January 28, 2015 by The Nation

NIGERIA DECIDES

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•APC urges judiciary to stand firm against polls shift plot •EU laments failure to implement recommendations MORE •Jonathan, PDP leaders attack Maku at Lafia rally •AND ON PAGES •It’s time to embrace good governance, says Buhari 2-7,18,57&58

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Party chiefs close to blows over elections shift plot We’ll take the best decision, says Jega INEC distributes 42.7m PVCs

T was a routine meeting to brief parties on the preparations for next month’s general elections. But yesterday’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) conference with parties’ leaders in Abuja was a big show of fury – for about 10 minutes. Reason: A row broke out on whether or not to postpone the February 14 and 28 elections – an item that was not on the agenda. On one side was the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the United Progressives Party (UPP), which stood their ground that the timeline for the general elec-

VOTER CARDS DISTRIBUTION UPDATE STATE

NO. OF REG. NO. OF CARDS REMARKS DISTRIBUTED VOTERS

STATE

NO. OF REG. NO. OF CARDS REMARKS DISTRIBUTED VOTERS

From Yusuf Alli, Abuja

tions must not be altered. On the other were the other parties. APC representative Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, a former INEC Secretary, was screaming that shifting the elections would not be acceptable to Nigerians. Unable to overwhelm him, the other parties’ leaders threatened to boycott the polls. A bewildered INEC chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, and his commissioners watched in disbelief as leaders of parties quarrelled over an issue that was not on the agenda. INEC invited the parties for Continued on page 2

APC replies Soludo

Military deploys drones to battle Boko Haram

HE All Progressives Congress (APC) will not ride to power on mere rhetorics of ‘change’, the party said yesterday through the Director, Policy, Research and Strategy of its Presidential Campaign, Dr. Kayode Fayemi. Fayemi was reacting to former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Prof Charles Soludo’s counsel that the APC presidential flag bearer Gen. Muhammadu Buhari should give facts and figures on how he plans to implement his party’s ambitious manifesto. Details of APC’s reply are on page 47.

•Sect hoists flag in Monguno From Yusuf Alli, Abuja and Duku Joel, Maiduguri

OME drones and other sophisticated equipment have been deployed in the Northeast to curtail Boko Haram’s insurgency, The Nation learnt yesterday. It was also learnt that the military intensified air strikes on Boko Haram bases in Monguno to reclaim the town, which fell to the sect’s fighters last weekend. The acquisition of the drones is part of the new massive military campaign to be launched soon against Boko Haram. A source, who spoke in confidence, said most of the equipment were sourced from the Far East, including WILL THE Russia and Ukraine, followCHIBOK GIRLS ing lack of cooperation by KIDNAPPED ON APRIL 15 EVER some Western countries.

? RETURN?

Continued on page 2

•T OUGH SITU ATION: A Nigerian refugee poses with her newborn child, named after Chad’s President Idriss Deby, •TOUGH SITUA in a United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) camp in Baga Sola by Lake Chad, which borders Chad, Nigeria, Niger and Cameroon...on Monday. PHOTO: AFP

•Dr. Fayemi

•LIFE P13 •POLITICS P17 •MONEY P26 •SPORTS P24 •INVESTORS P28 •FOREIGN P59

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2015

NEWS Military deploys drones to battle sect Continued from page 1

•All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (right) receiving the National Chairman, •President Goodluck Jonathan (right) being received by the the Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM) Dr Bashir Yusuf Emir of Lafia, Alhaji Isa Mustapha Agwai to the his palace in Ibrahim...yesterday. With them is PDM Deputy National Chairman, Lafia…yesterday. Mrs Titilayo Ajanaku. PHOTO: ABAYOMI FAYESE

APC urges judiciary to stand firm against polls shift plot

DVOCATES of postponement of the February elections have found a solid obstacle in the All Progressives Congress (APC), which yesterday alleged that “anti-democratic forces are set to use the courts to scuttle the elections”. The APC urged the judiciary to protect democracy by not allowing the institution to be used to compromise the electoral process. The presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Dr. Mani Ibrahim Ahmed, yesterday said the comment by the National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki, that a shift was not out of place is part of plans to truncate the electoral process.

The ADC flag bearer said that such a comment was not in the best interest of the country and should be resisted by serious- minded Nigerians. Dr. Mani maintained that the recent spate of attacks by the Boko Haram was part of plans to justify the calls for the shifting of the elections, adding that other sinister activities that may come up between now and election time are also aimed at shifting the polls. He argued that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had repeatedly given assurances that the polls would hold as it was working rounding the

clock to ensure that every registered voter got the PVC. “I want to state in clear terms that I’m not in support of any attempt to shift the February elections. Nigerians cannot be taken for a ride. Enough is enough. One can rightly predict that there will be a sharp increase in the activities of the insurgency and other sinister activities within the next couple of days - all in order to justify the move to truncate this electoral process. “We must not allow them to succeed. The elections must go ahead as planned. ADC represents that radical departure towards change.” But Second Republic Governor of Kaduna State Alhaji Abdulkadir Balarabe Musa

into a closed- door after reporters took their leave, to consider the address of the INEC chairman. Virtually all the parties, except the APC and the UPP, were in favour of postponement of the elections. A source said: “Though the issue was not on the agenda, a lesser party and its presidential candidate began the discussion on Jega’s address by asking for the postponement of the elections. “Like a rehearsed script, others joined the chorus and started impressing on INEC why it must shift the poll. They al-

leged that most registered voters were yet to get their PVCs. “The vehemence of these parties suggested a kind of alliance. It also showed that some forces were pulling the strings. “But the APC team, led by Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, opposed the demand. The UPP delegation, under the leadership of its presidential candidate, Chief Chekwas Okorie, also said polls postponement would damage the nation’s reputation in the comity of nations. “At a point, the other parties threatened to boycott the polls and they started shouting,

From Bukola Amusan, Abuja, Abdulgafar Alabelewe, Kaduna

and Deputy President of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Comrade Isa Aremu disagreed on the need or otherwise for the shift of the elections. They both spoke at the presentation of four books written by Aremu in Kaduna. Musa said since INEC may not be able to distribute the permanent voter cards to eligible voters before the elections, it would just be natural for the commission to postpone the polls by more than 60 days to enable it address the issue. He said if INEC would conduct free, fair and credible elections, it must not ignore the need for young people who Continued on page 57

Party chiefs close to blows over elections shift plot Continued from page 1

briefing on its preparations for the election, including the status of the distribution of the Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), the use of card readers, relocation of polling units and other logistics. Jega opened the session with an assurance that everything was being done to ensure hitchfree polls. The initial part of the interaction was marked with media glitz and camaraderie by the leaders of the parties. The meeting thereafter went into a closed session. But trouble started when Jega and leaders of the parties retired

‘APC, UPP, we will leave you and INEC to participate in the February elections and then we will see if this will be acceptable to Nigerians and the international community.” Another source spoke of how Jega and his commissioners watched in disgust as the leaders of the parties were almost exchanging blows at the conference hall. “They pointed accusing fingers at each other like school children and it was a big shame watching these leaders create a rowdy scene before an umpire. “At a stage, Jega took control

The source said the arrival of the hardware has boosted the morale of troops. The source said: “The military has deployed some drones and sophisticated hardware in the North-East in line with its timeline to end Boko Haram insurgency. “These drones will complement ongoing air and land strikes against some bases of the sect. “The simultaneous attacks on Monguno, Konduga and Maiduguri by Boko Haram insurgents were pre-emptive steps against the military by the sect. “With effective equipment, the insurgents were aware that the game is up and in annoyance, they decided to attack military installations and troops.” The military has intensified air strikes on the insurgents’ locations in Monguno. Another source said: “Troops will soon reclaim Monguno because the insurgents in the town have been trapped. They cannot move away from the town since troops have laid siege to all

entry and exit points. “You see, the insurgents also struck in Monguno, Konduga and Maiduguri to divert attention of the military from the relocation of some of their commanders from one of their strategic camps to another.” Fleeing residents yesterday disclosed that the insurgents are in full control of the town. Abdullahi Jibril, who fled to Maiduguri through Gajiganna told our correspondent that there was no military presence in Monguno. Jibril said residents of Gajiganna, a town on the Baga/ Monguno road, were also on the run for fear of an impending attack by the insurgents. “As I am talking to you now, there is no single soldier in Monguno. Anybody that is saying that there are soldiers fighting in Monguno is lying. The Boko Haram have put their flag in the hospital, police station and the military barracks. They are preaching in the place right now. “I was lucky to escape after I moved my father and my mother to Gajiganna. They killed the Imam Bachila of Continued on page 57

Afenifere backs Jonathan for second term •Group seeks elections shift

HE Afenifere group yesterday in Akure endorsed President Goodluck Jonathan for second term. The group gave its endorsement at the residence of its leader, Chief Reuben Fasoranti, where President Jonathan and his entourage were received. National Secretary of Afenifere, Chief Seinde Arogbofa, said the endorsement was to allow President Jonathan to complete the transformation agenda and implement the decisions of the National Conference. He said: “Afenifere is a socio political association. We have always spoken out our minds on any matter that affects our country. We therefore want to say it loud and clear that after considering so many things, the Nigerian constitution inclusive, we see you for now as the best option to continue as the

Continued on page 57

From Augustine Ehikioya, Abuja and Damisi Ojo, Akure

president of our dear country.” “Consequently, we call on all well-meaning Nigerians to join us,’’ he added The group spoke on the need for the government to tackle insecurity in the country and to ensure equal spread of amenities and key national offices. It thanked President Jonathan for making the Federal University of Technology Medical College , Akure, a reality and for granting Ondo state a Federal Polytechnic. The group requested the President to appoint key officers of the state into the polytechnic for effective take-off. President Jonathan said he was committed to implementing the decisions of the national conference before the end of Continued on page 57

APC alleges plot to attack Buhari in Taraba

ECURITY chiefs yesterday got a distress call from the All Progressives Congress (APC). There are plans by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members to cause trouble, the APC said. The APC Presidential Campaign Organisation spoke of plans by hired thugs to attack its presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari, during his visit to Taraba State today. Director (Media and publicity) of the organisation Mallam Garba Shehu said in a statement that it had intelligence report of plans to use thugs to throw stones and sachets of water at the Buhari team. Shehu said the APC Campaign viewed seriously any plot to cause a breach of the peace, and then blame it on opposition leaders, stressing that the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is not committed to the agreement signed by parties and their candidates to conduct

From Tony Akowe, Abuja, Bisi Olaniyi, Port Harcourt and Fanen Ihyongo, Jalingo

violence-free campaigns. According to him, any attempt to use thugs to embarrass Gen. Buhari in Taraba State is against the intent of the Kofi Annan initiative, which requires assurances from political parties to shun violence. He urged the Inspector General of Police, the Director General of the Directorate of State Service (DSS) and the National Security Adviser (NSA) to halt anarchy from creeping into the campaigns. The APC in Rivers State also yesterday said it had received credible information that PDP members were planning to stone President Goodluck Jonathan during his visit to the state today and blame it all on APC members, as they did in Bauchi State. Publicity Secretary of Rivers APC, Chris Finebone, said in Port Harcourt that the PDP members hatched the plan to

blackmail the ruling party during the President’s campaign. Finebone said: “According to the plan, which is now in the possession of the APC, huge sums of money and many APC T-shirts will be provided for groups of PDP thugs, who will stone the convoy of Mr. President during the presidential campaign rally of Port Harcourt. “According to the information, the money and T-shirts will be distributed to the thugs by Tuesday January 27 (yesterday). The idea behind this satanic plot is to paint the APC in bad light before the media, observers and the Nigerian public, as well as to divert attention from the various acts of violence that PDP thugs have unleashed on APC members and property across Rivers State in recent times. “It is also meant to undermine the reputation of Rivers State Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, who is also the Director-General of the Buhari Campaign Organisation.

“The APC in Rivers State will like to state that its members will continue to undertake peaceful campaigns and always act within the ambit of the law and the peace accord signed by its leaders, both at the national and state levels. We will continue to abhor electoral violence in whatever form and we will like to call on the PDP and other parties to do the same at all times.” Finebone called on security agencies to be aware of the “dangerous antics” of the PDP members to maim, destroy, kill, bomb and now blackmail the APC members. Two APC offices in Rivers State have been bombed. The party’s campaign programme was disrupted in Okirika by gunmen who shot at those arranging the podium. Dr. Jonathan’s convoy was stoned in Katsina and Bauchi. Bauchi State Governor Isa Yuguda has alleged that PDP members were behind the stoning in his state. Preparations were in top

gear yesterday in Jalingo yesterday to receive Gen. Buhari. “We are ready, “ said APC State Chairman Hassan Ardo. Ardo said “everything”, in terms of security and logistics, have been done in readiness for the main opposition’s presidential rally in the “Nature’s Gift” state. The Trade Fair Complex on Hammaruwa Way, near the State Secretariat, was being decorated, under the watch of the senator representing Northern Taraba, Aisha Jummai Alhassan, who is the governorship candidate. It was gathered that the State APC requested to use the stadium for Gen. Buhari’s rally, but the PDP government refused, on grounds that President Jonathan will be holding his rally at the sports complex tomorrow. The APC Chairman, however, seems to be more comfortable to hold the “broom rally” at the Trade Fair Complex. “We are not complaining. This place is very ok,” he said.

•Gen. Buhari

A trade fair had been going on in the complex, but traders “voluntarily” packed their goods to release the arena for Buhari. A huge crowd was already gathering in the arena even as the venue was only being decorated. Continued on page 57

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2015

NEWS

NIGERIA DECIDES

Perception w

•From left: Chief Host, Prof. Raph Akinfeleye, Editorial Board Chairman, The Nation newspaper, Mr. Sam Omatseye Chairman of the occassion, Prof. Adebayo Ninalowo and Acting Head, Mass Comminication Department, University of Lagos (UNILAG) Dr. Mrs. Abigali Ogwezzy-Ndisika at the Academics Stand Aganist Poverty Public Discource and presentation of books by Omatseye to Mass Communication students in UNILAG...yesterday. PHOTO: DAYO ADEWUNMI

You see we used to go to Nigeria and every time we went there we had to carry extra cash in our pockets to corruptly pay for everything.

It would be a vote of no confidence to our country and citizens if we can’t guarantee our security, what kind of persons would we be? • Mugabe

S •From left: Head of Operations, Payporte, Linda Okon; Payporte’s Brand Ambassador and former Big Brother Africa Season 9 Housemate, Tayo Faniran; Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer (MD/CEO), Payporte Global System Ltd, Eyo Bassey; Payporte’s Brand Ambassador and Media Personality,Toke Makinwa and Head, Social Media Business Strategy, Payporte, Benjamin Amu at the briefing to unveil Payporte’s brand ambassadors at Protea Hotel Leadway, Maryland...yesterday.

•ComptrollerGeneral of the Nigerian Customs Service, Abdullahi Dikko, presenting World Customs Organisation Certificate to Managing Director, Westblue Nigeria Limited, Mrs Valetina Minph, at the 2015 International Customs Day in Abuja...on Monday.

•From left: Managing Director, Nigerian Breweries Plc, Mr. Nicolaas Vervelde, Minister of Trade and Investment, Dr. Olusegun Aganga, Abia State Governor Theodore Orji and Chairman, Nigerian Breweries Plc, Chief Kola Jamodu at the inauguration of the Aba Brewery Expansion in Abia State...yesterday.

HORTLY after the Baga massacre, Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh, complained plaintively that Chadian and Nigerien members of the Multinational Joint Task Force based on the outskirts of Baga, Borno State, withdrew from the base shortly before Boko Haram insurgents overran the town early January. “We were left alone to face Boko Haram,” he wailed. Apart from missing the poignant fact that Baga is Nigerian soil, and that the Nigerian military had the responsibility, singly or jointly, but perhaps much more singly, to defend the town when it was attacked, the CDS seemed to give the impression the Chadian and Nigerien troops avoided battle. Not only did Nigerian troops take the massive blows alone, and unfortunately flee before Boko Haram militants, freshly supplied military equipment were lost to the insurgents, leading some officers to suggest that internal sabotage caused the Baga embarrassment. A few days after the Baga attack, and amidst the ensuing global outrage and shock, Chadian authorities brushed aside Nigeria, reached an agreement with Cameroon to fight Boko Haram, and brusquely appropriated the headquarters of the Multinational Joint Task Force from Nigeria, where it was temporarily bivouacked, to the Chadian capital city of Ndjamena. Almost instantaneously too, the Chadians mobilised troops and began advancing towards Cameroon to join battle with Boko Haram. The effort immediately began to yield fruits, with the rescue of a German captive, Robert Eberherd, held for six months by the insurgents. The summary of events since the Baga debacle, as recounted by a Chadian Colonel to the world press, was instructive, and it captured the full essence of the tragedy that has befallen Nigeria in recent years, especially under President Godluck Jonathan. “We are going to advance (last Monday) towards the enemy,” Chadian army Col. Djerou Ibrahim, who is leading the offensive against Boko Haram, told AFP from the strategic crossroads town of Maltam in northern Cameroon. “Our mission is to hunt down Boko Haram, and we have all the means to do that.” His tone was self-assured; his voice determined, bold and challenging. Chad was eager to go, and went they did. Chad and Cameroon barely restrained themselves from accusing Nigeria of undermining the fight

By Adekunle Ade-Adeleye against Boko Haram. They did not say so; but all the actions they took, including their views, appropriation of the Multinational Joint Task Force capital, and the opening of a Cameroonian front against the insurgents, gave the impression they were willing to go it alone, preferably without Nigeria. After all, on at least two occasions, Cameroonian troops had rescued fleeing Nigerian troops. The Nigerian response was at first pathetic. “All backing of our operations will be welcomed, but that must conform to operations we already have underway, given those are on Nigerian territory,” said Nigerian Army spokesman, Chris Olukolade, a Major-General. That conditional support for the Chadian operations has since been modified by Nigeria, perhaps after they realised the implication of the entire developments on the image of the country. Nigeria now says that neither the United Nations (UN) nor an African Union (AU)backed force is welcomed. “A regional force should be capable of tackling the problem,” says National Security Adviser (NSA), Sambo Dasuki, a retired Colonel, to the British Broadcasting Service (BBC) last week. “It’s something that we can do. It’s absolutely something we can do. I think as it is, we are in good shape to address the issue with those partners, Niger, Chad and Cameroon.” He does not, however, appear to have addressed the partners’ loss of confidence in the readiness and ability of Nigeria to fight. Much more than any other incident, the Baga attack and the events that followed showed the precipitous decline Nigeria has suffered on all fronts in recent years. Nigerians are not impervious to the decay and decline afflicting their country. In fact, they are deeply hurt by the loss of national pride and confidence, and are unable to summon any hope that the problem can be remedied in the immediate future. The decay, of course, did not begin with Baga. Baga was just the climax of a rancid political process. Nor did the loss of confidence begin with the military’s shambolic response to the Boko Haram insurgency. It began insidiously with the failure of the government to respond intelligently to the factors that predisposed Nigeria to instability, both economic and social. The consequence is that with every successful attack by Boko Haram, both Nigeria and especially its government are perceived as weak and ineffective. That perception

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2015

NIGERIA DECIDES

will play key role in presidential poll With many ‘ states unable to pay their workers as and when due, the economy now totters dangerously on the brink • Museveni

has endured, is even coalescing into an electorally significant consensus, and has transmogrified into a cancerous attack on the liver and sinews of the country. There is no question that Nigeria’s national pride is deeply injured by the lack of qualitative and quantitative responses to the existential challenges the country is facing, notwithstanding the desultory efforts by the military brass to downplay the impact or effectiveness of the insurgency and Boko Haram’s fighting force. From the humiliating Chibok abductions, which has now lasted for more than nine months, to the continuing massacres in parts of the Northeast, the large scale insecurity in virtually all parts of the country, herdsmen attacks, robberies, and even the excesses of law enforcement agencies, the mood, not to say the dominant rhetoric, in the country is decidedly conflictual and aggressive. Politics is now destabilised by all sorts of forces needling and tearing the national fabric. There is a huge sense of foreboding that the country’s very existence is endangered, a perception that is at bottom responsible for the shifting opinions about what must be done to arrest the drift and who can best perform that function of saving the union. Whether it is justified or not, the perception three weeks to the general elections is that President Jonathan has had four years to respond imaginatively to the challenges of the moment. In interviews, many of them gaffe-ridden, the President has shown shallow and conflicting understanding of the forces at play. Worse, the President has been unable to give the courage and inspiration needed by Nigerians to face these growing challenges. Conversely, his opponent in the February 14 election, Muhammadu Buhari, a retired general, is believed to possess the mental fortitude to respond to the challenges. Whether there is proof for this optimism or not, the perception is that Gen. Buhari has the military background to arrest the turmoil in the Northeast and prevent the chaos from spreading beyond the troubled region. The crisis of confidence afflicting the country manifested in far away Mali in January 2013 when a combined French and African Union (AU) forces fought to retrieve the country from Islamists and secular Tuareg secessionists who attempted to balkanise Mali. Nigeria was among the countries that offered troops. But

• Obasanjo

• Babangida

• Dasuki

New York Times: Jonathan leads corrupt govt

“M

R. Jonathan, who leads a corrupt government that has little credibility, initially played down (Boko Haram’s) threat and claimed security forces were in control. ”It wasn’t until Sunday, more than two weeks after the (Chibok) kidnappings, that he called a meeting of government officials, including the leader of the girls’ school, to discuss the incident... “Three weeks after their horrifying abduction in Nigeria, 276 of the more than 300 girls who were taken from a school by armed militants are still missing, possibly sold into slavery or married off.

”Nigerian security forces apparently do not know where the girls are and the country’s President, Goodluck Jonathan, has been shockingly slow and inept at addressing this monstrous crime.” “...The reaction of Mr. Jonathan’s wife, Patience, was stunningly callous; according to state news media, she told one of the protest leaders, ‘You are playing games. Don’t use schoolchildren and women for demonstrations again’.” •Excerpted from New York Times on President Jonathan (May 6, 2014)

Washington Post: Chibok girls’ abduction echoes frustration with Fed Govt

“I

T was the social media campaign of the year. #BringBackOurGirls awoke the world to the ravages of Boko Haram, an al-Qaeda-linked terror group in Nigeria, and the plight of the millions of people who live in the midst of their insurgency. “At the heart of the message were hundreds of missing schoolgirls, abducted in April from the remote village of Chibok by Boko Haram fighters who vowed to turn them into slaves. “The #BringBackOurGirls hostage channelled sympathy from abroad and local outrage and concern in Nigeria, with many angry at the government of Presiwhen the war began, Nigerian troops were assigned guard duties, while Chadian troops, whom the French believed were more reliable and wellsuited for desert warfare, were deployed in the frontlines. Humiliated, Nigeria withdrew its troops. It was a warning to Nigerian authorities that a lot had gone wrong with its military and security policy. But little was done until Boko Haram exposed the Nigerian military’s underbelly. The economy has suffered bigger turbulence than any other sector, leading to a far worse perception of the Jonathan government as incapable of dealing with, responding to, and anticipating the crisis, a crisis accentuated by unfavourable international economic environment. Assailed by pension fund thieves, fuel subsidy racketeers, incomplete remittance of oil receipts to government treasury, the Nigerian economy has reeled drunkenly from side to side from declining oil prices, corruption and mismanagement. With many states unable to pay their workers as and when due, the economy now totters dangerously on the brink. Social chaos is only a hair’s breadth away. The fragile semblance of stability is sustained only by hope that Febru-

dent Goodluck Jonathan for being unable to free the captured women... “It (The campaign) echoed the larger frustrations of a society that has little faith in its political leadership. It is fed up with endemic corruption and wants genuine reform and better governance. “Boko Haram is a fanatical, murderous outfit, but its insurgency gained sway in a region that has been historically marginalised and neglected by Nigeria’s central government.” •Excerpted from Washington Post on Jonathan (September 9, 2014)

ary’s electoral outcomes would serve as both a useful nodyne and catharsis. No one feels this sense of despondency much keener than Nigerians in the U.S. and Europe. They are at the receiving end of international ridicule for the acute failings of the Nigerian government. The inurement Nigerians at home feel against the consequences of leadership failure, perhaps because their senses have been deadened against the pains and afflictions of poor governance and leadership, is absent among Nigerians abroad. They are consequently more united in their perception of the present government as an unmitigated failure, and have scorned the Jonathan government with near perfect unanimity. That unanimity may not have been transferred back to Nigeria, but it is a barometer of how the government is perceived abroad and why there is no one to stand up in defence of the country and its government against the rampant insults they attract in the foreign media. Nigerians’ poor perception of their government is exacerbated by the ridicule Nigeria and the Jonathan government are subjected to everywhere, even in Africa. When Nigeria

asked for international help to rescue the abducted Chibok schoolgirls, Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni, himself a dictator of sorts, spoke to Ugandans about the impotence of the Jonathan government: “I have never called the UN to guard your security. Me, Yoweri Museveni, to say that I have failed to protect my people and I call in the UN….I would rather hang myself,..We prioritised national security by developing a strong army, otherwise our Uganda would be like DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo), South Sudan, Somalia or Nigeria where militias have disappeared with school children. It would be a vote of no confidence to our country and citizens if we can’t guarantee our security, what kind of persons would we be?...It would be a mistake for the government of Nigeria to negotiate with these people. The most important thing is to defeat them, then negotiations can come after that.” It was evident that even in Africa, Nigeria is thought of poorly. For a country that used to offer the continent leadership and largely defined its tastes and international relations direction, such as when it enunciated the Concert of Medium Powers, the

‘

low esteem in which it is held and its political decline are particularly galling. Nigeria has never had it so bad. In March last year, Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe also sneered at Nigeria and its government, an abuse not lost on Nigerians at home and abroad. Speaking on corruption in Nigeria during his birthday bash in Harare, Mr Mugabe says: “Are we now like Nigeria where you have to reach your pocket to get anything done...You see we used to go to Nigeria and every time we went there we had to carry extra cash in our pockets to corruptly pay for everything. You get into a plane in Nigeria and you sit there and the crew keeps dilly-dallying without taking off as they wait for you to pay them to fly the plane.” President Jonathan has himself not helped matters. Both he and his party have vaingloriously attempted to infuse sectarian politics into the Nigerian body politic. That tactics has however recorded dubious success. Some notable religious leaders have been converted to the Jonathan presidency’s strange theology, but many others have become persuaded of the potential of sectarian politics to wreak havoc on the country’s unity, stability and progress. Indeed, the use of sectarian tactics has had the unintended consequence of worsening the perception of the Jonathan presidency as frighteningly inured to the catastrophic impact of religious politics in parts of the world convulsed by intolerance and other forms of imported and domestic extremism. As the presidential election draws near, these perceptions have become even more unflattering and disturbing. Compounded by world media attention and opinion, much of it scathingly critical of President Jonathan’s handling of the Nigerian crisis, the negative perceptions have virtually undermined the Jonathan presidential campaign, making his best efforts, past achievements, modest gains in key areas of the economy and society pale into insignificance. More past heads of state, including Olusegun Obasanjo and Ibrahim Babangida, have openly endorsed the rival opposition candidate, Gen Buhari. There seems to be no respite for the President. And as perceptions harden against him, with many voters’ minds already made up, the opposition seems set to harvest protest votes springing from the electorate’s fear of a worstcase scenario unfolding upon Nigeria.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2015

NEWS

Buhari: Nigeria needs good governance now

RESIDENTIAL candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Gen. Muhammadu Buhari has emphasised that next month’s general election provides Nigeria the best opportunity to embrace good governance by voting out the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which, he said, has provided Nigerians the worst form of leaders in last 16 years. Gen. Buhari, who spoke when he received the National Executive Committee of the Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM), said Nigerians cannot afford to allow the PDP retain power. Nigeria, he said, would be in trouble, if they allowed the PDP to win next month’s elections. The APC presidential candidate, who expressed fate in the resilience of Nigerians, said that Nigeria was the only country in the world that could pass through what the nation is currently going through and survive, stressing that some other nations would have disappeared. While hailing the leadership of the PDM for their decision, Buhari said: “I am extremely pleased to receive you with such an articulated document from your party, which you have produced. “This is an extremely pleasing day for me to get you on our side. It is a major achievement because I know your ca-

From Tony Akowe, Abuja

pacity to analyse situations and arrive at a credible conclusion. This has been displayed by how you got your system to agree with you and for you to come along, leading your party to align yourself with the APC. “We have tried to urge you earlier on through your senior colleague in the match, the Turaki of Adamawa, and the deafening silence worried me to the extent that it was really a torture for a long time because he did not come back to tell me what you were thinking. Now that you have turned up, I am extremely happy because it is not a mean achievement. “What you have said summarises the problems of this country. You have looked carefully and found out that this year, 2015, whichever way politicians and the elite look at it; it is another time or watershed in our political system. “If we get it wrong this time, and allow the PDP to go again for the next four years, this country is going to be in trouble. Right now, with the unfortunate event of crumbling oil price, the economy is really in a mess. “Coupled with insecurity, it is only a country like Nigeria that can survive and get out of this situation we are in. A lot of countries will just disappear either from the map or from the political equation of

nation-states.” He added: “But Nigerians are so resilient to the extent that there are international personalities who could not understand Nigeria still exist. “There was a former UN Secretary General who said that if he retires, he will go to Nigeria because, according to him, what was happening to Nigeria, no other country can go through it and survive. “The 16 years of PDP has been hell. Remember that we use to have Nigeria Airways, Nigeria Railways and Nigeria Shipping Line. Try and find out how much we spend on power in the last 16 years from the vast resources we accumulate over that period, because the price of oil went up to $142 per barrel. What did we do with that money? We said that we paid debts with billions of naira. “If that were put into infrastructure like power, roads, railways, farming etc, the amount of jobs it will create would be enormous. Today, some of our youths have become danger to the society because of lack of jobs. I hope

the elite will properly document these 16 years as presenting the worst leadership this country has ever witnessed. “We welcome you very sincerely for identifying with us and deciding to come and match along with us to make sure that we improve our lot as a people and as a nation state”. On the decision of some Nigerians to take him to court over his certificate issue, he said: “I not surprised, this is Nigeria. If people are serious about these issues, they ought to have listened to the legal adviser of INEC. This is the fourth time I am running for this office. INEC, by law, has gotten those documents and that anybody who has different idea should go to court. They are now in court. So, let them remain there.” The National Chairman of PDM, Bashir Yusuf Ibrahim, said they decided to support Gen. Buhari for the presidency because they believed that the time has come when the citizens should throw their weight behind him because of his record of service.

EU laments failure by Nigeria to implement election reforms From Vincent Ikuomola, Abuja

HE European Union Election Observation Mission (EUEOM) has expressed concern over non-implementation of the election reform recommendations put forward after the 2011 general elections. According to the EUEOM, only one of the 50 recommendations was adhered to, which is the adoption of the Freedom of Information law. The team has been in the country since November to monitor next month’s general elections at the instance of the Federal Government. Leader of the group and member of the European Parliament from Spain, Santiago Fisas Ayxela, told reporters in Abuja at a news briefing that the mission “made 50 recommendations from the last elections in 2011 in relation to legal reforms and no such recommendations have been undertaken, except for the Freedom of Information Act.” He also claimed that the errors observed in the previous election, which formed the basis for the recommendations, were still in place. He said: “And the problems continued. But at least, the important recommendation has been accepted. But there are other important ones that have not been passed by the Nigerian parliament.” He, however, stressed that it was incumbent on Nigeria to either adopt the recommendations or throw them away, given that it was an independent state. Ayxela also refused to give assessment of what the team had observed in the country’s electoral system, preferring to give assessment after the whole exercise. His words: “The European Union has a development a methodology that is very comprehensive. We are here for a national coverage and not just one day coverage.”

Jonathan, others criticise Maku at PDP rally •President rules out Sambo as successor

PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan; President of the Senate, David Mark; and a former Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ahmadu Ali, criticised a former Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku, yesterday. Maku’s offence: He dumped the PDP for the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA). While Jonathan described Maku’s action as anti-party, Mark said the former minister was a liar while Ali described him as an ingrate. They spoke at the Lafia Township Stadium during the PDP presidential rally. Jonathan said there was no truth in the former minister’s claim that he (the President) encouraged him to join APGA. The president said he could not be involved in anti-party activities. He said he did not at any time have any discussion or encourage Maku to join another party. He said PDP did not encourage anti-party activities and he, as the leader, would never flout the party’s rules and regulations. Mark, on his part, said Maku had to apologise and retrace his steps before he could be accepted back into the party. “Don’t be deceived by any son of yours that says he has been put in another party to run for the governorship. Mr. President is PDP from top to bottom,” he said. The Senate President said the Northcentral was solidly behind the president and would vote for him because he has brought democracy dividends to bear on the region . Ali also described Maku as an ingrate, saying despite using the platform of the party to rise to stardom, he jumped the ship because of greed. He said the president had never asked anybody to join any party to canvass for him, saying Maku’s intention was to smear the image of Jonathan and portray him as a religious bigot. He accused Maku of dropping the president’s name in his bid to realise his ambition, which he insisted would never happen because he lacked the required integrity. Ali said Maku’s people now treated him with disdain because he did not portray leadership qualities. The president also ruled out having Vice President Namadi Sambo as his successor, saying the next Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president must be below 60 years He told the rally that his administration believed in the youth and would do everything possible to support the younger generation. “Obasanjo was president at 70, Yar’Adua at 60 and me close to 60. So, the next president must be younger than me,” Jonathan said. The vice president is already 60 years old. Jonathan said the PDP administration would invest in the younger generation and ensure that a space was made available for them in the future. He explained that his administration had taken keen interest in educational development, which, he said, was the yardstick for developing the younger generation.

•Lagos State Governor Mr Babatunde Fashola SAN (second left) greeting his deputy, Princess Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire (middle) at the celebration of Fashola’s administration’s 2,800 days in office at LTV Complex Blue Roof, Ikeja, Lagos...yesterday. With them from left are: Lagos State All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode; Oba of Lagos Akiolu PHOTO: OMOSEHIN MOSES. Babatunde Rilwan and former Secretary to the State Government Dr. Oluranti Adebule.

Fani-Kayode denies tampering with e-mail document on Buhari From Gbade Ogunwale, Assistant Editor, Abuja

•Fani-Kayode

HE Director of Media and Publicity of President Goodluck Jonathan’s campaign organisation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, has denied tampering with an electronic mail sent to Sadiq Alabi by the Cambridge University Archives. The mail was in respect of the certificate of the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Gen. Muhammadu Buhari. Alabi’s friend, Suraj Oyewale, had accused Fani-Kayode of manipulating the email by altering some of the contents for sinister reasons. The original e-mail sent to Alabi by Cambridge Archives Delivery Officer, Jacky Emerson, confirmed that the institution offered Hausa language in its West African School Cer-

tificate in 1961. Oyewale accused FaniKayode of doctoring the email and inserting extraneous contents which tended to denigrate the person and reputation of Gen. Buhari. But, Fani-Kayode denied tampering with the e-mail. A statement yesterday by his aide, Mr. Sufuyan Ojeifo, said the PDP presidential campaign’s spokesman was not aware of the existence of the e-mail. The statement said: “Chief Fani-Kayode wishes to state clearly that he never issued a statement signed by him in his capacity as spokesperson of the PDP Presidential Campaign, neither did he address a press conference nor briefing where he referred to the Cambridge document in question. He also did not validate the content of the said document on any occasion. “As far as he is concerned, he, as a person, does not know of the existence of the said Cambridge e-mail document

and what the content is all about. He never commented on the content of the document and therefore how that translated into forgery beats the imagination. To be clear, he has not been in touch with Cambridge to request for any information in respect of the issue in question. “What he has done, especially during his last press conference on General Buhari’s published statement of result was to make assertions to the effect that the statement of result was forged and illegally procured; and had called on the police to track down the masterminds of the forgery. “For the record, it is important to state that the media report on which the allegation of manipulation against Chief Femi Fani-Kayode was grounded happens to be the THISDAY news report of Monday, January 26, 2015 with the headline “Certificate Saga: Hausa Language Was Not Offered in 1961, says Report. “The news report was apparently muddled up in its facts and presentation in paragraph 13 wherein it said that

Chief Fani-Kayode claimed that he came across an e-mail dated Thursday, January, 2015 from the institution’s (Cambridge) Archives Delivery Service Officer, Jacky Emerson, to one Sodiq Alabi who requested confirmation if the examination body offered Hausa Language in the 1961 West African Examination it organised. “It is hereby categorically stated that there is no such press statement anywhere in the whole wide world signed by Chief Fani-Kayode, wherein he made any such claim. “The other references to Chief Fani-Kayode in the THISDAY news report were a recall or tie-back of all that he said at his press conference in Abuja last Thursday on the forged statement of result purported to be General Buhari’s. “The allegation of manipulation against Chief FaniKayode is, therefore, indicative of desperation by the opposition who should have spoken to the issue of whether or not General Buhari has a certificate or not”.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2015

NEWS

PDP to APC: learn issue-based campaign from us

HE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has denied the All Progressives Congress’ (APC) allegation that it was not dwelling on issue-based campaign, saying it is the latter which had refused to practise what it was preaching. Its National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, in a statement yesterday, noted that while the PDP had been showcasing its achievements, the APC could not.

The statement reads: “It is indeed public knowledge that the PDP campaigns, statement and utterances of our officials have always focused on issues that promote the development, unity and prosperity of our nation.” The PDP added that in line with its ideology, it had based its campaigns on record of verifiable achievements and roadmap for a more prosperous future in line with the vi-

sions of its founding fathers. “For instance, in the last four weeks, our press statements and rallies have focused on profiling the performance of our administration, showcasing to Nigerians with facts and figures, the achievements of President Goodluck Jonathan in key sectors of the economy, including education, where we have ensured greater access to quality learning

through special interventions such as the Back To School programme, the Almajiri system of education, establishment of new universities and a host of other programmes; in transport, where we have revived the railways and the inland waterways as well as the massive investments in road infrastructure and power. “Also, we have been outlining our performance in health and agriculture,

where we have achieved increased life expectancy and reduction in food import; in economy, where we have become the largest in Africa and the third fastest growing in the world with Nigerian private enterprises thriving in all sectors. This is in addition to our effort in ensuring the stability of our nation through strict adherence to the rule of law and guaranteed personal freedom, which Nigerians now enjoy.

EFCC secures 126 convictions, says spokesman

HE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said it secured 126 convictions last year. It added that it was a significant improvement on that of

From Chris Oji, Enugu

2013, when it recorded 117 convictions. The commission said contrary to insinuations in some

quarters that the war against graft had been compromised under President Goodluck Jonathan, 243 convictions had been recorded in the past two years. The commission ex-

plained that there was no more safe haven for corrupt Nigerians anywhere in the world, saying it had entered into joint working agreements with about 20 entities in Africa, Europe, Asia and America.

“Similarly, President Jonathan has also focused on his achievements and laudable plans for the future to the admiration of majority of citizens, who have also endorsed him for re-election. This is also the case in the campaigns of all other candidates of our great party across board.” It added: “The APC has failed to articulate any manifesto to back up its much orchestrated change slogan.”

Youths say no to polls’ shift From Tony Akowe, Abuja

COALITION of youth organisations, under the auspices of Nigerian Youths on Credible Elections, has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure that next month’s elections are held as planned. The group staged a protest against calls for the postponement of the elections as canvassed by the National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki, insisting that a shift in the election date would mean disenfranchising the Nigerian youth. Their spokesperson, Zainab Galadima, said there were indications that government was plotting a postponement of the election, despite assurances by President Goodluck Jonathan that the May 29 handover date was sacrosanct. She said they became suspicious of government intentions after the NSA suggested that there was need to shift the polls due to insecurity and the need to ensure adequate distribution of the Permanent Voter Cards (PVC).

India to establish cancer, eye hospitals in Abuja

NDIA said it will establish two specialist hospitals in Nigeria to meet the medical needs of over 20,000 Nigerians, who travel to the country yearly for treatment. Indian High Commissioner in Nigeria Mr. Ajjampur Ghanashuam said this at the celebration of the 66th India Republic Day 2015 in Abuja. He said the two hospitals would specialise in cancer and eye treatments. Ghanashuam added that the cancer centre, which is being located in Abuja, had already reached an advanced stage of completion. He said India was renowned for advancement in medicine and that the country was prepared to make the same high quality medical service available to Nigerians.

•From left: Deputy Editor, THISDAY Eddy Odivwri and his wife, Florence; Delta State State Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan; President of Nigeria Guild of Editors Femi Adesina; Publisher of Posterity Media, O’Femi Kolawole; and former Ekiti State Governor Otunba Niyi Adebayo, at the presentation of the book: “The Pains of a Country”, written by Odivwri, in Lagos...yesterday.

Obasanjo, Balarabe, others for Black Man’s Dilemma

PHOTOS: ADEJO DAVID.

From Tayo Johnson, Ibadan

NBA: Fed Govt should be more transparent on FoI

RESIDENT of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) Augustine Alegeh has deplored the manner the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act was being handled. Alegeh urged the Federal Government to be more transparent in releasing essential information to the public under the FOI Act. Alegeh spoke in Abuja at a two-day FOI Act Implementer’s Strategy meeting. He emphasised the need to

From Gbenga Omokhunu, Abuja

get vital information about governance to enhance development and transparency. The NBA boss acknowledged that judges and many lawyers were still learning how to apply the FOI Act, adding that implementation of the Act was critical. NBA, he said, was leaving no stone unturned in ensuring that the legal profession was properly grounded towards

the implementation of the Act. His words: “The challenge for me is that none of us have experience on FOI matters. That is a need to amend certain sections of the Act. We must amend those sections that are problematic in the Act to remove areas of conflict so that the implementation of the Act would be able to achieve the desired objective. “Our judges are like us; we are all learning how to apply the Act. A lot of the judges, it is

when you file that they are seeing the Act for the first time. Judges should be more educated on the FOI Act. “We are also engaging government and other stakeholders to let them know that the FOI Act create certain obligations on them to have officers specially designated to attend to FOI matters, to receive training on FOI matters and for them to keep records of certain transactions because you never know what a request will be generated.”

PFN urges INEC to release PVCs

ENTECOSTAL Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) has urged the National Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, and his team to release the remaining Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) to the rightful owners to avoid disenfranchising eligible voters. Speaking at a news conference organised by PFN at The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM) in Gbagada/Anthony Oke, Lagos State, its biennial conference’s Local Organising Committee Chairman, Pastor Austen Ukachi, said Prof. Jega and his workers should fear the Lord in the interest of the nation and posterity as they conduct

By Olatunde Odebiyi

next month’s election. He said the briefing was organised to comment on the state of the nation and preparation for the PFN 13th National Delegates Biennial conference coming up in Lagos from February 4 - 6 at TREM. The cleric urged politicians to be patriotic and abide by the rule of the game as spelt out in the electoral laws. “They should eschew corruption, political violence and sharp practices. No Nigerian blood should be sacrificed on the altar of political ambition,” Pastor Ukachi said. He appealed to the Federal Government, the law enforcement agents and the state

governments to ensure that they protect and take care of citizens to ensure that they live in peace. The cleric urged youths to stay away from violence and not to be used as instruments or as weapons in the hands of politicians, “who will mainly use them and after the elections dump them”. “Youths should pursue goals and ambition in life, rather than to be vulnerable to the politicians who are there to exploit their situation and circumstance to their advantage,” Pastor Ukachi added. Pastor Ukachi said the coming conference will be an opportunity to pray for the nation, adding that “great

ORMER President Olusegun Obasanjo and other elder statesmen are expected in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, today to honour a former Editor of Daily Times, Chief Areoye Oyebola, for the launch of a revised edition of a book, Black Man’s Dilemma. The book, which was first published in 1976 by Oyebola, a renowned author, teacher, economist and journalist, has been described as a unique and timeless book for Nigerian graduates, academics, undergraduates, professionals, public office holders, politicians and general readers. Addressing reporters yesterday in Ibadan, Oyebola, flanked by members of the Movement for Nigeria’s Total Transformation (MNTT), said the public presentation/launching of the revised second edition of the book and colloquium on “A review of Africa’s Leadership Crisis and its Implications on Development,” holds at 9am at the Kakanfo Inn, Joyce B road, Ibadan. He regretted that Nigeria as the most populated black nation in the world had not been blessed with the type of leader that could lead the country out of the multifaceted problems confronting it.

Marketing Edge greets Shobanjo at 70

A Prof. Jega

men of God from within and outside the country will be at the conference to speak the word of God and lead series of prayers as we trust God for the elections to be smooth, fair and to build Nigeria of our dreams.

LEADING brand marketing and advertising magazine, Marketing Edge, has congratulated the Chairman, Troyka Group, Mr. Biodun Shobanjo, on his 70th birthday, saying the “advertising icon is a rare gift to humanity”. “Great men are real men, for in them nature has truly succeeded,” the magazine’s Publisher and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. John Ajayi, said in a statement, quoting Henri Frederic Amiel, a Swiss poet and philosopher to describe the achievements of the advertising guru. The publisher, who led his team on a congratulatory visit and presentation of gifts to mark Shobanjo’s birthday, said the advertising icon’s life was encapsulated by the Amiel Frederic axiom. “What else can we say? Amiel has said it all and we at Marketing Edge cannot agree less with the Swiss poet that you are indeed a great man and of course the real man in whom nature’s work has truly succeeded.” He stated Shobanjo’s outstanding career and pathfinder role in the nation’s integrated marketing communications sector “set him apart as a trustee of history and posterity as well as the benchmark through which future generations would assess the present generation”.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2015

NEWS Processional campaign banned

HE police yesterday banned processional campaign in Ogun and warned political parties and candidates to abide by the ban or face prosecution. The police also banned the use of uniformed personnel like operatives of Vigilance Group, Task Force officers as well as state-owned Traffic Compliance Agency – TRACEother than police officers during campaign rallies. The Deputy Commissioner of Police (Operations), Akpoebi Egbuson, gave the warning in Abeokuta, the state capital, yesterday while addressing leadership of the political parties.

From Ernest Nwokolo, Abeokuta

Egbuson said the ban was predicated on the need to forestall electoral violence and other actions, such as mutilation or defacing campaign posters and billboards. He said the ban on the use of uniformed operatives besides the police was in compliance with the directives of the inspectorgeneral of Police (IG). Egbuson advised parties to educate their members and supporters to ensure that ethnic factor, tribes and religion of contestants were not used as basis for campaigning against or in favour of party and candidates.

Makinde to donate salary to pensioners

HE governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Oyo State, Oluseyi Makinde, has promised to donate his salaries to teachers’ pensions, if elected. He made the promise while addressing teachers from five local governments during his campaign in Saki, Saki West Local Government Area. Makinde held a town hall meeting with teachers from Saki East, Saki West, Atisbo, Oorelope and Irepo local governments of Oke-Ogun.

From Bisi Oladele, Ibadan

The governorship candidate said he knew what the teachers were passing through, adding that his donation would mitigate the waiting period for their gratuity and pension. The governorship candidate later met with the Okere-in-Council, Baale Gaji, Baale Iya, members of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs in Oke-Ogun and the Saki branch of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN).

Amosun’s group alleges sale of PVCs

Striking health workers storm Ibadan Strike paralyses Ekiti varsity hospital

•Strike goes on

HE industrial action by members of the Nigerian Union of Allied Health Professionals (NUAHP) and the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) yesterday took a new dimension as the striking health workers stormed Ibadan, the Oyo State capital. They vowed to continue the over three months strike, until the government responds to their demands. The workers, led by the National President of the Nigeria Society of Physiotherapy, Dr Taiwo Oyewumi of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, declared that President Goodluck Jonathan had been fed with lies on the strike. Adewumi warned the Federal Government not to withhold the salaries of the striking workers, saying such method would aggravate the situation. Many lives, he said, have been lost, while all government hospitals have been deserted, leaving patients in agony. Addressing reporters at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Adewumi said the workers were aware of the plan to frustrate their efforts

LINICAL services at the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital (EKSUTH) were paralysed yesterday, following the decision of the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) to join the nationwide strike by health workers. The workers decided not to join the JOHESU nationwide strike, which began last November, following an appeal by Governor Ayo Fayose. They also decided to wait for the accreditation visit of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria and the National Universities Commission (NUC) to accredit the university’s college of medicine. A source said the national body threatened to sanction the local chapter for failing to join the strike. From Oseheye Okwuofu, Ibadan

to press home their demands. He said the workers were eager to return to work but were yet to receive the Federal Government’s circular that would formalise the agreements reached. “We are aware of the effect of the strike. This is because hospital services require team work. No profession can stand on its own unless the teams work together as a unit. “The eight-point demands of JOHESU and Nigerian Union of Allied Health Professionals are still the same but it is disappointing that

From Odunayo Ogunmola, Ado-Ekiti

A visit to the wards yesterday showed that pharmacists, nurses, radiologists and other health professionals stayed away from work to join the strike. Many patients were turned back because there were no workers to attend to them. In a related development, members of the Federal Teaching Hospital (FTH), Ido-Ekiti, staged a peaceful protest over what they called “the non-readiness of the Federal Government to implement a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) reached with the union”. The protesters condemned the non-payment of the adjusted salary arrears which they claimed has been paid to medical doctors.

the government has refused to do the right thing. “Since the declaration, there have been meetings with government representatives. Six meetings were held between October 15 and December 24, last year. “The minister of Labour and Productivity, who presided over the December 22 meeting, promised to meet President Goodluck Jonathan to get approval leading to the issuance of circulars on the said matters. “Of the 10 circulars we are expecting, only one was issued which is the one concerning consultant status of other

health professionals. We are ready to call off the strike but it seems the President is being fed with wrong information on the effect of the strike.” Adewumi said the workers have rejected some of the recommendations of the Yayale Ahmed Report because some of the issues raised were matters pending in court. “The Yayale Ahmed Report duplicated duties and that is one of the reasons why we rejected it. We rejected the office of the Surgeon General so there is no reason for the report to introduce or recommend it again.”

HE Senator Ibikunle Amosun Campaign Organisation (SIACO) has raised the alarm on the alleged buying of voter cards in Ogun State. In a statement by its Chairman, Media & Publicity Committee, Femi Sowoolu, the group said: “It is very important to note that the act of purchasing Permanent Voter Cards from potential voters is illegal and have the potential of compromising the electoral process. “It is equally a provocative act capable of undermining the freedom of choice of the voters. We, therefore, call on security agencies to investigate the act and bring the perpetrators to book. That is the only thing that can ensure we have a credible, peaceful and free elections in our state. “We also affirm that we are in possession of credible evidence confirming that APC posters, banners and billboards are being removed, defaced and destroyed by criminal elements in certain parts of the state. In some instances, these campaign materials are being replaced with that of other political party candidates in a provocative manner. “We must make note that while any such purchased PVC’s may not be transferable, the intention of those buying them off the original owners is to reduce the votes in the opposition strongholds and improve the chances of their own party at the polls.”

Fayose marks 100 days in office

KITI State Governor Ayo Fayose inaugurated yesterday some projects to mark his 100 days in office with a pledge to resolve to deliver on his electoral promises. Some of the projects include rehabilitated Matthew Road, Awedele Road, Bisi Egbeyemi Market, drainages on Ajilosun Road, all in AdoEkiti, the state capital. Others are 12 ambulances, 19 patrol vehicles for security agencies, 20 motorbikes, three tractors and 12 waste vehicles. The governor said his ad-

From Odunayo Ogunmola, Ado-Ekiti

ministration needed N7.5 billion to settle arrears of salaries, bonuses and cooperative deductions. He said despite the huge debts inherited from the former administration, he had executed some projects and would ensure the prompt payment of salaries. “We have about N7.8 billion obligations to workers. The obligations were left behind by the former administration. There is over N2 billion leave bonus.”

Osun deploys officers to control posts

HE Osun State government has deployed its veterinary officers to man the control posts at entry points into the state to prevent the spread of Avian Influenza. The government has approved the purchase of chemicals to fumigate farms in the state. Speaking at a seminar organised by the state chapter of the Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN) in collaboration with Tuns Farms on the prevention of bird flu, Governor Rauf Aregbesola, represented by his Chief of Staff, Adegboyega Oyetola, said the government took the steps to

From Adesoji Adeniyi, Osogbo

ensure that that there would be no case of Avian Influenza in the state. He said “You would recollect that when the disease became epidemic in Nigeria in 2006, there was no single case in our state. In our bid to prevent the recent alerts in some states, we have approved the purchase of chemicals to fumigate all farms in the state. “I have also directed the Veterinary Department in the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security to deploy all its officers to man all the control posts in and out of the state.”

•Osun State Deputy Governor Mrs. Titi Laoye-Tomori receiving an Award of Icon of Christian Faith from the State Chairman Osun Christian Association of Nigeria (OSCAN), Rev. Elijah Ogundiya. With them is Chief of Staff to the Governor Gboyega Oyetola (middle) and a cleric.

LASU-ASUU factions disagree on protest

WO factions of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Lagos State University Chapter, are bickering, following a planned protest today. A faction, led by Interim Chairman Asokere Idris, yesterday held a briefing at LASU, Ojo Campus, urging the university community not to support the planned rally by the Lagos Zone (encompassing University of Lagos (UNILAG), LASU, and Olabisi Onabanjo University, OOU). The Lagos zone at a briefing at the UNILAG-ASUU secretariat said the rally would hold to pressure Governor Babatunde Fashola to intervene in the problems in LASU, particularly the alleged witch-hunting of ASUU members by the Vice Chan-

•Lagos zone insists protest must hold By Miriam Ekene-Okoro, Medinat Kanabe and Jane Chijioke

cellor, Prof John Obafunwa. Zonal Coordinator, ASUU Lagos Zone, Dr Adesola Nassir, said the union do not recognise the Asokere-led faction, stating that Dr Adekunle Idris, whose PhD was withdrawn by the university in a controversial manner, remain the true ASUU-LASU executive. He said: "We will be staging a rally with other civil society groups to further call the attention of the people in Lagos State and Governor Babatunde Fashola government to the brewing crisis at LASU. "If the crisis is not arrested we are certain the consequence will not be in the in-

terest of the Lagos State government. For the umpteenth time therefore, we are asking the governor and Visitor to call the VC to order. The alternative is to watch the school snowball into more crisis with the attendant implications." Asokere, at the LASU briefing, said there was total accord in the university, except for the external elements trying to instigate some aggrieved members of the union to foment trouble and destabilise its system. He said: "I want to quickly address the call to a protest march slated for today by Comrade Aremu of JAF. “Many text messages have been circulated in the last few days by an unknown Dr. Id-

ris, giving reasons for the protest. "Some of the reasons given were victimisation of students and lecturers. “Secondly, they cited an intention to increase LASU school fees and thirdly they mentioned disruption of academic freedom. We are constrained to state that such a rally is not justified." He explained that there was no plan to increase the university tuition fees, or records of any member being victimised. "Students need to be informed that political thuggery may come in different guises, including this one that wears the cloak of a peaceful rally. Parents are advised not to allow their children and wards to be used by agents of political parties, who are disguising to be unionists."

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2015

NEWS I’ll run a humane govt, says Folarin

By Jeremiah Oke

YO State deserves masses oriented government that will encourage a small scale business and care for senior citizens, the governorship candidate of the People Democratic Party (PDP), Teslim Folarin, has said. He said if elected, he will run a humane government that will make life more meaningful for the people and empower women. Folarin, who spoke to party supporters at Olomi in Ibadan yesterday, promised to create job opportunity for the youth. “Our people are business oriented in Oyo State. Most of our parents use a little money they to sponsor our education. Is it good to start destroying their shops? That is why we are appealing to you to vote for a party that will not destroy your house. “The government has failed you. Vote them out. Oyo State people deserve a humane government and that is what we are bringing to the state. We are going to build more markets, more shops and empower our youths. “We have a scheme to take care of the senior citizens. The youth, traders, aged and the less privileged are the priority of our government.” The party chairman, Yinka Taiwo, assured the people that the party will conduct local government election in less than two months, if elected. From left: Chief Executive Officer, Zakat and Sadaqat Foundation (ZSF), Imam Abdullahi Shuaib, Chief Executive Officer, Jaiz Charity Development Foundation, Ambassador Adamu Babangida Ibrahim and Executive Director (Sales) Bua International, Alhaji Ibrahim Yaro at the 10 th Zakat Distribution in Akoka, Lagos

Cholera kills eight in Anambra

Fashola urges Jonathan to caution aides over inflammatory statements

HOLERA has killed eight people in Anambra West Local Government. The Commissioner for Health, Dr. Josephat Akabuike, confirmed the outbreak yesterday in Awka while briefing reporters. Akabuike, who took delivery of drugs and equipment donated to the government by a Lagos–based pharmaceutical company, Superior Pharmaceutical Company Ltd, said 25 cases were being managed by a team of health workers in the state. He said doctors had been drafted to the affected communities to control the spread. Akabuike said government had directed the sinking of boreholes to provide potable water. He said government discovered that the source of water in the area was unhygienic. Officials of the Ministry of Health have sent a truck- load of water to the people, even as an enlightenment campaign has begun to educate the people on the symptoms of the infection. Miss Ruth Harrison, who led the pharmaceutical company’s workers, said the company supported the programme, following the outbreak of the disease.

From Nwanosike Onu, Awka

AGOS State Governor Babatunde Fashola has condemned the reported attacks on President Goodluck Jonathan’s convoy in Bauchi State and other parts of the country, saying nobody has the right to attack the President. The governor also urged the President to dissociate himself from inflammatory and derogatory statements being made in his name, noting that such statements could incite attacks against him. Fashola, who said this during the commemoration of his 2,800 days in office, at the Blue Roof, Lagos Television, Ikeja, added that the President has the right to campaign anywhere in country. The governor said such attacks must be condemned if the country would move forward. He noted that the Bauchi State Governor, Mallam Isa Yuguda accused some members of the Peoples Democrat-

By Miriam Ekene-Okoro

ic Party (PDP) of planning the attack on the president’s convoy, and not APC members. The governor said: “Let me be clear on that. He has a right like anybody to move freely around, especially at his campaign time; and this is not about violence. The vote is really the choice that we need to make. “But look at what the president campaign has done. They started campaigning before INEC said it was time. As if that was not bad enough, some people have come out to say that if the president loses, heavens will fall. “Now, it is not the president saying so; but it’s being said on his behalf. For me, if somebody is true to a peace accord, he must disclaim those statements.” On the peace accord signed by the president and the presi-

dential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), he noted that what was signed was a mere gentleman agreement, saying: “What is important is the conduct thereafter”. “Like I said, it is not the agreement that people make that is important, as the honour with which they make them. “Some of the best agreements that have been made in contracts have created disputes that lawyers have gone to courts over. And some things have been done without any formal documentation. Men and women just shake hands and give their words in honour and say we will do this. So, this is important for us to understand.” The governor, who also reeled out his achievements, explained that his administration made impacts in the state’s sub-sectors to achieve 83 per

Ohanaeze youths disown Jonathan

HANAEZE Ndigbo Youth Wing yesterday disowned President Goodluck Jonathan. It cited abandonment and unfulfilled promises as reasons. The group gave the President seven days to meet its demands or forget getting its support. Ohanaeze youths spoke after a one-day meeting in Enugu. In a communiqué by the Deputy National President and Publicity Secretary, Arthur Obiora and Obinna Adibe, the body said: “Ohanaeze Youth

From Chris Oji, Enugu

Council wishes to express its displeasure at President Goodluck Jonathan, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, who was nominated by Ohanaeze to be a member of the Jonathan cabinet and other Igbo working with Mr. President, on the shabby and insincere way he has handled issues affecting Ndigbo. “In 2011, it was our structures that were mobilised to ensure that he got 98 per cent of the

NAFDAC urges healthcare providers on vigilance From Tayo Johnson, Ibadan

HE National Agency for Food and Drug Administration Control (NAFDAC) has urged healthcare providers to ensure that they take the lead in the rational use of medicines in all spheres of the healthcare delivery system. The Deputy Director of the agency, Mrs. Yedunni Adenuga, spoke at a lecture titled:” Pharmacovigilance in Nigeria: The role of PV in rational use of medicines”. It was a one-day workshop organised by NAFDAC on the rational use of medicines, in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital. She said pharmacovigilance ensured patient safety by monitoring the use of medicines and putting in place measures to minimise risks and ensure safe and rational use of medicines in the healthcare system. Mrs. Adenuga noted that healthcare providers must ensure rational prescribing and administering of medicines to patients. The Oyo State Coordinator of NAFDAC, Rev. Benjamin Haruna, enjoined healthcare providers to take a lead in entrenching pharmacovigilance and ensure report of any drug reaction to the agency.

Southeast votes and got substantial votes in other parts of the country. Yet, our demands, including the revitalisation of the Enugu colliery, building of a coalfired power plant, construction of the Azumini seaport, acceleration of the dredging/expansion of the Port Harcourt and Calabar seaports, exploration of the oil deposits of Orashi and Anambra river basins, etc have been ignored. “After meeting youths from other parts of the country, who did less for him, President Jonathan snubbed Igbo youths despite efforts to reach him, preferring to associate with Igbo elders, most of who may never vote. “Unemployment has not been addressed, yet hundreds of billions of naira have been spent to empower Ijaw youths through the amnesty programme and other Federal Government initiatives. What have Igbo youths done to merit neglect? “The Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, the only significant project the President executed in the Southeast after over five years, is only international in name, not in practice, since it is yet to get to international standards in terms of runway length and other infrastructure. Hence, major international airlines have shunned it.

cent budget performance. He said his administration made milestones in the areas of powers and electrifications, saying: “We completed the public lighting system on 11-kilometre road network between Ikorodu Road, Jibowu, and Murtala Muhammed Way up to Oyingbo.” Fashola said the public lighting system would help motorists and improve security at night, while affording the traders opportunity to trade far into the night and make more income. He said the government also delivered on the Mainland Independent Power Plant, making it the fourth built by the administration. Other areas, he listed achievements, were in housing, healthcare, judiciary and empowerment of the officers of the Nigeria Police Force, road infrastructure and others.

INEC, NURTW sign logistics pact From Vincent Ikuomola, Abuja

HE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has signed a pact with the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), in a bid to have a seamless transportation of workers and election materials. INEC Chairman Prof. Attahiru Jega and NURTW President Najeem Yasin signed the Memorandum of Understanding in Abuja yesterday. The agreement, according to Prof. Jega, was to ensure that logistic issues, which used to be the bane of the commission on election days are dealt with. He stressed that the collaboration would add value to the electoral process. He added that the objective “is to ensure that men and materials arrived in time before the elections and also to ensure that men and materials return safely at the end of the election.” Yasin assured INEC of the union’s readiness to partner with the commission to ensure free, fair and credible elections.

APGA denies endorsing Ihedioha From Okodili Ndidi, Owerri

HE Imo State chapter of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) has denied endorsing the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Emeka Ihedioha. It said no genuine member would support another candidate other than APGA’s authentic candidate. The Chairman, Mr. Peter Ezeobi, a lawyer, told reporters that the purported endorsement of the PDP governorship candidate by a group of persons claiming to be APGA members was a ruse conceived to defraud the PDP candidate. He said Capt. Emmanuel Ihenacho is APGA’s candidate and the party was determined to ensure he wins the governorship election. Faulting the purported endorsement, the APGA governorship candidate described those behind the action as faceless and impostors. His words: “We don’t have any faction in APGA and we have one governorship candidate, who is my humble self.”

Post-fidau for Alhaja Adeseun holds Saturday

HE eighth-day post-fidau reception for the late Alhaja Fausat Folasade Adeseun will hold on Saturday in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital. Alhaja Adeseun, who died last Friday after a brief illness and was buried the following day according to Islamic rites, was born on February 28, 1941 in Ibadan. After her education in Nursing (NRN) in 1965 and Midwifery (SCM) in 1967, she worked in many hospitals, including Adeoyo State Hospital, Jericho Nursing Home, Oni Memorial Hospital, Ibadan Municipal Maternity, Ipokia Cottage Hospital, Eruwa Hospital and Gbogan/Odeomu Hospital. She retired in 1996 as a chief matron. She was widely travelled and attended courses within and outside the country. The deceased, described by sympathisers, who have been commiserating with her fami-

•The late Alhaja Adeseun

ly as a hard-working, God-fearing, reliable, trustworthy and a caring woman, touched many lives, most of who looked up to her as their role model. She was a virtuous woman and a devout Muslim, who served God diligently during her life. According to a statement by her family, the post-fidau reception would begin at 2pm at GASO Event Centre, British America Tobacco Street, by Ibadan Toll Gate, Lagos/Ibadan Expressway, Ibadan. She is survived by children and grandchildren, among who is Remi Adeseun, the chairman of Rodot Group.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2015

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‘Raped’ teenager delivered of baby

13-year-old girl allegedly raped by a 41year-old man has been delivered of a baby in Lagos. The man was said to have threatened to kill the girl if she told anyone that she was raped. But she was over five months gone before the mother got to know that she was pregnant. The woman was jolted when a doctor told her: “Madam, your daughter is carrying a five months, two weeks’ pregnancy!” A dejected Mrs Mary Oboh looked helpless, wondering who could have put her first child in the family way. “Who is responsible for this?” she asked her daughter. When the girl opened up, the disconsolate mother could not believe her ears: Her fellow worshipper in church was responsible. The girl was delivered of the baby last Saturday at a general hospital in Lagos through Caesarean Section. When The Nation visited the hospital, she was in pains. She nodded her head in response to greetings and found it difficult to speak. Mrs Oboh told The Nation she met the man and his wife in

By Tajudeen Adebanjo

church and became friends. The wife usually keeps cooked food in the Obohs’ freezer, which the man fetch on returning from work. “Sometimes in March, I asked my daughter to take the food to their house when the man called that he was around. On getting there, the man locked the door, raped her and told her not to inform anybody. He said if she said anything, she would die,” Mrs Oboh said. “I have been noticing her for some time. I even asked her when last she saw her period, when her response was not convincing, I took her to a medical centre where we were told that she was not only pregnant but was carrying five months, two weeks old foetus. That same week the man’s wife gave birth. The police later arrested him a day after his child’s naming. Since then, he has been in police custody before he was transferred to Kirikiri because he could not raise fund for his bail,” she said. The grandmother hopes her daughter would recover soon to return to school. “She is a brilliant girl whose desire is to become a medical

doctor; she missed the Junior West African Examination Council (WAEC) due to the pregnancy. I pray she recovers quickly to return to school while I take care of the baby,” said the mother of four. A lawyer and National Coordinator of Women Empowerment and Legal Aid (WELA), Mrs Funmi Falana, who is helping the Oboh family to pursue the case in court blamed the girl’s mother for negligence. “How could you have a girl under you and you couldn’t notice she was pregnant for such a long period. I think the woman is very careless,” she said, adding that the case was already at the Family Court in Ikeja. She said the man's action may not be unconnected to the general moral laxity in the society. She noted: “If you go out, especially along Allen Avenue, you see nude girls there every night hawking their bodies. We also cannot take it away from the general violence in the society.” The WELA coordinator said most rape perpetrators got away with it because of the technicality involved in prosecuting the case. She explained: “You must be versed in this area of the law IGHTS activists have called for an independent investigation to unravel the killers of a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Eyitayo Peters, on Orile Road, Agege, a Lagos suburb. Peter was killed last Thursday. Another supporter of the party, Mr Lanre Ogunjimi, was shot in the waist but was rushed to a nearby hospital.

HE Newspapers Distributors/Vendors Association of Nigeria (NDAN) has declared its support for the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode, in next month’s election. The group made its stand known after a stakeholders’ meeting with management of Vintage Press Limited, publishers of The Nation titles. NDAN National Publicity Secretary and Lagos State Coordinator Deacon Banji Kujenya said APC has made positive impact on their business, hence their decision to go for the party. “This is not the first time we would be doing this. We did it for Asiwaju (Bola Ahmed Tinubu) and Governor Babatunde Fashola. The promises they made have been met. If you look at the infrastructural development in Lagos, it has affected our vendors positively and though, there are still some areas to be improved upon, we are satisfied and we want them to continue in Lagos,” he said. The decision to vote for Ambode and Gen Muhammadu Buhari in the presidential election, Kujenya said, was taken by all. “It has been concluded among our members. We are going out to give all our votes to APC in Lagos State and national; we need a change in Nigeria. So many people are unemployed and graduates are joining us due to unemployment. That is one of the

•Mrs Falana with the baby

•The young mother

before you can get a conviction for an offender. From the time the girl is raped, she should not wash herself or her underpants. The first step is to take her for medical examination and because it must be established that there was penetration, the private part must be examined and a record of it must be taken. But the first thing they (victims) do is go and wash up and that destroys the first evidence. “After records have been taken, you report to the police. Usually, for an underage, it becomes more difficult. The police on the other hand, in the course of taking statements, several times created conflicts

especially if the victim is an underage girl, there is no way she can comprehend what was happening. There is no way you can give a version of event two or three times without conflict and when there is conflict, the girl would be pressed again. “There was a case of a sevenyear-old girl that was allegedly raped by her stepfather. The police took the statement of the girl about seven times and as a result, there was conflict in her statements because she could not understand what she was doing. She was too minor for such a thing and did not even know why she had to make the statements and because of that,

the case was destroyed. “There is also a rule which has made its way into the criminal code now which is the Rule of Corroboration. It talks about the evidence of the victim by a third party as if the case of rape is a dinner that you invite someone to. So, usually, there is nobody to corroborate because such an offence is perpetrated in secrecy.” Mrs Falana blamed the society for stigmatising rape victims. She appealed to people to speak out on rape cases. “If the person is not your daughter, she may be the daughter of somebody close to you next time,” she said.

Who killed APC stalwart in Lagos? By Leke Salaudeen

Convener of Activists for Good Governance, Mr Declan Ihekaire, told newsmen that the dastard killing of Peters and wounding of Ogunjimi was caused by a feud between the supporters of the APC and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Ihekaire said his group’s in-

vestigation has established that the two political parties had engaged some youths to mobilise people for the collection of the Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) in Agege area. Fight broke out when some youths attempted to steal the PVCs at the Methodist Primary School, Tabon-Tabon from

the agents of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The youths were said to have taken to the streets to wreak havoc during which Peters was shot and killed. Relying on witnesses’ account, Ihekaire said the thugs were engaged by one of the party’s candidates.

Newspaper distributors back Ambode

•Members of NDAN displaying Ambode and running mate’s banner By Tajudeen Adebanjo

reasons we want APC to win the elections so that they can create more jobs and re-empower our people.” With over 25,000 members in the state, Kujenya expressed hope that 80 per cent would vote for APC. He said the association has done a lot to enlighten its members to collect their Permanent Voter’s Card (PVC). “We are not unaware of its usefulness during election, we have been organising sensitisation visits to various local governments on the impor-

tance of the PVC and our members are responding well,” he said. To NDAN National Coordinator Chief Nicholas Okereke, the 16 years of Peoples Democratic Power (PDP) in power has not improved human and economic activities. “APC is a good alternative to PDP’s misrule. I want them to consolidate on what they have done in Lagos at federal level. The party (APC) is caring and has a future. They can improve the economy of this country more than the PDP is doing because we have been

rule for 16 years by the government of PDP and there has been no change. APC would do things that would turn the economy round. “We want a change from the presidency down to the governors and legislators. We want matures people that can make things happen. That is why we are mobilising our members for support. All the vendors and agents would come out en masse to vote for APC; we want change and with over 25,000 members in Lagos and we are coming out to give our votes to APC,” he said.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2015

NEWS 4 Brigade assures of security From Osagie Otabor, Benin

HE Commander of the 4 Brigade of the Nigerian Army, Brig.-Gen. Olajide Laleye, has promised to tighten security in Edo, Delta and Bayelsa states during next month’s general elections. Olajide, who took over the command yesterday, said the Army do not have an affiliation with any party. He added that the 4 Brigade would ensure that the elections were free and fair. Olajide, who was the Director of Army Public Relations at the Army Headquarters in Abuja, replaced Brig.-Gen. Fidelis Okwudili Azinta. In his farewell address, Azinta urged the officers and men of 4 Brigade to put the interest of the nation first in their assignments. He said there was need to provide unbiased security during the elections because the Army was meant to provide a level-playing field in their assignment. Azinta said: “The Nigerian Army is not a card-carrying member of any political party. “Victory comes from God. When the Army sends you on a task, it does so with a belief that you will come back alive. Your security and that of your comrades must be paramount.”

Ethiope East PDP backs Okowa From Polycarp Orosevwotu, Ughelli

ELTA State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, got yesterday the assurance of the party’s candidates in Ethiope East Local Government Area for massive votes in the February 28 elections. The assurance came from PDP’s House of Representatives candidate, Lovette Idisi; her House of Assembly counterpart, Arthur Akpowowo and the party’s Director of Youth Mobilisation, Sunday Onoriode. They spoke during their visit to Okowa’s campaign team at OtorhoAgbon. They said the party was so sure of victory that they were waiting Okowa’s swearing-in. They said the PDP would not have a problem in getting massive votes in Ethiope East in all the elections. The candidates said Okowa was an Urhobo son at heart, adding that he had paid his dues in the party since 1999.

Wike to develop ‘new Rivers’

IVERS State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Nyesom Wike, has presented his developmental blueprint to reposition the state. Titled: A New Rivers State, New Vision, New Thinking, Better Possibilities, the blueprint is expected to guide his administration, if he wins the February 28 election, to address developmental challenges across the state. Presenting the blueprint on Monday to a cross section of Rivers residents in Port Harcourt, the state capital, Wike said: “My administration will end the misery of Rivers people and set the people on the path of development. “The mandate of the people is the promise of hope. The Rivers people are expected to choose between a risky continuity and a purposeful leadership propelled by a dynamic team. “I know from our interactions that the people will vote in the PDP to enthrone a new Rivers State.”

85-year-old community leader beheaded over land tussle A

N 85-year-old community leader at Aruogba village in Oredo Local Government Area of Edo State, Goodluck Uwumahongie, has been beheaded. His attackers reportedly took away his severed head. The late Uwumahongie was reportedly shot before his head was severed. He was said to have fled to nearby Irhirhi village with his family, following a crisis at his former home in Aruogba village. Three persons, including the community Youth Chairman, Okoro Obaretin, have been killed and several houses razed since the

From Osagie Otabor, Benin

crisis broke out on November 23, 2014. Arougba was desolate yesterday. Many houses were locked, except those built by non-indigenes. It was learnt that Uwumahongie’s killers scaled the fence at 5pm and committed the crime. His widow, Julie, 55 said she was informed about 5:30 that her husband had been killed. Julie said her husband was

killed over a tussle for the community land. She said: “One man, simply called Osamwonyi, had threatened to kill my husband before the crisis. After we ran away from the village during the crisis to seek refuge at my father’s village at Irhirhi, Osamwonyi saw him here and said he would still kill him.” On how her husband died, she said: “I was called that my husband was brutally killed because of a land tussle. There had been a disagreement over the community’s land. Osamwonyi said my hus-

band joined the other faction against his side. “People said he was shot before they cut off his head and took the head away. “I hid my husband in my father’s house. Nobody was at home when it happened.” Police spokesman, Joseph Edogiawerie, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), confirmed the killing. He said two suspects had been arrested. Edogiawerie said the police were on the trail of the killers, who he said left with the victim’s head.

AIG presents four cardinal points for Zone 6 •Police chief assumes duty

HE new Assistant Inspector-General of Police

(AIG) in-charge of Zone 6, Tunde Ogunsakin, has urged policemen in the zone to be professional and law-abiding. Ogunsakin assumed office on January 26 as the AIG for the zone comprising Cross River, Rivers and Akwa Ibom states. He presented a four-cardinal programme for the police. Outgoing AIG in-charge of the zone, Mark Adamu Idakwo, handed over the affairs of the zone to the new AIG. Idakwo hailed the men and officers in the zone for their dedication to service. The former AIG noted that men and officers in the zone had been dedicated and exemplary in their duties. He urged them to cooperate with the new AIG. Ogunsakin restated the need for professionalism among police officers in the zone. The new AIG urged them to

•Ogunsakin (left) with Idakwo at the handover ceremony in Calabar, Cross River State...yesterday

study the Electoral Act to ensure safety of life and property during the February elections.

He noted that it was essential for police officers to also study the new Code of Conduct pre-

pared by the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Suleima Abba on the elections.

Uduaghan: why I dropped my senatorial ambition

ELTA State Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan yesterday said he dropped his senatorial ambition in order to forestall chaos in the state. The governor spoke at the public presentation of a book, the pains of a country by Deputy Editor, ThisDay, Eddy Odivwri in Lagos. He said he had to forgo his ambition after he realised it was going to re-ignite militancy in the Niger Delta and further worsen the nation’s security challenge. “I was to contest for the Senate but I withdrew when I noticed there was a build up of insecurity. “If I had continued with that ambition, by now, we will be dealing

By Precious Igbonwelundu

with Boko Haram in the North and Niger Delta militants down South. “I have seen it before in 2003 in the Warri area, villages were burnt as elections were being conducted. I was part of the team that managed that crisis then, and so, I asked myself if I should allow such a thing happen again because of my aspiration. “I told myself no. If I don’t go to the Senate now, it doesn’t mean anything. No sweat! Nothing spoil. “But if I go to the Senate and in the process people are killed, villages are burnt, what is the essence? “I am telling you that some of the villages burnt in 1997 when Niger

APC Rep lifts youths in Edo From Osemwengie Ben Ogbemudia, Benin

HE House of Representatives member representing Owan Federal Constituency of Edo State, Pally Iriase, has distributed 110 tricycles to youths in his constituency. The lawmaker, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), said the gesture was part of his efforts to reduce unemployment. Iriase told reporters that the tricycles were shared proportionally among the 22 wards in the constituency of five per ward. He explained that the tricycles were given to the members of the Motorcycle Riders’ Association to cushion the effect of unemployment. According to him, tricycles were more suitable for rural transportation and economically viable than motorcycles. Iriase noted that the motorcycle, as mode of transportation, had caused the death of many people and disabled several others. The lawmaker said the tricycles were given as a revolving loan scheme where the beneficiaries could generate enough resources to become the owners. He hoped the beneficiaries would be honest and use the tricycles well.

Delta militancy started we are still rebuilding. Those who died we cannot bring them back to life. “So, if in the process of struggling for political position it doesn’t matter to you whether people die or jot, it is not worth it,” said Uduaghan. The governor said despite the palpable fear of violence during and after the general elections, the process would be peaceful. According to him, politicians were talking to their followers on the need to eschew violence, just as he emphasised the need for people to understand it was “not do or die”. Uduaghan hoped that the election would usher in a new Nigeria where things would be better if Nigerians

collectively work towards it. He disagreed with those stating that issues had not been raised by the various parties canvassing votes, noting that they have talked about corruption, insecurity, unemployment among others. “I do not agree that issues have not been raised for campaigns. When someone talks about corruption, insecurity or underdevelopment, those are issues. “For some of us in the PDP, we are sitting down and noting some of the issues raised by the various contenders in order to know the extra things we need to do to add to what is already being done if we win the election by God’s grace. “

‘Edo teachers got 27.5% TSA in 2013’

HE Edo State Government has said teachers have been enjoying the 27.5% Teachers’ Special Allowance (TSA) since 2013. A statement yesterday in Benin, the state capital, said: “The Edo State Government wishes to correct a statement erroneously published to the effect that the state government has approved a 27.5 per cent Teachers’ Special Allowance. “It is on record that the state government had approved the 27.5 per cent TSA since June 2013 and teachers in the state had

been enjoying the special allowance for over 18 months. “However, the state government has approved the 10 per cent additional relativity increase in the basic salaries of teachers. “Also, the governor has directed the Chairman of Ovia North East Local Government Area to pay the November and December 2013 salaries of teachers in the employ of the local government who were transferred out of the local government area due to over-staffing. It will be paid in four equal instalments.”

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2015

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‘African literature don’t need Nobel Prize to validate it’ – Page 49

After 37 years in prison, innocent North Carolina man freed – Page 50

•Ohafia warriors.

Miss Colombia emerges Miss Universe – Page 50

PHOTO: OZOLUA UHAKHEME

Lull in creative sector: Any fresh impetus?

– SEE STORY ON PAGE 14

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2015

The Midweek Magazine

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Lull in creative sector: Any fresh impetus?

HEN Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) got rebased in 2013, ranking it as the world’s 26th largest economy and largest in Africa, activities in the telecommunications and creative industries were captured as critical contributors. Hope was high as stakeholders expected that such growth would rub off on last year’s activities in the sector, but it did not. Still, Nigeria’s economic potential especially in the creative industry remains dogged by weak institutions, security challenges and a huge infrastructural deficit. However, stakeholders believe that given some realignment and effective planning, 2015 would be much more productive and rewarding. But since the beginning of the year, economic activities have been slowed down by political campaigns nationwide. Also, stakeholders are not certain how soon economic activities will pick up after next months elections. The ongoing debate on whether the elections should be postponed or not is another setback. Founder, Centre for Contemporary Art, Lagos, Bisi Silva, has said that government and its cultural agencies must do more to reposition the creative industry, and that ‘if we wait for little from them, we will perish. Silva added that without a change of attitude and some level of sincerity in the planning and execution of progammes, this year might not be different from 2014. According to her, the current situation is critical but people prefer to limp along, adding that the onus however is on the dynamic private sector to drive the sector this year. Project Director Port Harcourt World Book Capital 2014 and Founder Rainbow Book Club, Mrs Koko Kalango, reiterated her position on the need for book and film synergy as one of the ways to reposition the creative sector in 2015. “For instance, the film industry can work with the book industry to make our best books into film. This is part of what we highlighted in 2013 edition of the Port Harcourt Book Festival with the theme Literature and the Creative economy,” she said. She stressed that there should be synergy amongst the relevant agencies in the cultural space to effectively tap into the potential wealth in the creative industry. Kalango observed that the contributions made by the creative industries to the nation’s economy cannot be ignored, citing award winning Nigerian writers and musicians as critical contributors. She said if properly harnessed, the economy would be better this year. “Nigeria is known globally for her writers, actors, actresses, musicians and, more recently, for producing the first World Book Capital, south of the Sahara, Port Harcourt. These should serve as indicators for the vast possibilities in this sector, if properly harnessed,” she added. On the funding aspect, she said cultural agencies should have a budget or increase the budget allocated to the promotion of the arts in order to support genuine efforts in the sector. But she

• Minister, Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, Chief Edem Duke

• DG, NGA, Mr Abdullahi Muku

• DG NCMM, Mallam Abdala Usman

•Artistic Director, National Troupe, Akin Adejuwon

•Okonkwo by Cyril Nwokoli

• Executive Secretary, NICO, Dr Ayakoroma Barclays By Ozolua Uhakheme Assistant Editor (Arts)

PROJECTION warned that in the choice of whom to support, merit should be upmost and

•DG, NCAC, Mrs Dayo Keshi

organisations should be made accountable for grants received. “They should also take into consideration geographical spread as well as areas of focus so that a wide range of initiatives are covered,” Kalango said. Former Provost, Federal College of

‘Nigeria is known globally for her writers, actors, actresses, musicians and, more recently, for producing the first World Book Capital, south of the Sahara, Port Harcourt. These should serve as indicators for the vast possibilities in this sector, if properly harnessed’

Education Osiele, Abeokuta, Dr Kunle Filani, said there should be shift from government to non-governmental organisations in terms of service delivery. He stated that Nigerians often interrogate cultural patronage mainly within the narrow ambience of governmental agencies at the neglect of the huge potential of non-government participation. According to him, non-governmental sector can drive and push better the varying aspects of culture dynamics such as infrastructure, production, marketing, administration and management among others. “Essentially, the role of government is to facilitate and make policies that will assist the nurture and growth of cultural creativity. Indeed, as it were, both the governmental parastatals and ministries lack adequate articulation of culture concepts and therefore often fail to explore the social and financial value chain therein. “It is my opinion that profitable tour•Continued on page 48

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2015

WEDNESDAY JANUARY 28, 2015

POLITICS THE NATION

E-mail:- politics@thenationonlineng.net

In the First Republic, Chief Ayo Fasanmi, an Awoist, was the President of the Action Group (AG) Youth Association. He was elected into the House of Representatives in 1964. Between 1979 and 1983, he served as a senator. In 1999, the ‘revolutionary chemist’, as he is fondly called by admirers, was the National Vice Chairman (Southwest) of the Alliance for Democracy (AD). In this piece, the nonagenarian elder statesman warns about the danger of re-electing President Goodluck Jonathan for another term. In his view, the enthronement of a people-oriented government headed by Gen. Muhammadu Buhari will herald a brighter future for the beleaguered country.

Jonathan does not deserve re-election’ Introduction

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Nigeria is at crossroads. The February 2015 elections provide Nigerians the opportunity to choose between progress and light or darkness and backwardness. The All Progressives Congress (APC) represents light and advancement while the other party is the party of corruption and darkness. The symbol of the APC, the broom, is meant to sweep away the Peoples Deception Party. A party which in the last sixteen years but especially in the last years has eaten Nigeria to its bones; a party that has brought ill luck to Nigeria; a party which is drenched in corruption, deception and incompetence. Nigerians face numerous difficulties daily and PDP is unconcerned; it caters for only the rich, privileged and well connected. I shall enumerate some of the problems facing all Nigerians which the PDP has either ignored or it has not handled well.

A vote for Jonathan is approval of corruption. It is also support for financial ruin of Nigeria and its continued underdevelopment

Security The foremost issue confronting Nigeria is security. No Nigerian is safe anywhere. Nigerians are killed daily by Boko Haram, armed robbers, kidnappers, ritual murderers, and murderous drivers on our highways. According to Nigeria Stabilty and Reconciliation Programme, a British research group, about 60,558 Nigerians died due to violence between 2006-2014. Add to this the killing by the nihilistic Boko Haram which murdered 2,000 Nigerians and razed the Baga community of Borno State to the ground. Another independent research body, the well known Mo Ibrahim Foundation rank Nigeria poorly in safety and rule of law. The response of the Jonathan Administration to the crime against humanity is to deny the number of those killed in Baga; rather it was more concerned with the regrettable death of French journalists at the hand of deranged men. The reaction of the Jonathan Administration follows previous pattern which is to ignore or down play the crimes against Nigerians. Despite his oath of office to defend the territorial integrity and unity of Nigeria, he has watched helplessly as Boko Haram seized 20 percent of Nigeria land mass in the North East of Nigeria. The unchecked violence of Boko Haram and other conflicts in Nigeria has displaced about 3.3 million Nigerians almost 2 percent of our population. We therefore have the unenviable record of having the highest number of refugees in Africa. In five years of governing Nigeria, the PDP, despite spending over five billion dollars on security in the 2014 budget, has not provided security for Nigerians. It is time to change the President that has failed to secure Nigeria. Nigerians should elect Buhari, a man who understands security issues. He will end the state of insecurity and siege on Nigeria. The APC solution to insecurity will be dual. It will deal with security as well as socio-economic issues that undrlie insecurity. Briefly, the military will be well equipped, disciplined and provided with incentives to confront and defeat Boko Haram. Equally, communities will be engaged in policing their communities. Regarding socio-economic issues, we shall provide a master-plan to develop the North East and areas affected by violence. In addition, there will be programmes to provide employment, de-radicalize our youths, and promote religious moderation and tolerance.

Economy Nigeria is the largest economy in Africa with a Gross Domestic Product of 510 billion dollars. Yet, 60 per cent of Nigerians live in pov-

’

•Fasanmi

erty. A reason for the poverty is corruption and mismanagement. According to Afrobarometer, a well respected research organization, 81 percent of Nigerians surveyed said that President Jonathan management of the economy is poor. Under Dr. Jonathan, Nigeria has lost trillions of naira due to corruption. The looters go unpunished under his watch. For instance, some PDP former Ministers and governors indicted by EFCC for corruption are his campaign managers and advisors. Nigerians should ask President Jonathan what has happened to EFCC trial for all these people. Not one high political official of government under Jonathan has been convicted of corruption. He is indeed an accomplice as he has condoned corruption His campaign promise to fight corruption is a promise which like those he made in 2011 will not be fulfilled Another source of financial leakage is import waivers. The waiver cost the economy billions of naira. For instance, an engineering company granted import waiver turned around to use it to import rice. A former PDP governor, who was issued 500 million naira import license to import vehicles for his state for a cultural festival, turned around to sell the license to a motor vehicle dealer. A research done by another group, ‘Nigeria politico’, listed some of the beneficiaries of import waivers. The list is made up of politically connected Nigerians, including PDP big wigs and businessmen from two Asian countries. These are the ones who donated 21 billion naira to PDP campaign chest. There is no doubt that the donation is a bribe to the PDP so that the

donors could continue to rob Nigerians. According to Nigeria Customs Service, Nigeria lost 1.4 trillion naira to import waivers. This is the money that could have been used to repair refineries, upgrade and maintain infrastructure, create employment, and pay salaries to government workers. A vote for Jonathan is approval of corruption. It is also support for financial ruin of Nigeria and its continued underdevelopment. The Jonathan Administration must therefore, be voted out office for Nigeria to make progress under the APC. We urge Nigerians to use their vote to bring the APC to power. Buhari as President will ensure that anti-corruption agencies such as the EFCC and the ICPC do their work. Under APC, those who engage in corruption will face the full weight of the law. An APC government will also work to reduce unemployment through creation of a public works administration that will hire Nigerians to work in the repair and construction of infrastructure projects. We shall also train youths to make them employable. We shall also promote entrepreneurship. The APC government will promote an environment to encourage investment flows into Nigeria. The taxation system will be revised to streamline multiple taxation. States will be allowed to have more revenue at their disposal.

Electricity On January 3, 2011, Dr. Jonathan declared “If

Buhari as President will ensure that anti-corruption agencies such as the EFCC and the ICPC do their work. Under APC, those who engage in corruption will face the full weight of the law

I am voted into power, within the next four years (2015), the issue of power will become a thing of the past…” adding that “If I cannot improve on power within the period, it means I can do nothing.” Of course, till date Nigeria is still essentially a land of literal darkness in the night despite expenditure of over 50 billion dollars on power. Nigerians spend about 80 billion naira annually to buy and fuel their generators. The privatization of power has not led to the promised improvement in power as the companies that bought the transmission lines neither have the capacity nor the capital to run the power lines. Whilst we do not intend to reverse the privatization already done, we shall ensure that the interest of the Nigerian public is protected. We shall also encourage investment in other power sources especially renewable energy such as solar, wind and thermal energy. Nigerians should send Dr. Jonathan into retirement in February as he has not fulfilled his promise on electricity and neither has he fulfilled several other promises.

Petroleum and the Nigerian Economy We all know that the mainstay of the Nigerian economy is oil generating over 90 percent of our foreign exchange. We are all practically dependent on oil and the industry has made us very lazy suffering as we are from what economists call resource-curse. Oil while benefiting us has also led to massive corruption, and violence in oil- producing areas. Yet while we produce crude oil, we import refined oil products while our refineries are either idle or under produce refined petroleum. The APC will ensure that the problems of the oil industry are resolved and that Nigerians on whose land drilling takes place are well compensated. We shall also ensure that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company follows the best global practices.

Agriculture Agriculture is very important to us all. It provides our food and is a major contributor to our gross domestic product, about 41 percent. It also employs about 70 percent of our population. Problems of Nigerian agriculture are several including soil erosion, post harvest loss and importation of food and insufficient investment in the sector. The Jonathan Administration has been telling us of the so-called progress in agriculture such as increased food production. Nigerians are yet to feel this increase as they still buy rice imported from Asia at inflated price We can and should produce enough rice to feed our selves. Our solution to our agricultural problems will include incentives to farmers to produce more food including rice. We will work with farmers to reduce post-harvest loss, provide and ensure that fertilisers reach the end-users and not middle- men who become rich by hijacking and selling the fertilisers at inflated prices. We shall also deal with the problem of soil erosion and encourage states to place priority on agriculture as part of an aggressive policy of the federal government to increase food production. We shall also diversify our economy so that agriculture and industries related to it will thrive. We urge all Nigerians to turn out on February 14 and 28 to vote out the PDP whose rule is ruining Nigeria. As your President, I will obey the constitution of Nigeria, Promote the rule of law, Respect the rights of all Nigerians, Ensure equity and fairness to all irrespective of region, religion, state, ethnic group or gender.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY JANUARY 28, 2015

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As a lawmaker, he sponsored many critical bills, which have been passed into law and played a key role in the successes recorded by the sixth National Assembly. But, what is not often remembered about Dickson and for which he has not received sufficient encomium was his role in the passage of the Freedom of Information Bill at the National Assembly

‘

Tribute to flyover governor at 49 T

ODAY is a special day for the Izon people, particularly Bayelsans. Not because of the free education that Ijaw people now enjoy in Bayelsa State under the restoration government or because of the social security enjoyed by senior citizens of Ijaw extraction. It is not equally because the first flyover ever constructed in the state would be commissioned but because the Countryman Governor of Bayelsa State, Hon. Henry Seriake Dickson who has restored glory to his people within a short period of his stewardship will mark his 49th birthday. He has delivered on his campaign promise to the electorate. He is above board in his political odyssey. He has survived the machinations of some hawks and meddlesome interlopers who would stop at nothing to return Bayelsa State to ‘Egypt.’ One would have expected the restoration governor to roll out the drums to celebrate his birthday with pomp. But, Dickson whom some historians fondly call the Valentine Governor having being sworn in on February 14, 2012, has refused to mark the day. To the bewilderment of observers and government officials, the governor banned congratulatory messages on his birthday and advised those who wish to do so to channel their resources to charity organizations and orphanage homes. But, Governor Dickson’s stance didn’t come to me as a surprise because he was simply living up to his sobriquet as a countryman. Typical of the Restoration Governor, he will be on ground on Wednesday to attend to files, hold meetings and intensify his inspection of projects to ensure that they are executed in line with specifications and global standards. In the last 35 months that he held sway in the Creek Haven, Governor Dickson has changed the governance culture in Bayelsa State, making transparency and accountability, fear of God, service delivery, the cornerstone of his administration. The multiplier effect of these philosophies is the ongoing massive transformation of Bayelsa. Today, the free and compulsory education introduced from primary to secondary schools by Dickson has changed the entire education sector and the state in general for the better. Government provides the following items free to pupils and students: textbooks, uniforms, sandals, bags, and writing materials. Government is also responsible for the payment of Science fees, WAEC, NECO, and JAMB fees for students. Already 400 primary schools and staff quarters for headmasters and principals, 24 Constituency Secondary Schools and eight Model Secondary Schools are under construction across the state. Government also made it a point of duty to train exceptionally gifted Ijaw children in some of the best secondary schools in Nigeria. The Dickson government has spent over N6billion on the education of students of Ijaw nationality who are covered by the Bayelsa State Scholarship Scheme with the indigent being the greatest beneficiaries. Interestingly, scholars of Ijaw stock in their thousands are in Lincoln University and other prestigious universities in the world for their first degrees, masters and Ph.D programmes. While the church in Nigeria celebrates Dickson as the only governor that promulgated Thanksgiving Law by setting aside November 2 of every year as Thanksgiving Day in Bayelsa State, not many Nigerians know that the Countryman remains the only governor in Nigeria that renders account of stewardship to the people on a monthly basis in a town hall meeting where the accruals to the state, IGR and expenditure are laid bare for public scrutiny. Under the watch of Dickson, Bayelsans now sleep with their two eyes closed unlike before when they lived in perpetual fear. Government outlawed cultism, fought crime with vigour and made kidnapping punishable with death by hanging. Government installed electronic surveillance equipment and rolled- out security communications network which connect all the communities to the command and control centres, thus enabling the Governor and security commanders to be in touch with all the communities. The Government made investments in the security task force code named, ‘Operation Doo Akpor’, which is adequately equipped to bust crimes at very short

By Francis Agbo

notice with a response time of not more than three to five minutes, within and around the state capital. It has earned the reputation of an internationally acclaimed security outfit, having won the best security award in Africa held last year in South Africa. Government also built a Command and Control Centre, which coordinates activities of the various security units and receives distress calls round the clock. The state government also constituted an 11 man special task force to ensure adequate security of lives and property on the water ways pending when the marine component of Operation Doo Akpo becomes operational. The huge investment in security has paid off as investors and tourists and more people now relocate to the state to do business while nightlife has returned to Bayelsa, boosting its IGR. As a visionary leader, Dickson is preparing the littoral state beyond crude oil by diversifying the economy. Government is investing in large-scale agricultural production in areas the state has comparative advantage, including rice, palm produce, aquaculture, cassava, plantain and vegetables. Already, the state has invested in mega aquaculture projects with two Israeli companies to produce 3,000 tons of fish annually. Restoration Brand of Rice is currently produced from a 4000 hectare of rice farm at Peremabiri in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, 5000 at Isampou in Ekeremor and 2000 hectares at Kolo in Ogbia Council Areas of the state. The state government, in conjunction with Ostertrade Engineering and Manufacturing KFT/DPP International APS, Hungarian/Danish consortium, has established a cassava starch processing plant with a capacity to produce 600 tons of industrial starch per annum at Ebedebiri in Sagbama Local government Area. A 600-hectare outgrower cassava and 40 hectares multiplication farms at Ebedebiri in Sagbama Local Government area has also been established. This lofty cassava project has the capacity of providing over 20 thousand jobs to Nigerians. Similarly, the state currently has a palm plantation of 1200 hectares with a potential to grow the palm plantation to 2000 hectares at the current location in Elebele. Dickson’s government places high premium on health and that was why it has invested over N25 billion directly into a 380 bed Specialist Hospital with a world class diagnostic centre in Yenagoa with a modern staff quarters waiting for commissioning. In order to phase out fake drugs in the state, work has reached advanced stage on the Yenagoa multi-million naira World Class Drug Mart/ Pharmaceutical Complex, the first ever in Nigeria. The government constructed the drug Mart in partnership with the Prof Dora Akunyili Foundation for Safe Medicine. Renovation of dilapidated health centres and cottage hospitals have been completed and put to use, while new general hospital projects are nearing completion in the headquarters of all the eight LGAs. Though the diagnostic centre excites pundits but for me, the establishment of a Health Insurance Scheme, the first ever in the state is the most critical intervention of the restoration government in the sector. The governor within two and half years has breathed life into people at the bottom of the pyramid particularly indigent women by Promoting small and medium enterprises (SMEs) through the disbursement of soft loans to over 400 women cooperative groups. The scheme was flagged off with 240 million naira last year. Indeed Dickson seems to be in a hurry to turn the oil rich Bayelsa to infrastructural Eldorado! In the last 35 months, over 450 kilometres of roads have been completed across the state, 18 bridges were constructed and over 100 public buildings/ schools completed. The secretariat of the Traditional Rulers Council, a modern Police Officers’ Mess, School of Tourism and Catering Management, Multi-Door Court House all in Yenagoa are among the structures already completed. Rehabilitation of the Glory Land Cultural Centre and the Government House Clinic, three new secretariat annexes, state archives, Museum, Language Centre among others, are now completed.

•Dickson

‘

He has delivered on his campaign promise to the electorate. He is above board in his political odyssey. He has survived the machinations of some hawks and meddlesome interlopers who would stop at nothing to return Bayelsa State to ‘Egypt’

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Work on the 27km road from Igbogene to Bayelsa Palm and the expanded Elebele – Opolo and Opolo-Imiringi roads and several others are ongoing. While the road linking the old and new campuses of the state owned Niger Delta University at Amassoma has also been completed. Azikoro, Boro town, Etegwe/ Tombia roads and many other access roads have been completed. The Isaac Adaka Boro Express road is been face-lifted from a mere double lane road to a six lane expressway. Top among the ongoing projects are the airport project, the YenagoaOgbia-Nembe road, dualization of 18 roads and two outer ring roads, new Governor and Deputy Governors’ office complexes. Others are the Yenagoa – Oporoma – Koluama road project opening the central senatorial zone and the forest reserves of the State, the road and rail project from Yenagoa – Ekeremor – Agge, to cover a distance of over 110km, where a deep seaport will be built, construction of the most ambitious Tourism Island Project and the Castle six-star Hotel made up of 24-suites, Amphitheater, casino, wellness centre and conference facilities in addition to the Bayelsa Tower and Ox-Bow Lake Hotels. An entertainment and Tourist centre is presently under construction at the Oxbow lake area of the state capital. In addition, there is ongoing construction of an 18-hole interna-

tional Golf Course/Estate and a world-class Polo ground and Club as well as rehabilitation of tourist and recreational sites across the state, including the White Man’s Grave at Akassa in Brass Local Government Area. Interestingly, Dickson has promoted private sector participation in real estate by setting up the Bayelsa Geographic Information System (BAYGIS) to facilitate the issuance of Certificates of Occupancy through a simplified process of obtaining C of Os for landed title within 60 days of application. This is unprecedented in the history of the state. The Dickson administration has successfully re-branded and shored-up the hitherto battered image of Bayelsa State, and transformed Yenagoa into a peaceful international entertainment events centre. Consequently, the state now plays host, on an annual basis to prestigious events such as the international Jazz Festival, Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA), Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria pageant, Carribean African American Nations Music Awards and the Africa Fashion Reception. The rebranding of Bayelsa State has attracted to Yenagoa, many heads of governments and international figures like Reverend Jesse Jackson. The most laudable achievement of the restoration government is not the the free and compulsory education. It is not the on-going infrastructural revolution in the state, but the social security, health insurance scheme and of course, the prevalence of social justice in Bayelsa. These were made possible because of the person of Dickson and the autonomy the judiciary enjoys in the last 35 months, as the judiciary gets its funding through first line charge, eliminating the scenario where many Chief Judges go cap-in- hand to governors begging for funding! Born on the 28th January, 1966, Dickson joined the Nigeria Police Force in 1986 and was posted to the Central Police Station, Port Harcourt and served as Clerk to the Station Officer, from where he saved money to further his education. He gained admission in 1988 to the Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Port Harcourt to study Law from where he graduated with LL.B (HONS.) in 1992. He then proceeded in 1993, to earn his Bachelors of Law (B.L.HONS) from the Nigeria Law School, Lagos and was called to the Nigeria Bar the same year. In 1998 when all the bigwigs in Bayelsa were either in PDP or APP and later ANPP, Dickson chose to pitch tent with the Alliance for Democracy (AD) and was elected its chairman between 1998 and 2000 and led the party to win all the elections in his zone, Bayelsa West Senatorial District. Indeed, Bayelsa State was the only state the party recorded such victory outside the core Yoruba speaking states. The party apparatchik rewarded him by elevating him to the post of National Legal Adviser between 2000 and 2002. The crisis in the defunct AD coupled with his desire to help President Goodluck Jonathan who was deputy governor at the time to succeed the incumbent governor, Chief DSP Alamiesiegha forced Dickson to join PDP in 2005 and became the founding Secretary of Jonathan’s political group, Green Movement in 2006. Dickson was appointed the AttorneyGeneral and Commissioner for Justice of Bayelsa State in 2006 by then governor, Dr. Jonathan, following the exit of Alamiesiegha. In reward of his commitment to Ijaw cause and service to fatherland, Dickson was elected member, representing Sagbama/Ekeremor Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives. Dickson served as the Chairman, House Committee on Justice. He was re-elected in 2011 but resigned after he was elected governor. In appreciation of his service to his community, Dickson was conferred with the prestigious title: Olokodau of Orua Kingdom. The Tarakiri High Chief is also the Edi 1(pillar) of Ogbia Kingdom. As a lawmaker, he sponsored many critical bills, which have been passed into law and played a key role in the successes recorded by the sixth National Assembly. But, what is not often remembered about Dickson and for which he has not received sufficient encomium was his role in the passage of the Freedom of Information Bill at the National Assembly.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2015

COMMENTARY EDITORIALS

LETTER

No compromise •Internally Displaced Persons must not be denied the right to vote N line with international principles and conventions, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said that many of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the country would not be disenfranchised in the February elections. “These internally displaced persons are people who were forced to flee their homes in large numbers as a result of internal strife or systematic violation of their human rights. It is a global best practice for Election Management Boards to cater for the electoral needs of these IDPs. Records available to us indicate that we have between 981,000 to 1million IDPs in the country,” Prof Attahiru Jega, the commission’s chairman has disclosed. This is good news because if the commission sticks to its promise, it means about one million people that would otherwise have been disenfranchised would be able to participate in the elections. At least the International Office of Migration (IOM) and INEC agree on this figure, underscoring the need to find a lasting solution to the problem of the insurgency to avoid a situation where the figure would rise, thus triggering a spillover to neighbouring Cameroon, Niger and Chad. The decision to allow the IDPs exercise their civic right to vote is also in agreement with the Nigerian constitution of 1999 as well as the Electoral Act 2010 as amended. In order to give effect to its decision, INEC held “a crucial meeting” with stakeholders last week. The stakeholders included representatives of governments of the affected states under emergency Adamawa, Borno and Yobe - as well as

members and speakers of their Houses of Assembly, religious leaders, representatives of security agencies and civil society organisations. Others were the Directors-General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution, as well as present and former resident electoral commissioners of the strife-stricken states and INEC’s administration secretaries in the states. We appreciate INEC’s readiness to see to it that many IDPs vote in the elections. And this should not be a tall order given the fact that the commission had consulted widely before taking the decision. About two months ago, it organised a roundtable conference to discuss IDPs’ participation in the electoral process where experts and academics were brought in to generate ideas to address the issue and a report was submitted to the commission. This culminated in its setting up of a Task Force on how to get the IDPs to vote “within the ambit of extant laws”. Without doubt, we would have loved to see a situation where every eligible Nigerian willing to vote is given the opportunity. Nonetheless, INEC’s decision to accommodate only those in established camps in the three states for now represents a good start. A point that must be noted is that the IDPs are not responsible for their situation. It is imperative that they cast their votes at the election if they are eligible. Disenfranchising IDPs in the affected states would be like the case of Nigerians

in the Diaspora who are disenfranchised simply because the Federal Government does not take them into account during elections. This should not be the case as the most important constitutional requirements are for a person to be first and foremost a Nigerian, then to be of voting age, to be registered and be in possession of voter’s card. There should be no difficulty in getting voters cards for eligible voters who have misplaced or lost their voting cards. That is why in the advanced countries voting by displaced persons is not a big deal while its corollary, i.e. citizens living in other countries are allowed to exercise their constitutional right to vote in their countries’ elections. For us therefore, the bottom-line is that, as much as possible, INEC should ensure that at least the majority of qualified Nigerians exercise their civic right to vote at the February 2015 elections; no more, no less.

‘This is good news because if the commission sticks to its promise, it means about one million people that would otherwise have been disenfranchised would be able to participate in the elections ... The decision to allow the IDPs exercise their civic right to vote is also in agreement with the Nigerian constitution of 1999 as well as the Electoral Act 2010 as amended’

Cholera crisis •Nigeria’s public health system must confront basic health challenges

HE recent outbreak of cholera in Rivers State is a sobering reminder of the many fundamental challenges facing Nigeria’s public health system, in spite of the recent triumph over the influx of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD). About 20 people have died of the ailment in several communities of Andoni Local Government in the state, out of nearly 200 cases. The disease is apparently making a comeback after having been diagnosed in four other communities last year, even though attempts had been made to contain it. It has been traced to the consumption of unhygienic water in wells and streams, many of which have dried up due to harmattan. The state government has responded with alacrity, sending its Emergency Response Team to work with the local government area’s Rapid Response Team. Two treatment centres have been set up, and measures are being taken to sink boreholes in order to ensure access to po-

‘Taken together with the mortality rates resulting from diseases like malaria, cerebro-spinal meningitis and gastroenteritis, the loss of life from cholera amounts to nothing less than a public health emergency, requiring massive intervention similar to that put in place to combat EVD’

table water. For a nation as pre-eminent as Nigeria, the regular outbreak of diseases like cholera is grim testimony to the country’s stark failure to attain standards of hygiene, sanitation and healthcare that are taken for granted in much poorer nations. It is a tragic demonstration of the collective failure to build upon the colonial legacy of education, enforcement and treatment which ensured that epidemics of this kind became a thing of the past. Successive administrations at the federal, state and local government levels are also culpable for this unhappy state of affairs. Their inability to provide vital social infrastructure like pipe-borne water, effective drainage and waste-disposal systems, comprehensive public enlightenment programmes and adequate healthcare facilities has aggravated the situation. Urban centres across the country are disfigured by widespread filth; especially rubbish heaps, overflowing gutters, the absence of toilet facilities and general disregard for the basic rules of hygiene. The consequences have been appalling in their enormity. Nigeria has witnessed several outbreaks of cholera that are as embarrassing as they are tragic. Between January and November 2012, a total of 581 suspected cases were reported in 10 states, with 15 deaths, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). In the same period of 2013, the cases had risen to 4,220 in 16 states, with 145 fatalities. About 35,700 cases were reported in 2014, with 753 deaths. Taken together with the mortality rates resulting from diseases like malaria,

cerebro-spinal meningitis and gastroenteritis, the loss of life from cholera amounts to nothing less than a public health emergency, requiring massive intervention similar to that put in place to combat EVD. In formulating an appropriate response to the onset of cholera and similar diseases, it must never be forgotten that prevention is far better than cure; primary focus therefore should be on reinstituting the public enlightenment programmes and rigorous inspection regimen established during colonial rule. It is especially important that the nation’s local governments take up this responsibility, given their relative proximity to the citizenry. The regular education of adults, youths and children must be combined with continuous inspection of homes, workplaces and public spaces to ensure that they meet laid-down standards of cleanliness. The temptation to turn such exercises into an opportunity for extortion should be prevented by ensuring that those who are found guilty of it are appropriately sanctioned. The federal and state governments must step up the provision of the social infrastructure which facilitates sanitary conditions. The provision of potable water is essential to the achievement of this aim. Surveillance capabilities will also have to be stepped up; the Rivers State outbreak shows how a failure to follow up a previous outbreak can lead to a recurrence. The expansion, rehabilitation and proper equipping of healthcare facilities is also crucial to keeping fatalities to the barest levels. A nation whose citizens are vulnerable to easily-preventable illnesses is no better than a failed state.

Things can’t continue like this!

IR: In 1981, I led the Union Bank Hockey team of 16 players and four officials to JFK Memorial Field Hockey Tournament in Washington D.C. Our budget for the trip: Air ticket, hotel accommodation, meals, allowances for everybody, local transportation and all was N49,000 (forty nine thousand naira only). Each naira in that year gave us 1.82 dollars. Earlier in the week, I called Arik Air to book single (one-way) economy ticket from Lagos to New York and I was told to pay N167,618.00! Imagine how much that trip would cost today! I actually paid N168,501.00 the following day, an increase of N883.00 in one day! This shows how our rulers have ruined our economy! I retired in December 1993. My take home pension was worked out to be a little over N30,000.00. The dollar was then about N5.00. So my pension was then about $6000.00. Today my pension is N73,000.00 per month. The dollar rate is over N200.00. My pension now has a value of $365.00. That means my stipend is now 6.1 percent of its original value in terms of the dollar. How do we survive under this hardship? Where is all the money received for our oil in the last 16 years? The federal government must be made to account for every dollar we earned! Can we find patriotic Nigerians who can save us from slavery? We need to find them quickly! I am not the only one involved in this slave labour, several Nigerians are in it. But it ought not be so. Less than one million Nigerians are enjoying the good things Nigeria produces while the rest wallow in poverty. Let us use our votes to change the status quo. If we do, it will teach a lesson for the future.. • Samuel Owopetu, Lagos

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

• Executive Director (Finance & Administration) Ade Odunewu

•Deputy Editor Lawal Ogienagbon

•Advert Manager Robinson Osirike

•Deputy Editor (News) Adeniyi Adesina

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

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THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2015

CARTOON & LETTERS

IR: The question raised on the educational qualification of General Muhammadu Buhari in the coming election is a typical political antic aimed at scoring cheap political goal. Unthinkable and frivolous were some opinions raised; most were out rightly ridiculous. Those who want to make an issue out of General Buhari’s certificate should be knowledgeable enough to understand that this kite has fractured wings and cannot/will not fly. How on earth do the peddlers of the no-certificate-saga think that after ruling the nation as a military head of state and having contested presidential elections three times, General Muhammadu Buhari does not have West African School Certificate or its equivalent and the INEC forgot to disqualify him on those occasions and at the moment to contest? Are the harbingers of this question not Nigerians? These people must be new to Nigerian politics and current affairs. Experience they say is the best

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

Buhari: What’s certificate got to do with it? teacher; therefore, it is important for APC, Buhari and the handlers of his entire campaign to be meticulous, on guard and beware of leaving anything to chances. It should be well understood that Nigerian politics is still at its crude stage where any means fair and foul could be employed by candidates to smear and edge out opponents. Meanwhile, the eligibility of persons vying for the position of President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution is absolutely clear as it relates to certificates.Section 131 (d) states inter-alia: a person shall be qualified for election to the office of the president if- “he has been

educated up to at least School Certificate level or its equivalent.” Section 318(1) titled Interpretation, Citation and Commencement threw more light on what School Certificate or its equivalent means among many other things. It could be a Secondary School Certificate, Grade II Certificate, the City and Guilds or Primary Six School Leaving Certificate. The constitution did not envisage that an aspirant to the office of the President should have a university degree, Higher National Diploma or Doctoral Degree. The constitution further describes what School Certificate or its equivalent means as “Service in the public or private sector in the fed-

Re: Disrespect, death wish and lies

IR: I read with profound interest and admiration Sam Omatseye’s write-up in The Nation of Monday, January 26. When the duo of late Chuba Okadigbo and Uba Ahmed emerged as the political irritants of that dispensation, I thought no well brought up Yoruba man will ever so publicly denigrate old age for gold. But I was wrong. Fayose and ‘Femo’ have proved me wrong. I remember vividly the response of Great Zik. He said, ‘On my knees I go down and pray, that those who make mockery of old age, may they not grow old’. The rest is history. So many things are unfolding

now, and very shortly we will know these people for what they are really worth. My position is that the greatest illiterate is the man without integrity. No one is interested in the acquisition of mere papers that does not transform the mind. We are tired of thieving intellectuals. The major challenges facing us today as a nation, are corruption, and insecurity. Based on his antecedents General Muhammadu Buhari clearly dwarfs Goodluck Ebele Jonathan to clean up Nigeria. Now is the time! It is only the guilty that are afraid. Late Zik said, ‘Sportsmanship is an important asset in politics. I was

taught in footballing not to score an offside goal, in boxing, not to hit below the belt, and in athletics, not to beat the gun’ Please, let them not be afraid. GMB will have no choice than to play according to the rules of this dispensation. Fain-Kayode boasted, ‘we will stop him’(GMB).What is the foundation of this desperation? Let somebody remind him that he has only one vote. If the majority of Nigerians want him, then nobody can stop him. I pray for a new beginning for our great nation. • Debo Adedeji, Lagos

eration in any capacity acceptable to the independent National Electoral Commission for a minimum of 10 years, and attendance at course and training in such institutions as may be acceptable to the INEC for periods totaling up to a minimum of one year. Others are the ability to read, write, understand and communicate in the English language to the satisfaction of the INEC any other qualification acceptable by the INEC. From the foregoing, it is evident

that to become a president, “School Certificate” is the most needful criteria. Most importantly, it is at the discretion of INEC not individuals or political parties to determine who is qualified to run for the office of the president in accordance with the above constitutional stipulations. When will our politics migrate from triviality to issue based discussions? The issue of certificates of those contesting for various positions is the least Nigerians wants to hear for now. Political parties are enjoined to showcase implementable programmes and plans they have to uplift and improve the lives of the average Nigerians.

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• Sunday Onyemaechi Eze, Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company, Kaduna

When violence trails the Dame

IR: There are lots of things to talk about the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan; but let me start with the most pertinent: Why is it only in her Okirika hometown that political violence has continued? About two weeks ago, the APC Secretariat in Okirika town was bombed. Now it is the bombing of the APC governorship campaign venue, again in Okirika. Valuable equipment, canopies, constructed stage, etc., were burnt through explosives that were used by militants linked to the First Lady. This happened at the wee hours of Saturday January 24. This particular case may still go the way the earlier one did; no investigation to stop this type of carnage. She is also said to be fanning embers of hatred in his husband’s home State, Bayelsa. Currently, she is at loggerheads with Governor Dickson Seriake over who becomes

governor in advance of the 2016 gubernatorial election in the state. Mrs. Patience Jonathan, it was, that destroyed PDP in Rivers State when she foisted former Minister of State Education, Nyesom Wike as the PDP governorship flag bearer for the February elections. This, she executed against the preferred Riverine candidates, mainly Ijaw speaking, planning in the process that an Ikwerre takes over from another Ikwerre. What about issues of equity, fairness and honesty? Let us see how this plays out in the next few weeks. It should be recognized that Dame Jonathan is not the only First Lady in Nigeria’s history and she would not be the last. Suffice it to say that no First Lady has behaved close to what we are now witnessing. • Dr. Bernard Tamuno, Port Harcourt, Rivers State

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2015

COMMENTS

‘Our Girls, Our People’; Maiduguri must not fall; Mumu media? 2015: Cut political salaries 75%.

HE Chibok Girls kidnap tragedy pales in relation to 10,000+ dead and millions injured, disorientated, destitute, displaced by a demonic Boko Haram and its recent murderous attack Tony on Baga with between Marinho 150 and 2000 dead and now Monguno. We have serious issues in spite of our irresponsible unimaginably petty maxi-media mania and foolish frenzy for tiny political trivia. It is an insult of unimaginable proportions to question primary and secondary leaving qualifications, ‘certificates or equivalent’ for a presidential candidate from any party. Those entry qualifications were set up specifically to exclude the obviously uneducated and ensure that LGA councillors meet the minimum educational needs. The daily list of Boko Haram and Fulani and ‘so-called ‘political’ deaths are not just numbers but a tally of individual children, women, men with work, dreams, aspirations, possessions and responsibilities. Once again Maiduguri fails to fall due to efforts of the Nigerian Armed Forces. Is this renewed Boko Haram offensive against a State Capital not sufficient to concentrate our minds on serious issues and not political and media-hyped phantom matters? The media should also grow up, take a stand and choose issues and not be misled to champion carefully choreographed political intrigue. The media must not be ‘mumu’ and does not have to attend every single press conference or lick up every piece of political vomitus vomited by political pariah. Political pettiness alienates more voters than it wins. Let us take Maiduguri seriously and study it! Just last week soldiers were every 5 metres on roads in Maiduguri for the Presidential political visit. That same strategy could defeat Boko Haram. The question therefore is ‘has the government deployed sufficient troops and equipment to contain Boko Haram?’ How can Boko Haram attack Maiduguri repeatedly with impunity? During the presidential visit Boko Haram seeking to get to Maiduguri had to settle for an attack on a

UCH has been said about the year 2015 in Nigeria. The consensus of opinion is that the year may be a turning point in the history of the most populous Black Country in the world. In other words, bookmakers have predicted that the year will either make or break the country. What is paramount at this point is how to hold the country together well after the February general elections. First and foremost, we must know that there must be a country for any meaningful political activities to take place. Sometimes, I am amused by the way some people carry on as if come rain, come shine, the country called Nigeria, must survive. I am sure that people, who think this way, are only basking in the euphoria of the past when Nigeria remained intact as a country in spite of several odds that have threatened its corporate existence. For instance, shortly after the country’s independence on October 1, 1960, there were several challenges which were principally ethnicityinduced. The first was the January 15, 1966 coup which was largely a form of ethnic cleansing in which a particular part of the country suffered heavy human casualties with the loss of some of its prominent indigenes. This was followed by another major pogrom in which a whole tribe came under massacre. The massacre was so overwhelmingly carried out that it plunged the country into a 30-month civil war that created gargantuan material and human carnage. Even though peace seems to have been restored much later, the war succeeded in sowing the seed of

village 5 kilometres from Maiduguri. This confirms that the Nigerian Armed Forces are up to the task. Why has the protection been reduced, just because the President, like Elvis, has ’left the building’? Nigerians do not need to be reminded that Maiduguri is an important place of history and a large multi-million citizen city. Nigeria cannot afford to lose Maiduguri. The loss of a city the size of Maiduguri in 2015 will be at the cost of a bloodbath that will turn the River Maiduguri red with the blood of many thousands who will also turn on each other, ethnically and religiously and gender-wise, during any mass frantic exodus. Then there will be another bloodbath for the recapture that has to follow for there will be a recapture to ‘save face’ of any incoming government. A bloodbath is not a word only. A bloodbath can best be visualised as trailerloads of dead bodies and severed limbs heading from mass graves dug by contractor-rented earthmovers while tanker loads of blood, 33,000 litres or the blood of 6,600 people each, are washed from the sand toward the river to turn the river red. We prefer money over life so add the cost of rebuilding the bombed city. Maiduguri must not fall. With the elections two ’V’s appear - Violence and Voting. Violence is increasing in spite of the ‘Anti-Violence Accord’, AVA. Organisers of the Anti- Violence Accord expected all political parties to take AVA to their cohorts at states, LGAs and 16,400 wards. Presidential candidates will not directly perpetrate violence but leave that to henchmen in the side streets of state towns and capitals. We have failed to re-educate the urchin, area boy, okada driver, NURTW vehicle driver and conductor, so violence will be perpetrated unabated, no matter how many AVAs are signed in Abuja. Some taxis have easy identification but most danfos are unmarked and for rent for violence. We must all get our Permanent Voter’s Card, PVC and persuade friends, young and old, and young adults over 18 to ‘GET INVOLVED POLITICALLY’ and get their cards and ‘PLAN TO VOTE’. The Nigerian voter needs to evolve a VOTERS PROTECTION CODE OF CONDUCT to defeat anti-democracy forces seeking to undercount, over-count, cancel votes or unleashing violence. 1. Nigerians of all ages have the right and responsibility to

electronically record events at all voting booths and collating centres. To do this on voting day everyone should keep their fully charged phones on at least audio recording and video if possible and concealed for safety if necessary. This is to adequately record sudden anti-democracy events like violent attacks, cheating and other. 2. Useful recorded audio and video material should be immediately uploaded to previously identified local and international monitoring and collating websites, blogs and media houses to quickly expose fraudulent and violent events. 3.Voters must use their numbers to all remain to protect their vote through collation and announcement and have their own PARALLEL COLLATION TEAMS. When I started work the naira was better than N1:$1, today it falls pathologically through the psychological floor of N200:$1 to N208, toilet paper, perpetually pauperising salaried and struggling Nigerians, and plunging millions more below $1 a day. Nobody cares. Politicians of all parties at all levels must introduce 75% cuts in political Salaries and Perks, SAP, from January 2015. Ridiculously high political salaries and corruption, not falling oil prices, helped precipitate Nigeria’s financial crisis. Political salaries and transparent nongovernment party funding and the collapsing economy should be major election issues driven by an intelligent media.

‘Nigerians do not need to be reminded that Maiduguri is an important place of history and a large multi-million citizen city. Nigeria cannot afford to lose Maiduguri. The loss of a city the size of Maiduguri in 2015 will be at the cost of a bloodbath that will turn the River Maiduguri red with the blood of many thousands who will also turn on each other, ethnically and religiously and genderwise, during any mass frantic exodus’

This fragile democracy ethnic suspicion and political imbalance in the country. Since then, the major ethnic groups have consistently engaged themselves in a war of attrition for political control of the country. It is as if the country has been ceded to the politicians, be they those in uniform or their civilian compatriots. The return to democratic rule in 1999, after several years of military interregnum, was a welcome relief to all, both in the country and beyond. At least, it afforded the people the opportunity to choose and change their leaders according to international best practices. But what the whole world did not take cognizance of was the black man’s factor in the whole process called democracy. Mind you, democracy is one and only one thing all over the globe. Dictionary.com defines democracy as “a system of government in which power is vested in the people, who rule either directly or through freely elected representatives.” Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, went further. It describes democracy as “a system involving distribution of political power in the hands of the public which forms the electorate.” According to it: “Democracy is a form of government based on four elements: The citizens choose and replace the government through free and fair elections; there is active participation of the citizens in politics and civic life; there is protection of the human rights of all citizens; and there is rule of law, in which the

‘The fact is that politicians and Nigerians have not learnt any lesson from past mistakes and that is why we are carrying on as if God will continue to look the other way, while we systematically destroy ourselves, destroy our country, destroy our children and destroy our future’

laws and procedures apply equally to all citizens.” From the above, it is clear that even though we pride ourselves as practising democracy in Nigeria, our true situation is that of democracy without democrats. The reasons are simple. Let us analyse the four component parts of a truly democratic culture. The first is that the citizens should be able to choose and replace the government through free and fair elections. In all honesty, what takes place periodically in Nigeria (every four years) is contrary to this first rule. The citizens are not able to choose or replace the government through free and fair elections. In most cases, it is either the electorate are coaxed or intimidated to vote for a particular candidate or their votes don’t count at all. In this case, the electorate can do the voting only for the criminal politicians to sit in the comfort of their homes or somewhere in the jungle and tinker or rewrite the results thereby foisting the wrong candidates or representatives on the people. It is for this reason that politicians nowadays have adopted ‘one man, one vote’ or ‘your votes will count’ as part of their campaign mantra. They mouth this even when they are neck deep in the manipulation of votes. The second element is that “there is active participation of the citizens in politics and civic life.” In Nigeria, the citizens are not in any way active participants in politics. Those who dare at all are those who venture out to make some gains. In most cases, people serve as footsoldiers to some money bags who invest fortunes in politics with the hope of reaping abundantly from it. These are the people who actually corrupt and bastardise the system for pecuniary gains. They have formed a formidable cult-like persona in the business of politics and they will do anything, including killing and maiming their fellow men, to protect their satanic inter-

ests. They determine who does what and who goes to which office, as far as their interest is unshakeable. Now, let’s talk about the protection of the human rights of all citizens, which is the third in the elements of true democracy. We are all witnesses to issues bothering on flagrant human rights abuses pervading all over the country. It is like there are different applications of human rights for different categories of citizens. Depending on whom you are and who you know, it is possible to commit heinous crimes and go scot free, while the other man, who is a nobody and who knows no one up there, is thrown into jail or sent to the gallows for any little infringement on the law. Different strokes for different folks, you may want to call it. Also, the rampant impunity in government and in the society as a whole is a direct assault on the human rights of the citizens. Therefore, it is these acts of impunity that impugn the rule of law, in which the laws and procedures are unequally applied to the citizens. Whereas, a vital element of democracy says there must be rule of law, in which the laws and procedures apply equally to all citizens, it is this disparity in the application of the law that usually give rise to civil disobedience, anarchy and tremor in the polity. It is the lack of, or non-existence of the rule of law that must have contributed significantly to the outbreak of terrorism in some parts of the country. Remember that Mohammed Yusuf, the late leader of the Boko Haram group, was allegedly extra-judicially executed by some over-zealous security agents in 2009 and since then, peace has taken flight from the north-east part of the country in particular and the entire country in general. Till date, conservative estimate of the human carnage of the violence and terrorism that is holding sway in that part

Dele Agekameh of the country with occasional and intermittent incursion into other parts of the country is put at more than 35,000, excluding material ruins. With all the cheerless news all over the place, can we really say that Nigeria is under a democratic rule? Not quite. The closest thing we have is civilian dictatorship. If you look around and listen to our politicians canvassing their positions on the soapbox these days, you will wonder whether Nigeria is preparing for elections or war. Already, missiles are flying at campaign grounds and bombs are being detonated. Perhaps, very soon, the guns may be booming as well. The fact is that politicians and Nigerians have not learnt any lesson from past mistakes and that is why we are carrying on as if God will continue to look the other way, while we systematically destroy ourselves, destroy our country, destroy our children and destroy our future. If Nigeria must survive, our politicians need to do a re-think, eschew bitterness and acrimony in our body politics. It will be foolhardy to think that we can always get to the brink and miraculously survive each time we get there. We should not overstretch the elasticity of our luck anymore! Send reactions to: 08058354382 (SMS only)

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2015

COMMENTS ‘If I were the president, I would honourably step down after saying that my generation has failed Nigerians. If the president could not deliver on the promises that he made about six years ago, I wonder if he would perform even if he is given 10 more years. Nigerians are no longer interested in a leader who does not have the interest of the country at heart. If President Jonathan could abandon part of the country that elected him four years ago for so long due to political reasons, then he has no reason seeking reelection. From Hamza Ozi Momoh, Apapa, Lagos’ •Jonathan For Segun Gbadegesin Abuja Accord! For what? After all the unfounded mudslinging and propaganda against an innocent soul just to maintain status quo? God forbid! But what joy does a dead man derive to be told that his murderer is found in sackcloth and ashes? PDP and President Jonathan are hallucinating and shameless. Now that all their antics, tricks and lies against the person of General Buhari can’t fly, what next? President Jonathan wants to coerce Nigerians to believe that he has performed creditably and above his predecessors dead or alive. Be that as it may, could one that is well prepared for an exam look for expo? To President Jonathan, politics is all about lies, deceit, denials and renege. Don’t forget so soon how he denied and reneged from the agreement on power shift prior to 2011 election, the bane of our quagmire even as OBJ still insists that both agreed on one tenure. But then, what has Buhari’s sins if any, got to do with PDP misrule since 16 years amidst plenty? Nigerians expect President Jonathan to account for his stewardship in six years and to explain his frustrations in eradicating corruptn, insecurity and poverty in the polity. President Jonathan and PDP may be taking Nigerians for fools but no true Nigerian on his thinking cap needs the service of a prophet to see and feel myriads of his unfulfilled promises, lies and deceits even as his promising more on campaigns. I advise PDP to stop propaganda but to face issues even as what Nigerians need most now is free, fair and transparent elections. This is the only vehicle and panacea to peace as opposed to Abuja Accord. From Dr Mike, Delta State. Sir, it is now clear that underfunding the INEC had been part of a hidden agenda - to postpone the elections at the last minute. But INEC does not need to attain 100 percent voters’ participation to validate the process. If only one million voted, we should only be satisfied that the winner is who had gotten the highest percentage of the one million. From Abu Ahmed, Ilorin, Kwara State. The PDP had violated peace pact signed over political violence. Why was controversial advertorial was issued against Buhari’s life by Governor Fayose? It is a very sad act. From G C. Nnorom Good day sir, just read your write-up entitled: ‘From Mbaka’s Adoration to other grounds’ No doubt it is a master piece but I want to say the language is a bit too harsh sir. From Mrs Justina Odia. True, we remember the days of the Enahoros, Mokwugo Okoyes, with nostalgia. Those were the days when it was honourable being a youth - a visionary one at that. Charged with higher patriotic fervur and uncommon ingenuity, these were rare and special gifts the country fought colonialism to a standstill with one united Nigeria in view, using their chosen professions as tools. Today the nation is brought down to her knees by internal colonial leadership for years now, and we are unable to fight it with a common voice to enthrone a purposeful leadership for our common good, Ethnic chauvinism, religious and party differences, even with our so-called higher learning have become our albatross. May it please the Almighty God to throw up another batch of youthful Enahoros and the likes among us this time again, even as we wish the legendary “Peter Pan” many more returns. From Emmanuel Egwu PDP’s efforts at stopping General Buhari at all cost has fallen flat on their face. They prayed he didn’t win the primaries, he won. They tried all other means, they failed. They

now wish him dead. It’s a lie. The man will live to win the February 14 presidential election in a landslide manner, Insha Allah. All the looters of our economy should start packing their bags and head towards Kirikiri, where they rightly belong. Chikenna. From Ken Lawal For Prof. Olatunji Dare Based on what Nigerians have gone through under the incumbent president, I do not think it will be too safe to say: knowledge is wisdom. The last few years in the country was in short, an era of profound blandness, of superficiality, of submerged vigour, of atomised thought and a huge increase in wealth, (in many instances) based upon the impoverishment of sections of the population. I pray we embrace Change soonest. From Adegoke O. O, Ikhin, Edo State. Whatever formular they want to use and campaign against General Buhari and APC, their game is up in 20l5 general elections. Nigerians would not continue to die in silence because of bad governance, whereas we have resource to make Nigeria place for us. They told us Buhari doesn’t have certificate, he is sick, old man and he doesn’t know his phone number, are those the manifestoes Nigerians are looking for? It is diversionary because they don’t have anything to offer Nigerians. What are their manifesto and blueprints if elected rather than beating about the bush. We must get it right by electing credible people. From Gordon Chika Nnorom The latest outing of Governor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti State (his death-wish advert on General Buhari); has shown that he is utterly unfit to hold public office of any rank in a decent society. So why does a land so famed for its knowledge (Ekiti State) keep throwing him up? Anonymous. Thanks for your article Desperate days in Abuja Nigerians know where the shoe pinches. The judgement day is February 14. History will be made like what happened to Abraham Lincoln of USA. We Nigerians don’t give a damn this time around. If Buhari did not have Primary School Certificate. We want him. For those who wish Buhari dead, leave them, they will soon apologise for their actions. Whatever that has beginning must have an end. From Fakunle Isaiah O. I am not a politician, or General Buhari supporter, but, the hatred PDP is showing on Buhari has made a lot of Nigerian fall for APC. It is like PDP is just empty of any good agenda for the masses. So, PDP should forget it. From Steven Shem. Love your article. Just one oversight though. - Within the Nigerian context, the patriotism that drives Buhari, and his pursuit of justice, especially for the talakawas, can be favourably compared with Lincoln’s war to free American slaves. To use President Jonathan’s heresy placing himself alongside Mandela, et al - in the same context with Buhari is almost sacrilegious. Thanks. From Manjadda, Sokoto. In 2011 people voted President Jonathan not PDP. President Jonathan has failed Nigerians. Let’s try change. From Martins, Delta State. Not only the thought - provoking writeups that get me inspired but the mastery of English Language that always encourages my passion for writing. Kudos sir. From John It is now clear to the whole world that the president who said he does not give a damn meant what he said. How on earth can the president who is the chief security of the country choose to play politics with the lives of those that elected him in to office. I wonder whose vote the president is seeking in the North East when he abandoned them when they needed him most and now hiding under the moral boosting of soldiers and sneaked

into the area. The desperate president has forgotten that Nigerians have resolved to vote out a careless leader. From Hamza Ozi Momoh Apapa Lagos. Re-Desperate days in Abuja. Despite all your defence of Rtd General Muhammadu Buhari(rtd) and rattle of President Jonathan, if I were you, and his supporters, I would make General Buhari (rtd) to show the certificate in question to douse the debate on it. Afterall, this Certificate is not in heaven. Were that criticism to be on President Jonathan, you and other columnists in THE NATION would have descended on him. If others overlooked such an error in 2003, 2007 & 2011, that does not give correctness to such an error. You can now see how rules are bent. Truth untold by people we look up to, for ‘change’. From Lanre Oseni. Biblically, right from the old Testament to the new Testament, both the Kings and the Apostles, God required only one qualification from them - ”INTEGRITY”. If General Muhammadu Buhari is corrupt, he would have gotten as many degrees as he wanted. This is because to in Nigeria, to acquire degrees is a simple thing. Also, the issue of his health, my people have a proverb that, “A fresh tree falls before the dry one”. Surprisingly, those wishing him death, may even die before him. And if, it is the will of God, for General Muhammadu Buhari to take over, his humble background becomes a testimony to the glory of God. From Rev. Johnson Ukalibi, Abuja. Sir, your write-up has informed me the need for Nigerians to vote for change for a better tomorrow. From Alade Salim Danjuma At 86, Clark is building a university. From where did he conjure the funds if not from the Nigerian state through his tribesman President Jonathan? We have never known him to be in any thriving business since he quit public service. Anonymous For Gbenga Omotoso Joseph Mbu coming to Lagos wouldn’t be threat to APC because we all know his antecedent, they would checkmate him whatever game he want to play against APC the military should not allow to be use for this coming election, for the selfish interest of some politicians. From G.C.NNOROM What was released yesterday by Government College Katsina was statement of result not certificate. You columnists at The Nation are hired agents of the APC. Some of us ardent readers of your tabloid are not having value for our money. Anonymous Well I congratulate Mbu for being deployed to Centre of Excellence but he should try to behave like Romans when in Rome because Lagos is a different ball game unlike other states of the federation. Wishing him a successful service. From Julius Olapade, Coker Lagos. Please speak out for us, the pensioners are dying. People who retired last year with their voluntary contributions are waiting in vain without any concern from the government. Thanks. Anonymous Sir, Mbu’s cup is full already. So, I would not say ‘bonjour’ to Mbu. I would rather say ‘aurevoir’. He is meeting his waterloo in Lagos. From SEYI, ADO EKITI. If Joseph Mbu is not good, I know, Oba Akiolu being is superior in service, will reject him immediately. Anonymous Thank you for telling Nigerians more about Mbu. It simply means Lagosians must tread softly. Anonymous Good day, my Editor. That the PDP has become a worthless wreck is no longer news to right thinking Nigerians. Just take a good look at the profile of the party’s top echelon.

•Buhari All you see are crooks, crooks and crooks. Even some of their children are not left out. And what about their ‘leader’, the President himself who recently told Nigerians deadpan that 70percent of what we call corruption is ‘ordinary stealing’. That’s why his campaign team is populated by known fraudsters, some still in court. Now, out of panic, they have sent AIG Mbu to Lagos. Let’s hope the guy is smart enough to know that Lagos is not a good hunting ground for cowboys or roughnecks in police uniform. They always end up in a very bad way. So, learning the tale of the proverbial dog that got lost because it didn’t listen to the hunter’s whistle will do him some good. Regards. From Olu. Please go to equity with clean hands, take a look at the certificate of Buhari, examinations were taken in December until 1973 when it became May-June, the exam may have been conducted by the school otherwise the certificate should have be signed by state education secondary school, not examination officer. This renders it unacceptable. Anonymous It won’t be a surprise if the spin-doctors of the PDP campaign team harp on Buhari’s F9 in Mathematics as an issue. Stupidly they will say that he lacks competency in managing the nation’s wealth as if the Finance Minister and Presidential Economic Think-Tank Committee have done any better. Character is what makes leadership and not the number of degrees acquired as the PDP government parades, yet the nation has F9 in Economic Management. From TER AKAA, Gboko. For Tunji Adegboyega It is time for Nigerians to think right and vote wisely. In 1999, I voted for the AD; in2003, I voted for AC in the gubernatorial election and Chief Olusegun Obasanjo as president. In 2007, I voted for ACN in the presidential election and Labour in the gubernatorial because of religious mentality. In 2011, I made the greatest mistake voting President Goodluck Jonathan. Then, we said we were not voting for PDP but personality, because of religious and ethnic bias that the south-south should have their turn, but it turned out to be a mistake. I voted for Governor Fashola and ACN and we are seeing the result everywhere. Nigerians, vote wisely. From Pastor Tunji Balogun. In spite of the fact that certificate is very important for everyone’s career, Nigerians should not dwell much on Buhari’s certificate because it is diversionary. Rather, we should elect a candidate that would tackle Nigeria’s problems of corruption, insecurity and social vices. What have leaders with certificate done in government? What have they done beyond making Nigerians suffer? We must get it right before social vices sink the country. From Gordon Chika Nnorom, Umukabia, Abia State. If I were the president, I would honourably step down after saying that my generation has failed Nigerians. If the president could not deliver on the promises that he made about six years ago, I wonder if he would perform even if he is given 10 more years. Nigerians are no longer interested in a leader who does not have the interest of the country at heart. If President Jonathan could abandon part of the country that elected him four years ago for so long due to political reasons, then he has no reason seeking reelection. From Hamza Ozi Momoh, Apapa, Lagos.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2015

BUSINESS THE NATION

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

Group protests high electricity tariff

USINESS owners under the aegis of Cooperative Business Society of Abuja (CBSA) have protested the astronomical hike in electricity tariff in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT. The grouped, which described the actions of Abuja Electricity Distribution Company, (AEDC) as inimical to economic and business growth in Nigeria, said the hike was a flagrant disregard of the Multi-Year Tariffs Order as contained in the National Electricity Regulatory Commission ( NERC) guideline, and a set back to business growth, especially with world economy facing turbulent time and coming a few days to the general election Recently, the AEDC jacked up the Abuja electricity tariffs for businesses from N22.08 to N35.03 per kilowatts for commercial power consumers in the FCT, an increment of about 58 per cent. The group in their objection letter and petition signed by 25 heads and managers of business entities that formed the cooperative group, stated: “We the undersigned business society group in Abuja hereby objects to the sudden increase by 58.55 per cent in electricity kilowatt from N22.08 to N35.03for commercial power consumers in the FCT. According to the multi-year tariff order for the NERC, the maximum electricity increase for 2015 is five per cent. “We are shaken by this blatant disregard to the commission’s guideline and total lack of interest in the business operating in the capital city. Many businesses have collapsed under the ever increasing weight of cost of operation and harsh economic environment.’’

NLNG is one of the biggest success stories in our country. From what I am told, the company has invested $13 billion so far since inception, and has become a pacesetter in terms of revenue generation for the government. -Minister of Trade and Investment, Dr Olusegun Aganga

‘Banks may cut dividend payout rate’

ANKS may again cut their dividend payout rate in the year as banks seek to manage credit risks and liquidity amid constraints orchestrated by the policies of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). The latest update on the banking sector by the global finance and investment firm, Exotix, indicated that banks may cut dividend payout rate for the second consecutive year this year. Exotix has significant imprints in Africa. It coordinates its global operations through five major offices in London, New York, Lagos, Dubai and Nairobi. According to Exotix, it is expected that Nigerian banks would cut their average dividend payout ratio to 26.3 per cent in the 2015 financial year as against an estimated payout rate of 32.5 per cent for the 2014 financial year and 43 per cent for 2013. The report noted that some banks may have to raise additional capital to sustain minimum regulatory capital adequacy and liquidity ratios. The report outlined that most banks would likely de-risk their balance sheets

By Taofik Salako

this year by reducing their loan to deposit ratios. “Although the primary motivation for the rebalancing is to improve balance sheet liquidity and take advantage of rising government bond yields, we believe it should have the added benefit of reducing banks’ risk weighted assets to total assets ratios and thus reduce the pressure on capital adequacy. We estimate the average risk-weighted assets to total asset ratio could decline to 66.9 per cent from 71.6 per cent as the gross loan to deposit ratio reduces by 440 basis points year-on-year to 59.6 per cent,” the report stated. Exotix added that the lower proportion of higher riskweighted assets and greater earnings retention should enable the banks to sustain an average capital adequacy ratio of 19.9 per cent. The report outlined that the profitability in the Nigerian banking industry would be driven by increased asset growth and better margins on bonds. The report noted that while loan growth may decline in 2015, this will be ac-

companied by banks reducing their loan to deposit ratios in order to reduce risk exposure as well as im--prove balance sheet liquidity. “We, therefore, estimate deposit growth will accelerate to 19.8 per cent in 2015 from 8.4 per cent in 2014, with banks investing a greater proportion of their deposits in government securities. The stronger deposit growth should also translate to asset growth accelerating to 16.9 per cent in 2015 from 12.0 per cent in 2014,” Exotix stated. According to the report, banks’ net interest margins (NIMs) have persistently declined over the past three years from an average of 6.9 per cent in 2011 to an estimated 5.6 per cent in 2014 due to decline in asset yields and increase in funding costs. The decline in asset yields was driven by decline in government bond yields on the back of declining inflation expectations, increase in lower-yielding foreign currency lending and a significant increase in cash reserve requirements resulting in increased asset allocation towards loweryielding assets. Also, the in-

By Oluwatoyin Adeleye

T •CBN Governor Emefiere

Godwin

crease in funding costs is attributable primarily to tightening system liquidity on the back of a significant increase in CRR. The report, however, expected an upswing in assets yield this year. According to the report, higher asset yields will be driven by three factors, including banks increasing lending rates on their loan portfolio by 100 to 200 basis points following the 100 basis points increase in monetary policy rate in November, last year, increasing yields on government securities and conversion of lowyielding foreign-denominated loans to naira loans.

COMMODITY PRICES Oil -$117.4/barrel Cocoa -$2,686.35/metric ton Coffee - ¢132.70/pound Cotton - ¢95.17pound Gold -$1,396.9/ troy Sugar -$163/lb MARKET CAPITALISATIONS NSE -N11.4 trillion JSE -Z5.112trillion NYSE -$10.84 trillion LSE -£61.67 trillion RATES Inflation -8% Treasury Bills -10.58%(91d) Maximum lending -30% Prime lending -15.87% Savings rate -1% 91-day NTB -15% Time Deposit -5.49% MPR -12% Foreign Reserve $45b FOREX CFA EUR £ $ ¥ SDR RIYAL

-0.2958 -206.9 -242.1 -156 -1.9179 -238 -40.472

• From Left: Mr. Bola Adeeko, Head, Corporate Services Division, Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE); Amb. Ummuna Orjiako, Ambassador/Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva; Mr. Oscar Onyema, Chief Executive Officer, NSE; Mr. Isaac Obodo, President, Nigerians in Diaspora Organization (NIDO), Swiss; Mr. Aigboje Higo, Managing Director, Capital Bancorp Plc and Amb. Laurence Ayodele, Nigeria Ambassador to Greece at the NSE Investor Forum for Nigerian Diasporas in Switzerland.

NAICOM demands claims register from insurance CEOs

HE National Insurance C o m m i s s i o n (NAICOM) has urged Chief Executives Officers (CEOs) of the 59 insurance companies to furnish it with all outstanding claims in their registers. The order, which took effect from January 20, the regulator said, is to protect insurance policy holders and end the persistent bad press the industry is getting on unsettled claims. This was made known to the CEOs in a circular dated January 20, 2015, titled: ‘Outstanding claims,’ signed by

CBN: banks lost N20b to frauds in six months

- P26

By Omobola Tolu-Kusimo

NAICOM’s Deputy Commissioner, Technical, Mohammed Kari. He warned that the Commission reserves the right to verify all information supplied, adding that any variance found would not be condoned and would attract sanctions as provided by the law. The new requirement is a demonstration of NAICOM to end the unfortunate incidence of unsettled claims which is negatively impacting the Commission’s quest to deepen insurance penetration and trust, Kari said.

The circular reads: “As part of our statutory function to protect policy holders', and the persistent bad publicity the Nigeria Insurance Industry is getting on the matter of unsettled claims, the Commission is once more determined to bring to an end, the unfortunate scenario which is negatively impacting our quest to deepen insurance penetration and trust. “Consequently you are required; within four weeks from the date of this circular; to furnish the Commission with all the outstanding claims in the register of your company

Cash-less banking: Still a long way to go - P27

Attitudinal change’ll reduce unemployment, says FMBN chief

which includes, Name of Insured or Claimant; Policy number; Claim number; Date of Loss of Incident; Date of report; Quantum or Estimate and Reasons why the claim is still outstanding. “The information should be entered into NAICOM website and a signed hard copy sent to the Office of the Commissioner for Insurance. Be reminded that the Commission reserves the right to verify all information supplied and any variance found would not be condoned and would attract full regulatory sanctions as provided by the law,” it noted.

HE Chairman, Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN), Chief Bisi Ogunjobi, has said attitudinal change of the citizens towards entrepreneurship skills, as well as enhancement of the implementation performance of government programmes are necessary for employment generation in the country. Speaking on Paradigm shift thinking: Technical and business skills acquisition as panacea for unemployment in Nigeria, at the Oluyole Club Annual Dinner and Scholarship Award, he stressed the need for vocational and technical training for artisans to reduce the growing preference for artisans and labourers from the neighbouring West African countries. He lamented that the high rate of unemployment in the country has resulted in a relatively slow growth in labour demand, which is combined with a rapidly growing labour supply, especially due to high population growth, massive rural-urban migration and significant improvementin access to general education since independence. Employment of expatriate workers, Ogunjobi lamented, has resulted in the problem of continuous import. For instance, he said in an estate development project, apart from the sand and water, nearly everything else ranging from doors, roofing materials, furniture and interior decoration, are imported. Ogunjobi identified the challenge of poor curriculum implementation and absence of standard textbooks and other useful learning materials on entrepreneurship education, as reasons why there has been little effect of the new educational system on employment generation; while the available text-books are said to be deficientas they fail to address the peculiar Nigerian business environment. He noted that the business of trade and skilled labour is better impacted through industrial tours, professional talks from successful business owners and real execution of business projects while in school, rather than the erroneous perception by undergraduates that entrepreneurship education as an elective or general course is forced on them to increase their academic workloads.

Oando’s N48.8b rights issue closes today - P28

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2015

THE NATION

BUSINESS MONEY

e-mail: money@thenationonlineng.net

CBN: banks lost N20b to frauds in six months T HE Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has traced rising cases of e-fraud in international card transactions to increased insider abuse. The fraud where perpetrated through theft and authorisation, it said. CBN’s report for the first half of 2013 contained in the ‘KPMG 2014 Customer Satisfaction Survey’ indicated that there were 2,478 fraud and forgery cases valued at over N20 billion. The figure represented an eight per cent increase over the previous year, and represents a significant increase in value of over 200 per

Stories by Collins Nweze

cent from the 2012 figures. The report showed that two per cent of retail bank customers were defrauded in the last one year. CBN Director, Banking and Payments System Department, ‘Dipo Fatokun, said increased use of automation in most payment processes escalated the insider abuse because of banks’ weak authentication procedures. He said frauds were rampant when international hybrid cards issued by Nigerian banks are used in non-EMV environments, like the United States.

EMV stands for Europay, MasterCard and Visa, a global standard for interoperation of integrated circuit cards for authenticating transactions. He advised banks to collate all their card frauds abroad and send to CBN not later than Friday. It also directed that all data on card-fraud occurring abroad should be rendered on the Nigeria Interbank Settlement System (NIBSS) fraud portal. He directed banks to implement a maker/checker control structure for all payment platforms, including account and database system mainte-

nance on core banking systems. The lenders, he said, are to implement two factor authentication at login points for applications driving transfers, withdrawals, deposit, standing order, account maintenance and system maintenance processes. He said: “An implementation plan should be submitted to the Central Bank by January 30 and all banks are expected to fully comply by December 31, failing which defaulting banks would incur a penalty of N50,000 daily.” He said from next month banks would ensure that, only customers who indicate their intension of travelling to non-EMV jurisdictions would have their cards default to the magnetic stripe and for the period indicated by the cardholder only. To this

end, banks should ensure that their customers are adequately educated. Meanwhile, the naira recovered from a record intraday low after two commercial lenders and an energy company sold dollars on the interbank market ahead of a CBN interest rate meeting, dealers said. The two lenders and Nigeria’s LNG sold an undisclosed amount of dollars, helping the naira to gain 2.3 per cent against the greenback to N187.50. The naira had earlier hit a record intraday low of N191.85 to the dollar. Dealers said the lenders had to sell dollars to remain within a regulatory open limit position on hard currency set by the CBN, while the energy company bought naira for its local operation.

UBA introduces mobile PoS

• From left: Group Managing Director, Access Bank Plc Herbert Wigwe; Managing Director, Financial Derivatives Bismark Rewane and Chairman, Networks Limited Ernest Ebi at the Nigerian Business Outlook 2015 sponsored by Access Bank in Lagos.

E-commerce market to generate $10b yearly

HE e-commerce market, which is enjoying robust growth on the back of increased internet access and improved mobile connectivity, is expected to generate $10 billion yearly, Minister Communication Technology Mrs Omobola Johnson has said. An FBN Capital report released at the weekend, quoted the Minister as saying that the figure is based on industry reports of 300,000 online orders placed daily. It said the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) figure put active internet subscription in the third quarter of last year at 73.9 million, representing an internet penetration of 43 per cent in the

same quarter. It added that the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN’s) cashless policy has also played a role in facilitating growth in electronic commerce by emphasising the use of e-payment systems. It said while electronic transactions remain dominated by the use of Automated Teller Machines (ATMs), there has been very strong growth in online purchases through leading industry players such as Konga, Jumia, Wakanow and Quickteller. “However, online retail shops still have challenges with payment methods as customers prefer to pay for products when delivered (cash on delivery). This is, particularly, due to concerns over fraudulent ac-

tivities. Jumia disclosed that 60 per cent of its orders come from Lagos with mobile phones and fashion products dominating purchases,” it said. The investment and research firm said the rise in processed orders by online retailers as well as the need for efficient delivery of products has led to an awakening of Nigeria’s postal and courier industry. Online retailers are partnering with courier operators to meet customer demands. “On a macro note, strong growth in e-commerce could increase visibility while reducing cost for SMEs, as well as generate jobs. It also bodes well for fiscal revenue collection through an expansion of the tax net,” it added.

AfDB, MasterCard to broaden banking access

FRICAN Development Bank (AfDB) and MasterCard are collaborating to expand financial inclusion on the continent. The collaboration seeks to develop solutions that drive inclusive growth in Africa by broadening access and use of digital financial services. MasterCard said it is bringing to the table its proven expertise to design and scale inclusive financial services solutions and infrastructure. The AfDB promotes sustainable economic growth and poverty reduction in Africa.AfDB and MasterCard will work with African governments and local companies to develop and deliver affordable services that meet the needs of consumers, especially the traditionally unbanked. The collaboration will seek to build cohesive financial systems

that drive inclusion at a country level and enable service delivery to traditionally excluded populations. It will also allow the stakeholders to invest in a set of innovative financial services companies and solutions targeted at addressing barriers that hinder financial inclusion; and share knowledge across academic, policy and commercial sectors to create thought leadership on financial inclusion and economic development. President, AfDB, Donald Kaberuka, said: “Despite the phenomenal economic growth in Africa, this has not translated into shared prosperity and better livelihoods for the majority. Growth has to be inclusive to be socially and politically sustainable. One key component of inclusive development is financial inclusion, an area in which Africa has been lag-

ging behind other continents. Broadening access to financial services will mobilise greater household savings, marshal capital for investment, expand the class of entrepreneurs, and enable more people to invest in themselves and their families.” President/Chief Executive Officer (CEO), MasterCard, Ajay Banga, said: “Less than one adult out of four in Africa has access to an account at a financial institution. While many of our industry partners have been active in this space, we believe that through our payments expertise, and the AfDB’s 50 years of experience in financing Africa’s economic transformation, we can achieve scaled impact and lasting transformation. This can only be accomplished when the public and private sectors combine resources and act together.”

NITED Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc has introduced mobile Point of Sale (mPoS) terminals to boost its e-banking transactions. The mPoS terminal is about the size of Blackberry Curve phone, but works like the traditional PoS now used in many stores and cash collecting business outlets. mPoS terminals are portable, low cost and extremely secure. Many stores and cash collecting outlets that have already operated the new UBA mPoS have discovered it to be a good strategy to increasing sales and expand their customer base. Existing large retailers are also adopting Mobile PoS solutions and integrating them into their current point-of-sale environment to enhance the retail and payment experience. mPoS allows even the smallest business to track and analyse sales and trends as all sales are automatically and instantly captured on the retailer’s system thereby enthron-

ing accountability. It is also suitable for firms that have agents on the field collecting cash on their behalf as an option to the less secure pay on delivery system. UBA’s Deputy Managing Director/CEO Africa Kennedy Uzoka: “mPoS is just one of our many ebanking innovations.We have driven other initiatives, such as the acceptance of international cards on our PoS terminals. “Our PoS terminals are also enabled for Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC), which means customers and non-customers using foreign payment cards on our PoS, can see their transaction value in the currency of their card or home country,” adding, that this aids transaction tracking and personal account reconciliation. Last year, the lender introduced bill payments, such as airtime top up, utility bills payment and Cable TV subscription on its PoS terminals in designated locations.

Firm gets leadership award

EASY Mobile Money International has received the 2014 Nigerian Mobile Money Customer Value Leadership Award initiated by Frost& Sullivan. It led the other 3,000 mobile money agents operating in the country. Licensed by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the firm provides a wide range of financial services, including, funds transfers, bill payments, airtime purchases and deposits and withdrawals, through the use of a mobile phone. Its product, Teasy Mobile Money, is an end-to-end mobile phonebased platform that allows users to have an electronic wallet (e-wallet). “Teasy International has built its position as a leader in the Nigerian mobile money industry, by introducing the first commercial NFC-based contactless payment solution in Nigeria. Teasy Tap and Pay has been considered as an electronic payment solution bridge between the world of microfinance and that of the traditional banking system.” John Weber, who spoke on behalf of the organiser, Frost & Sullivan, explained that the choice of Teasy International was based on the outcome of the report of the Frost & Sullivan analysts and industry experts which embarked on a global hunt for companies achieving dual excellence in two critical areas: Customer Value and Growth Success. According to the report, “Teasy

International partnered with Verifone (a global provider of technology for electronic payment transactions and value-added services at the point of sale) to develop its own mobile money platform. To remain ahead of competitors, Teasy International added a new feature to its Teasy Tap and Pay solution, making it possible for it to be used as a mobile Point of Sale (mPoS) device. “It is a merchant payment service that allows customers to use their mobile phone to pay for goods and services at any PoS terminal, which accepts a NFC-enabled phone. It has converted Android and BlackBerry phones into mPoS devices through the Teasy Mobile Money App. “The Teasy Mobile Money solution also allows for the use of biometric data for secure user identification and authentication. This Biometric payment technology eliminates the need to carry cash, cheques or credit cards and removes any risk associated with theft, or a forgotten pin. “As an innovator, Teasy International is developing a new service as part of its platform called Cashless Campus. It has partnered with four universities in Nigeria to allow students to pay for their school fees and bus fares using the Teasy Tap and Pay App. Teasy International is in the process of partnering with every Nigerian university to extend this new service country wide.”

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2015

MONEY

Cash-less banking: Still a long way to go Cash-less banking was introduced with fanfare three years ago, but it has yet to make an impact. It is being undone by erratic Automated Teller Machines (ATMs), Point of Sale (PoS) and internet banking downtime hitches. Many customers have lost confidence in the scheme, writes COLLINS NWEZE.

HE introduction of the cashless banking was one of the biggest news that hit the sector in January 2012. The objective, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) says, is to change the cash-driven economy and reduce the rising cost of banking operations. The policy is also designed to promote financial intermediation, financial inclusion, minimise revenue leakages, eliminate robbery and encourage e-payment. But three years after, feedback from customers shows that these objectives are far from being met. Some bank customers said the policy is yet to gain their confidence because of rising cases of fraud through the channels and additional costs that come with the implementation. A cashier at SMAT Electronics, Computer Village, Lagos, Maureen Onyekachi, told The Nation that poor network in the use of e-payment channels and the 1.25 per cent charge on merchants’ accounts when Point of Sale (PoS) is used have depleted some of the benefits that come with the system. She said the merchant fee wouldn’t have mattered if the network were to be seamless and trusted by customers. She said on several occasions, customers got debit alerts after paying through PoS, but at the merchant’s end, the transactions were declined. Onyekachi said though such hitches were resolved between the customers and their banks, they create doubts on the feasibility of achieving a viable e-payment system in the country. “Remember we pay 1.25 per cent fee for every successful transaction done via PoS, which translates to N125 for every N10,000 transaction or N1,250 for every N100,000 transaction. Still, that wouldn’t have mattered if the networks are working well,” she said. Mrs. Olatunji Alima, an egg distributor based in Lagos, also recounted her experience. She has been using ATM since 2012, but does not feel safe with it anymore. “I own a boutique and I am also a sole distributor of eggs. It has been two years. I don’t feel secure using the device anymore because robbers are attacking ATM subscribers daily at the point of withdrawal. I am always scared of using my ATM cards,” she said. Mrs Alima recounted when her ATM card refused to work. “There was a time I came to withdraw money to pay off a debt. When I slotted in my card, it refused to neither slip out nor pay me. It was a bad experience. I am always very careful and time conscious every time I am about to make withdrawals from ATM. That is why I do not withdraw in the night. Anytime past 6:00 pm, I don’t get close to the ATM,” she said. She called for more security by the banks. “I know they are trying their best but they need to do more in terms of security provided for withdrawers and less technical difficulties should be expected,” she advised. Like Mrs Alima, Damilare Oshibajo, a technician, and Jeremiah Amaukwu, an information technology specialist, are also not comfortable using ATM. Oshibajo conceded that though ATM has made banking easier for Nigerians, he regretted that dispensing error is a major challenge. “The other day, I wanted to withdraw N20, 000 from the ATM. The machine debited my account but did not dispense the cash. I was told it will reverse the transaction within 24 hours. It never did until after 21

• A queue at an ATM platform

days,” he said. Amaukwu said there were several times when his account was debited and the money was not dispensed, a situation he described as worrisome. “It was N10, 000 they took from my account. I did not get it back until two months after,” he said. Chief Executive Officer, Forenovate Technologies Ltd, Don Okereke, said cybercriminals were using skimming and trapping devices to steal credit/debit card details of individuals without such persons knowing. He said there have also been several cases of online account takeover, where an unauthorised party gains access to an account by stealing the access codes and conducting illegal funds transfer to a designated account. “In today’s increasingly connected world, convenience, speed, technology adoption, and payment options allow people and businesses to conduct online financial activities with ease. Fraudsters are taking advantage of this trend, fleecing customers of their funds. “A leading bank has been bragging of its capacity to open instant bank accounts via Facebook. I advise banks not to sacrifice security and safety of their customers for speed,” he said. Okereke said many bank customers are illiterates who are yet to be accustomed to the dictates of cashless banking and all the issues associated with it. He said many of these customers lost confidence in their banks after many reported cases of e-frauds. “There is also another category of discerning, security conscious Nigerians who are abreast with the weaknesses inherent in cashless banking. For instance, I am yet to download any of my banks mobile banking Apps because of security concerns,” he said.

Cash-less banking policy The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) launched the Cash-less Nigeria Project in Lagos State, in January

PHOTO: DAVID ADEJO

2012 and extended the policy to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abia, Anambra, Ogun, Kano and Rivers States in June 2013. The policy was initiated against the backdrop of cash dominance in the payments system, a development which encouraged the circulation of huge sums of money outside the banking system and imposed huge currency management cost on the economy. The policy was meant to ensure price stability through effective monetary policy; sound financial system and efficient payments system. It was a critical part of the payment system modernisation, designed to promote the use of ATMs, PoS terminals, web payment, online transfers and even mobile money in banking transactions instead of relying on cash. CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele, on June 5, last year removed the three per cent charge on cash deposits above N500,000 for individuals and N3 million for corporate customers — the sanctions for defaulters —but said the nationwide rollout would hold.

CBN’s position Aware of these dangers, the CBN has decided to set up a five-year Information Technology (IT) Standards for banks. CBN’s Director, Information Technology, John Ayoh, said the exercise would help banks identify and adopt global IT standards that address industry problems. He said banks were expected to implement the plan on continuous basis and in accordance with set timelines. CBN’s Director, Banking Payment and Systems Dipo Fatokun said the introduction of chip-and-pin payment cards have led to drastic drop in ATM card fraud. He said the CBN and other relevant institutions have been able to reduce card frauds considerably by instituting ATM Fraud Prevention Group and the Nigeria Electronic Fraud Forum (NeFF). The

groups are to enable banks to collaboratively share data on fraud attempts and proactively tackle them to reduce losses. According to Fatokun, the CBN, instructed banks to set and implement mandatory daily limits for ATM cash withdrawal, while other related transactions, including PoS and web purchases should be subjected to stringent limit as agreed and documented between the banks and customers. He said it was the responsibility of the banks to ensure that a trigger was automatically initiated when limits were exceeded.

Banks, others react In an emailed statement to its customers, GTBank said the policy would drive the development and modernisation of Nigeria’s payments system. It said individuals and corporate outfits would be encouraged to adopt electronic payment and other banking options. The policy, it added, is aimed at promoting the use of electronicbased transactions instead of cash for payments for goods, services, transfers, among other services. Skye Bank Plc has underscored the importance of deploying innovative technology in providing a secured and more convenient direct banking solution to its customers. In a statement, the bank said such action is to promote the cash-less policy. The lender has also unveiled its ‘SkyePLus’ to support the initiative. Visa’s Group Executive, Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa, Kamran Siddiqi, said the cash-less banking initiative is modernising the payment system and creating economic development for the country. He was in Nigeria last year to support Visa’s financial literacy and cashless payments drive. “Nigeria is a very important market for us. It is exciting for me to be here to support the progress Visa has made in driving financial inclu-

‘In today’s increasingly connected world, convenience, speed, technology adoption, and payment options allow people and businesses to conduct online financial activities with ease. Fraudsters are taking advantage of this trend, fleecing customers of their funds. A leading bank has been bragging of its capacity to open instant bank accounts via Facebook. I advise banks not to sacrifice security and safety of their customers for speed’

sion and making electronic payments more accessible to everyone everywhere,” he said. He said Visa is dedicated to increasing financial literacy among the unbanked through strategic partnerships and educational programmes. “This was the motivation behind the recent highly successful Financial Literacy Challenge with the Co-Creation Hub. It was geared at stimulating the development of innovative web and mobile applications to teach money management skills and support the advancement of financial literacy in Nigeria,” he said.

Incentives The Nigeria Interbank Settlement System (NIBSS), collaborating with banks, is working out modalities that will ensure that customers that use their e-payment cards to pay for goods and services on PoS terminals and web platforms get cash refund of 50 kobo for every N100 spent. Already, lenders are serious about the offer, as they look at more ways of rewarding users of e-channels, such as PoS, ATMs or even web payments. However, in most banks, withdrawing less than N100,000 across the counter attracts a surcharge. Customers are expected to use ATMs or make direct online transfer into beneficiaries’ accounts. Despite these approaches, a majority of bank customers still prefer cash transactions, mainly because of fear of losing their money in what they see as unsecured platforms. Vice President, IBM Tivoli Storage, Software Group, Steve Wojtowecz, advised banks to adopt efficient and quality banking software despite their high cost to effectively fight fraudsters. He said banks should ensure that people responsible for data security are highly efficient to achieve maximum protection. He said the cost for acquiring software would be upset in a matter of months from efficiency and security benefits. He advised banks to acquire several layers of data security and authentication so that should one layer fail, the other can sustain their operations. “There are many mechanisms a bank can implement to limit fraud, including having several layers of data security and authentication, because preventing fraud is very difficult. Limiting fraud is the best case option at the moment,” Wojtowecz said.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2015

THE NATION INVESTORS

Oando’s N48.8b rights issue closes today

HE extended application period for the ongoing Oando Plc’s rights issue ends today. Also, trading on the rights is expected to end at the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) after the close of trading today. However, shareholders could still use the twoweek collation period to submit their acceptances through the receiving agents. Oando is raising about N48.8 billion from existing shareholders through a rights issue of 2.217 billion ordinary shares of 50 kobo each at N22 per share. The offer, which was initially scheduled to close on Wednesday January 14, 2015, was extended till today following approval by the Securities and Exchange Commis-

•NSE to end rights trading sion (SEC). SEC had considered the public holidays during the offer period and decided to provide the investors with more working days to enable them participate fully in the rights issue. With the extension of the offer period, the management of the NSE had also extended the trading on the Oando’s rights, providing investors with opportunity to buy the rights’ shares at the secondary market. Rights’ shares are usually pre-allotted to shareholders in the register of the company at a particular period. But both investors who are not pre-qualified for the rights issue can buy the renounced rights

shares at the Exchange. Also, prequalified shareholders can demand for additional shares through their rights’ offer acceptance form. In similar issuance, Oando had in 2013 raised about N55.2 billion from a rights issue, slightly above the initial target of N54.6 billion. Allotment approved by SEC however showed that Oando succeeded in raising N55.2 billion, which many had said indicated the high level of investors’ confidence in the company. Third quarter report of Oando indicated that the company optimised its bottom-line performance as significant improvements in top and

midline costs moderated decline in turnover and returned higher earnings to shareholders. Key extracts of the interim report and accounts of Oando for the ninemonth period ended September 30, 2014 showed that while turnover dropped by 12.5 per cent, the group drew on improved input and marketing costs to grow gross profit and operating profit by 70.4 per cent and 97.3 per cent. Net profit after tax rose by 75.7 per cent. Group turnover stood at N338.11 billion in third quarter 2014 compared with N386.25 billion in corresponding period of 2013. Gross profit meanwhile rose from N70.4 billion in 2013 to N79.60 billion in 2014. Operating profit also nearly doubled at N36.25 billion in 2014

as against N18.37 billion in 2013. Profit before tax rose marginally from N9.76 billion in third quarter 2013 to N10.18 billion in third quarter 2014. With tax gain of N523.4 million, group net profit rose to N10.70 billion in 2014 as against N6.09 billion in comparable period of 2013. Earnings per share meanwhile improved from 93 kobo to N1.26. Oando recently distributed a total of N2.4 billion as cash dividends to shareholders, consisting of a final dividend of 30 kobo per share for the 2013 business year financial year and an interim dividend of 70 Kobo per share for the six-month period ended June 30, 2014, bringing total dividend per share to N1.

May & Baker Nigeria, UN partner on national healthcare

•From left: Saudatu Bello, Executive Commissioner, Legal Enforcement, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC); Michael Oyebola, President, Fund Management Association of Nigeria (FMAN); Mounir Gwarzo, Acting Director-General, SEC; and Zakawanu Garuba, Commissioner, during an advocacy meeting between SEC and FMAN in Abuja.

Hedge funds bet on oil decline

EDGE funds boosted bearish wagers on oil to a fouryear high as U.S. supplies grew the most since 2001. Money managers increased short positions in West Texas Intermediate crude to the highest level since September 2010 in the week ended Jan. 20, U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission data show. Net-long positions slipped for the first time in three weeks. US crude supplies rose by 10.1 million barrels to 397.9 million in the week ended Jan. 16 and the country will pump the most oil since 1972 this year, the Energy Information Administration says. Saudi Arabia’s King Salman, the new ruler of the world’s biggest oil exporter, said he will maintain the production policy of his predecessor despite a 58 percent drop in prices since June. “There’s been a rush to call a bottom,” John Kilduff, a partner at Again Capital LLC, a New Yorkbased hedge fund that focuses on energy, said by phone Jan. 23. “The fundamentals are still stacked against a rebound.” Bloomberg reported that WTI rose 50 cents, or 1.1 percent, to $46.39 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange during the CFTC report period. The US benchmark fell 44 cents, or 1 percent, to $45.15, the lowest settlement since March 11, 2009. Brent slipped 63 cents, or 1.3 percent, to end the session at $48.16. Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud ascended to the throne after King Abdullah died last week. The kingdom pumped 9.5 million bar-

rels a day in December as members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries exceeded their 30 million-barrel daily target for a seventh month. “I don’t see any major catalyst from either the supply or demand side that will send prices higher this year,” Stewart Glickman, an equity analyst at S&P Capital IQ in New York, said by phone Jan 23. “It looks like $50 crude is the new reality that we’ll have to get used to.” Production in the US will be slow to decline as improvements in drilling technology boost well output even as companies drill less. Oil production per rig from new wells in the Bakken in February will be double what it was three years ago, the EIA said Jan. 12. The nation’s oil boom has been driven by a combination of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, which has unlocked supplies from shale formations including the Eagle Ford and Permian in Texas and the Bakken in North Dakota. Drillers idled 49 US oil rigs last week, bringing the total to 1,317, the lowest level in two years, Baker Hughes Inc. (BHI) said on its website Jan. 23. It was the seventh weekly decline. “The fundamentals are terrible,” Mike Wittner, head of oil research at Societe Generale SA in New York, said by phone Jan. 23. “The drop in the rig count will have a limited impact. We’re going to see huge builds during the first quarter worldwide.” Short positions in WTI increased

by 6,262 contracts to 94,203 futures and options in the week ended Jan. 20, CFTC data show. Long positions dropped 0.3 percent. Netlong positions fell 3.3 percent to 216,704. Producers increased netshort positions by 7,623 to 132,143 contracts, the most since December 2011. In other markets, bullish bets on gasoline advanced 5.8 percent to 39,418 contracts, the first gain in five weeks. Futures increased 3.5 percent to $1.3128 a gallon on Nymex in the reporting period. Retail gasoline, averaged nationwide, slid to $2.033 a gallon Jan. 25, the lowest since March 2009, according to Heathrow, Florida-based AAA, the largest U.S. motoring group. Bearish wagers on U.S. ultra low sulfur diesel increased 2.3 percent to 29,943 contracts, the most since the period ended Nov. 4. The fuel slipped 0.4 percent to $1.6266 a gallon in the report week. Net-short wagers on U.S. natural gas decreased 32 percent to 11,967 lots. The measure includes an index of four contracts adjusted to futures equivalents: Nymex natural gas futures, Nymex Henry Hub Swap Futures, Nymex ClearPort Henry Hub Penultimate Swaps and the ICE Futures U.S. Henry Hub contract. Nymex natural gas dropped 3.8 percent to $2.831 per million British thermal units during the report week. “We’ve been here before,” said Wittner. “There have been points when it looked like it was stabilizing only to then take another leg lower.”

AY & Baker Nigeria Plc and United Nations are seeking to establish a partnership that will enhance domestic provision of quality and affordable medicines for treatment of Nigerians. The United Nations, through the United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) is seeking to partner with May & Baker Nigeria as part of efforts to establish a private sector-driven partnership for the provision of quality and affordable medicines for the treatment of persons infected with the Human Imuno-Deficiency Virus (HIV). This indication was given recently by the country director of UNAIDS Dr. Bilali Camara, when he visited May & Baker Nigeria Plc in Lagos. According to Camara, UNAIDS seeks to partner with the premier pharmaceutical company in Nigeria, May & Baker because of her quality standards that has received international recognition such as that of the World Health Organization. He said the World’s AID control body has recognised the imperative of local production in the efforts towards making HIV drugs available to over six million people infected with the virus in Nigeria, West and Central Africa. He said UNAIDS is working with multinationals in Africa to bring reduction in the spread of the virus. Currently, the coverage level in Nigeria is about 42 per cent, meaning that about 60 per cent of the infected persons do not receive treatment, resulting to over 230,000 deaths annually.

The UNAIDS chief said the new focus of the organisation is awareness creation, by making people know their HIV status. To this end , UNAIDS has introduced what he called the 9090-90 Initiative in which 90 per cent of those living with the virus should know their status, 90 per cent of those tested will be put on treatment and 90 per cent of cases will be brought under control. This he said will reduce transmission by 96 per cent. To achieve this, Camara said UNAIDS is seeking to make more test kits available especially for pregnant women and children. In his response, Managing Director, May & Baker Nigeria, Mr. Nnamdi Okafor said May & Baker is delighted to be invited as a pioneer partner in the UNAIDS 90, 90, 90 Initiative. He assured the visiting UNAIDS team of the readiness of the company to put her knowledge, experience and expertise on any worthy cause that promotes the good health of people. He said May & Baker has gone beyond getting the current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) declaration by the WHO to the level of presenting dossiers for the prequalification of her products, which include a basket of antiretroviral drugs. He expressed optimism about the eventual prequalification of these ARV drugs which he said will be made available for the treatment of People Living with HIV in Nigeria and beyond. He also said that May & Baker has expertise to work with UNAIDS in the area of HIV kits being one of the first companies in Nigeria to market and distribute these products.

Saudi to open stock market to foreigners

AUDI Arabia said it’s on track to open the Arab world’s biggest stock market to foreigners in the first half of the year, confirming no change of policy since a new monarch ascended to the throne following King Abdullah’s death. The Capital Markets Authority has issued draft laws and is assessing investor feedback before it approves the regulations and sets an official date for the lessening of restrictions on the $484 trillion exchange, governor Mohammed AlSheikh said at a conference in Riyadh today. King Salman pledged on Friday to maintain the oil-rich nation’s current policies and asserted all ministers will stay in their posts. Abdullah, who on January 23 passed away aged about 90, helped drive a 27 percent stock rally in the past four years with a $130 billion spending plan. The market regulator’s comments today underscore the kingdom’s commitment to its economic plans as it seeks to boost non-oil industries amid plung-

ing crude prices. The Tadawul All Share Index rose 0.7 percent in its first day of trading following the late king’s death, the largest increase among Persian Gulf stock markets. Bloomberg reported that the feedback process “indicates that there is genuine and significant demand and interest in the Saudi market,” AlSheikh said at the Riyadh conference. Investors from outside the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (BGCC200) aren’t allowed to invest directly in stocks and have to get access to the market through equity swaps and exchange-traded funds. Saudis accounted for 95.05 percent of the value of Saudi shares traded in December, with other GCC nations at 2.08 percent and others 2.87 percent, according to bourse data. “Markets can hence expect continuity from Saudi Arabia in the near term,” VTB Capital said in an emailed note on Jan. 23. “King Salman is thought to be more conservative than his predecessor, but also has a reputation of being a consensus builder in the royal family.”

Newspaper of the Year

AN EIGHT-PAGE PULLOUT ON THE SOUTHWEST STATES

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2015

PAGE 29

For about two months in Lagos, there have been incidents of fire—an average of 10 per day. Lives have been lost and properties that represented so many years of toiling and suffering have been consumed by the infernos. SEUN AKIOYE returns to some of the scenes and documents the harsh realities the victims face.

•Some of the victims of Balogun fire

Harvest of fire in Lagos •Victims of Oko Baba, Balogun and Igando infernos grieving

INSIDE

BOUT 8:am, every morning, Mrs. Kemi Olorunwa would resume at the site of what was formerly her thriving shoe and bag store at the Global Plaza, Gbajumo Street, Balogun on Lagos Island. This is not strange as she has been working at the same site every day for several years. This time,

Pains, frustration at UCH, state hospitals PAGE 32

however, her schedule has tragically changed. On arrival, she found a spot in front of Global Plaza and sat with several other traders who had gathered at the site. The traders are united in their sorrow.and anguish. The subject of discussion centered mainly on how to resuscitate their business.

Intermittently, smoke erupts from the third floor of Global Plaza, sending the women momentarily in search of safer spots to sit. From the third floor, one could still hear the cringing of metals. Besides, there is the odour of fresh burning. Many times during the day, the traders remarked that the fire may still cause the building to col-

Land grabbers take over public schools’ land in Ibadan PAGES 34

lapse. On Monday January 12th, 2015, Olorunwa was part of the crowd that watched helplessly as a raging midnight inferno consumed Global, OKK, Rich and Plaza 16 buildings. Despite the early arrival of the Lagos State Fire Servicemen and several other fire fighting trucks from construction gi-

ant, Julius Berger, the fire razed the buildings along with hundreds of millions of naira worth of goods. Since then, life seems to have stopped for many of the traders. The women who had gathered in front of Global Plaza went through different emotions, ranging from laughter to sorrow; sometimes they spoke excitedly— of hope for the future, of starting afresh and of unpaid bills. But most of the time they were quiet, each one of them lost in her own

Peace returns to Ipetumodu, Ashipa as warring communities sheath sword PAGE 36

•Continued on page 30

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2015

THE SOUTHWEST REPORT

•Elizabeth Akinduro

•Continued from page 29 •Oko Baba victims, sleeping at the sawmill

•Kuburat Yussuf in her two bedroom apartment

•Rebuilding of Oko Baba

thoughts. “This is how we keep ourselves alive, we come here every day as we used to do before our shops got burnt and close at 6: pm. If we don’t do that and find comfort in the company of each other, some of us would have died,” Olorunwa said. An ill wind Many Lagos residents agreed that the harmattan that descended on Nigeria from December 2014 to January 2015 was an ill wind that brought with it disaster of monumental proportion. In Lagos, fire outbreaks assisted by the harmattan left in its wake hundreds of houses burnt down, businesses destroyed and hopes vanished. Because of the extremely dry and hazy weather, fire incidents which ordinarily would have been easily put out became monumental, destroying houses and businesses. The incessant fire outbreaks also stretched to the limit the resources and personel of the Lagos State Fire Service. Rasak Fadipe has been at his job for over two decades as a fireman. It was a job his mother didn’t approve of but years after he “disobeyed” her to join the “Panapana”, he has risen to the top as Director Lagos State Fire Service. But Fadipe was the first to admit that the fire occurrences in Lagos have stretched the capacity of his men. When The Nation met him on January 15th, he has had just a few hours of sleep in three days. His men too have been stretched as they battle one fire incident after the other. Fadipe admitted that the large number of fire incidents was helped by the harmattan. The number of fire incidents recorded daily in Lagos have broken the records of recorded fire incidents so far. According to Fadipe, there is between 10 to 15 fire emergencies recorded daily while the highest number recorded in a day between December and January stood at 18. “My men are hardworking guys who give their best to fight the fire emergencies in Lagos state, but it’s taking a toll on them. Many times, I had to cheer them up, for instance when we were responding to the Balogun fire, we responded to another 15 emergencies,” he said. “We are living like animals” Orinarilly, nobody would envy the living conditions of the inhabitants of Oko Baba sawmill extension, in Yaba Local Council Development Area (LCDA). Apart from living in plank houses erected on stilts which kept them away from the filthy ground by the Lagos lagoon, the residents are some of the poorest in Lagos state. On the night of January 11, 2015, the fate of about 5,000 inhabitants was to be determined, not by the government, but by a fire which no one was sure of its origin. According to many of the residents, the fire began around

•Salimon Dauda in front of

Harvest of 9:pm on the northern fringes of the settlement and in a twinkle of an eye, over 500 plank houses had been burnt to the ground. Four days after the fire, the people of Oko Baba began to rebuild their shattered lives and homes. The land on which they were reconstructing their houses was a reclaimed part of the Lagoon, owned by Saw Mill owners who sublet it to tenants for at least N7,000 per annum. Suleiman Babatunde, an Islamic cleric who has lived at the settlement for many years had just finished the roofing of his plank house. The spot on which the house was being built used to be his Koranic school which also doubled as his office. In the days of his prosperity, he had about 20 students in his school, the patronage was good. By the side, he had a deep freezer which his wife used for business, a big generator and many other electronics appliances. After the fire, all that was left for Suleiman were his wife and two children.” What can we do, in everything we should give thanks to God at least we are alive,” he said and opened his palms towards heaven. Suleiman had borrowed N60, 000 to rebuild his burnt office where he hoped his family would move into while he looked for money to rebuild the main house. The inner of the hut had been padded with used cardboards and cartons which would give the house warmth and also protect it against the rough edges of the plank. Inside the house, his two children played endlessly; soon one of them went out and returned with about N50 worth of cooked rice wrapped in a small plastic bag. The two children sat down on the bare floor and devoured the meal. It would be their first meal of the day; time was 2:30pm. “I do not have any money left, I honestly do not,” Suleiman said. The tale of poverty rang hollow in Oko Baba. After the fire, some of the victims could not get back on their feet. Many of them are petty traders whose tool of trade also got burnt in the inferno, starting afresh was almost impossible. The victims of Oko Baba fire appeared to be at their wits end, but their problems were compounded four days after the fire when a chief from the Oloto of Otto Ilogbo called Buhari Oloto visited the community in company of about 10 policemen. The chief ordered the victims to immediately stop the construction of the houses and ordered everyone out of the settlement. “Buhari Oloto came today. He said the land belongs to the Oloto of Otto and we are to move out. He said we should not rebuild this place and he has arrested all our carpenters. We

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2015

THE SOUTHWEST REPORT

imon Dauda in front of his house

•Suleiman Babatunde

vest of fire in Lagos borrowed money to buy the planks so that our children can find somewhere to stay away from the weather,” Suleiman told The Nation. Samson Babatunde was angry at the interruption to the rebuilding of Oko Baba. He has just paid N45,000 for some planks and roofing sheets and work has been forced to a halt. That day, many of the victims stood in groups to discuss the development, there were unconfirmed reports that those arrested have been taken to Area C police command and thrown in jail. “What are we going to do now?, I have told my wives that as soon as we have some money, we will return to Ilorin where we came from, whatever we find there we will do,” Suleiman said. But those who suffer the most are the over 500 children of the community, because most families have nothing to fall back on, they sleep either on the bare ground or at the saw mill, very close to the water front which also used to be the refuse dump. Those who are able to find a space at the latter are the fortunate, a small cramp place, families find a space under the shed or in between the saw milling machines. This “prime” spot came at a cost. In the afternoon, flies are the adversaries and in the night, the breeze from the lagoon and mosquitoes. As a consequence of this unwholesome living, many of the children fell sick. Those who had relatives outside the community sent their children away while those who don’t continued to live in horror and fear. One of them is Saidat Olayiwola. Saidat and her two children sleep every night under the tiny shed at one of the saw mills with about seven other families. There is no privacy here and the adults performed their toilets before dawn. “This is where we sleep, not just us here but in all the saw mills. Those who cannot find a space here sleep on the bare ground. We are suffering here and living like animals, all of us are sick, our children are sick, the government should help us,” she cried. Mrs. Kuburat Yusuf and her husband found a space in between the machines where they sleep every night. She said she had just come out of a sickness and had spent all her money on medication. “This is my two bedroom apartment,” she said jocularly showing The Nation her bed. “Can you imagine it is human beings living like this? They said living in the plank houses was bad, if we had money won’t we have rented a better house?” Among those who sleep under the shed at night is two –month-old Balikis. Her mother who declined to give her name said she had been having a tough time with the baby espe-

cially in the night. But in their misery and impoverishment, they found a communal spirit tending to each other’s needs and children. Saidat’s three-year-old daughter returned from school crying and the women swooped on her. One removed her uniform, while others tried to soothe her. Soon she found a space on one of the beds flung on the floor while her mother helped her out with her homework with flies buzz over her head mercilessly. In another part of the settlement, Prince Ogunlana Tajudeen had just finished building a shed where his workshop used to be, unable to afford the charges of the artisans; he did the heavy works himself. “We are helpless, the harmattan helped the fire and burnt everything like paper,” he said. But Tajudeen is still grateful, even though his loss is estimated at N5 million (including the cost of his heavy equipments), many others lost several millions. “Many others lost so much, I have to thank God, I still have my family,” he said. Tajudeen’s wife has also resumed her trading under the shed built by her husband, it was not like it used to be but it was a place to start. “I built this so that my wife can start her business and when my children come from school they can find somewhere to stay,” he said. But the victims have also learnt a lesson. According to the Secretary of Oko Baba Ward D, Seun Awodiya, the community has learnt bitter lessons from the fire: “We saw that the houses were interwoven, now we have demarcated them, we now have roads and spaces so next time we have another fire it will be limited,” he said. “My brother, I am completely naked” But there are others who do not have a “next time”. On the same day fire raged in Oko Baba, another tragedy was unfolding at Raimi Ajibowo Street Igando. The residents of house numbers 40 to 45 have gone to church when they received the sad news. Their houses, which perched at the edge of the Igando dumpsite, had caught fire. By the time the owners returned, nothing remained of their homes.

•Global Palza, Balogun

The victims blamed the tragedy on the activities inside the ‘bowler’ where the Lagos State Waste Management Board (LAWMA) had dumped thousands of used vehicle tyres. Some scavengers were said to have been in the habit of putting fire to the tyres so as to make use of the inner ring of copper which they claim is valuable. The residents of Ajibowo Street claimed they had complained to Lawma officials to desist from dumping the tyres without success, until the fire incident. A resident gave an eye witness account: “The fire that caused this started from the dumpsite, but because of the harmattan season which helped the fire travel faster, it entered the bowler and as soon as the tyres caught fire it burned endlessly until these houses were consumed.” The bowler where the tyres were dumped is a large gulf measuring almost 200 meters wide and over 500 feet deep. It sits parallel to Ajibowo Street which divided it from Igando General Hospital. The victims claimed they had built their houses before the bowler was dug by the operators of the dumpsite to accommodate more wastes. They said their complaints about an impending tragedy had gone unheeded. But what surprised many people was that immediately the fire started, some Hausa scavengers entered the bowler and began to pack the burnt tyres. Five days after when The Nation visited, activities inside the gulf were still intense. Salimonu Dauda, the owner of the three bedroom flat on number 45, had been fighting the scavengers, The Nation found him in the midst of the deadly bowler in a fierce struggle with the determined scavengers. “I suffered to build this house, I am a bricklayer, see my hands. Where will I start from, we do not have money but we live in our house, now my brother I am completely naked, please help me,” he said. Dauda took The Nation to his house and opened the iron door. Nothing remained of the home which housed the family of six, Dauda said, they did not take anything out. “I was working when the fire started and they called me, we lost everything, there is no hope. Even this clothe I am wearing was given to me. My eldest children are sleeping

‘I was in the church and my 75-yearold mother was alone in the house when the fire started, people helped me to drag her out, she could have been killed in the fire. That was the only thing that came out of the house, everything else was lost’

around while they younger ones are in a church. My wife has almost killed herself over this, she is with some neighbours.” The Nation met Dauda’s wife Tawa in the house where she was being kept a few meters from her now destroyed home. She was about 40 years old and it was obvious she had not had a shower in some days. She wore a blue blouse and a dirty purple oversized coat. She was crying and throwing herself on the floor, a woman apparently tired of consoling her sat beside her and watched. “Everything I worked for in my youth has been destroyed. I said it and shouted that these people will burn my house, now they have done it. My life is destroyed.” As she spoke, she would throw herself off the bench and unto the ground; her husband carried her up and reprimanded her. She stopped for a while and then began a much louder lamentation. “This is what I am saying, she had threatened to kill herself, the church where she was sleeping had sent her packing, her shop was destroyed in the fire, I don’t know what to do again,” Dauda said and sat on the bench with his hands covering his face. Elizabeth Akinduro had cause to be thankful even though her house was burnt down. “I was in the church and my 75-year-old mother was alone in the house when the fire started, people helped me to drag her out, she could have been killed in the fire.” That was the only thing that came out of the house, everything else was lost. Now, the children are scattered around sleeping wherever they could find. Akinduro’s children haven’t been to school since the incident. She had no hope of rebuilding the house. “There is no way I can rebuild this house, this was my last hope. I have only the clothe I am wearing, where will I start from,” she said. Four houses were gutted on Ajibowo Street before the rage of the fire was halted by the Fire Service; some of the lucky residents thanked their stars. But a dangerous dimension has been added, a rumour was flying around that the government would take over the properties. Dauda called this reporter aside and said: “Please help us beg the government not to send us away, if we leave this place we have nowhere to go and we cannot return to our villages. “ His wife is still inconsolable and she seemed to have decided on suicide. “This morning, she told me to please help her look after her children, I don’t know what that means,” a neighbour said. Meanwhile on Gbajumo Street Balogun market, the traders waited for the fire to finally die out. Kafila Giwa, who lost her store in Rich Plaza, said they come to the market everyday thinking there would be solution but they found none. She

•Alake Ayinla

said the traders are eager to start their businesses again. “We cannot talk about how much we lost, we want to start again, if the government wants to demolish these buildings let them do it and let us start our work again. Our children are suffering, many of us here are the breadwinners of our families,” Alake Ayinla said. While waiting for government’s decision on the buildings, the traders amuse themselves whichever way they can. They live in constant anticipation of government’s intervention; the sight of a stranger brings renewed hope. “Is it you the government sent to help us? Do you have any money for us, can you buy food for us?” they asked the reporter. But despite the façade they put on they are struggling to come to terms with their losses. “I come here so that I will not commit suicide,” Olakunle Idris said. Since the incident, he claimed to have been able to sleep only with the use of medications. Yussuf Adesina said he has been fighting depression. “I have been depressed that is why I come here every day to find comfort with my fellow traders, I don’t know how long I can hold out again,” he said. Meanwhile at 6:pm, the traders whose stores were spared began to pack up for the day. Idris waited until it was dark and he joined the other traders to “close” for the day. He walked slowly to the bus stop to join a bus that will take him home. “If anybody ask me where I was coming from, I would say from work,” he said with a smile.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2015

THE SOUTHWEST REPORT

Three months into the health workers’ strike, BISI OLADELE and TAYO JOHNSON visited two public hospitals in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital. They were confronted by the Cleric decries high level of corruption, pains of people seeking health care services in government hospitals. impunity

RS Aina Basiru sat on a bench, looking helpless as she endured a long wait to see a physician at the State Hospital, Yemetu, Ibadan, the Oyo State Capital. Her countenance expressed disappointment at a system that is failing in some ways, including healthcare delivery. “Hello ma,” this reporter greeted. “Hello, my brother,” she replied in faint voice. Mrs. Basiru reluctanctly granted a two-minute-chat with the reporter, expressing disappointment with the system. For her, it is incomprehensible that public hospitals in an entire nation can be paralyzed by mere labour disputes. To her, it is unkind and a sign of leadership failure. The weak patient appealed to the health workers to resume work in order to save lives of hundreds of thousands of ailing citizens. Basiru is not happy with the development as she needs to be admitted in a public hospital. She does not have money for a private hospital. “I am appealing to the government to meet the demands of the workers and prevent further delay of medical treatment of patients,’’ she said. Alhaji Ganiyu Orelope went to the hospital to obtain a medical report but the strike made it impossible for him. He said: “I need my medical report for another important event, only to come to the hospital and be turned back. I wonder when all these strikes will be resolved once and for all. We need stability in our health institutions and the government should ensure that.” The encounters with these patients explained the frustration of many Nigerians with ill health seeking medical attention in public hospitals. Once a beehive of activities with patients troopping in and out, the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan and state hospitals across Oyo State are now deserted by patients and others seeking medical services, leaving them as ghost centres of a sort. The hospitals have been practically paralyzed by a strike action embarked upon by health workers over remuneration and job condition disputes. The workers across all government hospitals nationwide, under the aegis of the Nigerian Unions of Allied Health Professionals embarked on the strike on October 15, 2014 to press home their demands. Their colleagues under the platform of the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) joined them on November 9, 2014 totally paralyzing the hospital system across the country. The unions under JOHESU include the Medical and Health Workers Union; Nigeria Union of Allied Health Professionals; National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives and the Senior Staff Association of Universities Teaching Hospitals and Research Institutes. The health workers said their evaluation showed that the composition of the boards of federal health institutions was skewed in favour of medical practitioners. They explained that there are eight to nine medical practitioners on the 13-member board whereas only one health worker represents other health professionals who constitute over 90 per cent of the workforce in the hospital system. They are demanding that boards of federal health institutions be reconstituted in line with the en-

By Oziegbe Okoeki

•University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan

•Stranded patients at the main entrance of the State Hospital, Yemetu

•Letter by the national body directing it’s member to commence the strike

•X-ray department at UCH

•Patients waiting area empty at UCH

Pains, frustration at UCH, state hospitals abling statute and the agreements. The striking workers also want government to increase the retirement age of health workers from 60 to 65 years in line with the May 10, 2012 agreement it reached with JOHESU. They are also soliciting an urgent implementation of the ‘2008 Job Evaluation Report’ to sustain the tenets of relativity within the ranks of healthcare professionals in Nigeria. Other demands include application of sanctions on chief executive officers (CEOs) of federal health institutions who failed to promote deserving healthcare professionals before the end of the first quarter of 2014 in line with existing circulars duly approved by government and issuing of the enabling circular placing intern medical laboratory scientists on CONHESS 8 Step 2 and CONHESS 9 after completing their National Youth service scheme by the Head of Civil Service of the federation. The workers also want government to check impunity of chief medical directors (CMDs) and medical directors who have

•Health workers’ strike enters third month •Patients, other health service seekers groan continually refused to implement circulars with respect to skipping of CONHESS 10 and payment of the accrued arrears. As the strike entered the third month last week, patients and others seeking medical services were left groaning while facilities in the hospitals also languish away. Members of Management of the hospitals are helpless because they cannot do anything to force workers back to work. So are patients who are burdened with heavy bills at private hospitals. When The Nation visited the UCH last week, wards and offices were locked while beds and other furniture in the wards have gathered dust due to lack of use. Doctors were, however, offering skeletal services where possible but they were largely hindered by the supporting services rendered by the striking workers who usually prepare patients for consultation right from card administration to admission into the ward. At the General Out-Patient De-

partment, which is the first port of call for most patients, the offices, consulting rooms and waiting rooms were all empty. Patients were no longer coming to try their luck because of the longevity of the strike. The Morgue section, which usually hosts a lot of people coming to pick corpses, was deserted and the facility locked. So were the Pharmacy sections and administrative offices. The entire hospital was practically on a forced holiday. Speaking with The Nation on the development, the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the hospital, Prof. Temitope Alonge lamented the effect of the strike on the hospital. He was particularly pained that the management of the hospital could not do anything to bring the striking workers back to their duty posts because the strike is nationwide. He said: “As with every national strike, we have no control over the workers. As an institution, we have not been able to work as we

love to. Only our Public Private Partnership (PPP) services are running for now. One of such services is the digital Xray machine. These few services are still on because they are not fully owned by the hospital. Besides, we are able to offer emergency services and counseling. The General Out-Patient is running and the Eye Clinic is also running. “I still reviewed patient myself in the Surgical Out-Patient this morning.” Alonge opined that the PPP arrangement would rescue the Nigerian healthcare system from the funding challenges confronting it. He anchored his suggestion on the belief that government alone cannot fully fund healthcare in the country. But he explained that involvement of the private sector would be so defined that they would be unable to exploit patients. His words: “I have seen PPP as an answer to the many challenges in the health sector. It has been un-

•Labour ward under lock and key at the State Hospital

derstood all over the world that government alone is not able to handle all sections of the economy except the Arabian governments. But the bottom line is that economies that survive embark on the PPP. I don’t see government funding the 55 tertiary health institutions in Nigeria optimally.” Expanding on the involvement of the private sector, Alonge said government can leverage on the tariff system – charging fixed amounts for classified medical treatments. Calculations, he said, would be done based on all equipment and services involved. “So it becomes very easy to calculate the tariff, especially routine treatments.” He said. The CMD also canvassed that the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) should be made compulsory for all citizens including those in the informal sector. “If we have 90 per cent of Nigerians on the scheme, healthcare delivery will be better for Nigerians,” he posited. The situation was the same at the State Hospital, Yemetu, Ibadan where the strike was total. Only few doctors were around to render skeletal services which were

•Pharmacy department under lock and key at the State Hospital

made difficult due to inaccessibility of support services from nurses, pharmacists, physiotherapists and laboratory scientists, among others. Although the doctors went the extra mile to care for patients, they could not book patients for admission. Patients were advised to seek care in private hospitals pending the end of the strike. A doctor, who spoke to our reporter in confidence, said doctors were attending to some patients with critical health conditions. “Patients are coming, and doctors are on duty. But we cannot admit patients or conduct any surgical operations. We come here 8:00 am daily and close by 4:00 pm. The turnout of patients has drastically reduced but we attend to emergencies. On a normal day I do attend to over 200 patients but since the health workers’ strike commenced, it’s even hard to attend to 50,” he said All the departments such as Pharmacy, Physiotherapy, Nursing, Laboratory were locked, leaving only the Account and Administration departments open. Speaking on the development, the Chairman of Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria in Oyo State, Comrade Ayobami Ajayi, said there had been full compliance by members of the

union in the state. But he raised the hope for a resolution soon. “We have been directed by our national body to embark on strike but we believe that the solution will come in earnest because the minister and our leaders have started having meetings. They have earlier met with the Minister of Health but the outcome of the meeting is yet to reach the president. That is what we are waiting for.” Ajayi said Highlighting the effect of the strike, the unionist said the situation is getting worse daily with patients dying day-by-day. “At least, I have heard of three emergency cases whereby two of them died when they couldn’t be attended to. Some private hospitals have also increased their charges, which makes it difficult for the less-privileged and downtrodden to patronizethem. We are not happy with the situation. But it seems strike is the only language that the Federal Government understands. We have been on this our demands since January last year and till date they have not yielded to our demands. “We have been going around the hospitals to make sure our members are comply with the directives. It is the government that forced us and allowed the situa-

tion to get to this point. Since we have started we are not going back and there is no way patients will be attended to in this situation,’’ Ajayi said. According to him, the strike would be called off immediately the Federal Government accedes to their demands. The Chairman of Nigeria Union of Allied Health Professionals, University College Hospital (UCH) branch, Comrade Segun Sotiloye who led some members of the union in an awareness protest at the hospital last week, said the protest served as a reminder to the Federal Government and to sensitize the public on the on-going strike. The peaceful protest started in front of hospital around 10: 00 am and ended 12:00 noon. The workers carried placards with different inscriptions including: “ President, accede to our demands: “People are dying on daily basis. “Please answer health workers; medical practitioners are not the only ones in the health sector.” “Save Nigeria’s health sector from collapsing,” among others. Also addressing reporters at the end of a meeting with leaders of the striking workers last Friday, the CMD disclosed that the strike had cost the hospital N600 million in internally generated revenue.

HE Chief Missioner of Ansarur-deen Society of Nigeria, Sheikh Abd’rahman Ahmad has condemned the level of corruption and impunity in government saying “corruption has been elevated to a state-craft” in the country. Sheikh Ahmad stated this at a lecture he delivered at the annual ‘Pray for the Nation 2015’ programme organised by Fatima Charity Foundation (FCF) which took place at Muson centre, Onikan, Lagos. The lecture was titled ‘Committing Nigeria to the hands of God: What are the roles of the leadership and the citizenry’. He said Nigeria is in the present quagmire because the leaders no longer have the fear of God neither do they do things according to the laws and precepts of God. “God has a plan for Nigeria, a good plan for everything and everybody to be okay and happy, but we are not listening to God or doing His will thereby thwarting that plan. “Our leaders are so selfish and selfcentred, they do things with impunity, they don’t care about the people, they want to stay in power by all means even when the people say they no longer want them. Even the people no longer have conscience, they have also forsaken God and when God wants to punish people for their sins He gives them bad leaders,” he said. According to the cleric, good governance means handing over the country’s affairs to God, “things are not going right, there is no trust among the leaders and the people don’t trust them either, we see them as looters, we don’t trust our government neither do our leaders care for us; 20 years ago we were better than now”, Ahmad said. “Good governance”, he said, “is inclusive of fair electoral process, justice, equity and fair play. When you have been chosen to lead don’t be selfcentred, don’t do things with impunity because God will desert you. How can a leader say stealing is not corruption or query why somebody should be jailed for stealing small money? What have we become? Nothing is working, we have a full scale war on our hands and yet we pretend as if nothing is happening”, he said. Sheikh Ahmad called on every Nigerian to resolve to contribute their quota “then there would be a lot of difference. I am just saying that Nigerians must stop agonising and complaining, we must get organised, we must change our destiny with our own hands”, he said. In her welcome address earlier, President of FCF, Chief (Mrs.) BintuFatima Tinubu said, “we want to see Nigeria a developed nation, prosper and become the pride of Africa. We are here because we know that change must come and that change will come because we are the hope of Nigeria and henceforth, we must pursue a desire to get it right”. She stressed on the need to contribute to the greatness of the country through prayers. She said, “we are very much aware of the many problems that have plagued the Nigerian nation which includes insecurity, corruption and general fall in the standard of morality. And if Nigeria is to fulfill her God-given mandate, we need to find urgent solutions to these innumerable problems confronting our nation”. She said after 100 years as a country and 54 years as an independent nation, little have been achieved despite huge human and natural resources, “Nigerians are now growing impatient with so much hardship in the land of so much wealth. Most Nigerians have remained stuck in squalor and hopelessness; while our value system has continued to crash with vices such as corruption and theft celebrated, true federalism has remained an illusion and development at all levels has continued to elude us.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2015

THE SOUTHWEST REPORT

By Oziegbe Okoeki

•University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan

•Stranded patients at the main entrance of the State Hospital, Yemetu

•Letter by the national body directing it’s member to commence the strike

•X-ray department at UCH

•Patients waiting area empty at UCH

•Labour ward under lock and key at the State Hospital

•Pharmacy department under lock and key at the State Hospital

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2015

THE SOUTHWEST REPORT

YINNI High School, Methodist High School, Christ High School, Abbey Technical School and Liberty Commercial Secondary Academy are popular public secondary schools in the Orita Challenge area of Ibadan, the Oyo State capital. Apart from their locations in the same axis of the ancient city, the schools which boast of rivalries in both academic and sporting fields spanning over five decades, share many things in common, including the sheer size of their premises, dating back to the 1960s when they were established by either the Church or private businessmen. Each located on large expanse of land measuring several hectres, their very large premises, housing many blocks of classrooms, hostels and sporting arenas, which were major attractions to parents and students in the past as they offered opportunities for both physical and academic development are gradually giving way to private properties leaving the schools a mere shadow of their glorious past. The private properties have sprang up on the schools’ premises in the last two decades or so due to the activities of land grabbers who in the absence of any serious challenge from government have encroached on the schools’ land and sold them off to private developers. This development is causing sleepless night for the authorities at the Oyo State Ministry of Education who are sweating to address the threat posed by these land grabbers to premises of public schools, not only in Ibadan but in other major towns in the state. Equally concerned are members of the old students association of these schools who have risen to the challenge posed to their amalmata by these land grabbers who are daily feasting on the unused portions of land of the schools as properties add value yearly. But they seem helpless because law enforcement by the government seems weak. And they are not being helped by the bureaucratic bottleneck that slows down decision-making within the government. Besides, principals of public schools are unable to handle land grabbers given their position as mere civil servants who are not expected to be directly involved in some matters outside their official duties. Encouraged by these complexities, land grabbers, particularly children of the families who originally owned the land on which the schools were built, are prowling on large portions of unused school land without let or hindrance. This has gone unchallenged for several years. The result is that many of such schools have shrank in size over the years, and are now surrounded by residential buildings standing tall, sometimes forming a ring around the schools. Such buildings also include factories, poultry farms and cottage industries. Some of the schools have been forced to adopt the option of erecting a fence to protect the remaining small portion as well as their students. However, the serene school environment originally created when they were established has been lost as residences form a ring-like structure around them. For some, the land grabbers have taken over their farmlands where students were taught practical farming, while some are unable to further expand through addition of more buildings because there are no more spaces for such. Yet, some are unable to offer sporting activities needed for the physical and psychological growth of children and adolescents having lost part of their sporting fields to land grabbers. At Eyinni High School, after over five acres of its land had been grabbed in the last 30 years, graders were rolled into the school com-

•A signpost explaining authority for possesion of large portion of Christ High School, Oleyo

•Grader deployed by land grappers at work on the School Field at Eyinni High School

•Part of Eyinni High School, Encroached by Public a

•Another encroached portion of Liberty Secondary Commercial Academy, Kolomi area Odo-Ona Elewe, Ibadan

Many public schools in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, have lost part of their premises to lan properties, including factories, on what used to be school farmlands and football pitches. BISI O report that many of the school have shrunk in size. Besides, the cries of the authorities and old stu the trend seem to have gone unheeded.

Land grabbers take over public schools’ pound a fortnight ago, clearing another large portion of land beside its football field. When accosted, the suspected grabbers stood their ground, explaining to their challengers that the land belonged to their family. “How can this land in a school compound belong to an individual?” The challengers asked. The man, simply identified as Mr Olofe, replied that the portion of land was not part of the piece sold to Chief Jonathan Odebiyi, who established the school in 1966. The school was taken over by Oyo State Government in 1976. The graders worked there for days, clearing and leveling the land in preparation for sale to interested buyers. Local sources said the grabbers have approached them for purchase of the land if they were interested. According to old students, the foundation of the school was laid in 1968 with a total land mass of 14.79 acres. But today, Eyinni High School’s compound has been reduced to only about five acres, with residential houses and a factory surrounding it. The old students disclosed that the houses within about 500-metre radius to the north and eastern areas of the school stand on the school’s land. The buildings include a poultry farm, which they

said was among the first to encroach on the land. One of the old students said: “Most of the houses between the old Toll Gate on the Ibadan end of Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and the school compound belong to the school.” Asked if any family has ever come forward to claim the land since inception of the school, he said: “No family has come up to claim any portion of the land till date. So, no portion has been ceded to anyone or any family by reason of court judgments. Nobody has also applied to use any part of the land officially. The land grabbers just jumped on the land and erected buildings of their choice without the school’s approval.” But the source recalled that old students once challenged the owner of the poultry farm when he wanted to expand further, forcing him to stop the illegal action. According to him, the old students association wrote a petition to the Ministry of Education in 2013 officially bringing the encroachment to government’s notice but that the letter attracted no response. He said government only visited the school after an open letter by the association was published in a national daily. Even after the commissioner’s visit, no action had since been taken.

As at now, no fewer than 20 buildings stand on the school land. The association is demanding a reclaim of all the plots taken over by grabbers and stoppage of further encroachment. Its National Secretary, Pastor Bayo Olugbemi, also confirmed the claims in a telephone interaction with The Nation. The situation is worse at Liberty Secondary Commercial Academy, Kolomi area of the city. The school, which was established in 1961, initially sat on a 10-acre land but which has diminished by about 40 per cent. Its former hostel, which was converted to Community Primary School, also recently has a large portion of its land taken over by a businessman who is currently fencing it for construction of a hotel, a source said. At Christ High School, Oleyo, about half of the original land has fallen into the hands of a family through a court judgment. The development forced the school to confine itself to the remaining portion though it affected their farmland for practical Agriculture. The school was established in 1966. Abbey Technical School also at Kolomi, was also established in 1961. A reliable source disclosed that the school started on a land spreading over 16 hectres. But today, residential buildings have vir-

tually taken over about 70 per cent of the land, confining the school to a small portion. At the Methodist High School, at the Ibadan end of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, the case of encroachment is not different. A large expanse of the school’s farmland totaling over eight acres has been encroached. A close neighbour, owners of a privately owned tertiary institution, was accused of taking over the school farmland since 2004. According to a source close to the school, the principal had written several letters to the state Ministry of Education for a redress and eventual return of the land. “It was a big problem we have been having here. We realized that we have been facing some very powerful individuals in the society. The very day we confronted them, I mean the day they were about erecting fence over the land in question, the officials of the school went with them, but we were shocked to hear from one of the high officials of the university that none of us could stop them from erecting the fence. As am talking to you, the school has no land to be called farmland for practical agriculture”, the source said. However, investigation by The Nation revealed that after several efforts by the school authorities to salvage the land failed, the initial

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2015

THE SOUTHWEST REPORT Women group gives succor to widows

HEN Mrs. Oluwayemisi Sogbesan lost her husband to death in 2009, her whole world crumbled. She was left with no help for her and her three children. Until her banker husband surrendered to diabetes, she was an international business woman, who frequented Dubai to buy goods. For many years, Mrs. Sogbesan battled to make ends meet with the little money she had left. She started selling cement and any other thing she could in order to keep her children in school and take care in small quantities of them. But last year, she had a life-changing encounter with the International Women Society (IWS), after she was introduced to the group by a Deaconess in her church, one Mrs. Omotoso. As Sogbesan narrated how her cement business has in one year sprung from 50 bags to between 150 to 200 bags per purchase, the about 100 widows who were in the hall waiting to be empowered through the Widows Trust Fund (WTF) of the IWS, marveled. Full of thanks to her benefactors, Sogbesan explained that the sudden growth in her business was made possible because of the grace of God and the N50, 000 seed money she received from the association. “I thought my life has ended when I lost my husband. From 2009, life has not been easy. Mummy Omotoso really tried to encourage me not to give up. I did not even know what to do anymore but because I know I have three children that I must take care of, I started petty trading. “From the small money I had, I bought cement, clothes, anything I could quickly sell to make profit and take care of my home. I did not buy clothes or bother about them because I know that time for it will come again. “So, when last year Mummy Omotoso introduced me to this group and they gave me N50, 000, I quickly invested it in my cement business. Today, I am here to testify that the business has grown and I can now buy up to 200 bags at a time from 50 bags,” said Sogbesan who admonished other benefactors to invest whatever money they got. She said: “The association has really touched my life. I was almost losing hope but thanks to the mummy that introduced me to the association. My business is growing. I advice other widows not to use the money they will be given here to buy clothes or shoes or bags. Those are worldly things that will fade away. They should use the money to trade. Put it in business and grow it. No matter what, profit will come out of the money which they will use for house-keeping. Like Sogbesan, Nnenna Jacobs who said she used to beg with her children after her husband passed on told

Encroached by Public at Orita Challenge Ibadan

By Precious Igbonwelundu

the gathering how she now conveniently pays her children’s school fees and their house rent, thanks to the seed money she got from the organization. The two women were called upon by the IWS at the group’s end of year and widow’s empowerment gathering held last week in Lekki to give their testimonies. Aside the cash awards that were given to about 100 widows, items such as sewing machines, freezers, generators, coolers, fabrics as well as food stuffs were distributed to the widows to put smiles on their faces. They were also treated to special delicacies, with the First Lady of Lagos State, Mrs. Abimbola Fashola, going round the tables to hug and salute the widows. Speaking during the event, Chairperson, Widow’s Trust Fund, Mrs. Gbemi Shasore said it started about 18 years ago with small sum of money, sharing the accrued interest every year with certain number of widows to empower them to start or continue their businesses which she said was necessary for the upkeep of their family. She said: “The IWS is 58 years old but the WTF is about 18 years. We have done this successfully for many years and this year, we thought of others ways we can alleviate their plights besides school fees and feeding. “We want them to be happy so that they can give happiness. They are now breadwinners for their families and so, we intend from here on, that they are very happy. “We have approximately 100 widows and they will all leave with different items. Some with generators, others freezers, sewing machines, clothes, as well as cash. We also intend to carry out a health drive for them that’s why they were asked to register. “They will also go through interview process so that we can link up some of them who are qualified to do distributorship and other businesses that will require guarantors from certain companies. “The money we have given them is more than a token. I will call it seed money to grow their businesses. We guide them whenever they ask for our guidance. And we intend to continue holding their hands and walking with them until they have gone through the pain and stabilized. We need them to be stable in order to handle the new roles they have found themselves in.” She advised other widows to ensure they are healthy and take care of themselves in order to carry on with the unsolicited position they have found themselves.

•Part of Liberty Secondary Commercial Academy, Kolomi area Odo-Ona Elewe, Ibadan already encroached upon.

remises to land grabbers who have erected private itches. BISI OLADELE and OSEHEYE OKWUOFU ies and old students to halt the invasion and reverse

hools’ land in Ibadan owners of the school, the Methodist Church of Nigeria have waded into the matter. “The church has done all the necessary talking with the authorities of the university to persuade them to reason on the evidences tendered by the church on the true ownership of the land but it seems that they are not yielding,” the source added. Also, the Old Boys Association of the school was said to have intervened in the tussle with a view to retrieving their parcel of land where many of them had their agric practical decades ago The National President of the association. Dr Joseph Fadeyemi Akinrinmade, admitted that at a point, the association took up the fight over the encroached land but later had to withdraw when the Methodist Church of Nigeria stepped in. The Church, it was gathered later took the institution to court over the alleged encroachment, praying for an order for the university to vacate the land. “The case is already in court and I have withdrawn as the representative of the Old Boys. So, the case is now between the Methodist Church of Nigeria and the university. So, I can no longer comment on it because the case is already in court, “Dr Akinrinmade said.

When contacted, the Oyo State Government admitted that it got reports from many schools in the state whose land was encroached. It was learnt that virtually all the schools in state is battling with the problem of encroachment. The state Commissioner for Education, Prof. Solomon Olaniyonu, said necessary action was being taken to redress the challenge as the ministry is abreast of the situation. Speaking with The Nation Olaniyonu said on the Eyinni High School , the authorities of the school have been charged to remain alert pending the erecting of pillars by the Surveyor General’s Office and subsequent construction of a fence by the government to put a permanent boundary on the school’s land. “This is the second time they would be there. Avian Poultry was there last year. Another set of people are there again. So our Ministry of Lands, Surveyor General Office and the Urban and Regional Development Unit are already coming there to fix our pillars so that we will be able to ward off intruders. “So, we have written those concerned. They are the ones who will help us fix the pillars so that we can now look for assistance in erecting a fence around whichever one is our own portion of land of the school there”.

•Mrs Fashola (middle) Mrs. Shasore (right) and Mrs. Oyeniyi (left) at the event.

Oyo speaker sponsors JSS pupil on a year free HE electorate have been urged soccer training bearing all the sponsorship exto carefully consider the antepenses of the winner, who is a jun-

cedents of the politicians seeking for their mandates as this year’s general elections draw nearer. The Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly, who is also the All Progressives Congress flag bearer for Oyo Central Senatorial seat, Mrs Monsurat Sunmonu, made the plea in Oyo town. She spoke at the presentation of a soccer academy sponsorship form to Master Usman Adelodun, the best player of the 2014 Speaker’s Cup competition. Adelodun is to receive a year free training in soccer from a foreignbased football institute, Frena, which

From Bode Durojaiye, Oyo

has a branch in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital. Mrs Sunmonu explained that her antecedent as Speaker makes her the best for the seat. The Speaker said she had always been fulfilling her electioneering campaign promises and would not rest until the best is achieved for her constituency. Mrs Sunmonu explained that she had earlier promised a handsome reward for whoever emerged as the best player in the competition, hence the reason while she was

ior secondary school pupil. She urged the senatorial district to give her its mandate on February 14 with a pledge not to betray their trust. In their separate remarks, Usman’s parents thanked Mrs Sunmonu for the “kind” gesture. Usman prayed for the success of the Speaker. Other speakers at the event eulogised Mrs Sunmonu whom they described as tested, trusted and reliable. They pledged their willingness to work for her success and the success of APC in the elections.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2015

THE SOUTHWEST REPORT After nearly two weeks of hostilities, which left many people injured, the warring communities Election: Ondo of Ipetumodi and Ashipa in Ife North Local Government Area of Osun State have finally em- Police preach braced peace, following the intervention of the state government. ADESOJI ADENIYI reports. peace at forum

Peace returns to Ipetumodu, Ashipa as warring communities sheath sword

From Damisi Ojo, Akure

EACE has finally returned to the two warring communities of Ipetumodu and Ashipa in Ife North Local Government Area of Osun State. The two communities have been at each other’s throats for sometimes now, following a dispute over their boundary. Though there is relative peace after the intervention of the Osun State Government, the residents are yet to recover from the losses they recorded during the clash that started penultimate Wednesday. Shops were still under lock and key and farmers not on their farms. It was gathered that some of those, who fled the sleepy town in the wake of the bloody clash are yet to return home. More than 20 people reportedly had various degrees of injuries with some of them suffering severe machete cuts. The warring communities were fighting following the location of a new market in Ipetumodu which the people of Ashipa were allegedly dissatisfied with because they said it was constructed on their land. During the fracas, an indigene of Ipetumodu was allegedly shot while one of the hostels built in between the two communities by the Apetumodu of Ipetumodu, Oba James Adegoke Adedokun for students of a tertiary institution in the area was allegedly burnt by some angry people from Ashipa. Apart from the hostel, many houses were also burnt in the two communities while properties worth millions of naira were destroyed. It took the timely deployment of security agents drawn from the Mobile Police and Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps to prevent a further degeneration of the situation. When The Nation visited the two communities over the weekend, there were still relics of the bloody dispute. In Ipetumodu, an armoured personnel carrier (APC) was stationed in front of the Apetumodu Palace and there was still a heavy presence of mobile policemen to curb any disorder. Burnt shops and houses were in sight, while markets and some residential houses were under lock and keys. Broken bottles used freely during the fracas by the warring parties were still scattered by the road side. Ashipa town was deserted except for very few people who gathered in groups to review events of the past week and a half.ý Some residents of the two communities who spoke with The Nation were still bitter about what happened even as they traded accusations over who was at fault. For example, a leader in Ashipa town, ýOmotoso Oyewole , and the Asalu of Ipetumodu, Barr. Afolabi Adedeji, expressed regrets over the development but on behalf of their communities blamed the other party. Perhaps, the most painful part of the crisis was the burning of the student’s hostel by irate youths, as they knew nothing about the crisi over the disputed boundary. A student, ýAdeyemo Adetoro, who was a victim, lamented the loss of their personal belongings to the ugly incident. According to him “we all had to run for our dear lives, leaving all we had in the hostel. We only came back to see that the hostel had been burnt.” ý Mobile policemen are still positioned at every strategic point and everywhere was silent with no sight of residents around the communities, especially in Ashipa. Ipetumodu and Ashipa which are about 40 minutes drive from Osogbo, the state capitalý,ý ýbefore the clash had been in peaceful co-existence, in-

•The burnt market

•Governor Aregbesola and entourage during a visit to Ipetumodu and Ashipa

termarrying and engaging in commercial activities despite the existence of the age-long boundary problem. Though the police have arrested no fewer than 14 suspects from both sides of the clash, the state government seemed more concerned about settling the land dispute amicably between the two communities. Last week, the state governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola summoned the leaders of the two warring communities to a meeting, where after a long discussion with them, he made them to embrace one another to demonstrate they have agreed to sheath their swords. ýAt the meeting, the Apetu of Ipetumodu, Oba James Adegoke and the representative of the Alashipa of Ashipa, Ojediran Olaleke, other chiefs and leaders of the township associations of both communities made a pledge for a commitment to peace. ý Aregbesola charged the two warring communities to ensure promotion of communal peace and progress which is one of the cardinal programmes of his administration or face government sanction. The governor also urged the monarchs and leaders of the two communities to warn the youth in their areas not to further engage in acts that could further jeopardise the peace of the communities and the state at large. ýHe told them to always uphold the ethos of ‘Omoluabi’ which the state is known for, saying that development can only thrive in an atmosphere where there is peace and unity. However, Aregbesola called on security agencies to comb the nooks and crannies of the communities to recover arms that were not licenced in a houseto-house search to forestall further use of weapons in future. He also pointed out that a committee will be set up look into the remote cause(s) of the crisis and proffer solution to the problems identified by the leaders of the two communities. He held that the two communities got it wrong by resorting to violence instead of dialogue, adding that it was regrettable that they were fighting when the state is going through mas-

sive development of infrastructure. ýThe governor disclosed that it will be a bad signal for investors who are thronging Osun on a daily basis to be faced with the issue of communal clashes, warning that the state government will not hesitate to come down heavily on erring communities. ý According to him, “It is so sad that this is happening at a point that investors are coming in into the state on a daily basis and your communities have decided to solve your differences through fight which we have all seen here as unnecessary. ýWith the on-going clash in your domains commercial activities have been brought to a halt and property destroyed, student who have nothing in your dispute are made to bear the brunt by the burning of their

hostel. Why should students be given the opportunity to have a bad impression about your communities? ýI am not happy that this is happening in our land, it doesn’t send a good signal, shooting of gun doesn’t do us any good; we should find a lasting solution to these happenings. ýThings like a market day should not cause problem. ýI want to use this opportunity to beg the two communities to allow peace to reign from now on, we should maintain status quo till the committee we are going to set up comes out with its recommendations. ýHenceforth, any of the two communities found wanting will be seriously dealt with, because we will not allow anything short of peace and security in the state.” Aregbesola said

NDO State Commissioner of Police, Mr Isaac Eke has warned politicians to be peaceful ahead of next month general elections. He said the police would ensure that erring politicians face the law. Eke, while addressing candidates of various political parties at a stakeholders’ meeting in Akure, said the police were prepared for the February polls with a promise that no officer would compromise during the elections. He decried political violence before, during and after elections, stressing that the police would ensure that those planning to cause violence are arrested the elections. Eke added that any individual who breaks the electoral laws would be prosecuted. He pointed out that political leaders should shun violence and any acts that could undermine the confidence the masses reposed in them. According to him, all electoral offenders would be prosecuted by the police in accordance with the provisions of the electoral act and the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Eke said the state police command would provide adequate security for all the candidates seeking elective offices He also assured the people of the state of the readiness of the police to create an enabling environment for all political parties during the polls. The State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) Mr Segun Agbaje stressed that the commission would not be involved in any illegitimate act during the elections. He said “We are prepared to conduct a free and fair election and no party or individual will be treated with favour. Every candidate and political parties are the same before INEC. We shall not show interest in any candidate or political party before and during the polls. “Even all members of staff of the commission and the ad hoc staff that will participate in the election will also attest to an oath to ensure their neutrality during the exercise.

Ibadan council boss renders account of stewardship

HE appointment of Mr Ladi Oluokun in May 2014, as the Caretaker Chairman of Ibadan North East Local Government Area of Oyo State by Governor Abiola Ajimobi was indeed a blessing to the people of the area, as he has turned the council around within a very short time in office. Rendering account of his stewardship to journalists recently, Oluokun said he was not deterred by the herculean task before him, adding that he confronted the challenges headlong, with the financial and moral support he received from the governor. He listed some of his achievements over the last six months as:” construction of drains, earthwork asphaltic paving of Idera street Yidi/Agugu, Akerele layout, IdiOrogbo/Omo wunmi, and Ayo Craig road. Construction of pedestrian bridge at Labiran area of phase 1 and 2, sinking of solar system borehole at Labiran area. Construction of a double cell box culvert at Ajegede and Onipasan areas” The council boss also stated that he has impacted positively on the lives of the people of the council through people-oriented empower-

From Tayo Johnson, Ibadan

ment programs. He said his administration will continue to carry out a robust and all involving empowerment programme for the people of the council. While admitting that he might not be able to do everything, the council boss called on all the people in the council area to vote for Governor Ajimobi for a second term in order to ensure continuity in governance. He promised that he would build on what he has done and provide more dividends of democracy for the people in each of the wards that make up the council. Commenting on why Ajimobi deserves a second term, Oluokun said:”The governor is a performer. I am not new in politics. I have been around since the Second Republic. I know the meaning of good governance and performance. I’ve compared notes and I’m now satisfied that Ajimobi has performed and I believe that, judging by his performance, Ajimobi is a successful governor. In Oyo State, if they know that somebody is playing tricks on them, by siphoning their

funds, they will vote them out. That is why there is no serious candidate in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Accord Party and the Labour Party” According to him, the people of Oyo State appreciate him (Ajimobi), even those in the Diaspora, when they come to Ibadan, Iseyin, Ogbomoso, they saw that things are improving and they are eager to come home now to set up businesses. He went further that:”quite a number of industries and companies are springing up as a result of the conducive environment that Ajimobi has provided. More than 10 industries have been established and nobody will come and invest where he will not make profit. That has led to massive employment for the people and all those that are engaged in thuggery have shunned the unruly behaviour because they are engaged. So, there is peace, there is work, there is clean environment, there is infrastructural development and mass transit now operates. So, I don’t see why Ajimobi will not continue as the governor of Oyo State after the election”

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2015

THE NATION INVESTORS

Lafarge Africa to pay N1.85b to Ashakacem’s minority shareholders L AFARGE Africa Plc has set aside about N1.9 billion as cash payments for the minority shareholders of Ashaka Cement Plc as Lafarge Africa wraps up a mandatory tender offer (MTO) that seeks to absorb minority shareholders of Ashaka Cement in a cash and equity deal. The extended application period for the MTO closed last Friday. Custodian and other agents are expected to submit all acceptances within this week. The MTO is expected to be completed in February with the listing of the additional shares. Following the consolidation of Lafarge’s businesses in Nigeria and South Africa into Lafarge Africa, Lafarge Africa had acquired 58.61 per cent majority equity stake in Ashaka Cement. The majority equity stake was previously held by Lafarge Nigeria (UK) Limited. The acquisition was done through a block trade at the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE). Now, Lafarge Africa is seeking to acquire the remaining 41.39 per

•Shareholders to get 261.58m Lafarge shares

Stories by Taofik Salako

cent equity stake held by other shareholders in Ashakacem in furtherance of the consolidation of Lafarge’s businesses. A tender document obtained by The Nation showed that Lafarge Africa would be offering 57 ordinary shares of 50 kobo each in exchange for 202 ordinary shares of 50 kobo each of Ashakacem. In addition, Lafarge Africa will pay N2 for every acquired Ashakacem’s share. Minority shareholders hold 927.009 million ordinary shares of 50 kobo each in Ashakacem, representing 41.39 per cent of the cement company’s total outstanding shares. With this, Lafarge is expected to issue 261.58 million ordinary shares and pay additional cash consideration of N1.85 billion as

equity and cash consideration for the take-over of the 41.39 per cent equity stake held by minority shareholders in Ashakacem. Sources in the know said there were early indications that the MTO would be successful citing initial filing reports and recommendations by several analysts. Several analysts had recommended the MTO as attractive based on the valuation of Lafarge Africa and Ashakacem. Both companies are quoted on the NSE. The management of Lafarge Africa confirmed this in an email response to The Nation’s enquiry. According to Lafarge Africa, the process of the MTO went very well with very good response from both retail and institutional investors. “A high number of shares has been tendered”, the management said while still in the process of collating the acceptances. An investment banking source

Stanbic IBTC may announce dividend next week

said the MTO would lead to 100 per cent holding of Ashakacem by Lafarge pointing out that Lafarge could exercise its right under Section 146(2) of the Investments and Securities Act (ISA) to compulsorily acquire remnant shares belonging to the minority shareholders once its total shareholding crosses the 90 per cent threshold. The same provision was used to complete the 100 per cent acquisition of Oasis Insurance by FBN Insurance Limited. In the event of some remnant minority shareholdings, Lafarge Africa would have to transfer the cash consideration and equities for the remaining shares to the custody of the registrar to the MTO, City Securities (Registrars) Limited. The MTO was triggered by the transfer of 58.61 per cent majority equity stake in Ashaka Cement previously held by Lafarge Nigeria (UK) Limited. Section 131 of the Investment and Securities Act (ISA)

and Rule 445 of SEC make it mandatory for any institution or person that acquires at least 30 per cent of a company to make an MTO to other minority shareholders. Lafarge had on July 9, 2014 received shareholders’ approval to consolidate its cement businesses in Nigeria and combine these with South African operations to create a leading sub-Saharan building materials giant to be known as Lafarge Africa Plc. The consolidation was done by transferring Lafarge’s assets in South Africa and, Nigeria to Lafarge Cement Wapco Nigeria Plc. Under the transaction, Lafarge Group transferred its direct and indirect shareholdings in Lafarge South Africa Holding Limited of 72.4 per cent and its equity stakes in three other cement companies in Nigeria-United Cement Company of Nigeria Limited, 35 per cent, Ashaka Cement Plc, 58.61 per cent and Atlas Cement Company Limited, 100 per cent to Lafarge Wapco for a cash consideration of $200 million and the issuance of some 1.4 billion Lafarge Africa shares to the Lafarge Group.

TANBIC IBTC Holdings Plc is expected to announce its dividend recommendation next week as directors of the financial services group meet to review the earnings and reports for the immediate past year ended December 31, 2014. The board of directors of Stanbic IBTC Holdings is scheduled to meet on Wednesday, February 4. The main agenda for the meeting is the review of the financial statements and report for the financial year ended December 31, 2014. At the meeting, the board will consider and approve the audited financial statements of the company as well as the appropriate dividend to be recommended for payment to shareholders. The meeting will also consider other corporate actions including the date, time and venue for the annual general meeting as well as closure and payment dates for the dividend recommendation. Stanbic IBTC Holdings is expected to immediately announce decisions at the board meeting in line with the listing requirements at the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE). Third quarter report of Stanbic IBTC Holdings for the nine-month period ended September 30, 2014 showed that interest income rose by 15.7 per cent to N18.291 billion while non interest income grew by 19.2 per cent to N14.754 billion. Profit before tax grew by 45.7 per cent at N10.399 billion while profit after tax and minority interest rose by 14.7 per cent to N8.228 billion. Despite the impressive results, Stanbic stock declined by 3.04 per cent on the Nigerian Stock Exchnage Wednesday by 3.04 per cent at N0.91 to N29.01 per share Post-listing rules at the NSE require quoted companies to submit their earnings reports, not later than three months after the expiration of the period. Most quoted companies including all banks, major manufacturers, oil and gas companies, breweries and cement companies use the 12-month Gregorian calendar year as their business year. The business year thus terminates on December 31. NSE’s regulatory filing calendar indicates that the deadline for submission of annual report for companies with Gregorian calendar business year will be Tuesday March 31.

•From left: Chairman, Forte Oil Plc, Mr. Femi Otedola; former Director-General, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Ms Arunma Oteh and Managing Director, First City Monument Bank, Mr. Ladi Balogun during the birthday celebration of Oteh in Abuja.

SEC, fund managers strike partnership on N152b mutual funds

ECURITIES and Exchange Commission (SEC) and fund managers would work together to enlighten the investing public and further develop the mutual funds industry. The total assets of mutual funds in Nigeria are estimated at N152 billion. At a meeting between SEC and fund managers under the auspices of Fund Managers Association of Nigeria (FMAN), SEC and FMAN agreed on the need to further collaboration in order to develop the potential of the fund management industry and the capital market. Members of FMAN visited the acting director general of SEC, Mr. Mounir Gwarzo in Abuja. Gwarzo said SEC would embark on intensive investors’ education to woo retail and institutional investors in order to improve the level of domestic participation in the capital market.

He said one of the strategies of the new management is to embark on huge public enlightenment programme with other stakeholders to educate the investing public. “Fund management is close to our heart as it is directly under our purview. In dealing with others, we partner with other Self Regulatory Organisations (SROs). We will collaborate with you anytime we want to commence the enlightenment through the use of town hall meetings, radio jingles among others. We are ready to put in money for market development and that is one of the cardinal objectives of this management,” Gwarzo said. President, Fund Managers Association of Nigeria (FMAN), Michael Adebola, noted that Nigerians need to have a lot of understanding about what mutual funds is all about adding that the enlightenment will assist to boost the indus-

try. “We have 52 funds in 10 different sectors with the largest being the equity based ones which presently stands at 45. Between 2008 and 2009, all we had invested in funds was about N19billion, but as at last week, we had N152 billion,” Adebola said. He assured that FMAN would work with the SEC on enlightenment of the investing public which would translate into a bigger fund market in the country. Director, Collective Investment Scheme (CIS), Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Mrs Louisa Eni-Umukoro, had recently said SEC was considering review of the cost structure and expenses of mutual funds with a view to ensuring that more returns accrue to investors. She said the Commission was concerned about the expenses and

costs relative to fund management. According to her, SEC is considering introducing a multi-fee class structure for the mutual funds alongside other measures to reduce costs. “We are looking at introducing a multi-fee class structure whereby the more you subscribed, the less you pay. It’s something we are going to work out with the fund managers,” Eni-Umukoro said. She said SEC is considering reviewing downward the current expense ratio ceiling of 5.0 per cent to discourage frivolous expenses by some managers warning that the Commission will start to publish expense ratios of mutual funds on its website. Eni-Umukoro said the apex capital market regulator has amended its rules and regulations to cut down expenses relative to fund management.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2015

SMALL BUSINESS AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Essiet_daniel@yahoo.com 08180714151

Technology incubation centres can play a major role in boosting entrepreneurship, writes DANIEL ESSIET.

Technology incubators: A boost for entrepreneurs I

N five years, experts said, the number of small tech firms will increase. These firms will rake in huge revenues. However, for this to materialise, the nation needs more technology incubation centres where entrepreneurs will be empowered to rent spaces and nurture their businesses until they can afford accommodation. The Centre Manager, Technology Incubation Centre, Agege, Lagos, Mrs Julie Momah said new businesses are given free accommodation at the Lagos Centre for three years. During this period, she said the businesses are exempted from taxation. At the centre, equipped with fabrication and testing facilities, Mrs Momah said, young tech entrepreneurs can be mentored. So far, many young Nigerians have benefited from the centre, graduating in beads production, anti-bacterial hand wash, starch, multipurpose liquid soap, leather shoes, air fresheners, herbal bathing soap, and body cream making, among others. They are also ex-participants who are involved in the production of unripe plantain flour, bean flour, soya flour, spices, packaged pure honey and fruit juice production. She said the centre is committed to the continuous training of entrepreneurs. These centres, she said, has produced small scale entrepreneurs who may emerge as a new class of businessmen. Over the last 10 years, the Federal Government has been encouraging innovation and entrepreneurship through the National Board for Technology Incubation (NBTI). It urged the Board to create more incubators across the country. Given the support system provided by the centre, the expectation is that companies stand a chance of reaching their goals. At the centres, access to experts across all engineering and management disciplines is easy. She said the centre has contributed to the promotion of awareness on the essential role of innovation, adding that its programme is helping Small and Medium Scale Entreprises (SMEs) and entrepreneurs to be innovative. According to her, it is fundamental to identify opportunities and the added value small enterprises can bring, by integrating their own skills and developing

•Entrepreneurs using an incubation centre in Lagos.

training programmes to improve enterprise performance, enhance profitability and growth, and offering technology and management support to SMEs and early movers to maximise the value of their ideas. She said the centre supports entrepreneurs in building ventures to promote livelihoods, education, healthcare, agriculture, connectivity and financial inclusion. Businesses in the incubator fall within some stages - conception, where a first-cut assessment of the strategic environment is made, to development, where feasibility and go-to-market strategies are b explored and, ultimately, commercia, where profitable market opportunities are exploited and the focus is on growing the venture. The National Board for Technology Incubation Director-General, Dr Mohammed Jibrin, said the Federal Government would col-

laborate with state governments to establish incubation centres in the stes. He said the organisation thrives on technology-based and knowledge-driven programmes in fulfillment of its mandate to pursue the commercialisation of research outcomes. It’s the aim of the Federal Government that each state gets a technology incubation centre. “We have been having very good success stories. For example, we have Spectra Industries, a graduate of the programme of the technology incubation centre, Lagos, which has been invited for listing by the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE). “It is into thermocool production, coolers, warmers, and undulated thermo-equipment using local raw materials. “We have a graduate from the technology incubation centre, Benin, Austin Laz Nig. Ltd, which

‘The government is already embarking on the sensitisation of the interested members of the public so that they can establish private incubators that can be operated with very little or no support from government’

is already in the NSE. “The company is into food products manufacturing using locally available materials. “We have others who have excelled. Sarah Specials has won an award for coming second in a recent entrepreneur's competition,“ he said. Jibrin has expressed the need for the establishment of Technology Incubation Parks (TICs), in the 36 states. He said the states with TICs would not only take idle youths out of the streets but help in developing local technology and incubation. He also expressed the need for commercialisation and increment of essential oil and hydrosol production in an effort to scale up research and development in the country. As part of its efforts to fulfill its mandate, the NBTI boss said the Board had established new TICs in Nasarawa, Benue, Ebonyi, Gombe, Katsina, Jigawa and Kogi states in line with the Council's resolutions of 2013. He noted that the respective state governments were to ensure best practices of the Technology Incubation Programme, TIP objectives the centres. He said the government will encourage the private sector to establish institutional based technology incubation centres

Some Nigerians are earning a living from multi-level marketing. One of them is Abiodun Mustapha. DANIEL ESSIET reports.

to train more Nigerians on entrepreneurship. “The government is already embarking on the sensitisation of the interested members of the public so that they can establish private incubators that can be operated with very little or no support from government,” he said. He said about 800 research and development results have been incubated by the 27 centres, adding that 500 of them have been worked on. Acting Director of Commercialisation Department, National Board for Technology Incubation Mr Isa Yusuf said it generated more than N1.5 billion for the economy from 2005 to 2012. He said the amount was generated from its soft loans and grants to entrepreneurs during the period under review. Yusuf said the grants and soft loans coordinated by NBTI were invested and that they achieved so much for the economy as well as created job opportunities. He said: “Most of the grants are from our Presidential Standing Committee on Inventions and Innovations (PSCII) and, then, some of the soft loans that NBTI coordinated with the Bank of Industry and National Economic Reconstruction Fund (NERFUND). “But the funds are being utilised to the best of ability and the repayment is encouraging with little problems here and there because of economic problems in the country and the high cost of production really affecting some of the entrepreneurs in their day-to-day businesses. “I can tell you as at now, the net worth generated is more than N1. 5 billion ploughed into the economy. Because of the encouragement and support these entrepreneurs got, the turnover is really encouraging; a lot of people have got employment. “In fact, more than N1.5 billion has been ploughed into the economy since the board was established in 2005 to date.” He said the agency was making efforts to ensure that products made by the entrepreneurs who benefited from the agency’s funding and training schemes hit the market. Yusuf said many of the products were already in the market, adding that the agency would ensure that those interested in distributing and selling them were given the opportunity to be part of it.

Making a living from multi-level marketing

BIODUN Mustapha is a wealth empowerment consultant. It was in his quest for financial freedom that he came about multi-level marketing (MLM). An Islamic and Integrated Science teacher, the graduate of Federal College of Education (FEC), Akoka, Lagos was not fulfilled. This is because at the end of every month, his take-home pay could not take care of the needs. He thought of a way out. He recalled that at college, he was introduced to network marketing. Then, he began with selling GNLD products. He finally pitched his tent with Trévo, where he claimed, he made over N160 million in less

than four years. He said Trévo is network marketing firm with an attractive compensation plan for marketers. Mustapha said the company offers eight ways for independent marketers. They include simple retail sales, group volume, bulk pack commissions, pool bonuses, leadership bonuses and charity bonuses. There are also rewards of luxury cars and opportunities to travel abroad. The rewards for participating in the Trévo business, he said, are many, including the potential for growth in one’s business. What makes the company unique is its compensation package. According to him, almost all the genuine MLM opportunities have a

structure where one can earn residual income. By residual income, he meant income that would continue to flow even after one has resigned. This kind of income is earned by sponsoring other distributors. According to him, one must make time to recruit new distributors, if one is to enjoy the MLM. For him, MLM is a game of numbers. That means, one would want to add as many people to the organisation as possible. Getting paid a fraction of the work the team does a month, he noted, really adds up if one has a large team. This is how some people continue to earn huge cheques, though they do not see build their network marketing business anymore.

Mustapha said since he joined the firm in 2012, he has been going from place to place, holding seminars on MIM. This is an idea he wants unemployed Nigerians to embrace in 2015. Such Nigerians must be ready to work. For determination is very important in MLM business. Meanwhile, he has got a follower in a mobile phone repairs, Alhaji Kareem Bankole. Bankole told The Nation he was looking with a lot of hope and confidence in the opportunity the programme is offering. Less than eight months in the business, Bankole has made N800,000. An ex-banker, he said there are many MLM firms. But what distin-

•Mustapha

guishes them is their products and compensation package. He sees network marketing as a platform where the ordinary man can do extraordinary things if he understands how it works. If one is patient to build it, it is a system he recommends for people who want to grow capital, people that are determined to succeed.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2015

BUSINESS INTERNATIONAL

ECB seeks European capital markets’ union E

UROPEAN Central Bank (ECB) policymaker Yves Mersch has called for the euro zone to pursue deeper integration, including a capital markets union that would enable a company in one country to issue a bond in another. Describing Europe’s Monetary Union as incomplete, Mersch said it would be wrong to sit back and leave the project in its existing form. Rather, developing the union “is a permanent undertaking,” he said. Mersch spoke three days after the ECB agreed a new bond-buying plan that will see chiefly national central banks purchasing bonds and taking on the risk of default. The deal has raised questions about whether ECB policy is still ‘single’ across the euro

zone. Mersch, who sits on the six-member Executive Board that forms the nucleus of the ECB’s policymaking Governing Council, said capital-market integration would help spread risk across the currency union through the private sector. “A truly integrated capital market would not only benefit the European economy because it would ensure an efficient and location-independent allocation of financial resources. It would also bring with it a greater distribution of risk,” he said. Spreading risk means that financial markets within a monetary union should actually function independently of national borders,” he added, according to the text of a speech for

delivery in Osnabrueck, Germany. “Economic shocks can then be better absorbed because countries receive a certain amount of protection from the private sector.” Noting that a cross-border securities transaction costs at least 10 times as much in Europe as in the United States, Mersch called for harmonised regulation for securities in Europe and a harmonised legal framework for crisis management. Mersch quoted former German chancellor Helmut Kohl as saying in 1992 that the Maastricht Treaty on European integration would lead to a United States of Europe, and concluded his speech by saying: “It is time that this affirmation resulted in action.”

ASUS tops Taiwan’s global brands survey

LOBAL top three laptop brand, ASUS, has been recognised as the number one Taiwanese brand in the Best Taiwan Global Brands Awards in 2014. This year marks the second consecutive year ASUS has won the award as well as the 12th straight year the company has been in the top-three list of international brands from Taiwan. The brand value is estimated at $1.723 billion and has maintained steady growth despite a competitive market. In a statement, the firm recently said: “We are honoured to be recognised as the top brand in the Best Taiwan Global Brand Awards for the second year in a row,” Its Corporate Vice President S. Y. Hsu, said: ”2014 was an especially remarkable year for ASUS with the launch of ZenFone. It brings empowering luxury to everyone, and consumers have responded by making it the number-one phone in Taiwan by market share in the third quarter of 2014. We will continue with our In Search of Incredible brand promise as we strive to create an effortless and joyful digital life for everyone.” Last year, the tech giant continued its tradition of innovation with the launch of several flagship products, including ZenFone, ZenWatch, and EeeBook X205. The ZenFone smartphone series incorporates beautiful design, high-quality materials, and the seamless functionality of ASUS ZenUI to provide an unparalleled mobile experience to users. In a report, the IDC after conduct-

ing a research rates, ASUS as the fastest growing brand in Nigeria despite the high competition from other original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). ASUS is number three in the Global consumer laptop industry and the number one Global Brand in Taiwan. Industry observers also note that ASUS offers the very best in its laptops and smartphones collection, which gives them an edge over the competition. The new ZenWatch, the first wearable device from ASUS, is an exquisitely crafted watch that pairs with ZenFone or other Android smartphones to provide relevant and useful information when it is needed most, and serve as a personal wellness manager. Continuing the concept of the iconic EeePC, EeeBook X205 is an affordable 11.6inch Windows 8.1 notebook with a full-size keyboard that integrates the latest technology in a compact, lightweight design perfect for consumers who are always on the go. The Best Taiwan Global Brands Awards is held by the Industrial Development Bureau, Ministry of Economic Affairs, R.O.C and global branding consultancy Interbrand. They are seen as a key indicator of the position held by Taiwanese brands in the global market. The awards are given out based on brand value, which include the financial performance of the company, the role the brand plays in the consumer purchase decision, and the competitive strength of the brand.

Glo unveils Say it Loud - Say it with Love promo

N • From right: Executive Vice Chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Eugene Juwah; Minister of Communication Technology, Dr. (Mrs.) Omobola Johnson; and Executive Secretary-General, African Telecommunications Union (ATU), Mr. Soumaila Abdoulkarim at the opening ceremony of the Third African Preparatory Meeting (APM) for the World Radiocommunications Conference in Abuja.

‘Falling oil investment ‘ll hit U.S. economy’

F capital and workers could move instantly and without friction between industries, the plunge in oil prices would be unambiguously positive for the U.S. economy in the short term as well as the longer one. Despite the growth in shale production, the United States is still a net importer of around five million barrels per day of crude and refined products, according to the Energy Information Administration. In the long run, cheaper fuel prices will benefit U.S. consumers and businesses more than they hurt oil and gas producers and royalty recipients. In the real world, however, capital and workers cannot be redeployed seamlessly between industries. The impact of falling oil prices is being felt almost immediately in the oil and gas patch while the full benefits for the rest of the economy will take time to

filter through fully. Oil and gas has been the fastestgrowing sector of the U.S. economy over the last decade so anything that causes investment and employment to stall will have a noticeable negative impact on the economy as a whole in the short term. Capital spending by businesses in the “mining, quarrying and oil and gas extraction” sector (which is dominated by oil and gas producers) increased at a compound annual rate of more than 16 percent between 2002 and 2012. Investment rose almost five-fold from $42 billion in 2002 to $194 billion in 2012, according to the latest edition of the Census Bureau’s Annual Capital Expenditures Survey (ACES) (link.reuters.com/qyh83w). Over the same period, business capital spending in the rest of the economy increased at a compound rate of just 2.7 per cent per year (link.reuters.com/tyh83w). In 2002, the mining sector ac-

counted for just 4.6 per cent of economy-wide capital spending. By 2012, resource extractors accounted for 14.5 per cent of all spending on structures and equipment. The mining industry was responsible for 36 per cent of all the increase in business investment in the United States over the decade, according to Census Bureau data. The most recent ACES survey numbers are for 2012. Given the enormous oil exploration boom, however, it is very likely capital expenditure rose further in 2013 and the first half of 2014, both absolutely and relative to the rest of the economy. So, the oil and gas sector was probably even more important by the middle of 2014 than it had been in 2012. This investment boom is at risk as oil and gas producers slash their investment budgets for 2015 in response to the 60 per cent decline in oil prices since June, last year.

‘Global economy on ‘sink or swim’ path’

ET’s be blunt: The central banks have done all they can, and now it’s ‘sink or swim’ time for the global economy. This week the European Central Bank (ECB) unveiled a massive stimulus programme — worth $1.3 trillion — to lift the region out of its economic malaise. It was the latest in a long line of stimulus measures from central banks around the world. But it will only work if everybody else follows through.

European politicians and policy makers must now make decisive moves to increase productivity, investment and growth, which can involve reforming labor market rules, promoting entrepreneurship and tweaking tax codes. “We all have a job to do,” said ECB member Benoit Coeure during a panel discussion at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos. “We have done our part. Others have to do their part.” The stimulus certainly buys more

time for European governments to press ahead with economic reforms. But they had better move quickly! The head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Christine Lagarde, told CNN that “inaction” is the biggest global risk. But as the ECB money starts sloshing around the financial system and flowing into other parts of the world, concerns have been raised about reckless risk taking and financial instability.

ATIONAL carrier, Globacom has unveiled a new promo which offers lucky subscribers a grand prize of N5 million and several consolation prizes, including an opportunity to sing with their favourite Glo Ambassadors in a recording contract. In a statement, the telco said the promo is tagged “Say it Loud Say it with Love, adding that it is a mega Interactive Voice Response (IVR) contest that allows subscribers to sing a song, recite a poem or tell a joke, all dedicated to their family in 45 seconds. To participate in the promo, subscribers are urged to dial a short code 54887 to record and upload their 45-second song, poem or a joke for N50 on the portal. The subscriber will then receive an SMS with his individual ID number (54888xxxxx). This number could be dialed to vote for the participant. N20 is charged per vote. Voters are also rewarded with exciting prizes. To vote for any participant, one can dial 54888, listen to the song, poem or joke and then vote for the content. The promo, which started on January 23, will last for 100 days. Apart from the star prize of N5 million, three winners will each take home N2.5million monthly;

14 winners will receive N1million each in prizes weekly and there will be 3,600 hourly prizes of N2,500 in airtime and 200 daily prizes of N25,000 cash. In addition, 10 subscribers will sign a contract to have their songs as caller ring back tunes and composers of the top three songs will have the opportunity to record a remix of their entries with a Glo Ambassador, a proposition that will make the contestants rich and famous. Globacom parades an array of West Africa’s top music stars as brand Ambassadors. The list includes Bisade Ologunde (Lagbaja), Jude Abaga (MI), Oyebanjo Oladapo Daniel (D’banj), Oluwatobi Wande Ojosipe (Wande Coal), Chinedu Okolie (Flavour), Peter and Paul Okoye (P Square), Waje Iruobe, Omawumi Megbele, Chukie Edozien (Lynxx), Sammie Okposo, Bezhiwa Idakula (Bez) and Ego Ogbaro. Other top singers from Nigeria are Damini Ogulu (Burnaboy), Chidima Okebalama (Chee) and Naeto Chikwe (Naeto C). The network’s Ambassadors in Ghana include Kwabena Kwabena (George Adu) , Irene Logan, Edem, Asem, Sherifa Gunu, Gyedu-Blay Ambolley while Globacom’s Ambassador in Benin Republic is Zeynab Abibou.

China’s economic reforms bring benefits

HINA’s ongoing economic reforms and initiatives on regional development will benefit both itself and the rest of the world, top European economists have said. Speaking at the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said the Chinese economy, the world’s second largest, is not heading for a hard landing. During the economic transformation and upgrading, “the only risk for China was stagnation, but this has been overcome,” Daniel Gros, director of the Brussels-based Center for European Policy Studies, told Xinhua in an interview. China’s economic reforms benefit the world in two ways, accord-

ing to Gros, a former economic adviser to the European Commission and then the European Parliament. “First, everybody benefits if China grows more strongly, especially if growth is re-balanced from investment and exports towards consumption,” he told Xinhua. “Second, making the market the main determinant of economic decisions also facilitates trade,” Gros continued. Fredrik Erixon, director of the European Centre for International Political Economy (ECIPE), a world-economy think tank based in Brussels, said economic reforms that open up for more competition and innovation are key to China’s development.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2015

BUSINESS AFRICA

Botswana coal companies see output without new rail line

OAL explorers in Botswana are pressing ahead with plans to start production and use existing rail capacity to ports in South Africa and Mozambique instead of waiting for a line being built to Namibia, the mines lobby said. “You cannot sit down and wait for the Trans-Kalahari Railway; that would be a disaster,” Botswana Chamber of Mines Chief Executive Officer Charles Siwawa said in a Jan. 21 interview in Gaborone, the capital. “The thing to do is to move on the available capacity and all of them are trying.”

Namibia, on the continent’s southwestern coast, and Botswana are jointly developing the 1,500-kilometer (932-mile) TransKalahari Railway to transport coal from the east of the landlocked country to markets in China and India. Mozambique and South Africa, the world’s seventh-largest coal producer, have offered 20 million metric tons of annual railing capacity to Botswana. Producers in Botswana will rail the fuel to the port in Mozambique’s capital, Maputo and Richards Bay in South Africa,

Siwawa said, without providing more information. The coal terminal at Matola in Maputo has capacity of 7.5 million tons annually, Grindrod Ltd., the terminal operator that’s continent’s biggest shipping company, said on its website. Richards Bay Coal Terminal Ltd., the world’s largest export facility for the fuel, is on South Africa’s northeast coast, with Glencore Plc as the biggest shareholder. Grindrod operates the Navitrade terminal at Richards Bay with RBT Resources (Pty) Ltd. and is developing this into a fully mechanized coal facility with even-

tual capacity of 20 million tons a year. The production plans come as global supply of the fuel exceeds demand. U.S., European and Asian price for power-plant coal, which Botswana has, the have fallen for four consecutive years, while the metallurgical variety, used to forge steel, has dropped for three. “Sitting back and waiting for the coal price to improve is unwise, as we believe we have hit the bottom now and the only way is up,” Siwawa said. “Producing now would help them work out the logistics when the Trans-Kalahari is

developed as you cannot simply wake up and supply the 60 million tons per annum it will require.” Of the seven coal companies active in Botswana, two are at exploration stage and four at prefeasibility. Jindal Africa, a unit of India’s Jindal Steel & Power Ltd. (JSP) received a mining license in August and plans to start production for export next year. Shumba Coal Ltd., Hodges Resources Ltd., Walkabout Resources Ltd., African Energy Resources Ltd. and Minergy Ltd. are among the companies.

Old Mutual spends bulk of Africa war chest on UAP stake in Kenya

LD Mutual Plc (OML), which earmarked 4.3 billion rand ($374 million) for acquisitions in Africa, increased its stake in Kenya’s UAP Holdings Ltd., meaning that the insurer has now spent more than half of that war chest. Old Mutual, which is expanding in Africa to profit from the continent’s fastest-growing economies, will now hold 60.7 percent of UAP after purchasing a further 37.3 percent stake for $155.5 million in cash, the London-based insurer said in a statement Monday. The transaction takes its investment in UAP this month to $253 million. “The majority stake we have secured in UAP, combined with the existing Old Mutual businesses in Kenya, will provide the Group with the scale and product breadth to capitalize on the significant growth expected in the

region.” In Kenya, East Africa’s largest economy, UAP has the third-biggest property and casualty market share, the second-ranked health insurance business, a large property investment portfolio and a fast-growing life insurance business, Old Mutual said. UAP also has operations in Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo. This deal follows Old Mutual’s acquisition of microfinance company Faulu Kenya DTM Ltd. “Following the conclusion of this transaction, we will have invested nearly $300 million in the region since 2012,” Ralph Mupita, chief executive officer of Old Mutual Emerging Markets, said in the statement. Old Mutual rose in Johannesburg trading, climbing one percent to 35.37 rand

Eskom starts power blackouts in SA

S • Comptroller-General, Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), Mr. David Shikfu Parradang (left) and Mr Izzat Debs, Managing Director, Skysat Technologies Nig. Ltd., during the launch of Konica Minolta Bizhub Press C1100 digital printing machine in Abuja.

Standard Chartered sees Africa future amid branch network review

TANDARD Chartered Plc (STAN), the British bank that has operated in Africa for more than 150 years, said the continent remains part of its consumer banking plans even as the lender reviews its global branch network. While the lender is considering closing branches as more customers migrate to online and mobile transactions, it is still Standard Chartered’s “ambition to be the leading international retail bank within our footprint in Africa, Asia and the Middle East,” Diana Layfield, Africa chief executive officer for the Londonbased lender, said in an e-mailed response to questions on January 23. “With digital access comes a reduc-

tion in branch traffic, so it is only natural for us to review our current branches and optimise our digital platforms,” she said. Standard Chartered said last year it may close 80 to 100 out of more than 1,200 branches globally and said this January it will cut about 4,000 jobs at its consumer operations to restore the bank’s profit growth. It hasn’t said where the shutdowns or job reductions will be. The lender rebuffed at least one potential buyer of its African operations, according to two people with knowledge of the talks. “As this is an ongoing process, we are unable to provide a geographic breakdown at this stage,”

Layfield said. “The realignment of our retail strategy is a global ambition to focus on cities that will experience significant economic growth in the future.” About 100 jobs are under threat at the lender’s Botswana unit, Botswana Bank Employees Union General Secretary Lebogang Keabetswe said last week. Standard Chartered has offices in 16 African countries and has been among the top three arrangers of syndicated loans in the sub-Saharan region since 2010, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Operating profit at the Africa business fell 27 per cent to $209 million in the first six months of 2014 from the year-earlier period.

Recare embarks on care solutions for women hair

ERSONAL style brand, Natures Gentle Touch, manufactured by Recare Limited has reassured women of its promise to deliver hair care solutions that will keep their hair healthy and beautiful. Speaking during a media roundtable at the Natures Gentle Touch Hair Institute, its Production Manager, Mr. Daniel Appiah, said the company’s product lines are made with natural based ingredients required to give a healthy and beautiful hair. He noted that every product

under the brand was created bearing in mind the Nigerian climate as well as other factors that could affect the woman’s hair. “Our objective is to ensure that every woman achieves her beauty goals. Having a hair that is one hundred percent healthy, beautiful and natural is a major part of these goals. We have several products that currently seek to solve various hair challenges which include dry and itchy scalp, dandruff and hair breakage. Our products are tested and trusted by many Nigerian women,” said

Appiah. He added that the company will continue to introduce more products that will help every woman maintain her natural hair and help repair damaged hair. Also, Field Education Manager, Recare Limited, Mr. Daniel Komlan , who spoke on ‘Nigerian hair and challenges’, noted that a major reason most women have damaged hair is because they don’t know how to take care for their hair and that many stylists also do not have the skills required to take care of the hair.

OUTH Africa’s power utility started rolling blackouts for a second time this year because of “unforeseen technical problems” at some of its generating plants. “The power system is severely constrained,” Johannesburg-based Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd., which generates 95 percent of the power for the continent’s second-biggest economy, said on its Twitter account. Managed cuts started at 11 a.m., with the company planning on forcing demand down by as many as 1,000 megawatts, known locally as stage 1 load-shedding. Eskom expects to implement power cuts almost daily until April after deferred maintenance led to more plant breakdowns, it said on Jan. 15. The utility implemented 15 days of rolling blackouts last year, the first since 2008, and did the same on January 9 as the stateowned company’s aging plants

struggle to meet demand for power. “It’s about plants coming back from maintenance,” Shaun Nel, spokesman for the Energy Intensive Users Group of Southern Africa, said by phone. The EIUG’s members include ArcelorMittal and BHP Billiton Ltd.’s local units and consume about 45 percent of the country’s electricity. When repairs have finished there can be issues related to the restart of units known as “post-maintenance outages” he said. Eskom didn’t immediately respond to an e-mail seeking comment. Power demand by industrial users will rise by the end of the month as companies return to full production after the festive-season break, Nel said. Still, the issue is capacity, not demand, he said. “It’s going to be the situation for at least the next year,” he said.

Famous Brands partners Shoprite

AMOUS Brands Ltd. (FBR), the South African owner of fast-food chains including Debonairs Pizza and Steers burgers, is in talks with supermarket operator Shoprite Holdings Ltd. (SHP) about expanding a partnership to Nigeria and Zambia. That strategy, and other moves to add fast-food outlets throughout the sub-Saharan Africa region, will help Famous Brands more than double the proportion of earnings from operations abroad across the continent, Chief Executive Officer Kevin Hedderwick said in an interview. Negotiations with Shoprite involve “how we can work closer together in places like Nigeria, where they have a big footprint,” as well as in Zambia, Hedderwick said in an interview as his company’s Johannesburg

headquarters today. “We are very keen to partner with each other outside of South Africa.” Famous Brands has been adding outlets outside South Africa to help counter slowing economic growth in its domestic market, where consumer spending has been stifled by strikes, accelerating inflation and an unemployment rate exceeding 25 per cent. The company has focused on cost cuts and boosting the performance of the supply chain to maintain earnings growth. The company will open its first restaurant in Angola next month as part of its joint venture with Shoprite, Hedderwick said. The Debonairs outlet will be established in Benguela, about 540 kilometres (336 miles) from the Angola capital of Luanda.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2015

DISCOURSE

THE NATION FRIDAY, JULY 25, 2014

‘APC’s change fundamental to Nigeria’s survival’ W

E commend Prof Chukwuma Soludo for his insightful and incisive article published in the Vanguard and The Nation newspapers of January 26. We agree with Prof Soludo that if the political parties, including ours, must justify the overwhelming enthusiasm of Nigerians about the 2015 elections, we must remain focused on the issues that matter most to them, which is the progress of our country and the well-being of our people. Indeed, this has been the driving conviction of our party and our campaign all along. While we accept his critical comments on our party, more for the intentions than for the letters, we believe some clarifications would be quite necessary. We wish to emphasise that our party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), presents a real option to Nigerians. Prof Soludo expressed the sentiments of most Nigerians when he spoke about the incalculable damage that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), under President Goodluck Jonathan has done to the Nigerian economy and the unprecedented hardship that his six years of the locust has brought upon Nigerians. However, the APC does not intend to ride into power on a mere rhetoric of ‘change’. The change that we propose is fundamental in many ways as it is critical to the very survival of our country. This in itself presents a major distinction between our party and the PDP. Perhaps, the most compelling argument against the PDP today is that its government and leadership does not even see that Nigeria is in trouble. While majority of our people wallow in abject poverty, and the gap in inequality gets ever wider by the day, yet PDP has basked in self-celebration of imagined accomplishments. How can a party or a government even begin to solve a problem that it does not believe exist? Like in all things, PDP is stuck in denial. APC does not promise Eldorado. Neither our candidate nor our manifesto has made such promise. Our programmes are based on the critical awareness of the difficult task ahead, while holding out a ray of hope to our people. The promises that we make reflect our innermost belief that the people must be at the centre of development. Especially, we believe that any economic growth that leaves the majority of the people behind, and does not protect the weakest and the vulnerable among us, is merely delusory. Prof Soludo has drawn our attention to the striking but unfortunate similarity in the nation’s economy in 1982-1984 period and what we are experiencing today. Back then, a period of sustained high crude oil prices had

By Kayode Fayemi also ironically led to unsustainable debt levels and introduction of the austerity measure. Just as it happened more than three decades ago, it is difficult to explain how a sustained period of oil boom should ultimately lead to austerity measure except to say that huge opportunities that the period of boom presented were frittered away by mindless profligacy, wanton corruption and bad economic choices made by the PDP government, which has rewarded a protracted period of boom with uncertainty and austerity and is still asking for another mandate to do more damage. If we sound upbeat in our manifesto, it is because we recognise that this crisis period also presents us a great opportunity to restructure the economy in a way that improves the quality of lives of our people by ensuring that our economic growth is job-led. Our party has identified job creation as a critical priority of government. We have noted with concerns that Nigeria’s unemployment rate of 23.9 per cent should be seen as a national crisis. And if this government was more sensitive to the enormity of the challenge that this presents, it would be reluctant to jump all over the place in self-celebration while so many of our youths are wasting away. In the immediate future, our priority is to tackle unemployment and provide good jobs by embarking on a massive programme of public works, building houses, roads, railways, ports and energy plants. Over the long term, we believe we must wean Nigeria off its dangerous addiction to oil, which currently provides 80 per cent of our spending leaving us at the mercy of volatile international oil prices. Even as a federalist party, we believe that an economy that is dependent on a commodity that is so dangerously exposed to price volatility must always prepare for eventuality through savings and investments once the agreed thresholds are met. What we disagree with is the unilateral and arbitrary deductions in accruable revenues in a way that hampers the development of the federating states. Going by the government’s own statistics, is it mere coincidence that the three states with the lowest unemployment rate - Osun, Lagos and Kwara are all under the APC? This is evidence of our party’s ability to tackle this problem head-on. APC’s policy thrust will create an enabling environment and incentives for the formal and informal sectors to lead the quest for job creation. This will be done in addition to skills acquisition and enterprisetraining to ensure our youths are equipped with the appropriate skills to take these jobs. Merely introducing a National Qualification Standards

would power a whole new world of opportunities for our artisans by launching them into the international job markets. We note the issue that Prof Soludo picked with our figure of 720,000 jobs. We need to clarify that this is limited to immediate direct employment opportunities from public projects and maintenance works only. Our manifesto actually promises a lot more jobs but we see that as the product of the enabling environment we seek to create for private sector-led job creation, especially in high opportunity sectors like agriculture, construction, entertainment, tourism, ICT and sports. APC economic policy is driven by an overwhelming concern for the level of inequality in our country today. Specifically, to quote from our manifesto, we intend to achieve our job-creation agenda through: • Massive public works programme especially the building of a national railway system (complete with tramline systems for our major cities), interstate roads, and ports. These projects must commence early in the life of the new administration; • Establishing a new Federal Coordinating Agency - Build Nigeria - to fast track and manage these public works programmes with emphasis on Nigerian labour; • Embarking vigorously on industrialization, public works and agricultural expansion; • Diversifying the economy through a national industrial policy and innovative private-sector incentives that will move us away from over reliance on oil into value-added production especially manufacturing; • Reviving textile and other industries that have been rendered dormant because of inappropriate economic policies; • Reinvigorating the solid mineral sector by revamping our aged mining legislation and attracting new investment; • Developing a new generation of domestic oil refineries to lower import costs, enhance our energy independence and create jobs; • Working with state governments to turn the country into Africa’s food basket through a new system of grants and interest free loans, and the mechanisation of agriculture; • Encouraging and promoting the use of sports as a source of job creation, entertainment and recreation. • Creating a knowledge economy by making Nigeria an IT/professional/telecom services outsourcing destination hub to create millions of jobs; • Filling the huge gap in middle level technical manpower with massive investment in technical and tradesmen’s skills education; • Ensuring that all foreign contractors to include a plan of developing local capacity (technology transfer);

•Dr Fayemi

• Creation of six Regional Development Agencies covering the country with representatives from the Federal Government, states and the private sector to manage a new N300 billion growth fund. Our obsession with job creation stems from the fact that we believe we must focus on actions that would serve the twin purpose of closing the gap in inequality and creating opportunities for our people, especially the youth.Our current situation is dangerous for the stability of the country. The Human Development Index (HDI) position ranks Nigeria 152 of 169 countries surveyed. This is incompatible with the present administration’s insistence on celebrating GDP growth and our absolute economic size hinged on a routine rebasing exercise. As many commentators have pointed out, rebasing the GDP is not an achievement. Rather, it is a mere statistical adjustment that does not impact on the real or imagined standards of living of the people. So, we also wonder what this PDP government is celebrating. And maybe it is not that difficult to explain when one discovers that a small elite has captured the state and converted our commonwealth into private gain, becoming disproportionately rich from massive corruption while poverty has deepened. The income gap and illicit capital flight are growing alarmingly. Instead of investing in modernising our economy, massive theft has starved the country of desperately needed resources for infrastructure and public services and left us dangerously dependent on fluctuating global oil prices for our economic survival. For the ordinary Nigerian, the much-touted economic growth cited by the present administration has not translated into employment or development. Over 100 million Nigerians are struggling to make ends meet on a regular basis. Furthermore, we understand Prof Soludo’s concern on the cost of implementing our various programmes, especially those relating to social welfare. The enormity of this challenge is not lost on us. We also know that sometimes, going into government is like buying a “no testing” electronic equipment. You may never know the true state of what you are buying until you

get in. We want to assure Prof Soludo and other like-minded Nigerians that our policy team is looking at all the options – including the worst-case scenario of a completely empty treasury. We are however confident that by blocking avenues of wastages and corruption alone, savings could run into billions of Naira that could be deployed for productive use. Even so, we agree with Prof Soludo that savings from corruption alone will not tackle the enormous challenges we are likely to confront in government. We are however comforted by the fact that a four-year period provides opportunity for phased implementation while growing the resource base as well as changing the culture of graft while reducing the cost of governance. Quite significantly, we know that periods of economic downturn also potentially provide opportunity to lay the foundation for real economic restructuring and development; and we can reflect on how Singapore under Premier Lee Kuan Yew and the United States (U.S.) under President Franklin Delano Roosevelt used historic moments of economic downturn in their countries to launch a period of sustained development and a new deal for their people. Gen Muhammadu Buhari has never claimed to have the magic wand nor the answers to all of the country’s problems. His greatest assets would be his moral authority, borne out of his self-sacrificing integrity, his sincerity of purpose and his patriotic zeal to return Nigeria to the path of progress and genuine development. He is committed to utilise competent and committed people of integrity wherever he may find them. This is precisely why he promised when flagging off his campaign in Port Harcourt on January 5 that if voted into power, it would be an opportunity to, in his words, “finally assemble a competent team of Nigerians to efficiently manage this country”. This is a clear sign that a meritocratic process will govern the appointment of those that would be entrusted with managing our economy and country. His stint as Head of State shows a track record of using self-sacrificing professionals in his governance team. His previous cabinet included the likes of Dr. Onaolapo Soleye, Prof Tam David-West and Prof Ibrahim Gambari. The All Progressives Congress (APC) is determined to lead Nigeria in the direction of change that is so urgently required. And even as we prepare for the immediate rescue mission in 2015, our minds are also set on building the necessary democratic institutions that would entrench our ideological conviction as a progressive and people-centred party. A National Progressives Policy Institute is part of this plan in the near future but we are very clear about the enormity of the task ahead. We would not seek to underplay it. We are supremely confident that we are equal to the task and we appreciate the commitment of majority of Nigerians to this quest for change. •Dr. Fayemi heads the Policy, Research and Strategy Directorate of the APC Presidential Campaign.

Soludo hunted by own failure, says Obi’s spokesman

EDIA Assistant to former Governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi has said Prof Charles Soludo’s article, entitled: “Federal Government’s Economic Team Weak, Selfish,’ published in some newspapers on Monday, was in bad taste. The aide, Valentine Obieyem said the article, though incisive, “was full of evidence of one who is still nursing deep hatred against those he wrongly assumed were responsible for not renewing his appointment as the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and those that thwarted his move towards becoming the Governor of Anambra State last year.” In a statement, Obienyem, who said he agreed on some

vital points raised by the professor, regretted that the writeup was neither to instruct nor contribute to positive national discourse but to hit back at Soludo’s imaginary enemy. He recalled how Prof. Soludo, in 2013, in front of the Blessed Sacrament, described Obi as the foundation upon which the new Anambra State was built. Obieyem, who further stated that the former CBN chief commended Obi on how he changed the fortunes of the state, wondered Obi turned round to accuse Obi of leaving behind no signature project for which his administration would be remembered, that he saved money in the midst of hunger and that he impoverished the people of the state. Obienyem said it was sur-

prising that a renowned economist as Soludo, who in the same write up, attributed saving of $45 billion in the external reserves when he was theCBN chief, should condemn Obi for saving money for Anambra State. The statement reads: “When he said he saved $45b, does it mean that at that time Nigeria’s problems were over, Obienyem asked. “Now oil prices is falling and states’ allocation bound to fall, Soludo should be told that the money Obi saved will be used to cushion the effect, among others reasons for states to save at all times.” He also talked about clearing Nigerian debts without acknowledging Finance Minister Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as

the architect of the payment, reminding Soldo that she “is still part of Jonathan’s government”, Obienyem said. On the allegation that Obi left no signature project, Obienyem said that Soludo merely displayed his ignorance of what true development is. He insisted that “development is nothing if it does not involve the totality of man. He said: “Talking about signature project, Obi has them in abundance. He built over 30 bridges, built the State Secretariat, built the teaching hospital, built the permanent site of the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu University, rebuilt Iyienu, Borromeo, Holy Rosary, St Joseph, Our Lady of Lourdes among many hospital with signature struc-

tures dotting them. “Soludo should be told that Obi did much more in areas that are far more important than mere structures. He returned schools to their original owners and committed billions of naira that could build any form of signature project of Soludo’s imagination. “Because of this, Anambra State is today the number one in external examinations in the country. Moreover, he changed the psyche of the people of the State and removed Anambra State from her pariah status to one of the exemplary States in The country.” Regretting how unstable Soludo has become in his opinions, Obienyem said that the same Soludo, had on Tuesday, July 23, 2013, described Obi,

during the memorial thanksgiving mass at St Theresa’s Catholic Church, Isuofia, in honour of Soludo’s mother-inlaw , as a man of destiny whose disciplined and God-fearing life has insured his success in life. Besides, Obieyem said Soludo had earlier commended Obi for his numerous achievements, noting that he had laid strong foundations for sustainable development, which, he said, future administrations could consolidate on. Soludo, Obienyem went on, further disagreed with Obi’s plan to retire from active politics as he mooted then, saying that the country needed people like him, especially during these trying times.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2015

The Midweek Magazine

E-mail:- ozoluauhakheme@yahoo.com

AHEED Kobomoje, 23 is the bread winner of his family; he took over the task following the death of his father, Sulaimon Kobomoje last February. The late Kobomoje was one of the Neighbourhood Watchers in Lagos State. His widow has been doing menial jobs to sustain the family. The son of the late Kassim Babatunde is a student of Tai Solarin University Education (TASUSED) at Ijagun, Ijebu Ode in Ogun State. His father died last May at 54. Since then, life has not been easy for him and his family. The 35 year old widow of the Late Saheed Sanusi, Kehinde, has been left to fend for two of her children since the death of her husband on November 17, 2013. Like the Kobomoje and others whose fathers died while serving as neighborhood watchers, security agents for Lagos State, succour came their way last week when the state government remembered their families. They were full of praises for the government as they relived their ordeal to The Nation. Each family was presented with 250,000 naira cash to support them. The presentation was done last Friday by the Ministry of Rural Development. Expressing condolence on behalf of the government, Commissioner for Rural Development Hon Cornelius Ojelabi eulogised the deceased for sacrificing their lives, time and family to protect the community. The token amount, he said, is just to sustain the families and urged them to invest it wisely to yield better results in no time. “These men have in their little way contributed their quota to the development of Lagos State. This reward is coming because their service is appreciated and noted by the government. This is just our own token show of appreciation for the services the late watchers rendered and served diligently as neighborhood watchers. The money is meant to support the family for the service their fathers rendered to Lagos State while alive.” The Commissioner urged the bereaved to individually and collectively look inwardly to know what they can do for themselves outside government. A total of 20 families of the deceased watch-

•Hon Ojelabi (right) presenting the cash to the family of the late Sulaiman

Succour for families of dead neighbourhood watchers By Nneka Nwaneri

DONATION ers benefited from the gesture, they include: the lates Olufemi Ajayi; Saheed Sanusi: Adisa Bello; Adekunle Daramola; Ezekiel Akinbami; Sunday Ogunlaja and Oladimeji Olabisi. To the widows and children, the money will come handy in establishing and investing in a trade to sustain their families. There were other peculiar cases of serving watchers who

were down with one form of ailment of the other. They were given 500,000 each to assist them with their treatment. While Mr Job Adikwu is down with a spinal cord injury, 47-year-old Owolabi Odufuwa’s left kidney began failing him in May last year. Since then, his diet has changed and the money offered him will support to run tests and other hospital bills.

•Odufuwa

Lull in creative sector: Any fresh impetus? •Continued from page 14

ism is one of the derivatives of well conceptualised cultural policy. The lack of significant infrastructure to house material and non-material products is a major setback. “Agreed that poor understanding of culture concepts by the executive and legislative arms of government always translate into poor budget allocation to culture sectors, the ministries and parastals can initiate robust relationship with non-governmental organisations and thereby secure financial commitments from them to promote culture,” he added. Manager, Quintessence Gallery, Lagos Mr. Moses Ohiomokhare observed that for 2015 to be eventful and rewarding to players in the sector, resources must not be viewed strictly in monetary terms. He noted that a full spectrum of our values and benefits must be taken into account when charting developmental plans. “Art should be placed in the front burner in school. “All departments must be encouraged to appreciate our art and culture. Arts speak in every aspect of our life and so we must no longer take it for granted. Let us learn from our indigenous way of living. “Our youths must be developed to love what is Nigerian in our art and culture,” he said. Front line member, Universal Studios of Art, Mr Biodun Olaku said the sector is capable of recording eventful year if

•Edo State contingent at National Festival of Arts and Culture (NAFEST)

‘Essentially, the role of government is to facilitate and make policies that will assist the nurture and growth of cultural creativity. Indeed, as it were, both the governmental parastatals and ministries lack adequate articulation of culture concepts and therefore often fail to explore the social and financial value chain therein’ policies are followed to the letter. He cited the lingering review of the laws establishing the National Gallery of Art,

(NGA) and The Cultural Policy as some of the draw backs. Olaku also cited that though government has been of mouth-

ing the PPP partnership, the implementation has been poor. "There is apathy and lethargy in government in terms of policy implementation. Personally, there is hope for the sector to be vibrant if there is drastic change. The government has always treated arts with levity. For instance, some of the culture parastatals have complained of constant poor funding by government. In fact, there should be a policy that will enhance a good partnership between private operators and government agencies", he said.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2015

The Midweek Magazine

E-mail:- ozoluauhakheme@yahoo.com

Last November, literary scholars from across the globe converged on Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, for Ake Arts and Book Festival. Mukowa Wa Thiongo, son of Kenyan writer Ngugi wa Thiongo,was a facilitator at the festival. In this interview with Assistant Editor (Arts) OZOLUA UHAKHEME, he speaks on how his father inspired him into writing; how the late Amos Tutuola attracted him to Nigeria and why African Literature does not need the Nobel prize to validate, it among OUR other issues. father is one of the finest I will say that is where the difference begins

African writers and you are a writer of promise. What ignited the passion for writing in your family? It is looking that way because five of us are writers. So there is me, then my sister Wanjiku wa Ngugi whose novel The Fall of Saints was recently published, then there is Joshua Ngugi whose book came out not too long ago. Then the eldest whose collection of short stories is coming out soon and of course our kid brother is writing. So there are many of us into writing and so we should end up in the Guinness Book of World Record. What inspired you into writing? He definitely inspired me. I grew up in a way when we were little, we did aspire to be like our parents. But when we grew older, we rebelled against that and we wanted to take our own path. So, I went through that same journey but I think growing up and seeing him writing, there was a part of me that was intrigued by that. As I was getting older, I was reading his books as well and I think watching him talking about writing and his love for words, not just what words can do in terms of the politics also the beauty of writing, all of that inspired me. For how long have you been teaching at Cornell University? I have been an assistant Professor at Cornell University for almost three years now. I did my PhD thesis on Amos Tutuola and that was one of the reasons I was eager to be in Nigeria. I don’t know if there is a monument for him here. I haven’t heard anything about him, and it will be really unfortunate if he is not recognised in his hometown. We need to stop saying prophets are not recognise in their hometown. We need to start recognising them and it’s like an inheritance for all the children in Abeokuta. If we want our children to be writers, then they have to know their neighbour who has been a writer. Amos Tutuola’s monument in his hometown is necessary for the tradition of the people not to be forgotten. What influence does your father’s writing have on your writing? For me, it was important that while I was growing up, I understood that books can be written because I saw them being written. Whereas other people might have doubts whether they can write a book or how it is being written though it wasn’t that easy. The act of writing isn’t as easy as I thought. Now, other influences will be. I am interested in politics, I am interested in stories that say things about the society. I am interested in the writings of the world and wanting to change it for better. I am interested in writers that are committed. I did not just learn that from my father but writers of his generation, Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka, Nawal El Saadawi and my dad. What was the problem your father had with Arap Moi’s administration in Kenya? We grew up at a time he went on exile and before then he was detained by the Kenyan government from 1977-1978. Growing up as a child, I didn’t understand the whole situation. I was just wondering what was happening, and my siblings and I couldn’t even visit him in jail to ask him why he was in chains because he was not a criminal, so why should he be in chains. Eventually he went into exile and that was a hard thing for my family because of the oppression in the 1980’s and the fear that anyone associated with us, the fear the government could arrest them too. The fear was justified because there was a time when we had a Christmas party and the Police raided the house thinking he was back from exile. They disbanded the party. Then, there was also a law that you couldn’t gather

• Ngugi

‘African literature doesn’t need Nobel Prize’ LITERATURE

more than five people and everyone who attended the party lost jobs by the end of the week. People that were afraid to hang out with us, that fear was justified. Those are some of the negative things but the positive thing is that I grew up and my imagination became big because I had experiences, which I drew out in my writing. You can’t talk about good writing without suffering and what it does to the imagination as well, I think you care more and you have a larger imagination. What is your perception of young writers in terms of questioning of orthodoxies as did

Ngugi, Achebe, Soyinka and Armah? They are all questioning. Binyavanga Wainaina has been questioning the Kenyan society, the Kenyan establishment. We have Noviolet whose novel We Need New Names is challenging the Zimbabwean society. Also in the American society, we have Chimamanda Adichie’s Americanah which is doing the same thing. My own work as well is challenging the African society and the American society. I think for us it might be on a larger stage. Our world is more global and we can move not necessarily without pain but we can move between western society and Africa, write from both places. Are we politically committed like the older writers?

‘Eventually he went into exile and that was a hard thing for my family because of the oppression in the 1980’s and the fear that anyone associated with us, the fear the government could arrest them too. The fear was justified because there was a time when we had a Christmas party and the Police raided the house thinking he was back from exile’

to emerge. Even the older generation there is a Chinua Achebe and my dad in terms of how they build the context of politics. I think we are questioning but maybe not in the same way. The society has changed. In the nineties, we had several ideas of people who were radical but now the opposition parties are the same and I think that makes it difficult for us to talk about politics because it is not as easy and as clear as it was in the 1970’s. Ngugi wa Thiongo is a man that many believe should have won the Nobel prize for literature. Do you think the Nobel Committee is biased? I think with or without the Nobel prize, his legacy is there. Even Chinua Achebe didn’t win the prize but had a foundation of African literature and that won’t change the fact that they are great writers. Perhaps they have reasons why they have not given him. I don’t know but it will be great if they could, and that will be a validation that you can write in African language and be on the world stage. It will be good for African Literature but I don’t think we need it as well. The work is being done, the different tradition is flourishing and we have offshoot of many writers who are building their works. Whether they argue against it, it will be good if he wins and be good for African literature but African literature doesn’t need it. What is the Mabati Cornell Kiswahili award about? Why we wanted to have a Kiswahili prize for African literature is to stop giving languages as regional colour. I think we can celebrate African literature in all its diversities, in all its languages. The whole essence is to recognise African languages as world languages. The whole idea of the prize is that all languages are created equal and that there is no language that is higher than another. The same way human beings are created equal and we need to move from that position. The practical side of the prize is the poetry and a lot of fiction. The winners will get cash prizes and will be published by East African Educational publishers and because we are also interested in translation, the poetry will get translated into English and be published by the African Poetry Fund at the same time the writers will interact with other people. We will have them do a one week residency at Cornell University and we are still trying to get other institutions involved. The bulk of the money is coming from Kenyan cooperation called Mbati Rolling Mills, which is to show we can have African philanthropy which can actively participate in our cultural production. Why did you choose Swahili and not other African languages? We have to start somewhere but the good thing about the Swahili is that it is recognisable and spoken by about 100 million people in about four to five countries. It is more a pan-African language, but the hope is that we do the Swahili and other people from other languages will do the same thing. It will be great at some point if we get enough funds to keep adding other African languages but the whole idea is to set a template which other African languages can emulate. What do you think about e-books? It is the future but for me I am still addicted to books maybe because of the way I learnt under the generation of my father. My students will open their laptop and tablet and read, for me I think it is just purely generational, it is not that they read any less or understand any less. We have to be careful with technology because they can also create inequalities where you can have the technology in the city centres and in the rural areas there are none.

Bamako Encounters calls for applications

HE Bamako Encounters, organised by the Malian Ministry of Culture and Institut Français, which is the first and principal international platform dedicated to African photography on the continent, has called for application from African artists. A veritable platform for discovery, exchanges and interaction, the Bamako Encounters are known as a meeting place for African photographers and other art professionals from across the world. It will hold in Bamako, Mali be-

By Ozolua Uhakheme, Assistant Editor (Arts)

PHOTOGRAPHY tween October 31 and December 31. This year’s theme is Telling Time. Applications to the Pan-African exhibition of the 10th edition of the Bamako Encounters are open to African photographers and video artists from January 15 to March 30. The Executive Director of the Bamako

Encounters is Mr. Samuel Sidibe, Director of the National Museum of Mali, who has been directing the biennale since 2009. The Artistic Director of the 10th Bamako Encounters is Nigeria’s Bisi Silva, an independent curator and the Director, Centre for Contemporary Art (CCA, Lagos). The Pan-African exhibition, resulting from a call for applications and the selection of artists representing all of the African continent and its Diaspora, is part of

the biennial’s central presentation. The Pan-African Exhibition, resulting from a call for applications and the selection of artists representing all of the African continent and its Diaspora, is part of the Biennial’s central presentation. In 2015 the title is « TELLING TIME » The call for applications to the Pan-African Exhibition of the 10th edition of the Bamako Encounters is open for African photographers and video artists from 15th January to 30th March 2015.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2015

The Midweek Magazine

E-mail:- ozoluauhakheme@yahoo.com

After 37 years in prison, innocent North Carolina man freed

OR the first time in nearly 40 years, Joseph Sledge woke up behind bars with a chance of becoming a free man. The 70-year-old man needed one more win at an innocence hearing. As three judges listened to closing statements Friday about how Sledge was wrongfully convicted in the 1976 stabbing deaths of a mother and her adult daughter, he wrote down a few words on a yellow Post-it note — “closure,” ‘’please” and “exonerated.” A few hours later, carrying his belongings in plastic bags, Sledge emerged from a North Carolina jail, saying he was looking forward to what most people consider the most mundane of activities: “Going home. Relaxing. Sleeping in a real bed. Probably get in a pool of water and swim for a little while.” A special three-judge panel unanimously voted Sledge had proven he was innocent of the killings and ordered his release. But his freedom almost didn’t happen because evidence had been lost for years. His attorney, Christine Mumma, took the case in 2004 and felt like she had been running out of options and considered closing the case in 2012. Then court clerks discovered a misplaced envelope of evidence while cleaning out a high shelf of a vault. The envelope contained hair, found on the victim and believed to be the attacker’s, that turned out to be a key piece of evidence needed to do DNA testing, which wasn’t available when Sledge went on trial 1978. “I understand those shelves were very high, but there was a ladder in that room,” said Mumma, a lawyer for the North Carolina Center on Actual Innocence. In 2013, the case was referred to the North Carolina Innocence Inquiry Commission, the only state-run investigative agency of its kind. So far, Sledge is the eighth person ex-

HUMAN onerated after an investigation by the commission, which started operating in 2007. It has reviewed and closed about 1,500 cases. Nationwide, The Innocence Project said there have been 325 post-conviction DNA exonerations. The North Carolina commission found there was enough evidence of Sledge’s innocence to refer it to a panel of three judges, who were appointed by the state Supreme Court. The judges considered the commission’s investigative file, and a DNA expert highlighted laboratory tests in her testimony Friday. Meghan Clement of Cellmark Forensics said none of the evidence collected from the scene — hair, DNA and fingerprints — belonged to Sledge. The key jailhouse informant, Herman Baker, signed an affidavit in 2013 recanting trial testimony. Baker said he lied at the 1978 trial after being promised leniency in his own drug case and he said he’d been coached by authorities on what to say. Testimony from another jailhouse informant was inconsistent, according to the commission documents. That informant died in 1991. The victims, 74-year-old Josephine Davis and her 57-year-old daughter, Aileen, were stabbed to death in September 1976. Aileen was also sexually assaulted. They were found in their home in Elizabethtown, a day after Sledge had escaped from a prison work farm where he was serving a four-year sentence for larceny. Sledge was convicted of two counts of second-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. Katherine Brown, the granddaughter and niece of the victims, said Friday during the

•Sledge

hearing that the women were humble and considerate people who looked after other family members. During her statement, Brown said the family was “shocked that it will become an unsolved mystery” after years of believing they had some closure. She didn’t directly address Sledge’s innocence in her statement. After his release, Sledge headed to Savan-

nah, Georgia, to live with family. He told reporters that he never doubted he’d be freed someday despite spending more than half his life in prison. “I had confidence in my own self. The self will and the patience,” he said before trailing off and searching for the right word. “Patience is the word.” •Culled from Associated Press.

Miss Colombia emerges Miss Universe

BRIEF

Bheerhugz Café marks aniversary By Mercy Michael

•From Left: Vega and other contestants

Miss Colombia Paulina Vega has been crowned Miss Universe, beating out first runner-up Miss USA Nia Sanchez and contestants from more than 80 other countries at Sunday's pageant in Miami. Vega, a 22-year-old student of business administration from Barranquilla, Colombia, said the contests leading up to Miss Universe were the first she had participated in. She also said they would be her last as she would be eager to return to her studies in Colombia after her reign. "It will be a dream come true to represent the woman of today. A woman that not only cares about being beautiful and being glamorous, but also cares about being a professional, intelligent, hard-working person," Vega had said earlier in the week in talking about the role of the winner. Following Sanchez, the 24-year-old Miss USA from Las Vegas, Nevada, the second runner-up was Miss Ukraine Diana

By Kelli Kennedy

PAGEANT Harkusha. Miss Jamaica Kaci Fennell and Miss Netherlands Yasmin Verheijen were also among the top five, emerging from the field of 88 contestants. Sanchez, a 24-year-old resident of Las Vegas, Nevada, had spoken earlier of looking forward to the often-dreaded interview portion. She had been running practice questions all week with her roommate Miss Australia Tegan Martin, who made it to the top ten. Sanchez has a fourth-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do and has traveled the country teaching others. She spoke previously about equipping women to defend themselves against crime.

"It's just something that's so prevalent in our society and why not empower women to take control of a dangerous situation into their own hand," she said. "Today Show" personality Natalie Morales served as host of the show. Miss Colombia was crowned by the outgoing Miss Universe, Gabriela Isler of Venezuela. The broadcast included performances by singers Nick Jonas and Prince Royce. Crowd favorite Miss Venezuela Migbelis Lynette Castellanos was cut after the top ten. She had tremendous support and pressure locally and back home. The Miami suburb of Doral, which was host to the women during their stay, is also known as "Doralzuela" for its many Venezuelan residents. Three of the last six Miss Universe titles have gone to Venezuela, where beauty pageants are big business. *Culled from Associated Press

HEERHUGZ Café, an upscale restaurant/bar/lounge in Ikeja, Lagos will mark its 3rd anniversary on Friday through Sunday. The 3-day event tagged One Big Party. The event billed to hold at all its major outlets in Lagos beginning from Ikeja City Mall to Leisure Mall, Surulere and will climax at its Apapa Shopping Mall outlet, which will be officially launched on Sunday. According to its General Manager Admin, Finance & Marketing, Helen Soso, theanniversary will include three features. "The first feature includes social media engagement with our customers online and offline where they get to win gift vouchers to lunch with their friends at any BhEERHUGZ Café branch. "A second feature of celebrating will be our 2 course Lunch/Dinner at a very affordable price to enable our guests experience one of our best dishes amongst other many items on the menu. Thirdly, BhEERHUGZ Café is going to celebrate by hosting 3 big parties in our 3 branches on 3 different dates with the host of Fashion TV Vodka, Martini/Bacardi, Coca-Cola and City 105.1 FM. Starring the party are Celebrity OAP's, Lagos Trend Spotters and other entertainment celebrities," she said. Soso said BhEERHUGZ is 3 campaign signifies that 'we are 3 years in business and we also have 3 branches currently. Our 3rd branch which we just completed and opened for business at the Upper Floor, Apapa Shopping Mall (Shoprite Apapa) will be officially launched on February 1.' "We are very proud of the opportunity to celebrate our 3rd year anniversary having 3 branches. It's a testament to our guests and to the many staff who have contributed to our success over the years. We have worked very hard to maintain the quality of our food and our bar experience. We have tried to stay above cutting edge and remained creative with our menu; yet still be accessible to a wide range of food lovers. We are proud that we still get rave reviews," she added.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2015

The Midweek Magazine Promoting culture at the grassroots

E-mail:- ozoluauhakheme@yahoo.com

T was time for another cultural day at the Ejigbo Senior High School last Wednesday. This year's edition was tagged: Ayeye egbe akomolede ijinle ede ati asa. The turn out was impressive; students, parents and members of the public came in their numbers. Students and other guests were in their attractive traditional attires. The programme has one motive to promote the culture of the people. The opening began with Ewi which was recited by Azeez Olatan, after which the Yoruba cultural group came on stage. They dressed in Kampala attire with beads on their neck. Not too long, the Igbo cultural group took to the stage to present a thrilling performance This was followed by another group that presented Bata dance to the delight of the audience. The event also featured masquerade (Egungun) dancers and Yemoja, the "goddess of water" who demonstrates her power by sprinkling of water to bless people. Speaking at the celebration, the principal of the school Mrs Modupeola Abebulugbe said "Culture need to be embraced and celebrated among children to help in their upbringing, rather than looking down on it because of civilisation. Children of this generation no longer see the need to value culture, unlike those days of our fore fathers when traditions are always honoured". She added that 'for culture to be bring back our values, parent and guidance have a lot to do, because there is a word that says "charity begins at home" local dialect of every culture should be promoted by using it as means communication, instead of speaking English alone with them at home. Federal government have done so well by introducing Cultural day to school curriculum in order to promote the values of cultures. She however noted that this year cultural day is a remarkable one among other days they have been doing because the student real performed well". Also speaking, the Yoruba teacher, Mrs Bunmi Ojulare, said "Culture is one of the best thing a parent can train his or her child with, in order to make them respectful and polite to people. "I urge all parents to see intrinsic neces-

•Pupil dancing during the cultural day

•A pupil (on red) plays Sango (Thunder) at the event By Toyin Olasinde

CULTURE sity in teaching our children our cultures, tradition, values and mores. It really what

makes one distinguishes himself among others". She added: "Traditions should never be neglected or looked down upon in our country, it should be lifted rather than bringing it down".

Sekinat Olayiwola a student of the school thanked the organisers of the event and urge for continuity of the programme every year, in order to always promote the beautiful cultures that we have in our land.

Ebedi Writers Residency opens with three women

HE Ebedi Writers Residency, which is named after the hosttown, is honouring three women writers for the January and Feburary edition . One of them Ugandan writer, Nakigaze Sakawa, arrived from Kampala, Uganda last Friday. She will be working on her forthcoming novel. The duo of Chinyere ObiObasi and Timi-Nipre Ovusu will be joining her for the six-week residency. Sakawa is the fifth Ugandan writer to attend Ebedi. Before her were Doreen Baingana (January 2012), Barbara Oketta (March 2012), Agiresaasi Apophia (2013), Jackson Oyugi (2013), who is the only male writer amid the‘Ugandan Ebedi Fellows’. She has written two short story anthologies on various women’s experiences (Never too late and Summoning the rains) and a combination of poetry and art anthology for children, The Butterfly Dance. Sakawa has also written for online magazines such as Start journal, in4uganda, Neutral magazine and The Monitor. In 2012, Sakawa, who holds a diploma in Guidance and Counselling facilitated a creative writing workshop among Secondary

By Evelyn Osagie

LITERATURE School Students in Uganda on novel writing. According to a statement, Sakawa’s trip from Kampala to Lagos is sponsored by Africa Moves Arts (AMA), a Belgian-based nonprofit organisation, partnering with Ebedi Writers Residency since its inception five years ago. Obi-Obasi is an Abuja-based lawyer and Children’s Literature writer with three children’s books – The Brave Driver,The Faithful Dog and The Great Fall. Her short stories have been featured in newspapers/anthologies (Camouflage) and (Eko O nibaje). In 2011, The Great Fall was on the shortlist of NNLG Literature Prize, while her book, The Change won the ANA/Lantern prize. Obasi, National Financial Secretary, the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), will be spending her time in Ebedi to complete work on another Children’s book Chijike. On her part, Timi-Nipre, who works as

speech writer to the wife of the Bayelsa State Governor, will be spending her time in Ebedi to complete a short story collection, The Butterflies In My Stomach. The author of Cyclamensand Words From My Fathers is a young writer, freelance/features journalist, poet and founder Mangrove House Publishers. She writes a travelogue for Lockersmagazine. She holds a degree in Theatre Arts, a diploma in Freelance and Features Writing at the London School of Journalism and a certificate in Creative Writing from the Elechi Amadi School of Creative Writing. Her works has been published in various journals, magazines and newspapers, including News Africa. Her play, Abiku, was staged by University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) Theatre Arts Department. The Ebedi International Writers Residency, which is in its fifth year, is a private initiative for the provision of an enabling environment for writers to complete their works free to the writers. Apart from free boarding and lodging facilities, residents are also entitled to free medical facilities as well as the chance of having their completed manuscript pub-

•Okediran

lished by a reputable Nigerian publisher. In return, residents are expected to spend a few hours of their time every week to mentor secondary school students in Iseyin. Over 50 writers from Nigeria, Uganda, Ghana and South Africa have since participated in the residency.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2015

The Midweek Magazine

HIS 200-page book, The Golden Years, dedicated to the Ibikunle Amosun years as governor of Ogun State, in the words of Mr Taiwo Adeoluwa, Secretary to the

Ogun State government, has made “serious study into the epoch-making period of the state in terms of the impact of the Amosun years on the system, process of governance and its response to the diverse challenges of administering a state.” The Golden Years is actually a selection of published articles in leading Nigerian newspapers on the administration of Senator Ibikunle Amosun in the last three years. The articles were written by Soyombo Opeyemi, who was a member of the Editorial Board of The Independent Newspapers, before he joined the media team of the Ogun State governor. This book is divided into 10 parts, with each focusing on different areas of public life and governance. Part one examines topics around education, Part two dwells on our Federalism and its spin-offs, Part three on Agriculture, while Part four is on strides taken in the area of infrastructure. Parts five to 10 focus on diverse issues like land matters, healthcare, democracy, and landmark achievements of the Amosun administration. In Part one, which focuses largely on education, there are six chapters, dedicated to examining free education, public schools, academic excellence, mission schools, education and religion. In these chapters, the author tries to articulate the thrust of the education policy of the Amosun administration. In Part two, there are four chapters, all looking at our federal structure, vis-a-vis the Ogun State experience. The first chapter is on Federalism and Regional Integration, where the author submits: “Indeed, I find it very odd, just like Senator Amosun, a revenue allocation formula that gives 52 per cent to the Federal Government, 26 per cent to the 36 states, and 20 per cent to the local councils. What this means is that each of the 36 states collects 0.7 per cent from the Federal Account, while one Federal Government collects a whopping 52 per cent. Haba! Is this federalism or unitarism?” This line of reasoning is further amplified in other chapters, with topics like ‘South-West Governors on Federal Constitution,’ ‘Federal Roads,’ and ‘Between Abeokuta and Abuja.’ The old Western Region made fortunes from Agriculture. And it is not surprising that Part three of the book is dedicated to thoughts on agricultural development. And the battle cry is: “Tebi ba kuro ninu ise, ise buse (once hunger is out of the way, poverty

E-mail:- ozoluauhakheme@yahoo.com

POEM

Worth its weight in gold

Who Am I From Akewusola Habib

BOOK REVIEW Title: Author: Reviewer: Pages:

The Golden Years, Soyombo Opeyemi Femi Adesina 200

is drastically reduced).” Very well said, in a country that spends about N1 billion daily on the importation of rice from Asia. There are three chapters in Part four. And they dwell on strides in infrastructure, which makes the author dub Gov Amosun ‘The Modernizer.’ Achievements in urban renewal and rural development are chronicled here. Part five has three chapters, while Part 6 has four. These x-ray politics and actions of the Amosun administration in the areas of

land policies, and the restoration of hope to the people. Let’s take portions of the chapter headlined ‘The Ogun Standard’ in Part 8. “If Ibara-Totoro road is the first of its kind by any state government in Ogun State, the Ibara flyover under construction is also the first by any state government in the annals of the state. What about the ongoing footbridge that sits above the Ibara-Totoro road? It is to be fitted with an air conditioner – that is, replicating in Ogun the modern facilities we see abroad; it is the first of such in Nigeria. “All these have set benchmarks below which no future government in Ogun must fall. You can perform better but you are not permitted to fall below this standard that has been set by Amosun. That is the concept of the Ogun Standard.” A great standard to emulate, I must say. If the Ogun Standard is about quality, about integrity, about the ideal, then it is something to recommend to the rest of the country. We must equally have the Nigerian Standard. In other chapters, the author sheds light on government policies that appear hazy, or controversial. A chapter is dedicated to Income Tax, and another to Homeowners’ Charter. Surely, a good way to promote the activities and policies of a government! And fittingly, the last chapter chronicles the landmark achievements of the Amosun administration. Is this neatly edited and well-produced book a perfect work? Not so. There are a few grammatical and spelling errors. However, they by no means detract from the overall quality, which is very high. Again, I believe that too much space has been devoted to excoriating the immediate past administration in Ogun State, and comparing it with the current one. The former administration has come and gone, and it should be left for posterity to judge. By and large, however, I’ll agree that the Amosun years so far in Ogun State can truly be declared as golden. The governor has made a difference in the physical outlook of the state, which is quite commendable. But has the same impact been made on the stomachs of the populace in these days of emphasis on stomach infrastructure? The book is a good resource material for anyone conducting a research on the Amosun administration.

Shadow no difference from A ghost Dark blood allergic to maximum Growth. What else can I do? My smiles light melting white Candle. Jobs remitting crumbs Maids hustle the dirty scrubs, Era of impossibilities Beggar’s banking on profits. Am I male or female? Grape or a snail? Days for the rain Pain relative to change. Speak out, society and me Identity inaugurates regime of peace.

Inspiring a generation for launch By Toyin Olasinde

BOOK, Inspiring A Generation written by Director, Risk Management, Central Bank of Nigeria Mrs Folakemi Fatogbe will be presented at WheatBaker Hotel Ikoyi Lagos on January 31. It is written to impact life and how to think and act fast on every vision one has in life. Mrs Fatogbe said the idea to write to the book came to her at a time she was facing the toughest challenges of her. "At every point of your life, regardless of your age or other circumstances have a dream and a vision that you believe in and protect it, for when you lose your vision you lose yourself. "You and I have to learn to take action on our dreams and our faith starting from today regardless of the risk. Security and opportunity are not compatible. Masterpieces are birthed when dreams are accompanied by persistent and focussed action. "In life when the risk of remaining that which we have become, far outweighs the risk of allowing ourselves to blossom into that which we are meant, and are invariably equipped, to become, all we need is just knowing whom you are," she said at a preview session on Monday.

Writing the Wrong: Amuta’s Testament

RITING the Wrong by Dr Chidi Nanna Amuta, a tome (1067 pages), is quite massive and intimidating, very much in consistent with the personality of Amuta, who never does anything by half. The weight of this book notwithstanding, Nigerians will need to recognise the historical value of this book. This is a book that touches on all aspects of our national life. Interestingly, it is a compendium of articles by Amuta from 1986 to 2013 (a period of 27 years). Divided into 13 chapters, it covers diverse areas: Issues in Governance, Challenge of Leadership, Politics and National Development, Identity and Nationhood, Aspects of National Security, Economics and Livelihood, Conflict and Harmony, Ideas, Values and Symbols of Nationhood, Nigeria and the World, The Military in Politics, Contradictions of journalism, On Life and Living, and Tributes and Salutations. There are 244 articles in all, drawn from The Daily Times, Platform magazine, The Post Express, The Concord, The Nation and Thisday, and some major online publications, including Sahara Reporters and Nigeria Review. In chapter 13, Amuta paid glowing tributes to the memories of Professor Adeoye Lambo, the world renowned psychiatrist, former President Umaru Yar’adua, Maryam Babangida, former Nigeria’s First Lady who unfortunately lost the battle to cancer, Stanley Macebuh, the wordsmith who fortunately introduced the author to journalism and the late Dim Chukwuemeka Ojukwu, former Biafran warlord, who until his demise his followers believed in his heroism in spite of his serial political failures. Having lost the war, Ojukwu lost an election into the senate, did not make success of his transport business while on exile in Cote d’Ivoire and on three occasions he lost the bid to Nigerian presidency. In the same chapter, the author gave a search light saluta-

BOOK REVIEW Title: Author: Reviewer: Publisher: Pages:

Writing the wrong Chidi Amuta Badejo Adedeji Nurudeen Wilson & Weizmann Associates Limited 1,067

tions to Professor Gordian Ezekwe on his appointment as minister of Science and Technology, Professor Wole Soyinka at 70 and the voluble Late Dr Chuba Okadigbo, former senate president. The military in politics is the focus of Chap-

ter 10. Here, the author dwelt extensively on the reforming of the armed forces, the legacy of the military in government, the cynicism of Babangida’s transition programme (quite unfortunate the cynics was proved right), Babangida and ambiguity of power. There is a fascinating picture of Babangida at the beginning of his regime. He stood in the rain during the 1st of October, 1985 national day celebration, refusing the cover of an of umbrella because the military boys had been waiting in the rain on parade ground. Unfortunately Babangida lost the biggest price, which was an opportunity to write his name in gold. His unpopular annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election quickened the collapse of his regime. Also the author, in pages 120-124 gave an hard knock, praise and the place of Babangida in our history. Amuta feels that Dodan barracks (former seat of the federal government) and Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), Ikoyi (hotspot for coup broadcasts) should be become training, tourist and historical centers, and more importantly to serves as the last vestiges of the military institution in governance of Nigeria. The current insurgency in our country is highlighted with solutions (Chapter 5). To quote the author, “An all-out war in an inhabited area has grave human rights collaterals. Similarly, allowing the insurgents to roam free in a corridor of terror as now obtains is to pave the way for the creation of a West Waziristan in the Nigeria-Cameroun-Chad border axis. In the tragic eventuality that Nigeria cannot handle the delicate mix of force, compassion and statesmanlike politics required to win the Boko Haram war, the only other solution is an international force with Nigerian, Cameroonians and Chadian boots on the ground and logistical and satellite intelligence support from France, the United States and the UK”. Also in this chapter, which

actually focuses on aspects of national security, Amuta makes points against the proliferation of small arms. And an open letter to General Aliyu Gusau as National Security Adviser, who fortunately is still the Defence Minister without any improvement in the deadly activities of the insurgents. The legendary Obasanjo-Atiku face-off features prominently in this book (Chapter 3). The issues are too well known and they are still featuring prominently in our national discourse to be repeated here, needless to say this is one issue that will continue to determine, and indeed put to test our system of government. Chapter 9, titled “Nigeria and the World” includes Amuta’s article “Thesis On Liberia”, which is believed to have influenced Nigeria’s involvement in the Liberian war. Also, the normalization of diplomatic ties with Israel in 1991 formed the basis of the author’s “Thesis On Israel” (page 852); background to the severance of ties and the gains of normalisation are well thought-out in this chapter. It is apt to note that Nigeria recently abstained from voting to support the independence of Palestine in United Nations, more or less endorsing the continued occupation by Israel. There is also a caution on China, particularly the dangerous influx of Chinese services and products. The author harps on the need to exercise political will to protect our local industries from unfair competition, guard against the age-long issue of turning our country into a dumping ground and the need to build protective clauses into every contractual agreement with China. In contradictions of Journalism (chapter 11), the intricacies of journalism are brought to the fore, viz soldiering and journalism. The occupational hazards of journalism premised on the death of Krees Imodibe and Tayo Awotunsin in Liberia, and the way and manner the deaths of the two journalists were han-

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2015

BUSINESS EXTRA

Fed Govt cancels forex for rice importation T

HE Federal Govern ment will no longer allow rice importers to access foreign exchange (forex) from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), its Governor, Godwin Emefiele has said. Speaking yesterday during a breakfast meeting with captains of industry and other stakeholders in the forex business in Lagos, the CBN chief regretted that so much forex was being wasted on importation of products that could be produced locally. Such practice, he said, has put serious pressure on the naira and depleted forex reserves. He said the naira depreciated by eight per cent and 13 per cent at the official and interbank markets last year and by 5.6 per cent at the interbank markets as at January 23. Foreign reserve dipped by 12.3 per cent from $39.07 billion in July last year to $34.26 billion in January 22.

By Collins Nweze

He said: “What does it take to grow rice? In the course of time, we are not going to ban the importation of rice, but we will not provide foreign exchange if you want to import rice into this country. “If your business is in rice, I will like to advise you to go into rice production. If you want to import rice, no problem, but we will not allocate foreign exchange for you to import. “After that of rice, we are going to ban the importation of petroleum products. Any investor that is committed to the business by bringing in enough equity to boost local production will get support from government.” Emefiele also said the country will stop petrol import by 2017. He said the President, Dangote Group, Alhji Aliko Dangote has invested $9billion in petrochemical business. Dangote,

• Fuel importation to end in 2017 he added has also promised that by the end of 2017, he will begin to produce 500,000 barrels of petroleum products per day (bpd) in the country. He said what that means is that with the commitment, “we will stop importing petroleum products in Nigeria come end of 2017.” Emefiele said whenever crude oil price rises, external reserves increases and exchange rate appreciates. Similarly, he said external reserves dwindle as crude oil prices decline, which may lead to depreciation of the local currency.

He blamed demand pressure on domestic currency for creating lopsided dependence on imports of toothpicks, tomatoes paste, furniture, rice, fish, sugar, among others. Other factors identified are speculative and rent-seeking activities that have led to increased foreign exchange outflows; repatriation of capital and interest on capital invested and excess liquidity arising from election spending. He urged stakeholders not to panic and avoid frontload demand for foreign exchange.

Emefiele said the CBN is ready to meet genuine forex demand of all stakeholders. “Stop speculative demand for foreign exchange. CBN will not hesitate to suspend dealership licenses of banks fuelling speculative demand and involved in forex malpractices as well as infractions,” he warned. He said pressure on the naira and reserves is not new to the CBN as similar development was witnessed during the global financial crisis. He urged all stakeholders to join hands with the regulator to address the threats and risks posed. Emefiele said:“We will continue to monitor developments and respond appro-

priately as the need arises. Successful management of the current situation requires effective collaboration among all stakeholders.” Emefiele warned forex operators to desist from speculation, adding that they will lose money. He said the CBN will keep defending the naira because leaving the currency to market forces would raise the cost of living for Nigerians. He said: “We have seen rent seekers taking advantage of the market. If you want to take your investment outside the country, do that in ordinary manner. No need to be nervous. Forex speculators will lose money in this country.”

Gas to fire Alaoji plant ready, says Total

HE Total Exploration and Production Ni geria Limited (TEPNG) said a section of its Northern Option Pipeline (NOPL) from km 38 (at Obigbo) to Km 50 (at Imo River), was completed this month and is now ready for gas flow to the National Integrated Power Plant (NIPP) at Alaoji along the Imo River in Abia State. Its Managing Director, Elisabeth Proust, in a statement, said: “This milestone will help bring to reality, the Federal Government’s aspiration of improved electric power supply in Nigeria and

By Emeka Ugwuanyi

demonstrates Total’s commitment to meeting its promises to deliver better energy.” The NOPL is a 24 inch wide, 50 km long pipeline under construction by Total E&P Nigeria Limited on behalf of the NNPC/TEPNG Joint Venture. When completed later this year, the project will deliver 100 million cubic feet of gas per day to the power plant, said Charles Ogan, its Deputy General Manager, Policy, Media and Coordination.

Kinsfield Energy begins drilling for gold in Kogi

OMPREHENSIVE geo logical, geochemical and geophysical exploration programme conducted by Kinsfield Energy Limited on its gold fields in Isanlu Esa, Yagba West, Kogi State has shown economic potential of gold mineralisation. Kinsfield Energy said it has therefore selected Geohydro Consulting Services Limited from a host of companies that bidded for

the drilling project. The choice of the firm as the bid winner is anchored on its previous experience in similar projects such as the second phase of Shegilola gold project in Osun State. The target of the drilling programme is to validate the results of geological, geochemical and geophysical explorations as well as establishing reserve potential of the fields in accordance with JORC standard.

Shippers’ Council to make ports attractive for business

HE Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) is tak ing steps to make the ports attractive for business, its Executive Secretary, Mr Hassan Bello, has said. Speaking at a media interactive session in Lagos yesterday, Bello said there was need to reduce the cost of doing business at the nation’s sea ports to improve revenue generation The council would be independent in the discharge of its duties as ports economic regulator, he said. Bello, who spoke after a sensitisation programme organised by the council on its new role as economic regulator of the ports, said it would not take sides with any of the interested parties, including importers, exporters and agents. He said: “We will synergise

By Oluwakemi Dauda

with all operators with a view to creating a balance and an enabling environment for the interest of the various stakeholders in the maritime sector. “This assignment is a re-affirmation of what we have been doing- trying to see that there is balance in the industry. We have always been an umpire trying to see that the needed balance, necessary for efficiency is maintained. “We are going to work with everybody that matters in the sector.” He said the council would require the cooperation of stakeholders to to fulfill its new mandate. “We need the partnership of stakeholders, their understanding and trust to move the industry forward,” he added.

• From left: Group Head, Corporate Banking, Sterling Bank Plc, Mojisola Bakare; Winner, Influential Personality of the Year on Instagram, Mr Stephen Simiyu Kikenyi and Group Head, Legal, Sterling Bank Plc, Mrs Justina Lewa, at the Social Media PHOTO: DAVID ADEJO Award Africa sponsored by the bank in Lagos.

Successful bidders for N2.8b agric equipment centres emerge T HE Federal Govern ment yesterday un veiled the 80 bid winners for its Agricultural Equipment Hiring (AEHE) centres which are to be deployed in 29 states. The government said the average cost of each of the AEHE centre is N35million, thus bringing the total cost to N2.8billion. The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, said the government also facilitated credit facilities for the successful bidders at seven per cent interest rate. He spoke at a stakeholders meeting with the bidders in Abuja. Dr. Adesina said the centres would provide affordable mechanised services to farmers in the country. He said: “Gathered here today are the successful bid winners for the 80 AEHE centres to be deployed to the 29 states, as a first phase of the programme. I wish to state that the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has facilitated access of each of these service operators to a credit facility of N26million each “This is to demonstrate the seriousness with which we take this programme. Each of the private sector service operators will only need to provide 20 per cent of the cost as equity, while the balance will be spread over 48 months with seven per cent interest

From Frank Ikpefan, Abuja

and two years moratorium.” Last year, President Goodluck Jonathan approved the inauguration of the Agricultural Equipment Mechanisation Enterprises, which were private sector driven service providers. Their operations include leasing/hiring out of various types of agricultural equipment for land preparation, harvesting and post harvest operations, repair and maintenance of such equipment.

The government approved N50billion agricultural mechanisation fund and stated that in the next three years, a total of 1,200 agricultural equipment-hiring enterprises will be established. Adesina said: “Under the programme, at least 6,000 units of tractors and power tillers, and 13,000 units of various harvest and post-harvest equipment will be deployed across the country between now and next year. “The programme has already started through the release of N4.5billion to

the Bank of Agriculture to support the establishment of 80 agricultural equipment hiring enterprises.” Adesina further noted that Nigeria’s food import bill had declined from N1.1tn in 2009 to N684.7bn by December 2013, adding that the decline continued in 2014.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2015

EQUITIES NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 27-01-15

Stock Exchange gives deadline to brokers on VAT refund

HE Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) has given stockbrokers up till Friday, January 30, 2015 to submit documented evidence of refund of Value Added Tax (VAT) that were deducted between October 1 and 24, 2014 to investors. It should be recalled that the Federal Government had commenced the implementation of the exemption of commissions on stock market transactions from Value Added Tax (VAT) as from October 1, 2014. However, the announcement was delayed until late October. The exemption, which was first announced as part of measures to resuscitate the market in December 2012, was part of a basket of incentives outlined by Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. She had on December 3, 2012, announced the exemption of stock market transactions from VAT and stamp duty. However, the implementation had dragged over the years. The stamp duty waiver, which was also announced in 2012, is yet to be

• FBN Capital predicts 1% equity gain in 2015 By Taofik Salako Capital Market Editor

implemented. The exemptions from VAT included commissions earned on traded values of shares, and those that are payable to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) and the Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS). The exemption is effective for a period of five years according to the Federal Government gazette on the issue. A circular obtained yesterday by The Nation indicated that the Exchange would commence the verification of the full refund of the VAT that were deducted within the delayed period between the announcement of the removal of VAT on Stock Exchange transactions and the release of the gazette. Stockbrokers had continued the deduction of VAT on transactions before the release of the gazette. Meanwhile, FBN Capital, the

investment banking arm of FBN Holdings Plc, has predicted that the Nigerian equity market may close flat this year with average year-on-year gain of 1.0 per cent. Analysts’ report from FBN Capital noted that while the downtrend at the stock market has created attractive buy opportunities, investors might wait on the sideline as the macroeconomic outlook remained overshadowed by the decline in crude oil price. “The fall of the index in Lagos has produced buying opportunities in both banks and non-financials although we do not see a clear recovery until investors feel that the oil price has reached its floor. FBN Capital sees a 1.0 per cent gain for the index over the full year,” FBN Capital stated. The report noted that the rationale for investment remains firm household spending and the prospect of a renewed reform momentum once the electoral cycle has ended.

DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 27-01-15

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2015

MONEYLINK

13,000 debtors owing AMCON, says Chike-Obi

HE Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) yesterday said it is still being owed debts valued at billions of naira by 13,000 debtors. Its Managing Director, Mustafa Chike-Obi who spoke yesterday while handing over Enterprise Bank Limited and Mainstreet Bank Limited to Heritage Bank Limited and Skye Bank Plc respectively, said the corporation made over 25 per cent returns from each of the lenders, adding that it plans to sell Keystone Bank Limited immediately after the general elections next month. Chike-Obi commended the buyers while the AMCON Chairman, Alhaji Aliyu Kola Belgore presented awards to the former management of the bridged banks. Skye Bank and Heritage Bank also got goodwill letters from the corporation. The AMCON chief said bridging the banks was a necessity because of their impact on the banking system. He said it was the corpora-

• Hands over Mainstreet, Enterprise to Skye, Heritage Stories by Collins Nweze

tion’s choice to divest from the banks adding that the decision has been worthwhile. Managing Director, Heritage Bank Limited, Ifie Sekibo thanked the former Managing Director, Enterprise Bank, Ahmed Kuru for efficiently managing the bank by taking up the responsibility of assisting the Central Bank iof Nigeria (CBN) to stabilise the bridged bank and returning it to profitability. Group Managing Director of Skye Bank Plc, Timothy Oguntayo, said the bank saw value and synergies in the acquired bank and promised to harness and optimise the value. He thanked the regulators for granting all the required clearance and approvals that paved the way for the acquisition and eventual takeover. CBN Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, warned against a

reoccurrence of the factors which led to the takeover of the three bridged banks. He said if the bridge bank option had not been adopted in 2011, the systemic crisis in the banking sector would have been unprecedented and costly in terms of its effects on other banks. HBCL Investment Services Limited (HISL) is promoted by Heritage Bank paid N56 billion to acquire Enterprise Bank from the AMCON. Sekibo said the acquisition will enable the bank become bigger and more innovative. He said the combination of the two banks will produce a force to be reckoned with and a paradigm shift in the banking industry. “We have always seen Enterprise Bank as one of the potential giants in Nigeria’s banking landscape. With a truly vast branch network, innovative and professional staff, solid assets and large customer

IMF urges caution in Eurobond borrowing

HE International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned African countries against rushing to issue Eurobonds, saying they may face exchange rate risks and problems repaying debts. African governments facing falling levels of foreign aid are on a borrowing spree to pay for new roads, power stations and other infrastructure, prompting concern from many analysts that this could raise debt levels and undermine growth. “It comes with some risks,” the director of the IMF’s African Department, Antoinette Sayeh, told Reuters. “Whereas what it costs the

AFRINVEST W. A. EQUITY FUND ARM AGGRESSIVE GROWTH BGL NUBIAN FUND BGL SAPPHIRE FUND CANARY GROWTH FUND CONTINENTAL UNIT TRUST CORAL INCOME FUND FBN FIXED INCOME FUND FBN HERITAGE FUND FBN MONEY MARKET FUND FIDELITY NIG FUND • UBA BALANCED FUND • UBA BOND FUND • UBA EQUITY FUND • UBA MONEY MARKET FUND

countries to issue these bonds can often look lower than what they would pay on domestic borrowing. The real cost in the final analysis will also depend on the evolution of exchange rates in the course of the life of the bond issuance.” In 2007, Ghana became the first African beneficiary of debt relief to tap international capital markets, issuing a $750 million 10-year Eurobond. Since then, previously debt-burdened countries such as Senegal, Nigeria, Zambia and Rwanda have all joined in. “In the last two years we’ve seen new issuers - Kenya issuing the larg-

125.78 9.17 1.12 1.19 0.63 1.39 1,737.08 1,104.50 112.89 121.16 1.67 1.29 1.32 0.95 1.17

125.70 9.08 1.12 1.19 0.62 1.33 1,737.08 1,103.73 112.28 120.30 1.62 1.28 1.32 0.93 1.17

O/PRICE 25.68 25.00 2.60 5.61 31.11 9.05 0.65 0.72 26.00 6.35 0.53 38.72 15.30

C/PRICE 27.00 26.25 2.73 5.89 32.66 9.50 0.68 0.75 27.00 6.59 0.55 5.61 15.67

CHANGE 5.14 5.00 5.00 4.99 4.98 4.97 4.62 4.17 3.85 3.78 3.77 2.79 2.42

LOSERS AS AT 27-01-15

SYMBOL

O/PRICE

C/PRICE

MRS CONOIL DANGFLOUR CHAMPION MANSARD JOSBREW LIVESTOCK FCMB OANDO WAPIC RTBRISCOE TRANSCORP UBCAP

53.20 38.11 3.04 6.08 3.10 2.12 2.25 2.10 16.50 0.54 0.67 2.98 1.49

50.54 36.21 2.89 5.78 2.95 2.02 2.15 2.01 15.88 0.52 0.65 2.90 1.45

CHANGE -5.00 -4.99 -4.93 -4.93 -4.84 -4.72 -4.44 -4.29 -3.76 -3.70 -2.99 -2.68 -2.68

AYO Oviosu, founder and CEO of Paga, a payments service firm, was one of the 150 influential opinion-makers and industry leaders from across the globe that spoke to over a 1,000 delegates at the 2015 Digital Life Design (DLD) conference in Munich, Germany. Tagged as, “Europe’s hottest conference invitation”, DLD is an international network on innovation, digitalisation, science and culture; which unites some of the greatest minds for crossover conversations and inspiration. Oviosu was on a panel on the impact of “Mobile & Technology In Emerging Markets”. The panel also had Anand Chandrasekaran (Chief Product Officer at Airtel), Harry Nellis (Partner at Accel Partners) and was moderated by Ina Fried(Senior Editor at Re/Code). Oviosu shared his perspective on how harnessing technology to provide access to viable payments channels was the key to unlocking Afri-

ECONOMIC INDICATORS

Inflation: December

• Chike-Obi

innovation while creating, preserving and transferring wealth across generations,” Sekibo said in a earlier statement.

Paga chief speaks at confab

Transaction Dates 13/01/2015 3/12/2014 1/12/2014

ca’s full economic potential. “The inability to pay for goods and services in simple and secure way is one of the key issues stifling Africa’s economic potential and I believe there is a real need to continuously explore the possibilities provided by internet connectivity and mobile technology to create long lasting viable solutions; not just for the average man on the street but also for businesses and public sector initiatives. Paga is solving this problem daily through our robust platform, an ecosystem of over 7,000 agents in local communities, over 3,000 businesses, and 2.3 million users.” Oviosu founded Paga in 2009 as a response to his own challenges with handling cash and not being able to pay for goods and services in an efficient way. Five years later, the wholly indigenous brand continues to leverage on its in-house technology team to create products for Africa’s unique challenges with a view to broadening their geographical reach in the near future.

Amount Offered in ($) 500m 400m 350m

Amount Sold in ($) 499.93m 399.97m 349.96m

CBN EXCHANGE RATES January 14, 2015

Monetary Policy Rate

GAINERS AS AT 27-01-15

SYMBOL OKOMUOIL PZ IKEJAHOTEL DANGSUGAR PRESCO UBN COSTAIN NEIMETH STANBIC NASCON ABCTRANS FLOURMILL ETI

est amount of sovereign bond this year and Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast), as well also having issued this year and then Rwanda last year,” said Sayeh. “In 2014 alone we’ve seen some $7 billion already in sovereign bond issues, which is a record high for the region,” she added. Tanzania is in the process of securing credit rating and plans to issue a debut Eurobond worth up to $1 billion in fiscal year 2014/15. Ethiopia aims to make its first foray into the international bond markets by January, while Rwanda is planning another sovereign bond.

base, Enterprise Bank is easily one of the preferred banks for value creation wherever you might be in the country. “The partnership process will seamlessly birth an entity that would be optimum of excellence and innovation. In less than two years, we have redefined the concept of banking and emerged as one of the fastest growing banks in Africa. Partnering with Enterprise Bank, whose vision is in line with ours, will ensure we continue delivering distinctive financial services, building on our legacy of

Currency

Buying (N)

Selling (N)

167

168

13.0%

Foreign Reserves

$35b

US Dollar

Oil Price (Bonny Light/b)

$45

Pounds Sterling

261.9395

263.508

Euro

206.2617

207.4968

171.546

172.5732

Yen

1.3838

1.3921

CFA

0.2944

0.3144

242.3484

243.7996

Yuan/Renminbi

27.1505

27.314

Money Supply (M2)

N16.42 trillion.

Credit to private Sector (CPS)

N17.2 trillion

Primary Lending Rate (PLR)

Swiss Franc

16.5%

NIGERIAN INTER-BANK OFFERED RATES (NIBOR)

WAUA Tenor

13-01-15 Rate (%) Rate (%) 14-01-15

Overnight (O/N)

10.54

11.17

Riyal

44.4906

44.757

11.94

12.18

SDR

243.2856

244.7424

13.08

13.33

14.03

14.17

GOVT. SECURITIES YIELD – SECONDARY MARKET

Tenor

FOREX RATES

R-DAS ($/N)

165.29

Interbank ($/N)

162.75

Parallel ($/N)

185.50

Jan. 13, 2015

Rates

T-bills - 91

13.65

T-bills - 182

13.88

T-bills - 364

13.65

Bond - 3yrs

13.81

Bond - 5yrs

13.85

Bond - 7yrs

13.83

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2015

NEWS APC alleges plot to attack Buhari in Taraba Continued from page 2

Many giant billboards carrying Gen. Buhari’s portrait have been mounted outside and inside the venue. Many residents were staring at the billboards. In 20011, Gen. Buhari held his presidential rally in the same venue. The rally shut down Jalingo town for two days. Today’s is expected to draw more supporters. The Buhari Campaign Organisation said that the claim by President Goodluck Jonathan that four years are not enough to transform the country is double-mouthing by a president who has failed to deliver on his own timeline. “It is very imprudent of Mr.

President to shift the goal post mounted by him in the middle of the game. It was this same President Jonathan who said in 2010 that if he could not improve on the country’s power generation capacity within four years, then it means he could not do anything. “What was the president thinking about when he said: ‘Four years are enough for anyone to make significant improvement, and if I can’t improve on power within this period, then it means I cannot do anything.’ “Nigerians expect that a president must own up to his own words and be responsible for his own beliefs. There can only be one reason why President Jonathan is changing his

own beliefs about what it takes to transform the country and that is because he is incompetent for the job. “Today, Nigerians are clamouring for change because, for six years the country has been led by a president who cannot give the people direction on how to stop corruption, how to provide security, create employment and provide infrastructure that will impact positively on the economy. “We have said it in the past and we will be repeating it that the 2015 election, more than anything is a referendum on the performance of President Jonathan. The President has not measured up to the least expectations of Nigerians and that is why they are earnestly

waiting for February 14 to pass their verdict. “Whereas the Goodluck Jonathan administration has not been able to deliver on any of the promises the president made to Nigerians in 2010, the government under the President’s watch has surpassed every known boundaries on issues of corruption and impunity. “Let us remind the president that if truly Rome was not built in a day, Rome is also not built forever. The President has failed to deliver by his own timelines and he should patiently wait for Nigerians to pass their verdict over the incompetence of his administration,” Shehu said.

APC urges judiciary to stand firm against polls shift plot Continued from page 2

are just clocking 18 years to be captured in the process so that the outcome could be generally acceptable. But Aremu said in as much as the commission said it had no challenge bigger than what it could bear, elections should still hold as scheduled. “INEC is doing very well. We should not because of insignificant challenges derail the entire timetable which has proven to be largely successful. We cannot be holier than the Pope. “I think we should stick to deadline given by the INEC. We should encourage them to have printed and distribute the PVCs to over 70% voters. We should encourage them to arrive at their destination,” Aremu said. The four books are: “Reflections on Labour” and “Trade Union, Reflections on Industry and Economy”, “Reflections on Africa and Global Affairs” and “Reflections on Friends, Comrades, Heroes”. In a statement in Lagos yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the APC said

after all the efforts to stop the APC presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, failed, “the anarchists have moved on to the next chapter, which is to use the courts to stop the elections at all cost.” It said the case instituted at a Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday, seeking a declaration that Gen. Buhari lacks the requisite qualification to contest the Feb. 14 presidential election, is the first in a series of court cases to be instituted just so that the elections will not hold. ‘’We are not surprised at this, because these desperadoes are so predictable. They are following the footsteps of the infamous Association for Better Nigeria (ABN), which helped to annul the 1993 elections and which threw Nigeria into a crisis from which it has yet to fully recover, over 20 years later. ‘’We can only appeal to the judiciary not to become a willing tool in the hands of those who will stop at nothing to scuttle the elections, just to perpetuate their firm grip on power,’’ APC said. The party said the truth is that President Goodluck

Jonathan is very much aware that if the elections go ahead as scheduled, he will lose to Gen. Buhari by a landslide, adding that the President and his allies are terrified of meeting the APC at the polls. ‘’An ally of presidential aide Doyin Okupe has revealed that President Jonathan will rather have the military take over than hand over to the APC candidate. Though Okupe has made a tepid denial, the revelation has exposed the thinking and the desperation within the Presidency, ahead of the elections. ‘’We are also aware that up till this moment, the President has yet to repudiate the ex-militants in the Niger Delta who have threatened the country’s very existence if he is not reelected, as if elections are won by fiat. When this is added to ongoing moves to depopulate the Northeast, which is an opposition stronghold, using scare tactics, one can see that this Presidency and the PDP are as terrified and desperate as they can be,’’ it said. APC also warned those who are manipulating some elements among judiciary workers, either to proceed on strike

just so that the courts will not be able to sit on cases that can affect their candidates or to end the strike so they can seek to use the courts to achieve their objectives of truncating the elections, to desist from such acts. ‘’In particular, we will like to remind the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Bello Adoke, to advise his principal and his aides not to abuse the courts or use them as a tool to truncate democracy. They must be careful not to throw the country into chaos for selfish reasons,’’ the party said. It reiterated its earlier stand that the general elections must hold as scheduled on Feb. 14th and 28th, and that under no circumstance will Nigerians accept the postponement of the polls or the establishment of an Interim Government, which is the next option being secretly canvassed by the Presidency if its plan to scuttle the elections fails. ‘’Next month’s general elections must hold and winners must be declared. Nothing short of this will be acceptable to us as a party,’’ the APC said.

Military deploys drones to battle sect Continued from page 2

Bakasi area. They also caught the chief Imam of Monguno town, Liman Modu who is the most respected in the town,” Abdullahi Jibril informed. Hundreds of soldiers from Monguno are stranded and loitering on the streets of Maiduguri after the Sunday attack on the military formation in the area. The soldiers were denied access to Maimalari Barracks

and some of them were rather camped at AIT on Damboa Road. Our correspondent who was on Baga Road saw many stranded soldiers among other hundred displaced civilians from Monguno, Baga and Gajiganna sitting under tree, with nowhere to go. Some of the soldiers had their guns on their shoulders, their shuttle bags on their back. Some of the soldiers who

spoke on condition of anonymity expressed anger with the Federal Government for, according to him, not doing enough for them in the fight against Boko Haram. “I can’t imagine that a Federal Government will abandon her soldiers to die in a fight that cannot take one hour to finish with serious commitment. We fight in the bush with Boko Haram and no one sends us any jet but when one man is coming for

campaign, you see many Alpha Jets with helicopter gunships patrolling, flying in the air. Is this fair?” a soldier said. Some of the soldiers were angry that they were denied access to the Maimalari Barracks in Maiduguri. One said: “Can you imagine that as soldiers, we came into Maiduguri and the army authorities turned us down from entering the barracks. Where is the esprit de corps that we preach among us?”

Afenifere backs Jonathan for second term Continued from page 2

the first year of his second term, if re-elected. “We will not play politics with the report’’, he said. The president also said he would not relent in the fight against insurgency and would not transfer it to the next administration. The Yoruba race, he said, was key to Nigeria’s development and his administration would continue to work with the people for national development. The president said his administration recorded milestones in aviation, road construction, education and transportation and would do more. According to him, the administration completed 25,000 kilometres of roads, from the 5,000km it inherited and promised to complete the remaining

10,000km. He thanked the Afenifere for the endorsement which he described as novel in the activities of the group. “We will achieve more for Nigerians. All we want is the support of the people. We will not disappoint you.” He said. In attendance apart from the host, were Governor Olusegun Mimiko, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, Chief Olu Falae, Senator Iyiola Omisore, Chief Kole Omololu and others. In a communique the group called for the shift of the elections. They also called on people in the South-West not to support candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) during the election. The communique reads in Part: “The constitution says

election should hold not earlier than 150 days to handover date and not later than 30 days. INEC has chosen February 14. For us, May 29 is sacrosanct, there is no controversy over this. “Within those days between February 14 and 30 days to May 29, INEC has a window to make sure that most voters are not disenfranchised. If INEC is able to give all registered voters their PVC before February 14, all well and good. “Meeting viewed with seriousness the sheer incompetence on the part of INEC. The INEC that wanted to create 30,000 polling units few weeks to the election has yet to distribute almost 30 million voter cards. When you look at the table INEC has given, what they tell us is that in

each state, this is the PVC received, hiding the total number of registered voters. “As at today, over 15 million voters out of the one collected have not received their cards. This is 54 million. There are 14 million voter cards that are yet to arrive the country. If we put them together, it is almost half of the total electorate that are yet to collect their voter cards. “The assurance by the INEC chairman that he will distribute cards a day to the election is not reassuring. If you have failed to do it before now, what is the assurance that he is going to do it now? “We want to warn that any election conducted on the basis of disenfranchising almost half of the electorate, the outcome will not be credible or acceptable.”

Party chiefs close to blows over elections shift plot

•Prof. Jega Continued from page 2

by merely adding a clincher: ‘We will take the best decision.’ This intervention calmed frayed nerves and orderliness was restored,” the source said. Notwithstanding the drama, INEC proceeded with the session and the commission’s Director of ICT, Mr. Chidi Nwafor, an engineer, briefed the media on the status of the distribution of PVCs. All parties were given the table on the PVCs status for further consideration by their members. Despite the security challenges in the Northeast, the turnout of eligible voters for PVCs is impressive in Adamawa,

Borno and Yobe states. But the distribution of PVCs is abysmally low in Lagos where of the 5, 905, 852 registered, only 2,267,039 or 38.39 percent have got PVCs. The distribution is also poor in Kano State, which recorded 2,612, 400 (52.5%) PVCs of the 4,975,701 registered voters. The partial breakdown of the distribution is as follows: Adamawa -1, 239, 820(79.53 %); Borno( 999, 470(56.18 %); Yobe- 740,336(67.31 %); Akwa Ibom-1,328,714(79.05%); Gombe-873, 698(78%); Cross River-776,977 (66.09%); and Abia—1,020,997(73.13%). Others are Delta— 1,422,595(62.52%); Kwara — 711,926(62.33%); Niger— 1,250,379(62.07%); Bauchi— 1,745,441(84.97%); Jigawa— 1,460,620(79.76%); Kaduna— 2,976,628(87.36%); Zamfara— 1,045,855(69.92%); Taraba— 1,079,383(80.51%); Katsina— 2,245,393(79.40%); Sokoto— 1,211,717(75.17%); and Osun— 995,562(70.75%).

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2015 THE NATION FRIDAY, JULY 25, 2014

NEWS

IBB’s children join PDP campaign in Niger From Jide Orintunsin, Minna

•Chief Observer, European Union (EU) Election Observation Mission, Santiago Fisas (middle) addressing reporters on the forthcoming February elections in Abuja...yesterday. With him are: Deputy Chief Observer, Hannah Roberts (right) and Press Officer, Eberhard Laue. PHOTO: NAN

Nigeria is a failed state, says David-West •PDP members treading path of terror, FORMER Minister of says Rivers APC chair Petroleum Resources,

Prof. Tam David-West, has said Nigeria is a failed state. He promised to always support the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, to bring about the change the nation desired. The Rivers State APC Chairman, Chief Davies Ibiamu Ikanya, urged President Goodluck Jonathan to step down from the presidential race, since he could not protect the life and property of Nigerians. The APC chairman said the leaders and members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) were treading the path of terror by turning Rivers State into a war zone because of the desperation of the President and his wife to take over the state by force. David-West, Ikanya and other APC leaders spoke yesterday at a media briefing organised by the party at the Hotel Presidential in Port Harcourt. The crowded briefing was also attended by APC governorship candidate, Dr. Dakuku Peterside; his running mate, Okorie Honourable Asita; Rivers Southeast Senator Magnus Ngei Abe and the DirectorGeneral of Peterside’s Greater Together Campaign Organisation, Chief Victor Tombari Giadom, who is also the Commissioner for Works, among other dignitaries.

From Bisi Olaniyi, Port Harcourt

Video clips of the attack on APC members and the bombing of the venue of the party’s rallies were also shown at the event. David-West said: “I do not belong to any political party. I have never carried the card of any political party, but my heart is for the APC. I support causes and people. I supported Governor Rotimi Amaechi when he was in the PDP. I rightly supported him and his cause. When his party members deserted him, I was still supporting him. The same support has been carried to the APC and all that APC stands for. “I stand by a government that knows that 19 is bigger than 16. They (the President and his supporters) said 16 is bigger than 19, at this stage of my professorship. I stand by a party that knows how to pilot the affairs of Nigeria. I stand by a party of people of substance, in name and in character. My support for the PDP, I am extending the support for the next Governor of Rivers State, Dr. Dakuku Peterside. No matter the intimidation, no matter the carnage, God is on our side. “I stand for Rivers State. I stand for Nigeria. God is on our side. What they fail to realise with negative campaigns is that when you start negative campaigns, they will be positive for your opponents. Is that not

what is happening? How can you explain that somebody said if Gen. Buhari brought NEPA receipt as certificate, he would vote for him? My vote is for what is good for Nigeria. My vote is for what is good for Rivers State and my vote is for APC.” Ikanya, in his 10-page speech, titled: PDP’s Bloodletting and Acts of Terror in Rivers State - The Road to Perfidy, described electoral violence as the greatest obstacle to democratic consolidation in Nigeria. The party chairman noted that pre-election violence was the result of the rascally disposition of some desperate and greedy politicians who wanted to secure electoral victory by subverting the process and undermining the rule of law. He said: “We call on the international community to persuade our President to rise to the task of leadership to protect life and property or step down from the presidential contest, as he has no moral standing to be flying around in a presidential jet, campaigning for re-election, protected by dozens of other aircraft and thousands of military personnel, while he is unable to perform his primary constitutional function as President to protect Nigerians’ lives and property, even on our soil. “We call on Amnesty International, the International Red Cross, the relevant organs of

IGER State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Umar Nasko, got yesterday the endorsement of former military President, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida. Two of his children - Mohammed and Halima - joined the party’s campaign train. Mohammed and Halima were present at Nasko’s campaign at Kampala and Sarkin Pawa in Bosso and Muyan local government areas. Mohammed, who is also the Director of the Finance Committee of the Nasko Governorship Campaign Committee, was on the podium with the candidate. But he did not speak. The presence of the Babangidas in the PDP campaign team ended the speculation that their father was not sympathetic to the PDP. Addressing party supporters, Nasko promised to provide more social amenities, if elected next month. The PDP candidate said he voluntarily entered into a pact with the people of the state, adding that he would not renege on his electioneering promises. Governor Babangida Aliyu, a senatorial candidate in next month’s elections, assured the community of a transformer to be connected to the national grid. Aliyu decried the use of religious and tribal sentiments among politicians to deceive the electorate. The governor said his administration treated all religious and ethnic groups equally since it came to office. Aliyu said: “Niger State has remained peaceful because of the equal opportunities given to everyone in the state.”

Shettima appoints two ex-deputy governors as advisers, others From Duku JOEL, Maiduguri •Prof David-West

the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the African Union (AU) and the United Nations (UN) to immediately commence independent inquiries into the gruesome attacks and killings in Rivers State. “We call on these and other humanitarian and democratic organisations and institutions to set high-powered election monitoring networks, teams and processes to monitor the elections in Rivers State, to avert unnecessary bloodbath, which may cripple our already weakened economy. “An acceptable electoral outcome is possible in Rivers State, but only if the elections are truly free and fair. There cannot be free and fair elections, if the spate of violence, high-handedness, intimidation and terror are not halted. We pledge to remain law-abiding. But we shall defend ourselves, our people and their votes by all lawful means.” Peterside said he was reliably informed that PDP thugs had concluded arrangements to ambush and shoot at his supporters during his campaign today at Bori, the traditional headquarters of Ogoniland.

ORNO State Governor Kashim Shettima has appointed two former deputy governors as Honorary Special Advisers. They are: Alhaji Shettima Dibal, who served under the Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, from 2003 till 2011 and Alhaji Abubakar Jatau, who worked with the late Governor Mala Kachallah from 1999 till 2003. A statement by the governor said Dibal and Jatau would serve as honorary special advisers on Politics. Other Honourary Special Advisers included Prof. Umaru Shehu (Primary Health Care); Ibrahim Ali (Agriculture); former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Chairman, Chief Audu Ogbe (Industry); Secretary of the Borno Elders’ Forum, Bulami Mali Gubio (Education) and Prof. Dili Dogo, of the University of Maiduguri (Health). Malam Isa Gusau was re-appointed, apparently to return to his former office as the Special Adviser on Media. Other appointees were selected from the 27 local government areas.

From Abdulgafar Alabelewe, Kaduna

APC presidential candidate was capable of handling the situation. He said: “General Muhammadu Buhari will again be inheriting a broken economy, like he did in 1983, just like I am going to likely inherit a bankrupt state when we take over power.” On his programmes for the state, if elected next month, El-Rufai promised to develop the human capital, ensure nine years of basic education, which would be free and compulsory, fix schools and improve teachers’ training and capacity building. The APC candidate also promised the payment of higher salaries to teachers than any other civil servants in the state. The former minister said he would support security agencies, improve intelligence gathering, improve state and community policing, improve governance and fight corruption. El-Rufai, who described the Agricultural Transformation Agenda of the Federal Government as a failure, promised to provide a more enabling environment for farmers, including the setting up of marketing

boards. According to him, the APC government would transfer mining rights to the states. El-Rufai promised to create jobs for youths to make them productive and gainfully employed and liaise with the Federal Government to revive the comatose textile industries in the state. The APC candidate stressed that this approach would take youths off the streets and reduce youth restiveness in the society. He said his administration would block leakages and wastages in the state, adding: “I don’t know how in 2009 the salary bill of Kaduna State was about N14 billion and by 2014 rose to N35 billion. The overhead cost in 2009 was put at N12 billion but in 2014, it was about N28 billion. “I think something is fishy. There is need to correct some of those leakages and wastages, particularly in cash transactions between the government and contractors. This is because the present government has nearly brought the state to its knees.”

gan yesterday with a service of songs at the Family Worship Centre, Abuja, will continue on January 30 at the ECWA English Service, Zitti Road, Sabon Tasha, Kaduna. Another funeral service will hold on January 31 at the Government Secondary School, Kurdan, Zango Kataf Local Government Area of Kaduna State. Guests will be hosted after the interment at the family compound. The late Mrs Mrs Jagaba is survived by children and grand-children.

Gay wedding: Kano Hisbah arrests 12 suspects

Buhari and I’ll inherit broken economies, says El-Rufai ORMER Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister and Kaduna State All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, has said the party’s presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari, will inherit a broken economy, if he wins the February 14 election. El-Rufai also said he would inherit a bankrupt state, if he wins the February 28 election. The former minister spoke yesterday in Kaduna during an interactive session between the Organised Private Sectors (OPS) and governorship candidates. The first to address the session, El-Rufai said Kaduna State was bedevilled by domestic liabilities. The APC candidate said the state was owing about N106 billion. He said most of the money received or generated was used to settle debts, adding that about N700 billion had been wasted in the last seven years. El-Rufai said the nation was passing through an economic crisis, as it did in 1983. But the former minister stressed that the

Cleric’s mother dead

HE mother of Pastor Sarah Omakwu of the Family Worship Centre, Iwuye, Abuja, Mrs Naniyang Jagaba, is dead. A statement by the family said the late Mrs Jagaba died on January 9. She was 77. The late Mrs Jagaba was noted for her strength of character and industry. She played her roles actively in the church and her society. The statement said: “Mama was a wonderful mother, imbued with a good balance of firmness and fairness.” Her funeral rites, which be-

From Kolade Adeyemi, Kano

HE Kano State Hisbah Board yesterday paraded 12 suspects for their alleged plan to contract a gay wedding. It was learnt that the “unholy” wedding was to take place at a resort called Hills and Valleys in Dawakin Kudu town in Dawakin Kudu Local Government Area, but was averted by vigilant residents. The ceremony was said to be the gesture of the 20-year old “groom”, simply identified as Abba, to placate his bride, Farouk Maiduguri, in a grand style. Information on the “wedding” was said to have reached youths in the town when it was about to begin. The curious but angry youths reportedly stormed the venue in anger, finding that the event was real. They paraded Farouk and 11 guests but Abba fled. The Hisbah Board officials were said to have intervened, to prevent the situation from degenerating into a crisis. They arrested Farouk and the “couple’s” guests. Parading the suspects yesterday, the Hisbah Commandant General, Sheik Aminu Ibrahim Daurawa, said the homosexuals invited their colleagues to the ceremony from various parts of the country through the social media. He said they would invite the parents of the suspected gays to educate them on the dangers of such an act. During a chat with our reporter at the Hisbah Board headquarters at Sharada Quarters, Farouk denied the allegation.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2015

FOREIGN NEWS Japan vows to work with Jordan on hostage release JAPAN has vowed to work with Jordan to secure the release of a Japanese journalist held by Islamic State militants after the killing last week of another Japanese captive, but it reiterated that it would not give in to terrorism. The hostage crisis has become a test for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who took power in 2012 pledging to bolster Japan’s global security role. Abe on Sunday condemned the killing of Japanese citizen Haruna Yukawa as “outrageous” and called for the release of veteran correspondent Kenji Goto, captured by Islamic State militants in Syria. “We would like to work together with the Jordanian government to secure the release of Goto,” Yasuhide Nakayama, state minister for foreign affairs, told reporters in Jordan late on Monday. Nakayama was sent to Jordan last week to deal with the crisis. The militants have dropped a ransom demand. They now say they will free Goto in exchange for the release of Sajida al-Rishawi, a convicted Iraqi suicidebomber, from prison in Jordan. The militants captured a Jordanian pilot after his plane crashed during U.S.led coalition bombing in eastern Syria in December and Nakayama said he hoped Japan and Jordan could work together for his release too. “The release of this pilot as soon a possible is also an issue for us Japanese,” Nakayama said.

Ukraine rebels move to encircle government troops in new advance RUSSIAN-backed rebels advanced to encircle a Ukrainian army garrison town on Monday in a new offensive that has again unleashed all-out war after a five-month ceasefire and brought threats of new Western sanctions against Moscow. The United States and the European Union are considering new measures after accusing Russia of openly supporting the latest rebel advance with money, arms and troops on the ground. Ambassadors of NATO countries and Ukraine met in Brussels on Monday to discuss a response to the fighting, their first such emergency meeting since August. Moscow denies playing a military role. Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Kiev of prolonging the conflict by refusing to talk to the rebels. In a provocative new charge, Putin also said a “foreign NATO legion” was fighting alongside Ukrainian forces. NATO called the accusation “nonsense” and said the only foreign troops in Ukraine were Russians.

•The new Bishop of Stockport first female bishop from Church of England posed for photographs outside York Minster after the service, with the Archbishop PHOTO: BBC of York, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and other clergy...on Sunday

Auschwitz 70th anniversary marked

BOUT 300 Auschwitz survivors have gathered at the site of the former Nazi death camp to mark the 70th anniversary of its liberation. The commemoration will be held at the site in southern Poland where 1.1 million people, the vast majority Jews, were killed between 1940 and 1945. It is expected to be the last major anniversary event that survivors are able to attend in considerable numbers. Heads of state and representatives from wartime Allies will also be present. Events include the laying of a wreath, a church service, and the lighting of candles at a memorial in the former death camp of Birkenau,

which was part of the Auschwitz complex. Auschwitz-Birkenau was liberated by the Red Army of the Soviet Union on 27 January 1945. It opened as a museum in 1947. Those who survived Auschwitz lived through one of the 20th Century’s worst acts of hatred and inhumanity. Many of those still alive today were children in 1945, but they are elderly now and this may be the last significant anniversary where so many will gather. A huge, white temporary building has been erected over the brick railway buildings where many of the Jews of Europe were sorted into those who were fit enough for slave labour and those

who would be taken straight to the gas chambers. Candles have been lit at the Death Wall where prisoners were executed - small points of light in this wintry landscape of snow and ice, where Europe is remembering a time of darkness. Yesterday the Russian defence ministry published what it said were archive documents about the liberation of Auschwitz. They include an account by Gen Kramnikov of the 60th Army of the First Ukrainian Front, whose soldiers opened the gates, about “endless crowds of people” leaving the death camp. German President Joachim Gauck and French President Francois Hollande

are among the national leaders travelling to Poland for the anniversary. But Russian President Vladimir Putin is not attending, amid a row with Poland over the commemoration and linked to Russia’s recent intervention in Ukraine. Before leaving Paris, Mr Hollande condemned the “unbearable” problem of contemporary anti-Semitism, telling Jews at a Holocaust memorial: “France is your homeland.” He spoke after a Jewish group said the number of antiSemitic acts recorded in France had doubled in 2014 to more than 850. Earlier this month, a Jewish supermarket was targeted during deadly attacks that shook the French capital.

Obama defends U.S. Saudi Arabia ties

RESIDENT Barack Obama has defended the U.S. government’s willingness to cooperate closely with Saudi Arabia on national security despite deep concerns over human rights abuses, as he joined an array of current and former American statesmen yesterday in paying respects following the death of King Abdullah. Ahead of his arrival, Obama suggested that he would not be raising U.S. concerns about Saudi Arabia’s flogging of blogger Raif Badawi, who was convicted of insulting Islam and sentenced to 10 years in prison and 1,000 lashes. His first flogging took place in early January in front of dozens of people in the Red Sea city of Jiddah, though a second round has been post-

poned after a doctor said his wounds from the first lashes had not yet healed. ”On this visit, obviously a lot of this is just paying respects to King Abdullah, who in his own fashion presented some modest reform efforts within the kingdom,” Obama said. Obama cut short the final day of his trip to India to make the four-hour stop in Riyadh. Further underscoring the key role Saudi Arabia has long played in U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East was the extensive delegation that joined Obama for the visit.Secretary of State John Kerry joined Obama in Riyadh, along with former Secretaries of State Condoleezza Rice and James Baker III, both of whom served Republican presidents.

•Obama and King Salman...yesterday

Former White House national security advisers Brent Scowcroft, Sandy Berger and Stephen Hadley also made the trip, as did Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., a frequent critic of Obama’s Mideast policy. CIA Director John Brennan and Gen. Lloyd Austin, commander of U.S. Central Command, which overseas military activity in the Middle East, were also taking part in Tuesday’s meetings with the

Saudis. Despite vast differences of opinions on many issues, the U.S. and Saudi Arabia have worked in close coordination to address evolving security concerns in the tumultuous region. Most recently, Saudi Arabia became one of a handful of Arab nations that have joined the U.S. in launching airstrikes against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria.

Egypt confirms jail terms for activists

N Egyptian court upheld three-year jail sentences on Tuesday for three prominent liberal activists, judicial sources said, after days of violence around the anniversary of the 2011 uprising that toppled autocrat Hosni Mubarak. In 2013, a court handed down the sentences against Ahmed Maher, Ahmed Douma and Mohamed Adel — leading figures of the pro-democracy revolt — for protesting without permission and assaulting police, under a new law suppressing demonstrations. But despite Abdel Fattah alSisi’s crackdown on dissent, renewed unrest emerged as Egyptians marked the anniversary on Sunday of the end of three decades of autocratic rule under Mubarak. Some 25 people were killed in antigovernment protests on Sunday. A car bomb killed one person and wounded two near a police station in Egypt’s second largest city Alexandria on Tuesday, and police discovered three other explosive devices, security sources said, blaming militant Islamists. Assailants hurled Molotov cocktails at another police station in Alexandria, setting fire to part of the building. There were no casualties. Two bombs planted in front of a courthouse in Cairo’s Heliopolis district were defused while a bomb in front of another courthouse in Fayoum province exploded without causing injuries, the security sources said. Militants have stepped up attacks against soldiers and police since the army toppled President Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood in 2013 following mass protests against his rule.

AirAsia QZ8501 fuselage recovery operation suspended

HE Indonesian military has suspended the recovery operation for AirAsia flight QZ8501, which crashed into the Java Sea in December. Search teams failed to retrieve the fuselage after three days of attempts using a lifting bag. Officials initially thought bodies were inside, but now

say recovering the wreckage is not a priority as they believe no victims remain. So far only 70 bodies of the 162 people who were on board have been found. The recovery operation has been hampered by stormy weather. Indonesia’s military chief, Gen Moeldoko, told the BBC that the wreckage was too frag-

ile to be lifted. He added that he had decided to pull troops back to their base after some of the divers involved in the operation were treated for decompression sickness, the BBC’s Alice Budisatrijo reports. It comes after a previous attempt to raise the plane on Saturday failed when the fuselage began to break into

pieces. AirAsia flight QZ8501 was flying from Surabaya in Indonesia to Singapore when it plummeted into the sea on 28 December. A preliminary report on the crash is expected to be filed this week, although the full investigation will take months. On Friday divers entered the main section of the fuse-

lage, which is at a depth of 30m. The plane’s cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder were found earlier this month. Information retrieved from the recorders showed that the jet had climbed too fast, causing it to stall, according to Indonesia’s Transport Minister Ignasius Jonan.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2015

NEWS 5,000 PDP members join Ondo APC

Two policemen killed in Lagos

USPECTED pipeline vandals in Owutu, Ikorodu, Lagos, on Monday night killed four persons, including two policemen. They reportedly stormed the station while chasing operatives of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), killing the policemen on duty and stealing four AK47 rifles. The NSCDC officials clashed with the vandals, who were operating on a pipeline in Oke Oko area of the town. The officials ran into the station. Eyewitnesses spoke of the bloody scene at the police station. The identity of the slain civilians could not be ascertained. Police spokesman Kenneth Nwosu said the police were on the trail of the criminals.

Omatseye donates books to UNILAG By Kelechi Amakoh

HE Nation’s Editorial Board Chairman, Sam Omatseye, has donated some books to students of the University of Lagos, Akoka. The donation was made to students of the Department of Mass Communication during the inaugural lecture organised by the Academics Stand Against Poverty at the school’s Main Auditorium. Omatseye said: ‘In this clime where reading is not taken seriously, I urge you all to read this book, In Touch.” The book comprises the renowned columnist’s writings on the back page of The Nation on Monday. In receiving the donation, Prof Ralph Akinfeleye thanked the donor and promised to use the books to enhance learning and performance. Also at the event were Acting Head of Mass Communication Department, Dr. Abigail Ogwezzy-Ndisika, Dr Abayomi Daramola, Dr. Soji Alabi, Dr. Olubunmi Ajibade and Dr. Ifeoma Amobi.

Ogun teachers suspend strike

HE Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) in Ogun State has suspended its two-week strike. NUT Chairman Dare Ilekoya and his counterpart in the Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools in Nigeria, Akeem Lasisi, made the announcement at a joint press briefing after a congress of the two bodies at the NUT Hall, Abeokuta, yesterday. Ilekoya said: “We are here to tell the public that government has decided to call us for discussions. We met and all our issues were looked into.” He added that government also agreed to pay the October deductions with immediate effect, while outstandings would be paid through improved Internally Generated Revenue (IGR). Government, the NUT Chairman said, had agreed to set up a committee that would involve all parties to review other outstanding issues.

From Damisi Ojo, Akure

•Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi welcoming the new General Officer Commanding (GOC), 2 Mechanised Division, Ibadan, Maj-Gen Sanusi Nasir Muazu. With them is the outgoing GOC, Maj-Gen Funsho Abejirin.

You’ll be retired in Feb, APC tells Ladoja

HE All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State has said former Governor Rashidi Ladoja will be unceremoniously retired from politics when he is defeated in the February 28 election. Ladoja is the governorship candidate of Accord. In defending his principal, Ladoja, who was accused of taking a $1.2million bribe from the Presidency, the Director-General of the Ladoja

From Bisi Oladele, Ibadan

Campaign Organisation, Adeolu Adeleke, was quoted to have called the APC State Chairman, Akin Oke, some unprintable names. But in a statement by its Director of Publicity and Strategy, Olawale Sadare, the APC faulted Adeleke ‘s “mudslinging and character assassination”. “It is unfathomable that the best anyone can do to defend

his godfather is to call the APC chairman a drunk. Even if the APC leader is a drunk, how does that affect the issue of the $1.2million which Ladoja “collected” from President Jonathan? “On moral grounds, what could have qualified a defender of Ladoja to cast aspersion on anyone when the Accord Party leader is known to be incorrigible and impervious? In him, Oyo had a governor who would doze off at impor-

tant meetings after drinking. “The likes of Adeolu Adeleke will soon be stranded when Ladoja who he follows with reckless dogma is handed the most shocking defeat of his life in the February 28 election and thus forced to retire unceremoniously from politics. “ Ladoja and his co-travellers would have no sympathy from electorate this time because they have his true picture now.”

Lawyers hold support rally for Buhari in Ibadan

G R O U P , Lawyers4Change, yesterday staged a peaceful support rally in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, for the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Gen Muhammadu Buhari and his running mate, Prof Yemi Osinbajo. The rally, which started at 10:45am from the Aara Afe Babalola Bar centre, Iyaganku, took the lawyers to Roundabout, Mokola, and later ended at Iyaganku at 1:30pm. The lawyers carried placards with inscription, such as: ”Nigerians give progress a chance now”; “Vote for Change”; “Vote for Buhari and Osinbajo”; “Time for change is now, vote Buhari”; “Change we need is Buhari/ Osinbajo”. The coordinator, Adesina Ogunlana, said they had identified Buhari and Osinbajo as the best candidates for the job. He said they were not APC members but professionals keen on change.

From Tayo Johnson, Ibadan

Ogunlana said they were out to give direction and advice on who to vote for. “We are not partisan because we are not here on the platform of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) but even the NBA must be concerned with what is going on in the country because you can only practise your law and the court can sit when you have a safe and secure country. “In few weeks, Nigerians

will go to the polls to choose their leaders for the next four years. The big question is do we continue with the present leaders of our country or do we change them? Our answer is change. We have to change our rulers. Aso Rock must have new tenants, if we want our country to survive and make progress. Things have become so bad in our country that almost nothing works well or works at all. “Our naira is weak, electricity remains

permanently unstable, less than 20 per cent Nigerians have access to good water, affordable education is out of reach of the majority,” he said Ogunlana said a vote for Buhari and Osinbajo is a vote for sincere and positive change, describing both as hardworking, patriotic and lovers of Nigerians. “They are not corrupt and not thieves and would not allow criminals and fraudsters in the Federal Government they lead,” he said.

Osoba faults Amosun’s projects

EADER of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) Chief Olusegun Osoba yesterday criticised Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun for neglecting a part of the state. He said the governor had concentrated development in a certain area of the state. Osoba, a former governor, is promoting the candidacy of Chief Akin Odunsi for governor. He spoke in Ago Iwoye, Ijebu North Local Govern-

ment Area, at a meeting with traditional chiefs, community and party supporters. “The governor is the governor of Abeokuta. That is where most of the projects are situated, while other areas are left out.” Osoba inaugurated some projects executed by Senator Adegbenga Kaka, who is seeking reelection on the platform of the SDP. Speaking on the relationship between Amosun and his

deputy, Prince Segun Adesegun, the former governor said: “We gave Adesegun as Amosun’s deputy because of his experience as a commissioner for Works in my administration. “We had expected that the governor would tap from Adesegun’s wealth of experience in governance but the governor chose otherwise and started building bridges where there is no water.”

‘Lagos won’t be feeding bottle for PDP’

HE All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State has said the state will never be become a‘cash cow’ for leaders of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). In a statement by its spokesman Joe Igbokwe, the APC said enlightened Lagos voters would not gamble with the ballot and entrust their future into the hands of tainted leaders. “The shallow-rooted dream of PDP and its candidate, Jimi Agbaje, to take over Lagos will end in a more resounding defeat as in the previous

cases, as Lagosians would not, for anything hand over their state as feeding bottle for Agbaje’s godfathers. “A PDP takeover of Lagos is an unrealisable curse. Lagosians will never visit on themselves, given the wreckage the PDP has made of Nigeria and the states under its control in 16 years of corrupt and failed leadership. ”Lagos has passed that stage and it will never be handed over to those who are pushing Agbaje for the purpose of seizing the flourishing state of Lagos and

subjecting it to the kind of wreckage Nigeria has experienced under the PDP. “Lagosians, with their sophistication, will never toy with the idea of sacrificing 16 years of uninterrupted development for an untested candidate, whose sponsors have been key actors in the maladministration at the central. “Even in its most desperate state, PDP in Lagos, Agbaje and his godfathers will never deny the fact known across partisan lines in Nigeria and beyond that Lagos has been lifted from the seedy slum the PDP labeled it

with 12 years ago to the engine room of the Nigerian economy, with a near perfect security, superlative infrastructure, healthier and cleaner environment, efficient health sector, sound educational sector, innovative judiciary, great traffic management, empowered workforce and enlightened citizenry.” “They will never argue the well-known fact that Lagos remains the most viable state in a Nigeria where the myth of oil is dying and states have to live on what they have invested in building an independent economy that will drive its survival.”

FIVE THOUSAND supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ondo State defected yesterday to the All Progressives Congress (APC). They included a former State Chairman, Chief Sanya Orungbemi, and a former senatorial aspirant, Jide Ipinsagba. The defectors are from Akoko North East Local Government Area. At a briefing in IkareAkoko, Ipinsagba, who is the leader of the defectors, said they dumped the PDP because of the injustice in the party. He said prominent people had been moving out of PDP since Governor Olusegun Mimiko joined the party last October. Ipinsagba said old members of the PDP were no longer allowed to have any say in the party. He said: “We leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party and Labour Party in Akoko North East Local Government Area and over 5,000 teeming supporters are moving from a dead party to a progressive party. “We are leaving PDP for APC to restore the glory and ensure the development of our area and our people.”

Panel to inspect venue of Adeleke’s assault From Adesoji Adeniyi, Osogbo

THE Justice Moshood Adeigbe Commission of Inquiry on Disturbance of Public Peace set up by the Osun State government will soon inspect the venue of the alleged assault on the first civilian governor and a chieftain of All Progressives Congress, Senator Isiaka Adeleke. Adeleke had filed a petition before the panel against the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the August 9 governorship poll, Senator Iyiola Omisore, Minister of Police Affairs, Alhaji Jelili Adesiyan, and retired Custom officer Sogo Agboola. He alleged that the trio assaulted him during a PDP stakeholder’s meeting last April at the Ideal Nest Hotel, Osogbo. At the resumed hearing of the panel, the counsel to the petitioner, Lekan Babalola, told the commission that his last witness was not present, promising that he will be available at the next adjourned date. The chairman of the commission, Justice Adeigbe, said Adeleke would take the commission to the venue of the incident to enable the panel write a comprehensive report on the matter. The commission also demanded that the former governor be present at the next adjourned date for closing of his case. The commission adjourned till February 3.

THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2015

SPORT EXTRA

I’m alright now, says AFCON: Ghana, Algeria progress to quarterfinals G injured Omego • Doctor rules him out of Super 6

LYING Eagles’ defender Prince Izu Omego who was injured and rushed in an ambulance to the hospital during his team’s match against Kano Pillars in the ongoing Super Six on Monday, has told NationSport in Abuja yesterday that he was hale and hearty. The incident which gave team officials, Super Six organizsers and fans’ anxious moment when Omego passed out for about 10 minutes before he could be revived by the team doctor told NationSport that it was a gory experience but he thanked God for saving his life. “It was a harrowing experience but I thank God, my coaches, our doctors and everybody that showed love and concern for being hale and hearty now. Our team Doctor asked me to rest in today’s (Tuesday’s) training and I don’t think I will play our next Super Six match tomorrow (today). They want

From Segun Ogunjimi, Abuja me to do scan to know the condition of the head injury that I had in the match against Kano Pillars. I think the scan will be done tomorrow (today)”, Omego told NationSport at the team’s Serob Hotel yesterday afternoon after coming from training. Team Chief Coach Manu Garba also told NationSport that “the boy is okay as you can see and we thank God for that”, he said. The Flying Eagles are top of the Super 6 with six points from two matches, same as Nigeria U-23 team, but enjoy a better goals

• Omego PHOTO: SEGUN OGUNJIMI difference. They would take on Warri Wolves in their next game at the round-robin tournament at 1pm at the main bowl of the Abuja National Stadium, but Omego won’t play a part in the match.

HANAIAN legend Abedi Pele’s son, Andre Ayew scored a dramatic late goal to take Ghana through to the quarter-finals as Group C runners-up. Ayew bravely headed home Baba Rahman's left-wing cross after his side had earlier looked like being eliminated. Mandla Masango had given South Africa the lead with possibly the goal of the tournament when he scored a spectacular volley from 25 yards. Ghana piled on the pressure after the break and substitute John Boye drove home an equaliser before Ayew struck. In the other game played at the same time, Algeria reached the Africa Cup of Nations quarterfinals as Group C winners after beating Senegal by two goals to nil. Sofiane Feghouli missed a great early chance when his poor touch allowed Bouna Coundoul to save at his feet. But on 11 minutes Leicester's

Riyad Mahrez was left unmarked and struck the opener when played in by a free-kick. After the break Saphir Taider

NFF sad at death of ‘Flying Cat’ Agbonavbare

CTING President of Nigeria Football Federation, Barrister Seyi Akinwunmi has expressed deep grief of the Federation and the entire Nigeria football family at the death of former Super Eagles’ goalkeeper Wilfred Agbonavbare. The former Senior National Team number one goalie’s affliction with cancer was reported a couple of weeks ago, and the news was broken that he died in the early hours of Tuesday in Spain. “This is very sad coming only two days after the death of Coach Musa Abdullahi. The Nigeria Football Federation became aware of Agbonavbare’s affliction only a couple of weeks ago. “This is another true hero gone to rest too early. Agbonavbare was a patriot of the first grade and his contributions to Nigeria football on-field can never be forgotten,” Akinwunmi said on Tuesday afternoon. Wilfred Agbonavbare, who played for Rubber Board FC and New Nigeria Bank FC, both of Benin City, was a member of the Super Eagles’ squad that won the Africa Cup of Nations in Tunisia in 1994, and also made the final squad to Nigeria’s debut appearance at the World Cup finals in USA the same year – one of the three goalkeepers, the others being Peter Rufai and Alloy Agu.

RESULTS Senegal 0 - 2 Algeria South Africa 1 - 2 Ghana

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had a shot cleared off the line but Algeria got their second goal when Nabil Bentaleb drove in from 18 yards.

TODAY IN THE NATION

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2015 TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM

VOL.10 NO.3109

‘Nigerians do not need to be reminded that Maiduguri is an important place of history and a large multi-million citizen city. Nigeria cannot afford to lose Maiduguri’ TONY MARINHO

COMMENT & DEB ATE EBA

HAVE said it before at least a couple of times on these pages, but it bears repeating again and again: it’s alright for people to lament about the lack of debate on issues that concern us as we approach next month’s general elections, but for me the greater worry by far should be the seeming public indifference about the character of the protagonists. To put it another way, it is alright for us to worry about the intelligence and competence of those seeking our votes. But it is more important to be certain about their sincerity of purpose. And there is no better way to judge this than by measuring the gap between the good things one preaches and what he actually practises. Take, for example, the issue of the certification of the secondary school attendance of Major-General Muhammadu Buhari, the presidential candidate of the leading opposition party, the All Progressives Congress (APC). Apart from the fact that certification does not necessarily maketh the man, the fact that the general had contested for the presidency three times in the past should have made his academic qualification a non-issue. However, by shear propagandistic force, the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) seems to have succeeded in turning it into an issue, not by disproving the man attended and passed his secondary school leaving examination - something which is not in any dispute - but by latching on to the fact that initially he did not present his original certificate to prove his case and then when his alma mater eventually produced a copy, the PDP said it was a forgery! This PDP moving of the goal post speaks volumes of the party’s sincerity about its commitment to an issue-based debate as we approach the presidential election in a few weeks time. Of course, if the general had lied about his secondary school attendance, the PDP would’ve been duty bound to expose him because no nation can afford a liar as its leader. That it took the party a dozen years and three contests by the general for it to suddenly claim the man lied about attending secondary school is, at least to me, more a reflection of the party’s desperation to hang on to power than a sincere desire to establish the truth. Take, for another example, the president’s commitment to a debate free of hate speeches. Not only did he say he was absolutely committed to such a debate, he went on, along with his rivals, to sign a pact to keep the peace before, during and after the elections. This, of course, meant a campaign free of abusive language, threats and counter-threats. But no sooner had he signed the pact than he proceeded to call a former president old enough to sire him a motor park tout for no worse offence than being critical of his performance! One of the most memorable quotes of Louis Brandeis (1856 -1941), who famously served as a justice of the American Supreme Court between 1916 and 1939, speaks of the importance of government, and by extension, of our leaders, as exemplars.

People and Politics By MOHAMMED H ARUNA ndajika@yahoo.com

A season of doublespeak

“Our government...” he said, “teaches the whole people by its example. If the government becomes the lawbreaker, it breeds contempt for law; it invites every man to become a law unto himself; it invites anarchy.” When our president commits himself to peace but surrounds himself with people whose stockin-trade is to rain abuses on his opponents, real or imagined, and worse still, when he shows he is not himself averse to using abusive language, should it surprise anyone that the country’s ex-militants would gather, as they did last Friday, not in some secret location, but in Government House, Yenagoa, the capital of Bayelsa State, the president’s state of origin, and tell the world that should their man lose, even if fairly and squarely, they will break up the country? Should it also surprise anyone that several of the most influential of the president’s men fully participated in the meeting? George Orwell, that famous English satirist (Animal Farm, 1984), called it doublethink, that is, when you say something in such a way as to hide the truth about what is in your mind. Out of doublethink has emerged doublespeak or doubletalk. One dictionary defines doublespeak as “language used to deceive usually through concealment or misrepresentation of truth” It seems in this silly season of electioneering, those seeking our votes, apparently led by those in the ruling party, have resorted to using language to conceal what is truly in their minds. This should worry you and me more than the fact that they have hardly shown any interest in debating the issues that concern you and me. Re: “Peter Pan” at 80 For the second time since I said on these pages that I will not publish responses to this column that are over 300 words, I feel obliged to break it. The reason is the reaction below by Asowata which came by email. It was nearly 750-word long but it contained such history of Nigerian journalism and was so readable that I felt I should share it with my readers. Even then I had to edit it to about 500 words for space without, I hope, doing any damage to it. MH Sir, Your column today (January 21), has landed me on Mars. I am writing from there. Your topic, “Peter Enahoro at 80”, is one that disqualifies me from making any commentary: he was Editor even before I was born! But I must ‘judge’ even my elders so that by their judging me for impudence, or rank rudeness, I

RIPPLES

3 MILLION JOBS COMING – Fed Govt.

Hmm, another JOB SCAM in the making

’

This PDP moving of the goal post speaks volumes of the party’s sincerity about its commitment to an issuebased debate as we approach the presidential election...

‘

might earn some fame; even ‘infamy’ will do! What is my relationship with this mighty ‘Peter PEN’, or “Peter PAN”? None whatsoever, beyond Edo State, our common, yet uncommon, place of nativity and heritage. Therefore, the much that I know of , and the closest that I ever got to, the ‘poison’ pen of Peter Pan, was by the opportunity that I had as a member of the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, through Chief Olusegun Osoba, (himself a great journalist). It was upon (Osoba’s) retirement from DAILY TIMES in 1989 that he created the “strictly professional” platform that brought me into his service: COMMUNITY MAGNET, a newspaper, the second Editor of which I became, on September 12, 1990, after its pioneer Editor, Mr Bunmi Iyeru, Osoba’s own ‘boss’ at the DAILY TIMES. Iyeru was then the Judicial Correspondent of DAILY TIMES, and it was to him that Mr Enahoro handed the young Osoba, for teethcutting. Iyeru was the founding Editor of SUNDAY TRIBUNE, Ibadan and, later, Editor, DAILY SKETCH. Even as a youth corps member, Chief Osoba made me leader writer for his newspaper. He also made me his speechwriter and writer of his usually very sensitive position papers on national issues, in addition to my reporter’s responsibilities. So, it was ‘before my very eyes’ that Osoba dived into the politics ocean, and victoriously swam to the Government House, Oke-Igbein, Abeokuta, Ogun State.

HARDBALL

FEW days ago, some ex-militants gathered at the Bayelsa State Government House in Yenagoa, with a threat to levy war, should Goodluck Jonathan, their “son”, lose the February 14 presidential election. But how do you even start analysing this stark illogic coming from these former militants? That they lost the logical argument that the legal majority wins the vote in a democratic election, and that even the losers’ dissenting tally only endorses that majority? Or that they succumbed, having realised they lack the number to win, to the ringing fallacy that what the reasoned pitches of campaign stumps have not delivered, dark growls of war can corral? Besides, if a threat of Ijaw war and conquest didn’t stampede Nigerians from voting Jonathan president in 2011, why should such a threat stampede them from voting him out, in a free and fair election in 2015? But it’s hardly a surprise, with the trio defining the president’s electioneering temper! First, the seasoned Pa Edwin Clark who, in his infinite wisdom, realises Jonathan’s South-South lacks the number to win; yet would not rest until he alienates voters outside that enclave with his clannish Ijaw bombasts.

It was while I was about to draft his inauguration address as governor that he asked me to mention MR PETER ENAHORO for helping him become what life allowed him to become! And though “Mr Pan” permanently dwelled in England, and not poor, Chief Osoba had him fly down to Nigeria, and ride to Asero Stadium, to witness the epochal swearing in of his ‘boy’ as GOVERNOR OF OGUN STATE! That was in 1992, in the diarchy headed by General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida. Osoba had another idol in Journalism: Alhaji Ismail Babatunde Jose, also mentioned in your tribute. ‘Idol’ does not adequately capture and convey what Osoba felt for Jose. Jose, I learnt, launched the recruitment of graduates as journalists, even though he was not one! If that is not a great mind, then there is none anywhere! I hail, you, Mohammed Haruna, for hailing MR PETER PAN, whose elder brother, the late Mr Anthony Enahoro, was not only a great Journalist but an even greater Nationalist! And there is-or was- a third Journalist Enahoro, MIKE ENAHORO; a telegenic television star. I, therefore, entertain no hesitation in sentencing Mr Peter Enahoro, alias “Peter Pan”, to a term of (another) 80 years of distinction. I RISE! Sam U. Asowata. Sir, Reference “Peter Pan” at 80 of January 21. I recall his article “Oga The Malams are coming” sometime in 1966. In it he warned Southerners that Northerners too would acquire Western education and come in droves to compete with them. I t was rumoured that the article annoyed Ironsi. Would he comment now? Ambassador Kabir Ahmed, Kano. +2348033908695. Sir, I love your piece on “Peter Pan at 80” but wondered why the omission of his penchant for Cognac. Is the old man still digging it? Femi Onayemi, Ex-Daily Times, Ex-Mail +2348035901278. Sir, Peter Enahoro has published four books. You failed to mention his autobiography (Then Spoke the Thunder) and The Complete Nigerian. Dr Mann Tolofari. Port Harcourt. +2348038749534. Dear Sir: After reading your article on Enahoro last week, I noticed that you may not know that he did, perhaps his magnum opus, in autobiographical format. This is called: THEN SPOKE THE THUNDER. It is available in our bookstores in Abuja and Ibadan and also at www.konga.com/thebooksellersltd. Kolade Mosuro The Booksellers Ltd, 52 Magazine Road, Jericho, Ibadan. Tel: 08033224923 •For comments, send SMS to 08059100107

•Hardball is not the opinion of the columnist featured above

Project next: threaten war! Second, Asari Dokubo, rash, boastful and boisterous, threatening war at the drop of a hat, a real-life Okonkwo from the fictional original in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, but without the restraining wisdom of an Obierika? Third, Femi Fani-Kayode, glib and suave, who insists on his divine right to spin, whether sense or nonsense; and does not especially care whether such spins help or hurt the cause of his principal, as long as his voice sounds sweet in his own ears. And o, add a fourth: a listless and confused principal, windy wanderer in the presidential wilderness at least these past four years, with a hazy recall of the past, suspect grasp of the present and ultra-blurred vision of the future, just lumbering on, hoping he would blunder his way out of the maze, if only longsuffering Nigerians permitted him more time. So, you see why the Jonathan presidential campaign is heading nowhere but the hard rocks? Yet, for the excitable swamp militants

screaming war, let them ponder the anatomy of war the last time round, in that trouble corridor. Many, getting wise after the fact, accused the late Emeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu of rushing Ndigbo to war. Hardball vehemently disagrees – you don’t endure a pogrom and lay down to be slaughtered in peace, without lifting a finger. Yet, when the chips were down, how many of those in the present South-Sough share the Igbo sense of outrage, by sticking with the Igbo cause? Nevertheless, the Ndigbo generation back then can tell their children now, the injustice that forced them to such an extreme. But what will Asari tell his children – if his war indeed comes and he survives it – the cause of his Ijaw war: that an Ijaw man lost the presidential election fair and square; and that he suffered enough hubris to reject the verdict of the same body of citizens, that four years earlier made this same man president? And, in his suicide mission, the other SouthSoutherners – Itsekiri, Isoko, Edo, Efik, Ibibio, Ogoni, Ikwerre, etc – will merrily join him? Seriously, someone had better call these brash loud mouths to order – and fast!

Published and printed by Vintage Press Limited. Corporate Office: 27B Fatai Atere Way, Matori, Lagos. P.M.B. 1025,Oshodi, Lagos. Telephone: Switch Board: 08034505516. Editor Daily:08099365644, Marketing: 01-8155547 . Abuja Office: Plot 5, Nanka Close AMAC Commercial Complex, Wuse Zone 3, Abuja. Tel: 07028105302. Port Harcourt Office: 12/14, Njemanze Street, Mile 1, Diobu, PH. 08023595790. WEBSITE: www.thenationonlineng.net E-mail: info@thenationonlineng.net ISSN: 115-5302 Editor: GBENGA OMOTOSO