The Nation January 31, 2013

Nigeria’s widest circulating newspaper

Curfew in two Kwara communities

Court indicts Shell for Niger Delta spill

NEWS Page 57

NEWS Pages 2&3

•Oil giant to negotiate with community

•Govt tackles communal clashes

www.thenationonlineng.net

VOL. 8, NO. 2388 THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2013

TR UTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM TRUTH

CUP OF NATIONS

Pension fraud convict sent to prison

N150.00

•Mikel won’t miss clash with Cote D’ Ivoire •I did it for my son, says brace scorer Moses •Super Eagles get $30,000 jumbo bonus •AND MORE ON PAGES 13,14,51&62

FACES OF A CONVICT

•More outrage over ‘light sentence’ From Victor Oluwasegun, Sanni Onogu, Dele Anofi, Abuja and Leke Akeredolu, Akure

A

FEDERAL High Court yesterday remanded a former Director of Police Pension Office, John Yakubu Yusufu, in prison custody for an alleged N250million fraud.

Yusufu will remain in custody till March 1, 2013 when Justice Adamu Bello will begin the hearing of the case.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arraigned Yusufu for the alleged fraud and failure to disclose all his assets.

Yusufu, who was convicted on Monday for pension fraud, is also facing trial for not declaring his interest in a company known as SYA Global Services Limited.

Yusufu is alleged to have used the company to lodge N250million with a new generation bank.

A statement by the Head of Media and Publicity of the EFCC, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, said the suspect is a sole signatory to the company’s account, which was being used to launder pension cash.

The charges, signed by the acting Director, Legal and Prosecution Department of the EFCC, Chile Okoroma, reads: “That you, John Yakubu Yusufu on or about 14th February, 2012 at Abuja in the Abuja Judicial Division knowingly failed to make full disclosure of your assets and liability in the Declaration of Assets Form filled by you by not declaring your interest in a company known as SY-A Global Services Limited, a Nigerian company incorporated by you and solely owned by yourself and members of Continued on page 4

•Yusufu adjusting his glasses in court...yesterday

•Yusufu ...yesterday

•Yusufu ...yesterday

•Yusufu ...yesterday

Boko Haram leaders flee hot Mali to Nigeria ‘Ceasefire is fallout of defeat in Mali’ Sultan seeks dialogue

S •Shekau

ECURITY agencies are working on fresh clues that Boko Haram leaders may have been relocating to Nigeria from Mali.

Some key operational bases of the sect, such as Kano, Bama, Potiskum, Dama-

From Yusuf Alli, Abuja

turu and Maiduguri, are under watch because security agencies suspect that some Boko Haram (Western education is a sin) leaders are in hiding in these

places.

But, despite the ceasefire announced by a faction of the sect, the Federal Government has ordered the military and other security agencies to be on the alert.

The Minister of Justice, Mr. Moham-

med Bello Adoke(SAN), said the government was waging a war against terrorism to avoid erosion of the nation’s democratic values.

Security agencies are working on Continued on page 4

•3,000 JOBS MAY GO IN NPA P4 •HOUSE SEEKS ARREST OF JEGA, ODIMEGWU P8

THE NATION THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2013

2

NEWS SHELL’S INDICTMENT

Shell guilty of oil spill F

•Former Head of State Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) flanked by Guest Discussant and Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola (left) and Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi at the beginning of a two-day Peace Security Summit organised by the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) at the Africa Hall, International Conference Centre, Abuja...yesterday.

•Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola (second left); Commander Staff College, Jaji Brig.-Gen. Johnson Adesoji Oladehinde (left); Commander Nigerian Army Engineering Regiment, Ede, Col. Gbenga Adeyemi (second right); Major Ogunrinmade Adesumbo (second left); Special Adviser to Aregbesola on Security Matters, Mr Amos Adekune (right); and others when the Senior Course 35’s visited to the governor in his office at Abere, Osogbo.

OR an offence it committed 19 years ago in Ikot Ada Udo, a community in Akwa Ibom State, oil giant – Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) yesterday got judgment in far-away Netherlands.

A District Court in The Hague, Netherland, ruled that SPDC – Shell’s Nigerian subsidiary, was partially responsible for a case of oil pollution in the Niger Delta and ordered it to pay damages.

The district court said SPDC must compensate one of the plaintiffs, Mr. Friday Akpan.

Four other claims filed by against the Dutch parent company for pollution in Goi, Ogoniland, both in Rivers State and Oruma, in Bayelsa State, were however dismissed.

The litigants, all farmers, backed

by Environmental rights’ campaigners- Environmental Rights Agency and Friends of the Earth (ERA/FoEN), filed the suits in 2008 in Netherland, where Shell has its international headquarters.

The quartet sought reparations for lost income from contaminated fish ponds and farmlands.

Eric Barizaadooh, who was the only plaintiff in court yesterday, had his claim rejected.

He was, however, happy for the Akwa Ibom community that won the compensation.

Barizaadooh said: “For my colleagues who succeeded, that is victory. Shell is brought to book. I be-

lieve this is a revolutionary case.”

The case was seen by environmental activists as a test for holding multinationals responsible for offences committed by their foreign subsidiaries.

Legal experts said yesterday’s ruling paved the way for other Nigerians, affected by pollution to sue the culprit in their headquarters.

But SDPC said the case would not set a precedent as its parent company was not held responsible.

Sweet victory for Akpan IT was sweet victory for 52-year-old Friday Akpan yesterday. The Ikot Ada Udo, Akwa Ibom State-born father of 12 got a landmark judgment in The Hague, Netherland.

The ruling of the District Court against Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) would allow him to repay his debts.

“I am not surprised at the decision because there was divine intervention in the court. The spill damaged 47 fishing ponds, killed all the fish and rendered the ponds useless,” he told Reuters in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

He said: “Since then, I have been living by God’s grace and on the help of good Samaritans. I think this will be a lesson for Shell not to damage people’s means of livelihoods.”

New avenues A legal expert said the ruling could make it possible for other aggrieved Nigerians who had suffered losses due

Compensation to be negotiated

“W

•Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson flanked by the Chief Representative of the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), Mr. Jung Sang Hoon (left) and the Managing Director, Daesung Machinery and Construction Company Ltd, Mr. Son Byung Chul, after the Korean delegation presented over N70 million Rice Millers to the Bayelsa State Government in Yenagoa.

•Chairman, Transcorp Plc, Mr. Tony O Elumelu (right) and Global CEO, General Electric (GE), Mr. Jeff Immelt after the signing of an agreement on the Framework to expand Ughelli Power Plc to 1200 Megawatts capacity by 2017 and the re-launch of a sustainable railway service for Nigeria in Lagos...yesterday.

E will pay compensation. We didn’t lose the case. It was not operational failure. The leak was the consequence of sabotage,” Royal Dutch Shell’s Vice President for Environment, Allard Castelein, said after the verdict was read yesterday.

“Shell Nigeria should and could have prevented this sabotage in an easy way,” the court ruling said.

“This is why the district court has sentenced Shell Nigeria to pay damages to the Nigerian plaintiff,” it said.

But Castelein said Shell would negotiate the amount of damages with the Mr Friday Akpan, even as an appeal could postpone the outcome of such talks.

Fishermen and farmers from oilproducing communities said they could no longer feed their families because the region had been polluted by oil leaks from Shell’s pipelines and production facilities.

The pollution is a result of oil spills between 2004 and 2007, they said.

It is the first time a Dutch-registered company has been sued in a domestic court for offences alleged to have been carried out by a foreign subsidiary.

The suit targeted Shell’s parent company in the Netherland and its Nigerian subsidiary, which operates a joint venture between the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Shell, Total E&P Nigeria Limited and Nigerian Agip Oil Company Limited.

In October, Shell lawyers said the company has played its part in cleaning up the Niger Delta, which accounts for more than 50 per cent of Nigeria’s oil exports.

Dutch court dismisses FoE claims on oil spills.

The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC),

•Castelein said it was happy that the court upheld the fact that the spills were caused by sabotage and not operational failure.

On the compensation of the 52-yearold farmer, Friday Akpan as ruled by the court, SPDC said it will continue discussion with Akpan to establish damages if any.

Its Manager, Corporate Media Relation, Tony Okonedo, reacted in a statement. He said: “The District Court of The Hague (The Netherlands) today (yesterday) ruled that the four oil spills at Oruma, Goi and Ikot Ada Udo between 2004 and 2007 which have been the subject of a litigation, were caused by sabotage. Furthermore, the court ruled that Royal Dutch Shell plc is not liable and dismissed all claims of Friends of the Earth (Milieudefensie).

“Only in the case of Ikot Ada Udo the court ruled that the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC) could have prevented the sabotage by plugging the well at an earlier stage. In this particular case saboteurs opened the valve (above surface) with a wrench. In 2010, SPDC took the necessary measures to contain the well. This was also acknowledged by the court. For Ikot Ada Udo the proceedings will continue between SPDC and Mr. Akpan to establish damages, if any.

THE NATION THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2013

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NEWS SHELL’S INDICTMENT

Amnesty International: case shows justice is possible

Y

ESTERDAY’S decision by the Dutch Civil Court relating to Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) liability for pollution in the Niger Delta has shown that justice is possible, Amnesty International (AI), said in its reaction to the landmark judgment.

It, however, noted that justice is extremely hard to achieve in a case involving a massive multi-national company.

“Clearly, it’s good news that one of the plaintiffs in this case managed to clamber over all the obstacles to something approaching justice,” AI’s Africa programme director, Audrey Gaughran, said.

He said: “The court found Shell had a duty of care when it comes to preventing tampering with its pipelines.

•Pipelines across a farmland in an oil-bearing community

to Shell’s activities to seek judical redress in The Hague.

Menno Kamminga, a professor of International Law at Maastricht University, said: “The fact that a subsidiary has been held responsible by a Dutch court is new and opens new avenues.

“The court did not just examine the role of the parent company, but also looked at abuses committed by Shell Nigeria, where the link with the Netherlands is extremely limited. That’s a real breakthrough.”

Environmental Rights Action/ Friends of the Earth (ERA/FoEN spokesman Geert Ritsema said the group would appeal the acquittals “because there is still a lot of oil lying around. These sites need to be cleaned.”

Ritsema said hundreds of other Nigerians in Ikot Ada Udo, Akpan’s country home, can now take similar legal action.

The court admitted Shell’s argument that the spills were caused by sabotage and not poor maintenance of its facilities, as

had been argued by the litigants.

Prof. Ritsema said it was the first time that an oil company was being held responsible for failing to prevent sabotage.

There were 198 oil spills at Shell facilities in the Niger Delta last year, releasing around 26,000 barrels of oil, according to data from the company.

But the firm blamed 161 of these spills on sabotage or theft, while 37 incidents were caused by operational failure.

But affected communities insist the number of barrels spilled reported by Shell was a far-cry from the actual amount of oil spilled.

Niger Delta residents have never stopped complaining about the polution of their farmland and waterways, which they said have been blighted for years by oil pollution.

Enviromental rights’ activists have called for oil companies in the country to be held to the same standard as elsewhere in the world.

“However, the fact that the other plaintiffs’ claims were dismissed underscores the very serious obstacles people from the Niger Delta face in accessing justice when their lives have been destroyed by oil pollution.

“Given the really serious difficulties of bringing these cases at all, the significance of today’s ruling is that one plaintiff prevailed and will get damages.

“It is clear that governments need to look at the formidable obstacles claimants face especially when taking massive oil companies to court.”

AI has documented widespread oil pollution in the Niger Delta that seriously undermines the human rights of the people there.

More troubles for firm

S

HELL Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) is facing a legal action brought against it in a United Kingdom (UK) court on behalf of 11,000 indigenes of Bodo.

The villagers say the company is responsible for spilling 500,000 barrels in 2008.

Shell has admitted liability for two spills in the Bodo region but said the amount spilled is far lower.

The suit could be heard in the High Court in London next year.

A United Nations (UN) report in 2011 on the Ogoniland region in the Niger Delta criticised Shell and other multinationals, and the Nigerian government, for 50 years of oil pollution.

It said Ogoniland, where Shell no longer operates, needed the world’s biggest-ever oil clean-up, which would take 25 years and cost an initial $1 billion.

A decade of militancy by armed groups in the oil-rich Niger Delta shut down nearly half of Nigeria’s oil output until the introduction of the amnesty programme in 2009.

Agitation in the region had its origins in local anger over environmental degradation.

•Barizaadooh

Senate queries company’s remediation technique

T

HE Senate Committee on Environment and Ecology yesterday queried the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) over the quality of its remediation done on oil spills sites in Niger Delta communities.

Committee chairman Senator Bukola Saraki, who spoke at an interaction session with the company in Abuja, noted with reservations the work done on some of the spill sites visited by his committee in September last year.

He said there were no remediation signs in the areas where Shell claimed it had cleaned up.

Saraki said: “The method of remediation is of concern to us. We saw a contractor just excarvating contaminated soil and replacing it with fresh soil.

“That is not the way it should be done.”

The former Kwara State governor stated that the practice of awarding remediation contracts to local contractors with little or no technical-knowhow was worsening the situation rather than helping it.

Vice Chairman of the Committee, Senator Benedict Ayade, urged Shell to evolve the best practice in remediating the spill sites.

He said it was not enough to use obsolete and ineffective methods to cure soils that had been damaged by oil spills.

Shell’s Managing Director Mr. Mutiu Sumonu, identified illicit practices, security and lawlessness as some of the challenges facing his company’s efforts to remediate impacted communities.

• Polluted water in Niger Delta

Judgment against oil giant a watershed, says ERA

E

NVIRONMENTAL Rights Action/ Friends of the Earth ERA/FoEN yesterday hailed the ruling that indicted Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) for the pollution of fish ponds and farmlands in Ikot Ada Udo community, Akwa Ibom State.

The Hague District Court, Netherlands, found the oil firm guilty of the offence and ordered it to pay compensation.

ERA/FoEN, in a statement issued in Lagos, described the ruling as a watershed in the quest for environmental justice in the Niger Delta.

It, however, expressed disappointed that the court ruled otherwise with regard to the Goi and Oruma communities in Rivers and Bayelsa states.

Disagreeing with the court’s position that the polluted farmlands and fishponds in Goi and Oruma were due to alleged sabotage by host communities, ERA/FoEN said the ruling on Ikot Ada Udo has set a precedent for global environmental accountability.

According to the group, multi-national oil firms can now be tried in their home countries for their acts or omissions in their host coun-

tries.

The court said the level of damages in the case will be established at a later hearing.

It rejected other claims, saying they were caused by saboteurs and that under Nigerian law, oil companies are not responsible unless they breached their duty of care.

The Goi and Oruma communities have three months to appeal the ruling.

How it all began Four farmers, with the backing of ERA/ FoEN, dragged Shell to the Dutch court, thousands of miles away from their communities in Rivers, Bayelsa and Akwa Ibom states, where Shell’s leaking pipelines damaged their fishponds and farmlands between 2004 and 2006.

The firm consistently denied responsibility and refused to clean-up the sites. It also refused to pay compensation.

The case, which has Milieudefensie as coPlaintiff, was filed in 2008 and had passed through lots of legal hurdles, ostensibly set up by Shell, before yesterday’s judgment.

While Shell Plc maintained it could not be

held responsible for the actions of its subsidiary in Nigeria - Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) Nigeria Ltd, insisted that it cannot be tried by the court in The Hague for problems arising from Nigeria.

In 2009, the Dutch judiciary declared itself competent to try the case and by October last year, it had a full trial of the case.

It held yesterday that Shell broke the law by not repairing leaks that destroyed the lands of the farmers.

ERA/FoEN’s Executive Director Nnimmo Bassey said: “This ruling is commendable.

Through its action, Shell has demonstrated disdain for the wellbeing of communities that suffer the impacts of its reckless exploitation of oil in the Niger Delta. The company knew for a long time that its pipeline was damaged but did not do anything even when it could have stopped the leaking pipes. It is just and fair that it is held accountable” “This win for Ikot Ada Udo has set a precedent as it will be an important step that multinationals can more easily be made an-

swerable for the damage they do in developing countries. We anticipate other communities will now demand that Shell pay for the assault on their environment.

“Until now it has been very problematic because it is difficult to bring cases against these companies in their home countries, because the legislation is often not advanced or properly applied.”

The groups director, Programmes and Administration, Godwin Uyi Ojo, also reacted.

He said: “While we commend the Dutch court ruling, it is now time the Western countries pass laws compelling companies to enforce the same environmental responsibility standards abroad as at home.

“Shell’s volte face in the face of incontrovertible evidence has again shown the double standards of the oil companies in treating spills incidents in the country differently from their pollution in Europe or North America. We are still optimistic that the Goi and Oruma communities will get justice. The ruling against the two communities will be appealed.”

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THE NATION THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2013

NEWS 3, 000 jobs may go in NPA

O

•Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) National Leader Asiwaju Bola Tinubu (second left); Mr. Manoela Borges (left); United States Consulate General, Lagos, Mr. Jeff Hawkins; Mr. Ben Lazarus; and Political/Economic Section Chief Rolf Olson when the US officials visited Tinubu in his Victoria Island, Lagos office…yesterday.

Sultan seeks dialogue as CJN urges peace

D

IALOGUE remains the best solution to end the Boko Haram insurgency, Sultan of Sokoto Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, said yesterday.

The Sultan spoke in Sokoto when he received Chief of Army Staff Lt.-Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika.

He also spoke in Abuja at the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) Peace and Security Summit 2013, which the Chief Justice chaired.

At the summit, the Sultan was represented by Senator Isa Mohammed.

Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Aloma Mariam Mukhtar, also spoke on why the fight against the sect has been difficult.

The Sultan told the Army chief that it was necessary for the Federal Government to hold talks with the sect, which has declared a ceasefire, adding that “the dialogue would serve as a means of getting across to the other splinter groups within the sect.”

Describing the ceasefire as a welcome development, he said: “That is why when a few days ago, we heard of a purported ceasefire by a faction within the Boko Haram sect, we welcomed it and I believe it is an issue we have to open up to.”

The Sultan assured his guest that Nigeria would not break

Boko Haram leaders flee hot Mali to Nigeria Continued from page 1

fresh clues that Boko Haram leaders are retreating back to Nigeria from Mali where foreign forces, including Nigeria’s, have routed Islamist pushing to take over power. Mali is believed to be stronghold of al-Qaeda, which is believed to be backing the insurgency in some part of Nigeria.

A top source, who spoke in confidence, said: “We are sucking that the ceasefire by a faction of Boko Haram might be a consequence of the devastating effects of France and the UN Intervention Mission forces in Mali.

“There are intelligence reports indicating that some key leaders of the sect have retreated to Nigeria from Mali. That is why we have placed some of their operational bases under watch, despite the ceasefire. These bases are in Kano, Bama, Potiskum, Damaturu and Maiduguri, among other border towns.”

Responding to a question, the source added: “The government is cautious on the declaration of ceasefire because it might be a ploy by the retreating Boko Haram leaders to regain the control of lost bases and unleash more devastating mayhem on the country.

“We cannot afford to take things for granted or be carried away by the proclamation of a ceaseFrom Kamarudeen Ogundele, Abuja

up.

“Nigeria will remain one entity. Those clamouring for the division of the country are just making noise, seeking for relevance. God cannot be wrong by bringing us together. He has a

fire. The Chief of Defence Staff, Vice-Admiral Ibrhim Ola Sa’ad, has asked Boko Haram leaders to prove their commitment to the ceasefire within 30 days.”

Another source said: “In spite of the ceasefire, security agencies have been directed to mount water-tight security in volatile states in the Northeast and Northwest.

“So, we will increase the tempo of the present security arrangement in terror-prone states. The recent change of GOCs and top military commanders of some the Army, the Air Force and the Navy is part of plans to step up security nationwide.”

Adoke yesterday gave an insight into why the government has been fighting Boko Haram and other terror-related organisations.

Adoke , who spoke at a two-day peace and security summit of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in Abuja, said the government cannot handover victory to terrorists.

“There is no doubt that challenges to internal security can erode democratic gains and indeed our mutual co-existence as a pluralistic society.

“The wanton and indiscriminate deprivation of innocent lives and the infliction of harm on countless others by the wave of attacks carried

reason why he brought us together as Muslims and Christians. There are many issues that bind us together; there are many reasons why we should remain together as brothers and sisters in this country.”

To Gen. Ihejirika, Nigeria’s unity is not negotiable.

Continued on page 60

Justice Mukhtar said dialogue remains the best solution to agitation. The Sultan said leaders of thought and good conscience must come together, irrespective of their beliefs, to find a lasting solution to the insurgency.

But former Director General of Continued on page 60

VER 3000 workers of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) may lose their jobs, should the Federal Government carry out its planned privatisation of marine services by the NPA. Sources said the Federal Government is also planning to privatise NPA’s engineering, security and fire services departments.

The Nation learnt that after concessioning the port in 2006, these are the major services being performed by NPA. Sources said if marine services are taken away from NPA, “the authority is finished”.

Sources also said that President Goodluck Jonathan has directed the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) to invite competent investors with managerial and technical experience as well as financial and human resources, to provide the services being offered the affected departments.

The plan is coming on the heels of the concessioning of security services on the nation’s water ways to the Niger Delta militants, through the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).

A letter addressed to the Managing Director, NPA, dated January 18 and signed by the Acting Director General of BPE, Benjamin Ezra Dikki, obtained by The Nation, said the Federal Government took the decision in view of the tremendous gains achieved through the reform and concession of Nigerian ports.

Dikki argued in the letter that it was imperative to extend the reform initiatives to marine services.

He stated that under the new arrangement, the private sector would be responsible for the provision of the services being provided by NPA. They include dredging and maintenance of the channels that lead to the ports; towage; berthing and un-berthing of ships at ports, cargo-handling at quay; storage and tallying of goods; repair of ships; surveillance of cargo and stevedoring among others.

By Oluwakemi Dauda

To support the government’s position, Dikki cited the case in Malaysia where “the second phase of its privatisation witnessed the transfer of 51 per cent equity by the port of Kiang Authority to a private firm, Konnas Terminal Kelang Sdn, Bnd”.

The Nation learnt that the government was considering three options in its bid to carry out the reform. They include: •Service contract, which encompasses specific tasks and functions being contracted to the private sector and may include maintenance of plants, and the provision of handling equipment and operators •Management contract, which in a system whereby the private sector is contracted to undertake the management and operation of some aspects of port facilities. This does not involve the transfer of ownership to private operators, according to the government.

•Leasing of public sector assets to a private operator over a fixed period of time, usually with the private sector investing in equipment and sharing of profits with the port authority.

Sources close to BPE told The Nation yesterday that President Goodluck Jonathan favours the last option in carrying out his reform agenda at NPA. Sources said, a meeting was held at NPA’s office in Lagos on Tuesday to perfect plans for the privatisation.

The Senior Staff Association of NPA has kicked against the move.

Its Chairman, Comrade Umar Jimoh, told reporters in Lagos yesterday that the decision was not in the best interest of the country. He urged President Jonathan to stop the exercise.

He said over 8000 of their members lost their jobs when the ports were concessioned under former President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2006.

He urged well meaning Nigerians and the National Assembly to prevail on President Jonathan not to execute policies that amount to the selling of the nation’s heritage to a few individuals.

Court sends convicted pension director to prison Continued from page 1

your immediate family and you thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 27(3) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment, etc) Act CAP E1 2004.

“That you, John Yakubu Yusufu on or about 14th February, 2012 at Abuja in the Abuja Judicial Division knowingly failed to make full disclosure of your assets and liability in the Declaration of Assets Form filled by you by not declaring your interest in the N250million you lodged in a fixed deposit account with the Zenith Bank in the name of SYA Global Services Limited, a company in which you are the sole signatory to its account and you thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 27(3) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment, etc) Act CAP E1 2004.

“That you, John Yakubu Yusufu on or about 14th February, 2012 at Abuja in the Abuja Judicial Division knowingly failed to make full disclosure of

N32b pension fraud: More outrage over ‘light sentence’

T

HERE was more outrage yesterday over the “light sentence” given a former deputy director of the Police Pension office who pleaded guilty to fraud.

The House of Representatives insisted that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Justice Minister, should “as a metter of urgency” appeal the six-year jail sentence and the option of N750,000 fine given Mr. John Yakubu Yusufu by Justice Abubakar Talba, who admitted to being part of those who stole N32billion pension cash.

The Anti-Corruption Network (ACN), in collaboration with the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) and the Association of Unemployed

your assets and liability in the Declaration of Assets Form filled by you by not declaring your interest in the sum of N10million you lodged in a fixed deposit account with the First Bank of Nigeria in the name of SY-A Global Services Limited, a company in which you are the sole signatory to its account and you thereby com-

Youths of Nigeria (AUYN), organised a protest march to the Supreme Court and the office of the Justice Minister in Abuja. The National Association of Ondo State students also faulted the judgment.

The House of Representatives resolved to amend Section 309 of the Penal Code and Criminal Code to reflect the realities of today.

The decision of the lawmakers followed the adoption of a motion under a matter of urgent public importance by the Minority Whip, Samson Osagie (ACN, Edo), who said as responsive lawmakers, the House could not afford to be silent on such a sensitive issue.

Jerry Manwe (PDP, Taraba) said by the judgment, what the court has done is to encourage public office holders to steal public funds and keep some aside for settlement of fines by the courts.

“My appeal is that the National Assembly

mitted an offence punishable under Section 27(3) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment, etc) Act CAP E1 2004.

“That you, John Yakubu Yusufu on or about 14th February, 2012 at Abuja in the Abuja Judicial Division knowingly failed to make full disclosure of your assets and liability in the

should look into the law and amend it so that people don’t come into public offices, steal with impunity and get away with it,” he said.

Udo Ibeji (PDP, Abia) argued that the legislature should be blamed for the ridiculous penalties, Kamil Akinlabi (ACN, Oyo) said the lawmakers have no constitutional powers to review a court judgment.

Minority Leader Femi Gbajabiamila (ACN, Lagos) blamed the judge.

He said the judge was provided with options in the judgment but decided to go with the most controversial alternative.

“The provisions of the law give the adjudicating officer the option of fine, that is to use his discretion and it is left to him to use it reasonably. Why should that dis-

Declaration of Assets Form filled by you by not declaring your interest in the sum of N29million which was fixed on your instruction by one Danjuma Mele in his company account in the name of Jidag Technical Services Limited with Diamond Bank and for your benefit and you thereby committed an offence punishable un-

Continued on page 60

der Section 27(3) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment, etc) Act CAP E1 2004.

The EFCC statement said: “The accused pleaded not guilty to the charge. His counsel, Rotimi Jacobs asked the court to remand the accused in prison custody and fix a date for trial.

•EFCC chair Lamorde

“Counsel to the defendant, Gabriel Tsenyen, prayed the court to grant him a short adjournment to enable him file an application for bail. He also Continued on page 60

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THE NATION THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2013

5

NEWS Teachers not well paid, says Senate From onyedi Ojiabor, Assistant Editor and Sanni Onogu, Abuja

T

HE Senate yesterday lamented the fate of teachers and concluded that they are poorly remunerated.

Senate President David Mark said this when he concluded debate on a Bill for Act to establish the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) College of Education, Zuba.

He noted that it is obvious that teachers in the country are not well-paid.

Mark said poor remuneration of teachers is not restricted only to those in primary schools, but also extended to lecturers in tertiary institutions.

He stressed the need to encourage those who “bring up our young ones” through commensurate remuneration to encourage dedication to duty.

Said he: “At the moment, I don’t think we are satisfied with the quality of graduates that come out of our higher institutions.

“I made a remark the other day that the military educates its products very well. Some people didn’t like the statement.

“But the fact remains that I don’t think we are satisfied with the quality of graduates that come out of our institutions.

“We need to do something about these ‘let my people go kind of graduates we are producing’.

“We need to encourage those who bring up our young ones at the early age so that our children will have good foundation in education.”

‘No driver’s licence for under-25’

T

HE Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) yesterday said commercial driver’s licence would no longer be issued to applicants below 25 years.

Mr. Nseobong Akpabio, Lagos State Sector Commander, FRSC, said this in an interview in Lagos.

He said the step was to get rid of underage drivers and sanitise the profession.

“An underage commercial driver has no commitment and may see driving as one of those jobs that could be toyed with.

“Many road crashes, especially with articulated vehicles, are usually traced to motor-boy drivers, who are without experience,” he said.

He said driving a commercial vehicle should not be taken with levity because it involved lives and goods.

Akpabio urged transport unions, parents and passengers to assist the commission in checking underage drivers to achieve the United Nation’s Decade of Action for Safer Road Users.

“Road crash involving a commercial bus may jeopardise the existence or progress of 10 families and if it involves freight vehicle, it will affect the progress of the company.

“Drivers are very important as they can mar or make a person, because if there is safe arrival, goals and aims can be achieved, but in a reversed case, such goals and aims have been cut short,” he said.

•Newly-appointed members of the Federal Character Commission taking their oath of office before President Goodluck Jonathan during the Federal Executive Council meeting in Abuja... yesterday.

CAN to el-Rufai: your comment F on Jesus reckless

ORMER Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja, Nasiru el-Rufai, came under fire yesterday over his comment on Jesus Christ.

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) described the statement as not only reckless but also “indicative of deep-seated moral bankruptcy.” el-Rufai tweeted on January 28 that “if Jesus criticises Jonathan’s government, Maku/Abati/Okupe will say that he slept with Mary.”

Reacting to the issue, the Christian organisation warned el-Rufai: “If he persists in such matters, making such divisive commentaries, he must prepare himself for a very forceful and vigorous reaction from the Church and the Christian community in Nigeria.”

•Urges Fed Govt, JNI to call him to order From: Gbenga Omokhunu, Abuja

Briefing reporters through its General Secretary, Rev. Musa Asake, CAN said: “Maturity and dignified restraint of the Christian populace in the face of inflammatory and provocative statements should not be taken as a licence for unbridled assault.”

It added: “Had it not been for the maturity, fortitude, patience, decency, forgiving nature and deep sense of restraint that the majority of Christians have in our country, el-Rufai would not have been safe anywhere in Nigeria today after cracking such

an expensive joke.”

Asake went on: “We urge his religious leaders and political associates to advise him to be far more sober and circumspect and put a padlock on his mouth before he lights the candle that may set our country on fire.

“On our part, we enjoin the Christian community and our Christian youths to continue to be restrained and to always seek peace, love and harmony, despite the provocations they are facing from the likes of Nasir El-Rufai and those he represents.”

CAN said: “We must not allow him to turn Nigeria

into a cauldron of fire by his reckless, bigoted and twisted commentaries about our Lord or our faith and we must view him for exactly what he is-a failed, desperate, hate-filled and drowning politician who is now stoking the embers of religious division to create a political base for himself among his people.”

It added: “Nigeria has no place for religious bigots who delight in insulting the Christian faith.

“We urge the Federal Government and Jamatul Nasir Islam (JNI) to call Nasir el-Rufai to order and not to overlook the possibility that his joke was not only contrived but was actually calculated to create an even greater wedge between Christians and Muslims in Nigeria with the attendant consequences.”

Reps to release result of public sessions today T

HE House of Representatives will today release the collated results of the People’s Public Sessions on the review of the 1999 Constitution, which it conducted in the 360 federal constituencies.

A statement by the Clerk, Committee on Constitution Review, Chinedu Akubueze, said the presentation of the collated results would be witnessed by a cross section of the society.

He said: “Representatives of the labour, trade unions, students, women, professional

From Victor Oluwasegun and Dele Anofi, Abuja

groups and other stakeholders have been invited to the programme. They are the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC), Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), National Council for Women Societies (NCWS), National Union of

Local Government Employees (NULGE), National Youth Council, Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) and representatives of civil society organisations.”

According to him, the event, which will be held in the House of Representatives, will feature the unveiling of the voting pattern on the issues itemised in the template for voting during the sessions, as decided by Nigerians at each federal constituency.

•Tambuwal

Akabueze said the ceremony, which will be presided over by Speaker Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, will also have in attendance the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum and Chairman, Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures.

‘Atuche: Witness got N3m interest on loan’

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LAGOS High Court, Ikeja heard yesterday that a prosecution witness of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mrs. Elizabeth Ebi, received N3 million as interest in a loan transaction for which the former Managing Director of the defunct Bank PHB (now Keystone Bank), Mr. Francis Atuche, is undergoing trial.

An operative of the EFCC, Hamada Bello, confirmed to the court presided over by Justice Lateefa Okunnu that Mrs. Elizabeth Ebi, who is also a Director in Futureview Securities, received N3 million as interest in the loan transaction.

Futureview Securities, Trajet Limited and Extra Oil Limited are the companies alleged to be involved in the N18.2 billion loans transaction during

By Adebisi Onanuga

Atuche’s tenure as the Managing Director of Bank PHB. Atuche, his wife, Elizabeth and the former Chief Financial Officer of the bank, Ugo Anyanwu, told an Ikeja High Court that Mrs. Ebi made interest from the transaction in her call account.

Bello, a prosecution witness, in his testimony before the court when being cross- examined by Sylva Ogwemoh, counsel to Anyanwu, told the court that the commission was not interested in the interest made by the woman but the capital.

He also said although there were other officials of the bank who knew about the loans, Anyanwu (the third defendant) gave instructions for the loan to Ebi’s company.

When asked if he had followed the audit trial of the bank during his investigation to ascertain whether or not the loans were normal, he said that was not necessary as he was more interested in following the money.

Asked why Ebi was not on trial for her roles in the loan, which she initially denied knowledge of, Bello said it was not necessary because his investigation showed she did not apply for the loans in question.

He said: “Our enquiry from the compliance department on the account opening packages of Trajet Limited, Futureviews Securities and Extra Oil Limited, companies that were alleged to be involved in the loan transactions, showed that the accounts exist only in the system.”

The EFCC operative also said he did not extend his investigations to other officials of the bank because he already had a lead on the movement of the money, which was later returned to the bank as offers.

Justice Okunnu adjourned further hearing in the matter till February 11, when the defence is expected to re-examine two prosecution witnesses who were ordered to be recalled on the order of the court, Elizabeth Ebi and Diamond Uju, on some fresh issues.

The witnesses, who are directors of some of the companies alleged to be involved in the transaction, had in their testimonies denied knowledge of the loans, which the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission described as ‘hoax loans’.

PDP leaders: we stand by Tukur From Gbade Ogunwale, Assistant Editor, Abuja

MEMBERS of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have said they are not fighting the party’s National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur.

They also denied any division in the ranks of the leadership, saying they are “solidly behind the National Chairman.”

A statement yesterday by the National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, said the leadership of the party is also in support of the transformation agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan.

The statement denied any friction between members of the National Working Committee (NWC) on one hand, and state governors on the other, “contrary to speculations in some national dailies.”

It added: “The National Working Committee is united under Tukur’s leadership and has been working in one accord to ensure good governance in the country.

“There is no division in the leadership of our party. We are solidly behind our National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur and we are focused on ensuring good governance in the country.”

‘Nail biting can cause problems’ SOME dentists in Lagos have said habitual nail biting could cause serious oral health problems.

They told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in separate interviews that nail biting was a habit disorder that developed during childhood, which some adult found difficult to outgrow.

Dr. Adetunji Fagorola said nail biting, as it related to oral health, could be very harmful to a person’s health.

Fagorola said: “Biting your nail may appear to be harmless, but, it can damage your teeth if it becomes compulsive.

“People who bite their nails usually do not wash their hands before biting.

“Thus, there is a high probability of getting bacteria and other harmful microbes inside the mouth.

“Bitten nails can be jagged and may cut the gums, allowing germs and bacteria to easily access your gum and cause acute or chronic infection in your bloodstream.

THE NATION THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2013

6

CITYBEATS

08033054340, 08034699757 E-mail:- ynotcitybeats@gmail.com

PHOTO: SOLOMON ADEOLA

•Front view of the Mall...yesterday

Ikeja shopping mall turns tourists’ haven Barely two years after its opening, the Ikeja Shopping Mall, which stands near the Lagos State secretariat at Alausa, has become a tourist centre of sorts. Assistant Editor DADA ALADELOKUN reports.

“I

N this place, you can get anything. This is an ideal place for shoppers." The woman, Mrs. Biola Aduloju was emphatic, during a snappy encounter with The Nation. It was on Wednesday. She was packing the items she bought into her car in preparation for driving out of the sprawling Ikeja Shopping Mall (ICM), popularly known as Shoprite.

To Yemi Shodimu, celebrated entertainer, the commercial hub is more of a tourist’s centre. "This is a beautiful tourist’s attraction and I give kudos to the South African investors who thought of this," he said. But he added: "This is pure capital flight to South Africa; our super-rich people here should conceive of a lofty idea like this. It will help us a lot economically and help tackle the problem of unemployment among our youth."

Mrs. Aduloju’s and Shodimu’s observations are valid. From the three gates leading to the edifice, which was opened in May 2010, people jostle for space. Strategically placed on the premises are cars belonging to Eternal Transport Division for hiring.

Besides security agents, car park managers enforced the parking rule. "The first one hour your car spends here, you won't pay, but you pay N100 each for the additional hours you spend," one of them told The Nation.

Outside the building, different sign posts welcome prospective customers.

A stroll past the two main entrances leading into the structure and a stand-by parking kiosk brings a visitor to the Food Court, Cinema and Restaurant inside the one-story structure.

The escalator to the upper chamber was a spectacle. As some mount them for genuine shopping, some others watched transfixed.

Parading neatly dressed, sprightly-looking attendants, all the tenant-companies appeared to

have keyed into the seemingly inviolate culture of cleanliness in the mall.

The companies included: Mr. Price that markets assorted English apparels; Seven Eagles, Health Plus (drugs), Gene Bendi and BlackUp Paris (shoes); Storm London and Seconda (wrist watches), Poise (cosmetics), Kids Country; Diva, NOVESA London and Twice As Nice (clothing and accessories); Lifemate and Complete Interiors (furniture); Office Everything (stationery items); Kings and Queens (jewelry).

Others include: KFC, LG Electronics, Samsung, Multichoice, Glo, Airtel, Etisalat and MTN among other leading telecommunications outfits.

Shoppers need not come with

loads of cash as Skye Bank Plc and other banks have available functioning ATM portals within the mall.

At Mr. Price, some windowshopped, others went in for the real thing.

Asked why a shopper should come to Mr. Price, a manager, Steven Omale, told The Nation: "Our wares are affordable, even to a commoner. If you buy anything from us, and it does not suit your taste, maybe by reason of size, so far it is in good form, we take it back and either refund your money or get you your preferred item. Essentially, with us here, our customer is king."

Indeed, not a few of such ventures have turned out to be a nine days’ wonder as they lost their allure

shortly after their establishment.

But Ngozi Okonji, ICM's Head, Public Relations (Nigeria) dismissed that fear when she spoke with The Nation.

"The shareholders of the ICM are world-class renowned property developers. The companies understand the value of property maintenance," she said, adding: "The dayto-day running and management of the ICM is undertaken by Broll Property Services Limited whose core competency among others is retail management. The company (Broll) has four key members of staff in ICM who see to the day-today running of the ICM. They are: Centre Manager, Operations Manager, Financial Manager and the Admin/Leasing Administrator."

ICM tenants, she said, were

guided by the ICM House Rules/ Guides to sustain the ICM's trademark maintenance culture.

The ICM, which has in recent times, become a Mecca of sorts, according to Okonji, offers 22,000 square metres of retail and entertainment space which houses departmental stores, banks, cafés, bars, restaurants and "the first and only cinema theatre in Ikeja" among others.

The Zonal Coordinator (Southwest), Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), Alhaji Nosiru Kaka, also said of the ICM: "The place is, apart from being a good shopping centre, a veritable tourists’ centre for all. It is part of what we preach at NTDC. More of such are needed in the country.

They will boost our economy."

We can help manage emergency, biking group says

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HE Association of Nigerian Motorcycle Clubs (ANMC) has said the country can leverage on its members' expertise to manage accidents and emergencies.

The group's president, Inyang Effiong, an engineer, said this during their maiden press conference held in Ikeja, Lagos.

"When Nigerians witness accident, they just lament and take to Facebook to announce that people are dying.

Most times, the victims do not get the needed help on time," he said, adding: "That is why we want to help because we have the ability to get to places faster than cars without exceeding speed limit. So, we can come handy in emergency situations."

He said the group is holding meetings with the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) on modalities of collaboration to ensure that lives are saved in critical moments.

The group's vice president, Ogbonnaya Kanu, said that the group could be of several social benefits. "We

By Segun Balogun

have helped charity organisations organise successful rallies because it is easy for us to attract public attention.

For example, we shall be holding a ride in Jos on March 1 as our contribution towards peaceful coexistence," he said.

Besides the social intervention, Inyang said the country could also benefit economically from their activities. "Biking in other countries is a multi-billion-naira industry and that is the level we are aiming for, to use our sport to develop Nigeria's economy. Nigerians will gain financially and emotionally by associating with us," he said, adding: "We are holding our annual convention in AdoEkiti and imagine what that translates to economically when all bikers in Nigeria and even from neighbouring countries come to stay for a few days."

He said ANMC was registered in 2009 as "an umbrella body for increasing number of Motorcycle Riding

•Ogbonnaya and Inyang...at the conference Clubs."

He disclosed further: "Currently, there are 11 clubs, spread across Lagos, Ibadan, Port Harcourt, Abuja, Jos, and Bauchi and we are hereby asking individual riders to join a club or form one so that we can all enjoy the sport we love together," he said, adding that "we already have a template for establishing new clubs and for mentoring riders."

Ogbonnaya urged members of the public to respect riders and stop casti-

gating them as eccentric. "We want to let people know that the person they see on power bike is not a riffraff but a responsible person.

"We want people's opinion about us to change. We are law abiding and responsible people from diverse backgrounds, professions, age, and religion, united by the passion to ride. And we have been using this passion to help our communities. We visit charity homes and hold safety seminars," he said.

THE NATION THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2013

7

CITYBEATS Monarchs seek boundary dispute settlement

08033054340, 08034699757 E-mail:- ynotcitybeats@gmail.com

S

OME traditional rulers in Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State have urged the Fashola administration to intervene in their boundary dispute.

Alimosho was split into six councils by the Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration in 2004.

They are - Alimosho Local government, Mosan-Okunola, AgbadoOke Odo, Egbe-Idimi, Ayobo-Ipaja and Ikotun-Igando Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs).

The dispute is between MosanOkunola, Agbado-Oke Odo and Egbe-Idimu LCDAs. Speaking yesterday during stakeholders' summit on the council's budget, the six traditional rulers in Mosan-Okunola LCDA urged the government to intervene in the boundary dispute.

The Baale of Amosu, High Chief Solomon Amosu, who spoke on behalf of others, said it was high time government did a proper demarcation.

Amosu claimed that Iyana-Ipaja, Amo Oil and up till Command Bridge are under Mosan-Okunola, but the inhabitants are paying taxes to Ayobo-Ipaja and Agbado-Oke Odo. "It is unfortunate that our council that is largely residential has some of its axes with markets and garages paying levies to other councils that have numerous sources of Internally Generated Revenue (IGR). More worrisome is that the people in those areas enjoy the amenities provided by MosanOkunola despite its meagre revenue," he said.

This, he said, is unfair to the coun-

By Tajudeen Adebanjo

cil and its inhabitants.

The Baale of Odemuyiwa, High Chief Solomon Aina, said the people in Celiat and Abule-Odu axis should be paying their levies to Mosan-Okunola instead of EgbeIdimu LCDA. According to him, the people using the garage and marketers enjoyed the infrastructure put in place

by Mosan-Okunola LCDA, query-

ing the payment of levies and tenement rates to another council.

Aina urged the council boss, Hon Abiodun Mafe, to take the matter up with the state government.

He appealed to the Commissioner for Local Governments and Chieftaincy Affairs, Hon Ademorin Kuye, who is familiar with the areas to look into the matter.

In his remark, Mafe described the summit as impetus to the council’s

L

By Miriam Ekene-Okoro

be constructed to further de-flood some major areas of the state," he said, adding that over 50 primary channels have also been programmed for maintenance.

He listed some of the project for construction to include construction of coconut drain reach 11, Ajegunle, channelization of storm water at Ajegunle, construction of Shogbesan/Raypower collector drain Alimosho, and construction of Mumuni Adio collector drain Ijegun among others.

The commissioner also blamed the Federal Government's failure to intervene in the prevailing conditions of beach encroachment, coastal erosion and environmental challenges that affect lives and properties in the state.

Bello also mentioned the case of Kuramo Beach, which suffered worse coastal erosion in 2012, explaining that the state government repeatedly called on the federal government for intervention with-

out avail.

He blamed the federal government for the relapse of Apapa's traffic gridlocks and environmental nuisance due to “the failure of the federal government to make good its promise restore the area.

He said that most of the challenges confronting the state government along its coastal lines as well as Apapa Central Business District (CBD) "are the statutory responsibilities of the federal government".

He said the state government asked the federal government for intervention when there was a grave case of beach encroachment in Kuramo Beach, without response.

He said until other states of the federation "suffered acute cases of flooding,” the federal government did not release N400 million to the state government. “This is wrong.

It appears the federal government is not ready to do anything for Lagos State as it had made a number of empty promises," he said.

‘

Lagos to FERMA: stay off Ikorodu Road

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HE Lagos State Government has warned the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) to steer clear of Ikorodu Road now being reconstructed by the state.

The Ministry of Works and Infrastructure’s Deputy Director of Press and Public Relations, Biola Fagunwa, in a statement yesterday, urged FERMA to concentrate on other federal roads begging for attention.

He said FERMA’s planned rehabilitation of the road could be construed as undue interference amounting to duplication of efforts and waste of resources that could be used to rehabilitate Abeokuta Expressway, LagosSagamu Road, and Apapa-Oshodi Expressway.

Fagunwa said the state has been

organising, directing and controlling available resources for maximum impact," he said.

While appealing to the people to continue pay rates and levies, Mafe warned those who collaborate with outsiders to defraud the council to desist.

"Henceforth, anyone caught in this dastard act will face the full wrath of the law," he said.

•A cross-section of the traditional rulers. Inset: Hon Mafe.

Lagos moves against flooding AGOS State Government has unveiled plans to mitigate the impact of flooding ahead of the raining season in the state.

State Commissioner for the Environment, Mr. Tunji Bello, who briefed journalists at Alausa yesterday, said the government had in 2012, dredged 70 primary channels across the 57 local government councils totalling about 32.3 killometres.

He also informed that 330 secondary collectors' drains were cleared for the free flow of storm water into the primary channels, adding that the constructions of new channels at Awori/Moricas, Elere, Arigbanla, Gbagada among others would help tackle flood when heavy rains commence.

Bello who assured residents of government’s readiness to tackle environmental challenges said it would henceforth embark on massive clearing programme and dredging of channels to forestal flooding this year.

"Over 25 projects are expected to

growth.

Our input, he said, should be directed at charting a viable economic path for our people with far reaching positive effect to create a brighter hope for generations unborn.

"Let me remind us again, that the business of budget is a fundamental and technical one that requires scientific skills capable of giving birth to thorough planning,

By Miriam Ekene-Okoro

granted the permission to maintain and rehabilitate Ikorodu Road. He listed the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), rehabilitation of service lanes, and replacement of about 20 manhole covers as evidence of the state’s intervention on the road.

“With such commitment demonstrated by the state government, it will be a sheer waste of energy and indeed a design to create unnecessary tussle between the various agencies of government for FERMA to insist on carrying out any rehabilitation,” the statement said.

Beninois remanded for alleged murder Yaba Magistrates' Court, Lagos, yesterday remanded a 23-year-old Beninois, Kaliso Tofiko, in prison for allegedly stabbing his co-tenant to death.

Tofiko, a Mechanic, resides at 26, Eran Road, Ijanikin, a Lagos suburb.

Prosecuting Inspector Chris Takim told the court the defendant committed the offence on January 5 at 10, Surulere Street, Afromedia,

A

Okokomaiko, where he stabbed Ikoponwonsa Osadola, 22, with a broken bottle on his head and neck.

Takim alleged that the deceased had tried to separate the defendant and his business partner during a brawl, which led to his death. ``The defendant and his business partner who allegedly deals in fairly used foot wears entered into a heated argument, which led to a fierce battle.

Vandals flee under Civil Defence’s superior fire power GUNS boomed in FESTAC Town, a Lagos suburb, yesterday. Officials of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and some suspected petroleum pipeline vandals engaged in a fierce gun battle at 7th Avenue, FESTAC Town.

The vandals, according to the Civil Defence, fled after the 30minute gun battle, leaving behind their loot.

NSCDC, Lagos State Commandant, Mr Obafaiye Shem, said the suspects fled because of the superior fire power of his men.

He said: "Following a tip-off, our men laid ambush for the vandals who had been vandalising pipeline at 7th Avenue FESTAC. We also blocked them at Ije-Ododo area.

On sighting my men, they opened fire on them but we overpowered them and forced them to abandon their looted fuel and fled".

He said 286 units of 50-litre jerry cans filled with fuel were recovered from the vandals.

The loot, he said, would be handed over to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

Shem urged the public not to "relent in giving useful information" to his agency, adding that this would assist them in apprehending people sabotaging the economy.

According to sources, the operatives had earlier mounted surveillance in the area following information from residents who feared that the vandals’ activities could cause an explosion if not checked.

The Nation gathered that around 1am on Wednesday, after keeping vigil, sighted the vandals siphoning fuel from a ruptured NNPC pipeline.

It was learnt that the vandals

By Jude Isiguzo

opened fire immediately they sighted the operatives.

A source at the command headquarters in Alausa told The Nation that when the vandals, who were wounded during the exchange, discovered that they had been overpowered, they abandoned their loot and fled.

Some residents, who spoke with The Nation, said it was like war, adding that most of them laid down in their houses to avoid being hit by stray bullets.

The residents praised the NSCDC operatives for coming to their rescue before the diehard vandals will get the entire area engulfed in an inferno as a result of their illegal activities.

•Ade Abolurin, Commandant

NSCDC

8

THE NATION THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2013

NEWS Transcorp, General Electric to partner on power

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RANSNATIONAL Corporation of Nigeria Plc (Transcorp) and General Electric (GE), yesterday signed a framework agreement to collaborate on power and transport.

GE, a global leader in the design, manufacture, supply, installation and maintenance of technology and services for the power sector, confirmed its commitment to facilitate the generation of 10,000MW of power in Nigeria over the next decade in line with its existing agreement with the Federal Government.

Transcorp Ughelli Power Plc (TUP) is a subsidiary of Transcorp, a publicly quoted and diversified conglomerate with strategic investments in the hospitality, agribusiness and energy sectors.

TUP won the privatisation bid for 100per cent acquisition of the Ughelli power plant.

The framework agreement, signed between GE’s global chairman, Jeffrey Immelt, and Transcorp Chairman, Tony Elumelu, will enable GE and Transcorp to explore a partnership for the refurbishment and expansion of the Ughelli power plant in Delta State.

The wide ranging agreement allows for the provision of technical support and equity investment in the power plant. Other areas of collaboration include projects in the transport sector, specifically in the area of rail.

Elumelu, said of the agreement: “Heirs Holdings recently hosted the USAID Administrator Dr. Rajiv Shah in Lagos to discuss how the US government can partner with the Nigerian private sector to boost power generation in Nigeria. The agreement we have just signed with GE is a positive step toward the realization of this goal.

“As an Africapitalist, I believe in long term investments that create economic prosperity and social wealth. Our partnership with GE comes on the heels of last week’s launch of the East Africa Exchange by Heirs Holdings and Berggruen Holdings, and further signifies our commitment to sustainable economic development, for Africa, by Africans.

House seeks arrest of Jega, Odimegwu From: Victor Oluwasegun and Dele Anofi, Abuja

Nigeria gets N8.5 trillion foreign direct investment T HE Federal Government said yesterday that N8.5 trillion worth of Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) have been attracted to the country.

The investments are to be spread over five years, the Minister of Trade and Investment, Dr Olusegun Aganga, announced yesterday in Abuja.

He spoke to State House reporters with Environment Minister Hajia Hadiza Mailafia and Presidential spokesman, Dr Reuben Abati, after yesterday’s Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting. Aganga said the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has put Nigeria’s foreign direct investment for 2012 at $8.9billion.

Stressing that Nigeria has become the most sought after investment destination in Africa, Aganga said the country currently exports 177 commodities to 103 countries, with the United States, Brazil, Netherlands, India and France topping the list.

The products, he said, included oil and solid minerals, raw hide, cocoa and by-products, sesame and cashew nuts, noting Lagos, Kano, Ondo, Ogun and Oyo as the top five exporting states.

Assuring that his ministry was doing more to attract more investments and increase export from Nigeria, he said that the recorded trade in Africa puts Algeria, South Africa, Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana as Nigeria’s biggest trading part-

•To begin centenary celebration Monday

From Augustine Ehikioya, Abuja ners.

Aganga, who pointed out that trade accounts for 18.1 per cent of Nigeria’s GDP, said that over 3000 exporters have been trained in areas of labelling and packaging.

But he maintained that Nigeria needs a strong industrial base since it is the best approach developed nations adopted to transform their economies and not by just exporting mere raw materials.

According to him, with the increasing investments, about 2.5 million direct and indirect jobs have been created in the textile and cement industries since he assumed office, while trade units have been created in Nigeria’s foreign missions.

Aganga said: “Our foreign investment drive is bringing results with foreign investment commitments hitting 8.5 trillion naira and this is going to be for the next five years.”

“According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development UNCTAD, we attracted 8.9 billion dollars worth of

foreign investments last year, the largest in Africa and this also makes us one of the best investment destinations in the world.

“We now have an integrated trade and investment policy which was lacking for a long time.”

President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday also despatched a special committee headed by the Director General, Bureau for Public Procurement (BPP) to assess the progress of erosion control contracts in the Southeast.

Other members of the team are representatives at the level of directors from the Ministries of Works, Land, Environment, Water Resources, the Office of the SGF and the Ecological Office.

Speaking at the briefing, the Minister of Environment, Hadiza Malafia, said: “One other issue that came out of Council today was the concern expressed by Mr. President about erosion devastation in the Southeast.

“Mr. President has directed that the committee led by the Director General of Bureau of Public Procurement should proceed immediately to visit erosion sites in the

Southeast with a view to ascertaining the seriousness of the contractors.

“This team of experts from the various departments of government will assess the state of execution and completion of the various projects, look at ways of better management of the projects as well as advise government on the prioritisation of the projects.”

She went on: “One point that was made very clear by Mr. President is that unserious contractors involved in any of these projects will have their projects determined and may be prosecuted if they are found culpable.

“All of these again is in ensuring that we are better prepared ahead of the rainy season and that proactive steps are taken to ensure that needless hardship is avoided”.

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, who moderated the briefing of the Council meeting, which focused on the achievements and challenges of the Ministries of Trade and Investment and Environment in the last one year in line with the performance contracts signed with President Jonathan, said the President will on Monday begin the centenary celebration at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The celebration, he said, would focus on the unity, strength and achievements of the country in the last century.

T

House of Representatives has issued warrants for the arrest of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Comm ission (INEC) Prof. Attahiru Jega and his National Population Commission (NPC) counterpart, Festus Odimegwu.

The warrants were issued for ignoring several invitations of the Public Account Committee to defend the queries raised on their audited account as raised by the Office of the Auditor General of the Federation (OAGF).

The lawmakers said the INEC has not accounted for election budgets since 2003 and the Chairman has refused to appear before them to defend how the funds were spent.

The decision of the committee was conveyed by the Chairman, Solomon Olamilekan, who noted that the committee was left with no choice than to forcefully bring the affected persons before the committee, having failed to respect invitations sent to them earlier.

Speaking at the end of the committee meeting, Olamilekan said the committee would issue a warrant of arrest on the two tomorrow (today) and compel the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) to bring both to the committee sittings next Wednesday.

He said: “Both have refused to show up despite several invitations extended to them. Anyone who occupies public office must show due diligence and accountability and this the parliament will demand of them whether they like it or not.

“When INEC looked for power to be on the “first line charge, it ran to the parliament and its problem was solved. Why is it now afraid of showing up to give account of what it has spent?

“We insist the head of these organisations must show up to give proper account of what they used the money allocated to them for.

Nobody will be allowed to behave as if they are bigger than Nigeria as a country.

“INEC will soon be making budget for 2015 elections, but it must first clear all doubts raised on its award of contracts for 2003 and 2007 elections.

“This we expect the Commission to do, but since they have refused to turn up willingly, we will tomorrow (today) issue a warrant asking the police to bring them down here next Friday to clear all doubts raised by the Auditor General against their audited accounts”

Commission set to probe death of suspects in police custody From: Gbade Ogunwale, Assistant Editor, Abuja

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HE Police Service Commission (PSC) has said henceforth, death of suspects in police custody would be subjected to a thorough investigation by the commission.

At a news conference yesterday, a commissioner in the PSC, Ms. Comfort Obi, said death of suspects in custody would attract severe sanctions if police officers in charge of such suspects were found culpable.

Obi added that domestic violence and discrimination against women would be similarly investigated, with a view to sanctioning offenders.

She attributed most of the cases of criminal acts and misconduct in the police to the activities of dismissed police personnel who find their ways back into the system through the back door.

The commission announced the promotion of three Commissioners of Police to the post of Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG); and six Deputy Commissioners of Police (DCP) to the rank of Commissioners of Police.

Two Deputy Commissioners of Police were promoted to the rank of Acting Commissioners of Police; while 20 Superintendent of Police were promoted to the rank of Chief Superintendent of Police.

Others include 20 Assistant Superintendent of Police, who became Superintendent of Police; 300 Superintendent of Police to Chief Superintendent of Police; 200 Deputy Superintendent of Police to Superintendent of Police; 794 Assistant Superintendent of Police to Deputy Superintendent of Police; and 1054 first entrants to the rank of Assistant Superintendent of Police.

•From right: Dr. Newton Jibunoh, Founder of Fight Against Desert Encroachment (FADE); Gen. TY. Danjuma, Chairman of TY Danjuma Foundation; Dr.Bashir Yuguda, Minister of State for Works; and Mustafa Balarabe Shehu, an engineer and President of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), at the inauguration of the NSE-TAD (Nigerian Society of Engineers Taming African Deserts) Council and Boards, at Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja... on Tuesday.

Equipment leasing bill stirs row in Senate BILL for an Act to regulate the business of Equipment Leasing in Nigeria threw the Senate into a row yesterday.

The Bill, sponsored by Senator Ita Enang (Akwa Ibom North East) met stiff opposition as most senators said it is uncalled for.

Enang, in his lead debate said that globally, equipment leasing is recognised and established as a creative financing alternative that is used to meet the world’s equipment needs.

He noted that in the United

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From: Onyedi Ojiabor, Assistant Editor and Sanni Ongu, Abuja

States of America , for instance, leasing remains the single most widely-used method of external finance, representing 30 per cent of investment in capital equipment.

He added that many developing countries such as Brazil , Indonesia , Pakistan , Zambia , South Africa and Ghana are equally using leasing to stimulate investment and to create job.

The lawmaker noted that in

those countries, leasing is at the forefront of investment in the extractive industries, transportation, agriculture, telecommunications, roads and other infrastructure.

He said that in the country, leasing started in the 1960s and over the years, has been supporting economic development of the country through provision of much needed capital assets for productive ventures.

He noted that leasing is even more desirable given the present economic realities in

the country where outright purchase of productive assets is almost impossible.

He said that though leasing is in practice in the country, there is no law regulating it.

The lawmaker said absence of regulatory law in the sector has hampered and limited the practice as investors and financiers are skeptical of investing or bringing in their equipment, hence the Bill.

Enang gave the financial implication of establishing a regulatory body for the sector as N14.883 billion.

Fashola raises alarm over attack on public utilities •Urges NERC to sensitise consumers on conservation From John Ofikhenua, Abuja

•Fashola

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AGOS State Governor Babatunde Fashola has urged Nigerians to see themselves as part-owners of public utilities, noting that they play a major role in curbing theft

and vandalism of cables.

He enjoined the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to embark on a nationwide sensitisation exercise on the conservation of power and protection of public utilities.

The governor said it was time NERC came up with its nationwide campaign to help Nigerians make the connection between protecting assets and securing the country’s future.

Fashola, who spoke when he presented a paper, entitled: ‘Our

utilities -A value system of conservation and preservation’, at the NERC’s Distinguished Visitor Programme in Abuja, said lack of conservation and preservation of utilities was a threat to the attainment of a reliable power supply system.

According to him, efforts must be made to achieve efficient use of energy resources and preservation of the nation’s energy infrastructure, to save costs.

Governor Fashola said: “Your work as regulators cannot be complete unless you adopt a strong and effective

policy of educating Nigerians on how they must conserve and preserve our utilities.”

He told the commission that it would be shirking a major responsibility if it refused to assist Nigeria develop a strong sense of ownership of public utilities, adding: “Anything less will be akin to trying to fill a basket with water.”

Fashola, who talked about the theft of public property and wastage at the forum, said the Lagos State Electricity Board reported that last year, about N56million worth of power cables were stolen in the state.

THE NATION THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2013

9

NEWS ACN urges supporters to be steadfast From Damisi Ojo, Akure

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EMBERS of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Ondo South Senatorial District have been urged to remain committed to the party’s vision of making life better for the people.

ACN Chairman in the District Mr. Wale Akintimehin spoke on Tuesday in Ore, Odigbo Local Government Area, at a meeting of leaders of the party.

The district is made up of six local government areas IleOluji/Oke-igbo, Irele, Odigbo, Okitipupa, Ilaje and EseOdo. Akintimehin thanked members for their support to the party leadership and informed them of the party’s activities at the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal.

He unfolded the party’s activities for 2013, which were adopted after minor amendments.

The party leaders pledged their support for the Chief Olusola Adesoji-led state executive.

At the meeting were all members of the State Executive Committee (SEC) and Women’s Leader Erelu Modupe Johnson, among others.

•Prof. Festus Adesanoye of the University of Ibadan after delivering the Fifth English Language Clinic Lecture of the university in Ibadan. With him are Deputy Vice-Chancellor (DVC) Prof. Arinola Sanya, Administration (right) and his wife, Bamitale

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Robbery scare in Osun

UMOURS of a purported bank robbery yesterday created tension in Ikirun, Ifelodun Local Government Area of Osun State.

The rumour gave the impression that robbers attacked a bank in a neigbouring community and were on their way to rob a new generation bank in Ikirun.

People living close to the bank situated on the new Inisha road were scared and traders hurriedly closed their shops.

It was gathered that the

Illegal posters: Oyo to jail offenders From Oseheye Okwuofu, Ibadan

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NDISCRIMINATE pasting of posters and illegal erection of billboards now attract jail terms in Oyo State.

Director-General of the State Signage and Advertisement Agency (OYSAA), Mr Yinka Adepoju, announced this yesterday in Ibadan, the state capital.

Adepoju said the agency would erect Public Information Panels (PIP) in councils, where event posters are to be pasted.

He said banners were banned.

Adepoju said: “Once this is done, it becomes unlawful for any person or organisation to violate the new order. In the event of violation, the agency has power to impose a fine through its mobile court on the offender.

“Where the offender fails to pay the fine within the stipulated period, he shall be liable on conviction to a term of imprisonment.”

He said the agency is empowered by law to regulate advertisement, including posters and banners.

Adepoju said: We have observed with dismay the indiscriminate way posters and banners are being posted on fences, walls, highways, public buildings, monuments and landmarks by outdoor practitioners, corporate organisations, religious groups and individuals.

“This unregulated pasting of posters and flying of banners have defaced the city.

The agency can no longer tolerate this absurdity and has come up with laws regarding posters and banners.”

From Adesoji Adeniyi, Osogbo

bank, which reopened last week after a robbery, closed for the day at about 11am.

It was rumoured that the robbers wrote the management about their plan to rob the bank.

The heavy presence of

armed mobile policemen in commercial areas of the town heightened the suspicion of residents.

Commercial activities in major parts of the town were halted for many hours and roads were deserted.

The apprehension spread to Osogbo, the state capital, and some commercial insti-

tutions alerted security operatives to the development.

The situation was brought under control when policemen started patrolling the city.

Last December hoodlums robbed a Bank in Ikirun and attempted to another bank and ran away on sighting the joint police patrol team.

Youths endorse Fayemi

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OUTHS from Isan Ekiti, under the aegis of Isan Youth Vanguard, have urged Governor Kayode Fayemi to contest the 2014 governorship election.

Speaking with reporters through their President, Mr. Wale Ajayi, the youths said: “The task of stabilising our dear state economically and politically requires that Fayemi accepts to serve again for another four years. He has become a pride not only to Ekiti but the entire Yoruba race.

“We pass a vote-of-confidence in the governor and urge him to submit himself again for leadership.

Fayemi’s score card gives us confidence to adopt him for a second term.

“In the past, cosmetic approach to road construction, installation of substandard facilities and dubious collusion with contractors to defraud Ekiti was the norm, but

•Farmers deny anti-govt publication From Sulaiman Salawudeen, Ado-Ekiti

Fayemi has reversed all these and instituted a regime of focus, transparency, accountability and delivery.

“Agriculture, which had been neglected and considered fit for only the old and the uneducated, has been brought to the limelight.

“The total overhaul of dilapidated buildings in secondary schools and revitalisation of several comatose stateowned industries have endeared Fayemi’s person to this organisation and, indeed, all Ekiti indigenes.”

The All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Ekiti State chapter, yesterday said no governor has supported farmers as much as Fayemi.

In a statement by its Chairman, Sir J.O. Ogunjobi, and Secretary W.A. Ogunrinu, the association dissociated itself

from a recent publication, which claimed that the governor was not supporting farmers.

AFAN said: “The publication is the product of questionable characters, who have nothing to do with AFAN. There was no forum where farmers met with the reckless and aimless writer.

“We hail the governor for his contribution to the development of the agricultural sector. We urge our members not to be bothered by the spurious and dubious publication.

“We remain united in the common pursuit of developing the agro-business in Ekiti. We urge the governor to disregard the malicious publication. Henceforth, any further publication that does not carry the names of AFAN chairman and secretary should be disregarded.”

Ogun police to uncover owner of recovered rifle

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HE police in Ogun State yesterday said they would send particulars of a police rifle recovered from fleeing robbers in Itele-Ota to the Federal Armaments Officer (FAO).

They said this would help establish the command or officer it was allocated to.

The command said one of the two guns recovered belongs to the police because of its unique colour.

It said the State Crimes Investigation Department (SCID) has been instructed to liaise with the Police Armoury Unit in Abuja to unravel the source of the gun and how it got into the wrong hands.

An AK 47, marked 35-7714 with 20 rounds of live ammunition, and one Magnum Pump Action, marked 7049, were among items recovered from suspects by a po-

From Ernest Nwokolo, Abeokuta

lice patrol team led by Inspector Tonbra Ganvo.

Displaying the rifles yesterday at the Command Headquarters in Abeokuta, the state capital, Police Commissioner Ikemefuna Okoye said the patrol team was on a stop-and-search exercise in Itele-Ota, when they sighted suspicious persons in an unmarked Mazda 323.

He said the occupants abandoned the car and fled into the bush.

"The fleeing suspects were out to commit crime. Upon searching the abandoned Mazda, the two guns, live ammunition, one hammer, one cutlass, a saw blade and two chisels were found."

The command's spokes-

man, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said: "There are many rifles and weapons in the police and the command cannot quickly ascertain who and where the gun was allocated to, hence the need to submit the rifle's data to FAO. "All data about arms in the police are stored in a particular computer, so the number would be inserted into the system and it would tell us the command that rifle was allocated to. This will narrow down the scope of investigation. Definitely, it is a police rifle because of the colour. The rifle must have been snatched in past operations."

The police paraded over 12 suspects arrested for murder, kidnapping and robbery. Items recovered from some of them include a Mazda 323 car and Honda car.

Niger Delta group seeks passage of PIB

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NIGER Delta group, the Izon Ikemi, has urged the National Assembly pass the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) without further delay.

It said its passage into law would be critical to boosting the nation's revenue-monitoring systems, ensuring efficient and transparent management of the petroleum sector and positively affecting the lives of Nigerians.

"In this wise, we strongly advise National Legislators to focus less attention on parochialisms, and be more concerned about the PIB's far reaching objectives, to the benefit of all Nigerians," the group said.

In a communiqué issued at the end of its leadership meeting in Lagos, Izon Ikemi said the Federal Government should comprehensively implement the technical report on the region's development.

It alleged that region continues to suffer criminal neglect and environmental degradation. It said gas flaring and "unchallenged oil spills" keep occurring in the region, and the

By Joseph Jibueze

the East-West Road remains in a terrible state.

According to the group, oil and gas producing communities who bear the brunt of exploration activities should be allowed to directly manage the derivation funds from the Federation Account that currently go to the state government coffers.

It said: "We urge the relevant government institutions and the Presidency to commence the process, forthwith, of ensuring that administrative committees come on stream through appropriate mechanism, to correct the obvious injustice of paying the 13 per cent Derivation Fund through State Governors that have not always been transparent nor accountable with said monies!"

On the technical report, Izon Ikemi said: "The Niger Delta Technical Committee Report should be urgently retrieved off whatever shelves of nonchalance it has been relegated to … and implemented comprehensively.

ON MONDAYS TO SATURDAYS

NOW N50.00 STARTING FROM MONDAY 28TH JANUARY, 2013

THE NATION THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2013

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NEWS Crisis in Bayelsa communities

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HERE is tension between Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) and leaders of Kou Kingdom in Bayelsa State over the management of a N1.25 billion sustainable community development fund for six communities in the Kou Cluster.

The Nation gathered that Shell refused to inaugurate a new Cluster Development Board (CDB) for the Ijaw clan on December 13, last year.

Negotiators of the new Kou GMoU have warned of dire consequences, if the company continues to delay the inauguration.

The warning was contained

From Shola O’Neil, Warri •State Coordinator, Conference of Imo Youths, Kennedy Ibe, speaking to reporters during their solidarity march in Owerri, the Imo State capital,…yesterday.

Story on Page 56

in a protest letter to Shell’s General Manager, Sustainable Development and Community Relations, Greg Amaiwhe.

In another letter, dated January 7, the communities warned Shell that “our youths will soon run out of patience and will take it one way or the other. “ But Shell’s spokesman Precious Okolobo said: we have been liaising with the communities and the Bayelsa State Government on some issues about this GMoU. It has been agreed by all parties that the Kou GMoU will be inaugurated in the shortest possible time

PHOTO:NAN

Expatriate kidnapped in Delta From Shola O’Neil, Warri HERE was anxiety among residents of Uti Street and other parts of Effurun, Delta State, yesterday, following the killing of a mobile policeman during the kidnap of an expatriate worker of a construction firm.

The expatriate, who works for a Lebanese construction firm, Levant Nigeria Limited, could not be identitied.

It was gathered that the policeman was one of the security personnel attached to the expatriate.

The Commissioner of Police, Ikechukwu Aduba, could not be reached for comments.

However, a worker at the construction firm confirmed the kidnap.

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Navy re-awards hospital contract From Nicholas Kalu, Calabar

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HE Nigerian Navy Referral Hospital in Calabar, the Cross River State capital, which has been abandoned for over 30 years, has been handed over to new contractors to complete in the next four months.

Handing over the papers of the project to the contractors at the site in Calabar yesterday, the Flag Officer Commanding, Eastern Naval Command, Rear Admiral Joseph Aikhomu, decried the pace and quality of work of the former contractors.

Man to die by hanging for murder

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USTICE Theodora Uloho of a Delta State High Court, Orerokpe, Okpe Local Government, has sentenced a 27-year-old university worker, David Wonder Erhirhie, to death.

The court found Erhirhie guilty of the murder of Chinoso Ijezie , an admission seeker at Abraka in 2009, an offence punishable under Section 319 of the Criminal Code Law State Cap C 21 Law of Delta State.

Erhirhie, a worker of the

•Two get 113 years for kidnapping From Okungbowa Aiwerie, Asaba

State University, Abraka, was involved in admission racketeering.

He collected N155,000 from the deceased to assist her to secure admission into the university.

The convict, however, could not secure the admission.

In a bid to cover up the fraud, he lured the deceased to his house under the pretence that he wanted to refund the money.

He killed her and buried her body in a shallow grave close to his house.

The judge said: “The punishment for a crime of this magnitude is death penalty.

“This accused does not deserve less. I hereby sentence you to death by hanging of the

neck until you be dead.

“May God have mercy upon your soul.”

In a related development, an Asaba High Court yesterday sentenced two kidnappers to 113 years imprisonment with hard labour for kidnapping and robbery.

The kidnappers are David Erutere (31), a native of Ekrakra Village, Ethiope East Local Government and Sunday Omamuzo Ukaikwo, a native of Olomoro, Isoko South Local Government.

The court found them guilty of a five-count charge of conspiracy to commit a felony to wit, robbery, contrary to Section 6(b) and punishable under Section (1) A of the robbery and fire arms (Special Provision) Act Cap R 11 volume 14 Laws of the Fed-

eration, 2004.

The prosecution told the court that Erutere and Omamuzo kidnapped and robbed Irikefe Edafe and Egwu Johnbull of their valuables and demanded N50 million from their families.

The court sentenced Erutere to 45 years in jail for conspiracy to commit robbery.

Ukaikwo, who claimed to be a farmer, was slammed with 25 years for the same offence.

The duo got seven years each for conspiracy to commit kidnapping; three years imprisonment each for demanding property with menace and another 10 years each for kidnapping.

Ukaikwo was arrested by the State Security Service (SSS) when he went to pick up the agreed ransom.

He took the security agents to the home of the second accused where he was arrested and later charged to court.

PENGASSAN, NUPENG issue strike notice

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UEL scarcity is imminent in Rivers State, as members of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) are to embark on a three-day warning strike.

The industrial action, fixed for February 13 to 15, is to protest the failure of the companies in the Onne Free Trade Zone to allow their workers to form unions.

The Zonal Chairman of NUPENG, Godwin Eruba, yesterday in Port Harcourt, said there would be no lifting of pe-

•Fuel scarcity imminent in Rivers From Bisi Olaniyi, Port Harcourt troleum products, during the period.

He warned that if nothing was done, three weeks after the warning strike, the unions would proceed on a full strike.

“We would shut all oil facilities.”

Eruba said workers had the right of association, in accordance with Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution.

He said: “It is anti-government to say that workers do not have the right of association.

“The Federal Ministry of Labour is aware of this problem and has intervened by asking the companies in the free trade zone to allow their workers freedom to associate, but all to no avail.

“The workers who tried it were sacked.

“We have waited for their compliance for four years, but these companies are proving very stubborn.

“We feel we have been pushed to the wall and we can no longer fold our arms and watch the oil industries mistreat our colleagues.”

Bayelsa House Leader’s mum abducted

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ADAM Esther Akpe, mother of the Leader of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, Peter Akpe, has been kidnapped.

The 59-year-old was said to have been snatched on Tuesday at 9pm by armed men, who invaded her home at Ebedebiri in Sagbama Local Government.

The abduction is coming on the heels of Governor Seriake Dickson’s warning that he would sign the death warrant of convicted abductors.

Dickson’s position came few hours after the abduction of Festus and Ebiye Ebegu, the

parents of Ogbia Local Government Area Chairman, Richard, from their Oloibiri country home.

The kidnappers were said to have stormed the community in a speedboat. They were said to have fired sporadically into the air to scare away the people.

A source said: “The woman was sitting outside and was about to go into her house when she heard gunshots.

“She was grabbed by her captors who dragged her into their waiting speedboat.

“The abductors were about

five and armed. They took her away into their speedboat and headed towards Bomadi in Delta State.”

Her son, Akpe, confirmed the incident but said the kidnappers have not contacted the family.

The atmosphere at the Assembly was gloomy as plenary was postponed.

Sympathisers, including lawmakers and staff, gathered to discuss the incident.

Police spokesman Fidelis Odunna confirmed the incident.

“Our men are on their trail,” Odunna said.

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THE NATION THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2013

BUSINESS THE NATION

E-mail:- bussiness@thenationonlineng.net

SON to destroy N2b cables

At the moment there is an average of about 18 hours per day of constant power supply to different parts of the country. This feat was brought about by the implementation of the integrated power sector reform programme anchored on the power roadmap.

- Minister of Information, Labaran Maku

$3.5b needed to meet 40,000MW

Reps investigate ‘misuse’ of $67b from ECA, reserves T N • Probe of N35.5b Air

From John Ofikhenua, Abuja

From Franca Ochigbo, Abuja

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HE Director-General, Standards Organisa tion of Nigeria, (SON) Dr. Joseph Odumodu, yesterday said the organisation would destroy cables worth N2billion in the next two weeks.

Odumodu, who said this during a media interaction in Abuja, lamented that Nigeria has become a dumping ground for all kinds of sub-standard goods.

He said: “Since the clamping down of SON on importers of substandard products, there has been a serious drop in the importation of these products.

The organisation in the next two weeks, will destroy cables worth N2billion.

“SON focuses on a particular product at a time. This time, it might be cable destruction, the next time, it could be tyre or bulb. I want to assure Nigerians that the enforcement is seriously yielding results, as even the importers of these substandard products are beginning to accept defeat.

“In the last two years, SON has destroyed five million tyres. It is just bad that with all that, the tyres still flood the market. We want to let Nigerians know that these tyres are the major causes of road accidents,” he stated.

He said SON is presently promoting a new National Quality Policy, that would help put Nigeria on the same pedestal with the rest of the world when it comes to quality. It is the lack of this National quality Policy that has hindered manufacturers from exporting their products smoothly,” he added.

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

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

RATES Inflation -11.7% Treasury Bills -7.08% Maximum lending -22.42% Prime lending -15.87% Savings rate -2% 91-day NTB -15% Time Deposit -5.49% MPR -12% Foreign Reserve $43.5b FOREX CFA -0.2958 EUR -206.9 £ -242.1 $ -156 ¥ -1.9179 SDR -238 RIYAL -40.472

HE House of Repre sentatives yesterday resolved to probe the alleged mismanagement of $67billion from the foreign reserves and Excess Crude Oil Account (ECA).

The House’s Committees on Finance and Appropriation were yesterday given the task to conduct an investigative hearing and report to the House within six weeks.

This was sequel to the adoption of the prayer of a motion brought before the House by a member, Umar Bature on the issue.

While presenting his motion on the matter, which has pitched the former VicePresident of the World Bank for Africa Region and former Minister of Education under the Olusegun Obasanjo dispensation, Dr. Oby Ezekweseli, against the Federal Government, Bature said, she alleged that $45 billion in the Foreign Reserves

Nigeria fund put off

From Victor Oluwasegun and Dele Anofi, Abuja

Account and $22 billion in the ECA being direct earnings from oil since 2007, have disappeared.

Bature said he expected that the Federal Government would have refuted the allegation if it was false, but rather, “ the government responded to the allegation by accusing the former Minister of misappropriating N458 billion between 2006 and 2007.

When the Speaker, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal called for a vote on the issue, members agreed that the allegation was worthy of a probe and directed the Finance and Ap-

propriation Committees to investigate the allegation.

However, a motion to probe Jimoh Ibrahim’s Air Nigeria over the N35.5 billion it received from the Aviation Intervention Fund, out of the N85.6 billion disbursed, was withdrawn by the sponsor, Ibrahim Shehu Gusau.

Earlier while moving the motion, Gusau noted that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) had established the Aviation Intervention Fund to restore confidence and financial stability in the industry.

He said N85.6 billion had been disbursed to various Airlines as at December 31, 2011, with the sole aim of refinanc-

ing up to 100 per cent nonperforming loans at a concessionary interest rate of between 2 per cent and 7 per cent.

He said: “Air Nigeria received about N35.5 billion facility as part of the intervention fund. Air Nigeria has now suspended its operations since September 10, 2012 with almost 1000 staff losing their jobs.”

He therefore called on the House to mandate its committee on Aviation to “investigate why Air Nigeria, a beneficiary of the intervention fund has suspended its operations with almost 1,000 losing their jobs.”

He also requested that the committee investigates the effectiveness or otherwise of the Aviation Intervention Fund and report its findings to the House within four weeks.

However, he withdrew the motion on the basis that a similar resolution had been passed by the House.

IGERIA needs to in vest about $3.5bil lion annuallyin the power sector to realise 40,000MegaWatts, the Minister of State for Power, Hajiya Zainab Kuchi has said.

She made this known while receiving a delegation of the European Investment Bank (EIB) in Abuja. The minister said: “As at the last assessment, the government will require about $3.5billion investment from now to 2020 to be able to meet up with the supply of 40,000mega watts that we require as a nation, and that was promised under the transformation agenda.”

She called on investors to take advantage of the robust opportunities in the sector, saying the government cannot single handedly provide the funds . She said the government requires massive investment in power generation, distribution and transmission.

Meanwhile, the representative of the Permanent Secretary and Director of Power, Sanusi Garuba, told the delegation that the nation has opportunities in the small hydro and gas sector, adding that feasibility studies in the areas have been completed and tenders submitted.

Responding, Economic Officer, European Union delegation, Mr. Ibi Ikpoki, said in partnership with the National Planning Commission, his organization has proposed to kick start a Programme on energy development by next year.

FirstBank launches premium banking service • From left: CEO, Akintola Williams Deloitte, Adeniyi Obe, partner, Deloitte Netherlands, Frans Van Schaik, Executive secretary/CEO, Financial Reporting Council, Jim Obazee, and Adedoyin Owolabi, president, ICAN, at the Akintola Williams Deloitte event on Transition to IPSAS in Lagos.

200,000 to benefit from govt’s mortgages

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HE Federal Govern ment is working with the World Bank and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) to increase Nigeria’s mortgage holders from 20,000 to 200,000 this year.

The Director-General, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Ms Arunma Oteh, disclosed this at a three day training for SEC staff on securitisation, mortgage-backed securities, covered bonds and liquidity facility in Abuja, yesterday.

She said the government in looking at social housing, has embarked on an initiative to support housing with medium and long term financing.

The DG said the initiative, to be known as ‘Mortgage Re-financing Facility,’ is being packaged by the Minister of Finance and Coordinator of the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, who

• N100m in collective investor fund, says SEC From Nduka Chiejina (Asst. Editor)

has brought in the World Bank and IFC to help increase mortgage in Nigeria from 20,000 to 200,000 for upwardly mobile Nigerians.

She said the initiative is to “address concerns with the cost of mortgage financing.

Mortgage rates are very expensive, now the federal government is working on the initiative, that will be launched later this year.”

Ms. Oteh expressed surprise that Nigeria has only 20,000 mortgages, saying with the planned securitisation, banks can move mortgage out of their books.

She explained that Securitisation is an important tool for transformation, saying that was the compel-

ling reason SEC organised the training for its staff so they could understand the concept.

The DG also disclosed that there is about “N100 million in the collective investor fund,” and encouraged retail investors to leverage their participation in the “collective investor fund to enable them diversify their investment portfolio in the market.”

She said the Board of SEC has set up a National Collective Investor Protection Fund, to protect investors in the capital market against sharp practices.

“Whenever there is any complaint, they are resolved immediately. But we are waiting for the market to adopt it. We also want the resolutions to happen quicker than they do now.

She warned that “there will be severe consequences for infractions in the capital market. SEC will not permit any wrong-doing and will match words with action. Nigeria’s capital market must have stringent enforcement regimes to build integrity.”

The main facilitator at the training, Prof. Graham Penn of the University College, London, said securitisation relates to securities that are issued and collateralized or backed by hard assets e.g. income stream from power and road projects.

He said it is Important for Nigeria’s capital market to have independent assessors to review developments with the product to give investors confidence of repayment.

From John Ofikhenua, Abuja

F

IRST Bank Nigeria Plc yesterday launched the ‘FirstBank Premium Banking Lounge’ in Abuja.

The Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Bisi Onasanya, who was represented by the Executive Vice President, Retail Banking, North, Mr. Abdullahi Ibrahim, said the service is to provide premium customers with first class service.

He said service will commence in two branches at Abuja and Lagos respectively, while plans are underway to locate the service in Port-Harcourt.

Onasanya said while the process of extension of the service is on-going, it would be available at branches where there are no premium lounges, explaining that it is the bank’s innovation to provide service to affluent customers, who have been loyal to FirstBank.

He said the bank will ensure that premium customers are accorded first class treatment that truly defines the bank’s brand at all it’s branches.

THE NATION THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2013

12

NEWS

EFCC probes sale of land in Enugu building of a private estate.

According to the sources, who do not want to be named because “it is the commission’s headquarters in Abuja that usually speak to the media”, investigation showed that the youths sold the land for N160million.

They collected N55million from the laywer.

The lawyer is said to have disbursed N45million of the amount to the youths.

A clerical officer in the public service, who was said to have collected the lion’s share of N30million and has since travelled overseas.

Eleven other persons, led by Ikechukwu Emefu, shared N15million. The lawyer is said to be keeping N10million.

Reacting to the EFCC preliminary report, professionals, who are indigenes of the com-

,

A

N Enugu lawyer is in trouble for aiding 12 youths to sell a large expanse of land belonging to their community without proper consent.

The community has petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The anti-graft agency is probing the role of 12 youths in Ozalla Abor, Udi Local Government Area of Enugu State in the matter.

The land is in Phase Six Extension of Trans Ekulu, a sprawling layout in Enugu, which belongs to the community.

EFCC said the youths, who are between 30 and 35 years, sold 200 plots of the land to members of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) working at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Enugu, for the

When we accosted the operator, we were told he was working on the instructions of the Association of Resident Doctors, which had purportedly purchased 200 plots of the land

,

munity but resident outside Enugu, namely Ken Onudungene, Uche Enebe, Emmanuel Obodo, Ben Eruchie and Belije Madu, who is an engineer with the Presidential Task Force on Power (PTFP) in Abuja, hailed the commission for “its swift response and dispassionate in-

vestigation which will bolster public confidence in its ability to stem the terrible tide of fraud, which is wreaking much havoc in Nigerian”.

They wondered why any lawyer “could agree to enter into a huge land transaction with a group of jobless young men without to consulting the chiefs and elders of the community, as well as professionals and academics from the area and officials of the community development union”.

The Ozalla Abor community on January 7 petitioned the EFCC on the land transaction.

In the letter signed by Ferdinand Agbo and John Onyechi, chairman and secretary of the Ozalla Abor General Assembly, the community denied any knowledge of the deal.

“We were shocked to find a bulldozer illegally working on

our ancestral land on December 15, 2012 when we went on a routine inspection of our assets, following the election of a new executive committee of the assembly on December 9.

“When we accosted the operator, we were told he was working on the instructions of the Association of Resident Doctors, which had purportedly purchased 200 plots of the land.”

The assembly noted that further enquiries showed that the young men were still illegally selling more land and, in some cases, selling the same plots to two or three individuals and groups.

It alleged that the young men were selling the plots far below the market value, to entice people to part with their money.

Arisekola’s son free to travel

By Adebisi Onanuga

J

USTICE Adeniyi Onigbanjo of a Lagos High Court, Ikeja yesterday granted Abdulai Alao, son of Ibadan business mogul, Arisekola Alao, leave to travel to the United States of America for medical treatment.

Abdulai is facing trial for alleged petrol subsidy fraud in the sum of N1,899, 238, 946. 02 At the resumption of the sitting, his counsel, Mrs. O. Badewole, told the court that there was an application to that effect in court.

Abdulai is the third defendant in the suit, which also involves Mahmud Tukur, Ochonogor Alex and Eterna Oil and Gas Plc. Counsel to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Tayo Olukotun, said the prosecution would not be opposing the application provided Abdulai would return to the country within 30 days.

Before considering the merit of the application, Justice Onigbanjo stood the case down to enable the prosecution and defence confirm if the defendant has other matters before other judges, which would not come up within the 30 days being applied for.

The counsel confirmed to the judge after the stand-down that the case before Justice Lateefah Okunnu would come up on February 25, while the one before Justice Habeeb Abiru recently elevated to the Court of Appeal, had not been re-assigned to another judge.

The Justice then ruled in favour of Abdulai Alao to travel to the USA. The judge ordered that he must return on or before February 25 when his matter comes up before Justice Okunnu.

Justice Onigbanjo also ordered the EFCC to release Alao’s international passport and ordered the defendant to return same to the anti-graft agency within 48 hours of his return.

Justice Onigbanjo had earlier in response to the oral request of Tukur and Alex, made through their counsel, Tayo Oyetibo, for permission to travel to South Africa for business, asked them to make a formal application.

Justice Onigbanjo, who was later informed by the EFCC counsel, Olukotun that the settlement talks between the defendants and the EFCC had hit a brick-wall, adjourned trial till May 6.

•Obi (left) with Commissioner for Lands, Okoli Akilika (middle) and the Executive Director of Golden Oil Limited, Mr. Dvioedy, when the governor visited the company...yesterday.

Anambra begins work on N800m Onitsha road

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HE Anambra State Government yesterday started the reconstruction of Obodoukwu Road, Okpoko which costs over N800 million.

Governor Peter Obi assured the people that he would not rest in his commitment to make Anambra State one of the best in Nigeria.

Also yesterday, Obi visited Golden Oil Industry at Harbour Industrial Zone, Onitsha.

He inspected its existing facilities and the new ones for building 40,000 tonnes feed meal.

Obi said the visit was to ascertain what the company had been doing and examine its request for more land for expansion.

He promised that his administration would assist the com-

From Odogwu Emeka Odogwu, Nnewi

pany.

The company’s Executive Director , Mr V. N. Dvioedy said Anambra State has not had it so good until Obi became governor.

He noted that from its former sorry state, Onitsah has become a pride under the Obi administration.

The company chief said this has made Onitsha one of the best places to invest in Nigeria.

On the industrial estate, vioedy said it was nicknamed “Atani Lake” because the area was heavily flooded.

But he said all that has become history with the provision of mass infrastructure.

‘Ngige under pressure to contest Anambra poll’

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CHIEFTAIN of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Anambra State, Chief Barth Nwibe, has said former Governor Chris Ngige is under intense pressure to enter the November governorship race.

Ngige is the senator representing Anambra Central in the National Assembly.

Nwibe was a House of Representatives aspirant for Aguata Federal Constituency in the last general election.

The ACN chieftain spoke when he led a team of party supporters to a meeting of

•ACN chieftain donates N1.5m to women’s group From Odogwu Emeka Odogwu, Nnewi

Anambra Women Organisation (AWO) at Ezinifite, Aguata Local Government.

He explained that though Ngige has not indicated interest in the race, there is pressure on him to contest the November election following his excellent performance when he was governor.

Nwibe donated N1.5 million to the women’s group to boost their activities.

He said: “Looking at Senator Ngige’s past record in infrastructural development, he will surely deliver on good governance to the people.”

The ACN chieftain promised to take the messages he received from various groups to the senator.

“I am interested in who will develop the state, create employment for youths, improve the lives of our people, among other things” Nwibe added.

The women promised to

support any candidate who would implement free education, create jobs for youths and empower the women.

“What we expect from the governorship candidate are improved living conditions, where our children will have access to free education and jobs,” they said.

The women said AWO would back any candidate who would not only promise and also implement programmes to improve the people’s lives.

Imo youths protest ‘harassment’ of govt officials From Okodili Ndidi, Owerri

T

HOUSAND of Imo State youths yesterday in Owerri, the state capital, protested the alleged incessant arrest and harassment of government officials by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The youths, who came from the 27 local governments, marched on major streets of Owerri, protesting what they called the “inhuman treatment” meted out to government officials by the anti-graft agency.

The protest started at the Dan Anyiam Stadium at 10am.

It grounded human and vehicular movements.

The traffic gridlock that resulted from the protest forced commuters and workers to abandon their vehicles and trek to their offices.

The protesters, under the aegis of the Conference of Imo Progressive Youths, said their action was prompted by the distraction of the government by the EFCC connivance with some politicians.

The protesters carried placards, with against inscriptions, such as: Stop distraction or we stop you; Owelle has exposed corrupt Governors; godfathers, your work is over in Imo; Imo has been transformed; Abuja politicians don’t distract the rescue mission; among others.

They urged the EFCC to stop acting the script of those they called mischievous politicians.

They urged the anti-graft agency up to arrest former Governor Ikedi Ohakim, who they said has been indicted by many investigation panels for alleged fraud.

The leader of the group, Kennedy Ibe, told reporters they were protesting the distraction of the Rochas Okorocha administration by some frontline Imo indigenes.

The youths condemned what they called EFCC’s interference and arrest of some government officials and workers of the House of Assembly without reasons.

Ibe said the actions of the anti-graft agency could no longer be tolerated, adding that the youths support the government’s rescue mission.

CAN urges Nigerians to be peaceful

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HE Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Lagos State chapter, has urged Nigerians to live in peace, irrespective of their religious beliefs and ethnic groups, to ensure the country’s development.

Monsgr Bernard Okodua, the Chairman of CAN in Lagos State, said this yesterday when he addressed reporters in Lagos ahead of the Inter Denominational Divine Service (IDDS) slated for The Apostolic Church, LAWNA International Convention Ground, Olorunda, Ketu Lagos, on February 9.

He said: “The theme of this year’s IDDS: “Peace, Be Still’, is apt because of the situation in the country. We need to pray for peace in our families, business and government. Though our country that is supposed to experience peace is undergoing hardship due to the activities of undesirable elements, this will not stop the prophecy of God concerning Nigeria from manifesting.

Innocent Amomoh

ENYEAMA

Taofeek Babalola

FROM

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from

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Thursday, January 31, 2013

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Mikel Obi

won't miss Ivorian clash C

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Yobo faults standard of officiating •Yearns for AFCON trophy

Ethiopia coach slams players over defeat Pg. 14

AFCON 2013 : Nigeria splashes $30k on Eagles Pg. 14

ONTRARY to speculations, the engine room of Nigeria’s midfield, Mikel Obi, will not miss the potentially difficult quarter-final match against Cote d’Ivoire, after he was given a yellow card in the match against Ethiopia.

PANA gathered authoritatively that Mikel is free to play the quarter-final match on Sunday, because he was not given any caution in Nigeria’s opening game against Burkina Faso last week.

A call to the office of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) in Johannesburg also confirmed that Mikel was not cautioned in the game with either Burkina Faso or Zambia.

However, Fegor Ogude will miss the quarter-finals as Ambrose Efe, who has served his two match-suspension, returns.

Fegor got his yellow card in the 24th minute of the game with Burkina Faso, after he tripped Jonathan Pitroipa.

He got another yellow card in the match against Ethiopia in the 63rd minute, barely a minute after Sunday Mba was also cautioned.

According to the rules, any player with two yellow cards in the group games will miss the next match, hence Ogude will not play on Sunday.

Meanwhile, all the other Nigerian players who got just a yellow card in the first round - Godfrey Oboabona, Nosa Igiebor, Ahmed Musa, Mikel Obi, Sunday Mba - will have the cautions wiped out in the second phase of the competition.

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NATION SPORT

Maigari thanks Nigerians, expresses faith in Eagles

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RESIDENT of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Alhaji Aminu Maigari has expressed appreciation to the Government and people of Nigeria for the tremendous support so far given to the Super Eagles at the 29th Africa Cup of Nations.

The two-time African champions reached the quarter finals in South Africa on the back of a 2-0 defeat of Ethiopia in Rustenburg on Tuesday night, with two earlier 1-1 draws against Burkina Faso and Zambia looking to put them in danger of elimination.

In Johannesburg on Wednesday, just before setting out to Rustenburg to meet with players and officials of the Eagles at their Hunters’ Rest nest, Maigari minced no words in commending the government and Nigerians at home and abroad for their prayers and general support that have seen the Nigerian squad thus far.

“I want to say that progress to the quarter finals has been made possible by the huge support we have received from the government and our people from everywhere, at home and in the diaspora, people of different faiths and backgrounds praying with one accord for the team’s success.

“We owe it to the government and all these people to progress even further in the championship.” Victor Moses, 22, who was born in Kaduna but has lived in England since the age of 11 (incidentally, the number he wears for Nigeria), won and converted two late spot-kicks that steered the Eagles into the last eight.

Ironically, Moses travelled to Nigeria in March 2011 for a 2012 Cup of Nations qualifier against Ethiopia and trained with the Nigeria squad, only to discover that he could not play because his eligibility papers had not arrived from FIFA’s headquarters.

Disappointed, the dreadlocked attacking midfielder returned to England, and seeing his passion, the NFF worked hard at his papers which finally arrived in October 2011 – the same month Super Eagles failed to qualify for the 2012 finals.

Moses showed his fervour in subsequent games for Nigeria, and was voted the Most Valuable Player when he scored a brace in the Eagles’ 6-1 spanking of Liberia in Calabar in November that ensured Nigeria’s passage to South Africa 2013.

Maigari added: “Moses did pretty well against Ethiopia and we must applaud him and the other players for their commitment to the cause and enterprise.”

Ogude out of Cote d'Ivoire

Innocent Amomoh

AFCON 2013 :Nigeria splashes $30k on Eagles

REPORTING FROM

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ACH member of Nigeria’s Super Eagles team will be paid $30,000 for making it to the quater finals of the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa.

Earnings The Eagles who are originally meant to

SOUTH AFRICA

MOSES

be paid $5,000 for a draw and $10,000 for a win, will receive full bonuses for the earlier draws recorded against Zambia and Burkina Faso.

According to the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) acting on the orders of the National Sports Commission (NSC),

I scored for my son Alaiya, as saying it will be terrific to be declared the Most Valuable Player of the Afcon tourney. “But, I prefer the team to win games than for me to be MVP, if both come to pass then all good and well”, he said at the start of the tourney Moses was also all the while thinking of his three months old son, Brentley, whom his •Victor girlfriend had during the Moses countdown to the Nations Cup. He had said he wants to score goals for the new boy, for being so long away from him and his mother. On Tuesday, he finally got the goals he wanted for the baby boy and when he was asked about it, he threw a bewitching smile and said UPER Eagles two goals ‘ofcourse for Brentley. hero against Ethiopia, Moses also said he did not Victor Moses, came into refuse to talk to the media at the the Afcon 2013 tournament in end of the game against Ethiopia South Africa, thinking of the but was simply excited at trophy, his son, Brentley and scoring two goals in Africa’s the Most Valuable Player show-piece tourney. award, but the tourney started The Super Eagle resumed on a dull note for him until training on Wednesday evening Tuesday’s game. He missed the at the Olympia Park in first game against Burkina Faso Rustenberg with many now due to knocks received in looking up to Moses and his training and soon the rumour Chelsea teammate, John Mikel mills were awash with news Obi as being among the players that he was not fit for the in the run-up to becoming the championship. top players at the end of the The Chelsea star, was quoted tournament depending on how

by Eagles Media Officer, Ben long Nigeria lasts at SA 2013.

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•Bishall

HE coach of the Ethiopian senior national team, the Walyas Antelopes, Sewunet Bishall has slammed his wards over Ethopia's last group C match to the Super Eagles of Nigeria in the Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa.

The aggrieved coach said his players did not play according to instructions but rather lost focus

N

•Emenike

C

defenders made life difficult for him during the last group c match at the ongoing Afcon in South Africa.

Two penalties from the boots of Victor Moses in the second half against the Antelopes secured a quarter final place for Nigeria.

Emenike, who has been Nigeria's highest scorer with two goals was a shadow of himself throughout the duration as he was marked out by the Ethiopian defence each time the ball got to him. ”It was a tough game for us today. I went into the game full of

HAIRMAN of the NFF Technical Committee, Barrister Chris Green has enjoined Nigerians to have faith in the Super Eagles as the two-time African champions are set for face tournament favourites Ivory Coast in the quarter finals at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Green joined NFF President Aminu Maigari and a number of Senators and Members of the House of Representatives on a visit to the Nigerian team camp in Rustenburg on Wednesday afternoon.

“The NFF technical committee and the Super Eagles’

before they got their first win against Ethiopia on Tuesday.

Next hurdle The Eagles are now billed to face the Elephants of Cote d’ Ivoire in one of the quarter final pairings with another jumbo package on the card if they go past the tournament’s favourites.

team can now play some good football and that is important.

"Nigeria is a better and highly experienced side. We are happy to be here and hope to be one of the best teams in Africa and with time we will get there.

"The supporters have been great and anywhere we go they are there.

They don't want to see the national team beaten but that is football. But they are happy that their national team can now play good football and that is moat important to them," he said.

•Yearns for AFCON trophy

Ethiopian defenders made S life difficult for me S From Taofeek Babalola, South Africa

From Innocent Amomoh, South Africa midway into the last two games, adding that the errors caused them the vital points.

"Our predicaments was not the fault of the technical crew but that of the players. They left what we discussed and carried out their own plans," Bishall said.

He said above all he is impressed that for once, the Ethiopian national

Yobo faults standard of officiating

EMENIKE ADMITS:

UPER Eagles' striker Emmanuel Emenike has told NationSport that the Ethiopian

the jumbo bonuses is geared at fully motivating the Eagles to a possible third triumph at the continent’s biggest football showpiece.

To make it thus far, the Eagles garnered five points in the group phases playing 1-1 draws with Burkina Faso and Zambia

Ethiopia coach slams players over defeat

•Wants trophy, MVP

clash

IGERIA midfielder Fegor Ogude will miss Sunday night’s AFCON quarterfinal against Cote d’Ivoire after he picked up his second booking.

Valerenga of Norway star Ogude was booked in the Eagles opening Group C clash against Burkina Faso and he got his second yellow card in Tuesday’s 2-0 win over Ethiopia.

His likely replacement in defensive midfield on Sunday would be Italybased Obiora Nwankwo or Kano Pillars Reuben Gabriel, if he recovers fully after his chicken pox illness.

The Eagles qualification to the last eight has meant the bookings of Mikel Obi, Emmanuel Emenike, Ahmed Musa and Godfrey Oboabona have all been cleared and now they will start on a clean slate.

NATION SPORT

AFCON 2013...AFCON 2013...AFCON 2013...AFCON 2013...AFCON 2013...AFCON 2013...AFCON 2013...AFCON 2013...AFCON 2013...AFCON 2013...AFCON 2013...AFCON 2013

hope to score more goals but the Ethiopian players were after me and they didn't allow me play. Two or three players were always around me. It was a very difficult game. But I thank God that at the end of the day we won the game and qualify for the quarter final which is more important to us.”

He added that though his team mates were sluggish at the start of the game, but they picked in the second term. ”We couldn't score in the first half because the team was not cohesive enough. I am sure we will do well in the next game".

UPER Eagles' captain, Joseph Yobo has faulted the low standard of officiating that has characterised the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa.

The Fenerbache of Turkey ace said though these referees are humans, the have not been fair in terms of making the right calls not just for Nigeria but the entire tournaments. "They are human beings and you must give them credit because its not easy but surely they can do better.

"If you look at the decisions so far in the ongoing Nations Cup, you will agree with me that the referees have not been fair, they are doing a great job but they have to improve.

The veteran of the Africa Cup of Nations with five appearances to his credit, said winning the 2013 Afcon is

From Innocent Amomoh, South Africa

his major priority now to crown his deeming career.

"What I think is left for me is to win a trophy with the national team of Nigeria. That will make my career worthwhile after putting in so much," he said.

Yobo said he would want the Eagles to return to the Mbombela Stadium if they get past Ivory Coast in the quarter finals, but admitted is was going to be a tall order.

"Yes I would love for us to return to Nelspruit, and that will mean defeating Ivory Coast to move to the quarter final. It is going to be a difficult," Yobo explained.

Green: There’s nothing to fear technical crew are working in harmony at this tournament, and as we speak, I can assure you that we have a formula to deal with the match against the Ivorians.

“We urge Nigerians to continue to support the team. At the level of the NFF, we have provided all that the team needs and we are still doing more to motivate them.”

It would be recalled that Rivers State Governor, Rt.

Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, boosted the pockets of players and officials with the sum of $100,000 when he visited their Ingwenyama Conference and Sport Resort in Nelspruit on Friday last week. Governor Amaechi also said that Nigerian billionaire businessman, Aliko Dangote, will reward the players for a quarter final ticket.

•Yobo

Taofeek Babalola REPORTING from

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Yobo recounts 75 minutes of tension on bench •…Calls for more support

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•Enyeama

ENYEAMA

AGLES' captain, Joseph Tambarin Yobo, says he felt what most Nigerian ball fans feel while watching the national team as he nearly collapsed while watching his teammates miss chance after chance in over 75 minutes before the first goal came in Tuesday’s group game decider against the Whalya Antelopes of Ethiopia.

“I now know what Nigerians go through and for 75 minutes it was like what have we done wrong again that the goals were not coming. We were playing very well but the goals simply refused to come and it was not funny at all witnessing such a scene”, Yobo declared.

The former Marseille of France and Everton of England strongman, praised the character of the team against Ethiopia and

noted that it was the stuff that champions are made of. “Despite the fact that the goal refused to come my mates kept attacking, until we finally scored, that is how true champions behave”, he said.

He called for more support from Nigerians for the team as they enter into the crucial knockout stages of the competition, declaring that the caliber of players in the team have the capacity to not only win the trophy but remain relevant for a long time to come for the national team. “We have young, dynamic and dedicated players who are learning fast from those of us who are their seniors and they can go very far in the tournament here and in subsequent tourneys to come”, the Fernabahce of Turkey defence ace quipped.

I would've Keshi: Our priority was taken the to qualify for next round penalties S From Innocent Amomoh, South Africa

S

UPER Eagles' safe hands, Vincent Enyeama has revealed his intentions to take team's penalty calls after Mikel Obi's poor show against Zambia in the second group match of the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa, but for the intervention of Victor Moses.

The Hapoel Tel Aviv goalkeeper told NationSport after the 2-0 win over Ethiopia, that after Mikel's miss he resolved with the support of the team to henceforth take the team's penalties since he has the record of scoring from the box. " I am happy and that is more than being pleased. Of course we had resolved that I will be taking the penalties but Victor told me he wanted to do it. I have no choice than to give him the support because it is all about the country and not individuals," he said excitedly.

On the quarter final match against Cote D Ivoire, Enyeama said he will choose to take it one at a time.

"I will not want to bother myself about what has not come. I am sorry I don't want to talk about Cote D Ivoire, they are a great side but I don't want to talk about them.

"Let's enjoy this victory while it lasts and we talk about Cote d Ivoire next time," he responded politely.

Asked if he was at any time scared during the encounter against Ethiopia, the former Enyimba of Aba goalkeeper said: It is not in my charcter to entertain fears or doubts no matter what is on my mind. I trust in God and I knew He was going to see us through. Even if we had lost, I will still thank God".

Enyeama said further that the safes made by him during the cracker where as crucial as the goals scored by Victor Moses, and the good defensive play of Efe Ambrose and the others.

"It doesn't really count as an individual but for the team," he said.

UPER Eagles coach, Stephen Keshi said he was not at anytime under pressure to finish top of their group.The Super Eagles came second behind the Stallions of Burkina Faso on goals difference after both countries ended the group on five points apiece.The Nigerian side needed four goals to top the group but scored only two goals against Ethiopia in the last group match at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium on Tuesday.

Keshi told NationSport that his major priority is for the team’s qualification to the knockout stage of the tournament.“I don’t think topping the group should be a worry for me. Our target in the game against Ethiopia is to get the result that will ensure our qualification to the quarter final which we did. I think getting a grey hair because you want to top the group. I think worry for topping the group was unnecessary.“We have done what is expected of us and what we need to do know is to concentrate on the next game and forget about the past and unnecessary thing about who we should have played if we top the group. Every team came here for a purpose and we should not see any team has been special to another. Every team has its own quality.”The former Mali coach also admitted that the players were been cautious of not considering unnecessary goal against Ethiopia made them sluggish.“The players played well only that they were a little bit scare not to concede goal that is why they were too sluggish and passing the ball around in the back and take the thing cool because they knew that any silly mistake may cause lots of damage. We thank God the we won.”Burkina Faso coach: Beating Nigeria to top,remarkable achievementFrom Taofeek Babalola, RustenbergBurkina

From Taofeek Babalola, South Africa

Faso coach Paul Put says finishing top of group C ahead of Nigeria to qualifying for the knockout phase of the Africa Cup of Nations is a land-mark achievement. The West African nation drew 0-0 with Zambia at the Mbombela Stadium on Tuesday to make it through to the last eight. Burkina Faso and Nigeria finished the group on five points but the Stallions top the group on goals difference. The Stallions have played in eight Nations Cup tournaments, and have crashed out at the first round in seven of those events, the only exception being in 1998 when they hosted the tournament and finished fourth. The proud French coach Put said:""I think it's the biggest achievement because the country hosted it one time and then they played a semi-final but it was a long time ago."So our first target was to do better than the other tournaments, and we had already achieved that by winning a game (4-0 against Ethiopia) and then drawing with Nigeria." "Because we were very close we had to have the mentality to believe that we could go further for the qualification. I think it's history for Burkina Faso."

•Keshi

THE NATION THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2013

NATION SPORT

EUROPEAN FOOTBALL...EUROPEAN FOOTBALL...

Aysal: Drogba will be a success at Galatasaray

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NAL Aysal is confident that Didier Drogba will become an instant hit at Galatasaray.

The former Chelsea striker inked an 18-month deal with the reigning Turkish champions on Monday, to leave Shanghai Shenhua after last just six months in China, and his new club are delighted to have lured the Cote d'Ivoire international back to Europe.

"Drogba fits in very well at Galatasaray and I am confident that he will be a success at this club," Aysal told GSTV. "We sat down in the morning to discuss a transfer and had already reached an agreement in the evening.

Drogba is very pleased to sign for a club like Galatasaray."

Club executive Bulent Tulun told GSTV that Galatasary are a big name in European football and can attract high profile players such as Drogba and Wesley Sneijder.

Tulun said “We've became a club that makes world class signings.

Galatasaray is a big brand in Europe, you can see that over there.

"We made contact with Drogba first then the player wanted to speak with our chairman Unal Aysal and our coach Fatih Terim. After those meetings he's been convinced to sign for us."

The 34-year-old is the Champions League hopefuls' second high-profile signing of the January transfer window after previously capturing Sneijder from Inter.

F

•Drogba

Messi wants Argentina game at Newells

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•Henry

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ORUSSIA Dortmund midfielder Nuri Sahin has admitted that he was not happy at Real Madrid or Liverpool and that led to a drop in his performance levels.

The Turkey international rejoined the German champions earlier in January after 18 months away from Signal Iduna Park, and he revealed that he wanted to move back to the club so that he could enjoy his football again.

"I can only play 100 per cent when I am happy. This wasn't the case at Madrid and Liverpool," he told Ruhr Nachrichten.

"That's why I wanted to return to Dortmund.

"I just hope this story here will last for a long, long time.

I know where I want to be, and I am there now."

The 24-year-old also refuted

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the field during a friendly match against Italian fourth division Pro Patria recently after hearing sustained racist abuse, and Henry added that he supported the Ghana international’s actions.

“At the time it was perfect,” he said. “It was a friendly game. If you want to prove a point and be seen, then it was the perfect moment to do it.

HE president of the Argentina Football Association Julio Grondona has revealed that Argentina could play a World Cup qualifier at the home of Newell's Old Boys on Lionel Messi's request.

The Barcelona star began his career with the Rosario outfit, and he has asked if the national team could play a competitive match at Estadio Marcelo Bielsa.

The stadium has a current capacity of 40,000, but Grondona said that a match could only be held there if the ground meets the current safety regulations that are currently in place.

"Messi asked if Newell's could host a knockout match.

If the club meets the requirements, we will play there," he told Radio 10.

Grondona famously has a frosty relationship with Argentina legend Diego Maradona, but he admitted

Sahin: I wasn't happy at Madrid, Liverpool •Sahin claims that his period at Santiago Bernabeu was a failure, and argued that had he not been injured, he would have become much more important to the Spanish champions.

He added: "I thought about this a lot, it cost a lot of energy. I know things would have been different if I hadn't been injured. But that was my fate.

"It might have looked like I failed. I would not see it like this. During my time at Madrid, I suffered injuries to my intra-articular ligament three times over a short period of time."

Lippi: Juventus right to sign Anelka

Thierry Henry: FIFA must dock points to stop racism ORMER Arsenal and Barcelona star Thierry Henry insists docking points is the only way to stop racism in the game.

FIFA have been criticised in recent years for their apparent relaxed stance on the subject, where minimal fines have made up the majority of punishments for the offence.

Earlier this month, FIFA, for the first time, imposed a onematch spectator ban on Bulgaria for racist abuse by their fans of a Denmark player.

And Henry, who is currently playing for the New York Red Bulls in the MLS, wants the governing body to go one step further, claiming fans will only really get the message if their team is made to suffer in the league becasue of their actions.

“If you want to stop fans screaming and shouting racist things you have to deduct some points,” he said on Al Jazeera. “If it does happen, the team [whose fans] said those things should lose the game.

“If the fans love their team then surely they won’t want to lose three points. Giving fines of $1,000-$2,000 is not going to hurt the team. What is going to hurt the team is losing points.

“You always think they [the football authorities] don’t do enough. Well, the solution is to take some points away from the team, that’s the only way I see anything happening.”

AC Milan star Kevin PrinceBoateng and his team-mates left

15

that Messi - the latest superstar to erupt from the South American continent - is the best player he has ever seen both on and off the field.

"I have never seen anyone like Messi, both as a player and a person," he added. "He really has his feet on the ground."

Grondona, who was reelected as AFA president in 2011, also claimed that he

would step down if he was permitted, but insisted that he would see out his term until 2015 and then allow others to take his place.

"If I didn't have to stay until 2015, I'd leave right now," the FIFA vice-president said.

"Young people will follow and the new generation will replace me. The AFA has enough resources to survive at least until 2022."

Holtby: Tottenham’s facilities the best I’ve seen

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O T T E N H A M midfielder Lewis Holtby says the club's facilities are the best he has ever seen, and has revealed Andre Villas-Boas played a key role in convincing him to leave Schalke.

The 22-year-old initially agreed to move to White Hart Lane in the summer when his contract was set to expire, but Spurs pushed through a •1.75 million deal for the midfielder with Sandro facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

And the Germany international is looking forward to the new challenge of settling in to the club mid-way through the season.

"As soon as I saw the facilities, the crowd and spoke to Andre I just knew I wanted to be here,” he told the club's official website.

"The facilities are the best I've seen. I'm proud to be here, a huge club that is only getting bigger and bigger.

"It's fantastic to be here. I can't wait to settle and to play

•Holtby

for the club and I'm looking forward to the season.

"I played Champions League with Schalke but I wanted to be here now. I've been checking the club and Premier League on Twitter and YouTube, I've got the app!

As footballers say, I'm over the moon to be here!"

ARCELO Lippi has backed former club Juventus for completing a deal to sign French striker Nicolas Anelka.

The move for the 33-yearold has been met with criticism in Italy, with 76 per cent of readers polled by La Gazzetta dello Sport believing that the Turin giants have made an error in approaching the former Arsenal, Real Madrid and Chelsea frontman.

However Lippi, who won five Serie A titles and the 1996 Champions League while in charge at Juventus, feels the Bianconeri have completed a shrewd piece of business.

He told La Gazzetta dello Sport: “Juventus know what they need. I see that the fans are a little sceptical of him, but he has great class and perhaps just needs a new challenge.”

Lippi, currently coaching in China with Guangzhou Evergrande, reckons that Juventus' style of play has dictated their search for fresh

attacking options.

“Juve play total football where fatigue is evenly distributed. The attackers are asked to press, to drop back and that sometimes doesn’t make them cool in front of goal. That’s why they have been searching for a new striker for some time.”

Anelka moved to Shanghai Shenhua from Chelsea in 2012, and has joined Juventus on loan until the end of the season.

•Anelka

Diego calls for Wolfsburg’s improvement

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O L F S B U R G midfielder Diego believes the club need to take "the second step" as they aim to make their way up the Bundesliga table.

Die Wolfe currently sits 13th in the German top flight after an inconsistent season, and the Brazil international says that they need to go on a run of good results if they harbour ambitions of grabbing a European spot.

The 27-year-old scored in the 2-0 win over Stuttgart in the first match after the winter break, but Dieter Hecking's outfit could not follow that result with another win as they were beaten 2-1 by Hannover, and the former Juventus playmaker is frustrated by the lack of consistency.

"It is very disappointing when you see that you are not improving in the table," he told Wolfsburger Allgemeine.

"We again had the chance after a home win. But again with the important second

step we failed."

Diego is out of contract in June 2014 and it has been reported that the club will look to sell at the end of the current season if he doesn't sign a new deal, but the player himself revealed that he was not thinking about his future at the current time.

He added: "I'm feeling good at the moment and for me it is a non-issue."

•Diego

16

THE NATION THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2013

AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS...

NATION SPORT

Trio boosts Black Stars ahead of AFCON quarters

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•Gyan

My ambition is to help the Black Stars win — Asamoah Gyan G

HANA striker Asamoah Gyan says his priority is the Black Stars winning their matches at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations rather than him

scoring personal goals.

The Black Stars’ captain scored his first goal at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations in the 3-0 thrashing of Niger on Monday.

Gyan who has been scoring at will in the UAE top flight for Al Ain had to wait to until the final Group B game to open his Nations Cup account.

Keita happy to bring war-torn Mali together

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ALI captain Seydou Keita reveals that the most important thing about his side's progression into the quarterfinals of the Africa Cup of Nations is the happiness it will bring the country.

The West African nation is

currently in the midst of war, with government and French forces battling rebel insurgents in the north.

Keita wore a t-shirt with the words "Peace for Mali" embossed on it when he collected his man of the match award after his side's first match of

Khune, Sandilands back team spirit

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AIZER Chiefs and Bafana Bafana goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune says the team spirit in the camp is excellent.

Bafana won their place in the quarterfinals of the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations with a 2-2 draw against Morocco at the weekend and will now take on Mali in Durban on Saturday.

Man of the Match Khune says the celebrations of the players after the match spoke

•Khune

volumes for what it meant to them to progress.

He also adds that although there is competition amongst players for a starting berth, particularly for him with fellow goalkeepers Wayne Sandilands and Senzo Meyiwa, they are all supporting each other.

“Yes, there is a great team spirit but also it shows the healthy competition we have.

We support each other, we are always there for each other.

But what I like most about Senzo and Wayne, even during the game, whether after conceding a goal or making a save, they are always encouraging me to do more and that’s what keeps me going during the 90 minutes because I know I have the support of the other goalkeepers,” said Khune.

“I don’t think there is anything that will stop us if we show that great team spirit.

And it’s not only the goalkeepers but also the in-field players as well who are behind us all the way, we all have a great team spirit in camp and I believe that’s why we have come this far.”

Sandilands backs up those views and says everybody is putting the team first.

the tournament and he has spoken in recent days about his desire to see peace restored.

With rebels on the retreat and Mali through to the next round, Keita admitted his delight.

"Our country is in one of the most difficult moments of its history," he said. "And our qualification will bring joy to the people. I am very proud," Ketia told Football411.com.

The experienced striker won domestic and European titles during his time with Barcelona and so is no stranger to silverware. However, the thought of adding to his medal collection is not a driving force for him right now.

"I won everything in football, I won all the titles,'' he said. “Today the only thing I want is to bring joy to my country. You cannot imagine how happy I am to be here.''

The 27-year-old had been heavily criticized back home in Ghana for his inability to get on the scoresheet prior to the Niger game despite his improved work rate and vital assists.

And the ex Sunderland hitman after answering to his critics with a well-taken goal and providing two assists in the impressive win says his only ambition is to help the team win.

“As I said earlier I like to play for the team. As a striker definitely people will be expecting you to score,” Gyan said at the post-match press conference.

“But my ambition is to help my team to win. Anytime I can’t score I try to open chances for my colleagues to score.

“I said to myself the right time will come and I think today was the right time.

“Looking at the game I created the second goal and then even the third goal.”

Gyan picked up the official Fair Play award aside helping the Black Stars book a quarter final place.

Ghana will now play Cape Verde on Saturday for a place in the final four of the competition being staged in South Africa.

HANA's preparations for their quarter-final clash against Cape Verde was handed a massive boost with the return of three players to training.

Anthony Annan, Mubarak Wakaso and Richmond Boakye-Yiadom were involved in light training at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University on Tuesday.

The trio jogged and were involved in kick-abouts in a session supervised by assistant coach Maxwell Kondau.

Youngster Boakye has not played a single match since twisting his ankle during the team's pre-tournament camping in Abu Dhabi.

The 19-year-old striker will be assessed further ahead of Saturday's last eight encounter.

Annan aggravated an ankle injury when he came on as a substitute in the 2-2 draw with DR Congo in Ghana's opener.

Wakaso, suspended for the final Group match

against Niger, sustained a knee injury in the match against Mali.

The news will be a big relief for the technical team who will require a healthy squad to break down the resolute Cape Verde side.

•Mubarak

Head-to-head stats against Cape Verde

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•Keita

•Anthony

APE Verde will have to overturn a losing record against Ghana if they are to advance to the semifinals of the Africa Cup of Nations.

The Blue Sharks and the Black Stars have met three times in official international matches and it is the latter who have emerged victors on each occasion, racking up seven goals without reply.

Ghana defeated Cape Verde 1-0 in a friendly match in Portugal in November last year – an encounter in which both teams were still in the preparation

phase for the AFCON. Mubarak Wakaso scored the only goal of the game.

The teams’ two previous meetings were in the qualifiers for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Ghana defeated the Islanders 2-0 in Kumasi in September 2004 and then thrashed the former minnows 4-0 in Praia in October 2005.

One of the goal scorers from that 4-0 win was present Ghana captain Asamoah Gyan, who will again look to trouble the Blue Sharks’ defence as the teams battle for a place in the 2013 AFCON semifinals.

17

THE NATION THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2013

INDUSTRY

NACCIMA criticises CBN’s monetary policy •Single-digit interest rate sought

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HE Nigeria Chamber of Commerce, Industry Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) has made a case for a single-digit interest rate, describing the Central Bank's 12 per cent Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) as unhealthy for the economy.

It also warned the Federal Government against increasing fuel price.

Rather than increasing fuel price, it implored the government to recover the $29million the Mallam Nuhu Ribadu-led Petroleum Revenue Special Taskforce said the international oil companies are owing.

Briefing reporters, NACCIMA President, Dr. Demola Ajayi said: “Avoid fuel price increase. The government should compile actual quantities sold through petrol station pumps and do all that would enable us to compare with total claims of refineries.

“The government should be determined to recover by legal means funds, such as the US$29 billion,which the Ribadu-led Committee was quoted as recoverable payments from International Oil Companies (IOCs).”

Ajayi urged the government to privatise the refineries and encourage the establishment of private ones.

Criticising the MPR of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Ajayi insisted that the only way CBN could help the economy is to bring the interest rate to a single-digit index.

He said: “The CBN governor has said the apex bank will still maintain the 12 per cent MPR. I don’t think this is good enough.We have to work with CBN governor as Nigerians and watch it closely because I am sure as things go on, the CBN

Stories by Toba Agboola

will want to look at this interest rate thing.

“We feel that industry can only move forwards, especially in the commercial world, referring to the private sector, when access to fund, cost of borrowing are moderate or they are affordable. It makes the economy to move upwards. So, we are hoping that the interest rate will be examined from time to time, depending on what is happening in terms of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and other factors.”

He urged the Federal and state governments to cut down on external borrowing, saying this is necessary to keep the economy on a clean slate.

He said: “The Federal and state governments must curb the high propensity for borrowing from abroad, except from international institutional lenders, such as IMF, African Development Bank, World Bank and International Finance Corporation and only for specific developmental projects.

"They must also accelerate payment of local debts owed indigenous businesses to enable them to expand, generate wealth and create jobs. This is only fair if treated with same attitude shown in collecting debts owed governments."

Ajayi asked the Federal Government to make its position known on unclaimed dividends, including the establishment of an Unclaimed Dividen Trust Fund.

The NACCIMA chief, who said there is hope for increased economic fortunes for the country this year, advised the Federal Government to consider friendly incentives to woo

•From left: Deputy Director, Research, NACCIMA, Mr Andrew Ogbar; Ajayi and Director-General, Dr. John Isemede, at the briefing.

companies into the country.

He said: "The Federal Government should provide adequate industryfriendly incentives to woo back companies that have relocated or are at the verge of relocating to neighbouring ECOWAS countries by boosting the power supply situation and addressing other constraints faced by them."

Ajayi said epileptic power supply by the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) has increased the cost of doing business in the country to 40 per cent.

He said: “Recently, we are worried that in spite of the recent high tariff charged by the PHCN, electricity supply is yet to reduce the

NEXIM boosts export with N85b

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HE Export-Import Bank (NEXIM Bank) gave over N85 billion in support of 900 export projects last year, its Managing Director, Roberts Orya, has said.

In a statement, Orya said, the bank created over 300,000 direct and indirect jobs and would help in generating over $1.2 billion in foreign exchange earnings for the country, substantial part of the money, he added was spent on Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs).

Orya said, as an export credit bank of the Federal Government, NEXIM is working hard to rationalise its authorisation of diversification of the economy through the provision

of finance, risk bearing, and policy support to the non-oil export sector.

He said: ”Given our efforts to develop the high growth sectors and increase employment generation in the country, we have also developed a funding programme for the creative and entertainment industry in addition to a special scheme for SME exporters in the ECOWAS region.”

Orya said the bank has also issued guarantees worth $27.3milion to some manufacturers some of whom are engaged in greenfield projects.

The interventions, Orya added, were in its target sectors with high

growth potential of manufacturing, agro-processing, solid minerals and services.

The NEXIM Bank’s chief said as a result of these operational interventions, the bank was able to generate and sustain direct jobs of over 14,358 last year.

He commended the shareholders for fresh capital injection as well as other institutional support through supervisory and regulatory oversight and guidance from the CBN and the Federal Ministry of Finance.

He urged the government and other stakeholders to make use of small manufacturing industries to boost exports.

burden of private generators for businesses and the citizens since the government’s intention to meet the 6,000MW to 10,000MW has been difficult.

“This has contributed as always to the high cost of doing business estimated at about 40 per cent since real sector operators and citizens alike

depend mostly on own provision of alternative sources of electricity through own generating plants.”

He called on the Federal Government to cooperate with private sector to deliver 10,000MW by the end of this year, as well as make provision for sufficient pre-paid meters to consumers.

Nigeria, Canada target N900b trade volume by 2015

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IGERIA and Canada have agreed to strengthen their trade and investment ties.

This will be achieved by leveraging on areas of competitive and comparative advantage.

Both countries also agreed on strategies to double their volume of trade to N900billion ( $6billion) by 2015.

To stimulate trade and investment, Canada has agreed to review its visa processing time for Nigerians to 10 days.

Nigeria’s value of merchandise trade with Canada stood at N405billion ($2.7billion) in 2011.

The trade value consists of N375 billion ($2.5billion) in Nigeria’s exports to Canada and $199million worth of imports.

The decisions were reached during the Nigeria-Canada Bi-National Commission meeting in Abuja, which was co-chaired by the Minister of Trade and Investment, Mr Olusegun Aganga and the Canadian Minister for International Trade, Mr Ed Fast.

A joint communiqué issued at the end of the meeting stated: “The two ministers noted the rapidly growing volumes of trade between the two countries and welcomed the commitment by the Canada-Nigeria Business Association to double

the volume of trade by 2015 to $6billion.

“The ministers welcomed the strong role of the private sector in expanding the two countries’ economic ties and agreed on the importance of renewed efforts to ensure that each country’s private sector is more acquainted with the opportunities in the other country.”

Aganga said the Federal Government would expand bilateral trade relations with Canada, especially in the exportation of non-oil products.

The move, he said, would help to create employment, generate wealth and enhance economic growth in the country.

Fast led a delegation of chief executives of 28 Canadian firms operating in the extractive and infrastructure sectors of his country’s economy.

Aganga said the meeting provided the platform for both countries to review their socio-economic progress to consolidate on gains and re-strategising for enhanced growth.

“Nigeria and Canada share strong and increasing trade and investment relations. Canada is a top player in international trade, which makes up a large part of the Canadian economy,” he added.

N180m for wheat seeds coming

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•L-R: Deputy Director, Banking and Payments System Department, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), James Omebere; Deputy Head, Deutsche Bank, Nigeria, Mrs. Adeola Azeez; MD, Country Head, Deutsche Bank Nigeria, Charles Weller; Mrs. Jackie Byrne, Deutsche Bank, London and Gary Pickard, Deutsche Bank, London, at the Deutsche Bank/CBN Trade Finance course held in Abuja...yesterday.

HE Federal Government has approved the release of N180 million for the purchase of foundation seeds from wheat farmers at the Bakalori irrigation site in Zamfara State.

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Akinwumi Adesina, made this known while distributing fertiliser and improved rice seeds to the farmers.

Adesina, represented by the Minister of State, Alhaji Bukar Tijjani, said the government had directed the registration of 8,000 farmers, who participated in the production of the foundation seeds, but not captured in the ministry’s programmes.

According to him, the wheat seeds will be distributed to the farmers for

use during this year’s irrigation season.

The minister restated the commitment of the government to the revitalisation of wheat production and provision of alternative markets “The Federal Government has remained focused and committed to the success of the on-going transformation in the agricultural sector.

“The government will also not relent in providing appropriate incentives to boost the welfare and economy of the farmers.

“President Goodluck Jonathan has resolved to make agriculture the corner stone of the administration’s policy on poverty reduction, economic growth and national security through the attainment of food security,’’ he said.

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THE NATION THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2013

INDUSTRY Non-oil export revenue drops

More textile firms coming back

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ITH the aid of the Federal Government's N150 billion intervention fund, many ailing textile companies are being revived, a textile magnate has said.

Director-General of Nigeria Textile Manufacturers Association (NTMA), Mr Jaiyeola Olanrewaju, said more members of the group had accessed the fund.

The firms, he said, were pumping the money with the business.

The Cotton and Textile Intervention Fund was introduced by the Olusegun Obasanjo administration to help the textile sector whose fortune had shrunk when he assumed office in 1999.

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Indomie gets award

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NDOMIE Instant Noodles has won the Product Excellence Award organised by the Consumers Protection Council (CPC).

The firm received the award at the Sheraton Hotels and Towers, Abuja.

Indomie emerged winner through votes by consumers authenticated by a panel whose members were drawn from the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), the Media, Organised Private Sector (OPS), the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS).

According to the CPC’s DirectorGeneral, Mrs. Ify Umenyi, the Nigeria Consumer Award (NiCA) was instituted by the agency to honour corporate bodies that produced products and services that are of highest standards.

Umenyi said the maiden edition of the awards featured 14 categories.

These include: Service Excellence Awards, Product Excellence Awards, Consumer Rights Advocacy Awards and Corporate Social Responsibility Awards.

Minister of Trade and Investment Mr Olusegun Aganga, who was represented at the ceremony by the Minister of State in the ministry, Mr. Samuel Ortom, said the need to ensure the protection of consumers cannot be over emphasised.

•Oputu (middle) flanked by MD/CEO Crown Natures Nigeria Limited, Prince Dokun Aromolaran and wife Lara at the launch.

PHOTO: BOLA OMILABU

N5b lost to illegal importation of caps T

HE Cotton Textile and Garment (CTG) sub-sector is said to be losing N5billion yearly to the illegal importation of caps, as a result of the porous state of the country’s border posts where about 50 million caps find their way into the country.

The Head of Operations, Crown Natures Nigeria Limited, Mrs Busayo Gbaluwe, who spoke at the presentation of caps and hats in Lagos, said about 50 million inferior caps are imported yearly, thereby denying local manufacturers of their share of the market.

Mrs Gbaluwe said the need to transfer technology and bridge the gap, especially for people that go out of the country to import caps, informed the decision of the company to float the outfit with its focus on using traditional African fabrics, such as adire and ankara, to make caps.

Again, she said the company was floated as an agent of wealth and

Stories by Toba Agboola

job creation, as a result of the innovation it introduced in cap making, saying the move by Crown Natures Limited is the first in Nigeria.

The company, which is a beneficiary of the N100 billion CTG intervention fund, managed by the Bank of Industry (Bol) admitted that without the fund, the project would not have been a success.

She lamented that prior to the introduction of the fund, their experience with a leading commercial bank in Nigeria was traumatic because the interest rate was high and as such, they could not break even with the funds sourced, which she said, was released for a short tenure.

The fund has helped her firm to reposition and expand its operations

beyond the level it was in 2006 when they started operations, saying the company employs over 64 workers and planning to employ more.

Besides, she said before the company accessed the CTG, the firm produced about 500,000 units of caps yearly, saying this has shot up to 1.2 million at the moment with more room for improved productivity.

On local content, she explained that about 45 percent of raw materials are sourced locally while the remaining is still imported because there are no companies producing the items locally at the moment.

Also speaking, the Managing Director of BoI, Ms Evelyn Oputu, lauded the resolve of the firm to promote local fabrics.

She tasked the management of the company to look beyond the local market and explore the potential in the export market. She assured that the bank would support the firm

Africa is virgin land for investments, says Obi

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NAMBRA State Governor Peter Obi has described Africa as a virgin land for investment in Information Communication Technology (ICT), agriculture and sectors of life. He spoke at the Canadian High Commission in Abuja during a meeting with the visiting Canadian Minister of International Trade,

Hon. Ed Fast.

Obi, said the country perception by outsiders was worse than the realities on ground.

He said the country, under the leadership of President Goodluck Jonathan was making significant progress in all areas, adding; “President Jonathan took over the reins of government when things

•Fast flanked by Obi and Cooter at the meeting.

had already gone bad, he is striving to correct the anomalies and I can tell you that he is succeeding.

The opposition he has today is the by-product of any reform movement, whereby those that benefited from the past being reformed are fighting back.”

He described Nigeria as a place that ensures return on investment

because of its large market. Obi said there were deposits of one natural resource or the other in all the states.

He spoke about his state , explaining to Fast the opportunities there for investment and trade.

“The South-East, which Anambra belongs to boasts of the highest concentration of entrepreneurial people in sub-Saharan Africa.

Nnewi in Anambra State is the leading industrial town in the country. It is the only place where motor vehicles are manufactured, I mean manufactured, not assembled in the country. The people of the State are ingenious and have the capacity to market products everywhere in the world. Investing among such people is always an instant success as with SABMiller that started operations a few months ago in Anambra State.”

Earlier, Fast said Canada was interested in increasing the volume of trade in Nigeria and investing in ICT, health, education, oil and gas.

The Canadian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Chris Cooter said Obi was invited to the meeting of his commitment to Nigeria and the people of Anambra.

The event was witnessed by the Nigerian Ambassador to Canada, Chief Ojo Maduekwe, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Senator Bala Mohammed, Hon. Chris Azubogu, the Anambra State Commissioner for Education, Uju Okonkwo, among others.

IGERIA’s non-oil export to Europe, America and Asia through Apapa Port, have declined by over N33 billion in one year.

This decline further heightens apprehension over a major economic crisis in the country.

Apapa Port, which is the country’s largest seaport, accounts for over 50 per cent of the nation’s non-oil exports through its eight major seaports.

Area Controller of the command, Comptroller Mohammed Umar, who addressed reporters in Lagos on the activities of the command for last year, listed the export items to include palm kernel cake, cocoa beans and wheat bran pallets.

Others were cashew nuts, sesame seeds, ginger, hibiscus flower, gum Arabic, processed rubber, shrimps, and lead ingot.

Economic and trade statistics released by the Apapa Area One Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) shows that 116,525 metric tonnes of non-oil commodities worth N129.9billion were exported through the Lagos Port complex between January and December last year.

This compares to a total of 665, 010 metric tonnes of the various goods worth N133 billion accounted for the previous year. This represented a shortfall of N33.1billion.

Also exported were 4, 625,837 square feet of processed leather, 74,547 cases of dettol antiseptic, maggi crayfish, 29,062 cartons of biscuits, 97,100 bags of assorted bathroom slippers and 1,655,320 litres of ethyl alcohol.

The command also in 2011 handled 3.4 million kilogrammes and 2.6 million sq metres of 24 other different non-oil commodities.

Experts had attributed the increasing export profile to efforts of the government to check the excessive dependence on crude oil exports, which has over the years, remained the main stay of the economy.

Winners emerge in promo

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ORE lucky millionaires have emerged in the Nokia Asha Millionaire Promo organised by the leading mobile phone manufacturer, Nokia. The lucky winners, who were selected, are: Alagbile John Olugbenga, Alashe Kazeem, Ani Nkechi, Ogundipe Oluwadamilola Desodun, Jude Ihuoma.Samuel Egbegbadia and Sowunmi Kabirat.

With the emergence of these seven lucky winners, the Nokia promo has produced 21 winners.

Speaking during the presentation of cheques to the winners at Nokia Office, Victoria Island, Lagos, Head of Sales Operations, Nokia West Africa, Ladi Oyatayo, described the promo as another way of connecting with the customers.

Fidson launches products

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HARMACEUTICAL company, Fidson Healthcare Plc, has introduced Tuxil products into the market.

The Tuxil range of cough and cold drugs are to cure cough, cold, fever, allergies and other related conditions.

According to the firm’s General Manager, Marketing, Mr Ola Ijimakin, Fidson is customer-focused, that is why its products are designed to serve the needs of its esteemed customers.

“This also explains why the different Tuxil variants are specifically formulated to provide appropriate and specific remedy to whatever type or degree of cold, cough and catarh they may have. You will find the appropriate Tuxil formulation extremely useful to provide relief from any of these conditions,” he said.

THE NATION THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2013

19

COMMENTARY EDITORIAL

EDITORIAL FROM OTHER LAND

Egypt needs a political consensus

Below scratch •The performance of President Jonathan in the CNN Amanpour interview left much to be desired

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N January 23 in Davos, Switzerland, President Goodluck Jonathan briefly fielded questions from CNN’s Christiane Amanpour on her Amanpour programme, in a satellite-relayed interview.

The president’s responses were unbefitting of a country that has produced a Nobel Laureate in Wole Soyinka, a globally acclaimed writer in Chinua Achebe, and an extremely articulate international civil servant in Emeka Anyaoku, among many other illustrious Nigerians. Briefly put, the Jonathan pedestrian performance was sad. But it was also a fearfully vivid metaphor of leadership lagging behind the people, the bane of governance in Nigeria.

The president’s responses failed almost on all counts: substance, style, depth, class and even basic logic. It also suffered from basic untruths: the president’s claim that Nigerians were “pleased” at the level of power supply in the country was too sweeping to be true. Another flat promise (without any proof) was that at the end of 2013, Nigeria would be a power El Dorado.

The president was spot on, however, when he contradicted the earlier assertion by saying that if Nigeria had all the money and political will, fixing the power problem would still take some time.

But it was on the issue of Boko Haram that he showed a scandalous lack of grasp of the situation, though he projected himself, to a squirming global audience, as one of those providing a solution to the problem by getting involved in rooting out terrorism in Mali. Still, he rightly reasoned that rooting out the alleged Boko Haram nursery in Mali was crucial to curbing the menace in northern Nigeria– a menace that has consumed thousands of innocent

lives.

Ironically however, beyond the derringdo of a Nigerian strong man come to solve Mali’s terrorism challenges en route to checkmating Boko Haram, the president was at sea at the basic trigger of the terrorist group. When Ms Amanpour suggested that it was basic misrule, poverty and corruption that gave Boko Haram its initial boost – which were true – President Jonathan combatively demurred and denied that self-evident fact, to the utter embarrassment of his viewers.

However, President Jonathan committed the gaffe of the day when he cautioned the US State Department – and others who believed that Nigerian security agencies widely abused citizens’ rights in the name of fighting Boko Haram – not to play politics with the terrorist group! Is the American foreign ministry then part of Nigeria’s local politics? Such un-presidential naivety!

Failing in basic analysis of the problem, the president latched on to an embarrassing illogic of a combined appeal to pity and clambering on the global train to fight and defeat terror, rather than demonstrating his own understanding of the dire situation for his country. Pray, if a president does not even understand a problem, how does he go about solving it?

On umpteenth theft of Nigerian crude, President Jonathan was no less flat. His riposte to Ms Amanpour’s quote of a figure by Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Nigeria’s finance minister and coordinating minister for the economy, that 400,000 barrels of crude was daily stolen, was not how to stem the financial bleeding. It was rather an annoying counter-blackmail to the “international community” who nevertheless accept to refine the crude, knowing it

had been stolen! So, traders in international crude, licit or illicit, should do Jonathan’s job for him?

Even on the power question, Ms Amanpour, who was relatively soft by her own hard standard in this satelliterelayed interview, virtually drew rings around the president when she made a joke that she was at a loss at what to tell Nigerians who said they hoped they would have electricity to even watch the interview on which the president was being featured!

Whoever dragged Jonathan to CNN, without adequately preparing him for the chore, had done the country a lot of ill. The president also did himself no credit by his below-par performance. In future, it is either the president prepares and excels; or perpetually keeps his peace. Enough of this image of a drooling president that does neither himself nor his country any good.

‘Whoever dragged Jonathan to CNN, without adequately preparing him for the chore, had done the country a lot of ill. The president also did himself no credit by his below-par performance. In future, it is either the president prepares and excels; or perpetually keeps his peace. Enough of this image of a drooling president that does neither himself nor his country any good’

Outrageous!

•Justice Mohammed Talba’s sentence causes national uproar for its absurdity

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ORRUPTION pays and the higher the magnitude of the malfeasance, the better for the perpetrator. This seems to be the maxim Justice Talba of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court sought to propound last Monday in a ruling that has stirred indignation nationwide.

In sentencing Mr. John Yakubu Yusuf, the deputy director in the Police Pension Office who was found guilty of colluding with others to steal over N27 billion, Justice Talba chose the most lenient of options. He sentenced Yusuf to two years imprisonment with an option of N750,000.00 fine. He is also to forfeit 32 houses in the FCT and Gombe as well as N325million that the Economic and Fi-

‘How come Justice Talba gave no thought to the import of his pronouncement on the society? His sentencing endorses corruption at its most bizarre level. His message: steal big enough, get light sentence. It is salutary that the EFCC has re-arraigned this callous felon; we hope that he would get his just dessert at the end of the day’

nancial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said were proceeds from the crime. The convict, according to newspaper reports, briskly paid the fine from the booth of his car and went home a free man.

Apparently discomfited by the public outrage that trailed what is clearly judicial impunity, the culprit was re-arrested by the EFCC. According to the agency, he is being arraigned over non-declaration of all his assets and liability, particularly his negligence to note his interest in a company known as SY-A Global Services Limited.

The perfidy of the light sentence handed to Yusuf by Justice Talba was brought to the fore by a similar sentencing the following day (Tuesday) at the Oyo State High Court where Justice Mashood Abass sentenced the Provost of the Federal Co-operative College, Ibadan, Mrs. Ruth Aweto and the bursar, Mr. Adekanye Komolafe to four years imprisonment each, without the option of fine.

Their offence: they were found guilty of deceiving the Federal Government by presenting 41 casual staff as permanent staff of the college, with annual emolument of about N7million instead of N3.6million. In essence, they made a dubious gain of only N3.4 million over one year.

Justice Talba’s action must have set a precedent, albeit a pernicious one, in the annals of convictions in Nigeria’s pension scam. Understandably, sentencing is at the discretion of the judge but the rule of the thumb is to match a sentence against

the gravity of an offence. It is therefore, a sheer parody of justice to ask a convict who has admitted to stealing billions of naira to pay just a token fine and go home. It is particularly worrisome when the stolen money is the life-time savings and toil of workers who are denied the enjoyment of such savings in their old age.

It is common knowledge that in recent years, many aged and ailing pensioners die on verification queues across the country in the bid to get their pensions while many go for years without any pay.

It is because of unscrupulous people like Yusuf who would rather covet the pooled funds that the pension system has been dysfunctional and murky. One would expect the justice to have handed down a punishment almost commensurate with the offence of the felon to serve as a deterrent to others. To have allowed Yusuf to go home almost unscathed, Justice Talba leaves all right-thinking people suspicious that there must be much more to the judgment.

How come Justice Talba gave no thought to the import of his pronouncement on the society? His sentencing endorses corruption at its most bizarre level.

His message: steal big enough, get light sentence. It is salutary that the EFCC has re-arraigned this callous felon; we hope that he would get his just dessert at the end of the day. The Nigeria Judicial Council (NJC) should immediately review the ruling to save the face of Nigeria’s judiciary.

Much more of this chaos and the army will be back

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RESIDENT Mohamed Morsi’s declaration of a month-long state of emergency in three Suez Canal cities after a weekend of lethal violence is a depressing way to mark the second anniversary of the Tahrir Square revolution.

While it is not intrinsic evidence of involution, after 30 years of emergency rule

by Hosni Mubarak, the toppled former president, and amid authoritarian reflexes by Mr Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood- led government, it is an alarming index of a downward spiral into chaos that could tempt the army back on to the political stage.

Quite simply, there is no sign of the stability Egypt needs to revive investment and create jobs. Nor is it clear who rules Egypt. There are still three power centres: a presidency that acts as an extension of the Brotherhood; the generals; and a fragmented secular opposition of small parties and street activists. A controversially dissolved parliament awaits new elections. Vital institutions such as the police and the judiciary need to be reformed.

The worst violence at the weekend followed death sentences handed down to Port Said football hooligans convicted in the deaths of dozens of rivals in February. That attack was widely seen as a police-facilitated reprisal against the Cairo al-Ahli team’s “ultras”, whose street-fighting skills helped topple the Mubarak regime. Such incidents proliferate amid the chaos and the lack of a consensus to confront it. Mr Morsi and the Brotherhood, through their naked power grabs and secretive decision-making, seem to regard Egypt’s institutions as their own. The opposition fails to articulate an alternative, riding the backlash against Islamist over-reach.

As this sterile political struggle rages, the economy is on its knees. A long negotiated IMF loan is not yet in place. It would require a socially explosive rationalisation of subsidies that eat up a quarter of the budget.

Food and fuel-price inflation is high, and the currency is under strain. Egypt is kept afloat by transfers from Qatar, protecting its investment in the Brotherhood – not quite the “dignity revolution” Egyptians envisaged.

Some of this turmoil was unavoidable; Egypt is trying to emerge from a desert of despotism. But Mr Morsi does not have much time left to prove mainstream Islamists can govern – and for all Egyptians. The opposition, some of whose leaders applauded the constitutional court’s dissolution last year of an elected parliament, should not crow either. If both camps cannot build a workable consensus, they will both go down together.

– Financial Times

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THE NATION THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2013

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CARTOON & LETTERS

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IR: There was loud ovation in Enugu State when in January 2012, new teachers were recruited to join the state civil service to bridge the gap in the shortage of manpower in most government owned secondary schools. The successful candidates recruited after rigorous processes of written and oral interviews couldn’t thank their creator enough.

The scramble for the job dislocated many families. Some qualified jobless housewives who succeeded in the recruitment had to abandon their families from different parts of the country and relocated to their place of posting in different remote areas of Enugu State. Some others residing in neighboring states like Anambra

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Plight of Enugu’s newly recruited teachers and Imo at the greatest risk of their lives, shuttle daily from their base to different schools where they teach in Enugu.

They go to work with much enthusiasm not only to impact on their students but also banking on the hope that their monthly salary will henceforth cushion the effect of their heavy spending on transport and other lo-

gistics.

But painfully the countdown began. January, February, March to December no sign. To give them false hopes, sometimes, they will be called to Enugu for verification, computerization and other jargons making the teachers whet their appetite that something is in the offing.

The situation became so bad that

for 13 months the new teachers never received a dime as salary. Frustration gave way to anger and despondency while Christmas for them was not only a sad reminder of a failed system but a moment of regret.

Suddenly, news began to fly that they are not being paid because the governor is sick and has traveled abroad for treatment. That Chime has

Airports remodelling commendable

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IR: Critics of the on-going remodelling exercise at the nation’s airports agree that something is wrong with the airports and the facilities therein. They agree that a lot is rotten with the system of operation. They also agree that the human component too needs to be addressed. So, a listening President said, Oh something needs to be done urgently to address all the issues that people are raising concerning our airports. And pronto, he set in motion the process of bringing back the glory of the airports. Hardly had he taken the first step that bullets of abuse started to fly. From the President to the ebullient Honourable Minister of Aviation to all the chiefs at the Aviation agencies, none was spared. This is not fair.

We must learn to appreciate whatever a sitting government is doing right.

It is not a secret that a lot had gone wrong with the airports, but here is now a conscious effort to put those things right and some people are not satisfied. What do these critics want the government to do? Close down all the airports? No, that cannot be the answer. What the Aviation Minister is doing right now about these airports should be commended. For example, the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos and the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa in Rivers State which are always the reference point in these caustic attacks were commissioned in 1979; that is 34 years ago.

The facts are there for all to see.

People passed through the airports and lamented that we are probably a cursed people. That our airports were not better than bread ovens, so some

said. People said unprintable things about past ministers and those at the helm of affairs at the aviation agencies. Critics at every turn called for the heads of everybody to roll.

But this administration listened to the genuine cries of airport users and has begun a major restructuring and remodelling of the nation’s airports.

What is going on today in the aviation industry in Nigeria is unprecedented.

There is a massive construction work going on simultaneously at not less than 11 of the nation’s airports.

Users of these airports can attest to this fact that no administration in the history of this nation had had this kind

of stoic determination to make a difference in the aviation industry and thus embark on the kind of work going on at present at the nation’s airports. It is rather unfortunate that instead of praise, what the critics are heaping on the President, the Honourable Minister of Aviation and everybody that has anything to do with the industry is abuse.

For God’s sake, can’t we for once, appreciate a good that someone is doing for our country?

The wisdom of not closing down the airports for the remodelling should be appreciated. What the nation is going to lose if they are closed down could only be imagined. Defi-

nitely jobs would be lost. Families would be affected and the perennial cry of increasing unemployment would reach a crescendo. The popular saying ‘’No gain without pain’’ will suffice here. It is like the pains of a woman going into pregnancy and after nine months is delivered of a baby. The pains are there but the relief after the pangs of childbirth and the joy of a baby in the home bring satisfaction.

Nigerians will in a short while begin to see the result of this dynamism when the remodelled airports begin to work.

• Ola Ogundolapo Omagwa, Rivers State

left instruction that his deputy should not sign any cheque above N500,000.

Some also alleged that the money for the new teacher’s salary was stashed away in the ministry as a fixed deposit in a bank while some powerful people are eating from the accruing interest. The situation has led to the return of the old and outdated aphorism that teachers reward will be in heaven.

The real question now is whether government had genuine intentions to employ the teachers at the first instance or was it a political gimmick?

If the intentions were genuine, why then owe people for one year and expect such people to work and still survive?

During the Christmas season, some of the new teachers received bank alerts of one month salary out of the 13 months owed while some didn’t receive at all.

What is happening in Enugu state is a national embarrassment, a misnomer and an aberration. Where are the men of conscience? What of the influential people in the society, the church, civil society groups and other leaders of thought?

Now that it has been confirmed that Governor Chime is alive while the Acting Governor, Sunday Onyebuchi has also voiced out that Chime properly handed over to him, I think there is no need playing games with people’s misery. Paying the teachers will be one step for us to believe for real that Enugu is working.

• Patrick Chiejina Awka , Anambra state

Still on the rot at Police College

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IR: The president visit to Police College Ikeja on Friday January 18 was a visit long overdue and better late than never.

Though the visit was triggered by the documentary televised on a Lagos based privately owned Channel Television, the unscheduled visit allowed the President to see things the way they were. I think he should be commended because if he had informed the Inspector General of Police and co. they could have covered up the true situation of things at the Police College.

During the visit, the President moved round and saw the rate of dilapidation of the college. The grasses were not cut, the hostels facilities were too bad, the wall separating the college from the highway patrol barracks, Ikeja was said to have collapsed a year ago, thus giving access into the college by all manners of people,

making the security in the college to be pathetic.

Apart from the rot, the college is also being dogged by recruitment scandal which came to the surface when the President visited. It was alleged that many under-aged people were recruited which prompted President to ask for the age of one of college trainee. Another problem of the college is the fraud that was alleged being perpetrated against the trainees. Each trainee was paid N3000 instead of N14000.

Like the President, there is nobody that will not be angry if he/she sees the rate of rot in the college in spite of the huge of amount of money that was allocated to the police colleges in the budget.

For instance, in 2011, N291.946 million was budgeted for all the 10 Police Colleges across the nation. In 2012, N296.757million was budgeted

for the same colleges and in 2013 budget, N280million has also been set aside for all these 10 police colleges apart from the money each of this college is generating from renting out the field of the college to the public for ceremonies as it was witnessed on the day the President visited.

But it is a pity that all the money that is meant for development of these police colleges was not being utilized well.

Having commended the President for that surprise visit, I also commend the management of Chanel Television for televising that documentary that revealed the sad state of the college.

However, President Jonathan must not see the documentary as a calculated attempt to damage the image of his government as he has said but rather he should see the documentary as a wakeup call to his govern-

ment. Therefore instead of angrily asking for who permitted Channels Television to film the depreciation in the facilities of the college, he should rather be serious with the question why and how the college got to that deplorable state in spite of the huge amount of money that is being pumped into the college.

The DIG ‘E’ Department who is in charge of the trainees and the college commandant must be probed on how they have been managing the college’s monies. The IGP, his predecessors and other past DIGs of ‘E’ Department must also be asked to say what they knew on how the Police College Ikeja come to that deplorable state. After the thorough investigations, anyone that is found wanting must be dealt with accordingly.

• John Tosin Ajiboye Osogbo Osun State

THE NATION THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2013

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COMMENTS

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Adetiloye : Fare thee well

HE death of Archbishop Abiodun Adetiloye marks the end of an era in the Anglican Communion of Nigeria. Archbishop Abiodun Adetiloye became a Bishop at an early age. He was in his late 30s, when he became a Bishop several decades ago. His meteoric rise in the church caught the envious eyes of many people including his clerical colleagues. He was a cerebral Bishop who applied his reasoning faculty to the work of the church. The church to him was not just the buildings or churches and cathedrals but the people. In this regard, he believed in Christian Evangelism all over the country and particularly to the Islamic North. He challenged the tradition established by the British colonialists that Christian evangelization of the Islamic North was forbidden. Archbishop Adetiloye was able to mobilise men and resources for the establishment of Anglican Missionary Dioceses in the North and in other parts of the South where the Christian religion was not being properly preached. He was an organisational man and he believed in structures. The creation of the office of the Primate as the head of the Anglican Communion in Nigeria was his making. He subsequently became the first Primate of Anglican Communion in Nigeria.

He began as a liberal cleric when he was young but he later tightened up the doctrine of the church of Nigeria and frowned on sexual and moral laxity among communicants. He was intolerant of the Western practice of homosexuality and lesbianism and he believed in the old time religion and biblical doctrine against same sex unions. When he was Archbishop of Nigeria, he promoted young people into bishoprics and embraced the idea of graduate priests and even priests with higher degrees. At a point in time, he wanted this writer to become a Reverend gentleman. He was not totally against the Pentecostal

‘In crisis he embraced the doctrine of liberation theology and like one of his younger colleagues, Bishop Bolanle Gbonigi of Akure he was prepared if needs be to die as a tribune and champion of suffering humanity’

movement in Nigeria as many Bishops are to today. He frowned on loud music during church worship and was rather committed to the old mode of songs and hymns rather than the loud music characteristic of the Pentecostal movement. I remember sometimes in the late 1980s when the Fountain of Faith of which I was a member in the Anglican Church on Montgomery road, Yaba donated a set of musical instruments and drums to our church in order to stem the tide of migration of young people into the Pentecostal churches. We called on Archbishop Adetiloye to commission the musical instruments. When the professionals we hired struck a loud note, the Archbishop nearly had a fit and instructed that the sound of the music be kept to the barest minimum.

During his time, he encountered subterranean opposition of those who were uncomfortable with an upcountry man lording it over clerics in Lagos.

Archbishop Adetiloye had a great social life and was very comfortable with people and he made friends easily with low and high in the society and was a patriotic Ekiti man who loved the rustic lives of his people and celebrated the immense educational attainment and achievements of his people. He epitomised the great qualities of the Ekiti man especially the commitment to transparency, excellence, honesty and courage. He spoke truth to power when it was necessary especially during the Babangida and Abacha days and he was earmarked for elimination during the Abacha days. He knew this but he still spoke the truth. He trusted the Lord for protection and the Lord protected him. In crisis he embraced the doctrine of liberation theology and like one of his younger colleagues, Bishop Bolanle Gbonigi of Akure he was prepared if needs be to die as a tribune and champion of suffering humanity.

He retired to Ekiti, his home state after he had served out his term as Primate of the Anglican Communion. He was recognized and celebrated by the state which named the events centre of Ado-Ekiti, Archbishop Adetiloye Hall.

If there was any holy man in Nigeria, Archbishop Abiodun Adetiloye was one. Being a Christian does not mean one will not have problems. Saint Paul of Tarsus had a thorn in his flesh. Adetiloye was not above having his own thorn but God was gracious to him and he was not overwhelmed by any problem. Our Lord Bishop will be highly missed by many especially those who are used

to his advice, ministration and prayers. Our Lord Bishop has gone to join the saints triumphant and I have no doubt that our Lord Jesus Christ will reward him.

I will never forget his homily during the burial of Jide Professor D.F. Ojo, Osuntokun the famous Physicist from Igbole in Ido-osi Local Government. The atmosphere was sad and sombre even though Prof Ojo was not a young man.

When the Archbishop saw the long drawn faces, he lightened up the atmosphere by telling us how he had advised the dead man to stop smoking to no avail. He said Prof Ojo told him man must die or be killed by something. The Archbishop then turned his gaze to the casket and said “Ojo; cigarette has killed you oh”. He said this in the Ekiti tongue and the whole church erupted into laughter. The Bishop was such a great preacher who knew what to say at the appropriate time.

He touched the lives of many and whomsoever he touched changed for the better. It is apportioned for man to live for a certain period of time and afterwards the holy book said there will be judgement. Vox Populi Vox Dei says the Romans and because man has born witness to Adetiloye’s good deeds, God will receive the Lord Bishop into his glory.

‘He epitomised the great qualities of the Ekiti man especially the commitment to transparency, excellence, honesty and courage. He spoke truth to power when it was necessary...’

Anti-graft law’s many loopholes

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HAT do you make of the verdict? Which verdict, did I hear you say? That verdict, yes that same verdict! Oh! are you talking about the verdict handed down to that pension thief, now I get your drift? As Baba would say I dey laugh o! What’s the cause of your laughter? The judgment or is it not funny? How can a man be convicted of stealing N32.8 billion pension funds and sentenced to a total of six years imprisonment? If that is not funny, then tell me what is? The judgment does not make any sense at all and the people are justified to be angry.

There is no sane person who will not be annoyed by the verdict because it seems to give legal seal to the crime that was committed rather than adequately punish the offender to deter others. What is the deterrence factor in the verdict?

There is none whatsoever, rather it celebrates criminality.. What the judgment is saying in effect is that crime pays. The wages of sin, the Bible tells us, is death. But this verdict has rewritten the scripture to tell us that the wages of crime is a lifetime of bliss. Yes, the offender after getting away with this light penalty will have all the time in the world to enjoy his loot with his family at the expense of those whose money he stole.

This is not the first time a thing like this is happening. The most recent of this kind of sickening verdicts before that of Monday in which John Yakubu Yusufu got six years imprisonment with a N750,000 fine option for stealing N32.8 billion pension funds, were those of former Edo State Governor Lucky Igbinedion, former Bayelsa State Governor Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, one-time Inspector-General of Police (IGP)

Tafa Balogun and erstwhile Oceanic Bank chief Cecilia Ibru. They all got away with light sentences for offences which many lowly placed Nigerians are today rotting away in jail. Their sentences did not in any way match the gravity of the offences for which they were tried.

Yes, some people will blame the law for the punishment meted out to these convicts. They will do so because it is the most convenient thing to do in the circumstance. They will take such position because it is to their favour and that of the convicts. We are not saying that judges should not apply the law, but they should try as much as possible to apply it to reflect the seriousness of the case at hand. Did I hear you ask what can a judge do when the law has laid down the penalty for an offence? He can do plenty by noting the gravity of the offence visa vis the soft penalty. Nothing stops the judge from showing his annoyance with such law by recommending it for the trash can.

But where the judge keeps quiet in the face of such anomaly, he lends himself to the rot in the system and becomes open to attacks. We live in the same society and so judges, no matter how conservative they are, cannot pretend not to know what is going on. To pretend that they are far removed from the goings on around them is to carry their pretences too far. A judge’s job is pensionable, if I am not wrong. So, assuming someone stole judges’ pension running into N50 billion and he is brought before a judge like Justice Abubakar Talba, who convicted Yusufu, will he treat the matter the same way?

Agreed that judges swore to do justice to all manner of man ‘’without fear or favour; affection or ill will’’, but in such a case involving

all what the judge had worked for all his life, he may be forced to take a position outside the purview of the law and he will be justified in the eyes of the people if he did so.

We are not saying that judges should break the law in order to satisfy the public in the discharge of their duties. No, far from it, but they should not feel unconcerned about people’s feeling which is that ex-convicts like Yusufu, Igbinedion, Balogun, Ibru and their ilk should have been given harsher sentences.

To plea bargain for a lighter sentence after stealing the people blind is not the kind of legal deal our judges should be part of. plea bargain, which is not in the public interest, should not be endorsed by our judges. In this instant case, what price did Yusufu, a former deputy director in the Police Pension Office, pay for the offence of stealing N32 .8 billion pension funds? He has not paid any price, so the tendency is for those occupying high public office to feel that they can do the same thing and get away with it as long as the penalty is to pay a token as fine in lieu of going to jail for two years. Ironically, some people, who did not steal up to N500, 000 are being kept in jail for years without trial. Where they have been tried, they are sentenced to jail with

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hard labour. Yet, the big thieves are walking the streets as free men and women using their loot to oppress us after getting light sentences.

Judges interpret the law, we all know. In their interpretation of the law, they should leave a message, which will resonate across the country. In doing so, they are telling the world that yes we are applying the law but nothing stops us from contributing to the making or remaking of the law for our collective good. In days gone by, Justice Chukwudifu Oputa, Justice Andrews Otutu-Obaseki and the late Justice Kayode Eso, among others, were doing things like this.

They applied the law as it were and contributed to its reform through their considered rulings. Judges of these days can borrow a leaf from them.

An Oputa or Otutu-Obaseki or Eso would not have given the kind of verdicts we have seen in the cases of Yusufu, Igbinedion, Ibru and Balogun. No, not all. They would not have allowed the convicts to go just like that without telling them some home truths. Yes, these men, in their individual capacity, would have reasoned, ‘’well, I don’t have the power to penalise you beyond what the law says, be that as it may, let it be on record that you have committed a grave offence - the

‘This verdict has rewritten the scripture to tell us that the wages of crime is a lifetime of bliss. Yes, the offender after getting away with this light penalty will have all the time in the world to enjoy his loot with his family at the expense of those whose money he stole’

Lawal Ogienagbon lawal.ogienagbon@thenationonlineng.net SMS ONLY: 08099400204

stealing of money kept in your care - for which you deserve to rot in jail to deter others. What kind of public officer are you that you steal public funds with reckless abandon.

What are you going to do with all the money? To build houses in heaven? Let it be on record that this law is too lenient for the kind of offence you have committed. If I have my way, you will rot in jail.

But luckily for you the law says otherwise. There is need to review a law like this which allows thieves to go away virtually free’’.

It is painful that we don’t have men like this anymore on the Bench. As our country sinks deeper into morass, we crave the return of such legal minds to restore sanity in the bodypolity. It is, however, not a task for judges alone. We should all be involved but the greater part of the job must be done by the National Assembly. Will the lawmakers continue to watch as criminals run rings round us because of the inadequate laws under which they are tried? Our anti-corruption laws need to be reviewed to deal appropriately with public officers who dip their hands inside the till at will.

THE NATION THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2013

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UHU Ribadu, the former EFCC boss expressed his anguish during a twoday summit of Northern Development Focus Initiative (NDFI) in Kano last week. He was troubled by the fact that the 19 northern state governors and the 414 local governments have nothing to show for the N8.3 trillion that accrued to them between 1999 and 2010.

On the contrary, Ahmadu Bello and his team, with an annual budget of N44m which is less than what a local government collects today maintained law and order and ensured effective security of life and property, built Ahmadu Bello University, Ahmadu Bello Stadium and NNDC conglomerate in addition to well paved roads, etc.

But what Ribadu like many of us seem to have forgotten was that Ahmadu Bello, like Awo his counterpart in the West, made those giant strides using their political parties, the Northern Peoples Congres (NPC) and Action Group (AG) not just as tools for the mobilization of the masses of their people for electoral purposes but also as participants in the policy thrust of their administrations. The political parties of the first republic, apart from serving as channels for recruitment of political leadership, were modernization agents.

They had taken a cue from Herbert Macaulay’s Nigeria National Democratic Party (NNDP) which he introduced in 1923 as a response to Hugh Clifford 1922 constitution with defined objectives of seeking a “municipal status for Lagos, local self government, compulsory primary education, non discriminatory private economic enterprise and Africanisation of the civil service.”

In the same manner, the foundation of NPC was laid by educated and dedicated northern youths, first, through the Bauchi General Improvement Union and Youths Special Circle of Sokoto in the mid- forties. Both metamorphosed into Jam’yyar Mutanem Arewa, Northern Nigerian Congress (NNC) in June 1949 through the efforts of Dr. A. R Dikko and D. A .Rafih. The main objective of NPC as stated by Dr. Dikko, its first president was ‘fighting ignorance, idleness and injustice’ in the northern region’.

The AG, nurtured by Obafemi Awolowo, Samuel Ladoke Akintola, Bode Thomas, Anthony Enahoro, Adekunle Ajasin and other young educated elites of the region was inaugurated in August 1950. Besides its unstated purpose of reducing the influence of Zik in the West, it had a well articulated manifesto which promised free education, free health, and full employment among many others.

Political parties of the first republic were created as agents of modernization by dedicated

A

T the mid-term of his first four-year mandate, which will be due for renewal in 2014, Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi encapsulated his mission in government in two telling phrases: “Reclaiming the trust of the people; delivering the promise to the people.” This self-definition formed the theme of celebrations to mark his second anniversary in office, which included the launch of his new book, Reclaiming the Trust, a collection of his key speeches in the last two years at the helm of government business in Ekiti.

Fayemi said, at a well-attended state banquet to end the week-long festivities, “Without being immodest and at the risk of sounding arrogant, our record of achievement in the past two years in Ekiti is better in quality and quantity than the previous seven and a half years that our people have lived through.

But we are not deluding ourselves. We know we have not reached the destination. We know the road is still long. But from the prism of our eight-Point Agenda, we have been able to consistently present our scorecard to the people of the state.”

Any trace of braggadocio in his selfappraisal found redemption as leaders of his party, Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), in Ekiti State, endorsed him for re-election during the end-of-year party hosted by a former governor of the state, Niyi Adebayo, at his country home in Iyin Ekiti. According to ACN state Chairman, Chief Jide Awe, “The leaders of our party have spoken and the people on the streets have also spoken in clear terms. They are all saying the governor has performed and should be given a second term. I endorse this position because the Fayemi administration has made a difference in the state.”

Even Fayemi appeared unprepared for the political colour of the social event, saying, “I am humbled by this expression of confidence and goodwill by our party men and women.”

If there were any lingering doubts about the sentiments expressed by Awe the politician,

What Nigerians expect of Buhari and Tinubu youths who had their eyes on history as against what obtained today where we have gangs with garrison commanders engaged in squabbles over the sharing of our common wealth among its members.

The travails of our party system as modernising agents started with the onslaught of the military. Ill-informed and ill-trained Ironsi and Gowon banned the parties because they could not just understand that they were in fact index of political development.

Babangida tried to create political parties in the image of the military. But because they were government creations in name but orphans in reality, Tony Anenih of SDP found it easy to trade off his party’s victory while Tom Ikimi of NRC settled for the position of a foreign affairs minister. Both opted for short term advantage.

Abacha came up with, the UNCP, CNC, NCPN, DPN and GDM which late Bola Ige described as five fingers of a leprous hand. Ige was proved right as all the five so called political parties adopted Abacha as their presidential candidate even before he publicly declared his interest.

The PDP emerged from the G-34 during General Abubakar’s 11-month transition program. But it was soon hijacked by retired soldiers and their contractors. Using vicious military tactics, PDP was able to easily infiltrate AD and ANPP leaving each to behave like a woman with three husbands.

What Buhari, Tinubu and their colleagues are being called upon to do is not just an inauguration of party to win an election. That job has been made easy by PDP’s self-inflicted damage. All the new party needs to do is to celebrate the credentials of all those who are today fighting over the soul of PDP starting

with Obasanjo, followed by other vicious leaders like Tony Anenih, Ahmadu Alli, Bamanga Tukur, Bode George.

Nigerians have already known through judicial pronouncements the invidious role of Anenih ‘the Fixer’ in the states and federal elections between 1999 and 2007. The House of Representatives Committee on Public Accounts only last week declared that Anenih, the newly appointed chairman of Ports Authority, must appear before it to answer some questions regarding his role in the alleged N20 billion road contract scam.

Before then there was the suppressed Heineken Lokpobiri Senate transport probe report which alleged that from 1999 to 2009, some N645 billion was spent on 4,752 kilometres of road; shortchanging the government to the tune of N49 million on each kilometre of road purportedly constructed.

Ahmadu Alli has often been trailed by crisis.

As chairman of PDP, he was alleged to have nominated his son and wife for board positions. As chairman of PPRA, he and the current minister of petroleum presided over the theft of about N2 trillion by some of the over 140 independent oil marketers they appointed.

Goodluck Ebere Jonathan is a harmless man PDP leading light imposed as president, sacrificing in the process their party’s constitution. He is as a result said to have sold Nigeria to PDP whose other name has become ‘corruption’. Former World Bank Vice President for Africa Oby Ezekwesili, who was Education Minister in the Obasanjo administration, has just alleged that the PDP administration of Jonathan squandered $67billion reserves left by the Olusegun Obasanjo administration. Government

Fayemi at work

By Frank Adewale the visit to the governor by the non-partisan Ekiti Council of Elders helped to put the party’s endorsement into perspective. At the governor’s office in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, the senior citizens, led by a First Republic minister, Chief Joel Babatola, said Ekiti was “very fortunate “ to have Fayemi in the saddle, and praised his “passion for development.” The first half of Fayemi’s tenure, they observed, was “characterized by integrity, hard work and performance.”

Fayemi never gets weary of attributing his acclaimed performance in office to his determination to fulfil what he perceives as a social contract. According to him, “Everywhere we go, we get confronted by the question of how we have been able to record such a great success in Ekiti in just two years. I do explain it in two ways. One is to see everything as the favour of God Almighty. Without him and his support, nothing is possible. Another explanation we cannot run away from is that this administration understands the meaning of social contract.

Leaders must understand that the position involves giving useful directions to the people, protecting them through policies and programmes, and empowering them meaningfully and usefully.”

The harvest of completed “milestone projects” across the state’s 16 local government areas at the mid-term bears testimony to his commitment to his political philosophy; it was a grand inauguration of 160 projects , including roads, schools, water and rural electrification. Among his administration’s endearing achievements, which have touched the grassroots, is the building of five-kilometre roads in council

areas, free education and free health programmes, and the Social Security Scheme for the Elderly, which is an impressive innovation in these parts.

It promises to be business as usual at the Government House in Ado- Ekiti in the remaining half of Fayemi’s first term, if his administration’s proposed N93.6 billion budget for 2013 is anything to go by.

According to the financial plan, tagged “Budget of Empowerment and Consolidation, “ capital expenditure is put at N47,200,688,770 (50.4 per cent), against recurrent expenditure of N46,416,141,231 (49.6 per cent), which has positive implications for developmental projects.

Furthermore, among the top priorities of the administration, as shown by the budget, Infrastructure has the lion’s share of 21.2 per cent, followed by Education with 17.2 per cent, and Health with 10.7 per cent.

Fayemi plans to spend N9.9 billion on roads, saying that intra-township roads in the state’s three divisional administrative headquarters, including Ikere, Ikole and Ijero, would be built with street lights installed, and all ongoing road projects would be completed by next year. Water projects would get N2.4 billion, while N2.163 billion is budgeted for the rehabilitation of General Hospitals and Comprehensive Health Centres.

In line with the budget’s focus on empowering rural dwellers, the Fayemi administration is set to grab the headlines with yet another innovation, with his promise to create a new ministry to address poverty reduction and facilitate rural development. The state’s rural communities can look forward to improved living conditions when this promise is fulfilled.

The governor’s track record of delivering on his electioneering promises provides

spokesman said it was only $43.13billion that was left. Amidst the war of figures, the one thing government has found difficult to do, is account for either of the figures.

Nigerians can therefore take the right decision if as Chief Bisi Akande recently put it, ‘the Independent National Electoral Commission will provide a level playing ground whereby due process will be adhered to.. and if the security agencies will be fair and impartial and will reject advances that could taint elections’.

What Nigerians want from Buhari and Tinubu is inauguration of a modernising party in line with what obtained in the first republic and elsewhere in the developed democracies.

The challenge before the two and their colleagues is to replace the current political parties moulded in the military image, with garrison commanders as party leaders who supervised the squandering of N8.3trillion in 10 years by the 19 northern state governors and something closer to that by their southern counterparts.

Achieving this noble objective calls for a sober reflection on the parts of the main actors.

Apart from Buhari’s rigidity and offensive image of ‘blood, dogs, monkeys,’ he seems to have started well by cancelling an elaborate 70th birthday bash Nigerians know he could ill-afford on his own, but organized by those who would have used public funds.

What these times call for are men with eyes on history; men who would emulate the federalists Hamilton and Adams, the Republicans Jefferson and Madison of USA of the 1790s, the British enlightened elite that established parties as modernizing agents after the Britain reforms of 1832, their French counterparts who did the same after French revolution of 1789 and the Japanese leaders after the Meiji Restoration of 1867.

Buhari and Tinubu have the goodwill of Nigerians. They are both blessed with educated, dedicated youths and professionals who look up to them to provide leadership so that they can jointly write their names in gold as they map out a better future for our children. This task is not unattainable.

‘What Nigerians want from Buhari and Tinubu is inauguration of a modernising party in line with what obtained in the first republic and elsewhere in the developed democracies’ reasonable grounds for optimism that he will sustain the tempo of development in Ekiti in the second half of his term, which will likely work to his advantage in seeking re-election.

And, to his credit, he has been able to quieten the opposition with the sheer force of his electorate-friendly performance. It is remarkable that he has so far managed to escape damaging political mudslinging, and his opponents are hard put to find a chink in his armour.

In truth, the Fayemi administration has so far been scandal-free, particularly concerning official corruption, which remains the bane of many political office holders in the country.

He has ascribed this to his mission to reclaim the people’s trust based on “competence, creativity, reliability and transparency in public funding in all that we do.”

With about one year to go to the 2014 Ekiti governorship poll, which is a long time in politics, the odds are that, with more endorsements of Fayemi rolling in, as is likely in the countdown to the event, he will be pre-eminently positioned to clinch a deserved re-election.

• Adewale writes from Ado-Ekiti

‘The governor’s track record of delivering on his electioneering promises provides reasonable grounds for optimism that he will sustain the tempo of development in Ekiti in the second half of his term, which will likely work to his advantage in seeking re-election’

THE NATION THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2013

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THE NATION THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2013

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THE NATION

EDUCATION Website:- http://www.thenationonlineng.com

THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2013

INSIDE ‘I’m no local champ, Mum’

email:- education@thenationonlineng.com

With the Federal Government’s directive that convocation should no longer be held if the graduating students’ certificates are not ready, the universities are in a race to fulfil the condition. KOFOWOROLA BELO-OSAGIE and ADEGUNLE OLUGBAMILA report.

FIFTEEN year-old Dumebi Alim invested N100 to participate in an educational quiz game show and won N190,000 prize money. She said with the win in the competition called My Education Quiz Play she has proven to her mum that she is not just a local champion.

The SS2 pupil of Air Force Secondary School, Ikeja, told The Nation in an interview that her mother had always challenged her to excel outside her school, where she has been a dominant force academically since primary level.

-Page 28

IBBUL abolishes pass degree IN compliance with the directives by the National Universities Commission (NUC) on the new grading system for •Prof Kolo universities, the Senate of the Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai, Niger State, has approved the abolition of Pass Degree in the institution.

-Page 37

CAMPUS LIFE •An eight-page section on campus news, people etc

Awry matriculation at KWARA POLY FRESHERS in higher institutions across the country were upbeat last week as they took their matriculation oath.

From the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) to Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH), and Kwara State Polytechnic (KWARAPOLY), students gathered for the exercise, which marks the beginning of their academic journey.

-Page 29

•From left: Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Ayim Pius Ayim; Founding Chairman, GTBank Plc, Mr Fola Adeola; Group Managing Director, Diamond Bank, Dr Alex Otti and Prof. Attahiru Mohammed Jega, after they were conferred with honorary degrees of the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) during its 42nd convocation.

Varisities get fresh challenge

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OR universities, the era of holding convocations without giving the graduating students their certificates is over. Henceforth, they won’t be allowed to hold the ceremony without proof that the students certificates are ready, Education Minister, Prof Ruqayyat Ahmed Rufa’i said penultimate week that universities will no longer be allowed to organise convocations except they prepare certificates for their students.

She gave the directive during the 2 nd Convocation of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) in Lagos on January 18.

She said: “Universities will no longer convocate students without giving them certificates.”

At a pre-convocation press briefing on Monday University of Lagos (UNILAG) Vice-Chancellor Prof Rahaman Bello and the Federal Ministry of Education (Abuja) have informed all federal-owned universities that readiness to issue certificates is an important part of the requirements for approval to hold the convocation.

“The readiness of certificates is one of the conditions from the government to approve your convocation.

It is a regulation now that you will not be given a go-ahead for convocation if the certificates are not ready,” he said at the briefing ahead of the institutions golden jubilee convocation holding next week.

In line with this directive, Bello

added that the certificates of the 6, 932 students graduating next week are ready for collection. However, he said only those who are cleared by their faculties would be given theirs during the convocation holding between February 5 and 8.

“The certificates are ready but wont be given to the graduands until after their clearance because some graduands may have problems they have not sorted,” he said.

Last week, the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) graduated 19, 880, who were also presented with their certificates. It was the institution’s 42nd convocation.

The University’s Deputy ViceChancellor (Administration), Prof Malachy Okweze said the issuance of certificates on convocation day began since the administration of Prof Batho Okolo as Vice-Chancellor in 2009.

“UNN has always issued certificates at convocation since the advent of Prof Bartho Okolo as Vice-Chancellor. UNN also now insists that examination results are compiled within two weeks but no later than four weeks,” he said.

Another source added: “Even during last week’s convocation, the graduands were told their certificates were ready for collection afterwards.

They started collecting the certificate since Monday.”

The new policy will be a relief to graduating students, who have nursed fears about suffering the fate of many who graduated before them

and could not get their certificates for years afterwards. Stories abound about such people. When Prof Bello affirmed that the certificates would be issued next week, students present at the briefing cheered at the news.

Many of the 7,220 NOUN graduands were also delighted to receive their certificates at the National Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos, venue of the convocation where the minister made the announcement.

One of them, Naomi Fregene, a graduate of Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution said getting her certificate immediately was particularly pleasing because of the length of time it took to complete the programme.

“Collecting my certificate today is the icing on the cake for me. I am delighted to be graduating after so many years, I feel on top of the world,” she said.

However, the new policy is not strange in some universities. The Osun State University (UNIOSUN) issued certificates to the two sets of students that have graduated on the convocation day. Mr Marcus Awobifa of the Public Relations Unit told The Nation that the 365 students who graduated in 2011 and the 657 in 2012 got their certificates same day.

Graduates of many private universities also collect their certificates almost immediately. Ms Kemi Runsewe, a Mass Communication graduate of the Redeemer’s University (RUN), said the certificates were ready though not given on the convocation day.

“Our certificates were ready but we were not given immediately.

They were meant to be in the scrolls presented to us but they feared that if they gave it to us many students would not return the graduation

Prof Rufa’i

gowns so they asked us to come for it afterwards. We collected it the Monday after our convocation,” said Kemi who graduated last year.

Another graduate of Bowen University, Iwo, Ms Opeyemi Oni, said though certificates were not issued immediately when she graduated three years ago, they were ready in months.

“We got our statement of results immediately. But we were told to come back for the certificates. It is ready but I am yet to go back for mine,” she said.

When the Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo held a combined convocation for the 2008/2009;2009/ 2010; and 2010/2011 sets June last year, its new 1,500-seater auditorium could not accommodate the 58,935 graduands. Despite the heavy downpour that day, many of them were joyous because their • Continued on page 26

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EDUCATION

LASU bars latecomers from matriculation

AAUA FILE Three for Israeli Confab THE Management of the Adekunle Ajasin University, AkungbaAkoko (AAUA) has sponsored three senior officers for a twoweek conference at the Galilee International Management Institute, Israel.

The trio, Dr Benson Akinnawonu Dean, Faculty of Arts; Mr Sunday Ayeerun, Deputy Registrar (Academics), and Mr Gbenga Arajulu, Principal Assistant Registrar (Council) participated in the conference, themed: "Management of Higher Education Institution" between January 14 and 29 to learn more about how to improve management of the institution.

Ministry decries road project delay THE Ondo State Ministry of Works has warned Servetek Nigeria Ltd, the contractor handling the 10Kilometre asphalt-overlaid road network of AAUA, to complete it on time or have the contract terminated.

The Ministry handed over the warning through a four-man delegation led by the Director (Engineering), Mr Taiwo Otun, during a scheduled visit to the university Tuesday last week.

Otun, said, “The Ondo State Government is disturbed about the progress of the road project. The work is expected to have been completed since May 2011. We have ensured that payment was not delayed.

“Now that the contractor has promised to complete the project in March this year, if the contractor actually wants to keep to the time, it is expected of him and his workers to commence serious work tomorrow. But if otherwise, the Ministry will definitely terminate the project.”

Responding, the Vice Chancellor, Prof Femi Mimiko, represented by the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Prof.

Rotimi Ajayi, expressed disappointment over the standard and slow pace of work.

The General Manager (Construction), Servetek construction company, Mr Peter Chukwuma, who represented the Managing Director, apologised for not living up to expectations and promised that the project would be delivered in March.

He said: “We want to express our apology for the delay on this job.

We have had a meeting to review all our projects and we have concluded that we want to complete them and move on. AAUA's project topped our priority.

Auditors hail training MEMBERS of staff of the Audit Unit of AAUA, have praised the Management of the institution for sponsoring their on-the-job training.

The Co-ordinator of the programme, Mr Wilson Akinbulumo, who spoke on behalf of his colleagues after the in-house training, last Wednesday, said it would help them perform better.

“All the auditors and other staff in the Audit Unit here have been so enriched in terms of our capacity improvement,” he said.

The Acting Chief Internal Auditor, Mrs. Mofeola Olowokanga, spoke on “Excellence in Report Writing” and charged the auditors to always allow their professional ethics guide their duties and conduct. The Deputy Bursar (Resources Management), Mr. Tobi Orina, spoke on “Expenditure Control in Public Sector: AAUA in Perspective,” while the Principal Internal Auditor, Mr. Adewale Ola, talked on “Internal Control in the University Environment.”

T

HE Vice-Chancellor, Lagos State University (LASU), Prof John Oladapo Obafunwa said the university would no longer condone lateness of staff and students.

To demonstrate the new directive, many of the new students who came late to the 2012/2013 matriculation ceremony on Tuesday, were locked outside the university's new auditorium, where the oath taking took place.

Handing down his verdict, Obafunwa accused the late comers of 'having no respect for time.'

The students and other university officials had been told to assemble at the venue by 9am, an hour ahead of time. The unfortunate students could only groan and shout while the event lasted.

Obafunwa expressed disappointment not only at the late comers but also some who did not dress decently to the event.

He said: "I am disappointed by the students from College of Medicine because of their dressing. They are no different from touts but I am impressed with the students from the Faculty of Law, especially the boy on bow tie.

"We need to learn to convey certain impression for ourselves. We want to attract respect from the wide community. I am sure we can manage freedom that the institution gives to us," he added.

He said that all students have been issued matriculation numbers to enable them pay their fees. Obafunwa announced that the university has approved the payment of fees in two installments for new students. According to him, 70 per cent of the fees is to paid first, before registration of courses, while the 30 per cent balance could be paid later in four weeks.

By Medinat Kanabe

Obafunwa added the newly inaugurated Governing Councilor headed by Mr Bode Agusto has directed that any indigent student, who obtains a minimum of CGPA of 4.5 at the end of each session, will have his or her tuition taken care of by the university.

He admonished the students to pay serious attention to their studies in order to maintain a good standing in

their academic career.

He congratulated parents and guardian and implored them to continue to look after their wards.

"Continue to counsel them (students) against bad association and negative social influences as the university administration does not tolerate any form of indecent dressing.

"Warn them to steer clear of cultrelated activities. Cultism is evil and those who participate in it are not only

wreaking havoc on themselves but on the society and penalty for cultism is expulsion."

Of the 2,784 students offered admission, only 2008 were cleared for matriculation, Obafunwa said the new students spread across faculties of Arts, management Sciences; Social Sciences; Engineering, Education; Law, School of Communication, College of Medicine, (including Physiology) and School of Transport.

•From right:The Provost, Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education (AOCOED), Otto/Ijanikin.Lagos, Mr. Bashorun Olalekan, presenting a gift to Idowu Ladipupo, a member of the College silver winning Beach Soccer team atthe 4th Lagos State Tertiary Institution Games. The presentation occurred during the last matriculation ceremony of the college.

Varisities get fresh challenge • Continued from page 25

certificates were ready for collection at the Registry unit after the event.

To many of them, it was like a dream. Before the graduation last year, the university had huge backlog of uncollected certificates yet to be signed for so many years.

Former Vice-Chancellor, Prof Lateef Akanni Hussain who was forced out in 2010, had complained that there were too many of them unsigned from years before he took over. His successor, Prof J ohn Oladapo Obafunwa, appointed in 2011, considered signing the certificates of the over 50, 00 students who graduates as one of the greatest challenges before him. So it was a dream come true when he gladly announced at the convocation ground that the graduates could pick up their certificates that day.

A source who spoke to The Nation in confidence on Tuesday informed that the 2011/2012 convocation of the university coming up 21 and 22 next

month will have less than 10, 000 graduands who will also get their certificates.

“This coming convocation will not be like the previous ones where over 50 000 graduated. We will be having less than 10,000 graduands this time around. Remember, our VC signed a lot of certificates in the last convocations. This coming one is to clear the backlog of certificates and start on a clean slate,” the source said.

The combined convocation of the Olabisi Onabanjo University AgoIwoye in Ogun State, August last year was similar to that of LASU. Some 40, 130 students graduated during the convocation which was the first to be organised since 2006 due to various crises. The graduands were informed that the certificates were ready that year.

It was no surprise that many of the students who were already frustrated by the system showed little

or no enthusiasm in turning up for the convocations. Nevertheless, graduands who were accompanied by their parents were over joyous that finally, the battle was over as they could also pick up their certificates same day as announced by the OOU Vice-Chancellor Prof Saburi Adejimi Adesanya.

He also said that come January this year when OOU will clock 30, it would organise convocation to clear all outstanding results of students.

He said: “The university, by this combined convocations, has succeeded in clearing all the backlogs of students results and certificates outstanding since 2006. Since our university would be 30 years old by January 2013, we also plan to hold another convocation ceremony in January 2013 and thus will finally clear all backlogs of students resultsand certificates till 2012. By this process, we would have removed the major impediments and problems that have spoiled the image of our university over the years. Our gradu-

•Prof Obafunwa

ates once again, would have access to their certificates for employment prospecting immediately after graduation.”

A student of Microbiology Amarachi Chjioke who belong to the 2008/200/ set had told this reporter why he chose not to show up for the convocation.

Covenant holds overseas higher education fair

N

INE foreign universities and representatives of about 500 other higher institutions in the United Kingdom, America, Canada and Australia have participated in the 2013 Overseas Higher Education Fair organised by the Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State.

The event, which was the second edition, took place on the university campus last Friday .

Declaring the fair open, the ViceChancellor, Prof. Charles Korede Ayo, represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), Prof. A.A.A. Atayero, urged the students to maximise the opportunity to get appropriate information on what to do at their Master’s level.

The Director, International Office and Linkages, Dr. Nnamdi Ekeanyanwu, said the programme was put together to acquaint the students with information about universities in the United Kingdom, USA and Canada for post-

graduate studies.

He said quite a number of Covenant University graduates end up in UK or US for their Master’s degrees, adding that the fair is a free counselling for the students to avoid falling into wrong hands when processing their admissions.

Dr. Ekeayanwu said Covenant University has a direct collaboration and linkages with most of the universities represented and everything would be done to ensure a maximum benefit for the students.

Universities and other institutions represented at the fair included University of Westminster, UK; HULT International Business School, Dubai; Griffith College Dublin; Birmingham University; Aston University and University of Roehampton.

Others are Lancaster University; Northimbria University; British Canada International Education Limited; Education Support Counselling

Consult; Education Link Nigeria; Find Admission.com; Trusted Edge Consult and Glory Educational Services.

Three senior officers of Salem University, Lokoja, Kogi State, have arrived at the Covenant University on a three-day visit to understudy some key operations in the institution.

The team, led by its Bursar, Mrs. Charity Egbita, was received by the Vice-Chancellor, Covenant University, Prof. Ayo and other members of the management.

Briefing the management on the purpose of their visit, Mrs. Egbita said the vision of the two institutions is the same and Covenant University has achieved a lot from which they can learn.

She said: “We believe that our vision is the same. We are raising global leaders and we believe we can learn from a sister university whose vision is the same.”

The visit, according to her, is to “access the workings of the Business De-

velopment Centre of the university to learn their business strategies and study the financial services in order to know how we can achieve maximum results.”

Mrs. Egbita added: “The National Universities Commission has been directing universities to learn about Entrepreneurship Study from Covenant University. We therefore want to look at this also and learn how we can develop ours.”

Prof. Ayo said Covenant University is a leadership institution, which places emphasis on character development and leadership.

He noted that in the words of the Chancellor, Dr. David Oyedepo, it would be a failure if the graduates of Covenant University joined the army of unemployed graduates. “They should be able to create jobs, which was the reason for the establishment of the Entrepreneurship Development Studies (EDS).

THE NATION THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2013

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EDUCATION

Nigerians spend N160b yearly in two Ghanaian varsities, says don

D

ESPITE agitation by university authorities in Nigeria for adequate funding, Nigerian parents and guardians spend about N160 billion annually as fees for their wards in two Ghanaian universities.

This disclosure was made in Port Harcourt by the former Vice-Chancellor (VC), University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT), Prof Nimi Briggs at a three-day retreat organised for members of the Governing Council of the Rivers State University of Science and Technology (RSUST), Port Harcourt.

This figure, Briggs noted, is far in excess of what both the federal and state governments release to universities in Nigeria.

From Clarice Azuatalam, Port Harcourt

In his lecture titled An Overview of University Administration in Nigeria, he listed some challenges confronting the Nigerian university system to include corruption, poor funding, management, cultism and proliferation of unions.

The former VC also cautioned on the way admission is offered to some students while the activities of unions must not be allowed to conflict with university academic calendars.

He added that individual university governing councils have the responsibility of tackling the challenges in their respective institutions.

In a paper titled “The Role of the

Governing Council in University Administration”, the former Governing Council Chairman of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Prof Sylvanus Cookey, stressed the need for depoliticisation of appointment of governing council members.

Cookey charged council members to seek innovative and creative ways of increasing internally-generated revenue while exploring external funding options as universities need to develop resourceful ways of rebranding to win public confidence.

“The primary role of the council is to elevate the reputation of the university and not to subject it to public disdain or opprobrium because the guiding principle is the upliftment of

UNILORIN FILE VC explains pension refunds

•Prof Briggs

the institution,” he said.

In addition, he said that it behooves on the council to demand full accountability from the VC and his team to ensure growth of the institution.

YABATECH Rector counsels students

By Medinat Kanabe

A

•From left: Canadian Minister of Trade and Investment, Mr Edward Fast, presenting a souvenir to the Minister of State for Education , Mr Nyesom Wike at the Canadian Education Fair in Abuja on Monday. With them is Senator Don Meredith of Canada

Provost makes case for students’ welfare

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HE Provost of Adeyemi College of Education (ACE), Ondo, Prof Adeyemi Ibukunoluwa Idowu has said the welfare of students is a priority for his management.

Sharing his plans for 2013 with journalists in Ondo town, Idowu noted that some of the projects executed by his administration were geared towards addressing the challenges facing the students.

The projects include the renovation of Olusegun Obasanjo Auditorium and the Professor Babatunde Ipaye Lecture theatre, construction

From Damisi Ojo, Akure

of new buildings for the Schools of Agricultural Science, Fine and Applied Arts, Home Economics and Physical and Health Education.

Other projects include the provision of equipment for the Language Laboratory, computers at the Management Information System ( MIS) building as well as the construction of three 500-seater lecture theatres.

The ACE Provost disclosed plan to rehabilitate the Oba Kiladejo Hall, named after the Osemawe of Ondo Kingdom and other hostels

to make them conducive for students. He said all the halls of residence will also be supplied DSTV satellite facilities.

He also disclosed that more office spaces, furniture and other necessary equipment would be provided for the Division of Students Affairs (DSA) to boost the efficiency of its workers.

While emphasising the need for continued support and co-operation from workers and students, Idowu reiterated his administration’s determination to implement morewelfare-friendly programmes.

Rector seeks proper management of TVE schools T HE Rector, Abia State Polytechnic, Aba, Elder Allwell Onukaogu has called for the proper equipping and staffing of Technical and Vocational Education (TVE) institutions in Nigeria.

Speaking at a stakeholders’ workshop/exhibition on the National System of Innovation (NSI) in Aba, Onukaogu lamented that TVE institutions are inadequate in Nigeria and where they exist, are poorly managed and lack learning resources and teachers.

“The catchment institutions from where these tertiary institutions should recruit their raw materials are virtually inexistent. Also, the few existing ones are poorly-equipped and hardly staffed. People must be encouraged to acquire vocational education in well-equipped and staffed vocational schools. They should believe in dignity of labour,” he said.

The Rector said further that products of tertiary institutions lack skills to back their certificates.

“The situation that persists in Ni-

From Sunny Nwankwo, Aba

geria today is one where the very rich have almost exclusive access to tertiary education and can therefore acquire all manners of certificates not necessarily backed with the relevant competences. We therefore have an economy that is filled with certificate-branding products of tertiary institutions – graduates with virtually no skills to market and who feel too big to engage in vocations. These must also be addressed,” he said.

Calling on the government to create enabling environment for students to realise their potentials in their areas of talent and interest, the scholar said people should discard the impression that everybody has the capacity to acquire education at the tertiary level but rather believe in dignity of labour.

“Everybody should be given equal opportunity to attain to the highest

level of his ability. Some will drop at the secondary or other levels. Such people should be encouraged to acquire vocational education in wellequipped and staffed vocational schools. They should believe in dignity of labour,” he said.

He thanked the federal and state governments for establishing polytechnics and universities of science and technology but noted the need to ensure that the human capital they produce can meet the need of industry.

Earlier in his address, the Minister of Science and Technology, Prof Ita Okon Bassey Ewa, noted that the main purpose of the event was to present the framework of the NSI developed by the ministry to the public for critiquing.

Ewa, represented by the Director, Technology Acquisition and Assessment (TAA) in the ministry, Dr Adeneye Talabi, recalled that the policy is a clear commitment of the President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration to use

S 1,500 and 3,000 newly-admitted students into the National and Higher National Diploma (ND/HND) programmes of the Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH) matriculated last Wednesday the Rector of the institution, Dr Margaret Ladipo urged them to take their studies seriously.

Dr Ladipo, who said those admitted were less than 10 per cent of applicants for the two levels, congratulated them for making it after the keen competition through the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and the rigorous post-UTME screening by the institution.

She said: “We are matriculating new HND and ND intakes in the region of 1,500 and 3,000 respectively. This is from the 110,000 candidates who applied.”

While undergoing their programmes, the Rector informed the students that entrepreneurship and Information Technology programmes are compulsory courses for all and will be taken throughout their stay in the college.

“It is expected that by the time you graduate, you would have acquired the necessary skill to be an entrepreneur and employer of labour rather than just another job seeker,” she said.

The Rector also said the college has received approval from the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) to commence seven new programmes in the 2012/2013 session.

They include: HND Book Publishing, ND Marketing, ND Agricultural & Bio-environmental Engineering Technology, ND Marine Engineering, HND Mechanical Engineering (Manufacturing option).

THE University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) Vice-Chancellor, Prof.

AbdulGaniyu Ambali, has explained that the refund of the deducted pension funds between September and December 2012 was to cushion the effects of expenses that workers incur during the periods of Yuletide.

Ambali, while speaking on his first 100 days in office, noted that in making the payment, the UNILORIN managment only yielded to the demand of the staff union leaders who complained of the strains their members were going through as a result of the deduction.

While the unions requested for the total stoppage of the deductions, the administration decided to refund three months and spread the refund being over six-month period.

Alumni urged to be vibrant THE Chairman of the University of Ilorin Alumni Association, UNILORIN Branch, Prof B. L. Adeleke, has challenged alumni members in various faculties of the university to be more vibrant and active.

The Chairman stated this on January 16 while receiving members of the Faculty of Agriculture branch of the association in his office.

Adeleke, who is also the Dean of the Faculty of Science, praised them for being very active since he became the UNILORIN Branch Chairman in 2007.

“The Faculty Alumni have always been vibrant. They have demonstrated that indeed they are vibrant.

I thank you for your vibrancy and your ability to identify with me, one of your own”.

He advised them to have the interest of the university at heart at all times and contribute meaningfully to its development wherever they are.

PhD output to increase THOUGH UNILORIN is among the seven tertiary institutions in Nigeria with 60 per cent of its teaching staff with Ph.D qualifications, the university plans to substantially increase the number in the next five years.

The university’s Director of Academic Planning (DAP), Prof Sulyman Kuranga, said the management was actively encouraging staff to undertake their Ph.D. programmes in UNILORIN and other universities within and outside the country.

Kuranga, who noted that about 500 students are undertaking their Ph.D in the institution, said the university has put in place a programme for in-house training, and gives Fellowship to assist postgraduate students to undertake their doctoral programmes.

He said: “We have Commonwealth Fellowship and Scholarships; the university sources for fund from TETFUND as well as solicits for more seats and spaces for Fellowship to assist postgraduate students so that they go for their Ph.D.

121st Inaugural Lecture today •Onukaogu

Science, Technology and Innovation as tools for the transformation of the nation’s economic fortunes and hoped that the NSI framework will evolve a strategy to foster innovations at all levels of government in Nigeria.

THE 121st UNILORIN Inaugural Lecture holds today at the University Auditorium.

The lecturer is Prof Isaac Olayiwola Oshungade of the Department of Statistics, Faculty of Science.

The title of the lecture to be chaired by the Vice-Chancellor, Prof AbdulGaniyu Ambali, is “The Art of Everyday Sampling.”

THE NATION THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2013

28

EDUCATION EKSU FILE Germany pledges workshop THE Consul General of the Republic of Germany, Mr Walter Von-den Diriesch has said his country would establish a Mechatronics Workshop in the Ekiti State University (EKSU), Ado-Ekiti.

He spoke when he visited the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Patrick Oladipo Aina last Thursday.

He said Germany has made its impact in training youths in the field of Auto Mechanics in some states, including Osun.

He, therefore, requested that the university provide a suitable location for the workshop.

Responding, Prof Aina said the visit, apart from the establishment of the workshop, would provide opportunities for EKSU to collaborate with universities in Germany.

The Vice-Chancellor informed the visitor that the university has a Centre for Entrepreneurial Studies where students would be trained to be self-sustained in future.

Council chair seeks peace THE EKSU Pro-Chancellor and Governing Council Chairman, Prof Akinjide Osuntokun has urged industrial unions in the university to continue to maintain the peace on campus.

He made the appeal during a meeting held at the Senate Chamber with leaders of all the unions in the university, urging them to shun any act that could lead to industrial action.

Osuntokun promised to consider the unions’ demands for payment of some allowances and present their demand for adequate funding of the university before its Visitor, Dr Kayode Fayemi.

Unions represented at the meeting were ASUU, NASU and NAAT. All principal officers of the university were also present.

‘I’m no local champ, Mum’ •Pupil invests N100 and gets N190,000

F

IFTEENyear-old Dumebi Alim invested N100 to participate in an educational quiz game show and won N190,000 prize money. She said with the win in the competition called My Education Quiz Play she has proven to her mum that she is not just a local champion.

The SS2 pupil of Air Force Secondary School, Ikeja, told The Nation in an interview that her mother had always challenged her to excel outside her school, where she has been a dominant force academically since primary level.

“I used to come first from primary school and my mum would say, ‘you are a local champion, go out and do something’, and I was able to go somewhere outside my school and excel so she was proud of me,” she said.

My Education Quiz Play, like the Who wants to be a millionaire show accumulates money for contestants with each correct answer they give to the general knowledge and specific subject questions asked. However, the education game is different in that more than one contestant participates but the person with the least amount of money is eliminated after each round until there is only one constestant standing.

Dumebi was the last pupil in her group of six when she competed with five other secondary pupils in four stages last month.

She entered for the show after watching an episode on MITV. She said given the prize money she won the N100 SMS she sent to enter was worth the investment.

The teenager, who hopes to study Medicine at the University of Ibadan (UI) after her secondary education, also said the experience taught her to be prepared at all

By Kofoworola Belo-Osagie

times. She advised other pupils to spend more time learning.

“It helped me to see that it really pays to read and be ready. I got the text inviting to participate a day before the competition. I tried to read but my dad said whatever I read that night would not be useful but what I already know. When most people watch TV it is for entertainment. Programmes like this help to develop you. Even if you are not called to participate you still gain a lot,” she said.

Speaking on behalf of Foundation for Effective Leadership and Development (FELD), which sponsors the game, CEO of BigSam Media, Mr Samuel Olatunji said the foundation came up with the initiative that gives chance to secondary school pupils to win up to N1million and tertiary students, N2million, to give students, especially the indigent, opportunity to win money for their education.

He said: “The Chairman of FELD,

‘I used to come first from primary school and my mum would say, ‘you are a local champion, go out and do something’, and I was able to go somewhere outside my school and excel so she was proud of me’

•Dumebi

Hon Paul Adingwupu is sponsoring this programme to help students with their education. He has put down the prize money students can win. We hope to air the programme on more stations this quarter,” he said.

So far, an undergraduate of the University of Lagos, Anne Ejiegbu

Crescent holds matriculation

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Sandwich programme opens THE EKSU management has announced admission openings for the university’s 2013 Contact Session sandwich programmes.

The programmes on offer range from four to six years degree programme, as well as postgraduate diploma, and Masters degree.

Deadline for submission of forms is first week of April.

Scholar goes home THE EKSU community has paid glowing tribute to one of its scholars, Dr. Lawrence Abimbola Awoyemi, who died on January 13.

During a commendation service for the late Awoyemi at the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences Foyer last Wednesday, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Patrick Aina described him as a dedicated scientist.

Praying for the repose of his soul, Aina assured his family of support from the university.

In a special tribute by the Head of Department of Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries, where the late Awoyemi taught, Dr. O. J. Olujobi, said he was always full of life, passion and great potential, while the Dean of Agriculture, Prof Sunday Fashina, said the faculty would miss him.

The late Awoyemi, born on January 8, 1969, hailed from Ifewara in Osun State. He earned his first and second degrees in Forestry (First Class) from the University of Ibadan in 1994 and 1997. He had his doctoral degree from University of Melbourne, Australia in December, 2001.

is the highest prize winner in the competition, winning N210,000 last quarter. Other winners include: Chidinma Ezugu (N155, 000), Precious Onowudijo (N120, 000), Adewole Toluwani (N55, 000), Adidu Obi (N55, 000) Iko Abasi Melody (N10, 000) and Okoji Donald (N35, 000).

•Newly-admitted students of Crescent University, Abeokuta swearing the matriculation oath

Dutch exam body trains JAMB workers

I

N its efforts to have a hitch-free Computer Based Test (CBT) during the 2013 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has organised training on Item Response Theory for its workers.

A statement by Mr Fabian Benjamin, JAMB Public Relations Officer, noted that the training done in collaboration with CITO Netherlands was to draw knowledge from CITO’s 10 years experience in Computer Based Test.

Executive Director, CITO Netherlands Mr Jan Wiegers, who anchored the training, noted the Board’s war against examination

malpractice will yield fruitful result with the introduction of CBT, adding that electronic testing would reposition the nation’s education sector.

The Dutch expert on e-Testing and Test Measurement said the flexibility of their existing modular structures has shown that CBT is the only examination that can guarantee quality assurance, standardisation of test and also ensure constructive processes.

Wiegers’ presentation dwelt on CITO’s 10-year experience, its challenges and how it overcame them, urging the Board to follow its success story.

The JAMB Registrar, Prof ‘Dibu

Ojerinde who was represented by the Director, Corporate Support Services, Mrs Aisha Dahiru, thanked Wiegers for the training and assured him of the Board’s commitment to its CBT policy.

The Registrar added that progress was recorded in the board’s trial test effort.

For the 2013 UTME, the Registrar reiterated that three options, Computer Based Testing (CBT), Dual Base Test (DBT) and Pencil Paper Test (PPT)would be available until 2015 when the examination will be done only online.

“We are convinced and optimistic that if CBT is working abroad it will work in Nigeria,” he said.

TUDENTS of Crescent University, Abeokuta have been charged to make excellence their watchword.

The Vice-Chancellor, Prof Hassan Kehinde Okeleye made this call at the eighth matriculation of the institution.

420 students admitted into the Colleges of Social and Management Sciences, Natural and Applied sciences, Information and Communication Technology, Environmental Sciences and Law swore the matriculation oath.

Okeleye said the university is resolved to train and produce men and women of strong character and integrity who can stand the test of time in building a virile society.

In a related development, the proprietor of the university, Prince Bola Ajibola thanked the university management for the growth in the students’ population to well over one thousand.

The former Minister of Justice added that he was fulfilled the university has admitted its first batch of law undergraduates, noting that all students would earn degrees in addition to entrepreneurship and moral training.

•PrinceAjibola

29

Killed on rescue mission

*CAMPUSES

Fire stills *NEWS *PEOPLE radio’s *KUDOS& voice KNOCKS Last week, all hell was let loose at the Ekiti State University (EKSU) following the death of a final year student of Accounting, Teslim Adebola Ibrahim. OLATUNJI AWE reports. *GRANTS

Page 31

Page 34

THE NATION

CAMPUS LIFE 0802-4550-354 email: ladycampus@yahoo.com THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2013

Website:- http://www.thenationonlineng.net

email:- campuslife@thenationonlineng.net

Matriculations, like convocations, hold a special place in students’ hearts. Matriculation Rabi’u Tijjani, 400signifies the formal start of their academic life; convocation marks the end. On campuses Level Accounting, is nationwide, it is the season of matriculations. The exercise turned awry at the Kwara president of the State Polytechnic, Ilorin, where two students were reportedly shot. AWWAL Students’ Union MIJINYAWA, MARK ORGU, HAUWA MUHAMMAD, RILWAN BALOGUN, Government (SUG) of Nasarawa State ADEKUNLE OLADUNNI and IBRAHIM ALAMU write.

University, Keffi (NSUK). In this interview with KAMALUDDEEN ABUBAKAR (200Level Geography), he speaks on how he will solve students’ challenges.

‘Govt should listen to us’ •Freshers taking the oath in YABATECH last week

PHOTO: MARK ORGU

Matriculation turns awry at KWARAPOLY F RESHERS in higher institutions across the country were upbeat last week as they took their matriculation oath.

From the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) to Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH), and Kwara State Polytechnic (KWARA POLY), students gathered for the exercise, which marks the beginning of their academic journey.

Beaming with smiles, they trooped to the matriculation venues with their families and friends.

In excitement, they took pictures to mark the day.

At KWARA POLY, the ceremony was marred by bloodshed. Two students were allegedly shot by suspected cultists.

The matriculation began with orientation in departments, where the freshers were exposed to campus life.

The ceremony started in the ETF

Hall at 10am amid tight security. A lecture was given by the Rector, Alhaji Mas’ud Elelu, who advised the freshers against joining unregistered associations. He also harped on attainment of academic excellence.

After the ceremony, the freshers went to the motion ground for pictures and merriment with friends and relatives. The place was filled up with revellers. Some clubs, such as Kegite, welcomed the students with “gyration songs” and palm wine in the building of the Institute of Basic and Applied Students (IBAS).

Hip-hop music also blared from an uncompleted building, opposite the IBAS complex. The celebration was in full throttle.

At 4:05pm, things turned awry.

Guns boomed from various directions.

The revellers scampered for safety, leaving their personal effects. Many rushed to the school park to escape being hit by stray bullets.

The few buses at the park could not convey all the students out of the campus.

By the time the dust settled, two students had been shot by the assailants, who were said to be members of a cult group. CAMPUSLIFE gathered that one of the victims died on the spot; the other was taken to the hospital.

It was gathered that the slain student was among those drinking and smoking in an abandoned building near the IBAS complex. It was learnt that the killing may not be unconnected with the rivalry between two warring campus cult groups.

A student was allegedly killed when the polytechnic conducted its entrance exams a few months ago.

This latest killing heightened the fear of students, who said cultism-related violence was becoming rampant in the institution.

Mercy Adeoye, a student, said:

“The killing is becoming too much in the school. The same thing happened when management conducted post– UTME exam for applicants last year; a student was killed right on campus. Another killing happened on matriculation day again. UNILORIN held its matriculation without bloodshed. This shows security is ineffective here. I implore the management to protect lives on campus.”

Simbiat Babalola, another student, said: “I and members of my family ran for our lives when we heard the gunshots. This is bad because security should have been tightened on the campus but nobody was concerned. In fact, I still habour fear to enter the campus again.”

The institution’s Public Relations Officer, Mr Abdulqadir Yinus, has denied any killing on campus.

Speaking to our correspondent on phone, Yinus said: “There is no iota •Continued on page 30

•Rabi’u •Continued on page 30

•Pastor Adeboye prays for OAU, Nigeria -P32 •UI shortlisted for Washington liberty award conference-P33

THE NATION THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2013

30

CAMPUS LIFE

Sitting on a Pushing time bomb Out WO weeks ago, while sitting at the departure lounge of Murtala Mohammed Airport in Lagos waiting to catch a flight I could not help listening to two Nigerian undergraduates discussing about the country. Initially, I was unconcerned with their discussion as I was engrossed in the book I was reading, but after series of shift of departure time due to “operational reasons” (the catch phrase of Nigerian airlines), I decided to eavesdrop on their conversation and what they were discussing has grave consequences for this great nation. They were concerned about the high rate of unemployment and their chances of getting jobs when they are done with their studies abroad.

I introduced myself and joined the discussion. My fellow panelists are students of University of Westminster and University of Liverpool, both in the United Kingdom. They told me they had to abandon their studies in Nigeria and go abroad because of the incessant strikes in the system; one abandoned his at 300 Level while the other abandoned his at 200 Level. One was honest enough to say he’s not likely to return to Nigeria after his studies, while the other said he is still “studying the situation”. When my flight was finally announced, I spent my entire flight time thinking about the high unemployment rate in the country at 27,000 feet above sea level and came to the conclusion that we are sitting on a time bomb.

If you take a look at the statistics you’d realize we are indeed sitting on a time bomb.

Making a presentation to the Senate Committee on Youths and Women Affairs in 2011, Mr. Bolaji Abdullahi, former Minister of Youths and Social Development, now Minister of Sports warned that the 41.6 percent unemployment rate is too high for comfort, drawing allusion that if the Arab Spring was triggered by a 25 percent unemployment rate, 41.6 percent is way too high. Current

T

with

Agbo Agbo 08052959489 (SMS only)

•aagboa@gmail.com figure from the Bureau of Statistics puts the current youth unemployment rate at over 60 million Nigerian youths out of a population of 150 million are unemployed. Yet it is baffling that the government does not seem to see anything wrong with this. Which society will be at peace with itself when more than half of its total labour force idles away? It can even be argued that this figure, high as it seems considering the paucity of reliable data in Nigeria, still leave out a high number of unemployed unaccounted for.

The reason is not farfetched, unemployment statistics tend to measure the percentage of the work force that does not have a job, is actually looking for employment, or is available to work. This leaves out a large number of people including those who failed to secure full time employment and have to make do with part time jobs, and several others who have given up their search for jobs, having become despondent and discouraged.

This “despondent and discouraged” group makes up a large percentage of the Nigerian unemployment market. Graduates, many of whom left the universities some as far back as ten years, have lost touch with what currently obtains in the job market, lack the skills for today’s rapidly changing landscape or are deemed too “old” to be employed.

Shouldn’t this serve as a wakeup call? If there is one country in the world that needs as a matter of urgency to get more of its youth off the streets, positively engaged, and in very productive ventures, it is Nigeria. The reasons are quite obvious for all to see. From

frustration induced sectarian violence, high rates of political thuggery, kidnappings, armed robbery and other vices, all combined in a conundrum that now threatens the very existence of the country.

The danger of having a bourgeoning youth population simply wasting away on a daily basis is scary.

The situation is scarier, with our tertiary institutions churning out graduates at a rate far higher than existing absorbing capacity of the job market. Studies show that young people who were unemployed for a long time will earn less throughout their whole lives. They will be less employable; they won’t have the skills that business needs and are more likely to engage in social unrests as was witnessed across the globe throughout 2011.

With more than 70 percent of the nation’s budget spent on recurrent expenditure, many Nigerians have called for a lean government so that funds can be freed for capital projects, in essence, we cannot rely on government to create employment within its fold. Where it does it is always shrouded in controversy just like that of the Immigration services that led to the compulsory retirement of its head. So in the absence of a vibrant and competitive non-oil private sector, efforts by government to jump-start jobs creation may not have the desired impact.

The umbrella body of manufacturers, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) in a 2011 survey of 300 companies found out that, 2,752,832 people were employed by 300 companies in 2005, the number declined to 1,043,982 in 2005 and further to 1,026,305 in 2008. Similarly, manufacturing capacity utilization shrank from 70.1 percent in 1980 to 29.29 percent in 1985 and is less than 30 percent now, all these with their attendant job losses.

There is no let up as more companies are employing different cost-cutting measures, popular among which is retrenchment. The continuous downsizing in the banking sector that has led to thousands of job losses is an example. The conclusion; another potential employment generation sector has shut down.

Matriculation turns awry •Continued from page 29

of truth in the report of killing on our campus during the matriculation day. What happened is that, a man, who is not a student of the school, was seen with a gun. This scared the students, who ran for their lives. The gunman was chased by security men but he escaped through the bush.

But I can confirm that no student was killed.”

It was peaceful at ABU as the freshers gathered in Mamman Kontogora Square for the ceremony.

Clad in flowing academic gowns, the students took the matriculation oath with joy. The event was attended by faculties’ deans.

The freshers were described as “golden jubilee students”, because the university celebrated its 50th anniversary recently.

The Vice-Chancellor, Prof

•Some freshers at the ABU matriculation

Abdullahi Mustapha, advised the students to shun cultism and exam malpractices.

He said the university could only admit 6,800 of the 54,000 applicants.

Chahandila Yalusa of the matriculants Library and Information Department, said: “I feel happy because I have been applying to study in this institution for the past three years. I thank God now that I have been admitted.”

At UNILORIN, it was the first matriculation under the administration of the vc Prof Abdulganiyu Ambali, who assumed office last October.

By 7:30am, the expansive university auditorium was filled to capacity, with the matriculants and staff seated. At 8am, the programme began with the VC’s speech entitled Hard work.

He enjoined the students to be hardworking, diligent and focused to make the best use of the opportu-

nity offered them by the institution.

Ambali said of the 8,093 offered admission, 7,098, which represented 11.10 per cent of the applicants, scaled screening and registration. He warned the students against vices that could truncate their academic career.

Afeez Agboola of the Department of Arts and Social Sciences Education, said: “I am elated to be among the lucky applicants admitted into this university. I won’t misuse the opportunity given to me to study in this place.”

At YABATECH, the Rector, Dr. Margaret Ladipo, described the 4,500 matriculants as the “most privileged ones”. She said they must attend 75 per cent of lectures before their results could be computed. She warned them against vices and keeping of bad company, saying the college would not hesitate to punish anyone that went against regulations.

I’m concerned about this because youth unemployment is potentially dangerous as it threatens the sustainability of any nation’s economy and sends disturbing signal to the global environment. The implications of youth unemployment are social, economic and political and as such ignoring the roles played by the youth in the society amounts to threatening the very survival of the country. Many often wonder why the challenges of youth unemployment in a developing country like Nigeria have become so persistent.

The International Labour Organization (ILO) employment report 2012 offers answer to this question and explained that preceding the global economic crisis, most developing countries saw solid growth rates and economic reforms that were successful in some areas. According to the global labour body, the growth did not translate into sufficient job creation, and the jobs that were created were often of low productivity, which did not provide a realistic option for the increasing share of well-educated young people in the labour force. It maintained that in most subSaharan Africa countries the quality of employment is a more important issue than the quantity (the lack of employment altogether).

Though the Federal Government claimed to have put in place measures to address the challenges of youth unemployment in the country, it has however not been able to go beyond rhetoric to tackle decisively the situation as government is yet to give topmost priority attention to jobs creation. Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu, assured that the federal government has put in place policy measures to address the increasing unemployment situation in the country. He is referring to the Youth Enterprise with Innovation in Nigeria (YouWIN) which is targeted at creating job, for about 110,000 entrepreneurs in the next 4 years.

How this will work with our real sector in tatters still leaves much to be desired. Meanwhile, the politics and rhetoric of job creation continues while generations of our best and brightest wastes away because of lack of a clear cut blueprint or roadmap on youth empowerment.

‘Govt should listen to us’ •Continued from page 29

S

INCE the inauguration of the SUG executive led by you, what has been your major challenge?

We have been trying to put on ground the needed machinery for us to succeed in our various offices.

We have to start everything from the scratch. What we met on ground was nothing to write home about.

The SUG was drifting with no bearing and direction. There was no secretariat bequeathed to us. We had to secure a good secretariat and furnish it accordingly. We have also set up some committees that will help us look into various problems affecting the students and proffer ways to solve the problems.

There are expectations from the students regarding high cost of accommodation, tuition and transportations. What has your administration been doing about these challenges?

In the first place, there is no hike in school fee whatsoever. Though, there were plans to increase the fee initially, considering the fact that we, in Nasarawa State University, pay the least fee among state universities but we kicked against that. The payable fee is now included in all associations’ dues.

Note that after this, there is no other due to be paid to faculty, clubs, society etc. On accommodation, the union has set up staff-student welfare committee, which has written to landlords not to increase their house rent unduly. We directed that students should not pay to anybody because we are still discussing. On transportation, we have plans to acquire buses and Keke NAPEP through ar-

rangement with private organisations. This will help to crash the cost of transportation.

What are the challenges facing the SUG? Lack of fund is our major challenge. Sometimes, we have to run the office with our personal money but we are happy the school is now coming to our help. It must be said that the Nasarawa State Government is showing no concern to the plight of students in the area of scholarship, accommodation and transportation. We have written two letters on our planned visit to the governor, but there has been no response till this moment. Inadequate hostel accommodation, exorbitant house rent and cultism are some of the major challengeS we are facing. The government should help us to solve these challenges.

You are an Accounting student and not Political Science, what motivated you to participate in politics?

Performance in office goes beyond discipline; its about one’s desire and ability to serve the people.

Aristotle said human being are by nature political animal. An Accountant is naturally a manager.

Presidents Barak Obama and Goodluck Jonathan are not political scientists, yet they are elected today by the people to lead them.

What should students expect from you as the session progresses?

They should expect better days. We will address numerous problems facing us as students one after the other.

We will give students a cause to laugh despite the challenges. Shortage and irregular supply of water will be a thing of the past as boreholes are being drilled in the school.

THE NATION THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2013

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CAMPUS LIFE She was killed last month by hoodlums, but when news of the death of Doris Nnadi, a Corps member, reached her junior colleagues at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Awka, where she studied Law, tears flowed freely. UCHE ANICHEBE (500-Level Law) reports.

‘Everything happened so fast. It was seven hours of agony. I am very much convinced that it was incompetence on the part of the doctor that cost my sister her life.

My sister was a strong girl who died defending our interest. She was bold and that was why she came to our defence, even in the face of danger.

She died our hero’

Killed on rescue mission

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HE Faculty of Law, Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Awka, the Anambra State capital was in grief last week.

A former student of the faculty, Doris Nnadi, was killed on Christmas Eve. Tears flowed freely when students, who knew her learnt about her death.

Doris graduated with a Second Class, Upper Division, in 2011. She proceeded to the Law School, Abuja where she also made a Second Class, Upper Division. A month after she was called to the Bar, Doris was killed by yet unidentified gunmen.

The deceased was a Corps member serving at the Kwara State Ministry of Justice before the incident.

It was gathered that Doris left her place of primary assignment to visit her family in Warri during the Yuletide. In preparation for the Christmas, she was accompanied by her sisters to shop at a supermarket. The girls rode in their father’s car.

They returned to their family house at 7:44pm. Chidinma, her sister, who drove, parked at the gate on getting home. Then, Doris and others began to move the bought items into the compound. After they had emptied the trunk of the car, Chidinma stayed back in the car with her other sisters.

The assailants, according to Chidinma, approached the car from the corner of the house. One of them, she said, came to the passenger’s side, knocking on the windscreen. He forced the door open and two of them, aged between 22 and 25, got into the car. “One sat at the front; the other sat in the back. The last one watched

out for rescuers,” she recalled.

She continued: “Immediately they got in, I noticed that the boys had guns with them. Then, one of them pointed a gun at me, demanding for the car key. I begged them to leave the car, pleading that it did not belong to me. I offered to part with all the money I had in my bag.

While I was still begging them, I saw Doris, who seemed to have noticed them from the house, coming out. She approached the boys, obviously unaware that they were armed. She scolded them for harassing and intimidating us. Immediately, the boy outside the car shot at her. They fled the scene, without taking anything.”

Doris was rushed to Mazon Clinic, close to their residence. The family hoped she would survive.

Their hope was dashed an hour later, when a doctor told the waiting sympathisers that Doris was having “severe internal bleeding”.

The doctor reportedly said there was nothing he could do to remove the bullet, which penetrated Doris’ back bone.

In an unconscious state, the late Doris was moved to Syracus Clinic, Warri, where she was admitted for surgery. Four hours after the operation, her family was asked to get blood for the completion of the treatment.

The family bought the blood to continue the operation. On the fifth pint of blood, the condition of the late Doris, who was said to have started talking, became worse. She jerked uncontrollably and died. Her remains were buried three days

•The late Doris

later in Amaigbo, Nwangele Local Government Area, Imo State.

Amaka, the late Doris’ younger sister, said: “Everything happened so fast. It was seven hours of agony.

I am very much convinced that it was incompetence on the part of the doctor that cost my sister her life. My sister was a strong girl who died defending our interest.

Students of Ekiti State University (EKSU) have been asked to undergo screening as a pre-condition for their re-admission following the protest that led to the school’s closure. OLATUNJI AWE (200-Level Political Science) writes that some students are yet to meet the requirement.

Expulsion fever hits Ekiti varsity

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TUDENTS of Ekiti State University (EKSU) resumed last December after two-month closure because of violent demonstration. They were directed to undergo a compulsory screening to facilitate their re-admission. Any student, who missed the screening, will be expelled, the management warned.

About three weeks after the school re-opened activities, students were directed to go on Yuletide break. A fortnight ago, they returned from Christmas holiday but academic activities are yet to start.

The screening is still on for students, who have not paid their school fees. The screening was conducted throughout December and is still on. Many students have been screened; some are yet to be screened because they could not meet up with the major requirement which is the full payment of school fees, among others.

Students who have not been screened gave several reasons for not paying the fee. A student, who simply identified herself as Tolu, said: “Honesty, I had the complete money with me before the school was closed down after riot. But I spent N20,000 out of the money

when we were sent home, hoping to make it up later. But, here I am; my fate as a student is hanging in the balance. I hope this does not fall back on me.”

A student from the Department of Geology said: “I have not been able to meet up with the screening condition because of my personal problem. My mother has been hospitalised for several months now. She is all I have and nobody is willing to help us. I used part of my school fee to buy drugs and pay for bed space in hospital. I implore our amiable Vice-Chancellor to be lenient, so that people like me won’t be unjustly expelled from the university.”

The expulsion fear heightened last week when the management pasted the picture of a student, who was expelled for phone theft. The dismissed student, was alleged to have been a member of a cult group on campus, and also an unrepentant phone thief, whose victims were said to be female students and freshers.

Students praised the management on his expulsion, saying it was long overdue. Ibijola Alade said: “This guy has tormented the school and its environs; we are

happy that he is finally out of the university. We urge the management to fish out other criminals walking freely on campus.”

A 300-Level Agricultural Science student, who identified himself as Shinayo, said: “This is just the beginning to the end of cultism on the campus. We expect more of this from the management.”

His dismissal is a bold move to reduce theft on campus, Adetona Adedara, a student, said. He added: “The expulsion of the phone thief by the management should be a signal for those that are yet to do screening. They must be concerned because the management may carry out its threat that 10,000 students might be shown the way out as a result of not participating in the screening.”

An anonymous student said if the management was sincere about stoppingstealing and cultism on campus, it must identify criminals that perpetrated September last year crisis, which led to the school’s closure. “I am sure they know them. The dimissed student only stole a phone, why did they not suspend him to serve as punishment for such light crime?”

•Poster of the expelled student

She was bold and that was why she came to our defence, even in the face of danger. She died our hero.”

Doris’ death shocked her mates in the university. Blessing Onwubiko, her roommate at UNIZIK, lamented the death of her best friend. She told CAMPUSLIFE: “I cannot believe that Doris is no more. Whenever I close my eyes, I still remember vividly the times we spent together. The late Doris was more than a roommate to me.

She was my friend and confidant.

She was the one that helped me through school works because of her brilliance. I pray that God bring her killers to book.”

The late Doris’ parents, Mr and Mrs Silas Nnadi, were still mourning their daughter when CAMPUSLIFE spoke to them on phone last weekend. According to them, God would judge the killers of the “promising girl.”

THE NATION THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2013

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CAMPUS LIFE Pastor Adeboye prays for OAU, Nigeria

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OR two days, the community of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, rose in prayers for the institution and the nation. Over 5,000 Christians converged on the university’s sports’ complex for the yearly thanksgiving service programme held by the University Christian Mobilisation Committee. The theme of the service was The light of the world.

The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye, graced the yearly service in company of the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Bamitale Omole. The programme started at 4:39 pm with intercessory prayers for the university community and the country, after which the committees’ choristers rendered hymns of praise.

Ministering, Adeboye, who took his lesson from John 9:5, stressed the need for Christians to be alive to their responsibilities. He urged the

Free lecture days in LASPOTECH

I

N preparation for orientation programme for freshers admitted into the institution, the management of the Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH) has declared today and tomorrow as lecture free-day.

The orientation ceremony, which will begins today, is organised by officials of the Students Union

From Oluwafemi Ogunjobi and Mary Ajayi OAU

congregation to intensify prayers to chase the forces darkness working against the progress of the nation.

The cleric, who is an alumnus of the university, also offered prayers for the progress of the institution.

On the second day, the service began at 7am, with Pastor Adeboye taking his lesson on the nature of light from four perspectives. He urged unity among Christians, while taking Bible reading from book of Matthew.

Olasumbo Esan, a Microbiology student, praised the efforts of the organisers for bringing such “highprofile” pastor to pray for the institution. She said: “This generation has been drifted away from faith, but with programmes like this one, I hope the future holds the best for us.”

M •Pastor Adeboye at the service

Ibukunoluwa Ogunyemi, a pre-degree student, who came from the university’s Ipetumodu campus, Ife North Local Government Area, said such service would be a reminder for Christians to continue to pray for the country.

EMBERS of the National Association of Edo State Students (NAESS) have described the victory of Governor Adams Oshiomhole at the Election Petitions Tribunal as “sweet win” of the progressive against the reactionary forces in the state.

The president of the association, Prince Otono, said: “The judgment is a sequel to his overwhelming victory at the July 14 poll. Oshiomhole has, over the years, proven his mettle that he is qualified to steer the affairs of the state. All of us are in support of this administration.”

The students praised the courage of the tribunal judges for “being on the side of the truth”.

Prince thanked members of the association for supporting his initiative to move the body forward. He

T

•One of the Corps members talking to the pupils during the programme

Corps members sensitise kids on MDGs

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From Taiwo Adebulu NYSC IBADAN

Fawole. Pupils of the school were informed on the mission of MDG and the role they could play in achieving the programme.

The programme started with a play, which helped the Corps members to raise awareness about the eight-point goals of MDGs. The drama was greeted with applause by the kids, whose attention who later drawn to the challenges in the society and how MDGs could come into

place to eradicate the anomalies There was, however, a short presentation after the lecture, with each of the goals being represented by the Corps member one after the other.

Through the presentation, the pupils were enlightened.

The principal of the school, Mrs Oluwafunmilola Zacchaeus, praised the Corps member as she rounded off the programme, encouraging the pupils to participate in MDGs to help the society. The principal created MDGs group in the school at the end of the programme.

College dedicates activities to God

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HE Bayelsa State College of Health Technology (BYCOHTECH) has held a solemn assembly to thank God for seeing the college through the past year. The management used the occasion to dedicate the college to God in the current year.

The event, which was jointly organised by the management and the Joint Christian Campus Fellowships (JCCF), BYCOTECH chapter, started with an opening prayer by Dr Memory Queensoap, who is the Dean of the college’s School of Foundation Studies.

Hymns were also rendered by the congregation.

The Provost, Dr Teddy Charles, said it was imperative that the college handed over its programmes and activities to God in 2013. “As an institution, it is only wise that

From Isaac Mensah YENAGOA

we offer ourselves anew every year, month, week and day to our creator. We set aside today to offer ourselves new unto God and to seek for His mercies and pray that He lead us through the rest of the activities of the year,” he said.

In his homily entitled God is able, the guest minister, Dr Patrick Awotula, reiterated God’s capability to do everything beyond human imagination. Reading from Ephesians 3:14 and Luke 5:11, the pastor advised the congregation to always hold unto God’s unchanging hand for the desired solutions to their problems.

According to him, man could only be saved if he accepted Jesus Christ as his saviour.

The JCCF president, Europe

Government (SUG) to familiarise freshers with the school rules and regulations.

Public Relations Officer of union, Oluwasegun Iroko, said the programme will address various challenges that might be facing the new students.

Edo students greet Oshiomhole

6,000 inducted at UNN

EMBERS of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) Community Development Service (CDS) Oyo State chapter of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) visitedUrban Day Grammar School, Adeoyo, Ibadan last Wednesday on a oneday sensitisation programme.

The Corps members were led by their Schedule Officer, Mrs Oluwayemisi Otaru, to the school, which is the alma mater of the former Special Adviser to the Oyo State Governor on MDGs, Mr Taiwo

From Ademola Fagbemi LASPOTECH

Stephen, who is a final year student of Environmental Health Technology, said: “Except the Lord builds the house, the builders build but in vain.

We felt that beginning the New Year with a dedication service isn’t a bad option for the college.”

Dr Awotula led the congregation into a session of prayers dedicating the college management, members of staff and students to God. A brand new set of musical instruments acquired by the college were also dedicated to God. Prince Stephen, 200-Level Environmental Health Technology, praised the management and the JCCF for organising the programme. Officials at the event included Deputy Provost (Administration), Dr Precious Oru-bo, Bursar, Mr Kiereseiye Aseria, Registrar, Chief Yousuo Iruo, directors and heads of departments.

HE Vice-Chancellor of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), Prof Bartho Okolo, has congratulated freshers admitted into various degree programmes. Over 6,000 new students were officially sworn in during the 39th matriculation ceremony of the institution.

The VC urged the students to tow the footsteps of great men and women who had passed through the university. He said: “You earned a place at today’s ceremony because of your impressive performances at both the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and the post-UTME exams. You should all be proud of this achievement. However, you should be humbled by the fact that less than 7,000 of you have been given the opportunity out of the over 100,000 candidates that applied for placement in the university.”

The VC advised the freshmen to resist temptation to be co-opted into ventures, which the university did not support, stressing that the management had zero tolerance for cultism and examination malpractice.

He urged those, who may have al-

From Nosa Uwadiae BENIN

promised to represent them well during his administration. He, however, expressed displeasure over the attitude of some students, who he described as miscreants parading themselves as leaders of the association.

He said: “There are some persons, who are pushing their personal interest above the interest of the association. The election that brought me into office was keenly contested and was conducted according to electoral guideline as stipulated by the association’s constitution. Anybody that says he is the president after I was declared the winner has sinister agenda, which members of the association must reject.”

From Inya Agha and Oma Ekwueme UNN

ready joined cult groups before joining the university, to denounce such membership or risk being expelled and prosecuted by the police.

According to him, there were legitimate students’ associations registered with the department of the Students’ Affairs. Prof Okolo also entreated the students to be law abiding and prioritise their academic work to enable them achieve their mission to the university.

Joseph Ndu, 100-Level Educational Foundation, said: “I am glad to be among the privileged few that got admission into this prestigious university, and I hope to make good use of the opportunity to develop myself and impact on the society. When I graduate, I hope to apply the knowledge I would have acquired in the area of guidance and counselling to solve the problem of moral decadence that is the lot of our society.”

Vivian Onuoha, who was admitted into Linguistics department, said: “I feel excited today because being among the matriculating students is a dream come true for me. I set a target to graduate with a first class degree so that the university can retain me as a graduate lecturer. I pray God will help me to attain the goal.”

‘I feel excited today because being among the matriculating students is a dream come true for me. I set a target to graduate with a first class degree so that the university can retain me as a graduate lecturer. I pray God will help me to attain the goal’

THE NATION THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2013

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CAMPUS LIFE Medical students challenged on research From Sam Ibok UNICAL

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•Thomas talking to ALSO students during the organisation’s workshop

UI shortlisted for Washington liberty award

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HE University of Ibadan (UI) chapter of African Liberty Students' Organisation (ALSO) has been nominated for an award by the world body of Students For Liberty (SFL) in a programme that will be held in Washington DC on February 15 to 17. A drama titled A letter from Jonathan Gullible, which was presented by UI students recently, was nominated as Event of the Year by the body.

Students, who are dedicated to liberty and advancing of freedom on campuses worldwide, will converge at Grand Hyatt Hotel in Washington for a weekend of learning about liberty and freedom from contemporary leaders in freedom movement from the US and Europe.

The discussion during the event will be on methods and practices for promoting liberty on campus, getting more involved in the larger movement for liberty, and celebration of freedom. The

From Wale Ajetunmobi LAGOS

organisers announced that this year's conference would feature free internet for all participants, adding that the conference papers would increase the knowledge of the attendees in the area of economy and politics.

The event will also feature annual awards of the body established in 2009 to recognise outstanding students and students' groups that have distinguished themselves towards the entrenchment of liberty on campus. Recipients are chosen based on hard work, organisational skills, value creation, innovation, and entrepreneurship.

The Director of Outreach, African Liberty Organisation, Mr Adedayo Thomas, a playwright, led the students to present the drama in campuses in Nigeria, Benin Republic, Togo, Ghana and countries across the Af-

rica to promote freedom and prosperity.

The drama was used to propagate the ideas of free market, individual liberty and tolerance to the academic community in West African campuses.

On the nomination, Thomas told our correspondent that Nigeria was being placed on the economic and educational map of the world, saying the nation should be proud of UI students.

"Whether they win or not, the students of University of Ibadan have made all of us proud because the school will be among the three institutions in the world, which are consistent in promoting liberty cause," Thomas said.

Participants in the drama included Odunola Oladejo, ALSO president, Olabisi Ariyoh, lead role actress, Abiodun Akinsiku and Sly Obieze.

The play was supported by Olumayowa Okediran, Assistant Outreach Director of the organisation.

EDICAL students in the University of Calabar (UNICAL) have been charged to see academic research as a veritable way of acquire knowledge as against the traditional practice, which places emphasises on reading. The charge was given during a workshop by Research Africa on modern technique in research.

Addressing participants, STEP-B Project Manager, who is also the Director of Research of the institution, Prof Emmanuel Ezedinachi, urged students not to wait till their final year before getting involved in research.

The don said the directorate was established to emphasise and make research continuous culture, especially in the academia. According to him, Research Africa was an online platform that helped potential researchers to access funding agencies based on the quality of written proposal.

In his remark, a member of STEP-B project, Prof Bassey Okon, said the aim of the workshop was to open the minds of the medical students and let them know that there was more to the discipline than the routine of clinical diagnosis and therapy.

Prof Okon advised students to see academic research as an avenue to stand out saying, “if you ask the right questions, you can achieve anything.” He added that all that was required of the participants was the will and commitment, assuring that with STEP-B project, getting funding for viable research was no longer a problem.

The students were tutored on various methodologies of research in the field. Researchers such as the Dean of Faculty of Allied Medical Sciences, Prof Anne Asuquo, encouraged the students to diversify into other areas and take research seriously.

Leaders for Osun students From Olumuyiwa Ogunleye OSPOLY

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HE National Association of Osun State Students (NAOSS), Osun State Polytechnic (OSPOLY), Iree, has inaugurated a new executive. The ceremony, which was held at the New Lecture Hall 7, was attended by the chairman of the association’s electoral commission, Bashir Fatai and president of OSPOLY Students’ Union Government (SUG), Abiodun Osin.

Fatai dissolved the outgoing executive before swearing in the new officials. In his admonition, Abiodun noted that the youth in every society remained the dynamic, energetic, courageous and productive. He charged the incoming members of the association to work for students who elected them into the offices.

The new executive is led by Gafar Usman. Others are Abolore Ogundapo, Vice President; Olumuyiwa Ogunleye, General Secretary; Muibat Mohammed, Assistant General Secretary; Kazeem Alade, Financial Secretary; Ayomikun Adesogbon, Treasurer, and Jonathan Adeyanju, Auditor General.

Others are, Idowu Olapade, Public Relations Officer 1; Habeeb Mustapha, Social Director; Taiwo Lawal, Welfare Director and Sikiru Okiki, Chief Whip.

In his remark, Gafar noted that his administration would discharge its responsibilities without fear or favour to any group. He also promised to make life better for the members of the association.

‘Insecurity bane of development’ From Dhikrullah Akinola EDE POLY

HE recently-appointed Rector of the Federal Polytechnic, Ede, Mr Patrick Hussaini, has said that insecurity is stifling Nigeria’s economic development and nationhood. He made this remark during the 20th matriculation ceremony of the institution held at the sports pavilion.

He noted that Nigeria could not afford to be left out of the global technological race, adding that the institution would continue to comply fully with the Federal Government’s policy of 70 to 30 ratio of admission in favour of science, technology and engineering to business and arts related courses.

The rector said 33, 954 candidates applied for admission in the institution through the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) out of which 15, 000 candidates came to write the post-UTME test.

Hussaini said 1, 233 were eventually offered admission into full time National Diploma (ND), while 876 were admitted into the Higher National Diploma (HND). He added that 876 and 104 candidates were admitted into part-time ND and HND programmes respectively.

He said: “Be rest assured that as a new administration, we shall focus on students welfare, serving the best educational interest of our students in teaching excellence and knowledge. We will inspire student independence of thought and self discipline. Also, we shall create a learning environment in which students and staff can find satisfaction in their work and feel proud in achievement.”

Affirming the institution’s belief in gender equality, Hussaini said scholarships would be given to the best overall female student in each faculty beginning from 2013/2014 academic session, while the Academic Board would be persuaded to grant a minimum quota of 25 to 30 per cent admission to female applicants.

T •Some of the graduates after their meeting

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RADUATES of the Faculty of Social and Management Sciences Association (SOMASSA), Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, (AAUA), have held their maiden re-union event.

The programme with the theme Unity in Diversity was aimed at fostering friendship among the 2010 graduates.

The event was held at the Havannah Suite, Gowon Estate, Ipaja, Lagos.

The convener of the occasion, Opeyemi Akinfaderin, who is the president of the Economics department, said: “There are several reasons why we think there must be a re-union for the SOMASSA Class of 2010. And here are some of the reasons: to provide opportunity for personal growth

Graduates meet again From Dayo Ojerinde AAUA

and development, to develop professional and leadership skills, to unite, support and assist members in achieving their individual goals by attending and contributing to the programme organised by the members, among others.”

Opeyemi added: “Membership of the class shall be automatic for all 2010 graduates of the Faculty of Social and

Management Science, which comprise Accounting, Business Administration, Banking and Finance, Economics, Sociology, Psychology, Political Science, Public Administration and Geography departments.”

Omowumi Orowale, an Economics graduate, said she was happy to be in the midst of her mates after two years of their graduation from the university. She appealed to other colleagues to show interest in the re-union programme, stressing that it would benefit them in future.

Tolulope Disu, Political Science graduate, could not hide her joy, when she sighted her colleagues. She said: “I am so happy to see many old faces here; it could not have been possible if not for the reunion programme.”

Union warns students on false petition

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FFICIALS of the Niger Delta Students Union Government (NIDSUG) have warned students of Ignatius Ajuru University of Education (IAUE), Port Harcourt, and students of other institutions in the Niger Delta region to be careful of the kind of petition they send against their schools.

Members of the union, who visited IAUE campus to act on reports sent to the NIDSUG secretariat, said false report could bring disagreement between the management and the union.

Michael Yalah, President of the union,

From Jude Amadi IAUE

who led other members to the office of the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Rosemund Green-Osahogulu, said their visit to the campus was to check how students were being treated by the management.

The union, however, accused the management of interfering in student politics, while chiding the authorities over increment in tuition fees and lack of concern to the welfare of students.

Prof Green-Osahogulu denied meddling in students’ affairs. She said: “As

far as I am concerned, I don’t know the executive of Students’ Union in this campus. The first time I met the president of the union was the day of their inauguration.”

On the increment in the school fees, she said: “Our school fees is the cheapest compared to what is obtainable in other schools. We don’t charge faculty fees, departmental fees and the rest of them but others do.”

The union apologised to the VC for acting on false information and promised to support the management of the school to achieve its goal.

THE NATION THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2013

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CAMPUS LIFE A radio station, Search FM, established by the Federal University of Technology, Minna (FUT MINNA) has been gutted by fire.

Properties worth millions of naira were destroyed. TOLULOPE AJOBIEWE, DAVID OSU (400-Level Urban and Regional Planning) and TARFA BENSON (500-Level Quantity Surveying) report.

Fire stills radio’s voice

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MIDNIGHT fire has caused some destruction at the Federal University of Technology, Minna (FUT MINNA).

The institution’s radio station, Search FM, which was established three years ago, was completely razed.

The station, which has won several awards in its three-year operation, was popular among students. It was through the station that the management passed information to students and other members of the university.

The news of the fire started like a rumour among students when there was a sudden loss in transmission. But as smoke billowed from the building, the students’ doubts were erased.

Though the station was situated on the ground floor of the General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida Library Complex at the Gidan Kwano Campus, students on Bosso Campus rushed to the scene to see things for themselves.

They lamented the school’s inability to contain the inferno.

CAMPUSLIFE gathered that the fire, which started at 12:45am, was said to have been caused by a faulty air conditioner.

Our correspondents learnt that a worker tried to put out the fire with an extinguisher hung around the building but discovered that the cylinder was empty. When a functional fire extinguisher was fetched, the fire had gone out of control.

The official was said to have rushed to the fire station on the campus, where a tanker was parked, but the firefighters were not on duty.

With the help of other sympathisers, the fire tanker was moved to the scene but nobody could operate it.

Students. They rushed from their hostels to the scene. The students, joined by security officials, fetched water with bowls to fight the fire.

Despite their efforts the fire raged till 2am before it was put out. All the gadgets and electronic appliances in the studio were burnt.

In the morning, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof

•Charred materials left in the studio after the incident

•A burnt section of the studio

Musbau Akanji, visited the razed building, lamenting the incident. He said the station did not only serve the university community, but the entire state.

He said the management would set up an investigative panel to find out the cause of the fire and recommend ways to prevent a recur-

rence. Prof Akanji ruled out sabotage, assuring the students that the station would come back in full force.

Students expressed sadness, saying if not for the harmattan, the inferno would have been contained. Charles Okenson, 200-Level Geog-

raphy, said: “The incident shook the campus to its foundation. Being a prominent media firm in Niger State, I am already missing its programmes.”

There was some carelessness among the staff of the radio station because the fire would not have happened without any faulty appliance, said Wilson Zakka, 400-Level Survey and Geoinformatics.

Daniel Agweye, 200-Level Information and Media Technology, expressed shock. He said: “It is very tragic. I am not happy but we must thank God that no life was lost.”

After about eight years, medical students of the Benue State University (BSU) College of Health Sciences began their first professional exams last week. MSONTER ANZAA (200-Level Medicine) writes.

A

FTER years of accreditation battle, the College of Health Sciences of the Benue State University (BSU) has started conducting professional exams for medical students. Three sets of 400-Level students wrote their exams last week; another wrote the exams penultimate week.

The 400-Level students, who wrote their exam last week, were divided into A, B and C groups. The first two groups were merged to take their second professional exam. The other was writing its first professional in the college.

Following the accreditation crisis in the college, five sets of classes were promoted to 400 Level. But none could write the professional exams because the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) and National Universities Commission (NUC) could not certify the facilities of the medical college.

The first two sets, which were promoted to 400-Level, finished their syllabus early but remained at that level without any academic activity for, at least, a year. When MDCN endorsed the medical courses last November, students were called to write their exam.

Since the certification of medical courses, life in the college has taken a new turn. In the part, students would play music loud in their hostels and watch movies from daybreak till evening. The patronage at the campus snooker board was at its peak because they did not attend classes for a year. All these changed the moment accreditation was secured. The atmosphere has become serious as students now burn the midnight oil.

The exam is the second professional assessment taking place in the history of the college. It is considered significant to everyone, especially the pioneer students, who

•Benue varsity gate

New day at medical school have overstayed in the medical school. There is a feeling of ecstasy, which suggests that the exam is important not only to the students but the entire college community.

This is evident in the comments, which students have been making on the institution’s Facebook page.

One such message came from the Speaker of the Benue State University Medical Students Association (BESUMSA), Andrew Iorkyaan, a 400-Level student. He posted:

“Today, a bus that has broken down on the road side is about to continue its journey.

Today, we shall begin to reap tangible academic fruits from our struggles. History shall be made in the college as the first ever pathology and pharmacology final exams begin; I predict a profound success for the pioneer class.”

The Financial Secretary of the association, who is also a 400-Level student, Joseph Agogo, prayed for the pioneer students’ suc-

cess. “May God of inexhaustible blessing unleash His unquantifiable blessings on all the pioneer students; may He, in fulfillment of His word in John14:26, make you all to remember all you have read,” he wrote.

As it is done in the college during exams, the Christian Medical and Dental Association - Students (CMDAS) raised a cooking committee to prepared food for the students to erase their worries over what to eat during the period.

The exams, which will last for two weeks, will enable the student to proceed to 500Level for the first time since the inception of the College 10 years ago.

THE NATION THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2013

35

CAMPUS LIFE

Restructuring campus associations

By Abiola Solanke

I

N all parts of Nigeria, higher institutions are replete with many students’ associations, which range from departmental to faculty clubs. These associations are established to cater for the academic, physical, mental and social well-

being of their members.

Most institutions recognise the roles played by these unions in intellectual, man-power and managerial development of students; they, therefore, encourage and promote such associations in their bid to make students responsible. Unfortunately, some of these bodies have deviated from the role they are expected to play in the lives of students; they have become shadow of what they used to be.

Nowadays, leaders of these bodies erroneously believed their responsibilities, after collecting annual due from members, are to organise symposium, dinner and giving out souvenirs to members. They leave out academic and mental development, thus failing in their responsibilities to members. This has contributed to the problem of affecting graduates of higher institutions, who many employers describe as

half-baked and unemployable.

Associations such as Nigerian Association of Agricultural Students (NAAS), Nigerian Association of Science Students (NASS) and a host of others are used to know as platforms through which students acquire skill in management and politics. But all that appears to be past glories as those bodies are now shadows of what they used to be.

Most departmental and faculty associations have become a platform for embezzlement and immorality. The monumental fraud being perpetuated by leaders in some of these associations makes one to wonder if there is hope for the nation, because fraudsters are the people that will graduate to become tomorrow’s leader!

As the Yoruba saying goes, omo ti o ba ma je asamu, ati kekere ni yio ti maa se enu shamu shamu (a child’s character in adult stage will be de-

termined by his behaviour at childhood). It is no news any longer to hear of students’ leaders siphoning their colleagues’ funds. What a shame!

The terrible state of the bodies is as a result of dereliction of duties and a reflection of the general trend of things in the country. Students’ associations have now become a means to obtain power to suck fellow students dry, but this must not be allowed to continue.

Associations must review their roles in molding the character of students. Orientation should be organised to tutor students vying for leadership on campus. Professional counsellors should be employed to teach them what is expected of them as leaders of department or faculty. This must be done before they are allowed to orientate freshers admitted into the institution.

Also, academic development of members should be important to any good association on campus.

They should start looking beyond dinners and souvenirs to see to the all-round development of members. Doing this will make members acquire the skills and wisdom needed to survive after graduation from the school.

Authorities of higher institutions should put mechanisms in place that will ensure that cases of embezzlement are totally eliminated in students’ associations. Also, institutions should monitor these bodies to ensure that misfits are not allowed to use associations as vehicle of personal enrichment. If there is a time when students’ associations should be made to function effectively, the time is now.

Abiola, 500-Level Veterinary Medicine, FUNAAB

Gandhi’s light is still bright in India

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N January 30, 1948, the people of India were thrown into mourning.

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, a nationalist and the country’s most respected freedom fighter, was assassinated by a Hindu extremist, Nathuram Godse. The murder of the sage came six months after India gained its independence from Britain.

Gandhi was on his way to his evening prayer meeting after a 12day fast to bring peace to India, which was then engulfed in riot.

The Hindu nation woke up in disbelief, wondering why the elder statesman, who was known to always preach peace, was the target of any person or group.

The nationalist leader achieved his country’s independence through a non-violent revolution; he led a struggle and campaign of passive resistance, and non-cooperation, known as Satyagraha. The London Law graduate’s successful uprising in South Africa to make the authority respect the right of Indians in the country brought him

back to India to fight on the home front.

Through his peaceful demonstration, Gandhi, known for his famous saying - you must be the change you wish to see in the world - rose to become an international figure in free India.

Perhaps what makes Gandhi to be remembered by many is his protest by fasting to drive home his demand. Gandhi was said to have gone on 15 hunger strikes in the course of his struggle. He fasted for long period several times.

In September 1932, while in jail, Gandhi undertook a ‘fast unto death’ to improve the status of India caste system. On January 13, 1948, because of religious violence spawned by the partition of India, Gandhi undertook another successful fast in New Delhi to bring about peace.

These fasts were efficacious in ending the British suzerainty.

Gandhi’s political and religious influence on India was so much that the British government dared not to toy with the country’s destiny

after independence. He lived a Spartan and spiritual life of prayer and meditation, devoid of affluence and vainglory.

This is contrary to Nigerian style, where leaders live in wealth while the citizens cannot afford threesquare meal a day. As majority of Nigerians groan in want and abject poverty, our leaders thought it wise to feed themselves with billions of public funds, without a tinge of reflection on the suffering and depravity in the land.

Nigerian presidency is spending a whopping sum on feeding alone.

Such money is enough to give free foods to students in tertiary institutions in the country. The money is enough to upgrade national hospitals to dispense quality healthcare to the citizens. Where is our own Gandhi, a leader that will love the impoverished and less-privileged more than he loves himself?

However, the behaviour of our leaders and sheer greed in the land show that no Gandhi will ever come out of Nigeria. All we can ever have in this country are glut-

tons and parasites. If only our leaders could fit in Gandhi’s garb, which does not necessarily suggest wearing loincloth and shawl as Gandhi did, the nation would truly be the pride of Africa in contrast to the present belief that we are giant of the continent.

Supposing Gandhi was elected the president of his country after independence and he had taken bogus allowances or thrown expensive state house banquet, purchased expensive loincloths and established a state of the art kitchen, would our ailing leaders be visiting Indian hospitals for firstclass treatment?

Gandhi’s sacrifice paid it all. It is worthy of mention that he fed on vegetables, fruit juices and goat’s milk, and not continental dish and chicken.

Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first Prime Minister, in a broadcast farewell speech, said of Gandhi: “Our light has gone out but the light that shone in this country was no ordinary light. For a thousand years, that light will be seen in this coun-

By Taiwo Adebubu try and the world will see it.”

Indeed, Gandhi is forever gone but the light is still shining. Far away in the United States, Martin Luther King Jnr. saw the light, became a disciple and changed the condition of black race in America.

The light is still shining and I hope Nigerian leaders will open their eyes to see the light in other countries.

Taiwo, is a Corps member, NYSC Ibadan

AFCON: The glory of African football

By Ekene Ahaneku

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INCE time immemorial, soccer has been a game of interest to man. In the old British Empire, the game was used to entertain monarchs. But the first notable football match was held in 1862. After the match, the news spread quickly across the continent; this resulted to the first-ever championship in Africa in the year 1919.

Before the tournament, the game was already popular in Morocco.

From the time of the first championship until when African Cup of Nations (AFCON) began, football had brought a unified glory to the continent and to the participating individual countries.

African countries started football

game with the exception of South Africa, which was still chafing under apartheid regime. Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan contested but the Pharaohs of Egypt trashed Ethiopia 4 nil at the finals. This made them the first winners of the trophy. In 1959, the tournament came alive again but South Africa was again barred from participation by the apartheid potentate.

In 1963, the Black stars of Ghana joined the league. This made the Black Stars to be the first host of the competition in the western flank of the Africa. Nigeria, Tunisia and Ghana with the three pioneer countries battled for the cup.

The Black Stars trashed the Nile Crocodiles of Sudan by three goals to nothing. Two years later, Ghana, as the defending champion, took its squad to Tunisia and defeated the host country at the final stage of the tournament.

In promoting the unity of diverse ethnic nations in Africa, AFCON has offered a good platform to unite the Anglophons and Francophone countries on the continent. This, it must be stated, has improved the relationship of countries in Africa over the years.

In its evolution, poor officiating has marred African soccer contest.

Many countries have lamented the manner with which African referees officiate matches. A final match

‘In promoting the unity of diverse ethnic nations in Africa, AFCON has offered a good platform to unite the Anglophone and Francophone countries on the continent.

This, it must be stated, has improved the relationship of countries in Africa over the years’ between Black Stars and Congo Kinshasa in 1968 championship was marred with irregularities.

Ditto 1970 final match between Sudan and Ghana. The poor officiating of crucial matches in terms of keeping to the rules raised a lot of controversies in the continent’s football fiesta.

Due to biased officiating and intimidation by citizens of host country, Ghana’s players refused silver medals in the 1970 contest. In reaction, they were deported by the then Sudan’s military dictator. This act aggravated the crisis of confi-

dence in the organisation of AFCON by the apex football body.

But when the Nigeria hosted the rest of Africa in 1980, there was an improvement in officiating. Green Eagles defeated Algerian team in the final match. The Black Stars came back with a winning team that lifted the trophy in 1982, putting Libyans on the losing side. In 1984, the final battle was between Nigeria and Cameroon, and Nigeria was defeated by three goals to one.

In 1990, Algeria hosted and trounced Nigeria with one goal at the final stage of the championship.

Nigeria defeated Zambia at the final stage in Tunisia 94.

In 1996, South Africa, free from the apartheid regime, hosted the rest of Africa and defeated Tunisia two goals to nil at the finals.

In 2002, Mali hosted the championship and the Indomitable Lions of Cameroun lifted the trophy, leaving the Senegalese team with nothing. In 2004, Tunisia hosted the championship and defeated Morocco at the finals. Egypt then set in with their chains of victory from 2006 to 2010 over Cote d’ivoire, Cameroon and Ghana.

These chains of victory made the Pharaohs of Egypt unique in Africa not only being the first winners but the highest winner of the tournament.

Last year Zambia trashed Ivory Coast in a penalty shootout, making the country to win 2012 contest. The 2013 AFCON has begun. Should we also watch out for the underdog to lift the trophy? In trailing the blaze of the glory brought to Africa by the game, blue sharks of Cape Verde Island is making their debut appearance in the AFCON. We should watch out and see how the Cape Verde players will perform as they will be battling South Africa, Morocco and Angola at the group stages. But who wins the tournament this time around?

Ekene, 200-Level Optometry, IMSU

THE NATION THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2013

36

CAMPUS LIFE Union hosts oil and gas seminar

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HE Students’ Union Government (SUG) of the Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun (FUPRE), Delta State, has held a symposium tagged Petroleum training institutions in Nigeria and the way forward.

The event, which was chaired by ViceChancellor of the university, Prof Al-Hassan Bichi, was graced by the Special Assistant to the President on Youths and Students Matters, Mr Jude Imagwe, and former National President of Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSEN), Dr Brown Loius Ogbeifun.

The event was aimed at broadening the knowledge of Oil and Gas students of the institution and also to make them relevant in the sector.

In his lecture titled The role of petroleum students and appraisal of the Aluta approach on campus, Imagwe advised students to always exhaust the channels of dialogue in their agitations rather than engaging in violence.

He stressed that unionism had gone beyond the era of protest, saying dialogue remained the option for students in contemporary time.

Ogbeifun said government should take ownership of its oil and gas through the production of quality manpower to man for the sector. He added that if the nation trained its students, it would save more money to for

•Imagwe From Olumide Ikotun FUPRE

development and increase in the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

The president of the union, Obaro Egagifo, urged the government to fund the university in the area of research.

On and Off Campus By Solomon Izekor 08061522600

•Some of the freshers after their orientation

Mass Comm orientates freshers

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RIENTATION programme has been held for freshers admitted for communication courses in the Lagos State University (LASU). The ceremony was organised at the Adebola Adegunwa School of Communication, Ojo campus.

The occasion was graced by lecturers in the School of Communication, Dean of the faculty, Prof Lai Osho, who was represented by the sub-Dean, Dr Ayodele Jocob and head, Information Communication Technology, Dr Olounifesi Suraj among others.

The students learned how to achieve academic excellence during the orientation. Dr Ayodele, in his speech, said: “Knowing something about everything is the best for students

Association welcomes members

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HE Association of International Student Science and Economic (AIESEC), University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) chapter, has organised a twoday orientation seminar for its new members.

The event was held at Stella Obasanjo Multipurpose Hall, Ilorin. A Pharmacy graduate of Benue State University (BSU),

From Foluso Sotomi and Moses Adeyemi LASU

in any academic field because this will make them to be versatile.”

Dr Suraj, who taught the students how to calculate their Cumulative Grade Point Aggregate (CGPA), enjoined the students to be serious with their studies. The students were also lectured on dress code.

The president of Communication Students Association (COSA) said: “I believe the purpose organising the orientation programme was fulfilled. For anything that is left unsaid, students can reach us so that we can channel their challenges to the appropriate quarters.”

FromIniobong Iwok UNILORIN

Bonaventure Ikediashi, spoke at the event.

Other facilitators included Madu Chuwka, from AIESEC office in Liberia and Babajide Tella, president of the association local chapter.

Ikediashi welcome the students, saying they took best decision by joining the association.

He said the organisation was a club for the best students on campus, and a breeding ground for future leaders.

The new members were taken through lectures, which emphasised the association’s values on leadership and projects. The event ended with party, which afforded the new and old members to interact.

•

•Some of the students with Imasuen (middle)

Group holds conference on leadership

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STUDENTS’ group, Green Ambassadors Nigeria, has held its mega leaders conference at the Banquet Hall, University of Benin, with the theme The importance of vision oriented education in national transformation.

The event also featured empowerment opportunities for individuals and groups including human capacity development, which was geared towards the attainment of vision 20: 2020.

The programme was organised by Bright Chinule, a 400-Level Physics Electronics student of Benson Idahosa University (BIU), who is also the president of the group.

From Joyce Marcus BIU

Chinule noted: “It has become expedient for developing economies to ensure and maintain a sound educational background, competent and effectiveness in knowledge and information to the increasing student population.”

A veteran director, Lancelot Imasuen, who was the guest speaker at the event emphasised on youth empowerment. He was honoured for his role in the development of the movie industry. The conference was attended by undergraduates of BIU and University of Benin (UNIBEN).

THE NATION THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2013

37

EDUCATION

UNILAG VC optimistic about name change •Graduates 6,932 students

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ICE-Chancellor of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Prof Rahamon Bello has said he is optimistic that the university would retain its name.

Addressing journalists at a press briefing held in the Senate Chambers on Monday ahead of next week’s golden jubilee convocation, Bello also assured graduating students that their certificates would bear the old name.

He said: “Even if the university name will change it cannot be retroactive.

Those who are graduating now will have UNILAG on their certificates. It will only take effect on those who will be admitted under the new university name. But God forbid that the name will be changed. UNILAG name is not changing because I have it on authority in black and white from the Federal Ministry of Education that UNILAG’s name will remain UNILAG’s name until an amendment to the Act establishing the university.

And by the grace of God, UNILAG will remain UNILAG. A fifty-year old man cannot change his name.

“Mr President in his wisdom much earlier on had said he would allow the law to take its course and the name can only be changed by the National Assembly. And we will be at all the hearings concerning the change and we will give reasons why we don’t want the name change and I am sure that the National Assembly will support us.”

President Goodluck Jonathan had announced a new name for the university (Moshood Abiola University of Lagos, MAULAG) during his last Democracy Day address. However, his decision was challenged by the alumni association of the university in the court of law which ruled that the status quo should remain until the Act establishing the university is

•Prof Bello (right) with the University Bursar, Mr Lateef Ojekunle at the briefing

By Kofoworola Belo-Osagie

amended.

The procedure for amendment has already been sent to the National Assembly and has passed the second reading.

Giving details about the convocation, Bello said 6,932 students will be awarded diplomas, certificates, degrees and higher degrees on Wednesday February 6 and 7.

Of the 3,664 undergraduates from the 11 faculties and the Distance Learning Institute, Prof Bello said 91 students are graduating with First Class degrees – with the top three being women.

In the postgraduate category, 38 will earn Postgraduate Diplomas (PGD), 3,182 Masters Degree, one Master of

Philosophy and 47 Doctor of Philosophy.

Meanwhile, the university will also award honorary degrees to four dignitaries on Februart 8. They are Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Late Prime Minister of Nigeria; Chief Arthur Christopher Mbanefo, Pro-Chancellor and Governing Council of the university (1984-1985); and Chief Afe Babalola, Pro-Chancellor and Governing Council of the university (20012008).

Speaking about the convocation programme, Bello said the convocation lecture would be delivered by Prof Munzali Jubril on February 5 after his (Bello’s) investiture as Vice-Chancellor. Award of degrees, diplomas to graduands of faculties of Arts, Business

Administration, Education, Engineering, Environmental Sciences, Science, Social Sciences and Distance Learning Institute will take place on February 6, while those of the college of medicine, faculties of Business Administration, Engineering, Law, Pharmacy and School of Postgraduate Studies will hold February 7.

Six professors will be appointed emeriti professors on February 8. They are: Prof Yetunde Mercy Olumide, retired professor of medicine; Prof V.O.S. Olunloyo, Professor of Systems engineering; Prof A.A. Susu, Professor of Chemical Engineering, Prof I.A Adalemo, Prof of Geography; Prof P.O. Adeniyi, Professor of Geography; and Prof L. Oyebande, Professor of Geography.

IBB varsity Senate abolishes pass degree

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N compliance with the directives by the National Universities Commission (NUC) on the new grading system for universities, the Senate of the Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai, Niger State, has approved the abolition of

Pass Degree in the institution.

According to the Senate’s decision, the new system stipulates that the minimum pass grade for all academic endeavour would be “D” as against former pass mark of “E”. Therefore, with the new devel-

opment, Pass Degree now stands abolished in the university. The implementation of this policy begins with the students admitted in the 2012/2013 academic session.

The Vice-Chancellor, Prof Ibrahim Adamu Kolo advised stu-

dents to work hard so as to graduate with good classes of degrees that could easily earn them job opportunities.

•Prof Kolo

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•Matriculating students of the college

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Provost praises Osun investment

OVERNOR Rauf Aregbesola has been praised for the restructuring of the education sector of Osun State.

The commendation was given by the Acting Provost of Assanusiyyah College of Education, Dr. Kasali Lawal, at the sixth matriculation of the institution held recently in Ode-Omu, Osun State.

The provost of the first private college of education in the state also praised the governor for the ongoing massive rehabilitation of roads,

adding that the institution is a beneficiary of the initiative.

Congratulating the matriculating students, Lawal assured them of quality education, pointing out that within the short period of its existence, the college has put in place necessary human and material resources to achieve international standard in teaching and learning.

“Presently, the college is operating the new Teacher Education programme that would facilitate the attainment of educational objective in line with the country’s

commitment to the goals of producing effective teacher’s for the basic education sector,” he added.

The Provost also said the newly introduced courses in Agriculture and Electrical/Electronics have been accredited by the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) while the University of Wisconsin, United States, to which the college is affiliated has approved the commencement of an online two-year post graduate programme in Early Childhood Care Education.

ACE FILE Sports meet holds THE Provost, Adeyemi College of Education (ACE), Ondo, Prof Adeyemi Idowu has declared open the 2013 intra-mural sport competition.

The Provost, represented by the Dean, School of Languages Dr. Yemi Ogunsiji, said everybody should be involved in sports because of its health benefit.

He enjoined the participants to imbibe the spirit of fair-play, emphasising that participation remains an integral part of sports.

In his welcome address, the Chairman of the Sport Committee, Mr Sulemain Raji, said the games were organised to give the students opportunity to exhibit their sporting prowess while maintaining a healthy state of mental, physical and social wellbeing.

He explained that as reward for good performance, the Management has packaged beautiful medals of gold, silver and bronze decorated with the college logo that will be presented to deserving athletes.

School seeks overhaul of agencies WORRIED by the spate of insecurity and the need to stem the tide, the School of Science, ACE, has called for the overhaul of agencies, such as the Power Holding Company of Nigeria and the Federal Road Maintenance Agency.

The school made this call in a communiqué issued at the end of its national conference recently.

Participants at the conference themed The Role of Science and Technology Education in sustaining National Security: Issues, challenges and Prospects, observed that security plays a vital role in the sustainable development of any nation and that in recent times, Nigeria has witnessed an unprecedented level of insecurity.

They noted that inter, intracommunal and ethnic clashes, ethno-religious violence, armed robbery, assassination, murder, gender-based violence and bomb explosion have been on the increase leading to enormous loss of lives and properties and a general atmosphere of siege and social tension in the populace.

The conference in its resolutions agreed that for science and technology to sustain national security, the nation’s laws and government policies should play crucial roles.

Tinubu, Ashafa endow N2m at MOCPED

ENATORS Oluremi Tinubu, and Senator Olugbenga Bariyu Ashafa, representing

Lagos Central and Lagos East Constituencies at the National Assembly, have endowed N1 million each to the Michael Otedola College of Primary Education (MOCPED), Noforija-Epe, Lagos.

The duo announced the N2 million endowment when they visited the college to present the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) special intervention approval letter to the management of MOCPED. The fund, valued at N109 million, is for building the School of Primary Education Studies in the school.

Announcing the endowment, Ashafa, who spoke on their behalf, said the gesture was to show appreciation to the Lagos State government’s funding of the college as well as give their own widow’s mite.

The Provost, Prof Olu Akeusola,

By Adegunle Olugbamila

took the senators round two ongoing TETFUND projects for year 2011.

Senator Tinubu, praised Akeusola for his leadership style, and charisma, two qualities which she said he deploys in achieving outstanding results. Ashafa also Akeusola’s ‘midas touch’, noting that the college has experienced tremendous growth since he last visited.

Responding, Akeusola described Mrs Tinubu as a ‘leader’, and a ‘woman of valour.’ He assured that the fund would be judiciously used for the purpose it was meant.

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Mrs Omolara Erogbogbo, who represented the Special Adviser on Education, Fatai Olukoga, thanked the senators for doing a good job, especially in the education sector, for the benefit of the people of the state.

THE NATION THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2013

38

EDUCATION BRIEF Ogun pupils get sandals, uniforms From Ernest Nwokolo, Abeokuta

THE National Council of Women’s Societies (NCWS) has said it would provide 1,000 sandals for select pupils in public primary schools in Ijebu North East Local Government Area of Ogun State while 250 receive school uniforms.

NCWS President in Ijebu North East Mrs Victoria Adepitan made this known at a ceremony marking the end of 2012 activities of the society ass well as the decoration of Mrs Bisi Okeowo-Bolade, Senior Special Adviser to the Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun on Energy, as friend and pillar of support for NCWS’ cause.

Mrs Adepitan said the Council’s New Year work plan revolves around promoting the economic, social welfare and progress of youth and children with emphasis on their “education” She noted that the gesture would complement the efforts of the state government on affordable and qualitative education for the people. She said NCWS had visited the less-privileged home in Eruobodo, Ijebu - Ode where they met inmates requiring special education. she said NCWS would seek credit facilities to enable women set up petty businesses in order to support their family.

SCHOLARSHIPS APPROACHING DEADLINES Bocconi Scholarships in Italy for International Students Bocconi University Bachelor’s/Masters Degree Deadline: Jan-May 2013 Study in: Milan, Italy Course starts September 2013 Brief description: Bocconi University offers scholarships to international students enrolling in any Bachelor’s Program or Master of Science Program at Bocconi.

The awarding of the scholarship also takes into consideration academic performances of the students.

Host Institution(s): Bocconi University in Milan, Italy Field(s) of study: Any Bachelor’s Program or Master of Science Program offered at the University Number of Scholarships: 80 scholarships are to be offered - 40 for Bachelor’s Program and 40 for Master’s Program Scholarship value/inclusions: For Bachelor’s Program, the scholarship consists of a full tuition waiver worth approximately • 11,000.00 per year for a maximum of 3 academic years while for Master’s of Science Program, the scholarship consists of full tuition waiver worth approximately • 11,500.00 per year for a maximum of 2 academic years.

Application instructions: Applicants must complete and submit the online Bocconi Scholarship online application form.

Scholarship applications must be submitted by the same deadline as that of applicant’s Bocconi online admission’s application which is administered in multiple rounds

Sydney Achievers International Scholarships Last updated: 18 Dec 2012 University of Sydney Bachelor/Masters Degree Deadline: 15 Jan/30 June 2013 Study in: Sydney, Australia Brief description: The Sydney Achievers International Scholarships provides new international students who wants to study in University of Sydney in Australia.

These prestigious scholarships are aimed at attracting high achieving, academically meritorious, international students to enjoy the ‘Sydney experience’ at one of the finest institutions of higher education in the world.

Host Institution: University of Sydney, Australia Field(s) of study: Any undergraduate or postgraduate coursework program offered at the University Number of Scholarships: Up to 100 of these prestigious Scholarships will be offered in 2013 to high achieving, academically meritorious, international students.

Target group: Nigerians Scholarship value/inclusions: For the undergraduate scholarships, each scholarship has a value of AUD$10,000 per annum, available for a maximum of three years, (total value AUD$30,000) for any Undergraduate program offered at the University of Sydney (subject to the recipient maintaining satisfactory academic progress each year).

For the postgraduate scholarships, each scholarship has a value of AUD$10,000 each, available as a one-off award (AUD$10,000 each per annum, (ie,

$15,000 in total for a 1.5 year program, $20,000 in total for a 2 year program) for any Postgraduate Coursework program offered at the University of Sydney.

Living allowance is NOT included in the scholarships.

Eligibility: Undergraduate Scholarships Applicants must have completed an Australian Year 12 qualification or an international senior secondary qualification accepted by the University with an Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank (ATAR) of at least 98* or equivalent.

Students who have already commenced tertiary studies, or students transferring with credit exemptions and/or advanced standing are not eligible. Students completing Foundation Studies Programs are also not eligible.

Postgraduate Scholarships Applicants must have completed the equivalent of an Australian Bachelor degree qualification with a minimum high distinction average as based on the Australian grading system. Students who have already commenced postgraduate studies, or students transferring from other postgraduate programs are not eligible.

The deadline for receipt of applications and complete supporting documentation (academic and English language proficiency results) is 15 January 2013 (for Semester 1, 2013) and 30 June 2013 (for Semester 2, 2013). Applications received after these deadlines will not be considered.

‘My critics have been disappointed’ The Vice-Chancellor, University of Benin, Prof. Osayuki Oshodin, clocked three years in office on November 23, last year. The professor of Health Education tells OSEMWENGIE BEN OGBEMUDIA the challenges of keeping UNIBEN at number one in Nigeria as well as his intention to make the institution rank among the first 100 universities in the world.

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HEN you were appointed three years ago, people said a lot of negative things about you, have they been disappointed today?

They are very disappointed! Many of them said they did not expect I would make the achievement I made in the very first year. They did not believe that I will also be able to survive a second year and now I am surviving a third year. I’m very sure I will survive the five years. Those dictators are disappointed they are still trying to detract but they are not achieving their goal.

How has it been three years down the line?

Well, it’s been very challenging, thinking about a change in any community is not an easy thing when people are already used to a way of living. I am happy that I am able to carry everybody along now. My vi-

sion and mission that everybody is cooperating has been challenging.

How have you been able to curb killings and other atrocities in the school?

Let me also add that it is not only among the students, but the staff as well. I went to their base and started interacting with them, telling them this are the laws and regulations and that they should be thinking of positivity. We need peace in every academic environment if you need to achieve any goal. I also make sure they are comfortable too. You can see the infrastructural development. I made sure their environment is clean, with available water and light although we can’t depend on PHCN. We are looking at other areas like solar which we have established in very sensitive areas of the university like the main gate. We are looking at many energy resources. We are going to hydro now and that will

reduce our bill.

You talked about foreign exchange with other universities. How many students and staff have you exchanged so far?

Going to 20 for the staff, for the student going about 100. Some of them go for a particular period and come back; some are still over there now.

We have established these things not only in Europe but in America and Canada. For example, we just sent two students to Washington, they are there now and they will be there for a while maybe for one year and when they are through, they come back to teach others, and we send another back there.

Talking about the erosion, you have been making an appeal. What is the situation so far?

The situation is the same because the cost of daring the gully is costly.

Let somebody come and bail us out.

It is there and it is devastating and it’s

increasing daily. We have lost over four houses there and it is still moving. That is a major challenge.

I have made representations to everybody in this country even to the world, and some of the universities I am collaborating with; I have been interacting with them on the same issue. The problem is cost/ funding and I believe it can be funded. The Ministry of Education tried in the area of publicity. The National Universities Commission (NUC) even brought a team of journalists here.

What of people encroaching?

People have already encroached at the side, but let me use this opportunity to thank the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and its Governor who graciously provided us with a contractor. We are not really interested in physical cash. If you want to bring your contactor and help us out with the gully, it’s the same thing.

Many people have accused you of

•Prof Oshodin

playing ethnic politics in UNIBEN, how true is this?

UNIBEN is made up of all tribes. I know some newspapers have reported that the Bini are given priority in the area of employment. But if you dare tell a non-Bini person that I employ only Bini, you may get into trouble with them. You can’t tell anybody in this community that I discriminated against them.

‘Our alumni secretariat will be built in my time’

By Adegunle Olugbamila

•Adesanya

P

RESIDENT of the Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education Alumni association Otto/Ijanikin Comrade Adeyemi Adesanya has said his administration has started making moves on how to raise a befitting secretariat

for the alumni. He also said the alumnus has opened a database for the 54-year old institution where members can now upload their resume.

Four years ago, the Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education (AOCOED) Otto/Ijanikin celebrated its Golden Jubilee anniversary where the foundation of the alumni secretariat was laid in the college premises by the former Commissioner of Education Mrs Sarah Adebisi Sosan, also an alumnus. However, the foundation has remained same since it was laid under the former executive led by Dr Bayo Oladipupo.

On the strategy for raising funds for the proposed structure, Adesanya said the aforementioned database would be used to collate profiles of former students within

and outside the country who have graduated over the last 50 years. He added that the alumni is also mapping out plans to wooing governments, media, and individuals and particularly Lagosians to giving their widow’s mite towards the completion of the structure.

Adesanya, former COEASU chairman AOCOED chapter, said following a successful election which ushered in a new executive on November 3 last year, the alumni hit the ground running.

“We want to thank the college management which recognised us and has admitted us into the Council. Already, we are members of the two committees - the Staff Welfare and the Students’ Welfare committees set up by the Council.

“On our part, we have started working with the Lagos State government on a possible means of assisting the alumni, and I can tell you

our members have started benefitting from this. Some of our members just benefitted from the ICT (Information and Communication Technology) training by the Lagos State government which was done at the Computer House in Alausa last week. Also in the School Improvement Officers training, government gave our members 31 slots of which 29 of our members were successful.

“We have also opened up discussions with the state Commissioner of Education on what could be done on the recruitment of our members.

We are also doing same for UBEC, SUBEB and other related organisations.

Aside creating links with members both home and abroad, Adesanya said the alumni association is also looking at ways in which members can assist their alma mater in the provision of items such as toi-

lets, fluorescent for the auditoriums/school environs, speakers and megaphones and other teaching aids that can aid learning.

As a follow up to this, however, Adesanya said the alumni plans to hold a national conference for members before the year runs out. The proposed conference, he stressed, is particularly meant for members who are in the field of teaching, to update them with the modern teaching techniques that will improve their activities in the classroom.

“We are also partnering with the Students’ Union on sensitization programme against cultism, indecent dressing, examination malpractices and other vices. We participated in the last matriculation of the college held two weeks ago where we held a talk shop with the students and what is expected of them and how they should comport themselves as students of AOCOED.

THE NATION THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2013

39

EDUCATION

Ajimobi plans three model schools this year

T

HE Oyo State government would soon begin the construction of three model schools in the state.

The Commissioner for Education, Mrs Adetokunbo Fayokun, who told The Nation in an interview, said there were provisions for the projects in this year’s budget.

The secondary schools, which Mrs Fayokun said will be a template of the current administration on the standards of public schools, would be built in each of the three

From Bisi Oladele, Ibadan

senatorial districts in the state.

She explained that construction of the schools became imperative in view of the dilapidating structures, poor academic performance, mushroom private schools and other woes that have bedevilled public schools in Nigeria. The commissioner said the model schools would afford the government the opportunity to show how schools should look like and should be run.

Mrs Fayokun recalled that via

concerted efforts by the current administration, the state is witnessing improved performance of pupils in the last West African Examinations Council (WAEC) during which Oyo State moved up from 34th to 23rd position nationwide. Aside rebuilding infrastructures across secondary schools and motivation of teachers in various ways, Mrs Fayokun said the government had also approved payment of the counterpart funds to access funds from the Universal Basic Education (UBE) for projects

in primary schools.

She stated that the government is committed to revamping education in the state, pointing out that this reflects in the manner the administration prioritises education.

With improved learning environment, extra-mural lessons for final year pupils, free exercise books and motivation of teachers, Mrs Fayokun said government is committed to restoring the glory of Oyo as a pace- setter state, particularly in the area of education.

•Gov. Ajimobi

Alumnus gives success tips at school’s anniversary

M

RS Yetunde Idowu is an alumnus of St Gregory College, Ikoyi. But when she appeared at her alma mater last Tuesday for the school’s speech/ prize-giving day, it was not merely to show off her achievements as an accomplished High Court judge but, as the guest speaker, she charged the students to emulate those sterling qualities which have seen so many like her attain the apogee of their various careers in life.

The occasion, held at the school’s new Jubilee Hall, was part of a week-long activities to celebrate St Gregory’s 85th anniversary.

Mrs Idowu’s talk tagged: Winning habits of successful people, was as inspiring as encouraging to the students that cheered almost endlessly.

She said to be successful, students must imbibe the habit of successful people.

She advised the students to be positive-thinkers.

She said: “Students, always be positive in your thinking; think

By Chijioke Jane

success and not failure. Beware of negative environment, accomplish your goal, and never say ‘I can’t’.”

She encouraged them to decide on their dreams and goals, write them down and strive hard to achieve them. Goals without action, she stressed, are fruitless.

Mrs Idowu, also encouraged the students to have passion for their dreams.

“Have passion for your dream, it is a necessity. It is what makes people to take risk; it is much more important than a plan, it fuels your desire. As far as passion is there, it does not matter how many times you fall.”

She told them to draw inspiration from people who are goal-oriented and can, therefore, impact positively in their lives.

Idowu also admonished them to be time-managers.

“Be aware of how you spend your time, do not waste it watching television, surfing the internet, or hanging out with friends that can distract

‘Be aware of how you spend your time, do not waste it watching television, surfing the internet, or hanging out with friends that can distract your focus. Practice all the time and never give up. You can make the necessary adjustment when you fail and move on, you should decide to make a difference in your life’

A

NON-GOVERNMENTAL Organisation (NGO), Leah Charity Foundation, and some corporate bodies, English and Literature Teachers Association of Nigeria (ELTAN), Kwara State chapter are poised to revive the reading culture in Nigeria.

Indeed, the NGO has plans to reintroduce reading clubs to public secondary schools in Kwara State.

The foundation, with Lantern Books, Indomie Noodles, Coca Cola, Nestle Foods, is camping 202

your focus.

“Practice all the time and never give up. You can make the necessary adjustment when you fail and move on, you should decide to make a difference in your life, she added.”

The presentation of prizes was another spectacle. Outstanding students of various subjects in 2012 went home with gifts and cash prizes.

Ojeanelo Micheal, Ezekafor Ekene, Momodu Chukwuemeka, Aworo

Raymond, all students of the school, stole the show. Ojeanelo was adjudged the best student with the highest WASCCE and NECO results with five distinctions, and five credits and three distinctions and four credits respectively.

Ekene, who thanked guests on behalf of the school, also encouraged his colleagues to put more effort in their studies.

Earlier, the school administrator, Rev Edmond Akpala, said the future

projections are to improve the present standard of the school while equally anticipating more outstanding performances in Junior Secondary Certificate Examinations (JSCE) and WASSCE. He said the school just completed more modern infrastructures such as an ultra-modern block of classrooms, staff quarters, junior school staffroom, French language teachers’ room, college jubilee hall, and basketball court, among others.

•Members of Rotaract Club of Mushin, during a climate change campaign walk along PalmAvenue, Mushin, Lagos

PHOTO RAHMAN SANUSI

NGO revives reading culture in Ilorin From Adekunle Jimoh, Ilorin

junior secondary schools across the 16 local government areas of the state for a-five day reading exercise. The reading camp, ended cast (Friday), at Sapati International School, Ilorin, the state capital.

Declaring the event open, the Deputy Governor, Elder Peter

•Mrs Ahmed with some of the students

Kishra fingered dwindling reading culture as one of the factors responsible for rampant cases of examination malpractices in Nigeria.

Kishra said: “This is why the ugly menace called examination malpractice is still with us today.

It can only be tackled when students imbibe the culture of read-

ing.”

The deputy governor, who was represented by the Commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development, Alhaji Saka Onimago, added that the effort was complementing the state government’s reform agenda.

His words: “Today, we are here to take another giant stride in our educational development to establishing clubs in all junior secondary schools in the state. About 202 students are gathered here to participate in the programme as reading ambassadors of their colleagues in the 16 local government areas of the state. This is to revive reading culture in our schools. It is a great challenge to all of us as education stakeholders to ensure the success of what is starting from here. It must be sustained so that this great work will not be in vain.”

The Founding Trustee of the Leah Charity Foundation and wife of Governor AbdulFatah Ahmed, Omolewa said the schools were selected after a thorough and competitive process.

She said:“The participating schools will become the first set of ambassadors for the foundation’s determination to ensure that reading becomes an important part of the school lives of our children.

“The process for the event started a few months ago. During this one week exercise, participants are going to be exposed to the importance of reading and the skills that are necessary for reading. The reading clinic, which they will participate in, will focus on imparting basic reading skills, how to read and understand as well as the importance of reading as a life-long skill on the children. The children will also be mentored by carefully selected people who have good stories to tell about how reading has impacted on their lives.

“To achieve this, we would like to appeal to the state government, corporate organisations and public spirited citizens of our dear state to kindly come forward to collaborate with us in our desire to prepare our children for the challenges of the constant change which our world grapples with.”

Earlier, the state Commissioner for Women Affairs, Mrs. Comfort Afolayan described reading camps as an approach to enhance the potentials of children and enable them contribute to the development of their communities.

According to her, children constitute a sizeable proportion of the country’s population, hence the need to pay adequate attention to their problems and needs.

THE NATION THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2013

40

EDUCATION

Anyim lauds UNN’s rising profile

S

ECRETARY to the Government of the Federation Senator Anyim Pius Anyim last Saturday praised the rising profile of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) in scholarship and infrastructural development, pledging his support for its continued growth.

Speaking on behalf of recipients of honorary degrees of the university at its 42nd Convocation, Anyim said the university has a secured future given the premium its management places on building the future by recruiting its First Class graduates into its fold.

He said: “I agree that the profile of UNN is rising beyond the imagination of many. The university is on the right path to growth,

From Chris Oji, Enugu

development and excellence.”

UNN conferred an honorary doctorate degree in Law on Senator Anyim while INEC Chairman Prof Attahiru Jega received an honorary doctorate in Public Administration.

It also conferred honorary doctorates in Business Administration on two bankers - Group Managing Director of Diamond Bank Dr Alex Otti and Mr Fola Adeola, Chairman of Main One Cable and founding Managing Director of GTBank Plc. Anyim pledged that he and the other recipients would support the UNN management in its pursuit of excellence through scholarship and research, infrastructure and

enabling environment and development of human capacity.

During the two-day convocation, UNN awarded its first and higher degrees to 19, 880 graduands. There were 18, 150 First degree holders and 1, 730 post graduate degrees.

116 students made First Class honours while 195 others bagged Doctorate degrees.

Ahead of the convocation, UNN also inaugurated a 400-PC digital laboratory within the Nnamdi Azikiwe Library of the university.

100 units of the expected 400 units of laptops are already in place at the digital laboratory, with support from Fidelity Bank plc, which donated N10million counterpart funding for the project at the inauguration.

•From left: Dr Ayo Ogunsan, Chairman Executive Trainers Ltd, Prof Sola Akinrinade, President, QRS Consulting Ltd, Prof Hassan Salihu Isah, Vice-Chancellor, Kogi State University, and Mrs Ajoke Ogunsan, MD/CEO Executive Trainers Ltd at an ICT-training at the Kogi State University campus Ayingba.

Access School wins debate

W

INNING a debate organised by the Nigerian Turkish International College during the school’s annual Language Week made the management, workers and pupils of Access International School, Magboro, Ogun State, glad.

Addressing journalists after the feat, the proprietor of the school, Dr Jonathan Akpan, attributed the success to hard work and dedication on the part of the management and teaching staff because, accord-

ing to him, he employs people with integrity as teachers.

“In Access what we do is to impart knowledge and one of the ways this is ensured is by sending teachers on international training, this is one of the ways we encourage our teachers because the international training is one of the incentives we give to them and the criteria is based on their level of seriousness which is tested by students’ performance in external examinations,” he said.

The participating schools in the debate include Redeemers High School, Taqwa International College, Topflight International School, Christ College and the host school, Nigerian Turkey International Colleges.

The pupils debated on the topic: “Bribery and Corruption is Worse Enemy of our Country than Armed Robbery” for the senior category while the junior category was titled “An Indigenous Language Should Be the Official Language in Nigeria”.

Ogun plans upgrade of Coop College

D

ETERMINED to reposition the Ogun State Cooperative College, Ijeja, Abeokuta, the state government has begun moves to upgrade it to a National and Higher National Diploma-awarding institution.

This is coming as the government paid the N2 million affiliation fees of the college and that of the Social Development Institute (SDI), Shasha, Iperu Remo, owed the Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), Ago-Iwoye.

The debt had resulted in the nongraduation of students of both institutions in the past seven years.

Permanent Secretary in the Min-

istry of Community Development and Cooperatives, Mrs Yemi Olanrewaju, who disclosed this in a statement by the Public Relations Officer, Mr Ayokunle Ewuoso, said the ministry which supervises the college would soon forward a proposal to the office of the governor concerning the upgrade for approval.

She said: “About a month ago, that is in December we sent the assistant registrar of the college to Kaduna to get information about the requirement for the upgrading of the school. Right now we are working on the nitty gritty of the documents, so that by the time we pass it on to Governor Ibikunle

Amosun we would have done our own end of the requirement and then be able to advise the government appropriately”.

Shedding light on the recent payment of N2million affiliation fees owed OOU, Mrs. Olanrewaju said the refusal of the past administration to offset the bill led to students of SDI the Cooperative College not graduating in the last seven years.

She said the money accumulated over a period of four years. She noted that the gesture by the government demonstrates its committment to ensuring academic excellence in all its institutions.

Odugbemi for LASUCOM Founder’s ICE-CHANCELLOR of the Day lecture Ondo State University of

V

Science and Technology (OSUSTECH), Okitipupa, Prof Tolu Odugbemi will deliver a lecture to celebrate the 2013 Founder’s Day of the Lagos State University College of Medicine (LASUCOM) on February 12.

The don of Medical Microbiol-

ogy and Parasitology will speak on the topic: “Building a World Class Medical College.”

The lecture, scheduled to hold at the MRC Auditorium, LASUCOM, will be chaired by the Provost of the college, Prof O.O. Odusanya.

•Prof Odugbemi

EDUTALK

with

New varsities welcome ...but

I

ALMOST thought the Federal Government was done with establishing universities after the Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun in 2007.

However, its intention to establish a new university in the

Kofoworola

Belo-Osagie Kofosagie@yahoo.com 08054503077 (SMS only)

six geo-political zones is a welcome development and shows government is serious about addressing the problems of access.

Every year, hundreds of thousands of qualified candidates find they have no spaces in the universities or other tertiary institutions due to no fault of theirs. This has caused untold sorrow for many candidates and their families Education Minister, Prof Ruqayyatu Ahmed Rufa'i said only 16 per cent (205,170) of the 1.3 million candidates who applied for university placement through the Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board (JAMB) were offered admission in the last UTME exercise.

With the new universities, many more students can be absorbed each year. However, the Federal Government should ensure that the mistakes that have been observed in the establishment and running of the 27 older federal universities are not repeated.

The National Universities Commission (NUC) should be allowed to apply the standards it sets for the establishment of private universities which include inspecting the academic brief, development plans, making verification visits to check the facilities before awarding the licence. For most public universities, it is usually the other way round - they would get their licence first without any facility being on ground. Some take off from ridiculous temporary sites that the commission will not tolerate from private institutions. If guided properly, the new universities will be developed on the right foundation that would allow them to bloom into world class institutions.

Though they have been established for donkey years, some of the existing federal universities have not been fully paid their take-off grant by the Federal Government. Some others are having problems with their host communities over ownership of land that they occupy because the Federal Government failed to settle the communities. There are yet others that have not been able to secure their lands because they do not have a perimeter fence. As a result, you have settlements within the university campus that should not be there.

These are some of the issues that should be tackled upfront.

With the hindsight of challenges that the older universities have regarding expansion, structures in the new institutions should be built with the future in mind. Classrooms, lecture halls, hostels, libraries and laboratories should not be too small. The Federal Government and the management of the universities should always have population growth in mind and prepare adequately for it. Lecture halls should be equipped with public address systems, multimedia facilities that can be viewed from wherever the student is seated, and the deployment of ICT platforms to make the classes more interactive.

The new universities should also not be lacking in equipment and maintenance culture. We have moved on from the era where learning was theoretical and abstract. Adequate facilities that will allow for practical learning, field trips, internships and implementation of projects the way it ought to be done should be put in place.

If we check, I am sure we would find that many of the older universities deviated from their long-term development plans. This should not happen with the new universities. Successive administrations should be aware of the master plan of the university that would help fulfil its vision in the long run. Where necessary, we know there would usually be need for adjustment. This should happen after the vision and mission of the institution has been reviewed and the changes are seen to be necessary with the aim of improving the institution.

If the new universities are established only to be beset by the same problems the existing ones are facing, then it would be better they are not even started.

‘If we check, I am sure we would find that many of the older universities deviated from their long-term development plans.

This should not happen with the new universities. Successive administrations should be aware of the master plan of the university that would help fulfil its vision in the long run. Where necessary, we know there would usually be need for adjustment’

THE NATION THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2013

41

THE NATION THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2013

42

NEWS

•Vice President Namadi Sambo (second left), Canadian Minister of International Trade, Mr. Edward Fast (left); Nigerian High Commissioner to Canada, Chief Ojo Maduekwe and Canadian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr. Chris Cooter, during Fast’s visit to the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

•Provost, Michael Otedola College of Primary Education (MOCPED), Prof Olu Akeusola (left); Chairman, Governing Council, Mrs. Risikat Akesode; Special Adviser on Education to the governor, Otunba Fatai Olukoya and Director of Finance and Administration, Ministry of the Environment, Hussainat Dawuda, at the opening ceremony/plenary session of the fourth Lagos State Stakeholders Consultation forum in Tertiary Education Resource Centre, Lagos.

PHOTO: OMOSEHIN MOSES.

•Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi (second left); General Manager, Public Sector, First City Monument Bank (FCMB), Mr. Tokunbo Ogunfodun (left); Executive Director, Mr. Femi Bakare and Zonal Head Southwest II, Mr. Adeleye Adelaja when the FCMB team visited the governor in Ado-Ekiti.

•Works Minister Mike Onolememen (middle); his Minister of State Ambassador Bashir Yuguda (left) and representative of Kano Central Senatorial District, Senator Bashir Mohammed at a meeting with Kano State stakeholders on Kundia Bridge Construction and security for site workers in Abuja... on Tuesday.

• Procter and Gamble’s Busola Opanubi (left); Global Government Relations Leader for SubSaharan Africa.

Procter and Gamble, Tope Iluyemi and Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health, Fatima Bamidele, at the launch of National Oral Health Policy in Abuja.

•Secretary, Special Disciplines Corps (DCN), Sotunde Gbeminiyi (left); General Duties Officer, Mr. Adeola Johnson JP and the Chief Corps Commander Lawal Olalekan at a news conference on the inauguration of its executive for Lagos corps at its headquarters, Alausa, Ikeja Lagos... on Tuesday.

PHOTO: OMOSEHIN MOSES

•From Left, Managing Director, MultiChoice Nigeria, Mr. John Ugbe, Managing Director, M-Net Africa, Mrs. Biola Alabi and Marketing Manager, Non Alcoholic Drinks, Nigeria Breweries Plc, at the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCA) Nominees’ Announcement, at the Porsche Centre, Akin Adesola, Victoria Island in Lagos.

PHOTO: ISAAC JIMOH AYODELE

•President/Executive Director, Association for Childhood Education Practitioners (ACEP), Hajia Islamiat Olaitan Oshodi flanked by proprietor of Victory Group of Schools, Chief Christian Francis Olaniyan (left) and Prof. Uduogie Ivowi at the annual dinner of ACEP in Lagos.

PHOTO: SOLOMON ADEOLA

43

THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2013

POLITICS THE NATION

E-mail:- politics@thenationonlineng.net

Governors are raising fundamental questions germane to peaceful co-existence in the country. These include state police, devolution of power, restructuring of the polity and status of the local government. But critics have described them as oppressors in their states. Group Political Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU examines the Governors’ Forum’s battle for true federalism within the context of their opposition to council autonomy.

Governors’ battle for true federalism T

HE Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) is not recognised by the 1999 Constitution.

Membership of the association is voluntary. Its resolutions and decisions are advisory and not binding. But the body cannot be ignored by any politician. Observers believe that it is a potent force in the polity. In fact, it has now become a platform for the ventilation of grievances against the defective federal structure by the governors.

Many politicians actually fear the body, despite its lack of legal backing. Recently, Senator Smart Adeyemi (Kogi Central District) chided the NGF for frustrating the constitution amendment process. He argued that governors have not given the exercise maximum support because they are opposed to local government autonomy. Also, former Education Minister Prof. Jubril Aminu has castigated the governors for exercising sweeping powers. He described the NGF, currently led by Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi, as an oppressive body, whose wings should be clipped. Also, recently, prominent Ijaw leader and former Information Minister Chief Edwin Clark flayed the governors for oppressing the President. He said their virulent attacks were unwarranted. He also berated them for a shortfall in ethical perception, pointing out that, they have tolerated corruption by not speaking against the corrupt activities of their colleagues.

In the past, tension existed between the 36 governors and federal legislators from their states. Some of the governors labeled the lawmakers as “Abuja politicians”, who are not conversant with the situation at home.

Since the collapse of party supremacy, the governors’ powers and influence increased. In many states governors decide who gets what, how and when. Party faithful worship them as thin gods and lords of manor. Parties’ executive committees at the ward, council and state levels are created in their image. They are also the chief financiers of their states’ party chapters, dispenser of appointments and resources and automatic party leaders.

The NGF’s challenge to President Goodluck Jonathan on true federalism has jolted him. The President, and his deputy, Alhaji Namadi Sambo, who are former governors, could not underrate the association. The body has instituted four cases against the federal government. The most prominent one is the revenue allocation litigation. According to the governors, the President has a case to answer over the Sovereign Wealth Fund. Akwa Ibom State Governor Godswill Akpabio, who said that a master-servant relationship should not characterise inter-governmental relations in the country, frowned at the skewed revenue allocation formula. He said it was worrisome that the 36 states share 22 percent of the national revenue and the federal government gets 52 percent. He called for the review of the formula to enable the governors discharge their duties to their states.

The governor of Ekiti, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, agreed with this view. But he expressed worry over the secrecy in governance, saying that no gover-

lature, supported by the House of Assembly Service Commission.

Governors also determine, in many instances, who becomes members of the Houses of Assembly, Representatives and Senate. A political scientist, Boniface Ayodele, said the hands of the governors are also heavy on the local governments. “They are afraid to conduct council elections.

They prefer to set up caretaker committees composed by their lackeys and cronies”, said the Ekiti State University don. In fact, some governors interfere in local chieftaincy tussles and insist on the candidature of their friends and associates for traditional thrones. “Governors are too powerful. The problem is that there is no one to tame them in their states, not even the parliament”, Ayodele added.

Governors and party supremacy

•Dr. Jonathan

•Amaechi

‘Monies are collected by NNPC. We don’t even know the amount. No governor in this country can tell you how much this country earns on a daily basis. There should be accountability and transparency, and nobody gives me a full picture of what we earn. We like what Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the Coordinating Minister of the Economy, has been doing by publishing what goes to us. That is fine.

Our people should know what we get so that they can monitor us. We too want to know the actual money earned by the Nigerian state to which we belong, so that we can also challenge it with our own independent analysis’ nor knows the amount that the country earns daily from oil. His Delta State counterpart, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, objected to the opposition against the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB). He said it is injurious to the people of the Niger Delta. Also, the governor said the time is ripe for the country to have state police, revised revenue allocation formula and true fiscal federalism.

Governors as godfathers Since the aborted Third Republic, governors have assumed the status of godfathers. They dictated to the Houses of Assembly and ensured that the Speakers were under their armpit. President Jonathan was sensitive to the governors’ awesome powers when he requested them to nominate candidates for ministerial slots. That special privilege, which enraged the ruling party, further increased the powers and influence of the state party leaders, to the detriment of those outside their camps.

Tongues were wagging. Would the governors recommend to the President credible party chieftains for the critical assignment? Would they only push forward names of lackeys and stooges who cannot challenge their domineering postures in the states?

Would performing serving ministers who were not in the good books of the governors make the list? Would

the nomination process be fair to all?

Will it lead to the appointment of credible people as ministers at this critical time? Will the ministers not become governors’ liaison officers?

Answers to these questions were elusive. Those who shared this view have described the ‘council of ministers’ as governors’ liaison officers in the federal cabinet.

Analysts pointed out that the President may have unwittingly created discord in his party. They submitted that ministers who have performed creditably may not be nominated by the governors, if they are perceived as threats to their future ambition.

They also pointed out that there was nothing on ground to guard against the misuse of the nomination power or privilege.

However, President Jonathan adopted the option of carrying the governors along to ensure harmony in the state chapters of the party. The goal, analysts said, was to avert the recurrent situation whereby governors, who are state party leaders, work at cross purpose with ministers who are expected to work harmoniously with them for the success of the party at elections.

The President, it was learnt, was fed up with the constant rivalry between the governors and ministers over their antagonistic political ambitions.

In many PDP states, the party has often been polarised into the camps of

governors and party colleagues, who are dubbed ‘Abuja politicians’ by the governors’ men. When the two factions struggled for the soul of the party in the state, the party had always ended as the main casualty.

Ahead of the primaries that heralded the general elections, PDP states boiled over the contest for supremacy between governors and National Assembly members on one hand and governors and ministers on the other hand.

Are governors dictators?

As party leaders, governors are in a vantage position to manipulate the primaries to favour themselves or their anointed candidates. They have the deep purse to win the majority to their side and damn the consequence.

But this combative style has always backfired. In Oyo State, although Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala and his men succeeded in edging out Senator Teslim Folarin at the primaries, the centre could still not hold as things fell apart. Former Governor Rashidi Ladoja, who suffered similar fate, left the party with his followers.

PDP kissed the dust at the polls.

In many states, the Houses of Assembly work hollow to the executive. The governor decides who emerges as the Speaker. Except in Lagos State, most governors loathe the idea of a fully independent legis-

In the Second Republic, governors were regarded as primus inter pares by the members of the executive councils they presided over as Chief Executives. During that era, governors could not isolate themselves from the pack of democrats who constituted their teams. The new breed, who had blazed the trail in the Third Republic, were not rooted in the democratic culture of earlier periods, which thrived on internal democracy, constructive dialogue and wide consultation. In that era, which was generally regarded as an era of strong political culture, party supremacy was upheld and governors, ministers, commissioners, special advisers and state and federal parliamentarians were bound by party constitutions, directives, guidelines, rules and regulations. The late Kwara State kingpin, Dr. Olusola Saraki, who , alluded to the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) caucuses, submitted that these elected functionaries knew their limits because the party was supreme.

The beat changed in 1999. Immediately the governors stabilised in their offices, the buck, henceforth, stopped on their tables. During the second term of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, governors were instrumental to the nomination of scores of politicians for ministerial positions. The formula employed for their selection was devoid of equity. Those who had scores to settle with the governors were denied the opportunity, despite their qualifications, competence and service to the party. Also, in 2007, governors were completely in charge. Only the candidates endorsed by them made the ministerial list. The governors also instructed the senators from their states to ensure that they scale through the screening hurdles in the Upper Chamber. A few of them who were lucky to be appointed by the President without consultation and involvement of the governors soon fell out of favour with the governors and the party at the state level.

Lagos politician Isiaka AdekunleIbrahim, said governors grew wings because of the weakness of the country’s political culture. “The Governors Forum, as we have seen, is a •Continued on page 44

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THE NATION THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2013

POLITICS ‘Jonathan should keep to his one term promise’

Anambra North should produce governor, says Okadigbo

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F Anambra North Senatorial District is really desirous of producing the next governor, then all politicians from the zone must make unity their watchword. Senator Margery Okadigbo, who represents the zone, stated this in an interview with The Nation. She said it was not enough to clamour for the position, but the district should be united in their quest for the number one seat.The zone is yet to produce the governor from its inception and there has been agitations by some people for the zone be given the opportunity to produce the next governor.

The tenure of the incumbent, Governor Peter Obi, ends in March 2014.

Senator Okadigbo stressed that the agitation for the position by Anambra North could be fruitful, if there is unity.

“I think it can work, if the politicians in the zone put their acts together. The zone has to understand one thing; it is not time to sing personal or selfish tunes. We must shun things like this is Ogbaru, this is Onitsha and this is Omambala. This is the time to sing the song of unity, it is time to act as one. It is important because you have never had it.

Within Anambra North, you often hear things like it should be Omambala, or it must be Onitsha, and no, it is the turn of Ogbaru. The question is, which of you have been there before, none! People are already saying Senator Okadigbo is already taking the slot of Omambala, and so the governorship should go to Onitsha or Ogbaru. The important thing is for us to put our house in order”, she said.

Okadigbo said that already, there are 12 people aspiring to govern the state from the zone. According to her, it is an indication of seriousness.

However, she said the aspirants should know that only one person will get the slot.

“The other day, I read in the newspapers that about 12 people have indicated interest to run for the governorship in 2014. I see people from Ogbaru, Onitsha and Omambala, that

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By Augustine Avwode, Assistantl Editor

is a very good development given the spread. it is fantastic. But we must come together and decide which person will best represent the interest of all of us.

“We must put aside selfish interest because it is when you do away with selfish interests that we can make it as a zone. Otherwise, we will keep clamouring that it should be Anambra North without getting it.

We must remember that no one person is out there who is ready to give you power on a platter. You must make a case for it and go for it, nobody will bring power to your house.

You’ve got to go out and look for it and to get it, you need the support and unity of your base, first and foremost,” she added.

The legislatoralso spoke on other issues shaping her legislative intervention. On of them is the welfare of women. “A lot of women or female issues are health related. Growing up as a child, going into puberty, getting married and the associated process of raising a family, they go through health issues. If you have a child you have health issues, if you don’t have a child, you have health issues. So, as long as the woman and the child go it is all health issues”, she stressed.

Senator Okadigbo, who is the deputy chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, lamented the noninclusion of health matters in the constitution. She described the situation as “absurd’ and canvassed a change in the status quo. She referred to United States where President Barrack Obama made the health policy of the country a national issue. In her words: “it goes without saying that a healthy nation is a wealthy nation.

So, I expect that our leaders here will be more concerned about health issues the way President Obama has been in the United State. We need to do a similar thing in Nigeria.”

She expressed dissatisfaction with the number of women in either elec-

•Senator Okadigbo

tive or appointive positions in the nation’s political system. She blamed what she described as “politics of the wallet” for it.

“The number is not encouraging. If you go to most polling booths during elections, who do you see more, women. And during campaign rallies, they are more in number. But at the end if the day they get the short end of the stick. So, if we talk of 35 or 40 percent affirmative, in the Senate we are 109 but we are just eight women that is less than 10 percent. It is not that the women are not trying but when you make politics a thing of the wallet; you begin to chase the women out. So, it not that the women don’t have what it takes to be in politics, they do; especially in areas of governance or leadership. So I would recommend that political parties be compelled to give meaning to the 35 percent affirmative action in all the parties.

She described as “good” the opportunity to seat on the same seat her husband, the late Dr Chuba Okadigbo, sat on in the senate. “It feels good, more so when you know that you are sitting on the same seat – Anambra North, because he represented the zone and here I am again representing the same zone. Not necessarily because I married Dr Okadigbo but because I am representing my own people. I am from Anambra North myself by birth, so I am representing my people by birth and I am representing my people by marriage. So, it feels good”.

‘PDP will remain in wilderness in Lagos’

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AGOS State Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) chieftain Hon. Kayode Tinubu has said that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will remain in the wilderness in the state beyond the 2015 elections.

He said the threat by the party to capture Lagos is an ampty threat, adding that there is a disconnect between Lagosians and the conservative party.

Tinubu, who spoke with our correspondent, said the poor performance of the PDP federal government has sealed its chance in the Centre of Excellence.

He said: “Their leader has lamented that Lagos PDP is in the wilderness.

The party cannot get it right because its foundation is falsehood. PDP is not a party of ideas. They have secured power at the centre, but they don’t know how to use it. Instead of using power for the advancement of the country, it is power that is using them.

Democracy seems to have no meaning in Nigeria because PDP has misruled the country”.

Tinubu, a lawyer, lauded the ACN government in the state for fulfilling

its promises to the people. He said Governor Babatunde Fashola (SAN) has brought honour and pride to ACN as a model governor in the country.

The chieftain also applauded other ACN governors in the Southwest. He said, despite the financial constraints, they have justified the confidence reposed in them.

Tinubu advised the PDP leaders in the region to forget the idea of bouncing back through rigging, stressing that the people are wiser.

•From left: Deputy Chairman, Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Alhaji Saidu Barda; President-General, Urhobo Progresive Union (UPU), Major-General Patrick Aziza (rtd) and ACF National Chairman, Alhaji Aliko Mohammed, when UPU executive members visited ACF in Kaduna.

RESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan has been advised not to seek re-election for another term in office in 2015. A social critic, Mr Fidel Anujuo, who spoke with reporters in Lagos, urged the to resist pressures from individuals, ethnic groups and organizations, who are bent on drafting him into the race.

He said the President should stick to his promise to spend only one term in office.

Anujuo said:“The President should be a man of his words. He was publicly quoted and reported on several occasions, while mounting the soap box in 2011, that he would only serve for one term, having completed the remaining two and half years left of Umaru Musa Yar’Adua’s term.

“The events of recent days are really disturbing, with the pasting of Jonathan’s posters in some places in Abuja where the promoters of the posters were urging him to seek reelection in 2015.”

The social critic acknowleged that the Presidency has denied involvement in the pasting of the posters.

But he said President Jonathan should renounce any presidential

ambition to convince Nigerians.

He added: “I believe President Jonathan should come out and let Nigerians know where he stands on the issue. He has been evasive on the matter, and this has brought about tension and anxiety.

“I believe a man should be bound by his own words. Although, constitutionally, Jonathan has every right to contest or seek re-election, but he should try to be a man of his words. Why should somebody of his caliber, holding the highest position in theland, not keep to his words?

Moreover, after spending six years in office as President, what does Jonathan want again?

“He should act like a true patriot, and statesman. He should resist pressure from political jobbers and hangers-on who will not tell him the truth, but will continue to urge him to run.

Jonathan should know that the people asking him to run are only out to feather their personal interests.

“From the intense debates 2015 issue have been generating among different ethnic groups, one doesn’t need to be a seer to know that trouble is looming”.

Governors’ battle for true federalism •Continued from page 43

powerful and influential political bloc. They are so powerful in the PDP and many of them often have their ways, no matter the odds”, he fumed.

Governors’ push for true federalism However, governors have denied the allegations that they are oppressing the President. They claimed that, it is the federal government that is oppressing the states. Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi clarified that the NGF is not driven by politics. “I am not a member of the political party that is the majority in the Governors’ Forum. It is only things that we agree that we push collectively.

There are lot of things that governors do that they don’t do together. So, I don’t know how anyone will come by the conclusion that we are frustrating the country, oppressing the President and not allowing the constitution review process to progress”, he said.

The governor described Nigeria as a federation, adding that, there are only two levels of government, which are coordinate and no level can lord it over the other. “In a federation, and I speak as a political scientist now, and not as a governor, we have two federating units. When you have two federating units, they are not subordinate units. They are coordinate units. That is the language we use in political science. It means that they are sovereign, and if you are a sovereign, this notion that the federal government is the one protecting the nation against the excesses of rascals, criminals at the state level, who Nigeria must be protected from, is feeding bottle federalism. “ It is totally absurd and nonsensical because I don’t know of any federation in the world that operates that way. In the United States, the President cannot relate to the governor of California or the governor of Massachusetts, who is from his own political party that way. If he crosses the line, they will tell him that, ‘Mr. President, are you really sure of what you are doing?’ You cannot hijack the powers of a coordinate federal unit.

But that is what happens here, and because governors are not the most popular public office holders, people confuse logic with logicality”, Feyemi added.

He stressed that the governors were in a battle to sustain federalism. “On the issue we have raised fundamental questions, what people refer to as state police, our argument has not be

about state police. The media describe it as state police. It is about multi-level police. We have never been against the federal police. We have said that the federal police has its own role in a federation. State police has its own role. Local police has its own role. Even, the university campus police has its role in that multi-level approach to security, particularly, law enforcement. But everybody refuses to take our line. They insist on federal police. I don’t know any governor that has ever said that the federal police is unacceptable and unwanted. We have always asked for is a multi-level police force to tackle our security challenge.

“The other issue is our interpretation of the Section 162 of the constitution. We have a religious interpretation of it in the Governors’ Forum, which is why we are in court on about four cases. Sectionn162 of the constitution makes it very clear. Every penny that comes to the coffers of the Nigerian state goes into only one account, the Federation Account. Not JP Morgan, not Citibank. Because we run this federalism as a unitary state; of course, our authoritarian military past is affecting us; people do not pay fidelity to this critical issue. Monies are collected by NNPC. We don’t even know the amount. No governor in this country can tell you how much this country earns on a daily basis. There should be accountability and transparency, and nobody gives me a full picture of what we earn.

Governors have raised these issues at every forum. We have four cases in the Supreme Court. The federal government has been requesting for an out of court settlements in the cases. Does someone who oppresses you go to the court to seek reprieve?

We are the ones being oppressed and nobody is coming to our aid. May be, we have not sufficiently made it clear that the states are the ones being oppressed by the federal government.

“That is actually what is happening. Some people are used to collecting money in an unaccountable manner. Let us render it to the Nigerian people. We like what Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the Coordinating Minister of the Economy, has been doing by publishing what goes to us. That is fine. Our people should know what we get so that they can monitor us. We too want to know the actual money earned by the Nigerian state to which we belong, so that we can also challenge it with our own independent analysis. People should support us, instead of haranguing us”, Fayemi stressed.

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THE NATION THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2013

THE NATION

NATURAL HEALTH E-mail:- health@thenationonlineng.net

There are different methods of treatment but holistic medicine stands out. This is because it takes a deep look at ailments from the psychological and spiritual aspects, among others to provide a cure. A naturopath, Dr Gilbert Ezengige spoke with WALE ADEPOJU on the subject.

‘Holistic medicine best for treatment’ H

OW can diseases be kept at bay? It is by the adoption of holistic medicine for diagnosis and treatment, says a naturopath, Dr Gilbert Ezengige.

Holistic medicine, he said, ensures that health care providers treat patients completely because the human body is not wholly a physical entity like a mechanical device or machine.

He said holistic medicine is becoming popular among health practitioners, adding that it addresses the totality of man’s health.

Describing holistic medicine, he said, it is an assemblage of practices, modalities and techniques that are relevant to an individual’s total health, saying they are physical, emotional, mental, social and spiritual.

He said it publicises the teaching that an individual should strive to achieve equilibrium within and establish the necessary harmony between himself and his environment.

Ezengige, who is also an iridologist, said health practitioners who are indifferent to holistic medicine may be opting for irrelevance as the global age advances.

He said: “There are links between our physical organs and our higher faculties. The realities of such links are encountered frequently in our daily conversations and expressions. Statements such as I render my heart-felt apology, I can’t stomach it any longer, he hasn’t got enough liver, his circumstances make him to shoulder a lot of responsibilities, among others are indicative of organs/emotions links and relationship.

“From long time observation, many cultures have come to know that various emotions produce certain disorders in man and these speculations are well founded as science has being investigating

and confirming them. It has been ascertained for instance that; an individual who is in the habit of always bottling up his emotional hurts is more likely to experience gastrointestinal discomforts and ulcers; hyper aggressive disposition causes a lot of white blood cells to flood our bloodstreams; uncontrolled anxiety and stress impacts negatively on the cardiovascular system leading to various types of heart ailments; frequent frowning add lots of wrinkles to your face and makes you age faster; constant unexpressed anger promotes gallbladder stone formation, grief and sorrow hastens various types of heart diseases and lowers your immunity significantly.”

Ezengige said there is a positive means of harnessing this emotional thought energy for healing, saying patients are taught to use it by the practitioners.

“The harbouring of fear is one of the negative ways of applying this neutral energy because human organs are harmed by it. The connection between human emotions/mental state and physical organs is fairly appreciated by all practitioners of medicine and health counselors. Disciplines such as psychology, psychotherapy and psychiatry are proofs of such acknowledgment,” he added.

He said holistic medicine discards the view that stamps spiritual or material approach as all that are needed for effective cure.

“A holistic medical practitioner gratefully accepts from creation any system that engenders equilibrium in his patients. The word ‘patient’ used in describing the sick person speaks volume. Patients must exercise patience before the forces of nature awakened through prayers, herbal administration, massage, nutritional therapy, homeopathy, among others will

Birth attendants for training

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RADITIONAL Birth Attendants (TBAs) are to undergo a three-week training at the Lagos State College of Health Technology, Registrar, Lagos State Traditional Medicine Board (LSTMB), Dr Bodunrin Oluwa, has said.

According to him, the purpose of the training is to build the TBAs’ capacity to perform better on the job.

He said the board chose to partner with the college on the training of the TBAs because it was established to improve the performance of allied professional workers and other related professionals.

Oluwa urged the TBAs to tap from the benefit, saying there was the need for continuous education and retraining.

“They need to update their knowledge on the new trend in their practice so that they can take delivery of expectant mothers without any hitch, among other functions,” he added.

He said those who failed to

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•Ezengige Stories by Wale Adepoju

begin to act on them.

“If only patients that change their doctors frequently assimilate the meaning of patient, they would save themselves so much disappointments,” he said.

He said complementary, alternative and traditional

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update their knowledge through training would be declared as quacks, adding that the board cannot vouch for untrained or unqualified TBAs. “We have provided necessary facilities for them to get the required training but they need to come and enjoy the benefits, especially the community-based TBAs.

•Apples

anything upsets an individual’s state of harmony, balance, equilibrium or homeostasis, that person or his environment suffers, he added.

Holistic medicine practitioners, he said, do not regard germs as the primary culprits in disease conditions that befall people, adding: “Different types of germs have always existed and will continue to exist. Why? Oh, we need some of them to ferment our drinks, decompose our manure in the field for maximum crop yield at harvest time. Some microbes help in synthesizing different types of vitamins in our intestinal tracts.

So useful are these microorganisms (harmless and harmful types) that without them the pollution level in the world would have reached an unimaginable level making it impossible for people and their loved ones to breathe fresh air.

Their roles in biodegradation are unequalled.”

Truly some of the microorganisms portend serious health hazards to humans, animals and the plant kingdom, he added.

What makes apples so great?

N 2004, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists investigated over 100 foods to measure their antioxidant concentration per serving size. Two apples—Red Delicious and Granny Smith—ranked 12th and 13th.

Antioxidants are disease-fighting compounds. Scientists believe these compounds help prevent and repair oxidation damage that happens during normal cell activity. Apples are also full of a fibre called pectin—a medium-sized apple contains about 4 grams of fibre.

Pectin is classed as a soluble, fermentable and viscous fibre, a combination that gives it a huge list of health benefits.

Get whiter, healthier teeth An apple won’t replace your toothbrush, but biting and chewing an apple stimulates the production of saliva in your mouth, reducing tooth decay by lowering the levels of bacteria.

Avoid Alzheimer’s

•Oluwa

medicine advocate the use of natural and non-invasive products and techniques in diagnosis and treatment. “Practitioners in this category who completely imbibe the philosophy of holistic medicine will not delay in referring surgical cases to surgeons for timely intervention. Such a referral do not depress them; instead, it awakens in them the feeling of gratitude to God for permitting and making ways in which health can be restored to the sick.

“In like manner, an allopathic practitioner that has welcomed the principles of holistic medicine will not tenaciously hold on to his patients that are suffering from chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, cancer, arthritis, among others, to the patients’ detriment. He should encourage such patients to source for alternative health care, especially when there is such desire to visit natural health practitioners,” he added.

The concept of equilibrium maintenance, he said, was fundamental to the practice of holistic medicine. Whenever

A new study performed on mice shows that drinking apple juice could keep Alzheimer’s away and fight the effects of aging on the brain. Mice in the study that were fed an apple-enhanced diet showed higher levels of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine and did better in maze tests than those on a regular diet.

Protect against Parkinson’s Research has shown that people who eat fruits and other high-fibre foods gain a certain amount of protection against Parkinson’s, a disease characterised by a breakdown of the brain’s dopamineproducing nerve cells. Scientists have linked this to the free radical-fighting power of the antioxidants contained therein.

Curb all sorts of cancers Scientists from the American Association for Cancer Research, among others, agree that the consumption of flavonol-rich apples could help reduce your risk of developing pancreatic can-

cer by up to 23 per cent. Researchers at Cornell University have identified several compounds—triterpenoids—in apple peel that have potent anti-growth activities against cancer cells in the liver, colon and breast. Their earlier research found that extracts from whole apples can reduce the number and size of mammary tumours in rats. Meanwhile, the National Cancer Institute in the U.S. has recommended a high fibre intake to reduce the risk of colorectal cancer.

Decrease your risk of diabetes Five simple rules for your healthiest life ·•Our best healthy apple recipes •Six reasons to eat more apples.

Women who eat at least one apple a day are 28 percent less likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those who don’t eat apples. Apples are loaded with soluble fibre, the key to blunting blood sugar swings.

•Culled from www.besthealthmag.ca

THE NATION THURSDAY , JANUARY 31, 2013

46

NATURAL HEALTH

Mandela’s gallstones, U.S. war on sugar, Jobelyn’s soar

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thought of many subjects for this column and, in the end, decided to mix the grill. There was former South African President Nelson Mandela’s returning home from hospital after surgeons successfully removed his troublesome gallstones, giving him a new lease of life thereby. There was the American government crackdown on the soft drinks industry led by Pepsi Cola and Coca-Cola. Some studies claim their products contain about 10 tablespoonfuls of refined sugar per bottle, and are a cause of obesity and congestive heart failure, two American health problems. McDonald’s, a leading fast foods restaurant chain, was not spared either. It was said to make its fast – selling fast foods with trains fatty acids – laden oil now said to be linked to low sperm count. The cheering news of the day was that Jobelyn, a Nigerian herbal blood enhancing formula, moved more steps internationally towards being recognised as a Nigerian national plant medicine product.

Nelson Mandela iterally speaking, a new lease of life suggests there were problems with the old lease which could have led to death had those problems not been successfully resolved.

In this case, the problems were with Mr Mandela’s gallbladder which had become distressed by gallstones. Not many people know about the gallbladder or about gallstones, although, in many people these stones are already forming, first as small as grains of sand, later, perhaps as big as a pebble. They may block bile flow from the liver to the gallbladder or from the gallbladder to the intestine, creating life-threatening painful conditions.

To understand gallstones, we must all return to our childhood. We saw our mothers dress chicken. We also saw the butchers dress the cow or the ram for the wedding or funeral feast or for Eid –el- Fitri. Often, the livers of these animals were reserved for children and toothless elders. Meticulously, whoever was doing the dressing made sure a small bag with greenish – yellow fluid content which was joined to the liver didn’t get burst or spill its contents on the liver or any other part of the animal being dressed. If it did, the contents would make the meat taste bitter, because it had bitter chemical principles.

That bag is the GALL BLADDER, and the greenish-yellow fluid the BILE. Gall bladder This hollow organ sits under the liver in the upper right section of the abdomen. Adult gall bladders measure about eight centimeters (8.1 inches) in length and about 4 centimeters (1.6 inches) in diameter when full, and stores about five milliliters of bile every day. An organ of the digestive system, the gallbladder is connected at the neck to the liver (bilary) tree through a duct (cystic) and, in the beginning of the small intestine, the duodenum, through the common bile duct. The liver produces bile from many resources, including excess blood cholesterol. When the gallbladder receives bile from the liver, it stores and concentrates it for the digestion of fats, among many other functions of bile in the body. These functions include (1) Emulsification (making soluble) of fat in the diet.

(2) Digestion and absorption of fats.

(3) Absorption of fat- soluble nutrients, including Vitamins A and E 4) Trapping and excretion of fat-soluble toxins, including bilurubin, the yellow pigment of destroyed red blood cells 5) Excretion of drug residues and other waste leaving the body, including excess/ Cholesterol 6) Removal of excess hormones broken down by the liver for excretion in the stool. If these hormones are not bound by the bile for excretion, they would be re-absorbed into the blood in the colon. In the case of women suffering from ailments fuelled by excess of the hormone estrogen including, period pains, breast cancer and endometriosis, these conditions get worse.

As food from the stomach arrives in the duodenum, hormones and nerves trigger the release of tile from the gallbladder to mix with it. It is this mixing with food which eventually gives the stool its dark brown complexion. Therefore, stool colour can be a signal that the liver is not making enough bile, which calls for immediate concern or that if the liver, produced enough, but it may be stuck in the gallbladder. There are occasions, however, when too many microorganisms in the digestive track, call for more bile to destroy them and normal bile supply isn’t enough to make the stool dark brown after killing the germ. Another body language in the small room is when the stool floats or sinks in the water closet system. Oil and water do not mix, we were taught in the primary school. Oil or fat floats. Fat in the stool will, therefore, cause the stool to float.

This phenomenon suggests that fat was not well digested in the digestive process, and calls for more attention to be paid to the liver and to the gallbladder.

Bile flow blockages s stated, the bile flows from the liver to the gallbladder where it is concentrated to make it more potent.

Blockages sometime occur in the liver-gallbladder flow line or in the gallbladder – olodemum flow way. Often, the blockage is caused by a gallbladder stone which is too big for the ducts. That should suggest that some stone pass through without our knowledge or adverse symptoms. This should be scary because, someday, such stone could grow bigger and cause us the type of trouble they gave Nelson Mandela. My first personal contact with a gallstone sufferer was with Margaret Mike-Pearse, now of blessed memory, who had her stones removed at the Military Hospital in Lagos. She always had nauseating abdominal trouble and pain which could leave her sprawled on the flour. I have a friend from Calabar who would read this, being now an avid reader of health publications, including this column. He used to belch, real heavy ones, by the minutes and lost much weight. His condition had progressed to inflammation of the gallbladder, which suggested

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that the organ may have been infected, developed a polyp or even burst somewhere, because his doctor suggested it be surgically removed. We had much serious discussion during which I advised him of the importance or benefit of being a man and fighting a disease to the end. If the gallbladder was removed, it meant his capacity to digest fat would dwindle, as would his ability to absorb Vitamins A and E, and Coenzyme Q10 for his heart and energy requirements for example. Mrs. Harnet Lawrence, an African American who lived in Nigeria for many years, often spoke of her baby who was born without a gallbladder. She tried all she could to help this baby. But the baby died about three years later.

When bile flow to the gallbladder is blocked, pressure of a backup of bile is imposed on the liver, causing liver dysfunction. Downstream, not enough bile arrives in the intestine for digestive purposes. Analysing the content and structure of gallstones, some researchers believe they form because of a dietary deficiency of cholesterol solvents, such as lecithin (choline and insitol). And that’s because many of these stones are cholesterol stones. In cases where bacteria, viruses, Candida and even heavy metals are found in the stones, it is assumed that they may have significantly impaired liver capacity to make quality bile. In some cases, lack of minerals and vitamins have been claimed as the cause, as the liver is said to need them to convert excess cholesterol from the bloodstream into bile.

Whatever the cause, for which remedies are available, a gallstone problem is likely to produce the following symptoms and more.

(1) Pain in the upper right side of the abdomen which sometimes radiates to the right shoulder blade (2) General abdominal pain (3) Vomiting, fever and nausea (4) Indigestion, bloating and infection (5) Jaundice Natural cures The best way to cure a disease is to prevent it. In this case, this means taking care of the gallbladder. This ensures the bile is soluble and that even sand – grain type stones do not develop. When stones develop and pose problems, Mother Nature provides abundant help. One of these is Phylanthus nuriri which the Yoruba call ehinbisowo or ehin olube.

The Asians call it Chanka piedra, which means “stone crusher”.

It clears stones in the gallbladder and in the kidneys,lowers blood pressure,eases pain, is an anti-malarial and a male virility enhancer. In Amazon Gallbladder Support, it is a star of eight ingredients which is described in the product literature as follow …

Chanka piedra’s antilithic actions reported in seven different studies animals, humans and in vitro, have validated its long history of use for kidney stones. It is also used in herbal medicine for gallstones and while no research has been performed that specifically validiate this use, one study does indicate that Chanka piedra has an effect on gallbladder processes.

In a 2002 study, Indian researchers reported that Chanka piedra increased bile acids secretion in the gallbladder and significantly lowered blood cholesterol levels in rats. In Amazon Gallbladder Support, Chanka piedra is compound with Boldo a spice, Artchoke, a liver herb, and Carqueja, my second favourite liver herb after Milk thistle. Carqueja lowers blood sugar and blood pressure besides destroying Helicobacter pylori bacteria in peptic ulcer, resolving gastroenteritis, reflux, detoxifying the liver and gallbladder. The product literature describes Carqueja thus… “Carquefa has demonstrated antilepatoxic effect in animal studies, as such, it may speed the clearance of some drugs metabolised in the liver, thereby reducing the pharmacological effect (and side effects of certain drugs required to be metabolised in the liver) This suggest it should not be used along with drugs when the liver is to be cleared up.

These are many more helpful herbs I’d like to mention, such as Beet Root, had I the space.

One herb I’d like to mention is Horseradish of which the legenclary Austrian herbalist Maria Treben once wrote: “Interestingly, more women than men shave gallstones. Since there are so many remedies available in God’s Pharmacy it does not always have to end in an operation. A six –week course treatment with radishes has helped several times, unless the

e-mail: femi.kusa@yahoo.com or olufemikusa@yahoo.com

stones are of the rare kind that does not dissolve. In this case, an operation is necessary.

Radishes are put in the juice extractor. To start with, 100grams are used and this is increased gradually to 400 grams”.

She tells the story of a General’s wife who had had a big gallstone surgically removed. The stone was hewn into the handle of a kitchen knife as a moment. One day, while she was cutting radishes in a tray, the door bell rang; she left the knife in the tray and went to answer the call. When she returned to the kitchen, she found that the gallstone had been melted by the radishes. Today, there are radish supplement in the health food store!

The U.S war on sugar The United States is the last country you would expect to wage a war on sugar consumption William Duffy, in his Sugar Blues, has documentarily shown, like other people, that sugar was killing Americans, that it was sugar, not alcohol, that was causing road crashes. He said sugar thickens the blood, slows circulation and responses to stimuli, which is why motorists see an accident on coming but fail to respond appropriately in good time to avoid it .When I read this, I began to hold a torch in the evenings to wave motorists away from me. They may see you coming, but may fail to avoid hitting you because the message to do so from their brains may not reach their hand muscles in good time! The American war on sugar which engulfed Cocoa Cola would appear to have snowballed from the United Kingdom where the report of a new study published in the British Medical Journal suggested that 1) When obese people reduce their sugar intake, their weight reduced 2) The more the sugar consumed, the more the weight increased.

British Prime Minister David Cameron said in the House of Commons he couldn’t stop his three children from consuming sugar and fizzy drinks, which have been associated with obesity and kidney failure and degenerative diseases such as diabetes and heart disorders. He spoke after Labour Party member of parliament (MP) Keith Vaz, a Type 2 diabetic, said about a third of primary school leavers in Britain were either obese or overweight but couldn’t stop taking sugary foods, especially Cola drinks.

In the United States, where African slaves were made to cultivate sugar plantations centuries ago, the war on sugar is heating up. New York City wishes to ban the sales of fizzy and other sugary drinks in “restaurants, cinemas and stadia.”

Coca Cola would appear to be leading the defense of the soft drinks industry with a two –minute television advertisement which 1) Reminds viewers that the company had been making low calorie drinks for a long time, a way of saying it had always known that much sugar was bad for health 2) Calls the bluff of the anti-sugar campaigners by saying all foods end up in calories, anyway.

My comment on this is that all foods end up in calories, but some calories are empty and dead and create a nuisance in the body, whereas some others are packed with life-support, living and, therefore, useful in maintaining health. The calories in an orange, for example, contain… protein, fat, minerals, fibred, carbohydrates, calcium, phosphorus, iron, vitamin C, vitamin B complex. What is in a bottle of soft drink other than 10 teaspoonfuls of degraded white sugar, preservatives and carbon dioxide, a health hazard?

Jobelyn’s New Soar My generation witnessed Nigeria’s political independence from colonial Great Britain: It witnessed, also, colonisation of its dress culture, religion, education, and health, among several other facets of lifestyle. Codeine and APC replaced herbs from the bush for healing and wellness. Today, I address only colonisation of the health sector. Thankfully, the World Health Organisation (WHO) directed in 2000 that, by 2010, all nations return to Traditional Medicine, TM by upgrading it through law and funding, and training to the standard of allopathic medicine in all ramifications. Nigeria is a sluggard. Other countries have met or are close to meeting this WHO goal. But, thankfully, on January 16, Nigeria’s Health Minister Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, announced that Nigerian medical students would henceforth study Traditional Medicine and that the curriculum was being developed. We keep our finger crossed. What concerns me now is that, while other countries have been funding product research and development in this sector, Nigeria has done so little. The result is that national products from other countries have colonised this sector. But one Nigerian product, Jobelyn, gives us hope of a Nigerian Natural Traditional Medicine product to export to the world. Some of the latest findings from research on Jobelyn in the United States have just been published in the peer-reviewed JOURNAL OF MEDICINAL FOOD and the peer-reviewed JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE. This is a huge leap forward for Jobelyn and for Nigeria. he Journal of Medical Food reported three anti-inflam matory activities found Jobelyn by researches. One level reduced the production of free radicals. Another level induced the induction of anti-inflammatory cytokines. This journal also reported the potential of Jobelyn to boost immunity. The report of the Journal of Food science mentions a high level of the polyphenol antioxidant, the 3-deoxy-anthocyanidin which recommends the product to the food and beverage industries for a natural food colouring. This is a huge market of artificial, chemical food colouring which, rejected now like the white sugar industry, and is searching for natural options. If the Nigerian doctor of the future will be intellectually decolonised to not distrust or loathe the medicine of his or her forebears, of what value will his or her rigorous training be to anti-colonial Nigeria if there are no well researched Nigerian Traditional Medicine products he or she can prescribe? That’s why we are all indebted to all the forces, seen and unseen, and people who have

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Tel: 08034004247, 07025077303

THE NATION THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2013

47

THE NATION

e-Business Over a decade ago, the Federal Government embarked on rural telephony, a brainchild of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU). After contracts were awarded for the project, the government suspended its implementation. With telecoms operators’ reluctance to roll-out services in rural areas, the need has risen for a rethink of the project, writes LUCAS AJANAKU.

Making rural telephony a reality W

HEN she left Lagos for Obuno Village, near Igbo Ukwu in Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State to celebrate the Yuletide, Omeihe Oluoma promised her friends and colleagues in school to keep in touch with them through the telephone.

An undergraduate of Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo, Lagos, Oluoma was shocked when she got to the village and could neither make nor receive calls. “When I was leaving Lagos, I was full of excitement that I was going to spend the Yuletide with my people. I took my mobile phone along and made sure I did not forget the charger in Lagos. Since I was not going to be available, I felt I could keep in touch with my friends and colleagues in school both in Lagos and outside it. So, I made sure I had enough ‘credit’ on my phone,” she recalled.

She was, however, disappointed when she got home, because she reach her friends.

“After trying several times to make calls without success, I checked the screen of my mobile phone and discovered that there was no network signal at all on the phone.

I asked my cousin who had earlier arrived ahead of me what the matter was. He was the one that told me that telephone services in the community still remain a luxury.

He directed me to an uncompleted two-storey building where people queued up to make calls at a particular point where an operator’s network signal strayed into the community,” she said, adding that it was a nasty experience.

Peter Okechukwu (not real name), a Lagos-based computer engineering technician based at Computer Village, Ikeja, had a similar experience to share. Like Oluoma, he had left Lagos for the Yuletide and had travelled with his three mobile phones. An indigene of Ikpa Eluama Village, Osina Town in Ideato Local Government Area of Imo State, he was shocked to find out that more than 10 years after the ‘telecoms’ revolution,’ his community was still living in the backwaters of civilisation.

“I use virtually all the GSM service providers. When I got to the village, only one of the service providers was relatively constant. The others were flippant and very unreliable. As a matter of fact, the network signals of two of them (MTN and Etisalat) were only available about 1.00am. So, if any Short Message Service (SMS) was sent to you in the day, it will be delivered about that ungodly hour of the day (1.00am),” he said.

According to him, MTN recently installed a Base Transmission Station (BTS) in the village, adding that the ability of MTN customers to enjoy the facility is contingent upon the contiguity of the customer to the Base Transmission Station (BTS). “You must walk close to the BTS before you can access the services of the firm. It is strange but it is

• Juwah

• Minister of Communication Technology Mrs Omobola Johnson

• Ajayi

just the truth,” he said.

Even in Lagos, the commercial capital of Nigeria, some communities are either not served at all, or under-served. Olympic Agboola, a resident of Ajasa Community, a Lagos suburb, says telephone services in his community has been irregular. “It is magic to us in this community. Sometimes, there will be no signal at all. I think the capacity is still not sufficient. There is need for more investment on infrastructure,” he said.

The experience of Oluoma, Okechukwu and Agboola are, but a few of what several thousands of rural dwellers pass through. For them, the telecoms revolution meant nothing as it has failed to bridge the digital divide.

Nigeria is, no doubt, a huge country. According to recent figures from the National Population Commission (NPC), the country’s population stands at 167 million. It is against this backdrop and refusal of operators to invest in providing infrastructure to rural communities that the rural telephony initiative of the Federal Government becomes imperative.

According to figures from the NCC, subscriber figures hit the 109 million mark at the twilight of last year. Majority of these subscribers live in the urban areas, while a huge number of the rural populace remains underserved, or not at all. Therefore, the next frontier for expansion is obviously the rural areas where there are still more than 58 million willing but unconnected potential subscribers.

Executive Vice Chairman (EVC), Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr Eugene Juwah, said between 2001 and mid-2012, investment inflow into the nation’s telecoms industry increased from $.5million to over $25 billion.

According to experts, community telephony will encourage the growth of the agricultural, extractive and manufactur-

ing industries in the rural areas.

Minister of Agriculture, Akinwumi Adesina, said the ministry is partnering with the Ministry of Communications Technology to make about 10 million mobile phones available to rural farmers in the country to boost food production. Through this initiative, tractors, fertiliser, seeds and other farming inputs will be transmitted to the farmers through an e-wallet.

Launched in 2001, the first phase of the project was to cover 218 local government areas and provide over 636,256 Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) lines in all the council areas to bridge the digital divide.

The project was divided into three phases, and was estimated to cost $200 million. Key Communications Limited, Suburban Broadband Limited, Voicewares Network Limited, Gicell Wireless Limited and Hezonic Limited, were involved in the project, while the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) concerning the project was signed with a Chinese firm.

The implementation of the project would have complemented the ITU’s initiative to connect the world with technology by 2015.

According to ITU, the Connect the World (Connecting the Unconnected) project by 2015 aims to mobilise human, financial, and technical resources for the implementation of the connectivity targets of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) and the Regional Initiatives, adopted by member states at the ITU World Telecommunication Development Conference.

The project was finally suspended in 2011.

Aside the suspended rural telephony initiative, an intervention, like the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF), established by the Communications Act of 2003, is geared towards promoting and facilitating ICT infrastructure in rural and under-served areas across the nation. It is expected to promote private sector investments, encourage com-

petition, and give priority to self-sustaining programmes and projects. The USPF gets funding from the contribution of mobile operators who contribute 2.5 per cent of their profit to enable access to rural communities. With this kind of initiative, it is baffling why a large number of villages in the nation were yet to benefit from any form of telephony access.

But the trend has been for telecoms operators and investors to put a higher rate of investments in the urban areas and a lower margin in the rural areas. To bridge this gap, telecommunications and Internet services need to be deployed more to the rural areas, since it’s certain that the next phase of the telecoms communications growth will come from the rural areas.

Director, Regulatory Affairs, Etisalat Nigeria, Ibrahim Dikko, struck the right chord recently when he challenged the Federal Government to look for ways of funding the provision of telecoms infrastructure to rural areas as members of his constituency would not do that because of low returns on such investment “The government would have to find ways to subsidise rural infrastructure build, because operators most times, invest in areas that they consider commercially viable,” Dikko said.

The Association of Telecoms Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) has urged the government to synergise with telecoms operators to resuscitate the moribund National Rural Telephony Project.

Its President, Lanre Ajayi, said this was necessary since the government had been unable to implement the project while the rural communities had yet to feel the impact of the phenomenal growth in the telecoms sector.

“The Federal Government should support telecommunications providers to reach the under-reached and unserved areas through the USPF. In the implementation of rural telephony, government should provide operators stable power supply, accessible roads and improved security of telecoms infrastructures.

“Opening up the rural communities through integration into the national telephone networks will enhance exploitation of the economic potential of the communities and improve the standard of living of the rural dwellers,” Ajayi said.

MTN, had in 2010, launched a rural telephony initiative in partnership with equipment vendor, Huawei, in Lagos. How this initiative has improved telephone penetration in the country is not clear.

The Federal Government should support telecommunications providers to reach the underreached and unserved areas through the USPF. In the implementation of rural telephony, government should provide operators stable power supply, accessible roads and improved security of telecoms infrastructure.

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THE NATION THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2013

e-Business

S

How to stop capital flight,

by Juwah, others

OME telecommunications experts are canvassing the promotion of local content/patronage of indigenous o r i g i n a l equipmentmanufacturers (OEMs), and domestication of infrastructure contracts to halt capital flight.

The experts from the Nigerian CommunicationsCommission (NCC), Information Technology (Industry) Association of Nigeria (ITAN) and Nigeria Communication Satelite (NigComSat) said increasing local patronage would also halt capital flight, stimulate investments, create jobs and b o o s t InformationCommunication Technology(ICT) sector’s contribution to the nation’s Gross Do-

Stories by Lucas Ajanaku

mestic Product (GDP).

NCC’s Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Dr Eugene Juwah, said the commission is pushing for indigenous companies to have significant role in the provision of services and supply of materials to the industry.

Juwah, who spoke at a telecoms forum organised by the Association of Telecoms Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) in Lagos, said active participation of local companies in direct contract delivery to telecoms players had become a critical element to developing the telecoms industry on a sustainable basis.

He said the telecoms industry has come a long way in the last decade, and that by allowing indigenous

companies to have a space for active participation, would help in creating jobs as well as curbing yearly capital flight in the industry.

“It is important for local companies to have significant role in the provision of services and supply of mate r i a l s t o t e l e c o m m u n i c a tions industry if we must develop the telecoms industry in Nigeria on a sustainable basis over the long term, and provide more employment opportunities for Nigerians,” he said.

To Mrs Florence Seriki, Group Managing Director/Chief Executive, Omatek Ventures Plc, it is only when the Federal Government encourages local patronage of indigenous OEMs that production could be encouraged and jobs created for the citizens.

MainOne, Kitskoo, others to hold confab

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GROUP of technology firms in Nigeria and their offshore technical partners are planning an ICT managers confab in Lagos.

The parley is to address the challenges facing the industry and highlight the business benefit of network-based ICT services to managers drawn from different segments of the business community, a statement has announced.

Gilbert Kimeng, the Service Manager of Kitskoo, said the forum would be organised in partnership with leading technology firms like MainOne Cable Company, Tech Mahindra and Resourcery to highlight the need for collaboration in the industry.

Kimeng who spoke about its business offerings and benefits to the business community added the IT services company that offers end-toend Business Services Platform that provides immediate business solutions on demand basis without capital investment taking advantage of cloud computing technologies.

“There is no doubt that organisations’ IT needs are evolving rapidly and there is the need to take this burdenoff business organisations so that they can concentrate on their core business. That is why Kitskoo, in partnership with leading technology firms like MainOne Cable Company, Tech Mahindra and Resourcery, is responding by providing business focused ICT solutions in Nigeria,” Kimeng said.

Abuja hosts digital Africa confab, exhibition

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EDERAL Capital Territory has been selected to host the inaugural Digital Africa Conference & Exhibition, slated for April 23-25, this year.

According to a statement by the organisers of the event, based on the latest statistics from the International Communications Union (ITU), Nigeria, has the largest telecoms market, and the highest number of internet users in the continent as at today.

The three-day Digital Africa Conference & Exhibition will be held at Nicon Luxury Hotel, in Abuja, the capital city. Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja Sheraton Hotel, Bolingo Hotel, Protea Hotel Asokoro, Chelsea Hotel, Rockview Hotel, and Hampton Suites have been designated as official accommodation hotels for guests expected from around Nigeria, African countries, and the rest of the world.

Mobile apps challenge for girls

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•BTS

Ex-NCC chief seeks interconnection clearing house

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FORMER Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC)Commssioner, Steven Bello, has suggested the setting up of an interconnect clearing house to stop further interconnection debts.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) introduced the Nigeria Banks Clearing Houses (NBCH) to facilitate the implementation of an effective and efficient payment system in the banking industry.

Bello, who spoke in Lagos, said the problem that made the debt serious is the absence of “basic interconnect offer, stipulating all areas that should be covered by interconnect agreement.”

He said lawyers who are not technically biased are responsible for drafting interconnect agreements, adding that to solve the problem, a technically-biased lawyer should sit side by side the engineers to fine-tune interconnect agreements.

The disagreement from interconnection debts complicate the issues, he said, urging operators to do their home works.

He said it was either the regulator introduced prepaid billing interconnection, or a clearing house for the telecoms industry similar to the banking industry clearing house.

Bello warned that the intercon-

nect debt, if not addressed, could “introduce inefficiency into the telecoms industry.”

Telcos are owing one another about N20 billion, which arose from the non-payment of interconnection fees.

According to industry sources, the Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) segment for the telecoms industry accounts for the huge chunk of this debt.

President, Association of Licensed Telecoms Companies of Nigeria (ALTON), Gbenga Adebayo, said the debts have added to the “distress” in the industry.

He lamented that the debt crisis also contributed to service delivery.

Firm set to boost Internet service

A

WIRELESS Internet operator, Ambion Wireless, said availability of fast and affordable Internet access will deepen its penetration in the country and bring to the people, the untapped potential of the Internet.

Speaking with The Nation in Lagos, its Managing Director, Tolulope Buraimah said Ambion will increase Internet penetration through the provision of low cost Internet solutions for its clients. This would allow the country to tap into the many benefits of the Internet.

Buraimah, who said the firm would leverage on the partner-

ship it has with ATI Telecoms to deploy SuperWiFi, the latest technology in the world, to the country, also said the roll-out of its services would mark the end to the downtime usually associated with the services of Internet Service Providers (ISPs).

“SuperWiFi uses the same signal that television sets use.

That means that anywhere there is television signal, there will also be internet connection,” he said, adding that the technology has worked in Japan, the United States, Hong Kong and other parts of the developed world.

He said the services of the firm would be in phases, adding that Lagos would be the city of first launch while other major cities in the country will follow suit.

Ac c o r d i n g t o e x p e r t s , t h e Internet, especially the World Wide Web, has not only created a global audience, it has also provided opportunities for e-commerce, product advertising, do online surveys, provide technical support a nd obtain customers’ feedback. The Internet also allows for immediate dissemination of information as well as initiate an online discussion.

S part of the International Telecommunications Union’s Girls in ICT project & Tech Needs Girls campaign, Women in Technology in Nigeria, has unveiled the Technovation Challenge to Nigeria to encourage young girls develop interest in the development of applications.

A statement by WITIN noted that the Mobile App Challenge has been opened for secondary school girls (aged 13-18) who would work in teams of five to develop mobile apps, conduct market research, write business plans, and create a “pitch” for funding.

According to the statement, each team is expected to work with both a classroom teacher at their school and a female mentor/role model from the technology industry, adding that WITIN will lead mentors in Nigeria who would guide teachers to train teams from now till April about how to build the apps. The training, it noted, will culminate in a global competition where teams compete for funding to launch their company and take their app to market.

The goal of the programme is to promote women in technology by inspiring girls to see themselves not just as users of technology, but as inventors, designers, builders, and entrepreneurs in the technology industry.

Konica unveils printing machines

K

ONICA Minolta, the world’s leading digital print solutions company, has introduced its new range of products and applications into the market.

The new products were unveiled during the Konica Minolta Digital Print Solutions exhibition, which was held in Lagos.

The two-day Digital Print Solutions Expo, the firm organised with Skysat Technologies Nigeria Ltd., the authorised distributor for Konica Minolta in Nigeria and Ghana, served as a platform through which products and applications were presented to the primary market. the Area Manager, Central Asia, Middle East & Africa for Konica Minolta, described the digital printing possibilities in Nigeria as endless. “Konica Minolta is here to stay. We have come to Nigeria because the digital way is the next big thing in this part of the world and Konica Minolta is proud to be a part of it. The relationship with Skysat Technologies will in no small way develop and boost the economy of Nigeria and for that we are most honoured to be a part of this ride,” Oldfield said, adding that the products would save users up to 70 per cent on printing expenses, quality print production, the highest colour accuracy and so much more.

Ericsson appoints Head for sub-Saharan region

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ECHNOLOGY giant, Ericsson, has appointed Fredrik Jejdling as Head of Region, sub-Saharan Africa. Jejdling will remain member of the Global Leadership Team (GLT).

A statement by the firm, he noted that Fredrik is Head of Region, India and succeeds Lars Lindén who has been part of successfully extending Ericsson’s footprint in sub-Saharan region President/CEO Hans Vestberg said: “Under Fredrik’s leadership, Ericsson has extended its strong position as the partner of choice for operators set to capture market opportunities as India continues its strong mobile data development. Sub-Saharan Africa is now facing similar exciting developments and Fredrik will bring his broad experience to further develop Ericsson’s offering and support to the region.”

The statement notes that prior to taking on the role as Head of Region India, Fredrik held several key positions in Ericsson including Head of Engagement Practices with responsibility for customer engagements within the region and Head of Sales & Finance, Business Unit Global Services. He succeeds Lars Lindén who has been part of extending Ericsson’s footprint in the region.

THE NATION THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2013

49

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST

BENUE STATE AIDS CONTROL AGENCY(BENSACA) MAKURDI HIV/AIDS Programme Development Project 2 (HPDP 2) (World Bank- Assisted) Request for Expression of Interest IDA Credit No.45960NG Advertisement for Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) including Non Government Organizations, Faith Based Organizations, Private Sector Organizations and Umbrella Organizations to Provide HIV/AIDS Related Services.

Issuance Date: 30TH JANUARY, 2013 Benue State AIDS Control Agency (BENSACA) coordinates the response to HIV/AIDS epidemic in the state. It has received financing from the World Bank to coordinate the HIV/AIDS Program Development Project (HPDP 2) and intends to apply part of the proceeds for consultant services.

1.

Assignment Description & Services Requested (Scope of Work) This is a call for Expression of Interest from qualified and competent organizations (Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) including Non Government Organizations, Faith Based Organizations, Private Sector Organizations and Umbrella Organizations) to provide support to Benue SACA in implementing the HIV/AIDS Fund (HAF). The focus is on prevention of new HIV infections and is for an initial two years.

Organizations are expected to identify and work with any or all specified target populations within the specified geographic coverage areas to deliver, evidence based HIV intervention packages in line with international standard and best practices.

(1) year. For those, who are registered at the State level they should have been in existence for three (3) years and must have been registered for at least two (2) years.

Interested organizations must provide information indicating that they are qualified to perform the stipulated services effectively. These include: I.

Organizational Profile Detailed organizational profile containing areas of expertise, experience in implementing similar projects, logistics and infrastructural capacity to deliver the intended results with minimum of at least three (3) years of experience. This information should include background profile in area of expertise, description of similar assignments with verifiable letters from supporting organizations/donors, spelt out professional capacity of staff as well as appropriate resources to carry out the assignment.

A.

Most At Risk Population (MARPS).The target population are:

II.

I.

Brothel and non brothel based Female Sex Workers (FSW), Geographical Area: Makurdi, Otukpo, Vandeikya, Gboko, Ukum, Okpokwu and Kwande LGAs

Scope of work The activities shall also be implemented in at least two (2) LGAs spread across at least two senatorial districts.

III.

Legal Requirements Provide evidence of Organization Registration.

IV.

The Organization was mapped by Benue SACA in the last mapping exercise

4.

General Terms and conditions Organizations will be selected in accordance with the procedures set out in the World Bank’s Guidelines: Selection and Employment of Consultants by World Bank Borrowers (January 2011 edition).

Expressions of Interest must be in English language only and submitted in two (2) copies (one original and one photo copy) in a sealed envelope in the Tender Box provided with acknowledgement to BENSACA Office at the address below on or before ( Three Weeks from the date of Advertisement). Only shortlisted organizations for the next stage would be contacted and required to send a detailed proposal based on the Request for Proposal (RFP) that would be issued to them.

II.

Injecting drug users (IDU).

Geographical Area: Gwer East, Makurdi, Otukpo, Tarka, Ukum and Vandeikya LGAs

iii.

Men having Sex with Men (MSM).

Geographical Area: Gboko, Makurdi, Otukpo, Okpokwu Ukum, Tarka, Gwer East, Vandeikya and Kwande LGAs.

B.

Other Vulnerable Groups. The target population are:

III.

Female and male Youths in tertiary Institutions Geographical Area: Makurdi, Gboko, Okpokwu, Oju, KatsinaAla… LGAs

IV.

Transport Workers (TWs) Geographical Area: Ukum, Otukpo Kwande Ogbadibo Makurdi LGAs

V.

Out of school youths (males and females) Geographical Area: Guma, Buruku, Oju, Apa, Gwer West LGAs.

VI.

Prevention interventions for People Living with HIV&AIDS Geographical Area Makurdi, Gboko, Gwer East, Tarka, Vandeikya, Kwande, K/Ala and Ukum, Oju, Logo, Konshisha, Ushongo, Otukpo, Obi, Ohimini, Okpokwu and Apa LGAs.

C.

PREVENTION OF MOTHER TO CHILD TRANSMISSION (PMTCT) of HIV. The target population is: Pregnant Women, Traditional Birth Attendance (TBA), and Traditional & Religious Leaders in the following priority LGAs: Vandeikya, Tarka, Makurdi, Otukpo and Okpokwu

2.

The assignment is for a period of two years.

3.

Eligibility Criteria To be eligible an NGO, umbrella CSOs, FBOs, Professional Association/unions, Community Based Organizations (CBOs) should be currently working in Benue State. Such organization(s) should have been in existence for at least three (3) years and registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission for at least one

Interested Organizations may obtain further information in the same address from 9.00am to 4:00pm local time Mondays to Fridays (except public holidays). EOI must be delivered to the same address on or before on 20th February, 2013 by 4.00pm.

5.

Sealing and marking of Bids.

The respondents shall place the original and one photo copy of their Expression of Interest in a sealed outer envelope containing two sealed envelopes, one marked “original” and one marked ‘’ photo-copy”, addressed to The Project Manager, Attn: The Procurement Officer, HIV Programme Development Project 2, Benue State AIDS Control Agency, No 2 Ahmadu Bello Way, (Old Ministry of Finance) Makurdi, Nigeria. The name and address of the Respondent should be clearly indicated on the reverse side of the outer envelope.

6.

Contact Information The Executive Secretary, Benue State AIDS Control Agency No. 2, Ahmadu Bello Way, Old GRA, PMB 102310, Makurdi Tel- 08036804737 Email: benhpdp@yahoo.com

THE NATION THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2013

50

NATION SPORT

Madrid: Where did it all go wrong for Kaka?

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HEN Kaká completed a £56 million move to Real Madrid in June 2009, it was supposed to be the beginning of a glorious chapter in the story of both player and club. (BBC) When his world record signing was then eclipsed by that of Cristiano Ronaldo later that same summer, the club looked set for a period of domination, with the expensively acquired pair lighting the path to glory.

That prediction, of course, was half true. Real Madrid have since gone on to win trophies, even if they may have initially hoped for more, and Cristiano Ronaldo has, indeed, been at the heart of their recent successes. For Kaká, though, the story has not been so idyllic.

Consigned to the role of occasional substitute, Kaká has spent the past month looking for an exit route out of the Bernabeu.

A dream return to his former home at AC Milan fell through over Real Madrid's high valuation of the player (via Independent), while it appears that his only hope of a late escape this month may arrive in the unlikely form of Russian side Anzhi.

In just three-and-a-half years, Kaká has gone from footballing superstar to non-event. A player who once offered almost unparalleled elegance and grace is now consigned to a bit-part role that has seen him once more lose his position in the Brazil national side this month.

Kaká's time in Madrid began on a positive note back in 2009, with the Seleção star posting a reasonable return of eight league goals in his first campaign. Making just 25 appearances due to niggling injuries, it was a reasonable if unspectacular adaptation to his new Iberian surroundings.

However, it was to be the 2010 World Cup, at the end of that first season in Madrid, which would have a long-lasting effect on the now 30-year-old playmaker's future.

Returning from the competition with a knee injury, Kaká was forced to undergo major surgery that would radically shorten his 2010-11 season (via Goal.com).

The injury would mark a turning point in the Brazilian star's Real Madrid career. In his absence, the club had quickly moved to bring in World Cup stars Angel di Maria and Mezut Ozil—both of whom quickly settled into the

team, as Kaká could only watch on from the sidelines.

Upon his return, though, the 2007 FIFA World Player of the Year was in scintillating form. Finishing the 2010-11 season with seven goals in 14 games and beginning the following campaign in similar style, there was a growing feeling that Kaká was finally returning to his glorious best.

Come November and the surge in support forced a breakthrough.

After nearly eighteen months of post-World Cup isolation, Kaká was finally recalled to the Brazil squad.

Predictably, though, within days of the announcement being made, his fine run was ended, as a calf strain forced his withdrawal from the squad.

It was back to square one for Kaká after his promising start to the campaign and, although he would appear 27 times as Real Madrid went on to left the La Liga title, the Brazilian would manage a full 90 minutes on just four occasions throughout the entire season. Real Madrid's patience was beginning to wear thin.

Reports at the time indicated that the once world record signing was offered out on loan last summer, while his lack of significant playing time since would suggest that may well have been the case.

Internationally, Kaká enjoyed a brief renaissance earlier this season, as a key member of the Brazil side in the final days of Mano Menezes' tenure. Goals against Iraq and Japan followed, but it was not enough to save Menezes' job or to push Kaká's claims at club level.

And so, in this tale of misfortune and poor form, we arrive at the present time. Kaká's Real Madrid career would appear to be on the ropes and, following the ascension of Luiz Felipe Scolari to the Brazil throne, with it his international ambitions.

Kaká knows he must act quickly to fulfil his dream of representing Brazil in a World Cup at home next summer, but a return to either Brazilian domestic football or AC Milan is not currently financially viable.

It may well be that Anzhi, as previously mentioned, is the only answer to end his Madrid nightmare.

However, a journey to the Dagastani outfit is unlikely to significantly boost his hopes of a Brazil recall. Thus, a difficult decision awaits for the Brazilian icon.

In the context of his Madrid disappointment, though, it may just be that a once unthinkable move to Russia has now become a risk worth taking.

Culled from bleacherreport.com

It was back to square one for Kaká after his promising start to the campaign and, although he would appear 27 times as Real Madrid went on to lift the La Liga title, the Brazilian would manage a full 90 minutes on just four occasions throughout the entire season. Real Madrid's patience was beginning to wear thin.

• Ricardo Kaká

PHOTO PANORAMA 52

Thursday, January 31, 2013

•Togo forward Emmanuel Adebayor (L) celebrates after scoring in the 2013 African Cup of Nations match against Algeria at Royal Bafokeng stadium in Rustenburg

•Victor Moses of Nigeria

•Burkina Faso midfielder Djakaridja Kone controls the ball during the match against Zambia Africa Cup of Nations 2013 Group C football match at Mbombela Stadium in Nespruit

•Getaneh Kebede (L) of Ethiopia chases Nigeria's John Obi Mikel during their African Nations Cup (AFCON 2013) Group C soccer match in Rustenburg

•Coach Stephen Keshi

AFCON 2013...AFCON 2013...AFCON 2013...

Unity, hunger spurred us—Shabba

S

IPHIWE TSHABALALA says “unity and hunger” were key driving factors behind Bafana Bafana during the first round of the Africa Cup of Nations.

South Africa are preparing themselves for the next stage of the competition, which begins on Saturday when they play Mali in the quarterfinals at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban.

“There's so many things we do off the field, we're like a family," Tshabalala told reporters on Wednesday.

“We get along very well, we work very hard together, we complement one another and everyone is just very supportive. So we're a team, a team that's united.

“This is a team that's very determined, we're showing hunger, we're showing how badly we want this and not just for us, but for the nation.”

The Kaizer Chiefs midfielder, who was expected to play a prominent part in the first XI prior to the tournament, lost his place in Gordon Igesund's team after the first match when Bafana Bafana delivered a lacklustre performance in a goalless draw against Cape Verde Islands.

Drogba

Ghana wary of tricky

Cape Verde

G

backs Ivorian rotation system

T

URKEY-BOUND African football superstar Didier Drogba has backed the rotation system of coach Sabri Lamouchi after Ivory Coast won Group D at the Cup of Nations with a game to spare.

The perennial title favourites face Algeria at Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace Wednesday with only pride at stake after contrasting victories over Togo and Tunisia in this northwestern mining town.

Ivory Coast took 88 minutes to subdue stubborn Togo with Gervinho finishing off a free kick from fellow English Premier League

star Yaya Toure, and Lamouchi responded by making four changes.

Out went veteran Manchester City defender Kolo Toure, midfielders Max Gradel and Didier Ya Konan and striker and skipper Drogba, 34, who says h e is playing in the premier African football championship for the last time.

•Drogba

We’re not scared of SA—Keita

A

•Tshabalala

FTER leading Mali through the group phase of the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations to the quarterfinals, captain Seydou Keita says their main objective for the tournament has been achieved and thus his side will engage hosts South Africa with lesser pressure on Saturday in Durban. The former Barcelona midfielder acknowledged the clash would be difficult because of the home support set to

accompany Bafana Bafana, but that the 1996 winners would have their back more to the wall.

“I must confess that it wouldn’t be an easy encounter because we’re facing the host nation South Africa. Eleven years ago we were in the same situation when we hosted the tournament in Mali,” Keita said. “Hosting an AFCON generates a lot of ambition and support, and also inspires the host team to excel.

However, it piles much pressure

on the home side. “We, the Eagles, are a young team and we have achieved our main objective of the tournament which was reaching the knockout stage. Now, the next possible step is to cross the quarter finals into the semis. We are not scared of South Africa.

We’ll play against them like we have been doing so far,” the 33year-old, who now plays for Chinese club Dalian Aerbin, said.

HANA coach Kwesi Appiah is so wary of the underdog threat of tournament debutant Cape Verde in the African Cup of Nations quarter finals that he has suggested he would "prefer" to face title favourites Ivory Coast instead.

Even after Ghana beat the Cape Verdeans 1-0 in a friendly late last year, Appiah won't be underestimating the rank outsider after it lifted itself from the brink of elimination and into the last eight in the final minutes of the group stage.

The quarterfinals were an unlikely dream for the small island nation when it started its first major tournament in South Africa nearly two weeks ago.

"They will play without any pressure and they are a very physical side, meaning we have to prepare ourselves very well to match them," Appiah said on Wednesday. "I respect them and we cannot afford to underrate them."

The teams, one a four-time African champion and the other a tournament first-timer, meet in the African Cup's first quarterfinal at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Saturday.

Winger Wakaso Mubarak scored the winner in November's friendly between the countries in Portugal, when Ghana was probably not thinking it would cross paths with Lucio Antunes' tactically disciplined team again in the last eight of the Nations Cup.

THE NATION THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2013

53

54

THE NATION THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2013

EQUITIES NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 30-1-13

Wema Bank, three others now market making stocks

T

HE Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) yesterday announced the addition of four new stocks to its market making programme. They are Flour Mill, Unilever, Royal Exchange, and Wema Bank Plc. This brings to 43 the total number of market making stocks at the Exchange.

According to the NSE, the inclusion of the stocks from Consumer Goods and Financial Services sectors became effective today.

The addition of the new stocks was in line with the planned phased approach for introducing stocks to the programme from the baskets allocated to the Market Makers on the Exchange.

Meanwhile, transactions on the floor of the NSE closed with a further appreciation on the twin market indicators.

The All-Share-Index and market capitalisation improved by 77 basis points each.

Specifically, gains recorded by market heavy weights strengthened the indicators’ returns today. Nestle, FBNH, Nigeria Breweries, GTBank and Guinness added values to their previous closes to push indicators to twoday consecutive uptrend.

By Tonia Osundolire

Lead indicator, NSE-ASI added 243.99 points to hit 31,815.45 points while the capitalisation went up by N78 billion to close at N10.179 trillion. These represent a growth of 0.77 per cent respectively.

Nestle continued the streak of appreciation hitting highest price ever at N840.10. It added N49.85, representing 6.31 per cent growth as a market making stock.

The market equally benefited from value appreciation posted by some mid-capitalised stocks such as Diamond Bank, Julius Berger, Flour Mills, PZ Cussons, UBA and Dangote Sugar.

However, the volume of shares traded stood at 424.661 million worth N3.850 billion across 6,505 deals. This was lower than 507 million units worth N3.1 billion exchanged in 6,666 deals on Tuesday.

On the price movement tables, a total of 111 equities were traded while 40 appreciated. The remaining 25 recorded price reduction. Julius Berger topped the gainers’ chart with an increase of N6.00 or 9.92 per cent to close at

N66.50 per share while Nestle followed with a gain of N49.85 or 6.31 per cent to close at N840.10 per share. PZ Cussons gained N1.90 to close at N34.00 per share.

Others on the top 10 were Port Paint, Flourmills, Eterna Oil & Gas, Fort Oil, Livestock, Vitafoam and AG Leventis added N0.20, N4.05, N0.22, N0.75, N0.11, N0.20 and N0.07.

International Breweries led others on the losers’ chart with a drop of N2.80 to close at N25.20 per share followed

by Prestige Assurance with a drop of N0.06 to close at N0.60 per share.

Others were Unity Bank, UACN, UAC-Property, Berger Paint, CAP, Honeywell Flourmills, JohnHolt and Nigerian Aviation Handling Company.

On the activity chart, the banking sub-sector maintained its dominance in volume terms with 211million shares worth N1.7 billion followed by the insurance subsector with 99 million units valued at N61 million.

The food products subsector trailed with 27million units worth N169 million.

Trading in the shares of Unity Bank buoyed activities in the banking sub-sector with 42 million shares worth N30 million while the insurance sub-sector was enhanced by activities in the shares of Niger insurance with 62 million units worth N31 million.

NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 30-1-13

55

THE NATION THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2013

MONEY LINK

Fed Govt’s domestic debt hits N6.5tr T HE domestic debt of the Federal Government rose to N6.54 trillion at the end of December last year, FBN Capital, an investment and research firm has said.

In an emailed report obtained by The Nation, the firm explained that the current debt figure is equivalent to 15.3 per cent of estimated 2012 Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The quarter to quarter increase of N190 billion compares with N200 billion

Stories by Collins Nweze

in third quarter and N180 billion in second quarter of 2012.

This, it said, underpins the BB- ratings from both Fitch, and Standard and Poor’s for Nigeria’s sovereign credit ratings for its local currency obligations. The Debt Management Office’s (DMO’s) series covers only sovereign

GDP under a worst case scenario.

It however, said the Federal Government is alert to the rising cost of domestic debt service within total expenditure, and has therefore proposed to launch a $1 billion Eurobond and a smaller foreign currency issue for the Diaspora this year. Its 2013 budget proposals it added, also include plans for a sinking fund to redeem “one or two” of the Federal Government bond issues.

naira borrowings.

However, the report said should the obligations of state governments, Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) and public agencies such as the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and external debt be combined, Nigeria debt statistics could theoretically reach 40 per cent of

Low turnout mars SGBN’s account validation

M

AJORITY of the customers of the defunct Societe Generale Bank of Nigeria (SGBN) failed to turn up for the bank’s ongoing account validation exercise, which started last Tuesday, The Nation’s investigation has revealed.

At the Lagos validation centres visited yesterday, staff of the bank, which now operates under a new name Heritage Bank, were seen sitting idly with no customer to attend to.

At the AIB Plaza, Victoria Island; University of Lagos Guest House in Akoka and Eko FM Multipurpose Hall, Ikeja – all in Lagos State where the exercise is taking place, there was low turnout of customers. Not even a single customer was seen at the Eko FM Multipurpose Hall after our correspondent had waited for over 40 minutes yesterday. But a staff of

the bank who asked not to be named said 20 customers were able to validate their accounts on Tuesday, adding that by 2pm yesterday, only 10 customers had turned up for the exercise.

However, at the AIB Plaza centre, only one customer turned out after 30 minutes of waiting. The source however, explained that for an exercise of this nature, there are likely to be doubts in some quarters before confidence is built. She said: “People have been coming, especially the people that have their money trapped in SGBN over nine years ago.

One of the things that we discovered is that because of the goodwill that the bank has, the customers are happy that the bank is coming out of the ashes and many of them have asked that their accounts be retained in the new bank”.

The source explained that because Tuesday was the first

day, there were people with doubts about how the exercise will work. “Some people will want somebody to call them,” she said.

The source explained that at the point of validation, customers are expected to come with identity card, cash withdrawal form and deposit slip. For current and corporate accounts, the account holders are expected to bring their cheques or cheque stumps. Customers can also come with their Automated Teller Machine (ATM) cards.

Explaining how the validation exercise is conducted, she said:”We have to call up a customer number from the server base at the head office.

Then, cameras and pictures of the customers will be captured and stored. The forms are submitted to the control officer who sends same to the validation officer. The validation officers will then find out if the accounts exist, and

if verified, the account holder is referred to the cashiers who then write a cheque for customers that want their money to be paid”.

However, for the customer that has no evidence to show that he has an account with the bank, the case can only be treated when the bank finally begins operation. She said the bank has enough funds to pay all depositors should they want their money to be paid. “Management has made adequate preparation for everybody and we have the financial strength to pay everybody if the need arises,” she said.

The Management of Heritage Banking Company had in a statement issued two weeks ago said the exercise was in line with the terms of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) approval of its banking licence to offer commercial banking services under a Regional Bank status.

FGN BONDS Amount N

Rate %

M/Date

3-Year 5-Year 5-Year

35m 35m 35m

11.039 12.23 13.19

19-05-2014 18-05-2016 19-05-2016

Price Loss 2754.67 447.80

INTERBANK RATES 7.9-10% 10-11%

PRIMARY MARKET AUCTION (T-BILLS) Tenor 91-Day 182-Day 1-Year

Amount 30m 46.7m 50m

Rate % 10.96 9.62 12.34

Date 28-04-2012 “ 14-04-2012

GAINERS AS AT 30-1-13

SYMBOL

O/PRICE

C/PRICE

CHANGE

JBERGER NESTLE PZ PORTPAINT FLOURMILL ETERNA FO LIVESTOCK VITAFOAM AGLEVENT

60.50 790.25 32.10 4.00 81.00 4.42 15.19 2.27 4.15 1.52

66.50 840.10 34.00 4.20 85.05 4.64 15.94 2.38 4.35 1.59

6.00 49.85 1.90 0.20 4.05 0.22 0.75 0.11 0.20 0.07

INTBREW PRESTIGE UNITYBNK UACN UAC-PROP BERGER CAP HONYFLOUR JOHNHOLT NAHCO

O/PRICE 28.00 0.66 0.79 55.05 16.00 10.00 33.56 3.27 1.87 8.40

C/PRICE 25.20 0.60 0.72 50.30 15.10 9.50 31.90 3.11 1.78 8.00

T

RANSNATIONAL Corporation of Nigeria Plc (Transcorp) and General Electric (GE), yesterday signed a framework agreement to collaborate in addressing the infrastructural needs of Nigeria, with emphasis on the power and transportation sectors.

In a statement, GE, confirmed its commitment to facilitate the generation of 10,000MW of additional power in Nigeria over the next decade in line with its existing agreement with the Federal Government of Nigeria, signed in March 2012.

Transcorp Ughelli Power Plc

(TUP), a subsidiary of Transcorp, is a publicly quoted and diversified conglomerate with strategic investments in the hospitality, agribusiness and energy sectors. TUP won the privatization bid for 100 per cent acquisition of the Ughelli power plant.

The framework agreement, which was signed according to the statement, following a closed door meeting with GE’s global chairman, Jeffrey Immelt, and Transcorp Chairman, Tony O. Elumelu, will enable both firms explore a partnership for the refurbishment and expansion of the Ughelli power plant in Delta State.

Exchange Rate (N) 155.2 155.8 155.7

Date 2-7-12 27-6-12 22-6-12

CAPITAL MARKET INDEX Year Start Offer

NGN USD NGN GBP NGN EUR NIGERIA INTER BANK (S/N) (S/N) Bureau de Change (S/N) Parallel Market

Current Before

C u r r e n t CUV Start After %

147.6000 239.4810 212.4997

149.7100 244.0123 207.9023

150.7100 245.6422 209.2910

-2.11 -2.57 -1.51

149.7450

154.0000

154.3000

-3.04

152.0000

153.0000

155.5000

-2.30

153.0000

154.0000

156.0000

-1.96

DISCOUNT WINDOW Feb. ’11

July ’11

July ’12

MPR

6.50%

6.50%

12%

Standing Lending Rate ,, Deposit Rate ,, Liquidity Ratio Cash Return Rate Inflation Rate

8.50% 4.50% 25.00% 1.00% 12.10%

8.50% 4.50% 25.00% 2.00% 12.10%

9.50% 5.50% 30.00% 2.00% 11.8%

7 Days 30 Days 60 Days 150 Days

27-10-11 N6.5236tr 20,607.37

28-10-11 N6.617tr 20,903.16

Rate (Previous) 4 Mar, 2012 9.0417 9.6667 11.2917 12.1250

% Change -1.44% -1.44%

MEMORANDUM QUOTATIONS

ARM AGGRESSIVE GROWTH KAKAWA GUARANTEED STANBIC IBTC GUARANTE AFRINVEST W.A. EQUITY FUND LOTUS CAPITAL HALAL BGL SAPPHIRE FUND BGL NUBIAN FUND FBN MONEY MARKET FUND FBN FIXED INCOME FUND NIGERIA INTERNATIONAL DEB. PARAMOUNT EQUITY FUND CONTINENTAL UNIT TRUST CENTRE-POINT UNIT TRUST STANBIC IBTC NIG EQUITY • ARM AGGRESSIVE • KAKAWA GUARANTEED

Offer Price

Bid Price

9.17 1.00 137.03 142.16 0.80 1.13 0.96 100.00 1,000.00 1,786.50 13.74 1.39 1.87 10,491.42

9.08 1.00 136.62 142.02 0.78 1.13 0.95 100.00 1,000.00 1,785.11 13.07 1.33 1.80 10,192.01

• STANBIC IBTC GUARANTE • AFRINVEST W.A. EQUITY FUND

NIBOR Tenor

NSE CAP Index

Name

CHANGE 2.80 0.06 0.07 4.75 0.90 0.50 1.66 0.16 0.09 0.40

Amount Sold ($) 150m 138m 113m

EXHANGE RATE 6-03-12

LOSERS AS AT 30-1-13

SYMBOL

Transcorp, GE sign deal on power

Amount Amount Offered ($) Demanded ($) 350m 150m 350m 138m 350m 113m

Currency OBB Rate Call Rate

execution of the SPA. The statement recalled that the court had stated among other averments that “an order of specific performance is hereby decreed mandating the respondent to provide the mutually agreed share purchase agreement for execution by the parties.

That it said, will enable the plaintiff pay the agreed 10 per cent of the accepted bid price of $410 million (i.e, the sum of $41 million) within 15 working days from the date of the execution of the Share Purchase Agreement in accordance with agreement dated 20/5/2004 and the 90 per cent balance of bid price shall be paid within 90 calendar days.

WHOLESALE DUTCH AUCTION SYSTEM

MANAGED FUNDS

NIDF NESF

B

FI Group Corporation has received an offer letter and Share Purchase Agreement (SPA) from the Bureau of Public Enterprises in respect of Aluminium Smelter Company of Nigeria (ALSCON).

In a statement, BPE said the offer is in compliance with the Supreme Court judgment of July 6, 2012 as well as the directive of the National Council on Privatisation (NCP), which met at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on January 22, 2013.

BFIG, the plaintiff in the suit at the Supreme Court, is expected to execute the SPA and pay the agreed 10 per cent of the offer price of $410 million (which is $41 million) within 15 days of the

DATA BANK

Tenor

Initial Current Quotation Price Market N8250.00 5495.33 N1000.00 N552.20

BFI Group gets BPE offer letter on ALSCON

Rate (Currency) 6, Mar, 2012 10.17% 11.46% 11.96% 12.54%

Movement

OPEN BUY BACK

Bank P/Court

Previous 04 July, 2012

Current 07, Aug, 2012

8.5000 8.0833

8.5000 8.0833

Movement

56

THE NATION THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2013

THE NATION THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2013

57

NEWS Court dismisses ex-minister’s suit against Ribadu

A

FEDERAL High Court sitting in the Capital Territory (FCT) has dismissed a libel suit filed by a former minister in the Sani Abacha government, Mr Bashir Dalhatu, against the former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu.

The former minister filed the suit on February 7, 2007, against Ribadu and Daar Communications for broadcasting the libellous statement made by the former anti-graft chief.

Dalhatu accused Ribadu of disparaging him when the former EFCC chairman addressed the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in November 2006.

When its attention was called to the matter, Daar Communications reportedly apologised to Dalhatu. But Ribadu was said to have insisted that he had the evidence for his allegation.

The plaintiff gave evidence for himself and called four other witnesses while Ribadu called an official of EFCC to testify on his behalf.

In a considered judgment delivered on Tuesday, Justice Olasumbo Goodluck upheld the submissions of Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), who had contended on behalf of Ribadu that the plaintiff failed to prove that he was defamed by the statement credited to the former EFCC chief.

Based on the evidence of qualified privilege and justification canvassed by Ribadu, the trial judge held that Dalhatu was not defamed, with regard to the facts and circumstances of the matter.

The court held that the allegation that Dalhatu duped his client was not challenged because evidence was led to show that even though he collected $15 million from the Federal Government on behalf of his foreign client, he only remitted $6.5 million.

The court further held that Dalhatu failed to account for the remaining $8.5 million.

T

Govt imposes 24-hour curfew on Kwara communities

HE Kwara State Government yesterday imposed 24 hours’ curfew on Offa and Erin-Ile in Offa and Oyun Local Governments, following renewed clashes.

The communal hostility entered the third day yesterday.

As at the time of filing this report, the casualty figures on both sides could not be ascertained.

The tense situation made the state government to hurriedly impose a 24-hour curfew on Offa and Erin-Ile towns with immediate effect.

In a statement in Ilorin, the state capital, by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Alhaji Isiaka Gold, the government said:

From Adekunle Jimoh, Ilorin

“The curfew is to restore public order in both communities following recent disturbances. All human and vehicular movements are hereby barred in Offa and Erin-Ile. In line with this order, security agencies will deal decisively with anyone found contravening the curfew.

“Furthermore, the state government will bring the full weight of the law to bear on anyone who disrupts public order or otherwise incites violence in any part of the state under any guise. While

assuring law-abiding citizens of its resolve to secure lives and properties, the Kwara State Government is determined to identify and prosecute those behind the recent crises in both communities.”

Recently, commercial drivers suspected to be members of the two communities clashed over where should be the last terminus for commercial vehicles plying Offa/Erin-Ile/ Lagos routes.

The latest crisis was said to have been sparked when somebody from Erin-Ile came to Offa to buy ties and the vehicle he used in trans-

porting the materials back to Erin-Ile hit another vehicle belonging to an indigene of Offa, which resulted into a serious argument and subsequently fracas ensued.

The crisis has paralysed academic activities at the Federal Polytechnic, Offa, with the school authorities announcing its closure for two weeks.

Spokesperson of the institution, Wole Alawode, said the closure would prevent any ugly incident and ensure that the tension it has caused cools down.

He added: “Immediately the crisis erupted about three days ago, the school management announced the closure of the school for two weeks.”

Saraki hails Gambari From Adekunle Jimoh, Ilorin

F

ORMER Kwara State Governor Bukola Saraki has hailed a former United Nations Under Secretary-General, Prof Ibrahim Agboola Gambari, for his commitment and professionalism in international peace-keeping operations.

Prof Gambari recently retired from the UN after 12 years’ service.

In a statement in Ilorin, the state capital, Saraki said: “It is with great joy that I write to commend your immense role in the United Nations (UN), where you just retired as Under Secretary-General after 12 years of meritorious service. Your commitment and professionalism in international peacekeeping operations have helped to restore peace in a number of war-torn countries. You have been a great asset to the world.

“I would also like to thank you for the dedication you have shown and the enormous contribution you have made to the mission of the UN. Your career has been a model to follow.

“Let me, on behalf of the good people of Ilorin Emirate/ Kwara Central Senatorial District, say that you’ve done us proud and I wish you all the best in your well deserved retirement.”

Gombe Assembly approves N108b budget From Vincent Ohonbamu, Gombe

T

HE Gombe State House of Assembly has approved N108,095,925,000 budget for this year.

The budget reflects an increase of N320 million above the initial proposal submitted to the House by Governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo.

The approval of the budget followed the adoption of the recommendations of the House Committee on Appropriation, which indicated that the difference would be sourced from an increase in the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) by N20 million and an additional N300 million by the Value Added Tax (VAT).

Committee Chairman Dan’azumi Adamu said VAT recorded over 100per cent increase last year.

He explained that N202.1million of the amount was allocated to some of the ministries that needed more funds while the remaining N117.9 million was used to reduce the budget deficit of N4,710,519,086.

The lawmaker said the House recommended that revenue generating agencies should block leakages while ministries should be allowed to discharge their statutory functions to avoid conflict of responsibilities.

Police rescue 21 children in Niger

T

From Jide Orintunsin, Minna

HE police in Niger State yesterday foiled an attempt by a suspected syndicate to traffick 21 underage children.

A police patrol team at Kagara, Rafi Local Government, rescued the children, who were allegedly abducted from parts of the Northwest.

The police said they have arrested a suspected member of the syndicate, Jibrin Shehu, and his accomplice, Salihu Rabiu.

Funeral today for management expert Bakre

T

HE remains of human relations management expert, Prince Marouf M. K. A. Bakre, will be buried today at Grailland, Iju Hills, by Ajuwon, Ogun State, after a funeral service at 2pm.

MKK, as he was fondly called, was an accomplished publisher as well as an adherent of the Grail Message.

The deceased, who hailed from Poka, Epe, Lagos State, will be remembered for his sincerity and dedication to service.

•The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III (middle); the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Azubike Ihejirika (second left) and other military officers when they visited the Sultan in Sokoto...yesterday

Fed Govt not funding JTF, says Kwankwaso

K

ANO State Governor Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso has decried Federal Government’s non-funding of the Joint Task Force (JTF) in the state.

The governor said the Ration Cash Allowance (RCA), which the Federal Government should have remitted to the state for the operations of the task force, was abandoned to the state government to shoulder.

Kwankwaso spoke at the Government House in Kano when he hosted the new Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) Zone 1, David Omojola.

He noted that unlike other states, which the Federal Government partners with the release of their RCA as at

•AIG promises to restore peace From Kolade Adeyemi, Kano

when due, Kano has been starved of the security fund.

Kwankwaso said: “For two years running now, my government has been footing the bills of the JTF and other security operations in the state.

Federal authorities have never given us a kobo, though they are giving to other states affected by the same crises.”

The governor also decried the low population of policemen in Kano.

He said it is improper to have fewer than 9,000 policemen in Kano, which he said has been adjudged as the most populous state in Nigeria,

when Lagos has over 30,000 policemen.

Kwankwaso noted that if the police can recruit more policemen, his administration would facilitate their training.

According to him, since most policemen are skeptical to serve in Kano, it is better to recruit indigenes who can freely serve in the state because of the security situation.

To strengthen security in the North, including Kano, the governor urged the Federal Government to support security agencies with modern equipment, such as scanning machines and close cir-

cuit cameras, to enable them work effectively.

He promised to support the new AIG, whose office is in Kano, to succeed in his duty.

Omojola told reporters that about 700 policemen were deployed in Kano to strengthen security, adding that the zone would ensure the security of lives and properties.

According to him, his mission is to ensure peace and order in the states under his zone.

The police chief urged all stakeholders, including politicians, religious leaders, community and traditional rulers, to cooperate with the police and other security agencies.

Group alleges plot to smear ACN spokesperson’s name

A

GROUP, Kwara Change Initiative, yesterday said it has uncovered plans by some people to sponsor posters carrying the photographs of the National Publicity Secretary of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Alhaji Lai Mohammed, and his wife as governorship and senatorial aspirants for 2015.

In a statement in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, the group’s Organizing Secretary Adewale Adefila said: “This is the latest in the serial campaign of calumny against the person of the National Pub-

From Adekunle Jimoh, Ilorin

licity Secretary of the ACN, whose soaring profile has become a source of worry to them. They struggled in vain with their principal to control the soul of his party as a lever to display their wares as they continue in the business of money making, especially as we are close to another round of elections.

“We are aware that the evil group currently in our midst will be exposed soonest and the exposure will form the basis of their exit from the party. We will not for the first

time take their ranting for that of a drunkard in a beer joint.

“We are aware that members of the group are in constant touch with some political parties within and outside the state.

“The wife of one of the members of the sinister group, who doubles as the breadwinner of their family, is currently supervising the doctoral thesis of a governor of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). While the Ifelodun politician replied, we are coming back.

“Kwara Change Initiative, in

the days ahead, will expose the contacts of the evil group within and outside the state in our effort to end their campaign of calumny and send them packing as political jobbers.”

Also, a stalwart of ACN in Kwara State, Mr. Atolagbe Ayansola, promised members’ support and loyalty to the party.

Ayansola, a lawyer and member of the group, said: “As a group, we vote and support the party’s structure at all levels as well as its leadership. We also believe in due process, fairness and equity in running the affairs of the party.”

THE NATION THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2013

58

NEWS FADAMA III empowers 10 HIV patients in Osun EN people living with HIV/AIDS in Osun State have been empowered through the FADAMA III project, which is supported by the World Bank, federal, state and local governments.

Speaking with reporters yesterday in Osogbo, the state capital, the State Project Coordinator, Elder Adebowale Adediji, said no less than 90 graduates have been employed through the project.

He said the project has provided funds, capacity building and advisory services to farmers, as well as empowered widows and physically-

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From Adesoji Adeniyi, Osogbo

challenged persons with computers, motorcycles and other equipment.

Adediji said since its commencement in March, 2009, the project has empowered many people.

He said: “Over 20 local government areas have benefited from the project.

Being partners in the project, the state and local councils have helped their people a lot.

“The state government contributes N56.3 million as counterpart fund annually and each of the 20 councils contribute N2 million.”

Five suspected pipeline vandals held in Ondo From Damisi Ojo, Akure

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IVE suspected pipeline vandals have been arrested in Ondo State.

John Olivia, Damilola Ogunyemi; Olusegun Ogunduboye, Ayo Omogbehinmi and Oloruntimilehin Owalele were arrested in a Toyota car, marked FD 848 LSR, at Omotosho on the Ore-Sagamu expressway by men of the 19 Battalion of the Nigerian Army, who handed them over to the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).

Two pumping machines, one power generator, one welding machine and other items were recovered from them.

The suspects have been arraigned and are being remanded at Olokuta Prisons in Akure.

Ondo NSCDC Commandant Waheed Popoola said his men arrested a suspect, Seun Abraham, who allegedly used his Nissan Primera car, marked EX 30 AAA, to load diesel suspected to have been siphoned from a vandalised pipeline.

Abraham confessed that he bought the product from bunkerers.

Popoola said three suspected fraudsters - Friday James, Kemi Osuola and Sola Akintewe, who specialise in duping travelers on the Owo-Akure expressway, were also arrested.

Mimiko: vocational education panacea to unemployment From Damisi Ojo, Akure

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NDO State Governor Olusegun Mimiko has said skill acquisition is the solution to the high unemployment rate in the country.

He spoke in Akure, the state capital, at presentation of certificates of proficiency to graduates of the Ondo State Skill Acquisition programme.

Mimiko urged tertiary institutions to introduce vocational programmes in their curriculum to reduce unemployment.

The governor, who was represented by his wife, Olukemi, urged undergraduates to acquire vocational skills, which he said will prevent them from chasing unavailable white-collar jobs.

He urged the over 800 graduates to be creative in their various vocations.

Mimiko said the Ministry of Adult, Technical and Vocational Education is capable of creating jobs for youths.

He said: “A visitation panel was set up shortly after I assumed office to restructure the ministry and 28 skill acquisition centres were established in the 18 local governments across the state. Since the inception of these centres, youths have been trained in food processing, soap making, tie and dye, chalk production, fashion design, catering services, cloth weaving, and fish farming, among others.”

The governor urged the graduates to keep abreast of changes and innovations in their respective fields to enable their products and services stand the test of time.

Commissioner for Adult, Technical and Vocational Education, Mrs. Margret Akinsuroju said the objective of the programme is to empower young people through technical/vocational education.

She said N10 million was released for the construction of modern workshops at Afo and Ikun Akoko skill acquisition centres.

Mrs. Akinsuroju said the 825 graduates had completed six to 12 months courses in various skills.

Communities hail governor

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EADERS of communities that were recently granted autonomy in Ekiti State have thanked the Governor Kayode Fayemi administration for recognising them.

In separate letters, three of the communities (Orun-Ekiti, Omuooke-Ekiti and Ejiyan-Ekiti) pledged their support for the Fayemi administration.

The Olorun of Orun-Ekiti, Oba Oluwasola Osalusi, said indigenes of the community have adopted Fayemi for a second term, adding that his people will remain grateful to him.

Orun-Ekiti is now independent of Igbemo-Ekiti in Irepodun/Ifelodun Local Government Area.

•The widow of Mr. Ayo Ositelu, Bukola (left), at the Service of Songs organised for her husband at the Teslim Balogun Stadium PHOTO: JOHN EBHOTA in Lagos. With her are Dr. David Ositelu and Deaconess Aribike Ositelu...yesterday.

Lagos CJ appoints 10 judges for ADR

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EN judges of the Lagos State Judiciary have been appointed to adjudicate on Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR).

The Chief Judge, Justice Ayotunde Phillips, announced this yesterday at a news conference marking the commencement of the High Court of Lagos State Civil Procedure Rules, 2012, at the Ikeja High Court.

The judges include Justices R.I. Adebiyi, J.E. Oyefeso, O.A. Adefope-Okojie, O.A .Williams and T.A. OyekanAbdullahi.

Others are Justices A.O. Kayode-Ogunmekan, O.A.

By Adebisi Onanuga

Ipaye, Kazeem Alogba, O.A. Taiwo and M.O Obadina.

The chief judge said the judges would ensure speedy administration of justice through ADR, adding that more judges would be assigned ADR. She allayed fears by some lawyers on the introduction of the ADR, explaining that parties would be given fair and equal chances in resolving their disputes.

Justice Phillips said: “There is much to be gained from ADR, not only in terms of speedy disposition of

cases, but other benefits, such as the opportunity for disputing parties to maintain a cordial relationship upon resolution of the dispute.

“It is important for litigants to go to ADR to settle cases, as this would reduce the judiciary’s workload.

ADR Track does not deprive litigants of their day in court, but merely prescribes a mode of accessing the Civil Justice Process in Lagos State.

“Claimants whose case types are required to adopt ADR as a first course are to make a good faith attempt at ADR and access the litigation

track when they are unable to reach a settlement.”

The CJ said 80 cases, representing approximately 75 per cent of matters filed at the Lagos High Court this year, have been screened into the ADR Track and are expected to be disposed of within 90 days.

Director of the Multi Door Court House (MDCH), under which the ADR operates, Mrs. Caroline Etuk said arbitrators for the court were carefully selected.

She said many warring parties have resolved their disputes amicably through ADR.

Book on 150 years of Lagos for launch

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BOOK that traces the existence of Lagos State to 150 years ago will be unveiled today.

It is entitled: “Sandbank City: 150 Years of Lagos” and was written by Professor John Godwin and his wife, Gillian Hopwood, an architect.

The couple have been living in Lagos for almost 60 years.

The book presentation, which has the support of the Lagos State Government, will hold by 6:30pm at the Wheatbaker Hotel on Onitolo Street, Ikoyi.

The Chief Executive Officer of Communicating for Change (CFC), Sandra Obiago, said the 262-page book touches on the social, cultural, trade and architectural roots of the state.

By Victor Akande, Entertainment Editor

She said: “Sandbank City tells the fascinating story of a city that grew out of colonial ‘interests’ into one of the most important economic and cultural hubs in Africa.”

Obiago said the authors have been photographing Lagos since 1954 and images of the city’s transformation are astonishing.

The authors, who are said to be adopted citizens of Nigeria, came into the country in 1954, when Lagos barely had a population of 600,000 people, it was gathered. They have spent about six decades documenting the growth of Lagos.

Sources said John and Gillian worked in partnership with a historian, Prince

‘Sandbank City tells the fascinating story of a city that grew out of colonial ‘interests’ into one of the most important economic and cultural hubs in Africa’ Kunle Akinsemoyin, and a former Town Engineer of Lagos Municipal, Timothy Aluko, to capture Lagos’ story.

The foreword of the book is said to have been written by Professor A. L. Mabogunje, a geographer,

who retired from the University of Ibadan (UI).

The preface was written by Mr. Disun Holloway, the Commissioner for Tourism and Inter-Governmental Relations.

Enriched with photographic illustrations, the book has been described as a fascinating account of how Lagos was experienced “from the time of the Bini overlords” to Nigeria’s independence, through the turbulent sixties to the anxieties and infrastructural deficits of the 90s and finally to the resilience, hope and inspirational change of the present.

The book’s title is said to have come from Lagos being originally “perched on a sandbank at the estuary of the Ogun River”.

CAN crisis: Atilade seeks end to media war

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HAIRMAN SouthWest Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Archbishop (Professor) Magnus Adeyemi Atilade has called for a ceasefire to end the raging press war by some national leaders of the organisation.

In a statement in Lagos yesterday, Atilade said the war should stop before any damage is done to Christiandom.

He warned that if the crisis persists, it might erode the vision, mission and objectives of CAN’s found-

ing fathers.

Urging aggrieved parties to embrace dialogue, the Southwest CAN leader said Christians would be shooting themselves in the foot, if they engage in unnecessary rancour instead of facing their common enemy, Boko Haram.

Atilade urged CAN to put its house in order, adding that a house divided against itself can never stand.

He said: :United we stand, divided we fall. CAN was founded by our fore-fathers to bring Christians of all

dominations together, so that we can be one indivisible entity.

“Christ gave us the ministry of reconciliation and our differences should be settled by dialogue. Please, let there be peace and unity in CAN. Let there be no more press war. We should stop washing our dirty linens in public.

“Apostle Paul said Christians have been reconciled with God through Christ.

Therefore, CAN leaders must strive to reconcile their differences.”

CAN national leaders

have been attacking themselves on the pages on national newspapers over the Catholic Church’s decision to temporarily suspend its membership of CAN. Mr. Sunday Oibe, spokesman for the 19 Northern states and Abuja branch of CAN, condemned the church’s decision.

The Catholic Church argued that the CAN leadership’s approach to national issues was rebellious and did not promote the religious unity and peaceful co-existence the country needs.

THE NATION THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2013

59

FOREIGN NEWS

Two killed in US storm

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SPRAWLING storm system has brought havoc to a swathe of the US, leaving two people dead and thousands of households without electricity.

One person died when an apparent twister hit the state of Georgia, overturning cars on a motorway.

Bartow County Fire Chief Craig Millsap said at least 10 cars had been overturned on Interstate 75.

A man died in Nashville, Tennessee, when high winds toppled a tree on to the shed he had been taking shelter in.

The storm system also brought mayhem to parts of

Mississippi, Arkansas, Kentucky and Indiana.

More than 60,000 customers have lost electricity from the Gulf Coast to Ohio as a result, it is estimated.

Interstate 75 was closed in both directions in the Georgian town of Adairsville, 60 miles (97km) north-west of Atlanta.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports there have been numerous emergency calls of trauma and injuries.

The National Weather Service (NWS) said on its website: “Major damage in downtown Adairsville. Reports of cars overturned and major struc-

ture damage.”

Reports said people were trapped in homes and businesses and aerial news footage showed widespread damage at a factory.

In Arkansas, one man was injured by lightning, while in Kentucky two people suffered minor injuries when their mobile home was blown off its foundations.

The NWS is reporting golfball sized hail stones in some areas.

Meteorologists say warm weather from the Gulf of Mexico collided with a cold front from the west, creating volatile conditions.

Sandstorm prevents troops’ advancement in Mali

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RANCE says a sandstorm is preventing its forces from entering the last major town in northern Mali in their offensive against Islamist militants.

The troops remained “blocked” at the airport in Kidal, the French defence minister said.

His statement appeared to conflict with earlier reports that French troops were in the town and militants had left.

French and Malian forces have been sweeping north, earlier taking Gao and Timbuktu with almost no resistance.

The retreating Islamist militants have been accused of destroying ancient manuscripts held in Timbuktu, but a senior official now says that most of the documents are safe.

France - the former colonial power in Mali launched a military operation this month after militants appeared to be threatening the south.

Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said yesterday that France intended to leave Mali

“quickly”, and it was up to African countries to take over.

Several hundred soldiers from West African countries - including Niger and Chad - are already in Mali to help the operation against the militants.

Speaking before a parliamentary committee in Paris, Jean-Yves Le Drian confirmed that the French forces had seized Kidal’s airport, according to the AFP news agency.

But the minister said that further progress had been temporarily halted by a sandstorm in the area, about 1,500km (930 miles) north-east of the capital Bamako.

His comments contradicted a report earlier yesterday by French army spokesman Col Thierry Burkhard, who said that “French elements were deployed overnight in Kidal”.

In addition, Haminy Maiga, interim president of the Kidal regional assembly, told the Associated Press news agency: “The French arrived at 9:30pm Tuesday aboard four planes.

Police: Brazil fire caused by cheap fireworks

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HE chief investigator in the southern Brazilian city of Santa Maria has said that cheap fireworks meant for outdoor use caused a deadly nightclub fire.

The death toll in Sunday’s blaze reached 235 people after a 21-year-old man died of his injuries in hospital.

Police chief Marcelo Arigony said the band had chosen not to buy more expensive indoor flares.

Earlier, a court froze the assets of the owners of the Kiss nightclub.

Four people have been arrested in connection with the blaze, Brazil’s deadliest in five decades.

One of those detained is the co-owner of the nightclub.

A member of the band Gurizada Fandangueira, blamed by Arigony for the start of the flames, has also been arrested.

“The pyrotechnics were part of their show. The guys even wore gloves on stage so they wouldn’t burn their hands,” the policeman – who lost a cousin in the fire – told reporters.

He added that the band chose a $1.25 (£0.80) outdoor

flare at a local shop over the $35 (£22) indoor variety.

Authorities say that more than 120 people are being treated in hospitals, and around 70 are said to be in critical condition.

Brazil is marking three days of national mourning,

while politicians discuss what measures can be taken to prevent such a tragedy happening again.

President Dilma Rousseff, who had an emotional meeting with bereaved relatives, called for a stricter stance on safety rules across the country.

Jonathan calls for stronger Nigeria/ South Africa ties

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RESIDENT Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has said South Africa and Nigeria should leverage on the strong brotherly relations between the two nations, for the benefit of the African continent.

President Jonathan said this at the farewell ceremony for the South African High Commissioner to Nigeria, Kingsley Mamabolo.

‘We worked together successfully to eradicate apartheid and we should continue to build on our past relationship for the benefit of Africa’, he stated.

The President agreed with Mamabolo that the Nigeria – South Africa Bi-National Commission had provided a very good platform to further strengthen relations for the mutual benefit of the two nations and Africa.

He congratulated the outgoing High Commissioner on his appointment as South Africa’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, and urged him to work closely with the Nigerian Permanent Representative in New York for the benefit of both countries and Africa.

Earlier, Mr. Kingsley Mamabolo commended President Jonathan for creating a conducive environment for foreign missions to operate successfully in Nigeria.

Tycoon donates half of wealth to poor

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OUTH Africa’s richest black man, Patrice Motsepe, has announced he is giving away half his wealth to improve the lives of the poor.

The mining magnate said the money would be handled by the Motsepe Foundation to address education and health issues.

He said he was inspired by the word’s two wealthiest men, Bill Gates and Warren Buffet, who are encouraging billionaires to donate to charity.

Motsepe has a net worth of $2.65bn

(£1.67bn), Forbes’ rich list estimates.

Born in the Soweto township, he is a lawyer by training and South Africa’s first and only black billionaire.

He founded the publicly traded mining conglomerate, African Rainbow Minerals, which has interests in platinum, gold, coal and other minerals.

He made most of his mining fortune through the government’s black economic empowerment policy, which mandates that mining companies be at least 26% black-owned, says the BBC’s Pumza Fihlani in Johannesburg.

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THE NATION THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2013

NEWS Sultan seeks dialogue as CJN urges peace Continued from page 4

the State Security Service (SSS) and Nigeria Intelligence Agency (NIA) Chief Albert Horsfall warned the country against seeking support from the United States Defence and Intelligence.

He also warned governors against the call for state police because they could become victims of power games in the hands of their political opponents after leaving office.

Horsfall said what the country needs from America is technical and intelligence support.

“We do not need the United States defence and intelligence presence locally” because it will internationalise the Boko Haram and invite Al-Qaeda and the Taliban to the country.

“What we further need to do to neutralise the threat of Boko

Haram and other violent organisations in the country is justice, good and effective governance at all levels; good international cooperation and collaboration,” he said.

NBA President, Okey Wali (SAN) said the summit was convened to search for enduring answers to the challenges to peace and security in Nigeria.

He also said the Bar would investigate the case of 18 bodies found floating in River Ezu, in Anambra State on January 19.

“Nobody, to date, has accounted for who they are and how they came floating in the river. This is happening in 2013 in Nigeria. What a shame,” Wali said.

Former Head of State and presidential candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Gen. Muham-

madu Buhari, in his goodwill message, said Nigeria is blessed with both human and material resources to be better in the black world.

To achieve peace, Justice Mukhtar said: “A way must be found to transform the pervasive zero-sum, winner-takes-all mentality that is both the cause and the product of conflict. In Nigeria, this factor has contributed in no small measure in fuelling the insecurity in the country.”

Represented by Senator Mohammed, the Sultan said the challenges facing the country could be overcome with the cooperation of eminent people.

“We need to recognise the fact that if there is any problem in this country, it will not affect only the perpetrators, it will affect all of us,” he said.

He urged the government to license preachers “because it is through preaching that some people get indoctrinated”.

“We should to continue to preach peace. Our youths must be told that taking up arms against their brothers is criminal, the Sultan said.

Horsfall said “home grown insurgency in collusion and collaboration with external terrorism networks constitute the greatest threat to peace and security in Nigeria.

According to him, the Niger Delta insurgency is political; Boko Haram is religious and ideological.

Horsfall canvassed psychological re-orientation and a publicity programme for the Boko Haram members to bring them back into the mainstream of Islamic beliefs and practices.

Pension fraud convict sent to prison Continued from page 4

prayed the court to remand him in the EFCC custody.

“However, Justice Adamu Bello ordered that the accused be remanded in prison custody and adjourned the case to March 1.

Yusufu was among six top officials of the Police Pension Office arraigned by the EFCC on March 29, 2012, on a 16-count criminal charge of conspiracy and criminal breach of trust.

“The other accused persons are Esai Dangabar, Atiku Abubakar Kigo, Ahmed Inuwa Wada, Mrs. Veronica Ulonma Onyegbula and Sani Habila, Zira. Kigo was the director of

Boko Haram leaders flee hot Mali to Nigeria Continued from page 4

out by the terrorist group, known as Boko Haram coupled

N32b pension fraud: More outrage over ‘light sentence’ Continued from page 4

cretion be abused to that level.

“To exonerate the judiciary is wrong, the blame should be placed squarely on the judge and not the National Assembly. I believe that those that crafted the laws never in their wildest imagination contemplated that someone can steal that much,” he said.

On whether the lawmakers have the powers to review a court judgment, Gbajabiamila cited Section 88 of the constitution, saying the National Assembly is empowered to deliberate on any matter that borders on good governance.

“This s not a review of the judgment, what we are doing is looking at the judgment with a view of tidying up the law”.

The motion was overwhelmingly adopted when it was put to voice vote by Speaker Aminu Tambuwal.

Protesters in their hundreds besieged the Supreme Court premises and the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), over the perceived light sentence given to the pension

thief.

Some inscriptions on the banners and placards displayed by the demonstrators read: “CJN Reform the Judiciary now, CJN investigate Justice Talba, Judiciary hope for the highest bidder, N32.8billion equals N750,000 Talbanism, Judicial corruption is our major problem, the blood of dead Nigerians will hunt all commercial judges,” among others.

The group called for the urgent probe of Justice Talba and the eradication of plea bargain.

The lawmakers described plea bargain as “evil, nonsensical, archaic and detrimental” to the country’s avowed fight against corruption and makes it a laughing stock in the eyes of the international community.

They also called for urgent review of laws that prescribe “very little non-deterrent charges and fines for multi billion naira thieves”.

They called for capital punishment for those found guilty of corruption, adding: “We demand that the Chief Justice of the Federation carry out comprehen-

sive judicial reforms that will check corruption and make the judiciary more responsive to the demands and challenges of good governance in which the fight against corruption is pertinent.”

They urged the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Justice Aloma Muktar to cause the retrial of the case.

The Executive Secretary of ACN, Hon Dino Melaye, said at the Ministry of Justice: “We are here to air our anger and disappointment over the satanic pronouncement by Justice Abubakar Talba. Justice Talba is a mathematician and to him N32.8billion equals N750,000.00.

“This great injustice is not acceptable to the masses of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The battle to salvage Nigeria and Nigerians from economic cankerworms and financial scavengers is a battle of no retreat, no surrender.

“We have decided as the masses of this country to take our destinies in our hands. We have decided to fight corruption in Nigeria to a standstill by the grace of God.

“No amount of intimidation, arrest and cajole will distract our attention from killing and defeating corruption.”

Melaye, in the letter of protest entitled: “Travesty of Justice and mockery of Judiciary by Justice Abubakar Talba and addressed to the CJN, said: “We the AntiCorruption Network, have decided to bring to your notice and for your appropriate intervention, the visible case of miscarriage of justice and outrageous mockery of the Nigerian Judiciary by the frivolous drama and comedy by Justice Abubakar Talba in the name of Justice.

“How else can we describe a situation where Mr John Yusufu, a man involved in over N27billion pension scam, was left off the hook with a paltry sum of N750,000 only as fine?

“With the destructive impacts of systemic and official corruption on Nigeria and Nigerians, and the protracted security challenges the country is currently facing, all of which is traceable to corruption, it is unthinkable and unpardonable that the judiciary, which is supposed to be

the Police Pension Office before he was made permanent secretary. They allegedly stole over N32.8billion from the police pension office.

On Monday, Justice Mohammed Talba convicted and sentenced Yusufu to six years’ imprisonment with the option of a fine, having pleaded guilty to three counts of an amended 20count charge.”

Yusuf paid the N750,000 fine (N250,000 for each of the three charges for which he pleaded guilty), and then walked away a free man.

Howevere, he forfeited 18 houses and N32million cash for government.

the last hope of the common man will treat a case of this magnitude of corruption with hands in glove and such pettiness as if to say judiciary is now the hope of the highest bidder.”

Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court Sunday Olorundahunsi received the letter on behalf of the CJN and promised that actions would be taken on the issues raised.

In Akure, the Ondo State capital, NANS President Victor Oguntoyinbo said the judgment would not deter political and public office holders from looting the treasury.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has called on the Federal Government and the National Assembly to make the anti-corruption law stiffer to serve the purpose of deterrence against treasury looters in the country.

Reacting to the public outrage that greeted the two-year sentence passed on a pension crime convict, Yakubu Yusufu by an Abuja High Court, Atiku stated that the issue has brought to light major defects of the anti-corruption laws.

with the spate of kidnappings in the country must be seen as direct attacks on the core values of democratic governance, namely the rule of law; the protection of the dignity of human beings; mutual respect among people of different faith and peaceful resolution of conflict.

Adoke said: “Although, views differ on the approaches that have been adopted in our fight against terrorism and the relative successes so far recorded, we are mindful of the need to ensure that our core democratic values are not eroded in the process, to do that would amount to handing victory to the terrorists “As a democrat, I firmly believe in the sustainable approach we have adopted in the current challenges. Our strategy aims to: protect individuals and communities; stabilise existing conflicts and discontentment; counterharmful and extremist sentiments and ideologies; and deploy adequate response to economic and social insecurities that contribute to the growth of terrorism.

“Notwithstanding the initiatives already enumerated, the Federal Government is always open to constructive ideas on how best to confront these challenges.”

THE NATION THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2013

61

AFCON 2013

SPORT EXTRA

•Didier Drogba in training

pitch: advantage Drogba: Striker doesn't need Sandy for Burkina Faso AFCON title to cement legacy A

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IDIER DROGBA is a legend of world football, no matter how the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations plays out.

It would be a tad ironic if the Elephants were to finally break their African Cup of Nations duck with Drogba taking a lesser role. He came on as a sub in the country's 3-

0 win against Tunisia.

Despite a diminished importance this year, no player has been more vital to Cote d'Ivoire in recent years than Drogba.

He should be praised, though, should he continue to be willing to sit back and let the younger players take over.

Thierry Henry hampered

France massively at the 2010 World Cup when he refused to take a diminished role in the national team.

Unfortunately for Drogba, the striker's been a part of some of Cote d'Ivoire's biggest heartaches in the tournament.

Perhaps no failure hit harder than the loss in the 2012 Final.

Zambia's coach blasts CAF

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AMBIA coach Herve Renard has criticized African football's ruling body for not giving them the chance to represent the continent at this year's Confederations Cup. The Confederations Cup a dress rehearsal for the World Cup, is an event featuring

•Renard

continental champions.

Having won the Cup of Nations in 2012, Zambia would normally be flying the African flag in Brazil but the 2013 African champions and not Chipolopolo will go to South America.

This is due to the decision

by CAF to switch the Nations Cup from even to oddnumber years to avoid clashing with the World Cup. Renard, speaking out in the aftermath of his team's first round exit in this year's Nations Cup on Tuesday felt Zambia should have been given the opportunity in a face-off against the team who will be crowned 2013 Nations Cup winners on 10 February.

"CAF are very happy that Zambia are not going to the Confederations Cup. They think we are not sexy or famous enough to represent Africa - that's the truth.

"It would be fairer if the winner between the 2012 Nations Cup champions and the 2013 winners went. But it never entered their thinking, CAF don't want us to go.

"They made their decision, and it is the 2013 Cup winners who will represent Africa, not us. Unfortunately, we were only champions for one year.

Renardn said.

Zambia's title defense

suffered an early end when three successive draws left them stranded in third place in Group C behind Burkina Faso and Nigeria.

Despite becoming the first champions since Algeria in 1992 to fail to progress to the knock-out stages, Renard was full of praise for his players.

With all of the heartbreaking results of the past, the Elephants used a much more risk-averse system of play and failed to concede a goal the entire tournament.

They then lost to Zambia on penalties.

For most players, lacking international trophies might be a hindrance to how they're remembered.

After Chelsea's 2012 Champions League Final win, an international medal is the only thing missing for Drogba. He's far from the only player facing this scenario.

Many of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo's detractors point to the fact that they have failed to transfer their club forms in to international football.

Igesund's job safe for now

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HE South African Football Association (SAFA) is confident coach Gordon Igesund will achieve his mandate of reaching the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) semifinals, and the Bafana Bafana mentor's job seems safe for now.

Bafana drew 2-2 against Morocco on Sunday to finish top of Group A and advance to the play-offs. They will face Mali at Moses Mabhida Stadium, in Durban, on Saturday.

When Igesund was appointed, he was given a mandate to reach the Afcon semi-finals and ensure the team qualified for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

SAFA spokesman Dominic Chimhavi would not confirm on Wednesday if the coach's job was in jeopardy, with the national federation

remaining circumspect on the subject, despite media reports that his job was safe, regardless of the team's Afcon progress.

"He has a mandate to make the semi-finals of Afcon or qualify for the 2014 World Cup," Chimhavi said.

•Igesund

FTER reaching the quarterfinals of the African Cup of Nations on foreign soil for the first time, Burkina Faso is well placed to take advantage of the difficult surface at the Mbombela Stadium and go even further.

A disciplined showing from Burkina Faso saw it hold Zambia to a 0-0 draw on Tuesday to finish at the top of Group C and advance at the defending champion's expense.

Knowing that the sandy field has made attacking football almost impossible, the Burkinabes have concentrated on nullifying their opponents and looking to hit them on the counterattack.

That tactic has brought draws with both Zambia and Nigeria, as well as a 4-0 win over Ethiopia, which represented Burkina Faso's first victory at the African Cup of Nations since it hosted the tournament in 1998.

The team will face either Togo or Tunisia at Mbombela Stadium on Sunday.

"We don't know who we are facing, so we will have to see.

But we know that we are playing in Nelspruit, so that is an advantage," Burkina Faso coach Paul Put said. "It is our home stadium now."

While Burkina Faso's progression may have upset pre-tournament predictions, it did not come as a surprise to Tuesday's opposition, which knew that the majority of the Burkinabes have experience from leagues outside the African continent.

Six members of the 23-man squad play in France's top division, and only four are with African clubs.

"We expected anything because Burkina Faso is a strong side with players who are in Europe, and they have been in the African Cup for a

•Put

long time without going through to the quarterfinals," Zambia midfielder Rainford Kalaba said. "So this was their chance to show their fans back home they can do it for their country."

That was the message which Put delivered to his players prior to the game against the defending champions.

"I told the players, 'You have to write history. It's the moment to write history.

Maybe this chance will never happen again,'" Put said. "I think Zambia always played long balls, which was also an advantage for us. We focused on winning the second ball and I think we did that well.

I'm very happy for the players because I think they deserve it."

THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 31, 2013

62

SPORT EXTRA

Eagles resume training for Cote D’ Ivoire •Injury scare for Ike Uche P •Amokachi, Okpala take charge LAYERS and technical crew of Super Eagles resumed training yesterday at the Olympia Park stadion, Rustenburg ahead of Sunday’s quarter final clash against Elephants of Cote D Ivoire.

The training session which was divided into two parts started around 5:30pm South African time after the players had already had five minutes interacting session with some Nigerian journalists.

The Eagles first eleven

From Taofeek Babalola, South Africa players who started against Ethiopia on Tuesday had light training session by jogging round the stadium for about five minutes before taking their well deserved rest and watching their other collegues from the bench.

John Obi Mikel and Vincent

Enyeama taking charge.

The rest of the players were taking to a rigorous fitness training session which was handled by team’s assistant coaches Daniel Amokachi and Sylvanus Okpala while head coach stephen Keshi thatching instruction from the bench.

They were divided into two for five aside match, Captain Joseph Yobo, Nwankwo

Obiora, Gabriel Ruben, Brown Ideye and Ejike Ezoenye were in one side with pink bip while Juwon Osanuwa, Ogenyi Onanzi, Ike Uche and Ejwueke azubuike were in the second team wearing white jersey.

Ike Uche was removed when he had head on collision with joseph Yobo. He did not finish the training but he sustain no injury.

The training ended 6:52pm South African time(5:52 Nigeria time) with prayer.

S

• Targets AFCON Golden Boot From Segun Ogunjimi, Rustenburg, South Africa

this competition where anything can happen. A lot of people have written us off like they did before we played against the Ethiopians but we not only emerged victorious we also qualified to the quarter-finals of the competition”, Emenike disclosed.

He also told NationSport his ambition coming to the AFCON tournament is also to emerge the highest goal

Senate salutes Eagles

T

HE Nigerian Senate y e s t e r d a y congratulated the Super Eagles over their victory against the Walya Antelopes of Ethiopia in the ongoing 2013 Africa Nations Cup. Senate President, David Mark, who made the commendation in his opening remarks on the floor of the Senate, however, reminded the players that Nigeria’s pride was at stake.

Mark urged the players to work harder to carry the day in their next encounter with

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THE TRUSTEES ARE; 1) DR. RICHARD OKACHUKU OFURU — Chairman 2) BARR. LEYII KWANE —— Member 3) FRANK ACHINIKE OWHOR —— Member 4) DR(MRS) NGOZI ORDU —— Member 5) MR. GODWIN AMADI —— Executive Director 6) MR. MOSES AMAGBOR JOHNSON — Secretary AIMS AND OBJECTIVES To foster good relationship and general welfare of members.

Any objection to this registration should be forwarded within twenty-eight days to the Registrar-General, Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420 Tigris Cresent, off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja.

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scorer and the eventual winner of the Golden Boot.

“I had the ambition of making this tournament a fulfilled one for me despite being my first. I have been in good form for my club and I know with hard work on my side I can emerge the highest goal scorer. My primary objective is to help my country win the Africa Cup of Nation. But my personal ambition is to emerge the highest goal scorer and win the Golden Boot of this tournament”, he boasted.

•Mark: Nigerians won’t stop praying for you From Onyedi Ojiabor, Assistant Editor the Ivorian team.

For the Senate President, the Keshi-tutored lads should not let the country down.

He said, “We congratulate the Super Eagles for their success against the Ethiopians.

Our prayers are with them.

We thank God that they were able to convert the two penalties that were awarded to us.

“From now till Saturday when they will play again we will continue to pray for them.

“They should do more remember that our national pride is at stake. They must not let us down.

“The players should take the tournament more seriously.

We are with them.”

• Ike Uche

Yaya Toure: Eagles won’t stop us • Says Nigeria will be tough

M

ANCHESTER CITY and Cote D Ivoire midfield ace, Yaya Toure has said that the last edition’s finalist will not leave anything to chance in the quarter final clash with Nigeria at ongoing Africa Cup Nations in South Africa on Sunday.

In a chat with NationSport, the reigning African Footballer of the Year, said though Nigeria is a strong force in Africa football, the Elephants have resolved to ward off all opposition, including Nigeria to win the trophy.

He said every Africa player wants to crown there successes with the Nations Cup trophy,

Ethiopia exits South Africa with hopes for better future

E

THIOPIA’S trip to the Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa was their first in over 31 years.

Although a founder-member of the African Football Confederation (CAF), Ethiopia was one of just three teams that included Sudan and Egypt to participate in the inaugural Nations Cup in 1957, losing that year’s final, before lifting the trophy on home soil five years later.

They were regulars at the first seven tournaments before the emergence of more nations in the wake of post-colonial independence when Ethiopia was caught up by the rest of the continent.

The last time they made it to the Africa Cup of Nations was in 1982.

Before then, the Ethiopia had hosted the competition three times —1962, 1968 and 1976 — and were crowned champions once in 1962, afterdefeating Egypt 4-2 in the finals.

Egypt had appeared at the competition under the name – United Arab Republic.

At the ongoing South African

Stomach cramp stops Musa • Moses gets special training From Taofeek Babalola, Rustenburg UPER EAGLES forward Ahmed Musa missed out of Wednesday’s training session following a case of stomach cramp NationSport can authoritatively reveal.A top member of the team’s backroom staff who spoke under condition of anonymity, disclosed that the CSKA Moscow forward is down following running stomach from a certain food he ate after Nigeria’s 2-0 win over Ethiopia hence he was excused from the Eagles’ season at the Olympia Stadium, Rustenburg.”We could not allow him to train after he complained over stomach upset. In fact he was placed on some medication by the doctor and was advised to take a rest while the other members of the squad were out for training. Hopefully, he will be okay before the next session,” our source added.Meanwhile, Victor Moses and assistant coach, Daniel Amokachi had a special training away from the rest of the gang during the session. The Chelsea forward later got a message from the medics on his legs before taking a deserved rest on the subs bench alongside Emmanuel Emenike who only did some jogging earlier before also settling down to watch his colleagues.

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Emenike vows to shoot Elephants down

UPER EAGLES’ and Spartak Moscow striker, Emmanuel Emenike has vowed to wreck the Elephants of Cote d’ Ivoire in Sunday’s quarter-final battle of the on-going Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa.

Nigeria would take on the Elephants of Cote d’ Ivoire in the cracker and the burly forward has told NationSport he would continue where he stopped when he scored Eagles first goal in the 1-1 score draw against the ousted defending Champions Zambia.

“I am very happy that we qualified to this stage despite not scoring in our last match against Ethiopia. But I promise to score the goal or goals that will ensure we beat Cote d’ Ivoire in our next match on Sunday”, he promised.

Emenike who was in superb form in the training session of the Super Eagles at the Olympia Park Stadion yesterday evening is confident of his team’s chances in the competition and his ability to emerge the highest goal scorer at the end of the competition.

“I am very happy that we are in the quarter-final stage of

TRAINING SESSION

Nations Cup, Ethiopia did not manage to secure a win in a difficult group, drawing with holders Zambia, having lost against Burkina Faso and Nigeria, they, however, provided impetus for rekindling footballing prospects for their upcoming soccer players.

“I think we can give hope, a bright future for our guys.

Anything is possible and we can (bring) the coming generation (with us) by giving them hope,’’ said Captain Debebe Degy, after their 2-0 loss to Nigeria in Rustenburg.

“We have seen through this game how much we can work and do something and now that you have seen the game, we tried to dominate it,’’ he said.

“We worked hard and we knew these guys are professionals and have a lot of experience, compared to us, because they play abroad in big tournaments.’’

Degy said that while Ethiopia had not met their objectives, South Africa 2012 will be seen as a re-igniting experience of the Walya Antelopes.

From Innocent Amomoh, South Africa adding that he is not an exception as he intends to add it to his many silverwares.

“We respect Nigeria a lot as a great team but we won’t allow them stop our drrams of brcoming Afroica champions,”he said.

Nigeria is billed to face Cote D Ivoire in the quarter final of the Africa Cup of Nations on Sunday at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rutenburg, South Africa.

Let’s savour Eagles AFCON q-final ticket —Enyeama From Segun Ogunjimi, Rustenburg, South Africa UPER EAGLES’ Assistant Captain, Vincent Enyeama has told soccer fans to give his mates the chance to savour Eagles’ victory over Ethiopia and Nigeria’s qualification to the quarter-finals stage of the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations.

Speaking in Rustenburg yesterday, Enyeama said fans and journalists should wait until Friday before asking the players about the Cote d’ Ivoire match.

“I would plead that you guys give us till Friday before you start asking what would happen in our match against Cote d’ Ivoire. We are all happy that we have finally gotten the quarter-finals ticket and we want to celebrate tonight (Tuesday night)”. He said.

He, however, assured that his team would do everything humanly possible to make Nigerians proud at the end of the match against the Ivorians.

“We know what Nigerians crave for and with their continued support and prayers we won’t disappoint”, Enyeama replied.

S

TIT BITS From Innocent Amomoh, South Africa

Who is afraid of the Elephants

B

EFORE Wednesday's training at the Olympia Park Stadium, the Super Eagles’ players were meant to speak to the Nigerian press as earlier arranged by the Media Officer of the team, Ben Alaiya.

However, the duo of Victor Moses and coach Stephen Keshi were the ones that had the courage to speak to the press ahead the crunchy quarter final tie on Sunday.

Home taste for Nigerian journalists

F

EEDING for most Nigerian journalists covering the AFCON started badly. We eat what we could lay our hands on, especially bread. Just recently some Journalists discovered restaurant situated at the heart of the shopping mall at Rustenburg, that serves varieties of food ranging from Eba, Semo, Rice and beans etc.

A plate of food cost 30 Rands, that is about sevenhundred naira per meal, an offer that was accepted with enthusiasm.

But with several days to go yet, how far can the Journalists cope with this high cost of feeding?

THE NATION THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2013

63

SPORT EXTRA

•Frederic Kanoute in Mali’s Jersey

‘New generation can lift Mali’ T

HE ongoing CAF Africa Cup of Nations has so far seen a rejuvenated Mali impress during the group phase, edging out Niger 1-0 in the opener and drawing with Congo DR 1-1 to set up a mouthwatering quarter-final showdown with South Africa on Saturday.

Skippered by former Barcelona star Seydou Keita and featuring a host of

"I believe a breakthrough will come soon.

Our country is going through a difficult period and there are of course some urgent problems to tackle. But a great performance in the Cup of Nations will give a sense of hope for our brothers and sisters in Mali"

talented youngsters, the Eagles remain on target to surpass their last-four finish in the 2004 edition.

Their amazing run in the continental campaign nine years ago, of course, was largely attributed to striking-ace Frederic Kanoute. The French-born forward was on target four times, including opening the scoring in the 2-1 quarter-final defeat of Guinea as his side stormed into the semi-finals. Although a fourgoal tally saw him finish tournament joint top-scorer alongside the likes of Patrick Mboma and Jay-Jay Okocha, their 4-0 semi-final loss to Morocco and failure to take the continental crown still cuts deep.

"Our failure to win the African title and to qualify for a World Cup is the biggest disappointments of my career," the 35-year-old marksman told FIFA.com. "But that is life.

Although I am not playing for the national team anymore, I hope this young generation can achieve these goals."

A great performance in the Cup of Nations will give a sense of hope for our brothers and sisters in Mali.

Having seen his side's brilliant display thus far, Kanoute is hoping Mali continue to show form on the African scene and bring a smile to the citizens of his conflict-troubled nation.

"I believe a breakthrough will come soon," he said. “Our country is going through a difficult period and there are of course some urgent problems to tackle. But a great performance in the Cup of Nations will give a sense of hope for our brothers and sisters in Mali."

The continental final competition, according to Kanoute, provides the Malians with a chance to not only inspire the people through their performances, but also to prepare for the forthcoming second qualifying round for the 2014 FIFA World Cup

Brazil where they will open against Rwanda on 22 March.

"Qualifying for a world cup is always a long and hard process,” he said. “Football in Africa has made great progress over recent years so all the teams are competitive. With so many sides battling for only a few qualifying spots, there is no easy games. But inside me I believe Mali can make it through [to our first FIFA World Cup] at the God's will."

International retirement After his eye-catching showing at the 2004 Africa Cup of Nations, the towering striker went on to feature significantly for Mali on the road to Germany 2006, with the side progressing to the final round only to crash out due, in part, to their away form. Kanoute scored eight times during their bid for FIFA World Cup South Africa 2010 qualification, but

•Frederic Kanoute celebrating with country teammate and clubside, Seydou Keita

again a lack of consistency cost them dearly as they stumbled at the final hurdle.

At club level, after spells with the likes of Lyon, West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur, Kanoute spent seven seasons with Sevilla during which he racked up 88 goals in 209 appearances. He departed for pastures new last June, joining Chinese Super League side Beijing Guoan.

"My time in Sevilla was wonderful, personally and professionally," said Kanoute, who, in 2007, was the first player born outside the continent to win the African Player of the year award. "But after my contract expired, I wanted to take new challenges in life so I moved to China. I am happy in Beijing and will give my best to my new team."

Asked about the goals he has set

for the coming year, he acknowledged he is now focusing on his club career having called time on his national team career after their failed campaign for South Africa 2010.

"I hope I'll be able to help Beijing as much as possible, scoring goals in my second season and helping the team improve with my experiences,” he said. “I'd like to win a title with the capital club."

Despite his international retirement, Kanoute conceded Mali remains a special source of pride. "I gave my best when I played for Mali, and representing the national team was always my biggest pride,” said Kanoute. “Although I have decided to retire from international football in order to make way for the youngsters, I will always support the Mali team, even in a different way."

www.thenationonlineng.net

THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2013

TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM

VOL.8, NO.2,388

C OMMENT & D EB ATE EBA

W

HEN he was in Davos, Switzerland, last week for the World Economic Summit, President Jonathan gave the ace CNN reporter, Christine Amanpour, a radio interview later shown on the CNN network.

Of the issues raised with the President two were very interesting, but the President’s response to them was disturbing. First, Amanpour referred to advice from the US Embassy in Nigeria that US citizens should avoid going to certain parts of Northern Nigeria unless it was absolutely necessary. This advice to US citizens was given by the Embassy because of the disturbing security situation there, on account of the terror activities of Boko Haram, the extremist and violent Islamic sect in some parts of the North. Other Western Embassies including the British, French, and German have also routinely, as a precautionary measure, issued their citizens the same advice.

Amanpour also asked President Jonathan about alleged reservations by the US Embassy of the strategy of the use of force by the Federal Government in handling terrorism in vast swathes of the North. She asked whether the use of force to put down the insurgency was being complemented by a dialogue with the insurgents. I consider the questions fair and appropriate in the prevailing disturbing security situation in Northern Nigeria. The same questions are being asked here at home.

The other issue brought up in the interview

by Amanpour with President Jonathan was about the huge oil bunkering that has been taking place in Nigeria for years without the government being able to do anything to stop it.

According to Amanpour, some 400,000 barrels of crude oil are stolen daily from Nigeria and sold illegally in the foreign oil markets. This particular information is not new. It has been in the public domain for decades. I watched the interview with some dismay as I considered it very damaging to Nigeria’s foreign image. I also felt that the response of President Jonathan to the two questions by Amanpour were largely evasive and less than satisfactory. During the telecast interview he appeared tense, nervous and unsure of himself. He did not respond to the questions with any credibility or even conviction.

On the question of the advice from the US Embassy regarding the general state of insecurity in Northern Nigeria, and the strategy of the Federal Government in tackling the danger of Boko Haram to national security, President Jonathan said he believed that the source of information of the US Embassy on the situation in Northern Nigeria was local. But he blamed the Embassy for relying on local information from the Nigerian public. Specifically, he blamed the Embassy for allowing Nigerians access to it and purportedly misleading it about the security situation in Northern Nigeria. But the security situation is not a secret and should not be treated as such.

TODAY IN THE NATION

This verdict has rewritten the scripture to tell us that the wages of crime is a lifetime of bliss. Yes, the offender after getting away with this light penalty will have all the time in the world to enjoy his loot with his family at the expense of those whose money he stole’

DAPO FAFOWORA

FROM THE SUMMIT dapo.fafowora@thenationonlineng.net

Jonathan’s CNN interview

•Dr. Jonathan

In this regard, President Jonathan was wholly wrong in vilifying the Nigerian public as the source of information of the US Embassy. Are the Embassies in Nigeria expected to rely on foreign sources for information about the country to which they are accredited? The primary duty of an Embassy is to gather useful information locally about its host country for the information of its own government and country. It is a traditional aspect of diplomatic practice accepted globally and taken seriously by professional diplomats as an essential part of their duties.

Some of the information that the US and other Embassies have about Nigeria is from the local media which the Embassy staff monitor on a daily basis for useful information.

But the press is not their only source of information on Nigeria. The US and other Embassies in Nigeria also have useful contacts in the National Assembly and in other government circles, including the Presidency itself.

They interact often with senior members of the government many of whom talk freely with these foreign diplomats about the situation in Nigeria.

In fact, the Nigerian secret service and security agencies collaborate fully and exchange information with their counterparts from other foreign countries on matters of national security. The US and other western

friendly countries offer Nigeria assistance in tracking down the Boko Haram terrorists. On some occasions, they have taken part directly in military operations against the terrorists.

There is nothing unusual about this, as these official contacts and security collaboration are useful to both sides and should be encouraged as a means of promoting cordial relations between the two countries.

As a retired diplomat, I find nothing wrong with foreign embassies here openly seeking information legitimately about important political and economic developments in Nigeria.

It is a basic function of an Embassy. That is why foreign diplomats are here in the first place. Their rights in this regard are fully protected by the Geneva Convention. What the foreign Embassies do here to gather useful information is not different from what Nigerian diplomatic missions are expected to do abroad to keep their government better informed about their host countries. In any case, there is far greater interaction at the official level between the officials of the Federal Government and the diplomatic staff of foreign embassies here, than with the general public. Representatives of the Federal Government have ample opportunities of correcting any wrong impressions or misinformation about Nigeria that the foreign embassies might harbour as a result of their interaction with the Nigerian public and press. In this particular case, in advising American citizens to stay away from the areas of the North affected by the current insurgency there, the US Embassy cannot legitimately be blamed for seeking to protect its citizens in Nigeria.

Even Nigerians avoid going to the North now unless it is absolutely necessary for them to go there. It is counterproductive for the Nigerian authorities, particularly the President, to seek to deceive the public and foreigners on the security situation here.

President Jonathan’s acerbic response on this matter reminds me of the manner the former American Ambassador here, Walter Carrington, was hounded by the authoritarian Abacha military regime for supporting and encouraging resistance to the regime. Very few

HARDBALL

T

HE United States on Monday reportedly signed a “status of forces” agreement with Niger Republic, Nigeria’s neighbour to the

North, to deploy surveillance drones in that country to carry out spying and monitoring missions on Islamist militants in the Sahel. A similar agreement had been signed with Burkina Faso, and US drones are already in operation there feeding French forces in Mali with information on Tuareg rebels and Islamist militants affiliated to al-Qaeda. It requires no clairvoyance to know that there would be a very limited sharing of intelligence gathered by the drones with the host countries. The agreement with Niger is said to impose no constraints on military-to-military cooperation.

This means that the deployment of surveillance drones could easily graduate to deployment of armed drones. Ethiopia and Djibouti in the Horn of Africa preceded the West African sub-region in accepting US drones on their soils.

It will be recalled that the use of American drones in countries such as Pakistan, Yemen, Afghanistan and Somalia have become so controversial that they have generated resentment among the local populace and civil liberties groups. The danger is how to draw the line between gathering intelligence on militants and attacking the militants on one hand, and

LAWAL OGIENAGBON

people will now argue that Ambassador Carrington was wrong in his opposition to military rule in Nigeria and support for democracy in Nigeria. As the representative of a democratic government, he could not have been expected to support an unpopular and vicious military regime. The fault is not with the Embassies but with us, particularly our leaders who are intolerant of any form of criticism, even if such criticisms are legitimate and in the interest of the country.

The second issue brought up in the interview by Amanpour was about the vast amount of oil being stolen daily from Nigeria through bunkering. Specifically, Amanpour claimed that some 400,000 barrels of crude oil were involved in this illegal export and sale of Nigerian crude oil. It is difficult to believe this figure as it represents about 20 % of total Nigerian oil production of about 2.5 million barrels per day. Considering the fact that oil exports remain the mainstay of the Nigerian economy, the government should be concerned about this vast oil theft and take the necessary measures in eliminating it. President Jonathan’s response on this crucial matter was very disappointing. Instead of outlining measures to tackle the problem, he blamed foreign oil companies for it, arguing that they were, in effect, the receivers of stolen goods.

But oil is such an important and scarce resource that it will always find a market abroad.

Whether they suspect it to be stolen, or not, there will always be buyers abroad for crude oil, some of which is sold in the open oil market. The fact is that the government is aware of the vast amount of crude oil being stolen from Nigeria. But it has done little to curb it because of vested interests in oil bunkering in the corridors of power in Nigeria. Very few culprits of oil theft have been caught and punished for the crime. When caught, as they are occasionally, they are let off the hook by the powers that be. Recently, this situation prompted the retiring Naval Commander in the area to complain that the Nigerian Navy has not succeeded in curbing oil theft in the area because of the connivance of people in high places and the rampart corruption in the Judiciary.

These are local problems that require local solutions. President Jonathan should face them squarely. It does not do his government or Nigeria’s foreign image any good to look for scapegoats abroad for our internal problems created by our leaders. Foreign observers know quite a bit about Nigeria. With the vast improvement in global communications and reach there is no longer any hiding place for corrupt or incompetent governments any where in the world. It is a reality that the government should accept instead of blaming foreigners for our self inflicted problems.

• For comments, send SMS to 08082036515

•Hardball is not the opinion of the columnist featured above

US drones in Niger Republic, Burkina Faso gathering other kinds of intelligence on the host countries. In 1962, the Action Group political party sensitised Nigerians to the dangers of an Anglo-Nigerian defence pact, leading to massive demonstrations and the eventual collapse of the deal. Such sensitivity is lacking today. Apart from the secrecy that surrounds the operation of armed drones, there is also the unacceptably high incidence of civilian casualties. According to a foreign newspaper report, “The London-based Bureau of Investigative Journalism has monitored American drone strikes all around the world and calculates that in Pakistan alone there have been some 362 strikes since 2004. They are estimated to have killed up to 3,461 suspected militants in the country and as many as 891 civilians.”

President Mahamadou Issoufou of Niger Republic has regrettably already given permission for the deployment of the drones.

However, as in all the countries where drones have been deployed, there is no telling how far things can go or get out of hand. Meanwhile, Nigeria is just next door, and drones are extremely difficult to shoot down or to

compromise. Only yesterday, this column deprecated the inability of ECOWAS leaders to be proactive on Mali, thereby allowing the situation to degenerate to the point of triggering French intervention. France was Mali’s former colonial master. It is evident that the quality of leadership in the region, nay, in Africa as a whole has declined horribly. There are no brilliant and perceptive leaders conversant with their countries’ histories, nor even keenly aware of the dangers of neocolonialism and neo-imperialism. The mediocre leaders rule their countries badly, and embrace desperate methods, including opening up their countries to harmful external influences, to mitigate the effects of their misrule.

It is not surprising that between 2009 and 2010, and also in 2012, the prestigious and most expensive leadership prize in the world, the Mo Ibrahim prize for good governance, was not awarded to any African leader. According to the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, “The $5m prize is supposed to be awarded each year to a democratically elected leader who governed well, raised living standards and then

voluntarily left office. The $5m prize is spread over 10 years and is followed by $200,000 a year for life.” In 2011, Cape Verde President Pedro Verona Pires won the prize. The dearth of sound leaders should worry everyone. And that paucity of good leaders is nowhere more evident than in West Africa.

A tragedy is befalling Africa – the tragedy of insensitive, retrogressive and unintelligent leaders. It is almost as if it is not the same Africa that produced the likes of Julius Nyerere, Kenneth Kaunda, Kwame Nkurumah, Gamal Abdel Nasser, and Nelson Mandela, among others. With the turmoil in Mali, the deployment of drones in Niger Republic and Burkina Faso, the likelihood of US-Africa Command, and the collapse of state economies, the continent, or at least West Africa, is being opened up for recolonisation.

Sadly, African leaders, whose poor judgement led them to recently accept the new $200m African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa as a gift from China, have become inured to the dangers of external control which their incompetence and lack of foresight are engendering.

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