, most of the gladiators are yet to emerge.

But some other names are currently being mentioned as likely to make a dash for the party’s flag. These include the likes of Ade Dosumu, who was the party’s candidate in the 2011 governorship election; Chief Mrs. Remi Adiukwu-Bakare, former Commissioner for Commerce in the State; Adedeji Doherty, who contested the party primary in 2007 and 2011, among others.

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY JANUARY 13, 2013

Politics

2015 Presidency: Okorocha and South-East schemes Sam Egburonu reports that a lot of South-East’s plots for 2015 Presidential contest currently revolve around Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State and the G21 political group.

T

HE night before the January 3, 2012 traditional wedding of Governor Rochas Okorocha’s daughter, Uloma to Hon. Uche Nwosu, was one of intense political meetings in far away Ogboko village in Idiato South Local Government Area of Imo State.

The meetings continued on Friday, January 4 and Saturday, January 5, when the church wedding held. Unlike similar political meetings convened by the governor’s men, weeks before the social gathering, the January meetings had wider attendance outside the governor’s known political associates within the G21 group and the All Progressives Grand Alliance family. While the Wednesday and Thursday meetings had in attendance more political leaders from the northern parts of Nigeria, the Friday and Saturday meetings had in attendance governors and other political leaders from the SouthWest and South-South. It would be recalled that amongst the top political leaders that attended the wedding included former President Olusegun Obasanjo and former Military Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, who are considered to be amongst the most politically influential personalities in the country today.

A source close to Okorocha told The Nation in Owerri that the major issue on the agenda of virtually all the meetings both in Ogboko and Owerri was 2015 presidency and the role that would be played by the South-East. The source, a top player in his own rights however denied allegation that some northern governors and other leaders may have convinced the group that South-East should support the North in 2015 and that the zone would be adequately compensated politically and be given the chance after 2015.

According to him, “That is not the vision of our group. We are, as you can see, gathering support for Igbo presidency in 2015. The support we have gathered so far is enormous and it is mere mischief for anybody to try to make such suggestions.” He equally revealed that the group is working with different political parties with the aim of achieving unity and a set objective.

Another source however told The Nation that the group’s decision to work with other political families across the country may not have impressed some top members of All Progressives Grand Alliance outside Imo State, who are afraid of Okorocha’s alleged domineering influence. The source said that such members and leaders are worried that the alliances being negotiated may not benefit APGA and Ndigbo in the long run. He said that such APGA chieftains are worried that G21, or close associates of Okorocha may subsume APGA’s interest un-

•Obasanjo der Okorocha’s ambition.

But the Chairman of G21, Senator Annie Okonkwo, told The Nation in a telephone chat on Friday that what happened at the wedding of Governor Okorocha’s daughter last weekend was a confirmation of the current political understanding between the South-East and the rest of the country, particularly the North and the South-West. According to him “what you saw shows that it is possible for the South-East to produce the next president of Nigeria. I say so because most of the people, who came to Owerri and saw the level of performance and political mobilisation, have come to accept that what Nigeria needs at a time like this is a practical leader like Okorocha.”

Okonkwo did not also deny claims that various political meetings held recently in Owerri and outside Owerri were meant to promote the possibility of an alliance that would fertilise the vision of a president of Igbo extraction in 2015,

•Abubakar especially Okorocha’s alleged ambition. Asked if the large turnout of top political leaders and traditional leaders was a confirmation of Okorocha’s involvement in the 2015 negotiations for the presidential elections and if there would be a possible North and South-East alliance in that regard, Okonkwo said candidly, “Of course, that is the original alliance that has held Nigeria as one. The major concern of C21, as a political group, is to make sure that the dream of producing a Nigerian president of Igbo extraction becomes a reality. With what is happening now, it is now very clear that a North and South-East alliance, for this very purpose, is possible and real,” he said.

Reminded that a lot of governors and leaders of Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) also attended the wedding, Okonkwo said, “yes, that is also a confirmation that at this period in the political history of Nigeria, a SouthEast presidential candidate will re-

•Okorocha ceive the support of the West. Don’t forget that a lot of Igbo investment is in Lagos and the South-West and so an alliance with the South-West is also most needful. That is what we are working towards and that social gathering, the wedding, is just a confirmation of the successes recorded so far,” he said.

Obasanjo, while making remarks at the wedding ceremony, had harped on the need to foster unity in the country and amongst political leaders across the nation.

Given the varied political leanings of the political leaders that showed solidarity to the Imo State governor as he hands over his first daughter to her heartthrob, there have been varied political interpretations. Some observers said Okorocha, an APGA governor, can no longer be pinned down to a particular political party. Others swore that the governor is set to go back to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), where he may be fully compensated. Such analysts points to

Obasanjo’s comment at the wedding, where he jocularly asked Okorocha when he would be returning to his natural political family, the People’s Democratic Party.

A close associate of Okorocha, who claimed to be quoting the governor, however told The Nation in Owerri that such questions would not arise as he (Okorocha) is not thinking in that direction now. He pointed out the governor is only interested in reaching out to all the parts of the country to ensure that the South-East is no longer short changed in the political equilibrium.

As the negotiations continue, it is not yet clear which political party Okorocha, who is believed in some quarters to be interested in re-election as governor of Imo State, will eventually use to fulfill his alleged presidential ambition in 2015 as many believe APGA, as it is today, can hardly win a presidential election alone.

2015: State creation and Igbo presidency

Emmanuel Onwe argues that a president of Igbo extraction is impossible with just five states in the South-east region

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HE theoretical case for the emergence of a Nigerian president of Igbo extraction has been eloquently established beyond any reasonable doubt. The economic case is persuasive; the legal case, which is a derivate of the constitutional principle of federal character, is incontrovertible; the political case is self-evident and the moral case is utterly compelling.

But the establishment of the case at the intellectual and theoretical plane is quite clearly insufficient to meet the rigorous demands of our ambition. Genuine ambition is contingent upon action.

Ndigbo have, for decades, expressed the desire and the thirst for the prime political office in this country. We have clearly shown, by oral advocacy, why we have that desire and thirst. Now, we must take the forward steps in the direction of the oasis from which we hope to quench our thirst for justice and our desire for equity in Nigeria.

The next step is the crusade that will take our case to the other three cardinal points of our nation – west, south and north. The legwork and

mobilisation that must underpin the theoretical case has been commenced by Njiko Igbo. Igbos should crave, plead and obtain – rather than presume, expect or demand – the support and solidarity of ALL Nigerians.

The component tribal groups that make up the Nigerian republic have unique experiences arising from their history of participation in the union; but none is quite as unique as the Igbo experience, made so by being the only tribe to have pledged allegiance to two different nations within the same territorial borders – first to Nigeria and then to the Republic of Biafra and then back to the Federal Republic of Nigeria. In between this shifting citizenship have occurred pogrom/genocide, starvation and conquest.

This history and experience place us in a complex category in our union. And no Igbo citizen should be in any doubt that our quest for the presidency has remained a mirage precisely because of this unique experiential history – and nothing to do with the popular myth about disunity amongst

us. Accordingly, our challenge in attaining the prime office in this land remains herculean and requires efforts of corresponding proportions to prevail.

No authentic Igbo citizen should fold his or her arms and wait to be recruited into, or consulted about, this dream. Instead, our recruitment efforts and consultations should be directed at non-Igbo Nigerians. The focus of our pleas and arguments should be firmly directed at those who remain unpersuaded or unsympathetic to the justice of our cause.

This crusade is an Igbo one, the staff and the rod is Njiko Igbo. But Njiko is not claiming an exclusive right to arms. Other warriors are welcome and, in fact, encouraged to rise to the occasion. Our job is to motivate, consult, mobilise and persuade both Igbos and non-Igbos alike. Additionally, Njiko Igbo is a platform for debate and exploration of deeper ideas about the place of Ndigbo in the Nigerian federation.

What I have said elsewhere bears repetition on these pages: “As an Igbo man, I harbour a deep sense of sadness at the manner in which we, as a people, have been consigned to the peripheral reaches of the Nigerian power structure for

more than four decades. Where is the justice or equity or the idea of equal opportunities in a pluralistic society such as ours?

When shall these be accorded Ndigbo in order that we can have the assurance that, yes, we are not Osu (outcasts) in a nation family where we have played a brave and distinguished role to make its history more solid and more enduring?

As a Nigerian, observing our unending national degradation, I feel a sense of outrage that the Igbo option appears never to be in contemplation as a legitimate instrumentality through which our national challenges could be finally confronted in a manner that could genuinely yield transformation.”

Of course, it’s self evident that we cannot achieve our goal without first putting our house in order. We must show a unity of purpose which must be demonstrated through the pursuit of this one and irreducible ambition. It will entail the sacrifice of the personal on the altar of the collective - which must be demonstrated through allowing ourselves to be dedicated to a purpose greater than our individual selfish commitments.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JANUARY 13, 2013

Politics

‘Fayemi not moved by PDP antics’ The Chief Press Secretary to the Governor of Ekiti State, Mr Olayinka Oyebode, in this interview with journalists in Lagos, spoke on some political developments in the state and the developmental strides of Governor Kayode Fayemi On Ekiti 2014 elections sincerely believe 2014 will be interesting in Ekiti State for a number of reasons. The governorship election will be issue- based and issue –driven. An informed electorate who have of recent tasted good governance cannot be easily taken in by sugar-coated politicians. So, I foresee a situation where aspirants are put to task on their promises.

You know talk is cheap. It is not enough to say I will do one, two of twenty things, the main issue will be how would you do them, within what frame and at what cost as well as where the fund will be sourced? Of course, it is a time Ekiti people will not suffer any fool gladly. You must be able to dazzle them with your brilliance and sincerity of purpose before they can count you worthy of being an aspirant to the exalted office of Governor of Ekiti State.

The Omoluabi factor is there also, and this you cannot buy in the market.

You either have it or you don’t. In 2014, there will be no room for dubious characters -emergency millionaires, court jesters and fraudsters. It is a time that people’s credentials and claims would be properly scrutinised by the electorate and by the time the electorate begin to ask pertinent questions, a good number of the aspirants will fizzle out.

While it is the alienable right of every citizen to aspire to high office, the mere decision of some people to contest constitutes an insult to the sensibility of Ekiti people.

For instance, you can’t have a chain of unresolved murder cases or other high profile cases and think the people will not ask questions. You can’t cart away government properties under your care and think people will not ask questions now that you are coming around the second time. In this line up of aspirants, you will see some that have traversed about six different political parties and you think the people will not ask question about such mo-

I

•Oyebode bility.

As we talk now, there are some of the aspirants who give the impression that they are running on the platform of a political party, whereas, their fingers are in some other parties. Some are also haunted by their past deeds.

On the opposition in Ekiti The opposition in Ekiti State provides the comic relief. And this comes in different shapes and shades in various factions of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state. They have since lost direction and are just groping around in the dark. And having failed to connect with the people, they have now resorted to battling the incumbent government with all manner of lies. Like a drowning man, they are just holding on to anything, including their attempt to re-write the laws of the land through their illiterate approach to legal interpretation and illogical reasoning. My advice to them is that opposition is no license for rascality or irresponsible behavior nor does it make one a certified purveyor of falsehood. Sometimes the jocose excitement they display on some seemingly insignificant issues shows their shallowness and poverty of ideas. The developmental strides of the Fayemi administration is quite evident in the massive physical development of the state as well as the huge investments in education, health care , agricultural business, tourism and human capital development. This has earned the government acceptability by the generality of the people and this has remained a big headache for the PDP, who for about seven and a half years, failed to provide responsive and responsible leadership for the state, but succeeded only in

putting the state in the news for all the wrong reasons. You know ours is a quiet revolution in Ekiti State and that is why you hardly see this government join issues with the opposition.

On Ayo Fayose’s recent allegations Really, the former governor is entitled to his own views. I must say however that he is missing some points and this could be as a result of insufficient information at his disposal or a deliberate attempt at mischief. But if he has been following developments in Ekiti State, he would have known that the era of “bole kaja” government has gone. The Fayemi administration is an open book that can be assessed, read and comprehended by every citizen. All government transactions are properly documented and details of activities of government, including its spending, are just a click away. Unlike the lawlessness of the past, the government’s transactions are guided by the relevant laws that were deliberately put in place to ensure good governance. The cost implication of all projects are well publicized in the spirit of transparency and the result is the excellent execution of the various projects. Mr. Fayose’s allegation that roads are constructed at very unreasonable high cost are unfounded. There are standards of awarding road contracts in the country. In the case of Ekiti, compensation were paid to owners of structures that were demolished to pave the way for some of the roads. The total cost of such compensation were also included in the cost of the road and that is why some road projects where compensations were paid cost higher than some where little or no compensation were paid. The former governor also alleged that indigenous contactors are not being patronized.

Nothing can be farther from the truth than this.

On Oni’s case I wouldn’t like to comment on the case or any other one for that matter.

But really, it appears that going in and out of the court is another way Oni and his cohorts amuse themselves and try, however feebly, to get a mention in the media. I am not a lawyer, but I have enough common sense to know that in the eye of the law, all matters relating to the 2007 governorship election in Ekiti State have been laid to rest by the landmark judgment of the Court of Appeal, sitting in Ilorin on October 15, 2010. Honestly, I do not know what they want the court to do again.

Political

ripples For Oyinlola, it’s twice unlucky

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HEN a Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday sacked the national secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP),Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, from office, the Okuku, Osun State-born Prince must have been sent back on memory lane to a similar unpleasant incident which happened to him on the 26th of November 2010.

On that fateful day, he was sacked, also by the court, from his position as governor of Osun State, and Rauf Aregbesola of the Action Congress of Nigeira (ACN) was declared governor in his stead.

As the court removed Oyinlola from office while ruling on a suit filed by the Ogun State chapter of the party, it was a case of being twice unlucky for the politician. Twice he had dates with the judiciary, twice he was declared guilty as charged. What a fate!

Delivering judgement in the suit,

•Oyinlola Justice Abdul Kafarati held that the action of PDP and Oyinlola amounted to criminal conduct and liable to be condemned to prison being a flagrant disobedience to two court orders.

•Chime

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No respite for ailing Chime

IF it is the desire of ailing Enugu State Governor,Sullivan Chime, to be allowed to recuperate in peace by his kinsmen, then he will still have to wait awhile as respite appears to be nowhere near him.

This is because his prolonged absence has provoked fresh anger from a new quarter. This time, it is a pro-democracy association under the auspices of Save Enugu Group (SEG) that is urging the state government to quickly constitute a delegation to pay a visit to the governor wherever he is and report back to the good people of the state.

The group wants the matter treated within” a maximum period of two weeks.

In a recent petition the group suggested that “eminent Enugu state sons and daughters like the Catholic Bishop of Enugu, His Grace Bishop Callistus Onaga, Rev. Hyde Onuaguluchi, Prof.

Bath Nnaji, Igwe Paul Egbogu, Chief Grace Obayi, Chief Nduka Eya, Secretary General Ohaneze NdiIgbo, Dr. Louis Anya Chukwuma” should be members of the delegation to visit the governor.

Should the group have its way, then Chime would have to take time off his illness and play host to this team of ‘assessors’ in a matter of weeks.

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Political Politics turf

with Bolade Omonijo boladeomonijo@yahoo.com

Who killed Olaitan Oyerinde?

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N May 4, it will be one year after Olaitan Oyerinde who was serving as the Principal Private Secretary to Edo State Governor Adam Oshiomhole was murdered in cold blood. Oyerinde, at the time of his assassination, enjoyed working quietly, but diligently and effective.

At the time, the crucial Edo State governorship election was approaching and the opposition in the state was desperate to snatch the Southsouth state from the Action Congress of Nigeria.

It was therefore not surprising that accusing fingers pointed in the direction of the major opposition party in the state, the Peoples Democratic Party. The ruling party and government led the accusation. I also felt so. The contemporary history of political violence is Nigeria is replete with murders and assassinations.

It was a theory that could not be ignored. But it was a theory. It could not take the place of thorough investigations by relevant security agencies. The onus was on the Police and the Department of State Security to apprehend the murderers and present unassailable evidence that they were actually responsible. They, in conjunction with the officers of the law, have the responsibility to bring the perpetrators of the heinous crime to justice. It is the least expected of them in deterring others from treading the same path.

The list of unresolved murder of politicians keeps growing by the day. A report by the International Society for Civil Liberty and the Rule of Law put the figure of political assassinations since 1999 at 160. The most prominent include Bola Ige, A. K. Dikibo, Marshall Harry, Odunayo Olagbaju, Layi Balogun, Dipo Dina, Funsho William, Dele Arojo, Ogbonnaya Uche, Sulaiman Olajokun, Ayodeji Daramola, Ibrahim Abba Garko and Ahmed Onipede. Others include Barnabas and Abigail Igwe, Victor Nwankwo, Ahmed Pategi and Theodore Egwatu.

The Nigerian state continues to encourage such premeditated murders by refusing to apprehend the killers and subject them to trial and conviction. At best, the issues are obfuscated and the real culprits shielded, thus paving the way for more killings. Anyone who is well connected can escape the law in Nigeria . This is the shame of a country that prides itself as the giant of Africa and wants to be taken serious in the chase to become one of the 20 leading world economies in the next seven years. Where there is no justice, there cannot be discipline. And, without discipline, there can be no development.

The case of Olaitan in Edo State is pathetic. The young man readily accepted to work with the comrade governor for the transformation of a state different from that where he was born. Anyone who knew Olaitan knew him as an uncommon Nigerian. He was a revolutionary and saw state boundaries as artificial and would readily lend his services to any state or institution where he could make a difference.

He was a Deputy National secretary of the Nigerian Labour Congress on secondment to that theatre for work.

The opposition party has denied that it had any hand in the killing. It has a right to defend itself. It even has a right to feel scandalized by the allegation. Reading the circumstances, those of us who hold that the political environment could have led to the killing also have a right to call for the searchlight to be beamed in that direction.

The ultimate responsibility to do a thorough investigation is the Police’s. No sooner was the killing reported that the police hierarchy and the president promise that it would not be allowed to go the way of previous murders. But, what did we get? Three months after, the SSS was the first to come up with a report that presented the alleged killers of my comrade. The service said it had recovered the telephones and laptops taken from the house.

But, to the astonishment of all, two weeks after that, the police also released its own report. A reverend gentleman who is also a prominent civil rights activist in the state, David Ugolor, was identified as the brain behind the murder. The SSS said it was sheer armed robbery and that the killers acted on impulse. The police said their investigation revealed that Olaitan was assassinated. So, what is the truth?

The sets of people arrested by the two security agencies were different. One murder, different theories; different sets of suspects.

Predictably, Ugolor was arraigned before and Oredo magistrate court and set free. It would appear, as Oshiomhole pointed out at the launch of the Police Code of Conduct on Thursday that the police team led by a Deputy Inspector General set out to confuse issues and add the Olaitan murder to the list of unresolved killing in the country. Aren’t officers of the Police Force ashamed that no murder has been handled professionally so far? All that the Police said fly in the face of logic. They call to question the competence and wisdom of those charged with state security. Why didn’t the Police first work on the report of the SSS? What level of collaboration do we have between the agencies?

Somebody in the Force must account for the murder of Oyerinde. Until the killers are arrested and successfully prosecuted, the Police must be held accountable for the assassination.

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY JANUARY 13, 2013

Politics

Why I supported Ngige - Senator Anosike

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URING the flood incident that ravaged Anambra State, some people have been making donations and a section of the public see it as being politically motivated.

Usually every movement you make even in your palour or room in fact everywhere in your house is politics, you also play politics with your family, when you will be battling with your daughter and your son all those things are home politics some people have this intention of reducing it to a political angle. But for me I do not subscribe to that if you check my records from the time I was in the House of Representatives, everything that I have done for this area is to make sure that I rendered services to people. God has been so helpful to me. I tell people sometimes that I am the person that has seen God; because where ever I am today. I never envisaged it. I went to the House of Representatives with N5, 000. That was the only money I had then. At the end of the day my election was one of the toughest and one of the hottest, but God used a lot of people to make me succeed at the end. So the only thing I have to do is to send it back to the people. I am from Anambra North, there is no point politicking with them. If I don’t do this, some of them will also come to my house with their problems.

In Anyamelum, I have people. In Anambra East, I have a lot of them as well as in Ogbaru local government area. When I saw the pressure I had on issue of health at every angle, I had to move into it. If I want to play politics I will just come here with minimal money and donate to them and go my way. I have been able to do it in such a way that no one sees my face every day going from one

Senator Emma Obi Anosike represented Anambra East and West in the House of Representatives between 1999 to 2003 and in the same year, he moved up to represent Anambra North Senatorial zone at the upper chamber before he was removed by the Appeal Court. In this interview with Nwanosike Onu in Awka, Anosike talks about his plans for the next governorship election and why he gave support to former governors Chinwoke Mbadinuju, Chris Ngige and now Governor Peter Obi. Excerpts people that could become governor of the senate.

I feel highly insulted if anybody tries to come from that direction. I do not want to join issues with anybody. But I know that Anambra North has a lot of people who are capable of managing the affairs of Anambra State. Let me use the words of Peter Obi, even if the person is a mad man, let him come to the government house and also behave like a mad man. We have had a lot of people, both the people that are okay and those that were not okay, that have managed the affairs of Anambra State.

The only thing you can say about Anambra North is that they do not have people that have so much money. We don’t behave like that; we are not crazy about money in Anambra North. We are not crazy about relationship.

That is why they say, in any election, if you get Anambra North people, you have won. This is because we believe in ourselves.

We love ourselves.

•Anosike camp to other during that period.

I just put on the structure and the project goes on. If it gets to the time of politics we play politics. I believe that whatever position anybody finds himself is what God has planned for that person.

When Ngige was governor, I was the only person in the senate that supported him. I was doing it because I am from Anambra. Whatever you destroy in Anambra you are destroying my own property.

When Mbadinuju was there, I was also there. When Peter Obi was impeached, I was at the centre of it even though I was a PDP member. I tried to stop that impeachment. By the grace of God I contributed in making sure that the House of Assembly did not have the two-third majority to impeach him.

On the issue of 2014, when we get to the bridge we shall cross it.

If the environment gives me the

signal that I should continue or contest for the governorship election in Anambra; so be it. If the signal says it is senate, so be it. If the signal says local government chairman, so be it. My intention for the remaining part of my life is to help my people.

A school of thought is of the view that your zone, Anambra North, do not have the caliber of

We heard that you have been romancing with Peter Obi for a possible cross carpeting to APGA from PDP to contest gubernatorial election.

The truth is that, if you understand Senator Anosike, I do not gallivant. I have said severally that I shouldn’t be governor of Anambra State to do what I am doing. The governorship of Anambra State is just secondary, what is primary is myself.

Rumpus over Rivers PDP council election Allegation of a grand plot to impose a candidate is the cause of unease threatening Rivers PDP primaries ahead of the proposed March local council elections in the state, reports Dare Odufowokan

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HE Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) recently said it was set for the March 2, 2013 Local Government polls in Ogba/Egbema Ndoni local Government Area of Rivers State.

Consequently, the much awaited council election is generating lots of frenzy among politicians and other stakeholders in the state.

Within the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), an alleged plot by the leadership of the party in the state to impose a candidate on the people of the area is now a cause for concern as the state party chairman, Chief G.U. Ake, and Governor Rotimi Amaechi are being accused of masterminding the plot.

Even as Ake and other members of the State Executive Committee of the PDP deny the existence of any such move ahead of the primary election later this month, the peace of the area is threatened as youth groups and

worried aspirants vow to resist the alleged move.

The Nation learnt that eight aspirants are jostling for the ticket of the ruling party. Following the failure of several efforts by the leadership of the party to arrive at the choice of a candidate through consensus, the aspirants have been told to prepare to slug it out at a primary election.

“Several efforts were made to pick a candidate via conscensus but it all failed due to the stiff political and ethnic differences among the various contending forces. Apart from group affiliations, clanish consideration is another reason the competition is this stiff,” a source said.

During the week, stakeholders under the auspices of the ONELGA Political Forum (OPF) blew the lid off the simmering crisis when they appealed to the national leadership of the party to wade into the matter so as to avoid total breakdown of law and order.

The group accused both Ake and Amechi of encouraging the planned imposition of a candidate on members of the PDP in the local government. Speaking through its chairman, Frank Enebeli and secretary, Amiirinze Ile, OPF said the state party chairman should be called to order if the party is to continue its winning streak in the council area.

“The people of Ogba/ Egbema/Ndoni Local Govern-

•Ameachi ment Area (ONELGA) of Rivers State hereby appeal to you and the entire members of the national executive of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for your kind intervention in ensuring that the party’s primary in the forthcoming Local Government Council election in ONELGA is conducted without fear or favour and in accordance with fair-play.

“This appeal has become necessary considering the fact that

the Rivers State Governor Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, and the acclaimed state party chairman, Chief G.U. Ake, have perfected plan to impose a candidate from Chief G.U. Ake’s community on the people of ONELGA who are predominantly PDP members instead of allowing the people to choose a candidate of their choice from the various aspirants,” they said.

But the leadership of the party in the state has denied the allegation. According to reliable party sources, the allegations exist only in the imagination of those making the wild claims.

“All I can tell you is that the party is committed to a free and fair primary election. The governor has always warned against imposition. He fought against imposition to become governor, so he will never encourage such,” a party official said.

Denying the allegation, the spokesman of the PDP in the state, George UkwuomaNwogba, said the primary election will be transparent and fair to all aspirants. He appealled to all the aspirants to take their campaign to the people and not engage in campaigns of calumny against party leadership.

He also debunked insinuations that the party chairman is interested in influencing the outcome of the exercise to favour his kinsman. According to him, the most acceptable aspirant to PDP

members in the area will emerge as the candidate of the party.

But another group within the party, the Omoku PDP Vanguard (OPV), has vowed to fight the imposition which it said would not be the first committed by Ake and his allies.

“The state Chairman of the party, Chief G.U. Ake himself, the Senator representing Rivers West, Senator Wilson Ake, the Special Adviser to the Governor, Ellah Ake, a Personal Assistant to Governor, Ozuruoke Ake, the leader, ONELGA Legislative Council, Hon. Douglas Uzah, the L.G.A PDP Women leader, Mrs. Rose Azumah, the Admin Secretary RSIEC, Mr Egbuniwe Mbonu are all from Erema Town, the group alleged, adding, “Now they want to impose another person, also from Erema Town on the people. They have threatened other aspirants to either withdraw or be disqualified from contesting the primary and rejected the party’s earlier decision to shift the chairmanship position to other wards, particularly Ward 9 in consonance with the cardinal principles of the party which are encapsulated in the party’s constitution,” the group alleged.

As time ticks on, the situation in ONELGA hangs on like an albaltross, creating an air of uncertainty ahead of both the PDP primary election and the March 2, council poll itself.

By Sam Omatseye

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JANUARY 13, 2013

24

GUBERNATORIAL VISION 2013

“Thoughts about my country” I

HAVE been thinking about our country and what we need to do.

For a start, let me say categorically that I do not share the view that has been canvassed, that this is a horrible place in which to be or to live. However, I am convinced that this is not the best that we can have.

Indeed, in the way that the assessment of some as this being one of the very bad places is relative, so will the measurement of what our best is, be relative.

Therefore the race to be the best of what we can be will be a never ending one.

However, in order to gauge the feelings and sentiments of our people, I chose the assessment of our country and my own dreams for our country as the subject of this piece.

I started by asking the following questions: 1.

Are we satisfied with the way our country is?

2. Is this the best we can do as a people?

3. Do we believe that we (all of us sitting here) and not any government are the people who could change our country?

The answers to the first two questions were overwhelmingly in the negative, while the majority ‘surprisingly’ answered in the affirmative to the third question.

I say “surprisingly” because, the rhetoric out there is that “our leaders have failed us” and it seems the definition of leadership in these challenging times has been limited ONLY to those we have given responsibility to in the public sector.

Indeed, I have argued that a country that has built the successes that we can point to in the private sector, from telecoms, to oil and gas, banking and manufacturing in spite of the sub-optimal nature of the operational conditions does not have a dearth of leadership resource.

What it probably suffers from is the inappropriate deployment of that leadership resource to its most compelling areas of need, which is the public service.

Based on the response of my audience, I proceeded with the remainder of my remarks and this is what I said:”How many of us have looked in the mirror and asked ourselves if we have done the best that we can?”

If we want things to change for the better, I think that we have to accept that we must ourselves change.

Sometimes, really and honestly I struggle to understand where we want to go. But in spite of those struggles, I am very clear

By Babatunde Raji Fashola, Governor, Lagos State in my mind what kind of society I want to live in, and grow old in and die in.

For example, in all my forty-nine years, whether as Electricity Corporation of Nigeria (E. C. N.); National Electric Power Authority (NEPA) or as Power Holding Corporation of Nigeria (PHCN), I cannot remember a sustained period of any measure in the homes that I lived in, where power supply has been uninterrupted.

In my life time, I want to see reliable and efficient electricity power in Nigeria. We must stop praying about it, it is not prayer time. It requires us to do something about it.

Now, there is an Electricity Power Reform Project by the Federal Government. It is a very welcome initiative and the sooner it is all completed and we can all participate, the better we would be.

But while we wait for that to happen, in the area where we can intervene and as I have shared with you before, we have started making transformers ready, so that when power ultimately comes, we would not have to import transformers to get electricity to your houses.

In the places where we can intervene, we have started ring fenced power, and one of them is the IPP on the Lagos Island.

We designed it simply as a health care and justice solution when we started, to provide electricity to the Island Maternity and the General Hospital and also to power the Magistrate Court and the High Court.

But it has since extended beyond that, it has reached City Hall, it has reached Freedom Park, it has reached the E-learning Centre in Odunlami.

In 2013, our Oba’s Palace, Zone Two Police Headquarters right across the Island Club, Dolphin Waterworks (for uninterrupted power supply to the waterworks and therefore the production of water in that Estate) will be our priority projects.

I have also been per-

suaded and I have agreed to also extend the uninterrupted power to the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club, the Yoruba Tennis Club and the Island Club.

I assure you, it is very reliable power because for the last 15 months that we’ve connected all these facilities that I have mentioned – the General Hospital, the Island Maternity, the Magistrate Court and all the 26 (Twenty Six) Streets on Lagos Island up to Simpson Street, the power has remained at least, 99.8 percent constant.

All those facilities have not used public power for the last 15 months. We have removed most of the generators in those facilities. The ones that remain there are just backups for emergency situations like operating theatres.

But the interesting thing about it is that I have monitored how much we

pay on the State House, Marina, before and how much we pay now. It is 40 percent cheaper and the power is more efficient.

But while we are increasing public power, for street lights and security, some people are cutting the cables for the copper and there is a ready market to receive them.

This is the leadership question and role we all have to play.

Even if we get all the power, I do not know of any nation that can deliver steady power if people cut the cables, refuse to pay bills or make illegal connections.

No leader can do that for us. We must stop it by ourselves.

In my life time too, I want to see first class hospitals and medical personnel because I expect to live very long and I am sure all of you expect to live very

“I think that our problems lie more with us and with the values choices that we have made and not with our form of Government or the constitution that we have. I think that with the right values, we can succeed even with the worst constitution. We make the constitution, the constitution does not make us, therefore it can only be as good as what we put inside it.”

long.

But you know, as you get older the wear and tear comes.

We also have converted the Gbagada General Hospital into an Annex of our Teaching Hospital in Ikeja.

This year, we expect to open to the public a fitting Cardiac Centre, a Kidney Centre and a fitting Burns Unit in Lagos.

In my own life time, I also want to see reliable rail transport network in Lagos. We lost the momentous opportunity in 1984, but those dreams are beginning to show signs of possibility because the construction of the Blue Line, the first of the seven Lagos Light Rail systems is now underway from Eric Moore to Okokomaiko and will take off this year.

I want to see Policemen that belong to everybody and not those we assign to a few elite.

I also want to see well equipped, well paid and well rewarded Policemen and women in my lifetime.

I want to stop living in fear.

We have not changed the Policemen in Lagos State, but they have become the relative standard for law enforcement in this country simply because we set up a Security Trust Fund.

There is nothing that they have that we do not have. If anything, whether it is oil or people, we have more than Dubai.

I cannot conclude without talking about law and order.

Can we achieve our dreams if we do not live by Order? Even the Scriptures tell us that Order is the first Law in heaven.

On Christmas eve last year, traffic was partly compounded by so many things: All of us moving hampers, moving goods, queuing for fuel, indeed buying fuel that we did not only need immediately, to go and store it at home and put ourselves at risk.

But what is more, the traffic was partly compounded that somewhere on Ikorodu Road some people were selling Chicken on the road and de-feathering them there; and citizens were parking to buy.

The same citizens now complain that there was traffic on the road.

Now you would probably ask, why shouldn’t government remove the people selling Chicken on the road? But there is also a strong question on the other side: Why can’t we resist the temptation of buying Chicken by the road side? That is because if we all do, there will be no traf-

fic. There are other places where we can buy chicken.

You will see therefore that it is all too easy to point fingers and trade blames, but I think we can replace this with individual, family, community, State and national action. We must agree to abide by the rules.

I have told people before that apart from the fact that I do not like the noise of the siren, that I have chosen to do what I ask others to do and not to do what I ask others not to do.

It is also tempting to use the siren and drive past you but I tell myself, you have given me a free car, you paid for my fuel so that I can manage that traffic.

The reason we cannot do what we like when we go to other places is because people there do not do what they like.

You cannot dump refuse where you like, you cannot shop in traffic. You cannot build without permit, you cannot drive against traffic in those places.

Law and order must be our gold standard. No revolution will bring a better life to us either, because I have heard all sorts of calls for a revolution. The revolution that we actually need is in our hearts.

No leader can also force us to do that unless we are persuaded that it is necessary; I am persuaded that it is necessary. So, you have to make those choices.

Let us ask ourselves, are we ready to give up money that we did not earn legitimately. Are we ready to surrender titles and honours that we did not earn but which we have? Are we ready to disclose all the properties and assets that we keep under false names and false companies and do not pay taxes on? Are we ready to go into a contest, like an election accepting that we may lose but ready to work very hard to win?

I think that our problems lie more with us and with the values choices that we have made and not with our form of Government or the constitution that we have. I think that with the right values, we can succeed even with the worst constitution.

We make the constitution, the constitution does not make us, therefore it can only be as good as what we put inside it.

If I have offended any sensibilities here, I apologise. But truly I mean no harm, I only wish my country the very best because I believe that our promise of greatness is nearer us than we think it is; but we have to do something to reach out in purity, restraint and humility to claim that promise.”

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JANUARY 13, 2013

25

GUBERNATORIAL VISION 2013

Deltans are my passion in 2013

My Vision, My Passion

By Emmanuel Uduaghan, Governor, Delta State

I

THINK that our problems lie more with us and with the values choices that we have made and not with our form of Government or the constitution that we have. I think that with the right values, we can succeed even with the worst constitution.

We make the constitution, the constitution does not make us, therefore it can only be as good as what we put inside it. I want

to say that nothing in 2013 as a year will change the hunger and desire that led me into public life: the people. So if you ask me about my passion for 2013 and beyond, the people will remain the centre of my passion. My passion is the people.

I love to serve—service to humanity. I love to make a difference. I love to leave a legacy of change in the lives of people. I am in leadership today and I am contending with the challenges of leadership. I came to this position having followed, read, served and observed leaders in action and therefore with a clear understanding that leadership is the ep icenter of the solution to the numerous challenges that we face today as a state or nation.

Well the last sentence might seem like a leaf taken from Chinua Achebe’s famous little book: the trouble with Nigeria when he evoked his theory that ‘ the trouble with Nigeria is leadership’. I adopt his position with a slight modification. I want to add that while leadership is an issue, the people have their own role as well. The people must hold their leaders to account in a responsible manner. And to do this, the people must also discharge their own obligations. The people must insist on truth, integrity and service to community as irreducible minimum in supporting any leader.

If this were then to happen, we would sooner than we think have a culture of leadership that makes difference in a way that significantly alters the lives of our people for the better: a transformative leadership.

And so for any leadership to be truly worth its name, it must make an impact in the lives of our people. For me since assuming office, the task was clear: how do we transform Delta state in way that enables the people to harness all opportunities that are abundant in our state.

To accomplish these aims have not often been as easy as I have stated. Indeed, if it were, then we would not be talking about leadership challenges. But because it is not, that is why as a leader I have to exert considerable en-

ergy, time and resources with all the political footwork and skill available to me to drive forward this vision.

In 2007, when we first assumed office, we outlined our three point agenda of Peace and Security, Human Capital and Infrastructure Development as the roadmap for the Delta beyond Oil vision of the administration.

We must build key infrastructure that will trigger private sector investment. It, at the same time, imposed on us the obligation that we must develop a strong human capital that will support such investment and the state and thus make Delta state economy a competitive one.

As a goal, it is long term but I am must add that it is worth it. If we had not started we would not today be more secure.

We have moved decisively on several fronts. Our peace and security agenda is now with passage of time not as celebrated as it once was. I want to recall that for a long time, at least for the period when peace and stability eluded the Niger Delta region, we were a show piece following our engagement approach, which I dare say was the forerunner to the federal government amnesty programme.

Beyond this, we were also concerned with the internal cohesion of Delta state as a political unit. Thus we were determined to rise above ethnic or political division by adopting a policy of inclusive government and inclusive development. We are making sure that appointments and projects are spread to every corner of the state, to deal with the problem of lamentation of marginalization or neglect. Today, I don’t recall any section of the State with the fear of dominance, de-

spite the difference in tribe and tongue. State or nation building have not always been an easy task, but by building social cohesion we are making great progress.

I am leaving the last bit on infrastructure in the concluding part of this essay, not because I rate them as unimportant.

We blazed the trail in award of scholarship to first class graduates, in addition to the various scholarship/ bursaries schemes enjoyed by Deltans, education in Delta state is virtually free.

Over 18,000 class rooms have been renovated or built with over 100 schools constructed to international standards.

The structure of our model schools are architectural showpiece that have marveled anyone who have seen them; we have also built a brand new international airport that is easily the best in the country in Asaba and should in the new year upgrade the Osubi airport to international level. our multiple health programs is giving access to the poor to take care of thier health challenges. Under our careful management, we are making Oghara teaching hospital a great centre of healthcare and it should in no time become a reference point in Africa. Our IPP programme is on course, the Industrial clusters in Warri and Asaba will make great progress in the 2013. We are committed to reactivating ailing industries or selling off those that draw private sector interests.

We will in 2013 setup 10 agro-based industrial plants, its take off should begin early in the New Year and should boost employment and agriculture production in the state. Our micro credit system should be able to impact 25,000 more recipients in addition to the 100,000 that had already benefitted. Our road rehabilitation and construction will not slack as we are determined to increase our network grid of roads.

We have one of the most active public transport systems with our buses and other forms of transportation.

A lot is being done.

Delta state will continue to make the great progress we promised, focused on the people and addressing the needs of the people.

By Kayode Fayemi, Governor, Ekiti State

T

HE other day – a friend called to sympathise with me on my Kogi colleague’s accident and loss of his ADC. Coming in the wake of the tragic loss of Gov. Ibrahim Yakowa and General Azazi, and the earlier plane crash of Governor Danbaba Suntai, he then added what I guess all my colleagues must be encountering from a wide range of friends and well-wishers. “You people”, he hesitated, “must be more prayerful now because you are now an endangered species” but with the finality of a fatalistic pentecostal preacher, he continued, “I know danger shall not be your portion in Jesus’ name, Amen”.

Although raised in a different context, the remark reminded me of what some friends used to ask when I announced I was going to run for the office of Governor in my state eight years ago. Many asked me then: Why, with all these degrees, a good career and a decent public profile, would you want to go into something dirty and nasty like politics, particularly in a setting as dangerous as Ekiti State, where the incumbent governor was daily accused of murder and mayhem. Some bluntly asked if I had a death wish.

Down with a nasty flu and forced into a bed rest by Doctors in the last week, I have had a lot of time to reflect on these searching questions too – especially the bit about Governors becoming an endangered species and whether we have a death wish. Why am I in politics?

What is the passion that drives what I do? Do I have a death wish? Is partisan politics the only avenue for me to achieve my life’s passion of making a difference in my environment? Given the abuse and unrestrained lies often peddled against public office holders, aren’t the insults too much to take for someone who genuinely seek to serve the people?

Why not just give it all up and live a life in the shadows, albeit still in service to humanity?

T h e unvarnished truth is that I love life too much to want to celebrate death. Indeed, the loss of any human being is a blight on my own humanity. So, I am not in politics because I have a death wish. I am in politics for the same reasons I became a passionate activist.

It was a selfish desire to live my life in freedom, in peace and in a democracy that transformed the frightened young man that I was into a bold activist against military repression.

It is my belief that another Nigeria is possible – one that embraces democracy, fairness, equity and justice and my faith in the possibility to say what we like, write what we think, participate in the political process without fear of intimidation, make our votes count so that our views will matter – these are the values that have always propelled me in the struggle for a good society. In a sense, I see my current circumstances as an extension of my activist life and another stage in the struggle to restore the dignity of humankind.

For me, democracy is not an abstract concept. If democracy is not capable of curbing corruption, guaranteeing transparency and improving people’s well-being and quality of life, it is at best an empty concept, at worst a sham. Poverty and despair, oppression and humiliation, economic and social insecurities are breeding grounds for violence and conflict and as much as Nigerians want democracy, they also want to see concrete evidence of democracy making a difference in their lives. The evidence of the correlation between poverty, inequality and insecurity in our society is stark.

Consequently, everything I have done since assuming office has been geared towards advancing my core values of transparency and accountability (my public asset declaration, passage of Freedom of Information Law, participatory budget making and transparent procurement processes); Improvement in the Quality of Life of our people (Improved infrastructure,

Free and Qualitative Healthcare Programme, Gender Equality and Women Empowerment, Social Security Benefit Stipend, Food Bank and SoupKitchen, Empowerment Programmes); Education, Enterprise and Human Capital Development (Free Education Initiative, Laptop per child programme, Samsung Engineering Academy, Life Academies, Youth in Commercial Agriculture Programme) Wealth creation and Entrepreneurial Boost of the Local Economy (Creation of the Tourism Hub – Ikogosi, Industrial and Technological Parks, AgroProcessing industries and revival of moribund industries.) and restoration of a sense of purpose and dignity in the average Ekiti person. All of these have not been accomplished without some challenges and criticisms but what is not in doubt is the clarity of our vision, our unrelenting focus, our commitment to change, compassion for our people and sincerity of purpose on the part of government.

This is why my own passion is about the need for a collective rescue mission in Nigeria. If we are determined to get rid of ‘brigands, parasites and unworthy custodians of power and authority’ from public office, we also have a duty not to allow the genuinely committed purveyors of good governance to be hounded out of office in order to encourage a critical mass of decent, disciplined, compassionate, committed, steadfast, visionary and focused individuals to enter that larger movement for change.

I believe we can revive the Nigerian state in a qualitative manner and make democracy more meaningful to the people, democratise governance, build infrastructure, provide jobs for the jobless, improve healthcare, modernise agriculture and reclaim our young people from a future of violence, decadence and despair.

That’s the vision we are focusing on in Ekiti: to rescue Ekiti from poverty, help create wealth and restore the dignity of our people.

•Continued on Page 71

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JANUARY 13, 2013

26

GUBERNATORIAL VISION 2013

2013: My vision for 2013 Borno’s T year of collective renaissance

By Rauf Aregbesola, Governor, Osun State

By Kashim Shettima, Governor, Borno State

T

HE last few years will without any doubt go down in the annals of Borno’s long, proud and rich history as its most challenging times.

In 2009, an armed insurgency, inspired by the Jama’atul Ahlis Sunnah Lidda’awati Wal Jihad, a.k.a Boko Haram, broke out leaving in its wake death and destruction on a scale alien to contemporary Nigeria and its people. Being the focal point of this insurgency, Borno State has paid a greater price than most.

On the streets of Maiduguri, our State capital, the tell-tale signs of the epic disruptions in social, political and economic life are there to be seeing. The hustles and bustles of urban life have taken a hit.

The big, dark storm has gathered, but for us(and mercifully too), the silver lining is also standing out. We can clearly see it; no, we can distinctly FEEL it. So, as grim and depressing the Boko Haram imbroglio may seem we are determined to overcome it.

And insha Allah, overcome these problems, we shall. The last one and a half years, we have used to find some stability. The next two and a half, we are embarking on a surefooted and completely focused mission of COLLECTIVE RENAISSANCE. Together as a people, each of our 27 local government areas have made their choices of what priorities they are taking of the 2013 Budget.

Together, we have agreed of where to site what projects or programmes. As a rule, every Local Council must have an agricultural activity sited there; whether a farm centre, tomatoes factory, drip irrigation project, corn chips production factory, cottage industries’ implements for co-operatives on groundnut value addition, rice milling and general food processing or any other programme outlined by our Agricultural Transformation Team, already cultivating 5000 hectares of land for wheat in the winter (Harmattan) season in addition to a similar campaign on rice production.

With 2013, the long journey to societal rebirth in Borno has commenced in earnest.

This is our time. Our time to WALK the talk, if you permit the American cliche. Time and again, I have stated our resolve to completely transform our people’s lives through the instrumentalities of education, health, provision of infrastructure and agriculture, among others. In 2013 no stone shall be left unturned and no available resources spared to make life more abundant and to ensure the greatest happiness of the greatest number of our otherwise hapless people.

Every single hour of every day of the year and every single Kobo of every Naira of Borno’s common wealth will be put at the service of it’s people; to return our people to the land and transform agricultural production to a level never contemplated and never seen before; to catapult our Western and Islamic school systems to a pedestal that will make them the envy of others; to upgrade our health care delivery system in such manner as not to only produce a happy, healthy population, but to make our State a preferred destination for medical tourism as clearly shown by our current reconstruction and equipping of hospitals across the State; to

make good roads, potable water and other critical infrastructure more abundant in Borno State; to haul our youths and women off the streets and on to the production lines and the market stalls; in short, to re-invent Borno. 2013, our year of COLLECTIVE RENAISSANCE. The year to end this unfortunate specter of violence and insecurity. At the risk of telling the reader what he may have already learnt via the verifiable media reports, about 2000 unemployed youths are currently engaged under the Borno State Integrated Farming and Vocational Jobs Scheme. The wisdom is basically to create immediate vocational jobs and to provide skills that will make the trainees become self employed in the long term. We have training sites for making of interlocks, Hydraform bricks, roofing tiles at Ramat Square, Gidan Madara, the State University site, Yerwa Girls’ College, Government College, etc, all in Maiduguri, where youths are being trained and paid as they produce interlocks, bricks and roofing tiles. They are clearly part of our educational transformation. Of course, we are doing other things in the education sector- we have jerked up allocation of feeding boarding schools from N20m to N100m monthly, we are currently overhauling secondary schools in phases, we have a task force, policing and enforcing quality learning to mention a few steps.

Now, about 1000 youths have produced about a million interlocks which we hope to increase and use on our roads. Our plan is to inter lock the whole of Maiduguri by Allah’s grace as we simultaneously carry on ongoing road projects. All through the works that may last one year, the youths will remain employed and after the project, they will be organised through co-operatives and given materials implements and funds to start their businesses as producers and sellers. It isn’t really cheaper to engage the youths but the idea is to get them off the streets and like a great leader once inferred, it will not be senseless to bring down the London Bridge for the sole purpose of creating jobs through reconstruction works if there are no openings for new jobs. As per bricks, about 60 Hydraform machines are being currently used by youths in mass production of bricks and roofing tiles as we prepare to construct 2,500 units of 2 bedroom flats, mainly for low income earners - at least, rich folks in our place would prefer bigger sized houses so the poor can’t be chanced.

The youths here, are also paid daily- they are taught how to make the bricks, roofing tiles, how to assemble bricks to make houses and class rooms and how to assemble roofing tiles on top buildings.The project is expected to create employment for at least 25,000 youths (if average of 10 youths are to cater for each house) beside the multiplier effect of creating trading activities for carpenters, electricians, bricklayers for the DVC, etc.

We are a resilient and proud people steeped in over a millennium of nothing but glorious history.

So, like the Phoenix, Borno shall rise again. After all, the beauty is not in never falling but raising each time you fall.

HE out-gone year, 2012, is not one any of us would forget in a hurry. It was therefore deservedly laid to rest as we look forward to 2013. Actually time is a continuum.

I am therefore concerned with the linkage between the past, present and future even as I outline my vision for this year.

A major international conflict has emerged with the Syrian civil war and it has spread to Turkey and Lebanon with grave potential to broaden to Iraq, Jordan and Israel. There is enough trouble in the Middle East to trouble world peace. I am therefore looking forward to the resolution of the Syrian crisis this year. Every conflict is a humanitarian disaster. This is deplorable and we should put an end to it.

In Africa, I look towards greater integration in business, commerce, transportation and leisure. Africa is such a compact continent yet so divided. Except for oil, African countries trade more with European and Asian countries than with themselves. This could be said to be the fallout of colonialism but after more than half a century of independence, the colonial argument no longer holds and Africans must begin to look inwards.

Things are not going to change so dramatically in one year. However, it is my hope that new groundwork will be laid for integration, especially in transportation, trade, manufacturing and tourism. One of the problems of trade is that African countries produce raw materials which they don’t use, while they buy finished products they don’t produce. If they can come to new understanding on manufacturing and maximise their comparative advantages in all areas, they can cut off much of their dependence on Europe and Asia. This might just be the fountainhead of African renaissance.

The African leads inexorably to the Nigerian. The biggest problems facing the country today are unemployment, insecurity and worsening infrastructure.

This year, a large number of the army of unemployed youths must be engaged.

Job creation is not exactly nuclear physics. God helped us in Osun to engage 20,000 people in less than 100 days of being in office.

We have since raised the ante with jobs created directly or indirectly through our various empowerment programmes in agriculture, works and social services.

Directly and through the multiplier effect, we have engaged not less than half a million people in two years. The Federal Government and other states can take a cue from us and we will be willing to share our

strategy with any government so interested.

Insecurity, especially of the type we have in this country has three roots – the environment of poverty, deprivation and neglect; wrongheaded government policies; and failure of law enforcement. Addressing any of these is necessary but not sufficient. They must be approached in an integrative manner. I have made the case in the past that the poverty and alienation of the people from the state provided a ready recruitment field for malcontents and disgruntled elements in the North. With a renewed effort at education, poverty alleviation and inclusiveness, the pond will be drained.

Of course, I am in support of law enforcement. The police and other law enforcement agencies must be well equipped and motivated to fight crime. With their intelligence gathering and penetrating capability enhanced, they will be positioned to break the back of any group that might pose threat to the security of Nigerians. However, as Mitt Romney, the Republican Party presidential candidate, told President Obama on his anti-terror strategy in one of the debates preceding the last election, ‘You cannot kill your way out of these things’. Force alone and in itself cannot be effective to defeat issues deeply rooted in culture, ideology and religion. This is where there must be engagement. We may not accept what is offered but we must never be afraid of dialogue, of communication and of engagement. I look forward to the resolution of the ethno-regional and religious conflicts in the Niger Delta, Plateau and the North this year.

This year should be a big one for infrastructure in Ni-

geria. We have done enough talking on the problem. It is high time we started fixing it.

We have in the past set targets that have been defeated by politics, fiscal illiteracy and bad planning. This year, we should set realistic new targets of one year, five years, 10 years, 20 years and so on, on power, roads, railways and steel development and stand faithfully on their implementation.

More importantly, we must get into the much needed constitution reforms this year.

We can no longer afford to pretend that all is well. We have engrafted the logic of unitarism on a supposedly federal constitution and this has been responsible for much of the crisis of state.

The Nigerian people in their heterogeneity must come together and agree upon and fashion a people’s constitution established unmistakably upon the principles of federalism. Our most recent history taught us that the most prosperous and progressive period was when we practiced federalism both in politics and finance.

In our state, Osun, this year is very significant for us. Every politician operating a four-year political calendar knows that the third year is crucial. That is the last year for an incumbent to impress the electorate. This year therefore will be the culmination of the silent revolution that had been going on in the four corners of the state. We have exerted much efforts in job creation, agriculture, education, culture and tourism, roads, rural development, healthcare, social welfare, youth development, urban renewal and so on. These are overwhelmingly coming to fruition this year. It is indeed the year of great deliverance for the people. It is going to convince our people beyond any shadow of doubt that government indeed is serious business and will make the desired impact when serious people man it.

This year will therefore bring the consolidation of the first phase of our pact with the people and the beginning of the next phase in our development march in Osun. I am as excited as I am sobered by the prospects that the year will yield for us in Osun, Nigeria, Africa and the world.

Happy New Year.

30

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY JANUARY 13, 2013

Smarten

up

•Armani Women's Light Blue Shirt

Glamour

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JANUARY 13, 2013

Presenter, international model and actress, Zainab Balogun reveals her favourites to Kehinde Oluleye.

Jewellery

31

1

Favourite shoe designer Lanvin

2

Favourite bag designer Chloe

3

Favourite watch designer Marc Jacobs

4

Favourite Nigerian designer Jewel by Lisa

5

Favourite perfume Lady Million

by Paco Rabanne

6

Favourite nail polish Barry M nail vanishes

7

Favourite pet Dog

8

Favourite car Aston Martin

Zainab’s

top

10

9

Favourite skirt (long or short) Short all the way!

10

Favourite jewellery Rings

32

Glamour

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JANUARY 13, 2013

Pals Kelly Rowland and Jennifer Hudson were a hit when Academy Award winner, Hudson, made a guest stop on 'X Factor UK' during Rowland's stint as judge on the show. In December 2012 the diva duo reunited for Hudson's interview with 'Michigan Avenue' magazine. In the guest interviewer's chair was Rowland.

Jennifer Hudson's star keeps rising

•Kelly and Jennifer

Courtesy: Michigan Avenue

THEATRE

With VICTOR AKANDE

t

BIGSCREEN

Tel: 07029013958

How I sold my car to promote Kukere

SOUND TRACK

plus

GISTS

PAGE

33

E-mail: victor_akande@yahoo.com

I sold my car because I had to do a tour to promote the same song when I saw that few people started appreciating it. I had to do a tour because I realised the song was big in most places, they didn't know who did it

—Iyanya

RnB act turned pop singer, Iyanya, was one of the best things to happen to the music industry in 2012. With the hit single, Kukere, that took over the Nigerian music space, the first-ever 'Project Fame' winner launched into the Nigeria Music scene.

Like a breath of fresh air, fans couldn't get enough of the song. Perhaps to prove that he was not a flash in the pan, the pop star dropped yet a follow up single, Your Waist, which finally consolidated his position in the limelight.

In this interview with MERCY MICHAEL, Iyanya opens up on his struggles as an RnB artiste, secrets of his success, upcoming album, scandals and other things. Excerpt:

Continued on page 40

34

Entertainment

n e m n a i r Nige t n a w t ’ n o d n e d r u b y n a

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JANUARY 13, 2013

What they mean is that spiritually, my mother was my back bone. So immediately my mother passed away, a lot of them were like, let us see how she's going to continue to make it big.

Seeing that many of them were expecting my downfall

n i r o j n A z i L —

Now, Nigerian men are crazy o. They don't want to carry any burden. If you are hearing such thing as, 'my sweetheart, 'my heartthrob', na money. But looking at it, should it be a put-off for men? I think it should encourage any serious man.

•Liz

Entertainment

39

THE NATION SUNDAY, JANUARY 13, 2013

PAGE 35

SUPER EAGLES’ NEW BOY GODFREY OBOABONA

'I'm not a

car freak but I like

SUVs’

36

37

NATION SPORT & STYLE SUNDAY, January 13, 2013

NATION SPORT & STYLE

NATION SPORT & STYLE

Messi

OBOABONA

to celebrate Ballon D'Or with special boot against Malaga

‘It’s a privilege playing under

Baines

KESHI

My music world

By Morakinyo Abodunrin

•Oboabona

AUSTRALIAN OPEN

Sharapova launches sweet brand

Former England's boss fights lover over London flat

•INSPIRATION: Yobo

• Ibenegbu

•Oboabona

•Sharapova

• Balotelli with mother of his daughter

SUNDAY, JANUARY 13, 2013

PAGE 38

•Abioye

UNFORGETABLE

Abioye rolls out red carpet for Paralympians

By Apekhade Yusuf & Daniel Popoola

Why I love my ‘sweet mother' -Suswam

•Suswam

40

Entertainment

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JANUARY 13, 2013

DStv, GOtv launch new channel

Rejection made me the Iyanya I am today --Continued from page 40 •Mr. John Ugbe, Managing Director, MultiChoice Nigeria, Mrs. Biola Alabi, Managing Director, M-Net Africa and Mr. Mayo Okunola, General Manager, GOtv at the official showcase

Gospel music should serve as a tool of worship—Baba Sekunderin

Aity Dennis warms up for UK, US tour

2face’s baby mama set to marry

2face with Annie

By Ahmed Boulor

ove m o t t e s Wizkid i-million into Mult ki home Naira Lek

•Aity Dennis

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JANUARY 13, 2013

Albums that failed commercially in 2012

Amid the usual buzz and attendant hype, most of these albums were released into the market with huge expectations. But they failed to make the mark commercially due to factors ranging from ineffective promotions, marketing and distribution lapses or just by pure fate. AHMED BOULOR writes.

Entertainment

41

42

Entertainment

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JANUARY 13, 2013

CINEMA GUIDE

BIG

PICTURE

LAGOS

Supported by: SILVERBIRD CINEMAS

Streets of Calabar: A shot at tourism

PORT HARCOURT

ABUJA

Jack Reacher: Volcanic and suspenseful

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JANUARY 13, 2013

Glamour

43

r e v e t a h w e m l l a c n People ca e r U n e e u Q – e k i l they

Queen Ure Okezie is a woman of many parts.

She's the last child and only daughter of the late frontline Second Republic politician and medical practitioner and Minister of Health, Dr. J.O.J Okezie. A graduate of Physics who has worked in five different commercial banks and one mortagage bank, she made headlines with her sensational marriage to her younger lover, Soul E, after which both of them established a church, Love Villa. The marriage had since collapsed and the church too gone under.

But Ure is not resting on her oars, as she has gone into music now.

She spoke with ADETUTU AUDU and DANIEL POPOOLA on her new album and her many controversies.

P

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY, JANUARY 13, 2013

Social

ADETUTU AUDU (E-mail: crownkool@yahoo.com, Tel: 08023849036)

Makashe Awogboro gets busy

Sharon Adeleke is engaged

Why Fayose and his ex-Commissioner are sworn enemies

Lanre and Modupe Ogunlesi's love deepen

Glamour

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, JANUARY 13, 2013

Tunde Bakare would have been a carpenter

45

Ebuka Obi-Uchendu breaks new ground

Derin Agbaje rocks her world

Kevin Lucciano picks wedding date

Yinka Osobu expands frontiers

Lekan Osifeso remembers late parents

46

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&

OLUSEGUN RAPHEAL (08033572821) raphseg2003@yahoo.com

Oluwatoyin Kolajo marries Princess Tejumade Adelekun

By: KUNLE AKINRINADE

The couple: Oluwatoyin Odemakin Kolajo; and Tejumade Tolulope Adelekun

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JANUARY 13, 2013

47

GUBERNATORIAL VISION 2013

Raising Chief Servant’s the stakes vision for 2013 in 2013 I

By Muazu Babangida Aliyu, Governor, Niger State

By T.A. Orji, Governor, Abia State

T

HE magnitude of our projections for 2013 has been securely held to our chest, awaiting a dedicated and religious implementation when we were prevailed upon to publicly flaunt them for the appreciation of Abians.

Agreed, but not before we reiterate our well wishes to Abians and the generality of Nigerians especially as we look forward to a more prosperous and secure life in the Nigerian project, in 2013.

Abia and the huge construction site of what it has become is a healthy development for which we owe God a thousand and one gratitude.

2013 shall be comparatively better than other years following from our articulated strategy to extensively improve on the State’s internally generated revenue.The revenue effort of Abia State has suffered stunted growth following from the unpatriotic attitude of some civil and public office holders in the state, whose stock in trade is to sabotage the good intentions of government. A case in point is the recent preliminary discovery of over 1,727 ghost workers in our local government system. Government will beam its search light on other sectors with a view to replicating this cleansing.

Regardless of the fact that Golden Guinea Breweries was mindlessly abandoned before we came on board, we have been on top of the initiative to bring it back to life. with its mass employment capacity.

Plans are at advanced stage to re-engineer the state transport sector in association with the Federal Government Sure P Programme.

We will leverage that window, to introduce brand new buses on the fleet of Abia State Transport Corporation.

This projection has given rise to the re-organisation in the Corporation at the end of which spacious and more modern loading bays would have emerged.

The State Ministry of Transport will expedite action in streamlining the operations of tri-cycle operators and encourage investors to develop taxi cabs. The proposed mono-rail for Aba and Umuahia will hopefully

commence in 2013.

Same is our expectation on the Alkamali powered private refinery to be located at oil producing neighbourhood of Owaza in Ukwa West Local Government Area.

The onslaught against poverty will become fiercer in 2013 through a significantly improved youth empowerment programme and coming on stream of Liberation Farms designed for location in all the 17 Local Government Areas of the State. Our machinery for its attainment includes the extension of a gateway to a Malaysian firm in replacement of El-friel to revive the moribund Abia Palm at Ohambele in Ukwa East Local Government Area. The State will strive to improve on her cocoa production. Introduction of improved seedlings and asphalting of roads leading to our Cocoa farms will be of immense benefit.

Three general hospitals; Okikpe in Ukwa East of Abia South, Arochukwu of Abia North and Amachara, Abia Central have been selected for a comprehensive up-grading through our Sure-P Programme. It is intended to power government holistic health-care programme in all our major geo-political enclaves for the maintenance of our people’s clean bill of health. Governments desire to construct one major road in each of the 17 Local Government Areas, will hopefully come on stream in 2013 but with particular emphasis on Aba. This approach is a deliberate design aimed at enhancing the economic potentials of our commercial nerve centre. It is a calculated follow up to the rehabilitation of more than 16 roads in Aba. The power roadmap in Abia State has recorded substantial improvement given the jinx breaking Ohiya Power Station. In February 2013, Government – Geometric Synergy will put paid to the frustrating black-out plaguing the commercial city of Aba. This illumination will hopefully inject life into every small and medium enterprise and consequently re-establish Aba in the global commercial map as a destination of note.

Our “one stop shop” designed to weed investment hiccups and bureaucratic bottle-necks has been yielding the desired result. Genuine investors are cashing in on this gateway to display their wares in the State.

Shoprite, a deserving beneficiary of the above module, has deployed men and machinery to government-approved site for the construction of a state of the art shopping mall in Umuahia. Our confident expectation is that Abia will in the coming year; join in the league of world class shopping States.

This exhilarating development is equally taking place in the hospitality industry under the auspices of Protea Hotels Limited, which is driving the vision of re-engineering Abia Hotels Umuahia into a luxurious three-star hotel.

Love FM Station (103:9) has stimulated a healthy competition in the air-waves since opening their shop in the State. It is our firm belief that fellow players in the industry who have accepted our hand of friendship will live up to expectation.

Knowing that security is an indispensable factor in the attainment of every set objective, we will continually encourage harmonious relations of all the security formations in the state with a view to forestalling any untoward activity or relapse to what became the ugly Somali past of Abia state. Security is hugely capital intensive but we understand its importance to the safety of our people and in gaining investors’ confidence.

Timber Market hitherto situated at the neighbourhood of World Bank Housing Estate provided the opportunity for us to taste the relocation waters. Now at the expansive landscape of Umudike, we are going to ride on that success to smoothly relocate the Umuahia Main Market to Ubani on or before the end of April 2013. Over 5,000 lock up shops have been built, awaiting the asphalting of roads and electricity.

We estimate they would be done within our deadline.

The delivery of Umuahia Modern Market will herald our season of harvest in project celebrations as the following giant leaps would have been qued for public presentation; new Workers Secretariat Umuahia, new International Conference Centre, new High Court Complex at Umuahia and Aba, new kidney Dialysis and Ophthalmology Centre at the Specialist Hospital Umuahia, new Children Centre and doctors’ residence at Amachara Annex of Abia Specialist Hospital.

Never again will it be said that the godly State of Abia is lacking in structural identity.

N the last five years, Niger state under my leadership has witnessed significant changes in key sectors of the state’s burgeoning economy. I have always reiterated my avowed readiness to demystify governance through wide and extensive consultation with the people on issues of development. My efforts have been very impactful as Niger State has been rated for the 3rd year running as the best state in the federation in fighting poverty based on the recent statistics released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). According to the report, Niger has the lowest poverty rate of 33.8 percent followed by Osun with 37.9 percent and Ondo with 45.7 percent.

I have taken governance to the doorstep of those referred to as ‘common people’. With the huge success recorded, in terms of infrastructural development in the rural areas through the instrumentality of the Ward Development Project initiative of the Chief Servant, several states in the country and foreign friends acknowledge.

A peep into the state’s 2013 budget estimate as recently signed into law reveals hope and high expectations of good things to come. The 2013 budget titled, “Budget of Transformation and Sustainable Development” is a veritable tool with which we intend to regenerate the economy, reduce poverty, create employment and expand the infrastructural base of the State to enhance the living standards of our people.

Our sincere resolve to frontally address issues that have direct linkage with the masses, especially those at the grassroots accounts for why the Economic Sector has highest allocation of =N=11,330,014,219, in the 2013 budget estimate as it is the growth driver that will propel the attainment of aspiration of Vision 3:2020.

Emphasis here will be provision of enabling environment to support the growth of agriculture, woo reputable investors, and develop, tourism and solid minerals where the state is richly endowed with enduring comparative advantages.

This administration sees agriculture as the major driver of economic activity in Niger State. We shall continue to collaborate with Research Institutes in the development of improved technologies and the extension delivery mechanisms. The Niger State Agricultural and Mechanization Development Authority (NAMDA) will be strengthened. In addition to upgrading and transforming our Farm Insti-

tutes, 6,000hectares of land across the state will be cleared to engage the youths in agricultural activities. We shall continue to support agricultural initiatives implemented by FADAMA III, the Root and Tuber Expansion Project (RTEP) the Rural Access Mobility Project (RAMP) II and development partners to ensure that the state derives maximum benefits. Programmes lined up for execution the sector includes more funding for irrigation activities, completion of Lioji, Guzan irrigation schemes and development of grazing reserve as well as rehabilitation of existing veterinary clinics.

Also, Niger State has been chosen as one of the focal state for the Nigeria incentive base-risk management system for agricultural lending (NIRSAL). We are taking advantage of it to develop rice value-chain in Niger State. The current effort is the injection of mechanization to boost production, reduce drudgery and attract investors to cover the entire value chain.

We shall continue to accord the education sector unparallel attention. The phase 1 rehabilitation of post primary schools across the state will be pursued to reduce over-crowding and increase enrolment in the school system.

As it is often posited, health is wealth. Health is central to human survival.

The Government will create an enabling environment for the delivery of quality health care services in the state, hence it will continue to renovate and expand existing heath facilities and provide them with modern equipment and drugs. A new office complex will be constructed for the Niger State Health Management Boar. The Community Health Service Scheme will be introduced. During the 2013fiscal year, the IBB Spe-

cialist Hospital, Minna will be provided with necessary equipment to f u n c t i o n optimally as a tertiary and referral health Centre and expansion and up-grading of Kutigi General Hospital.

On sports, work will commence on the construction of 15,000 sitting capacity stadium complex in Minna with state of art facilities -handball, basketball, lawn tennis courts, 100rooms hotel, 3000 sitting capacity gymnasium, swimming pool, and others. We shall complete the NYSC Permanent Orientation Camp, provision of equipment to Abdulsalam Youth Centre for various skills acquisition training of our youths for gainful employment.

This administration is not unaware of challenges posed by inadequate water provision in some parts of the state. To this end, the provision, maintenance and improvement of water schemes across the state will be of utmost priority. While Under the rural water and sanitation programme, hand pump as well as solar powered boreholes will be drilled and maintained across the state. The operations of RUWANSTAN will be strengthened with the purchase of rigs and other equipment.

Housing is of paramount importance to this administration. The provision of infrastructure and completion of ongoing Housing Estates across the state will be pursued with vigour. Similarly, we shall partner with developers in the provision of decent and affordable houses to Nigerlites in different parts of the State. In line with the CBN requirement, the Niger State Building Society will be recapitalized to enable it provide mortgage services. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Lands and Housing is working closely with Aso Savings to provide mortgage facilities for successful bidders for the concluded sales of government quarters in line with existing monetisation policies. Proceeds from the exercise will be used to build new quarters for public servants in Minna. Similarly, Government has concluded plans to facilitate the construction of Religious and Cultural Centres in partnership with the general public at the Three Arms zone to promote religious harmony and understanding in the State.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JANUARY 13, 2013

48

GUBERNATORIAL VISION 2013

2013: The dream My vision for 2013 ride goes on T

By Abiola Ajimobi, Governor, Oyo State

By Godswill Obot Akpabio, Governor, Akwa Ibom State

“I

F what is happening in Akwa Ibom State is a dream, then I do not want to wake up,” said a young woman after savouring the transformation of Akwa Ibom State. She had seen the beauty of Uyo, our capital city, in particular and the entire state in general.

Uyo is a city of bright streetlights and beautiful junctions decorated with colourful fountains. At Christmas season those junctions get decorated with Christmas lights and they become Christmas parks, as thousands troop there to take pictures. The sight leaves you with a dreamy experience.

She was partly right though - the uncommon transformation of Akwa Ibom State was once a dream in my heart. A dream that Government can work! A dream that Government can exist for the people, and give practical demonstration to the age-old maxim that democracy is a government of the people, by the people and for the people. Government can be for the people!

If this happy turn of events (set loose by my dream) has led to people thinking that they are dreaming, then it has a parallel in the story of the Jews. When God turned again their captivity, the Jews confessed that they were like a people who dreamed. We are like a people who dream!

This year the dream ride of Akwa Ibom State continues. Last year we had a lot to thank God for. Over the years we had created a conducive atmosphere for industrial and economic growth in the state. We expected investors and entrepreneurs to come, so we prepared for them.

How did we prepare for them? We completed the Ibom International Airport, which we met at site-clearing level; we completed the Le Meridien Hotel and gave it the best golf course in Africa; we completed the first phase of Ibom Power Plant, which we met at 65 per cent level of completion; we constructed the Ibom Gas Plant; we built the pipe-jacking drainage system (the first of its kind in Africa) in Uyo and Abak which took care of the perennial drainage problems in both cities; we built the E-Library, an imposing edifice and the first of its kind in West Africa; we expanded our electricity coverage to 87 percent of the state and we are targeting 100 per cent by 2015; we had constructed/dualized over 300 roads and given the state one of the best road networks in our country. But, more importantly, we established the free and compulsory education programme for our children from primary school to senior secondary school. This has quadrupled enrolment in our schools.

We have also reduced infant/pregnancy mortality through our free healthcare for babies (from birth to the age of five), pregnant women and the aged. We have not had a single case of polio in the last five years because of this. In addition, we have constructed over 4,000 Inter- ministerial Direct Labour Scheme projects; commenced work on the main terminal building of the Ibom International Airport while work on the international stadium is advancing at a great speed. We have also completed three additional flyovers on the Third Ring Road and turned Uyo into one beautiful, picturesque

city with trappings of modernity. These are just a sampler of what we had done in “setting a table” in Akwa Ibom State for the good Akwa Ibom people, tourists, investors and entrepreneurs.

The investors and tourists are beginning to come. But, last year, other unexpected (but very welcome) visitors started trouping in. Nigerians of all shades and hues came to the state to renew our nation. It began (and aptly too) with the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) choosing, for the first time in its history, to hold its annual conference outside Lagos and Abuja. The meeting agenda was on how to renew our nation. We pointed out that Akwa Ibom, as the Land of Promise, was set to perform the role of Gilgal, the place where the ancient Israelites usually visited to renew their kingdom. This turned out to be a prophecy as thereafter the Muslim Ummah came. The National Assembly came. The Peoples Democratic Party Central Working Committee came. The list goes on.

This year we expect more people to come to “Gilgal” as we get set to expand our hospitality industry with the Tropicana Entertainment Centre. The stage of work at the Tropicana Entertainment Centre raises the hope of completion of the shopping mall, water park, mini Disney and the five-star Uyo Hilton Hotel this year.

In terms of urban renewal scheme, work will commence in the first quarter of the New Year in Eket whilst efforts shall be made to bring the problem of the decayed Eket/Ibeno Road to a conclusion. It is pertinent to mention that many land mark projects shall be commissioned this year. Such projects include the Enen Nsit road (i.e Ikot Ekan/ Mbiokporo Road with three completed bridges), the first phase of Abak/Utu Nsehe/Nkwot Ikono Road with two completed bridges and Etebi-Ewang Road with the longest bridge in the state, the urban roads in Etinan Local Government Area and the Uyo/Ukpom Abak Road with a bridge amongst others. The cottage hospital in Eastern Obolo and Ika should be commissioned and put to use as soon as possible in the this year.

God has made Akwa Ibom State a reference point in good governance and a paragon in development. The journey we began in 2007 with a firm commitment to positively change forever, the lives of our people, has turned dreams into reality. My prayer is that the God who brought us this far will not abandon us. What all Akwa Ibom people need to do is remain united and then we shall grow from strength to strength. Let us never succumb to the forces of divisiveness; for such forces are not only anti-God, they are the only things we should fear.

The dream known as “uncommon transformation” continues…

HE last 19 months of our administration have been very eventful. We have, within that period, made statements of whom we are, which are in tandem with good governance all over the world.

One, this administration has been able to prove to the people of Oyo State that with their support, changing the landscape of society for the better is almost a bread and butter exercise; that good governance is not rocket science.

Second, we have been able to make a statement on our displeasure with the accumulated dirt hitherto associated with our environment and the premium we place on infrastructural renewal.

Towards the end of the year 2012, I went into a journey into myself. I elected to do a strong estimation of the journey we have undertaken so far as an administration and what we needed to do as a government in 2013, especially, what is expected of me. I went into a few days solitude, examining every of my governmental step one after the other and projecting into the future. Since we are not running an infallible government, the moment of the reclusive reflection, for me, was a period to reflect on the steps I had taken as a governor that were wrong. I came to conclusions on how to make amends. The steps that I took and for which I received accolades and which my conscience adjudged me to have scored a pass mark, I want to do even more in 2013.

This administration, comparatively, has set a very high moral code for itself, though we are no angels – I have never seen one; I only read of them in books and stories like Ali And The Angel. This, we will continue with in the year 2013.

On infrastructure, our target is to dualize all the major entrances into major towns and cities of the state and works have commenced on them. In Ibadan, we are dualizing about three major roads and will still do more this year. Indeed, we will give greater priority to construction of roads in year 2013. We will make meaningful impact in the health and social sectors, especially in the area of provision of neighbourhood markets and stalls for several of our teeming market men and women who constitute the balk of our commerce.

We will give more empowerment to youth, artisans and our people involved in commercial activities so that we can bolster the state economy.

Overall, in year 2013, my greatest passion is to make a more positive impression and impact in the lives of the people who queued inside the scorching sun to elect me as governor of Oyo State in April, 2011. In this case, I intend to aggressively pursue the urban renewal goal of this administration. If you check the capital city of Ibadan now, and situate it vis-a-vis the deplorable state of our state upon assumption of duty, you will understand the place of vision in any human endeavor. When we came on board, we were livid in our

spirit that a state which our forefathers drove to become the land of firsts could be typecast as one of the filthiest states in Nigeria. I am sure that if those assessors of the time come back and do their ranking now, Oyo State will be in the first 12 cleanest states at the moment. We are however not there yet.

Our target is to receive the trophy of the cleanest state in Nigeria.

By the time we took the mantle of governorship of the state, Oyo was in the doldrums in education. Structures were dilapidating and morale of teachers had sagged considerably. It was so bad that the state where Chief Obafemi Awolowo proclaimed free education to the whole Western Region came 34th out of the 36 states of the federation in the WASC examination. Some schools even sat with chairs constructed by the Bola Ige government when we came into office. Right now, though we are not there yet, we have provided 17,000 furniture to our schools’ classrooms and we are constructing another 100,000 more. We are rehabilitating about 1,500 moribund classrooms at the moment.

As I said in my address to workers of the state at the inter-faith service held at the Governor’s Office in Ibadan on Monday January 7, 2013, we will give priority attention to the welfare of workers in the state, more than we have ever done before.

Already, we have succeeded in demonstrating to the workers that we are their best friends ever. This we have done by training over 13,000 of the workers and promoting them more than any government has ever done, as well as increasing car and housing loans to them as much as 100%. We will construct affordable housing estates for them this year and arrange mortgage for workers to be able to access these houses.

Already, our government is building one of the first civilian-constructed overhead bridge, the last that was done in Oyo State being about 30 years ago. We have also constructed many bridges, chief among which are the Bodija/Secretariat bridge, Olomi/Ayegun bridge, Ogbere Babanla bridge, Arulogun bridge, among others. These were bridges destroyed by the 2011 flood and which hitherto made life uncomfortable for our people.

Space will not allow me to enumerate all we have done for our people in 19 months but we are sworn to bend over backwards in doing even more in 2013.

Overall, our passion is to use the power given to us by God, in 2013, to maximize happiness in Oyo State and reduce the suffering of our people, in line with the classic utilitarian concept as advocated by Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill. In other words, we will do good to the greatest number of people, God helping us.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JANUARY 13, 2013

49

GUBERNATORIAL VISION 2013

In 2013, Ogun State ‘ll take a giant leap

Time to go back to production

By Adams Oshiomhole, Governor, Edo State

O

NCE, an interviewer asked me a mischievous question. He wanted to know if engagement in partisan politics today would not made me modify - if not disavow - the cardinal beliefs I held as a labour activist. For a while, I reflected and soon replied, ‘Not in all cases’. For instance, I would say that my experience in public office in the past five years has rather deepened my conviction that production is the sole guarantor of national wealth. We cannot grow economically as a nation if all we do is engage in rentseeking and speculation.

I share President Jonathan Goodluck’s optimism that 2013 will be better for us as a nation as the massive investments of his administration in key sectors like power generation and Agriculture begin to bear fruits. No doubt, with more stable power, minimum condition would have been created for the nation’s industrial take-off. No true industrial nation depends on power generators.

As leaders at our own individual level, part of our duty is to inspire the people to action. But the truth is that words will remain empty if we fail to match them with action. Let us begin by connecting the dots.

I believe the time has come to do away with an economic template which tends to profit importation against local production.

As philosopher Kahil Gilbran puts it, pity a nation which flaunts a fabric she does not make or is addicted to a staple food she does not grow.

Let me tell you a small story. Given that I started my working life in the textile industry way back in the 70s in Kaduna , I have over the years formed this habit of buying and giving out yards of locally-made fabric to family, friends and neighbours during the yuletide season every year as a gesture of goodwill.

But this last yuletide season, I made a disturbing

discovery. What was supplied to me as ‘locally-produced fabrics’ from the local market actually had made-in-Ghana inscription on them!

Well, I’m not about to suggest that the big textiles mills of Kaduna , Aba and Lagos just closed down because of harsh operating environment. Of course, it is now public knowledge how the big textile companies, employers of tens of thousands of Nigerians, shut down one after the other.

Rather, for me, the ‘made-in-Ghana’ logo is only a sad confirmation that some of the textile industries which shut down in Nigeria have relocated to Ghana . Of course, the bigger tragedy is that they still target the Nigerian market!

But the good news is that all hope is not yet lost. I believe we can reclaim the territories we have lost if we begin to do the right thing.

In the new year, I believe the challenge we face as a nation is how to create a conducive environment for the real sector like the aforementioned big textile industries to roar back to full production. We must develop the political will to resist the pressure to surrender our country to interest bent on turning it into a dumping ground for foreign goods. One of the ways this happens is the indiscriminate granting of duty waivers.

For instance, not too long ago, the airwaves were filled with the cheering news that the nation was at the threshold to selfsufficiency in cement production with the ramping up of production capacities by the local investors. But the next thing we heard is that some people got waivers to flood the country with imported cement.

Now, the question is: which economy are we thus helping – Nigeria or foreign?

The consequence is predictable: non-patronage of the local goods means the manufacturers can’t remain in business, leading to job losses.

To halt this drift, I believe we need to creatively formulate policies to defend our local industries.

Indiscriminate granting of waivers will only kill our economy. There is need to bring coherence to our fiscal policies.

For us in Edo , we have

taken many tough decisions to prepare our environment to meet opportunities. From the outset, we resolved to cut down on waste in government. For instance, the system we inherited devoted more than eighty percent to recurrent expenditure, leaving only twenty percent for capital. We have re-ordered the priorities such that the lion’s share of public expenditure now goes to capital project in Edo . The result is the modest achievements we have recorded in infrastructural transformation in public schools, roads etc.

Deploying ICT, we have also created a one-stop information centre for investors who come to Edo today. We have deliberately created a bouquet of incentives for them. Many in the agro-allied sector are already taking advantage of this. For instance, anyone with genuine business proposal who come to Edo today not only has free access to land and will have most of the statutory charges waived for him/ her, but also enjoy network of world-class roads connecting the rural and urban Edo to drive economic activities. These are decisions we consciously made as a government. Though we remain convinced that the social purpose of government is to create jobs, we believe the commanding height of the economy is better handled by the private sector. In a liberal environment, the private sector is better positioned and equipped to create more jobs than the government.

A corollary to the foregoing is the question of security. Even though the 1999 Constitution puts the police exclusively under federal control, states today substantially bear the burden of funding. Yet all the thirty-six states put together control less than half of the resources at the disposal of Federal Government. I believe if the Federal Government provides more funding, police would be able to rise up to the contemporary security challenge. There is a popular saying that the currency of foreign investment is cowardly; it flees at the slightest hint of trouble. So, to attract and retain foreign investment, we need to keep our streets and highways more secure.

If we do the right thing, we can make this Nigeria ’s golden decade.

By Ibikunle Amosun, Governor, Ogun State

A

S I stood on the newly completed flyover bridge at Ibara, Abeokuta, on 31 December, in the last few minutes of the Year 2012 and saw the mammoth crowd waiting to welcome the New Year, a few thoughts run through my mind. Meanwhile, the clock dispassionately and relentlessly ticked away towards the midnight timeline. On the dot of 12am, the fireworks went off, blazoning and illuminating the sky, enhancing the beauty of the environment, especially the 6-lane Totoro – Ibara road that our Administration built and commissioned on our first anniversary which the bridge (completed but yet to be commissioned) serves as the befitting icing on the cake. The crowd went jubilant and ecstatic.

The chorus of “Happy New Year” jolted me out of my reverie but not before the thoughts crystallised - We are on a solid foundation and the Year 2013 is definitely going to be a spectacular year for us in Ogun State.

Mission to Rebuild Ogun State.

It is my hope that when we are giving our mid-term report, there will be no doubt that Ogun State is set to be a mega-state, ready to provide the best opportunities for its residents to prosper. The report will further demonstrate that we are set on an irreversible journey to redefine our state in the best interest of the people.

In the areas of affordable qualitative education, efficient healthcare delivery, urban renewal, efficient housing, improved agricultural production, rural and infrastructural development and employment generation, we are laying a solid foundation for our state in such a way that the legacy which makes our citizens to be at the commanding heights of the professions, industry and public service will be fully restored and enhanced. Year 2013 is a defining period for consolidating our programmes.

In 2012, our focus was to significantly rebuild the infrastructure and intellectual contents in the primary and secondary school sub-sector. The benefits of our intervention are becoming manifest. The enrollment figures in both public primary and secondary schools have continued on the upward trend and so also is the quality of teaching. Free education, which we provide, is indeed a worthy investment in the future. The many laurels won by our students in national examinations and competitions are loud testimony in this regard.

The current titleholder of the nationally adjudged best School Administrator is the Principal of one of our public schools in Ogun State. I am excited that this year, 15 of our 26 model secondary schools under construction will be completed and they will admit new students, thus further easing access to education to our teaming population.

Our efforts in 2013 will also be directed at the tertiary sub-sector. We will provide necessary amenities that will make our six tertiary institutions some of the best in the country so that the industries that we are inviting to set up shops in our state. We will work with the private sector to provide accommodation in our tertiary institutions to further make life better for, and enrich the learning experience of, the students. Beneficiaries of our scholarship, bursary and special grants programme for which we set

aside N120 million last December will get the money in the next few weeks.

Our health sector is the major focus of the 2013 appropriation. We will give a lot of attention to our Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs). In addition to the 50 we have renovated and re-equipped, 100 others will get the same attention. We have just completed a model of our newly conceptualised PHC in Totoro, Abeokuta. We have since ordered equipment that will be used in the centre and nine others that will be constructed this year in each of our federal constituencies.

In the next few weeks, 700 newly engaged health workers will assume duty. Our health insurance scheme is now being rolled out across the state. Also, advocacy programmes directed at eradicating the scourge of HIV, malaria, polio and such other diseases will be intensified this year.

Construction work has commenced in 10 of the 12 roads earmarked for expansion and beautification. It is my expectation, and I am passionate about it, that our people will see how fast we will move in the reconstruction of Sagamu-Benin Expressway Junction - Oba Erinwole Junction, Ilo-Awela Road in Ota, OGTV - Brewery Junction, Mudasiru Lawal Stadium - Abiola Way in Abeokuta, Ilishan - Ago Iwoye Road, Lafenwa - Ayetoro Road, Ejinrin Road -Oluwalogbon Junction in Ijebu Ode, Magboro - Underpass, Moriamo - Olorombo Road and Ojere - Asero in Abeokuta. These roads will redefine the landscape of our state. They will be the focal point of the urban renewal and rural and infrastructural development programme of our Administration. I cannot thank enough the good people of Ogun State for their support and understanding in this regard. I assure them that the temporary pains will soon yield to significant gains.

There is nothing that will give me joy this year than to see all these projects either completed before or meet our completion schedule. That is why I am never tired of inspecting the rate of progress on these projects. The same way I am looking forward to the commissioning of the new workshops / garages that we built in the Mechanic Village, Obada Oko. We have ordered modern equipment that will be installed in the garages. The learning from the successful pilot will put us in good stead to replicate them in other mechanic villages across the state.

Our agricultural and housing plans will move into high gear this year. For example, the on-going construction of Owowo farm settlement and the reactivation of the existing ones in Ilaro, Sawonjo, Lomiro, Apoje, and Odeda are projects dear to my heart. It is also my wish for 2013 that the commercial farmers who have concluded plans to commence various farm projects in the state will start operations soon. We will encourage them with all that they need to function.

In the housing sector, we will continue to build more housing units. Additional estates will also be established. We hope to commence the construction of a Workers Estate in Kemta while we will begin the construction of the City Centre in Abeokuta and the Industrial Park at Agbara. I also believe that our ambitious revenue generation drive will be boosted, through additional streams and blockage of leakages.

Omo Ogun, Ise ya o!

50

Etcetera

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JANUARY 13, 2013

SUNNY SIDE

Cartoons

By Olubanwo Fagbemi

POLITICKLE

deewalebf@yahoo.com 08060343214 (SMS only)

Reptilia non grata The redoubtable reptile of note here addressed as ‘Tortiz’ retains penchant for valour and villainy in this contemporary tale.

CHEEK BY JOWL

OH, LIFE!

THE GReggs

TO escape suffocating existence in downtown Naijungle, a place that throbbed with all kinds of societal turmoil fuelled by decades of poor governance, three friends set out for a picnic on the coast. Larri the lizard packed the picnic basket with bowls of groundnut cakes (kuli-kuli), wraps of bean cakes (moin-moin) and packets of salted popcorn and roasted groundnuts (guguru and epa). Popo the toad arranged a basket of paw-paw, pineapple, mango and other tropical fruits as well as water while Tortiz, the famed tortoise, had the privilege of strapping the colourful picnic cloth to his back.

But the picnic site was more than 20 kilometres away and the friends would have to walk for more than a week to get there as the getaway coincided with yet another period of fuel scarcity and abominable transport costs in their oil-rich land. Well, walk they did, from sunup to sundown and at the pace they could, which anyone who has ever seen the tortoise move would know to be just better than the snail-speed typified by their country’s leadership progression.

At the coast, Larri took the stuff out of the basket, one by one, to accompanying slurps and gulps by the salivating animals. Finally, he produced the packets of guguru and epa, telling Popo as he did so: “Popo, bring out the water and the fruits.”

“Em, I don’t have the water or fruits,” to the group’s consternation said a shame-faced Popo. “I must have forgotten it somewhere between our first and second stops.”

“Well, we are civilised folk and can’t just have a picnic without water or fruits,” Larri said once the others recovered from the shock of a sumptuous feast delayed. “What would others say when they see us do?”

Tortiz agreed. Picnic food on sand and stones without water would just not be, well, a picnic. Stuck 20 kilometres away from home, hungry and unable to eat or drink, the friends discussed a remedy. Counting on his guile and resourcefulness, the other two begged Tortiz to do them the favour of locating the lost luggage, but the reptile with the quick wit demurred, knowing that a return journey would be no cakewalk. Besides, his friends would probably eat everything without the water to enjoy bigger rations behind him.

Following a great deal of pleading, however, Tortiz relented, but not without extracting solemn pledges from the others that they would wait for him before touching the food.

As soon as Tortiz turned the corner, Larri and Popo lay down to wait. Two weeks after, the friends in vain scanned the horizon for Tortiz, the fruits and the water. Starving, both exchanged puzzled looks but didn’t dare broach the subject of eating as they looked to honour their word. After another week passed without Tortiz’s return, the friends were sorely tempted to eat, but willpower prevailed. When two more days passed without Tortiz in sight, however, Popo was at his tether’s end. “I need sustenance!” he said with a crazed look about the eyes.

“No!” said the normally level-headed Larri. “We promised.”

But after four more days, Popo suggested that Tortiz probably stopped at a restaurant somewhere and topped it with a visit to a watering hole nearby.

Who knows, their politically astute colleague might even have stumbled upon some committee constituted by the government to probe a panel investigating a task force on I.D. card scam, contract scandal, pension fund fraud, or fuel subsidy racket. Too weak to reject the notion of their mutual friend’s ability to worm his way into relevance and reward, Larri nodded.

The friends proceeded to lift the lid off the picnic basket, took out a wrap of moin-moin each and opened their drooling mouths for the first meal in a month.

At that moment, Tortiz peeped out from behind a rock and said: “Just for that, I’m not going.”

Riled beyond tolerance, the other two immediately seized their sly colleague and pounded his body with thick clubs until Tortiz escaped by burrowing fast into the ground with its strong forelimbs and staying there until the friends left. Returning to town from exile a week after, Tortiz appeared repentant but inclined to further mischief as his new-found ability to endlessly survive without water would allow.

QUOTE Hold a true friend with both your hands.

Jokes Humour Wife Weight TWO wives were shopping. When they started to discuss their home lives, one said, “Seems like all Fred and I do anymore is fight. I’ve been so upset, I’ve lost 10 kilogrammes.”

“Why don’t you just leave him then?” asked her friend.

“Oh! Not yet,” the first said. “I’d like to lose at least another five Kilogrammes first.”

Expensive Error A MAN stopped to chat with his neighbour.

He said, “I just bought a new hearing aid. It cost me 10, 000 naira, but it’s state-of-the-art and the best I could find. It reaslly works!”

“Really,” said the neighbour. “What kind is it?”

“Twelve thirty.”

Broom-boom ALL of Broom-town was abuzz because boybroom and girl-broom were going to get married. Everyone thought that the bridebroom and the groom-broom would make a lovely couple and couldn’t wait for the event to happen.

The night before the wedding, however, bride-broom told groom-broom that she was going to be delivered of a little vegetable-broom.

“But, how can that be?” said groom-broom who was clearly in anguish. “We haven’t even swept together yet!”

Youngster’s Interpretation A YOUNG boy of six years was talking on the telephone.

His dad listened as the youngster spoke with his grandparents dejectedly. “Mom is in the hospital, so the twins and Emily and David and Martha and Max the dog and me and Daddy are home all alone.”

Who’s Really in Charge?

ONE evening a child of nursery school age, Jummy, and her parents were sitting on the sofa chatting.

Jummy asked, “Daddy, are you the boss of the house?”

Her father’s response was affirmative. “Yes, I am the boss of the house.”

But Jummy quickly spoilt his mood when she added, “Did Mommy tell you that you can play boss tonight, Daddy?”

•Adapted from the Internet

I

—Nigerian Proverb

NTEGRATING Writer ’s Fountain the elements.

Variations of the setting could have the Assume that most of the women in a room are wearing expensive evening dresses. Why observer notice some mysterious scar on the does one woman stand out? Attach the woman’s face or shoulder. At this point description to the character’s uniqueness, to her Princess becomes interesting. Her life is not desire and background, and make the reader what it seems and – depending on what genre curious about her while you’re describing the you’re writing – you can develop the other character’s physical appearance. Make the male facets of the character off this one feature.

Now add some Emotion to this scene. Is observer curious too.

For example, the woman’s evening dress is she disgusted, curious or cynically amused? expensive, royal blue, and she looks like a Is she aware that the scar is so obvious? Does million bucks. And then, he (the observer) she try to hide it from view? Is she notices a price tag showing under her arm. embarrassed? Angry? Does she laugh it off, Suddenly she steps away from all the other but the observer sees that beneath the expensively dressed, pretty damsels in the laughter lies fear?

Then she panics and flees the room. He story. If she looks the part, why the tag? Is she broke? Is she a fake? Now the reader wants to goes after her, pulls her onto the balcony. know her story, because the price tag cuts her She’s broken the heel of her four-inch heels.

Wait, you haven’t mentioned the heels before. out from the crowd.

That’s okay. He notices them now.

What are you?

Now we’ve used Description, Desire and •A “quidnunc” is a person who is eager to Emotion. From the Lady in Bue’s reactions know the latest news and gossip. we know she has Background. Maybe one trait •A bibliophile is a collector of rare books. is that she wears royal blue when she plans to •A bibliopole is a seller of rare books. kill a man. The reader will be waiting to find •A spremologer is one who collects trivia. out.

•A vexillologist is an expert in the history Integration is the key to getting your of flags characters and your story off and running.

51

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JANUARY 13, 2013

'It took a while for me to forgive my mother' Abiola Laseinde has had a productive career life having worked with some of the major corporate organisations in Africa. At present, the young mother of two boys serves as the legal manager for Cadbury West Africa. Inspite of her victories, it has not been a rosy ride for this lawyer. Raised by a single parent, she was forced to pay her way through school and fought to preserve her dignity while at it. Speaking with Rita Ohai, she shared some of her challenges and how she overcame them.

52

New WOMAN

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JANUARY 13 , 2013

If you've never lost your mind, then…

When time is not a woman’s best friend Rita Ohai writes on the challenges women face managing time.

53

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JANUARY 13, 2013

Port Harcourt: Where traffic officers are public enemies Precious Dikewoha reports on brutal assaults on traffic officers in Rivers State.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JANUARY 13, 2013

54

VOL 1 NO. 037

I

N the spirit of the season, the entire MC&A DIGEST team send their compliments, and we wish all our numerous readers a happy and prosperous 2013. We also hope that in the New Year, the market-place shall be more profitable. To a very large extent, 2012 market-year challenged consumers and trade equally on appropriate return on investment. From the financial product and services market, real estate, health services, pharmaceuticals through to manufacturing, the figures posted negative, not minding the recorded marginal growth in GDP. We at this end have always been cautious in relating with data on macro economy, not being sure those GDP figures are meaningful when it comes to economies such as ours.

The insurance market continues down-ward dive in market penetration.

For six years till 2012, studies report has remained constant in returning negatives in market penetration, target market perception and acceptance and portfolio size for risk under-writers. Apart from the statutorily compulsory products, insurance or risk underwriting remains uninteresting to the market.

Industry operators seem not to be too bothered about the low market penetration (owing to negative perception), from what we see. For the period under review, less than 25% of industry players bother to support their brands towards competitive advantages, not to mention industry-wide effort to change market target market perception of insurance and its value-essence.

Market perception of insurance remains the same: UNBELIEF. That takes us to the concept of perception and effective brand support in a competitive market environment. Each time a given consumer takes a product “off the shelf” he/she primarily expresses individual belief. That belief is the sumtotal of the given consumer’s feeling and thinking, coming together to trigger the ACTION of buying or product engagement. Perception derives from communicated messages and past experience. If we relate with the historical reason for advertising (making-known) and past experience, to a lesser degree, the importance of advertising as a brand support tool and its influence on the target consumer begins to get clearer.

More and more, the concept of OBJECTIVE in the creative process of developing advertising messages gets operative. In contemporary advertising objective(s) has grown to assume very critical role. Perhaps we should bring to fore, at this point, the fact that with the evolution in advertising and marketing communication, and perhaps the growing competitive environment, the need for clearer and more defining distinction among competing brands have had to sharpen the importance of THE OBJECTIVE. As on the sell-side, the buyside has also grown in discernment and gain articulation. One could say consumers are now more demanding of return-on-investment much as the manufacturer or trade seek marginal gains. Therefore, everybody is asking the same question. Consequently, the single most important reason for every input in form of brand support is invested towards achieving THE OBJECTIVE. Hence the need for continuous assessment of the quality of input for brand supports. Of critical importance here is extent and quality of creativity in advertising process. Every purchase action has a direct reflection of the brand support behind the given product/brand.

Therefore, the extent and quality of brand support/advertising goes a long way to

Effective Brand Communication …based on the SMP determine the extent of its success towards achieving set OBJECTIVE. Objectives are derived from articulate analysis of insight – consumer, competition, trade/market and immediate micro and macro-economic environment.

At the start of my career at Insight Communication/MC&A many years back, the training on the process of properly deriving THE OBJECTIVE at alltime was one of those chose challenges that tasked my patience. Deriving THE OBJECTIVE requires patient systematic consideration of “good information”. So, beyond having to know the right and appropriate information to seek and where from, one has to be professional about data analysis. It is that challenging.

Most of the advertising messages today are not based on properly articulated overriding objective (reason-why) and consequently obscure of purpose. Studies have come to show that the missing link is the absence of the SMP – Single Minded Proposition.

Let us be quick to cut out arguments that may arise from the specific term used here, as the single minded proposition for any creative process is also referred to as USP by some others. It somewhat depends on one’s school of thought. But one tends to be more comfortable with the SMP because of its simplicity for application.

Basically, the SMP is that statement of offer that demonstrably lays out the uniqueness of a given brand, for purposes of promise, accountability, credibility and responsibility. The Single-Minded-

Proposition for any brand and for any campaign or advertising purpose, clearly spells out that offer unique to the offering brand, which stands it out from among competition. It holds the brand responsible if it fails to deliver on its promise. Also, it absolves the brand in question of any blame that could be from a possible negative experience the target consumer may have had from a competing brand in same market segment. Therefore, Pampers brand of baby diapers has to be clear on its SMP to avoid suffering from probable ‘mistakes’ of a competing brand (for example Huggies). Every brand is held accountable for the delivery on its promise.

Characteristic of SMP, it is not an advert message. It is functionally a steering wheel, a guide for the creative process. The SMP is the foundational statement on which advert or campaign messages are based. It is critical of the brand, analytic of competition, focused on consumer needs and expectation, tasking on the strategic planning process and finally instructive of the creative process, till campaign break. In fact, it also informs the basis for post-campaign effectiveness check. The SMP is explicit on a brand’s value essence, after a careful consideration of its attribute, strength, weakness, opportunities and threats. It is highly selfcritical of concerned brand. That is why it is true to itself. It does not allow for unsubstantiated claim. It also assures rationalisation of derived positions and claims for reasons of assurance.

As a rule for us, without a tested Single-

Minded-Proposition, there cannot be any purposeful advert.

With a true SMP, advert messages are sharper, precise on message, direct to target audience, effective at message communication. It helps the creative process on the appropriate assemblage of language, words, symbols, pictures and treatment in developing advert messages. It cuts waste. SMP reinforces brand personality and enhances the value of its equity. It is fundamental in the creative process of developing effective advertising.

Unfortunately, less than 20% of advert messages put out in our market today are based on SMP/USP. Lack of training, mental/intellectual laziness, rush for immediate gains and compromises in the process of agency engagement have all taken away from the extent of professionalism in brands management and marketing communication. If we do not deliberately re-engage ourselves in the exact professional practice, brands will continue to suffer, consumers will continue to get confused. One would expect the APCON (Advertising Practitioner Council of Nigeria) to look at quality of professionalism among practitioners, at least through its academic curricular. In the New Year, the decline inprofessionalism among practitioners will increase, no doubt, except we step up our engagement without primary focus on immediate gains. Brand management is not for allcomers. We insist!

The fact for this week courtesy MEDIA PLANNING SERVICES, Suru-Lere, Lagos

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, JANUARY 13, 2013

55

Shrouding ill-health, Nigerian style

—PAGE 56

xx

•One of the bombed church premises.

From Jos with perspiration T

HE noise meant nothing.

All that mattered was the newspaper keeping my company. For close to an hour, I had immersed myself, reading it from page to page. Suddenly, a pretty lady who just took a seat beside me sought my attention.

“Please, is it advisable to fly to Jos at this time of the year?”

“Why not?” I replied, impatiently, half angry and half astonished.

Why would anyone book for a ticket, only to wonder if it is safe to fly? I thought within myself. But the irritation meant nothing to the lady. “You know they always throw bombs in that city every festive period. I was wondering if it would be different this time,” she explained.

By then, irritation had given way to deep introspection and insights. For close to two minutes, I was speechless. I remembered how the few people I told I was off to Jos for annual vacation expressed serious reservations.

“Why Jos of all places?” a friend demanded. Everyone felt it was stupid and unwise of me to consider visiting Jos again.

Sunday Oguntola, who spent part of the last festive period in Jos, capital of Plateau State, reports on the security situations as well as the gradual return of the tin-city to normalcy I wished I could explain why Jos continued to hold a special attraction for me. I had been to the city over three times since 2002. Each visit was special and unforgettable. The serenity, the cold weather and urbane city life impressed me in no small way. The many resort centres and cosmopolitan nature of the residents have continued to hold me spellbound.

Each time I read reports of bombings and deaths in the city, I always felt horrible. Yet, I never lost my love for Jos. Deep in my heart, I kept assuring myself I would always visit the city, no matter what. All of these flooded my mind as the lady, who later identified herself simply as Jennifer, waited for my response.

“I believe it should be safe and there would be no troubles this time around,” I managed

to say eventually when I regained composure. I was neither convincing nor assuring. The Imoborn Jennifer was off to see her sister, who was just delivered of a twin after a decade of marriage.

She accepted to go only because her sister insisted. She was there last in 2001.

“I feel this is a journey to the land of the dead. It beats me why people are still in that city after all the deaths. If I had my way, I would never step my feet again on that city,” she raved. As if eavesdropping, her sister called immediately. A bemused Jennifer assured she was already at the airport and would soon join her.

When she attempted to raise fears of insecurity again, her sister simply brushed them off.

Welcome to Jos, home of peace and tourism Throughout the flight, she continued to inundate me with tales of killings and bombings.

She loved the city too but will never jeopardise her life for any reason. When we landed at the Gowon Yakubu Airport, Jos, Jennifer was still boiling. She quickly boarded a waiting vehicle, still frightened.

It was difficult to brush off her fears. In the last two years, festive periods have always been marred by bomb explosions and deaths in the city.

Churches, popular terminus and public places have been bombed without much ado.

There was no guarantee there would be no incidence this time around. These thoughts filled my mind as I boarded a taxi from the airport to the city. I felt relieved slightly as I took in the alluring air of Jos, popularly called the home of peace and tourism.

As we neared the city’s entrance, there was a traffic gridlock. As if reading my

•Gov. Jang

mind, the driver allayed my fears.

“These are check-points because of the security situation. Things are getting better now,” he stated.

I simply kept quiet, unconvinced he was saying the truth. My fears increased as we approached the former Government House on Rayfield. A catholic church nearby was bombed earlier. I wondered how suicide bomber could operate so confidently right in the heart of the city, close to the seat of power.

But residents have a very different perspective on security in Jos. They feel at ease and secured.

At several meetings, they kept assuring things were not as bad as portrayed in the media. My journalistic instinct failed to believe them. I would find out myself, something told me. I decided to play safe. To start with, there would be no night-outs. I would not go through any dark spots, if I had reasons to go out at nights at all.

I was also going to avoid church services as much as possible, though I would really have loved to attend one or two. For the first few days, I kept to these ‘personal safety precautions’. I was •Continued on Page 56

56

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, JANUARY 13, 2013

Life

Shrouding ill-health, Nigerian style

T

HE moment someone becomes a leader, he is no longer answerable to only himself or herself.

In some climes, such persons become nearly ‘state property’ living like the gold fish. Many things about the person become public –family, finances, emotions, and even health status.

Though, people have the right to disclose or not disclose their health status, in some climes, elected public officials do this as a matter of routine.

In the United States of America, for instance, in 2011, President Barack Obama after a health check which was made public was advised to cut down on smoking. Also recently, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was away from office for about a month following a concussion. And while President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela remains in a Cuban hospital unable to even attend his own inauguration, flimsy excuses do not trail his absence. Simply, the whole country is kept abreast on the condition of his health.

But, in Nigeria, it seems to be a different story when our leaders take ill. Of course, not everyone would like to publicly admit there is a mentally deranged person, someone afflicted with leprosy, an HIVpositive person, a cancer sufferer as a member of their family. However, despite the fact that many Nigerians fall ill yearly, in some circles, it is as if sickness is a taboo that must not be mentioned.

And this trend has carried itself into the sphere of public office as well as holders of public office.

Last year, when the first lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, fell ill and was flown to Germany for medical treatment, her condition was all hushed up. The prying eyes of the media to enquire on her medical condition were viewed by Aso Rock as poke-nosing. Yet, national funds were obviously deployed on treating her.

And in the case of Liyel Imoke and Sullivan Chime, governors of CrossRiver and Enugu states respectively,

•Yar’Adua

By Joe Agbro Jr. they or their close aides left their subject to wonder at their medical conditions. While unlike the Yar’ Adua saga in which even the apparatus of state was left in a quandary due to his absence, the duo of Imoke and Chime had prepared for governance to run in their absence. However, one thing is indisputable. And that is - the general citizens of Enugu and Cross-River are still at a loss over the health status of their governors.

Daily, the media gets varying reports of these men. And only of recent, the pictures of governor Danbaba Suntai was released where he was being hospitalised for injuries sustained while flying a plane last year. Suntai’s condition had been the subject of wide controversy. In some quarters, it was rumoured that he had become a vegetable and no longer capable of ruling a state. But, only recently, a visit by his wife, when he was photographed holding one of his recently delivered twins, was published. The picture, instead of allaying fears that the governor was alive

•Patience Jonathan

•Gov. Imoke

•Gov. Chime

and healthy, only created some more hoopla on cyberspace, with all sorts of insinuating remarks.

Many Nigerians still remember the dodgy way information about former president Musa Yar’ Adua’s health status was handled. Back and forth, series of half-truths and lies overshadowed the truth of Yar’ Adua’s ill-health. But, while Nigerians felt the handling of the matter could have been better, it only reinforced the idea of being Nigerian.

The case of Governor Idris Wada of Kogi State, who was involved in an auto-crash last December was a little different. Kogites and other Nigerians were kept abreast of his condition and a picture when he was discharged from hospital showing him on crutches was splashed on front pages of national newspapers.

But, it is not only the elected public officers that are guilty of not disclosing their health status. And Dr. Nneka Nwobbi, founder of the Children Living with Cancer Foundation, CLWCF, knows too well about this.

Attributing this trend to avoidance of societal stigma, she said; “some par-

ents hide the health status of the child until it is late. And when they start noticing signs that all is not well with the child, most of them from poor backgrounds, instead of taking the child to see a doctor would go to their pastors.”

Agreeing with her is Dr. Leonard Okonkwo, a medical psychologist with the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, LASUTH, Ikeja, Lagos.

“Why people keep their medical history secret is because of possible stigmatisation,” he said. “Sometimes when people are known to suffer from certain ailments, they are stigmatised and people capitalise on that to think that it would affect their performance.

Even people in courtship, it is not unusual for you to find a lady concealing some health issues from her fiancée and vice-versa because of what they feel will be the consequences of the other knowing.”

Continuing, he said, “sickness has a way of reducing one’s self-esteem, makes you feel less than you really are. There is the perception that one is not complete. Anything that would affect your self-esteem, you don’t

want to share it with people because you feel that it may make people look at you in a way that is less than who you are.”

A doctor who requested anonymity said the doctor/patient relationship foreclosed any disclosure of a patient’s health status by doctors and that whether or not a patient divulges such information is obligatory. “There are a lot of patients who do not want their health condition to be known to the family members around them for reasons best known to them. And it is actually a right,” the doctor said.

Due to this reasons, many Nigerians continue to die in silence. For instance, it was after the death of Rasheed Yekini that many Nigerians knew the footballer suffered from severe depression. Sadly, as per the best form of treatment, his family’s views resulted in his death.

Till the trend changes, no one seems to be comfortable with discussing how well or otherwise they are. Hence, in many Nigerian circles, even among relatives, friends, and co-workers, there is usually a cover-up whenever anyone suffers any ailment.

From Jos with perspiration •Continued from Page 55

nestled in Miango Guest House, a sprawling, breath-taking resort centre owned by Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA). It was my second time at the 99year-old resort and I remained as impressed as ever.

The presence of a military check-point at the entrance of the resort home and the security measures in place put my heart at rest. But when boredom set in, I had no choice but to move to the city for fresh air. Unfortunately, I had to move around 6pm. I was tensed as we drove past the many check-points and the scrutiny of security operatives. Yet, my host and companions simply enjoyed it all.

A dose of church surveillance Eventually, Sunday came and I was faced with the prospect of attending service. I woke up with a strong determination to worship God at home. Thankfully, I would simply hook up with the many services on TV to make up. But when I strolled to the newsstands on Rayfield Road, I saw many people excitedly driving and walking to churches. Curiosity took the better of me. Why would people still go to churches with the prospect of bombing high? Why can’t they just sit back at home and worship God? Won’t God under-

stand they stayed away to remain alive?

I realised the answers were waiting for me in one of the highly-populated churches. So, I carefully chose the Church of Christ in Nigeria (COCIN) headquarters in Jos. In February, 2012, suicide bombers had attacked the church, killing many on a Sunday. Will they be back on a day I am visiting? For one, I would be able to file a firsthand report to my office if it ever happened.

Two, the church is situated in the heart of town, right behind the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) branch in Jos. That, I reasoned, should be a form of security. I also got scoops that the church boasts of top security brass, which should at least make it more secured should there be an attack.

When I approached the church, I was greeted by a long queue of worshippers, waiting to be frisked. One after the other, they were patiently frisked and screened. Those with laptops and Ipads were turned back. I had an Ipad and was told to “return home and come back without it.” It took the intervention of a top church official for me to be allowed in. This was, however, after I agreed to drop the device at the security post.

Inside, worshippers danced excitedly without fears. A mem-

•Some of the sympathisers at one of the bombed church premises.

ber beside me said: “God is here, so no devil can gain access here.” I knew better than to believe him. But he kept assuring me all was well. When we shared the benediction around noon, I heaved a sigh of relief. I had survived. I had come, seen and conquered.

Throughout Christmas day, I remained indoors. Many also stayed off the streets, mostly be-

cause of the festivities. Somehow, they just believed God was in charge. “My brother, a man only dies but once,” a top official of COCIN told me. He said the fear of death is what emboldens suicide bombers to strike.

“When they know you don’t mind dying for the Lord, they will think twice. Some of us have reached that stage and expect death any moment.”

I left Jos, feeling glad I survived. There was no single incidence or attack. A friend joked it was partly because they knew I was around and ready to file a report. But I was also filled with shame. I was leaving thousands behind who no longer care about death. For many of them, Jos remains a home of peace and tourism, regardless of the blood-letting of yesteryears.

57

CONSUMER WATCH With

JILL OKEKE

jillokeke@yahoo.com, 07069429757

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, JANUARY 13, 2013

Is food supplement abuse on the increase?

Heart disease patients

•Food supplements

Best Bet: Garlic, onions, cabbage, carrots, oats, barley, buckwheat, oily fish like herring, mackerel, sardines, extra virgin olive oil.

Fruits Apples, black currants, cherries, grapes, lemons, oranges, plums, melon, pineapple, Vegetables: Tomatoes, pumpkins, lettuce, leeks, sweet peppers, turnips, watercress.

Grains: Wholemeal products, brown rice, millets Seeds: Nuts and pulses: Sesame and sunflower seeds, walnuts.

Herbs: Chervil, chilli peppers, thyme, marjoram, juniper Dried beans:

What to avoid Saturated Fats: - Avoid animal-based fats. Trim all visible fat off meat. Processed meat products are high in cholesterol.

- Manufactured bakery goods are usually with animal fat so avoid them. Fast foods usually mean fast fat. A burger will give 33g of fat; chips will add 11g together, they represent almost a full day's ration.

Artificially hardened or hydrogenated Fats: There is growing evidence that these unnatural fats behave in the body just like saturated ones. All hard margarines and many soft ones are labelled 'partially hydrogenated'. Some contain a proportion of coconut or palm oil, both highly saturated.

Polyunsaturated Fats: In excess, these can endanger the heart and increase harmful oxidation. Try replacing sunflower oil with none-un-saturated olive oil Caffeine: Tea, coffee, chocolate and cola drinks contain caffeine.

Alcohol: There is reason to believe that a glass or two good red wine or a small scotch can be beneficial to the heart; more may do damage.

Refined Sugar: In some people, refined sugar raises blood pressure.

58

Your HEALTH THE NATION ON SUNDAY, JANUARY 13, 2013

Clearing out a

stuffy nose

By Rita Ohai

Tips to prevent catarrh

Ways to get rid of catarrh

BUSINESS

59

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, JANUARY 13, 2013

World Bank forecasts more jobs in developing countries

T

HIS is cheery for developing economies, like Nigeria, as the World Bank has projected a marked increased in job creation in 2013.

A new study by IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, finds that much-needed jobs in developing countries can be created at a faster rate if policymakers and development institutions make it a priority to remove the key obstacles to growth that private-sec-

By Ibrahim Apekhade Yusuf with agency report

tor companies face.

According to the study, “Assessing Private Sector Contributions to Job Creation,” concludes that four obstacles pose a particular challenge to job creation in the private sector: a weak investment climate, inadequate infrastructure, limited access to finance for micro, small, and medium enterprises; and insufficient training and skills. Removing these obsta-

cles can significantly increase job creation.

The study was released at the weekend as a companion report to the World Bank’s World Development Report 2013 on Jobs which was released last October. In a joint communiqué issued at the launch, 25 leading international finance institutions immediately pledged to work together to address job creation, and learn from each other’s experience.

Forbes to evaluate settlements for PHCN workers’ payoff

T

HE Federal Government has taken a bold step aimed at facilitating payment of entitlements of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) by hiring a foreign firm to help steer the process.

The payment of entitlements of the PHCN workers will mark the finishing point of the privatisation of the PHCN successor firms.

The Federal Government has mandated the Bureau for Public Enterprises and representatives of workers’ unions to meet with the proposed firm, Alexandra Forbes, a reputable foreign firm, known for providing financial and risk services.

The meeting between the Bureau of Public Enterprises, representatives of workers’

unions and Alexandra Forbes is scheduled to hold tomorrow. The meeting is scheduled to run for three days.

According to the Secretary-General, National Union of Electricity Employees, Mr. Joe Ajaero, Alexandra Forbes will provide an assessment and evaluation of entitlements of each PHCN worker prior to the final privatisation of the firms.

He said, “They (government) have written a letter to us to meet next week. We are going to be meeting with Alexandra Forbes, an international company of actuarial valuer, as well as the BPE. At the meeting, we will look at the actual calculations, as Alexandra Forbes is an internationally recognised actuarial valuation firm.”

On the precise date of the meeting, Ajaero said, “It will hold from January 14 to 16, and it will involve representatives of the unions, Alexandra Forbes and the BPE to calculate the workers’ accurate entitlements.”

Ajaero said, “On the issue of the PHCN reform process, an agreement was reached but there has been no implementation yet. Until the agreement is religiously implemented, we will not say it has been rested or cleared. The issue of casual workers who are to be regularised has not been addressed. This has to be addressed once and for all, so that we will know that the number of casuals in the power sector is adequately captured when calculating workers’ entitlements.”

NACCIMA boss, others for digital expo

A

RRANGEMENTS have been concluded to host the famous digital printing solution expo in the country on Wednesday and Thursday at The Syrian Club, Ikoyi, Lagos.

Tagged: “Tagged digital printing, possibility and profitability”, it will be declared opened by the president of Nigeria Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Dr. Ademola Ajayi, who will also double as the chairman

of the event.

The expo, which is the brainchild of Skysat Nigeria in conjunction with Konica Minolta, a Japan based machine manufacturer, is part of effort to providing lasting solution to the problem of cost and quality of printing in the country.

According to the managing director of the company, Mr. Izzat Debs, the two days event is being organised to bring the best digital print solution that enables Nigerians pay less and at the same giv-

ing the machine users the best and more for all your printing needs.

Expatiating, Debs said the expo will run concurrently with presentations and seminars, where resource persons from the organisation in Japan will educate the public on the power and versatility of the various digital print solutions at the stable of Konica Minolta.

Also expected at the expo are printing practitioners and prospective investors, among others.

Akwa Ibom, others get Multichoice resource centres

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ULTICHOICE Nigeria, the nation’s leading pay television destination has announced plans to roll out more MultiChoice Resource Centre (MRC) in public schools across the country.

The centre, which is an audio-visual teaching and learning aid for teachers and students in secondary schools, is a corporate social initiative (CSI) of MultiChoice Nigeria in partnership with MultiChoice Africa.

The MRC project is designed for beneficiary public schools to have access to MultiChoice Education Bouquet with a view of integrating the programmes into their curriculum in order to enhance the teaching and learning proc-

esses in their schools and with over seven channels on the bouquet, teachers and students have attested that the facility has made learning and teaching easy.

Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Ondo and Benue States, to mention but a few, are some of the states that will benefit from the launch of the resource centres, which are already in operation in 21 states across the federation.

The MRC project does not end with the installation of the facility in the schools.

MultiChoice takes the project a step further by training teachers who man the facility. In September 2011, MultiChoice Nigeria in collaboration with SchoolNet Nigeria organised a- three day training workshop

for over 25 teachers from Nigeria and a Sierra Leonean teacher, Mr. Albert Kamara, on the use of the MultiChoice Resource Center in class room teaching/ learning at Ansarud-een Girls College, Iteri, Surulere, Lagos State.

Speaking about the MultiChoice Resource Centre project, Mr. John Ugbe, Managing Director MultiChoice Nigeria said beneficiary schools of the resource center project have access to the special MultiChoice Education Bouquet. “We have instructional channels such as Discovery, National Geographic, BBC Knowledge, BBC World, History Channel, Animal Planet and Mindset Learn at no cost to the schools” he commented.

•From left: Product Manager Mouka Limited, Cornel Ikediashi, winner of Mouka Super subsidy Promo, Oyedele Bose Atoke and Field Force Effectiveness Manager, Mouka Ltd, Eustace Shokpeka, at the prize presentation to winners in the ongoing Mouka Super subsidy Promo at Mouka Head office in Lagos recently. PHOTO: MUYIWA HASSAN

•From left: Chairman, Ojo Local Government Area, Lagos, Prince Yinka Durosinmi presenting budget proposal to the leader of the House, Hon Lateef Jimoh recently

Oshiomhole urged to review Land Use Charge Act

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DO State Governor Adams Oshiomhole has been asked to fine-tune the new Land Use Charge Act in the public interest.

In a statement, the Secretary, Edo Unity Club Lagos Osagie Idemudia said when the Bill was first introduced in the state House of Assembly, there was an outrage against it. As a result, the House promised to hold a public hearing on it to enable the people to know more about it. But the promise was not fulfilled before the Bill was passed into law, he said.

Idemudia, who said he supports the Act, noted that it would assist the government in revenue generation to enable to provide basic amenities to the people. However, the Bill was improperly introduced by the lawmakers, who he accused of being partisan, Exercising poor judgment and lacking the people’s feelings.

“While it is true that tax policies formulated by different governments are generally aimed at taking from the rich to give to the poor as a way of creating an equitable society and sustaining peaceful co-existence among citizens across the socioeconomic strata of society, it is also true that the government must not

By Joseph Eshanokpe

target and humiliate a single individual in order to press home its point. Government has a duty to demonstrate de-

corum, respect and impartiality to citizens it wants to give up their hard-earned money to assist the implementation and realization of its welfare programmes,” he said.

Zakat foundation lifts 39

A

HUMANITARIAN organisation, Zakat and Sadaqat Foundation (ZSF), has distributed materials and cheques worth over two million naira to 39 beneficiaries in Osun and neighbouring states.

The annual Zakat Distribution Ceremony (ZDC) held at the Local Government Service Commission Hall, Osogbo, capital of Osun State was the third of its kind in the ‘Living Spring State.’

Chairman of the foundation, Prince Sulayman Olagunju, described the event as another historical landmark in the annals of the history the foundation in the state.

Olagunju congratulated the 39 beneficiaries who scaled through the rigour of the Screening Committee of the foundation before been selected.

He said: “You shall be going home with the total sum of Two million and fifty-four thousand two hundred and fifty

By Tajudeen Adebanjo

naira only (N2, 054, 250.00). I urge you to make good use of the Zakat fund that will be disbursed to you. You should be reminded that whatever you are collecting today is an Amanah, a Trust from Allah and the Zakat payers. You shall be called upon on the Day of Reckoning to give detailed account of how you dispense it in this world.”

Executive Director of the foundation, Alhaji Abdullahi Shuaib, said the foundation has engaged in mobilising, conscientising and sensitising Muslims and non-Muslims to cultivate the culture of donating generously their Sadaqah (i.e. charities) to the foundation in order to enable it accomplish the needs and demands of the weak, women, children and the poor in the state.

The Osun State Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, hailed the foundation for spreading the goodwill of Islam to humanity.

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY JANUARY 13, 2013

INSIDE BUSINESS

No longer at ease with waivers I

N other climes, waivers ordinarily are granted at the behest of government to protect the local industries, in terms of building capacity and growing the economy in its entirety. The irony, however, is that this rather innocuous policy has become an albatross to Nigeria’s economy, where waivers and concessions by successive governments have been anything but good.

For the avoidance of doubt and confusion, a few anecdotes would suffice.

Pandora box Investigation by The Nation revealed that abuse of the waivers is routine, as politicians and businessmen continue to collude to undermine the nation’s economy through the issuance of fraudulent waivers.

The first sign that all was not well was when the Jonathan administration curiously lifted a ban imposed by the former president Olusegun Obasanjo government on importation of many products such as juice drinks, in clear contradiction of the recommendations of a committee set up by the late President Umaru Yar’Adua to review the nation’s import policies. The committee had recommended sustaining the ban, and restriction on importation of many other items that were not on the prohibition list issued by the Obasanjo government such as textile materials.

Investigations further revealed that only President Goodluck Jonathan has powers to grant approval for waiver of import charges under strict conditions. But the reality on ground is that well-connected importers secure waivers on duty, levy, ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme charges, Comprehensive Import Scheme and other charges.

The Nation gathered that the import waiver cartel had ensured the sustenance of their nefarious activities. Following the swearing in of President Jonathan, a company, Network Supplies Limited, got the president’s nod to import 250,000 metric tons of rice with waivers on import duty. The company allegedly got waivers on import duty, ETLS, CISS and other charges.

Another company that got the presidential waiver is Energy Resources Management Limited. The company allegedly imported 250,000 metric tons of rice. The waiver approval was contained in a letter signed by Taylor J. O, an assistant Comptroller General (Tariff and Trade) for the Comptroller General of Customs, and addressed to the Customs Area Comptroller Apapa Port and Tincan Island Port. The list of Nigerians involved in this racket is astounding and shocking.

Investigations by the House of Representatives Committee on Customs and Excise put the losses incurred from the grant of such waivers at N380 billion. Obasanjo, during his tenure as president, used to even sweeten the deals by giving them crude oil to lift.

Apparently discomfited over the issue of indiscriminate granting of waivers to foreign firms, industry stakeholders under the aegis of Association of Steel Importers of Nigeria, had kicked against a request by Western Metal Products Company Limited (WEMPCO) for the extension of the $3 billion (N448 billion) import duty waiver granted it by the then President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua administration.

Lending credence to the foregoing, a member of the association who asked not to be named confided in The Nation that contrary to its directive in 2007 that import

•Range of products that have enjoyed free import duty and waivers in recent times

The indiscriminate granting of waivers and concessions by the Federal Government in the last decade has become a source of concern to stakeholders who hold the view that such policy initiative by government is not only being abused, but is a conduit pipe for milking the economy dry. Ibrahim Apekhade Yusuf examines the issues duty waivers, concessions, incentives and other exemptions be suspended, the Federal Government had gone ahead to grant exclusive import waivers amounting to $3billion (N448 billion) to WEMPCO, a Chinese company, for the establishment of a $250 million (N37.4 billion) cold rolled steel plant in the country.

Despite the loud cry against the waiver then by informed industry sources which included captains of industries and chambers of commerce and industry, government went ahead with the granting of the waiver. Glaringly undeterred by the voice of the industry and in defiance of the negative effect of its request on the economy, WEMPCO is now asking for the extension of the N448 billion import duty waiver.

Particularly worrisome, the source said, is that “a litany of materials that could be sourced locally was listed as item that would be shipped into the country by

WEMPCO. The items included paints that Berger Paints and a chain of other paint companies operating in Nigeria manufacture, cables, electrical fittings, and so on.”

House probe The House of Representatives at a public hearing last November was told that Nigeria had lost a whopping N276, 943,087,154.09 in eight years due to indiscriminate granting of waivers, exemptions and concessions by the Federal Government.

The revelation came through a motion sponsored by Chairman, House Committee on Services, Hon Yakubu Dogara, in which he expressed worries that the practice of granting waivers by the executive arm of government indiscriminately amounted to Executive Appropriation contrary to Sections 80 and 162 of the 1999 Constitution.

He said available records show that between 2000 and 2008, the Federal Government entered into about 183 undertakings with individuals

and corporate entities granting them waivers, concessions and exemptions running into billions of naira that ought to have accrued to the Federation Account as revenue.

Dogara lamented that the practice of illegal and indiscriminate granting of waivers to “totally undeserving firms and individuals” was yet to abate in spite of repeated resolutions of the House urging government to put a stop to the practice.

He urged the House to mandate its Committee on Customs and Excise as well as the Committee on Finance to carry out a comprehensive investigation of the legality or otherwise of all existing waivers, exemptions and concessions granted by the Federal Government since 2009.

The motion, which was co-sponsored by 15 other lawmakers, also urged the Federal Government to revoke all existing waivers, concessions and exemptions that were not backed by extant laws or protocols pending the outcome of the investigation. The motion was passed without a single dissenting voice.

Best practice Import duty waivers are an otherwise useful device carefully used by sovereign nations to meet specific economic goals, especially in protecting local industries, creating jobs and promoting exports. Typically, a waiver means excluding a firm from paying import duty on certain goods for a fixed period.

Countries like Japan, China, Malaysia and India, at various times, had used import duty waivers, concessions and exemptions to protect and

build up their local textile, vehicle, agricultural and manufacturing industries. Interestingly, these countries have become economic power houses with export-led economies.

Nothing to cheer about In three decades of reckless granting of import duty waivers, however, it is obvious that none of these lofty goals have been met. Begun in the 1980s, waivers have been shamelessly abused by successive governments to the detriment of the taxpayer.

The Senate alleged that N58.7 billion in import duties has so far been lost this year through waivers granted by the Executive. Last February, the Federal Government admitted that it lost N276.9 billion to waivers between year 2000 and 2008.

An enquiry by the House of Representatives found that former President Olusegun Obasanjo, at a period, granted waivers to 1,843 beneficiaries with several billions of naira lost in customs duties. The enquiry alleged that not only were some of these waivers “illegal and indiscriminate”, but added that they were given to “totally undeserving firms and individuals” and despite repeated resolutions by the House that the government should discontinue granting the waivers.

Besides, the granting of waivers for imported raw materials is cited as one of the major avenues for the dumping of substandard goods in Nigeria, a development that is crippling investments in the country, analysts have further argued.

“No economy would develop when there is a specific policy for certain categories of people. In fact, it is double jeopardy for some firms, who after paying all the necessary duties, are still faced with multiple taxes and crippling infrastructure,” said Okorie Sylvanus, a market analyst.

Review of extant legal framework Expectedly, there is a move to amend the Nigerian Customs Act and the import duty waiver system by the National Assembly, a move the presidency is not willing to give its nod.

Interestingly, the Federal Government is kicking against a clause in the bill that grants the Nigerian Customs Service discretion to grant import duty waivers. Instead, in a presentation to the Senate Committee on Finance, the Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, urged legislators to retain the powers to grant duty waivers with the President and the minister, acting on his behalf.

The bill is the proposed Customs and Excise Management Act (CEMA), CAP 45 2004, (Amendment) Bill 2012; and the Companies Income Tax Act 2004 (Amendment) Bill 2012, which have undergone public hearing, the bills were said to be a calculated ploy to transfer the presidential power of discretion to grant import duty waivers to the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).

“In our view, prohibition, importation and exportation of goods, duty exemptions and waivers are powers too critical to economic management to be left to the Customs Service, which is in real terms an agent not the principal… We all agreed on one thing, that (the) abuse of waiver for whatever purpose is not something good for the country. At the same time there are certain categories that are internationally respected, like the waivers for diplomatic communities and NGOs (Non Governmental Organisations)”, Okonjo-Iweala argued.

Views of other stakeholders For many local businesses, waivContinued on page 61

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, JANUARY 13, 2013

INSIDE BUSINESS

61

Stakeholders kick over refusal of credit to SMEs F

•Okonjo-Iweala

•Dikko

No longer at ease with waivers

proven economic gains of the waivers to the nation, but have only seen negative tendencies towards perhaps monopolizing the economy of the country and possibly enriching a few at the expense of the generality of the population who are rather daily drifting towards the pallets of poverty.

“In summary, therefore, NANTS insists on the need to reverse the unjust and unfair import waivers granted to these companies. Nigeria has so much budget deficits, and to bridge this gap these waivers are needed. Importantly, we wish to underscore the need to grow the non-oil sector of the economy as well as the need for prudence in resource generation and management. That is the only way the Nigerian poor can be hopeful and committed to the policies of government. “ Speaking with The Nation, a Customs licensed agent, Anthony Williams Offor, gave a bird’s eye view of the state of affairs at the ports.

While lauding the port reforms, Offor argued as a matter of fact that the reforms have both positive and negative sides to it.

According to Offor, the Customs, some dubious agents, those new concessionaires and the NPA are to blame for the level of malfeasance in the ports one way or the other.

“Yes, some importers are also into sharp practices. For example, an importer, because of his or her connections with some politicians, would secure a fraudulent import-waiver, and you’re talking of a cargo that would have fetched the Federal Government up to half a billion naira. It has happened many times before my very eyes,” he stressed.

Expatiating, he said: “As an expert, I always took closer looks at those waiver documents and found out that they were all fake. Others would import one thing and declare another, even in a cargo that has a pre-shipment inspection report. So, the blame must be shared.

“Let me dare say that the customs, though rakes in billions annually, are largely corrupt.

Like other concerned stakeholders, Offor would want the authorities to plug the different avenues of revenue leakage, citing the issue of unauthorised and fraudulent waivers, sharp practices by large scale importers, some of them politicians or related to top politicians. “The moment those loopholes are plugged, then it will be a new chapter in our national life.”

It is, however, instructive to note that as part of efforts to make the clearing of goods in Nigerian ports faster, simpler and convenient, the Comptroller General of Customs, Alhaji Dikko Abdullahi, recently introduced a special incentive for importers who import cargoes into Nigeria five times within a given period without any discrepancy.

Speaking at a sensitisation and town hall meeting between the Customs Service and importers at the Trade Fair Complex in Lagos, the CG explained that henceforth, “any importer or agent who imports into Nigeria five times within a given period, without any discrepancy, shall henceforth enjoy fast track concession for all subsequent importations.”

Analysts have, however, argued that the measures being mooted by the Customs boss are merely cosmetic and may not necessarily address the issues.

Continued from page 60 ers and concession being granted by the Federal Government, have been a curse rather than a blessing on the economy.

One of such organisations which have been at the receiving end of the policy is the National Association of Nigerian Traders (NANTS).

In a statement tagged: “Import Waivers and the Dangers to the Nigerian Economy: The Dangers of the FG’s 150bn rice and palm oil Import Waivers to 10 Firms in 10 months on Small Scale Farmers and Rural Livelihoods”, signed on behalf of the group and made available to The Nation, the association’s Secretariat President, Mr. Ken Ukaoha described as “scandalous” the indiscriminate issuance of waivers.

The Federal Government of Nigeria, he recalled: “Granted rice and palm oil import waivers amounting to about N150 billion last year to 10 companies, with one of them securing the duty write-offs 164 times since February...”

Citing a recent media report, the NANTS boss said, from January to October this year 2011, the Federal Government waived import duties, levies and other taxes associated with the importation of rice and palm oil to over 100 private companies, out of which 10 companies alone got N150 billion waivers.

One of the beneficiaries, Connotation Concepts Limited, according to Ukaoha “which registered its nature of business as “bookshops and stationery stores”, secured duty waivers to import refined palm oil worth billions of naira over a period of 10 months during the year as well as got four waivers to import palm oil amounting to N233 million, N233 million, N21 million and N67.4 million.”

The Federal Government, he further noted, “Approved for the same company imports of palm oil worth N337 million, N136 million, N114 million, N141 million and N110 million. Four days later, it secured another four separate import approvals totalling N1.3 billion. On July 27, it was granted seven import permission totalling N1.2 billion. The report further pointed out that another company, Energy Resources Management Limited got rice import waiver approvals 34 times between February and July, thereby saving taxes amounting to N5.6 billion. In July, the company secured waivers to import rice worth N1.45 billion naira, N46 million, N104.8 million and N92.1 million at different times, costing the government millions of naira in taxes. It noted that in July alone, the same company got tax reliefs worth N469 million, while another company, Network Supplies Limited, got rice import duty waivers 36 times during the year, leading the Federal Government to lose about N5billion in taxes. Also on the list of firms that benefited from the rice or palm oil waivers are Olam Nigeria Limited, Presco Industries Limited and Sopon Nigeria Limited.”

NANTS, he said, is yet to see any

OLLOWING the recent declaration by the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi and the Managing Director of Bank of Industry (BOI), Ms Evelyn Oputu, that banks and the BOI cannot fund small and medium scale enterprise (SMEs) in the country, some stakeholders have expressed misgivings, saying it was a disincentive to business.

While some are of the opinion that the CBN and BOI are right, others feel that failure to provide funding for small businesses will result in the collapse of the few remaining industries in the country.

Sanusi Lamido Sanusi had last Monday declared that unless governments fix the problem in the power sector and put in place policies that will enhance the growth of SMEs in the country, CBN and other banks will run away from funding small businesses.

“If you want vibrant SMEs that can borrow from banks, we must fix the power problem, we must fix the agricultural value chain problem. Banks cannot continue to lend to SMEs that are not profitable because they have to continue to run on generators and buy diesel, with bad roads and insecurity. So the environment has to be fixed and that would encourage banks to lend to SMEs,” he said.

The CBN boss further said that overheads in running a business is killing small industries thereby making banks not to have confidence in them.

On her part, the BOI boss also said since funding was not made available to the BOI by the Central bank of Nigeria to support SMEs, the industry is ‘handicapped’ in helping small industries.

Commenting on the issue, the Director General of Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industries (LCCI), Muda Yusuf, said he is in support of the CBN stance. He argued that unless infrastructure are provided, small scale industries will continue to groan un-

•Oputu

•Sanusi

By Bukola Afolabi

der financial crunch.

“The point CBN and BOI are making is right, unless we have valued and vibrant economy, the SMEs will continue to wobble. If the environment is not right, it is difficult to run business. Also, the experiences many banks have had with small businesses have made some of them to stop lending to SMEs. Many small businesses have collapsed with lots of them owing banks. Many of the banks too have challenges of bad loans and are struggling for survival. The issue of asset to credit is also there. The banks ask for collateral before loans are given out.”

He opined that for banks to assist SMEs, two things must be done, “Governments have to fix infrastructure that will encourage banks to lend. Secondly, banks should also be liberal when demanding for collaterals. There are too many strict collateral requirements which discourage small industries to borrow from banks.”

Dr. Ayo Teriba, an economist, said SMEs should be funded, but added that if there is credit crunch, all aspects of the economy will be affected rule out the issue of credit crunch.

“They (SMEs) are distributor to the economy and should be well funded. If we have credit crunch, it is going to affect all sectors of the

economy. Though we had it two years ago, if there is liquidity improvement in the system, that means the economy is coming back.

The Managing Director of Arthur Financial and Investment Company, Mr Arthur Onyema, is of the opinion that if small industries are left with no financial assistance from governments and banks, the rate of unemployment which is already affecting the economy will continue to increase.

Mr Iyewumi Oyeleke, the Managing Director of Iyewumi Foam, a foam manufacturing company also faulted the CBN. “I have been in this business for the past 20 years, yet the company is functioning with staff. I don’t believe because necessary things have not been put in place by the government, then banks should refuse to lend to SMEs. Many of the banks are not really sincere to help small industries because of their own selfish gains. They prefer to lend to big companies, most especially in the oil sector. Those big companies that the banks lend to also face the same problems that small industries are facing, yet banks prefer to do business with them. “ Echoing similar sentiments, Mr Afolabi Ehinmowo, who runs a financial investment company and a former bank official, is of the view that the current economy does not encourage banks to lend to SMEs.

We’re committed to vision 20:2020 —NEXIM boss

O

NE institution that has since keyed into the Federal Government’s hyped vision 20:2020 project is the Nigerian Export Import Bank (NEXIM).

Giving this assurance recently was the Managing Director of NEXIM, Mr. Robert Orya.

He spoke during a facility tour of Origin Group of Companies in Lagos.

While inspecting the tractor assembly plant of Origin Automobile Works, (a subsidiary of Origin Group) where about 1,800 tractors of different capacities are billed to be assembled for a special agricultural development project tagged “Tractorise Nigeria”, the NEXIM Bank boss spoke of efforts by his organisation to help actualise the Vision 20:2020 of the Federal Government, especially through increased export trade activities in the West African sub-region.

Commenting on different incountry trade barriers among ECOWAS member states, especially in formalising trade activities going on across Nigerian borders without being captured in national trade statistics, Orya said the potentials of the agricultural industry and other non-oil sectors for employment generation and

By Ibrahim Apekhade Yusuf

national development are enormous.

It is Orya’s contention that the agricultural and other non-oil sectors should be given priority attention through consistent institutional support and risk mitigation frameworks by relevant agencies of government.

Little wonder he is one of those leading the vanguard of those pushing agenda for diversification of the non-oil sector through providing institutional support for the sector.

It is instructive to note that the export sector in Nigeria is characterised by the dominance of a single commodity – oil, at the detriment of the non-oil sector whose returns have witnessed a dip from an average of seven percent in the 1970s to the present abysmal level of four percent.

Among other factors impeding the growth of a monoculture economy like Nigeria which relies heavily on oil, is the issue of the volatility of the international oil market with the attendant unpredictability of government revenue underline the need for the diversification of our exports and consequently, our sources of revenue as well as unreliability of the product due to inability to sustain

•Orya

for future development.

Thankfully, there has been bold attempt to redress the situation under the Orya-led NEXIM through different intervention programmes.

However, experts have argued that for NEXIM to succeed in its laudable agenda, factors such as high cost of doing business, inadequate infrastructure, poor implementation of incentives (especially fiscal and tariff regimes), massive smuggling, counterfeiting and dumping of products as well as lack of standardisation required for products to compete internationally and export levies, must be addressed by government.

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Business

ROM the National President and Chairman-In-Council of Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria (REDAN), Chief Olabode Afolayan, has come a blessed assurance to prospective home owners: “There is hope for home ownership in 2013.”

He gave this assurance over the weekend in an exclusive interview with our correspondent in Abuja.

While acknowledging that there was a lull in the build and construction industry in the outgoing year, the REDAN boss, however, expressed optimism that positive things would happen in the New Year.

“The Ministry of Land, Housing and Urban Development is a new ministry.

So what the ministry, particularly the minister, has been able to do and do substantially is to put in structures in place. We now have structures, one of which is ensuring that parastatals under the ministry like the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN), Federal Housing Authority (FHA) to come up with programmes that will actually address the housing deficit.

Besides, he recalled that at the twilight of last year, “stakeholders came together and put up a document and they are hopeful that 2013 we should be able to realise our dream, particularly in delivery of affordable housing. So far so good we can say that they have done marvelously well and one other thing that makes us a little bit comfortable is the appointment of the new board of the FMBN. When you look at the composition, you can see that something good is going to happen to the industry through the FMBN. “The chairman of the board was formerly the Vice President of the African Development Bank (ADB). So he is a technocrat, he is a professional; they are not just bringing politicians, they are now giving us the right people to help us achieve hous-

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JANUARY 13, 2013

‘There’s hope for housing in 2013’

By Adetayo Okusanya Email: adetayookusanya@hotmail.com

Park! Stop!! & put on your inner light!!!

By Ibrahim Apekhade Yusuf and Sanni Onogun, Abuja

ing delivery in Nigeria. Fortunately for us FMBN has a very good executive management team led by Mr. Gimba Ya’u Kumo, the managing director. You can see that the team looks good. Because ordinarily if you have a good executive management team and the Chairman of the Board is not working in tandem with what the executive wants to realise, it is difficult to achieve something tangible. So to us, FMBN is now well positioned. The best thing that I have ever seen so far in this administration is the constitution of the new board.”

Giving insight on what to expect from stakeholders in the industry this year, Afolayan reiterated that: “We are comfortable that something good is going to happen in 2013 because the first thing is if you look at the way facilities were being granted in the past, it was done in an haphazard way.

But the present team called us the stakeholders, and said look, REDAN, NOVAN, we cannot continue like this, considering the volume of money that comes to us through the National Housing Fund (NHF), if we must succeed we need to redefine our position. Let us come with new product. Money that comes through NHF contribution is just about N1billion monthly. So averagely we are talking about N12billion annually and applications could come to the tune of about N40billion to N50billion.”

To address the challenge, he said: “In the New Year together with FMBN we are now going to see how we can access commercial window,

Beyond Talent

F

• Afolayan a new product for high end project we can access loan from commercial banks which FMBN is going to guarantee. Honestly, the relationship that we have with FMBN, nothing happens in FMBN that we are not carried along. So if anybody wants to say that they have failed that means we have all failed because together we address issues.”

As to how the country can overcome the over 16billion housing deficit presently, he emphasised that: “One of the good things that happened last year was the recapitalisation of the FMBN so that we can use markets to drive our investments. How do you use markets? If we are building the houses and people are not there to buy, definitely we will not be able to achieve objectives. So in this case, our plan is that if we are building the houses, the FMBN is coming up with construction finance, then as soon as our houses are ready, people

will be able to buy them then we can build more houses.”

While proffering suggestions on revamping bad roads, Afolayan emphasised that it was inevitable in the country’s desire to grow the economy.

“Good road is one of the infrastructure that would help reduce construction cost,” he stressed, adding: “For instance, you want to move cement from Obajana to Ilorin which you need to pay as much as N200,000 for transportation. Why do you need to pay N200,000 to move cement from Obajana to Ilorin?”

Expatiating, he said: “At the end of the day you will discover that you have paid an average of N200 per bag, which will automatically increase the cost of construction. So let government put every infrastructure in place.

If the roads are better, the cost of delivery materials to site will reduce, thereby leading to affordable housing in the country.”

•From left: Dr. Debo Adekoya, Chairman, Medical Guild Association of Nigeria, Lasuth/Ikeja Chapter, presenting an award to Dr. Olumuyiwa Odusote, re-elected Chairman, Lagos State Medical Guild, during the Annual General Meeting/dinner organised by the Guild recently

OR those who are familiar with the words in the title, it must bring to mind the specific circumstance of being pulled over at a police check point. It’s usually not a pleasant experience for your journey to be disrupted by these instructions, but you are mandated to obey and usually will do.

As we start a New Year, the three steps in the phrase can provide useful guidance as we follow the instructions to review the past year and prepare for the new one.

STOP! – Just like driving, life seems to be in constant motion as we go about tackling the challenges of our daily lives. We are always busy fighting fires, however in the bid to move forward, oftentimes we need to stop thinking about all that we did in the past year, as well as all that we plan to do in the New Year.

We ought to just focus on “stopping” and shutting down all systems, so we can initiate a “reboot”.

PARK!! – When being pulled over at a police check point, the instruction to park is a requirement to get off the busy highway. Being “parked” ensures that you settle down and focus on the business at hand, attending to the requests and instructions of the police officer.

In a similar way, there is the need for us to take time off to review the year gone by. Time for us to “Get Off” the busy highway of life and follow a clearly defined process like the “Best Year Yet!” program to ensure valuable lessons are learned from the accomplishments and disappointments of the past year. Being properly “parked” ensures there are little or no distractions especially at a time of the year when people are often busy shopping, attending parties, and hanging out with friends and family. It helps to plan this time in advance and let your stakeholders know that you will be taking some personal time to reflect and regroup. In the past few years, I have found the period between Christmas day and New Year’s Day or the 1st/ 2nd January a good time for this.

PUT ON YOUR INNER LIGHT!!! – Turning on the light in the car is important when you are stopped at a checkpoint at night. In the dark, the light helps the police to easily identify the occupants/contents of the vehicle and also helps the driver/passenger to easily locate their driving and vehicle particulars (documents to be presented).

Putting on the “inner light” in a review process can be quite illuminating. The ability to (i) define and connect with the bigger purpose, (ii) take decisions based on one’s core values and , (iii) gain clarity about the things that are important, are further enhanced by the reflective nature of putting on the “inner light”.

Following these three steps in general and answering the ten (10) questions in the “Best Year Yet!” process specifically, has been a very rewarding experience for me over the past 5 years. I look forward to the time set aside for this with excitement as it generates a huge sense of gratitude.

It’s always amazing to see the list of all the accomplishments that could have been forgotten or taken for granted, especially all the people that have supported me and been blessings in different ways in the course of the year.

I have also learnt to view my disappointments as opportunities to learn lessons that will be useful in the future.

Taking a second look at disappointments is less about regrets and more about understanding what happened and possibly why and how it happened, so that course-corrections can be made from lessons learned.

The most interesting part of this process is the celebration of all the goals achieved in the year. Some goals were just good ideas about eleven months ago and now they are things that have been concretely achieved. Every goal I have achieved (big or small, business or personal) gives a boost to my “success energy” and fuels me with the confidence to “stick to” this tried and tested process.

As we start the year, remember to STOP, PARK and PUT ON YOUR INNER LIGHT!!!. That way, when you get back on that busy highway of life, the knowledge gained from passing through a “checkpoint” will give you the confidence and conviction to achieve your life’s dream.

• Written by Guest Columnist Lanre Onasanya

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JANUARY 13, 2013

Business

63

• Dangote Cement, Obajana, Kogi State.

Aliko Dangote: Beyond manufacturing H

UNGER, like freedom, is in grained in man. Just as h u n ger cannot be wished away, so also freedom cannot be denied any. The consequences of ignoring the one and abridging the other are usually very grave and costly.

Hunger was not imputed in man as a form of punishment, or to humble him, rather it’s imputed as a growth process. Hunger and freedom are so intertwined that a man will go to any length to secure both the means to feed himself and the power to protect his freedom, his status notwithstanding.

The only available means to put hunger in check and quench its rage, is work. The same applies to freedom. You cannot really claim to be free, unless you are in a position to provide for your basic physiological needs. No wonder the issue of job creation, or employment, has remained a central theme or focus in all of man’s quest to live and be relevant. It does not matter which side of the divide – rich/poor you belong. Being wealthy does not exclude one from being hungry, neither does the poor give up his liberty for slavery. There may be exceptions though, but it’s never the rule.

In the last US presidential elections, job creation took the centre stage. It was not as though any of the candidates was jobless, or their freedom abridged, but it was obvious that the future of

More often than not, Aliko Dangote’s achievements are limited to his exploits in the manufacturing of cement and production of household consumables. That’s just part of him. His passion is more in the jobs he creates and the employment offered the people. SIMEON EBULU, Deputy Business Editor, chronicles the Dangote’s business tree and the relief embedded in it.

America and the sustenance of its cherished democracy, or freedom, depended on jobs for the American people. Charity they say must begin at home.

America is by no means a poor country. As a matter of fact, it is the richest nation on earth. If job creation and employment generation were central issues in the Presidential election, in a country adjudged to be the richest the world over, how much more should this be in Nigeria, a nation churning out several hundreds of thousands of university graduates yearly, and not being able to secure employment for a small segment of same? The challenge of course, is monumental.

There has also been the argument of who should be responsible to address the issue.

Push it to the government, they’ll say it is the private sector’s responsibility, we only provide the enabling environment for businesses to thrive. Push it to the private sector, they will say no, it’s government responsibility. So, the pendulum keeps swinging, at one time to the government, and at another to the private sector, with

neither of them taking the responsibility to provide the much -needed jobs. So the problem has remained with us unanswered as a nation.

Who then takes on the gauntlet? Governments over the years have initiated policies to address the challenge, because it is obvious no responsible government can afford to ignore the issue. All the talk about Foreign Technical Aid Corps; the National Directorate of Employmrnt, Operation Feed the Nation and the garment of all others, like National Poverty Alleviation Programme (NAPEP), and the Subsidy Removal and EmpowermentProgramme (SURE-P) and the various states governments’ schemes are geared towards addressing the challenge.

Although there’s some considerable measure of success in some of these schemes, their cumulative output in comparison to the problem at hand, leaves a yawning gap between intentions and the outcome.

Our brand of politics has not helped matters either. The nation is on a perpetual train of politicking, leaving no breathing

for implementation of agreed policies..

If all were to adopt the maxim of job creation being the sole responsibility of the government, then the unemployment queue will continue to grow, and in no time, lions will be prowling the streets, bringing to pass the adage – “a hungry man is like an angry lion”.

Who then shall escape the wrath of the angry lions? May we never get there, “A stitch in time” they say, “saves nine.”

Standing to be counted Men like Nehru and Mahatma Ghandi, bequeathed unto India what is today regarded as the world’s most populous democracy. Professor Mohammed Yunus founder of Grameed Bank in Malaysia, made it possible for the poor to access credit through his low Credit Scheme. There would probably not be a prosperous China today without the exploits of Chairman Mao Tsetung, his shortcomings notwithstanding. Can you imagine a USA today without the imputs and sacrifices of the likes of George Washington or President Abraham Lincoln or John Fidzegerald Kennedy (JFK)

• Dangote

with his famous “think of what you can do for your country…?”

Have you thought of the transformation that John Jerry Rawlings brought to Ghana, our West •Continued on page 65

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, JANUARY 13, 2013

64

There can be law without justice but there can be no justice without law.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JANUARY 13, 2013

EBERE WABARA

65

WORDSWORTH 08055001948

ewabara@yahoo.com

Mike Adenuga coughs up N8b? No! N

ATIONAL Mirror of January 10 showed its characteristic language indiscipline: “Two arrested over (for) murder of 50-year-old woman” “Traffic law: Driver bags three months (months’) imprisonment” “...he told the nation the unemployment problem was grave.” My own view: he told the nation unemployment was grave.

‘Unemployment’ is clearly a problem!

Avoid pleonasm.

Now to National Mirror Editorial of the above edition: “Worrisome reports about rampant fire outbreaks nationwide….”

All the Facts, All the Sides: rampant fires nationwide “…and there was a minor fire outbreak (fire) at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos (another comma) few (a few) days to the last Christmas “Which will help explain why General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) (retd)….”

“This seems imperative, given the fact that the country is currently witnessing the harmattan season….” What is ‘currently’ doing here? “…they are found at (on) the scene of fire incidents.” “…the arrival of fire fighting (fire-fighting) agencies….”

The next two blunders are from the Back Page of NATIONAL MIRROR under review: “Traditionally, the expensive past time (pastime) of our rulers has always been how to perpetuate themselves in power by hook or by crook.”

THE GUARDIAN of January 8 laboured in vain five times: “Ogun councillors seek payment of salaries arrears” Conscience, Nurtured by Truth: salary arrears.

“There was review (a review) of our salaries after we had been sworn-in (sworn in)….”

“The report said the country lacks (lacked) Aircraft Hanger Maintenance facilities, to take charge of the maintenance of aircrafts.”

First: ‘aircraft’ is non-count.

Second: The Guardian thinks that its readers are daft by the unnecessary inclusion of the phrase ‘to take charge of the maintenance of aircrafts’!

What else would the

facilities be doing? The sentence should have ended at ‘facilities’!

THE NATION ON SUNDAY of January 6 entertained readers with errors: “When a white woman is displeased with her marriage, she calls it quit (quits).”

“Mike Adenuga coughs out (up) N8b for new office building” Beyond coughing up (not out!), the expression is contextually wrong because the billionaire Grand Commander of the Order of The Niger is doing it willingly! Going by the principles of sociolinguistics, this medium should apologise to The Bull because he has superfluous fiscal capacity to dole out billions of local currency for his fantasies.

In the circumstance, ‘coughing up’ diminishes Uncle ‘Niyi immeasurably.

The only time the idiomatic expression will be right is if the government or any of its agencies compels the entrepreneurial quintessential icon to pay a fine. Social Circuit: Adenuga spends/ splashes N8b on….

“As the year draws to a close….” The year that has just started? Obviously last year’s copy sloppily carried into the New Year without an update by this medium! “…a process that would required (require) the go-ahead of at least two non-regional member (members).” “…but it is also important to ensure that these workers are not unduely exposed to temptations.” Get it right: unduly.

“Nevertheless, since the world at large now gravitates towards the engaging concept of a global village, Africa as part of the human race, can just not be obliterated or be immune against this gale….” A re-awakening desire for Africa: immune to (or from); not against.

“As at press time, several aspirants have (had) emerged, and more are being expected to join in the race….” “…those who were nurtured on cassava and its allied products, children from the grassroot (grassroots).”

“This is the reason we see the oil industry as the life wire of the Nigerian nation.” Limits of capital investment: livewire.

“This was at the launching (launch) of the

N20 million education appeal fund of the Federal Girls’ College in Yola.”

“When we noticed this oversight, we quickly mobilized ourselves (one another) and drew attention of the local and the state governments.”

“The starting point of new outlook is to jettison our selfish individualism and foster voluntary groups and ethic upon which the vitality of nationhood rest (rests.)”

“A stage was reached in 1975/76 when excessive importation created severe port congestion due to proliferation of items arriving at (on) our shores.”

“Indeed, the death of Alhaja Kudirat Abiola was that of a great democrat whose political activism in life brought her at loggerhead (loggerheads) with the might of gun trotters (gun-totters).”

FEEDBACK “Please, tell me what you intend to do to your colleagues at The Nation, considering what they do to the English language?

See The Nation, Saturday, December 29, 2012, Page 5 on Adamawa, First Paragraph, Fourth Column: “Assassins forcibly forced their way….” (Ony Nwabufo/Abuja/ 080366487027) This is sheer Pidgin English! On behalf of the reporter, I apologise for the collateral damage to your purity.

“TUC is the abbreviation for Trades Union Congress, not ‘Trade Union Congress’ as it is called by civil servants and the media. This is because it is a union of people in different trades. See the Oxford English Dictionary.” (Stanley N d u a g u / A b a / 08092925996) “A kindergartner (not a kindergarten) cannot write like this! To write ‘brethren’ instead of ‘brothers’ is either illiterate or delinquent!” (Baba Bayo Oguntunase/Ikorodu/ 08029442508) “YOU are indeed doing a great job here. I buy a copy of The Nation every Sunday just to learn and ‘drink from’ your wealth of linguistic knowledge. You are truly a language purist. Keep up the good work comrade. It takes only few experienced and outstanding minds to do such a critical analysis.” ( N w a c h u k w u Collinsdivine/FGC Odogbolu/08039584379) More constructive observations are welcome.

Aliko Dangote: Beyond manufacturing • Continued from page 63

Coast neighbour! Is it not the Free Education policy of one men in the South West that has kept Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s name ingrained in the hearts of many, several years after he’s gone? Is creating jobs and employment for the Nigerian people of any less importance? Certainly not.

Enters Dangote There’s no better way to explain and understand Aliko Dangote’s passion for creating jobs and providing employment than to hear him speak about it.

Hear him: “Sometimes, we need to have the genuine experience of deprivation and poverty in order to appreciate the need to be our brother’s keeper. We should be problem solvers and ready to make people happy when the opportunity comes. The soul of business is not making money but making people happy.

“I believe that people make the difference and not the balance sheet. We impact positively on the lives of the people, not by how much money we have accumulated, but by how much goodwill we have accumulated. Nobody says ‘thank you’ for growing a profitable company, but people will say ‘thank you’ when you give.”

There is no better way to earn goodwill than creating jobs for the people. This perhaps explains the insatiable drive of Aliko Dangote to make job creation his primary goal in the various companies he has established.

Corporate Outlook The Dangote Group represents the most visible and formidable outfit in the manufacturing sector currently. The group includes, among others, Dangote Cement, Dangote Flour Mills, Dangote Sugar and Dangote Transport Company. There’s also the telecommunications outfit, Nascon and Dangote Industries Limited (DIC).

Celebrating Dangote’s prowess and achievements is not so much in the number of industries he parades, as in the number of jobs he has created and the employment he has so far provided for the countless number of families nationally.

From three of his companies alone, Dangote has pulled over 28,000 job seekers off the labour market.

And this cuts across all strata of the society. Of note also, are the thousands of employees in the other firms not taken into account.

Given the dependent index in Nigeria, Dangotes’s employment tree may have offered succour to millions of Nigerians Late last year, as part of measures to facilitate haulage of cement from his factories, Dangote imported 5,000 trailer heads from China. This was in addition to the existing fleet. More than 15,000 direct jobs were

• Dangote

created from that singular investment, comprising drivers and assistants.

The Dangote Foundation The Dangote Foundation, which is domiciled in Nigeria, with operations covering the entire country, has since its inception, focused on improving the living conditions of all Nigerians through support for projects that tackle hunger and water supply, in addition to strengthening the quality of health and education; as well as promote economic empowerment at the community levels through job creation.

It has been involved in various intervention strategies using micro-credit programmes since 2007 and working closely with Parishkaar Advisory Services, an Indian Consulting firm, with considerable skills in setting up microfinance institutions in several countries. Drawing from experiences from South Asia, Parishkaar has created business plans and rolled out strategies for the Foundation in alignment with the promoter’s vision. With these strategic plans in place, the Foundation, last year, decided to partner the Bank of Industry, (BoI) for the implementation of the founders vision on job and employment generation.

In line with the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), Dangote Foundation donated N2.5 billion to a DF-BoI Fund into which BoI shall also contribute a matching fund of N2.5 billion thus creating a total fund of N5 billion in the first tranche. This fund, which is expected to grow up to N20 billion, shall be used for lending to community based organisations in Nigeria to support the informal sector micro-entrepreneurs through micro-credit.

The mission to provide basic financial needs to the informal sector entrepreneurs and household enterprises is now being fulfilled through this project, “The nation needs micro-

entrepreneurs to succeed so that the problem of unemployment and under employment among the youth and women is drastically reduced,” Dangote said at the inception and inauguration of the partnership.

Project Objective The project is expected to impact 13,000 registered groups in the entire country.

Each group shall have 20 entrepreneurs on the average, thus impacting the lives of up to 260,000 micro entrepreneurs across all the six geopolitical zones. BoI, which is the implementing partner, is expected to appraise loan applications, disburse loans and manage recoveries.

Dangote Foundation, through this project, shall assist groups that already provide services to its members. Such groups include: Primary Groups in rural and urban areas, Cooperatives, Trade Associations, Community Development Associations, Rotating Savings and Credit Associations, and Accumulated Savings and Credit Associations. Groups must be registered in order to access this fund.

On an average, a Group can access a loan of .N4million in the first cycle and can receive higher loans as it graduates to next cycles. A typical beneficiary shall access a loan of about N20, 000 to finance working capital and equipment required to run his/her enterprises.

Microenterprises in the country that are expected to benefit from this programme, include but are not limited to, cassava processors, poultry farmers, aluminium artisans, calabash carving groups, small traders, cattle rearing groups, vegetable sellers, market women and artisan groups. Up to one million Nigerians are expected to reap the gains of this partnership within the next few years.

This is one of the ways Dangote Foundation is lending a hand to lift Nigerians out of abject poverty by offering valuable means to earn sustainable income.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, JANUARY 13, 2013

66 CHANGE OF NAME

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AWUJOOLA

I, formerly known and addressed MISS. IYERIKUMO REBECCA NELSON now wish to be known and addressed as MRS. IYERIKUMO REBECCA OPUBO-DENNIS. All former documents remain valid.

General public please take note.

ABDUL

CONFIRMATION OF NAME I,MR. DENNIS, OPUBO and MR. ORUBO, OPUBO DENNIS are one and the same person, now wish to be known and addressed as MR. DENNIS, OPUBO. All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

AKILO

OSENI

I, formerly known and addressed as FABIYA SOYE LEVY-BRAIDE, now wish to be known and addressed as FABIYA ABIKE SOYE AKINTUNDE. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Akilo Titilope Aminat, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Olododo Titilope Aminat. All former documents remain valid.

General public should take note.

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Oseni Adepeju Ellen, now wish to be known and addressed as Miss Ellen Adepeju Oseni. All former documents remain valid.

General public should take note.

OSENI

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Oseni Adekunbi Lauretta, now wish to be known and addressed as Miss Lauretta Adekunbi Oseni. All former documents remain valid.General public should take note.

LEVY-BRAIDE

SHABA

I, formerly known and addressed as MISS KANDE SHABA, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS JOY CALEB. All former documents remain valid. University of Abuja and the general public should please take note.

OGUNLEYE

ALABI

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Akinbola Ruth Funso now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Amos Ruth Funso. All former documents remain valid general public take note.

FOLORUNSHO

EGUNLETI

I,formerly known and addressed as Alabi, Kehinde Racheal, now wish to be known and addressed as Olalekan, Kehinde Racheal. All former documents remain valid.

Lagos State Teaching Hospital and general public should please take note.

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Egunleti, Ayodele Comfort, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Jimoh, Ayodele Comfort. All former documents remain valid Yewa North Education Authority,SUBEB Abeokuta and general public should take note.

BABALOLA I formerly known and addressed as Miss Babalola, Grace Modupe, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Ogunleye Grace Modupe. All former documents remain valid general public should take note.

OKENIYI

I formerly known and addressed as Miss OKENYI NKEIRUKA NOUS now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs EZE NKEIRUKA NOUS All former documents remain valid general public should take note.

EDEH I formerly known and addressed as Miss EDEH IFEYINWA MARYJANE, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs UMEH IFEYINWA MARYJANE. All former documents remain valid.

General public should take note.

NWOKONKWO

I formerly known addressed as Miss Chioma Queen Nwokonkwo now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Chioma Queen Njoku. All former documents remain valid. FRSC and general public should please take note.

LAMBART

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Chinwendu .E. Lambart Onwuchekwa now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Ihuoma Julius. E. Chinwendu. All former documents remains valid.

Umuahia North L.G.A and general public should take note.

OKOROH

EKAGBO

I,formerly known and addressed as Miss Esther Ene Ekagbo, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Esther Ikwulono. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

DANJUMA

I,formerly known and addressed as Mrs. Danjuma, Riike Abigial, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Adedapo, Riike Abigial. All former documents remain valid.

General public should please take note.

ADEYEMI

I,formerly known and addressed as Mr. Adeyemi, David Oluwaseun, now wish to be known and addressed as Mr. Oladimeji David Oluwaseun. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

UGOH

I, formerly known and addressed MISS. UGOH PETRONILLA CHISARA, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS. GAABI DANIEL PETRONILLA CHISARA. All former documents remain valid.

General public please take note.

UDOH

I, formerly known and addressed MISS. PRINCESS ASUQUO UDOH, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS. HELEN NAPOLEON CLARKSON. All former documents remain valid.

General public please take note.

BRAIMAH

I, formerly known and addressed MISS. BRAIMAH STELLA OMOKHEFE now wish to be known and addressed as MRS. BRUCE STELLA OMOKHEFE. All former documents remain valid. NYSC and general public please take note.

EZIKE I, formerly known and addressed MISS. EZIKE CHINWE JENNIFER now wish to be known and addressed as MRS. CHINWE JENNIFER AGUH. All former documents remain valid. NYSC and general public please take note.

AMACHREE

I, formerly known and addressed as MISS NGOZI MARGARET OKOROH, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS. NGOZI MARGARET EVOH. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

I, formerly known and addressed MISS. AMACHREE SALOME T.T now wish to be known and addressed as MRS. SALOME EBITIMI ISERE . All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

AKELE

I, formerly known and addressed MISS. GREAMBA GRAHAM DOUGLAS now wish to be known and addressed as MRS. GREAMBA PEREZ ARAKA. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as MISS IHINOSEN FAITH AKELE, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS. IHINOSEN FAITH ETAREH. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

AKELE

I, formerly known and addressed as MISS IHINOSEN FAITH AKELE, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS. IHINOSEN FAITH ETAREH. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

RAJI

I formerly known and addressed as Monsurat Olabisi Raji, now wish to be known and addressed as Monsurat Olabisi Raji-Badmus. All former documents remain valid.

General public should take note.

CONFIRMATION OF NAME I,NATHANIEL NNAMDI CHUKUMA and NWAFOR NNAMDI CHUKUMA are one and the same person, now wish to be known and addressed as NATHANIEL NNAMDI CHUKUMA. All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

CONFIRMATION OF NAME I, NATHANIEL EMEKA SAMUEL and NWAFOR EMEKA SAMUEL are one and the same person, now wish to be known and addressed as NATHANIEL EMEKA SAMUEL. All former documents remain valid.

General public should take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as MISS OGUNLEYE ANOTU JOKE, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS ONI-BASHIR ANATULLAH JOKE. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Folorunsho Omolola Julianah, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs babalola Omolola Julianah. All former documents remain valid.General public should take note.

NELSON

I formerly known and addressed as MISS ADEYEMI CHRISTIANAH JOKOTADE now wish to be known and addressed as MRS ABIODUN CHRISTIANAH JOKOTADE. All former document remain valid Teaching service commission and General public should take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as MISS ESTHER ABDUL, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS ESTHER OKOLIKO. All former documents remain valid. University of Abuja, Federal College of Education Ankpa Kogi State and the general public should please take note.

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Awujoola Latifat Anike, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Bashorun Latifat Anike. All former documents remain valid.

General public should take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

DOUGLAS

NWOSU I, formerly known and addressed MISS. RUTH CHINWE NWOSU now wish to be known and addressed as MRS. RUTH CHINWE ELECHUKWU. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

NJOKU

I, formerly known and addressed MISS. NJOKU MATILDA NKEIRUKA now wish to be known and addressed as MRS. IKASHI MATILDA NKEIRUKA. All former documents remain valid.

Umunneochi Local Government and general public please take note.

AKINBOLA

IGWE

I, formerly known and addressed as MISS ANITA OLUCHI IGWE now wish to be known and addressed as MRS OKOROAFOR OLUCHI ANITA. All former documents remain valid. Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO) and general public take note.

OBIORAH

I, formerly known and addressed as MISS OBIORAH MARYJACINTA CHINENYE now wish to be known and addressed as MRS EZEH CHINENYE MARYJACINTA. All former documents remain valid.

Federal Polytechnic Oko, Bayero University Kano Planned Parenthood Federation of Nigeria (PPFN) and the general public take note.

OKEREKE I, formerly known and addressed as MISS OKEREKE BIBIAN CHIKA now wish to be known and addressed as MRS UGWU BIBIAN CHIKA. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

KEKE

I formerly known and addressed as Miss. Keke Uchechi Rosemary, now wish to be known as Mrs. Ijisakin Uchechi Rosemary. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

NWAENYI

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Nwaenyi Obianuju Loveth, now wish to be known as Mrs. Uzah Obianuju Loveth. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

CONFIRMATION OF NAME Alex Terna Orga and Alex Terna refers to one and the same person, I now wish to be known as Alex Terna. all former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

CONFIRMATION OF NAME Uchenyi Orji Anthony Chukwu and Chukwu Orji Anthony refers to one and the same person I now wish to be known as Chukwu Orji Anthony.

All former documents remain valid.

General public please take note.

UCHENYI

I formerly known and addressed as Mrs. Chijindu Uchenyi, now wish to be known as Mrs. Chijindu OrjiChukwu. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

UBAH

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Ubah Lizzy Chinenye now wish to be known as Mrs. Abii Chinenye Lizzy. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

ANYAMELE

I formerly known and addressed as Miss.

Clara Olejurumaka Anyamele now wish to be known as Mrs. Clara Olejurumaka Nzekwe.

All former documents remain valid.

General public please take note.

ADVERT: Simply produce your marriage certificate or sworn affidavit for a change of name publication, with just N4,500. The payment can be made through - FIRST BANK of Nigeria Plc. Account number - 2017220392 Account Name VINTAGE PRESS LIMITED Scan the details of your advert and teller to gbengaodejide@yahoo.com or thenation_advert@yahoo.com For enquiry please contact: Gbenga on 08052720421, 08161675390, Emailgbengaodejide @yahoo.com or our offices nationwide.

Note this! Change of name is now published every Sundays, all materials should reach us two days before publication.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JANUARY 13, 2013

Lecture, book launch for late AkinOlugbade

A god foretold palace fire incident, says Alaafin

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public lecture and book launch marking the centenary of Chief Ohu Babatunde AkinOlugbade, a lawyer, philanthropist, businessman and politician, holds on Tuesday at Agip Recital Hall, Muson Centre, Onikan, Lagos by 11:00am.

The lecture titled ‘Self Interests, Game Theory and Nation Building – How to design the future we want for our nation’ will be delivered by Prof.

James Ayinde Fabunmi, Professor of Aeronautical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Massachusetts USA. Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, GCFR, will be the chairman of the day while Governor of Ogun State, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, Alhaji M.D. Yusuf and Prince Bola Ajibola will be special guests.

The Chief Launcher is Chief Dr. Oladele Fajemirokun.

Two arrested for stealing SUV From Osagie Otabor, Benin

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WO persons have been arrested by men of the 4 Brigade Nigeria Army in Benin City for alleged stealing of a Highlander Jeep belonging to one Barrister Orji Gerald.

The two suspects arrested were Frank Akpor and Osaro Oghomwen.

They were arrested after soldiers traced the stolen vehicle to a mechanic workshop at Guobadia lane, off Costain road in Benin City.

Army Public Relations Officer, Captain Roselyn Managbe, said the vehicle was recovered through the use of tracking devices.

She said another vehicle was also recovered at the mechanic workshop.

The Army spokesman said the owner of the vehicle is being expected to collect the recovered vehicle.

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PPA chair congratulates Zuma

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HE National Chairman of the Progressive Peoples’ Alliance (PPA), Chief Sam Nkire, has congratulated President Jacob Zuma of South Africa on the occasion of the 101th anniversary of his party, the African National Congress (ANC).

Nkire said as Leader and National Chairman of ANC, President Zuma had steered the party to the envy of many democracies in Africa and the world.

The PPA boss said the recent ANC National Convention during which Zuma was challenged by his Deputy President showed that many African countries including Nigeria still had a democratic lesson to learn from South Africa.

He urged the ANC to not only speak out but do more as a leading voice to correct some of the bad democratic practices in many African countries.

HE Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi, has stated that one of the deities foretold the fire that ravaged the palace last week.

Valuable artefacts and personal belongings were destroyed by the fire which swept 21 rooms in the palace.

The monarch told a delegation of Chairmen, Transition Committee of local governments in his domain during a sympathy visit to the palace that the deity, Ori, had warned of the impending fire and directed that electric wire connecting its room be disconnected.

He said: “We were told that there would be fire and we actually didn’t take the warning for a joke.

“But we thought we were going to do the disconnection the following morning. That following morning never came.”

The Alaafin said while

From Bisi Oladele, Ibadan

the personal belongings could be replaced it would be impossible to do same for the artefacts.

“Apart from coming here to sympathise with the Oyo palace, I think we should see this incident as a colossal hit to the Yoruba race.

“It means that most of the things that the generations succeeding us would point to as identity of their history have gone,” the monarch said.

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•From left: Chairman Ejigbo Local Council Development Area, Mr Kehinde Bamigbetan, wife of late Deacon Ayo Ositelu, Mrs Aribike Ositelu and Senator Oluremi Tinubu, during her condolence visit to the wife of late Ositelu at her residence in Lagos yesterday.

Photo: Muyiwa Hassan.

By Ibrahim Apekhade Yusuf

day, Wilson Uwujaren, Head, Publicity, EFCC, said: “Don’t forget that the investigation on the matter is ongoing.

“But I can assure that the

EFCC’s legal team is working round the clock to ensure that all the paper work is perfected to enable us prosecute the case against the former CBN governor anytime soon.”

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Pressed further, he said: “The public will definitely be carried along as we proceed with the case. But I can assure you that the whole process will be as transparent as possible.”

Obi shuts Onitsha bridge-head ‘markets’ NAMBRA State governor, Mr. Peter Obi, yesterday shut down illegal markets on the stretch of roads from the bridge head Onitsha to Zik round as well as the dual carriage way from Awka to Onitsha.

The governor made this announcement during the inspection of the on- going reconstruction work on the road.”

A visibly- angry Obi lamented that he had for years appealed to traders on the axis to leave without success.

According to him: “I knew what it took me to persuade contractors working in Anambra State to cut their

A

holidays short and resume work at their various sites.

“It is annoying that having resumed work, they are prevented on many sites from working because some people are trading on the sites, parking vehicles and even defecating.

“We shall no longer tolerate that. I hereby order the immediate shutting down of illegal markets along the

NSCDC has ability to carry arms - Minister From Gbenga Omokhunu, Abuja

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OVERNMENT has indicated another move to deepen the operation of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corp (NSCDC) with the increase in its staff strength and management of arms.

Minister of Interior, Comrade Abba Moro, disclosed this yesterday in Abuja, describing the move as based on increasing demand by Nigerians and recognition of the services of the officers in averting security challenge in different parts of the country.

Moro declared that maintaining internal security will greatly be met by the Corp considering its style of operation.

He expressed optimism that arming a section of the Corp to combat the non-civil disturbances as a full complement of the arm squad will increase peace maintenance in the nation.

According to him: “The area of their service continues to increase everyday as people see their bravery where others fail.

“We will increase their human capacity. Nigerians expect more proactive steps in addressing the internal security challenge.’’

Moro went on: “There is no doubt that the account of armed bandit insurgence has had negative impact on the lives and economy of our country, both Nigerians and foreigners desire nothing less than a safe haven to live.

“The old method of response to security is no longer applicable in the case of security challenge trend we have witnessed in Nigeria in the recent years.

“I want to assure you that this year, effort will be concentrated on capacity building and facilities for regular institutional training and retraining.”

From Osagie Otabor, Benin

cist Matthew Urhoghide, told The Nation on phone that the PDP would participate in the election if the present electoral body was properly conducted.

Urhoghide noted that the party would be participating in illegality if the legal issues were not resolved and complied with.

He said the former body dissolved by Governor Adams Oshiomhole went to seek redress in court.

Until it is confirmed that the matter has been resolved, Urhoghide threatened the PDP would stay away from the local elec-

Missing car

road.

He added: “Before the end of the month, we shall relocate to Onitsha to monitor things ourselves until the town and all our other towns return to their old glory.

“We must forcefully demonstrate that Onitsha and any part of Anambra State is not meant for pigs, but for humans.”

Gunmen kill Goje’s security aide

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HE police orderly attached to the immediate past governor of

Gombe

State,

Senator

PDP to boycott Edo council polls if…

DO State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said that it would boycott the forthcoming local council’s elections if legal issues surrounding the composition of the State Independent Electoral body are not resolved.

Chairman of the state electoral body, Solomon Ogoh, had fixed April 20th as the tentative date for the conduct of the local elections.

Ogoh said guidelines for the conduct of the elections would be released on January 15.

State Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Pharma-

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Soludo may be charged soon- EFCC HERE are indications that the immediate past Governor of the Central Bank (CBN),Professor Chukwuma Soludo, may be charged to court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over the contract for the printing of the N20 polymer notes in 2006.

Soludo was quizzed last Thursday and Friday by operatives of the commission in connection with the N750million alleged bribe in the process of awarding the contract.

Some CBN officials were said to have received bribe from the Australian firm of Securency International Pty which secured the contract.

The Nation gathered that the EFCC legal team is sorting out all the necessary details which would enable them file charges against Soludo.

Confirming this development to The Nation yester-

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tions.

He noted that the PDP would support its members that indicated interest to contest in the election if all the issues were resolved.

According to him: “You know the local election is a grassroots election. It must come from the ward and local councils.

“Those interested must go through the party leadership at the ward and local council levels.

“It is the ward leaders that will inform the state of those interested in the elections.

“For now, I don’t know of any party members that have indicated interest.”

From Vincent Ohonbamu, Gombe

Danjuma Goje, has been shot dead in Gombe.

Inspector Rilwanu Gadzama was shot by two men at aboutv 4:00pm at Pantami quarters of the metropolis over the weekend.

His assailants, according to sources, rode on a motorcycle and accosted him.

As soon as they killed their target, they abandoned their motorcycle and fled the scene.

Police Commis-

sioner, Mohammed Sule, confirmed the incident and said investigation had begun to find Gadzama’s killers.

Another policeman, Corporal Mathew Micheal, was shot last Wednesday on his way to his duty post at a telecommunication facility at Pantami area.

His colleagues, Corporal Umar Mohammed, Constables Audu Mudi and Christopher Gibson, were also injured in the attack.

Put your house in order, PDP urges APGA

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HE Abia state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called on the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA to put its house in order in the interest of the state.

Speaking in Umuahia, the state capital, the Publicity Secretary of PDP, Uchechi Ogbuka said APGA, which is supposed to be a strong opposition, has been in disar-

From Ugochuckwu Ugoji-Eke, Umuahia ray.

Ogbuka, who was reacting to the statement credited to Senator Pius Anyim Pius, that 2015 polls would be a defining moment for Abia state, advised the chieftains of the party to stand firm rather causing acrimony in the state.

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WORSHIP THE NATION ON SUNDAY, JANUARY 13, 2013

Victory Life Church lifts members with car gifts T

HE General Overseer of Victory Life Bible Church (VLBC), Apostle Lawrence Achudume, last Sunday shocked the international headquarters of the church in Abeokuta, Ogun State, with the donation of cars to three members.

Members burst into rapturous joy, praising God as soon as Achudume announced what many of them described as “surprise New Year gifts”.

The lucky owners of the Nissan Primera cars included Mr. Lekan Ilebiyi, Biliaminu Adelakun and Raphael.

They were presented the vehicles already registered in their names during the first service of the Church in 2013.

The donation under the Youth Empowerment Trust (YET) of the Church, accord-

By Sunday Oguntola

ing to Achudume, is to empower the beneficiaries and offer them economic lifeline.

He said: “We want them to be able to fend for themselves and even employ others. That is why we are giving them the cars free of charge for commercial use.”

He urged the beneficiaries to work towards buying another vehicle in the next 18 months since there would be no repayment or remittance of returns.

The fiery preacher debunked insinuations that the gesture was to entice members, saying it was a gift with no strings attached.

“Even if they leave today, they owe no one any explanation or returns. This

is the least we can do to boost their economic status,” he explained.

Lekan Ilebiyi thanked the Church and Achudume for the gesture, describing it as a fitting New Year gift.

According to him: “This is a sign that this year is my year. God has decided to turn my captivity around. I am grateful to the church and our dear Apostle.”

Adelakun said the donation marks the death of his romance with poverty.

“I am saying goodbye to poverty. With this, I can set to flourish. I am so overwhelmed, so shocked that I am short of words,” he added.

Achudume said the Church will embark on more of such empowerment drives as God enables.

Rains of miracles at Lord’s Chosen convention

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HERE were diverse miracles and testimonies last week in Mgbidi, Imo State during the 2013 edition of the annual convention of The Lord’s Chosen Charismatic Revival Movement.

The theme of the convention that attracted thousands within and outside the country was “That His wonders may be multiplied”.

The founder of the church, Pastor Lazarus Muoka, encouraged Christians to be steadfast and faithful in their walk with God. Making comparisons with the experience of the Israelites in Egypt, the preacher said God sometimes permits Christians to encounter problems and suffering to manifest and multiply His wonders in their lives.

“No matter what you are going through today, you must know that God is not asleep. You must not lose faith or give up hope. He is permitting it so that His won-

•A beneficiary receiving the car while Achudume and his wife look on

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•Chosen Choir from South Africa ministering

By Vincent Nzemeke

ders may be multiplied in our lives as His children,” he stated.

Muoka said Christians must take it upon themselves to pray for leaders in line with biblical injunction.

He said: “Every time we

gather here, we just don’t pray for ourselves, we also pray for our country and leaders because the Bible commands us to do so.”

There were amazing testimonies of healings, restoration, deliverances, miracle babies and marriages at the sessions.

HE Deputy General Overseer of the Gospel Faith Mission International, Pastor (Prof) Samuel Ewuola, has defended the acquisition of private jets by church leaders.

He said there is nothing wrong with using latest automobiles to propagate the gospel.

Ewuola spoke recently at the official dedication of twelve assemblies of the church and the foundation- laying ceremony of the Regional Headquarters of the Church at Magodo GRA, Lagos.

He said: “Those shouting to the high heaven are wont to say that Jesus Christ rode on a donkey during his ministration while on earth but they forget it is difficult to compare the days of Jesus christ to these

Nigeria will rise again, Adeboye assures

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HE General Overseer of The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye, has assured Nigerians will soon start reaping the dividends of democracy. He urged them to speak positively and remain hopeful of the nation’s redemption.

Adeboye stated these at the prayer and thanksgiving service of RCCG, headquarters, Throne of Grace Parish last Sunday in Ebute-Metta, Lagos.

According to him: “this year will be better in terms of blessings, great delivery of miracles, signs and wonders and we will all be reaping the dividends of democracy.”

Adeboye, who spoke through The Special Adviser on Personnel and Administration,

By Adeola Ogunlade

Pastor Johnson Odesola, noted that many of the western countries contended with their challenges but worked hard to overcome them. He said Nigerians should adopt

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HE Zonal Chairman of the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) Odi Ajaye Lagos, Dr Olushola Ojo, has disclosed that undiluted faith in God, enabled by his genuine commitment to righteous living is his potent weapon against the devil.

He therefore admonished Christians across the world to have unflinching faith in God in all circumstances.

The 75-year-old widelytravelled cleric recounted

the same attitude to save the nation. Adeboye added: “I am a Nigerian. I believe in Nigeria and with the grace of God upon my life, I am ready to make this country a delightsome country for the

rest of the world.” He noted that the promises of God; victory, dominion, success, deliverance, protection in the New Year are guaranteed for those with explicit trust in God.

The secret of my victory, by Ojo

By Dada Aladelokun, Assistant Editor

how his firm faith in God coupled with righteous lifestyle recently helped him survive yet another attack by evil people.

According to him: “Just about two weeks ago, members of my household were in deep prayers when a call came in from a close relation, blaming them for failing to

inform him of Baba’s death.

“They were all shocked because I never took ill. Immediately the Holy Spirit told me that the evil people were at works again.

“As God would have it, the man who made the call died exactly the eighth day after he made the satanic call to my household.

“All we could do was to praise God that the devil’s evil

‘Nothing wrong with pastors using private jets’

By Sunday Oguntola

days because technology has greatly improved.

“A donkey as at that time was one of the best “automobiles” for the movement of things in those days.”

He added: “There is nothing wrong in using latest technology to propagate the gospel.

“We all know the traffic situation of the country and the inherent dangers but what I am against is ostentatious lifestyle.”

Ewuola, however, warned gospel ministers against display of opulence, saying such “will only make the people to turn away.”

The Pastor of Region 12, Peter Awodimila, said the vision was borne out of the need to bring the gospel closer to the people, especially those in rural areas.

The new churches include: New Era Assembly, Ogudu; Double Winner Asmachination had backfired again.”

He urged all men of God in the country and across all religions to preach salvation and de-emphasise purposeless prosperity among our people to reduce the crimes in the land.

“God will visit this country this year. We must be prepared because those who do not walk in His ways will have themselves to blame in the end,” he added.

sembly, Ogba; Miracle Assembly, Ketu; Magboro Assembly; Mercy Assembly, Ikorodu; Citadel of Mercy, Matogun Assembly; Lambe Assembly;‘ Mowe Assembly; Ibafo 3 Assembly; Elepe Assembly and foundation of Faith Assembly in Ogijo.

‘Prayer can save Nigeria’

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HE founder of Holy Trumpet Ministries, Ota in Ogun State, Prophet Amos Kehinde, has called for prayers among the political class to avert the death of a prominent politician.

Kehinde, who spoke during the church’s 8th anniversary, also said the demise of the politician might precipitate a major political crisis in the nation.

He also warned that kidnapping may take an increased dimension except Nigerians pray fervently.

The prophet attributed the many challenges confronting Nigeria to God’s wrath, calling on leaders to repent.

Many of them, he alleged, are fostering hatred among Nigerians to further their selfish political interest, claiming this has led to the untimely death of millions of Nigerians.

An elder of the church, who is also a human rights activist, Prophet Oladele Omoniyi, stated God can save Nigeria if Christians pray.

Worship

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, JANUARY 13, 2013

Breaking your family free from curses (1) Archbishop Sam Amaga

Family Heritage

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Y God’s design, the righteous and his seeds are blessed forever. The righteous and his children, even his children’s children are to show forth God’s goodness and blessings.

Hear this: “He blesseth them also, so that they are multiplied greatly; and suffereth not their cattle to decrease.” (Psalms 107:38).

God is not talking about the blessing you can work out.

That is why it is supernatural.

This is the blessing that comes from the very heart of the Father. The same way God desires that fathers are to break their families free from every curse so that they can experience supernatural overflow.

The patriarchal prayers Children also need their parents’ patriarchal prayers and blessing. Consider these patriarchal prayers of David: “Make our sons in their prime like sturdy oak trees, our daughters as shapely and bright as fields of wildflowers. Fill our barns with great harvest, fill our fields with huge flocks; Protect us from invasion and exile— eliminate the crime in our streets. How blessed the people who have all this! How blessed the people who have GOD for God!” Psalms 144:1215 (Message) There are five very impor-

tant prayers that every father must continually pray over their children as seen in Psalm 144.

The prayer of a father 1.

Posterity – that our seed may be mighty. No devil shall pluck your seed.

2.

Prosperity – fill our barns with great harvest – this is supernatural harvest.

3. Supernatural multiplication – fill our fields with huge flock.

4.

Divine protection – protect us from invasion.

5.

Deliverance from crime Fathers need to proclaim these prayers on their children daily because when they fail to do these, the devil will attack the family.

The reason why Satan is out to cut off fathers is because.

Fathers are shepherds over the family. So, when fathers don’t take their place spiritually, God raises a Deborah. She was the wife of Lapidoth, and that’s all we heard about the man Lapidoth.

You may be reading this article now and you are thinking I don’t have a father anymore to speak into my life.

I take the place of a father to you today and I speak into your destiny as one of the next generation § You shall not be destroyed § Your destiny shall not be shattered in the mighty name of Jesus.

However, you need to clear every limitation to encounter this level of the supernatural and be free from every curse.

Limitations and barriers must be taken away from before you. And God has taken as a responsibility to do this for you as He has promised in

Isaiah 45:2-3; I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron: And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the LORD, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel.

The reason why fathers need to rise and proclaim blessing upon their children is because curses which represent invisible barrier, limitation, delay, hindrance, obstruction, frustration and stagnation are also pronounced by the words of mouth. But the power of the blessing of God as pronounced by fathers will open the door that is locked.

That blessing of God will multiply your family and your heritage. God arise on your behalf and that of your family in Jesus’ mighty name. look at this in Revelation 3:8; I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.

Every door locked against you, your family and business is opened now in Jesus’ name.

From today, no curse shall stop you or your family.

God’s extravagant blessings will follow you this year.

Every gate of brass is commanded to be opened in Jesus’ mighty name.

The doors of blessing and freedom from curses are opened to you in Jesus’ mighty name.

Enquiries and comments to: Archbishop Sam Amaga @ Salem Mission House, Mabushi Abuja.

08023018836; 08074450763

Don’t give up, Udofia charges Nigerians

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The Prophetic ministry of Isaiah (5) Apostle Israel Akinadewo

SANCTUARY MESSAGE

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N our last write-up, we discussed on the six woes’ statement, made by God through Prophet Isaiah, concerning the recalcitrant people of Judah, which had quickened their being taken into captivity in Babylon. Today we will continue on the prophecies of that great prophet of the old, as detailed in chapter six.

Chapter six This chapter, which was where Isaiah was formally commissioned and called, is even more important because, a king in Judah, which God had exalted, who later became arrogant and disobedient, had just died. Verses 1-4 were on the happenings, when King Uzziah, the 10th king of Judah (the southern kingdom) died.

He was just sixteen (16) years, when he was saddled with the responsibilities of succeeding his father. He was honoured, popular, and sought the face of God, but he could not differentiate between kingship and priesthood. He delved into priesthood and paid for it (check my book: Sanctuary Message Volume 1, for details about Uzziah, who was also called Azariah or Ozias; II Kings 14:21-22; Matthew 1:8-9; II Chronicles 26).

Verses 1-4 say ‘In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple.

Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one cried to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!” And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke.

So I said: “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King. The Lord of hosts”.’

This chapter was where seraphs were mentioned in the bible, and it showed the importance of the two angels that are called twin-angels, for they perform similar roles in the presence of Almighty God. In book of Genesis, when Adam

and Eve disobeyed God, they were sent out from the Garden of Eden, and Cherubs were detailed to guide Eden.

The same function was performed by the Seraphs, when king Uzziah disappointed God through disobedience.

Meanwhile, have we as individuals and nations not disappointed God? Let us consider these cases: Case 1: A man was looking for work, he sought the face of God, and God provided what he desired for him. After he has got what he wanted, he started making excuses behind his not coming to worship God regularly again. How he has now been promoted, and he could not afford to fail his boss, yet he can afford to fail God, by not having the time to serve Him. Case 2: A poverty-stricken man prayed that God should shower mercy upon him, he cried to God, and became very rich. After becoming wealthy, he used his money on paganism, performing all kinds of rituals, so he can have ‘dominion over his enemies and live long’; he spends millions on weekly parties, blocking the roads from other users; spending his money on prostitution; complains that the churches and mosques in his street are now noise makers, disturbing his peace; he encouraged his children to be disorderly in the society etc. He has forgotten where he started from. He no longer remembers to contribute to work of God, and questions the rationale behind the payment of tithes for ‘it is the pastors that will spend the money’ Case 3: A woman that has been married for many years without issues, prayed to God, and she became a mother.

Thereafter, he pampered the children for ‘I knew what I went through before getting these children’. ‘It is not compulsory that the children should be mandated to serve God’. This is because, ‘we are in the modern world’ – ‘the century when children are allowed to decide on their own, even how and when to serve God’. She has indeed forgotten where she was coming from.

Meanwhile, whilst the seraphs came out to worship God, to proclaim to the world His awesomeness and omnipotence, Isaiah that had felt disturbed saying he was unclean and should not have been privileged to see the King of kings, was now commissioned to serve as the prophetic mouthpiece to send messages to the people of Judah. In verse

6-8, one of the seraphs with a live coal in his hand, flew to Isaiah, and put the item taken from the altar into his (Isaiah’s) mouth, for cleansing. Thereafter, God requested from the prophet, the man that would be available to go to the people of Judah to warn them, in which prophet Isaiah answered ‘Here am I, Send me’.

In the subsequent verses (913); God was already annoyed with the people of Judah; He wanted to make their heart like that of Pharaoh; He wanted them to pay for their lack of trust in Him; He wanted them to know that He has been the one saving them from the hands of the Syrians, Amalekites and Philistines of this world; He wanted their hearts hardened, so they can serve the imminent punishment, as it was done to Uzziah.

Relationship of this chapter with contemporary nations of the world Have we all not forsaken God of hosts? America and European countries of today, allowed the freedom of their society to encourage immoralities like homosexuality, lesbianism, as against the commandments of God, but one thing is very sure, America can never ignore the nation called Israel. They have utilised their God given gift to improve the welfare of ordinary American.

Nigeria is a blessed nation, with mineral resources, but what have we achieved with such divine gifts? Morally, we are better than many European and American nations; but why have those moral standings and religious beliefs not assisted us in fighting corruption and wastefulness in governance. Do we need to be told that, God has made us in this black nation, to embrace Christianity more than those that brought it to this side of the universe? Then why has this not transformed into physical purity. The reason is that, we have been speaking from both sides of our mouth.

In Philosophy, there is what is called ‘Intellectual Midwifery’, meaning ‘all has knowledge, but only need to be guided’.

Who will now guide us to properly utilise our Godgiven resources to the benefit of the populace? May we not be punished like the old nation of Judah, Amen.

To be continued Prayer point Pray that God should not allow the earthly things to take you away from His Kingdom.

Comments and enquiries: Tel: +2348060572904 motailatusanctuarychurch @yahoo.com

what and where • Primate of the African Church, Most Revd. Emmanuel Josiah Udofia(centre) flanked by Vice Lay President, Engr. Babatunde Odufuwa and Ven. Adetunbo Adesoji at briefing

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EGARDLESS of the numerous challenges facing the nation, Nigerians should never give up but continue to cling on to God, The Primate of the African Church, His Grace, The Most Reverend Emmanuel Udofia, has declared.

He said 2013 will usher in a fresh air of victories and accomplishments.

Udofia spoke with newsmen last week on expectations for the New Year.

He said: “We cannot af-

By Sunday Oguntola

ford to give up now. We must continue to keep faith alive.

The fact that we are still alive is an indication that God is not done with us.

“Irrespective of what comes our way, victory is sure because God is for us.”

He tasked the government to increase efforts to spread dividends of democracy across the nation, lamenting the mass poverty and deprivations in the nation.

According to Udofia:

“Government must provide amenities that will make living comfortable for Nigerians.

There is no excuse tenable enough.

“God has given us everything we need. It is left to God to harness them and make sure Nigerians enjoy them.”

He also charged church leaders to continue to insist on godliness and accountability from political office holders.

This, he said, will keep them on their feet and make Nigerians to enjoy more dividends of democracy.

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HECK one, a musical talk show, holds today at Auditorium 3 floor 4 of the Silverbird Cinemas, Central Business District Abuja by 5pm.

It is organised by This Ranch Christian Centre, which is coordinated by ace gospel musician, Gbenga Adenuga.

There will be a hot seat session featuring Segun Lawal, founder of Spirit of David, Nigeria’s foremost Christian Dance club.

Adenuga said: “I am of the opinion that Christians are drained, even at the

Adenuga holds concert in Abuja early days of a new year, we are already tired. The issue is that we need to find rest.”

Others expected at the concert include MTN project fame diva, also known as the “Waka Queen.”

RCCG, GOMAN Praise Worship

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HE maiden edition of the praise worship concert of The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) Miracle Centre IkosiKetu Lagos in collaboration with Gospel Musicians Association of Nigeria (GOMAN) holds on Friday, January 25.

The theme of the concert is David’s Altar.

Gospel artistes expected to minister include Lady Evangelist Dupe Olulana, Opelope Anointing, Kingsley Ogunde, Psalmists, Folake Aweleye, among others.

The chief host, Pastor Doherty, said the event is to thank God for what He will do in the New Year.

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THE NATION SPORT SUNDAY, JANUARY 13, 2013

SPORT EXTRA

Ihonvbere warns Ekhoesuhi over Insurance From, Osemwengie Ben Ogbemudia, Benin

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ROF. Julius Ihonvbere, Secretary to Edo State Government has wards off speculations over the ownership of Insurance Football Club, insisting that the Edo Arsenal belongs to the state government and not any individual.

The SSG also said that the insurance board has been dissolved along others, and that he is not aware that the board has been reconstituted so chief Igbinonmwanghia Ekhoesuhi should no longer parade himself as the club's board chairman.

Said he: “On insurance board, if all boards were dissolved, Insurance board is also affected. All boards, I repeat, all boards, except the essential ones were dissolved.

So, as I speak, Insurance has no board, so it is being managed from the ministry.

“If there are some issues, I will look into that immediately, but no matter the contradictions, we will sort it out. The team belongs to the state, not an individual.”

Prof. Ihonvbere informed that Insurance FC has a lot of liabilities that the state needs to address urgently, stressing that the club will be well funded in order to get back to the premier league.

Kryvbas demand £1m for Nigerian youngster

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RYVBAS FC of Ukraine has put a £1m price tag on the highly demanded Nigerian youngster, Babatunde Michael, before he can be prised away in the future.

Michael, a former youth international, has been a regular player for Kryvbas since last season and has become a subject of interest of top clubs in Ukraine and Germany.

"Michael may leave Kryvbas during this January transfer window,” revealed a close confidant of the player. “There is a big club coming for him in Ukraine and I understand there are other clubs in Germany discussing with his club but Kryvbas are demanding £1m for his transfer.

The Dream Team IV star had earlier confirmed his possibility of joining another club in Ukraine with Dynamo Kiev and Shakhtar Donetsk amongst the likely candidates.

"Of course, there are clubs that want to sign me but it seems my club is reluctant to discuss any deal at least for now,” he recently stated.

Akinsola: Why I quit Santander for Doxa FC

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ORMER U-17 winger Kabiru Akinsola has revealed why he quit Spanish Segunda club, Racing Santander for Cyprus club, Doxa FC on a five-month deal.

Akinsola, who had an impressive showing at Cardiff FC while on loan from Granada, had torrid time at another Spanish second tier side, Racing Santander.

“It was a crucial decision that I took to move to Cyprus and it has nothing to do with money," he stated."Of course money is important but at times, you must make sacrifices to get to the top.

"Spain is a lovely place to be for sure and I was very happy during my stay there and I may still go back if things come better in the league.

“I left Racing as a matter of inconsistency on the pitch, so I decided to join Doxa to play regularly and help the team out of relegation zone.

"I believe I can create my own world here also and play better in my five month deal before I finally decide if I will return to Spain in the future,” he added.

Doxa FC is currently on the 8th position in the top league of Cyprus.

SA 2013 COUNTDOWN

Eagles snatch victory against Rotterdam

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HE Super Eagles continued its build-up for the AFCON 2013 Nations Cup in South Africa later this month with an amazing display of attacking football to overwhelm Dutch side, Sparta Rotterdam 1-0, in Faro, Portugal on Saturday afternoon.

The game which was played at the Browns Sports and Leisure Club, where the Eagles are presently camped for the SA 2013 championship, started on a cautious note for both sides, but it was the Eagles, which featured Skipper Joseph Yobo pairing youthful Kenneth Omeruo, that was impressive in the heart of the defence, that seized the initiatives just five minutes into the encounter.

A combination of Efe Ambrose and Ahmed Musa found Nosa Igiebor at the edge of the box, but he blasted wide. In the 10th minute, Mikel Obi combined beautifully with Igiebor to free Emenike, but his shot was again wasted. Mikel again did a yeoman's job in the 14th minute to send Emenike clear and he promptly tucked the ball into the net but Dutch referee for the game Wim Bronsvoort ruled it offside.

Chelsea's Nigerian midfielder Victor Moses (L) vies with Swansea City's English midfielder Wayne Routledge (R) during the English PremierLeague football match between Swansea City and Chelsea at Liberty in Swansea From then on itStadium was one way yesterday. The game finished 1-1. AFP PHOTO/IAN KINGTON

traffic as the Eagles seized control of the game but Igiebor, Moses, Emenike and Musa somehow managed not to score and the half thus ended goalless, to the chagrin of Stephen Keshi, who thought his wards should have at least been two goals up by then.

The Eagles continued from where they stopped in the second stanza and in the 55thminute, Ambrose Efe combined beautifully with Musa, who dribbled his way into the vital area before laying the ball for bulky Emenike to riffle home for what turned out the only goal of the encounter.

After the goal, Keshi made eight changes to his team with Ejike Uzoenyi coming in for Victor Moses, Gabriel Reuben for Mikel, Ike Uche for Emenike, Sunday Mba for Nosa Igiebor, Brown Ideye for Musa, Ogenyi Onazi for Yobo, Nwankwo Obiorah for Ogude Fegor and goalkeeper Chigozie Agbim for Vincent Enyeama.

The Eagles continued their dominant play with the changes but Ideye, Uche, Reuben and Mba failed to increase the tally, to keep the score line at only 1-0, after 90minutes.

…Dutch Coach hails Mikel, Omeruo

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OTTERDAM coach, Michel Vonk, said he was delighted with the robust, attacking play of the Eagles, adding that if they keep it up they will go far at the Nations Cup. “Your team play physical and quick and at times they slow it down and before you know it they are all over you. I told my player that is what to expect and we were not disappointed.

Their quality is very good”, he said.

The coach singled out Mikel Obi and Kenneth Omeruo for special mention. “Your number 10 (Mikel), is very good, creative and has good vision, then Omeruo, very well aerially and gives good cover to the LLOY Agu, erstwhile keeper. Your team wasted a lot of national team goalkeeper, chances, they must learn to take said the Super Eagles can them at the Nations Cup and I wish them good luck,” he concluded. rule the continent at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in South Africa on the condition that the players have the hunger than the rest of the participating teams.

Nigeria is grouped along with defending champions, Zambia, "Honestly I refuse to overlook the Burkina Faso and Ethiopia in the Zambians just because they have Preliminary Group C and Agu, a not done well in their friendly member of the 1994 Super Eagles' matches, warned the 38-year-old AFCON-winning side, noted the former midfielder. “ Anyone current team are in with a chance. writing them off because of the “I think the Super Eagles have results in their recent friendly equal chances with the rest of the matches should have a re-think.” teams at the AFCON and I think Nigeria and Zambia will come how far the team will go all face-to-face in Group C of the depends on how much they are AFCON in South Africa on January thirsty for glory,” Agu told the 25.

Alloy Agu tasks Super Eagles ...Cautious over Ejide

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Zambia, Norway in stalemate ...As Lawal fires warns Super Eagles against Chipolopolo

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EIGNING African champions Zambia wasted a myriad of scoring opportunities as they battled to a goalless draw against Norway at the Levy Mwanawasa stadium yesterday.

In the final warm-up international before commencing the defence of the title Chipolopolo won last February, the kings of African football exhibited a neat passing game punctuated by individual brilliant displays to the satisfaction of the home crowd.

Rainford Kalaba, Jacob Mulenga, 2012 Zambian Footballer of the Year Mukuka Mulenga, Emmanuel Mayuka, Collins Mbesuma, skipper Chris Katongo and Nathan Sinkala all had opportunities to score but could not find a way past Norway goalie Hansen Andre.

Chipolopolo fly back to South Africa today where they have been preparing since 26 December.

Chipolopolo commence the defence of her title with a January 21 fixture against Ethiopia before taking on Nigeria on the 25th and complete Group C business against Burkina Faso on the 29th.

The reigning kings of African football will play all their group matches at Mbombela and winning Group C would see Zambia stay in Mbombela for both the quarter-finals and semi-finals.

Meanwhile, Former Nigerian international, Garba Lawal has warned the Super Eagles against overlooking African champions, Zambia.

In the last three weeks, Zambia's Chipolopolo lost to Tanzania and Angola and drew with Morocco.

But Lawal has refused to be carried away by the results churned out by the Zambians in their pre-Africa Cup of Nations matches.

•Ike Uche against Cape Verde player

Wenger labels Ethiopia unknown quantity

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Minnows", "rank outsiders" or, at best, a hardly flattering "unknown quantity".

These are just a few of the comments flying around about Ethiopia's prospects in next week's African Cup of Nations in South Africa in the country's first appearance in more than three decades.

Asked about his thoughts on the tournament, Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger told a news conference the Cup was an interesting platform.

"It is maybe the only international competition today where you do not know all the players," said Wenger, who has signed a number of African players in the past including Togo's Emmanuel Adebayor and Ivorian Kolo Toure.

Current Arsenal forward Gervinho will represent the Cote d'Ivoire in South Africa.

"This time in South Africa you will have Ethiopia - if I ask you to name five Ethiopian players, I am sure you will have a problem," Wenger added.

In response Ethiopia coach Sewnet Bishaw, whose side take to the field in Nelspruit on January 21 against defending

champions Zambia, said his largely home-based contingent would be out to prove their qualification was no fluke.

"He (Wenger) is absolutely right. But that will help our team, that we are unknown in this tournament," Sewnet told Reuters. "I am sure that will not be the case at the end of the tournament for everyone, including Arsene.”

By Morakinyo Abodunrin Nation Sport.

“I'm of the opinion that the Super Eagles can even win the trophy but it all depends on whether they want the trophy than the rest of the team.”

Meanwhile, Agu has counselled the technical crew of the Super Eagles to be cautious over the inclusion of injured goalkeeper Austin Ejide in the SA-bound team, adding that final decision should be taken based on sound medical consideration.

Ejide, who tore a thigh muscle in an AFCON warm-up game against Cape Verde on Wednesday, is due back in two weeks but Agu wants the Super Eagles technical crew to be circumspect.

“I want to believe the medical as well as the technical crew have taken the decision on Ejide based on what they see and we cannot fault them because we don't have the details than what we saw on TV,” explained Agu, who lost tooth in a Super Eagles' match against Ghana in Kumasi on the road to Senegal'92 AFCON. “It is the responsibility of the medical team to ensure that only players that are fit are taken to South Africa and I want to believe that they know the degree of the injury.

Heartland wins Super Four

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EARTLAND FC have won t h e S u p e r F o u r championship after beating Lobi Stars 2-0 at the Sani Abacha Stadium, Kofarmata, Kano yesterday.

The Naze Millionaires however rubbished what would be the scoreline of the second duel between champions, Kano Pillars and last season's NPL runners-up, Enugu Rangers as the Owerri-based club ended on seven points.

It was Lobi Stars who started firmly on the front foot in the opening quarter, applying plenty of pressure and looking instantly more lively.

Lobi Stars' Moses Orkuma tested Heartland's goalkeeper, Chinedu Udeh when sent clear into a promising position, but the goalkeeper made a superb save of the game in the 20th minute parrying well from Moses' fluked effort.

Udeh again made another save as he one on one denied Lobi Stars' Osas Aigbe and the first half ended stalemate.

On resumption, Lobi Stars almost found the back of the net when a deflected shot located Oluseh Mathew, but the striker's powered header hit the crossbar.

Forward John Owoerri came in for Heartland in the 70th minute and the substitution was indeed a blessing for the millionaires as the striker's first touch broke the deadlock.

Happy Okuoka almost doubled the lead for Heartland just three minutes after Owoerri's opener, but Okuoka who has never played in the Nigeria's top flight blast over the bar.

Substitute Emeka Ogbuh then put the tie beyond Lobi Stars as the experienced striker scored the second and winning goal for Heartland in the 90th minute.

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THE NATION SPORT SUNDAY, JANUARY 13, 2013

SPORT EXTRA SUPER SUNDAY SPECIAL

Eyes on Suarez as Liverpool visit Old Trafford

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ANCHESTER United manager Alex Ferguson says he is puzzled by Liverpool striker Luis Suarez's flair for attracting controversy, ahead of the meeting between the sides in the Premier League today.

Suarez refused to shake Patrice Evra's hand in the corresponding fixture last season after the Uruguayan had been suspended for racially abusing the United defender during the meeting at Anfield in October 2011.

Last weekend, meanwhile, saw Suarez in the headlines again when the ball hit his hand en route to scoring Liverpool's decisive goal against Mansfield Town in the FA Cup. "I didn't see the Mansfield game, so it's difficult to say if it was deliberate or not," said Ferguson. "But I think the lad is laden with controversy. I don't know if he enjoys it or not."

Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers is confident Suarez can cope with any abuse aimed at him at Old Trafford, saying: "His mental fitness is very strong. “If anything he thrives on it and it gives him a greater motivation and I think everyone has seen that since he has been here."

And Ferguson is not surprised that Rodgers has leapt to Suarez's defence as the United boss can see elements of his own management style in that.

"You're always going to support your own player," he said. "That's not

RESULTS QPR 0 - 0 Tottenham Aston Villa 0 - 1 Southampton Everton 0 - 0 Swansea Fulham 1 - 1 Wigan Norwich 0 - 0 Newcastle Reading 3 - 2 West Brom Stoke 0 - 4 Chelsea

surprising from Brendan Rodgers.

I've done it myself. It's part of your loyalty and protection of the player.

"I just hope we don't suffer from some of the decisions that went Suarez's way on Sunday."

Indeed, Ferguson wants the action to be concentrated on the pitch, rather than the obvious animosity between two sets of fans spill over as it has done in the past. "We've got the two most successful clubs in the country and you hope it's a good game," he said. "Over the years they've been relatively free from controversy. No sensational decisions have marred the game."

Yet, as Ferguson acknowledged, it is a fine balance, adding: "It is always an immensely important game.

It is intense and emotional.

Everything you can think of in a derby game will probably be there."

Liverpool are presently 21 points adrift of United, stuck in mid-table and a tough task ahead of them just to reclaim a place in the Champions League and, after the ill-fated second spell of Kenny Dalglish, Ferguson believes Rodgers needs the patience of owner John Henry.

•Stoke City's Jonathan Walters (2nd L) scores a second own goal during their English Premier League soccer match against Chelsea at the Britannia Stadium yesterday.

Wenger: City game a must win

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RSENAL manager Arsene Wenger maintains today's Premier League clash with Manchester City is an all or nothing showdown for both clubs.

The Gunners host the defending champions needing a victory to close back within striking distance of the top four.

City, meanwhile, cannot afford another poor showing at Emirates Stadium - where they have never won in the Premier League if they are to hang onto the coattails of Manchester United, who host Liverpool in today's lunchtime kick-off.

Wenger admits anything other than a maximum-points haul will do either side's

ambitions little good. “I think they are in a situation where a draw will not be good enough, and we are in the same situation," said the Arsenal manager.

"The fact that both teams have to absolutely go for a win promises a more open game.

"When you are in that (title) situation, you don't want to drop more points because it can be damaging for your chances."

Wenger added: "It (the championship) is still very open. When you watch the games, no team today goes into a Premier League game and is sure to win it, therefore I believe every team can drop points.

"It is much more open than people think it is."

My Vision, My Passion •Continued from Page 25 We are determined to ensure the state empowers rather than dictate, enables rather than control, pushes power down to the people and shares the responsibility of governing with them rather than lead them by the nose.

Through our effective policies of social democracy, we are glad with the delivery of free and compulsory education up to secondary schools, free health care to children, pregnant women, senior citizens and the physically challenged, social security benefit for the elderly, improved infrastructure in the state, evidently modernised Agriculture and a revived industrial sector amongst many developments.

This is my modest vision for a collective rescue mission in Ekiti State, and indeed Nigeria.

But I do not claim to have all the answers to the problems. So, every time I am criticised, especially destructively, I am reminded of the immortal words of Teddy Roosevelt, former US President, “It’s not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the [strong] man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again…who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly.”

So, in answer to my friends and concerned stakeholders, I do not wish to die on this job, but in saying that – I should also add that no price is too high to pay for the rare privilege of public service since I have an unshaken faith in our people, the determination to restore integrity and honour in our land and the commitment to turn Ekiti into a model for all. This is my vision and it is also my unrelenting passion. And may the souls of our faithful departed rest in perfect peace.

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13-01-13

QUOTABLE "If you recall, at the beginning of the tribunal sitting, I said that it was dead on arrival based on my training and experience in electoral matters as a trained lawyer.

"As far as we are concerned, it was a serious abused of court process. First, the oracle spoke, they did not believe, now God has spoken through the Supreme Court and I am sure they now believe."

SUNDAY, JANUARY 13, 2013 TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM VOL. 7, NO. 2369

—Dr. Pius Odubu Deputy Governor of Edo State commenting on the Supreme Court verdict on the state's governorship election.

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HERE are laws governing war, as there are laws governing peace. It is the tragedy of modern Nigeria that its rulers can hardly tell the difference between the two, straining as they often do, perhaps for private convenience, to juxtapose one set of laws with another and, in the consequent moral haze engendered by their laxity, interchangeably applying the two sets of laws without any scruple and across all boundaries. Last year was an illustrious one for Nigeria for many reasons. This year will be an even more eventful one for all patriots, considering that we have in effect set up a country where officials, elected and appointed, have schooled themselves both by theory and practice to undermine the law or apply it selectively. This year, we will keep the form of democracy, but deny its substance. We will continue to make laws for orderly government, but circumvent them at will. We will struggle to regulate and grow the economy, but opt for intuitive rather than scientific methods. And, trust us, we will embrace religion the more, but neither our dogmatism nor our fervency will produce a concomitant benevolence of spirit or ethical rectitude indispensable to the growth and regulation of stable and peaceful societies.

In particular, a few issues will loom very large this year much more than others, and the following two years will be shaped by how we respond to them. One of these issues is Election 2015, which the President Goodluck Jonathan government has ingratiatingly suggested is too early both to discuss and to manoeuvre over. But neither he nor his opponents will take the counsel of discretionary patience. The debate over whether Jonathan is qualified to contest in 2015 or not was smothered a long time ago.

That debate will not reoccur. Nor will the question of his ethnic origins as a factor in electoral contest and performance rear its head, in spite of the fulminations of Chief Olisa Metuh, the emotive and impressionable Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Publicity Secretary.

The dynamics of elections may be changing in Nigeria, with performers being rewarded with a second term, but that change is slow, tedious and unreliable. In any case, while the change is discernible in some states, at the federal level, particularly as it relates to the executive arm, that change is imperceptible. Indeed, it seems that at the executive level, a different set of dynamics is at play in the consideration of who is elected president. I have read analyses suggesting Jonathan is undeserving of a second term on account of his poor performance. Roads have not been built or maintained; hospitals have been left derelict; and schools are nondescript or in some cases even mothballed. Policies have not been as vigorous as under the imposing and bellicose Chief Olusegun Obasanjo government.

And Jonathan himself has neither been inspiring nor surefooted. In consideration of these elements, many analysts and general commentators, including the scientifically disputatious and the jobholding aggrieved, have tentatively suggested the president is in danger of losing a second term.

However, Jonathan’s re-election will have little to do with his performance as with the internal dynamics of his party, the PDP. He knows this, and his opponents within the party understand this. So, too, do the governors. They all know that once the party can somewhat close ranks and select a standard-bearer, the election is as good as won. This is why there will be fierce jostling and jousting within the party to either consolidate control of party structure or hijack it, as the Adamawa State example is indicating with dire consequences for everyone in the party. This year is, therefore, the time to take implacable control of party structures nationwide, and keep it impregnable until the next election, whatever it takes. Jonathan will worry about who controls the national PDP, and he will ensure it is not the governors, no matter what the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) and National Working Committee (NWC) do. And he has Obasanjo’s presidency to

In reality, 2013 presages 2015

•Jonathan

•Obasanjo

learn from, including all the subterfuges and Machiavellian tactics of the former president.

More importantly, in spite of saying 2013 is too early to begin politicking, Jonathan and his opponents know this year is probably the most conducive to do all the fighting and machinations. Next year will be devoted to reconciliation. Their chances of a clean fight and healthy reconciliation will be bolstered by their idiosyncratic obsession to control and share the country’s wealth. Once they have fought and settled, victory in the elections will be a question of each governor ensuring his state is delivered to the PDP column, either in comprehensive whole or in significant part. There will of course be compromises and consensuses; and there will even be cohabitations and plain unethical trade-offs. But in the end, especially judging by the dispiriting inability of the electorate to make enlightened choices, performance will hardly matter. It is not that it will not matter at all; the problem is that it may not matter in such significant quantity as to affect the outcome of the elections.

The ongoing misunderstanding within the PDP will not snowball into fragmentation. There is too much at stake for all the disputants to endanger their collective fu-

ture. If Obasanjo played hardball in Ogun in the last election, it was because he knew he would not, indeed could not, be affected by the outcome of the 2011 governorship poll. He knew that whoever won was likely to court him anyway, and could not afford to be as irreverent or suicidal as the then Governor Gbenga Daniel. In the current situation within the national PDP, Obasanjo will close ranks with his mentees in the party if the party’s grip on power at the centre should be threatened.

And that threat can only materialise if the opposition unites and understands how to beat the behemoth. Emphasising PDP’s poor performance at the centre may be helpful, but it will not be sufficient to unhorse it. As recent elections in France, Russia and the United States have shown, a candidate or party must have the ability to appeal to the electorate’s emotions, and take advantage of certain shifting and indefinable properties on the ground that have shaped or are still shaping domestic politics. The paradox of politics in Nigeria is that a candidate’s performance must be extraordinarily good for him to use his records to win votes, but has to be extraordinarily bad for him to lose election. Most

politicians, including Jonathan, straddle that delicate divide.

Both Jonathan and Obasanjo know what is at stake. They will put a halt to their brinkmanship at the appropriate time. While the former will push matters to the limit to see how far he can go without upsetting the apple cart, the latter will pull on the party tethers to see how much concession he can wring for himself, lather his image and, as an extra, rub the noses of his enemies in the dirt. It is left for the opposition to recognise that while divisions within the PDP in the state could conduce to some electoral triumphs, that sort of division would be hard to find or exploit at the national level. In addition, the intense struggle to fill the vacant PDP Board of Trustees (BoT) position will end anticlimactically in favour of Jonathan. Neither Obasanjo nor the late Yar’Adua conceded the position to any powerful interest but their stooges. Even the much-hyped expectation of destructive internal schism in the PDP will not happen soon except the party loses a major election.

But the PDP can indeed lose a major election. What is more, if Nigeria’s democracy is to endure and wax strong, the ruling party should lose the next poll. For instance, the party’s electoral potency could be vitiated if elections are compressed into one day. Compression will ensure there will be no room for bandwagon, or for a losing party to catch its breath and readjust its strategies mid-way into the polling. A one-day election will have salutary effect on the system, create a level playing field for all political parties, and lessen the potential for violence. It would in fact be immoral for any party to oppose the Independent National Electoral Commission’s suggestion for all the 2015 elections to be compressed into a single day.

There is a sense in which all politicians recognise that 2013 presages 2015. The internecine feuds within the PDP can be likened to a shift in the earth’s tectonic plates. There will be metaphorical tsunamis, quakes, landslides and general geomorphological disturbances; but after brief hiatuses, the party will cool down and normality will be restored. The opposition, which is expected to merge and present a common front against the behemoth, must be ready to fight the PDP at its strongest. They must not base their calculations on a weak PDP. If the ruling party weakens, that should be regarded merely as a fortuitous event, a celestial chance to drive the knife deeper into its ribs. The last general election was probably the best time to unseat the ruling party, assuming key members of the opposition had not naively thought they could take on the giant without a strong alliance. I shudder to think what fate awaits the country and its young democracy if the ruling party, which has proved inefficient and immature in managing Nigeria’s human and material resources, should retain its hold on power for 20 years in a row.

Pacesetting Ghana makes retrogressing Nigeria despondent

I

T is not just its stupendously high growth rate of 14% that underlines the quiet revolution taking place in Ghana, thereby shaming many African countries, including Nigeria. Even its peaceful violence-free elections make this West African country of 25 million people, which has made Nigeria a perennial laggard, undisputedly primus inter pares. From the election of Jerry John Rawlings, standard-bearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), in 1992 and his re-election in 1996, to the election and re-election of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) represented by John Agyekum Kufuor in the 2000 and 2004 elections, Ghana began to serve notice of its arrival as a force to be reckoned with on the world map of democratic countries. As if to prove that its political achievements were not a fluke, Ghanaians took another detour by returning to the NDC and voting in John Atta Mills in 2009, thus marking the second time power would shift peacefully from one party to another

and from one elected government to another.

Even the death of Mills did not prevent the consolidation of Ghanaian democracy, as the country once again peacefully elected his former running mate, John Dramani Mahama, as president a few weeks ago.

By every yardstick, Ghana is regarded as a stable democracy. Ranked as the second least failed state in Africa, and 7th out of 48 subSaharan African countries in the 2008 Mo Ibrahim Index of African Governance, the country has become an investor’s dream, not to talk of serving as educational tourism destination for thousands of Nigerian youths. While Ghana has shifted twice between political parties, Nigerian ruling party politicians, who love to play God, have continued to emphasise their determination to stay in power for the next 60 years in the first instance. To underscore this obscene oath, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo in 2007 supervised probably the worst elections in Nigerian history, one in which he personally selected the candidates to

run for the top office, and foisted them on the country. The result is that after four general elections, only one party continues to dominate power. The states are no better. Most of them have become one-party states, with supposedly elected officials acting unabashedly as feudal lords.

To save ourselves continental embarrassment, it is absolutely essential for the country to change party allegiance. The present situation is both indefensible and unnecessary. It is time we reclaimed our sovereignty by ousting the Obasanjos and other one-party proponents who insist the country must head in one direction. It is time we tried another economic paradigm presented by a different political party. The current economic policy has only brought pain, poverty and stagnation. It is time we secured our freedom from mediocre leaders. The present coterie of leaders has nothing to offer but staleness and barrenness. It is time we moved on. And 2013 is the place to begin preparing for our own Velvet Revolution.

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ISSN: 115-5302 E-mail: sunday@thenationonlineng.net Editor: FESTUS ERIYE