The Nation January 08, 2013

Nigeria’s widest circulating newspaper

Fire at INEC office in Abuja

NNPC borrows $1.5b to pay fuel debt

NEWS

Page 7

NEWS Page 63

•Gives up 15,000bpd as collateral

•‘Voter registration data secure’

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VOL. 8, NO. 2365 TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2013

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Messi remains world’s best

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IONEL Messi has won the FIFA Ballon d'Or for an unprecedented fourth time in a row after he beat Cristiano Ronaldo and Andrés Iniesta to the world crown.

After a record-breaking 2012, the FC Barcelona forward set a new mark of world titles by finishing top of the three-man shortlist at the gala ceremony in Zurich. Messi was the top goalscorer in the Spanish Liga in the 2011/12 season with 50 goals. He also

broke Gerd Muller's longstanding record for goals in a calendar year, finding the net an incredible 91 times.

Abby Wambach took the women's award.

On receiving the award, the 25-year-old Argentinian international said: "To tell you the truth, this is really quite unbelievable. The fourth award that I have had is just too great for words. I would like to recognise my other colleagues from Barcelona: Iniesta, it has been great to train and play alongside you.

I would also like to recognise all of my friends in the Argentinian national team. Everyone that has worked with me – coaches and staff and my family and my friends.

Also my wife and my son.

Thank you."

Coach of Spain's UEFA EURO 2012 victors, Vicente del Bosque won the FIFA World Coach of the Year for Men's Football 2012 seeing off competition from the two former winners, Madrid coach José Mourinho and Continued on page 59

•Messi...yesterday PHOTO: AFP

Presidency backs Anenih to stop IBB, Obasanjo, others Mahama: the best is yet to come

Party chiefs battle for BoT chairman From Yusuf Alli, Abuja

From Olukorede Yishau, Assistant Editor (News), Accra

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DESPERATE battle to build a concensus by Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chiefs ahead of today’s election of the chairman and secretary of the Board of Trustees (BoT) collapsed last night.

The bitter rivalry among influential forces within the party is likely to go on - no thanks to the quiet campaigns for 2015.

The party has split into three camps — the Presidency-Anenih group, pro-ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo caucus and the reformists(ex-Military President Ibrahim Babangida and ex-Vice-President Atiku Abubakar), who are insisting on due process and transparency.

The Presidency is believed to be pushing for a former Chairman of the BoT, Chief Tony Anenih.

About 20 leaders of the party have obtained forms to occupy the seat, which was vacated last June by Obasanjo.

Some of the aspirants are: Anenih; former National Chairman of the PDP Senator Ahmadu Ali and Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo; a former Deputy National Chairman, Chief Shuaib Oyedokun; ex-Senate President Ken Nnamani; and Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu.

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EFORE a massive crowd of cheering compatriots, John Dramani Mahama yesterday took the oath as the fourth elected President and Commander-in-Chief of the fourth Republic of Ghana.

His key message at the ceremony: the best is yet to come.

He won the December 7 election, which he would

•See also pages 4 & 5 not have contested, but for the death of former President John Atta Mills last July.

The ceremony was witnessed by a crowd estimated at over 50,000.

No fewer than 15 Heads of Government, including President Goodluck Jonathan, were in Accra, the country’s capital. Millions more followed the event on television and on the Internet.

But leaders of the opposition New Peoples Party (NPP), led by Nana AkufoAddo, which narrowly lost the election, with 47.7 per-

Continued on page 2

•ON MY HONOUR: Mahama taking the oath of office...yesterday

PHOTO: AFP

Continued on page 2

•PROPERTY P18 •SPORT P23 •POLITICS P43 •ENERGY P47 •AVIATION P51

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THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 8 , 2013

NEWS Presidency backs Anenih Continued from page 1

•Ekiti State Deputy Governor Mrs. Funmi Olayinka, dancing at the special prayer meeting organised by workers in her office to mark the beginning of work this year…yesterday. Story on page 7

How British police exposed Babalakin’s alleged N3.4b deal with Ibori

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HE London Metropolitan Police blew the lid off the N3.4billion allegedly laundered through Mauritius for ex-Governor James Ibori to buy a Challenger jet, sources said yesterday.

Embattled Bi-Courtney chair Olawale Babalakin and four others have been charged to court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFFC) over how the money was wired.

The others are Alex Okoh, Stabilini Visioni Limited, BiCourtney Limited and Remix Nigeria Limited.

They are also to face a 27count charge in the High Court of Lagos State , Ikeja Division, bordering on the siphoning of $11.3million abroad for Ibori through Erin Aviation Account in Mauritius.

It is believed in some political and business circles that the filing of charges against the five suspects was not aimed at witch-hunting Babalakin, who is a reputa-

From Yusuf Alli, Abuja

ble player in the construction and aviation sectors. A government source, who pleaded not to be named, debunked such insinuations yesterday.

Besides, it was gathered that the alleged laundering of N3.4billion was discovered during the London Met Police’s comprehensive investigation into Ibori’s activities.

It was also learnt that after the ex-governor was convicted, the Met Police made its investigation report available to the EFCC for “Nigerian content” of others allegedly implicated in the money laundering.

It was learnt that some evidence from the UK police might be tendered during the trial of the suspects.

A source conversant with the investigation said: “The Metropolitan Police and the EFCC established that the

money in question was transferred from Delta State Government account to some companies owned by Babalakin and it was further laundered through Erin Aviation Account in Mauritius to a company in Canada where the Challenger aircraft was bought.

“All the transaction documents will be tendered during the trial of the five suspects. If the court deems it fit, relevant desk officers in Met Police might be invited to give evidence during the trial.

“Once the trial takes off, the public will have access to the records of the court, including the proof of evidence.

“This is certainly a case involving joint collaboration between Metropolitan Police and the EFCC.” Another source said: “After getting some clues from Met Police, it will not speak well of our anti-corruption

campaign for the EFCC not to step into the matter.

“Do not forget that we have bilateral agreement with the UK on money laundering and other related crimes.”

On alleged witch-hunt of Babalakin, the government source said: “This trial has nothing to do with the termination of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway contract as being insinuated.

“Government took note of Babalakin’s roles as a critical local investor and made sure the EFCC went about its investigation in the best international practices.

“In fact, when Babalakin was initially arrested and grilled, the EFCC did not make it a media issue. The businessman was given a fair hearing and decent treatment.

“The case became public knowledge and attracted controversy when he did not fully honour his commitment to appear for arraignment in Continued on page 59

There are also a former National Chairman of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), Chief Don Etiebet, who is a returnee to the party; a former Chairman of the BoT of the ANPP, Chief Harry Akande and 12 others.

Others who did not apply but are being recommended for the post are exVice-President Alex Ekwueme and a former acting National Chairman Alhaji Kawu Baraje.

Although horse-trading was ongoing last night, none of the candidates has agreed to step down.

A source in the BoT said: “The situation is still dicey because none of the candidates is willing to step down. The horse-trading is getting keener and challenging.

“All the affected zones (Northcentral, Southsouth, Southeast, Southwest) are insisting on their right to occupy the seat.

Responding to a question, the source added: “So far, the party has split into three. We have the Presidency-Anenih group, proex-President Olusegun Obasanjo caucus, and the reformists (ex-Military President Ibrahim Babangida and ex-Vice-President Atiku Abubakar), who are insisting on due process and transparency.

“But leaders are trying to be careful in managing the situation to avoid any crisis within the main advisory organ of the party.

“What is fueling the tension is the 2015 campaign being read into the choice of a new chairman and secretary for the BoT.” The Nation learnt that the situation has degenerated with some BoT members opposing the conduct of the election because the tenure of the organ expired in July, last year.

All the BoT members came on board in 2007, shortly after the election of the late President Umaru Yar’Adua.

The members are citing Article 12.77(A) of the party’s constitution to demand the shift of the poll.

The article says: “Without prejudice to the provisions of Article 12.81 of this constitution, all members of the BoT specified in paragraphs (e)-(g) of Article 12.76(1) shall serve a single term of five years.”

The pro-postponement group is calling for an interim chairman, who will lead the organ till March when a new BoT will be constituted.

A source said: “Those in favour of postponement are saying that the Southwest should act as interim chairman till March when the tenure of the current Secretary of BoT, Sen. Walid Jibrin, will expire.

“If that works out, a former Deputy National Chairman of the party, Alhaji Shuaibu Oyedokun, might serve as the acting chairman of the BoT.” But most members of the BoT were still locked in lobbying ahead of the agenda, which slated election of new chairman for today.

It was gathered that the presidency is pushing for Anenih’s candidacy because of the 2015 presidential poll.

The popular thinking in the Presidency is that only Anenih as the BoT chairman can strategise for Jonathan to get the party’s ticket.

A source said: “The President’s strategists favour Anenih because most of the political godfathers in PDP, like former President Olusegun Obasanjo, exMilitary Head of State, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, Continued on page 63

The best is yet to come, says Mahama at inauguration Continued from page 1

cent to Mahama of National Democratic Party (NDP)’s 50.7 per cent boycotted the ceremony.

Former Ghanian President John Kufor, who is a member of the NPP, defied the boycott call by his party to attend the ceremony.

Another former President, Jerry Rawlings, also attended with his wife, Nana Kanadu, who contested the poll.

The Nigerian opposition Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) was fully represented

by National Chairman Chief Bisi Akande and National Leader Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Governors Forum chair Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers), Governors Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti), Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom), Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun) and ex-Governor Olusegun Osoba also attended the colourful ceremony, which began with a national anthem at about 10am. The two-hour ceremony was watched on widescreen television set installed all over the country through live feeds from the state broadcaster, the Ghana Broadcast-

Tasks before Ghanaian President

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HE inauguration yesterday of Mr. John Dramani Mahama as the fourth President of Ghana marked another striking similarity in the Nigeria-Ghana political history.

Mahama is the new man of destiny in the West African country of 25million people.

Ghana is recorded as a country with one of the fastest growing Gross Domestic Product - 14 per cent.

Ghana has a young population.

This has imposed pressure on schools and health facilities. The government is thus expected to maintain standard.

The country is one of the few giving hope on the African continent. It has held a fifth peaceful and successful election and has a rich history of transfer of power from one major party to another. It is, therefore, seen as a shining example for other African countries, including Nigeria . It blazed the trail in the sub-region with biometric voter registration. ing Corporation (GBC).

The inauguration took place at the beautifully-decorated Black Star Square.

President Mahama’s Deputy, Kwesi Bekoe AmissahArthur, also took his oath of

ANALYSIS

By Bolade Omonijo, Editorial board member

This has made the elections more transparent. The seven-member election commission headed by Dr. Kwadwo AfariGyan has a reputation for being incorruptible.

Perhaps the most daunting task for the 54-year-old President is promoting unity in a country fractured by the December 7, 2012 elections. The new president, who contested on the platform of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), managed a narrow victory with 50.7 per cent of the votes to the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP’s) 47.74 per cent. While previous elections were similarly fought closely, the opposition has taken its case before the Supreme Court for adjudication.

This has raised eyebrows as it constitutes a challenge to the legitimacy of the Mahama administration. While the administration has been inaugurated, the court case, whenever it comes up, is

office at the square whose arch was draped in Ghana’s red- gold-green colours.

Cultural troupes entertained the guests, who started trooping into the venue as early as 7am. Army and po-

bound to call attention to the fact that nothing is settled yet. And, if not determined on time, it could be a source of distraction for the government from which so much is expected.

There are, however, so many lessons that Nigeria could learn from Ghana.

The process of candidate selection is less acrimonious. The internal democratic mechanisms in the political parties have matured over the years. Although the aspiration by wife of former President Jerry Rawlings to pick the NDC ticket heated up the polity for a while, when a congress was held to decide between Atta-Mills and Konadu Agyemang Rawlings, the late president was the clear choice of the party.

Her attempt to run the race on the platform of a hastily coupled New Democratic Party (NDP) failed when she could not meet the deadline in returning nomination forms. President Mahama who replaced the late Atta-Mills as NDC candidate won the confidence of

lice bands also entertained the guests.

When Mahama emerged from the a black Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) in an all-white dress, the energised crowd exploded with cheers. Amis-

Continued on page 59

sah-Arthur chose the kente.

Led by the Chief Justice, Mrs. Georgina Theodora Wood, the vice-president took both the oaths of office and allegiance at 10.19am.

Mahama took the podium

•Mahama

at 10.27am. He first took the oath of allegiance before a cheering crowd, members of the parliament and dignitaries. A brief interruption followed before he took the oath Continued on page 59

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THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2013

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THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2013

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NEWS GHANA’S PRESIDENT’S INAUGURATION

Mahama’s battles after the inauguration A GLORIOUS day it was yesterday for Ghana and its President John Mahama. But after the razzmatazz of inauguration, it is time for John ‘The Fourth’ to settle down to business. He also has the opposition’s legal challenge of his election to tackle, writes OLUKOREDE YISHAU from Accra

•President Goodluck Jonathan (seventh left) with other Heads of State at President Mahama’s inauguration in Accra ...

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UPPORTERS of the opposition Mahama, who until the death of party had threatened to throw the former President John Atta Mills stones at the former president. last July operated under his shadow, Their grouse with him was John now has a mandate of his own.

The reality of this fact was on gloKufour vowed to honour the invitation to President John Dramani bal focus yesterday at the Black Star Mahama’s inauguration. As a strat- Square, where Mahama was the cyegy, they stormed his residence in nosure of all eyes. Since July when Accra yesterday, saying that as a the responsibility of piloting the afleading member of the New Patriotic fairs of the state became his, he has Party (NPP), he must boycott the in- shown glimpses of what he would do with power post-January 7. Many auguration.

Dressed in white and black t-shirts, are looking forward to seeing the with the picture of the party’s candi- configuration of his new cabinet.

The President, in his State of the date, Nana Addo, they chanted songs of displeasure and vowed to do ev- Nation address last December, idenerything possible to stop Kufour tified the work ahead.

He said: “Let us not forget that from attending the inauguration. But hardwork lies ahead of us. Keeping the police repelled them.

The NPP has a petition pending at the nation safe; anchoring our conthe Supreme Court against stitutional and democratic legacy on Mahama’s election. Mahama’s party, stronger moral and cultural values; the National Democratic Congress growing stronger institutions; deliv(NDC), has picked a leading lawyer, ering on infrastructural development and social services, infrastrucTsatsu Tsikata, to argue its case.

In the days to come, the legal battle ture and amenities to all parts of this will surely take the time of the party, nation; as well as affirming our status as a Pan African giant remain far the President and the legal team.

However, what matters to the from finished, and it is our shared people is what Mahama does with responsibility to work towards the the mandate to improve their lives. achievement of these goals.”

Significantly, when the late Prof.

Ghana is faced with rising youth unemployment and a widening de- Mills took office, with Mahama as velopment gap between the oil-rich deputy in 2008, the economy was in coast and the poor-arid North, Gha- distress.

Mahama, in the State of the Nanaians will be more concerned on how the President improves scary tion address, said of the economy: realities, which have seen Ghana, “Through hard work and implewith a per capita Gross Domestic mentation of prudent fiscal and Product (GDP) in the bottom third of monetary policies, we were able, the world, life expectancy in the bot- over the last four years, to stabilise tom 15 per cent, infant mortality in the macro-economic environment. the bottom fourth and corruption a This resulted in remarkable acceleration of our growth. no mean problem.

“And today, Ghana’s GDP growth The country still faces a major challenge in the education of children. rates continue to be among the highThe ‘schools under trees’ phenom- est in the world. With the recordenon, non-availability of teaching breaking growth of 2011, occasioned and learning materials and low re- partly by the commencement of oil muneration for teachers, which pose production, this year again we exserious threats to the provision of pect an eventual positive out turn of growth between 8.5 and nine per quality education, are hurdles that must be scaled b y cent.” the new administration.

By the government’s admission, only about 40 per cent of the over 4,000 “schools under trees” have been replaced in the last four years. Hundreds of thousands of Ghanaian school children are yet to be moved into decent classroom blocks.

Mahama has promised to work hard towards the eradication of the operating ‘schools under trees’.

Despite the fact that Ghana had celebrated a decade of uninterrupted power supply, many households, especially those on the lower rung of the financial ladder, remain in darkness, with no access to electricity supply.

They constitute 18 per cent of the population, who have •SET TO GO: Mahama ... yesterday no access to electricity.

•From left: Mr. Edun, Governor Amosun, Asiwaju Tinubu and Chief Akande. Behind them are Mr. Seriki, Aremo Osoba, Chief Akinyelure on arrival at the Black Star Square, Accra, venue of the inauguration...yesterday

Opposition boycotts inauguration

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HANA’S opposition party – the New Patriotic Party (NPP), whose leader, Nana AkufoAddo, trailed second with 47.7 per cent at the last election, made good its threat to boycott President John Dramani Mahama’s inauguration yesterday. Its stance was a rejection President Mahama’s call for political unity.

Akufo-Addo’s decision was expected as his NPP has approached the Supreme Court to seek the annulment of the December 7 presidential election results that declared Mahama winner with 50.70 per cent. The opposition believed there were enough irregularities in the process to compromise the outcome.

On Friday, December 28, the NPP

filed a petition at the Supreme Court, claiming that Mahama was invalidly elected. The party said its standard bearer, Akufo-Addo, according to its calculations; polled 50.28 per cent and not 47.74 per cent as declared by the Electoral Commission.

The NPP claims in the petition that Mahama scored 48.26 per cent as against the 50.70 per cent announced by the electoral umpire. It urged the apex court to declare its candidate the winner of the election.

The appellants are: Akufo-Addo, his running mate Dr Mahamudu Bawumia and party Chairman, Jake Obetsebi Lamptey.

Respondents to the petition are: Mahama and the Electoral Commission.

They have till January 18 to respond.

Two lawyers of the NPP, Egbert Faible and Godfred Dame, filed the papers at the apex court. Its supporters have staged a series of demonstrations, some of them were violent, to express their rejection of the results. In some of the demonstrations, supporters of the NDC and reporters were attacked.

International and local observers said the December election was free and fair despite problems that extended voting into the second day.

All eyes are on the court to see if 68-year old Akuffo-Ado, whose father, the late Edward Akuffo-Ado served as President from 1970 to 1972, could get a judicial victory.

The shape of the new Parliament

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HE inauguration was not just for President John Mahama.

The 5th Parliament of the Fourth Republic was dissolved midnight on January 6 and members of the 6th Parliament were sworn in yesterday by the Speaker, Mr. Edward Doe Adjaho, who was elected earlier in the day.

Adjaho is Speaker of the 6th Parliament of the fourth republic. He was sworn in by Chief Justice Georgina Theodora Wood.

He was proposed by the Majority Leader, Dr Benjamin Kumbuor and seconded by the Minority Leader, Osei Kyie Mensah-Bonsu. He was thereafter unanimously accepted by his colleagues.

Until yesterday, he was the first Deputy Speaker in the 5th Parliament.

He urged his colleagues to renew

their sense of patriotism, nationalism and devotion in the discharge of their responsibilities so as to deepen parliamentary democracy.

“We should strive to uphold the sanctity of parliament,” he said.

The Member of Parliament representing Cape Coast North, Mr. Ebo Barton-Odro, was elected First Deputy Speaker. The Esikadu/Ketan lawmaker, Joe Ghartey, was elected Second Deputy Speaker.

One hundred and forty-eight lawmakers from the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) were inaugurated and 122 of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) were also sworn in. The parliament has 275 seats. One lawmaker from the People’s National Convention (PNC) was sworn in and four independent parliamentarians were also inaugurated.

About 177 members of the dissolved Parliament returned and no fewer than 97 of the 6th Parliament are new members.

The 5th Parliament had 230 members, comprising 116 seats for the NDC, 106 seats for the NPP, two seats for the PNC, one seat for the Convention People’s Party (CPP) and three independent seats.

Nineteen members of the dissolved House were women – with 13 of them from the NPP, five from the NDC and one from the CPP. Six of the members died in the course of the 5th Parliament, with the recent being the lawmaker representing Buem, Henry Ford Kamel, who died on Christmas Day. A by-election is expected to be organised within the next 60 days to elect a replacement for the Buem Constituency.

THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2013

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NEWS GHANA’S PRESIDENT’S INAUGURATION

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Kufuor ignores his party

ESPITE his party’s misgivings about the election, former President John Agyekum Kufuor attended yesterday’s inauguration of President John Dramani Mahama.

Early yesterday, supporters of Kufour’s New Patriotic Party (NPP), stormed his residence. Their mission was to prevail on against attending the inauguration. He, however, was not deterred by the displeasure of the aggrieved party members.

They argued that his presence at the inauguration would inconsistent with the party’s legal challenge of the presidential election results.

But in clear terms, Kufour said his presence at the inauguration should not be taken for an opposition to Akufo-Addo’s court action.

He said in an interview some days before the inauguration: “The state has invited me, and I have an obligation as a former president to at-

yesterday

tend the investiture of John Mahama.

“Nothing can stop me from attending this programme and that does not mean I don’t support Akufo-Addo’s court action.

“Anybody who says that I have betrayed the NPP by attending president Mahama’s inauguration is only following his emotions.

Leading a nation is not easy so where I have reached, I am more of a statesman than mere party person. Leadership comes with lots of responsibility. So, if I am called to a function by people who made me president some time back, who am I to decline?

“The Chief Justice will swear the president in on Monday with Justices of the Supreme Court. Are we then saying that because they swore the president in, they have prejudged the court case? No, because they are doing the work of the nation and so will I. So people should leave me alone.”

Justice Joyce Bramford-Addo bows out

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Justice Joyce Bramford-Addo, the former Supreme Court Judge, who was Speaker of the 5th Parliament of the 4th Republic, bowed out yesterday. The 75-year-old was at the Black Star Square where President John Mahama took the oath.

She exuded authority as the Speaker, not allowing her being a septuagenarian to affect her job. Her voice was strong. ‘Madam Speaker’ had lived her life around the court. She rose to become the Director of Prosecution in 1986 and later Supreme Court judge in 1991.

Rawlings’ wife not left out

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•From left: Governor Amaechi; wife of Ekiti State governor, Erelu Bisi , Governor Fayemi, and Secretary-General, Africa, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP), Dr Mohammed Ibn Chambars at the inauguration …yesterday.

ROLL-CALL OF DIGNITARIES •President Goodluck Jonathan •President Boni Yayi •President Jacob Zuma •Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf •President Mohamed Abdel-aziz of Sahrawi Republic •President Blaise Compaore of Burkina Faso •President Gnasingbe Eyadema •President Nbiang Nguema Mbasogo of Equatorial Guinea •Chen Lei (Chinese Minister for Water Resources and Dams) •Kenyan Vice-President Stephen Kalonzo Mosyoka •Daniel Yohannes, Head of United States (U.S.) delegation •Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) National Leader Asiwaju Bola Tinubu •Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) National Chairman Chief Bisi Akande •Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi •Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi •French Minister for Francophone Africa Ms Yamina Benguigui •Former President John Kufour •Former United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Kofi Anan •Mr. and Mrs. J.J. Rawlings •Senegalese President Macky Sall •Ibn Chambas •Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete •President Mahamadou Issoufou •President Alassane Ouattara •Mr Johnnie Carson •Mr Donald Teitelbaum •U.S. Ambassador to Ghana Gene Cretz •Kenyan Vice President Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka •Vice President of Zambia Guy Scott •Prime Minister of Burkina Faso Luc-Adolphe Tiao •Prime Minister of Namibia Hage Geingob •Chief Justice of Gabon Marie Madeleine Mborantsuo •Former Ogun State Governor Chief Olusegun Osoba •Former Minister of State for Defence Mr. Demola Seriki •Mr. Wale Edun •Chief Pius Akinyelure •Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun •Alhaji Kola Oseni •Mr. Jide Sanwolu

•Ex-President Kufour at the inauguration … yesterday.

HANA’S first democratically elected President Jerry John Rawlings and his wife, Nana Konadu Agyeman was duly invited to attend the inauguration.

The former First Lady had resigned from the NDC and became the presidential candidate of the National Democratic Party (NDP). The party failed to contest the 2012 Presidential elections due to her failure to meet the Electoral Commission’s deadline for submission of nomination forms. She was subsequently disqualified.

On several occasions, Mrs. Rawlings

urged the electorate to vote out her former party, the NDC, because it failed to transform the nation.

She also backed a free SHS policy, which the opposition NPP was championing.

So, only a few expected her at the Black Star Square, venue of yesterday’ inauguration.

Decked in her trademark Ghanaian mode of dressing, Mrs. Rawlings attended the inauguration and radiated all through, throwing banters when necessary and exchanging pleasantries.

Tinubu, Akande: Mahama right leader for Ghana

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ORMER Lagos State Governor Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and National Chairman of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) Chief Bisi Akande yesterday said President John Mahama has all it takes to lead Ghana.

Tinubu and Akande spoke with The Nation in Accra after Mahama’s inauguration as Ghana’s fourth elected president.

Tinubu said Ghanaians should entertain no fear with Mahama at the helm of affairs.

He said the Ghanaian president has shown since July when he took over following Prof. John Atta Mills’ death that he would be a great leader.

Tinubu said: “It is clear his people love him. He will lead them well. We need to learn from Ghana how to do things right.”

Akande said: “Mahama has what it takes to take Ghana to the next level. I see orderliness, which is what is lacking in Nigeria. Having been in the parliament and having been vice president, Mahama has what it takes to develop Ghana.

The people should put their mind at rest.”

In a statement, Tinubu said: “Ghana remains a signpost of good governance and democratic values Africa is in dire need of. For Ghana, this transition from democracy to democracy marks a sparkling moment in the history of the country.

“I congratulate the elected President of Ghana, John Mahama and the good people of Ghana on this occasion. It is a moment in history many nations still long for and Ghana offers that great hope that even in Africa democracy thrives.

“To the people of Ghana, once

Ekweremadu tasks President Mahama on unity From Onyedi Ojiabor and Sanni Onogu, Abuja

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EPUTY Senate President Ike Ekweremadu yesterday called on the newly inaugurated President of the Republic of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama to unite all political interests in the West African country by running an inclusive government.

Ekweremadu, who doubles as Speaker of the Economic Community of West African States, (ECOWAS) Parliament, gave the advice in a goodwill message to the President and people of Ghana on the occasion of the president’s inauguration issued by his media aide Uche Anichukwu in Abuja.

He described President Mahama’s emergence as a “rendezvous with destiny” and extolled the Republic of Ghana as “a great inspiration for democracy in the West Africa sub-region.”

Ekweremadu’s message reads: “You have a divine opportunity to be a statesman and true leader to all Ghanaians, irrespective of political and other leanings; it is an opportunity to carve a niche for yourself in the annals of this great Republic in the footsteps of your illustrious processors and great sons and daughters of Ghana who left indelible marks in the struggles for liberty, democracy, peace, and development in the entire black race.

“History therefore beacons on you to consolidate democratic values and rally your great countrymen and women on the path of unity and prosperity.”

He also urged the Ghanaian President to take another look at the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre Foreign Investment Act, 1994 and the recurring issues arising from it with a view to ensuring the protection of the businesses of all West African nationals in the spirit of integration and relevant ECOWAS Protocols.

again, I give kudos for embracing with discipline the innovation of the biometric voting system. As with most innovations, there were lapses and delays during this initial use. But the people persevered and did not for once quit on the system. The people of Ghana performed their civic duty with propriety and quiet heroism. There is a lesson for all of Africa in this.

“Today, Ghana stands tall as a model of democratic practice for Africa and much of the world.

You have shown that the soil of

Africa is as fertile ground for democracy as any other soil. The Black Star today shines brighter than ever before and with each successful election Africa will advance.

“Nigeria has a thing or two to learn from Ghana with regards to organising free and fair elections.

Nigeria’s electoral system is overdue for a biometric voting system.

Our electoral system needs an overhaul. Ghana has shown the way. Nigeria and other African nations must follow the lead.”

THE NATION TUESDAY JANUARY 8, 2013

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NEWS Jonathan’s posters: CNPP urges PDP not to fool Nigerians From Chris Oji, Enugu

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HE Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP) has urged the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) not to fool Nigerians on President Goodluck Jonathan’s posters, “as everyone knows that he is running for a second term.”

CNPP was reacting to the fuss generated by the President’s posters pasted on Abuja streets on New Year’s Day. In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Osita Okechukwu, it said: “We are making this assertion based on the truism that it is simpler for President Jonathan to say capital NO, if he is not running; rather than the tongue-in-cheek answer in the last presidential media chat, which in simplicita means he is running.

“We need a break from the cacophony of voices emanating from the PDP on this issue, as we care less whether or not he has launched his campaign. All we demand is that there should be free, fair and transparent elections in 2015. Mr. President should not either covertly or overtly use his office to manipulate the electoral process.”

The CNPP said it was only concerned with the protection of the inalienable right of “our dear countrymen and women to elect leaders of their choice in 2015. We are least concerned about who becomes the presidential candidate of the PDP. Therefore, the intra-party power tussle should not pollute our political landscape.”

It said: “For those who engage in a do-or-die battle to win the PDP presidential ticket and rate it as an election before the election, we advise that they should forget such mundane thought; as the merger of the ACN, CPC, ANPP and other progressive forces will wipe out such hangover.

“CNPP also demands the implementation of the recommendations of the Uwais Electoral Reform Committee report, as the Prof. Attahiru Jega-led Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is requesting dictatorial powers to disqualify candidates, to muscle the opposition and cancel elections as it did in the 2011 National Assembly election.”

Sambo sets up panel to harmonise reports on demographic database

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ICE-President Mohammed Namadi Sambo has set up a committee to harmonise the recommendations of the subcommittees working on the development of a centralised demographic database for the country.

The committee, which is chaired by the Minister of National Planning Commission, Dr. Shamusideen Usman, has one week to come up with a comprehensive report.

The Vice-President issued the directive yesterday at the presentation of reports and recommendations by the subcommittees of the Presidential Committee.

The Federal Government recently set up sub-committees

From Vincent Ikuomola, Abuja

under the Presidential Committee to midwife the streamlining of the development of a centralised demographic database.

The reports of the committees are expected to be presented to President Goodluck Jonathan.

The final reports, Sambo said, must be harmonised for presentation to the President.

Vice-President Sambo stressed the importance of producing a national demographic data of Nigerians for economic planning, healthcare delivery, educational development and security.

The meeting also emphasised the need for the National

Population Commission (NPC) and other related agencies to collaborate in the discharge of their functions to ensure a better service delivery.

The meeting urged that the NPC be directed to focus on its strategic architecture as it relates to delivering a credible census by 2016, achieving an enhanced registration system and effective population management, while it collaborates with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to ensure it achieves its mandate of identity management, including issuance of the National Identity Cards.

The sub-committees submitted recommendations, some of which were: to undertake

independent audit of the existing demographic data of agencies by the second quarter of 2013; conduct Data Producer/Users Workshop to address integration of the database in 2013; select base Identity Management System (IMS) to be deployed by early 2014; NPC and NIMC to create a unique Personal Identification Number (PIN) for every Nigerian by the first quarter of 2015 and, centralised demographic database to be functional by early 2016, among others.

The meeting also said distinction should be made between national data base and national demographic data base, as each is used for different purposes.

15 Russian crew members in police net

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IFTEEN Russian crew members arrested by the Nigerian Navy (NN) on board a merchant vessel (MV) Myre Seadiver, allegedly carrying arms and ammunition, have been handed over to the Nigeria Police.

The suspects are: Zhelyazkov Andrey, captain of the vessel, Savchenko Sergey, Chichanoy Vasily, Varlygin Igor, Kornilov Alexandr, Lopatin Alexey and Baranovskiy Nikolay.

Others include Mishin Pavel, Illia Shubov, Dmitry Bannykh, Alexander Tsarikov, Kononov Sergel, Korotchenko Andrey, Vorobev Mikhail and Oleksiuk Stepan.

They were handed over to a special team of policemen, led by the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Special Fraud Unit (SFU), Zubairu Mauzu.

The team was constituted by the Inspector-General of Police Muhammed Abubakar.

The Nigerian Navy on October 19 last year intercepted the ship at the Lagos Roadstead, which it said entered the country’s waters without clearance.

On further investigation, the vessel, which hoisted a Scottish flag, was alleged to have contained 14 AK47 rifles with 3,643 ammunition and 22 Benelli MR1 20 Barrel rifles with 4, 955 ammunition.

At the handing over to the police at the Naval Base in Apapa, Lagos, the Commander, Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Beecroft, Commodore Martins Njoku, said the Navy had completed preliminary investigation and handed over the suspects to the police.

He said: “Our preliminary investigations found the 15 suspects wanting. They entered our waters without clearance and carried arms and ammunition without permission.

“We were directed to hand them over to the police for further action. This is what we have done.”

The Nation, however, learnt

By Precious Igbonwelundu

that a search conducted onboard the vessel by a team of NN operatives showed the presence of a cache of arms, which was not declared.

“We further learnt that the vessel departed the port of Toliara Madagascar on August 21 last year en route Conakry, Senegal, but made a detour to Lagos on September 20 for replenishment and crew change.

“The crew change was done same day, which led to the replacement of the vessel’s former captain, Mr. Makarov Mikhail,” our source said.

Muazu, who received the 15 suspects, their international passports and the armoury’s key from the Navy, told reporters that the police would continue from where the Navy stopped.

He said for the Navy to have handed over the suspects to the police means that the suspects have a case to answer, adding that the police would ensure speedy and quality investigation as well as prosecution of the suspects.

Muazu said: “We assure Nigerians that the suspects will be prosecuted. If at the end of our investigation, they are found guilty, we will detain them. So far, there is no clue as to the owner of the arms and ammunition or where the suspects were carrying them to. We will continue from where the Navy has stopped and ensure justice is done.”

Efforts to speak to the suspects were unsuccessful as the ship’s captain said he would not speak to reporters until the Russian Consul arrived.

The Russian Consul, on arrival, refused to comment on the reports by a foreign news agency credited to the embassy that the suspects have been released and their journey to Russia is being processed.

He said: “Please, I don’t want to talk to reporters. I will also not talk on the matter to avoid aggravating issues.”

•Sambo (right); Minister of State for Finance, Dr Yerima Ngama and Usman...yesterday

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Mark: Bill against same sex marriage stands

ENATE President David Mark has said the Bill prohibiting same sex marriage is irrevocable.

The lawmaker, who spoke when he addressed Catholic faithful and guests at the civic reception in honour of Cardinal John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan in Abuja, said the Bill would be passed into law irrespective of pressures from some sections of the international community and human rights activists demanding the legalisation of same sex marriage in the country.

Besides banning same sex marriage, Mark said it is a criminal offence punishable by imprisonment of not less than 14 years.

He added that despite pressures from some quarters, the law has come to stay.

From Onyedi Ojiabor, Assistant Editor and Sanni Onogu, Abuja

Said he: “We will not compromise on this. I want you to join the crusade of decency in our society.

“There are many good values we can copy from other societies, but not this one (same sex marriage).

“We have to prove to the rest of the world, who are advocates of this unnatural way that we Nigerians promote and respect sanity, morality and humanity.

“Every individual is a product of the union of a man and woman.”

Senator Mark acknowledged the cordial relationship

between Nigeria and the Church and pledged that the National Assembly would ensure religious freedom and peaceful co-existence.

He added that it would support religious programmes that have positive bearing on Nigerians, condemning religious intolerance and extremism.

Mark enjoined spiritual leaders to pray for good governance, peace and security.

“We are doing our best to ensure the safety of life and property,” he said.

Cardinal Onaiyekan thanked Pope Benedict X11, the government and people of Nigeria for their prayers and support, especially since his

•Mark

elevation to the Collage of Cardinals.

He said he would be a crusader for peace and unity in Nigeria.

The Chairman of the Reception Organising Committee, Rev. Father Innocent Jooji, noted that Onaiyekan, as a soldier of Christ, has brought honour to the nation with his elevation to the Collage of Cardinals.

Ekiti seeks stronger ties with Ghana

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KITI State Governor Kayode Fayemi yesterday spoke of his administration’s plan to seek closer political and socio-economic ties with the government of Ghana.

The plan was unveiled in Fayemi’s goodwill message to Ghana’s President, Mr. John Dramani Mahama. It was made available to reporters in Ado-Ekiti by his Chief Press Secreytary (CPS), Mr. Yinka Oyebode.

Fayemi was at the Black Star Square, Accra, Ghana to attend the inauguration of Mahama.

Also at the inauguration were President Goodluck Jonathan, the National Leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria

From Sulaiman Salawudeen, Ado-Ekiti

(ACN), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd), Governors Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun) Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers) and Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom) and the National Chairman of the ACN, Chief Bisi Akande among others.

The governor noted that the government and people of Ekiti State are proud to associate with Mahama, who holds a honorary doctorate degree from the stateowned varsity - Ekiti State University (EKSU), Ado-Ekiti.

Fayemi expressed confidence that Ghana shall witness unprecedented peace,

growth and development as Mahama begins his full term of office as president of the West African country.

Describing Mahama as a “dear friend and comrade”, Fayemi assured the Ghanaian leader of the continued support of the government and people of Ekiti State as the two political entities look forward to mutually beneficial relationships.

He said: “Indeed, the Ghanaians from all walks of life have demonstrated absolute confidence in the vision and leadership of President Mahama and have thus freely and transparently bequeathed their mandate on him as witnessed during the last general elections of December 2012.

THE NATION TUESDAY JANUARY 8, 2013

7

NEWS

Fire guts INEC’s headquarters

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IRE yesterday gutted the annex of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) headquarters in Abuja.

But for the intervention by seven fire fighting trucks, including four from the Federal Fire Service, two from the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Fire Service and one from the Nigerian Air Force (NAF), the fire would have affected other buildings and property on the premises.

The fire, which was said to have started around 9:30am when most workers were on duty, affected the Office of the Director of Voter Registry at the Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) section.

Speaking on the incident, the Director of Public Affairs of INEC, Mr. Emmanuel Umenger, said there was no cause for alarm as the fire did not affect the data base containing information about the voter registration.

According to him, it did not spread as it started and ended at the affected office.

He said: “As you have seen, the fire began and ended in the Office of the Director of Voter Registry. Following the efforts of the workers

My Pikin: Trial of suspects resumes

By Eric Ikhilae

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HE trial of suspects over their alleged involvement in the manufacturing and distribution of adulterated baby teething mixture, My Pikin, resumed yesterday with the fresh arraignment of two men and a company, Barewa Pharmaceutical Company Limited.

The men, Adeyemo Abiodun and Ebele Eromosele, are workers of the company. The company has been sealed by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) since 2009 when the offences were allegedly committed.

Three men, including Kola Gbadegeshin, the owner of Barewa Pharmaceutical Company Limited and the company had been on trial since March 2009 when they were first arraigned. The trial was stalled last month when Gbadegeshin died and his name struck off the charge. He had, besides standing trial in person, represented the company in the case.

The prosecution’s effort to replace him with another person suffered hitches until Eromosele volunteered to take his place in representing the company.

Yesterday, prosecution lawyer, Aminu Alilu, told the court that the second accused, Eromosele, had been appointed by the defence to stand in place of the company, since the first accused (Gbadegesin) is dead.

The presiding judge, Justice Okechukwu Okeke, struck out an earlier charge by the prosecution, following which the three accused were arraigned on the amended charge.

Justice Okeke also allowed the accused persons to continue on the earlier bail granted them.

Army promotes 2,900 soldiers THE Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika, yesterday in Abuja announced the promotion of 2,900 soldiers.

He said at the decoration of 14 Colonels with their new ranks of Brig.-Gen. that 10,000 soldiers were recommended for promotion.

Ihejirika assured that the army would promote more soldiers before the end of February.

The COAS said as soon as their documents were verified and the processes for promotion completed, they would be promoted.

According to him, promotion in the military does not come as a reward but a demonstration of confidence on the part of the leadership that the officers promoted still have much more to offer.

From Augustine Ehikioya, Abuja

who alerted the relevant agencies, the fire was put out before it could spread to other places.

“The voter registration data base was not affected and the saver was not damaged because the fire did not get to that section.”

Mr. Umenger assured that the fire would not affect the conduct of the forthcoming elections.

“INEC is determined to organise credible, free and fair elections. I assure Nigerians that this incident will not debar the commission from doing this,” he added.

The Director of ICT in INEC, Mr. Chidi Nwafor, who conducted reporters round the affected office, said the lost items were personal effects of the workers, files and computers.

He said there was no serious damage and that the extent of damage would be ascertained in due course.

INEC workers, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said most of the workers in the affected office, including the Secretary to the Director of Voter Registry, have been whisked away by security men for interrogation.

They said most of the dam-

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‘One Nigerian dies of cervical cancer hourly

By Joseph Jibueze

•Part of the INEC ICT Department gutted by fire yesterday in Abuja

aged equipment and property would have been saved if the security personnel had allowed the workers to have access to the office.

They attributed the de-

struction of the property to the low quality of materials used in the building.

Besides yesterday’s incident, in April 2011, fire gutted INEC’s office, affecting

PHOTO ABAYOMI FAYESE

the security post. On May 24, 2011, fire affected the waiting room of the office of the chairman and on May 16 last year, there was fire at the Electoral Institute.

Supreme Court cautions ‘UNILORIN 49’ on excessive demands

HE Supreme Court yesterday cautioned the reinstated lecturers of the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), Kwara State, to stop demanding excessively from the institution.

The lecturers, popularly called the ‘UNILORIN 49’, were sacked in February 2001 for participating in a nationwide strike embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

But the apex court on December 11, 2009 reinstated them and asked UNILORIN to pay them their salaries and allowances.

The institution returned to the Supreme Court yesterday to complain that the lecturers had obtained a Federal High Court order to withhold about N302 million in its First Bank account, based on a purported order.

The lecturers are demanding that the institution

From Kamarudeen Ogundele, Abuja

should monetise their annual leave for the over eight years they were at home.

They are also asking for sabbatical allowance, though they were not at work while a few of them were already engaged by other institutions.

They also want the institution to return about N200 million deducted at source from their monies and paid as reward to the institutions that had engaged them before they were reinstated.

The UNILORIN’s counsel, Mallam Yusuf Alli (SAN), urged the apex court to clarify its judgment whether it covered the spurious demands made by the lecturers.

Reacting yesterday, the panel chaired by Justice

Mahmud Mohammed expressed concern that the lecturers were interpreting the judgment of the court to justify their excessive demands.

Justice John Fabiyi, who gave the lead judgment in the case, was also on the panel yesterday.

The judge, who was angry that his judgment was being misused by the lecturers to make things difficult for the institution, advised the lecturers to stop embarrassing the institution.

Justice Fabiyi said: “Which sabbatical? Which order of this court says you should go on sabbatical? Sabbatical when you were not around for eight years. Is it moral for you to be asking for all these?

“You are embarking on an illegality. It is not your business to ask for money which

your clients were not entitled to.

“Your clients must abide by the law. You don’t take instructions blindly. I was in the matter. What you are doing is immoral.

“I owe you a duty to tell you in blunt terms. You are not entitled to those things you are asking for. Go and advise your client and stop embarrassing the university.”

Justice Mohammed, who said it was not necessary for the court to interpret the judgment, enjoined the lecturers’ counsel, Toyin Oladipo, not to take steps that would embarrass the judiciary.

He said the judgment of the court was for the payment of the lecturers’ salaries and allowances.

He told Oladipo to advise his clients that what they were asking for were not included in the judgment.

ACN, Accord challenge tribunal’s jurisdiction to use LP’s reply for petition

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NDO State chapter of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and its candidate, Mr. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN), have challenged the jurisdiction of the Governorship Election Tribunal sitting in Akure to make use of the reply filed by the Labour Party (LP).

The objection was filed by 46 lawyers led by three Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Chief Akin Olujimi, Oladipo Okpeseyi and Lasun Sanusi.

ACN is contesting the competence of the LP’s reply to

From Damisi Ojo, Akure

the petition filed by Prof.

Wahab O. Egbewole, who is a full time employee at the University of Ilorin, an educational institution financed by the Federal Government.

The party noted that paragraphs 1&2(b) of the fifth schedule of the constitution forbid Prof. Egbewole, who is a public officer, from offering his service to any other person except his employer.

It said Egbewole has no ‘locus standi’ to sign LP’s reply to the petition and the reply signed by him is a nul-

lity and should not be used by the tribunal.

ACN also prayed the tribunal to strike out all the motions filed by LP challenging its jurisdiction.

It argued that by virtue of the Electoral Act, all objections raised in the respondent’s reply shall be heard along with substantive suit and not by motion at the prehearing session.

Similar applications were filed by the Accord Party, challenging the LP reply filed by Prof. Egbewole. The applications will be heard on January 10.

The tribunal at its last sitting hinted that it may consolidate the petitions before it.

The petitions were filed by ACN, Accord Party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), People for Democratic Change (PDC) and Congress for Progressive Change (CPC).

In another development, a Federal High Court sitting in Akure has awarded N5,000 cost in favour of Akeredolu and ACN in a suit challenging Akeredolu’s candidature by the Registered Trustees of the Egalitarian Mission Africa.

CERVICAL cancer kills one Nigerian every hour, a cancer prevention specialist, Dr. Matilda Kerry, has said.

She said studies show that cervical cancer kills 8,000 women every year, yet of all cancers, it is the one that is 100 per cent preventable.

Addressing a news conference in Lagos on her foundation’s free screening programme, Dr. Kerry said cervical cancer is the second commonest cancer in women and has the highest mortality rate.

She said the cancer affects women in their reproductive age and kills them in their prime, taking between five to 30 years to reach full-blown.

She said cervical cancer can be detected at its early stage and treated.

Her foundation, the George Kerry Life Foundation, is holding free cervical screenings from January 1 to February 4 at 1A, Unity Road, off Mobolaji Bank Anthony Way, Ikeja.

Dr. Kerry said: “Lack of awareness and screening services for women in Nigeria are responsible for these deaths annually.

I’m hale and hearty, says Ekiti Deputy Governor EKITI State Deputy Governor, Mrs. Funmilayo Olayinka, yesterday said she is hale and hearty, urging people to disregard the rumour about her health in the social media.

Mrs. Olayinka, who spoke on the phone with our reporter, said the rumour of her illness was a figment of the imagination of those who posted the wrong information.

She said: “I’m in my office working. I’m not resigning from my position. I will discuss with my boss to know the steps to take. There is no truth in the information regarding my health. I’m hale and hearty. I am working for Ekiti people.”

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THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2013

NEWS Osun pilgrims ‘most-disciplined’

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AST year’s Hajj pilgrims from Osun State have been rated the most disciplined and best behaved.

Governor Rauf Aregbesola said this yesterday in Osogbo, the state capital, while receiving the report of the 2012 Hajj Operation from the Alhaji Zikrullah Hassan-led Osun Hajj Operation Committee.

He said he was impressed that pilgrims from the state were adequately oriented, which led to their good behaviour.

Aregbesola said: “With the report I heard, you were about the best in terms of management and coordination. I also heard that Osun was clearly the most organised, the best behaved and the most disciplined delegation in the operation.

“I praise the team that led the pilgrims to the 2012 Hajj for its foresight and the ability to pre-empt what would have been stressful and disturbing for our pilgrims.”

Of the 1,065 pilgrims that registered with the State Pilgrims Board, the state sponsored 156, the local governments 201 and 708 were self-sponsored.

Commissioner for Home Affairs, Culture and Tourism Sikiru Ayedun said the pilgrims displayed the Omoluabi virtue.

He said the O’Clean initiative was transferred to the holy land, adding that Osun pilgrims introduced frequent environmental sanitation there.

Ayedun said Osun was the only state in Nigeria where no pilgrim was deported, adding that the state government complied with the rules and regulation of the operation.

He said the necessary logistics were provided for the pilgrims, which made the Hajj comfortable and exciting for them.

Ayedun said: “With financial and other logistic support available to the committee, it was easy for the operation to go smoothly. The pilgrims were in high spirit from the first to the last day. Besides, our pilgrims exhibited the virtue of Omoluabi at the holy land, which distinguished them from others.”

•Aregbesola (front row, third left); his deputy, Mrs. Titi Laoye-Tomori; his Chief of Staff, Mr. Gboyega Oyetola (left); Hassan (right); Ayedun (second right); Secretary to the State Government Alhaji Moshood Adeoti (third right) and other members of the 2012 Hajj Operation Committee...yesterday.

‘Adegbonmire an exemplary leader’

Why Fayemi deserves second term, by Ekiti ACN chair

From Damisi Ojo, Akure

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HE late leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Ondo State, Chief Wumi Adegbonmire, has been described as an exemplary leader.

A chieftain of the party, Chief Adewale Omojuwa, yesterday said the late Adegbonmire brought unprecedented development to the state when he served as the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) during the administration of the late Governor Adebayo Adefarati.

Omojuwa, who is a former Chairman of the Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (OSOPADEC), said the late Adegbonmire played a major role in ensuring that Ondo got its entitlements as an oil producing state.

He said the vacuum created by his demise would be difficult to fill and urged the ACN’s leadership to remain focused and united.

Omojuwa was positive that the party would be victorious at the governorship election petition tribunal.

Akure chief in court for land sale From Leke Akeredolu, Akure

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HE police in Ondo State yesterday arraigned a community leader in Akure, the state capital, before a Magistrate’s Court for allegedly selling one acre of land belonging to the Federal Government.

The Olugele of Ugele, Chief Falodun Ajayi, was accused of selling land belonging to the Federal School of Agriculture.

It was learnt that he was arrested after he allegedly invaded the institution with 10 hoodlums, armed with various weapons, and tried to forcibly claim another portion of the land.

Sources said the land was given to the Federal Government by a late Deji of Akure.

Ajayi pleaded not guilty to the charges and was granted bail.

Magistrate O. A. Adegoroye adjourned the case till February 6.

20 shops razed in Ibadan market From Bisi Oladele, Ibadan

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WENTY shops were razed yesterday at a popular market at Ifeleye in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

Goods worth several millions of Naira were also lost in the fire, which is the second in six months.

Director of the Oyo State Fire Service Mr. Olukunle Gafaru confirmed the incident.

It was learnt that fire fighters were not contacted early, but they put out the fire when they arrived.

It was gathered that the fire started from a room in the market around 9:30am.

Chairman of the Electrical Electronics Union, Feleye Market, Christian Umechukuwu said the fire was caused by “human mistake” and urged the government to assist them.

Mrs. Benard Egwuatu said two of her shops were burnt.

Mr. Lukman Owolomose said: “I just saw smoke in my shop and ran out to see what was happening. I saw people shouting. Before I knew it my store had been engulfed by fire.”

He said the fire started from the room of one of the landlord’s sons called Waheed.

According to the traders, Waheed (a.k.a Labour) is mentally unstable.

One of them said: “Waheed took to his heels immediately the fire started. We found out sometimes ago that he was cooking in his bedroom with firewood and bought him a stove” Officials of the State Emergency Management Agency and the police were on the scene.

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HE Chairman of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Ekiti State, Chief Olajide Awe, has said Governor Kayode Fayemi was endorsed for a second term by party leaders because of his “unprecedented achievements” in two years.

Speaking during a Channels Television programme, Politics Today, Awe said Fayemi has performed excellently in office.

He said Ekiti people are now enjoying the dividends of democracy in all sectors of the economy.

The ACN chair cited the building of roads, beautification of the state capital, renovation of public schools, tourism development, the payment of monthly stipends to senior citizens and the revival of moribund industries as

some of the achievements of the Fayemi administration.

He said within two years, Fayemi cleared the rot left behind by successive Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) administrations and restored public confidence in governance by implementing the ACN’s manifesto.

Awe dismissed speculations in some quarters that the party would stop other aspirants from seeking its ticket.

He said party leaders are backing Fayemi to encourage him to work harder to make Ekiti a reference point in Nigeria.

Awe said: “The endorsement of the governor for a second term is not a new thing in politics. The man has performed well and the leaders are impressed with his

performance, which is visible in all parts of the state.

“Come to Ekiti State and see what Fayemi has done, for the first time in Nigeria, we have a government that is taking care of the aged; we are turning the state capital into a 21st Century city and workers are enjoying good welfare packages.

“What he has done was not done by preceding administrations. The state is one of the most secured in the country. The Ire Burnt Bricks Industry, which was moribund for about 21 years, has been revived by Fayemi and he has attracted investment to the state.

“We are not stopping other people from contesting, but with what we are witnessing in all nooks and crannies of the state, we believe this man is performing and we want the good per-

formance to continue.”

Awe dissociated the ACN from attacks on former Governor Ayo Fayose.

He blamed the attacks on the various factions in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The ACN chairman said: “Do not forget that the PDP in Ekiti is divided into three factions and if one faction is having a rally, the other factions can disrupt it.

“The ACN is not to be blamed for the internal crisis in the PDP, it was the PDP that introduced violence, assassination and other vices into Ekiti politics.

“Fayose is not a threat to us. This is a man who was impeached, scaled the fence of the Government House and ran away. What has he forgotten in the Government House that he wants to come back to take?”

Ajimobi assures workers of improved welfare package O YO State Governor Abiola Ajimobi yesterday assured workers that their commitment to work would be “handsomely rewarded” this year.

Ajimobi spoke at the Governor’s Office Car Park in Ibadan, the state capital, during an inter-religious prayer session marking the new working year.

He said since he assumed office, he had subjected workers to series of challenges and created some stormy sessions to get the best out of them.

Ajimobi said: “For you to

have withstood the pressure we brought to bear on you, our close-marking approach and pyramid of checks and balances, be assured that this year will be a year of reward for you.

“We have demanded a lot from you and you have given us what we wanted. For those of you who have survived the tsunami of change, which was aimed at instilling discipline in the system and making the civil service service-oriented, you will be adequately com-

pensated.”

The governor thanked God for the administration’s achievements last year and urged workers to be godly and more dedicated this year.

He said his administration has great plans for them, adding that the government would build housing estates and arrange for mortgages for workers.

Ajimobi urged religious leaders to continue to pray for his administration to de-

liver on its promises and improve the state.

The Head of Service, Alhaji Tajudeen Aremu, urged civil servants to ensure the successful implementation of the government’s programmes.

In their separate sermons, Rev. Francis Omolade and Prof. D. S. Noibi urged civil servants to discharge their duties with the fear of God and shun corruption.

Noibi acknowledged the accomplishments of the administration and hailed Ajimobi for running a government with a human face.

German experts train Osun youths on agriculture

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ERMAN experts from the State of Saxony, Anhalt, have started training youths in Osun State on agriculture.

In a statement, Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s media aide, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, said the training was part of

From Adesoji Adeniyi, Osogbo

the administration’s programmes to revolutionalise agriculture.

He said the experts’ earlier visit had crystallised into “this segment of collaboration of youth exchange, which is going to be in three

phases”.

Okanlawon said: “The first phase of the training involves language training for 48 youths, of which 40 would be selected. The training is expected to prepare the youths for understanding the latest technology in agricultural practice.

“The second phase will come up immediately after the completion of the language training, where experts from Saxony will train our youths on modern agricultural practices in German Language. The third and final phase will be in Germany.”

THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2013

9

NEWS Three die in Ogun, Ibadan accidents

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HREE persons died yesterday in three accidents in Ogun and Oyo states.

Over 24 persons were injured.

The first accident occurred at Awowo on the Abeokuta-Lagos Expressway. The driver of a commercial bus, marked Lagos XT 788 FKJ, lost control of the bus and crashed into the bush.

A woman died and 14 others were injured.

Itori Unit Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Mr. Fatai Bakare said the tyres of the bus burst in motion.

He said the body of the

•Dozens injured From Ernest Nwokolo, Abeokuta and Bisi Oladele, Ibadan

middle-aged woman had been deposited at the morgue of the Ifo General Hospital.

A white Mazda bus, marked Lagos XW 959 LSR, also crashed at Ogunmakin on the Ibadan-Lagos Expressway.

A passenger died and 13 others were injured.

Ogere FRSC Unit Commander Godwin Samgbasa said the injured were taken to Fakoya Hospital in Sagamu.

He said the body had

Oyelese slams Ladoja for comments

A

CHIEFTAIN of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Oyo State, Elder Wole Oyelese, has urged the party’s national leadership to conduct fresh primaries from the ward to state levels.

Oyelese accused former Governor Rashidi Ladoja of insulting members in an interview published by a national newspaper last week.

He said for someone who became a governor on the PDP’s platform, Ladoja’s description of the party as a “casino” was an insult.

In a statement entitled: “Don’t prove Ladoja right on Oyo PDP”, Oyelese said: “Not a few concerned members of Oyo PDP felt insulted by Ladoja’s description of the PDP as a ‘casino’ on the front page exclusive interview he recently granted a national newspaper.

“For a party that gave him relevance in Nigerian politics, one should castigate Ladoja for the uncharitable action of casting such aspersion on the PDP. However, a close look at the way the state PDP crisis is being handled by the national body may eventually lend some credence to Ladoja’s vituperation, as insulting and bitter as it may be.

“It is therefore imperative that urgent steps be

From Bisi Oladele, Ibadan

taken to right the wrongs and save the party in Oyo State. It is currently being circulated by some individuals that there is a party executive in Oyo State, which is recognised by the National Executive and this kind of false propaganda is not healthy for the party in a volatile state as ours.

“The sad fact is that there are three different executives in Oyo PDP and none can be described as legal.

This kind of position is not good for the PDP at a time when members are defecting out of frustration and other parties are ganging up to fight us.

“Some individuals are creating an ugly impression out of the inability of the National Working Committee (NWC) to attend the reconciliation meeting on December 18.

“Those of us who know the national officials well enough know them as men of high integrity, who cannot be compromised. To reposition Oyo PDP, I urge the National Executive to urgently organise fresh party congresses from the ward to the state level. Anything short of this cannot work and delay is dangerous.”

‘Stop attacks on Ikuforiji’

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HE Lagos State House of Assembly has warned “mischievous elements” against circulating falsehood about Speaker Adeyemi Ikuforiji in the print and social media.

Speaking on behalf of the lawmakers yesterday at the Assembly Complex, Chairman of the Assembly’s Committee on Information Segun Olulade said it was disheartening that the speaker was linked to the fraud allegation against one of his aides, Mr. Atoyebi Oyebode, in a newspaper report last week.

Olulade said the Assembly members have confidence in Ikuforiji’s leadership.

He described Ikuforiji as a “diligent statesman with impeccable character and a leader with vision and focus”.

The lawmaker said the Assembly’s achievements in the last eight years could

By Oziegbe Okoeki

not have been possible without the Speaker’s “excellent leadership skills”.

He urged those threatened by the Speaker’s “rising political and social profile” to engage him in “policy-inclined issues”, rather than defaming his character, “which he worked hard to build as an accomplished banker and a quintessential lawmaker”.

Olulade said: “Those sponsoring unprintable and malignant publications against Ikuforiji are spent forces and political failures, who are extremely estranged against Mr. Speaker because their inordinate political ambitions have suffered serious setbacks in recent times.

“Only God can determine the future of an individual and no amount of mudslinging can stop Mr. Speaker from achieving his destiny.”

been deposited at the Olabisi Onabanjo Teaching Hospital (OOUTH) in Sagamu.

A female trader died in an accident in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

Five others were injured.

The accident occurred around noon behind Premier Hotel, Mokola.

It was learnt that the brake of a commercial bus, marked GK 780 AAA, failed and the bus hit a concrete fence.

One of the passengers died immediately and the injured were taken to the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan.

UCH spokesman Ayo Bobade said the six victims that were brought to the hospital were in stable condition.

46 lawyers to fight Akeredolu’s battle From Damisi Ojo, Akure

•Akeredolu

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HE candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in the October 20 governorship election in Ondo State, Mr. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN), will be represented by 46 lawyers at the Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Akure, the state capital.

The list, which was presented to the tribunal yes-

terday, includes Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs), led by the former AttorneyGeneral of the Federation, Chief Akin Olujimi.

Some of the lawyers on the list are Oladapo Okpeseyi (SAN); Lasun Sanusi (SAN); Wole Aina; Mrs. S. T. Babalola; Kola Olawoye; Ayo Odugbesan; Micheal Lana; Folashade Aladeniyi; Bode Ayorinde; Oluwagbemiga Olatunja; Victor Olatoyegun and Titiloye Charles.

Mrs. Ejinwa Joy Akeredolu and Miss Yejide Akeredolu are also listed.

The legal team has concluded inspection of the documents used by the In-

dependent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the election.

The respondents, Governor Olusegun Mimiko and the Labour Party (LP), are believed to be planning to kill the petition on technical grounds. So many objections have been filed to this effect by the respondents.

It was learnt that Mimiko filed a cross petition to the result declared by INEC in Irele and Ilaje to prevent any of the petitioners from being declared winner of the election without a rerun.

Mimiko’s legal team is led by Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN) and that of the LP by Yusuf Ali (SAN).

THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2013

10

CITYBEATS

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

One dies in Civil Defence officials’,vandals’ clash

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NE person died and scores were injured yesterday in a clash between Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) officials and suspected pipeline vandals in Ikorodu, Lagos.

A LAGBUS vehicle was burnt,60 suspects arrested and guns and cutlasses recovered.

The clash, it was learnt, was sparked by the Civil Defence officials’ attempt to arrest some people suspected to be vandals around the nearby Majidun river, where sand is being dredged and sold.

Some of them were said to have resisted arrest, claiming to be sand dredgers and sellers and not vandals.

In the ensuing melee, the ‘real vandals’were said to have come out with guns and cutlasses to attack the Civil Defence officials.

An eye witness, Olakunle Olanrewaju, said the clash spread to the road leading to Ikorodu, leaving many commuters stranded.

He said: "The Civil Defence Corps has been working tirelessly to stop the activities of the pipeline vandals and bunkerers since the beginning of the year and they confirm that the vandals even operate with guns and dangerous weapons.

"There are two types of people who reside there, the Ilajes and the tenants that come from anywhere to do business especially bunkerers. The Civil Defence came in this morning to pick the pipeline vandals and they started picking from the guys selling sand

•LAGBUS vehicle torched •60 arrested, guns, cutlasses, recovered

By Miriam Ndikanwu

from the Majidun river.

“So the Baale of Majidun came in to tell them not to arrest the indigenes, but while he was discussing with them, an argument ensued and then the vandals came out with guns and cutlasses to attack the Civil Defence officials.

"During the chaos, some cars were vandalised including a LAGBUS vehicles.

While the shooting lasted, an indigene popularly called "Sule Osha" was killed. The gun shot from the Civil Defence caught him in the head and he died instantly", Olanrewaju recounted.

The 60 arrested were said to be involved in the vandalism of Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) pipeline in Majidun.

The Commandant,Lagos NSCDC Command, Mr. Shem Obafaiye, said they were arrested in an operation which began on Sunday night following intelligence reports.

He said: "My officers went on operation Sunday night after receiving intelligence reports on the operation of the vandals in Majidun and they were able to return with Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) stored in various jerry cans.

But another report came during the day that those people were back operating again, so they went back with reinforcement to the village and on getting there, the whole villagers came out to attack our men."

Obafaiye said about seven

officers injured by the villagers are in hospital.

He said intelligence report indicated that a prominent resident of the community was “fully behind the operation,” adding that plans are being made to arrest all those involved.

On whether the prominent resident will be arrested, he said: "Plans are being made in that regard and I believe that these activities have been on before my arrival and my assignment here is to come and combat it."

Some of the suspects told our reporter that they were innocent.

Mr. Ganny Adeniji said he was in the community to buy sand when he was arrested.

Adeniji, who presented his complimentary and identity cards said he had no idea that the community was being raided. "I trade in sand and this is not my first time of coming to the village to buy sand. I was carrying out this transaction when the officers came and arrested all the men there and asked the women to leave the area.

"Am pleading with the authority to let me go home, am not one of the vandals and I don't even have any knowledge that something like that was going on there, what I came there for was to buy sand which is what I do for a living and I have been doing this for years.”

Chukwu Samson a tipper driver, said he was arrested

•Some of the suspects...yesterday

•One of the vandalised NSCDC vans

at the bus stop while trying to flee from the village when he learnt that members of the community and Civil Defence officers were fighting.

“I was at the park trying to repair my vehicle when the news came that the Civil De-

Police clampdown on commercial tricyclists HE Police yesterday arrested some commercial threewheeler drivers, popularly referred to as Keke Marwa, and impounded some tricycles.

The policemen, an eye witness said, came in two police patrol vans to the Keke Marwa park at Ahmaiyya in Ojokoro, a Lagos suburb.

They were said to be from the nearby Oko-

T

By Oziegbe Okoeki

Oba Police Station in Abule Egba.

A source, who pleaded anonymity said: "They stormed the bus stop in their vehicle and started dragging some tricyclists into their vehicles. Three policemen drove away three of the tricycles.

"Many of us were very surprised because we did not really know the rea-

son for the arrest. They are not on the expressway and they are not okada riders," the source said.

An affected rider said: "From what I heard, the policemen that came this morning just came to collect money from our people.

"We are not okada riders and we are not plying the highways. So what offence have we commit-

ted? They should leave us alone and allow us to do our work in peace. We are law abiding citizens of this state and we don't want trouble.

"If they are arresting our people and collecting our tricycles, what do they want us to use to feed our families? This is the only thing we do, we cannot go and rob to feed our families, they should leave us alone."

fence men and the villagers were fighting. So I decided to cross the road to take another bus to Ikorodu town but I fell and sustained a leg injury."

PHOTOS: OMOSEHIN MOSES

He said the Civil Defence officials met him at that point and arrested him with others that were brought to Alausa.

LAMATA, CCECC fix bad road THE Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) and China Civil Engineering and Construction Company (CCECC), at the weekend began fixing the defective sections of the Mile 12 to Ikorodu road between Owode and Itowolo.

A statement by LAMATA's spokesman Mr Kolawole Ojelabi said the repair is to ensure smooth movement of traffic.

According to him, the project manager, Mr. Olufemi Fayombo, said the repair would give motorists a relief pending the rehabilitation of the 13.5-kilometre road.

He said LAMATA, after listening to requests from motorists plying the road opted to repair all the failed sections as a palliative measure to aid movements.

Ojelabi urged road users to drive carefully and observe all road and traffic regulations, warning that government frowns at flouting of the Lagos traffic law.

He commended the Chinese construction firm for carrying out the palliative repair as it was not part of their contract.

Fire razes six buildings in Makoko

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• A locomotive on the rail track at Alafia area of the Lagos Badagry Expressway as the track laying for the Okokomaiko - Marina (Blue Line) Rail project begins in Lagos. The first phase of the 27-kilometre rail line will begin this year.

IX buildings in Makoko Waterfront Community, Yaba Local Government Area of Lagos State were yesterday razed. The fire destroyed property worth millions of Naira.

This came barely 24 hours after a storey building on Igando Road, Ikotun-Igando Local Council Development Area, (LCDA), was gutted by fire.

It was gathered that one of the buildings went up in flames at 12:45 am, spreading to the others.

The fire, which razed the structures built with planks and roofing sheets, located at Mappo, was traced to electrical

spark.

The inferno was aided by the harmattan haze.

It was learnt that victims had since vacated the buildings to squat with relatives.

The General Secretary, Makoko-Iwaya Waterfront Community, Mr. John Mautin Keke, said: “It is pathetic that this is happening at this time of the year when the weather is very cold for one to live without shelter,” adding that: “We thank our Creator that it was only six structures that were affected by the inferno which occurred at about 1:00 pm. And there was no loss of life.”

He said some of the resi-

dents sustained minor injuries while trying to rescue others from the fire.

The secretary noted that the fire was put out by the residents before men of the Lagos State Fire Service could arrive at the scene.

Kayode, one of the residents said: “Immediately I discovered that the fire was caused by an electrical spark, I ran to the transformer to remove the fuse to avert any electrocution.”

“After that, we collected water from the river to extinguish the fire before it spread to other buildings in the community,” he added.

THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2013

11

BUSINESS THE NATION

E-mail:- bussiness@thenationonlineng.net

Naira weakens oncorporate demand

New policy on cement coming From Franca Ochigbu, Abuja

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HE naira depreciated for a second day as de mand for dollars increased after the end of Christmas and New Year festivities.

According to Bloomberg report, the currency weakened 0.2 per cent to 157.0375 a dollar and had lost 0.4 per cent last week. “We expect to see a build-up in demand for foreign exchange as businesses resume” operations, analysts at Lagos- based Cowry Asset Management Ltd., led

by Edgar Ebinum, said. “We expect to see pressure on the naira.”

The Central Bank of Nigeria, which sells dollars to lenders to stabilise the naira, resumed twice-weekly foreign-currency auctions yesterday after a break since December 19. It sold $150 million, compared with $300 million disbursed at the previous sale, it said in an emailed statement.

Yields on the nation’s $500 million of Eurobonds due January 2021 slid two basis points, or 0.02 percentage point, to 3.906 per cent. The rate on 10-year naira debt fell 15 basis points to 11.52 per cent, according to January 4 prices compiled on the Financial Markets Dealers Association website.

Central bank policy makers left the benchmark interest rate unchanged at 12 percent last year. Nigeria’s inflation rate rose for a second month in November to 12.3 per cent from 11.7 percent, the National Bureau of Statistics said Dec. 17. Ghana’s cedi weakened 0.1 per cent to 1.8975 per dollar in Accra, the capital. It depreciated 16 per cent last year, the most since 2008.

To underline the commitment of this administration to transparency and accountability, especially in the extractive industries, we willingly initiated and submitted ourselves to public scrutiny through several factfinding panels. So, my administration has no intention whatsoever to cover up any ascertained misdeeds revealed by these exercises.

- President Goodluck Jonathan

• Aganga

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HE Federal Govern ment will review the Backward Integration Policy in the cement sector with a view to consolidating on the tremendous success so far recorded, the Minister of Trade and Investment, Olusegun Aganga, has said.

Aganga, who spoke during a meeting with stakeholders in the cement industry in Abuja, yesterday said a new cement policy would be unveiled soon.

In attendance at the meeting were, Managing Director/CEO, Lafarge Cement WAPCO Nigeria Plc, Joseph Hudson; Chairman, BUA Group, Alhaji Abdulsamad Rabiu; Group

Managing Director, Flour Mills Plc, Chief Emmanuel Ukpabi ; Chairman Ibeto Group, Chief Cletus Ibeto and Group Representative, Dangote Industries Limited, Isa Tata Yusuf.

The Minister said: “Following the tremendous success recorded through the introduction and rigorous implementation of the Backward Integration Policy in the cement industry, we are planning to review the entire policy to consolidate on the gains so far recorded.

We have achieved everything we set for ourselves 10 years ago when the Backward Integration Policy was introduced. We want to thank all stakeholders and investors in the sector for the success story recorded so far.

“However, we want to take the next step as part of our strategy on the way forward. We are forming a group of people that will look at the cement policy in detail and come up with the policy response that we need to have in place to take that next step that will make us a major exporter and user of cement.

“In 2002, the major priority of the country’s Backward Integration Policy was about cement production from limestone. I am delighted to say that after 10 years of implementation of BIP, the good news is that we started with 2 million tons capacity, but today, we have about 28 million tons capacity of cement, investment of about $6billion; which provides direct and indirect employment for about 2 million people.

And because of what we have done together, we have been able to save about N210billion in foreign exchange per year.

“For the first time ever, this ministry did not issue any import licence in 2012.

This is a remarkable achievement and a major economic success for our country. However, we want to carry out a deeper review of the cement sector to ensure that it is more competitive not just locally but internationally because we are at a point where we should be thinking about exporting some of our products.

“This means that we need to look at the overall structure including the current

pricing, availability, affordability, in addition to developing an export strategy for the sector.”

Aganga said that the ministry would work with all the stakeholders in the sector to ensure its sustainable growth and development.

He said, “At the end of the day, this is one of the sectors that Nigeria should, and will be rightly known for as one of the greatest contributors to the Gross Domestic Product of the country. This is the key message that I want to pass across in terms of where we are today and what our plans are in terms of where we want to be going forward. I want to carry everyone along in terms of what we are looking at and incorporate your inputs into what we are planning to do so that at the end of the day, it will be a win-win situation for all the manufacturers, consumers and the Nigerian economy at large.

“Hopefully, before the end of this week, the committee will be set up. There is no industrial policy that has been as successful as the BIP in the cement industry. So, we have a duty to make sure that we protect the sector and continue to see it grow.”

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

• From left: Head, Legal and Regulatory Services, Starcomms PLC, Mr Bosun Hambolu; interim CEO, Mr Olusola Oladokun, and CEO Designate, Mr Dem Eleso at Starcomms Shareholders’ Forum in Lagos.

Oil price falls as uncertainty hits energy markets

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IL prices fell yester day following uncer tainty about future action from the U.S. Federal Reserve and data showing the U.S. unemployment rate unchanged.

Benchmark crude for February delivery fell 43 cents to $92.66 per barrel at late afternoon Bangkok time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

The contract closed up 17 cents at $93.09 a barrel on the Nymex on Friday after the U.S. Energy Department’s Energy Information Administration reported a much bigger drop in the nation’s crude supplies than analysts expected.

Separately, crude stocks fell by about 12 million barrels for the week ending December

• .1m bpd greenfield refinery for Ogun From Dele Anofi, Abuja

28, according to the American Petroleum Institute.

Monday’s decline in oil prices follows the release of a transcript of the Federal Reserve’s December meeting showing that policymakers disagreed over how long to keep a bond-purchase program in place.

Traders inferred the Federal might shorten the program, which could send U.S. interest rates, and therefore the dollar, higher. That in turn would hurt the price of oil.

Oil, which is priced in dollars, tends to fall as the dollar strengthens and makes crude

more expensive for investors holding foreign currencies.

Meanwhile, a 100,000 barrels per day greenfield refinery is to be built in Ipokia, Ogun State.

The project followed the successful completion of a joint venture financing agreement with Eton Group, Eton Finance Private Ltd of Singapore and Eton’s subsidiary, Niger Delta Refinery and Petrochemicals Company Ltd. Under the agreement, Eton Group is to finance the refinery with a total of N304.2b ($1.95b) in the joint venture funding with both companies working together to re-

alize the goals of the project.

At the signing ceremony held in Abuja, the Executive Chairman of Badagry Petroleum Refinery , Alh. Razak Awayewaserere signed on behalf of his company while Alan Rennie, the Managing Director of Niger Delta Petrochemicals Company, who is also a Director of Eton Finance Private Ltd signed for Eton Group.

According to Alh. Awayewaserere who explained that the project received Approval in principle in 1993, financial and administrative formalities would be concluded within four months after which the project would move to the next phase of Feed, approval, fabrication and construction.

‘Why we want 13% oil fund’ From Shola O’Neil, Warri

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HE leader of Ijaw oil producing communi ties in the Niger Delta, Chief Favour Izoukumor, has described on-going agitation for direct payment of the 13 per cent oil derivation fund to communities as a no confidence vote on Governors of the Niger Delta region.

Izoukumor, National President of Izon-Ebe Oil Producing Communities Forum (IOPCF), joined prominent Ijaw leader and former Minister of Information, Chief Edwin Clark, on the call to remove control of the fund from the region’s Governors.

He told The Nation yesterday in Warri, that the people of the host communities want to be the deciders of their destinies. “We no longer have confidence in the state governors. So we want to manage our fund and be in charge of our development since they have failed us.”

He suggested that the role of state governments should merely be supervisory and overseeing of how the fund is utilised, stressing that “We intend to consistently agitate until we get what we want.”

Besides, he clarified that the agitation is not to deprive non-oil bearing communities, but to ensure that public officers who feed fat to the detriment of owners of the wealth are checked.

Meanwhile, the IjawLeader said there is nothing wrong with the position of northern leaders who are opposed to the Petroleum Industry Bill. He said as elected leaders of their people, they are only doing what they think is right for the north.

“The North is not our problem; our problem is our elected officials who are only interested in what they can benefit and not in the interest of our people.

If the northern leaders see what they think will benefit the South/South to their own detriment, they have a right to oppose it.

“Unfortunately, our own leaders are not interested in issues that will affect us; they are interested in their own interest. What I expected them (South/south politicians) to do is to engage in the politics of give and take, lobbying to get lawmakers from other zones on their side but they have not done this.

“So, we should stop blaming the north for what is going on now because they (north) have accused our governors of not using the funds they have gotten so far to the benefit of their states. Instead they are amassing wealth for themselves and this is not in the interest of national security. You cannot have individuals richer than their states like we presently have, it is just not ideal,” he stated.

12

THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2013

BUSINESS NEWS Freight Forwarders okay new Customs Act T HE National Associa tion of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) has expressed support for the amended Customs &Excise Management Act (CEMA) by the senate.

It however rejeted calls to dump CEMA. NAGAFF said such calls for the rejection of the CEMA by some interest group in the maritime sector is only self-serving.

National President of NAGAFF, Eugene Nweke, described the submission attributed to some interests in maritime sector adainst as not only mischievous but self-serving.

He said the passage of the bill by the House of Representatives followed an extensive public hearing conducted and

From NdukaChiejina (Assistant Editor)

all the stakeholders in maritime sector were given unfettered opportunity to air their views both in oral submission and in written , thus wondering while sudden volt face by so-called stakeholders.

He counseled the interest group to allow the Act to pass and be put to use in maritime sector for at least for five years to observe it potency after which they can call for its review.

According to him, “in Nigeria today, anybody and everybody can chose to come under any guise or group to make pronouncements because the freedom of expression guaran-

tees that. The CEMA clearly sets out how to democratize the board of customs. I think it should be put to test for five years after which if there are issues it can be taken care of.”

On granting six month extension to four contracted firms engaged to undertake destinations inspection of imports to Nigeria; he said government need not extend the contract because men of the Nigeria Customs Service have been adequately trained to perform the task.

In his words, “the Nigeria Customs Service (NSC) has undergone tremendous improvement lately that bringing these expatriates to take over the job of Customs is as good as rendering over 10,000 young Nigerians currently recruited by the Service in preparation for this type of service delivery amount to idleness.

• MD Ericsson Nigeria, Mr. Kamar Abass (second from right) and Vice Chancellor, University of Lagos, Professor Rahamon A. Bello (second from left) flanked by the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Academic and Research, Professor Babajide Alo (right) and the Dean of Science, Professor M. O. Ilori (left) as Ericsson Nigeria handed over the renovated final year Physics laboratory worth over N7million, recently at the University of Lagos.

‘High cost hampers production’

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HE Vice Chancellor, Federal University of Technology, Professor Biyi Daramola said the nation was experiencing deindustrialization because the cost of production has become too expensive.

Speaking with The Nation, Daramola said manufacturing companies are facing many challenges, including high cost of energy, a heavy tax burden close to the levels and precarious transportation infrastructure, and these costs accumulate along the entire production chain.

By Daniel Essiet

He said the inflation is high driven increasing costs of inputs – from imported capital goods, to local raw materials, energy and transport. He said increased cost of production has made the market uncompetitive.

According to him, the nation is yet to reap from the production efficiencies, pointing the finger at costly and un-reliable electricity supply, narrow and poorly maintained roads, dysfunctional railways, high cost of credit, and others.

He said the government’s initiatives should focus on boosting production, especially in industry, the sector hardest hit by the current crisis. What needs to be done, he said, is to identify in which areas key to industry and the economy to act, and to determine in which sectors it will be difficult to develop competitiveness.

This includes implementing policies “to favour some sectors, but requiring something in return: targets, timeframes and results,” he said.

Achieving these, he said, will reduce costs and encourage efficiencies that will dramatically improve the competitiveness of goods and services produced in the country. Of course this goes

hand in hand with investment in infrastructure like roads, energy, and agriculture.

Speaking with The Nation,the President, Association of Micro Entrepreneurs of Nigeria (AMEN), Saviour Iche said small manufacturers are not seeing seeing growth and this is why the sector is experiencing sluggish job creation.

With the challenge is poor power supply, Iche said output from factory production has not risen.

The downward movement goes against the trend of the 80s, where factory output as a portion of the economy increased.

He indicated that several factors affected manufacturing, including falling factory investment and policies which is not supporting higher small manufacturing sector productivity.

He said industries are not in decelerating decline and some have continue to shy away from committing resources struggling to manage declining confidence in the economy. tors it will be difficult to develop competitiveness.

This includes implementing policies “to favour some sectors, but requiring something in return: targets, timeframes and results,” he said.

Achieving these, he said, will reduce costs and encourage efficiencies that will dramatically improve the competitiveness of goods and services produced in the country. Of course this goes hand in hand with investment in infrastructure like roads, energy, and agriculture.

Speaking with The N a t i o n , t h e President,Association of Micro Entrepreneurs of Nigeria(AMEN), Saviour Iche said small manufacturers are not seeing seeing growth and this is why the sector is experiencing sluggish job creation.

With the challenge is poor power supply, Iche said output from factory production has not risen .

The downward movement goes against the trend of the 80s , where factory output as a portion of the economy increased.

He indicated that several factors affected manufacturing, including falling factory investment and policies which is not supporting higher small manufacturing sector productivity.

He said industries are not in decelerating decline and some have continue to shy away from committing resources struggling to manage declining confidence in the economy.

ITF to open skill centres

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HE Industrial Training Fund, ITF is to estab lish 37 Industrial Skill Training centres in the six geo political zones of the country.

The Director-General, Prof. LongmasWapmuk disclosed this during a press briefing in Abuja, assuring that the agency has also planned to train 37,000 youths in different skill acquisition.

He said: “The decision to embark on the establishment of the centres was part of the funds’ efforts at addressing the obvious shortage of skilled manpower acquisition in the country.

“ITF was established to promote and encourage the acquisition of skills in industry and commerce sectors of the nation’s economy with the view of generating a pool of sufficient indigenous

From Franca Ochigbo and Joy Idoko Abuja

trained manpower to meet the needs of the private and public sectors of the economy.

“The centres when opened will enhance Apprenticeship Scheme as well as the training of young entrants and other skill workers thereby reduce over dependence on government.

“The fund had earlier established three centres in Ikeja, Kano and Jos, ITF is collaborating with ITEE, Singapore establishing a model skill training centre in Abuja, the centre in Abuja is to embark on the training of candidates on technology, electrical/electronics, ICT, Mechatronics and Culinary.

“The agency is also floating a skilled manpower development programme ini-

tiated under a collaborative association with the Nigeria Employers’ consultative Association, NECA. The project, he said, is tagged: “Technical Skills Development Project TSDP,” he stated.

He added that agency is also developing job specification documents, while at the moment 110 staff of the Dangote Cement Group are being trained in a long-term programme.

The agency is also coordinating and sponsoring a National Industrial Skills Development Programme, NISDP, which has taken off in 10 states of the federation. Under the first phase of this programme, 10,000 youths are already being trained while a total of 30,000 young Nigerians are expected to be trained in diverse trade in the nation’s economic sectors as identified.

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THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2013

PROPERTY/ENVIRONMENT

UACN unveils 44-unit estate in Abuja

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HE UACN Property Development Company (UPDC) has unveiled a 44-unit Emerald Court in Gudu, Abuja. The estate sits on a 1.9 hectares of land.

The estate comprises 14 units of four-bedroom semi-detached houses with boy’s quarters; 22 units of fourbedroom terrace houses, and eight units of three-bedroom flats with maid’s room.

At the unveiling, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Senator Bala Mohammed, who was represented by a Permanent Secretary in the FCT, Mr Anthony Ozodinobi, praised the developer.

He said with over 2.5 million inhabitants, the FCT has a housing deficit that places investors in a vantage position to offload units at a premium.

He expressed his administration’s commitment to housing, saying it will assist social transformation.

He urged stakeholders, especially in the finance sector, to collaborate with the government to provide shelter for the masses.

Responding, UPDC’s Managing Director Mr Hakeem Oguniran reiterated the desire of his company to partner with the government to provide quality housing. He assured that the estate would be completed on schedule and within budget. The stipulated delivery date is 14 months. He said every facility needed to make living interesting has been provided in the medium-

•A part of Emerald Court

By Okwy Iroegbu-Chikezie Asst Editor (Property)

sized estate.

His words: “To ensure the comfort of residents we endeavoured to put in place a state-of-the–art facility including swimming pool, lawn tennis court, club houses, children’s playground, sewage treatment plant.

“Others are borehole with treatment plant, running 8,000 litres per hour, fire alarm system, burglar alarm system, standby generators, and ample parking space for residents and visitors.”

To make the estate self-sustaining, he said facilities and services, such as a pharmacy shop and sewage treatment linked to the FCDA cen-

tral sewage; underground water storage tank of 32,000 litres, and a water tank of 45,000 litres capacity, plus an elevated tank of 192,000 litres capacity will be provided.

On challenges faced by developers in providing houses in towns and cities, Oguniran said the government had not done enough to encourage them in terms of liberalising land acquisition, titles and cutting down the time it takes to get approvals for buildings. The UPDC boss lamented the cost of sourcing land for housing projects in the FCT, noting that it would deter genuine investors from investing in the federal capital. He urged the FCT administration to take time and identify genuine investors such as his firm and consider allocating sizeable ex-

panse of land to them to close the ever widening housing gap in the city. He promised that UPDC will always keep to their side of the bargain because “we are in this business to stay.”

At inception, UPDC got the mandate of its promoters to acquire, develop, sell, lease and manage choice residential and commercial real estate in carefully selected cities of the country such as Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt. This, source said, explained their recent construction of Vintage Gardens, a 90-unit premium housing estate strategically located

Club to donate hostel to Kwara school

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•A collapsed building in Abuja.

Groups flay houses demolition in Abuja

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EEKS after the demolition of the Minanuel Estate on Airport Road in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), criticisms have continued to trail the exercise.

The Association of Building Artisans of Nigeria (ASBAN) and a nongovernmental organisation, Shelter Watch Initiatives, have condemned the demolition of the over 5,000 housing units.

Despite the criticisms, the FCT Minister, Senator Bala Mohammed, has threatened to demolish more.

The group condemned the action of the minister. It asked for his sack by President Goodluck Jonathan. Its National President, Mr Jimmy Oshinubi, said: “ASBAN has resolved

Stories by Okwy Iroegbu-Chikezie Asst Editor

to forward its petition to the Senate President; Speaker, House of Representatives and housing-related international agencies, including the United Nations Secretary-General to expose to the international community the resolve of the administration to keep our people out of job through demolition of houses in FCT.” He vowed that his group would collaborate with human rights groups in and outside the country to stop the maladministration of the FCT administration. He asked Jonathan to restore confidence in his administration by restructuring land administration in the FCT. Oshinubi also asked for the re-

settlement of Minanuel Estate subscribers and compensation to the developer.

Also, the Executive Director, Shelter Watch Initiative, Mr Segun Olutade, said the demolition of houses in Abuja, without inviting the developers to present their case or recourse to rule of law, was an indication that our rulers are not humane.

He said the demolition of the estate was motivated by the greed of our political leaders who want to convert the land to their personal use. He called on right thinking individuals to condemn the act and insists that government compensate all the subscribers affected by this wicked act.

in the heart of Port Harcourt dubbed the Garden City.

The owners say the garden promises delightful living to its prospective residents and premium rental income to savvy investors. The target completion period for the estate is 18 months, while delivery of some of the houses has been planned for next month.

The 90-housing unit at the estate comprise four-bedroom semi-detached houses; four-bedroom terraces; three-bedroom flats; threebedroom terrace apartments, and one-bedroom studio flats.

GROUP, Merit Club, is to donate a 100-bed hall of residence to Omu-Aran High School, Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara State.

The club Chairman, Chief Kunle Oyinloye, spoke at the foundation laying of the building in Omu-Aran.

He said the structure would be handed over to the school before the next academic session in September.

Oyinloye, who is also the managing director of Nigerian Infrastructure Bank Plc, sad the gesture was in fulfilment of the first phase of the club’s pledge to the community during the last Omu-Aran Descendants Union (ODU) Day celebration.

He said the hostel would be furnished with modern facilities to make learning easier for pupils.

“The aim is to reduce the rate of students’ failure in our secondary schools being experienced,” he said.

The immediate past president of ODU, Chief Peter Oyinloye, used the occasion of the annual general meeting of the union, to reel out his achievements.

He said the union renovated the school’s laboratories, procured science equipment and materials to

From Adekunle Jimoh, Ilorin

four secondary schools in the community. They are Omu-Aran High School, Ogbo Grammar School, OfeAran Commercial College and Aperan Comprehensive College.

He said: “Bishop David Oyedepo donated N40 million to the union, out of which N30,671,470 was expended in the procurement of science, agriculture and home economics materials. We also purchased 80 sets of computer plus their back-ups and tables. Other things purchased are ceilings, industrial fans, tiling of computer laboratories and rehabilitation of 18 classrooms in our four community colleges.

“The union released N250,000 each to Government Secondary School, ECWA Girls Secondary School, Ansaruldeen College and Christian College, all in Omu-Aran for the purchase of science equipment.

“The Ekuu Bridge estimated to cost N29million was completed with N12million by Turning Point Construction Company Ltd. This has opened the section of the road from ECWA Girls College to Federal Government Girls College, Ilofa road for use.”

Rehabilitation of Calabar road to be completed

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HE Federal Controller of Works in Cross River State, Mr Chinwuba Agbara, has assured that the contractors handling the rehabilitation of the bad sections of Odukpani-Itu Road would complete the project this year.

Speaking with reporters in Calabar, Agbara said the contractors were working daily to deliver it on schedule.

He said President Goodluck

From Nicholas Kalu, Calabar

Jonathan had directed the Minister of Works to carry out urgent repairs on all bad federal roads across the country before the year ends.

He also said the maintenance work was intense at Kilometre 18 “where the road failure is so bad’’ on the 35kilometre road.

He said the maintenance work was codenamed Operation Safe Passage.

THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2013

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COMMENTARY EDITORIAL FROM OTHER LAND

EDITORIALS

Google wins Antitrust battle

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No caveat •Boko Haram suspects can still get fair trials under existing law

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HE scourge of Boko Haram has Sanda Umar Konduga ( a.k.a. Usman inflicted dislocations on our Alzawahiri), who was jailed for three country on a number of levels. years in December 2011; Ismail Some point to its psychological Kwaljima (a.k.a. Abu Summaya); damage, others to the physical and Babagana Mali (a.k.a. Bulama); and geographic fissures and a few others Kabiru Sokoto.

Given the savagery of the series of to the decimation of families. We experience these instances almost attacks attributed to the sect and the daily, showing that the Nigerian wanton destruction of lives and government is grasping with futile property, it is easy to fall into the virtue of summary energy to curb this modern day spasms dubious of savagery. We have witnessed judgments. But we want to warn that deaths, cries for justices, invocation this is a nation of laws and not of of pieties of the bigoted type, the men. Laws should be applied with a distress of families and primordial sense of balance and justice.

The failure of the government to rages of the ethnic hue.

Those in government have caviled at their inability to use the concept of civic coercion to inspire our locals in the north, especially in the soft underbellies of Borno, Yobe, Kano and Kaduna states, to fish out the culprits.

This reflects a disconnect between the official angle and the people who should strengthen the weak areas of the infrastructure of battle against terror.

But one issue that has come to the fore in this fight is how to prosecute those under custody and bring justice according to the tenets of the law. News reports have it that the office of the attorney general cannot proceed with prosecuting them for two reasons. One, the existing laws are too feeble to hand down deserved punishment matching the scale of the injuries they inflicted on society. The second reason is the dilly-dallying of the National Assembly to pass into law the Terrorism Amendment Bill.

Consequently, the trials of • Jonathan the detainees are on hold.

Also, the National Assembly has not prosecute the men should not be fixed a deadline or a timeline to pass thrown at the doorsteps of the National Assemby but at the Federal the bill into law.

What is at stake here is the concept Ministry of Justice. To use the excuse of the rule of law and justice. The that the existing laws are too weak as Jonathan administration’s claim that a way to hold the detainees until a it does not want to expedite the law is passed, albeit retroactively, prosecution of the detainees on the works against all the high ideals of a basis of the weak laws now in the democratic society. It is a call back to books runs counter to the constitution the days of the military when justice was determined before the matters and the principle of the rule of law.

Four persons of the Boko Haram sect were heard in court.

If the Federal Government wants to are facing trials over deadly bombings of three major landmarks. The United try the detainees with new laws, then Nations House in Abuja, the Police it has admitted, unfortunately, that it Headquarters in Abuja and St. arrested the men illegally. It is basic Theresa’s Catholic Church in Madalla, principle of law and justice that you Niger State. The detainees are Ali must arrest a person based on the

‘To use the excuse that the existing laws are too weak as a way to hold the detainees until a law is passed, albeit retroactively, works against all the high ideals of a democratic society. It is a call back to the days of the military when justice was determined before the matters were heard in court ... The danger of such laws is that it will enshrine retroactive laws into our legal attitude and make a mockery of the principle of the rule of law. The other danger is that such laws will be called upon in future to punish innocents’

violation of an existing law.

According to section 36 and subsection 8 of the 1999 Constitution, “No person shall be held to be guilty of a criminal offence on account of any act or omission that did not, at the time it took place, constitute such an offence, and no penalty shall be imposed for any criminal offence heavier than the penalty in force at the time the offence was committed.”

This shows that to prosecute the men under laws not yet enacted will create legal hurdles for the search for justice. What the men have committed may not fall under any clear-cut terror act, but what they did still constitute serious contraventions of law in a decent society. What they are alleged to have committed fall within murder, arson and such related felonies that attract, even within existing law, severe penalties comparable to terror. Murder and arson and conspiracy to murder are not little offences.

It is reported that some of the trials of suspects have proceeded under the anti-terrorism clause in the EFCC Act. It is also unfortunate that the National Assembly should dilate on such a serious matter as enacting a law on terror, a thing that has threatened the fabric of peace in Nigeria for the past few years. One of the reasons for the delay is the inclusion of the office of the National Security Adviser in the bill, an office not recognised in the constitution. Yet, if the lawmakers took the matter with its deserved gravity, they should have convened emergency sessions to put the matter behind us.

The Senate suspended further deliberation of the bill on December 19, 2012, and that means no one can be arraigned on the matter until the law chamber resumes and passes the bill into law.

It is the dilatory attitude of the lawmakers that is forcing the hand of executive branch to desperate antidemocratic impulses.

The Director-General of the State Security Service (SSS) Mr. Ekpeyong Ita, according to a report, complained that some of the suspects have regained freedom because of the weakness of the law. This is unfortunate. We believe it is because of the imaginative failures of the government prosecutors that such men walk free into the streets. With serious laws invoked, these men would still suffer the full consequences of their felonies.

The danger of such laws is that it will enshrine retroactive laws into our legal attitude and make a mockery of the principle of the rule of law. The other danger is that such laws will be called upon in future to punish innocents.

OOGLE scored a big victory last week when the Federal Trade Commission concluded that the company was not manipulating search results in ways that harmed consumers. But the agency’s finding does not completely settle the question of whether the company, which is used for more than 70 percent of all Internet searches in the United States, has abused its dominance. The European Commission and attorneys general in Texas, New York and other states who are also investigating Google could come to very different conclusions about that question.

While reaching a settlement with Google on a handful of relatively modest issues, the F.T.C. has left unresolved the legitimate fears that Internet companies like Expedia and Yelp have about how Google uses its power to push into online businesses like travel bookings and restaurant reviews while pushing aside rivals.

Even if that does not immediately leave users worse off, Google’s critics rightly argue that it could eventually result in fewer choices for consumers if worthy Internet services fail because Google actively makes it difficult for people to find them. Competitors of Google, including Microsoft, have argued that Google often displays search results to highlight its own products, like Google Maps, Google Flights and Google Shopping. They say that by doing so it is acting as Microsoft did in the 1990s when it forced PC makers to pre-install its Internet Explorer software with the Windows operating system at the expense of rivals like Netscape.

But the F.T.C. did not buy that argument and concluded that Google had not harmed competition in the marketplace, even if it may have hurt individual rivals.

Although Google dominates Internet search today, Web users have many options.

And the company’s continued dominance is far from assured when it comes to the fastgrowing world of smartphones and tablets, where many users download apps without relying on Google. But the company clearly stepped over the line with the practices it has agreed to change.

Google will now be required to make it easier for competitors to license certain patents that it had previously agreed to provide. It will also change policies that make it hard for businesses to manage their advertising campaigns on Google and other search engines, and it will give Web sites the ability to opt out of having their content used to bolster its specialized services like Google Local.

Fifteen years ago, few people predicted that Microsoft’s commanding position would be undercut so drastically by the rise of Google, Apple and others. History, however, is not necessarily prologue to the future. Antitrust regulators must remain watchful that Google does not abuse its dominant position in ways that unfairly limit consumer choices and competition.

– New York Times

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

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•Deputy Editor Lawal Ogienagbon

•Advert Manager Robinson Osirike

•Deputy Editor (News) Adeniyi Adesina •Group Political Editor Bolade Omonijo •Group Business Editor Ayodele Aminu •Abuja Bureau Chief Yomi Odunuga •Sport Editor Ade Ojeikere •Editorial Page Editor Sanya Oni

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THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2013

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CARTOON & LETTERS

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IR: Just recently the Special Adviser to the President on Media, Dr.Reuben Abati was on a live programme on one of the popular TV channels, and for close to one hour he strove to defend the regime of his principal, Dr.Goodluck Jonathan. It wasn’t the first time Dr.Abati would be taking advantage of a popular media platform to do his job, however as it has always been the case, it was another episode of a government person helplessly trying to inspire the people to nowhere.

Dr.Abati cut the image of a man finding answers to an empty jigsaw of a government he is now a part of. Throughout the length and breadth of the interview, it was one very confounding scenario, as he was either answering the questions asked him with questions or at best pretending to answer them. Matters got to its head when he was confronted with that very stubborn issue of corruption in the oil industry via the NNPC and the attendant oil subsidy scam, and all Abati could do, perhaps trying to be quickwitted, was an attempt to reduce such a burning national issue to a trivial jibe by responding that anyone with “hard evidence” against the NNPC and the petroleum ministry top-shots should come forward, claiming they are all baseless allegations.

Maybe Dr.Abati forgot he wasn’t talking as lawyer to the Federal Government, but as a spokesperson who is expected to bear truthful information at all times.

One must say that finding an answer to this riddle is however not far-fetched. That the payment of over N4trillion oil subsidy money to fraudulent marketers aided and

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EDITOR’S MAIL BAG SEND TYPEWRITTEN, DOUBLE SPACED AND SIGNED CONTRIBUTIONS, LETTERS AND REJOINDERS OF NOT MORE THAN 800 WORDS TO THE EDITOR, THE NATION, 27B, FATAI ATERE ROAD, MATORI, LAGOS. E-mail: views@thenationonlineng.net

Abati’s concept of service abetted by top officials of government today appears differently to Abati can only be found in the jurisprudentially evoking words of the literary giant, Prof.Chinua Achebe who once said, “Of course, it is very impossible for a man to talk well, while eating”.

It was very nauseating watching Abati turn very serious issues touching the heart of millions of Nigerians on its head, attempting to window-dress the profile of his master all in a fruitless frolic.

Abati claims his government is fighting corruption at the institutional level, yet as a government spokesman he amazingly failed to remember how this government in close to two years has not found enough “hard evidence” to fight the institutional corruption called bureaucracy in the Civil Service that has since occasioned a catalogue of very many avoidable made-in-Nigeria disasters. He forgot to tell Nigerians how his government chose to ignore the “Hard evidence” that

saturates the House of Representatives Report on the Oil Subsidy scam choosing to quickly come up with their own “soft report” to help soft-land the indicted friends of government. He forgot to inform Nigerians of the massive scam in the Pensions Fund and how one indicted Abdulrasheed Maina appointed by his government as Chairman of Pension Taskforce has since been acting out all manner of insulting scripts to prevent his appearance before the Senate. He

Lessons from the Indian gang rape IR: The recent case of gang rape in India brings to the fore the cruelty, wickedness, violence against women as well as the failure of the state to protect its citizens from abuse and danger.

This woman, though unnamed, has become a symbol of all that Indian women had suffered for so long with no respite. IT has energiSed them to demand greater protection for women from sexual violence with series of mass demonstrations, candle-lit vigils, street protests with placards, chants and road blocks.

This assault has increased the call for speedy trial of the five men charged for the alleged murder as Indian rape cases could drag on in

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courts for years, with hearings repeatedly postponed, which rape survivors say prolong their ordeals.

Just like the story of the Bandit Queen, Phoolan Devi, who was also publicly gang-raped and allegedly held captive for three weeks by higher-caste Hindus. To avenge the trauma, she became a bandit and was eventually able to exact some measure of revenge against her gangrapists. At the end, Devi served 11 years in jail and was thereafter, elected into the Parliament from Utter Pradesh, the same region where the latest victim came from.

Rape, a form of Gender Base Violence (GBV) against women, according to the Beijing Declaration, is de-

fined as violence against women that results into or is likely to lead into physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or private life.

In 1995, and for the first time in history, the United Nations-convened Hague Tribunal attempted to prosecute rape as a war crime but could still not stop the rape atrocities in Iran, Afghanistan, Guatemala, Kosovo, Congo, Rwanda and Sudan.

For now, India imposes death penalty only in the ‘rarest of rare cases’, although, it recently executed a man convicted in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.

Rehabilitate old rail lines first

IR: The federal government should discard the idea of building more 10 rail lines and concentrate on rehabilitating the existing ones. Rail transport contributed in no small measure to the development of the country and wellbeing of the citizenry. During the first republic it was the major means of transportation, especially in the area of conveying foodstuff and other goods across the country. Cost of living then was very low because people were not spending much on feeding as foodstuff and other goods were easily affordable and at very cheap price. People, especially the down-trodden were able to provide sufficient meal for themselves and their families. In short life was easy going

chose to forget so many thing preferring the microscopic few which really goes to no issue.

I say with all sense of modesty that service to the people is far bigger, inspiration laden, and more eternally rewarding than service to any government. So where would Abati signpost his concept of service as he opined on TV, is it service to the people or service to the government? Abati’s newfound line of thought simply suggest that were the sitting government to quietly descend into malevolence, he will still claim service and continue to speak as he does at the moment.

Like it is said, today we are all on the side of history; tomorrow whether history will be on our side is only a matter of time.

• Olusola Adegbite, Esq. Kubwa, Abuja

for the masses.

But unfortunately this cheapest and safest means of transportation collapsed after the Nigerian/Biafran war thereby truncating people’s opportunity of travelling by rail. Now the present government has succeeded in making some portions of the rail lines functional, a task their predecessors could not achieve after spending billions of naira on it, it therefore becomes absolutely necessary for her to rehabilitate the entire network before venturing into new ones. As flagging off of the Lagos/Kano line was greeted with excitement by Nigerians, people, especially the southerners look forward to seeing the Port Harcourt Maiduguri route follow suit.

Building of rail lines is not the same thing as constructing a road. The promise to complete three new rail lines this year seems unrealistic if it is taking the country more than 30 years to labour on the already built rail lines, the probability of completing three new ones within a year is absolutely zero. So government should jettison the idea of embarking on a similar project and endeavour to restore the usual hustle and bustle that was characteristics of railway stations in the past.

Moreover, it has become a tradition in the country that any project started and unfinished by the incumbent government would not be continued by their successors. So it would be foolhardy for the president to start a job he

cannot finish while in office; insisting on the mission would definitely mean leaving a white elephant project legacy.

Rather, the President should divert the fund to resuscitating myriad of moribund industries scattered all over the country. For instance, outfits like Ajaokuta Steel Rolling Mill, Delta Steel Company, Nigerian Airways and many others whose workers are still left to their fate need immediate resuscitation in order to reinstate their workers.

If railway transport and power become effective in the country, Nigerians would begin to see light at the end of the tunnel.

• Nkemakolam Gabriel Port Harcourt.

Congress has already put forward plans for chemical castration and 30year jail terms for all rapists, as a draft Bill has been put together and will soon be handed to India’s chief justice.

All legitimate efforts should be deployed that the five men apprehended and charged for murder were given the deserved punishment, to serve as deterrents to others.

Law enforcement agents should be above board and be up and doing to apprehend criminals whenever they infringe upon the rights of law-abiding citizens by embarking on regular patrols and intelligent gathering – to fish-out perpetrators of rape. The Indian police were blamed for not doing enough to apprehend the culprits.

The assault has already forced the country’s higher education regulatory body, the Indian University Grants Commission, to review the safety of women in higher education institutions.

In a letter to 568 university vicechancellors and directors of higher learning institutions, the UGC said institutions should ensure women’s security on campus and recommended that all universities and institutions should set up a task force to ensure women’s security and keep it informed of actions taken.

This is a welcome development.

Our girls and women must always be cherished and protected!

• Adewale Kupoluyi Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta,

THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2013

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COMMENTS

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Ama, Rivers State factory, canonised by a judgement order of court, after free and unfettered negotiations.

That is what WAPCO’s Mr. Lawal seems to suggest. But changing the cement-import template, from the Ibeto agreement, would do no one no Olakunle good. Hiking the import duties would push up prices, and make lordbeek@yahoo.com, 08054504169 (Sms only, please) Abimbola cement even more unaffordable, with disastrous consequences for local cement. Besides, it would put the Federal Government in hot legal waters. atmosphere which, if not corrected, is fated to cripple everyone Dangote and Ibeto, in the trade tiff, have stacked cards on each imported cement, to the comatose Nigerian local textile industry, in the long run. other to win an argument. Dangote tried to paint Ibeto as the perennially at the mercy of imported fabrics.

That is the correct interpretation of this drama, which the import Judas standing between Nigeria and self-sufficiency in With alleged cement glut in China finding a haven in the powers-that-be must address. But first, the claims and countercement production. It also threw in the scarecrow of factory Nigerian market, he argued, a “paltry” duty of 20 per cent and a claims. shut-downs and loss of jobs. Ibeto counters by painting Dangote levy of 15 per cent make imported cement not only very cheap, The Dangote Group, heavy player and clear market leader as a monopolist leading a local cement cabal of oligopolists to but also an open tomb for local cement manufacturers. So? The in essential consumables like cement, sugar, salt, flour and elbow out legitimate competition. All is fair in a trade war, as government, he clearly suggested, must jerk up these duties. pasta, fired the first salvo on 6 December 2012, when it Dangote is no devil any more than Ibeto is a saint.

Fine and legitimate argument – until, of course, you ask the announced it had shut down its Gboko, Benue State, cement Ripples’ interest is strictly for upholding the right of lawquestion: how much of cement is imported? Ibeto Cement, on plant; on alleged glut resulting from “dumping” of cheap abiding citizens to legitimate business opportunities in a republic whose neck the local cement manufacturing lobby is about cement imports, contrary to the Federal Government’s policy erected on law. Much too long, this Federal Republic has been hanging a charge of cement-import Judas, has provided an answer: of complete local manufacture of cement. captive to business lobbies, and would appear quite adept at 1.5 metric tonnes yearly; which it claims is less than five per cent Lafarge WAPCO Cement, a co-player and once-upon-a-time conspiring with powerful interests against the legitimate interests of the Nigerian cement market. market leader, has weighed in on Dangote’s side, affirming of other citizens who, though less powerful and influential, the Again, if cement is a regional business because of its bulk, can indeed imported cement was hurtful to the local manufacturers; government, by its oath of office, is sworn to protect. sole importation into the South-East/South-South market, where and therefore to Nigeria’s long-term economic survival. Is That would explain the Obasanjo Presidency’s reckless Ibeto plays, lead to a “glut” in the whole of the country?

That is this the hand of Esau and the voice of Jacob? shutdown of the Ibeto factory in 2005 and the concerted current doubtful, by the very illogicality of the argument.

Ibeto’s import Lanre Opakunle, Lafarge’s plant manager for its Ewekoro campaign against redressing that injustice. But at least Ibeto could not therefore have caused it, even if rival local II, Ogun State, plant, certainly does not think so. He said 60, spoke out and decided to fight. manufacturers in the South-South, and to some extent, the South 000 tonnes of cement remain unused in the plant’s silos while Not so the late Captain Israel Ademola Haastrup, patriot and East, would feel short-changed by its “cheap” imports.

220, 000 metric tonnes of clinker, an intermediary cement sundry investor, who quietly bore his own scars to the grave, So, what did?

Cement is most probably over-priced because product, literally chokes its factory, just like Dangote Cement’s when he died late 2012. His Haastrup Jetty in Port Harcourt, got the industry is an oligopoly; and the local producing cartel is, at woes of a glut of 38, 000 tonnes of cement, and lots and lots of shut down only after two years of operation in 1982 and his worst, blaring a business nationalism orchestra to keep prices up; clinker. interests in Omega Bank got lost in a troubled Spring Bank after or at best, reeling from the inclement local production weather.

Like Dangote Cement, Mr. Opakunle lamented the high consolidation – because the captain believed, according to his If the problem is the first, then it is most regrettable and energy costs, with low pour fuel oil, which has jumped from biography Captain in the Storm of Life, authored by yours truly, unpatriotic, even if ironically, the cartel plays on a high-pitch N25 a litre in 2009 to N107.76 a litre by November 2012; making that the government wanted to get at specific powerful interests patriotic orchestra.

If it is however the second, that is for the a 331 per cent leap. High haulage costs, in the absence of which it was not man enough to face. Also his Spaceworld government to sort out: radically improving on those key indices efficient rail to truck the cement bulk, add another 20 to 25 per Airline business collapsed in the hysteria of dropping planes, – power, rail, policy inconsistency, financial infrastructure – that cent, to the price of cement, therefore pricing the product out while Eagle Cement, in which he had substantial interest, was make local production sheer hell. of the reach of most. also clobbered by the local cement cartel.

It is certainly not by goading the government to go back on its The dire situation could well threaten no less than 46, 000 Now what is a Federal Republic if it cannot guarantee its commitment to Ibeto, to rectify the 2005 unjust closure of its Bundu jobs from the Dangote end alone, if Joseph Makoju, ex-WAPCO, citizens equal and equitable opportunities under the law? That special adviser to Aliko Dangote, president of the Dangote Group and president, Cement Manufacturers Association of “Dangote tried to paint Ibeto as cement- is the crux of this cement drama.

Nigeria (CMAN), is to be believed. That would be horrible import Judas. Ibeto counters by painting • Tatalo Alamu, not Tatalo Aremu: an anonymous reader indeed, were it to happen, in a country already crippled by rightly lampooned Ripples for this mistake in the name of Dangote as a monopolist leading a local mass joblessness. the famous Sunday Nation columnist on this page last week.

Musibau Lawal, Lafarge WAPCO’s production manager, not cement cabal of oligopolists.”

The error is regretted. unfairly links the current local cement challenges, vis-a-vis

HE theatrical-minded may well dub the trade tiff between Ibeto Cement Limited and the Dangote Group a play called Cement Armada.

It is a grim drama all right, being a reallife trade scuffle between an entrenched interest and a competitor that wants to break in but feels illegitimately blocked.

But there is certainly no armada, for if there were, cement prices could have come crashing. They have not. That therefore locates the trigger of this grim drama beyond the two corporate gladiators; and right in the other-thingsbeing-unequal extant business

epublican ipples

Cement armada? No, just drama

L

ANRE Opakunle, Plant Manager of Lafarge WAPCO’s Lakatabu Ewekoro plant in Ogun State gave rather insightful contribution on the raging controversy as to the cause(s) of the so-called-cement glut over which Dangote Cement had drawn the shutters on its Gboko Cement plant. (See The Nation December 31, page 6). It could not have been better timed given the raging low intensity corporate warfare between Dangote Cement and Ibeto Cement, the fringe player now accused of flooding the local cement with imported cement.

No doubt, the Lafarge chieftain helped put, in perspective, the problems plaguing indigenous industrialists. Unfortunately also, he left a gaping window on what I consider a troubling aspect of the corporate behaviour of our indigenous venture capitalists. I shall return to that later.

Let me attempt a summary of the views of the Lafarge chieftain on the rage over the so-called glut in the cement said to be a grave threat to the multibillion-dollar investment in the industry.

First, he confirmed the glut, which he attributed to the increase in local production of cement and the continued importation of subsidised cement. Secondly, he acknowledged – and I consider this important – the problem of low sales and high inventory – the logical consequence of weak and ineffective demand. While admitting the cyclic nature of demand for cement, he could not understand why sales have not lifted since the onset of the so-called peak season.

His words are particularly instructive: “the market was dull during the rainy season. The current period is supposed to be the peak of production and demand.

But the reverse is the case as there is no demand. It means something is wrong. About 220,000 tonnes of clinker are on ground, not being used...Most of our workers are roaming. Ninety percent of our trailers are idle. We are operating at less than 50 percent capacity.

The cost of production is high. Our plants are experiencing challenges...Once the place is filled up, we have

‘The suspicion has lingered that the pricing regime is sustained by the current structure of the industry – which permits the existence of a few dominant players, a situation which effectively renders the consumer a price taker’

Policy Sanya Oni sanyaoni@yahoo.co.uk 08051101841

David versus Goliath (The cement war)

no choice but to shut down”.

Unfortunately, he would in the same vein lapse into the same deliberate misdiagnosis of the problem – the issue of the so-called glut arising from the influx of cheap, substandard foreign cement. He would bemoan the fact that cement importation has continued despite the glut in the local market, a situation he says, “calls into question, the backward integration policy of the federal government”.

Some of course would argue that it comes to no issue that two foremost players in the industry – Dangote Cement and Lafarge WAPCO – have found a common enemy in Ibeto on which to hang all of the problems facing the industry. I started this by referring to what I consider a troubling aspect of the corporate behaviour of our indigenous venture capitalists. The point I seek to make is that the near paranoid anti-competition instincts of the typical local venture capitalist has never been given the attention it truly deserves. Given their grave implications for our trade and market practices, I think the time to beam attention to these practices has come.

Lest I be mistaken, I have not sought to understate the problems of the industry or even industries generally. The problems are real as to be indisputable. And as I have always argued on this page, the local industry needs all the muscle that a federal government can give by way of tariff walls, duty waivers, and other forms of direct incentives to make them truly competitive. But then, the question that most Nigerians have not bothered to ask is where will the Dangotes of this world, the Lafarges and other thriving multinationals without the hefty support in the first place? And should they be allowed to deny others the use of the same ladder with which they rose to their pre-eminent positions?

The point therefore is that the so-called survival quest of the local venture capitalist must be balanced by con-

siderations of consumer interest. Year in, year out, we read of billions of naira declared as profits to shareholders – nothing wrong as that is what keeps business going. Of course, we do know that the other leg of what keep businesses going is the ability of the consumer to make a purchase. At this time, no one seems to bother.

And the future: to get as many players as possible on board and hence unlock the vice-like grip of the current players on the industry.

How many Nigerians can afford to buy a 50kg bag of cement at the ruling price of nearly N2000? Given the reality of declining disposable incomes, the answer would seem obvious: fewer and fewer Nigerians. Where is the housing industry in which the industry is expected to make its bumper sales? Or even the construction industry?

But more pertinent is whether the price actually represents the best price in the circumstances? To start with, it is doubtful that many Nigerians would agree; even more doubtful is that government will agree going by its tepid attempt in the past to get the producers to bring down the price. The problems of the industry are certainly not new; the problems affect the cement manufacturers as indeed other players in the economy. The yarn about the influx of foreign cement is obviously designed to court the sympathy of Nigerians. Of course, with the prospects of another factory closing shop at a time of high unemployment, government’s back would expectedly be on the wall.

However, the larger issues remain. Clearly, the suspicion has lingered that the pricing regime is sustained by the current structure of the industry – which permits the existence of a few dominant players, a situation which effectively renders the consumer a price taker. The emerging oligopoly should ordinarily be troubling in an industry where the consumer should ordinarily be king.

But more troubling is the failure of the government to anticipate the possibility of collusion and other anticompetition practices in the absence of anti-trust legislations.

Above all, we must shudder at the one-sided equity in which few manufacturers would enjoy some incentives while denying others the same; clearly, the Santa Claus image of government as one that dispenses favour to operators by the rule of the thumb, or one that is aligned to special interests, must be deplored.

I need to make the additional point that the so-called war is not about the cement consumer. It is about access to the Nigerian gravy – the winner-takes-all industry where only the fittest survive. The consumer is only a hapless bystander in a game they are programmed to lose. So we watch. And enjoy. .

THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2013

22

COMMENTS

A

COLLEAGUE told me recently that he met repentant Niger Delta militant Asari Dokubo in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia during last year’s or 2011 hajj operation (can’t remember which year now) and their discussion naturally veered into politics and the comrade was at his vintage best.

Dokubo he said wasn’t happy with what he perceived as the discriminatory way Muslims from the north treat their southern counterparts and would therefore not go to the north in the run up to the 2015 presidential election to campaign to them on behalf of President Goodluck Jonathan. He would rather do his campaign for the president in the south and leave others to handle the north.

While one is not in a position to verify the alleged position of El Hadj Asari Dokubo on northern Muslims, one can safely say at this moment that the man is not likely to campaign for Jonathan’s 2015 presidential project anywhere in Nigeria or even outside. He is simply fed up with the lackluster performance of the president and he has in all intent and purpose told the man to count him out of his second (or is it third?) presidential bid and carry his own cross.

His grouse with the president is simple.

Jonathan he opined has failed to live up to expectation and deliver on his promises. And he (Dokubo) an Ijaw man like Jonathan can not in good conscience go before the rest of Nigeria to canvass support for him for another term. What would he tell them or us?

Expectedly the President’s attack dogs saw Dokubo’s comment as an attempt to derail their principal’s fresh presidential bid and have spared no word in condemning the ex militant. They called it bad belle, that the man was annoyed that the president had refused to renew his multi-million-dollar security contract for the protection of oil pipelines in Rivers State against theft/ vandalisation.

Recall that the presidency sometime ago discreetly awarded multi-million-dollar pipeline protection contracts to ex. Niger Delta militants covering the oil facilities in Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers States and environs.

Many, including this writer saw it as a nepotistic gesture on the part of Jonathan to settle his own people, buy their support and loyalty (for 2015) and reward criminality. The contracts to Asari Dokubo, Ateke Tom, Gens.

Boyloaf and Tompolo were not made public by the government until a foreign news agency scooped on it and revealed the details to the world. In criticizing the deal then,

one had argued that it was not likely to deter fresh attack by militants in the region on oil facilities there, as those outside the loop of beneficiaries would see any successful attack on the oil facilities as a way of telling the president that they also want a piece of the pie.

Recent pipeline attacks, oil thefts and piracy in Rivers and Bayelsa States have affirmed this position while the jury is still out on the success or otherwise of the contract awarded to Tompolo for pipeline protection in Delta State.

As an aside, it is good to note that Tompolo is carving a new image for himself by veering into humanitarianism using the money he made from militancy and the pipeline protection contract to set up a foundation to take care of the less privileged in the society.

If the pipeline protection contract was meant to shut Dokubo and co up and buy their loyalty, it failed and it remains to be seen whether the termination of his own contract was punishment for being critical of government or failure to secure the pipelines. What is clear however, is that the president is using a multi-prong approach to buy his way into the heart and mind of the society instead of working/warming his way into society through performance, to secure majority support from Nigerians for his 2015 project.

If Jonathan wants to re-contest in 2015 he is free to and he should be bold and man enough to say so instead of beating about the bush and looking for scapegoats among critics of his abysmal performance.

While he is denying interest in the next presidential election for now, it is no secret that he wants another shot at the presidency and his foot soldiers are already on the field trying to hoodwink us into buying a bad and failed product. It is in this light that one

I

Investing in people: A senator’s example

CLEARLY remember not paying much attention as my room-mate ranted about having to meet his relatives anytime he had to pay his school fees. In my mind, I could not comprehend having to meet relatives anytime I needed money as a student. According to Tonye, that is my room-mate’s name, he needed the financial support of several different ‘uncles’ and ‘aunts’ to enable him remain in school as a student. I had always envied how he carried along, doggedly pursuing his academics despite his financial challenges which was all too glaring.

While other students had spare cash to involve in luxuries of parties, eating choice foods, even if for a while and engaging in frolicking, Tonye never participated in that. He was too busy chasing his sustenance.

However, I thank God that Tonye has since qualified as an electrical engineer and now works with a multinational. He now lives the good life but as I reminisce,

‘Also, since becoming a senator, he has beamed concern for the mangrove Niger Delta environment.

And knowing that fishing, which is the traditional occupation of his people is under threat by reckless oil prospecting, he, as Chairman, Senate Committee on Petroleum (Downstream), in conjunction with the federal government, is instituting a better oil production process’

Be a man Jonathan, own up

By John Nwinee I can’t help but wonder at what would have been Tonye’s fate if he didn’t have ‘benefactors’. Or the fates of some others like him who were not so fortunate?

It is in this vein I’m saluting the intervention of Senator Magnus Abe who represents Rivers South-East Senatorial District in the National Assembly. While I have not benefitted directly from his largesse, as someone who I have been following my heart goes out to all the indigent students which he helps in providing good education for. And for that, I believe he should be commended.

In a recent discussion of philanthropists, especially concerning education, his name kept bobbing up. There is a wise saying that goes thus: ‘Give a man a fish and you’ve fed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you have fed him for life.’

By giving indigent students opportunity to get an education is like sowing a seed – the result which is mostly bountifully.

That exactly seems to be case of senator Abe’s involvement in education.

As a lawyer, Senator Abe definitely understands the reason for being not only lettered but also ‘learned.’ Hence, I find it not particularly surprising that he has invested in the educational lives of members of his constituency. As part of his 2012 constituency projects, he commenced construction of two primary schools in his constituency, located in Rumusoya community in Oyigbo and Sogho community in Khana Local Government Areas of Rivers State.

Also, Senator Abe procured Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) forms for 378 indigent students. Till date,

would want to view the half-hearted denial of any link to the Jonathan for 2015 posters now all over Abuja, by the presidency, as another of the character weaknesses of President Goodluck Jonathan. What is he afraid of? As the saying goes man dies only but once, but cowards die many times before their death.

It is a matter of yes or no for Nigerians in case he decides to throw his hat into the ring and the earlier he throws his hat in there or keep it with wife Patience the better, instead of accusing imaginary enemies of trying to distract his attention or derail his programmes with the Abuja posters and similar campaigns for his 2015 project currently being carried out through proxies.

From his first day in the White House, it was clear President Barack Obama was going to seek a second term barring any catastrophe and even when the US economy was wobbling and unemployment rising he was still able to convince his party and the rest of America that he remains the best man for the job. And they obliged him with a second term, but not without anything tangible to show as achievement. He was proud to point at his bailout package for the auto industry that saved millions of jobs and affirmed his commitment to strengthening the middle class, even as he vowed to extract more tax from the very wealthy Americans who constitute 2 per cent of the American society.

These with a combination of other factors including the killing of world renowned terrorist Osama bin Laden won him a second term even when the situation on ground economically was so grim that were the times to be different or his opponent Mitt Romney better, he would have been rejected.

Pray, as bad as things are in the country today, especially the deteriorating security situation, is there anything or a combination of things that Jonathan has done well

567 stdents have befitted from the scheme which started in 2011/2012 with 189 students. He also paid the school fees of indigent final year students from his constituency in institutions across Rivers State. Benefitting from this were about 320 students drawn from the University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State University of Science and Technology, University of Education, Rumuolumeni and Polytechnic Bori.

Not forgetting students aspiring to becoming his professional colleague, Senator Abe also gave scholarships to 40 students to proceed to the Nigerian Law School. Being in touch with ordinary folks, he surely understands that funds could be stumbling blocks for many of them realising their goals of becoming lawyers. Surely, beneficiaries of his scheme won’t forget him in a hurry.

And recently, Senator Abe pledged to push for a laboratory for the Department of Anatomy in the university through the National Assembly. Definitely, the man knows the import of education.

Apart from doling our money to students for their needs, Senator Abe also listens to them, coming down to their level. Watching him at a parley, I couldn’t help but admire how he engaged the students in discourse. While campaigning to be senator, he had promised to intervene in the area of education. It is noteworthy that he is living up to his words.

Also, since becoming a senator, he has beamed concern for the mangrove Niger Delta environment. And knowing that fishing, which is the traditional occupation of his people is under threat by reckless oil prospecting he, as Chairman, Senate Committee on Petroleum (Down-

for us to deserve another term even if he is entitled to it?

I am sure it is this fear of what do I tell them that is driving the man into using third parties to sell his second term ambition while publicly denying them. We know the trick Mr President, you don’t need to hide behind one finger. If truly you or your people are not behind the Abuja posters and similar subtle campaigns for your 2015 project why don’t you direct that the posters be put down or ignore them? Why are you labouring to convince us you knew nothing about the posters? Conventional wisdom dictates that when someone tries strenuously to convince the other person or a people about his own position, the likelihood of lies somewhere in the explanation should not be ruled out.

What has been lacking in Jonathan since fate put him at the helm first in Bayelsa State and now at the Presidential Villa in Abuja is a firm, strong and decisive character who knows his onions and ready to act at all times in the best interest of Nigeria and not given to nepotistic tendencies.

It’s been argued rightly or wrongly that part of the weaknesses of his character is his inability to rein in the alleged excesses of his Ijaw kinsmen both within and outside the government. Not that his predecessors were any better or his critics would behave differently in this regard, but because of his level of education Nigerians expect a much better performance from him.

One can go on and on pointing at his character flaws, but what we as Nigerians are not, as Jonathan probably thinks we are, is that we are no fools. We know where his going and we are waiting for him. And as we like to say here, he should not tell us a dog is a monkey.

‘It is a matter of yes or no for Nigerians in case he decides to throw his hat into the ring and the earlier he throws his hat in there or keep it with wife Patience the better, instead of accusing imaginary enemies of trying to distract his attention or derail his programmes with the Abuja posters and similar campaigns for his 2015 project currently being carried out through proxies’

stream), in conjunction with the federal government, is instituting a better oil production process. This is commendable as it prevents environmental degradation.

And to encourage the fishermen in Oyorokoto community of Andoni Local Government, Senator Abe donated fishing gear to fishermen in the area. The gear included 100 safety vest, fishing nets, marine twines, assorted crayfish nets, anchors and marine ropes.

Of course, while it is not directly in his schedule to canvass for such level of developments, methinks the senator is on the right path. Personally, I think it is worthy to having a lawmaker who not only influences law to suit his people and by extension, many others, but one who is concerned with even the ‘mundane’ of procuring funds for his constituency members to access a better life.

At the moment, the rumour-mill has it that, on the behest of people, he plans on going back to the senate for another term.

Surely, while I think others can aspire to that position, I must concur that Senator Abe is indeed loved by the people as his praise is being sung in nooks and crannies of his constituency. And from what I gather, the senator has a genuine love for his people, a love seemingly reciprocated.

For these reasons, Senator Abe would do good to continue to throw his hat in the ring in the race to be part of the nation’s highest lawmaking organ. Should he win, that victory will not be for him but for the whole of Rivers South-East Senatorial District because unlike some other political aspirants in our clime, Senator Magnus Abe is indeed a man of the people.

• Nwinee writes from Port-Harcourt

AHEAD OF FINAL LIST

Keshi drops Rabiu Ibrahim, Papa Idris

Pg. 24

Injury blow: Kalu takes solace in World Cup Pg. 24

Sport PAGE 23

Tuesday, January 8, 2013 Pg. 41

Dynamo Kiev seek Ideye’s replacement •Keshi •Amokachi

Yobo set to

Pg. 41

equal Kanu’s record

NFF not owing

Keshi, others Mikel voted best

Pg. 41

Nigerian player of 2012

N48m —Adamu T

HE Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) on Monday slammed newspaper reports alleging that the nation’s football-governing body is owing coaches of the Super Eagles the sum of N48 million.

Speaking in Abuja, Chairman of the NFF Finance Committee, Dr. Shehu Adamu said the reports were not only in bad taste, but calculated to put the Federation in bad light and cause unnecessary tension in the national team’s camp.

“The reports of NFF owing Eagles’ coaches the sum of N48 million is not only incorrect, it is mischievous. Today is the seventh day of the month; even if you add up this new month that

we are yet to get to one quarter of the way, the amount we are owing them is not up to N48 million.

“It is sad that at this time that all fair-minded and noble football stakeholders are supposed to be working together with the Federation and the team to see that we do the country proud at the Cup of Nations in South Africa, some persons are bent on creating undue anxiety through false reporting.”

Also in Abuja, NFF General Secretary, Barrister Musa Amadu dismissed insinuations that there is unease in the Super Eagles’ camp as a result of the simulated debt.

“It is unfair for people to go to town with these untrue

statements at a critical time like this. There is absolutely no tension in Faro; everyone is fine and the coaches and players are looking forward to bringing glory to Nigeria in South Africa.

“Why have people not asked questions on how the NFF was able to raise money to finance the team’s camping in Abuja, take the team to Faro and arrange for friendly matches? Instead, people are coming with diversionary falsehood.”

Amadu also lampooned reports that Chairman of the NFF Technical Committee, Barrister Chris Green has been at loggerheads with the Super Eagles’ technical crew over selection of players.

“This is another falsehood.

Barrister Green has a very cordial relationship with the Head Coach and other members of the technical crew. They have respect for him and he also respects them.

There has never been any disagreement between them because Barrister Green is a gentleman and does not impose himself unnecessarily.

“Barrister Green is a very hardworking and diligent person and is not in the business of overreaching his territory.

“I want to charge our good friends in the media to be positive and supportive at this very crucial time, and work towards the same positive goal with the Federation,” Amadu concluded.

24

41

NATIONSPORT TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2013

NATION SPORT

NATION SPORT

AFCON COUNTDOWN...AFCON COUNTDOWN...AFCON COUNTDOWN...AFCON COUNTDOWN...AFCON COUNTDOWN...AFCON COUNTDOWN...AFCON COUNTDOWN...

Eagles await Camp

AHEAD OF FINAL LIST

Commandant A

S the countdown to the Nations Cup draws near, the Camp Commandant of the national team, Lt. Col. Rabiu Yandoto, has yet to resume with the team and Eagles officials say they are in touch with him as he awaits clearance from authorities of the Nigerian Armed Forces.

Team Secretary Dayo Enebi Achor says he has been in constant touch with the Spartan army officer and he has assured that once he gets his clearance from the Chief of Army Staff, he would

Keshi drops

immediately join the team for the Nations Cup. The Commandant is usually in charge of maintaining camp discipline and order, especially among the players in camp and keeps a close eye on the activities of the players for maximum output at major tournaments. “We are expecting Col Yandoto any moment from now and the Head Coach and the NFF Leadership is aware of the situation”, Achor said at the weekend.

Rabiu Ibrahim, Papa Idris

Onazi, Omeruo tipped for final cut

F

LYING EAGLES Chief Coach John Obuh has tipped his former player in the Golden Eaglets , Onazi Ogenyi and current Flying Eagles ace, Kenneth Omeruo to make the final squad of the Super Eagles that will campaign in the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) slated to hold between January 19th and February 10th, 2013.

Obuh believes that the two players have enough potential to make the team and even perform well in the squad at the AFCON. “Ahmed Musa my former player has been in Eagles and he is doing well there, Ogenyi Onazi is also there and he has succeeded, so, why won’t Kenneth Omeruo succeed in Eagles?

“I don’t think there is any possibility of any of my players going to the Super Eagles and not succeeding. They will definitely succeed.

“But don’t forget the fact that the choice

•Onazi

From Segun Ogunjimi, Abuja of players to play in the Super Eagles lies with the Coach of the team, Stephen Keshi. I just hope and pray that the boys will play their best to be able to make the final cut in the team.

“But if it doesn’t work out they should wait for their time and continue to work hard for f u t u r e competitions.

Age is still on their side and they have the football talents to succeed as football players like their other colleagues already in the Super Eagles.

“Omeruo is a cool-headed player and has the strength, physique, height and even pace to succeed in the Eagles.

But like I said the final choice of who plays in South Africa lies in the hands of Keshi”, Obuh told NationSport.

The former Sharks Football Club handler also disclosed that his Flying Eagles team have commenced camping exercise for the Africa Youth Championship (AYC) in Abuja. “Yes we have commenced our camping exercise in Abuja. 10 out of the 20 players invited are already in Abuja sweating it out, while the other ones are expected in camp because we have work on our hands to do", Obuh disclosed.

2012/2013 LEAGUE SEASON

Rangers lose three Eagles invitees

R

ANGERS will be without three Eagles invitees led by Emeka Eze for the pre-season Super 4 tournament which begins on Wednesday.

The others are Chinedu Sunday and Solomon Jabason, who have also been called up by the full national team.

Eze, for one, is nursing an ankle injury he suffered while training with the Eagles recently, while Jabason has Malaria.

Former 3SC goalkeeper Emmanuel Daniel is also ruled out after a back injury he picked up in training with ‘The Flying Antelopes’ last week.

Rangers have included several new signings for the four-team competition.

They include ex-Gombe United goalkeeper Sanusi Sani, Adamu Mohammed and Uche Oguchi from

Dolphin, Pape Sane from Sharks and Emmanue Ahinze from Ocean Boys.

Last season’s runners-up departed Enugu for Kano on Monday.

The squad: Goalkeepers: Godwin Ayalogu, Uche Okafor, Akor Itodo.

Defenders: Cyril Oriaku,Nnamdi Anyasodo, Haliru Umar, Ambrose Onyeama, Uche Oguchi, Etim Mathew, Pape Sane, Valentine Ikenne Iworie, Gwaza, Chimezie, Madu Chibuzor.

Midfielders: Nzube Amaejemba, Michael Egbeta, Seun Taro, Chisomndu, Emmanuel Ahinze, Dada Bitrus.

Forwards: Razaq Adegbite, Sanusi Sani, Adamu Mohammed, Lazarus Chukwu, Odah Marshal.

T

•Keshi

Injury blow: Kalu takes solace in World Cup

R

IZESPOR of Turkey striker Uche Kalu has said he will shift his focus to the World Cup after a groin injury ruled him out of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

Former Enyimba star Kalu suffered the groin strain before the Eagles’ friendly against Catalonia last week.

Team officials have confirmed that Kalu’s response to training is not encouraging and as such he is ruled out of the tournament in South Africa.

"I don't see myself making it for this AFCON, but am sure I will be ready for the World Cup qualifiers in March," Kalu admitted after the Eagles’ evening training in Faro, Portugal, on Sunday.

Eagles will host Kenya in

continuation of the 2014 World Cup qualifiers in March. Namibia and Malawi are the other teams in their group.

"I think Uche Kalu is ruled out of the Eagles’ AFCON campaign because we are already into the second week here and he is not fit yet," disclosed team spokesman Ben Alaiya. "With the array of strikers in camp, I don't see him getting fit from the injury early enough to fight for a shirt in the team.”

•Kalu Uche

still part and parcel of the team and will be recalled once the team returns from the Nations Cup championship and starts hostilities in the World Cup qualifiers.

All the players appreciated the sincerity and fatherly disposition of the coaching crew and promised to keep their heads high at the various club sides to earn future recall to the national team. Kalu said he was personally pained that injury denied him a place in the team and promised to bounce back in the coming months for the national team.

Turkey striker, Uchenna Kalu, Rabiu Ibrahim who recently moved from Celtic in the Scottish Premier League to Kilmanock FC, Enyimba’s Henry Uche and Papa Idris of Kano Pillars. The four players left camp on Monday morning for their various clubsides and Nigeria.

Head Coach Stephen Keshi had during Sunday morning training session hinted that some players will be asked to go in the evening time, admonishing such players

E

Yobo set to

AGLES captain Joseph Yobo will equal a six-AFCON finals appearance record held by Nwankwo Kanu at the tournament in South Africa.

Yobo has already eclipsed Kanu’s record as the most capped Nigeria star with 89 caps and he could add to this tally on Wednesday against fellow 2013 Nations Cup finalists Cape Verde in an AFCON warm-up game.

"I have been blessed. Words cannot quantify God's blessings on me. Attending my sixth Nations Cup will be great and we will give it our best shot," Yobo told MTNFootball.com.

The 32-year-old Fenerbache star defender

•Keshi

•Uche Kalu, Henry Uche too

HE process of whittling down the number of players in the Super Eagles’ camp in Faro, Portugal begun on Sunday night during dinner when four players out of the 31 in camp were dropped from the team ahead of the naming of the list of 23 players for the South Africa 2013 AFCON championship.

The four dropped players include injured Rizespur of

to take it in good faith as it does not mean that they are not good but that the coaching crew cannot take everybody to South Africa for the tournament.

Even before the players were asked to go, three coaches, Sylvanu Okpala (MON), Ike Shorunmi and Hyoundonou Valere took the players to a section of the dinning hall for special counseling and words of encouragement and assured them that they are

equal Kanu’s record has featured at the 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2010 Nations Cups, same number as the legendary Musa Lawal now of blessed memory. He managed a third-place medal at

four of these appearances and now says he wants to go for the top prize in possibly his last tournament. “It’s not going to be easy (to win the trophy). But we

will give it our best shot. We therefore urge Nigerians to keep praying for us and believe in this team," he said.

E

one of the favourites for this year's edition.

Super Eagles will want to send out a strong message of intent on living up to the tag when they finalise their

preparations for the tournament being hosted in South Africa, in a friendly against debutants, Cape Verde.

SuperSport will broadcast the match live

from 9.55pm CAT on Ss7.

Leading up to the January 19 AFCON kick-off, SuperSport will also broadcast a host of warm-up

matches involving various participants.

These include fellow favourites Cote d'Ivoire against a nonparticipating Egypt and Ghana against Tunisia.

Ayeni prays for Keshi’s success Mikel voted best Nigerian player of 2012

A

HEAD of the African Nations Cup slated for January 19 in South Africa , the Chairman, Lagos State House of Assembly Committee on Youth, Sports and Social Development, Lawrence Ayeni has thrown his weight behind Coach Stephen Keshi while praying for the team to succeed.

In a chat with NationSport, Ayeni was of the view that Keshi would make a great impact in this year's edition of the African tourney following his involvement of local players from the grassroots.

He said: "I am praying for Keshi. But if he is to succeed, they should give him a free hand. If we don't get to the final, that should not be a worry. After all, it took Coach Clemence Westerhof over four years to qualify the nation for major tournaments.

“We are so fond of hiring and firing coaches here if they don't win matches. They are not given enough time. Had it been Keshi did not qualify the players at the preliminary stage, he would have been sacked. We must however

By Stella Bamawo commend him for picking talents from the grassroots who are eager and willing to die for the country."

Ayeni also disclosed that at the moment Lagos State has no plan to own any football club. "It is not in our policy to own a club, the disadvantages are more and so we have decided to support privately owned clubs in competition rather than having a team for now," he said.

•Ayeni

G

OAL.COM Nigeria fans have voted for Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel as the best Nigerian footballer of 2012.

Mikel polled 36.82 per cent of votes cast to edge out Chelsea team mate Victor Moses to second place. Moses earned 26.35 per cent of votes that were cast on the Goal.com website during the past weekend.

Goal.com is the biggest football website in the world and its Nigerian edition receives more than 28 million hits every month, representing a huge chunk of the Nigerian football fan base.

Lolade Adewuyi, chief editor, said that the fans selected Mikel based on his achievements in the past year where he won the UEFA Champions League as

well as the English FA Cup with Chelsea.

“Mikel was very productive in the past year and crowned it with impressive performances

•Mikel

Dynamo Kiev seek Ideye’s replacement

B

ROWN IDEYE could be away on international duty with the Nigeria selection for more than one month. As a result, Dynamo Kiev may strengthen the squad with an offensive reinforcement in January, president Igor Surkis has hinted.

Football.ua citing the official website of the Ukrainian vice - champions quoted Surkis as saying: ''In the future we will be looking for a striker. Especially if Brown Ideye goes with the national team of Nigeria to the African Cup of Nations, we will be very difficult without him.

“If Nigeria progress to the final of the competition, Ideye will almost certainly not help us in the games against Bordeaux.''

The players of Dynamo Kiev return from vacation on January 10. After medical tests, the squad starts full training five days later.

Injury stops Heartland’s Obi

SuperSport to broadcast Eagles’ matches

VEN though Nigeria last made an appearance at the Africa Cup of Nations back in 2010, missing out in 2012, they are still considered as

•Ideye

in key matches that ensured he got two winners medals with his club,” said Adewuyi. “We are glad that our fans have participated in this process to select a worthy athlete in our maiden Nigeria player of the year award.”

CSKA forward Ahmed Musa came third with 20.28 per cent of votes while Kano Pillars' Reuben Gabriel finished fourth in the poll as he experienced a break out year with the Nigeria Premier League champions. Gabriel polled 9.73 per cent.

Montpellier's John Utaka got 6.82 per cent as he resuscitated his career by winning the French title.

H

EARTLAND will be without goalkeeper Ebele Obi at the pre-season Super 4 in Kano from Wednesday due to a knee injury.

Mikel Obi's older brother told MTNFootball.com that he was disappointment by the setback, but he hopes to be back in action in time for the league kick off on February 16.

"It is a pity I won't play in the Super 4.

I was looking forward to it but injury had stopped me from taking part. I have a knee injury which has ruled me out of the tournament,” Ebele Obi disclosed.

“I sustained the injury in training when I went for a shot, but unfortunately I hit my knee on the ground. I am wishing Heartland success and I hope I will be back for the start of the league in February."

Ebele Obi joined Heartland for the coming season after he stayed out of action last season when Enugu Rangers released him.

•Obi

INSIDE

TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2013

Page 25

Website: http://www.thenationonlineng.com

Groups resist land racteteering - Page 26

‘Why are area councils neglected?’

More Hajj seats advocated for FCT - Page 27

B

Re-election poster headaches - Page 40

ENEATH the glitz and fame of the nation’s capital city lies considerable discontent.

Chairmen of the area councils of the Federal Capital Territory feel it deserves a special allocation in view of its status and the fact that many people from the 36 states continue to troop in.

The original inhabitants of the territory, the Gbagyis, have often claimed to be short-changed and marginalised. They clamour for economic and political empowerment.

The infrastructure development of the six area councils and satellite towns is one of the cardinal objectives of President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration for the territory which he further backed with his approval of the re-establishment of the Satellite Towns Development Agency (STDA) in the last quarter of 2011.

It is believed that the provision of infrastructure in the area councils and satellite towns will attract people to live in such places thereby decongesting the city and

From Bukola Amusan also lessen the burden on infrastructure in the FCT. The focus of previous administrations had been the development of the Federal Capital City while ignoring the area councils and satellite towns where a larger population of the people, including civil servants, live.

Under the supervision of the FCT Minister of State Olajumoke Akinjide’s supervision, the STDA headed by a director, Alhaji Tukur Ibrahim Bakori became operational. The agency had commenced construction of roads in the area councils and satellite towns, provision of engineering infrastructure and affordable housing, and also at the forefront of the Clean and Green Greater Abuja project initiated by the FCT Minister of State.

Akinjide, who is also called Mama Area Council by the residents and chairmen of area councils, has assured of the commitment of the Federal Capital Territory

Administration (FCTA) under the leadership of Senator Bala Mohammed, to provide adequate infrastructure in the area councils and satellite towns.

“The FCTA is partnering with stakeholders, including the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC), to attract private capital for the development of the area councils and satellite towns,” he said.

The STDA, he said, has completed the detailed layout for the affordable housing scheme which is being built in two districts of Wasa in Abuja Municipal Area Council and Mamusa West in Kuje Area Council. The affordable housing scheme, which involves the construction of 5,000 housing units, is expected to provide jobs for over 50,000 residents of the territory when completed.

Bakori further explained that the housing scheme would reduce the current strain on the existing housing stock and speed up economic growth of the area councils. He

noted that the scheme was being executed through a publicprivate partnership initiative, with the FCT Administration providing the required land and primary and secondary infrastructure while the developer will provide the tertiary infrastructure.

Road construction and rehabilitation works, according to the STDA director, have commenced in Karshi, Kuje, Bwari and Gwagwalada, among other areas.

Besides the provision of engineering infrastructure in the area councils, Akinjide is giving priority to immunisation of children, environmental sanitation and agricultural development in the councils and satellite towns.

Concerned about the poor sanitation in the area councils and satellite towns, the minister, in May 2012, initiated a community sanitation programme •Continued on Page 26

THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2013

26

ABUJA REVIEW

‘Why are area councils neglected?’

•Continued from Page 25 in the six area councils.

Explaining the rationale behind the community sanitation programme, the Special Assistant to the Minister of State on Environment, Mr. Ayo Sotinrin, said that the vision of the minister was to ensure a clean and secure environment for the area councils.

In addition to the community sanitation programme, the minister in August 2012 also established a Ministerial Committee on Clean and Green Greater Abuja Initiative with the mandate of building effective and sustainable enforcement strategies in the cleaning and greening of area councils and satellite towns.

The Ministerial Committee, which is chaired by the STDA Director, Alhaji Tukur Bakori, is to recommend appropriate and sustainable waste management strategies for the area councils and satellite towns.

In line with its terms of reference, the committee established five subcommittees, namely publicity and sensitisation, enforcement, mop-up operation, parks and greening, and monitoring.

In addition to jingles in different languages, the sensitisation subcommittee held a town hall meeting in all the six area councils which was attended by the chairmen of the area councils, heads of environment in the area councils, traditional rulers, religious leaders, district heads, market women, and National Union of Road Transport Workers, among others.

With the Clean and Green Greater Abuja Initiative, the incidences of improper waste disposal with its attendant health consequences seem to be on gradual decline. The area councils now have their dump sites and it is no longer fashionable for a council to package wastes and then dump it in another council.

The committee aided by the STDA deployed pay-loaders, bulldozers and tippers to the six area councils to evacuate refuse generated by residents of the councils and satellite towns.

With the manner in which the committee has commenced its operations, there is no doubt that, with continued supervision and funding, the problem of improper waste disposal in the area councils and rural communities will be adequately addressed.

In terms of agricultural development, the FCTA has provided N250m community empowerment agriculture revolving loan for 385 farming communities across the six area councils of the FCT. This is under the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) Project Support of the FCT Administration. Details of the revolving loan showed that N60m was provided in 2010, N120m in 2011 and N60m in 2012.

Mrs Akinjide, while on inspection of some farms in Kuchibuyi and Guita communities of Bwari Area Council, assured the farmers that the FCTA would sustain the Community Empowerment Agriculture Initiative.

“We are supporting the poor and rural communities through capacity building in modern farming techniques and agric-businesses to address the issues of poverty, unemployment and gender equality among the rural populace, thereby improving their income and quality of life.

“This initiative started with 60 communities across the six area councils in 2010 and by 2011, the initiative was scaled up to 180 communities with FCT UNDAF II supporting 60 communities.

Currently, the scheme is in 236 communities across the six area councils and the remaining communities will be covered before the end of 2013,”

•Abuja gate said Akinjide, who supervises the FCT MDGs Project Support.

The chairman of the MDGs Farmers’ Co-operatives, Mr. Marks Thomas, who commended the minister, said that the scheme had increased their income level from between N10,000 and N20,000 to over N100,000.

“This initiative has strengthened farmers in the area councils, even as it has encouraged many others to take up agro-business ventures

We are supporting the poor and rural communities through capacity building in modern farming techniques and agric-businesses to address the issues of poverty, unemployment and gender equality among the rural populace, thereby improving their income and quality of life

because of improved income. We are pleading that the scheme should continue and that the timeline for repayment of the facility should be extended.

“It is a good initiative because the farmers are being empowered and they can now afford to train their children in schools. There is a computer appreciation programme being organised for the children in the rural communities with the aim of reducing rural/urban migration,” Thomas stated.

Farmers in the FCT enjoyed 50 per cent subsidy on fertilisers and improved seeds of maize and rice under the Growth Enhancement Support (GES) Scheme. The GES is one of the key initiatives under the Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA) aimed at revamping the agriculture sector, ensuring food security, diversifying the economy, and enhancing foreign exchange earnings.

The FCT farmers also benefited from the supply of tractors and

Groups resist land racketeering From Bukola Amusan

•Senator Mohammed

G

ROUPS under the aegis of Original Inhabitants Development Association of Abuja (OIDA) and the Alliance for Credible Election (ACE) have warned authorities of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) against creating avenues that will enrich its officials in the process of allocating lands to Fulani herdsmen to set up new grazing

reserve.

Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Senator Bala Mohammed had promised to set up new grazing reserve for Fulani herdsmen following the clash between herdsmen and Gbagyi farmers in Gwako Community in Gwagwalada Area Council recently. The clash affected 27 communities, even as it claimed two lives, leaving four others injured.

The group, in a press release signed by OIDA/ACE media adviser, Sumner Shagari Sambo, said the inauguration of the 11-man investigation panel, headed by the FCT Commissioner of Police, Adenrele Shinaba, was a welcome development.

“It is our hope that the committee will do a thorough job in its assignment by genuinely recommending what should be done to solve the perennial problem of clashes between Fulani herdsmen and farmers.

“While we await the one-week deadline given to the committee, we urge the committee to be trans-

parent and fair to all parties involved in the crisis by holding sessions openly and receiving input from all interested parties,” they said.

The groups further expressed their pleasure with the minister’s promise of setting up a new grazing reserve for Fulani herdsmen in the FCT. “We also warn that political office holders and government officials should not use this opportunity to carve out lands for themselves in the name of having grazing reserve. This will be vehemently resisted by OIDA and ACE,”

they stated.

Meanwhile, the groups have urged government to take the issue of compensation; resettlement and integration of original inhabitants in FCT seriously and not crisis-driven.

“It should be done in a comprehensive manner. The government should not wait until another crisis breaks out in the territory before this fundamental issue is resolved,” they said.

They, however, urged the warring communities to embrace peace while the committee’s recommendations are awaited.

We also warn that political office holders and government officials should not use this opportunity to carve out lands for themselves in the name of having grazing reserve. This will be vehemently resisted by OIDA and ACE

other agriculture implements to farmers at subsidised rate.

The FCTA has provided support to the area councils and satellite towns towards ensuring that agriculture was practised as lucrative commercial enterprise, thereby providing sustainable jobs for the unemployed women and youths. The Administration has remained responsive to the calls by farmers and residents of the territory to intervene in the stabilisation of the soaring prices of grains. It approved the release and sale of buffer stock grains from its strategic food reserve as part of measures to reduce high costs of staple food items in the territory. 11,548 bags of maize, 2,196 bags of guinea corn and 5,070 bags of millet were released and sold to farmers and the public at the subsidised amount.

Also, the FCTA, during 2012, launched the One Village, One Product (OVOP) Initiative of the Abuja Enterprise Agency AEA. Rima Village in Abaji Area Council was the first beneficiary of the scheme with the inauguration of a mini-shea-butter processing cluster by the FCT Minister of State.

Akinjide had urged the people to take advantage of the project to transform the landscape of the village, expressing optimism that it would attract tremendous economic activities and investments to the village.

She noted that the project was geared towards empowerment of the rural women by way of reducing the processing period of the shea-butter by 70 per cent.

“The initiative is aimed at building a society devoid of gender discrimination and unequal access to political, social and economic wealth creation opportunities. Gender mainstreaming, empowerment, equality and equity are among the priority areas in the transformation agenda.

“Women from three communities have been empowered through this project. They were organised into co-operatives to enable then to access funds to help with the expansion of their businesses.

In Kwali, a state-wide micro-finance bank is being established. A high percentage of its financing will be targeted at women,” the minister disclosed.

THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2013

27

ABUJA REVIEW

82 medical shops shut Stories from Bukola Amusan

N

O fewer than 82 sub-standard medical outfits in and around Abuja were closed down by the FCT Administration in 2012.

The FCT Minister, Senator Bala Mohammed who reviewed the activities of the FCT Health and Human Services Secretariat however said some of them have been re-opened after the conditions for which they were closed down were met and payment of fine for the offences committed.

He revealed that 12 non-medical quacks were also apprehended and handed over to the Police at various police stations such as Bwari, Jikwoyi, Garki, Federal Secretariat and the FCT Police Command.

According to him, three of such cases have already been charged to Karu Magistrate Court for prosecution to serve as deterrent.

While lamenting that the activities of medical quacks have been on the rise due to the ever-increasing influx of people into the Federal Capital Territory, he assured that his administration is on top of the situation.

The minister also revealed that his administration has empowered the Health and Human Services Secretariat to deal with such ugly situation through the activities of the Private Health Establishments Registration and Monitoring Committee (PHERMC).

He further assured that his administration would not relent in fighting quackery in the Federal Capital Territory as their activities endanger lives of the residents.

Senator Mohammed urged the general public to be cautious of such outfits as they pose a great health danger to the public.

He enjoined the residents of the Federal Capital Territory to as a matter of urgency, raise the alarm when such outfits are suspected to be operating.

•

•Hajj pilgrims

More Hajj seats advocated for FCT T HE Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has reiterated its commitment to improve on the Hajj Operation in 2013 as well as give more slots to pilgrims visiting the holy land.

The Minister of State for FCT, Oloye Olajumoke Akinjide, gave the assurance while receiving the 2012 Hajj Report presented by the chairman of the FCT Amirul Hajj Team, Gen. Abdullahi Bagudu Mamman (rtd).

The minister stated that the FCTA was determined to excel in the Hajj exercise and would continue to ensure transparency in

the operation.

She said: “Let me commend the FCT Amirul Hajj Team for its candour and assure that the administration would study the report and remedy the observed shortcomings.The report is a roadmap for us to improve on the Hajj exercise for the 2013.

“We are pained that out of the over 2,800 intending pilgrims for FCT, about 320 people couldn’t make it due to non-issuance of visa. This is already being investigated in order to avoid a repeat of it. The 320 persons who couldn’t perform the Hajj in 2012 would be considered first for the

2013 Hajj Operation.”

Akinjide also disclosed that the administration would ensure transparency in the sale of the hajj forms for this year to prevent abuse.

On the Hajj Camp sited near the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, the minister assured the permanent camp would be completed to provide a conducive environment for intending Muslim pilgrims.

Earlier in his remarks, Mamman stated that the team recommended a review of the existing allocation of hajj seats to FCT. “FCT should not be seen as an administrative unit. It is cosmopolitan in nature. The Presidency is also part of FCT. We recommended an upward review of allocation of Hajj seats to FCT. The team also recommended that efforts should be intensified to complete the permanent hajj camp,” she stated.

•Oloye Akinjide

He expressed concern over the shabby treatment meted to FCT pilgrims by one of the approved airlines for the Hajj which diverted its aircraft to other states and urged the FCTA to take action on the airline to avoid future occurrence.

She disclosed that the FCT recorded one death during the pilgrimage to Mecca and two cases of pregnant women who performed the hajj.

N3.1b property saved from fire

T

•Arab Junction deserted two days after Christmas

HE Federal Capital Territory Administration has disclosed that it saved 239 lives from fire incidences in and around the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja last year.

The FCT Minister, Senator Bala Mohammed, who stated this after appraising the activities of the FCT Urban Affairs Department, however said his administration, during the year, was also able to save property worth N3, 176,700,000 from inferno.

Senator Mohammed recalled that from January to December 2012, the FCT Fire Service received 486 fire calls as well as103 rescue calls.

In the process, he said, a total number of 69 lives were lost alongside property worth N765, 700,000.

While commending the officers

and men of the FCT Fire Service for the outstanding performance during the period, he assured the residents of the Federal Capital Territory that his administration was poised to improve on this feat in 2013 and beyond.

The minister advised the officials of the FCT Fire Service to redouble their efforts in order to surpass this achievement and, by extension, making Nigeria proud. He reiterated that the feat was in line with the transformation agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan.

He assured that his administration would, this year, work assiduously on capacity building of all the staff of the FCT Administration for enhanced productivity and improved service delivery.

THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2013

28

CROSSWORD PUZZLE

With ekpoita :funtreatsvilla@yahoo.com / 08077706130

ACROSS

DOWN

1.Create (4) 4.Fence (4) 8. Metric Unit of Measure (3) 10. Contest (3) 11. Pig’s pen (3) 12. Poem (3) 13. Range of Vision (4) 14. Lode of Ore (4) 16. Throw (4) 19. Circle (3) 22. Aposite (4) 24. Toilet (3) 25. Era (3) 26. Try (4) 27. Cease (4)

1.Conceal (4) 2.Skill (3) 3.Vital (3) 5.Confess (4) 6. Cover (3) 7. Look Slyly (4) 9. Unvarying (7) 13. Examine Thoroughly (3) 15. Seasoning (4) 17. Ejected Saliva from Mouth (4) 18. Unit of Movement (4) 20.Eggs (3) 21.Lettuce (3) 23. Gone by (3)

COUNTRY MAZE

The words below are just names of countries converted. you are required to decipher the countries by writing each country beside its appropriate word.An example is given to spur you on.

DARK MEN

-

DENMARK

GREAT NINA OX MICE LAID THAN

The Lecturer said, “let’s begin by reviewing some Nigerian history.” The Lecturer asked who said, “I shall return to die in the land of my fathers?” She saw a sea of blank faces, except for Mensah, who had his hand up. Mensah replied: “King Jaja of Opobo, 1875” “very good!” said lecturer.

SUNRISE LOVE

Someone angrily said; “Dont answer him, he is a fool” Mensah smiled replied; “Obansanjo to IBB, 2011” Now the Lecturer manage to get up and asks Mensah; pls, who’re you? Show your self.. Mensah jumped, yelled and said; Jonathan to BOKO HARAM 2012.d teacher fainted.

NEE GALS

Shine like gold, A wonderous treasure,

I smile real bright,

The Lecturer fainted, and as the class gathered around her on the floor, someone said; “Oh shit, we’re in Big trouble now!” Mensah whispered; “Chimaroke Nnamani, Ayodele Fayose and Lucky Igbinedon 2007”

MOON RACE

Your beautiful eyes,

The Lecturer snapped at the class; “class, you should be ashamed. Mensah, who is new to our Country, knows more about our history than you do.” The Lecturer heard a loud whisper: “Ghana must go” “who said that?” she demanded, Mensah put his hand up, “Buhari 1984.”

Now, with almost mob hyseria, someone said; “You little shit. If you say anything else, I’ll kill you.” Mensah frantically yelled at the top of his voice; “Chris Uba to Ngige, 2004!”

SWAN BOAT

We’re all alone in this place,

That’s untold.

Now furious, another student yelled; “Oh yeah! Eat this!”

Mensah jumped out of his chair waving his hand and shouting to the Lecturer, “Indian mistress giving an apple to Abacha, 1998”

ALSO VEIN

Through the sunrise I see your face,

Then she asked again, who said, “The land use act will feed the nation?” Again, no response except from Mensah: “Obasanjo, 1976.”

At that point, a student at the back scornfully said; “Hmmm, you think you are smart?” The Lecturer glared and asked; “All right! Now, who said that?” Again, Mensah said, “Babangida to Abiola, 1992.”

PAIN TASK

WORDWHEEL Form as many words as you can with the letters in the wheel below, using the letter in the hub for each word. Avoid proper nouns and 2-leter words. Hidden is a 10-letter word meaning ‘Running’.Words above fifty formed score “Excellent”.

You tell me you love me,

MIRAGE

You’re the best thing that’s happened to me,

N S

- BRYTNI MOSLEY

PETALS

- Amy Lowell

E

G

Life is a stream On which we strew Petal by petal the flower of our heart; The end lost in dream, They float past our view, We only watch their glad, early start.

Freighted with hope, Crimsoned with joy, We scatter the leaves of our opening rose; Their widening scope, Their distant employ, We never shall know. And the stream as it flows Sweeps them away, Each one is gone Ever beyond into infinite ways.

We alone stay While years hurry on, The flower fared forth, though its fragrance still stays.

P

C

A

M

R I

BRAIN TEASER:

Two siblings were fighting when their mother went to stop them. She used yesterday’s newspaper and made them stand on it until they made up. How did she get them to stand on the newspaper so that the siblings couldn’t touch each other?

******

What do the following words have in common?

FAST,THROUGH,DOWN,AWAY,WATER,NECK .

ANSWER

Each may be preceded by BREAK to give a new word.

The All-Knowing Student it was the first day of the session and a new direct entry student, Mensah, a Ghanaian, joined the class in one of Nigeria’s universities.

Pep Talk

RUT KEY

SIMPLY WEIRD POETRY

******

She slipped the newspaper under a door and closed the door. She made them stand on the two ends

HUMOUR HUMOUR

Without inspiration the best powers of the mind remain dormant. There is a fuel in us which needs to be ignited with sparks. – Johann Gottfried Von Herder

29

TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2013

the President may legitimately be entitled to contest in 2015, ‘ Though it is important he makes a clear statement on whether he has started

campaign or is walking to better and improve the state of the nation. That, in my view, may douse some of the tension, agony and bitterness of many suffering Nigerians. In summary, things are not any better as far as my expectations are concerned See page 35

’

E-mail:- law@thenationonlineng.net

The question as to whether lawyers should be made to provide free legal services has again been thrown up as Lagos State has initiated a move to ensure that lawyers in the state are encouraged to provide pro bono services, but in a structured manner. Lawyers have hailed the move and suggested that other states should act likewise. ADEBISI ONANUGA reports.

• Attorney-General of the federation Mohammed Adoke (SAN)

Pro bono: T How prepared are lawyers?

HE Constitution, under Section 36, provides for the right to fair hearing.

Also in the case of Adigun v. AttorneyGeneral of Oyo State (1987) 1 NWLR part 53 at page 678, the Supreme Court defines the right to fair hearing as including the ability to obtain professional legal assistance.

But, unfortunately, many indigent and illiterate Nigerians find it difficult, most times, to assert this right because of their inability to hire lawyers when necessary.

Poverty and unemployment have worsened the people’s lack of access to justice.

This worrisome development must have informed the new initiative by the Lagos State government to encourage pro bono legal services by lawyers.

Pro bono refers to legal services offered free of charge to the public. Unlike volunteerism, pro bono services leverage the skills of legal professionals to help those who are unable to afford a lawyer.

Pro bono services help marginalised communities and underserved populations – children, the poor and the elderly - who are often denied access to justice.

On December 28, last year, the 12-man committee, headed by Prof Lanre Fagbohun, set up by the state to draft a manual on how pro bono can be structured to work for the disadvantaged in the society, submitted a draft of the manual.

The draft provides suggestions on how pro bono could be structured, resourced, directed

and supported to provide better access to justice for residents of Lagos through the Lagos Public Interest Law Partnership (LPILP).

The LPILP was conceived as a public and private collaborative and supportive legal service project, established to enhance access to justice and address other legal needs of the indigent, disadvantaged and marginalised residents of Lagos.

The initiative is part of the reforms being introduced into the administration of justice in the state. It is intended to ensure equal access to justice by all, notwithstanding the social standing.

•Continued on page 30

Inside: Enhancing regulatory framework as bulwark ... P.31 ‘Experienced lawyers should assist EFCC’ ... P.35

THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2013

30

LAW COVER CONT’D

Pro bono: How prepared are lawyers?

• Ipaye

• Oyebode

• Falana (SAN)

• Prof Fagbohun

• Owosile

• Continued from page 29

agency of the Lagos State Ministry of Justice.

There are also the Consumer Rights Protection Unit, a Human Rights Protection Unit and the Citizens Mediation Centre offering free and skilled mediation to citizens and providing alternative dispute resolution on legal matters in Lagos State.

The practice today is that most lawyers do not engage in free legal practice except those intending to apply for the Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) title, for whom it is mandatory to have carried out such services before being conferred with the title.

Even where lawyers voluntarily provide such free services, the cases are not structured and most lawyers engage in the service to boost their ego, and use the platform to solicit financial reward from international organisations and for cheap popularity.

The Lagos Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Ade Ipaye, said the philosophy behind the state’s provision of pro bono services is to ensure that everyone has equal access to justice.

He added that the orientation of the state government has changed and more emphasis is now placed on rendering free legal services to the indigent and disadvantaged.

Ipaye noted that access to justice by deserving, disadvantaged selfrepresented parties who have meritorious legal issues is classified as a right for all residents of the state.

But how commendable is this initiative? Are lawyers in support of the scheme that seeks to take

away their time without any pecuniary rewards? Prof Akin Oyebode, Femi Falana (SAN), Dr. Akinpelu Lewis, Chief James Ikechukwu and Chair, NBA, Ikorodu, Lagos, Sahid Owosile do not see anything wrong with the initiative. They praised the state’s effort.

Oyebode described pro bono as a way of ensuring commitment and interest of poor people to the vitality of the legal system.

“So, these are things that colonisation had truncated. We have to really decolonise the Nigerian legal culture for such things like pro bono legal service,” he said.

He added that the idea of free legal service all over the world is to empathise with the poor.

Falana argued that free legal services are very much desirable in a country where majority of the population is economically disabled and only the few, who are rich, are able to enforce their rights.

He said the efforts of the Legal Aid Council, National Human Rights Commission (at the federal level )and the Office of the Public Defender and Mediation Centre (in Lagos State) as well as human rights groups were not enough to meet the legal demand of the vast majority of poor and ignorant people in the country.

Falana noted that in the rural areas, in particular, conscious efforts are needed to encourage lawyers to provide pro bono services to the rural folk. He said the merits and implication for the judicial system is that the victims of injustice are

going to get redress in the interest of the justice.

He added that cases of human rights violations could now be challenged in court by any concerned citizen or organisation, without showing any special interest as was the case in the past.

Every indigent person, he further stated, can now demand for legal representation in court by right. He said there was the need to promote pro bono to meet the expectation of the new legal regime in the state.

Lewis also supports the pro bono initiative. He said there was nothing wrong with the step being taken by the state.

“In fact one should praise those behind this initiative because of its possible benefits to the indigent populace. Rendering pro bono services are ways lawyers can serve the society without seeking to be compensated. But I hope lawyers in the state will not be compelled to undertake pro bono cases by the government for whatever reasons. The beauty of it is when it is undertaken willingly,” he said.

Ikechukwu praised the idea of encouraging lawyers to engage in pro bono practice once in a while. He observed that the state’s intervention notwithstanding, many lawyers have been engaging in the provision of free legal services.

Ikechukwu, however, cautioned against using the initiative for purposes that would defeat its concept.

“I hope this is not a plan to make pro bono practice a pre-con-

dition for enjoying the state’s services. I am just thinking aloud, but I pray it doesn’t turn out that way because it could form a basis for legislation. People will sue to assert their rights. So, I don’t think the state needs to make it conditional.”

Owosile described the initiative as a welcome development, the NBA having endorsed it. According to him, the next step is to move it to a higher level since the Lagos State government, the Ministry of Justice and the Office of the Public Defender are committed to it.

“It is an internationally recognised service. But, you know, whatever comes to Nigeria, there is the possibility of abuse. There is the possibility that someone who can afford to pay for the service of a lawyer may also want to enjoy the service of a lawyer who is hired and paid for on his behalf just because he knows that the government is there to introduce a lawyer to him that would take over the case.

“The merit you have in it is that there is a world-class relationship in the sense that you are not denied justice because of who you are. But once you have a case, you can go to the pro bono office in the Office of the Public Defender, introduce yourself, swear to an affidavit of means and they would verify and once it is known that you actually deserve it, you will get it.

He said the service in Lagos would be structured to ensure that no lawyer would be forced to provide the service.

“Those who are going to be involved are going to register for it.

It is not as if we are going to be forced to provide the service. It is volition and something you have to volunteer yourself for and very many lawyers are already interested in that,” he said.

Under the new arrangement, lawyers in the state would be encouraged to render voluntarily, at least 50 hours of pro bono work yearly; and as may be determined from time to time and in consultation with the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA). The service would be provided in all instances, including criminal, civil and administrative matters, where legal aid may be limited.

It is also the intention of the government to build a platform comprising the public sector, the private sector and the people to ensure that law and order are upheld, and access to justice is guaranteed to every resident, irrespective of means, sex, ethnic group, place of origin, religion or political affiliation.

The need for free legal service for the indigent is not alien in this clime. Viewed from the standpoint of access to justice, it is universally accepted that access to justice by deserving and disadvantaged parties, who have meritorious legal issues, is not a privilege, but a right.

But, despite the growing interest in pro bono globally, it is often provided by lawyers as ad-hoc legal service. In Nigeria, pro bono is done more by law firms and lawyers who are human rights activists and constitutional ones.

It is this group of lawyers and activists that are visible in the judicial sector, initiating court processes for those who are abused or are denied of their rights by the privileged.

Another group comprises government agencies, such as the Nigerian Legal Aid Council and Consumer Rights Protection Council (established by the Federal Government), Office of the Public Defenders (OPD) and Directorate of Citizens’ Rights, an

‘The orientation of the state government has changed and more emphasis now placed on rendering free legal services to the indigent and disadvantaged’

Akeredolu urges ‘sacked’ lecturers to sue

F

ORMER Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) President Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN) has urged sacked lecturers and staff of the Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo, Ondo State, to seek redress in court.

Condemning the action, he said he was ready to offer legal support to those affected.

“I will implore all those affected by this uncommon act of wickedness to challenge it in court.

“We will be more than ready to support this just cause until the final victory is won,” Akeredolu said in a statement at the weekend. He described as “callous and irresponsible” the alleged sack of some lecturers and staff of the institution.

They were said to have been relieved of their duties by the intitution’s Governing Council act-

ing on the orders of the Ondo State Government.

Akeredolu, who was Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) governorship candidate in the last election, said the dismissal was condemnable.

The statement added: “This latest assault on the law abiding citizens working in that patently neglected institution, under the guise of some dubious ‘reorganisation’, one in the series of such mindless tendencies to deprive the people of the state of their legitimate means of livelihood by the clueless pseudo-labour adventurers, must be condemned by all those who are decent and Godly.

“Some members of staff of the Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, have already been subjected to this harrowing

experience.

“The hapless victims of a vindictive band are being punished, ostensibly, for their principled stance against bad governance and the practical steps taken to extricate themselves from the shackles of oppressive and rudderless government.

“It smacks of hypocrisy, of the worst kind, for an administration, which fraudulently hoists the banner of labour, to relieve people of their jobs when it has decidedly elected not to create jobs for an increasing army of jobless people.

“It becomes all the more instructive that these pathetic beings deploy animalistic instincts in dealing with their fellow beings.

“We want to assure the government that this current state of things is momentary.

“Every serious government seeks to alleviate the harsh conditions experienced by its people.

“Genuine leaders depend on their ingenuity to make things work in an environment of systemic dysfunction.

“Only a clueless government will seek to compound the misery of the vastly dispossessed and serially abused people.

“This is a show of vindictive pettiness, an attitude of intolerance displayed by the haughty who wallow in deliberate amnesia concerning what happened in recent past.

“The Agagu administration did not sack any worker for supporting the opposition before the court judgment which brought this current emperor into office.

• Akeredolu

“An elected representative of the people who truly believes in their right to choose will never get away with this impunity in a decent society.”

THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2013

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LAW & SOCIETY In a move aimed at enlisting the media to reawaken public confidence in the capital market, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) held a training for journalists, where law experts examined existing legal and regulatory framework for the regulation of the market and suggested continuous review to avert a repeat of the last burst. ERIC IKHILAE reports.

Enhancing regulatory framework as bulwark against market abuses

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N view of its importance to investment and capital acquisition, every nation strives to ensure adequate regulations aimed at effectively protecting players in its capital market.

Importantly, efforts are made to ensure investors’ confidence in the market with the creation of a formidable regulatory framework, comprising statutes, rules, regulations as well as disciplinary and dispute resolution mechanisms.

Firm adherence and application of these regulatory measures serve as a bulwark against unethical practices and other acts that expose investors to risk; create unfair, unstable and inefficient market.

It is argued that lack of strict regulation resulted in incidents of abuses that negatively impacted on the integrity and stability of the nation’s market, leading to huge investment losses from which the country is yet to fully recover Most investors lost their investments in the last crash, a development attributed to incidents of sharp practices in the form of deliberate manipulation of share prices and insiders’ collusion, particularly on the part of supposed regulators.

The incumbent management of the market ‘s regulator, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has, as part of efforts to resuscitate the market, engaged in activities aimed at enhancing investors’ confidence and firming existing regulatory mechanisms through the review of existing laws, rules and regulations; and improved collaboration with relevant sectors.

One of such collaborative efforts was a training programme tagged: “The SEC journalist’s academy 2012.” It was meant to enhance media understanding of capital market fundamentals, the roles and challenges of the SEC and ways the media could, while playing its watchdog role, help in pushing to public domain, adequate information necessary to aid investors in making wise decisions.

The event which held in Abuja last month, saw experts examining relevant aspects of the capital market, but with emphases on existing legal and regulatory frameworks, through which the SEC regulates the market. They suggested ways of improvement to avert a possible reversal to the receding dark days.

Speakers include SEC’s DirectorGeneral, Arunma Oteh; Anthony Idigbe (SAN), Babatunde Ajibade (SAN), SEC’s Secretary and Director, Legal Services, Edosa Kennedy Aigbekaen and Sola EphraimOluwanuga.

Oteh said the event was part of SEC’s development strategies aimed at enhancing public confidence in the nation’s capital market and aid the media in the performance of its duties of education the public about development in the market and helping them make appropriate decisions.

She said the intention was to enhance investors’ confidence the capital market by ensuring that all necessary measures are in place to promptly detect and punish unethical practices; and ensure the effectiveness of existing disciplinary and dispute resolution mechanisms, within the framework of SEC’s enabling laws.

Idigbe in his paper, “Enabling laws and institutions of the capital market,” noted that prior to 1988 regulation in the nation’s capital market was in the form of self-regulation carried out by the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) and via laws

like the Lagos Stock Exchange Act of 1961 and the Companies Act of 1968.

This regime of self regulation, he argued, led to lack of independence and objectivity in regulation, a development that resulted from cases where market operators tended not to be objective either in the formulation or implementation of regulation for themselves.

Another drawback in this form of regulation, he observed, was the absence of sufficient coercive powers to prevent market abuses. This, he said, is because even where a regulator was objective, but yet lacked the machinery of enforcement, it could hardly make any impact.

The need to address these inadequacies, Idigbe said, informed the promulgation of the SEC Act 1988, establishing the SEC as the apex regulatory body for the nation’s capital market. The Act coexisted with some other statutes which were all later consolidated and reviewed in the Investment and Securities Act (ISA) of 1999, now replaced with the ISA 2007.

He observed that the nation’s capital market, having gone through this gradual legislative transition, has effectively transited from the era of self –regulation to a regime of “heavy regulation,” by SEC, a development to be further reviewed at the end of the final adoption by SEC, of its recently published Consolidated Rules to which it is currently seeking stakeholders’ contributions.

He said if eventually adopted, the Consolidated Rules, with more extensive provisions, seeks to amend the existing Rules.

Idigbe, who observed that the courts were increasing appreciating the need for the regulation of the market and to support regulators, urged the media to act likewise. He argued that although market’s rules and regulations may not be perfect, they serve mainly to ensure sanity in the market and make it attractive to both local and foreign investors.

In his paper: “The regulatory framework of the Nigerian capital market,” Aigbekaen argued that the recent unsavouring experience, there exists sufficient regulatory framework for the effective operations of the nation’s market regulator.

He said what was required was the strengthening of such existing legal and regulatory mechanisms in conformity with the ongoing efforts at reawakening public and investors’ confidence in the market and in compliance with international best practice. This he said the incumbent management at SEC has gradually achieved since 2006.

“I believe the regulatory authority has done well in this regard.

Even before the ISA was re-enacted, the legal framework of the Nigerian capital market had complied with international best practice.

“This is attested to by the admission of the commission (SEC) as an ‘A’ signatory to the International Organisation of Securities Commission’s Multilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MMOU),” Aigbekaen said.

Ajibade , in his presentation title: “Critical issues in the enforcement of rules and regulations in the Nigerian capital market-collaborating with security agencies and the judiciary,” observed that there was need to evolve mechanisms to enhance the collaborative roles of both the market regulator and the judiciary and security agencies.

• Oteh

He highlighted the imperative of enforcing the rules governing the market and argued that effective enforcement of such rules has the capacity of attracting investment in a competitive environment. This, he said, results from the fact that in an increasingly competitive world, quality capital will automatically gravitate towards environments where the risk of loss is most reduced.

Ajibade also stated that proper enforcement of market rules was capable of ensuring certainty, and allow participants in the market to know where they stand at a particular time, particularly when considering or structuring their transactions.

He argued that it also could serve as deterrent to unethical practices.

He noted that effective application of rules was capable of acting as a disincentive to breaking the law of flouting the rules themselves.

To achieve success in this regard requires enhanced collaboration between SEC, the judiciary and security agencies. This Ajibade suggested, could be achieved in a number of ways. This include ensuring a well thought out relationship between the judiciary and SEC as was done in section 304 of ISA 2007 regarding at what point SEC should seek the assistance of security agencies.

He also suggested the need for clarity in the exclusive jurisdiction conferred on the Investment and Securities Tribunal (IST) by the ISA which has resulted in court giving conflicting decisions on the issue.

He cited the conflicting decisions of the Federal High Court and Court of Appeal in the cases of SEC v Kasumu (2009) 10 NWLR part 1150, Ajayi v SEC (2009) 13 NWLR part 1157 and Cadbury v SEC (unreported Appeal No: CA/A/105/M/08).

Ajibade, who queried the practice

where SEC combines regulatory and adjudicatory functions in view of the legal principle that one cannot be a judge in his own cause, suggested a demarcation in the performance of both responsibilities.

“SEC is engaged in the laudable process of overhauling its complaints management mechanism. The process is currently addressing investor complaints that would otherwise come to SEC. There is need for a more holistic approach that deals with the enforcement of capital market rules and regulation from A-Z. “This is what will give confidence to investors –local and foreign.

Reform of this sort should be structural and should involve the leadership of the judiciary,” Ajibade said.

In his paper: “Importance of specialized court for the capital market: the IST as a case study,” Ephraim-Oluwanuga argued that despite the perceived benefits inherent in the existence of a court dedicated solely to resolving dispute arising from transactions in the market, there still exist challenges that must be attended to.

Some of these, he said, include the absence of strict timetable within which SEC confirms the decisions of its Administrative Proceedings Committee (APC), a development that prevent litigants , wishing to appeal, to pursue their appeal on time.

He also identified other challenges to include paucity of funds, inadequate skilled capital market law practitioners and the unresolved jurisdictional competition between the IST and the Federal High Court.

As a way out, EphraimOluwanuga suggested the amendment of the Constitution to specifically, make IST a court of record and include it in the hierarchy of courts in the country. He further suggested that the National Assembly should empower IST enforce its judgment, to prevent it from being seen as a mere barking dog that can hardly bite.

“IST should, as a matter of policy, encourage the writing of dissenting opinion by any member in its judgment to encourage development of robust jurisprudence in the capital market. Court of Appeal should treat capital market appeals with speed and dispatch to boost investor confidence,” he said.

Ephraim-Oluwanuga argued that it was imperative the SEC clears all perceived bottlenecks resulting in delay in appeals to the tribunals and the rate with which it deals with complaints from investors.

• Miss Tomilola Taiwo (2 nd right) daughter of Chairman of NBA, Lagos chapter, Mr Taiwo O. Taiwo and Justice Toyin Taiwo of the Lagos High Court (1 st and 2 nd left) who graduated with M.SC in Human Relations from the University of Bradford, UK. With them are: representative of the Human Relations Professional Association, Angela Sheen (3 rd left) and the Director of the university’s Human Relations Dr Peter Prowse (1 st right).

THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2013

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LAW & SOCIETY Section 214 of the Constitution which established the Nigeria Police Force (NPF). Sub-section 1 states: “There shall be a Police Force for Nigeria which shall be known as the Nigeria Police Force, and subject to the provisions of this section, no other Police Force shall be established for the Federation or any part thereof.” In accordance with this provision, Nigeria has operated a unified central police force since independence in 1960. However, with time, there has been increase in population, criminal activities, economic and political spheres of life, which calls for close policing of the citizens. In addition, new waves of crimes and criminal activities such as kidnapping, terrorism, armed banditory and sundry high-tech criminal activities have brought the need for policemen to be familiar with their areas of operations, culture, customs, among others. This has led to calls for the amendment of the Constitution to make provision for state police. This call has received different reactions from different parts of the country. While some believe state police is what Nigeria requires to tackle its security challenges, others argue that Nigeria is not yet “ripe” for it. Legal Editor, JOHN AUSTIN UNACHUKWU sought the views of university dons and lawyers on the issue.

Dons, lawyers disagree on state police not be cowardice to seek for a relief. The image of a failed or failing state which is starring us in the face is as a result of the perceived and real impression of members of the society that nobody is safe in this country anymore.”

• Aduba

P

ROF. Nnamdi Aduba of the University of Jos, said: “Any observant commentator would have long noticed that what we have at the moment is not Federal Police, especially in our situation where they are almost exclusively funded by the states. In recent times, Lagos, Niger, Rivers and Delta states have been leading in that respect.

Although the Constitution states that there shall be a Nigerian Police Force controlled by the President, in reality the states’ involvement in its operation is there for all to see. The major problem against state-controlled police has always been the possibility of abuse by governors and the past experience in the then Western and Northern Regions.

It is my considered opinion that instead of having a poorlyfunded federal Police Force with doubted loyalty, it is better to have a fully-funded state police, accountable to the state governor.

For now, what we have is a police that is unable to perform its primary role of security of property and life of citizens.

“The current situation that the military is assisting regularly is not healthy and the public has not been too enthusiastic and would rather they move back to their barracks. For effective policing, local knowledge is very essential and that can be ensured with state policing. The fears expressed can be minimised by professionalism. The greatest threat currently facing Nigeria is local terrorism and kidnapping. Culprits are not spirits. Trust which is essential in policing can be gotten from a kinsman in our tribally divided society. That is another advantage in having a State Police.

“The point must be made that a constitution can never be a perfect document. It is an organic document meant to endure for a long time. It responds to situations. Whilst the past should guide the future, it should not be a clog in the wheel of progress.

Federal government, it must be admitted, is biting more than it can chew. In a balanced federation the most capable organ of government should assume the responsibility. In the case of Nigerian federalism, the Federal government for now is performing below average in certain areas vital to our existence. It will

• Ndifon

Prof. Cyril Ndifon of the University of Calabar said: “Why are we always concerned with issues of ownership and control rather than matters of good governance and service delivery?

Sadly, to say that this issue is what drives our debates and influences our politics is to state the obvious. It is either someone is talking about control of resources exploited from his area or the funds which accrue to local governments or funds collected by a particular tier of government and put into a joint account. The stories are all the same and too predictable: control, share, share and share, but with nothing to show for it. Indeed, the present debate on the desirability or otherwise of state police fits into the same mould and I must confess that am sick and tired of it.

“The main problem with policing in Nigeria is that we have failed to realise that the driver of any good product and/or project is measured by the impact it makes on the consumer. If we see policing as a service which must be invariably measured in terms of the quality it can give to the end –consumer- the citizenry, then, our concern should be more on service delivery and less on control and ownership. Who among us would want replicated in our locality the police force ( with all its inefficiency, corruption and failures) we presently have in the country? I guess the answer is obvious.

“The urgent need of our time is simply to have a police force that is professional both in outlook and content. So, what we need is a reform that will be targeted at addressing structural, institutional and attitudinal challenges. Few of these pressure areas are those that relate to recruitment, nature and content of the curriculum and internal discipline. The training manual must be civilian -friendly and 21st century compliant, especially as regards the human rights content. For recruitment purposes there must be a deliberate policy

to undertake an effective background checks.

“It is clear that there is a strong relation between the quality of candidates and the quality of police personnel, no doubt, a case of cabbage in and cabbage out.

Let us realise that we cannot afford to play politics with our security and for those who point to the earlier 60s when regional policing was the norm as an example of good policing need also to be reminded that this period had its downsides. More importantly, some of us have failed to recognise that Nigerians, in particular the young ones, have moved away from that period where ethnic and tribal ties were the basis of doing business or engaging in any relationship (at least not with the high level of inter-ethnic marriages) . Now is the time we search for the true and authentic Nigerian. Politicians Beware!”

Dr. Samson S. Ameh (SAN) said: “We should maintain the Nigeria Police on the exclusive legislative list of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999. The idea of having a state police is a good one but the time is not ripe for it yet. We should remember that Nigeria started as a British colony, indeed a creation by a foreign power and thereby any institution like the Nigeria Police which emphasizes our image as a nation, as one country should be encouraged for now.

“The argument in favour of State Police is understandable in the sense that with the knowledge of their environment, the State Police will be more efficient and effective in crime detection and investigation. But the disadvantages are more and especially State Police will be subject to abuse by local champions or overloads.

“The advantages of having State Police; that is, efficiency and effectiveness of crime detection and investigation as a result of local knowledge can equally be achieved administratively in the existing structure of the Nigeria Police. Indeed, there is a policy which I believe to be still in place that as much as possible officers of the rank of Inspector of Police and below should be posted to their local government of origin. By so doing, the advantages of local knowledge or knowledge of the environment will be assessed by such officers who are actually the field men/women in the Nigeria Police who perform the task of crime detection and investigation and not the superior officers.

“On a last note, I wish to appeal to Nigerians to appreciate the role of the Police in the society. Nigerians should cooperate with the Police in all aspects of their work instead of being skeptical and critical of the Police all the time.

We must not stay aloof from the Police because after all police are part of the society.

“For now, the Police must remain national but for the future and when the time is ripe, State Police is the ideal.”

• Rabana (SAN)

Nella Andem-Rabana (SAN) said: “I have no doubt in my mind that decentralisation of the Nigerian Police Force by empowering the states to conduct law enforcement activities statewide is the ultimate way forward. However, whether Nigeria is ready to take that step just yet is the question. My response is: I think not’.

“Unless Nigeria thinks through the necessary amendments/provisions to be made with regard to the following: (a) 2011 Constitution (as amended) (b) the Revenue Allocation Formula; and (c) infrastructure, and until it puts into effect those amendments for effective state policing it may not be expedient to whimsically dismantle the existing police structure.

“The fact that the Nigerian Police Force is under the command of the IGP, an appointee of the President of the Federal Republic, means that all Commissioners of police report directly to him and have limited powers/authority to make on-thespot or far reaching decisions and in maintaining and securing public safety and order. This is a constitutional matter, which must be expressly addressed in order to discentralise the Police Force.

“Also of constitutional significance, are matters such as purchase of fire arms, ammunition, explosives, banking, financial crimes, fingerprinting, identification and criminal records, all of which are on the Exclusive Legislative list in the 2011 Constitution (as amended). These matters should be put on the concurrent list to give states necessary and relevant powers to enable them prevent, investigate and prosecute such crimes independent of Federal police. This would give the Federal police the opportunity to concentrate on Federal crimes which would have by then been clearly determined such as, Interstate, cross-border crimes and national security issues.

“I note also that the 2011 Constitution (as amended) provides that only the National Assembly has power to legislate on Police and criminal matters so the need for amendment to enable the State Houses of Assembly powers to set down modalities for establishing, administering and organizing a state police force is of critical importance.

“Whether the police force remains as it is or it is decentralised, adequate budgetary provision to meet their operational challenges is a sine qua non but if the states are to set up their Police commands the Revenue sharing Formula has to be revised to give the states more funding to cope with the additional cost of running an effective state police.

“Meanwhile, strengthening the police to cope with current insecurity in the country requires optimal professionalism. The need for up-todate technological and scientific expertise, robust and comprehensive criminal justice training especially in areas like psychology, forensic investigation, report writing, handwriting analysis, voice analysis, interrogation, negotiation, fingerprinting analysis, study of bomb composition and disposal, Cybercrime, deep sea diving etc. has to form part of the ongoing training programme.

“Adequate funding to ensure more strategic infrastructural development such as functional air (helicopters) water (marine boats) and road transport(vehicles) adequate housing (barracks), academies, uniforms, communication gadgets and research laboratories and modern equipment are to be made accessible to all commands.

“The recruitment process for prospective police officers should be reviewed to benchmark entry into the Police Force at Post Ordinary level qualification and pre-commissioning training should be one year intensive training, which would cover report writing, basic investigative techniques, criminal justice skills, decorum/grooming and sociably acceptable conduct/attitude to the public as well as physical training.

“More transparency in the management of the Police Equipment Fund is imperative. These Funds should be used for capital projects such as the purchase of CCTV cameras in strategic locations and highways, provision of helicopters, marine boats, vehicles, and hi-tech equipment throughout the country.

“It is my belief that under effective governorship; each state Police Force would be able to independently protect its citizens without the unnecessary bureaucratic delays in decision-making, as is presently the case. With unfettered powers of arrest and apprehension they can effectively detect and prevent crime within the state and for offences, which they have no Jurisdiction to prosecute, they would transfer accordingly.”

• Onoja (SAN)

Chief James Ogwu Onoja (SAN) said: “To have a State Police will definitely require the amendment of the Nigerian Constitution. That is the smallest of all the problems. I am against the creation of State Police. It is an invitation to anarchy and will surely complicate instead of solving the security problems of this country. Ours is a nation that creates excuses for failures. The • Continued on page 32

THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2013

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LAW & SOCIETY

Dons, lawyers disagree on state police • Continued from page 31

creation of State Police is not the prescription for the discontent and inefficiency of our system of policing in Nigeria neither is it an alternative to a well-funded and highly trained police force that can fight crime and corruption head on.

Those who are clamoring for State Police have failed to appreciate the history of this country regarding the atrocities of Councils and Emirates police under the colonial administration. Instead of castigating the police force as it is constituted, we need to fund, empower, retrain and give them job security to do their constitutional roles. The citizens of this country should stop running the police down, they should co-operate with police to fight crime, give useful information and expose criminals. Police do not bribe themselves. Corrupt Nigerians bribe the police.

“Whether we create State Police, Local Government Police, clannish or family Police, they will all police the same corrupt Nigerians, who will eventually claw their effectiveness through institutional corruption and serial neglect. We should be courageous to address the problem of the Nigerian Police; lets stop playing games with our security. Police cannot do magic, they cannot act above their intellectual and institutional capacities, we can only get back what we have invested in them. If you put little in the Police Force, don’t expect a big result. The government, particularly, the politicians are obliged to act as a matter of urgency to improve the capacity of the Nigeria Police or else very soon we would start asking for State Army, State Airforce and Navy. We are the problems, not the institutions. As bad people, we deserve our leadership and all the institutions, the Nigeria Police Force inclusive”.

• Ochoga

F

OR Chief John Ochoga: “The Nigeria Police Force is the creation of Section 214(1) of the 1999 Constitution as a sole police force for Nigeria.

It is headed by the Inspector-General of Police with subordinate officers and commissioners of police in charge of the states.

“The habit of policing has always been an integral part of human existence since creation.

The instinct for human to protect themselves and their acquisitions has always been there, however rudimentary. Since people live in group and communities, there was always the need to check the excesses and aggression of others. The breakdown of individual discipline that endanger the larger society led to various forms of social control ( informal policing), in which members of a community became responsible for their collective protection and security. Rules, norms or custom that guaranteed individual interest but protected the survival of the group as a whole, became formalised.

“Modern type policing began in London with the establishment of the Metropolitan Police

by Sir Robert Peel in 1829,

whereas the Nigerian police force started as a body to meet the British colonial needs. The Consular Guards was established in Lagos in 1861 and later by 1879 became the Hausa Constabulary, an armed force. Subsequently, there was the Northern Nigerian Polic (1886), Royal Niger Constabulary (1888), The Niger Coast Constabulary (1894) and The Southern Nigerian Police Force ( 1906). By 1906, three distinct police forces existed in Nigeria. And in 1930 there were amalgamated thus the present name of The Nigeria Police Force.

“It is, therefore, clear that our colonial history produced our current policing status. We can therefore not separate our political development from our police force.

Nigeria’s 1966 political experience of coups, counter-coups, civil war and military regimes have made our democracy “a learning process”, even at the age of 53 years.

“In northern nigeria, opposing politicians and their lawyers were detained at electoral/pooling unit to ensure nomination forms and documents were not filled against the ruling NPC (Northern people congress).

Multi-party democracy was nothing but a big sham.

“The little success of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has all been wiped out by the electoral fraud machines called State Independent Electoral Commission (SIÈC) nationwide.

“Nigeria can not remain united and democratic unless democratic elections can be held and sustained. The primordial nature of Nigeria still makes State Police an idea whose time has not come. Our leaders are still emperors in pretentious democratic garbs. The degrees of abuse and their anti-democratic tendencies do not call for state police yet, until we stabilise our democratic culture. Most of the advocates for state police are local and regional power seekers or people who did to experience our first republic police abuses that influenced the military intervention”.

“On how to strengthen the existing Police structure to improve their efficiency and the safety and security of life and property of Nigerians, Ochoga said: “We need immediate implementation of the community policing training programme in the states.

“We need better professional training and equipment of the Nigeria police force, establishment of police command committees at state level to give state governors greater input in security matters with state police commands and formations; Create a culture of service delivery and effective discipline within the police force.”

• Obla

Chief Godwin Obla, said: “The discourse on the propriety or otherwise of amendment of the Constitution to allow for state police has clearly revealed the duplicity and insincerity of some Governors especially those from the core North who have incorporated aspects of the Sharia in their legal systems and created apparatus for the enforcement.

“These are states where the Hisbah an acronym for Islamic police seize alcohol, impose fines, apply lashes as physical punishment in accordance with “Islamic injunctions.” What more evidence of state police do we need?

“If State Police had existed, the responsibility for apprehending the Boko Haram and similar insurgent organistions would have been on the states. The extent of their complicity or support for these groups would have been obvious.

“The world has moved on and if we are practising the American style federal system then state and even local government police is a sine qua non. The argument about misuse is as lame as it is disingenuous. We can anticipate possible abuses and put in place legislations to address them. Is the police as constituted not being abused?”

J. Ihe Amajuoyi, who is Chairman NBA Umuahia branch, said: “I am seriously opposed to the idea of State Police now, not because it is bad per se, but basically because of the use to which our politicians will eventually put it. They will definitely abuse it unless there are strong legal frameworks and dependable assurances to the contrary.”

On how to strengthen the existing police structure to get the best out of it, Amajuoyi said: “ A very strong reorientation and outright change of the present police force will make it more nationalistic, heal all suspicion and reassure Nigerians that their lives and property are safe”

• Gabbas

Garun Gabbas said: “This is a sensitive, indeed, difficult subject for the simple reason that while it has its advantages, the odds against the option in our very peculiar situation as a nation make it somewhat unworkeable in Nigeria.”

According to him, some governors have shown a propensity to abuse their powers. Therefore, they could do worse with the police under their control.

“It will be very unwise to entrust these leaders with the most important aspect of concern to the citizens, I.e. security.

“Moreso, in certain parts of our country, the fear can be expressed, and rightly so, that state police could even be used by governors to settle religiuos, tribal or sectional scores. For these reasons it is my view that the disadvantages of creating state police far outweigh the benefits.“

LAW AND PUBLIC POWER

with gabriel AMALU email:gabrielamalu1@yahoo.com

My New Year prayers

T

HE Christmas break was rewarding. As usual, yours sincerely travelled to my bucolic and sedate home town of Ogwofia-Owa, in Enugu State to rest and celebrate. The yearly ritual enables me to attend to family matters, to feel the local politics, to join other returnees to support the local church and community development. I also use the opportunity afforded by the long break and the congregation of visiting and resident Umunna to ask questions and gauge the performance of local authorities. My other visits during the year are more businesslike, primarily to visit my mother or to attend to specific matters.

As I enjoyed my holidays I was on the look out to see if the chairman of my local government, Barrister Emeka Ozoagu, has added any value to my local community. I checked out the community primary school; the primary health and maternity centers; the dilapidated, but historically, the first co-operative shop in the Eastern Nigeria; the local postal agency; the local roads and culvert points; the local market and civic centres among others. Like in the era before his tenure, there are yet no significant changes or community support from the local government. My prayers is that by this time next year, Ozoagu, will justify the fiscal allocations from the federation account and look inwardly to generate revenue for community development.

I was also in Enugu, the coal city. While many of the major city roads are in great shape; I saw that there are still a lot to be done. The centre of attraction remained the old Polo Park converted into a sprawling shopping mall, boasting of international brands like the Shoprite and Games. There is also a park for fun seekers and may other fantastic developments. Two controversial issues in the state however hung thick in the air. The first is the controversy over a new secretariat building. From the architectural designs, the plan by Governor Sullivan Chime is quite ambitious. While many are opposed to the project for various reasons, I was very impressed with the governor’s huge ambition. The old secretariat made up of several bungalows that served the Eastern Nigeria deserved to give way for a more functional administrative offices to serve the expanding state bureaucracy.

The other issue thick in the air, and as massive as the new secretariat design is the where about of Governor Sullivan Chime. Save may be for his wife and probably few acolytes, nobody knows about the state of health or ill health of the Governor. While visiting the new shopping mall on December 24, in company of a strong fan of the Governor, we ran into an aide of the Governor, who gleefully told my companion that the Governor came back the previous night.

Of course the news turned a hoax. I also talked to those who were previously members of the inner circle of the state government, and despite their claims, they are all in the dark about what is happening to the Governor of the state. As I said in my last piece following the false rumour of his death late last year, the people of Enugu State are entitled to know what is happening to their chief employee. My prayer is that the Governor recovers from whatever is ailing him.

As I travelled by road to Enugu, since the cost of flight had criminally skyrocketed, I noticed that the time of travel had reduced. There has been a significant improvement along the Benin-Ore-Sagamu road, and there is also the absence of the police toll gates, euphemistically called check-points.

Again one part of the Onitsha-end of the Onitsha-Enugu expressway has been rehabilitated, and that aided a relatively faster movement. Unfortunately the time gained on that part was lost on the Sagamu-Lagos road on my way back, and my prayer is that the Julius Berger construction company now mobilising along that route will quickly bring relief to the suffering travellers. As the cost of flight tickets doubled during the break, I prayed for a better managed aviation sector in the New Year, considering that the cost of a one-hour flight was already too high before the break.

Thankfully during the break, the premium motor spirit, known as petrol was available in several fuel stations in Enugu and on the way back to Lagos. To my surprise though, the stations displayed and sold the fuel at various cost prices well above the official price of N97 per litre. While some fuel stations were selling at N115 , most were selling at N120 per litre. Unlike in the past, the attendants were not apprehensive of officialdom, and I guess the Jonathan administration may have surreptitiously increased the pump price of petroleum products, in other states of the federation, except Lagos. I also had cause to buy kerosene from a fuel station. The cost was N120 per litre, well above the official price of N50 per litre.

Enquiries confirmed that dealers currently buy kerosene at below N50 per litre from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC), but go ahead to sell as it pleases them, while the compromised officials look the other way.

As 2013 unfolds, I am apprehensive of how the ordinary Nigerian will survive the excruciating hardship arising from a corruptly mismanaged economy. Again as the country races toward another political transition, I am jittery of how the nation will survive the impeding bazaar, as desperate power actors waste the scarce national resources. With President Jonathan determined to run for another term despite his several handicaps, I pray that our national treasury should be spared the agony of desperate politics. I also pray for a better year for you my dear reader.

THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2013

34

LAW & SOCIETY

Memo to National Assembly

BY Iheanyi Maraizu

posed of within 180 days and sixty days respectively.

Protracted electoral disputes (with the dangers associated with them) are the order of the day in Nigeria and it was to curb the ugly trend that the National Assembly amended the constitution to introduce time limits in election disputes.

There is therefore no doubt that the National Assemnbly had the over riding interest of the nation at heart when it amended the constitution as cited above.

• Senate President, David Mark

T

HE beauty of law is that it is dynamic and never static. This sterling quality of law enanbles it to change with situations and circumstances. Thus where a law made for the good of the people or of the state is found to be counter productive or is no longer serving the purpose for which it was made steps are taken to amend that law to ensure that the expectations of the people are met.

This was exactly what happened during the turbulent days of the Yar’adua Administration when lacunae in the 1999 constitution almost triggered a constitutional crisis in the country. The National Assembly commendably rose to the occasion by applying the doctrine of necessity to make President Jonathan who was then the Vice President the Acting President. The National Assembly followed this up by amending the Constitution to ensure that the lacunae which led to the observed lapses were rectified. This singular act of patriotism by the National Assembly saved the country from imminent disintegration.

The constitutional amendment currently being undertaken by the National Assembly presents another golden opportunity for the National Assembly to save our democracy from the hands of election riggers who are the ultimate beneficiaries of section 285 (6) (7) of the 1999 Constitution as amended.

Section 285 (6)(7) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended makes it mandatory for election petitions and appeals arising therefrom to be dis-

Current realities The realities on ground today point unequivocally to the fact that the constitutional amendments effected by the National Assembly have resulted in more injustice and untold hardship than they were intended to prevent.

In ANPP Vs Mohammed Goni and others (Unreported but see appeal Nos SC/1/2012 and SC/2/2012) the Supreme Court dismissed the appeal on the ground that it had become statute barred by virtue of section 285(7) of the Constitution.

Consequent upon the foregoing decision of the Supreme Court, many cases which the Supreme Court itself had sent back to various tribunals for trial de novo, were abruptly dismissed by those tribunals because they are bound by the apex court’s decision in ANPP Vs Mohammed Goni and others (supra).

The injustice inherent in the foregoing lies in the fact that many litigants who had genuine cases were denied the opportunity of ventilating their grievances. This was neither because they were not willing to prosecute their cases nor because they did not have the capacity to do so. It was purely on technical grounds that their cases were thrown out.

The worst aspect of it is that (just as The Nation pointed out in one of its editorials) all a smart politician needs do, is to rig himself into office. Once he gets into office, he will do everything humanly possible to ensure that the trial of the case is delayed as much as possible. Once the case lasts up to 180 days in the tribunal, the very person who rigged himself into office will ap-

ply that the case should be struck out for being time barred.

It is therefore not difficult to see that election riggers are very likely to be the greatest beneficiaries of this law.

For this reason, I believe and strongly too that this law is obnoxious and must be revisited. It is obnoxious because it constitutes a very big stumbling block to the growth of our hard carned domocracy.

Unconstitutionality of the amendments The constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) does not permit the legislature to enact laws that either oust or purport to oust the jurisdiction of courts or that of judicial tribunals established by law (see section 4 (8) of the 1999 constitution as amended). This is however subject to very few exceptions recognized by the constitution itself.

But section 285 (6) (7) amount to ouster clauses in that they purport to oust the jurisdiction of election tribunals and election appeal tribunals.

In my humble opinion, section 285 (6) (7) effectively oust the jurisdiction of these tribunals through the back door because once an election tribunal hears a partuicular case for 180 days, its jurisdiction is automatically ousted. The same fate awaits an appeal tribunal that hears an appeal for 60 days. What other evidence does one need to be convinced that section 285 (6) (7) are ouster clauses.

Denial of fair hearing Fair hearing is the constitutional right of every litigant (see section 36 (1) of the constitution). However, when a case instituted before a court is abruptly terminated as a result of time limit imposed by law, the affected litigant loses the opportunity of being heard. In Ceekay Traders Ltd. Vs. General Motors Ltd (1992) 2NWLR part 222 page 132 at 139 ratio 11, the Supreme Court emphasized that the right to be heard is a fundamental and indispensable requirement of every judicial decision.

The electoral Act 1982 contained provisions that were substantially in pari materia with section 285 (6) (7).

In Paul Unongo Vs Aper Aku and 2

others (1983) 9 and 11 SC129 the Supreme Court voided the provisions of section 140 (2) of the Electoral Act 1982 on the ground that it interfered with and impeded the judiciary in the performance of its functions under the constitution. The apex court equally held that the law violated the principle of fair hearing. If this is true and there is no doubt that it is then section 285 (6) (7) of the constitution is a contradiction of section 36(1) of the same constitution. The former takes away with the left what the latter gave with the right hand.

The conflict or contradiction should therefore be resolved in favour of secton 36 (1) i.e fair hearing.

Although the Supreme Court has the power to reverse its own judgment, the process is usually cumbersome and takes a long time to accomplish. It is therefore better for the National Assembly, to take a critical look at Section 285 (6) (7) and quickly expunge them from the constitution. In my very humble view, it better for cases to last long in courts and justice prevails at the end of the day than for litigants to be denied the right to fair hearing in the name of expeditious trials.

Seperation of powers and independence of the judiciary The doctrine of seperation of powers is to the effect that a court cannot be directed, controlled, compelled or impeded in its functions by any of the other arms of government.

It is based on this principle that a law which imposed a 30 day limit on American Courts to hear and dispose of cases was declared null and void (see Schario Vs State (1922) 105 Ohio St, 535 13 SNE64).

What this means is that the Legislature acted ultra vires by enacting section 285 (6) (7).

CONCLUSION The fact that the Supreme Court’s decision in ANPP Vs Mohammed Goni and others (supra) has engendered grave injustice and hardship to aggrieved parties in election disputes can not be gain said. Indeed, why the Supreme Court decided to kowtow to the whims and caprices of the legislature remains regrettable and inexplicable. This is the same Supreme Court which has over the years jealously gaurded the independence of the judiciary by refus-

ing to succumb to ouster clauses in legislations see Paul Unongo vs. Aper Aku (supra). In Inakoju Vs Adeleke (2007) AFWLR (Pt353) 3 at 93-94. Tobi JSC declared inter alia ouster clauses are regarded as antithesis to democracy....

When ouster clauses are provided in statutes courts invoke section 6 (of the constitution) to police their constitutionality or constitutionalism.

It is humbly submitted that the supreme court ought to have qualified the applicability of section 285 (6) (7) by insisting that in cases where trial de novo was ordered, the 180 days stipulated by the constitution should start counting from the day the case was started afresh. This was the humble view I expressed in reaction to an article written by J.S. Okutekpa (SAN) wherein he accused tribunals hearing cases beyond 180 days of insubordination (see J.S Okutepa (SAN) We advocate Substantial justice. The Nation 3rd Janaury 2012).

However, I pointed out that the legal implication of a trial de novo is that everything done in the previous case had been swept clean and would never be considered in the fresh trial (see Iheanyi Maraizu: Re: We Advocate Substantial Justice The Nation 11th September 2012).

Failure to do this will negate the maxim Ubi Jus, Ibi Remedium (where there is a right is a remedy) as aggrieved litigants will be left without any means of ventilating their grivances.

• Maraizu is the Principal Counsel Iheanyi Maraizu & Co, Abuja

Lawyer calls for automation of Judiciary

Lagos to establish ADR court

T

HE Lagos State government is soon to establish a Court of Arbitration to promote Alternative Dispute Resolution ADR).

The state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Ade Ipaye who made this known, said the government is very serious about ADR and that this explained why it came up with one of the most modern arbitration legislation in the country.

According to him, the Office of the Public Defender (OPD), Citizens Mediation Centre (CMC) , Public Advice Centre (PAC) , Consumer Rights Unit (CRU), among others, are all geared towards human rights protection and enforcement.

The commissioner disclosed that over 18,000 cases came up for mediation at CMC in 2012 adding that the Multidoor Courthouse also achieved a lot during the last Settlement Week .

“Making their services free means that even the poor and the vulnerable are given access to justice. All our vocational centres are concrete institutions for the realisation of rights. People are given the opportunity of learning a trade and living a productive live.

“Our free health screening, immunisation and health care programmes are also very relevant.

The right to live must be interpreted to mean the right to live a

By Adebisi Onanuga

healthy life.

“So also are our programmes on the environment. Even where we clear illegal developments and take the hard decision to displace people sometimes, it is so that the great majority might have a functional drainage or a clean environment; or so that the displaced people would not unnecessarily endanger themselves. If you look at all these efforts and institutions

like our Office of Disability, Child Rights Centre, you will fully realise that this government is doing so much for human rights”, he said.

Ipaye said the state has done wonderfully well in the area of administration of justice ion the last one year adding “crimes do happen, but the important thing is that they are being detected and the criminals are being prosecuted.

“At the moment, about 650 pros-

ecution cases are being handled by the Ministry in various courts. In addition to that, a lot of cases are prosecuted daily by the Police at the Magistrate courts. 753 reports of various investigations reached us for legal advice in 2012 and we have exceeded the 70 per cent mark in dealing with those” , he said.

The commissioner said the state government, will be stepping up its prosecution capacity in order to ensure Lagosians that criminals will not go unpunished.

• From left: Tonny Oka, Dr Garba Tetengi (SAN), Okechukwu Akobundu and Anozie Obi at the passing out of Anozie Obi of SEC 34 of the Nigerian Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) Kuru near Jos.

• Akpabio

A

N Uyo-based lawyer, Aniedi Akpabio, has called for the full automation of the judiciary to enable the arm of government discharge its duties.

Akpabio said: “ The performance of the judiciary in 2012 has been quite commendable. The Judiciary has acquitted itself creditably in the year under review, particularly, in the area of election petitions.

On his expectations in 2013, he stated: “ I would like to see an improvement in the quick dispensation of other cases in court not only in election petitions. Remember that justice delayed is justice denied.

“Any judicial reform(s) that will ensure quick dispensation of justice should be encouraged. I believe that if judicial processes in the country are fully automated the performance of the Judiciary will be greatly enhanced.

Speaking on the agenda he would like the judiciary pursue in 2013, Aniedi said: “ The only Agenda I would set for the Judiciary for year 2013 is to dispense justice to all manner of persons irrespective of their status in life as this will promote peace in the society. The Judiciary should be the last hope of the common man.”

THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2013

35

LAW PERSONALITY Mr Mela Nunghe was Chairman of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Abuja branch before he went to The Gambia as a prosecutor.

Nunghe, who has practised law for over 28 years, contested election into the House of Representatives in 2009 on the platform of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) but lost. In this interview with Legal Editor JOHN AUSTIN UNACHUKWU, he speaks on the police, the judiciary, politics and sundry national issues.

‘Experienced lawyers should assist EFCC’ A

S a former Chairman of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) Abuja Branch, how would you compare the activities of the branch then and now?

I was privileged to be Chairman of the Abuja branch of the NBA in 1995 for only about six months before I proceeded to The Gambia as a Prosecutor under the 1981 Nigeria/Gambia Bilateral Agreement. That was also under the military rule of the late General Sani Abacha.

While I took over from my good friend Patrick Ediale and S. I. Ameh (SAN), who was then the vice chairman took over from me.

Though the functions and activities of the Branch is limited to local issues pertaining the Federal Capital Territory like any other state branch, my short tenure, with that of the duo, my predecessor and successor came at a time when the National Bar was in limbo due to the crisis that rocked the Association in Port Harcourt, Rivers state in 1992. So we had the privilege of doubling unofficially or standing in on some national issues and speaking on same. It was the efforts of the Abuja branch and the collective efforts of some eminent members of the Bar such as Chief Awomolo, S.A.N that finally resuscitated the National Bar and earned the Abuja branch the name “Unity Bar”.

The population of Lawyers in Abuja has since then tripled due to influx of Lawyers from all parts of the country and the turning out of more graduates by the Nigeria Law School.

Consequently, the contests for executive positions in the branches are highly competitive.

What is responsible for this?

Previously, it was seen as a position of service. Before our time, people were begged to take or assume executive positions. Today, there is an increase of Bar activities and attendance of our local meetings has always been not less than 500, Bar dinner, Seminars and Workshops organised by the Branch are well attended with enthusiasm. There is involvement of the official Bar and members of the inner Bar which we did not have in those days and by such participation all facets of the Bar is integrated.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) recently de –registered some political parties. What is your reaction to this?

I would like to be briefed on this for two reasons, namely: One of the 28 political parties, the Fresh Party and its presidential candidate – Rev. Chris Okotie have sued INEC in the Federal High Court, Abuja. To that extent, the whole gamut of the question above is sub judice.

It is common sense and in accordance with Labour Law principles that he who hires, fires.

Section 78 (1) – (4) of the Electoral Act 2010 gives INEC the power to register political parties whilst S. 78 (7) mutatis mutandis gives INEC the power to de – register political parties on grounds as spelt out in sub sections (i) and (ii) of S. 78 (7), that is, “breach of any of the requirements for registration and for failure to win a seat in the National or State Assembly election.”

While I commend the Fresh party and its Presidential candidate Rev. Chris Okotie, who is a professional colleague for which reason I’m not surprised his taking out an Originating Summons against INEC in the Federal High Court, it is for the court to decide whether INEC was right or wrong according to the 1999 Constitution and the Electoral Act 2010 bearing in mind the copious sections of the duo of the 1999 CFRN and the Electoral Act 2010 as cited by plaintiffs in this suit.

Why do you praise the plaintiffs in this matter?

My commendation to the plaintiffs is premised on their right of access to court in a democratic and constitutional government, such as exists in Nigeria. Some of the de –registered political parties argued and did rest their case with the Press where they began. As a Legal practitioner and a respecter of Human Rights, I look forward to seeing the decision of the Federal High Court on this very important constitutional issue and as I stated earlier, would not want to go beyond this point as the matter is sub judice.

What is your view on the state of the Federation now, which areas of governance would you like the government to improve?

I have been listening to various debates on the media before and after the Christmas and New Year and till date, Nigerians are not happy with the state of the nation. I am of the view

that the atmosphere is re-charged by the President’s intention or lack of intention to contest the 2015 election. While the Presidency and other observers may feel that some frantic efforts are being made to better the lives of Nigerians by the present administration, I think the Presidency need to gauge what the public perception is so as not to continue under an illusion that is deceptive. While I am impressed with so many arrest the Inspector-General of Police have made in respect of some hired murderers, Boko Haram and several other crimes suspected to have been committed in recent times, we pray that they will be successfully prosecuted according to law. It is noticeable and commendable that except for a few instances of attack in Yobe and Borno states, the end of 2012 was better than the end of 2011, especially with regards to attacks on places of worship in the North.

Nevertheless, areas of unemployment, education, the several probes and inquiries, power sector and the general economy does not seem to inspire hope in me and several Nigerians with regards to our future. I have found it difficult, if not impossible to understand, why only one Nigerian citizen is the best person to head the Ministry of Petroleum, and Madam ottteh is also the only and best Nigerian citizen to head the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) despite public perception which is based on several probe reports and bribery allegations. It may look demi nimis or trivial, but it may go a long way as far as the image of the Presidency is concerned if these two powerful ladies are either removed or reposted to other Ministries or Agencies.

Though the President may legitimately be entitled to contest in 2015, it is important he makes a clear statement on whether he has started campaign or is walking to better and improve the state of the nation. That, in my view, may douse some of the tension, agony and bitterness of many suffering Nigerians. In summary, things are not any better as far as my expectations are concerned.

The Abuja Branch of the NBA has elected new officers to pilot its affairs. What advice do you have for the executives?

Well, while some see being on the executive committee purely as service to the association, some others see it as a stepping stone to being rich or securing bench or other appointments that will enhance their status. Still others see it as a stepping stone to their further political ambition.

Those who work honestly with intent to serve have always been respected and their reward will come naturally. Consequently, my advice to the new executive is to be united as a team, work most sincerely towards reconciliation and building bridges of friendship for harmonious co – existence without compromising the ethics of the profession while ready to call to discipline some erring members of the Association whose behaviour smear the image of the Legal profession.

You contested election into the House of Representatives in the last elections on the platform of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), how far and do you intend to contest the election next time, why, and if not, why?

Yes, it is true I did contest during the last elections, under a very tough atmosphere. My nomination came in by way of substitution though quite late and under a party that was not known very much in the Federal constituencies relevant to me, because of the predominance of the ruling party. Even after bringing the CPC to the region and establishing its offices, my contest was tough because the party on whose platform I was contesting was perceived as anti– Christian by some, notwithstanding the fact that I am a Christian.

The election was also tough because as you

• Nunghe

would know, the first election that started on the of April 2, 2011 was cancelled by the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission( INEC) Chairman, Prof Attahiru Jega and immediately rescheduled for the April 9, 2011. Though my entrance into the race was quite late, amidst dwindling resources and picking a party membership card for the first time, God helped me and I came second after the candidate of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) amongst five contestants, four of whom had been on ground for over a year campaigning.

So I thank God exceedingly for several lessons that accompanied that outing. I have always been an observer of good governance which emanates usually from contests and that is why I had no hesitation going into the contest. I am better equipped than many out there who only wait for political appointment because contest is entirely a different ball game.

Are you warming up for another contest in 2015?

As for the future, I pray God keeps us alive to see 2015 and beyond, though I sincerely do not know whether I shall contest or not contest. Some very peculiar situation dragged me into it and I can only contest if the same situation remains, I may give it another trial trusting that God will give me victory. But, if things change for the better and this very peculiar situation is vacated, it may not be necessary for me to contest, because I enjoy the practice of law which I have been at for about 28 years. Like one time President, Chief Ernest Shonekan stated, I did not join the race for the House of Representatives for “lack of what to do.”

Which areas would you like the judiciary to improve on this year?

The judiciary has been the pillar and most consistent arm of government in Nigeria’s democratic process. Unfortunately, it is given the least of attention in terms of funding when the bulk of the “mess” that emanates from both the legislature and the executive arms find their way to the chambers of their Lordships for determination.

‘At the trial courts, especially in the Federal Capital Territory, a Judge hardly has less than 20 cases on the cause list every day. How, in the circumstance, can they deliver quality and sound judgment and rulings without legal assistants attached to their esteemed office? All these contribute to the delay in the administration of justice’

Lack of adequate funding of the judiciary is the reason we have very few panels at the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal, the consequent result is that it takes time for appeals to be heard and disposed of. Our judges are over stretched by the volume of work they have to do which in nature is difficult from that done by the duo of the other arms of government.

At the trial courts, especially in the Federal Capital Territory, a Judge hardly has less than 20 cases on the cause list every day. How, in the circumstance, can they deliver quality and sound judgment and rulings without legal assistants attached to their esteemed office? All these contribute to the delay in the administration of justice.

I would, in addition, to providing adequate funding to the judiciary like the case of SALAMI v. NJC resolved in the year ahead because the circumstances surrounding the suit beginning from the several conflicting decisions of the election tribunals point at nothing else other than the stint of corruption which in turn has lowered the reputation and image of the judiciary in the eyes of the members of the public.

Further, I would expect all stakeholders: Counsel, Judges, prosecutors, court clerks and Registrars as well as litigants to play their individual roles sincerely and fervently with a view to expediting justice delivery.

There are efforts to make filing of cases operational online, that is good innovation and if successful it will fast-track the justice delivery system. Further I would like to see our judiciary evolve judicial activism in the discharge of its constitutional role in a developing democracy. The reason being Justice C. C. Nweze, (JCA) succinctly put it in a keynote address delivered at the NBA Abuja Branch 2012 Law week, at page 13 of his paper that: The main justification for the creative role is the necessity for reconciliation of the rules with the wider objectives of justice.”

And went on to quote Justice Chukwudifu Oputa’s (JSC)(rtd) submission that: The law will have little relevance if it refuses to address the social issues of the day. Legislators make laws in the abstract, but the court deals with the day to day problems of litigants and attempts to use the laws to solve these problems in such a way as to produce justice.”

Our judiciary should be dynamic and desist from the “hands – off” approach in its adjudication role.

How do you think we can secure the independence of the judiciary?

The issue of the independence of the judiciary as far as I can recollect has been a subject of academic debate since the inception of our • Continued from 36

THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2013

36

LAW & SOCIETY NBA Ikeja holds Fawehinmi Lecture

Court to hold valedictory session for late judge Friday

A

VALEDICTORY court session will be held at the Lagos State High Court foyer, Igbosere on Friday for the late Justice Wasilat Abisoye Ayo. She died last Sunday aged 47.

Her husband, Olabode, said a wake-keep would be held at the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Goshen Parish, Lekki Phase 1 on Thursday.

Funeral service will hold at the same church on Saturday. Interment will be at the Ikoyi Gardens and Vaults.

Until her death, Justice Ayo was a judge in the Lands Division of the Lagos State High Court, Igbosere.

She took ill while serving as Chairman of the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal in Delta State early last year.

Mr Ayo said: “She had been receiving treatment in England since January 2012 and she just came back into the country, took ill. It was painless. She died peacefully. We thank God for that.

“She went for a brief hospitalisation when she came back. Although when she left England, she had completed her treatment. That was last November.

“The doctors in England authorised her to go for a holiday and come for a checkup in January to know the way forward and whether there’s anymore treatment needed.

T

• ‘No one wraps gele like ’Bisoye’

By Joseph Jibueze

“Upon getting to Nigeria, she had a slight issue which led to her hospitalisation. In everything we thank God. She passed onto to glory knowing fully well where she’s going. And we thank God for that.”

Olabode said three things mattered most to Justice Ayo while alive. “First was her unshakable faith in her God. She was very close to God in everything she did. She was a minister in her church. That was her main passion.

“The second passion was her love for her family. She was a family person. The third passion was her profession.

“She pursued it with the fullest integrity and sense of purpose, unwavering in her beliefs that the legal profession and the judiciary should be comparable with what he had seen of the judiciary in the Western World.

“She was 47 years-old in June. She would have been 48 this June. We have two female children, both of whom are in the university.”

Justice Ayo’s sister-in-law, Barbara, who is based in the United States, had fond memories of the late judge.

“One of my fondest memories of

Abisoye is that whenever I needed my gele (head tie) wrapped, I would always ask her because no one wrapped the gele like ’Bisoye Ayo. No one!

“She was a kind, good-hearted person and of good soul. She was a very disciplined woman, intelligent.

“She raised two beautiful, disciplined, motivated, intelligent, strong, young women and I’m sure she left a legacy of love and fond memories for them.

“She’s greatly missed. And her children, I’m sure the way they’re raised, will carry on her legacy and honour her memory, and her husband also.

“My last conversation with her was last year around this time. We were discussing our children, how they had all grown up to be young men and women and they were leaving us and going out into the world.

“We were just discussing how as parents we were both hopeful that the foundation we laid for them, that they would always remember it and always come back to it.”

Chairman, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Lagos Branch, Mr Taiwo O. Taiwo, said Justice Ayo would be greatly missed.

“She has done her bit. Whatever it is, she has contributed her own quota

• Ayo

to the Lagos State judiciary and to the state in general. I commiserate with the family and I pray that the Almighty God would grant them the fortitude to bear the loss.

“Her death reminds us all that we’ll account for what we do on earth before the Almighty God. It doesn’t only apply to judges; it applies to lawyers too because we are all in the legal profession together.

“It’s a great loss for somebody so young like that, with her future still bright, to go like that, so it’s something that is cause for sadness.”

Early callers at Justice Ayo’s Lagos Island home include Chief Judge of Lagos, Justice Ayotunde Phillips, Chief Rasaq Okoya, Justice George Oguntade (rtd) and judges of the court.

Justice Ayo was appointed a judge on May 24, 2001.

‘Experienced lawyers should assist EFCC’ • Continued from Page 35

democratic process.

It is said that if you are independent financially, you can be independent in everything else. Consequently, it is one thing to make provision of a sum of money for the judiciary in our national budget but it is quite another thing to release this sum earmarked on time so as to secure the independence of the judiciary.

What is your view on the fight against corruption, and how can we improve on this?

Corruption is the hallmark of our undisciplined behaviour and most of the time, exchange of money seems to be the emphasis. Nepotism or discrimination on the bases of tribe or religion is an aspect of corruption which has eaten deep in to our national polity.

Whereas, the Federal Ministry of Justice, the Economic Crimes and Financial Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practice and other related Offences Commission (ICPC), all have their challenges, as they act only on petitions written to them, to an extent these bodies may not be independent after all as the name and statutes establishing them appear. It is obvious from the history and performance of these agencies that there are certain class of people that seem untouchable and some belong to certain political parties as a safe haven to be free from being arrested and prosecuted.

When sometimes last year about more than five former governors of PDP were arraigned before various courts, the then Chairman of the EFCC, Mrs Farida Waziri, was removed without reasons, leaving the public to speculate. It may be said these agencies with their attendant challenges are trying; their efforts remain a far cry in the fight against corruption, especially internationally. Whenever a Nigerian travels out of the country, he is perceived as a thief only to the extent that he is not caught.

One of the various ways of improving the fight against corruption is to limit the Police to the Police stations and the Chairmanship of the EFCC for instance should not be the exclu-

‘The police shall be employed for the prevention and detection of crime, the apprehension of offenders, the preservation of law and order, the protection of life and property and the due enforcement of all laws and regulations with which they are directly charged’ sive preserve of a current or ex police officer, lawyers with expertise in investigation should be recruited and seconded from the Federal Ministry of Justice to undertake both investigation and effective prosecution of cases of corruption.

Indeed, we are trying, but we still have a long way to go.

There has been this controversy over the inclusion of State Police in the ongoing efforts to amend the Constitution, what is your view on this?

Whenever there is a yearning, complain, controversy over the desirability of a thing such as state police, it means something has gone wrong somewhere. The agitation, attendant debate to include it in the country’s constitution which is a subject of amendment in our constitutional history and development only exposes the interests and the desirability or otherwise of including it in the constitution.

The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) is established by Sections 214 to 216 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria [CFN] (as amended). Whereas the organisation, discipline, powers of the NPF, the Special Constabulary and the Traffic Wardens are dealt with by the Police Act cap. P19, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004. By the combined effect of S. 216 (1) and (2) of the 1999 CFN (as amended) and S. 5 of the Police Act, the Inspector General of Police (and all his contingents stationed in the state) are delegatees of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Section 4 of the Police Act clearly provides that: “The police shall be employed for the prevention and detection of crime, the apprehension of offenders, the preservation of law and order, the protection of life and property and

the due enforcement of all laws and regulations with which they are directly charged...”

On the other hand, Section 176 (1) and (2) of the 1999 Constitution creates for each state of the Federation a Governor as the chief executive of that state and by implication the chief security officer of that state.

So what is your view on this?

In my humble view, there is nothing wrong with the above provisions for a democratic process like ours in Nigeria, especially if the rule of law, good governance and good faith is allowed to flourish in its operation.

However, what Nigeria has witnessed in the past is the might of political bias and influence by the Presidency which undermines the powers of the state Governor, especially when they belong to different political parties. The executive Governors in most cases feel in-secured since the contingent Police commissioner takes orders from the Inspector – General of Police who in turn does the “will and caprice” of the President and Commander – in – Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

It is the fear of insecurity by the state Governors and the likely bias, abuse of the use of the police in the states which our experience shows is not unfounded, that has generated the call for the inclusion of state Police in the Constitution that is proposed for amendment.

Even while the agitation is on, some Governors have “stylishly” formed independent security outfits and have given them different names for want of legitimacy and equipped these outfits more than the police force operating in their states. Some of these states have given such groups, outfits legal backing by forwarding to its own State Assembly a Bill in that regard which has been passed into

law.

Notwithstanding these developments, I am of the view that the inclusion of State police in the Constitution is unnecessary. I believe that as we mature in our political growth and development, this issue of State police will fade away.

How do you think we can improve the existing police structures to secure the safety of lives and property?

The image of the Nigeria Police, no doubt has been a matter of controversy in all facets of its duties, be it on the road at road blocks, as aides, investigators, prosecutors, etc. Despite all these, the Police internationally, have the history of performing creditably well at peace keeping in line with global best practices. Locally, I believe there are very good, God fearing Police officers contrary to the general perception of negativism that surrounds the entire Police Force. As a Lawyer, I have met and dealt with several Police men that by all standards are good, and if there are a sizeable number that are good, just like in any other agency, it means there is room for improvement.

So, how do we achieve this improvement?

I am one of those who believe that funding is not the main reasons for the corruption in the Police Force. I believe that a complete re – orientation of values and culture alongside training at all levels of our education, university inclusive, may help in improving and equipping the structures of the Police Force for a more efficient service. I note that often, new vehicles are given, donated to the Police Force, uniforms changed, allowances probably increased but their character and image will only change when new admirable and accepted values are inculcated and imbibed, which requires rigorous training and re – orientation which may take some time.

Further, the continuous recruitment of some of our university graduates has also helped in reshaping the long battered image of the police. This should be encouraged while others who have not attained such educational training should be exposed to training up to university level for this complete change of orientation, value, etc to be achieved.

HE Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Ikeja. Lagos will hold her annual lecture in honour of the late chief Gani Fawehinmi (SAN) on January 15 at Airport Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos.

The guest speakers are Chairman, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Prof Chidi Odinkalu and Mr Abiodun Owonikoko (SAN).

The theme of the lecture is Economy, politics and human rights: wither Nigeria?

A statement by the Chairman, NBA, Ikeja branch, Monday O. Ubani reads in part: “The chairman of the occasion is Governor of Ogun State, Senator Ibikunle Amosun.

Chief host is Governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN).

“Special Guest of Honour is Justice Ayo Philips (CJ), Lagos State; other guests expected at the event include: chairman on Information Committee of the Senate, Senator Enyinna Abaribe, INEC Commissioner Cross River State Mike Iginni and President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Okey Wali, (SAN). Several senior advocates of Nigeria, senior lawyers, media gurus, high profile personalities and Nigerians will grace the occasion.

“The family of the late Gani Fawehinmi, including Mohammed will be there.”

Maritime reporters hail Bello’s appointment

P

RESIDENT of Maritime Report ers Association of Nigeria (MARAN), Bolaji Ajibade has praised the Federal Government and the Minister of Transport, Senator Idris Umar, on the appointment of Hassan Bello as the Executive Secretary of Nigerian Shippers Council (NSCA).

He said the appointment of Bello was a clear departure from the “culture of recklessness that characterised past appointments into key management positions of maritime agencies.”

Bello, a lawyer, was the Legal Adviser and Secretary to the board before his appointment.

Bello told The Nation that he would embrace serious reforms in the industry in accordance with the agenda of the Federal Government. Major industry players have described Bello’s appointment as a round peg in a round hole.

• Bello

NBA holds summit Jan. 30

T

HE Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) will hold a two-day peace and security summit on January 30 and 31 at the International Conference Centre, Abuja at 9 am daily.

A statement from the NBA President, Okey Wali (SAN), said the initiative is to demonstrate the association’s readiness and preparedness in identifying problems and co-operating with appropriate authorities in solving them.

Wali said: “ This summit will provide a neutral and non partisan platform for everybody interested in the peace and security of the country to come and make his or her own contribution for Nigeria’s development.

“The NBA with about 100 branches across the country has a neutral and non partisan network that anybody can leverage on in finding lasting peace and security. It is going to be a big summit with national and international flavour.”

THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2013

37

LEGAL OPINION

Nigeria’s quest for environment governance

By Olanrewaju Fagbohun

tion of democratic government in 1999, the rules of engagement expectedly was to have changed. This, however, was not the case.

Decisions that had environmental implication were still taken at the federal level that did not sufficiently involve the states. The result was jurisdictional overlap in relation to matters that gave rise to environmental issues.

It was to guard against the kind of problems highlighted above that His Lordship Uwaifo JSC, in AG, Lagos v. AG Federation noted the point that:

• Prof Fagbohun • Continued from last week

T

HE case of the oil industry is one of many sectors in respect of which Nigeria ur gently needs to revisit its allocation of environmental responsibility in order to achieve effectiveness. In moving forward, there is need to map out the regulatory environment of the laws and policies in each of the main environmental areas such as water pollution, air pollution, biodiversity and energy use among others. Second, there is the need to evaluate the regulations identified with a view to assessing the significance of unnecessary (excessive, redundant, inconsistent and overlapping) regulatory burden.

These will provide the basis for developing and implementing appropriate regulatory reforms. (ii) The Road to Intergovernmental Cooperation While it must be conceded that no legal system, not even the most advanced, can boast absolute effectiveness, particularly when confronted with politically volatile or otherwise intractable issues of public policy as those which pervade the environmental arena, a lot can still be done to align regulations, policies and guidelines, and reduce unnecessary duplication of effort. In this regard, a critical tool of environmental management in a federal system relates to how intergovernmental cooperation is achieved.

The development in many states suggests that municipalities are neither prepared nor fully ready to exploit their authoritative powers of regulation and strategic planning in order to meet environmental deficiencies.

While in some situations the actual response of states is constrained by such issues as perception and priority of the state to environmental risks and a state’s competence and capacity, in a number of other situations, states do not give support (or are slow in giving support) to laudable national programmes and initiatives because they have not been sufficiently carried along. The real foundation of authority of law in a federal system resides in the fact that the majority of those on whom it is binding recognize it as binding upon them. Beyond the common perspective that the general will of the community must prevail, the juridical foundation of the duty to obey can be accounted for on the basis of quasi unanimity of states that the law is necessary. This is the core of legitimacy of the law within a federal system.

The first 10 to 11 years of FEPA were part of the military era. Consequently, achieving cooperation with State ministries and local government councils in line with FEPA’s objectives was much easier. With the inaugura-

Section 2(2) of the 1999 Constitution re-enacts the doctrine of federalism. This ensures the autonomy of each government. None of the governments is subordinate to the other. This is particularly of relevance between the state governments and the Federal Government, each being able to exercise its own will in the conduct of its affairs within the Constitution, free from direction by another government.56 Having made the above point, His Lordship proceeded to note that the National Assembly cannot enact any law, in contravention of the Constitution, imposing any responsibility on a state and expect obedience to such a law. It is a non-controversial political philosophy of federalism that the federal government does not exercise supervisory authority over the state governments.57 Mr Director–General, it is too facile and risky to assume that the inconsistencies, contradictions and conflicts in Nigeria’s environmental laws will go away. Far from it; real dangers lurk. The reality is that the more environmental crisis take firm root, the more poverty outcomes deepen, and the more the security of the nation is threatened. Therein lies a basis for serious genuine concern. The point, therefore, is that Nigeria urgently needs to embrace resolutive mechanisms that can reduce and promote cooperation beneficial to all. The situation calls forcefully on political leaders to agree to strengthen and entrench improved federal – state cooperation and reforms.

The time is ripe for Nigeria to consider putting in place a law akin to the Executive Order No. 13132 – Federalism which was issued by President Clinton of the United States of America on August 4, 1999 and which took effect on November 2, 1999. The Order seeks to guarantee the division of governmental responsibilities between the national government and the states as was intended by the framers of the Constitution, and to ensure that the principles of federalism guide the executive departments and agencies in the formation and implementation of policies.

As relevant to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA), the agency cannot promulgate two types of rules unless it meets certain conditions.

The two rules are: 1) rules with federalism implications,58 that

impose substantial direct compliance costs on states and local governments, and not required by statute; and 2) rules with federalism implications that preempt states and local government law.

Federalism implications is defined as having substantial direct effects on states or local governments (individually or collectively), on the relationship between the national government and the states, or on the distribution of power and responsibilities among the various levels of government. US EPA cannot promulgate the first type of rule unless it provides funds necessary to pay direct compliance costs on the state and local governments, or early in the process before promulgation, consult with elected state and local government officials or their representative national organizations. US EPA can also not promulgate the second type of rule until after consultation.

In addition, US EPA is required to adhere to the Fundamental Federalism Principles in section 2, and comply to the extent permitted by law, with the Federalism Policymaking Criteria in Section 3 of the Executive Order.

It must also provide in a separate preamble section a federalism summary impact statement; make available to the Office of Management and Budget Systems (the coordinating office) any written communication from the states and local governments’ officials and include a certification that US EPA has met the requirements of the Executive Order.

Achieving the above requires serious psychological, political as well as economic adjustment. It also requires enlightened commitment of all concerned. It is no answer to say that the process of achieving this may be long drawn or that there will be conflicts.

We certainly must disagree to agree. Moreso, a reasonable measure of conflict has been identified as a catalyst for development. More importantly, in the event of an unreasonable dispute, the Court will be there to decide. (iii) Delimiting the Spectre of Environmental Remedies The administration and enforcement of environmental remedies is governed by a mix of public, criminal and civil law regimes. The objective of environmental remedies is that the combined and collective operation of these regimes should serve to deliver three key environmental benefits, namely, deterrence, repairs of environmental damage, and compensation for harm done. From the perspective of public law, environmental protection is viewed as primarily the responsibility of the government, its agents and other public bodies. Consequently, the rules of public law prescribe liability to governmental or administrative directions or orders. The criminal justice system on its part assists by providing sanctions for the regulation and control of polluting and environmentally threatening or harmful activities. The civil liability regime for environmental damage provides remedies premised on the rules of tort liability.

Against the growing dissatisfaction with the

‘From the perspective of public law, environmental protection is viewed as primarily the responsibility of the government, its agents and other public bodies.

Consequently, the rules of public law prescribe liability to governmental or administrative directions or orders’

• Director-General, Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, Prof Epiphany Azinge (SAN) (left) and former Minister of Defence Adetokunbo Kayode (SAN) at the constitutionalists roundtable organised by NIALS in Abuja.

remedies offered by these mix of regimes, it is intended here to briefly discuss the issues threatening the effectiveness of environmental remedies. Remedy is the means by which a right is enforced or the violation of a right is prevented, redressed or compensated. The moment remedial laws are not able to correct imperfections, redress grievance or compel compliance that is conducive to the public good, the situation becomes not only mournful, but, also tragic. It is a recipe for self-help and violent conflicts. To these regimes, we now turn.

• Administrative Remedies Regulatory agencies have day-to-day responsibility for administering the relevant controls of environmental regulation and policy compliance with the law. They are given a range of wide administrative powers to enable them fulfill their statutory obligations. They also possess a wide discretion as to the enforcement action they may take to bring a polluter back into compliance with the law. Of importance, however, is that they must ensure that their decisions, acts and omissions are procedurally correct and not unreasonable failing which they may be subject to an application for judicial review by those with an interest in the decision taken i.e. person with ‘standing’.

Two major issues have over the years been highlighted in relation to administrative remedies. The first is that because of the fragmented and unwieldy patch work of separate controls arising from lack of intergovernmental cooperation, which also did not respect the crossmedia integrity and indivisibility of the environment, regulatory agencies ended up competing rather than complementing one another.

The second relates to what can be labeled as behaviour realities and the ‘fudge factor’. Regulatory agencies are most times politically constrained and will not go for anything that will undermine the economic goals of their appointor.60 In relation to the first issue, it is hoped that if Nigeria embraced the suggestion earlier made in relation to intergovernmental cooperation, she would be able to achieve a more integrated and coherent set of regulatory controls. In relation to the second, it has been noted now again that what will keep regulatory agencies on their toes is the ability of persons with ‘standing’ to be able to effectively utiltise the remedy of judicial review. Regrettably, the issue of ‘standing’ can so far not be said to be ‘a win for the environment’ in Nigeria. I shall examine this in greater depth when I outline the challenge facing civil liability regime and what has been the role of judiciary in the adjudication of disputes arising out of the administration and enforcement of environmental law.

•Criminal Sanctions Aside of administrative remedies, sanctions can also be imposed through the criminal process and following a successful prosecution of an environmental offence.61 Despite practical problems,62 criminal prosecution has assumed centre stage in environmental enforcement.

Federal and state laws covering hazardous waste, clean air and water among several others now impose criminal penalties for environmental violations. Some scholars have argued that criminal law is not well suited for environmental violations.

• To be continued next week •Fagbohun is Professor of Environmental Law and Head of Department, Akinola Aguda School of Postgraduate Studies, Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (NIALS), Lagos.

• From left: Former Presidents NBA, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), Olisa Agbakoba (SAN) and Chairman, NBA Anti-Corruption Commission, Yusuf Ali (SAN) at the last NBA Bar Leaders’ Summit held in Abuja.

THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2013

38

LAW REPORT

Whether a state is littoral or not in Nigeria is a question of fact

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF NIGERIA On Tuesday, July 10, 2012 Suit No: SC.250/2009 BEFORE THEIR LORDSHIPS

DAHIRU MUSDAPHER....... Justice of the Supreme Court MAHMUD MOHAMMED....... Justice of the Supreme Court JOHN AFOLABI FABIYI....... Justice of the Supreme Court OLUFUNLOLA OYELOLA ADEKEYE....... Justice of the Supreme Court SULEIMAN GALADIMA....... Justice of the Supreme Court BODE RHODES-VIVOUR....... Justice of the Supreme Court NWALI SYLVESTER NGWUTA....... Justice of the Supreme Court BETWEEN ATTORNEY-GENERAL, CROSS RIVER STATE

...APPELLANTS

AND 1. ATTORNEY-GENERAL OF THE FEDERATION 2, ATTORNEY-GENERAL, AKWA IBOM STATE ...RESPONDENTS

O

LUFUNLOLA OYELOLA ADEKEYE, J.S.C (Delivering the Leading Judg ment): The plaintiff, Cross River State, one of the 36 States, instituted this suit in the original jurisdiction of this court pursuant to Section 232 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The plaintiff filed her originating summons initiating this suit on 14th September 2009. On the 4th of May 2010, this court directed the plaintiff to convert the Originating Summons into a writ of summons pursuant to Order 3 Rule 7 of the Supreme Court Rules 2002 and attach all other processes for service on the parties in the suit within 14 days.

The defendants were ordered to file their respective frontloaded statement of defence within 45 days of service of the plaintiff’s processes on them. Pursuant to this order, the plaintiff filed the Statement of Claim, Witnesses Statement on Oath and the brief of argument and replies to statement of defence of the 1st and 2nd defendants on May 17, 2010. The defendants filed their respective statements of defence, briefs and written addresses and witnesses’ statement on oath.

At the hearing of this action on 14/5/2012, the plaintiff; 1st and 2nd defendants adopted and relied on the processes filed.

In the statement of claim, the plaintiff prayed for the under-mentioned reliefs:1. A declaration that there was no boundary dispute between the plaintiff and the 2nd defendant to warrant the defendants to embark upon a purported boundary adjustment between the plaintiff and the 2nd defendant and accordingly no basis for the 1st defendant to act on the purported boundary adjustment to the detriment of the plaintiff.

2. Declaration that the defendants are stopped from raising the issue of boundary adjustment as between the plaintiff and the 2nd defendant having regard to the conclusive and binding agreement/resolution reached between the plaintiff and the 2nd defendant since 2006 and upon which the parties acted since.

3. A declaration that the defendants cannot lawfully refuse to accept, act upon or comply with the determination of the boundary between the plaintiff and the 2nd defendant made by the 1st defendant in 2006 through its appropriate agency (ies) that was vested with power and authorities over boundary issue.

4. A declaration that the plaintiff is enti-

tled to derivation revenue from the seventysix oil wells located within 200 meters water depth Isobath contiguous to its territory as contained in Sections 1 and 2 of the Allocation of the Principle of Derivation Act 2004.

5. A perpetual Injunction restraining the defendants by themselves, their agents and/ or privies from interfering with the plaintiffs right to revenue from the 76 oil wells within its territory or lying contiguous thereto within 200 meters water depth Isobath.

6. An order mandating the defendants to treat the maritime boundary determined by the 2nd defendant in 2006 as the recognized boundary between 1st defendant and the plaintiff and to share all derivation revenue from the area in accordance with that agreed boundary.

7. A declaration that the historical method for determining the estuarine or maritime boundary between littoral states in Nigeria is valid and that the application of the said method in the settlement of the boundary dispute between the 1st defendant and the plaintiff in 2006 was lawful and valid.

8. An order of perpetual injunction restraining the 1st defendant himself or through any of its agents from excluding the plaintiff from its entitlement to 13per cent derivation in relation to the sharing of revenue from the Federation Accounts as a littoral state.

9. The total 13per cent derivation entitlement of the plaintiff from the 76 oil wells within the territory of the plaintiff since November 2009 to 10th March 2010 in the sum of N15,577,188,241.39 made up of N9,261,450,727.86 for Cross River State and N6,315,737,513.53 for the Local Government Councils of Cross River State respectively.

10. An order for account between the parties as to any other amount due to the plaintiff from 76 oil wells from 11th March 2010 until the date of judgment and thereafter.

Further order directing the payment of the sum found due with interest at 20% to the plaintiff.

The case of the plaintiff based on the written statement on oath of one of the witnesses for the plaintiff, Mr. Ralph Idiku Uche, the Surveyor-General of Cross River State is that the April 2008 followed by the August 2008 Inter-Agency Meeting was convened at the instance of President Umaru Yar’Adua. The meeting was to consider among other items, the complaint by the Governor of Akwa

• Special Assistant to Delta State Governor on legal matters Andrew Odum (left) and Arthur Obi Okafor (SAN) at the valedictory court session for Chief Chimezie Ikeazor (SAN) held at Anambra State High Court, Onitsha.

Ibom State, Governor Godswill Akpabio against the application of the political solution rather than the historical title principle which the parties had invoked to resolve the Akwa Ibom/Cross River State boundary dispute. At the meeting organized by the Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), a decision was taken to adjust the boundary between the plaintiff and the 2nd defendant; Akwa Ibom State. The boundary between the two states was not in dispute at the time of the InterAgency meeting. The parties were not invited to the Inter-Agency meeting before taking such a vital decision. Proper procedure was not followed by the National Boundary Commission.

The Inter- State Boundary Technical Committee must be set up to look into the exercise according to Section 8 (2) of the 1999 Constitution. The Inter-Agency meeting relied on the judgment of the International Court of Justice delivered in 2002 and the Supreme Court judgment in A-G Cross River State v. A-G Akwa Ibom State (2005) NWLR (Pt.947) Pg.71 to conclude that Cross River State is now landlocked and no longer a littoral state. The state is presumed no longer contiguous or abuts the sea. It has no 200 meters Isobath into the sea neither does it share maritime boundary with any of the States. Cross River State is now divested of its maritime territory and oil wells. The plaintiff claimed to have acquired the oil well through proper demarcation of boundaries based on historical titles. The plaintiff also acquired 76 oil wells based on the political solution of President Obasanjo to which all parties agreed. The terms were communicated to both the plaintiff, the defendants and all agencies of the Federal Government including the National Boundary Commission and the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC). The Chairman of the Revenue Mobilisation based on the letter Exhibit 1, wrote the Accountant-General of the Federation furnishing him with the new indices for the distribution of the 13% derivation fund and the plaintiff’s name was unilaterally omitted on the list. The plaintiff and the 2nd defendant had agreed to settle their boundary issue. The International Court of Justice judgment and the cessation of Bakassi and the Cross River estuary to Cameroon did not deny Cross River State of direct access to the sea through Calabar sea port.

Ships have access to Calabar sea port through Cross River State without passing through the territory of any other state or country.

The entire Calabar estuarine Region is still in Cross River State. The Eastern Naval Command of the Nigerian Army is based in Calabar. The new International boundary between Nigeria and Cameroon leaves the Cross River Estuary within Nigerian Territorial waters. The judgment of this court in A-G Cross River v. A-G Akwa Ibom delivered in 2005 found oil well operated by Moni Pulo and Addax oil to be within the internal waters of Cross River State and not off shore.

The Supreme Court then awarded damages for losses suffered by Cross River State by wrongful attribution of the wells to Akwa Ibom State. The wells have now been transferred to Akwa Ibom by the Inter-Agency Committee decision. The plaintiff has been

deprived of 13per cent derivation entitlement of the plaintiff from the 76 oil wells within the territory of the plaintiff since April 2009 to 10th March 2010 and from 11th March 2010 until date of judgment and thereafter. According to the additional written statement on oath by the plaintiffs 2nd witness, the total sum due and payable to the plaintiff from the defendants from April 2009 to February 2012 from the wrongful diversion of derivation revenue is N86,806,949,166.03. The court is urged to order the payment of this sum with interest at 20per cent to the plaintiff.

The plaintiff identified three issues for the determination of this court from the statement of claim as follows:a. Whether having regard to the fact and circumstances of this matter the 1st defendant was justified in fact, law and under the Constitution to have set out to decide a nonexistent boundary dispute between the 2nd defendant and the plaintiff when there was no legal basis for same and thereby set aside, make void and discard the mutually agreed boundary determination between the 2nd defendant and the plaintiff under which each party had acted since 2005 to their mutual benefit. b. Whether having regard to the facts and circumstances of this matter the defendants are stopped from resiling from the mutual agreement reached between the parties in 2005 on the then boundary dispute between the 2nd defendant and the plaintiff especially after the parties had taken benefit from the said mutual agreement as evidenced by Exhibits A, B and C attached. c. Whether in the determination of maritime and estuaries boundaries between two states in Nigeria the relevant authorities saddled with resolution of such boundaries are not entitled to use and adopt any of the internationally recognized accepted methods of settlement by agreement of the parties, the historical or strict technical equidistance rules methods in the determination of the boundaries as the circumstances may dictate.

The 1st defendant - the Attorney-General of the Federation represented the Federal Government agencies particularly, Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) and National Boundary Commission affected by the complaint of the plaintiff as participants in the Inter-Agency meeting of August 2008. Pursuant to the order of court made on 4th May 2010, the 1st defendant eventually filed her 1st amended statement of defence, amended list of witnesses, 1st defendant’s amended written address and the 1st defendant’s brief of argument. The 1st defendant also filed the 1st statement on oath of Kamal Ibrahim and the 2nd witness on oath of Surveyor Alhaji Bashir Shettima. The brief facts of the case of the 1st defendant based on the witnesses’ statement on oath of Surveyor Alhaji Bashir Shettima and Mr. Kamal Ibrahim stated the statutory functions of the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission which includea. To monitor the accruals and disbursement of revenue from the Federation Account and review from time to time, the revenue allocation formulae and principles in operation to ensure conformity with changing realities and • Continued next week

• Dafe Akpedeye (SAN) (left) and Deputy Director, Nigerian Law School, Enugu campus, Prof Ernest Ojukwu at the last NBA NEC meeting in Asaba, Delta State.

THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 3, 2013

39

ABUJA REVIEW

•From left: Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Corps Marshal, Osita Chidoka, Chief J.K. Gadzama and Otunba Dele Oye at the Abuja Branch of Nigerian Bar Association law dinner at Sharaton PHOTOS: AKIN OLADOKUN Hotel

• Resident Pastor, Church of the Brethren in Nigeria, Rev. David Mbaya; President Goodluck Jonathan; Executive Secretary, Christian Pilgrims Commission, John Kennedy Okpara and Chairman, Senate Committee on Power and Steel, Senator Phillip Aduda during the new year church service

• Niger Delta Development Minister Elder Peter Orubebe; Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta Affairs, Hon. Kingsley Kuku and Director General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Patrick Akpobolokemi after their meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan at the Presidential Villa PHOTO AKIN OLADOKUN.

• Mr. Aaron Olaosebikan (second left), his wife, Kofoworola and children Femi, Abisola, Joshua and Grace during his 50th birthday celebration at Kubwa

• Pupils of Goshen Nursery and Primary School, Abuja reading from a book written in honour of the late President Musa Yar’Adua PHOTOS: ABAYOMI

FAYESE

•From left: Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Oloye Olajumoke Akinjide, receiving the Haji report from Chairman of FCT 2012 Haji Team, General Abdullahi Bagudu Mamman (rtd). With them is a member of the team, Alhaji Atiku Kurawa

40

THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2013

ABUJA REVIEW RE there grand plans to always unsettle the Presidency? Perhaps, this is one question the President and his cabinet would have to answer. Since his election in 2011, it has been one issue or the other.

First it was a violent protest in the wake of his emergence in some parts of northern Nigeria, precisely Northeast, the same area noted for its notorious security challenges.

The Presidency is still grappling with the challenges occasioned by the activities of the Boko Haram group.

Then, in January, 2012, there was the issue of removal of fuel subsidy. The President got the shocker of his life as he was left to face the wrath of the people all alone. The governors and other principal actors in the fuel subsidy removal saga backed out on seeing the handwriting on the wall.

Nigerians took to the streets in protest of the decision for the first week of last year. The President was unsettled as he had to do more of defence of his decision and eventually allowed the wish of the people to prevail, albeit through a measured removal instead of the full removal he had announced.

While the situation was resolved, the impact lasted for a very long time with the Presidency experiencing some setbacks. The President’s rating dropped drastically and had to do all to regain some measures of acceptance.

President Jonathan’s re-election posters that resurfaced in some areas in Abuja have started causing ripples in the political circle. This is in spite the denials from the Presidency that it knows nothing about the posters. Critics have latched on the opportunity and have taking the President to the cleaners.

Just like during the fuel subsidy saga, the Presidency has been forced to state its stand. On this issue, the President has a lot to do to clear his name as many are of the opinion that the President might be behind the posters to test the waters.

But the President has washed his hands of the posters.

According to his media aide, those behind the posters were out to distract the President who is much focused on providing quality services to the people.

And this much the President stated in his 2013 message to the country when he re-assured the citizens that the issue of security, flood, erosion, job creation will take priority in 2013.

In the area of security, he said more will be done in the New Year to further empower the security agencies who are work-

A

HE newly elected VicePresident, Special Duties of National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Comrade Ubon Marcus, has decried the high number of candidates who failed the 2012 November/December West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

Marcus in a statement in Abuja, lamented that the 62 per cent failure would greatly reduce the number of candidates that will seek admission into tertiary institutions this year.

The student leader noted that results released by the examination body revealed that only about 37.97 per cent, representing 150,615 candidates out of 413,266 candidates that took the exams in Nigeria, obtained credits in five subjects and above which include English Language and Mathematics.

T

Re-election poster headaches

From the Villa

By Vincent Ikuomola ing in collaborative partnerships with friends of the country in the international community to stem the scourge of terrorism and enhance the security of lives and property in all parts of Nigeria.

Besides, in the New Year, he said more attention would be paid to the rehabilitation and expansion of existing federal roads, improved power supply, as well as upgrading and re-activation of the national rail network.

Other areas listed for priority attention in 2013 are employment generation and wealth crea-

tion.

On the part of the people, the President demanded some level of commitment to help the Presidency achieve more this year; to support the implementation of the Federal Government’s agenda for national transformation.

But alas, the posters have done more damage to Mr. President’s reputation as they have pitched the people against the President though not in the same quantum like the fuel subsidy removal of first week of last year.

Reacting to the posters, the Presidency denied knowledge of

the posters and its sponsors thrice within 24hours. It insisted that the President would not want to be distracted as he is focusing on quality service delivery.

The Presidency also noted that those behind the printing and pasting of the posters are doing it on their own as the President does not have anything to do with it.

The Presidency also reiterated the stand of the President on the 2015 issue, noting that those who want to know the stand of the President on 2015 should wait till 2014.

Meanwhile, the thinking of the Presidency is that security agencies don’t need to wait for President Jonathan’s directives before going after sponsors of re-election posters.

According to the Presidential Spokesman, Dr. Reuben Abati, such checks are part of the normal responsibilities of the security agencies. But he said this is only when it is of public interest.

Abati, who was reacting to the question of the possibility of the President sending security agen-

cies after the sponsors of President Jonathan’s re-election posters that surfaced in Abuja over the weekend said: “The security agencies have their jobs cut out for them. If they feel there is anything that is likely to disturb the polity, that is likely to affect the integrity of the state or they feel something has happened and they need information, that needs to be investigated, then, of course, they will do their job.”

The Presidency also approved the constitution of the Board of Directors of nine agencies of the Federal Government.

The list comprises political allies and party members.

Notable beneficiaries are the National Organising Secretary of the People’s Democratic Party, Alhaji Abubakar Mustapha; National Auditor of PDP, Chief Olabode Mustapha; Chairman of Silverbird Communications, Mr. Ben Murray Bruce; Editor of Sunday Sun Newspapers, Ms. Funke Egbemode and Colonel Edward Mark, younger brother to the Senate President, Mr. David Mark.

NANS decries mass failure in WASSCE From Sanni Onogu, Abuja

He added that no fewer than 62.03 per cent of the candidates representing 262,651 candidates, failed to secure credits in five subjects and above, including English Language and Mathematics.

He said: “This means that only 33.97 per cent of candidates that secured credits in five subjects including English Language and Mathematics are qualified to apply for admission into tertiary institutions.”

While condemning the degree of failure, Comrade Marcus charged students to be more committed to their academics and ap-

pealed to teachers to put in more effort.

The student activist, however, praised President Goodluck Jonathan for increased funding to

education in the 2013 budget.

The N426.53 billion allocated to education according to him, demonstrates the commitment of the Jonathan administration to the

The 62 per cent failure would greatly reduce the number of candidates that will seek admission into tertiary institutions this year

overall development of the country especially the education sector.

He insisted that President Jonathan’s 8.7 per cent budgetary allocation to education meets the 26 per cent United Nations Education Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) minimum requirement.

The NANS Special Duties Vice President appealed to the Minister of Education, Professor Ruqayyatu Rafa’i to intensify monitoring and supervision of tertiary institutions in the country.

He further urged relevant stakeholders in the sector to rise to the challenge of improving education with renewed zeal and commitment.

“We have learnt from our failures and we are coming this time to win the title and nothing else.”

Ivory Coast talisman Didier Drogba staking his country’s claim to this year’s African Nations Cup crown. The Elephants have only won the tournament once in 1992.

PAGE 42

Mourinho: Madrid fans disrespectful

J

OSE MOURINHO has criticised Madrid's fans for their lack of respect towards goalkeeper Antonio Adan.

Mourinho's decision to once again pick the Madrid-born keeper ahead of club captain Iker Casillas was greeted with whistles and boos from the Madrid supporters.

The Portuguese feels that the fan's reaction shows a clear lack of respect towards Adan.

"If the fans whistle me because they do not agree with my decision and the team play badly, then I accept it," he said at a post match press conference."I spoke to Adan prior to the match and told him the whistles were for me and not for him.

"But in my opinion, that (the whistles) showed a real lack of respect for him.

"This is a player who has been at Real since he was 16, who was born in Madrid and who does not deserve that."

Casillas' arrival on the pitch after Adan was sent off in the sixth minute was applauded by the Madridistas.

•Mourinho

Don’t emulate me, Tevez tells Balotelli

C

ARLOS TEVEZ has warned Mario Balotelli not to make the same mistakes he did if the volatile Italian striker wants to salvage his Manchester City career.

As revealed in Sportsmail, City boss Roberto Mancini has finally lost patience with Balotelli following their training ground bust-up last week and is ready to sell him at the earliest opportunity.

Tevez has been on the brink of leaving City on several occasions, accusing Mancini of ‘treating me like a dog’ over their infamous fallout in Munich last season, but the Argentina striker is back in favour and scored the first goal in Saturday’s 3-0 FA Cup win over Watford.

Balotelli also played for the first time in six games as a second-half substitute, and Tevez believes the 22-year-old can still have a future at City if he follows his advice on and off the pitch. ‘I’ve been in that moment like him and I’m always keen to help him and keep him going through these kind of moments so he doesn’t make the same mistakes that I did in the past,’ said Tevez.

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Yaya Toure

hospitalised in Abu Dhabi

R

EIGNING African Footballer of the Year Yaya Toure is currently receiving treatment for cough and fever at a clinic in Abu Dhabi where Ivory Coast are fine-tuning for the upcoming African Cup of Nations.

The Ivorian delegation arrived in the United Arab Emirates capital on Saturday from Paris, where the group joined officials from Abidjan before their final trip.

Toure was exempted from their inaugural training session on Sunday, while the team’s medical staff said all hands were on deck to restore the player’s health but refused to say when he would probably be fit to return to training.

The Elephants opened workshop on Sunday afternoon at the Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium under the direction of coach Sabri Lamouchi, who said he was confident of his outfit’s experience and improvisation but that the players’ physical form was worrisome.

Team captain Didier Drogba was excused from the session after he suffered a light headache, which Lamouchi said played down on when the group returned to their Rocco Forte Hotel at the end of the session.

Ivory Coast will play a friendly match against Egypt on January 14 before flying to South Africa two days later for the showpiece set for kick off on January 19.

•Yaya Toure

2013 AFRICA NATIONS CUP...2013 AFRICA NATIONS CUP

Drogba: 2013 our last chance

D

IDIER DROGBA knows the 2013 African Cup of Nations represents the final chance for Ivory Coast's 'golden generation' to lift the coveted continental trophy.

For all their talent the closest the current Elephants side have come to being crowned African champions was in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea in 2012 where they lost a penalty shootout in the final to hand victory to Zambia.

The result, however, could have been very different had Drogba converted a penalty during the match.

A similar Cote d'Ivoire side lost on penalties to hosts Egypt in Cairo in 2006 while a very differed team defeated Ghana on penalties in 1992 for their sole AFCON win.

And ahead of the tournament in South Africa, the Shanghai Shenhua striker told Ivorian reporters: "Coming to South Africa for the 2013 Cup of Nations will be special for me.

"We have twice come so close to

winning this tournament. But that does not mean that we can afford to slow down and assume that if we wait long enough the title will be ours. We have learnt from our failures and we are coming this time to win the title and nothing else.”

•Drogba

On paper the Elephants head into the tournament as favourites, once again, but have been drawn in a tricky group that includes former champions Algeria, 2004 winners Tunisia, and Togo.

But if their record is anything to go by, the Ivorians will do well to even emerge from Group D. They have only beaten Togo once in three meetings, played and lost to Tunisia in their one game to date, while they have lost two from three games against Algeria.

Ivory Coast gaffer Sabri Lamouchi conceded they face tough opponents but as favourites they must deliver.

"It is unquestionably the most difficult group and we got three fearsome opponents," said Lamouchi. "We were favourites before the draw and still are. Now we must deliver on the pitch."

Ivory Coast will play all their games at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg facing Togo, Tunisia and Algeria on the 22nd, 26th and 30th January in this order.

Zambia drop Kalililo

M

TNFOOTBALL.COM can exclusively report that the 27year-old Napsa Stars goalkeeper and veteran of four African Cups will not be part of the team in South Africa when the tournament kicks off on January 19.

"Kali (Kalililo) has been dropped," a source familiar with the development said without giving any further details.

Kalililo has been replaced by Red Arrows goalkeeper Daniel Munyau who has already travelled to Johannesburg where he landed Monday morning to join the team.

The source said Renard had inquired from Arrows about Munyau availability after Zambia's 2-0 loss to Angola in a friendly on Saturday. The Arrows goalkeeper returns to the team after he was earlier dropped from the preliminary 26-member team that went into camp in Johannesburg on December 26.

Munyau was dropped despite a promising show in Zambia's 1-0 away loss away to Tanzania on December 22 in Dares-Salaam in which he played the full 90 minutes.

The development means Mweene is expected to be deputised by Munyau and Joshua Titima of Power Dynamos.

Black Stars boosted by US$15 million sponsorship

T •Tevez

HE Ghana Football Association (GFA) has agreed a US$15 million sponsorship deal with stateowned oil company Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC).

The three-to-five-year deal will see GNPC pay US$3 million annually to become the headline sponsor of the men’s national team, the Black Stars.

In addition, the GFA and GNPC will ‘form a six-member joint implementation committee with three representatives from each side to oversee and ensure the smooth running of activities and furnishing both parties with reports.’

“This sponsorship from GNPC will go a long way. This will alleviate the financial burden on government and also motivate the

players and boost their morale in winning the Africa Cup of Nations,” GFA president Kwesi Nyantakyi said. “With this support from an indigenous company, the players and the technical team, which is also headed by a Ghanaian, will know that the whole nation is behind them.”

•Kalililo

43

TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2013

POLITICS THE NATION

E-mail:- politics@thenationonlineng.net

CONSTITUTION REVIEW

• Oba Erediauwa

• Sultan Abubakar

• Igwe Achebe

• Oba Sijuwade

• Oba Akiolu

As the National Assembly is set to review the 1999 Constitution, traditional rulers are agitating for constitutional roles. Group Political Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU examines the crises that may brew between the monarchs and politicians as actors on the same pedestal in the murky waters of power struggle.

What role for traditional rulers?

W

HEN the late President Umaru Yar’Adua proposed new constitutional roles for traditional rulers, the move provoked a fresh debate on the significance of the traditional institution in the country. Nigerians were divided on the issue. On one hand were stakeholders who held the view that the involvement of royal fathers in politics would pitch them against their subjects who are politicians. On the other hand were those who believed that, judging by the high educational status of the traditional rulers, the institution could add value to public administration.

However, the National Council for Traditional Rulers (NCTR) proposed by the former President created a division among leading royal fathers who resumed their age-long war of attrition. Suddenly, there was a re-enactment of old rivalries and battle of supremacy. The traditional rulers could not reach a consensus on who should preside over the council. Neither could monarchs across the geo-political zones agree on its composition and regional representation on the council.

Five years after, royal fathers are now at the forefront of agitations for political, administrative and advisory roles under the proposed constitution. During the public hearings organised by the members of the National Assembly across the federal constituencies, many of them aired their grievances against their exclusion from governance. For example, at Oshodi-Isolo Constituency, prominent Awori monarch, the Osolo of Isolo, Oba Kabiru Agbabiaka Ilufemiloye, said traditional rulers could add value to governance by making their wealth of experience available to government across the tiers. Many stakeholders agreed with him. Others held a contrary opinion. Those who opposed new constitutional roles for the Obas, Emirs and Obis, perceived their scheming to bounce back to political power as the height of illusion and day-dreaming. They contented that these royal fathers have not been abandoned financially by the successive administrations.

“Since the days of Abacha, our monarchs have been entitled to five percent of monthly local government revenue, whether the roads in their domains are tarred or not. Salaries of workers may not the paid in time, but our natural rulers are never denied”, said one of the participants at the public hearing.

In many states, majority of people opposed the politicisation of the traditional institution through meddlesomeness in politics. The rejection of new status for the traditional rulers did not go down well with many traditional rulers because many of them are educated and have even played key roles in the nation’s economy as lecturers, bankers, lawyers, doctors, engineers and politicians. Indisputably, the blue blood are full of nostalgia for the glorious past when their forefathers, in full traditional regalia and other paraphernalia, ruled over kingdoms and chiefdoms. Many of them are still angered by the disruption of that orderly political evolution during the pre-colonial days before the advent of the British interlopers, who seized power from traditional rulers and later restore the power to nationalist politicians after a fierce battle for independence.

But the debate on roles for traditional rulers also appears superficial. Up to now, the nature of the constitutional role expected of traditional rulers, if the constitution is amended, is unknown. Politicians, who perceive them as rivals, have deliberately objected to it, citing the inevitable destruction of demarcation between politics and traditional rulership as reason. In a previous interview, a Lagos lawyer and politician, Babatunde Ogala, opposed the “politicisation of kingship”, stressing that “our local tradition has always defined the roles of traditional rulers”. He warned that the move to give traditional rulers constitutional roles would erode the pre-eminence of the institution.

The rise of educated rulers: What has fuelled the clamour for constitutional roles for monarchs is the rise of elite traditional rulers endowed with intellect, professional acumen and track record of performance in public and private sectors. Although education or high literacy is not a criterion for mount-

ing the throne, there is no village, town or city in the country that would make an illiterate its traditional ruler today. Indeed, many traditional rulers have reached the highest pinnacle of their professions before ascending the thrones of their forefathers. For example, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade, was an accomplished company executive and successful industrialist. The Ewi of Ado-Ekiti, Oba Rufus Adejugbe, is a seasoned accountant and administrator. The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Saa’d Abubakar, is a retired Brigadier-General. The Alaaye of Efon, Dr. Adesanya Aladejare, is a retired university don. The Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Kolapo Gambari, is a retired Court of Appeal Judge. The OlowoEko of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu is a retired Police Assistant Inspector-General. The Olowo of Owo, Oba Folagbade Olateru-Olagbegi is a lawyer. The Emir of Suleja, Alhaji Awal Ibrahim, is a former governor of Niger State.

The Asagba of Asaba, Edozie, is a retired Professor of Economics. The King of Brass, Diete Spiff, is a retired Army General and former governor of Rivers State. The Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo, is a retired colonel. The Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Achebe, retired from the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation. The Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero, is a retired diplomat.

From time immemorial, traditional rulers have been exercising the functions of government before they were displaced by the politicians. Although there was no written constitution regulating their native duties, they relied on customs, traditions and conventions. The natural rulers were perceived as second-incommand to God, personification of unity in their ancient kingdoms and symbols of progress. Owing to their influence, they could not be discarded by the colonial powers. Ultimately, they became the servants of the imperial masters under the indirect rule.

‘Monarchs should concentrate on the discharge of duties imposed on them by local traditions. Traditional rulers should be held in high esteem and should not be dragged into politics. Drafting the royal fathers into politics amounts to waking up the sleeping dogs. Modern democracy has come to halt the dictatorship of few, which does not preclude the traditional rulers. It is dangerous to draft them to the political fray. It will destroy the institution’

The pre-colonial period: Human rights activist, the late Chima Ubani, who once reflected on the roles of traditional rulers and chiefs in the local government system, said they were the stabilisers and cornerstones of the local councils as “governors of their villages, towns, cities, and districts”, adding that in Yorubaland, they relied on their chiefs, community elders and family heads for easy administration and dissemination of information. In Igbo and Ibiobioland, village democracy was promoted, with clan councils, village councils and village assemblies exercising legislative, executive and judicial powers. Secret society and religious leaders complemented their roles in native administration.

However, as noted by Ubani, that pre-colonial system of administration was not elective and hence, undemocratic. It was hereditary.

The colonial blow: The powers of royal fathers waned consistently when they were displaced by colonial authorities. According to the political scientist and author, Moboluwaji Olaniyan, the British foisted indirect rule, which provoked criticisms by the few educated elite. Traditional rulers were appointed into Sole Native Authorities under the alien system. That marked the beginning of the exercise of constitutional powers by monarchs. But the royal fathers came under attack by their rivals, the educated elite who perceived them as agents of British colonialism. Ubani noted that prior to 1914 amalgamation, dirrerent brands of indirect rule were practiced in different parts of the Nigeria. In the Western Nigeria, the Obasa and Baales were the main agencies of indirect rule. In the East, the Warrant Chiefs exercised delegated powers and in the North, the Emirs ensured the success of indirect rule. There was tensin between the traditional rulers and elite. The royal fathers operated from a weak position because they were left behind by civilisation. As illiterates, the new political elite dismissed them as clog in the wheel of progress.

In Olaniyan’s view, the 1930s marked the growth of constitutional development, which also weakened the influence of the traditional rulers. The period marked the rise of political associations and groups, professionals and technocrats; lawyers, judges, teachers, accountants, •Continued on page 44

THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2013

44

POLITICS

What role for traditional rulers?

•Continued from page 43

• Ali

•Senator Nnamani

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Board of Trustees (BoT) will pick its new chairman today in Abuja. Assistant Editor AUGUSTINE AVWODE writes on the contest.

Who is next PDP BoT chair?

T

ODAY is the D-Day. For nine months, the position of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Board of Trustees (BoT) has been vacant. But it will be filled today. The position became vacant, following the sudden resignation of former President Olusegun Obasanjo in April, last year.

PDP BoT secretary Senator Walid Jubrin disclosed a month ago that no fewer than 20 persons have indicated their interest in the position.

According to Section 12(76) of the party’s constitution “a person shall be qualified for appointment into the Board of Trustees (BOT). If he or she is a registered card-carrying member of the party for not less than four years consecutively.

Also, he must have been paying his annual subscription regularly.

Besides, the person must have attained the age of 50 years. The person should be a man or woman of integrity.

The constitution equally spells out the composition of the board in Section 12.76(1). It should be made up of all past and serving Presidents and Vice Presidents of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, who held or hold the respective posts as members of the party and who are still members of the party. Also, all past and serving national chairmen, deputy national chairmen and national secretaries of the party who are still members of the party are members. All past and serving Presidents of the Senate and Speakers of the House of Representatives, who are still members of the party are also members.

The PDP constitution also states that two women should be selected from each of the six geo-political zones. Three members, at least, one of whom shall be a woman, from each of the six geo-political zones.

It is from among these people that officers of the board which include the chairman and secretary, are to be elected as stipulated by Section 12.77 of the constitution.

“The Board of Trustees shall elect a chairman and a secretary from members of the Board...The chairman, secretary and other members of the board are to enjoy a single term of five years”.

The major responsiblity of the board, according to Section 12.80 of the party’s constitution, is to “ensure highest standards of morality in all the activities of the party by acting as the conscience of the party, with power to call to order any officer of the party whose conduct falls below the norms”.

When Obasanjo was appointed as the BoT chairman, he was the only one eligible for the post. The constitution had been amended to permit his sole candidature being the only former president elected on the platform of the party. Obasanjo literally strolled into the office after he served out his second term as president. However, with the amendment of the constitution after Obasanjo’s exit, other members of the party who are interested can now vie for the office.

Expectedly, the race for the chairmanship has attracted a lot of passion and interest within and beyond the party, not only because of the duty the BoT is expected to perform as the “conscience of the party,” but because of perceived political advantages the occupant of the post can swing in anybody’s favour.

To many PDP leaders, whoever emerges as the chairman will play a crucial role during the 2015 general elections, particularly, the presidential election. That, perhaps, explains why almost every group of note within the party is doing everything possible to protect its interest and ensure that its preferred candidate clinches the chairmanship seat.

As at the time of filling this report, those at the fore-front of the race include former Senate President Ken Nnamani; former Minister of Works, Chief Anthony Anenih, who once held the office; former PDP national chairman Dr. Ahmadu Ali; former Chairman of the All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP) Board of Trustees (BoT) Chief Harry Akande; former PDP deputy national chairman Alhaji Shuaib Oyedokun, and PDP chieftain Chief Emmanuel Iwanyanwu.

As it is often the case, the position and interest of the President will play a major factor in deciding who will eventually emerge as the winner. It would be recalled that notwithstanding the concerted opposition to the candidacy of Alhaji Bamanga Tukur as the national chairman from his Northeast geo- political zone, President Goodluck Jonathan’s insistence on having him as the chairman of the party brought all other contestants to their knees. But in this instance, it has been difficult to identify the President’s preference for the job.

The appointment is not based on zoning. But, the agitation for equity reared it head last week when the Southwest caucus of the party demanded that the zone be allowed to produce the BoT chairman.

Besides, indications are that for the first time, the chairman of the board may emerge through election, rather than the usual consensus method. Whatever the case is, the party will have a new BoT chairman today.

and surveyors. These products of western education saw themselves as symbols of economic development and contestants for power and influence. At that time, the Governor-General, Donald Cameron, indirectly incited the institution of traditional rulers against the educated class by laying emphasis on the selection of educated princes as monarchs. Indeed, the tiny class of educated obas at that time worked as progressives for the political, economic and social development of their kingdoms.

However, educated nationalist politicians who challenged the colonial masters to a duel, dwarfed the prestige and influence of traditional rulers during the agitation against colonialism. In the 1950s, when elected local governments were established, traditional rulers were relegated to the background. Elected councillors saw traditional rulers who served in the councils as peers. Therefore, they waged war against the monarchs in two ways. Olaniyan recalled that they reduced the salaries of traditional rulers and prevented them from signing building permit, which was a major source of income. When Nigeria achieved independence, the traditional rulers played second fiddle in grassroots administration. “They were no more the wealthiest people in the society. At social functions, politicians became the cynosure of all eyes. They were more respected than the traditional rulers”, he added. Traditional rulers later started to woo politicians with honorary chieftaincy titles. Many of them also lost their sacred powers when they were compelled to jettison their traditional religions. The British introduced as Chieftaincy Act which created the Council of Chiefs. The body only attended to local issues; marriages, inheritance, family disputes and other traditional matters. Later, a House of Chiefs was created to accommodate them. They were also elected into the local councils.

Traditional institution under parliamentary system: Between 1951 and 1966, when Nigeria practiced parliamentary system, many traditional rulers were appointed as members of House of Chiefs in the North, East, West and Midwest Regions. Some of them were also appointed into the ceremonial Senate. For political reasons, the Action Group(AG) led by the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, courted the traditional rulers. When AG was launched in Owo, the late Olowo, Oba Olateru-Olagbegi, was the chief host. The Ooni of Ife, the late Oba Adesoji Aderemi, was elected into the House of Representatives and appointed a federal minister. When Awolowo became the Premier, Oba Aderemi served as the governor. In a bid to gain more influence at the expense of the National Council of Nigerian Citizens (NCNC), AG shown more interest in succession to some thrones. The party threw its weight behind

• Senator Mark

Prince Monsediku Adeniji-Adele against Prince Adeyinka Oyekan during the Lagos obaship tussle.

Oyekan was supported by NCNC. Indeed, prominent traditional rulers actually were part of the executive and legislative arms. Oba Olateru-Olagbegi was a Minister without portfolio and a leading member of the House of Chiefs in the Western Region. When he later supported Ladoke Akintola, his town became divided. The Sarki of Arigidi-Akoko, Alhaji Olanipekun, who was also a member of the House of Chiefs, was a minister without portfolio. When political crisis festered in his town, he went on exile for 25 years. The late Oba of Badagry, Oba Claudius Akran, was elected into the House of Assembly and served for 12 years as minister under Awolowo and Akintola. Many Ibadan chiefs who later mounted the throne of Olubadan were active politicians.

Aminu Kobiowu was chairman of district council in the metropolis.

Daniel Akintayo Adebiyi was a parliamentarian. Emmanuel Adeyemo was a commissioner during the emergency rule of Dr. Koye Majekodunmi. Oba Samuel Lana was a member of House of Representatives and Parliamentary Secretary to Prime Minister Tafawa Balewa. The late Iyalode of Ibadan, Mrs. Wuraola Esan, was a Senator in the First Republic. However, the 1966 military coup drew the curtains on the era of political monarchs. When presidential system was introduced in 1979, traditional rulers finally lost their constitutional powers. However, in Oyo State, the late Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Iyiola Matanmi, served as commissioner without portfolio in Ige Administration.

Friction between monarchs and political class: The relationship between many traditional rulers and politicians have been frosty since independence and differences in political affiliations were the roots of discord.

Politicians and monarchs flexed muscles due to ego and many royal fathers suffered bruises. Following the restoration of Akintola to the premiership after the emergency rule, the governor, Oba Aderemi was advised to hurriedly pack out of the Government House to pave the way for the new governor, Chief Odeleye Fadahunsi of the NCNC. 66, he was the chairman of Local Government Reforms Committee under Obasanjo Administration. The Alaaye of Efon Alaaye, Oba Aladejare, was the Chairman of Vision 2010 in Ekiti State. Many educated traditional rulers also teamed up with their educated subjects to agitate for state creation.

Suspicion and resentment: Under the military rule, soldiers treated the monarchs as an appendage and exposed them to ridicule.

Indiscriminate deposition of traditional rulers further debased the institution during the long interregnum. Many traditional rulers could not put their house in order. They were carried away by the five percent of council allocation reserved for them. The allowance became a source of quarrel as many leading monarchs allegedly monopolised the funds and excluded their topmost subordinate chiefs from the sharing. During the “June 12” debacle, some traditional rulers soiled their reputation. When their subjects became hostile, they fled their domain. Many of them have also compromised their hallowed positions by conferring honorary chieftaincy titles purchased by corrupt politicians.

Royal fathers as politicians?

Many analysts have objected to constitutional roles for traditional rulers for some reasons. The reasoned that their return to the “political thrones” would drag them in the mud. Others believe that royal fathers cannot cope with political insults, bickering, prevarications, sabotage and character assassination associated with Nigerian politics. Some also thinks their coming to power will deepen the gulf between them and their rivals, the career politicians. Ogala, who agreed with this view, submitted that monarchs should concentrate on the discharge of duties imposed on them by local traditions. “Traditional rulers should be held in high esteem and should not be dragged into politics”, he said.

Another politician, Alhaji Lateef Raji, said “drafting the royal fathers into politics amounts to waking up the sleeping dogs”, adding that modern democracy has come to halt the dictatorship of few, which does not preclude the traditional rulers.

He said there will be crisis, if the constitution now empowers modern monarchs to collect taxes and drag issues with politicians in the public. Raji warned that the institution may become a tool for mischief.

“It is dangerous to draft them to the political fray. It will destroy the institution”, he added.

• Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi (second left), Deputy Governor Chief Moses Adeyemo (left), Senator Ayo Adeseun (second right) and the Chief Judge, Justice Badejoko Adeniji, at the new year thanksgiving service held at the State House, Agodi, Ibadan.

PHOTO: FEM ILESANMI

THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2013

45

HEALTH THE NATION

E-mail:- health@thenationonlineng.net

WHAT IS OSTEOSARCOMA?

Kid on cancer row • Eight-year-old boy requires N3m to live

E

IGHT-year-old Joseph Olorunlagbara is full of life. Like any child his age, he likes jumping about but he cannot. His leg, which is cancerous has been amputated.

But, the leg is yet to heal. Doctors wanted to amputate it again before his father, Pastor Sunday Olorunlagbara protested.

Following his protest, little Joseph has been placed on radiotherapy.

Since radiotherapy costs money, the family needs help to enable Joseph undergo treatment. He must undergo a radiotherapy for five days every week for seven weeks at the Eko Hospital.

Joseph is one of many children battling with one cancer or the other.

Pastor Olorunlagbara said a pupil pushed his son while going out on break at school and he broke his femur bone.

He said a traditional bonesetter treated him and Joseph was on his feet walking again

by December 2011.

But the worse happened when Joseph couldn’t get up to undress on January 10, last year, the day he was supposed to see the bonesetter.

“The shock discovery we noticed was that the leg had become shorter than the other one. So, I contacted Dr Segun Odunaike at the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi, Lagos (NOHIL) and he instructed that a Plaster of Paris (POP) should be cast on the leg. After that, my son couldn’t sleep all through the night. The following day, I took him back to the hospital and the POP was removed and part of his diseased bone was removed for pathological analysis. After the test, it was discovered that my son had cancer of the bone,’” he said.

The doctor recommended Dr Samuel Eyesan of Bowen Uni-

D

By Wale Adepoju

versity, Ogbomoso, Oyo State, “who asked us to take the sample to Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) and after 21 days the histological report showed that my son has high grade osteosarcoma.

“That was when they ordered my son’s leg to be amputated.

But the leg became swollen again after about two months.

So we did magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and they asked for further amputation, but I protested that what has been cut was close to his buttock and they saw reasons with me. And a team of experts met and agreed that we should place him on radiotherapy.

“That was when Dr Odunaike recommended Prof Ketiku to help manage the disease.”

A radiotherapist, Prof Kofi Duncan, said cancer should not be seen as a death sentence.

People can live through it if it is detected early and managed well, he added.

An oncologist at LUTH, Dr Remi Ajekigbe said early detection is important for effective cancer management.

Giving reasons for bad outcomes, he said: “Patients often present late, which is critical to cancer management.”

Eyesan said Nigeria lacks expertise in cancer of the bone treatment.

The government should do something about this as bone cancer cases are increasing, he said.

Eyesan, formerly with NOHIL, said he had trained some experts, adding that more orthopaedic surgeons are needed to sub-specialise.

Eyesan said the Federal Government should look into that aspect of bone cancer management.

An expert in paediatric cancer

•Master Olorunlagbara

at LUTH, Dr Edamisan Temiye, said more should be done by the government about cancer in children. He said the cancer drugs for them are expensive, adding that they are often neglected when it comes to proffering solution to cancer problems.

Temiye said children deserve

similar, if not better cancer treatment and management.

Pastor Olorunlagbara is appealing to well-meaning Nigerians, corporate bodies and the government to save his dying son.

His account number: Olorunlagbara Sunday: UBA 2001112603.

Awareness ’ll reduce breast cancer

ESPITE the awareness being created on breast c a n c e r , it remains a major killer of women. This is the verdict by t h e U n i t e d Nations (UN).

The need to increase the level of awareness has led to declaring this month as breast cancer awareness month.

Mrs Dorothy Aso (not real name), 4 8 s u c c u m bed t o breast cancer after a long

battle.

Mrs Aso had breast cancer and was on oxygen mask in W a r d E 3 at the L a g o s University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) for months.

Her elder sister, Mrs Elizab e t h Uyo, d e s c r i b e d h e r sister’s condition as critical because she was under emergency for three days before she died.

She relived what she went

through after her sister’s death. “I have had to donate seven pints of blood and more is still required.

“When I asked her how it started she said she discovered something like a lump in her breast. So, she visited the hospital and she was told that her breast will be severed so she started avoiding visiting hospitals.

“Then she resorted to taking Tianshi products, which un-

fortunately didn’t help her.”

Mrs Uyo said her sister was in Eket, Akwa Ibom State, when the problem started, adding that she came to Lagos when it got out of hand.

“The doctors said my sister will need about N3 million for treatment. We were waiting on some n o n - g o v e r n m e n t al organisations (NGO) to help out but none came to our aid and she died,” she added.

Doctors seek help for the sick

T

HE Medical Guild, the umbrella body for the A s s o c i a tion of Doctors in Lagos State, has urged individuals and corporate organisations to save the sick and the less-privileged.

Its Chairman, Dr Olumuyinwa Odusote, said this would ensure adequate care for indigent patients.

Odusote, who spoke when the association visited Modupe Cole Child Care and Treatment

Home School and the Maximum Prisons, Kirikiri, said the government should formulate people-oriented policies.

He said: “By doing this, we are going to have a better society and then the problems we all complain about will reduce.”

Odusote said many people could not access health care because they were handicapped physically or financially.

The association, he said, decided to take their expertise to

the two institutions because of its desire to help sick patients in dire need.

He said: “There are people who are not privileged to come to us and who will need our services and caring attention. But for one reason or the other they are not able to gain access, because of financial, social, physical or even intellectual handicap.

“We felt we need to identify such people in the society and reach out to them in whatever

way we are able to. The exercise was the second of series of activities under the Medical Guild Care programme which commenced last November.”

According to him, the programme will be made regular to enable doctors reach out to as many people as possible who need health care.

The body donated items such as drugs, food, detergents, insecticides and disinfectants, among others, to institutions.

Osteosarcoma is a type of cancer that starts in the bones. To understand osteosarcoma, it helps to know something about the normal structure of bones.

Many people may think of bones as just being part of the skeleton, like the steel girders that support a building. But bones have a number of different functions.

Osteosarcoma is the most common type of cancer that starts in the bone. Most osteosarcomas happen in children and young adults, but it can happen at any age. Like other cancers, osteosarcoma can spread beyond the bone into nearby tissues. Cancer cells can also break away from the main tumor and spread through the blood to other bones or to the lungs or other organs.

This process is called metastasis.

When this cancer starts in the cells that make bone, the cancerfilled bone is not as strong as normal bones. Osteosarcoma often starts near the ends of the long bones in the legs, especially in the part of the thigh bone next to the knee, and the part of the lower leg bone next to the knee.

The arm bone near the shoulder is the second most common place for this cancer to start. But it can start in other bones, too.

Osteosarcoma that starts in places like the hip bone (pelvis), shoulder, or jaw (and other places where it’s hard to do surgery) tends to have a worse outcome.

There are several subtypes of osteosarcoma. The subtype is based on how the cancer looks on x-rays and under the microscope. Some subtypes have a much better outlook for survival than others.

Osteosarcomas can be grouped as low grade, intermediate grade, or high grade. If the tumor has few dividing cells and looks more like normal bone, it is called a low-grade osteosarcoma. If it has many dividing cells and is growing quickly, it is high grade. Most osteosarcomas in children and teens are high grade.

The grade is important because it tells the doctor how likely the cancer is to grow and spread to other parts of the body.

It helps the doctor figure out the stage of the tumor and the best type of treatment to use. For more on staging, see the section, • Culled from www.cancer.org

Firm donates drugs A pharmaceutical firm, Merck has donated over 23 million tablets of its praziquantel to Nigeria since 2008 for the treatment of worms.

In cooperation with World Health Organisation (WHO), Merck is fighting the disease in Africa.

According to the WHO, Nigeria is the most endemic country for schistosomiasis in the world. It is estimated that around 35 per cent of the overall population require treatment.

Nigeria has been part of the donation programme since 2008 and as such, it was one of the first countries benefiting from it.

Until now, Merck has donated through the WHO many tablets to Nigeria, making it the main beneficiary country of the donation programme.

46

THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2013

HEALTH

Girl, five, needs N10m for kidney transplant F

IVE-year-old Semiat Eto Oluwa Amisu needs one thing – good health. At age five, she is lovely, jovial, intelligent and brilliant - primary two pulpil at Tussy Children School, Isheri-Idimu, Alimosho Local Governmentn Area of Lagos State.

Semiat was the overall best student in her Primary One promotion examinations last year.

She is in high spirits despite her precarious health condition, a situation that baffles medical practitioners handling her case.

Semiat, first of three children (two other boys), requires N10 million to undergo bilateral kidney transplantation in India because such surgery is not available in Nigeria for children of such tender age.

She has been battling with chronic kidney problems and has been admitted variously in three hospitals, two teaching hospitals in Lagos and was on January 1, 2013 admitted at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State.

A Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba, Lagos consultant, Dr. Christopher Esezobor, advised that Semiat’s case is better handled in India via kidney transplantation. Even the very expensive dialysis for temporary relief could not be administered locally in view of her age because the appropriate medical tool - small catheter - that could be used could not be found even at a reputable hospital in Lagos.

The parents - Dr. Kehinde Amisu (Microbiology teacher at Lagos State University) and Mrs. Omotayo Amisu (civil servant with Isolo General Hospital) have always pandered to every medical advice and sought out every medication at enormous costs.

Dr. Esezobor identified Fortis Healthcare Limited and Columbia Asia as two Indian hospitals where the transplant can be done.

The consultants said there are two types of dialysis (hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis). Hemodialysis is said to be very easy to perform, but the tender age of Semiat is acknowledged to the limiting factor due to the size of the catheter used. The other dialysis, peritoneal could be used but is not recommended because it is cumbersome, not readily carried out and above all the procedure is prone to contamination leading to infection of the patient causing peritonitis.

Medical reports from LUTH, Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) and two diagnostic centres in Idimu confirmed that Semiat has enlarged kidneys with the left side being more enlarged.

Dr. Esozobor, in a December 5, 2012 letter entitled: ‘To Whom It May Concern’ wrote: “Semiat, a five-year-old lovely girl with end stage kidney disease, a genetic disorder also known as autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disorder had been receiving medical treatment in another hospital since age two years.”

The consultant paediatrician continued: “With her kidney working at approximately five per cent and the irreversible nature of polycystic kidney disease, Semiat requires urgent kidney transplantation. The kidney transplantation may necessarily need to be done outside Nigeria as kidney transplantation for children of her age is not currently performed in Nigeria.”

He expressed the willingness of his unit at LUTH to provide post transplantation care. He has even assisted in identifying one such

• Little Amisu

centre in India.

Dr. Esezobor said the LUTH unit would provide additional information when required, including the breakdown of the cost of treatment abroad and back home.

Department of Paediatrics and

‘Asthma kills 10,000 yearly’

M

ANAGING Director, HealthPlus Limited Mrs Bukky George said asthma killed over 10,000 Nigerians last year, according to World Health Organisation’s (WHO’s) statistic.

This, she said, was far more than the number of deaths recorded from HIV/AIDS .

According to her, the new medications such as nebuliser, spacer, steroid tablets, preventers inhaler among others are now available, in the country.

Mrs George spoke during a fundraiser for Elias Nelson Oyedokun foundation to create awareness on asthma in Lagos.

She claimed Nelson Ilaka Oyedokun died of Asthma in 2010 at 13 while visiting his friend in Lekki, Lagos State.

Mrs. George attributed the popular awareness of HIV/AIDS to the stigma involved because people find it difficult to say even when they are infected.

She said another reason for the serious awareness of AIDS is the means of contracting it which could be via sexual intercourse, sharp objects and other means.

She said: “Ability to take control when they have attack is very important, when they know how to take control of the situation, the problem is already solved. Asthma victims should inform all the people

By Jeremiah Oke

around them on the conditions of their health and how to use the medication available in case they have attack.”

Mrs. Goerge said asthmatics need to inform all the people who are close to them of the medication they take so as to rescue them whenever they are under attack and lack of ability to apply the medications.

She advised parents of asthmatics to inform their teachers, friends, drivers, of the way to use the new medications so as to use it effectively whenever they are attacked.

While talking on the need for setting up a foundation for the deceased, the organiser of the event and the father of Nelson Oyedokun, Hon. Bisi Ilaka, said there is a need for people to know how deadly asthma is, and that is why they embark ed on the programme to collaborate with the major stakeholders and organisations like schools, n o n - g o v e r n m e n t a l organisations (NGO) and government organisations like Federal Ministry of Health.

Ilaka said the aim of the foundation is to reduce the number of the people dying of asthma in Nigeria by sensitising them of what to do when they have attack.

Child Care, LASUTH, requesting assistance for Semiat at OAU, provided the history of the medical condition of the ailing girl, saying she was admitted three years ago and during treatment diagnosed “a bilateral polycystic kid-

ney disease with left pyelorephntis.”

Semiat’s mother, Mrs Amisu, said her daughter’s problem began with very high temperature three years ago when she was one year, 11 months old. Semiat was initially treated for supposed fever as an out-patient in a private hospital. The very day a scan revealed the kidney problem, Semiat’s mother took her to Alimosho General Hospital and it was that day the child was “For almost one week, there was no relief. She said on palpating the left side of her daughter’s abdomen the child experienced sharp pains. She then took the initiative to do a diagnostic scan. The general hospital requested another scan from a different diagnostic centre with indicating kidney problem.

At the General Hospital, Alimosho, Dr Samuel Ajayi saw the urgent need for referral to LASUTH where consultant Henry Gbelee, a paediatric Nephrologists, took over.

In a December 20, 2012 letter to his OAU counterparts, Dr Gbelee said: “Based on persistent hypertension and progressive decline in renal function, there will be need for renal replacement therapy in form of intermittent dialysis and possibly a renal transplantation on account of which she is being referred to your facility for further management.”

Simiat’s father understands the problem and the parents have been running around looking for financial succour. They are appealing to large hearted Nigerians to bail them out financially.

Semiat’s parents have opened a bank account for their child at the WEMA BANK even before the problem reared its head. It is – SEMIAT ETOOLUWA AMISU, A/ C NO. 0228592473 in the ROYAL KIDDIES ACCOUNT category.

Donations for Semiat’s health may be sent to the account or presented to the parents at 16, Abiodun Mohammed Street, off LASU Road, Isheri-Idimu., Lagos State.

Medical reports indicated that the case requires urgent attention.

Dr. Amisu could be contacted on his mobile phone – 08028742157 and Mrs Amisu, 07083335961, for further details.

Nigerians urged to donate blood

N

IGERIANS have been enjoined to take blood donation seriously to save

lives.

According to a consultant haematologist, Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Dr Adedoyin Dosunmu, anybody can be in a condition whereby he or she will require blood to live.

Dosumu was the guest lecturer at the inauguration of Club 25, which is a life-saving group of young adults between 18 and 25 at the Federal College of Health Technology, Yaba, Lagos. It was organised by the Lagos State Blood Transfusion Committee (LSBTC).

He identified road accident victims, sickle cell disorder patients or those with severe anaemia as people who need blood.

These people, he said, will need blood transfusion to be healthy.

He said blood does not stay in people’s body permanently, adding that they reproduce new ones continuously while the old is destroyed.

Advising people to join the train of voluntary blood donors, he said, it would help to ensure that the

By Olatunde Odebiyi

country is save and ready for blood transfusion anytime the need arises.

He described blood as a fluid that flows through the body, adding that it also gives people energy for them to perform their daily tasks. Blood contains the red, and white cells and platelets.

On who should donate blood, he recommended people within the age of 18 and 65, adding that they must weigh at least 50kg and be in good health.

The Executive Secretary, LSBTC, Dr. Modupe Olaiya, thanked the students for their corporation, adding that they need to be involved in voluntary blood donation.

This, she said, will help to ensure there is blood in the blood bank at all times.

She said the former Chairman of LSBTC, Prof Ibironke Akinsete inaugurated the club to reduce the burden of emergency blood needed to save lives. “Most of the times, the need for blood in Nigeria is always an impromptu thing which in most cases is very stressful for people in need of it, and even some-

times they end up not getting blood for the victim and the person eventually dies.

The club, she said, will reduce the death rate of Nigerians from shortage of blood. Members of the club will also be fulfilled as they are the future leaders of tomorrow, she added.

Nigerians, Olaiya said, need to be involved in regular voluntary non-remunerated blood donation.

A 200-level student of the College, Taiwo Olamide, who donated her blood, said voluntary blood donation is an opportunity to saves life, saying helping someone you do not know is a way of giving to God. Its a sign of responsibility and a way to reduce death cases arising from loss of blood from fellow human, she added.

Another student, Abiola Nana said the exercise is a very good thing adding that when people give their blood they are releasing some blood out of their body and giving room for new ones to be formed. This helps to refresh the body, he added.

Things women must avoid during pregnancy Expectant mothers must avoid smoking cigarettes and being around people who smoke. Both direct as well as second hand smoke are harmful to the health of the mother and baby. Studies have shown that frequent inhalation of cigarette smoke can lead to pre-term

births, spontaneous abortion, full term babies with low birth weight and death of the foetus and infant. It also causes a number of developmental problems as it causes the blood vessels of the foetus to constrict reducing oxygen supply to its brain. It is unfortunate that many

expectant mothers still smoke even though this has been public knowledge for a long time now.

All expectant mothers must avoid alcohol. For the foetus there is no safe level of alcohol.

• Culled from voices.yahoo.com/safe-pregnancy

TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2013

47

ENERGY THE NATION

E-mail:- energy@thenationonlineng.net

Expectations from the Minister of Petroleum Resources Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke are high this year. EMEKA UGWUANYI reports

Will Petroleum Minister meet stakeholders’ expectations?

Background

L

AST year was chaotic for the petroleum industry. It began on a stormy note with protests over the withdrawal of fuel subsidy by the Federal Government and resultant increase in fuel price. The protests led to calls from Nigerians and interest groups for increased transparency and probity in the petroleum sector.

There were calls from several quarters and groups for the sack of the minister for her alleged inability to meet the expectations of Nigerians, especially with the unveiling of the rot in the downstream sector through the probe of petroleum subsidy regime. The probe uncovered billions of naira corruptly frittered away by unscrupulous marketers who claimed subsidy refunds without actually importing fuel.

The public outrage and calls for transparency in all transactions in the downstream sector compelled the minister to set up four task forces to cater for different areas of public complaints. The terms of reference for all the task forces were geared toward promoting efficiency and transparency in the petroleum industry and other parastatals under the ministry.

The committees include the Special Taskforce on Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), which was headed by Senator Udoma Udo Udoma, Special Task Force on Governance and Control headed by Dotun Suleiman, Special Task Force on Petroleum Revenue chaired by Mallam Nuhu Ribadu and Task Force on National Refineries headed by Dr. Kalu Idika Kalu.

The taskforces have submitted their reports. Some of which revealed some uncomplimentary findings and recommendations. For instance, the Mallam Nuhu Ribadu-led taskforce revealed undue loss of public revenue through unwholesome practices by some parastatals under the ministry and allocation of oil blocks without recourse to due process and at give away prices.

The Kalu Idika Kalu-led taskforce wrote off the refineries as mere scraps, noting that they operate below 20 per cent capacity, which led to fresh calls for privatisation of the refineries. But operators noted that if the refineries would be sold at this stage, it are complete loss to the country. They said that the potential investors that would bid for the refineries would so much under-price them that it would add no meaningful contribution to the country’s revenue base.

Besides, they noted that some unpatriotic Nigerians would use fronts to buy them (refineries) at give away prices and later begin to make enormous profits from them. What the Federal Government has decided to do, is bring the refineries and some oil and gas national assets as well as the National Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) to form the national oil company post-PIB, which will be private-sector run and also listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE).

Downstream The downstream sector witnessed

some hiccups especially in distribution of products resulting in fuel scarcity which was caused primarily by refusal of marketers to import fuel as expression of discontentment for the over N200 billion owed them by the Federal Government in subsidy refunds. The fuel scarcity was worsened by vandalisation of major distribution pipelines.

Upstream The non-passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) has continued to shut out fresh investments into the exploration and production segment of the oil industry. The undue rise in crude oil theft has continued to dampen investment prospects and oil companies especially Shell is adversely affected.

Expectations Stakeholders in the industry expect the Minister of Petroleum Resources to explore avenues and reasons to convince the National Assembly to see the need to pass the PIB. It is the belief of the stakeholders that the passage of the bill would drastically reduce the corruption in the downstream through the enthronement of transparent business process and global best practices. The bill is expected to make the multinationals and other exploration and production companies to take definite stand on commitment to fresh investments.

The minister is also expected to explore other models that would entrench stability in fuel supply that will enable motorists to drive into a retail outlet at any time across the country and buy fuel without queuing.

“Other expectations include tangible value creation in the industry, which will result in increased employment of Nigerians in the industry, increased skills acquisition by Nigerians, sustainable technology transfer and transparent practices that would ensure safety and health of Nigerians especially those in producing communities and safe environment.”

writing on every page, the draft bill is locked in a code such that no one can add to or remove anything from it without the code. “All these features are designed to secure the document to avoid the type of duplication that led to the emergence of fake versions of the old PIB, which created confusion in the National Assembly.

She said her ministry last year took extra-ordinary measures to achieve sufficiency in gas supply to power stations to meet the Federal Government’s desire to ensuring improved electricity supply.

Within the period, she declared a 12-month gas supply emergency plan designed to address the challenges of gas to power.

“Delivery of gas to assure sufficient, uninterrupted supply to existing, as well as new thermal generating plants has been a special focus area of mine and the Ministry of Petroleum Resources. Up to recent times, gas supply to power plants outstripped demand to the extent that significant volumes of available gas remained unutilised on a daily basis. However a close analysis of the supply chain has revealed that over the last 10 years or so, there has been significant misalignment between power projects and gas supply sources,” she said.

The efforts to strengthen the capacity and roles of the Gas Aggregation Company of Nigeria Limited (GACN), which is a DPR-regulated company of the Ministry of Petroleum Resources with responsibility for gas sourcing and allocation, as well as operator of the commercial framework of the Gas Master Plan, is also a milestone.

In addition to its traditional gas demand management role which includes processing requests from gas buyers, managing gas supply/ demand allocation, as well as facilitating Gas Supply Aggregation Agreement (GSAA) negotiations, the GACN was mandated to

Scorecard The minister had commented on provisions of the PIB. She said the new PIB was drafted with equity in mind and that the concerns of the international oil companies were taken into consideration so as to engender a win-win situation for Nigeria as well as stakeholders in the oil and gas industry.

Besides, to guard against reoccurrence of what happened in the past when the PIB was bogged down by allegations of forgery and different versions said to be in circulation, AlisonMadueke said the new PIB was imbued with security features and tamper proof attributes. She said apart from having watermarks bearing her own hand-

•An NLNG Facility

•Mrs Alison-Madueke

achieve the following: identifying gas sources/suppliers and designing incentives for accelerated domestic gas delivery; driving the implementation of the findings of the Emergency Gas Committee, which focused on short and medium term gas supply but on a sustained basis; and ensuring integration as well as alignment between gas demand and supply to ensure robustness of longer term gas supply to power. It is also geared towards providing implicit data to enable the DPR to be more proac-

tive in compelling suppliers to meet domestic gas supply obligations, among others.

The completion of critical pipelines, such as the 27kmX24 inch gas supply pipeline from Itoki to Olorunshogo via Ewekoro in Ogun State, the 56kmX24inch Escravos-Warri gas pipeline, which doubled the pipeline capacity and enhanced gas evacuation from Escravos as well as the 130kmX36inch Oben to Geregu pipeline, improved electricity supply as a result of steady gas supply.

‘Other expectations include tangible value creation in the industry, which will result in increased employment of Nigerians in the industry, increased skills acquisition by Nigerians, sustainable technology transfer and transparent practices that would ensure safety and health of Nigerians,especially those in producing communities and safe environment’

THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2013

48

ENERGY

Chevron begins Meren, Sonam platforms construction

Stories by Emeka Ugwuanyi

•Managing Director Chevron Nigeria Limited, Andrew Fawthrop

C

HEVRON Nigeria Limited (CNL), operator of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC/CNL) Joint Venture, has taken a major leap toward using natural gas mined from its operations. It also eliminating gas flaring from its assets.

The company has begun the construction of two new platforms – Meren field Gas Gathering and

Compression Platform (GGCP) and the Sonam field Non-associated Gas Wellhead Projects (NWP) - meant for the development of Meren and Sonam fields. The construction of the platforms is ongoing in Nigeria and South Korea.

According to sources, on completion, the GGCP and NWP are expected to deliver 120 million cubic feet per day (mmcf/d) and 300mmcf/d to the Escravos Gas Project (EGP).

The fabrication phase of the platforms has started. The Nigerdock Nigeria Plc located at the Snake Island Integrated Free Zone in Lagos is doing the fabrication for the Meren GGCP jacket, piles and bridges and will also handle the entire Sonam NWP and associated structures as a sub-contractor to Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) of South Korea.

The topsides of the Meren GGCP, are being handled by HHI and will be fabricated at HHI fabrication yard in Ulsan, Korea.

Chevron’s General Manager, Facilities Engineering and Major Capital Projects, Mr Augustine Emelobe, who spoke on the projects, on behalf of the Director, NNPC/CNL Joint Venture, Mr Supo Shadiya, described the project as another success story, which showcases Chevron Nigeria’s commitment to and compliance with the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Contnet Development (NOGICD) Act. He noted that the company is proud to be associated with Nigerdock and HHI. He said: “We are pleased to be partnering with an indigenous company on this significant project, as this would build local content.”

Managing Director, Nigerdock, Mr Chris Bennet, appreciated the opportunity to work on the project, saying it has brought about huge expansion to Nigerdock, including the building of a new paint shop, new quayside and upgrade of assembly area, steel rolling equipment, construction of new accommodation facilities, and purchase of new cranes, among others.

On the project, the Executive Vice President of Hyundai Heavy Industries Mr D. Y. Kim said, Meren and Sonam are offshore assets located off Delta State. The cost of the platforms were not disclosed, but it was gathered that the two platforms may cost about $1.5 billion.

In late 2011, a final investment decision was made for the $1.7 billion development of the Sonam Field. The 40 percent-owned and operated project is designed to use the EGP facilities to deliver natural gas to the domestic gas market and produce a total of 30,000 barrels of liquids per day. First production is expected in 2016.

Also, with a 36.7 per cent interest, Chevron is the largest shareholder in the West African Gas Pipeline Company Limited, which owns and operates the 421mile (678-km) West African Gas Pipeline.

The pipeline supplies Nigerian natural gas to customers in Benin, Ghana and Togo for industrial applications and power generation and has the capacity to transport 170 million cubic feet of natural gas per daily.

Pan Ocean, bank seal gas funding deal

P

AN Ocean Oil Corporation Nigeria Limited has reached an agreement with Skye Bank Plc to fund the OvadeOgharefe Gas Processing Plant located in oil mining lease (OML) 98.

Pan Ocean, according to a statement, is the operator of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC)/ Pan Ocean Joint Venture, owners of the OML 98 asset located in Ovade-Ogharefe Delta State, Nigeria.

The company holds 40 per cent interest in the OML 98 while the NNPC holds 60 per cent. Skye Bank is financing the 40 per cent equity of Pan Ocean under the Joint Venture.

The plant processes liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), Propane and other similar products. The project boosts government’s efforts to ensure zero routine flaring in exploitation of oil.

The construction of OvadeOgharefe Gas Processing Plant started in 2007 and was designed as a carbon emission reduction project with the capacity of delivering 200 million standard cubic feet per day (mmscf/d) of dry gas to the domestic gas market especially for power generation and industrial development.

The gas plant, according to the statement, is reputed as the largest in West Africa. It earns carbon credits for its operations under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto Protocol where its operations were reported and established.

Pan Ocean had initiated a CDM certification for its gas utilisation project as part of its contributions to improving Nigeria’s image as a green-oriented country in line with the United Nation’s Kyoto protocol.

With the CDM, reductions in greenhouse gas emission from projects in developing countries are registered and monitored under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate change (UNFCC) and sold to developed countries that have limits for their emissions.

It is in view of the highly capital intensive nature of the oil and gas sector that Skye Bank, according to the statement, chose to provide finance to support Pan Ocean in the realisation of the project.

Speaking on the development, the Executive Director, Corporate and Investment Banking, Skye Bank Plc, Mr Timothy Oguntayo,

said the funding to Pan Ocean was another demonstration of the active supports of the bank towards actualising the Federal Government’s local capacity and content development in the oil and gas industry.

He noted that the gas plant would not only benefit all stakeholders but also improve Nigeria’s environment rating. According to him, among other things, the plant would ensure zero routine flaring in all areas of its operation due to the adopted modularised plant concept, which makes the plant expandable for additional gas finds in the concession area.

He said Skye Bank’s partnership with Pan Ocean Oil Corporation Nigeria Limited has been credited with the company’s success in processing gas, which could have been flared. But rather than flare the gas from its operation, Pan Ocean processes for meaning utlilisation and in compliance with the carbon credit scheme of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC), which the company qualified for in February 2009.

Some of the hindrances to the development of the oil and gas industry in Nigeria include high capital requirement, dearth of critical trading infrastructure and inadequate manpower, he added.

Oguntayo reiterated that despite the challenges associated with oil and gas finances, Skye Bank would continue to support indigeneous investors who have defied the odds by making substantial investments in the subsector in order to raise the Nigerian flag high.

Known for its very tough and stringent entry requirements, which are difficult for the indigenous investors to meet, the oil and gas industry has been dominated by foreign corporations, which control at least 60 per cent of the industry occupying senior management positions, while highly skilled technical managers are expatriates.

The Nigerian Content Act is addressing the anomaly, but finance has been major impediment to the quick realisation of the gains of the Act. Pan Ocean is the first oil and gas exploration and Production Company to sign the Gas Sales Aggregation Agreement (GSAA) with the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) and Egbin Power Station two years ago and the agreement is for a period of 10 years.

•Oritsetimeyin - a jackup rig owned by Seawolf Limited.

Operators meet to enhance Nigeria’s LPG consumption

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PERATORS and other stakeholders in the gas sector of the petroleum industry met in Abuja to brainstorm on how to boost consumption of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) also called cooking gas.

The stakeholders, according to a statement, made efforts to fashion out strategic policies that will aid rapid growth in domestic LPG consumption in the country. The policies include forms of awareness creation on the benefit of LPG usage and best way Nigeria can rapidly develop the market.

The meeting, which was co-sponsored by NIPCO, an indigenous downstream operator in the oil and gas, articulated a policy paper on domestic LPG usage, which would be submitted to the Federal Government for consideration in order to develop a viable and thriving LPG market.

Managing Director, Nipco, Mr Venkataraman Venkatapathy, who spoke at the summit, said his company supported the meeting as part of its conscious initiative of deepening the LPG market through a well articulated policy for the benefit of all stakeholders.

The company, he noted, had over the years put in place a massive 4,500 MT LPG storage facility and supported plethora of events for stakeholders to deepen the domestic gas market.

The Managing Director recalled scores of joint sponsorships and

sole campaigns undertaken by the company aimed at boosting LPG use as cooking gas and vehicular fuel, citing the LPG summit organised by the Senate, Federal Ministry of Environment auto gas fuel exhibition, Cooking gas Awareness programme organised

by Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), among others.

According to him, these initiatives are primarily to provide veritable platforms for a sustained campaign on the economic and environmental benefits of LP gas against the backdrop of the abundant gas resources in the country.

He reiterated that Nipco is not in the LPG business as an investor alone but as a corporate entity desirous of availing the populace the benefits of using gas with the introduction of its three and six kilogramme cylinder with single burner stove.

Venkatapathy explained that as part of the company’s conscious resolve to improve access to gas, LPG skid are being deployed to major cities across the nation using some of the company’s branded outlets.

The skid, which is akin to a minigas station, he noted, offers dual purposes. He said it can be used to refill for domestic gas cylinders and refuel vehicles using LPG as auto fuel with its attendant economic

and environmental benefits.

He assured stakeholders of the company’s interest in increasing gas infrastructure in the country as epitomised in its investment running into billions of naira in the sector.

The NIPCO chief commended the Ministry of Petroleum Resources for its vision for the sector and its assertion that LPG remains one of the veritable engines for economic growth of the nation in line with the gas master plan.

He also commended the efforts of the leadership of the Nigerian LP Gas Association (NLPGA) for its various advocacy initiatives, which largely brought about the strategic policy discussed at the two-day conference.

The summit was declared open by the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani AlisonMadueke and handed over 100 participants, who agreed that even though LPG use is a critical component of the gas master plan, there is still need for a policy document to harness gas resource and deepen its domestic use, especially as cooking fuel.

Executive Secretary, Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) Mr Reginald Stanley, who also facilitated the conference, urged all stakeholders to take keen interest in the policy document with a view to finalising it before the end of January 2013 preparatory to its submission to the Federal Government for approval.

THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2013

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NEWS

Mahama: change doesn’t happen overnight Address by Ghanaian President John Draman Mahama at his inauguration at the Black Star Square, Accra, yesterday:

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T has been said that what is past is prologue, a mere introduction of all that is yet to come. If this is the case, then Ghana is in store for a wealth of achievement.

Ghana’s past is filled with one example after the other of courage, sacrifice and perseverance. Ghana’s past is defined by heroic men and women—pioneers, visionaries, patriots.

Indeed, we have inherited a powerful legacy, beneficiaries of a mighty history.

The names of our forefathers and foremothers are firmly etched in the world’s memory. People like Nana Yaa Asantewaa, Naa Gbewa, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and Dr. J.B. Danquah.

People like Efua Sutherland, Dr. James Kwegyir Aggrey, Dr. Esther Afua Ocloo and Dr. Ephraim Koku Amu. These are but a few of the names of people who were fearless enough to fulfil their dreams, or to fight for the liberation of their people, or to envision change and then manifest it.

We rightfully memorialise the names of the many, many individuals whose singular contributions have elevated the profile of this nation and enriched the lives of its citizens.

We respectfully extol their virtues and hold them in high esteem.

In fact, we hold them in such high esteem that we often overlook entirely the reality that these heroes, these men and women, were as human as you and I. The majority of individuals who have had the greatest impact on this country came from humble beginnings.

They were not so different from most Ghanaians, like those assembled here or those going about the events of their day in the homes, churches, mosques, and offices across the country.

They were ordinary people who lived their lives to the fullest, made use of their God-given talents, and took pride in their activities. That was the simple call they answered, the call that placed them in extraordinary circumstances, events and experiences that led them to indelibly change the face and the very fabric of this nation.

Mention the name Tetteh Quarshie, for instance, and you will learn the story of an ordinary man, a blacksmith, the son of a farmer from Teshie. In 1870, Tetteh Quarshie travelled to Fernando Po, an island that belongs to the nation of Equatorial Guinea and is now

called Bioko.

At the end of that fateful trip, Tetteh Quarshie returned home with several cocoa seeds. He planted those seeds on his property in Mampong-Akwapim to see if they would grow.

So well suited was this crop to the soil and climate that it grew abundantly. It took less than twelve years for the country to start exporting cocoa. Now, over one hundred years later, Ghana is the world’s second largest exporter of cocoa, and it is Ghana’s leading export earner.

This is the effect that the life of one ordinary citizen can have on an entire nation.

Complacency and frustration can entice us into believing that we are insignificant players stuck somehow in the background of a bigger picture, or that we are incapable of making a difference. But history itself has proven that nothing could be further from the truth.

We all, each and every one of us, have a role to play in the growth and development of our beloved mother Ghana. In our hands— yours as well as mine—rests the success or failure of Ghana’s future.

There is no denying the fact that in the past 55 years Ghana has made tremendous gains, but there is also no denying the fact that Ghana is still a young country and every young country goes through its share of instability and difficulty as it struggles to find the direction toward permanence.

Over the course of the last four years, a tremendous amount of work has been done. Nevertheless, there is a tremendous amount of work that still needs to be done.

More jobs must be created. More roads, bridges, schools and hospitals must be built. The infrastructure that we already have must be expanded, strengthened, and made better able to withstand the increased usage.

Equipment should not be the only thing that is state-of-the-art in our institutions; systems, procedures and staff must be brought up to standard; best practices must be implemented.

We need to look beyond temporary fixes to find lasting solutions for the complications we’ve experienced with power, water and sanitation.

We must continue to invest in our agricultural sector, and grow our economy so that it lifts the bulk of our most crippling financial burdens, especially among the poorest of the population.

A country’s most valuable re-

Mahama...yesterday

‘A country’s most valuable resource is its human resource.

This is why it is imperative that our citizens have access to good health care’ source is its human resource. This is why it is imperative that our citizens have access to good healthcare.

These issues and concerns are all works in progress; they are realistic goals that have been set, and that are within our capabilities to be met, and in a timely fashion.

I have taken an oath that as president of this nation, I will work hard to place us on the right path, and I will lead us over the hurdles and past the obstacles that might threaten to keep us from meeting our goals. The promises that I have made are promises that I intend to keep.

But change does not happen overnight and sometimes, despite whatever progress has been placed in motion, it will appear to be darkest before the dawn of the new day makes that progress visible. In such times I will be counting on you to maintain the faith and the trust that you have placed in me as president.

I will not let you down.

Of course, every society has its share of people who would rather talk and complain about what is wrong, than devote their time and efforts to do what it takes to make things right.

At every given opportunity, they will tell us all the things we

cannot achieve and all the reasons why we should not even attempt.

The choice is ours to believe or not believe. We can look within ourselves and choose to see the lie of our powerlessness or we can see the unlimited horizon of our own potential.

Ghana is on the cusp of enormous transformation. We are moving forward at a rapid pace. New resources are at our disposal; new alliances are being formed. The opportunities posed by these gains could result in a self-sufficiency that was always imagined and desired, but was never a realistic occurrence in the foreseeable future, not in the way it is right now.

It is true that other countries have met adversity while trying to make the most of prospects such as the ones we have before us. But those countries are not Ghana. They do not have the benefit of our history or the example of our heroes.

We have been the first before, the success story. We have blazed trails before for others to follow.

Nelson Mandela once said, “It always seems impossible until it is done.” I believe that with God, and in Ghana, all things are possible.

I believe this because I have seen the work and accomplishments of

my predecessors, President Jerry John Rawlings, President John Agyekum Kufuor and, of course, the late President John Evans Atta Mills.

We were all witness to the way they were able to take what others said was impossible and to not only turn into something that was probable, but to realise their vision and get it done. To them I say, “Ayekoo.” I am ever grateful to have the advantage of your wisdom and the important lessons of your leadership.

I would also like to extend my gratitude and appreciation to my transition team for their time, their service and their tireless efforts.

More than anything, I would like to acknowledge them for their morale and fair-mindedness, for their drive and their determination to place the good of the nation above all else.

There is a torch that is passed from one era of Ghanaians to the next. It is as fragile and as irreplaceable as any family treasure.

My fellow countrymen and women, that torch is now in our possession.

That torch is the tradition of optimism and hope that we must carry on. It is the responsibility that we have to take charge of our lives, and in so doing to determine the course of Ghana’s future.

We are now the keepers of that flame. It is only by doing and being our best that we can make Ghana its best. We must all do our part, every single day, whether it is by reducing the amount of plastic waste that is in our environment, by driving responsibly and courteously to ensure that our roads are safe, or by sharing kindness with a stranger or someone less fortunate.

Your actions do matter. You do make a difference.

As president, I will take to heart those very words that I have just extended to you. I will do and be my best. I will give my best, and I will ensure that my actions make a positive difference in the lives of Ghanaians.

I will work to ensure that our society is less polarized and weighted down by the pressures of political differences. I will work to ensure that Ghana is a place where all citizens, regardless of their religious faith, ethnicity or political affiliation, will have the opportunities available to them to reach their full potential.

Ghana should, and will, be a place where economic opportunities are available to everyone. I recognise the vital role that our private sector, especially small and indigenous businesses, play in the expansion of our workforce as well as in the growth and stability of our economy. I want to assure the business community that I will be an ally. I will extend whatever support I am able to reinforce your contributions to our development.

Let us all stand, not as separate entities but as partners. Together we will build a Ghana that will be a source of pride for all of us.

This is our country. This is our moment; Ghana’s time, once again, for greatness.

May God bless you, and may God continue to bless our homeland, Ghana.

Court jails two ‘clerics’ 10 years each for fraud

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WO men, Glory Abrefera and Vincent Okpogo were yesterday sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment each by a Federal High Court in Asaba, Delta State.

Justice Ibrahim Buba found the two and their company, Mustard Seed Micro Investment Limited guilty on a four-count charge of carrying out banking practice without licence.

Abrefera (said to be a Pastor) and Okpogo (who claimed to be a Reverend) were accused, in the charge

By Eric Ikhilae

brought againt them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), of collecting over N1 billion from individuals and organisations as deposits in an illegal banking practice. They were said to have been unable to account for the deposits they collected.

The convicts were said to have between 2006 and 2007 in Warri, Delta State engaged in banking practice without the banking licence and thereby committed an

offence contrary to Section 2(2) of the Banks and Other Financial Institutions Act, Cap B3, Vol 2, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.

Mustard Seed Micro Investment Limited was convicted on two counts and fined N2 million on each counts.

EFCC”s spokesman Wilson Uwujaren said “Pastor Abrefera and Reverend Okpogo, both directors of Mustard Seed Micro Investment limited, were also convicted on two counts and sentenced to 10 years imprisonment each.

“They were equally fined N2 million on each of the counts. The terms are to run concurrently.

“The so-called men of God were arrested, following a petition filed by some of the depositors to the EFCC, detailing the dubious activities of the accused persons.

“The EFCC subsequently intervened, investigated the activities of the voodoo bank and arraigned the suspects in 2011.”

Part of the charge on which they were convicted reads: “That Pastor Glory Okeoghene Abrefera, Rever-

end Vincent Okpogo and Mrs Nonye Abrefera (still at large) while being directors of Mustard Seed Micro Investment Limited sometime between 2006 and 2007 in Warri, Delta State within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court knowingly consented to the carrying on of banking business without a valid licence by the company thereby committed an offence contrary to Section (2) and 49(1)of the Banks and other Financial Institutions Act Cap B(3), Vol 2, laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004”.

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THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2013

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THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2013

AVIATION

Why compensation is delayed, by Dana Air chief

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HE inability of family members to get relevant documents, including letters of administration from the probate registry of the Lagos High Court, has been identified as the main reason delaying the payment of the 70 per cent compensation to families of victims of the June 3, 2012 Dana Air plane crash .

The airline’s Director, Mr Francis Ogboro, said once they get the documents required by the insurers, the balance of $70,000 each would be paid to the victim’s families.

He spoke during the inaugural flight of the airline, after the crash, on the Lagos/A buja route last weekend.

Ogboro said, so far, the airline had paid $70,000 to eight families of victims who had completed the documentation.

Dana Air has put the crash of June 3, 2012 behind, and is forging ahead to comply with the requirements of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), he said.

Ogboro said some investors have approached the airline to invest in it, adding that discussions were going on.

He also spoke of an insurance scheme for the airline, which would take care of families that need to be paid.

Ogboro said: “We have paid up to 90 per cent of the 30 per cent initial compensation, and we are working on the outstanding 70 per cent. The people, we have not

By Kelvin Osa-Okunbor Aviation Correspondent

paid, are the families that have not turned up.

“For the second stage of payment, we have had a few people turn up, if they satisfy the requirement for payment, they will be paid. They will not have to wait for the two months to elapse. If they meet the requirement anyway, they will be paid.

“If after two months, the families have not been paid, it is not because Dana Air does not have the money to pay, it is not because Dana Air insurers do not have the money to pay, it is because the claimants have probably not fulfilled the requirement for the claims available,” Ogboro said.

He said the conditions of payment for the initial claims of 30 per cent was to assist the families of the victims, unlike the outstanding which requires more detailed processes.

“We had a few issues with the DNA tests; a few had issues with double claims, in the case of those with many wives. But, in the case of the 70 per cent outstanding, we have started payment to a few families, about nine of them.

“We have insurance that covers all the passengers that were on board.”

He said Dana Air would continue to meet the conditions spelt out for compensation to families of victims of the crash.

On those whose properties were destroyed on the ground, Ogboro said the insurers would resolve the technicalities of the value of what was damaged.

He said: “We will make sure we take care of everybody. We are praying not to be involved in an accident, and, by the grace of God, it will not happen again. I want to say that Dana Air management spares no effort in the training and re-training of our crew, spending a lot of money to get the right training, which NCAA can attest to.”

Ogboro said the plan to acquire the Boeing 737 aircraft was not an indication that something was wrong with the airline's homogenous fleet of Mc Donnel Douglas 83, but a strategy to meet the needs of customers.

He said abroad, there were over 900 MD 83 aircraft still flying, with over 400 flying in the American airspace.

This contradicts the position of the National Assembly Committee on Aviation, which released a report that Dana Air is the only airline in Africa still flying MD 83.

MD 83 aircraft still fly in Afghanistan; Argentina, Bangladesh, Democratic Republic of Congo, Denmark, Egypt, Greece, Indonesia, Iran, Italy, Kenya, Mali, Romania, South Africa and Spain.

Other countries where the MD 83 still fly include: Taiwan, Ukraine, United States and Venezuela.

Showing off aviation’s strides

By Yakubu Dati

WHAT should the public expect from aviation this year? With what was seen in the sector last year, those at the helm are expected to consolidate on their gains in 2013. For starters, new airport terminals will be built in Abuja, Lagos, Kano and Port Harcourt. The Aerotropolis project will also take off. Aerotropolis is a concept that involves building cities around airports and thus connecting businesses, suppliers and goods to the aviation world.

The competiveness of any economic base is linked to the quality and quantity of the infrastructure available to it. There is a link between the state of a nation’s infrastructure and the height attained in its pursuit of economic emancipation. Thus, no modern economic growth model designed for implementation is worth it if basic and necessary infrastructure are not in place.

Most of the airports and terminals were built in the 70’s and by 2011, they were in a state of disrepair. Airport users complain that the infrastructure are a disgrace to the country’s standing in the comity of nations.

It is estimated that the country will need to invest about $100 billion over the next 10 years in just four basic infrastructure areas; power, rail-track, road, and aviation. According to the Central Bank of Nigeria, N300 billion will be required to turn aviation round.

On resumption, the Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Oduah, left no one in doubt that she will “walk her talk”. Worried by the scale of infrastructure deficit at the airports, she initiated the reconstruction of 22 of them. Within two months of being in office, 11 airports earmarked in the first phase were undergoing reconstruction simultaneously.

This is without interrupting operations at these airports. The Lagos Terminal 1, popularly known as GAT, was inaugurated within 300 days after the start of work. The project costs N648 million. The remaining 10 airports are at different stages of completion, with the world class facilities at Abuja, Kano, Benin and Owerri already being used by travellers.

Agencies in the Ministry are being transformed and appropriate laws initiated to make them more accountable. Questionable concession agreements skewed against the public interest are being reviewed.

In the area of safety and security, modern security equipment have been procured following a comprehensive security threat and vulnerability assessment.

Deliberate strategies are being deployed to change the orientation of aviation employees through capacity development. For instance, the Managing Director of Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mr George Uriesi, is changing the orientation of the Authority’s employees towards service delivery, accountability, and self-sustenance of the agency.

Some airports have been designated agro-allied and cargo terminals to promote investment and make them self-sustaining. This will lead to reduction in rural-urban immigration, massive rural development, provision of employment and reduction in crime. The Port Harcourt International Airport, for instance, has been designated a Free Trade Zone (FTZ) and Export Processing Zone (EPZ) to maximise its strategic location, with special incentives to stimulate economic development and foreign direct investments.

Towards the end of last year, the airfield lighting on Runway 18L at the Domestic Terminal of Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, was restored, making it possible for night landing. This will ease pressure on Runway 18R, the international runway that accommodated domestic flights operating into Lagos after 6pm.

The expanded “E” Arrival Wing of the international terminal of the airport also began operations on Christmas Eve to handle the unprecedented passenger flow that reached its zenith that day.

•Yakubu Dati General ManagerCorporate Communications

NAMA spokesman gets award

•Passengers boarding Dana Aircraft at Nnamdi Azikwe Airport, Abuja.

‘Interline agreement good for airlines’ HE implementation of interline agreement among domestic carriers will facilitate air travel, Managing Director, Medview Airlines, Alhaji Muneer Bankole, has said.

According to him, cooperation among carriers is the only way to make air transport seamless and cost effective.

He said if airlines cooperate, the plan by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to facilitate interine agreement would not only reduce costs for airlines, but also make air travel less cumbersome.

Bankole said it was time Nigerian carriers embraced global practices.

He said the rationale for interline pact may not be unconnected with lack of cooperation and other operational factors that led to the collapse of over 10 airlines in the country.

The implementation of interline agreement, he said would give air-

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lines the leverage to tap from the benefits of economies of scale, which in turn would reduce cost for the operators.

He cited a situation where Medview Airlines had some operational challenges with one of its aircraft, and had to transfer its passengers to another airline under an arrangement between the two carriers.

Bankole said: ”If the cooperation and understanding did not exist between Medview Airlines and Aero Airlines, how would we have handled such passengers, who have already paid for the flight. With such arrangement, as tidy as it was, the passengers will always come back to fly with us. Our counsel is that more airlines should come together and forge cooperation, which is good for the survival of the business.”

Last year, plans by the NCAA to effect interline agreement among

active domestic operators, such that passengers could use one ticket to board any flight within the country suffered some challenges as the terms and conditions attached to the pack provoked a fresh row among carriers over which organisations hold the ace as the clearing house for all transactions.

NCAA Director-General, Dr Harold Demuren, who confirmed readiness of the authority to effect the new operational regime said domestic carriers and other parties are meeting on how to achieve seamless operations.

According to industry sources, though some operators have expressed their readiness to imbibe the new business model, some carriers are worried that if clearance matters are not properly sorted out, some of the airlines may back out of the new arrangement.

THE General Manager, Public Affairs Department of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Mr Supo Atobatele, has received the 'Best Image Maker' of the Year 2012 (Aviation Sector) at the Second Anniversary Lecture and Recognition Awards in Lagos.

At the event with the theme: “Infrastructural development and diversification of revenue generation” the facilitator, Mr Samuel Ibiyemi, noted that infrastructural development in Nigeria today is the greatest challenge facing the country and that is why “we have what is better referred to as infrastructural decay in the system”.

The anniversary lecture/keynote address was delivered by Akwa Ibom State Commissioner of Information, Pastor Anietie Umana, who also received an award on behalf of the governor for the transformation of Akwa Ibom State.

In response Mr Atobatele, who was highly elated, saw the award as not only dignifying, but as a drive to work harder to the onerous task of creating awareness for the agency and taking it to a greater height. He thanked his staff for their support and loyalty to the cause of the department he heads and was optimistic that the future would be better.

IATA announces 2013 outlook THE International Air Transport Association (IATA) has announced an upward revision to its industry financial outlook.

Industry net post-tax margin, however, will remain weak at one point three per cent in 2013, IATA Chief Excutive Officer Mr Tony Tyler has said.

According to him, European carriers are expected to break even. African airlines are expected to end the year at break even—unchanged from the previous forecast . While the continent’s economy is expanding rapidly, its carriers are suffering from strong competition on long-haul routes, high cost structures and a regulatory regime that inhibits the development of intra-Africa links.

“Prospects for 2013 will be largely unchanged from 2012. Net profits are expected to rise to $8.4 billion leaving the industry with a 1.3 per cent net profit margin. It is good that we are moving in the right direction, but the year ahead is shaping up to be another tough one for the industry,” Tyler added.

The largest driver of industry prospects is global economic growth.

This is expected to strengthen only slightly to 2.3 per cent in 2013.

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THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2013

MARITIME52 Expert seeks review of maritime law THE Federal Government has been urged to review obsolete maritime laws in the public’s interests.

Chairman, Ports Consultative Council (PCC), Kunle Folarin, told The Nation in Lagos that there was the need for the government to build an industry that can be ranked among the best in the world.

“Legal instruments, such as the Shipping policy, Cabotage Act, National Inland Waterways Authority Act, Nigerian Shippers’ Council Act, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) Act, and the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) Act should be reviewed,’’ he said.

The expert said in the pre and immediate colonial era, the maritime sector had been the anchor and arrow head of economic endeavours of the government, stressing that the maritime resource was an economic agenda.

Folarin argued that maritime resources were the most potent and most dynamic of other resources, including oil, gas, minerals and agriculture. “Mineral resources and other extractive industries, agricultural productions, both consumptive and cash crops have not presented any competition to the potential of the maritime sector. It could also be debated that the importance of the eventual contribution of the oil and gas industry to the economy cannot match that of the maritime industry,’’ the PCC chairman said.

He also asked the government to create a maritime development bank as it is in other sectors, adding: “Industries have bank of industry; estate and housing also have their own banks.

Skye Bank wins maritime award •Cargo ship

PHOTO: OLUWAKEMI DAUDA

Importers decry extension of destination inspectors’ contracts

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HE Federal Government has drawn the ire of port operators for extending by six months the contracts of Destination Inspectors (DIs).

They are annoyed by the payment of one per cent Freight on Board (FoB) to the DIs despite what they describe as the “irrelevance” of Risk Assessment Report (RAR) to cargo clearance.

According to the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), the Customs had since found that RAR was not sacrosanct and proposed to replace it with Pre-Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR).

The government had approved PAAR to take effect from January 1 before it returned to RAR and extended the DIs contracts by six months.

ANLCA, it was learnt, may shut seaports across the country next week in protest.

Over 100 importers and clearing agents who met in Lagos last weekend were said to be annoyed over the extension of the DIs contracts, despite the planned introduction of PAAR. Sources at the meeting said the importers and agents were also concerned about the poor image gen-

Stories by Oluwakemi Dauda, Maritime Correspondent

erated by scanning machines provided by the DIs. A source alleged that the DIs failed to ensure that the right machines are provided for scanning cargoes, such that actual contents/images are generated without recourse to physical examination. This, it was said, always leads to physical examination of about 75 per cent of the cargoes thereby leading to delays.

Condeming the reintroduction of RAR, ANLCA President Olayiwola Shittu said attachment of RAR to importer’s document “is merely to inform the Customs that this is the minimum amount you can pay.”

“Although Customs has no right to reduce the duty payable under RAR, it has the right to review it upward and that has been giving us problem because there is evidence to show that importers have outsmarted them, by influencing RAR. A lot of RARs end up with additional debit note being issued on them.

“So, if the RAR is just advisory, and Customs will still perform their function, why should we still continue issuing the RAR and, at

the same time, paying the service providers one per cent fee for service that is not relevant again? That is our annoyance.

“It would be of interest to Customs licensed agents that they have RAR in another form because what we are talking about is risk management system, but this time the document would be issued by Customs under the proposed PAAR and that would save us a lot of troubles.”

Shittu went on: “What Customs is doing under RAR is check and balance. Even when the cargo is released, you see officers from the Customs Intelligent Unit (CIU), the valuation and examination units coming forward to say the amount you paid was not correct. But with the introduction of PAAR, they are trying to turn it to a one-stop-shop where PAAR will be the final documentation of assessment of your cargo by Customs to pay your duty, which is in line with the single window and one-stop-shop, which the Minister of Transport is working on. This is to allow importers to pay shipping companies and terminal operators once and carry their cargoes. That will save us a lot of problems and it will enable us to achieve the 48-hour cargo clearance policy.”

NIMASA chief indicts influential Nigerians, foreigners over piracy

T

HE Director-General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) Patrick Akpobolokemi has said illegalities on the waterways are perpetrated by some highly placed Nigerians and foreigners.

He alleged that they provide arms for hoodlums and sea pirates.

The agency, he said, would intensify its fight against pirates and oil thieves this year to stem criminality on the teritorial waters.

Speaking with The Nation in Lagos, he said the country lost over N445 million between February 2010 and February 2011 to sea robbery.

Investigations showed that ships on illegal trade litter the territorial waters in violation of the Cabotage Act 2003.

Some of these ships engage in il-

legal transshipment, bunkering, illegal transfer from mother vessels and dumping of harmful substances and ballast water.

It was learnt that NIMASA and the Navy are reviewing their memorandum of understanding (MoU) to step up their anti-piracy war this year.

According to the International Maritime Bureau (IMB), 56 piracy attacks occurred on Nigeria’s territorial waters in 2010, 119 in 2011 and about 70 last year.

Akpobolokemi said the decline in piracy attacks indicated that NIMASA’s and Navy’s aggressive anti-piracy campaigns were yielding fruits.

To tackle the menace, Akpobolokemi said the Federal Government has adopted 12 regulatory frameworks to ensure that

the territorial waters are safe in line with the International Maritime Organisation Safety of Life At Sea (SOLAS) Convention and International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution at Sea (MARPOL).

The regulation borders on sewage, garbage dumps, ships registration and dangerous/obnoxious wastes, among others, he said.

Asked whether the additional responsibility would not be too much for the agency, knowing that it had difficulties in enforcing the NIMASA Act and the Cabotage Act, Akpobolokemi said the major problem before now was the absence of operational platforms (patrol boats) for effective policing, which the contract with Messrs Global West Vessel Specialist Nigeria Limited (GWVSNL) has resolved.

SKYE Bank Plc has won ‘the most progressive maritime bank award’ by the Nigerian Chamber of Shipping (NCS) for its pioneering role in maritime banking as well as for its contributions to the growth and development of the maritime industry.

The bank was given the award at its 10th anniversary at an event to recognise and appreciate individuals and corporate bodies that have facilitated the growth of the shipping industry.

According to a statement, Mrs. Ify Anazonwu-Akerele, who received the award, said Skye Bank was the first to support the indigenous ship owners. He said the lender has also boosted local content in the nation’s maritime industry.

She recalled that prior to the bank’s creation of a special department to cater for the maritime sector, funding was a problem for operators, adding that the bank’s intervention changed the situation for the better.

She added that indigeneous shippers had benefitted from the bank’s pioneering and continued leadership role through access to funds for their operations and expansion.

Speaking at the event, the bank’s General Manager, Corporate Banking 2, Mr Segun Opeke, restated the determination of the bank to continue to support the maritime sector considering its place as the gateway to the nation’s economy.

According to him, the bank was responsible for the acquisition of over 50 per cent of ships by indigenous ship owners, adding that it has since expanded its activities in the industry in the recent past.

Track illegal fishing AN effective maritime surveillance is necessary to track illegal fishing on the waterways this year.

A member of the Nigerian Trawlers Owners Association (NITOA), Mrs Femi Adefila, spoke in Lagos. She said it was a challenge to combat the problem where there was no framework in place that detects such activities over a long distance.

Apart from fisheries’surveillance and staff working across the seaways, he said such efforts should be supported with aerial surveillance to help identify suspicious activities or vessels.

Mrs Adefila said her association is ready to share information with security agencies to enable them to get a picture of what is happening at sea.

According to her, the number of illegal foreign fishing vessels doing business in the waters have not dropped.

Adefila urged the government to show commitment to curb illegal fishing by deploying adequate resources to the waterways.

‘Indigenous ships owners are idle’ THE Media Consultant, Terminal Operators Association of Nigeria, Mr Bolaji Akinola, has alleged that many vessels belonging to indigenous operators in the country are idle.

Speaking at the awards by the Maritime Reporters’ Association of Nigeria (MARAN), he said indigeneous ship owners are complaining more than ever before despite almost a decade of the cabotage regime.

According to him, a good chunk of the vessels owned by local operators are idle.

He said many ship owners were laying off their staff, adding that those that were not are paying salaries promptly.

NIMAREX to hold in March THE Nigeria Maritime Expo (NIMAREX) will hold in March this year.

In a statement, the organisers said: “NIMAREX 2013 has been scheduled to hold at the usual venue of the Expo Centre, Eko Hotel from March 12 -14, this year. This edition is expected to be chaired by President Goodluck Jonathan.”

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, former Head of State Abdulsalam Abubakar; Minister of Transport Senator Idris Umar and former Education minister, Mrs Obiageli Ezekwesili, are expected to participate in this edition.

The expo is a yearly event hosted by the Federal Ministry of Transport, parastatals and stakeholders in the maritime industry to showcase the nation’s enormous maritime endowment to the world, the statement added.

The first two editions tagged NIMAREX 2011 and NIMAREX 2012, declared open by representatives of President Goodluck Jonathan and held at the Expo Hall of Eko Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos. They were attended by two former Heads of State General Yakubu Gowon (rtd) and Chief Ernest Shonekan and representative of the Secretary-General, International Maritime Organisation (IMO), Mr Koji Sekimizu, various interest groups and officials of international maritime companies.

THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2013

53

NEWS

Abia judicial panel uncovers N23b ‘fraud’ JUDICIAL panel of enquiry set up by the Abia State Government to examine the activities of the board and workers of the State Physical Planning and Infrastructural Development Fund from 1999 till date, has submitted its report.

The panel said it uncovered N23.494billion fraud in the course of its assignment.

Submitting its report to Governor Theodore Orji in Umuahia, the state capital, the Chairman, Justice Ken O. Wosu, said the fraud was allegedly committed between 1999 and 2007.

He called for the implementation of the panel’s recommendations.

Justice Wosu said: “As a result of the combination of factors that are articulated in Volume 1 of this report, it is estimated that the state lost N19.292billion from inception of the fund, from 1999 to 2012.

“The panel also discovered that the fund was, between 2000

A

From Ugochukwu Ugoji-Eke, Umuahia

and January 2007, used by the past administration in Abia State to divert the state’s funds accruing from the monthly statutory allocations to payments for undisclosed projects and other payments outside the contemplation of the enabling law to the tune of about N4.2billion.”

The panel noted that because of the absence of a board to administer the fund, “the observance of Law No. 28 of 1999, which established the fund, was more in the breach”.

The chairman said it was, therefore, easy to divert money accruing to the fund to unspecified projects and payments.

The panel urged the government to implement its recommendation for a comprehensive audit of the fund to “reveal the exact amount and all those involved” in the alleged fraud.

It recommended the refund

of the N80 million, representing only 0.3 per cent of the N24 billion, which the panel discovered to have been lost by the fund in 13 years.

Justice Wosu said the panel conducted public hearing and visited sites and projects associated with the fund both in Umuahia and Aba. According to him, the panel received 21 memoranda and took oral testimonies from 30 respondents and witnesses while 103 exhibits were received.

The panel chairman explained that the observance of Law No. 28 of 1999, which established the fund, was more in the breach.

He added: “It was the constitution of the Board of Trustees (BoT), as provided by the enabling law that gave rise to the evaluation of the law in its entirety necessitating the subsequent amendments of 2010 and 2012.”

On debt collection from the

public, the panel recommended that modern approach of debt collection and “the attendant prosecution of defaulters, which conform to modernday tenets of democracy, constitutionalism, respect for human rights and dignity and the rule of law must be adopted.

This will in turn restore public confidence and acceptance of the levy by the people of Albia State”.

After receiving the report, Orji explained that the panel was set up not to witchhunt anyone but to find out why the fund had not been living up to expectations.

The governor thanked the panel for ensuring a painstaking assignment.

He recalled that it was the activities of the last chairman of the board, Okey Nwaubani, that led to public outcry on the fund.

Orji added that the recommendations of the judicial panel would be implemented

to the letter.

The governor decried the huge revenue loss through the fund.

He noted that if the money had been injected into the system, it would have made a big difference in the development of the state and impacted on the lives of Abia residents.

Orji said the development fund was set up by the previous administration to develop the state.

He said: “This report has opened our eyes on how many people instead of paying money into government coffers, rather convert into their private pockets.”

Orji, on May 22, last year, inaugurated the Judicial Panel of Enquiry for the State Physical Planning and Infrastructural Development Fund with terms of reference which include; to examine the activities of the Board and its staff starting from the inception of the board till date.

Ekiti PDP sacks secretary for ‘anti-party’ activities

E

KITI State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday suspended its Secretary, Dr Tope Aluko, for alleged antiparty activities.

He was also accused of divulging official information to “outsiders”.

A statement by the party’s Deputy Chairman and Publicity Secretary, Femi Bamisile and Pastor Kola Oluwawole in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, the suspension “would be for 30 days.”

It is to enable the party to carry out “full investigations into all the allegations leveled against Aluko.”

The decision, according to sources was taken at the State Working Committee meeting held yesterday.

The party, according to the statement, said it acted in accordance with the provision of Section 59 Subsections 1 and 2 of its constitution.

It was alleged that Aluko was “indulging in acts capable of denting the image of the party and put it into disrepute in the eyes of the right thinking members of the public.”

Pastor Oluwawole said the party had an obligation to protect its image and instil discipline in members.

Anambra to rebuild damaged water schemes •Enugu State Acting Governor Sunday Onyebuchi (second left); Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chairman, Chief Vita Abba (left); House of Assembly Speaker Eugene Odo (third left) and other State Executive Council (Exco) members during the New Year prayer in Enugu...yesterday

Governor awards road contracts

Okorocha’s N500m ‘Xmas gift to security agents stirs controversy

From Odogwu Emeka Odogwu, Nnewi

A

NAMBRA State Governor Peter Obi yesterday said his administration would award the contract for the road to link Ogbaru and Ihiala local governments.

The governor spoke on Sunday at a thanksgiving service at the Cathedral Church of St. James, Atani, Ogbaru Local Government.

He said the bridges on the road had been completed, adding that the contract for the project would be awarded next week.

Obi said the government would open up rural communities and link up all parts of the state.

The governor expressed satisfaction with the pace of work on the Atani-Ozubulu Road project.

He reminded the residents to elect credible candidates who can sustain the tempo of development in the state.

Obi has warned motorists and other road users not to violate traffic laws.

The governor described the practice as barbaric and capable of causing accidents on the roads.

Obi spoke at the Onitsha end of the Onitsha-Owerri Road when he intercepted and turned back vehicles violating traffic rules.

These included a fuel tanker with registration number (Enugu) XY260 ENU. The governor said nobody, irrespective of his or her social status, should violate traffic rules.

From Okodili Ndidi, Owerri

•Okorocha

T

HE N500million Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha gave security agents for the last Christmas has caused a controversy among civil society groups and other stakeholders.

They have described the governor’s action as a “misuse” of public funds.

Okorocha, during an expanded security meeting with security chiefs and traditional rulers late last year at the Ahajioku Centre, distributed N500 million as Christmas gift.

The governor said this was to

motivate security personnel, including the police, the Army, the State Security Service (SSS) and other paramilitary agencies.

The Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO) condemned the cash gift.

It stressed that the security agencies, especially the police and the SSS, would have been better off if the “largesse” was spent on providing security gadgets for the poorly equipped officers.

CLO National Acting President, Comrade Uche Durueke, noted that the N10,000 per security agent would not have any direct consequence on the deteriorating security situation in the state.

He said N500 million, if judiciously applied, would go a long way to reposition security and fight crime rather than misappropriate it for vain political glory.

Durueke said: “We want to know the source of the money.

If it is the security vote, we will also question it, if that is the best way it should be spent. We cannot continue to blame the security men when we have not done our own bid by providing them with the necessary equipment to work. So, the largesse won’t in any way assist in the fight against crime.”

The Southeast Chairman of the Campaign for Democracy (CD) Uzor A. Uzor, described it as a “subtle bribe” intended to becloud the reasoning of the people and make it appear as if the state was fighting insecurity, especially kidnapping.

Uzor said: “In our last investigation, Imo State had the second highest rate of kidnapping in the Southeast. As we speak, the police do not have the equipment to track down kidnappers but still depend on crude ways of intelligence gathering. But the governor has

N500 million to splash on security agencies as Christmas gift. It is uncalled for and should be investigated.”

Uzor also frowned at the flagrant display of wealth by public office holders.

But the Special Assistant to the Governor on Media, Mr. Ebere Uzoukwa, described the gift as the governor’s way of appreciating the efforts of the security agents.

The governor’s spokesman noted that the security agents have worked hard to secure the state in the last one year.

According to him, the government has done more than the previous administration in the fight against crime.

Uzoukwa said: “Governor Okorocha, on assumption of office, bought 100 Hilux vans for security operatives in the state. He has continued to support them to tackle crime through various interventions.”

ACN meets to resolve crises in Abia, others

T

HE Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) Zonal Working Committee in the Southeast yesterday met in Anambra State to discuss how to resolve the crises in some states.

The states are Abia, Ebonyi and Enugu.

They are currently embroiled in various crises.

The meeting was summoned at the instance of one of its leaders, Senator Chris Ngige, who is representing Anambra Central.

The party’s zonal working committee was led by Uche Onyegeocha.

The committee sought to address matters affecting the states’ chapters.

On Ebonyi, the Zonal Working Committee welcomed the influx of old and new members to the party.

From Nwanosike Onu, Awka

It warned against an attempt by any person or group of persons to prevent new or old members from joining the party.

The committee described such action as undemocratic and capable of tearing the party apart.

On the Enugu crisis, the party cautioned against acts that could draw the reconciliation process back.

It urged the various parties that are at loggerheads to sheathe their swords.

The committee expressed its readiness to win future elections in the region.

It promised to win the Anambra State governorship election later this year.

From Odogwu Emeka Odogwu, Nnewi

T

HE Anambra State Government will soon rebuild water schemes that were damaged by the floods that ravaged Anambra West and its environs.

Governor Peter Obi spoke at a thanksgiving service at St. Michael’s Anglican Church, Umuikwu Anam, Anambra West Local Government.

The governor said it is important to give the residents regular clean water because of the terrain and the recent floods with its threat to health.

He said his administration would start emergency repairs on the AnamNzam-Kogi Road. The road was devastated by the floods.

Obi said converts would be provided and other measures put in place to protect the road.

According to him, his administration will improve the access road to the church as well as complete the ongoing Bishop’s Court building.

He explained that the primary responsibility of government is to protect the poor and respond to the needs of the underprivileged.

The Anglican Bishop of Mbamili Diocese, Rev. Henry Okeke, noted that the governor’s regular visits and interventions have given the people a sense of belonging.

54

THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2013

EQUITIES NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 7-1-13

UBA gains 10% as NSE lifts suspension M ARKET consideration of United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc yesterday rose by the maximum allowable percentage change of 10 per cent as positive market sentiments trailed the lifting of full suspension placed on the banks’ shares at the stock market.

The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) had last week placed the bank’s shares on full suspension in line with extant market practice to enable it round off the share exchange process for the bank’s transition into monoline commercial bank and spin-off of its subsidiaries.

As the NSE lifted the suspension and marked down the share price to N4.26, market orders braced the resistance level of the stock, pulling it upward to N4.68. UBA is one of the stocks in the market-making basket of the NSE, which are allowed to move by 10 per cent as against 5.0 per cent stipulated for other stocks.

Meanwhile, the stock market continued on the upward trend as investors stepped up demand for equities. The market reacted positively to increased investors’ optimism as transaction’s volume jumped

By Tonia Osundolire

to 457.722 million, representing 95.8 per cent growth over prior volume. Banking and consumer durable goods’ stocks featured prominently in investors’ preference as market a waits fourth quarter earnings season.

Investors staked N3.002 billion on equities through 5,825 deals. Finance Services sector led the activities chart with 372.555 million shares worth N1.975 billion in 3,721 deals.

This was followed by Conglomerates, Consumer Goods, Industrial Goods, Oil & Gas, Healthcare, Services and Agricultural with 25.111 million shares, 23.821 million shares, 11.471 million shares, 8.334 million shares, 5.751 million shares, 5.150 million shares and 3.196 million shares respectively.

Bullish transactions dominated trade statistics as investors’ increased bids pushed gained stocks to 48 against 11 losers. This reflected heavily on transacted deals, volume and value posted by advanced stocks in this order;

80.08 per cent, 69.17 per cent and 83.18per cent respectively.

The number of gainers recorded is the longest in recent time. FCMB led the list of 48 gainers with an increase of N0.47 to close at N5.17, followed by Air services, Fidelity Bank, Skye Bank, UBA, Sterling Bank, Fidson, Presco, Bagco and AIICO with price gain of N0.44, N0.27, N0.51, N0.42, N0.19, N0.10, N1.88, N0.20 and N0.06.

On the losers’ table, Neimeth led the lean list with a drop of N0.05 to close at N0.95. Others on the table were Beta Glass, NEM Insurance, Pharma Deko, Evans Medical, May & Baker, Livestock, RT Briscoe, WAPCO and UTC. Yesterday’s upturn was impacted by value gains posted in the following mid and capitalized stocks; Access, Presco, FBNH, Guinness, FCMB, UBA, Skye, Diamond, Zenith and Fidelity.

In summary, the market gained 448.14 absolute points, representing 1.57 per cent growth, to close higher 28,986.20 points. Similarly, the market weight indicated

by Market Capitalisation, gained N143.24 billion, representing 1.57 per cent appreciation, to close higher at N9.26 trillion. Both indicators had dipped by 0.21 per cent in the previous session.

NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 7-1-13

THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2013

55

MONEY LINK

Developing countries’ FDI hit $644b, says World Bank

T

HE foreign direct investment (FDI) for developing countries has risen by 11 per cent to $644 billion, a World Bank report has said.

According to a report posted on the lender’s website, the combined stock of developing countries’ external debt rose by $464 billion to $4.9 trillion.

Also, short-term debt constituted 26 per cent of debt

T

Stories by Collins Nweze

stock, but risks were mitigated by international reserves, equivalent to 121 per cent of external debt stock.

However, net external debt inflows to developing countries fell nine per cent in 2011 to $465 billion due to the sharp contraction in inflows from official creditors, which fell to $30 billion 2011 from $73 billion in 2010. By contrast at $434

billion, net inflows from private creditors were almost identical to their 2010 level, but with an important shift in composition. It added that net short-term debt inflows contracted by 27 per cent, while medium- and long–term financing from commercial banks tripled to $110 billion.

“Net external debt inflows and aggregate net capital inflows (debt and equity) to developing countries fell in 2011,

driven by a sharp contraction in net inflows from official creditors and a collapse of portfolio equity flows,” it said.

The downturn was partially offset by inflows from commercial banks, sustained access to international bond markets and a rise in foreign direct investment. “These international debt statistics are a vital input for experts working to improve the management of capital flows around

Cash-less: ICAN backs nationwide implementation

HE Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) has urged the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to extend the cash-less policy outside Lagos.

In addition, the institute said spreading the policy outside of Lagos will help the government in its anticorruption and anti-money laundering campaign.

Addressing the institute’s 17th Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) annual conference, ICAN President,

Mr Adedoyin Owolabi said when cash remains outside the banking system ,the ability of banks to create credit and supply productive capital to the economy will diminish.

His words: “Bringing cash into the banking system produces an equal increase in bank reserves, enabling banks to facilitate more consumer and commercial loans, thereby stimulating consump-

tion and business growth.”

He stressed that the institute supports the cashless policy not only because it can promote transparency of transactions through the provisions of audit trails but also because it can increase the size of the informal economy and access by government to loanable funds.

On the AAT scheme, Owolabi said it has generated interest

T

stitute in collaboration with the West African Nobles and Top Entrepreneurs Forum, a network of leading entrepreneurs.

According to Theophilus Enyali, Executive Secretary of Aspire West Africa, the award winners were selected on their ability to operate sustainable and innovative

• CBN Governor, Sanusi Lamido

among school leavers ,including undergraduates of higher institutes in other disciplines.

businesses and demonstrate excellence in key areas including return on investment and growth, long-term strategy execution, while making a contribution to the community and the sub-region.

FITC Managing Director, Mrs Lucy Newman, who was represented by the Institution’s

Head of Training, Mr Tunji Ajiboye, expressed her appreciation for the award.

Newman said the award confirmed the effectiveness of some of the programmes the institute has been implementing especially in recent years, within the region are being noticed and appreciated by stakeholders.

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

Amount Amount Offered ($) Demanded ($) 350m 150m 350m 138m 350m 113m

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 7-1-13

SYMBOL FCMB AIRSERVICE FIDELITYBK SKYEBANK UBA STERLNABANK FIDSON PRESCO BAGCO AIICO

O/PRICE 4.70 4.40 2.72 5.15 4.26 1.98 1.09 20.72 2.40 0.72

C/PRICE 5.17 4.84 2.99 5.66 4.68 2.17 1.19 22.60 2.60 0.78

CHANGE 0.47 0.44 0.27 0.51 0.42 0.19 0.10 1.88 0.20 0.06

NEIMETH BETAGLAS NEM PHARMDEKO EVANSMED MAYBAKER LIVESTOCK RTBRISCOE WAPCO UTC

O/PRICE 1.00 10.50 0.61 2.47 0.87 1.70 1.46 1.55 55.00 0.83

C/PRICE 0.95 9.98 0.58 2.35 0.83 1.63 1.42 1.51 54.00 0.82

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%

Date 2-7-12 27-6-12 22-6-12

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 Offer Price

Bid Price

9.17 1.00 135.89 125.53 0.80 1.13 0.92 100.00 1,000.00 1,763.58 11.31 1.39 1.87 9,512.92

9.08 1.00 135.56 124.60 0.77 1.13 0.91 100.00 1,000.00 1,754.53 10.75 1.33 1.80 9,266.45

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 • STANBIC IBTC GUARANTE • AFRINVEST W.A. EQUITY FUND

NIBOR Tenor

NSE CAP Index

Name

CHANGE 0.05 0.52 0.03 0.12 0.04 0.07 0.04 0.04 1.00 0.01

Exchange Rate (N) 155.2 155.8 155.7

CAPITAL MARKET INDEX Year Start Offer

LOSERS AS AT 7-1-13

SYMBOL

Amount Sold ($) 150m 138m 113m

EXHANGE RATE 6-03-12 Currency

OBB Rate Call Rate

EN of the largest United States mortgage servicers will pay a combined $8.5 billion under an agreement that will end case-by-case reviews of foreclosure-abuse claims stemming from a 2011 deal with regulators.

Bloomberg report said companies including JPMorgan Chase & Company (JPM) Bank of America Corporation and Citigroup Inc must provide $5.2 billion in mortgage assistance and $3.3 billion in direct payments to wronged borrowers, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the Federal Reserve said in a statement.

The banks were among 14 servicers ordered to hire independent consultants to help clean up foreclosure practices amid claims they improperly seized homes in the wake of the subprime mortgage crisis.

Companies including JPMorgan Chase & Co., Bank of America Corp. and Citigroup Inc. must provide $5.2 billion in mortgage assistance and $3.3 billion in direct payments to wronged borrowers, according to a settlement announced yesterday by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the Federal Reserve.

“When we began the Independent Foreclosure Review, the OCC pledged to fix what was broken, identify who was harmed, and compensate them for that injury,” Comptroller of the Currency Thomas Curry said in a statement.

JPMorgan, the biggest US bank by assets, will pay $700 million for the cash portion of the deal in addition to other settlement costs, according to a person briefed on the matter who declined to be identified because a bank-by-bank breakdown hasn’t been announced.

Executives of New York-based JPMorgan “are pleased to have it now behind us,” said Amy Bonitatibus, a spokeswoman for the bank. “We have helped nearly one million homeowners avoid foreclosure over the last four years and will continue to help others who may be struggling,” she said.

WHOLESALE DUTCH AUCTION SYSTEM

MANAGED FUNDS

NIDF NESF

US banks to pay $8.5b to settle foreclosure flaws

DATA BANK

Tenor

Initial Current Quotation Price Market N8250.00 5495.33 N1000.00 N552.20

tistics and the Public Sector Database confirm that high income countries have, on average, a much higher level of external debt: 126 per cent of Gross Domestic Product for G-7 countries in 2011 compared to 19 per cent for the top 10 developing countries.

T

FITC gets recognition for excellence HE Financial Institutions Training Centre (FITC) has been conferred with the West African award for Training Excellence and Innovative Services, by Aspire West Africa, a leading sub regional magazine.

The award according to a statement, was given to the in-

the world and having the data open to all is a welcome development,” says Ibrahim Levent, Senior Information Officer in the Bank’s Data Group and part of the team that produced the report.

Countries reporting to the Quarterly External Debt Sta-

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

THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2013

56

NEWS ‘NAF can defend air space’ From Uja Emmanuel, Makurdi

THE Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Alex Badeh, yesterday assured Nigerians that the Nigeria Air Force (NAF) has been reposition to defend the nation’s air space.

The Air Chief hailed President Goodluck Jonathan for buying more fighter jets for the Air Force.

Addressing reporters in Makurdi, the Headquarters of NAF’s Tactical Air Command (TAC), Badeh said the days of fighter pilots idling away because of nonavailability of jets to fly were over.

The Air Chief explained that since President Jonathan assumed office, he has ordered more fighting jets for the Air Force.

He added that the NAF was still expecting more of such fighter jets.

According to him, the Air Force is battle-ready to defend Nigeria’s territorial integrity and the air space.

Badeh said the Air Force has cultivate a culture of maintenance for the newly purchased aircraft that would ensure that NAF jet are constantly maintained and in shape to be called to action any time.

The Air Chief visited Governor Gabriel Suswam, who was represented by his deputy, Chief Steven Lawani.

He said his visit to the Tactical Air Command in Makurdi was to enable him get first-hand information on the unit and other NAF formations in Makurdi.

Badeh described the Tactical Command in Makurdi as a key arm of the NAF. He hailed the Benue State Government and the people for the cordial relationship the command has enjoyed with them over the years.

The Air Chief called for the sustenance of the warm relationship.

Suswam said Benue State residents have benefited from the security the Tactical Air Command was providing.

The governor assured the Air Staff that the command would get more support from the people.

Kebbi CJ sworn in From Khadijat Saidu, Birni Kebbi

KEBBI State Governor Saidu Dakingari yesterday swore in Justice Bala Ibrahim Mairiga as the new Chief Judge (CJ).

The appointment, the governor said, followed the retirement of the former Chief Judge, Justice Ibrahim Umar Limanci.

Dakingari said the nomination, recommendation and confirmation of Mairiga was transparent.

He added that the appointment of the new CJ followed due process. Dakingari was optimistic that the Executive and Judiciary would cooperate for the reform of the Judiciary in the state.

Mairiga promised to ensure that the Judiciary becomes more responsive under his leadership.

Two other High Court judges - Sabiu Bala Shuaibu and Faruk Hassan Bunza – were also sworn in.

Unknown gunmen kill four in Kano

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WO unknown gunmen yesterday in Kano shot dead four persons near a mosque on Zoo Road.

Some Sudanese traders sell locally brewed tea in the area.

An eyewitness said the incident occurred about 6.45pm.

From Kolade Adeyemi, Kano

It was gathered that the two gunmen, who were riding a motorbike, stormed the area and opened fire on the four persons.

The victims died on the spot.

Two of the victims, a source said, were employees of Kano State Road Transport Agency.

They were said to be on duty at the time of the attack.

Before men of the Joint Task Force (JTF) arrived on the scene, the gunmen had escaped.

The JTF cordoned off the area

while the residents ran for safety.

Police spokesman Magaji Musa Majiya, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), confirmed the incident.

He said investigation has begun to track down the fleeing gunmen.

•The scene of a fire at Ifeleye Market, Ibadan, Oyo State...yesterday. INSET: Some of the traders who lost their goods and other valuabales to the fire.

PHOTO: FEMI ILESANMI

25 arrested for Gwari-Fulani clash in Abuja

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HE Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command yesterday said it has arrested 25 suspects, who allegedly participated in the clash between Gwari and Fulani in Gwagwalada Area Council of the territory.

FCT Police Commissioner Adenrele Shinaba, who is also the chairman of the committee set up by FCT Minister Bala Mohammed to examine

From Bukola Amusan, Abuja

the crisis, said those arrested were being interrogated.

Shinaba spoke in Abuja when he submitted the report of the 19-member committee to Mohammed.

He explained that Gwako I village, where the violence started, lacks proper leadership.

According to him, the District Head and the Village Head are not working in tan-

dem.

Mohammed vowed to fish out the perpetrators of the clash in which two people died.

The minister said those found culpable would face the wrath of the law to serve as a deterrent.

Mohammed also set up a nine-member implementation committee.

He stressed that justice would be done to affected per-

sons to prevent a reprisal.

The minister restated the commitment of his administration to ensure a pragmatic decision to discourage a recurrence of the incident.

Mohammed hailed the patriotic zeal of the committee and praised the members for doing a thorough job.

The nine-member implementation committee is chaired by the FCT Permanent Secretary, Anthony Ozodinobi.

CPC asks court to dismiss PDP’s claim to Katsina senatorial seat

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HE Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and Senator Abubakar Yar’Adua (Katsina Central) have asked a Federal High Court, Abuja, to dismiss a suit by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Senator Ibrahim Ida. Ida is seeking an order of the court to declare him as the winner of the election into the Senate.

The Supreme Court, in its December 16, 2011 judgment, had sacked two senators and eight House of Representatives members in Katsina.

The politicians contested on the platform of the CPC. They are: Senators Abdu Umar Yandoma and Ahmed Stores, as well as Representatives Musa Salisu, Aminu Ashiru, Murtala Isah, Muntari Dandutse, Umar K, Umar Dankawa, Tasiu Doguru and Mohammed Tukur.

Justice Walter Onnoghen held that “the courts cannot still decide as between two or more contending parties which of them is the nominated candidate of a political party; that power still resides in the political parties to exercise”.

Following the decision, the Independent National Elector-

Party petitions police, SSS, over ‘destruction’ of property

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HE Kwara State Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) has decried the alleged destruction of its property in Ilorin, the state capital, by suspected Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) thugs.

It has petitioned Police Commissioner Chinwike Asadu and the Directorate of the State Security Service (SSS) for action.

In the petition jointly signed by the state’s chairman and spokesperson of the CPC, Alhaji Suleiman Buhari and Obasanjo Alashi, the party urged security agents to find the perpetrators of the alleged destruction and invasion of the party’s property.

The letter reads: “We, the undersigned, on behalf of the teeming members of the Kwara State CPC, wish to alert the public on the willful, wanton, unprovoked and malicious destruction of the property belonging to the state CPC by a gang of thugs, who invaded the party’s proposed office complex on or about 7pm on Sunday, January 6, 2013.

“The arsonists, who were said to be chanting PDP victory songs, overran the premises of the From Kamarudeen Ogundele, Abuja

al Commission (INEC) issued new Certificates of Return to candidates the CPC, which it claimed it sponsored for the April 2011 general elections.

They are: Sadiq Yar’Adua (Central Senatorial District) and Hadi Sirika (North Sen-

From Adekunle Jimoh, Ilorin

office complex located at Okekere, Ilorin, in two different cars and carted away a gigantic party signpost that was positioned strategically in front of the building as a prelude for commissioning as our party office in the area.

“We believe that a swift and decisive response of the Nigerian security agencies will not only stem the tide of political violence, aggression and hooliganism, which are fast enveloping the metropolis, but also send a strong signal to other social misfits who may harbour similar tendencies.”

Buhari said the CPC was planning to fuse with other opposition parties to win majority of the local governments in the council poll that will hold later in the year.

The party chairman said the victory would be replicated in the 2015 election.

According to him, this will sound the death knell for the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state.

He stressed that the CPC was working tirelessly to wrestle power from the PDP.

atorial), Hon. Ahmed Kaita (Kankia/Ingawa Fed Constituency) and Hon. Salisu Salisco (Kaita/Jibiya).

Others are Honourables; Sheik Umar Abubakar (Katsina), Salisu Daura (Daura/Maiaduwa/Sandamu), Isa Doro (Mani/Bindawa), Sani Mashi (Mashi/Dutsi), Abbas Machika (Kankara/Faskari/Sabuwa)

and Dr. Mansur Funtua (Funtua/Dandume).

Acting on this, the beneficiaries were sworn in by the National Assembly.

Dissatisfied, Ida filed an originating summons wherein he asked the court to declare that he was the rightful candidate to step into the seat of Sadiq YarAdua.

Yero urges retired officers to start small businesses From Tony Akowe, Kaduna

K

ADUNA State Governor Mukthar Ramalan Yero yesterday urged members of the Nigerian Legion in the state to establish small businesses that would enhance their financial viability.

The governor spoke in Kaduna at the launch of the emblem appeal week marking this year’s Armed Forces Remembrance Day celebration.

He said the establishment of such businesses would also improve the state’s business environment.

Yero expressed gratitude to various military formations for contributing to the security of the state.

The governor said his administration was working hard to consolidate the gains of the Ibrahim Yakowa administration.

He said: “This very important occasion is, traditionally, an annual event organised not only to remember and honour our fallen heroes, who fought in various wars and paid the supreme price for the defence of our nation and humanity, but also to soberly focus on the plight of those heroes, who are lucky to still be alive though have suffered various deprivations as a result of the wars.

“The activities of the Armed Forces Remembrance Day should, therefore, remind us of these sacrifices and the need to alleviate the sufferings of all those who laid their lives so that we may live today.

While we pay tributes to the fallen heroes, our profound gratitude also goes to the living heroes...”

Wamakko sets up LOC for Muslims’ global conference From Adamu Suleiman, Sokoto

S

OKOTO State Governor Aliyu Wamakko yesterday inaugurated a 12man Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the maiden international conference of the World Muslim League.

Former Vice-Chancellor of the Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, Prof. Aminu Mika’ilu, and Hassan Ibrahim are the Chairman and Secretary of the committee.

The governor said his administration would ensure a hitch-free conference.

The three-day event will hold on March 18 and 20.

Inaugurating the committee in Sokoto, Wamakko explained that the Muslim League is an important and revered organisation.

The governor explained that the organ was established to ensure the unity of the human race across the globe.

Besides, Wamakko further stated that the organisation with its headquarters in Makkah, Saudi Arabia has offices across 22 countries.

He stressed that it is also affiliated to the United Nations (UN) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) among other world bodies.

Wamakko said the league has “opened two new offices in Europe and Africe, with Sokoto hosting the Africa office.”

THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2013

57

NEWS

Why we retired perm sec, by Oshiomhole E DO State Governor Adams Oshiomhole yesterday explained why the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Environment was retired.

He said the retired permanent secretary hired out the Kings Square premises to a multinational company for 31 days at a “ridiculous rate of N300,000.”

The governor spoke at a meeting with permanent secretaries at the Government House, Benin City.

He urged them to reflect on the challenges of providing good governance in the state.

Oshiomhole said commissioners would be appointed next month.

He said permanent secretaries would be accounting officers of their ministries until the appointment of commissioners.

“I have a duty and obligation to explain why we had to retire the permanent secretary in the Ministry of En-

•Commissioners to be named in Feb From Osagie Otabor, Benin

vironment.

“I hope that this will guide you on how you manage your own ministries.

“We are all at the mercy of the Edo people and we would have our jobs secured to the extent that we are able to manage our portfolios in a way our people get maximum benefit.

“The cost to government maintaining the facility at that square, the salary we pay, the overhead expenditure we have to incur is far in excess of that, which means the government will be subsidising a private multinational.

“They took over that facility and generated so much waste.

“I was told that the firm will clear the waste but the firm

claimed it paid N20, 000 to clean the waste but the ministry insists it was N200, 000 it paid for 31 days and that translates to about N6, 000 a day to manage the waste generated.”

The governor said Benin City is still dirty despite the huge investment made to beautify the place.

“Going round in Benin City you will agree that in spite of all investments we have made, the city has remained substantially unclean.

“We have refuse in so many places, our walk ways have been taken over by all manner of persons, people are parking vehicles on the roads we have expanded thereby denying our people free-flow of traffic.

“I have even seen people converting highway to perma-

nent garage where they sell vehicles and you find things such as vehicle for sale as if we have expanded the road to serve as a permanent motor park.

“Public places like the Oba Ovonranwen Square has been turned to refuse dumps and across the state the markets are dirty.

“I have met with officials of the ministry of environment to take their job a little more seriously,” “We cannot get good governance if the civil service is not ready to play its part . “ You are to ensure that government policies are executed, you are responsible for the formulation of agreements, MoUs and to ensure they are also implemented.

“This year, we cannot do things exactly the way we did them in the past. “ We must revisit our attitude to work and take the state as their own by doing their best to keep the state going,” he added.

Navy arrests eight in Cross River From Nicholas Kalu, Calabar

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HE Navy has arrested eight persons for ‘illegal bunkering’ in Calabar, the Cross River State capital.

A boat containing over 200 drums of illegally produced diesel was seized.

The Commanding Officer, NNS Victory, Commodore Kingdom Itoko, parading the suspects, said they were arrested in a boat on Parrot Island on December 21.

He said:”Stopping bunkering or oil theft is a social matter and far beyond what we can do since it is social problem.

I think employment should be encouraged, social welfare services should be provided for Nigerians because poverty is what led them to such crime.”

Itoko said the suspects would be handed over to relevant agencies for prosecution.

Thieves vandalise Edo school

A

CLASSROOM block in Eyeanugie Primary School, Benin City, has been vandalised by hoodlums.

The block was built by the lawmaker representing Oredo Federal Constituency, Razaq Belo-Osagie.

Some of the aluminum

From Osagie Otabor, Benin

windows were carted away by the thieves.

Belo-Osagie said he has reported the incident to security agencies.

He said public facilities should be protected by benefiting communities.

Dickson on two-week leave From Isaac Ombe, Yenagoa

B

AYELSA State Governor Seriake Dickson is going on a two-week annual leave.

Deputy Governor John Jonah will act for him.

A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Daniel Markson-Iworiso said the two weeks break is part of the governor’s 2012 annual vacation, which he did not observe because of state assignments.

“The two weeks period will afford the governor the opportunity to rest and prepare for the task of delivering quality service and the dividends of democracy to the people of the state in 2013.

“The governor is, however, expected to take time off to attend the closing formalities and wreath-laying ceremony of the Armed Forces Remembrance Day on January 15,” the statement said.

Flood victims allege fraud

F •Uduaghan commissioning the special patrol vehicles at the Government House, Asaba... yesterday. With him are the Secretary to the State Government, Ovuozorie Macauley (right) and Aduba. Inset: the vehicles

Police kill 91 kidnap, robbery suspects in Delta

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HE police in Delta State yesterday said 91 kidnap and robbery suspects were killed between January last year and January 5.

The Commissioner of Police, Ikechukwu Aduba, gave the figure in Asaba.

He said though the state was a flash point for criminals, security agencies were ready to combat the criminals.

Aduba warned the criminals to change because there would be no hiding

•Governor donates patrol vans place for them this year.

According to him, the command arrested 473 robbery and kidnap suspects, killed 91, injured six and recovered 212 arms and 8, 158 ammunition.

“We also rescued 82 kidnap victims, recovered 76 vehicles and 19 motorcycles in the year under review,’’ Aduba said.

“Just last Friday, the police killed three kidnap suspects

and arrested three suspects in Abraka, over the kidnap of Martins Denedo, an accountant with the Delta State University (DELSU).

Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan yesterday in Asaba handed over 30 Toyota Hilux vehicles to the police as a new initiative to curb crimes in the state begins.

The initiative, Delta State Government Special Security Patrol, is part of measures

to ensure that crimes were reduced.

The 30 vehicles have been specifically designated for patrol and surveillance of specific routes and highways across the state.

Uduaghan said the vehicles have been assigned to different routes to ensure that all areas are adequately monitored and secured.

“We are doing this to guarantee peace and security and to ensure that crime rate is drastically reduced," he said.

Okada ban: Car sales, accidents soar in Delta

T

HE number of cars sold in Warri, Effurun, Asaba and other towns in Delta State has surged in the wake of the ban on the use of motorcycles (okada) for public transport, an investigation has shown.

The government outlawed the use of okada in Effurun, Warri and Asaba, the state capital, on November 1, last year.

The Nation found that the ban led to a boom in the sale of Belgium (second hand) cars

From Shola O’Neil, Warri

in not only the cities, but across other towns, such as Sapele, Ughelli and Agbor, among others.

Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan has warned that more cities would join the list later this year.

Mr. Ezekiel, a car dealer on Jakpa Road, Effurun, said: “Yes, it is true our business has witnessed a surge since the ban on okada.

“I believe it is because of

the ban because the kinds of cars being purchased are those small and affordable cars that people can use to get from one point to the other.”

Another dealer, Pullye Ighodaro, said former okada riders have also shifted to the purchase of smaller cars for use as taxi.

“Those who prepared for the ban had enough money to buy cars and have now converted to taxi drivers.”

It was gathered that the presence of more vehicles on

the roads has led to traffic jams in the cities, particularly the twin cities of Warri and Effurun.

On the downside, with the increased number of cars and inexperienced drivers have come increased accidents in the cities, particularly during the Yuletide.

Unofficial figures showed that 15 accidents occured between the last hours of 2012 and first three days of the New Year in Warri and Effurun.

LOOD victims in Edo State have alleged diversion of the funds.

They accused the relief committee of diverting funds meant for their rehabilitation.

The victims claimed that other states had begun payment to affected persons.

But Chairman of the State Relief Committee, Ms Maimunat Momoh, denied the allegation. She described it as mischievous and ill-conceived.

“What we did after they left camp, we went to their

From Osemwengie Ben Ogbemudia, Benin

communities to count the houses that were destroyed or affected by the flood.

“If we don’t count the houses, how do we ascertain the damage and the numbers?

“I am not to decide who gets what and how, my job is to write the report and submit to the governor who appointed me and the report is being compiled and ready for submission.”

Two herdsmen killed in Delta From Polycarp Orosevwotu, Warri

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WO Fulani herdsmen have been killed in EgboUwheru community, Ughelli North Local Government Area, Delta State.

Residents, especially youths, have been seen relocating from the community for fear of arrest.

A source said the herdsmen were rearing cattle for Akpevwen Akedeye. The source said the victims were found with their stomachs opened.

A police officer in the Ughelli ‘A’ Division said the victims may have been killed with a rifle.

“We have taken the bodies to the mortuary and no arrest has been made but we are investigating the matter.”

Helicopter firm in Bayelsa

A

HELICOPTER repairing and servicing company is to be established in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital.

The project will provide employment for over 100 youths in the Niger Delta.

A United Kingdom firm, Castle Air Chatter, is partnering Azikel Group, for the design and building of the $10million hanger .

The Chairman of Azikel Group, Azibabu Godbless Eruani, said: “This partnership is expected to provide

From Isaac Ombe, Yenagoa

the building of a modern hanger in Yenagoa and provide training for over 100 youths on aviation engineering in the United States of America.”

“The purpose is to begin to see how we can develop our people locally to participate in the aviation sector.

We want to create competition and competence, because we want to create a sustainable labour to work and compete in the sector", he added.

THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2013

58

FOREIGN NEWS Clinton back at work

Delhi rape victims charged

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ECRETARY of State Hillary Clinton has returned to work after spending a month recuperating from a series of ailments.

Mrs Clinton was discharged from a New York hospital on Wednesday, where she had been treated for a blood clot between the skull and the brain.

In December she fell and suffered a concussion after she became dehydrated as a result of a stomach virus.

Mrs Clinton, 65, is due to stand down before President Barack Obama formally begins his second term on 20 January.

Massachusetts Senator John Kerry has been nominated to replace her as America’s top diplomat.

A crowd of state department officials greeted Mrs Clinton with a standing ovation as she returned to work yesterday.

She was also presented by her staff with a tongue-incheek gift of protective headgear in the shape of a football helmet emblazoned with her

F •Mrs Clinton

department’s seal.

Mrs Clinton convened a meeting of senior staff, the first such gathering since last month, when she fell ill after a trip to Europe and had to cancel a planned visit to North Africa and the Middle East.

Appointed secretary of state at the start of Obama’s first term, in January 2009, Mrs Clinton’s health has been under intense scrutiny because she is considered a strong candidate for the Democratic nomination for president should she decide to run in 2016.

Church gives ‘Chavez warning’

O

VERRIDING the Venezuelan constitution to allow President Hugo Chavez to remain in power would be “morally unacceptable”, the Venezuelan Catholic Church has said.

The head of the Venezuelan CHANGE OF INCORPORATION NAME This is to inform the general public that Ikorodu grinders of food stuffs association of Nigeria now becomes national grinders and food stuffs association of Nigeria All former documents remain valid.

Corporate affairs commission federal republic of Nigeria note.

Mrs. Olufunmilayo Ajanlekoko Adebogun (President) Mrs. Seyi Rufai (Gen. Sec,) Mrs. Sherifat Lawal (Treasurer) Signed: Mrs. Olufunmilayo Ajanlekoko Adebogun (President)

Conference of Bishops, Diego Padron, said Chavez must attend his inauguration, when his term ends on 10 January.

Attorney-General Cilia Flores says the swearing-in can take place later.

The Venezuelan leader is in Cuba where he underwent cancer surgery last month.

Chavez is a “re-elected president not an elected candidate”, said Ms Flores, adding that the key date was 7 October when President Chavez was elected for the fourth time.

IVE men in Delhi have been formally charged with the abduction, gang rape and murder of a 23-yearold woman.

The magistrate ordered the preliminary hearing to be held behind closed doors after chaotic scenes as lawyers denounced one of their colleagues who had offered to defend the accused.

The next hearing will take place on Thursday. The trial is expected to be referred to a new fast-track court.

The case has shocked India and prompted a debate about

the treatment of women.

The hearing comes as four policemen have been suspended over the handling of another suspected rape and murder case near Delhi over the weekend.

The father of a 21-year-old woman whose body was found on Saturday has told the BBC she was gang-raped.

He said police initially failed to react when he reported her disappearance, suggesting instead that she had gone off with someone.

The case has triggered protests in the Delhi suburb of

Noida, where the woman was employed in a factory.

Two men have been arrested and a third suspect is reported to have fled.

The five men were taken to the court in the Saket district of Delhi yesterday, where they were given the full list of charges against them, including abduction, rape and murder.

The hearing was initially supposed to take place in open court, but there were chaotic scenes as lawyers argued with each other over representation for the accused.

Magistrate Namrita Aggarwal adjourned the hearing, moving it behind closed doors.

It was not the most encouraging beginning to what the government has promised will be a fast-track legal process for this and other rape crimes, says the BBC’s Andrew North, who has been outside the court in Saket.

The Saket district lawyers’ association has refused to defend the accused because of the outcry the crime has provoked.

US condemns Assad’s puppet speech

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HE United States has condemned a speech by Syria’s President Assad that denounced his opponents as “puppets of the West”.

The state department said a peace plan outlined by Assad was “detached from reality”, calling it “another attempt by the regime to cling to power”.

The EU reacted by restating that the Syrian president had “to step aside and allow for a political transition”.

The UN estimates that more than 60,000 people have been killed in the uprising, which began in March 2011.

Sunday’s televised speech was Bashar al-Assad’s first public address since June.

He denounced opponents as “enemies of God and puppets of the West” and said Syria wanted to negotiate with the “master not the servants”.

He said Syria had not rejected diplomatic moves but insisted it would not negotiate with people with “terrorist” ideas.

TODAY IN HISTORY 1959: De Gaulle becomes president General Charles de Gaulle is proclaimed first President of the new Fifth Republic in France during a brief ceremony at the Elys? Palace in Paris.

Israel to build fence along Syrian border

A

S regional fears of a spillover from Syria’s civil war increase, Israel plans to build a fence along the border with the embattled country.

The announcement came Sunday during Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s weekly Cabinet address, in which he cited the construction of a 230-kilometer (143mile) fence along Israel’s southern border with Egypt.

“We intend to erect an identical fence, with a few changes based on the actual territory, along the Golan Heights. We know that on (the) other side of our border with Syria today, the Syrian army has moved away, and in its place, global jihad forces have moved in,” Netanyahu said, according to a transcript of his remarks.

Assad set out a plan involving a national dialogue conference and a referendum on a national charter.

In Washington, state department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said the speech was “yet another attempt by the regime to cling to power and does nothing to advance the Syrian people’s goal of a political transition”.

She added that the initiative “is detached from reality” and undermines efforts by international peace envoy Lakhdar

STherefore, we will defend this border against both infiltration and terrorism, just as we are successfully doing on the Sinai border.”

Syrian opposition and government sources have reported that the extremist al-Nusra Front, which the United States has designated as a terrorist group with links to al Qaeda in Iraq, has taken part in some of the fighting in Syria.

Netanyahu also said the Syrian government is “very unstable” and expressed concerns about the possible use of chemical weapons.

Israel seized the Golan Heights, along with the West Bank, Gaza and the Sinai Peninsula, during the 1967 war. The Sinai has since been returned to Egypt.

Brahimi.

She repeated calls for President Assad to leave office - as did EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton.

“We maintain our position that Assad has to step aside and allow for a political transition,” Baroness Ashton’s office said in a statement.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu called his remarks “repetitions of what he’s said all along”, while UK Foreign Secretary William Hague said “the empty prom-

ises of reform fool no-one”.

In his speech Assad set out a series of steps he said would provide a solution to the crisis: • Outside powers to stop arming what he called “terrorist groups” •The army would then halt military operations, while reserving the right to defend state interests •The government would then contact what he termed “Syrian individuals and political parties” to engage in a conference of national dialogue.

Your Sexual Health & You: Novelty Tips, Questions & Answers Dear MD, I have been married for six months and things are not going well between me and my wife. I try my best when sexing her but she is always complaining. I ask her to contribute but she will just stay there and squeeze her face – Sola Dear Sola, this kind of problem is usually due to lack of sex education. There are movies, magazines and books that both of you can get to enable you learn about love making and how to treat one another in bed. Educational films such as 32 ways to please your Lover, What Women Really Want, and Advanced Sexual Techniques & Positions will help you a lot. Books such as Tricks to Please a Woman and Going Down will teach you a lot also - Zee Dear MD, I am unable to locate my wife’s clitoris and I have enough experience to know what a clitoris is and where to find it. My wife is rarely excited during sex no matter the effort I put into it – Moses Dear Moses, the female clitoris consists of the pieces of flesh slightly shaped like a blossoming flower that is attached to the exterior of the vaginal opening. If you cannot find it, it can only be because your wife was circumscised as a child. Unfortunately, once lost, this piece of skin does not grow back, neither can it be reattached surgicaly. There is however a secondary pleasure spot called the G spot and it is located on the roof of the vaginal tunnel, about an inch into the vaginal void. Skilfully stimulating this spot gives women pleasure as well and can lead to vaginal orgasms which are even more powerful than clitoral orgasms. This you can achieve with a G Spot Vibrator such as the Erotic Stud Vibrator - Uche Dear Sir, I cannot have sex for more than two minutes and the sperm is so small when I ejaculate. I need help – Tony Dear Tony, to last longer in bed, use Shane Diesel’s Rock Solid Erection Cream or Power Plus Delay Cream. Also, Max load is the supplement used for increaseing sperm

quantity and making sex much more enjoyable. So look for Max Load – Uche Dear Mr. Edochie, sex with my husband is uncomfortable and painful sometimes because I have dryness problems. I don’t know what to do – Mrs. Ojei Dear Mrs. Ojei, an artificial water-based lubricant is what you need to get rid of the friction and pain that comes as a result of inadequate lubrication. Get the Colt Slick Lubricant and apply it on your genitals before intercourse to ensure smooth and painless intercourse – Uche Dear sir, I have started taking the Xzen 1200 supplement you recommended and I am having erections again, infact, my erections are even harder this time and I have multiple rounds of sex whenever I want. Thank you and happy new year – Chinedu You are welcome. Xzen 1200 is a very powerful erection enhancer that works up to four days sometimes – Uche Hello Sir, my wife is happy with the results of the Xzen 1200 I bought from you. She did not want me to buy at first but now she is a believer because my erections are very hard and I can have sex several times in one hour. Now she wants something for herself – Ubaka That is great. Considering that every woman needs a good vibrator and an orgasm gel, you can get your wife the Jelly Chocolate Wall banger or the Remote Control Rabbit Pearl and an orgasm gel like Mood Arousal Gel or Orgasmix Gel – Uche That’s it for today and Happy New year. The names of the people featured here have been changed for their privacy. We have also resumed work and our phone lines are now open.

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THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2013

59

FOREIGN NEWS

Obama names Pentagon, U CIA chiefs

nited States President Barack Obama has named a maverick former Republican senator as defence secretary, despite a political backlash over the nomination.

Chuck Hagel would replace Leon Panetta at the Pentagon, but Hagel’s fellow Republicans have questioned the Nebraskan’s views towards Israel.

Obama has also picked his counter-terrorism adviser John Brennan as director of the CIA. Both appointments must be confirmed by the Senate.

Obama, who has just returned from a family holiday in Hawaii, said at a White House press conference that Hagel was “the leader our troops deserve”.

Obama said Hagel, 66, has been a “champion of our troops”, as he praised the decorated Vietnam War veteran’s independence and bipartisan approach.

The president said Hagel knew that American leader-

ship was “indispensable”, but added that he would treat military action as a last resort.

In his remarks, Hagel said he would try to “live up to the standards” of his predecessors, and pledged to strengthen America’s alliances.

Meanwhile, Brennan said he would work to ensure that the CIA “always reflects the liberties, freedoms and values that we hold so dear”.

Along with Senator John

J •Obama

Kerry, whom Obama nominated last month to replace Hillary Clinton as secretary of state, Hagel and Brennan would help shape the president’s second-term national security agenda.

Australian PM visits fire areas

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USTRALIAN Prime Minister Julia Gillard is visiting wildfire-hit regions in Tasmania, amid warnings of more searing weather across the country.

No deaths have been reported in the fires, which broke out on Thursday on the island’s south coast.

But more than 100 buildings have been destroyed and communities in some areas remain cut off.

Speaking in the state capital, Hobart, Ms Gillard said assistance would be provided for those in need.

“I’ve come to Tasmania today for one purpose, and that’s to say to the people of Tasmania that the nation is standing with them at this very, very difficult time,” she said.

Emergency payments would be provided to give people immediate help and damage would be assessed to

enable communities to be rebuilt.

Fires were still being fought, she emphasised, calling for residents in Tasmania and also in New South Wales, where very high temperatures are expected, to stay alert.

“This is the time to be vigilant, and I do want to pass that message to the people of New South Wales as the temperature gauge starts to rise,” she said.

A change in wind direction

‘Berlusconi won’t stand for election’

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TALY’S former leader, Silvio Berlusconi, will not return as prime minister even if his party wins next month’s election, an ally has stated.

Roberto Maroni said it was explicitly ruled out by an electoral pact between his North-

ern League party and Berlusconi’s People of Freedom (PDL).

The two parties are hoping to form a centre-right government, but have not named a candidate for prime minister.

Berlusconi said he might take the role of finance minis-

ter.

In an interview earlier, he did not explicitly rule himself out of running the premiership, saying the candidate for the post “will be decided if we win”, but that it could go to PDL secretary Angelino Alfano.

across New South Wales will see a 20C drop in temperatures in Sydney this week, bringing some relief Ms Gillard was expected to visit Dunalley, the town worst affected by the fires.

In their latest bulletin, Tasmanian police said that searches of fire-hit properties were continuing.

“Police have searched 245 properties in Dunalley and to the north of the town, including 90 badly damaged or destroyed buildings. The preliminary screening search has discovered no deceased people at this stage,” a statement said.

Searches would continue in the Murdunna and Sommers Bay areas, where more properties were known to have been destroyed.

Chinese journalists on strike OURNALISTS at a major Chinese paper, Southern Weekly, have gone on

strike in a rare protest against censorship.

The row was sparked last week when the paper’s New Year message calling for reform was changed by propaganda officials.

Staff wrote two letters calling for the provincial propaganda chief to step down.

Another row then erupted over control of the paper’s microblog.

Hundreds of supporters of the paper gathered outside its office yesterday.

Some carried banners that read: “We want press freedom, constitutionalism and democracy”.

“The Nanfang [Southern] Media Group is relatively willing to speak the truth in China so we need to stand up for its courage and support it now,” Ao Jiayang, one of the protesters, told Reuters news agency.

Police were at the scene but

“security wasn’t tight”, a former journalist of the Southern Media Group told BBC Chinese.

“They tried to ask those holding placards to show their ID cards,” he said, adding that many had refused although “there wasn’t much argument”.

People were continuing to arrive by mid-afternoon when he left the scene, he added.

Southern Weekly is perhaps the country’s most respected newspaper, known for its hard-hitting investigations and for testing the limits of freedom of speech, says the BBC’s Martin Patience in Beijing.

Chinese media are supervised by so-called propaganda departments that often change content to align it with party thinking.

It is thought that this is the first time that there has been a direct showdown between newspaper staff and party officials, correspondents say.

NEWS

Mahama: the best is yet to come Continued from page 2

of office.

At exactly 10.30am, he completed the ritual and officially became the president bearing a golden “staff of office”, which he waved to the excited crowd. He signed the ascension of office documents before taking his seat as president to the admiration of an expectant nation.

The national anthem was played, immediately followed by the 21-gun salute recognising Mahama as the commander-in-chief.

In his inaugural address, which he gave at 10.40am, Mahama promised better days ahead. He called on Ghanaians to support him to make the country better. He spoke for about 20 minutes.

His voice echoing across the Square, where all Ghana’s presidents in recent history took the oath of office, Mahama left no one in doubt that he was aware of the challenges ahead, such as rising

youth unemployment, a widening development gap between the oil-rich coast and the poor, arid north, where he hails from.

He said Ghana’s past was filled with courage and a powerful legacy, adding that the success of the country is in the hands of the citizens.

Though the country had made progress in the last 55 years, more work lies ahead, Mahama said. He said more roads, jobs and schools are needed.

Mahama said the time had come to look beyond cosmetic approaches to solving problems; permanent solutions must be found.

“The promises that I have made are the promises I intend to keep. I will not let you down,” Mahama said.

Touching on peace, he promised to work to ensure that the Ghana remains one, irrespective of religion, ethnicity or political differences.

As he spoke, the 54-year-

old son of Emmanuel Adama Mahama, a member of Parliament during Ghana’s First Republic, intermittently looked out at a sea of admirers.

By Ghana’s Constitution, the president must be sworn in before the parliament. After the inaugural speech, Speaker Edward Doe Adjaho took over. He thanked the president for the inaugural address.

He invited Beninoise President Boni Yayi, who is the African Union President, to give a speech on behalf of visiting Heads of States. Yayi hailed Ghana for its strides in the economy and democracy.

He wished her more prosperity.

Visiting African leaders, including President Jonathan, South African President Jacob Zuma, Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, President Faure Eyadema, Senegalese President Macky Sall, Tanzanian President Jakaya

Kikwete, President Mahamadou Issoufou and President Alassane Ouattara, were invited one after the other to exchange pleasantries with Mahama.

Rawlings, Kufour and their wives also mounted the presidential podium to greet Mahama. Rawlings hugged Mahama. So did his wife. The crowd roared as Rawlings and his wife hugged Mahama.

After the dignitaries, the spouses of the president and the vice-president mounted the podium to congratulate their husbands. Mahama’s wife, who was also dressed in a sparkling white blouse and skirt, held her husband tightly.

The ceremony ended at 11.47 am when the parliament was adjourned till 10 am today.Mahama thereafter inspected a parade by the Navy and drove round the venue before making his way out at midday.

Tasks before President Mahama Continued from page 2

almost all party members at a Special Delegates Congress held on August 30, last year. The death of AttaMills and the elections could not threaten the health of the polity.

The only contentions were the few challenges encountered at the polling centres. Some of the electronic machines malfunctioned and a resort had to be made to manual voting

in some polling units.

This, given the returns, raised the hopes of the opposition that, if the court could be persuaded to upturn some of the results, it could replace the NDC in constituting the government.

Can President Mahama rise up to the challenge of the moment? Is he in position to heal the wounds opened by the election and overcome the post-elec-

tion challenge posed by the suit instituted by the NPP? Is Mahama sufficiently schooled to lead Ghana on the path of prosperity and sustain the high regards she enjoys in the comity of nations?

These are questions to be answered over the next four years.

However, it must be said that Mahama has the basic qualities to take Ghana to the summit. He was a

Member of Parliament from 1997 to 2009 when he was inaugurated AttaMill’s Vice President. He was, within the period he served in Parliament, a party apparatchik and Minister. He is respected as a welfarist born into a political family, his father having served in the Kwame Nkrumah administration.

His education, exposure and experience are expected to serve him well in taking Ghana to a new height.

How British police exposed Babalakin’s alleged deal with Ibori Continued from page 2

court. This commitment was part of the conditions which made the EFCC to grant him an administrative bail.

“President Goodluck Jonathan is not a vindictive leader at all; he has no cause to witch-hunt or frustrate Babalakin because of his closeness to any former President.

“The suspect is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN); he knew what transpired during his interaction with the EFCC. He also wrote statements on oath; he should tell the public his testimony to the EFCC.” Barring last-minute hitches, the trial of Babalakin and others will begin next Thursday.

The charge sheet, dated November 21, 2012 was filed by A.M. Yusuf, Esq. on

behalf of the EFCC and the Attorney-General of the Federation.

All the suspects will be arraigned in court for alleged “conspiracy to commit felony, to wit: corruptly conferring benefit on account of public action, contrary to Section 516 of the Criminal Code Law, CAP. C17, Laws of Lagos State, 2003.”

They are also to respond to allegation of “corruptly conferring benefit on account of public action, contrary to Section 98A (1) (a) of the Criminal Code Law, CAP. C17, Laws of Lagos State, 2003.”

The third peg of their trial borders on alleged “retention of proceed of a criminal conduct, contrary to Section 17(a) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment) Act, 2004.”

Messi remains world’s best Continued from page 1

former Barcelona boss Josep Guardiola. Current Sweden and former United States Pia Sundhage took the women's equivalent.

The FIFA Puskás Award for most beautiful goal of the year was won by Miroslav Stoch. His sensational volleyed effort for Fenerbahçe SK against Gençlerbirligi SK in the Turkish Super League took the prize.

Club Atlético de Madrid forward Falcao and Santos

FC's Neymar were the other nominees.

Former Germany captain and coach Franz Beckenbauer won the Presidential Award while the Uzbekistan Football Federation (UFF) were bestowed the FIFA Fair Play Award 2012.

The FIFA/FIFPro World XI was also announced: Iker Casillas; Daniel Alves, Sergio Ramos, Gerard Piqué, Marcelo; Xabi Alonso, Andrés Iniesta, Xavi Hernández; Lionel Messi, Falcao, Cristiano Ronaldo.

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NATION SPORT

Lightning bolt spurred by Megan’s rear

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RACK legend Usain Bolt raced to Olympic gold by thinking of his girlfriend’s BUM, The Sun can reveal.

The fastest man on earth smashed his own record defending his 100m title and then delighted the crowd with his trademark “Lightning Bolt” pose.

But today we can tell for the first time how he was spurred on to the finish line by an image of sexy Megan Edwards’ perfectly-formed bottom.

Junior athlete Megan had sent Bolt a photo of her cute rear before the race, along with the message: “Think of my bum at the finish line lol.” Jamaican superstar Bolt, 26, replied before the August 5 event at London’s Olympic Stadium: “I can do that.”

After 80,000 spectators and millions watching on TV saw him run a blistering 9.63 seconds to claim his first gold medal of the Games, Megan texted to congratulate him.

And he wrote back: “I was thinking of ur ass.”

As he prepared for the 200m final four days later, he asked for ANOTHER snap of her bottom saying: “Need a pic for the 200m more motivation to go fast.”

Megan, 22, forgot to send him one but Bolt still went on to clinch his second gold

medal.

And before the 4x100m relay final on August 11, Bolt sent her a message begging AGAIN, this time saying: “Need another pic that will win me a world record.”

Megan obliged with a new picture and Bolt went on to win his third gold of the Games with his Jamaica team-mates — and set a new fastest time.

A close friend of Megan’s said: “She was thrilled to

Haye: If I don’t fight Vitali by summer, It will never happen

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AVID HAYE has confirmed once again that he is only interested in fighting Vitali Klitschko, and that he will never step into a ring with David Price.

The former WBA champion is still waiting to hear from Klitschko on whether he will take a fight with haye or retire from boxing.

The 41-year-old still holds the WBC title but is currently prospering as a politician in his native Ukraine.

Haye insists a deal has been in place for some time regarding a match-up with the veteran, but realises the fight must happen soon.

“Everything’s agreed, it’s just a matter of when and where,” said Haye, who lost to Vitali’s brother Wladimir in 2011.

“I’m more than happy to fight in Germany, like I did before, I expect the fight to be in Germany.

“But if it’s not happened by this summer then I’ll accept the fight’s never happening.

We’ve not heard from his people since Vitali fought Chisora (last February).”

Haye also told Sky Sports he would be retired from boxing before Price makes it to the top.

“I sparred with David Price since he was an amateur...he’s got all the tools that a Klitschko has. He ticks all the boxes.

“With the right guidance within the next two years he should be knocking on the door.

“I’ll be long retired by then with my pipe and slippers.”

• Haye

know she had helped Usain get in the right frame of mind to win three golds.

“He is extremely focused but seeing a snap of Megan’s amazing bum must have motivated him.”

In other texts Bolt — who was on a strict sex ban at the time — promised to take Megan out once the Games were over.

The couple finally got to meet up to celebrate on the night of the relay. The friend

said: “That was Usain’s last race and they were desperate to see each other. They went clubbing, drank champagne with other stars and had a great night.”

Megan, an office girl from Dartford, Kent, first caught Bolt’s eye last June when she was chosen to model Jamaica’s team kit and appeared on a catwalk with him.

After the Olympics, Bolt, who is worth an estimated

£30million, flew her firstclass to Jamaica and she spent five days at his mansion.

But Megan called off the romance just before Christmas. The friend said: “She couldn’t handle the distance and him being away all the time. They are still friends.”

Last night Megan told The Sun: “Usain and I texted each other all the time and we had lots of fun but that’s all

Tipsarevic wins Chennai Open

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ORLD No. 9 Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia rebounded from dropping the first set to top Roberto Bautista-Agut of Spain 3-6, 6-1, 6-3 in the final of the Chennai Open on Sunday. For Tipsarevic, it’s his fourth ATP World Tour title The Serb lost to Milos Raonic in last year’s final.

“I was mentally stable and was not worried when I was one set down,” said Tipsarevic. “I didn’t play my best tennis in every match this week, but I am happy to win the title. I really wanted to win this tournament as it is my sixth time here.

“This match was pretty similar to my semi-final win over Aljaz Bedene. I was too passive in the first set and I was relying on Roberto making mistakes in his first ATP World Tour final. I was hoping he would be anxious. I gave him too much time to swing on his forehand. The only way I won, was to step closer to

the baseline and I needed to move him around. Physically, as the match wore on, he became tired.”

Bautista-Agut, who beat top-seeded Tomas Berdych in the quarterfinals, had problems with a leg injury and needed a medical time out during the second set.

“I was serving really well

and playing my best tennis against Janko in the first set, but then I couldn’t keep it up throughout the match,” the Spaniard said.

“I improved a lot last year and won a lot of matches, which gave me confidence and experience. I worked hard in the pre-season, with a lot of motivation, and did well this week.”

Another delay for season-opener

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TRONG winds forced cancellation of play for

the second straight day Saturday at the US PGA Tour’s season-opening Tournament of Champions.

Play never got started on Saturday, and after a delay of almost three hours officials opted to call it off for the day.

The postponement followed the disruption of Friday’s first round, which was called off with six of the 30 entrants still to tee off because of high wind and rain.

The tournament at the

Plantation Course at Kapalua has been cut to 54 holes.

Officials hope to play 36 holes on Sunday, then complete the tournament on Monday — the original day planned for a fourth round.

“Went out there this morning about 6:30 am. I dropped a ball on the 10th green, on the back of the green just dropped it and it rolled off 20 yards off the front of the green,” said Slugger White, the PGA Tour’s vice president of rules and operations.

“We did have balls that were going uphill on 10 a foot and a half.”

I’m willing to say.” Bolt’s publicist Carole Beckford would say only: “Usain had a tremendous 2012.”

McIlroy F1: Marko targets more Eyes majors in 2013 Hulkenberg For 2014 Red Bull Seat

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RANTED just a oneyear contract for a seventh consecutive season at the team, the 36year-old Australian is already on notice by Red Bull’s tough Dr Helmut Marko.

Now, Austrian Marko has made clear Red Bull was not happy with Webber’s driving at the 2012 Interlagos finale, when teammate Sebastian Vettel was fighting for the title against Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso.

Indeed, Flavio Briatore still involved with the management of Webber’s career - said after Brazil: “The only one who helped Ferrari was Webber.”

Marko confirms: “Mark was not optimally cooperative in Brazil.”

Germany’s Sport Bild reports that, while Toro Rosso’s Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne are obvious candidates to succeed Webber, Marko is also keen on Nico Hulkenberg.

German Hulkenberg, 25, has signed just a one-year deal with Sauber for 2013, and has also been linked with a potential 2014 move to Ferrari.

Marko confirmed: “A few years ago he was on the list of candidates for our junior team, but Nico already had a main sponsor (Dekra) with which he didn’t want to separate.”

• Marko

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NATION SPORT

Kopa: Real in my era were as good as Barça now In the days before Michel Platini and Zinedine Zidane, the darling of French football fans everywhere was Raymond Kopa. Small in stature (1.68m) but massively gifted, the prolific playmaker with a knack for beating defenders helped take Reims to the summit of the French game before tasting European success with Real Madrid in 1957, ’58, and ’59.

Player of the tournament at the 1958 FIFA World Cup Sweden™, despite the thrilling emergence of a certain Pele, Kopa shone alongside team-mate Just Fontaine and also won that year’s Ballon d’Or. The legendary former player spoke to FIFA.com about his glorious career, from his early days at Angers to his time with Reims and Madrid, and shared his thoughts on the game today.

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IFA.com: Raymond, could you start by telling us what you are up to nowadays?

Raymond Kopa: Everything’s going well. At the moment, I’m spending my retirement back and forth between Corsica and Angers. I’m a happy man. All that matters these days, given my age, is staying healthy – and everything’s fine on that front, both for myself and those around me.

Do you still have a passion for football?

Naturally I keep a very close eye on football news, though I must admit that I’ve always preferred to follow my passion by playing rather than watching.

Still, that doesn’t prevent me from being the honorary President of Stade de Reims. They’re my club in France.

Your name is indelibly linked with Reims, of course. What has it been like seeing the club back in Ligue 1 after a 33year absence?

It’s given pleasure to a lot of people – not just me but our many supporters as well. Of course, I was there to celebrate the promotion. We started the season well and were even fifth at one point, and everything was going well. Then we lost five out of seven matches and quickly found ourselves in trouble.

In your own heyday, Reims were a real powerhouse of the game. You won several French titles with the club and played in a European Cup final, but what is your most cherished memory of those years?

It’s still my arrival at the club – being discovered by them at a time when I’d been playing for two years with SCO Angers in Ligue 2. Reims offered me the opportunity to play at the

highest level for a good ten years.

They were an exceptional club and provided more players to the France team than any other side.

After Reims, you played for Real Madrid.

What was the background to your transfer?

Transfers like that were rare at the time. I was sold at a very high price – 52m francs.

I don’t really know how much that would be today, but at the time it was the equivalent of three houses. Either way, Reims benefited from that money: they strengthened even more by buying three internationals in Just Fontaine, Roger Piantoni and Jean Vincent. So I managed to be of some use! I say that because there were people who criticised me, saying that I’d abandoned Reims. I loved Reims, though, and at the time they were the second greatest club in Europe. Real were the only team ahead of them, so my decision to leave was logical. And it was the right one too, because I spent three wonderful years in Madrid.

You joined the likes of Ferenc Puskas, Alfredo Di Stefano and Francisco Gento. Which player impressed you most?

My idol has always been Ferenc Puskas. I found out about him very early on, while I was at Reims. When we finished as champions for the first time in 1953, the club’s officials gave us a trip to London to watch the match between England and Hungary. It was our reward for having won the league and that’s when I discovered Puskas. He found things tough when he first arrived in Madrid. He needed to settle in, of course, but the Spanish journalists were impatient and quickly started to criticise him. I used to say, ‘Just wait, talent doesn’t disappear overnight.’ Everyone knows what happened after that. He was the top scorer in Spain.

Every goalkeeper began to tremble whenever he got within 35 metres of goal. He didn’t just have a superb shot, he could also strike the ball with incredible precision. But don’t worry, I

My idol has always been Ferenc Puskas. I found out about him very early on, while I was at Reims. When we finished as champions for the first time in 1953, the club’s officials gave us a trip to London to watch the match between England and Hungary. It was our reward for having won the league and that’s when I discovered Puskas. He found things tough when he first arrived in Madrid. He needed to settle in, of course, but the Spanish journalists were impatient and quickly started to criticise him. I used to say, ‘Just wait, talent doesn’t disappear overnight.’ Everyone knows what happened after that. He was the top scorer in Spain.

haven’t forgotten Di Stefano either. In fact, he’s the one people still talk about the most over there.

My Real team were at least as good as this Barça side. We were, quite frankly, unbeatable at the time.

You won the Ballon d’Or in 1958, three European Cups, two Spanish titles and several trophies in France. Which honour means the most to you now?

To win the Ballon d’Or was a real high point. It’s the trophy that’s dearest to me because it capped a year filled with other trophies. I never would have received that magnificent honour without my Spanish title win, the European Cup and my third place at the World Cup. 1958 was my year.

As a former Madrid player, do you still follow Spanish football?

Of course. I’ll be particularly

interested to see who wins the FIFA Ballon d’Or because it’s between three La Liga players. I think [Lionel] Messi will win it, but you mustn’t forget that he doesn’t do what he does alone.

To play well, you need quality players around you. That was true for me and it’s also true for Messi.

The similarities between yourself and Messi do not end there either. Like you, he is not especially tall, but his dribbling skills and eye for goal often make the difference.

Yes, there are similarities. We’re exactly the same height, and my strong points were dribbling, speed and precision. It’s an honour to be compared to him.

Some people also say that the Barcelona team of today are a little like the Reims team of old, but I can tell you that my Real team were at least as good as this Barça side. I only lost one match in three years with Madrid. Yes, it was the worst possible one to lose because it was a 1-0 loss to Atletico, but we were, quite frankly, unbeatable at the time.What are your thoughts on the rivalry between Madrid and Barcelona?Real are still a notch above! I think that Barça must wait a few years yet before they can match Real’s list of honours. I have to admit that the Catalans play the better football at the moment, but that didn’t stop us having a magnificent season last year. Things don’t look great for us right now, though – 16 points between the teams is a lot.Given that you refer to them as ‘us’, you seem to still be a Madrid player at heart.Absolutely. I still love going to Madrid. I get on the plane as soon as I receive an invite. I always feel that the people there are happy to see me.

What do you think of the current France side?

For me, the most important thing is how you carry yourself.

What’s happened in the France ranks in recent years has been unacceptable, and I’ve been the first to criticise it. But France still have players who are capable of great things on a pitch, as they’ve proved recently. I hope with all my heart that that continues.

Over the years, France have been lucky enough to have yourself, Michel Platini and then Zinedine Zidane pulling the strings.

Who do you see filling that role next?

I couldn’t have done what Platini or Zidane did on a pitch, but then again they couldn’t have done what Kopa did. Either way, I was a big admirer of those players. For me, the next in line hasn’t been born yet.

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SPORT EXTRA FIFA PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Wambach named women world’s best player

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NITED STATES forward Abby Wambach has been named FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year, adding the game’s biggest individual

prize to her London Olympics gold medal.

Wambach is the first American to be voted the worlds best since Mia Hamm won the 2002 women’s award.

Kenya club Muhoroni to sign three Nigerians

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ENYAN Premier League (KPL) side Muhoroni Youth have set up ambitious plans ahead of the 2013 season with three Nigerian expected to bolster the squad.

Former Tusker striker Joseph Emeka, Former Sofapaka striker Abbas Akiyemi and former AFC Leopards midfielder Ekene Emekwe arrived in Muhoroni on Monday ready to be signed on by coach Alfred Imonje.

An excited Imonje reiterated that they were taking the 2013 season seriously that is why they had decided to go for seasoned names.

“We are very serious in the coming season that is why I have decided to go for experienced names like the Nigerian trio whom I belive will help us as we seek to be among the top teams.”

“They arrived on Monday and immediately embarked in training and I hope to sign

them up by Wednesday,” Imonje told supersport.com.

Also expecting to be signed is relegated Oserian captain Frankline Osama and Sony Sugar’s Geoffrey Simiyu who also joined the rest of the team in training.

The 32-year-old Wambach edged her national team strike partner Alex Morgan and five-time winner Marta of Brazil in the voting.

Wambach received the trophy from teammate Hope Solo at FIFA’s annual ceremony celebrating world football.

She scored five times at the London Games as the U.S. won its third straight Olympic title.

Wambach’s career total of 152 international goals is closing in on Hamm’s world record of 158.

Voting was by national team coaches and captains around the world, and invited media.

• Alex Morgan, Nominee, left and Abby Wambach, right, of the United States winner of the FIFA Women's World Soccer Player of the Year

Ethiopia hold Tunisia 1-1

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THIOPIA forced Tunisia to a 1-1 draw on Monday in what their coach had described as their biggest test leading up to this month’s AFCON. Striker Saladin Said’s second-half equaliser earned Ethiopia a draw in this warmup game staged in Doha, Qatar.

Said’s goal comes just seven days after joining Ethiopia in camp following his earlier than expected release by Egyptian club Wadi Gegla for the 2013 Africa Cup. The Egypt-based strikers’

long-range shot in the 64th minute made sure Ethiopia maintained their unbeaten run in their Africa Cup of Nations build-ups in the sides’ second friendly game.

Monday’s draw comes on the back of their 1-0 home win over Niger on December 30 in Addis Ababa in their first preparatory game.

Tunisia took the lead in the fourth minute through their Swiss-based midfielder Oussama Darragi of FC Sion.

Ethiopia are expected to head back home to face Tanzania on January 11 in

another friendly.

According to media sources, Ethiopia will host Tanzania in Addis Ababa in what should be Ethiopia’s final warm-up game before heading to South Africa.

The friendly was earlier cancelled after Ethiopia backed out on the plan because they were looking at exclusively playing fellow 2013 Africa Cup finalists.

Ethiopia are expected to arrive in South Africa on January 16.

Ethiopia will be based in Nelspruit where they are in Group C together with Burkina Faso, Nigeria and defending champions Zambia.

Bishaw Sewnet’s team will kick off their Group C action against Zambia on January 21 at Mbombela Stadium.

Al-Gharafa battle Al-Khor, Besiktas for Utaka

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ONTPELLIER HSC owner Laurent Nicollin won’t extend the contract of Nigeria international John Utaka which expires in June.

Radio Monte Carlo says Laurent Nicollin is willing to accept a bid for the 30-year-old Super Eagle if his valuation is met. ‘’He is out of contract in June.

I do not think that we are going to extend his contract.

I’d love to. But he is a bit expensive. If I have a proposal for him, yes I will accept,’’ says Nicollin to RMC. Reports in France are strongly linking Utaka with a move to Qatari club Al-Gharafa. He is expected to cost around one million euros in transfer fee and will sign a three - year contract.

Also in the running for Utaka

are Al-Khor and Turkish club Besiktas. As it is, Al-Gharafa are in pole position for the signature of the former Pompey ace.

• Utaka

Kano Pillars ready for Super Four

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IGERIA Premier League (NPL) champions, Kano Pillars have confirmed their readiness for the coming Super Four.

Kano Pillars, who are the current top flight holders will be the hosts of the tournament which is expected to hold between January 9 and 13 at the Sani Abacha Stadium, Kofarmata, Kano.

The pre-season tournament is meant for the four club representatives that will campaign in the African club competitions this year.

They are Kano Pillars, Enugu Rangers, Heartland, and Lobi Stars.

Delay in the commencement of the 2012/ 13 Premier League season prompted the NFF to arrange the tournament which is aimed at keeping the nation’s campaigners in the CAF competitions in good shape.

Enugu Rangers, who were last season’s runners-up in the NPL will open the competition against Lobi Stars from 1pm Nigerian time, while champions, Kano Pillars will lock horns with Cup holders, Heartland from 3pm in the second duel on Wednesday, January 9.

The draws for the 2012/13 NPL season will also be made in Kano on Sunday,

January 13 which is the last day of the Super Four.

Kano Pillars’ head coach, Baba Ganaru is optimistic that his wards would win the Super Four.

“The Super Four is good and it comes at the right time which will give me the opportunity to access my players.

“We lost the pre-season championship last year in Kaduna, but this time, we are ready to win the Super Four to boost our morale for next month’s CAF Champions League,” Ganaru said to supersport.com.

The former El-Kanemi Warriors’ coach also expressed dismay with the

February 16 date set for the start of 2012/13 NPL season.

“We are not happy with that date and I would be glad if something could be done because of our Champions League campaign,” he concluded.

Kano Pillars were on Sunday forced to a goalless draw by NPL returnees, ElKanemi Warriors in a friendly tune up game decided at the Sani Abacha Stadium, Kofarmata.

The Sai Masugida will kickoff their Champions League campaign on the weekend of February 15, 16 and 17 against Olympique de Bangui of Central African Republic while the return leg holds in fortnight.

Ogu to miss Benfica game

F

OR the away trip to Benfica on Wednesday in the League Cup, Académica coach Pedro Emmanuel will be without the services of Nigerian midfielder John Ugochukwu Ogu. Ogu has been sidelined since December 30th after suffering a groin injury during the game against Olhanense. ‘’I am out for one week now, this is the second week.

Doctor confirmed it is nothing serious that will

keep me out for months. So, it all depends on how I feel.

Personally, I feel less pain but not 100 percent okay. ‘’I started rehabilitation on Sunday, ran for the first time since the injury. I am not sure if I am going to make it for the cup match on Wednesday (with Benfica),’’ says Ogu to allnigeriasoccer.com.

John Ogu has made five appearances in cup competitions this season for Académica .

THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2013

63

NEWS NNPC borrows $1.5b to pay fuel debt

T

HE Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has obtained a $1.5 billion syndicated loan to help it pay debts to international fuel traders, a senior banking source with knowledge of the deal told Reuters.

The deal struck at the end of last year is seen as crucial to easing the burden on big commodity traders, who were facing the prospect of painful multi-million dollar write-offs, oil trading sources said.

The loan, according to the report, was provided by many Nigerian and international banks and brokered by Standard Chartered Bank.

The debt, it was gathered, will be paid back over five and half years. The NNPC is believed to have put up 15,000 barrels per day of its oil production as collateral.

Standard Chartered de-

Presidency backs Anenih

•’Uses oil as collateral’ clined requests for official comment, Reuters reported.

A top official of the NNPC, who confirmed the transaction said the deal is yet to be finalised.

He said the transaction is still ongoing and that the NNPC lawyers and those of the banks are looking at the terms of the deal to ensure that things are properly done. The source said he is not aware of any 150,000 barrels of crude oil per day collateral.

He also said the loan would be used to pay debts owed foreign business partners that among other transactions, supply products to NNPC. She stressed the need for the loan, which according to him, would not only make it possible for

NNPC to pay its debts but ensure that the business relationship is cordially sustained.

He said the non-payment of such debts would put the NNPC in bad light, which might impede future borrowing by the corporation.

The NNPC, has for some time, been responsible for about 90 per cent of total fuel import for local consumption because oil marketers have refused to import products in protest over non-payment of their subsidy refunds.

As at end of last year, the marketers said the Federal Government owed them N200 billion in arrears of unpaid subsidy for the fuel they imported.

Nigeria has over the years

Continued from page 2

•NNPC GMD Yakubu

been dependent on imported petroleum products for local consumption which is about 38 million litres daily for premium motor spirit (PMS).

and ex-Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, are believed not to be for Jonathan.

“These point men are of the opinion that only a political tactician like Anenih could assist Jonathan with a counter-plot to secure a second term ticket. The Presidency is already buying into this idea.

“The idea behind Anenih’s choice is not to leave Jonathan bare - politically.”

But Anenih may face a big hurdle because the PDP Constitution does not allow a second term for a BoT chairman.

A member of the National Executive Committee of the party said by virtue of Article 12.77 (c) of the PDP,

Anenih cannot return to office as the BoT chairman.

The article reads: “The Board of Trustees shall ensure that the Chairman and Secretary of the BoT shall subject to Article 12.81 of this constitution serve a single term of five years.

He said: “If Anenih is made the chairman of the BoT, it would amount to a violation of the PDP constitution. We do not know the justification behind the Presidency’s push for Anenih.

“Some people are arguing that Anenih was humiliated out of office in 2007 by ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo. But the real issue is that whether Anenih spent a day in office as BoT chairman, he cannot come back to lead the organ.”

Enugu officials pray for Chime at Government House

E

NUGU government officials and workers yesterday organized a prayer session at the Government House for the good health and safe return of ailing Governor Sulliavn Chime.

Chime has been abroad since September 22 last year on account of ill health.

Acting Governor Sunday Onyebuchi led the session with members of the state executive council and other senior civil servants in attandence.

Anglican Bishop of Enugu

Diocese, Rt Rev Emmanuel Chukwuma supervised the prayer. He said: “God, you know who he is in this government; forgive his sins in the name of Jesus; grant him health and heal him in the name of Jesus.

“We pray that your son, Sullivan Iheanacho Chime will come back, hale and hearty to continue where he left off.

“Father bless those he left behind here to continue the task of running the state; he will come back alive to meet them; he will not come back

here dead in the name of Jesus. `‘All the health challenges, God take control; take control of him; take control of his family; take control of this government; and let your will be done in this State; in the name of Jesus.”

The cleric also prayed for politicians and civil servants in the country, noting that the success of every government depended on God. Acting Governor Onyebuchi urged workers to be loyal and hardworking in the discharge of their duties. “With the prayers

offered today, we will have peace this year. For us in government here, government is moving the way it should.

“We should take our duties more seriously, come to work early, do the assignments you are given so that files are not delayed on your table. ``I believe if you keep yourselves busy, you will have less time for rumour mongering. I want to assure you that government will continue to give priority to the welfare of workers of Enugu State.

“You will continue to re-

ceive your salaries as at when due and you receive your promotions when you are due.’’

Some of the workers, who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said the prayer session was commendable. They expressed the belief that God would ensure the safe return of the governor.

The session was attended by Speaker of the House of Assembly, Chief Eugene Odo, Chief of Staff to Governor Chime, Mrs Ifeoma Nwobodo, and all the members of the state Executive Council.

•Chime

100

8-01-2013

TODAY IN THE NATION

TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2013 TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM

VOL. 7

NO.2,365

‘The suspicion has lingered that the pricing regime is sustained by the current structure of the industry – which permits the existence of a few dominant players, a situation which effectively renders the consumer a price taker’ SANYA ONI

COMMENT & DEB ATE EBA

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HERE is no end to some people’s malevolence.

If they could not give Dr Goodluck Jonathan another jet plane to add to the burgeoning Presidential Fleet, or a cassava plantation to supply the raw material for his favourite breakfast loaf, or a pond for breeding fish for the gourmet pepper soup that is the best accompaniment for cassava bread, or a shipload of his accustomed beverage, couldn’t they at least have said a perfunctory “Happy New Year” to him and carried on with their lives of desperation?

Or, since he is scholar and an intellectual, they could have presented him with a basket of books carefully selected from the bestseller lists of the leading trade journals.

Instead, in the dead of night as 2012 faded into history and 2013 was emerging from the womb time, they slunk out of their malignant dens and painted the entire Abuja, government buildings not excepted, with election campaign posters warning those who might be thinking of challenging Dr Jonathan in the 2015 presidential race to perish the thought.

“2015: No vacancy in Aso Rock in 2015,” the posters, bearing a portrait of a half amazed and half bemused Dr Jonathan in his trademark fedora, proclaim sententiously.

Anticipating the querulous who might be led to ask why there would be no vacancy in Aso Rock, the poster declares: “One good term deserves another.”

A grand distraction – in fact, I am almost prepared to call it the Mother of all Distractions – this malevolent, cantankerous, and unpatriotic NewYear present to Dr Jonathan.

Dr Jonathan is of course no stranger to distraction. In fact, distraction has been his constant companion since he took office. Well before he could spell out the details of his much anticipated Transformation Agenda, Boko Haram launched a campaign of indiscriminate murder, its object being to destabilise the Administration as a first step to setting up an Islamic Republic in Nigeria.

When the Transformation Agenda finally got under way, it quickly fell victim to the mass protests that broke out across the nation, following termination of gasoline subsidies that had virtually paralysed the economy. The protesters and their manipulators could not see that only a few privileged persons were profiting from the pernicious subsidy, and that ending it was in the public’s best interest.

For the nine days the protests lasted, Dr Jonathan was so distracted that he lost track of the Transformation Agenda altogether.

Then followed yet another distraction, from Dr Jonathan’s village, of all places. The Italian contractor Gitto Construziani, I gather, had refurbished the old village church in Otuoke from its own abundance and in the finest tradition of social responsibility and corporate good citizenship.

But Dr Jonathan’s political adversaries claimed that he had knowingly solicited a gift from a contractor doing business with the Federal Government, and that at the very least, the whole thing was shot through and through with conflict of interest, if not actual sleaze. Some have even gone so far as to demand his impeachment or resignation, or

RIPPLES TREASURY LOOTERS SHOULD FEAR GOD Cleric

Fear who?... The only fear they have is BEING CAUGHT

OLATUNJI DARE

AT HOME ABROAD olatunji.dare@thenationonlineng.net

A President’s endless distractions

•Dr Jonathan

both.

Even the elements conspired to add to the distraction. Raging floods swept away tracks laid for the nation’s first bullet train, paralysed newly commissioned power plants, washed away vast farmlands bursting with the first fruit of the agricultural revolution Dr Jonathan had initiated, and destroyed thousands of silos chockfull of grain and other produce What Dr Jonathan has now been confronted with, however, has got to be, as I was saying, the Mother of all Distractions.

Instead of focusing with his accustomed laser intensity on the plans and programmes and projects he has drawn up to make 2013 our annus mirabilis, he has to waste precious time and resources disowning the election posters and dissociating himself from a project that is not even a part of his iconic Transformation Agenda.

The people behind the posters do not wish

Dr Jonathan and Nigeria well. They fear that if he is allowed free rein to transform Nigeria, they will cease to have any political relevance.

For they cannot say they are coming to transform what has already been transformed.

Hence their strategy: Keep him so busy denying that 2015 is on his mind that he will not be able to pursue the Transformation Agenda with vigour. Then seize on that failure to pre-empt his candidacy, and thus send him packing out of Aso Rock...

Some gullible people whom we shall always have among us seem to believe that Dr Jonathan had fore-knowledge of this diabolical scheme and might even have endorsed it.

If they need indissoluble proof that Dr Jonathan did not have and could not have had anything to do with it, however remotely, they need look no farther than the contemptuous manner in which some of the posters were displayed.

A good many of them were wrapped around refuse bins or posted on dumpsters. Are the malevolent elements behind the campaign not thereby saying that any ambition Dr Jonathan might be nursing for 2015 is destined to end up in dust bin?

Assuming – just for the sake of argument – that Dr Jonathan is interested in running for re-election in 2015, can it be supposed that he would denigrate his own aspiration in this manner? Not even his most implacable critics have ever accused him of masochism.

The Jonathan we know is a sportsman in the pristine sense of that term.He loves genuine competition, and he is so secure in his person that losing means nothing to him.

When he plays squash, he tells his opponents at every opportunity: “Don’t be coy. Defeat

HARDBALL

me if you can.”

Contrast this, if you will, with your typical president whose unspoken message to the fellow across the net is: “You think you are smart? Defeat me if you dare.”

Is the Dr Jonathan we know the kind of leader, then, to resort to a tawdry poster campaign to pre-empt a challenge in a race that will not even come up until 2015?

Proxies of the agents of distraction have been going round asking why Dr Jonathan has not unleashed the forces of national security to smoke out those behind the poster campaign if it is true that he knows nothing about it and if he is genuinely distressed by it.

The more despicable among them are asking whether it is mere coincidence that Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State has been buying acres of space in the newspapers to proclaim, just when the “No Vacancy” posters surfaced in Abuja, that he does not intend to seek the office of President, has never harboured such an intention, and never will harbor it.

Persons of this diabolical cast of mind forger that Nigeria is now a constitutional democracy where freedom of speech and of press is guaranteed in equal measure to the ambitious and the unambitious, and even to agents of distraction. They forget that the days of authoritarian rule, of government by decree, are gone forever. They want to goad Dr Jonathan into playing Goliath.

They will do well to remember that he did not become President and has not remained in that exalted office by submitting to blackmail of any stripe.

The distraction must stop forthwith... Collectively, we must say to them, with the utmost indignation: Enough. Let President Jonathan be. Leave him alone so that he can devote all his energies to accomplishing the urgent task of National Transformation.

Correction The historian Segun Osoba has written that he was not present at the 1989 Guardian Lecture I referred to in my December 18, 2012,column (“Omoruyi: A scholar’s lament”), and could not therefore have reacted in the manner I described.

I and a Guardian staffer monitoring the audience must have mistaken a look-alike for him.

My regrets.

•For comments, send SMS to 08082036515

•Hardball is not the opinion of the columnist featured above

Assad still unrepentant, murderous, chimerical

T

HE Syrian uprising, a subset of the Arab Spring that began in Tunisia in December 2010, is about 22 months old. So far, according to United Nations (UN) estimate, some 60,000 people have lost their lives in the civil war that is now raging all over Syria. After many months of disunited rebellion opposition groups have finally shed their Free Syrian Army toga and united under the umbrella of the Syrian National Coalition (SNC). Alarmingly, however, the rebellion is becoming an all-out sectarian war between Shiites and Sunnis.

The economy of the country has all but collapsed, and untold suffering, massive destruction of infrastructure, and a fragmented and shattered society have resulted from the seemingly endless war. The world must, therefore, have been shocked two days ago to watch the beleaguered President Bashar Al-Assad mount the stage of the Damascus Opera House to give a television address lambasting the opposition and deigning to offer what he believed to be a solution to the crisis.

Barely six months into the uprising that began in March 2011, Hardball had predicted that the uprising would progress into a civil war, especially given the hardening of government position and the antecedents of the senior Hafez alAssad who brutally suppressed a Muslim Brotherhood uprising against his government in 1982.

That suppression more than 30 years ago led to the death of an estimated 40,000 people in Hama, according to Syrian Human Rights Committee.

If in 2011 it had seemed Hardball was unduly

hardline, by the following year, however, he was predicting that the uprising could turn sectarian, given the fact that the al-Assads, who are Alawites, belong to the minority Shiites (13% of the population), as their Iranian supporters, while the opposition is largely Sunni (74% of the population), as their Wahhabi Saudi Arabian and Qatari supporters. Unfortunately for Syria, the war has all but become sectarian.

But Hardball also predicted in 2012 that there was no way the rebels could lose, for history, demographics, the spirit of the Arab Spring, and popular international sentiments favoured them. Indeed, both the support for al-Assad and the reluctance of the West to commit completely to the cause of the rebels could be due to apprehension of how Sunni victory would redraw regional power structures. It is unlikely Western reluctance is caused by fear of Chinese, Russian and Iranian support for Syria’s Baathist government. The West in fact appears unsure that the Syrian variant of the Arab Spring is motivated by the hunger for democracy, especially in view of the recent controversy in Egypt that has led to the approval in a referendum of a new constitution with distinct Islamic overtones. The sectarian composition of Syria and the history of the Muslim Brotherhood revolt in Hama may also account for why the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood government under Mohammed Morsi intensely detest alAssad. It will be recalled that Morsi on Sunday called for al-Assad to be tried for war crimes.

In the final analysis, no matter how long-

drawn the civil war in Syria becomes, the rebels will win. Al-Assad’s television address on Sunday tabling a condescending proposal for peace will be scorned. The offer, according to a news agency report, consists of the following: — Outside powers to stop arming “terrorist groups.”

— The army would then halt military operations, while reserving the right to defend state interests.

— The government would then contact “Syrian individuals and political parties” to engage in a conference of national dialogue.

— The conference would try to establish a national charter that would be put to a referendum, leading to parliamentary elections and a new government.

The West, with the unintended power shift in Iraq on their minds, will also reluctantly offer support to the rebels only because of the scale of the Syrian slaughter, and then wait with bated breath to see which way the sectarian and democratic pendulums would swing. Russia, China, and Iran will eventually come to terms with the reality of al-Assad’s deposition, no matter how galling. The unrepentant and chimerical al-Assad, who is still breathing murder and cruelty, will be lucky to escape with his life. However, sooner or later, the current stalemate will be broken; but it will be at a terrible cost to the country, even as many top officials, including ordinary Syrians, will pay a terrible and prohibitive price for freedom, of course, without the calming effect of knowing the shape of the future.

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