January 17, 2012

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TR UTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM TRUTH

VOL. 7, NO. 2007 TUESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2012

•UNDER

N150.00

SIEGE: Protesters on their way to Freedom Park being stopped by soldiers at Ojota, Lagos Mainland ... yesterday

PHOTO: ABIODUN WILLIAMS

Fashola to Jonathan: recall troops deployed in Lagos

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AGOS State Governor Babatunde Fashola yesterday urged President Goodluck Jonathan to withdraw the troops deployed in Lagos.

He described the presence of soldiers on the streets of Lagos as un-

By Miriam Ndikanwu

called for, adding that the right of Lagosians to protest against any government policy should be guaranteed. But the governor noted that such rights go with some duties on the part of

•Soyinka: it’s provocative the citizenry.

According to him, the protesters have been peaceful.

Fashola, in a state broadcast, said: “I, therefore, urge the reconsideration of the

decision to deploy soldiers and implore the President and Commander-in-Chief to direct their withdrawal from our streets.”

The governor said the

right of free speech and protest is not absolute, adding that they impose the duty not to break the law, breach the peace, endanger human life or destroy property whether public or private.

“They also impose the duty to respect the rights of

others not to support our protest and indeed to support what we oppose. At the end of the day, it is a contest of ideas in which the most persuasive will get the endorsement of the Continued on page 4

Labour rejects N97 NLC, TUC: it’s govt’s unilateral decision W

•Omar ... yesterday

ORK is expected to resume today, following Labour’s suspension of its fuel price strike that brought the economy to its knees.

The government has reduced petrol price to N97 per litre – down from between N139 and N200. But Labour said N97 per litre was the government’s “unilateral” decision.

The Labour movement, which comprises the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress

From John Ofikhenua, Abuja

(TUC), yesterday suspended the sixday old industrial action.

The Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) had on January 1, announced the withdrawal of petrol subsidy, which sent fuel prices rising to between N138 and N200. Prices of goods and services rose simultaneously. The labour movement threatened to go on strike, should the government refuse to re-

verse to N65 by January 9. The mass protests across the country culminated in loss of lives and property and the subsequent negotiation with the Federal Government.

Announcing the suspension of the industrial action, rallies and street protests at the Labour House in Abuja yesterday, NLC President Abdulwahed Omar noted that the government “that chorused continuously that its decision to increase PMS price to N141 is irreversible and

irreducible, was forced to announce a price reduction to N97”.

“We, however, state categorically that this new price was a unilateral one by the government,” he said.

According to Omar, the labour movement and its allies, who coordinated the “historical” mass actions, decided that to save lives and in the interest of national survival, suspended the mass actions.

Continued on page 4

•ENERGY P13 •AVIATION P17 •SPORTS P23 •PROPERTY P25 •POLITICS P37

THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2012

2

NEWS OUTRAGE OVER SOLDIERS’ DEPLOYMENT IN LAGOS NEW YEAR MESSAGES

Fashola: protesters didn’t break law

Governor Babatunde Fashola yesterday condemned deployment of soldiers in Lagos. Below is the text of his statement:

F

OR the past few days, I have monitored the developments related to the public protest against the increase in the pump price of petrol.

During that period, I have at the invitation of my colleagues in the Governor’s Forum responded to an invitation from the Presidency.

My role since last Monday till date has been to find a ground of compromise that stabilises the polity, protects our democracy and prevent any loss of lives.

Inspite of these efforts, we were not wholly successful in preventing the loss of the life of a young Nigerian, Ademola Aderinto, who was sadly shot.

I am truly saddened by that ugly development. While I condole with his family, I pledge the commitment of our Government to bring the alleged perpetrator to justice.

I have decided to address you today in view of the disquieting developments that occurred overnight, especially the deployment of soldiers across Lagos .

I have the highest respect for members of our military, especially because they have made a contract with all of us that they will willingly lay down their lives whenever it becomes necessary to do so, in order to protect us.

This covenant is instructive, because soldiers did not sign up to stop us from expressing our grievance about things that we are displeased about.

It is not disputable that the citizens who have gathered in several parts of Lagos like Falomo, Ikorodu and Ojota, to mention a few, have largely conducted themselves peacefully, singing and dancing while they expressed their displeasure at the way that we have taken decisions that affect them.

That, in my view, should not offend those of us in government. The

majority of these people who represent diverse interests have not broken any law. If they have, it is my opinion that in a constitutional democracy, it is the police that hasthe responsibility of restoring law and order, if civil protests threaten the breach of the peace.

This is not justification for sending out soldiers to a gathering of unarmed citizens. Everyone of us, or at least majority of us who hold public offices, danced and sang before these same people when we were seeking their votes.

Why should we feel irritated when they sing and dance in protest against what we have done?

For me this is not a matter for the military. The sooner we rethink and rescind this decision the better and stronger our democracy will be.

If anything, this is a most welcome transformation of our democracy in the sense that it provokes a discussion of economic policies and this inevitably may result in political debate.

I therefore urge the reconsideration of the decision to deploy soldiers and implore the President and Commander-in-Chief to direct their withdrawal from our streets. I must also emphasise that the rights of free speech and protest is not absolute.

They impose the duty not to break the law, breach the peace, endanger human life or destroy property, whether public or private.

They also impose the duty to respect the rights of others not to support our protest and indeed to support what we oppose. At the end of the day, it is a contest of ideas in which the most persuasive will get the endorsement of the majority of the people we serve.

I am convinced that our democracy is mature enough to accommodate this. We must do our best to ensure that it does.

God bless you all.

•The deserted Gani Fawehinmi Park, Ojota…yesterday

ACN condemns troops deployment

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HE Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has condemned the deployment of armed troops to Lagos, describing it as antidemocratic.

In a statement issued in Lagos yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said President Goodluck Jonathan outdid the brutal military dictators of the past by using the military as an instrument to suppress a peaceful protest by unarmed citizens.

The statement reads:’’Whoever advised the President to take this path has done him a great disservice and ruined his democratic credentials, if ever he had any. Sending soldiers armed with assault rifles and backed by armoured tanks to intimidate and harass unarmed civilians has now exposed President Jonathan as a closet dictator. ‘’Mr. President, as we said in our earlier intervention on this issue, the protests in Lagos these past few days have set a new standard in how the citizenry can engage in non-violent protest. It was so well organised and peaceful that people even came with their families, including young children. Ethnicity, religion and other divisive tendencies were jettisoned in an unprecedented show of unity, while music was used effectively to reduce tension and create a carnival-like atmosphere. ‘’Even the policemen who daily shadowed the Gani Fawehinmi Park did not need to fire a single canister of teargas because there was no violence. This is the setting that the President, alienated too soon from the people who elected him into office, decided to send battle-ready soldiers into. If the President was angered into taking a wrong action by the verbal jabs thrown at him by speakers at the park, then he needs a lesson in democratic governance. ‘’We condemn the tactless and unnecessary show of force in Lagos, and will like to remind Mr. President that it is only a government that has run out of ideas on how to engage its people on issues, no matter how vexing, that will resort to the use of force to suppress them. A government that claims to exercise sovereignty on behalf of the people cannot treat the same people as enemies to be shooed off streets and parks by fiercelooking soldiers.”

It called on President Jonathan to immediately withdraw the soldiers, ‘’Part of the reasons the issue of fuel subsidy spiraled out of hand was because the governed no longer have trust and confidence in those governing them. It remains to be seen how an unyielding Federal Government and the occupation of Lagos by the military, on the orders of elected President Jonathan, will restore that much-needed trust and confidence.’’

•Soldiers deployed to prevent protesters from assessing the park…yesterday

PHO

Activists accuse Jonathan of misusing army

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PRO-DEMOCRACY group, the Human Rights Writers’Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), has condemned the deployment of soldiers in Lagos.

The group, in a statement, said President Goodluck Jonathan deployed the soldiers to intimidate protesters.

The statement reads: “Convinced that the military deployment on the orders of President Goodluck Jonathan was meant to intimidate and induce psychological fear in the minds of Nigerians not to venture out on the streets of Nigeria to ventilate their anger peacefully and democratically over the recent illegal hike of petrol, the Rights group urged President Jonathan to redirect the military deployment towards tackling the unprecedented violence and killing of innocent citizens by armed religious extremists in the Northeast region of the Country.

“This damaging audit report by an internationally reputable team of forensic auditors hired by the Federal Government has been in the possession of Government and even in public domain but the

Protesters dare soldiers

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ROTESTERS under the umbrella of Joint Action Front (JAF), yesterday held a peaceful procession in Lagos to reject the N97 fuel price as announced by President Goodluck Jonathan.

The procession led by Bamidele Aturu, human rights lawyer and Abiodun Aremu, JAF Secretary took off from Yaba, and headed for Ojota.

It had in attendance the Nigerian Bar

By Wale Ajetunmobi

nation’s anti-graft agencies namely, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent corrupt practices and other offences commission (ICPC) went to sleep and consequently failed to take action to bring the indicted culprits to face the full weight of the law in the competent courts of law but only waited to be so dramatically invited by the same Petroleum Ministry so indicted in the audit report because the overwhelming opinion of Nigerians who demonstrated all over Nigeria in the last

By Dupe Olaoye-Osinkolu

Association, market men and women and artisans.

The procession was disrupted by soldiers who asked them to disperse or be shot. They struggled with the leaders of the procession and attempted to seize a video camera belonging to DAAR Communication, owners of African Independent Television (AIT). one week demanded immediate prosecution of the indicted ‘sacred cows. This is a public relation gambit of the Federal Government.

“We are worried that these illegal styles of military harassment and intimidation of unarmed civilians by armed soldiers are draw-backs to the despotic military era. These Gestapo military occupations of streets of major cities of Nigeria will inevitably drive voices of democratic opposition underground and this scenario will undermine the advancement of democracy, rule of law and constitutionalism in Nigeria.”

THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2012

3

NEWS OUTRAGE OVER SOLDIERS’ DEPLOYMENT IN LAGOS

Disgraceful assault on democracy I ‘ NEWS ANALYSIS

By Kunle Fagbemi

troversy, the president not only took the country on a merry-go-round culminating in a constitutional crisis, he has also completely forsworn democratic governance and embraced authoritarian rule.

The labour union and civil societies will be under pressure to respond in a way that will leave them with a fair dose of credibility and integrity.

With labour implicitly accepting the new price and suspending street protests, it put in jeopardy future collaborations between it and members of the public who could lend muscle and credibility to future protests.

The public now knows where it stands with labour. It may also be morale dampening to protesters in some parts of the country that the first time a productive relationship would be fashioned between the two groups, it ended anti-climactically.

While the NLC/TUC strike lasted, that relationship was amorphous, with many snorting that the protest, particularly in Lagos where it was highly effective last week, had been hijacked by political interest groups, especially the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC).

In the light of the NLC action, civil society groups will come under pressure to formulate new approaches to national crises. They had foreseen since last week that the Jonathan government seemed irretrievably lost, irrational, and prone to excessive measures. They also foresaw the more worrisome problem of collusion between the federal and state governments over the subsidy issue, with some protesters becoming uncomfortable with the backwardlooking steps taken by some state governments against constitutionally-sanctioned protests and the surreptitious and in some cases open betrayal by supposedly pro-masses governors. The civil society groups in fact openly worried last week that if Nigerians must guarantee the safety of their democracy, then they must be prepared to do much more than just secure reversal of fuel price to N65/litre.

The truce that led to the suspension of the NLC strike was largely the effort of the National Assembly.

The Federal Government, uncharacteristically of a responsive government, sulked that the protests were gaining strength. But in brokering

Braithwaite, Nwabueze, Balarabe Musa kick

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ROMINENT Nigerians yesterday kicked against President Goodluck Jonathan’s deployment of soldiers in Lagos.

Former Governor of old Kaduna State Balarabe Musa, constitutional lawyer Prof. Ben Nwabueze, former Minister of Finance Dr. Kalu Idika Kalu, Dr. Tunji Braithwaite and Prof.

Pat Utomi said the anti-petrol subsidy removal protests did not call for deployment of soldiers.

The statement reads: “On Monday, January 16, 2012, Nigerians woke up to find their streets invaded by soldiers all over the country. This was done in an apparent bid to stop the freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association of citizens as guaranteed by the Nigerian Constitution. Over the last eight days, Nigerians in their millions all over the country, have been peacefully demanding that, as a very basic minimum, the Federal Government should revert the price of petrol to N65 and enter into negotiations with representatives of civil society and Labour to work on achieving a framework for deregulation.

“We strongly condemn this deployment of soldiers and call for their immediate withdrawal from areas not declared to be under a state of emergency.

“We reject the removal of the “purported” fuel subsidy and the unilateral imposition of N97 as the pump price of petrol.

“We dissociate from the decision of Labour to call off the national strike against the removal of fuel subsidy and thereby withdraw their members from the mass action being carried out by Nigerian citizens.

We wish to emphasise that contrary to Labour’s claim, civil society was not consulted in the decisions leading up to this unacceptable position

by Labour. Nigerians feel betrayed

by Labour’s decision to call off the strike without achieving their minimum demand of reverting to N65.

“We call on Nigerians to remain peaceful but resolute in the fight against corruption, wastage, and fraudulent cum incompetent management of our resources. Corruption is the principal cause of underdevelopment in Nigeria. We must

Not only has Jonathan taken the measure of Nigerians and found them to be of poor mettle; not only has he outflanked labour, seduced and demystified opposition parties, and flattered and weakened the National Assembly, he has also more crucially discovered that his powers are as elastic as he can conjure and that the constitution cannot really circumscribe his anti-democratic imaginations

‘

PHOTOS: ABIODUN WILLIAMS

T was not always expected that President Goodluck Jonathan would know the mature, statesmanlike thing to do at a time of grave national crisis, but by deploying troops in the streets of Lagos and some other Nigerian cities, by occupying Gani Fawehinmi Park (the cynosure of modern form of dissent), and by using clearly unconstitutional means to smother legitimate protests, the president has intentionally but informally declared a state of emergency in Lagos State and other states where troops were deployed yesterday. By today, it will be determined whether the statement issued by the state government against that unwholesome act was strongly worded enough.

The deployment of troops in a democracy and at a time when there was no general breakdown of law and order exposed the sham Nigerian democracy has become, and amounted to intimidation and a declaration of war on both the people and the constitution. The Jonathan government intended the deployment to scuttle street protests, take the bite out of the rallies against fuel price hike that had caught the attention of the world, and ensure that the new N97/litre price of petrol announced in the wee hours of yesterday stood a chance of being accepted. The government has shown no qualms about the economic consequences that will hit the country in the coming months and years like a bomb, nor did it fail to exult in spite of the gloom the troop deployment cast on the nation.

But by deploying troops, Jonathan simply upped the ante, moved closer to the spirit of the Arab Spring, angered the people the more, and made his fuel subsidy measure even more difficult to tolerate. The major disconnect between the people and their governments will gradually ossify into a chasm in the coming years. Protests are a part of the dynamics of helping a society achieve balance and equilibrium.

Without that balance, a government could be tempted to go too far, and an unsound policy could ruin a country. Unfortunately, a problem that was essentially limited to fuel price hike has now expanded into other more contentious issues involving presidential assault on the constitution. From zoning crisis within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to Boko Haram and on to subsidy con-

dialogue between the government and labour, the legislature elevated the principles of compromise far above the principles of lawmaking, and the spirit of mediation more than the spirit of checks and balances.

The country will see more of such despairing compromises between the Executive and the Legislature in the coming months, even as the quality of governance decline alarmingly. For the sake of what they all refer to as peace and stability, they will continue to compromise, fail to ask the right questions, avoid deep probes, incrementally whittle down the ingredients that make for real democracy and good governance, and connive at the kind of withering assault against democracy unleashed by the Jonathan civilian dictatorship.

Since 1999, no true or even aspiring democrat has had the opportunity of heading the Federal Government. It is, therefore, not surprising that both Olusegun Obasanjo and Jonathan failed to understand its sublime dynamics and the physical and metaphysical bonding required to nurture and sustain it. It was expected that given the plethora of philosophers and scientists in the National Assembly, they would recognise the spiritual and moral crises the country faced last week as a result of the subsidy controversy.

If they did, they would have curbed

Jonathan’s dictatorial tendencies and restored their own powers which the president appeared to have taken for granted. The significance of the moment was lost on them. It is unlikely to be regained soon.

It is suggested that the acceptance of N97/litre is victory for both labour and the president. More, it is thought to be victory for Nigerians who have proved they can no longer be taken for granted. This is sentimental hogwash. The truth is much harsher than that. Not only has Jonathan taken the measure of Nigerians and found them to be of poor mettle; not only has he outflanked labour, seduced and demystified opposition parties, and flattered and weakened the National Assembly, he has also more crucially discovered that his powers are as elastic as he can conjure and that the constitution cannot really circumscribe his anti-democratic imaginations. In the coming months, since he knows little about the transcendentalism of the constitution, he will test its elasticity the more and, if necessary, whimsically call out troops to enforce unpopular measures.

Perhaps the most important immediate casualty of the suspension of the strike before real victory was achieved is the abortion of the new culture of popular, supra-ethnic and supra-religious protests which would have helped democracy to develop and blossom. Most protesters, particularly the middle class who attended in great numbers, will be disenchanted, indeed disgusted, that it ended anti-climactically. The next elections will test how far that disgust can be harnessed against pretentious parties and feckless politicians who have not shown the character of greatness.

About 18 years ago, Nigerians were tantalisingly poised on the edge of a major political breakthrough when a Muslim-Muslim ticket won the June 12, 1993 presidential election. That miracle was also aborted. How many such abortions a country can take in one generation is difficult to estimate. Now that protests cannot be conducted openly and peacefully as guaranteed by the constitution, protesters and disgruntled elements may head for the underground in the coming years as more people lose faith in both the country that has alienated them economically and a democracy that has proved to be leprous.

My movement curtailed, says Falana

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•Musa

continue to ask for transparency, accountability and good governance.

“We commend Nigerians for their perseverance and endurance over these times and commitment to continue to work and sacrifice to bring about the Nigeria of their dreams. We assure Nigerians that we shall continue the fight against the increase in their burden, which is a result of corruption and bad management of oil resources.”

AGOS lawyer Mr Femi Falana yesterday said soldiers curtailed his movement to lead a protest.

Falana, in a statement, said President Goodluck Jonathan has failed Nigerians.

The statement reads: “My movement was illegally restricted by armed troops in Lagos. At about 7.30 this morning, my movement was rudely curtailed at Maryland, Lagos by armed soldiers who claimed that they were under strict instructions “ from above” to prevent me from leading or joining fellow Nigerians to continue the popular protests against the illegal increase in the pump price of PMS or petrol.

“Shortly thereafter, the members of the Joint Action Front (JAF), who were on a peaceful march from Yaba to the Gani Fawehinmi Freedom Park, Ojota, were teargassed and dispersed at Fadeyi in Lagos by a combined team of armed goons without any justification. I have also received complaints of unwarranted harassment of other unarmed protesters in several parts of Lagos. At about 1 a.m this morning, the Freedom Park had been illegally surrounded with armoured tanks by soldiers who subjected innocent members of the public to intimidation in a desperate bid to prevent the resumption of protests against the removal of fuel subsidy.

“It is unfortunate that Dr Goodluck Jonathan, who rode to power on the basis of the series of protests held in Lagos and Abuja by civil society organisations, can deploy armed troops to attack the same forces. It is on record that no protest was staged in Niger Delta at the time either by militants or Southsouth leaders. Those who have opportunistically read ethnic motivations to the struggle of the Nigerian people against the fuel importation scam and gross corruption in the country will soon live to regret their action.

“As the militarisation of Lagos cannot be justified under the law, I assure President Goodluck Jonathan and Governor Babatunde Fashola that I shall challenge their brazen violation of my fundamental rights to freedom of movement,expression and association guaranteed by the Constitution and the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights at the Federal High Court within next week.”

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THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2012

NEWS Troops deployment in Lagos provocative, says Soyinka

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•A group photograph of 2011 President’s NYSC Honours awardees in Abuja ... yesterday

PHOTO: NAN

Fashola condemns troops deployment in Lagos Continued from page 1

majority of the people we serve,” Fashola said, adding: “I am convinced that our democracy is mature enough to accommodate this. We must do our best to ensure that it does.”

The governor lamented the death of a youth, Ademola Aderinto, who was shot by a police officer, and pledged the commitment of his administration to bringing the suspect to justice.

He affirmed his respect for members of the nation’s military because of what he called their contract with the citizenry to willingly lay down their lives whenever it be-

comes necessary to do so, and wondered why such a security apparatus should be used to stop the people from expressing their grievances against government policies.

“It is not disputable that the citizens who have gathered in several parts of Lagos, like Falomo, Ikorodu and Ojota, to mention but a few have largely conducted themselves peacefully, singing and dancing while they expressed their displeasure at the way we have taken decisions that affect them.

“That in my view should not offend those of us in government. The majority of these people who represent diverse interests have not

broken any law. If they have, it is my opinion that in a constitutional democracy, it is the police that have the responsibility for restoring law and order if civil protests threaten the breach of the peace.

“This is not justification for sending out soldiers to a gathering of unarmed citizens. Every one of us, or at least majority of us who hold public offices, danced and sang before these same people when we were seeking their votes. Why should we feel irritated when they sing and dance in protest against what we have done?”

Fashola said.

He said the issue at stake

was not a matter for the military, noting that the sooner the President had a rethink and rescinds this decision, the better and stronger our democracy will be.

Fashola remarked that he was convinced that the country’s democracy is mature enough to accommodate robust engagement between the leaders and the governed.

He urged the Presidency to respect the rights of others.

“If anything, this is a most welcome transformation of our democracy in the sense that it provokes a discussion of economic policies and this inevitably may result in political debate,” Fashola said.

OBEL laureate Prof.

Wole Soyinka yesterday expressed concern over the deployment of troops in Lagos.

He demanded “the immediate and unconditional removal of these soldiers” from Lagos.

In a statement titled “a gross betrayal”, Soyinka described the presidential action as “an intolerable act of provocation”.

The statement reads: “Was it part of the deal reached by the government of Goodluck Jonathan, Labour Movement and Civil Society, that soldiers would be sent to occupy Lagos and intimidate the populace?

This is a gross violation of the rights of citizens to congregate and give expression to whatever grievances bedevil their existence.

“We demand the immediate and unconditional removal of these soldiers.

“Until they are removed, Nigerians as a whole should understand that the present

•Prof. Soyinka

civic action is not over and prepare to mobilise and defend their liberty.

“This is an intolerable act of provocation that has taken underhand advantage of the willingness of the people to negotiate and give the government a breathing space.

“It makes absolute nonsense of the Belgore machinery for resolution that was set up, even before it has commenced work. It has turned future dialogue into negotiation under the gun, which is nothing but a charade and will only be challenged at no distant date.

Let Nigerians understand that repression of a part is repression of the whole.

“Labour and Civil society must boycott further talks until the soldiers are withdrawn.

“Lagos is no hotbed of BOKO HARAM, nor is it the state of this very incumbent president where leaders and comrades for whom we have the deepest respect, and with whom we still share common cause, have called openly for secession of their part of the nation and called upon others to join them.

“Lagos is not where heavily armed vigilantes have taken over oil wells. Clearly these forms of freedom of expression, even of the armed kind, are in order, since Goodluck Jonathan has not seen it as the duty of his office to invade such territories.

“The occupation of Lagos does no credit to this regime and must be reversed. The kindest that can be said of it is that it is an aberration produced by too many long hours of negotiation, resulting in an unclear and befogged mind.”

How the truce between Jonathan, Labour was brokered

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ABOUR pulled the brakes on its strike because of security threats, it was learnt yesterday.

The pump price of N97 per litre was the making of the President after some indices had been presented to him by relevant security agencies, The Nation learnt yesterday.

But labour’s call for cost cut in government gave the President a rare insight into the intention of the leaders, according to sources close to the talks.

A source, who was part of the Sunday night meeting between the government and labour, said subtle blackmail from the government on security threats and alleged hijack of the strike by regime change proponents did the magic.

The source said: “The model adopted for the last phase of talks between the government and labour did the magic. It was initially a joint labour-civil society delegation to the talks but the last phase did not include the civil society.

“The government was careful in excluding the civil society, whose members were described as ‘strange people’.

Those in government felt the civil society groups were fuelling the strike.

“With the civil society out, the President bared his mind to the labour leaders that the strike had been hijacked by other vested interests. He expressed worries

NLC, TUC: N97 is govt’s unilateral decision Continued from page 1

NLC and TUC said in the past eight days through strikes, mass rallies, shutdown, debates and street protests, Nigerians demonstrated clearly that they cannot be taken for granted and that sovereignty belongs to them.

On the detention of protesters, the unions said: “We demand the release of all those detained in the course of the strikes, rallies and street protests.”

Omar said labour has agreed to explore the Alfa Belgore Committee, which the Federal Government has raised to look into the fuel subsidy issues.

The NLC President said labour would tender its position on deregulation of the downstream sector of the petroleum industry to the committee.

Asked whether the Federal Government would go ahead with full deregulation, the TUC President, Comrade Peter Esele, said: “When we get to that bridge, we are going to cross it because he (Jonathan) mentioned that he is committed to full deregulation and he is going to put it on hold. This means we are going to have a lot of discussion around it.

First of all, in the Belgore Committee that we are going to explore, we are going to confirm how many litres this country actually consume? Because, if you look at records CBN, From Yusuf Alli, Abuja

about the dimension the strike was taking and how it was going beyond labour’s control.”

President Jonathan reportedly cited Kaduna where the Government House was al-

NNPC, DRP and PPPRA all have conflicting figures. And I don’t see how Nigerians consume 35million litres per day. We are going to use that committee to explore it and audit that figure they are giving and we can now come back and correct a lot of ills in that sector.”

Omar, who presented a statement that he jointly issued with Esele, said labour noted that the major successes Nigerians scored in these past days in which they rose courageously as a people to take their destiny in their hands. With this, said the NLC President, the government has been made to adopt the policy to drastically reduce the cost of governance. The labour movement also noted that one of the major successes Nigerians recorded is to get the Federal Government to decisively move against the massive and crippling corruption in the oil sector.

Continuing, NLC and TUC added: “While until now government has seemed helpless to tackle corruption, the mass action of the people has compelled it to address accountability issues in the sector. In this wise, President Goodluck Jonathan has told the nation that the forensic audit report on the NNPC will be studied and proven acts of corruption will be sanctioned.”

most overrun. He said there was a bigger plan for regime change by other partisan interests and stressed the need to put the nation above any other consideration.

But the labour leaders, said the source, insisted that they were not after regime change

Omar pointed out that the President also promised that accountability issues and current lapses in the oil sector will be speedily addressed, including the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB).

The NLC President said a related success of the mass action by Nigerians is the government’s promise to bring to justice all those who have contributed in one way or another to the country’s economic adversity.

The Labour movement praised Nigerians for their resolve to change the country for the better, stressing: “We shall take advantage of the government’s invitation to further engage on these issues.”

According to Omar and Esele, this is in line with Labour’s resolve that the oil industry is too important to be left in the hands of bureaucrats, and that workers have the patriotic duty to ensure that Nigerians get the best from this natural resource.

The unions thanked Nigerians, especially traders, artisans, youths, students, the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), the National Assembly, Civil Society Organisations, faith-based organisations, artistes and Nigerians in the Diaspora for their support and active participation in the strikes, mass rallies and street protests.

but reversal of the pump price to N65 per litre. They acknowledged that some “emergency” comrades had joined the strike and they told the President that they did not mean to cause security breaches.

The source added: “Labour

made a lot of suggestions, including why it is possible to reverse to N65 per litre, cutting of wastes in government, creation of jobs, fighting corruption, auditing of importation of products and subsidy funds, as well as other reforms.

“They said once the government meets all these conditions, they will suspend the strike.

“The submissions swept the President off his feet. For the first time, he was able to gauge their passion for the nation at a close range. He assured labour of his readiness to review the fuel pump price but he was non-committal on the new rate.”

The President also promised to address the nation on his plans and urged labour to take advantage of the Alfa Belgore Committee to resolve all issues on deregulation. The labour leaders, however, said they would await the President’s broadcast. They also assured the President that they would change the strike’s tactics to a sit-at-home type, it was learnt.

Another source said: “When the labour leaders left the President, he looked at the indices presented by agencies of government and opted for N97 per litre. It is right to say that the new pump price was unilaterally fixed by the President.

“Those in government had submitted indices indicating that the pump price could not go below N120 per litre, but the President thought otherwise.”

The source praised Senate President David Mark and House Speaker Aminu Tambuwal’s role in making the President to concede to labour.

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THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2012

5

NEWS NEW YEAR MESSAGES

SUSPENSION OF STRIKE

N1.3tr subsidy: EFCC retrieves documents at PPPRA

T

HE operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday invaded the Petroleum Products Pricing and Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) and retrieved documents relating to the controversial N1.3trillion subsidy paid to oil marketers in 2011.

Some top officers of the agency have also been invited for questioning.

Also, the EFCC may engage international security agencies to probe how products were bought abroad, the companies involved and the actual worth of imported products.

Investigation by our correspondent showed that the operatives stormed the agency to retrieve documents on importation of products.

The raid came barely four days after the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke invited the anti-graft commission to review the petroleum products import subsidy payments.

A reliable source said: “The operatives caught PPPRA officers unawares with their raid.

They succeeded in carting away documents relating to importation of products by marketers.

“The EFCC operatives were civil and professional in the conduct of their search.

“Some officers have also been invited for interaction on the modalities for importation and payment of subsidy.

Meanwhile, some key marketers involved in the subsidy scam have been under close watch to avoid fleeing out of

•Top officers for questioning From Yusuf Alli, Managing Editor, Northern Operation, Abuja

the country.

Another source said: “We have the list of companies involved in importation of products and payment of subsidy.

We know their owners; they are all under watch to prevent them from running away.

“Whoever was involved in transparent importation of products has nothing to fear.”

The Head of Media and Publicity of the EFCC, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, confirmed the storming of the PPPRA by the agency.

He said: “We have started investigation into the importation of petroleum products.

The visit of our operatives to the PPPRA marked the beginning of the probe.

“We want to determine who imported what; at what time and how payments were done.

“There is also a foreign angle to it. We are going to collaborate with some international agencies to track down refineries where these marketers imported products, the vessels that brought the products and the volume.

“We will check all records from the base. It is certainly going to be an extensive investigation but we will be fair to all.”

Responding to a question, Uwujaren said: “Some PPPRA have been invited for questioning but arrest of market-

‘We have started investigation into the importation of petroleum products.

The visit of our operatives to the PPPRA marked the beginning of the probe’ ers or any suspect involved will be the last thing.

“One thing I can assure you is that once arrest of any suspect is effected, it means we are ready to take the case to court.”

The Senate last month released names of the beneficiaries of fuel subsidy amounting to a grand total of N3.655 trillion for five years (2006 to 2011).

The upper legislative chamber said fuel subsidy has guzzled N1.426 trillion between January and August last year alone.

The Chairman of the Senate ad-hoc Committee probing the management of fuel subsidy regime, Senator Magnus Abe, listed the companies benefiting from fuel subsidy at the resumed investigation by the committee in Abuja .

Companies named by the Senate and the amount of mon-

ey they received last year alone included; Oando Nigeria Plc, N228.506billion; Integrated Oil and Gas Plc, N30billion; MRS, 224.818 billion; A.A. Rano, N1.14 billion; A-Z Petroleum, N18.61 billion; A.S.B, N3.16 billion; Arcon Plc, N24.116 billion; African Petroleum, N104.58 billion; Aminu Resources, N2.3 billion; Capital Oil, N22.4 billion; Con Oil, N37.96 billion; Avante Guard, N1.14 billion; Avido, N3.64 billion; Boffas and Company, N3.67 billion; and Brilla Energy, N960.3 million.

Others are: D. Jones Petroleum, N14.86 billion; DownStream Energy, N789.648 million; Dosil Oil and Gas, N3.375 billion; Inco ray, N1.988 billion; Eternal, N5.574 billion; Folawiyo Energy, N113.32 billion; Frado International, N2.63 billion; First Deepwater Oil, N257.396 million; Heden Petrol, N693 million; Honeywell Petrol, N12.2 billion; AMP, N11.417 billion; Ascon, N5.271 billion; Channel Oil, N1.308 billion; Fort Oil, N8.582 billion; Enak Oil & Gas, N19.684 billion; Bovas & Co. Nig Ltd, N5.685billion; and Obat Oil N85billion.

Abe also named AP, N104.5billion; IPMAN Investment Limited, N10.9billion; ACON, N24.1billion; Atio Oil, N64.4billion; AMP, N11.4billion; and Emac Oil, N19.2billion.

In 2006, only MRS, Total and Oando were listed as beneficiaries of the fuel subsidy recog-

nized by the Federal Government.

The three companies were said to have been listed as “major marketers.”

But in 2007, AP and Mobil joined and were listed under the category of majors.

The same year, NIPCO was introduced and listed under the category of petrol depot owners.

A new category of “independents” included some marketers who had no depots.

AITEO Energy Resources and Triquest Energy were added in 2007, bringing the total to eight beneficiaries of the fuel subsidy.

The list of subsidy beneficiaries increased sharply in 2008 to 23, made up of six majors.

In 2008, Conoil joined, and NIPCO was joined by Capital Oil and Folawiyo Energy, under the category of depot owners.

The list of “independents” also increased from two in 2007 to 14 in 2008 as AITEO and Triquest were said to have been joined by Triquest Oil services, IMAD Oil & Gas, Integrated Oil and Gas, Rahamaniyya, AMG Petro Energy, Brittania, ACORN, A-Z Petroleum, SHIELD Petroleum and MAJOPE Investment Limited.

And in 2010, the beneficiaries of the subsidy payment under the category of major marketers remained six, the depot owners remained two, but the list of independent marketers went up to 28 with the inclusion of many relatively barely known companies.

Northern governors meeting put off

By Emmanuel Oladesu

COALITION of Democrats for Electoral Reforms (CODER) yesterday flayed President Goodluck Jonathan for deploying troops in Lagos, stressing that it was an affront on democracy. The group said since a state of emergency, which required the endorsement of the Senate had not been declared, there was no basis for deploying troops in any state within the federation.

CODER doubted the administration’s commitment to the rule of law and democracy, pointing out that, while the President submitted himself to Nigerians during electioneering as a humble, patient and brilliant agent of transformational agenda, he has conducted the affairs of state since assuming the reins without sensitivity to the plight of voters.

CODER Coordinator Ayo Opadokun, who spoke on the fuel crisis, lamented that the President acted as a leader assailed by “legitimacy deficiency”, warning that citizens may resort to employing far severe constitutional means to air their grievances against his administration.

He said: “When a regime decides to foist unjust order on the civilian populace by drafting the Nigerian Army to the civil arena, we have double or multiple jeopardy in that regard. Let it be known therefore, that this government has lost moral authority to govern”.

PIB gets Taskforce

T

HE meeting of the Northern Governors Forum (NGF) scheduled for tomorrow has been postponed.

Chairman of the forum and Governor of Niger State Dr Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu announced the postponement in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Malam Danladi Ndayebo.

The statement said the postponement was to enable normalcy return to the region after the petrol subsidy protests that paralysed activities across the country.

The statement said a new date will be announced later.

CODER: troops deployment an affront on democracy

•Former Chairman, Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission, Alhaji Hamman Tukur (left), Director-General, Budget Office, Bright Okogwu and Minister of Finance Mrs Ngozi Okonjo Iweala at a meeting with House of Representatives Adhoc Committee on the monotoring of subsidy regime in Abuja...yesterday PHOTO ABAYOMI FAYESE

A SPECIAL Task Force to facilitate the quick passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) will be inaugurated on Thursday.

The committee, headed by Senator Udo Udoma, has seven other members. It will work with the Ministry of Petroleum to facilitate the passage of the bill.

Members of the committee set up by Petroleum Minister Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke are: Senator Tunde Ogbeha; Senator Lawan Shuaibu; Honourable Chibudom Nwuche; Hon. Abdullahi Gume; Hon. Habeeb Fashinro; Mr. Peter Esele (President, Trade Union Congress (TUC), and Legal Adviser, Federal Ministry of Petroleum (secretary).

SNG, other groups condemn deployment of troops in Lagos

T

HERE was tension in Lagos yesterday following the deployment of soldiers to halt the continuation of protests against the petrol price hike.

As early as 6 am, soldiers cordoned off the protest venues in Ojota, Falomo and Ikorodu, turning back protesters.

Private and commercial vehicles along the routes were subjected to ‘stop and search’ process, thereby creating panic among people.

From 7 am, protesters from Ikorodu, Ikeja, Kosofe, Bariga and Yaba started arriving in droves at Ojota. Technicians who wanted to prepare the podium were turned back

•Soldiers threaten to shoot protesters

By Emmanuel Oladesu Deputy Political Editor

with their mobile generators.

At Ojota, soldiers, policemen and men of SSS barricaded the roads and prevented access to gani Fawehinmi Freedom Park, the venue of the protest. Also, reporters were turned back by soldiers, who threatened tom deal with them, if they refused to comply.

However, other passers-by were not molested.

At 9 am, soldiers dispersed the crowd milling on top of the bridge, along Tollgate/ Obalende Road. Others com-

ing from Ogudu Road were denied access to the venue.

Angered by attempts to resist his order, a soldier barked at protesters, saying: “If you are going, go. No standing, no waiting. You hear?It is dangerous for you”. A military police said: “I give you instruction and you refuse, if you are fired, it is the end of your life”. The crowd did not disperse, until the Nigeria Labor Congress (NLC) announced the strike call off in the afternoon.

SNG Convener Pastor Tunde Bakare, who had

planned to address protesters in Abuja yesterday, rejected the N97 per litre, saying that it was an affront on Nigerians. He also condemned the deployment of troops to Lagos, pointing out that the federal government was returning the country into military rule.

Bakare said in a statement that SNG and its allies, decried the deployment, saying that it was unwarranted because the protest was peaceful and protesters conducted themselves with maturity.

He added: “We had violence-free gatherings for days with great comportment and no loss of life, damage to property and violation of any law

of the land. It is therefore, curious that a democratic government would deploy military tanks and troops against such a peaceful assembly in clear violation of the constitutionally guaranteed right of citizens to freely assemble and express their feelings”.

The cleric accused President Goodluck Jonathan of intolenece and muscling the democratic space, thereby exhibiting dictatorial tendencies.

Chiding the government for its token reduction of fuel price, he maintained that the new price is still unacceptable to Nigerians who protested for five days against the policy.

Bakare said: “We demand for the reversal of the fuel price to N65 per litre as the basis for a conducive atmosphere for a national conversation on the oil sector and how to deal with the corruption that has brought this needless crisis on the seventh largest producer of oil in the world that has been made to depend on importation of refined fuel for home consumption Hailing the resilience of the protesters, he added: “The seed of permanent change had been sown in our land and it would germinate and bear fruits of freedom”.

THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2012

6

NEWS SUSPENSION OF STRIKE NEW YEAR MESSAGES

David-West, Balarabe accuse Labour of betrayal From Bisi Oladele, Ibadan and Tony Akowe, Kaduna

F

ORMER Minister of Petroleum Resources Prof. Tam David-West and former Kaduna State Governor Balarabe Musa yesterday accused labour leaders of betraying the masses for agreeing with the Federal Government on N97 per litre for petrol.

David-West, who spoke to The Nation in Ibadan yesterday said the labour leaders have, “exposed themselves to be suspected rightly or wrongly to have been bribed by the government”.

The professor of Virology said: “There is no subsidy. What we are subsidising is corruption. Jonathan suffered a greater loss because he is the President and Commander-in-Chief. If the Chief Executive has told the world that without buying petrol at N141 per litre, the Nigerian economy will collapse, and his position echoed by the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and his ministers and they have come down to N97, it means that the N141 figure they earlier quoted was wrong. Otherwise, the Chief Executive of Nigeria would have stuck to N141. It means that the first premise was wrong and not valid.

“Secondly, what the labour leaders have done was in bad faith because they have exposed themselves to be suspected rightly or wrongly to have been bribed by the government. Afterall, they insisted that there was no going back on N65. Labour had a stronger ground than the government.

“Having lost 15 people to the protest, Labour has betrayed the people’s cause. I repeat that peace is better than war. However, peace without justice is no peace.

“What they are calling fuel subsidy is a misnomer because we have been subsidising corruption.

“That they want to probe payment on the so-called subsidy means there is a problem with it and that means that the original figure of N1.3 trillion is not valid.”

Musa said: “Labour has always been with the civil society organisations because right from the beginning when they announced the strike, labour said it was doing it in collaboration with civil society organisations.

“But we noticed that since the beginning of negotiations with government, it schemed civil society organisatios out of the whole show. Now it has decided to accept 97 per litre and to suspend the strike without consulting with civil society organisations.

“Now it is unfortunate. Any Nigerian who is old enough knows that NLC has always adopted a wrong policy on strike. It always calls on civil society organisations and other Nigerians to support it in strike but it has the habit of abandoning the strike half way.

“We in Kaduna that started everything about the strike and other activities relating to it called a meeting today. During the meeting, we said labour has not decided and that we will continue with the struggle here in Kaduna and link up with others in Nigeria mainly in Abuja, Lagos and Kano.

“We are determined to give Nigerians another platform to exercise their freedom. After all, organized labour is only 10 percent of aggrieved Nigerians over fuel subsidy, the rest of us will continue”.

But Executive Director of Human Rights Monitor Festus Okoye described the suspension as courageous.

Okoye said: “It shows that the Labour movement and its civil society allies are patriotic, nationalistic and in tune with the dynamics of the Nigerian situation and the Nigerian condition.

“The labour movement and the Nigerian people have shown and demonstrated that sovereignty belongs to them and not to the government.

They have shown that they have the capacity and the courage to rise and fight bad governance and corruption. Based on this, Nigeria can never be the same again.”

•Riot policemen getting set for deployment in Abuja.... yesterday

Activists: on N65 we stand

T

HE Joint Action Force (JAF) has faulted the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) for calling off the strike without achieving the reversal to N65 per litre of fuel.

In a statement by JAF Secretary, Abiodun Aremu,the body said: “JAF stands with Nigerians on reversal to N65 per litre of petrol and the struggle must continue.

The statement recalled that JAF started the struggle on January 3, even before Labour commenced its own six days later.

The statement reads:” The Joint Action Front (JAF) - the pro-labour civil society partner of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) and Civil Society Coalition (LASCO) and its allies of Nigeria Medical Association Lagos, Nigeria Bar Association Ikeja and Lagos and the various Strike Action Committees dissociate self from the declaration by the President of the NLC and TUC for the suspension of the strike/mass action that commenced on January 9 as a joint initiative of the NLC, TUC and JAF “ While we salute Nigerians for their resistance and legitimate demand for total reversal of fuel price from the wicked imposition of N141 to N65, we strongly deplore

By Dupe Olaoye-Osinkolu

the suspension of the strike/mass action as endorsed by Presidents of NLC and TUC as a betrayal of this legitimate demand by Nigerians that fuel price must revert to N65 as a condition for negotiation. “ JAF and its allies are resolved to intensify the struggle for the reversal to N65 and on other fundamental issues, in particular, the reversal of the cruel policy of privatisation and deregulation.

This was demonstrated with the street protest in Lagos today (yesterday) under the banner of JAF that was violently terminated at a point on Ikorodu road by the combined team of armed personnel that were deployed midnight across the country. “ Also, JAF wishes to inform all our centres across the country to continue with the mass action of rallies and protests as held today in Ibadan, Kano, Ilorin, Kaduna, Ijebu-Ode Ogun State, Osogbo, and other places. We are still compiling the report.

“JAF urges Nigerians to continue with the mass action of street and neighbourhood protests and rallies in the various freedom squares created across the country since the commencement of the strike/mass action on January 9.

•Senior police officers on patrol of the streets of Abuja... yesterday

‘NLC, TUC wrong to have suspended

T

HE Campaign for Democracy yesterday condemned the suspension of the antipetrol subsidy removal strike called by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC).

The group, in a statement by its president, Dr. Joe OkeiOdumakin, said the suspension was disappointing. Its statement reads: “We note that this strike was called to protest the unjust and wicked fuel price which the Fed-

eral Government foisted on Nigerians on New Year ‘s Day. “CD aligns with the majority of Nigerians who are disappointed with the suspension and the rationale behind it.

“Coming at a time when the main objective of getting the Federal Government to revert the fuel price to N65 has not been achieved, it leaves much to be desired.

“By suspending the strike, Labour has dealt the hopes and aspirations of Nigerians for affordable fuel, and the movement for accountable and

corruption-free governance, a huge blow.

“However, the CD notes that the groundswell of oppopsition against the hike is not the brainchild of organised labour. Neither was it the result of the unprecedented mobilisation of the populace by civil society.

“The huge opposition to the wicked price hike was a spontaneous reaction against the oppressive polices of the Goodluck Jonathan administration, by a besieged citizenry.”

st

ed

THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2012

7

NEWS SUSPENSION OF STRIKE

Lessons from the protest

A

FTER one week of street protests and a paralysing general strike, normalcy is beginning to return to all parts of the country. During the period, the economy bled; the people quaked and the security officials panicked.

Those who suffered losses are still counting. The governments; federal, states and local governments, lost so much revenue, livestock farmers could not buy feeds for their animals, traders dealing in perishable items watched as their stocks decayed.

Also, many companies that were tottering on the verge of collapse received the lethal dose. But, with the suspension of strikes, rallies and protests, it is now time to take stock and learn useful lessons.

Financial analysts have said that the cost is not just in money terms; there were social and long term costs, too. The sea and airports were shut for the week, thus disrupting movement across the country.

Some were caught up in foreign countries with visas that expired, and some due to fly out for important assignments, could not.

The only way to justify the sacrifices is to learn useful, lasting lessons that could set the country on the path of sustained development.

It is important that the government realises that the protests were not triggered just by the hike in the price of petrol. Many of the grievances were deep-seated and the people merely seized the opportunity to express their displeasure at the manner of running government business.

They had read and heard about the billions of naira spent on the salaries and sundry allowances of members of the Executive and Legislature. They saw the removal of the subsidy as the window to vent their spleen.

As the crowd milled round in the major cities, speakers said it was time to restructure the machinery of government to make it less languid and more efficient. It is time to be less profligate in doing the business of government. It is time to be more open and transparent about government expenditure. Immediately, it is time to probe into the subsidy fund and come clear with how much was

•NO DEAL YET: A trader sleeping on a bench at Wuse market, Abuja.... yesterday PHOTO: NAN

NEWS ANALYSIS

By Bolade Omonijo, Group Political Editor

•A pump at an NNPC Mega Station showing the adjusted price of petrol

actually spent by whom and for what?

How many litres are consumed daily? It is gratifying that the Ministry of Petroleum Resources has already invited the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to review financial activities of the ministry, the

Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and other related parastatals. This is triumph of peoples’ power. But, it must be taken further. The Nigerian people need to police the process and ensure that the future is brighter.

The civil society groups have acquitted themselves well. They mobilised the people and ensured that peace reigned, despite anger and indignation. Now is the time for the groups to get more involved in public affairs. There has been an outcry on the 2012 budget proposals. As soon as the wind of subsidy has blown over, all organised groups should engage the National Assemblies on the outrageous votes.

The lessons of the strike would have been lost if it does not impact on the conduct of the stakeholders and outcome of the 2015 general elections. Elections are vehicles that politicians ride to office. When it is free, fair and credible, the people’s will prevails, but, when perverted, the public is shortchanged and the beneficiaries are uncontrollable.

The same energy and vigour employed in the protests are likely to be deployed in ensuring that only true representatives of the people are elected in 2015.

When this is done, the country becomes the ultimate beneficiary of the unprecedented protests that shook the nation to its foundation as the protests become a reference point in the annals of the country.

PHOTOS: NAN

•Some civil servants in Abuja returning to work at the Federal Secretariat yesterday shortly after the suspension of the strike.

PHOTO: NAN

strike ’ “Hence, we salute the irrepressible spirit of citizenship that powered the protests and rallies against the fuel subsidy removal and appeal to Nigerians not to abandon the struggle to enthrone true democratic ethos in our land.

“The events of the past week have showed that Nigeria and Nigerians will never be the same again.

“Every end is a beginning. The fight against the enemies of democracy, civilian dictatorship and corruption is just beginning. The struggle continues.”

N97 pump price unacceptable, says Ajakaye

T •Dr. Okei-Odumakin

HE Catholic Bishop of Ekiti Diocese, Most Rev. Felix Femi Ajakaye has described the N97 fixed yesterday by President Goodluck Jonathan as pump price of petrol as unacceptable.

Rev. Ajakaye spoke with reporters in Ado-Ekiti. The Bishop wondered why Nigeria “should be made a country of anything goes”, saying what Jonathan did was to send prices of most goods, including foodstuff to the rooftop.

He said: “The President should be humble enough to accept that Nige-

From Sulaiman Salawudeen, Ado-Ekiti

ria is greater than anyone and that SNC should be generally accepted as offering the way out for the country.

“In the first place, President Jonathan acted by fiat by unilaterally jacking up the pump price from N65 to N140 without consulting with Nigerians.

“The mere fact that the President failed to consult showed that what we have in Nigeria is mere civilian government and not democracy.

“What I consider baffling is the

attitude of Mr President. It means if Nigerians have not protested, it means he will not have gone ahead to address Nigerians.

“He was even abusing labour in his (yesterday’s) address to the nation instead of wooing everybody to his side at a delicate time such as we have now, when he was expected to admit that he had made mistakes and make amends”.

“President Goodluck Jonathan must have listening ears and disallow himself from being caged by members of his cabinet”.

THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2012

8

NEWS Herdsman chops off man’s hand in Akure From Damisi Ojo,Akure

A FULANI herdsman has chopped off the right hand of Mr. Deji Adeleye in Akure, the Ondo State capital.

It was learnt that Adeleye, a roadside vulcanizer in Ayedun Quarters, and some car wash owners had warned the herdsmen to stop grazing their cows in their business premises and littering the place with dung, but the herdsmen remained adamant.

On the day of the incident, sources said Adeleye angrily chased the cows out of the premises.

An eye witness, Mr. Ajayi Olorunlogbon, said the herdsman came back when many people had left the premises and cut off Adeleye’s hand with a sword.

Adeleye, who is on admission at a private hospital in Akure, said: “The herdsman moved stealthily towards me and drew out his sword with the intention to behead me. I raised up my hand to protect my head, but had my hand chopped off.”

Fayemi flays deployment of soldiers in Lagos, Oyo, Ogun E

KITI State Governor Kayode Fayemi has hailed the reduction of petrol price by the Federal Government and the suspension of the weeklong strike by the organised labour.

He, however, flayed the deployment of soldiers in Lagos, Ogun and Oyo States and parts of the Northwest.

In a broadcast yesterday in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, Fayemi advocated a total overhaul of the economy.

He said the unbundling of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) into law, tackling of corruption and the enthronement of fiscal federalism are the permanent solutions to the nation’s problem.

Praising the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC) and civil society groups, for what he described as “constructive engagement” with the government, Fayemi said the culture of

•Restates call for fiscal federalism

compromise and respect for the right of citizens is commendable.

He said his administration would soon announce more palliative measures to cushion the effect of the fuel price hike.

The governor said steps would also be taken to reduce the cost of governance in the 2012 budget.

Fayemi said: “I consider this development a victory for common-sense, as the people eventually had their way in a constructive engagement with the government on the issue that directly affects them. Yet, this does not call for a triumphant chest-beating on the part of anyone. What it requires is sober reflection on the true meaning of citizens’ rights and responsibilities in a democracy.

“For us, deregulation is not only about an increase or reduction in the pump price of petrol, it is also about the total overhauling of the Nigerian economy. This will entail the unbundling of the NNPC, passage of the PIB, ensuring transparency in the sector, as well as tackling corruption in the short term and fiscal federalism and devolution of power in the medium term.

“I am glad that Mr. President also acknowledged this in his broadcast. Beyond pump price increase, you have also tasked those of us in public offices to shed the toga of arrogance and be more responsive to the yearnings of the people.

“Our government will continue to take further measures to cushion the effects of the fuel price hike on the peo-

ple. Further pronouncements on the palliative measures would be made as the situation gets clearer with the ongoing talks. Equally, we shall be taking additional steps to reduce the cost of governance in the 2012 Budget in the state before passage by the legislature.

“We are, however, worried about certain developments, especially the drafting of soldiers, like an army of occupation, in Lagos, Oyo, Ogun and parts of the Northwest. If it was a pre-emptive security measure, it sends a wrong signal to an already tense populace. We have not seen any reason to warrant this development. As a specialist in Civil - Military Relations, I know the dangers inherent in drafting soldiers into issues that are purely within the purview of the

Security agents at Lagos CNN office

Party hails security agencies

D

From Adesoji Adeniyi, Osogbo

THE Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Osun State has praised security agencies for ensuring peace throughout protests against fuel subsidy removal.

In a statement yesterday by the party’s Publicity Director, Mr. Kunle Oyatomi, Acting ACN State Chairman Elder Adelowo Adebiyi said: “The people of Osun State appreciate the civilised policing Police Commissioner Olusegun Solomon and his security forces put in place, not only to fight crime, but also to secure peace and prevent security breaches.

“Both government and Labour must work out an amicable solution to fuel subsidy removal in a way that would serve the best interest of the people.”

New DG for NOA From Onyedi Ojiabor, Assistant Editor

THE Federal Government yesterday approved the appointment of Mr. Michael Omeri Agbo Omeri as the DirectorGeneral of the National Orientation Agency (NOA) A statement by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, said the new NOA helmsman takes over today.

Omeri holds a Masters Degree in Law and Diplomacy from the University of Jos , Bachelors Degree in Mass Communication from the University of Maiduguri and a Certificate in Information Education and Communication from the Centre for African Family Studies, Kenya.

police and other law enforcement agencies. It does not only undermine democratic control of the military, but also promotes dangerous role expansion, which will not augur well for the military in a democratic setting.

“The people of the Southwest are genuinely agitated by this development. We hope Mr. President will use his position as the Commander-in-Chief to correct this seeming ethnicisation of the reaction of government to the people’s position on its policy.

“There are several lessons to be learned in light of these developments. These bother on matters of trust, credibility, leadership and the restructuring of the Nigerian State along further devolution of powers to its constituent parts.

“Our view is that those saddled with governance responsibilities will see this development as an opportunity to promote enduring solutions to the seemingly intractable problems of Nigeria.”

•Director-General (DG), Nigerian Chamber of Shipping (NCS), Mrs. Ify Anazonwu-Akerele (left), and the Managing Director, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Mrs. Oluremi Oyo, during the DG’s visit to NAN Headquarters in Abuja…yesterday.

Afenifere deplores troops in Lagos FENIFERE Renewal Group ARG has deplored what it described as “the covert declaration of a state of emergency in Lagos State by the Jonathan dictatorship parading itself as a democratic government from Abuja.”

In a statement by ARG chair Hon. Olawale Oshun last night, Afenifere said: “We deplore the taking over of Lagos state by the military ostensibly under the order of President Jonathan.

Even the worst of military regimes in Nigeria never assaulted our people in such brazen manner.”

“We need to remind Presi-

A

dent Jonathan that he ostensibly won the presidential elections in April 2011, not because of the prowess of his Southsouth people but because the people of Nigeria sought a change in the political structure of the country.

“The people of Nigeria thought that his emergence would fast track the modernisation and restructuring of the polity, having emerged from nothingness and having not been endorsed by any of the derided power structures in the country.

“We now know that President Jonathan mistook these

confidences to mean that he could become a dictator and lord his views and that of a small clique on all Nigerians. Calling in the military in matters over which civil authority would have sufficed, overwhelming the governor and people of Lagos State in manners that smacked of absolute disdain and disregard for the Constitution, we in Afenifere Renewal Group can only call for deep reflection on the part of the emerging dictator. Such brazenness rarely last,” the group said.

Speaking on the petrol subsidy matter, Oshun said: “We continue to endorse

the position of the NLC/ JAF/Civil societies that the strike should continue until complete reversal to the N65 benchmark, and all military men are withdrawn from the roads. We also call attention now to the urgent need for Nigerians to re-negotiate the mode of co-existence. The time to ask for this is now and we call on all other Nationalities in Nigeria, including the Ijaw National Congress that we had collaborated with in their burden days, to come together and ask for a Sovereign National Conference to restructure this country.”

NBA disagrees with Fed Govt on protests

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HE protests against fuel subsidy removal were not political, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) said yesterday.

In a statement issued in Kaduna by its President, Mr. Joseph Daudu (SAN), the association advised the Federal Government to view the protests as “spontaneous and not a politically motivated response as is the thinking in certain quarters”.

•Seeks compensation of victims • Sets agenda for govt From Kamarudeen Ogundele, Abuja

Commiserating with the families of persons killed in the protests, the bar canvassed for “adequate remedies due and payable to their families”.

It expressed hope that the issue will be one of the main points for discussion before

the Justice Belgore Committee.

NBA noted that “the protest was implemented by way of strikes, demonstrations and other forms of peaceful dissent in consonance with the letter and spirit of the fundamental law of the land to wit; the Nigerian Constitution 1999 as duly amended.

“These protests which had unprecedented nationwide coverage and support, demonstrated the nation’s outrage at the sudden escalation of the pump price of PMS from N65 to N141. The economic implications for the majority of impoverished Nigerians were uppermost in the minds of these stakeholders”.

ETECTIVES from the State Security Service (SSS) visited

the Lagos office of Cable Network News (CNN) yesterday. They demanded proof that all CNN employees working in the country were legally registered.

The three plain-clothed officers left after a CNN employee agreed to bring documentation to the local office of the SSS later in the day. Nothing was taken from the bureau and no employee was detained.

After a later meeting with security operatives, the CNN received assurances that all documentation was in order.

The visit occurred as CNN was reporting extensively on unrest in the country over the withdrawal of petrol subsidy.

Group flays military occupation of Lagos SOCIO-political advocacy group, the January Ninth Collectives (J9C) has condemned the deployment of armed military men in Lagos and other parts of the Southwest states of the country, describing it as a breach of the fundamental right of law-abiding citizens of Lagos and other affected states.

The group, which is made up of young and concerned professionals across various fields also decried the “militarisation of federal government’s response to the legitimate right of Nigerians to carry out peaceful protests”.

It noted that it was apparent that yesterday’s deployment of soldiers all over Lagos showed the Goodluck Jonathan administration’s recourse to “a shocking, undemocratic and unacceptable use of force”.

A

THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2012

9

NEWS Mark petitioned over NDIC

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HE Igbo Elders Forum in Abuja has petitioned Senate President David Mark over alleged marginalisation of the Southeast in appointments into the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC).

In a petition, the group said no Southeasterner has been appointed managing director or executive director (Corporate Services) since the corporation’s inception.

The exclusion of the South east in appointments into NDIC, the petitioners said, is

From Onyedi Ojiabor, Assistant Editor against the spirit of equity, fairness, due process and a vagrant abuse of the principle of federal character.

The petitioners noted that the NDIC Act of 2006 provided for federal character in the appointment of executive directors.

They urged Mark in the interest of equity, fair play, rule of law and adherence to principle of federal character to correct the imbalance.

Tinapa’s MD summoned From Nicholas Kalu, Calabar

Police prevent protest in Port Harcourt

P

OLICEMEN in Rivers State yesterday prevented members of the Ethnic Nationalities of the Niger Delta from protesting in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.

The protesters, led by the Convener, Miabiye Kuromiema, converged on the Isaac Boro Park but could not access the locked expansive facility.

The Commander of the Swift Operation Squad (SOS), Rivers Police Command, Johnson Oni, pleaded with the protesters that both anti and pro-subsidy removal

From Bisi Olaniyi, Port Harcourt

protests had been suspended for security reasons.

Kuromiama, who is also the President of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), Worldwide and the Coordinator of Nations and Organisations in Nigeria, stated that the Niger Deltans’ protest was aimed at campaigning against unconstitutional activities of labour and some persons in government.

The convener said: “We are here for Occupy Your Resources rally. The purpose is

to ensure that the constitution is obeyed to the letter by the Federal Government.”

The spokesperson of the Ijaw Republican Assembly (IRA), Ann Kio-Briggs, noted that she joined the protest to make her voice heard.

She said: “Niger Delta people converged on Isaac Boro Park, which is a public park, to make our voices heard on the issue of subsidy removal, the rights of the Niger Delta people to their resources, good governance, fight against corruption and

such issues.

“Unfortunately, both gates are locked. The police said we are not allowed to enter to address our people and to make our positions known to Nigeria and the rest of the world and even to President Goodluck Jonathan.

“We want the President to hear what we also have to say about the issues of resources, unemployment, bad governance, corruption, failure of government to hold the people, who have stolen Nigeria’s money, accountable.”

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HE Cross River State House of Assembly has summoned the Managing Director of Tinapa Business and Leisure Resort, Bassey Ndem, and the resort’s management to appear before a special House committee.

The 10-man committee, headed by Jake Otu Enyia(Boki II), yesterday ordered Ndem to submit a report on the state of the resort.

According to Enyia, who is also the chairman of the Finance and Appropriation Committee, the document is to be submitted before next Tuesday.

Support for Jonathan

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HE Unemployed Youth Association of Nigeria (UYAN) and ex-militants yesterday hailed the Goodluck Jonathan-led administration for reducing the pump price of petrol to N97.

A statement by UYAN’s National Chairman Pascal Beke Apere and the Delta State Coordinator, Robinson Tonwei, said the group supports the Federal Government’s removal of fuel subsidy.

“We support the President on the fuel subsidy re-

From Polycarp Orosevwotu, Warri

moval. We believe in Jonathan’s promise that he would use the proceeds of subsidy removal to develop the nation.”

Ex-militants in Oshegu Camp 4, Ughelli North Local Government yesterday staged a peaceful rally supporting the reduction of the pump price of petrol.

Over 200 militants carried placards, expressing their support for the President’s reform agenda.

Judiciary accused of prejudice From Nicholas Kalu, Calabar

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HE Cross River State Chairman of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Cletus Obun, has accused the Judiciary of frustrating the opposition in the state.

Obun alleged that most of the judgments delivered recently at the Election Appeal Tribunal were biased in favour of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Obun, who is also the state Chairman of the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP), made the allegation while reacting to most of the judgments on election matters delivered by the Court of Appeal in Calabar, led by Justice Mohammed Garuba.

He said even when some members of the opposition had good arguments, the Appeal Court struck out their cases on technical grounds.

According to him, the action of the Judiciary was capable of causing violence.

Obun called on the National Judicial Commission to intervene.

Fuel sells for N170 in Anambra

F

ILLING stations in Anambra State are selling fuel for N170 and N180, instead of the N97 per litre announced by the Federal Government.

Only the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) mega station on the Onitsha- Enugu Expressway is selling at N138 per litre.

Most of the filling stations

From Nwanosike Onu, Awka

are still closed. Most roads are almost empty as most people parked their vehicles because of lack of money to buy fuel.

Residents are complaining about lack of money in most of the banks’ Automated Teller Machines (ATMs).

New Edo CP resumes From Osagie Otabor, Benin

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HE Commissioner of Police in Edo State, Umaru Manko, has ordered the three Area Commanders and all the Divisional Police Officers in the state to come up with new strategies to combat crimes in the state.

Manko, who assumed duty yesterday, said he was in the state to fight criminals and make the state safe.

He took over from David Omojola who is proceeding to Nigeria Institute for Policy and Strategy Studies (NIPSS) in Kuru, near Jos. Manko, who spoke after receiving the handing over note from Omojola, promised to surpass the achievement recorded by his predecessor.

He said he was not oblivious of the security challenges in the state especially kidnappings and armed robbery.

According to him, “I’m going to fight crime to the best I can.

“Edo People should continue to continue to corporate with the police.”

•Chairman, Southeast Caucus, House of Representatives, Ogbuefi Ozongbanchi, flanked by Matthew Omegera (left) and Ben Nwankwo at a briefing on the killings of Igbo in the North in Abuja…yesterday PHOTO: ABAYOMI FAYESE

Victory is sure, Sylva assures supporters

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AYELSA State Governor Timipre Sylva yesterday assured his supporters that despite the opposition in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), he will emerge victorious.

Sylva spoke while addressing thousands of supporters at his campaign office in Yenagoa.

He said the office, which was also used by President Goodluck Jonathan to launch his campaign last April 2011, is historic.

Sylva said: “My election was postponed by the court and in February the election is taking place.

“I have assured you before now and I am reassuring you again that in that election, we will bear the PDP flag and we will win again.

“We believe in the agencies of government that are serving the purpose for the maintenance of law, that is the courts.

‘Stop pressurising Jega’

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GROUP, Bayelsa Democracy Watch (BDW), has raised the alarm that the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Attahiru Jega, is being pressurised to accept the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Bayelsa State.

In a statement by its Chairman, Emmanuel Otiotio, and Secretary Omu Bayefa, the group said Jega was a man of integrity who would not give in to pressure to do the wrong thing.

The group said: “We are able and prepared to deal with any manipulation of the political process in our state.

“We advise INEC and all those involved in the Bayelsa governorship election to alFrom Isaac Ombe, Yenagoa

“We found out that we were being treated unjustly, we went to the court because we did not want to take the laws into our hands.”

Supporters gave him a standing ovation and chorused the popular acronym

From Isaac Ombe, Yenagoa

ways toe the path of justice and honour. “ An activist, Richard Akinnola, also hailed INEC for its stand.

He said: “This is a clear signal that the era of lack of internal democracy within parties is gradually coming to an end.”

The Forum for Justice and Human Rights Defence through its National Coordinator, Oghenejabor Ikimi, hailed INEC’s decision not to publish the name of any PDP candidate.

It appealed to Bayelsans and President Goodluck Jonathan to cooperate with INEC in its efforts to conduct a free and fair election in the state.

of W.W.W. (We Will Win).

Sylva thanked the people, especially his supporters for being resolute throughout his travail.

“I urge you to continue to maintain peace; it is only peace and justice that can bring development to the state.

“Nothing can overturn

justice. The justice of God and the justice of the people will always prevail.

“We believe that with God we will win because God has sustained us till today.

“A lot of people thought that by now, we will not be existing, but the grace of God has continued to sustain us.”

Long queue at NNPC mega station in Edo

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HERE was a long queue of vehicles at the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation’s (NNPC’s) Mega Filling Station on Sapele Road in Benin City, the Edo State capital.

Motorists lined up at the only place fuel was being sold at N97 per litre in the capital city and its environs.

From Osagie Otabor, Benin Other filling stations were locked.

Some motorists hailed the price reduction; others called for a further reduction.

Frank Aigbokhai,who claimed to be a banker, said he was not impressed with the N97 and called for a reversal to N65.

A former councillor in Oredo Local Government, Valentine Asuen, said Organised Labour should feel the pulse of the masses and know whether they should call off the strike and continue negotiations.

The station‘s Manager, Ayo Busari, said the public has accepted the new price regime and assured

that the product will be available.

Banks, public offices and eateries remained closed.

Businesses resumed but there was heavy security presence in major streets.

At the Central Hospital, the emergency ward was open but women, who came for both ante-natal and post-natal care, were not attended to.

THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2012

10

NEWS Abia traders protest killings of Igbo From Ugochukwu Eke, Umuahia

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ARKETS in Abia State were shut yesterday as traders marched on the Government House to protest the killings of Christians by the Boko Haram sect in the North.

The traders asked President Goodluck Jonathan to call those who are behind the killings to order.

They said nobody has a monopoly on violence as there could be reprisal attacks, if the killings do not stop.

Governor Theodore Orji told them that he would forward their letter to the President.

The governor called for a stop to the killings, stressing that the Southeast do not want to fight again.

He said: “After the Civil War, Ndigbo decided to live as one, which is why they travelled to different parts of the country to live.

“All we want is to be allowed to conduct our trade in peace and for us to help in developing anywhere we live.

“The people of the Southeast do not want to be killed any longer. Life is sacred.

“No one has any right to kill another and if the killing continues, a time may come when those who are being killed will be forced to retaliate.”

•The traders...yesterday. Inset: Orji

Orji sets up Ojukwu’s funeral committee From Ugochukwu Eke, Umuahia

ABIA State Governor Theodore Orji has set up a funeral committee for the late Biafran leader, Dim Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu.

He, however, said the body of the late Biafran leader would not be taken to the Ojukwu Bunker in Umuahia.

The 13-man committee is headed by former ProChancellor of the State University, Uturu, Prof Joshua Ogbonnaya.

Members include Information and Strategy Commissioner Don Ubani; Orji’s Chief Press Secretary Ugochukwu Emezue; Chairman of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Hyacinth Okolie.

The governor said the body will be taken to Aba, the state’s commercial nerve centre, because according to him that was one of Ojukwu’s last demands, because “Aba people love me very much”.

Reps query N155b subsidy arrears in 2012 budget

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HE House of Representatives ad-hoc committee on subsidy removal yesterday queried the Minister for Finance and the coordinating Minister for the economy, Mrs. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, over the N155 billion provided by the Federal Government in the budget proposal for payment of fuel subsidy arrears.

The N155 billion is meant to be anticipatory arrears payment for fuel subsidy for last year ,besides the N1.3 trillion spent within three quarters of the same year.

The committee, led by Farouk Lawan, directed the minister to provide the bank statements, details of crude oil extracted, volume of petrol consumed per day and relevant documents on the payment of fuel subsidy from the Ministry of Finance.

The lawmakers also requested for documents relating to the unilateral withdrawal of revenues generated from the Joint Venture Cash Calls by Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) without recourse to the National Assembly.

But Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala

From Victor Oluwasegun and Dele Anofi, Abuja

told the committee that the Federal Government does not have the correct figures on subsidy.

She said most of the figures, including the N1.3 trillion, said to be the amount spent annually on fuel subsidy, were estimates.

The minister said she could only be accurate after meeting with NNPC and PPPRA officials.

On the N1.3 trillion fuel subsidy claim, Mrs. OkonjoIweala said: “I’m not here to defend inefficiency and corruption.

“I’m totally in support of finding out where the waste and corruption are.”

She said the Federal Government at no time stated that the economy is broke but that the country depends on domestic borrowing instead of the revenue it generates.

“We were about borrowing N1 trillion but for the intervention of President Jonathan to sustain the economy.”

Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala said N1.6 trillion would be required yearly for infrastructure.

But the Director-General of the Budget Office, Bright Nwogu, said the N155 billion provided in the budget proposal was in anticipation of the payment to oil marketers as at December.

According to him, the N245 billion provided in the 2011 Fiscal Framework was an estimated figure and that the Federal Government envisaged deregulation of the downstream of the oil sector.

He stated that N500 billion was provided in the previous year for subsidy because the amount of subsidy needed by the government was dependent on the “international price of crude oil, exchange.”

Explaining the huge rise in the subsidy figures, from the N246 billion appropriated to over N1 trillion, he said: “The gap was very much due to exchange rate, consumption etc and we had no idea that the oil price would rise to between N100 and N120. That estimate was done with the

JTF rebrands to Operation Pulo Shield

Kalu hails labour FORMER Abia State Governor Orji Uzor Kalu has hailed the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) for calling off the strike.

Kalu urged Nigerians to think first about the nation’s unity.

He said: “I commend the leadership of the NLC and TUC for calling off the strike in the interest of the people.

“They made a point, which has been noted by government. The decision to first suspend mass protests, and later call of the strike shows a huge sense of maturity.

“The President should be commended for his flexibility. Politics is about give-and-take.

“You win some, you lose some. Dialogue is key. Labour and government should continue to talk.”

•Okonjo-Iweala: no accurate statistics of spending

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HE Joint Military Task Force (JTF), Operation Restore Hope, in the Niger Delta has been transformed into Operation Pulo Shield.

It has the additional mandate of combating illegal such economic sabotage as well as pipeline vandalism.

Speaking at the end of the handing-and-taking over of the former Sector 2 and 3 JTF Operation Restore Hope by the 2 Brigade Port Harcourt, the Commander of the Brigade, Brig-Gen Yusuf Tukur Buratai, said his troops would stop economic sabotage in the region.

He said: “The JTF Operation Restore Hope has been transmuted to Operation Pulo Shield and this Brigade is given that added responsibility of conducting operations in Rivers and Bayelsa states.

“The troops that were hitherto with the JTF Operation Restore Hope in the

T

From Clarice Azuatalam, Port Harcourt two sectors are part of the operation.

“Sectors two and three are now under the 2 Brigade in Port Harcourt.

“The essence of this Pulo Shield is to protect oil facilities against oil bunkering, piracy and illegal arms importation across the Niger Delta.

“I want to tell you that we are going to face this task squarely. We are going to be more committed in carrying out this operation.”

Buratai, who is also the Commander of the two sectors, warned that his troops would not allow any body or group to sabotage the economy.

He said: “The JTF task of Restore Hope has been completed.

“We now have new chal-

best information available to the Budget Office” The Chairman, Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Allocation Commission (RMFAC), Elias Mbam, said the management of subsidy is not clearly defined between the NNPC, PPPRA, ministries of Petroleum Resources and Finance.

Mbam said the actual amount of money deducted

by NNPC as subsidy remains a top secret, adding that N1.262 trillion was paid as subsidy between January and September last year.

His words: “As of now, the management of subsidy is not clearly defined between the NNPC, PPPRA, ministries of Petroleum Resources and Finance.

“This has created doubt as to the true quantum of subsidy per litre and the total consumption of petroleum products in the country.

“Presently, the funding is being deducted from source while only the balance is remitted to the Federation Account for distribution.

“This, by implication, re-

•Buratai...yesterday

lenges coming up, such as widespread oil bunkering, pipeline vandalism, and you know the oil sector plays a vital role in our economy, we will not allow it to be destroyed.”

The army command warned all illegal oil bunkerers, pipeline vandals, illegal refinery operators, sea pirates and other criminals to desist from such acts.

duces the distributable pool to the three tiers of government, thereby affecting their capacity to perform their statutory responsibilities.

“The subsisting subsidy regime has resulted in huge deductions of revenue due to the federation account, particularly by the NNPC as well as direct payment to PPPRA for payment to marketers.”

According to him, between January and September 2011, N1.263 trillion was paid as subsidy, comprising N615.670 billion to the NNPC and N647.660 billion to the PPPRA. Eliam, however, regretted that the subsidy process lacks proper monitoring.

“There is no effective process of subsidy regime to determine the actual subsidy requirements of the country viza-viz local and imported products,” he said.

However, former chairman of RMAFC Hamman Tukur has argued that there is nothing like subsidy but corruption.

He stated that there would be no transparency in the sector until the NNPC stops reporting directly to the Presidency.

Detained Enugu Labour leader arraigned HE Labour leader in •Gets bail Enugu State, who

was arrested and imprisoned for attempting to enforce the nationwide fuel subsidy removal strike, has been formally charged with conspiracy and attempted disruption of peace.

Festus Ozoeze was, however, granted bail by the court after pleading not guilty to the charges.

Ozoeze was arrested last Tuesday and tried by a tribunal set up by the government at the State Police Headquarters.

He was remanded at the Enugu Prisons.

Ozoeze is the Vice Chairman of Amalgamated Workers Union in the State Water Corporation.

He was brought before the Enugu Magistrate’s Court and granted bail by Chief Magistrate A. Mbah in the sum of N100, 000 and a substantial surety in like sum who must be resident

From Chris Oji, Enugu within the jurisdiction of the court and must have a three-year tax clearance certificate.

Outlining the case for the prosecution, Assistant Superintendent of Police Peter Eze alleged that the labour leader “conspired with others now at large on January 10 at the State Secretariat to commit a misdemeanour to wit; conduct likely to cause breach of the peace thereby committing an offence punishable under Section 496 (a) of the Criminal Code.

Ozoeze’s counsel Emeka Okologbo Njoku had moved for bail, arguing that it is within the jurisdiction of the court to grant bail to the accused.

The court granted his request. The case has been adjourned till February 13.

THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2012

11

BUSINESS THE NATION

E-mail:- bussiness@thenationonlineng.net

The president has removed all import duties on agriculture equipment. We should patronise goods that are manufactured in Nigeria so that we can boost our production.

-Comptroller-General, Nigeria Customs Service Alhaji Abdullahi Dikko

Senate backs oil industry probe

Oil prices rise

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IL prices rose yesterday as the market reacted to potential supply disruptions in Nigeria and Iran, while keeping a watch over fresh eurozone strains after last week’s ratings downgrades, analysts said.

New York’s main contract, West Texas Intermediate crude for delivery in February, gained 65 cents to $99.35 a barrel, according to AFP. Brent North Sea crude for February climbed 62 cents to $111.06 in London deals.

“Choppy trading is here to stay at the start of the week with all attention on the eurozone and developments in Nigeria,”said Andrey Kryuchenkov, an analyst at Russian financial group VTB Capital.

Commerzbank analyst Eugen Weinberg said “the war of words between Iran and the West is likely to keep the risk premium on the oil price at a high level.”

Fire at Chevron’s rig

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FIRE broke out on a drilling rig in Chevron’s Funiwa oil facility in southeastern Nigeria yesterday, Chevron said in a statement, adding that it was helping any rig workers in need of medical assistance.

“Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL) ... confirms a fire incident on the K. S. Endeavor jack-up rig. The incident occurred in the early hours of Monday,” Chevron spokesman Scott Walker said in an emailed statement.

“We are still investigating the incident and are working to fully understand what happened,” he added, but did not give any casualty figures.

Local people living near Funiwa reported an explosion.

“I heard a really loud bang and there was a fire,” local village chief Young Fabby, 55, said by telephone.

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

-N6.503 trillion -Z5.112trillion -$10.84 trillion -£61.67 trillion

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

From Onyedi Ojiabor, Asst.

Editor and Sanni Onogu (Abuja)

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•SHUT: A Mega filling station at Oregun, Lagos locked during the strike .... yesterday.

PPPRA urges marketers to sell T fuel at N97

HE Petroleum Product Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) yesterday directed petrol marketers to sell Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) at N97 per litre.

In a statement, which the agency made available to reporters in Abuja, the Executive Secretary, Mr Reginald Stanley, advised the petrol suppliers to honour their fourth quarter of last year’s supplies to prevent the country from experiencing shortages.

According to him, a machinery has already been put in place to ensure that products supplied are fully accounted for and appropriate subsidy worked out for such deliveries.

He assured the consumers of adequate supply, barring any supply disruption wit-

From John Ofikhenua, Abuja

nessed in the past one week.

Stanley added that the PPPRA and the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) will ensure that marketers revert to the new price and consumers are not taken advantage of in any form or in any way.

In the coming days/weeks, the PPPRA will engage operators in further consultation to ensure that the price change implementation is hitch-free.

The statement reads: “Following extensive consultation with stakeholders, including the leadership of the National Assembly, the Governors’ Forum, Organised Labour Group

(Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress), and in consideration of the views expressed by well- meaning Nigerians, the Federal Government has announced a downward review in pump price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) from the Maximum Indicative Benchmark Open Market Price of N141/litre announced by the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) on January 1, 2012 to a regulated pump price of N97/litre.

“By this announcement, the price of petrol at all retail stations across the nation, now sells at N97/litre. All suppliers are hereby advised to

honour their Q4 2011 supplies, so that the nation does not go into supply shock.

“Machinery has already been put in place to ensure that products supplied are fully accounted for and appropriate subsidy worked out for such deliveries. Consumers are by this statement, assured of adequate supply, barring any supply disruption witnessed in the past one week.

“The PPPRA in conjunction with the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) will ensure that marketers revert to the new price and consumers are not taken advantage of in any form or in any way. In the coming days/ weeks, the PPPRA will engage Operators in further consultation to ensure that the price change implementation is hitch-free.”

Traders hit as petrol glut builds offshore Nigeria

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IL traders face lower profits or potential losses as a gasoline glut of around one million tonnes builds offshore Nigeria due to a dispute over a cut in petrol subsidies, which has pitched protesters against President Goodluck Jonathan.

Around 30 vessels are waiting to offload their gasoline cargoes, or just under one million tonnes of the refined product, according to trade sources. The product glut would have a market value of under $900 million, according to Reuters calculations based on benchmark European prices.

Exporters have been unable to offload fuel cargoes into Nigerian ports as strikes, which started about two weeks ago, have shut down the country.

President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday made concessions to the protesters

by partly restating the subsidy to cut the price of gasoline to N97 ($0.60) a litre, prompting the unions to suspend strikes.

The gasoline cargoes are still being kept offshore, however, due to the uncertainty surrounding the negotiations, as operators choose to wait and see before redirecting the product elsewhere.

Traders face thining margins on their exports to Nigeria due to the subsidy cuts, details of which are still being worked out, together with additional demurrage charges due to the offloading delays.

“Companies do face reduced margins. A lot of the smaller companies - the briefcase companies - will fall away,” one gasoline trader said.

Nigeria is Africa’s largest crude producer but is dependent on gasoline imports be-

cause of the poor quality of its refining infrastructure.

Trade sources said it would be difficult to send Nigerian-specification gasoline (RON 91 with 1,000 parts per million of sulphur) to other markets. In the past, the gasoline could have been redirected to Libya, according to a source, but such a move would further dent profitability.

“Who else is going to consume so much in West Africa?

People waiting there have a huge issue on their hands,” the trader said. He is holding the next couple of cargoes that he had been about to send there. “I’m not loading them and looking for other outlets.”

Nigeria, the most populated country in Africa, can consume much more gasoline than neighbouring countries.

“Currently, all is still on hold,” the trader said. “No

one is discharging into the depot. There are no loadings at the depot - just what was stocked at the retail outlets.”

“Basically, Jonathan has come out with a proposal of N97 (per litre) but it is not 100 percent agreed. There is no clear picture,” the trader said.

The market has been waiting for clarity since the president’s surprise move at New Year. Traders said the country had shut down before they could get any confirmation as to how the new regime would work.

“It’s all up in the air at the moment - ‘watch this space’ type of thing,” another trader said.

Under the new regime it was envisaged that the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPRA) would regulate the price at the pumps and impose a ceiling every two weeks, trade sources said.

HE Senate yesterday threw its weight behind the Federal Government’s move to investigate activities in the oil and gas sector.

Chairman, Senate Committee on Information, Media and Public Affairs, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, unveiled Senate’s support for the probe in a statement. He also commended President Goodluck Jonathan and the organised labour for reaching a truce in the lingering crisis caused by the withdrawal of petrol subsidy.

Specifically,Abaribe urged the government not to spare any individual or groups that ripped-off the national treasury through the subsidy issue.

He said:“Senate welcomes the commitment of the government to sanitise the petroleum industry, tackle inherent corruption therein and punish those found culpable.

“The Senate as a responsive institution has always called for accountability and transparency in the oil and gas sector.

“That was the reason the Senate instituted a probe panel to investigate the sector, especially the management of the subsidy fund, which led to the discovery and exposing of the beneficiaries of the fund.

“It is, therefore, hoped that the government will go all out to restore confidence in that sector, by sparing no individuals or groups that ripped-off the national treasury through the subsidy issue.”

On the suspension of strike, he noted that the Senate is happy that a truce has been reached in the lingering crisis.

Flights back at Lagos Airport

By Kelvin Osa-Okunbor

F

LIGHTS and ancilliary commercial activities have picked up at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, as domestic airlines opened their counters at the new terminal two (MMA2), for flights billed for the Lagos -Abuja, Lagos-Port Harcourt and Lagos Calabar routes.

The development followed the suspension of the nationwide strike called by Nigeria Labour Congress( NLC) and Trade Union Congress( TUC) to protest the removal of fuel subsidy by the Federal Government.

At 3.30 pm yesterday, some domestic carriers including, Aero Airlines, Air Nigeria, First Nation Airways, DANA Air and IRS Airlines, opened their counters for tickets sales, as scores of passengers rushed to the new domestic terminal to catch any available flight billed for their destinations.

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THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2012

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TUESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2012

ENERGY THE NATION

E-mail:- energy@thenationonlineng.net

‘DPR to align processes, operation with global standards’ Stories by Emeka Ugwuanyi

• Olorunsola

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HE Director of Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), Augustine Olorunsola, has said he will transform the agency saddled with regulation of the oil and gas industry by aligning its operation and processes with global industry standards.

In his plan, Olorunsola said he would beam his spotlight on atti-

tude change, upscale technology usage and ensure private sector participation to take the company to the next level. He said one of the things he wants to achieve quickly is the enthronement of professionalism in the company. “I want to see that professionalism is established across all cadres in the organisation because you cannot regulate people who know more than you, and that is what we are seriously lacking,” so that is really where we have to start, he added.

Olorunsola decried the state of the oil regulator in terms of capacity building and modern working tools. He said there are operational benchmarks in the global industry and Nigeria is not different from other parts of the world and doesn’t have a separate specification different from operations in other parts of the world.

He noted that one of the things that had kept the DPR in a state that makes it look as if it is inefficient is because the agency has not really been innovative over time. He said: “We cannot be watchdogs to-

day and be using the tools of 40 years ago. It doesn’t work like that.

And you cannot be everywhere at all the time and you are not even suppose to be everywhere at all the time.”

He said: “Today, there are tools that can deployed, and one can sit in one’s office and will be watching everything he really wants to see whether in Lagos, Maiduguri or anywhere”. This is what has not happened in the DPR over time but stated his resolve to make this happen, so that workers can stay in the office and do their monitoring functions through deployment of technological devices.

The DPR chief said he understood the fact that there are not sufficient resources but noted that everything is not about money and also it is not the number of people that are involved in a project that matters but also their quality. “If you like put 20 people in a project that requires much less number, you will

be surprise you don’t particularly get the right quality you are looking for. So, part of what we should be doing, which I will say I’m the first person to be doing that, is to try to bring in some other people especially from the private sector that can help to turn the company around.

On the areas of funding and autonomy, which the organisation currently lacks, Olorunsola said all that will come with time. He said, for instance, that whoever has been following discussions on the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), autonomy is not in question at all, everybody knows it will happen. What we don’t know is just the time. All that will come but before it comes, the first thing is to start cleaning your house to get the right set of people at all levels to be doing things in anticipation of the new world, which is a post-PIB world. It is a huge transformation we have to go into. People have to be accountable

and transparent in the way they do their things and people have to be properly and quickly equipped, in terms of tools,processes and competences.

He said: “Each time you talk of transformation or you are trying to reorganise, people talk so much about funding. It is really not money that is the biggest thing, it is changing the attitude of people that is the real thing. There is nothing that the private companies are doing – Shells and Totals of this world, that we cannot do in DPR. It is not everything that is about money, that doesn’t mean we (DPR) wouldn’t need a little beat of help in terms of funding, changing people’s mindset and changing people’s mental behavior. We will need all the help bringing in new set of tools that will need a huge some of money but I bet you the biggest thing that needs to be transformed is the people’s attitude.

‘Piracy high in Nigeria’

N

IGERIAN piracy did not decline last year. It merely moved elsewhere, according to analysis by the Denmarkbased maritime security intelligence concern Risk Intelligence.

Hellenicshippingnews.com quoting Tanker Operator, said in total, Risk Intelligence recorded 70 Nigeria-related attacks against offshore oil and gas and maritime targets in 2011 – up from 58 recorded in 2010.

Pirates began to focus on product tankers in December 2010, when they attacked the Italian tanker ‘Valle di Cordoba’ off Cotonou.

Last year, they attacked 30 tankers off Lagos, Lomé, and Cotonou and two more off the Niger Delta.

“The 24 attacks in the international waters offshore Benin and Togo in 2011 were an opportunistic move, driven by internal Nigerian developments” said Dirk

T

HE members of the United States Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund Project on Kenaf Clean-up have regretted the oil spillage in the Shell’s Bonga Field last month.

A statement by the group and signed by Dr. Moji Edema, Chairperson, Publicity Committee and Dr. Morufat Balogun said while the Federal Government is planning to conduct an investigation to ascertain the extent and cause of the incident (system or human error), Royal Dutch Shell says the spill has been halted and clean-up is expected to be completed within six weeks.

While still uncertain about the details, it has been estimated that about 40,000 barrels of crude oil has been lost spanning about 120 kilometres off the southern coast of Nigeria.

The National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), said the leakage could be three times as large as Shell contends and that this could be the country’s worst case of oil pollution in 10 years.

However, the size of the spill may

Steffen, Risk Intelligence’s director of consultancy. “These included the amnesty for former Niger Delta militants, fuel subsidies and political pressure on criminal networks in Nigeria.”

The pirates hijacked 14 vessels for short periods and transferred petroleum product cargoes into small tankers.

“Evidence provided by ship’s crews and by the Nigerian Navy suggests that several of the receiving vessels were operating for Nigerian interests out of Lagos and the Niger Delta. Those appear to have close links to the long-standing illegal oil bunkering business in Nigeria,” added Steffen.

Risk Intelligence recently published an assessment of Nigerian maritime security. It examined key factors shaping maritime security and gauged the potential for piracy and insurgency in Nigeria’s maritime domain for 2012.

• Jay Wileman, President, Sub-Saharan Africa, GE Energy, (left) and James Olotu, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) during a visit of government delegation to GE service centre in Port Harcourt recently.

Group flays Shell on Bonga oil spill be even be larger. SkyTruth, a nonprofit group based in West Virginia that uses satellite imagery to detect environmental problems, estimated the oil spill might stretch across roughly 350 square miles (920 square kilometres) of ocean - three times what the authorities believe.

It has also come to our notice that dispersants are being used for the clean-up. We wish to condemn this method in its entirety for the following reasons: Dispersants are a group of chemicals designed to be sprayed onto oil slicks to accelerate the process of natural dispersion.

Their use is intended to minimise the damage caused by floating oil, but, as with most available spill response options, the use of dispersants has limitations and should be carefully planned and controlled.

Our questions then are: (i) who approved the dispersants being used? (Approval and authorisation must be given by the responsible government agency before any dispersant is used); (ii) was there a thorough monitoring and assessment

plan for the application of the dispersant(s) being used?

Dispersants dissipate large amounts of oil from the sea surface by transferring it into the water column. They will cause the oil slick to break up and form water-soluble micelles that are rapidly diluted. The oil is then effectively spread throughout a larger volume of water than the surface from where the oil was dispersed. They can also delay the formation of persistent oilin-water emulsions. However, laboratory experiments have shown that dispersants increased toxic hydrocarbon levels in fish by a factor of up to 100 and may kill fish eggs The group said in the United States, dispersants are used underwater only with continuous and rigorous monitoring of its effectiveness and impact on the environment and the government reserves the right to discontinue the use of a dispersant method if negative impacts on the environment outweigh the benefits.

Please recall that a dispersant was used in an attempt to clean up the

Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989 and the use was discontinued as there was not enough wave action to mix the dispersant with the oil in the water. Who monitored to ensure this in the Bonga oil spill and how?

To date, the use of subsurface dispersants has not been approved in the US and we condemn the use of dispersants in the Bonga oil spill because this is being carried out without following safe and due procedures Within the last decade, chemical procedures for oil spill clean-up have been replaced by biological control (bio-control) methods which have been described as safe and environmentally friendly.One of such bio-control agents is the Kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus) plant.

Kenaf fibre is non-toxic, nonabrasive and is more effective than classical remediants, like clay and silica. Our project, sponsored by the alumni office of the US Department of State is aimed at using local plants like Kenaf for oil spill

clean-up in Nigeria’s Niger Delta through a participatory and community-integrated strategy that we believe is sustainable.

We are worried that this spillage which has been likened to that of the BP in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, is being treated with ‘’kid gloves’’. There is evidence that the Bonga oil field tragedy is spreading to all parts of the Niger Delta and outside our country with indications that Brazil could be vulnerable. While Shell states that the spill has been contained, Friends of the Earth and Environmental Rights Action who are on ground at the site have reported that communities in Odioama located in the Niger Delta have seen some unsuspected slicks.

This spillage at Shell’s Bonga FPSO is feared to be moving fast towards the shores putting birds, vegetation, other marine resources and vessel navigation at risk. We, therefore, advise that representatives from the affected communities be invited by the responsible Federal Government agency like NOSDRA to certify an oil spillage as been contained as Shell claims.

THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2012

14

ENERGY

US, Nigerian firm partner on energy, climate project

A

N American firm- Technical Consumer Product (TCP) and a Nigerian company, Allsort Shop Warehouse Limited have entered into partnership to promote the use of energy-efficient and environment-friendly luminaries as well as create awareness on climate change and how to save it from greenhouse emissions.

The President/Chief Executive Officer, Allsort Shop Warehouse Limited, Adewale Akande, spoke to our correspondent on the objectives the partnership and the benefits Nigerians and all users of the products stand to gain.

Akande said the partnership works on a project called Allsort TCP Cleaner Living Initiative.

They work with communities on climate change, especially by reducing community energy consumption. The TCP is an Americanbased company that is into the manufacturing of energy-efficient luminaries ranging from compact fluorescent lamps to LED lamp and HID lamps, among many varieties of lamps that are of very high quality and energy efficient.

Besides, he said the Cleaner Living Initiative is divided into two packages Individual and community. On individual package, he said once a consumer changes five of his energy saving bulbs, he will be given a form to register and the initiative gives him a club membership number. After getting membership number, the person will in his next purchase get a discount and an opportunity of winning something at the end of day.

In addition to this, for every individual the person introduces into the idea, he gets three club points and if he accumulates his club point to 100, he can get a cash pack of N1000 or the equivalent in energy saving bulbs.

The same goes to community that buys into the idea. The partnership encourages them and at the end of the day, looks at what their carbon footprints and calculates their carbon footprints based on the number of bulbs that are distributed within that community.

By Emeka Ugwuanyi

We also look at how to encourage such community with that idea by providing incentives for them such as supporting them in other community projects they do apart from making money this energy and environment saving luminaries.

Currently, the organisation is partnering some communities Lagos including Ifedapo, Ejoke, Winfunke, Irepodun and Fajomo all in Agbado Oke-Odo Akande said: “Allsort Shop Warehouse Limited is into luminaries and working with community development associations (CDAs) on climate change especially reducing community energy consumption and my company has a number of CDAs that it is working with including Ifedapo, Winfunke, Exhalded, Bakare, Bajomo and Ifesowapo community development associations all in AgbadoOke Odo of Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State “The basic aim of this project is to see the communities switch over to energy-efficient luminaries. The Allshop TCP cleaner Living Initiative is all about creating a platform of communities and citizens to join hands with Federal Government to achieving the roadmap towards sustainable energy in the country.

To work with the communities and sensitise the them on the importance of climate change and giving them a platform to contribute physically to fighting climate change and raise the awareness and consciousness of communities on that. The objective is also to encourage communities and individuals to stop energy wastage, to keep energy and keep money and save the environment. The whole idea is we want to encourage communities to begin to use energy efficient lamps. Before now, we have many lamps in the country but most of them are substandard lamps that consumers had always been very disappointed about because they don’t last long. The danger in some of them is especially with regard to the mercury content

nobody is giving information about it. What Allsort Shop is doing, is to provide information on how to manage a lamp. Each of the lamp we talk about will last for 10 years, which is equivalent of about 10,000 hours and they are of very high quality, which is used in the UK for the UK project and also used in so many other European countries and in America.

“TCP as a company is responsible for over 70 per cent of compact fluorescent lamps supply in US alone and they are the world largest manufacturer of compact fluorescent lamps making about I.5 million lamps everyday in China.

The company has its headquarters in US but the manufacturing arm is in China. What we are doing with communities is we give the communities lectures on the project, why it is important for them to contribute to assisting Federal Government to achieving the goal of power sector reform and also climate change. Most of them are very positive about this project. The response has been quite encouraging and we provide these lamps to them at highly subsidised rates, which is in line with the arrange-

ment we have with TCP. “They get it into the communities, the community Development Associations (CDAs) put a very small mark up on it, the end user in the community buy it at a price much cheaper than they will get it in supermarket or highbrow areas in Lagos.”

He said the company carried out a pilot project in 2009 on the bulbs.

He said they did a randomised survey and found out that majority of them still use the lamps over two years after and the lamps are still running. Therefore, it gives them opportunity and confidence to log onto this idea and it proves we have no doubt that it saves energy. He said for instance, if 1,000 lamps in a community uses an average of 60 watts per bulb, that is 60,000 watts on the transformer that serves them, if they change from 60watts to 11watts, which is about 80 percent below, you found out that instead of 60,000 watts, it comes down to 11,000 watts saving 49,000 watts.

If we go on and on nationally, you found that it will reduce the energy requirement to light up the country bearing in mind that most Nigerians cannot afford fan or air con-

ditioner, but no matter how poor a Nigerian is, the person has one lamp in his house.

He said with the illustration, you found that the largest consumer of energy will probably be light, which is the average people are using and consumed in a very insignificant percentage of our total energy output from the generating stations. In doing all this, we will be co-operating with the government in achieving the power sector reform objectives and at the same time if individuals start reducing their energy consumption and contributing to improving their environment it will go a long way to reducing the individual carbon emission and make the environment more habitable. The gases that are responsible for this climate change are carbon dioxide and you know most of our power generating plants use fossil fuel , which emit huge amount of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere that erodes the ozone layer, which causes climate change. We want to see how people can be conscious and take responsibility at achieving very good environment not just for now but for our future.

Oil production studies begin in Cameroon’s Fako field

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TATISTICS from the National Hydrocarbons Corporation (NHC) show that oil production in Cameroon in 2011 stood at 21,700 million barrels and contributed FCFA 539,236 billion to the State treasury.

Stakeholders are intensifying exploration work to step up production so that the sector can ably give the needed push to the country’s socio-economic development.

According to report, against this backdrop, government and Kosmos Energy Cameroon HC, a filial of Kosmos Energy Limited, last week, signed a production sharing contract (PSC) for oil exploration on the Fako Block, a virgin block that wraps around the foot of Mount Cameroon and which spans through Douala/KribiCampo and the Rio del Rey Basins covering a surface area of 1,289 square kilometers.

The Minister of Industries, Mines and Technological Development, Emmanuel Bonde, and NHC Executive General Manager, Adoplhe Moudiki, signed for Cameroon while Kosmos Energy Cameroon HC’s Vice President and Country Manager, Christopher Stone, signed for his company.

According to the terms of the contract, Kosmos Energy HC will in six years undertake a work programme on the Fako Block in three phases of two years each renewable as per the prescriptions of the Petroleum Code. This, among others, consists in carrying out geoscience studies, acquiring grav-

ity gradiometric and magnetic data as well as studies for the initial phase of two years. It will also acquire, process and interprete 100 km of 2D seismic data or the drilling of one exploration well during the second phase as well as the drilling of an exploration well during the third phase. The work programme has a corresponding investment estimated at $18 million (about FCFA 9 billion).

Records show that the block has oil and gas potential. Yesterday’s contract was the 17th signed thus far within the framework of the application of the law No. 99/013 of December 22, 1999 on the Petroleum Code.

Speaking to the press after the ceremony at the NHC Head Office, Christopher Stone, said the contract is another step for his company as well as the country’s oil production. “All along, all our efforts here have been on-shore along the coast. We are looking at an opportunity all the time both for on and off-shores. We believe Cameroon is a good place to invest. We have a big reservoir of experience on oil and gas along the coast of West Africa,” he said.

Kosmos Energy Limited, the ultimate parent company of Kosmos Energy Cameroon HC, is a leading independent oil and gas exploration and production company focused on frontier and emerging areas in the West and North Africa as well as in South America. Exchange of gifts and a group photo spiced the ceremony.

• Transmission equipment

North Sea production decline to stop

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EW research shows that Brit ish oil and gas tax revenues could rise by billions of pounds this year as high oil prices boost earnings and tempt operators into opening new fields after a decade of sharp declines.

According to RTE News, research by consultancy Wood Mackenzie suggested that the past two years of investment have set the stage for a landmark shift in the North Sea, following exceptionally dismal data in 2011 when oil and gas production in the third quarter slumped at the fastest rate since records began in the mid-1990s.

Oil and gas investment in Britain is set to hit an all-time high this year, adding new jobs and potentially more than £5 billion in tax revenue to Britain’s budget.

British oil and gas production has fallen at a yearly average of 4.13

percent and 6.16 per cent since 2005, according to government figures.

A halt in falling output alone would give the Treasury almost £2 billion more in gross production revenues in 2012 than it did in 2010, Reuters research showed. Calculations were based on 2010 oil and gas prices and an industry average tax rate of 68 per cent.

But higher oil and gas prices this year could lift tax revenues by £5.5 billion compared with 2010, the latest year for which data is available, although that is before companies deduct capital and operating costs and some other rebates.

“As of 2012, we expect production declines to halt for liquids (including crude oil) and gas, and we expect that to continue for a few years until the decline starts again,” Lindsay Wexelstein, an analyst at energy consultancy Wood Mackenzie,

told Reuters.Wexelstein predicted a slight increase in gas production but said oil output would most probably remain stable.

North Sea oil and gas output passed its peak at the start of the last decade as the larger and easier-to-tap deposits were pumped out. That peak remains out of reach to this day, Wexelstein said.

BP, Total, RWE Dea, BG Group, and GDF Suez have spearheaded a recovery in output after spending billions of pounds developing seven of the biggest discoveries in the UK continental shelf in recent years.

The improved investment outlook appears to challenge oil and gas company officials who said last year’s surprise hike in the tax on production would thwart investment and lead to job losses.

15

THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2012

ENERGY The face-off between the United States and Iran is getting intense as some US allies succumb to placing embargo on Iran oil. Currently, Japan has partly given way to the U.S demand while some European countries have given their approval but China and India seem stuck to Iran’s oil, writes EMEKA UGWUANYI with agency reports.

Tension mounts on global oil market • Nigeria, Sudan, Syria issues worsen situation

• Barack Obama

T

HE future of crude futures is getting increasingly uncer tain.Even projections and speculations from analysts and market makers have failed the litmus test as Iran; the world’s fourth largest oil producer seems not to be perturbed by threats of sanctions by the United States, European Union and other countries the US wants to woo over to its side.

US wants to compel Iran to drop its nuclear programme, which is believed would soon produce atomic bomb – one of the deadliest bombs ever known by man, through placing embargo on purchases of Iran’s crude by the ever energy thirsty developed economies.

Besides, Iran seems also be daring the US with the plans to shut down Strait of Hormuz. Iran recently held a 10-day military exercise on Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf through which 18 per cent of the world’s oil travels, a signal to the West that it can block the flow of oil from the route whenever it wants.

Striking workers in the country where the government removed fuel subsidy have threatened to shut oil production and export terminal, while crisis in South Sudan and Syria the military just entered the protesters town, have had effect on oil price.

The United States has taken sanctions against three oil companies that traded with Iran. One of them was China’s state-run Zhuhai Zhenrong Corporation, which the US said was Iran’s largest supplier of refined petroleum products.

The other two, according to BBC News, were Singapore’s Kuo Oil and FAL Oil, an energy trade based in the United Arab Emirates. The State Department said the sanctions were part of efforts to persuade Iran to rein in its nuclear ambitions.

The sanctions came days after US Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner visited China to urge its government to do more to put pressure on Iran. The sanctions, the report said, would prevent the three companies from receiving US export licences, US Export Import Bank financing or any loans over $10 million from US financial institutions.

Analysts said the sanctions against Zhuhai Zhenrong were largely symbolic, given that the company would be unlikely to do much business in the US. It may be seen as more of a threat to larger Chinese energy companies, which have made large investments in the US energy sector.

“It’s a good shot across the bow and signals the US is serious about vigorous sanctions enforcement,” said Mark Dubowitz, executive director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

“This could be the beginning of a cascade of more sanctions on

Chinese companies if China doesn’t curtail its Iranian trade.”

India said it would keep doing business with Tehran and sees no reason to seek a waiver from the US that would protect buyers of Iranian oil from a fresh round of sanctions, a senior Indian cabinet minister said.

“Why should we seek waiver from the US? We have done business with Iran earlier and will continue to do business,”the minister, who has knowledge of the matter but did not want to be named as the issue is confidential, told Reuters.

The minister said government officials would visit Iran this week and find ways to pay for oil in light of US financial measures designed to block the trade.

The minister’s comments echo industry sources who told Reuters that New Delhi may not seek a waiver from the sanctions, as the government appeared to believe the 120-day exemption would not offer a lasting solution.

Other major buyers of Iranian crude such as Japan and South Korea do intend to secure such waivers. The United States and its allies in Europe and elsewhere are putting pressure on Iran to curb a nuclear programme they worry is aimed at developing an atom bomb. Iran says its goal is to produce nuclear power.

New US laws, authorised on December 31, make it even tougher for financial institutions to deal with Iran’s central bank, the main clearing house for the country’s oil payments. The laws allow waivers to firms in countries that significantly reduce dealings with Iran, or at any time when it is either in the US national interest or necessary for energy market stability.

The sanctions have faced India with a dilemma as it strives to balance the need to keep importing about $12 billion of Iranian crude annually without upsetting ties with Washington.

A different senior Indian official told Reuters that a final decision on whether to seek a waiver had not yet been made and would depend partly on the outcome of next week’s trip to Iran. The decision would also depend on whether India could find adequate alternative sources of oil. Options being looked at to cope with the U.S. measures include payment in Indian rupees or a trade barter system, the official said.

Officially the Indian government says it has not asked refiners to reduce imports from Iran but companies are already seeking alternative supplies, fearing an existing payment conduit for Iranian oil could snap under sanctions pressure.

Previous sanctions already made it harder for India to import the 350,000 to 400,000 barrels per day (bpd) it buys from Iran, about 12 percent of its oil needs. In 2010, the central bank scrapped a long-standing clearance mechanism, triggering a scramble by importers to find a new way to pay.

Since last year, Turkey’s Halkbank has routed India’s payments to Iran, but that conduit is seen by the government as unstable in the face of the latest sanctions. Halkbank has already refused to open an account for state-run Bharat Petroleum Corporation for oil from Iran.

The Indian delegation including officials from the central

bank and the finance ministry will visit Tehran from January 1621 to explore alternative routes of payment to ensure supplies without breaching sanctions.

“This is a technical issue but I am confident they will find a solution and a payment mechanism option soon,” the Indian minister said. Last week an Indian oil ministry official denied comments to Reuters from industry sources saying the government had asked refiners to reduce Iranian oil imports, adding the existing mechanism through Turkey was working but that India was also looking for alternative supplies.

He did not explain why India was looking for alternative supplies. Indian refiners have gradually started buying more from

‘If the EU follows the Americans and places an embargo on purchases of Iranian oil … then the Europeans will suffer first and foremost, and not the US, it has plenty of its own reserves’

sources such as Saudi Arabia, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates.

According to AFP, the global oil industry expects to rely on increased output from other oil exporting countries including members of the Organisation of Oil Exporting Countries (OPEC) to make up for Iran’s oil when full blown embargo on Iran’s oil is carried out by US, EU and other American allies.

If Iran is hit with an oil embargo over its nuclear policy, other major exporters will increase their production in order to steady world markets, the French foreign minister said.

“Other countries are ready to increase production to avoid an effect on prices. We have made discreet contacts in this direction.

The producers don’t want to talk about it, but they are standing ready,” Alain Juppe said.

Briefing a French parliamentary committee, Juppe said he did not share some lawmakers’ pessimism over the prospects for an embargo on Iranian crude. Several Western powers are pushing for stronger economic sanctions to be imposed on Iran’s Islamic regime in order to force it to abandon a nuclear programme they allege is destined to produce atomic bombs.

Juppe admitted some European oil importers, including Italy and Greece, were also nervous about losing Iranian exports, but said: “We are trying to convince our partners that there are other sources of supply.”

The French minister said he hoped to have all EU members on board for tougher sanctions before a European foreign minister’s meeting on January 23.

However, the Russian government has warned the European

• Abdallah El-Badri OPEC Sec-Gen

Union not support American demands that sanctions be brought down against Iranian oil exports.

According to Bikya Masr report, Moscow claims it would leave too much of a burden on EU citizens. “If the EU follows the Americans and places an embargo on purchases of Iranian oil … then the Europeans will suffer first and foremost, and not the US, it has plenty of its own reserves,” said Nikolai Patrushev, secretary of Russia’s National Security Council, in an interview.

“Considering the long-term economic problems in the eurozone, a move like that would only make things worse,” Patrushev said in comments to the newspaper Kommersant.

Russia’s government is “aware,” Patrushev said, of an EU plan to invoke new sanctions against Iran, possibly on January 23.

The ban would make illegal the import of Iranian oil to the world’s largest trading region. But political analysts say the sanctions could be a means of avoiding a violent confrontation with Tehran. According to Matti Suminan, a Finnish analyst based in Brussels, the • Continued on page 16

• Lagos State Governor,Mr Babatunde Fashola (SAN) being interviewed by Aviation correspondents on his arrival from Abuja after attending a meeting of the Nigeria Governors Forum and organised Labour with President Goodluck Jonathan over the nationwide strike in the aftermath of the removal of fuel subsidy at the VIP Wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja,Lagos.

THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2012

16

ENERGY

Fuel subsidy removal govt policy, says Alison-Madueke T

HE Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, has debunked reports that she unilaterally ordered the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) to announce the withdrawal of subsidy on New Year’s day without the knowledge of the Presidency and other members of the Federal Executive Council.

The clarification was made by the Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Dr. Levi Ajuonuma, who described the report as lacking in merit and bad in taste.

He explained that anyone who has followed the fuel subsidy re-

moval debate would remember that the idea to remove subsidy was first announced by the Governors’Forum, and that it is a policy endorsed by the highest policy making body, the Federal Executive Council (FEC).

He quoted the Minister as saying that: “It is wrong for anyone to say that I unilaterally ordered the PPPRA to announce the removal of subsidy. Withdrawal of subsidy is a policy of the Federal Government in which I serve as a Minister of Petroleum Resources.”

The NNPC spokesman recalled that the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity,

Dr. Reuben Abati, had earlier clarified the matter of unilateral action on the part of either the PPPRA or any government official when he told the reporters in an interview that was widely reported in the media that: “Well, to the best of my knowledge, PPPRA is an agency of government and I do not think that PPPRA will act unilaterally in violation of its enabling Act. The President has spoken again and again that there will be deregulation of PMS in 2012.

We are in 2012. It is consistent”.

He also pointed out that the Chairman of the Northern Governors’ Forum, Dr Babangida

Aliyu, had declared on national television a few days ago that the governors under the aegis of the Governors’Forum were responsible for the removal of subsidy because it was a drain on the national treasury and so it is callous for anyone to blame it on the unilateral action of any individual.

He urged members of the public to discountenance the report which he said was riddled with inaccuracies and distortion of facts.

Ajuonuma advised reporters to be wary of being lured into desperation aimed at demonising institutions and personalities instead of reporting and analysing the issues.

• Alison-Madueke

Crude oil price falls on Eurozone woes

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RUDE futures fell on Friday tandem with a slumping euro as Standard & Poor’s prepared to downgrade France’s credit rating, adding new fears about Europe’s economy.

According to Dow Jones Newswire, the ratings service notified the French government and other European governments that it would lower their debt ratings, according to reports Friday, sending the euro to 16-month lows against the dollar and taking the wind out of riskier assets such as oil, stocks and other commodities.

The news of imminent downgrades renewed worries about a potential stumbling block for the global economy, and oil demand.

Traders quickly switched gears to focus on Europe’s credit crisis after a sell-off Thursday was sparked by potential delays to the E.U. embargo on Iranian oil.

“We started the week terrified about Iran, and we ended the week focused on Europe again,” said Peter Beutel, head of trading advisor

Cameron Hanover. “There’s been a wet blanket thrown over commodities, stocks, currencies and it’s due to the S&P downgrades.”

Light, sweet crude for February delivery settled 40 cents, or 0.4 percent lower at $98.70 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, after falling as low as $97.70 a barrel earlier in the session.

Still, some analysts predict oil has further to climb. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. on Friday increased its oil price forecast, citing more positive near-term economic developments in the U.S. and China.

The bank increased its forecast for West Texas Intermediate crude by eight percent, to $113 a barrel on a three-month basis, from $104.50 a barrel. It also increased its six-month forecast to $115 a barrel from $113.50 a barrel and its 12-month outlook to $123.50 a barrel from $122.50 a barrel.

Brent crude on the ICE futures exchange traded 28 cents lower at $110.92 a barrel.

Tension mounts on global oil market

• Continued from page 15

idea of sanctions “is a lot better than the alternative,”referring to talks in Washington and in Israel of a possible military action against Iran.

“I think what we are seeing right now is posturing on the White House’s part because Barack Obama does not want to enter into another military conflict. He knows the American public would not like that, so sanctions are his way of showing they are doing something,” he told Bikyamasr.com.

Patrushev said American claims that Iran was developing a nuclear weapon – Washington’s main justification

for new sanctions against Tehran – were unproven.

“We have heard for years and years that the Iranians are going to build an atomic bomb in the next few weeks. But the real existence of a military component of Iran’s nuclear programme has never been demonstrated,” he said.

Suminan added that Russia has “little legitimacy”after being caught sending weapons to Syria in recent days. “Here in Brussels, the people I speak with are pretty certain nobody is really listening to Moscow at the moment,” the analyst said.

• Troels Albrechtsen, Senior Vice President, Maersk Oil (right) with David Henson, Head of the Conceptual Engineering and Services, Siemens during agreement signing on building TriGen clean power generation technology

Petrobras moves to increase oil reserves

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RASIL’s national oil com pany, Petroleo Brasileiro (Petrobras) has said it will accelerate reserve growth over the next four years as it deploys more production equipment in deep waters of the Atlantic Ocean, the chief financial officer said.

Petrobras, as the Rio de Janeirobased company is known, needs equipment at discovery sites to meet requirements to classify the oil as proven reserves, CFO Almir Barbassa said in an interview. The company expects to receive 19 production platforms by the end of 2015, he said.

Bloomberg quoted Barbassa as saying in a telephone interview from Rio de Janeiro: “Each one of these platforms has a potential area

it can drain of close to 600 million barrels. This oil will turn into proven oil at the end of 2015.”

Petrobras is developing the largest oil finds in the Americas since Mexico discovered Cantarell in 1976 and plans to invest more than any other oil company to more than double output by 2020.

Petrobras borrowed $18 billion from bond markets and banks last year to finance investments and plans to borrow a similar amount this year, Barbassa said.

The company’s oil and naturalgas proven reserves have climbed 10 percent over the past five years to 12.9 billion barrels at the end of 2011, according to the US Securities and Exchange Commission’s Standards.

Energy prices

Domestic prices of petroleum products

Energy & Oil Prices OIL ($/bbl)

Companies

PMS

AGO

DPK

Conoil

141.00

160.00

140.00

AP

138.00

160.00

140.00

Total

138.00

160.00

140.00

Oando

138.00

160.00

140.00

Mobil

140.00

160.00

140.00

Texaco

140.00

160.00

140.00

Energy

145.00

160.00

140.00

Fagbems

143.00

160.00

140.00

Nipco

141.00

160.00

140.00

INDIGENOUS

PRICE* CHANGE % CHANGE TIME Nymex Crude Future Dated Brent Spot WTI Cushing Spot OIL (¢/gal)

101.56 113.06 101.56

-0.25 0.96 -0.25

-0.25% 01/06 0.86% 01/06 -0.25% 01/06

PRICE* CHANGE % CHANGE TIME Nymex Heating Oil Future 307.02 Nymex RBOB Gasoline Future 275.16 NATURAL GAS ($/MMBtu)

3.14 1.51

1.03% 01/06 0.55% 01/06

PRICE* CHANGE % CHANGE TIME Nymex Henry Hub Future 3.06 Henry Hub Spot 2.87 New York City Gate Spot 3.15 ELECTRICITY ($/megawatt hour)

0.08 -0.04 -0.01

2.75% 01/06 -1.37% 01/06 -0.32% 01/06

PRICE* CHANGE % CHANGE TIME Mid-Columbia, firm on-peak, spot Palo Verde, firm on-peak, spot 27.31 BLOOMBERG, FIRM ON-PEAK, DAY HOUSTON 27.13 • Bloomberg Oil Buyers Guide

26.38 0.30 1.15% 01/06 0.44 1.64% 01/06 AHEAD SPOT/ERCOT 0.84 3.20% 01/06

Growth in reserves slowed to one percent last year from a 2.8 per cent increase in 2010.

With almost $30 billion in cash, Petrobras can wait for an “attractive” opportunity to sell bonds abroad, Barbassa said. The company plans to borrow $15 billion to $18 billion this year through bond sales and bank loans to help finance $224.7 billion in investments in the five years through 2015, he said.

“It’s a flexible target, depending on the appetite in the market,” Barbassa said. “We could go for a year without doing an operation.”

Petrobras hasn’t hired any banks yet to sell bonds this year, he said.

Last year Petrobras sold $6 billion in dollar bonds and sold more bonds in euros and pounds. Any dollar bond sales this year will be a “benchmark” size, Barbassa said, without elaborating.

The company may offer bonds in the domestic market this year after selling 405 million reais ($228 million) of debt that matures in 12 to 17 years last month, Barbassa said.

Yields on Petrobras’s 5.75 percent bonds due in 2020 rose four basis points to 4.85 per cent. The yield has gained nine basis points so far this year. Petrobras rose 0.7 percent in Sao Paulo to 23.08 reais last week.

The first asset Petrobras plans to sell as part of a $13.6 billion divestment and cost-cutting programme is its Okinawa refinery in Japan, Barbassa said. “We started with the refinery in Japan and we expect to have various other announcements in the first half,” Barbassa said.

Petrobras is considering selling oil exploration and production assets in Brazil and abroad, and refining and power and electricity assets, Barbassa said.

THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2012

17

MARITIME ‘Improve cargo clearance’

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•Deserted Tin-Can Port during the strike

PHOTO: OLUWAKEMI DAUDA

ORRIED over the 39 days spent in clearing cargo at the nation’s sea ports, the Federal Government, few weeks ago, directed that the nation’s seaports be opened for 24-hours operation to meet its 48-hour cargo clearance policy and boost revenue.

Industry players have urged officials of the Federal Ministries of Transport and Finance to remove obstacles causing delay in cargo clearance at the port by providing formula and policies for further improvement in cargo clearance after the strike embarked upon by the Labour Congress and the civil society groups.

The Managing Director, Maritime Investment,Mr Kolapo Sijuade, said it was time for the automation of Customs’ operations at the ports, adding that the local Trade Release Study (TRS) initiative must be in tandem with the World Customs Organisation (WCO) efforts.

He also advised Customs officers to be alive to their responsi-

By Oluwakemi Dauda

bilities on efficient and effective service delivery for operators and port users. He said there was the need for the service to identify areas of delay, which go beyond their jobs, and proffer solutions to problems in the cargo clearance system.

Sijuade enjoined stakeholders to be transparent in their dealings with Customs and perform their duties in the movement of cargoes at the ports.

Another operator, Mr Bolaji Adedayo, enjoined the Federal Government not to neglect the maritime sector, particularly shipping, stressing that only countries, which were able to optimise their ocean endowments become great.

The maritime sector, he said, is as important as other sectors of the economy, and should, therefore, not be underrated by the authorities, if the nation actually has the intention to actualise its Vision 20: 2020.

Subsidy crisis: Govt Pirates kill 60 seafarers loses over N50b at ports A T

HE Federal Government lost over N50 billion at the ports to last week’s fuel subsidy removal strike.

The loss is likely to soar with the strike entering its second week from yesterday.

The Customs too lost over N25 billion.

Investigation revealed that Customs revenue target for January is N100 billion.

This amount excludes the revenue being paid to the Federal Government through Customs at land borders and other government agencies at the ports, such as the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC).

Giving an estimate of the loss, a senior government official, who does not want his name in print, claimed that the amount being paid to the government coffer by all its agencies at the ports weekly, is over N50 billion.

From Monday to Friday last week, The Nation’s reporter was at the Tin-Can and Apapa ports to monitor situation. It was discovered that there was no commercial activity at the ports as the strike had paralysed business activities.

Although the gates to the TinCan and Apapa ports were manned by joint security operatives, including Customs, Police, State Security Service and other security agents, importers and their clearing agents deserted the place as there were no activities.

All the terminals at Tin Can were deserted. The situation was the same at Apapa port, as there was no human and vehicular move-

Stories by Oluwakemi Dauda, Maritime Correspondent

ment. The Oshodi/Apapa Expressway was desolate despite the Customs and other security officials being at their duty post.

However, at the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), many of its senior officials, including its Managing Director, Omar Suleiman, were at work when The Nation visited their Marina, Lagos office.

Although many of their clerical staff were not around, most of their technical and utility staff were seen in their offices, with some lamenting the strike.

Senior Customs officers,who spoke with The Nation under the condition of anonymity on Friday, said Tin-Can port alone generates between N900,000,000 and N1 billion daily, but regretted that the command lost over N5 billion revenue to the strike.

The situation was the same at Apapa port. All the terminals inside the ports were deserted by importers and their agents.

Another senior government official and one of the senior managers of one of the terminal, who do not want their names in print, said the Federal Government would have lost over N40 billion at Apapa and Tin-can ports due to the protracted strike.

The National President, Association of the Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Alhaji Olayiwola Shittu, said his members lost over N250 million to the strike andurged President Goodluck Jonathan to resolve the logjam.

Shittu said the importers would have been worst hit because of the demurrage charges they would

• Minister of Transport, Senator Idris Audu Umar,

have paid on their goods if not that the trailer drivers withdrew their vehicles from the ports.

Also, the President of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (Dockworkers Branch), Mr Adewale Adeyanju, said as long as the strike continues, the Federal Government and all stakeholders in the maritime sector of the economy, including terminals operators, shipping companies, licensed customs agents, ship brokers, government agencies and others who have business with the nation’s seaports would be losing a huge amount of money to the strike.

The General Secretary of the Indigenous Ship owners Association of Nigeria (ISAN), Captain Niyier, said they have no regret over the lost at the ports since the strike was called for the good of the people.

Operators hike ferry fares

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ARES of ferry have shot up following the removal by fuel subsidy.

The fares, which were hitherto between N80 and N100, have risen to N150 from Marina to Apapa in Lagos.

Speaking with The Nation at Marina Jetty where passengers board ferries going to Apapa and Ikorodu, few days ago, a passenger, Mr Paul Ogoikiri, complained saying it is unfair.

He wondered why the operators increased the fare since they are using diesel in fueling their

ferry.

The Federal Government, he said, needs to promote water transportation.

But sources at the Ministry of Transport claimed the Federal Government is to establish an independent inland waterways to boost water transport.

The idea, according to the official, is to promote water transportation as a means of mass movement.

The establishment of the new agency is part of plans by the government to divert traffic to the

country’s inland waterways under the proposed new transport policy.

The draft policy, which was sent to President Goodluck Jonathan for approval sometimes ago, is expected to reduce accidents on the nation’s territorial waters.

The new agency is also expected to ensure proper licensing and inspection procedure to be adopted while appropriate sanctions would be imposed on those that infringe safety rules and procedure.

BOUT 60 seafarers held by pirates off the coast of Somalia have been declared dead.

According to EUNAVFOR, the European naval force operating on anti-piracy patrol, many seafarers have died in pirate captivity over the past four years.

It said many others have suffered at the hands of the pirates who have tortured them and subjected them to ill-treatment.

The belief that pirates are anxious to keep their captives alive to help secure a ransom is paid appears to have less foundation than originally, the report said.

The truth about how seafarers are treated while in captivity is also withheld from the world’s press by ship owners and operators who enforce the silence rule once seafarers are released.

Even those that administer counselling to the released seafarers are told that to divulge what they learn will mean barred from any access to released seafarers in the future.

Meanwhile, the Italianflagged oil tanker SAVINA CAYLYN has been released after a ransom, reported to be of $11.5 million, was dropped

Stories by Uyoatta Eshiet

near the ship. The ship and her crew of 22, comprising 17 Indians and five Italians had been held by the pirates for 11 months.

The ransom was paid in two installments with drops from a helicopter flying overhead. A few hours later the pirates released the ship and crew.

The reason for two drops, according to the report, was apparently to ensure that all crew, in particular the 17 Indians on board were released.

This follows the affair of the captured bitumen bulker ASPHALT VENTURE in which eight Indian seafarers were held back after the ransom was paid. This was in revenge for pirates being held by Indian authorities.

What happened in this case was that the first package of $8.5 million was dropped with the request that the Indian seafarers were to be allowed to leave the ship in small boats.

Once they were considered to be safe the balance of the money, $3 million was dropped and the pirates vacated the ship, allowing the crew to sail from the area.

Maersk increases rates

M

AERSK Line has in creased its rates for cargoes from the United States to Nigeria and other West Africa states as from February 1, 2012.

The increase is $150 per 20foot container and $300 per 40foot or 45-foot high-cube refrigerated container. By this increase, importers patronising the services of the shipping company to Nigeria will have to pay additional N22,500 and N45,000 per 20-foot and 40foot container going by the exchange rate of N150 per Dollar.

The increase applies to Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde Island, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, GuineaBissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo

and Western Sahara.

In another development, Maersk Supply Service has signed a contract with Chilean shipyard Asenav for two innovative new offshore vessels and an option for up to four additional vessels.

The project value for the two vessels is close to $200 million.

They will replace existing vessels operating in the Canadian offshore market.

“We are very pleased with this order for new vessels, which as far as working environment for the crew onboard and as a green operational profile will be a substantial improvement from today’s standards,” says Chief Executive Officer of Maersk Supply Service, Carsten Plougmann Andersen.

The vessels with a designed bollard pull of 150 tonnes are expected to be delivered in February 2014 and January of 2015.

THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2012

18

AVIATION launches joint Military not excluded from AFRAA fuel purchase project radar coverage, says NAMA T

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HE military, especially the Air Force, is not excluded from the planned Total Radar Coverage of Nigeria (TRACON), the Managing Director/ Chief Executive of the Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Mazi Nnamdi Udoh, has said.

When completed, the project will be useful for civilian and military operations, he said.

Udoh, however, said the military should ultimately go for the long range radar which can detect airplanes and other flying objects from afar.

He spoke when members of the House of Represen-

Stories by Kelvin OsaOkunbor Aviation Correspondent

tatives Committee on Aviation visited the agency to inquire about the workings of TRACON. According to him, the Air Force started the TRACON project but could not complete it.

“The Air Force started this TRACON project but they could not execute it, the TRACON covers the total airspace both military and civil aviation. They (military) need long range primary radar because they do not have it. If they need their own radar they should not join it to NAMA,

they should ask for funds on their own but what they need is a command and control centre.”

On the challenges NAMA is facing and where the House of Representatives can assist, the CEO said funding and debt recovery are very critical.

“I itemised the challenges and the greatest of those is funding. The fund that is being owed NAMA and appropriation those are released or should be released to enable us complete on-going projects and move us to the next level.

These are my expectations from the National Assembly. I have been able to

clear all grey areas raised by the Committee and we are poised to moving to the next level which is an air space that is the best in Africa and one of the best in the world.”

Speaking during the visit, the Committee Chairman, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha pointed out some areas where NAMA needed to make clearifications but was however satisfied with the agency.

Also speaking, former committee chairman, Bethel Amadi gave the agency a pass mark and urged other reps to give NAMA more support to meet up with its obligation

HE African Airlines Association (AFRAA) has launched a joint fuel purchase programme for nine of its member-airlines. This followed the conclusion of evaluation of tender bids received from a number of fuel companies.

The process, which began last year with the setting up of an AFRAA Joint Fuel Steering Committee chaired by Mr Chris Oanda of Kenya Airways and with Mr. Yemane Fitwi of Ethiopian Airlines as his deputy, sent out tenders to Jet A1 fuel suppliers serving various airports worldwide. Received bids were analysed by a technical team comprised of participating airlines and the AFRAA Secretariat and two rounds of negotiations held with all suppliers in a process described by the

Chairman as “transparent and above board.”

Launching the Joint Fuel Purchase programme, the Group Finance Director of Kenya Airways, Mr Alex Mbugua noted that the volume of fuel to be procured by the nine airlines across their networks through this joint initiative will be approximately 700 million litres valued at around $1.5 billion.

He said this initial phase of the project involves only nine of AFRAA’s 32 member airlines and is confident that subsequent tenders will involve more airlines and more volumes. Though the negotiations were done jointly, contracting will be done by individual airlines with the successful fuel companies at the various locations.

Future of UK aviation sector bleak

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• L-R: Head, Public Relations, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (LAAC), Sam Adurogboye, Head, Corporate Comminications, SAHCOL, Mr, Basil Agboarumi, General Manager, Public Affairs, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) Mr Akin Olukunle, and General Manager, Public Affairs, Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, Mr Supo Atobatele at a party organised by the League of Airport and Aviation Correspondents (LAAC), at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.

PHOTO: ISAAC JIMOH AYODELE

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‘Restrictions, severe taxes, bane of African airlines’

NTRA-Africa air traffic restrictions and stringent taxes are operational blights stunting airlines’ growth in Africa, an expert has said.

President of Togo-based regional airline, ASKY, Gervais K. Djondo, said it is regrettable that African presidents are signatories to air treaties bordering on liberalisation, adding that such agreements merely exist on paper and not on operational terms.

Djondo, who spoke with reporters in Abuja after the launch of ASKY Airlines Abuja-Lome service, said the airline faced bureaucratic bottleneck in securing air traffic rights in many countries it indicated interest to fly to.

He called for collaboration among various African nations to grow airlines to stand at par with their European counterparts.

“The first thing I want to talk about is in terms of cooperation. ASKY as a company cannot do it all alone.

If you do, you cannot do it to the satisfaction of every-

body. Therefore, ASKY and some other companies have to get together before the airline was set up. There have been agreements signed between Heads of State, ECOWAS, within African Union (AU) all talking about ‘Open Skies’. They all have been talking about ‘open Skies’, but in reality, these skies are not open.

People just kick against the regulations that have been put in place, making it difficult for companies that are running now. It is a challenge that must be overcome”, he said.

He also revealed that high taxes remain another burden threatening the existence of many African carriers.

“Another major challenge that I see is the taxes. We are subjected to too many taxes; landing taxes, light taxes and so many other taxes. We believe again that we should arrive at a point in cooperation when these things

should be lighter for the airlines and then lighter for the passengers because these things are passed on to the passengers. Another challenge is that countries must make sacrifices and they are not ready to do that because of they fear loss of sovereignty”. Djondo further hinted that winning new markets is one priority of the airline in its bid to spread across Africa and the world at large.

He said achieving the feat will be by offering excellent services buoyed on new airplanes.

“We have B737 aircraft Next Generation. The oldest aircraft we have is less than five years. We’re poised to keep a very young fleet because its best for us and our customers,” he added.

As regards the airline’s expansion plans, the ASKY President said: “We will be two years in a couple of weeks. We intend to move

gradually. We want to give priority to covering West and Central Africa, give opportunities to our businessmen and women to move very freely within these two regions.

“This is for them to have a connection via us to other airlines to go about their businesses. However, talking about Nigeria, we need approvals. Once we are given those permits, we will increase our frequencies to Nigeria. You know we have only two to Abuja. We want to increase it to seven.

After that, we will expand into some other Nigerian cities to make more traffic within Nigeria. We will cover region by region.

“We intend to control a large chunk of the market; West and Central Africa. After that, we will think about long haul, international flights. With that, we will now fly to Asia, America, Europe, and again like I said, things will come in small stride, but surely, we will cover all the places including Nigeria,” he said.

LIGHT prices from the UK will increase, route choices will fall and the economy will suffer unless the country’s government develops a long-term aviation policy that includes sustainable airport capacity growth, the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has warned.

In its new Aviation Policy for the Future report, the CAA notes that measures introduced so far to address capacity concerns in the southeast UK are “short-term fixes and are not enough to maintain the UK’s direct access to global markets alone without additional runway capacity”.

Capacity constraints at London airports are likely to mean that they will increasingly become “less

able than airports in other European cities to adjust as global economic activity shifts to emerging markets such as China, India and South America”, according to the CAA. Lack of capacity at London Heathrow, for example, is already affecting the UK’s ability to liberalise air services agreements with other countries and “this trend is likely to become more acute as London’s airports become more congested”, said the regulator.

UK chancellor George Osborne said in November that the government would explore all options for improving airport capacity in the southeast UK, with the exception of building a third runway at Heathrow.

THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2012

19

EDITORIAL/OPINION EDITORIAL FROM OTHER LAND

COMMENT

Oliver Twist governors •State chief executives are partly to blame for the fuel protests

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EFORE the dust raised by the successful nationwide strike orchestrated by organised labour and its civil society coalition settles, the role of our governors under the aegis of Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) in entrenching the removal of fuel subsidy regime deserves scrutiny. Although the strike ended yesterday, the governors got more than they bargained for when inhabitants of their states sustained for days, vigorous protests against their (governors’) supported increment of per litre price of petrol from N65 to N141.

The governors could not deny knowledge of the draconian fuel subsidy removal policy that would automatically further worsen the poverty status of Nigerians the way it came. A few months ago, the governors openly canvassed the withdrawal of the subsidy, to, as they put it, enable them pay the N18,000 minimum wage.

With the hostile reception accorded subsidy removal by Nigerians who defied hardship to protest, it is obvious that the governors are not in sync with the people. Otherwise, they ought to have correctly anticipated what the reaction of the people will be towards such an unpopular policy.

It is sad that the governors gave priority to accrual of more money into public till over the people’s welfare. They, by such decision, seem to prefer allowing the people to suffer by conspiring with the Federal Government to protect the small cabal milking the country dry simply because more funds will be available for all the tiers of government to share. What they should have done was to prevail on

the Federal Government to unveil those behind the subsidy cost that increased from about N600 billion in 2010 to more than N1.3 trillion last year. In their parochial thinking, the governors believe that the Federal Government would no longer need to make deductions from their share of the excess crude proceeds to fund the subsidy.

The NGF seems not sincere and sometimes looks befuddled about what position to take on state issues. In one breath, it demands for fiscal federalism and review of revenue allocation formula, and in another, it engages, in tandem with the centre government, in acts that are inimical to the realisation of this lofty goal.

What the governors should learn now is that gone were the days when government can force down the throats of people grossly inimical policies. Nigerians, as demonstrated in the last nationwide strike/protests now appear ready to take their destiny in their own hands.

Our governors should stop behaving as if without oil money they cannot ensure development and growth in their states.

One important step to take is for them to shed their financial excesses. We know that some of them promised to increase the frontiers of Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) during electioneering campaign. Why can’t they do that without necessarily over-burdening the people?

Many people, particularly the rich, are not captured in the tax net. Where they are, they are under-taxed. Moreover, the states have to look inwards with a view to harnessing the numerous mineral and agricultural endowments waiting to be tapped.

We acknowledge government’s posi-

tion that fuel subsidy may not be sustainable the way it is, but the governors and President Jonathan should also note that corruption is equally not sustainable, particularly with regard to fuel subsidy, and in the downstream sector, generally.

Governors should be on the side of the people, especially on an emotive matter as fuel subsidy. The impression that the NGF is giving is that more money in the hands of governors would necessarily translate to democracy dividends. We beg to disagree. Although there are a few states where funds are being judiciously spent on infrastructure and other developmental projects, the fact is that such states are few considering the 36-state structure that we presently operate.

Above all, the governors should realise that there was no crude oil in the First Republic, yet, those who managed the affairs of the regions did so creditably, with every region developing at its own pace.

‘The impression that the NGF is giving is that more money in the hands of governors would necessarily translate to democracy dividends. We beg to disagree.

Although there are a few states where funds are being judiciously spent on infrastructure and other developmental projects, the fact is that such states are few considering the 36state structure that we presently operate’

Going cashless •How ready are we?

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S Lagos ready to go cashless? With the hiccups that have attended the takeoff of the initiative since January 3, doubts about the readiness of the financial institutions for its take-off have mounted, so are worries about the preparedness of citizens to migrate into alternative payment platforms.

The clearest indication is one of an apex bank caught flat-footed, yet determined to plod on willy-nilly. We start with the question of the PoS terminals – basic to transacting business on the electronic platform. By the apex bank’s schedules, a total of 40,000 ought to have been deployed before commencement.

If the well-publicised lamentation by Tunde Lemo – Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) deputy governor is anything to go by, the equipment are currently subject of a bureaucratic tussle. Whereas the Ni-

‘The summary of course is that the CBN needs to proceed more methodically. For something as novel as the cashless initiative, stakeholders need to be given adequate time to buy into it. More would certainly be gained through adequate enlightenment and mass education ... Much as we endorse the general principles behind the cashless initiative, our point of departure lies in the haste with which the CBN plans to bring it about’

geria Customs Service insists that PoS terminals are cash registers for which it slams a 20 percent duty – the apex bank argues that the applicable rate is five percent. The result: the equipment lie, uncleared, at the ports. How can we reconcile the assurances by the CBN that the pilot scheme is on course with the knowledge that some of its critical equipment are at the ports? How truly ready is the infrastructure needed to drive the initiative at this time?

The greater question of course is: how many of our sales outlets have adopted electronic platforms?

Even without the strictures posed by the poor state of infrastructure, which is daunting enough, the idea of migrating a largely cash-driven society into some advanced, electronic payment platforms would seem particularly herculean.

There are already reports of rejection of the PoS/ATM machines in settling payments even in the so-called elite outlets.

The result is predictable in the highly informal sector, which, despite official denials, holds considerable ace. Only the CBN deludes itself to think that the prevalence of electronic payment terminals would, in the near-term, eliminate Nigerians’ propensity to hold cash.

This is why we are aghast that the CBN seems – or pretends – to be oblivious of the nation’s huge network of the informal sector in its determination to implement the cashless initiative. The danger of this oversight– if that is what it is, as against plain myopia – is to potentially deepen the informal network, as against

abolishing it, with consequences in further eroding confidence in the formal payment instruments.

As for the financial services operators, the apex bank seems to have under-estimated or glossed over the challenges of interface under the new payment system.

We cannot but ask: what has the apex bank done since April 2011 when the policy was announced, to educate its primary constituency – the financial institutions, not to talk of the consumers of financial products, on the merits of the cutover to the new technology? Rather than being seen to aggressively promote the new payment platforms, the apex bank has spent a good deal of time marketing its regime of sanctions for those harbouring the preference for cash. We shudder to imagine what would happen

by April when the CBN would start imposing sanctions on those exceeding cash withdrawal/deposit limits in the Lagos area – a development that is bound to be seen as discriminatory.

The summary of course is that the CBN needs to proceed more methodically. For something as novel as the cashless initiative, stakeholders need to be given adequate time to buy into it. More would certainly be gained through adequate enlightenment and mass education. By plodding on as the CBN is wont to do, it stands in great risk of leaving a sizeable chunk of economic players behind. Much as we endorse the general principles behind the cashless initiative, our point of departure lies in the haste with which the CBN plans to bring it about.

On Iran, how far is too far?

HE car-bomb death of a nuclear scien-

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tist raises important questions about Iran’s development of nuclear weapons poses a grave threat to world stability and possibly an existential threat to this country’s Middle Eastern ally, Israel. But how far can one go in efforts to thwart Tehran’s nuclear ambition before going too far? Economic sanctions are one thing, but what about launching viruses to ravage Iranian computers? And how about the targeted assassination of Iranian nuclear scientists?

That appears to be what happened Wednesday, when Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan, a supervisor at the uranium enrichment plant in Natanz, was killed — reportedly by a car bomb that had been magnetically attached to his vehicle by a passing motorcyclist. That’s the kind of clean, covert assassination method favored by Western intelligence agencies.

Roshan wasn’t the first Iranian scientist to be targeted. At least two others have been killed (also by vehicle bombs) and a third injured within the last two years. Tehran’s Security Council chief said Roshan’s killing was “an act of the Zionists,” and while we’re not in the habit of believing such pronouncements, one would have to willfully ignore accounts of past covert Israeli activities not to at least suspect Israeli involvement — especially because the Israeli government has made little effort to deny it. The closest thing to an official statement from Jerusalem on the bombing was a Facebook post by Israeli military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yoav Mordechai: “I don’t know who took revenge on the Iranian scientist, but I am definitely not shedding a tear.”

The denial was more strenuous in Washington. “I want to categorically deny any United States involvement in any kind of act of violence inside Iran,” said Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

She went on to deliver a lecture about the need for Iran to shut down its nuclear program, which we agree with. But we also think the bombing merited something more — a strong statement that the United States decries political assassinations. The U.S. is already on shaky legal and ethical grounds with its own program of targeted drone assassinations of suspected terrorists. But at least we’re at war with Al Qaeda. State-sponsored extrajudicial killing is a serious violation of international law, and car-bomb assassination is a tactic little different from the methods used by terrorists. It would be nice to hear Clinton, or President Obama, emphasize such principles.

Economic sanctions don’t appear to be doing much to slow Iran’s nuclear progress, and that is worrisome. But slaughtering scientists on the streets of Tehran isn’t the answer. It is as inefficient as it is morally bankrupt, because killing a handful of experts won’t erase the country’s institutional nuclear knowledge.

If Israel is involved, it’s a shameful and foolish policy.

Los Angeles Times

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THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2012

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IR: I am not an apologist of the former military president, Ibrahim Babangida, however, I am a democrat and a human rights apologist. I believe in freedom of expression, particularly in a democracy. If there is any dividend of democracy, the priceless amongst many is freedom of expression. Unfortunately, our rulers (not leaders) have ignorantly, taken construction of roads, distribution of vehicles to the police, sinking of boreholes, purchasing of drugs et al, as dividends of democracy, as if the military rulers in our past did not do all the aforementioned.

Babangida’s comment about the timing of the removal of the fuel

EDITOR’S MAIL BAG SEND TYPEWRITTEN, DOUBLE SPACED AND SIGNED CONTRIBUTIONS, LETTERS AND REJOINDERS OF NOT MORE THAN 800 WORDS TO THE EDITOR, THE NATION, 27B, FATAI ATERE ROAD, MATORI, LAGOS. E-mail: views@thenationonlineng.net

IBB right on subsidy comment subsidy is absolutely correct. IBB through his spokesman, said the removal was ill timed. Instead of our rulers pausing to peruse the advice given by the elder statesman, faceless people, probably sponsored by the government or

its agents have been castigating him through newspaper advertisements. This untoward act was extended to Professor Tam David West by this faceless group over his comments on fuel subsidy removal.

As a matter of fact, IBB did not say the policy is not good. Even if he said so, he was being guided by experience, having passed through that route in the past with nothing to show for it. He is in better position to advise the government.

Does the President deserve insults?

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IR: On New Year’s Day, President Goodluck Jonathan made a status update on his facebook page, calling on Nigerians to be ready to make sacrifices for the nation in the coming days. Later in the day, PPPRA announced the removal of the fuel subsidy. Then came torrent of angry reactions to his status update by most of his youthful friends on facebook. Many abused him, expressed disappointment at his new policy and even went to the extent of cursing him and his family. Some of those comments are better left on facebook than republished on the pages of the newspaper.

Before this time, there has been a simmering debate on social media networks on the appropriateness or otherwise of the language used in describing the President in recent times as a result of his perceived inaction on some national matters. But this debate has burgeoned with the recent removal of fuel subsidy. This unpopular policy has elicited scathing remarks from members of different strata of the society especially the youths who formed the majority of President Jonathan’s friends on facebook and those who voted him at the last election. The questions that have arisen are: is it proper to call our president or government officials derogatory names? Is it proper to abuse the president and his cabi-

net members while expressing dissatisfaction with government policies? Will abusing the president lead to a policy change?

There is a school of thought which argues that as the leader of the country, the President deserves to be revered and held in high esteem. According to the exponents of this position, no matter how absurd the President’s policies are, he should never be disrespected.

But another school of thought is of the opinion that respect is reciprocal. Those in this group argue that a President who disrespects his people by not listening to them does not deserve respect. A President who by his plans and policies inflicts pain

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on his citizens should not be respected.

While it should not be encouraged that people continue to insult the President, it must be noted that respect, for it to be genuine and moral, must be earned. Eldridge Cleaver, the once radical member of the Black Panthers once noted that: “Respect commands itself and it can neither be given nor withheld when it is due”. Respect should not be demanded. It must be earned. Yes, the President deserves to be respected.

But it must be earned. It must be reciprocal as well. He must also respect the people he claims to lead.

History has shown that once leadership, by acts of omission or com-

mission disconnects from the suffering populace, it becomes an object of ridicule in the eyes of the people.

One will be asking for too much from the people to respect a leader that presides over a rapacious government with an insatiable thirst for dissolute profligacy. It will be difficult to ask a people respect a presidency that spends N1billion on feeding just for a year while the majority of the people live on less than two dollars a day.

For the president to be respected, he must know that leadership is a social contract based on trust and mutual respect between the leader and the led.

•Adetokunbo Oguntuga, Ikeja, Lagos

Let us forget the implication of the fuel subsidy removal on economy (which anyone neglects to his own peril) for a moment, the security situation in the country did not favour such action. Apart from security, the Arab spring-the revolt in the Maghreb and Middle East, against obnoxious and anti people government since February 2010, is still fresh. Many governments have collapsed consequent upon the revolt. It is absolute wrong for the government to think that revolt could not occur in Nigeria if people are pushed to the wall.

Morally, the government made a mistake by announcing the policy on January 1, when people were celebrating New Year and planning on how to make the New Year a prosperous one. Equally, many people had travelled to celebrate the Christmas and New Year festivities; the announcement of subsidy removal and concomitant skyrocketting of prices of goods and services, particularly transport have debarred many from returning to their duty post. The implication is that these sets of people could not resume their economic activities, due to astronomic cost of transport.

Instead of castigating commentators on subsidy removal, government ought to sift the advice, particularly ones coming from elderly citizens who have seen all, and make use of the helpful ones.

•Adewuyi Adegbite, Apake Ogbomoso

The real trouble with our leaders

IR: The continuing resort to fuel price increases as a means of raising revenue to finance the national budget has further shown the inadequacy of our leaders. They lack depth of thought. They are better at spending wastefully and meaninglessly, than in furthering development.

From the unfortunate era of military dictator, Ibrahim Babangida to the current dispensation, the colour is the same – black, blank and thoughtless. They opt for the easy way out – inflicting pains on the citi-

zens that they claim to be serving by increasing the price of petroleum products. And each time they did, it is usually with the promise to improve the lots of the citizens.

Babangida did with little or nothing to show for it. Health facilities remained poor, roads remained bad, education continued to decline and even security that had much of the budgetary allocation is a shadow of itself only servicing generals who retire in their late 40s and continue to collect their full entitlements for life.

It was, therefore, shocking the

tame explanation on the national television network by Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala to justify the fuel subsidy removal. She was just rehashing the formless explanation of the past. It was shocking and to say the least.

I am now convinced that this her second coming is time for the World Bank/Paris Club to get back the full value of the debt forgiveness granted Nigeria during her first outing. She is their agent in the Nigerian economic system. The subsidy removal is a medicine prescribed by the

World Bank. Cases abound of world leaders that shunned the World Bank’s prescription and they did not go under. Jonathan should seat his ministers and together and think out the way for Nigeria’s growth without recourse to fuel solution like Obasanjo cruelly did 11 times during his eight years in office.

Okonjo-Iweala should have known that even when you are on His Majesty’s service you should be reasonable in its delivery.

•Adebowale Adegoke Ladipo Estate, Oshodi, Lagos

THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2012

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dispenses pain, brooks no OODLUCK Ebele Jonathan, alternative. president of the Federal Republic, Edwin Kiagbodo Clark, you may well appear a tragic figure, would recall, started the trapped at the wrong time, and at the wrong Jonathan for President racket: juncture; the way he has handled the subsidy not because of competence or removal mess. any especial merit but because Yeah, he is a tragic figure, all right – for it was time to junk a supposed who would, in a spate of eight months, with northern quota for a Niger a “pan-Nigeria” mandate in tow, squander Olakunle Delta one, just because his political capital, built on nothing but lordbeek@yahoo.com, 08054504169 (Sms only, please) Abimbola Goodluck Jonathan had mere Goodluck emotions; fired by a regional become accidental president. conspiracy against a rival regional power But when came the first wave of nationwide bloc? protests against a cruel anti-people policy, But in the grand irony of illogicality, passion makes Pa Clark and his South-South Elders and and passion unmakes. Then, the cheer was Goodluck!

Leaders only countered with an ethnic riposte: Goodluck! Now, the jeer is Badluck! Badluck! As the northern masses would say, and not without a tinge of nothing must be done to rock the boat simply because their himself and Yar’adua to power. “son” was on the throne! When the protests would not abate, Pa irony, chikena!

For that singular betrayal, Obasanjo set two booby traps: the ire Clark yelped in pain, insisting that even if there was subsidy, the Still, beyond the veneer of a pitiable president who of a section of the North which felt cheated by the emerging power beneficiaries of such subsidies were outside the South-South! spectacularly shot himself in the foot but wilfully deludes equation; and of course, the long running subsidy removal A younger generation coven of ethno-political witches is himself he is “courageous” (as official trumpeters parrot in the conundrum. beginning to parrot this parochial diversion, just to obfuscate rarefied airs of Aso Rock), is the stark reality of puppetry gone Obasanjo had bolted from local refining of crude on the wings the matter. Atedo Peterside, an otherwise respected professional awry. of “deregulation” of petroleum downstream, driven not by local who made his mark in Lagos, in a pro-subsidy removal cant on Presidential anointing, in the political history of Nigeria, refining but by fuel importation. It is ironic justice therefore that Channels TV, made the outlandish claim that the bulk of the sohas been nothing but presidential racketeering. The power one booby trap: the northern ire, apparent from the fearful called subsidy was consumed by the rich and middle class of gods, whose antenna is becoming dulled with time and bloated radicalisation of northern protesters, has come with vengeance to Lagos! He even pushed “re-distributing” some of the subsidy rent, convoke, not unlike some satanic cardinals’ conclave, fuel the other: the subsidy removal, in the current distemper “savings” to poorer northern states. Nice try, if you are dumb! and anoint one of their own – no, a favourite and pliable stooge. against the voodoo downstream deregulation policy.

But would that change the reality that subsidy removal would And, in the worst tradition of puppet and puppeteer, the As it is turning out, the president with the highest educational deepen poverty – poverty that knows no tribe or creed? Or gods queue behind their stooge, with his guaranteed executive label in Nigerian history appears the one with the least rigour in would his pitch remove the nationwide anger against Jonathan? cover, and go on with their gravy. thinking. President Jonathan’s harvest of gaffes and medley of Meanwhile, Breton Woods’s metropolitan witches, led by Ngozi President Jonathan is the latest of such rigged presidential bad judgments bear proud testimony to this sad reality.

Okonjo-Iweala, finance minister, coordinating minister for the anointing made out as the popular choice. Nigerians always On the other hand, like the tragic King Macbeth in the economy and former managing director of the World Bank, fall for such gambit only later to cry blue murder!

Shakespeare play of the same name, President Jonathan is beset keep on pushing the line that suggests baiting the president to If you doubt this theory, relive the advent of the Fourth by a coven of witches and wizards, who continue to give him call the bluff of the people and stick to his “reforms”.

Republic on 29 May 1999. The hassled, disoriented and fleeing Dutch courage, based on phantom assurances, against a grim But so did the witches entice Macbeth with “concrete” assurances military needed one of their own to cover their tracks and reality that insists he must change tack, after an unforced error, to that no one born of woman would harm him; and that he would make their retreat less panicky. They picked on Olusegun use that tennis term. It is all so reminiscent of how the three not be defeated until Birnam wood moved to Dunsinane. As it Obasanjo. witches charmed Macbeth to bring on himself ruin and damnation. turned out, Macduff that killed Macbeth was born through But Obasanjo played a fast one. He would serve no god but But what made a tearful president that, at Madalla, Suleija, united caesarean section and technically was “not born of woman”. himself and the power gods had better go jump into the Atlantic a grieving nation behind him to, barely 24 hours after, unite the Birnam wood too “moved” to Dunsinane. In the final antior, better still, roast at the nearest desert! Looking for who same nation against himself in fury? Why did he lob at defenceless Macbeth assault, rebel groups carrying cut tree boughs, marched best to push his new “I-philosophy” from the ancien regime’s “we, Nigerians his own version of Boko Haram bombs – simply because on the doomed king, giving the illusion that the wood indeed the power cabal”, he picked on noble-hearted but opportunistic some Breton Woods witches decreed so? Lack of presidential moved! and health-challenged Umaru Musa Yar’Adua. But with his rigour? Or plain sorcery as economic policy?

So long for concrete illusions!

Umoru on his death bed, Obasanjo jumped ship for a new The witches’ angle and the Macbeth parallel are rather President Jonathan has a clear choice: to depend on his witches’ puppet: Jona, disavowing the zoning policy that brought both bewitching. At the beginning for Macbeth were three witches counsel or think more rigorously. Even then, with the looming who not only promised the valiant thane promotion, but also American predicted 2015 Armageddon, it is grim observation ‘The president with the highest emergency throne. Those witches, with a ready ally in his evil that those who trouble Nigeria, in Jona, like Ibrahim Babangida wife, stuck to Macbeth till his doom. educational label in Nigerian during the June 12 crisis, have dribbled themselves into a ditch.

At the beginning too for President Jonathan were local power At their most pronounced hour of need, they have a feckless history appears the one with the sorcerers. But these have since been joined by witches from Breton fellow who doesn’t know jack as to what to do!

Woods – brilliant minds whose genius foreign neo-cons have least rigour in thinking.’

Indeed, it is tragic puppetry gone awry! conned with neo-liberal economic orthodoxy, which though

epublican ipples

Jona: puppetry gone awry

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T seems a measure of how badly the inexact science of economics has fared in Goodluck Jonathan’s territory that the last few days have occasioned barely muted whispers about herding practitioners of the puritan science of means and ends to Siberia. And their crime: accessories to the farce of subsidy!

Last week, The Nation’s perspicacious columnist Jide Oluwajuyitan was typically, unsparing with his description of the Nigerian economist as slave to theories, whose models derive from environments so dissimilar to Nigeria’s. It was his bare-knuckle censure for our palace economists for what he considered their culpability in the fuel subsidy conundrum. Such views –insufferably too generalised – would seem to reflect general frustrations with the tradition of heinous rationalisation of myopic policies by the club, particularly their arrogant and contemptible disdain to contrarian views.

For me, this is hardly the time to attempt isolating the purveyors of the monstrous fundamentalist market orthodoxy – the variant of which now threatens to tear the nation apart – from the disciplined cast sired by Adam Smith.

There are clearly more pressing jobs to do at the moment, chief of which is to steer the debate from the jaded road of abdication preferred by government to a more productive path. This obviously stems from the need to reframe the deregulation agenda if only to ensure that we do not miss the road again!

The issue, at once, goes to the heart of the question of what deregulation – even with the most heroic efforts at its implementation – can deliver in an environment riddled with so much imperfection as ours. On the surface, it is tempting to believe that there are no limits to the harvest of gains derivable from the policy in its pure form.

Deregulation, so says its leading purveyors, is about getting countless players on board, injecting the famed efficiency through competition among players. This apparently is where the government appears to derive – if not entirely anchor – its argument that deregulation is the best next thing to happen after the deluge of Noah. And, as the government has argued, it seems the easiest route to take out the so-called cabal ripping off the economy without as much as firing a shot.

‘No matter how much government is wont to argue that removing the price cap on petrol is deregulation, it is not. It is not even a half-way home to deregulation properly defined’

Policy Sanya Oni sanyaoni@yahoo.co.uk 08051101841

‘Kill the economists’ For reasons best explained by their addiction to cash and more cash, the government –federal and states –have never failed to press the point that the burden of the subsidy payout is no longer sustainable – even at the risk of framing the highly contentious policy as another disguised way of robbing luckless citizen Ngozi to pay Abdullahi in our ever bizarre public finance system!

Was it deliberate that our so-called policy wonks chose to ignore the larger dimensions of the deregulation issue particularly their implications for the political economy as a whole? Or, was it an instance of blind innocence – a case of pure naivety?

Nothing, seems beyond the inept, conspiratorial and irredeemably unpatriotic elite class. It seems clear however that the so-called policy wonks would have spared their principal the embarrassment of the panicky, knee-jerk measures rolled out to calm frayed nerves; they would have saved the nation the incalculable damages to the economy also had they bothered to put their brains to work on their ill-digested policy as against acting first and thinking later!

The fundamental issue remains; would the removal of the price cap on petrol – done on January 1, and the capitulation forced on the unwilling Jonathan administration yesterday, lead inexorably to the path of deregulation without government first confronting the monster of inefficiency and corruption along the petroleum marketing and distribution value chain?

But then, the issue isn’t even the N65, N97 a litre or whatever tags the price-fixing PPPRA chooses to get gas stations to display at the pumps. At the core is how to derive maximum value on the God-given resource; it is about domesticating the gains of the nation’s endowment in hydrocarbons, tapping into the vast linkages in the industry to optimise and ultimately deliver value to the Nigerian people.

To me, any talk of gains outside of investments in new refineries to boost domestic refining capacity is at best superficial. The latter is where, in my humble view, the purveyors of market orthodoxy suffer their greatest credibility crisis: their

preference to narrow their field of observation to what is convenient as against what is necessary, enduring and in the national interest. Their almost cynical surrender to the omnipotence of the market forces is evidently the greatest disservice to their discipline.

I haven’t quite said that there are no compelling economic arguments in favour of terminating the racket-laden regime of subsidy. I have stated elsewhere that the specious econometrics of subsidy denial is as unhelpful as it is unproductive. In the same vein, I have also argued that the current subsidy regime saps the nation of vital juice – the same way that corruption and brazen kleptomania is holding the nation down. Mistaking the symptom as the disease seems to me as much part of the problem as the current attempt to substitute placebo for an effective therapy. No matter how much government is wont to argue that removing the price cap on petrol is deregulation, it is not. It is not even a halfway home to deregulation properly defined.

Given the current exigencies, deregulation to me has ceased to be the issue; there are greater, more compelling reasons in favour of pushing for the establishment of new refineries.

First, the market opportunities (domestic and external) is limitless; second, we enjoy the advantage of good natural harbours – which places us in preeminent position to take full advantage of global trade in refined products. The third reason is that domestic refining offers a leeway out of the cyclic movements in crude prices and their potentials to induce shocks in the local economy. The final reason is that oil is a non-renewable asset. At best, our proven reserves can last for another 35 years – or just a little more.

As for the failure to get new refineries (public or private) on board, I have always held that the problem isn’t so much the question of the pricing regime but one of failure of will.

Here, I use the model of the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), undoubtedly a success story, to illustrate what I mean. In the LNG project, the government as against its traditional big brother role of chief promoter settled for the junior partner role. That arrangement worked magic: it got the government out of the way and thus allowed those with the knowhow and the money to call the shots; it also staved off the potential managerial meddlesomeness which would have been the case had the government opted to play the Lord of the Manor. I do not pretend that the model is a one-size-fitsall for all times and seasons, I only use the model to illustrate the endless possibilities open provided the government is willing.

As a final point: those who say that this country would never be the same again after the just concluded strike are damn right. Labour and the civil society organisations have helped open the Pandora box. The genie of our troubled and troubling public finance system is out. There is no stopping the flurry of questions in the coming days. The dividend of the Mother of All Strikes is real!

THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2012

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F by the time you read this Labour had called off the nationwide strike action to protest the over 100 per cent hike in the pump price of petrol announced on New Year day by the Federal Government, then good luck to Jonathan. If not, then we are in trouble.

I say good luck to the president because as the saying goes, the name of the king during whose reign the society was peaceful would never be forgotten same for the one whose reign witnessed chaos, mayhem and may be disintegration of society.

Whatever is the merit of the deregulation regime in the downstream sector of the oil industry that President Goodluck Jonathan has trumpeted and the gains that he said would accrue to us as a people and a nation would not be appreciated at the end of the day because the president has caused us so much pain in his determination to do what he thinks is the right thing for the economy.

By raising the price of a litre of petrol at the pump from N65 to anywhere between N138 and N141, the Federal Government said it was trying to correct the distortion in the market caused by the over N1.4 trillion it is injecting into the petrol market through subsidy. The subsidy, it says is unsustainable and it only benefits the rich few calling the shots in the petrol importing business. These oil Sheiks, the government in its argument, failed to tell us, are the ones oiling the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) election rigging machinery that has seen the party winning every presidential election, National Assembly election and the bulk of the governorship election since 1999. These people, you know them, only serve as the conduit through which the PDP led Federal Government siphon public money into private purse for the use of the party and some of its chiefs.

I am not an economist, but I have listened to the confusion being thrown into the ring by both sides of the argument to buttress their points in the case for and against subsidy removal and I am convinced that both sides are not saying the whole truth, even about their different

The forgotten war positions. With the oil industry in Nigeria in a battered shape, coupled with the lack of transparency in the sector and our crumbling public infrastructure, no amount of money pumped in as subsidy would bring the much needed relief to the people whose earning power cannot afford to buy fuel at the market price. So there is the need to overhaul the sector.

The only way to achieve this according to government is to deregulate and remove subsidy. Labour and the rest of the civil society are saying there are other ways to achieve this without inflicting unnecessary pain on the people. One of such ways is curbing corruption in government including corruption in the subsidy regime.

While the argument for and against is long, the one I find really annoying was comparing fuel price here with fuel price in neighbouring countries and some selected oil producing nations. While one could not fault the price regime elsewhere, the government apologists have failed to tell us whether in those countries the people there are using generators like we do here, whether they sink boreholes in their homes to provide water, construct roads to their homes, pay through the nose to send their children to school, employ private security to secure their lives and property and provide all other social amenities that government ought to provide the people. If the answer is yes, then let’s pay whatever government wants us to for a litre of fuel.

We are in this mess now because no new refineries has been built in Nigeria

for decades and the four major ones on ground are either not working at all or working far below installed capacity. If the subsidy regime at N65 per litre cannot be sustained any longer and we have to go to N141 per litre or N97 as Jonathan has just decreed, how much are we going to pay when the refineries are back on stream, new ones added and we stopped importing fuel? Will the price come down? This should be the focus now since it seems Labour and government have now agreed to N97 per litre, that is, about 50 per cent increase from the old N65. Couldn’t we have agreed to this much earlier without the riots and demonstrations and the loss of innocent lives. Who is to blame for the loss of lives and property destroyed? Government?

Labour?

Whether Jonathan likes it or not, the blame lies with him and his government for starting the fire that caused the crisis by his ill advised removal of subsidy without thinking of its immediate impact on the lives of the people. Whatever Labour and civil society did was in reaction to that. And if there was breakdown in security, it was because the government has shown that it was incapable of guaranteeing security in the first place, after all the Boko Haram terrorists have been wreaking havoc on the society with impunity for some time now. Armed robbers are also having a free reign. In fact, at no time since the civil war has Nigeria and Nigerians been as insecure as they are now. Some are even saying that if Jonathan had shown the same determi-

nation as he has shown on removal of fuel subsidy on fighting terrorism and providing electricity, Boko Haram would have been history by now and may be electricity blackout too.

The economic war that Jonathan has levied on us by his new fuel price regime was unnecessary. He could have done it in a better way and still achieve the same or even better result. The war that we needed badly he has not fought. We need to confront Boko Haram. We need to fight armed robbers. They are the immediate threat to our corporate existence as a nation. We need to confront them and crush them. Security and not economic issues would define his presidency, after all the first task of a government is the security of lives and property of the people.

Added to our major highways being death traps now because of their poor condition is the menace of armed robbers. These children of the devil no longer wait for the cover of night to strike.

Last Saturday at around I pm between Benin city and Okada town, armed robbers, about six in number, attacked and shot at a bus conveying your correspondent and other passengers to Lagos from Port Harcourt, injuring one female passenger in the process. We were just lucky.

Thank God. About 500 metres away we saw an armed policeman who showed no sense of responsibility towards us when we alerted him about what we just went through. May be he was one of the robbers, a passenger remarked.

‘Whether Jonathan likes it or not, the blame lies with him and his government for starting the fire that caused the crisis by his ill advised removal of subsidy without thinking of its immediate impact on the lives of the people’

VIEW FROM THE FOREIGN PRESS E is not unfamiliar but very unsuccessful in a familiar terrain; politics. His name is Chief Dan Osi Orbih. He is the Chairman, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Edo State Chapter. He depicts the picture of a sincere liar and one who double speaks.

Albeit, Orbih is a very good friend of the state governor, Comrade Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole; he likes him so much as a politician. With sugar coated tongue and very sweet lies about governance and economic realities, can a liar lie his way to Edo Government House? Would the people of the state agree to be cajoled by an old man whose stock in trade is fabrication of unrealistic issues juggled up together in the make-believe world of fiction?

However, this is a new year as opportunities abound for him to turn a new leaf. Understandably, he cannot do that now since it’s an election year when he hopes to employ propaganda as a tool of deception and to whitewash the dwindling image of his party, the PDP. Although, Orbih and his party are not good at rigorous campaigns, they relish stealing peoples’ votes while asking their unfortunate rival to seek redress in the court of law.

For the avoidance of doubt, he is not alone in this voyage.

The likes of Isaiah Osifo, Okeredia Ihimekpen and Godwin Erhahon have been recruited in this half truths business of propaganda. But they are also quick to claim Oshiomhole is the culprit while forgetting that propaganda is an attempt to paint a real picture of half truths and to make one to believe something that is not in existence. In Oshiomhole’s Edo, the roads are there with covered drains and walk ways for verification; such cannot be the stuff of propaganda.

What is more worrisome is the comment of this PDP chieftain whose office is located on the popular Akpakpava Road about the streetlights, beautification and dualization of roads as against the demarcation works carried out by Oserheimen Osunbor. He dodged the question when reporters put it to him that the developmental strides of the Governor is visible even opposite his office. His reply: I have not been to that area for some time now.

Is it that he knows the truth like the devil but trembles? Or that the truth couldn’t save him? Is he fighting with his spirit from being saved? Is he a happy person? Recall Orbih’s activities during the Osunbor era? How he heckled that government to a halt over loyalty to Chief Tony Anenih during that battle of Armageddon of party chairmanship or supremacy? He had called Osunbor all manner of names.

When he was facing the crucial time in his life time at the election petition tribunal and subsequent appeal court, it was this same unsuccessful politician who alleged that the man surrounded himself with marabous, spiritualists and

H

Dan Osi Orbih as Oshiomhole’s good friend

By Musa Yakubu magicians from across the world to save him from the untoward calamity that inescapably befell him.

Before now, Orbih and his co-travelers had dismissed Oshiomhole’s effort at rebuilding Edo State; he had since agreed but who is doing what? Yes, he has an inalienable right to ask and to know who is spending so much on Edo schools. He had, having been overwhelmed by Oshiomhole’s giant strides queried the gigantic reconstruction works in the state and the financiers and so for him, it was the federal government rehabilitating and rebuilding Edo primary and secondary schools and roads. Wonders. Why should anybody preoccupy himself with self-deceit?

Edo people would not forget in a jiffy, how Oshiomhole rattled some Boko Haram in the House? It is true that they belonged to the same party and that it is also true they ganged up against the rebuilding of our near comatose education industry when Oshiomhole presented his fist budget in office.

Were it not for stakeholders in the state who vowed to stop the Boko Haram legislators from inhibiting the process of setting up the State Universal Primary Education Board (SUPEB) with the constitutional responsibility to access the over N5.4 Billion counterpart funding by federal and state governments, its negative effects could have been disastrous. Infact, what would they have laid claim to?

They forgot, that, to solve some of the naughty challenges of good governance facing the state, we all need to put our hands together and differentiate between politics and development because should government fail to access the UBEC funds, it would in one way or the other, have compounded the already numerous developmental challenges confronting the state.

What about Edo roads and Comrade Buses? In the same budget, they said over their political dead bodies and true to their confession, they are dead politically today and the schools, roads and comrade buses are reality today just as they are beneficiaries too.

He won’t stop there. He took an advertorial to say Oshiomhole bought choice properties across the country. My worry is; not even a government official has replied Orbih.

But I want to challenge Governor Oshiomhole to sue Orbih for that libelous advert. On this issue, Orbih goofed and badly too and I would not say how much I would slam him upon conclusion of my investigation.

A good critic, who has no business striking a delicate balance, would be as worse as his criticism if given opportunity to serve or in a position of authority; such is Orbih. Orbih was in the All Peoples Party (APP) before it metamorphosed to All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP). If you trace the history, successes and political fortunes of that party, then you would agree with me that he is simply a political liability, burden and feather weight even in his present PDP. As a paper tiger and television lion that himself and his party have become, I get calls on a daily basis from across the country from beloved ones who are worried over spurious advertorials by the PDP about the political happenings in Edo and the sustainability of all the good works I had told them that the Oshiomhole government has embarked upon.

It was a sustained media war and propaganda and it is paid for.

Expectedly, one thought the Oshiomhole media aides would fire at every provocation from the camp of a badly wounded and battered party with taxpayers’ money; neve. For this, I doff my hat for Oshiomhole for not dignifying these liars with taxpayers’ monies in the guise of defending obvious lies.

Come to Edo and see. Ignore propagandists. Get to the grassroots; hinterlands and clear your doubts, I had replied my callers rhetorically. I had also told them that not all dark clouds threatening to rain have a drop of water. Though, they would not leave any stone unturned before the elections including scientific rigging and other foul means at winning the June 14, 2012 gubernatorial polls, but to say Oshiomhole would be defeated in Edo in a free and fair contest especially by these PDP aspirants including a renowned bouncer who has declared intentions so far, is to turn a man to a woman.

They should perish the thought. If a man with background in unionism, who was dismissed with a wave of the hand as a novice in politics could defeat the entire PDP structures in the 18 local government areas, including the godfathers former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Chief Tony Anenih inclusive then, it would stand logic on its head to believe that the PDP has any fortune in the coming election especially with such a long list of achievements.

For me, the issues should be post Oshiomhole after 2016 and the challenges that would confront the would-begovernor and not this Oshiomhole’s good friend and his party.

• Mallam Yakubu sent this piece from Benin, Edo State

AHEAD OF NATIONS CUP CLASH

Keshi gets Rwanda’s match tapes Pg. 41

NFF reduces wages of Eaglets’ crew Pg. 24

Nation Tuesday, January 17, 2012

PAGE 23

•Jay Jay Okocha

TUESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2012

24

41

NATION SPORT TRANSFER HITCH

Ude blames strike action

A

TTACKING midfielder, Damian Ude has hit hard at the ongoing nationwide strike for delaying his switch to Nigeria Premier League (NPL) side, Warri Wolves.

Ude, who seeks a nine-month deal at Wolves, wore Heartland colours in the 2010/2011 season.

The one-week old nationwide strike is having a crippling effect on economic and government business respectively.

Ude told SuperSport.com that discussion on his transfer deal would have been stamped and sealed if not for the lingering strike.

"Our discussion has been cut short by the strike. No further communication from either side since the strike started last week. Nobody is working at the moment, league is on break and chances are there that those charged with the responsibility are on strike.

"Hopefully, after the strike we will start from where we stopped and bring it to completion."

However, it has not been all complaints as the former diminutive Enugu Rangers play-maker said he is having the best of time with his family. "I am enjoying the situation with my family I must confess to you.

"I can't remember the time I have spent uninterrupted one week with my family. But courtesy of the nationwide strike, I now have the privilege of enjoying what I have missed so far in my adult life."

The former Esperance of Tunisia player would want a quick return to normality. "The league is suffering once again, I pray for a quick end to the strike," he said.

•Ude

NATION SPORT

NFF reduces wages of Eaglets’ crew

T

HE Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has decided to review the salaries to be paid to the technical crew of the yet-to-be-assembled National U-17 male team (Golden Eaglets).

According to the General Secretary of the Federation Musa Amadu, the Chief Coach of the team, Manu Garba will now earn N500,000.00 as against the N750,000.00 that was earlier proposed.

The three assistants, Emmanuel Amuneke, Nduka Ugbade and Emeka Amadi, will all earn N300,000.00 as against N350,000.00, which they were reported to have objected to some months ago.

T

According to Glasshouse scribe, the proposed salary review is based on the present economic reality, and the Coaches are expected to endorse their agreement papers before the end of the month, to enable them begin work in earnest.

Sports analysts are of the opinion that the assistant coaches, who had been reported to have earlier rejected the N350,000.00 proposed to them, may likely reject the job, as they are believed to find the salary inadequate.

Hungary Open: Quadri begins campaign •Faces Laszlo today

A

RUNA Quadri, Nigeria’s table tennis prodigy will today begin his campaign at the Hungary Open Table Tennis championship.

The Portugal-based star has been drawn in Group 55 of the men’s singles of the competition which served off yesterday.

Quadri, ranked 237 in the world, will face Hungary’s Magyar Laszlo today in his first group match, while his second match will be against Spain’s Duran Marc ranked 198 in the world.

On his expectations, the Nigeria Civil Defense personnel said: “As the year begins with the Hungary Open, I am looking forward to perform better than I had done in my previous tours.

The tour serves as a testing ground, and also to improve my ranking in the world. International tour is different from the league, but the league lost will not discourage me from doing well in Hungary.“ Although Quadri is expecting a tough challenge at the championship, he is, however, optimistic that it will serve as preparation for other major tournaments ahead.

His words: “I know it’s going to be tough being the first world tour of the year with most of the top players

Chukwu to bury mum on Friday HE mother of former Nigeria captain, Christian Chwukwuemeka Chukwu, will be buried in Enugu State on Friday, January 20. Mrs Rebecca Ezinne Chukwu died last month after a brief illness.

Chukwu, a member of the Technical Committee of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), disclosed that a church at the St. Phillips Anglican Church, Umuikeowo Community, Obe Town, Nkanu West Local Government Area of Enugu State will preceed the internment. The church service will start at 10am.

The creme-de-la-creme of the country’s football family is expected at the burial of Mrs Chukwu, mother of the first man to captain the Senior Men’s Team of Nigeria to lift the African Cup of Nations (1980) and who was Assistant Coach when the team won the trophy for the second time in Tunisia in 1994. Chukwu was also Assistant Coach when the Super Eagles participated at their first FIFA World Cup finals in the United States of America, also in 1994.

“I am inviting all my friends in the football family to join me in paying last respects to my wonderful mother,” Chukwu said in a statement.

The man fondly called ‘Chairman’ was Head Coach of the Super Eagles between 2002 and 2005.

NFF President, Aminu Maigari said on Monday that the Federation would be present at Friday’s burial

From Andrew Abah, Abuja

ceremony of Mrs Chukwu. “ ‘Chairman’ Chukwu served this nation excellently and creditably as a player and as a Coach, and is still serving as a member of the NFF Technical Committee. The NFF will be well-represented at the burial of his mother,” said Maigari.

By Innocent Amomoh in the world looking forward to have good start in the New Year. The Open will also help me to know the level of my preparation for the World Championship in Germany.”

T

Okocha to rake in N97m F

ORMER Nigeria captain Austin Okocha stands a chance to earn slightly over N97 million ($600,000) following his decision to feature in an Indian football competition that hopes to replicate the success of cricket’s Indian Premier League (IPL).

Okocha alongside Italy’s World Cupwinning captain Fabio Cannavaro, Arsenal legend Robert Pires and other great 27 players and six coaches from around the world will be auctioned off in the eastern Indian city of Kolkata for the league, to be staged between 25 February and 8 April.

“We have signed seven icon players

Apam pleased with winning return

N

IGERIA international Onyekachi Apam has said he is thrilled to make a winning start in French Ligue 1 at the weekend with Rennes since his comeback from an 18month injury layoff.

The central defender saw full-game action in a 2-0 win at Caen. It was the defender’s third game since he joined Rennes from OGC Nice two seasons back ago.

Apam’s first two games since returning from his long-term injury problem were a UEFA Europa League loss at Atletico Madrid in Spain midDecember and a French Cup win over Nancy early this year.

Apam sparkled like a million stars in the heart of the Rennes defence as they make a surge for Europe next season.

“It really feels good doing what I know best again. Though, I am not fully fit, I strongly believe that the coach has much trust in my ability hence he threw me into action,” Apam told MTNFootball.com “And from the cheers from the crowd, I believe I did not disappoint. It can only get better and we are not looking back until we pick a ticket to play in Europe next season.”

Apam’s club are fifth on the table with 35 points from 20 matches.

The next target for the former Enugu Rangers star is a return to the Super Eagles.

“I strongly believe that I still have a stake in the Super Eagles but that will

Olota admits pressure at Bukola Babes HE Technical Adviser of Abubakar Bukola Saraki (ABS) FC of Ilorin, Erasmus Onoh Olota has confirmed to NationSport that he is working under pressure in the only privately-owned club side in the Nigeria Premier League.

Speaking with NationSport on Monday, the former Jigawa Golden Stars handler said: "To be frank with you, I am working under intense pressure here in Ilorin. The pressure is not from the management or the fans, but it is the pressure to build a new team entirely.

“I want to tell you that when I resumed in the team a few weeks ago, what I met was an entirely new set of players. Virtually all the players that played for the team in the 2010/2011 season left for other clubs. I was left with only new recruits, who are basically from the Amateur league clubs, and Academies.

“The team that we used in the

INDIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE

From Patrick Ngwaogu, Abuja

first match against Enyimba in Aba in the league opener was put together in three days. I want to tell you that as the league progresses, we will come out better. We will be team to beat in the League," he boasted.

NationSport can also reveal that among the players signed by the Ilorin-based team is a former striker of FC Abuja, Daniel Ekene Felix. The hard-fighting attacker from FC Royal Academy also played for National League side, Supreme Court FC of Abuja in the 2009/2010 season before moving on to FC Abuja.

Also another Abuja-based player that was hooked by the Premiership side is Malachy Eze of Abuja Municipal Area Council ( AMAC) FC, an Amateur Division 2 club. The players are set to make their debut as all transfer formalities have been concluded.

depend on the selectors,” he told MTNFootball.com. “Once I am 100 per cent fit, I will challenge for a place in the team under coach Stephen Keshi,” Apam revealed.

Rennes’ next game will be a French Cup match against Apam’s former club Nice. “It will be a sweet home coming for me and I hope to be at my best to help my team pick the quarterfinal ticket in Nice. After the game, we will re-live the old times,” he said.

for the auction and each of the six teams will have one such player with a $600,000 salary cap,” said Bhaswar Goswami, the executive director of Celebrity Management Group.”

Other signed-up players – all at the end of their careers – include Portuguese midfielder Maniche, former Argentina international Juan Pablo Sorín, ex-Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler, former Spain striker Fernando Morientes and Argentinian Hernán Crespo.

CMG has signed a 30-year deal with the Indian Football Association for the league and has floated tenders for franchises, Goswami said.

"We have started with six teams this year, all in the state of West Bengal but have already been approached to expand the league to other parts of the country.

"Every team will have $2.5m (£1.63m) to spend in the first year.

They will have a maximum of four foreigners and a compulsory six under-21 Indian players in their squad."

Cricket's IPL dazzled fans with its exciting Twenty20 format, player auctions, post-game parties and heavy advertising and now football

•Yakubu of Blackburn is sent off by Referee Anthony Taylor after a dangerous tackle on Danny Murphy of Fulhamduring the Barclays Premier League match

– which has failed to produce top-class Indian players – is poised for a similar makeover.

"The league is modelled on Major League Soccer and of course IPL. We saw the hype and buzz around the players' auction in IPL and feel it can be an equal success. It's a brilliant concept. We expect owners to make profit much earlier than the IPL franchises. We are also in the process of finalising television rights for live broadcast across south-east Asia," Goswami added.

Goswami was bullish about the league's future and said it would change the face of Indian football. "I think we made the right start by launching it in West Bengal. It's a soccer-crazy state where 100,000 people throng to watch the local derby between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan.

"It will be a massive boost for local players to share the dressing room and field with some of the players they grew up idolising."

A cricket-dominated India ranks a dismal 162 in FIFA's rankings despite its huge population but 60 million Indians tuned in to the English Premier League's 2009-10 season.

FEB. 29 NATIONS CUP QUALIFIER

Keshi gets Rwanda’s match tapes

S

UPER EAGLES head coach, Stephen Keshi has confirmed to NationSport that he has received two recent video tapes of matches involving the Rwandan National Team.

A source close to the former Super Eagles captain, revealed: "I want to tell you that the Chief Coach and his crew are not taking anything for granted.

They have received the two video tapes of matches involving the Rwandan national team.

“The tapes are of recent matches and

From Patrick Ngwaogu, Abuja they are studying them. They want to ensure that they know the in and out of the team before they play them in Kigali in February.

“Keshi wants to win all the matches; he want to win both home and away and is seeking to avoid a situation where his team would depend on the permutation of other teams to decide their fate. If it goes for him, he wants a

FALLOUT OF YAKUBU’S SUSPENSION

situation where the Super Eagles would have qualified for the South Africa 2013 Africa Nations Cup with three matches to go."

Continuing, the source, a back room staff of the team, pleaded for the understanding of all Nigerians as the team is rebuilt. "Keshi wants Nigerians to give him at least three years to build a formidable team for the country. I am quite convinced that If Nigerians are patient, from the programmes he has shown us, Nigeria football fans would smile again," the source concluded

•Keshi

AHEAD OF LONDON 2012 OLYMPIC GAMES

Blackburn to resolve Adam eyes better Robert’s contract performance than Beijing

W

HEN Blackburn Rovers’ topscorer Yakubu was sent off after just 23 minutes at Ewood Park on Saturday, the stage was set for vastly experienced striker Jason Roberts to lead the line in the Nigerian’s absence.

However, as has been the case for almost a month now, Roberts had not even been handed a place on the bench and David Goodwillie was called upon instead.

Grenadian forward Roberts is thought to be missing out on the action due to contractual issues, but with Yakubu now suspended for three games and Rovers battling to stay out of the bottom three in the Premier League table, those issues will surely have to be resolved in the coming few days.

It has been reported that Roberts faces a similar issue to that of Michel Salgado, who has claimed that he is being left out of the side because of a clause in his contract that states he would be entitled to another

year at the club if he plays beyond a certain amount of games this season.

While Blackburn and Steve Kean have denied this, the last time Roberts was in Rovers’ 18-man squad was for the crunch clash against local rivals Bolton Wanderers on December 20.

And the last time the 33-year-old actually played for the Lancashire outfit was on December 17, when he came on as a second-half substitute in the defeat against West Brom. Yakubu’s rich vein of form – the £1.5m summer signing has notched up 12 top-flight goals so far this campaign – has overshadowed Roberts’ current selection problems.

But can Rovers really afford to keep a striker who played a crucial part in their survival bid last season on the fringes of the squad?

Ex-international Paul Okoku loses mum

By Stella Bamawo

F

ORMER Super Eagles player, Paul Okoku is bereaved. Okoku lost his mother, Susan Okoku to the cold hands of death on January 12. Mrs Okoku's was 81 years old on January 1st.

In a telephone chat from the USA, Okoku eulogised his mum, describing her as the rock behind his thriving career in the round-leather-game back then. The ex-international, who is resident in the States, said: "I had just completed an interview of a woman, Kim Gonce. After the interview, my boss, Harvey Binder, took both of us to lunch. While having lunch together, he turned to me and asked, ‘Lucky, by the way, how is your mum doing?”

She is fine, I replied. And, five minutes after that my baby brother, Friday’s phone call came in. His soft voice said to me, ‘mamao ti ku o!’ Mom is dead.

"I brought her to the US a month before the 1996 Olympics held in Atlanta.

During that year’s Olympics, I took mamao (as my siblings and I called her), to watch three of the Nigeria’s games against, Mexico, Brazil and Argentina (finals). She appreciated the experience.

Although memories are meant to fade for nature designed them that way, however, those were unforgettable memories, and there were many other instances,” Okoku said.

•Praises Korean coach

N

IGERIA’s Taekwondo star, Issa Muhammed Adam has said that beyond the feat of qualifying for the London 2012 Olympic Games, he aims to surpass his performance at the last edition in Beijing, China.

Speaking on his qualification for the biennial event at the qualifiers held in far away Cairo, Egypt, Adam said booking a place at the London Games was easier for him owing to the experience he has garnered over time.

“Despite my relative inexperience I managed to make it to the last eight of the Beijing Olympics, and this time round I think I have the ability to do better than what I did in China because I have the exposure and experience to rub shoulders with the world’s best in London, come July this year.

“In London, I am confident of picking a medal, but as for the colour of the medal, I cannot start saying now. But I know this time round we will set a record for Africa and Nigeria.

“I think it was a bit easier for me to make it to the London Olympics this year because I was more exposed and confident than my last outing at the 2008 qualifiers in Libya. During the

By Innocent Amomoh Libya outing in 2008, I was a bit jittery because that was my first appearance in the qualifiers and then I was not that exposed compared to my experience now. So, I will say I was more prepared this year than what I experienced in 2008. So my qualification in Egypt was easy,” he said.

Adam praised compatriot Chika Chukwumerije for his excellent display at the qualifiers, adding that he has shown over the years that he is the best in his weight category.

“But the Ivorien, who was the opponent of Chika was very rough in the semifinal encounter because he knew he was leading and he wanted to make things bad and he paid dearly for it. So, I am happy that we both qualified to represent the country in London and I believe we can do better than what we did in China.

“I think Joy Ekhator lost to a better opponent and I believe this has added to her experience. Also, I must not forget the enormous contribution of the Korean coach to the team. His impact was really felt in the team and I hope we will also utilise his experience at the Olympics in London,” he said.

Anichebe wants Everton to build on draw E

VERTON striker Victor Anichebe said his goal in the 1-1 draw with Aston Villa can be the spur the Blues need in order to start a climb up the Premier League table.

Anichebe is glad to be back in the Everton side, and back to scoring goals, but knows he has to be careful not to

•Anichebe

aggravate an old injury.

“I think we deserved more out the game. Our two central defenders were doing really well then they got the goal.

Then we changed and got the goal back, we worked hard to get back in the game.

A draw is better than the loss, but we would have liked the win," Anichebe said.

“I’m really pleased but the main thing for me is to keep staying on the pitch, goal or no goal, and just keep playing, I don’t want to be back in the treatment room. Sometimes I’m a bit stupid and try to keep the ball in when it’s impossible and my knee buckled.

“But I think there was just a fear because I have done stuff in the past so I always fear for the worst. I just thank God there wasn’t anything serious and we can now kick on as a team,” Anichebe added.

FIFA Match Agent promises more matches for Eagles

T

HE FIFA Match Agent appointed by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) last year to secure friendly match-ups with the world’s top teams for Nigerian teams has pledged to get more matches with the leading lights of the international game for the Super Eagles, and other Nigerian team.

Mr. Jairo Pachon, a 35-year old Colombian who has been living in England for the past 15 years, and operates under the family business,

Eurodata Sport and Culture Marketing Limited, said he is determined to work hard to get more quality friendly matches for the Super Eagles, and indeed other Nigerian National Teams.

“We are just starting, in my opinion.

But the important thing is our focus and commitment to getting many more matches and also top quality.

We started with Argentina last year – the Guinness The Match – and this year, there will be another top quality country.

“Football is a serious business and you will get what you want if you market very well and know what you are looking for”, said Pachon, who holds a master’s degree in Business Studies from the Europe Business School, London with specialisation in marketing.

Jairo started working with the NFF in November 2008, when he organised the international friendly between the Super Eagles and the Colombian Senior Team in Cali. Colombia won 1-0.

25

PROPERTY

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Website:- http://www.thenationonlineng.com

* The Environment * Mortgage * Apartments * Security * Homes *Real Estate

email:- property@thenationonlineng.net

•Sagamu-Benin-Ore Road on December 23, last year

PHOTO: OKWY IROEGBU-CHIKEZIE

The road of the matter

In support of its argument for subsidy removal, the government promises to use the proceeds to, among others, fix bad roads. But many in the construction sector do not think that the gains will do that magic. OKWY IROEGBU-CHIKEZIE reports.

•CONTINUED ON PAGE 26

•Kwara to demolish illegal structures

- PAGE 26

•‘Abandoned projects will •FMBN to boost housing through cooperative societies be completed’ - PAGE 26

- PAGE 39

26

THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2012

PROPERTY/ENVIRONMENT •CONTINUED FROM PAGE 25

T

O proponents of subsidy removal, the roads will gain a lot from the policy, which was introduced stealthily by the Federal Government on January 1.

By this, they mean that part of the proceeds from the subsidy removal will be used to fix bad roads. How much will be allocated to the project has not been stated yet. But stakeholders are asking what happened to the N300 billion earmarked for road construction and rehabilitation during the first term of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

The money seemed to have gone with the wind, with the roads still in their bad condition. To opponents of subsidy removal, the government is being economical with the truth on its promise to fix bad roads with the gains there from.

They said, if government is asking for a sacrifice on the part of the populace, it should be made clear that its impact will not be immediate, stressing that the effect on roads and infrastructure development may take some years to materialise.

Many questions are still being asked on how the government intends to raise the proposed N1.3 trillion expected to be injected into the budget has not been passed by the National Assembly.

Amid the argument for subsidy removal by government, the Finance Minister, who also doubles as the Economic Team Coordinator, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has assured that 370,000 jobs will be created yearly as a result of the subsidy removal. But, curiously, the construction sector, which is a huge employment creating sector with its multiplier effect, was not mentioned.

Observers wondered why the government is using the subsidy removal as a mantra for motorable highways.

The immediate past Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Lagos State, Francisco Abosede, while reacting to the subsidy removal and its effect on roads and highways, said: “Cost of bitumen which incidentally is a basic and primary product in road construction will hit the roof

The road of the matter

•Ondo State axis of Benin Ore road on December 23, 2011

and unfortunately government has failed to tap this all important material in road construction that is found in great quantity in Ondo State compared to any other part of the world.”

He said subsidy removal would increase the cost of road construction and related services.

At two dollars average income a day for about 70 per cent of the population, he argued, what is left after accounting for a litre of fuel will not be sufficient for any human being to survive on.

He rejected government’s permutations and figure of subsidy savings, calling for the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), reduction of the cost of governance by 50 per cent across board, in ad-

dition to upgrading and building new refineries.

A highway engineer, Afolabi Adedeji, said: “It will take a ‘miracle worker’ in the Federal Ministry of Works to prevent the road sector from being adversely affected and becoming yet another ‘casualty’ of this deregulation policy in the nation’s downstream oil sector.”

He observed that in the short term, more money will be required to achieve the same mileage before the subsidy removal even as the sector has not fared well before now.

Adedeji predicted an inevitable rise in personnel costs and an upward inflationary ‘push’ on road construction material costs, heavy equipment rental and procurement cost.

‘It will take a ‘miracle worker’ in the Federal Ministry of Works to prevent the road sector from being adversely affected and becoming yet another ‘casualty’ of this deregulation policy in the nation’s downstream oil sector’

Group appoints Executive Director

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ROMINENT water expert, Anders Berntell, has been appointed Executive Director of the 2030 Water Resources Group (WRG), a consortium of public and private sector and civil society entities that is helping countries to address the challenge of water security.

Beginning on January 26, the WRG will be housed at IFC, a member of the World Bank Group.

This follows a two-year incubation period at the World Economic Forum.

The WRG mobilises public and private sector actors, civil society, and academic and finance institutions to help change the political economy for water reform in countries by analysing key issues and convening groups to engage in

substantive dialogue and design joint solutions.

Findings from the WRG’s country-by-country analysis and expertise drawn from its world-class network will help inform and accelerate governments’ efforts to implement sustainable changes in their water sectors in ways that support economic growth. Since June 2010, the WRG has partnered with country governments to pilot its unique public-private-civilsociety model for water sector transformation.

Prior to joining the WRG, Berntell was Executive Director of the Stockholm International Water Institute, where he was responsible for the overall development and direction of SIWI’s activities. This includes adminis-

tration of the highly regarded World Water Week, an annual event held in Stockholm. Mr Berntell brings over 30 years of experience in the field of water, environment, and development to the WRG. His appointment will take effect from March 1, 2012.

Berntell said: “I am very excited about my new role as Executive Director of the Water Resources Group. Growing competition for scarce water resources has highlighted the strong links between water-resource management and economic development.

“The work of the Water Resources Group has helped to move decisions about water resources higher up the political agenda at this critical juncture.”

How PPPs make cities more efficient, improve living standards

P

UBLIC-private partnerships help cities improve their infra structure in ways that would be impossible without private participation, making urban areas more efficient and raising living standards, according to the latest issue of Handshake, a quarterly online journal published by International Finance Cooperation ( IFC), a member of the World Bank Group.

Handshake finds that PPPs in urban water, financing, public transport, and housing can be especially effective in preparing for rapid urbani-

sation across the world.

Handshake offers readers in-depth analysis and insight on PPPs in cities including Barcelona, Cartagena, Chennai, Manila, Saint Petersburg.

The journal includes a special section on cities and climate change.

“Public-private partnerships in cities are critical to a world facing rapid urbanisation, and Handshake provides advice for readers at any stage of the PPP process,” said Director for IFC Advisory Services in Public-Private Partnerships Laurence Carter.

“This multimedia issue brings to-

gether the experience of experts from industry, from agencies like the Public-Private Infrastructure Advisory Facility, the Global Partnership on Output-Based Aid, Cities Alliance, and from across the World Bank Group.”

As a free electronic journal, Handshake reaches a targeted audience that includes governments, donors, advisors, practitioners, academics, and researchers.

The e-journal is accessible via several digital platforms, including iPad, iPhone and Android.

PHOTO: OKWY IROEGBU-CHIKEZIE

To him, government should also get ready to entertain variation requests, upward reviews and adjustment of contract sums from contractors whose initial costs may have tripled as a result of the subsidy removal and current realities which were not captured in the current budget.

He stressed that the 1,600 buses procured by the government as palliative for mass transit may as well join thousands of vehicles on Nigerian roads that have to endure the stress occasioned by the deplorable road and bridge conditions in all the nooks and crannies of the country.

He said whatever mileage government expected from this subsidy removal would be compromised by the corresponding rise in cost of construction, as well additional rates from toll gates on some of the highways.

A public analyst, Lateef Aluko, dismissed government’s promises by insisting that they have not given the people any ground to believe them, especially with the timing of the subsidy removal and the prom-

ised declaration of emergency in the power sector which has not yielded any tangible dividend.

He said: “More worrisome are some governors who are already playing to the gallery by their purported purchase of commercial buses for their local governments when evidently the roads have been deplorable for years.

Aluko, who claimed to have travelled across the country, decried the state of the roads especially at the local government levels. Most of the local government’s roads are not passable except for several selfhelp projects embarked on by communities and various age groups in the South east.

In certain quarters people are only asking for something as marginal as grading the earth road to make it passable and as we speak they may yet wait forever.

“One then wonders on which road the state government’s new vehicles will ply, wouldn’t the buses be scraps in not too distant time,” he asked.

Aluko accused the governors of doing little as far as infrastructure provision is concerned.

He called on Nigerians not to put their minds on the so called gains of the subsidy removal, especially with the promise of good roads.

Aluko berated some of the governors who have gone ahead to purchase buses without first fixing the roads, which has become death traps because of long years of neglect.

He called the attention of the government to the poor condition of certain highways such as the AbujaLokoja dualisation project, Sagamu, Ore/ Benin highway and especially the Enugu/Umuahia/ Port Harcourt expressway which has been bad for over seven years and consequently been largely abandoned by motorists while those who dare it do it at great cost.

But the Chief Economic Adviser to the President, Dr Nwanze Okedibe speaking in favour of the subsidy removal, said except government insists on the removal it will have no other choice but to resort to borrowing to provide needed infrastructure. He regretted that only 25per cent of budget provision is allocated to capital projects with the remaining going into recurrent expenditure.

Kwara to demolish illegal structures

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HE Kwara State Commissioner for Works and Tranport, Dr Abubakar Amud Kannike, has said the state government would continue to demolish illegal structures along major streets in Ilorin, the state capital.

Kannike stated this during a working visit to AkerebiataSango Road, Ilorin, regretting that lack of compliance to town planning rules and regulations has caused a lot of damage on the ongoing road construction in the state capital.

While restating government’s resolve to enforce compliance, he

warned that any illegal structure along the waterways would also be demolished.

He promised to protect government’s huge investment on infrastructure and road development.

Kannike praised the contractors on the quality and level of work achieved so far at Sulu Gambari and Post ICT roads and subsequently promised the payment for jobs already done.

He said the major task ahead the administration is the completion of ongoing projects as well as maintenance of existing infrastructure.

‘Abandoned projects will be completed’

D

ELTA State Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan has reiterated his resolve to complete all uncompleted projects, as well as those embarked upon by his administration.

He spoke in Asaba last week.

Uduaghan, who spoke through his Political Adviser, Chief Fred Majemite, said his government had paid for most of the contracts it awarded including the ones inherited from previous administrations, urging for quality jobs from contractors.

He regretted that some contrac-

tors do not executive quality jobs even when they have been fully mobilised. According to him, that is the reason most infrastructure, especially building, do not last. They collapse before their expected life span.

He called on the Federal Government to provide adequate infrastructure, especially those that have direct bearing on the people.

Majemite said the government was doing everything possible to ensure all-round development in the economy.

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TUESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2012

E-mail:- law@thenationonlineng.net

Ever before fuel subsidy was removed, lawyers had made it known that they are against it. So, when the policy was introduced on January 1, they rose as one to condemn it. They supported the nationwide strike by organised labour and civil society groups which rocked the nation last week.

ERIC IKHILAE examines the role of lawyers in the subsidy removal crisis.

•Daudu

•Adoke

When lawyers go marching over fuel subsidy removal F

ROM the onset, lawyers never hid their stand on the issue. They made it plain that they are against fuel subsidy, and whenever the opportunity reared its head, they spoke against their proposed policy.

But the Federal Government, which had all along, given the impression that it was feeling the people’s pulse on the matter, played a fast one on January 1,

when it announced the removal of subsidy.

The announcement drew the ire of the public, which demanded an immediate suspension of the policy, which all out was the jump in pump price of petrol from N65 to N141 per litre. With the announcement, the battle line was drawn, with the people pitched against the government.

Throughout last week, the people took to the streets, protesting the introduction of the

policy. And lawyers matched along with them.

Whether in Lagos, Abuja, Kano, Ibadan, Benin, Enugu, Port Harcourt or Aba, lawyers were in the trenches, so to say, waging war against subsidy removal.

Why did lawyers, through the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) join the strike being championed by the organised labour, comprising the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC)

and Trade Union Congress (TUC), and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs).

Besides marching on the streets with their compatriots, lawyers also volunteered free services for those arrested and also gave expert opinion on thorny legal issues.

They also warned security agencies against using brutal tactics against pro•See page 29

•’Why NIC cannot sit over protests’- P.30 • We act as catalyst for economic growth- P.36

THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2012

28

LAW REPORT

Candidate who wins case on court judgment steps into shoes of invalidly nominated opponent IN THE COURT OF APPEAL ( Judicial Division) On Wednesday, July 2, 2008 Suit No: CA/PH/EPT/8/08 BEFORE THEIR LORDSHIPS SAKA ADEYEMI IBIYEYE ....... Justice, Court of Appeal CLARA BATA OGUNBIYI ....... Justice, Court of Appeal PAUL ADAMU GALINJE ....... Justice, Court of Appeal OLUKAYODDE ARIWOOLA ....... Justice, Court of Appeal GEORGE OLADEHINDE SHOREMI ....... Justice, Court of Appeal BETWEEN CHIEF SERGEANT CHIDI AWUSE

...APPELLANTS

AND CELESTINE NGOZICHIM OMEHIA INDEPENDENT NATIONAL ELECTORAL COMMISSION (INEC) & 2 ORS. ...RESPONDENTS CLARA BATA OGUNBIYI, J.C.A. (Delivered the Leading Judgment):

A

N order that the speaker of the House of Assembly Rivers State be forthwith sworn in as the acting Governor of Rivers State.

Responding to the 1st issue raised by the appellant, learned senior counsel Imadegblo SAN on behalf of the respondents emphasized the sui generic nature of election petition matters wherein time is of utmost essence.

Thus the reason occasioning the establishment of election tribunals which are special and Independent of regular courts as provided by section 285 of the Constitution.

Learned senior in deep consideration of his arguments submitted that insistence on hearing the application for stay of proceedings at the Court of Appeal could have occasioned unnecessary delay in the hearing and determination of the petition or the appellants at the tribunal. His position was supported by paragraph 10 of the Election Tribunal and court Practice Direction no.2 2007 which forbids stay of proceedings in interlocutory appeals. The learned senior in fortification of his submission cited the authority in the case of Osunbor v Oshiomole (2007) 18 NWLR (pt.1065) pages 32 at 40 wherein Ibiyeye JCA held and said:. “By virtue of paragraph l0 of the practice Direction No.2 of 2007, an interlocutory appeal shall not operate as a stay of proceedings nor form a ground for stay of proceedings before an election tribunal. This is to engender speed in the consideration of any election matter.”

Learned counsel urged therefore that the first issue be resolved against the appellants.

Issue two relates to the propriety or not of the striking out of the paragraphs relating to Mr. Celestine Ngozichim Omehia as 1st respondent from the petition.

Submitting on this issue, learned senior argued that when a party not properly joined in suit is struck out, any allegation made against him becomes irrelevant and incompetent.

That the decision of the tribunal in striking out the name of the 1st respondent on the 29th day of November, 2007 therefore constituted the end of the 1st respondent as far as his involvement in the petition was concerned. To buttress his submission, the learned seniors cited the authority in the case of Obasanjo v Yusuf (2004) 9 NWLR (pt.877) page 144. He further submitted the complaint by the appellant as nothing but “a storm in a teacup.” Learned senior urged that the issue be resolved in favour of the 2nd - 4th respondents therefore.

The third issue seeks to determine whether or not issues were joined by the parties on the decision of Rt. Honourable Amaechi v INEC & Ors. Senior counsel in substantiation related the trite law that in the determination of the issue of jurisdiction, the tribunal must consider

the averments in the petition. For the fortification of this proposition the cases of Parco (press & Books) Ltd. v CBN (2001) 3 NWLR (pt.700) page347 at 365 and Multi-purpose Ventures v Attorney General of Rivers stare (1997) 9 NWNR (pt.522) page 642 at page 665 are very relevant.

Learned senior re-iterated that pleadings provide the regal basis for judgment which must be confined to matters in which legal issues have been joined. That a judgment should not be based on matters outside the pleadings: counsel therefore urged the court to hold that the honourable tribunal did not go outside the pleadings of the parties in the determination of the 2nd - 4th respondents application and dismissing the petition.

Counsel urged that the issue also be resolved in their favour.

Issue four questions the propriety or not of the tribunal in refusing to nullify the gubematorial election held in Rivers State on the 14th day of April, 2007.

In posing the question whether the tribunal could have nullified the gubematorial elections herd in Rivers state on the 14th day of April, 2007 without the joinder of the Rt. Hon. Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, same the learned counsel submitted in the negative.

The learned counsel pursued with candour and vigours the effectual provisions of sections 140(1) 144(2) and 147(1) of the Electoral Act 2006 as well as 285(2) of the constitution

of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as evident. That following the Supreme court’s decision,-the petition of the appellants is a nullity with same having been filed against a non-candidate. That the combined effect of the apex court’s judgment was that Mr. Celestine Omehia was illegally sworn in as the Governor of Rivers State.

Learned senior in further submission anchored on section 36 of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 which precludes the tribunal from giving any decision or making any order against Rt. Hon. Chibuike, who was not a party to the petition. Cited in support further were the authorities in the cases of Obasanjo v Buhari (2003) 17 NWLR (Pt.650) 51 and also Buja v Ibrahim (2006) 1 NWLR (pt.981) page 1.

The counsel therefore prayed before us to affirm the Ruling of the lower tribunal and dismiss the appeal on the ground that it lacks merit.

In the reply brief the learned appellant’s counsel submitted further that paragraph 10 of the Practice Direction No.2, 2007, which was heavily relied upon by 2nd - 4th respondents’ counsel, does not support their argument. He further contended that the tribunal was in grave error because despite the notification of the pending application in the Court of Appeal, seeking an “order of stay of it; proceedings, it nevertheless proceeded with the matter without affording this court an opportunity to first entertain the application.

Further still, that, if the tribunal was wrong in striking out the name of the 1st respondent, it was also equally wrong to have struck out the paragraphs of the petition relating to sir Celestine Ngozichim Omehia and thereby dismissing the petition. That where the jurisdiction of a court is challenged, such court ought of necessity first assume jurisdiction for purpose of determining whether or not it has such jurisdiction. Cited again in support was the case of Onyeanuli v Miscellaneous Offences Tribunal (1995) 8 NWLR (Pt.415) 628 at 641. The counsel on this score urged us to hold that the tribunal was wrong in adjudicating the matter on the merits. He further, argued that the Supreme Court is not a court of competent jurisdiction in Governorship Election Petition matters and consequent to which their decision could not have the effect of altering a return made by INEC; heavy reliance was laid on the pronouncement by Oguntade JSC in the case of Amaechi v INEC supra where he reasoned that: “The candidate that wins the case on the judgment of the court simply steps into the shoes of his invalidly nominated opponent whether as a looser or winner.”

Learned counsel by operational interpretation of the judgment deducted that Rt. Hon. Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi would automatically have stepped into tire shoes of sir

Celestine Ngozichim Omehia in the pending petition and lo carry on the defence thereof as if he was originally sued as the respondent.

That the tribunal was therefore in grave error in striking out the name of the 1st respondent and also the paragraphs of the petition and thereby dismissing it without first concluding the trial already part-heard.

The learned senior urged that the appeal be allowed therefore.

For the determination of this appeal, reference would first be made to the learned tribunal’s ruling at page 203 of the supplementary record where it held and said:“In the instant case, Mr. Celestine Ngozichim Omehia who was erroneously declared the elected or returned by the respondents is no longer a party before us. The deemed declared candidate RT. HON. TOTIMI CHIBUIKE AMAECHI is also not before the tribunal. Still the petitioners want us to annul the election of 14/04/07 into the Governorship seat of rivers State.

In the absence before us of a person whose election or Return is being complained of in this petition, we are of the view that this petition is incompetent and we so hold.

In the circumstance thereof, we do hereby grant the respondents’ prayers, that is to say the tribunal lacks the jurisdiction to continue the hearing of this petition because the person whose election or return is being challenged is not before it.

The petition is accordingly dismissed.”

It is the consequential effect of the foregoing conclusions arrived at by the learned tribunal that forms the grouse or the subject matter of this appeal.

I would wish to recapitulate however that this appeal cannot be taken in isolation of the first which was disposed of earlier because the two are fused one into the other and therefore are closely linked and related.

In other words the subject matter of the second appeal arose as a consequence of the first.

From all deduction on the record, it is clear and certain that the striking out of the name of the 1st respondent as a party to the petition, initially filed, was on his own volition following the application made by him/his counsel. This application was a consequence of the decision by the Supreme Court in the case of Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi v INEC & Ors. In Appeal No. SC/252/2007.

The determination of this appeal, is also solely dependent upon the legal and consequential effects of the outcome of the said apex court’s judgment as the grounding factor. The salient necessary issue for consideration is what effect the said decision in Amaechis, case has on the petition filed on May 14, 2007, challenging the election of Mr Celestine Omehia as the Governor of Rivers State.

•To be continued

•From left: Prof A. D. Badaiki,Gabriel Ojikhandu, Mrs Edna Akande, Sylva Ogwemoh and Andy Igboekwe, during the Annual Reunion of Nigeria Law School Class of 1988 at the Boat Club, Lagos

THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2012

29

LAW COVER CONT’D

When lawyers go marching over fuel subsidy removal •Continued from page 27

testers, vowing to prosecute security personnel involved in breaching citizens’ right to protest.

They demanded the abrogation of the archaic Police Force Order 237, under which Police personnel can shoot at rioters or protesters whether or not they pose a threat to life. The law requires policemen to fire “at the knees of the rioters” and prohibits firing to disperse protesters.

The lawyers also stood up to their colleagues in government service, who are defending the policy. They countered their colleagues’ arguments. Among these lawyers are former Attorney-General of the Federation, Chief Richard Akinjide (SAN), Prof Itse Sagay (SAN), former NBA Presidents, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN) and Olisa Agbakoba (SAN), Dr. Tunji Braithwaite, Femi Falana, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, Festus Keyamo.

On the flip side was the attempt by the Attorney-General of the Federation, Mohammed Adoke (SAN), who raced to court to intimidate organised labour into not going on strike.

He went to the President of the National Industrial Court (NIC), Justice Babatunde Adejumo for an ex-parte injunction, restraining NLC and Trade Union Congress (TUC) from embarking on the strike that commenced last Monday.

Last December 19 in Kaduna, NBA warned the government against tinkering with the price of petrol. It predicted a mass revolt against the government I subsidy was removed.

“The time has come for a final determination whether those in government derive their power from the people or whether they are independent and owe their stay in power to other entities other than the people.

“We foresee victory and liberation for the people of Nigeria, while those pushing for deregulation in the present form will depart with more than a bloody nose,” the NBA said.

At a Town Hall meeting on imperative of subsidy removal, Agbakoba and Falana countered arguments y Mrs Diezani AllisonMadueke (Petroleum Minister), Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala (Finance Minister) and Malam Lamido Sanusi (Central Bank Governor).

Agbakoba advised the government to cut the cost of governance as its own sacrifice.

“Can the governors cut down their security votes as their own sacrifice before going ahead with the plan on deregulation? We are not giving subsidy removal a bad name. If you want to put a burden on us, show us the one you (those in government) are carrying,” he said.

Falana tasked the government to listen to alternative suggestions and allow for more time of public engagement before implementing its policy. He wondered why the state, with all instruments of force at its disposal, could still claim to be incapacitated in the face of a parasitic cabal.

Claiming the fact that what the government termed subsidy actually resulted from corruption on the part of those in government, Falana said: “Don’t impose further punishment on Nigerians. They cannot afford to pay for the corruption and inefficiency of government,” he said.

As if taking a cue from Falana, the NBA in a statement on January 5 provided alternatives to fuel subsidy removal.

“If government should apply half the vigour with which it has pursued the issue of the removal of subsidy to the eradication of corruption in all the arms of government and in society in general, then trillions of naira would be freed for development projects.

“Government should identify areas of wastage in governance, such as the allocation of largesse and booties in the name of allowances and withdraw same forthwith.

“Government must embark on a re-orientation of its own values and ethics and those of Nigerians. Law and order must be enforced in accordance with the rule of law,” NBA said.

•Akinjide

•Sagay

•Braithwaite

•Agbakoba

•Akeredolu

•Falana

It said where elected officials believe that the government and governance have become private property run at the master’s whims and caprices, the time has come for these officials to be reminded that that the people are in charge.

“It must be mentioned that it appears to be more than a coincidence that the government chose to remove subsidy at a time when the nation was reeling and mourning from the activities of anarchists and terrorists.

Be it noted that Nigerians will not be cowered either from the activities of terrorists or those of an insensitive government. We shall deal with and resolve these issues with or without government,” NBA added.

The anti-subsidy removal protest was also endorsed from an unusual quarter, when Akinjide urged the president to heed the voice of reason and listen to the people.

In a television interview, the former attorney-general queried President Goodluck Jonathan’s refusal to respect the resolutions by the National Assembly that he suspends the fuel price increment.

He asked the government to consider the resolution passed by the National Assembly calling for the reversal of the fuel pump price in order to create a better platform for further dialogue that will end the crisis.

Citing cases of the United States and Brit-

ain, Chief Akinjude said the legislature, populated by representatives of the people, speaks for them. He wondered if the American President or the British Prime Minister would ignore such a resolution by the legislature without being penalised.

Chief Akinjide advised the government to seek room for compromise with all concerned groups in the protest He advised President Jonathan to rely more on the counsel of politicians who appreciate the force behind public reactions to government’s policies as against technocrats who careless about how people react to their actions and decisions.

Speaking at the Gani Fawehinmi Park, now rechristened Freedom Square, in Ojota, Lagos, where protesters gathered daily throughout last week, Braithwaite said the current crisis showed that the appointed time to rescue Nigeria from those who held it captive had finally come.

“There’s something called an appointed time. We are here today on this podium to announce to our children and rulers that the appointed time has arrived. There’s no going back. With the power of the Almighty with us, we are taking over our nation and the entire black race and freeing ourselves,” he said.

He deplored the sudden increase in fuel

price and urged the people to insist on their position that the government must act in ways that benefit them.

The announcement by the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) on the removal of fuel subsidy on Sunday has attracted widespread condemnation from Nigerians.

Sagay, while reacting to report of subsidy removal, expressed shock at the announcement, saying the removal was contempt to the views of Nigerians. He added that it was done in a deceitful manner.

“I am thoroughly shocked. Arguments were taken, thinking that our points were going to be listened to. We did not know that they had already taken their decision.

“It is a demonstration of contempt of the views of overwhelming majority of Nigerians, particularly considering the deceitful and fraudulent way it was brought in. Definitely, it shows this government is not with us,” he said.

Akeredolu, in a statement entitled: “This anti-people policy must not stand”, described the policy as condemnable.

“Those who should know have told the leaders of the ruling party and their clueless representatives in government that there is no subsidy whatsoever in the price of petrol at N65.

“The facts on ground confirm that Nigerians have been subsidising this rudderless Government and the criminal clique in the sector. In spite of all these, Nigerians have been told that the decision is irreversible.

“Democratic governance does not anticipate acts of dictatorship on the part of elected representatives and their appointees. The socio-economic security of the people must be the primary purpose of governance.

“Ultimate sovereignty rests with the

‘

The time has come for a final determination whether those in government derive their power from the people or whether they are independent and owe their stay in power to other entities other than the people

’

•Continued on page 31

THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2012

30

FROM THE COURT

‘Why NIC cannot sit over protests’

I

REFER to the proceedings of the National Industrial Court (NIC), Abuja, held on Thursday, January 12, 2012, wherein leave was granted to the Federal Government to advertise it’s motion on notice for an order of interlocutory injunction by substituted service in the newspapers.

It is highly regrettable that a legal practitioner appeared before that court in contravention of the subsisting directive of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) for all lawyers to boycott all courts in Nigeria in support of the anti fuel subsidy removal protest.

It was therefore thoroughly shocking that Chief Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), appeared before the NIC to conduct proceedings as counsel representing the Federal Government.

Two important issues have arisen from the conduct of the learned senior advocate.

First, he violated the directive of his own association by appearing in court. He chose to stand against all other lawyers in Nigeria who are currently pressurising the Federal Government to reverse the policy of subsidy removal. I recall that when the late Chief Gani Fawehinmi violated

LAW AND PUBLIC POWER

with

By Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa

a similar directive, his name was entered in the black book of the NBA. Second, prior to the commencement of the case before the NIC, the NBA had issued a directive on all lawyers to boycott all courts. That should have been clear to all courts, all judges and all lawyers, least of all a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, that there will be no counsel to appear to defend the case on behalf of NLC and TUC. This is because the case was filed on Friday, January 6, 2012, after the directive of the NBA had been issued. I therefore seek that the NBA should sanction all lawyers that have so far appeared before the NIC, including those from the Federal Ministry of Justice.

The case has been adjourned to Monday January 16. With the standing order of NBA on all lawyers, there will be no lawyer to appear before the court to defend the NLC and TUC. And the case cannot be heard without a counsel representing them.

I therefore urge President of the NIC to suspend proceedings in the case indefinitely. The Bar and the

gabriel AMALU email:gabrielamalu1@yahoo.com

•Adegboruwa

Bench have been partners for long and no arm of the judiciary should attempt to sabotage the collective struggle of all lawyers.

To continue with the proceedings beyond Monday, Jannuary 16 is for the NIC to incite lawyers to disobey their national body.

The judiciary should never be portrayed to be anti-people. Even during the trying periods of military rule, it was the judiciary that salvaged our nation. There is no reason to depart from that lofty path of honour by the NIC. •Adegboruwa is Lagos lawyer and right activist

•President, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (UK) Nigeria Branch Mrs Funke Adekoya (SAN) conferring Fellowship of the Institite on the National Publicity Secretary, NBA, Emeka Obegolu

•From left: Saka Azimazi, chairperson, African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, Dupe Atoki, and others at the 50th ordinary session of the commission in The Gambia

Protest as a constitutional right

A

S I write this column the general strike and public demonstrations called by the Nigerian Labour Congress, the Trade Union Congress and the Civil Society Organisations to protest the increase in the pump price of petrol(PMS) have raged for five days. The impact of the strike on public and private business has been overwhelming; with total shut down in some states, and partial successes in others. As expected the historical centre of protests against perverse policies of public power, the Lagos-Ibadan axis and the Kano-Kaduna axis have lived up to their political temperaments.

Enugu State on the other hand has proved to be ultra conservative. There the state Governor, Barrister Sullivan Chime assumed clearly unconstitutional powers to ban the holding of peaceful rallies and protests; a constitutional right of the indigenes of the state, clearly guaranteed by a combined reading of sections 39, 40 and 41 of the 1999 constitution as amended. The Governor’s proclamation also infringes the provisions of African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights, and the similar charters and conventions of the United Nations on human rights. As I guess the Governor knows, he had merely tricked the people that he has powers conferred on him under the law to ban peaceful protest against a government policy, in his capacity as the chief security officer of the state (itself an aberration under our constitution).

But there are important lessons that should come out of the present national catharsis. The fuel subsidy protest of course because of its more immediate and general impact has overshadowed another dangerous national problem; the recurring murder of Igbos and other Christians living in the northern part of the country. My objective hereunder is to offer suggestions for an enduring national peace to the protesting public and those in power who are interested in a more progressive economic environment. Many Nigerians would agree that many of these multidimensional confrontations are substantially induced by the struggle for domination over the sharing of our national cake.

Firstly there should be a substantial reduction in the take home pays of Nigerians serving in public offices? The salaries, emoluments and other incomes of public officials from the President to the local Councillor must be reviewed downwards. The incidence of public officials earning stupendous and hidden incomes from allowances and other surreptitious means must stop. There should be enforcement of the checks and balances provided and envisaged by our laws, but continuously abused by those in temporal positions of authority.

Secondly, a progressive reduction in the extant powers of the Federal Government over the economic resources of the country; while marching towards Fiscal federalism. As I have maintained on this column, there is the need for the federal government to reduce their unproductive grip on the resources of the country, especially the minerals resources, electricity production and its ownership. For emphasis it makes no meaning that many states are poor and have resorted to borrowing funds for development through bonds, though they are also sitting upon untapped mineral resources, euphemistically owed by the federal government that is hell bent on strangulating itself and suffocating the nation in the context for higher income from their only interest, the crude oil.

Thirdly create policing capacities at the state levels. There is the need for states to have the constitutional right to police their economic activities. While there are genuine fears over abuses, the enabling laws will make it clear that the federal police will have overriding powers vis a viz matters that has to do with fundamental human rights as enshrined in the constitution, inter state commerce and of course on issues which the federal authorities have overriding prerogative in law making. As the President recently admitted, Nigeria is grossly under policed, and the way to go is to share the responsibility with the states, not to hope that some day, the federal authority will have enough resources to provide adequate policing of the vast landscape and peoples of the federal republic of Nigeria.

Fourthly enact enabling laws and encourage regional economic integrations among the six geo-political zones of the country. Such possibilities in practical terms could see the South-East for instance pull resources to develop the enormous coal resources in Enugu state as a source of energy for the region, build a second Niger bridge in partnership with the South-South region, develop a port at the Oguta river basin area and build a monorail to connect the Ebonyi, Enugu, Anambra, Imo and Abia agricultural belts to Onitsha, Enugu, Owerri, Aba and Abakaliki where the products would be consumed and traded on. This of course will see a reduction in the economic waste associated with fare flung micro managing interests of the Federal Government in the so called federal highways, agriculture, and river basin authorities. And there are others.

As may likely happen, the strike may have been resolved as this column goes to press, but the urgent need to re-examine our national paradigms remains ever urgent. To assume that Nigeria would make the necessary progress in the quality of our existence under the present unrealistic over dependence on petro dollars is an illusion. I had hoped that President Goodluck Jonathan would push for the distribution of economic capacities across the geo political zones as he promised during his campaign; instead of seeking to impose higher taxes on the few income earning Nigerians through petrol and toll tax, new car numbers and similar exploitations.

As correctly stated recently by Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Nigeria is a poor country, considering her oil production quota and the country’s population, yet our government officials live like sheiks; while many states are redundant in economic activities; merely surviving on handouts from petro dollars.

THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2012

31

LAW & SOCIETY

Experts call for reformation of the UN L AW experts have advocated a major overhaul of the composition of the United Nations (UN) to allow an even of all continents in its Security Council.

They canvassed the need for countries’ players in international politics to be wellschooled in international diplomacy and politics.

This, they argue, will allow proper articulation of continental and individual country’s views by their representatives in UN’s gatherings and other international fora.

A former Attorney-General and Commissioner of Justice in Plateau State, Prof Clement Dakas and the DirectorGeneral of the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (NIALS), Prof Epiphany Azinge (SAN), canvassed these positions while speaking with The Nation during the week.

Dakas argued that the power dynamics of the UN reflects post-World War II realities.

He also argued that such state of affair was unacceptable over 65 years after the emergence of the UN. “We cannot continue to have simply five permanent members, namely: the United States of America (USA) the United Kingdom (UK), France, Russia and China.

“It is important that the United Nations as a global institution is a representation of all the nations of the world, particularly in terms of the power dynamics, which in the contest of the UN is located primarily in the Security Council.

“I support the case for a reform of the UN system and that is why a training course like this is very critical because it builds capacity of our policy makers particularly because of Nigeria’s quest for permanent membership of an enlarged UN Security Council.

“And the UN is a body that is open to peace loving states, the primary mandate of the UN Security Council is the maintenance of the international peace and security and Nigeria’s credential in that respect is almost impeccable having regard to the contributions of Nigeria in the contest of peace keeping, whether in terms of personnel or in terms of financial contributions.

“That is something we need to leverage on in order to enhance Nigeria’s chances.

But it also means that given our size and so on, we can also deploy our size in which one out of every five African is a Nigerian.

“It is something, which we can constructively and productively deploy outside and also be a giant in the sun as same would say.

“It also means that when you have to contest with countries such as South Africa, Senegal or Egypt, it reinforces the need for us to put our own house in order, there is also the need to deepen and expand our

By John Austin Unachukwu

democratic enterprise.

“We need to improve on the scope of human rights in this country and we need to tackle the monster of corruption and address the state of the well-being of the generality of Nigerians.

“This is because our foreign policy is often the function of the internal dynamics of this country and if we put our house in order, constitute a crack team that will push Nigeria, case, I believe that we will stand a chance.

“But we don’t expect this to be some kind of manner from heaven. We don’t expect those who already hold power, to be a father Christmas.

“It is going to be a struggle. It is going to be a hard one and is one in which we need to ensure that this is not just job for the boys.

We need to get our best in terms of expertise and in terms of those who have the expertise to anchor Nigeria’s case. I believe that if we get it right, we shall take our pride of place.

On the quality of Nigerian delegation at international conferences, Dakas said: “We don’t compare our representation at international conferences with that of the United States of America (US). The US will always overwhelm you with its quality of expertise.

“It is not that we don’t have talented people in this country. Nigerians are among some of the most brilliant in the world, but I often refer to our weapons of mass destruction you would make representation on the basis of religion, on the basis of ethnicity, that is not going to take us anywhere.

“And if you don’t use objective criteria, then you’re not going anywhere. If people don’t use objective criteria and they get away with it, then a culture of impunity sets in and people are not held accountable.

“It is not job for the boys. For instance, foot- ball. Nigerians are passionate about football and nobody says, oh! This person is from the north, this person is from the south.

We look for people who would score goals and I think that we need to learn from that experience.

“We must be very passionate about this country sufficiently enough to use objective criteria and aim for results, that when people claim the consequences, we put an end to this culture of impunity.

“Until we do that, we shall keep having it as job for boys or as some people say, we don’t send our first 11, we keep sending our second 11 to international conferences.

“But we can’t continue like that because Nigeria has great talents and all we need to do is to leverage on that, send experts that can make impacts at international conferences.

On how to deploy the currency of power

When lawyers go marching over fuel subsidy removal •Continued from page 29

people. Their will is supreme. No government functionary who claims to derive his mandate from this collective will should arrogate to himself a monopoly of wisdom in a matter of national importance.

“It is subversive of the sovereign will of the people for a group of people, with barely disguised contempt for the rest of us, to insist that this outrageous imposition will stay even after the people have risen in unison against it. In a situation like this, a truly democratic government will call for a plebiscite to determine the will of the people,” Akeredolu said.

Reacting to an attack on protesters in Ondo State, he said: “The current wave of agitations in the country must be supported by all those who truly believe in the emancipation of the masses. No act of repression and intimidation can silence the voice of the agonising populace serially short-changed by insensitive and irresponsible government at both the national and state levels.

Rights activist, Bamidele Aturu, described the development as unacceptable, adding that

the removal of the subsidy amounted to illegality.

He argued that the removal amounted to a breach of the provisions of the Price Control Act, which provides, among others, that prices of petroleum products must be regulated.

Aturu argued that attempt by the government to deregulate it was a breach of the law. He also faulted the PPPRA which announced the subsidy removal when the government had given indication that it was still consulting.

“It is absolutely unacceptable because in the first place. The PPPRA is an illegal body.

The Price Control Act is still an existing law in Nigeria. The law provides that the price of petroleum must be regulated. Deregulating petroleum products then constitutes a breach of the provision of the Price Control Act.” Son of the late Chief Gani Fawehinmi, Mohammed, a lawyer, who along with his mother, Ganiyat participated in the protest, said the government was taking Nigerians for a ride, urging them to resist attempt to enslave them in their land.

•Azinge

•Dakas

to our advantage, he observed: “There are different currencies of power, which could be military, economic, technological or demographic.

“Frankly, it depends on the yardstick or analysis, look and this in terms of one African country to another. There is a sense in which we are not doing too badly but if you look at this in a global scale, the military power, certainly we are not there, economic power, we are certainly not there, technological power, we are not there.

“But if it is demographic, relative to China or India, we’re not there but at least on the African Continent one out of every five or six Africans is a Nigerian. ‘’Poverty is bad. We cannot celebrate poverty but there is a sense in which we can constructively engage poverty in terms of our relations with the industrialised world.

“We need the expertise. We need to send people who understand what our national interest is; in that context this country. If you take a typical Nigerian civil servant or a policy maker, there is the possibility that this person does not even understand what our national interest is if you don’t understand our what our national interest is, then you’ll go to international conferences and defer to people on the basis of friendship or on the basis of other considerations other than the fundamental dynamics of power and the national interest.

“Thankfully, we have the National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPS) we need to craft, reconstruct and fully disseminate this notion of what our national interest is as a country so that our people whenever they are, in our various diplomatic missions, various international conferences they anchor and articulate our vital national interest and pursue it.”

Azinge argued that the non-auditing of courses like Basic Introduction to International Law and Diplomacy at the under graduate level in the Universities and possibly, a Masters in International Law and Diplomacy, by many diplomats and officers of Foreign Affairs offices has created big gap among the Nigerians officials who attend the Sixth Committee meetings of the UN. “Being that the diplomatic manoeuvres that attend to such meetings of the sixth committee are such that you must be a very well groomed and skilled personality to be able to comprehend and appreciate the intricacies of the maneuverings going on at the UN General Assembly.

“Recently, we felt as an institute that the time has come for us to assist, to build capacity in that area to voluntarily prepare people who are suck as to be called upon to participate in the proceedings and processes of the UN, to

be specially groomed by the institute and its faculty to a level that they can compete favourably both in terms of the knowledge of the Law and the diplomatic maneuvering that is attendant to the proceedings of UN. “Hence two years ago, we mounted the maiden edition of the programme. Now we are building on that and we are trying to even raise the bar more by virtue of involving much more experienced faculty members who have been privileged in their own time to participate in some of the UN proceeding so, we now put at the disposal of the participants their wealth of knowledge and experience.

“I believe that this will help Nigeria because we have lost seemingly in the past more out of ignorance than incapacity or incompetence on our part. At a point Nigeria is struggling to become a permanent member of the UN Security Council, it would appear that the issue we are trying to bring to the fore cannot come at a much more auspicious moment than now.

“This is because in terms of number, we may have a claim, but in terms of sophistry exposure and networking, nobody can simply write out South Africa.

“Now if we have to tilt in favour of South Africa why, because apart from isolated cases of Nigerians like the Ibrahim Suhu Gambaris, the Joy Ogwus of this world that have played significant role in making meaningful contributions toward the UN there is certainly lack of capacity and competence at the other level and that is not what we can take before the UN and imagine that we can make headway.

“Now that we are thinking of building up, building up so that we can have a reservoir of supporting staff that can also help in many ways.Preparation of relevant documentations, preparation of memorandum of understanding, preparations of treaties and protocols.

“Because in all these, the issue of treaty making cannot be discountenanced. Though we normally run out of steam because most of the time, we find that most of the treaties we enter into and even the MOUs that we sign are such that are tilted more against the interest of Nigeria than in its favour.

“What this means in effect is that most of these people who are involved, with the greatest respect may not have the basic knowledge, the skill and the competence to enter into such treaties or to draft the treaties as the case may be.

“So, at the back of our mind, we are trying to do something that will be in national interest and in public interest, but more particularly something that will position Nigeria effectively to take our rightful place in the comity of nation that is the UN,” Azinge added.

DIARY COMMONWEALTH LAWYERS TO HOLD REGIONAL LAW CONFERENCE The regional conference of the Commonwealth Lawyers Association (CLA) holds in Sydney, Australia.

Date: April 19 – 20, 2012 Venue: Sydney, Australia Keynote Speaker: Opening Ceremony and keynote speech is by former chief Justice of Australia James Spigalman.

Early registration ends on January 23, 2012.

THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2012

32

NATIONAL BAR

How lawyers protested fuel price increase in Lagos

A

BOUT 500 lawyers under the auspices of the Lagos branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) have organised a rally to protest the increase in fuel price by the Federal Government.

The NBA Lagos’s rally held about five days after their counterparts in the Ikeja branch of the association engaged in similar protest match.

Unlike that of Ikeja branch that began over 10 am, members of the Lagos NBA converged on the Lagos High Court in Igbosere as early as 7am and marched through Onikan Round about and Zone 2 Police Command and the Flag Staff House of the Nigerian Army, to the Government House in Marina, Lagos.

At the State House, the lawyers handed a protest letter to the Governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Fashola to take to President Goodluck Jonathan.

Among the protesting lawyers were the association’s Chairman, Taiwo Taiwo, Lagos based rights activist, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa and former Chairman of the Civil Liberty Organisation (CLO), Ayo Obe. They bore placards with various inscriptions, such as: “Lagos NBA says no to bad and wasteful leaders; Fight the so called cabals and not the people; 80 percent of Nigerians live on less than $1 a day while Jonathan feeds on N3 million per day, why?

Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, don’t deny us good lives; Impeach Jonathan now,” among others.

Taiwo, while handing the letter to Fashola, said members of his branch decided to embark on the protest because the sudden increase in price of fuel has brought hardship to the people. ”What we are saying is that there should be a reversal to N65 per litre of petrol.

People are suffering. There is no security everywhere. What we want is that the security of this country should first be beefed up. ”There are more important issues confronting this country and one of them is the treat to the corporate existence of Nigeria.

That is more important than the removal of fuel subsidy. “ If the President fails to revert back to the price of fuel before January 1, we will continue in our march. We will continue the protest and make this country ungovernable not only for Mr. Jonathan, but also to all those who have been milking Nigerians,” Taiwo said.

Taiwo urged President Jonathan to fix the refineries before talking of fuel subsidy removal.

In the letter signed by Tawo and the association’s Secretary, Alex Muoka, the NBA Lagos urged President Jonathan not to ignore repeated calls made by the its parent body, Nigerian Labour Congress and numerous other groups representing all shades of opinion in the country Nigerians and on whose mandate he was elected.

The letter reads: “Over the years the Nigerian people have been made to suffer from this type of removal of fuel subsidy; however none has been as draconian as this.

“Despite the removal of subsidy in the past, our roads have gone from bad to worse, hospitals are without drugs, thousands of Nigerians are without jobs and this has led to a worsening of the security situation in the country. The Nigerian people cannot therefore trust that any gains from the removal of subsidy this time will translate to infrastructural development or real benefits.”

Fashola promised to deliver the letter to the President, but advocated that dialogue, rather than protest and destruction of existing amenities should be employed by all towards resolving the subsidy issue.

He observed that since the people have the right to vote, they also have the right to ventilate their anger with any government policy, but that such discontent needed to be exercised within the ambit of law.

Fashola said the nation was facing chal-

•Adegboruwa and Taiwo

•NBA Lagos prostesters

By Eric Ikhilae

lenges both locally and internationally. He urged those with better ideas on how to resolve the economic crisis to come forward with them.

He said he was even prepared to accept such ideas and share them with his colleagues at the Governors’ Forum. ”Let me use this opportunity to appeal to all of us to remember first that the kernel of our discontent is the insufficiency of those life improving assets and amenities so that in the process of expressing our discontent, we do not destroy the insufficient ones that exist. “We must understand this that this is all about us because we are already saying that it is not enough and we want more and I don’t think it is logical to destroy what is insufficient because it belongs to us.

“It was built with our money and our taxes. But it is challenging time and those of you who lead in various other organisations would agree with me that there are pressures everywhere at every level of leadership and it cannot be different at this level or indeed at the national level. ”I believe as a people, we will find a way out and it is important that we continue to engage and talk. For me, it is better to start at the negotiation table than to end there,” Fashola said.

Adegboruwa said every Nigerian was negatively affected by the “wicked” policy of Jonathan’s administration on the subsidy issue, which he said was inspired by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, adding: “The policy that put Europe and America in trouble is what they want to implement in Nigeria and we say no to it.”

Obe accused Jonathan and the Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala of insincerity. She alleged that all Okonjo-Iweala was out to do with the so-called subsidy removal was to tax Nigerians to pay more on petrol so as to save money to lend to the failing economies in Europe.

She deplored the President’s decision to travel to South Africa with about 200 aides barely a day after he (Jonathan) told Nigerians that he had directed his Ministers and government agencies to drastically reduce overseas travelling.

“The billions of naira Mr. President is spending on himself, buying new planes, he is not ready to put that off. We are not ready to pay for his excessive luxury, therefore if the President will not cut his own cost severely, we are not ready to pay more money so that the Finance Minister could go and lend money to failing economies in Europe.

“We want the President to revert to the original pump price; else the people that want his presidency to fail will succeed”.

If the lawyers could be said to have spoken the truth directly at power, the tone of the pre-event announcement reflected their intention.

Adegboruwa, who sent out the information about the planned rally, had informed members that the association, after an emergency meeting, resolved to direct its members to boycott court on January 9, 2012 a day set out for the protest match.

He said the association decision was also informed by its willingness to work with the organised labour in its planned strike as directed by the national body of the NBA. Courts were also asked not to open for business during the rally and subsequent actions by the organised labour.

“There will be no sitting of courts during the period of the protest declared by labour and Bar leaders and stakholders will be on ground to monitor compliance from Monday, to ensure that the doors of courts are securely locked,” the association had announced.

During their protest match held on January 5, members of the NBA, Ikeja, numbering over 100 walked from the Lagos High Court, Ikeja, through the Obafemi Awolowo Road, the House of Assembly and stopped at the gate of the Governor’s office, at the state secretariat around 12. 40pm.

The protesters, dressed in black suits, demanded an immediate reversal of the price to N65 per litre. They were by the association’s Chairman, Mr. Adebamigbe Omole. Other notable members were wife of rights activist, Femi Falana, Funmi and son of the late Gani Fawehinmi, Mohammed.

The lawyers sang loud as they marched to the Governor’s Office in Alausa. They brandished placards and distributed flyers on their way.

Some inscriptions on the placards read: ‘This increment is criminal. It is a declaration of war against Nigerians’; and ‘N600 per day, N800 cost of transportation. Haba Jonathan!’.Others read as, ‘On N65 per litre we stand, nothing else’; ‘Resign if you are bereft of ideas’; and ‘Jonathan remember you had no shoes, are you cutting our legs’.

Commuters and passers-by who were not allowed to join the protest hailed the lawyers as the procession marched on. The lawyers paused at Balogun and Allen Avenue junctions – on the Obafemi Awolowo Road where Omole addressed those who were attracted the protest.

Omole urged workers to stay at home as from Monday following the strike declared by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).

33

THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2012

LAW & SOCIETY DINNER ORGANISED BY THE NIGERIAN BAR ASSOCIATION DURING THE IBA CONFERENCE IN DUBAI

•From left: Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola (SAN); NBA President, Joseph Bodunrin Daudu ( SAN) General Secretary, NBA Olumuyiwa Akinboro and Welfare Officer, NBA, Sule Usman

•From Left: 3rd Vice-President,NBA Dr. Ikpeze Oguguaq, Dele Adesina (SAN), Femi Falana and Wale Fapohunda.

Fromleft: OCK Unegbu,President, Commonwealth Lawyers Association,Boma Ozobia, Marc Enahme and Chris Uche (SAN)

•From left: Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Oyo State, Adebayo Ojo, Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice Taraba State G. T. Kataps and Femi Falana

From left: Chief Niyi Akintola (SAN), Okey Wali (SAN); former NBA President, Olisa Agbakoba (SAN) and Chinwe Nwadike

From left: Okezie Ohajuruka, former General Secretary NBA, Phillip Umeh, S. I. Ameh (SAN) and Deputy Director-General, Nigerian Law School, Enugu Campus, Prof. Ernest Ojukwu.

•From left: Rickey Tarfa (SAN) and Emeka Ngige (SAN)

From left: M. A. Abubakar, his daughter, Fatima; wife Hahiza, Joseph Kyari Gadzama (SAN) and his wife Janada.

From left: Olu Akpata, Secretary,Legal Adviser NIMSA, M. E. Egbadon and Mike Igbokwe (SAN)

•Ebele Odumodu (left) and Olukemi Owolabi PHOTOS: JOHN AUSTIN UNACHUKWU

THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2012

34

LAW & SOCIETY ROUNDTABLE ON REVISING THE THRUST OF NIGERIA’S FOREIGN POLICY AT THE OLD COURTROOM, SUPREME COURT COMPLEX ABUJA

•From left: Director, Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Dr. Cyril Uchenna Gwam Director-General, NIALS Prof Epiphany Azinge (SAN) and Prof Clement Dakas

•Ambassador Victor Ogah and Ambassador Frank Isoh Min of Foreign Affairs

•Mr. John Yawe and Hajiya Bilikisu B. Mani

•Prof Paul Idornigie and Miss Fatima Bello

•From left: Laura Ani, Miss Obiamaka Araka; Mrs Lilian Ezeanyagu - Uche and Miss Izu Egerouh

•Hajiya Bilikisu B. Mani

•Miss Ada Osakwe

‘Double jeopardy, a threat’

T

HE efficacy or otherwise of the wellsettled legal doctrine of “autrefois convict” or “double jeopardy” is one that should engage our attention, in our crime curtailment and control efforts. Particularly in regard to our management of the high, incidence of recidivism amongst ex-convicts and its grave socio- economic and security implications.

Naturally, man abhors a situation where a person is punished twice for the same offence. This natural disposition received legal endorsement and approval in the English case of Connelly v. DPP (1964) AC 1254 and has become a settled principle of law, constituting a complete defense in our ‘corpus juris’. Any person, who has been tried and convicted of a crime, can raise the plea of “autrefois convict”, should same charges be brought against him before any competent court or tribunal. Once that plea is substantiated, the accused is immediately discharged and acquitted.

Has this principle always worked? The answer is Yes and No, depending on the context and circumstance, formal or informal.

Law is meant to regulate social behaviors, define relationships, rights, burdens and obligations. Law is the spirit of the social contract, upon which each man submits and surrenders some measure of his inherent freedom and liberties in return for recognition, co-operation and support of his fellow men.

Law is meant to be even and not oppressive, where it is perceived as oppressive and not consonant with expectations and aspirations, defensive, retaliatory and survivalist plans are hatched against the oppressive system

By Benson Ngozi Iwuagwu

and its operators. Militancy in the Niger Delta and Boko Haram are examples.This, then, becomes a threat and scare for the establishment, its operators and the society. That is the case of the ex-convicts in our society today and the high rate of recidivism.

We need to pause and reflect on the high incidence of recidivism and its socio-economic and security implications for our country and its development. Research studies have shown that about 67 per cent of those who come out of prison get caught in the crime web and return to prison, within two years of their release. If this is correct, what is our Justice, Security and Social managers’ doing about this? Does the word “Recidivism” feature in their crime control and management strategy sessions?

We cannot ignore the grave security implications of allowing the vicious circle and prison shuttle to continue, whether by convention or by complacence, the plight of exconvicts must begin to receive adequate proactive attention and response in our socioeconomic and security policies.

Cognisance must be taken of the need for a formal response to the plight of ex-convicts who, having paid, in the words of Winston Churchill, their “due in hard coinage”, remain discriminated against, ostracised, stigmatised and consigned to the dung hill as it were, by the same society that had through its Criminal Justice System extracted its “pound of flesh” often with pints of blood. Our prisons are yet to become a place of reformation and rehabilitation, owing to infrastructural defi-

Most inmates of our ‘prisons are victims of terrible socio –economic injustice and oppression; to further subject such ones on exiting the prison, to lepros isolation and neglect is most cruel and unconscionable and, an exacerbation of our collective insecurity and loss.

Something must be done. Perhaps, it is appropriate to draw a parallel with the fight against AIDS

’

cits and poor funding. Life behind the prison is gray and gloomy with furlong hope .The plight of ex-convicts is worse than a double jeopardy, given our poor socio- economic circumstances and the brimming unemploy-

ment market.

Most inmates of our prisons are victims of terrible socio –economic injustice and oppression; to further subject such ones on exiting the prison, to lepros isolation and neglect is most cruel and unconscionable and, an exacerbation of our collective insecurity and loss. Something must be done. Perhaps, it is appropriate to draw a parallel with the fight against AIDS; the reduction in the number of death resulting from HIV/ AIDS is more a reflection of the benefit of the campaign against discrimination and stigmatisation of those suffering from the disease, than the efficacy of any curative drug.

Before the massive campaign, sufferers were in hiding and dying in silence, stories even had cases where, sufferers deliberately spread the infection in response to the resentful, loathsome treatment they faced. The campaign came along and has been very effective. It has given hope, moral and spiritual (call it psychosocial) strength to the sufferers to face life. It has also put a moral restraint on employers, relations, friends and family, in the way they relate with HIV/ AIDS sufferers.

This way, the society is better for it than, when the sufferers were treated like social lepers. Continued stigmatisation and discrimination against ex-prisoners particularly, the not rich ex-prisoners, who have served their sentence ,is not only inhuman, oppressive and provocative; it is injurious to our common good- safety, security, social capital and a spiteful reflection on our social civilisation.

•Iwuagwu is the Anglophone African envoy of the Prison Fellowship International

THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2012

35

NATIONAL BAR Text of a paper presented the National Publicity Secretary of the NBA, Emeka Obegolu, at the open forum of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) industry consumer advisory forum at the Golden Gate Restuarant, Ikoyi, Lagos

NCC should set up responsive dispute resolution system

D

ISPUTE can be enormously disruptive to the communications sector and effective dispute resolution in the sector is increasingly central to successful deployment of modern information infrastructure. Indeed, as the scope and number of disputes evolve, efficient, effective and responsible dispute settlement mechanisms are increasingly been seen as a pre-requisite for an orderly growth of the telecommunication sector. Policy makers and regulators are recognising this as an important tool in policy making and regulation.

Dispute resolution models must therefore be designed to achieve the balance between the interest of various ICT Service Providers and Consumer considerations which include their perception of quality of service, price, coverage, flexibility and field of choice available to them.

The quest for an “affordable” model of dispute resolution mechanism for the Communications industry by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC)did not start today as you will see later on that as far back as 2004, the NCC had adopted a model dispute resolution mechanism complete with rules, procedure, scale of fees, etc that at that time, signposted a commitment by the regulator to be alive to their responsibilities, both statutory and social.

Dispute Resolution Mechanism – How Affordable?

For the purpose of this discussion, let us limit this paper to dispute resolution mechanism in the telecoms industry in Nigeria.

Today in Nigeria, there are various common official and quasi- official approaches to dispute resolution and they vary from court adjudication, Regulatory Adjudication, Negotiation, Mediation and Arbitration. These are the predominant mechanisms of dispute resolution in the industry.

While court adjudication is both traditional and statutory and therefore needs no further explanation, the regulatory adjudication is also premised in law but the determining principle is the need to ensure orderly development of the telecoms sector by promoting fair competition between the major player in the industry through series of measures and interventions and also to promote ant protect the interest of consumers.

Negotiation, Mediation and Arbitration are in the genre of Alternative (effective) Dispute Resolution (ADR) and they are gaining currency in Nigerian commercial world.

They are dispute resolution models that are confidential in nature, well structured, time sensitive and helps to sustain business relationships.

Regulatory adjudication- The NCC is enabled under S. 4 of the Nigeria Communications Commission Act 2003 (The Act) to adjudicate disputes. They decide between the positions of disputing parties, typically after a formal process that involves the presentation of agreements by those parties. Adjudicated decisions are ultimately subject to review by the courts.

Regulatory adjudication can have the following advantages: •There are well structured channels for decision making •It provides accountability on the part of official decision makers •It makes available the full force of Government enforcement mechanisms.

On the other hand, it may be subject to abuse by competitors, lack necessary economic, legal and financial expertise to resolve disputes efficiently and finally and it could also lead to delay.

Court adjudication- Remains an important final recourse for many types of dispute, particularly, those that are less policy related. It has the advantage of bringing finality and official enforcement mechanism to be upon a dispute. The downside remains high cost, delays and a perceived lack of telecommunications specific expertise to deal with many complex industry disputes.

ADR - Involves less formal or official means of dispute resolution such as negotiation, mediation and Arbitration. Disputants have traditionally pursued ADR Processes voluntarily, sometimes by contractual com-

mitment. The current practice is that Regulators are increasingly turning to ADR Processes to help them deal with excessive pressures and demands on their limited resources available for resolving industry disputes.

NCC Dispute Resolution Guidelines In September 2004, the NCC signposting a marked departure from the past, initiated a landmark move that offered a user friendly dispute resolution mechanism for the telecommunications industry. The initiative was commended as both visionary and patriotic and stakeholders applauded with great expectations. The effort produced the NCC Dispute Resolution guidelines 2004 and some of the major highlights of the guidelines are as follows: •Chapter 1 deals with small claims not exceeding N1 million for consumer Disputes Arbitration •Chapter 2 deals with Arbitration •Chapter 3 deals with Mediation •Chapter 4 deals with Arbitration of interconnection issues and disputes •Chapter five, six and seven deals with codes of ethical conduct for arbitrators and Mediators The schedule of fees payable is annexed.

Because this is an open forum of the Industry Consumer Advisory forum I have once again, limited this discourse to dispute resolution between service providers and service consumers essentially skipping chapter 4 of the guidelines in my modest attempt to answer the question posed by the topic Dispute resolution in Nigeria Telecommunications Sector is still at a relatively early stage. While there are many complex issues and perspectives leading to the seeming apathy of consumers and stakeholders for the NCC dispute resolution model, some key ones are relevant, in my view, in designing dispute resolution processes for today. This means that the regulator should re-evaluate assumptions about the role of regulators and market participants in resolving disputes.

•In evaluating the success of the NCC model and attempting to profer suggestions for improvement, it is important to consider economic costs to the sector as a whole. At a more “Micro” level, the emergency of a “market” for dispute resolution professionals is likely to improve the quality of the services.

•It may be important to design appropriate economic incentives for the parties to resolve disputes. The allocation of responsibility for the costs of dispute resolution can affect the manner in which parties behave.

•The appropriate choice of a dispute resolution process in any situation may depend on the economic power of a party.

With these perspectives in mind, let me divert our thoughts to the current provisions and practice in other jurisdictions.

Under article 8 (4) of the European Commission framework directive, it provides that regulators (National Regulatory Authorities) must act to promote the interests of the citizens of the European Union …….by…..ensuring a high level of protection for consumers in their dealing with sup-

pliers, in particular by ensuring the availability of simple and inexpensive dispute resolution procedures carried out by a body that is independent of the parties involved.

In Romania, when any dispute is referred to the regulator, the parties are offered the chance to resolve the dispute through a mediation scheme which is sponsored, but not administered, by the regulatory authority.

In India, the Telecom Dispute Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) was established in 2000 by an amendment to the Telecom Regulatory Authority Act of India 1997. TDSAT, as at today, carries out all the dispute resolution functions formerly done by the regulator. The idea in India was that a really specialist dispute Tribunal could bring extra focus and expertise to it’s function now with judicial administrative and technical expertise. Today in India, TDSAT does not only give service providers the opportunity to seek a final settlement in disputes that concern them, makes it possible for consumers to get a fair deal, but the body also sanctifies some of the decisions taken by the regulators which sets the tone and pace of corporate governance in the Telecommunications sector and brings stability to the market place.

The India model is unique and widely acknowledged as successful.

You will observe that in the above country instances, there is commitment and/or obligation on the part of the regulator to make telecoms dispute resolution affordable and inexpensive. The trend is the willingness by National Regulatory Authorities to underwrite some expenses involved in dispute resolution.

A close look at the 2004 guidelines will reveal that not only is NCC not providing any financial support for the ADR processes provided for under the guidelines, parties bringing their disputes under the NCC ADR guidelines are expected to pay a registration fee to NCC for each dispute handling.

While it is conceded that the NCC guidelines for dispute resolution and particularly the schedule of fees payable has been largely untested, it has been shown that the global trend is for regulators to under write the basic cost of dispute resolution.

The question will then be: can the Nigerian Communication Commission, under the enabling Act legally fund dispute resolution initiatives in the Telecommunication Industry? In other words, do we need legislative amendment to enable the NCC fund dispute resolution mechanisms?

S.4 (1) (b) of the NCC Act provides that the commission has the duty to protect and promote the interest of consumers against unfair practices including but not limited to matters relating to tariffs and charges for and the availability and quality of communication services, equipment and facilities.

S.4 (1) (p) – The commission has the function of examining and resolving complaints and objections filed by and dispute between licensed operators, subscribers or any other person involved in the communications in-

dustry, using such dispute resolution methods as the commission may determine from time to time including mediation and arbitration.

S.73 I gives the commission powers to resolve dispute between persons who are subject to this Act (“the parties”) regarding any matter under this Act or it’s subsidiary legislation.

Ss 74-78 also have similar powers of regulatory adjudication.

See also SS: 99 of the Act. The communal reading of the above sections of the enabling Act will show that the NCC can intervene to fund dispute resolution processes for the industry.

Indeed, it is my humble view that at this stage of our development and considering the volume small claims from consumers (Subscribers) the commission is duty bound to provide a platform for consumers to ventilate their complaints and seek redress for alleged breaches of contractual provisions.

That is the only way the commission would have given effect to the intendment of the lawmakers.

How Can the NCC Make Dispute Resolution Affordable?

A review of the scale of fees in the guidelines recommended as follows: •Reduction of registration fees for all cases.

•Responsibility for Arbitration fees for small claims consumer disputes to be borne by the NCC •Responsibility for hourly charge per session in small claims to be borne by NCC •Re-definition of small claims to include disputes involving sums not exceeding N5million •Re-definition of commercial disputes to be disputes involving sums in excess N5milion •Removal of fees chargeable per session for commercial, interconnection dispute and mediation.

•Arbitration and Mediation fees to be contributed equally in three parts by the NCC, Claimant and Respondent.

•NCC be made to bear other expenses incurred by the mediators and Arbitrators.

•Cancellation of fees for declaratory Awards.

The underlying idea is that the modern regulator must maintain an adhoc or full time dispute resolution body with responsibility to administer to Telecoms dispute resolution.

In addition to the above, the NCC should set up the dispute resolution infrastructure critical to achieving a user friendly and responsive dispute resolution system and these include.

•Establishment ADR centres in all the states of the federation.

•Trained Dispute Resolution Officers for claims processing.

•Public enlightenment Programme.

•Critical Information and Communication Technology.

•Training of NCC of Neutrals in basic •To be continued

•Emeka Obegolu (right) with former General Secretary, NBA Ibrahim Eddy Mark during the last NBA Abuja Branch law week, at Sheraton Hotel, Abuja.

THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2012

36

LAW PERSONALITY Otunba Dele Oye graduated from the Faculty of Law, University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU), Ile-Ife in 1985. He started his legal career at Prime Chambers, Abuja, in 1990 after participating in the mandatory one-year National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme. Oye, who has won a lot of awards locally and internationally, is a member of the Vision 20:2020 Steering Committee of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. In 2008, he became chairman of the Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industries, (ABUCCIMA). He has led several Trade Missions to Canada, United States of America (USA), China, Italy, Paris, United Kingdom, etc. In this interview with JOHN AUSTIN UNACHUKWU, he speaks on the role of chambers of commerce in the economic development of a country, functions of ABUCCIMA, its challenges, and reasons for our underdevelopment and other national issues. Excerpts:

We act as catalyst for economic growth P EOPLE say there is a strong relationship between law and economic development. How can we use law to accelerate the economic development of our country?

Well, in every human relation, there must be a legal framework. That is why in most advanced countries before they start or engage in any project that will impact the society meaningfully, they will assemble the lawyers first to determine whether the project can even be carried out in law. When that is done, they now go into the necessary documentation, the contract signing and all what have you, so that at any stage, you are sure of its validity.

What about Nigeria. How is it done here?

In our case, most of the time, the contract is awarded first before you even look for the lawyer to reflect our position and eventually tidy up the transaction.

In most situations, you find out that the appropriate laws to regulate that particular transaction have not been passed.

A good example here is the electricity power projects where decisions are made before the rules are put in place. We don’t know for how many years that had been.

Up till now, the rules are not yet completely clear and this is an area that affects our entire lives both in terms of investment, product output and capacity. It is only a madman that will jump into a swimming pool that he doesn’t know how deep it is, because if the pool is too deep and you’re not a good swimmer, you will kill yourself and if it is too shallow, you will also kill yourself. So, either way, you are a fool. This is a major problem that affects investment and the quality of life we have as Nigerians.

How do we correct this?

We have no time to waste in procrastinating at all. Rather, let the government ensure that the legal framework for any project or activity is put in place before they even start advancing money for the project itself.

What is the role of chambers of commerce in the development of the economy of any

country?

The chamber of commerce, like every other pressure group is a catalyst for economic development. What we, as a chamber of commerce particularly in a country like ours, where the issues of image, integrity and credibility come up when we deal with people abroad or even deal with foreign partners, at home also because of the incidence of fraud and ‘419’, we act as a clearing house, whereby we bring credibility to the process for people to know and identify genuine and legitimate businessmen, people who have proven track records and not just people who are still dreaming about it. That in itself gives you a new platform; it is just like somebody giving you a new shirt that looks clean enough for a ceremony. So, the chamber is that vehicle which we use to advance business and also stimulate business growth and development.

We also draw government’s attention to those laws and areas where they should put emphasis on, especially laws which inhibit business activities. We have our members; we train them. We also bring goods from the industry to the market through our trade fairs.

No matter your production, when you cannot sell your products, nothing will happen. So we give various options, such as access to the markets. We also promote Nigerian goods.

For instance, I was at the 31st Indian Trade Fair and the theme was “Handicrafts as a source of survival for national economy.” Things that we look down on here are the things that people use to make all the difference. We are quite focused on promoting made-in-Nigeria goods. A country that does not produce will continue to consume. No matter how much you have, you’re just a dumping ground for various countries of the world and that cannot continue forever.

An example is what America is saying that no matter how much you consume, you must have some level of production. So we are focused on this and we hope that our government will listen to us so that we can have a better Nigeria.

What have been the challenges of

•Oye

ABUCCIMA, and how can the government and people of Nigeria assist you?

The major challenge that we have is that of even government listening to us and carrying us along in certain crucial decisions and policy formulation. For instance, you have a government official who is a civil servant, who has never done business before, but he makes crucial decisions that affect business.

It is akin to getting somebody who is not a trained and qualified medical doctor to carry out a surgery for you. I am sure that no sane person will agree to go to such a theatre.

We try to tell them that government has no business in business. They tell us that they are government and that they have certain policies. We appreciate that at least they are

national policies. But one thing we must not forget is that we are all living in a global village. If something has worked somewhere else, we just adopt and apply it to our circumstances. We don’t have to reinvent the way.

What do you mean by this?

We are trying to tell them to be international – we have to be –, and that doing business here should be easy. We still have a situation where most of our laws depend on who is in charge of that particular office. He can interpret it depending on his limitations or exposure. Such a thing does not augur well for the country because people should be able to see it from different parts of the world on our website and then determine whether they want to do business with us or not. It is such as, you’re going anywhere in the world now and you’re a reasonable traveller, you look for those brands of hotel where you’re sure of the minimum service that you’ll get. So also when you are going to do business, you look for those things that are international enough where you can take your money and risk it there. When the rules are not certain, you go to source anywhere else. Money is attracted to where you can get the best return.

How does our judicial system affect investments in the country?

We have a situation here where if you have a case, it takes about 15 years to get to the Supreme Court. If you are a good investor, should that be a good place for you to put your money, even where you are not a national. I appreciate the singular fact that we all must work hard to be international in the way we approach our own private affairs as it relates to business, because it helps us to market ourselves. A good product does not need someone to go on trade missions to go and call people, even the people already here will be calling the other people. Look at Ghana here, 10 years ago if you entered there, they didn’t even have cashiers. People went to set up a bank in Ghana, they even had to bring tellers from Nigeria to go and train cashiers in Ghana. The best you could get there was just drivers and stewards, but today, look at the transformation. It looks as if we are virtually at the same place. We have a lot of capacity here. We have a lot of human resources, but we need to harness these opportunities to grow, so that we can really apply ourselves because whether you like it or not, we have very limited resources and cannot afford to waste our time.

For Lamorde, a hurdle to cross President Goodluck Jonathan has sent the name of Mr Ibrahim Lamorde, Acting Chairman of EFCC, to the Senate for confirmation. GBENGA OMOKHUNU, of our Abuja Bureau profiles him

•Lamorde, new EFCC Chairman

A

S far as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC and the war against economic crime and corruption is concerned, Mr Ibrahim Lamorde, the Acting EFCC chair, remains an iconic figure. With his name sent to the Senate by President Goodluck Jonathan for confirmation, Nigerians are waiting to these how he will acquit himself at his screening.

At every turn in the short history of EFCC, Lamorde’s name has cropped up. In the for-

mative years of the Commission, he was its valiant “heart”and the rallying point in the partnership between the EFCC and its strategic allies.

He is the only one to have twice served as Director of Operations and Acting Chairman.

A member of the pioneer officers drafted from the Police to midwife EFCC in 2003 under the leadership of MallamNuhu Ribadu, Lamorde is a thorough bred professional with a track record in fraud investigation spanning over 20 years.

He is disciplined, hard working and admired by many for his warmth and simplicity.

Born on December 20, 1962 in Mubi, Adamawa State, Lamorde obtained his first degree from the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, Kaduna State, in 1984.

He did his mandatory National Youth Service between 1984 and 1985, and enlisted into the Police as a Cadet Officer on January 1, 1986. After training, he passed out as an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) in July 1987.

He did a one-year probation, after which he was confirmed as ASP. He served as a Divisional Crime Officer 1988 – 1989 and later as Police Public Relations Officer from 1989 to 1993. In 1993, the Special Fraud Unit (SFU) of the Police was created and he was drafted

as one of the pioneer officers. He served in the SFU from 1993 to 2002.

While he was with the SFU, he was drafted to serve with the United Nations Civilian Police in East Timor from March 2000 to March 2001. He served as the Chief Investigation Officer of Ermera District of East Timor. In September 2002, he was transferred to Oyo State, where he served as Divisional Police Officer, until April 2003. On the creation of the EFCC, he was seconded to serve as the Director of Operations from April 2003 to December, 2007.

He was appointed the Acting. Chairman of the EFCC from January to May 2008. He was recalled to the Police and posted to Area Command in Ningi, Bauchi State as the Area Commander from June to November 2008.

He was later redeployed to the Bauchi State Police Command, Criminal Investigation Department (CID) as the Officer -in -Charge. In December 2010, he was recalled to EFCC Director of Operations.

He held that position until his appointment as Ag. Chairman on November 23, last year, following the exist of the chairman, Mrs Farida Waziri.

Lamorde has worked closely with other government law enforcement agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Metropolitan Police, United States Postal In-

spection Service (USPIS), United States Secret Service, Internet Crime Complaints Centre (IC3), Dutch Police, German Police, South African Police, etc.

He has supervised the prosecution of 522 Advance Fee Fraud related cases at high courts nationwide between April 2003 and June 2008. About 253 of the cases were successfully prosecuted and convictions secured, including the extradition of three fugitives to the United States.

As pioneer Director of Operations of EFCC, Lamorde helped to change public perception of law enforcement, locally and internationally. He has also helped in fostering international law enforcement cooperation in the country.

He has attended several courses, seminars and workshops on corruption, Advance Fee Fraud and other economic and financial crimes in the US, United Kingdom (UK), Germany, France, South Africa, Singapore, etc. In 2005, he attended a course on law enforcement at Harvard University. Lamorde holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology and Masters in Law Enforcement and Cr iminal Justice from ABU. He also holds a membership of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, and the Nigerian Institute of Management.

37

TUESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2012

POLITICS THE NATION

E-mail:- politics@thenationonlineng.net

Senate rises to insecurity challenge Like most Nigerians, the Senate is losing sleep over the growing spate of insecurity in the country. Recently, the lawmakers brainstormed on the way out of the crisis. ONYEDI OJIABOR, Assistant Editor, reports.

T

HE Senate may have realised that these are not ordinary times for the coun try. Two events that took place in the upper legislative chamber underscore this realisation.

One was the spirited intervention of the Senate in the face-off between the Federal Government and labour over the controversial withdrawal of subsidy on premium motor spirit. Another was what has been aptly described as “the mother of all motions” by observers - the controversial motion on the “general insecurity in the nation”.

The disposition of the Senate may have been borne out of the appreciation that the country is sitting on the precipice.

The general insecurity motion sponsored by the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, and 72 others did not leave anybody in doubt that the Senate is alarmed by the spate of bombings, killings and destruction of property in some parts of the country.

While some say the motion was a wake-up call for the country to deal decisively with the intimidating onslaught of the Boko Haram sect, others see it as a clarion call on the leadership of the country for immediate move to rescue the country from drifting into contrive anarchy.

The Wednesday session in the Senate was emotional, passion sentiments and even anger by the federal lawmakers over the grave danger the country faces in the hands of the Boko Haram sect.

Even “hardliners” were not left out as Ekweremadu articulated the way forward.

Though the unanimous verdict at the end of the over five-hour session was a vehement condemnation of Boko Haram, the warning by Senate President David Mark that the country must not allow history to repeat itself was instructive.

The Senators did not spare the country’s security managers for their abysmal failure to contain the sect’s unrelenting assault on the nation.

Ekweremadu began the debate by drawing the attention of the Senate to the dastardly bombing of St. Theresa’s Catholic Church, Madalla, Niger State on Christmas Day, December 25, last year and the bombing spree at the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Church, Jos as well as several churches and the State Security Service office in Damaturu, Yobe State on the same date The Enugu State-born lawmaker urged the Senate to observe with serious concern recent related episodes of bombing and indiscriminate shootings of worshippers in other parts of the country notably, Gombe, Mubi and Jimeta between January 5 and January 6, 2011, leading to loss of several lives.

The Senate, he continued in his grief-laden voice, should observe that “while violent attacks and bombing of any form is callous and condemnable, the new waves of attacks on innocent and unsuspecting worshippers and places of worship, be it a church or a mosque, is a bizarre affront on our collective cultural and religious values, the constitutionally guaranteed right to freedom of worship, and an outright offensive against the Almighty God.” He added that the Christmas Day attack in Madalla was not only a direct onslaught on a place of worship that should otherwise be held sacred, but a “clear and grave assault on Nigerians of South East origin who obviously constituted both the majority of worshippers at the church and “most sadly, the overwhelming majority of both the dead and the wounded as the list of casualties published in some national dailies on Decem-

•Senator Mark

ber 30, 2011 showed.”

For him, the singular Christmas Day bombing attack on St. Theresa’s Catholic Church and other places of worship are capable of plunging the nation into ethno-religious crises and further aggravate the present security challenges in the nation.

He submitted that the awareness that the Christmas Day bombing which, in some states, literally consumed entire families and left many orphaned or widowed, has brought untold hardship on victims and their relations.

Ekweremadu did not lose sight of the fact that the sheer number of Senators, who sponsored the motion, over 80 per cent of the 109 Senators, is an indication that the Senate is agreed that the motion is popular.

The judiciary may be seen as the last hope of the common man, but Ekweremadu posited that the Senate has, without prevarication, turned the last hope of Nigerians in the unfolding man’s inhumanity to man.

He may have left the Senators with a moral burden when he concluded that “we are being watched by our constituents and our people the way we will handle this situation.”

The motion was promptly seconded by Senator Dahiru Kuta (Niger East) who lamented that “we have had five deadly bomb attacks in Suleja, Niger State.”

But Senator Olubunmi Adetunmbi (Ekiti North) wondered whether “our” humanity has deserted “us”. “Where is our humanity?” he asked repeatedly saying: “Our humanity is universal; ethnicity and religion are peculiar to us.”

He urged that Senate not to look at the

•Senator Ekweremadu

motion “just in the manifest assault on our brothers from the South East but on the basis of our collective humanity.”

He brought constitutional angle of the problem as he told the Senate that the motion dealt with the infractions of Chapter Four of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) that spells out the human rights of the average citizen of Nigeria. “The rights of Nigerians have been infracted and taken away,” he lamented.

Known to call a spade by its name, Adetunmbi may have dropped a bombshell when he asked whether Nigerians still had confidence in the security agencies and managers. He said the time might have come for Nigeria to import security.

Senator Uche Chukwumerije (Abia North) took it from Adetunmbi. He told the Senate that the impression all over is that the Nigerian State is no longer able to protect itself.

He urged the Senate to instigate a drastic and immediate overhaul of the security agencies to stem the tide of insecurity sweeping across the country. Chukwumerije recalled that about two years ago, a foreign intelligence agency had predicted that the country might collapse in 2015. The reality of recent events, he said, had given credence to the forecast.

He was categorical that what happened in Mubi, Adamawa State where 19 Igbo people were killed in cold blood, seemed that the attacks had been zeroed down to one ethnic group.

Like some Senators who ended their contributions on a note of warning, Chukwumerije warned that “if Nigeria can-

‘Whatever it is, Boko Haram does not portray Nigerians as we are. Nigerians are peace loving people. We love ourselves and we love our neighbours. This idea is absolutely foreign to us and it does not represent us and we hope that it will stop’

not protect Igbo, we are going to protest to the United Nations to protect us.” Igbo, he insisted, were tired of being offered as sacrificial lambs.

Perhaps Chairman, Senate Committee on National Security and Intelligence, Senator Mohammed Magoro’s call for the immediate arrest and prosecution of former Borno State governor, Ali Modu Sheriff for alleged complicity in the Boko Haram saga may stir up some reactions.

Magoro, a former Minister of Internal Affairs told the stunned Senators that Sheriff had been allegedly indicted and identified as a mastermind of the Boko Haram sect.

Sheriff, he added, was said to know much about Boko Haram’ s origin and operations and should therefore be arrested and prosecuted.

Senator Olusola Adeyeye, erudite professor as he is fondly referred to, added a philosophical dimension to the debate.

The Osun Central lawmaker said: “Even when we cry we must retain our capacity to see.” Boko Haram, he said, is not a main stream Islam or even Islam.

Apparently to underscore the severity of the situation, he recalled that when former President Olusegun Obasanjo met with the son of a late leader of Boko Haram, the person he met was promptly killed by the insurgents.

He concluded that “violence is like cancer,” adding: “unless you cut it off, it can only spread.” He called for local involvement to solve the problem, saying: “Political office holders in areas of violence should be sent home to reach their people whenever violence occurs.”

“When a crime happens in a locality, the indigenes of that locality should speak loudly in a manner that leaves no one in doubt that we must do everything humanly possible to keep this country as one entity,” Adeyeye said.

Senator James Manager (Delta South) expressed surprise that nobody had resigned his appointment for the heinous crime of the Christmas Day. While Senator Zainab Kure (Niger South) described the Madalla mayhem as totally condemnable, Senator Nenadi Usman catalogued the number of people wantonly killed in her Kaduna South constituency.

Like Ekweremadu, Usman prayed the Senate to facilitate payment of adequate compensation to the victims and the bereaved.

Deputy Senate leader, Senator Abdul Ningi (Bauchi Central) said that way out was not to dig the effect but the cause of the crisis.

Ningi said it is worrisome that people are disguising and planting bombs in the name of Boko Haram. He specifically referred to what happened in Bayelsa where he said a man was caught disguised as a northerner to bomb a church.

Though he described the Christmas Day attack in Madalla as reprehensible he wondered why the same vehemence with which Nigerians condemned the attack was not deployed to condemn the attack on Moslem celebrants in Jos, Plateau State on Sallah Day. The Senate President was impressed that at last, Senators had found their voices to condemn the activities of Boko Haram.

He said, “I know that when it comes to the issues of Boko Haram, people have been very scared of sticking out their necks in making comments. But today we have broken that jinx and because we have been able to speak out, I hope that other well-meaning highly placed Nigerians will join us in condemning in its totality, the existence and the op• Continued on page 38

38

THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2012

POLITICS

‘People must be focus of governance’

Subsidy: Rep tasks Mark, Tambuwal

T

Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) House of Representatives member Hakeem Abiodun Muniru (Osodi/Isolo Constituency 11) spoke with reporters in Lagos on critical national issues. EMMANUEL OLADESU was there.

W

HAT is the National Assembly doing about the increasing spate of bombing in the country?

It is outright inhuman for anybody to go into any public gathering, or a spiritual gathering in this festive period, in this celebration mood and throw up bombs, killing innocent children. You threw people into mourning, making children fatherless and women as widows. There is outright condemnation for the perpetrators of this act. I want to believe that when we talk of Boko Haram, they are just using the name to popularise this criminal act. It is condemnable and it is unbecoming of anybody in a society to go and throw bombs where people are. We are talking of human lives. At the end of the day, we have counted over 30 lives that were lost on the spot. The ones in Damaturu, we don’t know the figures. The one in Jos, we don’t know. It is outright condemnation.

The National Assembly will take a decisive stance. The security chiefs are not doing their best. There is nobody that is expected to do their jobs.

The buck stops on their tables. Mr. President and his security chiefs are not doing enough to tame the tide of this bombing. It is becoming a culture. How can somebody say ‘I will come and bomb this place today’ and yet he will come and succeed in bombing it? And nobody is doing anything about it. It looks as if we are in a failed state. It’s as if the Federal Government does not have the capacity. The responsibility of any government is protection of lives and properties of the citizenry.

And we are not seeing it in this instance.

Is government not losing grip on the system?

It’s as if we are losing grip of this system. It’s as if we are losing grip of these challenges. It’s like the challenges are surmounting us; it’s like we cannot surmount the challenges and it is disheartening. If we live in a normal society, it is either somebody is throwing in the towel or we are seeing them arresting somebody or we are seeing them do something. This window dressing of taking somebody to the court and saying they have arrested somebody is nonsense. If you arrest a spokesman, he should have the information. Then, go and tell the

whole world where they are and where they are going to bomb next.

But this kind of arrests being made is different from arresting perpetrators of this heinous crime and that is what we are saying that the leadership of Nigeria , the executive must take up its responsibility. The primary aim of a government is to protect lives. That is why we have subjected our sovereignty to one man that we have voted for.

Why did you ask people to vote for you? The voters as citizens of Nigeria have the right to be protected. The thing had come gradually to Suleja, it’s in Abuja . It is spreading now. It has started in Delta. Before we know it, it will be everywhere and we keep on saying it. After (Oodua Peoples Congress) OPC came up, Egbesu Boys started. After that, Bakassi Boys started, then the militant groups in Niger Delta and thereafter, Boko Haram started.Tomorrow again, somebody will start its own too.

What is the solution?

We are saying we must take decisive action against this move. If there is need for us to sit down and convene a Sovereign National Conference to look at our challenges - are we doing the right thing? We cannot say because we want to protect the entity called Nigeria , we should then fail in our responsibility to address the main issue which is the protection of lives and property. We are saying that there is the need for the president to wake up from slumber.

The issues of deregulation and fuel subsidy are secondary issues when it comes to the issue of security. It is only when you have a safe society, that you can say that you ought to deregulate or remove fuel subsidy.

These are not primary issues. The challenges of security are rising and there is the need to address them.

As a result of the rising spate of insecurity in the North, there are now insinuations that Nigeria may disintegrate. What is your reaction to this?

If the security operatives cannot walk up to us and tell us that they can stem this tide; if I want to go to Maiduguri today; if I want to go to Damaturu today and I know that my life is not safe, I will rather not go there. There are a thousand and one (National Youth Service Corps) members who have refused to go to such places because they are not prepared to go and die there. There are

• Muniru

people who will tell you that they will rather not go to Bauchi, even if you ‘ll give them job offers worth millions of naira. They won’t go there. So what are we talking about?

That is why the President has to sit up and face these challenges. Top of the priority in our mind now is the issue of security. Every Nigerian must be protected because it is all our right.

Now that the budget has come before the National Assembly, what is the House going to do about oil subsidy that has just been removed.

Mr. president is the chief executive of the nation. He should come and tell us why we as the National Assembly or why I as a member of the ACN which has taken a stance against subsidy support it? How do you want to convince me? Nobody is saying removal or no removal is the issue. If you remove, what is the benefit for the people? Are we going to improvise our people just because some people don’t have money again? They have been removing this subsidy and we don’t see anything. The only time they removed subsidy and we saw a bit of its effects was during the Petroleum Trust Fund ( PTF) days. Every other ones, like the removals done in the days of former President Olusegun Obasanjo when they would remove N1.00, N2.00, N20.00, N10.00, what did we gain? The roads are not there, healthcare is not there. There is no security and you are removing subsidy again. It is from fry pan to fire.

We are not part of it and I can tell you that the leadership of the National Assembly and House of Representatives to be precise is not compromising on this issue of subsidy because for now, that is the only thing that is giving Nigerians relief.

We gave them a condition. If you want to remove subsidy, go and put infrastructure in place. Let us see what you are going to use the money for. Don’t just tell us you are going to remove subsidy when we don’t even know what we want to use the money for.

• From left: former Commissioner for Transportation, Hon. Muiz Banire, Mr Bamidele Aturu, Osun State, Governor Rauf Aregbesola, Mrs Ganiyat Fawehinmi and Justice Pius Aderemi, at the 8th Annual Lecture and Symposium for the late Chief Gani Fawehinmi organised by Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ikeja Branch held at Lagos Airport Hotel.

PHOTO: NIYI ADENIRAN

HE leadership of the National Assembly has been ad monished not to take any position that is opposed to the collective wish of Nigerians on the controversial removal of fuel subsidy by the Federal Government.

The warning came yesterday from Hon. Abayomi Dauda KakoAre, a member of the House of Representatives who represents Mushin 1 Federal Constituency on the platform of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Lagos State, while addressing reporters in Lagos.

He said: “Nigerians have spoken loud enough that it is N65 per litre and nothing more. I suppose we are running a government of the people, by the people and for the people. Therefore, as elected representatives of the Nigerian people, it will be risky and unpatriotic for both the Senate and the House of Representatives to betray the people by shifting grounds on this matter. This is why the leaderships of both legislative chambers must remain resolute with the people who will bear the brunt of whatever action they take on the matter.”

Speaking further, Kako-Are said: “The House of Representatives held an emergency meeting on Sunday to find a solution to the matter. Like the Senate, it eventually came up with the motion that the Goodluck Jonathan-led administration must revert to N65 per litre in line with the demands of Nigerians who elected them. I’m not comfortable with the statement credited to the Senate President David Mark that both sides have shifted grounds.

“I’m doubly sure that if the National Assembly can stand firm on the motion, it will be difficult for the government to stick to the controversial hike in the product’s prices. The leadership of the National Assembly must work with the labour and indeed, Nigerians to ensure that the fuel pump price is back to N65. And I advise my

By Dada Aladelokun, Assistant Editor

colleagues on the negotiation table not to compromise the wish of Nigerians.”

Asking President Jonathan not to give the fight against subsidy removal by Nigerians an ethnic colouration, the lawmaker also expressed dissatisfaction over the comparison being drawn between Nigeria and countries like the UK and the US regarding the pump prices of fuel. “It makes no sense because there is no basis for comparing us with those countries.

Over there, what we are suffering here is already in place for people to enjoy. Education and health are well subsidised; there are good roads and impressive security.

There are welfare packages for both the aged and the unemployed.

With that, they can afford to buy fuel at a high cost and still enjoy good living,” he said.

• Tambuwal

Senate rises to insecurity • Continued from page 37

erations of Boko Haram in this country.

“Whatever it is, Boko Haram does not portray Nigerians as we are.

Nigerians are peace loving people, we love ourselves and we love our neighbours. This idea is absolutely foreign to us and it does not represent us and we hope that it will stop.”

Mark asked state government to rise to the occasion and do the needful. According to him, “all the time people talk as if it is only Federal Government that exists, there are three tiers of government in this country and if a local community can manage their own vigilance and security it will be very helpful.”

Nigeria, he reiterated, had terrorism and insurgency in its hands. “If we don’t handle them properly they will get out of control,” he said, adding: “We must do everything humanly possible; starting with communities, local governments, state level and the federal level to make sure that we nip this in the bud now before it gets out of control.

“We must not allow history to repeat itself. What is happening now is beginning to give an impression of 1966. It must never happen again. No nation can survive two civil wars and we must never allow ourselves to degen-

erate to that level.”

He revealed that “we all receive threat messages; the northern senators received more sometimes from proper Boko Haram and others from fake Boko Haram. People sent text messages saying if you say this, we are going to kill you. We are going to finish your family. The moment you accept a public office, your security is no more in your hands; it is in the hand of God. “If they want to kill all of us, 109 Senators here for Nigeria to survive, I am sure that we will offer our lives on a platter of gold for them to kill but that is not going to solve the problem in this country.”

Mark urged those who received text messages to disregard them, saying: “I know that so many of us received these text messages. It has nothing to do with religion because all the clerics of both Christians and Muslims have condemned the acts of these terrorists or people who are their sponsors.

“They are people who are prepared to destabilise this country, but they will not succeed and the only way they will not succeed is when we all play our roles, especially security agents and the ordinary man on the streets.

The Senate may have started on a good note, but Nigerians expect more from the lawmakers. Nigerians expect positive results. After all, is it not said that “to whom much is given, much is expected.”

THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2012

39

PROPERTY/ENVIRONMENT Building Issues

A bungalow is a storey building

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•Heaven Home, Lekki, Lagos

FMBN to boost housing through cooperative societies

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ROVISION of affordable and decent housing to the low income group has remained a challenge to government. To address the issue, the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) has come up with a banking product, FMBN Informal Sector Cooperative Scheme, which will operate as a window under the National Housing Fund Scheme.

In a document obtained by The Nation, FMBN Managing Director Gimba Ya’ukumo said the strategy is aimed at enhancing the contribution of the informal sector to the economy.

He said it has become imperative to incorporate this sector due to its large contribution to the economy which statistics put at 85 per cent of the 50 million workforce.

The statement reads in part: “In terms of economic output and employment, the informal sector accounts for as high as 60 per cent of Gross National Product (GNP) and about 70 per cent of total employment across all economic sectors.

“Government must, therefore, continue to empower them through the provision of an enabling environment in terms of economic and fiscal policies”, he said. Ya’ukumo said the product is intended to provide a forum to register and organise informal sector participants using cooperative societies that are duly registered by FMBN.” On how it will work, the FMBN boss said: • The Cooperative Society must be registered with the Registrar of Cooperatives in charge of the area within which it is domiciled • The society must be registered with the National Housing Fund (NHF) Scheme • The society must be responsible for remitting the contributions of its members

By Okwy Iroegbu-Chikezie Asst Editor

• The cooperative society must be accredited by the Bank • The cooperative society must have been in existence for a minimum of 12 months during which membership dues paid by members have been consistent • The proposed estate must have good title that can be sub-leased to individual allottees/purchasers of the housing units therein • The tenor of the loan shall be 24 months with a moratorium period of 12 months • The loan shall be disbursed to a cooperative society at an interest rate of 10 per cent • The cooperative shall identify a Primary Mortgage Institution (PMI) with which it would collaborate for the purpose of processing a Cooperative NHF Loan (CNL) for its members • Housing units for the proposed project(s) must fall within a target selling price not exceeding N5 million • The land upon which the estate is to be built shall have legal title • The security for disbursing each tranche of the loan shall be the title document of the estate land • The loan shall be disbursed in three tranches to complete the substructure, super- structure and finishing • The bank shall finance 100 per cent of housing development and 90 per cent infrastructural facilities • The cooperative society is to develop the housing estate in any of the following ways: (a) Engage registered building professionals with a view to managing the projects and completing the housing units to standard (b) Use professionals from within its ranks, on submission of proof of

technical expertise of members by the society and engage an Estate Development Company provided the company is able to deliver the houses at a price affordable to the cooperators and finally to ensure that all housing units in the estate are sold to the cooperative society members who are contributors to the NHF Scheme.

On the documentation required to key into the programme (Cooperative Housing Development Loan) Ya’ukumo said it included but not limited to the presentation of registration of the Cooperative society, Bye laws of the Cooperative Society, detailed profile of the Cooperative Society and Resolution of the Board of Trustees of the Society signed by the Chairman and Secretary, authorising it to borrow.

Underscoring the importance of the scheme, he said the loan offers individual cooperative members a mortgage loan to buy a housing unit developed through the cooperative or renovate an existing one.

Other benefits are that an individual cooperator shall enjoy the housing loan at six per cent rate per annum with 15 per cent down payment as personal stake in the loan and an evidence of minimum NHF monthly contribution of N450 and a minimum period of six months will be required at the application stage.

In addition, any monthly contribution in excess of N450 shall be accounted for in favour of the member as part of his personal stake contribution at the time of loan application while members will be required to submit, in addition to evidence of NHF registration/remittance, evidence of membership of the cooperative society (membership card) for a period not less than six months preceding the month of application.

‘...an individual cooperator shall enjoy the housing loan at six per cent rate per annum with 15 per cent down payment as personal stake in the loan and an evidence of minimum NHF monthly contribution of N450 ’

By Okwy Iroegbu-Chikezie T’S no longer news that the Asst Editor economy is not getting better.

This is made worse with the fuel to the idea of living with tenants, subsidy removal which has stretched they need to take appropriate steps people’s budget beyond limit. All to meet legal and insurance requirehope is not lost, especially if you are ments and screen potential tenants. blessed with a home. What I am Every homeowner should have a about to postulate here is common written lease signed by the tenant, place in Abuja where home owners which protects the homeowner’s sub-divide their apartments into rights. You don’t want somebody units, charging large sums of forging some documents on the money. This they use in hedging house and putting you on the deinflation and all sorts of unhealthy fensive? “You should use a qualigovernment policies that eat up their fied lawyer or estate surveyor and income. In any case, it comes with valuer that will put you through, its own challenge. please don’t take anything for The old-fashioned term “boarder” granted, conflicts are bound to rise isn’t used much anymore. But some as humans and at a point your savhomeowners rent a room, basement ing grace may just be the legal docuor in-law suite within the home to ment that sealed the contract at the generate extra income. Like l wrote onset! Make sure all are insured earlier, ask Abuja or Port Harcourt landlords, the fad is also catching up Screen your tenant with Lagos. After all, the harsh ecoThe key element to whether opennomic reality is no respecter of ing your home to a boarder will be persons except, off course, a small a positive experience is choosing the fraction of the society that has access right tenant. It sounds nice to tell to free fund! friends and acquaintA homeownerances that you are boarder relationship ‘The important looking for a tenant is not personal but and not to just host athing to remember strictly business and to –let sign where it is advisable that it when you are anybody can pose as remains so. a potential tenant. thinking about “The important Learn to trust your inthing to remember bringing in a tenant stinct and also do when you are thinkis that this is a background checks ing about bringing from the pieces of inin a tenant is that this business deal, not a formation at your is a business deal, not friendship. You disposal also ask for a friendship. You at least three referneed to do need to do everyences and check thing and anything everything and them. If he is not a landlord would do, ‘clean’, he will disapincluding charging a anything a landlord pear or start making security deposit and would do, including excuses! establishing all the charging a security rules and regulaLay down clear rules tions upfront. You deposit and Establishing clear certainly will not go establishing all the rules and having a after some months written contract can cap in hand asking to rules and be the best way to borrow money from regulations upfront’ generate extra cash your border as a with a boarder. To my landlord to pay your children’s school fees or to buy food mind the most important thing is to at home, if you do this the social conbe very clear about your expectations tract and barriers set at the beginsuch as wanting the home to be quiet ning is as good as gone and you will after 12 p.m., no vigils, no house felhave yourself to blame. lowships, no dog, and no pussy-cat A potential landlord’s first order as pets, limiting the number of hangof business is to decide whether the ers-on he can bring to live with him. income is worth the loss of privacy In all, it will be smart to realise that and living space and whether they you’ll hear them sometimes, and really want to live with someone they will hear you too. else. They can estimate their potenA family friend who is recomtial rental revenue by comparing mending this, said the easy way to rental rates for their area from an go is to fix your eyes on the income estate agent or any property related and forget the little inconveniences. newspaper or magazine. If the home She said: “I have a list of rules and is already separated into an apartregulations the tenants sign, includment in the basement, that’s a lot ing a ban on the use of illegal easier, but if you are renting rooms substances; no hosting of village within your living space, you need meetings or wild parties since l could to decide if you are willing to share be legally responsible if something a (bathroom) and a kitchen. “It’s is used in the home or if the parties important to know what you want got out of hand in these days of and how you want to live, even in heightened security concerns.” terms of the hours you keep.”

She recommends creating your But it’s instructive to note that a personal set of rules along with an landlord no matter how you look at arrival sheet and a departure sheet it must lose some privacy and unthat specifies how to have the seculess you’ve lived with people rerity deposit returned. She says homecently, you should start out with a owners need to decide how to hanshort-term tenant to try it out. You dle parking issues and utility payneed to get used to sharing your rements and how to keep the toilet and frigerator and your space. On the kitchen neat at every point in time. other hand, it’s nice to have someLiving with another family is not one take care of your home while one of the easiest things to do but if you are away. you must scout for single person or Take care of legal issues one with a moderate number of Once homeowners are committed dependents.

‘I have a list of rules and regulations that the tenants sign, including a ban on the use of illegal substances; no hosting of village meetings or wild parties since l could be legally responsible if something is used in the home or if the parties got out of hand in these days of heightened security concerns’ •Contributions, questions? e-mail: quichi3cities@yahoo.com

THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2012

40

BUSINESS INTERNATIONAL

Air France-KLM unveils turnaround plan

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IR France-KLM has announced a pay freeze for French staff and cutbacks in its fleet as part of a three-year plan to end financial rot at Europe’s largest airline by revenue.

The belt-tightening, coming in the wake of a series of staff strikes, is the first stage of a politically sensitive turnaround plan expected to be completed after French presidential elections, now 100 days away.

American Airlines parent company files for bankruptcy The Franco-Dutch group pledged to cut debt by 2-billion euro ($2.56-billion US) by end-2014 and said it would shrink its fleet by shedding

more than 1-billion euro from a planned expansion project.

The plan will also involve a combination of immediate and longerterm cost reduction measures, Air France-KLM said in a statement on Thursday.

“We needed to take these measures because our debt position and costs per unit were running too high, and because of losses on our domestic and European routes ... We do this to avoid getting into trouble later,” said Peter Hartman, chief executive officer of KLM, the group’s Dutch subsidiary.

Unions are expected to hit back at the plan, which calls for a general pay freeze at Air France during 2012 and 2013 combined with “wage moderation” at the Dutch sister airline KLM.

The measures are part of a one-billion euro package of immediate cost cuts that also include a continued hiring freeze.Air France-KLM scaled down plans to grow capacity over the three years from 2012 to 2014 in an effort to improve the demand per available seat, a method of pushing up average revenue.

“Given the uncertain economic environment and the ongoing imbalance between transport supply and demand, the board deemed it necessary to opt for quasi-stable capacity for the Air France-KLM Group in both passenger and cargo,” a statement said.

To shrink its fleet and keep capacity in line with its more modest forecasts, Air France-KLM said it would

defer deliveries of several Airbus and Boeing aircraft including two Airbus A380 superjumbos.

It pledged to cut planned investments in 2009-2011 from •6-billion to less than •5-billion by deferring deliveries and scrapping some purchase options.

But it reassured European plane maker Airbus that it would maintain an order for 25 of its latest model, the carbon-fibre A350. The future jet competes with the Boeing 787 for which Air France-KLM confirmed a similar-sized order last week.

A longer-term transformation plan will generate an additional •1-billion in free cash flow over three years, the airline said. It did not set out the impact on jobs.

China’s rail system tested as massive migration begins

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HE world’s largest internal migration has begun. In the 40 days before, during and after the Chinese Lunar New Year festival, Chinese authorities estimate more than three billion trips — the equivalent of two trips for every single person in China — will be taken via planes, trains and buses, as millions of people head to their home towns for the biggest holiday of the year.

Can Europe avoid a recession?

The result is a travel backlog that dwarfs Canada’s Christmas rush several times over, with interminably long lines at railway stations, and crammed, body-againstbody standing-room on train platforms and carriages. A new online system for train ticket reservations came to a crashing halt under an incredible two billion clicks per day in the first week of January, leaving frustrated passengers running to the nearest ticket window to see if their reservation had in fact been received.

An estimated 235 million people are expected to travel by train over the holiday season, making it a test for the troubled Chinese railway system. Last year its top boss was ousted for corruption. Its rapid expansion into super high speed trains came to a crashing halt with a terrible accident in Wenzhou last summer, in which 39 people were killed and another 200 injured after a signal failed in a thunderstorm.

A massive safety review followed, other bullet trains were pulled out of service, and the pace of expansion slowed dramatically.

This week, the World Bank tactfully suggested China’s rail industry might benefit by looking at other countries’ approaches to rail networks, following a study of eight other countries including Canada in which the Ministry of Transport does not simultaneously own, operate, profit from and regulate railways.

“Today, China has by traffic volume the world’s second busiest freight railway and the busiest passenger railway. This remarkable growth in China’s railway network was achieved under a railway governance and institutional structure unique to China.

Changes in transport competition together with the desirability of a more coordinated national transport system suggest that China’s railway industry may wish to consider an alternative structure,” read a World Bank release on Wednesday. In the meantime, though, long lines and frustration are an inevitable part of the annual crush.

“I have very little hope of getting a ticket, I think. Either online or in line,” said Sun Li, a 34-yearold accountant, as she walked away from a travel agency ticket window this week empty-handed after a mercifully short midday wait.

• From left; World Customs Organisation (WCO) Secretary-General, Kunio Mikuriya and Korea’s DirectorGeneral, Customs and Tariff Bureau, Mr Seong HA, sign a grant agreement. With them are Chairperson, WCO, Josephine Feehily and Head, Administration and Personnel, Ray McDonagh.

Novartis to cut 2,000 US jobs

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OVARTIS AG plans to axe about 2,000 of its United States work force ahead of the patent loss of top-selling blood pressure drug Diovan there and will take a $900-million charge after another of its key drugs failed to live up to expectations.

Novartis is the latest in a long line of global drug makers to cut its sales force as the industry faces its biggest wave of patent expiries ever.

Playing risk in the market The Swiss drug maker’s news comes just weeks after AstraZeneca said it was slashing nearly a quarter of its US sales force in a second round of job cuts in as many months, while Sanofi has also said it is cut-

ting back on its sales force there.

Novartis plans to shed 1,630 jobs in its U.S. field force and another 330 positions are expected to go as it reorganises the headquarters of its US general medicines business.

The changes are expected to take place in the second quarter of this year.

Diovan, which sells $6-billion a year, went off patent in Europe last year and it will lose exclusivity in the United States this September. Japan follows in 2013.

The Basel-based group expects the restructuring measures, which will result in a one-off charge of $160-million in the first quarter of 2012, to claw back annual savings of around $450million by 2013.

Novartis’s latest round of redundancies comes only a few months after it said it was cutting 2,000 jobs in Switzerland and the United States to keep costs under control in the face of growing price pressures.

The company has already cut thousands of jobs and shut several sites, notably in Britain. In 2010, it said it was cutting 1,400 jobs in the United States as it focuses increasingly on specialty medicines to boost profitability.

“Overall, we believe that accelerating the necessary restructuring measures will help in enhancing Novartis’ operating margins as well as accelerating the shift towards a more specialty pharma centric player,” West LB analyst Oliver Kaemmerer said.

Italy bond auction fails to match Spain success

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TALY’s three-year debt costs fell below five per cent at the country’s first longer-term bond sale of the year on Friday but demand failed to live up to the success of a Spanish sale the previous day, pointing to challenges ahead as Rome tackles a heavy refinancing load in the next few months.

Can Europe avoid a recession? Italy raised the maximum planned amount of 4.75-billion euro ($6.08-billion US) at the sale but failed to match interest at the Spanish auction where Madrid sold 10-billion euro of bonds, or twice the planned amount on Thursday, thanks to strong domestic appetite fuelled by cheap European Central Bank funds. “On the whole the auction results are mixed to soft, certainly far from the humdinger we saw in Spain yesterday,” said Richard McGuire, strategist at Rabonbank in London.

“This will serve to dampen some of the markets enthusiasm in the wake of yesterday’s Spanish auction ... It doesn’t defeat the notion that the ECB extraordinary liquidity provisioning will support peripheral debt but it perhaps tempers expectations as to what degree these operations will support,” he added.

Italy sold its November 2014 threeyear benchmark bond at an average rate of 4.83 per cent on Friday, down sharply from a yield of 5.62 yield at an auction just two weeks ago.

It was the lowest yield at a threeyear auction since September last year but the bid-to-cover ratio fell to around 1.22, versus an already weak 1.36 ratio at the end-December sale.

The end-December three-year sale was the first bond auction after the ECB’s unprecedented injection of three-year funds and yields fell from a record of nearly eight per cent seen in November at the height of the debt crisis.

Rome also sold two off-the-run issues on Friday, due in July 2014, and August 2018.

The ECB’s liquidity boost, evident also at an Italian bill sale on Thursday where one-year yields more than halved, has boosted market sentiment on the two countries at the fore of the euro zone debt crisis, driving Italian yields sharply lower on the secondary market.

But sentiment remain fragile with investors well aware that Rome faces a challenging funding task in 2012.

With ECB support limited to shorter-end maturities, longer-dated Italian bonds remain vulnerable and attention will soon turn to tougher five- and 10-year Italian sales scheduled for January 30.

“Looking beyond this one auction, the issuance challenge for Italy remains significant. Market pressures are most apparent in the 10-yr sector of the curve which will face supply in two weeks time,” Citi analysts wrote in a research note.

Some •90-billion of Italian bonds are due to mature between February and April – more than Spain’s target of 86-billion euro of medium and long-term issuance in the whole of 2012.

US trade gap widens, biggest since June

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HE US trade deficit widened in November to its largest in five months, suggesting imports weighed on economic growth a bit more than expected during the fourth quarter. The trade gap totaled $47.8-billion (US), exceeding analysts’ forecast of a $45billion deficit, Commerce Department data showed on Friday.

The government revised its initial estimate for October’s trade deficit slightly lower to $43.3-billion. The trade report “is important for fourth-quarter GDP and this data should bring those (growth) expectations down,” said Jacob Oubina, an economist at RBC Capital markets in New York.

Imports rose 1.3 per cent to $225.6-

billion as Americans bought more industrial supplies from abroad and spent more on foreign oil. It was the biggest increase in imports since May, according to seasonally adjusted figures. The average price for imported oil rose to $102.50 per barrel, up 3.7 per cent from October , while the volume of oil imports also rose. However, a separate report from the Labour Department showed a drop in oil prices during December pushed down overall import prices during that month, suggesting the trade gap could get some relief at the end of the year.

Also, November’s data on imports gave some positive signals for the economy. Imports of capital goods, which are used in domestic work-

places, climbed to a record high. US financial markets showed little reaction to the trade data. Stock futures were weaker, while Treasury debt prices were up as traders focused on developments in Europe.

Trade perennially weighs on US economic growth. A wider deficit shows that more goods and services bought by U.S. businesses and consumers were produced outside the country, subtracting from gross domestic product. In November, exports fell 0.9 per cent to $177.8billion.

Earlier in his administration, US President Barack Obama pledged to double US exports within five years and on Friday he plans to ask Congress for authority to merge the

agency that negotiates US trade deals into the Commerce Department.

Just as higher imports might be a sign of increasing consumer demand within the country, the drop in exports might reflect the recent cooling in the global economy.With the unemployment rate declining and factory output holding strong, U.S. economic growth likely accelerated in the fourth quarter even as the global economy grappled with Europe’s debt crisis, which likely plunged the euro zone into recession at the end of last year.The report also gave a hint of a modest improvement in the politically charged trade imbalances between the United States and China.

SLIDING TACKLE

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

42

"Our offer is 25m euros - now it depends on them whether they accept."

Inter Milan president Massimo Moratti revealing the Nerazzuri’s offer for want away-Man City striker, Carlos Tevez.

RONALDO: NO PRESSURE AGAINST • Mancini

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•Ronaldo

EAL MADRID attacker Cristiano Ronaldo has stressed that he does not feel any extra pressure to perform ahead of Wednesday's Copa del Rey match at home against Barcelona.

The Portugal international received his fair share of criticism after failing to find the net in Madrid's 3-1 La Liga loss against Barca back in Decem ber 2011, but Ronaldo has insisted that the high expectations do not affect him.

"I always try to relax before a game. The pressure doesn't get to me. I try to stay positive and always see new challenges.

My mental strength is very important to me," Ronaldo said in an interview with DT. "I just want to win every game and play well. That's always my goal; put in a good performance and get a good result. I don't mind who the opponent is because my motivation will always be the same.

"When you're happy and enjoying your football, you only want good things to happen to the team and have fun."

Wednesday's first leg of the quarter-final against Barcelona kicks off at 22.00 CET.

Henry argues with Gunners supporter

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HIERRY Henry was dragged into an argument with an Arsenal fan on Sunday after being questioned about the team's display at Swansea.

Reports in several newspapers have revealed the 34-year-old led the players over to the Gunners travelling supporters to show their appreciation, only for a number of fans to voice their displeasure at the team's performance.

Rather than just walk away Henry found himself dragged into the centre of a row with

Maradona undergoes successful kidney stone operation

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L WASL coach Diego Maradona is set to be discharged from hospital following a successful operation to remove kidney stones removed.

The 51-year-old had been admitted to hospital after a check-up revealed the Argentine had kidney stones, and doctors decided he needed surgery.

The club announced that the subsequent procedure had been a success, and that Maradona would soon be discharged and will continue his recovery from home.

"Maradona has been cleared after undergoing a successful operation to remove his kidney stone and will be discharged from hospital," the club announced via Twitter.

The former Napoli superstar oversaw his side's 2-1 victory of Al Ahli on Saturday night, and, according to Al Wasl, is already making plans for the next game - against Al Sharjah on January 23.

"Maradona watched the Shj [Al Sharjah] v Maniyas match from his room in the hospital straight after surgery and started planning for the next match against Shj." Al Wasl currently sit in sixth place in the UEA Pro-League, 12 points behind league leaders Al Ain.

Mancini: Man City not yet good enough

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OBERTO Mancini believes Barcelona are the only club in the world capable of dealing with Manchester City’s current lengthy absentee list.

Key players David Silva and Vincent Kompany all missed City’s League Cup semi-final first leg defeat to Liverpool in midweek, while Kolo and Yaya Toure are also away at the Africa Cup of Nations, Mario Balotelli is suffering with an ankle problem and Carlos Tevez is still in Argentina.

And Mancini believes the lack of numbers at his disposal is making life difficult.

When asked about whether his squad is equipped to cope without a number of key players, Mancini told reporters: "Maybe Barcelona could. Manchester City no. In four or five years, Manchester City probably yes. But not now.

"When I said one month ago that December and January would be the crucial months it was because I know football.

"Every year in every squad you have one difficult moment. At the moment we are not strong and we have lost important players, so it is difficult.”

Inter offer £20.7m for Tevez

one fan, who he told to support the players rather than criticise them.

A Gunners source said: "Thierry had encouraged his team-mates to go and acknowledge the fans and show their appreciation for the people who made the long journey to Swansea.

"Unfortunately, one or two of them had a few things to say and expressed their disappointment.

I

•Henry

OTHER SPORT...OTHER SPORT...

Nadal overcomes knee problem to win Aussie opener

RAFAEL Nadal has a new injury issue _ a tendon problem in his right knee that nearly prompted him to forfeit a first-round match at the Australian Open that he managed to win easily.

Bothered by a left shoulder injury late last year, Nadal had his right knee heavily taped during his 6-4, 6-1, 6-1 win over Alex Kuznetsov on Monday.

The injury occurred while the Spaniard was sitting in a chair in his hotel room and felt "a crack" in his knee and some "unbelieveable pain."

He had an MRI exam late Sunday that showed no major damage to his knee, but before that, the incident left him thinking "I wasn't 100 •Nadal percent sure I would have a chance to play."

N T E R M I L A N have tabled a £20.7m bid for Carlos Tevez, but it is unlikely t o m e e t Manchester City's valuation f o r t h e Argentine striker.

"Our offer is 25m euros - now it depends on them whether they accept," said Inter president M a s s i m o Moratti after their 1-0 win over AC Milan.

"The offer is there. Now we are free to decide whether to go ahead or not."

AC Milan withdrew from talks to sign Tevez, 27, on Thursday after Alexandre Pato

•Tevez

refused to join Paris St Germain.

Milan had already agreed personal terms for the player, but were forced to pull out of negotiations with City.

PSG have also expressed interest in Tevez and Moratti claimed clubs in England were also in the hunt.

THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2012

43

HEALTH THE NATION

E-mail:- health@thenationonlineng.net

The Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Ebute-Metta, Lagos, with 160 beds, is rated a three-star hospital

by SERVICOM. The hospital now has a unit for patients with kidney problems, who need dialysis.

OYEYEMI GBENGA-MUSTAPHA reports.

•The Dialysis Centre

Expert deplores increase in kidney failure I

T is an ailment which is on the rise. It is no respecter of age.

The elderly, the youth and children suffer from it. Kidney failure is a terminal disease. It also costs a lot of money to manage. The ultimate treatment is kidney transplant where the patient finds a donor.

Finding a donor is usually not easy because people believe that it is risky to donate one of their two kidneys to someone whose two kidneys have packed up. The first step to a transplant is the management of the disease through dialysis. This also is a costly venture. A session of dialysis costs between N25,000 and N50,000 depending on the hospital. And the patient requires three sessions per week.

This perhaps is why the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) is collaborating with the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) to check the rising incidence of kidney failure.

Speaking at the opening of the Critical Care Management Company (CCMC) at LASUTH, its Director, Dr Ade Tinubu, decried the high incidence of kidney failure in the country. He attributed the problem to changes in lifestyle and rising incidence of diabetes and hypertension.

According to him, the lack of widespread medical insurance and pervasive poverty of Nigerians do not make the opening of a dialysis unit very profitable. He said: “Due to the perceived profitability of a dialysis unit, many people a few years ago were interested in opening dialysis units privately or in partnership with government. But the reality is that it is not a very profitable venture due to the poverty in the land.”

Explaining what dialysis is, Dr Tinubu, a Diplomate of the American Board of Surgery and a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, said it is the process by which impurities and waste products are removed from the body. This function is normally done by the kidneys. The majority of people who need dialysis have either an acute or chronic failure of the kidneys. Some re-

•Dialysis centre opens at FMC, Ebute Metta quire dialysis for a short period while others will require a lifetime of dialysis unless they receive a kidney transplant.

“It is worth noting that there are only three government hospitals providing dialysis in Lagos for instance. These are the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH); the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) and the Gbagada General Hospital,” he said.

With this situation, Dr Tinubu set out to partner with the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Ebute Metta , Lagos to establish a dialysis unit.

“People may be wondering whether this partnership with FMC, Ebute Metta is profitable or not. But I had initially thought of not taking on the project, but after due consideration, I feel that is another opportunity for us as health care providers to contribute meaningfully to the betterment of health care in Nigeria generally and Lagos in particular. We are bringing our wealth of experience in managing health care facilities in the USA and Nigeria to this venture. We will work under the highest ethical standards and the best medical practices available.

“It is on record that in spite of the perceived increase in kidney failure requiring dialysis an incidence is better diagnostic abilities and the availability of treatment modalities in our company.

I returned to Nigeria in 2004 after 25 years to contribute my quota to the development of healthcare in the country.

“Critical Care Unit (CCU) was opened seven years ago as a centre for cardiac surgery. We have expanded our services to include different types of surgeries. A two-bed dialysis unit was added to the CCU in November 2009 and we have successfully managed the unit since then. We have dialysed over 50 patients and have done over 400 dialysis sessions.

“This made us to partner with the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Ebute Metta to manage the new dialysis unit. The unit will run from 8:00am to 5:00pm, Monday to Friday. It will contain three operating dialysis machines and one machine as a back up. It will be outfitted with all the equipment required to run a first class dialysis unit and staffed by qualified personnel,” he assured.

The Chairman, Federal Medical Centre Ebute Metta, Otunba Solomon Oladunni, appreciated the gesture and the partnership and promised that the Board will do everything to make sure the unit stand out as the best run in the comity of dialysis units in the country.

“The Dialysis Centre that is being inaugurated today could not have come at a better time when accessibility to dialysis facilities in the country are very poor. This project, therefore, will definitely impact positively on the lives of patients which require dialysis in Lagos and its environs.”

Also, FMC Medical Director, Dr Yetunde Jinadu, assured that the centre’s staff “are up and doing and ready to take the hospital to the next level. We are not resting on our oars and we will not let our patients down.

“The Dialysis Centre has two floors: The ground floor comprises: (a) four numbers well-equipped (with the state-of-the-art) dialysis chairs. (b) an MDG-SCD unit recently sited at our hospital and (c) some Administrative officers.

“While the first floor comprises administrative offices. At the completion of the Dialysis Centre, the Board encouraged the Management in articulating the best model (under the Public-Private partnership programme) for the technical partner of the Dialysis Centre and ensured that due process was followed, ” she said.

Governors okay immunisation programme

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HE 36 Governors and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory have approved the immunisation programme of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation last year.

According to the Director-General, Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Mr A.B. Okauru, Nigeria made great progress reducing polio by 95 per cent, “but that pressure was not sustained in 2011, and as a result, the polio virus was able to make a comeback this year. In 2012, Nigeria will need to redouble its efforts to finally get rid of this devastating disease.”

In a statement, Okauru said: “The Nigeria Immunisation Chal-

By Oyeyemi Gbenga-Mustapha

lenge sets specific objectives that need to be met during each quarter of 2012. If met, Nigeria will significantly improve its chances of stopping polio and protecting more children against vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles and whooping cough.”

Similarly, the Chief Executive Officer of the Gates Foundation, Jeff Raikes, said: “Renewed political resolve and accountability are critical to stopping polio in Nigeria and we find it encouraging witnessing both through the support expressed by every governor across the country for this initiative. By collectively

signing up to this challenge, they are sending a very clear message about their commitment to lead the fight to eliminate polio in Nigeria.”

Announced in October 2011, the Challenge was initiated with the Nigeria Governors’ Forum to recognise those governors whose states pass a pre-defined threshold to improve routine immunisation coverage and end polio. The announcement followed a visit by Bill Gates, co-chair of the Gates Foundation and Jeff Raikes, during which President Goodluck Jonathan expressed his hope that Nigeria would have close to zero cases at the same time in 2012 and be finished with polio soon after.

•Chief Executive Officer, Gates Foundation, Jeff Raikes, immunises a child.

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THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2012

HEALTH

Breast cancer kills 25,000 women yearly • Prostate cancer affects 100 out of 100,000 men

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OW deadly is breast cancer?

It is so deadly that it kills over 25,000 women yearly, says the Clinic Director, Healing Stripes Cancer Screening and Diagnostic Centre, Surulere, Lagos, Dr Femi Olaleye.

The disease kills a woman every hour; prostate cancer affects 100 out of every 100,000 men. New 100,000 cancer cases are added to the pool every year in the absence of screening tools. Yet, all these deaths are preventable through a simple step of quick screening.

According to Olaleye, most of the deaths resulting from the various cancers can be prevented, especially cervical cancer.

“Cervical Cancer is one of the leading cancer killers of women at present in Nigeria as 8,000 women die annually. Cervical cancer is caused by a virus called the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), commonly present on the male genitalia (90 per cent of men). Cervical cancer happens when cells in the cervix grow out of control from the HPV effect.

Yet, if a woman is screened swiftly, the advancement of the lesion can be nip in the bud.

“Before cancer forms, cells that line the cervix change and become abnormal. These abnormal cells grow slowly, over 15 years in most cases. Cervical cancer screening can prevent this cancer before it starts.

Women with Positive Screening tests can be treated with Cryotherapy or LLETZ, prevent the cancer from spreading. And once a woman under goes this treatment she is free.”

But due to socioeconomic reasons,

By Oyeyemi Gbenga-Mustapha and Nneka Nwaneri most women cannot afford the cost; hence The Apapa Family of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) has put in place Healing Stripes, cancer prevention and medical services, as a Corporate Social Responsibility. It is located at Surulere, Lagos.

Olaleye cited the case of Big Brother UK TV Star, Jade Goodie, who died of cervical cancer at 27, as a case study, claiming she did not attend any screening tests even at the directive of her General Practitioner (GP). He said there is a vaccine that can target teenagers who are at risk.

Meanwhile, the George Kerry Life Foundation will hold free cervical screening for sexually-active women as part of its cervical control campaign from yesterday to February 4 in Lagos.

Its Executive Director, Dr Matilda Kerry, said at a briefing that routine administration of cervical screening tests is the best means of detecting cervical cancer at an early stage.

Women will also be educated about the Human Papillomavirus (HPV), which causes the disease, as well as about available vaccines.

The screening will be done at Ikeja.

Kerry said: “This screening is a crucial part of a woman’s health care regimen, yet one that many overlook. Cervical is a preventable disease as long as it is caught early enough.

“HPV vaccines also have the potential to protect women from the decease, by targeting cancer-caus-

•Dr Olaleye (middle) with Miss UNILAG, Violet Chioma Olisa and other volunteers canvassing women to come for free screening at the centre.

PHOTO: OYEYEMI GBENGA-MUSTAPHA

ing types of the human papillomavirus. HPV, a virus transmitted through sexual contact, is the single known cause of cancer.

“Two forms of the virus – HPV 16 and HPV 18 – account for more than 70 per cent of all cervical cancer cases. Medical experts believe that through a successful education, screening and vaccination programme for women, we will have the potential to nearly eliminate

cervical cancer.”

Kerry said the foundation would provide treatment to women found to be positive. According to her, the cancer can be deadly if detected late after it must spread outside the cervix.

“If it is still within the cervix, it can be removed through surgery or chemotherapy. That is why we are advocating early screening.

“From the e available national fig-

ures we got from hospitals that keep records, 9,000 Nigerian women will learn they have cervical cancer this year and over 8,000 will die from this decease.”

Kerry added: “We call on corporate organisations and philanthropists to support us financially throughout this month so we can make a huge impact and not only provide free screening but also free treatment of all women found with early pre-cancer problems.”

Our mandate, by chemists institute chief Registrar, Institute of Chartered Chemists of Nigeria, Prince Jay Oghifo, speaks on the regulatory body established by the Federal Government under the Ministry of Health. WALE ADEPOJU and BOLA KOUGBE report

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HAT is this body all about?

The body is a Federal Government professional regulatory agency that is set to control the teaching and process of chemistry in accordance with the international bodies. By that it has a mandate to set up an institute for individuals who aspire to become professional chemists.

The first mandate is to provide verbal and alternative analysis in the educational system, and give licences to individuals who would undergo the training. The second mandate is to ensure that the chemical industries are not dominated by amateurs so as to prevent epidemics in the society.

The mandate also includes checking secondary schools’ curricular to ensure they set good standards that are helpful to the students for better performances and future posterity.

Can you tell us the objectives of the institute ?

Basically, the institute is concerned with the efficiency and productive use of chemicals which goes a long way in helping to solve chemical problems in Nigeria, also to standardise the chemical business that would help to promote it in terms of international relations as far as chemical is concerned.

Chemistry is the field where other modern sciences evolve; therefore, if you do not get chemistry right, you cannot get science and technology right.

How does the institute fit into the Nigerian system economically?

The institute, apparently, is the first regulatory body for any

field relating to chemistry in Nigeria, and it has a mandate to organise workers year in year out.

It also believes that what the economy needs to grow is advance and develops small scale industries.

Furthermore, the body believes the recent bombings by the so called Boko Haram, kidnappings by the Niger Delta militants, the widely acclaimed OPC among others, are as a result of hunger due to unemployment in the country. Therefore, the establishment of the institute would help minimise the rate of the situation.

How does the institute intend to extend its services?

To gain more recognition, the institute calls for media attention to assist in creating public awareness for individual and industrial benefits.

What is your opinion on professionalism and how does the institute hopes to promote this?

The so called pharmaceutical shops owned by some people who claim to be chemists are also part of the institute but cannot be proclaimed professionals due to lack of experience and proper training in chemistry, hence the establishment of the institute to provide members with adequate training and vital information on the efficient use of chemical.

The relationship or difference between the chemists and the pharmacists is likened to that of the cook (chef) and the waiter, the pharmacists are well recognised by the public because they are able to buy drugs from them when needed. Meanwhile, the chemists are the brain that mixes and combines the chemicals that forms the

drugs.

The pharmacists and chemical engineers are better known as ‘’applied chemists’’. To reach an industrial level, it is necessary to acquire a technological knowledge, which enables vast production of chemical substances like kerosene, petrol, diesel, etc, with the use of a test tube to set a small refinery. Parameters are also used which are later passed on to the chemical engineers for final assessment.

How does the institute run its courses and for how long?

To address the issue of professionalism, the institute runs a four-tosix year chemistry curricular in which its first three to four year programme covers theoretical chemistry, while another one year covers

a specialisation programme on any choice of chemical protection, decoration, electro-placing and even cooking to mention but a few.

Each field of specialisation comes with a certified degree, such as, B.Sc in Cooking Technology, B.Sc in Textile Technology, etc, after graduation.

The institute guides it profession jealously and distinctively in the sense that it graduates its members as technologists and not engineers, reason being that a technologist operates extensively in his specialised area.

In the case of mega applications, after acquiring a B.Sc. as a technologist, it is necessary to apply for a programme in engineering design in order to have knowledge in the art of designing as well as interpret-

•Oghifo

ing technology.

Apart from the institute, are there other bodies that regulate the system?

There are also non-governmental organisations (NGOS), such as Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), and Chemical Society of Nigeria (CSN), which are equivalent to the regulatory body. The institute is and remains the first regulatory body in the country.

Pneumonia kills 177,000 children yearly

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O fewer than 177,000 children under five die of pneumonia yearly, the Executive Director of the National Primary HealthCare Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr Ado Muhammed, has said.

He spoke in Abuja at the National Pneumococcal Summit, which was designed to create awareness on the fatality of the disease as well as mobilise resources to fight against it.

He said this figure represents the highest mortality rate from pneumonia in Africa, claiming more lives of children than AIDS, malaria and measles in Nigeria.

Muhammed,however, pointed out that despite this, there is little known about it in Nigeria. “Despite this overwhelming death toll, the

By Oyeyemi Gbenga-Mustapha public awareness of pneumonia remains low as it is easily overshadowed by other priority global agenda and rarely receives media coverage. Hence UNICEF has rightly called pneumonia the forgotten killer of children,“ he said.

The representative of Pfizer, an international pharmaceutical company, Mr Kodjo Soroh, reiterated Pfizer’s determination to also collaborate with Nigerian agencies in fighting the disease.

He noted that despite the high mortality rate from this disease, there are in existence, effective and affordable treatment as well as prevention tactics. However, the major problem that makes the disease fatal in Nigeria is the low level of

awareness in especially among the rural communities, he added.

He further added that to combat pneumonia and reduce significantly the mortality rate from the disease, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and UNICEF in 2009 established the Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Pneumonia which, according to their prediction, will save the lives of five million children by 2015.

Prof Geoffrey Onyemelukwa of the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, said preventive steps to avoid the disease in newborns include exclusive breastfeeding during the first six months of life, ensuring adequate nutrition and nutrient supplementation, reducing indoor air pollution and promotion of hand washing.

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NEWS Labour/Govt crisis: Industrial NEW YEAR MESSAGES Court President receives threats

We must unite to defeat forces of evil, says Sultan

•Seeks understanding From Kamarudeen Ogundele, Abuja

From Tony Akowe, Kaduna

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HE National Industrial Court (NIC) President, Justice Babatunde Adejumo, yesterday said he has been receiving threat messages following the court’s January 6 order restraining the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) from embarking on a nationwide strike to protest the removal of fuel subsidy by the Federal Government.

At the resumed hearing yesterday in the suit by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Mohammed Adoke (SAN) against the unions, the court discharged a Lagos lawyer, Fred Agbaje, who was summoned for allegedly tagging the order of the court as a “black market” injunction.

Agbaje, who has been practising in the court in the last 26 years, denied the statement.

Also freed by the court were the Saturday Editor of The Sun, Onuoha Ukeh, and a reporter, Mr. Godwin Tsa, who were also summoned over the publication.

Invoking Section 20 of the NIC Act, 2006, the court stressed the need to promote industrial harmony in the country and advised the Federal Government and Labour to reach an amicable settlement.

According to the section, “in any proceeding in the court, the court may promote reconciliation among the parties thereto and encourage and facilitate the amicable settlement thereof.”

The January 6 order attracted criticisms from the public.

But the court maintained that “we didn’t pronounce on the issue of oil subsidy, it is not for this court to do.”

Emphasising that Section 7 (1)b of the NIC Act, 2006 and Section 254 C(1)c) of the 1999 Constitution as amended confers jurisdiction on the court on matters concerning strikes, the panel said it restrained the unions from embarking on the strike because the condition precedent was not met.

Cautioning the media to be fair in its reporting of the case, Justice Adejumo said he was “aware of the fundamental rights of citizens to protest if they feel government did something not pleasant,” as contained in Chapter Four of the 1999 Constitution.

Justice Adejumo urged the media: “Please endeavour to do this in a most civilised manner. We are having problems in the nation; we don’t want to add to it. We are trying to soften the tempo.”

The three-member panel, however, refused to hear two new interlocutory applications by the AGF, which were filed last Friday.

It told the AGF’s counsel, Chief Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), that the new applications were not ripe for hearing, adding that the respondents (NLC and TUC) have three days to reply to them.

The unions were not in court and were not represented.

Awomolo explained that “the complainant’s (AGF) primary purpose of the suit is to ensure stability and promote industrial harmony.”

The case was adjourned till February 10.

‘Corruption denies Nigeria benefits of oil’

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ORMER military Administrator of Delta State Col. John David Dung (rtd) yesterday said corruption has deprived the nation the benefits accruing from its oil industry.

He advised a return to agriculture as the mainstay of the nation’s economy.

Col. Dung, who was speaking with reporters in Jos yesterday, urged the Federal Government to revamp agriculture.

He said: “The diversion of Nigeria’s economic base from agriculture to oil in the ‘70s has only brought endemic corruption, as proceeds from oil has never been used for the benefit of the common man.

“Nigeria is poor today because the proceeds from oil have never been properly invested in the interest of the masses but for the interest of a few. The oil has only succeeded in encouraging corruption and made the nation poorer.”

He said the nation should revert to agriculture as the mainstay of the economy.

“The Petroleum Ministry and the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) need to be reformed if we must make a headway in the sector because I strongly believe the two bodies are the co-coordinators of cartels in the sector.”

‘Deregulation is in the best interest of every Nigerian.

Stakeholders should draw the roadmap towards a final deregulation of petrol in the country, having agreed to peg the price at N97 per litre’ From Yusufu Aminu Idegu, Jos

The former military military administrator urged the National Assembly to review the local government and state government joint allocation law, saying the law has been abused by state governors.

Col. Dung said: “This advice has become necessary in view of the fact that the local government is the tier that brings development closer to the common man and that has been hijacked by state governors in the name of joint accounts’’.

He said “deregulation is in the best interest of every Nigerian. Stakeholders should draw the roadmap towards a final deregulation of petrol in the country, having agreed to peg the price at N97 per litre.”

•Abubakar

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HE Sultan of Sokoto Sa’ad Abubakar yesterday said Nigerians must unite, irrespective of religious or ethnic affiliation, to defeat the forces of evil working against the progress of the nation.

A statement signed by the Secretary-General of JNI, Dr. Khalid Abubakar Aliyu, said the Sultan decried threat messages in the social media designed to create fear in Christians and Muslims.

The Sultan noted that such acts “were diametrically op-

posed to our religious beliefs and to our shared values of tolerance and mutual co-existence. ‘’Nothing can justify this senselessness. The Christian worshipper in Madalla cannot bear responsibility for the conflict in Jos. In the same vein, the innocent Muslim children in Sapele cannot be made to account for the violence of Boko Haram in the northern parts of the country”.

The Sultan said: “...This threat is coming on the heels of the Christmas Day bombing at St Theresa’s Church, Madalla, as well as shooting incidents in churches in Gombe and Adamawa states.

“There are equally disturbing acts of violence against Muslim communities in some parts of the country, including the bombing of an Islamic school in Sapele, Delta State and attempts to burn down a mosque in Benin, etc. “...The Christian worshipper in Madalla cannot bear respon-

sibility for the conflict in Jos. In the same vein, the innocent Muslim children in Sapele cannot be made to account for the violence of Boko Haram in the northern parts of the country...

“It is therefore imperative for all national stakeholders, including government, the political class as well as religious and traditional leaders, to come together and work together to defend the established bases of our collective existence and to defend the security, integrity and livelihood of our diverse communities.

“This is the only way we can defeat the extremists among us, on both sides of the religious and ethnic divide, who wish to wreak havoc and plunge our society into chaos and confusion...

“We must state that the cause of the nation and its people, at this critical juncture, cannot be served by brinkmanship and recklessness. We must understand that the violence in the North has touched each and every community, with

the Muslim Ummah itself bearing over 80 per cent of the losses in human life and property in the last three years since escalation of Plateau State/Boko Haram crises. ‘’It is therefore a mark of gross insincerity and insensitivity for any person or group of persons to come forward and accuse Muslim leaders of perpetuating this dastardly crisis. It is also unacceptable.

“When has Muslim religious leaders replaced the federal and state authorities in the discharge of the basic responsibility that bind us as a state- the maintenance of law and order? Why should anyone venture into taking advantage of a difficult and delicate situation to launch a personal vendetta against the very victims of the crisis? “...The pain of anyone of us must be and should remain the collective pain of all of us. We can only dispel this pain if and when we stand shoulder-toshoulder in the collective defence of our communities and the dignity of their members’’.

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EQUITIES

Market opens on the negative

NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 16-1-12 2ND-TIER SECURITIES Company Name LIVESTOCK FEEDS PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 1 1

Quotation(N) Quantity TradedValue of Shares (N) 0.81 350,000 283,500.00 350,000 283,500.00

AIR SERVICES Company Name AIRLINE SERVICES AND LOGISTICS PLC NIGERIAN AVIATION HANDLING COMPANY PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 1 5 6

Quotation(N) Quantity TradedValue of Shares (N) 2.07 20,000 41,400.00 5.40 172,000 923,896.00 192,000 965,296.00

BANKING Company Name ACCESS BANK PLC DIAMOND BANK PLC FIDELITY BANK PLC FIRST BANK OF NIGERIA PLC GTBANK PLC STANBIC IBTC BANK PLC SKYE BANK PLC. UNITED BANK FOR AFRICA PLC. ZENITH BANK PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 3 2 8 67 12 1 12 11 8 124

Quotation(N) 4.70 2.03 1.39 8.83 14.14 8.00 4.00 2.40 12.25

Quantity TradedValue of Shares (N) 20,000 94,046.50 42,000 84,360.00 339,700 471,786.00 5,533,525 48,779,438.90 79,000 1,122,310.00 3,000 24,000.00 6,100,000 24,386,000.00 702,010 1,684,784.00 265,300 3,197,012.80 13,084,535 79,843,738.20

BREWERIES Company Name GUINNESS NIGERIA PLC NIGERIAN BREWERIES PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 6 18 24

Quotation(N) Quantity TradedValue of Shares (N) 235.00 17,614 3,991,661.60 94.06 264,601 25,000,670.78 282,215 28,992,332.38

BUILDING MATERIALS Company Name CEMENT CO. OF NORTHERN NIGERIA PLC DANGOTE CEMENT PLC LAFARGE WAPCO PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 3 3 1 7

Quotation(N) 5.00 116.51 43.65

Quantity TradedValue of Shares (N) 265,000 1,322,700.00 15,000 1,745,000.00 40,000 1,800,000.00 320,000 4,867,700.00

COMMERCIAL/SERVICES Company Name RED STAR EXPRESS PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 2 2

Quotation(N) Quantity TradedValue of Shares (N) 2.46 100,000 246,000.00 100,000 246,000.00

CONGLOMERATES Company Name PZ CUSSONS NIGERIA PLC TRANSNATIONAL CORPORATION OF NIGERIA PLC UNILEVER NIGERIA PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 1 1 1 3

Quotation(N) 28.00 0.61 29.00

Quantity TradedValue of Shares (N) 343,262 9,611,336.00 11,500 7,360.00 5,156 142,099.36 359,918 9,760,795.36

FOOD/BEVERAGES & TOBACCO Company Name 7-UP BOTTLING CO. PLC CADBURY NIGERIA PLC FLOUR MILLS NIGERIA PLC NATIONAL SALT COMPANY NIGERIA PLC NESTLE NIGERIA PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 2 3 5 2 28 40

Quotation(N) 46.00 11.80 62.00 4.21 423.38

Quantity TradedValue of Shares (N) 8,342 383,732.00 15,000 168,400.00 65,407 4,043,842.00 101,104 415,427.04 144,066 58,072,115.82 333,919 63,083,516.86

HEALTHCARE Company Name GLAXOSMITHKLINE CONSUMER NIG. PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 1 1

Quotation(N) Quantity TradedValue of Shares (N) 23.00 100,000 2,300,000.00 100,000 2,300,000.00

INFORMATION & COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY Company Name STARCOMMS PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 14 14

Quotation(N) Quantity TradedValue of Shares (N) 0.50 8,725,001 4,362,500.50 8,725,001 4,362,500.50

INSURANCE Company Name AIICO INSURANCE PLC. N.E.M. INSURANCE CO. (NIG.) PLC. Sector Totals

No of Deals 1 3 4

Quotation(N) Quantity TradedValue of Shares (N) 0.50 150,000 75,000.00 0.54 100,000 54,000.00 250,000 129,000.00

PETROLEUM(MARKETING) Company Name CONOIL PLC OANDO PLC TOTAL NIGERIA PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 2 3 1 6

Quotation(N) 31.50 21.00 188.10

Quantity TradedValue of Shares (N) 1,750 55,125.00 1,000 20,198.00 843 164,385.00 3,593 239,708.00

REAL ESTATE Company Name UACN PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT CO. PLC Sector Totals

No of Deals 1 1

Quotation(N) Quantity TradedValue of Shares (N) 12.60 100,000 1,260,000.00 1,260,000.00 100,000

THE FOREIGN LISTINGS Company Name ECOBANK TRANSNATIONAL INCORPORATED Sector Totals Overall Totals

No of Deals (N) 10 10

Quotation(N)

Quantity Traded Value of Shares

10.45

8,924,750 8,924,750

91,799,592.50 91,799,592.50

243

33,125,931

288,133,679.80

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HE fluctuation in key market indicators since last week Monday continued yesterday as a drop of 0.08 per cent was recorded on both market capitalisation and the All-Share-Index.

At the close of business, which still remained skeletal due to the subsidy removal crisis, market capitalisation reduced by N5 billion to close at N6.562 trillion while the Index shed 16.15 points to close at 20,824.82 points.

Also, despite the fact that the activities in the market were slim, yesterday recorded the largest turnout on the gainers and losers tables.

The market recorded nine gainers while the losers were eight in number. This leaves the total at 17 equities with price change.

More banking stocks were represented on the list of gainers, which was led by

By Tonia Osundolire

UAC-Properties with an increase of N0.60 to close at N12.60, a gain of five per cent maximum allowed on daily transaction.

This was followed by NASCON, UBA, CCNN, Skye Bank, First Bank, NAHCO, Zenith Bank and Glaxosmithkline.

On the losers’ table Livestock led with a drop of N0.04 to close at N0.81 followed by RedStar Express with a drop of N0.12 to close at N2.46. Others on the list were AIICO, PZ, NEM insurance, Flourmills, Nigerian Breweries and ETI. Just as mentioned above, although the market recorded mixed performances since the strike started with the key indicators appreciating and depreciating. On Monday, the market re-

corded eleven gainers and three losers, on Tuesday it recorded five gainers and eight losers.

On Wednesday it recorded four gainers and eight losers while on Thursday and Friday it was five gainers and six losers and a company gained while four companies lost.

In all, the market traded 33.126 million shares worth N288.134 million across 243 deals.

The banking stocks contributed 22.009 million shares worth N171.643 million in 138 deals. The financial sector, which includes the insurance recorded 22.259 million shares worth N171.772 million in 138 deals.

Also, ICT traded 8.725 million shares worth N4.363 million in 14 deals.

Nigeria’s financial markets lack depth, says IMF

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IGERIA’S money and capital markets still lack the depth to lift the economy out of the doldrums, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said.

Also in the league of markets with shallow profile, according to IMF, are most of the other sub-Saharan African countries, despite reports of reforms in the respective economies. The IMF reported that domestic money and capital markets in Nigeria and most sub-Saharan African countries remain underdeveloped and shallow, offering mostly short term instruments.

Accordingly, stock market capitalisation remains low, while private securities markets are largely underdeveloped. The IMF stated that the shallowness and lack of depth of hedging instruments in African financial markets likely accentuated short-term exchange rate movements.

Therefore, foreign exchange markets offers a limited array of forward hedging

instruments, reflecting in part the concentration of foreign exchange receipts in the hands of the public sector, through aid or commodity exports.

Nabil Ben Ltaifa, Stella Kaendera and Shiv Dixit of the African Department, IMF, in their submission “Impact of the Global Financial Crisis on Exchange Rates and Policies in sub-Saharan Africa’ observed that the currencies of many sub-Saharan African countries, such as those of many emerging and developing economies, offered large depreciations with the onset of the global financial crisis.

Although, while in most countries, above-trend inflation mitigated the real effect of nominal depreciation, Nigeria registered a significant (over five per cent) real depreciation in its currency in recent times. The trio observed that exchange rate volatility increased significantly compared to the posi-

tion before the global financial crisis.

Volatility was generally higher with respect to the United States dollar but broadly less vis-ˆ-vis the euro. The naira experienced significant increases in the volatility with respect to the three major currencies. In contrast, the Rwandan and Tanzanian currencies displayed similar or lesser volatility before the crisis with respect to the United dollar.

Talking about the factors that affected the value of exchange rates, the experts noted that the first factors were external, reflecting the transmission of the global crisis through the trade and financial channels as well as the volatility of the US, the main international reserve currency. “The impact was commensurate with the extent and nature of each country’s exposure to trade and global financial markets. At the same time, domestic policies played a role in shaping the nature and magnitude of the impact,” they said.

Global shares recover after downgrade fears

E

UROPEAN shares and the euro gradually recovered on Monday from early losses triggered by the mass downgrade of euro zone sovereign ratings last week, but they still looked vulnerable amid rising fears of a disorderly Greek debt default.

Markets had already reacted to the downgrades on Friday, and European assets steadied

by Monday afternoon, but activity was limited with US markets closed and the problems in the region’s debt markets continued to weigh on sentiment.

The European Central Bank more than tripled its bond purchases in the week to January 13 to calm market fears and halt the rise in yields, spending 3.77 billion euros compared with 1.1 billion the previous week, data showed on Monday.

However, the glimmer of hope which had emerged after solid bond auctions by Italy and Spain last week, and a view that the S&P move on ratings had been well telegraphed, helped steady market nerves though confidence could quickly ebb.

“If we were to see the start of a downward spiral, and any further loss of confidence in the euro zone started to materialize, that would have a broader negative impact for the euro and riskier currencies in general,” said Lee Hardman, currency economist at Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ. The euro was up 0.3 per cent against the dollar at $1.2673 in late European trade in thin trading but was still seen vulnerable to a test of Friday’s 17-month low of $1.2624.

The FTEU3 index of top European shares ended up about 0.8 per cent at 1,025.64 points in low volume while the main euro zone bank stock index reversed some heavy early losses on fears the sector could be the next target for rating cuts to end up 0.3 per cent.

Growing nervousness saw Europe’s commercial banks park almost half a trillion euros at the European Central Bank, the highest on record, as the mix of debt crisis worries and a recent giant injection of ECB cash left banks awash with money but too scared to lend it.

Market attention was likely to switch today to the state of

the euro zone’s economy with the latest ZEW survey on the health of the giant German economy due.

Germany’s economy contracted by about 0.25 per cent in the fourth quarter as growth slowed in the second half of last year, according to an estimate by the statistics office.

Berlin will cut its forecast for 2012 economic growth to just 0.75 per cent yet expects the jobless rate to decline further to 6.8 per cent on an annual basis a German newspaper, Ruhr Nachrichten, reported on yesterday.

Investors also await Chinese GDP data to gauge the outlook for growth in the world’s second-largest economy with forecasts calling for a fourth successive quarterly slowdown in growth to around 8.7 per cent from 9.1 per cent previously.

Debt markets are focused on Greece with senior officials from the government due in Washington for meetings with the International Monetary Fund to try to break a deadlock in debt swap talks that has prompted the fears of an unruly default.

THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2012

55

MONEY LINK

Economy needs expansion, say analysts

11 Nigerian banks among top African lenders

By Akinola Ajibade

D

ESPITE the reform that has led to acquisitions and na tionalisation of some banks in Nigeria, 11 lenders beat other African countries whose institutions made the Top 50 African banks as published by The Banker magazine this month.

The Nigerian banks are Zenith, First Bank, Guaranty Trust Bank, Access Bank, United Bank for Africa and Fidelity Bank.

Also included in the list are First City Monument Bank, Diamond Bank, Skye Bank, Stanbic IBTC Bank, and EcoBank Nigeria.

Others that made good outings in different streams of The Banker’s ranking for distribution at the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland include Sterling Bank, Wema Bank and Unity Bank as the Nigerian banking industry has the highest return on asset and capital asset ratio of 2.07 per cent and 16.59 per cent respectively

among the big top banking countries including North Africa countries and South Africa.

Nigeria according to a statement from the Country Representative - Nigeria of The Banker, Mr. Kunle Ogedengbe, was closely followed

by Egypt with 10 banks but the inclusion of Africa Export-Import Bank, a continental bank, as Egyptian bank adds to the number of Egypt.

Other top banks in Africa came from South Africa, which maintains leadership of the continent’s banking industry. Morocco, Libya and Nigeria made up the first 10 banks in Africa.

According to The Banker’s Africa Editor, Mr. Paul Wallace, banks from Nigeria, South Africa and North Africa still dominate the Top 20 with “only one lender, Togobased Ecobank came from outside of those places” in the Top 20.

Wallace noted that African banks

have made tremendous improvements recently . “African banks have grown rapidly in the past few years. Based on the 2010 results, 19 of them have Tier 1 Capital of more than $1 billion, a level that roughly marks the cut-off point for the world’s biggest 500 banks”.

He added that this is an impressive rise for Africa which, he noted had only 10 banks with $1 billion of Tier 1 capital or more at the end of 2007. “Moreover, 31 lenders on the continent now have capital strength of $500million or more, compared with just 13 in 2007.”

Going forward, Wallace observed that more Nigerian banks, which have finally shaken off their crisis of 2009, will rise to the top especially with the merger of Access Bank and Intercontinental Bank, which may make the new Access Bank become one of the Top 10 African Banks by asset. The scene is also looking good for Ecobank Nigeria with its merger with Oceanic Bank, he added.

N

IGERIA’S economy is in desperate need of growth and expansion to enable it achieve its leadership potentials in the African continent. Professor of Economics at the Lagos Business School (LBS), Pat Utomi, has said. He stated that Nigeria lost several billions of dollars to the strike embarked by the Organised Labour and Civil Society Groups over the removal of fuel subsidy.

Utomi, who spoke to Lagos Television (LTV) at the weekend said although oil sector accounts for about 17 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the cost of the strike to the economy would have been worse if the upstream oil production were shut as promised by the Petroleum, Natural Gas, Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), the major union in the upstream sector of the petroleum industry. He said that the airport was not fully shut down, and therefore limited the impact of the strike on the economy.

Also an Economist, Henry Boyo agreed with Utomi that what the country lost was in billions of dollars aside lives and property that were destroyed. “You cannot replace lives that were lost. Industrial closures cost the economy over $1 billion,” he said. Boyo explained that subsidy is expected to be a palliative for the government’s devaluation of the naira, and would not have been necessary if the naira was strong.

According to him, after the currency became weaker and weaker, and inflation became higher, government decided to compensate the people by selling fuel below the international market price.

He regretted that government is taking away the oil subsidy at a

Ezekwesili ends tenure in World Bank

A

•Senegalese Makhtar Diop to replace her

FTER a five-year tenure, the World Bank’s Vice-President for Africa , Mrs. Oby Ezekwesili, will leave office in May. A Senegalese, Makhtar Diop, who has been a Country Director for Brazil since 2009, is expected to succeed her.

According to a statement by the President of the World Bank, Bob Zoellick, obtained by The Nation last night, the outgoing Vice-President has been a relentless campaigner for transparency and against corruption.

The statement said: “Obiageli “Oby” Ezekwesili, Vice President for Africa, after five years of important and successful service to the Bank and to Africa, will return to Nigeria in early May. “Oby joined the Bank in 2007. Last

From Yusuf Alli, Managing Editor, Northern Operation

year, I asked her to extend another year, delaying her return home, to begin implementation of the new strategy, “Africa’s Future and World Bank support to It,” that she did so much to develop.

“Under Oby’s leadership, our Africa team employed innovation, knowledge, partnership and financial services to strengthen results across Africa and to improve the prospects for Africa ’s economic performance.

“Her close attention to the needs of our clients, engagement with African leadership and with regional institutions — such as the African Union, EAC and ECOWAS — as well as with the

UN and other partners, has helped us to leverage our effectiveness across Africa .

“Oby has done excellent work mobilizing private sector engagement and better connecting Africa ’s development to that of other regions, particularly through South-South partnerships.

“Oby has built a strong team across the range of the Bank’s work: infrastructure and human development; agricultural production and productivity; private sector development; economic reforms to overcome poverty; and governance and accountability.”

“Reflecting her experience and background, Oby has been a relentless campaigner for transparency and against corruption.

FGN BONDS

DATA BANK

Tenor

Amount N

Rate %

M/Date

3-Year 5-Year 5-Year

35m 35m 35m

11.039 12.23 13.19

19-05-2014 18-05-2016 19-05-2016

WHOLESALE DUTCH AUCTION SYSTEM Amount

NIDF NESF

Price Loss 2754.67 447.80

INTERBANK RATES OBB Rate Call Rate

7.9-10% 10-11%

PRIMARY MARKET AUCTION (T-BILLS) Tenor 91-Day 182-Day 1-Year

Amount 30m 46.7m 50m

Rate % 10.96 9.62 12.34

Date 28-04-2011 “ 14-04-2011

GAINERS AS AT 16-1-12 SYMBOL UAC-PROP NASCON UBA CCNN SKYEBANK FIRSTBANK NAHCO ZENITHBANK

O/PRICE 12.00 4.01 2.31 4.83 3.88 8.57 5.30 12.10

C/PRICE 12.60 4.21 2.40 5.00 4.00 8.83 5.40 12.25

CHANGE 0.60 0.20 0.09 0.17 0.12 0.26 0.10 0.15

GLAXOSMITH

22.90

23.00

0.10

LOSER AS AT 16 -1-12 O/PRICE

C/PRICE

CHANGE

LIVESTOCK

SYMBOL

0.85

0.81

0.04

REDSTAREX

2.58

2.46

0.12

AIICO

0.52

0.50

0.02

PZ

29.10

28.00

1.10

NEM

0.56

0.54

0.02

FLOURMILL

64.00

62.00

2.00

NB

96.10

94.06

2.04

ETI

10.50

10.45

0.05

Amount

Offered ($) Demanded ($)

MANAGED FUNDS Initial Current Quotation Price Market N8250.00 5495.33 N1000.00 N552.20

By Collins Nweze

time the naira is still struggling to regain its value among other world currencies. The Economist said that government now believes that it can manage the money from subsidy better than and people, thereby carrying out a gradual removal of the subsidy.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Sanusi Lamido Sanusi told Reuters the strikes were costing Nigeria economy around $600 million a day, based on a daily average of GDP for the year.

Despite these challenges, Nigeria is tipped to be Africa’s biggest economy by 2018, overtaking South Africa in the process, according to Head of Research Africa, Standard Chartered Bank, Razia Khan. In her words, “assuming normal GDP growth rates in line with post crisis trend, our simulation suggests Nigeria overtakes South Africa GDP size by 2018. Our own analysis suggests that Nigeria will overtake South Africa to become Africa’s largest economy.”

Forecasting Nigeria’s economic environment in the nearest future, she stressed that by 2015 the country will become the fourth most populous country globally, lamenting the continual decrease in the country’s foreign exchange reserves, despite the regulations put in place in the oil sector.

Khan said Nigeria has a lot going in its favour, adding that removal of fuel subsidies, banking sector reform, among others are reforms that can drive the supercycle growth.

Economists say keeping the subsidy in place would force Nigeria into huge external borrowing, but the people, many of whom live on less than $2 a day, see it as their most tangible welfare benefit.

Amount

Exchange

Sold ($)

Rate (N)

Date

450m

452.7m

450m

150.8

08-8-11

250m

313.5m

250m

150.8

03-8-11

400m

443m

400m

150.7

01-8-11

EXHANGE RATE 26-08-11 CAPITAL MARKET INDEX Currency

Year Start Offer

Current Before

C u r r e n t CUV Start After %

NGN USD

147.6000

149.7100

150.7100

-2.11

NGN GBP

239.4810

244.0123

245.6422

-2.57

NGN EUR

212.4997

207.9023

209.2910

-1.51

149.7450

154.0000

154.3000

-3.04

Bureau de Change 152.0000 (S/N)

153.0000

155.5000

-2.30

Parallel Market

154.0000

156.0000

-1.96

NSE CAP Index

NIGERIA INTER BANK (S/N)

27-10-11 N6.5236tr 20,607.37

28-10-11 N6.617tr 20,903.16

% Change -1.44% -1.44%

MEMORANDUM QUOTATIONS Name

(S/N)

153.0000

DISCOUNT WINDOW Feb. ’11

July ’11

Aug ’11

MPR

6.50%

6.50%

8.75%

Standing Lending Rate ,, Deposit Rate ,, Liquidity Ratio Cash Return Rate Inflation Rate

8.50% 4.50% 25.00% 1.00% 12.10%

8.50% 4.50% 25.00% 2.00% 12.10%

9.50% 5.50% 30.00% 2.00% 9.4%

Offer Price

Bid Price

9.17 1.00 118.85 98.43 0.76 1.04 0.88 1,642.73 8.24 1.39 1.87 7,351.90 193.00

9.08 1.00 118.69 97.65 0.73 1.04 0.87 1,635.25 7.84 1.33 1.80 7,149.37 191.08

ARM AGGRESSIVE KAKAWA GUARANTEED STANBIC IBTC GUARANTE AFRINVEST W.A. EQUITY FUND THE LOTUS CAPITAL HALAL BGL SAPPHIRE FUND BGL NUBIAN FUND NIGERIA INTERNATIONAL DEB. PARAMOUNT EQUITY FUND CONTINENTAL UNIT TRUST CENTRE-POINT UNIT TRUST STANBIC IBTC NIG EQUITY THE DISCOVERY FUND • ARM AGGRESSIVE • KAKAWA GUARANTEED • STANBIC IBTC GUARANTE • AFRINVEST W.A. EQUITY FUND

NIBOR Tenor 7 Days 30 Days 60 Days 150 Days

Rate (Previous) 24 Aug, 2011 9.0417 9.6667 11.2917 12.1250

Rate (Currency) 26, Aug, 2011 10.17% 11.46% 11.96% 12.54%

Movement

OPEN BUY BACK Previous

Current

04 July, 2011

07, Aug, 2011

Bank

8.5000

8.5000

P/Court

8.0833

8.0833

Movement

56

THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2012

THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2012

57

58

THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2012

NEWS Mark inspects burnt CNA’s office

S

ENATE President David Mark yesterday visited the office of the Clerk to the National Assembly (CNA), Alhaji Salisu Maikasuwa, following the fire that razed the office on Saturday.

He urged the management and workers of the National Assembly to take precautionary measures to avert future recurrence.

In a statement in Abuja by his media aide Paul Mumeh, the Senate Presi-

Labour calls off strike

From Onyedi Ojiabor, Assistant Editor and Sanni Onogu, Abuja

dent advised workers to always switch off electrical appliances in their offices at the close of work every day.

Mark, who was accompanied by the Presidential Adviser to the National Assembly, Senator Joy Emordi, was conducted round the burnt office by Maikasuwa.

The fire was said to have occurred at the White House complex of the National Assembly office of the CNA.

Civil society groups reject N97 per litre •Dare govt on street protest

By Dupe Olaoye-Osinkolu

C

IVIL society groups, under the umbrella of Joint Action Front (JAF), yesterday held a peaceful procession in Lagos to reject the N97 petrol price President Goodluck Jonathan announced yesterday.

The procession, led by human rights lawyer Bamidele Aturu and JAF Secretary Abiodun Aremu, took off from Yaba and headed to Ojota.

It had members of the Nigerian Bar Association, market men and women and artisans.

The procession was disrupted by soldiers who asked them to disperse or be shot. They struggled with the leaders of the procession and attempted to seize a video camera belonging to DAAR Communication, owners of African Independent Television (AIT).

Labour called off the strike yesterday afternoon though its civil society allies still insisted the Federal Government should revert to N65 per litre.

•’New fuel price unilateral govt decision’

A

FTER six days of protests and mass rallies over the hike in the price of petrol, the Labour movement yesterday suspended its nationwide strike.

Labour leaders, under the aegis of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) enumerated the gains of the protests.

It noted that the new N97 per litre price of petrol was a unilateral decision of the Federal Government.

The Petroleum Product Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) had, on January 1, announced the withdrawal of petrol subsidy, which jacked up petrol price to between N138 to N200. The price hike caused increases in the prices of goods and services.

The Labour movement, on January 9, began the nationwide strike, rallies and protests following Federal Gov-

By Dupe OlaoyeOsinkolu and John Ofikhenua, Abuja

ernment’s refusal to revert the price to N65.

Announcing the suspension of the industrial action, rallies and street protest at the Labour House in Abuja yesterday, NLC President Comrade Abdulwahed Omar noted that the government “that chorused continuously that its decision to increase PMS (petrol) price to N141 is irreversible and irreducible, was forced to announce a price reduction to N97”.

In a statement titled: Suspension of strikes and mass protests against hike in fuel prices, Labour said: “With the experiences of the past eight days, we are sure that no government or institution will take Nigerians for granted again.”

The statement reads: “In the past eight days through strikes, mass rallies, shut-

down, debates and street protests, Nigerians demonstrated clearly that they cannot be taken for granted and that sovereignty belongs to them.

“In the last 24 hours, the Labour movement and its allies who had the historic responsibility of coordinating these mass actions have had cause to review the various actions and decided that in order to save lives and in the interest of national survival, these mass actions be suspended.

“We note the major successes Nigerians scored in these past days in which they rose courageously as a people to take their destiny in their hands.

“First, the Federal Government that chorused continuously that its decision to increase petrol (PMS) price to N141 is irreversible and irreducible, was forced to an-

nounce a price reduction to N97. We, however, state categorically that this new price was a unilateral one by the Federal Government.

“Secondly, the government has been made to adopt the policy to drastically reduce the cost of governance.

“A third major success Nigerians recorded is to get the Federal Government to decisively move against the massive and crippling corruption in the oil sector. While until now the government has seemed helpless to tackle corruption, the mass action of the people has compelled it to address accountability issues in the sector.

“In this wise, President Goodluck Jonathan has told the nation that the forensic audit report on the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) will be studied and proven acts of corruption will be sanctioned.

Yuguda advocates jail term for corrupt Nigerians in oil sector

B

AUCHI State Governor Isah Yuguda yesterday advocated jail terms for corrupt Nigerians in the oil sector.

The governor spoke in Abuja when he visited the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Senator Bala Mohammed.

He said there is need for urgent reform in the oil sector, adding: “With the searchlight now being beamed on the oil sector, those who brought the nation to this situation should be prepared to go to jail.”

Mohammed urged political appointees at the federal level to partner governors for effective sensitisation of Nigerians on fuel subsidy removal.

The minister noted that governors played patriotic

From Bukola Amusan, Abuja

roles during the nationwide strike over the deregulation of the downstream sector by the Federal Government.

He hailed “the uncommon contribution” to national development as well as the sacrifice the governors made in the Governors’ Forum. He prayed that this type of synergy would continue in the overall interest of the nation.

Describing Yuguda’s visit as timely, the minister reiterated that the policy of the downstream deregulation is in the overall interest of the masses.

Yuguda urged the Labour movement to understand the predicament of the government, saying the nation cannot be run without funds.

IG condoles with Gombe over killings From Vincent Ekhoragbon, Gombe

I

INSPECTOR-General of Police Hafiz Ringim has condoled with the Gombe State Government, the emir, the police command and the residents on the recent killings and destruction of property in the state.

Through the Deputy Inspector-General (DIG) of Police (Operations), Alhaji Abubakar Audu, the police chief said all DIGs should go back to their political sub-regions to ascertain the security situations and report back.

He praised the police in the Northeast zone for keeping the situation under control, despite security challenges in the area.

He said the police had always forewarned men and officers of the Force to exercise caution in handling demonstrations to avoid a breakdown of law and order.

•President, Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Abdulwaheed Omar (middle); President, Trade Union Congress (TUC), Peter Esele (right) and NLC’s Acting Secretary Owei Lakemfa addressing reporters in Abuja to end the strike over the fuel subsidy removal...yesterday PHOTO: ABAYOMI FAYESE

Jonathan blames Nigeria’s woes on politicians

P

R E S I D E N T Goodluck Jonathan has blamed the

problems militating against the nation on Nigerian politicians.

He urged Nigerians, especially the elite, to desist from acts that are capable of distracting the government and compounding the current security challenges in the country.

The President spoke at the

From Vincent Ikuomola, Abuja

2011 President’s NYSC Honours Award held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, to vent his anger over the issue.

It was Jonathan’s second time in the last 24 hours to express his view on the strike that followed the removal of fuel subsidy. He had addressed the nation when he announced a reduction of the price from N141

to N97 per litre for petrol.

Jonathan said the Federal Government could not continue to borrow money to subsidise fuel for people who have 10 or 15 cars. According to him, many of the evils confronting the nation were created by politicians.

He said: “From inception, our administration has demonstrated absolute commitment to the promotion of democratic ideals

NBA to Jonathan: apologise to Nigerians, LASCO

T

HE coalition of Labour, Students and Civil Society Organisations (LACSO) in Kwara State has advocated adequate compensation for

From Adekunle Jimoh, Ilorin

the families of those killed during the protests against fuel subsidy withdrawal across the country.

The group urged President Goodluck Jonathan to apologise to Nigerians over their harrowing experience during the period of the strike.

PDP hails Jonathan, NLC, TUC for resolving fuel subsidy crisis HE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday congratulated the Federal Government, the Organised Labour and Nigerians on the successful resolution of the impasse that followed the deregulation of the downstream sector of the petroleum industry.

After six days of protests nationwide, the Federal

T

From Augustine Ehikioya, Abuja

Government and Organised Labour early yesterday reached a compromise which resulted in the suspension of the strike.

But Labour has said the new pump price of petrol was a unilateral decision of the government.

In a statement by the PDP National Publicity Secretary,

and unwavering respect for the rule of law.

“By the same token, we expect that all stakeholders would continue to operate within the ambit of the law at all times. Rights and privileges come with responsibilities.

“I wish to reiterate my commitment to working unrelentingly for the enduring welfare and wellbeing of Nigerians at all times.”

Prof. Rufai Ahmed Alkali, the party said the resolution of the crisis showed government’s positive disposition to the yearnings of the people.

The statement reads: “The wise decision by Labour to call off its strike, following the gesture of goodwill by President Goodluck Jonathan, shows the importance of dialogue which we have always campaigned for.

The successful end to the reign of discomfort brought upon our people signals government’s positive disposition to the yearnings of the people.

“We urge Nigerians, especially those who remain sceptical of government’s intentions, to take advantage of this new window and contribute their quota to national development and de-

sist from misinforming one another.

“We wish to once more reiterate that no society can achieve progress in an atmosphere of blackmail, intimidation, falsehood and undue politicisation of issues. We wish to appeal to our citizens to beware of some elements whose interests go beyond the agitation for the reduction of the price of petroleum products.”

The state’s Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Umar Akanbi, spoke yesterday in Ilorin, the state capital, when he reacted to the suspension of the six-day strike.

He noted that many Nigerians suffered untold hardship during the strike.

The Labour leader, who hailed Labour in the state for its steadfastness and doggedness, said the struggle to transform Nigeria has just begun.

He appealed to workers in the state to resume work today, saying Nigerians should buy fuel at N97, as agreed by the NLC leaders with the Federal Government.

THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2012

59

NEWS

Gunmen kill five in Borno, Yobe

G

UNMEN have killed five people in their homes in two northern cities, security forces said yesterday.

The killings were the latest in a string of deadly attacks by suspected members of the Boko Haram Islamist sect.

“Two people were shot dead today (Monday) by Boko Haram in Maiduguri,” the operations officer for the remote northeastern city, Victor Ebheleme, told Reuters.

“The area in which the attack took place has been cordoned off and the killers

have been trailed. But no arrests have been made yet.”

Three Chadians were also killed in Damaturu, the Yobe State capital, Police Commissioner Lawal Tanko said.

Boko Haram wants Sharia law applied across Nigeria, which is split between Christians and Muslims. The group’s low level insurgency has intensified in the past year, becoming a major security headache for President Goodluck Jonathan.

The President declared a state of emergency in several local government areas in some northern states on

December 31 and closed Nigeria’s borders with Niger, Cameroon and Chad, after a spate of Christmas Day attacks on churches and other targets.

Gunmen shot dead two Chadians on Sunday, as well, authorities said.

Maiduguri is Boko Haram’s heartland and Damaturu is increasingly a focal point for its militant activity.

Damaturu was the scene of fierce gun battle between the military and Boko Haram on December 24, when more than 50 people were killed, mostly sect members.

Normalcy returns to Kaduna after six-day strike N

•Alhaji Marafa (left) and his son, Musa, being paraded by the Army...yesterday PHOTO:TONY AKOWE

Army parades suspected gunrunner, son

T

HE Nigerian Army yesterday paraded two suspects, Alhaji Nuhu Mohammed Marafa and his son, Musa Mohammed, for alleged gunrunning. They were arrested on Saturday.

The Army declared Marafa’s second son, Yusuf, wanted.

Spokesman for the 1 Mechanised Division of the Nigerian Army, Lt.-Col. Abubakar Edun, told reporters that Yusuf shot at soldiers who wanted to arrest his father and jumped the fence of the compound with the rifle he fired.

Marafa is a former Chairman of the Petroleum Tankers Drivers in the state. He is being detained by the soldiers in Kaduna as investigation continues.

•Declares another son wanted From Tony Akowe, Kaduna

Edun said when the investigations are concluded, the suspects would be handed over to appropriate authorities for prosecution.

He said: “The activities for which Alhaji Marafa attracted the attention of the Nigerian Army border on national security. Specifically, it has to do with gunrunning and suspected association and support for a terrorist group. After intensive surveillance, the troops of 1 Division, Nigerian Army, on the night of January 13 through 14, conducted a search on the compound of Alhaji Marafa at Trikania area, opposite IBBI in Kaduna.

“Before troops could gain entrance into the house, there was a gun shot fired from the compound at the soldiers. It was later revealed that the shot was allegedly fired by Yusuf, the son of Alhaji Marafa.

“Yusuf escaped with the weapon by scaling the fence of the compound. The soldiers did not shoot him as he ran to prevent their other colleagues from being caught in a cross-fire.

“When the troops finally gained entrance into compound, the following items were recovered: Nine 9mm ammunition; five 6mm ammunition; 7.62mm (special) ammunition; 11 7.62mm (NATO) ammunition; and 17 barrel gun cartridges”

Kano NLC stages street protest

O

RGANISED Labour and civil society organisations in Kano State yesterday staged a protest rally, despite the directive by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) President Abdulwaheed Omar that the strike over the hike in the pump price of petrol by the Federal Government had been suspended.

Prior to the suspension of the strike yesterday, the NLC President had directed all workers to observe the

From Kolade Adeyemi, Kano

industrial action at home and avoid street protests and rallies.

Thousands of protesters gathered at Zaria Road, Naibawa, in the Kano metropolis, where they made bonfires and mounted road blocks.

Some miscreants were still on the streets, obstructing vehicular and human movement.

Police Commissioner

Ibrahim Idris had told The Nation in a telephone chat that he was shocked by the attitude of the youths.

He said the state NLC Chairman Alhaji Isa Yunusa Danguguwa would be invited on the matter.

The police chief immediately drafted a team of policemen to the scene to restore order.

As at the time of filling this report, Kano metropolis was calm though business activities were still at a low ebb.

CAN, Kano Muslims tour churches

T

HE Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and a Muslim group, Concerned Citizens of Kano (CCK), have toured churches in Kano to sensitise the residents on the need to shun ethno-religious violence and ensure peaceful co-existence among adherents of both religions.

The groups, led by the Chairman of Kano State CAN, Bishop Ramsom Bello, and the Coordinator of CCK, Bashir Is’haq Bashir, under the auspices of Kano Covenant, emphasised the need for Christians and Muslims to live together in peace.

From Kolade Adeyemi, Kano

They described both religions having the doctrines that abhor violence.

Addressing the congregations in various churches visited in state during service, Bashir noted that though different in practice, Christianity and Islam have a semblance, which ultimately at drawing people nearer together as they love and cherish one another.

He said: “We are here to deliver a message of hope, a message of peace, a message of solidarity.”

ORMALCY has returned to the Kaduna metropolis as residents yesterday came out in large numbers to do business after six days of staying at home in compliance with the directive of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) over the removal of petrol subsidy by the Federal Government.

Some hours before the suspension of the strike and protests by the NLC, shops and business premises had been opened. But markets remained shut as traders conducted their businesses on major roads in the metropolis.

Three civil society organisations, led by former Governor Balarabe Musa, vowed to continue the protest. They held a protest rally at the Lugard Hall Roundabout in the Kaduna metropolis.

From Tony Akowe, Kaduna

When The Nation went round the city yesterday, banks and government offices were still shut. A few commercial vehicles were on the road while security agencies patrolled the major roads.

A former National Publicity Secretary of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Festus Okoye, described the action as courageous and bold.

He noted that the Organised Labour and civil society groups displayed patriotic and nationalistic zeal, saying these were in tune with the dynamics of the Nigerian situation.

Okoye said: “The decision of the Nigerian Labour

Movement and its civil society allies to suspend the strike action, rallies and demonstrations, called in response to the removal of fuel subsidy by the Federal Government, is a courageous and bold decision.

“It shows that the Nigerian Labour Movement and its civil society allies are patriotic, nationalistic and in tune with the dynamics of the Nigerian situation and the Nigerian condition. The Labour Movement and civil society groups remain focused on the core issues of corruption and deficit in governance. They conducted their rallies and demonstrations with a high level of civility and decorum and in accordance with national and international standards...”

THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2012

60

NEWS NEW YEAR MESSAGES

SUSPENSION OF STRIKE

Obi praises Jonathan, Labour on resolution of crisis A NAMBRA State Governor Peter Obi yesterday praised President Goodluck Jonathan for his commitment to the Nigerian project and his statesman’s approach to the deregulation of the downstream sector of the petroleum industry.

In a broadcast to the state on the suspension of the strike that greeted the removal of petrol subsidy removal, the governor said: “Earlier today (yesterday), our dear President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, addressed the nation on the issue of deregulation of the downstream sector of the petroleum industry. By so doing, he has displayed uncommon qualities of statesmanship and leadership by carrying the people along through taking immediate measures to ameliorate the initial pains of the exercise.

“In spite of the fact that the

President and governors are agreed on, and are still committed to the need for complete deregulation of the downstream sector of the petroleum industry for the good and progress of the country, the President has graciously reduced the pump price of PMS (Premium Motor Spirit) from N138 to N97 per litre, as well as his palliative measures in the transport sector. These indeed are among his immediate commendable responses to the challenges of the exercise.

“May I at this juncture commend Mr. President for displaying manifest qualities of statesmanship. I also commend the Organised Labour for reciprocating the gesture and urge them to always

work for the interest of the country. As for failed politicians, who turned themselves into overnight “comrades” in order to derail the progress of the country, I call on you to have a rethink and resolve to work together with a President who means well for the overall interest of the country.

“In appreciation of Mr. President’s show of love and compassion for the people, I call on the good people of Anambra State and indeed all men of goodwill across the country to continue to identify with our President’s good intentions for the country. This support is critical as Mr. President renews the war against corruption and expresses determination to reduce the cost of governance as well as initiate pro-

grammes that will turn around the economy of the country.

“Let us recall that Ndi Anambra and the entire South Easterners overwhelmingly voted for him at the last presidential election. We are therefore faced with the more critical task of supporting him the more by ensuring that the mandate given him remains inviolate.

Finally, may I take this opportunity to thank all of you in Anambra State for the civilized manner you have conducted yourselves during the past few days. I call for your continued understanding and support for our dear President in his determination to take the country to economic freedom.”

Kano NLC vows to continue protest on fuel subsidy removal

T

HE Kano State chapter of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) at a media briefing yesterday evening insisted that it would not suspend its strike as directed by the Abdulwahab Omar-led National Executive until the Federal Government reverts to the N65 per litre price.

Its Chairman Yunusa Danguguwa urged Kano workers not to return to work until the Federal Government heeds its demand to return the old pump price.

According to him, the national strike was not a creation of the NLC alone. He noted that if any decision should be taken, students, lecturers and the masses

From Kolade Adeyemi, Kano

ought to have been consulted. He added that this did not happen in the petrol subsidy removal protest.

Danguguwa insisted that an earlier agreement by the Organised Labour and civil society groups was “that before any negotiation should be opened, the Federal Government must revert the fuel pump price to N65”.

According to him, since the pump price remains above N65 per litre, “the struggle continues”.

Danguguwa said the Kano NLC was

ready to “remove the NLC T-shirt and fez cap and continue the struggle with the Kano masses until victory is achieved.

He said: “It is N65 per litre of fuel or nothing. This night, the tactical committee of the NLC and other concerned stakeholders would map out strategies on how and where to commence the protest tomorrow until the Federal Government brings down the fuel pump price to N65 per litre.

“The struggle is beyond personal interest, this is not what the people that were killed or injures bargained for.”

How Boko Haram suspect got to Borno Governor’s Lodge, by government •Denies harbouring Madalla bomb suspect

B

ORNO State Government last night admitted that a Boko Haram member behind the Christmas Day bombing at the St. Theresa’s Catholic Church, Madalla gained access to its Governor’s Lodge in Abuja through a student and an Air Force Officer.

The state denied that it harboured the said Boko Haram member, Kabiru Sokoto, who was arrested in company of the Air Force officer.

In a statement by the Secretary to the State Government, Ambassador Baba Ahmed Jidda, said what happened at its Lodge was a security breach The statement said: “The Government of Borno State would like to set the record straight with respect to the arrest last Friday, January 13, of a suspected member of the Jama’atu ahlus Sunnah Lid da’awati wal Jihad by security agents at the Borno State Governor’s Lodge in Abuja. “The arrested suspect was wanted by the police for alleged complicity in the Christmas Day bombing of a church at Madallah, Niger State, in which many lives were lost.

“In the wake of the arrest, there were insinuations in some quarters that the Borno State Government was harbouring a suspected sect member at its lodge.

“There is the added allegation that the state government could be in cahoots with the sect, which has claimed responsibility for terrorist outrages in many parts of the country, most of them in Borno State .

“The Borno State Government hereby vehemently dis-

From Yusuf Alli, Abuja

misses these allegations and insinuations. They are untrue, misleading, callous and are an attempt by some detractors to turn the truth on its head and to try to score political points with a very serious matter of individual and state security.”

The government explained how the Boko Haram suspect got to its Governor’s Lodge in Abuja.

It added: “When we first heard about this incident, Governor Kashim Shettima immediately ordered an investigation and this is what we found. On the evening of Thursday, January 5, one Ibrahim Umar Abba, an indigene of Borno State and a post-graduate student at the University of Birmingham in the UK, called the Permanent Secretary of the Borno State Liaison Office in Abuja .

“He said he was scheduled to catch a British Airways flight back to the UK the following day and would like to spend the night at the Governor’s Lodge in Abuja. The permanent secretary, who at the time was in Maiduguri , granted Ibrahim Abba Umar permission to spend the night at the lodge.

“When Ibrahim Umar Abba turned up at the lodge, he came with two other persons, one of them an Air force officer, the other a civilian. Neither of them is known to His Excellency the Governor, or to any other official of the Borno State Government.

“It turned out that the security agencies were on the trail of one of the three men, later

identified as Kabiru Sokoto.

The security agents arrived at the lodge and arrested the three “guests” as well as all the staff of the Governor’s Lodge.

“I will like to state emphatically that neither Governor Kashim Shettima nor any other top official of the Borno State Government ever knew the said Kabiru Sokoto or the other two men.

“In fact, their surreptitious gaining of entry into the lodge where His Excellency often stays during his visits to Abuja is a very serious breach of security which has caused acute embarrassment to the State Government.”

The state government said it could not have harboured a member of the sect that had killed some stalwarts of the ruling All Nigeria Peoples Party(ANPP) in the state in the last one year.

It said: “I will also like to remind the public that in the last one year alone, many leaders of the Borno State ANPP have been assassinated by suspected members of the Jama’atu ahlus Sunnah Lid’dawa’ti wal Jihad. They include the late Awagana Ali Ngala, then North East Vice Chairman of ANPP; Alhaji Modu Fannami Gubio, ANPP gubernatorial candidate Borno State; Honourable Mustafa Baale, Chairman of Jere Local Government; Fannami Ngranam, ANPP Chairman for Jere Local Government; Goni Modu Sheriff, Chairman of Ngala Local Government and many others.

“How therefore can the Borno State ANPP chapter and the

•Shettima

state government that it controls possibly be in cahoots with or knowingly shelter a suspected member of the sect thought to be behind the cold blooded murder of so many of our leaders?

“The truth of the matter is that the incident was a major security breach by men who have the sinister intention to cause harm to Governor Kashim Shettima, but for the providence of God. They have been plotting this for a long time and they succeeded in penetrating the Governor’s Lodge and spending a night there due to the sloppy breach of procedure by an innocent government official.

“I therefore wish to urge the public to ignore the malicious, wicked and illogical insinuations being made by some people that the Borno State Government knowingly harboured suspected members of a sect. It is a wicked attempt to turn truth on its head.”

Winners and losers

W

ITH a Presidential broadcast and a press conference by labour leaders, the bell rang yesterday for the suspension of the nationwide strike called by organised Labour and civil society organisations over the New Year’s Day’s withdrawal of the subsidy on petrol.

But the dust raised by the protests triggered by the policy will take a longer time to settle. The first round of Nigerians’ opposition to the deregulation policy had crippling effects on the nation’s economy.

Already, the dramatis personae – the Federal Government on one divide of the ring and the Nigerian people on the other side are back in their closest and doing a preview of impasse that forced President Goodluck Jonathan to address Fellow Countrymen twice within eight days.

Though the last has not been heard on the deregulation of the downstream sector of the oil industry, but those who threw their hats into the ring either came out of the bout either bruised, or unscratched.

Ironically, majority of those who had their noses bloodied fought on the side of the powers that be. They include: Mr. President The fact that he made two national broadcast within a week that the strike lasted was a testimony that President Goodluck Jonathan was under intense pressure. From his hard stance that the subsidy on petrol was gone for good, raising the official pump price to N141 per litre, he finally settled for N97, though reluctantly. His earlier proposal of N120 had been rejected by Nigerians, whose position was articulated by the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC). Besides, he personally engaged the unionists, who proved hard nuts for the President’s team of negotiators to crack.

Federal Executive Council Members of the Council have been singing discordant tunes to exonerate themselves from the authorship of the January 1 statement by the Petroleum Products Pricing and Regulatory Agency (PPPRA), which announced the withdrawal. At one breadth, they defended the policy and at another, those accused of being behind the announcement distanced themselves from such.

Governors Finance Minister Dr Okonjo Ngozi-Iweala continued to say that the withdrawal of the subsidy was the brainchild of the 36 state governors, who allegedly felt the removal would translate to more cash to develop their states. Since the protests began January 9, none of them had slept with their two eyes closed. Besides hosting protesters, who submitted their letters through the governors en route the President, many governors were hurriedly invited to Abuja. So far, none of them has disputed the claim that they approved the controversial policy.

Anthony Anenih Reputed in political parlance as Mr Fix It, the die-hard politician was said to have been part of the delegation, whose mission at the weekend was to prevail on Speaker Aminu Tambuwal to reverse that resolution of the lower chamber of the National Assembly on

By Bunmi Ogunmodede

ANALYSIS the vexed issue of petrol subsidy withdrawal. The House of Representatives had on January 8 passed a resolution that the Federal Government maintained a status quo to avert a national crisis. The mission was unaccomplished.

Dr Okonjo Ngozi-Iweala.

The Co-ordinating Minister and Head of President Jonathan’s Economic Team, the former Word Bank Managing Director was alleged to have ordered the Petroleum Pricing and Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) to announce the withdrawal of the subsidy. One of her aides the financial expert was away in the United States when the controversial announcement was made. The unexpected New Year’s Day’s gift portrayed the Finance Minister not as a woman of her word, having promised Nigerians that the subsidy would not be removed earlier than March.

Diezani Alison-Madueke With a record as first Nigerian woman in charge of the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Alison-Madueke has shown passion more than any of her colleagues in the cabinet on the need to do away with subsidy on petroleum products. Her widely publicised memo to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to probe the payment of subsidy was viewed as an after-thought.

Those who came out unscatted from the first round of the battle are The Nigerian People For the first time ever, Nigerians took their destiny into their own hands. From the length and breadth of the country, they rose against a policy that they felt would further erode their dignity. Unlike during previous protests, the heeded the call of organised labour and civil society groups. With little mobilisation, they rallied behind the labour leadership and demanded the reversal of the withdrawal of the subsidy on petrol. They were not repelled from the streets without giving a good account of themselves that no bitter pill could be forced down their throat without consent.

David Mark and Aminu Tambuwal While the Senate President brought the Federal Government and organised Labour back on the negotiating table, the Speaker of the House of Representatives set the record of convening an extra-ordinary session of the House on a Sunday to stave off a national emergency. Mark played the role of a mediator to broker a truce.

Organised Labour Though the NLC and the TUC could not achieve the N65 per litre of petrol, the fact that the leadership of the unions did not announce the withdrawal during their meeting with Mr President on Monday night was a great achievement.

A weak leadership could have dared the consequences and throw in the towel without reporting back to their constituency. They also demonstrated great courage by waiting for the presidential broadcast before announcing the suspension of the national strike in the national interest.

THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2012

61

FOREIGN NEWS

Egypt’s parties pick Islamist as parliament speaker

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OP parties in Egypt’s incoming parliament have agreed to select an Islamist politician as house speaker for the first time in decades, party leaders said yesterday.

The Muslim Brotherhood, the big winner in the first election since the ousting of President Hosni Mubarak last February, said it joined several other parties in backing Saad el-Katatni, the secretarygeneral of the Brotherhood’s own party.

The main function of the new parliament is to pick a 100-person commission to draw up a new constitution for Egypt, while preparations take place for presidential elections scheduled for June.

The selection of el-Katatni showed the power of the Islamists to influence that process.

The Muslim Brotherhoodled alliance won more than 45 percent of the 498 parliament seats. A more radical

•Saad al-Katatni, Secretary-General of the Muslim Brotherhood’s freedom and Justice Party (left) at a news conference in Cairo...yesterday

Islamist movement won another 25 percent. The two are not seen likely to join forces on many issues because of their religious differences.

Yesterday, Brotherhood leaders met with heads of other parties to try to reach wide agreement over the choice of a speaker.

Chad stops ex-UN Sudan chief from visiting

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N outspoken former United Nations humanitarian coordinator for Sudan has been blocked from visiting refugee camps in Chad and expelled from the country.

An estimated 300,000 people have been killed and over 2 million displaced since conflict broke out in Sudan’s western Darfur region in 2003.

While heading the UN office in Sudan in 2004, Muke-

sh Kapila famously compared the atrocities being committed in Darfur to the Rwandan genocide.

After last week arriving in the Chadian capital, N’Djamena, Kapila’s permission to visit some of the 200,000 Darfuri refugees in the eastern desert was suddenly withdrawn.

“This was initially blamed on glitches in the paperwork,” Kapila said in a statement by the Aegis Trust, a

British non-governmental organisation with which he was travelling and that campaigns to prevent genocide.

“It soon became clear, after I was summoned for a personal interview with the Interior Minister, that the real causes involved a great deal of political concern and possibly some kind of pressure from the Sudanese Government,” Kapila said.

NEWS WAEC wants its name struck out from petition against Suswam

T

HE West African Examinations Council (WAEC) yesterday urged the Benue State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal to strike out its name out of the petition against Governor Gabriel Suswam.

WAEC is joined in the governorship petition filed by the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) candidate, Prof Daniel Saror, challenging the election of Suswam in last April poll.

At yesterday’s sitting in Makurdi, the state capital, counsel to WAEC, Godwin Enebeli, argued in his motion that the continued joining of the examinations body in the petition is a golddigging exercise because it never presented any forged document.

From Uja Emmanuel, Makurdi

“My lord, my client (WAEC) doesn’t issue forged certificates and has not issued one to the respondents (Suswam). It is the petitioner

that has made an allegation, and the onus to prove squarely lies on him. So, my client has no business being joined in the petition. I urge the tribunal to strike out its name from the petition,” Enebeli said.

CAN seeks better govt attention for Boko Haram

C

HRISTIAN leaders have called on the Federal Government to adopt a better approach to the Boko Haram menace.

In a statement yesterday by CAN President Northern Zone Archbishop P.Y Jatauu, presiding Bishop of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM) Bishop Mike Okonkwo , Senior Pastor of the Guiding Light Assembly Pastor Wale Adefarasin and three others, CAN said Boko Haram’s activities must be given priority the way the Federal Government responded to the subsidy removal issue.

They said: “The war being whipped against the unity of Nigeria by the sectarian violence of Boko Haram is in our view, the real and present danger to the corporate existence of Nigeria.”

Fed Govt not sincere with N97 per litre of petrol, says CPC

T

HE Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) yesterday urged Nigerians to be watchful over government’s reduction of the pump price of petrol from N141 to N97.

Insincerity of government, according to a statement by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Rotimi Fashakin was not over as steps would soon be taken to ensure another increase in the fuel price.

The CPC said it observed the usual hollow ritual associated with Federal Govern-

From Gbenga Omokhunu, Abuja

ment under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) handling of negotiation with Organised Labour adding: “What has just taken place follows the same pattern with the eight times that Nigerians were made to absorb invidious pump price increases, between 1999 and 2007! It is, therefore, a matter of time before another pump price increase is unleashed on the hapless Nigerian people.

“The apparent lack of insti-

tutional framework for the Federal Government’s Subsidy Re-investment and Empowerment programme (SURE) shows it is not on sure ground. There is apparent opacity on the expected funds to be managed vis-à-vis the structured infrastructural development projects to be implemented by the new establishment. Undoubtedly, this is a knee-jerk response to the people’s aversion to the callous disruption of their economic life by the pump price increase.”

62

THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2012

SPORT Extra

A

T 70, Muhammad Ali is “still the greatest” to friends and admirers worldwide. The boxing champ basked in chants of “Ali! Ali!” as hundreds of supporters cheered him on Saturday night with a hearty rendering of “Happy Birthday” during his 70th birthday celebration in his Kentucky hometown.

Never mind that Ali actually turns 70 years old on Tuesday: the private party in his hometown is the first of five planned in the next few months.

As party-goers mingled in a lobby of the Muhammad Ali Center before the festivities, Ali walked slowly to a second-floor balcony overlooking them.

The crowd immediately began to clap, then broke into effusive chants and singing. The three-time world heavyweight champion, who is battling Parkinson’s disease, leaned against a rail and raised his right hand to wave to the crowd. Then he joined his party out of view of the public and the press.

Former heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis said his boyhood idol is “still the greatest.”

“I feel so proud and honored that we’re able to show our feelings and show our support for him,” Lewis said.

The guest list numbered 350 for the private party, which doubled as a $1,000-per-person fundraiser for the Ali Center, a six-year-old cultural and education complex designed to be a legacy to his social activism. The sixstory center also retraces Ali’s career, including his epic bouts against Joe Frazier, George Foreman and Sonny Liston.

The guest list included Ali’s trainer Angelo Dundee and three American hikers who were imprisoned in Iran.

Ali, perhaps the most prominent U.S. Muslim, lobbied for their release.

Rocker John Mellencamp headlined the entertainment.

Dundee, who traveled from Clearwater, Florida, for the celebration, said he hears from Ali about once a month.

“We’re like family,” Dundee told The Courier-Journal of Louisville. “We’ve always been family and we’re always going to be family. He’ll say, `Angie, I

•Muhammed Ali •Muhammed Ali •Muhammed Ali •Muhammed Ali’s daughter Laila

ALI IS ‘STILL THE GREATEST’

want to come and train. That’s what I miss the most. Being in the gym. Working up a sweat.”’

Guests paid tribute to Ali before filling a banquet hall for a party closed to the public.

“The reason I loved him is because of his confidence,” University of Kentucky men’s basketball coach John Calipari said. “He would talk and then back it up. He had great courage and who had more fun than him?”

The self-proclaimed “Greatest of All Time” remains one of the world’s most recognizable figures, even though he’s been largely absent from the public eye recently as he fights Parkinson’s disease.

His wife Lonnie Ali said recently that the boxing great has mixed feelings about the landmark birthday.

“He’s glad he’s here to turn 70, but he wants to be reassured he doesn’t look 70,” she said.

Born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. on Jan. 17, 1942, Ali took up boxing at age 12, when his bike was stolen and he wanted to find and whip the culprit. The boy was introduced to Joe Martin, a police officer who coached boxing at a local gym.

Ali flourished in the ring, becoming a top

amateur and Olympic gold medalist. He made his professional debut in Louisville and arranged for a local children’s hospital to receive proceeds from the fight.

Lewis said Ali ranks as the greatest of heavyweights, and he said he was inspired

by Ali’s fights.

“I used to get mad if I didn’t see the Ali shuffle,” Lewis said. “So I was always watching him, expecting some type of antic.”

Ali won the heavyweight title in 1964, defeating the heavily favored Sonny Liston.

Soon after, Ali—who was raised in a Baptist family—announced his conversion to Islam and changed his name.

While in his prime, Ali was stripped of his heavyweight crown in 1967 for refusing to be drafted for military service during the Vietnam War. He cited his religious beliefs as the reason for his refusal.

His decision alienated Ali from many across the U.S. and resulted in a draft-evasion conviction. Ali found himself embroiled in a long legal fight that ended in 1971, when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in his favor.

Ali lost his first bid to regain the heavyweight crown when Frazier knocked him down and took a decision in the “Fight of the Century” at Madison Square Garden in 1971. Ali regained the heavyweight title in 1974, defeating Foreman in the “Rumble in the Jungle.” A year later, he outlasted Frazier in the epic “Thrilla in Manila” bout.

Last year, a frail Ali rose from his seat and clapped for his deceased rival at Frazier’s funeral.

Ali’s last title came in 1978 when he defeated Leon Spinks.

Ali retired from boxing in 1981 and devoted himself to social causes. He traveled the world on humanitarian missions. In 2005, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Muhammad Ali was the only professional boxer to win the heavy-weight championship three times. He provided leadership and an example for African American men and women around the world with his political and religious views.

EARLY LIFE Muhammad Ali was born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. on January 17, 1942, in Louisville, Kentucky, the first of Cassius Marcellus Clay Sr. and Odessa Grady Clay's two sons. His father was a sign painter who also loved to act, sing, and dance; his mother worked as a cleaning lady when money was tight. Ali began boxing at the age of twelve.

His bicycle had been stolen, and he reported the theft to a policeman named Joe Martin, who gave boxing lessons in a local youth center. Martin invited Ali to try boxing and soon saw that he had talent. Martin began to feature Ali on his local television show, "Tomorrow's Champions," and he started Ali working out at Louisville's Columbia Gym. An African American trainer named Fred Stoner taught Ali the science of boxing.

Among the many things Ali learned was how to move with the grace and ease of a dancer.

Although his schoolwork suffered, Ali devoted all of his time to boxing and improved steadily.

"FLOAT LIKE A BUTTERFLY, STING LIKE A BEE" As a teenager Ali won both the national Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) and Golden Gloves championships. At the age of eighteen he competed in the 1960 Olympic games held in Rome, Italy, winning the gold medal in the lightheavyweight division. This led to a contract with a group of millionaires called the Louisville Sponsors Group. It was the biggest contract ever signed by a professional boxer. Ali worked his way through a series of professional victories, using a style that combined speed with great punching power. He was described by one of his handlers as having the ability to "float like a butterfly, and sting like a bee." Ali's unique style of boasting, rhyming, and expressing confidence brought him considerable media attention as he moved toward a chance to fight for the world heavyweight boxing championship. When he began to write poems predicting his victories in different fights he became known as "The Louisville Lip." Both the attention and his skill as a fighter paid off. In February 1964, when he was only twenty-two years old, he fought and defeated Sonny Liston for the heavyweight championship of the world.

RELIGIOUS CHANGE Inspired by Muslim spokesman Malcolm X (1925–1965), Ali began to follow the Black Muslim faith (a group that supports a separate black nation) and announced that he had changed his name to Cassius X. This was at a time when the struggle for civil rights was at a peak and the Muslims had emerged as a controversial (causing disputes) but important force in the African American community. Later the Muslim leader Elijah Muhammad (1897–1975) gave him the name Muhammad Ali, which means "beloved of Allah." (Allah is the god worshiped by Muslims.) In his first title defense in May 1965 Ali defeated Sonny Liston with a first-round knockout. (Many called it a phantom punch because it was so fast and powerful that few watching the fight even saw it.) Ali successfully defended his title eight more times. In April 1967 Ali was drafted into military service during the Vietnam War (1957–75; a war fought in an unsuccessful attempt to stop Communist North Vietnam from overtaking South Vietnam). He claimed that as a minister of the Black Muslim religion he was not obligated to serve. The press criticized him as unpatriotic, and the New York State Athletic Commission and World Boxing Association suspended his boxing license and stripped him of his heavyweight title. Ali told Sports Illustrated, "I'm giving up my title, my wealth, maybe my future. Many great men have been tested for their religious beliefs. If I pass this test, I'll come out stronger than ever." Ali was finally sentenced to five years in prison but was released on appeal, and his conviction was thrown out three years later by the U.S. Supreme Court.

BACK IN THE RING Ali returned to the ring and beat Jerry Quarry in 1970. Five months later he lost to Joe Frazier (1944–), who had replaced him as heavyweight champion when his title had been stripped. Ali regained the championship for the first time when he defeated George Foreman (1949–), who had beaten Frazier for the title, in a fight held in Zaire in 1974. Ali referred to this match as the "Rumble in the Jungle." Ali fought Frazier several more times, including a fight in 1974 staged in New York City and a bout held in the Philippines in 1975, which Ali called the "Thrilla in Manila." Ali won both matches to regain his title as the world heavyweight champion. In 1975 Sports Illustrated magazine named Ali its "Sportsman of the Year." Ali now used a new style of boxing, one that he called his "rope-a-dope." He would let his opponents wear themselves down while he rested, often against the ropes; he would then be strong and lash out in the later rounds. Ali successfully defended his title ten more times.

He held the championship until Leon Spinks defeated him in February 1978 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Seven months later Ali regained the heavyweight title by defeating Spinks in New Orleans, Louisiana, becoming the first boxer in history to win the heavyweight championship three times. At the end of his boxing career he was slowed by a condition related to Parkinson's disease (a disease of the nervous system that results in shaking and weakness of the muscles). Ali's last fight (there were sixty-one in all) took place in 1981.

ROLE AS STATESMAN As Ali's boxing career ended, he became involved in social causes and politics. He campaigned for Jimmy Carter (1924–) and other Democratic political candidates and took part in the promotion of a variety of political causes addressing poverty and the needs of children. He even tried to win the release of four kidnapped Americans in Lebanon in 1985. As a result, his image changed and he became respected as a statesman. At the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia, the world and his country honored Ali by choosing him to light the Olympic torch during the opening ceremonies. Ali remains in the public eye even as he continues to suffer from the effects of Parkinson's disease. In 1998 he announced he was leaving an experimental treatment program in Boca Raton, Florida, claiming that the program's leader was unfairly using his name to gain publicity. In 1999 Ali became the first boxer to ever appear on a Wheaties cereal box. Later that year he supported a new law to clean up the business side of boxing. After the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001, Ali agreed to record sixty-second announcements for airing in Muslim countries to show that the United States remained friendly to those of the Muslim faith. Among many documentaries and books about Ali, a film version of his life, Ali, was released in December 2001.

•Culled from yahoosports and sports illustrated

THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2012

63

SPORT EXTRA

Taiwo returns to Milan training

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FTER missing out on Sunday’s Milan derby due to flu, Nigeria defender Taye Taiwo returned to AC Milan’s training yesterday ahead of the Coppa Italia tie against Novara on Wednesday at the San Siro.

Taiwo, who last played in Milan’s 2-0 defeat of Cagliari on December 20, missed out against PSG during the Rossoneri’s training tour of Dubai. He was also missing in the Atalanta clash.

Milan will be aiming for the semi-final ticket which if they win, will see them likely facing Lazio.

Meanwhile, Milan director Adriano Galliani has played down his side's 1-0 loss to local rivals Inter at the weekend.

A single Diego Milito strike in the second half gave Inter maximum points in Sunday's derby, but Galliani was quick to downplay the importance of the encounter with his side still holding a five-point advantage over Inter on the Serie A table.

"It was clear that whoever scored was going to win.

We’re still five points ahead of Inter though, and only a point from the top.

“Between Inter’s 32 points and Juve's 38 points, there are five teams. What counts is the table. It’s impartial and with 20 games left, it says Milan are five points ahead of Inter. It

• Taiwo in Milan training

Anichebe hails Gibson's role for Everton

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VERTON striker Victor Anichebe says new signing Darron Gibson has made an impressive start to his Blues career.

Gibson signed from Manchester United last week, and made his debut in Saturday's 1-1 draw with Aston Villa.

Anichebe told BBC Radio Merseyside: "I saw some great balls he was playing to the forwards and hopefully he can gain some confidence and fitness.

"I think he's a great sign-

was a game that would have given us the top spot in the league but we didn’t do it.

Other results however mean that we’re only a point from the top. Three points against Inter are the same as the three points against Cagliari or Novara," Galliani said.

ing and I'm sure he'll push on to keep doing well for us."

The point puts an end to successive league defeats for the Toffees, who sit in 11th in the Premier League.

Everton's injury list has grown over the past few weeks with injuries to Phil Jagielka, Sylvain Distin, Leon Osman and Jack Rodwell.

Anichebe has been impressed with how the squad have coped with the loss of some of their best players

and reserved special praise for loan signing Landon Donovan.

"It was a good team performance against Aston Villa," continued the Nigeria international. "We've got a lot of injuries and we've been unlucky over the last few seasons with injuries.

"Shane Duffy, Darron Gibson, Landon Donovan and myself have come in and we've come together as a team and we've done ourselves proud.

"Landon's done ever so well since he came in, he's played three games in quick succession and his ball for the goal was fantastic."

Nigeria Premier League resumes Thursday

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OLLOWING the suspension of the nationwide strike by the labour unions over the removal of fuel subsidy, the Nigeria Premier League (NPL) has announced the resumption of the 2011/ 12 season on Thursday, January 19, 2012 with the rescheduled Week 1 fixture between Kaduna United and Jigawa Golden Stars.

According to the Acting Executive Secretary of the NPL, Tunji Babalola, Week 4 matches will be played across the country this weekend with three matches- Kwara United /Dolphins, Wikki Tourists /Kano Pillars and Akwa United /Rising Stars billed for Saturday, January 21.

Other Week 4 fixtures will take place on Sunday, January 22. These are the fixtures involving Gombe United/ Niger Tornadoes, Rangers International/Kaduna United, Sunshine Stars /Ocean Boys,

Enyimba International/ Sharks, Heartland FC /ABS and Warri Wolves /Lobi Stars.

All Week 2 fixtures have also been rescheduled for Wednesday, January 25, 2012 while a new date would be announced for Week 3 matches.

The NPL board wishes to

Onuora seeks funds for 2012 Olympics

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IGERIA-BORN Great Britain's hottest sprinter of 2011 is making strides to gain funding for London 2012 and reaching out to her home city for help.

A blistering year saw Anyika Onuora become number one in the country over 200 metres and number two over 100.

She was Britain’s most utilised athlete at the World Championships in Daegu, yet UK Athletics (UKA) chose to offer the

Cote d'Ivoire stop spirited Libya

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OTE D’IVOIRE beat fellow 2012 Africa Nations Cup finalists Libya 1-0 in a warm-up game in Dubai Monday.

Chelsea striker Salomon Kalou was the match winner for the Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire.

His header from inside the box beat impressive goalkeeper and skipper Samir Aboud on the hour to give the Ivorians their second win in

express its appreciation to all the stakeholders, particularly, the club officials and players for their understanding during the trying period occasioned by the nationwide strike and also appeals to all for continued support to the league board towards a successful league season.

as many matches as they prepare for the AFCON. Africa Footballer of the Year for last year, Yaya Toure, who did not play in last week’s other warm-up against Tunisia, started on Monday for the West Africans.

Cote d’Ivoire, who are one of the favourites to win this year’s competition, dictated the pace in the first half but were denied by some resolute defending.

Liverpool Harrier no funding ahead of London 2012. Onuora – who ran 11.18 and 22.93 for 100 and 200 respectively this year – has recently moved to a new sports management company spearheaded by 1996 Olympic silver medallist Jamie Baulch.

The move looks set to ensure Onuora gets placed in the best races ahead of the London games, but funding is yet to materialise.

“When I can PB in the way I did this year, I should have been able to get in the top races,” said Onuora. “But athletics has changed so much that it’s as much about what agent you’re with and what they can get you into.”

Team GB hopefuls with form unable to match that of Onuora are going to extraordinary lengths to secure financial backing for 2012. Sprinter James Ellington auctioned himself on ebay to raise £32,500 of funding to cover kit, basic living expenses and travel.

www.thenationonlineng.net

TOMORROW IN THE NATION

TUESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2012 TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM

VOL. 7

NO.2,007

‘Government was 100% responsible for this failure. Government employed the oil cartel, government contractors, to cover its expensive failure in refinery management.’ TONY MARINHO

COMMENT & DEB ATE EBA

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POCHAL moments call for memorable orations.

The Jonathan Administration’s New Year ambuscade and the collective resolve of Nigerians at home and abroad to resist it constituted such a moment. But the Administration’s response, encapsulated in President Goodluck Jonathan’s January 7 broadcast, failed tragically to rise to the moment.

Everything was wrong with the broadcast. It was pedestrian through and through. Someone – Winston Churchill, I think — once said of a speech by one of his contemporaries that whatever was true in it was trite and whatever was not trite was not true.

The same thing can be said with justice about Dr Jonathan’s broadcast.

His feigned empathy — “I feel your pain”— called to mind a passage in Tolstoy, in which the man riding a horse assures it at every opportunity that he feels its pain and would do anything to ease it except dismount.

The analogy is perhaps a tad unfair. The Jonathan Administration is not exactly riding on the back of the Nigerian people. But when Dr Jonathan says he understands the pain arising from ending the dubious fuel subsidy and will do everything to end the pain except change course, he is not unlike the horseman in Tolstoy’s tale.

The policy responses spelled out in the broadcast were patently ill-conceived. Assuring those who can no longer afford bus fares that more buses would be made available is like assuring patients who can no longer pay their medical bills that more hospitals will be built.

All in all, it was a pathetic speech, at a moment that called for a great oration, and a missed opportunity, sadly. His address to the nation yesterday fixing the pump price at N97 per litre, down from N141, was an improvement in substance, if not in style. But the tough talk suggests that he still does not realise how severely he has been diminished in the past two weeks. Of this, more presently.

Amidst the encircling gloom, the piquant humour that has earned Nigerians the title of the happiest people in the world shone through. It is splendidly displayed in a strip of photographs and cartoons that has been circulating on the Internet.

The material is comprehensive indeed, depicting responses to the pernicious consumption tax ranging from divine supplication to brilliant innovation and everything in between. An attentive investigator could well parlay it into a dissertation on the sociology of Nigerian life.

What follows is a run-down of the frames, with appropriate indexation.

Divine Intervention: A woman on her knees, a basin of water beside her, left hand held over the basin and her right hand raising a Bible to the heavens, apparently beseeching Him to turn the water to petrol.

OLATUNJI DARE

AT HOME ABROAD olatunji.dare@thenationonlineng.net

A diminished Presidency

•Protesters

In another frame, a man stands over two empty buckets of water and three apparently empty cans and a portable electric generator, left hand laid above the receptacles and his right hand holding a Bible aloft, apparently praying that they will be filled with petrol. He has for company, and to punctuate his entireties with a fervent:”amen”, a young boy, hands clasped reverentially.

Innovation: In one frame, a man is emptying a can of palm oil into his car’s fuel tank. The logic is clear: oil is oil, and one oil should be as good as another.

In another frame, a man is emptying a bottle of fine Hennessey cognac into the tank of his portable electric generator, hoping that the alcohol in that agreeable beverage will provide

HARDBALL

RIPPLES WE’II USE SUBSIDY MONEY JUDICIOUSLYKolade

PROMISES and more PROMISES...ASUU knows better

the necessary spark, One frame shows a man piping filtered water from his cooler into his car’s fuel tank. The next frame shows a man doing the same thing in a different way: he is emptying a satchel of “pure water” into his car’s fuel tank, a stack of satchels stands at his feet.

More Innovation: One frame advertises a bicycle as an alternative form of transportqtion. Just consider the advantages: 2WD, requires no petrol, no driver’s licence, no licence plate numbers and no vehicle insurance, plus there is no speed limit.

The difference is clear.

In one frame, a camel is nestling sedately among sleek automobiles in a parking lot. If provoked, well might its owner say, “My camel is as precious as your Jeep.”

Desperation: A man lying on a couch, apparently asleep, has a 25 gallon of petrol chained to his wrist.

You would have to cut off his hand to cart away the precious combustible.

Another frame shows a fierce-looking dog keeping watch over a 25- gallon can of petrol chained to the concrete floor. It is a formidable obstacle race for any would-be petrol pilferer.

One frame shows a sturdy clamp welded to the flap that provides access to the car’s fuel tank and secured with a heavy lock. The next frame shows another car whose owner is even more particular: three clamps are welded to the flap at three different points, each clamp secured with a power lock.

Then there is the fellow, emblematic of the desperation of the times, peeing into the fuel tank of his car, perhaps hoping that the famous therapy will do for the motor what it is said to have done for millions worldwide. Some fuel!

The Evocative: In what must be regarded as the iconic frame of the entire strip, Dr Jonathan is holding down across his laps, nose pinched shut the way nononsense mothers handled refractory babies back in the village, force-feeding an infant with a substance from a jar labeled “Subsidy Removal Bitters.”

The Romantic:

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RESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan is probably the most unpopular head of state Nigeria has ever had, save the late Gen Sani Abacha. He will keep that distinction till the end of his tenure and well after he has left office. Even though the price of a litre of petrol has been reduced from N141/ litre to N97/litre, the reduction does not vitiate the fact that the president emerged from the one-week strike much stronger than he or anyone else envisaged. The subsidy removal measure is a major economic policy.

But it was neither presented to the National Assembly nor placed in the domain of public debate. While consultations on appropriate pricing were still going on, the president unilaterally and dramatically raised the price of fuel on January 1, 2012.

Unprecedentedly, he also unilaterally, without constitutional backing, deployed troops in a few states to debar protesters or quash protests if necessary.

Having achieved these victories relatively easily, the emboldened president will make more determined push far beyond what the constitution envisages. He is not the most discrete speaker in the country; he will make many more forceful statements against persons, values and institutions in the coming

Those who think that romance and oil don’t mix should think again. For right there, in one of the frames, is decisive contrary evidence. A young man on his right knee is offering a can of petrol to the object of his desire and asking her to marry him.

“Oh, it’s beautiful,” the young woman said of the offering. And then, in what seemed an afterthought, she said in response to the question, “Yes, yes.”

And finally, the Remonstrance: The compilers of the strip respectfully, and I might add, wisely, left the last word to Her Excellency the First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Herself Dame Patience Goodluck.. The last frame shows her beaming triumphal and asking, “Who laffing now? U still dey look for blunder?”

Go figure that one: In these disarticulated times, we could all use such highly diverting stuff. But Dr Jonathan and his beleaguered Cabinet must entertain no illusion that there can ever be a return to business as usual. For what is at issue now is far beyond a gasoline subsidy, real or contrived. It is nothing less than the future of the Nigerian project itself.

The Reclaim and Occupy Nigeria organisation has been circulating a Charter that should make a return to business as usual well nigh impossible if it is pursued diligently.

It stipulates that no government official shall have more than one official car. It demands that the immunity clause be expunged from the Constitution. It decrees that, henceforth, no government official shall go for medical treatment abroad at public expense. Government officials using electric generators must run them at their expense. And in a move to end the curse of first ladyism, Nigerian style, the Charter abolishes, now and for all time, the “office” of the First Lady.

These are just some clauses in the Charter, and they are by no means the most sweeping.

And in the face of the growing demand for a Sovereign National Conference to undertake, among other tasks, a comprehensive re-design of the Constitution that Dr Jonathan has been blocking with one self-serving contrivance after another, to say nothing of the challenge of Boko Haram and the communal blood-letting in various parts of the country, it is clear that Nigeria has arrived at a crossroads.

Dr Jonathan, it has to be said, has not demonstrated the intellectual and leadership skills required for navigating this conjuncture. At the same time, he has frittered away the little moral capital that once gave his so-called transformative agenda some plausibility.

His Presidency stands diminished. Not irretrievably, we all must hope, for the sake of citizens who have been turned into victims by a long line of undutiful governments, his being only the latest.

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•Hardball is not the opinion of the columnist featured above

Subsidy protests: Peace in our time days and months. He will pour scorn; and he will ridicule. He has tampered with the freedom of association; if care is not taken, he will attempt to tamper with the freedom of speech and the press. Allowing one small infraction is to open the floodgate of dozens more. There is no reason for him to stop now; indeed, there is no incentive for him to stop.

These constitutional infractions by the president could have been checked had principal officers entrusted by the system and the constitution to guard democracy opposed its subversion. Instead, they claimed to be more enthusiastic about securing peace than in securing democracy, as if the latter was inadequate in guaranteeing the former. It was this eager search for peace that led to the series of meetings, consensuses and compromises that ended the fuel subsidy protests yesterday. Peace is desirable, but it was Winston Churchill who said a soldier’s pack, as heavy as it may seem, is always lighter than the chains of a slave.

Before the system is fundamentally distorted by presidential excesses, it is hoped that stakeholders in the current democratic

experiment will find the courage and sense to oppose further constitutional infractions.

If they do not, they should remember the immortal words of Martin Niemoller who said, “First they came for communists, and I didn’t speak out because I was not a communist… Then they came for the Jews, and I didn’t speak out because I was not a Jew… Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak out for me.” This quote was directed at German intellectuals who compromised under Adolf Hitler’s Nazi rule, but they might as well be directed at Nigeria’s unprincipled politicians and statesmen.

There is a limit beyond which it would be unwise for Nigerian politicians and elected legislators to compromise. Nigerians must recognise that if in less than one week, Jonathan took brinkmanship to such dangerously dizzying heights, stakeholders will need to be vigilant and courageous to guard democracy during Jonathan’s remaining three years. They must recall that before World War II, some world statesmen compromised with Hitler to their destruction and embarrassment. Would we learn from history?

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